Rolling Thunder

The IronMind Rolling Thunder is a rotating, thick-handled deadlift grip tool first developed in 1993 and now the internationally recognized standard for testing “support grip” – one of the three pillars of hand strength alongside crush and pinch grip. The handle is 2 3/8” in diameter (its thickness modeled on the classic Thomas Inch dumbbell) and attaches via carabiner to a standard Olympic loading pin, letting lifters perform one-hand deadlift reps or timed holds, or repurpose it for lat pulldowns, seated rows, and pull-ups on a cable machine. The current generation (introduced 2013) replaced the original hollow-cylinder design with closed end caps, resolving the rotation failures that affected earlier units under heavy load. It ships as the handle alone – a loading pin and clip are sold separately. Forum veterans consistently name it their top pick for overall grip development because, unlike closed-hand tools like grippers, it trains thumb and open-hand strength. Manufacturer benchmarks put 125 lb. at “average,” 185 lb. at “accomplished,” and 250 lb. at “world-class.”