Review Of Animal Workouts Book/DVD

This course is a lot of fun to do and gives the reader a series of progressions for each animal and has quality content for doing something different or what you did as a little kid. Most of the issues that come with the program isn't a major factor for me but I do wish the author were more involved with the exercises instead of using models. Don't get me wrong, they are very fit people but it is important to show the readers what YOU can do and inspire them.

David Nordmark is a knowledgeable guy I'm sure but shows more of a copy and paste style as an author selling courses at a cheaper price than folks who wrote previous courses that cover the topics virtually identical. Matt Furey, Ed Baran, Batman O'Brien, Charles Atlas and others wrote courses that dealt with basic to advanced calisthenic movements utilizing traditional Hindu Wrestling Training, Gymnastics, Self Resistance, Isometrics & Flexibility training. These courses are pricey in areas but are well worth it. David wrote courses that carry the same exact exercises and a tad more but sold them half or more cheaper.

The animals based in this book and DVD course are very simple to do and can be done virtually anywhere. I love how playing around with these exercises can make a person fit and healthy in the long run but if one has had previous injuries, some exercises won't cut it for that individual. The principle movements are mainly crawling and jumping which is essential but some people no matter how hard they try, won't have great jumping abilities because of how their tendons and ligaments handle the stress. Overall, one can adjust to the exercises according to their level of energy, flexibility and fitness. You don't have to do the jumping exercises, you can just do squats or hold the positions in an isometric fashion. It's all what you can do and make the most of it.

Although it suggests elements on speed, technique and rest periods, do what you can do. Some exercises I can never speed up on due to previous injuries in my legs and I don't jump that high on some exercises. With the crawling, your body will naturally tell you the speed and the weak links in your body. Take it from me, just play and adjust accordingly. Don't expect to have great strength off the bat and your stamina and endurance will come in time because when you really get into it, it doesn't feel like a workout, more like a game and that mindset can help your results come quicker.

The weight loss & muscle building aspects vary from individual to individual so if you don't lose weight or build muscle right away, it's OK, keep at it and things will eventually happen. You will build natural muscle due to the amount of muscle groups being used during the movements. The more muscles being used, the greater chances of development faster. Have fun with it and get into the mindset of making it a game, it'll change your perspective and develop results you didn't think were possible. Get wild my friends.

Animal Workouts Book

Animal Workouts DVD

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Pushing The Limits....Good Or Bad

Every individual experiences different levels of tolerance or intolerance to soreness, pain, strength, endurance, flexibility, durability and stamina; so we can't fully determine what gives us that balls to the walls limit of understanding how far we can go in our training. There are people who do the Ironman, run Ultra-Marathons, Crossfit like a maniac, train to extremes for bodybuilding or their specific sport and than there are people who feel going beyond the limit is a badge of honor.

Don't get me wrong, testing one's ability is a meaningful goal and every person wants to know within themselves "How far can I take this?" The problem is that too many people strive for this goal way too quickly and it's not always by way of their own choice. Yes we have a choice but we also tend to get caught up in the hype and being told what to do and how to apply ourselves to reach our maximum limit without regarding the consequences of injury, possibly death, becoming crippled, breaking bones, tearing tendons and scarring the psyche for life. It's like driving a Viper and testing it's limits of how fast it can go and getting caught up in that mentality of seeing what it's truly capable of. The car can only take so much and at its highest peak of maximum performance, won't last more than a minute tops. A similar ideal is the cheetah the fastest land animal on earth, at top speed, the wildcat only lasts seconds and only uses that speed for survival and catching food. If this cat were to challenge itself and even remotely test it's speed more than it is meant to, the death scale would be at its highest due to exhaustion, heart beating too fast for the body to handle, the bones would shatter and would be destroying the internal organs.

Like the Viper and Cheetah, the human body can only take so much and everyone, even the greatest athletes in the world have their limits. How we determine what we can tolerate is through experimentation, where the mind is tested, preparation and finding out what we can do to do more and more until we reach complete and utter failure. It is important to challenge yourself but it must be done with intent, understanding when to back off and recover, plus learning your mentality and physical needs. When we are young, we have greater chances of recovering like crazy and have energy that keeps us going and having mental toughness. As we age, recovery takes more time, physical exertion becomes greater in order to provide results and mental strength is at it's apex.

Pushing our limits can be beneficial to a degree but each individual will never have the same limits or abilities as the person next to them. There are some things I can never achieve because of my structure, my strength levels, my tolerance for pain but that other person may not have what I have and won't ever do things that I'm capable of doing. It's all a matter of perspective and understanding how far that person can push their highest levels of the attributes they have acquired or willing to test at their maximum levels. Now the real question is.....If you push beyond your limits, are you willing to suffer the consequences that comes later or during? Or are you willing to find out what you can truly do? This is the real test for every individual. 


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