John Knowlton Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 great work at Maryland's Strongest Hands contest . We just watched the video three or four times. It's hard to believe just a short time ago You had an injury to your hand. You did great, looks like you had a lot of fun, very inspiring. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 (edited) 48 minutes ago, John Knowlton said: great work at Maryland's Strongest Hands contest . We just watched the video three or four times. It's hard to believe just a short time ago You had an injury to your hand. You did great, looks like you had a lot of fun, very inspiring. Thanks John! It was SO MUCH FUN! I mean...yeah...could I have perhaps done better had the whole hand thing not happened? Probably... But thankfully it didn't stop me from competing completely and I got to spend some time with a great group of gripsters. Already looking forward to going back again next year! I just need to stay injury/accident free... Edited April 29 by Douglas Carney 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 40 minutes ago, John Knowlton said: great work at Maryland's Strongest Hands contest . We just watched the video three or four times. It's hard to believe just a short time ago You had an injury to your hand. You did great, looks like you had a lot of fun, very inspiring. P.S. I wasn't sure anyone would watch the entire video (let alone multiple times) so this morning I created shorts of my best lifts to make it more bite-size for people. Seriously! hahaha Maryland's Strongest Hands 2024 - Event 1 - 130KG (286.6lb) Axle - 04-27-2024 Maryland's Strongest Hands 2024 - Event 2 - Saxon - 65KG (143.2lb) - 04-27-2024 Maryland's Strongest Hands 2024 - Event 3 - Silver Bullet CoC #2.5 - 04-27-2024 Maryland's Strongest Hands 2024 - Event 4 - Grip Medley - 04-27-2024 Maryland's Strongest Hands 2024 - Thomas Inch Dumbbell Replica - 04-27-2024 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 Comparing my Axle lifts from 2023 to 2024...there's no change in where I landed. But I think I could have gotten 135KG. Maybe... Either way, I need to work up to 160KG to really be competitive next year. And that means some quality time with deficit deadlifts and accessory exercises to strengthen my posterior chain (which I believe is my weak link). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 Comparing my Saxon lifts from 2023 to 2024...yes...I improved a bit. And yes...maybe I could have gotten 75KG instead of jumping to 77.5KG. Maybe... Either way, I need to work up to 90KG to really be competitive next year. And that means using the 2" x 5" Napalm Nightmare more and doing more wrist curls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 Comparing my Silver Bullet attempts from 2023 to 2024...yes...I improved a bit. And getting two seconds on that CoC #3 would have helped a lot. But (a) I didn't get the #3 set and (b) it's more like a #3.5 needed to really be competitive. So I'll be working on both strength and technique (because I wasted a ton of energy setting the gripper versus actually holding the gripper closed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 (edited) Comparing my Medley lifts from 2023 to 2024 is a bit tricky because the implements changed up a bit. But one thing that helped me out was getting one more blob than some of the other competitors (which sorta justifies the time I spend doing feats I enjoy in the gym). Hubbing is still a challenge, so I'll be working on that for next year. And it looks like I'll be going to Harbor Freight and buying some sledgehammers at some point because it was clear I've never levered one before this comp. With any luck, next year's medley will include a dumbbell ladder with a Thomas Inch Replica and Baby Inch dumbbells. I mean...I plan on training to lift the Inch this year anyway...so I can hope it's a medley item, right? Edited April 29 by Douglas Carney 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knowlton Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 GREAT WORK Doug, moving up on the board, next year who knows Mabe #1? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 3 hours ago, John Knowlton said: GREAT WORK Doug, moving up on the board, next year who knows Mabe #1? Thanks John! I've got a year to train for it...so you never know.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 First Blob Workout After Maryland’s Strongest Hands – 05-01-2024 Half 80 and 85 - Last warmup set and last good lift with my right hand. Half 90 Pre-USA - Right hand was done at this point. Half 95 Pre-USA - This feels more difficult than the NextGen due to it's width. Half 100 NextGen - Actually easier than the 95 FatMan even thought it's heavier. Musical Inspiration: "Skin o' My Teeth" by Megadeth from the album "Countdown to Extinction" released in July 1992. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knowlton Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 Hey Doug, very impressive lifts. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 43 minutes ago, John Knowlton said: Hey Doug, very impressive lifts. Thanks John! I want to get to the point where nailing the NextGen is almost a "gimmee" for me and the FatMan and larger Legacy blobs are within reach. So still some work to do between now and next year's Maryland's Strongest Hands. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knowlton Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 A hole to get stronger, the possibilities are endless. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knowlton Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 year 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted May 2 Author Share Posted May 2 2 hours ago, John Knowlton said: A hole to get stronger, the possibilities are endless. 7 minutes ago, John Knowlton said: year Thanks again, John! I'm enjoying the journey and excited to see how well I can do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 GHP Junior Gripper Fun - FOUR AT A TIME??? 05-02-2024 Gillingham High Perfomance (GHP) Juniors were a scaled down version of their Heavy Duty Hand Grippers. And the smaller handle diameter and narrower handle spacing made them great for kids. But for an adult...they felt a bit like a toy. Eventually you start to wonder how many you can squeeze at once... Musical Inspiration: "Shot Liver Medley (Shoots and Ladders/Justin/Predictable/Ball Tongue/Divine/Kill You) (Live Version At UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, LA, USA, 10.18.1998)" by Korn from the album "Family Values Tour '98" released in March 1999. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtwpg Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 Haven't seen a Thumber update in a while. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 1 hour ago, kurtwpg said: Haven't seen a Thumber update in a while. Yeah...progress has seriously stalled. A low 60s lift is going to be tough and take some time. Plus I laid off things a bit before Maryland's Strongest Hands. Might give it a go this weekend though... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 ----- NON-GRIP RELATED ----- Been a while since I dialed into a "listen only" work event from the treadmill downstairs. Nice little bump to my step count. Need to do that more often... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knowlton Posted May 3 Share Posted May 3 NICE WORK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 13 minutes ago, John Knowlton said: NICE WORK Thanks John! Happy Friday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 2 hours ago, Douglas Carney said: Yeah...progress has seriously stalled. A low 60s lift is going to be tough and take some time. Plus I laid off things a bit before Maryland's Strongest Hands. Might give it a go this weekend though... Just looked and saw I'm down to #5. I need to kick it into gear... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted May 4 Author Share Posted May 4 Deficit Deadlift with Chains – 275lb Total 05-03-2024 Nothing clicked grip-wise today. Only decent thing is I think I landed on a deficit deadlift plan with chains for the final set. Only did three reps in my last set but it felt decent. Probably could have gotten five but I honestly thought I could go for 325 for one. Turns out that was too big of a jump and I maybe need to thow on a pair of 10s instead of 25s next time. Oh well...live and learn. Once I nail down my weights for this rep range, I'll microload going forward and keep nudging the top weight up bit by bit. Musical Inspiration: "Everything Sux" by the Descendents from the album "Everything Sucks" released in September 1996. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Knowlton Posted May 4 Share Posted May 4 Nice Deadlifts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Carney Posted May 4 Author Share Posted May 4 9 hours ago, John Knowlton said: Nice Deadlifts Thanks John! I have a good starting point now. Thinking I'll pair this with one hand 2 7/8" Napalm Nightmare to lockout. Idea is to have deficit overload with a regular bar for general strength AND some tall loading pin work with a really wide handle to get some grip work in as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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