AOTM - Alex Barnet

This past weekend, the energy was electric, and the barbells were flying high at the Cap City Open. We’re incredibly proud to congratulate our lifters—Alex, Carlin, Sally Mimi, and Katie—for their outstanding performances and hard-earned moments on the platform. Each athlete brought their own style and story to the platform, making this event not only a showcase of physical strength but also one of resilience, camaraderie, and competitive spirit. The Cap City Open wasn’t just about totals or podium finishes—it was about lifters pushing limits, supporting one another, and stepping out of their comfort zone. Alex, Carlin, Sally, Mimi, and Katie each left their mark on the meet, reminding everyone why we love weightlifting. Our weightlifters are back on the platform this week with a new training cycle. 12 Labours next meet will be Tough Temple July 12-13. If anyone is interested in joining us, please reach out to info@the12labours.com

We have gone over this in a newsletter before, but the topic of gymnastics grips is always a hot topic, especially around Murph time. So let us dive into this and explain the different types, the goals, and some tips on how to get better usage out of the gymnastics grip. Let us start by understanding that there are two different types of grips, hand protection, and grip enhancement. They both have their uses, but in my opinion the grip enhancement is far superior, especially for the type of stuff we are doing. Hand Protection grips are really more like gloves than anything else. They protect the palm of the hand, but offer nothing in terms of grip enhancement, and in most cases actually make it more difficult to hold onto the bar. The main goal of this post is to understand the difference, and make sure we are sizing/utilizing our grips to offer hand protection AND grip enhancement. There are a million different styles of grips out there, and we can't go over them all, but these principles will apply to any style of grip you choose. We will break this down into 3 parts, sizing/placement, utilizing the fold and/or friction, and hand position on the bar. Let's go. Sizing A proper gymnastics grip should be large, and at least extend to the last knuckle of the fingers.