There's a new Prowler flu going around and it starts with the Limited Edition Military Prowlers. These military prowlers also benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.
Prowler 101
It’s no surprise that we get a lot of equipment questions here at EliteFTS. When you sell a lot of equipment, questions come with the turf. Most people want to know all the details of a piece of equipment before they make the purchase, especially if it’s a big financial investment. How does it ship? Do I have to put it together? How does piece A connect to piece B? Will Dave be delivering my rack? What is that accessory piece for?
There are certain items that we get a lot of questions about, though, and we’ve decided that it couldn’t hurt to put some extra information out there so that our customers know as much as possible about our products. In this video, salesman Matt Goodwin will introduce you to some of the more popular piece of EliteFTS equipment - The Prowler. He’ll provide you with vital information about the equipment and answer a few of the more common questions he gets about each piece.
We are the home of the original Prowler…and not to mention…Prowler Flu. Matt explains the difference between the Econo Prowler and Prowler 2. The more you know about your equipment, the better you can use it.
Chad Wesley Smith's Sprint Test
The general guidelines of this test are as follows:
- A timed, relatively heavy sprint is performed with the Prowler over a short distance.
- Sprints are continued until the athlete fails to stay within 10 percent of their original pace.
- Rest periods are relative to the approximate the length of the play clock used in their games.
At Juggernaut, this test is performed over 12 yards. The sections of our turf are four-yards wide, so this is a natural break for us. However, 10-15 yards is also acceptable. The weight used should vary depending on age and position.
High School Big Skill – 140 pounds
High School Lineman – 180 pounds
College Big Skill – 180 pounds
College Lineman – 230 pounds
Rest periods vary from 30 – 45 seconds, depending on the length of the play clock for the respective level of play.
The first sprint is timed and will provide the standard for the remainder of the test. Sprints are continued on the prescribed rest interval until the athlete fails to remain within 10 percent of their initial time. For example, if a college lineman performs his first 12 yard sprint with 230 pounds in 4 seconds, he’ll keep performing 12-yard sprints every 40 seconds until he fails to keep his time under 4.4 seconds – 110 percent of his initial time.
At Juggernaut, it’s our goal to have an athlete able to perform 15 prowler sprints under the time standard. In our eyes, this means that an athlete will have the ability to come off the line with at least 90 percent of their maximal power for 15 plays in a row, which is likely the longest drive they’ll ever endure.
The Prowler is a great tool that can dramatically improve your athlete’s conditioning levels – just make sure you’re thinking critically about the ways you’re implementing it into their training programs and the results will speak for themselves.
Sean Keefe's Ten Prowler Variations
1. Heavy ass Prowler pushes (HAPP): Unless you’ve been out of the game for a while, you should know about Joe DeFranco’s HASDs. Well, these are the same except they’re called HAPPs. These are great for adding volume to the lower body and they help build muscle with very little stress on the body. So any skinny young athlete looking to add some meat on his legs should be doing this two to three days a week.
2. Prowler sprint: Sprint for four to six seconds and keep adding weight until you begin to slow down. This is great for increasing speed and power in addition to increasing work capacity and improving your recovery. As soon as you begin to slow down, call it a day. Take your shirt off for added speed!
3. Prowler sprint and push: Sprint with the Prowler for approximately four seconds. Then explode with your arms and push the Prowler away. This is a good movement for contact sports such as rugby, NFL, and lacrosse where you may have to face plant the opposition as you’re running with the ball.
4. Prowler shotgun: Squat down and push the Prowler away. Then jump forward and push again. Try not to use your legs. Just focus on extending your arms. This is a great upper body exercise.
5. Prowler shotgun with ropes: This is the same as above except this time you’re going to incorporate the upper pulling muscles as well as use a rope. If you want to get your ‘swole’ on, give this variation a try. Again, there isn’t any driving with the legs.
6. Prowler shotgun and pull: Again, this is the same as above, but this time you’re going to pull the Prowler back. With a low body position throughout, this exercise becomes very tough.
7. Prowler and ropes variation: This is another variation using the ropes. It’s great for MMA athletes for increasing their lactate tolerance and is used the closer the fighter gets to his fight.
8. Prowler versus bands: Short bursts can be used to simulate a type of takedown in MMA or perform full lengths. This is just another way to load the Prowler without adding ‘Prowler weight.’ This is good for people who find it hard to get the Prowler out of the starting blocks, but once they’re up to top speed, it becomes easy.
9. Prowler shuffle: Low handles out, low handles back, shuffling your legs. Quad burn is an understatement!
10. Prowler suicide variations: Just watch the video! Give these a try and let me know how you get on.
Important note: Don’t try and burn your athletes out with these variations. Instead, plan them into programs accordingly.
It's Flu Season
If…
you don’t believe it will kick your ass, you should get one for yourself and try it out. The limited edition prowlers will be discontinued at the end of the month, so there’s only a week left.
you want to experience the prowler flu, Dave suggested you give this new prowler challenge a try:
Prowler Challenge
50 pounds for a female
90 pounds for a male
Place your hands on the vertical handles and walk or run – it doesn’t matter – 50 yards
DO NOT REST
Turn around and place hands on the low handles and once again, it doesn’t matter if you walk or run 50 yards
DO NOT REST
Do as many pushups as you can on low handles to failure
THEN REST 2 MINUTES BEFORE REPEATING
*Do five sets of these or until flu sets in*
Think you have a better way to get the prowler flu? Post your prowler workout in the comment section below.