About the Author - GripFAQ.com

About the Author

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Levering during a grip contest at Larkin's gym.

Gripfaq.com is built, written, and maintained by Scott Styles. It was started in 2005, combining my several year interest in hand strength with my professional need to build web development skills. Content is based upon personal experience training grip and will evolve as my knowledge grows. I have a strong commitment to continuing education and enjoy learning from some of the best grip athletes in the world.

I am certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health Fitness Instructor and was a personal trainer prior to entering the computer industry. If recommendations on the site seem conservative, it is because I have had the benefit of working with a wide range of populations. I understand that goals vary and individual abilities must be accounted for.

I personally do not have exceptional hand strength. My best lifts will be topped by many individuals. However, I do have experience making great strides in developing my grip strength. When I started training the hands, I could barely close the Ironmind Trainer gripper. With 7" hands and 6 and 3/4" wrists, any significant grip accomplishments seemed unreachable. Since then, my personal bests have included:

Closing an easy Ironmind #2 gripper with a parallel set
One hand pinching 2 25lb plates
Two hand pinching 115lbs
Double Overhand Deadlifting 220lbs on 2" barbell
Lifting 183lbs on a 1" Vertical Bar
Reverse style bending a piece of 6"x1/4" round steel
Double underhand style bending a Grade 2 bolt
Ripping an easy deck of playing cards
Ripping a 2.25" thick phone book (popped it, for the purists)
Overhead levering an 8lb sledge hammer
Deadlifting a 32.5lb blob

Not an impressive list, but a dramatic improvement from where I started. I can’t promise to make you a grip master, but I will get you headed down the road towards strong, healthy hands.