"The Virtual DWT Gym"

[lovedisprinces]

Just a qick pistol question, are you supposed to keep your heal on the ground when pushing up or do you switch to the toe. If its the toe, "yay" cuz then i can do it, otherwise i need more work.

[Conceited Ape]

Yep, keep that weight focused on the heel of the supporting foot at all times, from top of the motion to the point you can't go any lower. To help drive this concept home to folks who just can't seem to help rolling up on their toes, try this one--stand on a barbell plate (a 45-pounder is a good size, although anything that will raise your foot up a couple inches will work). If you have no access to plates, the edge of a nearby sidewalk or something like it will work.

Place your foot so that only the back half is on terra firma, with the front half hanging out in space. Your foot shouldn't be stuck out so far that you can't stand straight up and down naturally without help. Now, try a Pistol. If you shift the weight off your heel even a bit, you'll know it when you start tipping forwards. This little trick will all but force you to learn the right way to get the job done.

Still, sounds as though you've just about got it, LDP. Keep it up!

[mini-V]

Man! When I saw virtual gym...I thought VIRTUAL! You guys are for real! The sit-up routines sound like something out of cirque du solei! I did try using a jump rope a few years back. Found out my back did NOT like jumping rope. I did get some good tips on weights on the previous theads. I'll keep those in mind as I do my resistance workouts. Back to the gym. Ugh!

[Conceited Ape]

Excellent reference with the Cirque--those boys and girls are picture-perfect examples of total-body tension in action. As my favorite philosopher Yogi Berra once noted, "You can observe a lot by watching," and you can get a lot out of just attending one of these shows some fine evening in Downtown Disney.

Jumping rope caused you to hurt your back? Now you've got me intrigued--if I'm not being too intrusive, would you mind elaborating on this one some? Something went very, very wrong, and if it's anything we can do something about, I'd love to help; failing that, it might be a lesson learned that I could pass along in my future ramblings on this form of exercise. The very nature of the rope is that it is ordinarily infinitely easier on the body than jogging.

[mini-V]

I think it was the jarring...I don't jump...even when I do Jazzercise. I don't jog for the same reason. I didn't have any back pain before that, so I'm giving it full responsibility.
Oh, and I got a close up look at the cirque performers 2 years ago when they performed at Party for the Senses. I got to talk with the Cirque trainer as well. The bodies of the performers I saw were as close to perfect as you can possibly get.

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

Well, still not even close to being able to hit the ground but I have been getting lower and lower each day. Maybe in a month I will be able to make it.

[butlers]

Alright, Snow... good going for you...

[Conceited Ape]

Soldier on, Teacher Lady. With a little more practice (remember, it's not a "workout"--practice being strong!), you'll be Pistoling with the best of 'em.

Right here in southern California, we've got a fella by the name of Steve Cotter. Steve's a big-time martial artist--full-contact kung fu champion. The man has been known to bust out astronomical numbers of regular Pistols, and even one or two while holding a pair of 70-pound kettlebells. According to him, he really learned the ropes on this drill when he was younger and messed up his wrist. Pushups were out of the question for him (no big loss. Again, not a very useful drill for most people at all), so while the rest of his fellow students pressed the deck, he did Pistols. In short order, it got to the point where he could almost match them one for one.

Lesson to be learned--frequency. Doing as many quality reps as you can while staying as fresh as possible, anytime you've got a second to spare; knocking off long before you burn out.

In case you're curious where you stand on this one up against the Russian army standards, for men: 10 consecutive Pistols is considered "satisfactory." 20 or more is considered outstanding. Honestly, it's possible to build up to 20 by just sticking with sets of 5 here and there throughout the day. It all adds up. Admittedly, I've never seen comparable standards for ladies, but let's face it--don't be a slave to numbers. Give it all you've got, and you will humble every soft-living male out there. Incidentally, according to the standards I've seen, one of the pre-reqs for any Marian Ravenwood hopeful in the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular is six dead-arm pullups. Heck, most men can't do that without cheating.

[butlers]

there goes more talk on the loved kettlebell (why do i want to say kettleball so badly) Jake loves so...
70 POUND KETTLEBELLS.... oh my word...

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

Need to work on my abs a bunch. Need to start putting that into my day somewhere.

[butlers]

Wonder when the owners of this virtual gym will stop by and give us more training tips...

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

I think they would say "Get off your Butt and EXERCISE!!!

[Conceited Ape]

Deb, I shouldn't be here at all right now, but the powers that be have decided we're not movin' out until Thursday morning now (*groan*), and sounds as though Todd is having some issues right now (heck, from what I've gathered about Todd, he's got subscriptions), so we're gonna have to count on you good patrons of the gym to keep the place going until we're back.

(We can't let White Goodman and his Globo-Gym goons buy us out.)

By all means, feel free to keep postin' those queries, thoughts, and even your own experiences. I promise to check 'em all out as soon as I'm back in town, and in front of the computer again.

(By the way, some of the other patrons are concerned about the unusually high Powerade-vending machine mortality rates in the break room.......c'mon now, guys........)

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

(We can't let White Goodman and his Globo-Gym goons buy us out.)

Well, it might beat having Slim Whitman buying you out!

(By the way, some of the other patrons are concerned about the unusually high Powerade-vending machine mortality rates in the break room.......c'mon now, guys........)

If the machine wouldn't fall on people, no one would be as concerned. Can someone put the paper towels back under the left front foot of the machine?

[Conceited Ape]

You ever wonder why they put those silly warning labels on the vending machines in the first place? Well, it seems that in 1998, there were about fifty reported cases of serious injury or death courtesy of falling vending machine.

(I just wonder how many of those poor saps were trying to get a free Crush (tm)........)