The GNC Grip Gauntlet (officially the GNC Pro Performance Grip Gauntlet) is a strength athletics contest that tests the grip strength of competing individuals over three disciplines, each designed to test one of the three recognised facets of hand strength: crushing; pinching; and supporting. It was developed by Wade and Brad Gillingham and became an internationally recognised contest featured at some of the world's most prominent strength athletics events and expos, including the Arnold Strongman Classic and the various WSM Super Series Grand Prixs. The last time the GNC Grip Gauntlet was run in a competitive format was the 2010 Arnold Classic. Since that time the challenge has changed to an informal challenge with no official results maintained. Prizes are still awarded for successful completion of the challenge.
In 2002 Wade and Brad Gillingham (GNC Pro Performance Sponsored Athletes) and General Nutrition Center (GNC) introduced The Blob Challenge in the GNC booth at the Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, NV. The Blob Challenge was run in the GNC booth at 4 events from 2002 - 2003. Late in 2003 Wade and Brad Gillingham wanting to expand the challenge came up with the idea to test 3 main facets of grip strength: Crushing Strength, Pinching Strength, and Supporting Strength. Upon approval from GNC to expand the challenge Wade approached Randall Strossen from IronMind to get permission to use Captains of Crush grippers as part of the challenge. In conversation with Randall it was decided that Wade and Brad's original idea to use a Thomas Inch Dumbbell replica for the supporting grip challenge should be replaced with the IronMind Rolling Thunder. The GNC Pro Performance Grip Gauntlet debuted at the 2004 Arnold Expo Challenge. The three implements used were the No. 3 Captains of Crush gripper, the Rolling Thunder, and an implement called the Blob. Cash prizes were available for succeeding with all three elements of the challenge.[1] An estimated 20,000 competitors at Fitness Expos over a 7-year run from 2004 to 2010 tested their hands at the GNC Grip Gauntlet.
As to the stature of the Gauntlet, Gillingham is quoted as saying in 2008: "If you think this challenge isn't world class, think again. Over the past four years, an estimated 10,000 attempts have been made to complete the three challenges on the GNC Grip Gauntlet stage and only two individuals have ever completed all three in the ‘heavy’ format.[a]
The Gauntlet eventually settled on three formats, Light, Medium and Heavy. In early 2009, the weight of the Rolling Thunder was dropped from 212 lbs to 207 lbs, to correspond with Ironmind's new version of the Rolling Thunder.[2] In 2010 due to changes in the Rolling Thunder and a change from Captain's of Crush grippers to the new GNC Pro Performance Hand Grippers, it was decided by Wade Gillingham that the historical integrity of the event was not longer sound enough to continue compiling a list of winners.
Disciplinesedit
The disciplines of crushing, pinching and supporting are tested. Crushing, uses the IronMind Captains of Crush grippers. Supporting is tested using IronMind Rolling Thunder. Pinching (or pinch gripping) uses the Blob.
Implement
Light Format
Medium Format
Heavy Format
Rolling Thunder
187 pounds (85 kg)
197 pounds (89 kg)
207 pounds (94 kg)
Blob
50 pounds (23 kg)
Crush Grippers
#2
#2.5
#3
Rolling Thunderedit
Although often referred as a part of the GNC Grip Gauntlet, the Rolling Thunder's history goes back more than a decade before the Gauntlet first existed. IronMind developed the Rolling Thunder in 1993 and it is now known by strong men worldwide. One-hand deadlifts had long been a preferred means of testing and building grip strength and Rolling Thunder itself is a thick revolving deadlift handle (length: 7 1/2" (rotating portion is 6") and diameter: 2 3/8") to which can be attached weights. Such is the rise of its popularity that Rolling Thunder competitions are often held in conjunction with major strongman events including the Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2008 and the Hawaii-based Beauty and the Beast Strongman Contests. As part of the GNC Grip Gauntlet it is also seen around the world at expos. Early on in its history, in 1993, Ironmind issued a challenge to the world of strongmen to lift 300 lbs with Rolling Thunder, and it took 15 years for this challenge to be met when Mark Felix performed the feat at the Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2008, in the process becoming Rolling Thunder World Champion. In May 2009 Felix defended his Mohegan Sun title, although this was not considered the world championships.[3] He defended the world title in June 2009 in Quebec as a lead-in event to the Fortissimus championships.
150 kg barrier and the World Recordedit
On March 8, 2012 Laine Snook lifted an unofficial 332.0 pounds (150.6 kg) during training at his home gym[4] and on May 22, 2012, at the Bodypower Expo in Birmingham Mark Felix set an official record by lifting what was thought to be 332.2 pounds (150.7 kg), but it was later revealed that the actual weight was 323.5 pounds (146.7 kg) and it was a computational error on the scoresheet.[5][6] On July 30, 2013 Russia's Alexey Tyukalov managed to officially lift 331.8 pounds (150.5 kg) at the A1 Armwrestling Tournament, Moscow and officially broke the world record and also became the first man to officially break the 150 kg barrier.[7][8]
^The two men to whom Gillingham was referring were former NFL linebacker and professional wrestler, Monte ‘Alpha Male’ Brown, and Wade Gillingham himself.
^ abcConsidered a Rolling Thunder World Championship.
^The rules were changed after the first world record set by Bartl. Previously, they allowed a competitor to use a thumbless (false) grip. Because it was later felt that this was not in the spirit of the lift, since it allowed strong-wristed competitors to remove the grip element of the event by cocking their wrists, the following year the rule was changed, and thumbless grips are now no longer allowed.[10]
External linksedit
GNC Grip Gauntlet Chronological List of Successful Competitors
Referencesedit
^. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
^Gillingham, Wade (9 March 2009). . Jackal's Gym. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.
^Strossen, Randall J. (16 May 2009). "Mark Felix Wins Mohegan Sun Rolling Thunder™ Championships II". IronMind. from the original on 7 July 2022.
^. YouTube. lainesnook. 8 March 2012. Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ abStrossen, Randall J. (22 May 2012). "Mark Felix Demolishes Rolling Thunder World Record". IronMind. from the original on 14 August 2023.
^. YouTube. TeamDNA. 11 July 2012. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"Rolling Thunder World Record Broken by Alexey Tyukalov". Randall J. Strossen, IronMind Enterprises, Inc. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
^. YouTube. SILARUKOV. 30 July 2013. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ ab"IronMind Resource Pages About Grip Training, Hand Grippers, and Hand Strength". IronMind. from the original on 27 November 2021.
^ abStrossen, Randall J. (3 June 2003). "Magnus Samuelsson Breaks Rolling Thunder World Record". IronMind. from the original on 1 May 2023.
^Strossen, Randall J. (16 June 2003). "Rolling Thunder: Andrus Murumets Sets a New World Record at the IFSA All Strength Challenge". IronMind. from the original on 27 September 2022.
^Strossen, Randall J. (1 August 2006). "Laine Snook Breaks Rolling Thunder World Record". IronMind. from the original on 20 October 2021.
^Strossen, Randall J. (30 July 2013). "Rolling Thunder World Record Broken by Alexey Tyukalov". IronMind. from the original on 28 October 2022.
January 01, 1970
grip, gauntlet, officially, performance, grip, gauntlet, strength, athletics, contest, that, tests, grip, strength, competing, individuals, over, three, disciplines, each, designed, test, three, recognised, facets, hand, strength, crushing, pinching, supportin. The GNC Grip Gauntlet officially the GNC Pro Performance Grip Gauntlet is a strength athletics contest that tests the grip strength of competing individuals over three disciplines each designed to test one of the three recognised facets of hand strength crushing pinching and supporting It was developed by Wade and Brad Gillingham and became an internationally recognised contest featured at some of the world s most prominent strength athletics events and expos including the Arnold Strongman Classic and the various WSM Super Series Grand Prixs The last time the GNC Grip Gauntlet was run in a competitive format was the 2010 Arnold Classic Since that time the challenge has changed to an informal challenge with no official results maintained Prizes are still awarded for successful completion of the challenge Contents 1 History 2 Disciplines 3 Rolling Thunder 3 1 150 kg barrier and the World Record 3 2 Men s world record progression 3 3 Women s world record progression 4 Notes 5 External links 6 ReferencesHistory editIn 2002 Wade and Brad Gillingham GNC Pro Performance Sponsored Athletes and General Nutrition Center GNC introduced The Blob Challenge in the GNC booth at the Mr Olympia in Las Vegas NV The Blob Challenge was run in the GNC booth at 4 events from 2002 2003 Late in 2003 Wade and Brad Gillingham wanting to expand the challenge came up with the idea to test 3 main facets of grip strength Crushing Strength Pinching Strength and Supporting Strength Upon approval from GNC to expand the challenge Wade approached Randall Strossen from IronMind to get permission to use Captains of Crush grippers as part of the challenge In conversation with Randall it was decided that Wade and Brad s original idea to use a Thomas Inch Dumbbell replica for the supporting grip challenge should be replaced with the IronMind Rolling Thunder The GNC Pro Performance Grip Gauntlet debuted at the 2004 Arnold Expo Challenge The three implements used were the No 3 Captains of Crush gripper the Rolling Thunder and an implement called the Blob Cash prizes were available for succeeding with all three elements of the challenge 1 An estimated 20 000 competitors at Fitness Expos over a 7 year run from 2004 to 2010 tested their hands at the GNC Grip Gauntlet As to the stature of the Gauntlet Gillingham is quoted as saying in 2008 If you think this challenge isn t world class think again Over the past four years an estimated 10 000 attempts have been made to complete the three challenges on the GNC Grip Gauntlet stage and only two individuals have ever completed all three in the heavy format a The Gauntlet eventually settled on three formats Light Medium and Heavy In early 2009 the weight of the Rolling Thunder was dropped from 212 lbs to 207 lbs to correspond with Ironmind s new version of the Rolling Thunder 2 In 2010 due to changes in the Rolling Thunder and a change from Captain s of Crush grippers to the new GNC Pro Performance Hand Grippers it was decided by Wade Gillingham that the historical integrity of the event was not longer sound enough to continue compiling a list of winners Disciplines editThe disciplines of crushing pinching and supporting are tested Crushing uses the IronMind Captains of Crush grippers Supporting is tested using IronMind Rolling Thunder Pinching or pinch gripping uses the Blob Implement Light Format Medium Format Heavy Format Rolling Thunder 187 pounds 85 kg 197 pounds 89 kg 207 pounds 94 kg Blob 50 pounds 23 kg Crush Grippers 2 2 5 3Rolling Thunder editAlthough often referred as a part of the GNC Grip Gauntlet the Rolling Thunder s history goes back more than a decade before the Gauntlet first existed IronMind developed the Rolling Thunder in 1993 and it is now known by strong men worldwide One hand deadlifts had long been a preferred means of testing and building grip strength and Rolling Thunder itself is a thick revolving deadlift handle length 7 1 2 rotating portion is 6 and diameter 2 3 8 to which can be attached weights Such is the rise of its popularity that Rolling Thunder competitions are often held in conjunction with major strongman events including the Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2008 and the Hawaii based Beauty and the Beast Strongman Contests As part of the GNC Grip Gauntlet it is also seen around the world at expos Early on in its history in 1993 Ironmind issued a challenge to the world of strongmen to lift 300 lbs with Rolling Thunder and it took 15 years for this challenge to be met when Mark Felix performed the feat at the Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2008 in the process becoming Rolling Thunder World Champion In May 2009 Felix defended his Mohegan Sun title although this was not considered the world championships 3 He defended the world title in June 2009 in Quebec as a lead in event to the Fortissimus championships 150 kg barrier and the World Record edit On March 8 2012 Laine Snook lifted an unofficial 332 0 pounds 150 6 kg during training at his home gym 4 and on May 22 2012 at the Bodypower Expo in Birmingham Mark Felix set an official record by lifting what was thought to be 332 2 pounds 150 7 kg but it was later revealed that the actual weight was 323 5 pounds 146 7 kg and it was a computational error on the scoresheet 5 6 On July 30 2013 Russia s Alexey Tyukalov managed to officially lift 331 8 pounds 150 5 kg at the A1 Armwrestling Tournament Moscow and officially broke the world record and also became the first man to officially break the 150 kg barrier 7 8 Men s world record progression edit Event name and Location Champion Weight Date nbsp Honolulu Hawaii United States 2000 Beauty and the Beast Strongman Contest b nbsp Jan Bartl 265 4 pounds 120 4 kg 9 1 May 2000 nbsp Honolulu Hawaii United States 2001 Beauty and the Beast Strongman Contest b c nbsp Jan Bartl 258 5 pounds 117 3 kg 9 31 May 2001 nbsp Las Vegas Nevada United States IFSA GNC Pro Performance Strongman Challenge nbsp Magnus Samuelsson 262 0 pounds 118 8 kg 10 3 June 2003 nbsp Winnipeg Manitoba Canada IFSA All Strength Challenge nbsp Andrus Murumets 267 0 pounds 121 1 kg 11 16 June 2003 nbsp Luton United Kingdom nbsp Laine Snook 274 2 pounds 124 4 kg 12 1 August 2006 nbsp Uncansville Connecticut United States Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2008 b nbsp Mark Felix 301 0 pounds 136 5 kg 18 January 2008 nbsp Birmingham United Kingdom 2012 Bodypower Expo nbsp Mark Felix 323 5 pounds 146 7 kg 5 22 May 2012 nbsp Moscow Russia 2013 A1 Armwrestling Tournament nbsp Alexey Tyukalov 331 8 pounds 150 5 kg 13 30 July 2013 Women s world record progression edit Date Champion Weight 22 September 2012 nbsp Ludmilla Gaiduchenko 170 2 pounds 77 2 kg 26 May 2012 nbsp Jaana Tanner 152 7 pounds 69 3 kg 28 January 2012 nbsp Jaana Tanner 147 2 pounds 66 8 kg 7 April 2007 nbsp Elizabeth Horne 144 4 pounds 65 5 kg 1 July 2002 nbsp Becca Swanson 135 0 pounds 61 2 kg Notes edit The two men to whom Gillingham was referring were former NFL linebacker and professional wrestler Monte Alpha Male Brown and Wade Gillingham himself a b c Considered a Rolling Thunder World Championship The rules were changed after the first world record set by Bartl Previously they allowed a competitor to use a thumbless false grip Because it was later felt that this was not in the spirit of the lift since it allowed strong wristed competitors to remove the grip element of the event by cocking their wrists the following year the rule was changed and thumbless grips are now no longer allowed 10 External links editGNC Grip Gauntlet Chronological List of Successful CompetitorsReferences edit IronMind History Archived from the original on 13 February 2009 Retrieved 14 September 2008 Gillingham Wade 9 March 2009 Arnold Classic Recap Jackal s Gym Archived from the original on 6 March 2016 Strossen Randall J 16 May 2009 Mark Felix Wins Mohegan Sun Rolling Thunder Championships II IronMind Archived from the original on 7 July 2022 Laine Snook rolling thunder new handle 315lbs and 332lbs YouTube lainesnook 8 March 2012 Archived from the original on 17 September 2023 Retrieved 28 October 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link a b Strossen Randall J 22 May 2012 Mark Felix Demolishes Rolling Thunder World Record IronMind Archived from the original on 14 August 2023 Mark Felix Rolling Thunder World Record Bodypower Expo 2012 YouTube TeamDNA 11 July 2012 Archived from the original on 28 October 2022 Retrieved 28 October 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Rolling Thunder World Record Broken by Alexey Tyukalov Randall J Strossen IronMind Enterprises Inc 30 July 2013 Retrieved 28 October 2022 Alexey Tyukalov A 1 Armlifting Championship Rolling Thunder 150 5 kg YouTube SILARUKOV 30 July 2013 Archived from the original on 28 October 2022 Retrieved 28 October 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link a b IronMind Resource Pages About Grip Training Hand Grippers and Hand Strength IronMind Archived from the original on 27 November 2021 a b Strossen Randall J 3 June 2003 Magnus Samuelsson Breaks Rolling Thunder World Record IronMind Archived from the original on 1 May 2023 Strossen Randall J 16 June 2003 Rolling Thunder Andrus Murumets Sets a New World Record at the IFSA All Strength Challenge IronMind Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Strossen Randall J 1 August 2006 Laine Snook Breaks Rolling Thunder World Record IronMind Archived from the original on 20 October 2021 Strossen Randall J 30 July 2013 Rolling Thunder World Record Broken by Alexey Tyukalov IronMind Archived from the original on 28 October 2022 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title GNC Grip Gauntlet amp oldid 1224140864 Rolling Thunder, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
