Im thinking of buying a prowler.
Has anyone here purchased a prowler? I dont want to spend all that money and not use it? I just would like an extra option for conditioning. At the moment I hill run, sprint (40 meter and 350 meter).
Any tips? Does the quality of road surface make much difference? I hear that its pretty useless on grass, especially wet grass??
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[American] football players have been pushing sleds on grass for decades, so I don’t see where that came from.
If you just want conditioning options… personally, I’d look into cheaper alternatives: tires, logs, sleds, sandbag, crocodiles, etc… heck, I used to go to the beach, find a moderate sized rock, throw it as far as I could, run to it, repeat; between the legs was the most fun.
On a side note, when I was a kid, I always wanted one of those parachutes to run with: now, I think they’re stupid.
[quote]theBird wrote:
Im thinking of buying a prowler.
Has anyone here purchased a prowler? I dont want to spend all that money and not use it? I just would like an extra option for conditioning. At the moment I hill run, sprint (40 meter and 350 meter).
Any tips? Does the quality of road surface make much difference? I hear that its pretty useless on grass, especially wet grass??
*tweet *[/quote]
check out the one Mighty Matron built in Powerful Women - Strength is a Hell of a Drug.
I own one from Christians Fitness Factory (their first incarnation) and love it.
For the second one I had a Local Welder build it for me off of my first one.
I try to support the local workforce up where I live since we are in the middle
of bumfuckegypt.
Good luck.
Also, check out CT’s (Christian Thibs) article the “Best damn excersizes period” on using a Dead/Squat bar instead of the prowler.
I built my own sled. I LOVE my sled; the hardest thing for me is not to overdo the sled work because I love it so much.
When I first started using my sled it made a nasty squealing noise, but by redistributing the weight, I stopped the noise.
The sled runs well on new smooth asphalt; it would probably not work too well on really rough asphalt.
I own a knock off from Dick’s Sporting Goods. I like it a lot.
The only thing that can suck is if you have travel somewhere to use it.
Personally, I’d rather run hill sprints or sprints in general.
[quote]osu122975 wrote:
Personally, I’d rather run hill sprints or sprints in general. [/quote]
Do you prefer hill sprints due to the results, or because its easier to do without the hassle of equipment???
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I bought one from Rogue.
A bit of an investment, but I can’t wait to go home to use it.
Out where I’m at right now, I found an old sled I drag with cargo straps.
It’s loaded to 180lbs, running with it till my legs go to jello and I’m winded (it happened real quick at first, especially with the thin mountain air).
Agree with it being addictive. I enjoy it much better than trying to do 400m intervals, or worse, 2-3mi runs for conditioning.
We have nothing but sand, rocks, and concrete, but if you’re limited to grass/wet grass, just increase your load till you find it just with enough resistance to get you really winded. Also, maybe some cleats for you as well, to give you that extra bit of traction and transfer of force to the ground.
Thanks for the advice buddies.
I have my eye on a sled that is going to set me back about $300 aussies bucks.
Will using it on rough gravel road damage it in anyway? Does it make much noise?? Cant wait to see the look on the neighbours faces. I live in a small country town and people here are a little more nosey that usual.
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[quote]theBird wrote:
Thanks for the advice buddies.
I have my eye on a sled that is going to set me back about $300 aussies bucks.
Will using it on rough gravel road damage it in anyway? Does it make much noise?? Cant wait to see the look on the neighbours faces. I live in a small country town and people here are a little more nosey that usual.
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if the feet unbolt get some extra’s welded up or get some extra plate welded onto the bottom. depending on the surface you might want to get wider feet for your prowler.
you could always attach a mouldboard or chisel plow and get your garden ready.
have someone ride on it with a whip to give them something to talk about.
they make a lot of noise on smooth asphault alone, I can only imagine how loud it would be on loose gravel.
As silverblood has said, for a lot of outdoor use get an additional 3/8" plate welded to the feet fot longevity.
My CFF has a 1500# capacity and is built like Pudinowski i.e. Tank Like. Most are indestructible.
[quote]silverblood wrote:
[quote]theBird wrote:
Im thinking of buying a prowler.
Has anyone here purchased a prowler? I dont want to spend all that money and not use it? I just would like an extra option for conditioning. At the moment I hill run, sprint (40 meter and 350 meter).
Any tips? Does the quality of road surface make much difference? I hear that its pretty useless on grass, especially wet grass??
*tweet *[/quote]
check out the one Mighty Matron built in Powerful Women - Strength is a Hell of a Drug. [/quote]
HA! Thanks for the shoutout, silverblood 
Yeah, I built mine (for $108 USD). So far the only thing it doesn’t like is my dirt/gravel driveway when it’s wet/muddy. Sounds like that’s where you’ll be…
I love pushing a sled (as much as anyone can love that shit). I have lots of conditioning options available, but sled variations are my star player. One of the many perks of making your own is customization. My skis are easily removed and built to last virtually forever even on asphalt. The high posts are removable as well. I can take that beast anywhere.
I’m also building attachments so I can do dips from the posts. And a ‘rock box’ so I can load the sled with stones if I don’t feel like dragging my plates outside.
If you’re at all handy, there is a tutorial on youtube for building a simple but solid wooden sled (search for “mauler sled”, I think it’s a 10 minute video). I was going to make that one originally as the guy in the video says it holds up pretty well on turf. Simple construction, minimal welding, cheap materials. If I wasn’t sure how much I’d use it I would build one of these to find out, then maybe splurge on a real prowler after I destroyed it.
I don’t know that gravel will ‘damage’ your sled per se, I just call that normal wear and tear. Expect skis to get worn down over time, potentially needing to replace them.
And I’ll tell you for free that these are LOUD, no matter who makes 'em. You’ll definitely give the neighbors something to talk about.
There’s a pic of mine somewhere on page 5, if you care:
http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_women_training_performance_powerful/pintsized_powerhouse?id=5865560&pageNo=4
if noise is going to be a real big issue you could always get a big tire. drill and bolt a squar steel plate across the middle with posts for plates and a push handle. drill some holes and attach some eye bolts.
edit: don’t let them see you taking it off their tractor
Why not just push your car? People were doing that for DECADES before anyone got the idea to charge several hundred dollars for essentially doing the same thing.
problem with pushing a car is the fact that it ROLLS ! once you get it up to speed unless on an incline, it is easy to keep it going.
BTDT (been there done that). That was why I made the investment in my CFF prowler. Once you stop, it stops : )
[quote]killerDIRK wrote:
problem with pushing a car is the fact that it ROLLS ! once you get it up to speed unless on an incline, it is easy to keep it going.
BTDT (been there done that). That was why I made the investment in my CFF prowler. Once you stop, it stops : )
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That’s why you have someone behind the wheel.
actually forgot about that !
damn pre coffee ramblings : )
[quote]killerDIRK wrote:
actually forgot about that !
damn pre coffee ramblings : )[/quote]
Haha, no worries.
[quote]theBird wrote:
[quote]osu122975 wrote:
Personally, I’d rather run hill sprints or sprints in general. [/quote]
Do you prefer hill sprints due to the results, or because its easier to do without the hassle of equipment???
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Easier w/o equipment. Prowler is more versatile but more hassle if you have to transport it all the time.
Both will kill you if you push them hard.
