The 2004 British Iron Grip

[mobsterone]

Not to forget that I might shoot myself in the foot by giving away info here's a piece 'wot I wrote' fro my magazine that you may enjoy

Yep as I sit down at my desk and begin work on this literary beauty (modest or what) it’s just a little over 2 days to go before we hit the ground running with the 2004 Iron Grip competition.

I thought I’d fill you in with a little background on what is involved for an athlete (me) in terms of training for the event.

First as I feel I near the top of my ‘game’, so to speak, it becomes more and more a mental process than a physical one. In some ways many of the competitors who will be at both Saturday and Sunday’s test of grip strength are, for some, already doing stuff many strongmen cannot do. When events can leave one bleeding, muscles almost strained and hands with palms nigh on torn the only way that you can push beyond normal physical levels is to develop a true iron mind set.

CHALLENGE BARS

Take the David Horne challenge bars for example. Developed as a stepping stone from nails to the Ironmind ‘bag o’ nails’ (including whites, blues, greens, yellows, reds etc) there are some bars which are even tougher (how does 450 kilos grab ya?).

For me, on starting with the 6-inch nails most use, I found the whole process quite uncomfortable. I don’t mind pushing myself but the damn things would dig right into the palms of my hands. Wrapped in a tea towel, cloth etc they will still, when strength is truly applied and resistance felt, still dig a little. This is why you will see or may have read of many of the old time strongmen using leather pads.

With my grip being at a reasonable level it didn’t take me too long to get to a certification level – perhaps 4-6 weeks with the first couple being the hardest and I found that I needed to adapt, or at least accept the level of pain needed.

By the time of the OH dinner I was doing a 220 kilo rated bar (they are all between 5 and a half inches and 7 inches long and of varying thicknesses. David tests each and every batch and rates them all. A 220 kilo bar of about 6 inches or so requires 220 kilos of pressure to U shape. On the day and in order to give myself some leeway I chose to get certified on a 206 kilo rated bar. With the crowd and the adrenalin flowing it went down easy.

I hope to hit 240 kilos or thereabouts on the Saturday 1st of May. I am more than aware that both David Horne and Jim Wylie have recently done 260-kilo plus rated bars and that another lighter athlete has hit a similar level. I am hoping that 240-kilos will be enough to get me into the top half of the group (7 in total).

GRIPPERS

I use my ‘rule of three’ technique to train (see previous issues) and am using a 300 ip (actually more like 250) rated heavy grip gripper for my left hand and a 300ip rated Robert Baraban gripper for my right.

Likely winning poundage? Apparently I am in the running for this one according to the pundits and so I’ll guess a 2.5-3 left and a 3-3.5 right handed (numbers based on Ironmind’s CoC grippers).

ONE HAND LIFT

I had a hell of a time getting the damn thing set up and would spend too much time putting my contraption together rather than lifting and so fell back on my partial deadlifts.

With 200-240 kilos on my dinnie set up previously and having worked up to a respectable 380 kilos on the partial deadlifts (a little short of my previous 450+ kilos) I feel that around 220-240 with either hand is likely.

Likely winning poundage? 250-300 kilos+ per hand by David Horne if his knee holds out (currently knackered about a week out of the comp).

VERTICAL BAR

Starting out with 40 kilos plus the rod (96 pounds) I do 3 x 1 with each hand. I quickly work to 80 kilos per hand (184 pounds total) and then switch to the top weight for each hand.

Using another ‘patented’ method (see two hand pinch) I have my hand as far down the bar as possible (the rules allow for it to be at the top with little or no bar touching the wrist). I lift from the side, making sure the bar doesn’t touch the wrist if I can and aim for 130 kilos (294 lbs) left handed x 1-2 x 1 rep and 137.5 kilos (311 pounds). If I get around 110-120 with either hand I’ll do ok.

Likely winning poundage? 220-240 kilos by Jim Wylie (even without the previously allowed hook grip).

TWO HAND PINCH

Ah my patented tilt method. What is da boy on about I hear a few lonely souls asking and is it of any use? Well let’s see. As described some time last year I use 2 5-kilo ‘professional’ style plates (about 8-10 inches in diameter) which are, for all intents and purposes smooth sided.

I use an easy 10 kilos (with the bar 29 pounds) and do 3 x 1 reps. I add 40 kilos (yes a bit of a jump I know) and do an easy 2-3 x 1 reps with the now 119 pounds. Another jump takes me to 70 kilos loaded on and I do the same 2-3 x 1 rep scheme.

For the final jump (this time around) I have now loaded 93.5 kilos (total weight 213.13 pounds) and using a collar on one side (probably making it 214 pounds) I tilt the whole thing to about 40 degrees and squeeze and ‘snap’ (see explanation) at the same time as lifting. I aim to get 1 or 2 singles with this. I also deliberately focused, in my last three sessions, on getting the same weight again and again and as confidently as possible.

Snapping:

David Horne, in his grip course (now out of print) should attempt to act as though you were trying to snap the plates in half. Thus applying even more of a squeeze than you might otherwise do.

Likely winning poundage? 120-130 kilos by David Horne

Likely overall outcome?

So if we look at the numbers I can get or am likely to hit will I win? Well David is injured and it’s almost certain someone will hurt themselves on the day. I understand that there is a BSM competitor with us but feel his lack of experience will go against him. The other names are all people I have beaten and while Jim and David are very good all-rounders the others, in my opinion, will not hit high enough numbers across the board to put them ahead of me. So where will I place? 3rd or 4th (David has predicted 4th). Europe here I come??

[OldGuy]

Just win the thing for London!

[mobsterone]

C'mon the cockneys!! ha ha. 50 views in a little over an hour - not bad

[scottessery]

good luck everyone for saturday

[EricMilfeld]

Yes, may all of you achieve your greatest potential! Enjoy!

[mobsterone]

Indeed, as long as I lift more on all of the lifts I have done before in competition I'm happy. A place or a trophy just adds to it.

[Sean Dockery]

Good Luck to all!

[terminator]

Best of luck gents!

[Mikael Siversson]

VERTICAL BAR

Likely winning poundage? 220-240 kilos by Jim Wylie (even without the previously allowed hook grip).

220-240k with a LGC replica bar without thumb lock? No way. It would be extremely good if Jim pulls 170k. I know he has done 165k in training.

[OldGuy]

No way is the V bar poundage lifted going to be close to the other onehanded lift being contested.

[Mikael Siversson]

That is a correct observation. The top guys seem to be doing 150-160k on this particular v-bar, with Jim possibly doing another 10k. The best in the one hand lift are going to be in the 250-300k range.

[OldGuy]

The V bar lift is roughy half of the other onehanded lift. This weekend should be interesting.

1. David Horne

2. Steve Gardener

3. Jim Wylie

[Mikael Siversson]

Jim will beat Steve rather easily. They equally matched in the grippers; Jim clearly ahead in the two hand pinch; in the v-bar it will be a very one-sided afair with Jim dominating everybody in the field; in the one hand lift, Steve might be somewhat ahead of Jim; finally in the bending Jim will have little difficulty defeating Steve. This is not to say that Steve is no good but rather that Jim will be very strong. In order to have a chance against Jim, Steve would have to train on the actual competition equippment (i.e., a LGC-replica v-bar and the pinch set up), which he has not. Against someone at Jim's calibre one cannot afford to give away anything. Please prove me wrong Steve.

[OldGuy]

Dave and Jim have a big home town advantage. I would like Steve to win, but most likely he will be 3rd. He may surprise us however and finish 2nd. So I will not be changing my guesses.

[mobsterone]

Steve would have to train on the actual competition equippment (i.e., a LGC-replica v-bar and the pinch set up), which he has not. Against someone at Jim's calibre one cannot afford to give away anything. Please prove me wrong Steve.

3rd place and a qualification for the Europeans U was right regarding training on the equipment as I was 20k down on the 2-hand pinch set up I use. One hand lift was also down. I knew I'd get hammered on the v bar and challenge bars but ought to have won the grippers - ask DH. I completely bollocksed my left hand 2nd attempt and had to drop down. I lost by 1 point!! Dean will hammer us all next year if he returns.