Heaviest Known Gripper Closes

[Hubgeezer]

20 hours ago, Cannon said:

There is some explanation though. Warren Tetting had a certification where you would contact him with your hand size and then he custom made a gripper with a comfortable width to no set.

First, great thread and thanks for the data and stats provided so far. 
 

One of the few times I spoke to Warren Tetting (I think I lost a bet with Mikael and had to contact Warren to ship a gripper to Australia), he told me he didn’t like providing the narrow grippers because “a lot of these guys lie about their hand size”. Tommy certainly had smaller hands for a big closer, and i am sure he was not one of “these guys” WT was speaking of. I wonder if as a result of Warren’s frustration, there are fewer of the “narrow ones” floating around out there. 
 

That should be a new passion for a few collectors to pursue

[Cannon]

7 minutes ago, Hubgeezer said:

I wonder if as a result of Warren’s frustration, there are fewer of the “narrow ones” floating around out there.

I'm not sure either. I had not heard that. The crazy thing to me about these grippers is that I know where Warren got his springs and I know how he ordered them. If he was not altering the springs after manufacturing, then I believe he was sifting through his boxes of springs to find one that would work. But I cannot imagine that would be a viable answer. And I really don't think he was ordering a one-off spring from the manufacturer because that would be prohibitively expensive. So the only thing I can guess is that he was bending a spring leg into position. I know it's a naughty word, but effectively "foot stomping" the gripper although probably in a more controlled and elegant manner. You can simply support the coil from the inside and then put a pipe or something on the spring leg. Basically how it was turned on a mandrill in the first place, just manually "turning" it a little more. If he wasn't doing that... I have no idea how he was making these. 

[slazbob]

What’s considered narrow? I think Juha had a narrow WC in one of his old videos. If it wasn’t him I don’t know…but they had one. Mine is 2.76” which I feel isn’t too wide…so they would have to be pretty narrow-enough to notice in Tommy’s case.

[Hubgeezer]

I could be wrong, but I thought they were 2 1/2 inches..

[Fist of Fury]

7 hours ago, slazbob said:

What’s considered narrow? I think Juha had a narrow WC in one of his old videos. If it wasn’t him I don’t know…but they had one. Mine is 2.76” which I feel isn’t too wide…so they would have to be pretty narrow-enough to notice in Tommy’s case.

If it's under 70 mm I consider a gripper narrow. That's where I start to really feel a significant difference.

[Tiziano Becchio]

 

 

This Is One of my best close parallel set.

This gripper by Carl myrescot.

I attempt also tettings 220 and 213 missed for a few this gripper has retrun to Carl, and i do video of umboxing plus close.

Also close ghp9 216 Deep set

Ghp8 rgc 184 with blcok.

HYPERION 350lb armlifting greece rgc 185 in MMS .

Elite 7 God of grip 180lb 3 rep with 30mm block set .

150 hades and elite 6 (good of grip) 156 tns close for certification.

And other closure .

 

My bodyweight in this time 

63-66kg 

@pancho_grip_lift

@Jared P

 

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Tiziano Becchio

[Nuttgens]

10 hours ago, Tiziano Becchio said:

 

 

This Is One of my best close parallel set.

This gripper by Carl myrescot.

I attempt also tettings 220 and 213 missed for a few this gripper has retrun to Carl, and i do video of umboxing plus close.

Also close ghp9 216 Deep set

Ghp8 rgc 184 with blcok.

HYPERION 350lb armlifting greece rgc 185 in MMS .

Elite 7 God of grip 180lb 3 rep with 30mm block set .

150 hades and elite 6 (good of grip) 156 tns close for certification.

And other closure .

 

My bodyweight in this time 

63-66kg 

@pancho_grip_lift

@Jared P

 

 

Crazy strong man especially for your size. Very impressive.

[Jared P]

17 hours ago, Tiziano Becchio said:

 

 

This Is One of my best close parallel set.

This gripper by Carl myrescot.

I attempt also tettings 220 and 213 missed for a few this gripper has retrun to Carl, and i do video of umboxing plus close.

Also close ghp9 216 Deep set

Ghp8 rgc 184 with blcok.

HYPERION 350lb armlifting greece rgc 185 in MMS .

Elite 7 God of grip 180lb 3 rep with 30mm block set .

150 hades and elite 6 (good of grip) 156 tns close for certification.

And other closure .

 

My bodyweight in this time 

63-66kg 

@pancho_grip_lift

@Jared P

 

 

Thank you. Will edit this list further when I get my computer back from being fixed this week.

[matek]

8 hours ago, Nuttgens said:

Crazy strong man especially for your size. Very impressive.

Agreed. Tiziano is an anomaly, a glitch in the matrix. 

[Tiziano Becchio]

@Jared P thnks you man i Hope do other big closure

@matek thnks dude i Hope do more closure and certs my hands feel good , coming complete rehab by my injuries.

@Nuttgens thnks you man.

[Stephen Ruby]

1 hour ago, matek said:

Agreed. Tiziano is an anomaly, a glitch in the matrix. 

Yeah no kidding I didn't even think that type of power was possible at that bodyweight. Tiziano closes are like 40lbs over the world record parallel close for his weight class.

 

I would be really curious to know more about your training methods. 

[Tiziano Becchio]

1 hour ago, Stephen Ruby said:

Yeah no kidding I didn't even think that type of power was possible at that bodyweight. Tiziano closes are like 40lbs over the world record parallel close for his weight class.

 

I would be really curious to know more about your training methods. 

A thousand thanks
I go heavy 2-3 times a week with grippers
Where I try to beat the click rep number with the heaviest gripper I can get
Then I back off
Practical example nowadays

Ghp 8 or coc 3.5 click rep amrap x 2 sets
Coc3 -ghp7 parallel rep amrap x 3 sets
Coc2.5 -ghp6 parallel pause rep amrap x 3 sets.

The light sessions I do

Ghp7 click rep amrap x 3 sets
Ghp7 parallel rep amrap
Ghp6 parallel rep pauses amrap x 2 sets.

After the grippers I usually train the pinch or the Thicke bars ..

When I reach a certain number of clicks with the work gripper I try the next one when I close it I try to click and so on
Before getting hurt I got to do four Clicks with Carl's coc4 

[EmilBB]

1 hour ago, Tiziano Becchio said:

A thousand thanks
I go heavy 2-3 times a week with grippers
Where I try to beat the click rep number with the heaviest gripper I can get
Then I back off
Practical example nowadays

Ghp 8 or coc 3.5 click rep amrap x 2 sets
Coc3 -ghp7 parallel rep amrap x 3 sets
Coc2.5 -ghp6 parallel pause rep amrap x 3 sets.

The light sessions I do

Ghp7 click rep amrap x 3 sets
Ghp7 parallel rep amrap
Ghp6 parallel rep pauses amrap x 2 sets.

After the grippers I usually train the pinch or the Thicke bars ..

When I reach a certain number of clicks with the work gripper I try the next one when I close it I try to click and so on
Before getting hurt I got to do four Clicks with Carl's coc4 

When you say "click reps" do you mean like a super deep set and just making it click or is it speed reps from wider sets?

[Tiziano Becchio]

15 minutes ago, EmilBB said:

When you say "click reps" do you mean like a super deep set and just making it click or is it speed reps from wider sets?

 

 

This is an example

Edited March 28, 2023 by Tiziano Becchio

[Stephen Ruby]

Oh interesting I was expecting something like this 

 

I used to like doing speed closes at my peak gripper strength. I like your approach though of going with a heavier one and nice little pause between each min rep. Interesting approach tough with the high volume. I am trying to move more into volume work myself in all areas of grip and I feel there are some real benefits. 

 

What do you do for the thickbar/pinch? I find my thickbar strength is absolutely gone after doing grippers so i find it interesting you can still do it. 

[Tiziano Becchio]

3 hours ago, Stephen Ruby said:

Oh interesting I was expecting something like this 

 

I used to like doing speed closes at my peak gripper strength. I like your approach though of going with a heavier one and nice little pause between each min rep. Interesting approach tough with the high volume. I am trying to move more into volume work myself in all areas of grip and I feel there are some real benefits. 

 

What do you do for the thickbar/pinch? I find my thickbar strength is absolutely gone after doing grippers so i find it interesting you can still do it. 

Hi my friend,

After the heavy gripper

I work with a very simple 3 * 5 rpe 9

Both tickbar and pinch. Obviously being a rpe9 there will be days I lift more and days I lift less the body dictates the pace

On days where those grippers go light

I'm always looking for singles rpe9.

It works well for me, I react very well to high intensity

But it has always been like this in powerlifting as well

[Tiziano Becchio]

3 hours ago, Stephen Ruby said:

Oh interesting I was expecting something like this 

 

I used to like doing speed closes at my peak gripper strength. I like your approach though of going with a heavier one and nice little pause between each min rep. Interesting approach tough with the high volume. I am trying to move more into volume work myself in all areas of grip and I feel there are some real benefits. 

 

What do you do for the thickbar/pinch? I find my thickbar strength is absolutely gone after doing grippers so i find it interesting you can still do it. 

Amazing performances with coc 3 dude so strong.

[josé adalton]

On 3/26/2023 at 4:16 PM, Jared P said:

I’m also considering only allowing each person one spot per category, but that may take away from their full accomplishments.

 

Maintaining only the 1-RM is better. The best of the best.

On 3/25/2023 at 8:17 PM, Jared P said:

3. Gabriel Sum - IronMind CoC 3.5 (unknown RGC) - Verified [source]
4. Gabriel Sum - IronMind CoC 3 (unknown RGC) 16 reps - Verified [source]

That type of list is a mixture of the best/max attempt and more repetitions, endurance training. David Shamey (ref), Nikita Yurkovets (ref), Qianchen Yang (ref), Marco Buhl (ref)... did multiple reps with these heavy grips. Do 100 mini reps with a CoC #2 is good (ex), but this is for another topic.

On 3/26/2023 at 3:35 PM, Stephen Ruby said:

Heslep closed a coc 4 from parallel (might be the lightest person to close a coc 4?)

So, here is another interesting list: the pound-per-pound best closes. Without any ranking, we can cite:

#Tommy Heslep

#Tiziano Becchio

#Qianchen Yang?

#Ivan Cuk?

#the Japanese guy (KID) cited above probably 

#who else below 199 lb/90 kg body weight closed the CoC #4 or equivalent?

Edited March 29, 2023 by josé adalton
edit

[josé adalton]

Another point worth mentioning is whether the feat was done in training, competition, or some (type of) challenge/certification. Nathan Holle and Carl Myerscough closed GHP 10. Ok, but only in training until now.

[Jared P]

1 hour ago, josé adalton said:

Another point worth mentioning is whether the feat was done in training, competition, or some (type of) challenge/certification. Nathan Holle and Carl Myerscough closed GHP 10. Ok, but only in training until now.

I personally don’t see training vs. competition being an important distinction, as long as there is video evidence of the close.

I might separate unverified closes to a distinct category, or simply only count closes which are verified/recorded.

Bodyweight is an important topic, with even guys like Vinny and Cannon closing heavy for their bodyweight.

I’ll have to think on the best choice of inclusion between 1RM and reps. Reps are much harder to quantify than 1RM by RGC. Also, certain heavy closes included reps.

[josé adalton]

TNS top list addition

# Nikita Yurkovets / Silarukov 150 (RGC 87 kg) / video

# David Shamey / Silarukov 140 (RGC 82 kg) or IronMind CoC #3.5 (left)* / video 1 & video 2

# Valery Tolstyh / СХР Vice-admiral (RGC ±82 kg) / video

# Carl-August Mertz / Silarukov 140 or Robert Baraban 330C* / video

# Dmitriy Khlyuzov / IronMind CoC 3.5 or [off-brand] '300' gripper* (RGC ±81 kg) / video 1 & video 2

 *I'm not sure which is heavier

Edited March 30, 2023 by josé adalton
edit

[Jared P]

Sharing this here because it’s awesome. One of my favorite videos. The ease and control with which Gabriel did his closes is insane.

[Jared P]

Still going to update the list of closes when my computer gets fixed.

In the meantime, I was thinking of compiling (for fun**) an alphabetical list of Elite Class Gripper Athletes. This would be simply to inspire people to join these ranks, not to offend anyone or be anything official. It would intentionally be a short and special group of qualified individuals - a group to strive to be listed among. We’ve had this discussion on other threads, but here’s some qualifications I’ve been pondering over:

Qualifications (must have accomplished at least 1 of these):

- IronMind CoC 3.5 certification
- IronMind CoC 4 certification
- GHP 9 challenge certification
- MM6 or higher certification
- Any verified unassisted (no leg set, choker, or cheat with off hand) close of a gripper rated 200lbs RGC by CPW, or higher

With these qualifications, here’s what the list would look like (if there are any omissions, let me know):

Elite Class Gripper Athletes:

- Alan Barch Jr.
- Andrew Durniat
- Artem Ushenko
- Bojan Pejic
- Brad Ardrey
- Carl Myerscough
- Carlos F. Rivera Pagan
- Cesare Ricchezza
- Chad Woodall
- David Morton
- David Shamey
- Gabriel Sum
- Gabriele Ferdinandi
- Heath Sexton
- Igor Kupinsky
- Ioan Cristian Puscasu
- Ivan Cuk
- Joe Kinney
- Jonathan D. Vogt
- Juha Harju
- Magnus Samuelsson
- Martin Arildsson
- Michael Burke
- Nathan Holle
- Nikita Krivosheev
- Nikita Yurkovets
- Paul Knight
- Paul Savage
- Qianchen Yang
- Rich Williams
- Sergey Daragan
- Sl-ghi Choi
- Stephen Anderson
- Tanner Merkle
- "Tex" Henderson
- Tim Struse
- Tiziano Becchio
- Tommy Heslep
- Vache Sevajian
- Valery Tolstyh
- Vano Sukhashvili
- Youichi Okazaki

Guys like Jaland Worley will be listed among these names in no time. Also worth considering talking about Vinnie and Cannon’s heavy closes compared to their bodyweight.

Edited April 2, 2023 by Jared P

[John Knowlton]

Incredible video

[Tiziano Becchio]

Today i do this certification , GM vano sukhasvili, 86.5 right hands with 20 mm block , mms and ghp block .

83.5 kg left hands 20 mm block and MMS set .

I don know but i think its Higher than Monster mash 6-7.