Thickbar Experiments

[OldGuy]

Tonight I trained with my 3'' thick dumbbell handle. I used the new collars that make the plates and handle one solid unit with no rotation. Without the collars I had lifted 140 lbs. With them also 140 lbs. I did not notice any difference. My son using the scoop and brace method raised 170 with either hand demonstrating that with this method you can lift a lot more.

[Roark]

What is the sccop and brace method?

[The Mac]

Oldguy,

What can your son lift with the conventional method? (forgive me if you have said before) That would be the only way to prove more can be lifted in that style.

[OldGuy]

The scoop and brace method is to just yank the bar up backend first with a thumbless grip bracing against the inside of the plates with the forearm. My son can lift 120lbs lifting the bar without the forearm touching the plates and with both ends leaving the floor together. That is with a 3'' handle. I call it scoop because the hand is cupped. I too can lift far more using my son's method.

[EricMilfeld]

That scoop method must require great wrist strength!?

[OldGuy]

I imagine that it does require good wrist strength. There again my son is not yet 18 and has had little time to develop strong wrists unless he is a natural. To me the scoop and brace method is just a way to lift a lot of weight with a thickbar. I prefer to treat it as feat of grip strength and not lift that way.

[Jonathan McMillan]

After all the discussion about preventing plate rotation it's interesting that you didn't find a percepible difference. Perhaps there's a certain wt when it will become apparent??

Jon@han

[mobsterone]

I'm surprised that u needed to test the theory at all. With my methods including occasional thumbless (so-called scoop and brace used at the Irongrip 2002 with 83 kilos etc) well described here I'd have thought testing would be unneccessary.

Hardest is straight level and thumbless, then with thumb, then tilted without thumb then tilted with thumb. There, now no one never need test the idea again

[OldGuy]

The only thing I was testing, was the difference between rotating and non rotating plates. I train with my son and as he uses what I call the scoop and brace and I don't . I could not help but note the differences.

[mobsterone]

I thought u had done some work with the new PDA like (your own version if memory serves - i do read ur posts) collar?

[OldGuy]

I have recently been using collars that stop rotation, and used them on my 2 3/8'' and 3'' thick dumbbell handles. Like I said I was surprised that it did not make any difference as to how much I could lift compared to before when the plates and handle were free to turn. The difference lifted between my RT handle and the non revolving handle of the same size is enormous.