Rick Walker Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 My wife and I were getting ready for bed last night and I was laying there reading MoHS as I often do at night. I have read the book about 20 times completely and it is good night reading. Anyway-she lays down and asks me what I am reading-I turn the book so she can see the cover. She then tells me that I should write a book. I explained that I hadn't done anything yet that would make my book really something for people to read. She then responded by asking me what Brookfield has done to make his book worth reading. I proceded to give her a 10-minute briefing on Brookfield's accomplishments. After that, she looked at me and asked the question that I have heard 100 times from everyone I know: "Why would you do that kind of stuff??" So, I had to think about it. Why do I do it? Why do I train grip with an intensity and desire that makes most people look like they are just going through the motions? My hands are always sore, my skin is tender, I have cracks and callouses that make me look as if I have been working hard labor for 50 years and I am only 24. I didn't have an answer for her. I just shrugged my shoulders and went to sleep. This morning the question still lingers in my head. So I decided to think about it some more. To me, grip training is a passion. How do you become passionate about something? Well, find something you like to do and make a decision that no matter what the sacrafices, you will be the best. You let a single flame inside of you build to a roaring fire and you set all of your resources-be it money, strength, time-to achieving that one goal. When I was powerlifting-I went to meets to win. 4-6 months out, i would find a meet, then dedicate my all, 100%, to training for that meet. Sickness, injury, busy schedules, nothing got in my way of preparing for that meet. My goal was to destroy my previous PRs and win-anything less was not good enough. Now I have found grip strength-I found it a little late in life getting involved only 5 months ago. My goal is to close the #4-and oce again, my fire is raging in me. So, I told her this before she went to work-she looked at me and said, but WHY? I had to think, who could explain it better then me? Who is crazy enough to really show why we do what we do? I found it: www.testosterone.net/articles/210woof.html Read the article-even if you arent a powerlifter. It explains it all- RIck Walker :hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Say Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 I would have just said that it's fun to be strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyoder16 Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 " We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard ". JFK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSW Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 Rick, Are you willing to risk severe injury in pursuit of new PR's ? Not me. I would like to get very strong, but I am not going to risk serious injury to do it. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Walker Posted May 29, 2002 Author Share Posted May 29, 2002 If you want to be elite-you have to take risks. Injury comes with the game. You cannot possibly handle heavy poundages and push the envelope day after day with weights or grip training without getting injured. Am I willing to risk injury-absolutely. I have seperated my shoulder severly on a heavy squat, I have stress fractures in both of my wrists, I have torn my patellar tendon, and I have tendinitis in my elbows, hands, knees, and shoulders. Talk to a few Elite athletes-you will find much worse- Rick Walker :hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roark Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it.-Ralph Waldo Emerson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest woody36 Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 I am what i am! : Popeye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Say Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 'The world will admire me. I may be despised & misunderstood, but I'll be a great genius, I'm sure of it' - Salvador Dali (we're misunderstood grip geniuses, aren't we?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amaury Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 Some of us (like me) are only trying to explore the limits of our strength which, I think, is already a great thing... But the elite (COCs of course but this statement goes for all the other types of grip feats) is trying to explore the limits of the HUMAN GRIP STRENGTH and that is the main point : it is part of the human nature to try to explore its limits. That's the way the greatest things were achieved ! So why do i train hard ? Because i see it like an exploration, a way to reveal a thing that was hidden : the full extent of my own strength...and to have fun of course! Ps: my wife, who also can't understand why i train my grip hates the ivanko (too ugly) but tolerates the ironmind grippers even if she would rather use it as press-papers :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Black Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 You can't know the limits unless you test them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Say Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 "Hear & you forget, see & you remember, do & you understand" - Confucius "Why are numbers beautiful? It's like asking why is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony beautiful. If you don't see why, someone can't tell you. I know numbers are beautiful. If they aren't beautiful, nothing is." - Paul Erdos (the same could easily be said about grip training) "Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the #### of it." - Sir Edmund Hillary "This was the first time I knew pain could become pleasure. We were benefiting from the pain, breaking the pain barrier. We looked at this pain as a positive thing, because we grew. It was a fantastic feeling to gain size from pain. The whole idea of pain became a pleasure trip." - Arnold S. "The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else. I hate that." - Arnold S. again "Sports don't just make our bodies get in better shape, they don't just make us get stronger, or faster or more flexible. But sports also teaches us lessons for life. Lessons such as discipline, lessons such as setting goals, how to deal with failure, camaraderie and all the things we need later in life." - Arnold S. again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sybersnott Posted May 31, 2002 Share Posted May 31, 2002 Rick, We have pondered this question before. Why? Kinda like asking the mountain climber why he climbs the moutain, "Because it's there". I admire your drive. It's a lot like Kinney's. I wish I had that kind of intensity inside of me. I have that "plug-along" attitude.... I just keep doing it, and doing my time. Increase the weight slowly and do your time. That's me (which is why it took me so long to become a certified COC). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Harlan Jacobs Posted May 31, 2002 Share Posted May 31, 2002 As for myself, I love to be able to do things that others can't.Is it for my health, No. It's for me. I have allways love individual sports . I don't like to depend on others. Thats why I have allways liked lifting. I have trained with Strongmen,Bodybuilders, And powerlifters. They all have a favorite saying about some exercises," Thats not a practcal exercise". Yo me , that translates to 'I am not good at this , So I am not going to do it ". But , What is more practical than Grip ? Grip is not only helpful at weight training, but in everyday life. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Christian Posted May 31, 2002 Share Posted May 31, 2002 "Hear & you forget, see & you remember, do & you understand" - Confucius"Why are numbers beautiful? It's like asking why is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony beautiful. If you don't see why, someone can't tell you. I know numbers are beautiful. If they aren't beautiful, nothing is." - Paul Erdos (the same could easily be said about grip training) "Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the #### of it." - Sir Edmund Hillary "This was the first time I knew pain could become pleasure. We were benefiting from the pain, breaking the pain barrier. We looked at this pain as a positive thing, because we grew. It was a fantastic feeling to gain size from pain. The whole idea of pain became a pleasure trip." - Arnold S. "The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else. I hate that." - Arnold S. again "Sports don't just make our bodies get in better shape, they don't just make us get stronger, or faster or more flexible. But sports also teaches us lessons for life. Lessons such as discipline, lessons such as setting goals, how to deal with failure, camaraderie and all the things we need later in life." - Arnold S. again "Who is your daddy...?" - Arnold S (kindergarten cop) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest map12345 Posted May 31, 2002 Share Posted May 31, 2002 I don't really know why I've never been able to leave wieght training alone for the past couple years... I've always had an attitude to always reach my goals. It doesn't matter if I have a concrete goal, or if just one day I think to myself "It sure would be fun to be big and strong like that guy." So I'm going to keep on going until I become how I want to. -map Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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