In 2007, IronMind introduced several products specifically designed to complement Captains of Crush Grippers, including the IMTUG (a two-fingered gripper) and the "CoC Key" (a tool for measuring the gap between the handles of a nearly closed Captains of Crush Gripper). Strap holds, invented by John Brookfield, allow you to “add weight” to your gripper by attaching weight to a strap or belt; you then squeeze the end of the strap between the handles of the gripper, holding the handles shut for time or until failure. If you can’t keep the handles shut tight against the strap, the strap and weight will fall. By adding weight, you can make it tougher to hold the gripper closed. Most barbell plates are uncalibrated, which means that they rarely weigh precisely the same as their face value, but a calibrated barbell plate must meet established criteria. [24] In the gripper world, Strossen writes, some people mistakenly call a gripper calibrated when it has merely been rated for its level of difficulty. [25] Finally, some people just plain overtrain on hand grippers, so sometimes a short break can work wonders for your progress.

Captains of Crush Grippers - Grip Strength Training | Rogue

You may be wondering how grip strength builds full body strength? Powerlifters and other strength athletes have observed that increasing grip strength leads to greater muscle activation in general. For example, if you try pressing a dumbbell over your head with a loose grip, it’s much more difficult than if you squeeze the handle very hard. The harder you can squeeze the handle, the more muscle fibers that activate in your shoulder, which in turn can help you lift more weight. Add three reps to all of your barbell assistance exercises and use a fat grip. Romanian deadlifts and rows are well suited here. Forearm Size Through IronMind's certification program for people who have officially closed any of the three toughest models, Captains of Crush Grippers have become an "internationally recognized measure of strength." [5] History [ edit ] But the Captains of Crush grippers looked nothing like those crappy brands that you buy from sports stores. According to Pavel Tsatsouline, one of the world’s foremost strength experts, increasing grip strength is one of the easiest and fastest ways to become stronger. 3 The other way: building core strength.

Captains of Crush Grippers: Who's New". Archived from the original on 2009-02-20 . Retrieved 2009-01-24. In 1991, to recognize his exceptional accomplishment in closing our No. 3 gripper, IronMind decided to “certify” Richard Sorin, documenting his feat of grip strength and establishing it as a high water mark for others to shoot for and try to match. We included Richard’s photo and feat of strength in our 1992 IronMind catalog, and when John Brookfield duplicated Richard’s feat in 1992, our gripper certification was off and running . . . although it would be another two years before Tyce Saylor joined the illustrious Richard and John on the world’s most prestigious hand strength list. Brookfield, John. 2008. Mastery of Hand Strength, Revised Edition. Nevada City: IronMind Enterprises, Inc. ( ISBN 978-0926888-81-4) You may notice your dominant hand is quite a bit stronger than your non-dominant hand. Research has shown on average there is roughly a 10% difference in strength between the dominant and non-dominant hand. 4 Will The Grippers Hurt My Hands?

Can the average man close it? - IronMind Forum CoC No. 2.5: Can the average man close it? - IronMind Forum

Since then, the Captains-of-Crush have developed a cult-like following among the hard-core strength crowd of burly men and women. Over time, strength athletes from sports ranging from martial arts to football have been using these grippers to get stronger faster.

How To Close The Captains-of-Crush Grippers

As stated above, I was humbly impressed with how difficult the Captains of Crush Series can be. Thankfully, I was somewhat accurate in gauging my initial grip strength in opting to start the the 100-pound Trainer, but for those that aren't as in-tune with their limits, I can see where they could overshoot and try to work out with the improper tool. So don’t cheat yourself and count half reps as reps; instead, focus on slow and steady progression, trying to do just one more rep each time. The extensors are never going to be as strong as the flexors, but if you triple your hand and wrist strength, while leaving the extensors as weak as they were to start, you are asking for trouble. Don’t forget that all your chinning, deadlifting, rowing and even curling will hammer your grip, but not those little extensors, which are neglected in most programs. Challenge gripper: this is the gripper you are trying to closenext; after 6 weeks or so of consistent, progressive training with the working gripper, start doing partial reps, negatives, or holds fortime with this gripper, and use a CoC Keyto measure yourprogress, if you like The problem is that most grippers on the market are poorly constructed, and don’t provide adequate resistance for proper grip training.

3 Grippers, 1 Goal - IronMind

To even begin, shouldn't we define exactly what a "rep" is? I'm not stirring a hornets nest, but can you really compare TNS/CCS/Parallel "reps"? In 1993, IronMind began stamping the bottoms of its gripper handles to indicate the difficulty level of each individual gripper (e.g. T, 1, 2, or 3), a move that eliminated errors about exactly which gripper was being closed. Captains of Crush Grippers: Who's Who No. 4". Archived from the original on 2009-01-20 . Retrieved 2009-01-24. Tex Henderson: First Man in the World to Certify on the Captains of Crush No. 3.5 Gripper". IronMind Enterprises, Inc. 2008-05-02. Archived from the original on 2013-01-26 . Retrieved 2008-08-06.In 2008 IronMind was criticized for changing the rules on how it certifies people who have closed its Captains of Crush No. 3, No. 3.5 and No. 4 Gripper. [40] The company decided the official starting position for any attempt must be demonstrated by fitting the short side of a credit card between the handles of the gripper before it is closed. However, some competitors protested against the new requirement claiming their hands were too small to achieve the new requirement (a small hand making a grip will create a smaller gap between the handles than a larger hand).