Drink and Vessel safety is nothing to skimp on, nor take lightly. Nothing is more befitting, for a JD Gym Equipped Heavy Mug to rest on safely and protectively, than a Massenomics Horse Stall Mat Coaster. The pinnacle of 3/4” rubber drink ware.

These work well for several pulling motions in either orientation (crescent “up“ or crescent down”) and also for pressing movements. I have several other pieces that have take over that are far superior, however, this is a budget friendly option that I started with as a D handle and attached a carabiner. The knock-offs were my presence to enable me to stick with the black and avoid orange and these were only $20. These are great to take traveling and easy to pack when you might only have access to outdoor playgrounds too. The nylon strap shows no signs of wear and the stitching is excellent. The polymer handles are solid too.

“Rigmate [rig-meyt] noun, a friend, partner, accomplice, or comrade in pursuit of getting jacked.” “Rigmate [rig-meyt] verb, to join in communion at the alter of iron” These are descriptions from the company themselves in Kansas City, Missouri. I purchased these Rigmates more as a decorative item for my rack since I have an abundance of Oak Club Magpins to use for the daily grind. But they are definitely functional and have a 5.5” usable pin length. The heads I chose to adorn my nameplate on my rack are the Lion, but they are also available as Bear and Wolf. I would have preferred the heads to be fabricated out of metal as opposed to a resin if I were going to be using them in a regular functional capacity. But since they will only be hanging out overseeing my self inflicted punishment and m-TORture in my rack, I can live with the durable resin that they are fabricated from. I had to add the red colored eyes to complete their savage appearance. Totally unnecessary in my use case, but they have already become my gym pets. The heads are not meant to bang around or take abuse so you do have to exercise a little care when using these. That’s why I knocked one point off for build quality.

I “accumulate” axial compression daily and inversion acts as a mechanical reset. You can reverse hours of spinal loading in roughly 1–2 minutes. I like to hang for around 10-15 minutes, primarily after deadlift days and squat days. These are comfortable but since you have to wear these snugly, your feet may go a little numb with lengthy hang sessions. and I’ve had these for about 15 years now and they have held up well. Using these helps reduce compressive load on spinal discs and temporarily improves hydration and spacing of discs. For regular lifters, our spinal stabilizers (erectors, QL, deep core) are always “on” with training volume. Inversion reduces their load demand and allows them to fully relax under traction - that’s one reason it feels so good.

These are made extremely well. The construction, stitching, and materials are robust. These provide the needed support for longer hanging sessions (2-3 minutes plus), when your grip might otherwise give out, to allow for full relaxation. Long dead hangs enable better shoulder therapy: Restores joint space (decompression) since gravity gently pulls the glenohumeral joint downward creating slight separation between the humeral head and socket. This helps counteract all the compressive loading from pressing, lateral raises, and curls that I do. Additionally, long dead hangs improve scapular mechanics. A proper hang encourages upward rotation and elevation of the scapula and activates stabilizers.