kelby Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 i pick joe kinney. in his video he was grinding the number four. and didn't even set it that much. it looked like it was more than a credit card length. and the way he pops the cans just by choking them. it is unreal. plus, he paved the way to number fours. like richard sorin did. everytime you think of number three, you think about richard sorin. not the other people who closed it after him. when i hear of number four grippers, i think of joe kinney. we have to give them there props. if they would of continued with grippers, what would of happened. number fives maybe. who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom of Iowa2 Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Samuelson. I've changed my mind...and back up the dude that chose Karelin. It is just silly to think that when "lesser athletes"have slammed a #3 close first shot and picked up the Inch or blob like it was a feather....that Karelin wouldn't be able to do all three feats also..Greco Roman wrestling?(to those that don't already know this)a LOT of grip. Anyone else as strong..overall body strength as Karelin...on earth anyways??...doubtful. Why wouldn't he have a monsterous grip. I brain faded when I chose that little twirp Samuelson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fissure Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Oww come on now Tom! All that sarcasm isn't nesassary - didn't you read that dudes post , Karelin's got BIG forearms and 10" hands.... what further proof do you need? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom of Iowa2 Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Oww come on now Tom! All that sarcasm isn't nesassary - didn't you read that dudes post , Karelin's got BIG forearms and 10" hands.... what further proof do you need? No really.I'm not being sarcastic.I've seen a lot of videos of karelin,he IS a beast.An "off the chart"freak of nature. Serioulsy several people have closed the 3,lifted the Inch and picked up the blob first try....and they aren't HALF the beastly freak that karelin is...I'm quite serious..as a big follower of amateur wrestling and a quasi -semi-pseudo student of strength i think karelin was(in his prime) the strongest human on earth...and seriously-no disrespect-- Samuelsons strength-even hand strength,IMHO,pales by comparison to Karelin...sorry if I confused anybody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_wigren Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 I've seen vids of Karelin training in the deep forests of russia trowing around timber wich would require a freakishly strong grip. I wouldn't be surprised if he could have closed the #3 but I have a hard time beliving that he had the all time most powerfull grip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 I'm a huge Karelin fan too but without specializing on grippers he's not even in the same ballpark as Morton, Clay, Shane, Nathan, etc... I have no doubt with his overall strength and 10" hands that he would make quick work of the blob and the inch but I'd be surprised if he closed the #3 first shot. Grippers are a lot of technique and unless he's familiar with them I think he'd miss his first close. The grippers don't fit in Pfisters' hands very well and his aren't 10", Karelin would botch at least his first attempt on a #3 IMO. I wasn't aware anyone had closed a #3 the first time they touched one. I remember hearing something about Bigger doing it and something about Ken Brown but I thought they both actually missed on their first attempt but closed it very shortly afterward or something like that. I know there was some sort of dispute or controversy, I remember reading about it on here somewhere. I don't think anyone has "slammed" a #3 on their first touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeGrip Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Agreed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelbiceps Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 (edited) 10" hands are overrated. There are a LOT of guys in the NBA, and even college b-ball, who have 10" hands. We're not discussing them, because they don't have the muscle. And Magnus doesn't exactly have small hands -- he's one of the tallest WSM guys ever, and he can only get three fingers on a gripper, so he closes the #4 with three fingers. I'd bet lots of $$ that Samuelsson could toy with a blob if he felt like it. Edited February 5, 2006 by steelbiceps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 I'm a huge Karelin fan too but without specializing on grippers he's not even in the same ballpark as Morton, Clay, Shane, Nathan, etc... I have no doubt with his overall strength and 10" hands that he would make quick work of the blob and the inch but I'd be surprised if he closed the #3 first shot. Grippers are a lot of technique and unless he's familiar with them I think he'd miss his first close. The grippers don't fit in Pfisters' hands very well and his aren't 10", Karelin would botch at least his first attempt on a #3 IMO. I wasn't aware anyone had closed a #3 the first time they touched one. I remember hearing something about Bigger doing it and something about Ken Brown but I thought they both actually missed on their first attempt but closed it very shortly afterward or something like that. I know there was some sort of dispute or controversy, I remember reading about it on here somewhere. I don't think anyone has "slammed" a #3 on their first touch. Josh, unless I'm mistaken, I think that Mike Smith, a Highland Games world record holder that I met at the Dino Challenge in January, closed a #3 first try in front of Strossen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 I'm a huge Karelin fan too but without specializing on grippers he's not even in the same ballpark as Morton, Clay, Shane, Nathan, etc... I have no doubt with his overall strength and 10" hands that he would make quick work of the blob and the inch but I'd be surprised if he closed the #3 first shot. Grippers are a lot of technique and unless he's familiar with them I think he'd miss his first close. The grippers don't fit in Pfisters' hands very well and his aren't 10", Karelin would botch at least his first attempt on a #3 IMO. I wasn't aware anyone had closed a #3 the first time they touched one. I remember hearing something about Bigger doing it and something about Ken Brown but I thought they both actually missed on their first attempt but closed it very shortly afterward or something like that. I know there was some sort of dispute or controversy, I remember reading about it on here somewhere. I don't think anyone has "slammed" a #3 on their first touch. Josh, unless I'm mistaken, I think that Mike Smith, a Highland Games world record holder that I met at the Dino Challenge in January, closed a #3 first try in front of Strossen. Good deal! Do you know of anyone else? Did he "slam it" or just a normal close? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Good deal! Do you know of anyone else? Did he "slam it" or just a normal close? I would guess that he SLAMMED the handles shut! You should have seen how hard he closed my Cert #3 guys...I actually have never heard a more solid close of a #3. Never. I checked afterward to see if he had bent the spring where it inserts into the handles. Seriously. He got Al Myer's HARD #3 (the one I failed on) down to 1/4" with barely a set and no chalk that I remember seeing. In contrast, I MMS the #3 and missed about a dozen times and the closest I got was 1/16" or 1/8". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom of Iowa2 Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 (edited) I'm a huge Karelin fan too but without specializing on grippers he's not even in the same ballpark as Morton, Clay, Shane, Nathan, etc... I have no doubt with his overall strength and 10" hands that he would make quick work of the blob and the inch but I'd be surprised if he closed the #3 first shot. Grippers are a lot of technique and unless he's familiar with them I think he'd miss his first close. The grippers don't fit in Pfisters' hands very well and his aren't 10", Karelin would botch at least his first attempt on a #3 IMO. I wasn't aware anyone had closed a #3 the first time they touched one. I remember hearing something about Bigger doing it and something about Ken Brown but I thought they both actually missed on their first attempt but closed it very shortly afterward or something like that. I know there was some sort of dispute or controversy, I remember reading about it on here somewhere. I don't think anyone has "slammed" a #3 on their first touch. You might be right.. .this is just my opinion(re:Karelin strongest hands on earth)I don't think grippers are the "end all"of hand strength either.I think there are far better ways to gauge hand strength. Actually?For the very reason you mentioned "a lot of technique"is part of the gripper game....having said that ...NOPE ,Josh Bigger had never seen grippers before and at the Snowman strongman contest-a guy on the forum(Animal Cage) handed him a bunch of grippers and with NO SET closed them all including. Animal cages #3...(was told it was one gripper after another the 1,2,some in between and then the 3..no rest..between just bang,bang bang,bang))there were a lot of witnesses. Nobody explained to him how to hold it or close it..NO SET.Good witnesses ...witnesses that DID NOT know him...not a bunch of good 'ol boy friends and back slappers. Including Schoonveld.Schoonveld told people it was a "good"number 3...Schoonveld closed it too. Josh likened it to squeezing a grape....."a joke"and his right elbow and wrist was actually injured that day. Josh Bigger Ain't no Karelin.. .Not even from the same planet...yet Josh closed it first try?. IMHO,My feeling is Katelin could do it .....if a local yokel farm kid like Josh could do it.I feel there are plenty of other folks that would grind the #3 with no training. Karelins hands might be a disadvantare ..he'd probably 3 finger it or two finger it...IMHO. Edited February 5, 2006 by Tom of Iowa2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimcg Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Oww come on now Tom! All that sarcasm isn't nesassary - didn't you read that dudes post , Karelin's got BIG forearms and 10" hands.... what further proof do you need? No really.I'm not being sarcastic.I've seen a lot of videos of karelin,he IS a beast.An "off the chart"freak of nature. Serioulsy several people have closed the 3,lifted the Inch and picked up the blob first try....and they aren't HALF the beastly freak that karelin is...I'm quite serious..as a big follower of amateur wrestling and a quasi -semi-pseudo student of strength i think karelin was(in his prime) the strongest human on earth...and seriously-no disrespect-- Samuelsons strength-even hand strength,IMHO,pales by comparison to Karelin...sorry if I confused anybody. When I visited Samuelsson for my #3 certification he told me that Karelin had competed in a couple of Strongman contests some years back (can't remember where and when) and that he was VERY strong but gave the impression of not being sober... A friend of mine who is an elite Bandy player from Russia (and yesterday won the World Championship i bandy against Sweden) once told me he met Karelin in Russia and the he was struck by how large hands Karelin had. He noticed that when Karelin used a normal sized pencil it seemed to disappear in the hand. //Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikael Siversson Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 When I visited Samuelsson for my #3 certification he told me that Karelin had competed in a couple of Strongman contests some years back (can't remember where and when) and that he was VERY strong but gave the impression of not being sober...//Jim I am always at my strongest with grippers when I am drunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mANVIL Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 I think it's somewhat irrelevant who closed a #3 gripper the first time attempting it because it doesnt take into account the other grip training done before the attempt. Sure it's cool to see, but Tom, if I remember correctly didn't josh train on a plate loaded grip machine for some time before closing that #3? And given he kicked ass on the hercules hold, its obvious his support grip was trained as well. I'm sure the highland games athlete, and the bengal players who there are anecdotal stories of them closing the #3 first time as well, also had trained their hands for long periods of time in some way before attempting the close. In it's simplest form there are muscles that close the hand and muscles that open it, any exercise that severely works the muscles that close the hand is going to have some rollover into grippers. If we got a superman who could trained for years to lift the milenium, pinch 2 45's with 2 fingers, lift the blob with 30lbs added, and then tried a #3 gripper, would anyone be surprised that he closed it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancep Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Karelin was something else..... http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7...23468&q=karelin http://www.karelin.ru/download/video/karelin-3.asf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bad1970ssnova454 Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I shook hands with Ken Anderson last year at the Arnold Fitness expo. He has very large hands, but not a crushing grip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikael Siversson Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 ....But I guess the guys on the roster like Dave Morton and Nathan Holle are the top crushers. 2003 Battle for Grip Supremacy Tommy Heslep vs Dave Morton....... Tommy wins 2005 Global Grip Challenge Tommy Heslep vs Dave Morton....... a tie 2006 Tar Heel Hands of Steel Tommy Heslep vs Dave Morton....... Tommy wins Can anyone on this board explain to me why Dave is always regarded as the superior crusher, ahead of Tommy. Beats me. Both are super strong but when its counts, Tommy dominates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florian Kellersmann Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 ....But I guess the guys on the roster like Dave Morton and Nathan Holle are the top crushers. 2003 Battle for Grip Supremacy Tommy Heslep vs Dave Morton....... Tommy wins 2005 Global Grip Challenge Tommy Heslep vs Dave Morton....... a tie 2006 Tar Heel Hands of Steel Tommy Heslep vs Dave Morton....... Tommy wins Can anyone on this board explain to me why Dave is always regarded as the superior crusher, ahead of Tommy. Beats me. Both are super strong but when its counts, Tommy dominates. Tommy is also I guy from the Roster (CoC #4). So I don't regard him as the superior crusher ahead of Tommy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Browne Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Can anyone on this board explain to me why Dave is always regarded as the superior crusher, ahead of Tommy. Beats me. I think it could have been settled if Tommy had taken part in the MMG ladder................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Interesting post Mikael. So what holds more weight, head to head competition or the MM process? Grippers are generally first in a contest so the participants are fresh for both. Getting a legal gripper close on vid is harder than closing one legally in a contest IMO. Of course if you have to hold the gripper set until the judge says go, that's a whole different ball game and a whole new can of worms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindovermatter Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 (edited) samuelsson only trains his grip so it can help him in contests etc. so i admit him closing the 4 is nuts, but i dont think he has the *strongest* overall grip, its either David Horne (not sure of the spelling) or if we are being specific and just talking about grippers than for sure its Dave Morton, the 4 reps with the 4 was just ridiculous! , but then again i double no setted the worldsa toughest and the galaxy, in the same hand.. Edited February 7, 2006 by mindovermatter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikael Siversson Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Can anyone on this board explain to me why Dave is always regarded as the superior crusher, ahead of Tommy. Beats me. I think it could have been settled if Tommy had taken part in the MMG ladder................. Its been settled three times now. Certification is great but it lacks one important element. The demonstration of an ability to dominate in front of other athletes who all are trying to beat you. FFBC has now a vbar certification. Does anyone on this board who will certify on the 300lbs mark for example believe that they are better than the LGC replica WR holder Jim Wylie, just because he is not certifying with FFBC? In the rest of the world of sports, competition is where it really counts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamidon Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Can anyone on this board explain to me why Dave is always regarded as the superior crusher, ahead of Tommy. Beats me. I think it could have been settled if Tommy had taken part in the MMG ladder................. Its been settled three times now. Certification is great but it lacks one important element. The demonstration of an ability to dominate in front of other athletes who all are trying to beat you. Mikael, I know both Dave and Tommy, and I honestly don't know who is the better crusher. You will notice Dave never made any excuses prior to or after that last competition. Dave was was sick for a week prior to the contest. You will notice Dave missed the 20 levering as well, he wouldn't have missed it a week earlier when he levered much more than that. If Dave was healthy I can promise you this, he could easily have closed that SE in the competition but neither of them could close the #4 there. It was described to me as a very hard #4. So they would have likely tied again. I would like to see a contest with a variety of grippers that puts small increments in at the tougher grippers. Then you would get an idea of which one is better. If you have a decent SE and then a brutal #4 they will continue to tie assuming they are both healthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikael Siversson Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 You are partly to blaim for putting too much pressure on Dave. It's easier to be the underdog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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