GOPD: Gripper Obsession Personality Disorder

[Randall Strossen]

[Cesare Ricchezza]

I super proud of Certifying on the COC #3 and have my name listed with other very strong men. I trained very hard for it. I'll admit that I have GOPD but I also have other interests. I strength train my entire body, I regularly play basketball, I'll be competing in my first arm wrestling competition soon, I just started bending steel to train for the red nail certification. I work really hard in school and these activities let me release stress and have fun. I love setting physical goals and training to achieve them. I started as a skinny high school kid and now I'm 260 lbs. I can't help that this is what I love but it makes me happy. There is something about grippers. They are so Simply. I also feel its harder to get injured while training with grippers than by bench pressing, squatting and deadlifting. I'll always be a gripper guy. There is a satisfaction I feel in crushing a huge gripper and a adrenaline high. I just started to compete in grip competitions and I love them. I'm going to keep training hard and see how far I can go.

[dave murray]

answer . i am sick of you. you and Kim are twins. sad really, you aren't even a real doctor. if you can't give out medication. so, not a doctor respond when you are a real doctor , and can close on of your variable grippers.

[Randall Strossen]

answer . i am sick of you. you and Kim are twins. sad really, you aren't even a real doctor. if you can't give out medication. so, not a doctor respond when you are a real doctor , and can close on of your variable grippers.

[Jordan Rechsteiner]

Lets talk about some of the positive aspects of this obsession for a change. What has obsessing over grippers done for you? Lets discuss the benefits of obsession. Or if you are an average guy is it possible for you to close the #3 and larger grippers without having an obsession for them?

-Jordan

[Magnus Gustafsson]

dave -

You do yourself proud—you whine about how this thread isn't up to your standards and then you post rambling rot like this.

Take a hike.

He posted that after two in the morning local time following a Friday evening. Suspect his "standards" don't filter much under such circumstances...

[Randall Strossen]

He posted that after two in the morning local time following a Friday evening. Suspect his "standards" don't filter much under such circumstances...

What do you think: Should we prescribe some black coffee?

[Jordan Rechsteiner]

What do you think: Should we prescribe some black coffee?

Coffee makes people more obsessed...hmmm I think I'll make myself a cup. Who needs sleep anyway right? I wish someone would answer my question of do you think an average joe can close a #3 without some stage of GOPD? I vote no and the only way you could do it fast would be if you were ridiculously strong to begin with like vache or rich williams. Those two make the Hulk look like a pencil-necked geek. I wish my physical strength was like theirs I'd be much farther on my journey.

-Jordan

[Zach Kasukonis]

Coffee makes people more obsessed...hmmm I think I'll make myself a cup. Who needs sleep anyway right? I wish someone would answer my question of do you think an average joe can close a #3 without some stage of GOPD? I vote no and the only way you could do it fast would be if you were ridiculously strong to begin with like vache or rich williams. Those two make the Hulk look like a pencil-necked geek. I wish my physical strength was like theirs I'd be much farther on my journey.

-Jordan

Yeah, Im with you on this one. Barring those "monster" type guys who may be able to do it with very little directed training, anyone else has to put a lot of time and energy into getting to that point. Simply picking up your grippers and giving them a few squeezes a couple of times a week will never get you past the #2.5, max. I know, as I'm one of those who started out on a #2(manual labor job and all), and the previous describes my training approach to the grippers, and in 2 years I have done no more than get to where I can close a #2.5 most days. And it seems that I will continue to stagnate at this level unless I start paying close attention, keeping a log etc, and getting way more obsessive about training grippers. They are tough little beasts, and require a lot of hard work to be any good at.

[Ben Edwards]

Coffee makes people more obsessed...hmmm I think I'll make myself a cup. Who needs sleep anyway right? I wish someone would answer my question of do you think an average joe can close a #3 without some stage of GOPD? I vote no and the only way you could do it fast would be if you were ridiculously strong to begin with like vache or rich williams. Those two make the Hulk look like a pencil-necked geek. I wish my physical strength was like theirs I'd be much farther on my journey.

-Jordan

My opinion is NO. An average guy will not close the #3 without obsessing about it to some degree. I did. A lot. For several years. Was it worth it? Yes! To me. Now others will undoubtedly laugh. But it meant a lot - and still does - to me so I went after it. There are other strength goals that I have set and achieved (and some I haven't) but most are far less important to me than the #3 cert.

I believe that I started "average" physically. But after enough time (maybe 2 years) I realized I was hooked without an end in sight. That started the beginning of my burning focus (or obsession, whatever you want to call it - I'm not ashamed to call it an obsession though) on getting much stronger on grippers. At that moment when I made that decision - BAM! - I shed the skin of an average person and started growing the skin of a grip berserker. Okay, that last part is meant to be a joke. Some here don't know my sense of humor. But in a way it's also true.

My wife remembers fondly (and she good-naturedly rolls her eyes with the retelling of these stories) when I used to bring my chalked up #3 (what became my certification #3) into the kitchen and ask her to "witness" my attempt to close it. It was attempted at first with no set and later with a parallel set for most of the attempts. I missed probably 100 times - with her witnessing - before finally deep set closing that #3. I was so proud that I still remember the first close like it was yesterday. The feeling of sheer joy that I finally touched the handles on a gripper that I had taken hundreds and possibly thousands of attempts on - all without success until that fateful day when Consistent Training registered on GripCupid.com and met with Desire and the two sat down for lunch soon after at Cafe Success. Successes piled up after that and I worked my way to wider sets on the same gripper. Then parallel sets on harder grippers. Then wider sets on those harder grippers.

Pretty close to what Jordan's doing now with his training in other words. And I'll state it for the record: I think Jordan will certify on the #4. When? I don't know. He has a lot of potential. And more importantly, the desire - coupled with that potential. That's what takes you places on big goals. Goals that most others have never even considered writing down because they seem untouchable or because the price that a body would have to pay to reach the goal would seem like a punishment one of the Titans would be subjected to on a daily basis.

I think most #3 closers (even certified) DO NOT have a great shot at certing on the #4. There are half a dozen that I can name right now (in my head) that have the tools and the basic horsepower to get it accomplished if they set their mind to it and the stars aligned - in terms of no injuries, good recovery, etc. If anyone is interested, I DO NOT think that I have the potential to cert on the #4. More importantly, I don't have the desire to train to get to the point where it would even be a pipe dream.

[Jordan Rechsteiner]

Agreed, I was actually about where you are now a year ago when I joined this forum Zach. I've had to obsess and watch videos and look at training logs and research technique to get to where I am today. Admittedly where I am at isn't even that good but it is better than where I was before I became obsessed. I had GOPD stage 1 when I closed the #1 and GOPD stage 2 when I joined the IM forum. Stage 3 was when I CCS a #3 and later when I filmed it. I guess when I get the #4 I will be terminal for sure haha...and finally able to get on with my life and do something different. Obsession is healthy because it is being honest and honestly persuing what you want instead of playing it all cool and giving a ho hum effort. That is my reasoning for me anyway.

-Jordan

[Aaron Farley]

Lets talk about some of the positive aspects of this obsession for a change. What has obsessing over grippers done for you? Lets discuss the benefits of obsession. Or if you are an average guy is it possible for you to close the #3 and larger grippers without having an obsession for them?

-Jordan

Not trying to brag here but I closed my number 3 the first time I tried so I mean it is possible. Maybe I'm in denial over GOPD?

[Jordan Rechsteiner]

Not trying to brag here but I closed my number 3 the first time I tried so I mean it is possible. Maybe I'm in denial over GOPD?

So you had never done gripper work prior to that? Aren't you a big guy too aaron?

-Jordan

[Zach Kasukonis]

Not trying to brag here but I closed my number 3 the first time I tried so I mean it is possible. Maybe I'm in denial over GOPD?

I had heard of people being able to do this. You are clearly one of those "monsters" I was speaking of. I have had several dozen "strong" men (at work and at the gym) give my grippers a go, and have seen most manage the #1, a handful close the #1.5, and none yet manage the #2(though a few guys were mighty close and would probably do so with nothing but a little work on technique). This kind of thing is extremely impressive to me, Aaron, and I am curious as to how much previous grip training in general you had done? And how close are you to the #3.5? Just got inspired to give my #3 a go as I haven't tried it in a while, and I am still a good half inch(maybe 5/8) off of a TNS close.

[Aaron Farley]

So you had never done gripper work prior to that? Aren't you a big guy too aaron?

-Jordan

LOL No no no I didn't say I had never done gripper work, I had a 1 and a 1.5 that I used for about a year on and off. But I thought the question was could it be done without being obsessed over grippers? I got my 2 and 3 on the same day this past December.

[Zach Kasukonis]

LOL No no no I didn't say I had never done gripper work, I had a 1 and a 1.5 that I used for about a year on and off. But I thought the question was could it be done without being obsessed over grippers? I got my 2 and 3 on the same day this past December.

Still quite impressive. I can say from experience that work with a 1, 1.5, or 2 does little to help you towards the 3. I think if all you had was a 1.5, no matter how many reps you managed to work up to with it, you would never progress to the 3.

[Zach Kasukonis]

LOL No no no I didn't say I had never done gripper work, I had a 1 and a 1.5 that I used for about a year on and off. But I thought the question was could it be done without being obsessed over grippers? I got my 2 and 3 on the same day this past December.

Oh yes, and I forgot to include this:
For a #3 close first try.

[Stefan Mianowski]

Some really good comments have been made that I wanted to address.

1- Dr. Strossen on certification hit the nail on the head. It makes your close official and not just talk- it is the final step of the major goal of closing a #3. If we want to grow grip as a legit sport, internet videos and talk alone won't do it.

2- Jordan on combat- great point. I can certainly see how throwing around terms like "combat sport" and "battlefield" to describe games could really get under the skin of a true veteran. Even if those terms aren't intended to insult, to use them carelessly does diminish the staggering difference between the 2 in a way we shouldn't forget. Similarly, police, doctors, firemen, veterans and anyone else who saves lives (especially those who risk their own life to do so) should be considered heros well before we mention athletes. (kind of reminds me of referring to the "disease" of the 10 year old boy with ALL [a child predominant leukemia] and then hearing "disease" also used for the compulsive shopper... technically "dis-ease" is correct for each, but I think everyone understand my point)

3- Chris on the way we view things due to experience- Where you have been in a sport, the level of athlete you were or that you worked with can really alter your perception of normal, and change your idea about what is good or even "worthy of praise" in a way. This is something I believe I can really understand about Kim, because I am the exact same way- just for me, it is with competitive swimming. After achieving moderate success in the sport (NCAA champion) but still well off the likes of any swimmer you would have heard of, (including some Olympians and even medalist I went on to train or work with- further altering my perception) the term "fast" takes on a different meaning. For me to be impressed with a swim literally takes, like Chris said, probably something in the top 1% or better. To be honest, this often results in me sounding like a real dick (and as I reread my post, I find what I wrote sounding elitist, snobby etc), My "attaboys" are pretty hard to come by (except with the younger crowd who I tried to praise primarily on effort, rather than on results.) However, when it comes to a certain level, (ie national/international competition) unfortunately effort doesn't mean much next to results. There are no more participation ribbons etc... I can only guess that Kim, who spent a much greater portion of his life, and in fact a career in a top level environment would be at least as much if not more "jaded" (or enlightened depending on your view- if that makes sense)

While I never did much with football besides some catch, and I doubt Kim does much more than dog-paddle, after thinking about it, I can relate to where he is coming from (or seems to be at least). At the same time, though, I am quite congratulatory to accomplishments that I know someone worked hard on (even if it was only a #1 or #2 close)... does this show my lack of experience around top strength feats- probably- (im still happy anytime I have 225 or more on the bench- 2 plates each side looks really hard to my GF, who, YES, I am trying to impress and get praise from :;hy))

I guess with such a grass roots type sport like grip, and one where all you need is a gripper and to squeeze, a much broader "at home" audience is drawn in. I can train grip 1-2 times a week and get good results- something impossible with other sports. Its a sort of "every mans" sport, and hence a more casual attitude is the norm. Also, an elite attitude towards grip pushes away would be participants...

Overall, I think I see where you coming from Kim (on this topic I spoke of above- and maybe only that one :;hy)) Your tact and presentation is another story...

Oh and Laine, your poetry was nice too. I would love to see you put out a book, with one cover you hauling up some monstrous weight and the other, you with a dainty pen in a bright (mostly pink with lots of flowers) room writing poetry. This is the dichotomy I pictured while reading your post- hulk like man/happy flower poetry...:;hy)

Well, there is my novel for the night.

[Aaron Farley]

I had heard of people being able to do this. You are clearly one of those "monsters" I was speaking of. I have had several dozen "strong" men (at work and at the gym) give my grippers a go, and have seen most manage the #1, a handful close the #1.5, and none yet manage the #2(though a few guys were mighty close and would probably do so with nothing but a little work on technique). This kind of thing is extremely impressive to me, Aaron, and I am curious as to how much previous grip training in general you had done? And how close are you to the #3.5? Just got inspired to give my #3 a go as I haven't tried it in a while, and I am still a good half inch(maybe 5/8) off of a TNS close.

A very good friend of mine purchased a CoC 1 and 1.5 for me as Christmas gifts in 2010, before that I had never touched a serious gripper or trained grip specifically. I've lifted wieghts off and on for 11 years now though so I'm sure that's helped, that and growing up on a farm doing manual labor probably helped out as well. Before I became a Deputy I had a small lawn mowing business ( around 50 yards a week ) so I've always worked outside with my hands. I'm sure I'm just opening myself up for ridicule with this, but in college I cheered for two years ( say what you want but until you've held a 120lb girl over your head with one hand it is harder than it sounds ) and that may have helped develope my hand strength too ( plus I met my now wife Jennifer ). I came very close to a no set close on my 3.5 the other day but haven't tried it since, it usually takes a week for my hand to rest up after a run in with the 3.5, I had to take a week off from grip training after I cut my trigger finger a few weeks ago too.

[Zach Kasukonis]

Oh and Laine, your poetry was nice too. I would love to see you put out a book, with one cover you hauling up some monstrous weight and the other, you with a dainty pen in a bright (mostly pink with lots of flowers) room writing poetry. This is the dichotomy I pictured while reading your post- hulk like man/happy flower poetry...:;hy)

Excellent post Stefan. I agree with it in its entirety, but especially with the above lines. In fact, I like the idea so much that I will offer to pre-order $100 worth(unsure what the final price-point would be) of this book immediately if Laine agrees to write it!