WIGGY’S WEIGHT

DRAGGING MANUAL

by Matt “Wiggy” Wiggins

WIGGY’S WEIGHT
DRAGGING
MANUAL

by Matt “Wiggy” Wiggins

Copyright © 2003 by Matt “Wiggy” Wiggins -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

 DISCLAIMER

Some physical activities may be too strenuous in nature or even dangerous

for some people to engage in safely. Because exercises of this nature are
contained herein, it is essential that the reader(s) of this book consult a
physician prior to trying, performing, or training with said exercises. The
author and publisher are NOT RESPONSIBLE in any matter whatsoever for
any injury which may occur through reading and/or following the instructions
herein.

“Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual”

Copyright © 2003 by Matt “Wiggy” Wiggins -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording,, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior
written permission from the publisher.
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Howdy!!

Well, here we are again! For those of you who have bought any of my

other books/programs, I want to say “Thanks” for purchasing another one of

my products and I hope that this book will meet or exceed your

expectations. For those of you who haven’t yet bought any of my other

products, you can find them on the “Products” page of my site –

www.workingclassfitness.com (hey, a little shameless plug for one’s stuff

never hurt anybody – HA!!)

Anyway, this book, as its title implies, is all about Dragging. Dragging,

although not necessarily very popular, is one of the most overall beneficial

and under-utilized forms of exercise available. But, we want to change that!!

Well, enough small talk. You’re not here to “chit-chat,” and neither am

I – let’s do it.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard-

Wiggy

1
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Why Drag?

The first thing many of you might be thinking is “Why should I Drag?”

The answer is simple – because it works. What does it work? Well, that’s a

multi-part answer: brute strength, strength-endurance, cardiovascular

endurance, fat loss, active recovery, GPP (General Physical Preparedness),

and increases work capacity. Should I go on? I’ll cover more on all that

later. Right now, let’s get to some of the basics.

What You’ll Need

Dragging isn’t exactly an “equipment intensive” type of exercise. It’s

a pretty simple concept if you think about it. You have a weight, a rope or

cord, and yourself. That’s about all you need. Now, you can get as

complicated and sophisticated as you want with this equipment. I’m sure if

you search the internet, you’ll find some website that will do its darndest to

convince you that you need this or that. But, you really don’t. Now, I’m sure

that all this stuff is good and has its benefits, but that is up for you to

decide. After all, it’s your money you’re spending. And if you want to spend

it, hey – fine by me.

Anyhoo, here is a basic list of what you need and different options on

what you can use. Remember, unless you’re a “pretty boy,” a weight to drag

doesn’t have to look good cosmetically – it just has to work.

2
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Weight to Drag

I suppose you figured this, huh? Well, this can be one of various

things. Here are a few options that are open to you:

--Sandbag – If you have my first Singles & Doubles book, then there’s a good

chance that you’ve got a perfectly good Sandbag. Just as I showed in the

book, Sandbags are perfect for Dragging.

--Weight Sled – I’m sure you’ve probably seen these – a steel plate with a lip

on one side. There’s a rod for stacking plates on in the center and an eye-

bolt for attaching a rope/cord to on one end. If this is what you want to

use, there are a few things you could do. First, you could buy one. There are

various sites around the internet in which you could get one from, and there

may even be a fitness, gym, or exercise supply warehouse in your area you

could get one from.

Your other option is to build your own or have one built. There’s not

that much to a sled, so building your own (should you have access to some
fairly basic metal fabrication equipment) shouldn’t be too tough. If you

don’t have access to such equipment, you could also try building one out of

wood. It probably won’t hold up quite as well as steel (especially if you load

it heavy regularly), but it should suit your needs.

A third option is to call a local machinist, metal fabricator, or welder,

and see how much he’d charge to build you one. This will be more expensive

than building your own, but probably still cheaper than buying one (especially

when you add in shipping charges).

--Weights – Here’s the most basic alternative. Do you have weights sitting

around? Tie a rope/cord to some and there you go.

3
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Dragging Weights with Homemade Harness

--Wagon – Believe it or not, it’s not as crazy as it sounds. Take a metal kid’s

wagon, unbolt the wheels and axles, and either tie your rope/cord to the

handle or drill a couple holes in the side to run your rope through and tie.

Throw whatever you like in the wagon as weight (weight plates, dumbbells,

sand, rocks, engine parts, your dog, neighborhood kids, whatever) and start

Dragging.

--Book bag/Duffel Bag – Take a sturdy canvas or leather bag and fill it with

heavy books (dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, etc.). This might be

your savior if you’re in college (and it will give you a way to “get back” – if

just mentally – at all the subjects that keep you up all hours studying!). I’ll

have more on this later.

--Old Tires – Either tie your rope/cord to a tire (or multiple tires?) or drill

an eye-hook screw into the side, but a piece of wood to put inside the tire

(and act as a “floor”). Fill with weight (a la the wagon above) and you’re

ready.

4
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

--Bucket – Here’s a tip from my good friend Coach Russell Baillie from the

U.K. (www.coachbaillie.com). Do you live near a beach? Like the ocean?

Want to ogle the girls in bikinis . . . er, ah, I mean – want to go looking for

seashells? Then grab your rope/cord, handles, and a five-gallon bucket.

Get to the beach, and attach your rope/cord to the bucket’s handle.

Go to the surf, and fill your bucket with water. Standing in (approximately)

ankle deep water, start dragging the bucket on its side. Let the waves

fill/empty the bucket and take it along as they (the waves) come in and go

out.

Try it – it’ll make a man out of you – an in a hurry!!

--Wheelbarrow - Do you have an old steel wheelbarrow that has seen better

days? Well, then turn it into your own sled! Simply take off the wheel and

undercarriage (you should be able to unbolt them, but they may need to be

cut off with a saw or cutting torch). Either drill a hole (or two) in the front

of the barrow to run your rope/cord through (and knot), or bolt a loop (like

that used in a padlock hasp) to your barrow. Tie your rope to the loop, and

you’re done.

Rope or Cord

This doesn’t have to be anything “super special.” This just has to be a

rope or cord that will be strong enough to pull your weight without snapping.

I use nylon rope that I got at the local hardware store. What thickness you

get is up to you – of course, remember that the more weight you’ll be

dragging, the thicker the rope you’ll need. The package you get the rope in

will probably state the rope’s poundage test rating. If buying your rope in

5
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

“bulk,” then ask somebody who works at the store you’re going to. Either

way, remember that you’ll always be better off with a thicker rope.

At various times, I’ve seen people use elastic bands as a cord for their

dragging – especially when pulling ultra-heavy objects (cars, vans, etc.). I

would advise against this. The reason why is that the band(s) will just help

you pull the weight. Now you may be thinking, “But stretching the band will

provide more resistance, won’t it?” Not really. You’ll encounter an amount of

resistance until your weight begins to move, but after the weight starts

moving, the band will actually being to help you by pulling the weight toward

you. When this happens, it is the band that is bearing a portion of the work.

You don’t want to do this because if you get used to pulling with a band, you

will eventually become used to the extra help the band provides. When you

(for whatever reason) end up going back to using a rope (or something else

non-elastic), you’ll find that you won’t be as strong (in strength or

endurance) as you thought you were.

Stick with something non-elastic – you’ll just be cheating yourself

otherwise.

“Nice to Haves”

These are things that aren’t necessary, but will help you take your

dragging to new levels and let you be more versatile in how you drag.

6
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Handles

When I say “Handles,” think of the kind of think of the sort of handle

you’d seen in a cable-crossover apparatus in a gym. You can go out and buy

some Handles like these if you like, or you can easily make some.

To make your own, go to your local hardware store and get some PVC

pipe that is anywhere from one to three inches in diameter (the greater the

diameter, the more your grip will be taxed). You’ll need two five inch

sections. For each one, take approx. a foot of rope and run it through each

piece of PVC pipe. Tie the ends of the rope to each other, and voila, you’ve

got handles.

Harness

If you’ve ever watched a strongman contest on television, then you’ve

probably seen a Truck or Bus Pull via Harness. A Harness is basically an

apparatus that straps to your shoulders. Imagine a backpack, only instead of

“bag” on your back; you’d have a hook or ring attached to your shoulder

straps. A rope or cord could be attached to this hook or ring that would

then be attached to whatever weight you’d drag.

Like a Weight Sled, Harnesses can be bought, but can be fairly

expensive. Also, like a Weight Sled, if you’d like to save your money, you can

build your own fairly easily.

To build your own, you could simply just get an old backpack and tie a

rope (attached to your weight) directly to it. Slip it on and start Dragging.

Or, you could make one just out of rope. Take about ten feet of rope and tie

7
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

the ends together, forming a giant loop. “Fold” the circle in half, creating

two smaller “loops.” Attach a ring or S-hook in the center so that you’ve got

something to attach to your rope or cord which pulls your weight. Slip an

arm in each small loop (like a backpack) and there you go. However, if you do

this, I’d get some foam or towels to wrap around the rope. This way, it won’t

dig into your shoulders too bad.

Hooks

S-hooks, rings, and carabineers can go A LONG WAY toward making

your Dragging setup easier and quicker to change, not to mention safer. You

can quickly attach or disconnect Weight, Handles, a Harness, a Belt, etc.

You don’t need Hooks, per se, because you could just tie everything

together with knots. However, Hooks are inexpensive, and will make life

MUCH easier.

Belt

If you don’t want to buy or build a Harness, attaching a rope or cord

to a sturdy belt (a leather weight belt works perfectly) will also suffice.

Thick Rope

If you are a grip training “aficionado” or plan on training some “hand-

over-hand” exercises (again, as seen in strongman contests), then you’ll want

a thick rope. In case you’re wondering, the kind of thick rope I’m referring

8
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

to is much like that you used to climb in your elementary or middle school

P.E. classes.

Finding this kind of rope can sometimes be tough. Your best

(and most likely cheapest) bet is a marine supply store or a local hardware

store. If they don’t carry it, either will most likely be able to order some

for you. You can also try exercise/gym supply warehouses (the kind that

supply schools/P.E. departments with climbing ropes, jump ropes, cones,

etc.). If none of those options work out, then try doing an internet search

for a mail order company you can order some from.

“But Wiggy…”

I can hear some of you now, “You know Wiggy, this all sounds well and

good, but I can’t Drag. I can’t because…” STOP!! Don’t give me that “I can’t

because…” crap – because that’s all it is, crap. Now, there are some of you

out there saying, “But Wiggy…” Aw, shut up.

You know why I won’t let you say “I can’t because…?” Firstly, it’s an

excuse, and I DON’T ACCEPT EXCUSES. Period. Excuses suck. Secondly,

I’ve thought as many uncommon, unfortunate, less-than-ideal situations as I

could – can came up with solutions for them. So, how do you like THOSE

apples? So, if you thought you couldn’t, guess what? Now you can.

9
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

“But Wiggy, the weather is too

cold/hot/rainy/snowy/hurricaney/whatever.”

So, you’re afraid of dressing appropriately for the weather outside

and just can’t Drag outside? Fine, Drag inside. Problem solved (I’ll go into

this a bit more later).

“But Wiggy, I live in the city with no parks, yards, etc, close by.”

Nobody ever said you have to Drag in a park or yard. Do you have a

hallway? What about a sidewalk? Do you have an alley? How about a local

parking lot or parking garage? Even a balcony, if it is a decent length and

plenty wide enough (many of the ones I’ve seen on college dormitories are

great), will work. As long as you’ve got some room, won’t get run over by a

car, and won’t agitate others (at least not too much, anyway), you’ve got a

place to Drag.

“But Wiggy, I’m in college/university and live in the dormitory.”

Great. See the above reply about living in the city. If anything,

you’ve got more places to Drag because there are most likely courtyards,

intramural fields, gymnasiums, etc. around. Pick one and get to work.

Oh, and if you’re worried what your friends might say, don’t be. When

they question or chide you, put your Harness on them and put them to work,

too. Show them what some real training is all about.

10
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

“But Wiggy, because (insert reason here), the ONLY place I

have to Drag is my house/apartment/dorm room/etc.”

So, you Drag in your house, so what? There’s nothing wrong with this.

It’s not ideal by any means, but you still do some Dragging. Pick the room

that has the most space and Drag there (TIP – you will probably want to go

from corner to corner instead of wall to wall – it will be longer). As long as

you have ten to twenty feet of space, you’re fine.

Dragging in a space this small will be much more suited toward

Incremental Dragging, but Constant Dragging can be done (but not nearly as

well as if you have a larger area). Just Drag from point A to point B, turn

around and go back. You’ll have to make many more trips this way, but with

some work, you can still get the job done.

Another thing – if you are Dragging inside your home, pick a Weight to

Drag that will be more “friendly” to the surroundings. For example, if you

would normally Drag with an old wagon outside, then you surely won’t want to

bring that inside (and guys, you know there’s no way your wife or girlfriend

will let you bring it in). Instead, maybe opt for some weight plates tied

together or maybe an old backpack full of heavy books (which works great

for students).

Just use your head – you can do it!!

11
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

“But Wiggy, I get weird looks from the neighbors.”

Well, I don’t know what to tell you about that one – I get weird looks,

too (especially during my 6:00 a.m. GPP workouts). You could try talking to

them and convince them of the benefits of Dragging – maybe even get them

hooked on it. If that doesn’t work, then the next time they give you a weird

look, flash them an evil grin and laugh devilishly…then they’ll know you’re

crazy and avoid you altogether (thus not giving you any more weird looks).

What you do is up to you.

Why Should You Drag?

Well, I suppose that’s a viable question. If I’m going to tell you to

Drag, then I guess I should tell you why (makes sense, doesn’t it?).

--Safety – When you think about it, Dragging is one of the safest types of

exercise you can perform. There are no machines to have to accommodate.

There are no weights to support. There is no intricate exercise form to

know, perfect, or master (you DO have to use good form, but Dragging is

much less “form-intensive” than many other forms of exercise). If you

fatigue, need to stop, or can’t pull the weight, simply drop the rope.

--Conditioning – Not sure if Dragging can actually get you breathing hard?

If you go heavy enough, you’ll have no choice but to be huffing and puffing.

Look at it this way – have you every pushed a broken down car down the

street or through a parking lot? Were you huffing and puffing when you got

done? Apply the same principle to Dragging.

12
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

--Strength – Again, as long as you go heavy enough, you’ll have no choice but

to get stronger. Doubtful? Then try this – the next time you go to the gym,

run a length of rope through two 45 lbs. plates and Drag a little around the

gym (just don’t let the gym attendant see you!!). I think you’ll find that 90

lbs. just got a lot heavier than you thought it was.

--Increasing Work Capacity – Increasing what? Increasing Work Capacity.

Not sure what I mean by Work Capacity? Think about it this way – imagine

that we measure all work performed by a person via a particular unit of

measure. All the different type of work you do throughout the day

(exercising, mowing the lawn, cleaning the garage, chopping firewood,

bringing in the groceries, taking a shower, clearing the dinner table, etc.)

would be added up as an overall total amount in this given unit of measure.

This overall total would be this person’s Work Capacity.

However, the limits of one’s Work Capacity (i.e. – how much work one

person is absolutely capable of) aren’t necessarily what you want to increase.

While having a higher “maximum” Work Capacity is good, it isn’t what will

necessarily help you the most. What is beneficial is your Work Capacity that

you can recover from. Let me explain.

Let’s say that we measured two peoples’ Work Capacity (in whatever

unit of measure). Let’s say that Person A had a Maximum Work Capacity of

10 units, while Person B had a Maximum Work Capacity of 12 units. Initially,

it looks like Person B is better off, right?

Well, let’s continue on to say that while Person A’s Maximum is 10

units; he can routinely perform 8 units worth of work everyday, and fully

recover. In other words, he can do 8 units worth of work day-in and day-

out, and he won’t suffer from injury, overtraining, de-compensation, muscle

13
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

atrophy (shrinkage), etc. Now, let’s say that Person B can routinely perform

only 6 units of work everyday, and still fully recover. Who is better off?

You guessed it, Person A. By being able to do more work everyday,

Person A can do more work overall, and, should he do so, will increase his

Maximum Work Capacity much quicker and to much higher levels than Person

B.

Because most Dragging movements (while they can target certain

areas/body-parts) utilize the most of, if not all, the entire body, they

require a lot of work to perform. Because it requires a lot of work, Dragging

constantly taxes – and improves – your Work Capacity. When you go on a

good Dragging program, you’ll find that your Work Capacity (both your

Maximum and what you can routinely perform and recover from) will shoot

through the roof in no time.

--Hypertrophy – Want to gain a little bit of size? A decent Dragging routine

and a diet than puts you in a calorie surplus will soon force your entire body

to grow. Refer to the Exercise Guide and/or Sample Routines sections to

find out how to target specific areas or body-parts.

--Fat Loss – Much like the Hypertrophy benefits listed above, combine all

the work you’ll do on a Dragging program with a diet that puts you in a calorie

deficit, and fat will drop off your body like it’s going out of style. You’ll be

surprised at just how fast you get whipped into shape.

--Mental Toughness – One of the most beneficial (yet least talked about)

aspects of Dragging is that it builds a great deal of mental toughness. Flat

out, Dragging isn’t easy – it’s damn hard work. We’re not talking about some

“foo-foo” new exercise fad; we’re talking about some hard work. Have you

ever wondered why you don’t see Dragging that much? It’s because it’s

14
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

HARD. You can’t perform – or get results with – a Dragging program without

a good deal of what I call “testicular fortitude.” Start performing a good

routine rich in Dragging, and you’ll be tough as nails quicker than you think.

--GPP (General Physical Preparedness) – Much has been made in recent years

about GPP. Simply put, one’s level of GPP defines how overall physically

ready one is or isn’t for any given activity. This encompasses overall

strength, cardiovascular conditioning, body awareness, agility, quickness, and

more. Dragging, by nature of the fact that it stresses the whole body to

work as a cohesive unit at one time, greatly stresses and works all of these

characteristics. Thus, one’s GPP is increased.

--Active Recovery – Active Recovery is performing small workouts in

between your regularly scheduled workouts. Most Active Recovery sessions

are designed for your “off” (non-workout) days. The purpose of Active

Recovery sessions is to just do a small amount of work. By doing so, you keep

the body active, and still accomplish something, even though you are still in

the recovery process. These short workouts are also great for keeping away

soreness.

By just doing a small amount of Dragging (say 10-15 minutes per day),

you will fight this soreness, still get something accomplished, and won’t

impede your recovery.

Types of Dragging

There are two main types of Dragging – Constant and Incremental. By

their nature, some exercises will lend themselves to being one kind or the

other. For example, Presses, Curls, and Explodes are more Incremental

15
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

movements. Crawls, Harness Pulls, and Ankle Dragging are Constant

movements. However, most Incremental exercises can be adapted to work in

a Constant fashion.

Incremental Dragging

Incremental movements are ones in which you generally complete one

rep, move, complete one rep, move, etc. An example would be a Front Raise.

During a Front Raise, you would start with your hands at your sides

with the rope taut. You would then raise your hands, pulling the weight

forward. You would then drop your hands back to your sides, walk forward

until the rope was taut again, and start over. The weight is drug forward in

“increments.”

Generally, most Incremental movements focus on the upper body.

Constant Dragging

Constant movements are pretty much the opposite of Incremental

movements in that instead of your weight being drug in small increments, it

is drug nonstop until your given distance (or time) has been covered. An

example would be a Belt Pull.

During a Belt Pull, you’d hook your belt to your weight, and start

moving. When you start moving, the weight starts moving. The only times

you stop is for rest periods and when your given distance (or time) is

finished.

16
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Generally, most Constant movements focus on the lower body. Now, if

you’re looking to work Incremental movements in a Constant Fashion, simply

choose the beginning and/or ending position(s) of the movement. Get into

that position, and start walking forward. For example, if you wanted to work

the Overhead Press in a Constant fashion, you’d lead forward, put your hand

at your shoulders, and start walking forward. After a given distance (or

time), press your hands overhead (whilst still walking forward). Keeping your

hands overhead, keep walking forward.

This same type of adaptation can be done with most Incremental

movements.

17
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Exercise Guide

UPPER BODY:
OVERHEAD PRESS

Muscles Targeted: Shoulders, Upper Chest, Triceps, Upper Back

18
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Put one foot in front of the other, slightly leaning forward. Your

hands should be at your shoulders. The rope to your weight should

be taut.

2. Take a deep breath and tighten your entire body.

3. Push your hands overhead (this actually won’t be a push vertically,

but rather at an angle – the same angle in which you are leaning).

4. Exhale

5. Once your hands are overhead, drop them back to your shoulders

and walk forward until the rope is taut again.

6. Repeat

TIP – “Play” with your grip(s) to see what is most comfortable. You can press

with your palms facing forward, facing each other, or someplace in between.

19
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

CHEST PRESS

Muscles Targeted: Chest, Triceps, Shoulders

20
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Stand with your body straight. (You may put one foot in front of

the other if you feel more stable that way.) Your hands should be

at your armpits and rope taut. As with the OVERHEAD PRESS,

experiment with grips (higher, lower, palms down, palms facing,

etc.) to see what works “best” for you.

2. Take a deep breath and tighten your entire body.

3. Push your hands in a horizontal fashion (like a Bench Press motion)

unto your arms are extended.

4. Exhale

5. Once your arms are extended, bring your hands back to your

armpits and walk forward until the rope is taut again.

6. Repeat

TIP – Leaning forward will mimic an Incline Bench Press motion.

21
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

FLYES

Muscles Targeted: Chest

22
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Put your hands out to your sides with arms extended. Your palms

should be facing forward and rope taut.

2. Take a deep breath and tighten your entire body.

3. Bring your hands together, traveling in an arc.

4. Exhale

5. Return your hands to the starting position and walk forward until

the rope is taut again.

6. Repeat

TIP – Experiment with starting and ending positions. For example, you could

start with arms horizontal and end with hands in front of your eyes. Or

you could start with your hands level with your eyes and end with them level

with your upper abdomen. There are endless angles and variations.

23
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

FRONT RAISE

Muscles Targeted: Shoulders (front)

24
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Stand upright with your hands at your sides, palms facing back, and

rope taut.

2. Take a deep breath and tense your entire body.

3. Raise your hands in front of you until your arms form an approx.

45-degree angle with your head.

4. Exhale

5. Return your hands to the starting position and walk forward until

the rope is taut again.

6. Repeat

TIP – Leaning forward may give you more stability than standing absolutely

upright.

25
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

REAR RAISE

Muscles Targeted: Shoulders (rear), Neck, Upper Back

26
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Stand upright and facing your weight. Your arms should be in front

of you, palms facing each other, and rope taut.

2. Take a deep breath and tense your entire body.

3. Keeping your arms relatively straight, pull your hands back so that

your arms move in an arc (imagine a Flye in the opposite direction).

At the “finished” position, your hands should be even with your

body.

4. Exhale

5. Return your hands back to the starting position and walk backward

until the rope is taut again.

6. Repeat

TIP – You can pull from various angles. When “finished,” your arms can be

horizontal, vertical, or anywhere in between. Each position will work the

muscle(s) from a slightly different angle, so don’t be afraid to switch from

time to time.

27
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

UPRIGHT ROWS

Muscles Targeted: Shoulders, Neck, Upper Back

28
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Stand upright and facing your weight. Your hand should be in front

of you, with palms facing down. The rope to your weight should be

taut.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Pull your hands to your chin or shoulders. Try to concentrate on

“pulling” with your elbows rather than your hands (this will place

the emphasis on your shoulders and back rather than on your upper

arms). Squeeze as if you were trying to touch your shoulder blades

together.

4. Exhale

5. Return your hands to starting position and walk backward until the

rope is taut again.

6. Repeat

TIP – You may want to put one foot back and possibly even lean slightly back

for more stability.

29
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

LEANING CURLS

Muscles Targeted: Biceps, Forearms

30
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Stand with one foot forward and facing away from your weight.

Lean forward so that you body forms almost a 45-degree angle

with the ground. Your arms should be straight, hands slightly

behind you, palms facing forward.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Curl your hands to your shoulders.

4. Exhale

5. Return your hands to the starting position and walk forward until

the rope is taut again.

6. Repeat

31
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

REVERSE CURLS

Muscles Targeted: Forearms, Biceps

32
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Stand in the same position as if you were to perform LEANING

CURLS, only with your palms facing back (instead of forward). The

rope should be taut.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Curl your hands so that your knuckles are touching your shoulders.

4. Exhale

5. Return your hands to the starting position and walk forward until

the rope is taut again.

6. Repeat

33
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

UPPERCUTS

Muscles Targeted: Shoulders, Upper Chest, Upper Back, Biceps, Triceps,

Forearms

34
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Get into starting position as if you were to perform a LEANING

CURL. The rope should be taut.

2. Take a deep breath and tense your entire body.

3. Curl your hands to your shoulders.

4. From there, keep your hands moving so that they end up overhead

(as if you were performing an OVERHEAD PRESS with your palms

facing you). The transition from the curl to the press should be

smooth, and the entire motion should be as fluid as possible.

5. Exhale

6. Once your hands are overhead, bring them back to the starting

position and walk forward until the rope is taut again.

7. Repeat

35
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

ROW

Muscles Targeted: Upper Back, Middle Back, Biceps (indirectly)

36
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Stand upright and facing your weight. Your hand should be in front

of you, with palms facing down or facing each other. The rope to

your weight should be taut.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Pull your hands to your abdomen, arching your back. Concentrate

on “pulling” with your elbows, rather than your hands. Doing this

will focus the effort on the muscles of the back, rather than the

arms. Pull as if you were trying to touch your elbows together

behind your back.

4. Exhale

5. Put your hands back in front of you in the starting position. Walk

backward until the rope is taut again.

6. Repeat.

TIP – You may want to put one foot back and possibly even lean slightly back

for more stability.

37
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

SOCCER THROWS

Muscles Targeted: Triceps

38
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Stand leaning slightly forward with one foot in front of the other.

Your arms should be overhead and bent, with your elbows point up

and your hands at the base of your neck. Your palms should be

facing up, and your rope should be taut.

2. Tense your entire body and take a breath.

3. Straighten your arms, bringing your hands overhead. Try to keep

your upper arms stationary.

4. Exhale

5. Return your hands to the starting position and walk forward until

the rope is taut again.

6. Repeat

39
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

CORE WORK:
CRUNCH:

Muscles Targeted: Abdominals, Obliques, Hip Flexors

40
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Stand upright with your weight behind you. Your hands should be

at your shoulders.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Concentrating pulling with your abdominals (and not with your

hands – your hands should be nothing more than hooks), curl your

body forward until your elbows are (somewhat) close to your knees.

4. Exhale

5. Stand back up straight and walk forward until the rope is taut

again.

6. Repeat.

41
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

TWISTS

Muscles Targeted: Obliques, Hip Flexors, Abdominals

42
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Stand upright with your weight to your left side. Your hands

should be together, arms out to your left side, and rope taut.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Keeping your lower body stationary (i.e. – twisting at the waist),

twist so that your hands end up on the right side of your body.

Your arms can remain horizontal, or you can pull them upward.

4. Exhale

5. Sidestep to your right, leaving your arms extended to your left as

in the starting position again. Be sure that the rope is taut.

6. Repeat

NOTE – This will work the right side of your “core.” To work the left side,

simply perform the above from right to left (as opposed to left to right as

above).

43
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

DEADLIFT STYLE

Muscles Targeted: Hamstrings, Butt, Lower Back, Neck, Entire Back

44
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Stand with your weight in front of you. It should be far enough

away that you have to bend forward (your body would be between

45 and 90 degrees). Stick your butt slightly back so that your legs

aren’t quite vertical. Bending the legs is Ok.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Straighten your body, pulling the weight back. Be sure to thrust

with the hips, rather than just pulling with your lower back. Your

hands should end at your sides. At the end of the pull, squeeze

your lower back, butt, and shoulder blades together.

4. Exhale

5. Walk backward far enough to be back in starting position with rope

taut.

6. Repeat

TIP – You may want to put one leg slightly back for stability. If you do, be

sure to alternate every few pulls so that the both sides are worked evenly.

45
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

LOWER BODY:
HARNESS SQUATS

Muscles Targeted: Quadriceps, Calves, Hamstings, Hips, Butt

46
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. With your weight behind you and a harness on, squat down so that

you’re in the fully squatted position. You may be leaning forward.

If so, feel free to put your hands on the ground (but don’t support

yourself) for balance.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Driving with your toes, explode upward, straightening your legs and

thrusting your hips forward. Your body will move in a slight

forward direction.

4. Exhale

5. Walk forward until the rope is taut again. Squat back down to the

staring position.

6. Repeat

47
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

LUNGE

Muscles Targeted: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Butt

48
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. With your weight behind you and harness on, get into lunge position

with one foot (and the opposite knee) on the ground.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Driving through the heel of your forward foot, bring yourself up to

a standing upright position. Keep moving forward, placing your

opposite foot forward and dropping to your knee.

4. Exhale

5. Repeat

TIP – Try to keep motion fluid and keep moving forward

TIP – This is a fairly difficult exercise – you’ll have to use a much lighter

weight (especially when compared to Harness Squats) than you might think.

49
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

OVERHEAD SQUAT

Muscles Targeted: Quadriceps, Hips, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Upper Back

50
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Get into the bottom position of a HARNESS SQUAT. However,

instead of wearing a harness, you’ll be holding the rope with hands

overhead. To keep your balance, you’ll probably lean slightly

forward.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Like the HARNESS SQUAT, explode up to a standing position. Do

not bend your arms throughout the movement.

4. Exhale

5. Step forward and squat back down into starting position with rope

taut.

6. Repeat

51
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

BEHIND KNEES

Muscles Targeted: Hamstrings, Lower Back, Butt

52
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. With your weight behind you, slightly bend at the knees and at the

waist. Your hands should be just behind your knees.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Keeping your butt down, chest slightly arched, and head up, walk

forward keeping your hands behind your knees. Try to make your

walking fluid and continuous (rather than a “jerky” motion).

4. Breath between steps.

TIP – This exercise is TOUGH. Start out with a very light weight, for it will

feel much heavier than you’ll expect.

TIP – This exercise is TOUGH. When first start out, don’t do a whole lot of

dragging this way. If you do, you’ll be more sore than you can imagine. Work

your way into decent volume.

TIP – Have I mentioned this is TOUGH?

53
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

ANKLE DRAGGING

Muscles Targeted: Hips, Quadriceps, Shins, Groin, Abdominals, Obliques

1. With your weight behind you, loop your rope around your feet so

that it (the rope) wraps around the front of your ankles.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Keeping your legs relatively straight, walk forward. Bring your

feet forward in medium-paced, deliberate movements. Don’t move

too fast (nor use too heavy of a weight) as you could strain a

muscle fairly easily with this exercise if you “dead-head” it.

4. Breath between steps.

TIP – To shift the emphasis to the back of your legs (Muscles Targeted:

Butt, Hamstrings, Calves, Lower Back), turn around and walk backwards in
the same fashion.

TIP - To shift the emphasis to the hips and outer/inner thighs, turn

sideways. If you do turn sideways, use a “carioca” type of walking, bringing

you lagging foot first in front of, then behind your lead foot. Just be sure

to perform the same amount of work in both directions.

54
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

OVERALL CONDITIONING
HARNESS PULL

1. With your weight behind you, put on your harness. Lean slightly

forward.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Walk forward. Try to keep leaning slightly forward for balance.

Keep the movement smooth and motion fluid. Keep the weight

moving forward.

4. Breathe normally.

TIP – For variation, turn around and pull backwards or even sideways (pulling

in a “carioca” fashion).

55
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

BELT PULL

1. Put a belt loosely around your waist. Something thick and

relatively wide (such as a weight belt) usually works best, as it

won’t want to “dig” into your belly/sides as bad.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Walk forward. Like the HARNESS PULL, keep the motion fluid and

the weight moving forward.

4. Breathe normally.

TIP – As with the HARNESS PULL, turn backwards or sideways for

variation.

TIP – Use BELT PULLS if you have a delicate shoulder girdle or are

recovering from an injury.

TIP – Be sure to put the belt low enough on your stomach that it doesn’t

pinch you, and so that it allows you to breath adequately.

56
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

OVER THE SHOULDER PULL

1. Stand in front of your weight, with only a rope attached to it (no

handles, harness, etc.). Drape the rope over one shoulder. Grip

the rope with both hands.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Leaning forward for stability, walk forward.

4. Breathe normally.

TIP - Be sure to divide your OVER THE SHOULDER PULLS in half, so that

you’re doing half over one shoulder, and half over the other. This will even

up the stress that’s placed on your core over both sides.

57
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

BEAR CRAWL

1. Put on your harness and get down on “all fours” (i.e. – your hands

and feet).

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. “Crawl” forward on your hands and feet. For better leverage, keep

your body as straight as you can. This will allow you to “dig” into

the ground much better. (It will also be much more comfortable,

as your butt will be down, and your rope won’t be pull between your

butt cheeks.)

4. Breathe normally.

58
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

CRAWL

1. Again, put on your harness and get down on “all fours” (only this

time, it will be your hands and knees).

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. “Crawl” forward on your hands and knees. This is going to be much

tougher than you think, so be prepared.

4. Breathe normally.

TIP – This can tear your knees up, so make sure (if you’re training outside)

that you either are wearing pants or some sort of kneepad.

59
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

SEAL WALK

1. Put on your harness and get down on your stomach. Your legs

should be out behind you, and you should be supporting yourself on

your hands.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. Using only your arms, “walk” forward on your hands. This will be

pretty tough, so be sure to start out with a light weight. DON’T

USE YOUR LEGS.

4. Breathe normally.

60
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

EXPLODE

61
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

1. Get into the squatted position with your weight behind you. Your

hands should be at your shoulders.

2. Take a breath and tense your entire body.

3. “Explode” with your entire body, squatting up and pressing your

hands overhead at the same time. You will probably be leaning

forward for balance, so you’ll most likely “Explode” slightly forward

as well.

4. Exhale

5. Step forward and squat back down into the starting position. The

rope should be taut.

6. Repeat

62
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Sample Routines

Dragging routines are generally performed one of two ways – for

distance or for time. For example, you might do OVERHEAD PRESS for

three “sets” of 200 feet. Or, you may do HARNESS PULLS for 12 minutes

straight without stopping. That sort of thing…

Which you do (for distance or for time) will generally depend on which

exercises you are doing, and how much space you have (i.e. – where you’re

doing your Dragging workouts). For example, you could do a workout for

distance or for time (“constant” or “incremental” movements) in a football

field. Conversely, doing “constant” movements for time in your college

dormitory room would be much tougher to pull off.

Because your individual circumstances will vary, I’ll let you make the

individual adjustments that your situation(s) dictate. However, below are

various Sample Routines for a variety of purposes.

To be as broadly applicable as possible, the below routines are done in

a “from ‘Point A’ to ‘Point B’ to ‘Point A’ again” sort of fashion. In other

words, I’m taking for granted that you’ll be Dragging from Point A to Point B,

turning around, and Dragging back to Point A again (only to turn around again

and start over). These routines will also assume that the distance between

Point A and Point B is a (relatively) medium distance – say approx. 50 feet or

so.

63
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Arm Specialization
--Have your weight at Point A, while you position yourself at Point B. With a

thick rope attached to your weight, pull the weight in your direction until it

reaches you. Use a “hand-over-hand” sort of motion, only be curling your

hands (imagine a Hammer Curl motion). Once the weight reaches Point B,

SOCCER THROW it back to Point A.

--Repeat for 20 minutes.

--Perform this workout twice per week.

Core/Trunk Strengthening
--Starting at Point A, CRUNCH your weight to Point B. At Point B, perform

25 Situps. Then, DEADLIFT STYLE back to Point A. When you reach Point

A, perform 25 more Situps.

--Repeat for 15 minutes.

--Perform this workout 2x-3x per week.

Core/Trunk Strengthening #2
--Starting at Point A, TWIST (from left to right) to Point B. When you

reach Point B, perform 25 Flutter Kicks (each leg). Then TWIST (from

right to left) back to Point A. When you reach Point A, perform 25 Situps.

--Repeat for 10 minutes.

--Perform this workout 2x-3x per week.

64
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Upper Body Strengthening

--Starting at Point A, UPPERCUT to Point B. Turn around, and ROW back to

Point A.

--Repeat for 20 minutes.

--Perform 1x-2x per week.

Upper Body Strengthening #2

--Starting at Point A, OVERHEAD PRESS to Point B. At Point B, perform 15

Dive Bombers. Then, turn around and ROW back to Point B. At Point B,

perform 8 Reverse Push-Ups.

--Repeat for 20 minutes.

--Perform 1x-2x per week.

Lower Body Strengthening

--Staring at Point A, HARNESS SQUAT to Point B. Turn around, and

HARNESS SQUAT back to Point A.

--Repeat for 15 minutes.

--Perform 1x-2x per week.

Lower Body Strengthening #2

--Starting at Point A, LUNGE to Point B. At Point B, perform 25 Hindu

Squats. Then, turn around and LUNGE to Point A. At Point A, perform 25

Bootstrappers.

--Repeat for 15 minutes.

--Perform 1x-2x per week.

65
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Conditioning
--Starting at Point A, BELT PULL to Point B. Turn around, and BELT PULL

back to Point A. Each time you turn around, pull a different direction. So,

from Point A to Point B, pull forward. Then turn sideways, pulling to your

left on the way back to Point A. Then pull backwards back to Point B. Then

turn sideways again, pulling to right back to Point A. Then pull forward again

to Point B, and so on.

--Repeat for 20 minutes.

--Perform 2x-3x per week.

Conditioning #2
--Starting at Point A, BEAR CRAWL to Point B. At Point B, perform 10 Jump

Squats. Then, turn around and SEAL WALK back to Point A. At Point A,

perform 10 Clapping Push-Ups.

--Repeat for 20 minutes.

--Perform 2x-3x per week.

Conditioning #3
--Starting at Point A, OVERHEAD SQUAT to Point B. AT Point B., perform

25 Situps. Then, turn around and UPPERCUT back to Point A. At Point A,

perform 25 more Situps.

--Repeat for 25-30 minutes.

--Perform 2x-3x per week.

66
 Wiggy’s Weight Dragging Manual

Conditioning #4 – “The PUKER”

(This one isn’t for the faint of heart – make sure you’re in decent shape

before attempting this one!!)

--Starting at Point A, EXPLODE to Point B. At Point B, perform 15 Burpees

(with Push-Up and Jump Squat). Then, EXPLODE back to Point A. At Point

A, perform 15 more Burpees (with Push-Up and Jump Squat).

--Repeat for 35-40 minutes – NO REST ALLOWED.

--Perform 1x-2x per week.

Active Recovery
--Starting at Point A, HARNESS PULL to Point B. Turn around, and

HARNESS PULL back to Point A. (NOTE – This should be very heavy nor

strenuous – it should be just enough to get you breathing a little hard, and to

work the “kinks” out.)

--Repeat for 10 minutes.

--Perform 5x per week.

Active Recovery #2
--Starting at Point A, EXPLODE to Point B. Turn around, and EXPLODE back

to Point A. (NOTE – like the other Active Recovery routine, this Dragging

shouldn’t be heavy or very strenuous. Please don’t confuse this routine with

the “PUKER” above.)

--Repeat for 10 minutes.

--Perform 5x per week.

67
 About Tapout – Wiggy’s Experience

If you’re one of my “regular” readers (i.e. – you’ve got either or both

my previous books), you’ll know that I had a section dealing with Tapout

Clothing in each book. Guess what – nothing has changed.

In case you don’t know who or what Tapout is, Tapout is a company

that makes fightware and clothing for MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). Tapout

sponsors more fighters than you can shake a stick at, and many of the MMA

events that have taken place (especially in America) in the last 10-15 years

wouldn’t have taken place had it not been for Tapout. Hell, many of the

smaller events would never have even come into existence were it not for

Tapout.

Many people don’t like Tapout or the Tapout “crew.” These “nay-

sayers” think that the guys from Tapout are too loud, too brash, too

obnoxious, or too something. And maybe they’re right. But, if you ask me,

Tapout is too giving, too hard working, and too dedicated. Tapout busts its

ass for the sport of MMA, and they certainly give a lot more than they get.

During the fall of 2002, I was trying to write and complete my first

book. I was completely new to what I was doing, and was plodding along the

best I knew how. In an effort to lend a little bit of credibility (since nobody

at the time knew who “Wiggy” was) to my product, I called Tapout. I

thought if I could somehow get a little “sponsorship” – somehow just

affiliate my product with the Tapout name, it might lend some credibility to

this (then) unknown author, and it might help get my project off the ground.

So, I called Tapout. After a couple calls, I found myself on the phone

with Dan, and found myself explaining that I was writing a book about
Strength & Conditioning training oriented towards fighters. I did my best

at “pitching” myself to Dan, and was wondering if he was interested in

“sponsoring” my and my new book.

Now remember, this was when I first started out. This was before I

started Working Class Fitness.com. This was before I was a columnist at

MMA Weekly.com. This was before I started writing for Bodybuilding.com.

This was before I was a moderator at the Underground Forum. I was an

unknown. Dan didn’t know me from Adam, and he had no proof that anything

I was telling him about my project was true. For all he knew, I could have

been trying to scam him.

Dan response to my idea? “Cool. I’ll have some stuff sent out today.”

There was a box on my porch 3 days later. I’ll deal with Tapout – and only

Tapout – from this point forward.

And you should too.

To find out more about Tapout or to get some of the coolest stuff money

can buy, go to www.inyaface.com or call 1-888-TAPOUT4.

 About “Wiggy”

Living in Cameron, NC, Matt “Wiggy” Wiggins is a cost analyst who has

studied, researched, and performed strength training for 11+ years. Wiggy

has designed strength, conditioning, and exercise programs for students,

combat athletes, athletes of various sports, as well as served as strength

and conditioning coach for his university’s wrestling team. Wiggy runs the

Strength, Conditioning, and Fitness website – www.workingclassfitness.com,

is a moderator at the world’s largest Mixed Martial Arts online forum

(www.mma.tv), has his own home page at www.bodybuilding.com, and is a

columnist for MMA Weekly (www.mmaweekly.com).

Wiggy is available on a limited basis for one-on-one personal training in

central North Carolina, and designs personalized training programs online via

email. Wiggy is also in the process of organizing strength and conditioning

seminars for those in the central North Carolina area. If you’d like more

information on Wiggy’s products or how Wiggy can set up a program for you,

email him at [email protected].