questions for mobsterone

[Guest baldy]

Steve, that topic about wrist strength for bending has got me wondering something. I know that you hold a record in the weaver stick. That being the case, how does your wrist strength transfer over to your steel / nail bending? I have never seen you post on bending. Also, do you train any overhead levering, like sledgehammers? Come to think of it I have never seen you post on training for weaver stick lifting either. Are you just naturally good at it from all your other training efforts? Forgive my ignorance on the matter, I have never even seen (except in pictures) an official weaver setup, my only levering has been with sledgehammers and my efforts are nothing to write home about.

[mobsterone]

I don't do, or practise for steel bending so don't know. As for nail bending its too #### painful. I might be strong enough but it hurts! (I know what a wimp ).

As for sledge-hammers etc again i don't know as I don't own any.

Regards training for the Weaver stick thats another matter. I have a theory as to why I did so well which may seem a little insulting but bare with me...

Most people at Dave's contest and therefore I am going to presume elsewhere use/d the broomstick which forms part of the basic equipment. I started with a e-z curl bar and no weight. I did it with my hand at the end and eventually worked up to 2.5 kilos added. The bar weighs, minus collars, 16 pounds. This is more than everybody bar myself and DH used in the competition.

Therefore, and this is the 'rude' bit, most trainees are setting themselves up to lift little weights. Don't forget with weaver stick lifting the wrist doesn't actually flex that much it remains rather static and the upper body can lean forward providing the legs don't move. There is some wrist flexation but not much.

[Guest baldy]

Thanks for the reply, that is very interesting about the weaver stick lift. I have experimented with a sledgehammer laid across one of the pins in my power rack and leaning forward with wrist locked as you explained, and like you said it is a static position that felt very different from say an overhead levering movement. Still, it is interesting to me how you trained for it. Instead of the weight being on the end of a light 3 foot stick, yours was (except for the plate) evenly distributed along the bar. Obviously it worked for you, but it sounds like you were strong from the start if you levered the bar from day one.

I have only used my PDA plate loaded Inch a few times but every time I do I feel a lot in my wrist (good feel, not pain feel) the next day. This morning I worked on some overhead presses with it and I feel that now just from stabilizing the weight. I presume that all your heavy thick handle work had some good carry-over to the weaver stick, giving you a good foundation from which to build. I am quickly getting addicted to my plate loaded Inch, and really having a lot of fun training with it.

Thanks again for the reply

[mobsterone]

Bob Whelan made a point about Thick handle work recently stating that he has made it so that in his gym at least they are used on pulling movements. There you'll get a real test of grip and on overhead/pushing moves he felt the handle merely spread the load and therefore made it less of hard work than before.

[Guest baldy]

On a pulling movement there is no doubt a thick handle makes it harder for me. On the overhead, I cannot compare because that Inch plate loader is the only db handle I have. I am doing the overhead work with the IDB for part of my goals I have set (pinch 90 lbs with right hand on standard 45's and clean & press 113 lbs on Inch plate loader) for completion by April. The overhead press feels awkward to me on the IDB, and the thick handle seems to hinder me slightly. It feels normal until about the last 25% til lockout, then it gets a little squirrely on me. Maybe because I am very new to serious thick handle work. Does a thick handle feel easier on you to press?

Do you currently train clean & press with your heavy thick handled dbs? I know someone asked you here a while back about cleaning and pressing an Inch replica, and your grip obviously is not an issue, how are you on the clean & press with it? In the latest PowerMag there was a picture of a guy in Texas lifting the Inch replica from ground to waist, he says he will be the first to clean and press it (I guess he means since Kaz, who really knows) "soon, very soon". He also thought he might be the oldest person to lift it. I am pretty sure John Lundstrom is older than that dude in Texas. Joe Roark, if you are reading this, who is the oldest to lift the Inch db from ground to waist (probably Inch, if so who after him)?

The guy in TX was also offering a free year of gym membership at his gym if anyone could lift it from the ground. The article I mentioned is a small write-up on page 9 of the Jan 2002 issue of PowerMag, and it gives a web site (which I have not yet checked) for the guy, whose name is Tim Bruner. Website given is www.thepeopleschampion.net.

[mobsterone]

I haven't used my thick handle for overhead pressing or indeed any work other than mimicing the lift I needed to do for the Inch Dumbbell. I do know that Alan Radley has done and used to use his for cleans etc.

I believe his best was about 118-120 pounds on the 2.5 inch handle.

[Guest baldy]

Again, I appreciate the answers. 120 lb clean on a 2.5 inch handle would be pretty hard, my Inch plate loader is about as big of a handle as my small paw can grip.

Also, thanks for posting your current workout in another thread, it is always helpful when people who have "been there done that" like yourself are generous enough to show the rest of us (who have yet to "get there") what you are up to. Judging by your previous posts about progress, I think you will have no problem with the RT WR.

As for chasing David Horne's records, I don't think he goes down without a fight with or without a thumb injury. Best wishes to both of you in your goals.

One more nosy question for you, thanks for your patience. Is there a specific reason that you pick leg press in your workouts instead of squats? That was kind of a surprise to read. Years ago I used to really like LP until I saw how little it affected my overall strength, then I switched to squats.

[mobsterone]

re the leg press

1. I like it

2. It's a change for me as I used to do squats all the time

3. I want to do 440 kilos on it - full range and for reps

4. My back couldn't take partial deadlifts on Saturday and Squats on Monday.

5. Its suits me well. I'm quite tall at 6' 3" and as a former ectomorph have a slim-medium bone structure. My back was the one place I always got injured (now its back and neck/shoulder - age I guess )

[Guest baldy]

Liking an exercise is the best reason for doing it in my book, because I don't make gains if I am not having fun working out. My back gives me more problems out of leg presses than squats, and I have never touched the kind of weight you mentioned on a leg press. I am very near your height, and something about leg pressing made me feel like I was involuntarily being folded up. Deep squats do not cause this effect for me. I guess everyone is different.

Your back / neck / shoulder are probably not caught up with your crazy strong grip yet, therefore causing injury.