Douglas Carney Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 9 hours ago, Douglas Carney said: ... After six rounds of Pull, Bize, and Trize Day with thick bars, I wasn't sure if my grip was fried out or fired up ... but progress is progress. Speaking of progress: 1. The 3" grips felt better than last time but my left hand is still stronger than my right on open hand lifts. 2. I got my two reps back on the 4' x 2" lat bar pulldown. 3. I went up 1 1/2lb on Super Bar Reverse Curls and still got my ten reps. 4. I did an extra set of Hoerbel Curls with the next heavier dumbbell (40lb) and got eight reps. Point is...I think I knocked some of the rust off and I'm getting things back on track. For me, thick bar helps the overall grip journey. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 10 hours ago, Douglas Carney said: Inch Series Re-Test 02-07-2024 After six rounds of Pull, Bize, and Trize Day with thick bars, I wasn't sure if my grip was fried out or fired up. So I decided to do a re-test of a scaled down version of that Inch Dumbbell series that @Ben Helms posted to his Instagram a week or so ago. For me, it's still just the “Coke Can – Kettlebell” (116.8lb) and Gods of Grip Baby Inch Dumbbell (145.2lb) with a half Iron Grip 90. But at least I got a decent lift on my first attempt. Ideally this would be a nice clean lockout with a brief pause at the top, but progress is progress. Musical Inspiration: "Snap" by D.R.I. (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles) from the album "Dealing with It!" released in March 1985. That was great Doug... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 8 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said: That was great Doug... Thanks Joe! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 New York Krusher Spring Experiment 02-08-2024 Since I was able to crush five springs right away, I went on Amazon and bought the beefiest springs I could find that were the saame length as my current springs. (https://www.amazon.com/Prime-Line-Products-SP-9629-Extension/dp/B00E7PU37Y) Plenty to work on now because the best I could muster tonight was four small springs and one new spring. Two of the new springs is a bit too much right now... Musical Inspiration: "Dead Weight Falls" by The Unseen from the album "State of Discontent" released in May 2005. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matek Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 8 hours ago, Douglas Carney said: New York Krusher Spring Experiment 02-08-2024 Since I was able to crush five springs right away, I went on Amazon and bought the beefiest springs I could find that were the saame length as my current springs. (https://www.amazon.com/Prime-Line-Products-SP-9629-Extension/dp/B00E7PU37Y) Plenty to work on now because the best I could muster tonight was four small springs and one new spring. Two of the new springs is a bit too much right now... Musical Inspiration: "Dead Weight Falls" by The Unseen from the album "State of Discontent" released in May 2005. That was cool, Doug! Looks like you need stronger springs (or you can try extending your arms) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 8 hours ago, Douglas Carney said: New York Krusher Spring Experiment 02-08-2024 Since I was able to crush five springs right away, I went on Amazon and bought the beefiest springs I could find that were the saame length as my current springs. (https://www.amazon.com/Prime-Line-Products-SP-9629-Extension/dp/B00E7PU37Y) Plenty to work on now because the best I could muster tonight was four small springs and one new spring. Two of the new springs is a bit too much right now... Musical Inspiration: "Dead Weight Falls" by The Unseen from the album "State of Discontent" released in May 2005. Thats great.. Its good to have both strong and weak springs to work up to the heavier one. One word of caution and i'm not joking... When holding the Krusher the other way (spring down) Be VERY careful performing sets it doesn't get to close to your crotch. If your wearing jeans its probably ok.... But loose fabric. I've had a couple close calls.. And all I can think of is the scene from "Theres Something About Mary"... Except this would be 2000x worse. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 3 hours ago, matek said: That was cool, Doug! Looks like you need stronger springs (or you can try extending your arms) I've got five of those heavier springs. Barely budged two of them, so I posted this video instead. Plenty of room for me to increase the resistance... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 3 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said: Thats great.. Its good to have both strong and weak springs to work up to the heavier one. One word of caution and i'm not joking... When holding the Krusher the other way (spring down) Be VERY careful performing sets it doesn't get to close to your crotch. If your wearing jeans its probably ok.... But loose fabric. I've had a couple close calls.. And all I can think of is the scene from "Theres Something About Mary"... Except this would be 2000x worse. Note to Self: Never, EVER hold the Krusher upside down. Got it... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 2 minutes ago, Douglas Carney said: Note to Self: Never, EVER hold the Krusher upside down. Got it... Just wanted to give you a “heads” up. It seriously almost happened a couple times though. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 6 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said: Just wanted to give you a “heads” up. It seriously almost happened a couple times though. ... uhm yeah, I appreciate the "heads" up. Thankfully I haven't gotten into variations yet because I wanted to try out the new heavier springs first. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 2” Axle, Chains, and Shackles – Complete Setup FAIL 02-09-2024 Know I'm weak off the floor and feel like grip is not my limiting factor in axle deadlifts. So I wanted to test my grip at lockout by going as heavy as possible at the top of the lift. Would have helped if I had made the leader chain for the shackles the correct length. They never moved! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knowlton Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Way cool Doug. Nice Deadlifts 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 24 minutes ago, John Knowlton said: Way cool Doug. Nice Deadlifts Thanks John! Going forward, I think I can use a regular barbell for deadlifts (to save my hands for other grip exercises) AND incorporate more leg exercises that don't tax my hands (like squats, lunges, hip thrusts, etc). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knowlton Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Lunges will kick your a$s. But still deadlifts are fun 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 1 hour ago, Douglas Carney said: Thanks John! Going forward, I think I can use a regular barbell for deadlifts (to save my hands for other grip exercises) AND incorporate more leg exercises that don't tax my hands (like squats, lunges, hip thrusts, etc). I forgot about lunges. Maybe I’ll give those a go too. Just looking to not neglect the power body. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 1 hour ago, Blacksmith513 said: I forgot about lunges. Maybe I’ll give those a go too. Just looking to not neglect the power body. Yeah...I'm thinking goblet squats as a main exercise with some single leg work like lunges while holding dumbbells and/or stepping up on a plyo box while holding dumbbells as accessories. Problem is I like deadlifts, single arm lifts, etc better than squats, so I've been prioritizing that stuff. Probably more accurate to say I've been avoiding squats. But I rationalized it by saying that axle, saxon, rolling handles, and V-bar are competed...squats are not. Anyway...the point is I clearly need to target my legs because there's no logical/acceptable way they should be the weak link in my deadlift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 Krusher Finisher 02-13-2024 Typically if I have a little time at the end of Pull, Bize and Trize Day; I'll throw in a few sets of Skull Crushers. But today I decided to mix it up and do as many reps as possible with my York Barbell Krusher. Heaviest set was one big spring and four small springs for twenty reps. Decent pump after...so it seems like the Krusher Finisher is a keeper. Musical Inspiration: "Bounce" by System of a Down from the album "Toxicity" released in September 2001. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 -----NON GRIP RELATED----- Gave up beer for Lent. On a related note, based on watching "Avengers: Endgame" and "Thor: Love and Thunder"...swapping 12oz curls for 20kg curls will probably help my goal to lean down a bit. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 10 hours ago, Douglas Carney said: -----NON GRIP RELATED----- Gave up beer for Lent. On a related note, based on watching "Avengers: Endgame" and "Thor: Love and Thunder"...swapping 12oz curls for 20kg curls will probably help my goal to lean down a bit. Can't it be both? Cool video with the Krusher. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 10 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said: Can't it be both? Cool video with the Krusher. I wish it could be both, Joe! hahaha Thanks for the Krusher compliment. Still need to branch out more like you with different movements. For example, I started doing the Archer Pull with the Chest Expander but I could be doing curls, extensions, raises, etc. Just working it in little by little. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 Coming up on ten weeks out from Maryland's Strongest Hands on April 27, 2024., so I'm looking over last year's results (yet again) and re-assessing my current Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats: Ironmind Apollon's Axle Double Overhand Deadlift Top four lifts last year were 160KG - 170KG. But I keep beating my head against the wall trying to lift 333lb with my axle. Simple answer is I'm weak off the floor and need to introduce ME work with a regular barbell to hit my legs more than my hands (to avoid over-training). Sorinex Saxon Bar Deadlift 3" side This one is tricky due to the rounded edge of this bar compared to my Arm Assassin bar. But on the plus side I hit a huge (for me) personal PR at Heavy Hands in September of last year. Bottom line is all I can do is keep putting in the work and mixing in 2" x 5" Napalm Nightmare lifts. The rounded edge is going to affect everyone's numbers. Ironmind Silver Bullet Hold For my skill level (or lack thereof), I ideally need to be able to do at least four seconds with a CoC #3. But I still have some trouble setting a #2.5. And @Vinnie and @stranger will probably go for a #4. Simple answer is I've been slacking on grippers and need to prioritize them. Otherwise I'm going to lose a lot of points here. Grip Medley The way this event was scored, the big differentiator was being able to lift one or more of the ten point items. Ex. There was a Fat Man, Inch dumbbell, shallow hub, and 100lb plate pinch that were worth more points. None of these are easy feats, but I know I need to tighten up my blob game and keep chipping away at the Inch. These two may be my best chances at ten points. I'm weak on hubs, so frankly I'm working on making sure I nail the International 45 in the regular portion of the medley. Hopefully there's carryover to the York shallow hub. Finally, I have a pair of York 100s but haven't done anything except use them with my deficit loading pin. I need to start doing negatives or something to work up to pinching these. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stranger Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 3 minutes ago, Douglas Carney said: Coming up on ten weeks out from Maryland's Strongest Hands on April 27, 2024., so I'm looking over last year's results (yet again) and re-assessing my current Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats: Ironmind Apollon's Axle Double Overhand Deadlift Top four lifts last year were 160KG - 170KG. But I keep beating my head against the wall trying to lift 333lb with my axle. Simple answer is I'm weak off the floor and need to introduce ME work with a regular barbell to hit my legs more than my hands (to avoid over-training). Sorinex Saxon Bar Deadlift 3" side This one is tricky due to the rounded edge of this bar compared to my Arm Assassin bar. But on the plus side I hit a huge (for me) personal PR at Heavy Hands in September of last year. Bottom line is all I can do is keep putting in the work and mixing in 2" x 5" Napalm Nightmare lifts. The rounded edge is going to affect everyone's numbers. Ironmind Silver Bullet Hold For my skill level (or lack thereof), I ideally need to be able to do at least four seconds with a CoC #3. But I still have some trouble setting a #2.5. And @Vinnie and @stranger will probably go for a #4. Simple answer is I've been slacking on grippers and need to prioritize them. Otherwise I'm going to lose a lot of points here. Grip Medley The way this event was scored, the big differentiator was being able to lift one or more of the ten point items. Ex. There was a Fat Man, Inch dumbbell, shallow hub, and 100lb plate pinch that were worth more points. None of these are easy feats, but I know I need to tighten up my blob game and keep chipping away at the Inch. These two may be my best chances at ten points. I'm weak on hubs, so frankly I'm working on making sure I nail the International 45 in the regular portion of the medley. Hopefully there's carryover to the York shallow hub. Finally, I have a pair of York 100s but haven't done anything except use them with my deficit loading pin. I need to start doing negatives or something to work up to pinching these. Well, I have good and bad news. Good news is you'll definitely place higher than me this year Bad news is I got hurt last week so no comps or training for a little while. Best of luck to you Doug, I'm sure you'll kill it! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 1 minute ago, stranger said: Well, I have good and bad news. Good news is you'll definitely place higher than me this year Bad news is I got hurt last week so no comps or training for a little while. Best of luck to you Doug, I'm sure you'll kill it! OH NO!!! So sorry to hear that Chaz. Hopefully nothing major and you make a full & quick recovery, brother. Was really looking forward to hanging out again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knowlton Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Sounds like a fun contest, good luck. I am sure you will do GREAT. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 16 minutes ago, stranger said: Well, I have good and bad news. Good news is you'll definitely place higher than me this year Bad news is I got hurt last week so no comps or training for a little while. Best of luck to you Doug, I'm sure you'll kill it! sorry dude. hope you get well soon. Doug, hes right you are going to kill it this year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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