Ace Power!

Ace Power is South Korea's answer to the Shake Weight:



[Source: BuzzFeed]

Briefcase Barbecues

My mind is reeling with the possibilities.

Home Sweet Home Gym

For months, all the exercise equipment in our garage has been hidden behind walls of boxes, couches, tables, and chairs. But after a LOOOONG week of cleaning and moving, my favorite space in the house (other than the kitchen) is back.

With all the furniture and moving boxes cleared out of the garage, I was able to put down some new compressed rubber flooring to replace the old foam mats that covered three-quarters of the floor. (Horse stall mats from the old CrossFit Palo Alto flower shop location cover the rest.) Michelle was the first to test out the new floor the other night-- with double-unders and sit-ups.

Although I've missed the last couple of 5 a.m. classes at the gym (finding childcare for the wee hours of the morning ain't easy), I can once again duck into the garage to squeeze in some thrusters, rope climbs, box jumps, pull-ups, and kettlebell cleans and presses.

It's good to be home.

WOD Toys

My kids are a little too big for these toys, but I'm sure there are plenty of tykes out there who'd get a kick out of having their own toddler-sized set of CrossFit gear.

Heck, I think I might get a set anyway. I bet I'd set a new Fran PR with that barbell.

[Source: WOD Toys]

Monday's Workout: Home (WOD) Alone

M's in the middle of her week of night shifts, and without a sitter, there was no way I could (legally) leave the kids at home to hit the 5 a.m. class at CrossFit Palo Alto this morning. Silver lining: I got two-and-a-half hours of much-needed extra shut-eye.

Later in the day, Tim shot me an email entitled "Today's WOD" with a link to this video from CrossFit Central:

It looked awesome, and I couldn't get it out of my head. I had to do it.

Metcon:

• 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of:

• Toes-to-bar
• In-and-outs
• Jumping lunges

After dinner, I tucked the boys into bed, took out the garbage, changed into some raggedy shorts, and set up a pair of homemade parallettes. By the way, here's a handy tip: If you're making your own parallettes with PVC pipe, use a racheting pipe cutter instead of a hand saw. I got one at Home Depot for $10, and it made pipe-cutting a lot easier (and less messy, too).

But first: Warm-up. I got my 15-foot Rogue climbing rope in the mail today, so after securing it to a rafter in the garage, I clambered up and down a half-dozen times.

I love new toys.

Anyway, once I got loose, I started a timer and got going.

The pull-up bar in my garage is mounted a bit too close to our washer and dryer, and I kept banging my heels against the door of the washing machine, but otherwise, the toes-to-bar were fine. The jumping lunges, too, flew by quickly. (They brought back not-so-fond memories of doing endless "Mary Katherine" lunges from P90X Plyometrics a bazillion years ago.)

The in-and-outs, however, proved more challenging for me. I'd underestimated their difficulty, or perhaps I'd overestimated my level of physical coordination. Either way, by the middle of the WOD, I found myself struggling to keep my legs and body straight once my heels hit the ground. But despite my wobbly legs, I kept moving, and managed to get through all the reps without stopping.

Result: 9:10 as RXed.

The Swiss Army Knife of CrossFit Equipment

Jeff Tucker of CrossFit Gymnastics is about to start selling one of the most versatile-looking pieces of CrossFit equipment I've ever seen: The Iron Beam. More info here.

It goes without saying, but I want one.

Just So You Know, We Don't All Wear Gas Masks To The Post Office

My pal J-Ho recently circulated the best news article I've read in a long, long time: On Tuesday, Long Hoang, a nursing student here in the San Francisco Bay Area, touched off a full-scale emergency at a busy San Jose post office.

How, you ask?

By wearing what appeared to be a gas mask and body armor, running to the post office, and trying to jam an oversized package down a mailbox.

Not surprisingly, someone called the authorities, and the post office was shut down for four hours while the area was combed by San Jose Police's bomb squad, the Fire Department's hazardous materials unit, and a team from the U.S. Postal Inspector's Office. They even brought in a robot to blow up the package that Hoang was seen stuffing into the mailbox.

Here's the story, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News:

About 12 weeks ago, Hoang became an avid follower of the CrossFit exercise regimen, which he said, exuberantly, combines "this really creative combination of weight lifting, gymnastics and rowing." He wears the mask to simulate high-altitude training. Hoang, who is 5 feet 4 inches, said he's lost at least 20 pounds, and is now 142 pounds. 

Many neighbors in the area frequently spot him running in his gear, doing squats and lunges at corners while he waits for the light to turn green. 

As Hoang tells the story, he mistakenly received a package of calendars at his home, and thought he'd mail them back to the proper recipient while on an exercise run. The package didn't fit the first time in the mail box, he said, so he had to fold it up and try a second time.

I love how the reporter made sure to characterize Hoang's "exuberance" for CrossFit, as if it weren't already obvious from the guy's choice of workout apparel.

The Tug Toner

Move over, Shake Weight. Smell ya later, Free Flexor. Here comes the Tug Toner. [Warning: Probably NSFW]

Stone Lock Training

Once upon a time in ancient China, a creative martial artist spied an enormous padlock made of stone and decided to use it as a training tool. With a built-in handle, these heavy locks could be used for lifting, swinging, throwing -- and they were cheap and available everywhere there was a set of big-ass doors that needed to be secured.

It didn't take long before the famous monks of the Shaolin Temple began using these shi shuo (石锁) ("stone locks") to hone their strength and skills, and since then, generations have trained with them.

The practice of using these padlocks as workout equipment eventually made its way to Okinawa, where the locks were called ishi-sashi ("awesome stone locks") and used as Karate training tools. Today, in Asia, you can still find practitioners honing their stone lock skills and showing off amazing feats of strength and coordination in competitions and demonstrations.

Shi shuo aren't nearly as popular or ubiquitous as kettlebells -- yet. But aside from the difference in shapes, they're very, very similar. From a real-world, practical standpoint, there's no difference between the two: Both are heavy weights with an integrated lateral grip that's elevated above the weight's center of gravity. I can't think of any kettlebell exercises that you can't also perform with a stone lock. And the majority of stone padlocks vary in weight from about ten to thirty-five kilograms, which is about the same for most kettlebells.



There is, however, one key element to stone lock training that you don’t see much of in kettlebell work (with few exceptions): THROWING.

One book on Shaolin training methods explains that you should “[t]ry to achieve the stone padlock to fly up and rotate round its axis in the air, making…two or three revolutions, then catch it.” Eventually, you’ll be “able to control the number of revolutions [and] increase or decrease their number (revolutions) by will.”

This stuff looks insane.

If you're in the market for something a little different, and you've always wanted to toss around a big heavy rock with a handle, you may want to buy yourself a set of stone locks. Who knows? With any luck, maybe you'll be the Pavel of shi shuo.

This Looks Comfy

Who else wants one of these?

No, it's not a sex toy, but after the jump, check out what body part you can insert into this thing.

The World's Biggest Clothes Hanger

Here's a picture of our Deluxe Home Fitness Center (a.k.a. our garage):

Know what's missing? (Besides the dirty laundry and Star Wars actions figures that are usually strewn across the floor?)

Answer: The elliptical trainer that's been hogging up space in the middle of our garage for the past few years. After discovering CrossFit, I went from being the proud buyer of a club-quality mechanical wonder to the disgruntled owner of a dust-gathering behemoth. Read all about it over at SICFIT.

Or, if you'd rather just watch this video of people falling off treadmills, I'm cool with that, too.

Wednesday's Workout: Rope-a-Dope

I don't know why I can't bring myself to hit the sheets. Last night, after putting the kids to bed and hanging out with M as she practiced her deadlifts in the garage, I spent a couple of hours fumbling around with Illustrator and Photoshop. Trial-and-error ain't the most time-efficient way to cobble together T-shirt designs for my enterprising wife's website -- but if all goes well, they'll look something like this and this.

Finally, at 11 p.m., my phone buzzed with a Twitter message from Tim: "Go to bed. Got a good one tomorrow."

Don't we always?

The 5 a.m. workout, after the jump.

Or Just Run Around Outside

Before you waste your money on sleek new multi-use "fitness furniture," please consider just doing some frakkin' burpees.

And face it: you KNOW you're too much of a slob to remove all the crap on your kitchen table before tipping it over to crank out a few dips.

[Source]

Does This Stuff Work?

Caffeine, drag-resistant swimsuits, anabolic steroids: Ethical or not, banned or not, and legal or not, each enhances physical performance in some way. That's why athletes use 'em. But once everyone else finds out about a particular performance booster, the hunt for the Next Big Thing is on. Serious competitors are always on the lookout for new products that might give them an edge over the competition. Some of the best-known tools are pharmacological, nutritional or psychological -- but others are mechanical aids with varying degrees of usefulness, like lifting straps, Big Bertha drivers or Nip Guards.

It's no surprise, then, that savvy marketers have amassed fortunes hawking ergogenic aids to unwary, driven athletes. But how do we know what actually works? Which products are legit, and which are snake oil?

Sometimes, a little common sense is all you need. (It doesn't take much to figure out, for instance, that the Hawaii Chair isn't going to enhance your physical fitness.) But what if a number of pro athletes are using or endorsing a product? Or if “experts” have declared a performance booster to be safe and effective? Why not shell out some money to see if you, too, can gain an incremental boost in output?

Just for kicks, let's take a look at a small subset of products that are marketed (and therefore marked up in price!) as ergogenic aids: Stuff you can wear, like spring-loaded shoes, nasal strips, Power Balance bands, compression wear and Kinesio Tape.

[Continued over at The Five Tribe...]

Battle of the Bands

As part of my exploration into ways to improve my grip strength, I recently ordered a pack of IronMind's Expand-Your-Hand Bands from Amazon. They're easy to use: Just pick a band, loop it around your thumb and fingers and try to open your hand.

Unlike hand grippers, wrist rollers, thick bars, Fat Gripz and the like, these elastic bands work your finger extensors and abductors, counterbalancing all your other grip work and thereby reducing the likelihood of repetitive stress and overuse injuries.

But at the end of the day, could you use just plain old rubber bands? TOTALLY. You won't be able to easily replicate the Expand-Your-Hand Bands' conveniently color-coded resistance levels, but you know what? All you have to remember is this: The more bands you use, the greater the resistance. And while regular rubber bands are more prone to snapping, you can always grab some more for free in the produce section of your supermarket.

This Almost Makes Me Wish I Was a Runner

I have an old Nike Mettle watch, which is (still) supa-fly stylish, but pretty much useless for anything other than telling time. I also have a Garmin Forerunner 310XT GPS watch, which does a damn fine job of mapping my (infrequent) runs, but it's also ugly as sin.

If I were still crazy about running, I'd probably dump both of 'em for the new Nike+ SportsWatch GPS.



Up until last fall, to use the Nike+ system, runners had to stick a little thingamabob inside compatible running shoes. Then, about a half-year ago, Nike ditched the sensor and replaced it with an iOS app for your iPhone or iPod. Now, with the SportsWatch GPS (created in partnership with TomTom), gadget-obsessed runners can leave their cell phones at home and still map their runs and track their speed, distance, caloric burn and heart rate.

Too bad I don't even pretend to be a distance runner anymore. This watch is bee-yoo-tee-full.

[Source]

More Dangerous Than a Stepladder

Remember the ROM Four-Minute Cross-Trainer? The machine may be a spectacular waste of fifteen thousand dollars, but at least it comes with a tongue-in-cheek warning:

Click on the image to embiggen it. Still too small to read? Here's what it says:

This exercise machine is extremely dangerous. Any form of exercise can cause injury or death. Before doing anything in life, including exercise, consult your lawyer first, then your doctor and after that use normal human intelligence. Or for better results reverse this order. Keep small children and incompetent adults at least 6 feet away from the machine at all times. When not in use, keep the machine inaccessible and under lock and key. In addition, use a bicycle lock to lock the flywheel when the machine is not in use. Normal stepladders cause injury and even death; the ROM machine is more dangerous than a stepladder...

Are you getting the feeling that the manufacturers have seen one too many treadmill-fail videos on YouTube?

Getting a Grip

As soon as a phone book get dropped off at my doorstep (who even uses those anymore?), it goes straight into the recycling bin. It never occurs to me to tear it in half first. Same goes for our old frying pans -- I never think to bend and squish ‘em up them with my bare hands before tossing them.



The reason, of course, is that I can’t. I can offer a firm handshake, and I don’t have baby-hands like Kristen Wiig's Junice, but I don’t exactly have an arm wrestler’s grip, either.

Frankly, I never really thought to develop it. But a strong grip makes it easier to lift heavier. My lack of hand strength will eventually limit my overall ability to optimally perform everything from deadlifts to kettlebell swings to pull-ups. And that just won’t do.

More after the jump...

Oh, COME ON.

Does anyone really need an office chair made of -- and outfitted with -- a bunch of resistance bands?

The $600 Gymygym chair promises you, a sedentary white-collar drone, an opportunity to "work and stretch your arms, legs, back and core without leaving your work space. Depending on your fitness level, you can increase or decrease the tension of the exercise bands, letting you tone and strengthen your whole body."

But even if you're desperate to show off your rubber-band-yanking abilities in the office, why not just stick a crapload of exercise bands in your drawer and pull 'em out to impress your colleagues during meetings? You'll save hundreds of dollars, which'll come in handy once you get fired.

Better yet? JUST STAND UP AND MOVE AROUND, people.

[Related Posts: Stand Up / Don't Sit Down / Why It's Harder for Women to Lose Weight (And Why You Should Ditch Your Office Chair)]

Power Wheel

I’m eyeing a Power Wheel.

Yes, I have a cheap plastic exercise wheel in my garage, and once in a blue moon, I’ll bust it out and do some ab roll-outs.

(Ab roll-outs are done by gripping the handles of an exercise wheel and rolling it away from you on the floor while in a plank position. Doing ‘em from your knees is, obviously, easier.)

It’s not a bad way to spend $15. Exercise wheels are a super-portable and effective tool to add to your collection of fitness equipment – you can throw one in your gym bag or suitcase – and as one study concluded, roll-outs are “the most effective exercise in activating abdominal and latissimus dorsi muscles while minimizing lumbar paraspinal and rectus femoris muscle activity.”

(Seriously: If you’re still using one of these, you need to join the rest of us in the twenty-first century. And while you’re at it, lose the ThighMaster, too.)

Sadly, my little wheel is cursed with stubby handles, making it impossible to play around with a wider grip. Plus, the wheel feels flimsy and is clearly meant for indoor use only. While I doubt it’s going to buckle and break on me if I were to use it outside, the thought of face-planting on asphalt has crossed my mind more than once.

An alternative is to put a couple of plates on a barbell and use it for roll-outs. I remember doing this at CrossFit Palo Alto months ago – it allows for different grip widths and it’s definitely not going to fall apart on you. The problem? Not everyone has access to a barbell set – and even for those who do, it’s not the most portable or efficient equipment for squeezing in a few roll-outs.

Also: Without foot straps, neither a cheap-o ab wheel nor a big-ass barbell set is going to allow you to do hand walks:



These look AWESOME. In the words of Zach Even-Esh: “I don’t know of any movement that matches hand walking for upper body strength and abdominal training.” And I believe him.

That’s why I’m seriously considering picking up a Power Wheel – despite its heftier price tag. Not only does it appear to be made of sturdier stuff (and capable of outside play), it has Velcro and latex straps for your feet. The thought of turning myself into a human wheelbarrow kind of appeals to me: I’m a big fan of bodyweight exercises, and hand walking would be a fantastic movement to add to the mix.