How to make a simple, but effective sled.

If you can afford to shell out $200-$300 for a pre-fabricated sled, then by all means…do it. But, if you’re like most people these days, money is tight.  Most of us cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars on fitness gear right now.  The economy is in the crapper, and gad prices are thru the roof!

A few months ago, I also bought a sled off of ebay and crazy low price of $75, plus $25 shipping.  Guess what?  It was a piece of shit.  It advertised as an interchangeable standard, and olympic size weight holder…the screw in bars always got stuck, and the metal links quickly bent out of shape.  Not to mention, the ‘harness’ it came with was cheaply made and was a couple of pulls away from being the cause of a broken nose!

Then again, the sled is one of my favorite conditioners.  If you’re feeling fiesty, slap a few plates on it and feel the burn as you develop the quads.  Lighten it up, get into some space, and sprint like a maniac until you feel like puking you butthle thru your mouth.  For an extra bonus, pull that bastard up a hill. Bottomline; gotta have it!

So, how can we get an effective sled at an affordable price?  Answer; make one!

Here’s what you’ll need.

1. (1) Used Tire. You’d be surprised how many you’ll see in fields, near trash dumpsters, or just on the side of the road.  If not, find a used tire or mechanic and you’ll get one for free.  A good sized would be that of a small pick up truck.  You’ll see the one pictured is not very large at all. FREE.

2.  (1) Eye bolt. What size?  Try and get 3/8″x6″ or somewhat bigger.  This will cost you about $2.00.  I got mine at Home Depot, but they can be found in most hardware stores.

3. (1) Tow Strap. This one pictured is 2″x20′ tow strap from Harbor Freight Tools.  These will cost you about $13-$25, depending on the size you pick up.  You should get at least a 2′x20″, it will run you about $13.

4. OPTIONAL:  Lifting Sling. I like using this to pull it.  It has nice handles and be used a few different ways.  It’s not needed, but it does make the sled much better.  Just my $0.02 of course.  You can also find this at Harbor Freight for about $10.  They have different sizes, but I think you’ll be OK with the 1 Ton capacity for now…

So, now that you have everything, you probably spent anywhere from $15-$30, depending on the options you chose.  Now it’s time to put it together.  It should be commons sense. I’m a little disappointed that I even need to go thru the steps, but I will anyhow.

First off, you’ll need to drill a hole into the tire.  Find a drill…somehow, some where.  Make the hole just big enough for the eye bolt to fit thru.  Insert the eye bolt, then put the washer on the other side.  Once that is complete, screw the nut on tight.

Locating and drilling the hole is probably the toughest part of building your own tire-sled.

Once this is done, attach the tow strap as pictured below.

OK, now you have your sled.  You can use it with just a tow strap, as mini-B demonstrates below.  He is doing the backward pull.

You can even get the kids involved and use it as a ride for the lil ones!  Check out the video below.

Note:  The tire sled in the video was one I made with a rim still attached and had a metal bar welded to it.  This ‘advanced’ version allows weights to be added for even more fun.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless!  Add on the lifting sling to pull the tow strap if you picked one up, and you have even more comfort and padded handles.

To keep it simple, don’t worry about the rim or welded bar.

You can also add weight to the sled by stuffing dumbbells into the inner part of the tire.  Or, as pictured below, throw a sandbag on top of it.  You can get pretty creative with the sled.  Try new things, experiment and keep what works…and stop doing what doesn’t.  Like I said, it’s pretty simple!

So, get on it…try different styles.  Try grass, try cement, and even try it up hills!  Give it a shot and let me know how it goes!

Until next time, keep killin it simple…yet effective!

-Mike McNeil.

PS:  One of my favorite cardio and leg routines is a simple, but hellish, dose of alternating hill sprints and sled pulls up hill.  For example:

10 Hill Sprints

2 Sled pulls up the same hill

Repeat this 3 times.

Finish it off with 10 sled sprints on a flat surface.

I did all this a few days back in under 45 minutes…and it whooped my ass….and legs!

Let’s take a daydream break: MY GYM

Welcome to the NEW OCSF…step into my mind for a minute.

You walk in…no receptionist.  Maybe a beast taking a break.  No front desk, just a box labeled “Leave your negativity in here”  To your left is 3 row machines being cranked on…you cant hear em over the blaring music though.  New sign ups need to be done outback, in the ally..the music is too loud to talk.  It is an interview, not an MI (member interested) as you are called at 24 Fitness.
All the way in the back corner there are 3 huge tires and 6 hammers stacked up, today is not a tire flipping day.  The garage type door is rolled open and 2 warehouse fans crank…there is no AC in this place.  We do work at OCSF, we don’t workout.  Nobody is talking here.  A conversation takes place outside the door, they’re already done training.

If you’re caught texting during a session, you are asked to leave.  If you lose the eye of the tiger, your membership is revoked.

Battle ropes hang from the ceiling like ponytails from God.  There is ZERO treadmills and 3 power racks.  There are no shortage of locations to do the basic ass kickers, push ups, pull ups, dips, squat, press, LIFT…  Stones riddle the right hand corner in the back, various height loading platforms.

There is a double lined trash can labeled “Please Puke Here” and you are expected to empty it yourself.

WELCOME TO YOUR NEW GYM.

Box jumps, burpees, tuck jumps, the Animal…welcome to the cardio room.

People come here to UNLEASH THE BEAST…and who is that? That is Mike…he is dancing around like a fuckin maniac from his own training session.  Ignore him…

The pile of kettlebells looks nothing short of an avalanche of metal tears.  The last ‘prospect’ that asked “what are those” was immediately asked to leave…on the spot.  Luckily, you still have some time to find out…  There is a plethora of dumbbells, but none are shiney.  The only cables in here are the ones that roll open the door.  Next to the tires, are sleds….parked like war tanks, ready to attack anyone willing to step up.

Pictures, signs, and messages label the walls…reminding you that you are here to TRAIN.  SHUT UP AND TRAIN.

Outback, you have one beast pushing a sled next to another running 40yard sprints.  Puking outside is fine…

You do not come to this place to ‘relax’ or sit in a stinky fuckin sauna…YOU COME TO TRAIN.

Just pretend with me for one minute….close your eyes….CAN YOU FUCKIN IMAGINE???

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!!!  Just remember, thoughts become things…

Coming soon…it’s on!

-Mike

PS- I really don’t know why it means so much to me.  Why so intense? Won’t you scare off clients?  I can’t answer that question.  I don’t care.  Folks, this is ME…take it or leave it.

I WON’T CHANGE…failure before fake.

5 easy to find TRAINING items

Beasts,

Listen up.   Even though I would love for it to be different, but the truth is nobody is going to pay me forever…so, the sooner you start adding your own arsenal, the better.  Those of you not training with me,  well, I guess you get some free info here.

1. Sledge Hammer- $20-$30 depending on the size you want.  You can find these at Harbor Freight, Home Base, and even some Big Lots carry them.

2.  Tire- Local tire yard will give you one for free.  No, not a big huge one for flipping…unless you want one already, but one for beating with the hammer.  They can easily fit in any trunk.

3.  Cinder block and bricks.   You can do many different variations of presses wit a cinder block.  Obviously do not attempt it you can’t handle the weight, it could get ugly if it fell on your head…  Stones can be used as well, same warning too. The bricks can be used to squeeze for grip strength and forearm power.

4. Logs: Free Firewood, anyone? That’s how I got the one I have.  It doesn’t have to be too big (…she said! ha!) and can be used for a few different things.

5. Old Spare Tire: No not the one under your shirt….HA! Ok…sorry.  Really, an old tire and some rope make a great pulling sled!  Anyone that has worked with me has pulled something at one point.  For new starters, the easiest and best one is a small spare tire with a rim attached still.

Truth be told; you probably have most of these items in your garage or backyard already.

I will post these on video soon.  The items, and a couple workouts using them.  Shit, you may even be one of the stars!

It’s a new day folks and folksettes…thank God for waking you…and for my post…and get out and let us KILLLLLLLLLLIT!!!

-Mike

www.ocstrength.com

Make Your Own Medicine Ball

Make Your Own Medicine Ball

Open and save to your documents

http://jabmax.com/wp-admin/medball1.pdf

How to make a BULGARIAN TRAINING BAG, under $12.00

You may have seen the video below, it is how to make a Bulgarian Training Bag at home.  This dude is RIPPED on this video, and these things are awesome to use.  I couldn’t find an intertube ready to use and I just wanted to try and make one.  So here is a guide on how to make an even less expensive training bag!

First here is the guide.

Click here —->$12 BULGARIAN TRAINING BAG

And here is the video using some other material as well.

ENJOY!

Vintage YORK- Look What I got!!!!

I picked these up off of Craigslist for $40.00, all of them!

If you are looking to build your own arsenal of equipment, browse craigslist daily.  I picked up a few weights for these today as well.

I have also picked up power towers, york dumbbells, army bags for sandbag lifting.  The deals on craigslist are endless if you know how to use it.

I see a few days worth of rust removal in my future!!

Build it. Kill it!

-Mike