Home Made Equipment to Help Lift the Inch Dumbbell
Monday, October 11th, 2010
The Inch Dumbbell Replica
One of the most widely recognized feats of Grip Strength is lifting the Inch Dumbbell.

The original Inch Dumbbell belonged to Thomas Inch, a traveling performing strongman in the early 1900’s (shown to the left, photo via SandowPlus.co.uk
The Challenge Dumbbell weighed roughly 172-lbs, which isn’t too daunting of a weight. However, the difficulty in lifting the Inch Dumbbell is due to it’s significant handle size (2.38 inch) plus the fact that the handle and bells are all one solid cast iron implement. Once both bells leave the ground, the entire implement begins to turn and rip out of your grasp.
Deadlifting the Inch Dumbbell proves to be a feat that few people are able to complete on their first try.
I am one of the lucky individuals who owns an Inch Dumbbell and one of the rare people who owns two.
The first one I got several years ago from a good friend of mine, Rick Walker.
I picked the other one up from a mailman on eBay a couple of years back.
Recently, Rick has set out to conquer the Inch Dumbbell, and he shot a video of one of the implements he is currently using to train his hands to be ready the next time he crosses paths with it.
This implement is surprisingly simple to make and seems to be a great way to get it done.
The video below shows exactly how to set this device up.
As you can see, this home made implement is simple to make and is comprised of very cheap materials, yet it could very well prove to be one of the most beneficial ways to train to lift the Inch Dumbbell, because it seems to replicate the violent spin of the actual dumbbell.
I am very interested to see how Rick progresses with this set-up. I also plan on training with it to increase my thick bar strength, as I sometimes still have trouble with my newer Inch Dumbbell. It will be a great addition to my collection of home made strength training devices.
Speaking of Home Made Equipment, The Home Made Strength On-line DVD is now one year old, so to celebrate it’s birthday, we are lowering the price $10 until Wednesday. If you’d like to pick it up at the lowest price ever, you can do so by clicking this link = > Home Made Strength Training Equipment.
Also, in the coming weeks, I will be releasing a new installment of the HMS Series, Home Made Strength II: Grip Strength Edition. This DVD will be full of implements you can put together and use to build serious Grip strength, whether you want to compete in Grip Contests, Strongman contests, or just want to increase your hand strength for the sport you play. This will also be an excellent resource for Strength Coaches who are still handcuffed by their university’s budget limitations.
I build everything right on camera, taking about 5 minutes per piece and then walk you through some of the best ways to train with it, all on pristine quality video.
This should be ready in a matter of weeks. I am in the final stages, so stay tuned.
Stay tuned and in the mean time, keep kicking ass in the gym.
Jedd
Here’s a video where I was peaking for thick bar and was able to row the Inch Dumbbell. I set it up to play just seconds before I lift it…
Check out my channel here = > Jedd’s YouTube Channel
