Tip for gripping your COC (captain of crush you perverts!)/grippers

rubadub

I am talking about these


I have the cheaper heavy grips (HG) and am using them more and more these days since I found a handier way to use them. The tip is to simply stick the forefinger of your free hand through the loop to hold the gripper, or else just hold the spring some other way with the free hand. This allows you to fully extend your fingers out on the working hand with each rep, giving a greater ROM, but also getting the awkwardness out of trying to hold it. People talk of "setting" the gripper in your hand, and there are plenty of tips on youtube for it, but by holding the spring I find this far less important.

I can now fully close the 200lb HG for about 8-10 reps (the COC 200lb is a lot harder than the heavy grips one I hear, HG measure in a different place)

This tip is probably already be out there on gripper forums, I must start reading them. I think they could be used for other things, e.g. a longer bar slotted onto the really strong ones, so you could somehow work your arms or legs.

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http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=m5U4tO75NJQ

funny vid of coc

BrianD3

You are "dangling" the gripper by sticking a finger through the spring, yeah? Sometimes I dangle a gripper from a nail in the garage, I have to stretch my arm to reach up to the gripper. The result of this stretch is that its much harder to generate tension in the torso compared to closing a gripper held at waist height or whatever.

There are all sorts of things you can do with grippers anyway. I can close the #2.5 without a set and am working on the #3.

rubadub

BrianD3 wrote: »

You are "dangling" the gripper by sticking a finger through the spring, yeah?

Yeah, but I usually hold it more than just freely dangling, I can sort of press it into my hand, since I like to fully release the gripper on each rep. I also just pinch the spring with the tips of the fingers, in a sort of fist position.

BrianD3 wrote: »

The result of this stretch is that its much harder to generate tension in the torso compared to closing a gripper held at waist height or whatever.

I would imagine so. I used to use 2 grippers, one lightly pressing in the free hand. I find it works easier as it promotes tension all through your body.

Also when doing single arm dumbbell overhead presses I would have the gripper in the free hand, I found it helped me get an extra rep out.

BrianD3 wrote: »

There are all sorts of things you can do with grippers anyway. I can close the #2.5 without a set and am working on the #3.

Thats impressive. What other things do you do with them? The springs are very powerful. I have lots of metal tubing I could use. I was thinking of things like those "thighmasters", dunno if they do much good though (well not those weak ones!)



I sometimes hold one sort of in a praying postition with the spring pointing up and the handles in both palms and force my arms down.

I was also thinking you could make some slot on device with padding and rest it on your knee, then sit down infront of a heavy table and do calf raises, the other half would have a flat platform to push against the table to be stable.

I was even thinking you could have 2 weakish ones of the same strength and attach them to a chinning bar somehow, crushing as you do pullups. Dunno if the fixing of the spring to the handle is strong enough to carry body weight, i.e. you could loop webbing or rope through the spring hoop and do pullups, sort of like rope pullups. Must put my thinking cap on...

Reyman

rubadub wrote: »

I am talking about these




I can now fully close the 200lb HG for about 8-10 reps (the COC 200lb is a lot harder than the heavy grips one I hear, HG measure in a different place)

This tip is probably already be out there on gripper forums, I must start reading them. I think they could be used for other things, e.g. a longer bar slotted onto the really strong ones, so you could somehow work your arms or legs.

200 lbs is pretty good, though it would be useful to come up with an 'opposite' exercise i.e. something that exercises the extensors of the forearm rather than the flexors so that you don't get forearm trouble from 'one way' exercise?

rubadub

Reyman wrote: »

though it would be useful to come up with an 'opposite' exercise i.e. something that exercises the extensors of the forearm rather than the flexors so that you don't get forearm trouble from 'one way' exercise?

What would exercises would you recommend? I have been doing rope pullups with 2 bits of rope on the chinup bar, these hit you in a different way than the grippers and help with the grippers too, but I am guessing not the way you are talking. Would the likes of reverse curls do it? or that one holding a dumbbell with your forearm on you leg and raising it up, fingers facing the floor?

Reyman wrote: »

200 lbs is pretty good

It is hard to close mine but as I said it is 200lb HG, not COC. You can see the COC here
http://www.irish-lifting.com/product_info_equipment.php?products_id=255

Brian is closing the 2.5COC, the number 2 is 195lb and the 3 is 280lb so it is in between. The 195lb COC is harder to close than the 200lb HG. I think the HG is measured at the end, i.e. it takes 200lb of force to close it at the end of the handle, and I think it takes 195lb to close the COC in the middle of the handle.

I have a 200, 250 & 300. I am thinking a contraption could use them all at once, it might also stabilise it more. e.g. if I had 2 bits of wood, 3 holes in each, then they could all slot into the holes and make the thing stable, like a door hinge.

Reyman

rubadub wrote: »

What would exercises would you recommend? I have been doing rope pullups with 2 bits of rope on the chinup bar, these hit you in a different way than the grippers and help with the grippers too, but I am guessing not the way you are talking. Would the likes of reverse curls do it? or that one holding a dumbbell with your forearm on you leg and raising it up, fingers facing the floor?
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As I see it, wrist curls and exercises like reverse curls only exercise the wrist extensors and flexors. The grip machine exercises the finger flexors. The problem rests with the flexor extensors - they're getting no exercise at all which can't be healthy. (think of moving your fingers backwards towards the back of your hand).

The reason I'm wary of 'over gripping is because it's easy enough to get 'tennis/golfer's elbow' from over gripping and this is a difficult injury to get rid of.

Summing up - the ideal is an exercise moving the fingers back against resistance, but I can't think of any suitable one at present.

Hanley

Reyman wrote: »

Summing up - the ideal is an exercise moving the fingers back against resistance, but I can't think of any suitable one at present.

Double or triple an elastic band around your fingers and try to open them.

Get a bucket and fill it with rice or sand, jam your hands in and try and open them.

brianthebard

What coc should the average person start with and how long would it take to progress onto the next one? Might get myself one/ask for a christmas present, but wouldn't want to buy one I can't handle, or which quickly becomes too easy?

BrianD3

What coc should the average person start with and how long would it take to progress onto the next one? Might get myself one/ask for a christmas present, but wouldn't want to buy one I can't handle, or which quickly becomes too easy?

The first grippers I got were the #1 and the #2, I had been weight training for a few years at that point, was deadlifting 190 kg double overhand at the time etc. I thought I'd be able to close the #1 when i got it. But it was harder than I expected, I was 1/4 inch away from closing it and the last part of the close is the hardest. IIRC it took over a month before I could close it.

Since then I have given the #1 to many people to try it and have not yet come across anyone who could close it even with me giving them tips on technique. Even people who work with their hands such as mechanics and carpenters have not managed to close it.

rubadub

Hanley wrote: »

Double or triple an elastic band around your fingers and try to open them.

Get a bucket and fill it with rice or sand, jam your hands in and try and open them.

Good ideas, I have heard of the sand before, but usually gripping onto it. I have tubing I can use for the elastic. I suppose you could isometrically press your fingers against a table. Or get a shopping bag with weights and lift it while the handle/loop rests on your fingers, palm facing the floor. Or have the elastic around both hands in a praying position and separate them.

What coc should the average person start with and how long would it take to progress onto the next one?

Mickk sells them, dunno if he has them in the gym, you might be able to get a free testdrive to see which one suits. But you will get strong fast and outgrow one you can nearly close now. I cannot imagine myself ever closing the 300HG, my mate thought it was a joke one! couldnt budge it. I do negative closed holds on the 250, nowhere near closing it yet.

rubadub

The gruntbrain DIY site has updated the grip page, some great ideas
http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Grunt/Grip_2.html

Also lots on ironmind, this guy has loads of exercises, just keep clicking the "Next grip strength tip." on the right under the photos.
http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/ironmind/GripTips/GripTip1.html

Also check out device 11 on this page, for reverse training as menitoned.
http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/export/sites/default/ironmind/pdfs/book.pdf

BrianD3

That gruntbrain site is great, I love reading about homemade and primitive strength training equipment. The more masochistic, the better

Re: John Brookfield, one ofhis grip tips is to try to crush a raw potato in your hand (without digging fingers into it) When I heard of this task I totally underestimated how hard it would be. Tried it and didn't even make a dent in the potato, was pretty funny.

rubadub

I did the tip of wrapping the towel around a dumbell to thicken the handle. I actually found I could get an extra rep in doing overhead presses. I have heard grasping the bar well can give more strength and figure thats what was happening.

I am getting my short dipstand welded today, just made from an old metal legged table. Just needs one section welded in, it is a right angled station which I much prefer over parallel, also it will fit in the corner of a room so take up very little space. You have to bend your knees to use it, but its shortness makes it more stable.