I originally stared this in the CBL forum and realized that many here might not know any information about Prowler training and that this forum would be a good place to start talking about it.
If you don't know what a Prowler is, it is a weight loadable sled that is pushed on a variety of surfaces - road, concrete, gravel, carpet, snow, etc. Training with the Prowler eliminates any muscle eccentric contractions which prevents any soreness or systemic inflammation in the body. It is grueling as hell and is scary effective at conditioning the body. And isn't that why we are all here, to find the most effective AND efficient methods to achieve results? If so, then there is nothing that is going to beat the prowler when it comes to conditioning. Not to mention the mental toughness that will be gained.
Also, which I just realized today based on this article:
http://www.dangerouslyhardcore.com/1226/heavy-duty-cbl/Training with the Prowler may be one of the best tools for a CBL'er. This is because all movements are concentric contractions which are responsible for translocating GLUT. This means you can get your conditioning in, while preserving muscle, and enjoy a nice backload afterwards.
Basically:
concentric = GLUT Translocation (important for us CBL'ers)
eccentric = Strength and muscle gains / accumulation.
I think Jim Wendler says it best when talking about the prowler - "it is efficient, difficult and effective. It’s the perfect conditioning device for anyone looking to cut the B.S., start training like a man again and not waste time."
Also Mark Rippetoe - "I'd have you on a strength program 3 days/week and pushing the prowler once/week. You stay in shape, you stay strong, and you're not sore and inflamed all the time. Systemic inflammation is the process that tears down your strength training progress during your CF 'season". The prowler produces no soreness, it preserves your strength progress, and it is a frighteningly effective tool for conditioning."
Here are some links if anyone is interested to learn more about the Prowler:
Video of the Prowler in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0703-G1Z7JgVideo - "Anabolic Cardio" (you can stop watching after 2:42):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L_IVgF2y-sArticles:
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/conditioning_101http://www.t-nation.com/strength-training-topics/1481http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showthread.php?t=23448&page=1http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/5-new-uses-for-the-prowler/If you are in for the science of it all, here is a great article by Matt Reynolds:
I’ll never forget the first time I used the Prowler. I had just bought a couple from Jim Wendler
and Dave Tate at EliteFTS for the high school football team I help coach. As soon as they came in, I
remember putting them together, loading up a few plates and heading out to the parking lot to give
the thing a try. I had heard the horror stories about the Prowler, but I was a professional strongman and
elite level powerlifter; an elite athlete, if you will. Five 100' trips later I was on my hands and knees, in
the small grassy median between the school and the parking lot, puking my guts up, as were the other
two coaches and training partners who were pushing it with me.
A few weeks later I called up my brother, who was once a very good powerlifter, and now ran
marathons (weird sport conversion, don’t ask). The point is that the guy routinely would have his wife
drop him off on a Saturday morning at a town 30 miles away and he would run the Ozark Greenways
or Frisco Highline trail home for 30 miles! He was in incredible shape. I had been talking to him about
energy systems work and how I thought it was important for him to get some high intensity anaerobic
work in once or twice a week on top of his long runs, and that it would actually contribute to his
aerobic endurance, so I invited him down to the gym I own, STRONG Gym to have him try out one
of our new Prowlers. After his first 6 trips he was initiated by emptying the contents of his stomach
all over the STRONG parking lot. The guy quit right then and there, and never came back.
God, you gotta love the Prowler.
Read the rest of the article here:
http://startingstrength.com/articles/death_by_prowler_reynolds.pdf
