Just bought a bag of level 1 nails from Iron Mind

[Kforcer]

Anyone else here into nail bending? Level one was fairly easy, so I guess I'll buy a bag of level 2 before too long. I think its a cool thing, but I'm not 100% true if its working grip strength or more of an overall upperbody strength exercise. Seems like it is a little bit of pulling and pushing in one, shoulders, biceps, triceps and chest, especially chest at the finish. I'm sure that grip strength and forearm strength comes into play as well. Anyone else done these things and have thoughts on them?

 

[MilkManUK]

I think there used to be a few grip enthusiasts here years ago, there might have even been a grip training thread. I did mess around with some grippers for a bit, and even started with card tearing, but haven't done anything in years. Get lots of grip work from judo these days. Doesn't answer your question in the slightest I'm afraid, but keep us posted on how you progress with the grip stuff - I do find it quite interesting.

 

[SocraticMethod]

I think there used to be a few grip enthusiasts here years ago, there might have even been a grip training thread. I did mess around with some grippers for a bit, and even started with card tearing, but haven't done anything in years. Get lots of grip work from judo these days. Doesn't answer your question in the slightest I'm afraid, but keep us posted on how you progress with the grip stuff - I do find it quite interesting.

There definitely was back in the day. Captains of Crush grippers were all the rage. I was never any good with them. Never bent any nails, either.

 

[DEVILsSON]

I still have my Iron Mind bag. I was able to bend blues and dented a red. I was absolutely trash at bending.

I haven't done anything serious with grippers or other grip training in over 10 years.

 

[RemyR]

Like many old school lifters I was big into the CoC grippers but it's been so long I couldn't even tell you which I managed to close. Never got into nail bending but it seemed really cool.

 

[ChickenBrother]

I still have my CoC #1 (140 lbs) and #2 (195 lbs) grippers somewhere but haven't touched them in over 10 years. Most I got was #2 twice with my right hand and once with left. I did them pretty diligently but didn't feel any real carryover to anything else - certainly not barbell lifts and even in grappling, I don't think they made any difference for me. And some of it was technique - gripping as low as possible on the gripper for the best leverage. I had calluses on the tips of both little fingers from the edge of the gripper.

 

[Baby Hanma]

@Kforcer

I love Judo, but powerlifting and Olympic-style weightlifting are still my main sports. I also love Ironmind. I have two DVDs from them about elite weightlifters doing their thing. I also have the Paul Anderson book in my Ipad.

I never thought of buying nails from them for that purpose, but I was seriously contemplating buying their Captains of Crush grippers. And then of course, my powerlifting, Olympic lifting, and Judo can only benefit from that.

 

[Kforcer]

I still have my Iron Mind bag. I was able to bend blues and dented a red. I was absolutely trash at bending.

I haven't done anything serious with grippers or other grip training in over 10 years.

Red's the highest, so it sounds like you were actually pretty good at it.

 

[Kforcer]

I think there used to be a few grip enthusiasts here years ago, there might have even been a grip training thread. I did mess around with some grippers for a bit, and even started with card tearing, but haven't done anything in years. Get lots of grip work from judo these days. Doesn't answer your question in the slightest I'm afraid, but keep us posted on how you progress with the grip stuff - I do find it quite interesting.

The best progress has been on heavy wrist rolling...I wrist rolled 180, using a set-up where I attack a rope to a bar and then hang the weights from the rope and roll it from the wracks of a squat rack. I don't really know how much other people are doing, but I felt good about it and I'm going to be proud of 225 when it comes. Made progress on cylinder pull-ups, i.e., pull-ups with wooden cylinders, doing something like 9. When I can do something like 20, it will be good because it will be a sign that they have become something like normal pull-ups and that the cylinder is at that point like a normal grip. I really want to be able to break an apple in my hands at some point.

 

[DEVILsSON]

Red's the highest, so it sounds like you were actually pretty good at it.

On gripboard the red is like level 0 or 1 and then there are many more levels....

 

[Kforcer]

On gripboard the red is like level 0 or 1 and then there are many more levels....

Isn't like the highest in terms of the basic levels or something?

 

[Kforcer]

I still have my CoC #1 (140 lbs) and #2 (195 lbs) grippers somewhere but haven't touched them in over 10 years. Most I got was #2 twice with my right hand and once with left. I did them pretty diligently but didn't feel any real carryover to anything else - certainly not barbell lifts and even in grappling, I don't think they made any difference for me. And some of it was technique - gripping as low as possible on the gripper for the best leverage. I had calluses on the tips of both little fingers from the edge of the gripper.

Some of it is definitely technique. I always wanted to have massive forearms and a powerful grip, maybe just for the same reason that I want to accomplish any feat of strength. Also, biceps were always my strong suit and I kind of felt like having a strong grip and forearms would just round out the picture. It'd just be cool to have all three be super-strong. I think towel pull-ups, cylinder pull-ups and that kinda stuff might have a greater grappling carryover. I haven't really gotten into the towel stuff, but I plan to.

 

[DEVILsSON]

Isn't like the highest in terms of the basic levels or something?

Iron Mind initially claimed the red nail was a huge achievement akin to like closing a #4 or at least #3 gripper however many insanely strong benders have shown that it's quite easy and have since added many much harder nails(various 'bastards').

https://www.gripboard.com/index.php...top-20-and-junior-steel-slayer-bending-lists/

 

[sakfjgadsyukgf]

I still have my CoC #1 (140 lbs) and #2 (195 lbs) grippers somewhere but haven't touched them in over 10 years. Most I got was #2 twice with my right hand and once with left. I did them pretty diligently but didn't feel any real carryover to anything else - certainly not barbell lifts and even in grappling, I don't think they made any difference for me. And some of it was technique - gripping as low as possible on the gripper for the best leverage. I had calluses on the tips of both little fingers from the edge of the gripper.

I wonder why that is though. Don't people say gi grappling is all about grip strength? Does CoC just not carry over to gi gripping specifically? I mean your hand is mostly closed for both activities, so it seems like it would?

 

[ChickenBrother]

Some of it is definitely technique. I always wanted to have massive forearms and a powerful grip, maybe just for the same reason that I want to accomplish any feat of strength. Also, biceps were always my strong suit and I kind of felt like having a strong grip and forearms would just round out the picture. It'd just be cool to have all three be super-strong. I think towel pull-ups, cylinder pull-ups and that kinda stuff might have a greater grappling carryover. I haven't really gotten into the towel stuff, but I plan to.

I think a fair amount of judoka would do pull ups or just hang from a gi thrown over a pull up bar - that for sure will work your grip. Maybe there was something to the CoC grippers but I never noticed any hypertrophy gains nor noticeable carryover to anything other than getting better at gripping a CoC gripper lol. But I used to do them like weight sets i.e. crank out 5 to 10 reps on #1 gripper for 2 or 3 sets and then put them away until the next day or so. For forearm and grip size and strength I still think the best way is repetitive gripping tasks throughout the day i.e. manual labor. As a teen I spent some weeks pounding nails on a construction site over the summer working for my dad and my right forearm was sore as hell and got bigger and stronger, so much so that I tried pounding with my left hand to work it evenly, but I couldn't hit nails for shit lol.

I wonder why that is though. Don't people say gi grappling is all about grip strength? Does CoC just not carry over to gi gripping specifically? I mean your hand is mostly closed for both activities, so it seems like it would?

I think it has something to do with the distinction between squeezing strength and static holding strength. The latter is more important for retaining gi grips but grippers are better at working the former, and only in the specific plane and angle of the gripper.

 

[Kforcer]

I think a fair amount of judoka would do pull ups or just hang from a gi thrown over a pull up bar - that for sure will work your grip. Maybe there was something to the CoC grippers but I never noticed any hypertrophy gains nor noticeable carryover to anything other than getting better at gripping a CoC gripper lol. But I used to do them like weight sets i.e. crank out 5 to 10 reps on #1 gripper for 2 or 3 sets and then put them away until the next day or so. For forearm and grip size and strength I still think the best way is repetitive gripping tasks throughout the day i.e. manual labor. As a teen I spent some weeks pounding nails on a construction site over the summer working for my dad and my right forearm was sore as hell and got bigger and stronger, so much so that I tried pounding with my left hand to work it evenly, but I couldn't hit nails for shit lol.

Oh, 100%, laborer forearms are always intense. That's what I want, man, the manual labor forearms.

 

[ChickenBrother]

Oh, 100%, laborer forearms are always intense. That's what I want, man, the manual labor forearms.

I'm with you but I think it's hard to achieve that without being a hardcore manual laborer for years and years. My dad's side worked sunrise to sunset when they weren't in school, dirt poor and all had gnarly popeye forearms and grip strength. The way they saw it, if you still had time and energy for the weight room, you didn't work hard enough.

I'm stronger in barbell lifts and conventional gym stuff, but in terms of old man toughness and "manhandle you" grip strength, those guys were in a different league.

 

[Kforcer]

I'm with you but I think it's hard to achieve that without being a hardcore manual laborer for years and years. My dad's side worked sunrise to sunset when they weren't in school, dirt poor and all had gnarly popeye forearms and grip strength. The way they saw it, if you still had time and energy for the weight room, you didn't work hard enough.

I'm stronger in barbell lifts and conventional gym stuff, but as far as old man toughness and "manhandle you" grip strength, those guys were in a different league.

I hear you. I definitely think it can be done though. I don't know, I think any sort of strength can be replicated if you really pursue it. I mean, my older brother was never a manual laborer, well, I guess he is now because his job involves pulling towels out of an industrial washer which is actually pretty physically demanding and often carrying heavy, unwieldy items in awkward ways and a number of physically strenuous tasks...but his strength didn't come from that, but rather from his lifelong training (and maybe whatever he inherited I guess) and I've honestly never had anyone get a hold of me that was functionally stronger than that guy, grip, or otherwise. Granted, he's an outlier, for sure, but I don't know, I truly subscribe to the "what one man can do, another can do" philosophy when it comes to working out. Even when that philosophy fails, at least it drives us to fight for something in the gym when we're optimistic enough to buy into it.

Part of it is probably because I can't quiet the lazy part of me with some of the stuff that might motivate someone else to go to the gym. I gotta believe that I'm capable of greatness in some way shape or form when I go there. I love laying in bed, reading comics or playing videos or doing absolutely nothing other than existing. If I wanna get up, I need some frigging Ronnie James Dio or Iron Maiden or Manowar cranked to 11 and some inspiring thoughts because I don't like moving around or aching just for its own sake. That's probably part of why I hate group workouts and crap like that. Or going for walks. Basically, if I didn't love working out, I'd be fat and happy, except for maybe when I started wheezing because I do have asthma. But I'd drown the wheezes in buttered toast.

 

[Kforcer]

I'm also hopped up on caffeine right now.

 

[ChickenBrother]

I hear you. I definitely think it can be done though. I don't know, I think any sort of strength can be replicated if you really pursue it. I mean, my older brother was never a manual laborer, well, I guess he is now because his job involves pulling towels out of an industrial washer which is actually pretty physically demanding and often carrying heavy, unwieldy items in awkward ways and a number of physically strenuous tasks...but his strength didn't come from that, but rather from his lifelong training (and maybe whatever he inherited I guess) and I've honestly never had anyone get a hold of me that was functionally stronger than that guy, grip, or otherwise. Granted, he's an outlier, for sure, but I don't know, I truly subscribe to the "what one man can do, another can do" philosophy when it comes to working out. Even when that philosophy fails, at least it drives us to fight for something in the gym when we're optimistic enough to buy into it.

Part of it is probably because I can't quiet the lazy part of me with some of the stuff that might motivate someone else to go to the gym. I gotta believe that I'm capable of greatness in some way shape or form when I go there. I love laying in bed, reading comics or playing videos or doing absolutely nothing other than existing. If I wanna get up, I need some frigging Ronnie James Dio or Iron Maiden or Manowar cranked to 11 and some inspiring thoughts because I don't like moving around or aching just for its own sake. That's probably part of why I hate group workouts and crap like that. Or going for walks. Basically, if I didn't love working out, I'd be fat and happy, except for maybe when I started wheezing because I do have asthma. But I'd drown the wheezes in buttered toast.

Agree - I guess "manual laborer" comes down to semantics because anyone can replicate "manual laborer" strength by "training" like one. But one of the best ways to gauge others' grip strength is by grappling against them, particularly in a gi and I've done that with a lot of different folks over the years. Guys with backgrounds in certain blue collar trades almost always have crushing grip strength - more than conventional gym bros. We had a 300 lbs competitive powerlifter who was crazy strong on the big lifts but his applied grip strength felt a lot weaker than former tradesmen who weighed less. Also longtime judoka.

I'm curious but I feel like repetitive "grease the groove" activity throughout the day may be the best way to train grip (which is what you do in trades). It's like folks who want big calves but anecdotally, I think the most effective way to develop them (if you weren't born with them) is by being fat - you're walking around constantly carrying a lot of weight and your calves have to adapt.