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

This Spring I have begun adding a great deal more pulling movements into my training, especially types of Deadlifts.

In the past I would only perform Deadlifts or other pulls from the floor once a week in order to avoid a back injury, but these days I am trying to do more pulls from the floor, but from different heights.

Using the Farmer’s Walk handles has been great for this because there is not such a need to reach so far down to the ground in order to grip the weight and pull, as in a normal barbell deadlift.

In one recent video, I decided to see how much I could pull on the Farmer’s Handles.

Below is the video…

Max Effort Deadlift with Farmer’s Handles

I weighed the implements and they are 17-lbs. My max pull was with 310-lbs added per implement, so in total it was 327-lbs per hand.

After posting the video, my friend Nate Brous asked if I’d be willing to run a little experiment. How much would Fat Gripz affect the amount I’d be able to lift in a max effort pull?

I had never seen anything like that done, and I thought it was a pretty cool idea, so I decided to give it a try in my upcoming workouts. Here are the results…

Max Effort Farmer’s Handle Deadlift with Fat Gripz

In this workout, I pulled 257-lbs per hand with the basic, blue Fat Gripz handles. I was pretty surprised that I immediately lost 70-lbs on the deadlift, but given that Fat bar work is my absolute biggest struggle in Grip Training, it does make some sense.

Max Effort Farmer’s Handle Deadlift with Fat Gripz

In this session, we used the Fat Gripz Extreme Handles, and amazingly enough, my grip dropped nearly another 70-lbs! This time I got 197-lbs per hand.

How Do the Fat Gripz Models Compare in Size

Comparing the sizes of Fat Gripz Extreme (Orange, Left) and Fat Gripz Basic (Blue, Right)

Results of the Experiment

So, here is a rundown of the data:

Week 1 Regular Grips: 327 pounds per hand
Week 2 Fat Gripz: 257 pounds per hand (21.4% drop from Week 1)
Week 3 Fat Gripz Extreme: 197 pounds per hand (39.8% drop from Week 1, 23.3% drop from Week 2)

Naturally, I am not a Research Scientist, so there are some flaws to this “experiment.” First off, my Farmers Handles have duct tape over the gripping surface, because they are too heavily knurled for my liking. Over time, the duct tape has cracked and rolled and the adhesive residue has crept somewhat to the outside layer. So, they could have actually helped me on the Week 1 pulls, I suppose. It also could have hindered me though, because the tape is rolled up and seems to turn when in your grip.

Next, the training that took place on days prior to the days I shot these videos was not controlled. In other words, I may have not trained the day before shooting on some of the days so my hands would have been fresh, or I might have hit a killer grip workout the day before and my grip may have been a bit worn out.

Either way, despite these subtle inconsistencies, I think this experiment is still fairly accurate to show you what you can expect as far as reductions in pull numbers for lifts such as this.

It’s also important to note that in no way am I warning you NOT to buy Fat Gripz. I am not saying, “Oh No – don’t use Fat Gripz Handles because your numbers will go down.” Not at all.

Actually, this experiment just shows you that the two Fat Gripz handle will do their job – they will make your hands work harder and strengthen your grip.

Remember, Fat Gripz falls under the category of Open Hand Training because most people can not get a locking grip between their thumb and fingers. Open Hand Training is the BEST way to train your grip for increasing your general hand strength. In other words, if your hands are just plain weak, training with Fat Gripz can help you.

I plan to continue cycling through these three lift Farmer’s Deadlift variations in the coming months. It has been great getting more pulling in. My body responds well to pulls from the floor as far as muscle building and strength are concerned. So, you will see this topic revisited again in the coming months.

For now, get your Fat Gripz Handles here.

Any questions, leave a comment below.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Want to Build Your Own Grip Equipment?
Check out Home Made Strength Grip Edition

If you would have told me two years ago that it would make sense to train lifts that build up the Beach Muscles, like the Bench Press, in order to improve your Crush Grip and close bigger grippers, I probably would have laughed in your face.

But, when I was talking with Paul Knight, official IronMind 3.5 closer and unofficial IronMind #4 closer, and he told me that is what I needed to do in order to spur improvement with my Gripper Training, I said, “OK brother, thanks for the advice.”

Paul Knight, certified IM #3.5 closer
and closer of several #4′s over the years

When someone who is the best in the world at something tells you what he does to improve, you NEED to try it out for yourself, in my opinion.

And that is what Paul is – one of the best in the United States at Grippers – if not the WORLD.

Yesterday, I released PUSH and CRUSH, a workout based entirely upon Paul’s teachings.

It is named PUSH and CRUSH because of the pairing of Upper Body Pushing exercises like Bench Press, Military Press, etc, with CRUSH Grip exercises.

This workout is on sale for $17 this weekend only and then the price goes up, so make sure to pick it up today = > Get PUSH and CRUSH.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

The Blob

First named by Richard Sorin, the Blob is 1/2 of a 100-lb York Dumbbell.

Ever since Richard challenged himself to try to lift the Blob, grip enthusiasts have marveled at it and tried to obtain their own for their collection in order to test their strength and to develop the hand power to match one of the most well-known feats of grip strength.

Several years ago, we as a community discovered that there are actually more than one type of Blob, a fact that derived from Richard, himself. Soon we came to realize that the original style of Blobs, now known by the moniker “Fatman” due to its larger profile and wider slopes.

Of course, when something is rare, that means its price increases.

And of course, if the price on something increases, someone will be around to capitalize.

Over the years I have heard stories of people being told they were getting the rare Fatman original-style Blob, only to find out later they had a Next Generation, and overpaid severely.

I have also seen several videos where someone will lift a Blob and claim it is a Fatman, when in reality, they are making an incorrect claim, generally accidentally or due to lack of awareness.

With that in mind, I recently made a video showing all of the different types of Blobs and Blob-like implements that I have in my collection, as well as a couple of tools that are on the market for training to lift Blobs.

In the video below you will see a Fatman Blob, Next Generation Blob, Blob Clone, Blobzilla, Stronger Grip Blob, and a PDA Blobette. Unfortunately, I do not own a Blob50 or a Blue Blob, but I mention them in the video and cover them with pictorials in my The Different Types of Blobs Article.

I hope you enjoy the video and that it helps you discern what type of Blob you are buying if you seek one via an on-line purchase, or through an in-person encounter.

Video on The Different Types of Blobs

If you are looking for a Blob Trainer, you can get a Stronger Grip Blob here.

For many of you out there, finding a Blob, understanding the difference between them, and knowing how they all compare is of very little importance.

For many of you, all that stuff doesn’t matter because you already have a Blob and have no plans of getting another one.

Instead, the only thing you care about is lifting the damn thing!

And for you, I will be having something VERY SPECIAL coming your way. This Summer I will be releasing How to Lift the Blob, the Definitive Guide to Blob Domination.

Whether you’ve just attained a Blob and want to get on the Fast Track to lifting it, or if you’ve had one for years and have been slapping yourself in the head out of frustration with it still being stuck to the ground, this ebook will be for you.

If you want to stay up to date on developments surrounding the Blob ebook, make sure to add your best email address to the form below.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

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:

“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.

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

Bill Piche

Gripboard.com“

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