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Other/Mixed Grip - Carryover from Rolling Thunder to Barbell/Kettlebell

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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Steve Freides

Steve Freides

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I'm considering getting a Rolling Thunder (maybe even two, for pullups) - see IronMind - Stronger Minds, Stronger Bodies for these.

I'm interested in experiences and opinions about the carryover from this sort of work to one's barbell and kettlebell work. Please qualify what you're saying by including whether or not you've trained regularly with a Rolling Thunder or very similar device, but please feel free to offer an opinion even if you haven't.

Pullups on a pair of these sound like a lot of fun to me.

Thanks in advance.

-S-
 
I'd be interested, too. :)

Steve, I have a Rolling Thunder and a Hub on my christmas wishlist so maybe I can give some feedback in january or february.
The Crushed-to-Dust Challenge is one of my next goals and I have a feeling that I'm heavily overestimating where I'm at with the RT and especially the Hub.
 
Kettlebelephant said:
Steve, I have a Rolling Thunder and a Hub on my christmas wishlist so maybe I can give some feedback in january or february.
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Er, uh, I think these might go on _my_ Christmas wish list ...

I have a hub - just don't get enough chance to use it, and in part, it's because it really works the thumbs but I haven't found that - stronger thumbs - made all that much difference for me in terms of PL and kettlebell work.

-S-
 
I have a lot of experience with rolling handles, and thick dumbells and bars. There is a lot of thumb involved a rolling or Inch handle. The thumb works very hard as a brake to arrest the rolling action. I do not have a Wrist Wrench, but I have been gather parts to make them.

It also strengthens the wrist against extension. Your wrist wants to open up also. When your wrist opens up it takes weight off the stronger fingers onto the thumb. Ideally your want the wrist in flexion, but it is challenging. That’s not wholly true if your strength is pinching you will want more wrist extension and thumb. If you Strength is wrist and support you will benifit from Wrist flexion.

Buy two loading pins also Rolling Thunder Deadlifts or Dinnie Deadlift was good for back off, volume or finisher work after Deadlifting for specific variety.

Pullups are fun. I was inspired to do some today. Only singles, but I still got it. Fantastic exercise. Hang them on your rings and do Rolling Thunder Ring Rows. I use them as cable attachments for Face Pulls and different row variations. I should video my One Arm, Half Kneeling, Rolling Thunder, Pulldown. You can very closely mimic the groove of a One Arm Kettlebell Press. I used to use it a lot.

The carryover to irradiation, wrist, and support finger strength with your deadlift and Kettlebell will be noticeable.

A 2 3/8” Rolling Handle is a challenge, but the 2 7/8” is tough for average sized hands. More thumb on the larger handle.
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My pullup setup.
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I could go on, and on. The ultimate goal is the Inch Dumbbell, but not the only one.
 

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Agree with a lot of what, @Geoff Chafe stated. IM is having a 15% off sale currently on any item too. I think the RT is excellent for barbell carryover! I was very humbled when I first tried to pull 150lbs on it. I then took guidance from the master himself: Lane Snook and worked strict on it for 9-10 months and pulled my goal of 200lbs. You might want to check out:
http://www.fatbastardbarbellco.com/CRUSHERS.html

These were excellent units, however, I don't think John owns FBBC anymore (it's been years since I've bought anything grip related), so you might want to verify from someone that has purchased one recently. @Geoff Chafe- Any idea who owns FBBC and have you purchased anything? John was an awesome dude, but after his success on AGT, he went strongman route, etc.
 
Steve Freides said:
Er, uh, I think these might go on _my_ Christmas wish list ...

I have a hub - just don't get enough chance to use it, and in part, it's because it really works the thumbs but I haven't found that - stronger thumbs - made all that much difference for me in terms of PL and kettlebell work.

-S-
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Really? That's interesting, @Steve Freides. I've always found it helpful, especially with a hook grip.
 
I have rolling sleeves (made from PVC pipe) that fit on 2 different sized pullup bars, both are a similar size to the ones @Geoff Chafe posted pics of above. I have fairly small hands, so I don't get much wrap around the larger sleeves with my thumbs.

Whenever I hear someone brag about how good they are at pullups I invite them around to try a "real" pullup on my fat bar with the sleeves and take great delight in watching them slip off without doing a single rep. For me rolling handles aren't so much about grip strength ( a # 3 CoC gripper is much tougher) as it is about wrist stability. You don't fall off if you don't let them roll & if you do let roll you fall off.

That being said they definitely work the grip hard but a grip failure on a deadlift is more focused on the fingers than a grip failure on revolving handle where the wrist extension thing comes into play before the fingers let go.

Edit: @Geoff Chafe doing pullups on those beasts is a very impressive feat, none of the big guys I've challenged to do pullups on my fat bar with the revolving sleeves has ever managed even 1 rep.
 
@Tarzan I am the heaviest I have ever been, over 250lb, and I surprised myself that I could still do Rolling Handle Pullup and Chinup. Only singles, but very controlled and to StrongFirst standards.

They are slick. Tougher than a Rolling Thunder. One is sand blasted, holds chalk, and offers a bit of grip. The other still has the mill scale on it and does not hold chalk or promote grip.

As you can see I positioned the slightly easier Rolling Handle on the left.
 
Peck'88 said:
Really? That's interesting, @Steve Freides. I've always found it helpful, especially with a hook grip.
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I don't hook grip. I play the piano for a living, and hooking worked fine with my left hand but not my right, and my right thumb started to bother me, so I put it aside. I have issues on my right side, borderline shoulder impingement and poor scapula function and all that, which I've been working on and making progress with, so I may yet again try hook grip in the future because I'm pretty sure my right thumb problems with hook grip begin in my shoulder and upper back and, if I can fix those, my right thumb might tolerate hook grip.

I have, however, since I started this thread, been doing thick (2") bar straddle deadlifts again, and I've been focusing on using my thumb, and it's been helping.

All that by way of saying that I'm reconsidering training to have stronger thumbs, and might try the Rolling Thunder.

-S-
 
@Steve Freides Straddle Deadlift with Rolling Thunders is a good variation for Deadlift and Grip. I call it a RT Dinnie Deadlift.

I like Axel Jefferson and Kennedy Deadlift a lot. Are you using it with Deadlifts or as you main lift?
 
I'm enjoying a few months of working on the weaknesses in my competition deadlift, so I've put the main lift aside for now and am working on two variations instead - the axle straddle DL, and the hack (behind the back) DL. I'm just a week into my off-season cycle so I've yet to see where it's really going to take me, but I plan to put in a few serious, work-up-to-a-heavy-single session of my regular DL to see how I'm doing every now and then, but that's it.

My current Jefferson Fulton Bar regimen is 2 sets (so I get to face each way once) of 5-reps, touch-and-go. I started with 205 lbs for triples while recovering from the meet last week, and this week I hit 205 x 5 reps each way on Tuesday, and 225 x 5 reps each way yesterday. I took a look at my USAWA records. I did 280 with a thick bar and 315 Jefferson with a regular bar in 2014. I've only done the hack DL once so far, on Tuesday, and used 225 lbs without too much difficulty.

I'm hoping to do a USAPL meet in June, then turn my attention to the USAWA again for a few years until I hit the next age bracket, so I'd like to better both those numbers. My plan is to keeping putting weight on the bar and stick with 2 sets of 5 for as long as I can. There's a USAWA meet in October I hope to attend.

I'll probably also add some deficit DL work, too, and also some hip lifts just because I enjoy them.

And I'm starting on barbell front squats and barbell high-bar back squats as well, just enjoying having a squatting motion with weight in my routine for a change. Bench pressing and barbell overhead pressing again, too. On all four of these lifts, currently just starting out and doing sets of 10, generally one set of each, 2-3 times per week.

All in all, I'm enjoying recuperating and revitalizing. Straddle DL with Rolling Thunders - now we're talking about a Rolling Thunder _bar_? Please explain.

Thanks.

-S-
 
RT Dinnie Deadlift like you would set up for a Straddle Deadlift. You could definitely attach Rolling thunders to your bar. It is just a big loading pin.

A Dinnie uses a similar stance but uses 1/2” or 5/8” x 5” Diameter Rings and loading Pins. Standard is a 21” pick height, but I use all sorts of heights or from the floor. I have used two Kettlebells, Dumbbells, cable attachment handles, Rolling Handles, Pinch Blocks, or basically any One Hand implements, or combination of one hand implements.
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Ah, I see now - two separate hands, one in front and one in back - interesting.

-S-
 
From the USAWA Rule Book:

H5. Dinnie Lift

Two weight loadable Vertical Bars with ring handles attached are used in this lift. The maximum height from the floor to the top of the lifting rings is 21 inches. One Vertical Bar’s weight MUST not exceed 75% of the other. Any style of lifting may be used. The lift ends when the lifter is upright and motionless. The lifter may have the Vertical Bars at the side, or may straddle them. A time limit of 1 minute is given to accomplish a legal lift. The weights may be dropped within this time limit, and the lifter may reset and try again. An official will give a command to end the lift. Lifting straps of any kind are NOT allowed!

-S-
 
Steve Freides said:
I don't hook grip. I play the piano for a living, and hooking worked fine with my left hand but not my right, and my right thumb started to bother me, so I put it aside. I have issues on my right side, borderline shoulder impingement and poor scapula function and all that, which I've been working on and making progress with, so I may yet again try hook grip in the future because I'm pretty sure my right thumb problems with hook grip begin in my shoulder and upper back and, if I can fix those, my right thumb might tolerate hook grip.

I have, however, since I started this thread, been doing thick (2") bar straddle deadlifts again, and I've been focusing on using my thumb, and it's been helping.

All that by way of saying that I'm reconsidering training to have stronger thumbs, and might try the Rolling Thunder.

-S-
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Gotcha, sir. Can never go wrong with doing any Thick bar training. Blobs/hex dumbells is another excellent source for thumb training. And one of these on the cheap cannot be beat-
 

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