10.16.2008
Bodyweight Training World Records
| "Thought you might be interested in leaning about some of the bodyweight World Records which have been established over the years. Quite frankly they are truly amazing. Check em out: 1. Longest Iron Cross Hold - The Iron Cross is a gymnastic move which you probably got a chance to see at the olympics a few months back. Elite Gymnastics must be able to hold this move on the rings with arms outstretched for at least a couple counts in order to get the highest scores. On April 25th, 2003, Armenian gymnast Aratak Grigoyan held the Iron Cross position for a staggering 22.9 seconds. 2. Back-of-Hand Pushups in 1 Hour - This record was established by the great Irish endurance athlete and boxing trainer Paddy Doyle. On November 8th, 2007 Paddy did 1940 pushups on the back of his hands - Yow. I'll have more info on Paddy Doyle at a later date. 3. Leapfrogging - On July 19, 1974, Mike Barwell and Wally Adams from East Yorkshire (United Kingdom), leapfrogged a distance of 17 miles 342 yards (27.4 km) in eight hours, averaging one leap every five yards. 4. Pole Climbing - The record time for climbing an 80-foot (24.4 m) pole is 9.61 seconds, achieved by Australian Mark Bryden on April, 16th, 2001. 5. Chin-ups - On December 29th, 2004 Lee Chin Yong of Korea set the consecutive chinups mark with an incredible 611 in a row. He was 69 years old at the time! Only one word for these: Amazing. More soon. Train hard, John Wood P.S. If you want to challenge the chin-up record, this is a good place to start: Steve Maxwell's Pullup DVD |  "My record is only 16..." |
Labels: Bodyweight Feats, Bodyweight Training, Chin Ups, Iron Cross, Leapfrogging, Paddy Doyle, Pole Climbing, World Records
9.09.2008
About The Weight Vest
 | One topic that we have had a lot of questions about is the weight vest and should it be used in your training. My official answer to that is: it depends -- it depends on what your goals are and it depends on who you are in regards to your training. For some folks who need the extra challenge a weight vest is a great addition. You can put it on to add weight to rope climbing, chins, dips -- whatever you do with a vest on you know its going to be more intense. if you fit in this category I would caution you to work into it slowly, the vest will change your center of gravity and it may be quite a shock for many exercises. However, for many people the added weight may not be necessary as "normal" bodyweight movements provide more than enough of a challenge - as does simply "sticking with it." I've got a weight vest that my uncle gave me a few years back. I tried it for a few exercises and didnt like it but, like I said, if you're a total bodyweight maniac, it's probably going to be a good investment. Train hard, John Wood P.S. If you can climb a Peg Board with a weight vest on you must be half-gorilla. |
Labels: Chins, Dips, Peg Board, Rope Climbing, Weight Vest
The Perfect Pushup?
 | I checked the 'ol mail bag this morning and pulled out a good one. Take a look:Hello John, Hi Jesse, Im glad you brought that up. I saw a bunch of info-mercials for the Perfect Pushup and thought it was just another gimmick. However, a few weeks later I was at a sporting goods in Cincinnati and I tried it... It was pretty good, and I was pleasantly surprised. I even considered featuring them on my website but now you can find them pretty much everywhere so it wouldn't be worth it for me. However, I urge everyone to give them a try just to see. And like many times in my life I was skeptical... until I actually tried it.  Of course "regular" pushups are good too, the PP just adds (literally) a new twist. Train hard, John Wood P.S. If you want to learn some other "unusual" pushup variations such as knife-fighter pushups, spider ups and "crush" pushups, you can find them in this book: Bodyweight Training for Extraordinarly Strength |
Labels: Bodyweight Exercise, Bodyweight Training, Knife-Fighter Pushups, Perfect Pushup, Pushups
8.06.2008
Bodyweight Progressions
 | With a barbell it's easy just add another plate to the bar and you're set -- but what do you do with bodyweight? Make no mistake about it though, regardless of how you are training if you do not train progressively, youll just be wasting your time. You see, your body can only grow in direct response to the demands placed upon it. And those demands must increase in intensity over time for an adaptation to keep taking place ie for you to keep getting stronger. For some movements, its simple, just add weight -- like having a weight belt for chins and dips, a very worthwhile investment if you ask me. For others, not so easy - for example, how would you increase the intensity while doing say, burpees, jumping rope, rope climbing or monkey bars? Theres a couple different methods -- some of which depends on the particular exercise, some of which depends on the context the exercise is performed, and some of which depends on the style in which the exercise is done. For something like jumping rope, if you need a little "kick in the pants" try jumping rope in between bouts of hill sprints - or, alternately, you could do high knees, jump on one foot or "double up." -- which are all in-tense ways of training. And with something like a climbing rope, its just a manner of moving on to more challenging variations -- with the feet, without the feet, climbing two ropes, climbing upside down and once you master all of those, you can move on to a thicker rope. Every exercise can be made "harder" in some way -- but you have to keep at it and keep improving. Train hard, John Wood P.S. Need a few ideas? Maxwell can definitely show you how to make your workout tougher... try a few scorpion pushups or one-arm extension pullups for a new challenge... find out how to do em here: Maxwell's Pullup Workout |
Labels: Body Weight Training, Bodyweight Progressions, Bodyweight Training, Jump Rope, Progression
5.06.2008
A Couple More Good Jump Rope Questions
| I was doing some driving yesterday and at several points along the Ohio turnpike some great songs came on the radio. I mean, songs that were some of my favorites in years past but, for whatever reason, had slipped my mind. And when they came on -- unexpectedly, I might add -- they were as good as ever. In one sense, great exercises and great songs are just alike. No matter how good they might be, sometimes they just get pushed to the back of your mind and you forget about them - for a little while anyway - but something comes along to jog your memory to remind you just how good they are. And jumping ropes is one of those "classics." It's interesting hearing from a lot of folks who have recently started jumping rope again after not having done so for, in some cases, decades. I know - I was the same way - and Im glad that so many people are "pickin up what I'm putting down" if you know what I mean. Anyhow, heres a few questions that people have sent in regards to jumping rope and rope jump training: ----------------------------------- Hi John,Stephen -- Mahalo! , my Hawaiian friend. The answer to your question depends on the height of the grass in question. I have had no problem jumping rope in my back yard although if you are doing the exercise in knee-high brush, you may find it somewhat difficult. Of course, you can also jump rope in such a way that the rope doesnt even touch the ground which is an interesting variation that I use from time to time. (and if you let it touch - do a pushup - Yow!) Also, in case anyone is wondering, one of the features of all the Lifeline ropes that we feature is that they are indestructible. Ya cant bust em, and theres no bearings to wear out so basically these ropes will be your ropes for life. ----------------------------------- John, do you recommend any specific workouts when you jump rope?Hi Pete, Ive sent out several different workouts and kinds of workouts in past emails. Check em out in the blog or the articles section. The thing to remember with any cardio work is that it doesnt matter exactly what you do to get your heart rate up, so long as it gets up and all that means is vigorous, physical activity for 15-20 minutes. One of the things about jumping rope is that you can make these little challenge "games" for yourself that make the time go by very quickly. For example, "the no-touch" challenge listed above, or a certain number of jumps in a specific time frame, or even something like the "Essie Logan" workout which is will discuss at a later date. This is also one of the great things about jumping rope - if you want the benefits, theres no complex formula - "just do it." ----------------------------------- John,Thats exactly what Im talkin' about Doug - You can diggit. ----------------------------------- It's Tuesday which means later on today youll find me jumping up a storm, either down at the track or in between hill sprints (havent decided which yet) Eithert way, its going to be a great workout, and you can do it too: Lifeline Heavy Jumping Ropes And if you already have taken action and been jumping, good on ya, lets hear from you! (keep it up) Train hard, John Wood P.S. "Within each of us lies the power of our consent to health and sickness, to riches and poverty, to freedom and to slavery. It is we who control these, and not another." - Richard Bach |  Jumpin' Rope |
Labels: Jump Rope, Jump Rope Fitness, Jump rope Workouts, Jumping Rope, Lifeline Heavy Jump Rope
4.21.2008
TRX Suspension System Used by the Military Overseas
We found this picture while doing some web crawling. Pretty neat to see our products in use by our men and women in uniform. Find out more about the TRX right here.
Labels: Bodyweight Training, Bodyweight Training Equipment, Military Training, Trx Suspension System
4.10.2008
Jumpin' Rope
As is usually customary when I start talking about a new product, questions start to flood the 'ol in box, but today Im going to do a little something different...
You see, I'm going to tell you exactly how I train when I jump rope, Im talking down to the last detail, but before I do that, let me tell you some of the benefits
and advantages of jumping rope, and why I feel it is something you should have as a part of you training.
First of all, if you want to be strong, you gotta be in shape.
Yes, you may not like it, you may not want to hear it, but you simply cant deny the benefits of cardiovascular fitness.
After all, to be "functional" you must actually do "things" and that requires oxygen to your muscles, and what gets the oxygen to your muscles?
Your heart – and how do you strengthen your heart?
That's right – conditioning work. If you do high-rep leg training you understand that its not necessarily your legs that give out first; it's your lungs – and being in better shape means a couple more reps – and that means getting just a little stronger than you would have been otherwise.
And, as they say, your waistline is your lifeline, so while you may not necessarily "like" conditioning work, it's going to be a pretty good idea in the grand scheme of things to get that going.
Now, as far as jumping rope. – tis a good choice for a lot of reasons, the least of which is that its simply a great alternative to jogging or running.
Not necessarily "better" in some respects, just different.
You may not necessarily "feel" like running but you can always manage a couple minutes of rope jumping.
Another thing about jumping rope is that it causes you to engage your whole body – upperbody, mid-section, legs – you must pay attention to each and every jump thus developing coordination and kinesthetic awareness.
I keep a rope in the back of my truck at all times and on plenty of occasions, I can use it to do a little something different to my workouts.
A couple examples that I have used in the past include a minute of jumping between stair running, sprints, hindu squats, pushups.
You name an exercise, and a little rope jumping can make it that much more intense. – and provide much-needed variety to keep your workouts fresh.
Plus, with the upper body involvement, especially the wrist rotation, I find that a coupel minutes of jumping rope the day after a hard workouts increases blood flow to get rid of soreness and promote recovery.
As far as some of the ways I train, I mentioned a few examples above, no real "secret" other than to add it in and do it.
I tell you what, this email is getting a bit on the long side for me,
Let me write up my workout and send it out later today. I'll also include the one simple thing that you should have for every conditioning workout – something you can get pretty easily.
That will be revealed just a bit later on today.
In the meantime, you'll want to sprint on over and get yourself a set of the same ropes that I use. Youll find em here:
Train hard,
John Wood
Labels: Conditioning Workout, Jimmy Clabby, Jump Rope, Jumprope, Jumprope Workout, Lifeline Heavy Jump Rope, Lifeline Jumprope
4.08.2008
Yes, It Will Hold...
Tim wrote in yesterday with this question:
Does TRX support FULL bodyweight exercisesTim, the short answer is Yes, the TRX will hold fast and secure for every exercise you can think of.
- dips,pullups, muscleups, iron cross etc ?
Thanks,
Tim
How do I know? Its because the TRX is made of industrial strength soft nylon webbing which has been max tested at over 1500 pounds.
You couldn't bust it if you tried.
The real question, I suppose, is whether the attachment point of your choosing is strong enough -- which should not be a problem with a little common sense.
.
Things like the swing set at the park, or an overhead beam in your basement or a steel attachment clip arent going anywhere. Full instructions for secure attachment are included.
Also keep in mind that all those exercises listed are a different animal when done on the TRX so if youre looking for a new challenge, that's one to keep in mind.
I would bet that if you can do 20-30 dips and 15 chins on conventional equipment, you would be lucky to get half that many on the TRX.
I'm talking full reps here, though, your form can always be modified to suit. The good thing about the TRX is that with a simple shift in leverage, it can be just as
much of a challenge for someone just starting out as it is for a Navy Seal.
As I have mentioned several times before, I like the TRX for one specific exercise – everything else is icing on the cake.
It's called the reverse crunch and it's the only ab exercise youll ever need... After doing this exercise fighting champ Bas Rutten said that his abs were so tender that it hurt to laugh...
I know exactly what hes talking about because it happened to me too.
Train hard,
John Wood
P.S. To find out more about the TRX and what it can do for your training, youll want to sprint on over to this page: The TRX Bodyweight Suspension System
Labels: Ab Exercise, Ab Training, Bas Rutten, Bodyweight Ab Exercise, Bodyweight Training Question, Trx Suspension System
