Torque Athletic, for whatever reason doesn’t sell strength cables i.e., stranding pullers, chest expanders, etc. Which is a shame because with the high level of quality they produce their equipment with, I wouldn’t be surprised if they could put out a set of cables that truly bring it to a higher level, in both quality and in results produced by steady use.
Most of us are at least aware of what a chest expander is. My first experience came from finding a rusty and well worn set in the bottom of a cardboard box in the garage of a childhood friend’s house. I had remembered seeing then being used in an old loony-toons cartoon, where a man gets a pair out of a box and performs so Front Pulls and grows larger and larger with each rep.
Now this is 20(ish) years ago. So Kevin then and Kevin now have gone through some definite muscular adaptations. But young Kevin did appreciate an act of strength and so with all my 11 year old might and grit I pulled and strained and was able to stretch out of my arms to lock out in the Front Pull. Needly to say… I was pretty proud of myself.
My friend was pretty impressed too, and told me that not even his dad or big brother could do it (which further fueled my gratification) and they had stored it in this box to give to Good Will.
I decided I needed it more and I took it home with me.
I pulled and pulled and pulled for a whole summer. To be honest all I remember doing was the Front Pull, I hadn’t ever seen anything else done with it. Got stronger… but the springs where old, it creaked, when it closed across my chest it pinched skin, and by the end of that summer I had out classed it. I think my mom through it away one day while I was at school. I remember trying a “feat” Front Pulling while hopping on my “Pogo-Ball”, remember them? I lost my balance and fell back into the kitchen table. I couldn’t find them after that.
I soon was introduced to free weights and I all but completely forgot about the chest expander… and then one day…
I was at a friend’s house….
He was talking about a gym he had met at the gym that did nothing but training with rubber tubing, they called him the “rubber man”. Now coming from an “iron game” mind set… I get very suspicious of things like rubber tubing and “fitness” balls, etc, but I had been around enough to know that there are a lot of things out there with serious merit and I shouldn’t dismiss anything entirely without seeing where it could be useful.
Well, I didn’t know it, but this friend of mine went back to his gym, told the “rubber man” that he talked to his friend who swings big maces and clubs and hoists kettlebells and dumbbells and told him how suspicious I was of his rubber tubing
“Rubber man” issued me a challenge and sent my friend home with test to give to me.
I got to my friend’s house after hearing about the challenge and found on the table a Chest Expander. Wow… I thought. I haven’t seen one of these in a LONG time. It was 3 strands all orange, each had 50lb draw, so 150lbs total. The challenge? The Front Pull.
My friend told me, “Rubber man said if you could almost get a full rep, arms locked out he would be impressed”.
I grabbed it, got ready and pulled. I pulled with all my mace and club swinging, kettlebell and dumbbell hoisting might. I pulled strong and with purpose. I totally met “Rubber man’s” challenge; hey…maces, clubs, dumbbells and kettlebells build SERIOUS power! In fact, I probably did 50-60 Front Pulls over the course of that evening. But… it wasn’t easy and the next day, I was sore in weird places, places I hadn’t been sore in a LONG time.
Whatever happened to “Rubber man”? I don’t know. My friend told me he didn’t really believe him that I could do it so many times and that was last I heard. However my interest was piqued.
I did some studying of how Strand Pulling came into being, and I was even more impressed with what I found.
Strand Pulling comes from ancient European archery training. These men and women needed to draw back on some pretty heavy bow strings to send their arrows as far as they could and delivered with as much force as possible.
As the practice evolved and its function a staple in their society, men and women with great skill become that of legend. Soon town claimed to have the bows of certain great archers and it was customary for strongmen and women to fully draw back these bows to prove their prowess. Some even took to traveling from town to town besting each bow they could.
Humans are competitive beings and soon competitions where founded and champions named.
The great Old-time strongmen and women of the past began incorporating the act of pulling heavy strands in their acts and some even just specialized in that alone with tremendous results.
Popular even here in America for a time, as was Kettlebells and Club swinging, both heavy and light, and then that all disappeared. The Dumbbell and Barbell where king, and not without reason….
Well… I am a sucker for a challenge. I am a man that wants to test his strength against anything and everything out there, and I have been impressed by very little of what I have gotten my hands on.
I ordered a set of Blue cables 90lbs each (270lbs total). I figured if the Orange was the “standard” for a strong man and I easily handled that, the Blue might be a challenge, but with some work I could make it happen.
Well… maybe I bit off more than I could chew….
The box came and I torn into.
The Blue strands are a lot thicker then the orange, but I was undaunted.
I pulled, and pulled with all my mace and club swinging might, I pulled with all my kettlebell and dumbbell hoisting might.
I was beaten…..
The 3 Blue strands, while they did stretch and while I did produce enough force to lengthen the strands, I was some ways away from locking out and besting them.
I was impressed and very happy with my decision to step into the world of strand pulling. It was very light weight, portable, the resistance could be adjusted and the strands where of very good and durable quality. I put it in my backpack and would do some sets at school, or in the park or at the library, etc. But, with only blue strands I had the choice of 90, 180 or 270 pounds… which are pretty big jumps and didn’t give me a lot of options other than the real “power” moves to work with… I wanted a wider range of options.
I ordered a complete set of strands, 9 in total 3 of each, from 10 to 90lbs. In some ways, that is a complete gym in a bag and the options of exercises are, well…. You have plenty.
What makes strand pulling so unique is the range of motions you can carry these very heavy resistances through, which would be, in some cases, suicidal with actual heavy hoisted weight, the result? You get STRONG in angles and in direction of motion most guys simple are very, very weak. Also the resistance is ALWAYS in effect, there is no “top out” phase, and the cable is always seeking to return to its neutral position, creating an interesting “living” weight effect. Unlike heavy iron weights are often described as “dead” weight, the cables create a “moving and straining against you” effect, which as definite carry over to wrestlers, and martial minded people of all sorts.
Included that, with the added muscular endurance you build from struggling with a weight that “moves” and pulls away from you over and over again in chain reps, you get some durable, thick tendon, sinewy limbs.
Speaking of “chain” the easily adjustable and portable nature of the Chest Expanders makes Chain set training A “must do”. You just can’t argue with a man who’s results in this type of training have lead him to accomplish feats still untouched in this modern world of super science and steroids, that of Herman Goerner.
Start with the heaviest resistance you can handle in any exercise, do as many as you can, and immediately go to the next lower level of resistance, do as many as you can, ALL the way down the lightest resistance possible, doing as many as you can.
The progression is simple and direct power/lower reps, strength/medium reps, focused cardio/heavy reps, and it all happens by design and you feel the effects of each on each level… absolutely brilliant!
The shoulder rehabilitation I have discovered using cables cannot be overstated. I have a stronger, more mobile and pain free rotator cuff today because of my use of strands.
I wish I could back the companies selling these cables, but they won’t return my inquires and seem very unconcerned about feedback. The other company seems to be more about making them money and name dropping then making you stronger.
So, I will just strongly recommend you do some research, find a set that you like and benefit greatly from their use.
Drop me a line and let me know how it’s going.
-Kevin Wikse