Tommy Heslep Pinching 45s - Click for Tommy's Interview with Grip World Magazine
When I first began getting into grip strength training, I did what most people do when they’re looking for information (yes, even librarians, whether they’ll admit it or not)–I went to the good old Internet and started surfing. I wanted to research some grip athletes. That’s how I ran into Tommy Heslep.
I’ve said it before, but I think it’s worth repeating: there’s no way to tell just how strong somebody’s grip is without seeing it, which is one of the reasons I think it is so fun. If some massive, musclebound monster with shoulders the size of your head walks into the room you could plausibly predict that he is a relatively strong presser.
You can’t do that with hands. You can’t look at Tommy Heslep’s hands and think “Wow, I bet that guy could crush a potato.” Probably because most of us wouldn’t even suspect that anyone might try such stunts, but you get the idea, right?
He has also had a bend named after him. I’m referring to steel bending, the manly art of bending nails, bolts, and other pieces of metal just because. “Heslep style” is so difficult that I don’t even try it anymore, or pretend that I’m going to get good at it.
He has also closed the #4 Captain of Crush Gripper from Ironmind, he can pinch two 45 lb plates using only two fingers and a thumb, he can explode through a deck of cards like nobody I’ve ever seen, and best of all…he’s not a big guy.
Tommy is under six feet tall and weighs less than 200 lbs. I like this because it reinforces the point that anyone can develop crazy grip strength, where not everyone might be built for a 1000 lb deadlift like Andy Bolton, for instance. When you see another official #4 closer like Magnus Samuelsson, you might look at his size and think “Well of course he can do it!” although that’s incorrect thinking when it comes to grippers.
I was not surprised to see that one of Tommy’s first inspirations was strongman Dennis Rogers, a master of grip feats with a similar build.
Grip training is something that everyone can do, and it is a lot of fun. If you’re looking for ways to get started, I highly recommend John Brookfield’s Mastery of Hand Strength and Adam T. Glass’ Industrial Strength Grip DVD.
All respect to Mr. Heslep. I’m a huge fan and would love to meet him one day.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice, very good!
I just found this.Its purdy good,thankx.
Nice to see Tommy Heslep get more mentions. I’d say his build is even less imposing than Dennis Rogers. With his clothes on, Heslep looks like a rake, but his hand closing is more like another garden tool.