How I Would Do It

Reached in the old mail bag and picked out a good one for today"

Eric writes:

John,

Here is what I have to work with: Wrist Roller, Iron
Mind Gripper #1 and # 2, Grip Sleeves 2" thick, and
barbells. What would be a good weekly routine?

Thanks in advance.

Eric, a couple things to keep in mind before I get started: Im going to tell you how I personally would train with the a equipment you have listed. It is important though to understand that there are many ways to go about it and there are certainly many other options.

And as I often mention, the overall goal dictates the necessary action, and my goal may not be the same as yours but in any case, I'll provide how I would do things, and you can take from it what you will.

First of all, Im going to "lift" three days per week and do conditioning work on the in-between days.

Conditioning sessions last roughly 20 minutes, non-stop and might consist of track running, jumping rope, calisthenics, hill running, stair running etc.

Doesnt really matter as long as it gets the heart rate up.

As for the lifting, I would suggest three pushes, three pulls grip, neck, abs and a few other assorted odds and ends.

Since we are limited by the available equipment only, I would suggest something along these lines:

1. Overhead press
2. Standing Curl
3. Pushup
4. Row
5. Push Press
6. Shrug

For the Grip:

7. Hand Grippers
8. Wrist Roller Each Hand

For Legs:

9. Squat or Deadlift (I prefer the Squat)

No racks to it has to be high reps - a real killer.

Abs:

10. Situps
12. Vacuum

Neck:

11. Wrestlers Bridge or manual resistance

Misc:

12. Muscle Control
13. Breathing exercises

This workout should take roughly 45 minutes to an hour to complete and if feel like doing any thing else, you're slackin off.

Now, keep in mind that these choices are entirely limited by what is available. If it truly were "me" I would add in a pullup bar, somewhere to do dips, a trap bar, a bench, a neck strap, some Indian clubs and maybe a few other things.

All of these would add variety, but not variety just for the sake of variety, they add variety for either increasing options to prevent boredom, or providing options that other available exercises do not.

again, thats just me and my own cavalier attitude.

Also keep in mind that this workout (or any workout for that matter) is worthless by itself. It's the improvement over time that matters most of all.

Train hard,
John Wood

P.S. In case you missed it, we've just released a few classic training books from Bradley J. Steiner that should be in your library. Get em here.

Not Just Another Monday

Welcome to Monday - not just any Monday -- but the busiest Monday of the entire year. Oh, did I mention we had a blizzard yesterday. Yeah, a foot of snow fell in roughly 12 hours day before last.

It's been a while since we've had that kind of weather and it has been intense.

Driving around yesterday I helped two random strangers get their cars unstuck from snowdrifts - and just before I got back home my truck promptly got stuck in a snowbank - and two other random strangers gave me a hand.

That's good stuff.

Much thanks to those guys out there wherever they are.

Anyhow, with all sorts of holiday madness we will be in the office all day today packing up recent orders.

Priority number one is getting recent orders in the mail and Bill, Chris, Shelby and Flash the dog will be in the office tonight until 6pm to make sure everything gets out on time.

You can count on us to get the job done.

Anyhow, so what makes me so crazy is that I am going to release a brand new product right now.-- yes, right now, on the busiest day of the year.

It's a piece of equipment that goes back thousands of years, but still works just as good today. Something that would be perfect for every athlete, men, women, children - doesn't matter, all will benefit tremendously...

Check em out for yourself here:

Indian Clubs Page

The Benefits of Climbing Rope

I was always interested in climbing ropes and thought they would make an interesting addition to our product line - the grip strength benefits should be obvious - Well in just two and a half short years we are now the top online climbing rope dealer in the world - thats right, we sell more climbing rope than anyone, and consequently, know more about climbing rope training than anyone else.

We are "THE" place for climbing rope info, if you are interested in rope climbing, you came to the right place.

Now, a few of the important things to keep in mind for training with climbing ropes are:

1) To make sure you have the correct rope for your training
2) To make sure your rope is attached safely and securely

There are several different options as far as ropes go but today I am only going to cover one -- but one of the most important: the diameter of your climbing rope.

We currently feature two different diameters for our climbing ropes: 1-1/2 inch and 2 inch.

Now, a lot of people call us up telling us that they are "real strong" and want to start climbing ropes. They want to start at the very top because they are "so damn strong" so they want to go with the 2 inch diameter right away, even if they have no previous climbing rope experience.

Heres the thing: 1-1/2 inch climbing ropes are more than enough of a challenge for even for the toughest of elite athletes.

Above all else, we want to have a rope you can actually climb.

Once you master that climb you can progress by climbing without your feet,holding your legs straight, two ropes, wearing a weighted vest, upside down etc.

And, of course, you can climb as many times as you need to in order to get a great workout (it wont take much.)

All in all, the 1-1/2 inch climbing ropes are going to be the perfect choice for just about every athlete and training program, especially if you are dealing with high school athletes which is often the case with these climbing ropes.

Now, I wont beat around the bush - climbing a two inch rope is quite a feat.

If you think you are up to the challenge we can certainly oblige and help you out with the finest 2 inch diameter climbing ropes in the business.

Keep in mind that we are getting close to the tipping point for our
climbing ropes this Holiday season. These ropes are manufactured by hand and do take time to put together.

We still have time, but if you want to build "crazy monkey climbing Strength" we will need to place the order with our manufacturer asap.

Heres a link to our climbing rope page: Manila Climbing Ropes

Why I Cook a Mean Banana Bread

Strength training is a lot like cooking - you’ll only be successful when you follow the recipe correctly - and that means adding the right ingredients, in the right amounts, in the right order. And just like training, if you don't "do it right" all you'll end up with is a mess.

The "things" that workouts are made of are: sets, reps, exercises, frequency, duration, and intensity – when all of these things "work" together you’ll get stronger.

Now I'm not much of a chef, but do understand how things fit together which is why I'm a pretty strong dude... and why I can cook a pretty mean banana bread.

Here's the recipe I use:

2-1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 medium)
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Evenly grease 9" x 5" meal loaf pan. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In small bowl, combine bananas, milk, and vanilla.

2. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Reduce speed to low; alternately add flour mixture, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat just until blended.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, - this takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Makes 1 loaf.


Here's what it looks like when its all put together - Delicious!

Eye of The Tiger - Bring It Back

One was an executive in his late 50s, another, a former teammate of mine in his mid 20s and the last a total stranger standing in line at the bank, I would guess in his early 30s.

All of them were athletes at some point in their lives. These were three different people in three different places but all shared one common trait:

I had the same conversation with each of them, and, in their own words, they all said the same thing:

'I used to workout.'

'I'm so out of shape now.'

'I wish I could get myself to start training again.'

If you were to ask, I bet 97 out of 100 people would tell you something similar.

I cant tell you what makes people stop training but I will say that its a challenge for everyone to keep going (yes, even highly motivated folks like me.)

So what do you do?

Let me first mention the fact that human beings seem to have this desire to make things more complex than they are (and certainly need to be.)

Here's what Apollo Creed said to Rocky in Rocky III:

'Now when we fought, you had the Eye of the Tiger, man -- the edge -- and
now you gotta get it back -- and the way to get it back is to go back to the
beginning.'

Going back to the beginning - to simplify your training for one reason and
one reason only: to take it to a level that you know and will actually do so
you can get started.

Now here's the Secret - training never needs to get more complex than 'the
beginning' -- basic exercises, done well, are all you ever need.

At this point, I can only hand the ball off to you, dear reader, because you are the one who makes the decision to go out and train or stay on the couch eating potato chips and living a life of regret.

If you need a little fire in your belly, if you want the Eye of The Tiger,
here's something that will help you bring it back.

Train hard,
John Wood

Why I Didn’t Train Yesterday

Just a quick one:

As I write this, the clock on the wall says 1:41 am. I just woke up from a 5 hour “nap” which I was in dire need of. With all the holiday excitement it has been increasingly difficult to find time and energy to train but I have been very good about doing so.

I finally crashed this evening – my body is telling me that I need the rest more than anything else.

While I certainly could “gut out’ a workout, I know I will be better off waiting until tomorrow and as soon as this email is finished, you can bet that I’m going to go back and hit the hay. Tomorrow is a big day and I need to be on point.

In this case, taking the night off is the right thing to do. I know this because I know my body and I also know that the next time I do train, it will be that much better.

I know I always talk about never missing workouts but it should also be understood that there is a time and a place for doing so.

You see, there will be times when missing a scheduled work out is the smartest thing you can do. (Although this should not be confused with laziness.)

Listen, and pay attention. - When it comes to your physical wellbeing, your body will tell you all you need to know.

Train hard.
John Wood.

P.S. Been getting a lot of questions about Bill Hinberns New Hand Balancing
Course. It has been our top selling training guide this year and you can get
a copy ASAP for yourself or someone you know right Here.