David_wigren Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Doing some axle deadlifting. I'm getting more comfortable with this lift though it's still pretty new to me. I think this might be my 3rd or 4th time using it so I'm still working the kinks and how to grip the bar for optimal purchase. So far I'm loving this lift! And I definitely don't regret getting myself an axle to train with! I think I prefer the axle way more than any of the common thick bar rolling handles like the rolling thunder and such which just feel akward for me. It's also a good way to fit in a back workout without taxing your back too hard with heavy weights. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist of Fury Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 I agree about the Axle vs RT. I'm considering stop using rolling handles completely and only train with axle and with dumbbells. Then do wrist and thumb work on top of that. You should definitely use spin-lock collars when using the axle though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_wigren Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 42 minutes ago, Fist of Fury said: I agree about the Axle vs RT. I'm considering stop using rolling handles completely and only train with axle and with dumbbells. Then do wrist and thumb work on top of that. You should definitely use spin-lock collars when using the axle though! Yeah I know,the spin-lock makes it harder. There are only a few spin-locks scattered around at my gym so I've never bothered to search for them when it's time to train on the axle. I'd figure I'd just skip the locks and at contest time I'll just subtract 10 kg or so from my max to make sure the rotation isn't going to surprise me too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Browne Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Is the Axel a tube or solid bar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvance Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Good lifting, looks like a slick bar. Is it painted? The one my gym just acquired is painted - made by gopher sports (iron range/mesabi oly bars)... very slick and much harder than my apollon axle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_wigren Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 3 hours ago, Rick Browne said: Is the Axel a tube or solid bar? I think they should be hollow in most cases. This bar weighs 20 kg. If it were solid it would probably weigh alot more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_wigren Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 1 hour ago, jvance said: Good lifting, looks like a slick bar. Is it painted? The one my gym just acquired is painted - made by gopher sports (iron range/mesabi oly bars)... very slick and much harder than my apollon axle. Thank you my friend. This bar has knurling making it easier to hold on to. But it does have a slick paint so it doesn't hold chalk well. I would rather have a nonknurled bar with no paint on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geralt Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Good work David, you are shredded and still despite losing weight you still keep the same strength. Pretty amazing. I did thickbar today also, like you saw earlier on. I have a homemade one. It's a hollow steel / scaffold pipe, 2" thick. I just put it over a barbell (for 30mm plates) and my neighbour tapped three holes on both sides to screw them tight on the bar. It's only 12kg in total but still feels very solid. It's slick and holds no chalk. I think it's the cheapest solution for people who have 30mm plates at home and still want to work thickbar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikael Siversson Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Definitely my favorite thickbar lift as well. Not my best one (I am better at the Wrist Wrench) but the most fun and as you say, least awkward. Will be good to see this lift contested in Sweden for the first (at least under the umbrella of the NAGS) time in June. Noticed Kalle Lane pulled 190kg in California in competition a little while ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRabich Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 My favorite too, fuller range of motion than handles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alawadhi Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Well done,,,such a good lift! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve0 Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Great lift! I had mine made from solid steel stock. I had inside collars welded onto it. Check your local scrap yards or metal warehouses. I had an ironmind axle and sold it. I prefer the feel of the solid bar for some reason 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubgeezer Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 The Axle became my favorite implement about four years ago for some of the reasons you mentioned. I learned you can do Rolling Thunder all you want, and it will not help your Axle. On the other hand, working the Axle can improve Rolling Thunder numbers. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel O'Keeffe Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 14 hours ago, Hubgeezer said: The Axle became my favorite implement about four years ago for some of the reasons you mentioned. I learned you can do Rolling Thunder all you want, and it will not help your Axle. On the other hand, working the Axle can improve Rolling Thunder numbers. I hadn't known about this effect. I think I need to dig my FBBC axle out of storage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_wigren Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 On 28/01/2017 at 10:12 PM, Geralt said: Good work David, you are shredded and still despite losing weight you still keep the same strength. Pretty amazing. I did thickbar today also, like you saw earlier on. I have a homemade one. It's a hollow steel / scaffold pipe, 2" thick. I just put it over a barbell (for 30mm plates) and my neighbour tapped three holes on both sides to screw them tight on the bar. It's only 12kg in total but still feels very solid. It's slick and holds no chalk. I think it's the cheapest solution for people who have 30mm plates at home and still want to work thickbar. Thank you Geralt! I have certainly not kept all strength! I tried 5x5 with 100 kg squats the other day and it felt WAY heavier than it should've! I used to be able to do 5x5 with 150 kg. Now I don't think I could do 150 kg for a max single. That seems like a cool thickbar setup. Whatever works and makes you stronger is good. I was thinking about making my own axle from a 50 mm pipe. But I was able to find this axle for a pretty cheap price. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_wigren Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 19 hours ago, Hubgeezer said: The Axle became my favorite implement about four years ago for some of the reasons you mentioned. I learned you can do Rolling Thunder all you want, and it will not help your Axle. On the other hand, working the Axle can improve Rolling Thunder numbers. That's a pretty cool observation Mike. I know that training with my RT doesn't improve my RT numbers at all. So with a bit of luck lifting with the axle might improve my RT numbers which have pretty much been the same since I bought it 10 years ago 😃 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_wigren Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 On 29/01/2017 at 6:12 AM, Mikael Siversson said: Definitely my favorite thickbar lift as well. Not my best one (I am better at the Wrist Wrench) but the most fun and as you say, least awkward. Will be good to see this lift contested in Sweden for the first (at least under the umbrella of the NAGS) time in June. Noticed Kalle Lane pulled 190kg in California in competition a little while ago. Yes. The main reason why I aquired an axle is to prepare for the competition this summer. I think there's a few guys who can pull around 200 kg on the axle. Kalle, Håkan, and maybe one or two of the strongman guys. Myself considered I'd be happy to pull about 150 kg on an axle in official contest conditions this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubgeezer Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Part of the reason that the Axle works for me in improving my Rolling Thunder is that my "base" strength is not nearly as strong as many guys on this forum. Doing "heavy" Axle numbers for me, improves both my grip and my overall strength. I don't think doing Rolling Thunder actually makes me stronger, so doing an exercise that improves the muscles involved in deadlifting helps on the RT. Way back, the first time I was in a grip contest, March of 2004 (13 years ago!), I saw that EVERYONE in the contest was stronger than me, but I finished in the middle of the pack as far as the Rolling Thunder went. That was probably my first "Note to self: You need to be stronger if you want to improve your Rolling Thunder numbers" moment for me. It took me years to figure out that I could do all the grip work I wanted, but the RT was not going up unless I got stronger- - I was probably topped out on Rolling Thunder given my strength level. Someone like David W...I don't know, those deadlifts looked awfully easy for him, maybe what works for me may not work for him. My one rep max on the Axle was 92% of my one rep Oly Bar deadlift - - my best Axle is 340 in the garage, and my best deadlift is 373 in the garage. My goals for life are 360 Axle and 400 for deadlift. Pretty paltry, but, what can I say, and I don't think I can use age as an excuse, but it's not a lot of weight... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_wigren Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 On 2017-01-30 at 7:51 PM, Hubgeezer said: Part of the reason that the Axle works for me in improving my Rolling Thunder is that my "base" strength is not nearly as strong as many guys on this forum. Doing "heavy" Axle numbers for me, improves both my grip and my overall strength. I don't think doing Rolling Thunder actually makes me stronger, so doing an exercise that improves the muscles involved in deadlifting helps on the RT. Way back, the first time I was in a grip contest, March of 2004 (13 years ago!), I saw that EVERYONE in the contest was stronger than me, but I finished in the middle of the pack as far as the Rolling Thunder went. That was probably my first "Note to self: You need to be stronger if you want to improve your Rolling Thunder numbers" moment for me. It took me years to figure out that I could do all the grip work I wanted, but the RT was not going up unless I got stronger- - I was probably topped out on Rolling Thunder given my strength level. Someone like David W...I don't know, those deadlifts looked awfully easy for him, maybe what works for me may not work for him. My one rep max on the Axle was 92% of my one rep Oly Bar deadlift - - my best Axle is 340 in the garage, and my best deadlift is 373 in the garage. My goals for life are 360 Axle and 400 for deadlift. Pretty paltry, but, what can I say, and I don't think I can use age as an excuse, but it's not a lot of weight... Yeah, I definitely think improving ones overall strength will help with grip strength. If your deadlift is close to 600 lbs lbs then pulling 350 lbs on an axle is not going to be a light load taxing your central nervous system, allowing your grip to work harder and hold onto more weight. And not only that, if you can pull the weight fast to your waist, then the bar hasn't had alot of time to roll on your thumb and the lift is probably going to be easier. Lots of benefits of getting stronger overall. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubgeezer Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 One of my favorite lines from my son was at a Fit Expo contest. I talked him into competing in the Grip contest. His PR in the Deadlift is around 675. He gets the Opener at 308 for the Axle, laughs and says: "That was HARD!" I got the next weight at 330, he didn't. We have different skills. Point is, Thick Bar is not a natural skill, you have to train it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 I have always felt my back strength held back my axle. With only a 30 to 40# difference between my axle and regular bar - it was close to a 90% dead lift for me - so I felt I was struggling almost as hard doing the DL as holding on to the bar and it was as Mike said - very slow. On those occasions when my back wasn't acting up and my regular DL was up 30# or so was when I got my PR Axle lifts. I was forced to switch to Sumo years ago because of it - this actually helped with the Axle - somewhat with the DL but the closer hand spacing helped my grip it seemed. Strong all over helps with pretty much everything we do - even in grip. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steeve tremblay Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 On 28/01/2017 at 14:44, David_wigren said: Je pense qu'ils devraient être creux dans la plupart des cas. Cette barre pèse 20 kg. S'il était solide, il pèserait probablement beaucoup plus. I would like it to be full regardless of the length of the axle because mine weighs 11 pounds and it's ridiculous and anything made for the steel sport grip should be full given all the money that I put it in ;; the argument is that it would weigh approximately 3 times more and this would save space and variance for the weight put on regardless of the lift.. I am very critical but thousands of dollars deserves more uniform equipment and quality 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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