My Notes, Thoughts, Training logs, etc

[SkyHeart]

Reminded myself today that the breaking of a plateau is only half the glory of grippers.. the real fun is in the picking up of those dear little keys to the universe, preparing techniques, and marrying my hands to the bars. I love how when one loves a skill enough, PR's come like breathing. 

[SkyHeart]

It seems the cold weather affects my central nervous system and strength performance. Warming up seems trickier , and even when moving about often it takes longer to "feel" ready for attempts. 

[DevilErik]

2 hours ago, SkyHeart said:

It seems the cold weather affects my central nervous system and strength performance. Warming up seems trickier , and even when moving about often it takes longer to "feel" ready for attempts. 

Try to get away from that mindset and just lift whether you are tired or not or whether you are feeling "ready" or not.

I know it's not really a mindset and that the weather is actually affecting you but you know what I mean.

You will notice some fluctuations in your performance at first but once you get through that it won't matter how you are feeling the strength will just be there.

I used to have that mindset as well.

I had to hype myself up before attempts and I could only perform well while hyped up and listening to one particular song.

Without these things I didn't feel ready either and I actually performed worse.

 

I know this isn't exactly the same thing as what you are experiencing with the cold weather but I am sure your body will adapt if you keep pushing through.

Now my strength does not fluctuate anymore except for those very rare days on which I am not recovered from the previous session.

 

I hope this helps.

Edited January 31, 2022 by DevilErik

[SkyHeart]

58 minutes ago, DevilErik said:

Try to get away from that mindset and just lift whether you are tired or not or whether you are feeling "ready" or not.

I know it's not really a mindset and that the weather is actually affecting you but you know what I mean.

You will notice some fluctuations in your performance at first but once you get through that it won't matter how you are feeling the strength will just be there.

I used to have that mindset as well.

I had to hype myself up before attempts and I could only perform well while hyped up and listening to one particular song.

Without these things I didn't feel ready either and I actually performed worse.

 

I know this isn't exactly the same thing as what you are experiencing with the cold weather but I am sure your body will adapt if you keep pushing through.

Now my strength does not fluctuate anymore except for those very rare days on which I am not recovered from the previous session.

 

I hope this helps.

Thank you  its very reassuring to hear this from someone with more experience. its funny you mention the pushing past, because i started to wonder whether changes like that can permanently make it harder to progress, or if its just a new environment for the body to get used to. Music , depending on the mood seriously does make a difference for me at times

[DevilErik]

13 minutes ago, SkyHeart said:

Thank you  its very reassuring to hear this from someone with more experience. its funny you mention the pushing past, because i started to wonder whether changes like that can permanently make it harder to progress, or if its just a new environment for the body to get used to. Music , depending on the mood seriously does make a difference for me at times

Anytime man I am glad I could help.

If you can't get past this mentally it might stick with you forever I don't know if that's what you meant though.

The music thing is actually what got me injured.

I still train with music but I don't hype myself up anymore.

But now I can turn it off as well and be just as strong.

 

 

I actually attempted a max twice without resting because I wasn't sure about getting the close or not.

Instead of walking away or resting I attempted my max twice in a row and got injured.

This happened because I was super aggressive and crazy hyped up.

I am so glad I got away from this mindset.

I listen to whatever I want now and I am super calm I just always use the same warming up and hit a max lift while being calm and collected.

Another benefit of doing it this way is that you will recover faster from workouts.

Being calm and collected without caring about external factors makes you super confident and super strong because you could get out of bed and hit a max so the speak.

Edited January 31, 2022 by DevilErik

[Blacksmith513]

^whats funny is i love relaxing laid back music when i workout.  

I lift to Frank Sinatra and Willie Nelson, not Guns N Roses or Black Sabbath... whom i also love

[DevilErik]

1 minute ago, Blacksmith513 said:

^whats funny is i love relaxing laid back music when i workout.  

I lift to Frank Sinatra and Willie Nelson, not Guns N Roses or Black Sabbath... whom i also love

I have been doing this as well lately.

Dire straits - brothers in arms for example or The Sound of Silence (Disturbed's cover).

Edited January 31, 2022 by DevilErik

[Blacksmith513]

5 minutes ago, DevilErik said:

I have been doing this as well lately.

Dire straits - brothers in arms for example or The Sound of Silence (Disturbed's cover).

Ive listened to my fair share of Dire  Straits, I like the cover by Disturbed too.

[DevilErik]

Just now, Blacksmith513 said:

Ive listened to my fair share of Dire  Straits, I like the cover by Disturbed too.

I only like Brothers in Arms the rest of their music is shit in my opinion lol.

Disturbed and Sabaton are my favourite bands.

Edited February 1, 2022 by DevilErik

[SkyHeart]

21 minutes ago, DevilErik said:

Anytime man I am glad I could help.

If you can't get past this mentally it might stick with you forever I don't know if that's what you meant though.

The music thing is actually what got me injured.

I still train with music but I don't hype myself up anymore.

But now I can turn it off as well and be just as strong.

 

 

I actually attempted a max twice without resting because I wasn't sure about getting the close or not.

Instead of walking away or resting I attempted my max twice in a row and got injured.

This happened because I was super aggressive and crazy hyped up.

I am so glad I got away from this mindset.

I listen to whatever I want now and I am super calm I just always use the same warming up and hit a max lift while being calm and collected.

Another benefit of doing it this way is that you will recover faster from workouts.

Being calm and collected without caring about external factors makes you super confident and super strong because you could get out of bed and hit a max so the speak.

The variations of how grip training work for everyone never ceases to intrigue me. even when not training, its fun to watch other people on youtube close them. like just the sport of the technique, the sets, and how most of such uploads are quiet with little to nothing going on in the background. For a while i kept giving myself "performance anxiety". not severely, just enough to worry "what if i dont hit a PR this time? what if i don't hit one next time either? " and realized i was falling into an unhealthy thinking pattern. I wonder how many people end up injured because of this. not just with grips, but anything sporty in general. 

[SkyHeart]

2 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said:

Ive listened to my fair share of Dire  Straits, I like the cover by Disturbed too.

Lately I've been tuning more into a band "All Good Things" they've become somewhat more well known the last year  

[DevilErik]

10 minutes ago, SkyHeart said:

The variations of how grip training work for everyone never ceases to intrigue me. even when not training, its fun to watch other people on youtube close them. like just the sport of the technique, the sets, and how most of such uploads are quiet with little to nothing going on in the background. For a while i kept giving myself "performance anxiety". not severely, just enough to worry "what if i dont hit a PR this time? what if i don't hit one next time either? " and realized i was falling into an unhealthy thinking pattern. I wonder how many people end up injured because of this. not just with grips, but anything sporty in general. 

Yeah I also enjoy watching all those small technical things despite me never using a set haha.

I have had the performance anxiety as well or I would get super nervous a day before training grip. 

I have even had trouble sleeping a day before attempting a PR.

I am so glad I managed to get rid off all those things.

I honestly enjoy training grip way more right now.

I am enjoying the process now instead of obsessing over goals.

It might take me months to reach my goals or years I don't know and I don't care either.

I think plenty of people have hurt themselves doing stupid sh*t while being hyped up.

But it is not necessary there are people breaking world records in powerlifting with textbook form while being calm and collected.

 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by DevilErik

[Blacksmith513]

8 minutes ago, DevilErik said:

I only like Brothers in Arms the rest of their music is shit in my opinion lol.

Disturbed and Sabaton are my favourite bands.

haha, it took them a while to grow on me. But they did, one song at a time. Check out "Money for Nothing"  I do listen to a ton of Jethro Tull, they have a great mix of soft stuff and heavier stuff.

[DevilErik]

Just now, Blacksmith513 said:

haha, it took them a while to grow on me. But they did, one song at a time. Check out "Money for Nothing"  I do listen to a ton of Jethro Tull, they have a great mix of soft stuff and heavier stuff.

I hate that song it pisses me off lol.

[SkyHeart]

12 minutes ago, DevilErik said:

Yeah I also enjoy watching all those small technical things despite me never using a set haha.

I have had the performance anxiety as well or I would get super nervous a day before training grip. 

I have even had trouble sleeping a day before attempting a PR.

I am so glad I managed to get rid off all those things.

I honestly enjoy training grip way more right now.

I am enjoying the process now instead of obsessing over goals.

It might take me months to reach my goals or years I don't know and I don't care either.

I think plenty of people have hurt themselves doing stupid sh*t while being hyped up.

But it is not necessary there are people breaking world records in powerlifting with textbook form while being calm and collected.

 

 

 

Did it take you a while of conditioning to get over those kinds of anxieties, or was it a near overnight kind of thing with some revolutionary understanding ? like that light bulb over the head with an "aha!" moment. 

Then i thought about what it would be like, reaching milestones easily within just one year or less and remembered it would be kind of boring to beat every goal without a lot of patience and persistence being involved. 

Nathan Holle's uploads amaze me. Especially that one where he's calmly closing his CoC no.4, GHP9, Grand Elite and BB330 i think its called? all within a few minute period and with a slow crush ontop of it. no background music , excited approach or anything. 

[Blacksmith513]

21 minutes ago, DevilErik said:

I hate that song it pisses me off lol.

Lol channel that anger and it might make a difference on a heavy gripper.

[DevilErik]

11 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said:

Lol channel that anger and it might make a difference on a heavy gripper.

Now that's exactly what I don't want lol.

I used to do this and it got me injured, caused large fluctuations in strength from training day to training day and destroyed my recovery.

Edited February 1, 2022 by DevilErik

[DevilErik]

11 hours ago, SkyHeart said:

Did it take you a while of conditioning to get over those kinds of anxieties, or was it a near overnight kind of thing with some revolutionary understanding ? like that light bulb over the head with an "aha!" moment. 

Then i thought about what it would be like, reaching milestones easily within just one year or less and remembered it would be kind of boring to beat every goal without a lot of patience and persistence being involved. 

Nathan Holle's uploads amaze me. Especially that one where he's calmly closing his CoC no.4, GHP9, Grand Elite and BB330 i think its called? all within a few minute period and with a slow crush ontop of it. no background music , excited approach or anything. 

It definitely was an "aha" moment and realising that despite me wanting to reach my goals it's just a one rep max.

Being emotionally attached to lifts is a bad thing in general whether that's in grip or in regular resistance training.

I have learned that it's a tool in the toolbox.

It's just the tool I picked to increase my crushing strength that's it.

 

It could be boring for one person or great for another I don't know.

But what I did learn is that it's bad to keep track of time when reaching goals.

This also messed with my head.

Despite the one close probably being a lucky moment I am still not closing that setting right now.

Then I started realising that keeping track of the time you are training and constantly checking where you are after what amount of time is destructive behavior and will only prevent you from reaching your goals.

 

 

It might take you 1 year to reach your goals or 10 but it doesn't really matter it's all about the journey. 

Enjoying the ride is what it is all about at least I realised that myself because I am someone that has another goal within 5 seconds after reaching the goal I initially wanted.

 

Nathan Holle is an absolute monster and I bet because of the way he has trained that he could wake up in the morning pick up  a no.4 and close it.

Now that is real strength.

Hyping up might give you some strength at first but you will notice bigger fluctuations so in the end you are really just shooting yourself in the foot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by DevilErik

[Blacksmith513]

12 minutes ago, DevilErik said:

It definitely was an "aha" moment and realising that despite me wanting to reach my goals it's just a one rep max.

Being emotionally attached to lifts is a bad thing in general whether that's in grip or in regular resistance training.

I have learned that it's a tool in the toolbox.

It's just the tool I picked to increase my crushing strength that's it.

 

It could be boring for one person or great for another I don't know.

But what I did learn is that it's bad to keep track of time when reaching goals.

This also messed with my head.

Despite the one close probably being a lucky moment I am still not closing that setting right now.

Then I started realising that keeping track of the time you are training and constantly checking where you are after what amount of time is destructive behavior and will only prevent you from reaching your goals.

 

 

It might take you 1 year to reach your goals or 10 but it doesn't really matter it's all about the journey. 

Enjoying the ride is what it is all about at least I realised that myself because I am someone that has another goal within 5 seconds after reaching the goal I initially wanted.

 

Nathan Holle is an absolute monster and I bet because of the way he has trained that he could wake up in the morning pick up  a no.4 and close it.

Now that is real strength.

Hyping up might give you some strength at first but you will notice bigger fluctuations so in the end you are really just shooting yourself in the foot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree with you on the hyping up before a lift. Very rarely have I done that.  I get why people do and thats cool.. But i'd rather casually close a 3. 

But channeling your inner strength is a good thing and I think it's important to have the ability to tap in there. 

[DevilErik]

18 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said:

I agree with you on the hyping up before a lift. Very rarely have I done that.  I get why people do and thats cool.. But i'd rather casually close a 3. 

But channeling your inner strength is a good thing and I think it's important to have the ability to tap in there. 

There are world record holding powerlifters that are calm and collected while breaking records.

If you want to hype up then there is nothing wrong with that.

But I won't ever do it again because they don't even do that so I really don't have an excuse.

But like I said I am not against it just know the drawbacks.

 

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by DevilErik

[SkyHeart]

6 hours ago, DevilErik said:

It definitely was an "aha" moment and realising that despite me wanting to reach my goals it's just a one rep max.

Being emotionally attached to lifts is a bad thing in general whether that's in grip or in regular resistance training.

I have learned that it's a tool in the toolbox.

It's just the tool I picked to increase my crushing strength that's it.

 

It could be boring for one person or great for another I don't know.

But what I did learn is that it's bad to keep track of time when reaching goals.

This also messed with my head.

Despite the one close probably being a lucky moment I am still not closing that setting right now.

Then I started realising that keeping track of the time you are training and constantly checking where you are after what amount of time is destructive behavior and will only prevent you from reaching your goals.

 

 

It might take you 1 year to reach your goals or 10 but it doesn't really matter it's all about the journey. 

Enjoying the ride is what it is all about at least I realised that myself because I am someone that has another goal within 5 seconds after reaching the goal I initially wanted.

 

Nathan Holle is an absolute monster and I bet because of the way he has trained that he could wake up in the morning pick up  a no.4 and close it.

Now that is real strength.

Hyping up might give you some strength at first but you will notice bigger fluctuations so in the end you are really just shooting yourself in the foot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your advice and input is superior my friend. Easy to tell it would fit for all else in life even outside the world of fitness/strength training. That time window measurement really does get to some, myself included.. Funny enough; i keep thinking " okay this may itll be three years since i started.. how far will i be by then ? " but then thought later that i wasn't always training with the exact same effort and methods as now, so its a little complex to just look at it with the whole "how long since" system. 

its crazy what that "lucky moment" can do. when it happens i'll be like "Where did THAT come from? o-o " then the next day hope it returns soon, lol. seems like a rare incidence, about once or twice a month for me. 

Hyping up seems to take a lot of energy and focus in itself, unless im hit by a mood , song , etc with very good timing. it seems like a skill within itself that can make or break in the long term , the more i think about it and read what you put here.

[DevilErik]

30 minutes ago, SkyHeart said:

Your advice and input is superior my friend. Easy to tell it would fit for all else in life even outside the world of fitness/strength training. That time window measurement really does get to some, myself included.. Funny enough; i keep thinking " okay this may itll be three years since i started.. how far will i be by then ? " but then thought later that i wasn't always training with the exact same effort and methods as now, so its a little complex to just look at it with the whole "how long since" system. 

its crazy what that "lucky moment" can do. when it happens i'll be like "Where did THAT come from? o-o " then the next day hope it returns soon, lol. seems like a rare incidence, about once or twice a month for me. 

Hyping up seems to take a lot of energy and focus in itself, unless im hit by a mood , song , etc with very good timing. it seems like a skill within itself that can make or break in the long term , the more i think about it and read what you put here.

I appreciate that I am glad I was able to help.

I guess the lesson here is that you shouldn't worry about things you can't control.

You also learn lessons or the best way to train along the way.

I could also ask the question what if I had used the program I am using now from the start then I would have been even stronger right.

All those questions are destructive and might even cause you so much stress that you feel like quitting all together.

 

I realised it was a lucky moment later on because I lost ALL of my strength after getting injured even though I only rested for 2 weeks.

It is not possible to lose all of your strength in 2 weeks it was just a lucky close so the adaptation probably wouldn't have stuck with me anyway.

 

Hyping up does take a lot of energy and it also has a huge effect on recovery.

This can definitely make or break you because the circumstances usually aren't perfect.

The moment you accept that and let yourself get used to bad circumstances you will become a monster compared to your previous "version".

 

I can still get PR's without music or with 3 hours of sleep now.

External factors simply don't mean anything anymore.

Edited February 1, 2022 by DevilErik

[SkyHeart]

10 minutes ago, DevilErik said:

I appreciate that I am glad I was able to help.

I guess the lesson here is that you shouldn't worry about things you can't control.

You also learn lessons or the best way to train along the way.

I could also ask the question what if I had used the program I am using now from the start then I would have been even stronger right.

All those questions are destructive and might even cause you so much stress that you feel like quitting all together.

 

I realised it was a lucky moment later on because I lost ALL of my strength after getting injured even though I only rested for 2 weeks.

It is not possible to lose all of your strength in 2 weeks it was just a lucky close so the adaption probably wouldn't have stuck with me anyway.

 

Hyping up does take a lot of energy and it also has a huge effect on recovery.

This can definitely make or break you because the circumstances usually aren't perfect.

The moment you accept that and let yourself get used to bad circumstances you will become a monster compared to your previous "version".

 

I can still get PR's without music or with 3 hours of sleep now.

External factors simply don't mean anything anymore.

Very inspirational! Really enforces the whole "mind over matter" phrase, which always has had an appeal to me even when i was much younger. It is oddly motivational when i picture myself just letting go of certain expectations and hopes about milestones, rep counts and such. There has been a couple of times where a finger would have a dull ache, or a part in my hand felt sore for a week at a time, but i kept telling myself to just push past it and not worry about it getting worse/ staying, and intriguingly enough, it would pass, even if i kept training multiple days a week. 

maybe its because im not afraid of injury, or just because i want the training and success of it enough that my mind isn't accepting small discomforts to stay. i feel like in just 50 years, a lot more will be discovered about the mind and how it can make such a huge difference in strength or endurance sports alone

[DevilErik]

Just now, SkyHeart said:

Very inspirational! Really enforces the whole "mind over matter" phrase, which always has had an appeal to me even when i was much younger. It is oddly motivational when i picture myself just letting go of certain expectations and hopes about milestones, rep counts and such. There has been a couple of times where a finger would have a dull ache, or a part in my hand felt sore for a week at a time, but i kept telling myself to just push past it and not worry about it getting worse/ staying, and intriguingly enough, it would pass, even if i kept training multiple days a week. 

maybe its because im not afraid of injury, or just because i want the training and success of it enough that my mind isn't accepting small discomforts to stay. i feel like in just 50 years, a lot more will be discovered about the mind and how it can make such a huge difference in strength or endurance sports alone

You will start noticing a huge difference once you let go.

You might never feel ready for your workouts the first few weeks but that's when you push through and do it anyway.

You will quickly notice that your performance will be the same no matter the circumstances.

This might sound strange but how you are feeling is a lie.

What I mean by this is that you either have the strength to lift something or close a gripper for example or you don't.

The way you are feeling does not have anything to do with that.

Just be careful with pain/overuse symptoms.

You shouldn't be scared of injury just make sure you don't do too much and make sure your recovery is on point.

The mind is extremely powerful and can do great things for you but it can also completely sabotage you and potientally ruin your life.

Confidence and the lack of it are both very powerful.

 

 

 

[SkyHeart]

10 minutes ago, DevilErik said:

You will start noticing a huge difference once you let go.

You might never feel ready for your workouts the first few weeks but that's when you push through and do it anyway.

You will quickly notice that your performance will be the same no matter the circumstances.

This might sound strange but how you are feeling is a lie.

What I mean by this is that you either have the strength to lift something or close a gripper for example or you don't.

The way you are feeling does not have anything to do with that.

Just be careful with pain/overuse symptoms.

You shouldn't be scared of injury just make sure you don't do too much and make sure your recovery is on point.

The mind is extremely powerful and can do great things for you but it can also completely sabotage you and potientally ruin your life.

Confidence and the lack of it are both very powerful.

 

 

 

It is odd how feelings can be mistaken for capability isn't it? This seems to apply for the rules of writing ( since i'd like to be an author some day ) that if someone only writes when feeling inspired, they wouldn't get to where they want anytime soon. I just tried to imagine if someone could have that same excited, hyped, motivated feeling every time they attempted a big gripper or very heavy weight, and imagined they would probably hurt themselves before even realizing it. kind of like what happens when someone is on an adrenaline rush and the pain doesn't set in until the charge wears off. 

I like how the skin tells me when to stop training for the day. like, when it starts to feel chapped from the friction of handles rubbing over it many times, its like a signal that i've done enough for the time being.  the foam handles are good for comfort but they kind of get in my way at the same time if that makes sense.

Do you have any favorite techniques for grippers, or even techniques you're not really into? I mainly like to use Wide sets , partials, or negatives