Blob Lifting Update for you guys.

I want to show you a huge PR that I recently accomplished and at the same time give you some more information I have found out about the Blob itself.

First the Feat – Blob Snatch

The video below is a Snatch of the Blob. This particular one is one of the Next Generation Blob variety.

For an explanation on the different types of Blobs, go here = > Summer Strong and the Blue Blob.

I actually accomplished the Snatch shown above the same exact day I did the Farmers Walk with the Blob and Inch Dumbbell. I just never got the chance to post the video.

The day I did this, I knew I would be rolling into Nationals in pretty good shape with the chance to break the record in the Two Hand Pinch again. I just didn’t anticipate the back injury, which as you can see by how graceful I am in the clip above, was feeling fine that day.

I’ve come close to doing this feat in the past but never got it strong enough to go out on a limb and really claim the feat. I am glad to have finally gotten this done though.

New Blob Information

Fellow Blob Lifter, John Eaton took a micrometer, a device used to measure the diameter and thickness of things, to his Blobs’ handles, (he owns both next Generation and Fatman Blobs) and posted some of the findings.

If you have a 50-lb Blob and if you are not sure whether it is one of the original-style Fatman Blobs or a later model, maybe these measurements can help you out.

John says on both of his Fatman Blobs the handles are 1 & 1/16″ in diameter.

John also says on his Next Generation Blobs that the handles are 1 & 1/8″ in diameter.

This goes right along with what Richard Sorin has said about the Blobs and their handles.

So, if you come across a 50-lb Blob in a possible transaction, if you can’t make a good judgment of whether it is a Fatman or a Next Gen, measuring the handles might be the factor you want to consider in making the decision.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

P.S. If you want develop Pinch Strength to lift Blobs, you might want to check out some of the training methods I employed training for the Two Hand Pinch record in Late Fall / Winter of 2009. I do more than just Two Hand Pinch training to build thumb strength in my program. Click the banner below…

Similar Posts:

• DIfference Between Blob Types
• 39 Reps with the 50-lb Blob
• Grip Strength Training – Block Weight Lifting
• Grip Training: The Fatman Clone Block Weight
• Misses are Just Warm-ups – Part Two

This week there will not be a Grip Strength Challenge.

I am working on tying up loose ends for Grip Nationals which is this weekend.

Plus I will be away from Internet Service most of the weekend. We will pick back up with the Grip Strength Challenge next week!

However, that does not mean I do not have something cool for you to try.

I dug through the archives of Diesel Classic Footage and grabbed something from summer of 2003.

How I Got My First Blob

Shortly before making this video, I had bought my first Blob from Rick Walker. We had met at the Olive Garden in Horseheads, NY, and Rick, Rick’s Mom, Smitty, and I had a nice afternoon lunch, and then the Blob transaction was made. Once out to the parking lot, I fumbled around with the Blob for a bit until i finally picked it up after 3 or 4 attempts and walked several steps down the parking lot with it.

That was a great day!

A few workouts later, I brought the Blob up to the Gym in Horseheads and tried some crazy combination lifts with the Blob, one of which you will see below, along with a keg.

A few more points about the video (that I can remember)

• The Keg weighs roughly 150. We filled it with water out of a hose, but I can’t remember how we got the water in
• This was like the 4th damn try. The Blob kept slipping out of my hand.
• I was weighing like 226. I had just cut down from like 240 in order to compete in my first strongman contest in the lighter weight class so i didn’t get too badly schooled. Abs were RIPPED back then.
• Hair was highlighted. Do I lose cool points for this?
• That Song is “Tyler’s Song” by Coal Chamber. That’s one of my Top 10 Favorites. In the beginning of the Diesel Video Explosion, YouTube was not around, so we streamed all the videos off the site. Also at that time, I didn’t know how to capture the audio along with the video, so it was either bad Coal Chamber music or dead air over top of awesome strength feats.

I’ve got hundreds of more videos in the Diesel Archives. If you have been watching the site for a while and remember a Diesel Classic you’d like to see again, leave a comment below and I will try to find it and upload it for all to enjoy!

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Similar Posts:

• Wild Card Grip Strength Challenge #3 – The Medley
• Upcoming Feature at Diesel
• Grip Training Using Kettlebells
• Build Sick Strong Thumbs – Diesel Grip Challenge Week 13
• Diesel Grip Strength Challenge – Week 7 Winner and Week 8 Feat

A couple weeks back I blogged about how I was going to start taping my workouts and posting them to YouTube so that I could get help from you all and so that I could spread the word about Grip and Strongman training.

If you missed that post, you can read about it here: ===> Training my Ass off in my Garage – Fire Walk with Me. I have had a lot of fun putting these together and my workouts have just gotten better and better.

So I had to let you all know that I was able to accomplish something HUGE in my Grip training last night.

For the first time ever, I was able to lever my 16-lb hammer, free standing, from the vertical position, down to my face, and back up again. I did it very strictly, meaning I didn’t bounce it around or anything. My hand dropped a bit which makes it easier, but I was very happy to be able to get it back to the vertical position, regardless.

Sledge hammer levering is great for strengthening the wrists for nail bending and card tearing.

I must warn you, levering a heavy sledge hammer is not a walk in the park. Dominating a lighter hammer for multiple can make you think you are ready to jump up a couple pounds, but once that hammer head starts moving downward, it can feel totally different.

If you try sledge levering, watch your lips. The moment that hammer gets near parallel, it starts picking up speed in hurry, and you can’t just call time out and stop it.

The Hardest Block Weight I Ever Saw

I was also able to get some good work in on my GIGANTIC half 115-lb block weight.

If you’re not familiar with block weights, the most common type is half of a dumbbell, Block weights are great for hand strength because they force you to generate strength in an open hand position, training you to engage your finger tips and your palm.

Anyway, back to the half 115-lb hex block weight.

In like 2004, a very strong grip dude named Shane Larson from North Dakota sent out 3 of these half 115-lb block weights. He sent them to 3 of the top block weight lifters at the time – Sean Dockery, Heath Sexton, and me.

These half 115′s are freakin’ HUGE, my friends!  The slope on these things is over 7 inches across, meaning from the end of one side slope to the end of the opposite side slope is over 7 inches.  I have a hard time even getting a purchase on the vertical sides of this hunk of iron and my hands are pretty damn big.

I’ve had this thing for 5 years and have only broken it off the ground a handful of times and I was able to do more than that last night.

In fact, nobody in the world has ever lifted one of these block weights to a full deadlift!

So check this video out.

This one is my bench workout and my Grip stuff.

This one is just my grip stuff – it’s the same video, just I auto-started it after all the bench footage.

Right at the end of the video is when I start ramping it up for this killer half 115-lb block weight. Wait for it, it’s worth it.

-Jedd-Similar Posts:

• Levering a Giant Hammer
• This Week’s Challenge – Sledge Hammer Deadlift
• Diesel Grip Strength Challenge – Week 3 Results & Week 4 Feat
• Grip Strength Training – Block Weight Lifting
• Isometric Hammer Work for Bending Success