Back in October at my first show, the gym owner had a CoC #3. I picked it up, and damn if I didn’t almost close the thing. I was very surprised that I got that much out of it.
Fast forward to yesterday. Finally ordered a new CoC #1 to work on reps with. Rip it out of the package and…
I can’t close it!! I’m within an 1/4 of an inch, but no dice.
So, I’m thinking that either his gripper was not a CoC #3, or that new grippers are much tougher than one that is broken in.
Kinda pissed about this as my grip is one of my better points. I will be hell bent on working up to 5 reps with the #1, then on to the #2.
I can shut the #2 when I just grab it on the first time…after that, I get close but no cigar…My roommate I play football with performed 25 reps with the #2 in a row…FREAK
The CoC #1 humbles MANY people, don’t fret about it. I’ve had rock climbing instructors not close it…then a policeman closes the #1. But no one I’ve seen close the #2.
I can close the #1 25x with either hand using a finger tips crushing on to the bars.
The #2 I can close 8x with my right hand and once with my left hand.
I use to indoor rock climb a lot. I use to lift without straps also, now I pull with straps.
Try doing a one arm DL with a barbell, see how much load your grip can take. My left hand does 140kg+ no strap of course!
They are fun to do at work.
The #3 would be impossible…seen a few vids on youtube where people abuse the hell out of it! Just SICKENING crushing strength!
Crushing stregth is a little different grip strength. I have heard that CoC has standardized the grippers so that the newer ones should roughly be all the same. It its true, I think they did that because the certifying on the #3 is such a big deal and there were some out there that were easier than others.I have quivered on the #3 before with my right hand but I think it was an easier one.
ASlater on this board is a training partner of mine and has closed a #3 for reps a few times. He’s pretty damn strong. You should pm him sometime. He knows alot about pinch, crush, bending, etc.
if you can’t close a gripper all the way, close it with both hands then do the negative with one hand. After doing these for a while you will have no trouble with full reps.
I have the Heavy Grips 150, which is 10 pounds heavier than the CoC #1, I believe. I can close it once with my right hand and get within about 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch with my left. I can barely believe that people are closing the #2 for 10+ reps. Awesome strength, something to aspire to.
I thought the #1 was supposed to be easy. When I ordered it, it said most people who lift weights won’t be able to close it, but i closed it for reps with my right hand when I was 16 no problem, and I weighed bout 180.
Of course my left arm was broken so I couldnt close it once haha, but I can close it now with my left also. I haven’t bought the #2 yet, but I really want to. I wanna see if I can close it for the first time. I’m 17, and 197lbs…we’ll see.
I bought my COC #2 at a home gym store and the sales guy tried to sell me a #1. He said that he’d seen only one guy close the #2. I had to eat some humble pie and go back and get a #1. Nobody has completely closed my #2 and that list includes two 300+ lb. guys who are definitely strong.
I think that closing grippers requires more than just a strong grip (technique perhaps?).
To the OP, I highly doubt that the gripper you almost closed was a COC #3. I’ve only heard of 1 or 2 people who ever closed the #3 the first time they tried it.
By, the way, just to give everyone looking for a feat of grip strength to aspire to. One of the people who I know for a fact closed the #3 the very first time he tried it is one of my martial arts instructors, Charlie Lysak.
He also has worked up to being able to close the #3 100 consecutive times (no that’s not a typo). Unfortunately, doing such a high volume of intense grip work caused him to get carpal tunnel and he had to back off the grip work for a while. He can still close the #3 every time he tries though, and is damn close to closing the #4.
As far as the grippers, I can close the #1 and #2 with either hand, but I’ve only see one other guy at the gym where I train close the #2 (most can’t even close the #1) and he is a former division 1 football player.
As for advice to being able to close them, I second negatives. However, honestly what got me that last 1/2 - 1/8 inch was just trying to close them once every hour for a couple weeks. I would just give it everything I had for a couple seconds (not until failure) once every hour (which worked out to around 8-10 attempts per day) 5-6 days per week for a couple weeks.
Eventually I was able to close the gripper with either hand. I repeated the process once again once I was close enough with the #2.
I’ve got the #3, but I haven’t worked with the #2 enough lately to start trying this with the #3 yet.
What sort of Lbs are we talking with the CoC#1? I have a 250lb gripper that I bought here in Australia and can close it about 6 times consecutively. I am just intrigued as I have never even seen a CoC other than a video on the net. I don’t work on grip much at all lately though.
I don’t like the ironmind grippers. The force curve on them is exponential - starts off very easy and gets progressively harder as it closes. In my opinion they should be loaded at maximum open position so it is hard from the start - like the ivanko. That is for training.
For testing, they are supposed to be a standard measure. But I severely doubt they are.
The lbs rating on some grippers need to be taken with a pinch of salt, and are hard to compare across makes.
The IM2 is rated around the 190lbs mark but is way harder than HG250. One reason for this is the spread on my HG250 is much smaller than on any of my Iron Mind grippers or the RB and PDA grippers I have.
[quote]rmccart1 wrote:
I have the Heavy Grips 150, which is 10 pounds heavier than the CoC #1, I believe. I can close it once with my right hand and get within about 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch with my left. I can barely believe that people are closing the #2 for 10+ reps. Awesome strength, something to aspire to.[/quote]
Yes it is FREAKISH how some guys can abuse the No2 so eaisly…
Massively different things, from grip strength to crushing strength. Static grip of a DL is much easier then crushing where you have to generate more crushing force to close something.
Mate DL 230kg (nothing special, but not bad and 2.3x bw) can’t close the No1.
This post is really interesting to me. A couple of the posters who have said they have trouble with the number 1 are right around my strength level, or stronger,in the deadlift.
However, when i got my number 1 I closed it for 9 reps right out of the box, and I never really did any direct grip or even forearm work prior to that. It was just carry over from lifting. Strange.
I have the Trainer, #1, and #2. When i train with them consistently i can close the trainer 20 plus times both hands so fast and hard that it clicks; the #1 for about 10, first 5 or so click too; and the number 2 I can get within 1/8",
In regards to grip strength, I think that grip is one aspect of strength sports and strength in general that has the most variation (think some people are built to DL, some to bench, etc) For instnce, my grip was as strong as it is now if not a little stronger when i was a wee lad of 150 pounds!
(lots of martial arts in specific Kali, stick fighting) and i have big storng freinds who have trouble with the #1, AND my girl friend who is 100 pounds after eat a whole pizza and soaking wet, comes as close to closing the number 2 as most people I know!
As for advice to being able to close them, I second negatives. However, honestly what got me that last 1/2 - 1/8 inch was just trying to close them once every hour for a couple weeks. I would just give it everything I had for a couple seconds (not until failure) once every hour (which worked out to around 8-10 attempts per day) 5-6 days per week for a couple weeks.
Sentoguy[/quote]
I think i’m going to try this, I’v got plenty of time at work…