As of today, February 24, 2025, six people have officially closed the Captains of Crush #4 gripper under IronMind's certification rules. This gripper, rated at approximately 365 pounds of resistance, is considered one of the toughest hand strength challenges in the world.
The first five individuals certified were Joe Kinney (1998), Nathan Holle (2003), David Morton (2003), Tommy Heslep (2004), and Magnus Samuelsson (2004). These certifications occurred before IronMind introduced the "credit card rule" in March 2004, which requires the gripper handles to be set at least the width of a credit card (54 mm) apart before closing, making the feat even harder.
The sixth person, and the first to achieve this under the stricter credit card rule, is Carl Myerscough, certified in August 2023. His accomplishment marked a significant milestone, as no one had officially closed the #4 under these updated conditions until then.
So, to date, it’s six people total—five pre-rule change and one post-rule change. The rarity of this achievement underscores the extreme difficulty of the #4 gripper, even among elite strength athletes.
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From Grok
) wrist curls on a bench, behind my back wrist curls then dead hangs. No test between exercises, three sets and I couldn’t pick a dime up off the floor after.
newsroom.clevelandclinic.org
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
www.oldtimestrongman.com
www.functionalhandstrength.com
