A Phish Inspired Cardio Workout

If you've ever seen Phish perform You Enjoy Myself then you've likely noticed that there's a section where guitarist Trey Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon do a choreographed bounce routine on little trampolines. They did this as recently as last Sunday, August 15, 2021 in front of a crowd of 30,000+ (COVID...what COVID?) on the beach in Atlantic City. Long-time fans may recall that Phish would also jump on the mini trampolines during Mike's Song.

Anyway, these little trampolines are called rebounders and they are great exercise! You definitely break a sweat and get your heart rate up. I don't know what brand of rebounders Phish uses on stage, but I've tried both JumpSport and bellicon and can recommend both.

My bellicon rebounder

I started last year with a 39" JumpSport rebounder and these are awesome trampolines. There's even a rebounder-focused gym in NYC called The Ness that uses JumpSport rebounders. Eventually I got a 44" fully-customized bellicon and I'm glad that I did! It has folding legs so storage is a breeze, and the jumping experience is unparalleled. Rebounding is now a regular part of my home gym workout routine. If you're worried that you'll get going too fast and accidentally jump off I haven't found that to be the case. I don't think you need a handle to hold onto.

My other favorite home gym cardio choice is a slide board, which you may or may not have heard of. Phish briefly used these as stage props around 1993. Trey and Mike would slide on them while performing the songs It's Ice or Glide. Both songs were new and pretty common back then so for a short while Phish did this quite often. I don't know why they stopped using the slide boards. 

To slide on a slide board you wear special booties over your sneakers. This helps make the surface extra slick, and basically you just slide back and forth. There's a lot more advanced stuff you can do as you gain confidence. You work out different lower body muscles than a trampoline but the slide board can be just as intense. That's why I love toggling back and forth between the two. If you're worried that you'll slip and fall, don't be. Just be a little careful as you step on or off the board. Once you're moving, balance is no problem.

If you're going to invest in a slide board you probably want one that has a solid sliding surface as opposed to the flimsy cheapo ones that a lot of places have for sale. The two best slide board brands by far are Brrrn and Ultraslide, and good news I believe these are made by or at least designed by the same team of people. The solid, high-quality material makes them very durable and a pleasure to slide on.

Brrrn started off a few years ago as a cold temperature slide board gym in NYC and now sells their Brrrn Boards direct to the consumer. You can buy Brrrn Boards on Amazon Prime (5-star rating!) or from Brrrn website. Whereas, Ultraslide is the grandaddy of slide boards - sustainably made in the USA for over 35 years. Ultraslide seems geared towards selling to NBA and NHL teams or college and youth athletic programs, but Ultraslide will also make a slide board for you! Ultraslide partnered with Brrrn to help make their slide boards, so either way you're getting the best you can get. I started with a 5 foot Brrrn Board (I'm short and my house is small) but I'm probably going to move up to a 6 foot board soon to intensify the challenge. Storage is easier than I thought it would be.

I'm just glad Phish never used a NordicTrack, Peloton or treadmill on stage! Seriously. Rebounders and slide boards are like acoustic instruments. There's no buttons to push or cords to plug in. It's all on you!

***

Going Keto vs Counting Calories

If you are exercising regularly and being mindful of what you eat, either approach will work. What I did initially was try to eat a low-carb, keto style diet. That, along with exercise, allowed me to lose almost 40 lbs and I never once thought about how many calories I was eating. 

I think keto may be best if you have a lot of weight you are trying to lose fast. Your body will eventually tell you whether or not keto is sustainable for you.

I felt great during keto. I reached a weight plateau about 40 pounds lighter than I was before and I stayed there for over a year. One month ago I started to think about calories, not carbs. I began to introduce things like fruit, oatmeal and sweet potatoes to my diet - things that would have been taboo on keto - with a daily calorie intake goal of about 1,600 calories. The result? I quickly lost an additional 6 or 7 pounds and seem to have reached a new, lower plateau. 

Now I am aware of low-carb and low-calorie and try to incorporate both into my choices. It's healthier and more balanced that way. Another thing I've done recently is amp up my cardio exercise by getting both a new rebounder trampoline and a slide board. Along with the 20 minutes a day of strength training I do, I now try and add 20 minutes of cardio.

Exercise and healthy eating go hand in hand. When you are exercising regularly you are less likely to want to make bad food choices, or when you do you do so deliberately knowing that your body has the metabolism to withstand the occasional indulgence. And when you are regularly making good food choices, it can lead to a better sense of well being which can give your exercise a boost or the motivation you need to stay active.

Exercising with a Fitness Trampoline (Rebounder)

One of the best workout/exercise gizmos I've gotten this year is a JumpSport Fitness Trampoline. I don't actually use it for jumping though. I'm too chicken for that. Instead, I apply JumpSport's PlyoFit Adapter accessory which angles the trampoline and allows it to be used as a medicine ball rebounder.

When I was a kid I used to love throwing a baseball or tennis ball at one of those old school bounce back pitchback nets. Now as a fortysomething year old dude I get to have that same level of fun again, while also getting a great workout.

Sometimes I use a 10lb Amazon Basics medicine ball and this trampoline rebounder can take everything I've got when I throw it at it. Even better than that medicine ball is the D-Ball Indoor Shot. Tossing a 10lb D-Ball at the trampoline really gets your heart rate going. For a lighter weight but faster-paced alternative I like to use the Driveline 2000g (4.4lb) Plyo ball. Their black color ball. 

Working out can be a chore. I try to make it enjoyable - always. A twenty-minute high intensity workout with this trampoline rebounder is about as good as any other exercise option I can think of. And since it feels like play you end up having fun the whole time.

PS: you can also do a cool type of squat using the angled rebounder!

***

Tai Chi Ruler

Screen shot from Glyn Williams' DVD

Of all the different exercise practices I’ve adopted over the last six months, perhaps the most beguiling is the Tai Chi Ruler. The Ruler exercises that I’ve been doing come straight from the Masterworks International Tai Chi Ruler DVD by Phil Young and Morag Campbell. There is also a video on Amazon Prime by Fred Jennes called Ruler Qigong that teaches essentially the same set of exercises. Either one will work but seeing them both has been a helpful way to cross reference.

To supplement my learning I also obtained copies of Fong Ha’s Qigong/Yiquan DVD (which has a brief section on the ruler plus a lot of other great and related content) as well as Glyn Williams’ Tai Chi Chih DVD. Williams was taught this by Franklyn Sills, a senior student of Fong Ha, as was Phil Young of Masterworks International back in the early 1980's. So actually all 4 of these videos are interrelated and complement each other.

What Is Tai Chi Ruler?
Tai Chi Ruler is like a taoist yoga, qi gong, or internal martial art. A “standing form of seated meditation”. It consists of simple rhythmic movements done repetitively. There are no flashy moves. It is simple almost to the point of boredom. Inside you are tranquil and still. Outside you are moving.

You can do one exercise or all of them. As far as I know you can do the exercises in any order. You can do it for five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes. It’s up to you. Tai Chi Ruler is an opportunity to cultivate a moment in each day where stress and other worries of the world can't get in. It’s an opportunity to find complete relaxation. If you notice any areas of resistance let it go.

You are free to find your own way to play with the ruler. Learn the essence rather than the form. Each time you do it, do it “less wrong”. Benefits accrue from regular practice over a period of time.

You Need One Piece of Equipment - A Ruler (or not)
The ruler itself is like a wooden dowel or rod with rounded ends, between 9 and 12 inches long depending on your physical size or preference. You can use a simple wooden tortilla roller for this purpose, you could make your own from a dowel or a stick you find in nature, or you could purchase one online with a contoured shape. I have links at the bottom of this post.

Hold the ruler in the palm of the hands to stimulate the lao gong acupuncture point and enhance the flow of chi. You can also do the exercises without the ruler in what is called an "empty hands" variation. Doing it empty hands liberates some of the movements, but you miss the lao gong stimulation.

Purpose and Benefits

Sifu Fong Ha

The purpose of Tai Chi Ruler is to help cultivate chi for self-healing/recovery and to act as a catalyst for future workouts. So there! You use an external tool (the ruler) to aid in this development. You may find the following to also be true:
-Has a calming effect.
-Enhances your connection to and awareness of nature.
-Helps develop mindfulness - being able to hold presence.
-Increases balance and poise.
-Improves breathing patterns.
-Reduces tension in the body (or at least brings awareness to it).
-Brings attention to posture and structural alignment.
-Facilitates a timeless state of mind - a state of “no” mind.

Stance
The stance is narrow and short. Feet are about a ruler width apart. The rear foot is at a 45 degree angle. The front foot is forward slightly. The heel of the rear foot lifts up as your rock forward. The toes of the front foot lift up as you rock back.

Movement
Slowly rock forward and backward while transferring weight from one foot to the other. The heels of the rear foot and the toes of the front foot are raised alternately. The shifting of weight should be smooth and rhythmic. Drive your weight into the ground through the front foot as you rock forward and sink deeply into the ground through the back leg as you rock back. Don’t let the front knee go beyond the toes of the front foot. Pay attention to the quality of the movement rather than the quantity. (Quality is more important than how big, how strong, or how fast).

The rhythmic, rocking movement builds chi in the 3 dantians - the lower dantian (below the navel), the middle dantian (heart), and the upper dantian (third eye). The alternate toe-heel lifting stimulates the bubbling spring/bubbling well acupuncture points on the bottom of the feet where energy from the earth enters the body.

Breathing
Inhale as you rock back. Exhale as you rock forward. That said, you don’t necessarily have to coordinate breathing with the movement but I find that it helps to do so. Staying in sync keeps things nice, slow, and in time - creating a rhythm.

Relax - The World Will Spin Beside Itself and Suck You In
Relax your shoulders. Mentally do a body check - foot to calf, knees, thing, hips, wrists, elbows, shoulders - releasing tension on each out breath until every part of you is relaxed. Relax yourself thoroughly and try to achieve complete quietness within yourself.

Posture, Head Alignment, Upper Body
Posture is super important especially for those like me who are prone to a “text neck”, head forward, hunchback position. Your chest should be relaxed and the head should be level and balanced directly above the shoulders. Don't slouch. You may have to lift the chest to balance head alignment, but then relax the chest to prevent the chi from stagnating there. Shoulders should be relaxed.

Optional Visualizations
-Imagine that you’re invisible, bearing in mind that you’re mainly made of up space.
-Your upper body is empty, while your lower body full, heavy and rooted.
-Focus your awareness on the dantian and the dantian rotation.
-Blend the chi of the body with the chi of the earth and universe.

Variations-Vary the speed.
-Raise or lower your stance.
-Change the height of your arms - up, middle or low.
-Increase or decrease the size of the circle, oval or figure 8.
-Perform each exercise "empty hands" without the ruler.

Where To Get A Ruler
-Masterworks International (free shipping from Ireland!): https://www.masterworksinternational.com/new_store/proddetail.php?prod=ruler

-Blue Heron Tai Chi, Longmont, CO: https://www.blueherontaichi.com/shop/

-Ruler Boxing, Greeley, CO (cool design, lots of options): https://rulerboxing.com/product/single-ruler/

-Charles S. Tauber (even more options!): http://charlestauber.com/sticksandrulers/

-Wing Lam Enterprises, WLE. (nice for a budget option): https://wle.com/products/tai-chi-ruler?_pos=3&_sid=8720bca3d&_ss=r

-Wooden Rolling Pin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HCLLY6L/?coliid=I1K7F9CFZ5KG2N&colid=3K1XSQK3I6XTX&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

-DIY - find a stick in nature or make your own out of a dowel.

There you have it. I don't really know what I'm talking about yet so take all of this with an open mind and a grain of salt!

***

Pawel Widuto Bulava Short Mace and Jeff Martone D-Ball Indoor Shot

I've been doing some training sessions with trainer/coach Will Parker, who this past week told me about two exercise tools I hadn't heard of: the Bulava by Pawel Widuto and the D-Ball by Jeff Martone. I'll start with Pawel Widuto.

Pawel Widuto is a Polish-born fitness master now living in Norway. He is the founder of the Tengu ECS (Element Cycle System). Most longer maces like the kind made by Onnit or Set for Set are 40 inches (100cm) or more, but Pawel Widuto came up with a short mace he calls a bulava in weights ranging from 3kg (7lbs) to 11kg (24lbs).

House of Tengu Bulava mace

I think the length is about 60cm. The exercises you can do are similar to what you would do with steel clubs, meels, or longer maces. While it's not necessarily revolutionary, the bulavas sure are cool looking! I want one.





Now for the D-ball from Jeff Martone's tacticalathlete.com. The D-Ball is like an indoor shot put. They have a rubbery grip with ridges to allow for grabbing and do not bounce. The weights range from 3lbs to 14lbs, but the diameter remains the same (5 inches) over all the available weights.

D-Ball Indoor Shot

Jeff uses these D-Balls as part of his Superior High Output Training (S.H.O.T.).  The movements and exercises you can come up with are seemingly endless, dependent only on your own creativity, skill and motivation. There's also a series of training videos you can download here: https://tacticalathlete.com/product/s-h-o-t-i-superior-high-output-training/



Exciting stuff.

***

Skipping - Is This The Exercise Craze That's Right For You?

Skipping.

Skipping is not just a good workout. It's a natural part of being human. We skip in play; we skip in dance; we skip just for the heck of it.  Be true to yourself.  Let go of your fears.  Bring freedom to your life.  Splash in a puddle; frolick in a field; giggle to yourself.  You’ll be amazed at the thoughts and feelings that can arise as you skip along your merry way.  Skip for the body, mind and spirit.

Still not convinced?  Check the facts.  When you measure the electrodes, you find that skipping burns more calories than running - up to 700 calories per session - and has less impact on your joints.  What does that mean to you?  How about a slimmer waist, a pert bottom and inner thighs that could crack walnuts!

Not everyone feels they are fit enough or have the right lifestyle to be able to take up skipping full-time. If you aren't used to skipping, start slowly.  Maybe take a class from a skipping instructor.   Learning the proper technique will make skipping very accessible.

Find the courage to skip.  You'll feel energized and more than a little proud of yourself.  Your experience with skipping makes a great conversation starter at parties.  It can spice up your love life too - without skipping a beat!



If you can add skipping to your life you'll end up with a smile on your face, not a grimace.

Five Minute Kettlebell Workout

This is still the best kettlebell workout video I've found. She covers the plank, press, behind head dip and lift, lunge, around the world, row, squat and two hand swing.


She left out the halo:


And here's the infamous Turkish Getup:


Or the Half Turkish Getup:

Here's a link to a bunch of good kettlebell exercises:

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a20702565/kettlebell-workout/

Some Steel Mace Workout Videos

I'm learning that the steel mace is a total body workout. You can use it for intense ways, both cardio and strength oriented. And you can also use the mace for more mindful, flowing movements. 

Here's a good strength/cardio workout:

Another good one:

Here's one that might take a little while to master:

Here's a whole playlist of exercises you can do with the steel mace:

This looks tough:

Bonus video. Not steel mace, but could it be adapted?

I wonder about this one also.

Can anything from this routine be used?

Or this?

Indian Clubs: Inward and Outward Heartshapes

I just spent about ten minutes trying to find this video. So I'm creating a post with it embedded to make it easier to find.




Here's another helpful lesson:


Some step by step images:

Inward

Inward continued

Outward

Outward continued

ZenKahuna and the Double Ball Staff

ZenKahuna (Rocannon MacGregor) is very active on YouTube. His videos often demonstrate mindful movements that one can do with clubs, maces, kettlebells and more. One of the implements ZenKahuna has come up with is called the Double Ball Staff which he says can help with brain organization and training, mobility, strengthening joints & sinews, digital dexterity, and enhancing fluid moving skills. These are made in Idaho by Rosewater Kinetics.

Image from Rosewater Kinetics' Facebook page

He's a collection of videos (in no particular order) demonstrating how to use this apparatus.

Tai Chi Ball Qigong Exercises

The tai chi ball is an exercise tool I've been learning about this week. I don't have a wooden sphere like you're supposed to use, but I do have a 4lb medicine ball so at least I can try out some of these movements to see if it's something worth pursuing further.

The tai chi ball is used for body conditioning. It strengthens the arms, torso, spine and lower back. The wood ball weighs between 2 to 10 lbs depending on what size ball you use. The motion has a cumulative effect in gradually building your physical body strength, without tensing too much, so your qi circulation can still be abundant.

For strength training the variables used are: 1) the weight of the ball, 2) the number of repetitions of each movement performed, 3) the number of movements performed in a training session, 4) the depth of the stances (lower = harder), 5) the speed of the movements, and 6) the focus, concentration, and mental intentions used in each movement.

In the beginning posture of the tai chi ball qigong practice, the mind should be calm and empty, and the weight evenly distributed on both feet. This state is wuji. Your mind starts to lead the body into the movement, internal (yin) and external (yang).

Ramel Rones - Three Tai Chi Ball Videos
Grind


Ahn Circles


Advanced Motion


Excerpt from Sunrise Tai Chi DVD