Joys of pinch lifting

Shown above, pinching a 75lbs Anvil.

Pinch lifting is training the thumb. Thumbs are very unique to humans, an opposable digit which allows us mastery over all tools.

The great majority of people are limited in their hand strength by their thumb’s range of movement and its strength- both Dynamic (moving) and Static (holding)

Pinch dead lifting is the most popular method of training the thumbs. Picking up block weights, blobs, plates, and odd objects allows you train your thumb in a variety of widths.

Basically there are only two different ways you make a given pinch deadlift harder- Make the given object heavier, or wider. In the grip world there are several markers of pinch excellence

Blobs

- Lifting the “blob” or half of a York 100lbs dumbbell. The blob is at the front of every grip athlete’s mind, a huge rounded chunk of iron which has defied gravity against 99.9999% of the men who have tried to lift it. I currently believe the best two blob lifters in the world are Jedd Johnson of Diesel Crew and Wade Gillingham of Jackel’s gym. Both mean have lifted the blob with extra weight, which is absolutely incredible. Jedd completed an amazing feat this year by farmer’s walking two blobs in excess of 100 feet.

Pinching 45s

- Pinching 45s. Taking two 45lbs plates and turning flat side out -then pinch dead lifting them off the floor with one hand. Lifting 45′s has been a goal of mine since I ever got the notion of grip training in to my head. I am closer then I have ever been to this task. I routinely lift a 45+35 plate with one hand. I believe the time of completion is near for this.

Hub Lifting

Hub lifting is pinching the center of a plate and lifting the plate while it stays horizontal to the floor. Most modern plates have a flat hub, so this feat is getting harder to train for. I was able to locate two plates while in St. Paul which have thick hubs. They are outstanding for hub lifting. The original feat was lifting a York brand hub. If you can find “CAP” brand plates they are great for this.

Block Weight Lifting

Very similar to blob lifting. The shape of the block is different then a blob. Usually a block is wider, but flatter which gives some advantage. I imagine a given blob is harder to lift compared to a block weight by weight. I own several 50+lbs block weights from various 100lbs hex head dumbbells and many people are very surprised I can lift them despite their wide slopes. I believe Jedd Johnson is the best block weight lifter in the world. He is shown here lifting a half of a 115lbs block, which has a VERY wide slope.

Two Hands Pinch Deadlifting

Two hands pinch deadlifting is one of my favorite grip exercises. I use a bar made by Ryan Pitts which allows me to move the pinching blocks from narrow to wide so I can use a variety of deadlifting stances. You can build a similar device with a heavy plank and some 2″ bars. My current best in the two hands pinch is 236lbs to full lockout and pause. I pinch on 2″ blocks. I am excited to test my grip on a Euro-pinch device to see where I stand among the best pinchers.