Pinch Implements: Blobs, Blocks and Pinch Blocks

What blobs, block weights and loadable pinch blocks are, where the York blob came from, and how the modern replicas compare.

4 min read

Pinch Implements: Blobs, Blocks and Pinch Blocks

Pinch implements are weights shaped so they can only be lifted with the thumb on one side and the fingers on the other, with nothing for the palm to wrap around. The main types are the blob, a cut-off end of an old York dumbbell; the block weight, the head of a hexagonal dumbbell; and the loadable pinch block, a purpose-built block that takes plates on a pin. Each tests pinch grip, and the blob in particular is one of grip sport's best-known benchmarks.

Key facts

  • Blob: one end of a York roundhead dumbbell, lifted by pinching its sides
  • The original "Blob" was the roughly 50 lb end of a York 100 lb dumbbell
  • Credited to Richard Sorin, who found a broken-off end and trained until he could lift it
  • Modern replicas include the Cannon PowerWorks BLOB50, cast in ductile iron
  • Loadable pinch blocks let the lifter add weight in small steps

The York blob

Richard Sorin is credited with creating the Blob. He found a broken-off end of a York 100 lb dumbbell while cleaning out a YMCA, could not pinch-lift it, and trained until he became the first person to do so. Accounts differ on when this happened: one places it as far back as the 1960s, while IronMind dates the Blob's introduction to the wider strength world to the early 1990s. Sorin is said to have named it the Blob because it was just a blob of iron.

Strictly, "the Blob" meant only the 50 lb end of a York 100 lb dumbbell, the heaviest dumbbell in that casting. The name has since spread to the ends of York dumbbells of every weight, so a lifter may speak of a "half blob" or a blob from a lighter bell. Two generations matter:

  • First-generation ends are thicker and stick out further past their edges, which makes them harder to pinch. They are often called Fatman blobs.
  • Later ends, from the 1970s design, are round with sloping sides, much like a hockey puck. These are the common "next-gen" blobs and are slightly easier to lift.

Making a blob means cutting up a vintage York dumbbell. As demand grew, original blobs, especially from 100 lb bells, became scarce and expensive. York stopped making this dumbbell style for a time around 2005.

The 50 lb blob was the sole event of the GNC Grip Gauntlet in its first two years: pinch-grip a 50 lb (22.7 kg) iron blob and lift it with one hand. A one-hand lift of a full 50 lb blob is still regarded as an elite pinch feat.

Replica blobs

Because originals are scarce, purpose-made replicas are now the usual way to train the lift. Cannon PowerWorks sells the BLOB50, cast in Minnesota in ductile iron and guaranteed to weigh at least 50 lb (22.7 kg). Its pattern came from GripBoard member GordonV, who made faithful replicas of the second-generation York head; Cannon later acquired the pattern. Cannon also sells the Fatman, which is slightly heavier and rounder than the BLOB50 and much harder to lift. Replicas are foundry castings, so finish and colour vary from piece to piece.

Blob results are only comparable on the same kind of blob. A next-gen 50 lb end, a Fatman and a replica are different implements, so a record should always name which one was lifted.

Block weights

A block weight is the cut-off head of a hexagonal dumbbell, pinched across two of its flat faces. Like blobs, blocks come in as many weights as the dumbbells they are cut from, and results should name the weight and the dumbbell maker.

Loadable pinch blocks

A loadable pinch block is a block of wood, steel or aluminium with flat sides for the thumb and fingers and a loading pin or hook underneath for plates. Because weight can be added in small steps, it is the most practical tool for steady pinch training. Pinch block widths vary between makers, and the width changes the lift considerably. When comparing results, note the block's width as well as the weight. Makers include Gods of Grip.

Related pinch tools include plate pinches (two or more smooth plates held together) and hub lifting, which uses the raised centre of a plate or a purpose-made hub.

Training

Blob and block lifts reward thumb strength and steady pressure more than raw hand size alone. Common practice is to train with a loadable pinch block or lighter blob for volume, use timed holds at a submaximal weight, and save attempts on the target blob for when the hands are fresh. Chalk is normal; rules on chalk and on how high the implement must be lifted vary by contest. For programming, see Pinch Grip: How to Train It.

See also

Thumb tendons are easy to strain on heavy pinch work. Build up gradually and stop at pain. See safety.

Sources

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