Thursday, April 28, 2011

Recovery Tips After Hardcore Training

We all do some form of training where it takes us beyond a average level and takes us to limits we didn't know we had and its very difficult to recover from the next day. How do you train after doing such a brutal workout? This past Monday I did the Karl Gotch Bible where I varied the push-ups and kept the Hindu Squats. My goal was to finish the workout in 30 minutes and I surpassed it and finished in under 27 minutes. I don't know about you but damn that feels good to get pass a goal. After a few hours I did another training session doing a series of chest and arm exercises from a course called Sinkram.

The very next morning I didn't want to get out of bed I was so sore in my shoulders, chest and legs. Even though I was sore I was not going to deny a workout at least once in the day. I have been known to train 7 days a week without fail and the reason why I do that is not because I need to prove how many workouts I do, its how smart I can be to train daily that doesn't need to be brutal day in and day out. A lot of people feel that you need to train only 2-3 times a week and have to do this or that for recovery and take 4-5 days off. Well if you can do that in the long run more power to you but thats not the only way to go and heres why.

Our bodies were made to keep moving, we work different angles of the body and if you're smart this helps you stay healthy for life along with a balanced eating plan. There are times to train hard and there are times where you need recovery any one of my secrets is after a hardcore workout (day after) I would work on deep breathing exercises and some form of qi gong. If i'm very sore in a particular area like the legs or lower back, chest, shoulders ect. I woul do very little to no work in those areas until they "heal" because I want to give those areas a rest but the rest of my body is working from different angles at light to moderate intensity. This is where I like to work on muscle control and stretching/loosening the body. The only time I work the sore areas is when i'm stretching because when you're sore and you leave it sore over a period of time with no exercise it can tighten up and you may not be as efficiant in your next big time workout. Stretch the muscles slowly and with intention.

I always felt stretching is a key component in recovery periods because at my next harcore session not only do I want to be stronger but more limber then the last time. Just do a couple stretches and each day do a stretch a little longer howver don't go to the point where you're in pain, its not how far you can go or how long you stretch its how smart you stretch and the way you breathe....Breathing is the major key to recovery and for good reason.

Each day as I get stronger I amp up a workout just a bit to just about 70% of the intensity of the work I want to do in a brutal workout the next time around. My training really consists of 1-2 hardcore workouts a week along with moderate work the rest of the week until i'm fully recovered. I may not do specific routines because I get bored after a while but I always want to have at least one day where I push myself up a notch.

My keys to recovery training is as follows.....

1. Breathing

2. Stretching

3. Work at moderate pace that doesn't compromise your ability to train the next day

4. Meditate (either moving or not)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Are You Up To The Outlaw Challenge?

If you're a typical weightlifter in a commercial gym there are certain rules you feel you HAVE to follow....Do this for biceps, do this for back, do this for legs blah blah blah. Well try telling that to Strongman Bud Jeffries. At 5'11 and 270 pounds he doesn't look like a typical weightlifter, hell he couldn't pass the "normal" standards of what is a bodybuilder but he doesn't care about that nor the rules.

This particular challenge is unlike anything else and something you only persue if you got the guts. Whether you're a weightlifter or not this type of challenge can take your conditioning to the next level. No matter how you slice it you will become stronger and throw away the typical "rules" of the trade in hitting the weights.

Bud Jeffries is the one guy that can make just any challenge thrown at him a walk in the park and he'll tell you flat out that its not just physical but more mental and thats not an easy thing to take and its the truth. He is not your typical weightlifting and physical training pretty boy; he is one powerful and over the top freakishly strong. Here is a list of accomplishments he has done over the years...

1000 Pound Squat (Starting at the bottom)

3000 Kettlebell Swings

Partial Squat of 1850 pounds

Lifts Rocks up to 300+ Pounds

1000+ Hindu Squats

Pulled A Bus

Bends Rebar, Flat Steel and Mangles 60D penny nails and 10 inch spikes

Thats just a small amount he has done but nonetheless he knows what he's talking about when it comes to building strength. The Outlaw challenge is lifting a 150 Pound Dumbbell 1000 times using various exercises. Are you up to the challenge? Do you got the guts to step out of the pretty boy gyms and make a name for yourself in your own training? Well lets see what you're made of and let Bud take you all the way.


Outlaw Challenge

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Make Your Kettlebell Snatch a dominate workout Component

Working with Kettlebells there are many ways to turn your workouts from boring to extremely fun and the KB Snatch is no exception. I have personally done 83 Snatches with a 53lb. Kettlebell in 5 minutes. Compare that to my bud Logan who is as of official standards to be one of only 3 men in the world including John Brookfield to hit 300+ Snatches in 10 min. Thats pretty damn impressive considering he is 6'2 and 185 pounds. Not a big dude but really powerful. He has put together a series that can take your Snatch to the next level and then some. The Snatch can make or break a conditioning workout so if you don't have the technique down you're in a world of hurt.

Task into consideration if you're a fanatic of kettlebells that many workouts can put you in the elite level of Octane Strength & Conditioning but also if you're careful you will be bruised and it will sting. Work on technique and keep the body in alignment for the Snatch.

Kettlebell Snatch Domination

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Superhuman Workshop Weekend

When you go to a seminar where theres just a great deal of energy in the air and even as some things go around something jut stirs in the back of your mind., then you turn around and see Bud Jeffries and now its really on. This wasn't your normal type laid back and do some things for the day type seminar. This was hands on in your face get off your ass and train type seminar and not just physical but mental as well.

I have met a few people in my life that are a bit on the above average when it comes to strength then you meet a man who bottom squatted 1000 lbs. Thats not above average my friend thats just over the top freakish (and thats the simplist way to put it). On a serious note this was one of the greatest weekends of my life and even though i'm known for my memory, I know this will stick with me for the rest of my life. It wasn't just fun but it was very educational with a few laughs and jokes and some outlandish type strength training.

First night was more on psychology with a dose of hypnosis and visualization training. It was an interesting experience and it gave a whole new prespective on mental conditioning. My bud Logan hypnotized a couple people and the way he presented himself was raw and emotional and a good portion of it worked. Then Bud Jeffries walked into the gym and then it went all uphill from there. The man is a freak of nature and thats putting it with great respect.

The second day was probably my most favorite because I got to have full hands on training with the two strongmen. We tore up phonebooks, some ripped up some cards out of a deck and just destroyed good solid steel. Now I don't personally squat weights anymore due to my problems in the lower legs but I did take a shot at partial squatting 500+ pounds which to me felt awesome. Worked on some crazy bodyweight training. Now may I say Bud is nearly 6' and weighs in at a whopping 270 pounds, a good portion of that is powerful functional muscle along with over the top power in the tendons and ligiments. I've heard and seen on video what he's capable of and saw upclose and personal what he can do with steel but the best thing I really saw him do was a full on headstand handstand push-up on the wall at 270 f*cking pounds. I weigh 240 and done quite a few of them myself but at 270 thats just not human.

The third day was just incredible when we all played around with kettlebells and barbells along with a few sledgehammers and tires for superhuman endurance. It was a little emotional at the end for obvious reasons but I truely feel that this was something that just totally helped my life a tad more then usual and it was a lot of fun. Made friends with great people and having the honor of meeting Bud's son Noah who is a 13yr old strongman prodigy with a few things up his sleeve in the Clay Shooting world. This kid is the strongest I have ever met and he's not only that young but pretty damn big too at 6' and nearly 270 himself. I kid you not I personally watched this kid bend a 5 pound 4ft 1/2 inch thick flat steel bar into the breast cancer logo and lets just say that's not normal even for a strongman.

Overall, the presentations were great, Bud & Logan did a hell of a job and I personally believe this is a great moment in both their careers as strongmen and as business men. Meeting Bud to me is like meeting Hulk Hogan or Babe Ruth to me he is that Iconic in the Field of strongmanism and Physical Culture. For that I want to leave this on a high note starting with Bud......

My friend you have turned on a new light in my pursuit to be the strongest I can for whatever I wish to do, your small time to train me was a huge breakthrough for me and I will never forget that. You have taught me so much in a short period of time that I'm still shaking a little. You are one hell of a man and not only are you the world's strongest man but you have just as much as a strong and generous heart both literally and figuratively. I am damn proud to not only call you a mentor but a great friend and I hope one day sooner or later we cross paths again and just hammer out a workout then kick back and tell stories. Your son is one of the most polite young men I ever have met. You raised him well and I see a lot of potential in him and you will agree with me on that. I can't describe in true words really how much this meant to me. You are truly the world's strongest man at your size and power and it was a true pleasure to see a master at work. You are one of a kind and it was an honor meeting you.

Now Logan.....

Dude to me this was a high point in your career and I know in my heart it will only get higher from here on out. I can't thank you enough for letting be apart of this and giving me a chance to not only reach new levels of power but to keep myself educated. You are a true friend in every sense of the word and I'm honored to call you not only one of my best friends but also a brother. That's how much you mean to me bro. You have a such a vast knowledge for physical culture at your age its just unbelievable. You have my full on support for whatever lies ahead and I'll do what I can to help out if needed to. I realize it wasn't easy setting up for this crazy ass weekend but you handled yourself very well and its always a pleasure to learn from you and throw in a few laughs to spice up certain moments. Your mom would be so proud of you man. I'm not really on being so emotional and sentimental but this calls for an exception but you are one of the best teachers and friends a guy can ask for and you will always be a treasure to not only our crazy world of the strongman but a true man for who doesn't let anything get in his way. Almost anyone can and should learn from you.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

My Thoughts On WWE Tough Enough

Back in the old days (yes even the 80's) it wasn't easy getting into the wrestling business. It was mostly word of mouth or men and women who have met wrestlers in the gym and if the wrestlers felt like you wanted it bad enough they'd recommend a trainer to toughen you up. Some of the best wrestling trainers nearly took out a wanna-be wrestler and wanted to see how long it took him to quit and how long can he last in the ring doing conditioning drills and ring work. Some trainers were wrestlers themselves at one time or another and some were better as trainers and some were great wrestlers and trainers.

The conditioning is a very brutal process, one wrestler went through NFL camps and said wrestling training was far more brutal. Another wrestler quit the first day but then came back and began one of the greatest careers in the business, even one wrestler was a Navy SEAL and found training as a wrestler was worth the price. You see it takes much more then physical ability to bring something to the table in the ring, you need character, poise, charisma and you need a body that people want to see along with how you present yourself as a character.

Here are a few trainers that have helped pave the way for some of the greatest wrestlers in wrestling history:

Hiro Matsuda- Trained Hulk Hogan

Eddy Sharkey- Trained Road Warriors, Jesse Ventura and Bob Backlaund

Verne Gangne- Trained Iron Sheik, Ken Patera, Ric Flair, Verne's son Greg and Ricky Steamboat

Stu Hart- Trained the Hart Brothers (Bret & Owen), Greg Valentine, Superstar Billy Graham & Chris Benoit

These trainers took these men to limits most of us can't fathom and look where they are today (with the exception of the late Hawk, Owen & Benoit), they went on to have some of the greatest careers in wrestling. Nowadays on the internet you can find schools all over the country, in canada and abroad. Some schools cost way too much, some cost too little without ever stepping into a ring and some even cost when you don't train at all. Very very few schools give you hands on training and some even require experience as much as 2 years in the ring. To get to the WWE or TNA takes hundreds of matches, psychology in the ring, mic work and most of all a good character to sell as a product.

Back in the early 2000's WWE Tough Enough started a new trend of reality TV but began to show what training in the ring looks like when up-in-coming superstars are thrown into the ring and trainers will find out who stays and who doesn't. The first couple seasons were ok and had good trainers such as Al Snow who was trained by a couple of the Andersons (Ole & Greg). The winners went onto a moderate career but a couple didn't last long due to either injuries or wanted to persue other career oppertunities.

Now theres a new season with a new host and trainers in the names of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Booker T, Bill Demott & WWE Diva legend Trish Stratus. Austin as the host takes on 14 contestants including 1 Current Miss America and they all have one thing in common and thats being the next WWE superstar & Diva. I have a feeling this season aside from tensions, craziness and pissing off trainers these new contestants are in for the ride of your life. They will live together, eat together, train together and everything else inbetween (hopefully none of that Real World shit). After seeing the first episode I knew how great this show will be and plus you get to see Stars that have revolutionized the wrestling business and know a thing or 2 about getting their asses kicked in the ring so I don't see a whole lot of sympathy from Austin or Booker so it should be very interesting to watch.

If you feel you want to get in condition like an old scohool pro wrestler like early steamboat or Ric Flair back in his training days in minnesota or better yet like the great legends Karl Gotch & Billy Robinson then look here and if you find yourself on Tough Enough you'll pass the conditioning with flying colors and work on the other things. Also if you don't want to be a wrestler and just wanna get yourself in awesome shape then here are a few links to look at that I personally recommend.

click me

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