Equipment Crew- Part IV

[Synthetickiller]

Happy new year gentlemen.

I'm in the market for bands for my rack. Any suggestions?

THErunCMD refered these to me: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360674932828
I have no clue what I paid back in August. Ebay doesn't seem to think I made a purchase. Even still, they are sitting by my rack, lol.

I tested out the strong bands & they did a good job holding me upside down to put my back into traction. They feel to be the same quality as the old jump stretch ones that EliteFTS sold back in the day.

[BIgOrange865]

THErunCMD refered these to me: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360674932828
I have no clue what I paid back in August. Ebay doesn't seem to think I made a purchase. Even still, they are sitting by my rack, lol.

I tested out the strong bands & they did a good job holding me upside down to put my back into traction. They feel to be the same quality as the old jump stretch ones that EliteFTS sold back in the day.

Thanks. I will look into these. I will start using bands for squats and bench. My wife wants some for pull-up assistance as well.

[Synthetickiller]

Thanks. I will look into these. I will start using bands for squats and bench. My wife wants some for pull-up assistance as well.

Just a small piece of advice, bands are great for increasing speed. You'll get super fast. If you're concerned with blowing through a sticking point with heavier weight, chains are the answer. At least this is the westside method of thought behind band training. Nothing wrong with increasing speed, don't get me wrong. Bands w/ heavy weights is hell on the joints. That's why you see a lot of super strong guys squatting 600 w/ 300 lb of chain as opposed to 300 lbs of tension using bands.

Bands are fun as hell though.

I'm not trying to step on any toes, hopefully. I had not the best experience training with bands long term. I don't want to see anyone get hurt or develop a chronic joint problem. Joints just hate the constant tension created by bands. Light weight with speed work is fine, but on heavy days, give me chain & let my joints take as much of a "break" as possible.

[BIgOrange865]

Good info SK. I think chains may be more beneficial for my needs than bands. I may look into a single pair for my wife's needs.

I would rep but I'm on eternal spread....

[Synthetickiller]

Good info SK. I think chains may be more beneficial for my needs than bands. I may look into a single pair for my wife's needs.

I would rep but I'm on eternal spread....

Aren't we all? We need more regs!

I'm not sure what your goals are, but if you're slow in a lift, bands are awesome if that's really why you're failing at a lift. I'm only restating that because so many of us are slow when lifting. It's also just a great way to stimulate your CNS.
You can also use them for reverse band work as well. It's a way to use a slingshot without buying a slingshot, lol.
Beyond that, it's great for mobility issues. Although I'm not a crossfit whore, Kelly Starret has some excellent uses for bands that really help fix dysfunction in almost every joint.
If you have any plate loaded & weight stack machines, you can also incorporate bands into those exercises as well.

Bands have their place. I just feel like many people get confused about when to use them.
Obviously, I'm not saying you can't use bands with heavy training, but there's a reason many guys almost primarily use chains in that regard.
I think bands have more uses, but chains will help your maxes go up, more so than bands. I know that's a gross generality, but I'd say it's typically true unless you're just super slow.

[sgman]

Just a small piece of advice, bands are great for increasing speed. You'll get super fast. If you're concerned with blowing through a sticking point with heavier weight, chains are the answer. At least this is the westside method of thought behind band training. Nothing wrong with increasing speed, don't get me wrong. Bands w/ heavy weights is hell on the joints. That's why you see a lot of super strong guys squatting 600 w/ 300 lb of chain as opposed to 300 lbs of tension using bands.

Bands are fun as hell though.

I'm not trying to step on any toes, hopefully. I had not the best experience training with bands long term. I don't want to see anyone get hurt or develop a chronic joint problem. Joints just hate the constant tension created by bands. Light weight with speed work is fine, but on heavy days, give me chain & let my joints take as much of a "break" as possible.

Good info. Ive been using bands a little more recently in my training, but I'm starting to look into chains for progressive resistance. I think the bands are often seen as cheeper and more versatile, but the joint aches. My shoulders just can't handle a significant dose of band work on presses. I haven't tried any reverse band work. Do you find they are better tolerated by your joints?

[Synthetickiller]

Good info. Ive been using bands a little more recently in my training, but I'm starting to look into chains for progressive resistance. I think the bands are often seen as cheeper and more versatile, but the joint aches. My shoulders just can't handle a significant dose of band work on presses. I haven't tried any reverse band work. Do you find they are better tolerated by your joints?

I've never found reverse bandwork to help me. I just don't do it.
I've probably experienced it once or twice in training. I press raw, so I just have no need. The downside of reverse bands is that it doesn't force you to be faster. You get to experience heavier weight in your hands w/o tension or any offset weight being in chains. Instead, you can hold & press, dead & lock out or squat a weight that you normally couldn't, just to stimulate your CNS in a different way.

The only thing that's helped my shoulders is all of Chris Duffin's stuff. Not to be a shill, but my real world results don't lie. I really love using the shouldrok & duffalo bar.
I've never done overhead pressing with bands/chains except when i was 2 or 3 years into my lifting career & just learning to do things. I can see reverse band overhead pressing being useful, depending on where your joint experiences pain/discomfort & to just allow for more volume, like having a spotter, but not.

IMO, bands =/= chains.
Both have their place. Both are useful. One cannot replace the other.
If I had to over generalize, I would say the following.
1. Chains are for increase max strength.
2. Bands are for mobility work, allowing part of the movement to be easier (reverse bands) speed training (normal band set up) & changing the resistance curve of plate/weight stack loaded machines.

I'm probably missing something, but that should be about right.

Specifically, overhead pressing is just to difficult to use with bands & chains. The setup is difficult & can be very, very dangerous, especially with bands. Chains are cumbersome for OHPing as well. Reverse bands are really the only "safe" & useful set up. Don't get me wrong, I've dreamed about a safe way to do overpressing with chains/bands. I could probably buy a long lead chain specifically for OHPing, but I don't know if that's necessary. The shoulder can be easily injured due to it's mobility. More so than the hip since most people have greater mobility in the shoulder than the hip. As well, you have larger muscle groups involved with squatting than overhead pressing. It's not really easy to keep the scapulas retracted & shoulder sitting properly in the back of the socket, like in a proper bench press.

All you can do it try out a reverse band set up a few times & see if you get anything out of it.
At the same time, they always serve as an excellent mobility/rehab/prehab tool. They aren't a waste of money.

[rlundregan]

Great info about bands in this last handful of posts. You should consider making a thread devoted to bands that could be a sticky, similar to the belt sticky.

[Synthetickiller]

Great info about bands in this last handful of posts. You should consider making a thread devoted to bands that could be a sticky, similar to the belt sticky.

If we're going to compare & determine which band brand is best (say that 3 times fast), that'll take some time & a decent amount of cash. It would be an interesting comparison, but I'm not sure I'd ever be up to drop that kind of coin on bands. I doubt you mean this, but the belt thread, other than comparing 4" to 3", etc & 10mm vs 13mm, it's an overall brand comparison, as a whole. There's too many brands out there.


Maybe a bands vs chains thread would be ideal?
Posting set ups of chains & bands for specific lifts would be nice for n00bs. Hell, I'm a n00b. Setting up can be a pain!
I won't even tackle anything like that till I've moved & have a presentable rack that isn't an embarrassment. It should happen sometime in 2016, hopefully.

[rlundregan]

If we're going to compare & determine which band brand is best (say that 3 times fast), that'll take some time & a decent amount of cash. It would be an interesting comparison, but I'm not sure I'd ever be up to drop that kind of coin on bands. I doubt you mean this, but the belt thread, other than comparing 4" to 3", etc & 10mm vs 13mm, it's an overall brand comparison, as a whole. There's too many brands out there.


Maybe a bands vs chains thread would be ideal?
Posting set ups of chains & bands for specific lifts would be nice for n00bs. Hell, I'm a n00b. Setting up can be a pain!
I won't even tackle anything like that till I've moved & have a presentable rack that isn't an embarrassment. It should happen sometime in 2016, hopefully.

I like the thought of picturing different set ups.....I'm clueless about both bands and chains, and haven't bothered to even consider either of them due to my own lack of knowledge. It seems to me like there are more and more noobs who are asking questions about them, and probably think they need them when they really don't.

I've been considering whether I need bands for GHR's, as I recently raised my footplate to the top hole. I can certainly hug a plate or DB, I'm just curious as to how useful a band might be in that circumstance. I can't fathom trying to use bands or chains for myself for any major lifts at this time--I'm still making progress with just plain old linear progression.

[sgman]

I've never found reverse bandwork to help me. I just don't do it.
I've probably experienced it once or twice in training. I press raw, so I just have no need. The downside of reverse bands is that it doesn't force you to be faster. You get to experience heavier weight in your hands w/o tension or any offset weight being in chains. Instead, you can hold & press, dead & lock out or squat a weight that you normally couldn't, just to stimulate your CNS in a different way.

The only thing that's helped my shoulders is all of Chris Duffin's stuff. Not to be a shill, but my real world results don't lie. I really love using the shouldrok & duffalo bar.
I've never done overhead pressing with bands/chains except when i was 2 or 3 years into my lifting career & just learning to do things. I can see reverse band overhead pressing being useful, depending on where your joint experiences pain/discomfort & to just allow for more volume, like having a spotter, but not.

IMO, bands =/= chains.
Both have their place. Both are useful. One cannot replace the other.
If I had to over generalize, I would say the following.
1. Chains are for increase max strength.
2. Bands are for mobility work, allowing part of the movement to be easier (reverse bands) speed training (normal band set up) & changing the resistance curve of plate/weight stack loaded machines.

I'm probably missing something, but that should be about right.

Specifically, overhead pressing is just to difficult to use with bands & chains. The setup is difficult & can be very, very dangerous, especially with bands. Chains are cumbersome for OHPing as well. Reverse bands are really the only "safe" & useful set up. Don't get me wrong, I've dreamed about a safe way to do overpressing with chains/bands. I could probably buy a long lead chain specifically for OHPing, but I don't know if that's necessary. The shoulder can be easily injured due to it's mobility. More so than the hip since most people have greater mobility in the shoulder than the hip. As well, you have larger muscle groups involved with squatting than overhead pressing. It's not really easy to keep the scapulas retracted & shoulder sitting properly in the back of the socket, like in a proper bench press.

All you can do it try out a reverse band set up a few times & see if you get anything out of it.
At the same time, they always serve as an excellent mobility/rehab/prehab tool. They aren't a waste of money.

Just for clarity, when I said presses, I meant OHP and bench. I think I have a decent set-up for both if I sit for OHP, but both make my shoulders cranky after a few sessions. I usually rotate them, so its not terrible, but I was wondering if chains would be better tolerated. And I agree that bands offer some nice versatility besides helping the main power lifts.

Thanks again for the great info

[urbanlifter]

Good luck with your 2016 goals!

I got a wake up call this morning to stop fooling around and focus on safety. Typical bench day, finished a few warm up sets and then moved on to my working sets (5 sets of 5 reps). On the last set I reached failure on the third rep, as the bar descended back down to my chest I realized my safeties were uneven and the left hand side was two notches low (WTF). I managed to slowly roll the bar down my chest, but my strength was exhausted and it was not a pleasant experience to say the least. The realization set in later on that morning that my wife had already left for work, and my children were asleep in their beds upstairs. Had I lost my grip or passed out during that set it may not have ended the same way, and my children would have been the ones who came downstairs looking for me when they woke for school. The thought of that happening makes me sick to my stomach, so I figure publicly shaming myself over the incident may serve as a good reminder to others to always check your safeties.

Lift smart, lift hard, but most of all lift 'SAFE' ladies and gentleman!

[Domicron]

Good luck with your 2016 goals!

I got a wake up call this morning to stop fooling around and focus on safety. Typical bench day, finished a few warm up sets and then moved on to my working sets (5 sets of 5 reps). On the last set I reached failure on the third rep, as the bar descended back down to my chest I realized my safeties were uneven and the left hand side was two notches low (WTF). I managed to slowly roll the bar down my chest, but my strength was exhausted and it was not a pleasant experience to say the least. The realization set in later on that morning that my wife had already left for work, and my children were asleep in their beds upstairs. Had I lost my grip or passed out during that set it may not have ended the same way, and my children would have been the ones who came downstairs looking for me when they woke for school. The thought of that happening makes me sick to my stomach, so I figure publicly shaming myself over the incident may serve as a good reminder to others to always check your safeties.

Lift smart, lift hard, but most of all lift 'SAFE' ladies and gentleman!

glad you were okay (btw there's no shame in the Roll of Shame) and now we all know you'll check the safeties before you start...

but yeah the thought of your kids walking in on that is not a happy one

[irongrandpa]

Good luck with your 2016 goals!

I got a wake up call this morning to stop fooling around and focus on safety. Typical bench day, finished a few warm up sets and then moved on to my working sets (5 sets of 5 reps). On the last set I reached failure on the third rep, as the bar descended back down to my chest I realized my safeties were uneven and the left hand side was two notches low (WTF). I managed to slowly roll the bar down my chest, but my strength was exhausted and it was not a pleasant experience to say the least. The realization set in later on that morning that my wife had already left for work, and my children were asleep in their beds upstairs. Had I lost my grip or passed out during that set it may not have ended the same way, and my children would have been the ones who came downstairs looking for me when they woke for school. The thought of that happening makes me sick to my stomach, so I figure publicly shaming myself over the incident may serve as a good reminder to others to always check your safeties.

Lift smart, lift hard, but most of all lift 'SAFE' ladies and gentleman!

Glad to hear this turned out OK. It's a reminder to all of us to not get in a hurry or take things for granted. Great equipment is only as safe as we make it.

[urbanlifter]

glad you were okay (btw there's no shame in the Roll of Shame) and now we all know you'll check the safeties before you start...

but yeah the thought of your kids walking in on that is not a happy one

Haha, the 'Roll of Shame' indeed! Up until now I have only had to do that a handful of times, but my safeties were at least set to the point where it wouldn't block airflow, this was low enough to crush my throat...

Glad to hear this turned out OK. It's a reminder to all of us to not get in a hurry or take things for granted. Great equipment is only as safe as we make it.

Thanks, that's an excellent way of putting it! When something becomes routine its easy to take its importance for granted, and I'm normally the one preaching to my children the importance of safety in the gym. I may have to create a sign as a reminder, 'Never play with a loaded barbell.'

[Domicron]

Haha, the 'Roll of Shame' indeed! Up until now I have only had to do that a handful of times, but my safeties were at least set to the point where it wouldn't block airflow, this was low enough to crush my throat...

yeah my safeties are set to "protect the throat" height as well. when i fail at bench i just set it on my chest and then readjust it to my belly to slide out from under the bar. if it's heavy enough weight, i have to roll it ever so slowly...

again, glad to hear you're okay

[AttyGuy]

Dude, close call! Glad you are ok, urbanlifter.

[urbanlifter]

Dude, close call! Glad you are ok, urbanlifter.

Thanks Atty, much appreciated. On a happier note, with less than a month back into my training routine I have my squat numbers back up to 325lbs for 5 reps! Muscle memory seems to be kicking in, or could it be the new GHD accelerating my leg development....

Anyone have any good lifting resolutions for 2016?

[jdforsy]

Damn Urban sounds like a close call. Glad nothing too bad happened!

[BIgOrange865]

Thanks Atty, much appreciated. On a happier note, with less than a month back into my training routine I have my squat numbers back up to 325lbs for 5 reps! Muscle memory seems to be kicking in, or could it be the new GHD accelerating my leg development....

Anyone have any good lifting resolutions for 2016?

Stick to a program longer than 2 months, and lift 3 days per week every week. I've been so out of sync lately with work and family I considered selling my gym equipment. Srs.

[urbanlifter]

Stick to a program longer than 2 months, and lift 3 days per week every week. I've been so out of sync lately with work and family I considered selling my gym equipment. Srs.

Where/when will this sale take place? LOL, kidding. For a few seconds there I considered not rebuilding my home gym when I moved, but I have made that mistake before and ended up right back on CL scouring for equipment deals a year later. Stay on the Iron path BigOrange, put that awesome equipment to good use!!!

My lifting resolution for 2016 is centered around the phrase "You 'Deserve' nothing". No cheat meals, no more alcoholic beverages, no skipping training days, until I reverse the damage I have done and return to form. The only recent time that I can recall being happy with my training was when I took my Avi picture over two years ago, its been long enough.

[drrickso]

Anyone have any good lifting resolutions for 2016?

not so much lifting resolution as much as diet... i really want focus on calorie and protein tracking... I'm consistently lifting 6 days per week, but I'm learning the hard way that you cant out train a bad diet. btw- glad to hear you made it through that close call urbanlifter.

[rlundregan]

not so much lifting resolution as much as diet... i really want focus on calorie and protein tracking... I'm consistently lifting 6 days per week, but I'm learning the hard way that you cant out train a bad diet. btw- glad to hear you made it through that close call urbanlifter.

I'm right there with you....I need to cut down on the carbs and stay out of the scotch after dinner. Probably not in that order!

[rlundregan]

Good luck with your 2016 goals!

I got a wake up call this morning to stop fooling around and focus on safety. Typical bench day, finished a few warm up sets and then moved on to my working sets (5 sets of 5 reps). On the last set I reached failure on the third rep, as the bar descended back down to my chest I realized my safeties were uneven and the left hand side was two notches low (WTF). I managed to slowly roll the bar down my chest, but my strength was exhausted and it was not a pleasant experience to say the least. The realization set in later on that morning that my wife had already left for work, and my children were asleep in their beds upstairs. Had I lost my grip or passed out during that set it may not have ended the same way, and my children would have been the ones who came downstairs looking for me when they woke for school. The thought of that happening makes me sick to my stomach, so I figure publicly shaming myself over the incident may serve as a good reminder to others to always check your safeties.

Lift smart, lift hard, but most of all lift 'SAFE' ladies and gentleman!

Glad you're OK.

I'm guessing that is a mistake you won't make again! And you're right, it is a good wake up call for all of us to not take anything for granted--always double check safeties, weights equal on both ends of the bar, collars are tight, etc.

[KBKB]

Below are a few photos from our New Year's Day hike from Spur Cross to Skull Mesa. The hike ended up being 12.6 miles with over 3100 feet of total ascent. The mile to the summit of Skull Mesa had 1,000 feet of elevation gain. It took most of the day to do this hike. We started at around 8:30am and finished somewhat before 5:00pm.

Two views of Skull Mesa:





Views from the top:








Views on/from the descent/return:

[Synthetickiller]

I finally broke ground on the house I'm building.
I'm crossing my fingers that I can complete the project in 4 to 6 months.

Things I've learned thus far:

1. All builders are liars, crooks & irresponsible with money.
2. Most subcontractors are out to scam you. Finding quality work is difficult, but worth paying for.
3. Doing the oversight myself means I don't have to argue with anyone but subs. If I want a window in a shower, I don't have to argue with a jerk as to why. It gets done.
4. I'm in control.

I'll elaborate on the first point.

Every builder I've spoken to (6 in total) has lied about pricing & were not transparent. I'll take that back, the 6th was, but he lied about his level of knowledge. I had quotes anywhere from $80 sq/ft to $120 sq/ft. The lower quotes involved me paying up front & contracting, own my own, people to do the dirt portion of the foundation & the well. What a scam. People on the high end argued about EVERYTHING, including why we'd want a window in a shower. This same bozo attempted to argue that if you're worried about a house being hot in the summer, build a home with 10' to 12' ceilings because hot air rises. He wouldn't accept that it's a greater volume to cool. I'm shaking me head. He was a total piece of work... Another dropped us because he'd rather build $1M+ homes even though we got into the que earlier.

Most, if not all, have declared bankruptcy at least once.
They went from owning multiple million dollar homes, multiple expensive vehicles, multiple hunting trips per year, etc to taking out a 2nd mortgage on their primary homes, selling the rest & still having to declare bankruptcy. These people cannot seriously manage their own financial destiny & I certainly don't want them trying to construct a home for me, lol.

Builder's risk insurance is almost impossible to get for a person wanting to build a new home on their own, at least in my State. A licensed contractor with 2 years experience must sign off on it, even if he's not overseeing the construction. Talk about crooked. It's a huge under-the-table scam going on. I was able to find a policy that didn't require a contractor, but it took a month to do it. I'm still shaking my head.

I could write a book at this point. Beyond that, I could just start an LLC & build homes myself. It's just herding cats at the worst. I could make at least 10% a home, if not more. If I build in yuppie areas, 15% to 20%. It's just nuts how easy & under qualified everyone is in such an important field.

At least I'll get rid of my rack & have a true gym again before 2017.

[Wildtim]

OK, so ......I have to ask:



Why do you want a window in the shower?


I had one, ask me why I got rid of it.

[Synthetickiller]

OK, so ......I have to ask:



Why do you want a window in the shower?


I had one, ask me why I got rid of it.

I've seen it done & it looks nice. You're the first person I've run into who's had an issue.

The builder who argued about that asked why anyone would do that, since most people take showers at night & it wouldn't let in natural light. I swear to god this bozo was the biggest ass I've ever met. A window can only function as a light source, according to him, lol.

[CliveWarren]

Yeah, the window in the shower isn't uncommon but I don't like it. Get out of a hot shower and by a drafty or open window? Steam condensation will cause mildew and mold. Great stuff.

The counter argument is that it will decrease the humidity quicker than the sucky fart fan so you can shave in the mirror. BFD. I shave before I shower.

[urbanlifter]

The counter argument is that it will decrease the humidity quicker than the sucky fart fan so you can shave in the mirror. BFD. I shave before I shower.

I upgraded my bathroom fans, I was amazed at how much stronger and quieter the more expensive Broan ones are. I can shower with the water as hot as I want, for as long as I want, and the mirror never fogs up. I did have a window in my shower growing up, we never used it.