Interesting Labor-related Grip Feat

[jad]

A guy I know, that is <150# and has tiny hands, has this bone crushing grip. It's not on the Dave Morton level but he's got tiny hands so it's amazing and he's the type of guy that I know isn't trying to hurt you. So the other day I asked him what he did for his amazing grip. He told me nothing but that he used to install thermo-insulated glass in commercial settings and it was pretty hard on his grip. He demonstrated the clamp or thumbless pinch grip position and said he was constantly picking very large sheets of glass like that, all day. He said the oldtimers used to have this grip feat before people used pliars and gloves and it went like this: You would use a "fletcher"(??) to cut a 1/4" strip or whatever size all the way across the top of this sheet (I think he said 132") and then you used your ungloved thumbs and index fingers (key pinch) to snap it off in one clean piece. He said he laid his thumb open the first time he tried but could do it after an oldtimer showed him how. He said it took a lot of practice and a ton of thumb strength. He went on to say that they all use gloves and pliars now and the skill level/pay level required for the position is nowhere near what it was. Anybody work with glass or heard of this before?

Edited March 19, 2009 by jad

[Grippster]

Before power tools a mechanic had to work MUCH harder with their hands. Often times the bolts were rusty - very rusty - and you were pulling with full force on a wrench all day long. Plus the engine parts were all iron and fairly heavy, so you built strength carrying them around as well. The more advanced we become the weaker we're going to get. It's guys like us who work out and focus on functional strength that keeps humanity from becoming weak. I know several people who could not close an HG100.

[Mark]

My father owns a car dealership. And though we really have a not so good relationship except for the occasional training talk, I work there when he needs extra help. Well I brought along my grippers and let one of the mechanics see them. He almost closed the number 3 on his first attempt, probably after less than a month of training he would close it. He never lifted and only did the mechanic work. My dad closed the number 2 his first time. I will say the strongest my hands ever were was when I spent 5 weeks buffing cars for 7 hours a day 5 days a week.

[Grippster]

wow, probably all he'd need is a proper set and the #3 would be closed. This happens to a lot of people, such as Ronnie Coleman who don't have experience setting.

[rico300zx]

Who needs to set if your strong enough!