This past weekend, I competed at the Gripmas Carol, an annual Grip contest promoted by Chris Rice.

Like others have said this was a bittersweet trip for me because Chris has announced that this year’s contest would be the last of its kind he would be holding.

Nevertheless, I made the trip to enjoy the chill of the Ohio air one more time in the Gripmas Contest setting.

I competed in the Elite category. The way Elite level is decided is the Total between RGC Grippers, Two Hands Pinch and IronMind Axle. Once your total hits 800-lbs you are entered into the Elite Category. This put me in competition with Andrew Durniat, my perennial adversary and the 2011 North American Champion in our Division of Grip Sport.

From the beginning of the contest, we knew it would be a close battle. Many times over the years our scores have ended with just 1 to 3 points’ difference when we have battled it out head to head, and this time proved to be no different.

Event 1 – Choked Grippers

The first event was choked Grippers, meaning a hose clamp was used to keep the handles of the gripper at parallel, so only the final portion of the close, the Finish was contested.

This event is a mystery to me. In training, I could not close my 168-rated Elite Gripper and then I ended up closing a 195-rated Super Elite at the contest. How this is possible is beyond me. I have no idea where the extra closing power came from.

My first attempt was on a 191-rated gripper, which I closed easily to my surprise, and which gave me some confidence going into the next three attempts. For my second attempt, I went for the 195, but missed it and when I asked Sean “Doc” Dockery if I was close he said, “Nope.”

Doc has become the go-to judge in Grip, volunteering his time on many occasions over the years fro Chris Rice, and for me as well in this year’s National Championship which was also held at Chris Rice’s facility. He is absolutely the best judge in Grip, if you ask me. So for him to say that I was nowhere near closing the 195, I knew that I was way off, and needed to get serious on attempt three.

My third time to the Gripper Table, I was very nervous. Andrew had just closed a +/- 214-lb gripper, so I knew I had to do some damage on this one and PR on this piece. I was very deliberate on my positioning and on my set and drove the handles home on a secondary pule for a good close of 195.

I don’t recall what I went on for my fourth attempt. It doesn’t really matter because I missed it. Plus, Andrew closed something like a 224-lb #4 gripper. It is a World Record Close for Choked Grippers. Andrew had already staked a solid lead for himself, beating me by nearly 30-lbs. I knew going into the next event, Two Hands Pinch, that I would need to finish about 40-lbs ahead of him in order to even up the score.

Event 2 – Two Hands Pinch

As most of you know, I held the World Record in this lift with going into Gripmas with just over 264-lbs, or 120-kg. However, the word in the Grip Strength Rumor Mill was that Andrew had been training the Two Hands Pinch pretty hard coming into Crooksville, so I knew it was not going to be a cake walk.

Something many of you may not realize, however, is that there are actually two classes of Two Hands Pinch being recorded these days. Recently, the Lightweight Class was instituted and a separate record is maintained for anyone weighing 82.5-kg or less is entered into those standings. Going into Gripmas, the leader in the 82.5-kg class was Daniel Reinard. He set the mark at Leg 3 of World’s Strongest Hands at my gym in October.

However, another member of Durniat’s camp, Brendan Gerber, had been killing the pinch in his training leading up to Gripmas, nearly doubling a weight that would have beat the record. He showed up on the day of the contest and showed everyone what it was like to be 18 again, and took the title – pinching 206-lbs and some change.

Brendan Ferber – 206-lbs

For this event, we used my Euro plates on Doc’s newly built instantly adjustable apparatus, which enabled us to perform the Two Hands Pinch event in one trip up through the weights, starting out around 100-lbs and moving the whole way through without having to clear the weights off and start again for the next thickness. This really improved the event. Normally all the people at 44-mm go, then 48, then 52, etc. But on this day it was one trip through the weights and with a twist of the front collar the spacers could be pulled or replaced and people lifting different widths could feel the intensity all at the same relative time.

My opponent, Andrew Durniat, finished his attempts in the low 230′s, and I began mine in the low 250′s. This was my second competition competing on 58-mm which recently has been feeling like the perfect width in my hands.

I debated going for a new world record on my first attempt. That would have made all of my attempts World Record Attempts, but Chris encouraged me to take a safe lift, which I agreed to. Bombing out would have meant I would have been mathematically eliminated from the contest, so I decided to hit 254-lbs for my first attempt, which was called on YouTube, “the easiest looking lift of 254-lbs ever,” or something along those lines.

1st Attempt – 254

With a legal attempt in the books and 1st place in the event in my pocket, I decided to try to push my record up. My training had been very intense going in and I had implemented training techniques that I never have used previously. Unfortunately, the last week of training I developed the same strange cramping sensation that I have had occasionally in the past which caused me to abort my final session of 2HP training. But once I pulled 254 and felt no pain, I was confident for my first attempt on 268, below.

2nd Attempt – 268

Having my hand slip off the plates like that is very uncommon for me. What I believe happened is I may have left too much chalk on my right thumb, causing it to slip off the plates. This normally isn’t a problem, but in this case, the edge of my thumb got a chunk taken out of it and the contact left my right thumb completely numb and my left thumb partially numb.

Because of the numbness, I took a little extra time for my next attempt at 268.

One thing that I am just now remembering is that my hands were extremely cold going into the pinch. I don’t mean that I wasn’t warmed up – in that regard I was feeling fine, however, my skin was noticeably cold to the touch. I was wearing gloves and hand warmer packets so this should no have been the case, but I had others test the backs of my hands and sure enough everyone said they felt chilled.

I was past the point of caring about my hand temperature now, anyway, so I began my preparation for my third overall attempt and second at 268, this time making sure that my hands were chalked evenly but not too heavily.

3rd Attempt – 268

As you can see in the video, this one was very close. There was no slippage from chalk, but it felt as though I was leaning forward over the apparatus a bit more than normal because I was worried the collar would hit the stick instead of the loading pipe. This got me out of my normal pulling path and I just barely hit the stick. In my recovery to redirect the apparatus, I lost balance and when I set the Euro down, I lost my balance even more, stumbling back and nearly going through the table like Jeff Hardy.

I was seeing stars for a moment because I was squeezing so hard on the implement and tracking the end of the pipe so closely, but I quickly recovered, and let out a chuckle in relief of getting a successful lift.

For my fourth and final attempt, I went for 270. I truly feel that if I would have gotten 268 on the first attempt and not cut my thumb and had it go numb on me that I would have had a successful lift of 270-lbs.

4th Attempt – 270

I was very happy with my performance in the pinch, and not just because I was able to push my number up, but because I was able to regain my composure for the last attempt. In the past when I have broken the record, I have gotten so emotionally overwhelmed that the following attempts are hindered by my inability to control my nerves. This time, however, I was able to get centered and get back on the platform in control. The apparatus felt outstanding, my thumb skin was great, and my back was solid. I just think I was missing a bit of neural connection due to the slipped attempt at 268 and couldn’t regain it in time for the fourth attempt.

By now, Andrew and I were ridiculously close. If memory serves, I had drawn slightly ahead of him, going into the next event, Double Sledge Hammers.

Event 3: Double Sledge Hammers

The Double Sledge Hammer event was the biggest surprise of all for me at Gripmas. I trained my ass off on this thing for months leading into the contest and all I got out of that training was a heap of frustration. Instead of two 12-lb hammers with 30-inch handles, I got two 16-lb sledges with 32-inch handles.

In training, my best performance with my 16′s was a set of two reps with the bare implement and 1 rep with the implement plus 2 washers weighing about 1/2-lb apiece, so I was not sure what to expect using shorter handles and lighter base sledges.

I managed a legal lift of 47.5-lbs in this event, getting beaten only by Andrew who successfully performed 50-lbs. I tried 50-lbs but the first time the additional weights got hung up on the tracks, so I was granted another opportunity. The same thing happened to Andrew. Unfortunately for me, he was able to come back on his second try at 50-lbs and get it – I was not, so he finished 2.5-lbs ahead of me in this event.

Now, going into the medley, he was slightly ahead of me, maybe by .5 points or so. Unfortunately, right now I do not have any footage of the rest fo the events because I put them on Steve Slater’s computer in order to conserve hard drive space and I have not gotten them back yet, but once I get them, I will post them up. This event was very cool. I would agree with others that this was the best contested sledge event that I have seen. If it is contested again, however, I am sawing a couple of inches off my sledges so that I can train this one a bit more effectively.

Event 4: Medley

Chris is famous for devising awesome Medleys. This year he had 25 total implements, but two of them were bonus items, a 60D Nail bent in Reverse style and a 12-inch length of 3/8-inch square stock bent braced over the thigh or knee. These two bonus items could be attempted once 20 challenge items were successfully loaded/lifted. Also, some weights and implements were made more challenging for the heavier weight class and Elite weight class.

Regretfully, I don’t have the video for this event either because the footage is still with Steve Slater. I did however complete 20 challenge items and get to go after both bends, which went down pretty easily. I think I totaled 23 items out of 25, which was one better than Andrew, so now, going into the final event, the Hercules Hold, Andrew had a lead on my by just 64/1000′s of a point.

That is just one reason why I think our proportional scoring system is so great. With Strongman scoring, we just would have been tied, but with the way we keep score in North American Grip Sport, it really shows you how close or how far apart competitors are.

Event 5: Hercules Hold

The Hercules Hold is historically a Strongman event, but it is also a fantastic way to test support grip, and there are many reasons why. First off, Chris used small handles, so hand size was completely eliminated from the equation. Next, because the weight is lifted for the athlete, the event tests grip strength primarily and full body strength or current conditions of the back do not factor in, as in a Farmer’s Hold or Frame Hold.

Again, Chris increased the weight used in each category. He was originally going to have the Elite Division do the same weight as the Opens, in the neighborhood of 264-286 (I can’t recall) but we talked him into going an even 300-lbs per hand.

Not one of my smartest decisions. Support grip like this is my weakest facet of Grip Strength, and Andrew easily handed my ass on a platter. I held the implements for about 23 seconds while he crept close to a minute. Such a large differential that late in the game spelled the end for me as Andrew pulled away handily, finishing about 6 points ahead of me when the cloud of dust settled on the Crooksville landscape.

Regardless of the finish, I was happy with my performances. A PR in Grippers, Euro Pinch, and Sledge Hammers, plus I won my first medley in quite some time.

It will be a shame if Chris sticks with his current decision and runs no more Gripmas Carols. The mid-December drive through Western PA and West Virginia in order to find the Grip Garage nestled in the hills of Ohio will be a trip that I have grown accustomed to making each year and will be sorely missed going forward.

My hat is off to Chris on well run comp, Doc for excellent judging, Tony, a friend of Doc’s who kept score all day long, Teresa for the excellent meal, all the other Gripsters who lent a hand, supported me and the others, all those who brought cookies and apple crisp (Mary Anne) and definitely to Andrew for another excellent performance on the platform.

Next competition on my radar is Mighty Mitts will take place at the Arnold Classic Weekend, I believe the first week in March. I am not sure what the events are yet, but I am already planning my general training for it.

Also, just like two years ago when I first broke the record in the Two Hands Pinch, I will be releasing a documentary DVD of my training. Again, this year, I recorded all of my 2HP Training Workouts and will be compiling it all into a DVD to be released in early 2012.

If you’d like to see my first documentary, The Road to the Record, click the image below.

Before I commence on that project, though, is a DVD I shut with Mike Rinderle on Braced Bending. Once that is out of the way, then I will tackle the next documentary.

Then immediately after that, I will be releasing another DVD with Steve Slater. Together we released Intro to Strongman Training earlier this year and on the Sunday after Gripmas, we shot another one together, thus the reason I needed the extra hard drive space on my camera.

It is sure to be a busy few weeks coming up, but I am striving to bring you the absolute best information for your strength training goals. If you want to know how to bend just about anything in your path, Rindo and I will show you how in our Braced Bending DVD. If you want to see ways that no one else is training Two Hands Pinch, my documentary is for you, and if Strongman is your thing, then you better keep an eye out for this project Slater and I have coming out.

In the meantime, 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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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!

So you’ve been coming to this site for years and you know the importance of Grip Strength and how there is this awesome sport that tests forearm, wrist and hand strength, called Grip Sport.

Well don’t you want to give it a try?

World’s Strongest Hands Leg 3

On October 8th, 2011, I will hold the Pennsylvania constituent of the 2011 World’s Strongest Hands Series.

This is a four-event contest that could be a fantastic opportunity for you to give this stuff a try.

My primary reason for even holding a World’s Strongest Hands venue is to help get new people involved.

So far this year, with the help of my good friend, Mike Rinderle, with whom I released Hammering Horseshoes, the DVD that shows you exactly how to bend horseshoes, we have introduced several new grip strength fanatics to the sport of Grip.

Check out this list of new grip competitors from this year, and check out their training backgrounds. As you’ll see, Grip Sport athletes have very diverse backgrounds, coming from other sports and training focuses…

Christopher Smith – I started strength training when 14 and the pursuit of strength has been a huge part of my life since. I got certified as a personal trainer with the American College of Sports Medicine so that I could help other people get stronger and in an effort to reach even more people, I founded Train Better Fitness in 2008. Currently I offer strength and conditioning to people from all backgrounds. In 2010 I competed in my first powerlifting meet, setting two state records in my weight class and then in June of 2011 I organized and competed in my first strongman contest. Over the past few years I’ve become more interested in grip training and put it to the test for the first time in August of 2011 at the World’s Strongest Hands contest. The contest was a great experience and I encourage anyone who is interested to give competing a shot.

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Eric St. Onge – Eric is a competitive Kettlebell Sport who’s been lifting kettlebells for almost 4 years now and has traveled to numerous places in North America for competitions. He set the 2x32kg kettlebell jerk North American record of 101 reps in 10 minutes. Eric began training Grip sporadically 4 years ago. As of July 2011, his training has been centered on grip. His first competition was WHS II Leg 2 and he says, “I had a really great experience and am looking forward to competing again soon.” Eric is a CSCS through the NSCA and is working on his Doctor of Chiropractic degree at New York Chiropractic College. Feel free to visit his youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/KBmania360

 

 

 

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Mike Turpin – Mike Turpin, 23, from northern Harford County, MD, started training before his senior year in high school when he was tipping the scales at 340 pounds. He got in shape, interested in overall fitness and strength, losing over 100 pounds. He started instructing Spinn and fitness classes over three years ago and began powerlifting out of Niko Hulslander’s gym in Brogue, PA. This drug tested athlete recently competed at USAPL RAW Nationals. His goals for the next year are to only become more well-rounded and knowledgeable, looking to compete in all aspects of strength– powerlifting, grip sport, olympic lifting, and strongman. Hell, he is probably going to do a 10 mile run just to top it all off. Either way, grip is one of his main focuses coming into the new year and only looks to take it more seriously!

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Eric Lloyd – Eric is a friend of mine that I first met when he was about 15 years old at a local seminar I held on squat training. We continued to say hello for the next several years whenever we saw one another in town. He recently put together a big garage gym at his home and I let him take my strongman tire to it. At that point, I invited him to try out World’s Strongest Hands and he has taken up grip training with full steam! Now we train at least once a week and Eric is kicking some serious ass!

 

 

 

 

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Adam Spizman – Adam is the owner of Spizman’s Strength System, an underground/warehouse style gym in Oswego, NY, 45 minutes north of Syracuse. He began the business in 2009 and has continued to grow it ever since. For years, Adam has trained with Fat Grips/bars, thick ropes, kettlebells and many grip improving tools at his gym. He believes all athletes can benefit from grip strength and really emphasizes it with his wrestling/fighting clients. After further research he began digging deeper into the world of grip training. About 6 months ago he began visiting John Eaton on occasion to train with different things such as blobs, 1″ V-Bar, and grippers. He loved the opportunity to train with master trainer Jedd Johnson and jumped on the opportunity to compete. Since the competition Adam continues to grow his business and evolves his training and grip devices at the gym. For more information on his training visit SpizmanTraining.com

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Richard Bean – I contacted Richard, but I have not heard back from him yet. I do however know that Richard is a certified Red Nail bender and a Blob Lifter.

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If you are interested in trying out a comp, don’t be shy. A long time customer and friend of mine, Mike Sheehan, is coming to Leg 3 to give this a try (he could not make the other legs due to his work schedule) and he is raring to go!

Also, I have one gent from California making the trip in – you know him as Mr. Wild Card, Daniel Reinard, who qualified for Nationals through the Wild Card Grip Strength Challenge, and he won the Novice Class. Also, Bob Sundin will be coming up for Leg 3 again. He is the world record holder in the Two Hands Pinch for the under 182-lb class.

At Leg 3, the events will be in this order: Vulcan Gripper with 20-mm set, Two hands Pinch, Grip Topz Hub Lift, and Half a Penny hub Lift.

We will start at 11:00 on October 8, here in my garage in Wyalusing, PA.

After the standard events, there will be a Blob Off! Max Next Gen Blob plus Weight as well as the Block Weight Medley from Hell. Every Block Weight I own will be lined up and the objective is to load them all in a medley. This will include all types of Block Weights: Hex Blocks, Next Gen Blobs, a Blob Clone, a Fatman Blob, Chunks, Inverted Dumbbells, Scale Weights and an Anvil.

Cost of the entire contest is just $15!

I hope to see you there – all the best in your training.

Jedd

Hello DIESELS!

This holiday weekend, Labor Day Weekend, I am on a Mission to spread the word of Grip Strength.

On this Sunday Morning, I will be traveling to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to assist with the running of the Canadian National Hand Strength Challenge, which is being run in the same locale as the Canadian National Armwrestling Championships.

In many chats, David Horne has told me that he always thought arm wrestlers would be a group that would really excel in Grip Sport. I am gearing up to see about that this weekend!

Details about the event are below, but what I am asking today is for you to take just a couple of minutes and help me promote this event via Facebook, Twitter, and any other forums and miscellaneous platforms you might use.

On top of running the challenge, I will also be speaking to the arm wrestlers about Grip Sport, how Grip Training can improve their game at the arm wrestling table.

If you could help me spread the word about this, it would be great. For Facebook and Twitter, I already have tools installed on the post in the upper right hand corner, so you can use those. For other sharing methods, you can simply copy the address of this specific post.

Thanks for the help. Check out exactly what we will be doing, below, in this excerpt sent to me by Eric Roussein, who is organizing the entire event.

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Canadian National Hand Strength Challenge

On the evening of September 4th, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the inaugural Canadian National Hand Strength Challenge will be held.

This will be a medley-type event, in which competitors will try to complete as many challenges as possible among the 35 on hand.

A variety of objects will test different aspects of grip strength, which should keep things interesting for both athletes and spectators.

Participants will compete one at a time and each have six minutes to accumulate as many points as possible (each successfully completed challenge will earn 1 point).

Two separate divisions are offered: a small hands division (hands measuring 7.75″ or less from wrist to tip of middle finger), and a large hands division (hands greater than 7.75″ in length).

There are nice trophies for the top three finishers in each division. In the event of ties, gripper strap holds for time will be used to determine the winners.

The event is being held in conjunction with the Canadian National Armwrestling Championships, which should expose grip sport to many people who already have strong hands and wrists.

The action will take place following the armwrestling tournament in the ballroom of the Albert at Bay Suite Hotel in downtown Ottawa.

This competition is open to all Canadian residents. Interested participants can register at the event venue between 8 PM and 8:45 PM on the Sunday night (cost = $20). The challenge will start at 9 PM. Jedd Johnson will be driving up to officiate the event.

Event Venue:

The Albert at Bay Suite Hotel
435 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario

For more information, contact Eric Roussin at 613-837-1724 or eroussin@rogers.com

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So, if you are in the neighborhood, I hope to see you there!

The top three performers in each category will also be featured in David Horne’s Top 3 that he maintains at his World of Grip website.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

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