Mitch Kirchner Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 I know some of these older guys 40-50 years old with alwesome grips and they have never worked out or nothing. Just worked hard day in day out for many years. These guys got extremly strong hands. I've done labor jobs and u have to have strong hand but I never got my hand that strong. I think its because the longest i've done labor work was lioke durring the summer or when the neighbor needed some help. I think this strength takes many years to develop that lifting or any other training won't do. Something I think called Old Man Stregnth. Do u develop strenth u can't from working out from manual labor job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisb Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Mitch I worked as a framer in Florida for a few years.And needless to say you develop more of a functional strength. I was lifting wood,cutting wood, banging nails all day, the list goes on and on.Add the enviorment down here in florida," the blazing heat". And the end result will make you a tough S.O.B.Your lifting,pulling,holding from all kinds of unatural angles and positions making the muscles strong in a funny way.Your not primarily zooming in on a specific muscle there all getting worked.So lifting weights is good to get big and strong and so is building houses.Both take years to get where you want to be.Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rying Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Manual labor is hit and miss. For every guy who gets strong doing it, there are many more who get very little. Controversial, but my opinion based on observation. Sometimes those who are naturally stronger to begin with and have better recuperative ability will be the ones who stick with the manual labor jobs. I've started tough jobs and was usually a lot stronger than nearly all the guys who had been doing it for a long time, just because of my weight training (and my deadlift max usually hovers around 400, so I'm not that strong). I've been working a tough job for about 3 months now, and am usually sore and exhausted from it so my training has been minimal. And I've lost alot of strength! My hands get a good beating at work too, but still my grip strength is down--admittedly I haven't lost as much there as on the big lifts. And I'm still stronger than all the guys I work with, even though my weight training has never included the type of "odd object" lifting required at the job. I actually enjoy the manual labor, but it definately has a negative effect on my training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 my father turned 50 years old this month. he has done all kinds of labor all his life and has been a roofer for about 20 years. i got my first gripper early this past summer, it was a 195lb. gripper from a martial arts store and is actually a bit harder than my coc 2. when i first tried it i could barely move it and it took me a few weeks to close, my father on the other hand closed it his first try no problem, he closed it real slow and made it look easy. he also used to do rafter pinches when he was younger not knowing anything about grip training and ripped a phone book in half his first try after watching a strongman do it on t.v. i had the privilage of roofing with him and some other super strong guys for a little over a year and let me tell you, swinging a hammer all day is one of the best hand, wrist, and forearm workouts you can do. phisical labor in general definately gave me a head start in my strength training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anson Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 I worked in a sawmill one summer, that work gave me a great base for grip trainning. But the worked sucked, now I do much easier work and have more energy for my workouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael86 Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 I worked for a steel buildings for about a year and did mainly roof work.So i snipped corigated steel all day long with a pair of dykes.Its the reason i got into to grip training because a 9 hour day of steel snipping wore my hands out.I had a good base of strenth built up when i got my first grippers "HG"s and was anout an 1/8" from closing the 250, i would later find out it was an easy 250 tho when i got my C.O.C.'s and could barely budge the #2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unseenbeat Posted October 28, 2005 Share Posted October 28, 2005 (edited) I worked labor for two years, and now I'm a surveyor. My grip was already conditioned enough to the point that I could close the #1 when I got it. Pinch is decent too, and this is my first week working on it. DennisB, where u at in Florida, boy? Edited October 28, 2005 by unseenbeat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unseenbeat Posted October 28, 2005 Share Posted October 28, 2005 Forgot to mention that I think ur back and arms are worked the hardest in labor type jobs, at least for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tspinillo Posted October 28, 2005 Share Posted October 28, 2005 My furnace guy nearly closed my SuperMaster. He came this close || . He just non-chalantly picked it up and squeezed. After seeing how fast he pulled my furnace apart, I'm not surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stranger Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 my dad who works construction tried a #2 coc and got it to about an inch apart. i concider it to be pretty good considering hes didnt set it even after i told him to (man parents just dont listen jk) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darco Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 my dad who works construction tried a #2 coc and got it to about an inch apart.i concider it to be pretty good considering hes didnt set it even after i told him to (man parents just dont listen jk) ← He got it down to 1" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 here is an interesting story, me and my friend mike(gopher on the board) were at a friends party and we were playing around with my #2. my friend then said to his uncle and father, '' you guys gotta try this gripper out''. mike and i showed them that we could close it then it was his uncles turn to try, he barely moved it and his jaw dropped. he then handed it to my friends dad. this man is big, hes about 6 foot, 230 plus pounds, bowling pin forearms and strong lookin hands. he has worked with his hands most his life i believe, oh and he looks just like the undertaker . anyway he picked up the gripper and dont ask me why but his natural instinct was to squeeze it with only 3 fingers, no-set of course considering he didnt know what that was. he got it to about 1/16'' i'm talkin a hair away. he then proceeded to do 6 full reps like this each getting as close as the last. he then said, '' damn i cant get them to touch'' and proceeded to chest crush the gripper easier than i could chest crush a trainer, he had a smirk on his face the whole crush and didnt even put his beer down! he has also done a phonbook tear in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stranger Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 my dad who works construction tried a #2 coc and got it to about an inch apart.i concider it to be pretty good considering hes didnt set it even after i told him to (man parents just dont listen jk) ← He got it down to 1" ? ← yea about there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sybersnott Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 swinging a hammer all day is one of the best hand, wrist, and forearm workouts you can do. phisical labor in general definately gave me a head start in my strength training. ← I helped out a friend build a car garage years ago, and I had to swing a hammer for a few hours a day. At the end of the day, my hands were killing me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusom1 Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 A manual labor job will definately effect your weight training and heavy lift strength. It is very good for core strength because of all the awkward positions your put in. It can be good for grip, especially endurance, but if you want above average hand strength. You have to train more specific like the people do here on the board. I have worked numerous manual labor jobs over the past ten years and developed a good foundation but much more training is needed to become a very strong grip athlete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stranger Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 my dad who works construction tried a #2 coc and got it to about an inch apart.i concider it to be pretty good considering hes didnt set it even after i told him to (man parents just dont listen jk) ← He got it down to 1" ? ← yea about that maybe a little more ill get him to try it again some time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bender Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 I always assumed that manual laborors would have stronger hands. I try to work grippers and nail bending into any conversation with these types of people. I found that the dudes I tested who have been carpenters and contractors had no more than slightly-above average gripper ability or bending ability. I did find that mechanics have been greatly above average with nail bending strength, though only slightly above average with grippers. Finally, the group that was always quite above average in both areas have been weight lifters. Even the body builders I've given the grippers to were considerably stronger than the contractors I've tested. I think it comes down to strength. Strong people are strong. NO kidding. Strong people are drawn to strength activities, such as weight lifting. If a strong man ends up as a carpenter, then he'll be a strong carpenter and his grip will improve in the realm of carpentry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eli72 Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 The owner of the H-D shop in town, used to be a flat track racer and mechanic damn near closed the #3 I got from the GGC. He does nothing all day but rake in the $$$$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smitty Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 damn near closed the #3 I got from the GGC. Wow! That's a new 2005 too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Lemanczyk Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 The blue collar man who works and depends on his hands will certainly develop a strong grip. Connective tissues and muscles will grow and adapt to the employment over time. This will bring about the :old man strength" that you mentioned. It's in the connective tissues my man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 not this topic agian! uuggghhh. lol im jk.... first off,your job doesent really mean jack shat when it comes to closing a gripper. i wear a tie to work and do zero manual labor and closed my coc 2 first try....and can do 50 reps with it now. my computer nerd friend closes the coc1 for 5 or 6 reps. then i have guys who do concrete all day who cant get the 1. its genetics boys,and practice. now construction type hard work WILL increse your tendon and ligiment strength,but thats about it. you get stronger by that,your muscles dont really get bigger though. everyone has a story of old grampa rover doing a coc6 but storys get inbelished along the way. hahahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Lemanczyk Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Post a video of the 50 crushes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuTCH Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 I'd like to see that as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unseenbeat Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 *SIGH* See if I get called out on anything, I couldn't back it up. The only way would be through several still frames from my brother's digital cam, but I have no way to make a video. Also, sounds like an exaggeration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king crusher Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 actually i was rounding it off....ive done 51 reps with my coc2. i dont give a f*** if anyone belives it,put up some money and i will prove it...otherwise just relize that if someone can do something better then you it does not mean hes lying. i can no set my 3 to....do you need proof? for the 2 or 3 close minded guys,id love to have you in person and id grind out a couple more...just for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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