The Slosh Pipe
Steve Maxwell has a reputation for finding, creating, and sharing unique training methods and tools. I remember seeing the slosh pipe a while back, and saw last week or so that Steve had posted an article about it.
Basically, a slosh pipe is a length of PVC pipe that you fill with water, capping both ends (use a screw-top on one end). In his example, he uses a 9.5′ length of 4″-6″ PVC. When filled with water it weighs in at about 40 pounds. It doesn’t sound like much, but the way the water sloshes from end to end makes it Read more
Tags: Conditioning & Endurance, Grip Training, Hardcore & Odd Object, Strength TrainingPopularity: 12% [?]
New Mike Mahler Beginner Kettlebell DVD…
I’ve been really busy lately and haven’t posted in a while, but I got an email about this DVD this morning and wanted to let you guys know. It’s currently at the top of Mike’s Store.
It’s around 2 1/2 hours of no-fluff basics of kettlebell training. From the sample clip, it looks like the video/sound quality and editing is similar to the Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD, which I have and recommend.
Right now, he’s got special pricing on it, and you’ll get a free copy of his Kettlebell Workshop Manual. Check it out here.
Tags: beginners, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Strength Training, Womens TrainingPopularity: 59% [?]
Making a Sandbag…
I posted most of this as a comment in another post, but thought it deserved its own. Obviously, there’s more than one way to make a sandbag, but here’s how I made mine.
If you want to buy a ready-to-go sandbag, you can get one from www.ironmind.com . I haven’t used one, but Ironmind has an excellent reputation for quality. They’re pretty expensive though.
Personally, I just went to Academy (a sporting goods store) and bought a good duffel bag. You’ll want one that is fairly heavy (mine’s nylon). Mine was $10 (a few years ago). They also had some cheaper, thinner nylon bags that can work as inner bags. And even with them, I put the sand in small plastic trash bags.
So, I put the sand in several plastic bags, then those inside a few thin nylon bags, then put them inside the main heavy nylon bag. This gives you a few layers of protection to keep the sand from spilling out. It also allows you to adjust the weight of the main bag. Say you make five thin inner bags at 20 pounds each; you can use four for 80 pounds or all five for 100 pounds, etc. Or, even if you just have one or two thin inner bags, you can still adjust the weight by adding/removing the plastic bags. One other tip: remove the air from the plastic bags before tying them closed. Leave the empty space, but remove the excess air. This will allow the sand to still move around inside the bag, without the air taking up so much space.
The way I built mine might be overkill, but it works for me.
For sand, you can just get play sand from a home improvement store.
If you do all this and the sandbag still isn’t heavy enough for you, you can add something heavier to the bag. A barbell plate or dumbbell buried in the middle of the inserts can work, though I haven’t tried it myself. You could also use a chain, or gravel to add to the weight.
Tags: Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Hardcore & Odd Object, Muscle Building, Strength TrainingPopularity: 37% [?]
Six Reasons to Take Up Sandbag Training
While sandbag training does seem to be growing in popularity, there are still millions of people who have never heard of it. Or, they’ve heard of it but thought it was too “out there”, ineffective, or whatever.
I’ve thought up a short list of reasons to get going with sandbag training.
- Cheap. You can make a sandbag for less than $20.
- Strength or conditioning. Depending on the weight of your sandbag and your program, you can use them for building either strength or conditioning.
- Adjustable. If you make your sandbag by using smaller inserts, you can add or remove the inserts to adjust the weight of the bag. You can make each insert 10 pounds and easily get the weight you want.
- Stabilizers. Because the sand moves around inside the bag, you end up working muscles you forget you have. The small stabilizers muscles that come into play for balancing and such get a workout more than with a nicely-balanced barbell.
- Safety. Granted a 100+ pound sandbag still weighs 100+ pounds and you can still hurt yourself by doing something wrong. However, you practically remove the risk of impact injury with a sandbag. Drop a sandbag on your toe and you’ll be fine. With a barbell… not so much.
- Versatile. The purpose of the sandbag is to build functional, real-world strength and/or conditioning. As such, it lends itself to very creative workouts that can remain effective.
I’m sure there are plenty of other good reasons not listed. If you want to give sandbag training a try, just get started. If you’re new, or you’re tired of free-form training and want a more thought-out approach to sandbags, check out The Caveman’s Guide to Fitness or Sandbag Strength.
Tags: Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Hardcore & Odd Object, Muscle Building, Strength TrainingPopularity: 38% [?]
Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD - Review
If you’re not aware, Mike Mahler has produced a new 3-DVD set, with over 7-1/2 hours of instruction, featuring Mike Mahler, Steve Maxwell, Steve Cotter, and Nate Morrison. I’ve been wanting to write a review of Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD since I got it a few weeks ago, but it’s just taken a while to watch the whole thing. So, you might want to grab a drink and sit back, this could be a long one.
Let me say that at first, I was a little skeptical about the quality of the video. Since it was shot at a kettlebell workshop, I was expecting poor quality video and sound. However, Read more
Tags: Bodyweight Training, Circuit Training, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Product Reviews, reviews, Speed Strength, Strength TrainingPopularity: 100% [?]
More Than a Kettlebell Workshop DVD
Mike Mahler has produced a new set of DVDs. It’s over 7 hours worth of training information from some of the most respected instructors in the industry: Mike Mahler, Steve Maxwell, Steve Cotter, and Nate Morrison.
It was filmed during a workshop in Las Vegas, and is MUCH more than a kettlebell training DVD set. It ain’t cheap, but if you’re serious about your training, or are a personal trainer looking to expand your knowledge (and business), I highly recommend you check it out. You can read all about it here: Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD.
I didn’t want to write up a formal review until I’d seen it. However, since Mike currently has special pricing on it, I really wanted to tell you guys about it so you can take advantage of the discount.
I did get my copy a couple of weeks ago. I’ve only been able to watch about half of it so far, but it’s excellent - and not the same stuff you’ve heard before. New snatch and clean techniques (straight from Russia) by Steve Cotter to really raise your numbers. A different approach to pressing from Mike Mahler to improve your speed and explosiveness.
Before I ordered, I was concerned about the video and sound quality - since it was shot during a workshop. However, I have no issues at all. The workshop was indoors, and both the video and audio are great. Here’s a teaser video:
I won’t say any more about it here, you can find out for yourself at:
Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD
And remember - order now for special pricing!
Tags: Bodyweight Training, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Speed Strength, Strength TrainingPopularity: 80% [?]
Deals at Tactical Athlete
Hey Guys,
Jeff Martone has recently started having monthly specials. Buy two get one free, 30% off of DVD bundles, that sort of thing.
Get the details at the home of H2H Kettlebells, H2H Circuit Training, and the innovative shotput workout, S.H.O.T. - Tactical Athlete.
Tags: Circuit Training, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Speed StrengthPopularity: 68% [?]
Ready to Purchase Kettlebells?
So you think you might be ready to purchase kettlebells. You’ve been looking around online for the best way to get into shape, and found out about them. Personally, my results from kettlebells have been better than any other type of exercise I’ve tried.
Fortunately when you’re ready to purchase kettlebells, you have a few options. Unfortunately, good kettlebells are rare in the “real world”, so you’ll probably have to get them online. I’ve found a few trustworthy options, whether you just need one or two, or a full kettlebell set.
First, you can buy kettlebells from RussianKettlebells.com. These are the kettlebells designed by Pavel Tsatsouline and offered through Dragon Door. These are the kettlebells that started the current trend in the US and are Read more
Tags: beginners, Circuit Training, Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, KettlebellsPopularity: 68% [?]
Deals at Mike Mahler’s shop…
Hey guys,
You need to check out the current deals that Mike Mahler has right now.
Some of the biggest names in physical training - Mike Mahler, Steve Cotter, Steve Maxwell, and Nate Morrison - have a new DVD set that just came out that is just loaded with material - over SEVEN HOURS of video. He’s currently offering special pricing, so grab it NOW before the price goes up! I ordered mine a couple of days ago. You can read all about it here: Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD.
Mike also does some discount bundling with his other DVDs as well:
DVD Bundle - Fat Loss/Mental Toughness, Size/Strength, Speed/Explosiveness
DVD Combo - Fat Loss and Mental Toughness PLUS Speed and Explosive Strength
DVD Combo - Size and Strength PLUS Speed and Explosive Strength
Check them out - especially the Boys Are Back in Town Kettlebell Workshop DVD. That’s a can’t miss deal at the current price.
Tags: Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Kettlebells, Muscle Building, Speed Strength, Strength TrainingPopularity: 62% [?]
Sandbag Training…
I’ve done some sandbag training on and off over the years. It’s tough stuff, but every time I have a sandbag workout I end up wishing I did it more often. It’s just such a change from the norm.
Generally, I just make it up as I go along. A typical sandbag workout might just be repeatedly picking it up and putting it back down, or simply picking it up and carrying it up and down the street or around the block.
I rarely put much thought into sandbag training when I’m doing it - it’s just a fun, different workout from my normal routine. However, I just came across The Caveman’s Guide to Fitness and Sandbag Strength. Each looks like a full course in sandbag training.
Both programs are currently less than $20 - pretty affordable for this type of information. And check out the bonuses - especially for the Caveman’s Guide!
Tags: Conditioning & Endurance, Fat Loss, Hardcore & Odd Object, Strength TrainingPopularity: 33% [?]
