New Article: Death By Prowler

[Mark Rippetoe]

http://startingstrength.com/index.ph...ath_by_prowler

by our buddy and Starting Strength Seminars staffer Matt Reynolds. Wait until after you read it to puke, please.

[Jonathon Sullivan]

Great article, Matt, thanks. The exercise physiology alone was worth the candle. The workouts sound...challenging. I have got to get me one of these. Although it sounds like the next-generation Prowler should probably come with a built-in barf bag dispenser, to help keep America's parking lots beautiful.

[Mac Ward]

Matt,

Thanks for the article and the training tips. Gillian and I were first introduced to the prowler at Rip's gym in Wichita Falls last month, and were quickly converted. As a result, I purchased a prowler and gave it to my wife for her birthday about 10 days ago.

We are planning to use it today, so the timing of your article was perfect. I will pick up a heart rate monitor today and give your method a try. Years ago I was a competitive runner and trained using a heart rate monitor with great success. It never occurred to me to use it with the prowler - thanks again for the tip. Training in any movement is always better with a measurement for success. We have used the prowler once before today and I was struggling to determine the "best" way to train and measure progress. The heart rate method seems far better than pushing it until we're "done".

Mac

[Brian Harlin]

Ironically I just had a conversation with a Starting Strength coach about 'puking'.

Is there a reason that people should be pushing themselves until they vomit? Is that a benchmark for sufficiently taxing yourself, one that you should pursue on a normal basis? I have done intervals until I threw up, and after that generally felt like absolute crap for a couple of hours. I don't know if I grew more cardiovascularly, or that my energy systems benefited more on those few times that I did this.
One thing I like about strength training is that afterwards I generally feel pretty good. I have used puking as bragging rights before, a sort of badge of honor. But looking back on it, it seems kind of silly (to brag about it anyway). I am not asking to be a jerk. I really am curious if doing an activity until you vomit provides some additional benefit or if this is more of a bragging rights thing, a metcon version of "I just squated 425"?

[MLJD]

I'm completely sold on this thing. I've been using one for six months and I've stopped doing any other conditioning. I used to run 5Ks, but I've stopped running entirely because I lowered my 5K PR by over a minute just by pushing the Prowler. I also lowered my 1/4 mile time by 11 seconds without doing any running. It is the holy grail of conditioning - brutally effective, but absolutely no recovery problems and it doesn't interfere with strength gains. I'm 40, and I've never felt a bit of soreness after a Prowler workout.

[halbritt]

The explanation of overlapping energy systems is one of the best and most succinct that I've read.

[Mark Edward]

Thanks a lot, now I want to buy a damn Prowler even more with money I don't have.

We don’t do kipping pull-ups, kettlebell swings, burpees, thrusters, softball throws, or anything of that nature for anaerobic conditioning, because it’s gay.

Kettlebells are much too useful and old-timey to deserve to be lumped in with the rest of that gay shit. Has Crossfit really tainted people's perceptions of them so badly? If so, it's Crossfit's worst crime of all.

[Matt Reynolds]

Thanks for the kind words all! The enrgy systems section took a ton of work, both by myself, and stef (after chewing my ass for explaning it poorly the first time :-), back to me again, and back to her again - about 3 seperate times until we felt we got it right.

I would be remissed if I didn't thank her or give her a significant portion of the credit for that section. I learned a ton in working on those sections for the article.

Matt

[WayneRooney]

Burpees are gay? WTF! Burpees are one of the best conditioning exercises.

[halbritt]

We are planning to use it today, so the timing of your article was perfect. I will pick up a heart rate monitor today and give your method a try. Years ago I was a competitive runner and trained using a heart rate monitor with great success. It never occurred to me to use it with the prowler - thanks again for the tip. Training in any movement is always better with a measurement for success. We have used the prowler once before today and I was struggling to determine the "best" way to train and measure progress. The heart rate method seems far better than pushing it until we're "done".

While an HRM is handy to gauge intensity, it does become less useful for short duration anaerobic efforts given that the cardiovascular system takes about 30 seconds to respond to the workload. I would advise using it to calibrate RPE (rated perceived exertion) or pace.

For example, moving X weight for Y feet for Z period of time yields a certain peak HR. Adjust the variables X,Y, and Z to achieve the desired intensity. HR varies with hydration and over-training status. Simply relying on HR generally causes one to overshoot desired intensity.