Care To Poke The Bear?

One of the most intense workouts around is not only so simple but takes only 5 minutes to do and it will have you breathing harder like you're ready to die. Great for wrestlers, conditioning enthusiasts and fanatics who just love to find out what they're made of. All you do is simple Bear Crawling.

Now, we're not talking about some little four legged animal move that kids play (although it is fun), you're going to be sprinting or moving as fast as possible for 10 Seconds, rest for 20 Seconds and repeat for a total of 10 Rounds. Done this workout many times and if I had to create a list of brutal sessions, this makes at least top 5. 

What does it really do? It pushes you to work everything with such intensity, your lungs will be screaming louder than a teen camper about to be the next victim of Jason. The idea is to move all 4 limbs in unison and working together synergistically, if you're uncoordinated, you may fall on your face so build up by doing slow sessions without sprinting, just get used to the movement, as you get better, pick up the pace until you can move quickly in all sorts of directions.

Bear Crawls is one of the most basic conditioning exercises that gives you a starting base for building animalistic strength in your arms and legs. Wrestlers have done it forever, football players cringe at it cause every time they do it, at least 3-5 players want to kill their coach and Gymnasts use it as a starting base for building arm and core strength for hand balancing in later stages. Learned about that from my old friend Ed Baran. 

Kids love to mimic animals and as we get older, we phase out of that child like state and become analytical and overthink a bunch of shit. Sometimes injuries have plagued people from going back to that playful state of exercise but if you're in good health, might want to give the move a go. There are several variations you can do but when it comes to the sprints, ass up to the heavens and legs spread out a little wider than shoulder width and take off running. You're using just about every single muscle imaginable and it builds incredible toughness and durability. 

How often should you do this? Depends on your goals but a couple times a week or so should do the trick, seriously who wouldn't want to only train for 5-10 minutes a week? That doesn't mean you don't do other things throughout the rest of the week unless you're so sore you need to recover more. Go for walks, work isometrics, do some band training, hike or whatever, just keep the intensity lower so when those sprint sessions come, you'll be ready to tackle it like the legendary Ray Lewis.

Another great workout that is a favorite of mine is to mark off 5 yards, crawl as fast as you can without falling over, stand up, walk back and repeat for at least 5-10 times to start. When you can get to 20 of these, you're hitting gold. The most I ever did was around 45 but that was really a test of what I'm capable of. You won't most likely go 100% full boar after a certain number so don't always worry about numbers. This workout if I were to do 20 of them, at a good clip took me just under 4 1/2 minutes to complete. It's nasty but it gets the job done if you're short on time. 

Check out some other ideas for Animal Type Movements HERE!!! Be amazingly awesome and go have some fun.   

Is The Bigfoot Walk Another Move To Increase Strength In The Legs

This is one of my favorite moves to train my legs and for good reasons: They're fun, they can be a challenge and it gives off a hell of a burn in the thighs. IMO, it's really underrated. Many people don't know what it is and if they saw it at 1st glance, they may think it's some silly move and why the fuck would you want to move in this manner? Why is it even called The Bigfoot Walk? Is it something that an actual Bigfoot does? Well, we've never actually seen one so why call it that?

The truth is, it's just a name, what it really is, is walking in a quarter to a half squat that digs into the quads and glute muscles and it has similarities to a wrestler's stance. Very effective and it's more than what people may perceive it to be. When seen at first, it doesn't seem like much, after all it's just a rinky dink goofy ass move right? Shit, where's the resistance when you do it, the range of motion is just a tiny part of a squat right? Give it a go, see how it feels after 30 seconds or so. Seems easy doesn't it, the fact is, you're in constant tension and when you keep going, there's that build up that might make those legs scream like Drew Barrymore in E.T. 

Many people (most likely men) may see it as some kind of exercise that only pussies do. It's part of that dogmatic mindset where if you want real strength, you lift heavy, have greater ROM, you get results like a man. They'll have you believe Heavy Squats & Deadlifts are the true kings of Lower Body Development. Bro, might want to pull that stick out of your ass and come back down to earth. Here's a fun fact (and might come as a shock): Many athletic movements are in a partial range position. How about this for a kicker, many movements are dynamic, semi unilateral & semi bilateral, kind of like the Bigfoot Walk here.

What you may call a sissy, poor excuse of a move might just save your knees and your quads that has more use than a loaded squat. Don't get me wrong, squats with or without weight are essential depending on your goals but it's not the Zeus of all leg exercises. In Martial Arts such as Wrestling, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kung Fu, this is the type of strength you need in the legs where you only need to go down a bit but not in a complete squat. Because of the constant tension along with the shifting from one leg to another, you're putting a greater long term strength into the muscles. It's not a matter of pure strength that is temporary, it's about that strength lasting. 

Like I said earlier, give it a go for a minimum of 30 seconds or even a minute if you think it's easy. If you feel it right away, that means you have some work to do. I would do this for up to 5 minutes 1-2 times a day and go longer sometimes. I don't do it everyday but it would be a change of pace, some who have gotten into it will go longer or do them in sets like 3 sets of 3 minutes. This is only a piece of the puzzle though, an idea if you will of what Animal Movement Training does to condition the body. Our fitness culture has this obsession of heavy squats that i n reality isn't 100% productive for long term health. It is impressive as hell at times and if that's your thing, cool and I hope you're able to minimize injuries. 

For more info on Animal Based Movement & Training, give MOVEMENT 20XX a glance, very powerful stuff and some of the best conditioning & strength training methods on the planet. 

Baseball Has Begun

Good start yesterday for my fav. team the San Francisco Giants. Solid win with a 3 run Homer at the top of the 9th to get a 6-3 lead and win 6-4 in the end. Finished my documentary of Ken Burns' Baseball Documentary the other day that I watch every year before the season starts.

Been a fan since I was a little kid going to Candlestick Park and eventually now Oracle Park. Watching guys like Will Clark, Matt Williams, Barry Bonds, Rob Nenn, Buster Posey, Madison Baumgartner and others. 

Some of the training those guys go through can be unique from typical weight training to oddities for helping them hit, pitch & run. Some guys even back in the day didn't train much at all or did things in the offseason. Guys like Mickey Mantle & Hank Aaron didn't lift weights but did labor work, Rickey Henderson was famously known for doing Push-ups, Sit-Ups, Sprints (And Ice Cream) and guys in the minor leagues would do things like Step Ups & other calisthenics since salaries are much lower so they would do what's possible with coaches that they have. 

Branch Rickey who was a former player himself and then turned to management helped establish the Farm System that developed the Minors to work with players and give them opportunities to reach their potential beyond just talent and skill. However, one coach for a college team helped build his squad to go 14-1 one season while using Indian Clubs as part of their training. Coach Judson Hyames had his boys work the clubs as part of extensive training before their season (Were undefeated for two years prior). It gave his players great Wrist Strength/Mobility along with Suppleness & Flexibility.

This guy was like the John Wooden of his time, his career record as a coach is 166-62-2 which is pretty damn impressive and makes you wonder what he could've done with guys in the majors. That college is now known as Western Michigan University and the field there now is named after him. Taking something that came from India and reached the training ideals for the Baseball Diamond goes to show that with great word of mouth, many styles of training can make it to championship sports teams and athletes. 

If Clubs can build a championship squad, what else could they do? It's one of the reasons I love training with clubs because they're great for joint health, complex but awesome for keeping the body healthy, builds brain power because of the patterns used in the swings and works with motor skills. Be amazingly awesome and grab a pair of clubs to train with and help carry on the tradition that has been going on for centuries. 

  

The Finer Points Of Suspension Training

 For the most part, Suspension Training is one of the most effective yet simple forms of bodyweight exercise around. Some advantages include the portable and versatility but there are lesser known advantages that people may not be aware of or even realize. 

For starters, it offers a wider base than typical bodyweight training because of the greater resistance you can apply. It fills in gaps that give a boost or even a harder outlook to regular Push-Ups & Pull-Ups. They can be used in a variety of ways such as: Those who are starting out and want to lay a foundation, work around injuries and give even a seasoned veteran of Physical Culture a run for their money. If you're limited in your Range Of Motion, this style of training can also bring a flexible entity into how you can build yourself up despite that other side of the coin. You can virtually create any workout you want within your capabilities.

As you're aware, the most basic rule of effective Strength Training is to utilize the format of Pushing, Pulling & Squatting. With Suspension Work, it can build a bigger branch of accessory training such as working curls for hitting the biceps or working on hip abductions. This is most likely a greater option to not only save money on gym memberships but even more cost effective on fancy equipment. It works like a gym that fits right in your backpack. 

It also creates greater freedom to train practically anywhere from your home to the park, in your hotel room, at the office or wherever on your own terms. If you're traveling, you can get in something quick like waiting for your flight, stretching your legs from a long car ride or getting the most out of it after a long day at work. Being able to move more freely is just the cherry on top of a kick ass sundae.

Because of the wide variety of exercises, some sources will list either very few or dozens upon dozens of exercises. Some of the things listed can seem overly repetitive (like many of Ric Flair's matches) because they really are more of a variation of one thing or another. In reality, you would only need a few exercises at a time to get the most benefit, you can do all of the exercises until the cows come home but are you really benefiting from them? Once you learn only a few for each muscle group or Chain of Muscles, you'll have a broader base for what to work with to truly enhance your physical training. Modify if needed and focus on the goals you set for yourself.

Go kill it and keep being amazingly awesome. 

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Key Benefits And Understanding Of Hybrid Isometrics

 When isometrics are defined, it usually comes in 2 styles: Yielding & Overcoming. What are they exactly?

Yielding Isometrics are in not so many words, fighting against gravity as you push, pull or squat at certain positions in a pause like fashion. Think of holding the plank or at a key point in a pull-up. For the squat, think of the Horse Stance. Another instance of this is holding a weight out in front of you like a Barbell Plate or 1 or 2 dumbbells in a full extended punch.

Overcoming Isometrics are when you going against something immoveable and pushing & pulling at a sticking point. Say you did self resistance of a curl where you're pitting one muscle against another and you can't move but you're using an incredible amount of force, that's an idea. 

Both have their good points and bad points yet can be beneficial depending on your goals. We've already covered how Overcoming Isometrics works with your Neural Capacity (Connecting The Mind/Muscle And Strength & Endurance). Yielding however, although it is geared to be more quantifiable in how you level it, can put limitations on the Neural Strength, Endurance and even how you connect when you work on holding for time. It's not the worse thing, hell a Horse Stance is great for building strength in the long run but it barely even scratches the surface to what really can be tied together. 

Overcoming is a great option as well and if you read the Important Aspects, but like anything else, they're not perfect since you'll be doing a great level of resistance that is purely on Focus & Concentration. It can be a challenge at times finding the right resistance without going against gravity as well. 

Hybrid Isometrics are a 2 For 1 Combo that potentially packs the ultimate Isometric punch. Using a good strap like the Iso Loop, it works both resistance at a sticking while going against gravity at the same time. Look at an idea of this HERE!!! It's more of an advanced style of Isometric Training by placing the body even more against gravity or get way more out of the resistance using the strap. 

The true benefits of Hybrids is pushing the muscles to an even higher level of strength and and mental focus beyond just doing yielding or overcoming. When you do the exercises, the timing may be far less than you would believe, doing Hybrids for more than 30 seconds to a minute will feel like an eternity and the shaking you'll feel is insane. This style also tackles the strength of the ligaments and tendons in a unique way and create a possibly even greater fat burning mechanism that aids natural muscular hypertrophy and fat loss at the same time.  

Important Aspects Of Overcoming Isometrics To Develop The Neural Connection

Recent articles are about the Neural Pathways that tie into the workings of Overcoming Isometrics such as Strength & Endurance but the way towards Connecting these two along with other Neural Entities is the foundation that brings incredible power to Isometric Training.

The Neural Connection is the door that opens to understanding Neuromuscular Proficiency. It brings the effectiveness to every exercise you perform, not just Isometrics. Utilizing this connection is one of the things many can struggle with to develop strength in whatever muscle group they work on. If you struggle to induce the brain by signaling to the muscles, it won't have an effective outcome when you work those muscles.

Certain muscle groups can be more difficult than others but the most common muscle groups people have trouble with is the Core, all of the muscles of the back, hammies and the hips. Primarily this is due to sitting a lot and making it a habit. The less you use that muscle, the more your brain won't signal to those muscles, hence atrophying the Mind/Muscle Connection. See where this is going?

However; the opposite is a great case because the more you're connected to those pathways, the stronger the signals to the muscles will become. Where does the connection come in when it comes to Isometric Training or in this instance, Overcoming Isometrics? In most cases from a certain POV, for most exercises is to simply do them. It is assumed in this manner that we automatically utilize the mind to believing what's best to use the muscles to get the job done.

From the perspective of this assumption in theory, that results you are seeking if you do the right programming or hitting the right exercises. Lifting the right amount of weight or hitting a certain amount of reps, the objective of the rep/set scheme and ultimately the workout itself quickly becomes the idea of doing the work as opposed to how well you utilize the muscles. I know this sounds weird but bare with me here. The assumption in theory can be easily made yet even the best workouts won't always give you the results you're shooting for if you lack the Neuromuscular Proficiency. The great masters of Muscle Control such as Otto Arco & Maxick knew this very well. 

In many cases nowadays, it is understandable and more common to perform movements with a great amount of effort to a higher degree than you would comprehend. The perspective or POV is that anybody can achieve excellent or immaculate results if they bust their ass hard enough. The thing is, individually, we don't always measure the same effort. Some like going for the heaviest lift, others are more rep/set efficient and some will focus more on speed to jack up their heart rate. Going after something with hard effort is an essential point of success in what you want to achieve, but effort is only available when your Neuromuscular Proficiency is within a decent amount to apply that effort. 

For those playing the home game....Neuromuscular Proficiency is the general idea of how you engage and use the muscles through mental focus. It is a skill where the mental muscular activation leads you to being able to control everything from how strong you can contract a muscle to utilizing muscular endurance, stabilization and your coordination. In simplistic terms, if your NMP is high, you'll be getting a far more productive training session regardless of the routine. If it dips and its low, you can go as hard as you want but you won't make much of a dent no matter how good the workout is, even if its the very best on the planet. 

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program...

If your NMP is off, it can bring more harmful than you realize because the high level of effort and the incredible intensity can develop habits that are dysfunctional. The more you push the boundries, you're putting bad habits into play along with most likely muscular imbalances. That can be a total bitch if muscles are off and aren't providing movement properly. If you cut back on the intensity, go a little lighter, decrease the volume or go at a slower pace, things may fall into place at a much better rate. 

I know what you're thinking, "where the hell does Overcoming Isometrics fall into this?" I get it, it seems like a drag but trust me, it's better to be knowledgeable and be wise enough to understand what could work and what gets results. In truth, the Overcoming Isometrics completely throws that Neural Compensation out the window because it teaches you not to hit some crazed ego maniacal numbers or to satisfy with being taken to the cleaners with your workout. The real neat part here is that it teaches you to focus on the engagement of every exercise you do in Overcoming Isometrics Training and improve how well YOU CAN engage and be able to flex and control the muscles at will. That one small difference leads to a much larger piece of the puzzle in developing your strength into an even more productive outlook.  

Be amazingly awesome and kill it with your Isometric Training. 

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Important Aspects Of Overcoming Isometrics To Create Neural Endurance

 Our Neural Endurance is a reference to how much time we can continue to send signals to the muscles so we can push a continuance for them to keep working. This form of endurance is beyond just our Physical Stamina of the muscles themselves. In truth, our stamina is more on the lines of the mental game. How long can we sustain this level of concentration to send strong signals to the muscles we are working?

There are mental tricks or "hacks" to help send those signals to the muscles; one way to do it is to work an exercise and let counting reps just go out the fucking window. Go as long as you possible can. One example of this is let's say Bodyweight Squats, how many can you normally do? This time, don't think or count the reps, just keep going. You may even go past that threshold of that number you can normally do. Is it like the Jedi Mind Trick? Not really and here's the reason why.....We have become accustomed to doing a certain number of reps (like a gold standard or something) so our minds can shut off that neural signal so we can count those reps. If we don't count, the mind doesn't have numbers to think about so it doesn't shut off those signals.

Neural Endurance can also factor in how we can build muscle. Effectively, a program based on Muscle Building Principles, tends to require a level of pushing the muscles to a high form of fatigue. This is really only possible to instill growth. 

Now, how does Overcoming Isometrics take on the idea of utilizing Neural Endurance? In movement, it requires a certain level of strength. Continuing to perform a movement will go only so long but only by producing some level of tension or contracting the muscle(s). When those muscles have been pushed to where fatigue becomes too much, stop the movement. It can be difficult to generate strength & endurance at the same time because, the more strength you use, the less time you'll be performing, with endurance, you back off the tension in order to last longer. Overcoming Isometrics requires practically no movement at all, meaning you'll never reach a level of muscular failure and completely stop the exercise. You can go hard and maintain tension as you maximize strength and endurance at the same time.

This advantage makes Overcoming Isometrics a bad ass way to create Neural Training that is jammed packed. It is another benefit to be able to train these types of Isometrics everyday and make numerous progress. Keep being amazingly awesome and practice your Isometrics. 

Important Aspects Of Overcoming Isometrics Creating Neural Strength

 The specific style of Isometrics isn't just working the tendons and ligaments, not to mention making you incredibly strong in the long run but it programs you to have an advantage of what's called Neural Strength. What does this mean? It means the strength of the signal to your brain that goes directly to the muscles. The stronger that signal is, your muscle fibers will be engaged a lot more in a given time next to the contraction of the muscle. The advantage you receive is due to what's called, Force-Velocity or something along those lines in the realm of Physiology. The idea is your basic format of, the more contraction you create, the slower you move. 

Excessive Tension that is used in sports can make or break within that sport. Say with Boxing or Sprinting, if you use excessive tension, it's not going to bold well because those sports are not meant to be used in a slow manner, they're more on the lines of Speed which downplays the tension to an extent. On the other hand, something like Powerlifting or some Strongman Lifts require a lot of tension which in turn creates a slower movement in order to move a great amount of weight.

 To challenge your strength, the method needed is to not be allowed to go at a high rate of speed. The slower, the more tension utilized in the muscles. The slowest however, is to not move at all, in other words, Isometrics. The elimination of moving through space, you throw limitation out the window to see how much you can contract a muscle. Feel free to find out what is possible (without heavy risk of injury) to squeeze just about everything which in turn will condition your neural strength. 

Overcoming Isometrics is one of the safest forms of exercise and comfortable ways to learn how much tension you can build. Doesn't matter of you're a beginner or a seasoned veteran, you can create heavy tension that pushes new levels of strength you didn't think were possible. Be amazingly awesome and work on your Isometric Training. 

Good Morning Workout For Joint Health, Neck Work & Deep Breathing

 Been up a while now and waking up to traffic and blustering winds, not that bad considering. Got some good training in to start the day starting with some deep breathing exercises including the Farmer Burns Stomach Flattener that I learned from Combat Abs. Moved on to my Neck Mobility Workout and felt really good clearing the cobwebs and worked some Joint Loosening, feeling relaxed and ready to get the day going. 

Today's going to be a good day for me and the girlie, a nice outing later with lunch and maybe a movie (thinking Captain America: Brave New World) and just being together. It's important to just be with the people in your life and enjoy the bonding and having fun together. 

It is a joy to be able to do things and then get to spend time with a loved one, life is too fucking short to be bitter and acting like some superior dickhead. Finding the balance in certain aspects of life isn't easy and it can be tough at times but when an opportunity arises, do what you can and let it sink in. Yeah, I can be a sappy son of a bitch at times but it's better than being a prick with a stick up his ass and being some Andrew Tate wanna-be (who would really want to be that numbnuts anyway).

Being on a Fitness Journey isn't always what the workouts do to make life better, it's what they continue to bring and teach you how to adapt when needed, just like in life. Being stiff is no fun whether physically or mentally and focusing too much on that "kill or be killed" mentality can turn you into someone that becomes lonely and not worth being around. Sure it's important to protect yourself when it calls for it or protect those you love but unless you live in an area where there isn't much of a choice to protect yourself and have that mentality all the time, learn to find the balance.

Doing exercises for the neck can do wonders for brain function and get the nerves firing for a healthy spine, not just building a strong neck. Loosening up the joints goes beyond stretching and just doing gentle exercises, it builds durability and be able to move more smoothly with limited chances of injury instead of high risk and being prone to them. The deep breathing gets those juices flowing and waking the body up from the inside. The old timers knew the crucial elements of deep breathing and what they represent. From Shaolin Monks to Charles Atlas, The Mighty Atom, Paul Bragg and Maxick; all practiced Deep Breathing and knew their benefits for what they will do later on.

Hope everyone has a great morning and keep killing your goals whether they're small or massive, every goal conquered is a victory for what lies ahead. Be amazingly awesome.   

500 Step Ups & 4 Minutes Of Burpees

Spicing things up can make for interesting workouts. Yesterday, my big workout was under 40 minutes or so but it wasn't easy. Took some mental strength but the rewards were well worth it and the calorie burning was intense. I warmed up with 500 Step Ups which normally takes me 20-22 min to complete and with little rest, went into Burpees using the Sprint 8 Protocol of 30 Seconds of work and 90 seconds of rest for 8 Rounds. No Jump but did a pushup on each Burpee. 

That's some crazy conditioning. Not a massive challenge for me but it sure as hell didn't let up on me either. During the rest periods, I would walk it off and focus on my breathing and think about the next round. With the Burpees, my goal wasn't so much speed like a crazed Crossfitter, it was more about technique and letting the speed come naturally since it is a full body workout and gets you huffing and puffing like a motherfucker already.

Although over the course of 8 rounds it's only 4 total minutes of work, it still kicks the shit out of you and tests your will and your mental capacity. When you add 500 Step Ups beforehand, it gets your heart rate going at a better entry point in my opinion. This will not only give your body time to heat up but the calories being burned during and after the Burpees just adds the cherry on top of a kick ass Sundae. You're getting cardio along with strength training in the same workout which aids in fat loss, weight loss, body composition and targeting multiple muscle groups all at once. You don't need to go an hour or longer in the gym unless you want to, this was done in less than 40 minutes with a small amount of space. 

With this type of workout 2-3x a week, it can save your ass a ton of money on gym fees, gas and you don't have to leave the house. You can practically do it anywhere. This is just an option, you don't have to warm up with Step Ups, if you prefer Squats, go for it if that's what you want to do or just go into the Sprint 8 Training right there. I do recommend that you loosen up a bit and get the body going a little, we don't want to have pulled muscles or injured limbs cause workouts like these are very demanding. On your days off, something casual like going on a hike or some Isometrics, joint loosening, DDP Yoga, something light with low intensity or swimming, whatever you feel keeps you active. 

This is more of an advanced level of training, you don't always have to do the same Burpees every workout, you can change the variation to something more intense or less that is slightly easier, experiment. You can even change up the variation each round to get a variety, do 4 variations twice and still get a hell of a workout. Use your imagination, it makes things more interesting and testing yourself. Again, these are options, I'm not asking you to do a requirement, find ways to train that benefit you and your goals. Be in better condition for the long run. If you want to find out more benefits of Burpees, check this out here...A 70 year old man still does them and is in phenomenal shape by anyone at any age, it's really inspiring. 

Another thing I recommend to get the juices flowing is to grab a Pre Workout to really tackle the energy for workouts like these. Get yourself the Hercules Pre-Workout Formula and feel the surge of an intense warrior ready for battle. 

Keep being amazingly awesome and keep killing it in your journey. 

Step Ups Vs. Squats? Hell, Do Them Both

 There will always be debates on what exercise is better for whatever purpose and people will die on a hill for one or the other. Some debates have valid points for both and can have an intellectual argument with no malice or personal agendas but others however; argue with such childish tendencies and make it sound like an 11 year old having the argument of why "my dad can beat your dad" and throw stupid derogatory words out and throwing a temper tantrum thinking he's right and superior. It's sad when people act like that.

When it comes to these specific exercises, they both have their pros and cons yet both work very well whether one or the other and together as a team. Why really argue and try to avoid one like the plague? Unless you have some sort of crazy injury, you can adapt to either one and both have multiple variations that potentially work for anyone. It's a matter of what you're going after. Fitness is about the journey and some days you'll want to do one or the other, sometimes you'll want to do both, you're still ahead of the curve.

Although I'm more of a fan of the Step Ups, I don't really replace them with squats, it's a preference actually. Squats are essential to the development of the legs and high rep work has it's value but it's not the king of all schemes, nothing is. Personally, my favorite variations of the Squat is Hindu Style, Goblet Style & Wall Sits (+ Their Variations). Doing hundreds of reps of either one comes in different formats, done both of them with a countdown method, with decks of cards and in a row. Keep things fresh and exciting to want to come back for more. Years ago, I would start with 500 Hindu Squats and move onto to a circuit or isometrics or even start a day of activities, when I would do 500 or more Step Ups, I would just chill out or find other things to do after. 

I've made points in the past why at times I left the squats to focus more on step ups but these days at least in the last couple years, I've slowly transitioned to doing both in different ways and making it work in my favor. With the Squats, I'm a lot more methodical then I used to be, I was more about speed and how fast I can do certain numbers in a certain timeframe. That bit me in the ass a couple times and it was a good lesson to learn. Now, it's a more natural pace, not going so slow that it looks like I'm breaking Snail Speed but also not going so fast it makes Sonic look like a slow poke. Building a rhythm.

Step Ups have really been the same style of pacing and it works for me, not doing it to make squats look obsolete that's not it at all, I do it for the enjoyment and what it does for my legs. Work with what's best for you, no one else, if you prefer squats more than step ups, that's great and I want you to be successful at it, let people enjoy what gives them benefits and the challenges they can do to overcome whatever. Arguing in a negative way doesn't actually help or inspire anybody. Said it before, they have good and bad points but it's up to the individual to what they gain from either one. 

You are only one person, train your legs for whatever goals you have and find the benefits in them while minimizing or reducing injuries as best as you can. Be amazingly awesome and go kill it with your leg training, don't forget to still be able to walk out with energy in the tank. 

Saturday Afternoon Workout At The Park

 This past Saturday, wanted to get some good training outside so I walked on over to this park about over a mile down the road that is a good stretch of a park. Slides and playground stuff for the kids, trees and a long grassy area that goes from one end to the other. Saw this bench and started wrapping my Iso Strap to it and then wrap my Dopamineo Band around that and get in some Circuit Training.

It was my 5 Exercise circuit of....

10 Chest Presses

10 Wave Pulls

10 Uppercut To Squats

10 Ski Jumps

10 Propellers

Little to no rest for 10 Rounds. It was fast, explosive, heart pounding and fun conditioning. I was cruising through that thing with as good of technique I can do and with speed that just felt like Sonic The Hedgehog. Felt great to get some fresh air and be around a beautiful neighborhood with mountains in the background. 

Afterwards, just packed up and went back home, didn't talk to anybody, nobody bothered me and everyone around me was doing their thing. It's a very nice place and I love the nice stroll down. Gives me time to think, reflect and when I walk back home, just let things sink in, feel the high and stroll back with a smile on my face. Can't get any better than that.

The thing I like being in a new place and new area is that most of the time, I purposely get myself lost and learn the streets and pathways to places so I can understand where to go, which route is best for me and study the surroundings. On one end, one area is very family friendly and oriented, the other side is the industrial area where there's a maverick gas station, a few restaurants, UPS, Sherwin Williams and Walmart down the road. Isn't exploring fun.

Takes some getting used to but I'm very adjustable and enjoying this area of Post Falls, Idaho where the Centennial Trail starts and ends at the border of Montana. Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it.  As always, don't forget to use my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order at Dopamineo. 

Developing The Ability To Create Any Workout You Want

 Fundamental training entities is a fascinating study of developing not just knowledge but actively participating. Most people who work out only go with what's in the gym and stick to that mindset where you can go to a place where "everything" you need is right there and don't need to think of anything other than what you're doing. That's one side of the coin to what you can apply to when you have the idea of working out.

The gym can be a great place to go to and get away from the world for a little while, it's like a safe space and you share it with like minded people, for many that's more than enough for them but there's more to it than just going to a building to build your body for whatever purpose. Physical Culture is it's own Universe, it has worlds, styles of exercise, colorful characters and different areas of what is the best.

I first picked up a weight in PE way back in 1997, think it was a 35-40 lb Dumbbell and although I wasn't hooked at the time, it did start something that evolved my development into what I do today. Back then, I was just a 13 year old kid going through many things besides Puberty and wasn't THAT interested in weights and didn't even know the words Physical Culture or the names of the old timers existed. Had no idea what I was doing and just mimicked those around me. By high school, I was still greener than grass when it came to the weight room and although I picked up a few things from my teacher who was an army dude back in the day and the Baseball coach, I just couldn't figure out what to really do with the stuff I was doing. I was naturally strong, at least to some of the guys, but had no one to give me the finer points of a rep/set scheme or work with me with REAL technique practice. I just lifted and did random number of reps with whatever I can work with. Felt like a fish out of water most of the time.

When I got out of high school by '03, I had some knowledge under my belt but something hadn't kicked in yet. I picked up a few books and one of them had articles Brooks Kubik wrote about thick bar training and there was some bodybuilding stuff but I still haven't quite picked up on things that would make me an athlete or even just a strong guy, I was lifting good weight but had no idea how to handle circuits or splits training and had no knowledge of the 5x5 system or that great of technique. Wasn't until my accident that something inside of me wanted to learn EVERYTHING about training starting with just bodyweight. 

Over the course of my self-rehab, I just dove into things and picked the brains and paid attention to my friends Logan Christopher & Tyler Bramlett. Logan lived about a mile or so down the road from me and Tyler lived literally two doors down from me. Went over to his house a lot and saw what he was doing with bodyweight stuff, kettlebells and the like. I just began to absorb whatever they were doing like a sponge and was still adamant about bodyweight training cause at the time, I was told it was the best style of training. Within a couple years after my accident, I had more knowledge on bodyweight training, Physical Culture and the old time strongmen feats than I did all the 6 years prior to picking up that fucking dumbbell LOL. 

This isn't to brag or to tell you I'm just some bookworm and workout guy, this was my life and I studied everything I can possibly do to study and practice. This wasn't an overnight thing, it took me years to develop all this and it took patience, determination, mental strength & physical application to be able to create any workout I want from anywhere I want. It's like a second language to me and that's where I like helping people who have struggled for years to understand or even believe the gym is the only place to train. The world is your gym, it's a matter of how to apply it to any environment you're in. Doesn't matter if you have equipment or just yourself, you can develop knowledge to train with anything you put your mind to even if it's nothing but 4 walls and a floor. 

Yes it took me nearly 30 years to build this knowledge but you don't have to go that long to build it, I can give you resources and ideas that can help you get into that mindset far quicker than I ever did, I want to point you in the direction that leads to a better you, practice what is useful to you and the rest will fall into place. Keep being amazingly awesome and you got this.