Hi guys,
Thank you for posting Dave’s video up. Thank you also for your comments – good, bad, and indifferent. I’ll try and address them as best I can and, of course, answer any further queries.
First off, it’s probably best if I make it clear who I am from the outset and give you a little background – my name is Matt Bembridge and I’m the inventor behind Globe Gripz. You’re welcome to Google me, find me on Facebook, etc. You’ll discover than I’m no marketeer. Instead, I’m probably very much like you guys. I’ve trained for over 20 years and am a true natural bodybuilder – weight training is my passion and I actively promote training drug-free in schools, gyms, and at shows. That said, I am fascinated with the whole bodybuilding world in general, hence the Dave Palumbo connection. The biggest marketing campaign I’ve done to date for Globe Gripz is through the UK’s Natural Physique Association (NPA). A not-for-profit organisation, the funds helped toward drug-testing for last year’s shows and I was honoured to speak at them too. For 6 years, I’ve written free independent articles under an alias Gym Professor – a tag I was given in the gym. The concept was to post independently and the articles be judged on their own merit. I’ve always worked for companies in the industry (as well as myself) and still do – I work for Gym Ratz and have close connections with Watson Gym Equipment and Strength Shop. These 3 reputable companies make up my UK dealers for Globe Gripz and future Gym Professor products. On Gym Professor, I also ask other trusted sources to post their articles. Upon the launch of our free-to-download app (GP Shuffle) a few years ago, many then came to know it was me – my pasty body was used for the photos to reduce costs. These endeavours are a continued labour of love, but also allow me an avenue to promote Globe Gripz and Globe Gripz to in turn fund them.
About Globe Gripz:
I will admit that I've never been in to training tools; the concept of Globe Gripz came in to fruition following a Rotator Cuff injury back in 2009. The damage to my Supraspinatus (responsible for initiating arm movement away from your body) meant certain exercises caused aggravation, primarily flat bench press, lateral raises – it even hurt holding a double biceps pose. I avoided aggravating the injury further by switching up angles – bench, wrist alignment, etc. As I’ve been in the industry of making specialist kit for years – Safety Squat Bars, Swiss Bars, Fat Bars, Football Bars, etc. - coming up with a device to alleviate an issue was not alien to me, but it did take much time and effort to work on the project and perfect it. For anyone that thinks they can simply make Globe Gripz out of a ball at home (this post shows up a lot of forums ha ha) or cut out some rubber, you’re sadly mistaken (and definitely not a sponge or insulation) – I probably sank a few thousand pounds in to the project before I had what I’d call a true working sample. Anyway, to cut a long story short, Globe Gripz was born and officially released in 2012. For me, the overwhelming difference with Globe Gripz is an ergonomic one – firstly, try the load distribution across your hand of a ball compared to a fat bar/ grip – it’s totally different. Then, consider the ability to switch-up the angles (parallel, ez-style, etc.) of your lift to avoid discomfort or repetitive strain injuries – my YouTube channel is a good place to see examples of how I use them. If you use anything in the gym other than a perfectly straight 28mm bar (e.g. swiss bar, curl bar, triceps cable handle, football bar, parallel cable handle, etc.), then you can already see the benefits in changing the angle of your grip. Currently, I’m injury-free (I haven’t had an injury for well over a year!) and I would have happily have paid all of the funds this project has cost to achieve simply that, so, $40 is a bargain in my opinion. That said, that’s $40 for the finished article, so I’ll try and justify the price-tag also.
True innovation (and doing business the MORALLY RIGHT way!) comes at a cost – if you’re the first to do something, then, unfortunately, the costs are far greater – man hours, moulds, patents, trademarks, legal fees, worldwide insurance. Should I wish to forgo these and simply make a copy of an existing product in South Korea, the costs would be far less. Ignoring this fact though, we’re also very protective about the Globe Gripz product and ensuring it meets the highest standards. Material selection, shore content, and one-piece mould designs were all key to this and even now I actually test every single pair in the UK prior to shipping them worldwide to dealers. Factor then, shipping costs, import tax, and the dealer has to make some money, and I think we’ve done pretty well to come in at $40 USD for a workout tool that you can take anywhere, helps avoid injury, will last forever, and massively increases workout variety. Shucks, people blow that on a month supply of pre-workout when they could just have a sugary black coffee. You’ll note as well that the worldwide dealers are hand-picked – they’re not we sale any old sh*t to make money – instead, they’re the most respected names in the industry and all tested Globe Gripz themselves in advance of selling. I was fortunate enough that I had connections with some already and surprised I found myself on the radar of others (particularly the US companies!). I have rejected other dealer offers who I believe do not operate by the same code of ethics.
Queries:
BikiniSlut recognises the potential benefits from an ergonomic point-of-view and has queried grip-strength relating to deadlift. As I mentioned, my primary reasons for use are an ergonomic one – I love switching up my grip, particularly for multi-sets, however, my grip-strength has measurably improved since using them. A similar experience as Dropping Plates mentions, I was most surprised to find after 20 years of continued lifting, I suffered DOMS in my forearms for around the first two weeks of use. I have relatively small hands and so losing grip has always been my weakness during deadlifts. At 175lbs, I comfortably pulled 200kg for 15 reps deadlifting this morning and use no aids and a bodybuilder stance. My grip was not an issue. From solely a grip-strength point-of-view though, I wouldn’t say Globe Gripz have an advantage over a thicker grip – fat bar, fat gripz, pinch blocks, etc – but, I do find the load in my palm and the better-recruitment of my less dexterous fingers more comfortable. I still do occasional fat bar work for variety though.
BIGDUB makes a very good point relating to the median nerve. I’ve never known this – more to the contrary, people with CTS using Globe Gripz to avoid discomfort, similarly with entrapment of the ulnar nerve. I think this is due in part to the exaggerated grip and in part to the available adjustment in angle slightly.
Schnauzer makes a funny point regarding the box. I never quite considered how this must read Lol. It p’s me off when you buy anything with good money though and then you don’t have a box to put it in. For the first month, I carried my Globe Gripz around in my pockets in the gym (like a big pair of balls) and kept leaving them next to workout stations. As they’ll last forever, the only way they’ll warrant replacing is if you lose them, so it made sense to me to have a multi-purpose postal tube/ carry case/retail friendly packet. This way, there’s no losing them and they can easily be carried around – when I take my Globe Gripz out, I stick my phone and keys in there. To be honest, I could’ve done without the expense – a graphic designer friend whom was made redundant came up with the design (Mohunky), a friend from the gym printed the labels (PacePrint), and my retired Father labels them and re-checks the product. Incidentally, my Dad has arthritis in his thumb and finds gripping a normal bar excruciating, so also uses Globe Gripz within his own training. I guess, for these reasons, I included the mention of the box, but, on reflection, it does sound a little silly, so thanks for highlighting it
.
I think that clears up everyone’s queries for now, however, if you have further questions, please just let me know. I’m new to this forum, so I may be a bit slow replying, but it looks like a good place
Oh yeah, Dave’s video. As you may’ve guessed, I’m a little fanatical about training, but this also means I can pull on my knowledge of industry folks. I’ve followed Dave’s exploits for years and know of his joint problems, so I simply posted him a pair of Globe Gripz as I thought they’d help. He was sceptical at first (like you), until he tried them. A few weeks later, I heard him on Heavy Muscle Radio raving about our product (this is probably last summer), so, I contacted Dave and thanked him for the rave review and asked whether he’d consider making a video review if I covered his costs, on the proviso everything was in Dave’s words (not mine!). A week ago, Dave sent me this video, which I think is great. To show it’s in Dave’s words, I don’t quite get the reference he makes “makes freeweight movements feel more like machine movements”. There are many reviews online and people like them for different reasons. I’ve posted some up on our homepage.
When answering a similar thread on Supplement Reviews, I offered a free pair for someone to try and report back to the others – you can check out Seaver’s subsequent review on their site. I’m happy to do the same again, as I’m confident in Globe Gripz. BikiniSlut leaps out at me (I like the name Lol), so please send me a direct email, info(@)gymprofessor.com, with your address details for posting. All I ask is that you report back to the others.
Cheers,
Matt
www.GymProfessor.com 
