Straps? He was probably shrugging 950lbs

This site is about getting you STRONGER.

Being STRONGER will lead you to becoming more powerful, faster, help you become more resistant to injuries, and help you recover more quickly if an injury does take place.

We’ve established many times over that when your hands are stronger, all your lifts will go up. Bigger curls because you’ll be gripping the barbell harder. Bigger Bench Press because you will be able to control the barbell better. Bigger Squats because you will be more confident under the barbell.

For all these reasons and more, you must begin training your grip if you are not already.

If you have begun training your grip – AWESOME.

However, if you are not doing the right stuff, your gains will be limited.

If all you are doing is Gripper work, it’s time to step it up.

If you are hitting your grip from multiple angles, working many different facets or disciplines over the course of each week, then you are one step ahead of everyone else.

If you want to take another step ahead of everyone else, then I have a few movements for you to try with Block Weights.

Block Weight Training for Grip Strength

There should be no confusion as to how much I love Block Weight Training for developing Grip Strength. Ever since I read about it in John Brookfield’s manuals, I began implementing it. And any time my Block Weights are rolling strong, all my other lifts are going strong as well.

What is a Block Weight?

Block Weights are generally one head from a broken or cut dumbbell. However, they do not have to be dumbbell heads. They can be whole dumbbells that are stood on end (Inverted Dumbbells), scale weights, stones, throwing weights, shots, plates taped together – ANYTHING in a block-shape that forces you into a no-wrap, open hand position, is a Block Weight.

Don’t Limit Yourself

Here’s the problem with most people’s Block Weight Training when I work with them. Once they deadlift a Block Weight, they think they’re done.

No way, brotherrrrr.

Once you deadlift it, then you train to walk with it. Then you train to high pull it. Then you train to clean it. And then you Snatch it.

In an effort to push myself in my Block Weight Training, since anytime my block weight work is solid everything else is solid, I have been striving to push my Block Weight Training to the next level.

Below are some clips of some recent work with the Blob, a particularly special block weight that is cut from a 100-lb York Dumbbell. Not only hard to find because they are so rare, Blobs are hard to lift due to their sloping edges.

Double Blob Clean

This feat requires speed on the Blob with both hands. Often, people are strong enough to control the Blob with one hand, but are lacking in their off-hand, making this a rarely seen feat of strength.

Blob Snatching

The difference between a Clean and a Snatch is that the Blob is brought to the shoulder position for the Clean. It is then put overhead with some type of shoulder action, be it a press, jerk, or hybrid movement. With the Snatch, the Blob reaches the overhead lock-out position in one movement from the floor.

What you want to look for is no press-out for an absolute snatch. I had a bit too much arm action going on in this video, so I called it a Near Snatch. Call me the Feat Police. Who cares.

Get Crazy

Recently, I saw my friend, Rick Geise, get into a One-Arm Handstand propped against the wall and lift a Blob in the inverted position. That is the kind of stuff I love to see – people thinking outside the box and taking their Grip Training to the next level.

The chances of you seeing me try a One-Arm Handstand are ZERO, so I grabbed my Inversion Boots and did some attempts with Blobs that way.

Just lifting the Blob or rowing it in this manner is pretty easy for me, so ultimately, what I would like to do is “clean” it while in the inverted position. This would be an extremely fast lift where I could essentially create enough momentum to flip it over and catch it. Some day. Stay tuned.

As I’ve said before, you don’t NEED a Blob in order to get the benefits of this training. Hex dumbbell heads work great, as do any other block-shaped implement that keeps your hand open.

If your hand strength is still like an old lady’s hands, then join The Grip Authority like so many others have.

Monthly new Articles, Instruction Videos, Q & A Sessions, and now Interviews from other Awesome Grip and Bending dudes – you can’t help but get better and stronger being exposed to this level of information.

Join today: The Grip Authority Grip Strength Coaching Site – Just $1 for 30 Days <= Special Offer

See you on the INSIDE Diesels.

Jedd

I’ve had some readers write in and ask for more information on Grip Sport, things such as how the sport of grip developed and how I got involved in grip sport. I answer these questions below.

Sorry for the small number of new posts here on the site lately. I have been rehabbing an injury and the therapy has been taking up a lot of my time. This has also cut into my time to shoot videos for the Challenges that I said would be coming. If you remember, in December, I posted a Diesel Crew Challenge called 21′s or Black Jacks. There were many impressive performances.

The originator of the challenge, Mike Rinderle, showed incredible improvement over the course of the month. He started out on December 1st with a time of 57:27 and managed to cut it all the way down to 21:30.

A really good friend of Mike Rinderle’s, Kris Hamilton, did Black Jack in 8:48, and posted a double Black Jack time of just under 29 minutes.

Bill Long did 11:27, Zach Counter did 13:29, Peter Hellman – 25:26; a fellow posting under the name Ric completed the challenge in 8:27. Matt C posted a time of 44:45.

In addition, Southern Maryland Cross Fit used Black Jacks as their Workout of the Day one day during December and an entire group gave it a shot. Posted below are the times:

It was a very popular challenge, so thanks Mike for introducing it to us!

I will be posting more challenges, but I don’t feel right calling the Diesel Universe to task when I am not capable of pushing myself. I guess I am looking for guidance from all of you as to whether you would like me to start them now while I am still in PT. I am just not the kind of guy to say, “Here do this,” over and over while I can not push my own limits to the same degree.

Thanks and all the best in your training.

Jedd

Send your friends here for Grip Strength Training information.

I recently received a few pieces from the Manus Grip equipment line and I put up a review on my YouTube. Did you see it? If not, it is below.

To check out the line of products from this company, click here: ManusGrip.com

I always aim to bring you high quality information that you can use to benefit in your training. Make sure you are subscribed to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss out on updates, reviews, feats, tips, and demonstrations I put forth through YouTube.

To subscribe, just click play on the video above and about 5 seconds in, there will be a small box in the upper left hand corner that you can click and it will add my new videos to your subscriptions, which you can view any time you log into YouTube.

I think you are going to be seeing a LOT more out of this company, especially judging by how they are doing things right out of the gate.

Also, just to make it perfectly clear, I received nothing from the company for this review, just the sets of grips, grippers, and bars.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

You’ve heard the expression, “They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.”

York Dumbbells, with their pull-shaped heads, resemble that remark very well, but many do not realize that it also describes some of their styles of lifting plates as well.

Multiple times over the last few weeks I have been contacted regarding the thickness of York Barbell plates. York plates are a popular style of plate, especially the older vintage designs.

Some of those who have contacted me live overseas and have not had the opportunity to purchase or train with York plates, so they wanted to know the thickness of pairs of the plates in order to be able to craft pinching blocks of the proper thickness in order to train for lifting them.

So, I went down to the gym this weekend and captured on film the size of a pair of 25′s and a pair of 45′s for those interested in this kind of information.

In this video you will see the measurements of the York Barbell 25- and 45-lb plates I have in my gym.

While I am at it, I thought I’d make mention of a couple of other traits about York barbell plates, especially how they relate to Grip Training.

York 25 Pound Plates

I have 4 York 25-lb plates. Of them, 3 have very heavy machining marks on the flat sides, while 1 is almost devoid of machining. Of all of the 25-lb plates that I own, the Yorks are by far the thinnest. I did not get the thickness of some of the other styles of 25′s I have, but there is a substantial difference. This difference in size and the texture of the machining on the plates combine to make a tremendous difference in difficulty between them when trying to pinch lift them.

For instance, a common for of Grip Training is Plate Pinching. This involves positioning 2 or more plates together so that their smooth sides point out. You then place your thumb on one side and the fingers on the other in a pinching grip and try to deadlift them.

You can perform Plate Pinching with pretty much any combination of plates. From pairs of plates like 2-10′s, 2-25′s, 2-35′s, and up to 2-45′s. If you can pinch two 45′s, be proud. Be damn proud.

Of course, you can also try other plate combinations, such as 3-25′s. This is a pretty elite Pinch Feat. However, with York 25′s, at least with the 25′s that I have, the texture on the plates is so prominent, I would estimate it reduces the impressiveness of the feat by at least 15% to 20%. The machining, plus the rust from use over time just gives you a better grip on the plates, not to mention how narrow they are. If you are close to pinching 3-25′s on wider and slicker plates, I bet you could probably pinch grip a set of 3-25′s from York, especially if they look like mine.

York 45 Pound Plates

As I said above, you should be proud of your pinching power if you can pinch two 45-lb plates with one hand. This is a hell of a feat of Pinching Strength. There are two main reasons why pinching 2-45′s from York Barbell is so awesome.

First off, York 45′s are much wider than two 45-pound plates from other companies’. I have combinations of 45′s where 3 of them are roughly the same size as two of the York 45-pounders. Width in pinching can make a pretty substantial difference because it requires the thumb to do a lot more work. Often, Gripsters have a sort of “sweet spot” that they they like for pinching. Narrower than that sweet spot is usually ok, because they can deal with it and their numbers don’t suffer too much, but get out wider and the numbers can really plummet, especially in one-hand lifts.

The other factor that makes two York 45′s so hard to pinch is the rounded edges of the rims of the plates. Because these points are not squared off, when you try to pinch them together, they automatically want to slide if the plates are tilted even just a few degrees. Once they start sliding, it is over and by tilting plates slightly you can engage more wrist and fingers in the lift and take some pressure off the thumbs. This is not an option when using two York 45′s.

So, as you can see, York barbell plates are a different style of plate altogether, presenting additional challenges in some ways while being easier in other ways, but regardless of the advantages/disadvantages they are still a prized possession for many people, myself included.

Got more questions? I’ll shoot a video or answer it in my newsletter. Make sure to sign up for updates today.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

The Card Tearing eBook

Build the Hand Strength to Shred Entire Decks of Cards – Click Above

Thanks for the feedback on Part I of 2011′s Most Popular Videos. As promised, here are the rest of them, number 5 through number 1.

If you missed Part I, click here: Best YouTube Videos – 2011

#5 – How to Set a Gripper

Regardless of the actual set depth that you use when training on grippers, the set-up is the same. I show this in the video below. The way you position the gripper in your hand and how you have your thumb in relationship to the rest of your hand makes a HUGE difference in your performance. This video has been called the best setting demonstration on-line.

If you want to close BIG GRIPPERS, you gotta check out my DVD: CRUSH: Total Gripper Domination

#4 – Build Upper and Lower Body Strength at the Same Time – Killer Goblet Squats

Every so often I like to really challenge myself to do something which has most likely never been done. Such was the case with this video. Instead of goblet squats with a puny 24-kg kettlebell or a normal dimensioned dumbbell, I used the monstrous, globe-headed Inch Dumbbell which weighs in at 172-bs, and I got it for a set of 10. Looking back, I do wish I would have gone a touch deeper on many of the reps, but my stupid wind pants were hindering me.

Incidentally, I do train with Kettlebells and have a few Kettlebell videos as well.

#3 – Big Bicep Exercise – Crazy Bicep and Forearm Pumps

This one made a climb to the top of this year’s videos very quickly, as I just posted it in December. It has also gotten a lot of good feedback because this exercise is completely BAD ASS. You gotta try this piece.

#2 – Pinch Grip Training: Inverted Dumbbell Deadlift

People are loving the simple grip training exercises. This one gives you all the benefits of standard Block Weight training without having to cut up dumbbells or go on a hunt for a wild goose / unicorn implement. Work this type of lift regular for awesome hand strength.

See the post on Diesel, Simple Grip Training

#1 – Sledge Deadlift for Wrist Strength, Stronger Grip, Bigger Forearms

The Sledge Deadlift involves picking up a Sledge Hammer by the end of the handle while balancing a coin on the head, trying to keep the entire implement level. It will hit your Grip, Wrists, and Forearms. It is very beneficial so try this one out too, even if you have to choke way up on the handle – it will still build strength for you.

Check out some of my other videos on How to Build Grip Strength

So there you have it. My Top 10 Most popular videos, in terms of views, for the year 2011.

What was your favorite video? Post a comment below and I will put it up later on in the week.

Got something you want demonstrated? Post a comment and I will do my best to shoot it in the upcoming weeks.

Thanks for checking out the site, and don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter above and my YouTube Channel as well.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

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