Grip Super Match

[dunkster]

I'm gradually processing all the footage I have and I'll post the links here as and when I do it.

Theo's 411lb vbar



Mike's bend



Laine Snook lifting the Millenium first attempt



I've put together all Steve's top lifts but it's taking a while to save.

[shawn]

nice vids dunc.

[dunkster]

Steve 'Mobster' Gardener Super Match champion best lifts.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eciJWsKyuXU

[cougarman]

These clips are spot on Mate you'll have to show me how to do it.

[Steve Gardener]

A typical weekend...

Thursday
Fully expecting to see Theo at some point later in the day I was somewhat suprised to have him knocking on my door at 8.30am. not quite ready for the day I let him in and he told me an amusing story of the kind guys share over beers (one for him to tell at a later date). This had let to him leaving the hostel he had crashed in the night before 5 or 6 hours earlier than intended.

Having sorted myself out I left him to catch up on some sleep after I had quickly shown him the warehouse and then while I caught up on our Thursday orders he got some late but much needed sleep. We took it pretty easy after that resting up for the big day on Saturday.

Friday
Friday we did the 'tour of Gloucester' I've done with a few guests now and then had a decent (bloody huge) grill at a good pub, chilled some more and then ate our way through a very nice venison and beef pie.

I, sensibly, was ready for bed and a read at 1030pm. Theo however, was out chasing the ladies until 4am. I think his going to bed after arriving at 4am timed nicely with my getting up at 5am. That said a good solid (oh to be that young again) 5 hours or so sleep and he was ready for a days lifting. Making sure he had a specially prepared bowl of gruel (kidding ha ha) - nah some food and snacks we'd picked up so as to be ready to rock we got ourselves together. As expected faces from all over the UK started to show up with many well known to grip fans.

Saturday
I'd spent some time Thursday night tidying and did some small adjustments Friday so that come Saturday all I needed to do was bring a chair over for the ref, stick the kettle on and we were ready to go. With almost everyone there well ahead of time we chatted and told people what was going on and stuck to the 1200 kick off.

Two hand pinch
Pinch was first. As anyone who competes in strength events will tell you it is important to warm up well and also to make the right choices for openers. Having made some bloody silly mistakes in the past but also picking up tips over the same time I played save and took (I think) an easy 84-kilos or so. Using David Horne's slightly heavier set up the jumps were around 2-3 kilos and I ended up on my 3rd attempt with a slightly less than PB (97 on my set) 95.3k / 209.66lbs (101.11 points). I was keen to see if the rush and pressure of competition would allow me something and as it was still early in the day and I was already leading I took a mad 100-kilos. It was like someone had bolted it to the floor!!

Theo pulled 90.3k (95.80 points)

V-Bar
I have to say I was disappointed with myself. Although I took some good choices, stayed competitive and even on my very best day (both hands 162.75 I think) would not have kept up with Theo (he was on top and the sun and god were with him) I still would have liked to have done 160-kilos a hand. But it wasn't to be. Theo was another story. All there felt his final right hand could have been 10-kilos more and he'd have still cracked it. When you have David H excitedly exclaim '200-kilos could go down' like a boxing MC you know he's buzzing. Theo pissed this and rightly so.

Scores were:-
Steve Gardener R/H 151.5k, L/H 159k = 310.5k total (101.68)
Theo Burggraaff R/H 186.5K, L/H 171.5K = 358k total (117.24)

We took a short break and were good for time so was able to watch David Horne Reverse bent a 6.5" Bastard bar, but unfortunately outside of the 30 sec time. Just and only needing a 2 more degrees to get the kink. Jim Wylie Reverse bent a 6" Grade 8 bolt - considering he has plate in one forearm... crazy and then Elizabeth Horne did Farmers Walk with 2 x 70k 'farmers' for about 30 metres with 2 turns. I somehow suspect she will do very, very well in the upcoming ladies event we have planned.

Rolling Thunder
Thank goodness for a 'banker' lift for me. I think Theo had already said before that I would win this and I haven't lost on this event since David Horne beat myself and Jim Wylie 5 or 6 years ago. Added to that was that Laine Snook had turned up just before or just after we started. I'd grabbed a minute to say hi and he is, after all, the world record holder.

I felt like I could have done a tad more without having to have waited for that 1-second (excellently reffed mind) down signal from David but on the last right hand I had, at best, 1-kilo spare. As it was I pulled back the loss of points taken from me by V-Bar king for 2007 Theo.

Final weights and scores were:-
Steve Gardener R/H 105.5k, L/H 93k = 198.5k total (107.46)
Theo Burggraaff R/H 88k, L/H 83k = 171k total (92.57)

One hand deadlift.
Theo and I had been following each others efforts quite closely via online diaries, emails and the like and up to a few weeks out we had been very close. Much like, at the 5 or 6 week mark, the v-bar. But like he pulled ahead of me there I was cranking them out on the deadlift and I pulled with my left hand his best right and then pulled another 30-kilos with my right to push ahead in the points. In training and without other lifts to worry about I had hit 130-kilo for3 x 1 left handed and 160-kilos x 3 x 1 right. A pause for the down and my 4th attempt at 160 right and I was unable to hit that high. I had also said to Theo that following the RT with a similar movement might have hindered our max's.

Scores
Steve Gardener R/H 150k, L/H 120k = 270k total (108)
Theo Burggraaff R/H 120K, L/H 110K = 230k total (92)

As reported and I use that here slightly modified: Time for another rest before the finale and this time we had Laine Snook deadlifting the Millennium Dumbbell twice (if memory serves I think it was 2x with the right and 1x with the left). Laine was able to pull almost all the way up but dropped it all times. Elizabeth Horne bent a 5.5" Grade 5 to 60 degrees in a few minutes. Dunkster bent a 5.5" Grade 5 in about 25 secs - he has made some savage gains in a very short time and knows all the tricks. Mike Betty, a strongman who has never bent before, bent a 5.5" Grade 5 to about 60 degrees, with the worst technique ever. Great guts to want to have a go, and endurance to carry on. Show him some techniques and he'll soon improve big time. He kept at it again and again and the videos do not show just how red he went.

Grippers
Although not that visual we had an appreciative audience and they enjoyed our efforts. I think my second left and right hand efforts placed me just ahead of Theo so that he'd have needed a 3.65 left and a 4.00 right to push me out of the way. That said I was disappointed not to get the same 2.96 left this time around and it took me two goes at the 3.65 right to get it nailed. We have been told that these were great after a tiring day but the breaks, food etc we had eaten made me feel like a little more was there.

So I won. No trophy, certificate or prizes for either of us but we had a cracking day, lifted some of our best efforts and had a lot of help and support.

Saturday pm
Theo, TT, H, Nick and myself went into town - squeezed into Nick's Rover like Sardines and enjoyed another meal. Theo found room for another of the huge grills we'd had the day before and we had a couple of pints. The other lads went off and Theo and I felt we deserved a few more. So off we went and took in another couple of pubs. 1130 and several hours later I'd had my fill and was ready for bed again and Theo was off out - this time till 5am!! Good lord. I have no idea how he does it. I had commented at some point that I must be close to or at my peak on many lifts and at his age - 23? 24? he has a way to go yet. I know for sure I'd be grilled and frazzled if I was out until dawn and then lifted.

Thanks:
To all who came. To Laine for having a go at the Millennium. To David for the use of several items of equipment and for reffing. To Liz for helping and trying out (and doing well) the equipment. To all who attempt some good steel bends. To Nick for the loading and line judging from the floor with video my low v-bar pull. To Dunkster for the videos and to ALL at WHEY HQ who cheered me on through out and who helped in many ways.

[shawn]

from ironmind.com

Laine Snook Reports . . . Grip Supermatch by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. | ©2006 IronMind


Laine Snook, the world record holder in the Rolling Thunder reported some contest highlights from the Grip Supermatch held this weekend.

”I went down to the grip supermatch in Gloucester on Saturday and met up with David and Elizabeth Horne again after six years . . . the only one who appeared to have aged was me.

Theo Burggraaf put on a fantastic display on the V-bar, 186.5 kilos, or in pounds, HEAVY! I think that Theo should get a special mention for this fantastic lift.

I went to the match to see what Steve Gardener had in the tank on the Rolling Thunder, and in the excitement was asked to make an attempt on the Millenium dumbbell. It is a beast of a thing! However, age and good looks won the day and I deadlifted it twice. I am quite pleased, but feel that I could do much better with some exposure to the dumbbell.

After lifting the dumbbell I had a go at the no. 4 COC and came very close to closing it with each hand, probably 1/8th of an inch off with both left and right. I will give this my full attention after I try for a big lift at David's contest on April 7th.”

Laine’s modesty aside, his assault on the Millenium Dumbbell was very impressive, so who knows what he will do it after he’s had a chance to train on it a bit, and when Laine turns his full attention to the No. 4 Captains of Crush gripper, we expect that 1/8-inch gap to disappear.

[Steve Gardener]

I spoke to Laine today (way more chatty over the phone than in person) and he's keen to come and have another go in a few weeks time at CLEANING the Millennium dumbbell.

[dunkster]

Another great video oppurtunity. We're gonna have to start charging for these vids I've had over 1000 veiws of the selection of supermatch ones.

[cougarman]

Thare was talk of you tube paying for some of the clips if it's done on number of veiw you might get a couple of quid.

[theob]

Man, Laine will attempt to clean it? That is insane!

Yeah, you did a great job man on those. I know the vid (well, at least of the v-bar) is posted on dutchbodybuilding, straight to the bar, pit of suffering, gripboard and griphell, and power and bulk and grippermania.. So that should be good for a few hits!