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Oz-
09-13-2009, 08:59 PM
Got a friend here in town to make this puppy up for me. Got it today and she weighs around 60lbs without any plates on it.

I am going to call her "Suzie the Bitch"



http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/wanderito/misc/Suzie-p1.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a269/wanderito/misc/Suzie-p2.jpg

GQBalla
09-13-2009, 09:48 PM
So Oz,

maybe ill come by and see how much i can do.

max_boost
09-13-2009, 11:25 PM
That's awesome. How much did your friend charge?

Just curious, where do you go to push it? Just around the block? or bring it to a big empty parking lot?

Oz-
09-14-2009, 05:47 AM
Originally posted by max_boost
That's awesome. How much did your friend charge?

Just curious, where do you go to push it? Just around the block? or bring it to a big empty parking lot?

I had to pay for the materials that he used and for the labour we just swapped time for that.

This will be pushed up and down my alley, the upright bars are removable to put into a trunk. It can actually breakdown if you wanted to carry a socket set around with you.

Oz-
09-14-2009, 07:21 PM
Tried it out tonight in my alley, which is gravel and has some bigger rocks with a few soft spots. The rocks and soft spots make this much more difficult then anticipated. Did 6 passes with 100 lbs on there, each pass 40 yards or so. Alternated with Vertical bars with the low handle, rest was about 10 deep breaths in before going for the next pass.

Would have done more but still pretty burned from lunch lifting session, so didn't want to overtrain too much. Tomorrow is off day and going to try it on grass to see if that helps. Otherwise I am moving this puppy to the street, my neighbors already think I am weird puling my sled.

A790
09-15-2009, 01:00 AM
Prowler Prattle? Soon, methinks!

GQBalla
09-15-2009, 09:29 AM
you should paint hot pink strips twirling around susie ahaha

Oz-
09-15-2009, 05:54 PM
My lungs were burning today, got home and took this to the street right away.

Walked off 40 yards and did 4 consecutive trips alternating vertical bars and low handles. Started taking a 1 minute break (timed with wrist watch) after each trip. Stopped after 10 trips, this was tough. Once I start getting used to it, I will need to start upping the weight used or even start pulling my sled behind me.

Darkane
09-15-2009, 07:28 PM
Jesus, nice work!

lint
10-13-2010, 07:37 PM
instead of starting a new thread I thought I'd post in this one. my prowler finally arrived from Texas Strength Systems yesterday and I gave it a run today. no weight, 6 sprints about 30yrds alternating high and low handles and I was done. legs started giving out after run 4. it doesn't feel bad after the first couple and then it hits you. and sucking wind for 10 mins after.

pushing this thing is a bitch!

max_boost
11-14-2010, 12:43 PM
BUMP!!

Had my first experience with the prowler today. Took it easy.

2 runs empty.
1 run with a 35.
1 run with a 45.
1 run with 2X35.

Doesn't look like much but that thing can wreck you so fast. :eek: :nut:

C_Dave45
11-14-2010, 12:48 PM
Need a video of it in action!!

Does the different amount of gravel/size of gravel/ affect the resistance? What I mean is on the same "push", do you hit hard and easy spots depending on what its going over?

max_boost
11-14-2010, 01:04 PM
I'm not sure Dave. Just pushed it across the cul de sac at lint's place.

If the weather is decent next weekend, I'll video it for sure.

But honestly I know it's gonna hurt tomorrow so I was taking it very easy lol

lint did 4 runs, a couple with 2X45's and he was a wrecked man after :rofl:

Seriously what a concept. I was fairly tired after 5 runs and this conditioning only takes 20 minutes and you can always add more weight. :eek: :D

turbotrip
11-14-2010, 03:29 PM
ive tried the ghetto version of this where you take a car and park it on a slight incline in neutral and push it up that

the only hard part is getting in the car and hitting the brakes when ur destroyed from the pushing lol

lint
01-06-2011, 03:56 PM
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/defranco_prowler_training


DeFranco Prowler Training
by Joe DeFranco – 1/06/2011

Prowler Drunk
The kid is delirious, that much is clear.

After the workout we see him stumbling into his Chevy Blazer. He gets in, starts it up, and backs right into the Prowler. The Prowler is fine, but his truck has a big dent.

We're laughing, thinking, "Man, the Prowler bit him even after his workout." But it didn't end there.

A block from the industrial complex where my gym is located, the kid has to open up his door to puke. That's when the cop spots him.

College guy, puking on the side of the road... the cop turns on his lights and gives the kid a sobriety test. In the end, he lets him go, but I have to talk to the cop, tell him about the Prowler workout, and vouch for the kid.

These days the cops know we're back here and they give the kids the benefit of the doubt.


I Love / Hate the Prowler

"That's cool, but I don't really need it," I thought when I first saw the Prowler.

We already did truck and car pushes in the back parking lot for the slower, strength-based stuff. For resisted running, we'd do hill runs or sprint with a standard sled attached to our waists. The Prowler was cool, but I had other options.

I ended up getting one anyway. Within weeks I got another one. With this one piece of equipment I replaced a sled, a truck, and a hill. The Prowler just does it all.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Prowler. I love it because it's so versatile. I also love the extraordinary results it produces in an extraordinarily short period of time.

The Prowler is the ultimate piece of equipment when it comes to training economy: getting the most bang for your buck in the least amount of time. Bodybuilders can use it to add extra volume and put size on. World-class sprinters can use it to get faster.

I hate the Prowler because, with certain workouts, it can be evil. Not just "difficult" or "taxing" but evil. Heavy, twenty-rep squats have nothing on the Prowler. But if you have the balls, it's one of best training tools you can ever use.


Eccentric-less Training & Restoration
For skinnier athletes who want to put on muscle, we'll use the Prowler to add volume. We'll still do the traditional compound movements – squats and deadlifts, etc. – but we'll add in the Prowler for eccentric-less training. This allows us to increase the volume without breaking the athlete down.

Most of the time we do upper/lower body splits. If we do two upper-body sessions and two-lower body sessions per week using traditional weight training, we can use the Prowler to add in extra workouts on "off" days. More volume – without crushing the athlete with eccentric training – increases work capacity and builds more muscle.

The beauty of it is, this type of training also acts as restoration. The athletes actually feel better after the session than they did before. Done correctly, you can increase blood flow, flush out lactic acid, and enhance recovery.


Using the Prowler for a Normal Workout
You've seen the videos on YouTube: the guys puking, the guys laying on the ground unable to stand. Those are all in good fun, but those are challenges, not our actual workouts.

We use the Prowler mainly for speed and power, to increase strength and boost sprinting speed. We usually stay out of that lactic environment in our normal workouts.

I do a lot of 10 to 15-yard sprints with full recovery. I've seen an incredible increase in speed and running form. The Prowler dramatically improves acceleration technique – that first 10 to 20 yards of running a 40-yard dash.

The Prowler forces the athletes to get into the proper body position for acceleration. So not only are they faster because we've strengthened those muscles in a very specific manner using the Prowler, but because it engrains the perfect running form into their brains.


Train Slow to Be Fast! Introducing HASDs
One of our specialties at my facility is training athletes for speed. Most speed and agility coaches are into the running drills, the ladder drills, and the quick-foot drills. Those things, alone, are the most overused and overrated aspects of speed training.

We don't do fancy running drills to get you faster; we go to the root of the problem by asking the question: why are you slow? Let's find out and correct it instead just doing more speed drills incorrectly. Those may get you in better shape, but they're not going to fix technique flaws or muscular imbalances.

Most of our Prowler workouts consist of what we call heavy-ass sled drags or HASDs. Why? Because you have to train slow to be fast!

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Here's the beauty of HASDs: If you go heavy enough, you can't drag the Prowler behind you unless you position your body a certain way. That body position just happens to be the perfect acceleration angle.

Go heavy and you have to get into that position. Otherwise that Prowler's not going to move. And since athletes can't go quickly with it, I can yell coaching cues at them while they're doing it. It would be impossible to coach speed if the athlete was actually running. A 10-yard sprint takes about a second and a half. There's no way I could yell three or four coaching cues at them in that time.

You can't do the HASDs wrong, so you're engraving the proper motor programs into the athlete's brain and he's strengthening the most important muscles for acceleration (glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves) in the most specific manner possible.

Some coaches don't like it when I call this a speed drill. "It can't be a speed drill; you're going too slow!" Well, that's bullshit. It is a speed drill.

With any other sport, you slow it down so you can teach and rehearse different aspects of the game. With sprinting you could never do that, but with HASDs you can. Plus it's physically making the athletes faster.

Some people argue that this doesn't work, that the athlete just "feels faster" after he pulls a heavy sled. But I've conducted hundreds of my own experiments using the Brower Timing System. This is what's used at the NFL Combine. It's fully electric with no chance for human error. The results of my studies on high-level athletes are clear: heavy sled dragging makes you faster.

I've had guys who are already fast – we're talking top college and NFL guys, not just some untrained grade-school kid – get faster after using HASDs or multiple sets of ten yard sprints with full recovery. We're talking guys running 4.5 and 4.4 second, electrically-timed 10-yard dashes getting even faster.

If you can get a guy who's already fast in the 10-yard dash to take off a couple of hundredths or even a full tenth, that could literally mean millions of dollars for him at the NFL Combine.

"It's too slow to carry over to sprinting," some say. Complete bullshit! I've seen it happen too many times in my gym to believe otherwise. It definitely works. I've got guys who run 4.2's to prove it.

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So, 90% of our work with the Prowler is done using these heavy-ass sled drags. The rest is short sprints, 10 to 20 yards with a light to moderate weight and full recovery, staying out of the lactic environment (read: no puking and passing out.)

A small fraction of Prowler training comes in the form of "challenges." And this is where it gets interesting.


Prowler Challenges
Disclaimer: You only want to throw Prowler challenges in periodically. You don't want to make these a staple in your training; they're just too difficult to recover from and too easy to overdo.

Still, every now and then in training, you have to throw the science away. Don't worry about what energy system your sport requires, just see who has a set of balls and who's tough. Find out who's going to not quit.

The challenges will tell you a lot about your athlete or yourself. A lot of great athletes can run fast and jump high, but they'll be the first to quit when the lactic acid builds up or things get tough. That's not the kid you want on your team. You want the guy that's going to last during a freak play in the NFL that lasts up to a minute.

So, there are three reasons to do these crazy challenges:

As a gut check: to see who's mentally tough.

As an extra conditioning and calorie-burning tool for overweight athletes who need to suck it up and move their bodies more. Instead of walking on a treadmill for a half-hour, we burn those calories off in a few minutes.

As punishment or motivation. Maybe we're maxing out on the bench press and an athlete has a mental block: he's never broken 400 pounds. I'll say, "If you don't get this rep you gotta give me two Prowler suicides." He usually gets the rep.
I'll also throw in a Prowler challenge as a "gift" during the holidays, just an extra treat before they go home and start eating big meals with their families. The now infamous Christmas Eve workout is a good example.


The Original Prowler Challenge
This was the one that started it all. The reason this challenge covers 30 yards is because that was the distance from pothole to pothole in the parking lot of my old gym!

Try this when you first get your Prowler. You have to pass this challenge before you move on to the other ones.

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The original Prowler challenge is four, 30-yard pushes, as fast as possible. The Prowler is loaded with two 45-pound plates and two 25-pound plates, for a total of 140 pounds.

Start with the low horizontal handles. Sprint for 30 yards, then rest for one minute exactly. Now grab the vertical poles, sprint back 30 yards, and rest for one minute. Again, sprint the 30 yards with the low handles, rest, and come back using the high handles.

Now, to complete the challenge you have to hold your puke for five minutes after you finish. If you puke after the five-minute point, you've still completed the challenge.

Why the five-minute rule? Because it's not while you're pushing the Prowler or even immediately after, it's that two to three minutes after when the Prowler Flu kicks in. If you can survive that, you've passed the test.

By the way, 99% of my athletes can now smash this test. The old videos are a little embarrassing to them. Still, this is a great beginner challenge.


The New Prowler Challenge: Prowler Suicides
For the NFL Combine, athletes are required to do 60-yard shuttle runs, basically suicides:

run five yards, turn around quickly and run back to the starting line, then run ten yards and back, then fifteen yards and back.

Now we do this with a Prowler. A 45-pound plate on each side is standard. For advanced athletes, we add extra 10's to each side.

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Start with the low, horizontal handles, push it five yards, jump through the upright handles (instead of going around it), then push it back five yards with the high, vertical poles. Now go again with the low handles for ten yards, jump through it and push it back holding the poles. Now, do fifteen yards, same rules.

It's not over yet.

Rest 90 seconds then start over and do the whole thing again. Try to complete the second round with only a five second or less drop-off from the first round.

By the way, the MMA fighters are the best at this one – better than the football players!


Bonus Exercise: Plank Rows with Prowler
When a stud athlete, a true freak, comes to you the next day and says he's experiencing deep soreness in his abs, obliques, and core musculature, that's saying a lot about the exercise that got him that way. The plank row is one of those exercises.

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Get into a plank position. Reach out with one hand and grab a rope attached to a Prowler. Now, pull it toward you.

If you can do this you're going to feel it the next day, and in the long run you'll greatly enhance core stability, which will help you to remain injury-free.


Don't Have a Prowler?
Maybe a Prowler isn't in your budget right now. That's fine, just do what we did: hill sprints, car pushes, etc. But the big-time Division 1 universities and professional teams don't have an excuse.

Instead of having twenty lat pulldown machines, buy ten Prowlers. I'm shocked that every team doesn't have one yet. No money? You had money for a preacher curl machine and not a Prowler? It's baffling.

I don't have any wasted equipment in my gym. Nothing in there is just for show and nothing collects dust. I have 5,000 square feet and we use every bit of it. The Prowler is, without question, the most-used piece of equipment in the gym. That's high praise considering the amount of traffic that comes through here.

Are you up for the challenge?

A790
01-06-2011, 04:55 PM
Fuck. Yes.

I need to buy a prowler.

max_boost
01-06-2011, 04:58 PM
Can't wait till the snow melts so I can go prowler pushing.

JfuckinC
01-06-2011, 05:09 PM
that looks retardedly intense :rofl:

max_boost
01-06-2011, 05:17 PM
Yep. The Prowler can seriously wreck you. I made 2 runs with it empty, 1 run with two 35's and 1 run with two 45's and I felt it for the rest of the day. :nut:

KRyn
01-07-2011, 01:04 AM
When spring roles around we should revive my old thread or start a new one for beyond.ca group training sessions. I know a few guys came out for one or two last year. We had two prowlers and two sleds it made for a good evening.

JfuckinC
01-07-2011, 10:23 AM
Originally posted by KRyn
When spring roles around we should revive my old thread or start a new one for beyond.ca group training sessions. I know a few guys came out for one or two last year. We had two prowlers and two sleds it made for a good evening.

if i can keep up with what i'm doing now and hopefully be a little more conditioned by then i'm in haha. That looks like it feels reaaaaaal good :poosie:

chathamf
01-07-2011, 09:29 PM
So what are the big benefits of these things? I'm guessing it can be pretty much a whole body workout to some extent.

Mostly for cardio and leg strength though eh?

max_boost
01-07-2011, 09:48 PM
Originally posted by chathamf
So what are the big benefits of these things? I'm guessing it can be pretty much a whole body workout to some extent.

Mostly for cardio and leg strength though eh?

Read.

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/prowler.htm

The Prowler will destroy you.


The Prowler is great for...

· general conditioning

· all types of sled dragging

· Prowler pushes (push sled)

· lower body strength and endurance

· pretty much everything

liquidboi69
01-07-2011, 10:08 PM
KRyn, can I come and just yell motivating coaching slogans at you while eating KFC. I CANT'S CARDIO/need to bulks.

lint
01-23-2011, 03:26 PM
FYI, Kaevon over at Bells of Steel said that he will be bringing in Elite FTS prowlers soon, along with a reverse hyper, some more GHDs. Good place to find some not so common gear and at a reasonable price.

Unknown303
01-23-2011, 03:39 PM
These Prowlers look awesome. Would be awesome to test one out sometime.

lint
02-02-2011, 03:30 PM
pre-order available now. These are re-badged Elite FTS Prowler 2's from what I was told http://www.bellsofsteel.com/products/Pro-Prowler.html

max_boost
02-02-2011, 04:58 PM
Originally posted by lint
pre-order available now. These are re-badged Elite FTS Prowler 2's from what I was told http://www.bellsofsteel.com/products/Pro-Prowler.html

Damn thing is heavy. 50kgs?!

max_boost
04-23-2011, 04:46 PM
Bump for Prowler weather. Took it out to Crescent Heights high school for a few runs today and everyone was gassed after the 3rd run lol

Did 4 runs (40yards total both ways), one empty, two 15's, two 25's, two 45's.

Took like a 20minute break in between 3rd and 4th run. Completely dead.

Prowler > *

Love it. No pain no gain.

:D

Kaevon Khoozani
04-26-2011, 12:25 PM
Yup the Prowlers are in, yeah they're 50kgs for the Pro ones, 20kg for the econo. A lot of the guys we're selling the pro ones to are powerlifters/strongmen so they're moving in the 800-1,000lbs range for some of their pulls and what not. Feel free to come down to Strive fitness and test one out!

bigbadboss101
04-28-2011, 11:23 PM
You guys just load it in the back of your truck/suv and take it somewhere? 110 lbs and a bit awkward to lug around.

lint
04-29-2011, 08:19 AM
Originally posted by bigbadboss101
You guys just load it in the back of your truck/suv and take it somewhere? 110 lbs and a bit awkward to lug around.

100lbs for the pro prowler, not many people have those simply due to cost. The econo prowlers do the same thing in a lighter weight package. They will vary depending on the gauge of steel use, usually from 30-50 lbs or so. Econo designs are also easier to break down if needed, just a couple of bolts. But you just need a hatch and seats that fold. max moved my old one in his GTI.

You can always use it on the street in front of your house too.

max_boost
04-22-2012, 04:57 PM
Just wanna say A790 :poosie: and no showed on Prowler day today. :poosie:

I introduced 4 buddies to the Prowler and what an experience haha I only managed to do 3 runs and then called it quits. I'm lazy these days. :zzz:

A790
04-22-2012, 05:19 PM
Originally posted by max_boost
Just wanna say A790 :poosie: and no showed on Prowler day today. :poosie:

I introduced 4 buddies to the Prowler and what an experience haha I only managed to do 3 runs and then called it quits. I'm lazy these days. :zzz:
Fuck I totally forgot today was prowler day! I was at the gym doing back/bi's today.

Sorry dude- when are you doing it again? :)

max_boost
04-22-2012, 05:47 PM
:rofl:

xOpRbmmotCI

ekguy
04-24-2012, 12:40 PM
Originally posted by KRyn
When spring roles around we should revive my old thread or start a new one for beyond.ca group training sessions. I know a few guys came out for one or two last year. We had two prowlers and two sleds it made for a good evening.

Id be down for this depending where it is. Not noticing much gains anymore...Need to switch it up.

ryuen
06-24-2012, 10:21 PM
Bump. lol

I want to try this out!

:burnout: :barf:

ZorroAMG
06-28-2012, 01:19 AM
GO SAM!! :D

bigbadboss101
06-28-2012, 11:54 AM
Lets have a prowler party. Sunday afternoon, after playing tennis and watching EURO?

A790
06-28-2012, 12:23 PM
Originally posted by bigbadboss101
Lets have a prowler party. Sunday afternoon, after playing tennis and watching EURO?
YEAAAA!

max_boost
06-28-2012, 03:45 PM
Hate the prowler. Feel like throwing up every time. It is THAT sick. :barf:

Disoblige
06-28-2012, 03:50 PM
Looks like a good workout since the handlebars are so low

flipstah
06-28-2012, 04:00 PM
Originally posted by max_boost
:rofl:

xOpRbmmotCI

That looks gross.

... I wanna try lol.