If you’ve ever met someone who regularly use the “poor me” excuse, I suggest that you share the story of Dana Shealy.  She is a cancer survivor who had her foot severed in an automobile accident.  Her leg was later amputated.

Neither the accident nor the cancer has held her back.  Below she can be seen squatting 365 pounds and deadlifting 315.

Not too shabby for a woman who has overcome cancer and had to adjust to life with one leg.

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Last week I came across a camel jumping video that had been posted to the forum.  I later posted a similar video to Facebook.  It didn’t take long for the humorous comments to follow.  I even found it a bit amusing.  Something about jumping over a row of camels struck me as funny.

Fortunately, I’m not here to suggest that we all construct life size paper-mâché camels to increase our vertical.  I do however believe that there are valuable lessons that can be taken from these Yemen jumpers.

First, take a look at a few demonstrations.

There is no questioning the impressiveness of these jumpers.  With or without the raised jumping surface,  these guys have some serious hops.  Yet oddly enough (or not), I don’t see any of the latest Nike air shoes.   All that I see are bare feet flying through the air.  I’m also willing to bet that GNC doesn’t have a supplement store in this Yemen village.  I’m guessing there aren’t any post-workout shakes being consumed after a camel jumping session.

What about state of the art training facilities?  I doubt it.  Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Arab world.

Call it a hunch, but I’m also willing to bet that these jumpers are not “certified” in camel jumping.  Imagine that it’s possible to fly through the air without a camel jumping certification…  Amazing!

What about breakthrough periodization models?  Nope…

Simplicity and Specificity

So here we have several impressive jumpers without any of the so-called requirements that are commonly plugged in the industry.  No fancy equipment, no fancy supplements, and no certified trainers to hold their hands.  In many ways, these Yemen jumpers are a welcome slap in the face towards much of the industry.

If you want to run faster, you need to run.  If you want to jump higher, you need to jump.  If you want to punch harder, you need to punch.  Working hard with the basics will often warrant the best results.   And no, I’m not suggesting that supplemental work cannot be useful, but I am suggesting that many overemphasize it, which in turn leads to less time actually practicing the required sport. If you want to jump a row of camels, you’d better spend some time jumping.

Take what you want from this message, which hopefully means working hard towards the specific (unique) needs of your chosen event.

Those familiar with this site are likely aware of the homemade equipment section located within the forum.  A direct link is provided below.

Homemade Equipment Archive

There have been over 100,000 views to the equipment link.   I’m sure that I speak for many when I say that I’ve found and then built some useful equipment through this link.   Much of my own gear is homemade.

Just recently I posted a link to a homemade dip belt.  I was fortunate to have come across this idea while browsing through my own forum.   I later updated the equipment archive to include the dip belt.

I’ve also stumbled across several other ideas within the forum.  Two examples are provided below.

First is a homemade push sled.

Please note that the second image was taken before the handles had been cut to length.  The original thread is listed below:

Homemade Push Sled

Next, a homemade strength apparatus can be seen.  The creator mentions using this tool for exercises such as unstable pull-ups, dips, rows, flyes, and more.

The original thread can be found at the link below:

Homemade Strength Apparatus

Where am I going with this?

It’s obvious that we have some creative readers within the forum.   Together, I’m certain that we can expand the homemade equipment archive. If you have any homemade equipment ideas, please send them over and I’ll add them to the site.  A picture and a brief description is all that is necessary.

Now that the community is as large as it is, we can all benefit from each other.  Saving money on equipment is something that I’m always looking to do.  I’m sure that I’m not alone with this belief.

You can pass along your ideas to ross AT rosstraining.com, or send me a private message through the forum.

Below is a video that highlights the life of 2009 NFL first round draft pick Michael Oher.   His story is truly incredible.  Less than 10 years ago, he was an illiterate youth who struggled to find food each day.   He’s now a college graduate ready to embark on a professional football career.

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Below is a video that was recently posted to my forum that shows how to construct a homemade dip belt.

Thanks to Bjørn for sharing the idea.

For those who are new to the site, check the homemade equipment sticky below.  There are ideas for just about every imaginable piece of equipment. 

Homemade Equipment

Below is a video of a pushup variation that many will find useful.

Perhaps more impressive however is the fact that the man seen within the video was born in 1941!

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Below is a video of a pre-game locker room speech that I’m sure many will find motivational (thanks to Frank for passing it along).   I wasn’t sure what to think when I first opened it, but I found myself ready to slam something by the time I was done watching.   It’s one of the better pre-game speeches that I’ve seen.  The coach certainly had his time fired up to go out and play some football.

A related link can also be found here with a modified version of the video.

This entry includes a video demonstration of a homemade tornado ball.  This version is different from many homemade models however, as the ball itself is also homemade.  Many homemade tornado balls include just the outer shell (not the actual ball).

Below is a link to a brief PDF that I wrote several years ago (2003) regarding homemade tornado ball options.

http://www.rosstraining.com/customizedmedicineball.pdf

The ball seen below actually has the same basketball net from many years ago (seen within PDF file).

The difference is that I’ve now encased the net in a Gorilla Tape.  I used an entire roll of tape for added protection.  The tape makes this a permanent device.  The ball can no longer be removed.

I opted for a permanent device as I really wanted to protect the outer shell. As you can see, this homemade ball is 27.2 pounds.  This is much heavier than most commercial models.  With the added weight, you really need a strong outer layer to protect the ball.

The ball itself was made using the methods seen within this homemade equipment sticky:

http://www.rosstraining.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=157

I then added tape around the basketball.  This was done initially to overcome the slickness of what had become a worn down homemade medicine ball.  The original basketball had been used for a long time so the outer grip had become somewhat slick.  I first covered the ball in Gorilla Tape and then added a layer of athletic tape as a more grip-friendly surface.  You can see this white athletic tape in the first picture above.

The tornado ball handle is an old pants leg that has been wrapped around a piece of pipe foam insulation.  The pipe foam added to the thickness of the handle.  I then wrapped the entire handle in Gorilla Tape.  A rope could also be used for the handle (and is obviously more convenient).  I just happened to have the old handle from several years ago so made use of it.

Why Bother With Homemade Options?

I had a few other medicine balls available, so decided to convert the old ball into a heavy (permanent) tornado ball.

Most commercial medicine balls are quite expensive.  When you add a rope to the ball, the price jumps even higher. With a quick search on Google, I found a 15 pound ball + rope for over $150. I prefer my homemade 27 pound model for several reasons.  Clearly, my ball cost a fraction of this price.   A 50 pound bag of sand is only a few dollars.  The added weight is also useful when focusing on pure power (although lighter balls can be useful for other exercises).  Perhaps the greatest benefit in my opinion is the non-bounding nature of the homemade ball.  You can smash this ball as hard as humanly possible with minimal rebound at the bottom.  This means swinging without fear of a bounding ball bouncing back into your face.  Bounding medicine balls are not useful for slam/smash drills as it is natural to let up at the bottom to avoid being hit in face.

With a non-bounding homemade version, you can swing as hard as possible.  This tool also comes in handy for those who would like to swing a heavy sledgehammer but do not have anywhere to use it.  The tornado ball can be used on almost any gym floor.  A matted surface is recommended if possible however (to avoid damaging the ball and/or floor).

For more information on sledgehammer training, please refer to these past articles:

Sledge – Part I

Sledge – Part II

Sledge vs. Tornado Ball

If you already have a sledgehammer, you may be wondering if it is worth using a tornado ball.  The two tools certainly appear similar, but each does have a unique feel. The tornado ball can also be used for several other exercises.  Simply type “tornado ball” into the Youtube search engine and you’ll find several rotational exercises that would not be possible with the sledge (Youtube Tornado Ball).

I also bring the tornado ball with me when training at other gyms that do not have tires for our sledgehammers.  The tornado ball becomes a portable sledgehammer that can be used almost anywhere.

In addition, the tornado ball is useful to those who cannot find a sledgehammer that is greater than 16 pounds.  Many hardware stores (ex. Home Depot) only sell up to 16 pound hammers.  If you wanted to go heavier, the tornado ball is one option.

In summary, I find both tools useful.  We make regular use of the sledgehammer and tornado ball.

Video Demo

Here is a video demo of the downward slam.

Below is the first of two video clips that tell the story of O.J. Brigance.  Brigance is a former NFL football player who is now in the fight of his life after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease).

A more recent video can be seen below.  Within the video, it is clear that his health has unfortunately deteriorated.

Brigance has the kind of courage and character that we can all learn from.  The courage that he continues to display is as inspirational as anything I’ve ever seen.  His story should serve as a valuable reminder that we should never take anything for granted.  Life can come and go in a split second, and no one knows when it will be their time.

I realize that there are days when we get lost in the craziness of life.  Everyone is busy and days often fly by.  Occasionally, it’s useful to take a moment to reflect however.  Life can be hectic at times, but stories such as these are reminders that life is something that must be cherished.

You can read more about Brigance and his charity organziation at the link below.

http://www.brigancebrigade.org