Grip is Fun.

[John Knowlton]

Way cool dude great workouts

[Mitch Jones]

Grippers, higher reps and lower rgc today. no aches or pains so was a good workout.

Right

75rgc 5 sets 5 reps

79rgc x3, 85rgc x3, 89rgc x3

Left

71rgc 5 sets 5 reps

75rgc x3, 79rgc x3, 85rgc x3

Lots of stretching and time for a cold shower. water heater is beyond repair with the amount of calcium buildup and can't even drain it. Management ordered a new one so hopefully not too long without hot water. its not too bad though being in Florida, cold water here isn't that cold.

[John Knowlton]

Way to be

[Mitch Jones]

Grippers again. Holds for time were a little stronger than I expected, happy with that. Working back up to heavier grippers slowly as I spend a few weeks focusing on quality reps. Water heater has been fixed, so time for a hot shower.

Right

79rgc 4 sets 5 reps

85rgc 1 set 5 reps

85rgc coin hold 21 seconds

89rgc coin hold 16 seconds

Left

75rgc 4 sets 5 reps

79rgc 1 set 5 reps

79rgc coin hold 17 seconds

85rgc coin hold 10 seconds

[Mitch Jones]

Got my first 2 blobs delivered today. One half 65 and one half 100. The half 65 is York side pre-usa and about 32 pounds. The half 100 is number side and about 52 pounds. The half 100 was sold as a pre-usa but i don't have anything to compare it to, so i can't be 100% sure, either way its big and i can't lift it. Both came well packaged and the 100 was shipped with cut 2x4s in the corners of the box, very sturdy. I heard the post office lady drop the 100 on my sidewalk and cuss, so i went out to her truck to grab the other, she would surprise me if she weighed anymore than 100 pounds. Anyway, below is an unboxing video with attempts and weights. I'll probably do a full pinch workout later today.

 

[Douglas Carney]

Nice!  I recognize the stickers at the 20 second mark.  Guessing the 65 was from Rob @VintageWeightsPGH.  Small world!

As for the 100, from what I recall from @Jedd Johnson there is a difference in handle size between Fat Man and Next Gen.

You could also compare the dimensions of your blob to what I have in the photo below.

My "small" 100 is very likely a Next Gen and "large" 100 is very likely a Fat Man.  Can't 100% say for certain because I have the number sides, as well.  But the handle side of the "large" noticeably bulges out more than the "small" which is another indicator.

[Mitch Jones]

1 hour ago, Douglas Carney said:

Nice!  I recognize the stickers at the 20 second mark.  Guessing the 65 was from Rob @VintageWeightsPGH.  Small world!

As for the 100, from what I recall from @Jedd Johnson there is a difference in handle size between Fat Man and Next Gen.

You could also compare the dimensions of your blob to what I have in the photo below.

My "small" 100 is very likely a Next Gen and "large" 100 is very likely a Fat Man.  Can't 100% say for certain because I have the number sides, as well.  But the handle side of the "large" noticeably bulges out more than the "small" which is another indicator.

Thanks for the info Doug. You guessed correct where the 65 was from, happy i can at least pick that one up. It would be cool if there was a way to "certify" number sides as fatman, next gen, or legacy. I measured the best I could. my digital caliper isn't long enough for anything over 6 inches, but with some loading pins a level and a pencil i came up with the following:

Weight is 52.40

Face width is 7.406

Face width at flat is 7.125

The width at top is hard to measure but i got anywhere between 4.06 and 4.09. seems beveled before the slope starts and not sure where to measure exactly.

Handle is hard to see where it used to be but measured 1.107. i'll watch that video on the link you posted to see what Jedd says about the handle width.

I also measured the widest part of the slope from one side to the other and came up with 5.70, but i suppose there would be a lot of fluctuation there depending how much or how little handle is left or if the cut went a little too deep.

Think i might go throw more money at ppl on ebay now. I saw a half 75 and half 95 earlier that i can't stop thinking about.

[John Knowlton]

Exciting time. Grip is very addictive.

can’t wait to see you pick up that hundred.

[Douglas Carney]

1 hour ago, Charles Jones said:

Thanks for the info Doug. You guessed correct where the 65 was from, happy i can at least pick that one up. It would be cool if there was a way to "certify" number sides as fatman, next gen, or legacy. I measured the best I could. my digital caliper isn't long enough for anything over 6 inches, but with some loading pins a level and a pencil i came up with the following:

Weight is 52.40

Face width is 7.406

Face width at flat is 7.125

The width at top is hard to measure but i got anywhere between 4.06 and 4.09. seems beveled before the slope starts and not sure where to measure exactly.

Handle is hard to see where it used to be but measured 1.107. i'll watch that video on the link you posted to see what Jedd says about the handle width.

I also measured the widest part of the slope from one side to the other and came up with 5.70, but i suppose there would be a lot of fluctuation there depending how much or how little handle is left or if the cut went a little too deep.

Think i might go throw more money at ppl on ebay now. I saw a half 75 and half 95 earlier that i can't stop thinking about.

Yeah..all of these measurements are best estimates as to exact placement.  Forgot to mention that I bought a long reach digital caliper from Harbor Freight just for this purpose when I got into grip.

Blobs/block weights are highly addictive!  I took a similar approach of scouring eBay until I built up a decent collection.  Happy hunting!

[matek]

Great stuff! For me, there is something about blobbing that's more interesting than other aspects of pinch. (Although I'm not doing it enough so my progression is slow )

4 hours ago, Charles Jones said:

Think i might go throw more money at ppl on ebay now. I saw a half 75 and half 95 earlier that i can't stop thinking about.

I think this is a good idea. It depends on your starting strength of course, but when I started blobs with a 41lb one it felt like a ton and I couldn't lift it. And it took me quite a while to work my way up to a 50.5lb one. 
I know you already do pinch, but as a blob newbie to another blob newbie, here are my observations:
- Warmup is essential. In this case, not because of injury prevention, but because it just takes some time to "adapt" to wide squeezing and engaging those small muscles. Smaller blobs or assisted lifts are good for this. Dragging a blob on the floor also works, but it can be a little bit too hard on the thumbs. 
- Connected to the previous point, but for me, the best sets are almost always between set 5 - set 8. Even if I do the warmup. I never had this with other exercises. 
- It's tricky because you rest for 1-2 mins, and you want to go again (because you're not tired at all). For me, it's important to control myself and rest more (3-5 mins); huge performance improvement. 
- Experiment with different finger placements and with the amount of wrist flexion; we're all different and have different strengths
 

Edited July 23, 2023 by matek

[Mitch Jones]

33 minutes ago, matek said:

Great stuff! For me, there is something about blobbing that's more interesting than other aspects of pinch. (Although I'm not doing it enough so my progression is slow )

I think this is a good idea. It depends on your starting strength of course, but when I started blobs with a 41lb one it felt like a ton and I couldn't lift it. And it took me quite a while to work my way up to a 50.5lb one. 
I know you already do pinch, but as a blob newbie to another blob newbie, here are my observations:
- Warmup is essential. In this case, not because of injury prevention, but because it just takes some time to "adapt" to wide squeezing and engaging those small muscles. Smaller blobs or assisted lifts are good for this. Dragging a blob on the floor also works, but it can be a little bit too hard on the thumbs. 
- Connected to the previous point, but for me, the best sets are almost always between set 5 - set 8. Even if I do the warmup. I never had this with other exercises. 
- It's tricky because you rest for 1-2 mins, and you want to go again (because you're not tired at all). For me, it's important to control myself and rest more (3-5 mins); huge performance improvement. 
- Experiment with different finger placements and with the amount of wrist flexion; we're all different and have different strengths
 

Thanks for the feedback and tips! I originally wanted to train more thick bar and eventually the inch dumbbell, but found pinch to be much more enjoyable. Blobs grew on me quick once i started thinking about starting them. I already ordered the half 75 and 95. Looking for a half 85 now and I'd really like a lettered side pre-usa half 100 if i can find one.

Spent a few hours today building a 4 foot by 4 foot platform from plywood to lift on to protect my floors. I have a sheet of gym flooring in the mail I'll glue to it sometime this week. Very exciting stuff.

I bought @Jedd Johnson's Blob ebook and a few weeks ago the cadence based training book. I'll be running both of those together if they don't conflict with each other too much. I don't mind the results being a little slower if I can progress in both at the same time.

[Douglas Carney]

13 hours ago, matek said:

Great stuff! For me, there is something about blobbing that's more interesting than other aspects of pinch.  ...  It depends on your starting strength of course, but when I started blobs with a 41lb one it felt like a ton and I couldn't lift it. And it took me quite a while to work my way up to a 50.5lb one.

12 hours ago, Charles Jones said:

... Blobs grew on me quick once i started thinking about starting them. I already ordered the half 75 and 95. Looking for a half 85 now and I'd really like a lettered side pre-usa half 100 if i can find one.

...

I bought @Jedd Johnson's Blob ebook and a few weeks ago the cadence based training book. I'll be running both of those together if they don't conflict with each other too much. I don't mind the results being a little slower if I can progress in both at the same time.

I agree "there is something about blobbing..."  My first purchase was half an 85.

[No idea why I thought that was a good STARTING POINT.  I mean...I literally remember watching a Brian Shaw "grip gauntlet" video from 2018 where his big, strong buddies struggled around the half 65 - 75 range...but I bought an 85.  hahaha]

Anyway...I quickly realized my mistake and thankfully found an 80 and a skinny Hampton 60 on eBay that I was then able to use and work up to the 85.

But it wasn't until I joined https://thegripauthority.com/ and had an hour long coaching call with @Jedd Johnson that I finally lift my Next Gen 100 (a YEAR AND A HALF after I bought it on eBay).

Point is...buying Jedd's ebook and being patient are going to go a long way to your success. Both are smart moves.

Looking forward to hearing updates about your blob journey!

[Mitch Jones]

Blobs today.

I bought some magnet weights that I've seen used on blobs from Bare Steel Equipment, should have those sometime soon. last night I saw a Red Pill (55.75) on eBay which turned into an impulse buy. I can't wait to lift that in 2 years. It looks like the Red Pill is still produced today. I wanted to get one before that's no longer the case and they become rare and overly expensive. Going to read the blob eBook over this week and start the program next week. Today was just getting a feel for blobs, nothing to formal as i don't fully know where my starting place is yet. Next week will be the test.

Half 65 - 32.05

I did 2 single reps each hand to full lockout when i felt like my grip on it was good enough. Good amount of wrist flexion though. i can't lift it level yet.

6 single reps each hand I just broke the ground and held for time. time varied between 1 to 4 seconds. variance mostly due to inconsistent grip or chalk. I'll get better at this over the next few weeks.

Half 100 - 52.40

2 sets of 5 reps each hand dragging across the floor about 2.5 feet. Lots of tilt. Going to work on improvement of keeping tilt to the minimum I need to complete a drag.

[Blacksmith513]

18 minutes ago, Charles Jones said:

Blobs today.

I bought some magnet weights that I've seen used on blobs from Bare Steel Equipment, should have those sometime soon. last night I saw a Red Pill (55.75) on eBay which turned into an impulse buy. I can't wait to lift that in 2 years. It looks like the Red Pill is still produced today. I wanted to get one before that's no longer the case and they become rare and overly expensive. Going to read the blob eBook over this week and start the program next week. Today was just getting a feel for blobs, nothing to formal as i don't fully know where my starting place is yet. Next week will be the test.

Half 65 - 32.05

I did 2 single reps each hand to full lockout when i felt like my grip on it was good enough. Good amount of wrist flexion though. i can't lift it level yet.

6 single reps each hand I just broke the ground and held for time. time varied between 1 to 4 seconds. variance mostly due to inconsistent grip or chalk. I'll get better at this over the next few weeks.

Half 100 - 52.40

2 sets of 5 reps each hand dragging across the floor about 2.5 feet. Lots of tilt. Going to work on improvement of keeping tilt to the minimum I need to complete a drag.

Nice. I've got a Red Pill too. It sits there staring at me. But some day I'll lift it.

[Jedd Johnson]

On 7/22/2023 at 4:08 PM, Douglas Carney said:

Nice!  I recognize the stickers at the 20 second mark.  Guessing the 65 was from Rob @VintageWeightsPGH.  Small world!

As for the 100, from what I recall from @Jedd Johnson there is a difference in handle size between Fat Man and Next Gen.

You could also compare the dimensions of your blob to what I have in the photo below.

My "small" 100 is very likely a Next Gen and "large" 100 is very likely a Fat Man.  Can't 100% say for certain because I have the number sides, as well.  But the handle side of the "large" noticeably bulges out more than the "small" which is another indicator.

If you line them up there ought to be a pretty clear difference, visually, if they are not the same version, unless one is a blue blob

[Jedd Johnson]

On 7/22/2023 at 10:08 PM, Charles Jones said:

Thanks for the feedback and tips! I originally wanted to train more thick bar and eventually the inch dumbbell, but found pinch to be much more enjoyable. Blobs grew on me quick once i started thinking about starting them. I already ordered the half 75 and 95. Looking for a half 85 now and I'd really like a lettered side pre-usa half 100 if i can find one.

Spent a few hours today building a 4 foot by 4 foot platform from plywood to lift on to protect my floors. I have a sheet of gym flooring in the mail I'll glue to it sometime this week. Very exciting stuff.

I bought @Jedd Johnson's Blob ebook and a few weeks ago the cadence based training book. I'll be running both of those together if they don't conflict with each other too much. I don't mind the results being a little slower if I can progress in both at the same time.

Thanks for your purchases

[Mitch Jones]

Grippers today.

Good workout, felt strong. I usually work grip later in the day, but today I did grippers as soon as I got home from the gym. Thumbs feel a little weak but not really sore today from blobs yesterday.

Right

96rgc - 3 sets 2 reps

102rgc 1 set 2 reps

105rgc 1 set 2 reps

111rgc 3 sets 3,2,2 reps assisted

Left

89rgc - 3 sets 2 reps

96rgc 1 set 2 reps

98rgc 1 set 2 reps

105rgc 3 sets 2 reps assisted

[Douglas Carney]

50 minutes ago, Jedd Johnson said:

If you line them up there ought to be a pretty clear difference, visually, if they are not the same version, unless one is a blue blob

Here are some photos for the two 100s from my earlier post.  As Jedd stated, there is a pretty clear difference between the two.

Thus, I concluded the "small" 100 on the left was a Next Gen and the "large" 100 on the right was a Fat Man.  Hope this helps.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Douglas Carney

[John Knowlton]

NICE GRIP WORK

[Jedd Johnson]

17 hours ago, Douglas Carney said:

Here are some photos for the two 100s from my earlier post.  As Jedd stated, there is a pretty clear difference between the two.

Thus, I concluded the "small" 100 on the left was a Next Gen and the "large" 100 on the right was a Fat Man.  Hope this helps.

Clear as day

[Mitch Jones]

Blobs today.

I received the half 75 and 95 i ordered yesterday. Once I found the side my thumb is supposed to be on I was able to get the half 75 up once each hand (video below). Just happened to record the first set. Wasn't able to lift it a second time. I did feel much stronger on the half 65 today. Very big difference between today and a few days ago. Still hoping to come across a half 85 soon. My collection should be good after that. Also, I bought a Next Gen half 100 today lol.

Half 75 - 36.9

Both hands 5 attempts with 1 successful lift each. Left was a little sketch though, slipped out of my fingers about 3 inches from the ground.

Half 65 - 32.05

Both hands 3 attempts 6-10 second holds, all 3 attempts successful.

Amrap 60 seconds: Right 10 reps. Left 6 reps.

Half 100 - 52.4

Drags. Both hands 3 sets 5 reps.

 

Maybe i should wear shoes.

 

[John Knowlton]

THATS SUPPER  COOL. NICE WORK

[Mitch Jones]

Grippers today.

Light day today. Spent about 4 hours removing two layers of wallpaper. About half way done. Then went to play pickle ball for 2 hours barefoot because I forgot my shoes and only had flip flops. Ordered another blob today, found a half 85 but its next gen. Still might buy a pre-usa if I come across one.

Left

96rgc 1 set 2 reps

98rgc 2 sets 2 reps

Right

98rgc 1 set 2 reps

102rgc 1 set 2 reps

105rgc 1 set 2 reps

[Mitch Jones]

Got My next gen half 100 lettered side today. 2 pictures to compare with the 100 that was listed as pre-usa. Looks like a clear difference to me so I'm happy about that. Also got my rubber mat today and finished my mobile platform. They cut it too short, but it will work just fine. Red pill came today too.

I really need to deactivate my ebay account before I go broke. This morning I woke up at 6:20 and my first thought was to check ebay. Therefore, I am now the proud owner of a blobzilla and a legacy half 120 lol. Can't wait to lift those in 4 years...

[John Knowlton]

That’s totally bad as$