I trained extensively throughout 2010 and 2011 working very hard trying to get Ironmind's #3.5 closed. I tried about every kind of workout you can imagine. Sets of reps, holds, timed negatives, training with the gripper turned upside down, and training my bottom two fingers (pinky and ring). I even went as far as building my own grip machine, telegraph key, and a replica of Joe Kinney's Secret Weapon, which I aptly nicknamed "The Puker" and for good reason! I had every tool at my disposal and a nice secluded place to do my workouts at, yet I could not for the life of me get that gripper all the way closed. It was eating me up mentally; I had to close this gripper so I could get to the #4 but something was wrong and I knew it. I tried taking a week off here and there throughout the year thinking that my body needed extra rest from all the work I was doing. It seemed to help a little and I did feel better on my following workouts but something was still missing...
In late Spring 2012 I decided to call it quits. I was going through a divorce and feeling burned out from all the grip workouts I had done over the past few years. I didn't want to quit trying but I felt it was something I had to do. I knew mentally I was toast. I was overwhelmed with other things at the time and looking back, I believe I made the best decision. Every day that passed was another day the challenge of closing the #4 gripper ate at the back of my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about how much I needed to close that thing and what it was going to take to get there.
My training setup early 2010
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