Saturday, August 25, 2007

Grip!



Video is great for a laugh, but he is one of 5 men in the world able to close a number 4
also a champion arm wrestler who broke another strongmans arm with a spiral fracture during an arm wrestle (an amazing feat)

definitions: chopped and pasted from gripboard!

Crushing Grip - Closing difficult grippers
Pinch Grip - Lifting heavy things pinched between the finger and thumb
Thick Handles - Lifting heavy things by holding a thick handle
Bending - Bending nails or metal rods

Crush Strength and Grippers

The standard measure of crushing strength discussed is usually the ability to close Ironmind's "Captains of Crush" grippers. Closing the "#3" is a goal that many strive for, and takes a lot of training for most people to accomplish. There are a number of different gripper manufacturers,

Pinch Grip

Pinch grip is the grip used when we squeeze things between the thumb and the other fingers.

Thick Bar

In general, "thick bar" means lifting weights on bars at or over 2" in diameter. There are a number of variations - one or two hands, revolving or non-revolving bars, and thickness from 2" to 3", and smooth or knurled bars.

Bending

Bending generally means bending metal nails or section of rod into a U shape. There are a variety of techniques

Why have strong hands?
To lift any object your hands are always going to be involved. hands becoming fatigued is the reason most people cant lift heavier objects. (its not the legs that are tired, its the hands)
climbing to new heights as a rock climber, grip is the limitation.
doing the common uncommonly well, being that uncle that has a bone crushing hand shake!
doing repeated pullups or heavy deadlifts, grip is the limitation.
Strong wrists will be a side benefit of bone crushing strength. (allowing to support more weight for many movements)

How to get strong hands (and pain free)
This is the million dollar question. There are many different training aspects from doing crushes, and pinches and extensor work, so you wont get tendinitis. All of which need to be built evenly. The hand by its nature is always making multi-joint movements, but these movements mainly overworking crush grip can expose you to some risk of tendinitis. feel free to mix up the grip training in a similar way we run the benchmark girls with no real rhyme or reason except that you haven't done something in a while (meant its time to do it)

Friday, August 24, 2007

Certified Captain of Crush


Rules for Closing a No. 3 or No. 4 Captains of Crush Gripper
  1. The gripper must be an authentic IronMind Enterprises, Inc. Captains of Crush® Gripper.
  2. The gripper cannot have been modified or tampered with in any way.

  3. Chalk (magnesium oxide) may be used on the gripping hand, but rosin, tacky, etc. are specifically disallowed.

  4. The free hand may be used to position the gripper in the gripping hand, but the starting position can be no narrower than the width of a credit/ATM card, and the gripster must show the official that he has an acceptable starting position by using his non-gripping hand to slide the end of a credit/ATM card in between the ends of the handles. Once this is done, the official will give the signal to remove the card and begin the attempt. Any contact between the non-gripping hand and the gripper as the card is being removed will invalidate the attempt, and the non-gripping hand must stay at least a foot from the gripping hand at all times during the squeeze. Similarly, nothing may be in contact with the gripping hand or the gripping arm from the elbow down (for example, the free hand is not allowed to steady the wrist of the gripping hand or hold the spring, etc.). The entire squeeze must be clearly visible to the official: the gripper cannot be closed while blocked from view and then turned and presented as already closed.

  5. The gripper must be held with the spring facing up.
  6. The handles must touch completely.
Trainer @ 100 lb
No. 1 @ 140 lb
No. 2 @ 195 lb
No. 3 @ 280 lb (173 people in the world verified)
No. 4 @ 365 lb (5 people in the world verified)

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Tabata Strategy


Tabata Intervals consist of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest. This cycle is repeated 8 times (for a total of 4-minutes). Although Dr. Tabata used a mechanically braked cycle ergometer, you can apply this protocol to almost any exercise. A few popular examples include hitting a heavy bag, sprinting, jumping rope, or performing bodyweight calisthenics (ex. squats and pushups).

After just 6 weeks of testing, Dr. Tabata noted a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity along with a 14% increase in V02Max. These results were witnessed by physically fit athletes. Many tests are conducted on de-conditioned subjects, which leads to results that are difficult to evaluate. Dr. Tabata's test was much more effective, as it produced a positive response on individuals who were already in shape.

This form of training is also effective for fat loss. Tabata Intervals will raise your body’s metabolic rate long after the exercise session is completed. You will continue to burn fat throughout the day. Many recent studies have confirmed that the powerful "after-effect" of interval training is much more effective (for fat loss) than low-intensity, continuous exercise.

As mentioned, the Tabata protocol can be applied to almost any exercise. The most obvious choice is outdoor sprinting. For example, sprint 20 seconds, then rest (walk) 10 seconds, and continue until you have completed 8 x 20 second sprints. Always begin with a moderate warm-up and cool down session.

when doing squats and other measurable exercises many people will count reps and set a goal within the 20 seconds of how many reps you can accomplish. This can only really be done after you have done a max effort version of the Tabata.... this will also be an easier way to track your progress than testing V02 max or any other or the correlates of success... I always test work capacity.

Add to comments something you would like to Tabata!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Ten and Ten for Ten (max hips)


10rds (for time)
10 Glute Ham Situps
10 1.5 pood KB Snatches (5 per hand)

I haven't really felt like Ive maxed out my hips in a few days so here it goes!

notes: Hands felt great after 100 snatches , one more large snatching effort and I will do my 30/30 snatches to nearly finish off my level 2 CFN testing!