01-07-22 08:04 PM - Post#915948    

So, I've been doing these five days a week (or more, but they're part of my M - F warmup) for about six months now.

And it works.

I've not had pain free shoulders since, literally, high school (I'm going to be 44 soon) and my right shoulder has a literal half dozen things wrong with it.

It wasn't entirely the hangs - those got me about 90% there, but also:

- I do light, controlled face pulls a couple times a week, which made a big difference.

- I've figured out I can't push too close to failure on reps on pressing stuff. Heavy singles are fine, it's fatigue rather than effort than seems to be the issue - but I have managed to not rehurt my shoulder.

This means I've been hitting sorta PR's on bench for the last couple weeks. Sorta, because I was stronger in my twenties when my shoulder was less gimpy.

This is good stuff.

Most of my pain stuff, which has always been manageable, seems to be handled by sensible weight stuff - I've been doing lots of hip hinge stuff and between that and the hangs, my back also feels pretty dang good.

01-07-22 08:06 PM - Post#915949    

I am still figuring out my left knee pain, but it seems to be an adductor thing, oddly.

01-08-22 03:46 AM - Post#915961    

• Justin Jordan Said:

Have you tried stuff from this guy? https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCGybO-bWZ3W6 URh42sdMQiw

"I think we often spend too much time focusing on max fitness and not nearly enough on maintaining our minimums. It seems we need to think sustainable rather than obtainable. Meaning whatever we do today, we can do it again tomorrow. Never taking so much from ourselves that we can't." Dan Martin

01-08-22 09:43 AM - Post#915964    

That's fantastic, Justin. Nice work. Really close to my own experience with hangs and band pull-aparts. (And bench sorta maxes, as well, haha.)

01-08-22 02:33 PM - Post#915971    

Justin, great work.

I second iPood on the knee pain. Kneesovertoesguy seems to have evolved in the last year - now he's pushing sled work all the time, especially backwards. I had a sore knee a few weeks ago, and did a couple of "finishers' to other gym sessions dragging a sled backward, and it fixed things almost instantly. Also, despite charging silly prices like $50 per month for the program, he's selling a picture book of it for $20 one-off.

01-08-22 02:45 PM - Post#915973    

Don't take this wrong:

I was telling people on this forum about backward sled pulls in like...2007???
Walking backwards up hills for knee stuff.

I worry about this kneesovertoes fad. It was here a while ago and people got banged up doing it and, well, now it's back.

Daniel John Just handing down what I was handed down... Make a Difference. Live. Love. Laugh. Balance work, rest, play and pray (enjoy beauty and solitude) Sleep soundly. Drink Water. Eat veggies and protein. Walk. Wear your seat belt. Don’t smoke. Floss your teeth. Put weights overhead. Pick weights off the floor. Carry weights. Reread great books. Say thank you

01-08-22 03:51 PM - Post#915978    

• Dan John Said:

Apologies. I think I showed up here in 2012 or so, and gyms didn't have sleds in the UK until 2-3 years ago, so it's new for me.

He does seem to have a lot of fans here though.

01-08-22 05:32 PM - Post#915979    

I wasn't trying to be a douche. I am one, certainly.

This kind of thing, like the f---ing head position on deadlifts, gets all kinds of people excited and hating on each other and...

Then, we all forget it, move on and find something else to argue about.

Daniel John Just handing down what I was handed down... Make a Difference. Live. Love. Laugh. Balance work, rest, play and pray (enjoy beauty and solitude) Sleep soundly. Drink Water. Eat veggies and protein. Walk. Wear your seat belt. Don’t smoke. Floss your teeth. Put weights overhead. Pick weights off the floor. Carry weights. Reread great books. Say thank you

01-08-22 06:21 PM - Post#915980    

• Dan John Said:

Change your name to Ramses...

Mark it Zero.

01-08-22 08:39 PM - Post#915981    

I tried the KOT basic program but the only things that that I've kept are the backward sled drag and backward walk, they're golden.

"Coyote is always waiting, and Coyote is always hungry."

01-09-22 02:25 PM - Post#915988    

I am certainly up for backwards sled drags and backward hills...once my property isn't iced over. I'd need to buy or build a sled, though.

The knee thing is interesting, at least if you're me. It's intermittent, and not specifically movement related in that no specific movement triggers it, it just kind of happens.

It's a pain in my (I think) tendon alongside the inside of my left knees. I think it's related to the vastus medialis because, well, the other day I moved my leg oddly and had a spasm that matches the anatomy chart of that. And as soon as that spasmed, the knee started hurting.

So in the meantime, I'm going to exploring doing some stuff for that.

01-10-22 08:52 PM - Post#916015    

• Justin Jordan Said:

Looks like we’re in the same boat, for awhile. Yesterday morning, all the local tv stations ran chyrons explaining that 34 degrees and rain would be changing over to 15 and light snow by late afternoon. They were correct. Tonight we drop to -5 with enough wind to make it feel like -25. The local schools have already announced they're closed tomorrow.

Today, my driveway—steep with two turns—was treacherous. Flinging shovelfuls of sand helped, but I won’t be working out frontwards or backwards in the driveway any time soon.

Weather permitting, nothing makes my knees feel better than moving backwards uphill, something I've been doing for years after being introduced to dragging things here.

I don’t have a sled to drag, but I do have a tractor trailer truck tire. A local tire dealer was glad to have me take it away for free. I drilled a hole in the tire and another one in a piece of pressure treated wood. I pushed an eye bolt through the hole in the tread of the tire. To keep the bolt from pulling out, I put the pressure treated wood inside the tire and pushed the bolt through that and added the nut to the bolt. I added loops to the ends of the rope.

One other suggestion: I do backwards step ups on a stair inside. Sometimes I alternate legs with each step; sometimes I don’t. It takes a little practice to get the coordination right, but it feels good. Along with dead bugs and prone paddles, the step ups are good options to do any time.

01-11-22 10:45 AM - Post#916038    

Oooo, I can do the backwards step up, so I'll give that a whirl.

Is there a general prescription for reverse sled drags/backward hill stuff.

01-11-22 01:38 PM - Post#916041    

The Rx:

You will know. The horseshoe muscles around the knees almost freeze up for me (lactic acid or whatever) and after everyone does a round, we all laugh when we see each other's reactions.

Daniel John Just handing down what I was handed down... Make a Difference. Live. Love. Laugh. Balance work, rest, play and pray (enjoy beauty and solitude) Sleep soundly. Drink Water. Eat veggies and protein. Walk. Wear your seat belt. Don’t smoke. Floss your teeth. Put weights overhead. Pick weights off the floor. Carry weights. Reread great books. Say thank you

Shoulder Hangs
01-11-22 10:19 PM - Post#916046    

• Justin Jordan Said:

Presently, I'm unable to produce my qualifications for sled dragging. I can, however, tell you that I started dragging my tire as a low impact alternative to running. I’ve been happy with that but was also pleasantly surprised with how good my legs feel while and after moving backwards, especially uphill. At least a few times a week, I try to get this movement in. In addition to the tire dragging and backwards stair stepping (in my last post), just up the street is a hill owned by the town that has remnants of two ski jumps. I’m up there walking backwards uphill most every day with my dog.

As for how much to do, Dan writes, “You will know.” Take it easy at first or you’ll be stuck with the quadriceps burn you get when you overdo it on a leg extension machine.

You can add weight to the inside of a tire, including a sledgehammer (see below).

The surface you drag the tire over and your momentum affect resistance and your traction. Without snow and ice on it, my driveway is fine, crushed stone, and my feet can slip. Pulling backwards and leaning back, my heels can slide forwards, and I land on my butt. Dragging forwards and leaning forwards, my toes can also slide backwards, and I can stumble forwards. Fortunately, my driveway is steep, so I don’t have far to fall.

If your neighbors aren’t shaking their heads yet, include your sledgehammer. Not only can you whack the top of your tire, you can also use an underhand stroke on the side of the tire and, depending on the surface, move the tire around, sort of like croquet. (I wonder if it’s worthwhile to speak with the thigh master folks and see about marketing a weighted croquet product.)

I used to do a workout that included dragging the tire down my driveway. (It’s actually work.) I’d then do backwards and forwards uphill drags. At the top of each drag, I’d use the sledgehammer.

Edited by Upwind on 01-11-22 10:28 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

01-12-22 01:18 AM - Post#916053    

Knees overblown guy.
I find the hangs from a bar are wunnerful for a lot of things.

Life's too short to worry about longevity.

01-12-22 10:24 AM - Post#916069    

I've already integrated the backwards step up, and they're good stuff.

01-13-22 07:24 PM - Post#916100    

Backwards step ups!
Aside from the obvious why didn't I think-a those.
Can't wait to try those tomorrow.

Life's too short to worry about longevity.

01-16-22 10:36 AM - Post#916136    

• Justin Jordan Said:

Just walk backwards dragging an old tire attached to a rope

www.mikeprevost.com "The quality of movement, I think, trumps load...unless it is a contest about load." Dan John

01-16-22 01:14 PM - Post#916138    

• mprevost Said:

I'd opt for an even simpler start. Just walk backwards for ten minutes as a warm-up. You can add a sled and or tire as needed.

Mark it Zero.

01-18-22 12:55 PM - Post#916171    

Good advice as I've noticed many folks struggle with walking backwards with no load...... not to even mention sprinting backwards. That's another story.

I play rec basketball/pick up, etc. and so I do a variety of bounding drills, sprints, etc and one of them is a short sprint backwards a few times. Great for the hammies.

I had a lady in my neighborhood ask me the other day, "what does that do/what muscles does it work."

)

01-21-22 01:16 PM - Post#916293    

Incidoodly, doing the reverse step ups (five times a week) and this exercise where I hook a cable to my foot and pull it towards my leg have made an immediate improvement to whatever was going on in my left knee.

Go figure.