2017 Juniata Strength and Conditioning Clinic

Last week, I attended the 2017 Juniata College Strength and Conditioning Clinic. Of all the years I’ve attended, and I’ve been to I think ALL but 2 since it first took place in 2000, this was one of the best, in my opinion!

Today, I went through y notes and compiled a list of all my biggest take-aways from the clinic, and shot a video covering them all.

2017 Juniata Strength and Conditioning Clinic
Part 1

2017 Juniata Strength and Conditioning Clinic
Part 1

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topics I cover, and of course let me know if you have any questions.

I hope you enjoy it.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

Coaches: This Program Will Help You
Reduce ACL Tears and Other Knee Injuries: Deceleration Training

This Week in Grip

Allen Heineck and I talk about the latest events in Grip Sport, Grip Training, Grip Strength, Hand Strength, Modern Day Oldtime Strongman, and other Feats of Strength.

Will Grip Training Help Build Forearm Size?

Want Bigger Forearms?
Check out these Resources Below:

3 Tips for Building Big Forearms

For many lifters, the Forearms end up lagging behind in development.

The reasons vary, but could be any of the following…

Maybe you’ve relied on straps too much in your training and as a result your forearms just aren’t challenged.

Maybe you’ve been doing the same handful of exercises all the time and need a change.

Or maybe you get locked into doing the same old “light weights for lots of reps” approach, because either that’s what you were told to do, or it used to work before so you just kept on doing.

Regardless of the cause, here are 3 things you can start doing in order to get bigger forearms.

1. Start Training for Strength

Maybe the problem is that your forearms are on the weaker side.

Try bumping up the weights and setting yourself a goal for hitting a specific strength mark in your forearm training.

This will force you to change up your approach and can result in improved forearm development.

2. Start Training More Movements

Your forearms are capable of a LOT of different movement patterns.

Unfortunately most lifters only train a couple of these patterns.

This neglect of key motions can be a BIG contributor to stalled forearm gains.

And once you start plugging these new movements back in, you’ll start seeing growth again.

3. Think More Wrist

It does no good to have a weak, brittle, fragile set of wrists. The wrists NEED to be trained hard and completely, too.

Training the wrists for both strength and volume will built those sick serpent-like sinews that run alongside the bones in your forearms.

When those wrist postural muscles get built up, that’s when your forearms really POP and start to look truly FIERCE.

So, are you ready to build some bigger forearms?

If so, you need to check out my new Workout of the Month: Fierce Forearms.

If doing High Volume forearm work was all that was needed, then EVERYBODY would have big, bulbous forearms.

You’ve got to attack the forearms the right way in order to see sustained growth.

Don’t use the caveman approach and think the harder you work in the gym and the more time you spend there, the bigger your forearms will get.

For best results, you want to train the forearms like you would the rest of your body.

This means different angles with different loads, rep speeds, and other variables…

And that’s what my Fierce Forearms workout is all about <= Grab your copy right now.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Elbow Pain can ruin your workout. When elbow pain gets in the way of your training like this, it can be hard to see the results that you want from your workout. To avoid elbow pain in my training, there are several handles that I use INSTEAD of doing them on the actual Pull-up Bar. This video shows you the handles I use to reduce elbow pain and make my Pull-ups virtually pain free.

Here are links to buy the devices shown in the video for pain free Pull-up training, as well

The Back Bull: I love this thing. It goes onto the bar easy and allows for both a near-overhand or near-underhand position, depending on which muscles you want to emphasize.

Perfect Pull-ups: Unfortunately, I can no longer find Perfect Pull-ups for sale. However, there is a tool out there called Stamina Rotating Handles that look very similar. What’s nice about these is that they allow for a bit wider grip.

Grapple Grips: To my surprise, I can not find these handles anymore either. That’s a shame because these handles could be used for Dumbbell Rows and Cable Rows, as well. A similar device you might want to try is the Grandfather Clocks from Rogue Fitness

Metolius Rock Rings: These tools are made for training the hands for the demands of climbing, but with the way they swivel while hanging from a bar, the make Pull-ups much more comfortable for the elbows.

All of these handles are very effective at reducing the pain you feel when doing Pull-ups and Chin-ups. If your back training seems to be suffering due to elbow pain, then give one of these a try and see if they can be effective at reducing elbow pain from Pull-ups as much as they have been for me.

Any questions on these tools, feel free to ask via the comments section below, email, or message.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Take Your First Step Towards Stronger Hands
Get a Set of Fat Gripz

Fixing Muscular Imbalances

My friend Rick Kaselj, with whom I worked on Fixing Elbow Pain and Fix My Wrist Pain, has a product which has become an ongoing series called Muscular Imbalances Revealed.

Every August, he puts out a new edition of this program, with new guest experts, and this year he has put out a new installment on correcting issues throughout the body.

The new edition this year focuses on unconventional training tools, and how they can help correct weaknesses and imbalances through the upper body.

Much of the features of this program entail the use of equipment I have talked about often here at DieselCrew.com.

Here are some samples of this Muscular Imbalances Revealed installment:

Sledge Hammer Training – Great for the Grip, Sledgehammer Training also gets your heart going while also training the core and glutes. It is also a great contrast training methdo for those who perform a great deal of kettlebell work.

Ring Training – If you have weaknesses in your shoulders, chest, or back, this type of training will find it and correct it. Much more chaotic that training with barbells, benches, and dip stations, Ring Training makes you learn proper stabilization.

Sled Training – If you aren’t including some type of sled work, they you most likely have not optimized your lover body recovery. This type of training has become a staple for many powerlifters and strongmen all over the world.

Tire Flipping – One of the Strongman events that creates the most power, this is a great exercise for strengthening the posterior chain as well. The hammies, glutes, andd lower back are much too weak for some people, and this can help correct that.

Reverse Stretching – Most people don’t stretch enough period. This section shows you how you can perform essential stretching to correct muscle and fascia issues to address flexibility issues that are hindering your strength development. If you have seemingly tried EVERYTHING in order to fix your imbalances and it has not worked, then this just may be the information you need.

Over the course of this week, the authors have put out samples of their portions of the program, and I have assembled them all here for you.

Sledge Hammer Training with Travis Stoetzel

Ring Training with Tyler Bramlett

Tire Flipping with Travis Stoetzel

Reverse Stretching with Isaac Ho

As you can see, this isn’t the same old boring re-hashed B.S. you’ve probably seen 100 times before. These guys are showing you how you can take unconventional tools and use them to improve your training in ways you might not have thought of before.

To get this program and start viewing it right away, click here = > Muscular Imbalances Revealed: Unconventional Tools.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

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DIESELS,

This week, I have been posting and emailing quite a bit about elbow pain.

The main reason I have put so much emphasis on this week is because my buddy Rick Kaselj and I updated our program, Fixing Elbow Pain, and we put together an improved version.

We took our already helpful program and make it better based on feedback we’ve received from past customers.

The other reason why I wanted to focus on this is because over the last couple of weeks, I have talked with MANY of you who have been reporting elbow pain, especially Tennis Elbow.

I asked Rick if he could do me favor and just shoot a quick video on some of the basic causes of Tennis Elbow. Rick knows his stuff. He has 20+ years of experiencing helping people get out of pain, and it turns out elbow pain is a common injury he helps people with.

So, check out this video and understand the causes of Tennis Elbow.

As you can see, Tennis Elbow pain can be developed in as quickly as a day or two from doing an extra building job at your house, or by doing too much training over the course of a weekend.

It can also be something that is more cumulative – it can result over the course of several weeks, such as doing bigger home-improvement projects, or by specializing on one certain aspect of training in a micro-cycle, such as if you are attacking grippers hard for a while, or working on lifting the Blob or Inch.

Getting Rid of Tennis Elbow

If you’ve got it, Rick can help you get rid of it with his multi-faceted rehab program. Many people have actually reported that they have noticed a change in pain after as little as just one workout.

Avoiding Tennis Elbow and Keeping it Away For Good

If you want to keep elbow pain away for good, I will share with you EXACTLY what I do week in and week out to stay healthy. Some of the techniques I show on the Preventive side can also be used to fix pain as well. I can’t wait to share this with you.

Special Bonuses if You Grab It Today

If you haven’t grabbed Fixing Elbow Pain 2.0 yet, take note that Rick and I added 3 time-sensitive bonuses this week and they are being pulled down after this weekend.

Here are the bonuses:

Bonus #1 – Indestructible Elbows – This is awesome. This is a program that Jedd put together that you can do to fend off elbow pain from ever coming back again.

Bonus #2 – Secrets to Pain Free Elbows – This is a coaching call that Jedd and I did with past customers, answering their questions and expanding on the Fixing Elbow Pain program.

Bonus #3 – Private Coaching Call – Jedd and I will be doing one more private coaching call in the next few week. The first one went so well and helped a lot of people and we will do another one.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

DIESELS!

Elbow Pain is something that causes problems for any lifter.

It doesn’t matter what style of training or sport you practice, if your elbow is riddled with pain, it is going to keep you from lifting the weights you want to, it can keep you from performing your best, and it can be a little distraction that just sits there all the time in the back of your mind, and you will always be thinking about it and wondering when it it is going to bother you again…

I got the following email today in my inbox just as I was starting the below post. This is a question I get on a routine basis, so I thought I would address it here for all of you.

“Hello Jedd, my name is Alex. I am definitely a fan of your site. Since you’ve been injured before, maybe you could help me out.

I sustained an injury while doing 600 lbs calve raises. I was diagnosed with patellofemoral syndrome by the physical therapist, and I had real sore knees for six months.

Because it took so long to heal, I now have a fear of getting injured and I am always sore, even when I work out. I wonder, is that little twinge of pain in my wrist flexors indicative of a larger problem, or is it nothing?

Anyway, this fear of injury is causing me a lot of problems with really going to my full potential. Even now, I’m starting to be afraid of training my forearms, which I never thought would happen before. I’m afraid my wrist tendons will snap clean off the bone.

Anyway, Jedd, maybe you have some advice for me?”

Hell yeah, I have advice for you.

Do everything in your power to prevent these injuries BEFORE THEY HAPPEN, because even if that muscle never tears, and all you get is an injury to the connective tissues, that will be bad enough.

My recommendation right away is to grab our book, Fixing Elbow Pain 2.0 RIGHT NOW while we have it on sale and start implementing the preventive strategies I cover TODAY.

Diesels, I have suffered from High Forearm and Elbow Pain on more occasions than I care to count. The first time I got it, I was doing a lot of Steel Bending while I was also doing Odd Object Lifting like Atlas Stone Training.

Both of these activities are completely safe if you watch the volume and have good technique. Unfortunately for me, I was NOT monitoring volume because I thought I was some kind of tough guy, and I was very new at Atlas Stone Lifting, so I was probably lacking a bit in the technique area too.

What resulted from this lack of attention to volume and technique was some of the worst pain I’ve ever been in – a combined case of Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and Golfer’s Elbow (Medial epicondylitis). Both of these conditions are bad enough alone, but I had a serious case of each of them and getting through a workout meant at least a half dozen ibuprofen – I was probably on way to developing an ulcer as well!

Fortunately, these cases are preventible if you follow some really simple prevention methods, which I’d like to cover below.

How to Prevent High Forearm and Elbow Pain

1. Warm-up Properly

The muscles and connective tissues of the high forearm and elbow area need to be warmed up in order to function properly and to keep injuries away. In the video below I show what I do at the end of my full warm-up session in order to make sure my forearms are flushed with blood and the joints lubricated.

2. Stretch Post-Workout

If you are not stretching the forearm and hand muscles out at the end of your workout, then you are initiating a countdown to injury. Stretching helps to reduce the tension in the muscles, relaxing them, and allowing them to more fully recover. Skipping stretching is so 2001! It only takes 3 minutes to stretch out the forearms effectively, so I don’t want to hear any excuses.

3. Stretch Contributing Muscle Areas

Any time I feel tension building in the area near the elbows and epicondyles, I schedule a 30-minute massage. To my surprise, sometimes she isn’t even concerned about the epicondyle area, but rather up the chain to the upper arm. You see, the tricep had gotten do tight, it was pulling on the lower forearm bones and causing issues for the entire elbow. Here is what I do in order to keep this pain from coming back, 3 times a week.

For Alex, I would tell him to stretch his biceps. They could very well be tight and causing the same kinds of problems to his elbow, just on the other side. If you notice above, he said it is the flexor muscles that he is worried about. And along the lines of worrying – that’s got to stop right now! When you worry, you focus too much on the problem. Instead of worrying, pick up my program, Fixing Elbow Pain 2.0, follow my preventive strategies in the 2nd ebook, and you won’t have to worry anymore.

On top of the three things I show above, I also have a handful of exercises I do every single week in order to keep the lateral portion of the high forearm/elbow strong and stimulated. Weakness in the area is also a contributor, so I make sure there is NO CHANCE for weakness in the area.

DIESELS, I haven’t had a serious bout of epiconylitis in over 2 years since employing these regular prevention methods and I have done nothing since then but train harder and harder and harder.

I am confident that if more people followed my lead, fewer people would suffer from annoying pain like this. The information is available for CHEAP, a fraction of the cost of actual physical therapy, that’s for sure, so I am not sure why more people don’t get our ebook.

I talk all about these exercises in Fix My Elbow Pain (Special Price Right Now). Rick Kaselj and I worked together on this. He covered the REHAB portion, and I called the PRE-HAB and PREVENTIVE side.

Believe me, you DON’T want this kind of pain. I will show you exactly how to keep it away. Just click the image below.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

I am going out of town this weekend to visit my sister, so I want to learn more about you so I can help you out more with your training in the future.

Be sure to sign up for further updates on Grip Strength Training.

Thanks for filling out the survey and Happy Memorial Day.

Jedd

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Special Offer from My Mad Methods until June 15:
Free Tank Top with a 24/48-month Digital Subscription

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Earlier this year, Matt Ellis and I released our first DVD together, Grip Training for Track and Field Throwers.

Since then, our DVD has been helping Track and Field Coaches and Athletes understand how important the hands are to their throws, as well as how to train the hands effectively to improve performance and stay injury free.

Recently, I received the following feedback from Bill Piche. Bill, aside from being a pioneer in Grip Strength, is also a studied Track and Field scholar, having coached his two kids in Track all their lives. Both have put together impressive careers, and at least one of them is now competing at the collegiate level. Both Bill’s kids, Ryan and Amanda, are pictured to the right.

Here’s what Bill writes:

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“A missing link in the strength training program of many athletes is grip strength. In the throws in track and field, hand strength is of utmost importance. But, many coaches neglect training grip.

Jedd Johnson is a grip training expert and he combines his expertise with throws coach Matt Ellis to provide a great resource for throwers on how to train their grip for the throws. Their new DVD entitled “Grip Training For Track and Field Throwers” covers the complete grip strength spectrum from crushing grip to wrist and forearm strength. A big bonus is they also cover common throwing injuries and prevention.

One of my favorite parts is on the topic of Home Made equipment. There are no excuses for not training grip and this part of the DVD shows you how to do it on the cheap so there are no budget issues to worry about for implementing grip training into a strength program.

Needless to say, I highly recommend “Grip Training For Track and Field Throwers.”

Bill Piche

Gripboard.com“

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Thanks so much for the kind words, Bill!

To make this DVD even more accessible in the Digital Age, this video is available not only in hard copy DVD format, but we also provide streamable options as well, so you can watch the video on your smart phone, ipad, or your other preferred devices.

If you’d like to pick up a copy of Grip Training for Track and Field Throwers, you can do so by clicking the image of the DVD to the right.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Globe Gripz

A few weeks back, I was contacted by a company about reviewing their equipment. It was called Globe Gripz, and at first I thought I would not be impressed, but reviewing equipment is fun, so I agreed.

Globe Gripz are very similar to other dense rubber, instant thick bar grip attachments that are on the market, with one major exception – they are round.

Aside from that, everything else is pretty much the same about the devices themselves.

Below, I have a video that covers my complete review of Globe Gripz.

Globe Gripz Equipment Review

Like many round-handled tools that are on the market, the Globe Gripz are too strong for my mutant hands, so I do not use the Globe Gripz that much. However, I have added them to straight-bar curls several times and they work perfectly. I have not done barbell curls in years due to the wrist pain and elbow stress that they cause, but with the Globe Gripz added, I don’t feel any of that.

Without a doubt, until they come out with a larger version, I think these would be best suited for smaller-handed individuals (less than 7.75 inches from wrist crease to tip of longest finger).

You can get your set here: GlobeGripz.com (non-affiliate link)

All the best in your training,

Jedd

When Matt Ellis and I released Grip Training for Track and Field Throwers, we knew that the information was killer, but we also wanted to see what other experienced Throwers had to say about it, so we sent out some complimentary copies.

Now, the feedback is coming in and I am excited to share what a truly great multi-talented athlete had to say about it.

Adriane Wilson Reviews Grip Training for Track and Field Throwers

“The Track and Field Grip Training DVD is outstanding. It is a complete collection of simple and practical exercises for throwers, lifters, and any person concerned with their hand and lower arm health. The preventive and strength building exercises can be performed in or outside of a gym, which is useful for those unable to travel to the gym on a daily basis.

In addition to grip tools already found in the gym, Jedd and Matt present easy and inexpensive alternatives to top rated grip equipment to further strengthen your grip. Their inventive program can apply to the novice gripper and challenge the elite crusher. With nearly two hours of valuable demonstrations, your grip training will stay exciting and strength will continue to impress.

Adriane Wilson

You have probably heard of Adriane before under her maiden name, Blewitt. She is a decorated Highland Games competitor, having won the Women’s World Championship on 3 separate occasions.

She also became the first woman to certify on the IronMind #2 Captains of Crush Gripper in the Fall of 2011.

Adriane also nearly became a member of the 2012 USA Olympic Team, as she competed for a spot in the Throws, but was ever so slightly edged out during the trials.

To get feedback like this from a truly gifted athlete such as Adriane is an unbelievable feeling. If you are a thrower, a coach, or an athlete, this DVD can help you get to the next level with your throws, as well as keep your hands, wrist, and elbows more resistant against injuries.

To pick up your copy, go here: GripTrainingForThrowers.com

All the best in your training,

Jedd

In a short poll I did on Facebook, one of the most commonly mentioned exercises that causes wrist pain for my Facebook friends ended up being the Bench Press.

If the bench Press is a lift that bothers your wrists as well, then I hope you check out the video below.

In it, I talk about the alignment of the wrist bones and how these bones interact with the bones of the hand and forearm. In addition, I also talk about how to take care of the wrists to keep them feeling good so that they do not affect your Bench Press training.

So, in review, make sure to keep these three points in mind when you are Benching:

Warm-up: Get some blood flowing into your hands and wrists so that the tissues become more pliable and you can better exert force into the bar.

Stretch Between Sets: You would be surprised how much of a difference it makes for your wrists if you do some light stretching between sets. The Thumb + First Two Stretch that I show in the video above is a favorite of mine.

Use Proper Technique: Part of the correct bench press technique is to keep the wrist straight. Having the wrist bent way back can cause extreme pressure in the wrist. This change may feel weird at first, but over time you will grow used to it and enjoy the reduction of nagging pain in the wrist.

I think these slight changes in your technique, preparation, and approach will pay big dividends for you in your training, by helping you to avoid wrist pain.

If you are experiencing wrist pain, and you want to end it for good, you should check out Fix My Wrist Pain. Rick Kaselj and I worked together on this and it is helping people out already.

Special Introductory Price ($27) Ends Tonight – Grab FMWP Today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below and I will be glad to get back with you.

All the best in your training.

“Napalm” Jedd Johnson

 

What’s up Diesels?

I bet you are all kicking some serious butt in the gym and setting some huge PR’s – that is freakin’ awesome. Keep it up!

As I did last year, I went through all of the videos I uploaded to my YouTube Channel this year and picked out the top 10 most watched videos. They all appear below along with a little description and a link to their related article, in case you’d like to read more about the feat, drill, or Q & A.

Before you drop down and start watching and reading, I also want to say THANK YOU to all of you for helping me reach a goal of mine some time in November, of reach 1 MILLION views on YouTube.

In the Fall, maybe September, I noticed my views were up there pretty high and that 1 MILLION by the end of 2012 was a possibility, so I set that as a goal of mine. However, I never looked back to check my progress until just last week. To my surprise, I had reached and surpassed that goal, and I am now at 1,032,000+ views.

Also, one of my goals this year was to reach the mark of 2,000 subscribers. I was able to attain this in late Spring/early June, and I am not currently at 2500+ subscribers.

While you don’t get a prize for 1 Million view or 2500 subscribers, hitting these numbers does mean that I have been able to reach more people. I feel I bring very high quality information through my YouTube channel, plus it helps me spread the word about Grip Training and Grip Sport, two things I just love to do.

Going forward, I want you to know that I welcome you to share my videos with your friends, colleagues, and on-line contacts, whether you post them on your Blog or put them up on forums, Facebook, etc. In fact, when you do share or post one of my videos, send me a note and I will do my best to promote it as well, and bring more viewers to your site, blog, or other on-line place of interest.

The only thing I ask you not to do is to copy whole entire articles off my site and paste them on yours – that’s just not cool.

I will be setting some goals for next year very soon, and I will be sure to share them with you. Any help you can provide me, I appreciate it. If you have a YouTube channel and you would like to work together on a cross-promotion, or some other idea, please let me know.

Alright, Diesels – here are the Top 10 videos I posted to my channel this year, from 10th to 1st. First, I will post #10 through #6, and then tomorrow I will post #5 through #1.

I hope you enjoy them. All the best in your training, and Happy New Year to you all.

Jedd

#10 – Hardest Pull-ups Ever – 1369 Views

Rogue Fitness sent me a bunch of their equipment to use at my seminars, so I also took the opportunity to review each piece and put the video up on YouTube for everyone to see. Their equipment is all high quality, but the gear I have used the most this year has been the Pull-up Gear, especially the Globe and Dog Bone. Really cool stuff, and I especially like the ability to train a Pull-up style exercise and the Grip at the same time.

Related Article: Rogue Fitness Equipment Review Videos

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#9 – Instant Relief from Back Pain – 1388 Views

Earlier this year, I was experiencing some nagging back and glute pain. I tried a lot of things to get rid of it and was unsuccessful, but to my surprise, when I did a few sets of Dips, something adjusted in my SI Joint area which gave me instant relief. This is something I used to do from time to time years ago, but got away from it. Be sure to give this a try if you have lower back or SI Joint Pain as well.

Related Article: Relief from SI Joint Pain with a Simple Exercise

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#8 – Build Big Shoulders – 1504 Views

Earlier this year, I came to grips with the fact that the tightness in my torso, especially my pecs, was hindering my performance in various lifts. I did some research and tested out some nice stretches and mobility drills and found a few things that really benefited me. I am continuing drills such as these to this day and have been feeling much better, especially since reviewing Fix My Shoulder Pain.

Related Article: How Stretching and Mobility Work Helped My Overhead Pressing

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#7 – Number 1 Tip for a Safe Deadlift – 1509 Views

I have worked with several people this year on various forms of the deadlift, and from this experience I have seen that you can have a perfect set-up for your back and core and then screw everything up BIG TIME by pulling the bar from the floor incorrectly. I call this incorrect “yanking” of the bar off the floor “shot-gunning” with my guys. The video above will explain this, and the post below will give you even more detail.

I reviewed an outstanding product on Deadlifting this year called Deadlift Dynamite from Pavel and Dragondoor. For many people, the thing holding them back the most on their deadlift is their Grip Strength, so I put together a special bonus called “Never Drop Another Deadlift.” This is currently available, ONLY to those who pick up Deadlift Dynamite through my affiliate links.

Related Article: You MUST Do This When You Deadlift

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#6 – 1st Lift of Blobzilla – 1509 Views

Blobzilla was named by my friend Daniel Reinard, an excellent up-and-comer in Grip Sport. Earlier this year, we organized a group purchase of Blobzillas from the York Barbell Company and several of us lifted them. I was extremely excited to lift this Block Weight, as pinching is my favorite style of Grip Strength training.

Related Article: Blobzilla – Biggest York Block Weight Ever Lifted

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#5 – First 400+ Axle Deadlift – 1804 Views

Finally this year I was able to attain several lifts at or above 400-lbs on the IronMind Axle. Despite these lifts, I still failed to pull 400-lbs in competition, but I am happy to have seen some progress on this lift, both at the beginning and towards the end of this year.

Related Article: IronMind Axle – 400 Pound Deadlift

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#4 – Manus Grip Gear – 1997 Views

Some of my most popular videos on YouTube have been my equipment reviews. I always give my honest opinion on the equipment I review, and the Manus Equipment is no difference. I was very impressed with the Manus Equipment I got, especially the way it was all packaged, which far exceeds many other competitors’ products. I also liked the smoothness of their instant thick grip handles very much.

Related Article: Manus Grip Product Review

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#3 – Fat Gripz Extreme Review – 2020 Views

Fat Gripz Extreme took the number 1 spot of all the instant thick grip handles I have reviewed this year. The handles are very large. In fact, they are larger in diameter than a soda can, making them a great addition to your training arsenal if you are a Grip Strength enthusiast. My favorite drill to use them on has been 20-rep Shrugs with 100-lb Dumbbells. This exercise is so freaking tough, I generally have to perform rest-pause sets in order to hit my goal of 20-reps per set. If you want to get these, check out the Fat Gripz website.

Related Article: Fat Gripz Extreme, Wrist Developer, Manus Hand Yoga

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#2 – Fixing Elbow and Forearm Pain – 2905 Views

Many people have trouble with forearm and elbow pain like Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow. These are not just Grip Enthusiasts either. Everyone from Powerlifters to Strongmen, Office Workers to Manual Laborers, Athletes to Coaches. Rick Kaselj and I put together a program to help all of them out, called Fixing Elbow Pain, but I also wanted to put out this video showing one of the things I do to prevent Tennis Elbow, which combines the benefits of increased circulation and self myofascial release (SMR).

Related Article: Fixing and Preventing Forearm & Elbow Pain

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#1 – The Knee Driver – Innovative Glute Activation Exercise – 4282 Views

The biggest video of the year was something I stumbled upon while working with my buddy, Mike Rinderle, on our DVD called Braced Bending: How to Destroy Everything in Your Path. I was looking for a way to replicate the way you kink a steel bar over your knee, and I grabbed a heavy resistance band and could not believe the activation I was getting in my glutes.

Related Article: Simple But Effective Glute Activation Exercise

And there you have it, DIESELS! The 10 videos that you made the most popular over the course of last year. Thanks for watching and subscribing. And remember, always feel free to share my videos around with your friends, colleagues, and contacts.

To sign up for email updates on new Blog posts, add your info to the block below.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

Want to Build Your Own Grip Equipment?

Check out Home Made Strength II – Grip Strength Edition by clicking the banner below.

Below you will see a video of one of my recent Upper Body Training Workouts.

The video has an audio track over it in which I explain a bit about my exercise selection and why I place the movements how I do.

A couple of other things I wanted to cover that did not get covered in the video…

Shoulder Pain

In the video I mention the shoulder pain that I have been having. I mention that Strict Press bothers it. I just want to clarify that my shoulder pain did not come from pressing or even any kind of weight lifting.

It actually came from rolling frying pans during my Strongman Performances in July. Rolling Frying Pans entails an appreciable amount of force coming from the chest and shoulder and I believe rolling 3 pans a day for close to an entire week just overwhelmed my shoulder and pec minor on my right side.

It is much better now, but at the time of shooting the video, the strict press motion at the bottom of the movement was bothering that region of my shoulder/collar bone, so I avoided that tension on this particular week by performing Push Presses. The catch and Lockout portions of the movement gave me no problems whatsoever.

Just wanted to add that in there, since it didn’t make it into the video.

Exercise Selection

For the last several weeks I have been working my Push and Pull training on the same days. I don’t always do that. Sometimes I will work Push on one day and Pull on the other. However, I always strive to work complimentary exercises for both Push and Pull – movements that are antagonistic movement patterns. I think this is described fairly well in the video.

Some people do both Push and Pull on the same day all the time. To me, I don’t think that is necessary if you are paying attention to the volume you are using in all the movement patterns. Some people might hit me on that. And that’s OK, but I personally believe my approach works well for me.

Whether or not I am working both Push and Pull on the same day generally comes down to the amount of available time I have to train and what else is going on as far as contests and other types of preparation I have to include in my workouts.

With all that said, please enjoy the video, and don’t hesitate in leaving comments, liking the video, or subscribing.

IMPORTANT: Notice the repeated theme – Balance. Balance between the opposing muscle groups in the upper back and torso which surround the shoulder and Balance between movement patterns. If you strive to keep this balance, whether you train Push and Pull on the same day, or if you split them up, your shoulders will feel MUCH better.

Check out my YouTube Channel: Jedd’s Strength Training Channel

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Are You Committing Errors That Could Lead to Shoulder Pain?

Check out this Shoulder Pain Quiz from the guys at Fix My Shoulder Pain:

 

Bicep Curls for Increased Performance and Injury Prevention

The first part of the title of this post might sound like the biggest oxymoron ever stated.

After all, what in the world can Curls possibly do for your performance?

I am about to line all that up for you right now.

You see, for the last few weeks I have been working on a project that will come out soon about arm training, and during all of the preparation, I have been trying out new things with my arm training, new lifts, new variations, and new modifications, etc…

Because I have been “studying” arms so much, I have been putting in more time training the arms, and also as a result, they have gotten stronger, and I have also seen excellent results in other parts of my training, especially my Pull-up work.

What Have I Been Doing

Now, I am not down there hitting arms for 2 hours straight, multiple times a week, but it is safe to say I am doing arm training at least once a week every single week for the past month and a half, AND on some occasions I have hit them twice in the same week.

Also, I am not just down in the gym banging away on Bicep work. The Triceps makes up far more of the upper arm than the Biceps, so a lot of my arm work has been Triceps based, but I am also getting my fair share of Bicep work in.

In addition to all of this experimentation and manipulating my arm training, there has been one additional training factor that seems to have been very beneficial, and that is, surprisingly enough, testing myself in the 1 Rep Max Dumbbell Curl.

I first started doing this when Josh Dale introduced the Rob Vigeant Dumbbell Curl Challenge, which was to lift 100-lbs in strict fashion on the dumbbell curl. I thought this would be fun, so I tried it out and to my surprise I was able to get a 75-lb Curl. It is hard to believe that it was almost a year ago when this challenge came out.

When my long-time friend Kyle trained with me earlier this summer, we tried out the Max Dumbbell Curl just for fun, and I was happy to see that I had retained much of my strength, even after several months where I did not try a max curl.

Two weeks ago, I tested myself again for a max lift, this time using a dumbbell with extra weight stuck to it with a magnet. During that workout, I was able to get 84-lbs left handed.

This week, I was able to move my mark up even further, hitting 85.5-lbs.

Other Improvements I Have Seen

Again, the 1RM Dumbbell Curl is not some kind of major focus in my training. There just happens to be a fun challenge list going on right now, and it has served well as a tester for my current Bicep strength.

However, the most important thing about this is not the amount of weight I am putting up in the Bicep Curl – oooh, woopty-doo, right?

The biggest benefit I have seen, and this is where the “Performance” aspect comes in that is reference in the title, has been my Pull-up Performance.

Now, we all know, or at least we should, that the Pull-up is one of the best exercises for building the upper back. It is a great bench mark of strength for athletes, students (scholastic fitness tests) and even the Military incorporates Pull-ups into their testing and training protocols. The Pull-up is or should be a major part of your training.

I have stated before that I do all kinds of versions of the Pull-up, and most recently I have fallen in love with training on the Rogue Dog Bone <= See some of my recent training here. This thing is just a sick piece of training gear. When I started out, I could barely get 2 reps with this thing, but I have been seeing great increases here.

Also, my regular Pull-ups are kicking ass as well (I do my conventional pull-ups on Perfect Pullup Handles).

I have been training my conventional Pull-ups with somewhat of a Ladder approach, especially when Kyle is here. He and I will start with one Pull-up apiece and follow one another, each time increasing our rep-count by one repetition, up to 5, and then back down. It looks like this:

Jedd – 1, Kyle – 1
Jedd – 2, Kyle – 2
Jedd – 3, Kyle – 3
Jedd – 4, Kyle – 4
Jedd – 5, Kyle – 5
Jedd – 5, Kyle – 5
Jedd – 4, Kyle – 4
Jedd – 3, Kyle – 3
Jedd – 2, Kyle – 2
Jedd – 1, Kyle – 1

Pretty basic, but also pretty demanding, given the fact that we only rest the amount of time that it takes for us to step away from the Pull-up Bar, and wait for the other guy to finish his reps.

The first time Kyle and I did this, which was in May, I believe, I needed serious spots from him to finish out many of my sets once I hit the 3-rep mark, and up until I got back to the 2-rep mark in the Ladder.

Kyle missed about 2 solid months of training due to a job change, but when he did return, I had only trained this ladder a couple of times on my own, but the day we did this together again, I only needed spots on my last rep during my 4-rep sets and my last two reps during my 5-rep sets.

I’d estimate that within 3 weeks I will be able to finish this ladder all by myself without any spots. This is a huge improvement and I think the increased arm work has played just as big of a role in this improvement as my recent concerted efforts toward improving my Pull-up abilities.

I will branch off a bit here and say this. If all the arm work has helped my Pull-ups so much, what could also be the effects if I focused a bit more on Log Cleans or Stones (I honestly haven’t been doing those as much as I want). It is possible I could see improvements in other Biceps-involved lifts as well. It’s also possible that you could too! Something to think about for sure.

If You Are Not Training Arms Seriously…

I know there are a handful of people out there who either do not train their Biceps or do so half-assed. I know this because I have heard it said many times, especially by Strongman competitors and those who perform a great deal of Rowing movements. The reasoning, so they say, is that since they are constantly lifting Stones, Logs, and doing all the Rows, that they are getting enough Bicep work in already.

After these last few weeks of increased arm training and seeing the results it has brought, I encourage you to re-think your approach to arm training, especially if you have been skipping Bicep Training or if when you do it you only hit a few token sets just to “get some work in.”

Another Reason Why Direct Bicep Work is Important

If bigger numbers and more reps in Pulling movements is not enough to make you consider adding arm training back into your routine, I have two more things that I feel must be discussed about the benefits of specific arm training.

First off, even though Rows, Log Cleans, and other similar lifts work the Biceps through elbow flexion, you still are not getting the same intensity as if you are truly aiming for growth and strength increases in the Biceps.

Secondly, with Rowing movements and Log Clean, the forearm does not supinate, which is another movement pattern that the Biceps are responsible for.

My fear is not that if you neglect Biceps training that you will hold back your performance on Pull-ups, Rows, Log Cleans, or any other movement where the Biceps are involved (although to a degree, that will happen). Rather, I’m more interested in keeping all of you safe and injury free.

It Happened Right Before My Eyes

In August, I watched a Bicep tear take place right before my eyes during a Grip Contest, of all things. Competitor, John Wojciechowski, tore his Biceps Tendon performing a normally straight-arm-style event called the Adjustable Thick Bar Lift. I actually thought he ripped the seat of his pants, and it was so loud the camera even picked up the noise.

In no way am I saying the reason John got hurt due to lack of training the Biceps. I don’t know much about John’s past training except that he has put up some very nice general strength training videos as well as impressive gripper and bolt bending videos.

I am only saying that lack of training parts of the body, like the Biceps, can lead to weaknesses and imbalances. Weknesses and Imbalances can lead to injuries, and after watching Wojo tear his Bicep tendon, that was enough for me. I don’t ever want to see it again or learn that one of you had it happen either.

Conclusions

So, major take-aways from this post:

1. The Biceps assist in many other training movements, not just Curls. Pull-ups, Rows, Logs, Stones are all examples.

2. Having Strong and well-conditioned Biceps can lead to improved performance in other lifts which are very beneficial toward over-all strength and performance, especially Pull-ups, which I have seen in my own training.

3. Make sure to train the Biceps intensely. No need to go overboard, but don’t neglect them either. Although some of you may be turned of by “Show Muscles” or “Beach Muscles” remember to strengthen all links in the chain.

4. It’s not always about Strength. Sometimes Injury Prevention is even more important. My friend, Wojo, is going to experience some down time due to his injury. Down time SUCKS.

Keep these things in mind as you train. All the best with your training and stay injury free.

Jedd

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Many people have recently found out about the importance of including Grip Strength in their routines on a regular basis. Once you begin strengthening your Grip (everything from the elbow down) it can be pretty amazing the level of improvement you are able to see.

For instance, when I first started training for grip strength, I was still primarily interested in muscle building and countless variations of curls were staples of my routine. I was very surprised when out of nowhere back in early 2004, I was able to curl 90-lb Dumbbells while seated with fairly strict form:

My early grip training was based around developing the strength to tear a deck of cards, yet the carryover from a broad variety of grip drills led to a pretty amazing milestone in the Dumbbell Curl for me.

But this is not the only type of improvement that can be seen when you finally start strengthening your lower arms and hands. For some people, they are able to see dramatic improvement in very different parts of their training. I have received emails from people who are no longer dropping deadlifts, are holding hand stands longer than ever before, and many other great things since adding regular grip training into their routine.

However, one thing that often gets in people’s way when they do their grip training is skin tears. Whether it is skin on the thumb from doing a lot of pinch work, Two Hands Pinch or Loose Pinch with several 10-lb Plates, or maybe a ripped callus from doing support grip work like Farmer’s Walk Training, a skin tear can really set you back.

I Was Lucky

I was actually pretty lucky myself, not to have sustained a major skin tear to my calluses in one of this week’s workouts. I was testing my current strength levels in the Double Overhand Deadlift. I was very pleased to have locked out 500-lbs, but after the workout, it was clear that I had been neglecting my skin care as a couple of mature calluses nearly pulled off on my last attempt. You’ll see in the video, I savored the lock-out at the top and held a bit longer than normal and this is what nearly broke a callus loose.

This is what my hands looked like after this workout.

You can see that on my left hand, the callus at the base of my ring finger and pinky finger were the two that came closest to tearing. The one on the base of the middle finger looks bad but was nothing compared to the other two. The ring and pinky calluses were actually inflamed and bothered me, so even though they don’t look horrible, they certainly felt it. On the right hand, pretty much all four calluses were lit up like this. The ones at the base of my index finger actually came loose on the outer layers of skin. The callus below the middle finger came pretty close as well.

Skin Care to Prevent Callus Tears

There are many tools and products out there to help take care of calluses. Ranging from inexpensive skin files to more expensive gadgets like the Ped Egg, you have more than enough options.

However, I do not use any of those conventional items. First off, I don’t have the patience to mess with a a file on my calluses, and the Ped Egg never seems to hit my calluses just right. This thing is designed to be used on the feet anyway, where the callused region is much larger, and it always seems like the Ped Egg is hitting other parts of my palm or fingers that do not need that kind of work. So again, I don’t use them. SO what DO I use?

Some people are surprised to hear that I use a normal shaving razor. Yes, you shave your excess skin right off your hand and prevent callus tears to a degree.

The type of razor that you use is not very important. I have used everything from the more specialized facial shaving razors with two, three, and even four blades, all the way down to the disposable razors that you can buy in bunches at dollar stores.

They all work fine as long as you follow these steps:

Step 1: Get Your Hands Wet

The hands must be wet in order to take care of the calluses properly. You can do this by simply submersing them in the sink for a few minutes. Again, that is a bit boring for me, so I just do it in the shower. After a good shower of 10 minutes or so, when your hands get really soaked, the extra dead skin will turn white, allowing you to see it very well. This is my wet hand and you can see some white skin regions, but the lighting wasn’t great, so it didn’t come through perfectly. You will see what I mean when you do this.

Step 2: Using the Razor

Once the hands have reached the right degree of moistness and you can see the white, dead skin, you can take your razor and lightly cut that away.

I like to go both horizontally and vertically over the callus several times in order to get all of the callus tissue removed. In addition to the white areas, other targets you will look for will be spots on the callused regions that even after a good soaking are still very hard and rough. These spots will catch on knurling and rip off easily, so give them a little buffing as well with the razor.

Safety Precautions

Of course, you need to use your head when you do this. Don’t continue cutting all the way through the body of the callus and into your virgin skin. The callus is there to protect that skin. You only should chip away the extra, useless skin, that runs the risk of catching on a knurled bar and ripping the entire callus off.

Once you’re done, your hands should look much different. You may even notice a shine to your calluses. This is because the razor somewhat polishes the thicker callus tissue, giving it a new luster.

This is the tactic I have used for nearly 10 years in caring for my calluses and preventing skin tears. It has served me well so I encourage you to try it. Be careful though, as I am not responsible if you go to deep and damage your lower dermis levels or somehow else injure yourself.

Important: Calluses & Vertical Bar

Please take note that you must be very careful to not over-prune your calluses if you do vertical bar work. If you cut them too short, your grip on the vertical bar will feel completely different. This is a mistake I made prior to a very early Grip Contest I did and my numbers suffered because of it.

I hope this helps you out to prevent nasty callus tears. They sting like a bastard and just mess you up both technique-wise and mentally because you end up thinking about them too much instead of the event at hand. What do they say? An ounce of Prevention is worth a pound of Cure? In this case, that’s true.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

P.S. Check out the DVD I am re-releasing, The Sh*t You’ve Never Seen. All live training footage with a few highlight reels, voiceovers, and effects added in. This thing will get you pumped up for your next workout.

Over the weekend, one of the biggest headlines in the baseball world was that of Andrew McCutchen, center-fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, having to leave the game Saturday versus the Cardinals, shortly after making a diving play in the outfield.

This news makes most Pirates fans shake when they lay down at night because McCutchen is one of the best players on the team and the team is having one its best years in recent history. Losing McCutchen could spell certain doom for the team as they are knee-deep in a pennant race with the Cincinnatti Reds, going into the mid-point of the season.

McCutchen did not leave the game right away, toughing out two more at-bats after rolling his wrist, but you could tell that it was seriously bothering him as he swung the bat due to the pain etched on his face. That’s never good. McCutchen had to sit out Sunday’s game as well, but as of writing has not been placed on the disabled list.

This is exactly the type of injury that players and coaches dread. McCutchen is highly athletic and plays aggressively all the time. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the dive, even after making the play, McCutchen’s glove rolled beneath his body somewhat and most likely either strained some soft tissue or knocked something out of alignment in his wrist.

Plus, when you hurt your hand or wrist in baseball, if it doesn’t get fixed right away, it will be there for everything you do. And it might not hurt so bad that it keeps you from playing, but it will be right there hiding and every so often bite you again when you swing the back, move your glove in a weird angle, or push the gate open to go to the plate. Eventually, it gets into your head and even though it doesn’t hurt bad it still distracts you.

When it comes to injuries, they are always best avoided. Unfortunately when you have a spirited player such as McCutchen, who readily puts his body on the line for the benefit of his team, diving, rolling, sliding hard into bases, and breaking up players, trauma such as this can happen sometimes.

For that reason, for baseball players who want to play hard and put up the big statistics as well, it is important to do everything possible to bullet-proof the body. For the forearms, wrists and hands, here are some simple exercises that you can start implementing in your training right away that will hit your lower arms from all angles and start turning your hands into iron.

Hammer Rotations

When swinging the bat, if you want to maximize your power, you have to have serious forearm strength to turn the bat. So for this one, we will target the muscles that rotate the forearm: the supinator, pronator, and others that support this movement.

For this one, you’ll need either a sledge hammer, axe, or some other long device to create leverage. Grip the hammer about half way down the handle. Start with the hammer head veritcal and from there, slowly rotate the hammer under control in both directions.

This video shows you a couple of variations of Sledge Hammer Rotations:

Plate Clamp Press

When squeezing the glove, the fingers do not ball up like a fist, they actually do a motion that is called clamping where the finger tips move toward the base of the palm. It is important to include this type of Grip training in your routine in order strengthen this movement correctly.

In order to strengthen your Clamping Grip, you will need four ten pound plates. Put them together in pairs with the smooth sides out. Wrap your fingers over the top of the plates and clamp them tightly into your palm. Now, perform a pressing movement overhead until you can feel the plates want to fall out. At that point, terminate the set, rest the hands for 30 seconds to a minute and then hit more reps.

Two tens is generally the thickness that works best for most people. To increase the weight by adding another dime can make it too large to fit in your hand, so if two tens is too light, try adding a chain through the center of the plates in order to add more resistance.

A couple ways to perform the Plate Clamp Press:

Pony Clamp Pinching

The thumb is an often neglected part of the hand, but it is very important to include it in your Grip training. One of the best ways is using a Pony Clamp. These are available at many hardware stores and even some dollar stores. I like the ones with flat handles the best.

Grip the Pony Clamp with one handle on the finger side and one on the thumb side and try to touch the handles together. You can perform this exercise for maximum reps, speed reps, holds for time, and if the resistance is too light for you, just wrap rubber bands around the clamp end to increase the resistance.

Here are a few variations you can do with the Pony Clamp:

The Pony Clamp with Extended Handles is one of the cool, effective, and simple training tools I show you how to make in Home Made Strength II: Grip Strength Edition. Click that link or the banner below to check it out today.

Extensor Bucket Lift

No Grip Training program is complete if it doesn’t feature some sort of extensor work. If you neglect your extensors, you not only can create an imbalance that could turn into an injury down the road, but you can also hold your strength development back. By strengthening the extensors you will also be able to further strength then flexors of the lower arms.

One way to do this is with an extensor bucket. I like to use an empty cheese ball loaded with steel and iron for the resistance. You can also use a pretzel container if cheese balls are “not your bag.”

Once you fill the container, stick the finger and thumb tips in and extend them out forcefully against the rim of the opening and then lift the container up. Once lifted, you can make the back of the forearm work even more intensely by flexing and extending the wrist.

Here is the Extensor Bucket in action:

These are just 4 simple exercises that you probably already have the equipment to perform, but there are hundreds of more ways to train for grip and forearm strength that can help you perform at a high level and stay injury free on the field.

My Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball has over 200 exercises in it. Remember, it’s not only important to have strong hands and forearms for playing the game, but if some kind of traumatic injury takes place, the athlete that is best prepared will often get back on the field more quickly.

Let’s hope that is what happens with McCutchen. He is a great player that loves the game and plays with passion and flair, and it would be a shame for him to miss a large portion of the season due to this injury.

If you want to bullet-proof your hands and forearms, check out Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

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The Coolest thing about Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball is that the overwhelming majority of people who have bought it from me do not even play baseball. UFTB is the most complete and most detailed resource of Grip and Forearm Training in existence. If you want training ideas for the lower arms, this is the resource you want. No one else can touch it in terms of content, illustrations, program layout, and of course my email product support.

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Hello DIESELS. Last November, I did an interview with Rick Kaselj when I first heard about his program, Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition, but I totally forgot about it until just now.
Rick and I released Fixing Elbow Pain this week, so I thought I would re-post the interview here. Rick really knows his stuff about recovering from injuries without surgery, pills, and endless appointments, so check it out below.

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INTERVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED NOVEMBER 11, 2011
Today I have an interview with Rick Kaselj of ExercisesforInjuries.com.

I had heard Rick was taking interviews this week in conjunction with the release of his product, Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition this week. I immediately contacted Rick about an interview to go over Medial and Lateral Epicondylitis (Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow), how to prevent them, and how to heal from them. You would not believe the number of questions I get about how to deal with these conditions and many others for the forearm from both Grip and Strongman Trainees. Speaking from experience, I know how bad these conditions can be because I have suffered from them many times over the years. In fact, when i first started doing Strongman Training, my medial epicondyles were so inflamed that I could not make it through a workout without ibuprofen super-doses.
Without further ado, please check out what Rick has to say about lower arm health.

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Jedd: Rick, your name has been tossed around by some of the biggest names in the business. Your products have really proven to be game changers for Personal Trainers, Therapists, and Strength Coaches by using an active approach to addressing injuries and correcting imbalances. I think your methods are perfect for the Diesel Universe as well because we are always aiming to perform at a high level whether we are working toward world class grip strength, competing in strongman or powerlifting, or just trying to be as strong as possible. I truly feel your experience is going to help a lot of my readers, so thank you for taking the time to do this interview.
Rick: Thanks for the kind words. I am glad what I have to say has been able to help so many people.
Very cool to be asked to share a few things with the Diesel Universe.
A few days back I was watching some videos on your blog and my 4 year old son asked, “Can you do that, dad?”
I had to say, “No.”
He then asked, ”Can I do that?”
“Listen to what Jedd and the Diesel Crew have to say and you can.”
Not sure how the wife will like it if my son starts bending frying pans.
Okay, Jedd, hit me with your questions.

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Jedd: Rick, a lot of the guys who come to my site engage in non-conventional training, especially odd object lifting such as atlas stones, natural stones, kegs, sandbags and more. One common result is inflammation of the elbow near the medial epicondyle. What is one thing my guys can do to prevent this from happening when time on the implements is so important to success?

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Rick: Check out below…

What is Medial Epicondylitis (ME)?

If we look at medial epicondylitis, it is an issue with the wrist flexors (wrist curling) and some people call it “golfer’s elbow”.
Epicondylitis begins as an inflammation of the tendons but can progress to the breakdown of the tendons.
Big things that leads to ME is repeated flexion, pronation (from palm up to palm down), and valgus stress to the elbow (upper arm does not move and the forearm moves away from the body). Can you already think about the things that can be leading to this?
Okay, enough of the science mumbo jumbo. I know you are thinking, what can I do about it.

What can I do about Medial Epicondylitis?

Look at What is Causing the Problem – In your workouts are you doing to much pulling movements or bending movements (bending a bar).
Look at Your Movements – Are you using your wrist and forearms way to much when you should be using your back, legs and chest to do the movement or exercise.
Are You Putting too Much Stress on the Inside of Your Elbow – Look at ripping apart movements. For example, breaking chains.
Take a Break From the Problem – I would never say stop something but you might want to take a break from something. If you have been doing a ton of plate grip work or weighted rope pulls, maybe move over to un-weighted rope and sand bag challenges.
Massage It Out – After your workout, take some time to self-massage. You get that pump in your muscle, especially in your forearms. Take some time to rub or massage the wrist flexors to relax the muscle, help with recovery and move it from a shortened position (tight and pulling on the injury), to a relaxed one (no stress on the injury). (Jedd’s Note – This is a FANTASTIC Idea – Thanks Rick!)
Get Some Manual Therapy – There are all kinds of techniques out there, but getting manual therapy done has a lot research that supports it.
Let’s get to the next question because I know you are going to ask me about exercises to do and stretching.

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Jedd: Rick, in years past, I’ve pushed too hard and developed what is referred to as tennis elbow. I get no fewer than 20 emails per year asking about how to get rid of this condition. In your experience, what is the best way to fend this condition off and if it is developed, how to get rid of it?

Rick: See below…

What is Lateral Epicondylitis (LE)?

Let me just step back and explain a few things. So, tennis elbow is called lateral epicondylitis and it was first talked about in 1882 (Wow) where they called it “lawn tennis elbow” and occurs about 10 times more frequently than ME.
Just like medial epicondylitis, it can be caused by what you do for work or from sport.
If we look at what movements causes it, we can see what unconventional strength training can lead to it.
LE occurs when performing activities involving repeated supination and pronation (rotation of the hand from palm up to palm down and vise versa) with the elbow extended (straight).
Now to what you can do about it.

What Can You do About Lateral Epicondylitis (LE)?

Some of this overlaps with ME.
Look at What is Causing the Problem – In your workouts are you doing to much kettlebell swings, pinch grip work, keg lifting or dumbbell work.
Watch Wide Grip Work – Grabbing things like a glob and a blob put the hand into a wide grip, that puts more stress on the outer part of the elbow.
Look at Your Technique – This is an extension of above. Are you using your wrists and elbows too much when your legs, back and shoulder should be doing the bulk of the work.
Tendon Strengthening Exercises – There is a lot of research backing up eccentric training for both ME and LE in order to help strengthen the tendons.
You focus on the eccentric movement with a light weight (1 to 2 pounds / maybe more for the Diesel Universe) doing three sets of 15 repetitions, three times per day where you focus on the eccentric movement of wrist flexion (ME) or wrist extension (LE).
It is not a hard exercise but it targets the problem. The negative is it could irritate things more which is normal.
I would also recommend the taking a break from the problem, self massage and manual therapy, like I mentioned above.

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Jedd: Rick, this has been outstanding information so far. I would be remiss if I did not touch on one other thing. A lot of my readers engage in feats of strength like steel bending, chain breaking, and other forms of training that are hard on the fingers. What advice to you have for us all in the Grip and Bending Community for keeping our fingers healthy, especially the smaller connective tissues? (Sadly, two years ago I jammed my left pinky finger playing basketball and it still has lingering issues, so any help here is appreciated)
Rick: I’ve got to say this… So, you lift, bend, grip, pinch and throw crazy stuff but the thing that injured your finger was a 22 oz basketball. Okay.
We got to start off with the wording. “Jammed finger” does not sound manly.
You really need to say, PIP injury or proximal interphalangeal injury.
Now that sounds cool.
Here are a few things that I can recommend:

• Use taping or chalk to help prevent finger injuries when appropriate
• If you jam it, keep working on the movement of the joint
• Splinting or buddy-taping with another finger is good for less than 2 weeks
• If there is deformity in the joint, get it looked at and you may need to get some hand therapy to speed up recovery

Big thing with finger injuries, if they are not dealt with right after injury, it’s harder to fix them later on.

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Jedd: Rick, again, thanks for taking some time for us. This info is going to help a lot of people, myself included. How can we find out more about addressing issues such as these, as well as other issues some of my guys might need help with, such as banged up shoulders, tweaked biceps, and possibly pec injuries? I’ve got a very broad audience here and I know many of them have underlying issues they are training through and around on a weekly basis?
Rick: Okay, I will get to answering your question, just give me one minute.
I never answered the stretching thing for LE and ME. I would do it but it would not be my focus. I would focus on the self-massage, taking a break from things that make it worse, eccentric exercise program and getting manual therapy work. Some times with the stretching, you could be making things worse, compared to better.
One more thing that I’ve got to say, if things do not get better or keep getting worse with your ME and LE, get it looked at by someone to rule out that it could be something else.
Now to my last thing. Jedd, let me wrap up with a few reference that people can refer to if they want more information on what I chatted about above.
I know this is dorky but there may be a few of your readers that want more detailed scientific info:
Freiberg A. (2007). Management of proximal interphalangeal joint injuries. Can J Plast Surg. 2007 Winter;15(4):199-203. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19554177
Hudes K. (2011). Conservative management of a case of medial epicondylosis in a recreational squash player. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2011 Mar;55(1):26-31. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21403779
Walz DM, Newman JS, Konin GP, Ross G. (2010). Epicondylitis: pathogenesis, imaging, and treatment. Radiographics. 2010 Jan;30(1):167-84. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20083592

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Jedd: Thanks for the solid references, Rick, and the awesome information in the interview.
Guys, if you would like to find out more information about preventing and recuperating from upper body imbalances, you’ve got to check out Rick’s Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition. Give this thing a try, especially if you have lingering issues, have noticed things feeling differently in your upper body lifts, or if what you have been trying has not been working in your efforts to get rid of issues.
Thanks again to Rick Kaselj!
All the best in your training.
Jedd
Need Help with Nagging Forearm Pain? Check Out Our New Program Below:

Hello DIESELS. Last November, I did an interview with Rick Kaselj when I first heard about his program, Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition, but I totally forgot about it until just now.

Rick and I released Fixing Elbow Pain this week, so I thought I would re-post the interview here. Rick really knows his stuff about recovering from injuries without surgery, pills, and endless appointments, so check it out below.

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INTERVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Today I have an interview with Rick Kaselj of ExercisesforInjuries.com.

I had heard Rick was taking interviews this week in conjunction with the release of his product, Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition this week. I immediately contacted Rick about an interview to go over Medial and Lateral Epicondylitis (Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow), how to prevent them, and how to heal from them. You would not believe the number of questions I get about how to deal with these conditions and many others for the forearm from both Grip and Strongman Trainees. Speaking from experience, I know how bad these conditions can be because I have suffered from them many times over the years. In fact, when i first started doing Strongman Training, my medial epicondyles were so inflamed that I could not make it through a workout without ibuprofen super-doses.

Without further ado, please check out what Rick has to say about lower arm health.

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Jedd: Rick, your name has been tossed around by some of the biggest names in the business. Your products have really proven to be game changers for Personal Trainers, Therapists, and Strength Coaches by using an active approach to addressing injuries and correcting imbalances. I think your methods are perfect for the Diesel Universe as well because we are always aiming to perform at a high level whether we are working toward world class grip strength, competing in strongman or powerlifting, or just trying to be as strong as possible. I truly feel your experience is going to help a lot of my readers, so thank you for taking the time to do this interview.

Rick: Thanks for the kind words. I am glad what I have to say has been able to help so many people.

Very cool to be asked to share a few things with the Diesel Universe.

A few days back I was watching some videos on your blog and my 4 year old son asked, “Can you do that, dad?”

I had to say, “No.”

He then asked, ”Can I do that?”

“Listen to what Jedd and the Diesel Crew have to say and you can.”

Not sure how the wife will like it if my son starts bending frying pans.

Okay, Jedd, hit me with your questions.

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Jedd: Rick, a lot of the guys who come to my site engage in non-conventional training, especially odd object lifting such as atlas stones, natural stones, kegs, sandbags and more. One common result is inflammation of the elbow near the medial epicondyle. What is one thing my guys can do to prevent this from happening when time on the implements is so important to success?

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Rick: Check out below…

What is Medial Epicondylitis (ME)?

If we look at medial epicondylitis, it is an issue with the wrist flexors (wrist curling) and some people call it “golfer’s elbow”.

Epicondylitis begins as an inflammation of the tendons but can progress to the breakdown of the tendons.

Big things that leads to ME is repeated flexion, pronation (from palm up to palm down), and valgus stress to the elbow (upper arm does not move and the forearm moves away from the body). Can you already think about the things that can be leading to this?

Okay, enough of the science mumbo jumbo. I know you are thinking, what can I do about it.

What can I do about Medial Epicondylitis?

Look at What is Causing the Problem – In your workouts are you doing to much pulling movements or bending movements (bending a bar).

Look at Your Movements – Are you using your wrist and forearms way to much when you should be using your back, legs and chest to do the movement or exercise.

Are You Putting too Much Stress on the Inside of Your Elbow – Look at ripping apart movements. For example, breaking chains.

Take a Break From the Problem – I would never say stop something but you might want to take a break from something. If you have been doing a ton of plate grip work or weighted rope pulls, maybe move over to un-weighted rope and sand bag challenges.

Massage It Out – After your workout, take some time to self-massage. You get that pump in your muscle, especially in your forearms. Take some time to rub or massage the wrist flexors to relax the muscle, help with recovery and move it from a shortened position (tight and pulling on the injury), to a relaxed one (no stress on the injury). (Jedd’s Note – This is a FANTASTIC Idea – Thanks Rick!)

Get Some Manual Therapy – There are all kinds of techniques out there, but getting manual therapy done has a lot research that supports it.

Let’s get to the next question because I know you are going to ask me about exercises to do and stretching.

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Jedd: Rick, in years past, I’ve pushed too hard and developed what is referred to as tennis elbow. I get no fewer than 20 emails per year asking about how to get rid of this condition. In your experience, what is the best way to fend this condition off and if it is developed, how to get rid of it?

Rick: See below…

What is Lateral Epicondylitis (LE)?

Let me just step back and explain a few things. So, tennis elbow is called lateral epicondylitis and it was first talked about in 1882 (Wow) where they called it “lawn tennis elbow” and occurs about 10 times more frequently than ME.

Just like medial epicondylitis, it can be caused by what you do for work or from sport.

If we look at what movements causes it, we can see what unconventional strength training can lead to it.

LE occurs when performing activities involving repeated supination and pronation (rotation of the hand from palm up to palm down and vise versa) with the elbow extended (straight).

Now to what you can do about it.

What Can You do About Lateral Epicondylitis (LE)?

Some of this overlaps with ME.

Look at What is Causing the Problem – In your workouts are you doing to much kettlebell swings, pinch grip work, keg lifting or dumbbell work.

Watch Wide Grip Work – Grabbing things like a glob and a blob put the hand into a wide grip, that puts more stress on the outer part of the elbow.

Look at Your Technique – This is an extension of above. Are you using your wrists and elbows too much when your legs, back and shoulder should be doing the bulk of the work.

Tendon Strengthening Exercises – There is a lot of research backing up eccentric training for both ME and LE in order to help strengthen the tendons.

You focus on the eccentric movement with a light weight (1 to 2 pounds / maybe more for the Diesel Universe) doing three sets of 15 repetitions, three times per day where you focus on the eccentric movement of wrist flexion (ME) or wrist extension (LE).

It is not a hard exercise but it targets the problem. The negative is it could irritate things more which is normal.

I would also recommend the taking a break from the problem, self massage and manual therapy, like I mentioned above.

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Jedd: Rick, this has been outstanding information so far. I would be remiss if I did not touch on one other thing. A lot of my readers engage in feats of strength like steel bending, chain breaking, and other forms of training that are hard on the fingers. What advice to you have for us all in the Grip and Bending Community for keeping our fingers healthy, especially the smaller connective tissues? (Sadly, two years ago I jammed my left pinky finger playing basketball and it still has lingering issues, so any help here is appreciated)

Rick: I’ve got to say this… So, you lift, bend, grip, pinch and throw crazy stuff but the thing that injured your finger was a 22 oz basketball. Okay.

We got to start off with the wording. “Jammed finger” does not sound manly.

You really need to say, PIP injury or proximal interphalangeal injury.

Now that sounds cool.

Here are a few things that I can recommend:

• Use taping or chalk to help prevent finger injuries when appropriate
• If you jam it, keep working on the movement of the joint
• Splinting or buddy-taping with another finger is good for less than 2 weeks
• If there is deformity in the joint, get it looked at and you may need to get some hand therapy to speed up recovery

Big thing with finger injuries, if they are not dealt with right after injury, it’s harder to fix them later on.

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Jedd: Rick, again, thanks for taking some time for us. This info is going to help a lot of people, myself included. How can we find out more about addressing issues such as these, as well as other issues some of my guys might need help with, such as banged up shoulders, tweaked biceps, and possibly pec injuries? I’ve got a very broad audience here and I know many of them have underlying issues they are training through and around on a weekly basis?

Rick: Okay, I will get to answering your question, just give me one minute.

I never answered the stretching thing for LE and ME. I would do it but it would not be my focus. I would focus on the self-massage, taking a break from things that make it worse, eccentric exercise program and getting manual therapy work. Some times with the stretching, you could be making things worse, compared to better.

One more thing that I’ve got to say, if things do not get better or keep getting worse with your ME and LE, get it looked at by someone to rule out that it could be something else.

Now to my last thing. Jedd, let me wrap up with a few reference that people can refer to if they want more information on what I chatted about above.

I know this is dorky but there may be a few of your readers that want more detailed scientific info:

Freiberg A. (2007). Management of proximal interphalangeal joint injuries. Can J Plast Surg. 2007 Winter;15(4):199-203. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19554177

Hudes K. (2011). Conservative management of a case of medial epicondylosis in a recreational squash player. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2011 Mar;55(1):26-31. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21403779

Walz DM, Newman JS, Konin GP, Ross G. (2010). Epicondylitis: pathogenesis, imaging, and treatment. Radiographics. 2010 Jan;30(1):167-84. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20083592

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Jedd: Thanks for the solid references, Rick, and the awesome information in the interview.

Guys, if you would like to find out more information about preventing and recuperating from upper body imbalances, you’ve got to check out Rick’s Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition. Give this thing a try, especially if you have lingering issues, have noticed things feeling differently in your upper body lifts, or if what you have been trying has not been working in your efforts to get rid of issues.

Thanks again to Rick Kaselj!

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Need Help with Nagging Forearm Pain? Check Out Our New Program Below:

Many of the most common types of Forearm and Elbow Pain are preventable, but in the case that you do end up developing a Forearm or Elbow Injury such as Medial Epicondylitis (Golfer’s Elbow), Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow), or any other type of injury to the soft tissue of the forearm near the elbow, like tendonitis or tendonosis, there are ways to get rid of the pain without having to spend hundreds of dollars on expensive therapy, take a bunch of pills with side effects or go under the knife for some kind of surgery.

I shot the following video to tell you about a project I have been working on with Rick Kaselj, called Fixing Elbow Pain. In this video I will tell you how the project came about, why I wanted to get Rick’s input regarding forearm and elbow injuries, and also I show you just one of the many things I have done over the years to get rid of injuries to the elbow and forearm and keep them from coming back with such training-effecting intensity over the last couple of years.

I hope this little video helps you out. If you have had injuries like the ones I mention in the video, then you know how bad they hurt and how much they can affect your training. You also know how tough it can be to get rid of them.

It is so much easier to prevent these injuries with simple exercises and other preventive strategies that add almost zero time to your training, that I hope you check this project out when it is ready to roll, next week.

Many of the methods that I cover in my section serve double duty as ways to not only keep Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow types of injuries from taking place, but they can also help put you on the road to recovery as well.

For instance, last month, I met Scott Mezzano at McHenry Community College and he told me about some issues his father was having. His dad plays a lot of guitar and the forearm pain he was experiencing was making it hard for him to do so. I know what it’s like to have a dad who lives with pain, so I wanted to share some techniques with him for his dad.

I told him about a quick battery of exercises I do after each training session and he passed it on to his pops, and I received this email shortly after:

“I would like to thank you again for coming to McHenry County College for the strength clinic last month. Everyone who attended your session had great things to say… Also, my dad has been doing the rubber band exercises and has had some relief with his tendonitis.“

I have had to deal with injuries like this many times over the years, almost always due to lack of guidance, my own rookie inexperience, and poor judgment. Since implementing preventive strategies, I have seen better results, continued strength progress, and I have been able to enjoy my training more.

I know that these techniques will be able to help out a lot more individuals as well.

If you want to make sure you get early notification of when this product is ready, make sure you are signed up for my newsletters, either in the upper right hand corner of this page, or by using the form below.

When you sign up using the above form, you’ll receive the cool interview I did with AJ Roberts, World Record Holding Powerlifter and one of the strongest dudes in the world.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

Need Instant Thick Grips? Check out Fat Gripz Below

Many people have written me over the years about wrist pain when benching. After all, everyone loves a big bench press.

It’s one thing if you are stalled in the bench due to a technique issue or because you are having trouble deciding on a bench press program.

It’s something different altogether when your bench press is suffering because of pain in the wrist, so annoying and distracting.

So, what I have done is put together a video for you that is what I call a Diesel Work-around.

What is a Work-around, you might ask?

Well, in industrial settings, when a part of a process breaks or is faulty, but the work still needs to be done, alternative measures can be put into action in order to get the same finished product or desired result.

These alternative measures are called Work-arounds. For instance, if a conveyor belt is shut down, the items being moved can be placed into a cart and moved by hand to the next location, successfully “working around the problem” until it can be fixed.

In the case of the Bench Press, when there is pain in the wrist, we can perform a slight Work-around in order to still get the work done, in order to not miss a workout.

Now, before I get too deep into this, I have to stress this point: If you are injured, you need to address the injury with professional help.

So, if you strained your wrist in a bar fight or because you fell down a flight of stairs in a drunken stupor, you need to go to the doctor, get the problem professionally assessed and follow the doctor’s or therapist’s suggestions in order to completely address the injury.

However, wrist pain does not always mean that there is a break or soft tissue damage, such as that which can occur when you try to touch the stripper on stage and the Eric the Bouncer grabs you and tosses you out the back door into a dumpster.

Sometimes the root of the pain in the wrist is actually something simple such as the misalignment of the carpal bones in the wrist.

The bones of the hand and wrist are supposed to be arranged in a specific order. However, if we are training out of balance or if we have some light trauma to the wrist, these bones can be thrown out of whack, causing noticeable pain and loss of range of motion.

To see what I mean, check out the above picture. It may seem as though the bones seem to be randomly stacked on top of one another, but that is not the case – they are placed exactly how they need to be for optimal performance of the hands and lower arms, and if they get out of whack from trauma or imbalanced strength ratios as a result of your training, you can have some problems.

In cases such as these where the pain might just be a bone slightly misaligned, the following Diesel Work-arounds fit in nicely. They take pressure off of the wrist and allow you to perform work on the Bench without having to miss a bench workout.

Work-around #1 – Use a Thicker Bar

A thicker bar, such as an axle or fat pipe, can be used on the bench press instead of the normal Powerlifting bar. This will feel different to you, but you should notice that there is not quite as much pain when performing the pressing movement.

The force will be spread out over more of the hand and not so much directly on the point of pain within the wrist. If you do not have an axle or thick pipe that is set up for pressing movements, then you might also try a set of Fat Gripz placed on the bar to accomplish the same general objective.

Diesel Work-around #2 – Wrist Straps

Another suggestion to try is wrist straps. These can help cradle the wrist as you press can be very helpful for reducing pain.

A lot of people think I am completely against wrist wraps, but that isn’t really true. I think they are great for preventing injury and for helping to recover from injury, like if something is “out” in your wrist.

The most important thing to know here is exactly how to wrap the wrists in order to get the right support, which I show you in the video, below.

That wrapping technique is something that you can use on a lot of your lifts when you get into the big numbers. It will give you the support you need for confidence on lifts where the wrist is open for potential injury, such as overhead lifting.

I hope this has been helpful for you. If so, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks and all the best in your training!

Jedd

P.S. I just got interviewed by Andres Gonzalez of Strongermen.Blogspot.com. Andres seems like a very nice guy who has decided to improve his lifestyle and has been doing a lot to better his health and well-being. In addition to that, he has been interviewing people he has been following who have made strength training a part of their lives. He found my site and said it is something that has helped him out with his journey to become stronger and I really appreciate him seeking me out.

Also, last week, Andres put together this cool video of the Top Nail Benders in the World. Check it out:

I have continued to train my ass off on the Inch Dumbbells the last few weeks.
Even though the Inch Dumbbell and Thick Bar itself was not an event that was part of Gripmas, I continued to train it hard because I was seeing a relationship develop between my performance on the Inch Dumbbell and my Two Hands Pinch lifting, as I highlighted in this article: Continued Progress with the Inch Dumbbell Deadlift.

Here is my first lift, which I luckily caught on tape.

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The Inch Dumbbell is named after the traveling strongman, Thomas Inch, who used to take his challenge dumbbell around the country and defy others to lift it. Replicas of it these days are about 172-lbs with a handle approaching 2 inches thick. The implements are cast iron and one piece, so when the globe heads start to rotate so the handle tries to tear out of your hand.

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I have since carried the dumbbells a longer distance, but I have not had the opportunity to cut up the videos yet. When I do another batch of editing, I will do my best to get more footage uploaded.
Training continues to go well each time I get to the gym. I have begun training specifically for the Arnold Sports Festival and the Sorinex Mighty Mitts competition. I have not actually been selected yet to compete, nor do I know what the events will be. However, if I wait to be told I am in, then I will be wasting time, and I have a hunch of the general idea of the events, so I am not wasting any time getting started.
If you have any interest at all in going to the Arnold Classic, which is the first weekend in March, then I hope you will come and cheer me on from the crowd. Having the support of the people watching when you are up on stage feels amazing.
I competed at the 2010 Mighty Mitts competition, and was selected to participate in the 2011 competition as well, but I had injured the middle and index fingers on both hands and was able to do almost no Grip Training from February to May, and so I had to write the organizers and tell them I could not make it.
This year, I am not even thinking about that. I am just focusing on training smart and staying healthy, which has been working very well for me over the last few months.
On the work side, I just went to Bucknell University yesterday and shot footage with my good friend, Head Strength Coach, Jerry Shreck. We looked at the system he uses to reduce and eliminate knee injuries in his collegiate athletes, especially his basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball players. I am anxious to bring this project out.
In addition, I am working as hard as I can to finish up Braced Bending: How to Destroy Everything in Your Path. Between computer snags, babysitter call-offs, and other commitments, my progress has slowed, but I know this one is going to be awesome for those looking to bend stuff like wrenches, short, mid-length, and long bars, frying pans, and other things. If this is something you are interested, make sure to get on my Feats of Strength Newsletter below.

Feats of Strength Newsletter

I am also in the planning stages of a collaborative effort with Rick Kaselj on preventing and eliminating forearm pain. We don’t have everything worked out yet, but we do have a general idea of what we want to do and we spoke on the phone earlier this week and he is just as excited about it as I am. While many gripsters, strongmen, and powerlifters come to me for advice on how to fix what they are feeling in their forearms, Rick, I am sure gets even more in his line of work because he covers a much broader scope. I think be working together on this we can really put something together that will help a lot of people.
Another iron I have in the fire is a DVD that I shot the footage for with Steve Slater when I was in Ohio on Strongman Atlas Stones. There was more to shoot when I left his place but we were not at the position to shoot it, so he had to shoot it a few days later. he will be compiling the footage on his end and sending it to me so that I can process the video and get the ball rolling. More on that down the road.
And, I think the last video project I am working on here and there is another documentary on my Two Hands Pinch Record. I had the camera running during every training session and you will be able to see everything I did leading up to the event, including many tactics I have never tried before, but have come to love very much.
That is enough of the updates for now. There is still a ton of stuff I am working on. I will share this at a later date.
The plan for the next post here on the site will be a Diesel Classic. This one has recently come up as a request from multiple people across the land, so I am going to dust it off and post it for all to see soon.
Thanks and all the best in your training.
Jedd
If you are into feats of strength, check out Hammering Horseshoes. It’s gotten incredible reviews from many satisfied customers. Click the image below…

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I have continued to train my ass off on the Inch Dumbbells the last few weeks.

Even though the Inch Dumbbell and Thick Bar itself was not an event that was part of Gripmas, I continued to train it hard because I was seeing a relationship develop between my performance on the Inch Dumbbell and my Two Hands Pinch lifting, as I highlighted in this article: Continued Progress with the Inch Dumbbell Deadlift.

Here is my first lift, which I luckily caught on tape.

---

The Inch Dumbbell is named after the traveling strongman, Thomas Inch, who used to take his challenge dumbbell around the country and defy others to lift it. Replicas of it these days are about 172-lbs with a handle approaching 2 inches thick. The implements are cast iron and one piece, so when the globe heads start to rotate so the handle tries to tear out of your hand.

---

I have since carried the dumbbells a longer distance, but I have not had the opportunity to cut up the videos yet. When I do another batch of editing, I will do my best to get more footage uploaded.

Training continues to go well each time I get to the gym. I have begun training specifically for the Arnold Sports Festival and the Sorinex Mighty Mitts competition. I have not actually been selected yet to compete, nor do I know what the events will be. However, if I wait to be told I am in, then I will be wasting time, and I have a hunch of the general idea of the events, so I am not wasting any time getting started.

If you have any interest at all in going to the Arnold Classic, which is the first weekend in March, then I hope you will come and cheer me on from the crowd. Having the support of the people watching when you are up on stage feels amazing.

I competed at the 2010 Mighty Mitts competition, and was selected to participate in the 2011 competition as well, but I had injured the middle and index fingers on both hands and was able to do almost no Grip Training from February to May, and so I had to write the organizers and tell them I could not make it.

This year, I am not even thinking about that. I am just focusing on training smart and staying healthy, which has been working very well for me over the last few months.

On the work side, I just went to Bucknell University yesterday and shot footage with my good friend, Head Strength Coach, Jerry Shreck. We looked at the system he uses to reduce and eliminate knee injuries in his collegiate athletes, especially his basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball players. I am anxious to bring this project out.

In addition, I am working as hard as I can to finish up Braced Bending: How to Destroy Everything in Your Path. Between computer snags, babysitter call-offs, and other commitments, my progress has slowed, but I know this one is going to be awesome for those looking to bend stuff like wrenches, short, mid-length, and long bars, frying pans, and other things. If this is something you are interested, make sure to get on my Feats of Strength Newsletter below.

Feats of Strength Newsletter

I am also in the planning stages of a collaborative effort with Rick Kaselj on preventing and eliminating forearm pain. We don’t have everything worked out yet, but we do have a general idea of what we want to do and we spoke on the phone earlier this week and he is just as excited about it as I am. While many gripsters, strongmen, and powerlifters come to me for advice on how to fix what they are feeling in their forearms, Rick, I am sure gets even more in his line of work because he covers a much broader scope. I think be working together on this we can really put something together that will help a lot of people.

Another iron I have in the fire is a DVD that I shot the footage for with Steve Slater when I was in Ohio on Strongman Atlas Stones. There was more to shoot when I left his place but we were not at the position to shoot it, so he had to shoot it a few days later. he will be compiling the footage on his end and sending it to me so that I can process the video and get the ball rolling. More on that down the road.

And, I think the last video project I am working on here and there is another documentary on my Two Hands Pinch Record. I had the camera running during every training session and you will be able to see everything I did leading up to the event, including many tactics I have never tried before, but have come to love very much.

That is enough of the updates for now. There is still a ton of stuff I am working on. I will share this at a later date.

The plan for the next post here on the site will be a Diesel Classic. This one has recently come up as a request from multiple people across the land, so I am going to dust it off and post it for all to see soon.

Thanks and all the best in your training.

Jedd

If you are into feats of strength, check out Hammering Horseshoes. It’s gotten incredible reviews from many satisfied customers. Click the image below…

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Weighted Rope Curl Ups

I do a small amount of personal training here in my facility. I am lucky enough to have found some guys who will literally try anything I challenge them to do, and they often end up performing the exercises just as well if not better than me. One morning this week, my trainee and good friend Mark was here and I had him do an exercise for his Biceps that he said hit them very well. He liked it so much, I knew I had to try it later on in my workout as well.

Equipment Needed for This Lift

The way we performed this exercise was with a rope. The rope is about 6 feet long. If you do not have a rope, a towel will work fine as long as it is a nice thick towel. An old beat up towel is probably going to rip on you so don’t try it. We used two Pony Clamps to secure the weight onto the rope. That’s all you need!

Benefits of This Lift

I feel this lift is best used as a finisher for the Biceps. What I look for in a Finisher is something that just outright blows the Biceps up, pumping it full of Blood. I do the rest of my larger movements influencing the biceps (Chin-ups, Barbell Curls, etc) first and then use isolation movements like this to bring massive amounts of blood and expansion in. In addition, the pump and increased blood flow helps to fend off and recover from inflammation in the elbows and forearms (tendonitis, epicondylitis, etc).

How to Perform This Lift

The basic way to perform this lift is to grip the towel with the elbows positioned about 90 degrees. From there, you will take your top hand and shift it beneath the lower hand, keeping the hands in contact with one another with each re-grip.

Other Variations of this Lift

Instead of just maintaining a consistent angle of about 90-degrees, you can also vary away from that angle. In the video below, I start out with two sets where I keep my elbow angle around 90 degrees and then finish with a third set where I move throughout the ROM, changing a few degrees at a time. Both variations worked well for an awesome pump.

I definitely suggest you give this exercise a try. My arms were blown up for about an hour afterwards, and I even hit a bunch of Grip, so I’d imagine if this was the last thing I did, I would have had a pump for much longer.

Weighted Rope Curl Ups

Now here is a quick demo. Sorry for repeating some of this information in the video. You will see that once I get up to 75-lbs, this exercise is damn challenging. Feel free to change up the weights to make the exercise work for you.

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Jedd

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A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO BATTLING FOREARM PAIN

I am always looking for and trying new ways to prevent and treat forearm discomfort and pain. This is something I have been trying for a while and I am interested in hearing what YOU think, and what you do to prevent and combat forearm pain in your training. Please leave a comment to let us know what you do to stay healthy…For now here is something I have been trying lately. Wondering what your thought are.

We’ve all heard of the acronym R.I.C.E for addressing pain and injury.

R = REST

I = ICE

C = COMPRESSION

E = ELEVATION

As you can see, the first letter, R, stands for REST.

Unfortunately, when your mental stability depends on your ability to get into the gym and hit it hard on a regular basis, REST isn’t always on our list of priorities.

Forearm pain is common for many dedicated strength enthusiasts. Labeled with many different names, including tendonitis, epicondylitis, and others, fixing forearm pain can be just about as hard putting the correct name on it.

I have dealt with this condition over the years, because of my concentration on Grip Strength Feats and competing in Grip Strength Contests. My hands and lower arms take a beating throughout the year.

To my benefit, since so much of my time has been devoted to keeping my lower arms healthy, I have spent a lot of time researching and putting into practice many methods for injury prevention and recovery.

To prevent and recover from nagging forearm pain, I have been using my own R.I.C.E. acronym that is slightly different from the classic one, but has served me very well for most of the nagging conditions that come with intense forearm and grip training.

R – Raise:

Just like Elevation from the classic acronym, I try to keep my arm raised above my heart when injured.

I also especially keep my lower arms off any hard surfaces at all times. If I put my elbow down on a desk or table, I put a towel between my arm and the table. I avoid any kind of undue stress or pressure from things like the edges of tables, doorways, etc. Reducing the amount of external trauma helps you manage the trauma you already have. Sounds crazy, but it makes a difference.

I – Increase Temperature:

I have had ZERO luck with Ice over the years, and Dick Hartzell has been warning that icing injuries doesn’t work since at least 2002, so I go a different routine and do all I can to increase blood flow to the forearms. As a preventive method, I will wear them at the beginning of a workout to get blood in there from the beginning, and if I feel any inflammation coming on, I keep them on when I am not even lifting in order to maintain that increased temperature within the area.

I try not to use them all the time in my workouts because I do not want to become “dependent” on them once the pain is gone. This might just be “in my head” but I’m not sure. My sleeves are loose and are worn to the point that they can really only be useful for increasing temperature and do nothing for aiding lifts.

C – Compression:

If I get pain the forearms, I compress the tendons down, away from the spot of pain. This elongates the area of tissue that rubs with other surfaces and can reduce inflammation in the main spot that is causing pain.

This type of wrap does not have to be expensive or flashy. I use an old velcro wrap when I start to feel my forearm start to ache. If you use this method, don’t wrap so tight that you cut circulation off through the rest of your lower arm. Just wrap it tight enough to change the way the forearm muscles move in your forearm.

E – Extensors:

Far too many people are strong in their flexors but weak in their extensors. This imbalance at the very least will keep you from developing your full potential for strength, while it can also lead to injuries.

I knew this for years, but still neglected my extensors until this year. BAD JEDD!!!

Now, I work extensors every single workout. One of the easiest ways to do this is with rubber bands. I have the IronMind Rubber Bands that I use at my desk, but I keep other rubber bands throughout the house, in the car, and in the gym, so I don’t lose or ruin my IronMind set. The rubber bands I use I got from Staples and are #83 rubber bands.

Just wrap the rubber band around the outside of your fingers and then open them up against the resistance. You should feel the muscles in the back of the forearm working. If not, then open your fingers more.

When I hit these with one rubber band, I go for 50 reps without stopping. When I do it with two rubber bands per hand, i shoot for at least 20 reps without stopping.

This kind of high-rep work is great for blowing the forearms up and flushing the area with blood, especially the spot on the back of the forearm/elbow that gets riddled with pain from lateral epicondylitis.

If you don’t like the idea of hitting Rubber Bands for so many reps, another variation of Rubber Band Extensions I like is the Double Extension. This is done by first extending the fingers against the band and then fully extending the wrist. This heightens the level of contraction in the muscles in the back of the forearm, stimulating them even more intensely. I work this variation in quite often and love it.

First, Extend the Fingers and then Extend the Wrist for the Rubber Band Double Extension

Keeping your lower arms and hands strong and healthy requires a balanced approach between proper strength training and injury prevention in your program.

The things above is just a sampling of what I do to stay healthy for Feats and Contests. I do a lot of other things outside of the gym to prevent issues from occurring and to keep current conditions from worsening, but these are some of the things that you can do that require very little time and money. They are just slightly different from the classic medical approach.

What are some things you do? Leave your comments below.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

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