Arms & Hands Maneuvers during Sled Training

Posted on by mack fitt pijewski

– By Mack Pijewski

If you are looking for intense athletic training, then one of the most exclusive and advantageous equipment is the sled! Sled Training is easy and doesn’t require any complicated forms. When you are using the sled, the risk of injury is very little. Sled training is very necessary for sturdy athletes who cannot afford any inflexibility. 

Depending upon your ultimate goals, sled training could result productive in intensifying strength, power, speed, and even conditioning. Not everything at the same instant, but it can be a dynamic tool to address all of these.

Another noticeable advantage of sled training is the number of variables or options that come with it. For instance, you are flexible in adjusting speed, load, position, distance, duration, etc. Based on one’s objectives, there could hundreds of outputs of the sled work. However, one question that I been mostly asked by the athletes is that what should be my arms and hands maneuvers during the sled training? More precisely, where should my arms and hands be while I push the sled?

Well, most common exercises like squats, pushups, pull-ups, dead-lifts, etc. follow some SOP(s) (Standards of Procedure), however, up till now, I haven’t come across any standard of best practice of performing the sled training. Keeping in view, I have illustrated how someone should set-up with the sled, depending upon what he wants to get out of it.

STRAIGHTEN YOUR ARMS

Let’s start with the extended-arm position. This type of arrangement allows one to intensify acceleration angles, open up his pace, and maximize his strength by working at a much higher speed. However, this arrangement restricts the amount of load an athlete can hilt. Not the greatest of an output an athlete can expect from this setup is the only downside here. You cannot move max weight in this position.

The “straighten your arms” applies to the kind of programming that demand moderate to low weight on the sled. Conversely, the speed work, plyos, power work, and conditioning methods could be efficiently and effectively done from this setup; the arms-extended Sled Push.

ARMS BENT

Contrary to that, if you are willing to go hard on the training, then the arms bent position is an outstanding position for pushing maximal weight on the sled. This position creates a more solid lever system enabling the trainee to follow more in-strength programming.

 This set-up will retard your speed for the reason that the crowding of the torso and load being so near to the hips do not allow the trainee to reach a stride length that would transmit over firmly into speed.

Because of increased loading, the strength-gaining activities is going to be significantly provoking, thus will assist in getting stronger and more stable in a unilateral setting.

FEW TIPS FOR DOING SLED TRAINING!

The answer to the above-mentioned question regarding the position of arms or hands during the training is BOTH! Both arms/hands positions are important. Try to figure out what you want to get out of the sled training and that’s it, use your head and plan accordingly.

I have explained some of the useful plus beneficial ways to use the sled and what arm/hands position would be a good choice for each.

1. HEAVY SLED PUSH

You have to position your arms in bend form for this one. The exercise consists of using a heavy sled for 5-10 steps per leg. This exercise is intense and is great for strengthening legs and hamstrings. This exercise also comes with a squat variant as well. We can work this in as a Lunge or Split Squat. This works significantly well! The low impact boasts productive and fast results.

2. SLED THROWS

Arms extended

If you want to take the game of the medicine ball throws up then just grab a sled and throw it instead. This is a great power package that undertakes full body-fatigue. Power is the phenomenon that lies between extremes (max) of speed and strength on the force-deformation curve, you can carry this over into your arm position comfortably here. Here’s an interesting tip, you can start with your arms bent for max tension, later on, extend your arms at max speed.

3. SLED SPRINT

Arms Extended here too

The Sled Sprint is a traditional exercise that enables the athletes to lean, shred or burn some turf! An athlete can go out with this inertia or variation using a much lighter load. Your focus should be on bringing-up lean, knee drive and triple extension on the focused leg, usually, the back one. Sled sprint is intended to move fast and smooth.

4. SLED INTERVALS

Arms Extended

A SLED is the only equipment in the gym that can whip you into great shape! What I suggest for the interval setup for conditioning is a 15-yard working set followed by 50 seconds of rest, repeated 10-20 times based on your capability. It’s a great generation conditioning methodology, however, there are many options to be sports explicit with flexibility on the sled. Like I said earlier, be specific about what your needs are and demands are based on your sport, then build those energy systems whichever goes with it.

These are just the temporary guidelines that I have taken out from a few pieces of research. Try them out and let me know how it goes! 

HOW TO FIND THE PERFECT GYM

Posted on by mack fitt pijewski
find a gym in Hong Hong

The annual dropping rates for gyms is around 25% according to The International Health, Racquet, and Sports Club Association. Usually, people tend to join in but shortly after they leave to never come back. What would you do to avoid this issue?

Although there are many reasons for people to drop the most common ones is to feel uncomfortable and to dislike the place. You can know if the gym is going to keep you as a member as you enter through the doors for the first time. Those first impressions are very important; how is the energy of the place? Do the staff seem to be enjoying their job? Is it clean? Does it feel like a comfortable place? Do they even great you as a new costumer?

9 qualities that can be found in awesome gyms

In the Hong Kong alone there are more than 700 gyms, so there is a lot to walk before finding the one that suits you the better. Because of that we have prepared the top 10 list of things to know before choosing the right gym.

Make your first visit at your usual workout schedule

It is important to know how is the ambiance and if is overpopulated those days when you are more likely to go, on your routine. Also, take in mind if the machines you are going to be using are too crowded. If that is the case then it is better to try another gym. If we are talking about small boutique gyms with limited equipment, how creative they are with there workout.

It has a good localization

Use google maps to search for gyms near to your home or work, because according to authorities most people won’t keep driving more than 15 minutes to get to their gyms for months and months, despite how motivated they feel, it is just another obstacle to keep coming back to the gym. Easy to park locations are also advisable.

Read the contract twice before signing it

Check for extra fees in your contract especially if it automatically charges your credit card every month. Also make all the promises made by the gym, to be written down. So make sure to read between the lines and ask what happens with the contract in the case that that fitness club goes bankrupt (California Fitness, Epic or Studio Fitness). Know the legislation about changing your mind on the contract, it is usually 7 days in Hong Kong.

Put money on your membership

Once you are convinced that you are in the right gym feel free to use that membership at its max. because is most likely for you to stay and follow with your fitness aspirations if you have invested good money to it, more if you start seeing the results of the training.

What happens if you have an emergency?

At any medical emergency, you would like to be in a club prepared for it. Although many gyms have their staff trained in the basic technics of first aid like CPR.

Always look for a good variety of machines or workouts

Gym equipment is not cheap that is why in our list of priority we have to consider the clubs with the best gear. However, it is common that they have the best of one or two types of a machine but not the best of all of them, this is not a sin. Instead, check if they have only one brand of machines and all of them came from the same vendor. Because this usually means that the owner of the business just got a good deal and was not precisely thinking in offering the best for the members. Remember also that machines are not all, if you looking for class based gym check what kind of workouts they have and if this workouts benefits your fitness journey.

Check the club’s etiquette and Community

Some gyms don’t allow to go loud and grunting and they remove certain machines for not being appropriate (not my style). So if what goes with you is actually be loud and use all types of machines, first make sure what kind of culture does the club has and what is its target demographic.

Check the hygiene

With so many people using the same machines all the week, gyms are the perfect place to grow germs and keeping the facilities clean takes a lot of effort, usually, let in the hands of the night crew. More than 63% of any hand-contact surface in gyms have been tested positive for rhinovirus or common cold virus; according to the Clinical Journal of Sports medicine.

When you are visiting a new gym make sure to check if they are strict about the “wiping down after use” especially the weights. If that is not the case feel comfortable leaving the facility.

Although a professional crew should be coming every night, the rest of the employees should be also entitled to wipe down the machines frequently during the day.

Remember is not about money

Before deciding on the winner gym take in mind that your goal is to keep coming for months and years. Sometimes paying top dollar for a good membership might make you feel accountable for such inversion and that would keep you coming back. And on the other hand, if you manage to get an awesome cheap deal, the pay might be so low that you won’t mind stopping coming back one good day.