Odin's Grip Journey

[odin]

Odin you are getting me back into the idea of training for a full DL aswell. Motivating stuff here dude.

Thanks Sam, that means a lot coming from someone who's already as motivated as you.

2/22/08

BW: 160.0

AM: OH resistance extensor work

Pullups: BWx11 reps

Parallel Grip Pullups:BWx11 reps

Chins: BWx11 reps

(will stick to 11 reps on all 3 next time, didn't kip but felt like I could have lowered myself a little more on a few)

Power Cleans: 100x 5 reps|100x 5 reps|100x 5 reps| (easy, just learning the form)

Bent Over Rows 100x 5 reps|100x 5 reps|100x 5 reps| (don't know if I'm keeping a proper arch in my lower back, will need to check somehow)

[odin]

2/23/08

BW: 160.6

Squats: Shoulders hurt a lot just holding the bar (just doing some flexibility work so maybe i can do squats someday)

Front Squats: 25s under heels and did 85 lbs.x6 reps|85 lbs.x6 reps| (just wanted to feel a little weight, not too hard)

OH Squats w/broomstick (laugh all you want)

Wrist Curls: 135 lbs.x 16 reps| 135 lbs.x 4 reps (nothing left)

Reverse Wrist Curls: 95 lbs.x1 reps| 115 lbs.x2 reps|135 lbs.x2 attempts ((not too bad, surprisingly)|135 lbs.x2 attempts (not so good)|

Finger Curls: 225 lbs.x 5 reps |245 lbs.x4 attempts (not sure how good, hard to tell+screwed up and put 5 extra lbs. on one side)|250 lbs.x2 attempts (again, hard to tell, will check video)

Went to to a church event and afterwards decided to do another mini-workout before bedtime:

Plate wrist Curls: 25 lbs.x 5 reps RH, 2 reps+3FR LH| 25 lbs.x 3 reps+2 FR RH, 1 rep+4FR LH|

2.5 inch DB Wrist Curls (weighed on scale): 56 lbsx1 rep BH| 81 lbs.x1 rep BH| 92 lbs.x1 rep RH, 1 FR LH|101 lbsx0 RH (reached parallel, couldn't finish-near miss)

Was reading about the technical aspects, benefits and pitfalls of cleans today, decided I will probably switch to hang cleans or perhaps "power curls" until I can get some live coaching. Maybe there is an Olympic lifting club in Charlotte?

[John Eaton]

Beefed up to 160lb Did you check for rolls of quarters in your pocket Just kidding that's great Bob!

[egg_uk]

i bought a manta ray for doing squats, it spreads the load of the bar across you shoulders

[matthcarl]

i bought a manta ray for doing squats, it spreads the load of the bar across you shoulders

To each his own, but those things feel really awkward to me.

[egg_uk]

yea, i just found you have to get it in the right place on your neck and it feels fine, a friend of mine used it the other day and he found it uncomfortable.

[pklidaras]

...i ain't as good as you on A LOT of grip things...but i feel like i can ofer some advice on the cleans.....

if you intend to do PC on even to work upto the full SQC...then stay away from the power curl as it teaches some habits that are of no use or maybe detrimental to learning the full movement.....

additionally, if you wanna do some work on the clean but wanna work on the tech before getting into the heavy stuff...the the following maybe of use:

-flexibility to assume the proper positions, especially in the wrists/elbows.....front squats and some different types of stretches can help here.

-working basic clean DL with a shrug at the top can get you used to the movement from the floor and in combination with cleans from the hang can get you used to getting the elbows around....then you can work towards getting the full movement.

FWIW, i was self taught and did okay in comps...i learned from the Tommy Kono book....simple and full of good stuff.

HTH,

phil.

[dima700]

2/23/08

BW: 160.6

Squats: Shoulders hurt a lot just holding the bar (just doing some flexibility work so maybe i can do squats someday)

Front Squats: 25s under heels and did 85 lbs.x6 reps|85 lbs.x6 reps| (just wanted to feel a little weight, not too hard)

OH Squats w/broomstick (laugh all you want)

Wrist Curls: 135 lbs.x 16 reps| 135 lbs.x 4 reps (nothing left)

Reverse Wrist Curls: 95 lbs.x1 reps| 115 lbs.x2 reps|135 lbs.x2 attempts ((not too bad, surprisingly)|135 lbs.x2 attempts (not so good)|

Finger Curls: 225 lbs.x 5 reps |245 lbs.x4 attempts (not sure how good, hard to tell+screwed up and put 5 extra lbs. on one side)|250 lbs.x2 attempts (again, hard to tell, will check video)

Went to to a church event and afterwards decided to do another mini-workout before bedtime:

Plate wrist Curls: 25 lbs.x 5 reps RH, 2 reps+3FR LH| 25 lbs.x 3 reps+2 FR RH, 1 rep+4FR LH|

2.5 inch DB Wrist Curls (weighed on scale): 56 lbsx1 rep BH| 81 lbs.x1 rep BH| 92 lbs.x1 rep RH, 1 FR LH|101 lbsx0 RH (reached parallel, couldn't finish-near miss)

Was reading about the technical aspects, benefits and pitfalls of cleans today, decided I will probably switch to hang cleans or perhaps "power curls" until I can get some live coaching. Maybe there is an Olympic lifting club in Charlotte?

Very nice wrist and reverse wrist curls Lol, couple workouts ago I forgot to put a 10 pound plate on one side of the barbell while doing the bench press. That was the hardest, most awkward set ever. Luckily, nobody was around to laugh at me and call me an idiot

[odin]

Here is some examples of my recent wrist work (mostly from yesterday 2/23/08, click here for video).

Music for video is by Aerosmith: Rats in the Cellar

Hope you enjoy it.

Beefed up to 160lb Did you check for rolls of quarters in your pocket Just kidding that's great Bob!

Nope, sorry to disappoint you John. I was in my boxers (no pockets for quarters) to make it an "official" weigh-in. This morning I was up to 162.0, big eating day yesterday.

egg_uk, thanks for the tip, the problem is in my rotator cuffs when I hold the bar (my shoulders are too flexible in most positions if anything). I've got an old IM magic circle that works great, just wanted to see if I can get flexible enough to do proper squats, my heels rise up even with the magic circle. Am doing yoga and streching, but the squat in and of itself helps to stretch as well.

pklidaras, thanks for the great advice. It feels really weird to squat doing them, usually I end up doing something that looks like a fast DL transitioning to an upright row with a wrist flip at the top, so I thought the hang cleans might be good to try for now-I don't want to establish incorrect motor patters that I have to unlearn.

Thanks Eurodancer, your log is off to a good start.

Edited February 24, 2008 by odin

[DAN PRAYDIS]

nice workout bob thats a hard way to do wrist curls you need to make a padded bench to do them curls off of like a flat preacher bench where you can stand up and do them

[odin]

nice workout bob thats a hard way to do wrist curls you need to make a padded bench to do them curls off of like a flat preacher bench where you can stand up and do them

Thanks Dan, glad you liked the video. I'm no good at making stuff, so I'll likely keep doing everything the hard way.

2/25/08

BW: 161.2

Felt really fresh and well rested before workout despite Saturday's hard workout, think protein or creatine must be helping. Walked about 5 minutes to warm up.

50-60 yd. sprints: 5 reps (gradually increasing effort to about 80%; stretched a bit after first 2)

Squats: was able to do with 10 lb. plates under heels and then fairly well flatfooted, worked up to 85 lbs. for 7 easy reps. Not at all sore today (the day after), which is keeping with the theme of just being able to do the movement halfway properly.

50-60 yd. sprints: 5 reps (stretched a bit after first 2, gradually increasing effort to about 90%, felt great, like I was flying-stretching/yoga is finally paying off a little).

2x45s w/ 1-finger OH touch several attempts with each hand after trying for 2x45 DL unsuccessfully.

worked on mini-tramp with two 45s plus 10 lbs. for bounces/negatives.

Felt tweak in R forearm doing the bounces/negatives (running from just under palm for about two inches down, apparently the superficial tendon in the middle-haven't googled any medical info yet). Feels like about a 10 day to two week injury; was about a "1" when it happened; is about a "2" or "3" on a 1-10 pain scale today-can feel when opening or closing hand or pushing on tendon. Iced for quite a while before bed, just painful enough to be annoying today. Guess I'll be taking motrin, icing and doing LH and leg work for a while. It feels like a strain, not a tear. I'm very tempted to train through it, but won't-I don't want it to become chronic or tear it. I've had this type of injury a few times in my life (including a few weeks ago w/ LH), even from bowling with a cocked wrist, so I must be prone to it.

I also have a thumb injury on my LH; hurt it my first Inch workout, was about 90%, and re-injured it on the Inch last week (sharp, quickly disappearing pain during plate curls, narrow pinch, or squeezing thumb and finger together when turning a key, etc.) It is annoying, but does not affect strength much and slowly gets better unless I really stress it; my pain tolerance is high so I mostly work around it/ignore it. Everyone who trains hard at all has some type of injury they're working around much of the time, so I'll just work what I can and promote healing the best I can.

[t-wehner]

You got the right idea dude, legs and the other hand for a little bit won't hurt one bit.

for any non grip oriented workout, use lifting straps for shrugs, dl's, stiff leg dl's, and even pullups . it allows you to let your hands rest, while still keeping your scheduled workout.

used straps when i was doing KTA, and they allowed me to hit all the heavy lifting moves, without injury to my stressed out hands and forearms.

heal up and take care man

[odin]

Thanks T-Dog, it feels more like a "tweak" than anything else, but it seems like injuries take a lot longer to heal every decade. I don't have any straps, and the idea of using them makes me feel sick-but my mind may open up if this drags on for weeks like tendon stuff can do.

2/27/08

BW: 161.6 lbs.

5 ~50 yd, "sprints": gradually increasing effort to about 70%

Front Squats: 65 lbs.x5|65 lbs.x5|85 lbs.x5|105 lbs.x3 (didn't want to get "greedy", but wanted enough weight to see how a little extra effort affected my form. Felt pretty good, did with 10 lb. plates under heels (always needed 25s for front squats before).

5 ~50 yd, sprints: gradually increasing effort to about 90%

Inch DB: LH only w/ 25, 20, and 10 extra lbs. one set of 2 lousy attempts each weight.

Inch DB mini-tramp bounces: LH only 2 sets of 2 attempts upper ROM & 2 sets of 2 attempts lower ROM

Had no leg drive after leg work, made the Inch feel a lot harder. Confirmed that I can't do leg work and get a good pull on the Inch at this point in my training. Did lots of stretching during workout, cold and windy outside.

Was going to do standing and RG bench presses, but wanted to let R forearm to rest as much as possible, so did some legs instead. Feeling a bit demoralized using LH only, but know I'll bounce back soon.

Edited February 28, 2008 by odin

[odin]

2/28/08

BW: 161.4

Yoga: 1 hour with my clients

50 lb. weight vest: 20 minute walk

Icing wrist whenever I get a chance, feels a little better. I'm just being cautious, if it was the day of an important contest I might go ahead and compete, would do grippers LH instead of RH, but think it wouldn't affect strength in most other areas too much.

I have enough other weak areas to work on while my RH gets a rest.

[DAN PRAYDIS]

2/28/08

BW: 161.4

Yoga: 1 hour with my clients

50 lb. weight vest: 20 minute walk

Icing wrist whenever I get a chance, feels a little better. I'm just being cautious, if it was the day of an important contest I might go ahead and compete, would do grippers LH instead of RH, but think it wouldn't affect strength in most other areas too much.

I have enough other weak areas to work on while my RH gets a rest.

HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER BOB I FOUND ADVIL LIQUID GELL TABLETS ARE BEST FOR PAIN AND I JUST BOUGHT MY WIFE SOME BLUE EMU SUPER STRENGTH FOR PAIN AND IT WORKS PRETTY GOOD ON SALE AT WALLGREENS FOR $9.00 REGULAR $19.00 OR MORE AND ITS NO ODOR I USED IT ON MY FINGERS AND FELT ALOT BETTER

[John Eaton]

Keep up the good work Bob!

[RPGoodfellow]

Bob,

Keep up the good work, man! You're training is really progressing. I'm sure your hand will heal up nicely, especially with the extra care you're giving it. You've got SICK pinch!

[ewokhugo]

i like the variety of your workouts!

yoga? beautifull!!!

Odin:

can u close your rb 210 now?

[odin]

Bob,

Keep up the good work, man! You're training is really progressing. I'm sure your hand will heal up nicely, especially with the extra care you're giving it. You've got SICK pinch!

I needed to hear that today Goody, thanks!

Thanks for the tips Dan, I'll try that when my other stuff runs out. it's more annoying now than painful.

Thank you John, how's your full-body and grip work going?

Hugo, Glad you like my workouts, I'm going to add some more core stuff (I do some but usually forget to write it down, same with extensor work). I'm not training grippers now, will try it when my wrist is 100%.

3/1/08

BW: 160.2 (very tough week at work, not able to eat often enough)

Warmup: 5 minute walk and 5 ~50 yd. sprints finishing @ app. 80% effort (Achilles tendons even achier than normal, stretching helped some between efforts)

OH Press: 110 lbs.x5 reps|110 lbs.x5 reps|110 lbs.x5 reps| (felt strong so I added 5 lbs. instead of the planned 2.5)

Reverse Grip Bench Press: 120 lbs.x5 reps|120 lbs.x5 reps|120 lbs.x5 reps|

Edited March 2, 2008 by odin

[t-wehner]

hope your wrist/forearm is healing up fine.

take care man

[odin]

hope your wrist/forearm is healing up fine.

take care man

T-Dog, thanks for your concern my friend. I think this is a minor injury, but slow to heal-will increase massage and stretching. I felt strong today, so I wanted to work on the Inch (writing up workout now, no unusual pain) and will see how the wrist feels tomorrow and beyond.

Got rear-ended yesterday while driving a co-workers car, but feel no ill-effects at all. I had the audacity to stop while pedestrians were obviously attempting to cross a clearly marked crosswalk at a university. Paid the price for failing to intimidate them into retreating while hiding behind the seeming anonymity of a couple tons of metal like most people do.

[odin]

3/5/08

Inch Overload Day V

BW: 162.0

Did well after yet another 2 and 1/2 week with no RH Inch attempts. I think 10-14 days works the best for me.

Warmup: yardwork and 5 sprints, felt faster today. Also did a few light 1-handed Oly DLs to test tendon.

Inch-Added weight with magnets (starting heavier and then lowering weight-equal # of attempts with BH),

+30 lbs.: one set of 2 attempts clearly broke ground RH, maybe a piece of paper could have gone under LH;

+25 lbs.: one set of 2 attempts I think I might have gotten more air than last time (need to see video)

+10 lbs.: one sets of 2 attempts (already a bit tired, probably near ankles)

+10 lbs.: one sets of 2 OH rotation-stopper attempts (LH attempts felt better than RH, couldn't do either hand w/only one finger like I can with bells "unloaded"-think it will be a very good sign when I can do that).

+10 lbs. on 8 and 1/2" platform: two sets of 2 feeble attempts (just took a guess on how high I might be pulling with "unloaded" Inch and put together with handy junk. Climber gave me the benefit of his coaching here. Surprisingly hard, I thought it would fly right up, but I think pulling from a dead stop feels about the same at this height (at least when tired); perhaps it's also harder to get help from the legs this way.

Mini-tramp Inch Work:

+10 lbs.: three sets of 2 attempts from bottom and 2 attempts mid-range (attempting to hold at top and fight rotation-did quite well)

+10 lbs: one sets of ~7 attempts at bottom of ROM (bounce about 6+ inches and attempting to hold and fight rotation)

It definitely is my body tiring before my grip on the attempted holds. I held my hand near the bell and the weight pulled me forward before it rotated out of my hand. First instinct is to call myself "pathetic", but when the DB is heavier than your BW, perhaps it's not so bad-at least I'm addressing the rest of the body now.

Did ice massage on forearms after workout. If I can remain injury/illness free enough to do two more workouts like this during March; I will try one or more "unloaded" workouts to see if I've gained much.

Edited March 6, 2008 by odin

[matthcarl]

I had the audacity to stop while pedestrians were obviously attempting to cross a clearly marked crosswalk at a university. Paid the price for failing to intimidate them into retreating while hiding behind the seeming anonymity of a couple tons of metal like most people do.

People who won't stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk kind of burns me. I stopped for an old lady today and she almost got killed by a tour bus blowing through the other way. Where I work we have two buildings, one across a busy street from the other, and I'll stand in the pouring rain with a 50 lb. box while a dozen cars go by. At least I practice what I preach...anyone rear ends me their insurance can buy me a new bumper.

[gumpster]

Looking good odin. Sounds like you got lucky with the auto accident. I'll be interested to see how you do when you try it unloaded again. I'm doing something similar with my #3 - working with it in a choker for about a month then I'll try it without. Hope we both see some progress.

[big nasty]

Hope your ok from the wreck man nice work on the inch wow.