Monday, April 25, 2011
Do my arms look big in this?
The HELL of heavy ropes
As you can see from the photos of the last Sunday madness workout I have added heavy ropes to our arsenal of training tools,
Although these are quite common in a lot of western training programs Football, Wrestling, MMA, actually any sport that requires a high level of conditioning (just check out the video of Ingrid Markum national weightlifting champion and member of the US bobsled team) they are not so common here in south east Asia making them a bitch to get hold of and highly pricey to import due to their weight!
I managed to get mine through a friend from a shipping supply company but still there was haggling involved as they only want to sell whole rolls which equate to 220 feet a little more than we need for working out!
anyway I managed to get 2 x 60 feet lengths which are killers, planning to chop one down to 40 feet and use the spare 20ft for other madness you will see in later posts,
Check out Hurricane Ingrid here
It seems 40ft is a much more common and do-able length in terms of sustaining the movement over time!
I am always the first to admit my fitness and conditioning is far from great as I have always concentrated on mass and strength, hence the commencement of this blog, but damn! simply waving these 60 footers up and down with alternate hands will knock the hell out of you and make you feel like you just sprinted the 100 meter record at the Olympics! especially when used as a metabolic finisher or included in a full body circuit,
The other bonus with this kind of training is no DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) as these and sled work are whats known as eccentric less forms of training so the movements are always in the concentric phase meaning no real muscle soreness the next day, only in the words of Brett "a cellular level fatigue",
Even though this mode of training is so tough it is far more enjoyable than mindlessly plodding along on some boring treadmill or elliptical as you see so many of the drones doing in your local gym, and 12 months later the same drones doing exactly the same thing in exactly the same place looking exactly the same as they did last year!
So if you have a chance to get your hands on some ropes give them a try go for it they are great and a real challenge.
Although these are quite common in a lot of western training programs Football, Wrestling, MMA, actually any sport that requires a high level of conditioning (just check out the video of Ingrid Markum national weightlifting champion and member of the US bobsled team) they are not so common here in south east Asia making them a bitch to get hold of and highly pricey to import due to their weight!
I managed to get mine through a friend from a shipping supply company but still there was haggling involved as they only want to sell whole rolls which equate to 220 feet a little more than we need for working out!
anyway I managed to get 2 x 60 feet lengths which are killers, planning to chop one down to 40 feet and use the spare 20ft for other madness you will see in later posts,
It seems 40ft is a much more common and do-able length in terms of sustaining the movement over time!
I am always the first to admit my fitness and conditioning is far from great as I have always concentrated on mass and strength, hence the commencement of this blog, but damn! simply waving these 60 footers up and down with alternate hands will knock the hell out of you and make you feel like you just sprinted the 100 meter record at the Olympics! especially when used as a metabolic finisher or included in a full body circuit,
The other bonus with this kind of training is no DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) as these and sled work are whats known as eccentric less forms of training so the movements are always in the concentric phase meaning no real muscle soreness the next day, only in the words of Brett "a cellular level fatigue",
Even though this mode of training is so tough it is far more enjoyable than mindlessly plodding along on some boring treadmill or elliptical as you see so many of the drones doing in your local gym, and 12 months later the same drones doing exactly the same thing in exactly the same place looking exactly the same as they did last year!
So if you have a chance to get your hands on some ropes give them a try go for it they are great and a real challenge.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
My Mad Methods - How to Build The Ultimate Unconventional Gym
My Mad Methods - How to Build The Ultimate Unconventional Gym
Great article on building your own unconventional gym from the guys at my mad methods, I love this site everyone should check it out! It was one of the main inspirations for me totally changing the way I train.
Anyone who has looked at my blog will see most of the implements recommended in this article,
I strongly urge everyone who enjoys working out to try these modalities of training!
and get yourselves out of that gym and into the park in the fresh air and sunlight! just this alone will make you feel better,
drag some weight throw some medicine balls & kettlebells around, grunt scream shout laugh have fun!
but most of all get fit and healthy.
Perfect Pull/Chin Ups - An Eight Step Progression |
Perfect Pull/Chin Ups - An Eight Step Progression |
Very nice tutorial on chin/pull up progressions from mike fitch at global bodyweight training, anyone who wants to improve their strength and physique should be practicing getting better at these! also dips,squats, & deadlifts
they are the big 4 and the foundation of any good strength routine,
All novice trainees should start with these movements to build a rock solid foundation to their training.
Fish Oil Calculator | Whole9 | Let us change your life.
Fish Oil Calculator | Whole9 | Let us change your life.
Everyone Who is training hard or is physically active can benefit from supplementing with a quality fish oil!
Here is a link to the whole9 fish oil calculator, work out your dosage here.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Sunday BRUTAL! Sunday (welcome to our church)
This sunday was by far the most brutal day we have had to date,
I dont know if it was the addition of the heavy ropes or the searing heat that made it such a killer day, this
is the first time I have ever seen Brett flat out on the ground after a circuit, but I have to commend him on his completion of three rounds at 100% I faltered after the 2nd and spent the whole of the 3rd sitting in a drain gasping for air and hiding from the sun! And that was just the first set up!
The rest of the gang all did great and are seriously improving week after week
The 2nd set up consisted of back to back rope and kettlebell drills this time for reps rather than time, which was also challenging especially as we were all brutalized from the first set up.
from now on we will lovingly refer to this workout as THE SLAYER.
The Arrival
The Discussion
The Huddle
The Preparation
THE HORROR!!!!
Dynamic warm up consist of various 4kg medicine ball throws as usual
The set up was 4 stations consisting of 75kg sled drag, 16/20/32kg kettlebell swing, 7kg medicine ball slams, and rope waves,1 min each and 10 seconds change over between stations.
Switching between backwards and forward drags
We stop to admire mahendran's slamming technique
Fatigue begins to creep in!
Our first week of introducing the heavy ropes to our session,
She is a cruel mistress!
The following scenes are just a glimpse of what you can hope to achieve from taking part in the SLAYER!
We rest and Foolishly get ready to begin the second set up of the day, more rope drills coupled with kettlebell snatches, and clean and press.
Even the promise of a big kiss from Brett cannot entice Mahendran into another round of the SLAYER.
Brett freezes me with his medusa finger, HIS KUNG FU IS STRONG!
Greg also known as the mighty snatchmaster, strangely though this is not in reference to working out!
We fear for Brett's sanity as he giggles maniacally and talks to himself
inevitably the gloves come out for anyone who has anything left in the tank.
Anand steps up this week
"Oh Greg when will you learn?"
Another stupid idea
So we reach the end of another installment to the sunday madness archives, as we sit and rehydrate all thinking up our excuses why we cant make it next week, we feel good about ourselves and the effort we put in today! Not bad for a bunch of middle aged nutters running around like kids in saharan temperatures.
DON'T ACT YOUR AGE ACT YOUR SHOE SIZE!
I dont know if it was the addition of the heavy ropes or the searing heat that made it such a killer day, this
is the first time I have ever seen Brett flat out on the ground after a circuit, but I have to commend him on his completion of three rounds at 100% I faltered after the 2nd and spent the whole of the 3rd sitting in a drain gasping for air and hiding from the sun! And that was just the first set up!
The rest of the gang all did great and are seriously improving week after week
The 2nd set up consisted of back to back rope and kettlebell drills this time for reps rather than time, which was also challenging especially as we were all brutalized from the first set up.
from now on we will lovingly refer to this workout as THE SLAYER.
Dynamic warm up consist of various 4kg medicine ball throws as usual
The set up was 4 stations consisting of 75kg sled drag, 16/20/32kg kettlebell swing, 7kg medicine ball slams, and rope waves,1 min each and 10 seconds change over between stations.
Switching between backwards and forward drags
Our first week of introducing the heavy ropes to our session,
The following scenes are just a glimpse of what you can hope to achieve from taking part in the SLAYER!
We rest and Foolishly get ready to begin the second set up of the day, more rope drills coupled with kettlebell snatches, and clean and press.
inevitably the gloves come out for anyone who has anything left in the tank.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)