How big are your hands?

[AdriaanRobert96]

1 hour ago, climber511 said:

Grip Sport did "hand size" classes for years when I started - then we went to BW later on.

I wonder why.. maybe too much hassle I guess?

[Nuttgens]

1 minute ago, AdriaanRobert96 said:

I wonder why.. maybe too much hassle I guess?

I think I remember reading on here it was too easy for people to measure their limp hand or whatever you wanna call it and make there hands smaller I am probably wrong though haha. A little easier to cheat and harder to accurately measure than jumping on a scale and going off weight. 

[dubyagrip]

I'd rather deal with cheaters than having the internal battle with myself as to whether I want to compete, angrily, under 125kg and skip breakfast or just go with the big boys and be fat and happy that morning.  Luckily the last comp was -/+ 110kg, so I pigged out.  I'd have to cut limbs off to ever get under 110kg.

[AdriaanRobert96]

28 minutes ago, Nuttgens said:

I think I remember reading on here it was too easy for people to measure their limp hand or whatever you wanna call it and make there hands smaller I am probably wrong though haha. A little easier to cheat and harder to accurately measure than jumping on a scale and going off weight. 

Oh reallyWhat wussies!

[AdriaanRobert96]

16 minutes ago, dubyagrip said:

I'd rather deal with cheaters than having the internal battle with myself as to whether I want to compete, angrily, under 125kg and skip breakfast or just go with the big boys and be fat and happy that morning.  Luckily the last comp was -/+ 110kg, so I pigged out.  I'd have to cut limbs off to ever get under 110kg.

Haha! 

[Bigfoot Grip]

Height: 6'0/183cm

Weight: 102kg/225lbs

Hand length: 7.6"

Hand span: 8.25"

Interesting thread and talk about hand size classes for grip sport. I've put some thought into this topic and in a perfect world what I would like to see is neither hand size classes or body weight classes. Rather a formula to be created(think Wilks to powerlifting, Sinclair for weightlifting) which would be a ratio. For example think of a pie chart and we could factor an athletes bodyweight in conjunction with their hand size(span must be included not just length). Perhaps 75% bodyweight and 25% hand size and this would determine the class a lifter would be assigned to. Another option could be 50% bodyweight and 50% hand size. My reasons are because both clearly play a role in competitive grip sport. Unfortunately like @Eric Roussin mentioned on a previous thread some people would inevitability cheat and try to minimize hand size any way possible as opposed to the scale which of course doesn't lie(provided it's in good working order ). Another con I think of is it would slow down the competition because multiple measurements would be required then inputted into a formula to assign the athlete to the correct class of lifter. 

On another note I remember over the years being confused by alot of high level gripsters who frequently would claim their hands are "7 7/8" and it would confuse me. I watch their videos to learn and their hands always appeared to be bigger than the claim. I take gripsters on their word so I thought could they be lying  then a thread about blobs from Daniel Reinard opened my eyes. Joe Mussleweight started talking about hand span and how Daniel's appeared to be quite large. That was my light bulb moment. One gripster who I look up to claimed 7 7/8 hands yet his fingers looked like alien fingers in his videos. Probably because his fingers are more optimal for the sport and palms smaller lol. I knew there was a catch lol. How can a person have sub 8" hand but on a huge blob look like they're covering alot of surface? Simple hand span. Yet for some reason when I first started this sport mostly all I ever came across was actually "how long are your hands". None of this is an attempt to have a violin played for anyone but rather to help inform anyone out there who also maybe confused like me. 

[Jermiah Merciconah]

To be honest in terms of grip i've never felt my bodyweight really has been much of an advantage, Unless we're talking lifting implements off the ground and even then if you don't have the grip to lift it big problem, So hand size classes seem more optimal

[AdriaanRobert96]

6 minutes ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Height: 6'0/183cm

Weight: 102kg/225lbs

Hand length: 7.6"

Hand span: 8.25"

Interesting thread and talk about hand size classes for grip sport. I've put some thought into this topic and in a perfect world what I would like to see is neither hand size classes or body weight classes. Rather a formula to be created(think Wilks to powerlifting, Sinclair for weightlifting) which would be a ratio. For example think of a pie chart and we could factor an athletes bodyweight in conjunction with their hand size(span must be included not just length). Perhaps 75% bodyweight and 25% hand size and this would determine the class a lifter would be assigned to. Another option could be 50% bodyweight and 50% hand size. My reasons are because both clearly play a role in competitive grip sport. Unfortunately like @Eric Roussin mentioned on a previous thread some people would inevitability cheat and try to minimize hand size any way possible as opposed to the scale which of course doesn't lie(provided it's in good working order ). Another con I think of is it would slow down the competition because multiple measurements would be required then inputted into a formula to assign the athlete to the correct class of lifter. 

On another note I remember over the years being confused by alot of high level gripsters who frequently would claim their hands are "7 7/8" and it would confuse me. I watch their videos to learn and their hands always appeared to be bigger than the claim. I take gripsters on their word so I thought could they be lying  then a thread about blobs from Daniel Reinard opened my eyes. Joe Mussleweight started talking about hand span and how Daniel's appeared to be quite large. That was my light bulb moment. One gripster who I look up to claimed 7 7/8 hands yet his fingers looked like alien fingers in his videos. Probably because his fingers are more optimal for the sport and palms smaller lol. I knew there was a catch lol. How can a person have sub 8" hand but on a huge blob look like they're covering alot of surface? Simple hand span. Yet for some reason when I first started this sport mostly all I ever came across was actually "how long are your hands". None of this is an attempt to have a violin played for anyone but rather to help inform anyone out there who also maybe confused like me. 

Interesting indeed.. especially the formula concept

 

[AdriaanRobert96]

2 minutes ago, Jermiah Merciconah said:

To be honest in terms of grip i've never felt my bodyweight really has been much of an advantage, Unless we're talking lifting implements off the ground and even then if you don't have the grip to lift it big problem, So hand size classes seem more optimal

I am standing at 220lbs atm, and I’ve been at 255 at my highest and I’ve not seen a difference at all.. maybe the smallest change has been fat bar work.. but other than that it’s like you said

[Nuttgens]

6 minutes ago, Jermiah Merciconah said:

To be honest in terms of grip i've never felt my bodyweight really has been much of an advantage, Unless we're talking lifting implements off the ground and even then if you don't have the grip to lift it big problem, So hand size classes seem more optimal

Body weight isn’t perfect but I think on average a heavier guy is a taller guy with a bigger frame and bigger hands and on average a light guy is going to be a shorter guy smaller frame smaller hands. Not perfect but I think it works to a point.

[AdriaanRobert96]

13 minutes ago, Nuttgens said:

Body weight isn’t perfect but I think on average a heavier guy is a taller guy with a bigger frame and bigger hands and on average a light guy is going to be a shorter guy smaller frame smaller hands. Not perfect but I think it works to a point.

Yeah it sure works in very well in general, then we have outliers aswell but of course in general it’s like you said

[climber511]

1 hour ago, AdriaanRobert96 said:

Interesting indeed.. especially the formula concept

 

Please include "age" in your formula LOL

[Bigfoot Grip]

I agree bodyweight may have a much lower impact on lifts vs more mainstream strength sports such as powerlifting or strongman. I think there is a point where a gripster can loose enough weight it will negatively effect their lifts. Several members on the board have posted about this and it seems once they got lean enough they did in fact loose grip strength. Easier for heavy set or fat/obese people to not notice a difference I'd imagine. Hard to believe a man who goes from a 350lb bodyweight to 300 bodyweight looses grip strength. But a 200lb man who cuts to 150lbs I could envision loosing grip strength. Jay Ripley mentions it on a Couch Potato Strong podcast for anyone interested. 

[matek]

I agree that some formula would be a fairer measure. But where would we draw the line? Consider hand span, hand length, arm length, weight, age, the ratio of fast twitch vs slow twitch muscle fibers , etc. We shouldn't control every factor, that's why it's a competition, not an experiment. Let the special ones dominate, it's the same in every sport. The bests are the talented/gifted ones who also work super hard. Grant Lamar's 5xbw deadlift is still a 5xbw deadlift, even if he has extremely long arms compared to his body. 
In my opinion, weight classes in this sport still make sense because 1. easy to measure and hard to cheat on 2. hand length is a somewhat good predictor of height [paper], and height has a positive correlation with weight. 

[AdriaanRobert96]

5 hours ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

I agree bodyweight may have a much lower impact on lifts vs more mainstream strength sports such as powerlifting or strongman. I think there is a point where a gripster can loose enough weight it will negatively effect their lifts. Several members on the board have posted about this and it seems once they got lean enough they did in fact loose grip strength. Easier for heavy set or fat/obese people to not notice a difference I'd imagine. Hard to believe a man who goes from a 350lb bodyweight to 300 bodyweight looses grip strength. But a 200lb man who cuts to 150lbs I could envision loosing grip strength. Jay Ripley mentions it on a Couch Potato Strong podcast for anyone interested. 

Yeah this is with out a doubt true, body isn’t  as affected at higher bodyweight like at lower..

I can vouche for 260 and under atleast, my highest ever was just that and I went down to 220 within a period of 1 year with diet breaks etc.. my grip strength didn’t budge

[AdriaanRobert96]

4 hours ago, matek said:

I agree that some formula would be a fairer measure. But where would we draw the line? Consider hand span, hand length, arm length, weight, age, the ratio of fast twitch vs slow twitch muscle fibers , etc. We shouldn't control every factor, that's why it's a competition, not an experiment. Let the special ones dominate, it's the same in every sport. The bests are the talented/gifted ones who also work super hard. Grant Lamar's 5xbw deadlift is still a 5xbw deadlift, even if he has extremely long arms compared to his body. 
In my opinion, weight classes in this sport still make sense because 1. easy to measure and hard to cheat on 2. hand length is a somewhat good predictor of height [paper], and height has a positive correlation with weight. 

Yeah that 5x bw is out of this world

[Fist of Fury]

I really dont like the hand size category at all. It's a very bad "solution" to a "problem" that really doesn't need to be a problem.

David Horne has basically already solved this by making implements that are hand size neutral.

Euro Pinch and Adjustable Thick Bar. They are probably the best way to test pinch and thick bar strength. For grippers we use 20 mm block (minimum) for the same reason.

Having hand size classes is really dumb if you ask me. It would be the same thing as having different classes for baskball players, tennis players, swimmers etc.

There's also many more solutions to make hand size less relevant overall. Mixing small implements like key pinching and hub lifts with wide pinching like block weigths is another way you can do it.

 

[AdriaanRobert96]

1 hour ago, Fist of Fury said:

I really dont like the hand size category at all. It's a very bad "solution" to a "problem" that really doesn't need to be a problem.

David Horne has basically already solved this by making implements that are hand size neutral.

Euro Pinch and Adjustable Thick Bar. They are probably the best way to test pinch and thick bar strength. For grippers we use 20 mm block (minimum) for the same reason.

Having hand size classes is really dumb if you ask me. It would be the same thing as having different classes for baskball players, tennis players, swimmers etc.

There's also many more solutions to make hand size less relevant overall. Mixing small implements like key pinching and hub lifts with wide pinching like block weigths is another way you can do it.

 

David Horne’s a damn legend when it comes to grip stuff

Didn’t know there was an adjustable thick bar tho..

 

[Fist of Fury]

38 minutes ago, AdriaanRobert96 said:

David Horne’s a damn legend when it comes to grip stuff

Didn’t know there was an adjustable thick bar tho..

 

It's a great tool for competition I think. The only downside I see with it is that the risk of injury is higher than with a rolling handle because the weight you can lift is much higher.

But risk of injury is always going to be there almost regardless of which sport you're doing.

[Bigfoot Grip]

9 hours ago, Fist of Fury said:

I really dont like the hand size category at all. It's a very bad "solution" to a "problem" that really doesn't need to be a problem.

David Horne has basically already solved this by making implements that are hand size neutral.

Euro Pinch and Adjustable Thick Bar. They are probably the best way to test pinch and thick bar strength. For grippers we use 20 mm block (minimum) for the same reason.

Having hand size classes is really dumb if you ask me. It would be the same thing as having different classes for baskball players, tennis players, swimmers etc.

There's also many more solutions to make hand size less relevant overall. Mixing small implements like key pinching and hub lifts with wide pinching like block weigths is another way you can do it.

 

The WoG products you mention are rarely contested anymore. The adjustable thick bar is a great piece of gear I really enjoyed using it the 2 times I was around one. The euro is a brilliant concept but unfortunately it's no longer contested. Well at least on my side of the pond, maybe Europe is different. I could see a contest looking like this...

20mm block set adjustable gripper(either Vulcan or RB)

Adjustable Thick Bar

Euro

I remember reading an old thread about the Vulcan in which you and @pancho_grip_lift discussed the benefits of using an adjustable gripper in competition because it's much harder to cheat due to everyone using the same gripper. Makes sense 

As for hand size Brian Shaw recently posted a great video with fellow competitors doing the blob medley+inch lifts. Trey Mitchell one of the strongest men on Earth cannot lift the inch. Coincidently he clearly gets the least wrap on the handle....shocking. I went for a walk the other day and played a climbing podcast featuring Tanner Merkle. He came in to competitive grip with little knowledge to no knowledge about grip sport implements. Guy goes on to win KK. His hands? Catchers mitts. True he did come from bouldering in fairness which undoubtedly carried over. His brother, spanish teacher looks like he doesn't even lift. Picks up the inch first try. Shane Hamman a former American weightlifter and genetic freak for squatting said the first time he ever squatted was in the high school weight room. He did 315lbs. Yet someone with stilts for legs who competes in powerlifting would easily beat Shane's initial results. A guy could put in a lifetime in grip, hire experts, dieticians etc. and still never lift the inch simply due to hand size limitations. 

My only point is it seems most pronounced in this sport as opposed to others. That's why I agree the WoG products could help tremendously and/or hand size classes. Of course the huge drawback is cheating the measurement and the excess time it would waste in the day. Armlifting USA seems to see it also and they're listening. Hence why we're seeing the 1.9" axle, 1.75" rolling handle and 1.875" Grandfather Clock now being contested. I purposely left out the manufacturers because I wasn't sure if it's frowned upon being that they may not sponsor the board. 

[Fist of Fury]

35 minutes ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

The WoG products you mention are rarely contested anymore. The adjustable thick bar is a great piece of gear I really enjoyed using it the 2 times I was around one. The euro is a brilliant concept but unfortunately it's no longer contested. Well at least on my side of the pond, maybe Europe is different. I could see a contest looking like this...

20mm block set adjustable gripper(either Vulcan or RB)

Adjustable Thick Bar

Euro

That would be optimal. Definitely with the vulcan, torsion spring grippers just varies too much to track records on anyways, in my opinion. I think using the same gripper and the same spring is the way to go. I've been saying this before, years ago.

Then run a wrist event after that, which is also hand size neutral. That would be the ideal competition events in my book. That's how I will do it if I ever host a contest.

[Bigfoot Grip]

22 hours ago, Fist of Fury said:

That would be optimal. Definitely with the vulcan, torsion spring grippers just varies too much to track records on anyways, in my opinion. I think using the same gripper and the same spring is the way to go. I've been saying this before, years ago.

Then run a wrist event after that, which is also hand size neutral. That would be the ideal competition events in my book. That's how I will do it if I ever host a contest.

Funny you say that because I typed out sledge hammer as event 4 after the Euro but deleted it 

 

[Fist of Fury]

On 4/9/2023 at 8:16 PM, Bigfoot Grip said:

Funny you say that because I typed out sledge hammer as event 4 after the Euro but deleted it 

 

I would choose either sledge hammer levering or the wrist developer. Easy and quick to run.

[Blacksmith513]

Does anyone know how long Slim the Hammermans hands where? I knew they were big but never really paid much attention until yesterday, I was watching a video on YouTube. His hands where scary looking.

Edited April 10, 2023 by Blacksmith513

[Gripperer]

On 4/7/2023 at 7:36 PM, Jermiah Merciconah said:

To be honest in terms of grip i've never felt my bodyweight really has been much of an advantage, Unless we're talking lifting implements off the ground and even then if you don't have the grip to lift it big problem, So hand size classes seem more optimal

I think the idea is that in general people with a bigger bone structure will be able to carry more weight, so heavier = likelihood of bigger bone structure = more muscle/strength potential. 

There are of course a lot of other factors. You get guys out there who are really lean with average overall bone structures except they have thick wrists and big hands.

And then you get fat guys who have tiny hands!