Chez vs The MM8: Whatever it takes

[Chez]

The grade 8 is a great bend, congrats!

Thanks Gerry. I know my technique is horrible. My bends are never pretty. I spent the last couple days watching videos of the best benders and I'm going to really work form and stretch like a mad man so I can get my hands and elbows higher.

Tonight I hit light legs. I concentrated on form and getting nice and low on squats and front squats. I wanted to feel a nice stretch and full range of motion.

Back Squats

Warm ups

135 lbs = 10 reps

185 lbs = 5 reps

Working

205 lbs = 4 sets of 5 reps

235 lbs = 2 sets of 5 reps

Front Squats

- I have very little experience with these so I went light and very deep ATG to learn the movement.

95 lbs = 3 sets of 8 reps

Calf Raises

- I did these on a stair using only my body weight (I'm pretty heavy anyway ). In the upcoming weeks I'll start holding a dumbbell to add weight.

4 sets of 30 reps

Note: I'm loving having a power cage at my house. So much better than driving to a gym and waiting for equipment to free up. Especially since my school gym gets crowded when all the sports teams use the weight room.

[Chez]

I'm still alive! I haven't done any strength training in over a week. Its been a really rough week for me. I had an assignment due Thursday afternoon that took way longer than I thought it would. I was in the library to 3am Wednesday night with 4 other students trying to figure out how to complete it. I went home rested for 2 hrs and then kept working on it until 4:30pm Thursday (it was due at 5 pm). After that I took a shower, ate dinner and then slept for 5 hours.

I promised Andrew Durinat that I would be at his wedding in West Virginia (I live in NY) and the wedding was taking place at 12:30 pm Friday. Ya, crazy! I started driving at around 12:30 AM Friday and got to the hotel at 9:30 AM. I went into beast mode and downed energy drinks. I texted Andrew that I would be at the wedding no matter what and I meant that. When I make someone a promise I do whatever I gotta to make sure I keep it. The original plan was to start driving Thursday morning so I would be rested and fresh for the wedding. Some times in life things don't go as planned. I did what I had to do and got to the wedding on time. Partied all day and night Friday. Woke up and got back to NY Saturday night.

Today I had 3 members from the gripboard over for a training session: John (Wojo), Nate (anwnate) and Brian (matrixsleeper). We trained grip for 3 hrs and then went out for lunch. I didn't write everything down but we trained every aspect of grip (check their logs for all the events that we trained). Here are the 2 main highlights for me:

Grippers: I got 5 reps with my GHP7 with a GHP block set and missed the 6th by a hair. I got 2 reps with the GHP7 with the GHP block set left hand. I'll send Wade a cert video as soon as I buy a caliper.

Bending: I finally bent my first Red Nail Double Overhand in ironmind pads. Wasn't even going to try it because I was exhausted since this was the very end of the workout but all the guys encouraged me so I gave it a shot and it went down:

Note: I'm so tired. I have no idea how I made it through this week. Some how I pulled it out. Training will resume on regular basis this week.

Edited October 15, 2012 by Chez

[KRC]

Lol! Awesome post and way to kick ass despite the circumstances. When I get back to NY next summer I gotta get down to train with you and your crew!

[daniel reinard]

Kick *** Chez! Total beast mode. Knew the red would go down for you. Glad the guys made ya do it. LOL. And all after a crazy week. Impressive. Keep bending those reds and grab yourself another cert! Chez is the real deal.

[Broly]

Chez, that was probably the sickest grip workout I ever had! Awesome work on the Red too bro, was cool to see it in person. After seeing all your grip tools My Xmas list has grown quite a bit.

[bubba29]

nice write up chez and an impressive end to a tiring week.

[Chez]

Thanks fellas. I'm having a blast. Loving the training and friends that I meet on this journey.

A little late night bicep work. My back was pretty sore after that long grip session Sunday so I decided not to give it a separate workout this week. Its not pain just muscle soreness all way from my lower back to upper traps. Soreness is good because it means growth and strength are coming.

Olympic Bar Bicep Curls

warm ups

45 lbs = 15 reps

65 lbs = 12 reps

Working

87 lbs = 8 reps

92 lbs = 8 reps

97 lbs = 8 reps

Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curls

32.5 lb DBs = 4 sets of 12 reps each side.

Note: A friend from school is suppose to come by to work Chest, Triceps and Shoulders. I'll try introducing him to grip but I won't exert myself. I still need to recover before my next grip session.

[Chez]

My friend came by today and we hit Chest and Triceps at my house. Wanted to hit shoulders but workout went long so I cut it after tris. First time working out with this guy. He hasn't been lifting consistently lately but he worked really hard and pushed through extra reps. Good intensity level.

Bench Press

Warm ups

135 lbs = 10 reps

185 lbs = 5 reps

Working

215 lbs = 5 reps

227 lbs = 5 reps

232 lbs = 5 reps

237 lbs = 5 reps

Incline Bench Press

185 lbs = 8 reps

190 lbs = 8 reps

195 lbs = 7 reps

200 lbs = 4 reps

Lying Triceps Extensions with EZ Curl Bar

55 lbs = 10 reps

65 lbs = 10 reps

75 lbs = 8 reps

1 Arm Overhead Triceps Extensions

31.5 lbs = 10 reps each arm

31.5 lbs = 8 reps each arm

31.5 lbs = 8 reps each arm

[Adam Moyers]

How far are you from the DC area? I'm moving there in June and will be looking for some people to train grip with sometimes.

[Chez]

How far are you from the DC area? I'm moving there in June and will be looking for some people to train grip with sometimes.

I'm pretty far from Washington, D.C. I think its about a 5 hr drive. I wish more grip guys lived closer. We are kind of spread out across the world. I'm lucky that I found a couple of guys within 1-1.5 hrs to train with. One of them is moving away next year which stinks. I have been trying really hard to get people in my immediate area interested in it, but I haven't been very successful. We are definitely a rare breed. If you're into steel bending, I think Mike Rinderle lives close to there (Hes one of the best at steel bending). He also use to compete in grip, but I'm not sure if he stills trains it.

[Broly]

I use to think Arm Wrestlers were hard to come by locally but Grip guys are even harder to find. Chez just glad you live within that 1.to 1.5 hour mark from me or else I would know NO ONE that does grip! Grip, bending and armwrestling are Burlly Man activities, we don't care how we look, we do what we do because we can!

[Adam Moyers]

For some reason I thought Rindo lived farther away. But if he still lives in Odenton, MD he is only 32 miles away. I will definitely have to visit him and bend some stuff. If I'm ever around New York I will have to hit you up. None of my current training partners have any interest in grip, bending, or feats of strength.

[Shoggoth]

For some reason I thought Rindo lived farther away. But if he still lives in Odenton, MD he is only 32 miles away. I will definitely have to visit him and bend some stuff. If I'm ever around New York I will have to hit you up. None of my current training partners have any interest in grip, bending, or feats of strength.

And a short drive into PA is Parris and Mike K. I think Parris is the only one aggressively going after grip stuff right now though.

[Chez]

I use to think Arm Wrestlers were hard to come by locally but Grip guys are even harder to find. Chez just glad you live within that 1.to 1.5 hour mark from me or else I would know NO ONE that does grip! Grip, bending and armwrestling are Burlly Man activities, we don't care how we look, we do what we do because we can!

Very true. I think its even harder to find men interested in these activities if you live in a metro area like we do. Guys in city like areas are use to office jobs and have less experience working with their hands. A lot of men in this area go to the gym and body build or work on their abs to look good on the beach (I lifted like a body builder for years and still include volume in my workouts). I have showed some guys in this area grip and they were immediately worried about damaging the skin on their hands. They use gloves for barbell movements in the gym. The country guys grew up working with their hands. I think that is why you see guys more interested in pure strength training in those areas.

Edited October 18, 2012 by Chez

[Chez]

For some reason I thought Rindo lived farther away. But if he still lives in Odenton, MD he is only 32 miles away. I will definitely have to visit him and bend some stuff. If I'm ever around New York I will have to hit you up. None of my current training partners have any interest in grip, bending, or feats of strength.

Definitely, you are always welcomed to come train if you're in the area. I'm always looking for people to train with.

[daniel reinard]

Yeah Mike Rinderle is like a 30 min drive from DC. He doesn't train grip per se but he is currently bending alot. He just does grip when contests pop up that he can attend. He has found he slowly gets better at grip by just bending alot.

[bubba29]

I use to think Arm Wrestlers were hard to come by locally but Grip guys are even harder to find. Chez just glad you live within that 1.to 1.5 hour mark from me or else I would know NO ONE that does grip! Grip, bending and armwrestling are Burlly Man activities, we don't care how we look, we do what we do because we can!

Very true. I think its even harder to find men interested in these activities if you live in a metro area like we do. Guys in city like areas are use to office jobs and have less experience working with their hands. A lot of men in this area go to the gym and body build or work on their abs to look good on the beach (I lifted like a body builder for years and still include volume in my workouts). I have showed some guys in this area grip and they were immediately worried about damaging the skin on their hands. They use gloves for barbell movements in the gym. The country guys grew up working with their hands. I think that is why you see guys more interested in pure strength training in those areas.

I see the exact same thing in my globo gym and wonder what the hell they are protecting. who do they think they are...george costanza? men need rough, strong hands that can rip open lobster claws.

Edited October 18, 2012 by bubba29

[Chez]

I totally agree Chuck. My hands took a beating when I first started grip training, but I knew I had to endure it so they would toughen up and allow me to increase my workload. Its just a different mentality.

Today I hit Shoulders and grippers.

Seated Barbell Overhead Press

Warm up

95 lbs = 10 reps

Working

135 lbs = 8 reps

145 lbs = 6 reps

150 lbs = 5 reps

150 lbs = 5 reps

- felt a little weak on this today. I think I'm still recovering from my last chest and triceps workout. I also haven't been hitting this movement consistently. Oh well, next time.

Seated Dumbbell Side Laterals

22.5 lb DBs = 3 sets of 10 reps

Rear Dumbbell Laterals (lying face down on 30 degree bench)

13 lb DBs = 3 sets of 12 reps

Grippers - reps are MMS/pararrel unless otherwise noted

Right Hand

Warm ups

COC #.5 = 10 reps

COC #1 = 5 reps

COC #1.5 = 3 reps

GHP 5 = 2 reps

GHP 6 = 1 rep

GHP 7 = 1 rep

Working

165.3 lb rated BBE = 1 rep

174.6 lb rated GHP 8 = 1 inch block set rep. PR! Widest I have closed the GHP 8. See video below. Training for the HOSS #3.5 cert and GHP cert 8

174.6 lb rated GHP 8 = 1 inch block set rep again. Feeling strong

165.3 lb rated BBE = 2 reps

165.3 lb rated BBE = 2 reps

159.6 lb rated RB 330N = 5 reps

Left Hand

Warm ups

COC #.5 = 12 reps

COC #1 = 7 reps

COC #1.5 = 2 reps

COC #2 = 2 reps

COC #2.5 = 1 rep

COC #3 = 1 rep

Working

159.6 lb rated RB 330N = 1 rep

165.3 lb rated BBE = 1 rep

Atomgripz quad band = 1 rep

Atomgripz quad band = 1 rep

153 rated COC #3 = 2 reps

GHP 6 = 5 reps

Here is the GHP 8 close with the 1 inch block set:

Edited October 19, 2012 by Chez

[anwnate]

1:49...That was 1.25 set (easily). GHP #8 cert before you blink. Nice!

[wojo]

Nice PR! They seem to be flowing lately

Not to hi-jack your log.....but remember I keep telling you that I worked with a guy about 6 or 7 years ago who arm wrestled but I couldn't remember his name and that he used to try and talk to me about grip training, but I didn't appreciate it at the time because I wasn't into grip training yet? I finally came across a Youtube video of him and recognized him....his name is Paul Walther...a past or even current (?) national champion. I think he lives in North Carolina now....I'm gonna try and find a way to reach out to him....I'm sure he's a wealth of knowledge.

[Chez]

1:49...That was 1.25 set (easily). GHP #8 cert before you blink. Nice!

Thanks dude. Hopefully. I have to fight for any progress I make with this gripper, but I'm feeling great lately.

Nice PR! They seem to be flowing lately

Not to hi-jack your log.....but remember I keep telling you that I worked with a guy about 6 or 7 years ago who arm wrestled but I couldn't remember his name and that he used to try and talk to me about grip training, but I didn't appreciate it at the time because I wasn't into grip training yet? I finally came across a Youtube video of him and recognized him....his name is Paul Walther...a past or even current (?) national champion. I think he lives in North Carolina now....I'm gonna try and find a way to reach out to him....I'm sure he's a wealth of knowledge.

Thanks man. Its strange, I always plateau for weeks and then all of sudden PRs start flowing like wine. I gotta ride the hot hand while it last. That is awesome that you tracked down the AW guy. Arm wrestlers are crazy strong......I found that out the hard way . I sure hes going to have great tips. Nate: aren't you moving down there (North Carolina) or am I getting my states mixed up. My memory sucks lately.

[anwnate]

Yup...that's the lead state as of now (Triangle area). Maryland (Frederick) and New Jersey are still in the running, but less likely.

[Chez]

Yup...that's the lead state as of now (Triangle area). Maryland (Frederick) and New Jersey are still in the running, but less likely.

I'm kind of hoping you pick New Jersey. That way you will be close enough to come train. If you move away, you will be missed big time. Not easy finding #3 closers and Blob 50 lifters to train with around here. Plus you're kind of cool

I hit Pinch tonight for a quick session.

2 Hand Pinch on the Euro

Warm ups

60 lbs = 10 reps

95 lbs = 5 reps

Working

130 lbs = 4 sets of 5 reps.

- This setup is still slick and sharp. I will get around to sanding and seasoning it soon.......Hopefully. I keep saying I will and I never get around to it. I felt pretty strong on this tonight. I had to resist adding another set and hurting the old thumb webbing. I'll just add 5 lbs next week.

Loadable Blob

Warm ups

26.5 lbs = 1 set of 5 lifts each hand

Working

36.5 lbs = 3 sets of 3 lifts each hand

IM Hub

Warm up

27 lbs = 1 set of 3 lifts each hand

Working

39.5 lbs = 3 sets of 2 lifts each hand

- Still not great at this event, but I'm feeling more comfortable on it. I think I found a good way to really dig my fingers into it tonight.

Extensors

IM Red Band = 5 sets of 30 reps each hand.

[Chez]

I am getting creamed by school lately. Stayed up late last night and worked through the day to finished an assignment before the deadline. Argh.........I celebrated finishing the assignment with a leg session on my power rack at home tonight.

Squats - Focused on form and going deep

Warm ups

45 lbs = 10 reps

135 lbs = 10 reps

185 lbs = 5 reps

Working

205 lbs = 5 reps

215 lbs = 5 reps

225 lbs = 5 reps

230 lbs = 5 reps

236 lbs = 5 reps

241 lbs = 5 reps

Lunges - just using body weight

2 sets of 8 reps on each leg

Calf raises - Standing on a stair with feet half off and using body weight

4 sets of 30 reps going slow, controlled and deep on each rep. Focused on feeling the stretch.

Note: I just received my digital caliper in the mail. Even though tomorrow isn't suppose to be a gripper session, I'm going to record a GHP 7 cert video and send it to Wade. I'll also do some bending and wrist work tomorrow if I have time.

[John McCarter]

I am getting creamed by school lately. Stayed up late last night and worked through the day to finished an assignment before the deadline. Argh.........I celebrated finishing the assignment with a leg session on my power rack at home tonight.

Squats - Focused on form and going deep

Warm ups

45 lbs = 10 reps

135 lbs = 10 reps

185 lbs = 5 reps

Working

205 lbs = 5 reps

215 lbs = 5 reps

225 lbs = 5 reps

230 lbs = 5 reps

236 lbs = 5 reps

241 lbs = 5 reps

Lunges - just using body weight

2 sets of 8 reps on each leg

Calf raises - Standing on a stair with feet half off and using body weight

4 sets of 30 reps going slow, controlled and deep on each rep. Focused on feeling the stretch.

Note: I just received my digital caliper in the mail. Even though tomorrow isn't suppose to be a gripper session, I'm going to record a GHP 7 cert video and send it to Wade. I'll also do some bending and wrist work tomorrow if I have time.

Looking good man. The level 7 is going to be nothing for you.