jandirigma
04-19-10, 6:07 am
What It Is:
Sometimes, training with the same machines and free weights day in and day out can get pretty boring. Some try to add life to their regimen by cross training. Often times, the cross training done is of an aerobic nature such as running or involves running for an extended period of time with minimal resistance which spells catabolic disaster when done extensively for a bodybuilder trying to gain mass, due to the fact that it burns all sorts of body tissue, including muscle tissue. While running and aerobic activities may add some flavor and add an endurance aspect to your routine, these activities can compromise your size and strength gains. If this is the case, why not add an activity that spices up your work and at the same times builds cardiovascular and muscular endurance while building size, strength, flexibility, coordination, and mobility, which makes it ideal for athletes aside from bodybuilders or for bodybuilders seeking refinement in their fitness levels. It's an activity known as "unconventional fitness". It's not at all that different from traditional lifting in the sense that it is also a form of resistance training, but it is nonetheless interesting with its unusual equipment which focuses on compound movements. Since compound movements are used, different muscle groups are targeted at the same time in a coordinated fashion. Training with compound movements also trains the athlete to move in a "natural" and coordinated fashion, with movements similar to those used in day-to-day activities. Another interesting component of this activity is that sets are determined by time (duration) and usually done as a circuit with other exercises. For example, one set of kettlebell swings may last one minute followed by kettlebell front squats for another minute, then followed by another exercise. This setup is particularly good for fighters, since the sets train the athlete for endurance in a fashion similar to rounds in a fight. This form of circuit training makes for an efficient and intense workout which challenges muscular endurance and strength due to the resistance involved and cardiovascular endurance due to the consistent movements done over a given time. Aside from this, the athlete's coordination, balance, strength, and flexibility are challenged all at once within a minimal time frame. Think of it as cardio mixed with resistance training for less the time.
The Gear:
The equipment featured, if you might not notice, do not have a uniform composition, making it effective at challenging the athlete's balance by consistently engaging the core muscle in each exercise. Because it takes more effort to stabilize the weights used in unconventional fitness as compared to using a uniformly shaped weight such as a dumbell, unconventional fitness exercises heavily recruit stabilizer muscles that may otherwise become under-trained. Much of the equipment used in unconventional fitness may not be familiar to some, but will be of great help to those seeking an effective addition to add excitement to your iron regimen.
!) Kettlebells:
They are much like cannonballs with handles on top. Many dumbell exercises such as cleans and lunges can be done with this kind of equipment. Even front squats can be done with kettlebells without creating too much lower back stress as compared to the barbell version. Due to the odd shape of the kettlebell, grip strength and balance is challenged because of the extra effort needed to stabilize the weight while executing compound movements.
2) Indian Clubs:
Kushti wrestlers used these as a conditioning tool long ago. These look a lot like weighted bowling pins or baseball bats. The circular motions done with Indian Clubs which may sometimes resemble Eskrima patterns, train mobility, wrist, shoulder, and arm coordination, as well as grip strength. It is also an effective tool in training athletes such as fighters to move fluidly and efficiently in all planes of motion, due to the various flowing motions of the exercises for this particular piece of equipment.
3) Sandbags:
It's simply a bag filled with sand which may have some fabric handles attached on certain sides. The constantly shifting surface of the sandbag makes it harder to pick up, thus training grip strength. Nevertheless, it also trains the entire body, since you may perform some familiar exercises such as Turkish get-ups, snatches, Zercher squats, and more with the simple sandbag. Lots of these exercises challenge the core muscles significantly and become more challenging with the shifting surface of the sandbag, taking core training a notch higher. In turn, training your core this way may help improve your posture during lifts.
4) Macebell:
It looks like a huge mace. Exercises involve swings, rotations, and hoisting the macebell over your head in certain motions. This is another great exercise to challenge core stability and overall strength due to the concentration of the weight at the top of the mace. It becomes all the more challenging as the ball-end of the mace goes over your head as you hoist it.
5) Sledgehammers:
The sledgehammer involves several variations of slamming motions either using one or two hands in order to slam the hammer on an object such as a tire. It's great for training muscular endurance and brute strength. Particular muscle groups worked are the shoulders, arms, and back.
6) Battle Ropes:
Two huge ropes are secured individually at roughly shoulder-width apart. Both ropes may be grasped with one hand per rope, with one rope grasped by one hand for unilateral exercises, or with both hands grasping one rope. The ropes are usually slammed on the floor with different variations such as slamming the ropes while doing jumping jacks or squats. Using the ropes is a very intense exercise as it involves quick and strong movements for a set time using just about your entire body.
Here's a link for more exercises with these equipment: http://mymadmethods.com/exercise-database
Sometimes, training with the same machines and free weights day in and day out can get pretty boring. Some try to add life to their regimen by cross training. Often times, the cross training done is of an aerobic nature such as running or involves running for an extended period of time with minimal resistance which spells catabolic disaster when done extensively for a bodybuilder trying to gain mass, due to the fact that it burns all sorts of body tissue, including muscle tissue. While running and aerobic activities may add some flavor and add an endurance aspect to your routine, these activities can compromise your size and strength gains. If this is the case, why not add an activity that spices up your work and at the same times builds cardiovascular and muscular endurance while building size, strength, flexibility, coordination, and mobility, which makes it ideal for athletes aside from bodybuilders or for bodybuilders seeking refinement in their fitness levels. It's an activity known as "unconventional fitness". It's not at all that different from traditional lifting in the sense that it is also a form of resistance training, but it is nonetheless interesting with its unusual equipment which focuses on compound movements. Since compound movements are used, different muscle groups are targeted at the same time in a coordinated fashion. Training with compound movements also trains the athlete to move in a "natural" and coordinated fashion, with movements similar to those used in day-to-day activities. Another interesting component of this activity is that sets are determined by time (duration) and usually done as a circuit with other exercises. For example, one set of kettlebell swings may last one minute followed by kettlebell front squats for another minute, then followed by another exercise. This setup is particularly good for fighters, since the sets train the athlete for endurance in a fashion similar to rounds in a fight. This form of circuit training makes for an efficient and intense workout which challenges muscular endurance and strength due to the resistance involved and cardiovascular endurance due to the consistent movements done over a given time. Aside from this, the athlete's coordination, balance, strength, and flexibility are challenged all at once within a minimal time frame. Think of it as cardio mixed with resistance training for less the time.
The Gear:
The equipment featured, if you might not notice, do not have a uniform composition, making it effective at challenging the athlete's balance by consistently engaging the core muscle in each exercise. Because it takes more effort to stabilize the weights used in unconventional fitness as compared to using a uniformly shaped weight such as a dumbell, unconventional fitness exercises heavily recruit stabilizer muscles that may otherwise become under-trained. Much of the equipment used in unconventional fitness may not be familiar to some, but will be of great help to those seeking an effective addition to add excitement to your iron regimen.
!) Kettlebells:
They are much like cannonballs with handles on top. Many dumbell exercises such as cleans and lunges can be done with this kind of equipment. Even front squats can be done with kettlebells without creating too much lower back stress as compared to the barbell version. Due to the odd shape of the kettlebell, grip strength and balance is challenged because of the extra effort needed to stabilize the weight while executing compound movements.
2) Indian Clubs:
Kushti wrestlers used these as a conditioning tool long ago. These look a lot like weighted bowling pins or baseball bats. The circular motions done with Indian Clubs which may sometimes resemble Eskrima patterns, train mobility, wrist, shoulder, and arm coordination, as well as grip strength. It is also an effective tool in training athletes such as fighters to move fluidly and efficiently in all planes of motion, due to the various flowing motions of the exercises for this particular piece of equipment.
3) Sandbags:
It's simply a bag filled with sand which may have some fabric handles attached on certain sides. The constantly shifting surface of the sandbag makes it harder to pick up, thus training grip strength. Nevertheless, it also trains the entire body, since you may perform some familiar exercises such as Turkish get-ups, snatches, Zercher squats, and more with the simple sandbag. Lots of these exercises challenge the core muscles significantly and become more challenging with the shifting surface of the sandbag, taking core training a notch higher. In turn, training your core this way may help improve your posture during lifts.
4) Macebell:
It looks like a huge mace. Exercises involve swings, rotations, and hoisting the macebell over your head in certain motions. This is another great exercise to challenge core stability and overall strength due to the concentration of the weight at the top of the mace. It becomes all the more challenging as the ball-end of the mace goes over your head as you hoist it.
5) Sledgehammers:
The sledgehammer involves several variations of slamming motions either using one or two hands in order to slam the hammer on an object such as a tire. It's great for training muscular endurance and brute strength. Particular muscle groups worked are the shoulders, arms, and back.
6) Battle Ropes:
Two huge ropes are secured individually at roughly shoulder-width apart. Both ropes may be grasped with one hand per rope, with one rope grasped by one hand for unilateral exercises, or with both hands grasping one rope. The ropes are usually slammed on the floor with different variations such as slamming the ropes while doing jumping jacks or squats. Using the ropes is a very intense exercise as it involves quick and strong movements for a set time using just about your entire body.
Here's a link for more exercises with these equipment: http://mymadmethods.com/exercise-database