If you had to pick one athlete that had some of the most powerful yet conditioned legs in all of Physical Culture, The Great Gama would be at the top or close to the top of a short list. For being undefeated for decades and doing more squats daily than the majority will ever do in their lifetime, it's a wonder how he stayed in shape for so long. His regimen has been grossly exaggerated but at the same time, you can't deny the sheer strength and power he possessed.
Leg work such as Squats, Lunges, Step Ups and Jumping movements are an essential to staying physically fit. You don't always need to do hundreds if not thousands of reps to reap the benefits. There are many ways to do leg work and you can make them easier or more challenging but in the end, making leg work a priority is one of the best things you can do. One of the things that Gama did to make his squats more challenging was using a Ring Weight called a Gar Nal where you put the inside of the Ring onto your shoulders and do squats that way. Now, that's about as bad to the bone as you can get when it comes to strength and conditioning in the old traditions of Physical Culture but at the same time, it's not as compatible or versatile for most people. There is another way though.
This device is not necessarily meant to make squats or other leg exercises "easier", but it does get the job done and has been used by the pros and by fitness enthusiasts the world over and that's the Portable Power Jumper. It's an apparatus that you can put your feet into a strap and put resistance cables onto your shoulders. This can take your leg conditioning to another level in the modern day. There are other forms of resistance cables you can do for the legs but most give you limitations but the PPJ can have you doing all sorts of stuff, even Hindu Push-ups & The Back Bridge. It's awkward as hell and as long as it doesn't snap on you in the hairy peaches, doing the bridge with this thing really tackles the back, core and legs like nobody's business. For a period I would do this for a few reps rocking back and forth and hold for about a minute (it's a miracle it never hit me in the coconuts) and I would feel it almost immediately. It really helped strengthen my bridge and one of the reasons why I could hold a nose to mat bridge for three minutes any time I feel like it.
Whether you're training for a sport, needing that extra nudge in your training or just want to stay in shape, this awesome set of bands can do a lot in a short span of time. Work your legs hard in lesser time to get results that would astound people. It'll save you time and is affordable. Get it as a gift to yourself or for someone you care about and learn how to expand your horizons in the realm of fitness. Take it with you anywhere....To the gym, in your hotel room, at the park, during a break at work, in your bedroom, hell even on mars maybe one day. Get conditioned, stay strong and have a kick ass Christmas Weekend everyone. Be amazingly awesome to yourself and your loved ones.
I don't know if I'm falling in love with the Chest Expander or just really getting into it and reaping the benefits of it. Almost everyday lately, I've been pulling and pressing that thing from as many directions as I can without straining myself. In terms of resistance, I've kept it around 100-140 lbs but some days I'll go lighter and every few days or so I would see what my max amount of resistance I can do for about 3-5 reps. I don't do multiple sets of an exercise, I just do 1 and go from one to another either quickly or after a short rest so I feel at my strongest.
The workouts feel great and I'm feeling a difference in my back and shoulders since this thing works out the kinks where my shoulders may have lacked. Because of doing Bear Crawls, Push-Ups from time to time and other ground movements in animal exercises you're hitting more of either the front or back of the shoulders and not so much all around that area of the body so the Chest Expander really targets the areas that might not be as strong and need a bit of a boost and not getting in just one or two areas. Some cables I'll use relatively the same colors and use all three bands, or two depending on the exercises I do and mix and match to work different pounds of resistance together.
I'm not trying to utilize a bodybuilding approach and nowhere near the level of some of the old timers like Fred Rollon or John Grimek and Reg Park. These guys knew realistic strength better than just about anybody when it came to Strand Pulling. In the old days and even today, the Expanders had springs you can work with up to I think like 6 at one time. There are elastic cables today you can use that go up to 5 but most Expanders have about 3-4. I try to max out what I can do and from my research, one of the tests of strength with it is the Front Chest Pull W/ Hands Inside. This sets the tone for how strong you are with that apparatus.
My max pull right now is at 160 lbs resistance but I know I can do better as time goes on. As you can see above, yes I have to really put effort into it and it's not something I take lightly. It's awesome to experiment but it's also important to respect the bands as well and be in control otherwise it'll hit you hard and it does fight back with a vengeance the heavier the resistance.
When it comes to the exercises, I try to keep a bare minimum of about 6 exercises that are the foundational pulls and work other exercises to hit other parts of the upper body like curls, tricep extensions, lateral raises with lighter resistance and others. In a single workout, I might do up to 10-12 exercises. If it's a heavy day, I rest a bit longer between exercises and keep the reps to 3-10 depending how much I have in me to pull or work with. For lighter resistance, I keep it around 10-25 reps per exercise for more moderate to near conditioning type training while resting as little as possible to not at all. Have no clue how long a workout is, I just grab and go with it.
Now because it's mainly an upper body training session, what do I do for legs? Simple really, Step Ups, Animal Walks, Isometrics, Pick Up & Carry Sandbells and there you go. You do want to keep things equal but more often than not, you either do more of one or the other and do your best to avoid injuries and getting stiff. I like to stretch the body out doing my Flow Training or do Isometric Type Stretches from Bob Anderson's Stretching Book but my most common routine are mobility type exercises and loosening up the joints. Flexibility is just as important as Strength Training and regardless of our strength, if we don't have solid mobility and flexibility, what good are we?
Workouts don't need to be super long in order to create results. It doesn't matter if you're into weights, bands, bodyweight, machines or hammers, if you got a good 45 minutes for a long one or 5 minutes for a short one, you can have sessions that will make you feel like you just went through hell. One of my favorites for conditioning is Circuit Training doing Bodyweight & Martial Arts type training. Those are the type of workouts where I can go hard but not rest at all. Keep it to 10 rounds max and you're good to go.
Back to the Chest Expanders shall we? The stronger you get, the more you'll start to see how great the carry over is to other things you may not have realized. Some of the worst injuries for athletes are in the shoulders such as those who are Pitchers, Olympic Lifters, Martial Artists and Wrestlers. Rotator Cuff injuries are the most common and although like I've written before, we can't avoid injuries all the time but we can greatly reduce them by practicing prehab exercises and strength training that keeps injuries at bay for as long as possible. The Chest Expander is one of those tools that can do that even for the most elite athletes. If you had injuries that have a chance of being healed, this thing can work wonders using lighter bands.
I know people love going to the gym but there are times that it's not always possible like during a snow storm or during hurricane season. I'm not suggesting you try to do workouts in the middle of a blizzard, it's the idea that because Expanders are very affordable that you can have an entire gym in a little bag, it's there when you need it for those days when going to a gym isn't there. It gives you the freedom to train wherever you want and they can be done everyday or 2-3 times a week, it's up to you. Train according to your goals but also make compromises with yourself so you don't feel obligated or frustrated that because you may not always get to do one thing but have something there that can be useful in the meantime.
Be strong, be resourceful and keep being amazingly awesome. HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!
Because of the awesome response from my Chest Expander Article, thought I'd add some more things to the cause for building a body for those on a budget. Even though the most free method of exercise is bodyweight training, some might want to go the extra mile but can't always make it to a gym or afford a weight set which can set you back tens of thousands of dollars. It's more of a construct really and money can be tight for some people especially if you have to take care of a family, a mortgage and the skid mark of life we call BILLS!!!
They say money can't buy happiness and in many cases that's true and even if you're the richest man in the world (or a tanned Cheeto that we called a president at one time), it still can't make you feel as good as kick ass exercise can. That's where if you're on a budget, Resistance Cables can be a great option. Now, there are elastics out there that cost a horrendous amount of money which I never truly understood. Shit there are bands that cost as much if not more than half of a rack of dumbbells. That's why I have stuck with Lifeline Fitness for as long as I have been training the last 17+ years.
Resistance Cables such as the Chest Expander, TNT System, Portable Power Jumper & Power Push-up Plus can be very beneficial and convenient if you're traveling. Imagine getting in a workout that can be done in your hotel room, while camping, being at a nice park, in your New York penthouse, your cabin in the woods or at a beautiful lake, it can be done just about anywhere. The ability to do all the exercises a gym provides that can be stuffed into a small bag is about as awesome as you can get. Some of the greatest bodybuilders and Physical Culturists such as Fred Rollon, John Grimek, Eugene Sandow and Earl Liederman all used resistance type cable training (originally spring loaded) to aid in their development and had some of the greatest physiques that even to this day can be seen in awe. Think for a moment being able to do the same exercises they did 50-100 years ago.
You've seen some ideas for the CE especially with a video I put up and how Rollon was said to have built his mighty physique from the Expander almost exclusively. The TNT System is longer and can be used for exercises like the machines in the gym and then some. Get your pulldowns, rows, flys, curls, presses and more with just a simple apparatus that you can adjust resistance in seconds or go from one exercise to the other in a heart beat. I have used this to do supersets with Step Ups that give me the workout I need to stay in top condition and maintain my long-term strength. You can always switch to squats or lunges and still get a great workout in. The Portable Power Jumper is mainly for explosive leg training such as squats, lunges, jump squats and others. I've used it to where I added resistance to Hindu Pushups and the Back Bridge (just be careful not to whack yourself in the crotch area LOL). From time to time I did sets of Hindu Squats with it and puts you in a whole other state of hitting the quads and back.
For the Power Push-up Plus, it goes beyond just doing Push-Ups, you can essentially get in some awesome deadlifts, rows and good mornings for the back to even things out. There's more exercises but I'm just giving you an idea here. Be able to adjust it just by sliding a clip on and make as easy or difficult as you'll need. With all this how much is the cost of these? Overall, depending on your budget, the Chest Expander Set with the handles is around 27 bucks, this alone can be your entire gym for the upper body, the TNT System starts out at around $42 and the cost for additional cables van vary due to the amount of resistance but even the heaviest set of cables is around 20 bucks. The Portable Power Jumper is around $52 but you could find a cheaper price on Amazon like with any of these. You don't need to get any additional cables for this, for the most part, just the set it comes with would be more than enough. The Power Pushup is around $42, I don't know if you need heavier cables for this so just the set alone is really it. Total here, less than $165 for a full starter set. That may sound like a lot but compared to the amount any machine costs that's a fucking fraction. You don't even have to get these all at once and on Amazon, you can find them cheaper and get the same quality.
For those that are worried about the wear and tear on these cables over time, I got something cool to lay on you guys. I've had only maybe 2-3 cables snap on me ever and had some of the same sets of cables for more than a decade. The thing that I use to keep their elasticity strong for an extended period of time is Armor All Wipes. Just take a sheet and smoothly go up and down on the cable for maybe a few seconds if that and that's it. Very simple and easy to do. You deserve great quality and use simple tools that will get the job done regardless of your budget. I never want you going broke or having to spend your paycheck. Getting in shape shouldn't always cost you an arm and a leg.
Be strong, stay safe, save some money and be amazingly awesome.
