“In order to change an existing paradigm you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model. You create a new model and make the old one obsolete.” -R. Buckminster Fuller
If you want to improve yourself in any area of life, it's going to take hard work to get you there. Have a listen to The Avett Brothers as they sing about it in their song,
But in some arenas, pushing yourself to your limits can wind up getting you catastrophically injured!
Image credit: YouTube / Andreas Knudsen.
If you've ever tried to max out your weight or do just one extra rep past your capabilities on, say, a barbell benchpress, you're in for a world of hurt. Without a spot, without a weight track, without some workaround, you're stuck either dumping weights or rolling the bar (or yourself) out of harm's way... if you can.
Unless, that is, there were some way to avoid that problem altogether.
Image credit: Maxx Bench’s Kickstarter campaign, via https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/754670088/maxx-bench-first-ever-gr….
Come and check out the hydraulic-driven Maxx Bench, the fully funded Kickstarter project that solves this elegantly and brilliantly!
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Well, not always.
Doing squats after school and alone in the gym I put too much weight on and went too low (there was no shoulder rack at all). Luckily in going too heavy I put on the bigger weights which were a lot wider than the ones I normally used.
So by tucking my head underneath my ballsack and dropping the weight to the ground, I could pull myself out from under the bar in a rearward scuttle.
My issue with most people who spot for you is that they take the weight off you and put it away.
DO NOT DO!
Take some of the weight, enough to keep it going, if barely.
The rep you can't quite do is the rep that builds up. Taking that rep away kind of kills the point of the damn exercise.
Congratulations for posting the LEAST entertaining, MOST off-topic post ever seen for this blog.
Extra points for it being arguably pure commercial advertising.
@2,3
It IS called 'weekend diversion', after all. If you followed the trend, you would soon discover every week has an article which is not necessarily loaded with science. :)
What No Cardio? I use the elliptical for cardio and then hit the universal but add some free weight dumbbells to round off.
Ethan, I hope this is a PAID advertisement (or at least a nod/HT to a friend). If not it should/would be and a great Idea to add product mkting to bring in cash for your site.
This product meets the merits of Gravity, Mass, Force etc. that rymes with your science theme.. I think it's a great fit for a weekend diversion. And if you can make a few bucks writing about them. Heck go for it.
Hell http://www.businessinsider.com/
does it all the time.
Just a thought.
Denier, where ya at on this one? I know you have got to have some good one's.
Remember this classic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9VQFAtKoZA
@Ragtag #6
I think it is a nifty product, am shocked no one thought of this elegant solution before, and do not begrudge Ethan for posting whatever he wants. I will admit that I kept expecting a "full disclosure" statement while reading the article.
Speaking to the video, I do not keep a list of weightlifting fails, or videos where anyone gets really hurt. I seriously close my eyes whenever ESPN shows someone's knee bending the wrong way or leg breaking in slow motion high def. Do. Not. Like.
Strangely I'm a huge fan of Tosh.0, but if you dig deep enough into anyone I believe you find a pile of contradictions and hypocrisy.
#muscles {
display: flex;
}
;)
Looks like a nice idea Ethan - is it your invention?
My prejudice of weightlifting is that it builds a lot of dead weight because there are no possible uses for where the muscle ends up.
What I recommend if you are into that sort of thing, is take up Krav Maga. The excercises you do in that regime will leave your body a lot stronger and healthier than from weights
@Chris Mannering #9
Your comment reminds me of a Colbert bit on Sonia Sotomayor crushing the dreams of little girls who want to grow up to be a princess. I know of at least one time that Ethan got to play the part of Zangief from Street Fighter. If you are really being honest about the number of times in real life that you've needed your IDF Jiu Jitsu training, I'm betting the number is zero.
I fully believe in the conventional wisdom of the best exercise you can do is any exercise that you will do. I've done the Martial Arts thing, and the weight lifting thing, and an obscene amount of swimming, running, and biking. Skiing, snowboarding, paintball, hiking, cliff diving, surfing, ocean kayaking, and paddleboarding, I love it all. Find some friends, step away from the monitor for a bit, and push yourself.
I'm not seeing why relatively inexpensive adjustable spotter arms don't meet this need.