Question for old guy

[hublifter]

Old Guy, you mentioned in another thread, that you closed the number three by working with it isometrically over a period of time. My questions are, how many times per week did you do this and how many sets of holds did you do? Thanks.

[OldGuy]

Hublifter, here is what I did and continue to do. Six days a week and 2 or 3 times a day 1 rep each hand. One closure with the #1 held as long as I can even after the handle starts to open up. The same thing with the #2. With the #3 I squeeze has hard as can and hold it for several seconds at the sticking point and continue to squeeze as it opens. Now that I have closed the #3, I am also doing one intense rep with the 4. The volume is low with this routine and the frequency is high. Once a day might be enough, depending on your recuperative abilities.

I have a high frequency routine with the Inch style handle too. Starting with a weight I can do a full deadlift from the floor with, I do one rep each hand every day adding each day 1/2  lb. to the bar. So far after 14 days of adding weight I have been able to fully lift the bar with either hand.

[Guest Euclid]

OldGuy, when are you going to get certified?  What are some of your other grip accomplishments?  Thickbar lifts, pinching, etc.?

[OldGuy]

I will get certified if the mood do do so ever comes. I am bored with grippers and only continue to use them in my routine out of habit. My best grip related and thickbar lifts are, and not all can be done currently.

Rolling Thunder 255 lbs.

Pinch grip plates 75 lbs , with 3 1/2'' block also 75 lbs.

Dumbbell 2 3/8'' handle  286 lbs.

Wristroller 1 3/8'' non knurled smooth roller 200 lbs.

Suitcase lift with EZ-curlbar legs kept straight no assist from free hand 300 lbs.

Conventional deadlift Olympic bar 585 lbs.

#3 gripper held shut for 12 seconds.

#2 gripper closed inverted either hand.

So not bad for a guy in his fifties, but not good enough for me to claim the title of grip or thickbar Grandaddy.

[gazza]

OLDGUY

NICE LIFTS,WISH I COULD DO THEM POUNDAGES AT 41,NEVER MIND 50 SOMETHIN YEARS OF AGE!

THE 286 LBS,ON A 2.3/8 BAR,IS HUGE,HAVE YOU EVER LIFTED

AN INCH REPLICA,IF SO WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS NEEDED

ON YOUR PLATE LOADER TO ACHIEVE THIS!

I ALSO NOTICE THAT YOU DO ROUGHLY 30LBS LESS ON THE ROLLING THUNDER,ASSUMING THE ROLLING THUNDER THAT YOU USE,IS 2.3/8",DO YOU PUT THE 30 LBS DIFFERANCE TO THE HANDLE REVOLVING.

IF ONE DAY I GET TO THE POUNDAGES THAT YOU,YOURSELF ARE USEING ON THE THICK BARS,I WOULD BE PROUD TO BE CALLED THE THICK BAR GRANDADDY,YOU MIGHT THEN BE CALLED THE THICK BAR GREAT GRANDADDY!

[jimwylie1]

Wow 130kg on a 2 3/8” dumbbell!  I’m sure that blows away even the thick bar daddy’s best effort.  Steve, haven’t you done about 115kg?  Oldguy, pity you don’t have a Millennium dumbbell at hand as I think you stand a real chance of being the first to deadlift it.

Garry, Interesting observation concerning Oldguy’s rolling thunder lift being less than his effort on the dumbbell.  This is the opposite for me.  In fact I’m about 50kg down on Oldguy’s thick bar dumbbell lift – amazing!!

[mobsterone]

He's done 286 on a 2 3/8ths handle and I have done 259 on a 2 and 1/2 inch handle.

Mind you we need now is a wag to suggest proof is required and we'll have another 1800 plus hits thread.

Jan 18th target is 300 on a 2.5 inch handled bell.

[Guest 115-1005574997]

sorry for being that wagg steve but it would be kinda nice to see the pics

not that im saying your a liar (before anyone puts words in my mouth or suggests thats what im saying!)

its always nice to see big lifts (a la Chris James amazing series of thick handled lifts) and give you the credit you deserve

[Roark]

OldGuy and Mobsterone,

Is each of you referring to a deadlift while the

dumbell sits on the floor at the feet, or are you referring

to a lift like the RT where not as much bending over

is required?

And if you are referring to the latter, how much can you

lift in the former on the bar sizes under discussion?

Thanks.

[OldGuy]

Sorry but the 286 was a typo. It should have been 186. I have only just reread my own post. I only count it as a lift if it is a full deadlift from the floor and the bar comes up straight and clean both ends leaving the floor at once.

[OldGuy]

With the RT, I clip directly onto a 12'' high loading pin. The lower the starting point of the lift the harder it becomes. Also I do not use the hand pushing on thigh and pretty much keep my legs out of the lift.

[mobsterone]

Joe somewhere on the gallery there's a pic of one lift I did some time back.

Mine has the dumbbell on the floor and I will lift it to knee height and place it onto a couple of phone directories. The next single will be off the floor, knee height and back on the floor. The GT is four singles with occasional holds if the weight feels heavy. I did 112 kilos plus the handle (about 255 pounds) and rod today.

On the Rolling Thunder (and the dumbbell) I will have the hand or elbow on knee at all times and like Old Guy I like to keep the legs as straight as possible. Its also rare for me to stand all the way up except when getting close to a comp or record lift as I am sure that, for both myself and Old Guy, the weights are way short of what we can 2 hand or partial deadlift and I'm testing my grip and not lower back strength.

That said I will stand all the way up for the January attempts with hand or elbow on knee/s as above as this will be a record attempt.

Quick Post Script: I differ from Old Guy In that I actually prefer one end to come up from the floor first. It suits me and I get a lot more weight that way as we saw, with others using the same form, at the Iron Grip comp. I think Gazza got five more Kilos that way as did others.

[Roark]

OldGuy,

I suspected a typo. Otherwise the RT and dumbell

lift did not compute.

Steve,

Thanks for the added details.

[OldGuy]

I agree with Steve's points. There is a difference between

lifting in competition and training. When I first started to workout with the Inch style handle, all I had in mind was to find out what it felt like to hold 172lbs. My son trained with me at the time , so it became a race to 172. We started at 120 and worked out once a week on Sunday. My son quickly figured out the best way to lift the most weight and I copied him. So we used our legs, pushed on the thigh with the freehand and picked the dumbbells up backend first. Amazingly we both arrived at 172 at the same time. After that. I dropped the weight down to 150 started over and became a purist only using strict form. When I train with the RT I do singles adding weight until the load will not leave the floor. I only care about standing fully upright when I want to see what I can lift that way. I train RT, Inch stlye , pinchgrip and suticase lifts all in the same workout. This is tough, if I was a competitor taking part in old farts who still have it contests, I would do these lifts on seperate days and specialize more.

[gazza]

OLDGUY

EVEN WITH THE TIPO,YOU STILL HAVE THE MEASURE OF ME ON THE THICK BAR.

YOU MEAN STRONG OLD FART!

[OldGuy]

I would trade my thickbar ablity and being able to close a #3 for a good pinchgrip!

[paul valpreda]

OldGuy,

Do you perform plate curls in your routine? If so, how much weight do you use? Those are some impressive numbers in your thick-bar training.

[OldGuy]

I am a little afraid of plate curls. I do not like having my fingers bent back. I have tried it with a 25 lb plate and decided not to include them in my routine The thought of them being done with a 45 lb plate staggers me.

[paul valpreda]

I agree with you OldGuy. Being able to perform a plate curl with a 45 lb plate is a staggering feat. I love doing plate curls in my routine. I have strained my fingers as you mentioned, by having the plate bend them back. Luckily, every time this has happened, I healed from it quickly. I think curling a 45 lb plate is one of the most impressive demonstrations of finger and wrist strength. How do you train your pinch grip?

[Guest Euclid]

OldGuy, how long have you been training grip?  Were you ever a powerlifter or olympic lifter?  What size paws you got on those arms?

[OldGuy]

Training grip, about 2 years. Training in general about 40 years. I once weighed 135 lbs. at my present height and have been as much as 280. Never competed in weightlifting except with myself and the weights. I am not that strong for a man my size but for my age I would say I am ( I am no Odd Haugen) My hands are wide and a fraction under 9 '' long with a span of 10 1/2''.