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Anyone Own The Telegraph Key?


B-man

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It is great! i don't want to miss it. For me defenitly worth the Money.

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I've had mine a few weeks now. I got it clamped to my desk and I would say its well worth it for direct training of the thumbs.

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I have a ponyclamp and it works good.

Much cheaper than a ttk.

Never tried a ttk tho

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I use a heavily modified large pony clamp that I can set to specific widths, room for all four fingers, and microadjustable strength with rubber bands. I don't have ttk but I've used Kody's, nice piece but you could trick out a pony clamp for a lot less.

I guess if you're into crazy negatives and weighted holds the ttk is perfect. My Vulcan w/ thumb screws works the same ROM IMO

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Had one and used it when I first started. When I got higher in weight on it I found it to be very uncomfortable to the point of injury for my thumb joint due to the side pressure. I eventually built something I liked better and sold the TTK. It can work well but is not for everyone.

- Aaron

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Had one and used it when I first started. When I got higher in weight on it I found it to be very uncomfortable to the point of injury for my thumb joint due to the side pressure. I eventually built something I liked better and sold the TTK. It can work well but is not for everyone.

- Aaron

I'm interested in seeing what you built if you don’t mind sharing.

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I built one out of 2x4's that comes together much flatter at the pinch. It actually has two levels to train on - one for a wide dynamic range (on the order of blobs, globes, etc.), and one that is thinner (on the order of coin pinches, thin euro-device range, etc.). I train both levels regularly.

One thing about this kind of device - in order not to fake yourself out, it's best to lift it a bit off the table when you train it, otherwise you are more likely to put downward pressure with your body instead of actually pinching it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I built one out of 2x4's that comes together much flatter at the pinch. It actually has two levels to train on - one for a wide dynamic range (on the order of blobs, globes, etc.), and one that is thinner (on the order of coin pinches, thin euro-device range, etc.). I train both levels regularly.

One thing about this kind of device - in order not to fake yourself out, it's best to lift it a bit off the table when you train it, otherwise you are more likely to put downward pressure with your body instead of actually pinching it.

This is very true. I gave a slight lift after reading this and my working weight for the ROM that I am using went from 50lbs to 35lbs. I know believe that using bodily pressure to move the handles is the reason some experience too much strain on their thumb joints.

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  • 4 weeks later...

i hate to say it, but i dont train my thumbs.. its not that i dont want to, its just whenever i do, i ALWAYS aggravate my thumb joint and it sets me back. ive seen videos on youtube of people using buckets of rice or sand to work the thumb. but it seems more like a rehab.prehab exercise than an exercise thats gonna build any strength.

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I tried the TTK but never liked it - it just didn't seem to work for me. So I made up something like David Horne's Tombstone apparatus and use that - I like it much better and the carry over to the Euro is much better. I like to tinker around and will continue to make things until I end up with something I like - most of my stuff is "modified".

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Lately, all my training has been exclusively on my homemade TTK, because I had been tearing up my thumbs pretty good on the Euro-2HP. We'll see how it carries over to 2HP in a bit, and I know it has helped with my blob lifts.

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I have 2 widths on mine, and I use both and sometimes do key pinch as well. All full ROM. High volume - up to 80 reps total per hand.

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I have 2 widths on mine, and I use both and sometimes do key pinch as well. All full ROM. High volume - up to 80 reps total per hand.

wasnt expecting the 80 reps.. but its good to hear that high repping is working. this might be why the TTK is working for you. i think most of us have a tendency to go to heavy.

does anyone use rice to work the thumb? i seen a video on youtube where you just to high reps for a minute or so then switch hands. im going to give it a go soon. just wondering if its working for anyone else?

Thanks.

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wasnt expecting the 80 reps.. but its good to hear that high repping is working. this might be why the TTK is working for you. i think most of us have a tendency to go to heavy.

With a new weight, I start off with 4 sets at both grip widths that I can do 5 reps with. Then I build it up to 4 sets by 10 reps with both grip widths. At that volume range, I find it less likely to injure my hands, and the progress is more steady and reliable. With the higher weight/lower rep approaches, my hands don't seem to respond as well. For that day, that is the only grip work that I do.

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I have 2 widths on mine, and I use both and sometimes do key pinch as well. All full ROM. High volume - up to 80 reps total per hand.

Have you ever tried using blocks of wood to put under different digits while using all four...for isolation?

Making one or two fingers stand out from the others while squeezing may be beneficial.

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I personally, have never felt the need for isolation. This is more for training my thumb. The rest of my fingers get hit with a variety of other stimuli from grippers, Inch DB, pull-ups, axle deadlift, and the occasional bending.

But what you're recommending may be beneficial for those that have a particular need.

Edited by bwwm
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I have 2 widths on mine, and I use both and sometimes do key pinch as well. All full ROM. High volume - up to 80 reps total per hand.

Have you ever tried using blocks of wood to put under different digits while using all four...for isolation?

Making one or two fingers stand out from the others while squeezing may be beneficial.

Never thought of doing it that way..

I'm sure I've read somewhere that rope training works the thumb? I'm not sure too how hard it works it, but my hands get a great pump when I do them at the end of my workout. I like to do body weight rows to finish off my hands. I've seen good carryover to my other grip work and are a staple in my grip routine right now. I get them in x2-3 a week.

Edited by alexjones234
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Rick Walker had the idea to train his thumb with a miniature cable pulley system.

I like that way better than a TTK cause you can get more ROM.

Plus you can hit all sorts of angles if you want.

Really good for rehabbing a thumb with high reps and cheap and easy to make.

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