Get Involved in Australian Grip Sport
Whether you want to crush your first heavy gripper, train with seasoned lifters, or step onto the platform at your first contest, this is your direct launchpad. No forms or gatekeeping—choose your pathway below.
Connect
Find training partners, message local lifters, join discussion boards, and discover regional clubs across every Australian state.
Train
Build your starter gym setup without breaking the bank, locate grip-friendly facilities, and calibrate your torsion-spring grippers.
Compete
Step onto the platform at a novice-friendly meet, view the national event calendar, or host your own sanctioned competition.
Connect with the Australian Community
Grip sport thrives on peer support, garage sessions, and shared technique tips. You don't have to train in isolation—here is how to link up with active lifters.
Follow, Tag & DM: @pinch_bypinch
Instagram is the primary daily communication channel for Australian grip lifters. If you're looking for training partners in your area, tag us in your training videos or send a direct message. We regularly spotlight local PRs, announce pop-up gym sessions, and connect newcomers with nearby veterans.
The GripBoard
Founded by Bill Piche, The GripBoard is a long-running global forum and archive for grip history, competitor training logs, implement dimensions, and feat certifications. If you have an equipment question or want to log your progress, this is an established community hub.
r/GripTraining Community
The premier entry point for athletes transitioning from strength training or climbing into formal grip sport. Features free, structured programming like the David Horne Basic Routine, weekly challenge threads, and active community technique checks.
State-by-State & Metro Directory
Select a state to locate training clubs, host gym facilities, and regional lifter anchors.
Victoria
Home to the 2026 Australian Championships and a dense concentration of competitive grip athletes and calibrated gripper rating.
Host venue for the 2026 Australian Grip Sport Championship; dedicated strongman and grip sport implements including Saxon bars, Napalm's Nightmares, and calibrated plates.
The national hub for RGC gripper rating and testing; active lifters testing crush and pinch implements.
View Rating Service →New South Wales
Birthplace of the inaugural 2024 Australian Nationals and home to custom grip implement design and regular training syndicates.
Specialized grip and climbing strength implement designers, pinch blocks, and open-hand training gear.
Visit Club Strong ↗Regular training groups and meet competitors practicing classic GSI disciplines and Inch dumbbell odd-object lifting.
Queensland
Host of the historic 2025 Australian Nationals with an active community spanning strongman, armlifting, and specialised grip feats.
Host venue of the 2025 Australian Grip Sport Championship; equipped with contest-grade loading pins, rolling handles, and heavy plates.
Regional lifters training thick-bar deadlifts, pinch blocks, and preparing for national events.
Australian Capital Territory
Active competition hub hosting the annual StrongFest IV Grip Challenge and state record-setting meets.
Regular GSI-sanctioned events including StrongFest IV and local record meets; excellent entry point for first-time competitors in the capital region.
Check Calendar →Supporting venue for grip training with extensive specialised handles and implements including Napalm Nightmare and IronMind gear.
Tasmania
Passionate strength community combining grip sport, Highland games, and the annual Hobart Hoist.
Organisers of the Hobart Hoist; welcomes newcomers, heavy stone lifters, and grip specialists from across Tasmania.
View Hobart Hoist →Climbing gym offering a dedicated grip training setup with IronMind grippers, Grip Genie handles, and pinch blocks.
WA & SA
Connected lifters training in private facilities, home gym syndicates, and competing in online postal contests.
Lifters collaborating via Instagram and online scoreboards; competing in postal challenges and national qualifiers.
Train: Gyms, Home Setups & Starter Gear
You don't need hundreds of kilograms of specialised steel to start building elite crushing and pinching power. Standardize the essentials, train smart, and measure progress objectively.
The 4-Piece Beginner Starter Kit
With just four versatile implements, you can train crushing, pinching, and open-hand support strength that transfers directly to official Grip Sport International (GSI) contests.
The backbone of vertical lifting. Easily attaches to revolving handles, pinch blocks, and hub tools. Fits standard 2" Olympic weight plates.
The ultimate benchmark for open-hand rotational grip (like the Rolling Thunder). Free-spinning sleeve forces the fingers and thumb to fight roll.
Start with a Captains of Crush Trainer or #1 (or equivalent). Accurately rated RGC poundages ensure you train on realistic resistance steps.
Pure gym chalk eliminates sweat and ensures maximum mechanical friction into the knurling. Stiff nylon brush keeps grooves clean.
Artie's Grip Gym Rating Service
Torsion grippers have huge factory tolerances. Avoid expensive US shipping by having your grippers accurately rated right here in Australia to Cannon PowerWorks standards with durable color-coded tags.
Dedicated Australian grip implements, loading pins, chalk, and accessories distributor.
Sydney-based grip implement designer specializing in pinch blocks and finger strength tools.
Compete: First Comp Guide & Calendar
The best way to understand grip sport is to jump into a competition. Meets are welcoming, equipment is shared, and every lifter is cheered on.
Browse Upcoming Competitions
Explore scheduled Australian Grip Sport International (GSI) contests, state championships, and local challenges like StrongFest IV in Canberra and the Hobart Hoist.
First-Timer 3-Point Reassurance
If you've never competed before, here is why Australian grip meets are the best entry point in strength sports:
Novice Classes & Weight Categories
You compete strictly within your bodyweight class or novice division. There are no minimum qualifying totals required to enter.
Rules Demonstrated on the Day
The morning athlete briefing walks through every implement, hand placement rule, and the referee's "DOWN" command before anyone lifts.
Spectators & Newcomers Celebrated
The platform atmosphere is electric and collaborative. Competitors will actively lend you chalk, adjust your grip stance, and cheer every personal record.
First Competition FAQs
Q: Do I need to be an elite lifter to enter a competition?
Absolutely not. Grip competitions cater to all strength levels from raw beginners testing their baseline to record chasers. Meets feature standard bodyweight divisions and novice categories.
Q: What equipment do I need to bring on the day?
Only your gym clothes and flat shoes (or deadlift slippers). All competition implements, loading pins, calibrated weights, and dry magnesium carbonate chalk are provided by the event host.
Q: How does the contest format work?
Most Australian meets use a 'rising bar' format. The weight on the implement increases in set increments. You choose which weights to attempt, and you are never forced to lift a weight beyond your current ability.
Q: How are rules and referee commands handled?
Every meet starts with a mandatory athlete rules briefing where the head referee physically demonstrates legal lockouts, legal hand placement, and the critical 'DOWN' signal. Questions are actively encouraged before lifting commences.
Host a Meet: Sanction an Event on the National Calendar
Want to bring a grip competition to your gym, crossfit box, or club? Grip Australia helps local organisers sanction events under Grip Sport International (GSI) rules and promotes them nationally.
To run a valid competition where results are submitted to official GSI world rankings and Grip Australia records, your facility requires:
- Calibrated Olympic Plates & Certified Scale: Certified lifting plates or plates weighed on a certified scale. For Full Sanctioning (F), the loading pin, apparatus, collars, and spacers must also be weighed.
- Standardised Loading Pin: Minimum 1.9" diameter Olympic pin with heavy-duty rated carabiner (12+ kN).
- Sanctioned Contest Implements: Selected standard implements for your scheduled events (e.g. IronMind Axle for DOH Axle; Euro Pinch or approved pinch block; 2.375" Napalm's Nightmare / Rolling Thunder; IronMind Hub; Saxon Bar). Implements must meet commercial availability requirements.
- Implement Seasoning Compliance: Bare steel equipment may only be seasoned with dry powdered chalk and natural environmental exposure (water/humidity). Zero chemical rust treatments (salt, vinegar), acids, wire wheels, or grinding are permitted. Only dry towels may be used during competition.
- Digital Athlete Weigh-In Scale: Accurate digital platform scale for recording competitor bodyweights.
- Referee Stopwatch & Chalk: Digital timer for the standard 1-minute attempt clock, and pure dry magnesium carbonate chalk.
Standard GSI Results Template (.xlsx)
Meet directors must record athlete bodyweights, weight classes, and individual attempts using this standardised spreadsheet for inclusion in global GSI rankings. Sourced from gripsportint.com/resources.
Copy our standard event submission format to send directly via Instagram DM.
Submit Records, Gyms & Meet Results
Grip Australia runs on an open, self-serve data pipeline. Submit your facility, verified lifts, or competition scorecards directly via GitHub.
Verified lift videos, CoC certifications, or national marks.
List your gym implements, open training sessions, or club syndicate.
Official championship scorecards, placements, and media links.
Site Ecosystem
Continue Exploring Grip Australia
Crush, pinch, support & wrist disciplines.
GSI international rankings and weight classes.
2024–2026 scorecards and champions.
Global federations, makers & rules.