Little Big Horn

Name: Little Big Horn
Brand: IronMind
Rating: 4.33 (4 reviews)

IronMind’s Little Big Horn is a blacksmith-style anvil-lift implement built for grip and pinch-strength training: a solid-steel tapered horn, 6” long and 3” in diameter at one end down to 1.5” at the other, weighing 8 lb on its own. A loading pin (sold separately) slides through the implement so weight plates can be added for progressive overload, and the tool doubles as a handle for pull-ups, rows, and curls once loaded.

It’s also an official competition implement, not just a novelty. IronMind publishes strict lifting rules (standing fully erect, no hooking the grip, holding the lift under control for one second) and tracks sanctioned world records – as of late 2025, 110.10 kg / 242.73 lb for men and 75.15-76.60 kg / roughly 165-168 lb for women – alongside difficulty benchmarks of 130 lb (average), 155 lb (accomplished), and 175 lb (world-class). Independent coverage is thin: Garage Gym Reviews lists specs without a full verdict, and grip-strength competitor Jedd Johnson’s multi-year training log treats it as a genuinely difficult technical lift rather than a quick pick-up-and-go tool, with no durability complaints surfacing after years of use.

Type	Anvil-style grip and pinch-strength trainer
Length	6 in
Weight	8 lb (implement only, excludes loading pin/carabiner)
Loading	Accepts a loading pin (sold separately) for adding weight plates
Diameter	3 in at wide end, tapering to 1.5 in
Material	Solid steel
Manufacturer	IronMind
World records	Men: 110.10 kg / 242.73 lb (Alexey Tyukalov, Oct 2025); Women: 75.15-76.60 kg / ~165-168 lb (Lyudmila Gaiduchenko)
Difficulty benchmarks	130 lb average, 155 lb accomplished, 175 lb world-class

How it compares

	Little Big Horn	Great Ape Grips	Dynamometer	Rogue Pinch Blocks
GymRadar rating	4.33/5	4.33/5	4.33/5	4.42/5
Price	$119.95	$49.95		$55.00
Type	Anvil-style grip and pinch-strength trainer
Length	6 in
Weight	8 lb (implement only, excludes loading pin/carabiner)	1,361 g (approx. 3 lbs)		~3 lb per block
Loading	Accepts a loading pin (sold separately) for adding weight plates
Diameter	3 in at wide end, tapering to 1.5 in
Material	Solid steel	Neoprene shell with internal glove		Powder-coated steel
Manufacturer	IronMind
World records	Men: 110.10 kg / 242.73 lb (Alexey Tyukalov, Oct 2025); Women: 75.15-76.60 kg / ~165-168 lb (Lyudmila Gaiduchenko)
Difficulty benchmarks	130 lb average, 155 lb accomplished, 175 lb world-class

4.3/5 · 4 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.33/5	4 reviews
Youtube	4.5/5	2 reviews

IronMind’s Little Big Horn is a blacksmith-style anvil-lift implement built for one demanding job: standardized grip and pinch-strength testing. Its standout dimension is functionality — it’s a sanctioned competition implement with IronMind-published difficulty tiers (130 lb average, 155 lb accomplished, 175 lb world-class) and officially tracked men’s/women’s world records, and it doubles as a loading handle for pull-ups, rows, and curls once a pin is added. Independent coverage is thin — a spec-only Garage Gym Reviews listing and a grip competitor’s multi-year training log rather than full hands-on reviews — so durability is the weakest-covered dimension: the only surface-condition data point is an owner’s unit picking up tarnish after long storage, not a use-related defect, and no source reports structural failures even after years of documented use. At $119.95 plus a separately sold loading pin, it’s a fair price for a solid-steel, competition-grade tool, though the required pin add-on nudges the real cost up.

+Functionality: official competition-legal implement with IronMind-published difficulty tiers (130 lb average, 155 lb accomplished, 175 lb world-class) and sanctioned world records (IronMind)
+Build quality: solid-steel construction at a substantial 8 lb, competition-grade specification (IronMind)
+Versatility: works as a grip/pinch test and, with the loading pin, as a handle for pull-ups, rows, and curls (IronMind)
+Durability: no structural or quality failures reported by any source, including a veteran competitor's years of documented use (The Grip Authority)

−Durability: no independent long-term teardown data — the only surface-condition note is anecdotal tarnish on a long-stored unit, attributed to the finish rather than a defect (YouTube: SHAWSTRENGTH / Brian Shaw)
−Value: the loading pin needed for progressive weight changes is sold separately, adding to the $119.95 base price (IronMind)
−Functionality: steep technique learning curve — one veteran grip competitor describes years of struggling with it before finding a workable grip adjustment (The Grip Authority)
−Build quality: independent editorial coverage is limited to spec aggregation rather than a full hands-on review, so build-quality claims rest mostly on the manufacturer (Garage Gym Reviews)

$119.95

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