Captains of Crush gripper challenge

[phil_ivey_fan]

[ QUOTE ]
Why would I wan't to strengthen my grip? Rough sex?

[/ QUOTE ]


increase jerkoff endurance. duh


"wan't" ???

[russellmj]

Bruce Lee had a gigantic one that he used to practice choke holds.

[Blarg]

Interesting. I've never seen one like that.

[russellmj]

Check these bad boys out.
Blarg, here's a link to the guy who made Lee's unusual traing gear.
George Lee

[Blarg]

Thanks for the links!

So do you have the Barabans? The CoC's fit my hand fine, so I don't need the "narrow" option of the Barabans. But the difficulty settings not matching the CoC's make these look great for a plan of leap-frogging from one brand to the other as you work your way through tougher models, without necessarily having to take giant leaps between difficulty levels.

[Diplomat]

Anyone ever tried these?

Just curious, before I buy.

-Diplomat

[Blarg]

I think I tried those years ago. They are nice for training an individual finger, but kind of awkward, and what is harder for one finger will be really easy for others. So, you'll need a whole host of them if you want to have something to match all your fingers.

And I'm not sure if you can even do that. Look at the poundages needed to close them -- not much. Consider that the Captains of Crush #1 that I got takes 140 lbs to close, and the highest one of those things at Amazon that you're talking about closes at 9 lbs. Even if you multiply by five for each finger(we'll throw the thumb in as a freebie), that still only comes to 45 lbs. Versus the Trainer at 100 lbs or the #1 at 140 lbs. So I dunno, seems kinda weak to me.

Also, the size of your hand has to match the gripper more than it does with a traditional gripper, which you can slide your hand up or down depending on how small your hand is.

[Martin]

Blarg in answer to your questions.

No I didn't start with the number 2. I started with the plate loader. Since I was living in South Africa at the time there was no way I was going to find IM Grippers. I built my own plate loader based on the PDA Grippernator (Spelling) Anyway that's a grip machine that pretty much approximates a gripper. I trained with that for a few months and then a friend brought me the 2 and 3 from the USA. Based on my max rep on the machine I calculated I should be able to close the 2 which I did on my second try. Setting the gripper in your hand the first time is a bit odd. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I was used to hand training from the martial arts though.

Most people without any grip training can barely close the trainer and very few get the 1 first time. If you look on the gripboard you will see that they tested a whole bunch of bodybuilders and some got the 1, quite a few missed it and only one guy got the 2.

If you want training ideas I reccomend John Brookfield's books not gripper specific but some great hand training ideas. As for pinch blocks I use a pinch grip tray. Basically two 2x4 screwed onto a flat piece of wood one on either side. Load whatever crap you like on it and dead lift the thing using a pinch grip.

Kettlebells are good for grip more so than standard db. You might want to look into thick handle db though. I made one with a 2 inch diameter handle that really strains the grip.

There is a lot of debate regarding writst curls helping grip. BTW do them on a bench not your knees. I train forearms this way and with other exercises for steel bending and card/phonebook tearing not really grippers. Personally I think if you want to train grip do grip specific exercises. Crush training with grippers or plate loaders, some friction lifts ie. pinch grips, thick bar training and maybe some sledge hammer leverage.

I see someone asked about the RB grippers. Robert is a great guy, he makes high quality stuff and his factory is hear in Austria. Lots of people buy his grippers since he makes versions between the standard IM numbers so that allows for an easier progression. There are also a number of other grippers on the market. Beef Builder being one of them. All are pretty good. However if you want the Iron Mind cert then you have to train towards the Ironmind 3 not the others, even though they may be the same poundage.

Hope that helps.
Finally gripping meets poker [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Martin]

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.

[Blarg]

Thanks for the reply, Martin. With your help, I'll be snapping poker chips and ripping cards in half after a suck-out in no time!

You know, it didn't take much work on the gripper to get sore. I'm the king of overtraining, too, so I have to watch out not to do it. How often per week do you work grip? I'm tempted just to give the grips a squeeze every so often throughout the day, but I realize I'd probably just be setting myself back.

My kettlebell has a super wide handle, by the way. I wear large size gloves, but if the handle were much wider at all, it probably would be unsafe to swing. It's 35 lbs, and I'm sure it's going to give my forearms a lot of grief as I figure out all the ways to use it.