A Proposal

[bseedot]

This post actually began as a response to this thread so please refer to that if my first sentence doesn't make sense.

http://www.cyberpump.com/gripboard/index.p...t=ST&f=1&t=3472

I agree with Steve about the examples used by KJM. And even if they weren't grip specialists they still may very well be anomalies. We can all cite exceptions and individuals who fall at the extreme fringes of the bell curve. The sample population with which we have to work is very small and incomplete in this sport, which is a consequence of its newness and the fact that nobody has begun collecting/analyzing data.

Another indication that this sport is so young is the relative strength of its competitors- and here I'm talking about those who have actually competed in a contest. The grip experience of most of the competitors is quite limited and you'll find that the variance of weight gripped from best to worst is even larger than that of a small local amateur powerlifting meet. So at the start, even the data collected may not be the best, but it's better than nothing and we must start somewhere.

So here's what I would like to see happen and, being a number geek, I'll gladly enter the data and put it into a readable format:

The grip contests we've had to date have used age/bodyweight/gender formulas. What data do you think should be collected of its contestants going forward, including age, bodyweight, and gender? For example, I would choose wrist-to- middle fingertip length and perhaps finger length. What else do you think may be a factor to consider that may give someone an advantage, or someone a disadvantage, in grip contests?

Going forward we can get these data from contestants and start assembling a pool of data, which I'll gladly do. As the sample size becomes larger and larger we'll start to see a bell curve develop for the different variables examined and for the different events contested. This is not something that will provide immediate results and answers. It's very possible that we may be looking at a time span of 5-10 years before we start seeing statistically significant data but, again, we must start somwhere. Better to start now than later- the time will pass either way.

What do you think?

BC.

[bencrush]

Brian, I think the idea of gathering data regarding hand length, etc is wonderful and it will be quite interesting to see just what the bell curve does look like after a year of data gathering. Maybe you can start the process this year at the Super Grip? Good luck

Ben Edwards

Edited January 25, 2003 by bencrush

[gazza]

Go for it Brian,anything that can help us all in the long run is fine by me.

Hows the strongman events coming along

[KJM]

Brian,

My post was in response to Tom's post in which he cited examples of large guys having the stronger grip. I do not accept the conclusion that my examples are necessarily anomolies or outliers on the bell curve. I could have cited at least another 5 people off the top of my head which would have resulted in a statistically significant amount of the total certified COCs. I do not own all of the issues of Milo but would guess that the last two years COULD be representative of the first 10.

A good place to start with your analysis would be with the Captains of Crush section of past Milo magazines. In almost every case, the height and weight of the certified individual is posted in the article. While your data will be limited, less than 100 individuals, you will begin to see a pattern develop as more and more people get certified.

It's an interesting concept because there is obviously no clear cut indication that bw correlates positively with grip strength.

Regards,

Kevin

[bseedot]

Hi Kevin. I'm not saying that your examples are necessarily anomalies either, but they may be. The examples Tom used may be anomalies too. I used your examples to make my comment because I wanted to show my impartiality. I would love for your examples to provide conclusive evidence that bodyweight doesn't matter. Unfortunately, at this time, I don't think that there's a large enough sample size to say one way or the other, so anomalies can't be ruled out.

I only subscribed to MILO for a couple of years so I'm limited in that regard. But you're right, gathering COC data (height and weight) would be a start. Actually, I have a friend who I'm pretty sure has most MILO's. I contact him and see... Thanks.

BC.

[EricMilfeld]

Here's something to keep in mind. A list of CoCs and their bodyweights would only supply a correlation of data, and not necessarily a direct cause and effect relationship between bodyweight and grip strength. How about this: what can an individual, while training his grip with equal intensity, perform at various bodyweight fluctuations?

[Guest IrNLifter]

Well being a numbers guy myself and reading through this I come to one conclusion....the sample is too small to extrapolate or interpolate, there just isn't enough data points yet....But anecdotally, i have met very few skinny, pencilnecked guys with great grip strength, accessed, naturally, by handshake....and yet I have also met many large guys with terrific handshake pressure and yet they failed to close the grippers...now I just started with this testing in the last few months, but geez, how many guys do you know? how many of them have strong hands in a subjective sense? and how many of them can we test with the #2? When I first recieved the #2 I closed it immediately, once with each hand, now Randy Strossen says that's rare, when I asked him how rare he didn't have quantifiable data....you all wanna make a random sample out of the people we know, work and train with?

Then we can get the height weight and other data and start to put some meaning behind all the hype??? Anyone game to try this?