Looking for a new twist on your Blob training?

Shortly after IronMind® began promoting the benefits of grip training and selling specialized grip equipment in the late 1980s, we had the good fortune to hook up with Richard Sorin, a guy who was already known to a small circle of grip aficionados. Besides having made his mark with his ferocious crushing grip and being the first guy certified for closing a No. 3 Captains of Crush® gripper, Richard also had an extremely formidable pinch grip, and he always said that he felt one of the toughest things he had ever done was hoist his Blob, the sawed off end of a cast 100-pound York dumbbell. As interest in grip training expanded from those early days, it's no surprise that the Blob continues to play a vital role in the grip world.

This weekend, at Jim Smith and Jedd Johnson's Global Grip Challenge, the venerable Blob will present a new challenge, in the form of Blob horse. This will be like "the basketball game of horse, played with a Blob," explained Smith. "One competitor does a feat with a Blob (for example, passing it around their back), and then the next competitor tries it. If he cannot complete it, he will get the letter G, and so on." Spell GRIP and you lose, but no matter, you'll have a good time playing.

Set for this Saturday, Smith says he has 22 entries for the Global Grip Challenge, which will be followed with a variety of feats of strength. For details, please check Diesel Crew's website.