Ever hear of the Rickshaw?
The Rickshaw - a machine used for lunges and shrugs mostly, but is used by a lot of Strongmen these days to train for the 900 lb. truck deadlift and truck hold in the IFSA Strongman series. Basically you stand with your back to the machine, and it makes a "U" around your back. There are two sets of grips, one about 2 inches off the floor, just enough for your hands to get under for a grip, and the next set is about at knee height. I have made these a staple in my workout, because you can go extremely heavy, and with the way the machine is made, it actually makes it a little easier to lift, so there is no need for a suit or a strong belt. Just a nice back support belt is all thats needed. Look for this machine, and start shaping your back, traps, quads, and hamstrings.
Overall, my max lift on the bottom set of grips is 675X3. On the grips at my knees, Ive done 705X1, 765X1, and 805X1.
Today’s workout: I got to 585X2 on the bottom grips, then on the top set I ended up doing 705 for 3 heavy singles. No suit, no powerlifting belt. Just a back support. They all felt amazing.
Also blasted out the triceps today with a lot of close grip benching at 225 on a smith machine, short rope pulldowns at 90 for 3 sets of 10 with a 2 second pause at the bottom where the triceps are fully flexed, some overhead dumbbell lifts with a 65 lb dumbbell for 3 sets of 10, and overhead tricep cable extensions at 80 for 3 sets of 10.
Today was a great day. Rest the last of the weekend then back Monday night for deadlifts
April 22, 2008 at 2:09 am
I went to an old gym in Ohio once that had one of these. I used it as a deadlift like machine and did not enjoy the arc movement very much but I was able to lift more weight than on a regular deadlift. You have further enhanced my knowledge of powerlifting and strong man comps! Maybe I should have given that thing the benefit of the doubt huh?