The Prowler as we know it has become a very popular piece of equipment in the underground/warehouse fraternity. It has been used for heavy sub-max work, assistance work, speed/power work, fat burning, and even brutal finishers to leave athletes sick with ‘Prowler flu.’ We have come to love but also hate the Prowler, but none of us can deny the benefits of this equipment in terms of building strength, endurance, speed, and also mental toughness in our athletes. You can't describe the feeling or even try to explain how your legs feel after just a few runs with it. Therefore, as a standalone piece of equipment, it is a must for all strength athletes.
Below are ten uses for the Prowler that we like to employ at Strength & Performance.
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.