Concept2 Bike Erg

Another Concept2 Bike Erg for sale.  This one by Todd Lander in Aurora for $800 and it cam with an extra seat post with wide comfort seat.  I contacted the seller within 21 minutes of listing and in the intervening 15 minutes of text messages the bike sold.  It is definitely another good data point for the market in Denver.  This one came with an extra seat post and wide comfort saddle ($80 value?).

These retail for $1100 new.  Shipping is another $60 and tax is another $60.  $1,220 is steep but not outside the realm of reality and they hold their value well.  Typical sell price is $950.  Matt Chan sold one a few months back for $600 and now this one for $800.

I will likely keep my eyes open in the secondary marketplace, but I am not in a rush.  I am not willing to pay $900 used.  At that point, I would rather buy new.

Junior Grippers

After Gillingham High Performance decided to get out of the gripper business, the only company to make junior grippers was out of the game.  Fortunately Cannon Power Works bought the leftover parts for assembly.  These little guys were sold for $24 each or $120 for a set of 5.

Per GHP:  "First of it’s kind Junior grippers for youth, seniors, and hand rehab.  GHP Juniors are a scaled down version of our GHP Heavy Duty Hand Grippers.  These little guys have a smaller diameter handle, narrower handle spacing, and brushed finish to not tear up the hands.  Juniors come in 5 levels of difficulty according to their color."

• Green: 10-20 pounds
• Red:  20-30 pounds
• Blue:  30-40 pounds
• Black:  40-50 pounds
• Gold:  50-60 pounds

I am slowly turning into a gripper guy and want my wife, kids and nephews to be able to join in the fun.  Right now, neither my wife or 15 year old can close a 28# COC Guide so these will be perfect for warm-up and testing.

grippermania.ru/grip/rating has posted numbers along the lines of:

• GHPJ 1 - 9 pounds
• GHPJ 2 - 12 pounds
• GHPJ 3 - 18 pounds
• GHPJ 4 - 25 pounds
• GHPJ 5 - 32 pounds

The lighter springs along with smaller diameter and narrower handle spacing will be perfect.  I probably should have spent another $25 to get them rated, but I am excited to have them nevertheless.  They will also feature CPW branding to distinguish them from GHP originals.

The $142.95 price was very reasonable as well (20% over original pricing).  I imagine CPW could have thrown a price of $199 out there and they would have still sold.

Metcon - Manion

Saturday, April 27, 2024

Basement Gym

1300

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy Flow

Back Squat - 8x45

Metcon 

"Manion"

7 Rounds for Time:

400m Run

29 Back Squats (95/135)

I scaled this to 

5 Rounds for Time:

400m Ski Erg

20 Back Squats (75)

It was still a grueling workout that I finished in 23:01.  The ski erg was a good substitute taking around 2:15.  Transitions were long at about 15 seconds.  The back squats were the toughest.  I went unbroken the first 3 rounds then 14/6 and 12/8 to finish the workout.  It was nice to get some squat volume in.  Even with air squats, this would have been a tough workout.

USAWA Club Build Out - UPDATE 2024.04.27

High Country Vigour (HCV)

HCV has made a very good start, but is about $4,000 (and 800 square feet) away from being capable of hosting all lifts.

• Basic Equipment - YES - Would need some thin iron plates for heavy bar lifts
• Fulton Bar - YES - Generic
• Ring for Finger Lifts - YES - Michael Black
• Heavy Bar Lifts - 
• Heavy Lift Bar - NO
• Hip Belt - Hip Lift, Carter Lift, Phumchaona Lift - YES - homemade
• Hand & Thigh - Hand & Thigh, Deanna Lift - NO
• Harness/Handrails - Harness Lift - NO
• Neck Harness - Neck Lift - YES - Ironmind
• Travis Lift Attachment - Travis Lift - NO
• Vertical Bar Lifts - YES - 2" Generic Sleeves and 1" FBBC v-bars
• Roman Chair - NO - Need to design or modify exiting
• Dumbbells - 
• 1.9 inch Fulton - YES - Nemesis
• 2.5 inch Inch - YES - Nemesis
• 3.5 inch - NO
• Weaver Stick - YES - homemade
• Saxon Plank - NO - DIY
• Commercial Vertical Leg Press - NO - I do not have the space for this
• 3" Barbell - NO - Could purchase from Titan Fitness for $120
• Trap Bar - NO - Could purchase from anywhere
• Dinnie Handles - YES - Cerberus
• Custom Short Bar for Rim Lift - YES - Works with stubby axle bar, Dino Gym has 20" spacing on an axle

Progression

• As it stands, HCV could contest 201/219 
• Heavy Lift Bar ($140) would add Hip Lift, Carter Lift, Phumchaona, Neck Lift 205/219
• Hand & Thigh ($70) would add Hand & Thigh, Deanna 207/219
• Travis Lift attachment (?) 208/219
• Roman Chair, Back Extension ($800) 212/219
• Saxon, 3" Bar, 3.5" DB, Trap Bar ($500) 216/219
• Harness, Hand rails ($500) 217/219 ($500)
• Vertical Leg Press ($2000) would add Foot Press and Back Lift 219/219

The Heavy Lift Bar with accoutrements 

• PHASE 1 ($306):  Arm Assassin Heavy Lift Bar ($140), Hand & Thigh Bar ($70) $$*
• PHASE 2 ($60):  Travis Lift Belt attachment - Rogue Dip Accessory Straps (2 x $30) $*
• PHASE 3 ($400):  Harness for Harness Lift and Hand Rails - Leather, Rivets, Delta Ring, Chain, Slip Hook, Custom Fabricated Hand Rails $$$***
• Calibrated Plates as required (Current 1000# set-up; $1,700 for 1500#, $4000 for 2,000#) $$$*

The Roman Chair intrigues me.  While only used for (4) lifts, it does not take up that much space.  I will likely acquire a commercial Roman Chair and modify the pad so it meets the USAWA requirements. $$$***

Making a Saxon Plank will be harder requiring a 3" wood plank, plate holders and a means of securing them. $$, ***

3" barbell ($130-$250) and 3.5" dumbbell ($60-$90) do not interest me.  I do not care for the Trap Bar ($100-$200) either.  3" barbell available from a variety of sources.  3.5" dumbbell handles are uncommon but currently being offered by Arm Assassin and Nemesis Grips.  Trap bars are often found in commercial gyms. $$*

Back Lift/Foot Press apparatus are not likely for a completely different reason, space..  These could be fashioned from a commercial vertical leg press, but they take up a lot of real estate, especially in a home gym. $$$$**

A Custom Short Bar I CAN CONTEST THIS LIFT ON A STUBBY AXLE BAR. I could also fabricate a bar with 18" collar to collar distance and 12" of loadable sleeve (42" total length) $$**

$ - low cost, $$ - mid, $$$ - high, $$$$ prohibitive

* - buy easily, **fabricate easily, ***fabricate hard, ****fabricate prohibitive

Swim

Saturday, April 27, 2024

Carmody Rec Center

1030

Swim

3x300 FR

1x200 BR

1x100 BA

--

1200 yards total (35 minutes)

Heavy Lifts

Friday, April 26, 2024

Hip Lift

210

300

390

442.5

495

562.5

Hand & Thigh

392.5

Neck

120

170

This was a test run with the new Hip Belt and the Ironmind Neck Harness.  Both worked very well and I have no concerns with loading heavier.

5 Pull-up Finisher

Weaver Stick fabrication and test - Good at 1.25, 1.75 and 2.50 pounds.

Hip Belt

I finally made it over to Tandy Leather to begin construction of my hip belt.  The leather I had purchased from Facebook Marketplace for $25 was double thick and somewhat dried out.  The Delta Rings are much beefier than I need, but in the absence of making custom rings will have to do the trick.

This time I was working with Shawn who was super helpful getting me going and being an extra pair of hands which was very beneficial for the draw gauge.

Started off cutting an end with a utility knife.  Then I measured off 55 inches and cut the strip off of the length of leather.  Next we used a draw gauge to trim the leather down to 4" thickness by removing approximately 3/4."  At this point a fold needed to be made and we utilized an adjustable v-gouge to remove some material and relieve the leather for a bend.  Next, I started punching the holes for the rivets.  At this point we realized the leather was more dried out than we originally thought.  Shawn suggested conditioning the leather before installing rivets.

I applied Dr. Jackson's Hide Rejuvenator and will let it soak in for 24 hours and then buff off the cream.

For rivets, I am planning a 4 hole pattern using #9 brass rivets.  Brass has a shear strength of 30,500 psi.  So my #9 = 3/16" has an area of 0.0276 inches and a shear strength of 842 pounds.  With 4 rivets, I should be good to a 3200 pound lift.

The cost of a 25 pack of rivets is $25 and the rivet setter is another $10.  Together with the Delta rings that were $5 each (I purchased five to save on shipping).  I am at $85 for the project.  I will have enough material to make several more items and may choose to do so, but certainly not to offset cost.  More likely to help somebody out.

So far the leather I am using is definitely too thick and the delta rings too beefy.  I could certainly get away with single thick leather and would be better off with custom delta rings.

UPDATE 4/25/2024 - Well the hip belt is complete and should work fine.  Installing the rivets was not too bad.  It took me a little while to line things up and punch holes.  The more painstaking work was flattening out the non-finished side.

One issue is the size of the delta rings.  They are really thick which makes it difficult to connect the grab hook and quick link.  In the immediate term I attached some oval carabiners which should work for the weights I am moving, but not for the big boys.  Perfect world, I would file them delta rings down to accept the quick link opening and shackle opening.

Delta Ring Diameter - 0.53 inches

Grab Hook - 0.46 inches

Quick Link - 0.44 inches

Taking off a tenth of an inch may not sound like much but will be tough with a hand file.

3' of 5/16" chain ($15), 5/16" grab hook ($10), 5/16" quick link ($5) set me back another $30 on the project.

This unfortunately confirms my theory that being able to perform heavy lifts is an expensive, space consuming and time consuming endeavor.  

$25 - Leather (have leftover)

$20 - Delta hooks (used 2 of 5 purchased)

$35 - #9 brass rivets and setters (used 8 of 25 purchased)

$30 - Chain, grab hook and quick link

--

$110 for the belt, but also a great learning experience.  I have enough material to build a neck harness or full harness.  I need to practice with Ironmind neck harness some and give the hip belt a run for its money tomorrow.

Deadlift - Metcon

Sunday, April 21, 2024

Garage Gym

1400

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy Flow

Reverse Hyper

RDL

Deadlift

12x135

10x165

8x195

6x225

4x255

2x285#

Metcon

6 Rounds for Time:

400m row

6 burpees over the rower

This took way longer than I expected.  I started off at a reasonable 3:20 in the first round and then slowed down considerable.  Thank goodness I had guests show up in the middle of burpees during the 5th round which allowed for a 5 minute break at 17:32.  It was a real mental challenge to finish this up in 21:43

4/19/2024 - Net Gym Cost

$17,274

Basics - $5,537

• Weights - $2857 (1765 pounds)
• Barbells - $1389 (9 barbells)
• Flooring - $600 (2x2, stall mats, gymnastics mats)
• Collars - $275
• Benches - $275
• Dumbbells - $101 (454 pounds)
• Rack - $40

Cardio - $1790

Row Erg - $990

Ski Erg - $800

CrossFit - $1500

• Abmats (6)
• Kettlebells (35-35-44-53)
• Rope
• Wallballs (6-8-14-20)
• Plyoboxes (63" foam, J-Box)
• Rings
• Jump Ropes
• Parallettes
• Weight Vest
• Pull-up bar
• Deadball (20-55#)
• Deka Ram (44#)

Strongman - $1340

• Sandbag - 50#
• Atlas Stones - 70, 95#
• Axle Bar - Rep Stubby
• Axle Bar - Full Length
• Yoke - Raptor
• Farmer's Carry Handles - Titan
• Husafell Bag - 150#
• Black Iron Strength - 2.5" Bar
• Strongman Log - Harambe 12" 80# empty
• Atlas Ball - 100# Rage
• Dinnie Loading Pins

Misc - $3628

• Storage - $836
• DC Blocks - $350
• OKE - $339
• Reverse Hyper - $250
• Timers - $188
• Back Extension - $180
• Decorations - $154
• Squat Box - $150
• Drop Pads - $150
• Grip - $150 (net off of grip list)
• Bands - $147
• Ab Bench - $130
• Preacher Curl Bench - $130
• Specialty Bar - $100
• Deadlift Jack - $90
• Fatbells - $50
• Mace, Indian Clubs, Neck Harness, T-bell, Roman Chair, Bosu, Chains, Battle Rope - $234

Vintage - $1715

• Olympic Plates (985 pounds) - $1,015
• Standard Plates (250 pounds) - $165
• Dumbbells (750 pounds) - $360
• Squat Stands - $175

Grip - $1914

• Contest Implements - $822
• USAWA - $500
• Gripper - $332
• Misc - $190
• Feats - $50
• MMA (Bulgarian Bags) - $20

I got a lot of shit.  It is to the point that I am pushing the boundaries of reasonable spending and storage space.  I still have a wish list to boot.  I am looking for a bike erg, magnetic sled, stall mat, safety squat bar, Saxon bar, Country Crush implements and any vintage equipment that comes my way.

Further, I am not ready to part with anything.  I could sell the rig and some plates, but that would not make much of a difference.

Back Squat - Metcon

Friday, April 19, 2024

Basement Gym

1230

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy Flow

Back Squat (3x12)

8x45

8x95

12x115

12x115

12x115

Metcon

3 Rounds for Time:

500m ski erg

20 med ball sit-ups (20#)

Finished in 13:29, this was a pretty good little mover.  I want to keep throwing Deka stations into my conditioning workouts.  Definitely started feeling the strain on my anterior chain.

Round 1 ~ 4 min

Round 2 ~ 4:30 min

Round 3 ~ 5 min

USAWA - Nancy

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Garage Gym

1300

USAWA

Leg Press - Self Loaded - Epic fail, I do not have the mobility to consider this lift today.  Even if I were to somehow load the bar, I would not be able to press it out to a straight leg position.  Need some more hamstring lengthening work

Deadlift - Stiff Legged - This went better than I expected and I could complete a lift at 135 pounds

Deadlift - One Leg - This was challenging as well.  I was successful at 63 pounds with both the right and left leg.  135 pounds was an abysmal failure.  I dropped to 95 pounds and was successful on my right leg.  I went to 75 pounds and was successful on both legs.

Leg Press - Unsupported - Could not straight legs, even with a measly 35 pounds on the bar.  Hamstring mobility.

Nancy

I opted to do this with a PVC and it still took me 20:10.  The runs were fine, albeit slow at around 2:45 to 3:00 each and the 15 OHS took around 0:45 to 1:00 to complete.  They were all unbroken, but certainly paused.

35 push-up finisher during Diya's track meet.

I am now up to 104 of 191 lifts attempted and succeeded and 2 attempted but could not complete.  There are still plenty of interesting lifts on my list to try.

USAWA - Clark's Gym Record Day

Sunday, April 14, 2024

HCV - Garage Gym

1400

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Crossover Symmetry

Hip Hammy Flow

USAWA Record Session

• Deanna Lift - 300, 320, 340# (moved well, may have more in me)
• Rectangular Fix - 65, 70# (tough lift, hard to get/stay parallel to platform)
• Pullover Straight Arm - 39, 44# (tough lift, a lot of strain on shoulders)
• Rectangular Fix, Fulton Bar - 50, 55# (not bad, hard on grip)
• Good Morning - 75# (harder than I though to get to parallel, tendency to round back and want to bend knees which have to stay locked out.
• Shoulder Drop - 33# (just messing around after the comp)
• Thor's Hammer - struggled with 21#

It was a fun event with Jarrod and Kim in attendance.  I held onto Kim's heavy bar and she borrowed my 2 inch vertical bar.

With my new efforts on the fixes, pullover and shoulder drop, I am up to 101 of 191 USAWA lifts attempted.

Coming up for the Q2 Postal - 

• Push Press from Racks - OPEN
• Hack Lift - One Hand - 248# R/L Bill DiCiccio (set 6/4/1994)
• Pullover - Bent Arm - OPEN

Swim Bike

Friday, April 12, 2024

Carmody

0930

Swim

1x800 FR

1x200 BR

1x100 BA

--

1100 total (30 min)

1400

Bike

Took the Cervelo out for a spin on Bear Creek Trail around Soda Lake and back up Quincy.  15.32 miles (10.9 mph).  Bike fit is off and in the aero position my legs hit my gut.  Need to lose some weight before I take it out again.  Otherwise, great ride.

Warren Tetting Grippers on Ebay

Two Warren Tetting grippers are currently on eBay and the no reserve bidding is now up to $610 each!!  The models being offered are the Beefbuilder "Thor" and the Beefbuilder "Hercules."  Final price was $620 and $710 respectively.  With this result, I expect to see more grippers on eBay rather than Gripboard and other places.

The Hercules also has the distinction of being glued, rather than screwed.  Estimated populate is 4-6 grippers.  Only about 100 Hercules grippers made with any attachment.  the Hercules uses a 9/16" spring.  The Hercules cannot be closed and is more of a glorified paper weight.

The best reference I found was from Evan R on his sfninjawarriorblog which references Thor as estimated 1000 pounds to close (0.406" spring diameter) and Hercules estimated 2400 pounds to close (0.523 spring diameter).

My gripper collection

I currently own a total of 101 grippers: 4 adjustable and 97 torsion spring. 82 are rated RGC.

Imtug 3

Imtug 4

imtug 5

imtug 6

Atomgripz Mini-gripper

CoC sport

CoC 2

Zenith trainer

GNC 150

GNC 200 

HG 300

CoC 3 unopened 

BONE CRUSHER 400

BONE CRUSHER 500

Adjustable (non torsion spring) grippers: 

CFF Pit Bull Super Vise Gripper - 3 Springs

RB chrome adjustable gripper 50/500lbs - RGC ratings here

RB Deluxe Adjustable 50/500lbs with Negative Rep Handle - RGC ratings here

David Horne Vulcan V2 - Number 4 batch (GREEN model black spring)

RGC RATED IN POUNDS BY CPW except RB 260:

CoC trainer Left turn - 56

Tetting beginner -57

 CoC trainer - 58

CoC .5 -67

Silvis adjustable Stegosaurus - 1/2" - 72

CoC 1 Left turn - 73

Silvis adjustable Stegosaurus - 1/4" - 77

CoC 1 -78

Tetting advanced -82

CoC 1.5 -85

xfitness 200 -86

Silvis adjustable Stegosaurus - 87

Filed CoC 1- 88

GHP 4 - 89

CPW 160 - 92

Tetting super advanced - 95

CPW 160 - 97

Zenith 2 - 98

CoC 2 Left turn - 103

CoC 2 - 106

Tetting master hybrid- 108

GHP 5 - 109

CoC 2 filed - 110

CPW 180 - 113

Heavy Grip 250 - 116

Tetting Master - 116

xfitness 250 -119

CPW 240N - 121

CPW 210 - 124

Silvis adjustable Triceratops rated/marked at 124 lbs

CoC 2.5 - 124

GHP 6 - 126

CoC 2.5 - 128

CoC 2.5 - 128

Zenith 3 - 130

RB 210 - 130

Tetting Super Master - 130

CPW 280N - 132

CPW 280N- 135

CoC 2.5 - 136

CPW 280N - 140

Silvis Monster Hunter lv. 4 -140

CoC 3 - 141

Tetting Super Master - 142

CPW 300N - 142

CoC 3 - 145

CoC 3 - 146

Tetting super master hybrid- 146

CPW 300N - 146  

CoC 3 -148 

CoC 3 - 148

GNC 250 -150

CPW 300N - 150 

Silvis adjustable T Rex rated/marked at 150lbs 

GHP 7 -152

CoC 3 - 153

Tetting Grand Master -154

RB 260 rated 155

Tetting Grand Master EXT - 156

Mash Monster 2 Replica - 156

CPW 330N - 158

Tetting Hybrid Grand Master - 159

Mash Monster 1 replica - 160

Silvis adjustable T Rex also rated/marked at 160lbs

Tetting Elite EXT  - 165

CPW 330N - 166

Mosh Monster 2 Replica - 167

 CoC 3.5 - 173

Tetting Elite -177

CoC 3.5 - 179

Tetting Elite 5/8" handles - 181

CoC 3.5 - 188

Tetting Hybrid Elite - 189

Tetting Super Elite - 192

Zenith 4 - 212

CoC 4 - 218

Tetting Super Elite EXT - 219

Tetting Super Elite -220

Tetting Grand Elite -223

Tetting Grand Elite EXT - 225

Tetting Pro EXT - 258

Tetting World Class EXT - 279

Extremely heavy / cannot be RGC rated:

Tetting Thor EXT (estimate 1000 lbs pressure to close, .406" spring diameter)

Tetting Hercules (estimate 2400 lbs pressure to close, .523" spring diameter)

York "Salesman" Sample

This listing just closed on Ebay for $154.01.  I bid it up to $50 and then bailed.  It was at $100 last night.  I am certainly an avid collector of all things weightlifting and debated this purchase quite a bit.  Yes, it is probably overpriced, but the absolute price is not horrendous.  It still would have been much better to purchase in store for a few bucks.

From Noam Schwartzenegger on Facebook Group Vintage Weights & Physical Culture:

Home Office Gym so I can think about vintage weights all day 💪🏼

While “York Salesman Samples” is adopted terminology by the collector community, Did You Know that there is no proof these were actually “samples”. In fact, York Barbell did not even have any road salesman. We know that the Aluminum Globe paperweight came first followed by the Gold Pre-USA Roundhead style. The RH paperweight can also be found in silver and black, and with a USA stamp.

Here are the best anecdotes regarding their history (& would love to hear more!):

“I saw the gold type one time when I had visited Vince Anello. He told me he got his when he was inducted into the York Hall of Fame and that they were souvenirs that were placed on the dinner tables in front of everyone attending that dinner.” – Paul Quinn

Another collector, the late Bob Hornick recalled the following: “I used to pick a few up at the York store when I visited, giving them to friends. I forget what they charged for them, it was very little for a nice memento of York Barbell.”

Finally, from the one & only Jan Dellinger, an employee at YBB in its the hay day:

“I have noticed that some collectors have taken to calling those miniature cast-iron paperweight dumbbells as "salesman samples," which from what I can ascertain is a bit of a misnomer. For starters, York Barbell never had road salesmen per se back then. It's possible York might have made these promotional paperweights available to bigger dealers of their iron products. Or gave them away at football clinics and the major dealer shows they exhibited at. But if they did, that was before my time with the company.

When I arrived at York Barbell in 1976, these things were starting to disappear from YBB. My impression was that the foundry time it took to manufacture them did not justify what small amounts of them we sold or gave away. And when the gold painted version was in style, that was one more process and cost factor.

Bear in mind that there were a couple of different iterations and styles of these promotional paperweights. I was personally familiar with the gold painted 1/2-pound roundhead, which is what most others of a certain age are aware of. However, before that version there was a miniature globe head style. And as I recall, when the management was still trying to decide whether to stop making them completely, or not, there was a run of 1/2-pound round head style produced which was just painted black. “

York Paperweights have been in high demand recently. They now come up often & are probably overpriced – but I am thrilled to own these pairs. If you have (or had) them, where did you get yours?

GripBoard Selling

mfin77 had a tremendous boatload of stuff that sold quickly

pick up is in Alpharetta, ga or I can ship. If you see something you like, give me an offer. If you see something in the picture that I did not put on here I may have missed it, but it is for sale. I forgot some names to devices, I apologize for that

 Bending $100 for whole package shipped 

• ironmind nails roughly 
• 45blue nails
• 50 yellow 
• 50green 
• plus assorted other stock like bolts. 

Grippers

• coc gripper 7 $20
• t3,4,5 $50 for all three 
• ghp4 $20
• ghp5 $20

Grip Implements

• barrel strength systems tip tester $50
• barrel strength systems 2nd generation blob implement. $50
• bss tombstone $65 with loading pin 
• ironmind neck strap $35
• strongergrip 2inch leverage $35
• old rt handle  doesn’t spin well, $30
• rogue grip balls pair $30 
• orange fat grips $20
• pink fat grips $20

Items that can’t be shipped 

• fbbc 2inch pipe, forgot the actual name $50 
• sorinex 6foot 3 by 4 Saxon bar  $100

I could ship these

• also have half of 95 USA blob York side $110
• half of 80 York side $100
• half of 85 York side slick, much harder than my 40   $100
• half of 90 hex that has been painted $65

I was not interested in the bending stuff, but that seems like a screaming deal.  

The grippers were purchased by Canon Power Works above asking price and will likely be redistributed at fair market prices (they are too stiff for me.).

The grip implements were interesting.  Selling at roughly 50% of retail.  I was interested in the tip tester and blob implement which had sold.  I may still be able to purchase the Rolling Thunder Handle that does not spin well.  It is being offered for $30 (25% of $120 retail).

The Sorinex 3x4 Saxon Bar is listed as 6 foot which does not seem right.  The length of the Saxon Bar should be 89 inches.  Maybe if you take off the 2x14 inch sleeves, you get to 61 inches which is only 5 feet.  Not sure.  Either way, I would be interested in purchasing for $100 and up to $65 shipping.  Past that, I am really better off buying direct from Sorinex.

Heavy Bar Lifts

Kim was kind enough to lend me her heavy lift bar, hand & thigh bar, neck harness and hip belt to work on some All-Round Lifting.

----------

Neck Lift - 

I started with the neck lift.  The heavy lift bar was easy enough to load and I managed 80 pounds.  The neck harness was an off the shelf Harbinger model that was more than sufficient for the loads I was moving.  The 430 pound record for 50 year old 90kg would probably need some beefier chain.  The Harbinger model was 2 inches wide.  0.150 inches thick with an overlapping layer and 32 inches long.  If I were to fabricate, I would stick with the 2" width and 0.150 inch thickness but opt for a length approaching 6 feet.

Hip Lift - 

The hip lift was certainly more challenging.  Specifically in terms of getting the weight balanced on the bar.  I assume my plates do not weigh the same amount because I needed to put a 2.5 pound plate on one side for a clean lift.  The hip belt was constructed from fire hose and was 31 inches between the D-rings.  This was a little small for me and dug into my thighs.  Adding the length of two 3 inch D rings and 31 inches of chain allowed me to get a clean lift at 442.5 pounds.  I would definitely shoot for leather with around 52 inches of length to the D-rings.  My chain length would be minimal.  The record for 50 year old 95kg men is 1500 pounds.

Hand and Thigh Lift - 

While I had the bar loaded, I gave this a whirl and was able to again lift 442.5 pounds.  The hand and thigh bar was the most comfortable, but I really feel like I just deadlifted it.  My chain connection was about 18 inches.  The record for 50 year old 95 kg men is 1105 pounds.

Deanna Lift - 

This is the last lift I tried and the most comfortable.  I was able to lift 300 pounds without much issue, but struggled with 350 pounds.  The 50 year old 95kg men's record is open, but the all time is 600 pounds set by Joe Garcia in the 55 year old age class.  The chain length was around 28 inches plus a 3 inch carabiner.

----------

Although I have the equipment to try a Carter Lift and a Phumchaona Lift, I will probably hold off until I get a proper hip belt.  I do not have the appropriate items for a Harness Lift.

I think a Titan Support Systems Dip Belt would be more than sufficient to meet my needs.  I just need call and verify how long it is.

I also learned that I really do not like the heavy lifts.  Loading and unloading the bar sucks and I now appreciate why Al has a dedicated bar preloaded with a fair amount of weight.

If I do get a proper hip belt, I will certainly feel comfortable borrowing Kim's heavy lift bar to set up the Carter Lift and the Phumchaona Lift.  I will not pursue setting any records on the neck lift, but am glad I gave it a try.  I do not see any value in me personally owning a heavy lift bar or hand & thigh bar except that it is currently being produced by Arm Assassin for who knows how long.

In terms of chain, I would like to go with 5/16" chain and slip hook.  It is much easier to adjust than carabiners.  3 feet of chain will be more than sufficient, plus grab hook and some quick links will be sufficient to get me going.  Harbor Freight only carries 3/8" or 1/4" grab hooks, so I may end up with 3/8".  The only material I still need to source are the 4 inch D-rings.  These are not expensive at $4.25 each, but I will pay $9 for shipping so might as well see if I can get a group order going.

Finally, I am now up to 97 of 191 USAWA lifts attempted!

Bench Press Heptathlon

Saturday, April 6, 2024

High Country Vigour

1100

Bench Press Heptathlon & Record Day

Jarrod, Kim, Nic, Nisha and Sanjiv

Clark's Gym sanctioned the USAWA Bench Press Heptathlon and hosted it as a hybrid meet.  With Jarrod and I being officials, we were all able to compete for standing in the event and USAWA records.

We did weigh-ins and rules briefing and got underway.

Bench Press - Feet In Air

• Nic - 350
• Sanjiv - 175
• Kim - 90*
• Nisha - 35*

Bench Press - Feet on Floor (non USAWA)

• Nic - 350
• Sanjiv - 185
• Kim - 95
• Nisha - 40

Bench Press - Right Hand

• Nic - 135*
• Sanjiv - 55*
• Kim - 30*
• Nisha - 15*

Bench Press - Left Hand

• Nic - 120*
• Jarrod - 100*
• Sanjiv - 55*
• Kim - 35*
• Nisha - 0

Bench Press - Alternate Grip

• Nic - 340
• Sanjiv - 145
• Kim - 80*
• Nisha - 35*

Bench Press - Reverse Grip

• Nic - 315*
• Sanjiv - 0
• Kim - 85*
• Nisha - 35*

Bench Press - Hands Together

• Nic - 185
• Jarrod - 205*
• Sanjiv - 135
• Kim - 75*
• Nisha - 30*

*Indicate records

Then we performed Rampage:

• Kim - 65x75
• Sanjiv - 95x25
• Nic - 95x64

Finally we had 1.5 hours for a records session:

Kim 

Turkish Get Up - 44

Nisha

Deadlift - Ciavattone - 65

Deadlift - No Thumbs - 65

Sanjiv

Snatch From Hang - 105

Jefferson Lift - Fulton - 255

Deadlift - Fulton - 275

Jarrod

Clean & Press, Middle Fingers - 105

Chin Up - 60

Crucifix - 81

Deadlift, Fulton Bar, Left Arm - 115

Deadlift, Fulton Bar, Right Arm - 125

I was relieved that we were running out of time.  11 max efforts in 4 hours was a very long session.  I am glad Nisha participated and it was nice that Nic's dad (Stan) could join us as a spectator.

Grippers

I am by no means a gripper guy, but I do find them to be very interesting and collectible training tools.

I originally started out with what I considered the best in class IronMind Captains of Crush.  The heaviest I own is the 0.5 and I can occasionally close it.  If I get consistent, I will purchase the #1.  The average RGC of the 0.5 is 66#.

Now, I am getting curious to try some other brands and build out a collection with Standard, Grip Genie, Gillingham High Performance (no longer produced), Heavy Grips, Tetting (no longer produced), RB (Robert Baraban - Austria), Hybrid and CPW Hybrid.

The tough part for me is that anything over 75# RGC would be simply decorative.  But the upside is that I can have some lightweight grippers from a lot of different brands.

*Have

+Want

IronMind

Guide - 28r*

Sport - 38*

Trainer - 55*

#0.5 - 66r*

#1 - 71*

Standard

Tin - 52r*

Zinc - 61r*

Silver - 83+

Grip Genie

1 - 47+

2 - 64r*

3 - 92r*

GHP

1 - 43+

2 - 59r*

3 - 72+

4 - 92+

Tetting

Beginner - 53+

Advanced - 78+

Super Advanced - 85+

RB

100 - 56

130 - 78

160 - 99

Hybrid

Beginner - 58

Advanced - 77

Super Adv - 86

I would certainly like to get GHP or Tetting grippers, but not sure that I want to pay the premium they command.

UPDATE:  I did end up purchasing a GHP Level 2 for $80.  I will buy Level 1, 3 and 4 if they become available at up to $100 each.

Back Squat - Metcon

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Home Gym

1130

Warm Up

Jumping Jacks

Hip Hammy Flow

Back Squat (5x5)

8x45

8x95

5x135

5x155

5x155

5x155

5x155

Metcon

3 Rounds for Time:

400 meter run

10 wbs (14# to 10')

10 kbs (35#)

I originally planned this for 4 rounds but was feeling a little worn down.  The time domain is certainly within what I had in mind when I finished the 3 rounds in 13:02.

Main workout was the back squat.  The metcon was more filler to start incorporating more traditional CrossFit movements into my training.

Swim

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Carmody Rec Center

1130

Swim

750 FR (19 min)

150 BR

100 BA

100 FR

--

1100 yards in 31 minutes

Felt really smooth and confident in the water.

Stairmaster

Monday, April 1, 2024

CDOT Fitness Center

1130

General Fitness

Stairmaster - 20 minutes - 168 calories

Push-ups - 10x5 = 50 total

Seated Rows - 3x12x85 pounds 

Knee Raises - 3x10

40 minutes total workout

Ironmind Vulcan Squat Stand

.

Chris Ruspa listed this a couple of days ago on Facebook Marketplace for $400 and then dropped the price to $350.  It would certainly be a nice addition to the garage and I would use it primarily for squats and presses.

Retail the squat stand is $589 and the bench is $305 so the listing price is a reasonable value for items that do not hit the market very often.  When Rogue Fitness hits the market it is usually 70-80% of retail which seems way to expensive for me.

The big issue is that I just do not need these.  I especially do not need the bench which I could sell for around $80.  That still leaves me with the squat stand at $270 or just under 50% of retail, not including tax or shipping.