Guest DavidHW Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 My thick bar work has gotten better. My reps of an intermediate PDA gripper recently purchased have increased dramatically. My pinch work is staying healthy, not losing ground. My one-handed deadlifts are going up. My forced negatives have increased by about 5 lbs a week (I use a Hammer Strength grip machine). And yet. Tonight I make my first attempt on my No. 3 in over three weeks, and I find no improvement in the close. Same 1-2 mm distance. Now, the speed of the close and outer sweep is greatly improved. But the sticking point is still there. Thoughts on where I should go from here? Take a week off? I don't *feel* overtrained. Concentrate on forced negs and strapholds? I'm obviously not recruiting the strength I need for that last mm. One thing I noticed for the first time tonight is that my although my IM No. 1, IM No. 2, and PDA 363 are identical in distance between their handles, the No. 3 is approx. 6-7 mm wider. But I can't figure out why that would make any difference at all, since the problem is close in. Puzzled, but not defeated. :-) David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Harlan Jacobs Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 I think you hit the nail on the head when you said negatives and strap holds. All the exercises you mentioned are great, But they are not working where you need them to,The close. Strap holds and negatives are the only way I am aware of to work this area.Hang in there. I know me personaly, If I was to take 3 weeks off from grippers, It would be like starting over . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Horne Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 Strap holds! Strap holds! Strap holds! Use them and you'll close it, also carry on using them after. Since you are so close, I would advise using the #3 for strap holds with a weighted rope of 1/4" and/or 1/2" thickness. Also do strapholds on the #2 or pda with a weighted shoelace. I would train on the gripper twice a week, rope on one, and shoelace on the other. As for the other lifts, they will probably not help. When I got the #3 I thought I would just close it with no speciallised training on it. Although the #2 was easy, the #3 would not go, even though I had some big grip related lifts in my corner. The gripper took no prisoners and I didn't give it the respect it was due. When I got my act together and treated it like any other lift it was soon done and dusted. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 115-1005574997 Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 My gripper strength has improved tremendously from doing strapholds, Davids and Jims have to. Its no coinsidance. Strapholds have done for me what negatives did for JK. Try em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Crusher Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 I am a big fan of strapholds, and recommend them highly, as they put me over the edge with the #3. There was one thing that I experienced when going for the #3-if I took off a long time from actually doing attempts with my #3, no matter how I improved on anything else I did with the grippers, I would not make any progress on the #3, or actually lose a bit of ground. I suggest exactly what David Horne suggested-grippers twice a week, utilizing strapholds. That is what worked for me and many others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DavidHW Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 As always, the gods of grip have come through with great advice. Strapholds it is. I used to do strapholds all the time but somehow they slipped out of the routine in favor of the forced negatives. When I stopped, I was doing a 20-lb dumbbell on my No. 2 for about 17-18 seconds on my good days; what I'm hearing from you guys is that I should move up to doing them with the PDA 363 and/or the No. 3 (with thick rope)? Sounds good. Thanks again. Not feeling so defeated now. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Piche Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 Strapholds are key in a program to conquer the grippers. Or, overcrushes. Or, going beyond the range. All work that last bit. Any of these choices are a MUST in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Matt Brennecke Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 Could you grind the insides of the legs of the gripper you can already do, and then do strap holds? it seems like that might really help with that last 1/16"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Piche Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 Could you grind the insides of the legs of the gripper you can already do, and then do strap holds? it seems like that might really help with that last 1/16"? Maybe. Course there are some people out there who think grinding down the handles on the inside make it significantly weaker and wrecks the gripper. ;) I wonder why I just ordered another #2. Knowing full well they were coming out "harder" as of late? Could this be part of my experiment? Only time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Piche Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 Could it be once your hand gets used to it, that it feels like you are "stopping short" shockingly when you use a full handled gripper? Coooooooullllldddddd beeeeee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Matt Brennecke Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 Seriously, what about taking off about 1/16" on each leg, surely thats not gonna kill the spring. Especially if you are using it to do strapholds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Piche Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 I was serious. Dead serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Matt Brennecke Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 Somebody's had thier share of caffiene today. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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