Hex Dumbbells - Block Weights Vs. Lifting By The Face

[coreylan]

Hello all:

First post but I have been reading the board for a while. I looked around some but didn't see much about this. Many people have made their own block weights by cutting the center bar out of heavy hex dumbbells. What is the advantage of, for instance, making two 30lb weights by cutting a 60lb dumbbell instead of lifting two regular 30lb dumbbells by the face? (I'm new so 30s is all I can lift right now, don't laugh lol) The advantage of having two functional dumbbells is obvious of course. There must be a reason but I don't see it. What is it?

[Autolupus]

Size!

[vikingsrule92]

Size!

Yup, lifting by the face is significantly harder than a regular blockweight and to some extent they work different types of pinch grip. Trust me, it's worth it in the long run to cut up DBs because blockweights are probably the most, if not one of the most, valuable training tools.

[GetAGrip87]

Lifting a 30lb DB by the face is like lift a 15lb blockweight by the face with 15 pounds added. A 30lb blockweight is half a 60lb DB.

No one will laugh at you here.

Edited June 7, 2007 by GetAGrip87

[superfeemiman]

In the Mastery of Hand Strength, Brookfield states that lifting a dumbbell like that will put your wrist in a bind and could lead to injuries if you do it a lot. I don't know if it's true, but I don't see a real reason why he would lie.

[coreylan]

That makes sense because my next larger dumbbell is a 40 and it is significantly wider across the face than the 30. Man I hate to think about trying to cut that thick bar though...I'd probably just wind up torching it off and grinding it flush. Looks like I have a little project in store next time I'm at a play it again sports. I'm getting tired of just clenching my fist over and over with grippers. Course there is a 16 pound maul out in the garage but it's a little overkill right now

Thanks guys.

[aquilonian]

In the Mastery of Hand Strength, Brookfield states that lifting a dumbbell like that will put your wrist in a bind and could lead to injuries if you do it a lot. I don't know if it's true, but I don't see a real reason why he would lie.

I have hurt myself like this. this is true. if you notice when you pick up the dumbbells your wrist is cocked back, with the extensors fully flexed. if you have any swelling in the tissue on the back of you hands (maybe from a previous workout you have not healed from completly yet) you will feel a strain and might damage something. plate pinching and blockweights put your hand in a semi-neutral position, so even if you gauge wrong, and still have SOME swelling from a previous workout, your chances of hurting yourself are greatly diminished.

if you dont want to cut up your dumbells, just plate pinch, or pick up big rocks. blockweigths are just more convinient, more easily manhandled (cleans, presses, toss ect.), and more fun for some. I guess it would be nice having a bunch of different blockweights.

[Jhawk386]

In the Mastery of Hand Strength, Brookfield states that lifting a dumbbell like that will put your wrist in a bind and could lead to injuries if you do it a lot. I don't know if it's true, but I don't see a real reason why he would lie.

I have hurt myself like this. this is true. if you notice when you pick up the dumbbells your wrist is cocked back, with the extensors fully flexed. if you have any swelling in the tissue on the back of you hands (maybe from a previous workout you have not healed from completly yet) you will feel a strain and might damage something. plate pinching and blockweights put your hand in a semi-neutral position, so even if you gauge wrong, and still have SOME swelling from a previous workout, your chances of hurting yourself are greatly diminished.

if you dont want to cut up your dumbells, just plate pinch, or pick up big rocks. blockweigths are just more convinient, more easily manhandled (cleans, presses, toss ect.), and more fun for some. I guess it would be nice having a bunch of different blockweights.

Damn man. Thanks for that info. I had been just been using my full DB's, but not anymore, explains a lot.

[lifesnotfair]

As usual, great post Aquilonian!

[makey98]

In the Mastery of Hand Strength, Brookfield states that lifting a dumbbell like that will put your wrist in a bind and could lead to injuries if you do it a lot. I don't know if it's true, but I don't see a real reason why he would lie.

Brookfield also says that with individual blockwieghts you can do block weight tosses, which he calls, "one of the best exercises for the grip that could ever be done." He later says that if you don't cut the dumbell then, "You will not be able to toss them from hand to hand with the bar in the middle, which is the foundation of grip development on block weights."

I find this interesting because I have tried these quite a bit and can never get more than one or two reps with my 30lb blockweight. Nobody on this board really ever talks about doing them or if anyone can do them with some decent size blobs....would be interesting to see what the big blob lifters on here could do with them.

[Jhawk386]

In the Mastery of Hand Strength, Brookfield states that lifting a dumbbell like that will put your wrist in a bind and could lead to injuries if you do it a lot. I don't know if it's true, but I don't see a real reason why he would lie.

Brookfield also says that with individual blockwieghts you can do block weight tosses, which he calls, "one of the best exercises for the grip that could ever be done." He later says that if you don't cut the dumbell then, "You will not be able to toss them from hand to hand with the bar in the middle, which is the foundation of grip development on block weights."

I find this interesting because I have tried these quite a bit and can never get more than one or two reps with my 30lb blockweight. Nobody on this board really ever talks about doing them or if anyone can do them with some decent size blobs....would be interesting to see what the big blob lifters on here could do with them.

I've been wondering about that. From the pictures in the book, it looks like he is throwing them and catching them with his hand under the weight. Not as if he was pinching it, but catching it. Of course you could do both, but the weight will have to vary.

[Autolupus]

He does advocate doing both.

[makey98]

He does advocate doing both.

Correct. In MOHS he advocates catching from the top which I find very difficult. In the Gripmaster's Manual he talks about tossing from hand to hand as a upper body development exercise. I have found this difficult as well and am tring to get stronger wrists in order to be able to get better at this.