alan_fra Posted May 19 Share Posted May 19 Two days ago the hub came. It is 2.96 inches in diameter. I loaded it up to 20 kg thinking that it would be an easy lift but the thing didn't budge off the ground. I ended up starting at 15 kg which was a slight challenge but I made it. Then I hit a PR of 16.35 kg and it's been stuck there now at that level. I thought it woiuld be much easier to hit 20 kg but this was a humbling experience. I am also injured temporarily at my right hand middle finger around the knuckle area so in a weakened state. Maybe that contributed to the difficulty level a lot. Anyways, is 20 kg a difficult challenge or is it something the average person would be able to do eventually ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 I also would like to add that I can rep a Coc #2 20 times so far yet getting to 20 kg on the hub is still not there. What do you guys train to get the fingers stronger so that the kg on the hub increases ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acromegaman Posted May 19 Share Posted May 19 Stupid question but did you chalk the hub before use? If not, doing this may increase your numbers. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 Yes , I am using chalk on the fingers and thumb only but I haven't put chalk on the hub directly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 I just chalked up the hub itself and tried with a new weight and got 17.74 kg as a new Record. Thanks for the advice. I tried 20 kg but it still didn't move off the ground 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 I just increased the weight even more by 1.29 kg but before that I put on extra chalk again around the hub circumference. I then tried it again and lifted it up easily and held it for more than one second at the top. This is amazing! I think it was the slippery surface of the hub that was limiting me and now that has been solved with putting chalk all around the hub itself. My new record is 19.03 kg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 I just increased the weight again to 20.28 kg and lifted it off the ground and held it for one second at the top. This is my new record. I can officially certify for the crushed to dust challenge now at least for the Coc 2 and the hub :). I have to try the rolling thunder soon though to see if I can make it to 90 kg and more. I ordered a rolling thunder a few days ago so it will come in a week or longer. Then we'll see if the rolling thunder is easy or challenging. I'm very happy to have achieved the 20 kg milestone for the hub 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Tallent Posted May 19 Share Posted May 19 I have a question! First off—congrats on that progress! I’m also working on this one and I’m jealous. Next—it looks like in the rules, the hub has to be wiped clean, and you can use chalk only on your hands. So weren’t you training it correctly first? And won’t chalking the hub give you a misleading number compared to the cert conditions? I’ve never certed, so idk. That’s just what I was wondering about my own training. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 Thanks. I really tried and broke through several weight barriers quicker than I thought. Ok, I didn't the hub must be clean. Maybe I need to train with it clean then. On the pinch block if you look on Ironmind website world record there is a picture of the record holder with the entire block chalked. So it seems ok to chalk the pinch block. That could be a double standard it seems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Tallent Posted May 19 Share Posted May 19 To be clear, I have no idea. That was my reading of the rules, but Iron Mind certs have been a wild and wacky adventure lately so we'd need someone knowledgeable to way in. In Tammy McClure's cert, she swipes it down, and the hub looks pretty clean to me. Not pristine, but definitely not cured with chalk. So.... I'm also just trying to figure out the best way to train... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 Here's the picture of the world record holder. Do you see all the chalk around the block... It's not been cleaned before the attempt yet it is clearly counted by Ironmind as a record even though in their rules it says the block must be wiped clean before the attempt. Only the hands can have chalk according to Ironmind. https://ironmind.com/certification/blockbuster-pinch-grip-block/rules-world-records/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Tallent Posted May 19 Share Posted May 19 Sounds like chalking the hub is the way to go then! when are we getting CPW certs? Because that’s what I pine for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 This is strange because in this video Lyudmila clearly shows the hub as clean without any visible signs of chalk and then she additionally wipes the hub clean before her attempt. So it appears that for the hub it might need to be clean of chalk but for the pinch block there can be chalk all around like in the link I provided above where two record holders ... Tolonen and Elizabeth Horne have the block covered fully in chalk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 Today was the first day I did the pinch block BTW. I ended up with lifting 22.5 kg plus the carabineer, loading pin , and block weight which should total over 23.50 kg. That puts me in the 50 plus pounds category -acomplished ... According to Ironmind and they say that 70 pound and higher is world class category 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
povmaciulis ARMLIFTING Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 16 hours ago, alan_fra said: I just increased the weight again to 20.28 kg and lifted it off the ground and held it for one second at the top. This is my new record. I can officially certify for the crushed to dust challenge now at least for the Coc 2 and the hub :). I have to try the rolling thunder soon though to see if I can make it to 90 kg and more. I ordered a rolling thunder a few days ago so it will come in a week or longer. Then we'll see if the rolling thunder is easy or challenging. I'm very happy to have achieved the 20 kg milestone for the hub Rolling thunder 90 kg is by far the hardest part of CTD 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 I just did a pinch block and got 23 kg plus carabineer, pin and block but with my left hand I did 23.75 kg plus carabineer, pin and block which is possibly 25 kg total. It's strange that my left hand is stronger. Maybe it's because my right hand knuckle is injured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
degradated Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 21 hours ago, Gabriel Tallent said: I have a question! First off—congrats on that progress! I’m also working on this one and I’m jealous. Next—it looks like in the rules, the hub has to be wiped clean, and you can use chalk only on your hands. So weren’t you training it correctly first? And won’t chalking the hub give you a misleading number compared to the cert conditions? I’ve never certed, so idk. That’s just what I was wondering about my own training. Great question... It seems as though some people wipe it clean and some don't even though the rules state that it must be wiped clean. I just looked up the world record holder for men's pinch hub (Harri Tolonen) and the still shot on the Ironmind website and the chalk situation is difficult to determine since his hand is covering it. I did a little research and found this video on YouTube of the lift. It is clear that the hub is completely chalked up and not wiped. The strange thing is that it doesn't seem like he has very much, if any chalk on his hand. You really only need it on your fingertips mostly so maybe it's just more difficult to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
degradated Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 18 hours ago, alan_fra said: Today was the first day I did the pinch block BTW. I ended up with lifting 22.5 kg plus the carabineer, loading pin , and block weight which should total over 23.50 kg. That puts me in the 50 plus pounds category -acomplished ... According to Ironmind and they say that 70 pound and higher is world class category Great start! If you train with it regularly and consistently, you should see tremendous gains quickly. For the pinch hub, I didn't chalk it up much at first either and was only able to do 33.0 lbs my first try back on 9/7/23 when I bought it. Now my PR is 58.2 lbs after lots of practice. If my math is correct, that's a 76% increase in 8+ months. Hopefully you can do even better... The Ironmind block I got on 2/7/24 and did 54.1 lbs the first day. Now I'm at 75.3 (off hand), a 39% increase in only 3+ months. Chalk makes a huuuuuuge difference. I don't use it sparingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
degradated Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 7 hours ago, povmaciulis ARMLIFTING said: Rolling thunder 90 kg is by far the hardest part of CTD I think most people, including myself, would also agree that the R/T is significantly more difficult than the other two events, at least at 200 lbs. The CTD challenge I've heard referred to as "the rolling thunder challenge," heh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
degradated Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 19 hours ago, Gabriel Tallent said: Sounds like chalking the hub is the way to go then! when are we getting CPW certs? Because that’s what I pine for. This is what mine looks like after 'seasoning' it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 5 minutes ago, degradated said: Great start! If you train with it regularly and consistently, you should see tremendous gains quickly. For the pinch hub, I didn't chalk it up much at first either and was only able to do 33.0 lbs my first try back on 9/7/23 when I bought it. Now my PR is 58.2 lbs after lots of practice. If my math is correct, that's a 76% increase in 8+ months. Hopefully you can do even better... The Ironmind block I got on 2/7/24 and did 54.1 lbs the first day. Now I'm at 75.3 (off hand), a 39% increase in only 3+ months. Chalk makes a huuuuuuge difference. I don't use it sparingly. Thanks . I do hope to see some tremendous gains quickly. As soon as my right middle knuckle heals up completely the gains should be much more. You made some great progress too with that hub. A 76 percent increase in such a short time is impressive ! I'll try to do even better The block that you got was also a good increase in only 3 months time. As for the chalk... I am using it even more than on grippers. The carpet on my floor is dusted with chalk on it now so I had to clean it already ha ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
degradated Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 11 minutes ago, alan_fra said: Thanks . I do hope to see some tremendous gains quickly. As soon as my right middle knuckle heals up completely the gains should be much more. You made some great progress too with that hub. A 76 percent increase in such a short time is impressive ! I'll try to do even better The block that you got was also a good increase in only 3 months time. As for the chalk... I am using it even more than on grippers. The carpet on my floor is dusted with chalk on it now so I had to clean it already ha ha Hahaha I'm having the same issues with chalk all over the house. It gives me a good reason to dust + vacuum more often I suppose. Thanks, I'm hoping that you experience similar, or even greater gains than me! I think cross training with grippers, pinch, open hand, squeeze (dyno) and more is important to see a massive improvement. The more the merrier when it comes to grip training, I'm finding. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fra Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 (edited) 12 minutes ago, degradated said: Hahaha I'm having the same issues with chalk all over the house. It gives me a good reason to dust + vacuum more often I suppose. Thanks, I'm hoping that you experience similar, or even greater gains than me! I think cross training with grippers, pinch, open hand, squeeze (dyno) and more is important to see a massive improvement. The more the merrier when it comes to grip training, I'm finding. Yes, it's gotten to the point where family members are complaining that the carpet might be ruined haha. They also recommended that I vacuum it up I will have to get mats because of this and train on them instead very soon. My carpet looking like a cold winter ... a pure snow field Edited May 20 by alan_fra 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
degradated Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 5 minutes ago, alan_fra said: Yes, it's gotten to the point where family members are complaining that the carpet might be ruined haha. They also recommended that I vacuum it up I will have to get mats because of this and train on them instead very soon. My carpet looking like a cold winter ... a pure snow field I don't think chalk will ruin the carpet, maybe your lungs if not careful. I went through three different types of heavy duty mats until I found one I like that didn't break the bank: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubber-Cal-Shark-Tooth-3-4-in-T-x-3-ft-W-x-4-ft-L-Black-Heavy-Duty-Rubber-Flooring-Mat-03-109-W-34/304106362 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith513 Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 29 minutes ago, degradated said: I don't think chalk will ruin the carpet, maybe your lungs if not careful. I went through three different types of heavy duty mats until I found one I like that didn't break the bank: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubber-Cal-Shark-Tooth-3-4-in-T-x-3-ft-W-x-4-ft-L-Black-Heavy-Duty-Rubber-Flooring-Mat-03-109-W-34/304106362 Come to think about it…. Two of my great aunts always had this white powder on their carpets as a kid. They must have been training grip also. I wouldn’t worry about chalk ruining your lungs or carpet. But a rubber mat is smart. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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