poor man's workout equipment

**smillard** · Posted On: 11/20/2006 5:55pm

Why not put on a backpack with some weight in it when doing the pushups. If you happen to scuba dive use the weight belt, just sinch it up by your chest for added resistance. Have a partner applying enough pressure on your back to give resistance on your pushups. Finally the elastic bands while doing your pushups could help too. I'd just try to find some added resistance, since personally going into the 500 rep range just seems very tedious and taking more time for a work out than you need to.

One handed push ups aren't going to be a very good alternative if you have shoulder problems. Watch the angle someone is in when doing them and it should be fairly obvious. The raised feet pushups and so on from other angles are just tageting the muscles from different angles, not making it harder on the muscle on a whole.

El Macho, have you ever tried working on rotator cuff excersices? That might help, I don't know the extent of your problem with your shoulders.

**smillard** · Posted On: 11/22/2006 9:26pm

I know you said "Period" effectively ending all arguement on the matter. Is there a chance you could explain in a little more detail why a one arm pushup is better for your shoulders and a worse for your wrists?

Everything I've learned and seen is that a one handed pushup hyperextended the anterior deltoid due to the off center position of the resistance weight and the pushing range additionally this puts un-natural strain on the rotator cuff.

As for the wrists, I'd think one handed pushups are actually better for your wrists than regular pushups since you are not putting your wrists under as much direct pressure as regular pushups since the center of mass isn't directly over the wrist.

**bricco** · Posted On: 11/23/2006 6:11am

Sorry for barging in with a question not concerning push-ups, but I would really like to know if any of you ever found a decent substitute for a tatami mat to practice falls.
Thanks.

**smillard** · Posted On: 11/23/2006 9:05am

not an affordable one. Fall mats are ( and this is just my opinion from my experience) one thing you really can't go cheap on. Either you have to design something that is a pain in the ass to keep clean and maintain or you buy something that just doesn't hold up or is cheap to start but ends up costing more in modifications or repairs.

I don't know where you live but down here we have sports equipment re-sale stores call "Play it Again Sports". This place will buy and sell previously owned equipment. Normally you can find some really good deals on things that people spent top dollar on and realized it wasn't for them. Weight lifting, hockey and boxing gear are really common. You might find something at a place like that.

**bricco** · Posted On: 11/23/2006 3:06pm

Thanks, I'll look for something like that.

**Dr._Tzun_Tzu** · Posted On: 12/01/2006 12:01pm

Macwombat sarcastically asked about my home made weights and kettle balls so I thought this would be a good place to show him instead of clogging up my Dojo Review.

I made some shaped hand weights to excersise tan and bong sau from Wing Chun and a large handled weight for kettle ball work. Both are basically just extra steel railroad spikes and steel rail hooks wrapped to a rebar handle with bailing wire and then put into a cardboard mold to hold cement around them. The mold is taped off so it won't leak and then sprayed with Pam Nostick cooking spray before the pour. You can use a plastic bag also.

I shaped the cement afterwards a bit, and then sprayed it with plastic rubber coating. For the big one I made a wooden handle and glued it inplace with JB Weld

I also put a 2 1/2 foot stick into a small cup full of cement and coated it with red too. This weight on a stick is good for inch punch training and other "club" work in kettleball theme. It is in second to last pic below. I also have an 8 lbs steel pipe for heavy duty escrima solo practice.

These I painted Red and haven't made a wood handle for yet.

The big Black one was made with a different mold and had a few more rail spikes dropped into it.

They are visible on the floor here:

and here:

o ya, I have a Bolling Ball to toss around and catch too. Thats fun.