Results matching “Bird”

This month Blaine and I will be looking at the many fun things to do which will keep you fit without really trying. First off, a personal favourite - walking the dog.

I've always been a dog lover; as my first pet was a labrador given to me when I was aged 2, this is understandable. Having a dog - particularly a large, highly active one - brings with it a great range of activities (otherwise known as general conditioning work), and a whole load of fun.

If you have a dog, several things have probably already come to mind. For those that don't, however, here's some of the fun you're missing :

Walking

Taking a dog for a walk is a little more energetic than a calm walk up the street to buy a newspaper. After being confined in a relatively small area for most of the day, the dog is usually excited to get out. If you've ever seen a dog jump the fence and escape from its owners, only to go for a run and chase birds, you'll know what I mean.

Trying to walk slowly whilst an excited creature almost runs beside you just isn't feasible. It's more like going for a jog.

Throwing the ball/stick/whatever's handy

For an exercise that's clearly targeted at the dog, there's a fair bit of work involved in repeatedly throwing something. Perhaps its also the wrestling I throw in at the end of each return (it's a lot more fun than simply asking him to drop the ball). Whatever the case, it works.

Swimming (with the dog)

Ever seen a dog at the beach? Once they realise that the water coming in isn't a threat, you'll never see him/her happier. Running flat out after birds, or simply diving about in the water.

If you're miles from the beach, the next best thing is a pool (or any large body of water really). Dive in, reap the usual benefits associated with swimming (highly recommended following a particularly heavy workout) and your dog will be right in there with you.

Incidentally, you'll probably get tired before he/she does.

In fact, almost any activity you do with your dog will end up giving you a bit of a workout. Think of it as a light recovery session with an extra helping of fun.

Via Parlayer : Detroit Tigers' Jeremy Bonderman at full stretch.

Check out the blog of elite conditioning and combatives group Team Ruthless. As you can see from the writings of Lady Hardbody (a dedicated follower of the Team Ruthless training philosophy), the daily workouts are more than enough to get you breathing hard. 250 burpees in half an hour? Just warming up.

For a taste of the action, head over to the Team Ruthless videos page. Enjoy.

If you're like me, you can never see too many climbing videos. Head over to climbing.com for the trailer from Swedish Meatballs - Dylan Smith and Carl-Ola Bostrom enjoying some of Sweden's best blocs. Good fun.

Royce points to a brief video showing Dogtown's Suzanna having fun with an 88lb kettlebell [streaming, 636kb .flv download]. How long did it take to move up from the 70? 5 days.

This looks interesting (although I'm not about to sprain my ankle so I can try it) - Hartzell Ankle Tractioning. Bands are incredibly versatile things.

If you're a basketball fan and missed this weekend's incredible Pistons vs Cavs game, there are some great photos up on Cleveland's site. Definitely worth a look.

Tom Hafey is an amazing man. In the 1950s he played Aussie Rules Football for Richmond; for much of the next three decades he coached Richmond, Geelong, Collingwood and Sydney. To say he kept fit during this time is an understatement.

Now in his mid-seventies, Hafey still follows a serious workout plan. To give you an idea, here's a snippet from his daily routine :

• 10 minutes stretching
• 200 push-ups
• Beach swim (regardless of water temperature)
• 700 sit-ups
• Runs - 7 to 8 kilometres (4 - 5 miles)

In addition to that, he heads to the gym 3 or 4 days per week for the throwing around of the iron. Modest weights, but always taken to failure.

Inspired? Head over to Craig Harper's site for a great audio interview [.mp3, 14mb] with Hafey. Incredible.

Via RightShape : It's great to see a bit of competitive arm-wrestling; particularly when world champions are involved. Here's a taster from the Shaun Ray Classic.

Tom's just uploaded some video [streaming, 1.5mb .flv download] demonstrating his bench press 'off helper' in action, so you can get a little more idea of how it works. Very cool indeed.