I have often touted the Speed Chains as versatile and beneficial for athletes in a wide variety of sports. I have spoken about the Speed Chains helping athletes in baseball, football, golf, tennis, and basketball. However, over the last few months I have had the opportunity to speak with an athlete using the Speed Chains to help train for a sport I hardly knew anything about.

Daniel McCormick is considered one of the top young heavyweights in the nation in the sport of Judo. He won the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials after beating the #1 ranked player in the nation three times. McCormick went on to place ninth in the Beijing Olympics. In 2009 he won the gold in the USA Judo Senior National Championships at the +100kg weight class and won silver at the Championship in the open division.

Now for those of you who aren’t very familiar with Judo, it is best known for it’s spectacular throwing techniques but also involves considerable grappling on the ground utilizing specialized pins, control holds, arm locks, and Judo choking techniques. Needless to say, Judo requires an athlete to be in tremendous shape and exhibit incredible strength. Much of this strength must come from the core as you are often required to throw your opponent to the mat, or maneuver on the ground so that you do not get pinned.
Daniel decided to try out the Torso Burner Speed Chain to train with this spring. He thought it could help his general conditioning but especially his rotational and core strength. After using the Torso Burner for the first few times, Daniel told me he felt “awkward” with them. He said he had trouble keeping the rhythm and momentum with the Chains. I told him this was natural as his body was being required to perform a new task, probably unlike any he had ever done before.

Sure enough, after several more weeks with the Speed Chains he responded that he absolutely loved them. Daniel had this to say about the Speed Chains:

“The Speed Chains are the best addition to my workouts in a long time. I have been using the Speed Chains for a couple of months and have noticed a huge difference. To stay competitive in today’s sports, you have to train a little differently. While squats, bench-press, and deadlifts are great, they are not enough. Adding equipment like the Speed Chains to your workouts will help you get to the next level. The Speed Chains are one of the best athletic core workouts I have ever experienced. It delivers a very unique and realistic feeling that is hard to find. I would recommend this piece of equipment to anyone trying to become the best athlete they can be, or to anyone who just wants a good workout that is unlike anything they will find in a gym.”

Daniel’s enthusiastic endorsement of the Speed Chains is very exciting for Chain Training LLC. To have an accomplished Olympic athlete say such complimentary things about the product shows how unique and beneficial they can be. I think the fact that an athlete from a sport such as Judo, which is so different than the sports I’ve previously seen athletes training for with the Speed Chains, goes a long way to show the universal qualities of using the Chains. The unique design of the Speed Chains allows for an athlete to incorporate them into his workout often specifically targeting the movements he will use during competition.

I wish the best of luck to Daniel in his upcoming competitions and I hope you all give the Speed Chains a try, like Daniel did, as you will be very happy with the results.

Franco believes that the Running Arms Speed Chains have helped his arms get stronger and quicker, which in his sport is essential. Successful boxers need to have quick and powerful arms in order to land devastating punches on their opponents. In addition to using the Running Arms Speed Chains Franco has also been utilizing the Torso Burner Speed Chain to help train his core. A strong core is important to boxing athletes since they must generate power without much benefit from momentum. Core strength allows for power to be generated from the rotational movement while throwing a punch. In addition, the core needs to be trained explosively in boxers so they can withstand traumatic blows to the mid-section by their opponent.

Visit www.chaintraining.com for more information on this incredible athlete and other great articles written by master trainer Brian Oates.

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Brian recently had the chance to speak with Lee Fiocchi of Dynamic Sports Training and he had some exciting news to share about Speed Chains. An ESPN camera crew recently traveled to his facility in Houston, Texas and shot footage of his players during a training session. Lee incorporates Speed Chains into his athletes training regimens and in this particular footage, which is scheduled to be on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight on Sunday, February 14th at 12:30 ET (11:30 Central), Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays is using the Torso Burner. Although nobody is sure as to what may actually be aired on the network due to editing, I wanted to take the time to ask Lee how he felt about the Speed Chains and specifically the Torso Burner.
Lee began by informing me that he never had to give his professional guys an explanation as to why/how Speed Chains work. They can feel the explosion and power created when using them. In his own words, the chains just make a lot of sense. Lee went on to say that baseball has always catered toward using medicine balls to prepare athletes for the rotational demands the game places on them. But the med balls don’t hold water when compared to the sport specificity in which the Torso Burner provides.

Athletes want drills in practice to translate to performance in games. Speed Chains satisfy this desire far better than medicine balls or most other exercises and equipment. In Lee’s words, the Torso Burner forces neuro-muscular recruitment by involving high speed eccentric loading of the core. This happens because the athlete is using his limbs when moving but has to engage his core throughout the exercise. The nature of the high speed movement in which the core is eccentrically loaded the entire time makes the Torso Burner unlike anything else on the market.

Lee also believes the Speed Chains have many benefits in which typical weight training does not offer. When lifting weights, the plane of motion is linear and singular, which is unlike baseball movements. However, the Torso Burner incorporates different planes of motion as you exercise which allows for closer training to the demands the game puts on baseball players.

Lee mentioned another great thing about the Torso Burner is it helps to recreate balance in the core muscles. Baseball is a one-sided sport and imbalances are common. Think about it. A pitcher throws with one arm and most hitters hit from only one side. This creates an imbalance in strength as the dominant side/arm becomes much stronger than the other due to repetitive use. The most balanced people on the field are switch hitters because they balance out their body by hitting from each side of the plate. The Torso Burner does not favor one side over another and will equally train the entire core making for a healthier and stronger athlete.

Try the Speed Chains for yourself and see why Lee and his elite athletes are sold on them!

And be sure to tune into Baseball Tonight and watch for the Torso Burner!

Brian Oates
Brian@chaintraining.com