"Modern" Gyms Stink...like third world countries

I've got an interesting question for my readers:  how many times to you hear about something pathetically wrong often but never actually see it for yourself?  Then, when you see it, you're still shocked in spite of knowing it was like that all along?  I'm talking about that feeling you get when you hear that third world countries can be real shitholes that make you appreciate what you have but it never really sinks in until you're actually there to see and smell how bad it really sucks.   Wow, it really was true all along!  Learning about it doesn't replace the shock of actually seeing it, does it? 

On a much less serious level, I've had that kind of shock that I still can't get over when I step into the local fitness club to take my son for infant swimming lessons.  I've been to this place before and I know that they're all a sad excuse for a place to get fit.  Up until this point, it's been a long, long time.    I've spent far more of my time tearing through all kinds of weird BW variations, sandbag work, and truck pushing in countless sewer plants, parking lots, hotel rooms, truck stops, farmers fields and my own basement.  So, when I arrive to get my son accustomed to swimming, I pretty much feel like I've landed on Mars.

As I watch the people waddle around in clothing of various levels of... FUCKING-GROSS-TIGHT... It strikes me like a Halloween party.  It's a place where everyone shows up, dresses up like athletes, and play-pretends that they're getting in shape. 

Let's pretend we're punching!  What bullshit!  Punches need to be thrown with extreme violence, even if it's just at the air!



 This isn't a criticism of playing or using a little bit of imagination when training.  I think that the way lots of people train is boring as hell and could use a little creative thought.  Put that into how you get into shape, not into pretending that you're getting there. 

As I continue to try to breathe some artificial respiration into the oxygen-starved brain of the modern fitness industrial complex, I can't understand how so many shaved apes never notice how bad their overall posture sucks.  Considering that most of these places have enough mirrors to start a fun house, and that most of the people going to the gyms spend way too much time walking around naked, I'm struck that they never notice that their bodies are starting to look like the a weeping pine tree.

The people in the cycling classes seem to be the worst culprits, for obvious reasons.  The people who use the weight room aren't far behind. These people are easy to spot:  rounded shoulders, perfect pecs and abs, and skinny legs.  I might be dipping my toes in the dirty pond of broscience but I'm of the opinion that the mark of a good workout should result in you naturally standing and walking with good posture.  Too many people wreck their bodies by sitting slouched over.  That shouldn't be replicated in any place devoted to health. 


Why is it  ALWAYS the people you NEVER want to see naked in the gym the ones you end up seeing?

As my cranial pressure-release valve slowly begins to sputter rather than roar, I now realize that I'm probably telling everyone about things that they already know... and despise.  I appreciate you bearing with me.  If you're not one of those people then I urge you to take a really objective look around your McFitness make-believe health club.  These places have everything backwards.  Instead of doing body/soul-challenging,  interesting and inventive work that gets results, most everyone there is engaged in a bad fantasy world of doing unimaginative, brain-dead motion that doesn't do jack-shit towards moving anyone closer to great health, strength, or even a half-decent looking body.  You've smelled the stink of this pile of trash. 

It's time to move on. 

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Supersetting Pyramids

Between bouncing around various welfare-ravaged shithole towns in New Hampshire, raising a child, keeping a wife happy, and desperately trying to make more money than I shell out in both work and life I've realized something: 

I haven't posted here in over two months. 

Thank you for hanging around.  As I've darted around the Northeast United States, I've managed to keep some semblance of training going.  Necessity of trying to put together something that satisfies my urge for intense muscle-grinding burn in a unique manner is still alive and well.  Recently, it manifested itself in a quick routine that worked so well that I thought I'd share it with the masses.

I love supersetting with the upper body.  I've made that clear in the past.  I've a few other ways to organize a workout in the past, including pyramids.  I didn't like those so much.  I know it's not right but I feel like excessive rest when training is procrastinating.  Then, it hit me:  why not combine supersetting with pyramids? 

So, here's my idea:  I picked an upper body push and an upper body pull exercise and do a superset, adding a rep to each new set until I got to the point where I couldn't add another rep of either the push or the pull.  Then, I just worked my way back down.  Since I didn't have much time to work out, I selected Diamond Handstand Push-ups and Thick-bar, Close-Grip Chin-ups, knowing that the rep count on these two wouldn't go very high. 

I managed to get to 8 reps before my triceps just couldn't grind anymore. 

So, that worked out to 64 reps of each movement, 128 reps in roughly 15 minutes.  That certainly qualifies as good work in a limited amount of time in my book! 

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How to Convert 1 Inch Weights for use on 2 Inch Olympic Bar

I quite often find myself requiring just a few small plates to add to my olympic bar to up the weight, but with a lack of 2" diameter plates available and a pile of 1" diameter plates just sat there.

Problem solved!

This is a great idea for converting 1 inch diameter plates to be usable on a 2 Inch diameter olympic bar

I found this great idea on Instructables.com

Another great idea for adding weight to bars and other metallic lifting items is this DIY platemate idea

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Deadlift Platform

Lifting platforms are cool. But they take up a lot of space, they can't really be moved or stored, they weigh hundreds of lbs., can potentially cost over a hundred dollars, and they require a truck or trailer to get the rather large materials home. I came up with a smaller, lighter, cheaper, and portable solution. Though it is designed specifically with deadlifts in mind, that is all I need it for. And it only cost me $15.



Cost: $15 - $20
Project Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: You have to cut plywood and use glue and screws.

Tools Needed:

• Saw - Either a hand saw or a circular saw or other type of saw to cut plywood.
• Caulk Gun - if you choose to use Liquid Nails to glue the rubber down

Materials Needed:

• Plywood - I went with a single piece of 3/4" thick oriented strand board. It was 2' x 4'
• Liquid Nails - (optional) If you want to glue the rubber down.
• Wood Glue - (optional) not strictly necessary if you use screws but I like to use it. If you're using Liquid Nails for the rubber you can just use that to glue your plywood together.
• Screws - make sure they are long enough to go through all layer of the plywood but no so long that they poke out of the bottom layer.  In my case, I used 1 inch long screws to secure two layers of 3/4 inch plywood.

I have been wanting a lifting platform for a while, but I just don't have the space for it.  I don't even really have the space for a half platform to use for deadlifts. But it's getting to the point where my deadlift is heavy enough to want some floor protection underneath.

A full size platform (8' x 8') weighs somewhere around 300 lbs. Hardly easy to move and obviously takes up a lot of space. I don't even really have room for a half size platform (8' x 4').  Since I want it for deadlifts only, and I don't pull sumo I really didn't need anything as big as a half platform. Instead I made a 3 piece design. It's light, you can move it when not in use, and it cost me only $15.

The whole thing weighs 28 lbs. and as you see in the video you can carry it all in one arm and easily store it away when not in use.

- Carl

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Lifting Belt Storage Rack

Another project that I made from scrap materials. It's a glorified shelf / coat rack but I made it to store my weight lifting belts and other small gear. I previously had these lying on the floor so this storage solution is an improvement.

Even if you were to buy materials for this project you would only need a 1 x 6 board about 60 inches long, depending on how big you want to make it. A few small nails and screws, a square dowel, and some bolts with nuts and washers. It should be under $10.

This is part of the "show off" series, as I didn't record the actual construction process. I made this up on the fly and the exact materials I used is not the perfect way to go about it because I was just cleaning up scrap I had. The project is pretty simple and I explain the construction in the video, but if you would like me to do a full write-up with diagrams and such please leave a comment. If the demand is there I'll do it. But it's basically just a simple shelf with bolts through it for "hooks" and a lip around the edge so my lacrosse ball doesn't roll off.

The reason I suggest screwing this thing into studs is because it's going to have a decent amount of weight on it, especially if you hang chain belts from it. To find the studs in your wall either use a stud finder tool or you can knock on the wall. You'll be able to hear and feel when you're over a stud because it will sound hard, for lack of a better way to describe it. Where there's no stud it will be distinctly hollow.

- Carl

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DIY Sandbags

I have wanted to do some sandbag training for a while now. My goal was to use things around the house in order to make these completely free. Lest I get some complaints, I know it's not best sandbag option out there. I'm not saying it's good for any purpose you might want to use a sandbag. I'm just showing you what I did to make some basic heavy bags for free. These weigh 50 lbs. each. I've had them for a month now and they have been working well for my purposes so far.

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DIY Stone Roller for Stone Lifting Training

In a month I'll be competing in 'The Gathering' -  a 2 day grip competition where folks with strong hands from many areas of the World will congregate and test their strength.

One of the events is the 'Bear Hug Deadlift' where the athlete hugs a stone roller and lifts the bar to knee height for a successful lift. The event is a superb lift for practicing the atlas stones and a great strengthener for the forearms and back muscles.

To train for The Gathering I have made my own Stone Roller

Materials required:

Old dustbin (must have little or no taper in the main barrel)
1" or 2" bar
Sand, gravel, cement
Buckets for mixing
PVA glue



 

 How to make your own Stone Roller
 
1. Cut a hole the same size as your bar in the center of the dustbin

2. Level an area of ground and place the bin on the levelled area. Set a spirit level across the bin to ensure when set the bar is as concentric as possible.

3. Insert the bar through the bin and into the ground to the correct depth so that once complete the bar protrudes from the barrel equally on both sides (some simple maths here)

4. Use some kind of mould release to assist removal of the concrete from the bin once dried. I used some vegetable oil spray for this. Spray all around the area that will be in contact with the concrete.

5. Mix the concrete using a ratio of 5/6 to 1 (sand to cement) using sharp sand and gravel, make sure the mix is quite wet so that it fills the mould entirely.

6. Use a stick to work the concrete and remove any air pockets.

7. leave for 1-2 weeks (the longer the better), to allow the concrete to set and fully harden

8. Remove from the mould (if your bar is quite long like mine, it may be a 2 man job to turn the mould upside down unless you're feeling strong!)

9.  Hey presto!! A 114.5kg Stone Roller almost ready for putting to action for stone lifting training.






10. Next step is to paint the stone with PVA glue, this will prevent the surface of the stone from rubbing away and dusting. Allow to dry for at least a day or until the surface is not tacky.

11. Lift and enjoy!

In 'The Gathering' no tacky shall be allowed, only chalk which in turn makes the lift more challenging.

This stone ended up 15" long by 16" diameter at a weight of 114.5kg 252 lbs and loadable to well over 300kg

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