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North American Grip Sport Rankings


Eric Roussin

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On 9/13/2021 at 2:56 PM, BradProv said:

Ya Jason, I thought I saw something about a surgery, didn't know it was your bicep...damn... been there. Twice.   Good luck with the recovery sir I was looking forward to seeing what I could muster against you in October!

Thanks Eric - everyone on that list is a killer, I'm honoured.  Can't wait to see how King Kong shakes out-- with your win last week and a proper showing in Kong you should be back on that leaderboard ^ :)

Thanks Brad! Good luck in KK.

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On 9/10/2021 at 10:09 PM, JasonD said:

I’m not sure if I’m doing KK, yet. I don’t know if you heard Eric, but I tore a biceps tendon in the super series contest. I cried about it to almost everyone, so maybe you’re aware?😂🤣 At any rate, you’ve proven your unparalleled eye for talent, yet again! The only problem with being number 3, for me, is I’ve reached my pinnacle. Honestly, not sure I’m worthy, but it sure feels good to be mentioned in the same class as these other guys! 

Very sorry to hear that Jason I've been down that road before and had to get surgery to reconnect my bicep tendon so I can relate. How did you tear your bicep? I noticed you mentioned it was on the Hilt, being a newer grip guy myself I really want to avoid another bicep tear. Would you have any pointers or advice for technique on these v bar type of lifts? Not trying to make you relive any trauma just trying to navigate through v bar lifting and you sir are a clearly a grip monster so any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. 

Would you suggest meet organizers avoid contesting v bar lifts in the future or do you believe v bar movements are "safe enough"? What could you have done differently to avoid a tear?

 

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1 hour ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Very sorry to hear that Jason I've been down that road before and had to get surgery to reconnect my bicep tendon so I can relate. How did you tear your bicep? I noticed you mentioned it was on the Hilt, being a newer grip guy myself I really want to avoid another bicep tear. Would you have any pointers or advice for technique on these v bar type of lifts? Not trying to make you relive any trauma just trying to navigate through v bar lifting and you sir are a clearly a grip monster so any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. 

Would you suggest meet organizers avoid contesting v bar lifts in the future or do you believe v bar movements are "safe enough"? What could you have done differently to avoid a tear?

 

Not at all trying to speak on Jason’s injury. I can however tell you that on VBAR type lifts you need to either pronate as you lift, or stay as pronated as possible to help avoid a bicep tear.

supination makes the bicep really vulnerable. The best example i could give on this is a mixed grip deadlift. The supinated side is always the one to tear.

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I tore my bicep on the v bar as well and others have also. I am a strong advocate to stop including these dangerous lifts in grip comps including the tips tester where I also hurt my hand on In a competition. For those who say you accept the risk when you compete, these are not well known lifts like the powerlifting lifts etc so many people don’t know the risk involved and proper technique cause they are honestly very obscure. The problem we have in grip is that anything can become an event if some one welds it since we are not super organized with a strict governing body. I have said it before and I will say it again, promoters should think about this before including this super dangerous unforgiving lifts in competitions. I will no longer attend a competition where an unnecessarily dangerous event is included.

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1 minute ago, Chez said:

 

Edited by Chez
Repeat post by mistake
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5 hours ago, Tommy J. said:

Not at all trying to speak on Jason’s injury. I can however tell you that on VBAR type lifts you need to either pronate as you lift, or stay as pronated as possible to help avoid a bicep tear.

supination makes the bicep really vulnerable. The best example i could give on this is a mixed grip deadlift. The supinated side is always the one to tear.

Thanks Tommy! I was hoping some experienced guys could chime in 👍 your mixed grip analogy makes sense. I always wondered would a v bar attached to a carabiner+loading pin make the lift slightly safer vs a fixed 2" v bar? Is the jug similar to say the little big horn or excalibur/hilt in terms of safety or is it more a case of their is no escaping the risks associated with v bar events? 

 

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4 hours ago, Chez said:

I tore my bicep on the v bar as well and others have also. I am a strong advocate to stop including these dangerous lifts in grip comps including the tips tester where I also hurt my hand on In a competition. For those who say you accept the risk when you compete, these are not well known lifts like the powerlifting lifts etc so many people don’t know the risk involved and proper technique cause they are honestly very obscure. The problem we have in grip is that anything can become an event if some one welds it since we are not super organized with a strict governing body. I have said it before and I will say it again, promoters should think about this before including this super dangerous unforgiving lifts in competitions. I will no longer attend a competition where an unnecessarily dangerous event is included.

Thanks for the feedback Chez! Since I found the gripboard I learned alot from your posts and youtube videos. Sorry to hear about the bicep tear. 

As a guy who is trying to organize grip competitions I wanted to learn more about safety and what the lifters expect. I have heard many gripsters say the v bar can be dangerous but I frequently see it contested in competitions. I feel too new to have an opinion but I agree it would be nice if grip contested more standardized events and preferably safer implements. That way we wouldn't have to buy so much stuff and mapping out a training plan could be easier. 

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31 minutes ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Thanks Tommy! I was hoping some experienced guys could chime in 👍 your mixed grip analogy makes sense. I always wondered would a v bar attached to a carabiner+loading pin make the lift slightly safer vs a fixed 2" v bar? Is the jug similar to say the little big horn or excalibur/hilt in terms of safety or is it more a case of their is no escaping the risks associated with v bar events? 

 

No sweat. These are actually great questions compared to a lot of different inquiries here. So questions like yours are refreshing at times.

As far as a detachable device being safer than a fixed device, I don’t really know.. although now that I think about it, it does make some sense that a detachable device with a carabiner could be safer than a fixed VBAR type device. Safer in the sense you can possibly get some sort of deviation that could help protect the bicep. But then again… it’s also possible that the wrong deviation could make it worse depending on the angle.. 

so far what I’ve gathered over the years is that the 1” VBAR was the main one for years that was the bicep assassin. And that’s simply due to nearly every competitor being able to go really heavy on it compared to the 2” VBAR. More weight=greater chance for injury.

also, IMO, not pronating or not being able to pronate as you lift (due to rules) is probably one of the most daring rules a comp could have on a VBAR type implement. That was a rule for the hilt lift in a recent comp. and I was openly in opposition of that specific rule. That rule and that rule only, actually. For a couple of reasons. First and foremost being a safety factor. Personally, I’m not one of the guys that gains any poundage off of pronating during the lift. However, having my bicep being isolated to a static load with well over 200lbs at an unnatural angle is not something I would ever look forward to, or even attempt to train for seriously. Because I like my biceps where they are.

also, I saw your post to Chez about the standardized implements. And I 100% agree. And I don’t care how boring that may sound to some.

since I mention, I’ll go ahead and give my opinion.

1 thickbar event, either a rolling handle or an axle. so to force offhand competition, I’d have either a rolling handle where both hands are contested, or a DOH axle lift.

a pinch event. One hand (but where both are contested), or a 2 hand Saxon bar.

and a crush event. I still love grippers. So rated closes will be my go-to. Both hands.

Everything else needs to stay in the garage.

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12 hours ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Very sorry to hear that Jason I've been down that road before and had to get surgery to reconnect my bicep tendon so I can relate. How did you tear your bicep? I noticed you mentioned it was on the Hilt, being a newer grip guy myself I really want to avoid another bicep tear. Would you have any pointers or advice for technique on these v bar type of lifts? Not trying to make you relive any trauma just trying to navigate through v bar lifting and you sir are a clearly a grip monster so any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. 

Would you suggest meet organizers avoid contesting v bar lifts in the future or do you believe v bar movements are "safe enough"? What could you have done differently to avoid a tear?

 

I’ve asked myself those same questions. I don’t really have any answers. I guess start out more pronated? 
Earlier in the year, I tore a pulley on my left ring finger. I was trying one of the “golden potatoes.” After it happened, I realized my fingers were in a full crimp position on the implement. It’s been a rough year.

I may have to become more selective in my contests, like Chez. I didn’t get in this to get hurt all the time.

 

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You would start fully supinated, take the slack out of the attachment, and continually pronate for the entirety of the lift. Doing these 3 it would be near impossible to tear a bicep unless you leaned back like crazy during a lockout. 

As for the crimp, there is nothing inherently damaging about that position just that it's very easy to overload it beyond what your tissues are capable of. Starting very light and progressively increasing the load one can build elite crimp strength in about a year. 

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6 hours ago, JasonD said:

I’ve asked myself those same questions. I don’t really have any answers. I guess start out more pronated? 
Earlier in the year, I tore a pulley on my left ring finger. I was trying one of the “golden potatoes.” After it happened, I realized my fingers were in a full crimp position on the implement. It’s been a rough year.

I may have to become more selective in my contests, like Chez. I didn’t get in this to get hurt all the time.

 

Thanks for the advice Jason! That video was hard to watch but I can only imagine going through it. I want to start hosting competitions for Armlifting and Gripsport and I'm looking for feedback about safety and what lifters expect and want. I'm starting to think Tommy is right about event selection, seems like axle, saxon and maybe grippers(possibly silver bullet?) are a safer way to go. 

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4 hours ago, Joe Sullivan said:

Vertical bar lifting is one of my favorite lifts. If done right the danger Of it  is not any greater than any other lift. All have inherent “dangers”,  There is a danger in all lifts and if one doesn’t want to compete in that lift then by all means  skip that competition. It’s like saying arm wrestling is dangerous and you may tear a tendon, ligament or break an arm which of course there is that possibility or a biceps tear with a mixed grip deadlift!!  Then you shouldn’t do it if you are afraid of it.  If the fear of a certain lift has you that adamant about it then don’t do it but don’t limit it from competition for others who enjoy it or excel at it  because there’s possibilities of an injury. I’m all for limiting or eliminating  the silly little implements we see coming out every other week and not contesting those because they are just that.. silly, and lifting tiny weights on them is quite boring and the general public most certainly would laugh at it , but V bar type lifts are exciting and haul up some great poundages IMO. Grip is quite boring to most on the outside looking in, but a nice VBAR lift makes it a little more interesting. 

Thanks Joe I was hoping you would state your opinion and experiences as your a beast on that 2 3/8" 2H v bar. I agree about the silly tiny implements and you are 100% correct the general public would find it odd for someone to state "I'm a world record holder"....how much did you lift? 35lbs on a teeny tiny penny lift or something. Always seemed odd to me but I've been reluctant to say it as I'm not that strong in grip. Adam Glass seems to say similar things on podcasts I've listened to. On the other hand I can see for smaller handed individuals how the tiny implements could give them a shot at being more competitive. 

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12 hours ago, JasonD said:

may have to become more selective in my contests, like Chez. I didn’t get in this to get hurt all the time.

Agree Jason. It’s just Not worth it for super obscure events. Wishing you a speedy recovery buddy 

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Dangerous - V Bar - especially 1" - 2" isn't as bad for reasons already stated.  Tips Tester or other "rim lifts" can result in pulley tears too easily.  Way back when the "standards" were Grippers - Euro - and IM Axle dead lift (a sort of Big Three).  Usually (almost always) some kind of odd lift and a Medley made up a contest.  Medley's are where I like to see all the little goofy (or not so goofy) implements - with a time limit the weights and multiple items weights are usually lower making things safer.  Almost all "friction" lifts like Blobs (pinch) etc are safe enough.  This year Jamey is having Euro - IM Axle - double sledge lever in a rack - and a big Medley.  No grippers for a couple reasons - one is I no longer have a full set - and two I don't like them much LOL.  I think I've been the only one to ever have sledge events - they seem pretty safe so far - even going for max weights.  So I do like what might be called odd lifts - Hercules Holds - Scale Weights hold for time - Sledges - Grippers in chokers - and on and on.  When I came up with the Tips Tester it was to help with finger tip strength for climbing - only later did it get turned into a contest item.  Injuries suck - try to avoid them if you can (obviously).

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42 minutes ago, climber511 said:

Dangerous - V Bar - especially 1" - 2" isn't as bad for reasons already stated.  Tips Tester or other "rim lifts" can result in pulley tears too easily.  Way back when the "standards" were Grippers - Euro - and IM Axle dead lift (a sort of Big Three).  Usually (almost always) some kind of odd lift and a Medley made up a contest.  Medley's are where I like to see all the little goofy (or not so goofy) implements - with a time limit the weights and multiple items weights are usually lower making things safer.  Almost all "friction" lifts like Blobs (pinch) etc are safe enough.  This year Jamey is having Euro - IM Axle - double sledge lever in a rack - and a big Medley.  No grippers for a couple reasons - one is I no longer have a full set - and two I don't like them much LOL.  I think I've been the only one to ever have sledge events - they seem pretty safe so far - even going for max weights.  So I do like what might be called odd lifts - Hercules Holds - Scale Weights hold for time - Sledges - Grippers in chokers - and on and on.  When I came up with the Tips Tester it was to help with finger tip strength for climbing - only later did it get turned into a contest item.  Injuries suck - try to avoid them if you can (obviously).

Thank you Chris for commenting. I want to mention that I reached out to chris when I hurt myself on the tips tester with no experience on it cause at the time it wasn’t often contested. Chris told me he invented it as a tool to condition the hand for rock climbing and never intended it to be contested for max weight. Sure enough, people took it and put it in comps.....and guess what injuries happened. Chris intended it for reps and conditioning.....this is why I speak out about events like this. You include this obscure events people have no idea how to perform and have no experience on and injuries will happen. @Joe Sullivan .  you mentioned arm wrestling.....everyone knows arm wrestling And risk just like everyone knows deadlifts etc.....cause these are well known and establish strength events. Not many know The v bar and tips tester.....these are injures waiting to happen and promoters aren’t warning people about them and teaching proper technique.

Edited by Chez
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Like I said before. Our sport is in its infancy and anyone who welds can make an event......this leads to increased danger 

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14 hours ago, Climber028 said:

 

Edited by Chez
Changed my mind posting the comment
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I am sorry if I am being blunt in this thread but it has to be said. I hate seeing others injured. Literally the week after I tore my bicep on the V bar in training, someone At my training session tore theirs at the actual KK comp a week later and he was a powerlifter new to grip and I know longer see him post.....this type of stuff turns away new people

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Not to toot my own horn.. actually, yeah I’m gonna!

I guess there is something to be said for those of us who didn’t partake in some of those injury prone events due to simply thinking they were cheesy. And not being shy to say it. Lol!

that said, Chez, being blunt tends to spare you from weird and or undesirable situations at times. So no need to apologize. Blunt is the way to be.

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1 hour ago, climber511 said:

Dangerous - V Bar - especially 1" - 2" isn't as bad for reasons already stated.  Tips Tester or other "rim lifts" can result in pulley tears too easily.  Way back when the "standards" were Grippers - Euro - and IM Axle dead lift (a sort of Big Three).  Usually (almost always) some kind of odd lift and a Medley made up a contest.  Medley's are where I like to see all the little goofy (or not so goofy) implements - with a time limit the weights and multiple items weights are usually lower making things safer.  Almost all "friction" lifts like Blobs (pinch) etc are safe enough.  This year Jamey is having Euro - IM Axle - double sledge lever in a rack - and a big Medley.  No grippers for a couple reasons - one is I no longer have a full set - and two I don't like them much LOL.  I think I've been the only one to ever have sledge events - they seem pretty safe so far - even going for max weights.  So I do like what might be called odd lifts - Hercules Holds - Scale Weights hold for time - Sledges - Grippers in chokers - and on and on.  When I came up with the Tips Tester it was to help with finger tip strength for climbing - only later did it get turned into a contest item.  Injuries suck - try to avoid them if you can (obviously).

Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I really enjoyed your appearance on the Beyond the Bend podcast you're a wealth of knowledge and experience Chris. 

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The tips tester itself isn't dangerous at all, but going to a competition and trying to set a PR with out enough experience is a recipe for disaster. It's probably a good idea for contest organizers to preface events with a warning, but ultimately we're all adults and responsible for our bodies. 

Even not counting grip, I don't think there is a such thing as a "dangerous lift", just a mismatch between intensity and tissue ability. You can take any supposedly dangerous lift, start out with baby weights and gradually increase over time just like everything else. All of exercise is just progressing load over time and watching tissue adapt to the stimulus it's all the same. 

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7 hours ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I really enjoyed your appearance on the Beyond the Bend podcast you're a wealth of knowledge and experience Chris. 

You're welcome.

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If anything it's only a problem for people like Chez. If a tiny new guy came in competitors are always pouring on helpful advice, but he's so strong that everybody might just assume he doesn't need any advice or warning or word of caution. 

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4 minutes ago, Joe Sullivan said:

If someone is enters a competition and gets hurt and doesn’t have any experience with the lifts then unfortunately that’s their responsibility and not the promoters. That said, a little demo should help some but I wouldn’t recommend competing in lifts someone’s  never even seen before.  

It's human nature to "go for it" at a comp in front of a bunch of people - the added excitement helps us to "turn off the governor" so to speak.  that said the more catastrophic injuries usually happen to the strong experienced people - they simply have more ability to get close to a muscle or tendons absolute limits.  Weaker people "tweak" stuff - strong people "rip that sucker".  

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