The Quad Block is the latest in grip strength training, a portable pinch block for training and warming-up, designed for use at the gym or at home. It features 5 grip positions that have been designed and developed with industry leading coaches, physiotherapists, grip strength atheletes, & sports scientists.
In this video we are talking about the Quad block we’re going to look at how You use all the different grip positions Why you train them and how to get the Most out of it [Music] The quad block is principally a pickup Training tool this essentially means Using it to pick up an object or a Weight off the ground using the various Different attachments very simply pickup Training is a grip strength training Method where we pick up the weight off The ground in various different grip Positions the first major reason why we Will perform pickup training is because It’s really good for isolating certain Grip positions this is great for Training maximum strength in these grip Types but also for introducing new grip Types where hanging on a hang board at Body weight is already extremely Challenging there will also be certain Grip types like this shallow pinch which Are quite awkward to train hanging from A hang board but with pickup training Become really ergonomic and really Friendly on the wrist pickup training is Also commonly used in the rehab process Or for working around injuries and this Is because the increments of weight that You can apply to pickup training can be Very small and you have that fine Control over the load and the grip
Positions you’re using another reason we Might use pickup training in addition to Hang boarding or instead of hang Boarding is because it uses a different Shoulder position so the arm is in the Neutral position by the side of your Body this helps to spread the load Around all of the overhead work we Normally do in climbing or if you’re Experiencing any pain or niggles it’s Quite a safe and nice way to do Hangboard training without needing to Keep your arms above your head another Reason a lot of people are moving to This pickup style of training for their Strength training is because there’s no Diy required you don’t have to fit a Hangboard in your home or for many People they’re renting an apartment and They can’t actually drill into the wall To fit the hang board and the Portability of devices like this mean You can take them to the crag or on the Road if you’re traveling to maintain Your training and keep that consistency There are also some unique advantages to The quad block itself and the first one Is obviously that there are multiple Different grip types which we’ll get Into how to use those in a minute the Other one is obviously that it is made Of aluminium meaning it’s got this nice Shiny surface which makes it super Friendly for training and for your skin
Although the surfaces are low friction The pinches themselves are tapered so They rely more on the maximal force of Your muscles than the friction of your Skin when it comes to testing and Benchmarking strength using the quad Block the low friction means it’s really Easy to clean so that you have the same Surface every time and also the fact That it’s machined Aluminium and not wood grain The surface is going to be exactly the Same for everyone using this device as If any form of training a good deal of Familiarization and good form is going To help you get the most out of the Training method so we’re going to go Through the best way to lift using the Quad block or just any arm lifting Device First thing you’re going to do is of Course attach it to a lifting pin or Your weights using the appropriate Attachment points so here i’ve got the Wide deep So Clip into the lifting pin First thing to do is try to make sure You’ve got a Your quad block positioned directly Above the lifting pin so you’re not Lifting off to the side or you’ve not Got an angle in your pinch block like so So keep it nice and squared up
And then i’d say just take some of the Slack or bring up some tension Into the quad block before you lift it Off the ground this means you’re going To shore up the grip and you’re really Confident in the grip position you’re Using before you start the lift Try to keep your feet either side of the The plates and watch out for not Dropping the plates on your feet on your Toes on the way back down From here you’re going to bring your Hips down so that your torso is upright You’re trying to lift the weight with Your lower body keeping your upper body And your core braced throughout From here you’re simply going to lift up Using your knees Holding and if you’re testing we’re Trying to hold for a seven second hold And then back down by again bending at The hips the knees and the ankles there Are four pinches to the quad block and An additional 30 mil edge These pinches are the wide deep which is The largest pinch going to go over the Whole top of that pinch block If we move to just one side we get a Narrow deep pinch If we flip it over We’re going to get the Wide shallow And again moving just to one side we’re Going to get the narrow shallow on the
Bottom side you’ve got this really Comfortable large 30 mil edge the four Different pinch grips have been designed On this quad block specifically to train The different muscles and actions of the Hand so that you have the strength and Conditioning to hold pinches of all Different shapes and sizes for example The wide shallow is going to train the Muscles which flex the thumb like this And then the wide deep is primarily Going to train the muscles which flex The thumb like this there are two main Attachment points on the quad block that We are going to use for any one grip Type i’ll show you now which attachment Point you need to use for which grip Type if using any of the wide pinches You’re simply going to attach through The bottom of all four strands like this If using any of the narrow pinches on Either side of the block you’re simply Going to take your carabiner and move it To the smaller loop And then just to move the nut out of the Way just pull it around a bit And there you are on the narrow side if You’re moving from the deep pinch to the Shallow pinch you’re simply going to Move the rope on the other side of the Pinch block And then again clipping through the Bottom of all four points Just take the rope and give it a quick
Pull through the block we’ll get any Twists out of the rope and then you’re Set up and good to go as we said on the Other side if you’re going to use one of The narrow pinches on the outside you’re Going to take your carabiner and you’re Going to put it through the smaller loop Which is on this side i’m just going to Pull it through slightly so that the Knot moves out of the way And you’re good to go if you’re going to Use the Narrow shallow side of this pinch You want to take the carabiner again You’re going to move it to the smaller Loop i’m just going to pull it around a Little bit so it moves out of the way of The knot And remember to keep the rope sat on the Inside of that pinch so that hangs nice And plumb there if training on the 30 Mil edge again you’re clipping the small One here so clipping the small Loop on the underside edge Just pull that around a little bit so The knot’s out of the way and you’re Gonna hang on the top edge like so The aim of testing is to assess the Strength or maximum strength of a Certain grip position so whichever grip Position you’re choosing to test You’re going to want to do this after a Good rest day so you’re feeling like You’ve got energy to try hard you want
Your skin to be in good condition and You should be well warmed up before you Start lifting heavy we’re going to Perform testing for two main reasons the First might be to assess your strengths And weaknesses along different grips to See what might be a priority in your Training moving forwards the next reason Is to assess the effectiveness of the Interventional training program that You’re following so you might do this Before and after a training plan or you Might do it throughout a training Intervention to see how well it is Working before you start maximal testing It is really important that you’re Familiar with the lifting protocol and The edges you’re using so if you’re just Pulling out of the box and you want to Test your strength i definitely Recommend getting used to lifting with Fit for at least a few sessions before You get into maximal testing you want to Start your testing session by first Making sure your block is wiped clean You want that surface area to be Completely clean of chalk so that you Have the same friction each hang you’re Going to use chalk but you’re going to Apply the chalk to your hands and not to The lifting block remember between each Rep try and wipe that clean again and Try and do this for every single hang Because you’ve already done a few
Sessions to familiarize yourself with The lifting technique the grip you’re Using you’re gonna have a rough idea About where you’re gonna start with the Load on that lifting pin From here you’re gonna wanna increase The weight incrementally by around two And a half kilos maximum for up to eight Sets aim to rest for 90 seconds between Each alternating hang so that you get a Three minute rest period between each Maximal attempt on any one hand the lift You’re going to record is going to be The heaviest successful lift you make Within those eight sets A successful lift counts as a complete Seven second lift from the weights Leaving the floor it’s going back down On the floor you’re going to want to Maintain a slight bend in the arm or a Fully straight arm maintaining the grip Positions mentioned before record each Hand separately because it’s perfectly Normal to have slightly different scores Between each hand it’s important to be Consistent with any testing session and So well there might be subtle Differences in how you hold any one grip Try to keep this the same between every Testing session in this case it can Really help to take a photo or at least Keep a note how you’re holding that Specific grip for some climbers with Really strong fingers the 30ml edge is
Going to represent a really big hole for You So what you want to avoid doing is Lifting really heavy absolute loads so That actually the stress is placed more On the shoulder or back If that’s the case simply use a smaller Edge for training and testing and Something like the minibar which has got A 20 and 10mm edge is gonna be much more Appropriate remember once you’ve Completed your testing session you can Upload your scores to our website to get A detailed and personalized feedback Report on your strength test we’ll put a Link to that in the description below [Music] You
