Developing The Crushing And Healing Hand

[DoctorOfCrush]

27 minutes ago, Jedd Johnson said:

Thanks for your purchase.

If Rick's rehab section hasn't done the trick, then I strongly suggest you go back to my book and try some of my stuff as well, especially the rubber band work.  Good luck

One of the best ones I’ve made in a long time. I haven’t gone back to the ebook in about a month or so (at least not since my lateral epicondyle started bothering me), so I planned on revisiting it this weekend. Really great stuff. The stretching and light/moderate levering have been game-changers. 

[Jedd Johnson]

2 hours ago, DoctorOfCrush said:

One of the best ones I’ve made in a long time. I haven’t gone back to the ebook in about a month or so (at least not since my lateral epicondyle started bothering me), so I planned on revisiting it this weekend. Really great stuff. The stretching and light/moderate levering have been game-changers. 

Excellent to hear.

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 6/29/23:

Squats: 95kg x 4 sets of 8

For a whole host of reasons, I did not do this last night but rather this morning. That meant getting up at 5 and starting on an empty stomach. I was able to get through the squats, but by the last set I could feel the hypoglycemia kicking in as my hands and face were cold and clammy when I racked the weight on the last set. I decided to forego the deadlifts I was supposed to do (125kg x 2 sets of 8 ) for a later time, probably tonight or tomorrow morning.  I am hoping to do grippers tonight because tomorrow night when I would normally do them, the wife and I are going out to a nice dinner to celebrate our 10-year anniversary, which was yesterday, and me completing my medical training (the end of which is only 40 hours away! Friday night at midnight). 

Edited June 29, 2023 by DoctorOfCrush

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 6/29/23 (part 2):

Not much to update here except a crap gripper workout.  I really wish I had just knocked out the prescribed deadlifts instead, but I didn't want to miss my gripper workout altogether this week because I won't be able to workout tonight. I just wasn't there mentally.  It was a lot of factors like it being late at night, me not even deciding on what I was doing until right before, and me feeling slightly guilty for leaving my wife with the kids' bedtime routines when she had a terrible day at work. Regardless of what the exact cause was, my head was not in it, and my end-range strength wasn't either. I closed the GHP7 with my right and Coc 2.5 (128) with my left, but only one time each.  Missed other attempts with these grippers and others. Had nothing for my doubles and just stopped partway through. Ugh. Next time. 

[dubyagrip]

23 minutes ago, DoctorOfCrush said:

Workout 6/29/23 (part 2):

Not much to update here except a crap gripper workout.  I really wish I had just knocked out the prescribed deadlifts instead, but I didn't want to miss my gripper workout altogether this week because I won't be able to workout tonight. I just wasn't there mentally.  It was a lot of factors like it being late at night, me not even deciding on what I was doing until right before, and me feeling slightly guilty for leaving my wife with the kids' bedtime routines when she had a terrible day at work. Regardless of what the exact cause was, my head was not in it, and my end-range strength wasn't either. I closed the GHP7 with my right and Coc 2.5 (128) with my left, but only one time each.  Missed other attempts with these grippers and others. Had nothing for my doubles and just stopped partway through. Ugh. Next time. 

Remember, you'll never get weaker from a sub-optimal workout.

[DoctorOfCrush]

2 hours ago, dubyagrip said:

Remember, you'll never get weaker from a sub-optimal workout.

Woah, thanks man. Definitely needed to hear that.
 

In hindsight, I’m just glad I didn’t get myself injured when I wasn’t focusing enough. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 7/1/23:

First workout as an Attending (ha)! As of midnight, I am no longer a fellow. After 10 years between medical school, residency, and two fellowships, I am done with my medical training. I watched the clock tick over to midnight last night with a nice glass of Glenfiddich 15 in hand. It definitely has not sunk in yet. 

Double KB Press: 36kg/hand [1, 2, 3, 4]x2, [1, 2, 3] x3 (17 working sets)
Behind-the-press (press/push press): 45kg x 7/3, 7/3, 5/5

For every bit that the previous gripper workout felt bad following the deload week, this press workout felt good.  I thought about doing a third ladder to 4, but I held off. No need to get ahead of myself. Saved a little bit of gas for the BTN press. 

 

[Blacksmith513]

Congrats. That’s quite the achievement.

[DoctorOfCrush]

22 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said:

Congrats. That’s quite the achievement.

Thanks man. Feels good to be on the other side of it. It’s a few weeks until I’m on service for the first time. I’m sure I’ll be pretty anxious to be the one making all the final calls, but that’s what this was all for. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 7/2/2023:
AM
RGT: 
55kg x5 attempt (4 on left, 3 on right; assisted reps with negatives to round out 5)
50 x5
50 x5
50 x4 on R, 6 on L
45 x5
45 x5
45 x10 followed 40kg x5 thumbless drop set

PM
Squat: 
107.5kg/237lb x10 (PR)
110kg/242lb x 5 sets of 3 with 60 sec rest b/n sets
Deficit (+oly shoes, w/ straps): 100kg x 3 sets of 8

Ate a whole bunch of junk last night for dinner (pasta, bread) and woke up all kinds of inflamed in my elbows and right thumb, despite having done no direct grip or thumb work yesterday. Specifically my right thumb was really bothering me most. Played a big part in the crappiness on the morning RGT session. It just nagged me the whole time. I'm supposed to attempt more next week, but I'll probably attempt the same 55kg since I didn't get it this week. 

The squats were tough.  Based on how hard 107.5x6 felt last Sunday, I was really in my head about doing a set of 10, but it turned out ok. I felt much stronger than last week. Those limited rest triples got really tough in sets 4 and 5. I kept the deadlifts pretty light, but at least I did them.  Last cycle, I bailed on them, so this was progress. 

[Nuttgens]

On 7/1/2023 at 5:12 PM, DoctorOfCrush said:

Workout 7/1/23:

First workout as an Attending (ha)! As of midnight, I am no longer a fellow. After 10 years between medical school, residency, and two fellowships, I am done with my medical training. I watched the clock tick over to midnight last night with a nice glass of Glenfiddich 15 in hand. It definitely has not sunk in yet. 

Double KB Press: 36kg/hand [1, 2, 3, 4]x2, [1, 2, 3] x3 (17 working sets)
Behind-the-press (press/push press): 45kg x 7/3, 7/3, 5/5

For every bit that the previous gripper workout felt bad following the deload week, this press workout felt good.  I thought about doing a third ladder to 4, but I held off. No need to get ahead of myself. Saved a little bit of gas for the BTN press. 

 

Congrats man I could only imagine the amount of work you had to put in to get where you are now.

[DoctorOfCrush]

19 minutes ago, Nuttgens said:

Congrats man I could only imagine the amount of work you had to put in to get where you are now.

Thanks! Many many hours of studying minutiae and working long hours to make other people’s lives easier (attendings), and serve the patients of course. It will be nice to not get to the hospital at ~6 (or earlier) every day. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 7/4/23:
Happy 4th, everyone!

A. Flask, 2-hand: 
Warmup
65kg x5
58.75 x5, 5, 10
52.5 x5, 5, 14
B. Dips: +20kg x 2,3,4,3,2,3,4,3,2; BW x15

Strap wrist extensions: 5kg x 15, 15

I learned two things about my pinching today, one of which feels like a massive revelation (though it might be more of a "No sh!t, Sherlock" moment for those who train with other gripsters or do comps).

The first was that in my warmups for reps, I do significantly better if I prime myself with a single at the first working set weight (for instance today my last warmup was a single with 65). I already do this with squats, but it really makes the reps feel much easier if I have felt the weight in my hands. 

The second was the real revelation. I had never focused a ton on exactly how I position my hands for pinch. Part of me thought that it was better to get as much thumb meat on the implement as possible. This also stretched my thumb web out the most (and might have led to that first tear I had a while back) and extended my wrist quite a bit. The first picture below is how I previously gripped it. Today, in my second-to-last warmup I rotated my hands to the anterior aspect of the implement, and I think it made a world of difference. I could put a bit more English on the Flask, and it didn't pull on my thumb web in the same uncomfortable way. I think I could've done more than 65x5 (I chose that top set ahead of time based on progress from previous), but I didn't have time to keep pushing top sets because we needed to get going to go to my parents' pool for the 4th. I felt a lot stronger with this new grip though. 

Edited July 4, 2023 by DoctorOfCrush

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 7/5/23:

Squat: 

110kg/242lb x10 (PR)

105kg/231lb x 10 sets of 3 with 60 sec rest between

Woof. This was tough for sure, but I really like this program allows me to surprise myself. I really wasn’t sure that I could hit the reps going into this. The program calls for at least 7 reps, at most 10. Then the number you get dictates how many additional sets you do. The back off triples got pretty mental around set 6. The rest is just enough to plop down, take a few breaths, get a swig of water, and go again. I considered getting all the 110 reps and all the triples a victory, and I was defeated by the idea of the deadlifts. I had to cut it. Here’s the PR 110 set: 

 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 7/7/23:

Well, I finally did it. I CLOSED A COC #3 FOR THE FIRST TIME UNASSISTED! See below. 

Grippers

Right:
       MMS Singles: CoC 3(144) x 2 makes! +/- 1 more make, 1 miss
       MMS Doubles: CoC 2.5 (130) x 2, 2, 2 (maybe; extremely close)
       MMS Triples: GHP6 (126) x 3, 3, 5 (almost 6)

Left:
       MMS Singles: Coc 2.5 (130)x 1 make, 1 miss, 2 braced makes
       MMS Doubles: GG4 (115) w/ 2 full bumper twists x 2, 2, 4
       MMS Triples: GG4 (115) x 3, 3, 5

Even though the 3 that I closed is on the lighter side and it only matches my best RGC close, this feels like a huge jump for me. I didn't really believe I had done it when it happened, and I certainly didn't think that I would close it more than once! The video of the first close is below as well as screen shots from the subsequent possible closes. I have finally entered this area on CPW: 

[matek]

2 hours ago, DoctorOfCrush said:

 

Workout 7/7/23:

Well, I finally did it. I CLOSED A COC #3 FOR THE FIRST TIME UNASSISTED! See below. 

Grippers

Right:
       MMS Singles: CoC 3(144) x 2 makes! +/- 1 more make, 1 miss
       MMS Doubles: CoC 2.5 (130) x 2, 2, 2 (maybe; extremely close)
       MMS Triples: GHP6 (126) x 3, 3, 5 (almost 6)

Left:
       MMS Singles: Coc 2.5 (130)x 1 make, 1 miss, 2 braced makes
       MMS Doubles: GG4 (115) w/ 2 full bumper twists x 2, 2, 4
       MMS Triples: GG4 (115) x 3, 3, 5

Even though the 3 that I closed is on the lighter side and it only matches my best RGC close, this feels like a huge jump for me. I didn't really believe I had done it when it happened, and I certainly didn't think that I would close it more than once! The video of the first close is below as well as screen shots from the subsequent possible closes. I have finally entered this area on CPW: 

 

Great close man! Get that MM0!

[Nuttgens]

2 hours ago, DoctorOfCrush said:

 

Workout 7/7/23:

Well, I finally did it. I CLOSED A COC #3 FOR THE FIRST TIME UNASSISTED! See below. 

Grippers

Right:
       MMS Singles: CoC 3(144) x 2 makes! +/- 1 more make, 1 miss
       MMS Doubles: CoC 2.5 (130) x 2, 2, 2 (maybe; extremely close)
       MMS Triples: GHP6 (126) x 3, 3, 5 (almost 6)

Left:
       MMS Singles: Coc 2.5 (130)x 1 make, 1 miss, 2 braced makes
       MMS Doubles: GG4 (115) w/ 2 full bumper twists x 2, 2, 4
       MMS Triples: GG4 (115) x 3, 3, 5

Even though the 3 that I closed is on the lighter side and it only matches my best RGC close, this feels like a huge jump for me. I didn't really believe I had done it when it happened, and I certainly didn't think that I would close it more than once! The video of the first close is below as well as screen shots from the subsequent possible closes. I have finally entered this area on CPW: 

 

Congrats man 

[DoctorOfCrush]

40 minutes ago, matek said:

Great close man! Get that MM0!

 

32 minutes ago, Nuttgens said:

Congrats man 

Thanks guys! I'm closing in on it slowly but surely.  I definitely consider these deep sets, but when I look at stills of the video it's closer to an MMS than I thought. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 7/8/2023:

Double KB Press: 36kg/hand [1, 2, 3, 4]x3, [1, 2, 3] x2 (18 working sets)
Behind-the-press (press/push press): 45kg x 8/2, 6/4, 5/5
Wrist roller cooldown: 15kg x4

Nothing to write home about. Just getting the work in. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 7/9/2023:
Ugh, something was really off yesterday. I woke up feeling tired despite having slept plenty, and I did not do my morning workout like I usually would. I ate, drank coffee and water, and was still feeling sluggish throughout the morning and early afternoon. I was thinking I was either coming down with something or just zapped from working out the day prior. Now that I feel a bit better today, I'm thinking it was the latter. At any rate, my workout suffered. For back squat, I was supposed to do 4 sets of 117.5kg for 4-6 reps. Going in, I figured I should be able to hit 5-6 consistently considering I've done 122.5x4 and I just did 110x10. As I started, I still felt off, and I FOUGHT for 5 on the first set. To the point where I mildly strained my neck somehow (it's fine now). I couldn't get more than 4 reps on subsequent sets despite lots of rest (4-5 minutes). I opted not to deadlift because I legitimately thought I might injure myself (called for 157.5kg x 4 sets of 4-6). Hopefully, I can do the deadlifts tonight so that I don't totally jack up my schedule. 

Squat: 117.5kg x 5, 4, 4, 4

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 7/10/2023:

Flask, 2-hand:
67.5kg x5*
61.75 x 5, 5, 10
55 x 5, 5, 12

The 67.5 set was definitely a 'training make.' The first, third, and fourth reps were legit lockouts, but I didn't get the second and fifth reps quite to full lockout. I got them high enough that I knew I would be able to get my percentage work done. This is what I would have done on Sunday morning if I had felt up for it. I plan on doing RGT work tonight, so we'll see how much that is affected by doing pinch the day prior. 

[Blacksmith513]

On 7/7/2023 at 7:13 PM, DoctorOfCrush said:

 

Workout 7/7/23:

Well, I finally did it. I CLOSED A COC #3 FOR THE FIRST TIME UNASSISTED! See below. 

Grippers

Right:
       MMS Singles: CoC 3(144) x 2 makes! +/- 1 more make, 1 miss
       MMS Doubles: CoC 2.5 (130) x 2, 2, 2 (maybe; extremely close)
       MMS Triples: GHP6 (126) x 3, 3, 5 (almost 6)

Left:
       MMS Singles: Coc 2.5 (130)x 1 make, 1 miss, 2 braced makes
       MMS Doubles: GG4 (115) w/ 2 full bumper twists x 2, 2, 4
       MMS Triples: GG4 (115) x 3, 3, 5

Even though the 3 that I closed is on the lighter side and it only matches my best RGC close, this feels like a huge jump for me. I didn't really believe I had done it when it happened, and I certainly didn't think that I would close it more than once! The video of the first close is below as well as screen shots from the subsequent possible closes. I have finally entered this area on CPW: 

 

Sorry I missed this. Nice close!

[DoctorOfCrush]

8 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said:

Sorry I missed this. Nice close!

Thanks! It was a big day. 

[Blacksmith513]

7 hours ago, DoctorOfCrush said:

Thanks! It was a big day. 

You've really earned the title DoctorofCrush this past month.

[John Knowlton]

Nice work