Mobster training diary

Moved!!

One of many.

Todays workout (note I am training for the British Grip Championships).

Saturday
Grippers
B/H: VG L1 x 6 reps, L7 x 3 reps
L/H: RB240 x 1 rep, BBGM x 1 rep, CoC 3 x 3 x 1 all to within 4mm
R/H: CoC 3.5 x 1 rep, BBSE x 3 x 1 reps. Deep set all grippers.

Weaver Stick
B/H: bar x 6 reps, plus 2.5-kilos x 3 reps, plus 3.5-kilos x 1 rep (no wraps thus far - from this point forward wraps on)
L/H: plus 6-kilos (7.5) x 0 reps, plus 5.5-kilos (7.0) x 0, 1, 1 reps
R/H: plus 6.5-kilos (8.0) x 0 rep, plus 6-kilos (7.5) x 3 x 1 reps

TLRT
B/H: 45-kilos (50.4) x 8 reps
L/H: 85-kilos (90.4) x 8 x 1 reps
R/H: 97.5 (102.9) x 8 x 1 reps

Back stiff etc after. So stretched and tried keeping limber. I am using the massage pad machine for the full 15 minutes and the lower back is sore to the touch every single time the machine gets at it. But at the same time I feel more capable after.

Tomorrow am OR Monday am (will see how I feel but daughter and in-laws coming Monday afternoon so...) it'll be shoulders and arms. For those reading this will be a more traditional workout. The grip stuff can look very strange.

Grippers are crush grippers and the codes are usually the brand and their version of a strength rating. So VG means David Horne's Vulcan Gripper, CoC means Captain's of Crush gripper, RB Robert Baraban and BB Beef Builder. Within that I'll sometimes say VN or VVN meaning very near or very, very near (close as can be to closed but not quite).

Weaver Stick is a leverage type of strength feat and a great test of wrist strength. I have the current world record (8.10-kilos).

TLRT means thumb less rolling thunder. The 'Rolling Thunder' is a revolving thick handle from Ironmind and the lift is usually done with the thumb included in what looks like a one hand deadlift. Thumb less is harder. I was actually better 3 weeks ago but peaked too early. It's now two weeks to the competition.

should be an interesting journal this mate, i know you'vewon the champs before but whats your overall history with competing?

Congrats on the 400lber . You ever fancied squeezing yourself into a bench shirt?

ORIGINAL: Tomazi8

should be an interesting journal this mate, i know you'vewon the champs before but whats your overall history with competing?

I'll have to think about that and post back later.

ORIGINAL: T0NY

Congrats on the 400lber . You ever fancied squeezing yourself into a bench shirt?

Laurence Shahlaei said to me 'when we get to 200 we'll buy a shirt'. IF I get to 200 then I'd hazard a guess we'd be looking at 240-kilos. Baring in mind I barely squat or do proper deadlifts I'd be benching more... a strange thought to say the least.

Interesting and strange training.Ive never heard of any of this stuff lol.

Some parts are very normal and some parts very my sport specific. That said most of the lifts are resurrected old fashioned feats of strength or forearm and grip lifts taken to an extreme level.

Accomplishments so far
Ironmind Captains of Crush in 2001 - shutting a CoC 3 gripper. 3rd man in the UK (Mike Daly was first and David Horne did his 5 minutes before me).

First to pick up single handed the Millennium dumbbell (228lbs and with a 2 and 3/8ths thick handle

Inch dumbbell deadlift - either hand.

Unofficially closed a CoC 3 with my left hand

Bent until the ends were 2" apart a 267.5-kilo rated challenge bar

Bent and broke a 6-inch nail.

Tear Argos catalogs (break back and pull apart style)

7th best of all time on the 2 hand pinch with an official 101.9-kilos I did an unofficial 103.1-kilos after on the same day (which would place me 5th best of all time).

One hand deadlift standard olympic bar hook grip 189-kilos

One hand deadlift standard bar no hook grip 150-kilos (might be more can't remember)

One hand deadlift thumbless grip 116.2-kilos

Table top wrist curled 220-kilos

British grip records
Dinnie Ring Lift Right - 187kg x 12 reps

I've closed the best gripper in competition using a 20mm block - 3.65 (between a CoC 3 and a CoC 4) - right handed.

I have the best 2 hand gripper total 6.61

Vulcan Gripper (credit card set) level 16. So far I'm the only one at this level using any style. I have had the gripper to level 17 but just missed it.

1 hand deadlift with a 2" thick bar 102.5-kilos.

I have the V-Bar record (Jim Wylie has done more with a hook grip) - 173.5-kilos. Jim did a little less in an all round event.

World records
1 hand lift. 330-kilos right handed
1 hand lift total. 630 kilos both hands

Weaver Stick -8.10-kilos right handed. David Horne did 8.05 left handed that day.

impressive stuff

Sunday
Just having a cup of Java (Taylors super strong coffee) before making my way to Gymnation for one of the last 'normal' workouts I'll do before the big day. Today is shoulders and arms. Seated press, dumbbell curls (watch form on last very heavy set as lower back is doing it's usual soreness trick) and then triceps.

I'd have preferred to have been up a little earlier but had a blinding nights kip and worse case scenario - gym closing - I'll go to the Whey Consortium (tm) gym and finish it off.

Erm, no idea what all of that is, but firstly good luck with it and secondly well done on your achievements. I'll be happy just having a six pack lol.

Mobster, can I ask what you would recommend was a good schedule for grip/wrist training? This is what I'm currently doing aside from the rest of my routine.

Mon - Static holds with heavy DBs for time.

Wed - Thick bar bicep curls and reverse curls

Fri - Same as Monday.

I want to add in some leverage bar stuff as I think my wrists are a weak point, would it be adviseable to do wrist curls as well? Thanks.

bet you've got a decent set of forearms

ORIGINAL: Batman

Mobster, can I ask what you would recommend was a good schedule for grip/wrist training? This is what I'm currently doing aside from the rest of my routine.

Mon - Static holds with heavy DBs for time.

Wed - Thick bar bicep curls and reverse curls

Fri - Same as Monday.

I want to add in some leverage bar stuff as I think my wrists are a weak point, would it be adviseable to do wrist curls as well? Thanks.

The question is 'what do you want from the workouts?'. What I do is very competition specific event training. If you came to me I'd ask the same question.

ORIGINAL: Tomazi8

bet you've got a decent set of forearms

Yep. With a pump the right one (bigger of the two) gets to 16.5-inches when at my heaviest and 'on'.

Sunday am
Seated press
15-kilos e/s (50-kilos) x 8 reps, 30-kilos e/s (80) x 6 reps, 45-kilos e/s (110) x 4 x 1 reps*

D/B Curls
10-kilos @ x 8 reps, 20-kilos @ x 8 reps, 30-kilos @ x 8 reps all hammer style. Last set loose form
*all curl sets s/setted with heavy press set

Tricep pressdown
stack (105lbs) x 12 easy reps, plus 25-kilos x 12 reps, plus 45-kilos x 12 reps. I ran out of time to do one more set which I wanted.

thats huge got any pics ? are you looking at competing in bbing ?

ORIGINAL: firest0rm

Erm, no idea what all of that is, but firstly good luck with it and secondly well done on your achievements. I'll be happy just having a six pack lol.

Mines long gone ha ha

ORIGINAL: Mobster

ORIGINAL: Batman

Mobster, can I ask what you would recommend was a good schedule for grip/wrist training? This is what I'm currently doing aside from the rest of my routine.

Mon - Static holds with heavy DBs for time.

Wed - Thick bar bicep curls and reverse curls

Fri - Same as Monday.

I want to add in some leverage bar stuff as I think my wrists are a weak point, would it be adviseable to do wrist curls as well? Thanks.

The question is 'what do you want from the workouts?'. What I do is very competition specific event training. If you came to me I'd ask the same question.

Hmm, I dunno how to answer that. Really I want to be able to hold onto things better i.e. being able to grip books hard enough to tear them, I also want to have strong wrists as mine are relatively very weak - it's hard to keep my wrist straight when picking up heavy objects at times.

No that's more than ok. Change Friday to dumbbell wrist curls (better than a barbell in my experience - the wrist is in a more natural position) and some leverage work (watch for over doing it though - very easy) and alternate Mondays with dumbbells one session and barbells another.

What bodyweight are you, height and what weights are you using on the lifts? I might be able to suggest some target weights for you to aim for.

Nice to see your journal on here Mobster! Will enjoy reading your grip training!

ORIGINAL: Tomazi8

thats huge got any pics ? are you looking at competing in bbing ?

Pics yes (see below). Taken last year and with the same weight on the stack (105lbs plus 45-kilos).

BB? No. Far too fat. I do what I am good at. While I am, without doubt, a big chap now I'm not suited physically to being a bodybuilder. I also like me food.