Who has lifted the INCH Dumbbell at Bodyweight or less?

[Boulderbrew]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gubqc-9zPc0

This was the first time I saw an Inch DB. I weighed 2 pounds under the DB

[Mikael Siversson]

5 hours ago, Eric Roussin said:

The two-hand pinch number is not at all indicative of his pinch strength. It was an error due to inexperience in grip sport contests. We were using a last man standing format in that particular contest and after successfully lifting that weight, he passed on the next five weight increments, planning to come back in at around 98 kg. In training the week before he had lifted about 107, so he was very confident. By the time it was his turn, his muscles cooled down and he was unsuccessful. That one-hand figure is also misleading, considering it was his first contest and very first time he  had touched the flask. I think he jumped up to something like 45 on his fourth attempt, got some air, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

I think you may be unaware of some of Yves other lifts (not all of which have been set in a contest):

Rolling Thunder 100 kg (and close to a strict lift with 102

Two-hand saxon bar 120.5 kg (2” version in a contest, and 3” version in training)

Apollon’s Axle 182kg

Little Big Horn 100kg

Two-hand tips tester 177 kg!!!

Parallel set grippers 170 lbs

Wrist Wrench 46kg

etc...

So yes, I’m very serious.

No one is disputing Yves' outstanding pound-for-pound thickbar strength. He and Bruce have produced similar numbers. However there is not much to suggest his one hand pinch numbers are at Bruce's level (they are certainly not at my level at the same body weight). In the 66k class he did 38.38k on the flask in 2018. One year later, presumably after some practice, he did 40.88k in the 74 k class, an unremarkable result by my standards. Are you suggesting he did weird weight jumps at both competitions (if so who the .... was coaching him lol)? Its much harder to deploy the wrists and other muscle groups in the one hand pinch compared with the 2hp so the 1hp is a better indicator of pure pinch strength. Bruce did not have access to an IronMind axle but would no doubt have produced big numbers. Also I take axle numbers with a pinch of salt. Axle numbers vary by up to at least 10% based on set up (easiest use only one pair of full size plates and flimsy or no collars whereas the hardest use full size plates and spin collars tightened very hard between each attempt). His 182k might represent 182k the way I lift or it could represent as 'little' as 164k or thereabouts in difficulty (or even less if the bar was not held under control at full lockout).

Throughout his grip training career, Bruce was mainly focusing on pinch lifting so that was his true passion in grip strength. Lifting the Inch dumbbell was more of a side project for him.

Also the very fact that we are comparing someone with access to modern nutrition, grip forum to share training ideas and modern equipment with a farmer that lifted all by himself several decades ago in the middle of nowhere is a testament to the extraordinary achievements of Bruce White. He inspired some of our own grip legends to pursue grip strength training. 

 

Edited December 13, 2020 by Mikael Siversson

[Griparn]

I found this article about Bruce White interesting. 
 

http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2009/07/bruce-white-story-wayne-gallasch.html?m=1

 

 

[mcalpine1986]

6 hours ago, Boulderbrew said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gubqc-9zPc0

This was the first time I saw an Inch DB. I weighed 2 pounds under the DB

Man that was so easy. Very impressive. Also you were clothed when weighing so maybe 1-2lbs lighter than the scale measured.

[Kluv#0]

8 hours ago, Eric Roussin said:

The two-hand pinch number is not at all indicative of his pinch strength. It was an error due to inexperience in grip sport contests. We were using a last man standing format in that particular contest and after successfully lifting that weight, he passed on the next five weight increments, planning to come back in at around 98 kg. In training the week before he had lifted about 107, so he was very confident. By the time it was his turn, his muscles cooled down and he was unsuccessful. That one-hand figure is also misleading, considering it was his first contest and very first time he  had touched the flask. I think he jumped up to something like 45 on his fourth attempt, got some air, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

I think you may be unaware of some of Yves other lifts (not all of which have been set in a contest):

Rolling Thunder 100 kg (and close to a strict lift with 102

Two-hand saxon bar 120.5 kg (2” version in a contest, and 3” version in training)

Apollon’s Axle 182kg

Little Big Horn 100kg

Two-hand tips tester 177 kg!!!

Parallel set grippers 170 lbs

Wrist Wrench 46kg

etc...

So yes, I’m very serious.

Yves only weighed 143 lb when He pulled 389 lb on the TipsTester- incredible!

[Kluv#0]

7 hours ago, Boulderbrew said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gubqc-9zPc0

This was the first time I saw an Inch DB. I weighed 2 pounds under the DB

Tanner is the best all-around gripster in the world but I still believe He was the best pound for pound for all-around grip. Tanner's Thickbar, Pinch, wrist strength, gripper capabilities(Silver Bullet and crush domination is still very underrated part of his game), crazy 1 arm pull-ups on LBH, etc. and excellent at all lesser known lifts. Tanner, Yves, Bruce White, Tommy Heslep, Bob Sundin all have done the Inch DB weighing less than 172lbs- much respect to all of them.

[Eric Roussin]

6 hours ago, Mikael Siversson said:

No one is disputing Yves' outstanding pound-for-pound thickbar strength. He and Bruce have produced similar numbers. However there is not much to suggest his one hand pinch numbers are at Bruce's level (they are certainly not at my level at the same body weight). In the 66k class he did 38.38k on the flask in 2018. One year later, presumably after some practice, he did 40.88k in the 74 k class, an unremarkable result by my standards. Are you suggesting he did weird weight jumps at both competitions (if so who the .... was coaching him lol)? Its much harder to deploy the wrists and other muscle groups in the one hand pinch compared with the 2hp so the 1hp is a better indicator of pure pinch strength. Bruce did not have access to an IronMind axle but would no doubt have produced big numbers. Also I take axle numbers with a pinch of salt. Axle numbers vary by up to at least 10% based on set up (easiest use only one pair of full size plates and flimsy or no collars whereas the hardest use full size plates and spin collars tightened very hard between each attempt). His 182k might represent 182k the way I lift or it could represent as 'little' as 164k or thereabouts in difficulty (or even less if the bar was not held under control at full lockout).

Throughout his grip training career, Bruce was mainly focusing on pinch lifting so that was his true passion in grip strength. Lifting the Inch dumbbell was more of a side project for him.

Also the very fact that we are comparing someone with access to modern nutrition, grip forum to share training ideas and modern equipment with a farmer that lifted all by himself several decades ago in the middle of nowhere is a testament to the extraordinary achievements of Bruce White. He inspired some of our own grip legends to pursue grip strength training. 

 

Bruce had amazing grip strength, no doubt about it. He is definitely an inspiration. And if you consider one-hand pinch strength to be the true measure of grip strength, then yes, you’re right, Bruce’s numbers are better than Yves’. But, I consider well-roundedness to be a more accurate indicator of grip strength: it’s not just one-hand pinch. It seems you’re discounting many of the other amazing lifts that Yves has done in so many different areas. And should wrist strength not be considered as part of grip?

Of course, there are many more implements around today to test various elements of hand strength, so it’s hard to know how strong Bruce was in other dimensions.

Note that grip sport is a side gig for Yves. He hasn’t been training these lifts for years. He fell into it by chance in late 2018 when I held a King Kong venue in a local climbing gym. He is first and foremost an elite level climber.

Once again, I’m not saying Yves’ achievements are necessarily better than Bruce’s, but he’s demonstrated that it’s a possibility.

[Bill Piche]

I guess I didn't really know what Tanner looked like. Even at 170 he looks svelte and yet he lifted the inch like it was a paper weight.

[Fist of Fury]

5 hours ago, Kluv#0 said:

Tanner is the best all-around gripster in the world but I still believe He was the best pound for pound for all-around grip. Tanner's Thickbar, Pinch, wrist strength, gripper capabilities(Silver Bullet and crush domination is still very underrated part of his game), crazy 1 arm pull-ups on LBH, etc. and excellent at all lesser known lifts. Tanner, Yves, Bruce White, Tommy Heslep, Bob Sundin all have done the Inch DB weighing less than 172lbs- much respect to all of them.

I also regard Tanner as the strongest pound for pound allround gripster.

Speaking of pound for pound thickbar strength how much did Khaled weigh the first time he lifted the MBD? @Alawadhi

He has to be the lightest person to lift the MBD.

[Boulderbrew]

5 hours ago, Fist of Fury said:

He has to be the lightest person to lift the MBD.

Im dying to try the MDB...I really think I could do it if I had access to one 

[Alawadhi]

On 12/12/2020 at 6:56 PM, Mikael Siversson said:

Not so sure about that. Bruce would have weighed about the same. I can't recall seeing any video footage of Yves lifting it levelled to lockout so in my mind Bruce is still the one to beat pound-for-pound.

Oh no Mikael how many times have I told you to do your research more? Here is a strict Inch lift by Yves https://www.instagram.com/p/B3DOnchjFve/?igshid=1dm5t24ma6v6m  All Bruce has is a picture of a Inch lift level. I can replicate that picture pose with a Millennium. not saying that he did, but saying it is possible.

18 hours ago, Fist of Fury said:

I also regard Tanner as the strongest pound for pound allround gripster.

Speaking of pound for pound thickbar strength how much did Khaled weigh the first time he lifted the MBD? @Alawadhi

He has to be the lightest person to lift the MBD.

He was around 114 KG at the time. Now he is 117 KG and can rep it strictly.

[Fist of Fury]

16 hours ago, Boulderbrew said:

Im dying to try the MDB...I really think I could do it if I had access to one 

I'm sure you will. Do you know if there is any in the USA?

[Mikael Siversson]

3 hours ago, Alawadhi said:

Oh no Mikael how many times have I told you to do your research more? Here is a strict Inch lift by Yves https://www.instagram.com/p/B3DOnchjFve/?igshid=1dm5t24ma6v6m  All Bruce has is a picture of a Inch lift level. I can replicate that picture pose with a Millennium. not saying that he did, but saying it is possible.

He was around 114 KG at the time. Now he is 117 KG and can rep it strictly.

Not sure how many time you have said that; I don't keep track of it.

'I can't recall' means just that. It indicates a measure of uncertainty as opposed to saying e.g., 'he has not'. Also that instagram video did not show him lifting it to 'full lockout' but I get the feeling you don't understand what that means.

However it requires more strength to pull it to lockout (as shown in the photograph of Bruce) and having someone taking a picture but I sense you suspect Bruce was a fraud.

[Mikael Siversson]

22 hours ago, Fist of Fury said:

I also regard Tanner as the strongest pound for pound allround gripster.

Speaking of pound for pound thickbar strength how much did Khaled weigh the first time he lifted the MBD? @Alawadhi

He has to be the lightest person to lift the MBD.

Kody Burns is my pick. Tanner is 20% or thereabouts stronger in thickbar lifting than Kody was at the same weight but Kody was even further ahead in the pinch. Crush is quite similar. On the Euro Kody's best is 124k vs 93k for Tanner in the 93k class. That's a huge difference and Kody's one hand pinch was monstrous. Still remember him holding 2x25k for like a minute and that was after a grip competition, absolutely insane pinch strength.

[Mikael Siversson]

On 12/13/2020 at 11:26 PM, Eric Roussin said:

And if you consider one-hand pinch strength to be the true measure of grip strength, then yes, you’re right, Bruce’s numbers are better than Yves’. But, I consider well-roundedness to be a more accurate indicator of grip strength: it’s not just one-hand pinch. It seems you’re discounting many of the other amazing lifts that Yves has done in so many different areas. And should wrist strength not be considered as part of grip?

Of course, there are many more implements around today to test various elements of hand strength, so it’s hard to know how strong Bruce was in other dimensions.

Note that grip sport is a side gig for Yves. He hasn’t been training these lifts for years. He fell into it by chance in late 2018 when I held a King Kong venue in a local climbing gym. He is first and foremost an elite level climber.

Once again, I’m not saying Yves’ achievements are necessarily better than Bruce’s, but he’s demonstrated that it’s a possibility.

I don't consider one-hand pinch to be the true measure of grip strength but I do regard pinch as a slightly better measure of grip strength than thickbar because of hand size advantages in thickbar lifting. I am not discounting Yves' lifts at all. Remember we are comparing two exceptionally strong grip athletes (pound-for-pound) and everyone is going to have their favourite, that's all there is to it. Both are/were mindbogglingly strong for their size.

[Mikael Siversson]

On 12/13/2020 at 10:00 PM, WestSlope said:

His relaxed and empty lungs deadlift set up is interesting.

From the article:

"Before lifting a heavy weight, Bruce takes several deep breaths and then expels all the air from his lungs as he bends over to grip the bar. Approach to the bar must be as physically relaxed as possible but mentally steamed up. Lots of deep breathing helps Bruce achieve this, and also lifting on empty lungs increases leverage and lowers internal pressure."

Never tried that but I will. Could be interesting to see if there is a difference.

[bruce1337]

On 12/13/2020 at 3:00 PM, WestSlope said:

His relaxed and empty lungs deadlift set up is interesting.

From the article:

"Before lifting a heavy weight, Bruce takes several deep breaths and then expels all the air from his lungs as he bends over to grip the bar. Approach to the bar must be as physically relaxed as possible but mentally steamed up. Lots of deep breathing helps Bruce achieve this, and also lifting on empty lungs increases leverage and lowers internal pressure."

This sounds counter intuitive. Intra abdominal pressure is what keeps your spine neutral and gives you the most stable core. I have witnessed people pass out because they did not breathe correctly on a deadlift or clean. With empty lungs it sounds even more dangerous with all that pressure building up in your body on a lift

[Fist of Fury]

17 minutes ago, bruce1337 said:

This sounds counter intuitive. Intra abdominal pressure is what keeps your spine neutral and gives you the most stable core. I have witnessed people pass out because they did not breathe correctly on a deadlift or clean. With empty lungs it sounds even more dangerous with all that pressure building up in your body on a lift

I'm pretty sure this is exactly the goal of doing this. Make it harder. Passing out is what you do by pressure, that's what you get by holding air. Shouldn't be a problem with no air, since there will not be as high pressure. The most dangerous thing I see with it is to keep good form. You should probably be very careful not to use too heavy load, so that you're able to keep good form.

[Fist of Fury]

2 hours ago, Mikael Siversson said:

Kody Burns is my pick. Tanner is 20% or thereabouts stronger in thickbar lifting than Kody was at the same weight but Kody was even further ahead in the pinch. Crush is quite similar. On the Euro Kody's best is 124k vs 93k for Tanner in the 93k class. That's a huge difference and Kody's one hand pinch was monstrous. Still remember him holding 2x25k for like a minute and that was after a grip competition, absolutely insane pinch strength.

Tanner is a lot stronger with grippers and he's also better at all the odd ball stuff that pops up now and then. Also, where is Kody? Haven't seen him compete since 2016.

[Hubgeezer]

4 hours ago, WestSlope said:

 

Today I searched "powerlifting with empty lungs" and found that Bob Peoples pulled this way in the late forties. The way I read it, empty lungs let him pull with a very rounded thoracic spine. Those old farmers were a tough lot.

My personal opinion is that Bob Peoples was not actually human, so he should not be considered a model for empty lung deadlifts.

My proof? The arms of Bob Peoples are actual proof that he had some Gibbon DNA in him. Some of us large browed types are proof we have Neanderthal Blood in us. Bob had to be part Gibbon. 

[Alawadhi]

20 hours ago, Mikael Siversson said:

Not sure how many time you have said that; I don't keep track of it.

'I can't recall' means just that. It indicates a measure of uncertainty as opposed to saying e.g., 'he has not'. Also that instagram video did not show him lifting it to 'full lockout' but I get the feeling you don't understand what that means.

However it requires more strength to pull it to lockout (as shown in the photograph of Bruce) and having someone taking a picture but I sense you suspect Bruce was a fraud.

A quick search in his own IG account was sufficient. I never said it was a full lift, all I said it was a strict lift. Read what I wrote you seem to forget these days. But anyway, in Yves style (globe away from you) is a full lift. You see, we men have something called balls between our thigh. If he tries to lift it more it will hit those balls and will get injured. So he went to his maximum. Are you aware of this information?

You sense and assumption about me and Bruce is also wrong.

[Mikael Siversson]

17 hours ago, Fist of Fury said:

Tanner is a lot stronger with grippers and he's also better at all the odd ball stuff that pops up now and then. Also, where is Kody? Haven't seen him compete since 2016.

Not based on the NAGS data for 20 mm block set. Tanner's best is 180 vs 175 for Kody in the 93k class and 165 vs 162.5 in the 83k class. I would not call that 'a lot' stronger. Did not Kody hold the WR on the #4 strap hold thing at one stage?

I personally don't pay too much attention to 'odd ball stuff', including the 1'' v-bar where I recall I was kicking everyone's butt at one stage regardless of what they weighed.

Not sure what Kody does these days.

Edited December 15, 2020 by Mikael Siversson

[Mikael Siversson]

37 minutes ago, Alawadhi said:

A quick search in his own IG account was sufficient. I never said it was a full lift, all I said it was a strict lift. Read what I wrote you seem to forget these days. But anyway, in Yves style (globe away from you) is a full lift. You see, we men have something called balls between our thigh. If he tries to lift it more it will hit those balls and will get injured. So he went to his maximum. Are you aware of this information?

You sense and assumption about me and Bruce is also wrong.

The Inch can actually be lifted with the hand pronated like Bruce did. 

[Fist of Fury]

1 hour ago, Mikael Siversson said:

Not based on the NAGS data for 20 mm block set. Tanner's best is 180 vs 175 for Kody in the 93k class and 165 vs 162.5 in the 83k class. I would not call that 'a lot' stronger. Did not Kody hold the WR on the #4 strap hold thing at one stage?

I personally don't pay too much attention to 'odd ball stuff', including the 1'' v-bar where I recall I was kicking everyone's butt at one stage regardless of what they weighed.

Not sure what Kody does these days.

Those stats are pretty outdated. Since grippers are rarely contested. Since then Tanner has almost closed COC#4 and if I remember correctly also CCS closed #3.5. He also has the WR in the Silver Bullet on the #4.

Different implements is part of allround grip, whether you like it or not.

He probably has stronger wrists also. Reverse bent a red nail etc.

[Hubgeezer]

On 12/12/2020 at 9:03 AM, Mikael Siversson said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEr5D0jh70P/

Photograph of Bill Kazmaier pressing Bruce White's red inch replica (it weighs about 79k).

 

Not sure if there is a video recording. Most people in the Australian outback would not have had any video camera in the early 80ies. The photograph of him holding it at full lockout is a very good indication that he could lift it with spare strength. There is no excuse not to video record exceptional grip strength feats in 2020 but we can't expect video footage of lifts done by a farmer in the Australian outback in the early 1980ies. 

My brother is friends with Wayne, the author of the article. He is emailing him, and I quote: "I will ask him if he ever filmed (video was not around then) anything on Bruce White".