When I lived in Tijuana, Mexico, one of the things that caught my eye (besides all the dead dogs and cholos) was a huge, almost palatial building in the middle of downtown. It looked like it was transplanted from Morocco and was definitely out of place in the brown and dusty ugliness that is Tijuana. On the front of the building in big red letters it read: “Jai Alai.”

Unfamiliar with the meaning of those words, I asked the locals to give me the scoop on what the building was used for. They introduced me to the interesting and tradition-rich game of jai alai (pronounced Hi-Lie). Often called the “fastest sport in the world,” jai alai consists of men with weird basket hands whipping rock-hard balls against a granite wall, trying to make their opponent miss the return while avoiding being hit with the speeding bullet themselves. It’s a game that requires a combination of skill, speed, and acrobatics. If you’re not familiar with the sport, here’s your primer on the intense and manly world of jai alai.

History of Jai Alai

Jai alai originated as a handball game in the Basque area of Spain’s Pyrenees Mountains over four centuries ago. Games were played on Sundays and holidays in small villages at the local church, hence the name jai alai which means “merry festival” in Basque. Players would use the open-air church courtyard and the walls of the church as the fronton or arena. The tie between the church and the sport even earned the game a patron saint-Saint Ignatius Loyola, who took part in the sport when he wasn’t busy founding the Jesuit order.

The players started to put leather on their hands to protect them from the hard ball that they used in the games and moved to indoor frontons near the end of the 18^th century. Around the late 1800’s a Basque farmer got the idea that if they put a cesta, or basket, on their hands, they could hurl the ball a lot faster and a lot harder.

Vintage postcard Tijuana’s Jai Alai palace.

The game spread to and gained popularity in Spanish speaking countries like Mexico and Cuba, and even the Phillipines. Americans got their first taste of jai alai at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. After its initial introduction in the U.S., frontons started going up all over the country. Spectators flocked to jai alai arenas to watch the “ballet with bullets,” and it quickly became an alternative to horse and dog racing for parimutuel gambling. Check out this short clip about the jai alai fronton in Tijuana that aired on the Colgate Comedy Hour in 1955:

Sadly, jai alai waned in popularity during the 1980s. Many of the jai alai frontons in the United States closed. However, the game remains popular in Florida where six frontons still attract old spectators and gamblers wearing their straw hats and guyaberas and drinking cheap beer. While 2/3 of the players in America still hail from the Basque country where they are started in the sport from a very young age, a few Americans have proven their prowess on the court as well.

In the past few years, jai alai has gained more attention and is making a small comeback. Perhaps the Dos Equis commercials where the Most Interesting Man in the World makes a spectacular jai alai play is responsible! St. Petersburg, FL recently opened a jai alai facility to train new players. Plans exist to open frontons in Dallas, TX and Hartford, CT. Will we see more jai alai frontons open up across the country and fans flocking to them to bet on the fastest game in the world? Maybe so. Horse races are fun, but watching a ball being hurled at 170 mph and men diving to the ground and running up the wall to get said ball has an appeal all of its own.

How to Play Jai Alai

In case you decide to check out the fastest game in the world, here’s a brief rundown on how the game is played. The basics are easy to learn and the finer rules and points of the game can quickly be picked up after watching a few matches.

The uniform. Players wear sneakers, t-shirts with their post number on the front and their unique number on the back, white pants, and a red sash around their waist called the faja. Since 1968, when a professional player was put in a coma for 6 months after getting hit in the head with the ball, players have also been required to don helmets.

The pelota. The jai alai ball is the fastest, hardest ball in sports. It has been clocked at speeds up to 188 miles per hour and is as hard as a rock. The ball is about ¾ the size of a baseball and is constructed of hand wound Brazilian rubber which is wrapped in thread and covered by two hardened goat skin covers. Each ball is made by hand and costs about $100. The cover must be replaced every 15 minutes of play because it splits after hitting the fronton wall at high velocities. Because of the pelota’s hardness and velocity, jai alai is an extremely dangerous sport that has killed several players (even having a jai alai player hit you with a orange is enough to bring you to your knees).

The cesta. Cestas are made of  reeds found in the Pyrenees Mountains and are custom made for each jai alai player. The hand is inserted into a leather glove and held in place by a wrap-around tie called a cinta. Cestas are hand woven and it takes over 14 hours of labor to make just one.  They’re not cheap, either. Each cesta costs over $100. Players own several and must constantly repair  and replace them from the wear and tear of play.

The cestas put the real spin on the game-quite literally. Throwing and catching a straight ball with them would be relatively easy, but players are able to put enormous spin on the balls which makes them less predictable and harder to hold onto.

The red areas on the wall are foul areas. Balls that hit in this area are no longer playable. The foul area is made out of a different material than the rest of the wall and makes a distinct sound when hit, which allows players, referees, and spectators to immediately recognize a foul ball.

The cancha. Jai alai is played in a large three walled court (front wall, left wall, and back wall) called the cancha. There is no standard size for a cancha, but the court is typically about 176 feet long (double the size of a basketball court) and 40 feet wide. Spectators sit on the open right side to watch the game and are protected from stray balls by a screen. Because all canchas have a wall on the players’ left side, all jai alai players must wear their cestas on their right hand. So lefties are out of luck.

Running down the right side of the court is a 10-15 feet wide wooden out-of-bounds area called the contracancha. A ball cannot hit in this area, but a player can stand or run in it to save a ball. The front wall is made of granite because it’s the only material strong enough to withstand the pelota’s impact.

Fourteen parallel lines divide the cancha horizontally across the court. Line 1 is the closest to the front and line 14 is the furthest away.

Scoring. Scoring in jai alai is very similar to racquetball. Each point starts off with a serve. The server must bounce the ball behind the serving line (#11) and then hurl it towards the front wall. The ball must bounce between lines 4 and 7 after it hits the front wall.

Teams then alternate catching the pelota in their cesta and throwing it in one fluid motion without holding and juggling it. The game’s judges determine whether a player catches and throws the ball in one fluid motion.

Players must catch the ball on the fly or after it bounces once on the floor.

Points are scored if an opposing player:

• fails to serve so the ball bounces between lines 4 and 7 on the floor
• fails to catch the ball on the fly or after one bounce
• holds or juggles the ball
• hurls the ball out of bounds
• interferes with a player attempting to catch and hurl the ball

Jai alai games are played in a round robin format, usually with eight teams of two players each (with one front court and one back court player) or single players. Each team gets a number; this is the “post number” that appears on the front of their shirts. Team 1 takes on Team 2 and the winner of that games faces Team 3.  The team that scores a point remains on the cancha while the losing team goes to the end of the line to await another turn on the court. Points usually double after the first round. The first team to score 7 or 9 points wins the game. Just like in horse racing, the next highest score is awarded “place,” and third place is awarded “show.” Playoffs are used in case of a tie.

Betting on Jai Alai

Betting on jai alai is just like betting on horse racing or dog racing. So you can place a single “win,” “place,” or “show” bet on a particular team or you can pick two teams to finish first and second with a “quinella” bet.  Spectators can also make trifecta and superfecta bets.

The skill and agility of the players allows for some handicapping but the speed and tricky action of the pelota introduces an element of luck into the equation.

Jai Alai in Action

To get a feel for the game, check out these clips of play:

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Image from boxelf

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Adam Cook.

If you love backpacking or just being outdoors, but always wanted to add something extra to the experience, then mountaineering is for you.  Mountaineering itself is a relatively simple sport; just make it up to the top of a chosen mountain.  The problem lies in the extreme range of situations you encounter as you pass through higher and higher altitudes, but it’s a welcome challenge for many that participate in the sport.  If you already know a bit about backpacking and being outdoors in general, it’s easy to transition to mountaineering and start bagging peaks in no time. There are just a few things you need to know.  Remember, a lot of this is dependent on how big the mountain is and how long you are going to be alone in the wilderness.  You would need far less food for an afternoon on Pikes than 40 days in Tibet climbing in the Himalayas.

1.  Terminology

Learning the mountaineering lingo is important when you start reading about climbing as well as to understand the rest of this article.  Mountains are often categorized by height.  In the US, a 14er is a mountain that is at least 14,000 feet.  The rest of the world goes by meters, so 4Kers to 8Kers are common.  A climb is also graded by ‘class,’ which is really determined by steepness and exposure.  A flat trail with no exposure to danger (i.e. a fatal fall) would be Class 1.  Class 2 and 3 are slightly steeper with some possibly challenging obstacles in the way.  Class 4 is mainly a hands-and-knees scramble, while Class 5 is technical climbing where both members are usually belaying one another.

2.  Basic Skills

Most 14ers in the US offer non-technical routes that can be climbed by any fit person.  Humboldt Peak in Colorado is my favorite Class 2/3 mountain due to the scenery and isolation.  Pikes and Longs are also classic lower class mountains, but they are often crowded during the summer months. But if you want to start seriously mountaineering, you are going to need to take up rock climbing.  Even large mountains like Everest are mainly class 2 and 3, but you want your technical skills to be rock solid (pun intended) when you reach the 20% of the climb that is technical.  You should be climbing 5.9’s at a local crag or rock gym with relative ease.

3.  Basic Gear

Protection and speed is the name of the game here.  I learned the hard way that a cheap tent is not going to hold up in a mountain storm with 80 mph winds and ice. Invest in a serious 4-season tent. This will be one of the most expensive things you buy, but without a tent, your trip is over.  You’re also going to want bivy gear and rain protection.  Bivy gear can be anything you need to set up a quick, temporary shelter.  Trash bags and a hiking pole work, but so does a 200 bivy sack from an online retailer.  Also remember to buy quality layering clothes. You’re only going to bring one set of clothes for an entire week in the mountains, so make sure it’s quality stuff! Here are some more specifics on what to bring:

One Day Lower Class Hike/Scramble-Up

• Day Pack: A small backpack.
  • Things to look for: We’re talking climbing here, not backpacking comfort.  The pack should be light and have no wrap-around belt or bulky padding.  It should be large enough to fit your camping stove (if you’re eating dehydrated meals), a rain jacket, and some para chord. If you’re only eating things like beef jerky and trail mix, you can skip the stove.
• Water Purification: On most mountains, there are opportunities for water on the way up.  But before gulping it down, you need to purify it.
  • Things to look for: In this kind of situation, you will want water purification tabs.  It doesn’t really make sense to boil water for a day hike, and it’s a ton of weight to carry if you know you don’t absolutely have to.  There are dual-packs of tablets that include iodine and an iodine remover that leaves the water clean and tasting pure.  If there are no water opportunities on the way up, you need to bring at least 4 Nalgene bottles worth of H2O.
• Rain Jacket: A lightweight jacket made of gore-tex or another waterproof, breathable material.  You need this EVEN if the weather is going to be sunny.  This jacket can be used to make a quick, makeshift shelter should the weather turn for the worse.  Bring para-chord or string along just for shelter or other random purposes.  It is very possible to get lost on a mountain, as silly as that sounds.  One day on Crestone Peak, two groups met at the top.  One group made it to the bottom and the other was never heard from again.
• Small First Aid Kit: An ace bandage and athletic tape is a very basic first aid kit.  You can use your iodine tabs to sterilize any wounds, so there’s no reason to bring the extra weight of sanitizing creams. You can also use the bandage and tape for a ton of other things, including make-shift gloves if there is a large crack on your route that you want to climb.
• Food: 2 meals would be sufficient, even one if you are going light or want to make breakfast or lunch non-cook only.  You need calories to perform at your best, and dehydrated meals are relatively inexpensive and super light.  I like to bring them just for the morale boost.  A cooked meal gives you ~30 minutes to sit, relax, and really take in the awesome scenery.  Keep in mind though, if you’re running behind on time and the weather looks like it’s turning, there may not be a lot of time to sit down and cook.  This is why I always bring a quick snack no matter what my plans are.
• Headlamp: You’re starting early, right?  Great!  So then a headlamp should be required since you’re starting before the sun comes up.  If it’s a short hike, possible if you camped half way up, still bring it.  If weather sets in and night falls, it is nearly impossible to navigate without a headlamp.  The headlamp should be able to fit around your helmet if you have one, and be adjustable to fit around your bare head.  Many climbers have been forced to stay on the mountain just because they were benighted without a headlamp.  It’s silly to try and justify not bringing an 8oz. headlamp.

Single Day Technical Climbs

This is mostly the same as above, as the great majority of a technical climb will still be hiking and scrambling.  But you need a few more things for a more advanced climb. Just to give you an idea, here’s some of the extra gear you would need for a technical 5th class pitch (a section of a route that is separated by areas suitable for belaying or resting).

• Helmet: This should be a certified climbing helmet that is made by a reputable brand.
  • Things to look for: The helmet should be adjustable.  During summer ascents it will go on your bare head but in the winter you will be wearing a cap or have your hood up.
• Dynamic Rope: This should be a bit longer than your longest pitch.  Most ropes are 60 to 70 meters.  If the pitches are very short (~75 feet), get a larger rope cut in 2 or order a shorter rope to use on short pitches.  I’ve had a 70m rope for a 50 foot pitch and it was really more of an inconvenience than anything.
  • Things to look for: It must be dynamic and must be a single rope.  Double ropes have their place but that’s neither here nor there.  It should also be a treated, waterproof rope.  Non-treated rope is good for sport climbing, but in the mountains there are too many opportunities for moisture to find its way to your rope and make for some heavy packing.
• Trad Gear: It’s best to take a class or at least read a few books on this subject.  A basic alpine rack consists of slings (nylon loops used to extend anchors if your path is zig-zaggy), plenty of locking and non-locking carabiners, cams, hexes, and nuts.  Those last 3 are all cramming devices that are inserted into cracks in the rock to serve as protective anchors.  This is your only lifeline, which is why I stress taking a class or getting some solid books and a little practice on the local crag before heading off on your own.

4.  How to Pack

Don’t be like me and take over 100 lbs of gear for your first week in the mountains.  You only need one extra set of boxers and 2 extra pairs of socks. You’re going to be wearing the same shirt and pants for your entire expedition.  Bring Gold Bond and baby wipes to take a makeshift ’shower.’  Put the Gold Bond into a plastic bag, same with the wipes.  You’re trying to pack everything you need for an entire week into 1 bag.  You obviously need food, but it should be the dehydrated kind and it should be taken apart and repacked.  Also bring a smaller bag for acclimatization hikes and summit pushes.  You don’t need 4 days of food for 5 hours away from camp. You want to be light and fast!

5.  Planning

There are tons of sources out there on mountain routes.  14ers.com is a good one for Colorado, and there are plenty of books available on larger mountains like the Matterhorn.  Be sure to read up before your trip.  Join a forum and ask questions.  Bring plenty of pictures with you, along with a compass and topo map of the area.  A mountain is very different in 2d than in 3d, so the more prepared you are, the less overwhelmed you will be.  Once you get there, allow at least one extra day should weather go sour or the route be more difficult than planned.  Always have a “plan B” in mind.  If the route is questionable, it’s good to have something else to do.  It’s hard to convince your ego that you can’t do something and to just turn around if it’s the sole reason you traveled so far.

6.  Acclimatization

If you’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to be on top of a massive mountain, shove ice down your pants, grab a straw, and run up and down the stairs breathing through it to get a rough idea.  Note: don’t actually do that.  Acclimatization is a serious deal though.  Mountain sickness and Accute Cerebral/Pulmonary Edema are very real and very dangerous. You want to avoid this at all costs as it can be very fatal.  To acclimate, you want to slowly climb higher and higher.  This isn’t a huge deal at lower altitudes or one day trips, but it becomes a pressing issue above 10,000 feet when you’re going to be setting up a camp.  Also remember to sleep low and climb high.  Being at altitude can cause insomnia which can hinder your motivation and fitness.  It’s best to climb high and spend the afternoon there, then return to your lower camp to sleep and get a good night’s rest.  This is why climbers have numerous camps on large mountains.  They climb high and build the advance camp, then return to the lower camp to sleep.

7. Bits of advice

Remember to place your tent where it will be out of the wind.  Find a cove of boulders, trees, or dig out a ledge in the snow.  Mountain winds can also change over the course of several days so be prepared to move camp should the need arise.  Always remember to hydrate.  At altitude you need twice as much water as you would back at home.  If you feel a headache coming on, take it easy.  If things get worse, be prepared to kick your ego to the side and come down the mountain.  Weather can change in an instant on a mountain.  Afternoon thunderstorms are extremely common and lightning is very dangerous at altitude (think: you’re the highest point around for miles!).  Start climbing while it’s dark in the morning and plan to be headed down the mountain by early afternoon. A daring mountaineer is a short lived mountaineer.  The mountain will always be there next year.

• Getting in Touch with the Wilderness
• Backpacking Basics
• Help Hutch Climb Mount Kilimanjaro and Raise Money for Charity
• Mountain and Sackett Tie Giveaway: November 2009
• Streamline Your Next Camping Trip

Image from martigras

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Adam Cook. Mr. Cook is a passionate alpinist, mountaineer and all-around outdoorsman.

Content to be wrapped up in our blanket of technology and seemingly powerless against the  pull of our cozy man chair, it’s easy to forget there are tons and tons of opportunities to get outside and into the wilderness. People are always wishing for a trip to some major foreign city to see the scenery and take in something different but often fail to realize just how awesome and unique their own countryside can be.  By taking up an interest outdoors, you can turn nearly every weekend into a short vacation and save a lot of money in the process.

Being outdoors puts you in direct contact with this magnificent planet of ours.  City wilderness often consists of artificially placed miniature trees, a few squirrels, and a pigeon.  Any other wildlife you see will likely scurry away the moment it notices you.  In the deep wild though, most animals have barely had any human contact and will not hesitate to walk straight up to you.  It’s really an experience to see two big-horn sheep fight within 15 feet of you and not care that you’re sticking around.

As both a blessing and a curse, being outdoors will put you in touch with your own mortality.  Being in a controlled environment for the majority of one’s life will lead to feelings of immortality or at least an inflated feeling of strength and worth.  Having your tent ransacked by a grizzly at 3am or getting caught in a mountain squall can put you right back in your place and teach you a lot in the process.  In fact, the reason most alpinists climb is just to revel in that feeling of exposure to danger.  It lets you know you’re human.

With a little know how and a few supplies, you can start becoming an outdoorsman yourself. Here are 5 points to keep in mind as you make plans to get in touch with the wilderness.

1. Choose a hobby that puts you outdoors

This sounds obvious, but a lot of guys’ hobbies are what keep them locked up inside.  An outdoor hobby can be very cheap, but it can also turn into a serious investment (see: alpine climbing).  If you’re on a budget, choose outdoor activities like backpacking and general mountaineering that don’t require an abundance of expensive equipment. These pursuits give you a chance for adventure and travel without costing an arm and an leg. With a pack, clothes, tent, and a dehydrator, you can hike the entire Grand Canyon for the cost of gas and the time it takes to dehydrate a few foods from your own house.  This equates to around 120 dollars for an entire week (if you live in Ohio like me).  If you have a quick bivy shelter, you can take an airliner to the beaches of Thailand on a moment’s notice with nothing more than a few extra bucks and a backpack.

2.  Find at least one person to share your experiences with

While solo hunting, fishing, packing, and biking may be fun, it’s often the other person that will keep you at it.  It’s easy to say you don’t feel like waking up at 4am to set up your deer stand, but if you have a friend tagging along, that’s usually all the motivation you need.  It also gives you something to talk about and really furthers a relationship, be it with a best friend or significant other.

3.  Realize your mortality

I realize I mentioned this earlier, but it needs to be said again before you take off into the wilderness.  There are plenty of things out there to teach this lesson to you, but it’s best you realize it yourself right now and prepare beforehand.  Knowledge is your friend here.  Know that a 50 dollar Wal-Mart tent can’t withstand the 80 mph winds of a mountain squall, and know that a grizzly can break through a car door to get to a Snickers.  In fact, there are two rules to being outdoors.  1) Put yourself in a position to be lucky, and 2) Don’t put yourself in a position to rely on luck.  Here’s a scenario: getting up before dawn to start a hike on a cloudy day puts you in a position for the weather to clear and the day to be nice.  If you only have 2 days and you decide that first day to stay in the tent and wait, you’ve put yourself in a position to rely on luck for the second days’ weather.

4. Get supplies and know where to get them for cheap

Every outdoorsman needs a few basic supplies.  This includes rain gear and/or bivy gear (this can be as simple as a large trash bag), a small first aid kit, a compact mountaineering stove with a few dehydrated meals, a compass, a headlamp, and a water purification device. It’s easy to fit all this into a backpack, and even on a challenging day hike it puts you in the position to be lucky if something should turn for the worse.

There are several sites I recommend when looking for outdoor gear at a bargain price. The Sierra Trading Post sells gear and clothing for 30%-70% off and often has very good deals on name brand stuff. But my favorite site is Steep and Cheap. They offer just one greatly discounted item at a time and sell it until it’s gone. Obviously with that kind of set up, you have to act fast to snatch up the stuff you want. But they offer a variety of alerts you can sign up for that will keep you abreast of what item is currently being sold.

5. Respect the wilderness

This should go without saying, but too many people thoughtlessly dump trash outside.  Just the other day when bouldering in the local park, I found a white trash bag that had to be 10 minutes from the beaten path.  I don’t know how it got there, but I grabbed it and packed it out myself.  Respecting the wilderness means allowing it to have the same spirit-reviving effect on others as it has on you. When you leave behind your trash or in any other way mar the wilderness, you create an eyesore that will pull others out of the meditative experience they’re having  and back into the ordinary, material world they were trying to escape. You’re gazing at a scene of mighty redwoods and feeling a stirring in your soul, and then-bam!-there’s a McDonald’s bag and the trance is broken. If you say you ‘need’ to leave something behind, it’s understandable, but only once in my life did leaving trash and food behind actually aid me in survival, and I still feel bad about it to this day.

So go out and gear up.  Fall is in full swing and there’s no better time to get outside!

• Gear Up: A Man’s Guide to Camping
• Mountaineering 101
• Streamline Your Next Camping Trip
• Backpacking Basics
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In 1926, strong man and physical culture enthusiast Earle Liederman wrote a book called Endurance. In it, Liederman makes the case that every man should be physically fit enough to save his own life in an emergency. He sets out five fitness benchmarks that indicate whether a man is up to this task. None require you to be able to bench press 500 pounds or have six pack abs. Rather, the benchmarks focus on having the strength and endurance to run, swim, or pull yourself to safety. If you’re looking for a fitness goal, the five fitness benchmarks Liederman lists are a good place to start.

According to Liederman:

“Every man should be able to save his own life. He should be able to swim far enough, run fast and long enough to save his life in case of emergency and necessity. He also should be able to chin himself a reasonable number of times, as well as to dip a number of times, and he should be able to jump a reasonable height and distance.

A man should be able to:

Swim at least half a mile or more

Run at top speed two hundred yards or more

Jump over obstacles higher than his waist

Pull his body upward by the strength of his arms, until his chin touches his hands, at least fifteen to twenty times

Dip between parallel bars or between two chairs at least twenty-five times or more

If he can accomplish these things he need have no fear concerning the safety of his life should he be forced into an emergency from which he alone may be able to save himself.”

• Do More Than One Stinking Pull-Up
• 30 Days to a Better Man Day 26: Take the Marine Corps Fitness Test
• 5 Gut Busting Conditioning Drills from the Gridiron
• How to Hit the Speed Bag Like Rocky Balboa
• Say Goodbye to Your Gut: 3 Mental Preparations to Starting a Fitness Routine

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jeff Rose. Mr. Rose is an Illinois Certified Financial Planner and co-founder of Alliance Investment Planning Group. He is also the author of Good Financial Cents, a financial planning and investment blog. You can also learn more about Jeff at his website Jeff Rose Financial.

We last heard from Mr. Rose when he was filling us in on how to be financially studly. He was also kind enough to give us a glimpse into the life of a financial planner.

Car camping is cool, but there’s something awesomely manly about putting everything you need to survive on your back and heading out into the woods. This year marked my second manly trip with my buddies as we adventured out for a week into the wilderness with everything we needed to survive on our backs. Last year we conquered the Smoky Mountains. This year took us to the great national park of Yellowstone. In case you’re considering backpacking yourself, I wanted to give a few tips to help you out on your next manly expedition. Let’s run through a list of things that you might need.

1. A Backpack Like No Other

Kind of goes without saying, doesn’t it? But, you don’t want just your typical backpack. Last year, I tried using a Bug Out bag that I had purchased in Iraq while on deployment. It’s one of the coolest backpacks I have ever had, and I thought it would work fine while in the Smokies. About 30 minutes into our first trail, I realized the huge mistake I had made. My shoulders were killing me and by the end of the trip so was my back. I learned the hard way that I needed a “real” backpack to last me throughout the trip. Taking my friend’s advice, I headed up to the closest REI where I spent over an hour and a half getting fitted by one of their sales assistants. The end result? After hiking 35 plus miles in the Yellowstone National Forest, I can tell you the time and money spent was well worth it. The REI backpack is the most comfortable backpack I’ve ever had throughout high school, college, and even my military career.

2. Take Care of Your Feet

When I was in the military I started off in the infantry division, and the one thing our Drill Sergeants always told us was to take care of our feet. It’s no different on a backpacking trip. Taking care of your feet means getting the right shoes and also the right socks. My friends had decided to spend a little bit more money and get some Merrell hiking boots. I particularly wasn’t all excited about spending an extra $120 just on shoes, although I knew it was probably worth it. I decided instead to purchase some $60 Nike trail shoes. I have to confess, I was very pleased with the Nike’s. Not only did I wear them in the Smoky Mountains, but I also wore them again this year in Yellowstone. The only complaint I have is the fact that they’re not waterproof, which can be an issue when crossing streams. Other than that, I’m the only one out of seven guys that never got a single blister. I contribute some of that to my shoes, but wearing true hiking socks helped as well. I found some hiking socks at Dick’s Sporting Goods that kept my feet from getting blisters both trips. Once again, well worth the investment.

To be a good friend, be sure to pack some moleskin for the guys who do get blisters. There aren’t too many things worse than hiking up a mountain with several blisters on your feet.

3. Stay Hydrated

“Beat the heat Drill Sergeant, beat the heat!” That’s what we used to yell in basic training after we chugged out of our canteens. While hiking in the wilderness, you want to make sure to keep hydrated. Once again, my military background came into play, and I was able to bring my CamelBak that I had and use it in my pack. You also want some type of water bottle, maybe a Nalgene to keep extra water in as well. You can never have too much water.

Editor’s note: In my opinion, the best water bottle in the world is the Camelbak bottle with the bite valve. Drinking from a Nalgene bottle always left me with water on my face. The Camelbak bottle has this great sippy straw that lets you easily take big gulps of water. And it doesn’t leak, even if you hold it upside down. It’s awesome.

While hiking in the wilderness, you don’t want to drink directly out of the stream. Well, you can, but remember that what goes in must come out, and drinking out of a stream doesn’t always come out as pretty. To prevent a case of Montezuma’s revenge, you’ll want to consider packing a water filter with you.

4. Time to Sleep

When it’s time to hit the sack after you’ve been hiking for eight to ten hours a day, you’ll want to sleep comfortably. There aren’t any Comfort Suites to check into, of course, so you’ll want to pack accordingly. You’re going to want a tent and an extra warm sleeping bag. Keep in mind that you’ll want a lightweight tent and sleeping bag because you’ll have to carry them on your back. For example, my two man tent weighed approximately 3.5 pounds. I even packed a little extra pillow about the size of one that you’d get on an airplane. Both years I went without a sleeping pad, but I can tell you that next year I’m going to make the purchase. Sleeping on hard ground with rocks and everything else underneath you is not fun.

5. Feed That Belly

When you’re hiking with a 50 pound plus pack, you want to make sure you stay nourished. There are times when my blood sugar felt low, and I needed a quick fix. Be sure to take granola, power bars, nuts, jerky and other quick little snack foods that you can eat while you’re hiking. After you’ve been hiking the whole day, it’s time to treat yourself to some good grub. We opted to go with what’s called Mountain House meals, which are far superior than any MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) I ever had in the military. To prepare the Mountain House meal, all you need is 16 ounces of boiling water. Obviously, boiling water doesn’t come from a mountain stream. You’ll need to pack a lightweight stove and something to light it with. Pack a few lighters and some waterproof matches for backup.

The Mountain House meals are awesome. They cost anywhere from $5-$7 and you can get a variety of flavors. Anywhere from Beef Stroganoff (my favorite), Lasagna, and Chicken Teriyaki. All it takes is two cups of water, pour it into your bag, let it sit for eight minutes, and voila, you’ve got instant cuisine in the middle of nowhere. Another plus is that you eat them right out of the bag which makes clean up that much easier.

After you’ve eaten all of your dinner and snack food, don’t forget to bring some sealable trash bags – preferably zip-lock bags to put your trash away. You also want to bring a 50 ft rope/cord to hang up your pack. Yellowstone has designated bear poles where you can string up your pack about 10 feet in the air to keep wildlife out of your campsite. You want to enjoy your food, but you also want to make sure that no other bears or any other wildlife enjoy your trash.

6. Don’t Dress To Impress

This year was harder to plan for clothing-wise because Yellowstone has an extreme range of temperatures. While we were there, it went from 85 degrees during the day to a low of 38 degrees at night, not including the fact that it rained every single day that we were out there. To battle the heat, I wore what I wore while in Iraq – my beloved Under Armour heat gear. At night, I brought out my beanie, and my North Face jacket to keep me warm. The jacket took up a little bit of extra room in my pack, but it was well worth it. The other good purchase that I made on this trip was a pair of convertible pants. These are the pants that you can wear as pants to keep you warm at night, but then unzip them and you’ve got shorts while you’re hiking in the 85 degree heat. They were perfect for the unpredictable Yellowstone weather.

7. Plan for the Miscellaneous

Since Yellowstone is well-known for their grizzly bears and black bears, we thought it would be a wise investment to at least have one or two cans of bear mace. It’s kind of pricey at $35 a pop, but I figure $35 is worth it in case I came across an angry momma grizzly and her cubs. I guess it’s not as “manly” as wrestling a bear, but my ego is still in check. You also want to think about bug spray (mosquitoes were horrible!), a camera with long life batteries so that you can remember the trip, and bio-degradable baby wipes-these aren’t just for the hands .

8. Smells Like Roses

The last thing is to make sure you pack deodorant. I know what you’re thinking – “You’re a man, why does a man need deodorant when he’s out in the wilderness?” You are absolutely right! You don’t need to use any deodorant while you’re out in the wilderness. In fact, I took pride in not showering the whole time we were camping out (I did shower the night before we left) . Deodorant comes into play for the ride home. Having flown out there, I thought the “manly” and polite thing to do was to not smell like I had backpacked for the last week to the person flying next to me. Even manly men have to have some sort of personal hygiene etiquette, right?

What are your tips for backpacking? What kinds of gear, clothing, and food do you bring on your adventures? Share your advice with us in the comments!

If you enjoyed Jeff’s post, read more of his stuff at Good Financial Cents, and subscribe to his RSS feed.

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In 1883, physical culture enthusiast William Blaikie wrote a book entitled “How to Get Strong, and How to Stay So.” In it, he gives a primer on strength training. One of my favorite sections is a sample physical fitness routine for young men. What I like about the routine Blaikie proposes is its simplicity. The only thing needed is a set of dumbbells. That’s it.

While this workout won’t get you washboard abs or huge delts, it will help a man develop the strength and stamina they need to carry out their day with vim and vigor.

Morning Strength Training

1. On rising, let him stand erect, brace his chest firmly out, and, breathing deeply, curl dumb-bells (each of about one-fifteenth of his own weight) fifty times without stopping. This is biceps work enough for the early morning.

2. Then, placing the bells on the floor at his feet, and bending his knees a little, and his arms none at all, rise to an upright position with them fifty times. The loins and back have had their turn now.

3. After another minute’s rest, standing erect, let him lift the bells fifty times as far up and out behind him as he can, keeping elbows straight, and taking care, when the bells reach the highest point behind, to -hold them still there a moment. Now the under side of his arms, and about the whole of the upper back, have had their work.

4. Next, starting with the bells at the shoulders, push them up high over the head, and lower fifty times continuously. Now the outer part of the upper arms, the corners of the shoulders, and the waist have all had active duty.

5. Finally, after another minute’s rest, start with the bells high over the head, and lower slowly until the arms are about the position they would be on a cross, the elbows being always kept unbent, liaise the bells to height again, then lower, and so continue until you have done ten, care being taken to hold the head six or more inches back of the perpendicular, and to steadily face the ceiling directly overhead, while the chest is swelled out- to its uttermost, Rest half a minute after doing ten, then do ten more, and so on till you have accomplished fifty. This last exercise is one of the best-known chest-expanders.

Now that these five sorts of work are over, few muscles above the waist have not had vigorous and ample work, the lungs themselves have had a splendid stretch, and you have not spent over fifteen minutes on the whole operation. If you want to add a little hand and fore-arm work, catch a broomstick or stout cane at or near the middle, and, holding it at arm’s-length, twist it rapidly from side to side a hundred times with one hand, and then with the other.

Afternoon Cardio Workout

In the late afternoon a five-mile walk on the road, at a four-mile pace, with the step inclined to be short, the knees bent but little, and the foot pushing harder than usual as it leaves the ground—this will be found to bring the leafs and loins no inconsiderable exercise; all, in fact, that they will probably need. If, shortly before bedtime each evening, the youth, after he has been working as above, say for a month, will, in light clothes and any old and easy shoes, run a mile in about seven minutes and a half, and, a little later, under the seven minutes, or, three nights a week, make the distance two miles each night, there will soon be a life and vigor in his legs which used to be unknown; and if six months of this work brings a whole inch more on thigh and calf, it is only what might have been expected.

• Become Strong Like Bull: The Kettlebell Workout
• Every Man Should Do This Exercise Routine Every Day
• A Bodyweight Workout for Busy Men
• 30 Days to a Better Man Day 26: Take the Marine Corps Fitness Test
• The Ultimate Push-up Guide: 35+ Push-up Exercises

Source: Life

There’s a reason so many motivational speakers use sports as a metaphor for life. There are innumerable  parallels between what it takes to be successful both in real life and on the playing field. The qualities of determination, skill, and hard work contribute to a man’s chance of winning in both arenas. There is a parallel between life and sports that doesn’t get enough attention, however, and that’s the connection between a man’s character off the field and his good sportsmanship on it.

Good sportsmanship encompasses many aspects of a man’s character, the most fundamental being respect. The good sportsman respects both his teammates and his opponents as equals. He plays with integrity. A win that does not come fairly holds no satisfaction for him. He is honest in his dealings with opponents, because he treats them the way he wants to be treated. He is unselfish in his desire to see all his teammates participate and enjoy the game. He is humble in his victories, and has the proper perspective on his losses. In short, the qualities that go in to making a good man are the same ones that contribute to being a great sportsman.

Unfortunately, as men’s character off the field has declined, so has their behavior on it. Men pout and even cry when they lose, they gloat when they win, and they take sports far too seriously. A man should understand that good sportsmanship truly enhances the experience of both playing and watching sports. Players feel encouraged by one another and take satisfaction in the fact that the game was played fairly. And fans can really enjoy themselves at the games.

As both a player and a fan, I’ve noticed that men could really use some brushing up on the rules of good sportsmanship. So here’s a primer.

Good Sportsmanship as a Player

Play fair. Sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many men will cheat or play dirty to win.  Remember, it’s just a game. There’s no need to stoop to dishonesty to win something as inconsequential as beer league softball game. If you cheat, you may get the victory in the short term, but it will forever ring hollow for you.

I think Teddy Roosevelt sums it up best: “Hit the line hard; don’t foul and don’t shirk, but hit the line hard!”

Be a team player. If you’re playing a team sport, do your best to get the whole team involved. Don’t try to be the star by hogging the ball. I know this can be hard when your talent surpasses that of your teammates, and you know you could win the game by carrying the whole thing on your shoulders. But selfish game play ruins the fun for everyone else and just makes you look like a jerk. What it comes down to is this: why are you playing this game? Is it for a win to help boost your sense of self-worth? Or is it for the pure love of playing itself? When it’s the latter, you naturally want to make sure your teammates have the same great time that you do.

So make a conscious effort to involve the beginner/poorly skilled players on your team as much as you can. Sure, they might flub the play, and they might even cost you the game. But in the long run it’s better for them and your team. The only way they’re going to get better is if they get plenty of playing time. By leaving them out, you’re denying them an opportunity to improve. And being a selfish player will breed resentment and divisiveness on your team. Have some patience and pass the ball to the rookie.

Stay positive. It’s easy to get negative when things aren’t going your way. A man knows how to stay positive when the chips are against him and his team. Even if a teammate royally screws up, keep positive. Berating him doesn’t accomplish anything besides making him feel worse than he already does. Instead, slap the guy on the back, tell him to shake it off, offer some advice, and let him know some of the things he’s doing right.

Oftentimes, the guy who moans and groans about other players’ mistakes is making plenty of blunders himself. Just remember: you’re not perfect either. Get over it.

Keep trash talk to a minimum. One thing I’ve noticed is that the player who continually runs his mouth with trash talk is usually the player that isn’t actually doing much physically to help his team win. I guess it’s their way of making up for their lack of skill. Instead of wasting your energy and focus on running your mouth, concentrate on actually outplaying your opponent. Let your performance speak for itself.

Also, throughout the game, make a conscious effort to give credit to an opposing player when they make a good play. A simple “nice job” or “good work” is all that is needed.

Lose gracefully. In any sport, there will be winners and losers. And sometimes you’re going to be on the losing side of the equation. The sooner you accept this fact, the easier it will be to handle a loss.  When you lose, don’t sulk, throw a temper tantrum, or cry like a little boy. Be a man and give the other team a congratulatory handshake.

Also, don’t blame your other teammates or the officiating, either. Show some leadership after the game by rounding up your team and offering them a pep talk. Point out what people did well, but also what needs to be worked on. That’s much more constructive than telling your first baseman that he sucks balls.

Finally, remember to keep things in perspective. It’s just a stinkin’ game. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not going to make much of a difference in your life if you win or lose a pickup basketball game. The sun will still rise, your wife and dog will still love you, and you’ll still have to pay the bills. So why let a loss bring you down and put you in a funk for the rest of the day?

Win with class. If you find yourself in the winner’s circle, remember to show some class. Don’t gloat or put down the other team after your win. Let your performance speak for itself.  After the game, make sure to tell the other team “good game.” Offer some compliments to the opposing players.

Respect the rulings of officials. If your game has referees, remember to respect their rulings, even if they make a bad call. They’re human beings and are bound to make mistakes. While it’s fine to contest a ruling, make your case calmly and rationally. If they decide to stand by their ruling, accept it, and move on. Remember, sometimes bad calls go your way, too.

And for your viewing pleasure, we dug up this old educational video from 1950 about good sportsmanship. Yeah, it’s a little hokey and it’s geared towards teenage boys, but I think it does a good job explaining the importance of developing good sportsmanship:

Good Sportsmanship as a Fan

A recent study by the NCAA showed that while sportsmanship among players has improved over the years, sportsmanship by the fans has gotten worse. It’s pretty sad when the people who have the least invested in a sport stoop to inappropriate behavior just for the sake of rooting their team on. Here’s a quick reminder of some things to keep in mind next time you’re at the big game.

Watch your alcohol intake. Most displays of bad sportsmanship from fans could be eliminated if fans would just drink responsibly. Know what you can handle before you start to lose your inhibitions and get unruly. Besides, it’s hard to really appreciate a game if you’re completely tanked.

Respect the opposing team. Use your lung strength to root for your team and not against the other. When the visiting team walks out on to the field, don’t be a cad and boo them. Instead, respectfully clap for them. Applause is also appropriate when an opposing player is taken out of the game due to an injury. Finally, while it’s tempting to taunt and heckle an opposing team, be the better man and avoid it. It just brings the game down.

Respect your fellow fans. Tickets to major league and college sports games cost big bucks. For many people, they are a splurge, something they buy in the hopes of having a great experience. Don’t ruin it for them by running your mouth the whole game. Nobody likes to sit next to the guy who loudly gives his armchair perspective about what went wrong with each play and how the coach is a moron. It grates on the nerves. Also, be respectful to fans who are rooting for the opposing team. Their allegiance to a set of guys wearing different uniforms and playing a game does not mark them as arch enemies or make them less human. Don’t give opposing fans dirty looks or hurl crass insults in their direction.

Watch your language. I’m always amazed at what comes out of the mouths of fans at sporting events. It would make the saltiest of sailors blush. While I can understand an exasperated “damnit” being uttered from time to time, there’s no excuse for a fan’s language to devolve into lurid and filthy talk. Remember, at most sporting events there are children, so adjust your language accordingly. And besides, if the rules demand that the athletes keep their language clean, we should expect that from the fans, too.

Respect the officials. Just as players should respect the officials, so should the fans. I’ve been to sporting events where the refs are booed as soon as they walk out on to the field-before they’ve even made a call! Give the officials the respect they deserve. If it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the game. Sure, they all make boneheaded decisions from time to time. But guess what? We do too. Imagine what it would feel like if every time you made a bad decision at work, some jerk was there telling you to go kill yourself or saying some ungodly thing about your family. Not very cool, huh?

When you’re feeling angry at the ref, take a minute to get some perspective on the situation. You may be able to see the whole field of action from your perch in the stands and see the replay in slow-mo on the jumbotron, but the ref is out there at eye level watching the action happen in the blink of an eye. It’s not an easy job, and they’re doing the best can.

Support your team, even when they lose. A true fan sticks with their team through good times and bad. It’s a sad sight to see the bleachers empty at a stadium 10 minutes before a game is over just because the home team is losing. Stick around until the end and root your team off the field.

Any other suggestions and reminders on good sportsmanship? Share them with us in the comment box!

Next time: Good sportsmanship when watching or coaching your kid play sports…..

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• Manvotional: Playing the Game
• A Primer on Roulette: Why Are You Playing This Game?

Source: Life

The modern man often leads a rather harried life. There are exams to ace, bills to pay, diapers to change, and annoying co-workers to contend with. And unfortunately, we all too rarely carve out pieces of our day in which to defuse our stress and settle our minds.

Every man needs interludes of quiet and rest, not just to think through what’s been going on in his life but also to not think at all. Just to quiet his mind and be in the moment and feel his cares fall away. Traditional meditation is a great way of doing this. But I’ll level with you; I don’t have the self-discipline to sit still for long periods of time concentrating on my breathing. And I actually find it easier to get into a meditative state when I’m doing something repetitive with my hands. These repetitive motions give the brain a little something to do while the rest of it takes a break. If you’ve ever had a great idea while in the shower, washing dishes, or brushing your teeth you will recognize the wisdom in this.

Activities that keep your hands busy with simple, repetitive movements are some of the best ways to settle your mind, find peace from your worries, and gain inspiration in your decisions. So here are 6 manly ideas for getting a little more zen in your life:

Shining Your Shoes

Source: Life

Shining your shoes can seem like a chore, but as many of you discovered during our 30 Days to a Better Man Challenge, the task can actually be quite therapeutic. There’s something about the smell, the tools, and the technique that makes the job really satisfying. Seeing your dingy shoes transformed into shiny masterpieces acts as a nice metaphor for life; a little elbow grease can turn any mess around.

Fly Fishing

Source: Life

While all fishing can works wonders on your sense of well-being, no type does it better than fly fishing. Fly fishing combines a quiet peaceful outdoors setting with the unstoppable de-stressing power of rhythmic casting. If the sound of your line whipping back and forth doesn’t put you into a zen-like state, nothing will.

Playing Catch

Source: UpNorth Memories

A lot of us haven’t picked up a baseball glove since we aged out of Little League. But just because you’re not involved in an organized game, doesn’t mean your glove should sit in the back of your closet. Just playing catch can really relax you and is more fun than you remember. Whenever Kate and I are blogging and have writer’s block, we put on our gloves right there in the office and throw the ball back and forth. It really helps.

Whittling

Source: Life

Gramps did it and so should you. Men’s hands were meant to create, to turn ordinary objects into something special.  And whittling is just the manly craft of woodworking writ small; all need is a stick and a pocketknife. Start practicing and soon you’ll be making your very own chess set.

Chopping Wood

Source: Life

This is something I got to do for the first time while in Vermont this summer. I have to say, it was an incredibly satisfying experience. There’s something about swinging that heavy axe and the great feeling you get when it hits the log with a crack, splitting apart the wood. I’ve still got a ways to go in being able to consistently split the logs all the way through in one swing, but even my neophyte attempts were good for the soul.

Exercise

Source: Gavin James

Whether it’s jogging down a country road or pumping iron, working out is a well-known and unbeatable stress reducer. It not only keeps you hands busy, it engages your whole body while your mind goes somewhere else. With your blood pumping and your testosterone increasing, the irritations of your day are released with your sweat. Some people love having a workout partner, but I personally like to be alone and totally inside my own head. Studies have shown that working out outdoors greatly increases the stress reducing benefits of exercise, so get out to a park and move your body.

What do you do to settle your mind? Let us know in the comments.

• 30 Days to a Better Man Day 2: Shine Your Shoes
• Every Man Should Do This Exercise Routine Every Day
• 4 Ways Nature Restores Your Manly Vigor
• 10 Ways To Be A Gentleman At The Gym
• 10 Basics Every Man Should Have in His Fishing Tackle Box

The humble push-up. Used by militaries all over the world to get their soldiers in fighting condition and middle school P.E. teachers to punish punk kids. The push-up is the ultimate bodyweight exercise. It requires no special equipment and can be done anywhere, anytime. The push-up often gets overlooked because many men find it too simple or too boring to perform. But by switching up your hand and feet positions and adding in a few twists, the push-up becomes a versatile muscle builder that will leave you begging for mercy. The Art of Manliness has compiled the ultimate resource on push-ups; here is a primer on every variation (with video) we could find. Your muscles will hate you, but they’ll never get bored.

The Ultimate Push-up Exercise List

Hands Elevated Push-up

If you struggle to perform a standard push-up and knee push-ups are too easy, try this one as a segue between the two. Elevating your hands makes the push-up easier. Place your hands on an elevated surface like a park bench or even a counter top. Place feet on the ground. Perform push-up.

Standard Push-up

It’s the one you’ve been doing since your days in middle school. The standard push-up works your chest and shoulder muscles. Lie down on the floor face down with your feet close together. Place your hands shoulder width apart. While maintaining a straight body, lower yourself down until your chest touches the ground. Push yourself up. That’s one rep. Once you mastered this one, it’s time to expand your push-up horizons.

Wide Grip Push-up

The wide grip push-up puts more emphasis on your chest. Place your hands wider than shoulder width apart and perform a push-up.

Diamond Push-up

The diamond push-up is a triceps killer. Place your hands together so they form a diamond. You can either put your hands underneath your chest or your head to hit different muscles. Once your hands are in place, perform a push-up.

Feet Elevated Push-up

Elevating your feet from the ground will work your shoulders more when you perform a push-up. Put your feet on an elevated surface. A bed or a park bench works well. Place your hands on the ground. Perform a push-up.

Hindu Push-up

The Hindu push-up has been used by Indian wrestlers and physical culture enthusiasts for centuries. It consists of a dynamic full body movement that will build strength and flexibility in your chest, shoulders, back, hips, and triceps.

Get in position by standing with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Bend down and place your hands on the floor while keeping your arms and legs straight. You should look like an upside down human “v”  with your butt being the point of the “v” and your head pointing down to the ground.

To perform the Hindu push-up, you’re going to make sort of a swooping motion with your body. Bring your head down and forward by bending your elbows. When your head gets close to the ground, continue moving your torso forward by arching your back and lowering your hips. Your hips will now be near your hands. Make sure to get a good stretch in your back. The first time you perform a Hindu Push-up you might find yourself falling on your face during the initial descent. Keep at it though.

Return to the starting position and repeat. The Hindu push-up is difficult to explain in words; you really have to see it to understand it. So make sure to watch the video.

Dive Bomber Push-up

The dive bomber push-up is performed exactly like the Hindu Push-up, except when you return to the starting position, you follow the same swooping motion you make on the descent in reverse. It gives those muscles a bit more of a workout than Hindu Push-ups.

Close Grip Hindu Push-up

If you want to focus more on your triceps while doing the Hindu push-up, just place your hands in the diamond position. This one is a killer!

Close Grip Dive Bomber Push-up

Same as the dive bomber except hands are in the diamond position.

Elbows to Floor Hindu Push-up

During the descent part of the push-up, lower your elbows to the floor. When you arch your back, lift your elbows off the floor and place all the weight on your hands. Return to the beginning position. By bringing your elbows off the floor, you’ll put more emphasis on your triceps and shoulders.

Feet on the Wall Hindu Push-ups

If you’re wanting to get a solid deltoids workout, try this variation of the Hindu push-up. But be warned- this one is super hard.  Stand in front of a wall facing away from it. Lower your hands to floor and bring your feet up the wall. You want to bring your feet high enough up the wall that your legs are perpendicular to the wall and your torso is parallel with it. Perform a Hindu push-up and return to starting position. You can also bring your hands close together for an even tougher exercise.

Feet on the Wall Dive Bomber Push-up

Same as above, except return to the starting position by following your descent movement in reverse.

Tiger Push-up

The Tiger push-up focuses on your triceps. Assume a Hindu/Dive Bomber push-up position. You should look like an upside down V. Place your hands close together in a diamond position. Now, lower your head to the ground by bending your elbows, but keep your butt up in the air. Push yourself back up.

One Handed Push-up

The one handed push-up is a feat of strength that separates the men from the boys. Not only do you need brute arm, shoulder, and chest strength, but you also have to call on several smaller muscles to stabilize yourself as you lift your bodyweight with one arm.

Assume the normal push-up position, but spread your feet wider than shoulder width apart. Place one hand behind your thigh. Lower yourself slowly to the ground and press up. Repeat until you can’t do anymore and then switch to the other hand. The more square and level you keep your body, the more difficult the push-up will be. To make it easier, turn your torso and legs away from the pressing hand.

The Rocky Push-up

The Rocky push-up is a one handed push-up except you alternate hands on each rep. This is a must when you’re training to fight Apollo Creed.

Handstand Push-up

Forget shoulder presses. If you want a killer shoulder workout, look no further than the handstand push-up. To do a true handstand push-up, you’ll first need to master the handstand, a feat of athleticism in itself. To perform the handstand push-up, assume a handstand position. Slowly bend your elbows and lower your inverted body towards the ground. In order to maintain balance, you’re going to have to call on your core and other smaller stabilizing muscles. Because you’re pressing yourself off of the ground, the handstand push-up is great for your delts.

Wall Assisted Handstand Push-up

If you can’t do a handstand yet, you can still reap the shoulder working benefits of the handstand push-up with the assistance of a wall. Stand near a wall facing away from it. Place your feet against the wall and slowly climb them up the wall until you’re straight up on your hands. Bend your elbows and lower your head towards the ground. Press up.

Plyometric Push-up

Plyometric exercises can help increase speed and explosiveness by loading and contracting a muscle as fast as possible. Plyometric exercises are particularly useful for athletes. You’ve probably seen plyometric exercises for the lower body. Squat jumps are a good example. But you can get the explosive benefit of plyos in your upper body workout as well with a Plyometric Push-up.

To perform the Plyometric Push-up, assume a normal push-up position. Lower yourself to the floor. With explosive force, push off the floor with enough force that your hands leave the floor. Repeat.

Clapping Push-up

The clapping push-up is the same thing as a plyometric push-up. The only difference is that when you explode off the ground, you clap your hands while you’re in the air. In addition to the benefits of the plyometric movement, I’ve found that adding a clap in the middle can help increase hand speed. And it just makes you feel cool.

Triple Clap Push-up

The triple clap push-up requires super agility and hand speed. Perform a plyometric push-up. As your body is coming up, clap once, when your body reaches its peak, clap behind your back, and before your hands hit the ground, clap one more time.

Planche Push-up

This is the ultimate push-up. Only the most athletic and strong will be able to perform this monster. The planche is gymnastic movement used during floor routines. It’s also done by break dancers. Simply put, this is a push-up without the feet touching the ground and just balancing on your hands.

To perform the planche, move your hands back towards your hips. Instead of your hands facing forward, have them face back towards your feet. This makes it easier on your wrists. Lower yourself down and then push up.

Pseudo Planche Push-up

If you’re not quite ready to do a full on planche push-up, start off with a pseudo planche push-up. Assume the planche push-up position by placing your hands back towards your hips, hands facing back towards your feet. Your feet remain on the ground, hence the name “pseudo planche push-up.” Lower and push yourself up. Repeat.

Rotational Push-up

This push-up variation works your core. Assume the standard push-up position. Lower yourself to the ground and push up. As you come up, rotate your body so that your right hand comes off the floor and your right arm extends overhead. You should look like a giant “T” tilted on its side. Return to the starting position, lower yourself, push up, and rotate until your left hand points up.

Spiderman Push-up

Assume the standard push-up position. As you lower your body, bend your right knee and rotate it outwards. Touch your right elbow with your right knee. As you push your body back up, return your leg to the starting position. Alternate the movement between your right and left sides.

Superman Push-up

The Superman Push-up will work your abs more than doing 100 crunches. It’s also an amazing back exercise. Lie on the floor face down. Instead of placing your hands by your chest, place them further out in front of you head. Lift up. I thought this would be a cinch, but the first time I did it, I was struggling to do even one.

Grasshopper Push-up

Assume the standard push-up position. As you lower your body to the floor, step your right leg through the space between your left hand and foot, and cross it all the way over to the left side, resting on the outer edge of your foot. As you lift your body back up, step your right foot back so you’re in the standard push-up position again. Repeat with your left foot. This counts as one rep.

Aztec Push-up

These are insane. Do not attempt unless you are supremely fit. Start off in a standard push-up position. Lower yourself to the ground. Explode your entire body off the ground and perform a jack knife by touching your fingers to your toes in mid air. Return to starting position. Repeat if you haven’t killed yourself.

Fingertips Push-up

If you want to work on your forearm strength for your golf or tennis game, look no further than the fingertips push-up. This is definitely advanced, so proceed with caution. Instead of resting on your hands, rest your weight on your fingertips.

Jack Lalanne Fingertip Push-ups

The Jack Lalanne Fingertip Push-up is essentially the Superman Push-up on your finger tips. What’s amazing is that even though Jack Lalanne is almost 100, he can still bust this bad boy out. If that doesn’t inspire you to drop to the floor and start cranking push-ups out like a mad man, I don’t know what will.

Bruce Lee One Handed Two Fingertips Push-up

Bruce Lee was an amazing physical specimen. Despite being a small guy, he had the strength of 100 men. His Herculean strength is evidenced by his ability to do multiple push-ups with only two fingers of one hand. That’s just crazy.

And who are we kidding? 98.7% of all men will probably never be able to do a one handed, two-fingertip push-up. It’s just cool to know that it’s humanly possible.

Charles Atlas Push-up

Are you tired of being the 95 pound weakling who gets sand kicked in their face? Then crank out some Charles Atlas push-ups. To perform this push-up, you’ll need three chairs. Place one chair where your feet go and the other two chairs where your hands go. Assume the push-up position on these chairs. Lower yourself to the floor. Because you’re elevated off the floor by the chairs, you can go down further and get a deep stretch in your chest and shoulders. It also makes the going back up more difficult.

One Legged Push-up

The one-legged push-up exercises your core and glutes in addition to your arms.

Assume the standard push-up position and simply raise your right leg straight up, so that now you are only balancing your weight on your left foot. Do push-ups in this position and make sure to keep that right leg straight and in the air.

Isometric Push-up

Isometric push-ups create constant tension on muscles and are great for developing muscle endurance.

Assume a standard push-up position. Lower yourself to the ground,  and hold the position there instead of pushing yourself back up. Hold for 10 seconds, or longer if you want. Flex and unflex your muscles while you’re holding it for an even deeper burn. Push back up and repeat.

Knuckle Push-up

Knuckle push-ups are often used by martial artists to toughen their knuckles and strengthen their wrists and forearms in order to deliver more punishing blows.

To perform a a knuckle push-up, simply perform standard push-ups while resting on your knuckles instead of your hands.

Staggered Push-up

Staggered push-ups allow you to isolate one side of your chest.  They also require you to call on your core for stabilization.  Staggered push-ups work your chest, triceps, shoulders, and abs.

Assume a standard push-up position.  Bring your right arm back towards your abdomen. This creates the staggered position.  Start cranking out a set of push-ups. When done, move your left hand back towards your stomach, and perform another set of push-ups.

Side to Side Push-up

Side-to-side push-ups allow you to focus on one side of your body. They’re a great push-up to do to segue into one armed push-ups.

Assume a standard push-up position. When you lower yourself to the ground, lean to your left. When you push back up, it should feel like your left arm is doing most of the work and your right arm is there only for stabilization. Return to the starting position. Lower yourself again, but this time lean right.

Know any other push-up variations? Share them with us in the comments!

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Editor’s note: If today’s challenge to take the Marines Corps Fitness test humbles you into wanting to get into better shape, starting out with a bodyweight workout is an excellent way to go. Here, Jim Smith from Diesel Crew lays out a great plan for one.

Many men don’t realize that serious muscle and strength can be built with just bodyweight exercises.  Not only that, bodyweight only workouts can be high intensity and done in quick training sessions throughout the week.

Many men don’t have time to spend hours in the gym because they have families, they work long hours or they are just too busy going out on dates. Yet they still want to stay in fighting shape. For them, a short, intense bodyweight workout is just what the doctor ordered.

So what are the ground rules when you are setting up your bodyweight training routines?

• You should definitely include as many full body movements as you can to jack up the intensity and decrease the time of the workout
• You can increase the intensity of the bodyweight movements by doing more reps, decreasing the rest time between exercises or by changing the angle of the movement
• If you can’t do movements with your full bodyweight, you can change the angle or use elastic bands to deload the movement

Why is bodyweight training so effective?

The most basic form of all training is bodyweight training. Being able to move your own body in all 3 anatomical planes of motion; sagittal, frontal and transverse, or in real world situations, is the key to more fluid movements and injury prevention.  In fact, many trainers won’t allow their lifters to pick up any weights until they “master” bodyweight training.  This might be a little extreme, but the state of fitness in the US is very sad when many people, even kids, can’t efficiently move their own bodyweight.

At a fundamental level, bodyweight training improves:

• Balance
• Coordination
• Mobility
• Reactiveness
• Stability
• Weaknesses

So you can see, as you improve your ability to control your body, it will become your strength foundation moving forward when you begin to engage progressively resisted strength training exercises.

There are some rules that should be followed for any training session or workout program.  Every session must be started with some dynamic movements to charge or excite the central nervous system, increase your core temperature and prepare you for the upcoming demands of the routine.

Here is a sample bodyweight workout:

Warm-up

1. Glute Bridges, 3×15

2. Tin Men’s, 1 min

3. Piriformis Stretch, 2×5 each leg

Workout

1A)  Beyond the Range Push-ups, 3×20

1B)  Bulgarian Split Squats, 3×10 each leg

2A)  Pull-ups, 3×8

2B)  Walk Walkouts, 2x 1 min (AMAP*, As Many As Possible)

The Warm-up

Warm-up Exercise #1:  Glute Bridges

This movement activates the glutes and hamstrings which are responsible for hip extension and hip abduction.  Make sure it is the contraction of the glutes and hamstrings that elevate the hips for each rep, not just driving the feet downward and hyperextending the lower back.  If done correctly, it is a short range movement.

Warm-up Exercise #2:  Tin Men

After we activate the glutes and hamstrings, we will work on some dynamic movements.  Walking back and forth, the lifter will swing their legs in an alternating fashion while making sure their torso and hips remain in neutral alignment.

Warm-up Exercise #3:  Piriformis Stretch

This movement improves hip mobility and pelvic alignment.  This is a great movement to supplement with Tin Men’s because it further improves hip movement by stretching the hip abductors.

The Workout

1A) Beyond the Range Push-ups

This movement is not only great for activating more muscle fibers and improving shoulder strength and stability, it also builds a big chest.  Beyond the range push-ups are done with the hands on an elevated surface like blocks or swings.  The swing variation adds much more difficulty to the movement because of the instability factor.

1B)  Bulgarian Split Squats

Unilateral movements are often forgotten in the gym where deadlifts and squats rule.  But they are essential for maintaining a balance in the hip ad/abductors; they improve knee stability and have real world carryover to everyday life and movement.

2A)  Pull-ups

One of the best, if not the best mass builder for the back.  Pull-ups have too many variations to list, but here are a few:

• Shoulder width – conventional
• Wide grip
• Side to side
• Chin-ups
• Narrow grip
• Towel pull-ups
• L-sit pull-ups

If you have any elbow issues, a narrower grip on the end of a pull-up should be used:

2B)  Wall Walkouts

At this point we’ve improved our hip mobility, strengthened our upper and lower bodies, and now we will hit the core.  Wall walkouts seem very simple, a movement where you start in a handstand against the wall and then you walk out until you are parallel to the ground.  At that point, you walk your hands back to the starting position.  Well, it is not quite that simple.  This movement will kick your butt, quickly.  Not only will you be building a strong core (anti-extension) but you will develop serious shoulder strength and stability.

Well, there you have it, a quick, high intensity bodyweight routine.  Remember, kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells, sandbags and everything else are tools to get you to a goal.  They are not the end all, be all.

Jim Smith, CSCS is a highly sought after lecturer, author, consultant and strength coach at http://www.dieselcrew.com/.  Jim is an expert writer for Men’s Fitness and a member of the Elite Fitness Q/A staff.  Jim’s just released his new killer product for building muscle, while losing fat – all with only 3 short muscle building workouts a week – click here.

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“Boxing is the sport to which all other sports aspire.” -George Foreman

All sports have the potential of becoming about much more than athletics, transforming into symbols of a culture’s and country’s mood, insecurities, conflicts, and hopes. But perhaps no sport lends itself to this kind of transposition more than boxing. For the purity of boxing gives it the nature of a blank canvas; there is no playing field or special equipment; the rules are few and easy to understand. There is but two men, facing off with nowhere to go, with only their fists and their determination to decide their fate. Thus boxing easily becomes a metaphor for debates over our values: good vs. evil, immigrant vs. nativist, bravado vs. humility, intellect vs brute strength.

The idea boxing has most often been over-layed with is manliness. Joyce Carol Oates (boxing may be a manly sport, but some of the best books on it have been written by women), argues that boxing’s appeal lies in the fact that it is “without a doubt . . . our most dramatically ‘masculine’ sport.’” Indeed, the sweet science of bruising has for its entirety history been inextricably tied up with a culture’s perception and conception of manhood.

This connection to cultural ideals and masculinity has given boxing a volatile history. At times when society felt its manliness to be on the wane, boxing was wildly popular and seen as the iron needed to fortify a pansified culture. At other times, people have recoiled as boxing’s perceived brutality, seeing the sport as evidence of a barbarism at odds with a perception of themselves as too enlightened for such pursuits. All of which makes for a fascinating history and a subject every man should know something about.

Boxing in Ancient Times

The Terme Boxer, Greek sculpture from the first century B.C

Boxing has likely been around since the dawn of time. Our caveman ancestors surely put up their dukes when fighting another dude for a hunk of meat or the heart of a cavelady. The first hard evidence of boxing can be found in third millennium Egypt and Mesopotamia.  The first record of a “prizefight” occurs during the funeral games for Patroklus as recorded in the Iliad. Boxing moved from ceremony to sport with its inclusion in the Olympics and the other Panhellenic festivals. Still, this was boxing in its most primitive form: no rounds, ring, weight classes, rest periods, or points systems. A boxer was declared the winner when his opponent could no longer continue and cried uncle. Boxing was also quite popular in Ancient Rome both as a sport and as part of the Gladiator contests. Gladiators would wrap their hands and forearms with leather straps, sometimes studded with metal shards (the cestus), and battle it out, often until death.

Boxing in the Age of Enlightenment

When the traditions of Ancient Greece and Rome fell into obscurity during the Middle Ages, boxing was eclipsed by popular Medieval pursuits. Commoners still got into the occasional scuffle, but the aristocratic class concentrated on activities like jousting, archery, and hunting.  It was not until the upper-classes began taking an interest in boxing in the early 18^th century that boxing would really begin to flourish.

During the Age of Enlightenment, Europeans took a keen interest in recovering the knowledge and traditions of antiquity. Such curiosity brought with it a revived interest in boxing, especially in England, the true birthplace of modern prize fighting. Wealthy patrons supported their chosen pugilists and put huge wagers down on their fights. With such great sums on the line, the need for rules to settle disputes soon became clear. In 1743, rules governing the sport were set down. The rules regulated the behavior of umpires and seconds and made it illegal to hit a fighter who was down. A fight was now ended when a second could not bring his fighter back to a chalk square in the middle of the ring within 30 seconds.

John Broughton, the reigning champion from 1734 to 1758, did much to bring what was called “the noble science of self-defense” to prominence and greater respectability. It was he who first set down the above rules. He did so initially merely to regulate the matches at the school he had opened. Broughton invited high society gents to make the leap from sponsoring fighters to becoming pugilists themselves by enrolling at his academy. In order to attract “persons of quality and distinction,” gambling at the school was dispensed with and the fighters donned padded gloves or “mufflers,” as they were then known. The gloves were designed to prevent a gent from having to go courting with “black eyes, broken jaws, and bloody noses.” Broughton also traded on Enlightenment ideals when attempting to attract gentlemanly clients. His ads quoted from the Aeneid and called to Britons who “boast themselves inheritors of the Greek and Roman virtues” to “follow their example in conflicts of this magnanimous kind.”

Broughton also pushed boxing as a cure for “foreign effeminacy.” The sport was to him a “truly British art” that would preserve British identity and manliness. Many of Broughton’s contemporaries agreed with such a sentiment. Pierre Jean-Grosely remarked that boxing was “a special form of combat” not “merely congenial to the character of the English” but “inherent in English blood.”

The Regency Period: Boxing’s First Golden Age

The 1780’s ushered in the first golden age of modern boxing. The aristocracy’s interest in the sport, which had waned since Broughton’s heyday, experienced a resurgence. And England’s war with France spurred a sense of nationalism and a desire for men to take up this “truly British art.” The popularity of a series of fights between Richard Humphries and Daniel Mendoza also created widespread interest in the sweet science. These matches were some of the first to trade on ethnic rivalry, as Mendoza was Jewish and often known simply as “The Jew.” Mendoza’s fighting style also changed the nature of the sport. Pugilists had formerly stood toe to toe and simply slugged each other back and forth. Fighters would block shots but there was very little weaving, bobbing, and fancy footwork. No floating like a butterfly; just stinging like a bee. Mendoza brought in the dancing and the defense, making him highly successful, although also the object of scorn. Some spectators found this agile style to be “ungentlemanly.” Still, even the critics could admit it was more fun to watch than a straightforward pummeling. Trading on this battle between ethnicities and fighting styles, the bouts between Mendoza and Humphrey were wildly popular and fueled by boxing’s first war of words; each fighter sent taunting letters and brags to the newspapers before fights.

The British public’s enthusiasm for the sport led to the creation of numerous boxing schools and academies. Men were drawn to boxing’s promise to grant the athlete vigorous health and “courage to the timid.” They sought teaching in the art of self-defense in order to be able to hold their own when accosted by scalawags on the mean streets of London. Boxing was further sold as a way to defend one’s honor without resorting to the deadly tradition of dueling. The sport also dovetailed nicely with the Enlightenment’s burgeoning interest in equality. Boxers needed only fists and fortitude to compete, not special weaponry. Boxing was thus seen a great leveler in which all classes could compete on equal footing.

The Queensberry Rules

The dawn of the Victorian Age extinguished British ardor for the sweet science. In a time marked by the desire for all things moral and upright, pugilism’s violence, both in the ring and behind the scenes, rumors of thrown fights, and its association with gambling, doomed boxing to be labeled a “a low and demoralizing pursuit,” unfit for the interest of a respectable gentleman.

But the British weren’t through in adding their legacy to the sport. In 1867, the Queensberry rules were published, barring any wrestling moves, and essentially setting up the structure of modern boxing. Perhaps the most important of these new rules required pugilists to don gloves. The wearing of gloves drastically changed the nature of the sport. The bare knuckled fisticuffer stood upright, leaned back slightly, and held his arms with forearms facing outward. The gloved boxer leans forward and protects his face with his gloves. While gloves made the sport less brutal in some ways, they made boxing more dangerous and deadly by allowing fighters to punch with far greater strength (the bare knuckled boxer had to mitigate the impact of his blows for fear of winding up with a broken hand). The bones of one’s head are harder than those in the hand; thus, gloves helped the hitter and hurt the hittee. This accelerated the development of the more defensive style of boxing that Mendoza had begun, with a greater emphasis placed on bobbing, slipping, blocking, ect. Nonetheless, gloves greatly increased the frequency of knockouts and the battering boxers took often led to long term head injuries and the so-called “punch-drunk” syndrome.

The Queensberry rules may have made boxing more dangerous, but it also made it more entertaining, positioning the sport for commercialization and widespread appeal.

Boxing Moves to America

“The men who take part in these fights are as hard as nails, and it is not worth while to feel sentimental about their receiving punishment which as a matter of fact they do not mind. Of course,the men who look on ought to be able to stand up with the gloves, or without them, themselves; I have scant use for the type of sportsmanship which consists merely in looking on at the feats of someone else. “ –Theodore Roosevelt

As boxing waned in Britain, the seeds for the sport’s next Golden Age were being planted on American soil. In the early decades of the 19^th century, boxing was barely on the American cultural radar. That began to change in the 1830’s when British pugilists, starved for matches at home, traveled to the States seeking other opportunities to fight. Bare knuckled showdowns, often between Brits and Irish immigrants or between American “natives” and the Irish, slowly began to attract Yankee interest.

In the latter half of the 19^th century, boxing found advocates within the “muscular Christianity” movement which saw sports as a way to increase not only a man’s physical, but also his moral strength. Many churches ran their own gyms and supported fighters. Theodore Roosevelt, advocate of living the strenuous life and forever concerned about American men going soft and losing their manliness, was also a keen advocate of the sweet science. TR argued that “powerful, vigorous men of strong animal development must have some way in which their animal spirits can find vent.” As NY’s police commissioner he encouraged his officers to train in the ars pugandi, and he later sought its implemetation in the character-building program of the YMCA and in the training for men of the Armed Services. He himself boxed as a young man, throughout his years of college, and into his presidency, only stopping when a pugilist’s blow detached his left retina, leaving him blind in that eye (not one to let something like blindness dampen his fun, TR then took up jujitsu). Roosevelt especially recommended the sport to city dwellers who had limited space but wished to build up their strength and vigor.

John L. Sullivan and the End of Bare Knuckle Boxing

John L. Sullivan

“In this world, strength of a certain kind-matched of course with intelligence and tirelessly developed skills-determines masculinity. Just as the boxer is his body, a man’s masculinity’s his use of his body. But it is also his triumph over another’s use of his body. The Opponent is always male, the Opponent is the rival for one’s own masculinity, most fully and combatively realized….Men fighting men to determine worth (i.e., masculinity) excludes women as completely as the female experience of childbirth excludes men.” -Joyce Carol Oates

The man that would truly turn the corner of American boxing interest was John L. Sullivan. Born in 1858, Sullivan straddled the world of bare knuckle and gloved boxing, and helped to forever secure the popularity of the latter. Nicknamed the Boston Strongboy and His Fistic-holiness, John L. Sullivan would be bare knuckle boxing’s last champion and the first heavyweight champion by the new Queensberry rules.

Sullivan’s boxing prowess and colorful personality made him the nation’s first sport’s celebrity. Critics thought he was a drunken lout, but others felt the champion was a masculine, rough and tumble breath of fresh air in the feminized and button-up Victorian age. Sportswriter Bert Sugar said, “Maybe after George Washington, he was our first icon: the biggest thing we had between the Civil War and the Spanish-American War in any field. He was a hero.”

While often pictured as a bare knuckled boxer (that’s him in the AoM header), Sullivan fought the vast majority of his fights in gloves. His preference for gloves gave the sport new respectability and popularity. Boxing soon became legal in states where it had previously been outlawed.

As the sport rose to prominence in the States, its popularity continued to decline in England. Brits waxed nostalgic about their Golden Age and saw boxing’s ascendancy in America as another symbol of the way in which that country was eclipsing them in power and growth. Like many Britons, Arthur Doyle linked his country’s loss of dominance in the sport with what he perceived to be a parallel drop in manliness. When Doyle chose to have boxing figure prominently in his novel Rodney Stone, he was asked by his publisher, “Why that subject of all subjects on earth?” Doyle answered, “Better our sports should be a little too rough than that we should run the risk of effeminacy.” Indeed, in the book Stone looks back at boxing’s golden age longingly:

“The ale drinking, the rude good-fellowship, the heartiness, the laughter at discomforts, the craving to see the fight-all these may be set down as vulgar and trivial by those to whom they are distasteful; but to me, listening to the far off and uncertain echoes of our distant past, they seem to have been the very bones upon which much that is most solid and virile in this ancient race was molded.”

The Rise of Professional Boxing

Jack Johnson battles James J. Jeffries, 1910

“The psychologist Erik Erikson discovered that, while little girls playing with blocks generally liked to create pleasant interior spaces and attractive entrances, little boys are inclined to pile up the blocks as high as they can and then watch them fall down: “the contemplation of ruins,” Erikson observes, “is a masculine specialty.” No matter the mesmerizing grace and beauty of a great boxing match, it is the catastrophic finale for which everyone waits, and hopes: the blocks piled as high as they can possibly be piled, then brought spectacularly down.” -Joyce Carol Oates

Up until 1920, prize-fighting was in a period of flux, legal in some places and not in others. The brutality of the sport did not concern the states, it was boxing’s connection with gambling and corruption which had government officials keeping it at bay.

To skirt the rules, matches were often held on islands and barges or by hastily created boxing “clubs” in which one could pay to become a “member” and thus watch the fight. These “clubs” were often sponsored by saloons, and bars soon became epicenters of the sport. The saloon was already popular as Jack London observed, as a “place where men believed they could escape from the narrowness of women’s influence into the wide free world of men.” Boxing merely added to this existing appeal.

Boxing matches of the early 20^th century often traded on ethnic and racial animosities to promote fights. This dimension of boxing worked to catapult Jack Johnson to fame, when he became the first black man to become the heavyweight champion of the world in 1908. As soon as Johnson won the title, America began a frantic search for find a “great white hope” to dethrone him. Johnson picked off several potential “hopes” before facing undefeated heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries. Jeffries declared that he had come out of retirement “for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro.” The fight, advertised as “the ultimate test of racial superiority,” proved a dark day for white supremacists.

Triumphant in the ring and provocative and flamboyant outside of it, Johnson was scorned by whites and beloved by African-Americans, who celebrated him as a hero of the race. He was one of the most famous and infamous celebrities of the time, and his high-profile career helped boxing gain an ever larger following.

Boxing in the Golden Age of Sports

Dempsey and Firpo by artist George Bellows, 1924

The 1920’s are often cited as the most sports-crazy decade in American history. Decades before, the frontier had closed and been eulogized by Frederick Jackson Turner, and Americans feared that the hearty, resilient pioneer character of the country was fading away. The playing field thus became the new “frontier”  to which Americans looked to find rugged individuals who reassured them that American grit was alive and well.

Jack Dempsey fit this bill. Born in Colorado and raised poor, Dempsey was an old fashioned “self-made man” with a fighting style that was brutal, direct, and efficient. After spending many years dispatching opponent after opponent, Dempsey captured the heavyweight title by pulverizing Jess Willard, who had previously taken the belt from Johnson.

But it was his bouts against Irish-American Gene Tunney which would become legendary. Dempsey first fought Tunney in 1926, before a crowd of 120,000 spectators. The fight was promoted as a battle between two different kinds of manliness: Tunney was the intellectual, clean-living, Marine of “self-improving and self-controlling masculinity,” while Dempsey was a rough and tumble symbol of “untameable virility and independence.” Tunney won the bout, and a rematch was set up a year later in Chicago. The fight simultaneously broke a record for the first $1 million gate and the first $2 million gate in entertainment history. The fight was not only watched by over 145,000 spectators at Soldier Field, but new radios allowed millions of Americans to tune in and listen as Tunney once again triumphed over Dempsey (although not without some controversy over the “Long Count“).

The Brown Bomber and Radio

Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, 1938

“Some time ago one of the southern states adopted a new method of capital punishment. Poison gas supplanted the gallows. In its earliest stages, a microphone was placed inside the sealed death chamber so that scientific observers might hear the words of the dying prisoner….The first victim was a young Negro. As the pellet dropped into the container, and gas curled upward, through the microphone came these words: “Save me, Joe Louis, Save me, Joe Louis, Save me Joe Louis…”

After Tunney retired in 1928, boxing enthusiasts felt that another of the sport’s golden periods had come to a close. The heavyweight champion title passed through many hands in the ensuing decade. A.J. Leibling, the masterful sportswriter and boxing enthusiast, called these years boxing’s “Dark Ages.” This brief dark “age” was ended in 1937 by boxing’s next big celebrity: Joe Louis. Louis snatched the title from Depression-era hero, James J. Braddock, the “Cinderella Man.” Louis then held the title for 12 years.

The proliferation of radio was a huge boost to boxing and garnered the Brown Bomber fans the all over the country. People would gather around the radio in stores, homes, and churches to listen to his fights. As Miles Davis recalls, “We’d all be crowded around the radio, waiting to hear the announcer describe Joe knocking some mother****r out. And when he did, the whole goddamn black community of East St. Louis would go crazy.”

The Brown Bomber’s bouts are arguably the best examples of the way in which boxing can transcend the confines of mere sport to take on greater cultural meanings. Louis fought Primo Carnera in 1937, shortly after he had been photographed giving a fascist salute. Then, in 1938, he took on Max Schmeling, who had previously defeated him. Schmeling was a German fighter, touted by Goebbels and Hitler as a prime example of Aryan supremacy. The fight thus took on nationalistic overtones. FDR invited Louis to the White House before the fight, and feeling his biceps, said, “Joe, we’re depending on those muscles for America.” Joe’s muscles knocked out “Hitler’s pet” (as dubbed by Richard Wright) in little over 2 minutes. For whites, the victory symbolized the supremacy of American democracy over authoritarian fascism. For blacks, Louis was, like Jack Johnson before him, a hero of the race. A decade before Jackie Robinson integrated baseball, Louis was breaking both noses and racial barriers. After the Schmeling victory, 500,000 African-Americans took to the streets of Harlem, dancing, celebrating, and shouting “Heil Louis!”

Boxing in the Age of Television

Unlike sports like baseball with its giant playing field, large cast of characters, and tiny ball, television was an ideal medium to broadcast boxing. The action was easy to follow and the two dueling opponents fit nicely into one’s screen. Thus, during the late 40’s and 1950’s, boxing dominated this nascent medium, flickering on television screens almost every night of the week. While television brought the sweet science to a much wider audience (fight nights attracted 31% of the primetime audience), purists lamented its perceived drag on the sport. For them, the beauty and power of pugilism could not be felt through a tiny screen. One had to be there ringside, smelling the sweat of the combatants, and feeling the electricity of the crowds. After all, quipped A.J. Liebling, watching at home prevented you from “telling the fighters what to do.” More than that, Liebling lamented the way in which televised boxing was hurting the vibrancy of the live variety. With free boxing being televised every night of the week, attendance at live fights dropped significantly. This “knocked out of business the hundreds of small-city and neighborhood boxing clubs where youngsters has a chance to learn their trade and journeymen to mature their skills.” Television’s’ frequent broadcasts required a constant stream of fresh boxers, dipping into a pool of pugilists who were not yet experienced enough to go toe to toe with a bruiser for 12 rounds. As a result, several boxers expired as the cameras rolled.

When Boxers Were Kings

Muhammad Ali stands over a fallen Sonny Liston, 1965

“Boxing is for men, and is about men, and is men. A celebration of the lost religion of masculinity all the more trenchant for its being lost.” -Carol Joyce Oates

Sugar Ray Robinson, arguably the best pound for pound boxer in history, was the next fighter to captivate boxing fans until his last title win in 1955. Though Robinson was prolific, he never quite became a cultural institution the way Dempsey or Louis had. And after his career declined, boxing once again hit a stagnant period. These doldrums were broken by the “Poet and Pedagogue,” Cassisus Clay. Whether you loved him or loathed him, Clay was handsome, charismatic, and exciting to watch in the ring. His penchant for bravado, prophesy, and poetry charmed many a fan back into the boxing fold. Clay’s transformation into Muhammad Ali, his affiliation with the Nation of Islam, and his refusal to serve in Vietnam made him a hero of liberal blacks and whites alike. Conservative boxing fans meanwhile gravitated to Ali’s rival, Joe Frazier.

The meeting of these bitter rivals in 1971 was dubbed the “Fight of the Century,” and it lived up to its billing, with Frazier knocking down Ali with a fierce hook in the final round. These two pugilists were brilliant fighters, but they weren’t alone in trading the title back and forth. George Foreman was a third character in the era’s holy trinity of boxing greatness. With such competition, no fighter could hold the title for long. Thus in 1973, in one of boxing’s greatest upsets, Foreman downed Frazier with an uppercut that knocked him off his feet during the Sunshine Showdown.

Foreman would pick up two more knockouts on his way to his next title defense fight with Muhammad Ali, bringing his total KO’s to 37. And the odds for 1974’s Rumble in the Jungle were heavily in this prodigious puncher’s corner. The historic bout, staged in Zaire in 1974, would turn out to be another monumental upset. Ali exhausted Foreman by giving him the “rope of dope” treatment. Then, in the eighth round, he dropped Foreman to the canvas.

The legendary bouts of the 70’s were not quite over yet. Frazier and Ali squared off in 1975 for their third meeting, the Thrilla in Manila. In 100 degree heat, these rivals duked it out. Ali had been mercilessly taunting Frazier for some time, and the acrimony between the men was manifest as they ground through 14 rounds. Frazier’s trainer would not allow his fighter to come out for the 15^th round, and his corner threw up the sponge.

While Ali’s career was not quite finished, the Thrilla in the Manila was certainly the high point of this legendary time of pugilism. Boxing would see a resurgence in the coming of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson, but the bout marked the end of what many consider the greatest and final golden age of boxing.

Boxing Today

I wonder if the American audience in this current day and age wants to deal with something as raw as the sweet science. Like jazz music, what seems straightforward, easily understood, and mastered is, well, not. -Bob Margolis, amateur boxer and jazz musician

Boxing is nowhere as popular as it once was during the time of Ali, or even Tyson. Its place in popular culture has been weakened by several factors. First, for most of boxing’s history, it did not have to compete against many other sports; even in the 1920’s the baseball and football seasons were shorter and there was no NASCAR or NBA. Today, boxing must attempt to carve out a niche alongside these other sports, not to mention compete against the burgeoning popularity of MMA and the UFC. And unlike many sports, boxers do not compete in long seasons, fighting only several times a year. The sweet science has been further weakened by boxing’s mutliple governing boards and “Alphabet titles.” These numerous divisions make it hard to call one fighter the absolute champ, and there hasn’t been a truly break-out star since Mike Tyson.

What has perhaps weakened boxing the most, however, and it is a thing that has always been it’s achilles heel, is a flagging public appreciation for the complexity and poetry of the sport. While often simplistically painted as a straightforward and barbaric pursuit, nothing could be farther from the truth. It may contain  vestiges of our primitive impulses, but it has also been called a “science” for good reason. While many see today’s fighters as not the brightest bulbs, history shows that its allure has attracted men from all classes, from lower-class ruffians to aristocrats and artists (the list of authors who have been drawn to writing about boxing but  who also boxed themselves is legion: Hemingway, London, Eliot, and Doyle to name a few). Those who really take the time to understand boxing, know it to be a brutal art. It is a chess game, full of finesse and strategy. And so we plan on doing more articles in the future to further your understanding of the sweet science, in hopes of doing our part to usher in yet another golden age of pugilism.

Sources:

Boxing: A Cultural History, by Kasia Boddy

On Boxing, by Joyce Carol Oates

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This is a guest post from strength coach and strongman, Jedd Johnson of the Diesel Crew.

If you’re like me, you’ve watched every one of the Rocky movies about a hundred times. Well, maybe not Rocky 5. They fell off on that one, but the rest are totally awesome.

In every Rocky movie you are guaranteed a few clips where he murders a speed bag, hitting the thing so hard and fast that it looks like the bag might fly off the mounting. One of those scenes are included in the clip below. I modified it so it goes right to the coolest part – the speed bag part.

So cool! I always wanted to do this as a kid but never had a chance because I had no speed bag. I finally ran across one at a nearby gym when I was like 25.

When I first tried hitting the speed bag I STRUGGLED! I had no idea what I was doing and had no instruction whatsoever. I finally began putting some things together after watching another guy in the gym hit the speed bag. After plenty of trouble shooting I was able to figure it out.

I believe that by laying a solid foundation of basic punches and throwing in tiny variations over time, anyone can learn to the hit the speed bag just like Rocky Balboa.

Proper Set-up & Technique

In order to hit the speed bag like Rocky Balboa, it’s important that you start off with the right mechanics and technique. Hitting the speed bag is tough enough already – using poor technique will make it even harder.

The speed bag should be at a height where you can look directly at the midpoint of the bag. If it is too low, you will have a hard time getting underneath the board, or drum. If it is too high, it will be tough to reach the bag.

Always make sure to keep your elbows up when you hit. This is the foundation of your hitting technique and enables you to most efficiently strike the bag. If your elbows are down, you will have to move your arms farther to hit the bag, throwing your timing off.

When you hit the bag, you should face it straight on. You should hit the bag directly in the center of the belly of the bag so that it flies true off your fist, and straight off the board back at you.

The Machine Gun

The first technique to try is what I call the Machine Gun, because you will make many repeated punches in quick succession on the bag. Depending on your platform, the rebounds can also be rather loud.

In order to perform the Machine Gun, get the arms up into the proper position and push the back side of your fist into the bag until it almost touches the drum. Position your other hand a few inches behind the first hand.

Next, gently tap the bag with the lead hand. The lead hand will pass through and then downward and backward. Also, immediately replace the lead hand with the other hand, striking the bag again. Essentially, what you are doing is moving your fists in a continuous circle – they will be “rolling” over one another. Continue replacing hands after you strike the bag, and you will begin to hear the Machine Gun sound.

You do not have to hit the bag very hard with this technique. Since the bag is not very far away from the drum, it will return back to where it started, and if you time it correctly, the next hand will hit it in the same position. If you strive to hit the same spot on the belly of the bag and in the same position and distance from the drum, with the correct speed, you will be able to perform this punch with no problem.

The sole purpose of the Machine Gun technique is to put together a long string of repeated strikes. This will give you confidence because you will see and hear yourself beginning to make progress, and it will also train you to keep your elbows up, developing endurance in the shoulders and arms.

Before we move on, I want to highlight one last thing – the number of rebounds the bag makes on the drum with the Machine Gun technique. This punch has a rhythm of one. In other words, after striking the bag with the fist, the bag hits the drum for one rebound before striking it again with another fist. This is important to understand before we move on to the next strike which has a triplet rhythm.

Hitting Like Rocky

In the movies, when Rocky hits the bag, he lays into it so fast it is difficult to see what the bag is doing. The technique Rocky uses has a triplet rhythm, or rather, three rebounds between fist strikes. Rocky hits the bag, it rebounds three times, and then he hits the bag again. Below is a series of stills from one of my clips to illustrate this concept.

Fist hits the bag

Bag hits the back of the board as fist follows through

Bag hits the front of the board as fist heads toward starting position

Bag hits the back of the board as fist returns to starting position, ready to strike again.

Fist hits the bag

Notice in the sequence that my hand moves in a concise path. I hit straight through the bag and then move my fist through an efficient route back to the starting position, ready to strike again. It is important to learn this striking pattern to keep the bag moving correctly. Do not get in the habit of hitting downward on the bag and making jerky movements, as these flaws will make it even tougher to hit the bag and will cause undue frustration.

You do not have to smash the bag in order make the three rebounds. If the bag is pumped up correctly, a solid tap will do the trick. Remember to hit the bag square – if you hit it off center, it will make the bag fly errantly, making it tougher to hit.

Work one hand at a time with the Rocky technique. Start out with your dominant hand, and then move on to your weaker hand. You will soon be able to hear the rebounds and you will form a connection between your mind, eyes, hands, and ears, helping you hit better.

As you can see, hitting the speed bag is based on a few very simple techniques.
The two steps I’ve shown you here are how I started out hitting the speed bag and I am confident you can learn to hit it just as well as I can by starting out slow and moving on to other more challenging techniques slowly over time. Before you know it, you will be dominating the speed bag, and moving on to roughing up some meat carcasses.

Now, in case you need a little review on these techniques, here’s a quick clip going over everything for you.

All the best in your training,

Jedd Johnson, CSCS, Captain of Crush #3

Jedd Johnson is a strength coach located in Northeast PA. He has excelled at Basketball, Baseball, Strongman and Grip and has produced many strength related products. For more information, visit Jedd’s strength training website or grab the RSS feed.

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You are a busy man.

You’re swamped at work, you’re swamped at home with the kids and you never have time for yourself, let alone getting to the gym. Those 1 hr – 1 ½ hr workouts that you used to do are a distant memory.

The time of foo foo workouts and long training sessions is OVER.

It is time to get back to real world, hard-core man training that is effective and can be done on a busy schedule.

Enter the kettlebell.

Sig Klein killing at 57 years old!

Kettlebells were used to develop strength, flexibility and endurance by physical culturalists, strongmen, wrestlers and weightlifters like Klein, Krylov, Poddubny and Alexeyev respectively.  These guys were not only leaders in their respective disciplines, but they were strong as hell!  I have always been fascinated by the strongmen of old and how they developed their super strength.

So, what is a kettlebell and why is it so effective?  Imagine a cannonball with a handle.

Benefits of Kettlebell Training

“I have always found the kettlebell to be one of the most useful and fascinating pieces of weight training apparatus. It can be handled in so many diverse manners that its application in the field of body-building exercises is almost without limit. You will have to hunt for a long time to find a more versatile piece of training equipment.” – Sig Klein

Kettlebells are unique in that no other implement can be used for such a vast array of exercises. Kettlebells will help you develop:

• A solid strength foundation

• Greater flexibility (and strength through that increased range of motion)

• Accelerated recovery

• Increased grip strength

• Balanced musculature, which will eliminate weaknesses

• Increased power and explosiveness

• CRAZY conditioning

• Jacked muscle mass

Because kettlebells are so versatile and portable, you can take them with you to the gym or anywhere that has a small open spot.

That is why kettlebells are such a great training device.  You can keep them in the trunk of your car and you can get a workout wherever you’re at; in a park, in the parking lot or in your yard.

Imagine taking a set of kettlebells into your gym, farmers walking them past reception and doing a killer workout while everyone else is struggling away on the elliptical.

So what exercises are we going to do and how do you structure your kettlebell workout?

The Kettlebell Workout

We are going to link several kettlebell exercises together with little to no rest, so that we can get the benefits of a high intensity workout in little time.

We are going to build muscle, lose fat AND get some great conditioning all at the same time.

We will structure our workout as a strength building circuit:

Workout Structure

1. Lower Body Exercise

2. Upper Body Exercise

3. Full Body Exercise

4. Bodyweight Exercise

5.  Core Exercise

We will move between each exercise with little to no rest – maximum 30 seconds.  This will keep the intensity high, shorten the workout and build muscle fast!

As you get stronger and better conditioned, you can complete the routine more than once, up to three times if you want.

Sample Workout

1.  Kettlebell Pullthroughs, 15 reps, 30 seconds rest

2. Beyond the Range Push-ups, 20 reps, 30 seconds rest

3.  Kettlebell Clean & Press, 12 reps each arm, 30 seconds rest

4. Lunge and Reach, 15 reps, 30 seconds rest

5. Russian Kettlebell Twists, 15 reps

6. DONE

You can repeat the workout if you still have some “gas” in the tank or some extra time.

Kettlebell Exercises

Kettlebell Pullthroughs (lower body)

How to Perform: Position your feet in a slightly wider than shoulder width stance.  Grab the two kettlebells and get them moving in a pendulum motion.  As the kettlebells move back between the legs, you have to bend the knees and absorb the momentum before reversing the movement with a powerful hip extension.

Benefits: Strengthen posterior chain and build explosiveness in the legs.

Beyond the Range Push-ups (upper body)

How to Perform: Perform a normal push-up while holding on top of the kettlebells.  Really squeeze the handles to make sure the kb’s stay in place.  Squeeze the glutes and remain rigid in a straight line position while you lower (eccentric) and drive (concentric) throughout the movement.

Benefits: Strengthening the shoulders, chest and triceps in a full range of motion (ROM)

Kettlebell Clean & Press (full body)

How to Perform: Perform a one arm kettlebell swing to get the kettlebell into a racked position. Once in place, drive the kb overhead and lock it out.  Return the weight to the racked position and back down into the swing.  Repeat.

Benefits: Strengthening the entire body including the legs, core, shoulders and back.

Lunge and Reach (bodyweight exercise)

How to Perform: Lunge forward while keeping an upright torso.  The reach should be done toward the side where the lead leg is forward.  Drive back to a standing position and repeat.

Benefits: Activating the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes while stabilizing the core and knee.  The reach of the movement stretches the same side IT band, lats and shoulders.

Russian Kettlebell Twists (core exercise)

How to Perform: Sit upright with your knees bent and legs together.  Grab the kettlebell and rotate it back and forth touching the ground on your left and right sides.

Benefits: Strengthening the core, shoulders, biceps and upper back.

There’s nothing more manly than throwing around chunks of iron.  So get some kettlebells and get to work, anywhere and at anytime.  Change up the routine and throw in some more bodyweight exercises for variety or if you need to build up to use kettlebells.

Written by: Jim Smith, CSCS

Jim Smith, CSCS is a highly sought after lecturer, author, consultant and renowned strength coach. Jim is an expert for Men’s Fitness and a member of the Elite Fitness Q/A staff. Jim’s new product on how to build muscle, lose fat – all with only 3 short workouts a week will be out soon.  Grab their RSS feed.  Check it out!

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Editor’s Note: In response to my call for suggestions for manly crafts (and in response to a couple of reader emails-by crafts I wasn’t referring to stuff like carpentry and blacksmithing, which are of course quite manly-but to specific DIY projects that men could take on), Tom Pehrson wrote me a great article about building your own fitness equipment. Tom lives in Alaska, reads AoM, and works out with fitness equipment he built himself. Now there’s a man.

There’s nothing manlier that working out in your garage. In fact, many men have relinquished their useless globo gym’s memberships and used that money to buy equipment for their own personal garage gyms. This saves time, and instead of paying some jerk’s expensive car payment, you keep the equipment.

Get a good weight set, a bench, and hopefully a squat rack, and you’re halfway there. There are several other components to the home gym that make it even more functional and can help you take your fitness to the next level. Below are 8 pieces of equipment that will increase your manly strength and save you money in the long term.

Plyometric boxes

Nothing builds explosive strength like jumping on a plyo box.  However, plyo boxes from most fitness distributors are extremely expensive. The good folks over at Crossfit (THE anti globo-gym entity) have published  plans on how to make your own boxes. I’ve made two: one 18″ high and one for my son at 14″ high. You can add this as a finishing exercise into any circuit for a truly taxing lung and muscle burner.

• Download the Crossfit Plyometric box plans

Sandbags

Sandbags are an extremely versatile piece of equipment. You can do cleans, carries, snatches and strongman type loading with them. The best part is they cost next to nothing to make. All you need are an old duffel bag (preferably an army/navy rucksack), contractor’s bags, and some pea gravel. Double-bag the pea gravel in the contractor’s bags, and tape them up securely. Each smaller bag can be at the weight you think is prudent for loading.

I have one large Navy sea bag and I made 5 different 25 pound small sandbags that fit into the large Navy bag so I can alter the weight as I see fit.

Another great exercise is to take your sandbag and some additional 45 pound plates and load up your trusty wheelbarrow. Quickly walk 100′, make a quick turn and head back to the starting point. Who needs shrugs when you got this exercise?

Lifting Platform

If you’re a fan of the Olympic lifts (and who isn’t) you need a lifting platform. This is a handyman’s project and a little too complex to detail here. I got my plans from Ironmind Enterprises. You can see them here.

Pulling sled/tires

Pulling a sled is one of the best exercises for increasing work capacity and general physical preparedness. This piece of equipment will make good use of your welding skills.  It requires a length of 1.25 square steel tubing (approx. 13″ long), an 18″x 24″ piece of  steel, and a towing strap.

First, take the 18″x24″ piece of 1/4″ thick sheet metal and bend a 2″ lip bent to 45 degrees at one end. Next, drill a hole through the lip for the tow rope. Then, take the tubing and cut (3) .25″ pieces off. These will be the spacers that the weight plates will sit on. Weld the piece of 12.25″ long tubing into the center of the flat steel surface. Finish the piece by welding the spacers equidistant from the pole in a circle so that your weight will sit on them in a stable manner.

• Download the parts list for the sled
• Download the instructions for the sled

**This is a very manly sled, but if you don’ have a welder (or the skills) you can use the tow rope on a large tire and pull that around.

Kegs

Kegs are another implement that we’ll use when doing strongman type exercises. You can clean and press, distance carry, or do loading exercises with them. (Side note: loading exercises require the athlete to take a heavy object and place them on a surface that is head height or higher. The atlas stone is probably the most popular of these types of events.).

Dave Lemanczyk has a fantastic site for all things kegs. Kegs are easy to make, but they have to be empty first. Basically, you remove the inner device and replace with liquid or sand to personal preference. Once you have it filled to your liking, you clamp a rubber clamp over the opening.

Giant Tractor Tires

Although you don’t construct anything, just having one of these around the house gives off an aura of manliness. Also, they’re usually F-R-E-E, but you’ll have to use your moving skills to transport it home. I got my tires from Les Schwab, but check any tire yard or heavy equipment shop and they’ll likely be more than happy to give you one. Both Even-esh and Elliot Hulse have their athletes flip tires on a regular basis.

The prime exercise is flipping these beasts, but you can also attach your tow rope to the lip and use it for pulling as well. Additional exercises include the farmer’s carry (stand inside the tire, lift, and walk a predetermined distance) and glute-ham sit-ups (sitting on the tire with your feet inside the hole, hook your toes inside the lip and lean back to parallel and up again).

Slosh Pipe

Don’t let the easy design of this piece of equipment fool you. Work out with one of these and you’ll feel the abdominal equivalent of 100 crunches and 50 military presses. Take a 5 -7′ length of 2′ pvc pipe, fill it up to 2/3 with water, and cap the ends. You can do cleans & presses, overhead carries, drags or deadlifts with these for a very intense, short workout.

You can’t lift what you can’t grip

The guys over at Diesel Crew have fashioned a number of homemade grip tools. I’ve made the thick grip wrist roller and my next project is the rotating pull- up bar. Luckily, Joe Hashey put together the definitive Diesel Crew Grip Strength document.

• Download the Diesel Crew Grip Strength document.

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This is a guest post from Vic Magary of Gym Junkies.com. Vic is a personal trainer, karate/taekwando blackbelt, and a U.S. Army veteran.

Walk into any commercial gym today and you’ll see the same thing over and over… overweight guy walks on the treadmill for 5 minutes, then hits the fly machine for a few sets, then he grabs the curl bar, stares into the mirror, and cranks out 3 sets of bicep curls. When he’s done with that, he grabs a squishy mat and does crunches for 10 minutes (all while checking out the cute chick on the elliptical). If this sounds like you, you’re in for a rude awakening…

Let’s think about this logically for a second. Hundreds of years ago we got exercise from sprinting through the woods and tracking down big game with a spear; now we’re sitting on a $5,000 chromed out machine doing flys and calling it a workout? It’s time to ditch the BS and focus on compound muscle exercises that will jack your testosterone, help you look great, and make you feel like a real man.

Here are the 7 best exercises that will make you look and feel like a man:

Deadlifts

What’s more manly than grabbing a bar with as much weight on it as you can possibly lift and ripping it off of the ground? The deadlift requires true max effort, demanding all of your focus and strength. Not only that, but the deadlift is the surest path to a powerful and strong appearance. This results from its emphasis on the glutes, legs, and back while being the best overall body developer in your fitness arsenal. Learn how to deadlift!

Squat

As men, we sometimes feel as if the weight of the world is on our shoulders. Well, get used to bearing some weight by stepping under the squat bar! The squat will give you legs that are pillars of strength and a torso that is rock solid. So make like Atlas and squat big! If you avoid squats because you’re an “upperbody only” type guy, then it’s time to reevaluate your workout and make a serious change. Squatting heavy and deep will make you look and feel like a warrior.

Push Press/Shoulder Press

If pulling as much weight as possible off of the ground with the deadlift is the exercise that makes you feel most manly, then pushing as much weight as you can overhead is a close second. The bench press is given far too much credit. I struggle to think of a scenario in life where we are we caught with our back braced to the floor and a heavy weight extended towards the ceiling. However, the functionality of pushing weight overhead from a standing position is undeniable. Need to put that heavy box in your attic? Or help lift your buddy over a high fence when it’s time to escape and evade? The push press will help you move heavy objects to high places and give you the round, broad shoulders that make women swoon.

Sled Drag

With a rope, chain, or nylon strap, hook yourself up to a shoulder harness or belt connected to a heavy object like a tire or weighted sled. Now lean forward, start stepping, and pull! Not only will your legs be pushed to the maximum, your heart and lungs will crank at top speed. Enjoy the heart pounding sensation and know that you are training like a real man.

Sledge Hammer Drills

Manual labor is well, manly. And in modern society’s sea of white collars and cubicles, it pays to create some physical work when your paycheck doesn’t require it. Repeatedly slam the sledge hammer with all of your might into an old tire or some soft earth. Your back, shoulders, midsection, and forearms will benefit and sledge hammer drills are great for stress relief.

Sandbag Clean

Another throw back to manual labor, the sandbag clean is a great exercise for overall physical development a well as grip strength. If your sandbag has handles, don’t use them. Just grip the bag by the cloth and work on developing some man-hands. Strong grip = Strong man.

Weighted Pull-Ups

I’d love it if the common gym question of “How much can you bench?” was replaced by “How many pull-ups can you do?” The problem is that most guys cheat the pull-up by failing to fully extend their arms at the bottom or get their chin above the bar at the top. If you can knock out 10 honest pull ups, try adding some weight. You can use a weight belt and hang some plates from it, pinch a dumbbell between your ankles, wear a weighted vest or back back, or put your wife or girlfriend on your back if you’re (and they’re) up to it. Adding weight to the pull-up will help add width to the back and give you the tapered V-shaped look.

Conclusion

If you are currently working out and not seeing the results you want, I highly suggest you focus on these compound movements and a healthy diet. Results don’t come from miracle supplements or infomercial ab machines…. They come from busting your ass, eating right, and staying consistent. If you need help putting a plan together, we have free workouts on our site such as our How to build muscle workout, and also our How to lose fat workout. And if your eating habits could use some improvement, you’ll probably like our caveman style weight loss diet.

If you liked this article you can get more tips from my blog right here… Vic’s fitness blog (or subscribe to our RSS feed)

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