GOPD: Gripper Obsession Personality Disorder

[Ben Edwards]

On a serious note, that is a Trainer in the picture and I found it pretty hard to close it while wearing the oven mitt.

[Nathaniel Brous]

...on a serious note. lol

[Ben Edwards]

...on a serious note. lol

I have no doubt the steel shard could still kill me. Even if it's just a Trainer. But I have a standing order with my wife to tell the media (on the event of my death from Gripper Breakage-Induced Blindness) that it was a #3 steel shard that killed me. That will keep my dignity firmly intact.

[Joe Kinney]

Maybe we should talk about holding up our off hand in front of our face in case the spring breaks and propels a shard into our eye. I've heard it's a legit method to prevent gripper breakage-induced blindness (GBIB). Sorin provides a super entertaining read on the Gripboard about this issue. Last night I did a gripper workout (my wife said she was actually glad to hear the "click-click-click" of the Left Turn grippers, since it's been a while since I did any real gripper workouts), and thought that maybe I should be safe and wear a heavy oven mitt on my off hand and use it to shield my face from possible gripper shards. In the end, I opted not to wear the oven mitt. Surely since I don't even hold the title of "Grip Baron" - it wouldn't be necessary to shield my face or my thumb from artery bleedouts. Turns out I was right. I survived another gripper workout. Who would've thought that closing grippers could be so dangerous?!? I have an order placed on Ebay for a full suit of armor to protect myself properly by the next gripper workout.

Ben,

This comedy regarding spring breakage is pretty good stuff. Some folks always feel as though they must say (or write) something. It's as if they sound off on schedule rather than when they actually have something to contribute. Maybe, it was just 'time to' sound off again.

I'm reminded of a certain American politician who suffers from this particular personality flaw. It was within hours of the announcement of the big melt-down at Fukushima. This genius called a press conference, and stated that 'We are currently using our air resources to deliver two shipments of coolant to help with the emergency at Fukushima.', or something to that effect. [email protected]%# near hurt myself laughing (this is something I never trained for – you know how it is). The irony is that there was no requirement for this person to address the press. The major networks were covering the Fukushima incident, almost non-stop, and had to interrupt this to air this press conference. Maybe, it was just 'time to' sound off again.

Anyway; the reality of the situation is that these facilities are usually built on a seacoast – so that seawater can be used to cool the reactors. Most folks who are smart enough to unzip first know this stuff. By sixth or seventh grade, you've learned how it works. Can you imagine military aircraft being dispatched to deliver a few 5 gallon buckets of seawater --- to people who live on an island??? Apparently “political genius” and real “genius” are two distinctly different categories.

Despite what this politician claimed, I think it's safe to assume that we DID NOT use “our resources” to deliver any seawater to those island folks. My chiropractor told me to stop watching the news. He figures continuously shaking my head is damaging my neck.

** Hey, on the armor; I hope you're getting that cool old metal stuff, and not the dreary modern kind.

[Randall Strossen]

Somewhere, there was a discussion about the CoC Silver Bullet event at the FitExpo in Annaheim and you can bet I got an earful about how the Captains of Crush No. 3 gripper was way out there—I was told that it was more like a No. 3.5, that it was unusually wide and that it was such an anomaly, that I could probably sell it for a minor fortune or least enough to keep TEDS in Double IPA for a day or two.

Not that this was hard science as such, but it was somewhat grueling to assemble all the CoC Silver Bullet scores from all the contests held under the Odd Haugen banner at the various FitExpo events—I was curious about this because one of the things I'd noticed right away in the Annaheim scores was that one of the competitors who I thought had been most consistent on the CoC Silver Bullet was pretty consistent once again.

So, what's the story on the Captains of Crush No. 3 gripper used in Annaheim?

Not going for a Nobel prize, I figured a quick and dirty test could potentially provide a world of insight so I grabbed two Captains of Crush No. 3 grippers at random from the window sill behind my desk, along with three randomly selected Captains of Crush No. 3.5 grippers.

Fans of gripper ratings know that a Captains of Crush No. 3 is rated at circa (sorry, but I don't know where that symbol is on my keyboard) 280 lb. and a Captains of Crush No. 3.5 is rated at circa 322.5 pounds.

I loaded up on the two Captains of Crush No. 3 grippers first and both weighed in at about 279 lb. Next up was the Captains of Crush No. 3 gripper used in Annaheim and that puppy weighed in at about 281 lb.

Attached a photo of the gripper used in the contest, along with the two control grippers, so you can compare their widths, too.

[Justin Matney]

You may have detailed this before, but I'm curious about how Ironmind weighs their grippers.

[Randall Strossen]

You may have detailed this before, but I'm curious about how Ironmind weighs their grippers.

Justin -

The Captains of Crush Gripper book has a lot of information on this, but here is a key section—reproduced with permission.

Thank you for asking—hope this helps answer your question.

[Burr Patterson]

I need a Gripper routine/workout!
I'm 73-11, just want to keep my hand in!!
Reading the current Milo Randall, from Kindle. Like it thanks.

[Steve Gardener]

There's a suggestion on Ironmind itself otherwise start using your current sets and reps for other exercises as a point of reference. There's no magic in any specific scheme someone might make up for you.

[Ben Edwards]

I am in no way pointing fingers but I find it amusing that some 'gripsters' who can close a 3.5 or pull off other impressive grip feats cannot even full squat 300lb.

Funny, because I know a young "gripster" who was just as amused at the guys who could squat 600lbs, but couldn't close a #2.

[Randall Strossen]

Funny, because I know a young "gripster" who was just as amused at the guys who could squat 600lbs, but couldn't close a #2.

:-)))))

[Ben Edwards]

Hats off to the first attempt I have seen to explain the dogleg theory, but I don't see how the mechanics could work out that way. I also have never noticed a difference between the handle positions. Do you think that if you wore a blindfold and had a few attempts with a gripper, you would be able to tell which handle was the dogleg?

On Monday, I witnessed a coworker successfully (without being able to see the spring or his hand) tell me 37 times out of 37 attempts which side the dogleg was on for every close on his #2. It brought to mind this GOPD post from Magnus. He had told me about his ability to do this before yesterday. But I didn't pay much attention until I was sitting around a week ago with a Trainer and decided to give it a try with 25 closes (eyes shut, randomly spinning the gripper this way and that...). I only got something like 7 guesses right out of the 25 closes, lol.

My coworker says that if it's a #1, he's unable to repeat his 100% success rate. It has to be a gripper that's at least moderately hard for him. These were all TNS closes. Parallel handle closes he can not feel any difference on in terms of dogleg.

[Randall Strossen]

On Monday, I witnessed a coworker successfully (without being able to see the spring or his hand) tell me 37 times out of 37 attempts which side the dogleg was on for every close on his #2. It brought to mind this GOPD post from Magnus. He had told me about his ability to do this before yesterday. But I didn't pay much attention until I was sitting around a week ago with a Trainer and decided to give it a try with 25 closes (eyes shut, randomly spinning the gripper this way and that...). I only got something like 7 guesses right out of the 25 closes, lol.

My coworker says that if it's a #1, he's unable to repeat his 100% success rate. It has to be a gripper that's at least moderately hard for him. These were all TNS closes. Parallel handle closes he can not feel any difference on in terms of dogleg.

Can he tell us the price of Apple stock on February 2, 2017?

[Ben Edwards]

Can he tell us the price of Apple stock on February 2, 2017?

Yes. $666.66.

[Ben Edwards]

Couldn't delete this one, but it's the same as the next post.

[Ben Edwards]

That's definitely a real effect. Obviously the closing force will not change depending on the way the spring is wound, all else being equal. The slight difference in difficulty has to do with the skew force. The right hand naturally draws the handles towards each other, with a right hand wound gripper, whereas it seems like harder work with the left. I have tried David Horne's left hand wound Lemley gripper (~#2.5 or so difficulty) and the reverse was true.
.

The Lemleys are pretty awkward. Last night, I got to close a Lemley again. It's been probably close to 10 years since I had a Lemley. I gave or traded mine to my buddy Travis. I never forgot how weird they feel in the hand (right hand, specifically). I like the challenge of it though. The owner of the Lemley I just closed told me that it is super rare to see it closed. He apparently brings it to Crossfit comps, powerlifting meets, and strongman comps. He's had it about 10 years and said one humongous strongman competitor closed it last year. But before that, it had been closed twice that he had witnessed. I TNS closed it both lefty and righty. Felt about a #2.5 level.

[Ben Edwards]

For me, twice, both in contests. 2009, at the "Nationals", I failed twice on an IM #3 151 something. Last attempt was an Elite 153 something, got it.
2010 at Robert Alva's contest in San Bernardino. Failed on a PDA at 155 something. Then got an IM 3 at 158 something.

It's probably obvious that I'm going through the old posts on this thread over the weekend, lol.

Mike, the Elite with that low of a rating doesn't surprise me that you were able to close it - even though it was 2lbs harder RGC rating than the #3 you failed on at the contest. It was probably very narrow. 2 and 5/8" is my guess? I had an Elite that ended up with Aaron Corcorran that was 158lbs. And that was pretty low for an Elite. It was also 2 and 5/8" spread.

The PDA at 155lbs success vs. the #3 at 158lbs was what got my attention this time around. That is a stout #3. I had some PDAs years back. They always seemed a bit harder than their RGC ratings. They bound up hard on the close. I don't remember the spread on mine being abnormally wide, though.

[Ben Edwards]

So, if the gripper is clean, oiled, and rated... It all comes down to the width of the handles... Should the width of the handles be included with the rating, at contests? Seems like it should, if it isn't already. Even if you are using a 20mil block set, the width makes it harder... Most know this, but some don't.

Every grip contest I can remember (there have been a few over the years), most of the competitors would politely tell anyone "new" or inexperienced in the gripper events that they should (if they want the best chance of closing a harder gripper) avoid smooth-handled, wide, or reverse-wound grippers. Gripper spread is definitely one of the things I take into consideration at contests when I'm perusing the gripper lineup. Here is what I look for in an "ideal" gripper for any of my 4 attempts in a contest lineup:

• RGC rating. This of course depends on what "gripper shape" I'm in. In my strongest days, it was in the high 170s to low 180s that I was looking for. I'd usually pick a mid-160s gripper (MMS) as a "gimme", just to make sure I was assured of getting my first attempt on the books.
• Handle spread. The narrower, the better. Unless the handles are smooth. Which I address later.
• Handle knurling. If it's not knurled, it's not for me. Not in a contest setting. The only way I can fathom this being different is if it was a gripper with a spread of about 1.5". Or less. In other words, it's not likely to happen. There are some grippers (very rare in a contest setting) that are parallel handles or very, very narrow spread. It would take an exceptionally narrow, smooth-handled gripper for me to even consider using it in a contest setting. I like super aggressive knurling for contest attempts. IronMind grippers and GHP have great knurling. RB grippers are too smooth for my liking.
• Reverse wound? Nope. Pass on this at pretty much any RGC rating. This is just me though. I don't like the feel of reverse wound grippers for my right hand in a contest setting. I have seen a few Lemleys over the years in contest lineups, that's why I'm mentioning this. Not a dig on the Left Turn grippers. These are awesome. But I wouldn't pick one in a contest lineup either.
• Handle size. I avoid small-handled grippers like GNC grippers and the 5/8"-handled Tetting grippers in contest lineups. I enjoy training with them, but they are not conducive to getting a big RGC poundage gripper close on board. I also avoid large-handled grippers. Like the Heavy Grips 400. Those are very fat handles. RB grippers have slightly thicker handles. I avoid those.

[Ben Edwards]

That 1.5" block kind of training is a nice way to go. I found 7 reps with a 2.5 using the block between each rep was good for 1 rep with the no.3 from the same width.

Bob, I wanted to thank you for this bit of info! This was actually the real reason (searching for your post^) that I began reviewing this thread in the first place. It got to be such entertaining reading - again - that I just kept reading from post 1. I'll continue to the end of it, just to review it and entertain myself again.

Anyway, I had printed off just the bit that I put here in quotes. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the date that you posted it in my printout. So I had to go find it. I went looking for it again because a year ago I gave the printoff to a friend of mine who was very interested in closing the #2. She was an accomplished college track 400m runner. No shortage of fast twitch fibers is what I'm getting at, lol. She closed the Trainer with no set the very first time I met her over a decade ago. And was very close to no set closing the #1 back then. She was able to close the #1 with a parallel set. Then she moved away and we fell out of contact with each other over the years.

She Facebook messaged me the day before Thanksgiving and after we exchanged pleasantries - she told me that she had just CCS closed the #2 (!) a few weeks ago! I was excited for her, and honestly a bit surprised she hadn't done it way before now. But she said she quit strength training and grip work soon after moving away. She got a divorce about 6 months ago and began grip training and strength training again. She said your simple gripper advice is the only thing she followed as a workout. Started with a Sport 6 months ago and made her way pretty quickly to CCS closing a #1. Then the #1.5 about 2 months ago. I'm trying to pin down a solid yes or no on whether she wants to certify on the #2. She's probably not going to. Which disappoints me. But I wouldn't be allowed to be her judge anyway because we are thousands of miles apart now. Plus her job is "sensitive" - and that is the biggest hurdle probably.

Anyway, she told me to thank you for simplifying her grip training!

I had to eat a bit of crow in telling you this. Because I wrote up a program for her years ago and she said it was just too complicated to follow. Ouch, haha.

[Robert artmont]

Bob, I wanted to thank you for this bit of info! This was actually the real reason (searching for your post^) that I began reviewing this thread in the first place. It got to be such entertaining reading - again - that I just kept reading from post 1. I'll continue to the end of it, just to review it and entertain myself again.

Anyway, I had printed off just the bit that I put here in quotes. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the date that you posted it in my printout. So I had to go find it. I went looking for it again because a year ago I gave the printoff to a friend of mine who was very interested in closing the #2. She was an accomplished college track 400m runner. No shortage of fast twitch fibers is what I'm getting at, lol. She closed the Trainer with no set the very first time I met her over a decade ago. And was very close to no set closing the #1 back then. She was able to close the #1 with a parallel set. Then she moved away and we fell out of contact with each other over the years.

She Facebook messaged me the day before Thanksgiving and after we exchanged pleasantries - she told me that she had just CCS closed the #2 (!) a few weeks ago! I was excited for her, and honestly a bit surprised she hadn't done it way before now. But she said she quit strength training and grip work soon after moving away. She got a divorce about 6 months ago and began grip training and strength training again. She said your simple gripper advice is the only thing she followed as a workout. Started with a Sport 6 months ago and made her way pretty quickly to CCS closing a #1. Then the #1.5 about 2 months ago. I'm trying to pin down a solid yes or no on whether she wants to certify on the #2. She's probably not going to. Which disappoints me. But I wouldn't be allowed to be her judge anyway because we are thousands of miles apart now. Plus her job is "sensitive" - and that is the biggest hurdle probably.

Anyway, she told me to thank you for simplifying her grip training!

I had to eat a bit of crow in telling you this. Because I wrote up a program for her years ago and she said it was just too complicated to follow. Ouch, haha.

That's pretty cool, Ben! Very happy for her...she is very welcome.

I have a guy at work that I've been lending grippers to...he is really excited about getting the no.2 shut. I told him it's a really solid feat to close an no.2; but have not mentioned that there are two women (that I'm aware of) that can close it. He's feeling good about the training and I don't want him to feel bad.
Even tho these are special ladies with a lot of strength and he shouldn't feel bad, it's best to not tell him yet.