Skip to main content

Scattergun Muscle, GFF & River-Hosses by Mark Hatmaker

 




[The photo is offered as proof-of-principle, in that one-hand swings--off hand at that-- versus the pull of G’s become a piece of cake with The GFF Program.]

Scattergun Muscle Defined

When we encounter the phrase “scattergun” or “scattergun muscle” in the old record, we are hearing archaic slang for targets along the periphery.

We hear echoes of this euphemism in old prison slang. The most current usage I can find is in “Paul Wade’s” Convict Conditioning 2 where he refers to training the neck, grip, and calves as “shotgun muscle.” He explains it thusly:

These groups were often called shotgun muscles by the old-time prison athletes, because they ride shotgun with the bigger movers.”

Unleaded Scattergun is broken into three broad classes.

·        One-Grip-Fingers-Forearms [GFF]

·        Much ado about work-grip here and nothing about hand-grippers.

·        Two-The Head Harness

·        The neck is more than bridging, we’ve got to awaken the full sweep of the trapezius for true stability on the mat or rolling with the shots.

·        Three-The Feet, Calves, & Toes

·        Old-school lower leg training was less about the vanity of the bulging gastrocnemius and more about gaining speed, strength, and stability.

·        In that precious few seconds of breaking the toe-hold you’ll appreciate what this will wrought.

·        Let alone the fact, much of what ails the knee, or can ail it down the road can be traced to the tendon insertions and the strength of what lies below this mighty important joint.

Historical Grip Kings

The Old Timers respected not only a strong grip, but one that was enduring and survived static feats.

They turned their eye to two occupations as embodying grip-strength.

One-Climbers. I need say not much here, as we have copious examples of climbers today displaying their staggering GFF ability.

We shall spend more time with the second occupation…



Two-Keelboat & Flatboat Men

These Hosses of America’s “muddy thoroughfares” were notorious for their rowdiness, their wrestling ability, their rough ‘n’ tumble nature, and for The GFF Program purposes, their astonishing grip.

Taking a boat downriver was an arduous process, going upriver though, in the days before steam, well, that was a different breed of River-Cat altogether.

To go upriver pre-steam required much ingenuity but mainly manpower—among these mortal-drivers was the process of cordelling.

There are two ways to cordelle.

Tie a rope to the mast, run it through a bridle at the bow of the boat, send a man/men upriver with a thousand yards or so of line and the man [men] on the bank would pull the boat upriver, against current with full weight of freight performing as “canal mules.”

Or the man upriver on the bank would tie off to a fixed anchor-point Then on the bow the line could be pulled in a process called warping.

Both are godawful arduous.

If you ever have a gander at a full-scale replica keel or flat boat, ponder how much guff it takes to do what was just described. A keelboat was on average, 70 feet long, 18 feet at the beam with 3-4 feet of draft.

It is likely because of cordelling and warping that these Hosses rivalled climbers for staggering GFF development.

[More on keelboat exploits and fighting tactics to come in The Black Box Project.] And trust me, these men Loooved to fight.]



GFF—More than Aesthetics—Re-Hab & Pre-Hab

Sufferers from any of the following will likely find relief and a bit if pain-freeness on the horizon…

·        Tennis Elbow [lateral epicondylitis]

·        Golfer’s Elbow [medial epicondylitis]

·        Carpal Tunnel Syndrome [median nerve compression]

·        De Quervain's Syndrome [radial styloid tenosynovitis]

·        Trigger Finger Syndrome [stenosing tenosynovitis]

·        Lifter’s Elbow [medial epicondyle tendinopathy]

Often these maladies are “self-inflicted” in that repetitive or poor use begins the inflammation of the particular issue and then we continue to experience pain by returning to these poor-use patterns.

Sudden or unexpected forces can also begin manifestation as in the case of uses where velocity is key [the powerful tennis serve with the long lever of the racket continuing rotation past optimum] to the screaming elbow from the heavy bench or supinated curl.

Once pain begins many choose two paths to “recovery”…

One-The athletic are often determined to work through it and begin adding braces, turn to NSAID pain-relievers, or habitual need for ice.

These steps will not improve the situation and will likely lead to more damage.

Two-The other option is often rest or use-avoidance.

Also, anathema as “failure to use” often leads to loss of strength, flexibility, and mobility in the afflicted area and then when return to use is prescribed, a brace is often “required” to take up the slack that the “failure to use” has wrought.

Caveat—In cases of recency or extreme pain, yes, task-avoidance is advised, in cases where painful use does not exceed a 4-5 on a 10-scale, well, the Old-Timers would advise get back on the stick at scalable load.

Health is not to be purchased by idleness and inactivity; these greatest evils attend on sickness. The man who thinks to conserve his health by idle ease does not differ from the man who guards his eyes by not seeing.”-Plutarch

What Not to Do

Beyond the just discussed, “Stop using it” and “Brace, ice, pain-killers, do the same things that hurt it before” there are more Old School suggestions.

Some of these are anathema to modern thought but…self-experimentation has proven, to this Old Man at least, that they knew of what they spoke.

The Six Old School No-Nos for GFF

One-Use Avoidance

Two-Continue to do what wound you up where you are but somehow expect things to change even though you don’t.

Three—Stretching. Wha? No stretching. Yeah, seems counter-intuitive but…

Elbow, wrist, finger injuries are likely manifesting around tendon insertions and/or involve inflammation over areas where nerves lie close to the bone.

Stretching addresses muscle tissue primarily, which is not where a likely source of pain or injury is occurring.

Stretching of the hands, fingers, and wrist will, yes, stretch unafflicted muscles, but it will also cause tendons to compress across these bony insertion points where inflammation is already present. The inflamed tendon which is compressing and firing the afflicted nerve will then be stretched over the non-giving surface of bone further applying pressure to an annoyed nerve creating a loop of tendon-nerve aggravation.

The advice to stretch the hands, fingers, or wrists with any of the aforementioned maladies present is akin to “healing” a sprained ankle by doing calf stretches.

But Mark if I don’t stretch won’t I lose flexibility in the site of injury?”

Nope. Unleaded GFF places the afflicted areas through a range of motion while the GFF musculature is under tension. The dual concentric and eccentric contractions will act as shock absorbers/cushions for these bony tendon insertion points providing respite for the inflamed nerves.

This allows us to re-educate use, strengthen afflicted areas, and not only maintain but even gain flexibility.

In Old School thought, “flexibility” or mobility” are looked at askance. Flexibility was part and parcel of use and performance and not a separate “stretch a sprained ankle” or stretch a “future sprained ankle” chore to be added to your workout.



Yeah, I hear ya, “Give up stretching?”

The proof is in the pudding. I ask the intrepid to give it a 12-Week Anti-Stretching period and then decide for yourself.

Me? I side with the Old Timers.

Four-Nerve Gliding. There is a modern approach to many of the GFF maladies that fall under the rubric “Nerve-Gliding.”

The theory being that nerves become “trapped” within their tunnels.

As anyone with any experience with nerve-gliding can tell you, it is just another form of stretching, that is, compressing already inflamed nerves.

The scientific evidence behind “trapped nerves”, nerve gliding, and the efficacy of the practice is, well, if it worked above the mean, I wouldn’t offer the Unleaded GFF Program.

Five-Hand-Grippers. First, this is not a knock to hand-grippers, they are fine for hitting some aspect of use…but they simply do not address enough of the story.

There is more to GFF musculature than simply powerful closing.

We require hands that close with strength, hands that can use this strength thru ranges of motion and wrist rotation—seldom do you see grippers used in any wrist-position other than locked straight

We require hands that endure to “true” load rather than “gym” load.

We’ll get to this heavily in the actual program.

Six—Wrist Curls. They don’t do what you think they do.

Bend your arm palm up, have a look at your forearm.

See the bulk of the musculature at the widest point of your forearm just below the elbow.

Use your other hand to grip this widest point—squeeze hard.

Now, while squeezing with your other hand, leave your palm open and perform a few wrist curls and feel the amount of flex in the forearm on both sides of the radius and ulna.

Now, keep squeezing, stop your wrist curls, and instead open and close your hand as hard as you can.

Squeeze your fist as tightly as possible, then open your fingers to full extension as far as possible.

Notice how there is far more contraction and flexion occurring when you did finger-work as opposed to wrist curling?

The muscles of the forearm are primarily about finger control. The muscles that control wrist flexion in a plane are far fewer and are activated in finger work whereas the contrary does not occur.

Wrist curls do not provide the necessary “load” to strength and improve the GFF to the Old School degree.

FYI-Fear not. I am not saying that wrist flexion is an unneeded attribute I am merely saying that wrist curls pay a poor return on GFF training investment. There are wiser and more useful ways to train wrist flexion. We will cover those in The Unleaded GFF Program itself.

GFF Training: Who Needs It?

Thus far its seems that we have been referring to Unleaded GFF as a rehab program. I began our emphasis there to highlight what can commonly go wrong in athletic individuals, and to cast a bit of a spotlight on No-No’s to emphasize our approach.

But let’s get on to the positive attributes from those in health-holes or without.

Who can use good GFF Conditoing?

·        You ever need to make fist and “throw some hay” with bad intent?

·        Do you wrestle or play any grappling art where you’ve ever put your hands through gripping, twisting, and maintaining a hold paces?

·        Do you climb, rappel, swing on ropes over rivers?

·        Need to hoist yourself up and over a wall?

·        Lower yourself down from a second-floor window for escape?

·        Grip a tomahawk or battle axe or cudgel as tightly 45 minutes into battle as you did at the beginning?

One “Continuous” Exercise

There are 15 distinct movements in the Unleaded GFF Program but…

One-Perform all as one long exercise with as little rest as possible between.

Two-Once a timer is started, leave the clock running even if you come off a bar [over or under] to shake it out. Your performance will improve over time.

Three-The goal is one continuous seamless performance.

When to Perform the GFF

You will want some separation between GFF and The Prime Mover Program so there is no grip-interference to kybosh your gains in other areas.

Ideally allow at least one hour between GFF work and Prime Mover Work.

You need only hit the GFF twice per week.

You’ll find these “continuous 15” go a long way to giving you what you need.

My Example: I train 3-days on and 1-off on a revolving basis. I hit the GFF early in the AM on Day One of each 3-Day cycle.

Of course, tailor to fit your needs.

Gear Required

A pull-up bar, an empty Olympic Bar, a sledgehammer and a timer.

That’s it.

[For more info or to purchase The Unleaded GFFProgram.

Black Box Subscribers, you get it at the greatly discounted rate as part of your subscription—you need do nothing, she’ll come your way this month.

In other words, buy it piecemeal, or join the crew and save yourself some jack!]

Hey, try our new podcast The Rough n Tumble Raconteur! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Apache Running by Mark Hatmaker

Of the many Native American tribes of the southwest United States and Mexico the various bands of Apache carry a reputation for fierceness, resourcefulness, and an almost superhuman stamina. The name “Apache” is perhaps a misnomer as it refers to several different tribes that are loosely and collectively referred to as Apache, which is actually a variant of a Zuni word Apachu that this pueblo tribe applied to the collective bands. Apachu in Zuni translates roughly to “enemy” which is a telling detail that shines a light on the warrior nature of these collective tribes.             Among the various Apache tribes you will find the Kiowa, Mescalero, Jicarilla, Chiricahua (or “Cherry-Cows” as early Texas settlers called them), and the Lipan. These bands sustained themselves by conducting raids on the various settled pueblo tribes, Mexican villages, and the encroaching American settlers. These American settlers were often immigrants of all nationalities with a strong contingent of

The Empirical Fighter: Rules for the Serious Combatant by Mark Hatmaker

  Part 1: Gear Idealized or World Ready? 1/A: Specificity of Fitness/Preparation If you’ve been in the training game for any length of time likely you have witnessed or been the subject of the following realization. You’ve trained HARD for the past 90 days, say, put in sprint work and have worked up to your fastest 5K. Your handy-dandy App says your VO2 Max is looking shipshape. You go to the lake, beach, local swimmin’ hole with your buddies and one says “ Race you to the other side!” You, with your newfound fleet-of-foot promotion to Captain Cardio, say, “ Hell, yeah!” You hit the river and cut that water like Buster Crabbe in “ Tarzan the Fearless ” with your overhand stroke….for the first 50 yards, then this thought hits as the lungs begin to gasp for air, “ Am a I gonna die in the middle of this river?” This experiment can be repeated across many domains of physical endeavor. ·         The man with the newfound Personal Record in the Bench Press getting smoked in

The Original Roadwork by Mark Hatmaker

  Mr. Muldoon Roadwork. That word, to the combat athlete, conjures images of pre-dawn runs, breath fogging the morning air and, to many, a drudgery that must be endured. Boxers, wrestlers, kickboxers the world over use roadwork as a wind builder, a leg conditioner, and a grit tester. The great Joe Frazier observed… “ You can map out a fight plan or a life plan, but when the action starts, it may not go the way you planned, and you're down to the reflexes you developed in training. That's where roadwork shows - the training you did in the dark of the mornin' will show when you're under the bright lights .” Roadwork has been used as a tool since man began pitting himself against others of his species in organized combat. But…today’s question . Has it always been the sweat-soaked old school gray sweat suit pounding out miles on dark roads or, was it something subtler, and, remarkably slower? And if it was, why did we transition to what, and I repeat myself,