Armlifting Training Report

[mcalpine1986]

14 minutes ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Thanks brother never thought of that method but it makes sense. I'll give it a go next time I test my axle max 

No probs man. I call it an over warm up, it works well on certain grip lifts. 

Grip is Very CNS dependent and using this method really works. 

 

[GripNTear]

Im a new aspiring gripster and i was curious what ccs and mms stood for?

[Fist of Fury]

On 9/15/2021 at 10:48 PM, GripNTear said:

Im a new aspiring gripster and i was curious what ccs and mms stood for?

CCS stands for Credit Card Set. Which means you have to swipe the short side of a standard credit card between the handles of a gripper before you close it. This was standarized by Ironmind in their certification process. To make sure that everyone who certifies close the gripper from the same starting distance.

MMS stands för Mash Monster Set. This is the set distance you use when you try to certify on the Gripboard Mash Monster ladder. The distance is when the handles are parallel to each other, which is slightly less than 20 mm. Referee's will have to judge if it's okay or not.

In competition the most common set distance is 20 mm, you then swipe a block that is 20 mm wide before you attempt to close the gripper.

The most common blocks are 20 and 30 mm, and you also have the GHP block which is 1x1.5 inches (25 & 38 mm). You can of course use any set distance you like but these are the most common.

Then there's also TNS which stands for Table No Set. You then pickup the gripper from a table (or any other object) then you close it only by the same hand you picked it up with, completely unassisted from the other hand, hence the name "no set".

[ZRMMA]

@Bigfoot Gripjust read through some of the posts here so far and saw the list of feats you’d like to pull off. Just wondering do you have any feats or prs you’re trying to set/closing in on in the near future?

[Bigfoot Grip]

1 hour ago, ZRMMA said:

@Bigfoot Gripjust read through some of the posts here so far and saw the list of feats you’d like to pull off. Just wondering do you have any feats or prs you’re trying to set/closing in on in the near future?

Hey buddy thanks for the support. I'd say my main goal is to improve everything, I want to be at least somewhat competitive in Armlifting and Gripsport. Never cared much to be a gripper specialist like some guys on this forum(no disrespect intended) I always view grip like powerlifting or strongman in that I want to be good at everything as opposed to focusing on only one facet of grip. That aside I suppose for shorter term goals I'm working towards MMS my COC #2.5(132 rating) I'd love to eventually use my COC 3 on the silver bullet. Rolling Thunder I want to get to 150lbs so mentally I know I'm 3/4 of the way to Crushed to Dust challenge. Seeing as how my axle is finally about 300lbs I'm going for 315 as a next milestone because 3 plates would look cool lol. For pinch no real goals other then just keep improving on 1 hand and 2 hand which fortunately keeps moving up. 

Have you ever thought about keeping a log here? I'd love to see how you approach training. You're an incredible athlete man I watched a few of your fights and grip lifts...very impressive! 

Mike

[ZRMMA]

24 minutes ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Hey buddy thanks for the support. I'd say my main goal is to improve everything, I want to be at least somewhat competitive in Armlifting and Gripsport. Never cared much to be a gripper specialist like some guys on this forum(no disrespect intended) I always view grip like powerlifting or strongman in that I want to be good at everything as opposed to focusing on only one facet of grip. That aside I suppose for shorter term goals I'm working towards MMS my COC #2.5(132 rating) I'd love to eventually use my COC 3 on the silver bullet. Rolling Thunder I want to get to 150lbs so mentally I know I'm 3/4 of the way to Crushed to Dust challenge. Seeing as how my axle is finally about 300lbs I'm going for 315 as a next milestone because 3 plates would look cool lol. For pinch no real goals other then just keep improving on 1 hand and 2 hand which fortunately keeps moving up. 

Have you ever thought about keeping a log here? I'd love to see how you approach training. You're an incredible athlete man I watched a few of your fights and grip lifts...very impressive! 

Mike

My feeling about grippers is similar I have some goals in mind for them but they are far from my main focus. Those are good goals for the Axle and Rolling Thunder. I think I’d like to do the Crushed to Dust at some point also. 
As far as keeping a log on here I’ve never really considered it. I do have handwritten training logs back to 2008 and still track everything. I may start one on here. I just figured on the grip side there’s plenty of people more knowledgeable and far above my level that maybe my training wouldn’t come off as that interesting. 

[Bigfoot Grip]

Saturday 18th training, grippers and thick bar...

MMS Grippers-COC 1, COC 1.5, GG3(purple unicorn), COC 2, GHP 5(122 rating) RH only LH was just a couple millimeters shy.

Silver Bullet-COC 2 R & L easy warmup. COC 2.5(132 rating)x7 seconds RH only, left was gassed. 

MMS Grippers-GG3x3 reps RH x2LH, COC 1.5x5 RH & LH with overcrush hold on the 5th rep, COC 1x10 RH & LH with overcrush hold on 10th rep. 

FBBC 2.5" Crusher-Worked up to 1x1 w/125lbs-130lbs? RH strict lockout but LH was soft knees so not a legal lift at least not in my books. My buddy had a calibrated scale but it was on the other side of the gym so I wasn't about to walk it over lol. 2x5 w/105lbs-110lbs? RH & LH for additional volume work. 

Inch DB Attempts-Custom built beautiful 138lb inch dumbbell. Attempted 3 singles, I got really good air with my right and only some with my left. Honestly didn't even think it would budge so I'm quite happy with this. 

Go-Really-Grip Machine-3x10 each hand not sure how much weight was loaded on the device. 

Well I was right about one thing, I told myself never try a Crusher because you may fall in love and want to buy one and sure enough that's what happened lol. The Crusher is an amazing rolling handle and I really enjoy the fact that it weighs a fair bit, after the first set or two you get used to it and I didn't find it problematic. It truly is a brilliant handle but I must say my new model RT is no joke either and the difference in poundages are slim for me at least. I finally got to realize what everyone on the gripboard was talking about in reference to the Crusher being the potential GOAT of rolling handles. Still really want to try a Napalms Nightmare and an RGT someday to compare. 

[mcalpine1986]

15 minutes ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Saturday 18th training, grippers and thick bar...

MMS Grippers-COC 1, COC 1.5, GG3(purple unicorn), COC 2, GHP 5(122 rating) RH only LH was just a couple millimeters shy.

Silver Bullet-COC 2 R & L easy warmup. COC 2.5(132 rating)x7 seconds RH only, left was gassed. 

MMS Grippers-GG3x3 reps RH x2LH, COC 1.5x5 RH & LH with overcrush hold on the 5th rep, COC 1x10 RH & LH with overcrush hold on 10th rep. 

FBBC 2.5" Crusher-Worked up to 1x1 w/125lbs-130lbs? RH strict lockout but LH was soft knees so not a legal lift at least not in my books. My buddy had a calibrated scale but it was on the other side of the gym so I wasn't about to walk it over lol. 2x5 w/105lbs-110lbs? RH & LH for additional volume work. 

Inch DB Attempts-Custom built beautiful 138lb inch dumbbell. Attempted 3 singles, I got really good air with my right and only some with my left. Honestly didn't even think it would budge so I'm quite happy with this. 

Go-Really-Grip Machine-3x10 each hand not sure how much weight was loaded on the device. 

Well I was right about one thing, I told myself never try a Crusher because you may fall in love and want to buy one and sure enough that's what happened lol. The Crusher is an amazing rolling handle and I really enjoy the fact that it weighs a fair bit, after the first set or two you get used to it and I didn't find it problematic. It truly is a brilliant handle but I must say my new model RT is no joke either and the difference in poundages are slim for me at least. I finally got to realize what everyone on the gripboard was talking about in reference to the Crusher being the potential GOAT of rolling handles. Still really want to try a Napalms Nightmare and an RGT someday to compare. 

Great session and write up. Id love an RGT one day.

I dont know how you can train grippers heavy before thick bar. 

[Bigfoot Grip]

13 hours ago, mcalpine1986 said:

Great session and write up. Id love an RGT one day.

I dont know how you can train grippers heavy before thick bar. 

Why is that? It wasn't problematic for me and seeing as how my #1 goal is to be a competitive gripster(i.e. do physical competitions) and the competitions are all over the place in terms of which events are tested and they can vary in terms of order sequence etc. I try to touch different events in each grip workout to maximize my bodies ability to adapt and perform okay-ish come meet day. 

Also I lift rolling handles in a more armwrestling style(bent arm, wrist flex ect.) so I find it to be quite a different movement from grippers and doesn't matter much in terms of performance but this could change overtime. 

[mcalpine1986]

7 hours ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Why is that? It wasn't problematic for me and seeing as how my #1 goal is to be a competitive gripster(i.e. do physical competitions) and the competitions are all over the place in terms of which events are tested and they can vary in terms of order sequence etc. I try to touch different events in each grip workout to maximize my bodies ability to adapt and perform okay-ish come meet day. 

Also I lift rolling handles in a more armwrestling style(bent arm, wrist flex ect.) so I find it to be quite a different movement from grippers and doesn't matter much in terms of performance but this could change overtime. 

I see what you mean from a competing point of view as grippers after come first in a comp. Myself though if i do grippers first it makes my thick bar a lot harder. 

If it works for you though keep at it

 

[Bigfoot Grip]

31 minutes ago, mcalpine1986 said:

I see what you mean from a competing point of view as grippers after come first in a comp. Myself though if i do grippers first it makes my thick bar a lot harder. 

If it works for you though keep at it

 

Interesting to know. I find one advantage to thick bar first is the hands are very warmed up and you can sort of go right into grippers for example starting at the coc #1 as opposed to sport, trainer, 0.5 etc. problem for me is if the volume & intensity is anything meaningful my gripper training gets more gassed as opposed to doing grippers first. I had mentioned maybe some months or weeks back on my training log that I find grippers for me at least are the most technical aspect of competitive grip. So that's why if you notice I tend to favour doing them before pinch or thick bar often times it is to maximize practice and push the intensity. Another reason for this is I don't care if I become a "technical master" at a COC T lol because that won't be what I would compete with and/or try to cert with. So I try to be able to practice at high-ish gripper intensities to ensure form isn't breaking down to much and it allows me to get bigger gripper closes with meaningful amounts of resistance. Kind of like if you could squat 200kg but your form breaks down anything above 100kg you may not care about working anything sub 70-80kg as Mike Tuscherer would say it's almost like "junk volume". 

 

Short answer I suck and can improve consistency with grippers so I try to practice and prioritize them first whenever possible. If you see me go long hiatuses from grippers even then it is usually because I will incorporate grip lifts I feel help carryover to grippers, examples include thinner pinch, specific axle stuff such as thumbless reverse curls and even general strength and bodybuilding type movements at the gym. the con is of course I get less practice but accumulate a base for a future peaking cycle. Hopefully this clarifies my strategy a bit more, I'm a nerd about training haha. 

[mcalpine1986]

2 hours ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Interesting to know. I find one advantage to thick bar first is the hands are very warmed up and you can sort of go right into grippers for example starting at the coc #1 as opposed to sport, trainer, 0.5 etc. problem for me is if the volume & intensity is anything meaningful my gripper training gets more gassed as opposed to doing grippers first. I had mentioned maybe some months or weeks back on my training log that I find grippers for me at least are the most technical aspect of competitive grip. So that's why if you notice I tend to favour doing them before pinch or thick bar often times it is to maximize practice and push the intensity. Another reason for this is I don't care if I become a "technical master" at a COC T lol because that won't be what I would compete with and/or try to cert with. So I try to be able to practice at high-ish gripper intensities to ensure form isn't breaking down to much and it allows me to get bigger gripper closes with meaningful amounts of resistance. Kind of like if you could squat 200kg but your form breaks down anything above 100kg you may not care about working anything sub 70-80kg as Mike Tuscherer would say it's almost like "junk volume". 

 

Short answer I suck and can improve consistency with grippers so I try to practice and prioritize them first whenever possible. If you see me go long hiatuses from grippers even then it is usually because I will incorporate grip lifts I feel help carryover to grippers, examples include thinner pinch, specific axle stuff such as thumbless reverse curls and even general strength and bodybuilding type movements at the gym. the con is of course I get less practice but accumulate a base for a future peaking cycle. Hopefully this clarifies my strategy a bit more, I'm a nerd about training haha. 

Totally agreed on the grippers. The technicallity of setting is my biggest weakness. It takes a long time to learn i think compared to say thick bar. 

Yes like we have discussed getting stronger grip wise all over will help and build gripper strength as much as grippers themselves. Ive said it before that i believe certain hand anatomys seem to suit people with grippers more than others. Im training them weekly now as they are a weakness of mine and its good to focus on weaknesses.

[Bigfoot Grip]

11 hours ago, mcalpine1986 said:

Totally agreed on the grippers. The technicallity of setting is my biggest weakness. It takes a long time to learn i think compared to say thick bar. 

Yes like we have discussed getting stronger grip wise all over will help and build gripper strength as much as grippers themselves. Ive said it before that i believe certain hand anatomys seem to suit people with grippers more than others. Im training them weekly now as they are a weakness of mine and its good to focus on weaknesses.

What type of anatomy do you think suits people better for grippers? 

[mcalpine1986]

7 hours ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

What type of anatomy do you think suits people better for grippers? 

People with decent sized, thicker meaty palms and longer fingers with a big thick thumb pad. Also relatively longer pinkie. My hands are a good size for my height at 7.75" right but i have huge palms size wise but not very thick and relatively shorter fingers. My right pinkie is so short compared to the ring finger. Also my thumb pad aint the thickest although they are growing. I do only weigh 167-168lbs though. 

[Bigfoot Grip]

Pinch and levering today...

Blockbuster Pinch Block(3")-Worked up to 1x1 w/57lbs RH only. 3 sets of holds in each hand for drop set work. I think the weight was 47lbs, 42lbs and 37.5lbs ranging from 12-40 second holds. 

2" AASS Pinch Dumbbell Block Rows-3x8(unsure of the exact weight)

Wrist Reinforcer-Lots of sets of 20 reps in many directions. 

Been going to the gym more and doing some recreational powerlifting training. Mostly consisting of bb squats, bench, cgbp, trap bar deadlifts, pullups etc. Tried out some Mas wrestling for the first time which was fun. 

 

[Jermiah Merciconah]

On 9/21/2021 at 2:51 PM, mcalpine1986 said:

People with decent sized, thicker meaty palms and longer fingers with a big thick thumb pad. Also relatively longer pinkie. My hands are a good size for my height at 7.75" right but i have huge palms size wise but not very thick and relatively shorter fingers. My right pinkie is so short compared to the ring finger. Also my thumb pad aint the thickest although they are growing. I do only weigh 167-168lbs though. 

I have really long hand and i find my fingers generally get in the way of positioning a set, Definitely thick palms are a plus tho

[mcalpine1986]

5 hours ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Pinch and levering today...

Blockbuster Pinch Block(3")-Worked up to 1x1 w/57lbs RH only. 3 sets of holds in each hand for drop set work. I think the weight was 47lbs, 42lbs and 37.5lbs ranging from 12-40 second holds. 

2" AASS Pinch Dumbbell Block Rows-3x8(unsure of the exact weight)

Wrist Reinforcer-Lots of sets of 20 reps in many directions. 

Been going to the gym more and doing some recreational powerlifting training. Mostly consisting of bb squats, bench, cgbp, trap bar deadlifts, pullups etc. Tried out some Mas wrestling for the first time which was fun. 

 

Great session. How did you find the mas wrestling? I bet it smokes the whole body along with grip.

[mcalpine1986]

27 minutes ago, Jermiah Merciconah said:

I have really long hand and i find my fingers generally get in the way of positioning a set, Definitely thick palms are a plus tho

Everyone will vary but generally longer fingers do help with being able to close grippers. I wish i had thicker palms to help bed the gripper in. They are getting thicker but its slow going. It takes a while for the hand muscles to build up.

[Nuttgens]

12 hours ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Pinch and levering today...

Blockbuster Pinch Block(3")-Worked up to 1x1 w/57lbs RH only. 3 sets of holds in each hand for drop set work. I think the weight was 47lbs, 42lbs and 37.5lbs ranging from 12-40 second holds. 

2" AASS Pinch Dumbbell Block Rows-3x8(unsure of the exact weight)

Wrist Reinforcer-Lots of sets of 20 reps in many directions. 

Been going to the gym more and doing some recreational powerlifting training. Mostly consisting of bb squats, bench, cgbp, trap bar deadlifts, pullups etc. Tried out some Mas wrestling for the first time which was fun. 

 

Nice work in the blockbuster man. 
 

and I think it’s awesome that your doing some powerlifting stuff again.

[Bigfoot Grip]

9 hours ago, mcalpine1986 said:

Great session. How did you find the mas wrestling? I bet it smokes the whole body along with grip.

Thanks brother. It was fun, took some getting used to. I found the next day my whole back was sore but the lats were the worst lol. Felt like I did 10 hours of rowing a boat the day before  getting the foot work and timing right took some getting used to also. 

[Bigfoot Grip]

3 hours ago, Nuttgens said:

Nice work in the blockbuster man. 
 

and I think it’s awesome that your doing some powerlifting stuff again.

Thanks brother, seeing your training log helps fuel the fire. I find it isn't too hard to balance grip and rec powerlifting so who knows maybe I'll do a meet again someday. I don't know if I ever said this to you but your training reminds me of how I used to train for raw powerlifting. 

[Nuttgens]

3 hours ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Thanks brother, seeing your training log helps fuel the fire. I find it isn't too hard to balance grip and rec powerlifting so who knows maybe I'll do a meet again someday. I don't know if I ever said this to you but your training reminds me of how I used to train for raw powerlifting. 

That’s awesome man maybe if I ever get strong enough I’ll do a meet with you. I haven’t had time to do any workouts since Monday been working 14 hour days and I already miss it. 

[Bigfoot Grip]

Thickbar training today.All lifts performed RH & LH. 

Axle Speed Deadlifts(to wake up CNS)-1x5(80lbs), 1x3(105lbs), 1x1(130lbs)

Rolling Thunder(12" loading pin)-1x3(60lbs), 1x1(85lbs), 1x1(110lbs), 1x1(120lbs), 1x1(130lbs), 1x1(138lbs)**New +2lb PR. All lifts done strict with pause. 

Thumbless Rolling Thunder Holds-1x20 seconds(85lbs), 1x20 seconds(97.5lbs), 1x12 seconds(102.5lbs)

FBBC Pro Dumbbell Rows(2.5")-3x10(65lbs) 

[Bigfoot Grip]

Pinch & Grippers today. RH & LH for all sets.  

1H 2" AASS Pinch Block-1x4(20lbs), 1x3(30lbs), 1x2(40lbs), 1x1(50lbs), 1x1(61lbs), 1x1(63lbs) **new PR, 1x1(66lbs) fail. 

1H 2" AASS Pinch Block Holds-1x55lbsx20-25 seconds, 1x50lbsx30+seconds

CCS RB Adjustable Gripper-level 4-4x4, 5-5x4, 6-6x4, 7-7x4, 8-8x4, dop set 6-6x12+overcrush hold. 

I never bothered to mention but I often warm up my hands with the Ironmind eggs(both green and blue) and occasionally the expand your hands bands before I get into the meat and potatos of the workouts. I Really want 30kg on the 1H 2" pinch and got air with 66lbs so it should go down very soon. Then it will be the road to 40kg lol. Hope everyones training is going well 

 

[mcalpine1986]

10 hours ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Pinch & Grippers today. RH & LH for all sets.  

1H 2" AASS Pinch Block-1x4(20lbs), 1x3(30lbs), 1x2(40lbs), 1x1(50lbs), 1x1(61lbs), 1x1(63lbs) **new PR, 1x1(66lbs) fail. 

1H 2" AASS Pinch Block Holds-1x55lbsx20-25 seconds, 1x50lbsx30+seconds

CCS RB Adjustable Gripper-level 4-4x4, 5-5x4, 6-6x4, 7-7x4, 8-8x4, dop set 6-6x12+overcrush hold. 

I never bothered to mention but I often warm up my hands with the Ironmind eggs(both green and blue) and occasionally the expand your hands bands before I get into the meat and potatos of the workouts. I Really want 30kg on the 1H 2" pinch and got air with 66lbs so it should go down very soon. Then it will be the road to 40kg lol. Hope everyones training is going well 

 

Brilliant pinch work, great job on that P.R. If you can get air with 30kg you will get a full lift soon enough.