The last action that I took before I left the Rhode Island Convention Center was buying a few new pieces of equipment to use at the gym. As I become more mature (HA!) I did my best to make planned decisions; in fact only one item was an impulse buy! I thought of what I needed to get to improve the training response achieved for myself and those around me. After a hearty deliberation while filling out a review of the conference (which was outstanding, by the way,) I made my shopping list and went on the hunt. Here is what I came home with:
Magnificent Mobility – Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson‘s highly acclaimed instructional DVD has been recommended by every coach, trainer, and therapist I’ve listened to or read. Knowing that both guys are amazing at what they do, and knowing that everyone can benefit from some more mobility, I picked this up, for a nice $42. I’ll be watching it multiple times in the next few weeks and implementing their work. Also, I saw Cressey present on Saturday afternoon, and the man really knows what he’s doing.
Stick – This massaging stick is another tool for self myofacial release. It isn’t quite as intensive as the foam roller, which for some beginners is a good thing. I like it for isolated work, such as the IT band or the calve. I also found in extremely painful to use on my upper arms and forearms yesterday; I didn’t realize how many trigger points I had!
TRX Door Anchor – I don’t think this needs a huge deal of explanation. I think the TRX is a fantastic tool for body weight training. It opens up a number of suspension training exercises, and it’s small, portable, and durable. I take it with me wherever I go, and now I’ll finally be able to complete indoor workouts without looking for a rafter to hook it on to. The TRX is awesome.
Superband – I received a 1/2″ superband from Perform Better for one of their online promotions. I absolutely love it, so I made sure to pick up a bigger one. The 1 3/4″ band that I picked up is fantastic: I can think of a number of exercises that it can be used for. I usually don’t like therabands and stereotypical band training, but it’s pretty awesome when it offers 75lbs of resistance.
Fat Grip – Isolation work sucks. As far as time investment goes, more people need to work on getting more band for their buck. How can you do that? Fat Grips. Having to grab on to a thicker grip requires more grip strength, while releving some of the pressure a smaller grip can put on your joints. I’ve been looking at fatter grips and how they can be applied to programming, and when I saw this grip I knew I had to get it. It just beckoned to me. It said “Harold, purchase me, and you can use me for your unilateral rowing work and help build grip strength… and be super awesome!” Maybe I just wanted it. Either way, I used it yesterday, and I’m very pleased. Plus, the nice salesman threw it in for free, and you can’t beat that, can ya?!!
New toys; more joys. Whith more tools at my disposal, I know I can get the most out of exercise for myself and others. Try some of this stuff out!
Harold Gibbons 