IronMind Equipment

[Guest girevik]

I came into a bit of extra money and now I can afford some things from IronMind. I know they sell the best. The first thing I'm definately getting is Steve Jeck's stonelifting video. I am also getting the Dinosaur Training book. But I have a lot of books and very little equipment. So does anyone have any recommendations? I have the 1, 2, and 3 grippers.

Is the "Headstrap fit for Hercules" worth the price? Or can you make one yourself that's just as good? In "Rock, Iron, Steel" it says you can make a pulling harness out of the straps they use to tie loads down on the big trucks.

How about the finger-lift ring, they say you can do a lot of things with it, even make a highland games throwing implement. It doesn't say how, though.

I don't think I'd pay $32 for the Rolling Thunder- couldn't you just get a piece of pipe and put a chain through it? Many of you probably have the Rolling Thunder. If it was cheaper, I'd get it, too, but with the loading pin and all it's like $60 for something that seems, to me, to be very similar to what you could have if you put a chain through a short piece of pipe.

It's hard to decide what I should get and what I can improvise for now.

[Nathan Say]

If you're brand new to grip training I'd say just a wrist roller & CoC grippers. I've only been training grip seriously for 4 months or so, & I only just got some specialized grip stuff a couple days ago: a wrist roller & Rolling Thunder. I don't really know what the more experienced guys think, but I'd try not try to get too much too soon.

[Guest JSallee]

How about a sledge hammer for lever lifts, and a bag of rubber bands for extensions.  

 And maybe a rubber mallet.   Some of the guys have been talking about hitting an anvil with it, something like 100 times a minute.  You could probably get similiar results pounding the concrete floor in the garage.

 Just some ideas. if these are too cheap, you could loan me some money.  

[Guest baldy]

Girevik, the Olympic loading pin has 101 uses. I would definitely recommend picking one up. I use mine for plate curls and pinches to add smaller plates. I use it with my homemade pinching devices, Rolling Thunder handle, and Little Big Horn anvil simulator. I use it with my wrist roller (though I seldom do that movement). Whenever I do strapholds with my #2 I use this to hold the weight. Also, it makes an acceptable 2" vertical bar lifting apparatus. You can use it to add weight to pullups and dips easily too.

The IM headstrap is overkill unless you are going to be doing heavy weights (200 lbs +), but if that is a possibility you should go ahead and order it instead of wasting your money on a lesser device. IronMind's is the best on the market, IMHO. Cyberpump has pictures of Herk Sparkman pulling 500 lbs with his, that is awesome. If you ever want to get anywhere near that you must use the IM harness, the others will not hold that kind of weight (and are so uncomfortable, you wouldn't want them to). If you want to use lighter weights get either a leather one or an Everlast one from a sporting goods store. I don't know if I would trust a homemade headstrap. This is something else that I use my loading pin for, BTW.

The finger ring I don't own, I made my own (smaller) for one finger lifts. I assume that Strossen means you could attach a 56 lb weight to the ring with a chain for a throwing device. That would require a 55 lb or so chunk of steel, a segment of chain, and a welder.

As for the Rolling Thunder, there are a lot of people here who have done well with it. Steve G (Mobsterone) is on track to setting a new world record with it, you should ask him if he thinks it is worth the money. He has lifted the Inch DB, too.

I got the Steve Jeck stonelifting book and video combo this week. I read the book straight through (couldn't put it down), and I've watched the video 3 times. On the video, Jeck pulls a 225 lb rock with his IM headharness.

Hope you can find something useful in this message.

[Guest kINGPIN]

I don't have a rolling thunder and personally I don't think that you should bother with it.  It is so easy to make one for yourself.  You could use the money for more grip stuff.  

As for the finger ring.  head down your hardwear store and look in the section that sells chain and stuff like that.  There are solid metal rings there that are the same size yet quarter of the price.

With the headstrap, follow baldys advice on that one.  What ever you do though, don't try to make your own.  Anything that involves the neck should not be improvised.  There is no room for error on that one.

As for the loading pin.  Go to a metal worker and get him to russle one up for you.  There happens to be a good ol boy on this board who does exactly that.  - can't think who that would be though.

I don't mean to s### on Ironmind but there are some things that if you are short on cash can be improvised to about the same functional standard or even better as they can be suited to your needs.  And what little money you have can be spent on the stuff you cannot improvise such as grippers.