Upper One Day Lower The Next

 The fun thing about training is the experimenting and seeing what comes out of it. Being an advocate for Isometrics especially Overcoming, it is a method that not only strengthens the tendons and ligaments but also enhances the quality of life as you move through ranges of motion. Yeah sure you're hitting various angles in a single point but as you strengthen those single points that leads to greater range of motion later on, it puts another perspective into play. 

A good routine that helps build that strength can be done almost in a split style; doing various muscle groups on certain days or you can work on doing Upper Body one day and then Lower Body the next. The possibilities are endless. Working on certain muscle groups can help find your weak points from another point of view and hit the muscles hard without spending a ton of time. Although I prefer the 7-12 Second contraction method, you can vary the intensity and length of time however you like or what gives you the most benefit. That's the true secret is what helps you move forward and have a wealth of knowledge that puts you in the driver seat instead of being the passenger. 

Having an upper and lower body split routine can be beneficial because you can hit muscles hard and then rest them while working on the others. You can even make a point of working on say shoulders and chest on let's say Monday, Legs on Tuesday, Back & Arms on Wednesday and Legs again on Thursday. You can then have the option of taking a "rest" day and do some casual stuff or repeat the program, it's up to you. Just remember to pay attention to your body and get a feel for it, you don't want to go into overkill mode. If you need a break, take it, your body, your choice. 

Isometrics in my eyes and in many, is one of the most underrated methods of strength training for a reason. It's not glamorous nor is it easy but it also doesn't sell a whole lot cause all it looks like to the untrained eye is just a hold for a few seconds or longer. Looks too simple and people shrug it off. It's simple but even the most basic holds can test your strength and even show your weaknesses almost immediately. When you utilize Isometrics into a routine, it can make you faster, lift with greater efficiency and hit spots you may be lacking at. It's more than just a stand-alone or add on, it's a next level style of work that gives you tools that bring you into another realm of strength. The type of strength that means something, life saving, the difference between winning and losing, the way you shake a person's hand, your performance in sports and combat. It is an essential part of physical fitness that can't be ignored. 

Learn the value of Isometrics and incorporate them into your life, see and feel what you can accomplish. Keep being amazingly awesome.  

Finding Your Perfect Routine

We all look for finding the perfect routine. We want to perform a good number of reps and sets for certain exercises and want to try out routines from books, courses, videos and the muscle magazines. Some routines work and some don't. Some can hurt you, some are too easy and some are just too difficult. What if we strive for creating our own perfect routine?

In order to create a routine first you need to work on basic exercises and work them until they become a second language to you. Learn what you can and put in the work. It takes time and patience and you got to put a bit of effort into it. Once you have taken the basics to another level, this is where you must learn mastery. Take certain exercises that are at a minimum for pushing, pulling, core, legs and grip. Take at least 1-2 exercises from each category and build a mastery around them.

The perfect routine doesn't come from a book, a video, a course or a magazine. They come from within and teach you how to rely on yourself and not from anything else. Yeah you can learn exercises but you must create a routine that suits your needs and goals for your body structure and body-to-weight ratio. Being able to have your routine builds self-reliance, creativity, mental strength and the ability to adapt.

The most important element of having your own perfect routine is to have fun and be able to make changes if need be. Having fun helps relieve the stress of getting confused how hard you should work and what position to keep at all times. Fun helps build joy into your workouts and makes you feel you're not working out but almost feel like you're just just playing a game. Building this mindset can get you results faster and build better foundations for your goals. One thing is for sure you should be able to train to the point where sweat is looking like a waterfall. For this reason be able to drink plenty of water in your training.

I can't give you any specific routines to look at but I can however give you courses to look at and get in order for you to build your own routines and create yourself the ultimate body and having the time of your life. On the right hand side of the blog I highly recommend you check out Lifeline USA, Scientific Wrestling, Stronger Grip, Animal Kingdom Conditioning, Strongman Websites and CoreForce Energy.

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You Are The Experiment

One of the things about being new or getting back to or just doing fitness in general is that you can always learn new types of training that you've never done before. Experimenting in physical training is like any other kind of experiment, finding what works, what doesn't and how its suited to an individual. Most people however don't seem to understand this concept and that's sad because of all the fitness magazines and modern day technology trainers are telling you to do this for your body or a routine that's predetermined for your body which is flat out ridiculous.

One of the keys to Self-Mastery is to become your own trainer. Now why be your own trainer when someone can just have something set up for you? Well you could do that but that would just make you a second-rate person. Yes someone can show you the basics of exercises but how you do them is up to you. When I was doing weight lifting and seeing how all these "bodybuilders" were like and what they did, I tried the programs and I ended up either getting hurt or burnt out after only a week and I didn't do them everyday. After my accident, I started learning a different form of training and learned the exercises and did a few routines here and there but the routines didn't seem to help me because I felt something wasn't right. I changed gears and began experimenting my own routines that I came up with and whether a routine lasted an hour or 5 min. it felt good to realize that I'm my own trainer.

A major component to being your own trainer is to not only work the muscles, tendons, ligaments or organs for that matter but work on your mental strength creating and infusing the mind/muscle connection. Bruce Lee believe it or not was one of the most famous men for not only his muscles and strength for his size but was also one of the most intelligent men of his time. He became not just a great martial artist but also a powerful philosopher and keen sense of mind power. Another example would be the Samurai Warriors of ancient Japan. Not only did they need to be strong and powerful to just carry armor, swing a sword or fight but had to learn how to paint, write, meditate and have awareness that was second to none which is still legendary to this day.

There are many examples of learning to experiment but one thing is for sure and that's teaching yourself how to use your own physiology and how to use your body-to-weight ratio for the type of training you want to do. Face facts there is no way in hell a person of totally different sizes can do the same exact program and for good reason. Whoever is bigger or smaller cannot always do what another can. The structures are different and the way they move their body is different.

I'm a big dude at 240+ lbs. and can do some pretty cool stuff but there are just some things I can never do that a guy smaller then me can do its just not logical. Now on the other hand I carry more weight so whoever smaller then me by quite a bit tries to use something that gets him up to my size it'll be much harder for him to train because he is putting too much stress on his body then he should have and therefor can get injured, pull something or possibly cripple himself. Again not logical now is it?

Building a foundation is another key to becoming your trainer. Where do you start and what do you plan to do to achieve a goal? Find what works for you. Learning the basics in training is like learning math or English, hell even history you have to start somewhere and progress through various levels. Once you have experimented enough to know what works and what doesn't you have all the tools you need to become a great trainer within yourself. You don't need others to tell you what to do or what you should do for this or that.

Becoming a master takes practice, time, patience and a will to succeed. The Old-Timers knew this long before there were machines, gadgets and whatnot. Becoming your own trainer teaches you how to be an individual and self-reliant on the things that you want to do for yourself. It took me years to be my own trainer and now I get to teach you how you can do the same and can probably do it in less time then I did. Be the person you want to be and look into yourself and find the true power within you.