Welcome to the Equipment section

[Steve Gardener]

Here I hope to see lists of approved BHSA suppliers, places where you can get discounts (once we hit 40+ members I'll ask around). I'd also like to see suggestions on making equipment, BHSA equipment specs and rules and more.

For example: bars for bending - where to buy them, what sizes, how they are calibrated and more.

Grip machines - which are best, how to use them to train for other events and so on.

[tommygrip]

Hi Steve - how are you? A pleasure to be saying hello to you- as you are very well known and well respected as a man of strength.

Anyway, a grip machine I can highly recommend - I asked Pullum sports to help me copy the PDA Gripinator, and they did this for me - I have had it about a year now - see

www.pullum-sports.co.uk/strongman-equipment/specials/extreme-grip-machine/prod_289.html

it sits there in my 'grip corner' and I use it roughly every week - the main purpose is to seriously overload the negative (a la Kinney) - and I tend to use it seated, and then when the weight cannot be held any more, let it down gently, then get my shoulder underneath and push the weights up to lock it out. It is bloody fantastic -I got them to make me a separate handle too with a shaved off (angled thin) end (a la Kinney too!) which is fantastic for grip (actually I never use the other one). The only problem is -and this is important if your Board members are to approach Pullum for another - is that my original has the handles way to thick to allow crossover to closing the last half centimetre of a CoC 3. They needed to have made the handles the same width as the CoC, and sadly in my enthusiasm for them getting the whole design right, I forgot to ensure 100% that they had got this right - even though Pullum obviously know grippers. Still, it's a hell of a bit of kit - they did it to me for £200 I think -and worth every penny

Also, they have now, at Mark Robinson's request and design, a huge shot loadable dumbell. I have one of these now through Mark, and it is a beast - 3 inch handle. Absolutely lovely -

So I think that your innovative members will be able to get discounts through Pullum if suggesting the making of something grip related, as they were fantastic to me.

All the best, Dr Tom

[Steve Gardener]

I had an email about a shot loadable being for sale two days ago. Plus some old dumbbells.