Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction.
–William James
Training results in a lot of feelings that are different from person to person, but what stays the same across every individual (if you are truly training and not just “working out”) is pain, soreness, fatigue, hopelessness, and fear. If you feel these from time to time, don’t worry, you are not alone. These feelings come when you push your boundaries, when you do things that you thought 6 months ago would be impossible, when you get up day after day and perform the same movement you failed at the day before just to see if you can get it right this time. However, the best part of all of this, is the time you do get it right. The time that movement comes together so crisply, that you are not sure what just happened. This is what makes all that pain and soreness worth it. This is what truly accomplishing something feels. Remember; if it is not hard, it is not worth doing.
That being said; Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are right around the corner, which for most people means getting gifts. Now if you train, you know that sometimes the will to train is there, yet your joints just are not having it. Sometimes all your joints need is a little “hug”, something that keeps them warm and keeps them from feeling like any moment they are going to explode under the tension you have put them under. So to save you from telling your parents and relatives that you want “fitness gear” and ending up with a Shake Weight or “Brazilian Booty” workout DVD, I have complied a list of gear that might make those joints feel loved during the holiday seasons.
I bought a pair of these bad boys when I volunteered at USAW Youth Nationals in OKC last year, and they are awesome! They are a little thicker than your normal 5mm knee sleeve from other companies, but they hold up really well and do a great job of adding just a little bit of compression and warmth to keep those knees feeling nice and solid (especially when you squat everyday). As far as price goes, these are your best bang for your buck because they come as a pair (some brands you will pay this price for just one knee sleeve).
If knee sleeves are not your thing, or you want to be able to adjust the compression around the knee-joint, then wraps are the way to go. Kilos not Pounds make a great wrap that is inexpensive (sold in pairs), comes in a variety of colors, and last for a good amount of time (you can wash and hang up to dry and keep using). Best part is that when you buy a pair they throw in some sweet stickers for you to put on gym gear or water bottles!
While these belts are a little more expensive than some of the belts at rouge, they are amazing and last. Very easy to order, custom fit to your waist size, can customize the color (they are not all pink), and they have tons of different options depending on what your sport is (tapered or 3 in. for oly lifting, 4 in. for powerlifting). So when you take into consideration that the belt is customized to your specific need and performs amazing, the fact that it is right at $100 is pretty appealing.
If you don’t have $100 just hanging around, or that will be a little bit too much to ask for during the holidays, Rouge has tons of belts that can fit your need. Personally, I would go with a canvas style Velcro belt (something about non-custom leather belts just does not sit well with me and they usually take a while to break in).
Next to lower back soreness, wrist soreness is a pretty common occurrence when getting into heavy powerlifting or weightlifting. Getting something as simple as a cloth wrist wraps can add just enough compression to keep you in the game day after day and not have to take off because you cannot front rack or press weight. These wraps are super inexpensive (especially for how useful they are) and come in tons of different patterns and colors so you can mix and match depending on the outfit you are wearing to the gym (we all know it is important what you look like when going to the gym).
So, there you have it, a little list of stocking stuffers and gear that you can ask for to keep your game strong in the gym. Also, all of this gear is legal for the Super Total Lift-off happening December 5th, so make sure and get it to help with some of those PR’s (power suits of any kind are not legal).
We should be getting shirt info out by the end of the day, so keep your eyes peeled for the pre-order pricing and grab one to help support your local gym!
Update:
Shirts are in! The Blue is a V-neck design and the Red is a Crew-neck. Both shirts are printed on Next Level Apparel Tri-blend material and if pre-ordered by Friday (Nov. 13th) will be $15 a piece (price goes up to $20 after Friday). Make sure and get a shirt while they are hot off the press!!!
For more information on the competition and the rules we will be following visit:
PURE HEALTH PERFORMANCE 