IronMind® Enterprises Highlights Timeline
1988
- launch monthly IronMind sports psychology column in IRONMAN magazine, will run continuously for over 12 years
1989
1990
- introduce SUPER SQUATS Hip Belt™, a gym in a belt: squat, dip, chin, pull, drag and more
1991
- first IronMind catalog, featuring cambered squat bars and a multitude of grip equipment, including our world-famous Captains of Crush® grippers, Headstrap Fit for Hercules, Short and Sweet Lifting Straps, IronMind Hub, 12” Exercise Loading Pin, Titan’s Telegraph Key, and Big Boy Dumbbell Bars
- certify Richard Sorin as the first Captain of Crush for closing the No. 3, launching the first and foremost gripper certification program
- the Standard Grip Machine is an early plate-loading model
1992
- introduce Pillars of Power™, Heavy Hammer II Leverage Bar, Pinch Grip Block, Stacker, R-Ring, and Olympic Husky Handle Dumbbell Bars™, among other new products
- introduce the concept that grip strength comprises three major elements: crushing, pinching, and supporting
- John Brookfield becomes the second person certified on the Captains of Crush No. 3 gripper
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introduce Captains of Crush Trainer gripper at 100 lb., where strong guys start
1993
- launch MILO®: A Journal For Serious Strength Athletes
- make first-ever weightlifting training hall video and introduce the concept of the “no-no-no” squat
- develop Just Protein®, a classic, all natural milk and egg protein
- introduce the Vulcan Racks, proven system for squats
- introduce the Rolling Thunder Revolving Deadlift Handle, One Wicked Wrist Roller, and Bag of Nails
- the Eagle Loops and Fabled Cables make their debut
- design the Five Star Flat Bench, for confident, no-collapse workouts
- introduce the Tough-As-Nails Large Gym Bag and Mini-Duffle
- present the Buffalo Bar, a longer, stronger, beefier squat bar
1994
- MILO covers World MusclePower Championships in Scotland, sparking U.S. interest in strongman competitions
- publish IronMind: Stronger Minds, Stronger Bodies, by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D.
- introduce the Apollon’s Axle™, the champion of thick bars
- add the You Decide Dippings Bars to the Vulcan Racks system, and offer the De Rigueur Dipping Belt
- offer the Kettlebell Handle, a plate-loading version
- publish The Complete Keys to Progress by John McCallum
- offer Wish You Were There Videos, iconic weightlifting training hall and competition footage
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add the Captains of Crush No. 4 gripper at 365 lb., the toughest to close
1995
- the Elephant Steps™ and Bulldog II™ collars are launched
- Steve Jeck and the Inver Stone make a major splash via MILO
- John Brookfield is certified for bending the IronMind Red Nail, launching the Red Nail Roster
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offer the IronMind gym towel
- publish Mastery of Hand Strength by John Brookfield, THE book on grip training
- introduce the IronMind Training Tablet No. 1
- design the Bulldog II Collars
1996
- MILO is the only American Iron Game publication credentialed to photograph weightlifting at the Atlanta Olympics
- offer the Snowball™, an early edition of the IronMind EGG
- publish Paul Kelso’s Powerlifting Basics, Texas- Style: The Adventures of Lope Delk
1997
- publish Steve Justa’s cult classic, "The Barrel Lift"
- introduce the Hardy Handshake™, a table-model grip machine
- publish Of Stones and Strength by Steve Jeck and Peter Martin
- offer the IronMind Training Tablet No. 2
1998
- launch www.ironmind.com
- publish David Webster’s Sons of Samson, Vol. 2
- publish Rock, Iron, Steel: The Book of Strength by Steve Justa
- Joe Kinney becomes the first to close the Captains of Crush® No. 4 gripper
- the Buffalo Bar™ bulks up to 1-3/8” in diameter
1999
- publish Paul Anderson: The Mightiest Minister by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D.
- introduce the Draft Horse Pulling Harness™
2000
- MILO gets a face-lift in the March 2000 issue
- Randall Strossen covers weightlifting at the Sydney Olympics as the IWF photographer
- the premier Rolling Thunder™ World Championships is held at the Beauty and the Beast contest
- publish Louis Cyr: Amazing Canadian by Ben Weider
- introduce Strong-Enough Lifting Straps, the top choice for strongmen worldwide
- Go Throw 56-lb. Weight for Height is offered
2001
- IronMind's on-line store opens for business
- publish Training with Cables for Strength by John Brookfield
- introduce the Outer Limits Loops™
- first world record is set on the Rolling Thunder Deadlift at the 2001 Beauty and the Beast contest
2002
- IronMind's Draft Horse Pulling Harness™ is used at the World’s Strongest Man contest, and MILO covers the event
- MILO covers weightlifting at the Asian Games
- introduce the Go-Really Grip™ Machine, the Close-the-Gap Straps™, and the Claw Curl™
- publish The Grip Master’s Manual by John Brookfield
- publish “Dexterity Ball Training for Hands” course by John Brookfield
- the SUPER SQUATS Hip Belt and the De Rigueur Dipping Belt get a face-lift, for strength and comfort
- develop the S-Cubed Bar: strong, straight, stiff
- the Little Big Horn makes its debut
2003
- introduce the Twist Yo’ Wrist™, the Holle-It-Up™ Dumbbell, and the Captains of Crush Grippers Shield of Arms
- go over the one hundred mark on those certified as having closed the Captains of Crush No. 3 gripper
- Nathan Holle is the second person to close the Captains of Crush No. 4, and soon others follow
- publish Captains of Crush Grippers®: What They Are and How To Close Them by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D., J. B. Kinney, and Nathan Holle
- include new insert “Training with IronMind’s Crushed-to-Dust!™ Grip Tools” by John Brookfield in IronMind's 2004 catalog
- MILO celebrates its tenth anniversary
2004
- the IronMind website and on-line store get a complete make-over
- MILO goes to Almaty, Kazakhstan and Kiev, Ukraine to cover the Asian and the European Weightlifting Championships respectively
- MILO three-peats as the only Iron Game publication receiving accreditation to cover weightlifting at the 2004 Olympic Games, Athens, Greece
- publish Winning Ways: How to Succeed In the Gym and Out by Randall J Strossen, Ph.D.
- introduce the first of its kind, Expand-Your-Hand Bands™ for muscle balance and overall hand health
- introduce the Hand Gripper Helper, a revolutionary “plate-loading” device for progressing on the Captains of Crush grippers
- introduce the Captains of Crush ID Card
- introduce the Tough-As-Nails Sandbag, for muscular endurance and cardiovasular fitness
- publish The Complete Sandbag Training Course by Brian Jones
- the IronMind News (www.IronMind.com) cements its position around the world as "fast, accurate, and objective" coverage of top strength stories
- five people are now certified on the Captains of Crush No. 4 gripper
2005
- IronMind hosts 2004 Olympic gold medal winners in weightlifting from China, Zhang Guozheng and Shi Zhiyong, at the 2005 Arnold Fitness Expo
- MILO goes to Sofia, Bulgaria to cover the European Weightlifting Championships
- introduce Tech Threads™, a line of performance wear for head-to-toe coverage
- MILO travels to Dubai, UAE, and Doha, Qatar to cover the 2005 Asian Weightlifting Championships and 2005 World Weightlifting Championships
- introduce the revolutionary IMTUG™: The Tune-up Gripper
- publish Bodyweight Exercises for Extraordinary Strength by Brad Johnson
- introduce the Z1500 Belt and the Quarter-Ton Trucker Tote
- produce John Brookfield's Blueprint for Grip Strength DVD
- continue to make corporate donations to the Paul Anderson Youth Home and Doctors Without Borders(Medecins Sans Frontieres)
2006
- IronMind sponsors an international weightlifting exhibition at the 2006 Arnold Sports Festival, hosting Olympians from China, Bulgaria, and Georgia
- MILO goes to Poland to cover the 2006 European Weightlifting Championships
- MILO, September 2006, Vol. 14.2 predicts Phil Pfister to win World's Strongest Man 2006 — he does!
- MILO attends the premiere of the Jon Pall documentary in Rjekyavik, Iceland
- MILO goes to China for the 2006 World's Strongest Man contest
- introduce Captains of Crush grippers No. 1.5, No. 2.5, and No. 3.5
- publish The Conditioning Handbook: Getting in Top Shape by Brian Jones
- MILO covers the 2006 World Weightlifting Championships in Santo Domingo and the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar
2007
- MILO covers the 2007 Men’s Shot Put at both the Indoor and the Outdoor Track & Field Championships
- introduce 4-color in MILO
- The IronMind website gets a whole new look
- MILO covers weightlifting at the 2007 Europeans in Strasbourg, France and the 2007 Worlds in Chiang Mai, Thailand
- MILO returns to Scotland after 10 years to cover the 2007 World Highland Games Championships in Inverness
- MILO goes to Austria to cover the IPF Worlds—a first
- Richard Sorin, the first-ever Captains of Crush, recertifies on the No. 3 CoC gripper
- The Headstrap Fit for Hercules gets a new 4-way frame
- the Vulcan Racks Chinning Bar and Wrist Roller Setups are added to the Vulcan Racks system
- add Strong and Healthy Hands Kits, for strong, pain-free hands
2008
- Mark Felix sets a new world record on the Rolling Thunder® with his 301-lb. lift at the Super Series Mohegan Sun Grand Prix
- IronMind launches the website for hand health – www.strongandhealthyhands.com
- IronMind’s Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. receives a Certificate of Merit from the European Weightlifting Federation, the first non-European ever to win this award
- IronMind’s president, Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D., and Captains of Crush grippers are featured in a story in The Sacramento Bee
- IronMind’s Draft Horse Pulling Harness is shown on CBS’s The Early Show, as Derek Poundstone pulls a bus down New York’s 5th Avenue. Later, Phil Pfister pulls the same bus down 7th Avenue in front of Madison Square Garden—kicking off the Super Series Grand Prix
- MILO covers the groundbreaking FORTISSIMUS 2008 event, in honor of Louis Cyr
- IronMind’s Randall Strossen is inducted into the Louis Cyr Hall of Fame at FORTISSIMUS 2008 for his work as a journalist and photographer
- MILO is again—for the fourth time!—the only U.S. Iron Game publication to receive accreditation to cover weightlifting at the Olympic Games (Beijing, China)
- IronMind launches a specialty website for Captains of Crush grippers – www.captainsofcrushgrippers.com
- IronMind adds closing the Captains of Crush No. 3.5 grippers to its world-renowned certification program
- Stanford magazine spotlights Randall Strossen (Ph.D. ’79), IronMind, and Captains of Crush grippers
- IronMind updates its classic book on grip strength, Mastery of Hand Strength, Revised Edition
- the IronMind Green EGG makes it debut
- introduce the Sew-Easy Lifting Straps
2009
- Business Week features the article “IronMind Captains of Crush: A Lesson in Clever Marketing” in its SmallBiz magazine
- two more people certify on the Captains of Crush No. 3.5 Gripper
- IronMind brings the German men’s Olympic weightlifting team to the IronMind Invitational at the Arnold where they wow the crowd . . . and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Rich Williams ups the ante by certifying on both the Captains of Crush No. 3 and the No. 3.5 grippers on the same day at the Arnold’s Grip Gauntlet
- Police and Security News highlights Captains of Crush grippers in the article, “The Secret to Better Subject Control? Grip Strength is the Key” in its 25th anniversary issue
- Sam Solomi is the first gripster to meet the Jesse Marunde Teenage Capatins of Crush Challenge by Certifying on a Captains of Crush No. 3 gripper as a teenager, and IronMind donates $500 as pledged to the educational trust fund of Jesse Marunde’s children
- publish a grip training program for practical and tactical weapons users: “Using Grip Products by IronMind” by Ron Avery
- add the Wrist Defender to its line-up of hand health training tools
- introduce the CoC Key, a precise way to track your performance on the CoC grippers
- design the CoC and IMTUG Caddies to keep your Captains of Crush and IMTUG grippers in line, ready for training
- publish Grappling Basics: A New Twist on Conditioning, by Brian Jones, M.S.
- introduce the High Country Hyper Bench to put some starch in your spine and give your aching back some relief
2010
- introduce MILO posters: Forearmed is Forewarned and No-No-No Squats
- present the Crushed-to-Dust!® Cube, for understanding grip strength
- the Tough-As-Nails Sandbag debuts at World's Strongest Man
- the Command Chinning Bar makes its debut
- introduce Blue Twos and Black and Fourth Lifting Straps
- introduce the Captains of Crush Training Center, Captains of Crush Shield and sets of Captains of Crush grippers for teams and gyms
- publish updated CoC owners guide: Captains of Crush Grippers: What They Are and How to Close Them, Second Edition
- CoC Compass logo: new design for the Captains of Crush grippers packaging, T-Shirt and ID Card
- IronMind's Strong-Enough Straps are the official lifting straps at World's Strongest Man
- the IronMind Forum is open to the strength community
2011
- introduce It's Tough Sledding single-pin sled, for pulling and dragging, and 10-Foot Strong Tow Strap
- introduce the Endless Loops, setups for chinning and climbing maneuvers
- introduce Inner Gorilla poster, the primal pull of grip strength
- introduce the Lift More Than You Can T-Shirt
- introduce the PT Proven Cap, Good-Old-Basic Sweatpants, and Good-Old-Cotton Shorts
- offer the Small Tough-As-Nails Sandbag
- Adriane Blewitt is the first woman to certify on the Captains of Crush No. 2 gripper
- the Compact Trucker is the little brother of the Quarter-Ton Trucker
2012
- introduce Extraordinary Effort poster, the fruits of hard work
- introduce the Gold Challenge Nails, the ultimate in short steel bending
- introduce the Captains of Crush Point Five gripper, transition from the CoC Trainer to the CoC No. 1
- introduce the Tough-As-Nails Carryall Bag, for all your essentials, from laptops to shotgun shells
- launch the Crushed-to-Dust!® Challenge, a well-rounded test of grip strength
- offer the CoC Silver Bullet and CoC Silver Bullet Disk, for strength, endurance, and power, perfect for training and competitions
- first world record set on the CoC Silver Bullet Hold
- updated the You Decide Double-Dip Bars, with two hand positions
- improved the Fabled Cables with a rigid handle
- the Sew-Easy Lifting Straps now have a longer length
- new colors for the Vulcan Racks, Pillars of Power, Five Star Flat Bench, and Command Chinning Bar
- offer the SDC Center, all-in-one unit for squats, dips, and chins
- MILO gets a new design, larger format and covers the 2012 Olympic Games in London
2013
- design the Combo Caddy for all IronMind grippers
- introduce Zenith grippers, the revolutionary gripper for the 21st century
- design the revolutionary Alight Training Center, all-aluminum, gorgeous, portable, for squats, dips, chins
- offer the Lu Xiaojun snatch poster
- first world records set on the IronMind Hub and Little Big Horn
2014
- offer Olympic champion Ilya Ilin 233-kg clean and jerk poster
- introduce the Pull-Ease Harness, a pared-down harness with high-strength capacity
- offer the Tough-As-Nails Tool & Travel Kit: carry your grippers and nails; use as a travel kit
- publish 3 Grippers, 1 Goal: Training for Strong and Healthy Hands
- offer IronMind Gift Cards, for gift-giving and contest prizes
- improve the Wrist Defender, now with a strap
- revamp MILO to include 4-color throughout, display ads, and a new friendly design
2015
- offer MILO posters: Zlaten Vanev Grit, Harness Your Inner Viking, and Story of the Sultan's Squeeze
- introduce Left-Turn grippers, tailor-made for lefties
- improve The Essential Fabled Cables
- MILO goes to Russia to cover the 2015 Armlifting World Championships
- MILO gets a new name: MILO®: Strength
- first world record set on the Blockbuster Pinch Grip Block
2016
- introduce the Coil Caddy for all IronMind grippers
- revise IronMind's training booklets: CoC instruction booklet; CTD Cube: Understanding Grip Strength; 4 Grippers 1 Goal; Grip Training for Handgunners; and Strong Hands, Healthy Hands
- world records established on Rolling Thunder Pull-up, two-arm max weight and one-arm and two-arm for reps
- MILO covers major competitions in Forde, Norway; St. Petersburg, Russia; Palmer, Alaska; Halkirk, Scotland; and Kasane, Botswana, among others
- new world record is set on the CoC Silver Bullet Hold
- IronMind menu and website are redesigned
- the Stacker returns, another IronMind test of grip strength
- classic T-shirts – MILO Guys (Strength Athletes), Second Pull, and Milo Crotona – are back by popular demand
- offer three posters: Scott Rider open stone, Lasha Talakhadze 212 snatch, and Just Plane Strong, featuring Hafthor Julius Bjornsson pulling a Hercules C-130 military transport plane
2017
- Instagram photos and captions draw applause
- IronMind/MILO travels to Leeds, UK; Split, Croatia; Gabarone, Botswana; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Hank, Holland to cover top strength contests worldwide.
2018
- publish 25th anniversary issue of MILO: Strength
- establish teen-age world records on the Rolling Thunder Pull-ups for Reps
- two teenagers certify on the Captains of Crush No. 3 and benefit the Jesse Marunde Memorial Fund
- support launch of Armlifting USA, making 19 years of collaborating with Odd Haugen on grip contests
- photojournalism includes coverage of Europe’s Strongest Man (Leeds, UK), Armlifting World Championships (St. Petersburg, Russia), European Weightlifting Championships (Bucharest, Romania), Asian Games (Jakarta, Indonesia)
2019
- IronMind Draft Horse Pulling Harness celebrates its 18th appearance at the World’s Strongest Man contest
- IronMind is front and center at the APL Armlifting World Championships (St. Petersburg, Russia)
- IronMind's Randall Strossen consulted about, invited to and attended Bader Alawadhi’s (Red Nail '12), grip contest—which featured the elusive Laine Snook (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
- IronMind sponsored and Randall Strossen attende the APL European Grip Championships, which were held in Vienna's DAS GYM Intelligent Strength (Vienna, Austria), which Strossen said had more IronMind posters (maybe every single one?) than he ever seen in one place before
- IronMind is center stage at the inaugural APL European Armlifting Cup (Minsk, Belarus), where Nikita Yurkovets certified on the Captains of Crush No. 3 gripper, the second Belarusian to achieve this honor
- IronMind's Randall Strossen invited to Burkhard Macht’s Underground Grip Championships (Amelinghausen, Germany) and was on his way to the airport when his first flight had a delay that derailed his itinerary
- Glenda Anderson contacted IronMind to tell Randall Strossen that she and her family would be visiting Moscow to visit Gorky Park—the site of Paul Anderson’s prodigious performance in 1955—and asked for an introduction to the Russian Weightlifting Federation (RWF). Strossen contacted RWF president Maxim Agipatov, and the Russian Weightlifting Federation rolled out the red carpet for the Andersons
2020
- IronMind hardly skipped a beat during the Covid pandemic as our philosophy showed its strength under the most adverse circumstances: we kept customers around the world squatting, crushing, bending, as they said, “A lot of physical is mental” . . . “Lift more than you can” . . .
- our Orange You Glad T-shirt brightened a lot of workouts in a Covid-constrained world
- Global Reach poster celebrated the worldwide impact of Captains of Crush grippers
- Northern California high school coaches Kevin and Paul Doherty prove their resourcefulness as they set up dozens of outdoor training sites for their athletes, with Vulcan Racks center stage
2021
- IronMind responded to an urgent call from World’s Strongest Man for a custom bar, which starred in the Overhead Medley, along with the Apollon’s Axle (which debuted at WSM in 2011)
- 10 new Captains of Crush No. 3 certifications (and counting), including 2 Teenage Captains of Crush, plus three CoC No. 3.5 certifications are added in 2021 as CoC certifications continue to provide the most coveted recognition of world-class grip strength
