NAGS Championship 2019 Discussion

[Jedd Johnson]

I've made the offer to run the NAGS Championship this year.

I've asked Brad Martin and he is cool with hosting at Titan Strength in Elmira NY again, the same venue as last year.  I just don't think my gym is big enough.

The date will be 6/8/19.

I definitely want to run Womens, Juniors, and Masters events, in addition to the regular weight classes.

For the events, I'd like to get a little feedback from those planning to compete, regarding the gripper and pinching event.  The support event will be 2" Napalm's Nightmare lifted to 6" again, just like last year. There will also be a Medley and I think the Wrist Roller at the end is a fun and fitting way to end a competition, but I'm open to feedback on the Wrist Event as well.

Regarding Grippers:
What is preferred?  Max close or Silver Bullet Hold?  And if Max Close, do you prefer one hand or both hands?

Regarding Pinch:
Do you prefer 2HP or 1HP? And Do you prefer Euro, Flask, IronMind Pinch Block, or some other pinching implement?

Regarding the Wrist Event:
I'd like feedback on the Wrist Roller and whether anyone would like to see something else?  Pickaxe? Sledge Choke? Sledge Floor Rotation? Others?

Ease of judging is very important to me regarding all the events.

Trying to be diplomatic by getting feedback here.  Please feel free to spread this link around to others who may not come to the gripboard much.

Thank you!

 

[Tank Andrade]

We will be there. I vote silver bullet and 2hp Euro for sure. Wrist roller is awesome pickaxe would be next

[Vinnie]

Just say NO to wrist roller!  Right Rindo?  Hate it.  Suck at it.  Will do my best with a smile but will smile more if it is sledge instead (help me out Big Joe).  I'd love to work on sledge for a bit since I am intrigued but haven't done much, so that would be my vote.  Never tried pickaxe.  No clue what that entails.  If it isn't a wrist roller, I rank it above that lol.

Grippers:  I would have said one hand TNS, which you would never do and I understand (see Joe, I tried), and then would have said one hand 20 mm, because I really need to get that 145 that I have just missed a few times in different places I think.  But if you bring that 168 rated 3.5 for a silver bullet event, I'd be hella excited to try that again -- that was really fun and now I'd want to beat myself at it.

For pinch, I like two-hand, and would vote for Sorinex Saxon bar first, Euro second, flask third (I do like flask better than Euro for ONE hand, but Euro otherwise, love both though with any number of hands).

Maybe you can sneak a TNS gripper station into the medley?  4 points for a 3, 3 points for 2.5, 2 points for 2, 1 point for 1.5 (or some shift up or down, but I doubt anyone we know can TNS a 3.5).

Anyway, that's my two cents.  And this year I will be in a weight class (shooting to get down to 74K but likely will still be 83K) AND the masters, so I can lose to different sized and aged beasts (I'm looking at you, Fleming and Rinderle).

Great if it is in Elmira again, that venue seemed to work well last year.  But Q:  wasn't the 2-hand nightmare last year the 2 3/8?  I pulled a lot more on the 2 inch Nightmare last week (and even more in practice leading up to it) than on the Nightmare at last year's NAGS, so I was thinking it was because it was the thinner bar, but maybe I have improved since then.

[Guest]

I say NO to the wrist roller and yes to a sledge lever event . 

Yes to silver bullet for gripper or a TNS/NS style gripper.

Yes to 2HP over1HP with either Euro pinch or double thumb blaster.

The reason I  say no to the wrist roller because I have nerve damage on my left  side of my body due to cervical and lumbar fusion

. Also, it seems more like an endurance event rather than a grip event IMO.  With the nerve compression , I just could not activate the muscle recruitment to fire for that long of a stretch to last the whole time limit. It literally was the most uncomfortable I had Been doing an activity EVER. My right side felt like it was doing all the work with minimal on the right. Wrist roller event  would actually be enough to make me say no to nationals. It was that uncomfortable for me. But, I do not want to be a cry baby! Whatever events there are, I will support them. This is just my opinion.  

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, Vinnie said:

Just say NO to wrist roller!  Right Rindo?  Hate it.  Suck at it.  Will do my best with a smile but will smile more if it is sledge instead (help me out Big Joe).  I'd love to work on sledge for a bit since I am intrigued but haven't done much, so that would be my vote.  Never tried pickaxe.  No clue what that entails.  If it isn't a wrist roller, I rank it above that lol.

Grippers:  I would have said one hand TNS, which you would never do and I understand (see Joe, I tried), and then would have said one hand 20 mm, because I really need to get that 145 that I have just missed a few times in different places I think.  But if you bring that 168 rated 3.5 for a silver bullet event, I'd be hella excited to try that again -- that was really fun and now I'd want to beat myself at it.

For pinch, I like two-hand, and would vote for Sorinex Saxon bar first, Euro second, flask third (I do like flask better than Euro for ONE hand, but Euro otherwise, love both though with any number of hands).

Maybe you can sneak a TNS gripper station into the medley?  4 points for a 3, 3 points for 2.5, 2 points for 2, 1 point for 1.5 (or some shift up or down, but I doubt anyone we know can TNS a 3.5).

Anyway, that's my two cents.  And this year I will be in a weight class (shooting to get down to 74K but likely will still be 83K) AND the masters, so I can lose to different sized and aged beasts (I'm looking at you, Fleming and Rinderle).

Great if it is in Elmira again, that venue seemed to work well last year.  But Q:  wasn't the 2-hand nightmare last year the 2 3/8?  I pulled a lot more on the 2 inch Nightmare last week (and even more in practice leading up to it) than on the Nightmare at last year's NAGS, so I was thinking it was because it was the thinner bar, but maybe I have improved since then.

Yes, it was 2 3/8 inch nightmare last year. Not 2 inch 

[Mike Rinderle]

Don't care on grippers other than it should be one hand.  No other 1 armed sport in the world makes you also use the other hand.  Not sure where that concept came from.  Want to test crush on both hands use a two handed implement.   Anything you do, I'll borrow a couple grippers from you to train a couple times before the contest.  Lol

2hp Euro.  My weakest pinch event, but the gold standard. 

Wrist roller sucks but is exciting and easy to judge.  Sledge lifts can be tricky to judge properly.  I'd vote wrist roller.  I actually would like it a lot if it was only 30 seconds.  Would make the comp go quicker too.  Plus it would be more a test of strength than pure endurance although 30 seconds is pretty long too.  Lol.

If we are going with what's best for us personally:

SB, Blockbuster, sledge lever or Slim lever.  But I stand with my picks above for what's best for the comp.

Edited February 25, 2019 by Mike Rinderle

[Eric Roussin]

Napalm's Nightmare should once again be the 2 3/8" version. More a test of hand strength, and less about full body strength than the 2" version.

Slight preference for SB. If max close, just one hand.

For pinch, I'd prefer IronMind pinch block if one-handed, or a Saxon Bar if two-handed. Both have less chance of cutting up the thumb webbing.

Regarding the wrist event - does it have to be a wrist event? Vertical lifts are quite popular, and there are several implements that are widely available. If a wrist event is a must, then I would vote for a Wrist Wrench deadlift. That really tests wrist flexion strength.

I would vote for almost anything over the wrist roller. The reason? It just massacres my hands (rips up my skin big time). This has happened to me every time the event has been contested. 

[Boulderbrew]

20 minutes ago, Eric Roussin said:

Napalm's Nightmare should once again be the 2 3/8" version. More a test of hand strength, and less about full body strength than the 2" version.

Slight preference for SB. If max close, just one hand.

For pinch, I'd prefer IronMind pinch block if one-handed, or a Saxon Bar if two-handed. Both have less chance of cutting up the thumb webbing.

Regarding the wrist event - does it have to be a wrist event? Vertical lifts are quite popular, and there are several implements that are widely available. If a wrist event is a must, then I would vote for a Wrist Wrench deadlift. That really tests wrist flexion strength.

I would vote for almost anything over the wrist roller. The reason? It just massacres my hands (rips up my skin big time). This has happened to me every time the event has been contested. 

I’m 100% with you here Eric. I almost posted all my thoughts, but you articulated it better. I would like to bring up the wrist event too, do we need one? Testing the ironmind pinch block would be fun. It doesn’t get contested as much as it should. Doesn’t tear up skin either. 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Vinnie said:

Just say NO to wrist roller!  Right Rindo?  Hate it.  Suck at it.  Will do my best with a smile but will smile more if it is sledge instead (help me out Big Joe).  I'd love to work on sledge for a bit since I am intrigued but haven't done much, so that would be my vote.  Never tried pickaxe.  No clue what that entails.  If it isn't a wrist roller, I rank it above that lol.

Grippers:  I would have said one hand TNS, which you would never do and I understand (see Joe, I tried), and then would have said one hand 20 mm, because I really need to get that 145 that I have just missed a few times in different places I think.  But if you bring that 168 rated 3.5 for a silver bullet event, I'd be hella excited to try that again -- that was really fun and now I'd want to beat myself at it.

For pinch, I like two-hand, and would vote for Sorinex Saxon bar first, Euro second, flask third (I do like flask better than Euro for ONE hand, but Euro otherwise, love both though with any number of hands).

Maybe you can sneak a TNS gripper station into the medley?  4 points for a 3, 3 points for 2.5, 2 points for 2, 1 point for 1.5 (or some shift up or down, but I doubt anyone we know can TNS a 3.5).

Anyway, that's my two cents.  And this year I will be in a weight class (shooting to get down to 74K but likely will still be 83K) AND the masters, so I can lose to different sized and aged beasts (I'm looking at you, Fleming and Rinderle).

Great if it is in Elmira again, that venue seemed to work well last year.  But Q:  wasn't the 2-hand nightmare last year the 2 3/8?  I pulled a lot more on the 2 inch Nightmare last week (and even more in practice leading up to it) than on the Nightmare at last year's NAGS, so I was thinking it was because it was the thinner bar, but maybe I have improved since then.

Yes, it was 2 3/8 inch nightmare last year. Not 2 inch 

[Guest]

Also, I second the vertical bar event over a wrist roller. As far as wrist wrench, isn’t that considered a thick bar event? Never thought of it as a purely wrist event, but either way, YES to either one. 

[Nigel Blackburn]

Grippers: I like the current format: 1-hand, 20mm blockset. It is fair and moves quickly.

 

Pinch: Again, I prefer the current format, but if you were to change it, 2-hand Flask would be the way to go. This is because it's a fair width for most everyone and it will be much easier to run than a Euro, and I know that's easier on the promoter, which goes a long way.

 

Wrist: I wasn't the biggest fan of the wrist roller either. I think the medley is a great test of grip endurance as is, so the wrist event should be another max effort lift for weight. The vertical lift idea is something I'm definitely in favor of. If that is the case, I think the order should change. I am fond of the idea of a medley being the last event of the day since it's so draining, so maybe put either the wrist/vertical lift event second-to-last and the medley last. If I were to give input on a wrist event, maybe pickaxe or I like the idea of a wrist wrench.

 

Thanks for asking for input. Just reading, it looks like there are a lot of good ideas.

 

[Eric Roussin]

7 hours ago, Joseph Sullivan said:

Also, I second the vertical bar event over a wrist roller. As far as wrist wrench, isn’t that considered a thick bar event? Never thought of it as a purely wrist event, but either way, YES to either one. 

I don’t consider the WW to be a thick bar event. To me, the pressure is all on the wrist - it’s much less about the fingers.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Eric Roussin said:

I don’t consider the WW to be a thick bar event. To me, the pressure is all on the wrist - it’s much less about the fingers.

I totally feel it in my fingers more than my wrist . I guess it’s a hybrid lift, since it simulates the inch dumbbell I would definitely say it’s a thick bar event,  but , also with the wrist rotation component as well. 

[Eric Roussin]

7 minutes ago, Joseph Sullivan said:

I totally feel it in my fingers more than my wrist . I guess it’s a hybrid lift, since it simulates the inch dumbbell I would definitely say it’s a thick bar event,  but , also with the wrist rotation component as well. 

Do you let your wrist bend back when you use the WW? It could just be a difference in how we're using it. I believe the Wrist Wrench was originally designed to work wrist flexion strength for armwrestling where the wrist should never bend back. If you allow the wrist to bend, then yes, the pressure would go to the fingers.

[Mike Rinderle]

On 2/24/2019 at 10:01 PM, Eric Roussin said:

Napalm's Nightmare should once again be the 2 3/8" version. More a test of hand strength, and less about full body strength than the 2" version.

Slight preference for SB. If max close, just one hand.

For pinch, I'd prefer IronMind pinch block if one-handed, or a Saxon Bar if two-handed. Both have less chance of cutting up the thumb webbing.

Regarding the wrist event - does it have to be a wrist event? Vertical lifts are quite popular, and there are several implements that are widely available. If a wrist event is a must, then I would vote for a Wrist Wrench deadlift. That really tests wrist flexion strength.

I would vote for almost anything over the wrist roller. The reason? It just massacres my hands (rips up my skin big time). This has happened to me every time the event has been contested. 

 

If it's IM Pinch Block, you guys better look out.  Just sayin'. 

Edited February 28, 2019 by Mike Rinderle

[Anton.Torrella]

I'd like one handed 20mm block set grippers over silver bullet, even though I thought it was fun at Cupid's Nightmare. I'd like a 2hp event like a Saxon Bar or Euro, but if its 1hp I'd like the Flask. I'd like a sledge lever for the wrist event. I'd also enjoy a Vbar event instead of a wrist event, preferably LBH or the FBBC Legends Anvil Handle, even though I realize the Legends Anvil Handles like a Mercedes Benz of grip implements haha - I plan on going to Legends and King Kong later in the year, so having similar events that I can keep my training going on would be cool.

[Guest]

44 minutes ago, Eric Roussin said:

Do you let your wrist bend back when you use the WW? It could just be a difference in how we're using it. I believe the Wrist Wrench was originally designed to work wrist flexion strength for armwrestling where the wrist should never bend back. If you allow the wrist to bend, then yes, the pressure would go to the fingers.

No, I treat it as a lift as one would lift the inch. Straight from the top. Now if it was being used on a cable column for AW, then yes, but not for the deadlift version I do not. 

[Vinnie]

7 hours ago, Anton.Torrella said:

I'd like one handed 20mm block set grippers over silver bullet, even though I thought it was fun at Cupid's Nightmare. I'd like a 2hp event like a Saxon Bar or Euro, but if its 1hp I'd like the Flask. I'd like a sledge lever for the wrist event. I'd also enjoy a Vbar event instead of a wrist event, preferably LBH or the FBBC Legends Anvil Handle, even though I realize the Legends Anvil Handles like a Mercedes Benz of grip implements haha - I plan on going to Legends and King Kong later in the year, so having similar events that I can keep my training going on would be cool.

On Saturday Anton had some sort of anvil epiphany.  He blew away his own PR and the rest of the NY crowd in one sitting without ever working it since the last time.  It was unreal.  Like 187 on the Legends.  (Bowing down). At that rate, by June he will be pulling 250 on it lol.  

[Andrew Dube]

I am not planning to attend NAGS this year, but as someone who went last year and plans to go in the future I'll offer my two cents. Personally I wish NAGS would have a standard format every year of grippers both hands, euro and axle, with one or two slots for a medley and/or whatever misc event (vertical lift, wrist, saxon bar) whatever people want to do that year.

I think the gripsport total is a cool concept and it would be nice to have a contest every year with an opportunity to contest it. I also think the offhand gripper should be included in the total (1000lb anyone?) but that's a topic for another day. 

I suspect a lot of people suck at offhand grippers (I know I do) or just ignore training them entirely. And would be happy to see a weak event removed. 

I like the wrist roller event but personally would like to see it heavier and shorter. A double hammer would be awesome too though a face lever, I think, is too difficult to judge unless using a cage like at gripmas last year. Or a Slim lever. Either max weight or set weight for reps. 

I would never want to personally exclude anyone from a contest by the event selections, but I guess I don't really see a continental championship as being inclusive in the first place. I mean as long as you still need to qualify anyway. 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Andrew Dube said:

I am not planning to attend NAGS this year, but as someone who went last year and plans to go in the future I'll offer my two cents. Personally I wish NAGS would have a standard format every year of grippers both hands, euro and axle, with one or two slots for a medley and/or whatever misc event (vertical lift, wrist, saxon bar) whatever people want to do that year.

I think the gripsport total is a cool concept and it would be nice to have a contest every year with an opportunity to contest it. I also think the offhand gripper should be included in the total (1000lb anyone?) but that's a topic for another day. 

I suspect a lot of people suck at offhand grippers (I know I do) or just ignore training them entirely. And would be happy to see a weak event removed. 

I like the wrist roller event but personally would like to see it heavier and shorter. A double hammer would be awesome too though a face lever, I think, is too difficult to judge unless using a cage like at gripmas last year. Or a Slim lever. Either max weight or set weight for reps. 

I would never want to personally exclude anyone from a contest by the event selections, but I guess I don't really see a continental championship as being inclusive in the first place. I mean as long as you still need to qualify anyway. 

I concur with the classic 2HP euro, axle and grippers with a miscellaneous vertical bar or Saxon lift. Would be nice if the meat and potatoes of it stayed the same 3 core lifts  rather than changing them all the time. Sounds good to me. The medley and add on could be changed though to spice it up. 

[Anton.Torrella]

Yea I'd also be in favor of it always being grippers, 2HP Euro, DOH axle, and an annually changing 4th event.

[climber511]

I have no dog in this fight but I agree there should be some kind of wrist event.

[Lucasraymond]

On 2/24/2019 at 10:01 PM, Eric Roussin said:

Napalm's Nightmare should once again be the 2 3/8" version. More a test of hand strength, and less about full body strength than the 2" version.

Slight preference for SB. If max close, just one hand.

For pinch, I'd prefer IronMind pinch block if one-handed, or a Saxon Bar if two-handed. Both have less chance of cutting up the thumb webbing.

Regarding the wrist event - does it have to be a wrist event? Vertical lifts are quite popular, and there are several implements that are widely available. If a wrist event is a must, then I would vote for a Wrist Wrench deadlift. That really tests wrist flexion strength.

I would vote for almost anything over the wrist roller. The reason? It just massacres my hands (rips up my skin big time). This has happened to me every time the event has been contested. 

1. Gripper- SB but both hands contested not just one

2. Pinch- 1H or 2H thumb blaster for pinch and the contestants choose the 1 5/8", 2" or 2 3/8" width for their lift solving the issue of adjustable pinch (similar to adjustable thickbar;  i would make each weigh the same and could be interchanged quickly) and there is almost no chance of tearing thumb webbing. 

3. Thickbar- 2 3/8" NN or 2" NN

4. Medley

5. Random event: draw from a list of 7-10 events and determined the day of the contest (everyone needs to train all around strength)

          a. Wrist Roller, Sledge Lever, 2.5" jug, LBH,  Hub, Inch Pinch, etc (others could be voted on)

Edited February 27, 2019 by Lucasraymond

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Lucasraymond said:

1. Gripper- SB but both hands contested not just one

2. Pinch- 1H or 2H thumb blaster for pinch and the contestants choose the 1 5/8", 2" or 2 3/8" width for their lift (similar to adjustable thickbar;  i would make each weigh the same and could be interchanged quickly) and there is almost no chance of tearing thumb webbing. 

3. Thickbar- 2 3/8" NN or 2" NN

4. Medley

5. Random event: draw from a list of 7-10 events and determined the day of the contest (everyone needs to train all around strength)

          a. Wrist Roller, Sledge Lever, 2.5" jug, LBH,  Hub, Inch Pinch, etc (others could be voted on)

I like the random event choice for sure. Makes it very interesting and a wild card event!

[Climber028]

Wild card should just take the gsi database and pick the implement with the fewest number of entries.