BODY WEIGHT WORKOUT

Push ups
5 x 10

Pull ups
5 x 5

Tweeked my left hand somehow.

I other news, I randomly grabbed a #3 today and took it down to about 1/2" from CCS.  Lefty.  My left has always had better sweep strength than the right.  If I ever certify, it will probably be lefty.

SOME PULLING

Pulling circuit:

Pinch
4 x 5 x 115#

Rolling Thunder
4 x 5 x 110

Deadlift
1 x 5 x 115#
3 x 10 x 115

GYM CHALLENGE

They posted a challenge at my work gym so I figured I would try that since I had a headache and didn't want to put much thought into my training day. 

Challenge - Complete three full cycles of the following exercises:

10 jumping lunges
20 box jumps (30" box)
30 squats (36# body bar)
30 bicycles (ab exercise)
20 push ups
10 pull ups

My total time was 12m 40s.  So far I'm the only one who has done the challenge, and frankly I'll be shocked if anyone in the building beats my time.  I never stopped moving and didn't have to split any sets.  This was incredibly demanding.

VULCAN

2 x 5 x L6

3 x 5 x L9

Bothered my middle finger a little, so I stopped. 

UPDATE - it's 7/5 and my finger feels fine.  I don't get what the actual problem is; behaves very odd. 

DB CLEAN & PRESS

Pressing workout with the limited equipment at corporate gym.

Dumbbell hang clean & press
10 x 30#
10 x 35
2 x 6 x 40 (more of a push press)

Chest press machine
10 x 105#
10 x 120
8 x 120

V-ups x 25

Too stinking hot to run.

PULLING

Quick workout. About 15 mins in all.

Pull ups
5 x 10

Deadlift
4 x 10 x 115#

Felt good. Let's see how the joints hold up.

PINCH, RT

Headache and tired, but weights don't lift themselves:

2HP
4 x 5 x 105#

RT
4 x 5 x 100# (both hands)

Mighty Joe Thumblaster, a bunch in every direction.

Middle finger seems to be tolerating any of this just fine.  The thing that hurts the most is getting a lot of curl pressure into the last knuckle.  Like imagine you are hanging from a bar and you've slid down to your finger tips and are about to drop.  That would hurt.

SQUAT

Doing what I can with the equipment in the small gym at work.

Squats
2 x 10 x body weight

Zercher
3 x 8 x 70#
1 x 10 x 70

Hamstring curl
3 x 10 x 60

Leg Press
3 x 8 x 215#

Hanging leg raise x 8 (toes to hands)
V-ups x 25

Zercher squat is my new favorite squat. 

PULLUPS, PINCH, RT

15 minute circuit, no resting

pullups
6 x 6 @ BW

Rolling Thunder
6 x 8 x 90#

2HP
6 x 5 x 100#

Good workout.  My wife also worked on some 2HP and Ironmind Hub.  She easily pulled 25# in plates on the Hub. 

GRIPPERS

I decided to just see how a gripper workout would affect my middle finger.

3 x 10 @ HG150
2 x 10 @ #1
2 x 5 @ #2
3 x 1 @ SM (choked at parallel) (left only)

Overall felt really okay.  Had some discomfort in the RH middle finger joint in the evening, but did not amount to anything.  No noticable swelling.

MAINTENANCE

Some light body weight stuff:

Pushups
3 x 10

Glute circuit
3 x 10

The circuit is three exercises that I'm working on from Bret Contreras. It's body weight hip hinge, squat, and glute bridge. See, I basically don't have glutes. So I am working on these exercises trying to master them without weight. Been at it for a while and trying to do the circuit every day and just realized I forgot about it for a week. Whoops. Not a habit yet I guess.

EASY BAKE WORKOUT

Trying to blend a meaningful workout with the feeling of "that was easy" at the end.  

deads

2 x 10 x 115

1 x 8 x 135

1 x 5 x 115

rolling thunder

3 x 8 x 90

2HP

1 x 3 x 95

3 x 5 x 95

hip hinge

2 x 10 x 115

Everything felt great.  I taped the shit out of my RH middle finger to protect it and keep it from bending too much.  Feels fine.

POTPOURRI

I've had some time off recently and made two mistakes: 1) Started to over-think programming. 2) Stopped training due to some nagging problems.  Some clarity today so I will start logging again for a while:

pull ups

4 x 5 various grip

3 x 5 +25# chins

hip hinge

10 x 45

2 x 10 x 95

Smith machine squat

10 x bar

9 x 115

7 x 115

box jump x 10

V-ups x 25

IT'S MAY. WHAT'S UP!?

I have not posted in a while so thought I would update.  It's Spring and like everything else, I feel like I'm in transition.  Here are the things I'm interested in right now:

Body Composition
The lowest my body weight got was 145 and that was on 4/28 for the Movement Minnesota Decathlon (where I set a few world records!).  I have opened up my diet since then and gained about 5 pounds.  I decided to give myself enough latitude to gain back up to 155 and then I would decide if I liked how I look.  Well, after gaining a little, I'm not sure I want to gain any more.  I'd like to hang at 150 for a while and work on getting things tights at that weight.  Here is a picture of me at 146#.  I like this look.



Running
This is probably the only thing I'm training right now that is going well, and therefore it's getting a lot of attention.  I've got a 5k signed up and also want to run a half marathon in the Fall.  I have a runner build (long limbs, light build, good endurance) and running makes me feel fit.  My body knows how to do this.  I rarely feel this way about working out.  Currently I'm trying to fit in three runs per week for about 10-12 miles total.


EDT (Escalating Density Training)
I still love this model.  If I look at anything that has gone well in the past 5 months, it was all gains within this structure.  I would like to do two of these workouts per week.  For a while I just want to focus on some exercises I like doing.  Pull ups, push ups, light deadlift, some rowing, power clean.  That's enough for me.  If I get too creative, I tend to get hurt.  There are a few things I'd like to sprinkle in, such as hand stand push ups.  We'll see.  

Grip
Thick bar and pinch lifts are holding my interest more than anything right now, but I can't seem to stay healthy enough to train anything.  Might just be time for some rest.  One thing I know for sure: Whenever I come back to these lifts, I am going to work them in to the EDT structure and start with lighter weights.  I can't believe I never did that.  Also, I have no competitions until this Fall.  I can't go to Nationals despite qualifying, and I have no interest in the World's Strongest Hands events this year.  MM2 would be a stretch goal.

Attitude
A quote stuck with me recently: Only bad things happen quickly.  I'm currently applying this to everything I do.  I believe it will serve me well.

Have a wonderful and healthy Spring! 

FULL CIRCLE

2HP

Well, I've come full circle with my 2HP experiment. 

Last night I did the same 40+ rep workout that I have repeated at different widths for a couple of weeks.  I realized I cannot make 56mm with my combination of inserts, so I skipped straight to 58mm.  My old standby. 

Not only did all the warm up reps feel incredible; I easily lifted the 155# which had stopped me in the previous workouts.  So I moved on to what would be a PR on my plates.  161#.  I clarify that because I have lifted 172 on Jedd's rig, and 178 on Adam's rig.  Around the time I pulled 178 at WSH, I had just hit 160# on my own plates at 58mm. 

So 161#.  I took three attempts.  They all came off the ground, the first one about 1/2 way up and the second two about 1/4 way up!  This confirms for me that I am unquestionably stronger at this 58mm width.  I feel I have given this enough attention that I can stop thinking about it for a while. 

Also, despite the 161# being a max effort--and I got them off the ground--and they were not successful lifts--that's usually the perfect recipe for a tear.  Which has been common problem for me at the 58mm width.  However, last night there were no tears!  I can't exactly explain why except that I did not "lose" the weight; I just had to set it down.  I attribute some of this to getting stronger at the other widths and that helped me avoid a total slip.  Which was also common for me. 

So here I am at 58mm.  Same as it ever was.  I would still like to play with 56mm and will probably cut another insert some rainy day to make that possible.  Otherwise it's time to do more work.

A FEW UPDATES, NEW GOAL GRIPPER

RUNNING
Running is going well and I’ve set a few 5k PRs recently. Next run on the treadmill should be under 25:00 for sure. Overall I would say my conditioning is that of a mediocre runner. It feels great, but if I’m being realistic, the pace is not really that impressive. I am really happy with the progress, which I guess is what matters most. On top of that, I’m pushing myself pretty hard to improve so possibly in the coming months the times will get more impressive.

GOAL GRIPPER
Borrowed a 164# Quad Band from Adam Glass. Not only do I need to bridge the gap between my 155 BBGM and my 167 BBE, this will help prepare me for another run at MM2. The sweep on this Quad Band is wicked nasty. First real workout will be this weekend, and I’ll get a baseline video. I predict about a ¼” miss initially, which is an approachable gap. The sweep is going to “eff” with me.

BODY FAT GOALS
My weight has settled in at 148-149 every day. I have not been out of that range for quite a few weeks. Strength training is still going well in theory, although I lost about 2 weeks recently where nothing was gained or lost. First week was a bout of “neuritis”. The bullcrap diagnosis for some of the nerve pain I’ve been getting in my arms. I only say bullcrap because I’ve never heard of this before and neither has anyone else. Something else is going on, I’m just not sure what. So I mainly focused on running that week. The week after that I got horribly ill. Probably an influenza virus. I’m still on antibiotics and strength is back. Stamina might be taxed a little, but that is coming back too. I am pretty sure I still saw an improvement in abs definition during this time. Maybe from being dehydrated…ha! I know body fat is still creeping downward slowing because I’m getting more vascularity in my abs, legs, arms, all the time. There is still a pesky small amount right at my belly button. I’m not sure what it’s going to take to get that. Maybe just more time?

2HP
I think I’m closing in on the optimal width. I recently performed the exact same workout twice in a row, once at 52mm and then again at 54mm. The workouts were identical. No tearing and I could not lift any more or less at either width. I still did not pull a PR on my plates however. That is really the ultimate goal. To pull 160# on my plates and not tear. This time of year still sucks for friction lifts. I might just have to wait until this summer when it’s a little more humid. I’m not ruling that out as a variable, but would like to pull a PR no matter the time of year. Next workout is at 56mm. I will probably do it once at 58mm as well just to make sure what I’ve learned about hand position won’t eliminate tears at that width, which has historically been my strongest.


Now, GO OUTSIDE!

GRIPPER PR

Over body weight gripper PR.

155# BBGM closed at 148# body weight.

I decided to just forge ahead with my right hand gripper training and ignore my left for a while since it's so tweeky right now.  Managed a PR in the process!

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.

 

FROSTBITE CHALLENGE

The Frostbite Challenge was this weekend and it was a doozy.  Adam has a knack for putting together unique and challenging contests and this one was awfully demanding.  In general I feel it was because the events were either heavy, or endurance based.  There were no gimmes like MMS grippers, which is honestly about 20 minutes of rest with only seconds of one-handed effort.  The events:

Bear hug deadlift - Heavy.
Rolling Thunder - Heavy.
Three grippers for max reps - Endurance.
Feats of strength medley - Heavy.
Endurance medley........you get the idea.

So the contest as a whole was very taxing on the whole body.  Guys who were strong in general did well despite not having trained for the events; or trained grip ever.

For my own performance in the lightweight class (82.5kg), I placed 2nd to Ryan Pitts of Strongergrip.com.  I was really happy with that finish.  It's hard to hang with Ryan.  He is so well-rounded that I never feel too bad finishing second over the course of a whole contest.  It is my mission in life to beat him however, which I've only done once at WSH Leg 2 when I won the whole contest.  But regarding Ryan, one place he usually racks up a ton of points on me is the feats of strength medley.  This time I tied him even 16/16.  I'm not sure we lifted the exact same things, but the score was the same.

In the bear hug deadlift, I was really happy to get the 197# opener off the ground.  That was a tough lift.  It took me two or three of my attempts and some tips from the crowd.  This may be a 78kg class record, but largely due to the fledgling nature of the class.  This contest would have been the first time the lift was contested since the 78kg class was added.

Another highlight was EASILY getting the 200# 2" V-bar in the feats of strength medley.  This is a Nationals qualifying lift.  I missed the #3 MMS close by a millimeter at most!  I really wanted that.  REALLY wanted that.  At least I have one Nationals qualifying lift under my belt.  Two to go.

As far as the Frostbite Challenge, it was an excellent contest.  Well run and exciting.  I love competing.  It always energizes me to train harder and have a better showing each time!  
        

MISFIRE

I'm having some neurological misfire symptoms again similar to what was happening back in September.

They symptoms were pain in the forearm flexors and lingering numbness, twitching, burning, itching, and pain in my thumb, ring, and pinkie fingers.  Nothing came of this last time.  The hand specialist I saw thought it might be "neuritis" which he described as a general irriation of the nervous system that can manifest itself this way.  He also thought it was not carpal tunnel. 

I was reading about cubital tunnel, which is the same thing as carpal tunnel except with the ulnar nerve getting trapped in the elbow.  Except with that it doesn't seem that the thumb should be invovled.   

I think I'm going to look into Graston Technique again.  This is a therapy that can really help carpal tunnel type symptoms by breaking up adhesions in the forearm.

OUCH

I've pinched way too many days in a row.  Left forearm has a pretty good tweek.  Time to take about a week off.  In fact, I think I will just rest grip-related exercises until the Frostbite challenge on 2/24.  Thankfully, 2HP will not be contested.  I've not come to terms with any width at this time.

I need to spend more time at 52, 54, and 56.  If I was forced to compete right now, I would probably try lifting at 54 or 56.  Those two both feel okay, seem to not tear, and are comparable to 58 in terms of weight coming off the floor.  I'm not sure 56 is even a choice though.  I can't remember.

What I have found for sure is widths that have me lifting less.  50 and below seems to really suck for me.  And now I've pinched too many times in the past week to know where I'm at anyway.  Definitely not feeling very fresh.  So I will table this for a little more than a week and then pick back up at 54.  That's the width that I have the most hope for right now.  I seem to lift as much as 58mm, but without tearing.

PINCH WIDTHS

So my plates are 6mm each for 12mm total and my spacers are either 8 or 11mm.  I can make more widths than I thought.  I made a chart of all the possible combinations and can make the following widths:

44 45 47 50 53 55 56 58 61 64 66

There are certainly good enough choices here to approximate (or hit) the legal widths that will be available at a contest.  50mm is all set up for the next workout.

MORE TWO HANDS PINCH

I just watched a ton of 2HP footage between Chris Rice, Jedd, Adam Glass, and as many others as I could find.

One thing that I noticed is that at 58mm my slip into what Chris Rice has called "2nd position" is huge. The expert lifters above have very little slip from their initial setup. I'm sure this contributes to tearing as well. Any footage I can find of my own lifts all show this significant slip.

Consider this video from Nationals: >>>LINK<<<. My initial set up is real deep and my fingers are mostly at a right angle from my hand. The plates slip down until my fingers are at an acute angle, then my grip holds. To me this highlights that the fingers have a better leverage advantage for me in that acute angle position; which is what I was driving at in the previous post.

Also, I did a bunch of lifts at 48mm. This felt like total garbage and I actually failed to budge 80% of my max. The lifts that came up slipped significantly and were very heavy in the fingers. This taxed my forearm flexors in a very uncomfortable way. My friends at the GripBoard have mostly confirmed this is a bad thing. 48 is too narrow. So then I jumped to 54mm at the same weight and I could at least get a full lift. However my left thumb tore after only a couple of lifts. The wrap felt better, and I wish I was more aware of any slippage at the time. My goal for the next workout is to warm up at 54mm and then compare that to 50 or 52. I have weird spacers (old conveyor belts) and cannot make both widths. I actually think I can only make 51mm which might be a reasonable approximation of wither width. I hate that I cannot get the even widths exactly.

Another few takeaways from the footage I watched: These lifters were mostly bent over the apparatus to start. Bent at the waist and not as much at the knees. Elbows are bent and stay back toward the body. During the lift, the angle of the elbows did not change. I KNOW this kind of bent arm lifting is crucial for GripTopz lifts like the stub and penny. If you let your arm straighten then you lose strength. I just might not have the upper body strength to accomplish this on 2HP, but I did notice in my own videos that my arms straighten considerably. So it seems the lifting is largely done by the legs and back, and the arms and hands are just “hanging on for dear life.” This makes sense; and I think I mostly do this, but can probably give it more attention.

TWO HANDS PINCH

I am incredibly interested in 2HP lately; and pinch feats for that matter.  In the past weeks I have experimented a lot with different pinch widths.  While at Adam Glass's gym recently, he made an observation that stuck with me.  He said strong gripper guys tend to favor wider pinch widths because they can take better advantage of the torsion offered by the ring and pinkie fingers--which are the gripper "deal closers."  As these same people develop stronger pinch strength, they will likely tend toward a narrower setting for the best mechanical advantage.  

Here I sit with a decidedly average-size hand, but have been pinching in the "wide" range.  My standard has been 58mm.  Not a ton of people pinch wider than that, and if they do I would expect them to have a massive hand; Chad Woodall, et al.  I settled at 58mm not necessarily because it felt best, but because more weight came off the floor.  Chris Rice has prepped me that it will sometimes be this way.  I mean, that's what it's about right?  More weight?  

However, based on Adam's comments, I feel that I might be doing myself a disservice at 58mm.  In David Horne's pinch DVD, he goes through a simple way to measure your hand to get a starting 2HP width.  An educated guess.  Then through experimentation you can see what width exactly brings the most weight off the floor.  If I measure my hand this way, I come up with 46-48ish millimeters.  What I noticed is that when my hand is in position over 58mm, it becomes a noticeably open-handed lift for me.  I did an experiment where I positioned my hand on the 2HP at 58mm and then did my best to hold that position for a photo.  The fingers and thumb are sharply angled away from each other almost like I'm ready to pick up a blob.  This simply cannot be ideal:

The lines I drew don't mean anything except are meant to highlight the angle of the fingers and thumb.  The picture on the right is what my hand would look like if the fingers and thumb were opposing each other better.  If I measure the distance where the 2HP would be during the lift, that space is roughly 46-48mm; keeping in mind the edges of the 2HP plates would squish into the skin some.  Which reminds me of another priceless nugget from Chris Rice: if you're tearing often, you're probably too wide.  I tear every workout.

What makes the most sense to me is that I would want to be just barely outside that distance where my fingers and thumb oppose each other.   Maybe only by as much as a millimeter or two.  Any wider and I'm lifting blockweights like the photo on the left.  Any narrower and I've given up the sweet spot (a bit like trying to close a filed gripper maybe).  

My goal for the next couple of weeks is to do a lot of pinching at 48-50mm.  I will be shocked if this does not pan out.  I have a decent baseline on my set-up for 58mm.  166 is the most weight I've ever lifted.  156 is the most I've ever pulled consistently in training.  146-154 is the most I've been able to get lately (but I did make the mistake of stripping off all the seasoning because I was not happy with the finish).  My plates are reasonably seasoned again, at least back to where they were when I was getting 156-166.

I'll post some results when I have some.    

GEARING UP FOR 33

My birthday is approaching and I'll be 33 this year.  3 kids, oldest is 5.  More gray hair all the time.  Although I got my hair cut this weekend and the lady said I have thick hair and she thought not much more might ever fall out.  I muttered "yeah right" to myself.  I also just celebrated a 10-year wedding anniversary with my fitness goddess wife.  My wonderful wife is as dedicated to training and a healthy life as she is to our commitment to each other.  You're amazing, Lady.  

Something I will celebrate this birthday is that I've never been in better shape.  Body weight is hanging tough right at 150 lbs.  I bottomed out at 149.50 lbs.  The recent difference is that I feel I've transitioned from sparing muscle during fat loss, to building muscle as part of changing body composition.  I say that because I've been 150lbs for a couple of weeks now, but continue to see strength improvements in the gym and physique improvements in the mirror.  Legs, arms, back are looking more muscular.  New vascular road maps are being charted..everywhere.  Hold out body fat is limited to right around my belly button and love handles.  Very localized and not barely enough to pinch.  Abs definition is getting better all the time (if I'm being honest, this is one of my major goals).  I know a picture is worth a thousand words, but I'm not ready to take one.  I think by the end of Feb things will be pretty jacked.  I'll post a picture once I'm content with what I've accomplished.

Diet is still the same.  No junk.  No sugar.  No gluten.  No dairy (except whey).  No fruit.  I have not limited intake, but everything I eat revolves around those limitations.  I can't say that I never cheat.  I'll eat a dried apricot here and there, or put some half-and-half in coffee some days.  I think this is good for mental health as long as the cheats are mindful and not a slippery slope out of the diet.  I am especially prone to slippery sloping, so I try and be especially mindful.

I feel powerful in the gym.  Pull ups and push ups are all done with added weight.  My last pull up workout was with +20lbs and last push up workout was +25 lbs.  As I mentioned a couple posts ago, I've been lifting a little heavier and not doing EDT workouts exclusively.  Running conditioning is getting better too.  Running feels good.

Most of my grip training has been pinch related.  2HP reps, 1HP reps and negatives, TTK, assisted pinch pull ups, blob isos.  I've also added grippers back in and max crush is probably in the mid-150s right now.  I'm really happy with that because it's well over body weight!  Some recent highlights are a 153# GHP L7 close and I got 74# off the ground in 1HP.  Thursday night I'm going to Adam's gym for a 2HP test.  I really (really, really) hope to pull close to 180 on his rig.  I have evidence that my pinch numbers are up right now (like the 1HP progress) and I want to have confidence in my training.  Hopefully my feeling is confirmed.

Otherwise I just feel good.  I am ready to be 33.  I will own it.

Some things I hope to accomplish as a 33-year-old:
* 120% body weight 2HP (roughly 180 at 150).  I hope to be the first.
* MM2 cert
* Blob lift (this is a long shot, although I really want to bring up thick pinch)
* Set a few 74k world records!
* Achieve Elite status if a lightweight qualifier is offered.

Cheers to another year in training!
 

GHP LEVEL 7 GOES DOWN!

153.68 RATED AT 149.50 BODYWEIGHT

GOOD TRAINING WEEK

149.50# on the scale today, so I guess it happened.  I'm in the 140s!  I do hope to get out of the 140s soon.  I've increased my eating, but still all clean.  There has been no rebound in weight despite the increased intake.  Hopefully, then, it's just helping me recover and grow.

I lifted heavier this week and I feel that went well.  I felt strong and got nice and sore.  Even things like pull ups I tended a little heavier, doing sets of 8 with a 15# dumbbell hanging.  Push ups I used a 25# plate on my back.  Otherwise I did some heavier benching, dumbbell rows, and a bunch of other stuff.  Heavier dead lifts tonight.

That GHP Level 7 from Adam was 153.68.  Lighter than I expected, but I suppose you have to overcome that 3" spread.  Maybe that's what makes it feel a little more.  I do hope to get a solid close on that Sunday.  Watch for the video.

TIME TO LIFT HEAVIER

Weight has been holding right at 150# despite the fact that I not depriving myself of any clean eating urges. For the first time I had to drop the balance on the medical scale to 100# and double check that I was not in the 140s! I have absolutely no desire to weigh 140-anything, but still have some body fat on the mid section that I would like to lose. Not much, mind you, but it is there.

So I have switched my workouts to try and balance this a little. For the past 8-12 weeks I’ve been doing EDT workouts which have been extremely effective in stripping fat while increasing strength. For a few weeks I am going to use increasingly heavy weights with decreasing reps in the 6-10 range. If fat loss stalls for a few weeks, that’s fine. I’ll be looking to gain a little size and brute strength (although nothing I do should be called “brute”).

Core workouts are still 3 times every week.

In gripping news, I’ve got a bunch of grippers from Adam Glass to rate, including some GHP grippers. I played with them last weekend and had a great attempt on the Level 7, which Wade felt was inconclusive for a good close. I agree, it’s hard to tell. I will hit a good reps-based workout tonight and then rest grippers until Sunday and try again. I’ll probably postpone my next pinch workout until that day as well. I’ll post the rating for the Level 7 as soon as possible. My guess is that it’s 156. The video of my GHP attempts from last week is below.

Finally, I’m looking for gripsters to follow on Twitter. My username is @GRIPMASH. Give me a shout.



155# BBGM and 2x35s pinch

Hit these in a semi-casual workout today!

This is the highest over-bodyweight gripper close I've accomplished so far.  I was 162 when I closed a 164 BBE.  This was 155# BBGM at 151# bodyweight.  Grippers are coming back nicely.  Middle finger felt great.

The 2x35s also came up again today, both hands.  That felt really good.  RH slipped a little at the top.  Pinch is probably as strong as it's ever been.  

My son, Mr. Meatball, is a big help.

FORGOT

I totally forgot to mention some other stuff I've been doing recently.

After I took that pinch vid below, then I got 157.5 about half way up. 

I tried to pinch 2x35s as well and got those about half way up.  They'll come up all the way again probably next workout.  I have not been able to pinch 2x35s for quite a while so it's nice to see that come back.

Also closed my 139# BBSM last night easily, closed my 151# BBGM, and almost closed a 155# BBGM.  So gripper strength has hung on okay despite taking all of December and January so far off from grippers.  The time off is because my middle finger was bothering me and I wanted that to heal.  It feels great lately even after testing myself some on grippers.

Push ups I've been doing with 17.5# sitting between my shoulder blades.  Those are feeling strong and I'll keep going up in weight.  During a 15min EDT session I'll do 50-100 pushups depending on where I am in the cycle.  Paired with a bicep exercise.

Pull ups I've been doing wtih 10# hanging on me, but honestly more than that because I'm using a chain to hold the weight.  Durning a 15min EDT session I'll get 50-100 pull ups as well, paired with a tricep exercise.  Pull ups feel real strong as well.

Here's to good-ole-hard work!  Cheers!