Douglas Carney Posted April 23 Author Share Posted April 23 (edited) Quick update from yesterday...I was talking with a manager and our boss during lunch and the topic of working out, home gyms vs the gym at work, etc came up. So I mentioned grip and Maryland's Strongest Hands this weekend, etc. Think if I bring in some grippers it would be a huge hit because people seem curious/interested. I mean...I'm more into blobs but grippers seem easier to carry on the metro train to work. hahaha Edited April 23 by Douglas Carney 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 23 Author Share Posted April 23 3 hours ago, Douglas Carney said: Quick update from yesterday...I was talking with a manager and our boss during lunch and the topic of working out, home gyms vs the gym at work, etc came up. So I mentioned grip and Maryland's Strongest Hands this weekend, etc. Think if I bring in some grippers it would be a huge hit because people seem curious/interested. I mean...I'm more into blobs but grippers seem easier to carry on the metro train to work. hahaha Had breakfast at the work cafeteria this morning and grip came up with a different manager (after he asked about anyone's plans for the weekend). He thought having grippers in my office was an awesome idea. Seems like I need to send @cannon a couple dozen grippers to rate so I can leave a few duplicates at work. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knowlton Posted April 23 Share Posted April 23 Hey Doug, that's how it all starts, a few grippers on your desk. A few people interested, next thing you know you'll have Friday gripper contest. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted April 23 Share Posted April 23 11 minutes ago, John Knowlton said: Hey Doug, that's how it all starts, a few grippers on your desk. A few people interested, next thing you know you'll have Friday gripper contest. I should do the same. I’m in construction but I rarely meet people that I think would actually be good or even interested in grip. there’s this tiny 115lbs Vietnamese dude doing floors for us right now as I type this. He’s got the forearms of someone 200lbs. He looks about 70, chain smokes and doesn’t speak any English but I’d love to see him try a gripper. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 23 Author Share Posted April 23 4 hours ago, John Knowlton said: Hey Doug, that's how it all starts, a few grippers on your desk. A few people interested, next thing you know you'll have Friday gripper contest. 4 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said: I should do the same. I’m in construction but I rarely meet people that I think would actually be good or even interested in grip. there’s this tiny 115lbs Vietnamese dude doing floors for us right now as I type this. He’s got the forearms of someone 200lbs. He looks about 70, chain smokes and doesn’t speak any English but I’d love to see him try a gripper. Definitely going to do it... Seems like a fun team building kinda thing to do! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 24 Author Share Posted April 24 NON-GRIP RELATED Trying to keep my little (step count up/calorie count down) streak going this week so I can continue to fit into that suit. So far, so good... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knowlton Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 good work 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 24 Author Share Posted April 24 4 hours ago, John Knowlton said: good work Thanks John! Now that the weather's getting warmer, it may be easier to fit in stuff outside with the kids to keep my activity level up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 Two days and wake up before Maryland's Strongest Hands. And I'm finding it difficult to take time away from grip training this week. For example, Tuesday I really wanted to take some grippers to work after the conversation I had at lunch on Monday...but it didn't seem like a good time for an informal demonstration/competition. And that night, we had the Scouts doing tug-of-war as one of our activities...but I skipped the "boys versus dads" rounds because I knew that rope would fry my hands. So I'm stuck mentally strategizing and visualizing my lifts. Not nearly as fun as actually lifting... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtwpg Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 1 hour ago, Douglas Carney said: Two days and wake up before Maryland's Strongest Hands. And I'm finding it difficult to take time away from grip training this week. For example, Tuesday I really wanted to take some grippers to work after the conversation I had at lunch on Monday...but it didn't seem like a good time for an informal demonstration/competition. And that night, we had the Scouts doing tug-of-war as one of our activities...but I skipped the "boys versus dads" rounds because I knew that rope would fry my hands. So I'm stuck mentally strategizing and visualizing my lifts. Not nearly as fun as actually lifting... Yeah, I could see where people at work want you to show that you can close a heavier gripper and you just have to go "Next week. Next week." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 1 hour ago, Douglas Carney said: Two days and wake up before Maryland's Strongest Hands. And I'm finding it difficult to take time away from grip training this week. For example, Tuesday I really wanted to take some grippers to work after the conversation I had at lunch on Monday...but it didn't seem like a good time for an informal demonstration/competition. And that night, we had the Scouts doing tug-of-war as one of our activities...but I skipped the "boys versus dads" rounds because I knew that rope would fry my hands. So I'm stuck mentally strategizing and visualizing my lifts. Not nearly as fun as actually lifting... you will be fresh for the weekend. smart to skip tug o war 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 50 minutes ago, kurtwpg said: Yeah, I could see where people at work want you to show that you can close a heavier gripper and you just have to go "Next week. Next week." Yeah...our boss was like, can you close a 250 gripper? So he sounded familiar with them at least. I have an old light Heavy Grips 250 that's 105 RGC. Got pretty close to Table No Set with that one the other day when I was checking to see how much hand strength I lost in my right hand. So if he meant Heavy Grips 250 I'm probably ok. Was thinking about taking in a straight up IronMind set from a Guide to a #3. If any of them close the #3 without any training or experience, I'll buy them a beer and bring a #3.5 next time. hahaha 44 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said: you will be fresh for the weekend. smart to skip tug o war Thanks John! It was hard to sit on the sidelines though... Maybe we'll have to do a rematch at a future Scout meeting so I can participate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtwpg Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 58 minutes ago, Douglas Carney said: Yeah...our boss was like, can you close a 250 gripper? So he sounded familiar with them at least. I have an old light Heavy Grips 250 that's 105 RGC. Got pretty close to Table No Set with that one the other day when I was checking to see how much hand strength I lost in my right hand. So if he meant Heavy Grips 250 I'm probably ok. Was thinking about taking in a straight up IronMind set from a Guide to a #3. If any of them close the #3 without any training or experience, I'll buy them a beer and bring a #3.5 next time. hahaha Thanks John! It was hard to sit on the sidelines though... Maybe we'll have to do a rematch at a future Scout meeting so I can participate. If they close a #3 after they take their second hand off it, they should own it. Even if they start from 10mm, which I'm not certain they could get to pushing both hands like it's a Power Twister. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 42 minutes ago, kurtwpg said: If they close a #3 after they take their second hand off it, they should own it. Even if they start from 10mm, which I'm not certain they could get to pushing both hands like it's a Power Twister. Yeah...it would be worth buying a replacement CoC #3 just to see one of my coworkers crush it and keep it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtwpg Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 21 minutes ago, Douglas Carney said: Yeah...it would be worth buying a replacement CoC #3 just to see one of my coworkers crush it and keep it. Tell em before you start though, so it doesn't look like you were hedging until you saw the 0.5 take out 60% of the field. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 3 hours ago, kurtwpg said: Tell em before you start though, so it doesn't look like you were hedging until you saw the 0.5 take out 60% of the field. Good point! Still seems like a fairly safe bet that my #3 will go back home with me un-closed that day... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtwpg Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 4 minutes ago, Douglas Carney said: Good point! Still seems like a fairly safe bet that my #3 will go back home with me un-closed that day... My money says you're the only one closing the #2. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 5 minutes ago, kurtwpg said: My money says you're the only one closing the #2. The only #2 I have rated right now is a filed one at 108. That extra few mm will probably stop every one of them from a complete close. Next play is tricky...I have two #2.5s...a 124 and 128. And I seem to stop around 117 (as seen last July and a couple months ago). So do I go big and squeeze the 128 or play it safe and go for the 124 because it's closer to my max? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtwpg Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 46 minutes ago, Douglas Carney said: The only #2 I have rated right now is a filed one at 108. That extra few mm will probably stop every one of them from a complete close. Next play is tricky...I have two #2.5s...a 124 and 128. And I seem to stop around 117 (as seen last July and a couple months ago). So do I go big and squeeze the 128 or play it safe and go for the 124 because it's closer to my max? Go for the 124, give it a parallel set. It's just you doing bonus showoff at that point anyhow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 25 Author Share Posted April 25 2 hours ago, kurtwpg said: Go for the 124, give it a parallel set. It's just you doing bonus showoff at that point anyhow. Sounds like a solid game plan... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 28 Author Share Posted April 28 Maryland's Strongest Hands 2024 - Doug Dude's Lifts - 04-27-2024 Event 1 - Ironmind Apollon's Axle Double Overhand Deadlift (rising bar, unlimited attempts, full lockout) 130KG (286.6lb) went up fine...so I pushed for a number over 300lb. Not quite enough to get 137.5KG (303.1lb) though. Event 2 - Sorinex Saxon Bar Deadlift 3" side (rising bar, unlimited attempts, full lockout) 65KG (143.2lb) was not at all where I thought I'd land. But I made too big a jump to 77.5KG (170.8lb) which is a risk of rising bar because there's no going back. Event 3 - Ironmind Silver Bullet Hold (up to 3 attempts) Really wanted to set a Captains of Crush #3 but I wasted too much energy with my poor technique. Had to settle for #2.5. Event 4 - Grip Medley (Various Hubs, York Blobs, Series of Sledgehammers, and Sorinex Center Mass Bells) Most fun event for me because I love lifting odd-shaped iron objects. But you can quickly tell that I never levered a sledgehammer before in my life. Post Competition Fun When offered a chance to lift a Thomas Inch Replica Dumbbell...I've gotta take it. Might have even seen a whisper of air under it for a split second. The 64KG Baby Inch Dumbbell was a bit of a redemption round. A lot less rotation (and about 30lb lighter) so not much of a problem for me. This was actually my second lift because I forgot to ask someone to record my first one. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 GREAT work Doug! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matek Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 54 minutes ago, Douglas Carney said: Maryland's Strongest Hands 2024 - Doug Dude's Lifts - 04-27-2024 Event 1 - Ironmind Apollon's Axle Double Overhand Deadlift (rising bar, unlimited attempts, full lockout) 130KG (286.6lb) went up fine...so I pushed for a number over 300lb. Not quite enough to get 137.5KG (303.1lb) though. Event 2 - Sorinex Saxon Bar Deadlift 3" side (rising bar, unlimited attempts, full lockout) 65KG (143.2lb) was not at all where I thought I'd land. But I made too big a jump to 77.5KG (170.8lb) which is a risk of rising bar because there's no going back. Event 3 - Ironmind Silver Bullet Hold (up to 3 attempts) Really wanted to set a Captains of Crush #3 but I wasted too much energy with my poor technique. Had to settle for #2.5. Event 4 - Grip Medley (Various Hubs, York Blobs, Series of Sledgehammers, and Sorinex Center Mass Bells) Most fun event for me because I love lifting odd-shaped iron objects. But you can quickly tell that I never levered a sledgehammer before in my life. Post Competition Fun When offered a chance to lift a Thomas Inch Replica Dumbbell...I've gotta take it. Might have even seen a whisper of air under it for a split second. The 64KG Baby Inch Dumbbell was a bit of a redemption round. A lot less rotation (and about 30lb lighter) so not much of a problem for me. This was actually my second lift because I forgot to ask someone to record my first one. Nice job, Doug. Choosing the right weights for the attempts is always hard for any kind of lifting competition. And yes, the Inch definitely came up for a moment! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted Sunday at 02:57 PM Author Share Posted Sunday at 02:57 PM 12 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said: GREAT work Doug! Thanks Joe! 12 hours ago, matek said: Nice job, Doug. Choosing the right weights for the attempts is always hard for any kind of lifting competition. And yes, the Inch definitely came up for a moment! Thanks Matek! Part of the challenge is I hadn't done axle or saxon in a couple months so it was hard to gauge where I'd land. And unfortunately I guessed a little too high or felt a little too confident. NOTE: The axle was probably more ego of going over 300 than any real strategy. But the saxon was somewhat strategic. A lot of guys did 75KG and I was betting that a couple of them would miss at 80KG. 77.5KG would have given me more points IF I lifted it AND they missed at 80KG. It was a gamble and I lost. As for the Inch, it may look like my attempts were frustrating...but they were actually very exciting and encouraging. Just to finally break that thing even a mm off the ground...AFTER a full day of pushing myself...tells me it will come up all the way (eventually) if I keep putting in the work. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted Sunday at 08:24 PM Author Share Posted Sunday at 08:24 PM So this gem arrived from @Cannon on Friday. Bit busy so didn't hang it until today. AWESOME addition to my home grip gym! Thank you, Matt! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.