Last week’s Grip Strength Challenge for the Wild Card Spot at Nationals was the Medley. What’s a Medley, you might ask?

Medley
from Wictionary.com

medley (plural medleys)
1. (now rare, archaic) Combat, fighting; a battle. [from 14th c.]
2. A collection or mixture of miscellaneous things. [from 17th c.]

As you can see from the definitions above, the Medley is like Grip Strength Combat, testing a variety of disciplines and finding the most well-rounded Gripster.

In order to find the most well rounded Grip Athlete, last week, the Medley was used. Below is the list of feats to be attempted in the medley and the point value for each feat:

Smooth Sides Out Pinch
2-25’s – 1 point
2-35’s – 1 point
2-45’s – 2 points

Hex DB Lift
30 – 1 point
40 – 1 point
50 – 2 points

8-lb Sledge 30″ Handle
Nose Lever – 1 point
Slim Lever – 1 point
Deadlift with coin – 2 points

Grippers with Blocks
1 – 1 point
2 – 1 point
3 – 2 points

Hubs
25 – 1 point
35 – 1 point
45 – 2 points
(You can add weight to a lighter plate to get the heavier plate

Towel Pull-ups
1 rep – 1 point
2 reps – 2 points
3 reps – 3 points

BW or Heavier Straddle Deadlift
1 rep – 1 points
2 reps – 2 points
3 reps – 3 points

The key to winning a medley is being well-rounded so that you can perform a variety of feats and challenges covering all disciplines. You never know what will be in a medley at an actual competition. It is also important to use your time wisely and not leave points “on the table.” One of the biggest errors is to not attempt easy lifts. Also, if you are a One Armed Bandit and can only lift things with your strong hand, you will tire out, so you have to be good with both hands.

Here are the submissions:

Mike Turpin

10 Points

Mike sent in the most humorous submission yet again this week. Bastard. I now have to use my compressed air to blow the snot out of my keyboard from those plate curls at the end. Comic genius.

Mike got the #1, Nose Lever, 25’s Pinch, 30 and 40 Hexes, 25 and 35 Hub and all three Towel Pullups! Great job. Keep working that wide pinch and your grippers and you are going to do well brother.

Scott Goguen

12 Points

Scott got the 25’s Pinch, 35’s Pinch, the 30 and 40 Hex, the 25 Hub, Nose Lever, all three Towel Pull-ups and all three BW One Hand Deads. I did not count the BB Gripper because it had to be a #1 for this challenge. First submission all year and he did a fine job!

Scott, on that Slim Lever, don’t leave any part of the handle hanging outside your hand. It makes it way harder! Looking forward to more submissions – great intensity!

Paul Tompkins

13 Points

Paul did great, getting the #1, Slim Lever, Nose Lever, 25’s, and 35’s pinch, 30, 40 and 50 Hex Lift, and the 25, 35, and 45 Hubs. Not sure if you got the #2. it looked close but I didn’t hear a click so i could not pass it. Still, a fantastic showing. Great job!

Jason Steeves – WINNER!

14 Points

Jason got the #1, #2 and came close on the #3 but I could not tell for sure so I did not pass it. He got the Slim Lever, Nose Lever, and pinched the 25’s and 35’s. He was able to lift the 30 and 40 Hex and hub the 25, 35, and 45. Plus he got all three Towel Pull-ups. Great job brother. You are qualified for Nationals. It’s time to make flight plans and get your passport ready!

This week’s feet will be a One Hand Deadlift, and I hope to have the video ready and posted on the site by tomorrow.

Thanks for all the great submissions. Looking forward to hundreds more.

Jedd

DIESELS!!!

It is time to get your medley on for this week’s Grip Strength Challenge…

I will be gone most of the weekend, so please feel free to attempt the medley and submit videos right up until Sunday at 5 PM!!!

Scoring for the Various Medley Items

Smooth Sides Out Pinch
2-25’s – 1 point
2-35’s – 1 point
2-45’s – 2 points

Hex DB Lift
30 – 1 point
40 – 1 point
50 – 2 points

8-lb Sledge 30″ Handle
Nose Lever – 1 point
Slim Lever – 1 point
Deadlift with coin – 2 points

Grippers with Blocks
1 – 1 point
2 – 1 point
3 – 2 points

Hubs
25 – 1 point
35 – 1 point
45 – 2 points
(You can add weight to a lighter plate to get the heavier plate

Towel Pull-ups
1 rep – 1 point
2 reps – 2 points
3 reps – 3 points

BW or Heavier Straddle Deadlift
1 rep – 1 points
2 reps – 2 points
3 reps – 3 points

Here are a few videos of myself giving my own medley a try. I can tell you this for sure – this is a small medley but 3 minutes is still a very short time to get even this small amount of stuff done, so don’t stumble through it. Try to get through it as quickly as possible.

Attempt #1

Score: 12 Points

Attempt #2

Score: 20 Points

Attempt #3

Score: 18 Points

TIPS: Make sure to get the easy stuff. Don’t leave points on the platform. A few times I did not remember the easier feats and it cost me points. Also if you have someone who can watch your time, ask them to help you because I had more time than I thought on the last attempt and could have closed the #1 and #2, which would have added two more points to my score and gotten me 20 points again.

Alright DIESELS, get ON it! And get your video uploaded. Remember you can submit until Sunday at 5 PM!

Thanks and all the best!

Jedd

The 2009 United States Hand Strength Championship is in the books and standing on top of the heap is Andrew Durniat. The rising star from Ohio took the title on Saturday, winning two events out-right and tying for first in two others.

This is how it all played out…

The first event was grippers. I felt somewhat off on grippers but actually closed a 3.5 rated about two pounds heavier than the one I closed at the Lift at Jedd’s qualifier I held three weeks earlier. The top performance for Grippers on Saturday was a tie between Andrew and Frank Snyder, who both closed a 182.1-rated Elite.

Here’s how the pack laid out:
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