Each and every day I get new visitors to my site. If you are new, I want to welcome you.

Please take the time to put your email into one of the boxes to the right. You can get some of my free reports, sign up for the RSS feed, and get email updates every time there is a new post.

I want to share with you some of the most popular videos I put up last year.

I looked at all of my videos on YouTube that I uploaded last year and grabbed the top 10 most popular ones and pasted them below.

As you will see, I have three main focuses in my training.

First and foremost is Grip Strength. I work to develop as strong of a Grip as possible for the Grip Contests I compete in and because I have seen the benefits of a strong grip in my other training. Also because I love Grip Training and Grip Sport so much, I love talking about it here on the site, sharing my experiences and helping others succeed.

Next, I love Strongman Training, both Strongman like the competitions involving Atlas Stones, Log Lifting, and Odd Objects, and Strongman style training involving Feats of Strength such as Bending Nails and Tearing Cards.

Finally, I do a great deal of training with the objective of building muscle and strength. While I am not the biggest, most muscular, or strongest, I am very well rounded and understand the proper technique of lifts and want to make sure readers do lifts correctly and safely so that they can enjoy their training and see benefit.

It’s really all about helping others succeed in their goals. Much of what I post is based on questions I get from readers who are shooting for goals and want to know how to get there. Helping you attain your goals is awesome for me, so keep me posted on your journey.

So, again, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter and make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, so that you are always up to date on what is going on here at DieselCrew.com.

Now let’s check out 2011′s top videos – Enjoy!

#10 – How Often Should You Train with Grippers

Grippers are easily the most popular form of Grip Training and one of the biggest events at Grip Competitions. Unfortunately, there is not nearly as much good information about Gripper Training as there are people trying to sell them, so I put out this and many other Gripper Training videos last year.

Check out the post here on Diesel: Gripper Training Questions

#9 – Slim Lever – Grip Strength Challenge for Slim the Hammer Man

Of all of the Grip Strength Challenges I ran last year, this one was perhaps the most special, because it was devoted to Slim “the Hammer Man” Farman, who was recognized by being inducted into the York Barbell Hall of Fame Last Year. The Slim Lever is a very intense sledge hammer lift, and if you can do it by the rules described in the video below with a 16-lb hammer or heavier, then you are the freakin’ man!

Check out the post here on Diesel: Slim the Hammer Man Farman

#8 – Full Body Tension Movement – Camel Clutch (posterior chain)

For this one, I wanted to figure out a way to replicate some of the effects of the Glute Ham Raise, if you don’t have one. This variation is something that someone can do to blast the posterior chain until you save up your loose change to get the real thing.

Check out the post here on Diesel: Innovative Posterior Chain Training

#7 – Backwards Blob Lifting

See more Blob Lifting Videos

#6 – Build Muscle Mass and Strength – How to Do Rows the Right Way

I hate when I see exercises being done incorrectly on the web. It’s one thing to do them incorrectly if you have been training for many, many years. However, when new trainees see long-time veterans doing movements on-line incorrectly and they try to replicate that form, the new trainees can get hurt pretty badly. Since Rows are such a beneficial movement, I wanted to put this one out there and people seemed to get a lot of value out of it.

Check out the post here on Diesel: How to Perform Dumbbell Rows

Those are 10 through 6 for the year’s most popular videos. Check back later in the week for the rest of the 2011 Top 10 Most popular Videos.

Make sure you are up-to-date. Sign up for updates in the box below.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

Hello DIESELS!

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…

Hello DIESELS!

As I am writing this, I am pretty stoked!

Blob (L) and Inch Dumbbell (R)

If you are on my newsletter, on the 4th of July you should have gotten a note from me on the 4th of July telling you to get out there and have an Independence Day Workout and to choose some stuff that you just plain wanted to do for the enjoyment and to celebrate the Freedom you have to do whatever the hell you want to!

I also did the same thing. I said screw it and went out and tried some stuff I have never done before in a training session here at my awesome home gym.

One of the things I tried was a Farmer’s Walk with both the Blob (Next Generation) and the Inch Dumbbell.

If you remember, at Sorinex, I couldn’t even deadlift the Inch and Blob at the same time, so I was pretty pleased to get such good results here in my drive way…

Blob and Inch Dumbbell Farmer’s Walk

As you can see, I walked them so far the first time, that I walked out of the screen on my Flip Cam. It was a total surprise to me to get this. My hands were just feeling so good! A couple days before this, I had spent a ton of time in a swimming pool, so maybe that had something to do with it. I went over to the filter return where it blows the water back into the pool from the filter cleaning unit and let it beat on my thumb pad and pinky pad – felt AWAZING.

I am really looking forward to Nationals, which are this weekend in Crooksville Ohio, this Saturday. If you are in the area and would like to watch, please leave a comment or email me. All I ask is $5 to go toward food and port-o-john expenses!

Once Nationals is over with, I plan on taking a week off of Grip Training to get rejuvenated, which is pretty much what I do each year, and is the only real Grip Training Drought I go through each year. I moderate volume and intensity throughout the year, but don’t do much along the lines of “time off” that much at all, as I have learned how to keep my training volume in check for the most part.

However, once that week of time off is over, it is right back into the swing of things with the World’s Strongest Hands Series.

World’s Strongest Hands Series II – 2011

The World’s Strongest Hands Series is organized by David Horne and there are contests going on all over the world.

I would love to have a decent sized group at each stage of the series here at my place in PA. For more information on the World’s Strongest Hands Series, check out this post I put up a while back: Grip Strength Contests – World’s Strongest Hands

Regional Grip Championship

Also as a quick addition, this year the contests I run here in PA will be part of a Regional Championship Series for the 2011-2012 Grip Sport Calendar. In addition to the 4 events pre-determined for WSH II, I will hold at least one additional event. I am not sure what name I will be going with. At first I thought of Pennsylvania’s Strongest Hands, but I may go with something a bit larger, like the East Coast Regional Grip Championship, as I know several people from Maryland and New York State may indeed be coming.

Either way, stay tuned for a lot of Grip action. I figure, if something is worth being done, it is worth being done RIGHT.

So stay tuned for more on this, and please post below if you are interested in coming!

All the best in your training.

Jedd

The Original Blob, it’s brother, Bro-Blob and the Blue Blob
You’re drooling, aren’t you?

So, I already told you about Part I and Part II of this series. If you missed them, scroll down or click the links below:

Sorinex Summer Strong 4 – RT Pull-ups and Double 45-Pinch

Sorinex Summer Strong 4 – < href="http://www.dieselcrew.com/sorinex-summer-strong-4a">Inch Dumbbell and Baby Inch Overhead Lifting

Now it is time to move on to the Blob.

I’ve written about Blob lifting many times before.

• What is the Blob
• Blob Lifting for Lots of Reps
• Double Blob Farmer’s Walk

Let’s take a look at the first Blobs that ever walked the face of the earth.

You see, Richard Sorin coined the term “Blob” when he began training to lift a half 100-lb dumbbell that broke. There are several stories as to how this first 100-lb York Dumbbell got broken in order to bring about the Blob to existence…

The first story is that Richard, back in his days as Power Bodybuilder, was doing a Dynamic Curl Day and the speed at which he was curling is 100-lb dumbbells made one of the heads snap clean off. That is some serious torque and velocity.

Another story I have heard is that a plane crashed in his back yard and the Jet Fuel ignited, causing structural failure of the handle, right where it goes into the dumbbell head.

I also heard that either George Hackenschmidt or Thomas Inch (reports have brought up both names) came by with Thermite and blasted the heads off with remote detonations.

Whatever the true story is, back in the day Richard had the sense to train on this piece of Iron for Grip Strength and not just to throw it away.
(more…)

Hello everybody. Today, I am covering an Iron Master nomination that I put in myself.

This one is for Richard Sorin, owner of Sorinex (Sorinex.com), and famed Grip Strength Legend who innovated The Blob and became the first person to close the #3 Gripper.

Iron Master – Richard Sorin

I first heard of Richard Sorin in 2002 when I first learned about Grip Training.

I quickly found out that essentially the name Sorin and the term Grip Strength were synonymous.

While not the first to train for Grip Strength, Richard has been cited by John Brookfield and many others as a pioneer in the focused development of World Class Grip Strength.

As you’ll see, Richard has been messing around with odd objects and Grip Training challenge pieces for decades!

Richard Sorin, Anvil Lifting

I salute Richard Sorin for many reasons. No doubt, Richard’s interest in Grip Strength is one of the primary reasons I train for Grip Strength, and plan to do so for decades to come as well.

But also Richard has had a bigger effect on me. Richard inspired me a few years ago to always continue to train hard regardless of what challenges I have going on in my life.

This is because Richard is indeed a Cancer survivor and shortly after battling the disease he was right back to training doing unbelievable feats, including pulling large vehicles with the strength of his neck, using a head harness, shown below.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –

I asked Richard to write a few words about how he got started in strength training, and I figured that he would say something like High School or College Sports got him into training, but in reality it started out far, far, far before that. Check this out…

My mind spins trying to say where it all started… I loved strength from my earliest times. I hauled my Billard Jr. Champmaker Barbell into show and tell in 5 year old kindergarten (my most prized posession at that time).


Years went by with my backyard gyms, a huge cellar gym with full size platforms at “The Cedar St. Boys” and monthly trips to compete in Olympic weightlifting contests in New York City at Lost Battalion Hall.



I represented the Keasby Eagles lifting club along with famed Olympian Phil Grippaldi. Trips to York starting at age 13, the York picnics, Saturday training at the York gym, eating with the “greats” at the York diner all moulded me.

Richard on his college years and further exploration of the world of strength training…

Later, when strong enough to acquire a scholarship at U of South Carolina I competed in track, throwing the discus and shotput. I was only 215 bodyweight but summer spent at home during the college years at the Elizabeth YMCA gave me the power and drive to do well.


Power rack training started in its early development with my training partner Anthony Dittillo and Dezo Ban, my Hungarian mentor, and we grew strong. Track was a passion but lifting was my love and rarely did (at least in my mind) the two overlap. I had mechanical skills and wherever I went, school, teaching, coaching, whatever, I always tried to build the better mousetrap as far as exercise and strength equipment was concerned.



My teaching years ended in the realization there was more for me to do. I started my business and though my offerings were heavy, black, and ugly all said “it lasts forever.” That was 30 years ago and still now at 60 my thirst and love of iron persists.

Richard on why he remains involved in Grip and other sporting endeavors…

I feel as part of giving back to so many that took their time to inspire and help me, (I try) to help with events that bring new blood into the sport: Our yearly Summer Strong Day of Strength, our open door, open house daily policy, being involved in creating the events and equipment at the Arnold’s Classic Strongman and now “Mighty Mitts” has brought my life full circle.

I asked Richard what he felt were some of his greatest accomplishments in Grip and the World of Strength…

My greatest accomplishments were in part touched by the “impossible” strength rooms designed and built for colleges and pro teams that won State, National championships, Superbowls and through a bit of what I did became stronger men.


Richard's son, Bert, as a young lifter

My greatest accomplishment is taking the gifts God gave me and having the opportunity to do something with them in the presence of the joy of my life my son Bert. A father always wants his child to be more than he was…I have my wish answered in him.

I asked Richard what some of his numbers are and what his training routine involves these days, and here is what he said…

I still lift 3-4 days per week and don’t understand what taking an easy workout is. My overall strength for a skinny guy was good in my earlier years with a 290 snatch 714 deadlift, and 675 squat, cheat curl 238X10 etc.


Pinching a Monster Block Weight

My real strength, whether I realized it or not, was in my hands. I always toyed with my grip but in the late 80′s I began doing bouts of grip work where some personal bests rivaled the top recorded efforts. I tried to vary my training and devised tools of grip to test and build my strength in the three aspects that grip strength is measured (crush, pinch, support).


Lifting the Blob

I took a simple chunk of pesky broken York dumbbell and after mastering lifting it, it slowly became a world standard for grip manhood “the Blob.”


The First to Close the #3

I was in the early years of spring gripper interest and again lucky to set a world standard level by being the first to close a #3 Ironmind gripper, a feat that I was proud to repeat officially 17 years later at age 58.



Richard Re-Certifies on the #3

Note from Jedd: Richard has been one of a very few who has actually re-certified on the #3 after the rule change was implemented in 2005, mandating the use of a credit card to establish legal set depth…)



Closing the #3 Gripper with 2 Fingers

My strongest feats seem like they all revolved around my strength in my first two fingers,

• Deadlifts of 552 on a 1″ bar
• 530 on a 2″ bar
• 675 lockout
• and a #3 gripper close

These were all done with just those two fingers of each hand.

My supporting power was also good with a non strap assisted lockout with 1331lbs. If anything good came of this hard work was to see the interest in Grip grow a hundredfold and still be able in my own way to help things along.

I can’t say life has been easy but the guiding light of strength has sustained and has given me memories that indeed has given me a “wealthy soul”.

Your friend in strength,

Richard Sorin

It’s been my pleasure to feature Richard Sorin this week in the Diesel Iron Masters. Now check out some of the other pics that were sent over by Kevin and Jeff at Sorinex who helped me out with this recognition.

John Brookfield & Richard Sorin

Richard Sorin & Bill Kazmaier

If you would like to nominate someone for Iron Masters, please contact me at my email address. Put “Iron Masters Nomination” in the subject. From there, include the name of the recipient along with the information you’d like to provide.

Remember, the person needs to be at least 40 years old, they have to be an avid strength trainer, and they have to have had a profound effect on you, inspired you, or in some other way motivated you to train in order to follow in their foot-steps. They HAVE to be a GOOD EXAMPLE.

You can NOT nominate yourself, however…

To give you an idea of other Diesel Iron Master recipients, check out the links below:

• Iron Master Bruce Eckrote
• Iron Master LTC Nathan Acree
• Iron Master Graham Bartholomew

I look forward to receiving your nominations. Thanks and all the best in your training.

Jedd

Get Certified on the #3 = > The Grip Authority

Start Melting Steel = > Nail Bending DVD

Christmas Grip Shirt = > Merry Gripmas