Stuff I like

I’ve been training a long time, over 20 years and at the risk of blowing my own trumpet I have experimented with just about every type of training ever invented! I’ve seen fads come and go, and often come back a second or even a third time. I’ve followed some trends and ignored others and now, after all this time, I have a bunch of training stuff I really really like. I’m not saying this is a definitive list of training ideas or equipment but its stuff I’ve used on my self, my personal training clients and my students with great success.

So, in no particular order, here is my list of stuff I like.

1) Weighted sled
I got my sled mail order from a company in the States and it cost me a fortune in shipping but it was worth every penny. Had I known it was such a simple device I’d have got one made by my local metal worker but that’s life. I have used my sled for GPP (General Physical Preparation) work, interval training, power training, aerobic training, upper body training, sprint training and even strength training. It’s a very versatile piece of kit which just about every fitness enthusiast would benefit from using. There's a sled article coming soon so stay tuned!

Sled, tow straps, belt and ankle cuffs


Finish position - sled bicep curls


2) Sandbags
Sandbag training is cheap, very versatile, and challenges the core and forearms like no other training method can. Light sandbags can be used for circuits, GPP and interval training etc whilst heavy sandbag lifting can develop prodigious strength in the arms, back and legs. Imagine trying to lift and press an object which is constantly shifting in your hands and forces you to adjust your grip and stance constantly. Exercises like squats, rows, cleans, presses and dead lifts have never been so challenging! Sandbag training is ideal for martial artists, football and rugby players and anyone else who wants to train on the cheap out of doors. A word of caution: make sure your sandbags are well made – there is nothing worse than dumping a load of sand in your face while trying to press a weight over head! Use rubble bags in side a navy style kit bag to minimize spillage or buy the custom made sandbags and kits that are now available.

Sand bag with mini sandbag weights


Dragging the bag – great exercise!


3) Ab wheel
If you want to develop serious core strength, nothing works better than an old fashioned ab wheel. These scourges of TV infomercials are actually genuine hard core training devices and therein lies the problem. An ab wheel will work your core like no other exercise can but the risks for untrained individuals is high. If you have good (make that great) core strength then the ab wheel is for you. If you are not able to perform full ab planks for 60 seconds plus, do roll outs using a Swiss ball or maintain good spinal alignment when performing squats and deadlifts, you should stay clear of the ab wheel until you have a bit more core strength. When first using an ab wheel, progress slowly from the kneeling position to standing and only increase your range of movement when you feel comfortable. If you experience any over extension of the spine or back pain STOP and go back a level.

My $10 ab wheel – a great piece of kit







4) Weighted vest
Just about every exercise you can imagine can be performed whilst wearing a weighted vest and the increase in difficulty (and results) is staggering. By wearing one whilst doing cardio, you will increase your energy expenditure dramatically. Performing standard callisthenic exercises like press ups, burpees, squats and lunges while wearing a weighted vest turns simple exercises into tests of strength and determination. Exercises like sprinting and jumping become real lower body power exercises when a weighted vest is used and wearing a weighted vest whilst doing your daily chores turns mundane house work into a calorie burning fest which will lead to being lean and mean in no time! I think it’s clear I like weighted vests – I expect you will too.

Weighted vest – versatile and effective


5) Rubber bands
No, not light weight fitness bands but seriously strong rubber bands used by power lifters and available from good fitness equipment suppliers like Iron Woody and Jump Stretch. These bands come in strengths from about 10lbs to a staggering 140lbs making them the ultimate in portable strength training equipment. Just about any exercise you can imagine can be replicated with a band which means that effective and cost effective home training is within most peoples grasp. Bands can also be used in conjunction with standard resistance training exercises such as squats, bench presses and deadlifts and even combine well with old favourite exercises like press ups and pull ups to add a whole new dimension to bodyweight training. A good set of bands may put you back $200 but they last a long time and offer supreme convenience for the fitness enthusiast.

Selection of rubber bands


6) Jump rope
If it’s good enough for Rocky Balboa, Mohammed Ali and Evander Holyfield then it’s good enough for me! Jumping rope is a great cardio workout which can also be used for anaerobic interval training, increasing foot speed, warming up, improving foot work for boxers and martial artists, increasing lower body muscular endurance and improving whole body co-ordination all for about $10 or less! Granted, jumping rope is a skill that not everyone grasps initially but with a little time, effort and perseverance it won’t be long until you are doing double unders, cross overs and sprints in place like a boxing pro. Take a little care with jump rope though – ensuring you wear well cushioned and supportive shoes, workout on a forgiving surface (not concrete) and avoid staying on the spot too much to avoid possible lower body injuries.

Jump ropes - cheap and effective



7) Medicine balls
Medicine balls are another very versatile training tool which won’t cost you much but from which you’ll gain many benefits. Medicine balls come in two main types…soft and hard. Hard ones can be hurled, bounced and dropped with impunity whereas soft ones tend to be better suited to throwing and catching drills and less to being bounced as they are prone to splitting. They come in a range of sizes, from 1-2 lbs to 50 lbs and above. Medicine balls are fantastic for developing core strength, upper body and lower body power, hand/eye co-ordination, aerobic fitness and anaerobic conditioning, depending on the weight of the ball used and the drills performed.

I own two medicine balls, a 10lb ball and a 22lb ball, both of the hard variety. My favourite exercises include medicine ball slams, where the ball is repeatedly hurled at the ground from over head which challenges the arms and core as well as the cardiorespiratory system, over head throws which works the posterior chain of hamstrings, glutes, lower and upper back, rotational throws for the core, medicine ball thrusters - a front squat/push press combo and chest pass throws which challenge the anterior chain of quadriceps, hip flexors and chest as well as the core. If your budget doesn't allow you to purchase a medicine ball, you can make your own from and old basketball, some sand or lead shot, some strong rubber glue and some duct tape. Want a fun training tool? Get some balls!

Medicine balls


Med. balls lend themselves to numerous exercises – chest pass throws


8) Sledgehammers
Athletes have been using sledgehammers for years to develop strength, power and conditioning and lately a few companies have even produced hammers specially designed for exercise. Whilst I think these special exercise hammers are a bit like re-inventing the wheel, the concept of training with hammers is sound. They can be used for high rep sets to develop amazing upper body and core endurance or low rep sets for muscular power. Striking patterns can be from over head straight down to strengthen the rectus abdominus, arms and latisimus dorsi muscles or across the body to target the obliques (sides of the trunk) – like a golf swing.

As far as striking surface goes, it’s best to either hit an old rubber tyre (bigger is better) or swing into sand – a beach being ideal. Hammer weight is dependent on the individual but I own a 8lb and an 10lb hammer and would suggest that for all but the biggest athletes, these weights are quite adequate.

There are a number of ways to go about organising your sledgehammer workout...you could see how many strikes you can perform in 10 minutes (a brutal workout!), or perform multiple sets of 10-20 strikes with 30 to 60 seconds rest or to improve power, 5 strikes as hard as you can followed by longer recoveries. You may get some odd looks from your neighbours next time you are out in your yard smashing the heck out of an old tyre with your sledgehammer but rest assured, your performance and physique will soon show the benefits of your unusual training tool! Remember when using a sledgehammer to be aware of anyone nearby walking into your swing range and take a few minutes to practice your technique before unleashing your full effort. Make sure you hit well away from your feet and that your striking surface is solid enough to take your mighty efforts.

Check out my last few blog posts to read all about sledgehammer training.

The beach if a great venue for hammer training


9) Things you can buy in your hardware centre
Next time you stroll around your local do-it-all hardware store, take a look at the goods for sale and I’ll bet you can come up with some very cheap but effective bits of kit which will provide you with a great workout. Here are a few of my favourites:-

“The slosh pipe”: Take an 8 - 10 foot length of 6 inch diameter pipe. Fix screw type end caps to both ends. Fill it ¾ full with water and then lift it, squat with it, walk with it or run with it to really challenge your whole body – especially your core. This piece of training gear cost $20 to make and kicks your butt like you wouldn’t believe!

One of many uses for the “slosh pipe”


Snow shovels and metal buckets: simply fill the metal buckets with dirt/sand and walk/run with them for time or distance. This is a killer cardio workout which also pumps up your grip in no time. It’s like doing a “farmers walk” only not in the gym with dumbbells but as it was intended to be done – outside.

Fill ‘em up and then run with ‘em – killer workout!


Wheelbarrows: Fill the wheelbarrow (an exercise in it’s self) and then take it for a walk/run. Could be done as an interval session (periods of work interspaced with periods of rest) or in a single effort. Wheelbarrow pushing is great for the legs, arms and back. Take your wheelbarrow “off road” and you have a real co-ordination challenge too!

Chains: Buy a 20 foot length of heavy link chain and you have another very versatile training implement. You can pull it hand over hand, wrap it around your self and walk/run with it, attach it to an old tyre and drag it, put it in a sand bag and lift if, put it into a bucket and carried – lots of variety to be had. One word of warning – it’s worth wearing some heavy gloves to avoid suffering pinched skin on your hands.

10) A programmable timing device.
No matter what type of exercise you do, an accurate, easy to use, hands free timer is a must. I have a number of such devices...one I can clip to my clothes, another I wear on my wrist and also one I can run on my computer. Using a timer for your workouts forces you to maintain a good pace throughout your session. If you aren’t using a timer to measure your rest intervals between sets then SHAME ON YOU!

Using a timer will help you maintain focus, stop you dilly dallying when you should be training and generally increase your productivity in the gym. Additionally, some training methods only really work if you have a timer to hand e.g. interval training. Interval training is THE way to blast body fat and requires you to alternate between periods of 1-2 minutes of high intensity cardio alternated with periods of 1-2 minutes recovery. Using a timer forces stops you sneaking a few extra seconds of recovery which might detract from the effectiveness of your workout. A particularly good interval session which is only really practical if using a timer is called Tabata training. Tabata training involves doing high intensity activity for 20 seconds (e.g. sprinting) with 10 second rests performed for 8 – 10 sets. I know what you are thinking – that adds up to only 4 – 5 minutes but trust me…Tabata training will kick your ass! Exercises which lend them selves well to this method of training include burpees, jump rope, medicine ball/barbell/dumbbell thrusters, sprinting and squat thrusts. Or how about a Tabata circuit of press ups, squats, sit ups, lunges, skipping and burpees – half an hour of fat burning mayhem guaranteed to leave you in a pool of melted body fat.

Two different timing devices


So, that’s my list of stuff I love. I can’t imagine training without access to the items listed above and I sincerely hope you’ll give some of them a try to enhance your workouts.

Descending Pyramid Training

When I was in the Royal Marines, doing Egyptian PT (Physical Training) meant sneaking off for a power-nap. Descending rep pyramids, however, have nothing to do with Egypt, Egyptians or grabbing some sneaky shut eye...watch the video below to see exactly what descending pyramid training is all about.

To perform a descending pyramid select a whole-body exercise for which you have mastered the technique. You're going to be doing a lot of reps so it should be an exercise you are really familiar with and can do well - even when fatigued. Exercises like burpees, sledgehammer swings, box jumps and kettlebell swings are all excellent choices.

Once you have chosen your exercise, decide on how "high" you want to start your pyramid. It pays to be a bit conservative here as what looks easy on paper can add up to a huge number of reps...

5-1 = 15 reps total
10-1 = 55 reps total
12-1 = 78 reps total
15-1 = 120 reps total
20-1 = 210 reps total
25-1 = 325 reps total

Next comes the easy (!!!) part...start your stopwatch and perform the first level of your pyramid e.g. 12 reps, then rest as long as necessary (but no longer - this is against the clock!) and then perform 11 reps, rest again before performing 10 reps and so on until you work you way all the way down to your final rep. Rests are intuitive and are dictated by your current fitness level. As you get into better and better shape you should be able to perform the same workout in ever decreasing times as you rest less and increase your work rate.

Descending pyramid training is a great addition to your workouts for a number of reasons...

Simplicity - all you have to do is count downwards...no sets to count, no rests to time, no weights to change. Just an opportunity to switch off your brain and churn out the reps!
Improved muscular endurance - the high volume of reps that will be performed virtually guarantee a big endurance benefit
Fatigue management - the first few sets of any pyramid are the most dense in terms of reps to be completed but as you fatigue, the rep count comes down. The result is that it's possible to maintain a high work rate for the whole duration of the workout even though you are tiring.
Aerobic & anaerobic conditioning - higher rep counts will challenge the aerobic system where as lower rep counts will challenge the anaerobic system making descending pyramid training very versatile and suitable for a wide range of exercisers and fitness goals.

Descending pyramid training can also be applied to pairs of exercises...
for example pairing 20-1 sledgehammer swings with 20-1 lunges creates a great whole body workout i.e. 20 sledgehammer swings, 20 lunges, 19 swings, 19 lunges, 18 swings, 18 lunges etc. You could even group 3 or more exercises together to make a very demanding descending pyramid circuit. I'm sure you can come up with lots devilish variations to torture yourself or your clients with. If you come up with a good one, why not post it in the comments box so we can all share in the fun!

Multiple pyramids...
Another nice variation of the descending pyramid workout is to perform multiple sets. This approach works really well with lower rep pyramids e.g. 5-1 chin ups, rest 1-3 minutes and repeat or 10-1 press ups. This is a variation of ladder training which is discussed in this article and provides a useful way of increasing training volume above normal levels.

Of course, is you are a real sadist, you could do an ascending pyramid, increasing the reps set by set. The rep count would be the same but the training effect would be very different as the hardest sets would come when you were at your most fatigued - a challenge for even the fittest exerciser!

Numerical significance - there is a very popular version of descending pyramid training called the Prisoner Burpee challenge where 20-1 burpees are completed in the shortest time possible. It's a tasty workout which I've done a few times and gotten very close to completing in sub 20 minutes. To "celebrate" my 40th birthday, I decided I'd do the Prisoner Burpee Challenge but rather than the standard 20-1 reps, I performed 40-1 reps making a grand total of 820 Burpees (complete with press up and jump). This took my a shade under 2 hours! My point? Why not celebrate a day of numerical significance by doing your own descending pyramid challenge? If nothing else it will give you serious bragging rights down at the bar afterwards!

Regardless of your goals, descending pyramid training can provide a fun addition to your workout so why not give it a go? But beware...those numbers can look very tame on paper when in reality they add up to a whole load of hurt!

Suspension Training Systems

Suspension training systems seem to be all the rage at the moment but it's far from a new idea - gymnasts have been using suspended rings for a very long time both as a discipline in competition and for training.

Suspension training can transform a simple exercise into a whole-body workout and this is one of the advantages over many traditional strength-training exercises. Virtually every exercise performed will utilize the muscles of the core whilst also challenging balance and coordination making suspension training a great all-round training method. Add to that the inherent portability of suspension training systems and it becomes apparent that this type of training could be a very valuable addition to your equipment arsenal.

There are a number of manufacturers making suspension training systems at the moment and when deciding on which one to buy it's worth considering the following points...

• Ease of adjustment - different exercises require different ground clearance and if you want to make these changes quickly e.g. because you are performing super sets, then these adjustments need to be made easily. The USA seen in the video uses a ladder-type set up so no adjustments are necessary but this makes the product very bulky and not very portable.


• Anchor points/fixing method - all suspension training systems need to be fixed to something overhead. Some use a single anchor point (as in the TRX) whilst others use two separate anchor points (such as the USA). Both methods work BUT which one will be more convenient for you? I believe a single anchor point is best but as you'll see in the video, my USA uses two. This is fine for my home set up but has not always been ideal in other settings.


• Portability - I have two different sets of suspension training systems - a USA (shown in the video) and Blaststraps. Neither are very portable! The Blaststraps are just too heavy as they are made mostly of very strong metal and the USA is just too bulky to carry in my luggage. I'll be buying a TRX in the future as I believe at the moment it's the best option for me. If you aren't going to be transporting your suspension apparatus around too often then this point isn't too important but if you ever intend to take your suspension training kit "on the road" then go for a lighter, more packable option.


• Durability - these things need to be rugged and strong as they will literally be suspending your body weight and if they fail you may end up doing a one rep max face plant into the deck! My USA isn't built to last...the straps are frayed, the carabiner clips have sharp edges and the handles are too thin whereas my Blaststraps will probably last forever as they are designed for 300lb power lifters but, unfortunately, don't have foot straps so is a less versatile product. The TRX (especially the Military version) looks very hard wearing.


• Cost - from $50 to $250+ suspension training systems vary a great deal in price. My Blaststraps are currently running at around $56.95 compared to $169.95 for the cheapest TRX bundle BUT the TRX is more versatile. Of course, you could always make one out of towing straps and some handles from a cable crossover machine...!

Blaststraps
http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?SearchPhrase=blast+straps&m=SR

TRX
http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/

Jungle Gym
http://secure.monkeybargym.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=26&products_id=44

USA
http://www.bwculture.net/Universal_Strength_Apparatus_p/usa.htm

Slinggym
http://gocommando.tv/slinggym/

I really enjoy my suspension training workouts and find them effective and fun. They really do provide a "core all the time" workout and it's possible to work every muscle very effectively. They do take a bit of mastering - finding the correct height and foot settings may take a couple of workouts - but once you are familiar with the exercises, they provide very challenging and efficient training.

You'll be hard pushed to find a better solution for home training or a better way of integrating the core while performing your strength training and it seems that suspension training is not just a "flash in the pan" fad, unlike the Reebok Slide(!).

Using the slow lifts to improve the fast lifts

One of the characteristics of many workouts is the inclusion of the so-called “fast lifts” e.g. the clean, the snatch and the jerk. These exercises require high degrees of skill, power, and flexibility and, when we consider the possible consequences of a missed lift, courage!

Improvement in these fast lifts is often frustratingly slow and moving up in weight may take months of repeated efforts until we feel ready to up the ante and attempt the next level.

So – what if I were to tell you there was a method you could utilize in your training that would give you an almost instantaneous increase in the fast lifts allowing you to make maybe weeks worth of improvements today? I imagine you’d be skeptical at best and probably think I was mad and worst!

This method has long been utilized by elite eastern block athletes as a “plateau buster” – a way of promoting progression in athletes who are experiencing stagnation in their training.

Don’t worry though; it doesn’t require any self administration of anabolic steroids, weird supplements, odd training equipment or anything else that may cause you and your loved ones to question your sanity.

Much of strength training is neurological in nature – we all have muscles and we all have a nervous system but it is the interaction of these two systems that provides us with the ability to demonstrate strength. If the two systems are working out of sync, we will only be able to demonstrate modest feats of strength and power at best. However, if we can synchronize these two systems we can enjoy the fruits of their synergy and demonstrate much greater degrees of strength and power then usual.

Obviously local muscular hypertrophy (size) plays a part in maximal force generation but it is possible for a small muscled person to out perform a large muscled person if the smaller person has had sufficient neurological training. (Think bodybuilders versus weight lifters as a good example.)

Don’t believe me? Consider the fairly common phenomenon of “old lady lifts car off toddler to save life”. I’m sure most of you reading this will have seen headlines like this in the media. What happened to this frail old lady to allow her to demonstrate such a dramatic level of strength? Demonic possession? Popeye’s spinach? Nope – merely an over riding of her normal neurological system caused by fear and adrenalin.

Whilst it is unlikely we are going to be able to replicate the car lifting feat of our octogenarian, we are going to be able to use similar strategies to “fire up” our nervous system to allow us to tap into hidden strengths.

So, before I explain how this method works we first need to explore the neuromuscular system to understand how and why we can use it to our advantage.

Muscles are made up of many muscle fibers which are organized in bundles. We have bundles of bundles of yet more bundles all wrapped up in a final outer layer called a fascia. These fibers are grouped into motor units – a group of fibers which work together in pools.

The amount of strength we can generate is dictated by the number of motor units we recruit for any given task i.e. if I were going to lift a water bottle which weighed 500 grams, I would recruit only a small number of motor units, where as if I wanted to lift a weight of around 50 kilos, I would recruit many more motor units for the task.

This is the basis of the “all or nothing law” which states that muscle fibers either work to 100% of their contractile ability or not at all – it is only the number of fibers recruited which varies form task to task.

Most of us will have experienced the all or nothing law going a bit wrong…and it is this “going a bit wrong” that we want to utilize in our yet to be mentioned training method.

Picture this – you are moving house, and you are filling boxes to load into the removal van…boxes of heavy books, pots, pans, some bedding and all that sort of thing.

You are down to the last box and you know it’s going to be a heavy one – full of books. So, you psyche your self up and approach the box. With a neutral spine and tensed abdominals, you stand over it, squat down and take a firm grip on it and heave it up…and it goes soaring into the air almost hitting you in the face and smashing into the ceiling!

Someone swapped your heavy box of books for a box of pillows and your neuromuscular system was fooled into recruiting too many motor units for the job. Now, if only we could do this at will…

It just so happens – we can, and that is the basis of this method of training.

Its technical name is neuromuscular synaptic facilitation, which we will re-name complex training.

Complex training is a method where we will attempt to trick the body into recruiting more motor units than are needed which will allow us to demonstrate greater power than is normally possible.

Fast lifts generally utilize relatively lighter loads when compared to the slow lifts – this makes sense because a light load will move fast and have greater velocity than a load of great magnitude. Power is basically strength performed at speed so it is essential the load for the fast lifts permits maximal acceleration. Strength on the other hand is maximal force production without any concern for velocity. In complex training we are going to use both loading parameters with a view to maximizing force production at speed i.e. power.

So – the empty box scenario in the gym…

Decide on the fast lift you want to train – let’s say for this example the power clean. Think of a slow lift which utilizes similar movement patterns to the fast lift you want to improve – in this case the bent legged deadlift.

Load up the bar with close to your 1RM (repetition max) for the deadlift and perform a good solid rep – obviously having warmed up appropriately before hand. This should be a safe attempt – in other words there should be no doubt you will make the rep, but it should still be fairly challenging…

While resting for 2-3 minutes, set up the weight required for your power clean. On completion of the allotted rest period perform the power clean. Don’t be surprised if you nearly launch it over your head as it feels so light! You may even manage multiple reps with a weight that would normally “own you.”

So – what the hell happened? Your neuromuscular system was expecting a massive heavy load because of the “feeder” set done a few moments ago, however, you reduced the load and the nervous system over compensated and allowed you to recruit more motor units in synchronization than normal and the result for you? A new PB!

There are a number of other good combinations that can be used in complex training – here are a few to get you started...

Bench press & Plyometric press ups
Front squat & Squat jumps
Deadlifts & Cleans/snatches
Standing press & Jerk
Chin/pull up & medicine ball slams

Remember the slow lift is performed for one good rep at close to 1RM, then rest 2-3 minutes before doing the fast lift.

The fast lift could be performed as a 1RM attempt or multiple reps as training dictates.

As a general guideline, only perform around 3 sets of a similar pairing otherwise fatigue will set in and be detrimental to the performance of maximal power.

In conclusion, complex training gives us a useful tool for making progress in the fast lifts BUT because of the high degree of loading used in the preceding slow lift, should only be used by those who are advanced enough to withstand the rigors of this type of training.

Patrick Dale
www.solar-fitness.com