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My journey to the #4


Hellraiser92x

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I started my grip training on 21st of june 2017. At first i didn't write down my grip sessions, but i started to write my important sets down since 17th of August 2017. So thought i might as well start a training log on here, where people can see how i train. As i am a newbie, advice is always welcome. I always train with parallel set or deep set, because my main goal is to close a coc #4. From time to time i just see what i can ccs or tns, but i won't train that unless i have reached my lifetime grippergoal, the #4. After that i will start to train ccs and maybe get certified on at least the #3. But i don't expect to ever get decent at ccs and tns because i have big palms and short fingers. 

So these are my training sessions from 17th August until today:

 

17th August 2017 - #3 x 12, Hg350 x 1 

18th August 2017 - #3.5 x 2 choked 

28th August 2017 - #3 x 1 left hand, Hg350 x 4 x 2 choked

31st August 2017 - No warmup as i usually do, just sitting on the couch and warm up with coc #1 & #2...........-> #3 x 8 with no chalk, Hg350 close but still a failed attempt without chalk

2nd September 2017 - #3.5 closed, Hg350 x 2, #4 attempt got it to parallel, #3 ccs attempt( very close ~4mm)

The following sessions are without a whole body warmup, because i can't lift at the moment because of a surgery. I am quite a bit weaker without a whole body warmup

7th September 2017 - #3 x 17 parallel reps no choker,  #3 x 22 parallel choked

9th September 2017 - My hand was feeling very beaten up, but still did something, as i hate to just sit on the couch all day. HG350 x 1, #3.5 x 1 x 2 Attempts(both were very close ~2mm on the first, ~4mm on the second attempt)

11th September 2017 - #3 x 18 messed up my setting. I think 20 reps or more are no problem in the coming weeks

17th September 2017 - So yesterday i trained without chalk again, which makes quite a difference : #3 x 12, HG350 x 1, #3.5 x 4 choked(the 4th rep was very close ~1-2mm the others were solid closes), Then i attempted my new Hg350 which is at least as hard as #4, i think maybe even harder. I got it to parallel or a little under that, which is quite suprising after those sets and using no chalk. After that i did another single with my old Hg350 which is a little bit easier than my #3.5.

From here on i will post my training sessions more detailed and hopefully next week i can start lifting weights again. I will cut the grip training back to one session a week so my hand can fully recover. I will do grippertraining first and then lift with my selfmade rolling handle. The last couple of weeks i definately overdid it with grippers, but still made great gains. But i don't want to get injured. I have a youtube channel now, where i will put some videos of my PR's in the future.

Edited by Hellraiser92x
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Maybe i'm not reading this right but are you saying you started training in June, are already repping #3 for 18, and have set #4 as a life time goal?

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Yes you do read it right. I know it sounds weird but even if i get the #4 in the near future, for me it's still such a big thing. Not many people in this world were or are able to close it. When i first saw Magnus Samuelsson close the #4 i couldn't understand why this is such a big deal. So i ordered one and was shocked when trying it. I didn't know what to do with it. Then i bought a #1, #2, #3, #3.5, Hg350 and all that. I could close a #3 without really training it other than practice setting it. That was the time i knew i had probably the genetics to close a #4 one day and deemed it my lifetime grippergoal. I didn't know how to train with all the grippers so i lost interest real quick. Over the years, whenever i tried it i could always close the #3. And this june i got interested again and got all the grippers out of the box in my basement and thought i just try to train someway and see where it goes. And here i am. Closed the #3.5 after 10 weeks of training, which is something i never thought was possible that quick. Next week when i can lift weights again i'll go for reps on the #3.5 without a choker. But the #4 is still such a beast. Yesterday i started training my left hand. Never did that before. On the dynamometer the strength was very similar to that of my right hand but grippers feel so much harder in the left hand. Still got #3 with no chalk with the left, so i will train the left from now on too.

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In regards to the grippers feeling harder in your left hand, it has to do with the direction that the spring is wound on the gripper. I believe that Jedd has a video about it.

Repping the #3 like that sounds great, I would love to see a video of it, do you just have massive hands that swallow the gripper?

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I wish i had massive hands, but no. Pretty short fingers and only relatively large palm. So i have to set the gripper really good to get all the power i can generate into the handles. But i am a short Guy 1.73m in height.

I have videos of my #3 repping on the youtube channel 22 reps choked and 18 reps without.

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Do you mind elaborating on what kind of training you did prior to gripper work?  You have some mighty hand strength, I'm curious as to what you may have done before that created such strong crossover to crush work.  Impressive man!

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Thank you very much for the kind words. I wish i could tell you something helpful for that but i never did any manual work. I just lift weights as a hobby. I always thought i had a very weak hand. When i saw Bob Sapp crush an apple i tried the same for fun without ever thinking that i could even put a dent in it but the apple crushed to pieces. After that my father told me i should try to crush a potato and i did. That was when i was 17 years old and no grip training. 

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You don't need to be able to close #3 no training to have genetics for the #4. When I started I could barely close #1 and only trainer left hand, now I've done #4 beyond MMS width each hand. It might sound silly but by the sounds of it you are probably genetically capable of doing the #4 for reps as a warm up. Keep in mind the genetic freaks like yourself have rarely trained grippers. Don't worry about what others can and can't do, just focus on what you can do (anything by the sound of it).

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You are absolutely right Paul. I would never doubt you as you are where i aspire to be one day. I personally think i am capable of repping a #4 one day, but i don't want to sound like some cocky idiot, saying that i will do this and do that. I prefer to do it first and then claim it. But wow those words from guys like you motivate me endless.

Edited by Hellraiser92x
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Thank you for the motivating words. I will keep you updated. If anyone has some critic for my training, feel free to write it down here. I appreciate that very much.

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Crazy base strength there man. What is your daily occupance in general if I may ask and how old are you, weight etc? You have a powerlift background?

good luck on your quest. 

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For a long time now i couldn't really do anything. I have a pulmonary disease. I do lifting but for the last year or so i can only lift every 3-6 weeks. The rest of the time i sit on the couch and do nothing when i am feeling sick. Thats why i started grip training because that worked even when feeling sick. I think i could be better in powerlifting too but when you almost never train, how should you get better? In my bad shape right now i can always deadlift 220kg, squat 200kg and strict press 100kg+. But now it will get better and i can start lifting again on monday. I am 25 years old. I weigh 96kg.

Edited by Hellraiser92x
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16 hours ago, Hellraiser92x said:

You are absolutely right Paul. I would never doubt you as you are where i aspire to be one day. I personally think i am capable of repping a #4 one day, but i don't want to sound like some cocky idiot, saying that i will do this and do that. I prefer to do it first and then claim it. But wow those words from guys like you motivate me endless.

Honestly I was understating there, you are more than likely capable of repping #4 for 20+ but I know at this point that sounds crazy. Hell I've done an easy #4 for 8, am only 31 so some of the top grip guys have 20 years on me and i for sure have made plenty of mistakes in my training through the years. Ultimately nobody is going to get everything perfect for 30-40 years so really nobody will ever reach their true potential. In truth there are no limits. Set big goals and go after them with everything you got is what I say. Don't think I've ever came across or even read about anybody with your kind of genetic gifts for grippers and I've came across and read about a lot of people.

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Hi Paul,

repping a #4 for any amount of reps is crazy, but why not? I don't know how long one can make those fast gains on grippers like i had for the last 3 months. I am very curious how far i can come within 1 year of training. The weird thing is with my left hand. I really never even touched grippers with left as it felt so much heavier and almost undoable even with grippers like the #2. But on a dynamometer i immediately could reach Error with the left. That dynamometer goes up to 90.6kg after that comes error. I think strengthwise i should be stronger than #3 with the left, but as one said on here, its the spring which makes it so much harder with the left.

I really appreciate your motivating words, it's crazy to think that a guy who closes such monstruous grippers calls me a genetic freak. Can i ask your for advice when i am hitting a wall in training in the future?

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1 hour ago, Hellraiser92x said:

Hi Paul,

repping a #4 for any amount of reps is crazy, but why not? I don't know how long one can make those fast gains on grippers like i had for the last 3 months. I am very curious how far i can come within 1 year of training. The weird thing is with my left hand. I really never even touched grippers with left as it felt so much heavier and almost undoable even with grippers like the #2. But on a dynamometer i immediately could reach Error with the left. That dynamometer goes up to 90.6kg after that comes error. I think strengthwise i should be stronger than #3 with the left, but as one said on here, its the spring which makes it so much harder with the left.

I really appreciate your motivating words, it's crazy to think that a guy who closes such monstruous grippers calls me a genetic freak. Can i ask your for advice when i am hitting a wall in training in the future?

You are defo a genetic freak (a very good thing). I don't think you need my advice haha you are doing awesome but just to note the left hand its simply getting used to the motor pattern so in time the handles will touch easier. You can also buy left turn grippers these days where the spring is wound the other way.

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On 19-9-2017 at 12:02 PM, Hellraiser92x said:

I could close a #3 without really training it other than practice setting it.

 

17 hours ago, Hellraiser92x said:

In my bad shape right now i can always deadlift 220kg, squat 200kg and strict press 100kg+.

Ok I officially hate you now. :tongue Numbers I still haven't reached even after years and years and years of serious training (except for the deadlift).

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24 minutes ago, Paul Savage said:

You are defo a genetic freak (a very good thing). I don't think you need my advice haha you are doing awesome but just to note the left hand its simply getting used to the motor pattern so in time the handles will touch easier. You can also buy left turn grippers these days where the spring is wound the other way.

That is definately something i consider to do. But the heaviest i have found is a left wound #3. Is there a manufacturer who makes left wounds above a #3?

 

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29 minutes ago, Royz said:

 

Ok I officially hate you now. :tongue Numbers I still haven't reached even after years and years and years of serious training (except for the deadlift).

:D I hope to be able to train more seriously in the future. But i will start bodybuilding and jogging & losing bodyweight next monday, to get in better shape. I need to do this to get my lungs better. But who knows, bodybuilding will probably make me a bit stronger. 

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33 minutes ago, Hellraiser92x said:

That is definately something i consider to do. But the heaviest i have found is a left wound #3. Is there a manufacturer who makes left wounds above a #3?

 

You don't need them. Just train and your hand will learn. Also dexterity is very important when closing grippers (it's important for grip in general). So working with dextreity balls will help you, sledge fingerwalks is also good.

Practice, practice, practice... Then practice some more, be consistent and don't give up. 

And I agree with Paul, nobody knows what their full potential really is, we don't have that type of technology and knowledge yet as a species, to determine something like that. Just work hard and never give up.

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Hey those are some cool exercises. Didn't even know that those exercises exist. I would start with those sledge fingerwalks on monday. What is the typical way to train them? And how do you increase the difficulty?

 

As for the left hand : i will just train with the grippers i have for a longer period, as i don't really want to spend more money on grippers. I have bought a whole lot of grippers right now and most of the good brands are in the usa. So with taxes and shipping to germany a gripper gets terribly expensive. Thats why until now i have no ghp or beefbuilder gripper. I wanted to cert with ghp 7 but didn't receive an answer from wade. 

One thing i have to ask you all here :

How is my english? Is it all pretty understandable what i am writing or are there some things i should clear up for you? 

 

Thank you

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1 hour ago, Hellraiser92x said:

Hey those are some cool exercises. Didn't even know that those exercises exist. I would start with those sledge fingerwalks on monday. What is the typical way to train them? And how do you increase the difficulty?

 

As for the left hand : i will just train with the grippers i have for a longer period, as i don't really want to spend more money on grippers. I have bought a whole lot of grippers right now and most of the good brands are in the usa. So with taxes and shipping to germany a gripper gets terribly expensive. Thats why until now i have no ghp or beefbuilder gripper. I wanted to cert with ghp 7 but didn't receive an answer from wade. 

One thing i have to ask you all here :

How is my english? Is it all pretty understandable what i am writing or are there some things i should clear up for you? 

 

Thank you

I have not done sledge fingerwalks that long, I only do them with one hand but I definitely think you should do it both one handed and two handed. You can have several sledges and you can also modify them to take weights. The way I do it is cheaper and more simple though. I just use a 48 mm pipe that I found, put a screw collar on it and add plates.

Buying grippers is expensive, I have spent a lot of money on it but I think it's all worth it if you get stronger by doing so. You can always sell the grippers you don't need anymore also. Rated grippers has a good resale value.

You english is fine, don't worry about that. It's an international language so it doesn't need to be perfect :) 

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Today my friend was training in my basement. I couldn't resist and grabbed the #3 again as i currently train him to close a #3 too. He is extremely close ~0.5-1mm was his best attempt. Also massive talent, but small hands and lazy as f*ck.

I did 17 reps at first and later on a new PR with 19 reps with a very close miss on the 20th for the right hand. On the left hand i got a huge PR also : yesterday i got 1 very hard rep with the #3. Today i did a couple of sets of doubles and had to practice the setting. On my last attempt i got 4 solid parallel/deepset reps. Very very happy with that. I put the video on youtube. I will now put the grippers away for a couple of days and rest and then shoot for at least 5-6 reps with the #3 for the left and a couple of reps with either the old Hg350 and try something crazy like 5+ reps (it's a little bit easier than my 3.5) or with the #3.5.

Edited by Hellraiser92x
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What's your YouTube? Copy and paste the links in here (it will automatically embed the videos so everyone can see each video as you go).

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17 hours ago, Hellraiser92x said:

:D I hope to be able to train more seriously in the future. But i will start bodybuilding and jogging & losing bodyweight next monday, to get in better shape. I need to do this to get my lungs better. But who knows, bodybuilding will probably make me a bit stronger. 

Best of luck reaching your goals man! You've seem to have a crazy good base strength, so doing any kind of weight training will probably make you stronger.

 

16 hours ago, Hellraiser92x said:

How is my english? Is it all pretty understandable what i am writing or are there some things i should clear up for you? 

Where are you from?

 

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