IronMind Enterprises, Inc. is an American niche market business based in Nevada City, California, that specializes in "tools of the trade for serious strength athletes." Though many of its products include strength-training equipment and accessories, IronMind also publishes books,

DVDs The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

and the quarterly magazine '' MILO: A Journal For Serious Strength Athletes''. IronMind sponsors competitions in

weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various types of competition; promo ...

arm wrestling Arm wrestling (also spelled armwrestling) is a sport with two opponents who face each other with their bent elbows placed on a table and hands firmly gripped, who then attempt to force the opponent's hand down to the table top ("pin" them). The s ...

grip strength Grip strength is the force applied by the hand to pull on or suspend from objects and is a specific part of hand strength. Optimum-sized objects permit the hand to wrap around a cylindrical shape with a diameter from one to three inches. Stair rai ...

and

strongman In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. Thes ...

at events such as the

Arnold Sports Festival The IFBB Arnold Sports Festival, also known as the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, is an annual multi-sport event consisting of professional bodybuilding (''Arnold Classic''), strongman ('' Arnold Strongman Classic''), fitness, figur ...

, the GNC Grip Gauntlet, and North American Strongman.

Psychology and strength sports

IronMind was founded in 1988 by Randall J. Strossen, a Stanford

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

PhD with a longstanding interest in weightlifting and related strength sports. That year also marked the beginning of Strossen's 12-year stint writing a monthly column for '' Iron Man'' magazine about the psychology of

bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

and weightlifting. IronMind's slogan, "Stronger Minds, Stronger Bodies," reflects the company's roots in

sports psychology Sport psychology was defined by the European Federation of Sport in 1996, as the study of the psychological basis, processes, and effects of sport. Otherwise, sport is considered as any physical activity where the individuals engage for competi ...

. It is also the subtitle of Strossen's second book, a partial collection of his columns for ''Iron Man'', published by IronMind in 1994.

Products

Some of IronMind's notable products include the Captains of Crush Grippers, the Rolling Thunder, the Vulcan Racks system, and the book ''Super Squats: How to Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks''. IronMind has been a

mail-order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing ...

company since its inception and publishes an annual product catalog that also provides training tips, a history of strength sports, and information on subjects ranging from hand health to nutrition. The company counts scores of major collegiate and professional sports teams among its customers. Its Vulcan Racks are in use at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and at the US Olympic Education Center at

Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designated Northern a uni ...

. The

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decem ...

(WSM) contest has used IronMind's Draft Horse Pulling Harness for its competitions since 2002. In 2006, IronMind manufactured a harness for the WSM's Car Walk event after consulting with two-time WSM winner

Jouko Ahola Jouko Ahola (born December 1, 1970) is a Finnish former strongman, powerlifter and actor. He is a two time World's Strongest Man winner, a two time Europe's Strongest Man winner, and is regarded as on ...

on the design. It has been used at WSM competitions ever since. Strength enthusiasts, people training at home and those with hand ailments such a

carpal tunnel syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the collection of symptoms and signs associated with median neuropathy at the carpal tunnel. Most CTS is related to idiopathic An idiopathic disease is any disease with an unknown cause or mechanism of apparen ...

and arthritis make up the rest of IronMind's patrons.

Focus on grip strength

Grip strength Grip strength is the force applied by the hand to pull on or suspend from objects and is a specific part of hand strength. Optimum-sized objects permit the hand to wrap around a cylindrical shape with a diameter from one to three inches. Stair rai ...

has been a major focus for IronMind since the company introduced its specialized line of grip-strength tools in 1990. The idea that grip strength comprises three basic components – crushing, pinching and supporting elements (

deadlift The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises ...

ing, etc.) – was first presented to the world in the 1992 IronMind catalog. IronMind promoted and further developed this idea in later catalogs. It first published a chart in 1995 highlighting how grip strength applies to activities and professions ranging from

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules Rule or ruling may refer to: Education ...

powerlifting Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift effo ...

and playing music, and expanded on it in subsequent catalogs. Two books written by grip-strength expert John Brookfield and published by IronMind – ''Mastery of Hand Strength, Revised Edition'' (2008) and ''The Grip Master's Manual'' (2002) – also expand upon these basic components of grip strength, which are now considered as widely accepted fact.

Captains of Crush Grippers

IronMind is known worldwide for its Captains of Crush line of hand grippers. These grippers, considered the "industry standard" in building grip strength, have become somewhat of a cult phenomenon and have amassed a worldwide following – one British strength enthusiast has written into his will that he would like to be buried with his Captains of Crush hand gripper. In 1991, IronMind began certifying people able to close the company's benchmark Captains of Crush No. 3 gripper; certification on the Captains of Crush No. 4 was added in 1998 and certification on the Captains of Crush No. 3.5 was added in 2008. Only five people (Joe Kinney, Nathan Holle, David Morton, Tommy Heslep and

Magnus Samuelsson Magnus Samuelsson (born December 21, 1969), is a Swedish actor, former strongman and winner of the 1998 World's Strongest Man contest in Morocco. He has also made it to the World's Strongest Man podium 5 times and the finals 10 times and is rega ...

) have been certified for closing the No. 4.

Publications

IronMind has published 18 books by established authors such as

John McCallum John McCallum (born 9 April 1950) is a Canadian politician, economist, diplomat and former university professor. A former Liberal Member of Parliament ( MP), McCallum was the Canadian Ambassador to China from 2017 to 2019. He was asked for ...

Ben Weider Benjamin Weider, (1 February 1923 – 17 October 2008) was a Canadian soldier, author, historian (Napoleonic history), fitness proponent, benefactor of the arts, and entrepreneur. He co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFB ...

and David Webster. It has also developed and published books by such first-time authors as John Brookfield, Steve Jeck, Steve Justa, Brad Johnson and Brian Jones, many of whom have become authorities in their fields. Randall J. Strossen's first book, ''Super Squats: How to Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks'' (1989), was also the first product offered by IronMind. It presents the classic 20-rep squat routine, a routine best known for helping people bulk up in a short period of time. The book is currently in its eighteenth printing (in English) and has been translated into German. As a photographer and editor-in-chief for IronMind's quarterly journal ''

MILO Milo may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine *'' Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg * ''Milo'' (video game), a first-person adventure-puzzle computer ga ...

'' (launched in 1993), Strossen flies over 100,000 miles a year to cover strength-sport events around the world. ''MILO'' is the only American bodybuilding or weightlifting magazine to receive media accreditation to cover weightlifting at the 1996,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, 2004 and the 2008 Olympics.

Arnold Sports Festival

IronMind has been involved as a sponsor or an organizer of the International Weightlifting Invitational, GNC Grip Gauntlet and Arm Wrestling events at the

(also known as the Arnold Classic or just "the Arnold" and named after Arnold Schwarzenegger) for several years. In 2005, IronMind worked with the event's co-founder, Jim Lorimer, to bring Shi Zhiyong and

Zhang Guozheng Zhang Guozheng (; born September 14, 1974 in Shunchang, Nanping, Fujian) is a Chinese weightlifter. Zhang is a World champion, Olympic champion and World Record holder. In January, 1999, Zhang Guozheng was named a member of the National Men's w ...

– the two gold medalists from China's 2004 Olympic men's weightlifting team – to Columbus, Ohio, for the weightlifting exhibition at that year's festival. The following year, IronMind continued to help internationalize the Arnold by bringing in three more 2004 Olympic medalists in weightlifting: George Asanidze (

Republic of Georgia A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

Le Maosheng Le Maosheng (; born August 9, 1978 in Ningyuan, Yongzhou, Hunan) is a Chinese weightlifter who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dha ...

(China) and Velichko Cholakov (

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

Footnotes

External links

IronMind NewsCaptains of Crush GrippersArnold Sports FestivalNorth American StrongmanFunctional Hand Strength
from The Sacramento Bee Weight training equipment Publishing companies based in California Companies based in Nevada County, California Publishing companies established in 1988 Book publishing companies based in California 1988 establishments in California