Tag: Fitness

  • Why You Should Build a DIY Flow Rope

    Why You Should Build a DIY Flow Rope

    If you spend any time on fitness social media, you’ve probably seen people swinging heavy ropes around in fluid, hypnotic patterns. Rope flowing has exploded in popularity, often accompanied by massive promises about unlocking “coordination,” “rotational power,” and “total-body unity.”

    I recently put together a video walking through how to build a cheap DIY version of a heavy, braided flow rope. But before you watch it, I want to talk about why you should bother making one — and cut through a bit of the fitness marketing noise while we’re at it.

    📺 Watch the full build video below:

    https://www.youtube.com/embed/s0wJu7tkI_0?si=kIMfW131YtNlYT51

    Is the Hype Real?

    Let’s be real for a second. Flow ropes have a massive amount of hype behind them right now, and if we’re being objective, some of the promised benefits might be a bit blown out of proportion. Swinging a rope isn’t going to magically replace a well-rounded strength or conditioning routine, nor is it a cure-all for every movement flaw.

    But just because something is hyped doesn’t mean it’s useless. Overall, I think flow ropes are an incredibly good thing for most people.

    Here’s why: at the very least, it gets people moving. It’s a low-effort, low-impact exercise that almost anyone can do. It doesn’t beat up your joints, it doesn’t require a grueling warm-up, and it’s a movement practice you can easily carry with you into your 80s and beyond. In a world where it’s easy to stay sedentary, any tool that makes moving your body accessible and sustainable for a lifetime is a massive win.

    The Martial Arts Connection

    As a martial artist, I look at the flow rope through a slightly different lens. While the fitness world pitches it as a brand-new training methodology, the mechanics feel deeply familiar to anyone who has spent time training with traditional weapons.

    To me, the flow rope is most similar to nunchakus. Just like nunchucks, it demands a certain baseline speed and consistent momentum — the moment your timing is off, the physics break down completely. The fluid, repeating loops also strongly resemble the striking patterns used with Eskrima sticks and the bo staff.

    Because it mirrors these movement arts, it forces a level of spatial awareness and rhythm that will carry over even when you aren’t holding the rope. It almost seems like a hidden gateway drug for fitness enthusiasts to cross over into weapons training and martial arts — teaching you how to let an object flow around your body safely before you ever pick up a real training weapon.

    Why This Specific DIY Build?

    When I decided to build an infinity-style braided rope, I did it because of the specific design mechanics. Standard heavy ropes get incredibly thick, making them clumsy to hold. What I like about this braided design is that it adds significant weight and drag to the center of the rope without adding bulk to the handles. You get the high-momentum feedback of a heavy rope, but your hands still have a thin, manageable cord to grip.

    Building a DIY version gives you a cheap entry point to see if you even enjoy this style of movement before dropping premium money on commercial gear. If you have the budget, I always recommend supporting the original innovators like WeckMethod — their engineered quality is going to be top-tier. But if you just want to test the waters, a DIY weekend project is a fantastic first step.

    My Favorite Benefit (Has Nothing to Do with Fitness)

    If you ask me what the absolute best benefit of a flow rope is, it isn’t the weapon-like coordination or the rotational mechanics.

    It’s that it forces you to go outside.

    To swing an 8.5-foot rope around without obliterating a lampshade or scuffing a ceiling, you have to step out into the yard, a park, or a driveway. I’m a firm believer that most of us — myself completely included, as I sit inside typing this on a screen — do not spend nearly enough time outdoors. Anything that gives someone a compelling, fun reason to step out into the fresh air is something I can completely get behind.

    The Verdict

    You don’t need to buy into the idea that a flow rope is a mystical fitness cheat code to enjoy it. It’s a fun, rhythmic, low-stress way to move your body, pick up some martial-arts-adjacent coordination, enjoy the outdoors, and break up the monotony of standard workouts.

    If you want a low-cost, satisfying afternoon project that results in a great piece of outdoor movement gear, check out the full build video above.

    Enjoyed this? Come find me on YouTube.

    I put out videos on movement, DIY gear, martial arts, and whatever else I’m obsessing over. If any of that sounds like your kind of rabbit hole, I’d love to have you along — hit subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.

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    Disclaimer: This article and the accompanying video are for educational and entertainment purposes. I am not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to WeckMethod or David Weck. Just a fan of fun DIY projects and movement gear.

  • Undulatory Alternating Leg Plyometric Jumps: A Better Name for Skipping

    Undulatory Alternating Leg Plyometric Jumps: A Better Name for Skipping

    I was listening to a Huberman Lab episode featuring Stuart McMillan, a movement coach who works with elite sprinters. The conversation was mostly about speed and athleticism, but one small detail stuck with me: skipping — the thing you did at recess — turns out to be a genuinely excellent exercise for adults. It’s easier on the body than sprinting, highly effective, and scaleable.

    Andrew Huberman asked the obvious follow-up question: what do you call it so it doesn’t sound ridiculous? He’s done this before — he popularized “non-sleep deep rest” as a more clinical-sounding name for yoga nidra. McMillan offered “plyometrics,” which is accurate but pretty broad. Box jumps, burpees, squat jumps — they’re all plyometrics. The word doesn’t capture what makes skipping specifically interesting.

    Which got me thinking about names.

    The word “plyometrics” itself isn’t exactly poetic. Fred Wilt, a former US Olympic distance runner, coined it after noticing Soviet athletes doing a lot of jumping and bounding during their warm-ups while American athletes were stretching. He combined the Greek words for “more” and “measure.” Even he acknowledged it wasn’t a great name. It stuck anyway.

    So what’s a better name for skipping specifically? I started pulling it apart. What actually makes skipping distinct?

    • There’s a wave-like quality to it — your body rises and falls rhythmically as you move forward. That’s the undulatory part.
    • You alternate legs with each bound. Alternating leg.
    • It’s a jump-based movement. Plyometric jump.

    Put it together: undulatory alternating leg plyometric jumps.

    It’s a bit of a mouthful, but it earns every word. It describes the motion accurately, it sounds like something an athlete would say, and it sidesteps the “wait, are you talking about recess?” problem entirely.

    The exercise itself is worth adding to your routine regardless of what you call it. It’s low-impact relative to sprinting, it trains single-leg power, and it has that rhythmic, full-body quality that makes it feel more like movement than a workout. Give it a try — just maybe wait until you’re away from people who would recognize it as skipping.

  • Stop Buying Individual Grippers: The Adjustable GD Iron Grip Upgrade

    Stop Buying Individual Grippers: The Adjustable GD Iron Grip Upgrade

    For years, I followed the “gold standard”: Captains of Crush (COC) grippers. They’re legendary for a reason, but they have a built-in flaw that eventually stalls progress. The jumps between difficulty levels are massive — 55 lbs from the #1 to the #2 — leaving you stuck in no man’s land, either breezing through one or failing the next.

    While watching Jujimufu’s tour of Raspberry Ape’s gym, something clicked. Raspberry Ape made it simple: if you want to get good at grippers and you don’t care about certifying on the COC #3, you need an adjustable gripper. The one he recommended has since been discontinued, so I went down the rabbit hole and found what I believe is the best option on the market right now: the GD Iron Grip.

    Here’s why it matters for eskrima specifically. In most of our training, we’re not using maximal crushing strength — the stick doesn’t require it. What actually gets an eskrimador disarmed isn’t a lack of raw power. It’s fatigue. Your grip endures dozens of strikes, blocks, and transitions across a long session, and when it starts to fade, that’s when the opening appears. An adjustable gripper lets you train that full spectrum: dial it back for high-rep endurance work that mimics a real session, or crank it up to build the raw strength that serves as your ceiling.

    The GD Iron Grip earns its place on the shelf beyond just the concept. The resistance range is wide enough to be useful whether you’re a beginner building a base or an intermediate looking to push past a plateau. The build quality is solid, and the symmetrical design means it feels identical in both hands — no awkward adjustments when you switch.

    Whether you’re an eskrimador, a lifter, or just someone who wants bigger forearms , this tool has a place in your training.

    Check out the full video below for the unboxing, technical specs, and more.

  • Shogun Sports 100lb Sandbag — A Real World Strength Tool

    Shogun Sports 100lb Sandbag — A Real World Strength Tool

    I’m a big believer in training that translates to the real world. This 100lb Shogun Sports sandbag is a fantastic tool for developing “functional” strength — the kind required to move the awkward, asymmetrical objects that traditional weights often miss. Whether your focus is conditioning or general health, sandbags force you to adapt to a shifting, unstable load in a way few other implements can.

    What I didn’t cover in the video: the shifting, unpredictable weight of a sandbag is remarkably similar to what you experience in martial arts, grappling, and wrestling — where your “opponent” isn’t a fixed, balanced load. If you train in any of those disciplines, this is an especially worthwhile addition to your toolkit. It also doubles as a surprisingly solid low seat for box-style squats, which I didn’t expect but use regularly.

    Filling this bag turned into a mini-project of its own — dealing with damp sand and odd smells — but that’s part of the process of building a home gym. If you’re looking for a durable, veteran-owned gear option that can take a beating, this is a strong recommendation.

    Key Takeaways from the Build:

    • The Build: Top-tier construction featuring high-quality YKK zippers and a reinforced internal liner to prevent leaks.
    • The Fill: Buy your sand in the summer and fill it outside. If not, be prepared to dry it out manually with a fan — and to clean up a lot of dust.
    • The Result: A versatile, rugged tool that has become a staple for my strength and conditioning.

    Check out the full video below for the unboxing, filling tips, and my detailed first impressions.