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

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

Circuit training for conditioning and fat loss is huge and doing it with weight just makes it that more productive.  What I mean when saying circuit training is doing one exercise and then follow it up with another exercise with little to no rest.  That does not mean a circuit could not be defined by a set rest period between exercises; it can.  The point is that you are changing the exercises.  The less rest or heavier weight between exercises typically equals higher intensity.

This type of training can be done many ways such as body weight, barbells, dumbbells, sandbags, machines, or as demonstrated in this video with kettlebells.  Combinations of of all these can make for unlimited possibilities.  The kettlebell is a tool I like to use because of the smooth transitions you can do going from exercise to exercise.

This circuit in the video is very demanding and might not be for a beginner to kettlebells.  I would suggest you learn each exercise first and then work on combinations.  These are challenging and fun.  You will be able to feel how productive this circuit is the first time you try it.  Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Double KB Swing 5-10 reps

Double KB Swing Clean-To-Front Squat-To-Push Press 5-10 reps

One Arm KB Snatch (hold onto the other kettlebell) Left/Right 5-10 reps

Alternating KB Cleans 6-10 reps

Finish with another set of Double KB Swing for 5-10 reps or for time 30sec-1minute

Rest for a set period of time typically 30sec-2minutes and repeat.

You could easily make modifications to the circuit if you wanted to do this whole circuit with just one kettlebell.

I hope you enjoyed this circuit and I will continue to post up more conditioning and fat loss type of workouts as I have been getting a lot of requests for them lately.

To your health,

Jerry

The key to fat loss is plain and simple: High Intensity Interval Training.  I spoke of this type of training on an older post labeled “4th of July Power Eating”.   Before you start, always make sure you are properly warmed up (I prefer dynamic warm-ups).  Now you are ready to hit the road for today’s workout.  I actually did this workout back in high school, not to burn fat, but to get in shape for soccer.  It worked great for me back then and still does today.

Find a road that doesn’t get that much traffic, a country road or a suburban street works great and start walking.  When you come up to your first telephone pole; start jogging to the next telephone pole.  When you reach it, sprint as hard as you can to the following pole and repeat this whole sequence with a brisk walk, jog, and sprint.  Each time you are doing your brisk walking; I want you to try to concentrate on lowering your heart rate and getting you breathing under control.  Do this by breathing in through your nose and exhale out of your mouth.  With each inhalation; imagine pulling the air slowly into your stomach.  This will train your body to recover quicker and allow you to push yourself harder.  Remember, never let your breathing control you; you control your breathing!  Breathing is the basis of life and should not be overlooked.  When you walk, jog, or sprint make sure you are getting great arm swing from the shoulders.  Do not run tight; run loose with your hands partially open.

This workout can be done for time or for distance.  You can plan ahead and drive your route with your car to figure out the distance in advance.  This is also a great way to set goals for progressively increasing your distances.  If you live in an area that does not have telephone poles you can use houses as markers or count in your head a certain time like 30 seconds for brisk walk, 20 seconds for jogging, and 10 seconds for all out sprinting.  If you live in a hilly area….BONUS!!! This will make your workout all that more demanding and productive.  Now get out there, get some fresh air and burn off some calories!

Train with a purpose,

Jerry