Some old photos, to show my love of grip and wrestling.
How much does the plate weight ? You should try and straighten up and get your posterior activated. It will enhance your gripping power.
You still wrestle ?
First picture is with two 45 pound plates. They were the oldest and widest plates I could find. In a book called Dinosaur Training, the author talks about pinch gripping these “old school York 45’s.”
The second picture is two “regular” 45’s. There are not as wide.
I haven’t been on the mat in years. But I try to talk to wrestlers, bjj guys, and fighters about training and wrestling when I get a chance.
Also, you’re right about my posture.
2x45lb plates is a good pinch grip! I’m struggling with 65lb total at ~3" thickness
Thanks Boffin. It’s hard to see, but in the 2nd picture I’m using 2 fingers. At the time, I was trying to break English dude David Horne’s pinch record.
Are you struggling with the weight, or with the width of your pinches? Holds, sometimes up to a minute, with a comfortable weight and width worked best for me.
4-26
Scarecrows and rear delts to get going.
Incline Bench Press
Warm ups
135x8,8, 13
Inverted Rows with Blast Straps (80 total reps)
Half Kneeling Kettlebell Bottom Up Press, 25’s (60)
Barbell Shrugg, Hold at top, 225 (60)
Barbell Curls, just Bar (60) didn’t put the bar down for this.
Band Pushdowns (100)
Later, walk with Ankle Weights.
4-27
Walking around with band through belt.
1 Leg Curls
Let Raises of bench
Power Squat Machine, with band thru belt
3 Warm ups
110x8,8,15
Blast Strap Pushups (80)
Inverse Curls (62)
Seated Iso Row (80)
Sled drags. 10 trips.
The weather is nice, and other people at the gym are starting to come out and drag too. Because they are copying me, I’m starting to get super competitive.
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4-29
Light tri’s/bi’s/rear delts to get going. I was trying to pull my shoulders into the back of my sockets. Really trying to get them back. I was watching One of Vinny’s bench videos, and I could clearly see how far back, or deep his his shoulders were.
Jumps, band thru belt walk-around.
Football Bar Bench
3 Warm ups
155x 8, 8, 14
Cable Rear Delts between sets.
Matt Wenning style. Cable set high, keeping the upper arm tucked at the same angle as when benching. This was great. I could really get my shoulder where it needed to be. Football Bar benching went much better with the shoulders deep. Triceps dominating, but I could feel my pecs working to keep shit in position. Like how a bench is supposed to go.
Upper Back Blast Strap Stuff
Low Incline Dumbbell Bench, Neutral grip.
Fat Grip Dumbbell Curls
Leg Raises and Flutter Kicks off Bench
A couple suitcase walks with Fat Grip dumbbell
Elbow was feeling great, so I decided to skip tri extensions to keep it feeling that way.
4-30
Band Thru Belt sideways walking, stepups. 1 Leg Curls. Jumps.
Sled Drag around building. No breaks. I was blasting “Long way to the Top” and “Livewire,” by AC/DC in the headphones, jacked on coffee. Probably could have gone around again.
Blast Strap Pushups
Iso Pulldowns. Some 1 arm, some together
Seated GM’s with SSB.
1 Arm Dumbbell Rods
Lunge in Place
Reverse Hyper
Seated GMs felt good. Actually felt my hamstrings and glutes working!
2 good sessions in a row.
5-3
Light stuff to warm up
Jumps
Incline Bench
135x8, 8, 15 It was tough
Read delts between sets
Blast Strap Inverted Rows (75)
Half Kneeling Bottoms Up Kettlebell Press (75)
Barbell Shrug with Hold (75)
More rear delts, on high cable. Then tricep extensions, from same angle. Like 45 degrees across the body. Trying to maintain upper arm at same angle to body I’d bench press with. Pretty cool.
5-5
Band Thru Belt. Leg Curls/extensions. Jumps.
Power Squat Machine with Band Thru Belt
3 sets working up
110x 8, 8, 22
Blast Strap Pushups (85)
Inverse Curls (75)
Some pulldowns (85)
Sled Power Walk, 12 trips
4-6
Warming up felt bad, right elbow was really a problem. The Football Bar, empty, was painful. Really discouraging. Jumps were good tho. Then I hit some super targeted rear delt stuff, which fixed everything.
Football Bar Bench
Many warm ups
155x4, 6, (started doing high cable rear delt move) 19, 14
Cable Rear Delts, down and across the body. Worked very well
Cable Tricep Extension, down and across body.
Rear Delt “Rows” - anchored band at chest level, put elbow thru band, then pulled elbow back and up. Very Effective!
Some neutral grip, low incline Dumbbell presses
Leg Raises
My rear delts are holding me back? I have got to be incredibly grab-asstic. I try to do stuff for that area call the time, but I guess I let other muscles take over too much. Elbow felt much better after.
May 7th
Band Thru Belt sideways walking around. Leg Curls. Jumps
Sled Power Walk. Around building, the a little extra, no stopping.
Seated Good morning with SSB
Up to a single 25 per side x15, 15, 15
Leg Extensions
Lunges
Reverse Hyper
Straight Arm Pulldowns
5-9
Warm Up stuff. Jumps, sit on on box then jump off and up.
Incline Bench
150x6,6, 8
Cable Rear Delts
Seated dumbbell presses
Pull downs/Pull ups
Side to side landmine abs
5-10
Jumps. Sit on box. Jump up on other box.
Power Squat Machine, Band on machine
140x6,6, 12
Kelso Shrug with Trap Bar (the real “Kelso Shrug”?)
Standing Leg Curls (60)
Leg Extensions
Pull thru (60)
Sled drags, backwards for quads. Some rowing action too. 8 drags.
Fat Gripz D-Ring lifts, up to 195. I tried 205 a bunch of times, but if my hand opened just the slightest bit, the Fat Gripz pulled off. I guess if I could have squeezed harder…
Plate Hub lifts, up to a 35 with a 2.5 balanced on it with both hands. 40 pounds with right hand.
5-12
Neck circles, arm circles, hip circles, hip hikes, lunges, etc to get loose and moving. Basically the morning warm up from P.T. sessions while I was in the ROTC. Some suitcase walks.
Jumps. Sit on box, jump up to other box. 2-3 at a time, during warm up stuff. 15 or so.
Rear Delts and triceps on cable. Upper arm about 45 degrees to body, no handle, just hold little ball on cable. These are my current Pet Exercises. 5x20, between benching.
Football Bar Bench
3 light sets
175x 6, 6, 12
Incline Dumbbell Bench, regular grip (35 pounds)
75 total reps
Paired with Straight Arm Pulldowns (60 pounds)
75 total reps
Dumbbell Curls paired with dumbbell shrugs.
75 total reps.
