Captains of crush handgrips

booyahdub

Anybody used these?

http://www.irish-lifting.com/product_info_equipment.php?cPath=1_10&products_id=255

gonna get one but im not sure which weight to start off with, trainer(100lb) or no. 1 (140lb). I have done a good bit with grip training, like using a stick attached to a rope and a weight and you roll the weight up, but I dont want to order one of these grippers and find out its too difficult to squeeze.

rubadub

I would get the 1 at least probably the 2 if you have good grip. You might not be able to close it at first, but that is not expected. If you could close it straight off you would outgrow it very quickly.

If I was starting again I would get a JB gripper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EwFnW6iC4w

I have made tubes to go over my handles so they are like long handles like these, it is far better. One gripper takes the place of many.

booyahdub

Thanks for the advice, im gonna go with the number 2 captains of crush because i can get them off an irish web site. Mainly getting them because my hands are the first thing to fail when Im doing shrugs and deadlifts

BrianD3

I'd say get the #1 and the #2. You may find that you cannot close the #1 without training it for a while. And the #2 is way harder than the #1.

Often, one type of grip/hand/wrist strength doesn't carry over too well to other types so the rolling you have been doing may not be of great help for closing a gripper.

Also, grippers may not help much with the grip for deadlifting etc. When I first got my gripper I was deadlifting over 400 pounds double overhand and doing heavy weighted pullups with close to 100% of my bodyweight strapped on. Yet it took quite a lot of training with the #1 gripper before I was able to close it.

kevpants

booyahdub wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, im gonna go with the number 2 captains of crush because i can get them off an irish web site. Mainly getting them because my hands are the first thing to fail when Im doing shrugs and deadlifts

Ehh just to weigh in here I don't know about skipping the 1. Rubadub you train your grip a lot from what I can tell. I mean I can't close the 1 fully and I have no problem holding onto a 200kg+ deadlift for a few reps. I know they are technically different types of grip strength but just be warned that if you go for the 2 you might end up on the phone to Mick in Irish lifting giving out to him because he appears to have sold you a set of grippers that he welded stiff

booyahdub

good advice, il prob go for both, ther 25 quid each so if i get one thats too easy or too difficult its not like its a major loss, is there any way using these will result in thicker wrists?

rubadub

kevpants wrote: »

Ehh just to weigh in here I don't know about skipping the 1. Rubadub you train your grip a lot from what I can tell. I mean I can't close the 1 fully and I have no problem holding onto a 200kg+ deadlift for a few reps.

Yeah, sorry I thought the OP was going to get 2, I see now it was either trainer OR the number 1. I was really saying to skip the trainer and get at least the 1 (or the 1&2 if he wanted 2 of them). If only getting one I would agree the 1 should be enough for now, judging by what you guys say.

When you can close it a lot you can modify them to make them harder, I filed down my HG200. I would now say it is a "225" as I have the 250 and it is inbetween the 2.

Yet it took quite a lot of training with the #1 gripper before I was able to close it.

Did you find it then weakened? I hear there is a seasoning period. By HG200 was hard to close, my brother tried who is fairly well built and does some weights and failed. It seemed a lot easier after properly closing it for several months, I loaned it to a guy and heard guys I know were closing it who I would not consider particularly strong. I think the CoCs do not suffer such severe seasoning "breaking in".

Davei141

Quick Q and sorry if off topic, but would a a captain of crush be the same as the Heavy Grip brand eg if they both rated 150 lbs?

rubadub

booyahdub wrote: »

there any way using these will result in thicker wrists?

Mine don't look thicker anyway. Some actually would prefer skinny wrists since big forearms look even bigger with a narrow wrist. The owner of irish lifting is a member here called Mickk, he owns a gym in dublin city, dunno if he has grippers in the gym, or ones out of packets that you could test drive. But like I say it will be very hard at first, I was cursing for wasting my money on the HG300 when I was nowhere near closing the 200. I am about 2mm off closing the HG250 now, and for comparison can do 15 rope pullups which destroy the forearms.

Mickk mentioned a while back that he would have cheaper copys of the CoCs. He might have them and not be on the website.

rubadub

Davei141 wrote: »

Quick Q and sorry if off topic, but would a a captain of crush be the same as the Heavy Grip brand eg if they both rated 150 lbs?

No, quite different. I saw a comparison chart once. To calibrate them they add a load on the handle, the HG adds the load further towards the end of the handle than the CoC. I am ~180lb and cannot close the HG200 with all my weight acting on it.

I made extensions for my HG300, like that JB gripper. It is very easy to close it holding on down the end, and harder as you go up, due to a lever effect. This allows for very fine gradual increases in resistance. This helps A LOT! when you see they are close to touching it psychologically give you an edge and you can give it a bit more power and close it. This is why filing is a good idea, shaving off 0.5mm every few weeks.

So 140lb might close a HG200 down the very end of the handle, but not up the top, a CoC 140 might be equivalent to a HG200.

Also the HG's springs vary more between them, i.e. 2 CoCs are more likely to be the same resistance than 2 HGs supposedly the same.

http://www.gripfaq.com/Hand_Grippers/



http://tnation.tmuscle.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_strength/grip_strength_8

have both, my 200lb HG and CoC #2 are not comparable.

The CoC is equivalent to the 250 HG for my sets of grippers

http://www.clutchfitness.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5713&p=98305#post98305

By the way, for anyone interested, here's how the relative "levels" compare between CoC and Heavy Grips:

Heavy Grip >> CoC Equivalent
HG100
HG150 >> #1.0
HG200
HG250 >> #1.7-#2.0
HG300 >> #2.5-#2.9

t-ha

Davei141 wrote: »

Quick Q and sorry if off topic, but would a a captain of crush be the same as the Heavy Grip brand eg if they both rated 150 lbs?

AFAIK the CoC is more difficult to close than a similar rated HG. That said, it's not really important because the quality of the HGs are still good, and the range of closing poundages (100 - 300lbs) will be plenty for most people. I can only get a few closes of the 300 and would consider my gripper closing strength to be fairly good. Never thought to file them down, cheers rubadub.

gnolan

For those of you that do use any of the grippers, have you noticed an increase in wrist and forearm size? I seriously need to confront the nagging problem that is my bitch wrists!

BrianD3

I noticed a slight increase in wrist size since I started training. I couldn't say whether this is due to training generally or any speciifc exercise such as closing grippers.

Re: seasoning, I've no idea how much this affects the CoCs. More of a metallurgical question than a fitness one

I do know that lots of friends and colleagues have tried closing my (seasoned) #1 and none have gotten anywhere near closing it. Those who have tried include rugby and GAA players, people who "do weights", tradesmen who work with their hands such as carpenters and mechanics. I would say that gripper closing is a very specific task and very few people - even powerlifters etc. - can close grippers well without specifically training with grippers.

kevpants

I have the girl wrists also. Only thing that added size to them was reverse curls. I have to get a link put into my watch in the next week or two because it's too tight now. Admittedly I did have to get about 5 taken out when I bought it due my daintiness.

I agree with Brian that I think training with grippers is the best exercise out there if you want to get better at closing grippers. Dunno if it transfers to other stuff though. I mean holding onto a bar or doing a farmers walk or gripping an opponent in some kind of MMA I'd imagine are all about the ability to not have your grip opened by force rather than the ability to compress something against force.

Hanley

BrianD3 wrote: »

. I would say that gripper closing is a very specific task and very few people - even powerlifters etc. - can close grippers well without specifically training with grippers.

Agreed. I wouldn't go so far as to say they're completely useless, but when it comes to helping ya to hold on to deadlifts I really don't see the point in them. There's a lot better exercises that you could be doing - double overhand deadlifts and shrugs, farmers walks, kroc rows etc etc

I closed the CoC #1 first time I learned how to set it properly, and the #2 not long after. I'm all palm and no fingers tho so it makes it that bit harder! FWIW I've seen zero carryover from CoC's (ie crushing strength) to deadlifts (ie supporting strength).

gnolan

kevpants wrote: »

I have the girl wrists also. Only thing that added size to them was reverse curls. I have to get a link put into my watch in the next week or two because it's too tight now. Admittedly I did have to get about 5 taken out when I bought it due my daintiness.

I may have to give reverse curls ago, although the last thing i want is yet another assistance exercise. Doing farmer's walk at the moment, 200m with a db in each hand. After deadlifts it ruins me - completely cripples my hands and burns from my forearms up to the traps.

Hanley

gnolan wrote: »

I may have to give reverse curls ago, although the last thing i want is yet another assistance exercise. Doing farmer's walk at the moment, 200m with a db in each hand. After deadlifts it ruins me - completely cripples my hands and burns from my forearms up to the traps.

If you're training your grip for your deadlift that's way too long imo.... Like it must take a good 1-2 minutes??

Most you're ever gonna be holding onto a bar for is circa 10 seconds. I tend to keep grip work under 30 seconds and it works well.

kevpants

gnolan wrote: »

I may have to give reverse curls ago, although the last thing i want is yet another assistance exercise. Doing farmer's walk at the moment, 200m with a db in each hand. After deadlifts it ruins me - completely cripples my hands and burns from my forearms up to the traps.

Yeah no matter how much I progressed on my deadlift my wrists never got any bigger. Like I said reverse curls are all that's worked for me. I do them in a curl machine that has a tilt on the handle that makes you rotate your right hand anti-clockwise and your left clockwise. Puts pressure on my forearm and off my thumb. Dunno if you've done reverse curls before but my thumbs usually get killed!

Hanley

kevpants wrote: »

Yeah no matter how much I progressed on my deadlift my wrists never got any bigger. Like I said reverse curls are all that's worked for me. I do them in a curl machine that has a tilt on the handle that makes you rotate your right hand anti-clockwise and your left clockwise. Puts pressure on my forearm and off my thumb. Dunno if you've done reverse curls before but my thumbs usually get killed!

+1 for reverse curls

Been loving them for a long time. Kev's method of doing them on that machine works really well. Try reverse dumbbell preachers too. Should take some of the strain off your thumbs.

gnolan

Hanley wrote: »

If you're training your grip for your deadlift that's way too long imo.... Like it must take a good 1-2 minutes??

Well i can't get the whole way round in one go, lately its been around 120m + 80m, probably taking 40sec and 30sec respectively, so not too far off.

kevpants wrote: »

I do them in a curl machine that has a tilt on the handle that makes you rotate your right hand anti-clockwise and your left clockwise. Puts pressure on my forearm and off my thumb. Dunno if you've done reverse curls before but my thumbs usually get killed!

Haven't done em before but i'll give this way a go. Sounds like a bit of pressure on the wrist though. All i can do is give it a try, thanks.

kevpants

gnolan wrote: »

Haven't done em before but i'll give this way a go. Sounds like a bit of pressure on the wrist though. All i can do is give it a try, thanks.

Surprisingly none. I've a really dodgy right wrist and it's fine. The rotation is at the elbow.

Kev M

I got the CoC 1 about a year and a half ago, not to bring up any weak area, just to see what it was all about really. I use it once in a blue moon and would struggle to get 10 full reps, and the company that makes it IronMind are still sending me their damn magazines every month.
I wouldn't advise getting a 2 straight away, try the 1 first and go from there.

rubadub

kevpants wrote: »

I agree with Brian that I think training with grippers is the best exercise out there if you want to get better at closing grippers.

Have to use the F word, they gave me f*nctional strength
Since using grippers in work I have broken 2 tools, one a piers and one a metal snips, I can also hold and screw into things that used to require a vice so has speed up some tasks a lot.

Grippers are handy since you can bring them around easy, do them watching TV, or if you were stuck in traffic they would be good stress relievers.

Kev M wrote: »

the company that makes it IronMind are still sending me their damn magazines every month.

I used to like those magazines! lots of weird equpiment in them. My last one had a photo of a real gorilla holding a gripper. I got my dip belt from them.

kevpants

You heard it here first. Grippers make you better at screwing.

Mickk

I have got my own brand of grippers instock now. I did them in kg and the way I worked it was I got a load of samples of the different strength springs with no weight rating and then stuck a bar through the spring (for leverage) and used a pinch block weight bar


and put a chain around the gripper handle. I put it close to the top of the gripper around where your index/middle finger grip it. I loaded up the weight bar till lifting the bottom handle of the gripper touched the top handle while lifting the weight off the ground. I will try and get a picture to explain it better.

I ended up getting 50kg, 75kg, 100kg, 125kg and 150kg grippers made and in comparison to the coc's the 100kg one is very similar to a no 1 and the 150kg is like a 2. I did it like that so the 125kg makes a more gradual progression, I always thought the jump from the coc no.1 to the no.2 was too much. They will be on the site tomorrow and will be 14.99 each or a full set for 60 euro.

The only problem is I think there is a flaw with grippers, they get easier over time. I have an old coc no.3 which I can close but it's only a tiny bit harder than a new no. 2. Also because of the direction of the springs they are easier in your right hand than your left...

Mickk

rubadub wrote: »

if you were stuck in traffic they would be good stress relievers.

Haha not a good idea, what would the car beside you think you were up to?

t-ha

Mickk wrote: »

The only problem is I think there is a flaw with grippers, they get easier over time. I have an old coc no.3 which I can close but it's only a tiny bit harder than a new no. 2. Also because of the direction of the springs they are easier in your right hand than your left...

Good points, but that's why I think it's better to fork out the little extra and get a range of grippers - by the time you can mash a 150kg IL, or a 300lb HG, or a whichever # CoC, you're doing pretty well! I don't think the specific numbers matter until you can, for example, mash the 300lb HG so the 150kg IL one would probably be a good next step or whatever. Also, the lighter ones are still good for a warm-up or a mix-up of your routine even if you can close them easily.

Also, having thin wrists is the ****test/girliest body hang-up I've ever heard! Go join the Gavin Henson fan club and you can all wear long sleeves with cuffs to hide your shame!

rubadub

Mickk wrote: »

The only problem is I think there is a flaw with grippers, they get easier over time.

Yes, but it should slow over time, i.e. once "seasoned" they should not continue to weaken as dramatically as at first. I think some people put them in a vice to close and season them.

Had you seen the JB grippers before, the ones I linked earlier? They have extensions that screw on, which would obviously increase cost. But you could make them with just extra long handles, not extensions. This way you can have just one heavy duty gripper. I made tubes that slip over the normal handles so they are about twice as long as normal. On a HG300 it is easier to close this at the bottom than a HG200. It also allows you to do negatives a lot easier since it is far easier to assist closing it with your free hand.

Mickk

Yea but I think that one of the main reasons of the popularity of grippers is people like to say I can close the 1 or 2 or whatever, when you get into "I can close it when my index finger is around 2 inches from the spring" it just gets messy and people wont buy into it... In my opinion the best variable gripper is


I have one and it's great but again it's really messy to compare, there are two variable springs and you can also do them at a small angle to make it a bit harder... I prefer it because it has much less of an angle on it than a gripper and your index and middle fingers have more of a range of motion. (I know you can do grippers upside down but it doesn't feel right)