Need Help With A Routine

[thefight]

so ive always been fairly small and i wanted to improve my grip for wrestling, but ive been stuck at 14 reps on the trainer and just past parallel on the number 1 gripper for about a month and a half now. i currently do grippers and pinch 2-10lb weights for about a minute on mondays wednesdays and fridays and work extensors on tuesdays thursdays and saturdays and was just wondering if anyone could help me with breaking through this plateau. thank you for any help it is much appreciated.

[MalachiMcMullen]

http://www.gripboard.com/index.php?showtopic=12608

^This should give you some good ideas

[nickr104]

That's what I would do.

[thefight]

thats what i had been doing a few months ago but i switched over to grippers instead of finger curls...do u think i should switch back for a while?

[Koura]

Pinch heavier weights and do more grippers. I think that's it!

What kind is your training routine?

[neilkaz]

I'll chime in here if you don't mind and note that I continue to train a few newer gripster friends at work. If you can do 14 reps with the Trainer, I am honestly suprised that you can't get the #1 within 1/4" of closed. Perhaps you have a very hard #1 ? Also some guys I know would struggle with the reps with the T after a dozen and yet can close the #1, but not easily.

Anyhow, regarding pinch..rather than holding 2 tens for a minute, I'd suggest also seeing how long you can hold 3 tens ! If you cannot hold them, do negs with them (lift assisted with the other hand and then let go and see if you can hang on a few seconds).

You aren't a newbie from what I read, so you do have some foundation, but you seem to have stagnated badly and at an early level.

How many sets of 14 reps are you doing in your workouts ?

Also I'd do some OC's (overcrushes) with that T. Although it seems too easy for you, so perhaps rather than 14 reps, try 5-7 reps and then at the last rep, hold it closed and try to crush the heck out of it for 10 seconds or so.

I'd also do some NC's (negative crushes) with that #1. Force it shut with the aid of the other hand and then let go and squeeze with everything you've got for about 7 seconds and try to keep it more closed than you are able to achieve with one hand alone. I wouldn't do NC's with any gripper harder than the #1 until you can almost shut the #1 and have a better foundation.

I would do my pinching on a different day than grippers. ie..do it on the extensor days.

If you don't feel recovered, as I think I am suggesting that you increase your workout volume (not sure what you volume is) take a day off inbetween... ie grippers on day, pinch the next, and just extensors the next, and make sure that one day a week is total rest from grip.

You may want a gripper inbetween the T and #1. The only two I know are the RB100 (rates about a 0.4 (calling the T a 0) and BBA (rates about 0.75).

Perhaps you'd find an Ivanko Super Gripper useful for the microloading ? http://www.wwfitness.com/supergripper.html

or the VG http://www.hammarsports.com//handstrengthgripstrength.html. I am currently doing my own program of low reps with the ISG and making some gains (whereas I'd stagnated with hand grippers)

.. neilkaz ..

[egg_uk]

just wondering whether you use your other hand to set the hand grips at all, as this helps you save strength for the final crush, and whether you know what the dogleg is. These could help you get that no 1 closed.

Also what i have just found the benefit of, chokers, you can use a hose clamp to fix the hand grip so that the handles can only get to so far apart, rubbish explanation i know, so that the gripper doesnt have to be set and it saves energy for the crush again. It is very helpful for closing that gripper you just cant quite get. This should be helpful while you work on your setting, which i think i have to do as well.

Search for dogleg and setting, and chokers, there have been many articles on these topics, and they can explain it better than i can.

this is a presumptuous post, if you are using these things then you are well on the way to where you wanna be.

[thefight]

well i was currently doing 2 sets of 14 reps for my right hand and 2 sets of 12 with my left and then 3 single attempts with each hand...i know about the dogleg but i havent tried using chokers yet. so im planning on switching pinching to the days with the extensors and doing overcrushes with the trainer and ill switch to doing some negatives with the #1 to help with the last part of the movement. I cant pinch 3 10s with one hand yet but ill try doing it assisted like u said...im really skinny so i dont really have the strength coming into training that some ppl do but i really appreciate the information focused for a beginner like me.

[pawel r]

My Proposal Grip Training Workout :

1-Reverse biceps curls with an Olympic Bar

2-Bending and unbending wrist with dumbell http://www.atomicpower.pl/images/stories/p...agajace/8-9.jpg

3-Finger curls with an Olympic Bar

4-Hanging in time on stick (bar) http://youtube.com/watch?v=MagKuk5wVWI

5-Two Hands Pinch Lift

Exercise one, two, three -2 set, 15-20 reps.

Hanging in time on stick ( bar) - 1set max. time hanging,

Pinch lift -2 set, 10-15 secs

Twice a week

Sorry for my English

Edited June 13, 2007 by pawel r

[Koura]

well i was currently doing 2 sets of 14 reps for my right hand and 2 sets of 12 with my left and then 3 single attempts with each hand...i know about the dogleg but i havent tried using chokers yet. so im planning on switching pinching to the days with the extensors and doing overcrushes with the trainer and ill switch to doing some negatives with the #1 to help with the last part of the movement. I cant pinch 3 10s with one hand yet but ill try doing it assisted like u said...im really skinny so i dont really have the strength coming into training that some ppl do but i really appreciate the information focused for a beginner like me.

2 sets sounds little. Try 4 or 5 sets. If you max reps are about that 14, try to 5 sets of 10 reps. I think that would help. For my eye you are just doing too little.

And try those negatives on that #1.

[egg_uk]

also you could try getting a 1.5 or a bbsa fo negs as well, they will make the 1 feel easier.

[RPGoodfellow]

My Proposal Grip Training Workout :

1-Reverse biceps curls with an Olympic Bar

2-Bending and unbending wrist with dumbell http://www.atomicpower.pl/images/stories/p...agajace/8-9.jpg

3-Finger curls with an Olympic Bar

4-Hanging in time on stick (bar) http://youtube.com/watch?v=MagKuk5wVWI

5-Two Hands Pinch Lift

Exercise one, two, three -2 set, 15-20 reps.

Hanging in time on stick ( bar) - 1set max. time hanging,

Pinch lift -2 set, 10-15 secs

Twice a week

Sorry for my English

Your English is fine, bro...and so is your grip training.

Goody

[makey98]

File your trainer.

Edited June 13, 2007 by makey98

[egg_uk]

i dont agree 100% that you should file it yet as its the only gripper you can close, though if you only file it a bit at time then you can make sure that you can still close it.

[neilkaz]

well i was currently doing 2 sets of 14 reps for my right hand and 2 sets of 12 with my left and then 3 single attempts with each hand...i know about the dogleg but i havent tried using chokers yet. so im planning on switching pinching to the days with the extensors and doing overcrushes with the trainer and ill switch to doing some negatives with the #1 to help with the last part of the movement. I cant pinch 3 10s with one hand yet but ill try doing it assisted like u said...im really skinny so i dont really have the strength coming into training that some ppl do but i really appreciate the information focused for a beginner like me.

2 sets sounds little. Try 4 or 5 sets. If you max reps are about that 14, try to 5 sets of 10 reps. I think that would help. For my eye you are just doing too little.

And try those negatives on that #1.

Two sets is too few, I agree. Try 5 sets of reps til failure after a warm up in one workout and then 5 sets of 5 reps followed by OC's til failure in the next. Also do a couple negs with the #1.

If you file your T, just file it 1/16" and no more than 2mm at a time and then test it to make sure you can still close it.

You have stagnated so mix your routine up a bit and have FUN .. neilkaz ..

[thefight]

so one more question...just wondering should i do the negative crushes with the #1 after or before the sets with the trainer?

[lloyd80s]

so one more question...just wondering should i do the negative crushes with the #1 after or before the sets with the trainer?

If you are using a ##1 in your training then I'd say you should use it before the trainer. The added lbs on the #1 will make it feel like a brick to you if you've just used all of your energy on the T. Also I'd recomend a high protein diet to try and support your wrestling and grip training if you're looking to add size. 2grams of protein daily per lb of bodyweight will give you everything your body need to grow, but remember carbs will fule you workouts.

good luck

[CoC#3]

File that trainer!

Try and hold that #1 as close as you can, after closing it with 2 hands. Do this 5 or 6 times with each hand per session.

Don't use chokers at an early stage like this - this will hinder your progress in the long run. At an early stage building a good foundation is important.

Make sure you are setting grippers properly:

Don't neglect your thumbs, make sure you do some heavy pinch it has a lot of carryover to grippers. try 3 10s as neilkaz suggested!

[thefight]

i pinched 3 10lb weights today with my right hand even if it was only for a second...so im happy

[vikingsrule92]

i pinched 3 10lb weights today with my right hand even if it was only for a second...so im happy

congrats!