Captains of Crush Hand Gripper - No. 1

Even though this is labeled the #1 gripper in the Captains of Crush product line, as others have noted, it is not the beginner gripper that one would start out with. There are three other grippers that the CoC people sell below this with varying strength requirements from 100lbs of force down to 60lbs. This gripper requires 140lbs of force to close and is challenging even for people who lift weights.

The gripper itself is built with an all metal construction that should last a lifetime. The grip itself is somewhat rough, but anyone who lifts free weights bare handed won't be bothered by it. The roughness level is about equivalent to the average metal dumbbell's grip, but since those vary in texture it's hard to compare. As it stands anyone who considers buying this sort of thing (at least at this level of force) probably doesn't mind getting some calluses.

This sort of grip training is quite specialized and isn't going to necessarily help with any particular sport or activity, but it certainly will help with crushing strength and provide something to do while at the office.

One tip for making it easier to close something like this is to tense your other hand muscles while attempting to crush the gripper. For instance, while crushing the gripper in your right hand tense your left hand into a fist as hard as you can. You'll find that when you have reached your limit this will push you just a little farther. The same is true if you tense your abdominals at the same time. There is a reciprocal effect that increases the strength you are able to bring to the primary exercise. This is a trick that most arm wrestlers know about. They will tense all the muscles in their body BEFORE they actually start the contest because it increases the total amount of force they can put through the one arm.

Finally!

Make no mistake. These are NOT the hand/wrist grips you buy out of the sporting goods store where you can do 30 to 50 repetitions in one blast.

These are REAL hand grips. Made for people who are serious about getting hand and wrist strength. I wish I had brought these years ago. For now I can only do about 11 to 13 repetitions. To get to the point where I can squeeze these grips to where the grip ends are touching or "closing"....well that's going to take a while. I can get them about 4/5ths closed. And I have been doing the $10.00 sporting goods grips for well over 6 years - consistently!

I do about two sets of 11 repetitions each hand, twice a week. And it really works your hands, too. I feel the strength increasing in my hands, and I plan on working up to the next level of grips.

Now as to which one you should be buying? Well if you have been using the sporting goods store grips for about a year or so consistently, then get number one. If you have been using the sporting goods ones off and on for about year, then get the Captain of Crush trainer. But it's always good to look at the next level when looking to buy these grips. Like one poster stated it's better to error on the side of caution and get the next level up. In my opinion, its better to get a grip that is too strong than one that is too weak.

I highly recommend these hand grips.

As the other reviewers have stated, these are far beyond the cheap grippers found at sporting goods stores. The Captains of Crush grippers will definitely allow you to train for a that monstrous grip strength you've always wanted but was never sure how to get. Whether your a martial artist, weightlifter, or just an average joe who wants to crush some hands, these are what you need!

I've been using these for about two months, and my friends and family have commented on my increasingly powerful grip. And I've just barely started on the No 1. Imagine when I get to the No 2...

Now for the downsides: The grips themselves are pretty rough on your hands initially. But after awhile you'll develop some manly calluses, so no big deal.

The other downside is that after the Trainer (100 lb grip), the grip increments start getting steep. While progressing from the Guide or Sport to the Trainer is pretty straightforward, it's tough to jump from the 100lb Trainer to the the 140lb No 1, and so on.

Luckily you can purchase some nice "inserts" which will add an extra 20lbs of force to any gripper, allowing you to increase increments for gradually. These aren't sold on Amazon though, you'll need to go to the IronMind website.

Overall, these grippers are worth the money.

I have used many different products from Iron Mind and let me tell you they have the market when it comes to grip strength training equipment!! If your serious about grip training, the Captains of Crush (COC) grippers will take you to another level of strength. They sell about 10 different COC grippers but the main ones you should have in your home gym are these 5:
T = 100lbs
#1 = 140lbs
#2 = 195lbs
#3 = 280lbs
#4 = 365lbs
OK, so the #4 is more of a novelty item because I will never close it with 1 hand, but it's fun to see my buddies struggle trying to close it with 2 hands!! You can work your way through the ranks of these to achieve massive gripping power, and each gripper has a workout routine on the packaging to get you started. Note: These are not made for the desk jockey or the couch potato to sit around and smash out 100 reps in each hand. Go to Wal-Mart and buy those cheap plastic ones for that nonsense. These are precision crafted machined aluminum and steel grippers that are built to last, and for serious training!! So add these to your arsenal of training implements and smash them until you look like Popeye!! Toot! Toot!

The No. 1 is 140 lbs. of resistance. This is plenty challenging, I suspect, for most folks who have some degree of hand and forearm strength, but haven't really gotten serious with this usually-neglected (I'm guilty!) aspect of focused strength training. I am able to close it fully only three times at this point, and I have been lifting for 10 years. I intend to buy the "Trainer" (which is 100 lbs of resistance) to use as a warm-up (as recommended by IronMind) for workouts with the 1.0. The gripper comes with a little "user's manual" from IronMind on how to get the most out of your workouts with the gripper, suggested routines, warm up and working sets, and "care and feeding". All good stuff.

Frankly, this is a fabulous product from a great company. The "Gold Standard" is no exaggeration. It's extremely well made, and I anticipate that I will be using it for a good while, at least until I "graduate" to the next level (1.5 - approximately 165.5 lbs resistance).

Addendum: Two weeks after I wrote this review, I purchased the Trainer. I have no trouble squeezing off 20 reps with the Trainer with either hand, so it may be a little bit too easy for some. Now, after about a month and a half from time of purchase (and some new callouses on the insides of my fingers), I'm able to do two sets of 10 with the No. 1 after a 20-rep warm up with the Trainer without much difficulty. It doesn't take long to see a marked increase in your grip and forearm strength and your hands get used to the roughness of the grips fairly quickly.