20 snippets of wisdom from Mike Boyle. To get things rolling :
Often I would come to the gym, warm-up, do one heavy set of squats and leave. In the process, I got very strong. The process was simple. Have a goal for the day. Attain the goal. Go home.
Some great tips in there.
This week was cut slightly short by a failing hard drive (which is now eating with the fishes), but still packed a punch :
The Other Side of Strength's Ken Black takes a brief look at a bit of hydrotherapy - contrast baths for the hands. Not quite as painful as an ice bath.
As I work to sort out a rapidly failing hard drive, take a look at a few of these :
Via Isaac Wilkins over at Got Strength? - video [streaming, 691kb .flv download via KeepVid] of Andy Bolton's incredible 1,003 lb deadlift. Yes, he finally got it.
This month kicks off a collaborative article series with Run to Win's Blaine Moore on injuries. This piece looks at strains and sprains; typical causes and treatments. First, however, a couple of definitions are in order.
Strain
A strain is a tear of a tendon (fibrous cords that attach muscle to bone); arising through twisting or pulling [1].
Sprain
A sprain is a tear of a ligament (connective tissue joining one bone to another); arising through stretching [1].
Although the terms strain and sprain are often used interchangeably, just remember that strain=tendon and sprain=ligament.
Common causes
Strains
Unlike their similarly-named cousin, strains often arise from things as mundane as poor posture or repetition of an activity. In sports such as mountain biking it is often the fingers which are the subjects of injury [2]. Regardless of the nature of the cause, the solution (once the injury itself has been repaired) is often a simple matter of muscle strengthening and flexibility.
Sprains
These are most commonly seen around the ankle joint, and are caused in this case by anything that forces the ankle to 'tip over' [4]. Usually this involves running or jumping and landing the foot on a unstable or uneven surface.
The chance of this action causing an injury is increased through :
Symptoms
In order to identify whether a particular injury is a form of either strain or sprain - and not simply pain from the activity in question - the following symptoms are typical of the more severe injuries :
Remedial action
There are several ways to deal with strains and sprains, and the method chosen is selected according to the severity of the injury. Regardless of the level of injury, treatment usually begins with RICE.
Whilst I'm the current owner of a Reebok CyberRider, I'm not sure that partnering exercise with video gaming is a great solution to anything. The latest offering to hit the market - this time targeted at children (or their unsuspecting parents) - is from Gymkids.
Gymkids produces a range of devices for the burgeoning market of young obese video gamers; including a miniature treadmill, stepper and stationary cycle. Unlike similar devices these function by controlling the video game controllers rather than the video games themselves; and so are compatible with a number of games and devices.
Of course, a much more effective way to keep your child in shape (not to mention spending time with them) is to teach them how to play basketball. Or ride a bike. Or run.
A few of this week's blog finds :
Serious Ultimate
The world of Ultimate is a strange one indeed. High on the list are Chicago-based competitors Mr Serious and Mr Ultimate, who manage to blend sports results with their unique humorous outporings.
Very odd.
Iron Club
Via Kat 'The Mighty Kat' Ricker comes a great site from Juan Lancaster - Iron Club. Here you'll find articles, videos and plans for incredibly solid racks and bars (sample video [.avi, 3.3mb] of a 251kg farmers walk with the dead bar). Superb.
The Iron Pit
The Iron Pit is UK powerlifter and strongman Martin Smith's online training log. Replete with photos, routines and reviews; this is a great resource.
Dragons List
This collection of all things for the world of Martial Arts includes some very interesting blogs. To get you started, check out Hazmat's home-made Medicine Ball on a Rope. Looks like fun.
Incidentally, if you've just made one and you're wondering what to do with it, Paul Chek has a few suggestions.
The Exercise Police
The Exercise Police is a great blog, run by Iron Maven Tracey Fober. Tracy is a physical therapist and baseball enthusiast. A great read.
Why not grab all the feeds as a single juicy opml file.
Gymrat points to an interesting entry for the International Guinness World Record Day : a handcuffed swim in Cambodia. Canadian film-maker Matt Frame will attempt to dog-paddle his way to a slightly odd victory in the name of charity. A noble cause - the education of poverty-stricken Cambodian children.
Recently I decided to embark on the serious - and quite possibly lengthy - journey to achieving a full-range one-armed chin-up. If you've ever grabbed the bar with one arm you'll understand just how long a quest that can be. They're not exactly easy things.
Bdckr, who successfully embarked on this same quest some time ago, offered the following advice :
Offset chins with weight helped the most. Instead of using a towel, I used a rope tied to the bar, with knots tied off starting at 18" below the bar, and every 6" after. The rope helped me get a better feel for the kind of rotation that happens using only one arm, while the extra weight helped develop the pulling strength. Tying knots made it easier to measure progress i.e. 1st knot, 2nd knot, etc.(like fist lengths on a towel in the Dragondoor article). Once I got to 4 reps on the 4th knot, I started again at the 1st knot with extra weight.Having a weight vest (instead of weight hanging off a belt) was useful, since I could do regular and offset chins (the concentric portion) as fast as possible without worrying about the weight banging around.
Grippers and one arm dead hangs (with or without extra weight) were good. Nothing worse than feeling like you're slipping off the bar.
The workout structure was chins twice a week: one higher volume weighted 2 arm chin workout, and one low volume higher intensity 1 arm training.
This fits in well with other things I've heard and read over the past couple of years, and the notion of a bi-weekly chin-up session definitely appeals. Very much looking forward to it.
The exercises
I'll hold off on creating a formal routine until I've had a chance to test out a few of the exercises. These include fun things like one-arm dead hangs, pulley/rope/finger assisted chin-ups and a bit of kettlebell military pressing. Should be good.
Further reading
A couple of articles on the one-armed chin-up are definitely worth a solid read :
The One-Arm Chinning Guide
Jack Arnow and Alexander Lechner
This is a superb article, and a must-read for anyone considering the one-armed chin. Whilst there's obviously a great deal of strength involved in the exercise, the one-armed chin-up also comprises a good deal of technique. This article goes into detail on precisely that.
The One Arm Chin-up/Pull-up
Jim Bathurst
If you haven't ventured over to the Beast Skills site before, you're in for a treat. Quite simply, Jim knows his stuff. Brilliant.
