Brian Shaw's Thomas Inch Secret: The Delayed Crush Technique That Changes Everything
Quick Answer: Thomas Inch Dumbbell Specifications
- Weight: 172 pounds (78 kg)
- Handle Diameter: 2⅜ inches (60 mm)
- The Trick: Delay your maximum grip until AFTER the bell breaks the floor
TL;DR — The Delayed Crush Technique
How to do it: Chalk lightly. Center the handle under your third-knuckle line. Keep the wrist stacked and hips close. Drive first with the legs to break the bell from the floor, then detonate your hardest crush in the first inch of movement to kill tilt. Stand tall, pause, return under control.
172 pounds. Globe-headed cast iron. A handle as thick as a wrist—roughly 60 mm—that doesn’t rotate. You reach down thinking, “How hard can 172 really be?” The bell answers by rolling out of your hand like it’s alive. That’s the Inch. Simple, savage, and brutally honest. Lift it one-handed to a rock-solid lockout. No straps. No tilt-and-slide. No excuses.
1. The Inch in one minute
Globe-headed cast iron around 172 lb with a ~60 mm fixed handle. One-piece casting. No sleeve spin. Any tilt pries your thumb open and drags your wrist into ulnar deviation. It’s not a deadlift; it’s a rotation problem disguised as a pick.
Micro-bridge: New to thick-handles? Start with an axle and fat-grip sleeves to build open-hand strength, then layer pinch work. When you can do controlled holds without drift, the Inch starts behaving.
2. The Legends Who Conquered (and Failed) the Inch
Brian Shaw vs Eddie Hall Thomas Inch Attempts: The Hidden Technique That Works
Two giants. Same bell. Different roads. Brian Shaw carries world-class support strength and thick-bar time. Eddie Hall brings freak pulling power and aggression. Both have wrestled with the Inch on camera. Both learned the same lesson in the end: the delayed crush wins. Here’s how their paths diverge—and how you can steal the best pieces from each without wasting months.
Starting points. Shaw lives on axle pulls, thick-handle farmers, and controlled support holds. Lots of open-hand time. Lots of wrist stacking. Hall’s training tilts heavier toward maximal barbell work, speed off the floor, and short, brutal sets. He breaks implements like a sledgehammer. On the Inch, those identities show up instantly: Shaw tries to calm the bell; Hall tries to smash it. When either man squeezes too hard too early, the bell rolls. When they wait one inch and crush on cue, it climbs.
Hand placement & centering. Shaw typically centers under the third-knuckle line with a slightly wider finger spread. That packs the clamp evenly and lets him feel drift before it explodes. Hall often packs tighter and dives hips in hard to shorten the lever. Both work. Both fail if the handle creeps toward the index finger. If you’re missing by spin, copy Shaw’s calm re-centers. If you’re missing by slow breaks, borrow Hall’s fast hip drive—then add a one-inch pause to prove you’re in control.
Wrist behavior. Shaw defends ulnar deviation with a soft elbow and neutral wrist. He’ll abandon a rep if the line crumbles. Hall fights tilt with speed, then clamps late. The fix for both styles is the same: earn a stacked wrist under fatigue. That comes from short lever ladders (pronation/supination), extensor volume, and timed thick-handle holds with zero drift.
| Attribute | Brian Shaw | Eddie Hall | Coach Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Break from floor | Patient, hips close, smooth drive | Explosive, hips tight, fast pop | Both succeed if crush lands at ~1″ |
| Crush timing | Delayed by design | Delayed when disciplined | Early squeeze = instant tilt |
| Grip emphasis | Thick-bar time + support holds | Peak pulls + short hard clamps | Blend: time + intent |
| Common miss | Micro-tilt mid-shin → roll-out | Early death-grip → spin | Fix with 1″ paused breaks |
What to steal from Shaw. Calm hands. Repeatable setups. Film a front angle and recenter until the handle sits under the third knuckle without drift. Layer axle DOH (double-overhand) triples, then hold the last rep for 10–15 seconds on a thick handle without tilt. Add thick-handle farmers for isometric clamp. Finish with two light sets of wrist extension—longevity tax.
What to steal from Hall. Intent. Speed off the floor. Keep hips close, drive hard, but force a one-inch pause before standing tall. That pause teaches the cue your brain keeps missing: don’t crush yet. When the bell floats, then you crush. Use short, heavy gripper ladders as finishers (never first) to teach max squeeze on demand without frying elbows.
| Day | Shaw-style (control) | Hall-style (intent) |
|---|---|---|
| A | Axle DOH 5×3 (last rep 10–15 s hold) → Thick farmers 3×20 m → Wrist extension 2×20 | Axle DOH 6×2 (fast) → 1″ paused breaks on thick DB 6×1 → Gripper ladder 3 rounds |
| B | Plate pinches 4×20–30 s/hand → Lever ladder (pro/sup) 3×8/side → Rice bucket 2×60 s | Pinch block singles 8–10 reps (clean locks) → Thick-handle support holds 4×12–20 s → Hammer levers 2×10/side |
The hidden technique that works for both. The delayed crush isn’t a trick; it’s timing. Drive first to clear inertia with a stacked wrist. Then squeeze like your life depends on it after the bell breaks. That delay keeps the handle centered, spikes friction when you need it, and chokes off tilt before it grows teeth. Shaw’s best pulls show it. Hall’s best pulls show it. Your best pull will too—once you stop trying to win the lift in the setup.
Apply it today: On your next thick-handle session, run six singles with a strict one-inch pause. No crush until it floats. If the bell turns, reset and shorten the set. Finish with 2×15 wrist extensions and 2×20-second plate pinches. Small, boring reps now. Clean Inch later.
Brian Shaw’s journey with the Inch
Four-time WSM with world-class support strength. The Inch still taught lessons. Film shows that timing and centering decide the day.
- Failed sequence notes: early death-grip, slight offset toward the index, tilt starts mid-shin, roll-out.
- Better sequence: hips closer, softer elbow, delayed crush ~1″ off floor, calm lockout.
- What carried over: axle double-overhand, thick-handle farmers, short support holds.
Eddie Hall’s “Beast Mode” approach
Brute back strength meets open-hand reality. Best pulls: hips close, fast break, crush detonates just off the floor. Misses: early squeeze + tiny tilt = spin.
Mark Henry: the textbook lockout
Before WWE, Henry stacked all-time grip lifts. Inch pulls look boring—in the best way. Calm setup, zero drift, neutral wrist, patient crush.
Joe Rogan’s podcast moments
JRE chatter on thick-bar work spikes interest. Takeaway: respect the rotation problem first, then add strength.
Anatoly’s pranks vs real attempts
Entertainment aside, the bell doesn’t care. Real pulls follow the same rules: center, stack, delay, stand.
Micro-bridge: If you’re not ready for replica singles, build the thumb clamp first—plate pinches or a pinch block get it done. Add a lever for pronation/supination (Popeye’s Pronator) and your wrist stops leaking power.
3. The Delayed Crush Secret Nobody Talks About
The Inch rewards patience. Max squeezing in the setup pre-fatigues the forearm and encourages tilt. The win: drive first, crush second.
Protocol: 60% grip during setup → leg drive to break → hardest crush at the first inch → stand tall; hold alignment.
Micro-bridge: Your thumb is the hinge that decides the day. Build it with dynamic pinch (blocks or plate pinches), not just static holds.
4. Join the 2025 Thomas Inch Challenge
Make your progress public. Earn your lift. Post your week/weight and tag #InchChallenge2025. Keep it clean: show the scale, the diameter, and a lockout pause.
5. Quick specs & why it’s “unfair”
Weight: ~172 lb / 78 kg • Handle: ~60 mm fixed • Build: one-piece casting • Surface: smooth iron.
Micro-bridge: When your axle double-overhand triples hit bodyweight and your 2×10 kg plate pinches sit for 20–30 seconds per hand, the Inch test starts moving from “myth” to “math.”
6. How the Inch fights you (and how to fight back)
The bell wants three things: to roll into your thumb, to drag your wrist into ulnar deviation, and to swing forward. Answer with centering under the third knuckle, a stacked wrist, and hips close. Drive first, crush at the break.
Micro-bridge: Add short support holds on a thick handle after axle sets. Keep the wrist neutral. If it drifts, you’re not ready to test.
7. Technique that saves most failed lifts
Chalk lightly—then clap it off. Too much turns slick.
Center under the third knuckle. The middle finger is your anchor. Offset kills clamp.
Wrist neutral, elbow soft, hips close. Stack the handle with your forearm.
Drive first, squeeze second. Detonate crush when the bell breaks the floor.
Micro-bridge: Wrist not holding? Ten minutes of lever work (pronation/supination) twice weekly shores it up without frying the elbows.
8. Training without a replica (minimalist to garage)
Path A — Minimalist: Axle + fat-grip sleeves + pinch block + hammer lever. Two days: Day 1 thick-bar pulls + grippers. Day 2 pinch holds + wrist roller + lever ladder. Add easy carries if you’ve got gas.
Path B — Garage lifter: Add an axle if you don’t have one. Alternate heavy doubles with fast doubles. Thick-handle farmers build anti-roll clamp. Keep extensors honest.
Path C — Replica access: Keep B as your base. Add weekly singles (6–8 total). Film from the front. Fix centering and wrist stack. Shut it down before the thumb pad complains.
9. Benchmarks & readiness checks
- Axle DOH: around bodyweight for multiple clean triples.
- Pinch holds: 2×10 kg per hand for 20–30 seconds (advance from there).
- Support holds: thick-handle, zero tilt for controlled time windows.
- Grippers: own strict ladders twice weekly without elbow bark.
10. An 8–12 week build-up that actually works
You don’t need four spreadsheets. You need a backbone that climbs, a deload, and a test. Add load or seconds each week—never both. If the thumb pad protests, hold the weight steady, improve position, and push time-under-tension.
8-Week Starter: Run a two-day map (axle + farmers; pinch + wrist). Week 4 deload. Keep gripper ladders small and clean. Finish each session with light extensor circuits.
12-Week Slow-Cook: Weeks 1–3: extensors, tempo holds, easy singles. Weeks 4–6: max-intention axle + long pinches (deload week 6). Weeks 7–9: specificity—more thick-dumbbell singles. Weeks 10–12: trim fluff; test with three crisp attempts.
11. Warm-ups, recovery, and gear sanity
Warm-up (6–8 minutes): Wrist circles, open–close fists, light band rows with external rotation, two easy gripper sets, one light pinch hold. Between heavy sets, shake hands loose and do quick forearm soft-tissue passes with a ball. After the session, two light wrist-roller trips into extension flood the area without frying it.
Recovery: Contrast temp (warm → cool) calms elbows. Sleep hard. Eat protein. Red flags: sharp pain, numbness/tingling, sudden drop in pinch power—back off, fix setup, trim volume for a week.
Micro-bridge: For pronation/supination work that actually feels right, use a proper lever implement. That’s why we built Popeye’s Pronator —clean line of pull, wrist neutral.
The Inch Destroyer Stack — one path, no clutter
Week 1–4: Foundation — Gripper progression + axle DOH speed work + light pinch. Keep wrists fresh with extension circuits.
Week 5–6: Specificity — Add rotation work (pronation/supination levers), thick-handle support holds, paused 1″ breaks.
Week 7–8: Integration — Replica/strapless thick-dumbbell singles, six to eight clean exposures. Test on Week 8. Learn more with the Ultimate Grip Hand Guide
Coach’s Note — Power Roller + Pull-Up Bundle
Clean path to Inch prep. The bundle supports open-hand strength, time-under-tension pulling, and forearm endurance that feeds the Delayed Crush protocol.
Next Step — Build Your Inch Stack
Weeks 1–4 (foundation) and 5–6 (specificity) pair well with the bundle: paused 1″ axle breaks, steady pull volume, then short lever finishers. Log clean singles and keep wrists neutral.
12. Frequently Asked Questions
That the Inch humbles even world-class lifters if timing and centering are off. His better pulls follow the “drive first, crush second” rule.
He’s handled Inch replicas and filmed attempts. When timing is on—hips close, crush late—he can make it move. Strength still needs technique.
No gimmicks. The “trick” is timing: drive first, apply your hardest crush during the first inch when torque spikes, and keep the wrist stacked.
Light chalk; center under the third knuckle; wrist stacked; elbow soft; hips close. Drive from the legs, then crush at the break. Lock out and return under control.
A few legends have done it, but that’s a different test than the standard one-hand deadlift to lockout. Cleaning can hide early tilt with momentum; the strict lift can’t.
About 172 lb (78 kg). The number isn’t rare—the handle and non-rotation are. That’s why it feels meaner than its weight.
A 60 mm handle forces open-hand leverage, and the one-piece casting doesn’t rotate. Any tilt spikes torque and pries your thumb open.
Yes. Use an axle, thick-grip sleeves, pinch blocks, lever work, and timed holds. Add specific singles on a thick dumbbell if you can.
Axle double-overhand pulls, thick-handle farmers, and timed axle holds—these harden the clamp you need at lockout.
Think months, not weeks. Expect bursts. Track clean singles and time-under-tension, not just maxes.
Cast iron, one piece. Globe heads and handle are fused, so the handle won’t rotate under load.
Center under the third knuckle, then delay your hardest squeeze until the bell breaks the floor.
13. Conclusion & disclaimer
The Inch is a clean test with sharp edges. Build crush, thumb power, anti-roll control, and a neutral wrist. Keep attempts short. Keep extensors strong. Keep recovery boring. Do the small things right and the bell that used to laugh at you will finally behave.
Disclaimer: Train within your capacity. Use chalk, clear drop zones, and spotters when needed. If you feel sharp pain, numbness, or persistent symptoms, talk to a qualified professional and adjust your training load.
