[unclesomebody]

In the big spring clean that's happening in my house, I was about to put a phone book in the bin when I thought i'd try to rip in two... How hard can it be i thought? So I tried a couple of times, pretty hard tries too! No luck. Then my girlfriend just told me to turn it around, so you have the spine in your hands, and BOOM!!! One ripped phonebook. It's only the 800 page one, not a yellow pages, but I'm keen to get a yellow pages done soon...  

photos attached for those who might doubt my mighty claims

[Johnny Brown]

My hero  :roll:

Gonna bench press a mini next?

[jonas]

I don't know, I'm not exactly sober, but this cracked me up more than any other thread in ages.  

[LongMonkey]

Top effort! I always thought you kinda tapered the pages to tear something really thick like a yellow pages. I've tried The Universal catalogue before, without success. Maybe this thread could generate some technique tips! GET TEARING!  :x

[Jim]

I've got a few old yellow pages knocking around, I'm pretty pysched.

[andy_e]

I tried to tear a birthday card up the other day to no avail...

[Fiend]

Well done but your halves are not very halfy....

[unclesomebody]

After much hard work, dedication, and strict dieting, I have now taken it to a new personal level... The Yellow Pages.

Note that, once again, I did not manage to rip it clean in two equal halves. Instead I seem to be ripping it straight and then at an angle. Perhaps you could give me some pointers Fiend?

[LongMonkey]

Waddage! Share your technique.....was that starting from the spine? Did you rough up (bend it about a bit) the spine first?

[unclesomebody]

to be honest, I just tried very very hard. Grabbed the spine and just tried to break/rip it. I had tried this a few days before and it felt impossible, but I think it always feels nails until you get that first bit of rippage and then it all comes. However, with the yellow pages, i found that I had ripped halfway down and then I kind of stopped. Had to have a rest for 2 minutes and then finish the rip. Seriously, I was pretty wasted afterwards. For me, it was hard. ALso note, your yellow pages could be thicker. Ours was only 1312 pages.

I think that my daily meditation and diet also helped a lot though. 6 hours of deep concentrative meditation and one carrot a day gave me the edge I needed.

[dave]

so hang on though, maybe all those unsucessful attempts weakened it up a bit? I would like to see what is the biggest thing you can rip on the flash attempt, in one push. No thumbs.

[andy_e]

did you chalk up?

[widdop]

dry one  in a oven or on a radiater,  then try a damp one

[andy_e]

Ouch, i've got papercuts all over my hands form my five minute man-on-phone book with the March 1994 South Manchester... I ripped it considerably, but not in half... Photos as soon as I can be arsed posting them.

[tommytwotone]

word, my semi-lashed up efforts on the london 2003/2004 have come to nothing more than sore hands and a resolutely whole phone book.

If it's any help to prospective attempts, leverage seems a key factor - is bracing the bastard over one's knee allowed?

Props to uncle, effort.

[james]

phone book down, bring on the big yellow.  I have the same problem of sideways ripping, any ideas anyone?

[Fiend]

Phone books are the new Captains Of Crush, lol  

[Palomides]

There's no way I'm going to try any of this stuff, as I fear my stick-man arms might go before the phone book.

But check this stuff out - a quick google reveals that most bigstrongbaldylads seem to be ripping their phonebooks in half lengthways like this

You are now in position and ready to tear through it. In one fast, forceful, and fluid motion, KEEP QUEEZING THE BOOK TOGETHER WITH YOUR PECS AS HARD AS YOU CAN while rotating your hands so that they go from being palms facing down to palms facing up. This will create a tear in the book. Depending on your strength level, the book with either completely tear in half (if you are very strong) or tear only a little bit (if you are not as strong).

Tip: Make sure your grip is as tight as possible throughout the entire movement. If the book slides in your hands, you will not be able to tear the book in half.

Oh, but apparently doing the spine first is the easy way

Video here, but it only loads half-way for me
http://www.armwrestling-supersite.com/phonebook_hard.htm

And how about decks of playing cards

http://www.heavysports.com/emag/Clay_Edgin/cards.html

Or bottlecaps? A friend met some american at Ceuse who used to crush bottle caps between his fingers, commenting "when you can do that, you'll onsight 5.13 easy"

[unclesomebody]

SWEET! Let's take it to the next level!   Lengthway ripping is interesting, I might have a go in a minute... just need to find more phonebooks

And where can I get one of those t-shirts? "Real men arm wrestle" Genius

[SA Chris]

Or bottlecaps? A friend met some american at Ceuse who used to crush bottle caps between his fingers, commenting "when you can do that, you'll onsight 5.13 easy"

Bottlecaps are not that hard, as I can do them in a pinch between thumb and pointer finger (if that's what you mean, not between two fingers?) and I'm weak as a kitten. Just apply constant pressure and increase as it starts to fold. The challenging one is to fold it backwards. Pain threshold needs to be high, as it gouges great holes in your fingers. Recommended only when drunk.

[LongMonkey]

Brill Googling Palomides! Gonna test that technique out over the weekend (weather's crap anyway!), let you know how I get on.

[Jim]

if you find them t-shirts uncle, get me one. wadage.

I've done 2 tompson local's approx 400 and 500 pages, these are the trainer
Bt phone book next got 968 pages (no.1) and then yellow pages with 1092 pages (no.2). Just trying to heal a finger at the mo so gonna leave it till next week

[unclesomebody]

Jim, I've found the shirts, about $20 each including shipping. You need to take it up a notch, this is like when you couldn't close the number 1 all over again! ha ha...  and my yellow pages had 1312 pages! You've got a soft one for the grade!

[Jim]

yeah but I recon our pages are thicker or something.
curse that no.1 I was 0.1 mm of closing it. one day eh

[Johnny Brown]

Shouldn't uncle's shirt read:

"Real men win at arm wrestling by changing the rules as soon as they start losing"

 :?:

[unclesomebody]

very good...  

And perhaps yours could say "Strong Girls don't armwrestle".

[Paul B]

Not a top effort but i certianly wont be using this phone book again.


After being totally inspired the girlfreind went for the 'trainer' book in the form of last years Ikea catalog.

[Fingers of a Martyr]

[tommytwotone]

check it, 700 pages of thompson that ain't gonna be used up in tha crib. I do seem to have developed uncle's "lopsided ripping" technique tho:





For tha record, the cover came off in the early stages of the on-sight word.

[bobby knut]

remember taking a yellow pages apart, page by page, a couple of years ago with the aid of some fine lsd. front room looked lovely :twisted:

[fatneck]

Fucking genious thread  

[Little Paul]

Since this thread began I've been trying to rip things now im getting into trouble for ripping my sisters college work so i will not be influenced by this wonderful thread anymore

[andy_e]

I managed to dispatch the 207-page 2006 Northumberland University Undergraduate Prospectus the other day, sideways. photos soon.

[Jim]

I can't wait  :roll:

[ian h]

i managed the bt phone book from top to bottom, which is just under 800 pages in my area fairly easily

however the yellow pages proved to be a whole new league  could not get this started

i rekon the real challenge has to be the argos catalouge

[BenF]

i rekon the real challenge has to be the argos catalouge

And the great thing about Argos catalogues is that you can pop into an Argos store and pick up dozens of the things... not that I've actually tested this but I have taken a handful once (to take into school for a maths activity).  

Once the single book has been mastered we can move up to the next level: Speed Book Ripping.  How many can you tear in a minute?  No doubt someone will post soon that they've done like 28 Argos catalogues in a minute or summat silly like that.   :roll:

As Fatneck said, this is a wicked thread.  One of the funniest and most futile I've seen in a while.  Kinda appropriate that it should be on a British bouldering site, since it mirrors what we all do far often at places like Stoney or Pex.  Twas just last weekend that I was spending my afternoon attempting one handed, eyes shut dynos at Pex.  Feckin' idiot that I am.

[Fiend]

Once the single book has been mastered we can move up to the next level: Speed Book Ripping.  How many can you tear in a minute?  No doubt someone will post soon that they've done like 28 Argos catalogues in a minute or summat silly like that.   :roll:

I don't know, I think as in climbing, the next level challenge will be one of style - the flash of a known style of phone book, then the onsight when someone is brought a phone book without knowing what to expect. And of course, the style in which it is ripped....the purity of the line of the rip...

[dom]

i rekon the real challenge has to be the argos catalouge

Is it just me or is the argos catalogue really nails hard.  I think its cause the pages are stronger cause they're glossy.  I've tried it length-ways and by the spine, but couldn't make a dent.  
Then  again i am weak as fuck.

[unclesomebody]

Just been and picked up the latest argos catalogue (not my only reason for the visit btw) and had a go at ripping it. I flashed this and I thought it was fairly easy, much easier than the yellow pages, the initial break came easily and the pages seem to tear much more smoothly... as you can see this is the first one I've torn in a straight line! oh, it's 1662 pages, so my biggest number so far, but not my best effort... Evidence below...

[Fiend]

See, told you, stylistic improvements - uncle bringing in the big numbers, the flash, and the purity of line  

[Jim]

shame he'll never bring them to climbing tho    
sorry uncle, couldn't resist

[BenF]

I don't know, I think as in climbing, the next level challenge will be one of style - the flash of a known style of phone book, then the onsight when someone is brought a phone book without knowing what to expect. And of course, the style in which it is ripped....the purity of the line of the rip...

Yeah Fiend, you're right there.  My head-pointed rip of a phonebook last night was not the way forward...

I'd spent several evenings working on the book, studying the creases, folds and minute weaknesses that lie in every phone directory.  A friend who'd ripped a similar directory had passed on some excellent beta.  After my first visit I was sure it would go, but wasn't confident to try and rip it on my second session...  conditions weren't right, there was a bit of dampness around the "Steam Cleaners" section (early on in the directory) so I left it for another day.  

On the evening of my successful rip conditions were mint.  The directory was bone dry, a nasty paper cut on my index finger had fully healed and I was ready to go for the head-rip-point.  After practising the moves on a rope and above nine pads (with eleven spotters), I cleaned the crux pages and tick marked the crucial creases on the final necky run-out to the "Zebra suppliers" section.  Then I sat in contemplation for maybe ten minutes before giving the nod to my spotters and starting the rip.  After fluffing the first easy section through the contents page it all began to come together and before I knew it I was on the final few letters of the alphabet.  As I topped out the rip I said little, just a "thank you" to my spotters, support team and camera crew.  Another hard rip in the bag.  

I hope I haven't ruined anyone's chances of an on-sight have I?

[andy_e]

I, Andi Emery, have evidence that ALL of unclesomebody's rips have been faked. Photoshopped images and damp paper were used to aid his ripping. Anyone who has actual video evidence, or witnessed a ripping, should contact me on 0800-GET-BENT.

[unclesomebody]

am i missing something? video evidence upon application...

[unclesomebody]

just saw this and thought it should be linked... so how many of your are weaker than a girl? 

Strong Woman

[Control freak]

just saw this and thought it should be linked... so how many of your are weaker than a girl? 

Strong Woman

Only in Blackpool - oh how I miss that place, the fights, the hen parties, the poisoned sea. Yep - would much rather be there than Sydney...

[Houdini]

Mmmm...  She's one fine Teutonic beauty!   I could have sworn the lass was from Morcambe.  (With a technical rating of Double bagger - single stumper.)

  to  to  to    to to  to  to  to  to  removing beer goggles  to  to  til next Friday night  on The Golden Mile

[dobbin]

She's totally got Keith's hair too. I wonder if its something you turn to when you get a mullet? does anyone know if Pat King ever tried phone book ripping? I mean, he was the king of the mullet therefore perhaps king of the rip too?