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Post by mr potatohead on Oct 12, 2017 21:35:06 GMT
Bruce's suspension trainer is about the same length as my longer in-house rope thing and works just as well. I only made mine to do it ...... I like to make things, always have. Plus, each of those tools likely cost less than $5 and took about 30 minutes to make since bothered to I chamfer and smooth the ends of all of the vinyl handles with a pen knife to reduce wear on the rope.
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Post by mr potatohead on Oct 12, 2017 22:05:54 GMT
I wanted to ask: how much of Pete's approach have you incorporated and what have you experienced? Have I answered your question or did I miss something? I was doing similar stuff to what Pete does, but the new ideas were the one-arm free-hangs and the stretching with some type of suspension rig. I also have picked up tips on exercise and some DIY inspiration from him here and there. I had been doing, with dumbbells, what he does w/ sandbags and most of the other stuff like circle walking, etc, before I was aware of him, I was just doing it differently in some of the specifics. I do like his sandbag outfit and have the materials to make them. I became tired of having the iron hex points of the DBs, poking me in the back though. So, although the DBs I used for that type of exercise were 15# & sometimes 20#, I made some sand jugs using empty plastic gallon jugs, filled w/ only 11# of sand. I looped 2' of rope around the jug handles, slipped on vinyl tube handles, tied a knot in the rope and pulled the knot into the handles. Now, when I move my hands w/ the swinging weight to behind my head and the jugs lay against my upper back, it's not uncomfortable at all. When I do the sandbags, I'll keep them outside and it will be winter soon enough so I'll probably wait until spring to make them. I'm thinking that I'm probably going to want them @ 20# each to start. The 11# jugs are OK, but it takes a while working them to bring on that good worked feeling.
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TexasRanger
Caneguru
A little here, a little there...
Posts: 2,223
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Post by TexasRanger on Oct 12, 2017 22:11:16 GMT
I wanted to ask: how much of Pete's approach have you incorporated and what have you experienced? Have I answered your question or did I miss something? I was doing similar stuff to what Pete does, but the new ideas were the one-arm free-hangs and the stretching with some type of suspension rig. I also have picked up tips on exercise and some DIY inspiration from him here and there. I had been doing, with dumbbells, what he does w/ sandbags and most of the other stuff like circle walking, etc, before I was aware of him, I was just doing it differently in some of the specifics. I do like his sandbag outfit and have the materials to make them. I became tired of having the iron hex points of the DBs, poking me in the back though. So, although the DBs I used for that type of exercise were 15# & sometimes 20#, I made some sand jugs using empty plastic gallon jugs, filled w/ only 11# of sand. I looped 2' of rope around the jug handles, slipped on vinyl tube handles, tied a knot in the rope and pulled the knot into the handles. Now, when I move my hands w/ the swinging weight to behind my head and the jugs lay against my upper back, it's not uncomfortable at all. When I do the sandbags, I'll keep them outside and it will be winter soon enough so I'll probably wait until spring to make them. I'm thinking that I'm probably going to want them @ 20# each to start. The 11# jugs are OK, but it takes a while working them to bring on that good worked feeling. Yessir, you sure did. Thanks. Wondering about the benefits and if you've seen the same as Pete.
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Post by mr potatohead on Oct 12, 2017 22:32:18 GMT
I'm not sure. What benefits are you wondering about? I haven't noticed any strength or visible size increases, but I'm flexible and loose and it feels good when I do it consistently. It's pulling out my muscles in a way that is comfortable yet tensing due to the extension. It feels like it's doing something good. That's about all I can say since I don't measure or log any body specs. If you're asking if I'm as built as Pete is, absolutely not. He weighs close to 200#, has beefy muscle and really good definition.
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Post by mr potatohead on Oct 12, 2017 22:46:27 GMT
I gave it some thought and I hate to mention this, however I'm sure that most of you have experienced similar, we just don't need to stroke our own egos in every post. Don't want to sound like some self-styled World famous exercise guru we all know, but anyway ..... Until recently making the rope suspenders, I have done most of the stretching with the inner tube setups over the past year or two (don't remember when I began) and have received unsolicited compliments like, "You have some vascularity going on there" or "You look strong" or "By the way you move, I thought you were my age" (from someone almost 20 years younger) or "You appear to be in good shape", so that makes me feel like I'm doing something right.
EDIT: BTW, the person who thought I am their age didn't believe me when I told them how old I was, so I finally asked them if they'd like to see my driver's license. They had no idea why I was laughing so hard when I said it! Ha!
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Post by Bruce Tackett on Oct 12, 2017 23:06:49 GMT
I gave it some thought and I hate to mention this, however I'm sure that most of you have experienced similar, we just don't need to stroke our own egos in every post. Don't want to sound like some self-styled World famous exercise guru we all know, but anyway ..... Until recently making the rope suspenders, I have done most of the stretching with the inner tube setups over the past year or two (don't remember when I began) and have received unsolicited compliments like, "You have some vascularity going on there" or "You look strong" or "By the way you move, I thought you were my age" (from someone almost 20 years younger) or "You appear to be in good shape", so that makes me feel like I'm doing something right. EDIT: BTW, the person who thought I am their age didn't believe me when I told them how old I was, so I finally asked them if they'd like to see my driver's license. They had no idea why I was laughing so hard when I said it! Ha! That's great, mikeytoes. Hearing of comments you have received is inspirational. We should all be aspiring to be in good shape, limber, and strong. Don't worry about tooting your horn, and don't worry about being likened to the most narcistic asshole on the Net.. You have bragging rights.
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Mr Average
Caneguru
Kegal Grand Master, 8th Dan BlackBelt in Origami, World Champion Couch Potato
Posts: 1,461
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Post by Mr Average on Oct 12, 2017 23:19:11 GMT
Well I have to use no form, because there are no rules about what I lift and move etc.. I just do things as safely as possible.
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Post by mr potatohead on Oct 12, 2017 23:24:18 GMT
Yes, after injuring myself (about 5 times in 5 years) often enough to require extensive recovery time of anywhere from 6 weeks to 1.5 years, I fully follow a safety first, injury free path now!
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Post by gruntbrain on Oct 12, 2017 23:26:18 GMT
bpag, the Sierra Strap or the Forearm Forklift strap can provide a safe way of moving/lifting stuff
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TexasRanger
Caneguru
A little here, a little there...
Posts: 2,223
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Post by TexasRanger on Oct 12, 2017 23:38:26 GMT
I'm not sure. What benefits are you wondering about? I haven't noticed any strength or visible size increases, but I'm flexible and loose and it feels good when I do it consistently. It's pulling out my muscles in a way that is comfortable yet tensing due to the extension. It feels like it's doing something good. That's about all I can say since I don't measure or log any body specs. If you're asking if I'm as built as Pete is, absolutely not. He weighs close to 200#, has beefy muscle and really good definition. The flexibility due to the extensions and any benefits to joint issues, etc., which you answered. Pete as you know had me wondering...the fact that dude was a buff and lean as he with that long white frizzy ponytale didn't make sense. Especially just hanging for extended times off of his apparatus. And then the revelation regarding weights and steroids answered that immediately. "I'm flexible and loose and it feels good when I do it consistently" Timing's everything! So you mention this in your post and the Brady book which talks about flexibility and pliability shows up. Maybe its a hint...
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Post by mr potatohead on Oct 12, 2017 23:41:05 GMT
What Brady book?
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Post by mr potatohead on Oct 13, 2017 1:30:12 GMT
I had the wrong youtube earlier in this thread. This, from June of this year, was the one I saw that started me thinking about making my own rope device to add a simple, solid feeling dimension to the stretching I was doing w/ bands & inner tubes:
I added the rope stretching device just to check out how it felt compared to doing it w/ elastics. Turns out, I like and continue to do both. The rope feels more isometric and the elastics allow some pull back resistance and muscle exercise effort. Both feel good in a different way.
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Post by mr potatohead on Oct 13, 2017 1:44:40 GMT
Or .... maybe it was this one from May 3 of this year that inspired my rope suspender ..... hell if I know:
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Post by mr potatohead on Oct 13, 2017 6:41:47 GMT
Not something that is immediately apparent from Pete's videos..... I've watched quite a number of them and I believe his attitude toward the stretching stuff he demonstrates is that it's his recreation to be enjoyed, in some part, as a relief from physical work. My impressions: He continues to do work (I heard him make comments about receiving no help around his place, so he ends up doing it all himself), like climbing ladders, trimming trees, building stuff like the masonry fire pit/grill, tending garden, etc, etc. Busy and active, he doesn't sit around on his ass and then just do some stretching. He's also doing some of the same things that gives me the greatest sensation of feeling my muscle growing - in particular - my current #1 favorite strength builder - loaded carries. Occasionally he shows the results of his work (like the block masonry fire pit/grill), but he doesn't show the work in progress, only his recreation/recovery/stretching/sandbag/anchor moving stuff. For example, tending garden involves digging dirt, picking stuff up, carrying it around, squatting, putting it down, but what he shows in vids are the nice veggies he's grown. Why, it wouldn't surprise me at all if he is very familiar with the proper use of a wheelbarrow.
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Post by mr potatohead on Oct 13, 2017 7:09:32 GMT
OK, I feel like maybe I've turned this into another thread about Pete Wagner, but in reviewing his extensive catalog of youtubes from both channels over the past several years, I'd have to say that I've likely watched more of his vids than anyone else on youtube - most of them, in fact. Not just for the tips, tricks and gizmos, but also because I have been fascinated with his learning process, watching and hearing him learn and refine what he's doing as he goes along and willing to publicly share it for the World to see. I seem to recall comments he's made to the effect that, even if no one watched his vids, he wouldn't care because he records them for himself - gives him 'someone' to talk to while he does his thing - his therapy. I'm pretty sure I would have a difficult time keeping up w/ the guy in the actual physical work department. To expand a little, I think the guy has some issues with his high opinion of his own opinion, an attitude that he's doing stuff that is original, unique and that no one else is doing and wants to be recognized as some top level exercise guru, but he's not alone in that attitude ...... Although, we've pointed out to him that, in general, this stuff is not new and has been done for - what? - thousands of years? - like monks tying each other up to do extended hangs - and that many of us have been doing similar stuff for some time before ever being aware of him. He has also expressed a desire and invitation for like-minded people to contact him for an opportunity to come and train with him, so perhaps he's lonely too or maybe just wants someone to boss around, IDK. When I heard him say this, I immediately dismissed that idea since I think I would quickly tire of his attitude that seems to indicate he has some special knowledge no one else has .... or maybe I'm misjudging him.
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