DIY Workout: Make Your Own Medicine Ball

Looking for a good workout but don’t have a medicine ball?  You could be in luck.  The March issue of Men’s Health (with Matt Damon on the cover) provides a cost-effective way to turn an old basketball into an awesome piece of workout gear.

Step 1: Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove the rubber plug from the basketball. Set the plug aside.

Step 2: Insert a funnel with a tip small enough to fit into the ir hole. Fill the ball entirely with a fine-grain play sand. A 50-pound bag will make three medicine balls.

Step 3: Brush rubber cement in and around the rim of the air hole. Immediately plug the hole with the rubber stopper, using the nedle-nose pliers to push the stopper in if needed.

Step 4: Brush more rubber cement over the stopper. Allow it to dry.

Transforming Transportation: Who Says a Bike Needs a Bike Rack?

In the September 2009 issue of Details magazine they have a segment on what’s new this month.  Well, some of it was garbage that was impractical and boring.  One thing caught my eye, however.  As someone who has biked to work 3 times in my life, all ending tragically, the article about the IF Mode bike from Areaware made my mind think:  “awesome.”  This fold-up bike is perfect for urban efficiency.  No bike rack?  No problem.  A single swing-arm frame lets you fold the bike with ease and in an efficient matter.  You won’t be late for work or spending a fortune on gasoline.  You also may get that exercise that you have been needing (someone had to say it).  The price tag is a bit hefty, but worth every penny.

The Manliest, Deadliest Competition on the Planet

There is a very manly article in the October 2009 issue of Men’s Journal magazine about the Death Race.  this is arguably the most dangerous and draining physical competition on the planet.  The website to sign up for the race is http://www.youmaydie.com and it holds some truth.  Last year, only 18 of the 54 competitors crossed the finish line. Annual changes keep things interesting, but here is what the 2009 race entailed:

1. Bust Stumps: “After the first several mud crawls under barbed wire, locate a tree stump with your race number on it and dig it out with your axe.  You have to carry the stump (and a bike frame) for the entire race” (Men’s Journal)
2. Find a Light: “Run 3 miles through a rocky creek to retrieve a single match, followed by another 1/8 mile barbed wire crawl.  Don’t get the match wet – you’ll need it later.” (Men’s Journal)
3. Split Wood: Using your axe, split 20 log chunks into firewood, then lug it all the way to the top of a 2,000 foot hill.” (Men’s Journal) Remember…you still have the bike frame and stump…
4. Test Your Memory: “at the top of the hill memorize a list of the first 10 US Presidents then return to the bottom of the hill and recite them. Jumble the names and you climb back to the top to try again.” (Men’s Journal)
5. Build a Lego Cube: “Study a multicolored lego cube, taking careful notes.  Then crawl more than a mile under barbed wire and reconstruct the cube – AFTER retrieving the pieces from a pond. If you fail – yep, you guessed it – go back through the barbed wire and start over.” (Men’s Journal)
6. Run a River: Do another barbed wire mud crawl, run 1.5 miles through a shallow river, then find an egg hidden in high grass. Slippery rocks and no free hands to catch yourselves.” (Men’s Journal)
7. Make a fire and Cook and Egg: “Using the match you picked up in the morning, start a fire to boil a tin can of water and cook your egg – the only food you eat all day. Ruined the match?  Hope you remember your Boy Scout training.” (Men’s Journal)
8. Bike Around the Pond: “Retrieve your wheels from the woods, dive into a pond to find your chain, assemble the bike, and ride it around the pond.  Then weigh yourself on a scale. After carrying the bike around all day you only get to ride it for seconds.” (Men’s Journal)
9. FINISH: “Carry 20% of your weight in rocks up an 1,800 foot hill.  Repeat with water.  Then sprint 2.5 miles.  First place wins $2,000.  Second place wins squat.” (Men’s Journal)