I think part of the reason why I'm finally looking forward to exercising and going to the gym is partly due to its giving me more excuses to make things. It also doesn't help that I have a few friends interested in me making them a few pieces of equipment. It gives me enjoyment making things especially for others so I'm not going to complain.
With making a Gada and a pair of clubs, I have found several more things to try making.
I have started working on my strengthening my forearms and grip by doing wrist curls and pinch grips. The 10lb dumbbells at the gym are the perfect size to grab on the end but I won't be able to increase the weight once my grip gets stronger. I have found plans to make a pinch gripper using a hockey puck.
Working on proper form to do the various lifts I'm doing is hard with a broom stick or a piece of pvc pipe. They are simply to light for me. The pipe is great to warm up with doing shoulder passes but I wasn't something with a little weight but not as heavy as a barbell. So weighted pvc pipe training bar is in the near future.
Talking to a buddy about how weak his core muscles are I started looking for something that would help him. Being use to exercising machines that robbed him of strengthening his stabilizer muscles he has a hard time keeping balance while doing squats. Found the perfect solution for him, a slosh tube. A length of pipe 3" - 4" diameter and 6 - 10 feet long sealed on both ends and filled 3/4 of the way with water. Doing squats, lunges, presses, or even waking with thing will force your body to maintain balance.
I also have another design for making a macebell or Gada. I want one that using 2.5lb - 5lb plates so it would be adjustable as one would grow stronger using it. Still having to experiment to see if something will work the way I hope for.
I'm not trying to outfit a complete gym, I'm simply supplementing with a few things I can do while I'm at home. There are days I simply don't feel like going to the gym, mainly after working 12 hours at work. So far I have being able to go to the gym three times a week working around my work schedule. It is nice to knock out a macebell workout and head to bed though.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Indian club bells
An army friend and now co worker mentioned to me about a video he saw on Art of Manliness about Indian clubs. I eventually found the video, Brett does a turn of the century style of instruction video of different movements using Indian clubs. This was also about the same time I found his other video talking about the macebell or gada.
Art of Manliness Indian clubs video
One side note, go check out Art of Manliness if you haven't yet. Brett does several articles and videos on a wide range of subjects. Many topics are about things young men should have been taught by their father as they were growing up. Things like how to shave with a straight razor and creating a wardrobe to setting routines and learning to weight lift.
Art of Manliness
Indian club bells look great to strengthen shoulder and arm muscles and to increase the range of motion in the shoulders. I set off to find a set of my very own. Would love to have a set of hardwood turned clubs but the price is pretty high, $50 and up depending on the weight. To get started and to see if I world really like them I went to search a way to make them and still look nice. Found several designs that involved plumbing pipe and connectors, which made them look hasty cobbled together, my OCD took over and ruled most of these out. But I did find one design I really liked.
Backyard bowyer made a set of clubs using pvc pipe but instead of gluing connectors and pipe together he used a heat gun to heat the pipe so it would stretch over on top one another laminating five different diameter pipe together. I sent one evening and made a set filling his videos. I sold the set to the coworker that originally told me about the clubs. I'm now in the process in making two more sets, one for me and one for another friend.
Art of Manliness Indian clubs video
One side note, go check out Art of Manliness if you haven't yet. Brett does several articles and videos on a wide range of subjects. Many topics are about things young men should have been taught by their father as they were growing up. Things like how to shave with a straight razor and creating a wardrobe to setting routines and learning to weight lift.
Art of Manliness
Indian club bells look great to strengthen shoulder and arm muscles and to increase the range of motion in the shoulders. I set off to find a set of my very own. Would love to have a set of hardwood turned clubs but the price is pretty high, $50 and up depending on the weight. To get started and to see if I world really like them I went to search a way to make them and still look nice. Found several designs that involved plumbing pipe and connectors, which made them look hasty cobbled together, my OCD took over and ruled most of these out. But I did find one design I really liked.
Backyard bowyer made a set of clubs using pvc pipe but instead of gluing connectors and pipe together he used a heat gun to heat the pipe so it would stretch over on top one another laminating five different diameter pipe together. I sent one evening and made a set filling his videos. I sold the set to the coworker that originally told me about the clubs. I'm now in the process in making two more sets, one for me and one for another friend.
Here are links to backyard bowyer videos, check them out.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Always remember to stretch
At basic training daily PT consisted of a warm-up, the daily exercise and a cool down. These warm-ups and cool downs were important to prevent injures. Somewhere along the way I have forgotten about these important steps while working out. And since 2008 I have suffered from back pain. Any kind of lift could resulted me to be in pain for a couple days afterwards.
Since I started lifting weights I notice the slight discomfort in my back. Told myself enough is enough and started looking for the stretches that were needed to alleviate this pain. Since then I started stretching everyday whether or I went to the gym and notice the pain in my back has decreased substantially. I don't think I'll ever be completely free of back pain, but at least I can bring it don't to a tolerable level.
Since I started lifting weights I notice the slight discomfort in my back. Told myself enough is enough and started looking for the stretches that were needed to alleviate this pain. Since then I started stretching everyday whether or I went to the gym and notice the pain in my back has decreased substantially. I don't think I'll ever be completely free of back pain, but at least I can bring it don't to a tolerable level.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
New gym, new direction
So with my temporary membership at Physiques being over I went ahead and signed up for a membership at ultimate fitness. I like being able to decide at 2am that I want to go the gym and be able to instead of having to wait till it opens.
The only down side to ultimate fitness is it doesn't have much crossfit related equipment. This is only a small set back though. The equipment they do have you can do several different WOD's. I may talk to the manager to see if they have any interest in acquiring some of the basic equipment and maybe even adding a class to their lineup.
Doing the few classes of crossfit I noticed how and out of shape I really was. Since signing up with ultimate fitness I have changed strategies and started doing strong lifts 5x5. The simple compound lifts are meant to work most of the muscles in the body, three lifts per workout working different areas including your core and stabilizers since you are doing free weights instead of cheating your body using a machine to hold the weights for you. Starting of light and building up 5lbs each time you do that lift. Everyone has recommended this as a good starting routine, I can stick with this for a few months until I can progess into a more advanced routine.
Stronglifts 5x5
The only down side to ultimate fitness is it doesn't have much crossfit related equipment. This is only a small set back though. The equipment they do have you can do several different WOD's. I may talk to the manager to see if they have any interest in acquiring some of the basic equipment and maybe even adding a class to their lineup.
Doing the few classes of crossfit I noticed how and out of shape I really was. Since signing up with ultimate fitness I have changed strategies and started doing strong lifts 5x5. The simple compound lifts are meant to work most of the muscles in the body, three lifts per workout working different areas including your core and stabilizers since you are doing free weights instead of cheating your body using a machine to hold the weights for you. Starting of light and building up 5lbs each time you do that lift. Everyone has recommended this as a good starting routine, I can stick with this for a few months until I can progess into a more advanced routine.
Stronglifts 5x5
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