goergen1
08-03-2007, 09:30 AM
Squeeze Play
The Sorin Chronicles
by Richard Sorin
My association with grip training and feats of strength has indeed been a long but rewarding road. From early youth it was always said my grip was strong, but my personal identification with the potential of my strength was a slow, unhurried process. I delighted with the articles in Strength and Health and Muscle Development magazines about strength men of old, and whenever a new photo came up I would, as I do to this day, try to emulate the pictured feat the best I could.
At an early age my gripping was focused on a good bit of pinch gripping, working up to pinching a pair of 25lb. plates in the left and 35lb. plates in the right hand (simultaneously) at a tender age of 12. We always had a vertical maple rod with a hook attaching it to a pull-up bar present as a daily test (we would try to hang one handed from this). At first, my group of fellow teenage lifters and I “The Cedar Street Boys” could barely hang on, but as time went on I found my body weight (200lb.) plus 100lb. was ultimately a doable feat. In those days Olympic lifting was our forte and our backs were over-trained in relation to other body parts, but very strong. I remember deadlifting 400lb. at 13 years old while barely being able to press 100lb. overhead. Later on, I would collect odd grip objects such as blocks of stone (one in particular 5” across, smooth and weighted 74lb.) as they were a constant challenge in my back yard.
I feel that my training on grip was always used as “icing” on my workout cake, instinctual and always at a high intensity level. I never became burned out at a particular lift, for I varied my training each day. Gripping was for the fun of it, not to set a record or compare directly with others. My recognition in the world of grip really started with the nutcracker spring type grippers, which from the mid 80’s to mid 90’s I reached a fairly high level of accomplishment. I feel the background lifting I did at that time consisting of fat bar work (curls, deadlifts) and my favorite grip builder, strict thumbs on top of bar reverse curls, built that foundation that has carried me so long and far.
One thing I think people forget is that a strong grip should accompany a strong, well-balanced body and the same principles of cycling, progression and rest must apply to grip training as well. More is not better especially when volume is concerned. This is due to the relatively small muscle group mass the hands and forearms comprise. With this brief overview as an introduction to the Squeeze Play section, I welcome my readers and fellow gripsters to submit topics of interest that can be covered in following articles. My best to all and above all, “Live Strong”!
R.S.
The Sorin Chronicles
by Richard Sorin
My association with grip training and feats of strength has indeed been a long but rewarding road. From early youth it was always said my grip was strong, but my personal identification with the potential of my strength was a slow, unhurried process. I delighted with the articles in Strength and Health and Muscle Development magazines about strength men of old, and whenever a new photo came up I would, as I do to this day, try to emulate the pictured feat the best I could.
At an early age my gripping was focused on a good bit of pinch gripping, working up to pinching a pair of 25lb. plates in the left and 35lb. plates in the right hand (simultaneously) at a tender age of 12. We always had a vertical maple rod with a hook attaching it to a pull-up bar present as a daily test (we would try to hang one handed from this). At first, my group of fellow teenage lifters and I “The Cedar Street Boys” could barely hang on, but as time went on I found my body weight (200lb.) plus 100lb. was ultimately a doable feat. In those days Olympic lifting was our forte and our backs were over-trained in relation to other body parts, but very strong. I remember deadlifting 400lb. at 13 years old while barely being able to press 100lb. overhead. Later on, I would collect odd grip objects such as blocks of stone (one in particular 5” across, smooth and weighted 74lb.) as they were a constant challenge in my back yard.
I feel that my training on grip was always used as “icing” on my workout cake, instinctual and always at a high intensity level. I never became burned out at a particular lift, for I varied my training each day. Gripping was for the fun of it, not to set a record or compare directly with others. My recognition in the world of grip really started with the nutcracker spring type grippers, which from the mid 80’s to mid 90’s I reached a fairly high level of accomplishment. I feel the background lifting I did at that time consisting of fat bar work (curls, deadlifts) and my favorite grip builder, strict thumbs on top of bar reverse curls, built that foundation that has carried me so long and far.
One thing I think people forget is that a strong grip should accompany a strong, well-balanced body and the same principles of cycling, progression and rest must apply to grip training as well. More is not better especially when volume is concerned. This is due to the relatively small muscle group mass the hands and forearms comprise. With this brief overview as an introduction to the Squeeze Play section, I welcome my readers and fellow gripsters to submit topics of interest that can be covered in following articles. My best to all and above all, “Live Strong”!
R.S.