We saw Silvester Stallone do it in Rocky IV – training his ass off in the bitter Moscow cold in order to prepare for the biggest challenge of his career, Ivan Drago.
We then wanted to go outside in the snow, carry a log on our back, and start cutting cords of wood like Mountain Men.
Now, you can say that subjecting yourself to situations like this can make you mentally tougher once it is done, but are there any true benefits to training in cold weather over training in a warm, comfortable gym? (more…)
For everybody who comes to the site looking for ways to challenge your body and ways to spur growth and strength development, I’ve got a hell of a way for you to do it, today!
Chances are, you have probably done some work with Ropes before, and I bet you liked it.
I like it too. It makes for very intense cardio driven by the upper body, and it tests your mental strength as well as your physical capabilities.
Let’s look at the standard rope training that is commonly done.
The trainee takes an ulnar deviated neutral – forearm grip on the rope. From there, he raises the rope with shoulder flexion and then rapidly snaps the rope back down with shoulder extension.
This can be done with both ends of the rope moving upward at the same time, or by alternating the ropes.
This is, of course, a very intense form of training. In fact, new trainees are usually shocked when they try it for the first time and feel how tough it is.
But if you are like me, you like to mix it up and make standard training methods even more intense, so here is what you can try next time you train with Ropes.
WARNING
Proceed at Your Own Risk
This is a warning right now – this training is intense. Everything from here on out should only be attempted by:
Someone who is properly warmed-up
Someone who is not afraid to feel the pain of serious effort
Someone who knows how to listen to their body and knows when to stop
Someone who is serious about training the shoulder musculature dynamically
If you meet these requirements, then move ahead. If not, please leave now.
Variation 1 – 45-degree Whiplash
Instead of drawing the rope straight up and down, whip the rope diagonally at a 45-degree angle. The path also resembles a Figure 8.
You would be surprised how much slightly changing the angle of the rope undulations affects your shoulders. It also hits the core very hard.
Begin with 5 to ten thrusts from to low left to high right, and then switch to low right to high left, shooting for evenness. Be conservative to start out until you find out how well your shoulder endurance holds up.
Variation 2 – Ultimate Warrior Rope Shake Thrash
Stand 90-degrees away from the tree or other solid object you have the rope rigged to. From there, grasp both ends of the rope with both hands. Think back to the good old days of wrestling when the Ultimate Warrior would draw power from shaking the ropes, and proceed to shake the rope in the same manner.
You may want to paint your face for this one. I think it will help you get a few extra reps.
Variation 3 – Super Long Side Laterals
For this one, we are going to work one arm at a time and instead of using only half the rope, we are going to stretch the entire length of the rope out.
Don’t just perform controlled Side Laterals like you are lifting with a dumbbell. Move the rope up and down like you are trying to uproot the tree or snap the bolts that are holding down the equipment you rigged the equipment to.
Your side and posterior laterals will be juiced up after this one, and you may even feel your traps sizzling, too.
Variation 4 – Posterior Delt Assault
Face completely away from the spot where you have the rope rigged and bend slightly forward. Pull the rope tight and then take a half step backwards. Grip the end of the rope in one hand and proceed to perform rapid shoulder extension movements. Think of performing a skiing motion, but imagine the Abominable Snowman is coming down after you and you have to try to escape with just one ski pole.
These are just a few of the variations that you can do to mix up your rope training. I am sure that you can think up even more variations. If so, shoot a video and post it on YouTube and I will post it here. I want to see them and try them myself.
If you hate looking at just still shots, here is a video I shot in my yard for you. Unfortunately, the trucks were going by in full force, so I not only had to talk while gasping for air, but I also had to shout over the industrial traffic. Please bear with me.
Give them a try and report back here. Let us know what you think. We love the comments.
Also, if you get a chance, make sure to post this link to Facebook and share it with your buddies.
I remember the first publication I read specifically talking about the balance required in a workout. It was Alwyn Cosgrove’s The Professional Fitness Coach Program Design Bible.
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP (more…)
When you think of old school strength, you think of the strongmen of old. Dudes like Cyr, Sandow, Saxon, Inch, Hackenschmidt, Klein, Aston and Arco, just to name a few.
These guys trained with basic, compound movements and use very simple equipment like dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells and thick rope – yet were some of the strongest men who ever lived. A lot of their feats are still unmatched today.
