Normally I do mostly bodyweight plus cable and hammer work but once in a blue moon I like to hit the Iron just to play around with and see where my strength is at. I love doing basic lifts and partials, partials are super fun and you get to move around more weight than in full ROM. One thing that makes it even more awesome is when you challenge yourself on a thick bar. Thick bars aren't generally around most gyms these days which can be a pain in the you know what and some of the weights you want to tackle with a thick bar like presses, deadlifts and curls may not always be possible; That's why I love using Fat Gripz. Just attach one of these suckers to a bar or a dumbbell and get ready for the ride of your life.
The thing is, the challenge of Thick Bar training is not what you can physically lift but how you create so much force internally just to pick up the freaking thing is astounding and adventurous to me. One of my favorite lifts is Deadlifting, pick up a weight and put it down, it is that simple. My best in a full lift is just over 400 lbs which to most in powerlifting is like 10 pounds to them but you have to remember, I rarely ever lift weights so don't put me down just yet lol. With the Fat Gripz they're much more challenging in a partial lift because with heavier weight you have to grip so freaking hard it can crush coconuts. My best at the hand/thigh lift is a bit over 425-435 lbs. if I remember correctly but with these things attached, 315 was a chore.
I've also used them for putting on the machines but since most machines suck, putting them on a dumbbell o bar is a hell of a lot more fun. I train my tendons mostly and thick bar training is very prominent in building tendon strength because let's face it, most people with the right method can build muscle but it's the tendons that are the true key. When you have mastered heavy weight on the thick bar or dumbbell, everything else seems like a cake walk. Thick bar training has helped me in my bending feats, tearing phonebooks, levering hammers and even in Arm Wrestling; taking down guys as big as 6'3 and over 260 lbs. One kid I challenged that was in his mid 20's had a reputation at work for arm wrestling matches and couldn't even budge me. Besides Arm Wrestling it doesn't matter what sport you're in, thick bar training will catapult your skills within the power of your grip.
It's brutal, tough and will make even some of the toughest men feel weak. The strongest drug-free lifters believe Thick bars give them that extra edge. The power in your hands can make you or break you in your training and if you truly want to look as powerful and just as strong; go for thick bar training; imagine shooting up your bench press, having a grip that can crush most men's hands, save a person's life with the power of your grip, crush the competition whether you're in MMA, Football, Pro Wrestling, Basketball and other sports.
Because of Thick Bar Training it has carried over for me like in the last time I was in the gym and haven't lifted in a while and was picking Hundred Pound DB's for giggles to play with in the deadlift. Power up your tendons and that muscular hypertrophy will come in with a vengeance. Be sure to train on days where you can tackle some good weight and only do thick bar training less than a few days a week because it takes serious strength and advanced power to move big weight with these things and you'll be hungry like a mother afterwards trust me. If anyone of you has seen the show Dragon Ball Z, Super Sayian characters eat like monsters after training and it happens the same way in lifting heavy weight because you need fuel son and you eat according to your needs, not what pampas gym trainer tells you about eating this or that; eat when you're hungry and sleep well. Before you know it, muscles will come in like clockwork and you'll be crazy strong in the process.