Steve Gardener

Steve Gardener, known in grip forums by the handle "Mobster," is a British grip strength athlete. His name is sometimes rendered "Gardiner," but grip and certification records list him as Gardener. He is documented primarily for closing the Captains of Crush No. 3 gripper under certification and, in later years, for a range of thick bar and loaded object feats.

Captains of Crush certification

Gardener appears on IronMind's official "Who's Who" list of certified Captains of Crush No. 3 closers, entered as "Steve Gardener (UK)" under the year 2001. The No. 3 sits high on the Captains of Crush ladder, and IronMind requires a filmed or witnessed close under set rules before adding a name to the list. Being on that roster places Gardener among a small group who met the standard in the early 2000s, when the certified field was considerably smaller than it is today. For background on the gripper family and the certification process, see Captains of Crush.

Hand gripper ebook

Gardener authored an ebook on hand gripper training aimed at readers working toward a Captains of Crush close. A 2009 review describes a book of 26 chapters covering gripper history, technique, hold types, high-rep and low-rep training schedules, a stepwise approach to building crushing power, and equipment maintenance. The book reflects the gripper-focused phase of his training and his stated view that structured work, rather than natural advantage alone, drives progress on the grippers.

Thick bar and loaded feats

In later years Gardener shifted emphasis toward thick bar and loaded object lifting. Writing for Gods of Grip, he documented a training block built around 50mm thick bar deadlifts, an adjustable thick handle, and the Rolling Thunder handle, rotating through each lift roughly once every three weeks. In that account he reported pulling over 140kg on an old, non-spinning IronMind Rolling Thunder handle.

He also described a period of twelve months training exclusively for the Thomas Inch dumbbell, working the lift twice a week for a total of 104 sessions. By his own account from that period he had lifted the Inch dumbbell, held a record for the Inch dumbbell hold for time, was the first to pick up a "Millennium Dumbbell" one-handed, and held a record on the adjustable thick handle lift. These feats are self-reported in his own writing rather than drawn from a governing body's record book, and are presented here as such.

Context in grip sport

Gardener is one of a number of British lifters who were visible in the online grip community as it organized around forums and certification lists in the 2000s and 2010s. His progression, from crushing grip and gripper certification toward thick bar and loaded feats, mirrors a common arc in the sport, where athletes move between the main disciplines rather than specializing narrowly. For the broader development of the sport and its record-keeping culture, see grip sport history, and for another prominent British grip figure see David Horne.

What is and is not documented

The solidly documented fact is the 2001 Captains of Crush No. 3 certification, which appears on IronMind's own list. The ebook and the thick bar and Inch dumbbell feats come from a review and from Gardener's own published writing, and the loaded feats in particular are self-reported. Specific competition placings, exact dates beyond the certification year, and personal biographical details are not established by the sources consulted here and are therefore left out.

See also

• Captains of Crush
• Thick bar training
• IronMind Rolling Thunder
• David Horne

Heavy gripper and thick bar work loads the hands and connective tissue hard. Warm up, progress gradually, and train within your limits. See safety.

Sources

• IronMind, Captains of Crush Who's Who (No. 3): https://ironmind.com/certification/captains-of-crush/whos-who-no.-3-coc/
• Gods of Grip, "Thick Bar Training With Steve Gardener": https://godsofgrip.com/blogs/all-things-grip/thick-bar-training-with-steve-gardener
• Developing Grip Strength blog, review of Steve Gardener's Hand Gripper ebook (2009): https://develop-grip-strength.blogspot.com/2009/06/steve-gardeners-hand-gripper-ebook.html