Wide TNS Gripper Close

[Ben Edwards]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79NYM2kOxxM

Sometimes it's good to get out of your comfort zone and do some very wide set work on the grippers. I just bought this FBBC 3X from a guy on the Gripboard. Got it yesterday and set out with the goal of no set closing it with my right hand. Got that - but not without some hard work and several failed attempts.

This particular gripper has slick handles that are 5/8" diameter. The slick handles already make the close more difficult by a significant degree. Factor in the reduced size of the handles and that creates even more difficulty in closing the gripper - the handles have to be closed even tighter. The hand tends to "crowd in" on itself so a slightly different placement in the hand has to be adopted to allow the hand to close tight enough to close the gripper without pinching the skin to dust between the handles.

The final factor making this gripper so hard to close is the wide spread - 3 and 3/16". A normal Captain of Crush brand gripper is anywhere from 2.75"-3" spread. And even a 3" spread is pretty wide for most people. I prefer no set closing grippers that are narrow to 2.75" spread.

But like I said, it's good to get out of your comfort zone occasionally and do something that the hands don't especially like or that they're not necessarily suited for.

I've been pretty strong on no set gripper closes for some years now. But this might be the widest gripper that I've no set closed so far. I'm pretty pleased with the gripper itself and will definitely keep it around for a challenge and for no set and deep set work in the future.

How many of you change up your gripper workouts to include different sets on a regular basis? If you're currently training grippers but you only stick to one set (or no set) - you're missing out on one piece of the strength puzzle.

Working with a deep set (parallel handles) will help you get stronger if you normally do no set closes. The opposite holds true though. If you normally do parallel set closes - throw in some no set closes and watch your strength increase over the full range of a gripper close.

I should've measured the spread of Al Myers's old steel-handled #2. It seems to be at least 3" and possibly a bit wider. He's always amused when I walk in and slam it shut no set as part of my warmup on the way to his hardest #3. Full disclosure - I am not even close on his hard #3 no set. I'm referring to parallel set or slightly wider when speaking of his hard #3.

This FBBC 3X with the small handles is on par with most #3s that I've no set closed. And harder in some ways because of the very wide spread and the juggling that I have to do with the handles to pull them in a bit to get my other fingers in on the action before starting the final squeeze.

[Jordan Rechsteiner]

Very nice Ben! That is one heck of a spread with tiny smooth handles to boot to TNS. Bravo man! :;st) How much does that calibrate at?

-Jordan

[Jordan Rechsteiner]

I change up my game plan every 2-3 weeks on about 70% of everything that I do. As my performance increases, I find that there are many areas of my close that are not on par with the improvements I am showing due to training a paticular movement. These weaker areas hold me back from progressing further and I find that it is necessary to switch my training program up to accomodate them so everything is as well rounded as it can be. Does that make sense? If I were to just continue with one dominate exercise I would have too many anchors that slowed my progress despite my improvements in a single area to make my progress continual. For this reason I do a "boot camp" or super hard phase with a new aspect of grip then in 2-3 weeks when I find that my program needs to be changed up, I only do minor maintaining amounts with that main exercise and focus instead on something else that could stand some improvement. That has really been the key to my continual upward success=constant adaptation.

-Jordan

[Ben Edwards]

Very nice Ben! That is one heck of a spread with tiny smooth handles to boot to TNS. Bravo man! :;st) How much does that calibrate at?

-Jordan
Thanks Jordan! No rating (calibration) yet. Probably won't send it away for a while just because it costs me over $10 just to send it and pay for shipping to get it rated on an RGC device. I'll wait until I have a few to put together in a package to get rated. It's hard to say what it might rate...I want to say closer to 150lbs...but in reality it'll probably be low 140s.

[Jordan Rechsteiner]

Thanks Jordan! No rating (calibration) yet. Probably won't send it away for a while just because it costs me over $10 just to send it and pay for shipping to get it rated on an RGC device. I'll wait until I have a few to put together in a package to get rated. It's hard to say what it might rate...I want to say closer to 150lbs...but in reality it'll probably be low 140s.

Wow, that makes the level 10-11 TNS on my filed Vulcan pale in comparison. I've decided to take a page out of your book and focus on TNS as I have never done any serious TNS work and I think it should really help tighten up my game for the CCS. My problem is getting my index and middle finger around the other handle enough to get my ring on it. Yeah I know (Jordan) <--- TNS NOOB. :;lh) Additionally, I figure the TNS has the most application towards a hard, commanding handshake don't you think?

-Jordan

[Ben Edwards]

Wow, that makes the level 10-11 TNS on my filed Vulcan pale in comparison. I've decided to take a page out of your book and focus on TNS as I have never done any serious TNS work and I think it should really help tighten up my game for the CCS. My problem is getting my index and middle finger around the other handle enough to get my ring on it. Yeah I know (Jordan) <--- TNS NOOB. :;lh) Additionally, I figure the TNS has the most application towards a hard, commanding handshake don't you think?

-Jordan

Jordan, I agree regarding (table no set) TNS closes and handshake strength. It definitely doesn't hurt. I also don't give a ton of pressure on handshakes - you're probably the same. I have gotten really good at modulating pressure on a handshake to roughly match whoever I'm shaking hands with. Or that's the goal at least. I can do a very small amount for frail elderly and a very high force one when I'm shaking hands with certain guys at grip contests - guys I know have a serious handshake and if I don't try to match their pressure it will hurt my hand. Literally. Matching their pressure at least equalizes the pressure and means they won't hurt my hand. I don't have a very small hand so it's not often that it gets hurt with a handshake. But I can remember very vividly shaking hands with 3 guys who had demolishing handshakes. Dave Morton - on the #4 list in 2005. Bill Kazmaier - WSM multi-winner a few years ago. And Big Tony Scrivens in 2008. Big Tony's hand is GIGANTIC! Jaw-droppingly huge hand. He probably didn't even give me much pressure in reality. But his hand is so big that I tried to equalize the pressure a bit by giving him a lot more pressure than I would a normal person (of course, considering he was a pro strongman with a massive hand) and I think it backfired on me, lol.

Just so I'm clear, I don't ever TRY to hurt someone by shaking their hand too hard. I do know some guys who try to give a lot more pressure than they should, so there are tricks to get past that. One of my favorites I learned as a kid - the "trooper handshake." Law enforcement guys will probably know what I mean. It's been in use for quite a while I think. At least since I was a kid. And probably far longer than that. Just a method of reducing the ability of someone shaking your hand to crush your hand in a stupidly hard handshake. I won't be able to describe it well in words so I won't even try.

Oh, another thing about TNS Jordan. You're right in thinking it will make your game even better if you get strong at them. My actual #3 cert consisted of this:

-COC close of #3 righty.
switch to left hand with no rest
-COC close of #3 lefty.
switch to right hand with no rest
-TNS close of #3 righty.
switch to left hand with no rest
-TNS close of #3 lefty.

Done and done.

[Jordan Rechsteiner]

Jordan, I agree regarding (table no set) TNS closes and handshake strength. It definitely doesn't hurt. I also don't give a ton of pressure on handshakes - you're probably the same. I have gotten really good at modulating pressure on a handshake to roughly match whoever I'm shaking hands with. Or that's the goal at least. I can do a very small amount for frail elderly and a very high force one when I'm shaking hands with certain guys at grip contests - guys I know have a serious handshake and if I don't try to match their pressure it will hurt my hand. Literally. Matching their pressure at least equalizes the pressure and means they won't hurt my hand. I don't have a very small hand so it's not often that it gets hurt with a handshake. But I can remember very vividly shaking hands with 3 guys who had demolishing handshakes. Dave Morton - on the #4 list in 2005. Bill Kazmaier - WSM multi-winner a few years ago. And Big Tony Scrivens in 2008. Big Tony's hand is GIGANTIC! Jaw-droppingly huge hand. He probably didn't even give me much pressure in reality. But his hand is so big that I tried to equalize the pressure a bit by giving him a lot more pressure than I would a normal person (of course, considering he was a pro strongman with a massive hand) and I think it backfired on me, lol.

Just so I'm clear, I don't ever TRY to hurt someone by shaking their hand too hard. I do know some guys who try to give a lot more pressure than they should, so there are tricks to get past that. One of my favorites I learned as a kid - the "trooper handshake." Law enforcement guys will probably know what I mean. It's been in use for quite a while I think. At least since I was a kid. And probably far longer than that. Just a method of reducing the ability of someone shaking your hand to crush your hand in a stupidly hard handshake. I won't be able to describe it well in words so I won't even try.

Oh, another thing about TNS Jordan. You're right in thinking it will make your game even better if you get strong at them. My actual #3 cert consisted of this:

-COC close of #3 righty.
switch to left hand with no rest
-COC close of #3 lefty.
switch to right hand with no rest
-TNS close of #3 righty.
switch to left hand with no rest
-TNS close of #3 lefty.

Done and done.

Yes, I don't give someone a maximum force handshake when I squeeze-that might injure someone. Now, my handshake has landed me several jobs including my current one as a bouncer. The head of security did MMA like I did a few years back and I knew he would have a good grip, so I let him have it almost full force and he has never doubted my ability to handle people, nobody who shakes my hand does-lol I am such a nerd with my grip. When I met Paul Knight I was actually wondering if he was going to crush my hand or not and he graciously gave me a normal handshake as did Eric. lol quite glad they did. My handshake does help me stop fights from boistrous drunks before they start. I'll bet those guys do have bone crushing grips! I wonder why Dave hasn't done the MM7 it should be no problem having done the #4 certification even under the old rules. Yes, I had heard that you did a CCS and TNS with both hands on the #3 certification but I hadn't heard that you didn't rest in between reps. Thats amazing Ben! :;tu) To respond to another comment you made on I forget which thread, yes I did remember that you did a CCS on a #3.5 a few years back. Actually training with my vulcan instead of letting it collect dust is accomplishing wonders for my set/grip. Its filed and I had previously never closed a filed level 13 before with an extra wide CCS. Since I've taken a 1/4" off the handles total I add that to my credit card and then some and do the close at 2.5". I closed a level 15 like that today which was sensational! With a little more training on the Vulcan and a little more CCS practice I will be ready for that #3.5.

-Jordan

[Ben Edwards]

Sent the FBBC 3X gripper out to get calibrated but Jason Steeves wasn't able to calibrate it due to the small and slick handles. It kept sliding all around apparently. He thinks it would've been in the mid-140s though.