Gumpster's Gripping

[gumpster]

10Dec08

Bending

DO - FBBC 5/16" x 6" Grade 2 bolt

DU - 6.7mm x 6.5" square - failed/barely kinked

Rev - 6.7mm x 7" square

DO - FBBC 1/4" x 6" Grade 8 bolt @10deg - failed/got it to about 25deg and the threads snapped off

DU - FBBC 1/4" x 5.5"

Rev - FBBC 1/4" x 6" Grade 5 bolt - failed/got it to about 23deg

DO - 7.65mm x 5" - took about 10min

DO - ISOs on the Bastard...no progress to speak of

Started off with 5/16" grade 2. Did a sloppy wrapping job and barely got a kink in it. Unwrapped/rewrapped and it went down in a minute or so. In the process I got a blister on my left index finger. Put some tape on my finger and pressed on. I was checking back in my log and found that I had done a 6.5" square (locally purchased) DU over two sessions. I thought I might get it all in one today - nope. Went after the grade 8 that I kinked last time to 10deg. It was hard but I was making it move a little each hit...then BANG! Surprised the hell out of me when the threads snapped off. I've had a couple other bolts slowly fold over on the threads but this was my first "snap". Didn't get that finished of course but I'll use it for ISOs later. Did a 5.5" piece of FBBC 1/4" round in DU which felt good. Got the camera out and went for a 1/4" x 6" grade 5 in reverse...made it to about 23deg and got stuck. I'm stronger at reverse than DU so I really thought I'd be able to get this (got one to 20deg DU last time). Maybe I was too tired at that point. Had a good struggle with my locally purchased 7.65mm x 5" stock. Took about 10 minutes and I swapped wraps in the middle. Figured out that I prefer a short inner wrap (about 6") with my regular FBBC suede over that. I'm able to get it just past the sweep sticking point (100-80deg) and not crush my fingers. Ended with a few hits on the barely kinked bastard but didn't move it.

P.S. I recently got a digital caliper and went through all my locally purchased stock. Came across some interesting stuff so I may post the whole list next time. That 7.65mm round was the actual size of the stuff I thought was 8mm - hard to tell using a ruler.

[gumpster]

14Dec08

Grippers - #1 R&L - TNS x1

#2 R&L - TNS x1

#2.5 - TNS attempt R 1mm L 2mm

#2.5 - TNS R good (I think) L 2mm

#3 R&L - MMS attempts 1/4" away

#3 R&L - MMS attempts 1/2" away

#3 R&L - Choker@30mm 5mm away

#1 R&L - TNS x5

#2.5 R&L - MMS 10sec hold

#2 - parallel reps R 6 L 3

#1 - parallel reps R 30 L 28

#2.5 R&L - MMS 5sec hold

#2 R&L - MMS 5sec hold

#1 R&L - MMS 10sec hold

+ a few ISOs on a Bastard bar & a 1/4" x 5" Grade 8 bolt piece

Didn't feel as strong as last time but got a couple videos anyway. I think I got the #2.5 TNS right-handed and I was about 1/4" away on the #3 MMS attempts. I've made slow progress on grippers this year considering I closed the #2.5 MMS & #3 to about parallel at the beginning of the year. I guess my goal for next year will be the #3 with a MMS. Maybe I have a stout #3 or an easy #2.5. Would be nice to have a gripper between them but I don't see getting any grippers in the near future. No movement of note on the two bars I used for ISOs. The grade 8 bolt is the one that snapped last time so I cut the head off and it's right on 5" now (and kinked to 25deg - I put a pic in my gallery).

[matthcarl]

I just saw that about threads snapping...that's pretty crazy. I've never seen the threads bend on 1/4" bolts. Do you just barely have the wraps over the threads? With bolts I tend to put the wraps a little further on the bar so this doesn't happen. If I use double wraps I can stagger them a little.

[gumpster]

I just saw that about threads snapping...that's pretty crazy. I've never seen the threads bend on 1/4" bolts. Do you just barely have the wraps over the threads? With bolts I tend to put the wraps a little further on the bar so this doesn't happen. If I use double wraps I can stagger them a little.

I actually had the wraps on about an inch above the threads. I was relieved that the end of the bolt didn't slip out of the wraps and stab me in the neck. It was bending in about the center and I thought things were going well and then "pop". I've had a couple grade 2 bolts just slowly fold over on the threads and learned I had to choke up a bit more to prevent that. I remember reading a post from Paul Knight mentioning that he had more bolts break on the crush down than the kink, so I guess it can happen just about anytime during a bend. I only have 3 more grade 8 bolts so I'll see how the rest go.

[gumpster]

17Dec08

FBBC Chunk - R&L 25# - 5sec, 30# - broke ground, 25# - 5sec

IM Hub - R&L 35# - 5sec, 40# - R 1sec L 2sec, 35# - 5sec

3" Pinch Block - R&L 40# - 5sec, 45# - 5sec, 50# - R 4sec L 3sec

2 7/8" DB - R&L 80# 10sec hold

80# 10sec hold

80# 10sec hold

80# 5sec hold

80# 10sec hold

80# 10sec hold

80# 5sec hold

Grippers - #1 R&L - TNS x5

#2 R&L - TNS failed 3mm away

#1 R&L - 20 parallel reps

+bending ISOs

Horrible day on pinch stuff. Not sure why but I haven't felt this weak in many months.

[ewokhugo]

congrats for all your effort about bending and the #3.

i bet u have an hard #3.

Do u see yourself killing the red Soon?

[gumpster]

congrats for all your effort about bending and the #3.

i bet u have an hard #3.

Do u see yourself killing the red Soon?

Thanks, I'm curious about whether I might have a chance at the red. I've been seeing a lot of posts recently with guys finishing reds but not bastards (or cut down reds but bastards not cut down as far). From what I've read the bastards seem harder than reds on average. The bastard I tried seems really hard to me even though I barely kinked it. Unfortunately, I don't have any reds (just spent a bunch on FBBC stock). Maybe next year I can get some reds from Ironmind but there are a few other things I would want to order at the same time (RT, grippers, wraps)...I'll have to save some money.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

21Dec08

Stacker Lift - R&L 20# 5sec, 30# failed, 25# 5sec, 27.5# R broke ground L 1sec

8# Sledge Front - R&L 5sec holds choked up 8"/10"/10"/10"

8# Sledge Rear - R&L 5sec holds choked up 0"/0"/0"/0"

8# Sledge Side - R&L rotation to both sides choked up 18"x1/18"x2/16" failed/20"x2/18"x1

8# Sledge Overhead - R&L 1/1/1/1

2 7/8" DB Reverse Wrist Curls - R&L 10# 4reps, 12.5# 4reps, 15# 2reps, 10# 5reps

2 7/8" DB Wrist Curls - R&L 35# 5reps, 35# 5reps, 40# R 4reps L 5reps

Plate Wrist Curls - R&L 20# 4reps, 20# 5reps

2 7/8" DB Thumbless Lift - R&L 60# 10sec, 70# 5sec, 80# failed, 72.5# 5sec, 72.5# 5sec

+Bending ISOs (DO)

Feeling a little weak today since I couldn't get the stacker up with 30#. Just a mediocre day overall. I noticed my sledge choked up in inches is a bit misleading since sledge handles vary in length. I remember the discussion on length regarding competitions and placing the pinkie 31" down from the bottom of the head was settled on as the standard (for overhead levers). My sledge has almost 34" of handle below the head so choking up about 3" would be comparable to competition levers. I'll be remarking my sledge and revising my workout notes next year. I want to add some weight then try rear & overhead levers also.

[gumpster]

26Dec08

Bending

DO - 60d

DU - 6.7mm x 6.5" square - finished the bar I barely kinked last time

Rev - FBBC 1/4" x 6" Grade 5 bolt - finished the bolt from last time (was @23deg) - made it to 40deg but it took several minutes

DO - FBBC 1/4" x 6" square - failed/got it to about 20deg and the pain in my ribs made me stop

DU - 7.3mm x 6.5" - failed but got it to 35deg

Rev - 7.3mm x 7"

DO - 7.3mm x 5.5"

DU - 5.5" nail (odd length but similar to a 60d in thickness)

Rev - 5" 60d (cut)

DO - 4.5" 60d (cut) - failed but got it to about 68deg (pain in the ribs again)

I probably shouldn't have been bending at all. I tore something in my right ribs a few days back while hanging from a bar following a run in the morning. I was just hanging there letting my torso stretch out and something gave way between the ribs. I'm afraid it's a tear of non-muscle tissue as I had a similar injury about 10 years ago (took 2 months to heal). I may not be back to normal bending form for a couple months unfortunately. I did what I could today and I was hoping I could get the 1/4" x 6" square but the pain was just too much. If not for the rib injury I'm sure I would have had it. I did some easier bends and alternated styles but with DO the pain was the worst. I don't think this will affect my other grip workouts as much so maybe I can focus more on those for a bit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wanted to post the measurements of the locally purchased stock I've been using this past year for reference. I was surprised a bit by some of the stock since I only had a tape measure/eye ball to judge the size of the stock until I got some calipers. The HRS round isn't round and square stock isn't even square (I also measured the 1/4" square FBBC stock and it was dead on). The HRS stock is cheap and good for bending workouts but you can tell the manufacturing process is really inaccurate.

Type

_____

Guess

(mm)

___

Actual

(mm)

round_____5.0__________5.33

round_____6.0__________5.88

60d_______6.35_________6.58

round_____7.0__________7.31

round_____8.0__________7.65

round_____9.0__________8.5-9.0 (HRS)

round____10.5_________10.5-10.75 (HRS) - never actually bent any of this/too hard

square____6.5__________6.7 x 6.85 (HRS)

square____7.0__________7.02 x 7.45 (HRS)

round_____6.35_________6.30 (SS)

[gumpster]

29Dec08

Grippers - #1 R&L - TNS x3

#2 R&L - TNS x1

#2.5 - TNS attempt R 2mm L 4mm away

#3 R&L - Choker@30mm 4mm away

#2.5 R&L - MMS 15sec hold

#3 R&L - Choker@30mm 2mm away

#2.5 R&L - MMS 10sec hold

#3 R&L - Choker@30mm R 1mm L 4mm away

#2.5 - parallel reps x2

#2 R&L - MMS 10sec hold

#2 R&L - MMS 10sec hold

#1 - parallel reps x30

#1 - parallel reps x20

#1 - parallel reps x10

#2.5 R&L - MMS failed - a few mm away

+ a few ISOs on a Bastard bar - I think it moved about 1mm

Nothing special on grippers and I failed to get the #2.5 TNS. I'm sure I'll get consistent with it in the coming months. I guess next year I'll have to focus more on the #3 and see if I can get it done with a MMS. My injured ribs feel a little better but the ISOs with the bastard brought on the pain.

[gumpster]

1Jan09

FBBC Chunk - R&L 20# - 5sec, 25# - 5sec, 30# - R 3sec L 5sec, 35# R broke ground L 1sec

IM Hub - R&L 30# - 5sec, 35# - 5sec, 40# - 5sec, 45# - broke ground

3" Pinch Block - R&L 40# - 5sec, 45# - 5sec, 50# - 5sec, 55# - R 5sec L 3sec, 60# broke ground

2 7/8" DB - R&L 80# 10sec hold

82.5# 10sec hold

82.5# 10sec hold

82.5# 5sec hold

Grippers - #1 R&L - TNS x3

#2 - parallel reps R9 L7 (PR both hands)

#2.5 R&L - MMS 10sec hold

#2 R&L - MMS 15sec hold

+bending ISOs - no progress on the bastard bar DO, finished off the 7.3mm x 6.5" bar from last bending workout DU

Felt OK today. I tried something different today with my pinch block - put athletic tape on it for some texture. I read a post by Wade G. where he mentioned this gave him more consistent workouts. I tried it with chalk but it seemed to make it worse so I wiped my hands with a moist rag and got better grip on it. I can't say it improved the weight I lifted but the texture felt a little better. After a few lifts the tape started to stretch and became tacky from the adhesive. I think I would have to put new tape on each time (kind of a hassle). I'd like to try removing the paint and giving it a shot with chalk for comparison. My ribs are a little better but still hampering my bending strength. Surprised myself with the parallel reps on the #2 and got a PR by 1 rep each hand. I've never been a big fan of repping grippers but these past few months I've added some to my workouts and now I am enjoying it.

[gumpster]

5Jan09

Stacker Lift - R&L 20# 5sec, 25#, 30# R broke ground L 5sec

(changed to show inches between hand & head of hammer)

8# Sledge Front - R&L 5sec holds - 21"/19"/19"/19"

8# Sledge Rear - R&L 5sec holds - 29"/29" - added 2.5#, failed to hold but got it parallel/29"/29"

8# Sledge Side - R&L rotation to both sides - 12"x1/14"x1/12"x1

8# Sledge Overhead - R&L - 29"x1/29"x1/29" - added 2.5#, failed/29"x1

2 7/8" DB Reverse Wrist Curls - R&L 10# 5reps, 12.5# 4reps

2 7/8" DB Wrist Curls - R&L 40# 5reps, 45# 4reps (PR)

Plate Wrist Curls - R&L 20# 7reps (PR), 20# R 5reps L 7 reps

2 7/8" DB Thumbless Lift - R&L 70# 10sec, 80# R broke ground L 10sec, 60# 10sec, 70# 10sec

+Bending ISOs (DO) on bastard bar...no movement of note

Felt pretty good today but had a late start and didn't get to do as much as I wanted to. Felt strong on the stacker left-handed with 30# (been a couple months since I had a solid lift). I altered the way I'm logging the sledge levering to show the distance between my hand and the underside of the head. Hammer handle lengths vary so the choking up reference could be a huge difference on other hammers. I tried tying a 1.25# plate on each side of the head and attempted a rear and overhead lever. I failed to equal what I can do with just the 8# but I at least got the hammer up level on the rear. Maybe I need to start trying reps before I look for a 10# hammer. I was able to make a jump in weight on the thick DB wrist curls...forearms felt really pumped after those. I may go for 50# next time. I think this was the first time I got 80# up thumbless on the thick DB lift. On most grip feats my right dominates my left but on wrist stuff my left is able to show up the right.

[gumpster]

8Jan09

Bending

DU - FBBC 1/4" x 5.5"

Rev - FBBC 1/4" x 5.5"

DO - FBBC 1/4" x 5"

DU - 7.3mm x 6.5" - (PR with this stock)

Rev - 8.5mm x 5.5" HRS - failed, got to 25deg

DO - FBBC 1/4" x 6" Square - PR

DU - 7.3mm x 6" - (PR with this stock)

Rev - FBBC 1/4" x 7" Square - (pre-kinked from attempt on 15Nov...moved it a little more, still far from 40deg)

DO - FBBC 1/4" x 7" x 2 (taped together) - barely kinked them

DO - FBBC 1/4" x 5" Grade 5 Bolt - (pre-kinked @3mm from 27Nov...got it to 80deg)

DO - ISOs on the Bastard...no movement of note.

Tearing - killed my first full deck of cards! It was a cheap Chinese pack of fake Bicycles and I had to brace it on my thigh for the last part but I did rip all the cards together. I may have this feat unbraced in a few more months. I did the initial rip Heslep style and got half way through then changed my hands for the braced portion.

Just got some time to post my workout from yesterday and upload a video. First off, my ribs are feeling a lot better. Whatever it was is healing quicker than I expected and it didn't bother me much today. Felt pretty good and made some progress in all styles even though I didn't finish all the bends. Highlights were getting the FBBC 1/4" x 6" square (video link below) and moving the 5" Grade 5 bolt to 80deg. Attempting the two 1/4" bars taped together was a bit more than I could chew but maybe when I'm at Bastard level I can pull it off. I think next bending workout I'll go for the 6" Grade 8 again...and kill it.

[gumpster]

12Jan09

Grippers - #1 R&L - TNS x3

#2 R&L - TNS x1

#2.5 - TNS attempt R 2mm L 3mm away

#2.5 - TNS attempt R 2mm L 2mm away

#1 R&L - TNS x10

#3 R&L - MMS attempt 1cm away

#3 R&L - MMS attempt 1cm away

#2.5 R&L - MMS 5sec hold

#3 R&L - MMS attempt R 5mm L 1cm away

#3 R&L - MMS attempt R 8mm L 1cm away

#2.5 - MMS 5sec hold

#2 - parallel reps R 10 L 9 (PR on both)

Bending

DU - FBBC 1/4" x 5"

Rev - FBBC 1/4" x 5"

DU - 6.7mm x 6.5" square HRS (PR with this stock)

DU - 6.7mm x 6" square HRS (PR with this stock)

Rev - 7mm x 7" square HRS (PR with this stock)

Rev - FBBC 1/4" x 7" Square - (pre-kinked from past attempts..moved it a little more, @27deg now)

DO - 7mm x 6" square HRS (PR with this stock)

+ a few ISOs on a Bastard bar and 5" Grade5 bolt stuck at around 100deg...don't think I moved either

Today was just supposed to be grippers but I brought some bending stuff along. Had a good day on both surprisingly. Got my closest ever MMS attempt with the #3 (about 5mm - previous best was about 1/4" but I could tell this was closer). Also got a a PR on parallel reps with the #2. Hit 10 for the first time right-handed and 9 left. Couldn't get the TNS with the #2.5 though.

Bending was a bit of break-through day. I was using mostly the locally purchased stock but I hit PRs in all styles with it. The highlight was getting the 7mm square in reverse. I tried it a few months back and couldn't budge it, but today I destroyed it - felt really good! I also killed that same stock in 6" DO and I have to say it felt really similar to the FBBC 1/4" CRS. The FBBC square in reverse and bastard in DO still have me beat and amazed at the strength of those pieces. Hopefully I can get them both in the next few months and set higher goals.

[gumpster]

16Jan09

FBBC Chunk - R&L 20# - 5sec, 25# - 5sec, 30# - 2sec

IM Hub - R&L 30# - 5sec, 40# - R 2sec L 5sec, 40# - R 3sec L 5sec

3" Pinch Block - R&L 40# - 5sec, 50# - 5sec, 55# - 2sec, 55# - 2sec

2 7/8" DB - R&L 80# 10sec hold

80# 10sec hold

80# 10sec hold

80# 10sec hold

Grippers - #1 R&L - TNS x3

#2 R&L - MMS x1

#2.5 R&L - TNS attempts, R good L 3mm

#3 R&L - MMS attempts 1cm

#3 R&L - MMS attempts 1cm

#2.5 R&L - MMS x1

#2 R&L - 3 parallel reps

Bending

DU - 6.7mm x 5.5" Square HRS (PR with this stock)

Reverse - 7mm x 6.5" Square HRS - failed but got a small kink...hit it several times later and finally got it to 40deg

DO - 8.5mm x 5" HRS - failed but got it to about 95deg

+bending ISOs & crushed down several old pieces of failed bends (7mm square stock)

Felt weak on pinch today. I got the #2.5 TNS again with the right hand but couldn't get a comfortable set with the #3 so my attempts were far from my best. I watched Gazza doing the 4" Edgin and felt I needed to add in a little bending. Got a PR with DU style on the 6.7mm square stock so I guess it was worth it. Did some damage to the 7mm square in reverse style and finished it off by the time my workout was over - felt a lot tougher than the 7" piece I did a few days back. That fat 8.5mm HRS is really tough at 5" and I got it kinked without too much trouble but once it got near 75deg it just didn't want to move much. It'll make a good ISO piece for later.

[gumpster]

20Jan09

Stacker Lift - R&L 25# 5sec, 27.5#, 30# R failed L 1sec

(inches between hand and head of hammer)

8# Sledge Front - R&L 5sec holds - 22"/22" R 3sec L 5sec/20" (10sec)/20"

8# Sledge Rear - R&L 5sec holds - 28"/28"/28" (10sec)/28"

8# Sledge Side - R&L rotation to both sides - 14"x1/14"x1/12"x2/12"x1

8# Sledge Overhead - R&L - 28"x3/28"x3/28"x3

2 7/8" DB Reverse Wrist Curls - R&L 10# 5reps, 15# 2reps

2 7/8" DB Wrist Curls - R&L 40# 5reps, 50# failed, 45# 1rep, 42.5# R 3reps L 4reps

Plate Wrist Curls - R&L 20# 6reps, 23.75# 1rep

2 7/8" DB Lift - R&L 80# 10sec, 80# 10sec, 80# 10sec, 82.5# 10sec, 82.5# 10sec

Grippers - R&L - #1 TNS x3

#2 R&L - TNS x1

#2.5 R&L - TNS attempt 3mm away

#2.5 R&L - MMS 10sec hold

#2.5 R&L - MMS 5sec hold

#3 R&L - MMS attempt 1cm away

#2 R&L - parallel reps R3 L2

#1 R&L - parallel reps R17 L19

Bending

Reverse - 7.65mm x 7"

Reverse - 7.65mm x 6.5" (PR with this stock)

DU - 8.5mm x 7" HRS (PR with this stock)

DO - 6.7mm x 5.5" Square HRS

DU - 7.65mm x 6.5" (PR with this stock)

DO - 60d cut to 4.5" (PR on shortened 60d)

DO - 1/4" x 7" Stainless Round - failed, got it down to 2 1/16" but couldn't get it under 2"

DO - 5/16" x 6" G2 bolt

Good day overall. I remarked my sledge hammer so I can easily see the distance between my hand and the head. Did reps on the overhead levers and felt strong. My mind wandered during the dumbbell lifts and I did them with the thumb instead of thumbless (oh well, still a good thick bar workout). I stuck my loading pin upside down with a 1.25# plate through the top of my 20# plate for the plate wrist curls and managed to get one rep. This will work good since I don't have any plates bigger than the 20#. Did a little gripper work but not too much. Then I got in some bending. Yesterday, I made up a chart of the stock I buy locally and went through my log noting the dates I completed bends in each style with each stock type. This showed me a few areas where I could attempt bends that I haven't tried but should be able to do. This was really helpful since I have trouble remembering now that it's been almost a year of bending and I've added FBBC stock into the mix. So, I went after a few and got most of them. The hardest was the 8.5mm HRS in DU style - pinched the skin on my pinkies pretty good and barely got it to around 42deg. I failed on the 1/4" x 7" stainless round in DO. The crush down on that thing is crazy. I would crush it until my wraps were touching and then it just sprung right back - ended up just 1/16" over. I'm curious if a 6.5" or 6" might be easier since the bend angle would be less to get it under 2".

[gumpster]

24Jan09

Bending

DU - 60d cut to 5.25"

Reverse - 60d cut to 4.5" (PR on shortened 60d)

DO - FBBC 1/4" x 6" Grade 8 Bolt (PR)

DO - 60d cut to 4" (PR on shortened 60d)

DU - 60d cut to 4.5" (PR on shortened 60d)

Reverse - 7.65mm x 6" (PR with this stock)

DO - 6.7mm x 5" Square HRS (PR with this stock)

Reverse - 7mm x 6.5" Square HRS (PR with this stock)

DO - 5/16" x 6" G2 bolt (hard) - failed, small kink

Scrolling - 60d into a sort of "S" shape (first time ever attempting this)

+ ISOs on the bastard

Great bending day! I killed the Grade 8 DO finally. This was my third attempt at it since getting my bender's bag 2 months ago. I also got quite a few other PRs with locally purchased stock in all styles. My little chart I made up is proving to be a great challenge for me. I write in the date when I get a certain piece done with that style/length. Now I know at a glance what I've done and I can shoot for the ones I haven't done yet. I realized I hadn't done too many cut 60d nails so I did a few of those today. The 4" in DO was harder than the Grade 8 bolt I did before it. I had to start the crush down before it was even at 90deg...I couldn't get anywhere with my fingers getting in the way and crushed. I started on another of those incredibly hard 5/16" x 6" grade 2 bolts I found locally. The last one took me several months to get finished. I got a small kink in it but I was pretty tired when I hit it. That's the only thing I have that feels between the FBBC 1/4" square and the bastard even though it's only 6". I finished up the day with a semi-S scroll using a 60d. I wrstled with it for a few minutes but finally gave up on getting it squashed down - damn hard working with multiple bends. I put up a pic of a few pieces from today and the current state of the bastard bar I've been working on.

Pic of some bends & progress on the Bastard

[gumpster]

28Jan09

Grippers - #1 R&L - TNS x100 (20 sets of 5 reps throughout the day)

#1 R&L - 100 parallel reps (10 sets of 10 reps throughout the day)

+extensor work with rubber bands

Had to travel out of town and ride the bus 2 hours each way so I took along my #1 and decided to see what I could get in. I did 150 TNS closes some months back and changed that up a bit with 100 TNS then 100 parallel reps. Fingers got a little chewed up but the main discomfort was aching in my palms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

30Jan09

FBBC Chunk - R&L 30# R broke ground L 5sec, 30# - R broke ground L 2sec, 25# - 5sec, 25# - 5sec

IM Hub - R&L 30# - 5sec, 40# - 5sec, 50# - failed, 45# -2sec, 40# 5sec, 35# - 5sec

3" Pinch Block - R&L 45# - 5sec, 50# - 2sec, 55# - 1sec, 50# - 5sec, 50# - R 5sec L 2sec

2 7/8" DB - R&L 80# 5sec hold

80# 10sec hold

82.5# 10sec hold

82.5# 10sec hold

82.5# 10sec hold

Bending

Crushed down 14 pieces of old failed DO bends/DU & reverse bends that I never crushed down.

My palms were still a little sore from the 200 closes on the #1 two days ago but I wanted to get a workout in. Felt OK but nothing was great. I hammered my hands doing the crush downs on old unfinished bars. Most were in the 40-90deg range and leftover from last year. I'll have to let my hands heal before I workout again.

[gumpster]

5Feb09

Stacker Lift - R&L 20# 5sec, 25# 5sec, 30# failed, 27.5# broke ground, 27.5# broke ground, 25# 5sec

(inches between hand and head of hammer)

8# Sledge Front - R&L 5sec holds - 20"/20"/18"/18"

8# Sledge Rear - R&L 5sec holds - 28"/28"/28"/28"

8# Sledge Side - R&L rotation to both sides - 14"x1/12"x1/12"x1

8# Sledge Overhead - R&L - 28"x3/28"x1/28"x1

2 7/8" DB Reverse Wrist Curls - R&L 10# 5reps, 12.5# 3reps, 15# 2reps

2 7/8" DB Wrist Curls - R&L 40# 3reps, 45# 2reps, 50# R 1rep L failed, 45# 1rep

Plate Wrist Curls - R&L 20# 5reps, 20#+loading pin 3reps

2 7/8" DB Lift Thumbless - R&L 60# 10sec, 65# 10sec, 70# 10sec, 80# 5sec, 80# 5sec

Grippers - R&L - #1 TNS x5

#2 R&L - TNS x1

#2 R&L - MMS 5sec hold

#1 R&L - 20 parallel reps

+ISOs on bastard bar

I took almost a week off thinking that the soreness in my palms would go away but I could still feel it a little. It's hard not to workout when you really want to. Didn't feel really strong today but got everything done that I had planned on doing.

[gumpster]

8Feb09

Bending

Reverse - 60d

DO - 7mm x 15cm stainless (from Hugo) - failed but got it to 45deg in 5min, later to 75deg

DU - 7.3mm x 5" - failed 15deg kink

DO - FBBC 1/4" x 5.5" square - got to 80deg in 5min but finished it off later

DO - 60d

+ ISOs on the bastard (DO) & FBBC 7" square (reverse)

Tearing - got my first deck of cards unbraced (Heslep style)!

Some good, some bad today. I received a gift of some stainless bars from Hugo (ewokhugo) and told him I'd video my first attempt even if I failed. I did fail but I did some damage to it. I think I could have done better had I rested a bit more between hits but I still don't think I would have finished it. It falls right in the gap between the G8/square and the bastard which is what I need - thanks again Hugo, you rock! After getting my butt kicked by the stainless I moved on to other PR territory. I usually give a bar the normal allowed time limit depending on style (5min for DO, 30sec for DU/Reverse) and if I fail I'll come back to it later in the workout when I've rested a bit. Pinched my right pinkie pretty good on the DU attempt and ripped an old callous off. DU just wasn't happening today. Next was the FBBC 5.5" square - easier than the stainless but I still couldn't get it down in 5min. I tried a new wrapping technique and that may have thrown me off a bit. Later, I wrapped it up in my normal way and was able to finish it off after about 10 minutes of hit-rest-hit action. That is now the toughest bend I've done, just need to get it done in a single 5min block. I finished off with DO ISOs on the bastard and some reverse on the old 7" square piece from a few months ago. I might have moved the square a little, not sure.

In the middle of my bending I took a "break" to give a deck of cards a try again. It's been a few weeks but I thought I might be able to get it. It felt much easier this time and only took a few seconds. I got video but the camera was a bit low and didn't catch the start as I was holding the cards up high. I uploaded it anyway. I'll get a better video later. This was a nice accomplishment even though the cards are fake Bicycles. Maybe someday I'll find the real thing and give it a shot.

Something I noticed while bending today...I end up pinching my own fingertips between the wraps and my palm/thumb pad if my wraps are thin. This is unneeded pain and something I'd like to avoid in the future. I'm developing callouses on the ends of my fingers (on the pads/fingerprint area) and that doesn't seem like it will help with other grip stuff like pinching/thick DB. I may need to come up with a slightly different set of wraps for bending. As the bars have slowly become larger I gradually changed to shorter inner wraps but this pinching thing is annoying.

[matthcarl]

Nice bending! You are difinitely killing that square stock If you can crush that down, the bastard ought to be easy for you to finish. Have you ever tried one prekinked?

[gumpster]

Nice bending! You are difinitely killing that square stock If you can crush that down, the bastard ought to be easy for you to finish. Have you ever tried one prekinked?

Thanks. No, I haven't ever cheat-kinked a piece of stock. How far do you think I should kink it if I was to give it a shot...20deg, 40deg?

[matthcarl]

Nice bending! You are difinitely killing that square stock If you can crush that down, the bastard ought to be easy for you to finish. Have you ever tried one prekinked?

Thanks. No, I haven't ever cheat-kinked a piece of stock. How far do you think I should kink it if I was to give it a shot...20deg, 40deg?

Well, I've never cheat-kinked anything either, seeing as how I can kink stuff I don't have a prayer of crushing, so I'm not an expert. I was thinking past 90 degrees, but I don't now what is optimal.

[gumpster]

11Feb09

Grippers - #2 Left only - MMS 60 singles

#2 Left only - MMS 5sec hold x 5

+extensor work with rubber bands

(all above done over a couple hours waiting at a bus stop)

I've done up to 200 closes on a #1 in the past during the course of a day so today I decided to see how the #2 would go. I couldn't do anything with my right hand since I had a big blister on the palm from bending. My left is weaker on grippers so this couldn't hurt. I was doing OK up until about 50 on the singles then I developed a hard painful callous on my middle finger right below the last joint. Way too painful to continue and I could tell I was just a few reps away from ripping a big chunk of skin off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15Feb09

FBBC Chunk - R&L 20# 5sec, 25# - 5sec, 30# - 1sec

IM Hub - R&L 30# - 5sec, 40# - R failed L 5sec, 45# - R failed L broke ground, 40# - R failed L 2sec

3" Pinch Block - R&L 40# - 5sec, 45# - 5sec, 50# - 5sec, 55# - 1sec, 55# - 1sec, 50# - 5sec, 40# - 5sec, 40# - R 20sec L 15sec

2 7/8" DB - R&L 80# 10sec hold

82.5# 10sec hold

82.5# 10sec hold

82.5# 10sec hold

82.5# 10sec hold

Grippers - #1 R&L - TNS x3

#2 R&L - MMS x1

#2.5 R&L - MMS x1

Bending

Worked on trying to crush down the 7mm stainless I failed on last bending workout. It was at 75deg when I left it last time and today I gave it at least a dozen good hits - it now sits at 100deg & 4" between the ends. It's right in the hardest area and just a few degrees shy of being able to interlock my fingers good for a strong crush. Also did a few hits reverse style on a failed piece of 1/4" x 7" square which now sits at 32deg but I don't think I moved it any today.

Didn't feel all that strong today on the pinch work. Struggled on the chunk, hub & block to get weights I have easily done before. I still have a hole in my right palm with skin peeling away at the edges from bending a week ago and the painful callous is still hanging around on my left middle finger. I put some athletic tape over the hole to avoid further damage. Couldn't do much on grippers due to the injuries. I'm happy with the progress I made on the 7mm stainless but now comes the toughest part. I can see myself working on this bar for a good month or two before I get it down to 2".

Matt - I plan to cheat kink a bastard a little and see if I can do anything to it. Maybe next bending day (about a week from now).

[ewokhugo]

U are doing great Perry!

the 7 mm SS its no joke and u should be proud! 25 deg more! :-)

already pre-kinked your bastard??

[gumpster]

already pre-kinked your bastard??

Thanks Hugo. Yes, I have done the pre-kink to a bastard bar. I had to measure it after every "adjustment" and went slightly over my goal of 20deg - it's at about 21deg. I'll give it a shot when I'm all healed up.

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18Feb09

Grippers - #2.5 L&R - Choker @30mm 2 singles

#2.5 R&L - Choker @30mm 10sec hold

#2.5 L&R - Choker @30mm 8 singles

Tearing - deck of cards (in half then in quarters)

Bending - unbraced scroll of a 6.7mm x 7" piece of HRS square

Wasn't really planning on any grip stuff today but I had a few hours to kill sitting at a bus stop while waiting for the wife to shop. No real trouble with the #2.5 in a choker but the callous on my left hand started stinging a bit. The deck of cards was fun and the quartering was really tough on the fingertips. Had to wait a few minutes before the pain went away. The main part of today's workout was my first ever attempt to scroll (unbraced) a piece of square stock. The 6.7mm HRS is the easiest stuff I have and the longest piece is 7" so that had to do. I was attempting to bend each end to about 90deg and make a sort of "step" looking thing (like a "Z" with 90deg angles). That was hard but I managed it with a few minutes of reverse & DO type positioning. Then I wanted to twist the bar using the ends so they were on the same side. The goal was to have a sort of "U" shape with a twist in middle of the bar. I wrestled with it for a good 30 minutes and I was soaked in sweat. I could never get the ends all the way back to even with each other so the bar would lie flat but I got pretty close. This was absolutely brutal on not just my hands/wrists/forearms but also my entire upper body. It's been a few hours but I'm already sore in my upper arms/chest/back. Regular unbraced bending has never done that to me. I guess it's all the weird angles and trying to use other parts of the upper body to help when the ends of the bar are getting too short to get much leverage on them. Great workout but I'm wrecked for a good few days I believe.

Took a few pics of the little critter. - Pic Here