Backyard Pull-up Bar Part 2: Back to the Bar
Last month, my brother Danny and I finally finished building his backyard pull-up bar. It wound up being a bigger project than we originally envisioned, but in the end, Danny was left with an amazing home gym.
I recently got to work out on the backyard bar during a visit to Danny’s house in Brooklyn. I’ve been trying out some advanced muscle-up techniques like plyometric clapping muscle-ups and slow, no-hands muscle-ups (technically the hands are used, but they aren’t gripping the bar), while Danny’s been continuing to practice the human flag and human flag pull-ups.
The bars in Danny’s set-up have a 2″ diameter, which is even thicker than the bars at Tompkins Square Park. The thickness of the bars adds an extra challenge to exercises like pull-ups, muscle-ups and levers, so practicing on Danny’s set-up is helping my grip strength. Training on the fat bars makes going back to standard ones feel easy.
It was a bit cold out but we still managed to heat up those bars!
Grip Training and Antagonistic Balance
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by grip expert Jedd Johnson.
You are all probably well on your way toward including proper hand flexion exercises in your program if you are doing the variety of exercises that Al does here on his site.
However, I am willing to bet that almost none of you train the opposing movement patterns. In fact, it’s probably never crossed your mind before now, unless you’ve sustained an injury and done work with a physical therapist.
What is Antagonistic Balance?
The term “antagonistic balance” refers to maintaining a realistic balance of strength between opposing muscle groups.
For example, the shoulder needs to maintain a proper balance between the work and force used in pushing and pulling exercises like push-ups and pull-ups. Without proper antagonistic balance, shoulder problems can occur.
Here are some examples of conditions that can result when there is an imbalance, such as too many pushing movements and not enough pulling movements:
- Poor Posture
- Rounded Back
- Slouched Shoulders
- Neck Pain
- Headaches
- Upper Back Weakness
- Pulled Muscles
- Cramps
- Poor Performance in Sports
- Poor Results in the Strength Training Program
The shoulder, however, is not the reason I am writing today. Instead, I want to talk about your hands.
Antagonistic Balance and Hand Health
No doubt about it, a lot of the training we do is heavily dependent on grip strength. This is very important to take into consideration. After all, when you are in the middle of “skinning the cat” the last thing you want to have happen is to lose your grip and crack your skull on the pavement.
Just like the health of the shoulder joint, hand health from proper antagonistic balance should be a part of your training. This involves proper balance between flexion and extension movements of the hand and wrist.
Over time, being in a state of antagonistic imbalance can lead to many problems from the elbow down to the fingers.
- Misalignment of Carpal (Wrist) Bones
- Stiff Hands
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Tingling in the Fingers
- Weakness in the Hands, Fingers and Thumbs
The easiest way to maintain balance between the antagonists of the hands is by including finger and wrist extension movements.
Here are three ways you can include extensor training in your routine without breaking the bank.
1. Rubber Band Finger Extensions
A good set of rubber bands can be picked up at any office supply store. I like #84 Rubber Bands from Staples.
String them over your fingers and thumb and open your fingers against the resistance. The primary purpose of rubber band work is for endurance, so hit them until your forearm heats up and feels like it might just burn the next person that rubs against it.
2. Protein Container Extensor Training
Protein powder jugs and other similar-shaped containers make for great tools for working the extensors. Just throw some sand, steel shot, or bent steel from nail bending inside and you have a great tool for extensor training.
Stick your fingers and thumb in, open up all the way, and lift the container up off the ground. If you have monstrous hands, you may need something bigger. I use an Utz Cheese Ball container. I’m not sure how it made its way into my house…
3. Sand Bucket
Take a large bucket and put some sand in it. Dig the fingers down into the sand and open your hand against the resistance. This will work the extensors more intensely than the other two, so be ready for a pump. Call me a wuss, but I can’t stand getting the sand under my finger nails, so I usually wear leather working gloves while I do this. You may like this better as well.
These three methods of training the extensors are very cheap, probably costing you less than $10 in total, but they enable you to hit the extensors under light resistance for lots of reps (rubber bands), isometrically with heavier loads (candy container), and dynamically with heavier loads and fewer repetitions (sand bucket) so you are able to strengthen the extensors and maintain the antagonistic balance that is so important for hand health.
How Often to Do These Movements
Since I compete at grip sport, I do rubber band extensions every single day I train in an effort to maintain my antagonistic balance. Because the resistance is light, you can probably do these multiple times a week as well, probably 3 or 4 times, even.
I will do the sand bucket or the extensor lift once a week and I rotate each week. This frequency is probably good for you as well.
These methods should keep you going in your workouts, enabling you to progress more quickly and stay “in the game” for many years to come.
Jedd Johnson, CSCS has competed in numerous strongman and grip contests and holds the world record for the two hands pinch. Jedd is also a regular speaker & presenter at the Pennsylvania State Strength and Conditioning Clinic.
You can find more of Jedd’s writing on DieselCrew.com and TheGripAuthority.com.
If you’d like to find out more about grip competition, check out GripSport.org, the homepage for the North American Grip Sport Association.
The Rest/Pause Method
The mind is the most powerful muscle in the body, for without the mind, your physical muscles are useless. The rest/pause method will test the limits of both your body and your mind, while allowing you to push your strength and endurance to new heights.
The rest/pause method involves taking short breaks during a long set in order to get more total reps. Instead of stopping after you reach a pre-determined number of, let’s say, push-ups, just rest at the top with your arms locked out once fatigue sets in. Take a breath or two, then keep pushing out one rep at a time, with several seconds in between reps if need be. This will allow you to push the boundaries of muscular failure.
Incorporataing the Rest/Pause Method
Push-ups are one of the best exercises to use this technique with, but rest/pausing works great with pull-ups, squats and even muscle-ups.
After an intense session using the rest/pause method, it’s important to have a rest day or a recovery workout the following day. Rest/pause workouts are best used as a shocking technique, so they shouldn’t be done more than once or twice a week.
The power of using your mind and taking it one rep at a time can often lead to groundbreaking workouts. The rest pause method recently allowed me to set a new personal best in muscle-ups. Luckily, I was able to get it on film!
Check out my brother Danny rest/pausing his way to an epic set of over 100 push-ups!
Barefoot Running Technique
By now, most people have heard of the barefoot running movement. You probably even know some wacko at your office whose got a pair of “the feet gloves” or better yet, those Born to Run style huaraches. Maybe you’re even thinking of trying it for yourself. Here are some things to consider before you jump on the barefoot bandwagon.
To Shoe or Not to Shoe
Barefoot running is appealing not only because it taps into our primal caveman instincts, but more importantly, because it encourages forefoot running, which is generally considered the safest, most efficient running technique. Forefoot running lessens joint impact and facilitates a higher stride frequency, which is often correlated with faster race times.
Will Barefoot Running Make You Faster?
Maybe, but probably not. However, barefoot running will help you learn how to run with less impact, which will reduce the likelihood of pain and injuries – at least in the long run (pun intended).
Transitioning to Forefoot Running
While running barefoot or with minimal footwear is a great way to learn the forefoot technique, it isn’t absolutely necessary. Even though I like to run in my Xero Shoes, you can learn to run on your forefoot in any comfortable sneaker (I still like to run in Vans, too).
When making the transition to forefoot running, it is common to experience severe soreness in your calves. This doesn’t mean that you’re doing anything wrong. It just means you’re using muscles that you aren’t used to using. In time, those muscles will become stronger and the soreness following a run will subside.
Keep your knees and ankles bent.
Other than the obvious, there are a few key differences between the forefoot running technique and the heel-to-toe technique.
First, in forefoot running, your foot lands right under your hips instead of in front of your center of gravity. This does not mean that you’re up on the tips of your toes the whole time, but rather that your foot will land almost totally flat, with the heel just barely making contact with the ground. Maintaining good posture while bending your knees and leaning forward from your ankles will help facilitate this.
Kick out the back, Jack!
Another difference with barefoot running technique is that you aim to keep your foot in contact with the ground as briefly as possible. Rather than leaving your foot down there while you roll from heel to toe, in forefoot running, you strike down quickly and move into the next stride immediately.
Whether you choose to wear shoes or not, relax, focus on proper posture and listen to your body to avoid pain. Ease in slowly and gradually, allowing yourself time to adapt.
Advanced Pistol Squatting
The pistol squat is a challenging exercise, but with consistent practice, it can become relatively easy. Once you can do 10 repetitions on each leg, you should try adding a new challenge.
Watch the video to see my top five advanced pistol squat variations that you can do without adding weights.
Scaffold Pull-ups
Any red-blooded man who’s walked beneath scaffolding has no doubt been tempted to jump up, grab a bar and go for it. Those things are practically begging to be swung around on, hung from or climbed.
One of the only things I dislike about life in NYC is all the construction, but every cloud has a sliver lining. While it can be an eye sore, construction scaffolding is great for doing pull-ups.
My brother Danny and I got a great workout yesterday during the morning commute. While everyone around us scuttled off to the office, we got our reps in without setting foot in a gym.
Watch the video below for more:
Watching the 2010 NYC Marathon
The NYC marathon always attracts a crowd and this year was no different. In addition to the 37,000 entrants, there were millions of friends, family and fans lined up to cheer on the racers, giving the entire city Marathon fever!
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole year since I ran the NYC marathon, but time flies when you’re having fun. And hey – it’s been a good year!
This time around, I was excited to be a spectator. Being part of the crowd is almost as much fun as being in the race itself! It was a beautiful day and the positive energy was overwhelming.
The popularity of distance running is undeniable and everyone is welcome to participate. With entrants from all ages, nationalities and body types represented, it proved to me that anyone who sets their mind to it can run a Marathon.
Check out the photos below for more:
Age is just a number. So is 26.2.
Go Frank!
Viva Italia!
Waldo!
Heel striking in Vibrams? Oh and he's in a funny costume, too.
Photos by Colleen Leung
Crawling Towards Fitness
Before he learns to walk, man must first learn to crawl.
While I don’t consider walking the best exercise, crawling can actually be a pretty intense workout!
Crawling works your upper body, legs and core muscles, plus it can help improve your coordination. It can also turn into an intense cardio session if you keep it up for long enough!
One of the most basic crawls is the bear-crawl, which involves keeping your hips high in the air with your arms and legs straight. If you haven’t crawled since you were a baby, the bear crawl is a good way to ease back in.
The spider-crawl is a lot harder than the bear-crawl. Instead of keeping your hips up, the spider-crawl has you bending your arms and legs while keeping your hips down. Imagine you are trying to get through a narrow tunnel without letting your belly touch the ground.
You can also split the difference between these first two variations by keeping your arms straight but still bending your knees. This type of movement is sometimes used in parkour training and is similar to what Mark Sisson calls the “Grok crawl.”
Whichever variation you choose, crawling makes a great warm-up exercise, conditioning drill or active recovery technique. Feel free to experiment with different ways of incorporating these crawls (and your own versions of them) into your workouts.
Watch the video below for more:
If you’d like an Al Kavadlo/We’re Working Out! T-shirt like the one I’m wearing in the video, they are now available for purchase!
Client Spotlight: Katie
When I first met Katie, she had worked with trainers before, but hadn’t been able to maintain long term fitness. Like many people, she seesawed back and forth with her dedication and often let life get in the way of her health. As a result, she was never able to make any significant gains in her strength and endurance.
Having shed a considerable amount of fat and built a healthy amount of lean muscle since we began training, Katie now recognizes that fitness can only be maintained with dedication and consistency. There are going to be bumps in the road, but Katie knows to keep the car moving.
When Katie and I started working out together, the idea of her doing a pull-up was out of the question, but now she can do one with confidence! We’ve also started working on more advanced leg exercises, like pistol squats.
Watch the video below to see Katie doing push-ups, Australian pull-ups and more during our last workout at Tompkins Square Park.