Here’s my buddy Brian training with the Slayer Barbell at Gold’s Gym Natick MA, one of the best equipped gyms in the area. Some of the fun stuff you see in my vids used the gym like the Slayer Bar, Prowler Sled, Ultimate Sandbags, and others are mine and left for members to use.
Bridges: An Underrated and Underutilized Exercise
I’m often asked what’s a good exercise for the gluteus and hamstrings. Bridges are one of the most underrated and underutilized exercises for working those muscles. The bridge is an excellent exercise to isolate and strengthen the gluteus, hamstrings, core stability muscles, hip/lower back as well as improve spinal stabilization. Most people do this exercise without added resistance, but that’s a mistake (see “tip” below vid). Done with added resistance, there’s improved responses, as all muscles require added resistance (vs volume) to adapt and get stronger. And NO, they are not just for women!!! 
Bridges are a highly functional exercise that can lead to both functional improvements as well as visual. For example, one practitioner of Brazilian jiu jitsu I know said “This is a key exercise for anyone who competes in jiu jitsu tournaments. Strong bridge makes all the difference in escaping. I work bridges hard.”
Bridges are an exercise that have both expected and unexpected benefits both functionally (for various sports) and visually, for bodybuilders, figure/fitness, or the average person looking shape up and strengthen the area. It’s also used for both rehab and prehab. Personally, I tend to incorporate it into lower body days. A typical workout might look like: front squats, RDLs, Bridges, and planks, or a workout I did the other day geared more toward conditioning/GPP/conditioning was a complex of:
Sand bag step ups
Slayer Barbell Bridges
High/low Prowler sprints
Did three circuits of the above then some planks and side planks. My butt was sore for days!
Tip: most people do bridges with body weight only as adding additional resistance comfortably is not always easy. The Slayer Barbell allows for as much added resistance as you could want in perfect comfort, which is one of many exercises this bar allows. If not using a Slayer, try putting a foam pad around an Olympic bar (so the bar does not dig into your hips), or try a plate across your lap, or a heavy medicine ball. None of those options are as comfortable and smooth as using the Slayer Barbell, but experiment with those options and see what works for you. As with any body weight only exercise, your own weight will only get you so far and added resistance will be needed for continued increases in strength, etc.
Note: if you want more information on Sandbags, Slayer Barbell, or Prowler sleds, go HERE and or use the search function (upper right hand corner of this site) to see more vids, articles, etc on them. They are “must have” training tools in my book.
The Gauntlet claims two new victims! 
Latest victims of the BrinkZone Gauntlet, competitive bodybuilder Janet Esterkes and figure competitor Andrea Kalligheri, which shows what a whole body functional killer calorie “burning” workout looks like! The BrinkZone Gauntlet: For GPP, conditioning, endurance, metabolic work, and functional strength, it’s efficient and hard work…
Killer whole body training with The BrinkZone Gauntlet!
The BrinkZone Gauntlet consists of two complexes:
Complex One consists of 3 cycles of:
Sand bag lunges/zercher squat
Hand over hand sled pull
ball push ups
Complex Two consists of 3 cycles of:
Standing push press
battle ropes
High/low Prowler
For GPP, conditioning, endurance, metabolic work, and functional strength, it’s awesome. You can also see fitness model Kelly D doing The BrinkZone Gauntlet HERE
The Prowler II Rules All!
Dr. Chiang runs Northeastern Chiropractic is a regular contributor to the BrinkZone and has written several articles – with more to come – on topics such as rehab and injury prevention for the shoulders and other body parts that tend to cause problems for active populations. As you will see, Dr. Chiang knows hard work in the gym, so he can relate to athletes and active people who have various aches and pains. He’s the guy I see for my aches and pains! The other day I took my camera to Gold’s Gym and got him hitting the Prowler sled with some serious weight!
I use the Prowler with tac teams I have worked with on their performance/fitness, myself, and various athletes from all walks, and nothing comes close as both a conditioning tool and a whole body strength tool.
It is without equal as a single piece of equipment one can own that covers the full spectrum of fitness. Vast majority use it as a GPP/conditioning tool, and it’s great for that. Very few use it as a true strength/power builder, and that’s a mistake. Pile some serious weight on it, and it’s killer for strength/power developer. I have posted many Prowler related vids here in the past. Just came back from the gym where I did an all Prowler leg workout with my buddy Big Lee Rosenberg. Death by Prowler!
The First annual BrinkZone.com Charity Prowler event has finally been completed. The event ran smoothly, and for a first ever event like this, a solid turn out of both competitors and spectators. The event was to support the Wounded Warrior Project Charity, and some solid money was raised.
ElifeFTS were the primary sponsors of the event, and supplied some great prizes for the competitors, such as a drag sled and blast straps. Of course EliteFTS is also maker of my favorite strength and conditioning tool, and focus of the competition, the Prowler sled.
The event was held at Gold’s Gym in Natick MA, which due to their indoor turf, made for a perfect location to push the beast that is a Prowler sled!
There were additional prizes generously supplied by these sponsors:
Gold’s Gym Natick
Labrada Nutrition
FatGripz
GymBoss
Fein Energy Drink
Hugo Rivera
iGrunt T-Shirts
As many of you should know by now, I’m a big fan of the Prowler sled. I consider it one of the best strength and conditioning tools going, and in my view every gym should have one! The Prowler in this vid is my personal sled, and it’s a “must have” item in my training arsenal, be it for strength athletes, fitness/figure models, or SWAT teams. Here’s my “best of” vid. Next week is the BrinkZone First Annual Prowler Charity event to help the Wounded Warrior Project, so anyone in the NE region should attempt to be there!
For more info on the Prowler, go the BrinkZone Store page
I made this vid yesterday with Christina and Kelly, doing an all Prowler leg day. It’s a tough job training female athletes like these two, but someone has to do it!
Don’t forget folks, first annual BrinkZone Prowler Charity event is next week!!!!!!
BrinkZone.com, in conjunction with EliteFTS and Golds Gym Natick MA, Presents:
First Annual Prowler Push Charity Competition!
Where: Golds Gym Natick MA
When: August 20th 2011, starts 12pm sharp!
Entry Cost: $20 for non-members day of show, $10 for Golds members
Save $5.00 right NOW by pre signing up! Hit the “donate” button below, and you will save $5.00 and be pre registered for the competition!!!
Divisions: There will be one male and one female division with prizes for first, second, third place finishing in both divisions!
Charity: All proceeds will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project!*
If you decide to pay the day of the show, bring $20.00 cash only with form below filled out:
Download Entry Form: Prowler Push Off Entry Form
Rules: “Last man standing” rules will apply! The person who can push the most weight the length of the indoor turf (75’) wins!**
First Prize:
•EliteFTS DRAG SLED!
•Labrada Nutrition Supplements!
•GymBoss Interval Timer!
•Fein Energy Drink!
And MORE!!!
