What was your gripper training starting point?

[Jared P]

I'm curious - what was your starting point on the first day you ever picked up, or trained, with grippers?

For me, the first gripper I ever attempted was the CoC Trainer (rated 52 lbs RGC) in July 2021, and I could not close it. In fact, it took me a week or two to finally get it closed. Talk about weak grip strength.

As of today, I've closed the CoC 2.5 rated 122 lbs RGC from MMS. About 22 months after Day 1.

I'd like to become of one the first people (if there haven't been any already) to certify on the 3 (and beyond), having started below the Trainer.

[Jermiah Merciconah]

I was between a 0.5 and 1 when i first started, Whether that be from lack of coordination or strength i don't know

[Seoyoon]

Tried the Heavy Grip 250 at the age of 15

closed right away.

After that, I bought a coc3 and was short of 10mm.

Edited May 15, 2023 by Seoyoon

[DoctorOfCrush]

I had to search back through my Amazon purchases to figure out when I actually bought my first gripper. I was in 2012, so I would have been a junior in college. It was a Captains of Crush #1.  I couldn't close it, and I wasn't that serious about it so I'm pretty sure I just tossed it in a drawer. It wasn't until probably 2014-15 that I started to play around with it, but I'm pretty sure it still took me over a month to close it when I actually started trying. 

[climber511]

Closed the #1 and #2 first try.  Pretty sure I would have closed a 2.5 if one had been made back then.  Decades of weight lifting - construction and rock climbing let me start a little higher than I might have otherwise.  I was in my 50s when I first touched one.

[Fist of Fury]

I could just about close the hardest setting on a cheap plastic gripper, which is about equal to the Trainer. Next workout however I was able to close it for multiple singles. In just a week I could do 50+ singles. Never actually tried to do any reps until I got Ironmind grippers. I think I did 10-12 reps with the COC #.5 the first time I tried but that was after I had trained for a few months with the plastic gripper. All of this was with no setting because I didn't know how to set grippers back then.

[EmilBB]

I closed a HG250 rated 115, the first time I tried it. After 2 months of "training" with the HG250, I ended up buying a #2, #2.5 & #3. I closed the #3 1 week after I bought it, since then progress has been slow though. 

[Bill Piche]

Pretty sure it was the trainer. Definitely NOT a #2.  I don't remember fully.

[martincerven]

GD80 adjustable gripper

[Blacksmith513]

When I got my COCs I could close the trainer and almost get the 1 and 1.5.. I should get them rated, I feel like I have a hard 1 and an easy 1.5. Could be wrong though.

 

Then I went through about a year of not knowing what I was doing and got no where. Didn't use chalk or pay attention to my form or anything. Not sure I could a a 1.5 right now but I i'm not far. I will get to the #3 someday, I just have other goals. Getting the Vulcan helped me improve my set.

[Cannon]

I could do the #1 first try. And I gave the #2 a heck of a ride. Missed by only a little. I got some instruction like “speed kills” and “explode into it” but no setting advice that I can remember. This was 2005 I think. 

[Douglas Carney]

37 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said:

When I got my COCs I could close the trainer and almost get the 1 and 1.5.. I should get them rated, I feel like I have a hard 1 and an easy 1.5. Could be wrong though.

 

Then I went through about a year of not knowing what I was doing and got no where. Didn't use chalk or pay attention to my form or anything. Not sure I could a a 1.5 right now but I i'm not far. I will get to the #3 someday, I just have other goals. Getting the Vulcan helped me improve my set.

Similar experience.  I had just started deadlifting in Nov 2017 and my grip was a limiting factor.

I believe I bought a CoC Trainer, #1, and #1.5 in early 2018.  On a really good day I could close the Trainer five times and the #1 a couple of times, but the #1.5 was a stretch goal that barely moved.

My technique has marginally improved but I can pretty reliably close a CoC #2.  Just haven't invested the time (yet) to break my bad habits and learn proper form.

[Douglas Carney]

1 minute ago, Cannon said:

... I got some instruction like “speed kills” and “explode into it” ...

This may be part of my problem.  I've always been more "slow grind" than "speedy."

It's like I have a three speed automatic transmission and people that are good at grippers have a five speed manual. 

[Alawadhi]

I got the CoC T, #1, and #2. Came close to a #1 but did not close it. I closed the T for 23 reps before I got tired. I didn't have a set and used Ronnie Coleman no set

[Hubgeezer]

For Christmas when I was 44, my brother gave me a Trainer. I couldn’t close his #1, which was about a 1.3, I was about an eighth of an inch off. 
 

After a month, I bought a 1 and a 2, then another Number 2. It took me two years to close my 117 RGC Number 2, and about a month to close my easy Number 2. Another seven years to close my first 3. It may be six years since I closed a 3. 

[DrBartlebee]

I closed the #2 first try when I was 16, but I was definitely at my limit with one single. I have bigish hands and had been climbing trees for my whole life up to that point. It took me a few months after training correctly to get the 2.5. Progress is slow now...

[dubyagrip]

Closed the #2 on my first time

[stranger]

Missed the #2 my first try. Maybe got it later that week and I was 16. By the time I was 17 there wasn't a #3 I couldn't close. 

[Vinnie]

Bought the "strong man set" (1, 1.5, and 2) when I was 47.  TNS closed the 1 and 1.5, and almost the 2, then learned you could use your other hand to help, closed the 2 MMS (wider than parallel but not wide enough to say more than MMS).  Thought I was hot stuff and bought the 2.5 and 3, which humbled me.  Took months to MMS close the 2.5 (rated 132), then another year to close a friend's easier 3 (rated 145), then another year to close the 3 I had (rated 153), then two more years to cert the 3 and MMS close a (light) 3.5 (rated 165).  I feel like I am about at my limit on grippers -- note how each step took longer than the last for less RGC gain -- but I may make a play for the GHP 8 cert, if I can get my hands on a light one and feel like buying a caliper or whatever you call that measuring instrument.  It would have to be down near RGC 160, and on a good day.  But I feel so content with the IM COC 3 cert, I've been thinking of different goals than more grippers.

Edited May 16, 2023 by Vinnie

[Alawadhi]

On 5/15/2023 at 5:24 PM, Alawadhi said:

I got the CoC T, #1, and #2. Came close to a #1 but did not close it. I closed the T for 23 reps before I got tired. I didn't have a set and used Ronnie Coleman no set

I was around 15 years back then.

[Buccos1]

I could not legitimately close a Trainer my first attempt.  I was able to get it when I figured-out a good hand position to hold it via trial-and-error, but it was tough, and frustrating.  (I nearly quit grippers due to this and my relative strengths with bending.  But the frustration turned to anger and I decided to do whatever I needed to to get my grip stronger.) 

It took me over 2-years to close my 102 #2, and that was with much more focused effort.  It took me ~12 years of gripper training to close the #3, which was in my early-40s.

[Tiziano Becchio]

Hi man First gripper of ever was powerball 150-200-250 lb 

First workout i close all . 

And i order from cannon coc 2-2,5-3-3.5-4 , havygrip complete set 

When the pack come to me 

I close 

Untill coc2.5

And hg 250 

 

Age 27 years old.

 

[Mental_Vortex]

Bought a CoC Trainer in November 2020 and got used #1 and #1.5 a few days later. I closed the #1.5 within a week of my first gripper session. After that I bought used #2, #2.5 and #3 in December. Closed the #2 still in 2020. I don't know the RGC for any of them.

[AdriaanRobert96]

First of all, love this question!

So I started of with them plastic grippers which I couldn’t get more than 20 reps with and that’s how I got into Captains of Crush.

Closed #1 out the package, when I got it, couldn’t even get #2 to parallel

 No idea what RGC they were but I was very weak nonetheless, glad I started doing grip training because I am now obsessed with it and love every second of it

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by AdriaanRobert96

[Zach Ebel]

When I first started grippers in 2021, I was able to just barely questionably close a 3 with no set on my first attempt. I have not been able to replicate this feat since