Destination:certification

[Chez]

Hey Mike,

Would you be interested in trying my training style for the #3 certification? I would be interested in working with you. Let me know. 

Edited April 6, 2017 by Chez

[Hubgeezer]

Chez, my answer right now is "no". The reason, and I am embarrassed to explain, of all people who is giving me advice right know is RJ Strossen. I had blown him off for about 8 years, but have been working with him the past 5 weeks. I don't want to talk about it right now, but it is working. And, this is disrespectful of me, and I am posting it on the world-wide web, but it almost bothers me that it is working, because I have blown him off all these years. In other words, it is working, and I don't even want to admit that it is working, because I don't know, I guess we are a stubborn bunch and we don't like to admit that we were/are wrong.

 

So Chez, thank you kindly for your offer. And, if I hit a plateau again, in say a month or two, I will take you up on your offer.

 

Sometimes I wonder if I simply worked on "my set", that that in itself would be enough to make it work. I have never studied anyone's set, paid much attention to the excellent videos on the Gripboard regarding setting a gripper (Paul had one of the best if I remember correctly), etc. I suspect mine is not the best, but old habits die hard.

 

Thanks,

 

MC Hbgzr

[Chez]

Totally understand Mike. I'm glad you are making progress. If anything every changes, feel free to message me.

[Hubgeezer]

Well, it's been two years and three months since I posted anything in my Workout Report thread. 

Today, I just have two words to say for the record:

JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY JOE KINNEY

 

Ahhh. Feel better already! I won't wait two more years before I post in here again.  Still banging away at the point of this Thread. 

[bencrush]

Are you still training with the goal of certifying on the #3? 

[Hubgeezer]

On 7/8/2019 at 9:00 PM, bencrush said:

Are you still training with the goal of certifying on the #3? 

Yes!

[Hubgeezer]

On 7/8/2019 at 11:36 PM, Hopefully said:

Did Strossens methods stop working? 

Yes and No. I stopped working in terms of frequency, and had a huge falloff. 

I was able to get as close as I had in post 2008 to being where I should have been, using Strossen's approach, which was basically like training weights for sets and reps: Lots of Number 2 work, and 2-3 reps on the 2.5, staying away from heavier grippers, not testing myself often on the 3, no negatives, etc. But that required more frequent gripper workouts. I could bomb the heck out of my hands before once a week with success, but falling out of that groove seemed to change everything. And, quite frankly, the last three years, AGE has changed a lot about me, and I have not quite figured out how things should work now. Where I first noticed it was a failed Certification Attempt in the summer of 2016, something I do not believe I have ever discussed. I honestly believed I was ready. I will post about that particular experience, and there were a number of people giving the same gripper a ride (or not attempting) including John Machnik, Clay Edgin, Martins Licis, and Ricardo Magni. I will post that story in the next week. Some of you might find it entertaining. 

[AdamTGlass]

Mike I think it’s awesome that you are chasing this goal. 

[Hubgeezer]

3 hours ago, AdamTGlass said:

Mike I think it’s awesome that you are chasing this goal. 

It’s frustrating. But I always pop back, no matter how low I sink. And I have dropped down as low as a CCS 115 close. Age: Use it or lose it when it comes to the hands...

[AdamTGlass]

9 minutes ago, Hubgeezer said:

It’s frustrating. But I always pop back, no matter how low I sink. And I have dropped down as low as a CCS 115 close. Age: Use it or lose it when it comes to the hands...

The Meta game is not the achievement of goals but the success of having and chasing them 

[Hubgeezer]

On 7/10/2019 at 12:22 PM, Hubgeezer said:

And, quite frankly, the last three years, AGE has changed a lot about me, and I have not quite figured out how things should work now. Where I first noticed it was a failed Certification Attempt in the summer of 2016, something I do not believe I have ever discussed. I honestly believed I was ready. I will post about that particular experience, and there were a number of people giving the same gripper a ride (or not attempting) including John Machnik, Clay Edgin, Martins Licis, and Ricardo Magni. I will post that story in the next week. Some of you might find it entertaining. 

The last San Jose Fit Expo Vise Grip Viking contest was in May, 2016. Not sure why they dropped it, probably because it was not a big enough draw.

I thought I was ready to Certify. I wasn't. 

Before the contest, I adequately, based on past experience, was ready enough. But the "Over 60" me needs lots more warmup than the "50 Something" me. It was my first Cert attempt in 6 years. 

Clay Edgin was to be my witness. Randy Strossen was there with his camera. My first attempt? 3/8ths of an inch off! 3/8ths of an Inch!. Second one was a bit over 1/4 inch off. Third one was a bit under 1/4 inch. Randy said why don't I try it again, as I was getting closer. What? And get 3/16ths of an inch? Naah. So it was offered to a few that were there. Riccardo Magni? Nope, he was too intent on doing well in the contest and didn't want to exert himself.Martins? The Current World's Strongest Man, that day, had weighed in at 295, said "sure". He got it to about 1/4 inch. John Machnik, who ended up winning the contest that day, gave it a squeeze. He had it a little more than 1/8th of an inch. Clay Edgin, who had already been Certified for 13 years, easily closed it - - everyone was doing CCS.

My hands were fried for the contest. The same gripper was then used for the Silver Bullet:

I held it 6.22 seconds, very low for me.

Riccardo held it 11.31 seconds, low for him.

Martins held it 19.69, he was holding it in the 20s about that era, although his grip was always improving, so maybe that was low for him. 

Machnik held it 26.50 seconds, for him a bit low.

Clay Edgin won it with 34.68 seconds, but he is Clay Edgin. 

When I got home that evening, my hands were super fried. With just one squeeze of my 2.5 as a warmup, I went for my 2010 Certification Gripper rated at 158 or 159 by Cannon. Went for it CCS. Was I close? No. But it was closer than the best of my three attempts I had that morning when I was fresh and prepared. 

So what was that gripper? 160 plus? I have no idea. Maybe I just had a bad day. The "weakest" gripper I was ever handed for a cert was a 154, in 2009. The hardest the 158/159 in 2010  - - until that May of 2016 one, which I presume, based on my end of day squeeze, was over 160. 

I believe that eventually that whole bunch who were there that day will become Certified. Not sure about John Machnik, it has been a while since I have seen him. 

Edited July 15, 2019 by Hubgeezer

[Joefrey]

Feel sorry for you. With such determination, you deserve this certification. Sure, very inspiring story. Keep up the hard work !

 

[Hubgeezer]

This is my first post here in nine months. It is the first post in over 5 years that will give any details as to what I am doing with grippers. 

I was beginning to think that I was just "too old". Grippers had not dropped much, but my overall strength was way down. My overall strength was way down because I really wasn't doing jack. Grippers hung in there to some extent, because I was always working some angle on crushing grip. 

I switched to full Go Really Grip Machine for a few months. Got better on the Go Really, but for grippers, it seemed to "maintain" the strength at best. 

About the time of the Covid crisis, I made some crushing grip changes. Aside from weight training, I work on crushing grip related gadgets 4 or 5 days a week:

 

1. High Volume IMTugs for ring finger and combination pinky/ring finger. Some #1 Tug work for Pinky. What is high volume? Oh, 800-900 reps total both hands.

2. Go Really Grip Machine. This is one or two times per week. Upon the advice of a strength legend, I do not do "overhand", do not do "underhand". I straddle the contraption and grasp the bar with both hands at the same time like holding a fire hose. I'll do 6 reps, then change hand position from left hand to right hand on top, and do six more reps. Use pretty light weights. Eight sets, moving up 10 pounds each set for the first four sets, then 5 lbs. per set the next 4 sets.  

3. The Secret Weapon. I have one of the last Kinney-made rigs, my daughter gave it to me 2002 or so. This time, I am just doing one set for the holds outlined in the John Wood/Joe Kinney book written... what 5-6-7 years ago? When doing two sets, it takes so long you dread it. With one set (holds for 3 or 4 or 5 seconds each rep, capping out at 15 reps before moving up in weight), it just is not that much, you don't dread it, and you do it every single week. 

4. Grippers once per week. Long, real long warmups. 5 reps Trainer each hand, then 5 reps Point 5,  3 reps #1, 2 reps #1.5, one rep No. 2, one rep Super 2, one rep 2.5, one rep Grand Master Hubgeezer set, , one rep #3 Hubgeezer set, one rep #3 CCS, maybe another CCS on the 3, a couple of 2.5 singles, then rep out on the Number 2 for two sets. Everything, except the two attempts mentioned, are CCS. Every rep. 

Results? Well, my 158/159 Number 3 from a failed 2010 #3 Cert gripper, this past Friday, was well under 1/8 of an inch for Hubgeezer Set, and right at 1/8th of an inch CCS. I don't think the two have EVER been that close before. That was Friday. Just a few weeks before my 66th Birthday, I am feeling pretty good about this. Maybe the most optimistic I have been in years. 

I have not had a "hand injury" in years. No negatives, maybe once a month take the 3.5 for one attempt for the heck of it.

[Chez]

Just learn to MMS and its a done deal

Edited April 30, 2020 by Chez

[slazbob]

Nice progress, Mike!

[bencrush]

@HubgeezerI love hearing that you're not only still banging away at it but making great progress! 

[Hubgeezer]

2 hours ago, bencrush said:

@HubgeezerI love hearing that you're not only still banging away at it but making great progress! 

Two things: 

1. Thank you everyone for the "Likes".

 

2. Ben, if you will remember, this entire "mission" was inspired by your article in MILO while I was nursing a swollen leg and out of commission. The name of the thread was even named after your article. You do realize that your emphasis on a CCS approach in your article has a lot to do with my turning a deaf ear towards those who have criticized me for not adopting MMS in my workouts, don't you? But, with 12 additional years added onto my life, I can tell you that the INTENSITY of working out the way I used to is simply NOT POSSIBLE when you are close to the end of seven decades. I feel fortunate to have figured out how to keep going forward without serious injury. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Hubgeezer

[Hubgeezer]

Ben, your “like” with the trophy matches Sally’s Oscar. Ha Ha!

Seriously, I remember it well; my being terribly laid up when your article came out, and starting at ground zero in bed mind you. But the body certainly was responding a lot faster WAY back when this thread began. Hell, it’s been 15 years since I met Slim the Hammer Man, and now I really am a Geezer, it’s not just a goofy name I adopted as a joke!

[bencrush]

19 hours ago, Hubgeezer said:

Ben, your “like” with the trophy matches Sally’s Oscar. Ha Ha!

Seriously, I remember it well; my being terribly laid up when your article came out, and starting at ground zero in bed mind you. But the body certainly was responding a lot faster WAY back when this thread began. Hell, it’s been 15 years since I met Slim the Hammer Man, and now I really am a Geezer, it’s not just a goofy name I adopted as a joke!

It makes me proud and flattered at the same time that you titled your log after my article!  I wish I could recover as fast as I did 15 years ago.  And I know I'm still pretty young.  45 in 21 days.  So I don't hold out great hope for my diminishing recovery ability by the time I hit 65+. 

[Hubgeezer]

I was 8 months younger than you when I got my first gripper

[Hubgeezer]

I have nothing to report. I noticed on the calendar today that this is the 16th anniversary of joining the Gripboard, June, 2004.

I never had met a "grip guy" until March, 2004 at a contest near Los Angeles. A few weeks later, Clay Edgin told me about the "Gripboard". In May, I met a fellow at another LA contest by the name of Zach Passman, eventually a Red Nail Roster bender, and a former 730 lbs. plus Deadlifter. He told me I should join, as it didn't cost anything. 

Two weeks later, I did. It was a closed forum, I had never seen it. I wanted to use a fake name, and decided I wanted to use something descriptive and humorous. I got the vibe at my first contest that I was considered old (at age 49), and I figured that because I had won the IM Hub in both contests, I was perceived as a Johnny One Note. So, "Hubgeezer" it was. Before I input it into the Gripboard, I Googled the word,  got a blank screen, no hits, and it said "Did you mean webgeezer?"

Sixteen years. Whoa...

[Hubgeezer]

This the Geezerliest Post I have ever made. I was looking forward to this year’s King Kong. Then, nine weeks ago, while walking in the dark early in the morning, I tripped on a bad patch of the sidewalk and fell down. I rolled a little, skinned a knee pretty badly, and then a day later my groin was hurting. Went to a doc after 7 weeks, he gave me drugs than did nothing, and I am waiting for a MRI or Ultrasound approval from my insurance carrier.
Except for crushing grip, it hurt to do everything, so I did Nothing. The last week, I have been able to do pinch, training for the Flask. I also have had one Grab Ball workout. But one arm lifts over 110 pounds, no can do (without serious pain) so that means no Little Big Horn or Crusher training at this point.. 

I am pretty sure it is a muscle tear, and the healing is a slow process.

The  Male Ego is such that you say “Well I don’t want to compete if I can’t be in Top Form”. Well, if one takes that  attitude, at some point in Life, you’ll never compete again.Just because you might get beat by Sarah Chappelow is no excuse for skipping the only contest that you participate in each year. What does Sarah have to do with anything? It means that for the first time over the course of about 25 contests spread over more than 16 years, I have to accept that a woman very well might beat me. It’s going to happen to everyone eventually. Yep, everyone.

As long as I am not risking serious injury, I’ll be there. 

And Sarah Chappelow is awesome.

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by Hubgeezer

[Hubgeezer]

A while back, The Gripboard dropped the “off topic” section of the Forum.

I hope no one minds that I talk a bit about something that is definitely “off topic”. Because this Forum is accessible to billions on the World Wide Web, I prefer to leave my name, as well as the person I am speaking of’s last name, out of this thread.

Four weeks ago today, I received a shocking phone call from a Northern County Coroner’s office that my brother John was found dead in his home. No foul play, natural causes, he had been deceased for a while. A retired scientist and health enthusiast, he did not respect doctors, and had probably not seen a doctor in decades.

John was perhaps the most respected moderator on Joe Roark’s Iron History Forum. My brother, unlike 99.99% of Internet posters, only reported facts. His knowledge of the Iron Game was encyclopedic, and his memory was second to none.

I am going to go out on a limb and say he was probably the only person on the planet, who, at the time of his death, could call (in alphabetical order) Bill Pearl, Joe Roark, Randy Strossen, and Kim Wood among his friends. John was a unique person, and, as Tommy Kono once said to me as he autographed a photo for a friend, “That’s your brother? He’s a good photographer.”

Years ago, when Joe Weider was honored by Governor Arnold on the floor of the California Legislature as part of “Joe Weider Day”, the normally-no-cameras-allowed policy on the floor was loosened just for that day. But, the only one who had a camera that day was my brother. After a few of his photos popped up on the Internet, he was contacted by the Weider organization for an extraordinary photo he had taken of Arnold and Weider. What was so extraordinary about it? Let me put it this way: Ever seen a photo of Arnold looking kind and loving? One shot of Arnold with Weider, Arnold appeared to be a doting son on Joe Weider. Shot by John with a telephoto lens, he was offered big bucks for it. John had an attorney friend read the contract. What did John do? He didn’t sign the contract, didn’t ask for money, he said sure, you can use it. 
 

Christmas, 1998, John gave me an IronMind Trainer. Years later, he told me “I figured you would either ignore it or really get into it.”

In 2002, I learned about the AOBS dinner from John. In 2005, I attended, three years before he did. In 2005, I took my son. At the time, my son was a drifting early 20s Slacker. My  brother’s biggest strength legacy is, in a sense, of being instrumental in the transformation of my son to a focused uncompromising confident nearly world class strength-level man. All from the simple process of lifting barbells, and the self-discovery that can come with it.

John, I miss you.

[Stephen Anderson]

1 hour ago, Hubgeezer said:

A while back, The Gripboard dropped the “off topic” section of the Forum.

I hope no one minds that I talk a bit about something that is definitely “off topic”. Because this Forum is accessible to billions on the World Wide Web, I prefer to leave my name, as well as the person I am speaking of’s last name, out of this thread.

Four weeks ago today, I received a shocking phone call from a Northern County Coroner’s office that my brother John was found dead in his home. No foul play, natural causes, he had been deceased for a while. A retired scientist and health enthusiast, he did not respect doctors, and had probably not seen a doctor in decades.

John was perhaps the most respected moderator on Joe Roark’s Iron History Forum. My brother, unlike 99.99% of Internet posters, only reported facts. His knowledge of the Iron Game was encyclopedic, and his memory was second to none.

I am going to go out on a limb and say he was probably the only person on the planet, who, at the time of his death, could call (in alphabetical order) Bill Pearl, Joe Roark, Randy Strossen, and Kim Wood among his friends. John was a unique person, and, as Tommy Kono once said to me as he autographed a photo for a friend, “That’s your brother? He’s a good photographer.”

Years ago, when Joe Weider was honored by Governor Arnold on the floor of the California Legislature as part of “Joe Weider Day”, the normally-no-cameras-allowed policy on the floor was loosened just for that day. But, the only one who had a camera that day was my brother. After a few of his photos popped up on the Internet, he was contacted by the Weider organization for an extraordinary photo he had taken of Arnold and Weider. What was so extraordinary about it? Let me put it this way: Ever seen a photo of Arnold looking kind and loving? One shot of Arnold with Weider, Arnold appeared to be a doting son on Joe Weider. Shot by John with a telephoto lens, he was offered big bucks for it. John had an attorney friend read the contract. What did John do? He didn’t sign the contract, didn’t ask for money, he said sure, you can use it. 
 

Christmas, 1998, John gave me an IronMind Trainer. Years later, he told me “I figured you would either ignore it or really get into it.”

In 2002, I learned about the AOBS dinner from John. In 2005, I attended, three years before he did. In 2005, I took my son. At the time, my son was a drifting early 20s Slacker. My  brother’s biggest strength legacy is, in a sense, of being instrumental in the transformation of my son to a focused uncompromising confident nearly world class strength-level man. All from the simple process of lifting barbells, and the self-discovery that can come with it.

John, I miss you.

Great post! Thanks for sharing.

[bencrush]

My sincere condolences.  I'm very sorry to hear of your brother's passing.