How One Trainer Puts the Hammer Strength Jammer to Work

On Your Mark Training is serious about its performance small group training. Two locations in Chicago are the scene of intense and effective HIIT, strength and endurance training for exercisers ranging from amateurs to athletes. The skilled trainers at On Your Mark incorporate a wide variety of fitness tools like free weights, kettlebells, indoor cycles, treadmills and rigs in their classes.

Brian Kent, director of performance at On Your Mark, employs another tried and true piece of strength equipment—the Hammer Strength Jammer. On Your Mark's location on the west side of Chicago (there's a second location in the West Loop) has a pair of Jammers that get plenty of use.

Kent played baseball at the University of Nebraska in the late 1990s and early 2000s learned to love the Jammer, which was a big part of the legendary Husker Power strength training program for all athletics at Nebraska. He now incorporates the groundbreaking plate-loaded piece into some of his group workouts.

“I always liked the simplicity of (the Jammer), where you can use each arm by itself, you can use it for power, you can use it for strength. There’s a million uses for it,” said Kent. “It has a strong place in athletic performance, but can be modified for any type of audience. It can be used with no weight on it or for high-power athletes with bands and weights. It’s very versatile.”

The Jammer has limitless possiblities when incorporated into a group workouts. Quick, 30-second bursts of extensions, rotating extensions and even vertical chest presses can all add an effective element to strength training.

"With the Jammer, we’re standing so it involves more core," added Kent. "I play with your feet so you’re working off of different positions. Plus, it angles. It’s like a scooping pattern. They don’t make them like that anymore. If that’s in the gym, people recognize it if they’ve used it before."

Check out a few of the ways that Kent uses the Jammer.