Thursday, May 28, 2015

Rest Is Also Training

The ability to recover is essential in any form of training. Letting the body repair itself when it needs to is a means to build and rise within your being. Push too hard all the time without truly resting can kill you more than you'll believe. The body does grow stronger but in order for that to happen you need to give yourself a break.

I don't believe in "rest" days in the sense where you don't do anything on a non training day but use those those for reflection and what I call Recovery Workouts; training sessions that aren't vigorous and builds your energy from within. You can do Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Bua Gua or whatever internal arts you wish to practice, as long as you're keeping the blood flowing in a relaxed state you can possibly recover faster.

I believe in the power of healing whether it's from physical injuries or brain trauma or emotional imbalances. It takes practice but there ways to heal yourself. Exercise is great but also learning how to rest and program yourself into a meditative state that eases your well being and other things. I like resting my body for a day after a hard workout or if I get so worked up I just train until my body is ready to shut down and my body can rest. Be productive and not violent about finding ways to rest and let your body take care of itself both internally and externally.

The real strength is not in your muscles but in your mind. When you combine the mind/muscle connection as if they were one and the same, you are capable of doing many things. If your mind is full of stress and negativity your body will follow and it's not pretty; however the same can be said about the body, if it becomes too jittery and you're all over the place and your focus isn't in the right state of mind, your brain can turn on you and bring those neurons into that level of stress that can lead to inflammation, heart problems, physical injuries, low self-esteem and could bring harm onto yourself or others if you're not careful. Give yourself the opportunity to rest and recuperate so you can function at your very best. Training is not always trying to be the strongest or who can outlast who in the gym and it's definitely not about pushing your body to the limit every single day. When you have the amount of recovery you need, your focus shifts and your strength can reach new levels. Rest doesn't always mean sleeping 10 hours a day but being able to take the time and let yourself breathe and get into that relaxed state. Cool things happen when you are rested.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Be Playful

Like the Joker says in The Dark Knight "Why so serious?" Not trying to be dark or anything but seriously though when did we stop being a playful human being and become so cautious of every little thing. In fitness some people take their workouts way too literal and try this ride or die mentality and just feel like it's Hardcore, Hardcore and more Hardcore. I'm all for pushing yourself and doing things to amplify your potential (minus the roids) but come on people, lighten up a little. There are too many things in this world that have a negative entity so how about we be a little more playful shall we.

I love the ability to move and play with different things like Animal Flow, MovNat, Hand Balancing and a few swings with the Mace & Sledgehammer. Although it's been seen a lot more lately yet not enough people realize the beauty in Movement. Using your body like the men and women of ancient times that crawled, jumped, climbed, swam and had to balance themselves in order to survive; we don't have to go into survival mode but developing these skills and making an adventure out of it brings more of your potential to a level you didn't think was possible. Yeah yeah we have these "gyms" that help you move but in reality, these are more isolated and could actually kill you more than help you live longer and healthier. When you're so limited in movement it takes away the love and nature of your body's abilities to do what it was born to do. You didn't come out of a womb to do ab crunches on a machine or use a stepper to work your legs; you had to learn to crawl first, roll over, rock yourself to get up, squat, stand up and walk, you even had to teach yourself to climb up on the couch. That's where the true learning and beauty comes from, a young toddler who doesn't over think things and thinks to him/herself "gee is my back straight to squat like this or are my legs up too high to lift" they do what they do and if they fail, they get up and keep trying.

It's important to understand technique and how to work your body according to the way your built but that's beside the point; overthinking leads to less involvement in your quest to move and do so with an open mind and doing something unique and beautiful as opposed to locking yourself up mentally and act like a stiff plus asking this and that in a very annoying way. Be instinctive, value what you can learn to create whether it's a series of exercises in a circuit, a combination of different moves, a routine that perks you up and makes you feel alive inside. It's not always what you do on the outside, its about opening yourself up from within.

A kid that plays has a wild imagination, he sees things no one else sees and moves that body to his creativity. They see scenarios in their heads we can't even fathom or remotely begin to understand (and how can we, we grew up so imagination doesn't exist with us like that anymore). You don't have act childish when you train but do your best to be more child-like; create your own world and live it as if you really could, soar through the air like a jet making sounds, crawl like your favorite animal, swim as if you were Tarzan saving Jane from a croc, duck and roll like Indiana Jones whatever your mind can come up with. Master your own way to move, be inspired by those who dare to think outside the box, have dreams that you want to see come true. Release your inner child. Magical things can happen.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Fitness On A Budget

Not everyone can afford gym memberships and even if you did pay $10 a month at Planet Fitness; it won't have the type of things that can truly make you crazy strong and feel good about yourself both in and out. Besides you can build your own gym in your home or garage on an inexpensive budget if you play it right. Trust me though, buying machines and a bunch of useless infomercial fitness will kill your wallet, like the knight in Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade he says "You must choose, but choose wisely." Spend your money on things that matter and when it comes to fitness, do your research and put what you spend on for real strength and health.

When you really look at it, some of the best workouts are free of charge; things like body weight exercises, lifting heavy rocks, climbing a tree, playing on the Ape Bars and running sprints at a big track or field. When in doubt and want to still get strong, you can always have those when you look in the right places. You have options most don't ever realize and you can be one of those unique people who can expand their minds and look to fitness in a whole new light, plus it doesn't hurt having a great system of exercises you can tackle for free at Darebee, those guys show you that some of the best training is right there and don't need to pay one red cent.

If you happen to want to get some equipment, get things that are the real deal, none of those thousand dollar machines or a dumbbell rack that can turn to rust (however having a few dumbbells and a barbell with plates wouldn't be a bad stretch). Save your money for what you'd like to get. I once saved up to get an epic sledgehammer because I loved the type of training it brings. Took me a while but I made it happen, get some cool cables from Lifeline USA or the Power Wheel to really hammer out those abs you seem to want. Get DVDs that aren't in the mainstream that are unique and training that is not always heard of in the main fitness world. I'm not saying go spend thousands of dollars on a bunch of stuff, build up to it and save when you need to for your house, family, food and supplement activities. Money isn't the root to happiness.

Use your budget wisely and treat yourself to a cool "toy" to use for your next training session or get courses that spice up your learning and research what they're about. Youtube can be a great asset for research but it's nothing compared to learning from a real master of his trade and shows you what you can do for yourself and not bust your balls just so they can make a buck. Save up for a seminar you wish to go to, make it happen for you and do something worthwhile to you. Even if it takes you a couple years to save up and you only went for 1-4 days, if you're determined, it will come to you. Invest in your health, not useless knockoffs.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

The Ultimate Home and Travel Bodyweight and Dumbbell Workout System



I have exciting news to share with you.

But first, please consider if any of the following apply to you:

- Have you exhausted yourself to frustration with the inability to lose fat, increase muscle mass, and increase your vital energy throughout the day?
- Are you tired of programs, which result in inevitable fat gain, muscle loss and energy decrease?
- Are you interested in diversifying your fitness training?
- Are you bored from practicing the same repetitive exercise routines?
- Are you new to exercise and looking for an Ideal Program for beginners?

If your answer is Yes to any of these questions, then you need to take a look at an all new program:

BAD45: The Ultimate Home and Travel Bodyweight and Dumbbell Workout System to Optimize Hormones for Fat-Burn, Muscle-Growth and Energy Increase.

BAD45 was designed by the "World's Smartest Workout" Coach Scott Sonnon, Tactical fitness advisor to the US Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Defense.

This is a revolutionary approach to burning fat, building muscle, and enhancing your balanced energy throughout the day.
There's simply no other system which has been designed to optimize your hormones for fat-burn, muscle-growth and energy-increase like BAD45.
By hitting the three critical windows in your cycle of recovery - the catabolic, the anabolic and the metabolic - you only need to follow the turn-key daily calendar to achieve results you haven't been able to access before, even when working your hardest and spending an enormous amount of money on the "perfect diet."

To make this system as accessible as possible to the widest range of people, Scott Sonnon – whom Men’s Fitness magazine named “one of the top 25 Trainers in the World” - has designed BAD45 to use the most basic resistance training tool currently available around the world: the dumbbell, and your own bodyweight. No matter where you are, you have these inexpensive (the dumbbells) and free (your bodyweight) tools.

Save yourself money by eliminating enormous fees on gym memberships. Avoid facing months and years of frustration not getting your desired results, or temporarily getting results and then losing them due to regress, pains and injuries. Discover a unique way to burn fat fast, grow muscle and increase energy. Check the BAD45 site by clicking on this link:

BAD45

You will not regret it!

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Channeling Your Freedom Of Movement

Since the rebirth of natural movement (or Functional Fitness in mainstream fitness) we have been told to just move. Practice the incredible elements of movement like jumping, crawling, swimming, squatting, rotating, swinging, climbing, balancing and more. Physically moving is a powerful idea but just moving isn't always enough. Nobody just moves on body rows or balances on a bosu ball; it has to come from within to make the movement more meaningful and more of a guide than just a technique. It's more than physical; it's spiritual, openness, passion and living.

Many people love being told what to do, hell they don't always they're being sucked into the powerlessness without blinking twice. How sad is that. You have more power in you than you believe to be. Being told what to do gives you "structure", a reason to do something and you don't question it because otherwise what the hell you gonna do? I defy that crap, I learn things that give me meaning and I lead by my own example not what some shmuck with a napoleon complex thinks he can order me on. I move and train by my own principles, my philosophy and my own style of learning. Want more power over others, do certain things for yourself, learn what you're passionate about and live it fiercely everyday of your life. It's not easy and it's not always simple but it gives you more of the character that brings out the best in you.

The passion in your movement says a lot about who you are as a person. How do you breathe, where do you want to move in space, what brings you that life giving experience of moving through all sorts of planes? I believe in many systems I have learned over the years, I may not always agree with the philosophy but that's the beauty of it; creating something for you that inspires what you want to learn and continue to grow. Channel that passion, the fire that drives you and move the way you were meant to. Want to be an animal? Move like Tarzan? Do Gymnastics? Be a hand balancer? Why not all of them? It's all about what you're passionate about and sharing it to spread inspiration and love of giving back so whoever is passionate about their endeavors never feel like they can't do it.

Live in your creativity. Take it to another level and open your mind that expands the universe because when you're short minded; you become limited and you only do only a few things. Expand it to where you see yourself getting better, making something harder, more complex and unique that it's a point where you are the very best in your own style. Imitating others is great but it's not enough to reach your full potential, you have to do things that only you can compile together and makes you stand out. Be creative and let your imagination blossom otherwise you'll just be another human being trying to fit in the crowd.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Tradition Won't Always Help You Move Forward

Traditions are basically certain things people celebrate or do something that requires what happened in the past. There are holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, going to certain places, rituals, traditions involving old school mates and whatever else you can come up with. They are past tendencies that places people to have remembrance or utilizing certain concepts on the new generation. Don't get me wrong, I love certain traditions like Xmas, Halloween, my moments on the day I broke my legs, celebrating with friends and family and all that but I don't define myself having a tradition that is purely on someone else's.

Xmas is at least to me is a great time of year; forget about the horrifying shopping, the organizing of get togethers and having a mess of food to clean up, I see it as a time to be with the people you love whether it's with one person or a hundred and sharing the smiles and laughter plus giving to others. To me that's a great tradition, I'm not religious or go to church or anything like that and I don't see it to celebrate Jesus' B-day yet it's the last big celebration before new years start; the winter solstice and a time to share the light among a darker season. Some traditions do work I highly believe that but only some of the time, not all the time. If some of these traditions were perfect and nothing is balanced, it be boring or too mushy hell it may even make you want to say "screw this" at times. The one tradition I do believe in is not a holiday or a seasonal celebration or even a symbol of made up history; it's the tradition of basic and creative exercise and movement where you use the concepts of the old school teachers of the past (sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it?) and use them in the modern age where technology and anyone with the name "certified" trainer is written on someone's forged certificate runs rampant yet still give the knowledge that was passed down more than 100 years ago. Have a tradition but don't always rely on it.

You can't rely on your past exploits because if you do the same thing for too long and not grasp the concept of change then i'm sorry you're just fooling yourself. I'm not saying a holiday is celebrating the same thing every year, people have different ways to use general traditions that they've cooped up among themselves i'm all for that but on the other hand; if you can't accept change it's going to happen whether you like it or not. Some people want to break a tradition within their group, some die and aren't around anymore, others are tired of the same old boring stuff year after year or days whatever. The past has already happened, you can't expect the same things to go on that started in 1914 as oppose to now, it doesn't always work that way. In order to move forward you might need to break a few eggs, take a stand and do something that's worth while to you. You can still have your traditions but don't use the past to inspire you, use your imagination to make a twist and bringing old school and new school together and make it interesting. I come from a family that gets together for practically everything (at least they use to) and yet some of those traditions have become rather dull at times and they just do the same things over and over, some of it's positive and often times can be negative but there's no balance, no grasp of doing something a little different that can spice up the joint and it certainly doesn't help when you try to cram in 10-20 people in a small ass living room. Make a change, do something crazy (not hurting yourself type crazy), do things that excite you that gets their attention not to make it about you or them but because there's something worth doing that brings a new ideal way of making a tradition an adventure.

Develop your own traditions. Do something unique that only you or a group of you want to do and have fun with. A tradition for me is celebrating the day I broke my legs. It's fitting for me and since I celebrated my 10 year anniversary this past Friday on the 15th, I do it to not reflect of the bones that broke but how far I have come and doing something fun that gets my legs jumping and squatting and moving like a man possessed for adventure because 10 years ago I couldn't F*cking walk let alone jump and squat. Traditions are a piece of what's dear to you, don't always need to do someone else's traditions otherwise when are you going to come up with something on your own that truly means something. Make it your own or have family/friends do it with you because sometimes the same old things become just that and yet many people think it's magically going to have a breakthrough and all will be good as new, not gonna happen unless you do something different about it.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

The Awe Of Hand Balancing






As with most real training ideals, the cool stuff are fun to learn but difficult to master. Hand Balancing happens to be one of the most purest forms of Bodyweight Training that is difficult to master because of the ability to center your gravity in a relatively unknown format for most individuals. It's a skill and a very adventurous way to build the upper body in a very athletic fashion and do different moves and holds.

Many of the old-time physical culturists were hand balancers such as Bob Jones, Maxick, John Grimek, Doug Hepburn, Bert Asserati and others but unlike the majority of them; Bob Jones was the man among men of Hand Balancing, he can do things on his hands most would ever dream of and he did it in style too. Balancing on clubs, the way he'd get into a handstand and many other things. Even superheroes have gotten in on the act like Spider-man and such. If a hero had all these abilities why can't they be super athletic; i'm sure Batman can do Handstands, Captain America, Black Panther, Iron Fist and maybe others. Athleticism comes in all shapes and sizes but Handstands especially unassisted is one of the most beautiful feats ever performed period.

To really understand Hand Balancing is to learn your center of gravity; being able to balance in the right place with the right shift of the stabilizing muscles (mainly your Core) and flexing the muscles of the body in a specific fashion. Some have an arch in their handstand, some are more straight like a gymnast and others have their arms and/or feet widened to hit that base of leverage. The concentration needs to be in pure laser-like fashion otherwise you won't be able to handle the load. I have found that I could get into an unassisted handstand if I widen my arms and shoulders because of the thickness in my upper back and hold up decently using as straight legged as possible. I still have a lot to learn but at my size (5'10 255+ lbs.) it's amazing i'm able to hold it at all, just the other day I tried Unassisted Handstand Push-ups and managed several partial ones. Will be up soon on Youtube, you won't want to miss it.

Now as far as isometrics is concerned it is by far one of the most powerful forms of training there is on the planet, many different ways to do them but what do you believe is the ultimate Isometric? From my experience and practicing countless positions I'm convinced the Handstand Unassisted & Wall Variation is the greatest Isometric Exercise. People will have a different view based on their own knowledge and experience but you won't convince me otherwise, I don't care about the structure of the body or that it's blatantly impossible or whatever. If you're willing to learn and can build a solid base, make Hand Balancing part of your training, learn the fundamentals and do something most can't do or won't attempt to do.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Training Ideals From The Dragon Ball Saga



In a cartoon, you can exaggerate practically anything from the expressions on people's faces to out of whack storylines and even how someone trains. In real life we may not be as extreme as animation is but we do have ways to push ourselves to the very limits. One thing Goku takes really seriously is how far he's willing to push himself, even those like Vegeta take it to the extreme but the big thing they have in common is making their training get into some unbelievable elements. We may not have a gravity room to do our training but there are ways to be creative in how you push yourself.

Out main hero is very inspiring in how he trains (if you haven't seen it I suggest you take up on it). He uses mainly his Bodyweight and the Enviornment around him. Even in Gravity Training he just powers out his body whether it's 20X Gravity or more than 100X. People give a bad rap about using only your bodyweight but most of those people don't know a damn clue since their dependent on their celery sticks, treadmill running, machine loving lives to make them feel better about themselves. The real training is using your natural surroundings by sprinting, swimming, lifting logs or rocks, push-ups, squats, crawling, jumping and more. You get more in connection with the earth if you train in a more natural setting. If you want to amp up your training using basic bodyweight movements such as pushing, pulling, squatting and ab work; use various resistance stuff like weight vests and ankle/wrist weights to make the load heavier and pushing your body to the next level.

Speaking of resistance type training using only bodyweight; we may not be able to use a Gravity Room to pull us down and make us push harder but we can do certain things like the vests and the weights on our wrists and ankles but there's also levels of speed you can experiment on. Slow down the tempo of certain exercises like push-ups for example, instead of doing the same speed, take it down a notch and go a little slower to really work the stabilizer muscles and utilize your whole body to move, make a count going down and up, slow down so much it takes you a minute up and down; that is brutal. Animal Movements are another outlook to move your body for example instead of the typical bear crawl; move your body in this manner but flex the body as you move not so much isometrically but enough to where you're moving at a slower pace and your whole body feels like it's being pulled down like in the Gravity Room. Be creative and train with intention.

One thing you'll notice about how hard you train is how hungry and sleepy as hell you get after a hard and adventurous session. For me I've trained so hard at times not only do I nap a little after a good solid workout but I need to eat like a beast on a mission. I sometimes bought two big sub sandwiches or had a bowel of cereal with meats, eggs and chicken depending on what i have and top it off with 2 glasses of raw milk. I even get Panda Express and have nearly 2 of the three entree dinners just to satisfy my hunger. Unlike Goku who eats everything in sight when he's hungry, I know when my body has had enough. When you eat plenty of awesome food and sleep well, you will build muscle period. Train like your life depended on it, sort of like how Goku and Krillin from the first Dragon Ball series trained by swimming against sharks, climbed steep mountains, ran carrying milk, busted their ass on manual labor and working their hands on farm fields. You don't need to be that extreme everyday but if you want the best out of making yourself stronger and better looking, train your ass off and eat when you're hungry and sleep when you need to even if its a 30 min. nap during the day to recharge but sleep between a good 6-9 hours depending on how much recovery you need. Live on simple things and not feel like you need some crazy diet that drives people nuts and forces themselves to do.

Friday, May 8, 2015

Spring Chicken Into Summer Magic

 


Spring is a magical time of year where new life is blossoming in nature, love shines throughout the land and the power of movement comes alive. It's time to reclaim your health and your strength by playing with various movements out in the crisp fresh air. Movement is where the true fun begins.

Be mindful to open your mind to new things, types of training you never experienced before; start your journey with movement and play on the grass at the park, playground, near water, in your yard or wherever you decide. Let your imagination blossom and place yourself in the mindset of learning to move. It's not easy at first and some can't always get out and do stuff due to circumstances but even then even in a wheelchair you can use your upper body to move and do something fun and exciting. When you close yourself off, your body goes with it and you won't develop the way you were meant to using the potential you can ascend.

Summer is about warmth, soaking up the sun, going to your favorite beach or pool and just live with gusto and life. Drop the tablet, put your phone on vibrate and feel the connection between yourself and the earth. Sounds hippyish doesn't it? Well maybe a tad but you will gain a more valuable asset in nature by practicing feeling the fresh air, letting that powerful scent of life bloom into your veins and get a hold of your inner being by physically moving your body in various ways; run, walk, climb, lift, crawl, swim and use your body when no one else dares to try and duplicate. Go do some Hand Balancing, dance, roll out the Power Wheel, throw around a steelbell and have a blast doing any or all of it. Train for life, not a temporary pass by just so you can remotely look like a fake supermodel. 

The most important aspect of movement is not to just practice being physical or doing cool moves; hell don't even think about trying to one up your idol, move like you're at peace. Letting the flow flourish out and remove yourself from the crap that may run in your life. Life is too short to feel all the negative B.S. Be at peace with who you are, not what others want you to be. Your life is a gift, nurture it and spring into action while living in the summer of your heart. 

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Beautifully Enriched & Powerful

Why should you be condemned to a machine? Hell why really settle for a stationary area to move in? For the most part, many people in fitness rely on or are dependent being in one stationary place like they've confined themselves in a cage. It's understandable being in one position to move and you can a million different things like push-ups, squats, weights and even running in place yet the greatest thing is to be able to move around as much of your environment as possible. Unless harsh weather is a factor, being outside brings new life to your movements. Be able to crawl, jump, swing, climb, swim, balance and sprint. Machines are your jail bars and you will be very limited.

The body was meant to adapt. Unless you're recovering from injuries or are a boobybuilder, isolating the body is a bad idea. Working on one part of the body multiple times overtaxes the joints and ligaments to a degree where the rest of the body has to keep up and when they don't it'll collapse on itself. We have abilities we have yet to realize. The body is the most programmed piece of operative machinery, it can adapt to particular moves, able to withstand quite a bit of punishment and have the ability to take on some amazing tasks. Never limit yourself, find a good of variety of things that will hit you from every angle as possible.

When most start out, they don't realize how fragile they are, sure they can push a little but it's also important to know that building a foundation is a starting point in the journey, not a fork in the road like most people believe. Also when you're starting out, do not ever push past your limits the first time around or go all hardcore, I know it's exciting and you're doing something new but don't make the mistake of pushing it beyond your starting points; otherwise you will get hurt and you could possibly be paying medical bills that you don't want. Let your body adapt to what it's doing and little by little, begin that ascend on the ladder of progression.

Never settle for a one-all-be all system, when you do that, you're isolating yourself from what could really reach your peak potential but it's also important to realize that doing a million things won't get the job done either. Keep things to a minimum as best as possible and if you want to do more things in a single session, mix and match your favorite programs. It isn't rocket science but it won't be easy either, besides in order to gain through progression you can't take the easy route.

When it comes down to it, we are movement, our bodies are our guide to the world and moving through space in various ways teaches us how to journey our spiritual and physical boundaries and where it can take us if we are willing to take steps into places most are too afraid to do. We push ourselves but most of the time in the very wrong way and we end up discouraged, hurt, tied down in our minds and we end up quitting when we are just going down that road. Be playful, develop a skill, challenge the norm and never settle for modern traditions or mainstream ideals; be different and become the greatest version of yourself.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

From A Few Minutes To An Hour

You can't always plan what happens out of your control. Timing won't always be on your side so it's important to improvise when you least expect it. Sometimes we have that open window for an hour so we train for that hour. Don't be discouraged because you won't always get the time in to train. People get so worked up at times that they forget that they actually did something instead of nothing. It's one of the reasons why I like training periodically throughout the day where when I have a few minutes i'll do a few exercises to stay in my realm. I normally don't go for more than 30 minutes unless i'm doing qi gong and time passes by without knowing it, it has happened on occasions.

When you feel completely wired up and need a way to chill out, go do what you need to do; hit the gym, go hard on animal movements, do sprints, lift rocks if you have them, practice Hand Balancing whatever you feel is right to get all that energy out of your system. Kids especially could do some crazy training not to push them to the brink of ultra exhaustion but to give them that release so they can focus and be alert in a calming matter. If your energy levels are low and having low-self esteem, fix it any way you can that is productive and positive; its tough being motivated when you're low on energy but you have choices and possibilities.

There are ways to learn on how to stay efficient in your training but at times it can hit you like a bolt of lightning or it may not be enough. If you train too long more than you need to, it can drain you and leave you fatigued & aching everywhere that isn't necessary; however if your training is too short that you're not feeling anything or you don't feel it hitting the spot, the results may not be coming and it won't be enough for your body to get into that hormonal stage. Do what's comfortable for you but do enough to where you feel satisfied, not broken down or feel like things aren't going right.

Value the time you have the opportunity to use. Find your range of time and use it the best way you can. You won't always be able to train at a specific time because time doesn't stop just so you can get a workout in. Make it a habit to say "whatever time I can use, I will make the best of it." Don't expect to able to train every single day for an hour straight unless you're actually in a sport otherwise things pop up that are out of your control. Learn to use the time you have to get what you want out of it.

Monday, May 4, 2015

Odysseus And Fitness

When you devise a fitness program, it's important to also be able to use your brain in order to craft up one. It's not always about picking the number of exercises or how many reps and sets, it's about developing intelligence and strategy for what your goals are. Most programs today are very out of whack and not have any real meaning behind them, it's basically doing highly scientific research but with a neanderthal brain behind the scribbles. Very rare do we see those who have the intelligence and strategic outlook for what gives us the greatest benefit. Just like in the story of the Odyssey, one man uses his brain on a frequent basis in order to achieve his goal.

Odysseus was a master strategist and quite possibly the most famous mortal in Greek Mythology. Like every strategist, he doesn't have a perfect rap sheet; he's made mistakes and it cost him dearly but yet he pulls through and crafts up some of the very best successful attempts in order to achieve his goal whether it was in the Trojan War, Sailing home, defeating a monster or whatever. In fitness, it is important to have a strategy and keeping track of how you progress. We strategize in our own unique way and some of us don't always come through but others have and like the Trojan War veteran it took them many years to get where they are at. Weightlifters spend years getting to a certain weight that could break a world record, gymnasts spend years training before heading for the Olympics and it sometimes takes a number of years for a sports team to win a championship (Boston Red Sox anyone?). If you want to craft a great strategy for the goals you want to achieve, you can't half-ass it or do one big giant set of plans to put on the table, you need to find where you want to go, what are your best options and what you are willing to put in.

No matter what the strategy is or how intelligent you are, you can't expect the outcome all the time if ever. It's an unknown journey using what you have and what you are doing little by little even by the smallest fraction. Odysseus thought it take him a number of weeks, months even to get back home after ten years in the war but yet not everything goes according to plan because it took him nearly another 10 years just to get home to his wife Penelope and his grown up son. He fought hard on everything he did to sail back to his kingdom and come hell or high water he made it back and did it with sheer guts and a powerful will. You may have a plan set for a program that will get you fit in this many weeks or that many months if you stick to it and yet at the end of it you may find yourself disappointed or overwhelmed that it's over you don't know. You can write out whatever you want and stick to your guns and train the way you planned it out but things change. You can't expect the outcome because it hasn't even happened yet and unless you're psychic or or some kind of sorcerer I don't believe anyone can see the future even out of the starting gate. Live the journey.

The one thing a person with good intelligence has in order to strategize his system is to to adapt and be able to improvise when certain things don't go according to plan. You can't rely on the same old habits otherwise you will be using the definition of insanity and that's "doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result." Be bold and take risks because playing it safe and easy doesn't get you higher up in the rankings of your own strategy. Be willing to take things to the next level little by little and you will have something bigger at the end and you'll be a different person because of it. Don't rely on the same old habits, make that little leap up your own mountain. Little by little Odysseus triumphed in the end even though he had obstacles and went through challenges that seemed impossible but he never gave up. He's one character we can all relate to and he's one of those many classic heroes that has pushed his intelligence to the max and although it took him longer than he planned, he still made it home and won back the woman he loves. Take this into consideration the next time you need motivation strategizing a system of your training.

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