Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Benefits Of Hill Sprinting

Lets face it many trainers feel that if you want to burn fat you do thousands of crunches, run for miles on end and needing to bounce the joints for a good period of time. Well that may be all good in a fantasy world but those guys are forgeting a few things..

1. How does it affect their health?

2. Is it really helping their natural growth hormone?

3. How bored do you have to be to do all those things?

4. How do these things not injure the joints?

Seriously though there are many ways to burn fat and build muscle but very few training methods not only build these 2 at the same time but get them done almost instant. One of those methods is Hill Sprinting. Flat sprinting is another method but Hill Sprints take on a very unique form of training that gets you out of breath quicker then anything else just about. When you get out of breath and huffing and puffing like you just ran down a gazelle your body is producing endorphins through the roof and your hormones jump up like Superman leaping tall buildings in a single bound.

It doesn't take that long of a workout, 50-70 yards each set is all you need to get the high of your life. No more then 4-8 sets and with consistancy 2-3 times a week you'll burn fat like a damn furnace. Besides having a quick workout that only takes minutes rather then hours is far more rewarding and fun then anything else. Isn't it cool to be able to do things that the average person can't. Thats the difference between human and superhuman, willing to go that extra inch that makes every bit of a difference.

The real benefits of Hill Sprinting are that you can produce natural growth hormone which not only have you recover quicker but keeps you younger. Your conditioning skyrockets to levels that would make an average person insanely jealous and your mental toughness become a second language so in life you will find decisions much easier to come by and you're aware of what you can accomplish. A big benefactor of this type of training is that the more consistant you make it the more chances other things in your life are gonna turn for the better especially when it comes to the bedroom. So like I said, hormones jump, your stamina is off the chain and you're getting smiles all over that significant other.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Aerobic Isometrics!!!!!

When it comes to building strength, there are many different to build it and nothing is really new about that but if theres one peice of training that takes strength training to a whole new level of mental focus and concentration is isometrics. Pick any angle and push/pull as hard as possible up to 7-12 sec. max. Doing this takes laser-like focus and the ability to contract the muscles you want to work and hammering them into submission. Its been used for thousands of years and not only does it strengthen the muscles more importantly it strengthens the tendons. Tendon strength in my opinion is more important then muscle strength because if the tendons arnt strong enough to lift a weight or hold an object you're not going to last too long no matter how big your muscles are.

 Isometrics is also another form of muscle control that was perfected by some of the greatest bodybuilders in early 20th century. Men like Maxick, Otto Arco, Eugene Sandow and even Charles Atlas (CA did not put isometrics in his course but he did learn muscle control to master his poses in competition and shows). The first big name to use the term muscle control was by a man named Alois P. Swoboda. His physical culture course Concious Evolution talked about how energy can be used by internal power. In lamins terms you learn how to contract the muscles at will through focus and learning your own physiology through a physical standpoint and a mental standpoint.

 Isometrics can be used in just about any angle a joint can handle and strengthened. When you learn to hold an isometric for a good period of time you can even decrease the amount of strength you use and add time into a hold. Say you pressed your hands together but only use about 30% worth of power and hold that for a minute. Thats quite a long time but its very beneficial because a lot of things come into play, your body begins to heat up, your mental awareness is increasing your muscles are quivering and your muscle fibers are kicking into overdrive. Aerobic Isometrics means you hold a certain position at less then 50% of your power for 30 sec or longer.

Monday, December 27, 2010

New Years Goals......Not Resolutions

Resolutions flat out suck when it comes to the new year. You say something new you're going to do then after being hungover or having a kick ass time then a couple days after the new year you just stop and let it go. To me that's just not acceptable. Goals on the other hand are a totally different ball game. You set little goals you want throughout the year and before the year is over, big changes come into play and you are proud of what you did. Even if you don't succeed in the goals you want remember you made the effort and adapt for the next year. Now even for a new year goal don't make it for the whole year, that could put too much pressure on you and you might end up fighting it if you stop that goal for a while and come back to it. Instead put in a few daily goals and make an effort to do them at best if you can. If you feel the need to take a bit of time off go do it but put it in your mind that the next goals you want to achieve that they are possible and within reach for you. Be mindful of your goals and don't hurt yourself in the process. Overdoing it can damage not only your body but your pride too. Do what works for you and don't let anyone else tell you you can't do it because if you believe them your success won't come. Its about you and making the effort to achieve what you want. Plus have fun doing it.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Who Are The Best Conditioned Athletes?

Sports.....Its our culture and our drive to compete to be the best. We see some of the greatest athletes in the world. We see heroes like Hulk Hogan, Walter Payton, Barry Bonds, Dan Gable, Otto Arco, Frank Gotch, Babe Ruth ect. These men are the best at what they did/do and how they got there (minus the steriods from a couple of the guys on this list) is no accident and pushed themselves to levels no one can fathom. Their conditioning is without question amazing and unreal but is it the best? Lets face facts athletes in any major sport at the highest level are well trained and can do things average folks can never do. Smack a homerun 500+ Feat, run well over 10,000 yards in a career, Win a gold medal without allowing a single point in a tournament, Slam a 500 pound giant and retire undefeted as a world champion. All those men achieved those goals because in order to achieve those things they have to go through many hours of training but again are they the best conditioned? Truth is their amazing conditioning is due to their sport. The training they go through is through that sport and in it alone.

We all strive to be the best we can be and become great when it calls apon us. I feel the best conditioned athletes are not the ones that are most conditioned for their sport no. I feel the best conditioned athletes are the ones that strive to master many different endeavors. In the early 20th century some athletes in the physical culture world were not only conditioned in their respected field but were conditioned in many other areas. Example would be Otto Arco, he was a hand balancer, wrestler, gymnast, weightlifter and strongman at a bodyweight of no more then 150 pounds at 5'3. To me the greatest athletes are men and women that are the master of multiple sports. Take another example would be the great Jim Thorpe. Arguably the greatest athlete of all-time. He was a great football player, a decathlete in the olympics and if I read correctly he played some baseball. So lets count here he was an athlete in about 12 different sports he perticipated in and nearly excelled in all of them. Thats a defenition of a well conditioned athlete, being able to transfer different movements at will and be incredible at it.

All in all there really is no greatest athlete but the athletes that excel best are the ones that can transfer from sport to sport without letting up and brining 100% a good portion of the time.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

How do you stay motivated?

People have asked me that from time to time, mostly family and friends and I'll give you the same answer I give them and then some for you guys to learn. Its because my passion for training is like a second language that I'm fluent in. It comes natural to me and I never once tell myself to take a day off. A day off leads to 2, then 3, then 6 before you know I'm hardly training at all. A lot of people are unmotivated to train for a plethora of reasons but one main one is time. They always feel they can't exercise because they don't have the time. Well hate to burst your bubble but there are 24 hours in a day so I think its safe to say that in that period of time you can do a minimum of 5 min. worth of exercise.

Its the excuse and the negative attitude people use to think they can't exercise. I use to have that problem too. Being a teen and going to school and at times when I was in the drama club we would have rehearsals until 11 o'clock at night and we'd already be beaten up by then. Exercise back then for me was going to track practice or hitting the iron in weight training.

When I was in high school in my sophomore and junior years, I was on the track team doing the shot put and discus, have practice from 3-5 sometimes 6 everyday, have a small meet every Thursday and the big comps 2 Saturdays a month. That was rugged for me but also I was in the drama class as well before the end of my school day and if we had rehearsals (which was around usually a month or so before the big shows) we'd stay until late at night sometimes so picture this schedule.....remember this includes late in the semester too.....

Mon.-Fri---7:45am-2:45pm (School Day)

Mon.-Fri---3pm-5pm (Track Practice, Or Meet)

Mon.-Fri---6:15pm-11:30pm (Rehearsals in the month before shows)

That was up to almost 16 hours a day at times and yet I still found a way to exercise in that time. Never make excuses and do something. If you're sick then its an exception, get better and get back on the saddle, if you're sore then take it easy and stretch for the day don't overdo it. You can even workout traveling on the road (don't recommend while you're at the wheel driving) but if you're on a plane and are bored, instead of bitching move the ankles around, do deep breathing or better yet do isometrics. Its not easy if you have a hectic schedule but if you throw away the negativity and set excuses aside and just start doing 5min. of exercise and each day add a few sec. to the workout. Before you know it you're having a great workout and you'll have the feeling of accomplishment.

Also another way to stay motivated is to keep your exercises fun and fresh, don't do the same routine twice in the same week and please for Christ sake you don't need to do hours of training to get results (trust me on this) just do a maximum of 20-30min. Marathon workouts are a crock and should really only do one a week really but that's if you're in the mood otherwise don't bother with it. I don't train for more then 45 min. a day and that's spreading it out. I can do a marathon workout if I wanted to but whats the point? Make your training fun, if its sunny out go to a park and move around, play ball or act like a wild animal (don't need to act out the sounds but move like one). Be consistent with yourself and tell yourself that if you don't work out real hard then its no big deal be passive and move smoothly like in tai chi, if you wanna be aggressive then do some kettle bells or high volume squats or push-ups if you can doesn't matter. Work with what you can do. Again I train up to 3 times a day 7 days a week. If I'm not in a good mood then one workout is all i need. If you can't do any reps of an exercise then just hold the positions and your best.

Never fall short of doing your best for you. Train for yourself and train for the love of it. My biggest motivation to train is to train for me, no one else. Make yourself motivated and do whats best for you and make little goals. Like in life the small things can lead to big accomplishments.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Building Gorilla Strength


If there was one animal in the jungle that should be the king its the Gorilla. Its Strength & Power is beyond most animals and yet its pure vegetarian. Imagine being a 500 pound gorilla and tearing up whoever is attacking you and move with power and ferocious intensity. We may not be able to have the raw power of the gorilla but we can learn to move like one and get one of the best cardio and strength exercises around. Next time you watch Animal Planet and the gorillas are roaming, watch how they move. Now try to imitate it for a while and tell me you're not breathing hard after a min. or 2. I practice this exercise quite often and it gets me winded pretty quick and if you get winded quick that means your hormones jump and muscles are building. Test it out and see what results you get.

http://images.ultracart.com/aff/88F46789C0276A012D59C78437051600/index.html



Sunday, December 19, 2010

How often to workout!!!!!

A lot of people want to know how many times a week do they need to workout to get such and such results. Fact of the matter is we are all different and need to work with whats comfortable to us before we start to really get into hard agressive training. For most on weights its the 3-4 day a week program but others say twice a week is all you need or work a body part once a week. The truth is whatever program you're using, chances are you won't last a month doing it and quit the first chance you get. Now most people would say a 7-day week program is just too much and you're overtraining. Pure Bullshit and you can quote me on that. I train up to 3 times a day for 7 straight days.

 For the most part hardcore training should be done twice a week, moderate training thrice a week and very smooth and relaxed training twice a week, thats 7 days. Thats just my opinion but not many of us have the time because of work, family, paying bills and watching tv when you get home. Now what if you gave yourself the time to train for 5min. a day to start? Sounds compromising and you don't need a gym when you have yourself. Getting to the gym takes time, getting dressed then hopefully when you get to a station no one is using so theres a wasted timeframe. So for safe keeping, start your first 5min. of the day doing a little exercise, actually lets make it one min. that should be enough for you don't you think? Believe it or not 1min. of exercise can be very beneficial because you start out doing a little something, then add 10 seconds each day of exercise and before you know it you'll be doing exercise for a good long time.

Another way of training for a little of your time would be to spread itr out throughout the day on what my friend John Peterson likes to call Greasing The Groove which means you do a little of exercise throughout the day. Say to start with 5 min. you do 2 1/2 in the morning and 2 1/2 at night. That could be your foundation and accomplish something. You don't need to work out for 2 hours a day to get in shape thats just nuts in my opinion. My training during the day is no more then 10-15 min. at a time. I like short workouts and the only time I train longer then an hour in one session is through stretching and deep breathing training. At times the workout goes by so fast an hour can feel like 10 min. I love those kind of workouts. Stop thinking you can't do a little exercise and just do something, make shit up. When you learn to be self reliant on what works for you that brings you closer to self mastery then anything else.

To give you an idea of what my training is like, I rarely ever follow someone elses workout. From all nearly 14 years of training I take the best exercises I have learned and mold them into what works for me. No exercise is ever the same with everyone. We're all of different height, weight even gender because there are some exercises for men that women can't do but its the same for women. Us guys are just more use to exercise (not being sexist i'm not done yet) but at the same time women can be and probably are pound for pound, ounce for ounce stronger then us guys. I'm too much guy so I can't imagine how hard it is for women to train but i'll tell you beautiful ladies this. You can do it even if its just a little stretching, you work far harder in training then us guys and need to build muscle differently. So if you feel you gained weight because the scale says it, after a little exercise I hardly doubt thats fat you're looking at, muscle weighs more then fat.

Do what you can do, even if it takes 1 min. to start give yourself a chance and with a little consistancy and patience I guarantee you you will get the results you want. Changing things up isn't a bad thing either, I change things up all the time because I get bored easily. Find out what works for you, don't let anyone else tell you different because most likely they'll just piss you off and tell you what you're doing is not in their best interest and they're program is the one-all-be-all. What works for you is the one that'll get you results.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Qi Gong W/ A Purpose

In Martial Arts there are some practices that help you calm down and move in fluid motion with the best of intentions to relieve you of stress and anxiety. There is qi gong, tai chi, yoga, nei gong and deep breathing meditation. With all of these practices I like a certain type of qi gong thats not only meditative but a bit physical to where you stand and hit or move various sections of the body that hits the internal organs and stretches/strengthens the entire body from head to toe. You don't need to practice for many hours to get the great benefits of this type of qi gong. 15-30min. in the morning is all thats needed to wake up and feel like a trillion bux The purpose of this practice is not to get in a real physical workout but to get into the inner parts of the body that helps keep you young and vibrant. I may be 26 and look like i'm still in my late teens but is there anything wrong with that? I want to able to look much younger in my later years and still feel I can conquer the world. Feeling alive every second of the day is one great goal to achieve and I think we all strive the fountain of youth and here is one of the ways to do it.

http://rechargingqigong.com/recharging-qi-gong.html

Friday, December 17, 2010

100th Post!!!

Wow after 3 or 4 years I finally write my 100th Post. Well even though this is a milestone I feel its one of those accomplishments you make as a internet writer. I want to thank all to those who have followed me through the years and actually read what I have to say. I wanna thank the mentors I have for helping along the way from my recovery to my ever enduring love for Physical Culture. I have had some bad things said about me but I don't let that stop me from doing one of my favorite things and thats writing. I have trained hard but i've written even harder and spread the word on fitness and conditioning in the healthiest forms possible. I have written about some of the most extrodinary people in the iron game as well as overall Physical Culture and they were written for a reason and that is they need to be known for what they have accomplished to keep us strong and stay positive with our lives and if I had two people who have encouraged my writing and put up with the hard breathing and the torture I put myself into my training day in and out is my Mom and my GF Maile. I love you both very much and I will continue to follow my dreams and I hope you're proud of what I have done because I couldn't have done them without you. Anyway. I will be writing more on Physical Culture and if you guys get a chance click on the banners on the right hand side and check up on some of the very best methods for strength and conditioning from wrestling to strongman to gymnastics and everything else inbetween when it comes to physical culture. I wouldn't have put these up if I didn't use their methods myself. Thank you and hopefully you'll keep reading and keep the comments coming.

Bear Crawls



The bear is the largest land carnivore in the world. It is one of the most powerful animals in the wild and its strength is so extrodinary that it can snap a man's back with the strike of his paw. Pushing boulders like its child's play. Wouldn't it be awesome to have that kind of power and strength? I as an athlete would like to think so. Of course we can never have that kind of power and speed but we can become stronger then the average wo/man. All you have to do is get on all fours and begin to run, now be careful we don't want to be tripping over but this exercise alone can increase your cardiovascular conditioning to levels that are out of this world. It is one of the most simple exercises but yet most people don't appreciate the benefits of it. Your HGH levels jump up giving you that inner strength and power and ferocious lung power and because it makes you breathe hard you'll be burning fat like a furnace and only doing this for a few min. each day can get you in awesome shape. Its better to do this outdoors because of the space but if the weather is bad its not a bad idea to do it indoors and have a little fun. Just make sure you don't knock anything over. If you have kids do it with them not only is it having fun but they're getting their exercise in and thats what we need to have our kids doing more often to get rid of obesity. Picture yourself as a bear and moving and chasing down a rabbit for dinner. Once you get into the mindset the results will become much quicker and much more efficiant.

Keeping A Journal

How does it feel to look back on all the goals you accomplished in your training and see the things you did that just takes your away? Thats one of the great rewards for keeping a training log or journal. Write down the exercises you plan to do and find out how many reps/sets can you do. Everyday you write in what you need to do for that workout and let everything else takes its toll. Fast Forward a year later and take a look of what your progress and most likely you'll say "How the hell did I do THAT." Thats what its been like for me the last couple years keeping a journal and yet i'm still hungry for better training and smarter training. I have made my goals many times over and i've even surpassed them in many ways but the one thing that makes me want more is staying motivated and determained to keep training day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year because if you don't have a goal and just go through the motions then you won't accomplish anything that will make you happy. Even if you don't achieve a goal and you feel let down the most positive thing you can do is to strive and be passionate more then ever and know in your mind that your goal will be accomplished. Don't worry about what others think, they don't matter because your goals are yours and yours alone. Find a goal write it down and keep writing and training. Train smart and train with passion. Writing in a journal is like writing your own book and you're the main character in your own story. You have your beginnings, your journy and your accomplished goal. Stay hungry and keep achieving what you want to do. Trust me writing in a journal is one of the most positive things you can do for your mind/body and spirit. Write your story and finish what you started. No matter how it comes out know in your heart you fought your way through and you kept it on the path and that friends is true victory.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Legendary Strength On The Rise

I had an opportunity today to train with one of the strongest men pound for pound at his new gym. His name is Logan Christopher. I was checking out the space he had for his gym and its pretty well done considering the finishing touches it needs but it has a serious amount of potential and if anybody can make it work its Logan. I put it in a little work with cables, push-ups, stretching, joint loosening, hammers and a some exercises on the pull-up bar while Logan did some Kettle bell work, weighted pull-ups, Kettle bell Swings, Isometric L-Sits using Chinese Block Weights and other things that came into his head.

We trained for nearly an hour and it was fun and very rewarding. I've been friends with him since 2005 and seen him do some of the most unreal forms of conditioning around, for a guy his size he's extremely strong and he's just going to keep going up. He's seen me in doing some of my first as a strongman myself, my first phonebook ripped, first 60d Penny Nail bend, first fall back into a bridge then kicking over and back ect. He is a really cool guy and he doesn't bring any bull into his training and just hammers the basics while also having.

I first met him while he was a roadie for an upcoming band named Archer which the drummer was a mutual friend of ours. He's really come into his own in becoming a strongman, entrepreneur and a well rounded athlete. If you guys ever read this blog check out my bud's stuff on the banners on the right side of the blog writings. He has vast knowledge in bending, lifting, body weight, gymnastics, strongman, Hand Balancing, tearing, kettle bells and many other forms of strength and conditioning. Taking from some of the best trainers in the world he is one lucky guy and he is one of my inspirations.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Wrestling Poem

Give up.


He’s in his peak and you’re in your own world.

How do you beat him?

How do you withstand his strength?

Ability is limitless.

Yet you are scared.

Empower your mind.

Empower your spirit.

To weaken the man, strength becomes his weakness.

Advantage your power and you will weaken his spirit.

Defeated you are not.

Bridging The Gap

Fear is your worst enemy.

You struggle to even get past the stretch.

Feeling intimidated by its core.

See yourself cross over.

Put forth past the fear.

Stretch the boundaries.

Never see you stuck.

Walk past that fear and you have crossed the Bridge.

The Keys To Nerve Force & Overpowering Strength

Walking down a brighten path does not begin with love nor does it begin with happiness. It begins taking your first breath and experiencing the growth of your own destiny. Growth is the definition of working your life through a mountain…You climb, you fall, one way or another only you have the ability to catch yourself.

We as human beings tend to find things that suit us to the way we are born and grew up on. We tend to overlook the key ingredients that drive us to the brink of success. Unfortunately most of us never give into that dream cause we don’t seem to really make it a reality.

Changes are made every second of everyday and many of us don’t seem to take a look on how we can adapt to our advantage into the things that make us successful. The mind gives you the ability to think, create and develop strength in ways that are oblivious to the average person. One of the most successful creations of man is also one of the most controversial and that’s exercise. When first using that word or the first thing that comes to mind is that of bodybuilding, Pilates, Yoga & Weights. Although these things are great and can be utilized in many ways that’s only a fraction of genres that are the most effective and the healthiest for the human body. Nerve Force is a definition where you connect mind & body together as if as a unit and using the creative powers of the mind to generate power from our own bodies.



Over 100 years ago there wasn’t high tech gadgets or the latest equipment or even yet Steroids. Yet there were men of strength and health despite the fact that in those times the life expectancy was early 40’s. Most of the men were sick kids or scrawny teens that got beat up because they couldn’t defend themselves. What drove them to be strong was wanting to be strong and believing in themselves. Sure it was a slow process for them and there were times they wanted to give up but a force inside of them kept them determined and build inner power that you just can’t find anywhere else.

Its not how you just progress to get stronger, its how you develop your own individuality and master your own destiny and create what you want and how you want it to be. Most people who want to develop a physique or experience superior health and vigor feel that you have to start with what others tried or have achieved and that’s not how things should really be. First and foremost mastering the basics for you is a must and that goes for everything else in life not just fitness or strength.

Today you look in the magazines and you see men and women from all walks of life and about 90-95% of the time you’ll find either skinny or very muscular looking models and they’re telling you to do this, that and the other but what are they really telling you? It certainly isn’t to get fit nor is it certainly what can make you have a better body and lets get real here they are just after one thing and thats “Cha Ching” money and will say anything to get it. Now does every single advertisement actually tell lies about what people should do, no but yet 9 out of 10 times you’ll get screwed and they made you fall for it.

Never believe something cause someone else thinks its great and can make you better. The best things in life are not always money, cars, women, men and anything else in between the best things in life are the true things that make you as an individual and you present yourself with walking tall and letting things hurt you go by. Its easy to dive into the things that make some people powerful and rich. You have an awesome house, a car that makes every man weep and the most beautiful woman that makes just about any guy go “holy shit I’d give my right arm for some of that ass.” Forgive the vulgar image but you get my drift.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Bridging And Its Benefits!!!!!!

In yoga, theres a posture called the wheel pose which to us physical culturists refer to as the Gymnastic Bridge, in wrestling theres the neck bridge (which too many people think is the worst exercise ever) and theres the front bridge which is also used in wrestling. In India where it is argumented that it was the birthplace for physical culture, wrestling had major ties to the country and some of the strongest and most conditioned men were infact wrestlers. I believe in all its forms, wrestling is the reason why there is yoga today. When it comes down athleticism and down right masterful conditioning one of the best exercises is infact the Bridge. The reason for this is, is that because in wrestling if you want to be the best and a driving force you start with bridging. For the average person however it can seem very dangerous and very disasterous on the human body when in reality the exact opposite is true.

Now when you see the wheel pose (aka gymnastic bridge) you might think someone is very flexible and has a decent amount of strength to weight ratio but if you saw the wrestler's bridge on the neck you would usually have a look of fear and no one should be doing it. I on the other hand believe if you take away the fear and see the beauty in the bridge you might be shocked to find out how beneficial it can be interms of strength, flexibility, stamina, mind power and mentle clarity. There are many ways to bridge and I will say its not for everyone if they have a major problem with their neck, back or spinal cord but for the most part for those who are healthy can do this with practice and patience.

There are many ways to bridge and there's actually a system that has been around for hundreds of years but the name of it has only been around for less then 100 its called Bridging Gymnastics. Its when you practice many types of bridges in a workout that takes less time to get winded then anything else there is. I have done over 500 Push-ups, 1000+ Squats, 20+ Handstand Push-ups, 60+ Pull-ups (none of them in one workout LOL) but nothing got me winded in less then 15min. then Bridging Gymnastics. An advanced version of this is to start falling into a wrestler's bridge on the head, have your nose touch the mat and begin to kick over and back and if you're a stud stand up. This also goes with the Wheel Pose as well when fall back into one, kick over and back and if you're very flexible stand back up. I have done the basics of this and it killed me within minutes and that should tell you how tough it really is.

What are the benefits of the bridge? Well with practice, patience and mentally aware, it gains you strength, flexibility, endurance, balance, coordination and believe it or not it can get you a great physique because it makes you breathe hard which increases your Hormones and builds muscle, it makes you solid as a rock because of the isometric contraction you have to make in order to hold some of the bridges. For health benefits it can increase your brain activity due to the blood flow to the brain, it can keep you flexible in order to move in certain directions with ease and a personal favorite, it keeps you from being obese and because of the HGH increase it can even help your sex life because of the way you have to hold a certain bridge. Before you judge whats wrong with the exercise how about you actually try it yourself and if you don't like it thats fine do something else that works for you but I guarantee from personal experience and learning from friends in Physical Culture, Bridging is one of the healthiest and most meditative forms of strength & Conditioning on the planet. Bridge well and bridge smart.

Advanced Bridging Course

Friday, December 10, 2010

Yoga For Building Muscle Mass

Most people think that Yoga is for people wanting to lose weight, get toned......not for building natural muscle mass. I happen to believe that its a bunch of crap. For men who wanted to build muscle and likes yoga or wants to get into it, the keys are eating the right foods and adding tension to the exercise. Do less reps if you're going to add tension and focus on the mind/muscle connection. Imagine if gravity is pulling you down and you have to put a lot of effort into the movement or holding the posture. For foods focus more on natural foods and less on the junk food. Not saying you need to be on a diet but you still can eat the foods you love just take a bit less off on the junk food, simple as that. When it comes to tension do not go all out and tense up as hard as possible because not only will you burn out easy but you can also injure yourself, use enough tension to move around or hold as long as possible.

Tools For Gripping Power

There are many ways to train your hands to get full on grip strength and power. If you don't have much money and yet you still think you can't get anything to build a great grip, think again my man because a lot of what you can use in your house can build a much stronger grip then most guys can get in the gym.

Example would involve a towel and a bucket of water. Fill the water to about half full to three quarters full, now take the towel and put it in the bucket to get it wet as possible now pick it up and start whatever end you want and begin to squeeze the water back into the bucket until it gets as dry as it can. This alone can take your grip to a new level of power and might unlike those puny wrist curls the so called "bodybuilders" use.

Bending steel fries the entire body when you put your all into it and it turns hands and forearms into cords of steel especially if you bend rebar. Another hosehold tool to use is believe it or not your towel rack in your bathroom, what you do do is if you have one of those long racks is to grip the rack, now lean back as much as you can until you get to your fingertips then shoot forward and roll the wrist, do this about ten times, now just reverse the movement by under gripping the rack and lean back until it reaches the fingertips, now shoot back and roll the wrist, do this ten times. After doing this exercises my wrists and lower arms were pretty pumped. Work into this carefully and do not overdo it, ten reps is only needed.

When it comes to equipment for the hardcore grip fanatics, thick handled bars are great especially hammers, maces, clubs because when you have to grip something just to be able to move it is functional strength in itself. Now I must caution you, I may not be an equipment fanatic but if you were to use them do them for a short period of time but do what works for you and train smart.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Another Look At VRT Bodybuilding

Recently I have been easing my way back into a system called VRT Bodybuilding which is a set of exercise that you only use tension for by visualizing weights and various fitness equipment. Say you're doing a dumbbell curl, instead of picking one up and let gravity take its toll on you, you visualize how heavy a dumbbell is then squeeze the bicep muscules and curl up as if you just lifted a heavy weight. For the most part this system is awesome for not needing to go to the gym and you get to use your imagination. You don't even need to visualize weights think in your mind what it would feel like to lift a boulder or pushing the pyramids or better yet pulling a train. Think of whatever you want and it can help you become a better trainer and using the Mind/Muscle connection at its maximum for your benefit. I practice this off and on using qi gong type movements or throwing an object, pulling on a rope or better yet pushing down the tower of piza. The keys to this system is imagination and tension and once you've mastered that you'll know the true meaning of muscle control.

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