5x10lb Plates... How Did You Get There?

[hab34buy]

Okay, so today I was really psyched because I hit a new PR in my pinch training when I deadlifted 5x10s there were hooked together, and I actually repeated this a few times in a row. I've never done that before, so I'm pretty excited. To see how I'd take it, I unhooked the plates (I had them tied together with twine) and gave it a go... and well at least they didn't all hit my foot when they fell . So I have a long ways to go before I'm lifting them without the twine hooking them together.

However, I was wondering... how did/does everone else train for getting plates in this way? i.e. what do you think is the best way to progress to where the plates can fall where they may without them actually doing it? Extra weight? Reps with lower number of plates?

Thanks for the input folks!

[acorn]

Okay, so today I was really psyched because I hit a new PR in my pinch training when I deadlifted 5x10s there were hooked together, and I actually repeated this a few times in a row. I've never done that before, so I'm pretty excited. To see how I'd take it, I unhooked the plates (I had them tied together with twine) and gave it a go... and well at least they didn't all hit my foot when they fell . So I have a long ways to go before I'm lifting them without the twine hooking them together.

However, I was wondering... how did/does everone else train for getting plates in this way? i.e. what do you think is the best way to progress to where the plates can fall where they may without them actually doing it? Extra weight? Reps with lower number of plates?

Thanks for the input folks!

If your pulling them hooked together your not very far away at all in my experience. just keep doing singles with them hooked together. I used a bar thru them myself until I was strong enough to do it without. you could also do negs with extra weight added and a bar thru.

- Aaron

[Emsquared]

I guess for me, I just was able to pick them up one of the first few times I tried.

Block pinches with a 4x4, or just doing negatives with them.

M2

[odin]

jw7, I was able to do them the first day I tried. I used those cheap CAP plates that I bought from a Play it Again Sports store; I read somewhere that they are lousy for pinching, but they seemed ok to me.

What was key for me was training to lift The Blob. The five dimes felt easier than The Blob to me. It seems every road in grip leads back to block weights.

You might want to lay all the plates on the ground and see which two have the feel that you most prefer and line those plates up where your fingers and thumb touch them directly (the outside). Try to make sure the plates are sitting flush with each other before you pull (you may have to rotate them or switch them around so they will play nice together. The texture may vary somewhat (mine were pretty new, still had stickers on them and felt pretty much the same). In my experience, texture/feel and hand preparation (washing/chalk/warmup) makes a difference until you master whatever you are pinching.

If you got them off the ground, you should be pretty close. Try pulling a little faster, and watch your feet. You can and will attain this grip feat.

[makey98]

I haven't done this and I am nowhere lifting the blob, but if you don't like them flying everywhere you could wrap them more loosely with twine so your hand still has to pinch them together, but if they fall the twine holds them reasonably together and they don't fly everywhere...good luck!

[pdfk20]

I did this the first time i tried it, but had built up a good vareity of grip strength including being able to close a #3 and lift the 47.5lbs blob by this point in time, so it felt quite comfortable.

[CoC#3]

I could do this first time, with very little previous pinch work.

[hab34buy]

jw7, I was able to do them the first day I tried. I used those cheap CAP plates that I bought from a Play it Again Sports store; I read somewhere that they are lousy for pinching, but they seemed ok to me.

What was key for me was training to lift The Blob. The five dimes felt easier than The Blob to me. It seems every road in grip leads back to block weights.

You might want to lay all the plates on the ground and see which two have the feel that you most prefer and line those plates up where your fingers and thumb touch them directly (the outside). Try to make sure the plates are sitting flush with each other before you pull (you may have to rotate them or switch them around so they will play nice together. The texture may vary somewhat (mine were pretty new, still had stickers on them and felt pretty much the same). In my experience, texture/feel and hand preparation (washing/chalk/warmup) makes a difference until you master whatever you are pinching.

If you got them off the ground, you should be pretty close. Try pulling a little faster, and watch your feet. You can and will attain this grip feat.

Ya know... I keep saying to myself, spend the money and buy more block weights. But do I listen? Not really since the wallet says no. I have started to tie some plates together and hang them over the 25lb (50# ends) block weights I have to make them heavier so hopefully this at least adds something in this area (unfortunately I think I bought a dumbbell a little tooo light for me back when I spent the cash for blockweights).

I'll also start pulling faster, chaulk the plates, check alignment, etc., good ideas.

I haven't done this and I am nowhere lifting the blob, but if you don't like them flying everywhere you could wrap them more loosely with twine so your hand still has to pinch them together, but if they fall the twine holds them reasonably together and they don't fly everywhere...good luck!

I'm going to try losening the twine to make it progressively harder, thats a good idea.

For all you "I pulled them the first time folks" I have this to say (lucky! )

Seriously though... good stuff!

Can't help but ask though, and please believe me when I say that I never consider this type of thing

[hab34buy]

I used those cheap CAP plates that I bought from a Play it Again Sports store; I read somewhere that they are lousy for pinching, but they seemed ok to me.

What was key for me was training to lift The Blob. The five dimes felt easier than The Blob to me. It seems every road in grip leads back to block weights.

Ya know... I keep saying to myself, spend the money and buy more block weights. But do I listen? Not really since the wallet says no. I have started to tie some plates together and hang them over the 25lb (50# ends) block weights I have to make them heavier so hopefully this at least adds something in this area (unfortunately I think I bought a dumbbell a little tooo light for me back when I spent the cash for blockweights).

I'll also start pulling faster, chaulk the plates, check alignment, etc., good ideas.

I haven't done this and I am nowhere lifting the blob, but if you don't like them flying everywhere you could wrap them more loosely with twine so your hand still has to pinch them together, but if they fall the twine holds them reasonably together and they don't fly everywhere...good luck!

I'm going to try losening the twine to make it progressively harder, thats a good idea.

For all you "I pulled them the first time" folks I have this to say: (lucky! )

Seriously though... good stuff!

Can't help but ask though, and please believe me when I say that I never consider this type of thing an excuse or limit, but are any of you folks under 7.25" for your hand size? Just curious really, because I find that with my 7.19" hands it can be challenging to get sideways pressure on the plates (which is I can't keep them together). Either way, I'm going to keep plugging away... because someday I'm gonna give those plates (and more!) some serious vertigo!!!

What can I say... I love this stuff!

[barbe705]

I ran a piece of pvc through the middle. You can then run an even smaller diameter piece through that and put small plates on the outside. this way the diameter stays the same but you can increase the weight.

adjusting hand position is key as well. david horne has an article about that on his page.

Brent

[crobb1320]

I believe hand size plays a crucial factor on the 5 dime lift.My small 7 1/4" hand has a hard time across the width,4 is no problem though. some people say try 4 dimes and 1 5lb,or 3 dimes and 2 fives,and work up to the 5 tens. different for everybody i guess.

[DAN PRAYDIS]

try cutting circles of cardboard and placing them between the plates try making about 5 and start there its not the weight so much but the different widths you get use to and add hand chalk to them plates some new plates are like glass good luck

[hab34buy]

Thanks for the ideas folks. Unfortunately I haven't gottent to do a grip workout since the other day because of work etc. so hopefully I can jump back in this week and try all these things out!

[odin]

try cutting circles of cardboard and placing them between the plates try making about 5 and start there its not the weight so much but the different widths you get use to and add hand chalk to them plates some new plates are like glass good luck

That's a great idea Dan. It is hard to be patient and progress like that, but that might be the best way to add another plate when using dimes.

Are CAP 10s crappy to use? I've read that, but they seem ok, maybe because i haven't tried other brands for pinching 10s.

[DAN PRAYDIS]

try cutting circles of cardboard and placing them between the plates try making about 5 and start there its not the weight so much but the different widths you get use to and add hand chalk to them plates some new plates are like glass good luck

That's a great idea Dan. It is hard to be patient and progress like that, but that might be the best way to add another plate when using dimes.

Are CAP 10s crappy to use? I've read that, but they seem ok, maybe because i haven't tried other brands for pinching 10s.

i noticed that most of the vids of 5 tens are standard brand they are a grey plate and mediun size 5 plates = 4 inches so i would get a set of these to do them with unless you lift the ones like sam the 5 kelo plates he can tell how wide they are good luck how wide are 5 cap plates

[jad]

I was able to do this as an afterthought to blob training. I just kept trying them at the gym and they came up one day; I think they must have been particularly dry that day as I wasn't allowed to chalk them

[lone Wolf]

I believe hand size plays a crucial factor on the 5 dime lift.My small 7 1/4" hand has a hard time across the width,4 is no problem though. some people say try 4 dimes and 1 5lb,or 3 dimes and 2 fives,and work up to the 5 tens. different for everybody i guess.

I share your pain 7 1/4" hands 4.25" palm, 3" middle finger & 2.25" thumb I can do the 4-10s with 2 fingers

but 5-10s just dont feel comfortable with it . I think Dan got the right idea I'm thinking of using 3/4" plywood or 1x10 and

make a weight out of it to get used to the hand spacing. Keep doing them with the twine though youve made it that far

[1stCoC]

The 5- 10s. came pretty quickly to me for a "SPECIFIC" reason (I think) most pinching we do is isometric(static) work and isometrics by what research I have come across ONLY develops strength in the range the isometric contraction occured. Soooo My work and success with the blob and other wide things like it set me up for getting fast results with the 5- 10s. I was able to "push it" as far as getting them with the thumb and any one single finger except the pinky. With that in mind I now understand why my narrow pinch grip has always been difficult ......................I rarely trained narrow. So, as in athletics train "sports specific" (to the task) and good results should come.RS

[1stCoC]

I forgot to add that if you take the 5 -10s and run a "light" stretch band thru them and attach the band's one end to a power rack horizontal safety bar and use an adjustable chain to attach the band to the other side safety bar you could have a "variable assist unit" that remains the same overall size as your "goal". The band keeps the plates centered,upright,and together. It can help from a few ounces to many pounds if adjusted right. The height of the bars you attach the bands to should be about 30-36" and with normal racks there is about about 42 inches between uprights, so, you have room to lift.RS

[OldGuy]

I was able to do it the first time I tried it. You will need to find 10 lb Olympic plates that fit together tightly with no gaps. I think that 7 or 8 plates is possible.

[hab34buy]

I forgot to add that if you take the 5 -10s and run a "light" stretch band thru them and attach the band's one end to a power rack horizontal safety bar and use an adjustable chain to attach the band to the other side safety bar you could have a "variable assist unit" that remains the same overall size as your "goal". The band keeps the plates centered,upright,and together. It can help from a few ounces to many pounds if adjusted right. The height of the bars you attach the bands to should be about 30-36" and with normal racks there is about about 42 inches between uprights, so, you have room to lift.RS

Thank you for the suggestion Mr. Sorin, I used something very similar in my initial training to lift the tied together plates that worked very well. I used a high cable machine with a piece of twine looped through the plates, and I then adjusted the weight to meet were I needed to be. I like the idea of the stretch band though much better, as I believe it would allow just enough movement of the plates to more closely similate the lift.

Do you think that dynamic pinch training (like the IM pinch machine... which I have) adds to this type of pinch ability? Or does it take time and energy away from isometric training? Thanks