Results matching “log”
Via Physical Strategies : A great taster from Ron Balicki's Fighting Sarong DVDs. Love it.
Via Physical Strategies : A great taster from Ron Balicki's Fighting Sarong DVDs. Love it.
Over at The Science of Sport Ross takes a fascinating look at muscle cramping. How much of a role does 'salty sweat' really play? A great read.
Over at The Science of Sport Ross takes a fascinating look at muscle cramping. How much of a role does 'salty sweat' really play? A great read.
Feel like a little chin-up work in the local park? You will after you see this.
In part one of this series, I introduced you to the Inch Replica Dumbbell, a 172-pound cast iron dumbbell with a 2.38-inch diameter handle that literally tries to rip your fingers out of their sockets when you try to pick it up.
These Inch Dumbbells are lurking around the countryside, so you must begin preparing now so that when you are confronted with the challenge of lifting the Inch, you will be ready. Here are some of the ways I have prepared to lift the Inch in the past.
THICK BAR TRAINING
The SAID principle (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands) states that the body will respond specifically to how it is trained. With that in mind, in order to train specifically to lift the Inch, I knew I would have to try to replicate the conditions of the Inch dumbbell in my training. Since the handle of the Inch is so large, I knew I needed to include thick-handled implements in my training.
Home Made Inch Loader
When I began training for the Inch, I was on a very limited budget. There were many companies making thick handled loadable dumbbells at the time, but I just didn't have the money lying around to get one. I also did not have the skills to weld myself one, so I made one out of PVC pipe and duct tape.
I took a piece of 2-inch outside diameter PVC pipe about 18 inches long and found the center. There, I began wrapping duct tape around it until it was about 2.5 inches thick. I wrapped 3 of these coils, side-by-side, to make the handle surface. I worked slowly and was very deliberate when I applied the duct tape, and made sure the layers were very smooth - just like the Inch Dumbbell handle itself. These days, I no longer use my original PVC Inch Loader. One day in training I dropped it with about 150 pounds on it and the pipe cracked the sleeves where I load the plates.
As you can see in the picture, the duct tape gripping surface ended up being longer than the inch replica's handle. A longer handle can make a dumbbell much easier to lift, especially if you grip the dumbbell off center, allow it to tilt, and brace the edge of the inside plate against your arm. I always tried to grab it right in the center and keep it as level as possible.
To qualify for the Inch Dumbbell Lift on the Gripboard Records List, you must lift the Inch Dumbbell without excessive tilt. The reason behind this is when the Inch tilts, the globe bell can be braced against the heel of the hand, or even the wrist. By initiating this contact, the athlete can reduce how much the Inch rotates, making the lift easier. To preserve the genuineness of the feat, the rules were modified so that the athlete had to lift it as level as possible. 
The picture at the left shows the inch being tilted too much to count for an official lift.
You can also make a lift with the duct tape handle easier by placing your thumb or fingertips on the edge of the duct tape, especially if the ends of the tape become rolled. This is not going to do anything for you in the long run, so I suggest being careful when placing your hand on the handle, and making sure you are not getting any assistance from the end of the tape coil.
This inch trainer proved to be a pretty accurate training aid. In fact, the slick duct tape handle, combined with the fact that I wrapped it a bit thicker than the actual Inch handle, has led me to believe that lifting 172 on the loadable would have been tougher than lifting the actual Inch Dumbbell. The beauty of this home-made device was that I could train specifically for the feat at a fraction of the cost.
Steel Thick Loadable Dumbbell
Once I dropped and cracked the PVC inch-loader, I decided it was time to get myself one made out of steel that would hold up to the beatings I would be putting it through.
I recommend getting your Inch-trainer loadable handles from John Beatty at Fat Bastard Barbell Company. His equipment is excellent, his turn-round time is fantastic and he supports and sponsors just about every Grip Contest in the United States and abroad. You can get them right from his website, or you can get them from APT Pro Wrist Straps. The loadables APT sells are made by John Beatty and by getting them from APT, you can support two perennial sponsors of the Diesel Crew's Global Grip Challenge.
In part one of this series, I introduced you to the Inch Replica Dumbbell, a 172-pound cast iron dumbbell with a 2.38-inch diameter handle that literally tries to rip your fingers out of their sockets when you try to pick it up.
These Inch Dumbbells are lurking around the countryside, so you must begin preparing now so that when you are confronted with the challenge of lifting the Inch, you will be ready. Here are some of the ways I have prepared to lift the Inch in the past.
THICK BAR TRAINING
The SAID principle (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands) states that the body will respond specifically to how it is trained. With that in mind, in order to train specifically to lift the Inch, I knew I would have to try to replicate the conditions of the Inch dumbbell in my training. Since the handle of the Inch is so large, I knew I needed to include thick-handled implements in my training.
Home Made Inch Loader
When I began training for the Inch, I was on a very limited budget. There were many companies making thick handled loadable dumbbells at the time, but I just didn’t have the money lying around to get one. I also did not have the skills to weld myself one, so I made one out of PVC pipe and duct tape.
I took a piece of 2-inch outside diameter PVC pipe about 18 inches long and found the center. There, I began wrapping duct tape around it until it was about 2.5 inches thick. I wrapped 3 of these coils, side-by-side, to make the handle surface. I worked slowly and was very deliberate when I applied the duct tape, and made sure the layers were very smooth – just like the Inch Dumbbell handle itself. These days, I no longer use my original PVC Inch Loader. One day in training I dropped it with about 150 pounds on it and the pipe cracked the sleeves where I load the plates.
As you can see in the picture, the duct tape gripping surface ended up being longer than the inch replica’s handle. A longer handle can make a dumbbell much easier to lift, especially if you grip the dumbbell off center, allow it to tilt, and brace the edge of the inside plate against your arm. I always tried to grab it right in the center and keep it as level as possible.
To qualify for the Inch Dumbbell Lift on the Gripboard Records List, you must lift the Inch Dumbbell without excessive tilt. The reason behind this is when the Inch tilts, the globe bell can be braced against the heel of the hand, or even the wrist. By initiating this contact, the athlete can reduce how much the Inch rotates, making the lift easier. To preserve the genuineness of the feat, the rules were modified so that the athlete had to lift it as level as possible. 
The picture at the left shows the inch being tilted too much to count for an official lift.
You can also make a lift with the duct tape handle easier by placing your thumb or fingertips on the edge of the duct tape, especially if the ends of the tape become rolled. This is not going to do anything for you in the long run, so I suggest being careful when placing your hand on the handle, and making sure you are not getting any assistance from the end of the tape coil.
This inch trainer proved to be a pretty accurate training aid. In fact, the slick duct tape handle, combined with the fact that I wrapped it a bit thicker than the actual Inch handle, has led me to believe that lifting 172 on the loadable would have been tougher than lifting the actual Inch Dumbbell. The beauty of this home-made device was that I could train specifically for the feat at a fraction of the cost.
Steel Thick Loadable Dumbbell
Once I dropped and cracked the PVC inch-loader, I decided it was time to get myself one made out of steel that would hold up to the beatings I would be putting it through.
I recommend getting your Inch-trainer loadable handles from John Beatty at Fat Bastard Barbell Company. His equipment is excellent, his turn-round time is fantastic and he supports and sponsors just about every Grip Contest in the United States and abroad. You can get them right from his website, or you can get them from APT Pro Wrist Straps. The loadables APT sells are made by John Beatty and by getting them from APT, you can support two perennial sponsors of the Diesel Crew’s Global Grip Challenge.
Rolling Thunder
The Rolling Thunder Revolving Deadlift Handle is a product sold by IronMind Enterprises, Inc, another of our dedicated GGC sponsors.
What makes the Rolling Thunder so vicious is the rotating gripping surface. When you pull, the rotating action forces your hand so that the space between your fingers and thumb end up pointing down toward the floor. 
This is the weakest point of your grasp on the implement, and you must have tremendous finger tip and thumb strength in order to pull the weight stack to lockout. You can pick yourself up a Rolling Thunder at IronMind's Store.
Shot Loadable Replicas
Another option for replicating the Inch Dumbbell without actually purchasing one is a Shot Loadable version. These dumbbells are hollow and have holes in the bells through which steel shot can be poured to gradually increase the weight of the implement. You can see an example of a Shot Loadable Dumbbell at PDA's site.
These are some the most common implements athletes use to train specifically to lift the Inch Dumbbell. All of these are great options for preparing for battle with the Inch.
Next time, we're going to dig a little deeper with some of this equipment and see the lifting techniques we can use to get the most out of these implements.
Be sure to sign up for the Straight to the Bar feed Newsletter, in the right-hand corner at the top of the page so you never miss a post.
Thanks for reading,
NAPALM
DieselCrew.com
Napalm's Blog
I don't care if you tear a stack of paper, a deck of playing cards, or a stack of bills you don`t want to pay. Tearing is good fun. Tearing can have some advantages over other types of destructive training/enjoyment as the technique I will describe is significantly easier on the elbows than short steel bending. Additionally, everyone thinks they know someone who can tear a deck of cards. That someone should and will be you!
I tear because I can, and tearing gives me a sense of accomplishment and finality that other forms of resistance training don`t provide. There are not many other activities that combine a high level of mental toughness, explosive strength, brute strength, a bit of strength endurance and last but not least complete and utter VICTORY. If you pull or press a weight for a PR the weight looks at you as if to say you won that one, what have you got now? (no weights don't speak to me, well at least not too often) When you tear or bend the job is DONE. The only thing left is to decide if you want to tear the halves into quarters.
The purpose of this article is tearing and I will stick to two areas of tearing that I have had some success. Mind you, I do not consider myself a guru or any such nonsense. I am simply a fairly strong man who has found pleasure in tearing and bending and feel a need to share these old time strong man exercises with others.
Technique and mind-set are critical to your success in tearing. Mind-set is more important initially in the sense that if you are truly focused and concentrate on generating tension in the proper sequence, then you have a shot at delivering the necessary power to complete your task. The quality of your technique will determine how efficiently you are able to deliver that power. The way to increase your skill level is to practice. Keep in mind I'm referring to quality practice, do not mindlessly crank out repetitions to say you are done.
Remember, practice does not make perfect, "perfect practice makes perfect".
Atheists don't go to spiritual retreats. When you go to a seminar like this one, you already know at least some of the information that will be presented. What you get is some new information, new ways to look at old information, connections you hadn't previously considered, and a boost to your motivation. Particularly if, like me, you no longer have a serious gym or training partners available to you where you live.
It was a cold and rainy day, perfect for spending the day indoors. TPS has added some beautiful lifting platforms since my last visit. There were chairs set up in the center of the room along with an easel and a brand new white-board. An unobtrusive video crew was filming. I found a good spot by the pillar and started scribbling. When I was done I had over 2000 words of notes. The following are my scribbles** from each presentation as well as my thoughts (in parentheses). If you don't want to read through 2000 words, here's the short version:
Dave Tate: "Program with your head; lift with your balls."
Alwyn Cosgrove: "Thank you for coming."
The long version:
Alwin Cosgrove: Assessment
- "Usual rules: I'll offend you; I pretty much don't give a fuck if I offend you."
- Assess constantly and give feedback on every set: "If you're not assessing you're just guessing".
- AC drew a bone on the whiteboard and indicated the joint space around it, showing where tension occurs when you do different things. For example, in fighting, applying an arm bar involves applying extension force to the elbow past the point that it extends.
- Any push needs to be balanced. If you are pushing 200lbs, pull 200lbs. If you can't do the same load, do an extra set.
- AC drew the Leaning Tower of Pisa on the white-board to illustrate the importance of posture. Posture allows you to observe the body in a zero resistance condition.
- Most clients aside from Date Tate will be looking for some sort of fat loss. That includes athletes. Athletic Performance in AZ estimates that 75% of the athletes that come to them need to lose fat.
- Most people have sedentary lifestyles: they sit all day, the hip flexors get short, glutes get weak, upper back gets weak, so most clients will need to work the posterior chain.
- "Most people are too weak too fat too tight".
- The body is like a 3D bicycle wheel, the spokes are the muscles, the rim is bone. You need three things to make a good wheel: material, mechanic and a plan.
- AC had a guy from the audience do a body weight squat. (Hey, pick me, I'm the fat woman, I'm the lucrative target market.) The guy had a bit of a forward lean. Then AC had him lie on his back and bring up his legs to the squat position. Lo and behold, the guy could do a perfect squat lying on the floor. So why can't he do the same thing standing up? Core weakness.
- "Anything that's not there at rest is an imbalance"
- There are two types of assessment: structural and performance.
- If you have a car you need to align the wheels before you go somewhere.
- Another demo: AC had a guy hold his arm out to the side, then pushed down on his arm, which the guy resisted. Then he had the guy stand with one leg on a board and repeated the exercise. It's suddenly very easy to push his arm down. The imbalance affects his ability to resist. "The body doesn't give a shit about deltoid hypertrophy; it wants to save the spine."
- You need to look at how your clients do simple things. How is their push up? Do they have to move their leg sideways when they step over a bench? How's their range of motion? At his facility they use Gray Cook's Functional Movement Screen.
- Stability and mobility: the joints alternate: ankle mobility, knee stability, hip mobility, lower back stability , upper back mobility, shoulder stability.
- The key areas are the hip and shoulder. Most shoulder injuries have a hip connection on the opposite side.
- Assessment will help you find out what someone needs. But in reality, everyone needs hard work.
- Why would you put a sedentary client on a treadmill and have her walk a mile? Walking a mile is 1500 reps. Who should be doing 1500 reps of anything? Design a body weight corrective exercise program instead.
- Assess the roadblocks that prevent your clients from reaching their goals. Doesn't matter how hard you push the gas pedal if you haven't released the parking brake; you need to release the brakes before you can start driving.
- Weight loss matters because losing weight reduces the pressure on your joints. A 10lb loss removes 40lbs of pressure on your joints.
CJ Murphy: Non Traditional Strength Training
- I think people expected that non-traditional methods of strength training meant tire flipping and sled dragging, but as Murph put it, "What pays the bills is not strongman training, it's Mr & Mrs Jones."
- Big muscles burn more calories than small muscles, so a big exercise, loaded appropriately, is more useful than a small exercise.
- Train movements, not exercises. Movements can be summarized as follows: Two types of presses, supine and overhead. Two types of pulling movements: pulldowns and rows. Hip flexion e.g. squat, step up, arched-back good mornings and extension e.g. back raises, pull-throughs, keystone deadlifts.
- Don't forget torso work - Murph hates saying "core". The most neglected type of torso work is rotation. There's also stability work: planks and holds.
- Shear and compression: compression=gravity, it's not necessarily bad. Shear is a twist or turn to the join. Sitting down and lifting weights maximizes shearing, so do your exercises standing up.
- Murph does not agree with behind the neck movements. There are better, safer alternatives.
- Most equipment is not designed by people who lift weights. (Wish I had a dollar for every time I thought this while in the gym.) Your clients should have fun and a sense of accomplishment. Accomplishment also makes for excellent marketing:
"Female clients tell everyone when they do the 1st chinup." -Alwyn Cosgrove
- Murph gave a number of different templates, then talked about rep selection. The key is maintaining perfect form. If an experienced person's form breaks down at 7-8 reps why would you give a beginner 3x10? Instead, do a lot of sets with just a few reps. Like a PL'er doing singles, work on their form, stop them on the 2nd or 3rd rep. 2-3 reps doesn't mean high weight and doesn't mean dynamic work.
- TPS uses a circuit training called PHA: Peripheral Heart Action (at first I thought he said peripheral hot action. It's all about the Boston accent). This consisting of an upper body exercise followed by a lower body exercise with no rest, using the most weight you can do with perfect form. It's intense, so it doesn't work for that long, 2-3 weeks at most.
Jim Wendler: Hard Work
- When the opening line is "You don't learn anything sitting at a fucking seminar," you know you're in for a fun session. The topic of this session was supposed to be "Hard Work", but it morphed into a JW Q&A because it's difficult to talk about something that is as natural to the presenters as breathing. (I see this in my students all the time: those students who have a strong work ethic have a hard time comprehending the folks around them that do not.)
- It doesn't matter what you do as long as you do it with good form. The top guys in the WPO all train differently. The strongest people in the world have three things in common, they squat bench and deadlift, they have the right attitude, and they train hard for a long period of time
- Kettlebell swings are just expensive pull-throughs.
- Sets and reps don't really matter. You spend too much time writing programs out.
- Doesn't matter how many days you train as long as you train consistently.
- DTI#1 (Dave Tate interjection #1): Information doesn't triple, it just gets regurgitated. George Hackenschmidt was doing hack squats in 1909. This shit has not changed. People need to squat press and pull.
- If you want to get from here to Chicago, just start driving, you'll get there. Most people are paralyzed by the amount of information they have.
Jim Wendler: "[When] I read something I can tell this guy's full of shit. You know why?"
Alwyn Cosgrove: "He doesn't have any traps?"
- Train like a bodybuilder. The most important thing is symmetry. Bodybuilders are still stronger than 99% of the people out there.
- You can't be quad dominant if you have no fucking quads. If your shit's not hanging over your knees...
- Responding to a question about training deconditioned kids for football: bodyweight squats, empty bar squats, sled dragging, wall sits, leg press. Teach them how to land when they step off a box. When Jim coached kids for football Day I was SQ, B, D, Day 2 was SQ, OHP and assistance. Train them to coach each other.
- "I don't care how old you are: you've got to be able to kick ass"
- DTI #2: "If you're trying to get in with a group of really strong guys, they don't need spotters, they don't need motivators, they don't need training partners, they need another pair of eyes."
- Training correlates with personality type. If you're mathematical & by-the-book you'll be fine with Sheiko.
- You need to train to failure sometimes because you need to know where failure is.
- DC stands for Dog Crap, as in the expression "DC training".
- This is not for the general population. This is for people who fucking care about getting stronger.
- One-legged squats are a good way to get kids to stretch without actually stretching.
- At this point I think both Dave Tate and Jim Wendler were starting to lose patience with the quality of questions they were getting:
Q: When's a beginner not a beginner?
A: When you stop asking questions like that.
Q: How do you know that you've made it?
A: When you've stopped going to seminars.
- 99% of people don't need to deload. The best thing to deload in volume, not in intensity.
- "Remember they brought you in because the last guy sucked." -Alwyn Cosgrove responding to a question about starting a new job.
- GPP for anyone except a strength athlete is weight training.
- Jim Wendler often discusses music on his training log, so I asked which five cds he'd buy with $100. He suggested the following: Dopesmoker by Sleep, Take as Needed for Pain by EHG, Our Problem by Iron Monkey, Master of Reality by Black Sabbath and Reign in Blood by Slayer.
