This is a great exercise for developing strength and power through the torso, but more importantly it trains you to load the back hip and extend through the glutes, down through the ground, while firing your torso muscles in a rotating motion.  This is the same neurological firing sequence you find in most athletic movements.  As a strength coach I find this a very desirable exercise to use with my athletes.

One of the biggest mistakes my athletes make with this exercise is not stepping far enough away from the sled to take up the slack in the strap.  You want the strap with no slack in it to start as seen in the picture.  From there you want to engage your torso musculature; particularly your abdominals as you start to load the back hip area.  Extend through the hip and knee to generate force through the ground as the torso begins it’s rotation.  Then follow through the full range of motion.

This is a training method I use to achieve rotational force and power.  It has proven itself to be a highly effect exercise over the years and I would encourage you to give it a try.  Try it even if you are no longer a participating athlete. You can slow down the power element and it will become more of a rotational strength exercise for your core.

To your health,

Jerry

I love this exercise and I do it with a lot of my athletes and clients.  The Squatting Power Row just produces great results and you can feel it working with the very first pull.  Here are some main points to focus on when performing this exercise:

• Keep the weight back on your heels.
• Drop down into a full squat and do not allow your knees to move forward over your toes.
• Drive up out of the squat maintaining good form in your torso.
• Pull the elbows back towards your sides and draw back the shoulder blades into a tight scapular retracted position.
• Back-peddle until tension is in the strap, get your feet set, and repeat explosively.

You can add plates and/or weight as needed.  Much of this will be dependant upon the surface you are dragging the sled across.  Perform repetitions down the full length of a field or by predetermined repetitions.

If you have a dragging sled then give this one a try and tell me what you think.  If you do not have a sled then go get a tire and build one.  This is one exercise you will want in your arsenal of exercises to add variety to your progressive routines.

To your health,

Jerry

]]> http://www.varietytrainer.com/squatting-power-row-with-a-dragging-sled/feed/ 0 http://www.varietytrainer.com/how-to-make-a-homemade-tire-dragging-sled/ http://www.varietytrainer.com/how-to-make-a-homemade-tire-dragging-sled/#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 02:38:45 +0000 Jerry Shreck http://www.varietytrainer.com/?p=1479 Training tools and fads will come and go but a dragging sled I will always have.  This is the most functional and versatile piece of training equipment that I have and the least expensive to make.  You can literally train every muscle in the body with this one tool and some creative thought.  The best part, is that you can make one for under $7.00 and in about half an hour you can be dragging, pushing, and pulling this sled everywhere.

First, get yourself a jeep or truck tire.  I just kept my jeep tires when I got them replaced but you can go to any tire shop and they will gladly give you as many tires as you want for free.  They have to pay to dispose of them, so you taking tires saves them more and adds to their profits.

Next, get yourself around 12-16 feet of strap for dragging the sled.  I get mine from Wal-mart in the craft/material department for around $3.00.  The strap seen on the sled in the video is around 12 feet but I would recommend getting it a little longer-closer to 16 feet.  You can get more heavy duty straps or towing straps but that will also increase the cost and that is entirely up to you and what you like.

Finally, off to the hardware store for some bolts, big washers, and seat belt floor attachments.  You could use eye-bolts in replace of the seat belt attachments.  Just know in advance what strapping material you are going to use to ensure it will fit through the chosen bolt. 

You will require a few tools to make your sled:  High powered drill, heavy duty drill bit, jig saw, and appropriate size wrenches or sockets.

Now you are ready to put it all together.  Measure from the inside rim of your tire about 2-3 inches and drill a hole.  You will use that hole to insert the blade of your jig saw and then cut the inside rim out while maintaining the same distance from the rim.  This will allow you to place standard 45 pound plates into the tire.  Only cut one side of the tire out.  The other rim will not be big enough to allow the plates to fall through the tire.  You will have the ability to stack multiple plates in the tire.

Next, drill a hole in the middle of the tread with your heavy duty drill and bit and insert your hardware as explained in the video.  Drill the second hole in the tread on the opposite side of the tire but slightly in front of a plum center diameter line.  I have found this to be a better set up when you are going to drag heavy weight.  The tire will slide more evenly across the surface creating more contact and greater resistance for you.

Lastly, tie your strap on and you are ready to start dragging!!!

I would recommend dragging outside.  The rubber will get warm and tacky and can leave drag marks on the floors inside. The best surface resistance you will get is off the pavement.  Oh and if you have kids; they love to climb in and get dragged all over the neighborhood.

Well, there you have it; a cheap but highly productive training tool.  Enjoy!!

To your health,

Jerry

The Thomas Inch Dumbbell is a thick handled 172 pound dumbbell that the old time strongmen would challenge people to try to pick up with one hand.  When men would attempt it; it would just roll out of their hand.  Their grip was not strong enough to hold something that thick or heavy.

This homemade rotating fat handle dumbbell will allow me to progressively add weight and mimic that famous dumbbell.

As seen in the video, this dumbbell was made with a piece of 2″ pipe, another shorter piece of pipe that fits around the 2″ pipe (handle), some plates and two bar collars.  I was given the chunks of pipe from a good friend of mine Mike Lacondro (thanks Mike!) and I had the bar collars and plates so the whole thing cost me nothing to make.  Hey guys, pipe is cheap and easy to pick up if you are looking for it.  Just start asking around to people who work with pipes.  Chances are they cut off pieces this size all the time doing a job and then just throw out the left over chunks.  Remember, it does not cost anything and never hurts to ask.

You can also make a thick barbell this way with longer pieces of pipe.  Also, there will be no gnarling so you may want to use a little chalk.

If you have never worked with fat handled equipment give it a try.  It will give your normal exercise a whole new feel and work your grip like never before.  If you do not feel like building a pipe dumbbell then just try this; take a towel with you to the gym and wrap it a couple of times around a dumbbell or barbell.  This will make your bar thicker to mimic a fatter bar.  You will notice a significant difference right away.

Hope this helps!

To your health,

Jerry

PS:  If I ever pick up the “Inch” I will let you know and hopefully I catch it on film!!

Kettlebell Oblique Raise (Windmill) 3-5 reps on each side

Kettlebell 2 Hand Swing 10-12 reps

TRX Push-up 10-12 reps

TRX Mountain Climbers 30 reps

Gym Rings Lying Pull-up 10-12 reps

5 Complete Rounds with little rest

This form of training is called circuit training or going from one exercise to another with little to no rest between each exercise.  I have been doing much more of this type of training recently because I can get more done in a shorter period of time.  Hey, the life of a strength coach is crazy and I really do not have much “free” time for myself.  I love it when people tell me they just don’t have enough time to workout.  When I ask them how many hours a day they work and they say 8 hours a day; I just can’t help it when I laugh at them since I average 12 hours a day.  Managing their time wisely is usually the problem as they sit there and watch a rerun of their favorite TV show.  EVERYONE needs some type of physical activity so as the Nike ads say-”just do it”.

If you feel that filming and sharing some of my personal workouts with you is helping you to come up with some training ideas for exercises and developing yourself a program; then just let me know and I will continue these clips a few times a month.  This website was originally put together to get training information out to people who seek it and will apply it.  All YOU have to do is request what you want to learn and/or see and I will do my best to fulfill those requests.

To your health,

Jerry

Mondays:  Total Body Weight Room Workout

Tuesdays: Speed Work, Acceleration/Deceleration Work, Agilities

Wednesdays: Total Body Circuit Training

Thursdays:  High Intensity Conditioning (Stadiums, Hill Sprints, etc)

BS Fridays: Total Body Weight Room Workout

Saturdays: Timed Mileage Run

Sundays: Rest, Recovery, Flexibility

My summer athletes are very dedicated and work really hard to prepare their bodies for their upcoming sport season.  Workouts are held at 6am and the most impressive part is that they all show up voluntarily to train.  In the video you will see athletes from field hockey, volleyball, wrestling, men’s basketball, women’s soccer, women’s water polo, and the diving team all participating in a Wednesday circuit training workout.  This is the workout they did:

A-1: TRX or Ring Suspended Push-up

A-2: Band Speed Row w/Scapular Retraction

A-3: Dumbbell Farmers Walk

A-4: 45 degree Back Extension w/plate

A-5: Kettle Bell Swing w/Alternating Lateral Step

A-6: Sit-up w/Plate

A-7: Bucket High Box Hop

A-8: Rope Climb

A-9: Light Weight Barbell Hang Clean

A-10: Speed Obstacle Hop

A-11: Tire Flip

Athletes will work at each station for 30 seconds and then rotate to the next station.  They will have 10 seconds to rest and get ready to start the next drill.  After all the stations have been completed they will get approximately 2 minutes rest and then repeat.  We ran four complete circuits.  These type of circuits not only get you stronger, more powerful, and conditioned; but it pushes you out of your comfort zone.  This is a desirable outcome for an athlete to become not only physically fit but mentally strong.

Try it-you may find it harder than it looks!

To your health,

Jerry

My Poor Man’s Protein recipe is one that I always give to everyone I work with.  It makes a great snack, desert, or even small meal.  The best part is that it is cheap, nutritious and easy to make.  All you need is fat free cottage cheese and your favorite brand of yogurt.

1 Cup of Fat Free Cottage Cheese

1 Cup Of Organic Blueberry Yogurt

Mix togather in a bowl and enjoy!  It equals approximately 35 grams of protein baby!!

Obviously, you can adjust the portion size and also add fresh fruit, raisins, and/or nuts for a more desired flavor or texture.

Hope this helps and feel free to post some of your favorite nutritious snack ideas in the comments section.

To your health,

Jerry

So let’s talk about hill sprints.  First look for a hill that is a gradual incline.  It does not have to be steep but it should be about 50 yards or more.  The steeper the incline the less yardage typically needed.  I also think it is best to find a hill that is grass and not rocky.  Obviously, if you live in a city this might challenge you some.

Now that you have found your hill and established your yardage; it is time for the workout.  Start at the base of the hill and sprint as hard as you can, driving yourself forward with each powerful step, while swinging your arms loosely from your shoulders.  When you reach the top, turn and jog back to the starting position.  As you are jogging back down you should focus on your breathing and try to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.  It has been proven you recover much faster with this breathing pattern than breathing forcefully in and out of your mouth.  When you reach your starting position repeat your sprint aggressively back to the top.  Do this for 5 trips to the top and then rest for 2 minutes or until you have gotten your breathing and heart rate back to near normal resting rates.  We desire this to ensure you are able to go ALL OUT when you sprint up.  We typically do 4-5 total sets.

I forgot to mention that you  should always do a good warm-up prior to and a good cool down after.  I will have my athletes perform a series of dynamic movements, followed by some low grade plyometrics, then complete a series of short progressive sprints for our warm-up.  For the cool down we typically will go for a short jog and focus on breathing, then we will walk and shake out our arms and legs.  We will finish with total body static stretching.  Sometimes we will also stretch with jump stretch bands.

Make sure you are getting outside and making the best of your surroundings.  You may be surprised how many training possibilities there might be if you just start looking to add a little variety into your program.

To your health,

Jerry

I had never really tried to bend steel before that and I have to admit, I think I’m hooked.  It was awesome to feel it start to go but it was by far not an easy thing to do.  The amount of tension and strength that is used throughout the entire body just to get it to bend was amazing.   It is in itself a workout.  I felt my muscles pumping full of blood.  Just like that “pumped up” feeling you get if you rep out bicep curls or dips.

I wanted to learn more so I got Jedd’s Nail Bending ebook and quickly realized that I did not know that much about it at all.  What I did quickly learn that you will make great strength gains from this type of training and it will carry right over into other training programs.  Think about the amount of tension that goes through your body on that last few reps of dead lifting, squatting, bench pressing, or any lift for that matter.  See how this can easily apply.

If you ever even thought about trying something like this then I would HIGHLY recommend his ebook.  It is over 200 pages of pure content and training exercises for the forearm, wrist, and grip.  The techniques described are very important to learn so not to injure yourself and really benefit from it.  Oh, did I mention how much fun it is, especially going down to the hardware store to get nails and bolts only to tell them that you are going to bend them in half!  That look alone is priceless.  If you want to get more information about Jedd’s Guide to Bending Nails just click the link posted here: Click Here!

Keep an open mind about these different applications that can be applied to your training.  You might be surprised by your results and increased gains.

To your health,

Jerry

The first event was to power clean 5 kegs in a row as fast as you can.  You had to show lockout above your head for it to count.  The kegs started from lightest to heaviest.  This was my best event and I think I could have done it much faster if given a second try.

The second event was a farmer’s hold for time using two 75 lb sandbags.  I did not think this event was hard but as I was not trying to concentrate on holding the bags; the left bag slipped a little in the left hand and then I was in trouble trying to just keep a grip on it.  Funny thing was my hands were not even fatigued.  I was a little bummed because I know I could have held them a lot longer.

The third event was to bear hug the heaviest keg there and walk for total distance in two minutes.  The distance was 50 feet and you had to circle the sandbag for a lap to count.  This was the hardest event for me.  I started off strong but oxygen debt crept in and found me.  My goal was cover as much ground as quickly as I could and not drop the keg.  Well, I did not drop the keg but it was challenging.

Setting up strongman events like this is a great way to add in a little variety to your existing training program.  These will not only challenge you physically but mentally as well.  Doing something like this with some friends will get those competitive juices following which will ultimately result in you pushing yourself and your limitations.

Trust me, you will have a blast and get a great workout in the process.  Give some of these a try or get creative and make up your own little strongman competition.

To your health,

Jerry