Interrogation with Grip Expert, David Horne

109.2k Two Hands Pinch Lift done at the British Pinch Lift Champs, 2006

ZE - David, thanks for taking time to interview with us. Tell us how you got so heavily involved with strength training in general and then more specifically, how this passion gravitated towards serious grip training?

DH - I had trained on and off with a 140k weights set that my mum and dad had got me for my 17th birthday till I got really into it in 1985, aged 23. From then onwards I had a massive interest in all strength related sports. I am a very competitive person so it was natural that my hobbies would also become my sport.

My first strength sport was Tug of War, and I did this from 1986-1987. I really enjoyed this sport, pulling for our local team, and we went from the local farmer and fair’s contests to winning the Federation training league in 1987 and pulling later in AAA’s tournaments.

In 1988 I participated in a touring armwrestling event that was using a machine. I did well with this, as not a lot of technique was involved and just masses of side pressure. In 1989 I started to do some All-Round weightlifting contests, where I met up with Steve Gardner who fixed me up with a schedule of strongman contests as I was now weighing 15 stone (210lb).

I competed in these regional strongman contests from 1989-1992, with the Midland’s Strongest Man contest being the biggest, but not my best performance, with the likes of Jon Pall Sigmarsson and Jamie Reeves guesting. The All-Round weightlifting went better with wins in 3 International contests.

It was in 1990 that I really started to do some grip work with Pinch Lifts, although prior to that I had done plenty of wrist curls. In 1991 I organised the first British Grip Championships under the aegis of I.A.W.A. called the ‘Goerner’. From then on it was grip, grip, grip!

ZE - Tell us more about your training for tug of war and arm wrestling. I have met arm wrestlers who do NO additional training and their upper body is built like solid steel with forearms like bowling pins.

Tug of war - this is something we actually use during workouts. Did you add any training to these events to improve your success rate? If so, what did you do?

Beating Craig ‘Silver Bullet’ Saunders at the Seni arm wrestling contest in 2005

DH - There are a few arm wrestlers out there that do no other work apart from table training and we do have to remember that table work is the most important training tool for an arm wrestler. Without this you will never succeed. I have got some of my biggest pumps in my forearms and arms on the table. At a contest you will have to try and clear this away before the next bout, a task that is not too easy sometimes.

My training for arm wrestling would involve strength training as well as the table work. I always train all my body anyway, so it just meant increasing certain areas such as lats, chest, triceps, biceps and obviously wrist, forearm and hand work. I always found that for A/W I needed strength endurance even more, as it was 4 about how much strength you had throughout the day. This was a lesson I learnt at the beginning when I was good for a few bouts and then quickly lost a lot of strength. So with this in mind I used to train for high reps, and with not much rest, and this seemed to work very well.

The Tug of War I used to do was a team event, of 8 men versus 8 men, so of course you all had to work together. Tug of War has various bodyweight classes, 560k, 600k, 640k, 680k, 720k and catch weight. One of the teams I pulled for was very good at the 640k class, which meant all 8 men weighed less than 640 kilos. So contrary to what you think there was no big fat blokes pulling, these were athletes all weighing in at a certain weight.

Training for this was hard, but fun. We would train on a Tuesday and Thursday and pull on a Sunday. I trained strongman training on the other days as well. For T-O-W you have to be fit (endurance is a must), strong, listen to your coach, and have a good grip. You will soon know if you have endurance when you go above a couple of minutes on a pull! A pull against a team would be the best of 3 ends, and of course you would pull many teams in the day.

On training days after warming up with general fitness work, we would pull 4 against 4 on a navy style pulley system. From here the whole team of 8 would then pull a very heavy load (probably 6-700kg in weight, or more if the coach wanted more) up a tree. We would do holds at various points on the ascent and descent, and of course do pull after pull. Training usually was harder than a day of competing, which is how it should be.

ZE – Wow, these heavy pulls and pulls up a tree sound AMAZING! I think athletes really need to be exposed to this training, not just arm wrestling competitors.

Can you tell us more about what objects you pulled and how this was set up? Were you pulling sleds or trucks for the regular pulls and what was attached to the rope for the tree pulls? 5

Also, you mentioned using strongman training on your “off” days. Can you give us some details as how you organized your strongman training on these days?

David - For the main T-O-W pulling, a very large open topped barrel laden with steel and weights would be pulled. The pulley was attached high up in the tree.

We did no sled pulls, although I do use this form of training sometimes.

I have always done a lot of strongman style of training, and this training you ask about was back in 1986, long before a lot of the specific strongman training appeared. The basic lifts were mixed with strength fitness, throwing and bodybuilding events/exercises.

It’s difficult to give a sample workout as I change programmes every 12-16 weeks, and have done literally hundreds of different workouts.

But back in the late 80’s my strongman training would involve events/training such as pulling vehicles in a harness, or arm over arm ( I remember doing a lot of the pulling uphill due to only being able to use a van).

Throwing 56lb weight for height, I had two large poles erected in my garden, and used a bamboo cane for the height bar.

Of course I did Farmers Walks, but back then it was with heavy dumbbells, and this was a lot nastier than the lovely Farmers implements we use nowadays.

Medleys with large logs and stones were also part and parcel of many workouts.

I would also do some massive stints of chopping wood when large trees had fallen down in storms. We had a Rayburn fire for our heating so this was very

productive. 6

Nowadays, I have lots of the strongman equipment, so Elizabeth and I will train on our proper stones, Farmers, vehicle pulling, sled pulling, barrels, sandbags, throwing weights and much more.

Middle Fingers Deadlift 182.5k (402.3lb), at a bodyweight of 86.9k (light bodyweight for me) on 29 June 1994

ZE – David, wow, I love your style of training! It’s so basic yet so effective! Let’s switch gears here and talk about your intense passion for Grip training. What have you found to be the most effective Grip training methods for developing hands and grip that are strong and powerful?

David - As you know, I compete in grip contests and have done since 1991, so I will train on the various events in the run up to a contest. My routines run for 16 weeks usually. The events I will train on may not necessary be the best all-round 7

exercises, but of course they have to be trained on so that you learn the specific task.

I will also put in the basic exercises that I find productive for all-round strength. Contrary to how many people train their grip I train using reps for most of the year, and will only lower the reps to singles in the last few weeks before a contest.

I find that training on singles only is very unproductive for me, but many people use this type of training. It’s best to find what works for your body, as everyone is

different, and I love reps and workload, and can recover from it.

There are basically 4 areas of hand/grip/wrist/forearm strength that should be trained and of course are tested in contests – these are:

1) Pinch 2) Wrist 3) Supporting 4) Crush

The first that should be addressed is Pinch Lifting - If I am Pinch Lifting well, then my hands are strong. I love training on one or two hand Pinches, but training can be quicker using the Two Hands Pinch Lift, and of course it’s an official lift that is in most grip contests. I train with discs or tires with weights in, and holds, reps or rotating the items in a circle “Round the Clock” training styles

can be employed.

After pinch strength, I believe wrist strength to be the next most important, or even equally so. Wrist strength is an overlooked area, as most people associate it with light wrist curls pumped out by bodybuilders at the end of a session. Some of the strongest wrists on the planet belong to arm wrestlers. There are many wrist

exercises, but the standard Standing Wrist Curl is a great start for any beginner. 8

Most people will have done some kind of grip supporting training in the form of Deadlifts, and these can be made tougher by doing the exercise in an overhand grip, or with a thick bar.

With the popularity of grippers, most people will train their crushing strength, and in fact many only train this area, and then realize later that they are not balanced. I have found that training grippers with a credit card set the most beneficial for other exercises and general crushing strength. Although I found that my parallel setting strength decreased a little while I trained CCS, I thought that the benefits outweighed the loss of strength in that area.

If I had a contest coming up with a parallel set on the grippers I would definitely train specifically for that event. We are now selling a brand new gripper called the ‘Vulcan Hand Gripper’, and it can be adjusted from as light as ‘Trainer’ strength to beyond the ‘#4 gripper’.

Vulcan Gripper Link Æ http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/shop.html

Vulcan Gripper Video Æ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgYkiNev3Ag

Finally, you should never forget your grip endurance, this in some cases can be more advantageous that just great strength that wears out quickly. I quickly found this out in arm wrestling – it’s not the strength you have on your first pull, but the strength you have in the Final at the end!

Zach – Your article in which you devised a pull up bar in your backyard with multiple grip attachments is amazing (http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/article3.html). How have all these pull up variations been working for you and the others who have used them? I can see combat athletes and law enforcement really in need of these. I’m also shocked that a big guy like yourself devised such an idea. Most big men shy away from chinning and pulling. 9

David - Upper back training is essential for most strength athletes, so this was one of the first things I make when I move into a new house. I’ve had some kind of chinning apparatus since the mid 80’s and most have been similar to the one in the article. I train on underhand, overhand and neutral grip chins – all have their place in strength training, and especially arm wrestling training.

As I just said having a strong upper back is such a massive help in arm wrestling, and also in thick braced bar bending. But this area is overlooked by many, and yet it should be trained more than the chest, and if more people did this it would probably save a lot of shoulders from irreparable damage. But they don’t! I had to have a shoulder operation in December 2006, due to an injury that was my own fault because I chose to ignore what my body was telling me. The operation was a subacromial decompression, and turned out to be a painful operation with a long time of rehab and pain ahead. My rehab consisted of a lot of light shoulder exercises and stretching and when I could I started to strengthen the upper back up again. This has helped massively, and eventually I have come back to be able to even bench press again.

All the various grip holds on the chinning bar are just to give me a bit of extra grip training when I’m training my upper back. I could do 9 chins whilst pinching some rafters at a bodyweight of around 95k. In a training session with strongman Nick McKinless we finished the workout off with some holds on the rafters, and I had got to 25 seconds when the rafter in my right hand cracked and down I came – tough session that day, and many more stories. I could also do a proper one arm chin after a good deal of training.

Chins are a great exercise but don’t forget that Rows are equally effective if done properly. I prefer to do my Bent over Rows with my head supported, so that it’s more upper back than lower back, and also don’t forget One Arm Rows.

Here I am performing Pinch Chins on Rafters (15" apart) for 9 reps in 1995. My bodyweight then would be about 95k (210lb)

Zach - What are your thoughts on specific arm training exercises (biceps and triceps)? Many people oppose this and say we get enough work from our upper body training, but I have found that thick bar curls or heavy cheat curls, hammer curls, thick bar tricep extensions and the like are excellent for strengthening the grip and 11

hands. I have also found them to be beneficial in aiding strength in pushing and pulling exercises. I would love to hear your experience here.

David - I train all my body, and treat my arms no different, and of course in sports like arm wrestling it is essential for the arm to be strong. Remember that you are only as strong as your weakest body part. For the flexors of my arm I train on a good variety of Curling exercises with a variety of hand positions, and for my Triceps I have always favoured Dips, and Press-ups over any extension work, and this is due to pains in my elbow joint that I suffer on extension exercises when the weight gets heavier.

Zach – David, this is my final last question, and often a tough one. What question(s) do you wish I asked you and what would your answer to be to that question?

David - I think my question would be ‘What Makes a Man?’, and the answer to this may surprise many!

Being a man is not just about being strong and full of male vigour, but about the person you are within. I remember David Webster (the world renowned strength historian) telling me many years ago that once you have gone, the memories of the man you were will outlive your records. If you ‘honestly’ question yourself you will have the answer. It seems in these modern days that modesty is a long gone art, but if you look deep enough you can still find some gentlemen out there.

So what I’m saying is: 12

1. Be a kind (and strong) person. Do what is right, and don’t be scared to make mistakes. A man who has made no mistakes has done nothing in his life. Learn from your mistakes.

2. Be truthful to yourself and others – your training will go a long way with this advice.

3. Be modest (but this does not mean you cannot answer questions about yourself if asked) and have interest in others.

4. Never wish failure on your opponent, this is weakness. If you are not good enough to win, so be it.

Small Biography of David Horne

Born - Johnstone, Scotland on the 22nd of May 1962.

Height and usual B/W - 6’2” and around 16-17 stone (224-240 lb).

Strength sports I have participated in - Tug of War (1986-87), Armwrestling (1988-89, 1993, 1999-02, 2005), Strongman (1989-1992), All- Round Weightlifting (1989-95) Powerlifting (1989), Grip Contests (1991-2007), Strandpulling (1993).

Major titles won -

Champion of Champion Grip Champion 2005

European Grip Champion 2004

British Grip Champion (10 times) 1994, 95, 96, 97, 98, 01, 02, 03, 04, 07.

British Armwrestling Champion 2001 13

International All-Round Weightlifting Champion 95kg class (3 times) 1990, 91, 92

British All-Round Weightlifting Champion 95kg class (4 times) 1990, 91, 92, 93

Winner of Steve Gardner’s Strongman Series 1991

Some top lifts -

In grip strength some of my favourites are:

Two Hands Pinch Lift on the adjustable Euro apparatus of 110.8k, 11/8/05.

Tore 2 packs of cards in half (jokers included), 108 cards. 27/7/95. This was hard, and whilst doing it blood spurted from under the nail of my little finger!

Lifted the Dinnie Stones together (total weight 785lb) 3 times, also lifted the large 440lb stone with one hand for 20 consecutive reps, [all with no hook grip]. Done at Potarch on a wet day 5/4/98 in front of David Webster and Gordon Dinnie.

One Hand Pinch Lift of 67.5k L/H. 12/6/01

One Hand Lift (with no hook grip) 335k [1” lift] 28/7/01

Table Top Wrist Curl 302.5k 3/8/02.

Links

Website: http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/index.html

Shop: http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/shop.html

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