Sep
04
2009
Obviously I’m a fan of the pull up and other body weight exercises. I would dare argue it is the best all around strength exercise there is. You could argue the push up could share this title as well. I would agree but what about the dip? Regardless, few exercises outside of the pull up require almost zero equipment (stairs will often do) and provide both a clear test and incubator of strength. Since my stint in the Marine Corps, I’ve been obsessed with pull ups. Our physical fitness test consisted of a timed three mill run, crunches and pull ups. Even though the most points you could abstain for the pull up event was maxed out at 20 pull ups, we jar heads never stopped at just the max. If you could run sub eighteen minutes, you did. If you could hammer out over 100 crunches in two minutes, you did. And if you could do more than 20 pull-ups, you damn well kept going till your fingers’ hold let go of the bar’s tape and thumped you chest loudly for being such a bad ass. At boot camp where most of us weren’t used to doing pull ups before showing up to Parris Island, we brought up our strength up by doing them as often as possible. There were pull up bars everywhere and I mean everywhere. Now I take a little joy in spotting a set of bars somewhere not associated with the military as if I came across a sweet nostalgic find. To keep my strength up after getting out of the service, I’ve kept a bar close by mounting one to a door way in each home I’ve ever lived – much to the chagrin of a taller friend who always found a way to smack his head against each one of them each time he came check out the new pad.
1. Back & Biceps: the pull up
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During my last move I neglected to take the faithful bar with me so I needed a new one. I picked up the Iron Gym at the local Sports Authority. It was $10 more than a screw in model but this one could be put up and taken down at whim without having to worry about screws in the door frame which can be stripped or misaligned . I don’t like that the Iron Gym doesn’t come pre-assembled in one solid piece as it gives you the image that it may not be the most sturdy thing. Once put together though, the thing holds up well. I fell comfortable doing a full range of exercises on the bar to include simply farting around with hanging upside down by my knees or going completely inverted, legs through my arms, gymnastics style. Now all I need is a travel version.
2. Chest and Triceps: push ups and “SEAL push ups”
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I even use the Iron Gym for push-ups as the curved handles seem to provide for a better grip and allow me to dip below my hands on the bottom end of the exercise - you can’t do that with your hands on the floor. I like to end my push-up sets with subsets of reps of what I like to call SEAL push ups – lacking the official name and having snagged the exercise from a Navy SEAL work out video.
[youtube ECljtALjDCY 350 350]
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3. Abs: hanging knee raises
The bar can also be used for ab work outs. Knee raises absolutely rock. Hanging straight I bring my knees up to my arm pits. If your arms give out on you before your abs do, you can order a set of arm straps to support yourself from the manufacturer. But don’t worry, if you crank out some pull ups every time you go through the door, that won’t be an issue for very long.
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standard push-up w the Iron Gym (finish)
Mar
19
2009The millitary uses dog tags in part to help identify service members who have been rendered incapable of communicating their identity due to either a severe accident – or death. The idea of us regular schmoes possibly “benefitting” from a dog tag is admittedly pretty morbid. But anyone that does anything off of their property alone should have a form of identification on them. Thinking back to all of the spills I’ve taken road or mountain biking, sports I often do alone, there’s a real chance I might get get take a nasty fall, get side swiped in traffic or just be the klutz that I am and get knocked out. Heaven forbid something like this happens, and it’s definitely possibility, I’d like who ever finds me laying there to know who I am, who to call and have access to any special medical info.
The Road ID, sold at www.RoadID.com, is the high speed low drag (I love high speed, low drag) alternative to running with your driver’s license in your shorts. But what if you are biking or swimming? What if you want to convey more information than just your address – like your emergency contact info or any special medical needs such as drug allergens? Wear the Road ID.
photo acquired from roadid.com
The product in its most popular forms comes in either a wrist or ankle bracelet. These bracelets hold a little metallic card that carries the info you want emergency response people to have should they find you unable to communicate that info yourself. The company also offers the option to load your info to a database that a first responder could access on a web page with your bracelet’s info. This sounds handy for those of us that have specific medical concerns or change addresses a lot. I would probably add to my file DO NOT MRI NECK because of my little metal plate. They would probably figure that out with an x-ray first but you get the idea.
I am all about supporting products that could save a life and apparently already has. This is one I’ve been meaning to get for a while now, especially since my dog tag jingles, bounces, snags my chest hair, was, uhm, accidentally left behind somewhere and …doesn’t convey all of the info it should, like “Call So and So.”
The Road ID is pretty cheap to begin with but definitely a must for anybody that pretty much leaves the house, let alone participates in any kind of risky sport. You can try and use coupon code # ARR5178 for an additional $2 off. I just ordered my Ankle ID in the interactive edition. The interactive feature allows first responders to access a web page with your emergency contact and medical data which you can update on the fly instead of ordering a new informational plate every time you move, switch insurance companies or break up with you emergency contact.
