# The strong and the \*truly\* strong. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 7, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818 "2006-09-07T19:21:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/61 "2006-09-20T04:44:10Z")
A’ight astro, you old slicktalker, you - I ordered them. I’ll let you know who laughs at who when they get here :). ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2006, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/62 "2006-09-20T13:13:31Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] A’ight astro, you old slicktalker, you - I ordered them. I’ll let you know who laughs at who when they get here :). [/QUOTE] Let us know how it goes. Apparently Scylla should be crushing bricks with his bare hands by then, so I look forward to his mastery of # 3 gripper video. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/63 "2006-09-21T01:36:37Z")
I signed on at the gripboard, and I just ordered a #2. If I can make that my bitch then I’ll order a #3, but if my earlier post was sheer bravado I’d at least like to have something usable. I do think I might be able to do it. When I had to rehabilitate my hands I did and continue to do a lot of strength exercises for them, like squeezing tennis balls and climbing a half inch rope. We’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Frelling\_Tralk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@Frelling\_Tralk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frelling_Tralk)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/64 "2006-09-21T01:50:22Z")
[QUOTE=Freelancer] Actually high heels and such aren’t really attractive at all to me. Never really got why women wear them. [/QUOTE] _proposes marriage to Freelancer_ ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/65 "2006-09-25T23:49:51Z")
Ok, I got the grippers today. I hate sounding like a puss on here but, uhhhh, I can’t quite close them. I can get within a few millimeters but the resistance increases as they get closer together. When I first grabbed them I thought, _this is way too easy – no, too hard!_ My forearms are throbbing from trying already so I’m going to quit before I hurt myself but I’m so close I know I’ll close them within the next couple of days. #1 Gripper - 140lbs ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/66 "2006-09-25T23:54:40Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] Ok, I got the grippers today. I hate sounding like a puss on here but, uhhhh, I can’t quite close them. I can get within a few millimeters but the resistance increases as they get closer together. When I first grabbed them I thought, _this is way too easy – no, too hard!_ My forearms are throbbing from trying already so I’m going to quit before I hurt myself but I’m so close I know I’ll close them within the next couple of days. #1 Gripper - 140lbs [/QUOTE] You’ll crack it . It took my 15 year old 2 months before he could close the # 1. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/67 "2006-09-26T01:37:23Z")
I saw a guy on an airplane last night that reminded me of this thread. Fairly wiry thin guy, not muscular, but then he had these freakish Popeye forearms. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/68 "2006-09-26T02:18:20Z")
[QUOTE=astro] You’ll crack it . It took my 15 year old 2 months before he could close the # 1. [/QUOTE] Oh, gee, thanks! My hands and forearms are bruised and squishy and your 15 year old is doing it! I’ll close it real soon, though, and it’ll be a great conversation piece after that. I don’t think the average adult male could close these. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/69 "2006-09-26T02:39:08Z")
Mine were supposed to come today according to the “expected delivery date,” but they didn’t show up, so I just crushed crushed some cue balls into powder with my bare hands while I waited, and then I bent some rebar into animal shapes and made some wind chimes. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/70 "2006-09-26T04:03:54Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] but then he had these freakish Popeye forearms. [/QUOTE] You mean with the anchor tattoos? Cool! ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/71 "2006-09-26T14:19:45Z")
[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus] [QUOTE=OpalCat] but then he had these freakish Popeye forearms. [/QUOTE] You mean with the anchor tattoos? Cool! [/QUOTE] Damn! Now why didn’t I think of getting temporary anchors on my forearms after those summers as a deck hand? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/72 "2006-09-26T14:50:46Z")
[QUOTE=Surly Chick] You lie! You lie! The very reason for your gender’s existence is to please us girls. That’s what my mom told me and I choose to believe her. [/QUOTE] And yet, to judge by your username, it still ain’t enough! Or, as the old blues guy asked, “What’d I say to piss you off **this** time, babuh?” 😉 [QUOTE=Scylla] I bet I can do a #3. [/QUOTE] [With your butt cheeks, no less.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7763756&postcount=13) Well, you could definitely do a #2 with your buttcheeks. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/73 "2006-09-26T14:53:03Z")
[QUOTE=Scylla] Mine were supposed to come today according to the “expected delivery date,” but they didn’t show up, so I just crushed crushed some cue balls into powder with my bare hands while I waited, and then I bent some rebar into animal shapes and made some wind chimes. [/QUOTE] Once you’ve mastered the grippers then it’s time for [hand balancing](http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/hand_balancing.html) [When Strong Hands Meant Life or Death…](http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/stronger_hands_life_or_death.html) [Grip and Hand Strength Articles](http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/grip_articles.html) ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/74 "2006-09-27T01:51:18Z")
I took it to work today and only 3 guys in my office could close it (out of maybe 12-15 who attempted.) One guy _barely_ got it once, one guy got it 6 times, and one guy - who doesn’t even work out - did _eighteen_ legitimate reps. He didn’t even know he had strong forearms, but now he’s going to buy the #3 and try to get certified. Both of my arms are throbbing from messing with it all day; I can get within about 1mm and the tips may have rubbed together a couple times but I’m not calling it closed until I **know** it’s closed. If I can resist the temptation to keep messing with it and let my arms rest for a day or two I’m sure I’ll be able to close it by the end of the week. It’s a lot harder than I expected it to be. I heard, “I lift weights 5 times a week, _how can I not close that thing?!!_” more than once today. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/75 "2006-09-27T02:36:44Z")
I’ve ordered a pair of #1s. Back at my peak–before I got sidelined by a shoulder injury–I don’t think I would’ve thought twice about banging out 3-4 reps. Now, it’s not quite so certain. We’ll see how it goes. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/76 "2006-09-27T23:33:07Z")
My #2 arrived today. Crap, I think it must be defective. No matter how hard I squeeze, it won’t bend. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/77 "2006-09-28T00:05:59Z")
The guy at work who made short work of my #1 went home and ordered the #3 number last night. I honestly think he has a great shot at it. I’ll post video of his ceritification if he can do it. Scylla - How close are you getting? These things are deceptively tough. I mean there are some pretty decent-sized guys at work who’ve gone red in the face and still not gotten my #1’s closed. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/78 "2006-09-28T00:41:04Z")
Seriously? On the #2 I can get 3/4 of an inch from closed with either hand. I thought I would do a lot better. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/79 "2006-09-28T02:09:58Z")
[QUOTE=astro] [Skinny guy closing a #3 and then a more difficult one!](http://www.cyberpump.com/albums/album100/aah.wmv) [/QUOTE] On what planet would anyone call that guy skinny? He looks like he literally lives in a gym - you can hear his phone ringing during the video - I’m thinking that’s his basement. His arms look like they’re carved out of granite and you can see his chest muscles through that thick shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818/80 "2006-09-29T02:11:18Z")
The spirit is willing but the flesh is spongy and bruised. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-strong-and-the-truly-strong/371818.md?page=5)