The Gripping Hand

[tersh]

ETA: Right, I forgot the whole stats thing.

I am: Male, 37, 6'1"-ish, ~170#


Today I got my Expandyahandbands, tomorrow should mark the delivery of my Captains of Crush Beginner's Set.

So, here's a log. Following some of Bass's general tips on programming and goal setting, I'm going to do first post with a few things.

Definite goals:

• Tackle the 1 by the end of the year. This might be really conservative, but I've no idea how strong my grip is right now. I'll revise as needed.
• Train grip and extensors at least four days a week.

I'll be using a simple ladder protocol, beginning at 5x5, up to 5x12 with last set @ 9, per training day, as outlined by Handsome Hanley.
I'll do all sets within an hour or so, to start with. I'll add reps as feels doable.

For the expandyahandsbands, I'll be doing 5x12, or working up to that. I did 3x12 with the white band today, easy-peasy.

[EricK]

I find that I get the best response from my coworkers when I do grip training with my hands under my desk. The concealed hand motion, squeaking noise, forehead sweat and grunting really let them know that I'm working hard.

Best of luck. It seems like things have settled for you a bit, which is good. I hope you're doing well overall.

[Allentown]

I find that I get the best response from my coworkers when I do grip training with my hands under my desk. The concealed hand motion, squeaking noise, forehead sweat and grunting really let them know that I'm working hard.

Best of luck. It seems like things have settled for you a bit, which is good. I hope you're doing well overall.

I... do the same thing. But my heavy gripper work and the later sets with my volume gripper I have to do with my left arm at 90deg, I don't know what the bicep position does to make a difference but it's harder with your arms straight.

Will there be any gravel punching or other fun grip work besides CoC-squeezing going on here?

[TimK]

But my heavy gripper work and the later sets with my volume gripper I have to do with my left arm at 90deg, I don't know what the bicep position does to make a difference but it's harder with your arms straight.

I can't even close the trainer with my left hand if I have my arm straight, and I feel pain in the outside of my elbow. Right arm doesn't seem to mind.

[hector]

Grip training is a deep, deep rabbit hole.
Be careful.

I love it and wish you luck.

[EricK]

Will there be any gravel punching or other fun grip work besides CoC-squeezing going on here?

Other stuff like rice-fisting and weighted nub pinching?

I should probably get back into doing grip work...

[Chris]

I... do the same thing. But my heavy gripper work and the later sets with my volume gripper I have to do with my left arm at 90deg, I don't know what the bicep position does to make a difference but it's harder with your arms straight.

With the arm out straight, stretched forearm extensors will have greater resting tension countering your efforts to close your hand (extensor digitorum tendons reach all the way to the distal phalanx). Conversely, forearm flexors are stretched as well, which means they'll have a slightly reduced number of myosin/actin cross-bridges they can form reducing potential contractile force. It's like if you have two pieces of velco but can only get the very ends to meet - it won't be as secure a bond as if the strips line up for their entirety. The extensor stretch has the more profound effect, though, and it's why your grip gets even worse if you flex your wrist.

[tersh]

Too many folks to respond to with quotes! Oh, for a mutliquote function.

I'm honestly not that familiar with other types of grip training. I was aware of the pinch grip stuff (MEH does that), but Gravel Punching, Rice-fisting, and Nub Pinching all sounds like euphemisms for sex acts. Or sekrit martial arts techniques.

Or both. I'm not an either/or kind of guy.

I do have to say the idea of closing one of the harder grippers is pretty fascinating, though I do worry about Handsome Hanley's warning about losing the ability to be more delicate once you're up in #2.5 territory. But just closing the #2 would be an accomplishment!

Re: arm position, I noted that Magnus Samuelsson closes the #4 with his arm straight. However, he is also not exactly a typical human.



I've known about the relationship between grip strength and wrist extension for a long time, due to doing a lot of joint-locking stuff back in the day, but hadn't really thought about the relationship between grip strength and extension of the arm.

Seems like working towards closing target grippers with the arm extended might be useful for lifting?

Wish the damn things would get delivered. It's possible they'll end up in the university mail system, and then I won't get them until Monday, but UPS should deliver direct. Sometime.

[tersh]

Haha, boy I am not strong.

[tersh]

CoC Guide
4 x5

EyH White Band
12 x3

Notes:
Well then. So looks like trying to be ready to tackle the #1 is not a conservative goal for the end of the year. After warmup, I can do five reps on the Guide with my right hand pretty well, something like an @8. Left hand takes real concentration to finish the close, five reps is pretty well a max effort, and some of them probably don't count (no click of handles touching). After being warmed up, I can just barely close the Sport with my right.

Oddly, I seem to have slightly better extensor strength in my left hand, based on effort and finger spread with the bands.

[Manveer]

Multiquote. We haz it.

Full editor & preview, then click on the quote image next to each post you want to quote.

[TimK]

Multiquote. We haz it.

Full editor & preview, then click on the quote image next to each post you want to quote.

Limited functionality though. It appears to only let you quote from the last 10 posts.

[tersh]

Multiquote. We haz it.

Full editor & preview, then click on the quote image next to each post you want to quote.

Hot damn! Thanks for pointing that out.

Limited functionality though. It appears to only let you quote from the last 10 posts.

That's good enough for me, I reckon.

[TimK]

Multiquote. We haz it.

Full editor & preview, then click on the quote image next to each post you want to quote.

Hot damn! Thanks for pointing that out.

Limited functionality though. It appears to only let you quote from the last 10 posts.

That's good enough for me, I reckon.

Well when you get to one of these threads where the conversation you actually want to engage with has been buried by 3 pages of tangential bullshit, it's not very useful.

[tersh]

CoC: Guide
5 x5 (ish)

EyH: White
3 x15

Chins
Some

Hanging Knee Raises
An amount

[Allentown]

Left hand takes real concentration to finish the close, five reps is pretty well a max effort, and some of them probably don't count (no click of handles touching).

Keep in mind the coil of the spring and shape of the handles makes actually getting the handles to touch in the left hand much harder. I count a rep with my left hand if I can get them less than 1/16"

[cwd]

Keep in mind the coil of the spring and shape of the handles makes actually getting the handles to touch in the left hand much harder. I count a rep with my left hand if I can get them less than 1/16"

Wait, what? It's not just my left hand being weaker?

[Allentown]

Keep in mind the coil of the spring and shape of the handles makes actually getting the handles to touch in the left hand much harder. I count a rep with my left hand if I can get them less than 1/16"

Wait, what? It's not just my left hand being weaker?

That too, but (assuming you have two grippers, doesn't have to be the same #, just for illustration) hold one in your left hand and one in your right, and look at them from the top down. The angle of the springs will be significantly different. I don't know if it actually makes the last 1/16" harder, but it's certainly harder for me to keep it in the right spot in my left hand.

Or: the turn of the coil causes the gripper to "try" to twist INTO your fingers in your right hand, while it tries to twist away from your fingers in your left hand. Try using your right hand on the spring to keep the gripper from twisting- it makes closing the gripper much easier. I should also point out I am using my grippers at work, where I don't have chalk or anything, and my default state from the exertion of just using a mouse causes me to sweat despite the fan blowing on me.

[EricK]

Hanging Knee Raises
An amount

Is this kinda like how pi has a finite value, that can never be expressed by finite terms?

[tersh]

Is this kinda like how pi has a finite value, that can never be expressed by finite terms?

More just that I wasn't counting, as they were on the pull-up bar at the boy's place, where I just stopped to do them when passing through the doorway sometimes.

Keep in mind the coil of the spring and shape of the handles makes actually getting the handles to touch in the left hand much harder. I count a rep with my left hand if I can get them less than 1/16"

Wait, what? It's not just my left hand being weaker?

That too, but (assuming you have two grippers, doesn't have to be the same #, just for illustration) hold one in your left hand and one in your right, and look at them from the top down. The angle of the springs will be significantly different. I don't know if it actually makes the last 1/16" harder, but it's certainly harder for me to keep it in the right spot in my left hand.

Or: the turn of the coil causes the gripper to "try" to twist INTO your fingers in your right hand, while it tries to twist away from your fingers in your left hand. Try using your right hand on the spring to keep the gripper from twisting- it makes closing the gripper much easier. I should also point out I am using my grippers at work, where I don't have chalk or anything, and my default state from the exertion of just using a mouse causes me to sweat despite the fan blowing on me.

Fascinating. I'll keep this information in mind, then.