Closing In On The #2

[tarudriller]

In the last few weeks I've gone from not touching any grippers for months to really wanting to nail the #2. To gauge how close I am I grabbed my BBSA and NS closed it right out of the drawer. Next I hit the #2 and got it down to 1/8-3/16".

Two questions: knowing what I can do with the BBSA would an COC1.5 be worth picking up? Also, any advice on getting that #2 shut? FWIW I have a COC1 & 2, BBA & SA, and a HG100 & 150. Also an old belt for strapholds.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

Chris

[heatwave13]

What really helped me was to get the #3 and alternate days with the #2. For example, on Monday I would take the #2 to work with me and at the top of every hour I'll get it and do 2 or 3 reps--tensing my whole body and squeezing the piss out of it. I'll do this all day at work then, at home, I'll do my deadlift or regular workout, etc.....On the next day I'll take my #3 to work and do the same thing but, since I can't close it, I have to do hard negatives. It helps me to force it shut by pressing the gripper on my hip or leg. So, I just did a few really hard reps (usually 3 or 4) at intervals spread out over the day....never really exhausting myself or becoming overly fatigued in the hands.

Some days I would do fewer reps than other days depending on how tired my hands were. I did this for about 6-8 weeks before I slammed it shut. Another thing that should also help you is to work on pinch gripping; that seemed to contribute very well.

I hope this helps...but, I'd also emphasize that you need to keep up the positive mental attitude, i.e. know that you can close it, expect yourself to close it.

As for the 1.5....yeah I think it would be a good idea, not totally necessary, but probably helpful.

Edited November 28, 2006 by heatwave13

[Crotchulla]

You could try overcrushes and strap holds. There is no need for another gripper when you're so close. What happens when you do get the #2 closed? The 1.5 gets pretty much useless. But you should go ahead and get a #3 or something else that tough to work negatives. Then then lesser gripper won't feel like much and you should slam it shut without thinking about it.

[bencrush]

Sounds like you're close enough to closing the #2 that just putting in a bit more attempts on it will get you there. Also don't discount some speed closes with the Super Advanced. That should get you there just fine. Do you have a Trainer also?

As for the 1.5 (if you get one) becoming useless once you can close the #2, that's way off the mark IMO. I still use my Trainer in every workout. And I know a few #4 closers who do the same. They don't go one workout without doing something with the Trainer. Even if it's just a very low level warmup and a bit of technique/form work.

[tarudriller]

I should have also mentioned I have a BBGM. I'm not sure how effective it will be for negatives since as soon as I released my other hand away the GM blew open to at least 3/4".

I remember a thread on here that discussed when is a gripper too strong to be used for negs (as I believe is my case with the GM). Any other thoughts on this?

Thanks to Heat, Crotch and Ben for their replies.....

Chris

[Crotchulla]

Sounds like you're close enough to closing the #2 that just putting in a bit more attempts on it will get you there. Also don't discount some speed closes with the Super Advanced. That should get you there just fine. Do you have a Trainer also?

As for the 1.5 (if you get one) becoming useless once you can close the #2, that's way off the mark IMO. I still use my Trainer in every workout. And I know a few #4 closers who do the same. They don't go one workout without doing something with the Trainer. Even if it's just a very low level warmup and a bit of technique/form work.

Well I meant worthless for helping that last bit. He's so close already there isn't much point. It just sounds like he has a lot of grippers that are around the same strength with small incriments. I warm up with my hg150 before trying to close my hg300.

As a side question. Tarudriller, do you or did you watch a lot of japanese wrestling? Just wondering, the taru driller was Taru's big move in Toryumon.

[lifesnotfair]

I have also read about a gripper being too strong for negatives.

If you cannot close the #2 yet (like me), but are getting close and want to close it (like me), you could do negatives with a harder gripper. A #3 might be too tough and might open a lot from a negative.

I find my BBSM to be good right now, as when I cheat-close it it opens to 1/4", which should be a good distance for negatives. I reckon once I can hold the SM at 1/8" from a cheat closed or so, I should be closing the #2 maybe.

[Mlstrass]

What got ME to the #2 was the following:

Cutting back to grippers once per week

T = 7-8 reps - warm up

#1 = 3 reps - warm up

4-5 attempts on #2 (I think this made the biggest difference as I gained confidence weekly)

2-3 NEGS with BBSM

2-3 OC with filed HG200

1 max reps #1

Whole workout takes about 15-20 minutes. I do a set of 10 with the T 4-5 days per week just to keep in the groove.

Good luck as that last 1/8" can be a bear

[lifesnotfair]

BTW, I think I didn't mentio this: if you have a BBSA, don't bother buying a 1.5, unless you just want a big gripper collection.

[superfeemiman]

What really helped me was to get the #3 and alternate days with the #2. For example, on Monday I would take the #2 to work with me and at the top of every hour I'll get it and do 2 or 3 reps--tensing my whole body and squeezing the piss out of it. I'll do this all day at work then, at home, I'll do my deadlift or regular workout, etc.....On the next day I'll take my #3 to work and do the same thing but, since I can't close it, I have to do hard negatives. It helps me to force it shut by pressing the gripper on my hip or leg. So, I just did a few really hard reps (usually 3 or 4) at intervals spread out over the day....never really exhausting myself or becoming overly fatigued in the hands.

Some days I would do fewer reps than other days depending on how tired my hands were. I did this for about 6-8 weeks before I slammed it shut. Another thing that should also help you is to work on pinch gripping; that seemed to contribute very well.

I hope this helps...but, I'd also emphasize that you need to keep up the positive mental attitude, i.e. know that you can close it, expect yourself to close it.

As for the 1.5....yeah I think it would be a good idea, not totally necessary, but probably helpful.

I have to agree with this post a lot at the first part. Doing a routine like that (every hour or so) will really help you... personally it reminds me of some of Pavel's stuff... i.e. Doing a set of chins that's 4 or 5 reps under your max in the morning, noon, and night 3 days a week to increase max reps. I'm doing a few sets of ladders (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, then starting at 1 again) every hour with my filed trainer and it's helping me rep my 1 and get closer to my 2.

Edited November 30, 2006 by superfeemiman

[Fissure]

I would put your BBGM(or a #2.5/#3 if you want a new gripper) in a choker. Crank it down to where it is only open a 1/16" or so and go to town. you'll be closing the #2 in no time.

[GoJu]

I too am trying to close the #2 and it's literally this close: | | SOAB!

what got this far was doing warmups on the HG200, #1, and BBSA (OC's here), attempts on the #2, negs on the RB240N, and then more attemps on the #2, then reps on the trainer.

I did this for like a month, but the bastard still won't close, hell the HG250 still won't close either, I'm thinking of trying some indirect work doing what Richard Godfrey did and just work blockweights maxes every day or maybe starting up a KTA vol.2 cycle and see if the direct digit work won't help in the final gripper close.

[tarudriller]

Thanks to everyone who offered up ideas, I'll piece something together this weekend and go from there.

GoJu, I haven't forgotten you, just suddenly got wrapped up in the #2. How about we start w/o threads at the beginning of the new year?

Chris

[tarudriller]

For what it's worth, here's the grip work I'm currently doing. I rotate these 2 routines on alternate Sundays:

*A*

V-bar & thick (1 7/8") DB lifts, working up to a max single on each.

*B*

2 hand plate pinch & either plate curls or wrist curls, max single on pinch, sets of 8-10 on the curls.

PRs right now are:

V-bar: 200 right, 190 left

DB lift: 130 right, 120 left

Plate pinch: 110

[Timmy]

Hose clamp, a bar, and a nice par of Doc Martins will get you there!

[GoJu]

Thanks to everyone who offered up ideas, I'll piece something together this weekend and go from there.

GoJu, I haven't forgotten you, just suddenly got wrapped up in the #2. How about we start w/o threads at the beginning of the new year?

Chris

sure, this'll be like my 3rd online journal (I got one on fortifiediron.com and bodybuilding.com) but what the hell, right?

[tarudriller]

As a side question. Tarudriller, do you or did you watch a lot of japanese wrestling? Just wondering, the taru driller was Taru's big move in Toryumon.

And the bonus points go to Crotchulla for picking up the reference!

Yeah I used to be huge into puro up until about 4 years ago, lost interest and unloaded a buttload of tapes I had. Even then I held on to 1 All Japan tape that I had, let's see if you can guess which one.

Chris

[Crotchulla]

As a side question. Tarudriller, do you or did you watch a lot of japanese wrestling? Just wondering, the taru driller was Taru's big move in Toryumon.

And the bonus points go to Crotchulla for picking up the reference!

Yeah I used to be huge into puro up until about 4 years ago, lost interest and unloaded a buttload of tapes I had. Even then I held on to 1 All Japan tape that I had, let's see if you can guess which one.

Chris

Phh crap I wouldn't know. Would it big a big main event between Misawa and Kawada? I stopped watching about a year or two ago and usually I just watched Toryumon but some of AJPW, NJPW, Big Japan, etc got in the mix. I'm trying to get rid of all my tapes but I don't know where. Oh well.

Edited November 30, 2006 by Crotchulla

[tarudriller]

Phh crap I wouldn't know. Would it big a big main event between Misawa and Kawada?

Hell yeah, 6/3/94. Best match I've ever seen

[tarudriller]

To the ppl suggesting the BBSM, would an RB240 be an acceptable replacement? Strongmantobe is looking to trade for a BBGM and is offering the RB gripper, sounds like a deal that could help us both out.

Thoughts?

[tusenkonstnar]

For me it seems to have helped more when I started to do shorter workouts and I also stoped doing negatives, before I did negatives on the CoC2 and a HG300. But then I stopped that and started to work with either BBSA or CoC1, but ALLWAYS trying to close it very fast. It surprises me a lot because this should be wrong . Most people closing hard grippers however seems to have an opposite experience compared to mine.

[tarudriller]

sure, this'll be like my 3rd online journal (I got one on fortifiediron.com and bodybuilding.com) but what the hell, right?

What's your screen name on Fortified?

[Databamse]

I'm following the KTA program. It seems to work. But it's not always I stick to it 100%. I'm kind of experimenting a bit as well.

Now I can rep the CoC No.1 for 20 times, handles closed every time. My strength is sky rocketing. It's not long ago i could only rep it for 3 times. And I could only close the no. 2 inconsistently, and once. Now I can close the no. 2 consistently and I can also rep it 3 times.

I can also rep the Trainer 45 times in my right hand. Probably more.