YouTube video (April 11, 2015) in which Ben Greenfield introduces an interview with John Wolfe about unconventional fitness gear (maces, clubs, kettlebells/steel bells, battle ropes). Ben summarizes key takeaways: steel/"stick" bells use wetsuit rubber and can improve grip and be used in pool workouts; the mace has historical military training roots and may boost hormones via weapon-like training; battle ropes work well as a workout finisher (Tabata/intervals). The episode is presented as practical guidance for people wanting to expand beyond barbells and conventional weights, emphasizing both physical and cognitive (skill/brain) benefits.
Chapters
Foreign.
Hey, what's up, you guys? It's Ben Greenfield, and today I just finished interviewing John Wolfe, and John is basically the ultimate ninja when it comes to using unconventional fitness gear. We're talking things like maces, clubs, kettlebells, steel bells, battle ropes, all these things that can be used to turn you into an absolute beast really quickly, but that are also kind of mysterious when it comes to how to use them. The best practices, where to get them, how to do a workout with them, who they're for, who they're not for. And John and I delve into all of that stuff. I learned some really interesting things during this one. Like, for example, these stickers, steel bells that you hold onto are made from wetsuit rubber, and you can actually carry them around as a great way to increase your grip and also potentially use them in deep pool workouts. We talked about the mace and how, even though that was traditionally used by the Persian army to train some of their warriors, that you can actually use it in some of those same ways. And that because it wields kind of like a weapon, it can also do things like increase your testosterone and your growth hormones. So there's some really cool things that you can do with the mace. We talked about the battle rope and how one of the best ways to use a battle rope, if you have one of those in your house or out in your yard, is as a finisher for the end of your workout. Like to do a tabata set with the battle rope or to do a set of intervals where you're waving the battle rope up and down with alternating hands or with both hands at the same time. Really, really cool episode. If you're maybe a little bit bored with just using a barbell or traditional free weights and you want to branch out, you want to challenge your body with new moves and your muscles at different angles, but maybe you also want to challenge your brain, because that's one of the cool things I like about these unconventional fitness tools, is they really get you thinking. So you're also building your brain and learning a new skill at the same time that you are getting stronger and getting fitter. So I've been using a lot of this stuff myself for about the past six months or so and wanted to give you a chance to hear what more about them, the details behind them, what they are, what they look like, et cetera. So you can check out this podcast over at BenGreenfieldFitness.com WeirdGear that's BenGreenfieldFitness.com weirdgear just like it sounds. And over there, you'll get to sit in on the podcast with John Wolfe. I think you'll really like this one. If you're into cool new ways to challenge your body and brain, the so check out the podcast and thanks for watching.
