Countown to Grip Champs

[Ben Edwards]

Countown to Grip Champs

https://goalorientedtraining.wordpress.com/

[Ben Edwards]

We’re 6 days out from the Grip Champs. Looking forward to seeing Al and the Dino Gym again! And of course – spending the day competing and visiting with fellow competitors and their families/support staff is always a lot of fun for me. I was sorry to see that Dan and Ruth aren’t going to be able to make it out – due to an injury.

My left index finger is still not healed all the way. So I am already planning on having only one good attempt before it completely gives up the ghost. I would rather avoid that, because nobody appreciates mingling blood with a fellow competitor. But wouldn’t that make us blood brothers? My goal is 132lbs righty and lefty. 60kg just has a nice ring to it. Plus, it would beat the all-time record held by Al of 130lbs. But I fully expect someone else at the contest to go above 132lbs, so if I do manage to set the record – there’s a good chance it will be quickly eclipsed a few minutes later.

I don’t have my openers picked for the One Hand Fulton Deadlift yet. Depends on how grippy the axle is. If it’s an IronMind Axle, I will lift less than if it’s a solid steel axle. The IM Axle tends to rotate more in my hand than a heavier solid steel axle does. Even with no training for quite a while, I think (hope?) 160lbs will be about the best I can do. I know I won’t get even close to the 220lb weight class record of 183lbs by Jeff Ciavattone.

The Bearhug Deadlift will either suit me, or irritate my right forearm. It is the one that I tweaked years ago (steel bending) and it occasionally gives me trouble. Unfortunately, it has been slightly tender this last week. I think it’s from a very mis-timed release on the 42lb WFD. Tweaked it a bit and, although I don’t feel it’s a bad injury, it is announcing itself a few times a day. So I will be careful to leave a little leeway on any lift involving my right arm. Which will be most of them, aaaarrrgh. There is no record in the 220lb weight class.

I hold the 220lb weight class record of 366lbs in the final event – the Two Bar 2″ Vertical Bar Deadlift. I don’t expect to go over 350lbs at the contest though. I’m not training grip (besides Index Finger Lift every two weeks, lol), so it won’t be anything remarkable.

https://goalorientedtraining.wordpress.com/

[RJ]

Your words of anticipation make me bummed that I cannot be there. But on a more positive note, thanks to your write-up I can participate by proxy. I’ll be rooting for you to pull off some really good numbers.

[Ben Edwards]

[b]Quote from rjackson on February 10, 2015, 09:39[/b]
Your words of anticipation make me bummed that I cannot be there. But on a more positive note, thanks to your write-up I can participate by proxy. I’ll be rooting for you to pull off some really good numbers.

Thanks, Ruth! I really appreciate the kind words. I will try to make a few really good numbers.

https://goalorientedtraining.wordpress.com/

[RJ]

Do we have to wait for the web site upgrade to find out what went on?

[Ben Edwards]

[b]Quote from rjackson on February 19, 2015, 08:51[/b]
Do we have to wait for the web site upgrade to find out what went on?

Ruth, I was waiting for the website upgrade to list what everyone else had done. But I can give you my results for now. I did not hit my goals on most of the events. But I didn’t leave injured, so it was a success, haha. Plus, I had a great time visiting with everyone.

INDEX FINGER LIFT-RIGHT HAND: 115 (2nd place)
INDEX FINGER LIFT-LEFT HAND: 105 (4th place)
ONE HAND FULTON BAR DEADLIFT-RIGHT HAND: 154 (5th place)
BEARHUG DEADLIFT: 255 (2nd place)
TWO BAR 2″ VERTICAL BAR LIFT: 354 (4th place)

Left index finger was not healed and the skin tore on my first attempt. Which was 105lbs. Right index finger was fine, so I just lacked the strength on that day to lift more.

Hindsight is 20/20. I should’ve gone lefty on the one hand axle deadlift. I chose righty, because it’s my stronger hand – usually. But I didn’t factor in whether the lift was going to give my right forearm tweak trouble. It did. And my attempt at 166 went to my knees and then right back down. My right extensor felt like it was going to detach on 166, so I quickly put it down. Disappointed with that, because thinking back on it, I could’ve held it a few more seconds and got the “down” command and added 12 pounds to that event. A few days ago, I loaded this weight (166) on my Silverback Axle and pulled it with ease lefty. That was the first time I had touched that Axle for probably a full year.

The Bearhug Deadlift was interesting. It didn’t give me any trouble until I tried 280lbs. Then I guess it was the pressure of squeezing my wrists into the plates that once again irritated my right forearm. I did better on this event than I thought I was going to though.

Had to settle for 354 on the Two Bar 2″ Vertical Bar Lift. My right forearm by then was completely shutting down. Scott Tully mentioned that on my successful 354 lift, my right hand was holding onto the weight by fingertips only. He was right about that! I could’ve held onto more, but I skipped my 3rd attempt so that I wouldn’t screw up my right forearm anymore than it already might’ve been. This is also the lift that bothers my back. The super close stance is specifically what bothers it. I don’t deadlift anymore, but when I did – I was a sumo puller. That was the only style that didn’t irritate a back injury I had in 2010.

https://goalorientedtraining.wordpress.com/

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