May 10, 2006

13 responses to PLDNH (Plate Loadable Dark Neck Helmet)…

  1. Gords Says:
    May 11th, 2006 at 1:05 pm

    Looks like the length of that post could support at least four large Barbells. That is alot of weight for a neck. One bad move and a head could be rolling on the floor. Did someone just make that or was it mass produced. There is some money to be made with that helmet. I’ve never seen that before.

  2. Kris Says:
    May 11th, 2006 at 1:51 pm

    This helmet, like some of the other stuff at Metal, is definitively home made. Someone welded a pin on top of an old helmet (reminds me of WWII…) and padded it on the inside with foam. From the looks of it, the straps are from an old belt. It’s a bit rusty on the inside and not very comfortable… just like any hardcore piece of neck training equipment should be. ;-) The pin is indeed very long, let’s just say that a single plate was scary enough. My guess is it can be loaded up to at least 140 kg/309 lbs…

  3. Alberto Caraballo Says:
    May 11th, 2006 at 3:05 pm

    If you indeed walked around with this thing on your head for a while, Kris, how does your neck feel? I just laughed when I saw the picture, it’s almost like something out of Monty Python!!! Funny you mentioned possible max capacity for that helmet, could you imagine the yoke on the beast who can do that?

  4. Scott Says:
    May 11th, 2006 at 4:37 pm

    The guy who made it is now 4′2 :)

  5. Kris Says:
    May 11th, 2006 at 4:41 pm

    That was a good one Scott! :-)

    Alberto, to have a blog entry evoke thoughts of Monty Python is the highest praise it could ever receive! I laughed my pants up to my ears when we snapped the photos of me wearing it, but had a hard time looking anything but serious when in it… I asked Måns to hurry the photo snapping before something vital snapped. Taking my hands off the helmet for the photos was the most courageous, and possibly most foolish, thing I did this week. That’s really sad when put into a wider perspective:

    [W]orld-wide (with the exception of Western Europe and North America) people who must carry heavy loads often choose to carry the loads on their heads, apparently for good reason. Our previous studies on the East African women have shown that they can carry loads of up to 20% of their body weight (equivalent to a good size suitcase) for ‘free’, i.e. for no increase in their metabolism. Furthermore, these women can carry up to 70% of their body weight on their heads considerably more economically than their European counterparts can carry equivalent backpack loads. For example, an African woman can carry a load equal to 70% of her body weight at 3.5 km/hr for 50% less energy that an American army recruit with the same load in a backpack. Studies from other laboratories on West African and South African women, when adjusted for obesity, are substantially in agreement.
    Unit Laboratory of physiology and biomechanics of locomotion

    70 kg/155 lbs on my head?! RIP, Kris. Oh those weak Western necks…

  6. Måns Says:
    May 11th, 2006 at 6:02 pm

    Consider how difficult it was for me to keep the camera steady when taking those photos… :D

  7. Sanna Says:
    May 12th, 2006 at 7:05 pm

    Dear lord. No doubt we shall be seeing one of those in the home gym soon. More work for the welder…

  8. Kris Says:
    May 13th, 2006 at 3:41 am

    I suspect the welder will be left alone on this one…

    It has now been confirmed. Here’s a pic of the neck helmet loaded with three 50 kg/111 lbs plates. There’s just enough room left for a spring collar, but the pin was slightly narrower than a regular Olympic weight sleeve.

  9. Måns Says:
    May 13th, 2006 at 7:14 pm

    Yes, confirmed indeed. “It has now been officially calculated that death is more than likely with this helmet…” :D

  10. Jamie Says:
    May 16th, 2006 at 2:59 am

    I’d be afraid of being called a “dick head” wearing that. :-)

  11. Måns Says:
    May 22nd, 2006 at 11:54 am

    Well, actually (and I can understand why this one was chosen) that picture is among the least funny of the ones we took, IMHO. It looked really perverse without the plate on. Now it simply looks like a UFO has landed on Kris’ head…
    Which is quite funny, nevertheless. :D

  12. Kris Says:
    May 22nd, 2006 at 7:04 pm

    Indeed, there’s a limit to how ridiculous images one is willing to post online. This one is already making the rounds and is liable to appear on a forum near you imminently, if not sooner. Viewed out of context, people will think this dude is a very serious chap indeed. None is more entertained than the one who can laugh about himself. :-) :-)

    That said, the most popular image at tsampa.org that has appeared on countless boards (most of them not related to strength) is this one. Hands down, or hands off if you will.

  13. Kris Says:
    May 25th, 2006 at 7:28 pm

    …and here’s how to make your own neck helmet, naturally equipped with proper facial protection.

Comments are closed.