menace3000 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 (edited) Just wondering how to improve my chest crush...? I am almost able to close my #3 between 1/4 and 1/8 away with right hand(bbgm for 3)...but have very hard time chest crushing #3....and am generally very weak when it comes to chest crushing...pretty much maxing at BBE .... Edited July 24, 2006 by menace3000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menace3000 Posted July 24, 2006 Author Share Posted July 24, 2006 wanted to add that a lot of people recommend seasoning grippers this way but like I said I am probably closing many grippers than chest crushing them... all responses very appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teemu I Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Just get stronger overall with basic barbell compound movements. That's a best thing you can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVillani1985 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Just wondering how to improve my chest crush...?I am almost able to close my #3 between 1/4 and 1/8 away with right hand(bbgm for 3)...but have very hard time chest crushing #3....and am generally very weak when it comes to chest crushing...pretty much maxing at BBE .... Yeah, that is proportionately weak with chest crushing, but it's actually not weak as far as actual strength goes. I can't quite even close the #2 yet with one hand yet I can chest crush the #3 for about 7 reps and almost get the BBE. I would suggest doing barbell compound movements, and maybe also work on your chest crushing, doing that for reps, incorporating that into your grip routine, like maybe reps and sets at the end. That's what I do after I do my grip routine, it always helps with my chest crushing and it even helps my compound movements a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menace3000 Posted July 24, 2006 Author Share Posted July 24, 2006 (edited) Teemu/MV thank you for the replies.... I am well above average strength....raw bench 420, squat 430, deadlift 700, chin up 335 total weigth.......... i got weak wrists but i dont think they play that much role...or do they? Is there a specific technique that maybe I am doing wrong? I heard that it's great way to training crushdown in bending so I want to improve it for a couple different reasons... Thank you very much for reading and replying... Edited July 24, 2006 by menace3000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teemu I Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Teemu/MV thank you for the replies....I am well above average strength....raw bench 420, squat 430, deadlift 700, chin up 335 total weigth.......... i got weak wrists but i dont think they play that much role...or do they? Is there a specific technique that maybe I am doing wrong? I heard that it's great way to training crushdown in bending so I want to improve it for a couple different reasons... Thank you very much for reading and replying... Wow dude, I'm sorry I just made a blind assumption that it might be that you're not strong enough overall...SORRY! But what I've found helpful is incorporating heavy sandbag lifting to my training..plus heavy kettlebells and some cable training. Your bench is good but I think the problem with bench press is that it doesn't hit the muscles in a way that bending etc. does, bench isn't as useful movement as people tend to think. Might also be your wrists..if there's a weak link fix it When you are doing a chest crush, try to apply the pressure more towards the ends of the handles. Plus pull down with your lats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.scribner Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Here's a thought, direct from Doc at Farmstrength and Stew my workout pardner... probably originally from Dinosaur Training or maybe Brookfield. Try brick squeezing. Lay bricks face-to-face, press them together, and squeeze like Hades. Pick 'em up and walk around with 'em. Squat with 'em. Do side bends with 'em, but whatever you do, keep them squeezed together and don't drop 'em. This is one movement I hate, and one I've neglected, but I just got the bricks I need, and it's one I will be working a lot more of. It will help with anything you do involving your chest and arms. Especially lifting Atlas stones. Good luck, John Scribner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdoire Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Practice OC'ing a gripper that you can Chest crush...then work your way up from there, like many gripper related things technique is part of it too. If you have ever done "Pec Dec" work it is similar but with your elbows out. Anchor the ends of the gripper handles into the bottom of your thumb pads and squeeze explosively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teemu I Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Here's a thought, direct from Doc at Farmstrength and Stew my workout pardner... probably originally from Dinosaur Training or maybe Brookfield. Try brick squeezing. Lay bricks face-to-face, press them together, and squeeze like Hades. Pick 'em up and walk around with 'em. Squat with 'em. Do side bends with 'em, but whatever you do, keep them squeezed together and don't drop 'em. This is one movement I hate, and one I've neglected, but I just got the bricks I need, and it's one I will be working a lot more of. It will help with anything you do involving your chest and arms. Especially lifting Atlas stones. Good luck,John Scribner That's a solid advice, Brookfield speaks very highly of brick lifts for developing functional strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menace3000 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 Thank you very much guys. I appreciate all the advice given. When you press handles from the ends, do you use padding the way you would on a bend? Because my palms go numb on hard chest crushes.... Also I am pretty strong on flye movements.....I can do stack on machine pec deck for like 20 reps last time I did it...almost seems like its somewhat different movement..... I know bench is not great measure of strength. I like deadlift the most. No suit can really help you much. Deadlift also seems to impact the athletic performance the most for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StalwartSentinel Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 When you press handles from the ends, do you use padding the way you would on a bend? Because my palms go numb on hard chest crushes.... Tightly interlace your fingers and situate the ends of the handles down at the bottom of the meatiest part of your palms (where you would give a Karate chop). Roll your knuckles toward your chest, so that your ring finger is pointing at your nose. Tuck the spring up near your neck, raise your elbows high and in one mighty thrust, SQUEEZE the handles together until they touch and hold closed for a second. Repeat as desired. Happy chest-crushing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imodnar_ Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I have never closed my #4 with any style Maybe just sell the bloody thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rying Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I think your problem is just a technique thing. You obviously have the chest/tri strength. I've never done any "extra" chest-crush exercises (such as the brick lifts), but did alot of heavy weighted dips. When I dropped all the chest work (dips) for a long period of time to work just overhead presses, it did seem to negatively affect my strength for phonebooks, can crushing, gripper negatives, etc. So I think it plays a factor and chest work is important for these type of feats...and dips are the best of the "conventional" exercises to build this type of strength IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Reagan Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Definitely not a chest/tri strength problem! I can chest crush my #3 for quite a few reps, but I can only bench press ..... well..... nevermind. I've probably bench pressed a total of 10 or 12 times my whole life. Let's just say I'm really weak at it. Justin Reagan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVillani1985 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Teemu/MV thank you for the replies....I am well above average strength....raw bench 420, squat 430, deadlift 700, chin up 335 total weigth.......... i got weak wrists but i dont think they play that much role...or do they? Is there a specific technique that maybe I am doing wrong? I heard that it's great way to training crushdown in bending so I want to improve it for a couple different reasons... Thank you very much for reading and replying... Ok, it's DEFINATELY not the compound movements aspect. I don't think it's wrists either because if so then your chin ups and deadlifts wouldn't be so high, since you need strong wrists for that kind of supporting grip. I think it might be the technique. You may be doing it wrong, many people when I see what they can with two hands, they automatically go into "cheat closing" mode where they grip it with one hand and put the other hand on top or on another part of the gripper to assist in the close, is that what you're doing? If so that would explain it. The chest crush is totally different. What you do is you put one hand on one side of the gripper, and one hand on the other side, neither wrapped around either handle. You sort of hold it like an accordion except you don't wrap your hand around a handle as I said earlier, and you push it together with two hands pushing inward towards each other, try to make the handles click like as if you were gripping. It may not be that either, you may need to put your hands lower on the gripper. Or simply your hands might not be used to it yet, what stops many people from maxing out chest crush is because it hurts the hands a lot until you adapt. Whatever it is I hope you get it figured out because from how it sounds you have the potential to chest crush the BBWC, BBG, or even the BBSG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menace3000 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 Dips is another movement I am strong at...I have done 4 plates strapped to me for 4 reps to failure at 220lb(400 total)....yet it didnt seem to strengthen my chest crush on the grippers... I'll try pads from IM I use for bending... how tough of grippers do you guys use? I usually tend to guy grippers within distance future from which I can get use...I got BBE as my tough torsion spring gripper...I also got ISG but its a different animal altogether... thanks everyone for all the tips... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teemu I Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Dips is another movement I am strong at...I have done 4 plates strapped to me for 4 reps to failure at 220lb(400 total)....yet it didnt seem to strengthen my chest crush on the grippers...I'll try pads from IM I use for bending... how tough of grippers do you guys use? I usually tend to guy grippers within distance future from which I can get use...I got BBE as my tough torsion spring gripper...I also got ISG but its a different animal altogether... thanks everyone for all the tips... I chest crush #4 closed and do negatives with it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdoire Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 When you press handles from the ends, do you use padding the way you would on a bend? Because my palms go numb on hard chest crushes.... I have chest crushed my four and it really dug into the skin on my hands. It would be fine to pad the skin, the object is to close the gripper, not rip your skin off!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menace3000 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 MV i have only recently started trying chest crushing as I heard it improves crushdown on bends...I use a different technique than I do for cheat closes.... I dig the handles under the thumbs and press downward....I am thinking maybe to dig the very edge of the handle under the thumbs...but doing it the way I do makes my hands go numb.... haha, somehow I doubt I can chest crush those crazy BBWC or what not grippers.... I am also not sure why deadlifting makes wrists stronger...forarms? sure they are like stone when I flex them...but my wrists are fairly narrow and bend backwards a lot when i bench....I am going to give levering a shot...my friend has a 16 lb sledgehammer which I'll try....I wanted 8lb but he gave it away...so I'll just have to hold the hammer more towards the head... I am going to order maybe BBSE and perhaps #4 and see how I do....I doubt I could crush them without some type of padding... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdoire Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 (edited) Wrist curls and reverse wrist curls along with sledging will strengthen your wrists tremendously, also a Formulator or homemade one will work wonders for your wrists. Edited July 25, 2006 by pdoire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teemu I Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Deadlifts and chinups have very little to do with wrist strength actually.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menace3000 Posted July 25, 2006 Author Share Posted July 25, 2006 Yea that's what I thought Teemu...quite sad when i get whoomed by guys half my size in arm wrestling because they destroy my wrists off the bat and put me on defensive.... How expensive are the formulators mentioned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acorn Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I forget exactly but they are in the $160 to $180 range I think. You could also build your own. I'm very happy with mine and I think I spent maybe $40 in parts if that. - Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teemu I Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Yea that's what I thought Teemu...quite sad when i get whoomed by guys half my size in arm wrestling because they destroy my wrists off the bat and put me on defensive....How expensive are the formulators mentioned? You could get that from functionalhandstrength.com OR you could get Pegasus2 from PDA which is a sponsor for this site. I don't have an opinion which one is better, because I don't have either one. Read other's opinions about those from the equipment forum. But you can do fine with basic barbell wrist curls and reverse wrist curls for starters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdoire Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I built my own also... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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