Update for the curious.
Started this as more of an experiment to to run alongside my regular parkbench training but have since switched almost 100% of upper body to this strategy. Since these movements are not similar enough to other exercises I've done, I'm still enjoying some linear increases. These are beginning to feel like they're slowing down, so good time to take stock, share and update to those interested.
This all began when I attempted to identify principles common to the strength challenges I face on a regular. This due to a lot of my surplus strength seeming to give very little benefit outside of the actual means used to acquire it - I could lift more weight/more reps in the lifts I was practicing but day to day, especially as I get older, the transfer wasn't there to my satisfaction. To me, this speaks more to exercise selection than other factors.
This mostly applies to upper body training, which is much more task specific than lower body.
Have been at this for about 4-5 months, didn't really dial it in till early March and am still fine-tuning some of the movement details. As with some KB lifts, that process might never stop. Lift selection is down to four movements - thrusters (diggers), paddles , uppercuts, laterals - that hit all the push/pull angles I want to blast. The options are greater than that, but many movements only mimic traditional lift mechanics. Might still be an avenue to explore for folks who have a few lighter weights and don't want to spend $ on more iron. Is easy to replace 1H rows and 1H pressing.
I started off on this with my "sandbag front loaders" and went from there finding other ways to apply the principles I'd noticed as I move about. Looking for some Blue Collar Specificity.
Enter the load on a pole - Hobo Bundle. 4' x 1.5" metal pipe with cord for tying off KBs by the handle 1" from the end. Unlike macebell this is heavier than most and not intended to be swung ballistically. The load hanging beneath the pole creates some instability but also keeps the load at the least/most advantageous as the end of the pole moves around. Very little weight is needed. I pass the cord around the handle of the KB a few turns and tie it with a reef knot. I can tie off several KBs to fine tune the load.
characteristics of day-to day I noticed that were not addressed by my existing exercise selection:
-no lockout
-elbows float around 90° +- 20° without full flexion or extension, primary role is stabilization to transfer movement from shoulders/trunk.
-load manipulated away from the body center of gravity (this is huge)
-unsymmetrical bilateral push/pull, push/push, pull/pull
-grip endurance relative to tool holding - eg sawing different from filing different from hammering, training should reflect some of this
In addition I wanted to shoot for relative balance between gross pushing and pulling and variety in line of resistance. Paddling different from lifting heavy items from floor, different from pulling heavy components off of shelf at eyebrow level - low pull/middle pull/high pull and apply same to pushing, in the same exercise if possible.
Initial observations, limiting factors:
- A 2" diameter pole quickly proved to be too large, grip severely challenged and began to aggravate old tendonitis symptoms. This mostly due to the angles the grip is challenged and the increased force as the grip gets further from the load - force applied to the open side of the grip between fingers and thumb, but mostly linear forces through the grip both push and pull.
- connective tissue in and around the armpit seriously challenged. Acclimating required a bit of time.
-biceps in general taxed far more than they have been in recent years. Mostly stabilizing/relatively static hold. Recently added a few sets of triceps isolation exercises to balance this out.
-core activation is very high as the load is moved further from the center of gravity. With a small variety of lifts, this is attacked front, back and side to side. This being regardless of cues or purposeful activation - you literally cannot perform these movements without the core activating. Even though I thought my core was pretty stout, took some time to acclimate.
-figuring out the actual loads is beyond my ability to calculate. 35 lbs on 48" bar = 42lbs @5", 52lbs @10" and over 60lbs at 15" (my fish scale only goes to 55lbs). With a 20lb load at 15" I get 45lbs of resistance, with the other hand 30" from the load it has 20lbs of negative resistance. On some movements this force is fighting against the outside of the grip - trying to push fingers and thumb apart. Every movement has elements of a first and third class lever, as well as a cantilever beam. I've taken to simply noting the distance from load to lead hand, and spacing of the hands.
Other observations:
-virtually all movements tend to be circular. There is no full extension or flexion of the arm, so the movements of the shoulders and two hands in concert produce an arc rather than a straight line.
-it is extremely easy to vary the load by simply moving one or both hands further/closer to the load.
-this form of loading - no lockout w/ load moving away from center of gravity - generates a crescendo of tension at the height of a movement - core, upper body musculature, and grip.
- specific to me and degenerative cervical disks, this allows a lot of angles to be trained without needing to do any real overhead work. Huge plus.
-upper pec is heavily recruited, lower pec is not. This is in line with my general feeling that lower pec development is not as useful as upper pec on a day to day, so a nice byproduct.
- Longer rep sets > 8 are not necessarily easier as it puts more strain on the grip and core with the increased TUT even as the load becomes lighter for the working muscles.
- day to day carryover in my case is definitely better than what I was doing. Carrying, pushing, manipulating heavy items is noticeably easier, especially as the load gets further from center of gravity. While I had no expectation of improving other exercise movements, I did recently test my AMRAP one hand press with 32kg and hit it for 8 reps. I haven't trained OHP in about a year and my best at that time was 5 reps. I also increased my OAPU from 6 to 10reps also without including it in my training.
- I feel very loose for how much bulk I'm carrying, and for how much core work I'm doing my lower back feels very healthy and not at all overtaxed. Along with some dietary tweaks I've put on size in the forearms, traps, lats, and rear delts primarily.
Just some food for thought. I am often telling myself it is time to incorporate more conventional movements back in for my upper body but am having a tough time doing so when its time to train.
Current Hobo pole is paracord wrapped steel pipe, subbed out from the large diameter wood ones in the demo videos. I use the color boundaries to index hand position. My current form is a little varied from the demos as well, but not enough to justify making new video at this point.
