athe ultimate online resource for all things grip! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawww.davidhorne-gripmaster.com
WHAT'S NEW IN 2008?
16 August 08 - The Olympics are here, I love it and have been watching a lot of it as usual. Today I saw some incredible sporting achievements that will live with me for a long time.
Today was termed 'Super Saturday' here in the UK, and boy did it turn out to be! My three highlights today were;
1. Usain Bolt destroying the opposition on the way to the 100 metre Gold and a new World Rec (9.69secs) - after showboating in the last 10 metres!!
2. Jang Miran of South Korea winning the 75k+ women's Weightlifting Gold with a 186k Clean & Jerk - in old money that's 410lb!!
3. Great Britain coming back to pip Australia on the line to win the Olympic title in the Rowing coxless fours.
Videos and pics of all these three can be found on the net, and if you don't get excited about any of these then maybe sport isn't your bag. Then after watching these go and train hard!
8 August 08 - My arm is recovering every day. More movement and more strength, but it will take some time for my tricep to regain it's strength - I'm benching the Olympic bar now - woohoo!
In fact today I noticed with amazement that my forearm of my right arm is now bigger and far more defined than it’s ever been. This is my arm that was operated on 7 weeks ago, and since I could use the Orbigrip I have used it daily on this limb for my rehab with massive success!
So now I am really looking forward to see how big and ripped I can make my forearms in the next year, and will now work on my left arm with the same frequency.
Remember when using the OrbiGrip to note how many revolutions you are doing in your sets and try to better this. Go through the pain!
30 July 08 - The physio at the hospital has said that my arm is coming along very well. I have been using the OrbiGrip along with the stretching and this has paid massive dividends. Since my last visit 3 weeks ago I have gained 20 more degrees movement, and am now up to + 75 deg flexion, and - 35 deg extension.
29 July 08 - We had a fantastic couple of days up in North Wales (a place we really like and hope to move to eventually). We climbed Y Garn, and I made it this time unlike the attempt 4 months ago in the 90mph gusts and rain. It was a lovely climb, done in sizzling hot conditions, and a great start to little Lucy's climbing resume! The beaches are wonderful and Lucy loved both the seaside and the mountains. In the photos I have said what the other mountains are around in a panoramic set of photos from the peak. These include Mount Snowdon.
20 July 08 - We had a great day at the England's Strongest Man comp at Lichfield.
Results
1. Jimmy Marku 63.5pts
2. David McAneney 58pts
3. Spencer Hyland 51.5pts
4. Rich Gorvin 51.5pts
5. Mark Lawson 46.5pts
6. Adam Townsend 46pts
7. Paul Carter 42.5pts
8. Simon Morton 41.5pts
9. Rob Frampton 28pts
9. Paul Cater 28pts
11. Wayne Tunstall 27pts
12. Paul James 24pts
13. Shawn Kenny 22pts
1 July 08 - I got the stitches out today. The surgeon says it will take 3 months to be back at anything heavy, and between 3-6 months to see if the operation has been succesful!
24 June 08 - Bruising on my arm as of today.
19 June 08 - David spent yesterday afternoon in hospital having his elbow operation - he has been told that it will take 3 months before he is able to get back to heavy lifting. He has the stitches out in 2 weeks time, and is in considerable pain right now (and can't use a keyboard!). He insisted that I bring my camera when I collected him from the hospital to take photos of the pieces of bone that had been removed from the joint, and he seems to think you would all like to see them:
13 June 08 - Our friend Laurence Shahlaei came 4th in Britain's Strongest Man yesterday which is a great performance since this is only the second time he's competed in the Brits. 1st was Jimmy Marku, 2nd Terry Hollands and 3rd Mark Felix. Well done to all the competitors who endured this contest, and hopefully all those injured will heal up fast.Plenty of photos here, on Daz's photobucket.
10 June 08 - Just got the phone call and I'm in the hospital for surgery next Wednesday 18th. That is very quick for here (2 weeks from seeing the surgeon), only because a cancellation cropped up.
4 June 08 - Went to the hospital yesterday to see the consultant regarding my elbow that won't straighten, and I am now lined up for an operation (another one!). They will have to open the back of the elbow up to clear the bone spurs and other stuff, which will make recovery a little slower than if it was done by keyhole. But it has been slowly getting worse for about 10 years and needs to be sorted. The surgeon can't guarantee a total straight arm, but it's got to be better than what I have now.
On a nicer note, Lucy had her second birthday yesterday, and knew what it was all about having a superb day with all her presents, especially her Thomas trains and her umbrella!
If you’re interested in strongman/women then Poland is the place to go. This is a country where I watched Jarek Dymek on TV in the morning advertising VibroAction (I think), bought Super Glue with Mariusz on the front of the packaging from a supermarket in the afternoon, and then in the evening watched Aneta Florczyk on TV in Dancing on Ice. Strongman is their second sport, and from what I saw in our stay it definitely is very popular.
Roman Liebrecht, Boguslaw, Tean Aneta and of course all the sponsors have got to be commended on the extremely well run, fast-paced, entertaining contest. Thousands came to watch the contest, and the ones at the front never moved except for a chance of an autograph from one of the competitors for over 4 hours. With 8 events, 9 competitors, 4 t-shirt changes, and appearances by dancers there was always something going on – perfect!
My piece on Elizabeth is that she was a little disappointed on some of her performances, as she knew what she did in training. Mistakes were done, and WILL be learned from. I saw a brave lady battling right to the end, even when the unexpected problems occurred. There will be another day.
The events and weights were all good; it was a very well balanced contest.
The competitors were super strong, very friendly and hopefully we will meet up again in the future. I haven’t got all the results (hopefully Boguslaw can send them to me), but believe me there were some incredible performances!
Elizabeth got a forearm workout with all the autographs she signed, and hopefully the fans enjoyed the experience as much as we did.
Many thanks to our sponsor Jackal's Gym, and to all the well wishes, messages and phone calls!
1. Farmers walk for distance (72.5kg each hand)
2. Conan's circle (200 kg)
3. Axle for reps (70 kg)
4. Yoke (210 kg)
5. Car Hold (about 200kg)
6. Log lift (Max)
7. Weight for height (12.5 kg)
8. Deadlift for reps (180 kg)
19th May 08 - The 16th British Hand Strength Champs was down in Gloucester on Saturday and Steve Gardener won it, with a strong performance - well done Steve!
I was 20pts behind in second and was not impressed by my performance. I shall never again only have a 5 week run up again to a contest, as it didn't give me enough time to iron out problems that surfaced on the day. I took the contest too lightly thinking that I could just turn up and win, and I think my apathy on the day mirrored this attitude. Never again will I be so foolish like this again, never! Believe me, it is not the losing (which fair enough I don't like), but the REALLY crap performance!
So remember, NEVER take anything for granted, and always put a full preperation into whatever you want to succeed at.
16th May 08 - Had a great time up in Manchester at the football on Wednesday, and had wayyy too much drink. But feeling good and ready to go tomorrow at the Brits - bring it on!
10th May 08 - Did my last session before the Brits yesterday, and all is good. You're never to old to learn, and in this small run-up I've learned a few good pointers. Now to rest for the week!
4th May 08 - We've been very busy recently with work, training and viewing properties. We seem to have got our training down to a tee right now, just the right amount, and we're still gaining strength and staying injury free (which is so important with our comps being so close). For a bit of fun today I bent a 24" x 16.12mm bar - see it here. Also on Thursday my team Glasgow Rangers made the final of the UEFA Cup by beating the Italian team Fiorentina. They now play Zenit St Petersburg in the final on May 14th in Manchester. A lot of scots will be there that day, and only the lucky ones will be in the ground. I'll be watching it with friends in a bar in Manchester, and unfortunately will not be able to drink much as the Brits is a few days later.
20th Apr 08 - Yesterday Paul Wood came down and trained on all the grip events and assistance exercises. It was a great session and I am very pleased with how everything is coming together in such a short period of time. Paul also learned a lot, and I feel he'll be far better for this trip. I've also got Big Stewart Killick coming up on Thursday to train on the same stuff, and Elizabeth has Hanne up here again on Wednesday for the WSW training. Busy week ahead.
15th Apr 08 - Couple of new products added to the shop today. These include a Throwing Ring for Highland Games and Strongman comps (also a great training tool); and some suede and nubuck wraps.
We had a great day on Sunday watching the Britain's Strongest Man - Midlands Qualifier down in Brierly Hill. Our friend
Laurence Shahlaei won the contest in a tough field, and is now off to the BSM final in Minehead. Good luck Loz! Here's some photos. Talking of contests, I have just entered this years British Hand Strength Champs, I must be mad, and will be hoping to make it 11 Championship wins - best get out and train then!
6th Apr 08 - Had a great day yesterday lifting at my dad's memorial day contest. Great to see my friends again, and of course get the World Record back on the Two Hands Pinch Lift with 115k. Video here. I was also very pleased to see Dave Johnson certify with the IronMind Red bar. Video here. There was some great performances and records all round, results are here. Also photos from the day are here.
Biagio Filizola the italian bodybuilder shows his arms off, not bad for 70 years of age in June!
30th Mar 08 - Got back from North Wales today after a very memorable mountain climb on Saturday with my oldest son Jason. At 633mt (2077ft) Y Garn on the Nantlle ridge would have been a nice introductory climb for Jason if the weather had not been like it was. It was forecasted to be blustery and rainy later in the day, but I didn't think it would be as bad as it was, I've never seen conditions like that ever, and I've been in a hurricane! We arrived there at just after 8am and it was blustery, but not too bad to start with, and we we're kitted out fine so set off. The wind's speed seemed to increase with each footstep, and then at about halfway up it started to rain, and I mean rain! We battled on further, and got to near the top, but the weather had got so bad that it was impossible to stand up now, and we were doing a lot of the climbing on all fours. This also coincided with the path area which we were wedging ourselves into being very close to the very substantial drop, and we decided to turn back with the top only about 20-30 metres away. I made this decision, as it was a real danger that one of us could be blown off the edge, as the wind was pushing us that way. Even going back down this last part was very difficult with us slipping all over the place. The photos here are from the first half of the climb, as I didn't bring the camera out at the top - too many other things to think about, like getting back down safely. It was a great, and scary experience, and one that Jason should remember for ever. It was nice to get the soaken clothes off later, and have a nice meal. Oh and the Met Office said the gusts in that region were in the 90mph range - no wonder it was tough!
28th Mar 08 - Here's the updated list of the competitors and events for the World's Strongest Woman.
* Yoke (about 200 kg)
* Farmer's walk for distance (70-80 kg)
* Axel (reps, 60-70 kg)
* Deadlift hold with a car, about 170 kg)
* Log lift (probably for reps)
* Deadlift (reps, 170-180 kg, car wheels)
* Weight for height (12,5 kg)
* Conan's circle (180-200 kg)
26th Mar 08 - Lots new today. The day started with me getting good news regarding my blood tests. So it's nothing nasty, 'just' IBS. The strongwoman Hanne Bingle came up today to train, and we went through 7 of the events for Poland. Today's session for Elizabeth was;
1. Farmers Walk 2 x 70kg (154lb) for 101 metre walk (PB).
2. Yoke Walk 167.5k (342.7lb) for 25 metre walk in 22.5 sec.
3. Conans Walk using the Yoke 167.5k (342.7lb) for 25 metre walk in 27 sec
4. Axle from floor to overhead - 65k, and then cleaned 70k but couldn't press it.
5. Deadlift Hold with 2 x 85k (170k total) for 41.75 sec.
6. Throwing 28lb weight over a branch at heights of 12-13 foot. Quite a few of the throws were 2+ foot higher than this. Which is very pleasing.
Video at the end of the week.
24th Mar 08 - The clearing of my stomach problem seems to be working, although still waiting for the blood test results from the doctors.
Anyway, in the last 2 days I've actually had some energy and strength to do some training, and I just did some things I fancied, and in fact hadn't done for ages. I decided to do some braced bending with the spare bars from last years Champion of Steel comp.
Yesterday I did some easy stuff, and today I went for 26" x 16.35mm bar and got it for a new pb, and back to the top of the list.
Well I'm pleased anyway, especially after feeling so unwell and crappy. It's like a breath of fresh air!
14th Mar 08 - Nick McKinless came up and trained with us today. First we did a throwing session with a 28lb weight for height (Nick's pictured below in mid flight), then this was followed by some grip work with the Slippery Eel and the Inch dumbell when we got back home. Then in the evening lots of squats, followed by Bench and Inclines. Great days training, and also we received the prototype of the new Yoke, and it seems to work very well. This and other strongman equipment will be coming soon in the World of Strength shop.
11th Mar 08 - Week 5, and training is still going well for Elizabeth. Hercules Hold, throwing, etc was at the weekend. Today's session was;
1. Farmers Walk 2 x 115kg (253.5lb) for 3.90 metre walk (PB).
2. Farmers Walk 2 x 75kg (165.3lb) for 68.90 metre walk (1 turn) - went with a lower pick up (20" to top of the handle) on the adjustable Farmers.
3. Conans 2" bar/axle 202.1k (445.5lb) hold for 30secs (PB) - Calibrated plates used.
4. Axle from floor to overhead - reps today, and strict presses.
Video at the end of the week.
10th Mar 08 - We have started a different eating regime in our household with no more meat. This is because of the IBS I have been suffering from for a good while, and I want to try anything that might clear this. Also Elizabeth wanted to go with better quality food, so we'll see how it goes. After 4 days I don't miss meat, and my stomach feels better. I've also stopped coffee, and various other things as well. But we shall see. I have been charting all foods, etc for 2 months so far, and will continue this diary through this time as well.
Also check the video on this page for incredible strength as Cyplenkov trains with Voevoda. I thought this video of these 2 russians was one of the best I've seen for a long time. If only they had done some weights and grip work as well. Cyplenkov is a freak of nature, and Voevoda is well Voevoda, one of the armwrestling greats. Hope you enjoy!
4th Mar 08 - Another nice solid training session today, with Elizabeth's biggest overhead lift ever!
1. Farmers Walk 2 x 115kg (253.5lb) for 2.5 metre walk, followed by 4 deadlifts with the farmers equipment with 105kg (231.4lb) in each hand
2. Farmers Walk 2 x 80kg (176.3lb) for 52.3 metre walk (1 turn) (PB)
3. Axle from floor to overhead 65kg! (143.2lb) (PB) Had a go at 70kg and got 3 very near cleans.
I'd also like to mention the fantastic parcel I got this morning from the Gillingham's at Jackal's Gym - they have very kindly sent me some new equipment to help me in my training. The elbow wrap can't be held solely responsible for my axle PB, but they helped! If you'd like to check out the equipment they have on offer, click here - the best equipment by one of the strongest families around!
26 Feb 08 - Elizabeth is still marching nicely forward! Todays session included PB's on the Farmers.
1. Farmers Walk 2 x 110k (242.5lb) for 10.64metres (PB)
2. Farmers Walk 2 x 70k (154.3lb) for 97.25metres (1 turn) (PB)
The heavy farmers seem to be building really good core strength, as breathing and concentrating on the task in hand is far easier each week. I know as I'm Elizabeth's training partner right now, and I'm improving all the time.
All videod, and will put it up at the end of the week.
25 Feb 08- I'm still doing my Continuous session till the bar snaps every Monday. It's a nice upper body workout, gets a good sweat on, and is different to all the other strength and strongman training.
Tonight I snapped an IronMind Red bar, and I'm very pleased, and have quite a few blisters as well!
Continuous session till the bar snaps. Time - 1 hour 23 min 40 sec on 18th Rd
Reverse bend, and unbraced style snap a 7" IronMind Red bar in IronMind wraps
Vulcan Hand Gripper CCS Lev 7, 5 then 4
Rear Lever with 7.5k
I bent the Red in reverse style to 29 degrees, then had to bend it fully braced style. The rest was done in an unbraced bending style, till the 18th round where my food was ready and I had to finish it off in the braced horseshoe style.
Notes
(@5th Rd I changed the Vulcan's spring down to Lev 5, and then again on the 14th Rd to Lev 4.
Cracks started to appear in the 14th round.
Continuous training is? You do 1 bend and pullback, then 1 crush on the gripper, then 1 lever, then 2 bends back and forth, 2 crushes, and so forth, until the bar snaps.
Round 1 is 1 rep on each, round 10 is ten reps on each event.
23 Feb 08 - Week 2 video of Elizabeth training for the World's Strongest Woman comp.
1. Farmers Walk 2 x 105k (231.4lb) for 10.68metres (PB)
2. Conans 2" bar/axle 190k (418.8lb) hold for 30secs (PB)
3. Curl against Wall 45k (New PB)
4. Front Squat 80k x 4 reps
21 Feb 08 - Elizabeth set a new pb on the Curl against Wall with 45k, then did all her other lat, arm and grip work.
19 Feb 08 - Boy it was nasty cold and foggy this morning, and Elizabeth had a cold she's had since yesterday. But to do well in a contest of this magnitude you've got to get out on days like this. Today she did:
1. Farmers Walk 2 x 105k (231.4lb) for 10.68metres (PB)
2. Farmers Walk 2 x 70k (154.3lb) for 71.50metres (2 turns) A bit down.
3. Conans 2" bar/axle 190k (418.8lb) hold for 30secs
4. Axle from floor to overhead - 1 rep with 60k (132.2lb), and close with 65k (143.2lb) (PB, on her weak event)
Other Presses and shoulder stuff to follow.
All videod, and will put it up at the end of the week.
16 Feb 08 - Great news - Elizabeth's videoing some of her training for the World's Strongest Woman comp in Poland in May. Bits and bobs from this week 1. Here
1. Farmers Walk 2 x 100k (220.4lb) for 18.30metres
2. Farmers Walk 2 x 70k (154.3lb) for 80metres (2 turns)
3. Conans 2" bar/axle 185k (407.8lb) hold for 30secs
4. Axle for reps 7 reps with 50k (110lb) in 75 secs
5. Curl against Wall 42.5k (93.6lb)
6. Front Squat 90k (198.4lb)
Attempted 100k, but not this time.
Hope you enjoy, and cheer her on.
10 Feb 08 - Great news - Europe's Strongest Woman contest is now the World's Strongest Woman.
From Poland, "Because of big interest of American Strongwomen we've decided to change the competition into World Strongwoman Championship. So now we have 3 more strongwomen invited - from USA: Callie Marunde, Amy Wattles and Elena Seiple"
9 Feb 08 - I have received the remainder of all the Vulcan Hand Grippers today, and after hand testing and spraying the new springs, I then stamped all the handles with their batch number. I put the springs on the grippers and then hand tested them again. Everyones orders will go out on Monday - have fun with them!
Nick McKinless demonstrated his grip and technical ability with the fast lifts today. Here he is one arm snatching the 'baby' Inch Dumbbell. This weighs 53kg or 116.6lbs and the handle is 2 3/8" or 6cm wide.
5 Feb 08 - Some customers are starting to receive their Vulcan Hand Grippers, and the response is excellent so far. But then again I know how good this piece of equipment is, and that's not me bullshitting you. I only design items that I want and need, and only put them in to production if they are really good. If you're interested the Vulcan Hand Gripper certifications and rules are here - have fun!
4 Feb 08 - Tonight I did my weekly continuous session till the bar snapped, and smashed my previous time by snapping the 7" FBBC Square Bar in 21min 30secs of the 11th round. Having said that the other 2 exercises (Slippery Eel with 50k, and Climber wrist curl with 15k) were a lot quicker to do than the exercises I chose on my last attempt. Also this time I used brand new IronMind cordora pads, and have to admit to finding them as comfortable as my leather wraps. But then again I do use the reverse bending style. All in all it was a cracking nights training! I also got a bend on one of the new freestyle bend lists.
28 Jan 08 - All the voting on the various steel bending rules and styles has just finished, and the results are being implemented into the lists and rules. Thanks to all of you who voted on the Gripboard.
27 Jan 08 - Elizabeth Horne has just got her invite for this years Europe's Strongest Woman contest. This is in Poland on May 24th.
She is very pleased and excited, and the Polish contests are massive - huge venues and crowds!
The field is very strong;
Aneta Florczyk (PL)
Anki Öberg (SWE)
Kati Luoto (FIN)
Josefin Brander (SWE)
Elizabeth Horne (GB)
Anna Rosen (?) (SWE)
Bernie McKinley (?) (GB)
I am sorting Elizabeth's new program, and she will be training even harder, which will be tough to do.
The events are (subject to change):
* Yoke
* Farmer's walk for distance
* Axel (probably for reps)
* Hercules hold
* Log lift
* Deadlift
* Weight for height
* Conan's circle
If anyone wants to sponnsor Elizabeth with supplements or equipment please get in touch with me - thanks!
26 Jan 08 - Elizabeth, Richard Scott and I did a fun training session today up at Cannock Chase - a few times up the hill, then 10 chins on a branch, 10 jumps over a log, 10 press-ups, a quick jog, 10 leaps across a brook, and then a climb up a tree (and fall down, in Richard's case!). Just goes to show that you don't need an expensive gym membership to get a good workout - we were all wasted. We took Lucy to feed the ducks afterwards, then staggered home. (The pictures are clickable thumbnails - just click for a bigger picture.)
19 Jan 08 - My 19 month old daughter Lucy was doing some Hub Lifts last night with her little 1.25k Hampton disc.
11 Jan 08 - The great Sir Edmund Hillary, who along with Tenzing Norgay were the first people to stand on top of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain - died today of a heart attack at 88. RIP
9 Jan 08 - Just organised the events for my dad's contest in April. There's also many more contests in the BHSA calendar.
7 Jan 08 - We have edited down the 1 hour 44 mins of the snapping session and made two videos for youtube. Here they are.
3 Jan 08 - Yesterday I did the most mental and physically exhausting workout ever – but I just could not give it up till I snapped the bar! Boy am I sore today!
Continuous session till the bar snaps. Time - 1 hour 44 min 30 sec
Reverse bend, and unbraced style snap a 7" FBBC Square bar
Curl 45k
Two Hands Pinch Lift 74.1k
The intense pump started at about round 5 and never got any better.
How many reps? Bends (back & forth) 127 times
Curls 120 reps
Pinch Lifts 120 reps
Works out at 3.52 reps a minute for 104 minutes
(@6th Rd I changed to gloved pinching as my skin had torn, and I altered the weight to 64.1k. This was later adjusted down to 53.8k on the 11th Rd.
I changed the curl weight to 32.5k on the 11th Rd as my wrist was so tight, then on the 12th Rd changed to Reverse Curl with the same weight.)
Continuous training is? You do 1 bend and pullback, then 1 curl, then 1 pinch lift, then 2 bends back and forth, 2 curls, and so forth, until the bar snaps.
Round 1 is 1 rep on each, round 10 is ten reps on each event.
