More on Torque, pistols

To make Pistols harder try holding the arms at the sides as demonstrated here by pistol master Steve Cotter:



rather than in front of the body as seen demonstrated here by Jim of Beastskills:



Another option is to do the pistol on a box or a ledge and let the non working leg hang down over the edge rather than straight forward.

Either of these variations makes the movement more challenging by reducing counterbalance and increasing the torque acting on the working joints.

Levi Meeuwenberg Showreel 2009

Here is the most succesful so far of the G4 Ninja Warriors in action:



thanks to Neal, cause I got this and one of the Dominic videos from his favorites

More Dominic Lacasse (human flag master)

another pole dance:



07 freerun showreel:

Another Bar-barians requirements Video

Thanks to Neal Holmes for submitting his go at the requirements. The background track is Fire! Who is that?

Monkeying around

Murdog83 posted this display of primate power, notice it's all on one arm, on the Bar-barian forums:



Apparently he shot the video himself. Thanks for sharing!

Advantages of Bodyweight Training, Torque Sets!

We have talked previously about the benefits of bodyweight training and I'd like to discuss another one of the less appreciated advantages of this form of exercise.

Most people who don't know very much about bodyweight work think that it is limiting in that you can't control how much resistance you are utilizing. At a first pass this would seem to be true, after all you can't change what you weigh right? Well maybe you can over the long-term, but certainly not between sets. This leaves people thinking that bodyweight work would not be appropriate for them because they are either too heavy or too light to get a goo work-out with bodyweight given their strength level.

Fortunately these people are WRONG! Most any bodyweight exercise can be increased or decreased in difficulty by modifying body position and thereby adjusting the torque (<--click this link, it is worth understanding!) and effective resistance.



This can be done throughout a set so that one is continuously working at their maximum possible tension level. Bodybuilders sometimes adjust the weight during a set by taking of plates once they hit failure. This is called a drop-set. Bodyweight exercise allows even finer control though, as it is possible to increase resistance on the eccentric (also know as the negative or lowering portion) of the rep where you can handle more weight and then decrease it on the positive (concentric or lifting phase) where you are weaker. For example in the glute ham raise, one can do the negative with the arms extended overhead and the positive with the arms at the sides. It would also be possible to bend the waist a little more on the negative than on the positive. In addition to this variation one can gradually decrase torque from rep to rep. In this way one can be at the point of muscular failure for the entire set!

This technique is very hard on the body and should probably not be used for every set. Nevertheless I tend to use it all the time, because I can't get enough of the burn. For the time being I'll call these torque sets. Can you guys think of a better name, let me know in the comments. Also I'd be curious to hear if any of you employ this method and on what exercises.

Weird Pull-up Contest

Is this a Man or Woman?



Leave your guesses in the comments

Rich Simpson Bouldering

Some of you might remember Rich Simpson from our previous post on him. Well here he is in action:



(thanks to Rick for finding it)

Old Man Strength

This 63 year old has the body of a 20 year old. It appears his knees are shot but its unbelievable how strong his arms, shoulders, chest, back and abdominals are. He must have a very strong passion to keep training. Can anyone translate?



And this 72 year old is still at it as well.

Little Man

getting $$$$$$$




somebody get him a piggy bank

Dyno records!

Current record (but it looks like there is a n extra push of the wall though)

From the comments

Donald said...

I eat Paleo, and I do intermittent fasting. I usually eat 2 meals a day unless I want to gain some weight. Since I eat Paleo, I cut out all the grains, etc. For my carbs, I used to only eat veggies and fruit for a while, but now post-workout I eat more carb dense foods to replenish glycogen, like sweet potatoes and bananas.

And to answer your question. I don't really "diet" much anymore. I used to actively try to cut down, but I can't recover from workouts on a calorie deficit.

I just ordered some leucine, glutamine, and whey protein. I'm interested in seeing how leucine and glutamine will affect my recovery. I usually am against whey protein, but it's getting difficult to gulf down all the protein I need in 2 meals.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on my diet.
January 24, 2009 2:27 AM
Mad Money said...

We are living in the space age, there's no need for you to make due with paleolithic era sustenance. If you eat more fruits and grains you will have more energy, and need to eat less to feel full.

Some of my favorite carb sources are Dominoes pizza, here's my usual order (lasts approx 5 days):

Order Summary
1 Small(10") Hand Tossed Pizza, Whole: Italian Sausage, Green Peppers, Mushrooms, Extra Diced Tomatoes, Extra Cheese, Light Sauce, Ham, Extra Banana Peppers, Extra Onions, Extra Premium Chicken $5.55
1 Small(10") Hand Tossed Pizza, Whole: Green Peppers, Black Olives, Beef, Diced Tomatoes, Cheese, Light Sauce, Ham, Extra Banana Peppers, Onions, Extra Shredded Provolone Cheese, Premium Chicken $5.55
1 Small(10") Crispy Melt Pizza, Whole: Italian Sausage, Beef, Extra Cheddar Cheese, Light Sauce, Ham, Extra Banana Peppers, Onions, Extra Shredded Provolone Cheese, Extra Premium Chicken $5.55

Coupon: Three full size 10-inch Pizzas with Unlimited Toppings for $5.55 each

Subtotal: $16.65
Tax: $1.39
Delivery: $0.00
Total: $18.04


I also like fiber one honey and oat flakes,




fiber one yougurt,



frozen blueberries, mangoes, and raspberries.



For protein midday I usually go with a double quarter pounder with extra onions and pickles and add one packet of hot picante sauce.
January 24, 2009 12:05 PM

Another Bar-barians requirements attempt

Here's Nakmeezy trying the requirements:



Here are the requirements:

-40 dips
-20 pull-ups
-50 push-ups
-5 muscle-ups

All done in 10 minutes, in any order but the muscle-ups must be done LAST.

Also all reps should be full range of motion and each exercise must be completed in a single set.

Perfect Squat

This is the body position at parallel in a normal squat:

.'__
/_
./_

This is the body position at paralell of the Perfect Squat:

'
|_
..|_

In case it is not clear arms are against the sides in the perfect squat but they are extended forwards in the conventional bodyweight squat Another difference is that legs are shoulder width or wider in the conventional squat and they are together for the perfect squat).

The perfect squat is not actually possible, it would require infinite force to sustain. But as you move from the normal squat to the Perfect Squat you will be in effect applying greater and greater force. The only limiting factor is your strength.

When trying this maintain a lot of body tension and go slowly. This will allow you to find the limits of your strength without tipping over.

The principle at work here is torque and you can make similar modifications to make other exercises insanely hard. It definitely works for pull-ups, or lever or planche variations.

Glute Ham Raise (GHR)

I think that the GHR is a very underrated exercise. Here's a video showing three variations:



Now you might be thinking that it is not a bodyweight exercise because it is on a machine and he is using weights. Well the machine is not necessary and neither are the weights. Difficulty may be increased by extending the arms from the body, or beyond that by doing single leg variations. Those without access to the machine can improvise. I could prescribe a specific settup but then you might not have the necessary implements to make that work either. So let me tell you at a conceptual level what is necessary to settup an improvised GHR:

1) something to pad the knees and shins, so the weight is distributed evenly along the lower leg as you do not want all of your weight on your knee caps.

2) a wedge that you can press the soles of your feet against and that anchors your heel or ankle from above (this can be a person sitting on your legs if nothing else is available.

Hopefully I would like to get some pictures of improvised settups that have worked well for me to give you guys some ideas. Rick suggested we buy the domain ghettoglutehamraise.com that would focus on these makeshift devices.