How to Hang Gymnastic Rings

A while back I went through a bodyweight training phase and during that time I decided to buy a pair of gymnastic rings. I initially hung the rings from a doorway-mounted pull up bar but wasn’t satisfied with that setup because it didn’t offer enough height. I decided to mount the rings from my ceiling instead, using some wood and hardware from Home Depot.

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Vulcan Black Bumper Plates Review

As any long term Fitness Test Lab reader knows, I train regularly with kettlebells and I like them a lot. However, for reasons I’ve covered separately I’ve decided to add barbell training to the mix to keep things interesting.  My home gym has been upgraded with the addition of a set of Vulcan Strength black bumper plates, a Vulcan Strength Absolute Powerlifting bar, and a pair of squat stands. What follows is a review of the Vulcan black bumper plates. Read More…

Level Up Your Strength by Combining Kettlebells and Barbells

There’s a lot of information available online these days on the topic of strength training. The sheer amount of information can be overwhelming, especially for someone new to the topic. It really doesn’t need to be complicated. Learn to push and learn to pull. Move often. Eat right. Everything else will fall into place.

Okay, so it isn’t quite  that simple. But almost. A strength training routine doesn’t need to be fancy, especially if you’re not focusing on bodybuilding or muscle hypertrophy. I don’t focus on either of those. I just want to stay mobile, age gracefully, and leave a good looking corpse.

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Vulcan Absolute Powerlifting Bar Review

An unboxing and review of the Vulcan Absolute Powerlifting bar from Vulcan Strength Training Systems.

Confessions of a fitness junkie

 I admit it

I’m a junkie. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right?

Well, I have a problem. I have a burning desire to improve my life but limited time and resources available to pursue improvements. I’m willing to work hard but I get bored easily. These factors have contributed to me trying and ultimately discarding multiple diets, exercise programs, equipment, and protocols to help me lose weight, get stronger, have more energy, less pain, etc.

I’ve spent a lot of time, money, and energy looking for a magical fitness fix. Sadly, it doesn’t exist.
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