Has anyone closed #3 out the package?

[AdriaanRobert96]

So I got 2 questions for this post, and first one is obvious: Has anyone closed a #3 out of the package (no previous direct grip training)?

Second question: Does high starting grip strength always mean high end strength?

Let me explain, so does for example closing a #3 out the package mean it’s easier to close a #3.5 and or #4 later on?

I’ve seen people have high end starting strength but hit a wall very quickly.

[C8Myotome]

I saw someone on IG who was a top notch powerlifter who watched a how to set video before purchasing a #3 and closed it on his first time trying, I don't remember his name, but I would say that guy. I probably could have if I knew how to set and had a #3 on my first day trying them.

Yes starting at a high level makes it a lot easier/realistic to reach a high level. People start with different levels of potential and have room for progression. People that start at a very low level have a much longer road to be able to ever get to a high level.

Yes, walls exist. Go around them

 

[Cannon]

2 minutes ago, AdriaanRobert96 said:

Has anyone closed a #3 out of the package (no previous direct grip training)?

I'll field this one. Short answer is YES. There are lots of stories like this. I think @Alawadhi has a few especially. I actually don't think this is super unheard of, but I'm failing to come up with a bunch of names.

I think Dave Morton closed the 3 straight away. Matt Brouse? Kevin Bussi? Heath Sexton? Nick McKinless? Wes Peart? Jon Eaton? Chris Mathison? Sam Solomi? Tim Struse? Andrew Durniat? Those are all guesses. 

I definitely think there are examples even if I didn't guess right. I'm pretty sure about Heath because he was considered a troll when he first came around talking about he could close the 3. Heck, Ronnie Coleman basically closed the 3 ice cold with no set and total crap form. Any set and I think he would be on this list. 

[Cannon]

 

[stranger]

My first time doing grip

 

in 9 years lol. This gripper would later rate 138 

 

 

[C8Myotome]

54 minutes ago, stranger said:

would later rate 138 

 

 

[Alawadhi]

5 hours ago, AdriaanRobert96 said:

So I got 2 questions for this post, and first one is obvious: Has anyone closed a #3 out of the package (no previous direct grip training)?

Second question: Does high starting grip strength always mean high end strength?

Let me explain, so does for example closing a #3 out the package mean it’s easier to close a #3.5 and or #4 later on?

I’ve seen people have high end starting strength but hit a wall very quickly.

 

4 hours ago, Cannon said:

I'll field this one. Short answer is YES. There are lots of stories like this. I think @Alawadhi has a few especially. I actually don't think this is super unheard of, but I'm failing to come up with a bunch of names.

I think Dave Morton closed the 3 straight away. Matt Brouse? Kevin Bussi? Heath Sexton? Nick McKinless? Wes Peart? Jon Eaton? Chris Mathison? Sam Solomi? Tim Struse? Andrew Durniat? Those are all guesses. 

I definitely think there are examples even if I didn't guess right. I'm pretty sure about Heath because he was considered a troll when he first came around talking about he could close the 3. Heck, Ronnie Coleman basically closed the 3 ice cold with no set and total crap form. Any set and I think he would be on this list. 

Yup true. There are people who can close the 3 first time doing it with no specific grip training. See my recent topic about Hussain Ali. Not only did he close a 3 first time, he closed a 3.5 and got close on the 217 coc4 with a bad set. I believe if he has a good set with slightly easier 4 like 205 he would have closed it. There are others here who did a 3 without training.

There are people who closed a 3 first time ( @Cannon I believe Dave Morton closed the coc3 three weeks after he got it). I remember the Armenian Vache certed on it without even seeing one before. I am not sure but I believe Tex and Rich Williams didn't do specific grip training. Tex did the 3 and Rich did the 3.5 in the same event Brian Shaw did which Brian failed at the 3.5. Mike Burke also did the 3.5 without training. Those were all IM cc certs. Ronnie Coleman 3 attempt is scary. If he had a set I believe he would've closed a 3.5 easily. So basically yeah there are people capable of closing a 3 their first time. 

Would they get stronger like a newbie? I don't know. Don't forget these guys are very developed. But I believe they can get scary strong.

[Cannon]

Just now, Alawadhi said:

I remember the Armenian Vache certed on it without even seeing one before.

This is a great call out. His other arm was also in a sling at the time.

https://ironmind.com/news/Vache-Very-Impressive

[AdriaanRobert96]

6 hours ago, C8Myotome said:

I saw someone on IG who was a top notch powerlifter who watched a how to set video before purchasing a #3 and closed it on his first time trying, I don't remember his name, but I would say that guy. I probably could have if I knew how to set and had a #3 on my first day trying them.

Yes starting at a high level makes it a lot easier/realistic to reach a high level. People start with different levels of potential and have room for progression. People that start at a very low level have a much longer road to be able to ever get to a high level.

Yes, walls exist. Go around them

 

Thanks for the heads up at the end

[AdriaanRobert96]

5 hours ago, Cannon said:

 

Oh man, I remember seeing this the first time.. Ronnie is king!

[AdriaanRobert96]

54 minutes ago, Alawadhi said:

 

Yup true. There are people who can close the 3 first time doing it with no specific grip training. See my recent topic about Hussain Ali. Not only did he close a 3 first time, he closed a 3.5 and got close on the 217 coc4 with a bad set. I believe if he has a good set with slightly easier 4 like 205 he would have closed it. There are others here who did a 3 without training.

There are people who closed a 3 first time ( @Cannon I believe Dave Morton closed the coc3 three weeks after he got it). I remember the Armenian Vache certed on it without even seeing one before. I am not sure but I believe Tex and Rich Williams didn't do specific grip training. Tex did the 3 and Rich did the 3.5 in the same event Brian Shaw did which Brian failed at the 3.5. Mike Burke also did the 3.5 without training. Those were all IM cc certs. Ronnie Coleman 3 attempt is scary. If he had a set I believe he would've closed a 3.5 easily. So basically yeah there are people capable of closing a 3 their first time. 

Would they get stronger like a newbie? I don't know. Don't forget these guys are very developed. But I believe they can get scary strong.

Oh man I gotta check that out

[Fist of Fury]

15 hours ago, AdriaanRobert96 said:

So I got 2 questions for this post, and first one is obvious: Has anyone closed a #3 out of the package (no previous direct grip training)?

Second question: Does high starting grip strength always mean high end strength?

Let me explain, so does for example closing a #3 out the package mean it’s easier to close a #3.5 and or #4 later on?

I’ve seen people have high end starting strength but hit a wall very quickly.

It has happend quite a few times, usually by people who are already strong, either from manual labor or other types of strength training.

It does not necessarily mean they will reach further. It depends on how much they have trained, they might already reached close to their potential. It can also mean that their potential is sky high, it's impossible to say for sure. Only way to find out is to train.

There's also examples of people who are extremely strong in grip the first time who could not close a #2.5 (strong in other aspects of grip) but once they start to train they get really far etc. So it's really impossible to know for sure. Khaled Jashell is a ghood example of that, he could lift a 200 lbs inch db first time he tried it, lifted the millenium db after a ,month or so of training but he could not close the #2.5 first try, or maybe he could but that was his max. Then he closed the #3.5 after a some training, from a really wide set.

Edited September 25, 2023 by Fist of Fury

[Harrison]

I have personally witnessed a few people close a CoC #3 straight out of the package. I don't think it's all that uncommon. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. 

[Alawadhi]

2 hours ago, Fist of Fury said:

It has happend quite a few times, usually by people who are already strong, either from manual labor or other types of strength training.

It does not necessarily mean they will reach further. It depends on how much they have trained, they might already reached close to their potential. It can also mean that their potential is sky high, it's impossible to say for sure. Only way to find out is to train.

There's also examples of people who are extremely strong in grip the first time who could not close a #2.5 (strong in other aspects of grip) but once they start to train they get really far etc. So it's really impossible to know for sure. Khaled Jashell is a ghood example of that, he could lift a 200 lbs inch db first time he tried it, lifted the millenium db after a ,month or so of training but he could not close the #2.5 first try, or maybe he could but that was his max. Then he closed the #3.5 after a some training, from a really wide set.

There are people like Khaled yes. He did the 98 KG inch strict his first time. Did the blobs and my very slick 2 35's. He barely did the 1 but when I showed him how then he did the 2. He did the #3.5 in 2 month or so of training grip which is amazing. You reminded me of one Sri Lankan guy who was airplane engineer. The man was tall around 6'5" or 6'6" and lean but with meaty hands. I asked him if he trained and he said no. I beleive him his body shows. He was very strong in grip. He tried the 2.5 Ronnie style and got close. After quickly showing him how to set he could do the 2.5 (of course he can't master a set in one session). But he did other huge lifts like my slick 35's, blob, 98 KG Inch strict, anvil and he did 12 LB hammer his first try. I also asked him for a thumbless Inch but his hands did not fit. He did manage to get air under it thumbless with some fingers below the handle. I believe he could have done it if his hands fully fits in.

So yeah there are very strong people in grip who can't close hard grippers their first time and there are guys who are strong at grippers but not so good at other stuff their first time. And yes, there are people good at everything their first time.

[AdriaanRobert96]

3 hours ago, Fist of Fury said:

It has happend quite a few times, usually by people who are already strong, either from manual labor or other types of strength training.

It does not necessarily mean they will reach further. It depends on how much they have trained, they might already reached close to their potential. It can also mean that their potential is sky high, it's impossible to say for sure. Only way to find out is to train.

There's also examples of people who are extremely strong in grip the first time who could not close a #2.5 (strong in other aspects of grip) but once they start to train they get really far etc. So it's really impossible to know for sure. Khaled Jashell is a ghood example of that, he could lift a 200 lbs inch db first time he tried it, lifted the millenium db after a ,month or so of training but he could not close the #2.5 first try, or maybe he could but that was his max. Then he closed the #3.5 after a some training, from a really wide set.

I remember first I could barely close a #1 first time I bought it

[Fist of Fury]

46 minutes ago, Alawadhi said:

There are people like Khaled yes. He did the 98 KG inch strict his first time. Did the blobs and my very slick 2 35's. He barely did the 1 but when I showed him how then he did the 2. He did the #3.5 in 2 month or so of training grip which is amazing. You reminded me of one Sri Lankan guy who was airplane engineer. The man was tall around 6'5" or 6'6" and lean but with meaty hands. I asked him if he trained and he said no. I beleive him his body shows. He was very strong in grip. He tried the 2.5 Ronnie style and got close. After quickly showing him how to set he could do the 2.5 (of course he can't master a set in one session). But he did other huge lifts like my slick 35's, blob, 98 KG Inch strict, anvil and he did 12 LB hammer his first try. I also asked him for a thumbless Inch but his hands did not fit. He did manage to get air under it thumbless with some fingers below the handle. I believe he could have done it if his hands fully fits in.

So yeah there are very strong people in grip who can't close hard grippers their first time and there are guys who are strong at grippers but not so good at other stuff their first time. And yes, there are people good at everything their first time.

Crap it was even 98 kg. I remember that, was one of the most ridiculous things I've seen in grip. He picked it up like it was a bag of groceries  I knew immediately the MDB was going to be easy for him with some training after seeing that.

[Alawadhi]

12 minutes ago, Fist of Fury said:

Crap it was even 98 kg. I remember that, was one of the most ridiculous things I've seen in grip. He picked it up like it was a bag of groceries  I knew immediately the MDB was going to be easy for him with some training after seeing that.

Yup. There is another grip test which is similar to static thick bar but different. When Michael Todd was at my place he said I am not strong enough to do these high level grip things things but if you try to Armwrestle him and want to open his hands for a top roll, his hands/fingers will not open. He can't squeeze hard like most top armwrestlers but the static to hold it in place is very strong. I think that is a different grip test too.

[David_wigren]

One from my armwrestling club closed the 3 first try. But he is a freak. Lifted the Blob50 and the inch the first time aswell. And IMO the most impressive thing he did was reverse a grade 8 207k wraps touching in wog wraps to 30 degrees first try. He didn’t quite get it to the full 40 degrees. But the movement was awkward to him so his own hands were getting in the way. 
 

I’ve also met a weightlifter who closed the 3 first try. Also lifted the blob first try and got 400 lbs on a slick Ironmind axle his first try. The guy had bigger forearms than any other I’ve seen in person.

[AdriaanRobert96]

29 minutes ago, David_wigren said:

One from my armwrestling club closed the 3 first try. But he is a freak. Lifted the Blob50 and the inch the first time aswell. And IMO the most impressive thing he did was reverse a grade 8 207k wraps touching in wog wraps to 30 degrees first try. He didn’t quite get it to the full 40 degrees. But the movement was awkward to him so his own hands were getting in the way. 
 

I’ve also met a weightlifter who closed the 3 first try. Also lifted the blob first try and got 400 lbs on a slick Ironmind axle his first try. The guy had bigger forearms than any other I’ve seen in person.

Damn, really sets the tone on what kind of strong people there are out there..

[Fist of Fury]

55 minutes ago, David_wigren said:

One from my armwrestling club closed the 3 first try. But he is a freak. Lifted the Blob50 and the inch the first time aswell. And IMO the most impressive thing he did was reverse a grade 8 207k wraps touching in wog wraps to 30 degrees first try. He didn’t quite get it to the full 40 degrees. But the movement was awkward to him so his own hands were getting in the way. 
 

I’ve also met a weightlifter who closed the 3 first try. Also lifted the blob first try and got 400 lbs on a slick Ironmind axle his first try. The guy had bigger forearms than any other I’ve seen in person.

I also rank this higher than the others. Those damn bolts... I hate them 

[Alawadhi]

19 hours ago, David_wigren said:

One from my armwrestling club closed the 3 first try. But he is a freak. Lifted the Blob50 and the inch the first time aswell. And IMO the most impressive thing he did was reverse a grade 8 207k wraps touching in wog wraps to 30 degrees first try. He didn’t quite get it to the full 40 degrees. But the movement was awkward to him so his own hands were getting in the way. 
 

I’ve also met a weightlifter who closed the 3 first try. Also lifted the blob first try and got 400 lbs on a slick Ironmind axle his first try. The guy had bigger forearms than any other I’ve seen in person.

Damn that is crazy! "Strong is strong" Bill Piche.