Captains of Crush gripper challenge

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
About the only use for these is individual finger training. I used them when I shot practical pistol competition. They actuially came with an attachment you could add on that looked like the front and rear site of a pistol. Overall they don't rate near the IM grippers and you will outgrow them pretty quick. If you are looking for serious grip toys the Ironmind catalogue will provide you with everything you need.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, that catalogue was great. I about went nuts seeing all the cool grip stuff they had there.

[Martin]

Ripping cards after a suckout is very tempting. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Seriously card tearing is great training and bm casinos are a great source of used cards for tearing practice.

I train grip 6 days a week. But in the beginning you may only want to train 3 days a week. You can seriously over train. I stuffed my left hand bending a box wrench and the tendon damage takes a long time to heal.

Here is a training programme that was written by one of the Gripboard guys who is a COC on the 3 and 4.

Link1

Link2

If the site doesn't work (It's a bit erratic) PM me and I'll send you the pages since I have them on file.

This kinda training assumes that you have more than one gripper though.

At a later point you might want to try something similar to what you mentioned regarding closing the gripper every hour during the course of the day. This is similar to Pavel's GTG training. I have my 2 next to my computer and some days I close it once every hour and hold for 10 secs. That gives quite a different crush workout and shocks the body a bit.

However at the minute you need to build a solid foundation of hand strength and that's what the linked training programmes are about.

How are you finding the kettlebell training in general? It should make for some good allround conditioning. Seriously though try the sledge hammer levering thing it's very addictive and builds great forearms.

[Blarg]

The links worked, and are really great info. Thanks for steering me to them!

A sledgehammer is out; I live in an apartment. I do have a bodybar, though, which is 18 lbs and, I dunno, over 4 feet long I guess, which I can swing and, depending where I hold it, it can put a huge strain on my wrists. I practice various simple martial arts staff moves with it sometimes, which is what I bought it for, and holding it off center really magnifies the weight, and so does moving it with some speed. Catching the momentum you generate can be a work-out.

I just got my kettlebell two days ago, but have been doing some swings and just general shoulder work with a dumbbell to get myself a little used to the exercises before it came. Now that I have it, I really like it a lot more than a dumbbell. The grip is very thick, and the off-center balance means that I can effectively vary how hard it is to move around quite a bit by how I hold it.

I really like the swings and the "windmill" exercise that kettlebellers do. It's tricky, works and stretches your body in a weird way, and makes you concentrate a lot on stability while you do it. It's just frankly kind of fun to work with, because you're learning and practicing a skill, not just mindlessly grinding out a repetition like you do with regular, balanced weights. I've never found weight lifting fun, I guess because doing the same moves in the same direction all the time just lacks variety and seems so specific to getting better at just doing more of the same. But I get kind of a kick out of the kettlebell. I think I'll probably be getting pretty seriously into kettlebells.

Swings are fun too. With proper form, on them, you really use your hips a lot, and your glutes and the very tops of your thighs. As with any off-balance piece of equipment, though, you can always change your form to emphasize different muscles or make things much harder or easier, which I really like a lot. I like the swings, improperly done, as a shoulder exercise, too, though you can tear something pretty easily if you're not extremely focussed.

All in all, it's a pretty fun thing.

Here's a link to a kettlebell trainer/martial artist's DVD in which he shows some unusual kettlebell drills. There are samples on the page. The duck walk & press and the creepdown & press are cool, and the towel swinging business is very cool.
http://www.fullkontact.com/dvd2.html

[Martin]

Glad the links worked.
If you have any questions let me know.
I do suggest that you buy one other gripper that you can close for reps maybe the IM trainer, the other option is the Ivanko Supper Gripper since it's adjustable.

I live in an apartment and use a weighted pick axe handle as a sledge so yes I know it gets tricky. Avoid hitting the wife, computer , tv, pets etc. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Same problem when I train Sai, Han-bo or Bokken. Sledge's primary use is for leverage exercises which are great for the forearms.

I have yet to train kettlebells seriously. First have to get my own for a start.
I've seriously weight trained since the mid 80's when I was in the service and I enjoy it but I do know that standard routines can get boring. Having said that all my heavy stuff in in storage till we get a real place to live. So all I'm left with is DBs, sledge and grip work. The rest has to be bodyweight for the while.

[Stuey]

Count me in. Just ordered mine today, thanks for the links great info there.

[Blarg]

At least one kettlebell would probably be cool for you then. As a martial artist, you're probably aware of the old-time training method of using weighted versions of your weapons to train with, and how much it develops your strength and speed. Like Heavyhands and a Bodybar, kettlebells can be used to duplicate that use of higher weight in your practice moves, and their off-balance nature means that using them is training in applying force and body mechanics all by itself, even on pure kettlebell moves. Did you check out that towel-swinging video? Doing that would be great training in control of balance and momentum, and awareness of the "weapon" in space.

Only problem is, even the cheap ones are pretty expensive, especially if you get them in sets. My 16 kg. one cost about $70 from Aamazon.com. That said, to cut down the eventual expense, I think I'm going to save up for the adjustable kettlebells from USKettlebell.com. They adjust from 35 to 70 lbs(16 kg to 32 kg), but retain a smooth shape, unlike kettlebell handles that hold dumbbell plates, and the design looks like they will be securely anchored, so you can swing them without fear.

I've been noticing these COC grippers have quite a bite. I'm wondering about getting those Baraban grippers, which are supposedly smoother. I think another gripper might be in order, since though I'm almost there with my right hand on the #1, my left hand is considerably weaker, so a 100-lb'er(the Trainer) would probably be a good idea.

[Martin]

The knurling on the grippers is a bit rough at first, you get used to it and it really helps in the closure. A lot of guys use hockey tape on the handles this helps quite a lot. The other option is chalk but it's messy as all hell. My hands are a calloused mess anyway so I can't say I notice it
anymore. I did consider sanding the knurling a while back for my wife to train on it.

I'm going to give the kettlebells a try as soon as I can scrounge up some steel and weld a plate loading version like the PDA. A few guys I have spoken too have trained with those and are pretty happy.

[Blarg]

Yeah, they really do lend some fun to it. And they're an absolute natural to a martial artist. Good luck on your project; let us know how it comes out!

[Blarg]

Well, Stuey, Subfallen, anyone else -- gotten any quality grippers yet?

Anyone else joining in, check out Ironmind.com and the grip boards Martin linked to, and you'll start to see the big variety of all kinds of wacky training devices, programs, etc., that have been developed. There are other grippers, too, and a bunch of other hand strength tests you can get certified on, if you're into that. Or, if you'd just like strong hands because they beat the alternative of weak ones, for your sport, or don't want to drop weights on yourself while you lift! Or just want to make your hands stronger for your job or if you're a soldier.

[highlife]

how well does this device stregthen wrists and forearms?