I am moving my whole gym today to a facility twice the size. Very exciting time. Business is good, and it gets better every week as more and more people see their friends getting huge results. I am thankful for those who have stuck with me to see their goals come to them. My new building is Suite #7, 1st ST NE. We have the same phone number. Hours will be 6PM to 9PM with special appointments open through out the week. Weekends will be 2PM to 5PM.
My training has been consistant this week. Finger lifts, impact training and GS lifts daily. My best pull with the jack chain set up was 235 right only. With this ring i can pull much more. It hurts a lot more, but as the finger toughens up i will lift over 400 by the end of the year, and 700-750 will be in my reach with in 5 years (I think Stans record pull was 710lbs) By the way I was told about a contest in Germany each year where they have a beer fest and all the men try to finger lift some huge stone. I am down for this one next year 
For those who do GS lifts, why do my hands get so smoked sitting with the bell fixed over head? I have not broke a sweat snatching like this, but it kills my forearms with in 4 minutes per side. All the blood is running to the hands, but its not leaving. I am working with a cadence of 11-13 reps per minute. By the end of the 4th minute my hand is numb. I am NOT bending my wrist back, the hand position is the same one i have used for three years. I have watched a ton of videos on various WKC guys snatching, i am not seeing what i am missing on this. Grip strength is not exactly something i am lacking, so what is the deal?? I am not seeing why this is the balls yet…unless the contest is to see who is better at standing while being uncomfortable? Why not stand on a bed of nails and speed snatch ?
My daily workload does not really make me tired or sore, as i was told. But it is cutting in on my strength work some what.
Wrenches are getting more and more inconsistant. For those who have bent Companions and craftsman in the past–they are all over the board now. I buy a pack of them. The 8″ One feels almost impossible, the 12 inch melts, the 6″ won’t budge. The next pack is completely easy, the next pack impossible. I dont know what the deal is. I am about to drop them completely from my show because they are getting too unpredictable.
I will not be able to get online as much over the next few weeks. I will not be hitting any of my emails or forums, so if you need something leave me a message here please. For the people who have left me voice mails this week-I will get back to you. Work+the Gym+training+that whole sleep thing is making it hard to have much social contact outside of training idoits for GCS/inspections and PT.
Also before i miss it–Thanks MC for the bone research stuff. I am slamming my hands in to steel shot and gravel daily, i think they will be an interesting X ray in a year or two…
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I know I have not been around the KB game long , but I have trained for Looooong time. From my point of view it almost sounds like you are gripping the bell allot tighter than what you need to. You are not doing a BU press with the beast. Don’t give it that much respect. Congads on the new place. You know if I get moved up there you will have one more member !
I’ve had the same experiences with my hands going numb. Mostly with jerks though. I think the bell rests on a nerve when it sits on the “butt” of the palm and it’s just a matter of getting used to it. I’ve found it happens less the more I practice.
Both the move and the German contest sounds awsome!
This is probably the best analysis of gs around: “unless the contest is to see who is better at standing while being uncomfortable?”:-)
In lockout, do you hold it so that you can wiggle your fingers a bit?
Also, when I feel that I get a sub-optimal lockout, I don’t rest over head-I just do another repetition to get a better position, even if tempo is slow.
Impossible that it is a grip strength issue, to say the least.
Just found out that next weekend for the end of the my daughters Upward cheerleading they are having Tom Keane and the power team. Looks interesting, some bending, log pressing and general strength stuff on the ticket. Should be interesting mainly wondered if you knew him. Best of luck on the new place. That is just plain awesome that you are as busy as you are.
Maybe this is all stuff you already know, but here are my thoughts:
I was having the same issues w. grip on snatches and wondering why many others could do higher #s even though I figured my grip strength was more than adequate. Tom Corrigan suggested that I take another look at my rack/hand positioning on the bell and that made a huge difference – instead of the bell handle being relatively flat in the hand, having a MUCH sharper angle and resting firmly in between the thumb and index finger.
Also, I noticed that I was not timing the rack perfectly either. A little jarring at the end of the rep, added up over the course of 50-100 reps+ makes a huge difference on your shoulder, elbow, and grip. For me, I needed to do less reps/set for a while to improve it.
Gentlemen
First of all thanks for dropping in this crazy week and leaving me a message.
Harlan. Your a good guesser here. When i first learned to snatch 4 years back, i would crush grip it. several years of balancing ripped palms and higher #’s has taught me to relax more with it.
Alexander, Boris, and Dan
I am holding the bell with it angled across my palm with all the weight projecting in to the “heel” of my hand. I have wored with some GS athletes in the past and i thought i knew this, but obviously there is a leak somewhere. I will film a set tomorrow and post for your thoughts.
Derek
I have heard a lot of stories of power team and juicing. I do not personally know anyone on the team. I contacted them a while back for an application, they never returned my message. I have not seen even one thing they do that I cannot, but i am much lighter and less muscled, so maybe i dont fit in to the image they want for their program?
Adam,
I second what Boris said. The placement of the handle on your hand is critical. The side of the handle should be touching your wrist/forearm, as you can see from these pictures:
http://www.worldkettlebellclub.com/gallery/data/media/4/Valery%20at%201986%20reps-Arnold%201006.jpg
http://www.worldkettlebellclub.com/gallery/data/media/4/Valery%201-arm%20jerk%20at%20Arnold%202007.jpg
"I am NOT bending my wrist back" <– this may actually be part of the problem. If you are actively keeping your hand in line with your forearm, it will tire out eventually. When you relax your wrist, it will naturally bend back a little. However, if you have the handle in the correct position, it will feel comfortable and won't cause any damage to the wrist.
I hope these suggestions help. Congratulations on the success of Unbreakable Fitness! BTW, the leather wraps you sent me last year are still going strong. I ordered 3 pairs and 2 of them have still remained unused!
Eric
Eric
now that is interesting. it looks almost like a fist with the bell siting on the side of it. Is the athlete holding it, or does it simply sit there? Are both those pics from the jerk, and is the hand positioning the same?
I am glad to hear you enjoy your wraps. It is funny. I was the only guy who would sell leather, than i was the guy who wouldnt use leather. I am glad to hear they serve you well. I have used the same set of leathers for over 2 years. once it seasons a hole here and there just adds to its charactor.
What have you been bending? looking forward to hearing from you
Adam,
It just sits there. In those particular pictures, he (Valery Fedorenko) is performing the jerk. Whether you’re doing the jerk or snatch, yes, the hand positioning is the same. He’s tucking the last 3 fingers (middle, ring and pinky) into the handle. It’s not THAT necessary to do this when you’re only working with one bell, but when you’re working with 2 bells, it’ll prevent your fingers from getting pinched in between the handles (I learned that the hard way haha).
Sadly it’s been a little while since I’ve done some bending. I’m planning on starting up again next week. So far, the toughest thing I’ve bent is a G5 1/4”x6” bolt. One of my goals is to bend the red nail.
I admire the fact that you have an open mind and giving GS an honest try. It grows on you
Eric