With a competitive climbing background beginning at an early age Tanner Merkle developed a great base for Grip Sport. Early on Tanner was a stand out lifter who has continued to deliver world class lifts at the highest level. Tanner joins the show to talk about his recent performance at the Shaw Classic, past competitions, some of his grip training, and much more in this episode. Be sure to tune in and check it out! The Grip Show Discount Codes: “Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

Eric Roussin makes his return to The Grip Show to recap the Armlifting USA World Championships. For this year's Armlifting Olympia events the 2” Raptor, 2”x5” Saxon Bar, and the SSE Anvil were contested. Some of the world's strongest hands gathered to battle it out during this two day event. Congrats to all of those who attended and put their training to the test! The Grip Show Discount Codes: “Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

Sebastian Pacey-Smith joins The Grip Show to talk about the first ever Canada Maritimes Regional Championship. The event was a success with 25 competitors showing up to test their grip. With a lot of climbers in attendance the lighter weight classes were packed and 15 GSI weight class records were broken when everything was said and done. Congrats to Sebastian Pacey-Smith for taking the Men's Regional Championship and to Annie McCaskill for winning the Women's Championship! The Grip Show Discount Codes: “Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

The Grip Sport International Central Canada Regional Championship was hosted by Andrew Nguyen and Rachel Hartviksen on September 13th contesting: Mini Inch Pinch, Wrist Wrench 2-3/8”, Sarah's Block, and Crimp Plate 3/4. They join the show and discuss several key points to running a smooth grip competition. With 32 competitors attending the regional event (half of the pack being first time lifters) it will be interesting to see how they continue to evolve their competitions while introducing the sport to new audiences. Check it out! Nemesis Grips products and other information can be found below: https://nemesisgrips.ca/?srsltid=AfmBOorFws88tvCSr3NySCTAEblvh1c_8tolcy-_lxV8AoBUthQM3bJx

These are the current North American Rankings as of 9/25/2025. These rankings have been compiled by Eric Roussin and can be found on the Canada Grip Sport Website. The Grip Show Discount Codes: “Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

This is the 3rd Immortal Winter Grip Wars that has taken place with each competition being bigger and better than the last. The competition took place on Sept. 20th and 21st in Molkom, Sweden. The athletes were tested across 7 grip and strength related events to determine an overall champion. David Wigren joins the show to give us a play by play of the action that took place. Congrats to the promoters and athletes on continuing to make the Immortal Winter Grip Wars one of the most prestigious grip competitions in the world. The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

Alex Guiha joins the show to give a rundown of the 2nd annual Feat Meet Invitational. The event tested the Mash Monster certification grippers (from the original Gripboard's Mash Monster Ladder, Reverse Steel Bending, 2 Hand Euro Pinch, a deep dish Marcy Plate Hub lift for max weight, Blob and Inch Dumbbell Combo lift, and ended with an anvil ladder. Lifters from all over the country battled it out and the final podium ended with (1st Place) Jedd Johnson, (2nd Place) Sal Sabatino, and (3rd Place) Zach Mullins. The Feat Meet Invitational is deeper than just a trophy or a t-shirt... It provides an unmatched platform for athletes to develop "Street Cred" while testing themselves against some of Grip Sport's strongest hands. Enjoy! The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

Jeff Peterson joins the show to not only recap his recent contest (Get A Grip) but also covers his introduction to the Grip Sport scene in the early 2000's. From Jeff's competitive Strongman background, to meeting up and spending time with Warren Tetting this episode is a little more than your average competition recap. Events contested were 20mm Grippers (Right and Left Hand), Double Thomas Inch Bell Farmer Walks, 2” Saxon Bar Deadlift, and Little Bighorn. The podium saw 1st place receive $1,000 with 2nd and 3rd taking home $750 and $500. Minnesota has a deep strength/grip strength history and Jeff bringing a professionally ran Grip Sport competition back to the region is a great step that should have grip athletes from all over excited… Enjoy! The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

For the 3rd year Mark Boylin has hosted the Ultra Strong Fest Grip Competition. This event took place on August 23rd in Fyshwick, ACT, Australia. Long time competitor and member of the grip community Glenn Hunter joins the show to recap the action of this exciting competition. The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

This is the 7th year that Mike Saffell has hosted the Eastern Ohio Grip Challenge and this year it was also paired as the Midwest Regional Championship. The competition was held in Bethesda, Ohio. The events contested were the 2 Hand Flask, RGT (rolling handle), FBBC Grab Ball, and 2.5" Jug. There was a bonus medley held post comp that was optional and didn't count towards the overall standings. For the Women's Division Melissa Dingey and Sara Saffell had a close battle that came down to the final event with Sara becoming the Midwest Regional Champ. For the Men's overall the current North American/National Champion Jason Dingey solidified his place at the top of the podium while Zach Mullins took 2nd followed by Cliff Kiener in 3rd Place. Mike joins the show for a recap of the competition. The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

StrongHold 4 was held in Fort Fairfield, Maine on Aug 2nd. The competition was put on by Ronni Bossie with the events being: 20mm Blockset Grippers, Double Overhand Ironmind Axle Deadlift, Euro 2 Hand Pinch, Little Bighorn, and the competition ended with a 20 item medley. The overall podium saw Jaland Worley come in 1st Place, Sebastian Pacey-Smith (2nd), and in 3rd was Emitt Samon, continuing his streak of reaching the podium for the last 4 years. Ronni Bossie and Jaland Worley have joined the show for this StrongHold 4 Competition Recap. StrongHold 4 was held in Fort Fairfield, Maine on Aug 2nd. The competition was put on by Ronni Bossie with the events being: 20mm Blockset Grippers, Double Overhand Ironmind Axle Deadlift, Euro 2 Hand Pinch, Litte Bighorn, and the competition ended with a 20 item medley. The overall podium saw Jaland Worley come in 1st Place, Sebastian Pacey-Smith (2nd), and in 3rd was Emitt Samon continuing his streak of reaching the podium for the last 4 years. Ronni Bossie and Jaland Worley have joined the show for this StrongHold 4 Competition Recap. The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

The Greenville Grab has returned for its 2nd year and has been paired as the Grip Sport International Southeastern Regional Championship. The events contested were a 20mm Blockset for Grippers, 2x5" Arm Assassin Strength Shop Saxon Bar Deadlift, Staniewicz Strength Equipment Anvil Lift and a Thomas Inch Style Dumbbell Farmer's walk. The turnout was great and had several competitors working their way up leaderboards in this dual sanctioned event. When all the chalk dust had settled... Zach Staniewicz and Sierra Powell were crowned Southeastern Regional Champs.

This Year's Rocky Mountain Regional Championship was also paired up with the second annual Dub's Grip Classic in Colorado Springs. The event was hosted by Jaland "Dubya" Worley with the 2.25" Crusher, 2 Hand Flask, Double Shallow Mini Inch Pinch, and the 2" Vertical Bar (Grandfather Clock/Hilt). This competition was full of veteran competitors but also attracted many new prospects that made their debut. With an Overall Record getting broken and several weightclass records getting bumped up this was a great competition that ended with Jaland Worley and Sarah Chappelow being crowned Regional Champions. Jaland joins the show once again to give us a detailed summary of the action. The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

On July 28, 2023 The Grip Show released the first Episode which was an Interview featuring Joe Hodgson. Two Years Later Joe joins the show once again to answer listener submitted questions, share his thoughts about Grip Sport, and shares some of his favorite Grip Show moments. We would like to thank everyone for their support and making the first two years of The Grip Show special. The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com (0:00) Intro (22:00) Listener submissions (26:00) Competitive Rivalries (41:00) Lifter Shoutouts (1:00:30) Chalking Plastic (1:08:00) Future Gripper Episode Ideas (1:17:00) Drug Testing? (1:30:00) Let's Talk King Kong (1:40:00) Grip People and What We've Learned (1:54:00) Is Thickbar King? (2:03:00) Better Or Worse (2:17:00) “World Records” (2:30:00) Joe's Favorite Grip Show Moments (2:38:00) Future Of The Show (2:49:00) Stupid Thumbnails

The 2025 Australian Grip Sport Nationals was held on June 1st in Brisbane. The Competition was hosted by Isaac Pitt who joins the show to recap the results from the 4 events contested. The events were 2 3/8" Napalm Nightmare, 3"x4" Napalm Nightmare, 2" Cannon/HIlt, and the Silver Bullet. Sarah Rainbow won the Women's Overall. For the Men's Podium it was 1st Place Henry Mullett, 2nd Place Isaac Pitt, and 3rd Place Lachlan Simms. The Australian Grip Scene continues to improve and congrats to everyone who took part in this year's Nationals.

The 2025 U.S. Grip Sport Nationals was held in St. Clairsville, Ohio on May 31st. The events contest were: The Silver Bullet, 2" Saxon Bar Deadlift, 2" Country Crush, and Little Bighorn. The Women's Overall podium saw Sarah Chappelow take 1st Place, with Melissa Dingey 2nd, and Sara Saffell 3rd. For the Men's Overall podium Jason Dingey took 1st, Jedd Johnson 2nd, and Luke Raymond in 3rd. Jason Dingey and Sarah Chappelow after these performances are now the current National Champions as well as the North American Champions (which they won in Canada last year... with North Americans being held every 2yrs. etc.) This was one of the biggest turnouts numbers wise for a Grip Sport Nationals and probably the strongest in the organizations history. Thank you to Jason and Melissa Dingey and Mike and Sara Saffell for running such a great competition. Thank you to all the competitors that helped make this one of the most exciting, strongest, and competitive competitions of 2025.

Prior to his involvement in Grip Sport, Zach Staniewicz pursued a professional career in baseball. Through the highs and lows and decades of effort Zach's dream of playing in the Major Leagues came to an end but not due to a lack of effort. Zach had been introduced to grip through grippers and a few other training methods early on and always sought out strength training knowledge that would stay in the back of his mind. With baseball being over Zach refocused his drive to strength training and started to have more dedicated time to train his grip and continue to learn more about Grip Strength History and Organizations contesting grip. From his first competition, to achieving major grip milestones in training, Zach takes us on the encounters he's had with grip legends and regular everyday people alike that led him to pursue filling a void in the United States Grip Scene. With York Blobs being rare and costly and Inch Dumbbells of varying increments almost being non existent, Zach reached out to 20+ foundries and continued to dial in formulas and create patterns to make equipment for the grip community. Zach's current catalog under the Staniewicz Strength Equipment title offers several lighter weight Inch Dumbells, a Fatman Blob Replica, a lighter Blob, and an Anvil Trainer that was cast from a true anvil horn. SSE (Staniewicz Strength Equipment) continues to evolve and Zach has many future ideas and several projects in the works... Tune in to hear all the details! https://www.staniewiczstrengthequipment.com/home The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

Richard Sorin hauled a bunch of old, broken, and bent York dumbbells from the Columbia YMCA after completing some equipment/gym upgrades for them. Having possession of these older dumbbells eventually the broken heads of the dumbbells were getting in Richard's way as he worked on other projects. Picking these dumbbell heads up from the floor to move them wasn't too much of a challenge until Richard reached the Half 100 (What would be known today as a "Fatman Blob"/1st Generation Blob). Richard had done plate pinching for years and had even pinched 2x45lb York Deep Dish Plates together (among many other elite feats of Grip Strength), so this object not moving from the floor was somewhat of a shock. Richard went on to not only train and lift this broken dumbbell head that he titled "THE BLOB", he would increase the challenges by lifting it with less fingers, cleaning/snatching them, and adding weight to The Blob. Richard's personal best was 24lbs added to the "The Blob". The name "Fatman" was given to the original/first generation of York Roundhead Blobs due to the sides being wider and bulging out farther than the generations that followed. I'd like to thank Richard for his creativity of turning a broken dumbbell into a useful training method and historic feat of strength that is still being trained, contested, and sought after to this very day (over 40 years since his original challenge to himself.) I'd also like to thank Richard for taking the time to do a full interview with The Grip Show back in Oct. 2023. I reached out to 4 of the best Blob Lifters in our sport to discuss how they first found out about The Blob, how it challenged them, and how they have continued to evolve their training with Blobs. Jedd Johnson, Tim Butler, Jaland Worley, and Thomas Larsen join the show to give us their personal stories and experiences involving Blobs. "The Blob was not a broken dumbbell to me, it was an opportunity." -Richard Sorin https://dieselcrew.com/store/product/lift-the-blob/ The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

Eric Roussin has been actively competing and involved in Grip for 15 years. We cover everything from his days of Arm Wrestling (winning 14 provincial titles, and 3 National titles), his competition history in Grip Sport, the origin of the King Kong Grip Challenge, and much more! The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com

2025 Canadian Nationals took place on April 26th in Quebec. The event was held by Tremayne Desmarteaux with the events being 2"x5" Napalm Nightmare Pinch, Ironmind Axle (Women's Division)/Andrew's Axle (Men's Division), Little Bighorn, Wrist Roller, and finished with a Blob Run. Tremayne Desmarteaux and Rob McMurren join the show to give us all the details. The Grip Show Discount Codes: "Gripshow20" for 20% off at https://dieselcrew.com/store/shop/ "Thegripshow" for 5% off at https://www.armassassinstrengthshop.com