Grip Contests: Most Important Event?

[Randall Strossen]

If you had to pick just one event for a grip contest, what would you choose?

[Chris Rice]

I'd pick one I might do well at :;hy).

Probably the adjustable two hand pinch event by David Horne as it is about as fair as an event can be made to all hand sizes and body strengths . It's also probably the most popular event right now in contests. At a personal level - I like sledge hammers in various forms - they aren't popular and are really hard to judge so they really aren't a great contest event - I like them is all.

[Joe Keenan]

Farmers walk!

[Ben Edwards]

If you had to pick just one event for a grip contest, what would you choose?

Loaded question, lol.

If we're talking what do I think is the best overall test of grip strength (limited to picking one event) I'd say the 2-Hand Pinch on the Euro (or Americanized version) Pinch Adjustable Pinch Apparatus. I'm terrible at this event.

However, if you're asking what event we would choose in a "challenge"-type grip contest where the sole goal is to beat everyone or place as high as possible, regardless of whether it's legitimately the best grip test, then I'd choose the 1" vertical bar. And would hold my own with everyone I've heard of for the most part.

[Randall Strossen]

My wording on this was pretty clumsy, so I just tried to improve the thread title a little, and maybe someone can suggest something better.

I guess another way to get at this is to think of the events that are at the bottom of the ladder—they might be things that you're good at, but that don't really test grip strength too well.

For example, I'm not big on using standard grip machines in contests because they are so easy to cheat on, even if in principle they pinpoint crushing grip.

I also think the events should be based on things that are pretty widely available so they don't favor the few guys who have good access to them.

[Andrew Durniat]

Pinch events and grippers are key. The debate for set width is in another thread/novel.

Big weight lifts are good for crowd enjoyment; farmers/frame holds, axle/giant dumbbell deadlifts

[Chris Rice]

Randall - with the pinch event on the adjustable setup - everyone, regardless of hand size etc can choose the width that allows the best fit "for them" and the weights lifted are such that overall body strength is not a limiting factor - it's seems to be a very "fair" event. True, it isn't a piece of equipment that everyone has access to but in reality, many of the items we think of as common aren't always. Even "Axles" aren't something you find in many main street type or school gyms even though most of us here think of them as being everywhere.

Grippers, some kind of pinch, some kind of support lift (fat bar DL, Hercules Hold, Farmers hold, Frame, Oly bar DL with no hook etc)(some done for time or distance, some for max weight), seem to be the mainstays of most grip competitions. Medleys are also popular - more so here in the US it seems. Sometimes wrist strength but not often - there doesn't seem to be a good test out there for contest purposes here. Using things like 2 - 45s etc as a test has many drawbacks due to the wide variance between plates etc. What ever test you use needs to not only be common but consistent - and that's tough to do over the scope of the entire world. The US uses pounds - Europe etc use Kilos - even that makes for difficulties in absolutely fair testing. The one thing I have never seen though (off the main stage anyway) is a grip contest without some kind of gripper event.

[Bob Lipinski]

Pinch.

Even without the Euro implement it is easy to rig up plates. Grippers maybe second, maybe not. One handed deadlifts somewhere in the mix, and really term can encompass a million things- oly bar, RT, plateau buster, etc.

[Casey Emery]

Adjustable two hands pinch.

[Jyrki Rantanen]

Hercules hold and AA max.