Creative types of Training/Combat Conditioning

Do any of you do any special kinds of exercises that aren't just the average exercises done by most people?

I often try to switch around my work out/exercise routine a lot, to work out my body in different kinds of ways, being creative with it, keeping myself from getting bored with exercising - which keeps things interesting, and me motivated.

Yesterday I was wearing 60 lbs of added weights on my body, and did some 8-count-body-builders, also that endurance work out I do sometimes, which you could probably find on my YouTube. Was also punching the ole punching bag I got.

Today, with 5 lb sandweights on each arm, I held my arms straight out, to the sides, and up over my head - each one as long as I could. Then after that, while holding my arms straight out the whole time - each of those ways I just mentioned, I'd do sprints. After that, I went in to punch the punching bag some more, with the weights still on my arms.

If you do any kind of creative exercises, please post them here.

For each different type of creative training/combat conditioning I do, maybe I'll post about it here in this thread.

I carry an added 250lbs of padding for all my exercise...

... but I don't suppose that counts, does it?

Jack Shadow,
I'm guessing you're already pretty well conditioned to the cold. How do you do in hot/humid weather? And are you referring to muscle hardening? Because we used to do that in the Marines a lot, it also helped for pain tolerance.

Big Simon,
Are you referring to... yourself? If so, it can help if you make the best of what you got and use what you have to your advantage.

*chuckles* Yes, Tothian. I'm referring to the 250 pounds of extra weight I carry around because I was an idiot who let his body go for fifteen years.

I've been using it to my advantage, as best I can, anyway. I'm always interested in learning more, better ways, of course.

I do extreme eating, celery for example actually takes more calories to digest than it contains..

Big Simon,
One way to use that to your advantage is lifting heavy - you will build muscle quicker than someone with less body fat. Or if you run a lot and eat healthy and lose weight, you'll have that other advantage, where-as someone who was really thin and who put on more muscle - you would have the advantage over them in a fight because of the fact that the body you are in is used to carrying heavier weight, and you would be lighter and faster than what you're used to. Also, another thing is how when I was in Marine Boot Camp, all of our metabolisms skyrocketed so much, that everything we ate burned up in to energy. We pretty much lost all our body fat, and because our body couldn't burn from the body fat that wasn't there anymore, it burned from muscle, which wasn't good for us at the time, but it was all part of that breaking-us-down process, before we built up from there.

Mr. Ravenblade,
I never knew that, that's very interesting. Thanks for the information.

Jack Shadow,

I've seen those sauna suits at Sports Authority. I didn't know if they were worth getting.

Does it actually help your body in any way, or is it all just mental - as in, making the training feel harder?

Sledgehammer swings on tires

Axe swings on wood

Jack Shadow,
People sweat more in a steam room than in a sauna. Often after I go swimming in the pool at the gym, I'll dry off in the sauna. As for wearing a full suit when training, I can see how it'd be good for what you're saying, but often if I'm not wearing added weight on me, I like to do some calisthetic exercises in the sun, so I'm also getting a tan at the same time.

Dark Guardian,
The second one sounds like a good work out. The first one probably is too, but I'd need to see a visual of that to see what you mean.

Guest: the sledge on tires is a dual workout, the muscles used in the swing and the muscles used in controlling the sledge rebounding off the tires. Different muscle groups in the same workout. It can actually be very effective!

Axe on wood is mostly the same muscles as the initial swing of the sledge with far less of the second set. Of course, you end up using a different set of muscles altogether when carrying and stacking that split wood

I've been trying to get some friends together to do some escape & evade training scenarios. So far I've had no takers. Hopefully I'll be able to talk some into it.

I keep a squatting position, legs parallel to the floor, until my legs fail me, adding weight as I gain endurance. I do this 3 times per week. I hold my arms at length with increasingly heavier weight as I gain endurance. I do this until my arms fail, and do this 3 times a week as well. I rotate days and take the seventh day off. It is brutal, but very effective. I also practice punching with stretch bands to build strength and speed. Just make sure to keep proper form.

I tend to wear lots of clothes at once in the summer time. It helps me with my heat resistant.

My extreme eating is like switching for a while to an almost all meat diet, especially when I burn a lot of calories doing something.

I knew an officer who basically threw (big) tires around all day in Iraq (when he wasn't reading "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire") and he was ripped.

I like pushup variations in supersets of 10/10 or 6/6 until about 30 minutes to and hour is gone, myself. There are a lot of variations, so with some research you can keep from getting bored. Try "Maltese Pushups" for instance. Those suck. Personally I prefer supersets to alternating other types of exercises (crunches, situps, squats, etc) because it seems to be quicker that way.

But I can't say anything I do has made me look super muscular, because it hasn't. Well... except for wearing chest protectors...

I'm going to be working bailing hey. That always gives muscles.

When I was working out on a consistant basis (3 to 4 times a week) I would combine basic exercises to create more interesting and effective ones. Like butterfly curls and inclined crunches at the same time. Which worked my chest arms and stomach all at once. About 60 reps of those was pretty effective. I was pretty ripped. Not buff, but defined, and cut. I had about 5% body fat when I was working out on a regular basis. Now its probably closer to 8%. I know, I'm a fat ass. I would also shadowbox with anywhere between 12 and 25 lb weights depending on if I was at the gym or at home.

Pitch Black: Always worked for me as a teen on the farm! Build up some decent arms doing that, just be careful of your back.
And take my word for it, no matter how sweaty you get, don't take that shirt off! Second worst sunburn of my life, plus hay on bare sweaty skin itches like hell, lol

Yea I know how it is bailing hey Grey Man. Done it once before. I don't get sunburn, ever. But that's one reason why I am wearing one of my uniforms. Which reminds me. I gotta take a picture for now. After I do then be ready for my next uniform which will be posted some time next month.