Training To Close 3.5

[Jeremy C.]

I've been away from gripping for a couple of years and now I ready to crush some stuff.

My goal is to close 3.5 parallel set.

If anyone has any advise or methods that has helped them let me know.

Thanks

Jeremy

[Stew]

Work a lot on setting, maybe add in a session here and there that is just setting. If you get your set perfect the crush becomes much easier.

[Jeremy C.]

Great info, that's the kind of tips I was looking for. keep'em coming

[gm1swm]

Great info, that's the kind of tips I was looking for. keep'em coming

I've recently closed a #3.5 rated at 180 lbs MMS.

To give you background on my training, I couldn't close a #3 nearly four months ago. I've made the handles touch like twice last year but nothing consistent.

I used KTA, which took me from closing grippers around 145 lbs to closing a GHP #7 rated at 157 lbs. About five weeks of rest and I slammed a BBE rated at 164 lbs shut so hard, the handles clacked. The following week, I got Brent Barbe's RB300 in the mail and that felt literally like a #2.5. Earlier today, I shut my GHP #8 closed with a fairly wide set. After, I barely shut the 3.5 at 180...looked closed to me! LOL

I'm very confident I can close a BBE 5/8 rated at 182 next week.

What works for me is I train my grip Monday thru thursday. I do a combination of heavy singles, over crushes with a filed down gripper and negatives with a gripper slightly above my goal gripper.

I think the negatives haved helped tremendously. The key I think is choosing a gripper no more than ten pounds above your target gripper. Aiming for a 182 gripper, I will be using an MM5 rated at 189 lbs for my negatives. This allows me to get a full close on the negative and hold it longer as opposed to using something like a #4 for the negatives.

Once I stall, I am going to bang very high reps for about two weeks to strengthen ligaments...then I will take about 2-3 weeks off and hit it again. My goal is to hit my new BBGE or be close by the start of October.

This works for me...and may be completely useless for you. Just experiment, put in work, and never accept failure. If the monsters on Grip Board can do it, so can you!

Dom

[gm1swm]

any vids Gm1?

I just got back from a deployment a few weeks back and about to move into my apartment.

I will hopefully be filming closes then.

I filmed my first ccs close with a #3 awhile back. But since then, my phone or camera is usually in my locker when I do my workouts down in the armory.

[Jeremy C.]

Gm1, sounds like you have made some good gains. I'll try some of your workout ideas they sound good.

[gm1swm]

Gm1, sounds like you have made some good gains. I'll try some of your workout ideas they sound good.

They are good gains based on numbers. But really, I think it was a matter of having consistency with training as well as learning good technique. With good technique, I think anyone can unlock 5-10 pounds (based on rated grippers).

With that, I think my gains are beginning to hit a wall. I'm not one to break through plateaus by doing some outrageous workout. Rather, I'm going to do as I mentioned earlier as well as focus more on wrist strength...just bought one of those wrist enforcers from IM. In a couple of weeks when I start back up, I've mapped by next training cycle to take me up to closing at least the BBSE rated at 185. If it takes me to my MM5 @ 189, great.

There's no race. Last time I raced, I tripped and fell...skinned all the hair off the inside of my palms!

[Jeremy C.]

My goal gripper came in the mail today,IM 3.5 (rated at 172). Can't wait till Wed. (my next trainning day).

I trainned Sunday, I tried negatives that were a few pounds above what I can do, like you mentioned, I really liked that.

It seemed more beneficial than going really heavy.

I'm trainning twice a week, day 1:several sets of 3-5 reps on grippers and secret weapon, day 2: singles and negatives, i'll throw in some thumb pad and ring/pinky finger work too.

It's been a while so hopefully my grip strength will come back fairly quickly.