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Other/Mixed Recent Fitness-Related Purchases

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
Bill Lets said:
An option is to use a straight bar with Kensui SWISSIES you can see them in this thread back just a few posts but the cost is about the same when purchased with a decent straight bar.
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I pre-ordered a pair of these. I've gotten notice that they'll be arriving soon. I'll post when I get them.
 
lais817 said:
Hey Bill, how do you find the different angles for pullups? I've often wondered how comfortable this type of bar is to use, since you are stuck using a certain width if you want a certain angle, if that makes sense.
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I gone over to using free-rotating grips for all my pullups.

I have the Angles90 grips and the Abmat 1/4 rings. Both of these are free-rotating, like rings.

I don't much like the Angles90. They're more fiddly to set up, and I don't find the grip to be particularly comfortable even though they're intended to have an ergonomic shape. In most configurations I find that the strap chafes my fingers uncomfortably somewhere.

I love the Abmat 1/4 rings. For pullups, the advantage over full rings is that they set up close to the bar and don't hang down as far, which makes a big difference when your bar is limited in height (mine is part of my power rack) and you have limited ceiling clearance.

Here's my N=1 experience using these grips:

I've always been stronger in chin ups than in pull ups, which seems common. But I mainly did pull ups because harder is better, right? Chin ups felt like cheating. At one point I trained pull ups up to a double at BW+90lbs, and a single at BW+110lbs. But I did suffer from some chronic golfer's elbow whenever I trained pull ups, which was very persistent, even after long layoffs.

After a couple of rotator cuff surgeries (one on each side, due to acute injuries while playing basketball), I didn't train pull ups or chins ups for several years. Whenever I tried them I was very weak and my external rotation, especially on one side, was not good. So pull ups were uncomfortable.

Earlier this year, I decided try training pull ups again, and I got a set of Angles90 grips, and then a pair of Abmat 1/4 rings, to do ring pull ups in the hopes that they would be more comfortable for my shoulder and less likely to cause a recurrence of golfer's elbow.

This experiment has been a great success so far. Pull ups on the rings feel very comfortable, strong, and natural, and I've had no elbow problems. I am now routinely doing sets of 5 with BW+25lbs. I have the 1/4 rings set relatively narrow and they hang about 6.5 inches below the bar. I pull until the front of my chin below my lip touches the bar and the palms of my hands are about nipple level.

I saw a recent thread here on the forum where someone was asking about how to be stronger in the top of the pull up and get the bar to the neck or chest. Out of curiosity I decided to try a regular pull up to see how it felt. To my surprise, I nearly launched myself through the ceiling. My top position was much higher and easier to get to than it ever was when I was actually training pull ups, even with a lot more added weight.

BTW, I've always found the idea of "tactical" pull ups to be somewhat silly, certainly for my needs. First, it's an exercise, not wall-scaling practice. In scaling a wall, there probably isn't any bar to grip at all (thumbless grip or not), you probably can't hang below the bar in a hollow position with your legs extended in front of you, and you probably can use your legs against the wall. The difference between a tactical pull up and scaling a wall is arguably bigger than the difference between a tactical pull up and a chin up (not that I'm really interested in starting an argument about it). Second, I have essentially zero need to ever scale a wall. I have no specific memory of the last time I had to do it. Third, since I find ring pull ups so much more natural and comfortable, and I have been completely injury-free since starting to do them, there is little reason to do a variation that has caused elbow problems for me in the past. Fourth, my recent experience suggests that I would get better carryover from ring pull ups to wall-scaling anyway, assuming I had any need to scale walls at all.
 
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Boris Bachmann said:
I pre-ordered a pair of these. I've gotten notice that they'll be arriving soon. I'll post when I get them.
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Yeh, I preordered the 45’s Dec 20th. They are supposed to be on the way. They are solid and they even put groves inside the hole in case an idiot inserts his finger in the hole and is unable to pull it out because of the vacuum. %<{
 
I bought 4 x 5 kg Eleiko rubber-coated change plates because they're 50% off (@Anna C in case you need any spare change plates, all the sizes of the old style logo are on sale).

This will bring my total change plate collection to 8 x 5 kg, which will let me load my plate-loadable dumbbells as heavy as will fit, i.e. 45 kg on one DB.
 
Steve W. said:
I gone over to using free-rotating grips for all my pullups.

I have the Angles90 grips and the Abmat 1/4 rings. Both of these are free-rotating, like rings.

I don't much like the Angles90. They're more fiddly to set up, and I don't find the grip to be particularly comfortable even though they're intended to have an ergonomic shape. In most configurations I find that the strap chafes my fingers uncomfortably somewhere.

I love the Abmat 1/4 rings. For pullups, the advantage over full rings is that they set up close to the bar and don't hang down as far, which makes a big difference when your bar is limited in height (mine is part of my power rack) and you have limited ceiling clearance.

Here's my N=1 experience using these grips:

I've always been stronger in chin ups than in pull ups, which seems common. But I mainly did pull ups because harder is better, right? Chin ups felt like cheating. At one point I trained pull ups up to a double at BW+90lbs, and a single at BW+110lbs. But I did suffer from some chronic golfer's elbow whenever I trained pull ups, which was very persistent, even after long layoffs.

After a couple of rotator cuff surgeries (one on each side, due to acute injuries while playing basketball), I didn't train pull ups or chins ups for several years. Whenever I tried them I was very weak and my external rotation, especially on one side, was not good. So pull ups were uncomfortable.

Earlier this year, I decided try training pull ups again, and I got a set of Angles90 grips, and then a pair of Abmat 1/4 rings, to do ring pull ups in the hopes that they would be more comfortable for my shoulder and less likely to cause a recurrence of golfer's elbow.

This experiment has been a great success so far. Pull ups on the rings feel very comfortable, strong, and natural, and I've had no elbow problems. I am now routinely doing sets of 5 with BW+25lbs. I have the 1/4 rings set relatively narrow and they hang about 6.5 inches below the bar. I pull until the front of my chin below my lip touches the bar and the palms of my hands are about nipple level.

I saw a recent thread here on the forum where someone was asking about how to be stronger in the top of the pull up and get the bar to the neck or chest. Out of curiosity I decided to try a regular pull up to see how it felt. To my surprise, I nearly launched myself through the ceiling. My top position was much higher and easier to get to than it ever was when I was actually training pull ups, even with a lot more added weight.

BTW, I've always found the idea of "tactical" pull ups to be somewhat silly, certainly for my needs. First, it's an exercise, not wall-scaling practice. In scaling a wall, there probably isn't any bar to grip at all (thumbless grip or not), you probably can't hang below the bar in a hollow position with your legs extended in front of you, and you probably can use your legs against the wall. The difference between a tactical pull up and scaling a wall is arguably bigger than the difference between a tactical pull up and a chin up (not that I'm really interested in starting an argument about it). Second, I have essentially zero need to ever scale a wall. I have no specific memory of the last time I had to do it. Third, since I find ring pull ups so much more natural and comfortable, and I have been completely injury-free since starting to do them, there is little reason to do a variation that has caused elbow problems for me in the past. Fourth, my recent experience suggests that I would get better carryover from ring pull ups to wall-scaling anyway, assuming I had any need to scale walls at all.
Click to expand...
Steve, thanks for the in depth review of the 1/4 rings, I actually saw them on here ages ago and haven't been able to find the post again to search for them.

I find chinups bother my wrists, probably because my forearms are a bit tight, whereas pullups are fine.

Doesn't look like they are available in Australia for some reason, even though Rogue has an Aussie store. They look like electrical conduit corners so I might give a DIY option a crack.
 
Bill Lets said:
Friend thank you for asking. The reality is I don’t use many of the grips. I mostly use neutral grip, supinated and pronated. I don’t like to place stress on the shoulder joint. An option is to use a straight bar with Kensui SWISSIES you can see them in this thread back just a few posts but the cost is about the same when purchased with a decent straight bar. The different angled attachment is from Titan, low price and free shipping. Also I can remove it when it rains or snows.
Make the gains,
Bill
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Thanks Bill, I'm wanting to put a permanent outside bar in when we build our new place so it's good to have your take on this style.
 
lais817 said:
Steve, thanks for the in depth review of the 1/4 rings, I actually saw them on here ages ago and haven't been able to find the post again to search for them.

I find chinups bother my wrists, probably because my forearms are a bit tight, whereas pullups are fine.

Doesn't look like they are available in Australia for some reason, even though Rogue has an Aussie store. They look like electrical conduit corners so I might give a DIY option a crack.
Click to expand...
I second the use of rings for pull-ups. Plus they are way, way more adaptable to exercise variations than a pull-up bar. Especially when suspended from adjustable straps.
 
offwidth said:
I second the use of rings for pull-ups. Plus they are way, way more adaptable to exercise variations than a pull-up bar. Especially when suspended from adjustable straps.
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I did have a pair of wooden rings for a while, but got careless and they got left in the rain and died a terrible death. Does anybody have experience with the steel Rogue rings? That way I can hang them on the kids monkey bars and leave them there, and we can all use them as needed.
 
BJJ Shawn said:
The crash pads are just a hair too long to fit snugly on top of the DC Block so I cut a small strip from them, now they wedge in and don’t move when I’m using them and make my lifting much quieter.
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Very inventive and handy - a good solution.

I was fortunate to pick up a load of DC blocks a while back. Someone had them in a gym and wasn't using them. I think I got 18 of them for $250 because they're also tough to find a buyer for. (Good to scan your local craigslist for bargains like this.) They don't get used all the time here but when you need them, they're handy to have. My favorite use of them is when teaching people the barbell deadlift who can't get down to the bar without rounding their lower back - just put the bar up 6" to start, build up some weight gradually, then lower to 4" and lower the weight, build up again, and so on.

Steve W. said:
The difference between a tactical pull up and scaling a wall is arguably bigger than the difference between a tactical pull up and a chin up (not that I'm really interested in starting an argument about it).
Click to expand...
Me, neither, but I'd have that argument with you. :) But this is where rings really shine - you can even rotate them while you're pulling/chinning.

Variety is king for me when it comes to pullups: skinny, unknurled bar; standard pullup bar; thick bar; Rolling Thunder handles; rings, uneven rings; fingers using Eagle Loops. If I had to pick only one way to do them, I'd pick rings unless I had some standing requirement, e.g., a job-related test, in which case it would be a standard pullup bar.

JMO, YMMV.

-S-
 
Bill Lets said:
This is a long video 14:35 minutes for those who have no interest in pull up/chin bars or the attention span of a fruit fly don’t waste your time.
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RAFTER MOUNT CHIN UP BAR

heavy duty chin up bar, best made ceiling mount chin up bar, fast delivery, 35 years experience.
newyorkbarbells.com

has been great for my basement gym. $55.

-S-
 
I’m on the verge of buying some figure 8 lifting straps. My grip is failing on deadlifts - a novel feeling which I’m sort of proud of… but I dislike alternating grip which is now my only way to get the bar up. Anyone any experience? Alternatives?
 
Mixed grip is something that the majority of the lifting populace do safely everyday, but is also one of the leading causes of bicep ruptures. It’s a miniscule percentage of the total deadlifting population but a large percentage of the torn bicep population.
 
Downside of figure 8 is getting them off. If you do a “pass out” heavy lift you are still strapped to the bar. Other strap styles release a lot quicker, but tend to be a bit fiddlier

That said, I believe all of the heaviest deadlifts were done with figure 8 straps.
For powerlifting I do mixed grip, strongman events I prefer the iron mind short straps (if you do strongman highly recommend getting straps, they tend to have more than one grip intensive event unlike powerlifting)
 
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As an Isochain customer, I was offered a discount by Dragondoor on the new Isomax, so I took them up on it.

The Isomax arrived right at the end of my 6x6 isometric training block so I'm not going to give it much of a workout until I finish my planned 14 weeks of double KB work - 6 under Kettlebell STRONG! Foundation, 8 under Easy Muscle.

I do like how the updated bar is charged by USB instead of taking AA batteries that are difficult to remove, due to a design flaw. I did like the old school vibe of the heavy chain on the Isochain, but the new-school webbing is easier to work with and can stretch just enough for the "live load" feeling that you need to turn off cortical inhibition.
 
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