I have been trying to close the #1 captains of crush for about a month now and still no luck. I have small hands so it is hard for me. My friend had the trainer and it took me about a week to close it. Now I have bought the #1 and no longer have access to the trainer. My question is, should I buy a trainer gripper now or just keep working on the number 1? I can get it pretty close to closing but its about 1 or 2 mm away and has not improved in weeks.
Try doing some heavy holds with a barbell in the rack. Set the pins above your knees and load it up with as much as you can handle for about 5-10 sec. This worked well for.
[quote]elano wrote:
I have been trying to close the #1 captains of crush for about a month now and still no luck. I have small hands so it is hard for me. My friend had the trainer and it took me about a week to close it. Now I have bought the #1 and no longer have access to the trainer. My question is, should I buy a trainer gripper now or just keep working on the number 1? I can get it pretty close to closing but its about 1 or 2 mm away and has not improved in weeks.[/quote]
Use your other hand to help close it and then work on negatives, or on holding it for time in the closed position.
How often are you training with COC?
What’s your routine?
if you can get it within 2mm of closing then you will be fine. Just go for timed holds at the closed position (assist with other hand).
I’d buy the trainer and some of the assistance bands that make it slightly harder on the number one. the 1 is great once you get it going but the 2 is a different story. you need to work up to it.
Also it could just be that your smaller finger length prohibits you from closing it because of how you have to grab it to begin. but that would be freakish. I have small hands too and can close it.
It’s not as if closing it to 2mm short isnt making your grip stronger.
-chris
[quote]Boffin wrote:
How often are you training with COC?
What’s your routine?[/quote]
How often have i been training with COC? well when i was twelve and first discovered COC I trained every time i was alone. I trained till i was sore and then some.
these days i only train my COC is someone else isnt using the COC. Girls are always squeezing the COC nowadays. Once they’re through with my COC then I really couldn’t be fucked to squeeze the COC any more.
I mean some times I read some cool shit on the internet and get really stoked to squeeze the COC. then when the girls come over they wonder why the COC seems all worn out and used. They just dont see the same results as when the COC are fresh and stiff.
That being said, my COC is only a 1. they say the average COC is about 6 but that’s gotta be bullshit. I haven’t seen a COC over 4, i don’t even think they make them. I’d kill to make my COC a 2. I reckon ill try some assistance bands to make my 1 COC stiffer and work from there.
-chris
Hahaha, that made my day.
[quote]Avocado wrote:
I haven’t seen a COC over 4, i don’t even think they make them.
-chris[/quote]
Wow how many COC’s have you seen? LOL hilarious post.
[quote]MikeyKBiatch wrote:
Try doing some heavy holds with a barbell in the rack. Set the pins above your knees and load it up with as much as you can handle for about 5-10 sec. This worked well for. [/quote]
This.
I found that supersetting my deads with shrugs really did wonders for my grip. I was having issues closing my #1’s 2 months back but lots of supersets fixed it up. I grabbed my #1 COC thinking it was the trainer and I closed it pretty easily. I was pretty shocked. Holding the COC with a tight grip for a while will also help. You should probably get a trainer though. Most people shouldn’t warm up with a 1 if they can only close it three times or less.
[quote]Boffin wrote:
How often are you training with COC?
What’s your routine?[/quote]
I usually pick it up 3 times a week after I train full body.
I warm up with light squeezes, then a minute later I go for the max. When I cannot get it, I use my other hand to finish closing the gripper and then let go and try to hold it as close to closing as possible for a few seconds. I think that’s called a neg. Anyways, I do this for about 3-5 reps in each hand for about 2 sets.
BTW thanks for some of the advice you guys have given. I am thinking abut doing the rack static holds or whatever they are called. Should I use the double overhand grip?
[quote]
BTW thanks for some of the advice you guys have given. I am thinking abut doing the rack static holds or whatever they are called. Should I use the double overhand grip?[/quote]
If you are just doing a hold to train your grip I’d say yes. Back when I first starting using the grippers I was actually doing deads off the pins about two inches above my knees with an alternate grip. I was able to close the #2 pretty quick after getting it without training grippers before(which was surprising since i have tiny hands).
Now I am not doing rack deads but full range deads followed by rack holds with a double overhand grip and it seems to be getting me close to closing the number 3(have about a half inch left). The other option is just hanging from a chin bar for time ive been doing this some also and it is also helping.
If you are looking for a routine, look up Clay Edgin’s routine. I think you can get it on the Heavy Grips site.
Or if you are really into getting heavy with grippers, looking in the KTA program on the Gripboard.
The thing about grippers is that technique, such as learning to set, will help you close bigger and bigger ones.
[quote]MikeyKBiatch wrote:
Try doing some heavy holds with a barbell in the rack. Set the pins above your knees and load it up with as much as you can handle for about 5-10 sec. This worked well for. [/quote]
In my experience this didnt translate well to the COC gripper.
I have a #2 which I can close without too much difficulty, my buddy has the #3 which is quite difficult.
For me holding a bar or dumbbell feels like finger strength or something, and the COC gripper feels like its in the thumb area.
Not sure if that made sense, I can hold a very large amount of weight on a bar, but I cant seem to close the #3 because it feels like a different movement.
i have got small hands to its not so much the fact that theyre small it more to do with the fact that the last part is the hardest (obviously)when i have agripper that i cant shut,i work on the negative as suggested earlier.make sure that when it does come to close it your hand is in the right positon as the positioning makes all the difference.once you have established a decent “closing grip” crush it shut on you leg if you get what i mean this makes it easier than trying to close it with two hands and wont effect the positioning.
Once closed hold for about 12 seconds slowly release do the same with the other hand giving the previous one a break.do 8 sets of 4 as this will technically work out as a 4x4 grip workout train three times a week if on a training day a few hours before training.after a month or so try shutting it with out the assist this is how i built my grip strength hope that helps
A few things I did to close the #2. I did attempts at the 2 until the gripper stopped, then I force repped it close and held then released for a negative. Other times I repped the 1 (trainer in your case). It depends on where you are weak. I had a strong sweep but a weak close. Sometimes that means you come to a screeching halt when you almost touch. Some people fly through the sweep and some are steady. As soon as I strengthened my pinky my close was strong enough.
[quote]MikeyKBiatch wrote:
BTW thanks for some of the advice you guys have given. I am thinking abut doing the rack static holds or whatever they are called. Should I use the double overhand grip?
If you are just doing a hold to train your grip I’d say yes. Back when I first starting using the grippers I was actually doing deads off the pins about two inches above my knees with an alternate grip. I was able to close the #2 pretty quick after getting it without training grippers before(which was surprising since i have tiny hands).
Now I am not doing rack deads but full range deads followed by rack holds with a double overhand grip and it seems to be getting me close to closing the number 3(have about a half inch left). The other option is just hanging from a chin bar for time ive been doing this some also and it is also helping.[/quote]
The plan in that last paragraph got me a full close on the #2 in either hand in about 2 weeks after struggling with the 1.5 CoC for months. I have tiny hands as well. Can’t even hook grip an oly bar cuz I can’t get my fingers around my thumb.
[quote]Westclock wrote:
MikeyKBiatch wrote:
Try doing some heavy holds with a barbell in the rack. Set the pins above your knees and load it up with as much as you can handle for about 5-10 sec. This worked well for.
In my experience this didnt translate well to the COC gripper.
I have a #2 which I can close without too much difficulty, my buddy has the #3 which is quite difficult.
For me holding a bar or dumbbell feels like finger strength or something, and the COC gripper feels like its in the thumb area.
Not sure if that made sense, I can hold a very large amount of weight on a bar, but I cant seem to close the #3 because it feels like a different movement.[/quote]
Agreed.
I could close the #1 without too much trouble when I got it. The #2 didn’t take much longer afterwards with some practice.
Make sure you’re setting the gripper right in your hand. It’ll make all the difference in the world.
[quote]
Make sure you’re setting the gripper right in your hand. It’ll make all the difference in the world.[/quote]
Yes this can make the difference between barely closing a gripper, and getting it shut. Watch the diesel crew vids on youtube and learn how to set the gripper properly.
[quote]MikeyKBiatch wrote:
Make sure you’re setting the gripper right in your hand. It’ll make all the difference in the world.
Yes this can make the difference between barely closing a gripper, and getting it shut. Watch the diesel crew vids on youtube and learn how to set the gripper properly.[/quote]
x3
I couldn’t close the #2 for years, could get it to within a few millimeters and no further. Watched Smitty’s video on setting the gripper and closed it the first time I tried it.
Thanks everybody. I am going to do the rack holds today and also use some of the techniques listed above. I am determined to close this thing.