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inTENS Odds & Ends
Some of you who are using the daily conditioning and MMA Drills that we post on our inTENS page have had questions about some of the more unusual exercises. For the most part we all seem to be on the same page: all squats (weighted or otherwise) to re-set depth, all push-ups with hand release, et cetera. (If this is Greek to you see our YouTube channel and you'll be good to go--if any of the MMA Drills are head-scratchers they are keyed to RAW volumes).
Today let's forgo the power of the image and explain four of the more recent unusual ones via the less-worthy technology of the written word.
Precision Jumps or, P-Jumps. P-Jumps are simply two-footed jumps from the ground (they can also be from one elevated surface to another) onto a concentrated landing surface. We use a homemade piece of gear for P-Jumps- we've firmly mounted an 8' length of 2" x 4" onto blocks with the 2" surface facing skyward. This 2" surface is our landing surface.
The object of the P-Jump is to jump from a designated distance away (3' for beginners to as far as 6' for advanced athletes) and stick your landing on the rail--i.e., all fall offs do not count as reps.
We typically place P-Jumps after a series of sprints so that the huffing and puffing of oxygen debt reduces the comfort and accuracy of the jumps. The key to the P-Jump is to jump upward and land downward onto the rail (typically in a squat) so that the inertia of the body does not pull you off of the rail.
Rail Squats. Using our same piece of homemade gear,and again performed after an intense circuit so that balance and concentration are already taxed, we stand on the rail on the balls of the feet. Then we slowly squat until heels and buttocks meet and then rise slowly--maintaining balance throughout. At the top of each squat you must retain a balanced stand for at least 2 seconds to qualify the effort as being controlled and legitimate.
Once you've played with these two after some maximal efforts and/or experienced some of the weighted versions to come you'll find balance improving exponentially.
Hand-Over-Hand Bar Travels. Bar Travels play hell with the grip and lungs if you keep your maximum steps high. Again, bar travels, like rail work, are ideally placed after high intensity work to increase the amount of physical taxation you would experience if placed earlier in a circuit.
Take a stance under your pull-up bar (the longer the bar the better). Turn so that you are facing along the long-axis of the bar. Take a baseball-grip/commando grip on the bar, pull yourself 1/4 up and shift your grip travelling back and forth on the bar in a hand-over hand manner. Move back and forth along the bar as long as possible or, until the designated steps are completed--each hand placement is one step.
Side-Slip Bar Travels. Here you take a standard pull-up grip on the bar. Pull yourself to the 1/4 lift position and move your right hand to your left, then your left hand away, then your left hand back to your right, and then your right hand away. Each placement of the hands is one step.
In both versions of bar travels we keep the step numbers high (typically 100 steps) with the goal of staying on the bar as long as possible into the designated number as you can manage.
Well, I hope that helps you inTENS followers, more unusual physical challenges around the corner.
Remember the dictum "Nature is not smooth" we need continual stimulation along many different gradients to keep the body primed. Have fun! | 
