Grip and forearm strength are as overlooked as your calves. We tend to focus on getting the major muscle groups in while neglecting ancillary muscles thinking that we improve our grip strength while doing the simple, basic but extremely effective lifts such as deadlifts, squats, pull ups etc. This is for the most part true. We do train our forearms every time we lift and its obvious that an improved grip strength gives us a better lift. In reality, if your grip is weak then you are weak. But this doesn't just apply to your typical weightlifting session. The great thing about grip strength is that it is possibly the most applicable form of resistance training. It also comes in handy when you are plumbing, swinging a hammer, doing yard work etc. (I always think about those old guys in their 70s-80s who spent their whole lives working on cars and such who can still shake hands like a gorilla).
One of the most common tools used to improve grip strength are grippers (I know very original name). You can find these online and they come in a variety of resistance levels. The concept is fairly simple just squeeze the gripper, sometimes high resistance with low reps or lighter resistance with higher reps. A good website is www.ironmind.com.
But today lets take a look at a more unorthodox, cheap and fun way to improve your grip. All you need is a 5 gallon bucket and a 20-25 lb. bag of rice. Simply pour the uncooked rice into the bucket and start moving your hands around in the rice. This is an old baseball trick that was used by pitchers, one being Roger Clemens, to develop the hand, grip and forearm strength to grip the ball. Naturally you are going to want to do more than just 'move your hands around' so below are some videos that have actual routines and tips you can follow.
There is no way to get around it. Running should be a part of every fitness plan. If you spend anytime looking for and reading exercise articles on the internet you see a lot of propaganda out there decrying traditional cardio as boring and ineffective. It is just another way to attract clients/readers. It's the same premise as all the diets which promise people they can eat 'whatever they want' and still lose weight. If I tell you I can get you in shape without subjecting you to hours on the treadmill, stationary bike etc. you are more likely to buy into my program because it seems easier.
But we need to run. With all the rage about functional fitness training there is nothing more functional and basic then going for a run. Running has long been the worst part of every police/military/fire physical fitness tests and for good reason, it's the exercise we use the most. As a police officer, I can tell you exactly how many times I have been in a bench press competition with a suspect or how many times I lost in the sit and reach to the perp. But all of us at one time have been in a foot pursuit (and every cop falls down at least once, don't lie we all do....). I'm not trying to downplay the importance of strength and flexibility. I understand that wellness is about being well rounded in all aspects of physical fitness but I have seen a general decline in running. We need to get off the treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, stair steppers and start getting outside to run.
This four week running plan is simple and effective. You will run three times a week. You could try a Mon/Wed/Fri training split or a Tue/Thu/Sat. This will give you four days off from running a week.
Run Fast
Go to a local track or other open area and warm up with about 5 minutes of jogging and then some dynamic stretching. After getting warmed up do a 200m sprint, that's one half of a lap around the track. Walk for 3-5 minutes or if you are on a track just walk the other half of the lap. Complete the total number of reps for the week.
Run Hard
Same warm-up as before but this time you will be running half mile intervals, that's two laps around a track or 800m. Try to maintain a consistent pace throughout the full rep, not bouncing between sprinting, jogging, and walking to finish. Try to walk for 5 minutes between reps.
Run Long
When it comes to long runs we don't care about maintaining any speed or tempo. The goal is to get the mileage in. You should be able to talk comfortably and take walk breaks as you need them. For your first week see how far you can go and then add a quarter or half mile to the number each subsequent week. Again, start off where you are comfortable and then add mileage.
Use this as an example
Week 1: 2 miles
Week 2: 2.25 miles
Week 3: 2.5 miles
Week 4: 2.75 miles
If breastmilk is nature's perfect food then perhaps the burpee is nature's perfect exercise. Burpees are great for a couple of reasons they build strength, coordination, and conditioning. But best of all is that burpees can be done anywhere, anytime with no equipment. Burpees can be added to any workout and no matter your goal you can always use a few more burpees.
Named after a WWI vet named Royal Burpee, the burpee became one of the most popular exercises in the armed services. Initially it was designed as part of a battery of tests to assess a recruit's fitness. The military loves no frills training and lining up recruits and making them do pushups, situps, burpees, jumping jacks in a field somewhere is right up their alley. If you get a chance read this Popular Science article from 1944 that talks not only about the burpee but actually lays out a workout they used to do. (I like how the Popular Science article called the soldiers 'softies', couldn't imagine that today, even though we are 100x softer then that generation)
Another nice thing about burpees is there are a lot of different variations. The basic burpee is a four count exercise. (1) Squat down with hands on the ground, (2) kick legs out straight, assuming a push up position, (3) return feet to squat position and (4) Stand straight up. That counts as one rep. The most common variations is to add a jump on the fourth and final count and/or add a pushup at the second count right after you get in the pushup position. As always start slow and start with the basic burpee without the jump, adding the variations as you get more comfortable.
Here's some popular burpee workouts out there.
100 Burpee Challenge: Day 1 do 1 burpee, day 2 do 2 burpees, day 3 do 3 burpees......until you reach 100.
Set a timer for 15 minutes. Do the prescribed number of burpees each minute. Focus on good form and use your leftover time to rest.
Level 1: 6 burpees/min, total 90 burpees
Level 2: 10 burpees/min, total 150 burpees
Level 3: 15 burpees/min, total 225 burpees
Set a timer for 7 minutes. Do as many burpees as you can without resting. Try to beat your record every time. (This is a CrossFit staple)
Pyramid workout: Complete 10 reps, rest, 9 reps, rest, then 8 reps until you reach 1 rep. You can either work your way back up to 10 or call that good. Also good to pair with another exercise like pushups, squats, lunges, or V ups. So 10 burpees followed by 10 V ups, then 9 burpees followed by 9 V ups; the possibilities are almost endless.
