Aluminum Striker Boots

Our MMA customers have really been asking for an ultra light weight “Iron Boot”. Well, here it is:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IB2AL

We are calling this our Aluminum Striker Boot. Weighing in at only 1 pound 1 ounce, they are the perfect tool for high repetition kick work as well as those extreme position kick holds that would be simply impossible with a 5 pound Iron Boot.

All of your accessory parts that you may already have for the Iron Boots will work with our NEW Aluminum Boots.

They are being sold as Pairs and with the Ankle Stability Kit.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IBAK1

Live strong,
Roger LaPointe

Hand Evolution

If you want to understand hand strength, then you need to look at the anatomy of the hand. This seems totally obvious to me, but I study strength training. Yet, a revelation happened as I drove to the coffee shop this morning.  

I routinely get questions about how to improve grip strength, as if grip training were as simple as putting different tires on your car. In fact, it is possibly the most complex question to be asked in strength training.

My revelation was thanks to an NPR Radio story on the evolution of our hands. Instead of merely looking at fossils, or other ape-like creatures, the premise of this concept was basically an economic one. These researchers are studying the skills that allowed the most successful humans to succeed, from a Darwinian perspective. The argument being that thousands of years of stone tool making helped the hand, wrist and forearm to evolve into what it is today. Therefore, they are studying the actions of modern “flint knappers”, as they make their stone tools, like knives, axes, and so on. As it turns out, archeological evidence of the complexity of various tools does correspond well with archeological skeletal evidence.

So you ask, “that is very interesting, Roger, but how will this knowledge get me stronger?”

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK90

As usual, the key is asking the right question. For his size, my Grandpa LaPointe has some of the strongest looking hands I have ever seen. He owned a small brick company and has laid tons and tons of bricks in his life. Conversely, Rolling Stone magazine had an outstanding photo of Keith Richards hands, from just a year or so ago. His hands looked like gnarled, old tree roots and incredibly strong, with powerful hand muscles I had never seen before. Neither of those men could do the other's job, merely from a hand strength perspective, let alone the skills required. At the same time, I am sure that few if any professional football players would be capable of the same.

General or specific strength, which one are we after?

Most sports require fairly general hand strength. As someone concentrating on Olympic lifting, or picking heavy weights up off the ground and putting them over my head, I would fall into that category. However, much like Keith, who needs to have fine motor control to bend those strings to the exact shape he wants, a baseball pitcher needs some unique and incredible specific hand strength as well.

Serendipity certainly struck. I was listening to the radio in my truck, which is a somewhat important detail, as my car radio is currently broken and that is what I typically drive around town. My mind is swirling with ideas and concepts. You never know where inspiration will come from. This radio story introduced more questions than it has answered, but I can guarantee that a program of traditional strength training is closer to the mark for hand strength than a fancy chrome weight machine which does not even require the use of the hands. Yes, they are out there.

Check out the link above and it will lead you to some awesome concepts.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Atomic Athletic Warehouse History

Sleds, Ropes & Ladders

Here is some practical lifting advice.

This is no kids game. This Atomic Athletic Bomb Proof Bulletin is about moving heavy weight. Most lifters think that the most important part of climbing a rope, a cargo net, or pulling a weighted sled is the workout you get. Well, if you have not securely attached that item, then you can forget about ever finishing that workout.

Eye splices are my personal favorite for attachment security. Particularly if you have any sort of a beam, you tuck the far end of your rope through the eye and unless there is a catastrophic failure of the implement itself, then you are secure.

Barring a situation where a rope with an eye splice will work, then you need to be looking at a carabiner or a clevis. Thanks to the world of rock climbing, there are hundreds of variations on the carabiner. The one piece of advice I will give on this subject is make sure it is steel and NOT aluminum for use in the fitness world. You can get really cheap small ones, which you have probably seen on the lat machines at commercial gyms. Generally, those are fine for that size stack and standard lat attachments. Once you get outside that realm, you might need something larger and/or stronger. Here is the one we sell:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=C411

A clevis is another story. Generally, a clevis will be a lot safer alternative. They are safer because of the strength and the because instead of a carabiner “gate” there is a bolt that screws in. Unfortunately, sizes and shapes can be very limiting. Which is why I searched for and now carry this odd shaped Anchoring Clevis.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=C999

You can get a basic clevis the hardware store, in a variety of sizes, but they are all the same basic shape. Essentially it has a bolt which closes off a “U” shape piece of round stock steel. These are all generally very strong and secure. The real drawback is that they do take time to screw down. If you are doing something like a harness lift and you are standing in a partial squat while tightening four of these, you will not have your best lift. I use a clevis or locking link on the bottom of the chain and the Equal D Shape Carabiner at the top, because they are so fast to hook in.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

Live strong,
Roger LaPointe

OUCH Groin Pull

Those are three words we never want to utter...

Here is an Atomic Tip for you, straight from the MMA guys. Work your inner and outer thigh muscles. These will help all of your leg strikes, including that Knee Strike that we talked about last week.

Sure, you can do that with those machines that the commercial gyms always seem to put in the women's section with pink pads, or you can use good old fashioned cast iron. While nothing is a 100% defense against a groin pull, the key here is a combination of stretching and strengthening in a balanced fashion.

In true traditional strongman fashion, if you can combine two or three things into one exercise, then do it. Do it intensely and save time and energy for other exercises or skills.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IBC

First: Make sure to do a light warm-up. Just because it is winter and you are training in an unheated garage, doesn't mean you can skip a warm-up that gets the blood flowing and heart pumping.

Second: Light stretching that includes really getting the legs, low back, groin and torso. However, you are not in a yoga class, so don't take a year to do this, because you are going to move right into the weightlifting exercise.

Third: Weightlifting exercises with the Iron Boots. Add these toward the end of your routine, after the heavy lifts, like squats or power cleans. I like to do the Inner Thigh moves first, because the more sets I do, the better the leg split range of motion I get. I don't use any weight, just an empty pair of Iron Boots, the link is above, if you don't know what they are. Basically, you lay on your back, aim your straight up at the ceiling and split. So I would do a 5 x 5 alternating sets with a 3 x 10 of the outer thigh movement that has you laying on your side and raising your straight leg. The inner thigh exercise is really done slowly, almost as if it is a stretch, with the weight helping out. It is certainly NOT explosive.

These are a great exercise to add into your Workout With A Backpack routine as well.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=ROPEBP

Live strong,
Roger LaPointe

PS Mr. America John Grimek did these moves too. So like most useful weightlifting exercises, we can once again say, “There is nothing new under the sun.”

Powerful Knee Strike Tips

Here is some advice from Angelo, from Las Vegas, NV. If you want to improve your knee strikes in full contact fighting, then these 2 tips are the beginning to the ultimate set-up.

Just to start it off, Angelo just bought his 4th set of Iron Boots!

Of course, he uses a variety of bags and pads for striking. However, he has his pure strength training as well, for which the Iron Boots are tops on his list. He has them semi-permanently put together for a variety uses.

Tip #1: Use the Heavy Duty Straps.

The Heavy Duty Straps can be tightened down harder and the cam type buckle is easier to adjust. The extra width of the strap feels better as well. Here is the link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IBS4

Tip #2: Use the Allen Collars instead of a Wrenchless Screw Type Collar.

The Allen Collars hold better and take up less room on the bars. Depending on the brand of plates you are actually using the smaller size can allow you to put a little more weight on the bars, even the Short Bars. The Allen Collars also don't get caught on your clothing the way a wrenchless screw rod will.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=COL04

I hope this helps answer some of your Iron Boot questions. Let Angelo's experiences work for you.

Live strong,
Roger LaPointe

Atomic Athletic Injuries Happen to the Unprepared