This thread will serve to give updates on the contest.

Entry Form

Order on Grippers will be reverse order of when the entry forms are received.

Entry forms can be sent in through regular mail or emailed.

Mailing address: PO BOX 806 Wyalusing PA 18853

Events: 20mm Grippers, 2″ Napalm’s Nightmare, 2×5 Napalm’s Nightmare Pinch, Little Big Horn, Napalm’s Island Medley

For the Medley, each competitor will bring his/her own Medley item. The competitor may choose to use one of the implements I have in my collection. The item may be as hard as the athlete chooses, with a handful of exceptions:
– the size of block weight must not be larger than a half 100lb Blob
– no thick bar may be thicker than 2.5″
– height must not be an issue where a shorter individual would not be able to lock the implement out
– no face lifting of Blobs
– no plate pinches wider than 3×25’s, 5x10s, 2x45s
– feat items and loading pin items will be lifted to lockout
– if other limits are deemed appropriate by the promoter, they will be added
Each lifter must lift his/her own Medley item FIRST and then proceed with the rest of the Medley

Competitors along with their weight class/division will be added along with their Medley item, so everyone has the ability to train all the implements.

Additional information, as well as hotel info will be added here.

This is the link for the US Grip National Championship entry form: Entry Form

Eventually you get to what I call the Owen Hart Point.

This is where you finally feel like “Enough is Enough and  It’s Time for a Change.”

That’s where I was this summer, and 5 months later, I’m 20lbs lighter.

All the best in your training.

NAPALM

I couldn’t believe the contraction I was feeling in these when I tried them.

All the best in your training.

NAPALM

Video #2 in the #31DaysOfQnA

The 2021 version of August of Arms is going to be completely INSANE!

It’s gonna be the best time you’ve had training all year long, and the 31 Most INTENSE Days of Your LIFE!

If you’re ready to take on the challenge, put your info in the box below.

This will ensure you’re among the FIRST ONES on the list who get access to August of Arms 2021!

Men’s Overall Standings

Position – Competitor Name – Total Points – Flask Points – Crusher Points – Grab Ball Points – Little Big Horn Points

1 – Tanner Merkle – 18.5 – 13.5 – 3 – 1 – 1 = “THE KING KONG OF GRIP”

2 – Jesse Pynnönen – 29 – 1 – 8 – 18 – 2
3 – Carl Myerscough – 32 – 17 – 1 – 3 – 11
4 – Jedd Johnson – 39 – 2 – 17 – 7 – 13
5 – Harri Tolonen – 39.5 – 5 – 4 – 10 – 20.5
6 – Arto Joronen – 41.5 – 3 – 10 – 8 – 20.5
7 – Gilbert Goodman – 42 – 11 – 14 – 12 – 5
8 – Luke Raymond – 47 – 4 – 35 – 5 – 3
9 – Joel Dircks – 51 – 10 – 5 – 13 – 23
10 – Pupchenko Ivan – 52 – 7 – 11 – 25 – 9

Complete results can be found here: https://www.gripboard.com/index.php?/topic/53144-2020-international-king-kong-grip-challenge-results/

<h1>King Kong Videos</h1>

<h2>Flask</h2>

<h2>2.25″ Crusher</h2>

https://youtube.com/watch?v=aI8uKCFhe4A

<h2>Grab Ball</h2>

<h2>Little Big Horn</h2>

<h2>My Review of the Comp</h2>

Thanks for watching!

All the best in your training.

NAPALM

Thank you to the new sponsor of the 2020 Wyalusing King Kong venue, GRIPSTRENGTH.com

Please check them out for outstanding products and resources, including many of my own, soon to be listed for sale there.

Thank you for your support!

All the best in your training,

NAPALM

Today, I’ve got a quick post for you, sharing some Dynamic Band Training that I tried out recently. I really enjoyed them, so I thought they might be good things for you to try if you’re looking to mix things up.

Curls with Weights Hanging from Bands

First up is curling weights that are suspended from bands. What a great contraction in the biceps, and an excellent pump!

Presses with Bambooish Bar

Somewhere along the lines I landed this replica of a Bamboo Bar. I don’t know why I don’t use it more often, because it feels great. Not the exact same thing, but offers a similar challenge. With about 50% of the weight I generally use, I was able to give my joints a much needed break while getting an even better pump, I’d say.

On this day, we hit 3 sets of Flat Bench, 3 sets of Incline Bench and 3 sets of Standing Press. Like I said, it was a fantastic pump. I’ll definitely be using more of this in the coming weeks, sprinkled in like special seasoning.

I hope you liked today’s post. If you’d like to try out more of my training methods, check out some of the product I offer, here: Jedd’s Complete Catalog

Also, might I suggest, Nuclear November <=Click Here

All the best in your training,

NAPALM

I know I’m way behind schedule with this, but I still want to put it up.

The last couple of years, I have had a really hard time finding the time to update my websites, because my gym and online coaching businesses keep me very busy. I really want to do a better job of that this year.

So, let’s get the countdown rolling!

20.Sledge Hammer Finger Walk Challenge for Reddit Grip Training 731 Views

This was one of the challenges on the Grip Training subreddit last year, so we gave it a run. I have no idea where this put us or who ended up winning, but it’s a great drill to put into your program for hand recovery, in my opinion, so that made it worthwhile to go heavy and hard on it.

19.  This Week in Grip Episode 90 – Which Rolling Handle is the Best? 744 Views

We try to mix it up on the This Week in Grip podcast with a show just on a certain type of training method or tool, and that’s what we did in Episode 90 of This Week in Grip.

18.  Homicide Bell – PULLED OFF THE GROUND 752 Views

This was the first time I ever was able to get the Homicide Bell off the floor. This is one of the hardest thick bar challenge bells in the world. I’ve only been able to fully deadlift it on one day.

17.  TWIG – Episode 100 – Surprise Guests, Jujimufu & Tom (Part 1) 759 Views

This show surprised me. With such an extremely large following on YouTube, I expected this show to get a lot more views than it did. Not sure what happened, but only Juji called in for the show. Tom didn’t make it, but he was supposed to and I never heard from either of them about what happened.

16.  Best Exercise for Forearm Development 774 Views

This is the first video on the countdown that was shot during the 31 Days of QnA on my channel. While I don’t have real big forearms, I feel this is the way to go to build them and I would do this regularly if forearm size ever became a bigger priority than forearm and grip strength.

15. Homicide Bell: LIFTED! 762 Views

This is probably one of my biggest PR’s in a long, long time. It’s hard to describe how tough this dumbbell is, but I can wrap it up in one sentence: I’ve never been able to break this more than a couple inches off the floor again.

14.  Barbell Curl Max Attempts with Globe Gripz 770 Views

Evan trains with me in my classes at the gym, and has become very very strong, especially at Grip. But, I had to remind him who the Champion is in a little Max Effort Curl comp last year.

13.  18 Year Old Evan Norton Lifts The Blob (see description) 790 Views

Like I said, this Big Fella, Evan, is strong and has a great grip on him, especially for Block Weights and other wide pinch implements.

12.The Arm Assassin Challenge Bell – 207lb Inch-Millennium Bridge Dumbbell  794 Views

Several years ago, Luke and I put in some money and got some thick bar challenge bells made, that we called the Death Grip Bells. They had a 2.59″ handle and are very tough to lift. The Homicide Bell, which appears in a couple videos up the page is one of the Death Grip Bells. Well, we wanted to make something that was more of a trainer for the Millennium Dumbbell, and we got this piece made from one of the previous Death Grip Bells we had.

11.   This Week in Grip – Episode 83 – Larry Wheels 793 Views

I never would have guessed that the Larry Wheels episode of This Week in Grip would out-perform the Jujimufu video. Maybe it’s because in the LW video, the thumbnail is an Inch Dumbbell Lift and in the Juji video it’s the Iron Grip Monster, who knows.

10 Jedd Johnson – 50lb Dumbbell Farmers Walk – 400+ Meters 840 Views

One day this past summer, Mark Nolan, a CrossFit Box owner, tagged me in a challenge post from another CrossFit page. The challenge was to walk as far around a track as possible carrying a pair of dumbbells. I forget what the minimum dumbbell set was, but I know you had to go at least once around the track. I also remember that a big reason why I had to set the dumbbells down was because my anterior tibialis muscles were on fire and truly killing me. Another challenge I took part in where I never saw who ended up winning the cash money, which was supposed to be like $1000 or something like that.

9. Jedd’s Thoughts on John Brookfield’s Books 802 Views

This one was a response to a question I got on my YouTube Channel. These books were basically how I got my start and helped me out. They are certainly a good starting point, although if you want even better information, your best bet is http://www.thegripauthority.com

8.   Dumbbell Curl Test: 100lb Dumbbell Curls 883 Views

Not really sure when I tried this, but seeing it makes me want to try it again!

7.  How Big Are Napalm’s Hands? | Jedd Johnson Hand Size 918 Views

This is a question I get all the time, so I figured I would go ahead and get it on video for those interested. If you’ve got some time to waste, check out some of the hater discussions in the comment sections, especially those from Chris Stuart, Bamboo Training, Mentally Challenged Training, and there might even be some good ones from CE Parks. Enjoy.

6. Why Doesn’t Jedd Arm Wrestle? 932 Views

Dude, this is another question I get all the time, especially since I put up decent numbers in Barbell & Dumbbells Curls, plus my Grip Strength abilities. So, I just went ahead and addressed it on video.

5.   How Often to Train the Grip and Forearms  932 Views

I think most beginning Grip Trainees make their training too hard at first, or think there’s some magic bullet method for training your grip, but in reality there is not.

4.  80lb Dumbbell Curls  960 Views

Every so often I like to just grab some fairly heavy dumbbells and start curling to see what I can get. One time last year, I did this and was able to get 5 per arm, with the last one on the right being very very ugly.

3.   This Week in Grip Ep 93 – Rob Vigeant & Big Hand Stories 1065 Views

Rob Vigeant was one of the best Grip Sportists in the early 2000’s and I’m sure he still would be today if he hadn’t made the switch over to full time wrestling. This show was very fun. Rob tells some good stories and his delivery is very humorous.

2.  200lb Kettlebell Swings 1492 Views

For whatever reason, people just love watching me swing this Kettlebell. Somehow, even though this video is the 2nd most popular of everything I posted last year, I didn’t get too many comments saying I was doing the Swing movement wrong, since I was only going as high as my rib cage, as opposed to pulling it way up over my head, CrossFitStyle.

1. Strongest Man in History | Old York 45s Pinch Discussion 3227 Videos

And here it is, the most popular video of the year on my Channel. Some will say it is the most popular due to the controversial nature of what I’m discussing. Others will say that it got the most views because I have the name of the TV Show that Brian Shaw, Eddie Hall, Nick Best and Robert Oberst are on in the title. But really, the reason it is so popular is because of the awesome highlights in my hair.

Diesels, thanks so much for watching the Countdown.

My apologies for taking so long. I’m not kidding when I say I am beyond busy with my gym and my online coaching pogram. However, it is my intention to get back to business on my online ventures and that means more posts here at DieselCrew.com, more activity at TheGripAuthority.com, and more products being released.

Stay tuned for more and in the meantime, all the best in your training.

NAPALM

Most Popular Videos of 2018

DIESELS!

Let’s just say 2018 was a tough year for me personally, but the one thing that kept me on track and focused and kept me from going absolutely crazy was my training. For that, I thank God.

One of the biggest highlights in my online business was finally reaching the 10,000 subscriber mark on my YouTube Channel.

And each year, I like to do a Top 20 Video Countdown of my most popular videos, based on the number of views they received during the 2018 calendar year.

And that’s what I’m bringing to you, starting today. Right now, I’ve got numbers 20 through 16 and each day I’ll come in and add 5 more videos for your viewing pleasure.

One thing I will say is I was surprised how much more popular videos where I just sit down or stand there and talk are, than the training clips I upload. I’m sure that has to do with a combination of A) people have no clue what the hell I’m actually doing in those training clip videos, and B) I think viewers are very used to watching videos of personalities just talking into the camera.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s begin…

20. Which Size of Fat Gripz to Help Close Bigger Grippers? 692 Views

Fat Gripz videos are always popular. There were MULTIPLE Fat Gripz videos on the countdown last year, I think. And I believe this is because Fat Gripz are so widespread and have reached people in all walks of the iron game. Combine that with the topic of grippers, probably the most popular form of grip training, and you’ve got an easy Top 20 ranking video.

19. This Week in Grip – Episode 61 – The Shaw Grip Dissension 705 Views

Another magic key-word for my YouTube this year was Brian Shaw. If I uploaded something in relationship to him, viewers gobbled it right up. And how can you find fault with that, when Brian has one of the strongest grips in the world. Throw in the fact that he promoted grip probably more than anyone on YouTube besides me this year, except for maybe Jujimufu, and it just makes people want more Brian Shaw to cure their grip fever.

18. How Does the Captains of Crush Certification Work? 768 Views

One thing I noticed this year is that a lot of people don’t actually understand the process of how to get certified as a Captain of Crush. Many, many people think you can just drive up to my gym, I can watch you close your #3, and that’s all that needs to be done, but in reality, there’s more steps to go through than just that.

17. What’s Better for Hand Strength? Pinching or Grippers 773 Views

One thing I tried to do this year was make use of dead time, like when I was driving around in my car, in order to make YouTube videos. Especially if I got good questions or repeat questions, I would just hit record and start making a video. Which, if I remember correctly is exactly what I did for this one…

16. Can Anyone Deadlift 600+ Double Overhand, No Hook Grip? 798 Views

This was one of the videos I did this year that I actually got a fair amount of disagreement on. I actually feel that even at my strongest for Deadlifts, there are still a lot of people out there that can Double Overhand Deadlift more than me, and lots of them can hit 600+, even guys who don’t train their grip sspecifically. What do you think?

15. Near Clean and Push Press of Thomas Inch Dumbbell 800 Views/

At the grand opening of my gym, PEAK Strength and Fitness, I did a quick show and made some attempts at the Inch Clean and Press. Here’s the best one I got…

14. How Often Should You Train With Grippers? 822 Views

In this video I address a question I answered a long time ago, but back then I wasn’t quite as good at answering questions on video, so I took another stab this year, to try to be more clear.

13. Where Can I Buy the Thomas Inch Replica Dumbbell | Who Sells Thomas Inch Dumbbells 823 Views

I’ve sold Inch Dumbbell Replicas for Steve Slater for years, but once Junimufu and Brian Alsruhe put up videos about the Inch Dumbbell, I realized not everyone knew that, so I put this video up talking about the process for ordering one and getting the best shipping price.

12. Hardest Gripper Jedd Has Ever Closed 826 Views

Despite all my years in grip training, I’m honestly not a great gripper closer, because I don’t really enjoy training them that much. Here, I talk about some of my best gripper closes.

11. This Week in Grip – Episode 69 – Jujimufu & Tom Visit 832 Views

Here, Allen Heineck and I discuss the time Jujimufu and Tom visited PEAK Strength and Fitness for a grip workout, on their way to Canada for the OK Tour.

10. Clarifying My Viewpoint: “Grippers Are a Waste of Time” 840 Views

As I’ll openly admit, when I first started doing QnA videos, becak in like 2010-2011, I wasn’t the best at it. I’d sometimes drag on and on and often not even answer the question that well, due to going off on a tangent. In my original video, that’s exactly what happened and lots of people called me on it, so last year, I covered this topic again, and this time I believe I did a much better job.

9. How Do You Know if Your Grip is “Strong”? 858 Views

Many viewers have asked me over the years, how can they know if they have a strong grip, and what kind of numbers, feats, and grippers should they shoot for in order to be able to safely say they have a strong grip, so I covered a few of those things during December.

8. Never Before Seen Grip Combination Feat 867 Views

Once I was able to hit the 2x25kg Plate Pinch, I knew I had to do something to push the envelope a little further. So, I did this combination feat.

7. Dennis Rogers: Pound for Pound World’s Strongest Man? 1073 Views

Dennis Rogers is easily the most well-known performing strongman of our time, and I received a question about whether or not he was legit this year, which really surprised me, since I have never heard one single doubt about this man, in all my years. Without a doubt, Dennis is as legit as they come!

6. Is Hanging From a Bar Good for Grip Strength? 1203 Views

Hanging for time from a bar is probably one of the easiest ways to begin training your grip, and I’d be lying if I said I’ve never done it. However, how much will it help YOU, specifically? I go over this in this video. Remember, it’s all about getting the most and the best results possible, in my opinion.

5. Does “Greasing the Groove” Work for Grippers? 1254 Views

Always honest, in this video I address the question of whether or not grease the groove works for bringing up gripper strength.

4. If You Try to Trick Laine Snook, You Will Pay! 1217 Views

This was just a clip of the hilarious (and incredibly strong) Laine Snook, toying with a guy at the ice cream shop in Dubai. The dude would tease each person who wanted an ice cream cone, so Laine got his revenge.

3. Grip Strength: Jedd Johnson 2x25kg Plate Pinch 1329 Views

In this video, I become one of the few men who have been able to pinch 2x25lg plates, then I completely freak out at the end.

2. How does Jedd compare to Brian Shaw in Grip Strength? 1435 Views

Once Brian Shaw started pumping out Grip Strength Training videos last year, many new viewers came to my channel, and several wanted to know my thoughts about how I might compare to him. Seemed like a pretty cool topic to cover.

1. Jedd Johnson – Misses Are Just Warm-ups – Thomas Inch Dumbbell Clean 1713 Views

Here it is! My most popular video of 2018, getting over 1700 views. Another feat that I worked hard for, for several years, the Thomas Inch Dumbbell Clean.



There you have it, DIESELS! The Top 20 Video Countdown from 2018.

I’m sorry I couldn’t make it go a bit more smoothly. I am just so super busy with my gym and coaching business, that it was hard to keep this updated like I wanted.

I hope you enjoyed the videos, and you keep watching my content down the line.

For this year, I have set a goal for my YouTube Channel to hit the 15,000 subscriber mark in 2019. I’ve got lots of plans for how to make that happen, but if you’d like to help me get there, there’s 3 things I’d like to ask you to do for me:

1. Like My Videos: YouTube is always changing things in their algorithm, but one of the things that is consistent is that lots of Likes shows YouTube the video is popular. So, I do ask you to Like my videos when you watch them by hitting the Thumbs-Up button.

2. Comment Under My Videos: I always welcome discussion and questions about my videos, and this also seems to be a way that YouTube determines that the viewer is engaged. That doesn’t mean I need you to go down and say, “Nice Job,” every time I put up a new video (although it is certainly appreciated). But, if you have a comment to add to what I said, or a follow-up question, please go ahead and post it in the comments section, and I will do my best to write back a response, or I might even do a video response to answer your question.

3. Share My Videos: The absolute biggest impact you can have on helping me grow my YouTube Channel is for you to share my videos – whether it be on your favorite social media outlet, a website such as the griptraining sub-reddit, or the message boards and forums that are out there. Despite my best efforts, I still run into people who train grip but have absolutely NO IDEA who the hell I am. So by sharing my videos around, you might just be introducing me to my next subscriber. Thank you, in advance, for sharing my videos around in 2019.

And if you haven’t subscribed yet, make sure you do so today, and opt in for new video notifications on your phone, by clicking the little bell. Click here: Jedd Johnson YouTube Channel

Thanks and all the best in your training!

Jedd

Tearing Phone Books and
Lifting Inch Dumbbells

Here is the second video from Jujimufu and Tom Boyden, when they visited PEAK Strength and Fitness recently.

In this one, we do a bunch of Grip Training Feats, and many of them were firsts or best performances ever.

This one is definitely a must see, because there were so many PR’s.

Are you training to Tear Phone Books?

Are you shooting to Lift the Inch Dumbbell?

Then pick up the products that will lead you to these 2 awesome feats. Click the banners below.

All the best in your training!

Jedd

Atlas Stone Lifting

20-inch Diameter Stones weighing in the 320-530lb Range

Want to Learn to Lift Atlas Stones?
Check Out This DVD:
Stone Lifting Fundamentals DVD

This quick video shows you how we’re running the Northeast Grip Challenge in Syracuse, NY, on July 7, 2018.

I am starting up a new list, devoted solely to communicating when the next sanctioned Grip Contests are taking place. I am contacted all the time by people wanting to know, and this will be the easiest way to keep everyone informed.

All you need to do is put your information in the boxes below and I will send you notifications when the next contests are scheduled, and when other important grip contest news becomes available.

Do you know anyone else who would like to stay up to date about upcoming competitions? If so, please share this post with them, and have them add their email in, as well.

Thanks and all the best in your training.

Jedd

Start Your Grip Sport Career Right With
The Basics of Grip Training and Strongmanism

I would like to personally extend a big thank you to the following companies who have come on as sponsors for the 2018 North American Grip Sport Championship!

Chris Andrade at Bensonhurst Barbell Club

Chris Rice, Veteran of Grip Sport & Promoter of the Gripmas Carol

I will be releasing my Crushed to Dust Workout very soon!

Enter your information below, and be the first to know when this new product goes live.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Jedd Johnson’s Top Videos in 2017

For several years now, I’ve put together a list of my top videos of the year, based on number of views.

This isn’t always a “fair” comparison, because some videos have been up for a lot longer time than others.

This year, I’m including any videos I uploaded during December of 2016 in the countdown.

It’s interesting to see the topics that register into thee Top 20 every year.

One thing is clear, Fat Gripz are a very popular video topic on my channel. Part of that may have to do with the fact that I post those videos on Fat Gripz’s Facebook page, as well, so there’s more visibility. But there’s absolutely no doubt about it that there’s more awareness of Fat Gripz out there than there is Inch Dumbbell, Blob, and other much more common topics that I put up videos about.

Without further ado, here is the countdown, starting with number 20.

20. Warning: HARD Shoulder and Upper Back Training Method – 560

Although my biggest interest is Grip Strength, I also love all other forms of training and sometimes I put together some absolutely vicious combinations. Here’s one of them that I did this year for bigger shoulders and upper back.

19. Inch Hand-to-Hand Transfer – My First Time Ever – Right to Left – 590

Transferring the Inch Dumbbell from one hand to another is a feat that only a “handful” of people have done. I know that Adam Glass and Andrew Durniat have pulled it off, but can’t remember who else (if you know of anyone, please let me know). In 2018, I’d like to manage passing it from right to left and back to the right, or vice versa, as I don’t think anyone else has done that.

18. IronMind Stacker Training – 30lbs | Joe Sullivan – 601

Shortly after the New Year, Joe Sullivan came down for a training session. He brought several of his cool griplements, including the IronMind Stacker, that I don’t think I ad ever seen before.

17. A Version of Shrugs You’ve Never Done Before – 641

I tried these once this year, and instantly enjoyed them. Aside from their ability to build up the yoke, they also promote stability throughout the shoulder as well as the core.

16. This Week in Grip – Episode 2 – 1/22/17 – 660

This year, I finally was able to do two things I’ve wanted to do for a while: (1) Resurrect my old Grip Strength show/podcast, and (2) Bring more exposure to the great things going on in Grip Sport. Both became a reality when friend and log-time member of The Grip Authority, Allen Heineck. Also, later on this year, we brought Riccardo Magni aboard, as well, after having him on as a guest.

15. How to Build Grip Strength: Beginner Thick Bar Training | Awake and Alive – 669

I got invited to do a guest blog post this year – the first one I’ve done in a while, and all the videos from that post registered in this year’s Top 20.

14. Arm Wrestling Bench Curls – 675

There’s no denying the popularity of arm wrestling. I only put up a couple arm wrestling videos all year long, but they ended up in the countdown, and I didn’t even push them that hard.

13. How to Build Grip Strength: Beginner Grip Training with Modified Pullups | Awake and Alive – 701

Here’s another one from that guest post I mentioned before.

12. First Time Trying Pinch Pull-ups – 722

This was from the near beginning of the year. I think people were shocked that I was able to do these, but honestly, I think anyone could do these on this tool, as it rotates forward and takes a lot of pressure off the thumbs. I think the feat is over-rated, myself.

11. Jedd Johnson #4 Silver Bullet World Record 15.32 Seconds – 801

This is one I was definitely proud of. Hard to believe it has been almost ayear already since this record went down.

10. What’s Better? Gripper Negatives, or Holds? 972

This is a common question I get, and sometimes people are surprised by the answer I give.

9. How to Train for Grip Strength: Beginner Gripper Training Information | Awake and Alive – 1091

Look at that, another one from the guest post I did. Maybe I should do more of these?

8. Heavy Sledgehammer Levers | Joe Sullivan – 1100

Joe Sullivan is on a tear with sledgehammers. This is nothing compared to where he’s at now.

7. How to Train for Grip Strength: Plate Pinch for Beginner Grip Training | Awake and Alive – 1159

Let’s go over some plate pinching basics, brotherrrr!

6. This Week in Grip – Episode 1 – 1.15.17 – 1185

Here’s the very first episode of This Week in Grip, in case you’ve never heard it. Be sure to check it out.

5. How to Train for Grip Strength: Beginner Grip Training with Hammers | Awake and Alive

Now it’s time to build some serious wrist strength! Get your hammers out and start using them.

4. Training for Thicker Wrists and Forearms | Cooking with Napalm – 1317

In this video, I cover some tips on building bigger forearms.

3. First Time Ever – Double Old School York 45’s Pinch – 3840

Probably the highlight of my training year, I was finally able to perform the Double Old School York 45lb Plate Pinch.

2. Will Grip Training Build Big Forearms? – 4996

I get this question all the time, and took some time to answer it last year for my YouTube Clan.

1. Should I Get Regular Fat Gripz or Extremes? – 7202

Fat Gripz are so popular! I always seem to get a lot of views on videos about Fat Gripz. I’m thinking of doing more videos on Fat Gripz, showing training tips, some of my favorite drills, etc, because I think a LOT more people have access to Fat Gripz than other thick bar handles. Hopefully, if I do this, it will help bring more people into Grip Sport.

The Countdown is OVER, brotherrrr. Stay tuned for more videos coming your way soon.

Also, if there’s anything you’d like to see me cover on my YouTube Channel in 2018, please feel free to leave a comment below.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

One of the main things I’ve been focusing on for the last few months has been the Inch Dumbbell.

Specifically, I want to Clean the Inch Dumbbell.

As a result, since the late summer, I have put in countless hours, building thick bar strength.

I haven’t uploaded everything I’ve done with the Inch.

Honestly, I have a back-log of feat footage that I may never catch up on.

I thought for sure I’d reach that feat this year, with the progress I was making, but my injured right ring finger did end up holding me back a bit, because of the dynamic nature of the clean.

So in the meantime, I’ve been trying to add as much weight to the Inch Dumbbell, do as many combo feats, and bring up my strength on many other similar thick bar implements that have proven to be beneficial for my Inch strength in the past.

Here’s some of the things I’ve been working on and actually uploaded…

Inch Dumbbell Plus 2x50lb Scale Weights

Inch Dumbbell Reps for 10 Minutes

I also found out I may have the opportunity to try my hand at a Millennium Dumbbell in the upcoming months, so I’ve also begun training for that the best I can.

One way I’m doing so is with my 2.5-inch plate loadable dumbbell.

Millennium Dumbbell Trainer

I am very thankful for how training is going.

I honestly feel, in the next few months if I stay on this track, the Inch Clean will be mine, and I’ll have a good chance at a Millennium lift.

Stay tuned for more developments as I work toward these goals.

Thanks and all the best in your training.

Jedd

I Want YOU To Come Along For The Ride.
Grab the Inch Dumbbell DVD and Start
Making Strides To Your Thick Bar Goals Today!

Diesel Shirts

I’m back from holding a Grip Challenge alongside the Arm Wrestling Tournament at the Great New York State Fair, and I’ve got some shirts left over, so I’ve posted them below. Also, I’ve put up the other shirts I have left over from past orders. You can save on shipping by ordering multiple shirts. Any questions, please let me know.

Thanks!

Jedd

Diesel Punisher Flag Shirt

Womens Large

Womens XL

Mens Medium

Mens Large

Mens XL

Mens 3XL

How Many Inches Can You Handle

My Gripper’s Bigger Than Yours

Mens Black with White Print – XL

My Gripper’s Bigger Thank Yours

Mens Light Blue – Small

Pinchin’ Ain’t Easy – Red Print

Mens Small

Pinchin’ Ain’t Easy – Purple Print

Mens Large

Crushin’ Grippers Like It’s My Job

Mens Yellow Large

Crushin’ Grippers Like It’s My Job

Mens Medium

Mens Large

Crushin’ Grippers Like It’s My Job

Merry Gripmas

Mens Heather Gray Large

Merry Gripmas

No Luck Needed Jersey

Mens XL Only

Beginner Grip Training: Basic Thick Bar Work

This is the latest installment in my Beginner Grip Training series. Up to this point, I’ve already touched on Plate Pinch Grip Training, and Gripper Training, but did you know that even if you don’t have a single piece of grip strength training equipment, you’ve got perfect access to in just about ANY gym around?

It’s true – you can work Thick Bar in your next workout, and this video shows you how.

Thick Bar Training in Any Gym

What questions do you have about Grip Training, Thick Bar Work, etc? Leave a comment below – I’d love to hear from you.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

While most of what you see from me is Grip Training related, I actually do much more training than just Grip.

In fact, I do just as much, if not more training, for my full body.

Every so often, I even try a mainstream strength challenge to see where I’m at.

Even though I’ve only benched with a barbell a couple of times in the last 18 months, I wanted to see how many reps I could get in the 225lb Bench Press for Reps that you see done in the NFL Combine and other tests.

I’ve done this test a few times in the past, but honestly I have no idea how much I’ve gotten before. I *believe* this is the most reps I’ve ever gotten.

Throughout all of 2016, my main objective flat bench pressing was Dumbbell Bench Press, because it didn’t hurt my shoulders, as much as Barbell Bench.

Well, as it turns out, I had developed some bad habits with my Bench Press technique, and these habits are what was causing my issues, not the Barbell Bench itself.

I figured this out when I visited my friend Jerry Shreck, head strength coach from Bucknell University.

He corrected my form while we trained on the Bamboo & Tsunami bars at his gym, and ever since, my shoulders have started feeling better and better.

By using these bars, I was really able to lock in my form, and feel my lats working the way they’re supposed to during the Bench Press. By working on this form and training for endurance in my lats, I think my form is back closer to where it should be, at least as far as my upper body positioning is concerned.

Naturally, with proper form comes improved strength. As I said above, I think I got into some bad habits with my Bench Press set-up that over time caused some serious discomfort.

Once this form issue was identified, and as I worked to correct it, the pain subsided, and I gradually built back some of my strength.

I still have no clue what my Max Bench Press might be, and I don’t really care right now, as I’m much more interested in working back up to 150lb Dumbbell Bench Presses.

But we’ll see what happens!

I hope you got something out of this quick Bench Press post, and if you have any questions, please feel free to comment.

Thanks and all the best in your training.

Jedd

It’s Never Too Early to Start August of Arms

Beginner Gripper Training

I’m posting a series of grip training videos for beginner grip guys and gals, here: Beginner Pinch Grip Training. I’ve already posted beginner pinch grip training, and today, I’m sharing beginner gripper training.

Gripper Training is a way to build and measure how much CRUSHING force you have in your hands. Grippers are a lot of fun to train and close, and can be quite addicting!

Take note, there are a lot of things to know about gripper training technique, if you decide you want to go for certification, if you want to close the biggest grippers possible in your training, or if you ever decide to compete.

If you’re ready to take the jump into Gripper Training, then you want my video, CRUSH – Total Gripper Domination. Available as both a digital online DVD and a hare copy video, it will cover everything you need to know about gripper technique and the drills that will help you fully develop your crush.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Everything You Need to Know About Gripper Training in One Awesome Product: CRUSH

I’m helping out a friend who lives in Florida sell a bunch of his equipment. He’s hit some rough times and needs to sell his gear to cover some medical expenses. If you’re interested in anything, please email me and I will forward your email to him.

log bar

atlas stones (100lbs, 150lbs)

battling ropes

15′ climbing rope 2″ thick

kettlebells and dumbells all sizes

hollow 2″ axel bar

plate loaded circus dumbell

yoke

2″ wrestling mat

exercise mat

suspension devices

power rack

deadlift trap bar

titans telegraph

heavy bags

sandbags

football bar

agility ladder

All items are used and a bit worn but very usable.

I will take the best offer but they must pay for shipping.

Message me with questions.

Every year, it has been a tradition to post up on the site the Top 20 Videos from the past year, on my YouTube Channel.

Starting today, I’ll post 5 videos, and put up 5 more every day or so.

I noticed a few patterns in the countdown this year:

• Feats and Training videos fell short of the list, for the most part. I guess I need to try and spice up my videos a bit to make them more popular.
• Q&A Videos and Cook with Napalm Videos seem very popular. They make up close to half, if not more of the countdown.
• Arm Training Videos are very popular. There are several vids that feature arm training lifts, feats, and tests, and make up a good percentage of the countdown.
• Gripmas 2015 videos were extremely popular. Many of the clips and highlights from Gripmas 2015 got 4-digit views this year.
• Videos featuring other lifters surge in popularity. You’ll see videos from many other lifters on this countdown, including my partner, Luke, as well as Juha Harju, famoust gripper guy, Paul Knight, and Kody Burns, who set a new world record in the Two Hands Pinch at Gripmas.

I hope you enjoy the countdown, and the information can help you finish out the year on a strong note and make 2017 your strongest year ever.

Top 20 Videos – 2016

20. Dude Love Crossover Double Blob Lift – 709

This is one of the few feat videos on the Top 20 List, and I think it is the only time this feat has ever been done. It is named after Dude Love, a wrestler from the late 90’s WWF, who would do the criss-cross hands boogie dance, or whatever it’s called. This is a feat that feels very weird, and increases the difficulty quite a bit. Try it out and let me know what you think.

19. Meeting Juha and Arto for the First Time – Living Legends – 708

This is probably my favorite video on the countdown. It meant so much to me to be able to meet Juha and compete with him at the Living Legends competition. It’s a day I’ll never forget. You’ll see Juha later on in the countdown as well.

18. Strongman Training – Log and Giant Dumbbell Press – 709

I didn’t take the time to do much training outside this year, and the times I did, I didn’t shoot much video, but this clip is one of the few videos I put up this year from my outside training, and it registered in the Top 20. This one features the Giant Dumbbell that we plan to sell through the store in the New Year. It’s shot-loadable, and is a Beast to train with. What an awesome time!

17. Paul Knight – GHP#7 x 10 Reps – 739

We made several trips to Paul Knight’s this year, and I think we finally started to rub off on him, because he’s been dabbling in Grip again. In this video, which I was lucky to snag, he grabs a GHP #7 and casually reps it out for a set of 10. Unreal.

16. Juha Harju – Old School York 45’s Pinch – 765

Leading up to Living Legends, I asked Juha if he wanted me to bring anything with me for him to try that he didn’t have in his gym. His only request was the Old School York 45-lb Plates. He put together a lengthy cycle of training in preparation for his encounter with them, and was indeed successful in pinch-lifting them, becoming only the 4th or 5th person ever to do so.

15. Sick Muscle Building Finisher for Back and Triceps – 775

On Fridays, my adult guys train with me, and we usually do a Yoke training workout consisting of Back, Triceps and Traps. We’ve also begun adding Neck Training in there, as well. I don’t generally film too much of these workouts, because we pack a LOT of volume into just 60 minutes, and I don’t like monkeying with the camera, but this particular finisher ended up being pretty intense, so I went ahead and set up the camera.

14. 100lb Dumbbell Hammer Curls – STRICT!!! – 847

It’s pretty clear that YouTube viewers like Arm Training videos, because there’s a lot of them on the Top 20 Countdown this year. Here, I tried out 100lb Hammer Curls. I originally planned on emphasizing this movement during August of Arms this year, but I ended up getting away from it and mainly sticking to the programming. I’d like to focus on it at some point, though.

13. Table Top Curl – 127lbs – Luke Raymond – 1085

With this video, my lifting partner, Luke Raymond, breaks into the countdown. Luke has really put forth a big push in the world of arm wrestling over the last year or so, and it’s become clear that he’s well gifted, both by his winning performance at WAL Amateur Nationals this year, and by the numbers he puts up on the gym.

12. 3 Tips to Fix Elbow Pain – Tennis Elbow – 1175

What do you do when a guy like Devin Gage asks you to help out his gym members with some methods to fix elbow pain? You get your butt downstairs and shoot a video – that’s what! In a way, it kind of sucks that this video is in my Top 20, because it means that too many people are still dealing with elbow pain at the gym. If you’ve been suffering with elbow pain, be sure to check this video out.

11. Gripmas 2015 – Jedd Johnson Medley – 1243

I included the videos from December 2015 in the countdown, because they wouldn’t have qualified for the countdown last year, and there were many clips from the Gripmas Carol contest that ranked in the Top 20. The first one is my Medley run. I was able to seal the victory on the overall contest with this run, as I finished first in this individual event. It breaks my heart that I had to miss Gripmas 2016, due to dealing with my crappy back injury.

10. R.I.P. Vasily Alexeev – Cooking with Napalm – 1357

I have to admit, Clickbait on Facebook got me for this one. I saw a news headline that Vasily Alexeev has died earlier this year, and I totally forgot that he actually died a few years back, until it was pointed out to me by a YouTube viewer. Apparently, many people didn’t realize this that watched the video, because there were a lot of comments saluting him from viewers. Either way, I was able to put out a bit of dedication video and talk about a key time in my life where I began transitioning from just muscle building training to strength training.

9. Kettlebell Swings – Russian or American – What’s Better? – 1479

Kettlebell training is extremely popular, and even though it’s been several years since I had an active Kettlebell Certification, I still get questions about Kettlebell Training. For this video, I was asked by a viewer if I preferred the Russian or the American style of Kettlebell Swing.

8. Ivanko Super Gripper – Gripmas 2015 – Various Competitors – 1518

Another video from Gripmas 2015, this one shows several attempts on the Ivanko Super Gripper event. The gripper had a flash light mounted on it, and the objective was to close the handles so that the light turned on. As the handles moved close enough together, the power button would be depressed, you’d hear a click, and the light would turn on. It had to go on though – if it just bumped the button, or didn’t strike it hard enough to turn the light on, it was considered a miss.

7. The Wrist Wrench vs The Rolling Thunder – 1655

In the world of Grip Sport, probably the most well-known thick bar training handle is the Rolling Thunder from IronMind. However, in recent years, many more rolling handles have shown up on the market. One of them, the Wrist Wrench, is marketed primarily to Arm Wrestlers for developing wrist strength and finger pressure. In this video, I talk about it’s application to Grip enthusiasts, and especially for training to lift the Inch Dumbbell.

6. Kody Burns | New World Record 274.85lbs | Two Hands Pinch – 1702

Another highlight from Gripmas 2015, in the video below, Kody Burns sets a new all-time World Record in the Two Hands Pinch Lift with nearly 275lbs.

5. Arm Wrestling Training | The Mighty Hand Trainer from Stronger Grip – 2557

There’s no doubting the rise in popularity of Arm Wrestling, ever since the show, “Game of Arms,” came out. The last couple of years, many of my top videos have had to do with Arm Wrestling. This one shows Luke working with one of the arm wrestling tools that Ryan Pitts of Stronger Grip puts out, the Mighty Hand Trainer. This kind of training, a cumbersome object attached to a band, is a lot of fun. You get a good grip stimulus, along with plenty of forearm and upper arm work. Very fun stuff.

4. Gripmas 2015 – Trying 2x25kg Plate Pinch – 2617

One of the most difficult plate pinching feat involving just 2 plates is the 2x25kg plate pinch. Juha Harju was the first to do it, then Bob Sundin did it, and at Gripmas Kody Burns did it. Below, you’ll see he pinches them and then holds them, braced against his leg. Jake Sahlany and I tried them as well, and got decent breaks, but the pull to lockout just wasn’t happening for me, as my hands were tired and my thumbs were very irritated already.

3. Is Wrist Roller a Waste of Time – 2680

I ended up addressing a couple of controversial topics this year, and this is the first one to appear on the countdown. I’ve had lots of people push back on this, but I stand firm on my stance that the Wrist Roller, specifically the kind where you stand there and hold the wrist roller out away from you, is a complete waste of time for building grip strength, plus it can be very hard on the shoulders and elbows. It’s a much better idea to use a rack supported wrist roller, where you’re not limited by how much weight your arms can hold up. In fact, a rack supported writ roller allows you to roll well over 100lbs, which is enough weight to produce suitable grip strength adaptations, and not just pumping the forearm full of blood with light weights.

2. What is the Best Home Gym Flooring? | Save Money on Home Gym – 5988

It’s disappointing to me when I hear of people setting up their home gym, and they spend so much money on rubber matting marketed by fitness companies. In so many cases, the “fitness” rubber matting is severely over-priced, when in reality, horse/cow stall mats are practically the same exact thing, they work just as well, and they are a fraction of the price. I also talk about the underlying layers of wood that set on the floor to protect the concrete.

1. Why Grippers Are a Waste of Time – 15168

And we wrap up the countdown this year with my

There you go – the Top 20 Videos is complete. I want to thank each and every one of you for watching my videos throughout the year, and for following the countdown over the last week or so.

What was your favorite video on the channel this year? Post in the comments below.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Check Out the Top Videos from Previous Years?

Top 20 Videos from 2015
Top 20 Videos from 2014
Top 10 Videos from 2013 – Just shy of the Top 10 (11-15)
Top 10 Videos from 2013 (6-10)
Top 20 Videos from 2013 (1-5)
Top 10 Videos from 2012
Top 10 Videos from 2011 (10-6)
Top 10 Videos from 2011 (5-1)

Grip Strength and Strongman Feat DVDs:

       

Or you can check out my complete catalog here: Complete Diesel Product Catalog

Winter Grip Fest

The next contest I’m promoting will be Winter Grip Fest and it will be a bit different from what I’vee done in the past.

You can download the entry form here: Winter Grip Fest entry form

EVENT BY EVENT RULES

Event #1 – Silver Bullet Hold

Each competitor will get 2 attempts. Men – 1st round #3, 2nd round #4. Women – 1st round #2, 2nd round #3. Juniors 1st round #T, second #1. Total time of both rounds are totaled for the score.

Event #2 – Two Hands Pinch

European Adjustable Pinch Device will be used. 4 attempts, rising bar. +/- 5lb jumps.

Event #3 – Pickaxe Lift

Max to the Front. 4 attempts, Rising Bar.

Event #4 – Bull Ring Hub Lift

Diesel Power Bull Rings will be used. If hands are 7.5″ or shorter, lifter will use 4″ Bull Ring. Hands 7.51″ or longer will use 5″ Bull Ring. Lifter may use both hands to set grip, upon starting lifting attempt, off-hand must be removed and implement must be approximately level.

Event #5 – Pinch Block Curl Hold for Time

The Diesel Power Pinch Block Curl will be used. Weights to be determined. Lifter will take one attempt per hand. Time begins when implement leaves ground, and time ends when it hits the ground or loses contact with the hand.

Event #6 – Reverse Bending Challenge

Reverse Style using 6″ length bars, nails, and bolts. Cordura, IMP, Battlefield, towels, suede wraps or combinations are permitted for wraps – must pass through a 1.5″ wooden hole. Rubber bands permitted. Must reach a 40-degree bend inside 30 seconds. 3 attempts

Event #7 – Inch Dumbbell for Height

Inch Dumbbell will be lifted on top of a platform in one movement, with no contact with the body. 4 attempts, rising bar platform.

Other events may be added by request BEFORE the 30-day window. Competitors must inquire with Jedd Johnson to schedule additional events.

All the best in your training,

Jedd

I used to hit the same exercise for the standard 3 or 4 sets, resting in between sets, and then I’d move on to the next exercise.

BORING.

While I got decent results from this, with all the rest time, my workouts were getting longer and longer.

Tack on some cardio at the end, and you find your workouts just keep on eating up more and more time.

Once my daughter was born, I felt the need to prune my workouts down, in order to be able to spend more time with her.

I found that grouping 2 or more exercises together allowed me to get just as much work done during my workouts, while saving me a whole bunch of time, and I even began seeing better results in the form of MORE MUSCLE and MORE FAT BURNED.

So, these days, my workouts pretty much always are comprised of exercise groupings, done in back-to-back fashion.

Call them Super Sets, Giant Sets, Circuits, Complexes, Medleys, call them whatever you want, for me, lifting like this is the way to consistently have awesome workouts and enjoy great results.

The Yoketober program is no different. It relies heavily on these exercise groupings in order to make the Yoke grow.

Here’s a sample of an exercise grouping from Yoketober, that I did the other day.

Deltoid Smasher Super Set

This 3-piece grouping is going to hit the deltoids from 3 different angles. In Yoketober, the deltoids are one of the main focal points for getting a wider upper torso, and casting a bigger shadow.

Also, here’s another 2-piece pairing that targets the biceps.

Back to Back Biceps Combination

This one isn’t from the Yoketober program, but it could be easily tacked onto the end of one of the Yoketober Yoke Days, if you’re craving a little extra biceps action.

In addition to the benefits I’ve seen as far as building muscle with these combos, I’ve also seen solid fat-burning results.

I credit this to the way these pairings so violently disturb your metabolism.

I equate this intense form of strength training to jumping rope or running sprints in the way the heart rate is escalated, and how long it takes to recover once training is done. Naturally, you’ve gotta eat right, if you want to cut up, but since I just can’t find the time to do cardio the last year or so, turning my isolation work into groupings is the way I’m going.

Now, I truly thought I was onto something with the way that I was pairing exercises together for the last few years.

Little did I know that Nick Nilsson was actually blowing me away in the intensity department.

I found out last week Nick has a product out that is packed with these combo’s, only he takes it up another notch or two.

His product is called Metabolic Monsters, and you’ve gotta see how he takes one single dumbbell and turns it into a one-piece torture device.

No wonder this particular complex is called the “Single Dumbbell Attack.”

I LOVE this kind of training, and I can’t wait to give the circuit he shows at the top of the page, and many more like it a try very soon.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Check Out Metabolic Monsters

EVENTS:

2.5″ Crusher – 4 Attempts for Max Lift – One Hand Tested

Anvil Hold for Time – 2 Attempts per Hand, time is combined

One Hand Pinch – 54mm – One Hand Tested

ENTRY FORM:

CLICK HERE

ENTRY FEE:

$35 for the Grip Contest;

WORLD SERIES OF GRIP

$5 for the World Series of Grip – Unlimited attempts to lift the Inch Dumbbell, Blob, 45lb Hub, #3 Gripper.

We’re staying with Paul Knight this weekend of the North American Grip Sport championship.

We did a little Grip stuff last night, and Paul repped out a 158-rated GHP #7.

We also did some speed bagging this morning, and we tried to see how fast we could get going, hitting it Rocky-style.

Be sure to subscribe to my channel. I’ll have more video with Paul Knight.

Thanks, and all the best in your training.

Jedd

Man what an awesome time last week, DIESELS.

As you know, on Thursday, I help the Basics of Grip and Strongmanism seminar.

Here’s a pic, with Dr. Jim Wagner on the left, me, and Chris Fritz on the right.

I got this message posted on my wall on Facebook, after the event:

“I got to spend the day at a seminar with the grip legend himself,
Jedd Johnson. I learned more in 5 hours than I did in the last
five years. It was an awesome day and Jedd is one of the nicest
guys you could meet! I’ll be seeing you again Brother, hopefully
at the next contest!”
Chris Fritz

Here’s how the day’s content rolled out:

9:00AM Start, meet and greet

Warm-up
General to specific
– General Full Body: Mobility / Activation / Light Stretching
– Move to Weights
– Move to Specific
Magic Formula for Success

Grippers
Technique
– Placement
– Gripper Angle
– Wrist Angle
– Tension
– Set to Close
– Skin Stretch
– Hit
– Thumb Strike
– Roll the Dice
High Impact Drills
Other Considerations

Pinching
Technique
Chalking Considerations
Plate Pinching
Block Weights
Odd Objects
Euro Pinch
High Impact Drills

Thick Bar and other Open Hand Training
What is Open Hand Training? Is Thick Bar “Support Grip”
Support Specificity
Technique
High Impact Drills

Intro to Feats
Tension
Beginner Conditioning

Card Tearing

Steel Bending

Programming
Individual Based
Setting up YOUR Program
Formulating Workouts – Think Energy Economy
Specificity of Grip Training

Injury Prevention & Recovery Methods

2:00 / 2:30PM Close

Man, I’ll tell you what, I absolutely love talking GRIP with people.

As an added bonus, before we called it a day, Dr. Jim Wagner got out his Hawk Grips, a special set of soft tissue massaging devices, and worked on us a little bit.

We got EVERYTHING on film, and I’ve already begun editing the footage, and will be making it available on DVD.

If you want to be the first to add this information to your library, add your information to the box below:

It will be ready as absolutely fast as I can get through all 5 hours!

In the meantime, Make it a Great Week.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

P.S. Sign up for notification as soon as this seminar becomes available.

Battle of the Grip

Up coming Grip Contest in Syracuse, New York

Date: March 26th
Entry Form: Click Here
Entry Fee: $30, made out to Jedd Johnson – PO BOX 806 Wyalusing, PA 18853
Events: Blob Hold for Time | Anvil Hold for Time | Wrist Wrench Lift to Lockout (Max)
Weigh-ins: 8AM to 10AM
Warm-ups: 9AM
Rules: 9:30AM
Contest Begins: 10AM
Rules: Below

Event 1: Blob Hold for Time

The Blobs used will be half 75lb York Blobs and 25lb Power Pills. Lifter will take a Grip on the Blobs and lift to lockout and hold for as long as possible. The Blobs may not contact your legs/thighs/body. Time continues until a Blob(s) falls out of your hand, or you set one/two of them down. You must get at least 5 seconds for your time to count. If you can not get 5 seconds with the half 75’s, you may take a second attempt with the 25lb Diesel Power Pills. Any holds of at least 5 seconds with the half 75s will beat holds with the 25b Power Pills.

Event 2: Anvil Hold for Time

The Anvils used will weigh 118lbs and 55lbs. Each lifter will get 1 attempt right-handed on the big anvil and 1 attempt right-handed on the small anvil. Lifters must get at least a 5-second hold with the 118lb Anvil for their attempt to count. Time begins once the Anvil breaks off the floor and goes until the Anvil slips out of your grip or until you return it to the floor. If you do not get a 5-second hold with the big anvil, you will get a second attempt on the small anvil. Any 5-count hold or longer with the big anvil beats holds with the smaller anvil.

The same process takes place left-handed for all competitors. You will have a combined score based on your performance on each Anvil.

Event 3: Wrist Wrench for Max Weight

The Wrist Wrench will be gripped so the strap crosses on the thumb side of the implement. The lifter gets one pull per attempt, and you must lift the Wrist Wrench so that your knees, hips, and off-hand shoulder are locked out. “Good lift” will be called, at which point you must return the implement back to the ground under reasonable control. If you drop it or if it pops out of your hand, your attempt will not count. One hand (strong hand) is to be used on all 4 attempts. This is a Rising Bar event, meaning once weight is added, it won’t be taken off, so make sure that you don’t start too high. Get on the board with a good lift and then make smart jumps up in weight. Smallest increments will be 2.5lbs. If you are unfamiliar with the Wrist Wrench, it is MUCH HARDER than the IronMind Rolling Thunder. As an example, 85lbs is a very respectable lift, and 100lbs is almost unheard of.

Scoring: Strongman Scoring will be used for all 3 events. You get points based on your placing, and low points at the end wins. Example: First Place = 1 point, Second Place = 2 points, etc.

EVENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTIFICATION.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Tilted Kilt in Syracuse, New York.

-Jedd-

Win 1 of 5 Free DVD’s – Watch the Video Below

Chance #1 & #2: Add Your Email Address Below

2 People will be selected at random.
If your name/email is pulled, you have 24 hours to claim your prize.

Chance #3 & #4: Social Media

Share this page and tag me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
There’ll be 2 winner: 1 from Facebook, 1 from Instagram.

Chance #5: Leave a Comment Below!
Go to DieselCrew.com and leave a comment on this post stating
why YOU should receive a free copy of the video.
There’ll be 1 winner selected at random.

How This DVD Will Help Your
Silver Bullet Performance:

• Produce Longer Hold Times on the Silver Bullet: By using the Loading Approach I use for Silver Bullet training, you’ll blow your old personal bests out of the water, next time you test your max or compete.
• Learn How to Get Stronger with Your Set: A bad set will waste a TON of energy before you even bite down on the Bullet. With these tips, you’ll be more efficient when setting the gripper, and you’ll have more energy in reserve for the hold.
• Improve Your Placement to Get Better Leverage: By making a handful of quick adjustments, you can easily add 5 to 10 seconds to your hold times in the very first workout – that’s how important set technique and gripper positioning are…
• Create Better, More Productive Silver Bullet Workouts: The days of doing the same, old, boring stuff are gone. The tips and tricks I show you will help you stay PUMPED UP and keep the gains coming.
• And Much More: Here is the actual DVD cover artwork, showing you chapter-by-chapter how this DVD is laid out. Get ready to ECLIPSE what you’ve done on the Silver Bullet in the past!

This past Thursday, Luke and I used Thick Bar Handles for just about everything on our Back Day, please we went pretty darn heavy, as well.

Here’s how the workout went:

Rolling Thunder Pull-ups with Weight Added – 3 sets of 3

Luke (203lbs) went with a 24-kg kettlebell added

Jedd (255lbs) went with 90lbs in plates added

I had to re-grip for all my 3rd reps. We also threw in some holds at the top of some of the reps.

Narrow Handle Thick Grip Pull-downs

We worked up to 305lbs and did 6 to 10 reps per set. These were extremely heavy, and resulted in some partial reps, as well as holds. We focused on controlling the weight, not throwing it.

Thick Handled Loadable Dumbbell Rows

I used a plate loadable handle with a 2.5″ grip. I started with 165lbs, then dropped it down to 150lbs.

Luke used the 120lb shot loadable dumbbell. Aimed for 5 reps per hand. We did 3 work sets.

Banded Straight Arm Lat Pulls

These might have a different name, but I’m drawing a blank. They hit your lats, teres major, posterior deltoids, rhomboids, and your glutes & hamstrings as well. They’re VICIOUS. 4 sets. 2 with black bands, 2 with purple bands.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

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Want to Explore Thick Bar Training?
Check Out the Inch Dumbbell DVD

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Here is some feedback from Sean Cashman on my Gripper training program, Cadence Based Training. CBT treats Gripper Training just like the powerlifts, the Bench, Squat and Dead, as you train to become not only as strong as possible, but as fast as possible, and convert every aspect of the Gripper Range of Motion from a weakness into an asset.

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Results from Cadence Based Training

I just finished the Cadence Based Training program so I thought I’d post up my results and brief thoughts.

1. I suck at grippers in general and have never been able to train them consistently or with any purpose. My 7.25” hands are not ideal especially with wider sets. But that’s what I wanted to focus on. So during the 8 weeks of this program I used a credit card set for everything.

2. This program gave me structure and I loved that. The fact that this program has you doing grippers twice per week was the key for me as it allowed me to continue to train multiple different aspects of general fitness.

3. I started out testing my baseline CC set week 1 and just missing a CoC #2 rated 103lb

4. After 8 weeks I finished out just missing a Ghp 5 rate 115lb and also slamming shut with ease the #2 rated 103lb and another #2 rated 109lb. So I am really happy. I know my set is still very rough but it is feeling more and more comfortable.

Here is my baseline attempt at the start of week 1

#2 rated 103

Here are the video’s of max test after 8 weeks

#2 rated 103

#2 rated 109

MISS on a Ghp 5 rated 115

Thanks Jedd! I really enjoyed the program. Might start a new cycle now based off of 115lb.

-Sean Cashman-

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Sean, awesome results. Thanks for sharing them!

As you can see, guys, Sean was able to go from missing on a 103lb rated #2 gripper to smashing it in 8 weeks. He also was able to equally easily smash his 109-lb rated #2.

You’ll also notice when you watch the videos, he doesn’t just “try to close” his grippers now, he attacks them, driving them to the closed position, instead of grinding through the range of motion.

Plus, he is only a fraction of an inch, maybe 1/16th, from closing that 115-lb GHP #5, which means, he probably increased his gripper strength by at least 10 lbs.

There’s people at Nationals who close just about the same gripper every single year who I’m sure would love to gain 10lbs of CRUSH strength in a year’s time, and Sean did it in just 2 months.

The bottom line is this: Cadence Based Training works.

And it’s not about extremely high volume.

Every single repetition you do serves a purpose.

Every session, you’re getting stronger where YOU need to, specifically.

Do you think you could handle a 10-lb increase in Gripper Strength?

Then pick up Cadence Based Training TODAY.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

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Get Serious with Your Gripper Training with CBT, TODAY!

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It’s been since January of 2004 since I set a regular Deadlift PR, when I lifted 545-lbs. 11+ years.

I was 26. I’m almost 37 now, so it’s been a lengthy drought, you might say…

2004 is when I started experiencing routine back injuries that would sideline me for days or even a week at a time.

Unfortunately, my young, idiotic brain, just wanted to keep pushing harder and harder, and that meant the pain I’d experience would get worse and worse.

I’d hobble around for a week after my Strongman contests.

I’d literally limp through the hallway at my old job, after hard weekend workouts involving Deadlifts and Squats.

Finally, in 2008, I think, I had enough.

Since Squats and Deadlifts were so bad for me, I decided I wouldn’t do them anymore.

From 2008 until 2012, I rarely did heavy Deadlifts or Squats.

Of course, I continued to do Axle Deadlifts, because it’s a staple in Grip Sport competition, and I’d dabble every now and again with Squats and Deads, but never got back into them seriously until June of 2013, when I decided I was finally ready health-wise to get back under the bar and pull some weight off the floor.

For Squats, I literally started with the bar, hitting sets of 10. That’s how much I lacked confidence and stability.

For Deadlifts, I decided I’d guard my back by only doing Double Overhand grip (I was afraid of tearing a biceps anyway).

The Coan Philippi Deadlift Program

This Summer, I decided I was ready to finally train the Deadlift with some conviction, and I started a run through the Coan Philippi Deadlift Program.

I gotta say, it was AWESOME to push myself on Deadlifts! It was the first time I’d EVER followed a Deadlift Program in my life.

When you start the Coan Philippi program, it asks you for your starting max and your goal max at the end of 10 weeks, and then it computes everything for you.

I stayed a bit conservative and put in a 500-lb Max to begin with and a 550-lb Max for the end. My partner, Luke Raymond, started out with the same numbers, and it worked out really easy training with him, because we didn’t have to change the weights around at all.

The weights at the beginning of the program were super light, so Luke and I started on week 3 or 4. Everything went smooth until like Week 7. That’s when the volume caught up with me.

I struggled through to Week 9, when I hit 535-lbs, but my body just wouldn’t cooperate with me for Week 10, and I decided against going for a new PR on 3 separate Saturdays, until this past week.

The conditions still weren’t optimal, as I was up at 2AM to take my parents to the airport, and I trained at 5:30AM with my buddy, Brad Martin, but my back felt fully recovered after the 3-week layoff from heavy work, so I went ahead with the Week 10 plan.

And, I’m happy to say I was successful in my 550-lb lift, with potential for probably a few pounds more, although I didn’t push it.

Here’s the video:

Jedd Johnson All-Time PR Deadlift – 550lbs

What an awesome sensation, to FINALLY feel somewhat strong again.

Thankfully, after staying patient, working back slowly, and using my brain instead of my ego, I have been able to break one of my longest standing PR’s.

I must also say, I LOVE the Coan Philippi Program. It made me feel like a monster, and sometime this Fall, I plan on running through it again, once Luke’s schedule evens back out and we get train it together again.

Look for more updates, especially on my YouTube Channel, once I start the program up again.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

As you know, I rate a lot of grippers.

Gripper junkies send me their grippers and I measure how strong they are by using a device called an RGC.

This has become the standard for getting a direct strength comparison between grippers from different companies.

However, there’s one variable that the RGC is incapable of factoring in, and that is the gripper knurling quality.

Maybe you’ve noticed that the knurling on the gripper handle varies from one company to the next?

For instance, Beef Builder knurling is usually very rough, COC knurling is of a good, middle-of-the-road level, and then Heavy Grips grippers feel very smooth.

Knurling can make a BIG difference in how good of a grip you can get on the handles and how far you can come from closing the gripper.

Here’s an example…

I was working on my Credit Card Set strength with my left hand last night and was smashing my 129-rated BBSM.

But, when I dropped down to my 128 and 127 rated grippers, I was missing by about 3 to 5 millimeters.

So, why would I be able to DOMINATE a 129-rated gripper and then miss on other grippers that are slightly lighter?

The biggest factor was the knurling.

The 129-rated BBSM has knurling that literally feels like you could grate a block of cheese with it.

The lighter grippers, however, came with naturally less-aggressive knurling on them.

PLUS, on top of that, these grippers have been in my collection for nearly 10 years, and I used to be REALLY HARD ON MY GRIPPERS.

I didn’t take care of them at all, and would just throw them in my gym bag or chalk bucket and they would bounce around and bang into one another.

As a result, from all that abuse, the handle knurling has been beaten down to almost nothing and as a result, I can get nearly as good of a grip on the handles of my older grippers.

Since my left hand really STINKS at Credit Card Set training, since that range of 125 to 130lbs is near my limit, I often fail on grippers with beaten-down knurling.

So, I encourage you to take care of your grippers.

These days, I am OBSESSIVE about my knurling condition.

Keep them in good shape, so you aren’t dealing with basically bald grippers, like I do on a daily basis.

If you need more help with your gripper training, check out these resources:

1. CRUSH: Total Gripper Domination:
This Video covers everything you need to know regarding gripper training technique, as well as drills, tactics and strategies to help you with your gripper training.

2. Cadence Based Training:
This ebook is my gripper training program that I devised over the span of a couple years and has helped me consistently improve my performance every year since implementing it.

3. Operation: Gripper Certification:
This video focuses on the intricacies of the credit card set, the technique that is required for certification with the IronMind Captains of Crush grippers.

These 3 resources are must-haves IF you’re serious about grippers.

If you just dabble, and don’t really care about closing bigger grippers, then these products are not necessary.

Get what you need for your specific goals, TODAY.

All the best in your training.

Jedd

P.S. Here’s the links for those KEY gripper training resources:

1. CRUSH: Total Gripper Domination

2. Cadence Based Training

3. Operation: Gripper Certification