I'm A Pepper, You're a Pepper

It's true that you can still make pretty good progress without eating a great diet... but you would'nt be doing yourself any favors, especially in the longrun,

Youll be better equipped to live mean if you eat clean, AND you'll be a whole lot stronger when you eat right if you know what Im sayin, so throw away those chips,
pop and candy bars.

Fortunately for everybody involved eating clean does NOT mean you are limited to bland, tasteless fare. -- steamed rice and watercress sandwiches (without the crust!) can only go so far.

The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of foods that taste great AND are very good for you.

Let me give you a good example...

I was at the store a few days back and saw that they were running a special on bell peppers: three for 5 bucks. - green peppers, yellow peppers, red peppers, orange
peppers, even white ones.

I bought six of 'em and they are Deeeeliscious! I happen to like peppers a lot anyhow and I know they are healthy but I thought I would do a little research to see what they are all about.

Turns out that bell peppers are one of THE healthiest foods you can eat.

Red Peppers, for example, are an excellent source of vitamin B6 and also are one of the few foods that contain lycopene, which is supposed to guard against certain forms of cancer, promotes lung health and is also supposed to have a protective effect against cataracts and arthritis.

One cup (about one pepper) of raw, chopped bell peppers provides over 100% of the Daily Values for vitamin C and vitamin A.

I could go on for quite a while about the other vitamins and health benefits for eating peppers but Ill stop here, Google will tell you more if you so choose.

Anyhow, just a quick reminder on whats out there.

You could cook 'em and such but I prefer to take the stem out and just eat 'em like an apple, Iron Chef style. (Makes a better snack than a handful of chips.)

I think I may even start growing my own.

Now its time to go workout - see if you train as hard as I do today...

Train hard,
John Wood

P.S. Look for a good workout? Theres a great one on
page 155 of this book: Keys to Progress

What's on my Book Shelf?

So there I was, poking at my poached eggs this morning and an idea struck me. I was looking at the bookshelf a few feet from my kitchen table and thought "Man, I've got a lot of books." Of course I don't have those books just to fill up the shelves, each one of them is there for a reason. So the idea that struck me was this: "Would you be interested in hearing about some of my favorite books?" I'm thinking every month I would provide a list of a half dozen or so of the books that I dig, might be fiction, might be non-fiction, might be marketing books, might even be coloring books (kidding, kidding)

If this is something you might be interested in, drop me a line.

Train hard,
John Wood

P.S. Speaking of my favorite books, heres one that I highly
recommend: The Complete Keys to Progress

Bulgarian Bag Announcement

In case you have recently ordered a large Bulgarian Bag and noticed something a bit out of the ordinary, just thought you would like to know that I just talked to Ivan Ivanov and the "Large" Bulgarian Bags will have Silver straps instead of the customary black straps.

Not sure why Ivan decided to make the switch but here's how they look:

The Large Bulgarian Bags now have Silver Straps

Large Bulgarian Bag - 37 Pounds

Training Like A Brown Bear

I don't have many regrets... but one I do have is that I could have been in even better shape as an athlete. I'm making up for it now -- and running stadium steps is one of the very best ways to build cardivascular shape -- ain't no excuses; either do it or don't do it... and most people don't which is fine by me.

As I mentioned in a recent email my sister graduated from Brown University and when I went to visit, she asked if I wanted to go run the stadium which was only a few blocks from her house:

Anyhow, in fair Providence-town, where we lay our scene...

Brown Football Stadium

Doesn't look too tough does it? Yeah, easier said than done. This is actually a perfect stadium to run as the rows start out short, grow progressively longer and then shorten up on the other side.

The "rule" for this session was to run to the top then walk down the same row, over at the bottom and repeat as many times as needed until we made it all the way across.

72 Steps is not as short as you think...

I decided to sprint this row - bad idea.

Took about a half hour but Sis and I finished. Another great workout in the books, and yes, we did ring the Victory bell when it was over.

The Victory Bell

What's in these boxes?

- Mystery Boxes -

What's in these mystery boxes? ... find out soon.

The Bowling Green State Strength Clinic

Just got back from the Bowling Green Strength Clinic -- and was it ever a great time! Coach Hillman and everyone else involved put on a great event with top-notch speakers, top-notch demos and a great opportunity to get down to what real strength training is all about.

No question that Coach Hillman runs one of the top strength programs in the country and one look at his brand new weightroom will lets you know immediately that those Falcons don't mess around... Power racks, Log Bars, Kegs, Sandbags, Lifting stones, Machines, platforms, hand grippers... and plenty more!

Name a piece of equipment that would be necessary to develop stronger, tougher and better conditioned football players and Coach Hillman has it.

Anyhow, I think I speak for everyone in attendence when I say the opportunity to hear Mike Gittleson speak was worth the price of admission by itself -- Mike has learned a thing or two over 30 years "in the trenches" as the Strength Coach at the University of Michigan and fortunately for us, he is willing to share.

Now, Mike's topic was on "Developing the Grip for football: from fingertip to forearm" -- that's a topic that I know a little about, but you can bet I nearly filled up a yellow pad with notes while Mike spoke.

As I have said many times - "School is never out for the pro." It always helps to learn how other people approach the same thing you might be doing. Yes, much of it will likely be similar, but everyone has their own "style" and seeing how they do things will undobtedly help you take a critical look at what you're doing.

Now, here's a few things that Mike talked about:

Sledge Hammers: Mike showed everyone several different for building "fine" grip strength using a simple sledge hammer. Mike has a special exercise that he uses for quarterbacks - evidently it helps give them a little more "touch" on the ball -- of course, all players at all positions will benefit.

Ropes: There's many different exercises that you can use with ropes for training athletes besides "climbing." Mike has one he calls the "Rope-a-Dope" that he uses for building mental toughness in his players. Yes, I know this one well - and it's a killer. Hold the line!

Wrist Rollers: The highlight of Mike's presentation was his "bag of fun" in which he brought some of the pieces of equipment that he has used to torture, uh, I mean train his players.

One of the things that Mike is big on is training some of the different functions of the hands with specially designed wrist rollers -- and you aint never seen wrist rollers like Mike has, he brought about a dozen different kinds...

And that sure wasn't all...

In any case, that's just a brief look into what you missed, and if you weren't there, you certainly did miss out. Keep in mind that anyone who wants to can purchase a ticket to an event like this, doesn't matter if you're a strength coach, or competitive lifter, or just someone who trains in the garage -- it's about strength and no matter who you are and what you are training for, you are guaranteed to learn something new.

Oh, and as to why I'm not a little more detailed on some of Mike's exercises -- it's because if you want to learn from the best, you gotta be there!

So... you gonna make it next year?

NEW! - XL 50-Pound Bulgarian Training Bags

NEW! - XL 50-Pound Bulgarian Training Bags

It's been just over a year since we unleashed the Bulgarian Training Bags on the world... and a lot of things have happened for those who have been training with them: NCAA Championships, World Championships, Strength and Power...

Now, for athletes who need a new challenge, we present the 50-Pound EXTRA-LARGE sized Bulgarian Bag.

Click on the picture above or any of the links for more information.

Rare Ironmind Hand Grippers Found!

Rare Ironmind Hand Grippers

I was rummaging around in the suply closet this morning and found a box I didn't recognize... Then I opened it up and found something I sure didn'texpect to ever se again.

I found a half dozen "old school" Ironmind Hand Grippers still in their original packaging.

The thing about hand grippers is that they are like fine wines -- each year they are just a little bit different. (And that is one reason why hand grippers are so much fun.)

In any case, I am going to make these rare grippers available right now but I do not expect them to last long. They are circa 2003 or so and have their very distinctive blue packaging as you can see above.

We only have certain strengths available:

T-1
#1-0
#2-0
#3-0
#4-1

There will undoubtedly be a rush so if you want one of these rare grippers you must call in the order:

1-800-978-0206

These grippers will be priced at the normal price $19.99 + S/H.

Act Quick! - When they are gone, they are gone. (This page will be updated accordingly.)

It's Coming Soon...

Over the past few months I've mentioned that there are three training books in particular that got me started on the right foot; two of which you should
already know about.

The fact that I am able to introduce others to this information makes me very proud (and humbled) at the same time.

After all, had I not read those books at that time in my training who knows how things would have turned out?

Its impossible to say really, but I can guarantee one thing -- I would be nowhere as strong as I am rightnow if I hadnt read them.

So, it is with great excitement that I am announcing that the third “book” that influenced me so greatly, will be available very soon.

And not only will it be available, but I will be the one reprinting it...

That's all Im going to say for the time being, so stay tuned for further updates...

Train hard,
John Wood

Making Your Own Climbing Rope

Hang in there!

When I go to the hardware store, I'm like a kid in a candy store. Its always a lot of fun going through the isles looking for something interesting that I can make at home that might come in handy for my training. And Ive got a lot of things Ive tinkered around with that have turned out to be pretty useful for different kinds of exercises. However, I also understand that not every type of equipment fits into the "do it yourself" category and one of those pieces is a climbing rope.

Yes, Im sure theres folks out there that would argue the opposite, that they found an old piece of rope and tied it to a tree in their back yard that works just fine.

Well... that may be fine for them and hopefully so but I only like to do my gambling in Vegas and whenever possible, like to bet on the sure thing which is why I would only want to deal with a climbing rope assembled by a professional.

If you are one of those folks who can live with the "hope" that their homemade rope doesnt snap while 20 feet off the ground, let me point out a few other important things to keep in mind.

Ever try to tie a knot in a 1-1/2 or 2” thick rope?

It aint easy – and that rope has to be attached somehow, and not just “attached,” but attached safely and securely. Don't know if you realized this but all out attachment hardware is rated at over 1800 lbs before it shows any sign of breaking.

Not that you should, but you could tow a truck with it.

And what happens when you want to move your climbing rope to the other side of the garage?

If you have one of our ropes, you unclip the L1 link and clip it wherever you want it – takes about 3 seconds to attach and unattach.

Otherwise, youll have to untie (or un-splice) the rope and re-do it elsewhere. Of course, Ive heard some folks just double the rope over and use a roll of duct tape on it – so much for saving some dough.

Oh and the steel rope clamp attachment hardware? It starts out as a flat piece of steel, then its blacksmithed to have a slight curve in it, hydraulically pressed and then drilled and tapped through the steel plate itself before its welded in place.

Needless to say, there is nothing safer and more secure than this setup which allows NO play from side to side.

I saw someone else out there took a piece of pipe and simply drilled through it to attach their rope – looks good, but the rope material is moving back and forth during use, creating an ever so slight "sawing" effect every time its used (and inside the pipe, away from view.)

I dont want to think about those possibilities...

In any case, if you want to make your own climbing rope, I will not attempt to change your mind.

What I can do, is simply provide a better option, one that is safe and more efficient to use… and our climbing ropes, the very best climbing ropes in the business, can be found right here: climbing ropes

Train hard,
John Wood

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Happy April Fools! -- Now go buy a copy of Dinosaur Training!