I got into Grip Training in 2002 when I was introduced to Grippers by a friend named, Rick Walker. From Rick, I learned about training to close big Grippers and different feats of strength like tearing cards and bending nails. At that point, all I wanted to do was rip one deck of cards and I was willing to do anything I needed to in order to accomplish that feat of strength.

Soon, Smitty got a #1 Gripper from IronMind. I thought squeezing Grippers was a bit boring at the time, so I didn’t get my own right away. Instead, I just raced Smitty to closing the number 1 at the gym and while we rode in the car. We nearly wrecked the first time I closed it while riding in the passenger seat…

“YOU CLOSED IIIIITTTTTT!!!!” he said as he swerved back into his lane, avoiding two or three cards in the process. I’ll never forget that day!

I eventually tore my first deck of cards, but it wasn’t until I began practicing all forms of Grip and Wrist Strength training.

Once I came to understand that strengthening my hands in multiple dimensions was so important for ripping a deck of cards, I continued doing it and I also began seeing my performance in other more traditional movements as well, such as the Bench Press, Overhead Work, Squats, and of course Curls.

As I got more interested in developing stronger hands for lifting purposes, I began getting more and more interested in Grip Sport as well and before I knew it, I had half a dozen grippers. Soon I was buying them from others who had extras or who had bought them in a rush, but really had no idea how to train with them and figured the best thing would be to just unload them on someone else.

I’ve lost count of how many times I have seen grippers for sale on-line because people just gave up training with them, their drive burnt out, their interest dwindled down to nothing, mainly because they were sick of beating their heads against a wall trying to make progress with them.

When I first found out about Grippers, there were three main companies making and selling them and one other company was getting out of the business.

The three companies that were going strong were IronMind, Beef Builder, PDA, and the other company was Lemley.

IronMind, I am sure everyone reading this has heard of. I would say they are the most widely recognized name in gripper training with their Captains of Crush line. They, as well as Beef Builder, are still around and going strong. PDA, Piedmont Design Associates, went out of business in 2004 if I remember correctly.

The other company, Lemley, produced left-handed grippers, meaning their springs were wound in the opposite direction of the Grippers we have today. This was fine, but the problem was that after 50 to 100 closes, the glue holding the handles would fail and the handles would come off.

Then in 2004 or 2005, another style of Gripper came on the scene, Heavy Grips. They are still around and are being sold on countless sites all over the internet. Resellers and drop shippers love these grippers because they come in a nice large set with lots of options to choose from. The problem with them, in my opinion, is their spring. Somewhere along the lines they changed their springs and got weaker. When they first came out, their 300-lb Gripper was about equal to an IronMind #3. Once they went to the new shinier springs, the strength levels changed.

As the years have gone by, many more Gripper manufacturers have popped up. Robert Baraban makes a large variety of Grippers, even varying the handle spread for smaller handed individuals. NutritionGeeks.com began marketing their own gripper line, the T-grippers, made by Warren Tetting, the same person who makes the Beef Builder line. Nowadays, even GNC has jumped into the Gripper Market, selling their own Grippers at their stores, which I believe are modified Heavy Grips Grippers, although I am not 100% sure.

The gripper companies and lines that I have mentioned here are nowhere near a complete list. These are just a few examples of Torsion Spring Grippers, the kind with the knurled handles and the twisted spring. When you throw the adjustable grippers and the coil spring grippers in there, the number of grippers available gets even larger.

My point is not to point out the sheer number of types of grippers on the market. I will get to my point in a moment though…

Think back to the last time you bought a tool, like a handsaw. How about when you bought your last car? How about your last computer / laptop / or other electronic gadget?

What was it that came with each and every one of those things to help you be sure you were able to use them properly?

That’s right – an OPERATOR’S MANUAL.

Now, think back to the last time you bought a Gripper. Did it come with an operator’s manual? Or how about even a guideline of instructions for use?

No, it probably didn’t. In fact, I don’t know of any Grippers on the market that do come with instructions on how to progress with them. No instructions on how to set them in your hand, no advice on the best way to train with them and no guidelines as far as what to expect or how to succeed with them.

This is where I come in.

I have designed the next best thing when it comes to Gripper Training, my new On-line DVD, CRUSH: Total Gripper Domination.

After working on this for the last several weeks, and reworking it until I was happy with it, it is now ready to go.

This Piece is TWO DISKS!

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Check out everything CRUSH has in it:

Module 1 – Bulletproofing the Hands and Lower Arms

Nothing will set your Gripper training behind worse than having injuries. I will show you the Preventive Measures to do now in order to keep injuries away and keep the gains coming.

Module 2 – Types of Grippers

I cover many types of grippers and show their differences, strengths, and weaknesses so you can understand what you have and in order to make wise purchases down the line

Module 3 – Gripper Training Basics Everyone MUST Know

Here I cover the basics of grippers, their terminology, techniques, and help lay a solid foundation for your gripper training.

Module 4 – Supplementary Training: Strength from Start to Finish

Closing a Gripper requires you to move the handles through three stages: the Set, the Sweep, and the Finish. When you watch this module, you will discover how to build strength through all three of these individual parts of the close.

Module 5 – Supplementary Training: Addressing Weaknesses

Many trainees do not realize the role that individual parts of the hand can have in closing Grippers. In this section you will understand why each part of the hand is important and how to make them strong and powerful.

Module 6 – Advanced Training Techniques

Once you have developed a strong foundation in Gripper training, you may want to challenge yourself even further. In this section, you will learn ways to take your Gripper work to the next level in order to develop upper levels of crushing grip strength.

Module 7 – Other Important Gripper Training Concepts

In this section I will cover with you additional concepts you can start building into your training to accelerate your progress and strength gains. These are concepts that are often skipped, missed, or ignored by new Gripper trainees.

In addition to the basic program, I have also included several bonuses for the electronic version only.

Module 8 – BONUS Gripper Training Program

During the Spring and Summer of 2011, I developed a Gripper Training program that produced more “Personal Records” for me than anything I have ever tried. Up to this point, I have showed this Gripper Training Program only to my On-line Coaching Clients and V.I.P. Customers, and it has gotten overwhelmingly positive reviews. This Program is completely free when you pick up CRUSH today.

Module 9 – BONUS Gripper Strength Rating System Demonstration

I will take you through the Gripper Strength Rating Process on one of my Grippers in order to show you how Grippers are rated in Grip Sport. This is a very interesting process and will serve to educate you on real, tangible, numeric classifications for Gripper Strength Levels.

Module 10 – BONUS Top 10 Gripper Training Mistakes

I gave this video away for free during the pre-launch period, but I am including it in the bonuses for those who did not see them.

Module 11 – BONUS Top 3 Gripper Training Myths

This video was given away as a follow-up to the video above only to those who subscribed to my Gripper Training Tips Newsletter.

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CRUSH is a culmination of every bit of hard-hitting instruction I have learned and developed over the years related to Gripper Training.

If you are serious about your Gripper Training but need some direction, or if you thought it was hopeless to master the grippers you bought months or even years ago, but gave up due to lack of knowledge, than you better check this piece out.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Next Grip Contest for me is the Gripmas Carole, hosted by Chris Rice, in Zanesville, Ohio on December 10th.

I have gone to this contest every year (except one) since it became a Contest. The first year it was held it was just a get together where the guys just did feats. The only year I have missed this grip contest was last year when I had a prior commitment.

I truly look forward to Gripmas every year because it gives me the chance to compete in a contest without also having to run it, which can hinder performance, to say the least. Chris has seemed to find a way to delegate enough of it where he can remain focused though, as I have seen him put up big numbers and win his weight class time and again.

Speaking of weight classes, if you are of a smaller build, and don’t want to go against the heavy weights in your first competition, you should think about giving this one a try, especially if you can sneak in under 207, the cut-off for the weight classes.

The events for this comp will be the following (I think I have them in the right order, but I could be slightly off):

1. Choked Grippers

Torsion Spring Grippers are choked at parallel and the athlete must squeeze the handles together. There are four attempts and it is not rising bar. The video above will show you how the event will be judged this year.

To see how to choke grippers, join TheGripAuthority.com. Aside from being a way to test crushing strength without having to set the gripper, choked grippers is an excellent way to perform ROM-specific crush grip work. In October I showed how to choke grippers with a hose clamp and built them into the workout of the month. Join today for $7.

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Hello DIESELS!

Here is a quick post showing you the content that will be in the upcoming release, my Gripper DVD called, CRUSH! Total Gripper Domination.

You will not believe the artwork on this DVD. It is the best that I have gotten so far. My man Rory is an ARTWORK MACHINE.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

Maybe one of the best things about a grip contest is the post-contest feats of strength challenges.

It can be rare enough finding someone in your area that shares the interest in grip training that you have – it can be even more rare that the person is at or near your level and can push you.

However, I know anytime I hold or travel to a contest, I will always get the chance to try new things and challenge myself in ways I have never been before.

After Leg 3 of World’s Strongest Hands, we all got a chance to relax and try a few feats.

First off, let me go over some of the things and people you are going to see in this video:

1. Daniel Reinard – This dude is a pure friggin’ monster at Grip. He is in the light weight class (under 82.5-kg). His genetics may indeed hold him back from getting up to 250+ in the future, but if he were to focus on diet differently and change some focus in his training (he is a climber) I can see him getting up to 220 and beating us all! I the videos from Leg 3 of World’s Strongest Hands you’ll see he set a couple of world records, both on the Two Hands Pinch and the Shallow Hub Lift.

2. Mike Rinderle – This guy is just the opposite. Instead of putting weight on, Rindo is peeling it off with some wiser food choices and activity level changes. Now, he is not doing extra cardio. No, instead he is embarking on an all-out steel bending marathon of back-to-back bending days and not only bending some of the hardest horseshoes on documentation, but also various other bending feats and showing that high-level feat of strength training not only burns calories but also has the ability to improve Grip Strength. He is the only guy that had a consistent Two Hands Pinch throughout the three Legs of WSH here at my place, getting in the high 180′s each time if memory serves, and taking an extra lift on something very close to 200-lbs. He maintained this consistency regardless of the moisture conditions at each leg AND with very little specific Grip Training – remember, pretty much all this sick freak does is bend stuff.

3. John Eaton – Made the trip down from Cuyler, NY. John has some of the most naturally strong hands on the East Coast and I have no doubt would beat me in most competitions if he were more dedicated. By training more consistently, he could bring up his weaknesses. He is right with me in Grippers, which seems to be the only thing he has trained. Also, after several years in grip, he still has work to do on his technique. He increased his pinch by about 10-lbs with a simple tension trick I covered with him. Practicing little things like these could make him a force to be reckoned with in the coming Grip Season. He also was able to pull off a feat with the Fatman Blob that I still to this day can not do and it is really starting to piss me off!

4. Bob Sundin – Bob actually passed out during his last attempt on the Vulcan Gripper, the first event of the competition. This episode really had an effect on him, obviously affecting his performance on each of the three following events, but Bob did not complain at all, he just kept chugging forward with a good attitude and supporting each of us at the competition. Bob was finally able to clear the cobwebs once the feats of strength took place, and it was good to see him get involved and show some of the things he was capable of.

5. Sean Kovacic – Sean is one of my subscribers at TheGripAuthority. He is still new to the sport of grip but go some excellent experience on the events and is more knowledgeable of the strategy that goes on during a grip contest now. He also got involved a bit with the feats and said he readily enjoyed himself at the event.

6. Jim Storch – My buddy from New York State. I have trained with him dozens of times. He couldn’t stick around for the feats, but I am confident he will be able to do well if he sticks with it. He has ordered a Vulcan and is dying to find out more.

Feats of Grip Strength Videos

Blob plus Weight

The first feat we all did was a challenge that Reinard and I came up with several weeks ago on the Gripboard – a Blob Plus Weight Max Lift. We took a Next Generation Blob and added weight to it by use of small weight plates and either thin, strong rope or high quality boot strings.

I eventually won the challenge with a lift of the Blob plus 20 Pounds.

The Glob

The Glob is half of a 60-lb Globe Dumbbell. read about it here: The Diesel Glob. It has proven to be a pretty hard feat. Until Leg 3, I was the only person that has ever lifted it that I know of. Not anymore…

I was trying to do a strict side lateral, but there was quite a bit of momentum involved. This is the first time I tried lifting this after I’d already been hitting other stuff hard and it actually felt a lot easier, maybe because my hands were more limbered up.

Fatman Blob Face Lift

The Face Lift of the Fatman Blob (lifting it while turned on its side) has long evaded me, but i was able to get it pretty easy on this day…

Fatman Blob Scoop

…however one feat I still can not fathom is the Scoop. Eaton does it with ease and I can not figure it out. I must be doing something wrong. It is crazy how just a slight variation of a lift can become so much harder for one person and so much easier for another (Eaton can not Facelift the Fatman).

Fails and Trash Talking

And of course, as always it is fun to talk some serious smack to one another, pick on people when they fail and poke fun at people when they act like tough guys and then struggle with the feat they are so flamboyant about.

Grip Contests are great times. Not only for the competition, but also for the comraderie. Grip Get-togethers are much the same as well. If you guys ever get the chance to go to one, I seriously encourage you to go.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

After three long months, World’s Strongest Hands Series 2011 is complete.

In case you are not familiar with WSH, it started in 2010 with a 4-leg series of contests for a cumulative score. This year was the second time it was held, and there were three Legs you could attend to accumulate as high of a score as possible.

The Legs were held on August 16, September 11, and October 8 and on each leg there were 4 events. The Vulcan Gripper and the Two Hands Pinch were held on each leg and then each event was rounded out by two out of three possible Grip Topz apparatus, the Shallow Hub, the Stub, and the Half Penny.

After the dust settled, I am proud as hell to be able to say that I finished number 5 in the Open Class (over 82.5 kg bodyweight). This was a complete surprise to me, as my first two legs went very poorly, especially in the Two Hands Pinch, due to extremely humid conditions, and my standing going into Leg 3 was down around number 10.

Here are the top 5 in the Open and Light Classes:

At Leg 3, the events were Vulcan Gripper, Two Hands Pinch, Hub and Stub. Below are write-ups and video clips from each event.

Vulcan Gripper

Going into Leg 3, my top close in competition and in training was Level 17, but with the fortune of a good quick set on my third attempt I was able to hit an all-time best PR on the Silver / Black Dip Spring with a Level 18 close.

Below, is a quick video of several of the attempts from all of the competitors. Take note, as you watch the video and you will see, Jim Storch, USAW-certified Olympic lifting coach, competing in his first ever Grip Contest after many years of competition in Olympic Lifting and Powerlifting.

Two Hands Pinch

At Leg 1 and 2, the humidity conditions were repulsive for the Two Hands Pinch event. At Leg 1, I had forgotten to run the dehumidifier and at Leg 2 I ran it but it was so hot out and with so many people in such a small place, the Pinch Plates felt soupy.

I vowed there would be no humidity issues for Leg 3!

Prior to the Pinch event, we assessed the inside feel versus the outside feel and with a slight breeze and comfortable temperature, we decided to open the garage doors. Soon, the Two Hands Pinch device began to feel like its old self.

Instead of grabbing it and thinking you were trying to pick up a freshly caught Pickerel, it felt gritty and rough like so many contests of the past where the Pinch Gods looked down on me and smiled.

After the coin flip to see whether 54-mil or 58-mil would be contested first on the Pinch, we got started. The 54-mil group went first and many guys put up their first ever numbers on the European Adjustable Pinch device. One athlete, Sean Kovacic, traveling from Ontario Canada, got his first taste of Pinch Pr and Pinch Pain, as he posted a personal best, while also watching the apparatus slip out of his hands with absolutely no warning at all.

Soon, it was time for the 58-mil group. I chose to take part in this group for the first time ever, since my first competition on the 2HP since 2005. Shortly after Leg 2, I saw in training that 54-mil just was not feeling right. Testing out 58-mil brought about numbers about 20-lbs higher, so I continued training on it for the next several weeks, one time posting a legal lift in training of 240+ lbs which general means I am good for well over 250-lbs in competition.

For my first attempt, just to be safe and make sure I got on the board, I started out light at 235-lbs. That familiar feeling of radiant tension pulsating through my body as I compressed into the Pinch and continuing as I levered it up through action at the hips came back and I knew it was going to be a good day. I immediately requested 15 more pounds for my second attempt and 250-lbs felt just as good as I brought the Euro up to the target bar and controlled it back to the floor.

On that pull however, I had something happen that I have never had happen on the Two Hands Pinch before – I ripped the seat of my pants out. I opted not to change them, figuring that the rip would not phase me on my second try. A new record-weight of 265-lbs exactly was loaded on the device and I made my way to the platform. However, upon lifting the implement clear of the ground, I heard another loud rrrrrrrrrrrriiip, which slightly threw me off and the massive 265 came crashing back to the ground.

Now it was time for re-grouping. Now it was time for a wardrobe change. I sprinted from the gym, through the lower level of my mansion, up the many flights of stairs and up to my dressing room. There, my hair stylist was taking in some Angry Birds on her Smart Phone. I asked her to leave so that I could change into some sweats and she took off, flinging yellow birds at green pigs.

Now, when it comes to competition attire, my friends, I do not take things lightly. The shorts I was wearing that ripped were the off-white cargo pants that I was wearing in June when I went to Sorinex and in July when I set the record at 120-kilos. These dockers have become rather special to me, so in losing them to a wardrobe malfunction, I knew I had to choose wisely the pair of shorts or pants that I would go into battle with for my last attempt.

I knew there could be no other pair of competition pants to choose than my amazing fleece sweat pants which I was wearing when I first broke the record in 2009 and when I broke it again last year at World’s Strongest Hands 2010 Leg 4.

After pulling on these loyal threads, I took a breath to mentally prepare, told my hair stylist she could come back to her table, and marched back down stairs to the Den of Iron where I would make my final attempt.

As you can see, I came very close to completing the lift. I have watched this clip over and over and the only technical flaw I can pick out is that my speed to the cross-bar slowed tremendously. This tells me I need to do more speed work in my training, which is one of the things that has helped me tremendously over the years. In fact, I show a lot of this speed work in my DVD, The Road to the Record. It’s amazing that the same handful of tactics have continued to pay off for so many years.

Below are some of the attempts that I got on film of the other competitors. As you will see, the Two Hands Pinch is one of the most exciting events, and one that the crowd often gets the most crazy about.

You’ll also see, above, Daniel Reinard set the first of his World Records of the day for his weight class, 82.5-kg and under.

Shallow Hub

The next lift was the Shallow Hub, which is one of the Grip Topz. Normally Hub Lifting is a weakness for me, but with this device I have had some pretty outstanding results. I have been able to move my numbers up at each leg, and I even took a shot at the World Record on this lift, although I did not get it.

Daniel Reinard, from San Francisco, actually set a new World Record in this lift in the 82.5-kg and under class as well.

Stub

Testing Key Pinch, an ultra narrow form of pinching where the thumb squeezes against side of the index finger, the Stub is a piece of +/- 5/16″ steel roughly 1.5 inches long. It is very difficult to get a grip onto, but I think I have figured it out, as I showed my members at The Grip Authority, when I first started training heavily with them.

As you can tell, Leg 3 of WSH was an awesome experience. With the conditions nearly perfect for both humidity and temperature on a normally unpredictable Fall Day, many competitors were able to set new PR’s on multiple events.

For me, the next competition will be December 10th, 2011, at the Gripmas Carol in Zanesville Ohio. I have already begun training specifically for the event, and am ratcheting the intensity of my Two Hands Pinch training up a couple of notches because I am gunning to move the record up again, since I will not have the pressure of having to run the contest to any degree, like with WSH.

Also, I plan on continuing my focus on Gripper training for the next couple of weeks as I would like to have another go at the MM3, which I am all paid up for but have not tried since November of 2009, I believe.

If you competed at World’s Strongest Hands, share your experience in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you!

All the best in your training.

Jedd

P.S. Check back later in the week for more video clips of some additional feat of strength challenges that we tried later on following the event!

P.P.S. The methods I used to break the record on the Two hands Pinch have continued to work over the years. If you want to jack up your thumb strength and get your own run for the record started, check out this documentary and employ the techniques yourself!