2'x2' of pain and enjoyment!

I have been using a cheap folding chair for doing my “box” jumps on as it is the only thing I really had around the house. Not a good idea… I bent it to heck and if you landed on the wrong part of it, the chair would fold up and almost kill you.

I have been looking at Lowe’s and Home Depot for a crate or spool or something that would work instead for weeks now with no luck. A local fitness store actually has boxes but they are over $100 a pop.

So I finally gave in and decided to build my own. I went to Lowes and bought a peice of OSB plywoodfor just under $10 and a couple bucks worth of deck screws. Lowes will actually cut the OSB for you, so I had them cut it into 2′x2′ squares. (so I got 8 2×2 pieces)

I took it all home and started assembly. Used 5 of the pieces to build a box that was open on the bottom (so I can keep it free of spiders and stuff (or use it as an actual box lol). So after about 30 minutes-1hr of assembly and $12, I had myself and awesome 2′x2′, sturdy as heck box for doing my box jumps.

You really don’t need to always go out an buy fancy equipment to get the job done. This is one example of thinking outside of the “box” when you need one. If you need a piece of equipment to do something that you want to do, don’t be afriad to create that equipmment yourself!

Unrelated Sidenote and link: Rambodoc has issued his readers a 7 day challenge that is very very primal.

Simple, cheap, effective

If you don’t have a jump rope yet… go buy one. Head down to the local sporting goods store. A jump rope will cost you $10. If you are really cheap (nothing wrong with that), make your own. Simply tie a knot in both ends of a piece of rope.

There was a time when I was really into boxing.I would actually really like to get in the ring again but I can’t find a trainer that doesn’t want me to condition their way (which usually involves running miles and miles per day and overtraining). There are a couple habits (Some good and some questionable – reader Tim knows what I am talking about here lol) that I picked up from it that I still practice. One of the habits that I picked up that is truly awesome and good for life is jumping rope.

Benefits of jumping rope:
1. Its a cheap piece of workout equipment that takes up almost no space.
2. You can easily travel with it.
3. It is a full body workout. Works both upper and lower body.
4. It is a great workout. It burns mega calories!
5. It is a very athletic workout. It requires agility, timing, coordination and endurance.
6. It is an activity that is possible by both beginners and workout experts.
7. It is just plain fun.

What to do with your jump rope:
1. Try doing some tabata sets jumping rope (8 rounds 20 seconds jumping 10 seconds rest). Or try other forms of jump rope “sprints”.
2. Jump rope between set when you are working out.
3. Start or end your workout with a set of jump rope.

The SoG twist:
Being the quirky guy I am, I do have some advice on jump roping that may be slightly out of the norm. “Jump rope barefoot”. This may not sound bad to you but trust me… this is not for the weak of heart. When you mess up barefoot… it hurts and I mean it really hurts. This motivates you to get good fast. Jumping rope barefoot also strengthens feet muscles and the calves in ways you never knew existed. In my masochistic opinion, this is the only way to skip rope. If you can’t handle this though, don’t let it discourage you from jumping rope lol… just do it with shoes on.