Monday, December 29, 2014

Basic rope climb setup

My MudGear Challenge - 5 burpees 5 rope climbs for time video prompted some questions about my rope climb setup.

Thankfully, it's pretty simple. Here's what you'll need:


Once you have the parts, start digging. I used a post hole digger to dig a hole 2 ft. deep and maybe a foot in diameter for each of the posts. The posts are roughly 46 in. apart, so you could eventually make a salmon ladder out of it also.

To secure the three pieces of timber, drill through the short 4x4 into the center of the top of long 4x4s. You'll screw the Lag Screw through the short 4x4 into the long 4x4. I did the drilling on the ground. Here's what the screw looks like when assembled...


Now that you have the holes dug and the two holes drilled, assemble the frame on the ground. If you have two people, you can probably lift the fully-assembled frame into place. Unfortunately, I was working alone, so I took one screw out and lifted each side of the frame into place individually. Then I climbed a ladder to screw the second screw back in.

Level the frame. I used some extra gravel from my bucket carry gravel to level up the bottom of the holes. And then I added a few supports in each side to keep the frame in place (remove the supports before you start training).

Finally, dump the concrete into the holes and mix while adding water. (This was the first time I mixed concrete on my own...considering the frame is still standing, I think it was a success.)

After the concrete has hardened, throw your rope up there and start training. Here's what it the frame and rope look like:


The Rope
I ordered the rope from Knot & Rope Supply near Toledo, Ohio. The order included 20' of 1.5" Polyester Combo Rope, 3 Strand Eye Splice (which used up a few feet of the rope), and Heat Shrink End.

Questions? Comments?
Feel free to post questions below or contact me on Twitter.

The Video
Finally, here's the video...I need to work on my time...

Friday, December 12, 2014

OCR Strength and Conditioning Group Training at Ignition APG


Ignition APG in Mason, Ohio (just north of Cincinnati, Ohio) is starting an OCR Strength and Conditioning Group Training class on Tuesday, December 16. The class is offered three days a week.

First session is free.

More information below...