Jedd Johnson from Diesel Crew came up with the events and ran the competition.  Unfortunately, not many stepped up to compete besides myself and two other brave men (Chance Smith & Paul Berry Jr.).  It was competitive and one heck of a great time!

There were three events:

The first event was the log press.  We had 1 minute to clean and press a 12 inch log bar as many times as possible to full lockout with your head through.  I think the bar weighted 110-120 pounds which is not extremely heavy but none of us have a log bar to train with normally, so the awkwardness of it was the difficult part.  You just do not clean a log bar like a regular barbell.

The second event was the mace swing; which proved to be even more awkward and as you seen or will see from the video, very challenging.  We also had one minute to swing the mace back and around our head to the point of attention (straight up in front of our body) as many times as possible.  I personally liked this event the most but was honestly glad when it was over.

The third event was the kettlebell sled drag.  The sled was loaded with 50 pounds and a 50-55 pound kettlebell was attached and used as a handle.  What you had to do was pinch the kettlebell between your hands and back peddle a certain distance.  Quickest time won.  This actually proved to be my worst event as I quickly found out that I need some work on my back peddling skills.  I guess I am just not as quick as I once was (getting older sucks!).

In the end; Paul, Chance, and I had a great time and had some good laughs afterwards; especially with my graceful stumble across the finish line.

I think it is great to get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself with new and different types of training and strongman lifts will definitely do just that.  They can also be dangerous if not understood and done correctly.  Always make sure you understand the techniques involved in any of these types of exercises. Jedd Johnson is releasing a new DVD soon describing how to not only execute these movements correctly but also how to implement them into a training program.  I was able to review this DVD and it is totally awesome.  I will keep you posted when that will be available.

I would like to thank Jedd Johnson for organizing and running the event and Doug Smith for putting together what some say is the best strength & conditioning conference on the east coast!

I hope you enjoyed the video!  I was glad to share that with you all.

To your health,

Jerry

These are some key training tips when performing this exercise:

• Before starting the first jammer press make sure you are low and there is no slack in the strap.
• As you explode into the first rep make sure you are extending through the hips, knees, and ankles until your legs are straight.
• Keep your core tight throughout the movement.
• Drive and extend your arms after you have extended through the lower body.
• Move forward quickly and get into position to repeat process.

This training drill can be done for reps or for distance and could be incorporated right into a team practice session.  This is also a great training tool to use in summer training to prepare an athlete for the upcoming football season when they are not permitted to use football designed hitting sleds.

Hey folks, this is just an awesome exercise to do just to release some steam after a hard days work.  Trust me you will feel much better after doing some reps of this and you will also know that you accomplished some great work.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

To your health,

Jerry

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 entire workout lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes.  I did want them to be physically spent but my main objective was to make them focus on the ultimate goal no matter what was asked of them.  See wrestling is a tough sport but to compete at the Division I level in college is no joke and to get to the big show takes not only physical dedication but a lot of mental toughness and focus.  As a strength coach you not only train athletes to become stronger and stay healthy; you train their minds to be focused and hope that you are making them into focused confident men ready to go head to head with anyone who steps onto the matt.  I realize I am saying “focused” a lot but that is a term my athletes always hear me telling them as I try to drive it into their heads.

As you watch the video, you will see that there are so many things you can do with a tire sled.  This is one of my most valuable training tools that I have and the total cost to build one is about $7.00.  If you have any questions about this type of training or would like to leave a comment; hit the comments button and let your thoughts out.

Train with a purpose,

Jerry