The other day I decided to try a Bipolar Strength Feat (combination feat of strength with a different implement in each hand; read more here: Bipolar Training).

David Horne’s World of Grip is having a contest – a video tournament for a tee-shirt giveaway, and I have been meaning to put in a video for it for quite some time, but I couldn’t seem to fit it into my training.

I wanted to do something that had never been done before by anyone that I know of, and I was coming up short, but it finally came to me the other day – Lift the Inch Dumbbell, hold it at lockout, and perform a kettlebell flip with the big 95-lb Kettlebell.

If you are a loyal reader of this site, you probably know what the implements are in this video, but many of the people who watch YouTube do not know exactly what some of the implements I train with are, so I am going to try my best to explain everything below.

Inch Dumbbell

In my left hand in the video, I am performing a suitcase deadlift with the Inch Dumbbell. The Inch Dumbbell is NOT named due to the size of the handle, the gap between the fingers when gripping the dumbbell, or anything like that. It is named after the performing Strongman from the late 1800′s who originally introduced the dumbbell, Thomas Inch. Inch would take his challenge dumbbells (there were three, if memory serves) with him to his performances and challenge on-lookers to lift it. This most likely almost never happened, since the level of thumb and fingertip strength required to do so are pretty substantial.

The thing that sets the Inch Dumbbell apart from other Grip Strength challenge items is it’s weight, size, and design. Check out the specs on this piece:

Inch Dumbbell Specs

• Weight – 172-lbs
• Handle Size – 2.38 to 2.47 inches, depending on the manufacturer of the replica
• Design – One solid piece of Cast Iron

A lot of people scoff at the Inch Dumbbell when they hear that it is only 172-lbs, but because of the handle diameter and the fact that it is all one piece of cast iron, it is a bitch to lift. The globe heads reach way outside of the handle, so when they start to turn, the handle also wants to turn as well, and it begins to rip out of your hand. To lift it, you need a strong thumb to resist rotation, strong fingertips to lock in on the handle, and / or a strong wrist to compensate for weaknesses in the other two areas.

95-lb Kettlebell

This dumbbell came from Max Kettlebells, a now defunct Kettlebell company that was located in Pennsylvania, so the design is not the same as the more widespread Dragondoor Kettlebells and others that are so popular out on the market these days. Instead of being completely round, the handle actually has what feels like corners and flat spots on it, so when you flip it you want to catch it just in the right spot or else it can hurt pretty badly.

Aside from the fact that the Inch is so damn hard to lift and the Max Kettlebell is so damn hard to flip and catch, there is more to this feat that makes it feat so challenging.

When flipping and juggling kettlebells, the power to elevate the bell comes from the hips. Because I was holding the massive Inch Dumbbell beside my hip, I could not hinge at the hip or generate any drive from my glutes in order to propel the kettlebell upwards, so essentially what you are seeing is a really big cheat front lateral with the kettlebell, instead of a powerful swing that you would normally see.

So, all together, this is a giant combination feat that involves the Grip Strength needed to lift and hold the Inch Dumbbell, the strength to flip the 95-lb Kettlebell, and the coordination to maintain all of the tension to not crumble under the uneven loading of the Inch and the continuity to then catch the Kettlebell and recover to the standing position.

This feat is MUCH more difficult than the similar one I did several months back with the Blob instead of the Inch Dumbbell.

I am looking forward to continuing my experimentation with different Bipolar Lifts in the coming year, as I feel it is a very good form of training in order to hit multiple aspects of strength all at the same time.

You should give it a try too! Put together a Bi-Polar lift, give it a try in your next workout, and then post a comment below to tell everyone in the Diesel Universe about it!

Thanks and all the best in your training.

Jedd

P.S. Need help learning to Flip and Juggle Kettlebells? Check out Logan Christopher’s DVD, The Definitive Guide to Kettlebell Juggling, the most complete resource on the planet for Kettlebell Juggling.

I will explain in just a moment…

Awesome job with this week’s challenge, everybody. We saw some new faces, some we haven’t seen in a while, and some who continue to challenge themselves week in and week out. It’s great watching everyone push themselves in lifts that they may not normally try!

This week’s challenge was the Bottoms Up Press. This is just one way you can use kettlebells in order to strengthen the hands. If you want to find out other ways to get a stronger grip with kettlebells, check out our Advanced Kettlebell Training eBooks.
(more…)

Over the weekend, I put up a post (directly below) asking for assistance with my kettlebell snatch technique for the RKC Snatch Test.

Many of you posted comments, and I really appreciate it because there is more bad technique stuff going on with my snatch than I realized.

However, I have great news!

UPDATE: On Sunday, I was able to hit 105 reps in 5 minutes!

Now, my form (especially with my right hand) is still pretty rough, so I need to work on that, but I guess my conditioning wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was.

This was my repetition sequence: Left – 32, Right – 29, Left – 15, Right – 15, Left – 12, Right – 2

8/29/10 – 100 Rep Snatch Test Training

I have Grip Strength Nationals coming up this weekend. I can’t afford to rip a callus off this close to the contest, so I am going to wait to train the Snatch again until Sunday or Monday. I am glad that I got right into it and pushed myself ahead of time, because it has been a huge mental boost for me going into my Grip Comp, plus I won’t worry about taking about a week off of snatching.

From what I have been told, there is a lot more stuff that goes on at these clinics than just snatch tests, so once Nationals has gone by I am also going to start hitting a ton of Swings and Get-ups to get ready.

One thing that has surprised me is how FANTASTIC my back feels during these 100-rep tests. So loose and limber, it’s amazing.

I’m looking forward to the next snatch test session, as I want to implement some of the technical improvement suggestions made in the last post I made. For whatever reason I am hitting way more reps with my left hand and the technique with that arm is a lot rougher than the right. If I can get that buttoned up, I’ll be able to get to 100 a lot more efficiently.

It was great to hit this PR. I wish you the best with your own PR’s this week.

Make it a great day!

Jedd

P.S. If you have already passed the RKC Snatch Test and are looking for other challenges, you should check out our Diesel Kettlebell eBooks. You can see them here = > Advanced Kettlebell Training

Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball | How to Bend Nails | How to Tear Cards | Feats of Grip Strength Explained | How to Build Your Own Equipment | How to Lift Atlas Stones | The Sh*t You’ve Never Seen | Sled Dragging for Athletes | The Road to the Record DVD

WARNING

This Training is Intense

This post will show you how to incorporate a new style of training that can be used as a finisher for your chest, back, arm day, or wherever else you’d like to place it in your training.

I’ve recently re-introduced myself to a pretty cool new training method that I call Upper Body Crushing.
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP (more…)

How to Do the Kettlebell Snatch Without Forearm Pain

Many people interested in strength and fitness are turning to kettlebells in order to accomplish their goals.

Unfortunately, many are also experiencing pain because of it.

It’s common for new kettlebell practitioners to develop serious pain in the back of their forearms due to improper form in the kettlebell snatch.

You see, to the eye of the beginner, when watching a more experienced athlete perform movements such as the kettlebell snatch, many think that at the top of the movement the kettlebell spins freely in the hand.
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP (more…)