Secret Weapon

[Jörg Keilbach]

Who has experience with the Secret Weapon? How was your Training looking? What were the results?

[Jared Goguen]

I don't have a secret weapon but I do have Pops Grip Machine with the Crushbooster which is pretty much a secret weapon but based around short bands instead of a loading pin of weights.

I feel like its been very helpful in my training. It's great for doing heavy negatives and I like the feeling of the bands.

[Gary Gray]

I also have the Pops Grip Machine with the Crushbooster and like it very much.

The Crushbooster is just like the secret weapon. However you are not just limited to the use of just bands. You can also attach a short chain to the Crushbooster handle, attached to a loading pin and use weights.

[Jared Goguen]

I also have the Pops Grip Machine with the Crushbooster and like it very much.

The Crushbooster is just like the secret weapon. However you are not just limited to the use of just bands. You can also attach a short chain to the Crushbooster handle, attached to a loading pin and use weights.

True, I just haven't done that. Between the red, purple and green bands its more then enough resistance.

[Geralt]

I think it can really work. In my opinion though the 'black widow' of grip implements, it is very easy to get yourself injured with this one. I have a homemade one.

I have used it but used it wrong. too heavy and frequently. It is a training device that is for more experienced users imo. I used it to soon for progression to the #3. I think it can be useful for the more experienced gripsters but

for working up to the #3 I think using 'just' grippers is enough.

Some guys work on overload and force the hands to adapt. Other get injured. I used it to do holds for time. Adding weight each workout.

I think a plateloader can give you the same benefits. also hand placement is very important for the right carry over.

Jedd has an interesting post from years ago. Maybe you can do something with it.

http://napalmjedd.blogspot.nl/2007/07/specs-for-secret-weapon.html

Edited December 2, 2014 by Geralt

[CANCRUSHER]

It can be great but most guys dont even know how to grip it let alone how to train with it.

[EJ Livesey]

I have one. It gets less use than my grippers. And we know how little my grippers get used.

[shartak]

I have a homemade device, too and I totally agree with Geralt. Only for the experienced.. too easy to get injured

[Jared Goguen]

I have a homemade device, too and I totally agree with Geralt. Only for the experienced.. too easy to get injured

How so?

[acorn]

I used to have one that I built a few years back but sold it due to lack of use. I did use it consistently for a few months and saw some progress. For me the trade off between chance of injury and what I was getting out of it was a bad ratio so I stopped using it. I have other methods I like better to do negatives or accentuated eccentrics which are lower injury risk. They use modified grippers though.

- Aaron

[Raziel_AUT]

I also have to agree to Geralt.

As you see in my profile picture i have a homemade one. (I can hang it into my powerrack )

When i first tried that find out i started with negatives...and it didn´t felt good.

So i only use ist from time to time and then i do time holds or some micro reps (open it 5mm and close it again)

Gabriel Sum a COC 3.5 has destroyed his fingers with that thing.. as far as i know.

It´s sure a powerful tool, but it has to be used wise and everybody has to find out how to best work with it.

(We are all little different ) -> my opinion

[JoshW]

Gabriel sum injured himself on the secret weapon using only 17kg on it

[Jörg Keilbach]

I think it can really work. In my opinion though the 'black widow' of grip implements, it is very easy to get yourself injured with this one. I have a homemade one.

I have used it but used it wrong. too heavy and frequently. It is a training device that is for more experienced users imo. I used it to soon for progression to the #3. I think it can be useful for the more experienced gripsters but

for working up to the #3 I think using 'just' grippers is enough.

Some guys work on overload and force the hands to adapt. Other get injured. I used it to do holds for time. Adding weight each workout.

I think a plateloader can give you the same benefits. also hand placement is very important for the right carry over.

Jedd has an interesting post from years ago. Maybe you can do something with it.

http://napalmjedd.blogspot.nl/2007/07/specs-for-secret-weapon.html

Thanks Gerald, but i already have one.

[Chez]

I currently do negative holds with the Pop's crust booster and an extended handle adjustable gripper. They are very dangerous and I would never recommend them to a novice. I do 10 second holds and increase the resistance very slowly to be more careful.

[PeterSweden]

Gabriel snapped tendons in both of his pinky fingers if I remember correctly!

I saw a new vid of him the other day!

He can Do some thickbar now without serious pain

Edited December 2, 2014 by PeterSweden

[PeterSweden]

Gabriel sum injured himself on the secret weapon using only 17kg on it

Ok?

But its not 17kg in his hand, its far out on that long arm/handle which makes it much heavier in the hand.

Im never using one of those!

Scared of injury, that's why I stopped bending too

[EJ Livesey]

Gabriel sum injured himself on the secret weapon using only 17kg on it

Mine is 3x the weight on the pin. So if his is like mine it's actually 51kg

[hellswindstaff]

I have one... but never really liked it.

[Geralt]

John Mccarter trained a lot with it. He has a lot of experience with it. You could ask him. He is a bit busy right know, but maybe he checks the board out now and then. You could also check out his YT channel.

[Juha Harju]

I have one and I like it. When I trained hard for big grippers then I did lot of negatives with it.

[JoshW]

The way he put it he said it felt really light but still caused punctual pressure injuries on the nerves. Gotta be safe with that tool!

[John McCarter]

When I used the Secret Weapon, it was the number one thing that helped me to certify on the #3; I was driven to certify back then. Every time I used the machine, instead of just putting on 1.5 or 2 lbs, I would sometimes put on 5 or 10 lbs, the weight never stayed the same when I used it. I really cannot cover the full range of how I trained on it here, check out the video I made a few years ago. What I'll say is that I always gripped the handles the same way that I held a hand gripper to have the same affect. My handle was never filed for btr training, but I did take a little off about a month ago (maybe 3mm).

The great aspects was being able to increase my crushing strength through the use of negatives, but I did have a good base foundation before I started using negatives.

The downside to using the machine (this is only my opinion), you have to combine it with actual hand grippers. Say you work grip 2 times a week, one day would have to be with the S.W. and the second day devoted to actual gripper use. The reason for this suggestion, you can lose gripper strength if you don't use grippers. To get good at something/anything, you actually have to use the thing that is in relation to what you are going after.

Using the machine can injure you. Build up a small base of using negatives (3 at first but not all out, attempt 3-5 seconds). Suggestion of where you could start out weight wise would be 45-50 lbs. If that seems too much, lower it.

[slazbob]

The beyond the range factor with the SW was the whole purpose of the machine- why Joe built it.

I'm not sure how Gabriel hurt himself; using anything can hurt you...but I wouldn't let that stop you from using one. Any gripper can hurt a tendon...

[Jörg Keilbach]

Thanks guys! I am not planing to use it in the near future. I will wait until i am sronger. At least till i can close a heavy 2,5. Then i would do holds first and progress to negatives. But i will only will let the Hands open till the handles are parallel.

[Jared Goguen]

I still don't under how a grip machine is any different then any other weight or equipment. Anything can hurt you if you misuse it or over use it.

I'm far from experienced, been using my machine for a few months without injury.