My 53rd Birthday

[Hubgeezer]

Yesterday marked 3 months since I injured my right ring finger trying to lift a heavy (65 lbs) weight on the IM Hub. I heard a "crack" sound, and I still don't know what happened. I have given it rest, worked out through pain and made it worse, had my doctor look at it when I saw him 2 months ago, but it is not close to healing.

I have experimented quite a bit, and have convinced myself that as far as the British Grip contest goes, I will not be adversely affected. So this is a journal of obssessing on an injury while at the same time mentally preparing so that I will achieve my goals.

After 3 months, my finger's status is:

1. Okay for most stuff with weights, pinching, minimal pain.

2. Impossible to do Hub work. May take as long as a year to heal there. Big Deal, it should come back some day.

3. Grippers on right hand are tough, full of pain. Can do around a 1.7 with no pain. A month ago it was only a #1, so it is improving.

4. Vbar reps are also tough. Am doing reps with around 240 pounds without pain. A month ago it was only 200, so improvement is happening there.

My goal gripper for the right hand in the comp is a 2.96 gripper.

My goal in the Vbar for the right hand in the comp is around 145 kilograms.

Had a great workout last night.

Today, for grippers, aahhh, I think I will pass.

Jogged 2.5 miles at 6:30 am.

Ate a bunch of Easter junk candy this morning.

Hubgeezer

[David Horne]

I know about injuries. They force you to delve deep in yourself. Train on what you need to train on.

All the best,

David

[mobsterone]

Agree with David - I've written a few articles on my forum which might help.

[Jedd Johnson]

Hubgeezer,

By any chance have you tried pressure massage? Smitty had something similar for months when he was doing a lot of tearing and he started putting hard pulsating pressure on it in like a massaging motion and it seemed to make a fast turn around. Just an idea.

[DAN PRAYDIS]

Ate a bunch of Easter junk candy this morning.

Hubgeezer this and your determination to do what you want you will make a big comeback

[climber511]

Mike - where exactly is it - does it extend into the palm of the hand? I've torn the ring and middle finger tendons (P1 and P2) in both hands climbing (twice), and both healed over time - probably took six months to a year to fully recover - taping between the affected knuckles can minimize pain and seems to help with the "bowing" away from the bone that occurs as the fingers bend. I continued to climb and train throughout the process but taping was necessary at times for pain relief. Massage, ice, anti inflamatories, all the usual stuff helped but time seemed to be my solution along with very low resistance and very high rep movement and light stretches for my fingers. Good Luck!

[twig]

Yesterday marked 3 months since I injured my right ring finger trying to lift a heavy (65 lbs) weight on the IM Hub. I heard a "crack" sound, and I still don't know what happened. I have given it rest, worked out through pain and made it worse, had my doctor look at it when I saw him 2 months ago, but it is not close to healing.

1. Okay for most stuff with weights, pinching, minimal pain.

2. Impossible to do Hub work.

3. Grippers on right hand are tough, full of pain.

4. Vbar reps are also tough. Am doing reps with around 240 pounds without pain. A month ago it was only 200, so improvement is happening there.

Hubgeezer

I live with a Reiki Master, Masseuse, and Holistic Therapist. Come see me when you're over and she'll (try to) sort you out.

[Wes]

Wish you luck Mike

[CoC#3]

Good luck Mike.

[Hubgeezer]

Did gripper work last night. Off and on over the last two weeks, I have squeezed the IronMind "Snowball" when I am driving, with emphasis on the last two fingers. I had a Snowball 5 or 6 years ago, but this time around it seems to work, if not psychologically. Whatever is inside the thing, it changes texture depending on the temperature. In the cold mornings, it is squishy, and when warmer, it is harder than a snowball.

Squeezed it all four times I drove yesterday. The finger did not hurt at all at the end of the day, so when I did my thing with the left hand, I tried the right hand as well:

Trainer, 5 reps, zero pain, I mean zero.

No. 1, 3 reps, zero pain, zip.

HG 250 1 rep (around a 1.8) zero pain.

RB180 1 rep (about a 2) easy close, still no pain.

HG210 1 rep (approx 2.5) surprisingly, zero pain.

Super Master (approx 2.6) closed it with an audible click with no pain (?)

IM 2.5 (approx 2.7) less than 1/16th of an inch from closing, low pain

IM 2.5, with more effort, 1/8th inch off, and ACCKK! Whoops. Bad news.

Stop on the right hand.

Woke up this morning, and the finger hurts, it hurts like if I did something today I would be a fool to aggravate it.

My injury was originally above the knuckle in the space between the top joint and the knuckle. As Chris Rice mentioned, I could see where taping it might help. The thing is, the only time that part of the finger hurts is if I bend it like "a claw" as if you were applying pressure doing hub work. Consequently, I avoid hub work 100%. The pain I get from grippers and vbar is on the bottom joint, the inside of the finger, almost like it is a bone spur. I think I must have, a couple months ago, injured the finger separately by working out and gripping things differently because of the first injury.

I am going to just ignore the original injury, and simply not do any hub work. It seems like the combination of rest, Snowball, and "testing" the finger with light grippers and heavier singles is the way to go.

Closing the Supermaster without pain night was a major breakthrough for me. Off to work and squeezing the Snowball.

HG

[Alawadhi]

Hope your hands heals fast

[the swiss]

wish you a fast recovery. As Chris said, it sounds like a familiar climber injury. maybe a torn pulley?

As for me, training hubs intensively always ends up waking up old climber tendonitis in the ring fingers... tape it to let it heal, and avoid painful movements., as usual.

[Hubgeezer]

April 10. Did nothing, except squeezed the IronMind Snowball while in the car. I especially like it when it is squishy in the morning. Randy Strossen should use me in an advertisement.

April 11. Lifted weights, did no gripper work, no vertical bar. Finger felt fine doing plate pinches. I use wide York 35s to pinch with, and have a steel pipe running through the center. It is roughly 25% tougher than the only competition plates I have used, which I am told approximate the Euro pinch device. Did 2-4 reps with various weights of 125 to 135, then finished with 9 reps with 125. Two hand pinch does not bother the finger at all.

Struggled with deadlifting 326 pounds, making me realize I am going to be the weakest person ever to enter the British Grip Championships. I take comfort in knowing that I may be the only person on the planet whose vertical bar lift is over 90% of their best deadlift.

Moved the ol Trap Bar total up to 270 pounds from 265 for my Trap Bar Deadlifts tonight.

Finished with one set of Formulator for both Extensions and Flexions. 15 reps with 50 lbs for Flexion, 7 legal reps with 20 for Extension.

Squeezed the Snowball in the afternoon, it felt like a snowball, nothing squishy about it in the warmer temperature. I have convinced myself it is healing my finger.

[judoboy]

those familiar pains are horrible. if snowball is helping, try squeezing tennis ball or something firmer and/or golf ball rotations.

best of luck with rehab.

[Hubgeezer]

April 12. Gripper only work. Squeezed hard with the right hand for the first time in a long time. No pain, but the strength is not there. Did come within 1/4 inch of closing the Grand Master, so the strength is not completely gone.

April 13. Grippers only work again. Did not use right hand at all.

April 14. Grippers only work again. Did not use right hand at all.

April 15. Lifted weights. Hit a left hand PR in Rolling Thunder of 186, even though have not trained on the Rolling Thunder in months. Did 201 with right hand for one of the few times in 2007 doing 200 or more. Did 281 on the Fat Bastard Vertical Bar both right and left hands with nowhere near maximum effort. No pain in right finger.

April 16. This one is fun. David Horne's One Hand Lift Handle arrived at the office. When I got it home, I decided I wanted to try it. I did some reverse hypers to warm up, then was going to experiment with the handle, the same type to be used in the May 19 competition. I have a large loading pin and carbiner, so I thought I would put on some plates and load her up. All along, I have known that I will not be setting any records in the One Hand Lift in May. I had personally targeted 200-220 kilograms as my goal. I started out with 180 pounds on the pin (that is pounds, not kilos). Very easy, so I added a couple of 45s, taking the total weight to 270 pounds (123 kilos). Easy left hand, but very painful right hand. Moved the weight to 340 pounds, and the left did not budge. Pain in the upper lats! Pain on the bones on the inside of the fingers, at the base of the fingers.

April 17. Did nothing, except this day is Tax Deadline day, and I will work until 9pm. Whined and complained all day about the pain at the bottom of my fingers. Decided the One Hand Lift is a stupid lift. Figured that I will either destroy my fingers or rip a Lat muscle trying to improve my lift. The feeling of utter frustration was with me all day. Figured that I set myself back by ONE WEEK in training trying to lift the handle with it cutting right into the bone at the base of my fingers.

April 18. Jogged 2.5 miles.

April 19. Lifted weights. After most of the workout was better, tried the One Hand Lift again, even though just 2 days earlier I had vowed I was not going to touch it again, and maybe drop out of the contest. Did 300 pounds with right and left hands. Put 320 on it. Did it with both hands without any problems. Grabbing it in the palm of your hand beats the let-the-handle-press the bone down so hard. I may get 50 points on this one after all!

[Hubgeezer]

Spent 45 minutes with my most elaborate entry to date. Something screwed up and it did not take.

Got frustrated and doubt if I will post in here again.

Bottom line: my right finger has improved remarkedbly, exceeding my expectations.

[mobsterone]

Spent 45 minutes with my most elaborate entry to date. Something screwed up and it did not take.

Got frustrated and doubt if I will post in here again.

Bottom line: my right finger has improved remarkedbly, exceeding my expectations.

Type it up off line (in word for example) then copy and paste. Then if it's lost you have it do copy and paste again.

[Hubgeezer]

Had a great workout yesterday, no grippers. Failed 10 times to lift 286 on the vertical bar, but was not rested from the previous workout. Had no fear of skin tearing, which is usually what holds you back. Despite the 10 failures, I don't think I ever had a better session as far as intensity without injury for the Vbar. Got to start thinking in kilograms, and will have "cheat sheets" made up for myself to help with weight selection. The feeling of unknown is adding to the excitement:

-Never touched a LGC bar before, and am presuming it is more difficult than the FBBC bar.

-Never touched a "Euro pinch device before", but am presuming it is going to feel real good.

-Am using "The Formulator" for wrist curls, and am completely clueless as to how a Table Top Wrist Curl feels.

-Am struggling using the One Hand Lift device with an Ironmind large loading pin. Am hopeful that the device at the competition will start lower so that I can get my butt and legs into it. It is more of an upper back lift with the IM pin, which is not something I have trained well.

After 90 minutes of working out, did 3 sets of 4 with 161 pounds (I mean 73 kilograms) on the Rolling Thunder. Had one left hand failure.

Did reps off the IronMind Elephant Steps with 445 pounds, a personal best. And Liz Horne can do a One Hand Lift with more than that much weight? Jeez...

[The Mac]

I would think about trying to put something together for the TTWC, just to get a feel for it. Even one or two sessions would probably do the trick - if you watch the masters of this lift, the bar almost "rolls" the back of the hands off the table, which is a very strange feeling indeed

[Hubgeezer]

I would think about trying to put something together for the TTWC, just to get a feel for it. Even one or two sessions would probably do the trick - if you watch the masters of this lift, the bar almost "rolls" the back of the hands off the table, which is a very strange feeling indeed

You are probably right. Tinkering with the One Hand Lift a little was helpful. Perhaps my son and girlfriend will be over my house in the next week or so and can spot me. That is the problem with the exercise, you cannot do it solo. I will look on David's website for possible film footage. Otherwise, I will be learning at the meet, which is idiotic, but what can I say.

Mobster should simply drop this event and replace it with the IronMind Hub...

[Andy]

I have the same problem with the TTWC as I train alone most of the time. I have ended up putting the bar on the catch rails of the rack at a height that is just below the top of my bench. I then move the bench right up close to the bar so there's just enough room to get my hands between the bench and the bar, jam my hands under the bar, lay my forearms on the bench and do short-range wrist curls from there. Not ideal, but better than nothing.

The one-hand lift apparatus I believe is adjustable so you can have the handle at any height within reason.

Never touched a "Euro pinch device before", but am presuming it is going to feel real good.

Dunno about feeling good I always seem to lose skin from the base of my thumb when I use it. At least you can have it at the best width for your hands.

See you on the 19th,

[Hubgeezer]

The one-hand lift apparatus I believe is adjustable so you can have the handle at any height within reason.

Okay, thanks, that is really good to know.

Mike

[lone Wolf]

-Never touched a "Euro pinch device before", but am presuming it is going to feel real good.

I know you will do well here Mike the one I used at Eric Milfeld's had very good texture and was well seasoned

Glad to see your getting some of your strength back

[Hubgeezer]

Yesterday marked 3 months since I injured my right ring finger trying to lift a ... but it is not close to healing.

I have experimented quite a bit, and have convinced myself that as far as the British Grip contest goes, I will not be adversely affected. So this is a journal of obssessing on an injury while at the same time mentally preparing ... is:

3. Grippers on right hand are tough, full of pain. Can do around a 1.7 with no pain. A month ago it was only a #1, so it is improving.

My goal gripper for the right hand in the comp is a 2.96 gripper.

Hubgeezer

After 2 months, I could only do the #1.

After 3 months, I was at a 1.7.

It has been 26 days since I first posted this. In the last 26 days, my right hand has gone from a 1.7 to a 2.7. Hey, the power of positive thinking can sometimes be effective! So, in 15 days can I go from a 2.7 to a 2.96?

I would not have believed it possible until I wrote this. It could happen!

Hubgeezer

[CoC#3]

You'll close that #3!