John Brookfield And #4 Gripper

[bulletproof]

So how come John Brookfield has never certified on the Captains of Crush #4?

[Sean Dockery]

Cause he hasn't closed it in a way that Dr. Strossen would certify.

[handgripperman]

He told me he has only closed it with his gripping hand and the other hand was holding the spring.

[Wayne]

He told me he has only closed it with his gripping hand and the other hand was holding the spring.

←

yeah, what i read was he could close it with just his pinkie finger on the spring.

[Matt Brouse]

If I could do the things he can (hopefully some day, right?)...I wouldn't much worry about it.

[Number Ten Ox]

Along these lines, has Strossen ever closed a 3?

[ruffhans]

good point about strossan! i watched a vidio clip of brookfield riiping decks of cards in half,......he was ripping one deck per secound!!!!!!!!!!!! im sure you guys saw it . it was posted on here last year. if i could do that i woudnt care about the #4 either

Edited December 4, 2005 by ruffhans

[Left Side]

Along these lines, has Strossen ever closed a 3?

←

I don't know. I doubt it...

[Wayne]

good point about strossan! i watched a vidio clip of brookfield riiping decks of cards in half,......he was ripping one deck per secound!!!!!!!!!!!! im sure  you  guys saw it . it was posted on here last year. if i could do that i woudnt care about the #4 either       

←

that is awesome, i think that is footage of his card tearing world record: 100 decks in 2 minutes 15 seconds.

as we all know he does also crush potatoes which to my knowledge some #4 closer can't even do? so he probly decided he no longer needed to advance with grippers before he got around to mastering the #4... but i think he could have .

[Sybersnott]

Along these lines, has Strossen ever closed a 3?

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I asked him this question at the AOBS. His answer for me was no. He did tell me that he has closed the #2.

[JasonL]

John does a variety of things. He is strong in so many ways. Grippers are best to specialize in, which John does not. John is so strong anyways and has nothing to prove to anybody, even if he could not close it..Does not matter. So many different strength aspects of grip besides grippers.

[Tom of Iowa2]

John does a variety of things. He is strong in so many ways. Grippers are best to specialize in, which John does not. John is so strong anyways and has nothing to prove to anybody, even if he could not close it..Does not matter.   So many different strength aspects of grip besides grippers.

←

Just an example...Big Steve is strong in "so many ways" also.

HE Can do a lot of what John can do...plus a lot of things Brookfield can't do AND is very good at grippers(EZ #4 in a contest?)

...and Big Steve is very strong on the weights and has done a couple of strongman contests.

I just figured Brookfield wasn't that good at grippers...and moved on to something else he could do...or something else to "specialize in".

Being a "strongman"(not the sport of strongman-that IS manno e manno),IMHO is a lot about Presentation and marketing of one's self...choosing the right "feats" to go after and doing them at the right time...in front of the right people.

Edited December 5, 2005 by Tom of Iowa2

[ruffhans]

have you guys ever tried that thing Brookfield talks about in "the grip masters manual"? moving every muscle in your arm and hand without moving your fingers? i tried it and i couldnt move nothing! that is impressive. john said asfar as he knows he is the only one that can do it, and you know he is a very humble man.

[Wayne]

have you guys ever tried that thing Brookfield talks about in "the grip masters manual"?  moving every muscle in your arm  and hand without moving your fingers? i tried it and i couldnt move nothing!   that is impressive. john said asfar as he knows he is the only one that can do it, and you know he is a very humble man.

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i can flex all my arm muscles from the wrist up and my thumb pad muscle and the muscle in between your thumb and index, whatever that is called, without moving my fingers at all. is that what you mean?

[Number Ten Ox]

I haven't read the book yet. What is this excersise you are talking about?

[showlarson]

I haven't read the book yet.  What is this excersise you are talking about?

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If I remember correctly he talks about resting his forearm on say a table and without flexing or moving his fingers or anything else he is able to contract his muscles creating a twitching/cramping look to the muscle. It seemed a little out there when I read that...great muscle control I guess.

[ruffhans]

thanx showlarson. you explained it better than me. yes without moving any fingers he is able to contract all the muscles in his lower arm and hand. making them move. probably form years of grip trianing. he is very big on muscle control.

[tmmicklabs]

The # 4 that Brookfield closed by putting his pinkie on the spring to stabilize was one the four Phantom # 4 prototypes. These are no were near as hard at the average # 4 that the rest of us possess. Heath and Josh Dale and Ben Edwards can attest.

[supermagnamon]

he probably just doesn't train for it. he does so many different things, probably that he doesn't really care to cert on it. at least he certed on the #3 and the red.

[Bearcat 74]

The # 4 that Brookfield closed by putting his pinkie on the spring to stabilize was one the four Phantom # 4 prototypes. These are no were near as hard at the average # 4 that the rest of us possess. Heath and Josh Dale and Ben Edwards can attest.

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If it is anything like the Phantom 4 Richard Sorin has it is hard enough that I never closed it, close but not closed. Also it took, from what I have heard from several people, a deep set 2nd or 3rd attempt from Dave Morton to close.

[jad]

I got the specs for my P4dud from Pat as was suggested to me by Heath and they are:

spring .295 (he suggested .292 or .293 but I went with .295 just so I could remember it easier)

spread: 3.25"

chromed handles

1/4" mounting 34 degree leg angle

It's a very tough gripper but certainly easier than my #4. My #4 feels about identicial to the medium #4 at the BBB competition. Dave M gave is a half chest crush and said something to the effect of "not that bad". Of course, he tripled a #4 so take it however you like. The other thing is the chrome handles make it SLICK which you don't really notice on chest crush but again Dave tripled a #4 so if he thinks chest crushing is the most accurate method I'm sure not gonna argue with him. I know from my MM1dud that steel varies a TON so maybe Sorin's is much harder??

[bencrush]

I got the specs for my P4dud from Pat as was suggested to me by Heath and they are:

spring .295 (he suggested .292 or .293 but I went with .295 just so I could remember it easier)

spread: 3.25"

chromed handles

1/4" mounting 34 degree leg angle

It's a very tough gripper but certainly easier than my #4. My #4 feels about identicial to the medium #4 at the BBB competition. Dave M gave is a half chest crush and said something to the effect of "not that bad". Of course, he tripled a #4 so take it however you like. The other thing is the chrome handles make it SLICK which you don't really notice on chest crush but again Dave tripled a #4 so if he thinks chest crushing is the most accurate method I'm sure not gonna argue with him. I know from my MM1dud that steel varies a TON so maybe Sorin's is much harder??

Josh, I wish I had tried your Phantom 4 Dud. I don't hold any hope that I would have closed it, but I sure would have liked to see how it compared with the #4 that you closed at the contest.

And before anyone asks, the "Easy #4" at the contest was not easy. I think I set it to parallel and got it about 1/2" away from the close, which is a mile on the hard grippers, so it is not defectively easy by any means.

Reading that it took Dave Morton a 3rd attempt on a gripper is astounding! That must be a monster.

[stranger]

If I could do the things he can (hopefully some day, right?)...I wouldn't much worry about it.

←

yea me neither

[kimwood]

John is a very fine man...and boy, is he strong! The thing that hits you

when you meet him is how small his hands are... but he's big enough and

wired-up enough neurologically that I'm sure if he put his mind to it

he could match anything anyone has ever done grip-wise. I've never asked

him but maybe he hasn't made a big deal of the grippers out of respect

for Richard and Joe Kinney...the way strength legend, Paul Anderson never

went max in the dead-lift out of respect for his friend, Bob Peoples...

[ruffhans]

i for one do bielive that if Brookfield put his mind to it he couold close a #4, lever what Slim did and anything else he wanted.