Jedd Johnson on The Grip Show

[ZRMMA]

Some great history and topics from @Jedd Johnson

[Blacksmith513]

Can not wait to listen to this one

[Blacksmith513]

Really great podcast. Listened to half of it.

[Vinnie]

1 hour ago, Blacksmith513 said:

Really great podcast

It's interesting but 3 hours -- not a one-sit view lol.  I will probably watch the whole thing, but not all at once.

[ZRMMA]

11 minutes ago, Vinnie said:

It's interesting but 3 hours -- not a one-sit view lol.  I will probably watch the whole thing, but not all at once.

Could be a road trip listen? You are going to Maine right? Lol

[Vinnie]

16 minutes ago, ZRMMA said:

Could be a road trip listen? You are going to Maine right? Lol

hope so

[Jedd Johnson]

On 9/19/2023 at 12:03 PM, Vinnie said:

It's interesting but 3 hours -- not a one-sit view lol.  I will probably watch the whole thing, but not all at once.

It takes me a week to watch an hour-long video.

Just go into your history on your phone and pull it up and it will play from about 3-5 seconds from where you left off.

[Jedd Johnson]

This was a ton of fun Zach.  Thank you for having me on and discussing the old days.

There were a few facts and time line issues that I messed up, thinking on the fly.  I've been trying to catch them and correct them in the comments.

I love talking about Grip and I am so happy Zach has put this thing into action.  Keep it up bro!

[climber511]

Gonna take me a while to listen to a 3 hour session - but it will no doubt be worth every minute.  Got a new little hobby - making Katana swords for my grandson - takes a while when you don't really know any shortcuts.  I did buy a sander after a day or so of hand work shaping them.

[Bigfoot Grip]

Awesome episode Zack! I took Jedd's advice and realized I was just listening to the podcast via the GB  subbed now and I went through and liked all 34 videos lol. I agree with Jedd it's the least we can do to support your efforts. I need to do better. 

Only thing I kind of took issue with in this episode is the topic of new lifters seasoning equipment at a contest. Every grip contest I've competed in had new lifters and people coming from other backgrounds who are unsure about the textures of these implements. Myself included. Many of us don't own Country Crush ect. It would be nice if going forward Armlifting and Grip Sport did an orientation after weigh ins before the contest starts to clarify these things. Also the nuance of weather conditions I believe is huge. Example being I competed at a spring GSI contest and it was very cold that day in the gym(Canada is ) then I competed at an Armlifting contest in July. I think it was like +30 celsius that day. The gym had no ac and my hands were very sweaty. I asked a fellow competitor who also won the contest that day, "do you use any chalk on the Country Crush handles?" He told me he doesn't use chalk. Problem was my hands were so sweaty. So I'm not supposed to use any chalk?? Hopefully guys see were I'm going with this. It's easy to say "never use chalk on such and such an implement." What if it's -30 out in Saskatchewan but 6 months later it's +25 and your sweating instead of freezing  what if a competitor is a rock climber weighs 70kg and doesn't have sweaty hands but another guy just came from strongman and tips the scales at 150kg and has very sweaty hands? It's one reason why I wish this sport would standardize everything by only using a few implements preferably ones that require chalk. That way it eliminates the ambiguity. Crazy to think a guy can be a seasoning master and beat a another guy who has no clue about seasoning tricks but potentially not actually have a stronger grip. Just doesn't sit right with me. Are we competing in magic tricks or who has the strongest grip? 

 

[dubyagrip]

1 hour ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Awesome episode Zack! I took Jedd's advice and realized I was just listening to the podcast via the GB  subbed now and I went through and liked all 34 videos lol. I agree with Jedd it's the least we can do to support your efforts. I need to do better. 

Only thing I kind of took issue with in this episode is the topic of new lifters seasoning equipment at a contest. Every grip contest I've competed in had new lifters and people coming from other backgrounds who are unsure about the textures of these implements. Myself included. Many of us don't own Country Crush ect. It would be nice if going forward Armlifting and Grip Sport did an orientation after weigh ins before the contest starts to clarify these things. Also the nuance of weather conditions I believe is huge. Example being I competed at a spring GSI contest and it was very cold that day in the gym(Canada is ) then I competed at an Armlifting contest in July. I think it was like +30 celsius that day. The gym had no ac and my hands were very sweaty. I asked a fellow competitor who also won the contest that day, "do you use any chalk on the Country Crush handles?" He told me he doesn't use chalk. Problem was my hands were so sweaty. So I'm not supposed to use any chalk?? Hopefully guys see were I'm going with this. It's easy to say "never use chalk on such and such an implement." What if it's -30 out in Saskatchewan but 6 months later it's +25 and your sweating instead of freezing  what if a competitor is a rock climber weighs 70kg and doesn't have sweaty hands but another guy just came from strongman and tips the scales at 150kg and has very sweaty hands? It's one reason why I wish this sport would standardize everything by only using a few implements preferably ones that require chalk. That way it eliminates the ambiguity. Crazy to think a guy can be a seasoning master and beat a another guy who has no clue about seasoning tricks but potentially not actually have a stronger grip. Just doesn't sit right with me. Are we competing in magic tricks or who has the strongest grip? 

 

Steve Millard makes everyone scrub, degrease, dry, and chalk their hands before ever touching an implement.  This helps to set the mood of being careful and touching things as little as possible.  When we use country crush, he makes a point to clean hands again and encourages light moisture on the hands, but I prefer a light dusting of chalk, which can easily be wiped after my attempt.  Based on your experience, I think more promoters could adopt this process and mentality.  

Also, as an experienced competitor, I feel it is my duty to keep an eye out for shenanigans and people not knowing any better, but sometimes, there's only so much we can do.  It really kills the vibe when someone ruins the texture.  Because of this, I'll sometimes wipe an implement clean in training just to get a feel for when the seasoning isn't there and gauge my strength level.  Not every promoter seasons well, either.

Edited September 20, 2023 by dubyagrip

[Bigfoot Grip]

36 minutes ago, dubyagrip said:

Steve Millard makes everyone scrub, degrease, dry, and chalk their hands before ever touching an implement.  This helps to set the mood of being careful and touching things as little as possible.  When we use country crush, he makes a point to clean hands again and encourages light moisture on the hands, but I prefer a light dusting of chalk, which can easily be wiped after my attempt.  Based on your experience, I think more promoters could adopt this process and mentality.  

Also, as an experienced competitor, I feel it is my duty to keep an eye out for shenanigans and people not knowing any better, but sometimes, there's only so much we can do.  It really kills the vibe when someone ruins the texture.  Because of this, I'll sometimes wipe an implement clean in training just to get a feel for when the seasoning isn't there and gauge my strength level.  Not every promoter seasons well, either.

Thanks for the feedback Jay  Good to know about Steve's contests. I wish there was more guidance and direction like that. I met a rock climber at a contest who told me the only piece of equipment he owned was the Blockbuster pinch block. He asked me for pointers but unfortunately I could only help so much because I still see myself as a new guy in grip and don't have a ton of knowledge about texture and seasoning. I wish we had one of those excel sheets which could show for example if you're competing in a really humid climate like say Florida...do this. Have naturally really sweaty hands but are competing in a dry climate such as eastern Wyoming....do this. etc. It's comical to me guys brag about being great at making their hands optimal for every single event but don't tell the secrets to newer people who remain in the dark. I get why though it gives them an edge and elevates their placement on the databases and leaderboards. All I'm saying is stop cringing inside at newer people "ruining" an implement if you're not prepared to spill the beans. I think if someone is intentionally sabotaging an implement for other competitors that should be a minimum of a disqualification for that contest and possibly a lifetime ban. 

[climber511]

Back in the "old days" we had a group of 4 or 5 of us who tried to come up with the rules for the sport aspect of Grip.  Seasoning is pretty much impossible to have match exactly from implement to implement - no matter how hard we try.  At one point someone said to "chrome" everything with a hard shiney finish.  Until recently Grip has been a "garage" implement sport - with no standardization of any kind and no manufacturers to speak of.  I competed in Olympic Weightlifting and one of the difficulties is affording competition equipment.  A competition bar and plates can easily run a couple grand - an Eleiko bar alone is over $1000.  Now imagine what a complete Euro apparatus and competition plate setup would cost if made by a major company for example?  Grip is going to have to become MUCH more organized and fall under the umbrella of an actual organization that provides a complete rule set - insurance - paid judges - standardized equipment and surfaces.  At which point it won't be the same sport as today - someday perhaps?  Seasoning - the best I can offer is "learn yourself" - the surface you like will NOT be the same as what Jedd - Adam - or I like.  It will be close but you'll never believe the amount of experimentation that has been done by experienced grip guys.  Yes it would be nice if there was a n article showing you the basics - I actually think there was one (or more) years ago on the GB - maybe a search?  People have left them outside - packed them in salt - sprayed them with a spray bottle - rubbed them repeatedly with chalk etc - all kinds of things have been tried over the years - good luck.  The best seasoning I have ever used were setups that were just used day in and day out - no tricks - just a lot of reps.  

I have my own "ritual" before a contest involving hand wipes and a deep cleaning of my hands - then a very light dusting of chalk - others cover their hands with tons of chalk - different strokes for different folks.

Edited September 20, 2023 by climber511

[Climber028]

I don't really buy any of these excuses nearly everything you would want to know is either in this forum or you can figure it out yourself through some simple testing. If that effort isn't worth it to you then that's okay but you'll get beat by someone who's willing to do the leg work and that's how it should be.

Strength sports are not simply a measure of absolute strength, the strategy and tactics involved in competing will always be part of the skills the elite are required to master. 

We could run the most boring competition in the world and have everyone walk up to a table and squeeze a dynamometer then give it awards, but we don't do that because all of these other aspects matter. 

[dubyagrip]

1 hour ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Thanks for the feedback Jay  Good to know about Steve's contests. I wish there was more guidance and direction like that. I met a rock climber at a contest who told me the only piece of equipment he owned was the Blockbuster pinch block. He asked me for pointers but unfortunately I could only help so much because I still see myself as a new guy in grip and don't have a ton of knowledge about texture and seasoning. I wish we had one of those excel sheets which could show for example if you're competing in a really humid climate like say Florida...do this. Have naturally really sweaty hands but are competing in a dry climate such as eastern Wyoming....do this. etc. It's comical to me guys brag about being great at making their hands optimal for every single event but don't tell the secrets to newer people who remain in the dark. I get why though it gives them an edge and elevates their placement on the databases and leaderboards. All I'm saying is stop cringing inside at newer people "ruining" an implement if you're not prepared to spill the beans. I think if someone is intentionally sabotaging an implement for other competitors that should be a minimum of a disqualification for that contest and possibly a lifetime ban. 

I don't know anything about optimal hands for different events or secret strategies for chalking the hands.  I just walk up and lift it.  I have won several overall events, placed well in the others, I have many top ten lifts and even a GSI record to my name right now.  I'm not saying your experience or thoughts are invalid.  I am saying that it is possible to win and compete at a high level without such knowledge.  I don't want anyone having a defeatist mindset because they believe there is some clandestine, mystical wisdom they have yet to find.

Good discussion.

[ZRMMA]

I guess I can just add that...

• If I host (Heavy Hands) me and Ben discussed and worked with newer lifters and helped everyone from the beginning.. I do it at any/every  competition I can (I've been more active than anyone in this sport in the last two years 21+ comps and guess what another this weekend) and I'll send people who ask me online free videos about any and every lift and chalking said lift. I don't care.  So I'm not sitting around whining when a new a guy doesn't know what he's doing. I'm active in the comps and educating the new guys .. are you?

So In the example above... where I lift and host ...this "orientation" does take place and apparently Jaland says Steve does something similar. So the veteran lifters and hosts are active in educating the new lifters. But if I'm on stage at the Arnold is it my show? Am I gonna tell 30people how to chalk? Na that's your own job that you find out by taking time and effort or you learn on the spot then and there.. that's life. 
• Also let's just say no veterans help any new lifters and they just sit back doing nothing (which never happens) but let's pretend... you can still watch what the others do and learn hands on ..(watch how they act, move, chalk, warm up etc. that's on the individual. 
 

• Also I've never learned any secret chalking method that's been withheld from the newer lifters. 
yeah climates and handles vary and everyone has different hands or chalks different... so a guy can say he doesn't use chalk and your hands are sweaty .. Ok? you can use common sense and chalk your hands.. no one is suggesting otherwise? 

• I'm not "cringing inside" when a new lifter walks up with a full block of chalk and scrapes it directly on the implement... I just say "wow he messed that up and doesn't know what he's doing"... and usually if that happens they're the only one to do it... not like the whole room did it before... patterns ignored .. doesn't take a veteran spoon feeding you to realize you're doing something no one else did.

• Also shoot me a list of all the people who climbed to the top of the leaderboard lists with magic tricks and not strength? I need to know 

• Also I get it Grip Sport is a nicer community and usually head to head competitors will assist one another and share information etc. (Myself included)...it's one of the beautiful things about this community and sport. But in almost no other sport/comp does your direct competition owe you advice or is expected to help you figure it out. That's what occurs in training. No one's opponent in mma or football or any other sport is gonna be like "hey man here's how you beat me" 

• I'm normally open for discussions/opinions and pretty laid back about stuff when it comes to grip training. But everything above is assuming/insinuating stuff that isn't accurate and making it seem like I or Others sit around withholding info and "cringe" when someone ruins an implement. And use magic tricks to beat stronger people and climb to the top. Like really? 
Sounds to me like you don't have a clue what goes on at real competitions and you certainly don't know me and didn't understand what I was saying. 
 

Like I said I'm laid back and able to chat about these subjects.. but if you wanna dedicate two paragraphs that are spewing untrue bs and inflated examples that don't relate to anything I was saying. Then I just think it's disrespectful.
 

I would discuss further but it seems like you already know it all and have it figured out.

Edited September 21, 2023 by ZRMMA

[Vinnie]

On 9/19/2023 at 12:03 PM, Vinnie said:

I will probably watch the whole thing, but not all at once.

Nope, I watched it all at once lol.  Gripping listening!

[Bigfoot Grip]

I want to apologize to anyone I've offended in this thread. I probably did a terrible job in expressing myself. Nearly every person I've met at contests who I became acquaintances with has told me they've never heard of the Grip Board. Some of these people have a number of contests under their belt. My apologies if what I posted came off as trying to be a victim or take away from anyone's accomplishments. I'm trying to look at things though other peoples lens and my main point was to some of us competing in different circumstances using foreign equipment it isn't as easy for us to understand what's expected from the vets. Alot of sports are more straight forward in terms of what's being contested. In this sport I once read guys will wash their hands and rub them together until a tacky surface appears to lift the Rolling Thunder. Then on the next event it's something totally different. Then on another event it's also a totally different process. I can see how this gets confusing for some competitors. I'm sorry to anyone I may have offended. It wasn't my intent to be malicious. 

[Scottex92]

9 hours ago, Climber028 said:

I don't really buy any of these excuses nearly everything you would want to know is either in this forum or you can figure it out yourself through some simple testing. If that effort isn't worth it to you then that's okay but you'll get beat by someone who's willing to do the leg work and that's how it should be.

Strength sports are not simply a measure of absolute strength, the strategy and tactics involved in competing will always be part of the skills the elite are required to master. 

We could run the most boring competition in the world and have everyone walk up to a table and squeeze a dynamometer then give it awards, but we don't do that because all of these other aspects matter. 

I think there is a notable difference between tactics and shenanigans. A dude arching his back extremely with a super wide grip in bench is not *for me* a true sign of upper body strength. I think the field should be as level as possible to competitors to ensure that the strongest dude (with the best standardized technique) wins.

If someone is doing something in his attempts that is considered a positive for most competitors it should be in the rules for the event imho. In my mind I think is because I want to win fair and square and not because I have this secret weapon up my sleeve that no one knows about.

[Douglas Carney]

On 9/19/2023 at 10:22 AM, Blacksmith513 said:

Really great podcast. Listened to half of it.

Yeah...I didn't wait 'til Friday night.  Stopped around the two hour mark last night.

Probably finish the rest tonight after the kids go to bed.  Awesome so far...

[stranger]

Great episode and love the history of the sport being told by one of the greats! 

[Climber028]

2 hours ago, Scottex92 said:

I think there is a notable difference between tactics and shenanigans. A dude arching his back extremely with a super wide grip in bench is not *for me* a true sign of upper body strength. I think the field should be as level as possible to competitors to ensure that the strongest dude (with the best standardized technique) wins.

If someone is doing something in his attempts that is considered a positive for most competitors it should be in the rules for the event imho. In my mind I think is because I want to win fair and square and not because I have this secret weapon up my sleeve that no one knows about.

 Your assumption that the goal of the event is to find out who has the highest upper body strength is incorrect. The goal is to find who can output the highest performance within the given rule set, if the rule set is unsatisfying the nobody is forced to participate. Tactics is finding out ever minor advantage you can within a given rule set, even minor things like what you wear, what you drink and eat, precise body positioning, every little detail that seems insignificant but together adds up to a perfect performance. 

 

 

[Jedd Johnson]

17 hours ago, Bigfoot Grip said:

Awesome episode Zack! I took Jedd's advice and realized I was just listening to the podcast via the GB  subbed now and I went through and liked all 34 videos lol. I agree with Jedd it's the least we can do to support your efforts. I need to do better. 

Only thing I kind of took issue with in this episode is the topic of new lifters seasoning equipment at a contest. Every grip contest I've competed in had new lifters and people coming from other backgrounds who are unsure about the textures of these implements. Myself included. Many of us don't own Country Crush ect. It would be nice if going forward Armlifting and Grip Sport did an orientation after weigh ins before the contest starts to clarify these things. Also the nuance of weather conditions I believe is huge. Example being I competed at a spring GSI contest and it was very cold that day in the gym(Canada is ) then I competed at an Armlifting contest in July. I think it was like +30 celsius that day. The gym had no ac and my hands were very sweaty. I asked a fellow competitor who also won the contest that day, "do you use any chalk on the Country Crush handles?" He told me he doesn't use chalk. Problem was my hands were so sweaty. So I'm not supposed to use any chalk?? Hopefully guys see were I'm going with this. It's easy to say "never use chalk on such and such an implement." What if it's -30 out in Saskatchewan but 6 months later it's +25 and your sweating instead of freezing  what if a competitor is a rock climber weighs 70kg and doesn't have sweaty hands but another guy just came from strongman and tips the scales at 150kg and has very sweaty hands? It's one reason why I wish this sport would standardize everything by only using a few implements preferably ones that require chalk. That way it eliminates the ambiguity. Crazy to think a guy can be a seasoning master and beat a another guy who has no clue about seasoning tricks but potentially not actually have a stronger grip. Just doesn't sit right with me. Are we competing in magic tricks or who has the strongest grip? 

 

I'll just say I've covered all of this stuff you bring up time and time again at TheGripAuthority.com

[Douglas Carney]

14 hours ago, Douglas Carney said:

Yeah...I didn't wait 'til Friday night.  Stopped around the two hour mark last night.

Probably finish the rest tonight after the kids go to bed.  Awesome so far...

Oldest headed up to bed around the same time I finished editing a couple of videos.

Time to relax and finish watching this episode of The Grip Show!

[Douglas Carney]

15 hours ago, Douglas Carney said:

Oldest headed up to bed around the same time I finished editing a couple of videos.

Time to relax and finish watching this episode of The Grip Show!

Was awesome...  First hand accounts of grip history and a great discussion of the vision and future for grip.  Highly recommend it.