Odin's Grip Journey

[odin]

I did an introductory post in my Rolling Thunder poll, but will try to briefly summarize here. I

am doing this so I am encouraged to train more consistently, right now I go crazy on grip 1-2x weekly. I was inspired by seeing Jonathan's log.

Age:43

Height: 6'1

Weight: 165

Grip experience: about 3 months (since mid-October)

Weight Training experience:average of 1-2 months per year for 22 years.

Other grip-related: lifted 100 pound bags of sugar for 1 year in a sugarbeet factory, bowled for about 12 years.

Current gripping level:

IM Grippers:Closed # 1 out of the package. Got the #2 about a month later and closed it the first day, and couldn't close it again for another week. Now I can grind the handles on the #2 on a good day. The #3's power scared the heck out of me at first, I put it in a cheap vice I'd bought at Lowe's in an attempt to season it, and it jumped out with such force I was shocked and decided I'd have to forgo seasoning for the time being. I can't even chest crush it due to 2 bad rotator cuffs. I read in the old posts about how to do negatives, but am ashamed to say that I couldn't even come close to closing it against my hip at first. Now i can at least do that and think I have a chance of closing it this year. I have the # 4...but, well...nuff said.

Rolling Thunder: Today I got 170 R and 150 L (BW 165 today) after my 4th workout with it. I cocked my wrist, which seemed to help get it off the ground.

1-hand Plate pinch: 2 25's (pathetic, I know)

Hex block weights: I made my first 30 lb.(Yorks...but hex) blobs about 2 months ago, based on MOHS suggestion. It seems like my strength has increased rapidly, lifting them about once weekly. I lifted them on my first try with either hand but couldn't lift either one on my 2nd session.

Now I can lift the 30 with any 2 fingers, and sometimes with my index or middle finger if one of those fingers touches the back of the other.

New model IM pinch block: 35 is also very hard with R...25 is the most so far w/L but I did 75 with 2 hands today.

BB Wrist curl: 155 lbs

2004 Goals (based on a BW that usually fluctuates between 160-170LB:

Close #3

Rolling Thunder 200 LB.

BB Wrist Curl: 200 LB.

Work some w/ sledge & at least contemplate some bending, if I can do it without further messing up my shoulders.

Block Weight & others:?

Work towards my PhD a little bit

Thanks for reading & any feedback is always appreciated.

Edited January 8, 2004 by odin

[mANVIL]

Cool post odin, your grip is pretty good for being a tall skinny guy and only training for 3 months. Do you feel your experience lifting 100lbs bags of sugar gave you a pretty good base of strength to work off of?

[AP]

Short bending (9" or less) doesn't seem to do any damage to shoulders/cuffs so hopefully you will be ok there.

What was your ave in bowling? (been a long time since I've done any)

What are you working on in your PhD? Just curious...

[odin]

Cool post odin, your grip is pretty good for being a tall skinny guy and only training for 3 months. Do you feel your experience lifting 100lbs bags of sugar gave you a pretty good base of strength to work off of?

Thanks mANVIL,

I started training grip because I noticed that my L hand was still really messed up after having hand surgery 3 years ago. My middle finger was still very numb and weak after all this time. What really made me contemplate researching the subject was when I noticed that I was having a harder time grasping and moving furniture due to that hand. That really bothered me, because I'd always prided myself on my grip.

I'm still about 1/4 inch away on the #2 with my L BTW.

Yes, I think that lifting the 100 pound bags helped my hand strength, especially because I was 18-19, only weighed 145 at the time, and had never lifted weights. In a typical shift, I would lift with a partner off of a conveyor belt onto a pallet (8 high), and a bag would arrive every 15 seconds. Subtract 1 hour for breaks, and in an "easy" shift I'd lift 84,000 lbs. (42 tons).

On most days they'd send "doubles" including awkward sewn bags thrown on from an adjoining belt...and the hardest days were when we had to fill multiple boxcars (in EGF MN, where it sometimes was -40 F/-40C), because we had to stack over our head at the highest...and we stacked as fast as the forklift could bring the bags, so it got pretty ridiculous...probably what ruined my rotator cuffs. When it started getting easier, I'd try lifting the bags different ways that were more challenging. What was really funny was when some 250 lb guy would be working with me, give me a look like he was going to put me to shame, and leave the job within hours or days. It was really brutal on your hands (sometimes I wore those white gloves w/ black stubbies), sugar is very abrasive and perhaps that is why the knurling on grippers doesn't bother me at all, I actually wish it were sharper. So yes, I think it established a base of strength that never went away, I've always accidentaly bent/broken things, including keys in locks several times.

I am in the public health field, which is especially funny because I was gently chided in another thread for asking about using lead shot...and of all people I know better...guess I'm getting a bit obsessed with grip and thought I'd figure out a foolproof way to ensure my safety before handling it.

Edited January 8, 2004 by odin

[odin]

Short bending (9" or less) doesn't seem to do any damage to shoulders/cuffs so hopefully you will be ok there.

What was your ave in bowling? (been a long time since I've done any)

Thanks for the bending advice AP. I saw in MOHS where a 4 ft, 1/2 inch, round HRS bar was suggested as a starting point, but when I saw one in Lowe's I was daunted by its appearance (imagining shoulder stress) and bought one that was thicker than a coathanger, but thinner than 1/2". I haven't got around to trying it yet.

I also bought a 5lb. bucket of timber ties for use in the future...but it said "galvanized" on them, so I thought they might not be the nails suggested here...and thought I'd better ask.

My bowling average was usually between 170-190. I was quite inconsistent, but had a 297 high game in league and still have the gold belt buckle ABC gave me. I bowled between 1973-1986, before the lane conditions, ball surfaces and averages made it a different game. I was sick of smelling like cigarettes, so I lost interest. I am considering bowling again, without using my thumb. I used to like to use an 8-12 lb ball in practice, cup my wrist until the ball was touching it, and crank it so hard (and throw it at a high speed) that it would look like a crazed gyroscope and hook like crazy the last few feet. I'd like to be strong enough to do that with a 16 pound ball...now that would be fun. Any other current/former bowlers?

[dannyboy]

good luck on the gripping

that job you had with the sugar bags sounded pretty rough. i had a hard manual labour job like that ay one point too. hard work is good for you. just not to much of it

[odin]

good luck on the gripping

that job you had with the sugar bags sounded pretty rough. i had a hard manual labour job like that ay one point too.  hard work is good for you.  just not to much of it

What kind of manual labor did you do dannyboy?

I bought 2 rusty hex yorks with bent handles today, and hacksawed them into 37.5 & 40 lb. block weights. I was surprised that I could deadlift both of them, especially right after all the sawing. I think MOHS said that you should be able to pinch 1/2 as much per hand with blocks as with plates. That guideline has not applied to me, because smooth 25 lb. plates are still very challenging, and on a bad day I can't even budge them.

I think the rougher surface makes the new blocks easier per pound than my smooth 30 hexes. I am looking for heavier round blobs now, and am wondering if people sand their blobs/blocks if they are rough and/or rusty. Is a 50 lb blob lift legit if the blob isn't smooth? I don't remember reading this in the FAQ or elsewhere.

I also had a chance to squeeze another IM gripper today, a single stamped #1. At least I think that's what it was. I kept looking at it, because I thought it must be another brand of gripper, or somehow altered. My 150 lb. training partner, who can't close my #1, could grind the handles. I was shocked how it closed with minimal resistance, and was easily able to shut it & hold it closed with 2 fingers. I still can't believe it, even after all the posts I've read about gripper variation. It really felt like it was about no more than 2/3 as hard as my #1.

Edited January 10, 2004 by odin

[dannyboy]

i used to work in a warehouse doing the night shift, i lifted boxes all night. most were heavy...... some light. wouldnt do it again though. once around the track is good enough for me

[odin]

Grip-related training today:

I will usually only mention the heaviest sets of items I feel like keeping track of here .

Deadlift 185x22 (did each rep like a single, no bouncing)

Wrist curl 165x1 PR (over knees, hands on smooth part of bar), am tempted to use knurling, but wonder if that angle (wider grip) would cause injury.

Reverse curl 80+ the easy-curl bar (don't know its weight)X1

Plate pinch w/25x0

Edited January 11, 2004 by odin

[odin]

i used to work in a warehouse doing the night shift, i lifted boxes all night. most were heavy...... some light. wouldnt do it again though. once around the track is good enough for me

Yes, I forgot to mention that we'd work on rotating shifts; 8-4, 4-12, and graveyard. I think rotating shifts should be outlawed, because they really mess up your circadian rhythm and health. I am glad those days are long behind me.

[Jonathan McMillan]

Odin,

excellent training log keep it up! I have what I suspect are the timber ties everyone talks about non galvanized are quite a bit easier then the galvanized ones. So you might want to do some more shopping there

Plate pinching along with your 2x25 attempts you can also try rowing with a 25 and a 10lb plate, the motion makes it harder to hold onto the lighter weight.

Jon@han

[odin]

I'm glad I haven't tried the galvanized ones. I looked for non-galvanized there & didn't see any, and the workers were clueless, so I'll try Home Depot next time. Thanks for enlightening me and most likely preventing an injury. After reading that timber ties are "easy", I probably would have strained something. I'll have to think of the galvanized timber ties as a long, long-term investment.

Jonathan, it has been enjoyable reading about your all-around progress, and your plate curls are unreal.

[odin]

I weighed my York hexes on an old digital scale, just thought some of you might want to know who are thinking about getting started with block weights:

30lb=31 actual

37.5lb=37.5 actual

40lb=41 actual

Each pair was the same in weight, even though they were all heavier than I expected with the bar sawed off.

Edited January 11, 2004 by odin

[mANVIL]

Odin, i've found that york products in general tend to go a little heavier then marked. Out of all my york block weights, not one is less than half the weight of the dumbell it came from, the plates are heavier too. There is actually a thread going on in ironhistory and one comment was made that a york barbell set was used in an olympic lifting competition and a record was done, it was later weighed and it turned out to be significantly heavier then the attempted weight.

Not really a problem as we aren't going for any world records here , and i suppose better to be too heavy than too light.

[odin]

I am glad I started this log, because it has helped increase my motivation to train more often and sharpened my focus. Even if I post less often in the future, at least it might prod me when life is distracting me from gripping.

Today I worked out at home. I warmed up with dexterity balls and went right into grippers. The #2 is now starting to feel like the #1 did on the first day, and while the #3 is going to take some time to master, it no longer intimidates me.

Unfortunately, my left hand seems to be regressing; I still haven't closed the #2 with it. When I think about it, the regression started when I began learning how to set the grippers a little better, which helped with the R, but not the L. It feels like a struggling fish in my hand now.

I still don't think I'm setting the gripper in either hand 100% correctly, because when I've looked at videos, the gripper is more closed when others start the movement.

I was able to deadlift my heaviest hex weights, 41 lbs, even when I added 2 magnetic Plate Mates, which brought it up to 44 lbs on my last set. I'm guessing I might be able to handle a 35 lb blob now. I did sand grabs and extensions between hex lifts.

I finished the workout with tossing and catching a 16 lb shotput, doing both pronated and supinated grabs, pinching an orange Pony clamp (#3201) and then reverse curls with the shotput. Seemed to be a nice way to finish off the thumbs.

Not really a problem as we aren't going for any world records here, and i suppose better to be too heavy than too light.

Agreed, and thank you so much for the interesting York info.

Edited January 11, 2004 by odin

[mANVIL]

Odin i'd say you're well more than ready to handle the 35lbs york blob. I lifted my 35york at about the same point that i was pinching my 25 hex + 14 lbs (total 39) duct taped to the bottom.

About the left hand dragging i wouldn't worry about it too much. I notice the same thing, being righthanded (i'm assuming) you're brain is wired to doing most things right handed (opening doors, jars, writing, shaking a hand etc..) so training will come easier. Alot of it is just coordination and you're left hand getting used to doing things on it's own. As you train more your left hand will catch up. I also noticed as my setting hand got stronger in the pinch my set got deeper and therefore i increased on the grippers. All the more reason to practice the block weights with individual fingers.

Edited January 12, 2004 by mANVIL

[odin]

All the more reason to practice the block weights with individual fingers.

mANVIL, I have been doing that, and am surprised how well it is going. However, it seems like the whole is less than the sum of the parts.

I also noticed as my setting hand got stronger in the pinch my set got deeper and therefore i increased on the grippers. 

I guess I'll try to find 40 & 45 pound blobs (old-style York) next. Thanks for the info.

Edited January 12, 2004 by odin

[odin]

1-13-04

Grip related items of interest, to me anyway

BW 162

Chinups BW+50X4x4x2x2x2

Wrist Curls 155X1, tried a 2nd rep, but as I broke parallel it felt like something was going to give on the little-finger side of my L wrist. I'm guessing that it doesn't count as a full rep unless your wrist is completey cocked at the finish of the movement.

1-handed deadlifts 175X1 L&R (oly. bar in front-this is my 1st time trying this lift). I

did singles & moved up 20 lbs per set. Last set was difficult, bar tried to wiggle, reached full lockout, but setdown was not too pretty. 108% of BW.

Did a very brief gripper workout, one squeeze on the #2 & two on the #3.. #2 feels almost like a warmup now, it was even easier with a tighter set. #3, seemed to go worse today with a set closer to my calluses than my thumb.

I could have attributed my difficulty to all the grip work I did first...but a light bulb went off in my head. Now I know why strap holds must be crucial, as many have said, because your form or set is probably lacking with a gripper you can't close. It is one thing to hear several people recommend them, and quite another to come to the realization based on difficulties you are having.

Now I see how strap holds might prevent someone from getting to a point of frustration where they repeatedly try to close a harder gripper with poor execution. I will try some strap holds with 1.25 lbs + the #2 R & #1 L (when I can get it back from my training partner). I think my sweep is pretty good, but my close is probably lacking.

Did some 5 & 10 lb plate pinches with last 2 fingers, and 1-finger with index & middle. Finally, did some fingertip plate levering to finish off the workout.

I also noticed later today, when shaking my hands, that the joint area just below my L thumb hurts. I don't know when I hurt it, and that is the only time it hurts. Will do some RICE (or at least ice) & motrin.

[odin]

1/16 highlights

squeezed #2 at work and it was pretty easy to grind the handles, but still ~>1/2 inch on the #3.

PM: Did some block weights, managed to deadlift 41 hex York + 7 lbs. attached, broke it a few inches off the ground with the left. Will have to go hunting for some new ones, hopefully will find blobs next time instead of hexes only.

Did 6 lb. shotput rotations. I haven't duct-taped them yet like Brookfield suggests, I can barely keep them in my hand as is. I would have bought 5-pounders, but got a pretty good deal at a local sporting goods store, and they didn't even have 5-pounders in their order books.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1/17 Deadlift 225x10

RT: blah

Wrist Curl 165x1

Did various 1 & 2 finger levers, pinches (including rows, thanks Johnathan) There was a group of 3, all 220+ and muscular athletes (I won't name the sport). One started giving me advice so I said "try this" and handed him my #2 gripper after grinding the handles (if they would have been friendly, I'd have handed them the #1). Both he and another big fella couldn't do much with it at all. Pretty funny to hear them grumble about how gripping was useless, and that I should be focusing my energy elsewhere. I just smiled when one of them said "it looks like you're wasting your time" when I was doing pinches. I laughed and bit my tongue before I said something about how his piercing intellect had made me decide to become his grateful disciple forevermore.

[odin]

1/20

BW 164

Was still sore from previous workout...I forgot to note that I did some 1 & 2 fingered deadlifts, which apparently led to unusual soreness deep in my wrists, it actually feels like my bones are sore...so I didn't go too crazy today.

Chinups bw+50 lbs. x4x4x3x3x2

wrist curls 165x4

reverse wrist curls 85x4

Gripper workout:

Did 1 attempt with the 2, easy w/ R, 1/2 inch away w/L, then I did 3 attempts with each hand with the #3. Tried the straphold w/ 1.25 lbs (#1 L & #2 R), but it slipped out each time.

I'm having trouble getting the hang of it w/ the strapholds, so I'm going to have to wait until I'm a little stronger, or file my #2 instead. I'm feeling better on the #3 with my R hand, more confident, but still about 1/2 inch away. I still haven't closed the #2 w/ my L. & can't do much at all with the #3.

Coin bag carry, 31 lb. york in coin bag, carried about 1/2 mile through my neighborhood, alternating hands when fatigued. Will go to a 1/4 mile track next time I do this and carry 1 in each hand.

Edited January 21, 2004 by odin

[Jonathan McMillan]

Odin,

I feel your fustration with strap holds they have not come easy for me either. If you have a gripper easier then the #1 such as the T try using it for strap holds. Depending on what you use for the strap hold you can then try a hold with the #1 after you can hold 20-30lbs on the T? Someone with more authority on the subject please step in here if I'm totally misleading but this is what worked for me using a metal ruler for the strap.

Jon@han

[dannyboy]

odin you bastard!!! your realy comeing along fast. the #2 is yoru warm up now???

good job.

[odin]

odin you bastard!!! your realy comeing along fast. the #2 is yoru warm up now???

good job.

Thanks dannyboy! My 150 lb. training partner has my #1 most of the time now, so the #2 is my "warmup", but usually I use the dexterity balls first. I finally saw him close the #1 and grind the handles, he was so happy and I was happy for him, because he has trouble gaining with grip.

Johnathan, I never bought a trainer, maybe I'll have to get a bigger clamp or a cheap store gripper. I seem to lose my concentration and intensity when I go for the strap, reminds me of the "rubbing your stomach while patting your head" challenge. Maybe I'd be better off filing my #2, although I've grown rather attached to it and might just buy another #2 to grind instead.

[odin]

My workout partner wanted to use my 50 lb vest after work yesterday (1/22). I did a couple of #3 attempts, and then I grabbed my 16 lb. shot and went on a walk with him. I tossed the shot from hand to hand for about 1/2 hour. I can now catch it with my palm down, but mostly did a simple toss back and forth. When I was climbing a steep hill, I wondered what kind of destruction would occur if I accidentally dropped it and it rolled down the sidewalk or into the street.

After we returned, I started lifting my block weights. I was pretty proud of myself after I deadlifted my 41 lb York hex plus 9lbs attached to it with my R and broke it off the ground with my L...until 150 lb Cody did the same with no warmup or chalk. Maybe it is too easy, because it is old and the surface is somewhat rough.

Next I did shot rotation with 2 six-pounders. I might be able to add some duct tape soonas described in MOHS. I can rotate them pretty well in the "easy" direction now, but still can't do anything the opposite way. They really hit the pinky and sometimes the thumb hard. When I first got them, i thought it was a mistake, because I could barely even balance them; they are so big and I have to rotate them almost perfectly to keep them in my hand. I have also been using therapy balls, both pronated and supinated, and like the way they make my hands feel.

As you can see, I am doing a variety of exercises, just trying to find my way and build some general strength. I still want to make a good run at the goals I outlined in my first post, but will probably attain one or more of them when the mood strikes me to focus. Hopefully, I will surprise some of you one day soon...but the #3 is still at least a few months away.

I am getting 3 RB grippers around 2/3, so hopefully they will help provide a boost.

[odin]

Saturday AM 1/24

Deadlifts 205x12

wrist curls (negatives) up to 225, trying to get used to the feel of heavier weights

reverse wrist curls 85x5

plate levers & 1-2 finger pinches

1-handed deadlifts, tried straddle-style for the first time 175x1 each hand

Picked up a 105 hex, 80 & 90 blob-style Yorks. Got a good workout carrying the 80 & 90 at the same time from the street to my 3rd floor apartment. Hacksawed the 80 & 1/2 of the 105. They weighed 41, 41, and 52 lbs.

I set the 41 lb blob on an old body pillow (so I could feel if I was budging it & to avoid that "stuck-to-the-floor" feeling"), because I didn't know if I could lift it or not. After several tries over the course of about 1/2 hour, I deadlifted it a few times with my R hand. I had even more trouble with my L, but finally deadlifted it just short of straightening out my traps. It was really hard to lower it with either hand, it slipped gradually as I lowered it, but I never dropped it. I was happy with my efforts though, because my forearms were pumped from the hacksaw. Perhaps Brookfield should have said "sawing block weights=grip strength". Seriously, I do love block weights.

I think I'll have to lift it with between 5 and 7 and 1/2 lbs attached before I can even budge a 45 lb. blob. I tried the 52 hex afterwards, but couldn't budge it. Afterwards, I did shot rotations (they each weighed out at 6 and 1/2 lbs).

Edited January 27, 2004 by odin