(L to R) James Fuller, Jedd, Luke Raymond, John Stepien

A few Saturday’s ago, John Stepien from New Jersey, and James Fuller from Maine, swung up for a killer workout.

We got started about 10AM and everyone was gone by 3PM.

Yes, by the time the dust settled, we had been training for a solid 4.5+ hours.

While not the norm, every so often, I love hitting a GIANT session like that. It’s almost a guarantee that within a week, you’ll hit a MONSTER PR, and this time around was no different.

Here’s a look at many of the things that we did that day, although it was impossible to get everything on film.

Deadlifts

The main movement for the day was Deadlifts, and we did several variations, but mainly we stuck with Double Overhand. Not everything got filmed, but most of it did.

Round Robin Deadlift

One particular Deadlift feat I wanted to isolate was the Round Robin Deadlift that James Fuller did. With 495lbs loaded, he hit the following reps in quick succession: 1 – Sumo Style, 2 – Jefferson Style, 3 – Hack Style, 4 – Conventional Style

Luke Raymond Curls a 62lb Anvil

The feats began early on, and continued throughout the day. Luke got the ball rolling by curling the 62lb anvil I borroed from my Dad’s place.

Double Anvil Clamp Lift

I was happy to complete this feat, so quickly after getting the new addition anvil in. This is a pretty darned tough feat with one 55lb anvil, let alone 2, and the 7 pound jump, plus the different shape, made it even tougher!

Double Anvil Key Pinch

Key Pinch is done with the thumb and the side of the first finger. As far as I know, no one ever lifted a 55-lb anvil with a Key Pinch prior to December 2015, when Eric Roussin and I did it. It took many tries, but I finally was able to Key Pinch 2 Anvils at the same time, during the Epic Grip Session.

James Fuller – 127lb Turkish Getup

The Turkish Get-up is an excellent test of full body strength. Here, James Fuller hits a new PR, lifting 127lbs on a nearly 2.5-inch handle, shot-loadable dumbbell.

100lb Plate Hub Key Pinch

An old challenge that got started, right here, at DieselCrew.com, is the 100lb Plate Hub Key Pinch. You should definitely give this a try when you cross paths with a 100lb Plate.

127lb Slater Bell Clean Attempts

Next, we had to try some Dumbbell Cleans with the Slater Bell, which weighs 127lbs with a nearly 2.5″ handle.

4 Inch Dumbbell Medley

Another thing we each did was take Medley runs with 4 Inch Dumbbells. Starting with the hardest, and working down in difficulty, we did our best to lift them as strictly as possible. The guys who aren’t Inch lifters yet stopped the rotation of the bells with a finger from their off-hand. Unfortunately, I didn’t get all of the dudes taking their runs.

Axle Clean Workout

With James Fuller being such a fan of the Olympic Lifts, we couldn’t go through the day without hitting some Axle Cleans. John Stepien handed me my ass in this lift, without a doubt. James Fuller had the absolute BEST technique though. I was pretty sore after this, due to the dynamic nature of the lifts.

Grip Rush #1

Next, it was time to finish the workout with some Grip Rushes, 60-second AMRAPS with various Grip Implements, usually lifting them to Lockout over and over.

Grip Rush #2

Grip Rush #3

Grip Rush #4

All the best in your training,

Jedd

Christian Bale – American Psycho – 2000

Christian Bale is my favorite actor.

Ever since the movie, American Psycho, which came out in 2000, this has been true.

But of the last 10 years or so, my favorite movie with him in it is The Prestige. In this movie, Bale plays a magician who has an on-going rivalry with another magician. They are constantly trying to one-up each other, and both of them pay dearly for their desire to be seen as “the best.”

At the very beginning of the movie, we learn that each magic trick consist of 3 parts, or acts: (1) the Pledge, (2) the Turn, and (3) the Prestige.

In case you missed it, at the end the narration goes: “You’re not really looking. You don’t really want to work it out. You want to be fooled.”

Grip is no different than magic.

In developing a truly mighty grip, there are three parts, each building upon the other like the sequence of a magician’s magic trick. They are the Lift, the Hold and the Control.

Lift – This is the foundation of a strong grip. You are breaking something from of the ground and trying to bring it to lockout. Many times, it is something cumbersome, such as a Block Weight, or something unruly, such as a thick handled dumbbell. With Grippers, you are trying to squeeze the handles together.

Hold – The second part is more intense. It involves displaying the endurance to keep something off the ground, whether by holding the implement for time, such as a Farmer’s Hold, or over-crushing the handles of the gripper.

Control – But it is not enough just to lift something off the ground. The true skill is to dominate something and make it do whatever it is you want it to. Like in the post directly below where I go beyond Blob lifting, Control is a demonstration of all-out domination of the implement, pulling beyond normal deadlift ranges and making it succumb to your will.

All too often trainees forget about the aspect of Control. They stay within their comfort zone, within the parameters of regular “lifting” and “squeezing” in their training, and do not go far enough.

This is why I say “Control” is the forgotten aspect of Grip Training.

Control is what you need to fully apply the grip strength you build to the movements and sports you play.

As an example, you can have a strong grip and hold onto Farmer’s Implements that are loaded to incredible weights, but if you don’t have control, all you will be able to do is stand there and hold them. You won’t be able to walk with them because you won’t be able to handle their mass as they swing, sway and shift each time you take a stride.

I recently set out to attain a feat that is based entirely on the element of Control – Lifting a Giant Anvil to Shoulder Height.

In the lore of oldtime strength, there is a story of George Jowett cleaning to his shoulder a giant anvil. There is confusion about the validity of this feat, as the story changes depending upon who you ask, but that is not important to this article.

What is important is developing the strength to perform such a feat.

I decided to try this feat recently, using my 112-lb Anvil. Here is my first, of curely many, attempts…

Anvil Lift to Shoulder Height Attempt

I have been told, and I agree, that the term “Clean” is not correct for the movement I am attempting. A true Clean starts in front of your shins and moves upwards with no swing, as I am performing. With that, going forward I will not use the term “Clean” to describe this lift until I can actually do it without the swing. For now, it will be called the Anvil Lift to Shoulder Height.

It is important to remember that having ultimate grip strength means to be able to not only lift, and hold something, but to exhibit complete control over it, so that it follows your command and it moves in complete obedience to your will.

And to get this Control, you must be willing to go further in your training.

If you don’t take the next step, then in the pursuit of Control, “You’re not really looking. You don’t really want to work it out. You want to be fooled.”

All the best in your training.

Jedd

Grip Training Resources:

Learn the basics and the advanced techniques of Gripper Training with CRUSH: Total Gripper Domination

Take your Grip to the next level at The Grip Authority. Click the banner below.

Anvils are a tool that have been used by Blacksmiths to mold steel for hundreds of years.

They are also very cool for lifting.

What you may not realize though, is the fact that each individual part of an Anvil has a name, as show in the image below.

In most cases, an Anvil is lifted by the horn, or the pointed end. In some contests, such as Mighty Mitts, the Anvil is picked up and carried for distance. Other times, the Anvil is lifted atop a loading platform as part of a medley.

However, lifting an Anvil by the horn is not the only way to lift it.

The end of the anvil opposite the horn is the heel. By leaning the anvil over so the horn points down, you have the perfect angle to lift the anvil in a Clamp Grip. This is a rarely discussed gripping action, but it is similar to crushing, where the fingertips are driven towards the palm.

I was first introduced to this feat by the guys from Farm Strength, Sean Dockery and Nick Rosendaul. At a training session one night, Doc pointed me to Nick’s 55-lb Anvil. He said he had seen an absolute grip freak, Heath Sexton, reach down and pick one up by the heel some time before that.

Try as I might, I could not replicate the feat.

A year later, I was back training in their garage again, and the 55-lb Anvil was off in a corner somewhere calling my name. I pulled it out to the center of the room and tried lifting it. Nothing but pain in my forearm!

Then, I watched Chris Rice, another good friend of hours with 40+ years in the Iron Game, walk over to it and pick it up with seemingly no effort at all.

My eyes bugged open in amazement.

After having seen it done right in front of my eyes, I went over to it and tried one more time, this time lifting it to lockout.

At some point, I attained my own 55-lb Anvil from a good friend, Dan Cenidoza, as a gift. I began training with it more often and even included it in a medley event in a Grip Contest or two. But eventually, it just because another item in my gym, collecting dust.

Recently however, I have had a renewed interest in training with Anvils, in particular the Anvil by the Heel Lift. This is one of those feats of strength where no matter how many times you do it, you ALWAYS have to put maximum effort into it. It is also a feat that requires a great pain tolerance, because not only does the razor sharp edge want to cut into your thumb skin, but the torque that takes place in your forearm makes it feel like your lower arm is going to break, right in the center of the ulna and radius bones.

Nevertheless, I have been having some luck in my training lately with the Anvil. Grip has been keeping me motivated, especially since Doctor’s orders are only 30% on lifts affecting my shoulder.

Here are some of the things I have accomplished.

Lefty Anvil by Heel for Reps Against Time

Righty Anvil by Heel for Reps Against Time

55# Anvil High Pull

I am DETERMINED to either clean and then press this Anvil, or to perform some kind of awkward snatch, but some day I will get this thing overhead. It may take me years to do it, but it is one of my long-term goals. Below is just a high pull, trying to get the Anvil up as high as possible with speed behind it as well.

I have decided that one thing I need to do in order to accomplish the goal of an Overhead Lift with the Anvil is to make the 55# Anvil feel lighter.

55# Anvil by Heel +5 Lbs

Using a boot string with two-2.5-lb plates tied to either end, the anvil goes from 55-lbs to 60-lbs.

Now, some may ask when seeing these videos, “What Are These Drills Working?”

The short answer is that Feats of Strength like this Work Your Grip.

Many people who are new to this kind of thing and come from more of a bodybuilding style background, are used to choosing exercises based on the bodypart worked. For instance, Curls work the Biceps and Rows work the upper back.

Because they are used to grouping exercises together like that, when they see stunts performed like an Anvil High Pull, they may be confused.

No worries. I perform all of those other lifts as well in my training, but because I compete at Grip Sport Competitions, where hand and wrist strength are tested, similar to Strongman competitions, I dedicate time in my workout to strengthen my grip during each training session.

Of course, having a strong grip is not only useful for Grip Competitions. Grip Strenth can also bring you better results on your other lifts. Imagine being able to perform more reps on Rows because your hands are stronger – more reps during each set will lead to better strength and muscle gains down the line. Having to constantly set the weight down to rest the grip, however, will hinder your progress.

Plus, if your grip is strong, you don’t have to eat up segments of your workout wrapping your lifting straps around each barbell, dumbbell or lifting bar on every work set. That’s called training economy.

If you are new to my site, I encourage you to add some Grip Work into your training.

If you need more ideas on how to train your grip, check out my older posts or my YouTube channel. It is PACKED with Grip Training Methods.

Before I go, if you dig Anvil Lifting, make sure to sign up for my newsletter. I am currently sitting on some Anvil Lifting Feats that I don’t think have ever been done before, and I will be releasing the video footage soon.

Until then, all the best in your training.

Jedd

The year was 2004 and the month was March. I believe the day was a Thursday and that we had wings for dinner.

The only pic I can find of my buddy Rick: Rick Walker, Don Pope, and Napalm

On this awesome day in DIESEL history, Smitty and I went to Rick Walker’s place the day before the Arnold Classic. We were going in order to attend an event called Night of Strength, sponsored by Atomic Athletic. We had no idea what to expect at Night of Strength, so we hit stuff hard at Rick’s.

We didn’t realize that Night of Strength would end up being the biggest 3 hours of Grip and Bending ever known to man.

I distinctly remember the pain in my left hand from carpal bone misalignment was killing me by the end of this session. I still get this pain occasionally, but I know how to fix it now, so it doesn’t affect my training. Also, from all the wide pinching, both of my thumbs were throbbing and wanting to fall off. They were so tired I don’t think i could have hitch-hiked a ride home if my life depended on it, but it was worth it to enjoy the day with good friends and train grip hard.

We did so much Volume on this day that by the time Night of Strength rolled around the next night, I was destroyed. I distinctly remember failing miserably over and over on the Original Fatman Blob repeatedly while watch guys like Sean Dockery bust it off the floor repeatedly. It’s hard to believe it would be over 7 years until I would take a try again at the Fatman.

So here is the video. The music is by Systematic and it is called “Beginning of the End.” They had an album that came out in like 2000 or something like that. I saw them open for Cold, Stain’d and Godsmack and picked up a two-song disk with this and the song, “Dopesick” on it and played like every day for like 6 weeks.

Tim Narducci in the Captain Morghan Pose

I remember the lead singer, Tim Narducci, looked about 7 feet tall with a big bald head and played the entire set with his foot up on an amp, sort of like Captain Morgan. Dude looked so freakin big I bet he could lift the Inch Dumbbell.

Back to the video… Let’s look at some of the stuff you are going to see:

• Lots of failures on the Inch Dumbbell – horrible, embarrassing failures
• Lots of stuff with Five Tens – both loose and with a loading pin
• a little bit of Six Tens – hideous failures and loading pin lifts
• 8 Fives (I think we were the first ones to do this because at the time there was debate as to whether it was even possible)
• 37.5-lb Blob – Not sure why I put that in the video
• 50-lb Next Generation Blob – Rick and I made this thing look like a little bitch
• Two-35’s Pinch (tried doing a clean lefty – my left hand was a better pinching hand at the time, but I had epicondylitis so bad in my forearm that I just could not make the clean happen)
• Double Anvil Step-ups (each about 110 to 120-lbs)
• Windmill Lift where I anyhow’d a barbell with about 100-lbs overhead and then reached down and picked up a Blob

Most of the feats in the video are marked, but if there’s anything I missed, just leave a comment below.

All the best in your training.

Jedd