Developing The Crushing And Healing Hand

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 16 AM:
Awesome re-inaugural rep workout today during my extended lunch break from psych (this is already pretty promising).  I keep getting more and more excited about having time to get back into all of this. Pinch will follow later tonight. 

R: 1"Block: GHP5(109) x 4, 5, 4
    MMS: GHP5(109) x 5, 4
    Click: GHP5(109) x 10; GHP6 (126) x 4, 4, 3, 3
    Paracord holds: IM2 x 18s/17s/16s
_____________________________________________
L: 1" Block: LTIM2(103) x 3, 3, 4
    MMS: LTIM2(103) x 4, 4
    Click: LTIM2(103) x 5, 8; GHP5(109) x 4, 6, 5
    Paracord holds: GHP4 x 25s/21s/18s 

This was just a great workout.  I actually have maintained quite a bit of my repping ability despite having not done any in 6 weeks now.  I was not really expecting to use the GHP6 & 5 for the clicks during this workout, but I'm glad that it turns out I needed to. I was worried about the endurance of both my forearms and my hand skin, but they held pretty well. We'll see how pinching goes later. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 16 PM:
Not a bad pinch workout.  Still super weak, but this was the first one in quite a few weeks. 

Singles: 17.5#, 25, 42.5, 53, 55.5, 58, 60.5, 63 (x,x)
Alternating high pulls: 53# x 8, 10, 10
Alternating reps: 53# x 10, 10
Holds: 42.5# x 12s/17s; 16s/12s/; 13s/13s

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 17:
KB Work: Simple and sinister: 13:24
                 Power Jerk: 53# x 5/side
                                       53# x 5/side
                                       53# x 5/side
                                       70# x 5/side
                                       70# x 5/side

I started the S&S with the goal of just sticking to the 15 min template, but I got bored resting so much during the Turkish getups and sped up a bit. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 18:
a. Weighted pullups: 53# x 3, 3, 2, 2, 1
b. Weighted ring dips: 25# x 6, 5, 4, 3, 2

a. 4-finger pullups: 7, 6, 5
b. Pushups: 10, 10, 10       These were surprisingly difficult after the ring dips which I had not done in a while. 

At this point, I decided to go bro out a bit in the apt complex gym w/ curls and dumbbell bench. 
a. Alternating curls: 30# x10, 40x10, 45x10x2, 30x16x3, 25x20x2
b. Single-arm dumbbell bench: 40# x5/side, 50x5x5; Dumbbell bench: 50x6x3

Edited May 18, 2016 by DoctorOfCrush

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 20:
Grippers
R: MMS: up to 139# then 3 attempts at 144# (~1-3mm away)
    Choked: 148# from 9mm, 12mm, 14mm, 16mm(x), 14mm (x)
    Negatives: IM3(150) x 3 singles
______________________________________________________
L: MMS: up to filed HG250 then 3 attempts at 126# (so so close)
    Choked: 126# from 16mm, 20mm, 23mm(x), 20mm x 5 singles
    Negatives: IM3(150) x 3 singles

My left hand feels so so stagnant, but I know it's mostly because I spent those 6 weeks in the surgery suck.  Hopefully the 2.5 will go down soon offhand. __________________________________
Pinch
Singles: 25# 
   42.5
   53
   58
   60.5
   60.5
   61.75 (missed L)
   61.75
   63
   63 miss R; 64.25 miss L
   63 R; 64.25 miss L
   64.25 (eh...)      Definitely broke ground but didn't hit a full lockout. 
Alternating high pulls: 56.75# x 8, 8, 8
Alternating normal pulls: 56.75# x 10, 8 (3/5)          I ripped my thumb on the L during this last set
Holds:  53# x 7s/16s; 3s/13s; 10s         My L thumb just couldn't hack it on these. 

I kind of wish I already had something like a flask.  I just have no point of reference for the numbers that I'm pulling.  At least I do now that progress is progress (60.5-->64.25). 

 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Mar 21:
Kettlebell work
Simple and sinister: 12:59
Bent press: 53# x 3/side x 2 sets; 70# x 1/side

This was the first time in a long time doing bent presses (I've only ever done them a handful of times), but I have never done the 70 pounder before today.  I stopped before getting too tired as it is pretty technique-heavy, and I like my face without a kettle bell smashed into it. Maybe that's just me. . . 

 

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 23:
Grippers
R: 1" block: GHP5(109) x 5, 5, 5
    MMS: GHP5(109) x 5, 7
    Clicks: 3, 3, 3, 1*, 3
    Paracord holds: IM2 x 27s, 20s, 19s
____________________________________
L: 1" block: LT2(103f) x 3, 4, 3
    MMS: LT2(103f) x 4, 4
    Clicks: 4, 4, 3, 1*, 3
    Paracord holds: GHP4 x 25s, 18s, 20s 
*This was just a totally crap set for both hands.  It was just one of those where nothing went right.  Really none of my click sets were going that well.  I just didn't have the power to deliver in that end range. 

Pinch: Only did my R because of my ripped L web.  Plus this was super tough after grippers. 
25#, 42.5, 53, 58, 60.5(x)
53# x5x3

I was just shot during all of this.  I think that the weekend just wasn't enough to recover from both grippers and pinch. Even though I really don't want to, I may have to go back to cycling 3 days in between grip stuff  rather than by days of the week.  I'll probably give my body 2 more weeks or so to get used to it all. 

Edited May 24, 2016 by DoctorOfCrush

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 24:
Kettlebell work
Simple and sinister: 12:25
Power jerk: 70# x5/side x3

My grip was beat during this because of yesterday.  I got really gassed because I had to focus that much more during my swings.  I had initially planned to do more after SNS, but I just didn't have the energy. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 25:
Push/Pull:
a. Weighted pull-ups: 53# x 3, 3, 3, 2, 1
b. Weighted ring dips: 25#x7, 30#x5, 35#x5, 4, 3

a. Hollow body pull-ups: 10, 8, 6
b. Hindu pushups: 8, 6, 4

a. Single arm DB bench press: 50#x7, 7, 7, 6, 5
b. Alternating curls: 40#x10, 45x8, 45x8, 50x6

I forgot how much I love hindu pushups, but they are rough. I think I may drop the weight of my chin-ups to increase the reps because I just feel stagnant. 
 

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 27:
Grippers
R: MMS:  up to 139 w/ 3 very close attempts at the 144# (~1mm)
     2 singles w/ 134#, 2 singles with 126#
     Choked: BBGM(147) at 11mm
                                            13mm
                                            15mm
                                            17mm
                                            19mm
                                            21mm
                                            23mm x, x
    Negatives: IM3(150) x 1, 1, 1 (15-18s)
_______________________________________________________
L: MMS: up to filed Hg250 w/ 3 very close attempts at 126# w/ one possible make (poor camera awareness; see below)
    Braced: 126# x 5 singles
    Choked: 134# x 11mm x
                               11mm
                               13mm x, x
    Negatives: 144# x 1, 1, 1

 

 

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 27 cont:
Pinch
Singles: 25
              35
              42.5
              53 x 1, 1
              58 x 1, 1
              60.5 x 1, 1
              63 x 1, 1
              65.5 x x, x      I got about 6 or so inches of air under this one but couldn't quite come to lockout. 
Reps: 53 x 5, 5, 5
I honestly got really tired of doing anything at this point because it was getting later in the evening and it was one of the few nights this week that my wife was off.  I just called it here. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 28:
I decided to tweak my plan a little bit to maximize my hand rest over the two days in between my heavy singles on Friday and my reps on Monday.  Instead of doing my KB training on Saturdays which, of course, drains my grip a bit, I decided to start doing some leg training and other full body stuff that doesn't rely upon grip. 

Isometric squats: 5 sets of 3
RKC planks: 5 sets of 3

So the isometric squats are a work in progress, but basically I rig it to where my legs are confined to the sticking point of the squat and I fight for 5 seconds per rep as hard as I can. I have just been curious to try them. 

The RKC planks are not your typical planks.  Instead of going for time, the goal is to contract everything in your body as hard as possible.  I ended up doing 3 10 second reps per set with 10 seconds of rest in between the reps.  These were super intense.  I'll have to try to reduce the pressure I put into my face though because I actually ended up busting some capillaries in my face during these. 

Through the instagram thread, I found more out about @David_wigren, and now I really want to up my handstand and pullup game.  I'm going to start working on some type of progression to work towards a free-standing handstand, which I have always wanted to be able to do.  I'm also going to add what I call alternating assisted pistols that I saw him do to my leg work that I want to begin doing. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

May 30:
Well yesterday was absolutely gorgeous here in east TN, so I decided to do all of my work outside for a change. 
Grippers
R: 1" block: GHP5(109) x 3, 4, 4
     MMS: GHP5(109) x 5, 5               I'll be going up next week to the HG250. 
     Clicks: IM2.5(126) x 3, 3, 3, 4, 2  My hands were just dead on the last one. 
     Paracord holds: IM2 x 28s, 24, 16   
______________________________________________________________________
L: 1" block: IM2 x 3, 3, 3
     MMS: IM2 x 4, 4
     Clicks: GHP(109) x 2, 5, 5, 3, 3   The first set was just a crap set. 
     Paracord holds: GHP4 x 25s, 20, 23   
I've decided that (a) I'm going to stop at five reps in any set and advance my gripper when all sets at a given width are 5 reps and (b) I'm going to advance the grippers I use in the paracord holds when all the sets are >25s. 

I rested for little bit after the grippers to let my hands cool down.  I spent some of Sunday re-tooling my workout plan, and the result was that I'll only be pinching once a week and moving some of my KB work around to rest my grip (on Saturday).  Now on Mondays after grip, I'll be doing some KB skill/strength training. 

Good morning stretch: 32kg x 1     I won't be doing this again.  It didn't do much for me, but I gave it a chance. 
a. Windmills: 24kg x 5, 5 
b. Chest-opening windmills: 24kg x 3, 3
c. 2-KB windmills: 24kg/32kg x 5, 5
Bent press: 24kg x 3, 3, 3
All numbers are /side. A/B/C denotes a circuit.  
2-handed KB swings: 75

The original goal was to do simple and sinister with 2-handed rather than 1-handed swings at the end, but my grip was fried, so I'll just have to work up to that.  I was seriously barely hanging onto the bell.  I may end up doing the Turkish getups first then taking more time on the swings at the very end.  I loved all the skill work though.  It was my first time doing the chest-opening and 2-KB windmills.  Those are just awesome.  

Here are the 2 KB windmills. It's a 24kg above my head and 32kg on the ground. One day I'd like to be able to do 32kg/48kg or even higher. 

 

[DoctorOfCrush]

June 1:
a. Weighted pullups: 25# x 8, 7, 6, 5, 4
b. Weighted ring dips: 35# x 5, 5, 5, 4, 3

a. FGLSR* chin-ups: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
b. Hindu pushups: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4

a. Weighted chin-ups: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
b. KB bench press: 24kg x 5/side, 5, 5, 5, 5

*This stands for False Grip L-Sit Ring chin-ups.  I made these up to give my hands a little rest during this workout.  As you'll see below I did them from the floor, and this is mainly because I did not want to adjust my ring straps because I have them at the perfect height for my dips.  I definitely had more than 5 in me, but I wanted to make sure I get a good feel for these.  Once I begin doing 8 reps/set, I'll start doing tempo reps, maybe 4-2-4. 

I really liked this workout and have decided to adhere more tightly to the principle of not going to failure.  I've been trying to push through recently with ugly reps and the like, but my best progress in the past has been through steady, smaller increments, so I'll stick with that. 

 

[DoctorOfCrush]

June 3:
Not the best. It was annoying because I certainly felt rested, but I just did not have my end range strength. 
Part 1- Grippers

R: MMS:  up to 139.  I actually missed 139 twice.  I just didn't have the top end strength.  I took one attempt at 144, but I knew I didn't have it.
     Singles: 126 x 5 singles
     Choked: 147 x 13mm, 15mm, 17mm
_______________________________________
L: MMS: up to hg250 filed.  Took 3 attempts at 126, but I wasn't all that close. 
    Singles: 109 x 5 singles
    Choked: 126 x 13mm

Ugh.  I shortened the workout a touch as I think I have honestly just been pushing my grip too hard as of late, and that's why I have made no progress. Hopefully I can make a comeback on Monday.  Pinch later tonight. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

June 3 (cont.):
Pinch - Finally got back into pinching with my L today. 
Singles: up to 63# R and 58# L
Alternating reps: 53# x10x5

I also did dynamic pinch in between sets (single smashes b/n singles and rep sets b/n reps). 

 

So ever since my gripper workout this morning, I have not been able to stop thinking about what I need to change in my workouts.  It's been a really long time since I made any progress in my 1RM.  I'm thinking that I may be pushing myself to failure too often, so I'll definitely be cutting back my workouts a little bit and adding a few things that are less strenuous like 'power sets' that I read about from a program @bencrush wrote a while back (it actually blew my mind how similar a lot of the things I do already were to his program).  I'll also be cutting a few things out like my extreme negatives.  

If this doesn't work to help me progress a little bit, I'll be looking into either RRBT or KTA, but I haven't decided which one I'd be doing yet. I'll definitely be asking for advice on this point from the forum before I purchase one. Part of me wants to jump right into one of these programs right now because of my frustration with my progress, but I'll try this first to see if I can't prolong needing these programs a little bit longer.  I know they are really tough, but gripping almost everyday sounds awesome honestly....

Edited June 3, 2016 by DoctorOfCrush

[DoctorOfCrush]

June 4:
A. Tempo squats: 50# x3x5  w/ tempo of 4-4-4
B. Janda situps: 5x5  

A. Alternating assisted pistols: 25# x10x3
B. Alternating one-legged dragon flags: 6, 6, 4

A. Isometric squats: 5 sec. x3x3
B. RKC planks: 10 sec. x3x3

Tempo of the tempo squats is 4 seconds at the sticking point, 4 seconds to go to full depth and get back to the sticking point, 4 more seconds at the sticking point, and then explosive drive to the top.  The 50# was just a dumbbell I was holding. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

June 6 AM:
I can already tell that backing off just a touch in my work on Friday (i.e. not taking my grip to full fatigue) really helped me a lot coming into today.  I did basically 1 more rep in every set compared to last week.  I also decided to just alternate my click rep sets and MMS.  Lastly, I backed off a little in the total volume and got rid of the all-out paracord holds.

R: 1" block: GHP5(109) x 4, 5, 5
    A. Clicks: IM2.5(126) x 3; GHP6(126) x 4, 4     The knurling on the GHP is so much better. 
    B. MMS: HG250f x 4, 4, 4
    Power sets: BBGM(147) x 1, 1, 1
_________________________________________
L: 1" block: IM2 x 4, 3, 4
    A. Clicks: GHP5(109) x 5, 5, 5
    B. MMS: IM2 x 5, 5, 5
    Power sets: GHP6(126) x 1, 1, 1

This workout felt so much better than the past few have.  These closes were strong.  I don't think that I have ever closed the IM2 for 5 w/ my offhand, but I was able to do it consistently today.  It looks like I'll be advancing my click set and MMS grippers with my offhand after my next workout, though I really don't like using the hg250.  I wish I had a 120# gripper.  That would be spot-on. I'll be doing KB work later. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

June 6 PM:
Kettlebells
A. Windmills: 24kgx5, 32kgx3   PR for weight and reps
B. Chest-opening windmills: 24kgx5x2
C. 2 KB Windmills: 24kg/32kgx5x2   

Bent press: 24kgx5x2, 32kgx3    PR for reps

Turkish get-ups: 32kgx10 in 7:30

Now I am really starting to want a 40kg and 48kg bell. . . 

[DoctorOfCrush]

June 7:
Kettlebells
Push press: 24kgx5/sidex3
Jerk: 32kgx5/side       I was initially going to do 3 sets here too, but I was pressed for time and wanted to get into my Simple and Sinister routine.
Simple and sinister: 32kg x 12:20.

So I filmed my 1st, 3rd, and 5th sets of 20 1-arm swings as well as my last 2 Turkish getups thinking that I would compile them into a video to show my form overall, but then I quickly realized just how boring it is to watch someone do any KB swings, let alone 60. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

June 8:
A. Weighted pull-ups: 25# x 8, 7, 6, 5, 5
B. Weighted ring dips: 35# x 5, 5, 5, 5, 4

A. FGLSR chin-ups: 6, 6, 5, 5, 5
B. Hindu pushups: 8, 7, 7, 7, 6

A. Weighted chin-ups: 25# x 5, 5, 4, 4, 4
B. KB bench press: 24kg x 6/side, 6, 7, 7, 7

[DoctorOfCrush]

June 10:
Grippers
So the workout yesterday was better than my MMS workout last week, but it wasn't necessarily great.  I'll probably give it 1-2 more weeks before I start looking into KTA vs. RRBT.  For this workout, I alternated the MMS singles and choked reps, and I really liked that. 

R: MMS: up to 139, with 3 misses at 144.   My closes were feeling VERY strong.  I just KNEW that 144 would go down again, but it just didn't happen for me. 
    Singles: IM2.5 (126) x 5 singles.     These were very focused on just slamming the handles together and holding for a few seconds. 
    Choked: BBGM (147) x 15mm
                                           17
                                           19
                                           21
                                           23    PR
                                           25(x)     I'll definitely start a bit wider off the bat next time.  Probably 19 or so. 
    Power sets: IM3 (150) x 3 singles; BB elite x 1 
______________________________________________
L: MMS: up to hg250f, with 3 misses at 126.     Same story as on the R: killing crushes and thought the 126 would go down.  
    Singles: GHP5 (109) x 1, 1, 2, 2, 2.    I was just going to focus on slamming the handles, but it felt so easy that I slammed them twice and held them. 
    Choked: GHP6 (126) x 15mm
                                          17
                                          19
                                          21(x)
                                          19(x)
    Power sets: IM2.5 (126)
 

Pinch
Singles: up to 63 on R, and 60.5 on L
Alternating reps: 58# x 8, 8, 10
    

[DoctorOfCrush]

June 11:
Legs/core work
A. Tempo squats: 35# Dumbbells x3x4, 40x3; tempo of 4-4-4-4
B. Janda sit-ups: 5x5

A. Elevated pistols: BWx5/side, BWx5, 15#x5, 15x5, 20x5, 20x5
B. Dragon flags: alternating single legs x4x5.   I focused a lot on going super slow and maximizing ROM.

A. Isometric squats: 3x3 w/ 5 sec reps
B. RKC planks: 3x3 w/ 10 sec on/10 sec off

[DoctorOfCrush]

June 13:
Grippers - Awesome gripper workout today.  My rep workouts have been getting consistently better, so maybe it will spill over into heavy single progress soon enough. I think that this largest factor in my improvement has been the power sets for sure. 
R: 1" Block: GHP5 (109) x 5, 5, 5    These reps were just dominant. These sets have never been that easy.
     A. MMS: HG250 x 5, 4, 4
     B. Click: GHP6(126) x 5, 5, 5      Setting the gripper was just so much easier, so I was able to apply my power more effectively.
     Power sets: IM3(150) x 1, 1, 1
_______________________________
L: 1" Block: IM2 x 3, 4, 4     The first set was a wash because the gripper slipped in my palm, which rarely happens.  It was weird
    A. MMS: LT2 filed x 4, 5, 5
    B. Click: HG250 x 5, 4, 4

I really am growing to hate the heavy grip gripper.  The feel of it is just off.  For some reason after using it as much as I did today my hands/wrists were achy, and that does not usually occur after gripper workouts for me.  I am STRONGLY considering getting a Silvis adjustable w/ all the bells and whistles to cover the range that gripper should soon. . . 

Kettlebells
A. Windmills: 32kgx5x2
B. Chest-opening windmills: 32kgx3x2
C. Two KB Windmills: 32kg/24kgx5x2
Bent press: 32kg x 1, 3, 4, 3     Set of 4 was a rep PR w/ 32kg.
TGU: 32kgx5/side     I did these with exaggerated pauses in the bridge position to strengthen the transition and positioning for when I have heavier KBs at my disposal. 

[avasatu]

Yo. What is a power set?