Via StrongLifts.com : Mehdi points to the blog of accupuncturist Ed Sanderson, who has some great articles on a number of aspects of health and nutrition. Well worth checking out.
Results matching “Bird”
This is a guest article by freakishly strong gripster Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson - Straight to the Grip Contest: Pt V.
Up until now, we have covered the gripper setting techniques that are most widely known in Grip Sports. While these sets, allow for the athlete to pre-position the gripper before making the attempt to close the handles together, there are some other techniques that are practiced in which a pre-closing of the gripper is not permitted. These methods are called "no-sets."
Within this category, there are two techniques - the basic no-set, and the table no-set.
No-Set Close
The No-Set technique is very easy to perform. All you really have to do is place the gripper in your hand how you want it, without pre-closing it, and give it a squeeze. The object is, of course, to close the gripper and touch the handles together, but upon trying this technique you will see that it is much harder to pull off because you have not pre-arranged the gripper into a position of optimal leverage. Instead, you have to work the handles the entire way through the range of the sweep.
Now, even though you do not pre-close the handles, you can still place the gripper so that it is in an advantageous position. Naturally, when you attempt a no-set close, you are not just going to haphazardly drop the gripper into your hand and hope your fingers catch it in a good spot. Instead, you should situate it, so that the anchor handle is firmly and squarely set against the thumb pad and the other is favorably in contact with the fingers. This will ensure that the gripper does not slip around in your hand while closing.
No-set closes are one of my main focuses with grippers at this time, and I can see that I progress much slower with no-sets than I do when using a set.
Table No-Set
The table no-set is even more difficult, in my opinion, than the fundamental no-set gripper close. Again with this technique the close will not be assisted by the off-hand. In fact, with this technique only the squeezing hand is allowed to touch the gripper.
This technique is the one that is required for certifying under the Warren Tetting regulations. You can contact Warren Tetting for a specially made gripper which you can then certify on. To qualify, the gripper must start on a table or other hard, flat surface. The athlete must reach down with the squeezing hand, grab one handle and then wriggle the fingers into position to make the close.
To the best of my knowledge, the athlete must video tape the certification attempt and send it to Warren Tetting himself. Beyond these details, I am not sure, as I have never looked into this certification, although many Gripboard members have done so.
As far as grip contests are concerned, gripper closing techniques can't get much more pure than the Table No-set. Unless the promoter throws the gripper to the athlete and they must squeeze it upon contact, or if it is hung from a string and the athlete must try to close it in one impulsive thrust, or something along those lines; and I just don't see those challenges showing up in grip contests any time soon.
I do not recall any contests where No-sets and Table No-sets were the only approaches allowed in the gripper event. For our contest, the Global Grip Challenge, we normally specify the deepest set allowed and then if the athlete would like to use a shallower set it is perfectly acceptable. For instance, in 2005, we allowed a parallel set, but some athletes chose to use more of a Table No-set grip. In 2006, we changed to the credit card set, but we also allowed a no-set to be utilized for those who were afraid of burning up energy placing a credit card between the handles of the gripper.
Again, I think it is good to be well rounded as a Grip athlete and it will behoove you to train using all the techniques throughout the year. You might even try the toss-and-squeeze technique I mentioned above. But at some point, as the competition draws near, you should transition to a training phase where you specialize on the technique allowed at the contest itself.
Specialization. That is the theme for the next article in this series. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check out DieselCrew.com for all the latest updates. We just introduced a new product there that I know many of you would love to sink your teeth into. Thanks and STAY DIESEL.
Via Physical Strategies : 'Rocky' Marciano goes to work on Roland LaStarza.
It's been a couple of years since I took a good look at my home gym. I use it all the time, of course; but I don't often stop to think of the things that should be in there. As a starting point, here's a look at the current setup.
Power rack, bar and weights
This is the core of the gym, and features heavily in my workouts. Rack pulls (it's a fairly small room, so I usually do these instead of full-range deads), pull-ups and even kettlebell swings take place in and on the rack. It's very much a major player.
Bench (with preacher and leg curl attachments)
Although I rarely use the attachments, the basic bench comes in handy for a number of things - not least of which is the bench press. As the ceiling doesn't allow for standing overhead press work, I generally use the bench for seated versions of the same movements. Once again, this is usually done inside the rack.
Exercise bike (stationary cycle)
Until recently, this lived in the garage and was seldom touched. It occasionally gets dusted off for warmups (although kettlebell swings are the norm).
Total Gym
I'm still impressed by what first seemed to be another piece of equipment that would soon end up in a garage sale (the infomercials don't help). As versatile as any variety of cable machine, it gets regular use as part of a warmup.
Assorted dumbbells (and kettlebell)
Although there are several pairs of dumbbells lying around (one of which has been fattened ready for farmers walks); they seldom get used. I suspect they should, but the barbells and kettlebell are enough for most things.
Sandbag
This is definitely one for outdoor training; which will resume in a few months (when the weather gets a bit warmer - it's the cold part of the year here). There are other outdoor items which seem to magically appear when things start to heat up; anvils, sledgehammers, ropes, bricks - a seemingly endless list of fun stuff.
Crabwalking [streaming, 1.4mb .flv download].
Via Napalm's Corner : if you're just starting your journey into the wonderful world of boxing, head over to Boxing for the Street and check out their video tutorials. For a taster, have a look at the speed bag instruction [streaming, 7.7mb .flv download].
Natural Bodybuilding Principles. Exactly what it says on the tin.
Cycling baggs (yes, I know how to spell it). One of the many 1970s Japanese cycling ads here. Via Get Outdoors.
Pat Hodgson does it again. This time it's a forearm exerciser that puts a disused bike to good use.
Click the image for a larger photo to see how it all hangs together.
If you have fond memories of billy-kart (soapbox) racing - a DIY car consisting of little more than a wooden box, wheels and a steep slope; the SFVISBF is for you.
The SFVISBF (aka San Fernando Valley Illegal Soap Box Federation) is a group of guys who meet every couple of weeks to race exactly this type of home-made coffin-on-wheels. As you'll see by looking at some of the regular entrants, there's a lot of love going into this.
If you love building stuff, and you're in the area, the group's next race is this Sunday (May 13). A final word from the group :
You can get hurt or killed by doing this. There have been injuries, no deaths to this point. This is not for the weak. If you have a penchant for throwing your life into the wind and some welding skills, join us, otherwise watch the video [streaming, 20.1mb .flv download].
Looks fantastic.