Marble implements and 1 lb miss on the Rolling thunder

[Zach Ebel]

Hey everyone!

Thought I'd share some moments from our regular Ottawa grip training group session last night. A new member of the group (Andrew Nguyen) brought out some incredible home made marble implements! He cut a rolling pin in half to make a marble Rolling Thunder, and a hilt. He also made a 1" pinch device with a marble cutting board. He found the rolling pin and cutting board at a thrift shop so materials were only $4!

I decided to try my hand on this marble rolling thunder, and easily got ~135 lbs, but when I put 180 lbs on the pin it didn't budge. I decided to throw on the Ironmind Rolling Thunder handle to compare and was able to lift it, so marble is definitely harder. I have been chasing 90kg on the rolling thunder for a while, so I decided to throw on some more weight to see if I could do it since I was warmed up. I put on what I though was 90 kg, and lifted it with both hands! Was super happy, but then Eric Roussin comically pointed out that I was actually 1 lb short. I dug out the tiniest 1 lb weight from Eric's treasure trove of equipment, added it to the stack, and then couldn't budge it from the floor. We all had a good laugh, and then Stefano Fortugno (another member of our group) pointed out that I didn't rest long enough (and never do) between attempts. After a sufficient rest period I was able to lift it with one of my hands (I believe my left but we did so much last night it's a little hazy). 

We finished the night's training session trying some bizarrely shaped climbing holds that Andrew brought on loading pins where maximum weight topped out at 30 lbs. 

If you haven't already, get yourself a grip group, it's always a wonderful time!

[John Knowlton]

WAY COOL sounds like you guys had fun