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Why Is No One Closing A 4?


mobsterone

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I think the reason somebody has yet to do is because it's really hard

Yes, that's very true and hit the target (i.e. my comment, I presume). But it doesn't disprove my point. I have read your training log (thanks for it!) and after reading thought that you really could have the potential for #4 - but you have too many distractions. And that kind of proves my point. That's the same thing mobsterone said, and the same thing we can read about in several other training logs here. We, including me, want to reach too many goals at the same time or change goals too many times. Think about other sport disciplines. Those who compete at international or even just national level just don't try everything. They train with only one thing in mind. Runners may run shorter and longer distances but they don't usually jump and jumpers don't usually run and long jumpers don't high jump. If you choose decathlon you can't be the best even in one of the ten events. Exactly because CCS closing #4 is really hard, a real world level feat, you can't do it if you want and try to be the best or really good in everything. At least if this everything includes anything else beyond pure grip. Even less if you have a physical job and can't be a professional gripster (get money out of training and competing). And you can't be professional because grip sports is marginal.

But still - you're right.

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I think the reason somebody has yet to do is because it's really hard

Yes, that's very true and hit the target (i.e. my comment, I presume). But it doesn't disprove my point. I have read your training log (thanks for it!) and after reading thought that you really could have the potential for #4 - but you have too many distractions. And that kind of proves my point. That's the same thing mobsterone said, and the same thing we can read about in several other training logs here. We, including me, want to reach too many goals at the same time or change goals too many times. Think about other sport disciplines. Those who compete at international or even just national level just don't try everything. They train with only one thing in mind. Runners may run shorter and longer distances but they don't usually jump and jumpers don't usually run and long jumpers don't high jump. If you choose decathlon you can't be the best even in one of the ten events. Exactly because CCS closing #4 is really hard, a real world level feat, you can't do it if you want and try to be the best or really good in everything. At least if this everything includes anything else beyond pure grip. Even less if you have a physical job and can't be a professional gripster (get money out of training and competing). And you can't be professional because grip sports is marginal.

But still - you're right.

Honestly, the other things help. With Steve he will train heavy pinch or thickbar one day then grippers a day or two later an he might have an 'off day' on the grippers. If he went a bit easier on the other stuff it would help his grippers peak but overall would it help to not train them just as hard? The answer is no and you can see why from how going heavy a day or two before hurts the gripper session, it's had the same result as if he had trained grippers heavy a day or two before. What i am meaning is there is cross over between the lifts. You have to remember having a meaty hand and especially a big thumb pad keeps the gripper in place, which is damn difficult to do when you are trying to ccs a #4, it's as hard as having the actual crushing power to do it, and when it moves out of position you wont close it (especially if you have big hands).

As far as the physical job, as long as it's physical in grip specific ways, it helps. You are often overtrained or however you want to put it, not 100%, but the sheer volume of essentially grip training you get from 50-60 hours a week plus whatever training you do outside of the job is a really big difference to what kind of hours most people train.

Also lifting heavy weights helps a lot and just getting stronger in general, these things might seem like they are taking focus away but it's not the case, often too much specific work will lead to injury once you get to a certain level so you have to do general training as well.

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Hold your horses guys. I'll close it when I get around to it. :grin:

Seriously, I think it's possible, but crushing is a thankless job. You really have to have a bloodlust for being the best to push yourself this far in gripping. The first guy to CCS a random unseasoned #4 in front of a judge will be able to say, "I have the strongest grip of any human that has ever lived," and it will be hard to argue with him....

...BUT 99% of people will have little to no appreciation for what that actually means.

Edited by Squeezus
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I think the reason somebody has yet to do is because it's really hard

Even the most gifted in grip must put in a huge amount of dedication, time, and effort. The truly monster dudes in athletics have zero incentive to do it as well.

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IMO whoever closes #4 CCS for cert should get $500K. It should be live on TV as well.

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IMO whoever closes #4 CCS for cert should get $500K. It should be live on TV as well.

id actually get serious about grippers if this was the case. Lol
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Honestly, the other things help.

Thanks for input. I understand what you're saying and I'll hold my horses :) . I was a bit hyperbolic, but please see beyond that. Yes, one needs to more than just close grippers. But in the end you must choose what you want and act accordingly. The exact question is whether a #4 CCS close is so hard that no one or almost no one can do it without it being their primary goal and everything else subservient to it to a great degree. Like a football player who can and must build muscle mass but only to enhance his football playing, not for bodybuilding competition. There are people here who want to and do certify in grippers and also in bending and do armwrestling and powerlifting and strongman. They have to focus first on grippers, then change to bending, then tune their training program for general grip competition, then for strongman competition. That's great, I would do that if I could. It's OK for closing #3 and maybe 3.5. But is it enough for CCS closing #4? I think not, and that's the point I was trying to prove. You can of course prove me wrong and make me a believer, but not until someone has really done it, and right now nobody has done it.

Now I should shut up and train. But I've got a flu and too much time to write here and speculate :)

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IMO whoever closes #4 CCS for cert should get $500K. It should be live on TV as well.

I would be willing to donate 20 bucks to a fund governed by gripboard for that purpose. Now we need only 2499 other donors.

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My $0.02.

In general, the public isn't interested in grippers, however grip strength is something visceral that all people connect with. Look at how many movies have characters holding on to a girder, helicopter skid, rope, cable, etc.... for the drama & theatrical tension. So I think there's something out there in the public that identifies with grip, we just haven't made that connection.

The other thing is that the #4 and grippers like it require quite some time for the ligaments, tendons, etc. to adapt as well. Unless you're already a hulk like Brian Shaw, Magnus Samuelson, etc. who has already been training with pretty intense weights, it's going to take time not just for the muscle but the rest of the parts of the hand to adapt. Think of all the people who have tried grip, got injured from pushing it too hard, and quickly moved on. As folks mentioned earlier, it will take a lot of patience & perseverance.

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Personally I'm more impressed and interested with the people climbing the mash monster ladder.

Also as a smaller guy I'm more impressed by people like Darrin Shallman or Bob Sundin, then I would be if a freaking living giant like Shaw or Burke certed the #4.

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IMO whoever closes #4 CCS for cert should get $500K. It should be live on TV as well.

I would be willing to donate 20 bucks to a fund governed by gripboard for that purpose. Now we need only 2499 other donors.

me too, 40 bucks so far whoever closes #4 :D

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Unlucky i have never even held a number #4 in my hand. How much harder does it feel compared with the #3,5? The same step from #3 to #3,5?

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Unlucky i have never even held a number #4 in my hand. How much harder does it feel compared with the #3,5? The same step from #3 to #3,5?

Have you ever held a brick in your hand? Yes? Then that's what it's like to squeeze a #4

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In Chinese, the word for 4 is similar to the word for funeral. Its an unlucky number.

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I'll agree with Paul about strength training and have said as much many times. Without meaning to sound dismissive of some efforts of those I've competed against I beat them because I was stronger all over and not just in hand strength. Go ahead and use that 8-kilo kettlebell if you wish but I'll stick to seated presses with 100-kilos if that's ok.

On the distraction theme again... assuming an all assault on the 4 and crush strength I'd do either what I said earlier (drop some lifts until I was done as I prefer to focus on one thing almost in isolation) or hold steady at a set level - so 100-kilo pinch, for example, for 8 singles every time rather than add or cycle up and down. Thus maintaining a level of overall hand strength to work with. Either or... hmm

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Unlucky i have never even held a number #4 in my hand. How much harder does it feel compared with the #3,5? The same step from #3 to #3,5?

Have you ever held a brick in your hand? Yes? Then that's what it's like to squeeze a #4
I see.. It probably never will be closed then 😁
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I had it as a lifetime goal to close the #4, but after I achieved it, I kinda loss the interest. And so I went on to pursue other strength related events/lifts. So I haven't done any real long term grip training since our last contest in 2010. But I guess I'm not really done with it yet as I haven't closed it with both hands...

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It will be done but i do think it's harder in terms of human limits than i initially thought just in terms of tendon / ligament strength. Today many strongman, powerlifters and bodybuilders have huge muscles but the tendon strength never seems to match the muscle strength. Torn muscles is common place etc

As for how it feels, depends on your strength levels of course but providing they are high enough to be using it, not much different than any other gripper.

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If Nathan Holle certed the 9 with the 1.5" block he could certainly CCS a reasonable 4. Someone just needs to convince him to do it under the new rules. History. Made.

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Ioan and Jon Vogt are both proof that this will happen IMO.

Ioan #4 CCS cert attempt:

Jon Vogt CCS attempt

Those are so close it's no longer that hard to imagine that it's possible. Again.. IMO.

Don't forget Gabriel Sum from germany: https://youtu.be/6bvMVvyp0n8 Edited by greppstark
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IMO whoever closes #4 CCS for cert should get $500K. It should be live on TV as well.

I would be willing to donate 20 bucks to a fund governed by gripboard for that purpose. Now we need only 2499 other donors.

Math is off.

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With a number like that we'll end up without members...... people are gonna blow their hands to smithereens. Lmao

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