Holle It Up Dumbell.......develope Pinch Grip?

[Guest Shawn M]

In the new ironmind catalouge, I saw the loadable inch dumbell handle with the off center handle that makes it "roll" in a way compairable to the INCH dumbell. I have a few questions I hope someone can answer, much thanks!!

1) I have limited time to work on grip. Right now all I do is the COC's and the rolling thunder handle deadlifts....but I have been grappling with a huge guy that has the thickest wrists I have ever seen and he breaks right through my thumb every time. I NEED some strong ass hands! The rolling thunder does not seem to do it.....It seems to test how strongly you can cock you wrist and cradle the handle, but my thumb is still WEAK! I have the ironmind pinch block and hate it, it is too slippery, and I prefer using a 3 inch pipe...........but what about the HOLLE it up dumbell, might I be able to get the best of the pinch grip and the rolling thunder out of it?

2) How it the construction of this impliment? The RT is rather cheaply made, I was surprised.

3) All I care about is my ablility to neutralize the arms to guys I grapple with...I can crush and hold a deeply filed #2 so for a non grip maniac my crush is decent, but I still suck at thick bars and have a weak thumb.

Much thanks for ANY advice!!

[Arthur Antonopoulos]

The "big squeeze" dumbell offered by Sorinex should help somewhat in grappling as they kind of mimic the grasping of someone's arm.

Also martial artists do certain exercises, apart from using the usual weighted implements, that build up their grip to an amazing strength for their purposes.

Things like opening and shutting your hand for many, many repetitions, as fast as you can until your hand literally cramps up and it's moving at a snail's pace. This does build incredible speed and strength in the hand. Also things like grabbing the newspaper and starting from the edge, crumbling it up using one hand, going through the whole paper. Lot's of endurance type stuff, rather than any single max lifts.

There's plenty out there, that you can do at anytime, while sitting at your desk, driving your car, whatever. Isometric squeezes between your thumb and each individual finger at a time, spreading your thumb and fingers apart as hard as possible for time, there's heaps out there. Have a look around on the net and you should be able to find plenty.

Hope this helps.

[AP]

Wrap a hand towel around a dumbell to get a thick big sqeeze-type dumbell. Holds for time work best for me (Between 5-20 sec) for thickbar, supporting type stuff. You can use a pony clamp to help strengthen your thumbs.

On another note, while grip strength is always good, perhaps you are thinking about this the wrong way. Maybe you should work with your coach/sensei/sifu to develop strategies that allow you to use two hands versus one, or use movement, bodypressure to out-technique this guy. You could also try grabbing his hands and not his wrists - sometimes its harder to break free like that. But my point is you shouldn't overly rely on one-on-one wrist holds to control your opponent as they are pretty easy to break free from.

[vince]

Wrap a hand towel around a dumbell to get a thick big sqeeze-type dumbell. Holds for time work best for me (Between 5-20 sec) for thickbar, supporting type stuff. You can use a pony clamp to help strengthen your thumbs.

On another note, while grip strength is always good, perhaps you are thinking about this the wrong way. Maybe you should work with your coach/sensei/sifu to develop strategies that allow you to use two hands versus one, or use movement, bodypressure to out-technique this guy. You could also try grabbing his hands and not his wrists - sometimes its harder to break free like that. But my point is you shouldn't overly rely on one-on-one wrist holds to control your opponent as they are pretty easy to break free from.

I agree with AP here. Using different strategies are always good. Use the same thing and they will always know what to do and counter you. I like to throw my opponents off by using a lot of "contrast" everytime we spar or grapple.

What kind of grappling are you doing? Greco-Roman, or submission? If submission, why not just take him down and get into a side-mount and put on an arm bar with your legs or a shoulder lock. Or a mount where, if it were for real, you can punch him senseless.

As for the Holle it up dumbell bar, I will be getting one in a weeks time. Wanted the PDA inch handle, but they don't ship to where I live

As for the construction of it, they told me they had the handle placed off centre. Stating that you'd have to squeeze much harder to keep it from rolling out of your hand. I'm thinking, correct me if i'm wrong grip board vets, that this would cause your thumb and crush to work harder.

When I receive it, I'll post my experience with it here.

hopes this helps you.

Vince

[Clay Edgin]

You can get a really good workout for your thumb and pinch strength by using the rolling thunder. Just don't cock your wrist. Try to grab from the top of the handle so your thumb is pointing vertically, not horizontally like if you were cocking your wrist. Hard to explain, but there it is

[Guest Shawn M]

Much thanks for some really good ideas......

Sorry I posted this in the wrong place, only a few posts here and I just got my big ironmind catalouge and was up half this cold night soaking my hands in hot water and working the gripper and trying the new suggestion!

I thought several people would have tried the Holle it up dumbell, but I guess it is a very new product..........

[Guest Shawn M]

I read the thread below that and I am amazed to see such ironmind/Holle bashing.....a gimick? Would mr strossen just put a peice of total junk in his calalouge and have the brothers with the strongest hands ever put there name on a gimick? They quote the holle brothers as saying this was a cornerstone of training some of the strongest hands on the planet......but maybe I am just too trusting and stupid!

[HAMMERHEAD]

Shawn M-

You'll learn this is a tough crowd to please. Nowhere will you find a more informed consumer/gripaholic than a serious gripboard member. The amount of information that has been developed and shared on this forum is staggering.

You'll notice that the Gripboard loves Ironmind just like we love PDA, Sorinex, Warren Tetting, Barbaran, and anybody else that makes serious grip equipment. However, you will see that a stamp of approval from sombody else will not satisfy the Gripboard. People want first hand info, especially if there is a question about it. You should do a search on gripper strength and ratings. You will see exactly what I'm talking about.

-HH

[Tom of Iowa2]

I read the thread below that and I am amazed to see such ironmind/Holle bashing.....a gimick?  Would mr strossen just put a peice of total junk in his calalouge and have the brothers with the strongest hands ever put there name on a gimick?  They quote the holle brothers as saying this was a cornerstone of training some of the strongest hands on the planet......but maybe I am just too trusting and stupid!

i don't think any of us were bashing the Holles -just asking some REAL questions about the products and the reason for the "name"used for some new products(Holle it upHandle)or Captains of Crush Grippers written by Strossen,kinney,nathan Holle.These two products,rushed to market have made me(and others)think?and then this has lead myself into thinking about the marketing strategy.Questions ?and thoughts?not accusations or assumptions...

I've aknowledged that they(Holles) have a great crushing grip and I have in other threads gave them big praise!I think they are crushing FREAKS Also they handle the Blob with ease. Their bending ability is also HUGE ....but apparently they haven't deadlifted an INCH replica...so one of my points is? it seems an unusual product to put their name on....as they are not great at thick bar.Others with more grip knowledge and experience than me have even questioned how this devise will 'work'or will it h'help'future INCH lifters

Also if you have seen the pics of the wrist contraption and /or hook device in M I L O you'd scratch your head too?4 pics of this device and pics of them lifting the INCH with this device...basically is NOT an indication of INCH lifting ability.in fact again-rasies questions.(basically my friends and i said "WTF?is that thing")

Also in a magazine that does NOT allow out side 'page' advertising you get into muddy water-(or you inadvertantly make the water appear muddy) when you are useing the same athletes you are "reporting"on and "certifying"and then turning around and use them to promote "your"products and then further promote same products(or new products) Suddenly? these recently certified athletes are putting their name on YOUR products...This is reason to speculate(not accuse) about the events and how and why they transpired- in this order.Again,and especially,when "your"products are the ONLY products given full advertiseing priveleges in same magazine.(Jounalism ethics 101 )

of course bodybuilding magazines utilize the same sort of marketing strategy BUT they do allow multiple advertisers and many/several companies advertise and use various athletes to OBVIOUSLY sell their products...Their ads make it pretty apparent that these body builders ARE selling something.Bodybuilding magazines are making no pretences to taking the Moral high ground.AND these same bodybuilding magazines DON'T bill themselves as superior(morally) to every other mag on the market.i.e.We arent' "another run of the mill newstand bodybuilding magazine or quirky newsletter"Nor do the bodybuilding mags seemingly?belittle message boards and forum: "And while you think its great that everyone and their brother has a chatroom or a message board,you've noticed that THEY might not be the best place to get authoritative information"(a little Psych 101 ) I think most of us have learned a lot from various forums and i certainly am not going to follow a Merle Meeter plate curling workout anytime soon...nor will I be following Steve Justas Diet plan .Also? Vodka and Pickle juice are not part of my regimine either.

Also,members of the gripboard(actually not myself)has been asking for clearer documentation(videos and more photos I think?) of the #4 close and clearer documentation of the RED bend for weeks...and none has been provided.This does NOT mean that these things have NOT occurred...just,again 'muddies'the water.Raises MORE questions...and then?,suddenly or immediately after certification a "new"book anda"new"product are announced?Here again you have "accidentally"added more reason for some of us to be vexed by these events and in some cases -all most stunned- by the order in which above events transpired.i.e.1)secret certification or at least unusual details. 2)new book being written by same athletes...was the book started before or after the cert? 3)New products in a new catalogue with same 'certified 'athletes name on these products....again,immediately following the certifications.

The above may mean nothing at all.Coincidences and ordinary series of events but you can see that when everything is looked at TOGETHER it at least makes -those of us that think there were two shooters in the Kennedy assasination -wonder about all of it or at least some of it.

Edited November 29, 2003 by Tom of Iowa2