2HP AND OTHER DELIGHTS

I have a few thoughts to post about.

GRIPPERS
Something about grippers doesn't agree with me lately.  I'm still interested in them, but training them with any intensity seems to bring on some nerve symptoms that I do not enjoy.  And by "with any intensity" I mean even one decent workout...per month...  The symptoms are identical to the problems I was having last Fall and a doctor at that time called it "neuritis."  General inflammation of the nervous system.  I've been crippled by some sickness for about a week, and the doctor said that being ill can bring this about, but I just think it's stupid that apparently I get "neuritis" a couple times per year and nobody else has even heard of the condition?  Sounds made up to me.  And it seems specifically irritated by grippers.  So I need to get a second opinion, or continue to focus on other things like 2HP, or both.

VOYEURISM
I've recently found the value of reviewing photos or video of training.  Not only my own, but others as well.  Initially I was looking for ways to improve my 2HP.  More on that to follow.  Recently I was reviewing the Frostbite Challenge photos.  I noticed in all my bearhug deadlift pictures that my legs are way too wide.

This is not a powerful position.  You look at every other competitor, most of whom are otherwise accomplished heavy lifters, and their shins are almost totally vertical.  Duh.  I need to be more mindful of this for any lift.  I think my feet are too wide in a 2HP lift, for example.  Take video of your training sometimes; it can be priceless!  You don't know what you don't know.



TWO HANDS PINCH
So I've had some super-bug for the last 7 days.  Antibiotics finally kicked in and won the fight.  But this afforded me entirely too much time to lay around and think about training.  One thing I believe will make all the difference in my hand positioning.  Usually my approach to setting up has been to get the back plate in the right spot on my thumbs and then get a good, deep wrap with the fingers.  What tends to happen is that the finger side of my hand gets too much ground because I'm not paying attention.  Think of it this way: the whole point of a pinch lift is that your fingers oppose your thumb like a sock puppet talking.  The more ground your fingers get, your hand starts to straighten out like a karate chop.  You're simply not going to be able to squeeze as hard.  I guess others keep their fingers opposing their thumb without much thought, but somehow this is not natural for me.  (Like the leg position for power mentioned above.  Others have already thought about this, or don't need to think about it, but apparently it's not natural for me...or I needed to think about it!)

So after I've already set up poorly, once I begin the lift it gets even worse.  I think this is also why thin widths felt ultra-super-crappy-lousy for me.  I tried setting up on 52mm today with a focus on keeping my fingers evenly opposing my thumb.  I only lifted the empty pinch apparatus, but the grip did feel totally different with this setup, which I felt was promising.  I am immediately going to test this more.  So this is what I think about when I'm deathly ill; sock puppet talking versus karate chopping to help your pinch lift.

FROSTBITE PHOTOS
Finally, here are all the Frostbite photos.  There are some incredible shots in there.  Thanks again to Adam Glass for having a pro on site to shoot the contest.  This is one of my favorites.