rbrown Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 I work in an office and most of the guys there can barely manage the trainer. I figured this was typical. However, yesterday a good friend of mine who I had told about the grippers before got the chance to try them. He has never trained grippers and has never even heard of them other than through me. However, he was able to knock out the #1, #2 and get within just over 1/2 inch with the #3. This was all without a set. I tried to then show him how to set them, but it didn't really work for him since he had not had a chance to mess around with it. I told him he had very good grip strength. Does my friend have unusual grip strength or is this type of strength more common than we might think for guys that work heavy construction? He runs an excavating company and is constantly using his hands, ect. in that capacity. He does not workout with weights ever. He weighs about 220. I figure he could get the #3 fairly quickly if he trained for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Walker Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 My brother is a heavy equipment mechanic and works with his hands for 10+ hours a day. When I handed him my grippers he could close the #1 quite easily but was a quarter inch or more away from the #2. He has very strong wrists and forearms-but was no where near a #3. Working hard will certainly build strength-but I think the guys that are that are really close to the #3, without ever touching one or even setting one, are genetic freaks. There are plenty of them out there. Heck-I saw a guy at Lowes today who's forearms would have put 90% of us Grip Heads to shame. He was carrying a 5-gallon bucket of something in one hand, and he had a couple of long boards pinched in the other-walking them out to his truck. I asked my wife if she saw that guys forearms-she looked at me like I had issues. I bet if this guy trained his grip seriously-he could be a phenom. It sometimes seems that those with medium to poor genetics are the ones who work the hardest and often achieve the most? Rick Walker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bballdad Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 Plant I work at one guy shut my #2 first time, almost my Grandmaster. Showed him how to set it. He shut it also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roark Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 Rick, I told a friend who has potential at wrist curls that he has impressive forearms, and he said something like, 'Oh great, all these sexy ladies in the gym don't even see me, and a 60 year old guy tells me I have nice forearms. I hope my day gets better later!" Issues? Observations. Forearms and calves are sometimes genetic gifts, whether or not training is involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gripenatored Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 Very interesting, indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Walker Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 My brother is 6' and about 180. He has huge thick calves and very veiny defined forearms. I have puny almost non existent calves and before I started grip training-the same was true about my forearms. I hammer my calves from all angles once or twice a week-have for years with as much as 100 rep sets-I get no growth. My brother just recently started working out, but his were huge long before he ever touched a weight. I have been grip training steadily now for almost a year! And I have only added maybe a half inch to my forearms. They are very very far from impressive. Who knows-maybe 10+ years of this and they will look as well as they will perform Rick Walker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maverick Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 I agree that forearms are a genetic thing also. I have always had big forearms, just never realized how big. When I first came to this board I got alot of heat on how big I "claimed" my forearms were. I had to post some pics to prove myself. Truth be told I never felt they were anything special. I knew they were bigger than my pears but amongst the monsters on this board I thought they would be below average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Walker Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 One thing we need to remember though: Forearm size has nothing to do with grip strength! Rick Walker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maverick Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 You can say that again, hell Im willing to say that size in general have nothing to do with grip strength. There are alot of people here that blow me away when they are able to do, I cant even imagine being that strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Van Weele Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 One of my friends has a brother who is a carpenter. Hes about 5' 10'' and 215. All muscle and a lean enough to have a very good six pack. Hardly trains. Has forearms that I would guess are 14 inch rang with veins as thick as pencils all over them. His calfls are very large and have alot of veins too. One day we worked out and after we were done I had him try some grippers in the parking lot. In 10 degree wheather no warm up, set or chalk got the #2 down to 1/8 and the #3 to under half a inch. Good genetics and hard work were responsible. Not the best performance ever on the grippers but if theres those very few we come across who knows what else lurks out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David Fralick Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 Ive taken my grippers to work (i work in a metal fab shop), and every one closed the #1 and 2 out of 4 got the #2 to about 1/2 inch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcham Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 I reckon nearly every guy who has worked with their hands for a few years could close the #1 either first try, or once they figured out how to set it. 6 people at my office closed it within a week, myself and 2 others closed it out of the bag. My little brother (who used to carry compressors around all day) closed the #1 no problem first time he tried.... my stepfather closed it easily too (he's a bulider). Personally I think the #1 is what the average level of crushing strength would have been about 50 years ago when everyone performed more tasks by hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sybersnott Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 mcham, When almost EVERYTHING was done by hand (back 50 or more years ago)... people in general were a LOT stronger grip-wise than they are today! Guys in work fields (construction, farming, hard manual labor, etc.) that use their hands everyday are a lot stronger in their grip than those pencil-pushing geeks riding a desk all day long. I weep for America the way it is now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jett Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 Reading some of these stories reminded me of a day at school once. I was in the library doing some homework or something and in walks this huge Hinkley and Schmidt guy with some water for the cooler. In both of his hands were the big 5 gallon bottles gripping them by the neck. Now at my aunts house she gets the smaller ones and I take them upstairs for her whenever Im there and she got the water delivery..., and they are a handfull to say the least. But this guy was casually walking with them, larger ones!... no problem! And this was most likely not his first delivery, he probobly went through deliveries like that all day long. I can only imagine what that would do to your grip strength! I was almost gonna walk up to him with a couple grippers to ask him to try them out... but that would have made me look weird, wouldnt it??? :stuart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 I was almost gonna walk up to him with a couple grippers to ask him to try them out... but that would have made me look weird, wouldnt it??? :stuart You are a card carrying member of the Gripboard. You are by definition, weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Piche Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 I was almost gonna walk up to him with a couple grippers to ask him to try them out... but that would have made me look weird, wouldnt it??? :stuart You are a card carrying member of the Gripboard. You are by definition, weird. How true! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 One of my brother in laws is a plasterer and was at my house the other day doing some plastering for me,dureing a break,he was looking at my grip/strongman stuff and asking about things,about an hour later my 16year old nephew came to do his daily workout,Phil my brother in law was watching him doing some bending after a warm up,when it came to the 60d nails my nephew was doing,phil asked if he could have a go,he then u shaped a 264lbs 60d 1st time unbraced,i was blown away,i offered him a harder one 283lbs which he also u shaped unbraced,but it was a struggle,i then handed him the trainer EASY,then the #1 easy no set,then i got the #'2 and showed him the set,he got it down to 1/4",he then got an RB 160ip. He is short about 1foot 7"and stocky but fat,weighs 18stone with a big beer belly,he is 43years old and has worked on the building sites since age 16years old,his wrists are almost asa big as his hand,al that plastering with the float,i guesse,he could be a very good bender having well above average wrist strength,but is not interested at all. Matt Interesting ,in that Nathan Holle is also a Carpenter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAMMERHEAD Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 I never worked construction, but years of riding BMX freestyle allowed me to no set a #1 for 3 reps when I first got my grippers. Unfortunately it took a few months before I bought a #2. -HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 Hammerhead I think this has a better carry over to bending,Pat raced Motorcross,i raced Mountain biking and downhill,my 16year olg nephew can u shape 60d,s unbraced and did Trials bike riding for years.Not saying me and my nephew are in pats league of bending,but me and my nephew are not doing to bad,piont is i feel all the bike riding especially ,motorcross,trials,downhill,bmx type realy hite and torgues the wrists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbrown Posted September 2, 2003 Author Share Posted September 2, 2003 (edited) One thing we need to remember though: Forearm size has nothing to do with grip strength! Rick Walker I tend to agree. I was very surprised that my friend could do as well as he did with the grippers; his forearms, ect. are generally not that impressive. Most I hand the #3 to just try to squeeze it and it goes no where. I'm going to try to talk him into training the grippers. I think it is somewhat of a rare thing for a person who does not train at all to be able to get the #3 to almost within a half inch with no set. Edited September 2, 2003 by rbrown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay Edgin Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 My training partner works construction and delivers firewood. When he has taken the grippers to his job sites, almost everyone who has worked there for some time has closed the #1, but nobody else has closed the #2. My partner can close the #2 and is really close on the #3, despite the fact that he touches the grippers once a month at the most. He's a half foot shorter than I am but his hands are almost a half inch longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn C Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 (edited) I visit construction sites regularly for work, and the strongest guys I have seen grip wise, are mason's tenders. Some of these guys literally spend all day pinch gripping and carrying two concrete blocks in each hand. These blocks may weigh 25-45 pounds each. I don't know how impressive this is to a veteran gripster, but I have seen a guy grab the absolute botom of a sledgehammer handle and lever it to his nose several times with ease. Edited September 2, 2003 by Shawn C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSW Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 Shawn, Are you familiar with the famous gripmaster (and former quarry worker) Slim "the hammerman" Farman? "Meeting the Hammerman" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gripmaster316 Posted September 2, 2003 Share Posted September 2, 2003 I brought my #2 to church last Sunday gave it to a couple of people. My one friend who must have had 8.5 inch hands got the #2 to 1/8, and almost got the #3 to parallel. This was the first time he played around with the 2 and 3 and needless to say I was impressed. I got him interested in training grip and I convinced him to buy some grippers. I was going to give the #2 to someone else but he commented that those "grippers are for kids!" What a laugh I had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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