Bungie Cord Workout

[[old] Yoda1]

We've been experimenting with bungie cords for exercise equipment. It's an inexpensive way to set up a workout that works. Everyone that has tried it has liked it although almost everyone has said that the overall feeling is considerably different than with iron. Basicly, what we did was put two rows of 1" eyelets into the wall about 2 feet apart. We spaced them about 6" apart, vertically. We purchased a bunch of bungie cords of different lengths and diameters in order to have different resistances. We made some handles from 1" PVC pipe and some 9 thread spliced together. <br /><br />Now we had to find the correct bungie cord for each exercise. Like any routine it takes a couple of workouts to find the one that works for you. Once that was determined we went about our workouts. Shortly after begining this we added a swiss ball into the mix. That made a big difference. By adding the swiss ball balance really came into play. <br /><br />What's nice about this is that if you want to add resistance, you just add another bungie cord. <br /><br />What we did find out about this workout was that it was important to move as slow or slower in the negative portion of the movements than the positive portion. Otherwise, what ever protocol a person wishes to use it can be done with bungie cords.<br /><br />Probably the best thing about this set up is that it can be put together for less than $50.00 including the Swiss Ball. And as best I can tell there are few body parts that can not be worked and worked hard with this set up. <br /><br />As I said, I just thought I'd share. <br /><br />Yoda

[[old] John Rupp]

Great idea, Yoda. <br /><br />Is 1 inch PCV strong enough for a handle? What is 9 thread spliced together?

[[old] slo_boat]

Yoda,<br /><br />Haven't seen you around these parts for a while. Great post on the bungies.<br /><br />Back in the old days (Remember Strength & Health?) I used to think that rubber bands were for sissies. Real men used iron. There was always an exergenie floating around, and when I was in the Corps most barracks had at least one locker with a bullworker in it. <br /><br />Flashforward to today. I think that all of the focus on core and on other exercises is great. A few session of physical therapy for a variety ailments and a variety of different exercises over several years helped me begin to really understand the value of small dumbells and bungies. I wish that I had put my thoughts on paper a few years ago when I first started realizing that all the PT was doing was rebuilding a proper foundation (what we now call the core). I could have been the guy with the best selling workout books!<br /><br />How are the bionic shoulders? I had a long talk with an ortho doc about type I and type II acromions. I'm blessed with a type II (curved), so I am subject to impingement syndrome. Fortunately, my issues were minor. No more heavy bench presses or heavy overhead movements, but no knife either.<br /><br />If anyone reading Yoda's post wants more info, then they can start searching the web with terms like <b>Sport Cord</b> and <b>Theraband</b>. You can buy tubing with stated resistance levels. On the other hand you can also pick up all sorts of shock cord at the local hardware store.<br /><br />

[[old] Porkchop]

<!--QuoteBegin-slo_boat+Jan 19 2006, 12:01 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(slo_boat @ Jan 19 2006, 12:01 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Yoda,<br /><br />Haven't seen you around these parts for a while. Great post on the bungies.<br /><br />Back in the old days (Remember Strength & Health?) I used to think that rubber bands were for sissies. Real men used iron. There was always an exergenie floating around, and when I was in the Corps most barracks had at least one locker with a bullworker in it. <br /> <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />I still have a Bullworker sitting in my basement. I haven't used it in decades, but I just don't seem to be able to let go of any of my exercise equipment. Good thing I'm not a pack rat or anything. <br /><br />Yoda, nice to hear from you. Do the bungees work better for you than surgical tubing? I've got a couple of commercial gizmos that use tubing for resistance. One of them is the Lifeline Gym. I get kind of bored with them, but I keep them around for travel, in case there's no gym available.

[[old] Yoda1]

Slo boat,<br /><br />Glad to hear you don't have to worry about going under the knife. I miss the real heavy lifting. Never thought that I would, but boy, I do. There was something about hoisting poundage, argggg, enough of that. <br /><br />Remember Chuck Spies? He used to workout with the old spring chest expander. I hated those. I used to get the hair on my chest caught in the springs. The guy was a powerhouse. I intensionly (spell) wanted to use the bungie cords rather than the tubing mainly because of the cost. I wanted to see if I could put this thing together as cheaply as possible. One thing about the tubing from Thera-Band is that they will give you the resistance in poundage where with bungie cords you kinda have to take what you get.<br /><br />Porkchop, <br /><br />I really don't think that there is much difference in the feel between the two, but there is a big difference in the cost. Ah so, the Bullworker. That's the piece that if you hold the tube vertically and spread your hand out to sides and come back to the middle too fast you end up with a bloody nose. Yup, I remember that one.<br /><br />If anyone is interested in the exercises that can be done with straps or tubing there is a book out by Phil Page and Todd Ellenbecker called "Strength Band Training". These guys are at the top of the list in the area of Therapy. Great book and not a lot of BS.

[[old] Yoda1]

John,<br /><br />Nine thread is 1/4" manila rope. The 1" PVC pipe is definitely strong enough. We made ours about 5-1/2" long. The splicing is done in a loop. That way the spliced portion of the loop will slide into the handle. (the PVC pipe). The loop is a diameter of about 6-7".<br /><br />Yoda