Developing The Crushing And Healing Hand

[John Knowlton]

ALL IN ALL NICE WORK

[DoctorOfCrush]

Well, it finally got a hold of me: Strep throat. It started with my youngest then went to my wife. I thought I had escaped it, but I woke up Friday morning with a sore throat. Cut to Saturday and I wasn't up for my workout. I was feeling better yesterday, so I went for it. I was operating at ~85%, but that's pretty good all things considered, and the work felt productive.

Workout 9/1/24:
A. Grippers:
     Right: MMS top set / PTP set: MM1 replica 157 attempt (further than last week, see above)
                20mm: Standard Pt 115 x 8, 6, 6
                38mm: Standard Cu 106 x 6, 4, 4
                Filed click closes: Standard Adj. Fe at setting 3.0 x10 
                Silver Bullet: IM 3 155 (miss, couldn't really set it); IM 3 144 x 8 seconds
     Left:    MMS top set / PTP set: Standard Fe 137 attempt (further than last week)
                20mm: Standard Cu 106 x 7, 5, 5
                38mm: Standard Au 96 x 8, 6, 6 
                Filed click closes: Standard Adj. Fe at setting 3.5 x 10 
                Silver Bullet: Standard Fe 137 x 9 seconds (-4s from last week; again, see above)

B1. SLDL w/ straps: 92.5kg x 5x5

B2. Overhead press: 54kg x5 | 61x5 | 68kg / 150lb x 5, 5, 7

_____________________________________________________________

A. Static pinch: built up to 2x35lb + 2.5lb on the right; got 2x35 about 4 in off the ground on the left
           Flask, 1-hand: 28kg x 8, 6, 6 (per hand)
B. 2-hand dynamic pinch, grip machine: red bands + 6kg x 25, 25, 25 --> red band drop set x25
C. Pushups: 3x20
D. Band pull aparts: purple band x 3 sets of 15

_____________________________________________________________

A. Barbell finger curls: 40kg x 20, 20, 22
B. Reverse wrist formulator: 5kg x 12, 12, 15

stretching

So like I said, I felt like I was around 85% which meant being a rep or 2 short of last week on grippers, but I'm ok with that under the circumstances. 

On the plate pinching, I was able to add some weight (plate mates) to the 35's, and I feel like I probably had a little more in the tank. I definitely have at least 35s + 5lb in me when I'm not sick. I have grown tired of the Flask holds. I felt like they were capricious and hard to monitor progress on, so I started this week just doing reps. I'll follow the same principle of a top set followed by 2 sets of 2RIR. 

I'll have to figure out when to make up my squats from Saturday. Maybe tomorrow before deadlifts. 

[John Knowlton]

not bad for 85% nice workout

[DoctorOfCrush]

1 hour ago, John Knowlton said:

not bad for 85% nice workout

Right? I was pleasantly surprised. I think my crush was more affected than my pinch was. I was particularly happy with hitting that many reps on the Flask at +28kg. I think I’ve only ever done 35 and change for a single, but I would have to look back through my log.  

[John Knowlton]

let's hope you can get rid of that Strep throat fast.

[DoctorOfCrush]

6 minutes ago, John Knowlton said:

let's hope you can get rid of that Strep throat fast.

The antibiotics seem to be knocking it out nicely thankfully. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Ugh, late dinner, late start, mentally zapped, and kids that didn't want really want me to workout, so I consider it a win that I even did anything. I really didn't want to. I still don't think I'm 100%, but at least I did something, even if it wasn't great. 

Workout 9/3/24:
Squats: 90kg x5 | 102.5x5 | 115 x 2 sets of 5
Deadlifts (double overhand w/ straps): 130kg x5 | 147.5x5 | 165x5 

That's it. I was supposed to do another set of squats and two more sets of deadlift, but my endurance and mental fortitude wasn't there. It was more than sitting on the couch watching a movie or sitting on my phone like I wanted to do.

I think I am going to keep my training maxes at the same numbers for the next 4-week cycle. I can tell my squat is suffering, but it makes sense because that workout has been disrupted literally every week of this cycle for one reason or another (mostly illness in myself or others; the early fall sucks with little ones, especially with the start of school). 

I'm going to take it easy tomorrow (as much as I can with work) and recover so I can hit it hard on Thursday with pinch, crush, and bench. 

[Douglas Carney]

8 hours ago, DoctorOfCrush said:

Ugh, late dinner, late start, mentally zapped, and kids that didn't want really want me to workout, so I consider it a win that I even did anything. I really didn't want to. I still don't think I'm 100%, but at least I did something, even if it wasn't great. 

.... I can tell my squat is suffering, but it makes sense because that workout has been disrupted literally every week of this cycle for one reason or another (mostly illness in myself or others; the early fall sucks with little ones, especially with the start of school). 

I'm going to take it easy tomorrow (as much as I can with work) and recover so I can hit it hard on Thursday with pinch, crush, and bench. 

Unfortunately it's that time of year.  My son (7) missed the first two days back to school with strep and a sinus infection.  His sisters both had congestion and such, but thankfully not nearly as bad.  And now I'm coming down with something.

Hope your rest/recovery goes well and you bounce right back tomorrow.

[Blacksmith513]

8 minutes ago, Douglas Carney said:

Unfortunately it's that time of year.  My son (7) missed the first two days back to school with strep and a sinus infection.  His sisters both had congestion and such, but thankfully not nearly as bad.  And now I'm coming down with something.

Hope your rest/recovery goes well and you bounce right back tomorrow.

Brings me back to when I was a kid, yup its that time.  I've had some weird sinus thing going plus a cough and GI issues since last week. 

hope everyone gets on track soon.

[DoctorOfCrush]

54 minutes ago, Douglas Carney said:

Unfortunately it's that time of year.  My son (7) missed the first two days back to school with strep and a sinus infection.  His sisters both had congestion and such, but thankfully not nearly as bad.  And now I'm coming down with something.

Hope your rest/recovery goes well and you bounce right back tomorrow.

 

44 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said:

Brings me back to when I was a kid, yup its that time.  I've had some weird sinus thing going plus a cough and GI issues since last week. 

hope everyone gets on track soon.

Yeah, it's just everywhere right now. This time it was my 3-year-old that got me, but my 7-year-old got me a couple months ago after bringing something home from camp. 

If I could make it through a mesocycle without something running me down, I might actually get strong  That's life though. It'd be too easy otherwise, and we can't have that!

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 9/6/24:
A. Front squat (no sleeves or belt): 77.5kg / 171lb x 5x5
B. 2-Hand crush, grip machine: 64kg / 141lb  (plus red bands) x 5 sets of 5 (80% of 1RM)
C. Dynamic 2-hand key pinch, TTK:  29lb x 20, 20, 20, 18, 18

A. Bench press: 72.5kg x5 | 82.5x5 | 92.5/204 x5, 5, 8 (est. 1RM of ~115kg)
B. Band pull aparts: purple x 5 sets of 15
C. GlobTop: 5kg x5/side | 10kg x 1/side | 10kg x 3 assisted reps/side | 10kg x 6 on right, 1 on left

A. Ab Wheel: 3x5
B. IM Hub: 10kg x3/side | 15kg x 2/side | 15kg x 3R / 1L | 15kg x 4R / 1L (assisted)

The GlobTop and IM Hub are new enough to me that they still feel more like skill training than strength. And I think I take some time to warm up on those it seems. That's part of why my repping ability seems to go up I think. For both of them, I'm keeping my fingers perpendicular to the bottom plate instead of doing any kind of 'claw' or 'doorknob' because I'm trying to train them to progress to hubbing my 35, and that's how I have to grab it too. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 9/7/24:
Squat: 95kg x 5 | 107.5x3 | 120x5 
A. Neutral grip bench press: 67.5kg x5x5
B. Bent over DB rows: 70lb x 3 sets of 12/side
C. Cable crunch: 20kg x 12, 16, 16
D. Pullups: 3x5

I didn't do the full squat workout today. I opted for what would be the third week of a regular 5/3/1. I just wanted to at least hit 5 on the top set. I think I could have hit 7-8 if I had been in the right mindset, but it's a ways off of my top set at this weight (10 reps). I'm hoping that the next cycle won't involve getting sick twice or other problems that seemed to hit every Squaturday. I'm going to keep the weights the same for squats. 

I played around with the cable crunches, but I wasn't a huge fan. Awkward setup in my gym for those. 

It was absolutely perfect outside today, so I did some much needed organization/clean up in the gym. May take some pics/vids tomorrow. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Strength cycle deload week; week 4/6 for grip

Workout 9/8/24:

A. Grippers:
     Right: MMS top set / PTP set: MM1 replica 157 attempt (similar to previous)
                20mm: IM 2.5 121 x 6, 4, 4
                38mm: Tetting Master 108 x 4, 2, 2
                Filed click closes: Standard Adj. Fe at setting 2.5 x10 
                Silver Bullet: IM 3 155 x 4s
     Left:    MMS top set / PTP set: Standard Fe 137 attempt (2-3 mm)
                20mm: GHP5 112 x 4, 2, 2
                38mm: IM 2 101 x 4, 2, 2
                Filed click closes: Standard Adj. Fe at setting 3.0 x10 
                Silver Bullet: Standard Fe 137 x 7s 

B1. Overhead press (deload): 50kg x5 | 57.5x5 | 65x2 | 72.5x1
B2. Pushups: 5 sets of 20

A. Blobs: worked up to next gen 75 +3.75lb on the left (got it to my knees, not full lockout) and next gen 75 +5lb on the right; missed hex 95 and next gen 100 on the right
B. Band pull-aparts: purple, 3 sets of 15

Plate pinching: did 35s on the right for a couple of singles; got 2x35 on the left for the first time

A. Flask, 1-hand: +30kg x 4, 2, 2 (each hand)
B. 2 hand dynamic pinch, grip machine: red bands + 10kg x 20, 20, 20 --> 35 red band only drop set
C. Decline Blob Russian Twists: next gen 75 x 8 (+3 situps), 8 (+3 situps), 9 (+5 situps)

A. Barbell finger curls: 45kg x 3 sets of 15
B. Reverse wrist formulator: 5kg x 3 sets of 18

stretching

Not sure what happened on the Silver Bullets this week. Maybe the increase in intensity/poundages on the grippers had more of an effect than the higher volume sessions. Not sure. Overall, gripper felt better than last week. 

So I finally got some blobs! I got the next gen 75 (37.4lb) right off the bat on the right, but it took a couple of tries on the left before I got it. Then I started adding plate mates. I attempted the hex 95 (46.4lb) on the right, but I couldn't get it. I attempted the next gen 100 (50.4lb) just to say I had. I only rocked it to its side, but I couldn't get any air just yet. I've got a few stepping stone blobs on the way that will hopefully help. 

I didn't push the plate pinching because I did the blobs and still needed to hit the Flask. I will have to decide how blob practice will fit into my training. 

I actually really like the blobs for Russian twists. They feel like the perfect size and more manageable than handling plates. I may post a video later of what it looks like.

 

 

 

Edited September 9 by DoctorOfCrush

[DoctorOfCrush]

Deload week, day 2

Workout 9/11/24:
Deadlift (double overhand, straps on top set only): 122.5kg x5 | 140x3 | 157.5x1 | 175kg / 386lb x1
Push press: 20kgx5 | 40x5 | 60x3 | 70x3 | 80x3 | 90x1 | 95kg / 209lb x 1
Fat Gripz DB clean and push press: built up to 38.3kg / 84lb
Fat Gripz DB lift: built up 63.8kg / 141lb nearly to lockout on both hands

Had some time today, so I played around with a few things. I got my deadlift deload out of the way first. I did all the lifts with no belt, and I only put on straps for the final rep. It actually felt really good. 

I am considering swapping out incline bench for push press for my shoulder supplemental movement in the next cycle, so I wanted to test the waters. I haven't done these seriously since being into olympic weightlifting in college/med school. I think my best ever was in the 100-105kg ballpark, and that may have been behind-the-neck. I'm not sure. Either way, I was happy with 95kg from the front rack having not done it in so long. 

With the recent discussion and Jedd's video about the Inch clean and press, I wanted to play around with the closest thing I have, which is my loadable DB handles that I keep Fat Gripz on (57mm and change). That stuff is tough! I gave 43kg a try but didn't have the power left in me. 

While I had it out, I figured I would see how I could do with regular ole Fat Gripz DB deadlifts. I just about locked out 63.8kg with both hands. I may have gotten fresh or with multiple attempts, but I only took the one crack at it today. I don't think I've ever done these, but I liked the feeling of it a lot more than rolling handle work. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

De-load week day 3

Workout 9/12/24:
Bench press: 67.5kg x5 | 77.5x5 | 87.5x1 | 97.5x1 

A. Grip Machine, 2-Hand: 72kg + red bands x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3+ --> 8
B. Dynamic key pinch, TTK, 2-hand: 29lb x 5 sets of 20

GlobTop: +5kg x5/side | +7.5 x3/side | +10 x3R/1L |  +11.25 x1R/xL | +10.75 x1L (actual weight 12.25kg) | +12.5 x 1R | +13.25 x 1R (actual weight 14.7kg)

IM Hub warmup: built up to 15kg each hand; missed 17.5 on the right

A. IM Hub: +12.5kg x 7/4, 5/3, 5/3
B. 1-arm KB swings: 16kg x10/10; 24kg x 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
stretching

The GlobTop is getting close to 15kg on the right, but I'm sure it's easier than the plate hub, so I'll need to be a fair amount above 35lb before I'm going to be able to hub the plate. I think I'll keep doing some warmups to a heavy single then dropping down for working sets. 12.5kg feel like a solid working weight for the IM hub. Maybe something like 8.75 will work best for the GlobTop. 
 

[John Knowlton]

Nice work

do you have a picture of your grip machine 

I would like to see it 

[DoctorOfCrush]

27 minutes ago, John Knowlton said:

Nice work

do you have a picture of your grip machine 

I would like to see it 

It’s just the one from Titan Fitness. I put some blocks under it for a more reasonable range of motion. 

[John Knowlton]

Way cool 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Easy conditioning: outdoor walk, 3.51 miles, 61 minutes. 

Lowest weight I’ve been since beginning my attempt at re-composition: 197.5lb. Down from 210lb. Overall trend is 0.7lb/week. 

[John Knowlton]

Right on good for you 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 9/15/24:
A. Grippers:
     Right: MMS top set / PTP set: MM1 replica 157 attempt  (better than last week)
                20mm: Standard Fe 132 2, 2, 2
                38mm: Standard Pt 118 x 4; GHP6 126 x 2, 2
                Filed click closes: Standard Adj. Fe at setting 2.0 x10 
              
     Left:    MMS top set / PTP set: Standard Fe 137 attempt (better than last week)
                20mm: Standard Pt 115 x4; IM 2.5 121 x 2, 2
                38mm: Tetting Master 108 x 1, 2, 1
                Filed click closes: Standard Adj. Fe at setting 3.0 x 10 

B1. SLDL w/ straps: 95kg x 5x5

B2. Overhead press: 48kg x5 | 56x5 | 63kg / 139lb x 5, 5, 9

_____________________________________________________________

A. Blobs: Built up to NG 75 +5# on right and +2.5# on left; couldn't get the hex 95 on the right
B. Pushups: 5x20
C. Band pull aparts: purple band x 5 sets of 20

_____________________________________________________________
A. Flask, 1-hand: 30kg x 9R/6L | 7/4 | 7/4
B. 2-hand dynamic pinch, grip machine: red bands + 6kg x 25, 25, 25 --> red band drop set x25
C. Weighted decline situps: NG 75 x 10, 10, 10

stretching

I'm going to try to space this workout out a bit in my week going forward. It consistently takes me 2+ hours to get all this done. I'm thinking I could keep grippers, strength work, and accessories but move pinch to Tuesdays. At least that is what I am going to try out. We'll see how well it incorporates come Tuesday. 

A couple of things I have noticed with my gripper programming: the 20mm block sets are not doing to much for my top end strength, but I am certainly getting better with my sweep strength in the wider 38mm sets. The next cycle that I do will be more strength/MMS focused for 4-6 weeks where I plan on accruing a lot of singles and triples. Then I'll swap back to more of what I'm currently doing for volume to keep the cycle moving. 

Thursday will be light from a grip standpoint since I plan on testing where I stand on MMS next Sunday.