2 Decades And It Still Haunts Me But Teaches Me Lessons Everyday

 

It's never easy having a memory like this. It's still embedded into my mind that will last the rest of my life. That spot that changed everything. One bad day becomes a haunting reminder yet still teaches me lessons that have kept me going all these years. A stupid mistake/accident by a 20 year old that had to learn new things beyond the physical about pain, suffering and fighting to get back.

20 years ago today, at this very spot was the day I was broken, physically, emotionally and mentally. It was sunnier, in the late morning, early afternoon and went here for a date where the girl I was hanging with brought friends along. Climbed up to the top of that long stretch of rock below the green. I was supposed to go all the way to the very end where the water would've been highest, I jumped more towards the middle like a dumbass (Red Foreman wouldn't hesitate to say this) and thought the water was still good but it went out within about a split second after I jumped and both feet landed on the very hard and rugged sand below. 

Because of my own stupidity, I shattered my left tibia fibula and both my ankles all in one shot. Everything felt weird and held up my leg to see it flop without me moving it. Luckily no bones broke through the skin but I heard the sound of them coming from the inside, I had a lady come over and asked me to try and stand up and I didn't want to get up. Two guys pulled onto the shore and I just laid there. The call that even at the time nearly killed my mother when she learned that I told her I think I broke my legs. I was laying there on the sand in the warm sun waiting for an ambulance which had to bring the Gurney down the cliff a few yards away. The girls and a couple other people kept me talking since the shock was hitting me like a freight train.

My dad and stepmom came around the time the ambulance showed up. Paramedics asked me all the general questions and was completely conscious to answer them all as best as I could. Asked the girls what happened and asked witnesses around there including the two guys who pulled me in. Because of where the vehicle was, they had strap me in and haul me back up the cliff which already has a very narrow pathway. Scary as hell to say the least. They got me in and one of the things the they asked is what music I like to listen to, for some odd reason I said AC/DC. 

Got to the hospital and because of the sand in my shorts, they had to cut them and wipe me down, it was everywhere. About a couple minutes into being in that room with people including my parents, a woman that helped raise me, her son one of my best friends and my stepmom, I just lost it. The true shock kicked in and I just balled and screamed right then and there like learning someone had just murdered someone in my family. Horrifying moment on top of what had already happened.

Had to go into surgery that night or so because the damage was insane. The bones in my left leg split to the point where repairing took some weird way to piece them but they couldn't stay straight or line up properly the same way ever again. Before they put me under anesthesia, they asked what I wanted to listen to to keep me calm, again I said AC/DC and they put on Back In Black. Most likely they turned it off the moment I was out but I do remember couniting and then just going to sleep.

I woke up later in a hospital room and was told about all these procedures I had to do. Not going into gross details so I'll leave that amongst yourselves. This was where the true beginnings of what would become my findings of inner strength to get back to walking again. I learned the value and the strength needed to pull myself up into a wheel chair. Got several visitors around that time, even the girls and my date from the beach, I felt horrible having them see me like that but I was nice and being friendly with them and I think the girl who jumped after me apologized or something along those lines and I shrugged it off and told her it was ok. 

Once I got the clearance to go home, I had a ramp built for me to roll up into the house and had to get a hospital bed put in the living room because the pathway from the living room to my room was extremely narrow. Everyday was a struggle and had friends and family come and hang with me and keep me occupied. Before all this happened, I was going to gold's gym and doing powerlifting and other training stuff, going to concerts in downtown Santa Cruz at a place called the Catalyst where famous bands played and it was a place to go with my Stepdad before he died, getting burgers and fries and watching a giants game. Those concerts in the atrium around 2004, roughly a year before my accident, was where I met Logan Christopher and reconnected with my neighbor two doors down from me Tyler Bramlett who was the Drummer for his band Archer at the time with guitarist Dylan Rosenberg (Goes by Dylan Rose now) and their Bassist Isaiah May if I have the last name correctly. They would play cover songs and their own stuff for battle of the bands and things like that. Logan was the guy who helped set up the equipment.

Logan & Tyler came around often either after workouts or before and talked to me about all this stuff about Physical Culture and about guys like Dennis Rogers, Jon Hinds, Bud Jeffries and many others. I believe they were the first ones to mention to me about Matt Furey and his combat conditioning book. Their the ones that gave me the tools to research all this stuff which is why I have always credited them as the guys that saved my life. They treated me like a brother and taught me how to be strong.

As the weeks went by and another surgery had to be done, I went to another hospital to get work done on my legs that needed a greater set of tools to operate and put things in. After a while, I got to be in my own bed. I did have an incident and fell flat on my left foot and thought something got damaged again. rushed to the hospital but was taken to one in Watsonville, not Santa Cruz and they didn't tell my mom so when she went to Keiser Permanente in SC, they couldn't find me there and ended up telling her I was in another town because of something going on with Ambulances being shorthanded or something like that. Remember about the narrow pathway to get to my room? Well the Gurney couldn't fit through so without any help, I literally dragged my legs and my ass backwards on my hands since I couldn't and wasn't able to get up on my feet.

I got a copy of combat conditioning and for the last few weeks before my last surgery, I read through that thing maybe a dozen times, learning everything. The final surgery was on July 29th, the day after my 21st birthday. I always joke that because of getting it done the next day, I couldn't have a beer on my own 21st birthday. So I advise those turning 21 to have fun as much as you can and don't be an idiot like me and get hurt. I was doing occupational therapy during the time between my second and third surgeries. Was told that my therapy would take roughly a year to let things completely heal after my surgery. I made the decision to do PT on my own, my way and everyone but a few friends and my mom were pissed at me that I was going to do that and were afraid for me making things worse. Within days after that last surgery, I started working on Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups & Bridges just like Matt suggested in the book. 

I couldn't do more than 10 squats, 15 pushups and my bridge was terrifying to look at at first. I kept at it every single day for a month, then switched to other exercises but ever since those first squats, pushups and bridge, I haven't taken one day off of doing exercise or a workout. I was just determined to fight with everything I had and it was painful as fuck and walking for more than 10 minutes exhausted me. By December of that year, I managed more than 1000 squats in a single workout, 1050 to be exact. Regular Hindu Squats & Jumping Squats for almost an hour, taking breaks when I needed to. 

For 20 years now, I still take those lessons and tools those guys gave me and kept the promise to myself to do something every single day no matter what. I've had set backs, little injuries, weight fluctuations and dealt with relationships, deaths, funerals, traveling and many other things but I still found a way to exercise because in my mind, if I don't, it's like losing a piece of my soul. It's my second language, the thing that drives me and what has led me to a life that has brought me many friendships, working doing what I love and promoting those that inspire me and it brought me to meet my wife when one of the last things she saw on our first date was when I bent a 60D Penny Nail for her. 

Although I still have some nightmares to this day of what happened, I' am grateful for what came to light and what I've become along the way and to say thank you to everyone who encouraged me and gave me the strength to keep doing this. You guys are incredible and I'm thankful for your support with this blog and putting up with some of my crazy shit all these years. You all are amazingly awesome, thank you.  

Epic Leg Training with Minimal Gear

“Strength is forged in the crucible of effort. No fancy gym? No problem. Your legs will bow to nothing but your will.”

You don’t need a rack of gleaming weights or a high-tech gym to carve legs that command respect. With minimal equipment—think the Worldfit Iso Trainer, a step stool, some bands or just your own body—and an unbreakable mindset, you can forge tree-trunk quads, hamstrings like steel cables, and calves that defy gravity. This is leg training at its finest. Let’s dive into the battlefield of muscle & conditioning and conquer leg day like the legends we are and that you can become.

Legs lay the groundwork. They carry you through life’s battles, from sprinting toward glory to standing tall under some insane pressure. Neglect them, and you’re building a house on sand that'll just sink. Train them, and you’ve got a fortress that withstands the toughest parts of nature. Strong legs boost your power, torch calories, and signal to the world: I am unstoppable. Plus, hammering your lower body spikes testosterone and growth hormone, fueling gains everywhere else. No equipment? No problem. The only tool you need is hunger.

Got a corner of your living room, a park, or a garage? That’s your coliseum, your sanctuary. Let’s forge some epic legs. Some ideas to get you going....

1. Bodyweight Goblet Squats (aka Pan Squats) – Start with what's possible for you and build up. 500 in a workout (In a row or with a Deck Of Cards) is a top level goal to achieve.

Squats are essential to great development but remember, they're only a piece of the puzzle.

2. Step Ups – The Staircase To Immortality...Work numbers per leg that give you a starting point (4x15 per leg for example) and build to where you can do a signature number that keeps you going where it'll make others quit. build up to 500-1000+ and you'll be in the realm of legends (Like the great Bob Backlund). This can be done either just your bodyweight or adding a weight vest if you're ambitious. 

“One leg at a time, you conquer imbalance and build raw power.”

Isometric Squats (Wall Sits, Split Squats, Zercher Style, Ect.)

Building Steel Cords of Muscle and Strength in the legs that dig into the lower body with intensity. Exercises like these work the tendons and ligaments that are so powerful, they keep you standing and build an armor like Captain America's Shield, strongest metal that is also light as hell, in this case, Isometrics will make you feel lighter on your feet yet pack a punch that will make Cap be on your side. 

Leg training isn’t just physical—it’s a test of your soul. Every rep/hold is a battle. When your quads quake and your lungs burn, that’s the forge where legends are made. Minimal equipment doesn’t mean minimal effort. Push past what once was. Embrace the power you're creating. Visualize your legs as pillars that stand the test of time, rep by rep.

To grow, you must challenge. Rest less as you progress. Progress is your war cry.

This is your moment. No gym, no gear, no excuses. Leg training with minimal equipment is raw, primal, and epic. It’s you against gravity, doubt, and mediocrity. Build legs that carry you to victory—on the field, in the mirror, and through life. Share your journey, your sweat, your triumphs.

Tag me to let others know your path to where you are learning. Here is my Link Tree to find all my Social Media. Be amazingly awesome and give those legs a reason to keep you going with incredible strength, conditioning, muscle and power. 

Important Aspects Of Overcoming Isometrics To Create Neural Endurance

 Our Neural Endurance is a reference to how much time we can continue to send signals to the muscles so we can push a continuance for them to keep working. This form of endurance is beyond just our Physical Stamina of the muscles themselves. In truth, our stamina is more on the lines of the mental game. How long can we sustain this level of concentration to send strong signals to the muscles we are working?

There are mental tricks or "hacks" to help send those signals to the muscles; one way to do it is to work an exercise and let counting reps just go out the fucking window. Go as long as you possible can. One example of this is let's say Bodyweight Squats, how many can you normally do? This time, don't think or count the reps, just keep going. You may even go past that threshold of that number you can normally do. Is it like the Jedi Mind Trick? Not really and here's the reason why.....We have become accustomed to doing a certain number of reps (like a gold standard or something) so our minds can shut off that neural signal so we can count those reps. If we don't count, the mind doesn't have numbers to think about so it doesn't shut off those signals.

Neural Endurance can also factor in how we can build muscle. Effectively, a program based on Muscle Building Principles, tends to require a level of pushing the muscles to a high form of fatigue. This is really only possible to instill growth. 

Now, how does Overcoming Isometrics take on the idea of utilizing Neural Endurance? In movement, it requires a certain level of strength. Continuing to perform a movement will go only so long but only by producing some level of tension or contracting the muscle(s). When those muscles have been pushed to where fatigue becomes too much, stop the movement. It can be difficult to generate strength & endurance at the same time because, the more strength you use, the less time you'll be performing, with endurance, you back off the tension in order to last longer. Overcoming Isometrics requires practically no movement at all, meaning you'll never reach a level of muscular failure and completely stop the exercise. You can go hard and maintain tension as you maximize strength and endurance at the same time.

This advantage makes Overcoming Isometrics a bad ass way to create Neural Training that is jammed packed. It is another benefit to be able to train these types of Isometrics everyday and make numerous progress. Keep being amazingly awesome and practice your Isometrics. 

Step Ups Vs. Squats? Hell, Do Them Both

 There will always be debates on what exercise is better for whatever purpose and people will die on a hill for one or the other. Some debates have valid points for both and can have an intellectual argument with no malice or personal agendas but others however; argue with such childish tendencies and make it sound like an 11 year old having the argument of why "my dad can beat your dad" and throw stupid derogatory words out and throwing a temper tantrum thinking he's right and superior. It's sad when people act like that.

When it comes to these specific exercises, they both have their pros and cons yet both work very well whether one or the other and together as a team. Why really argue and try to avoid one like the plague? Unless you have some sort of crazy injury, you can adapt to either one and both have multiple variations that potentially work for anyone. It's a matter of what you're going after. Fitness is about the journey and some days you'll want to do one or the other, sometimes you'll want to do both, you're still ahead of the curve.

Although I'm more of a fan of the Step Ups, I don't really replace them with squats, it's a preference actually. Squats are essential to the development of the legs and high rep work has it's value but it's not the king of all schemes, nothing is. Personally, my favorite variations of the Squat is Hindu Style, Goblet Style & Wall Sits (+ Their Variations). Doing hundreds of reps of either one comes in different formats, done both of them with a countdown method, with decks of cards and in a row. Keep things fresh and exciting to want to come back for more. Years ago, I would start with 500 Hindu Squats and move onto to a circuit or isometrics or even start a day of activities, when I would do 500 or more Step Ups, I would just chill out or find other things to do after. 

I've made points in the past why at times I left the squats to focus more on step ups but these days at least in the last couple years, I've slowly transitioned to doing both in different ways and making it work in my favor. With the Squats, I'm a lot more methodical then I used to be, I was more about speed and how fast I can do certain numbers in a certain timeframe. That bit me in the ass a couple times and it was a good lesson to learn. Now, it's a more natural pace, not going so slow that it looks like I'm breaking Snail Speed but also not going so fast it makes Sonic look like a slow poke. Building a rhythm.

Step Ups have really been the same style of pacing and it works for me, not doing it to make squats look obsolete that's not it at all, I do it for the enjoyment and what it does for my legs. Work with what's best for you, no one else, if you prefer squats more than step ups, that's great and I want you to be successful at it, let people enjoy what gives them benefits and the challenges they can do to overcome whatever. Arguing in a negative way doesn't actually help or inspire anybody. Said it before, they have good and bad points but it's up to the individual to what they gain from either one. 

You are only one person, train your legs for whatever goals you have and find the benefits in them while minimizing or reducing injuries as best as you can. Be amazingly awesome and go kill it with your leg training, don't forget to still be able to walk out with energy in the tank. 

All Hands On Deck: Another Look At Step Ups And Squats

 Training the legs can be done in a variety of ways and some of the best exercises don't always involve weights. Working them with weights have their place and many people have been successful at it. Some of us just go in a different direction in how we keep them going as we move along through life.

As you know, I'm a big advocate for Step Ups and how they are one of the best exercises for the legs you can do. They're not superior to other exercises like squats or lunges but they're also not to be underestimated either. They have a way of creeping up on you and they can be a challenging with the way you can go about it. Some of the best athletes in the world have done them from wrestlers to baseball players and others. Bob Backlund made them a huge piece of his training to the point where he can go as long as he wanted, he was just that crazy. Other wrestlers like William Regal did them and even the real Suplex Machine Taz taught them to his students at his school many years ago (he has it on film). 

When it comes to squats, they're awesome in their own right. Hindu Squats were the exercise that helped me get back into shape after my accident but you already know that chestnut by now. The only time I really do them now is when I do my deck of cards workout with the Step Ups and the numbers vary. They're not a huge part of my training where there are some exercises I find better for me but the squats do hold a place in my heart and when I do them, they're firing. When combined with Step Ups, it's a recipe for some killer leg conditioning, there's no way around that and if anyone says different hasn't fully understood the magnitude of them.

My deck of cards workouts for the legs is combining these two powerhouses to the point where on average these days I'll do 500 Step Ups & 250 Squats respectively and that's within roughly 30 minutes, maybe a little longer but I do the whole deck and it's an incredible feeling afterwards. It's conditioning that matters and utilizing both unilateral and bilateral movements together to form incredible stamina and strength. Training this way is fun, challenging and although you reach the same destination, you never take the same road twice when you do the cards. 

Card Workouts have been around for decades, maybe longer and if anyone truly made that with the best of intentions was Karl Gotch and his system of Squats & Push-Ups. Hell, I've done enough of them to where I did 400 Squats & 250 Push-ups on several occasions, it's brutal. Long ass time since I've done it that way and who knows, one day I may do it again, never say never. The point here is, You want to get the best out of your training and make strides to get a little better but also keep yourself healthy. It's not easy by any stretch and it's not meant to be but you do what is possible and expand on it. You can do it everyday if you want or do it a few times a week, it's up to you but you progress to what your body is able to handle. If you need to back off of it, do so and when you're ready, get back at it. You got this.

When you do the workouts with the cards, start with as many cards as you can possibly do. If you can do the whole deck on the first try, that's awesome, you're ahead of the curve, but not everybody is able to do that. Even I had to build up to it and once I did, it felt glorious. A deck of cards can be deceiving and it will kick your ass. It's one thing to do one exercise for the legs in this manner, it's another when you add one more to it and it's all legs. Be humble and don't think it's just a workout to weez on by, it'll make you think twice and it'll put you down for the count if you don't pay attention. 

Take a shot at it, you never know what you're capable of and it's a unique way of training the body that has incredible perks and benefits. Keep being amazingly awesome and kill it in your own training.    

Exercises Throughout The Day To Stay Energized

 Spreading a few exercises here and there throughout the day is never a bad thing. Matter of fact, it's probably better for many than getting one big workout in that takes up some time. Some do like getting in that hour long or so workout either before or after work which is awesome and I applaud you for making that effort, if you enjoy it and it's meaningful to you, keep at it. There are other options though if you need it to save yourself some time.

 Doing a few moves or holds over the course of the day can help you stay strong and fresh for what is thrown at you and getting the most out of it in little bits of time. Even certain exercises that seem basic can be very challenging when done right. One of my favorite exercises believe it or not I like to do for a couple minutes a day along with the other things I do is doing Push-ups either on my fists, palms or using my handles and I would hold at the top for as long as 30 seconds, then go down to about mid point and hold that for 30 seconds, come back up and hold for 15 seconds, mid point for 15 and repeat that 15/15 one more time for a total of 2 minutes without a rest. It's tough as hell but it gets the job done. Picked up that version of push-ups on youtube but do different variations instead of just one (variety you know). 

 Combining dynamic and isometrics is a great way to keep your strength and condition up and keep things flowing. Do a wall sit for a minute or go bear crawl for 30 seconds to a minute, these will add up as the day progresses and it'll feel like you're getting more done than you thought. Micro Workouts are a key ingredient to successful training and it pits you into a style that can be creative using simple moves and holds. Got a way to do Suspension Training? You can do some assisted pull-ups to build strength and muscle in your back or do rows as you advance. Washing dishes? Every few plates cleaned or so, press down on the countertop for 10-12 seconds and tighten the core muscles. Want to work the legs a bit, if you're going up a couple stairs or so, take a step and press hard with the front leg for 5-10 seconds each leg to build strength in the quads and knees. Sometimes the littlest things can create the biggest impact.

 A great exercise for the lower body is the Amosov Squats which I picked up from Steve Maxwell in the case of doing assisted type squats using a counter space, a door or using a Suspension Strap. Go down as low as you feel comfortable and come back up within control. As you get better, get down a little further and slowly build up speed. This builds great strength in the legs and conditions the entire lower body. Some do this to get the blood flowing as a warm up, others for conditioning purposes and to help with building strength in the knees if they can't do squats unassisted yet.

 Build a foundation and utilize your exercises the best way you can. Don't be afraid to experiment with something and don't think for a second that simple exercises are too easy, when you utilize the right tension and timing, they can be crazy tough to do but yet be as effective if you were doing a long workout. A few seconds can feel like an eternity at times. Making even 5 reps feel like 50-100 is a killer way to train. Have fun with them and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Pushing, Pulling, Squatting, Sandbags, Bands And More

 Keeping things basic is the way to go but don't always look to them as a generic boring thing. Make the basics interesting, make games out of them and have fun while kicking your ass. Daily training and being smart about what you do will make all the difference. If you're more keen on doing things 3-4 times a week, that's great too, just don't fall for bullshit that'll get you hurt or worse. 

Building muscle at 40 these days isn't surprising or as shocking as it was back in the day but it's still incredible that people can still accomplish it and continue their journey. For me, it's becoming more and more of a realization that the more you can make it happen and without TRT, HGH, HRT and other things that many even as young as their 20's are doing, is something to celebrate and be proud of. 

Old school methods are what keeps the world going around when it comes to Fitness in the long run. Been doing it for ages but there's always been fluctuations in terms of what my physique has gone through over the years and I blame no one but myself on what some of those fluctuations entailed. The best thing to do is to keep improving, making better decisions on the type of training you do and getting the most out of it. Some may say Daily Hard Workouts will get you better results but some of those same guys look like Bean Poles and have less muscle than Karen Carpenter (bad joke I know). I say, do what you can and go hard when needed, go hard for too long, too frequently, it can bite you in the ass.

There was a reason I fell in love with training and it went beyond my accident and all that, you already know the story by now so you don't need me to repeat it like a broken fucking record. It's the love of doing things that mean something, that are valued and making adjustments. Doing 500 Push-ups and Squats are great for some but there are plenty of things that don't require hundreds or thousands of reps in one shot. Play it over time and spread them out. If anything I do 500 these days is Step Ups or a total of 500 doing 5 exercises for 10 reps each for 10 rounds doing Circuits with my Dopamineo Band. The rest of the time, I'll do lifts with the sandbags, work on isometrics, consistent deep breathing training with the O2 Trainer and play with the hammers, chest expander and other kick ass equipment I got laying around. 

Working on bodyweight training is always fun to do especially when you learn from people like Matt Schifferle of the Red Delta Project. Guy's knowledge and applications of movements are so freaking awesome, it's shameful he's not ranked up there with being one of the very best in Physical Culture today. His method of Grind Style Calisthenics and Isometrics brings that old school mentality with a humble notion of encouragement in the modern age is refreshing. 

Keeping the grind going and putting up content of Push-ups, Pull-Ups (Suspension), Sandbag Work, Bands just keep getting better and better man. My physique is changing for the better as well and losing weight has been a great blessing. When I turned 40 back in late July, I was already down 17-18 lbs within the last several months since my recovery from that fucked up Sciatica injury which I will aways take responsibility for. This time around, I'm down to roughly 230 lbs and the muscle just keeps packing on little by little. Often these days I take a longer time to eat during the day, only eating when I'm hungry and consistently eating Meats, Eggs, Rice, using the Air Fryer and other things. Still have my vices like pizza, fries, burgers (not always fast food), Burritos, Pasta and sandwiches from Subway or this little place here called Local Deli where even half a sandwich looks huge yet still losing weight and dropping bodyfat. Haven't had Burger King in months and been more than a year that I can remember having McDonalds.

 

When you put in the work but keeping the stress to a minimum, things will pop up for you and being consistent with your eating habits and training smart and not like a maniac frequently. It's good to go crazy a couple to a few times a week but don't push to where you're so sore, your muscles are screaming at you "You are a fucking asshole for doing this to me." Have gas in the tank, make little progressions and keep your mind sharp when you train, even on those days when things around you suck. Don't go overboard with the junk stuff but don't have to 100% cut them out of your life either unless it's dire and need to clean things up. 

Training at this age and beyond is crucial and valuable but don't make it so that you're going to act like a dick and tell people how much of a loser they are if they don't train. Be more encouraging, share your progress and utilize what gives you the greatest benefit in your journey. Calling people derogatory names because they don't do pull-ups or some shit like that makes you more of the loser than anything else. Do many these days need a tune up in their health, absolutely, but preying on their insecurities and mocking them with such vengeance is such a copout and just downright mean bro. Being a goody too shoes isn't ideal either so it's important to find a balance of being encouraging and giving people a reason to train and giving tough love when needed. It's hard enough when the biggest critics is ourselves. 

Stick to the basics as much as possible. There will be days where things aren't always there and the chaos of life just throws you curve ball after curve ball, don't give up and do a little something even a few push-ups or holding a few postures during commercials while watching your favorite show and if you got a streaming service, pause the movie for a little bit and do a quick mini workout that can be as short as a few minutes like this Core Workout, it's not easy but it'll do some good in a span of 4 minutes. You got this and keep your journey alive. Be amazingly awesome.

Sally Could Use A Pick Me Up

 Finding interesting ways to train is part of the journey in fitness. It could be in tribute to someone, it can be for a cause, hell in this case it comes in the form of music. Music has a way of being part of our workout routines by pumping us up, feeling stronger and accelerating those endorphins to hit that "happy hormone" and many other ways.

In this particular manner, music comes in the form of a challenge. It has been around a few years and it has mainly been used as a push-up challenge and it's Bring Sally Up, Bring Sally Down by Moby Flower. Some have used it as a Squat Challenge which to me is a bit better. The way you do it is you start in the low position of the squat and when the singer says "Bring Sally Up" you return to the top position and when he says "Bring Sally Down" you go low again and hold it until the lyrics are repeated. 

It's an interesting Micro Workout since it combines movement and isometric holds. The song is over 3 minutes long, so holding a position for a period of time repeatedly between exploding upward and going down again can really hit some muscles there. One of the first times I tried doing an exercise where I held it during a song was the first time I held a Nose To Mat Wrestler's Bridge while listening to Black Sabbath's Paranoid which is just under 3 minutes long. I had a friend turn on the song as I held the bridge. Another time was doing a quick "warm up" of hitting the tire with my sledgehammer while the Song "Make A Man Out Of You" (Covered by Peyton Parrish) played. 

Certain songs can add an interesting element to a fitness routine or you can just do an exercise while a whole song played. Holding a Horse Stance while Metallica's Mercyful Fate plays would be brutal if you knew how long that song is, I think that would be worse than Bringing Sally Up LOL. It brings a certain unique aspect to what you can accomplish or even attempt with certain types of music. Now some music can be a little weird when you go hard, ABBA is not one of those bands to workout to as Bud Jeffries once said to me "It's the unmanliest thing to listen to while working out." Just before the wedding, we went out in the backyard to do some kettlebell stuff (you can find it on his Instagram) and let's just say another member of my family wanted to get some line dancing in and blasted ABBA, we shut the screen door and only heard whispers of the Swedish Group while we trained. It was pretty funny. There's your unintentional Bud Jeffries story.

If you want to give Bring Sally Up a shot, go for it and I hope you succeed. I did it a couple times and it wasn't too difficult but it's not easy either. Use music as a tool and see what you can do with it. Have fun and be amazingly awesome. 

Step Ups Or Split Squats?

Aren't debates fun? Maybe not presidential debates since it's mainly who's got the bigger dick or brains to "run" the country but when it comes to fitness, debating on a good leg exercise can spark either something controversial or a elementary whinefest of "my dad can beat up your dad" mentality. To it's extent, both have their pros and cons and they work the leg muscles in similar but different aspects to work the lower body.

Now, when it comes to Step Ups, unless you utilize weight or some form of variation, I see it more of a conditioning type exercise because the big objective is to work the cardio effect of the exercise. Maybe not to the extreme level of high reps Bob Backlund does but Step Ups can be a continuous strength movement because you're moving the legs upward in a higher elevated capacity as opposed to walking up a flight of stairs which is only a few inches off the ground. When you're working a step around average of 12-15 inches high, you're utilizing most of the leg muscles (roughly the quads and hamstrings) and working the hips in a longer capacity. Going for high reps isn't easy but it does save pressure on the knees and you can keep going for an extended period of time depending on how many reps per leg. Some do a 3x15 per leg approach but others like myself work each leg to a minimum so we can keep going for sometimes up to a half hour or longer. 

With Split Squats, IMO, it's more of a strength based exercise because whether with bodyweight or even with dumbbells in each hand, you don't have to do a ton of reps to get the effect and it hits a lot more of the quads along with the repeated movement for the knees. You're going to be more sore from these than from Step Ups because although both are unilateral movements, SS focus more on elevating the lactic acid effect in the quad muscles. You can do high reps per leg if you wish but you're not going to feel all that great the next day and you're putting greater pressure on the knee joints than you would with Step Ups.

I utilize both in some capacity although I prefer Step Ups because it works better for my previous leg injuries. When I do Split Squats, I either use my strap to put one foot in and work a few reps that way or do them Isometrically which strengthens the joints and avoids the lactic acid buildup. Split Squats are my least favorite leg movement but I do see the value in them in some form while others are fanatical about them with a love/hate relationship. I would never do one or the other to failure because for one, that can lead to an injury, two, I want to be able to walk upright the next day and not feel like an 80 year old man wanting to die and three, I want to have that strength and lung capacity to keep going without tiring when I need to do something that's important or staying active without being in horrible discomfort. 

Both have their place whether for bodybuilding, sports training, rehab or whatever. Just be smart about how you do them and not let ego get the best of you. Trying to break records all the time will only cause pain and agony, let them be effective so you can stay strong in the long run. If you need more than a couple days to recover from either one, you're pushing too damn hard. Be objective and focus on making both work to your advantage and progress without needing to do a ton of recovery. The most I would ever do for Split Squats would be a few sets of 10-15 per leg and that's it. I'm not trying to go so hard that I can't walk right afterwards, that's just not my thing. For Step Ups, I pick a number I know I can do for an extended period of time and do that per leg and keep going, At the end, I'm able to do on average around 300-500 total in a workout, around 700 in just over 30 minutes and get in 1000 within 41-45 minutes. This works for me and it keeps me in solid condition and be able to hike, ruck, play and other things without gassing out quickly. You always should have some gas left in the tank after every workout. 

So which one should you do? I say go for both in some capacity but if you had to pick just one, do what gives you the best benefit. Either one will. Be amazingly awesome and work them legs. 

A Dinosaur Style Thanksgiving Workout

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd get in a workout that will build a serious appetite later when me and the wife will visit family tonight. Not just a typical workout I do but one that's in the style of Brooks Kubik's Dinosaur Training. It's nothing special but it's brutal, nasty and really hard. It hits every muscle in the body and all it takes is 3 exercises. You don't need to do tons of exercises that only hit a one or two muscles at a time, just pick a few that hit multiple groups at the same time and go at it hard. In this case, it was using only one implement; the 50 lb Sandbell.

50 pounds may not seem like much, hell it's just a few pounds over a barbell plate right? The main takeaway, this is live weight and it shifts so this isn't just a solid implement, it makes you bust your ass in more ways than one. Sandbag training has been around for ages and has been used by the strongest athletes on the planet. When you work a bag hard, you're hitting the body in places that most conventional training can't even touch. Some guys work with up to more than 200-300 lbs (that's for truly elite powerhouses) but 50-100 can be just as beneficial and tough when you get after it like a madman with a thirst for hardcore training. 

This workout consists of the Clean & Press, Bear Hug Squat & Bent Over Row; it is done in a Tri Set which means you do one right after the other and then rest. Do 10 Reps each exercise and then walk it off getting as much rest as needed for the next set. It'll get you breathing hard quick so you'll want to catch your breath just enough to be fresh for the next round. The more sets you do, the heavier that bag will start to feel. It's very simple but sure as hell isn't easy. I managed 10 full sets of this workout and it was so thrilling for it to be over. I wanted to quit around the 6th or 7th set but something in me wanted to just keep going and really test my mental toughness. If I had to pick an exercise out of the three that made me rethink things, it was the Squats for sure. Around the 4th or 5th set, my legs felt heavy. 

Once it was over, instant relief, a much felt endorphin high and a high level of gratitude for it to be over. What are the benefits of this type of workout? A full blown level of strength and power, a good string of cardio because of doing three exercises back to back, Testosterone and HGH booster, great calorie burner and some serious muscular strength & endurance. Keep it simple but never underestimate what it can do especially when exercises like these with a sandbag has some real carryover into areas of regular life. 

I' am thankful for today, to my readers and to my friends and family. Have a great and wonderful Thanksgiving, eat well and train hard, earn that Turkey and those amazingly awesome sides.   

Changing Up The Squat In The Legs Deck Of Cards Workout

 Changing things up can be a good thing in order to keep interest and develop something new to stay ahead of the game. Although I'm not the biggest fan of High Rep Squats, I do understand their value and what they bring to the table in conjunction with Step Ups instead of just purely Squats. On Sunday, I decided to change it up doing my Legs Deck Of Cards workout since I was having a bit of  rough day and wanted to get some shit out of my system. I switched up the Hindu Squats I normally do and threw in the Pan Squats instead. 

The Pan Squats are another variation of the Bodyweight Squat or more specific the Goblet Bodyweight Squat. You can view the exercise here to get more of an idea but the point is that I wanted to see what I can do with it since it has been a while. I learned this simple exercise from Strongman Kevin Wikse who learned it from a Troupe Of Dancers when he put it out in his Leg Training course from Heroic Evolution some time ago. This exercise may not seem much like other versions of a Squat but it is a good one where it takes certain pressure off the knees and builds some decent strength & conditioning when done for high reps. 

The one big deference between this Squat and other variations isn't really the placement of the legs but the placement of the arms. You put the wrists and forearms together as best as you can like you're holding an imaginary chalice or (if you're religious and/or seen Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade) the cup of Christ which opens up the scapula while pushing the chest inward which constricts the breath a bit. I've been doing this exercise off and on for years and have done as many as 500 reps in a workout and it's a doozer. It was named the Pan Squat after the God Pan, the mythological creature that runs the forest and hones the sexual desire for the Nymphs. It's a representation of building healthy hormones by doing leg training and having a strong libido as Pan himself is well known to have. So in the Deck Of Cards, I did 500 Step Ups & 250 Pan Squats, shirt was drenched afterwards. 

I have always believed Squats have their place but not always looked at with a Dogmatic Approach. Conditioning is a platform that should be used throughout anyone's lifetime and having a healthy and strong libido even into older age is a hell of a perk to have. Things like Squats, Step Ups, Lunges, Split Squats and others are great for this and don't need to be done in high reps to make things work. You can hit them in different manners like going fast or doing them slower to hit the leg muscles hard and build strength from there. It's really a matter of your goals. In this case for the article, I tackled the Pan Squats with the Step Ups to get a different feel of my leg training. Unlike the Hindu Squats, the Pan Squats felt heavier cause I can feel it way more when I did the Step Ups. Hindus give more of a spring like movement which is great for building your cardio and speed, Pan Squats tend to put more tension into the leg muscles which in turn hits the lactic acid buildup much quicker from my experience. This in turn can bring greater strength and developing the muscles in the thighs. Imagine doing 250-500 of these, it's a nasty exercise despite its simplicity. 

Overall, it's just a different exercise that hits the muscles in another way, it's really nothing special or in terms of its name a GODLY exercise. I like them because every now and then especially in the winter time up here, my shin and ankles do tend to have more tenderness and putting pressure on them in certain formats causes major discomfort that makes me uneasy so I need to train accordingly. With these Squats, I can take the pressure off the knees and ankles and focus more on the thighs without feeling that discomfort. It feels good in that regard and although soreness comes easier with these squats, I can still do hundreds of reps whether in a row or in total without feeling tender in those areas. Not to mention I feel more testosterone build up from this exercise than I do the Hindus by maybe a good 20-30%. Give it a go.

Kevin has said in his course (which I'm sure he'll still tell you if you manage to get a hold of him) that when he learned this exercise from the Dancers, they would do this for probably no more than a thousand reps but it keeps them in superior condition for their chosen endeavor because it hits the legs to a degree where they can move with ease without pain in their joints since we know many injuries that occur in Dancing tend to be the knees, ankles and hips. This exercise strengthens those areas so these people can dance with little effort and with less injury. Now this isn't just for Dancing, it can be used for Combat Sports, Football, Wrestling, Soccer and other activities. 

Keep being amazingly awesome and get some bad ass leg training in. It's good for your health especially the heart.

Step Ups And Their Use Over Squats

Conditioning can be done in many ways but the difference between a "gold standard" and something that you prefer over can be in a heated debate but it all boils down to what gives YOU the best benefit. For years off and on, I would do the Hindu Squat, sometimes in high numbers depending on what I was doing like doing them in the hundreds in a row or doing them in a circuit inspired by Darebee type training. It got to a point where being interested in them and benefiting from them were dwindling to just another exercise.

Doing hundreds of Squats was beneficial but as time went on, it didn't have that great of a crossover with me anymore, I still do them but no where near the amount of reps I use to do and I don't have a dogmatic approach or this NEED to do them. That doesn't mean they can't be beneficial to others and if they love doing them and it keeps them in awesome shape, that's fantastic. I love it. They're an essential exercise, that's never going to change but they're not the end all-be all to leg training. 

When I started doing Step Ups a few years ago, I just wanted to see what I can do with them, yes they're "easier" than Squats, but they became something more for me. I was falling in love with them, they kept me motivated, strong, conditioned and didn't have a soreness or weird feeling in my knees or my ankles. Doing hundreds of them was actually fun to do and I love the feeling of going up as if ascending a ladder or to a higher form of physicality. They felt far more natural than the Squats did. 500 Squats felt like a chore after a while and even felt like if I didn't do them whether high reps or not that I was disowning some physical culture god or it was an insult to wrestlers of Japan & The Middle East. I had to get out of that mindset, with the Step Ups, 500 or more reps felt amazing, euphoric, natural and it kept me going throughout the day. They filled a greater sense of purpose than the Squats ever did.

When it comes to Squatting, I would rather hold a Horse Stance or a Deep Squat for mobility than knocking out reps because for the most part that's really all they are and if I don't have the motivation to do them and they're a chore, that could spell disaster. I would also prefer Duck Walks or the Bigfoot Walk over Squats because I get more benefit out of them and they're a hell of a lot more fun to do. Squats do still serve a purpose for me to an extent because I like to do them in addition to the Step Ups like my Deck Of Cards leg workouts you've read about. That gives my legs greater sense of fitness than doing just one or the other.

In a nutshell, I do believe Step Ups are better than Squats because of certain factors but that's really an opinion, some might take offense to that but that's their issue and they can come up with all the reasons why Squats are better and the "If you ain't squatting, you ain't training" bullshit but it's not going to change what Step Ups have done for me in terms of keeping me fit and has a greater crossover in my life. Squats have their place and there's various forms of them that are great but in my opinion, the Step Ups have better carryover to certain aspects of life than Squats do. Sorry not sorry but it's true. 

Here are my reasons why Step Ups are better than Squats.....

1. Greater factor for balancing out weaknesses in the legs

2. Doing high reps and not feeling sore for a week

3. They strengthen the legs that are great for hiking, going up flights of stairs and more

4. Still get a solid amount of muscle building while developing muscular and cardiovascular endurance

5. Bob Backlund 

6. They're a unilateral strength builder 

7. They can be used for any sports conditioning program including Wrestling and MMA

8. Takes the pressure off the low back

9. Better carryover to the real world like labor work

10. Far more underrated and less appreciated. Squats have a reputation both good and bad and has greater research than the Step Ups.

Step Ups from my point of view are a backbone exercise that in comparison to the Squat, seems invisible and not seen as great while the Squat sits on a throne acting like it's hot shit. Step Ups truly are a part of Fitness Royalty and has more of a Black Sheep vibe or something living in the shadows while the Squats has the glory. When it comes down to it, these two titans should be a TAG TEAM that work together in unison, not a stigma to what's better than the other. It's like Triple H & Shawn Michaels, they're bad ass as individuals and do very well on their own level but together, they made magic and were defining factors during one of the greatest eras in pro wrestling. That's what the Step Ups & Squats should really be about, creating magic that defies the norm and whether together or on their own, they have awesome benefits. 

Yes I do love Step Ups more than Squats, I've annoyingly showed that LOL but they're both essential and have great benefits for many people and it's time we ended the bullshit about one or the other on the big picture spectrum. Do both or one or the other, it doesn't matter, what matters is what benefits YOU the most, not the societal norms claim or the dogmatic approaches with a hint of debate wars. 

Be amazingly awesome and train for you. 

A Realistic Outlook On Bodyweight Leg Training

Over the years, doing various aspect of Leg Training from Squats to Animal Movements and Sprinting has given my legs some serious strength and overall conditioning. From doing 1000 Hindu Squats in 33 minutes, 10-10 Sec. Sprints, Horse Stances, Overcoming Isometric Squats, tons of Duck Walks, 1000's upon 1000's of Step Ups, it has been a blessing to be able to do these things and still make progress. 

From a realistic stand point, it doesn't come right away and had to make adjustments and modifications along the way but training the legs goes beyond just building muscle and being strong long-term, it's about finding ways to prevent injuries as much as possible, train hard but not get so sore that you can't get out of bed or even be so stiff that walking hurts (at 19 I know what that was like and don't wish it on anyone). It's the ability to train and strengthen the bones, tendons and ligaments. Another plus to consistent leg work is the ability to generate great levels of HGH and natural testosterone. 

Now granted the things I've been able to do are nothing compared to people I know and have witnessed first hand so I'm no superman or world record holder. I do however know how to adapt, what to look for and who to listen to when it comes to training using simple and advanced methods of training. There are people out there who are far more skilled than me so I learn from them and work with what makes it work for my body. Logan Christopher is one of those guys. His knowledge is unbelievable and teaches far better than most people. 

In this case, I'm going to give you a small rundown on how he can help you jack up your leg training to another level utilizing simple bodyweight movements and a couple implements to create some killer workouts. His feats alone are worth the price of this type of training. What does some of this training entail? Let's take a gander....

Gaining A Full Range Of Motion Squat

For us humans, a natural position is to go all the way down and sit in a full squat. In most places in the world, this is a position where games are played, eating some good food and even resting. Here in the states however, it's not so much of these things and we treat the full squat like it's some kind of demon that tears down our knees and we sit in chairs way too much. Ultimate Guide To Bodyweight Squats can teach you how to reverse this. It teaches how to create the best form for you since not everyone learns the same way to go to Ass To Grass. Breathing patterns for performance, squatting mistakes to avoid and also to use a time challenge to hit your comfortable spot and stay there. 

Learning this and from other people, I can hold a deep squat for 10 minutes or more if I felt like and not feel pain or strain whatsoever. It helped build my flexibility and mental state. I've even meditated in this position and time just flew by. 

Squat Variations

With a variety of Squat Exercises to choose from, you can learn how to take your leg training to another level and not just hitting a certain number of reps. I'm talking about building a great level of flexibility in the hips, ankles and knees. Be able to explode on command with variations that makes you jump like a wildcat in the jungle. How to utilize multiple variations so you can get the best out of your training than just sticking to one type of squat for extended periods of time. You're getting more than 20 Variations here.

Building Up Reps For Conditioning

A short but important video on how you can build up to doing 500-1000 Squats in a single set that is effective in how you move forward in your quest for awesome leg conditioning. This is great for those who've hit plateaus and want to up the ante to amplify their training for sports, challenges and daily training. 

Tips On The Pistol Squat

This is for the nutballs who want to take their leg training to another stage of the game and perform awesome Pistol Squats. Learn specific exercises to help with your flexibility. The way you breathe and place your hands to make them easier while also using a Stomp. If you want to make Pistol Squats your bitch, this is for you crazy fuckers. 

Beyond The Pistol

Take your one-legged training up another level that separates you from the crazy to the clinically insane. Shrimp Squats, Dragon Squats, Weighted Pistols and other exercises to really test the limits of your leg training. Learn about assisted squats to help you progress to each phase, how come many big men never pull off the Dragon Squat, stretches that specifically target the exercises and exact hand positions that are crucial to the Shrimp Squat and Double Shrimp Squats (this one's a doozer). 

Get invested in your leg training. With more than 15 years of training with various Squats, Logan has been through the ringer and has tested everything he has learned so he can pass it onto you and show you the do's and don'ts of progressive leg training. When it comes to pricing, this is a steal in comparison to most courses and not some rinky dink Squat Course that charges you 149 bucks for a damn hardcover or 50 bucks for a KINDLE of just typical variations and that's it. With this course going on right now, you can get the videos and e-book for less than $100 and you'll get far more variations, instructions on what to do to progress, safety guidelines to avoid injuries at a much greater rate and train for real world flexibility, strength, conditioning, balance and a hell of a lot more. Don't settle for low quality at a ridiculous price, set your sights on the real deal that makes your investment worth while and get treated to one of the best Physical Culturists of the past 20 years. 

Get those legs going, have fun and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Double Decker Of Insanity

 

Every now and then, there comes a time where you want to challenge yourself and see where you're at or how far you're willing to push. A few times recently, I have dug into a hole of doing leg workouts with the deck of cards of Step Ups & Hindu Squats. It started at finishing the deck of 450 and 225 respectively and then added 50 and 25 to make them an even 500 Step Ups & 250 Hindu Squats. I got pretty good at it and was able to complete this workout almost consistently. 

I ended up with a minor back injury where something went out of alignment about 10 days ago and I was having trouble doing what I normally do. During that time, I did lighter things like Isometrics, Joint Loosening, slow Bear Crawling and some light Flow work. Once I started to feel a bit better, I tested myself in doing just the Step Ups for 30 min doing 12-15 reps per leg straight through. Did this a couple times and just kept up with lighter stuff. I noticed some more improvement so I did some Hammer work and added weight to my Epic Sledgehammer and filmed doing 10 reps with 75 lbs. You can view it here. 

My improvement kept getting better so I did another Hammer workout with the 25 lber and managed a total of 300 reps. I filmed the first set which was 52 reps in 57 seconds, you can view that here. 

Today, I felt like I was at my best and wanted to really take it to another level. With the Step Ups & Hindu Squats, I did the same numbers on the cards as I normally would but I was determined to test my conditioning by doing not one but TWO DECKS IN A ROW!!! That's a total of 1000 Step Ups & 500 Hindu Squats. Some guys will do one or the other or do one exercise straight and another some time after that but I don't think (at least to my knowledge) someone has done both in the same workout using decks of cards where it was going back and forth between the two exercises. I knew that Karl Gotch was doing his "Bible" Workout with Hindu Push-Ups, Squats, Jump Squats & Half-Moon Push-ups with 2 decks in a row and although this is way harder, just doing legs is a completely different animal, not saying it's better it's just different. 

For most people, this looks insane and I got some kind of screw loose, this was one of my most insane workouts already so far this year and it's only February. This was a challenge for myself and to see how my back felt because if I sat too long, it did feel painful so I had to move around more which eased the pain and when I laid down, most of the pain went away temporarily. Didn't take one aspirin, muscle relaxer, Advil, Tylenol or anything like that. I hate meds or just over the counter meds with incredible prejudice, that's probably one of the very few things in my life I can say I truly hate. I wanted to rehab myself like I did with my leg injuries and be smart about it. Didn't push hard and listened to my body. Not many get that and go from one extreme to another without realizing the consequences.

Injuries happen, we can't 100% avoid them, but we can make adjustments and learn to be patient with ourselves to an extent. This did hurt like hell and a couple times felt debilitating but I couldn't give up on what I was doing completely, just needed to make small tweaks for the time being and now I feel like I can take on a fucking tank. The challenge really was to get strong again and this double decker workout was the finish line to that challenge. I'm proud to be able to do this and I might do it again you never know. 

If you want to go after this workout, I would suggest have some water on hand before you do it, like 20-30 minutes before you do it cause this workout will make you sweat like you just went through a damn tsunami and it will test your mental fortitude along with your cardio. Drink water after you shower and drink plenty slowly. The endorphin high is indescribable and that water will taste like the best water you've ever had. Challenge yourself, be smart about your training and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Lost Empire Herb Of The Day: Schisandra Berry

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Results Of Leg Training

I normally don't like showing off my legs when it comes to the results I've attained because of the accident and some areas seem off to me but overall from years of Squats, Step-Ups, Sprints, Animal Walks, Isometrics and other things, I think I've developed some decent legs with some muscularity. Not shredded by any means and I wouldn't call myself Quadzilla or anything like that. These legs have been through a lot and have kept myself in really good condition for the most part.

For a long time, I have always believed in keeping the legs strong, durable and having that workhorse mentality of doing what was possible yet still have gas left in the tank. Stumbled a time or two and have gotten my ass kicked on a few occasions especially on the mat doing BJJ but never thought about not doing some kind of leg training almost daily. Numbers have come and gone, workouts change, forming exercises that don't risk injury and keeping the joints healthy. 

I was never big on the Barbell Squats back in my teens and have done around 400 lbs but that's about it. Squats & Sprints were the big thing for me in those early years of bodyweight training and as time went on, switched to Isometrics and Step-Ups but the Animal Exercises were always my favorite. Not the biggest fan of Plyometrics but I did like the Frog Jumps & The Hindu Jumpers. For a period with the Jumpers, they were part of my 500 Rep Workout with the Hindu Squats and have done as many as 100 Jumpers in a row but never went beyond that. 

From time to time I'll still do Squats and such like doing 100 or so with my 50 lb Sandbell and holding in various positions like Bear Hug & The Shoulder To Shoulder. Step-Ups are my big leg exercise these days as I'll do several hundred to 1000 in certain workouts but also because of my attention span, I have to back off and do other things to keep me interested. Doing hundreds or more of Leg Work isn't my biggest priority but I will do them in spades to maintain conditioning. When it comes to strength, Isometrics are right up there because as long as my tendons and ligaments are strong, it keeps me strong in the long run especially if I'm hiking for a long period of time, hauling furniture up flights of stairs. I haven't even touched a barbell squat since I went to a seminar way back in 2011 when I met Bud Jeffries for the first time and as weird as that was even just doing partials, I just never got right with that kind of squat.

One workout I've now done a couple times recently was doing Step-Ups & Hindu Squats using a Deck Of Cards. I have to where the numbers come out to 450 Step-Ups and 225 Hindu Squats and that's a pretty good workout for the legs. You get both the Unilateral Work and Squat work in the same session which is a hell of a test for lasting strength, quad building, cardio and conditioning. I do my best to only rest by flipping a card and getting into position other than that, I'm off and running at a good pace for myself. One of these days I'll have to time it and see how fast I can do it. It's like paying tribute to Bob Backlund & Karl Gotch in the same workout. I do get bored doing just one exercise for an entire workout and as many times as I've done 500 Squats with those cards, this workout I find more appealing cause I get great leg work from the best of both worlds. If you think Step-Ups are a "lazy man's form of leg training" than you haven't done something like this and do it with solid efficiency and are full of shit in the first place to think like that. It's anything but lazy and as you do the squats, you'll sometimes feel heavier going up the step to do Step-Ups, it can be that brutal on the legs. 

 Most of the time, I like to show the results of my upper body because that's what you see the most from me since I wear baggy shorts and they cover the thighs. I'm just more skeptical of my legs because my scarring from my shin and my legs aren't my best feature. It is what it is but with the way I train, my legs feel great and rarely ever get sore and do my best to work my joints so I don't stiff up. I won't ever have the legs of a Tom Platz (quite frankly who really would?) or a William Gerardi but I'll take what I can get and keep those Tree Trunk California Redwoods going for as long as I can. 

Condition your legs, keep them strong and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Lost Empire Herb Of The Day: Mucuna

Killer Squats For Bad Ass Strength, Conditioning & Muscle

In the past, squats were my go to method for rehabbing and building strength back into my legs after my injuries. Did all kinds from Sumo Squats, Hindu Squats (mainly), Side Lunges, Isometrics & Hindu Jumpers. They worked and I was stronger and completely healed up within 6 months after walking again. It was painful but I did it. For brief periods off and on since then, leg work was a priority but not much of the squats per se. I would come back to them every now and then and always believed that if you did extremely high reps, it would keep you in solid condition which is true to an extent.

I was doing up to 500 Hindu Squats for brief time in the summer years ago and it was fun for a while but it got boring and I got burnt out from them. Some people do very well doing them consistently and it's a great exercise no question about it. However, if you're someone who's got some form of ADD and doesn't always have the capacity or interest, it's not going to work out for you because it's going to feel like a drag and a chore more than just doing a workout. 

As I got older, I started learning various ways to work my legs beyond just the squats and Isometric stuff; do loaded carries, sprints, walking with a weighted vest, animal moves, a quarter to half squat while working with sledgehammers, horse stances and step ups. I will always be convinced that Step Ups are incredible for conditioning, strengthening the legs from another perspective and a great alternative to jogging and running. One of the best athletic stories I ever heard was a Marathon Runner believing he could keep up with Bob Backlund in a step up workout because after all, 26.2 miles sounds much harder than Step Ups (to be clear, it isn't. It's just different styles of training) right? Barely 20 minutes in, the marathoner stops and walks out the door to never be heard from again and Backlund just keeps going.

Not to go into talking about my personal goals, I can say however; the squats are being done differently this time around with a different mindset. Not going to do 500 Squats everyday any time soon but every now and then do them with the deck of cards because for one, the idea of most training should be around stimulating the muscles along with strengthening the tendons and ligaments for strength, growth and conditioning. Doing 500 Hindu Squats is a great goal and will challenge anyone's cardio to an extent but IMO, start with a smaller number and build up to it but as you do so, make the road to them different in some aspects meaning, shoot for certain amount of sets until you reach a certain number and go from there. Another idea is to make it interesting and not always going the same route to get to 500 once you can do them. If you can do them nonstop that's freaking bad ass. Once you understand the steps taken to do them nonstop, change certain around so that type of workout doesn't become stale like the cards, you're still doing a full deck but the way to get to 500 is always different so you're stimulating the legs while doing those high reps. 

Do you absolutely need to do 500 Squats on a daily basis? Unless that's what your goals, interests and if you're a high level athlete, I don't see the need to do THAT many all the time. You can do 100 one day, 200 the next, take a day or two off and do 300 or just do 50 for the day, that's your choice, there's no limit, the idea id to train for stimulation. You can even do a mesh-up of various squats to keep things interesting and consistent. You should never get bored in your training, it's meant to be adventurous, challenging at times and making it work for you, no one else. 

As of late, I've been doing squat workouts where I do 100 or more a day with my 50 lb Sandbell. I would hold it and do an X amount of reps while Bear Hugging it or switching from shoulder to shoulder or just yesterday, did multiple sets of 30 where I would do 10 on my left shoulder, 10 Bear Hugged and 10 on my right shoulder without putting it down until the last rep. I would rest a bit until I can almost breathe normally and do another set. I'm still doing the "minimum" of the amount I want to total but I'm getting there differently each workout so it gives me the stimulation my legs need and I'm not bored out of my fucking skull. It's challenging at times and one day I might do a full squat workout without ever putting the bell down. Wouldn't that be an ass kicking workout?

It's about taking small steps to create the big picture you want and being creative so you can make your training work for you and to keep coming back more and more. I would do other things throughout the day like Isometrics, animal moves, cables, step ups or whatever springs up in my head. If you're more on pure bodyweight, you can go for extremely high reps if you wish or you can program them into a different plan for building more muscle and strength while staying in top condition doing RDP's Grind Style Calisthenics Training. It's about taking simple approaches and formatting workouts that don't take a ton of time and be able to stimulate the muscles from another perspective. I use this format myself from time to time and it can be tough as hell. You can even make them into Micro Workouts so you're saving even more time. You can find a ton of workout ideas on Red Delta Project's youtube channel and dig into the heart of realistic approaches and progressions that will keep you coming back for more. Really valuable stuff.

Below is the Squat Exercises I've been doing with the Sandbell. You can grab one or more here if you're interested in them.

As you can see, I do these practically in a full/deep squat to really get into the muscles and hips. Doing them up to 100 or more in a workout can have you breathing hard like a madman which can target your natural HGH Levels. These are just ideas you can do, there's all sorts of ways you can use squats to target your lower body. Brooks Kubik is also a fanatic on Leg Training especially since he's now in his mid 60's and going at it in a way most men his age would be baffled by. He does log carries, drags, squats and some bodyweight stuff down at the beach frequently and still looks like a fucking beast. He does teach older trainees how to stay consistent so they can stay strong and healthy for as long as they can which you can find here. His Dinosaur Strength Training books are still great ideas to keep that old school style alive and all under $10 on Kindle. From progressions to workouts to testing your strength and plenty of exercises to choose from, you have a plethora of awesome ways to get your ass in gear.

Keep trying new things to not just train your physical body but working the brain as well. The Sandbell Squats are amazing to do and they test your cardio, your balance, control and can build some phenomenal strength for the long-haul. You can use other things but I highly recommend these because of the shifting of the weight and so many exercises you can do with them. It's a new year, get something new for you and get cracking. Fuck resolutions, set new goals and make them work to your advantage, not against you. 

Share, Comment & Sign Up with this blog to have them sent to your email. Happy New Year, be strong, build yourself up and keep being amazingly awesome. YOU GOT THIS!!!

Power Up Your Legs With The Portable Power Jumper

If you had to pick one athlete that had some of the most powerful yet conditioned legs in all of Physical Culture, The Great Gama would be at the top or close to the top of a short list. For being undefeated for decades and doing more squats daily than the majority will ever do in their lifetime, it's a wonder how he stayed in shape for so long. His regimen has been grossly exaggerated but at the same time, you can't deny the sheer strength and power he possessed. 

Leg work such as Squats, Lunges, Step Ups and Jumping movements are an essential to staying physically fit. You don't always need to do hundreds if not thousands of reps to reap the benefits. There are many ways to do leg work and you can make them easier or more challenging but in the end, making leg work a priority is one of the best things you can do. One of the things that Gama did to make his squats more challenging was using a Ring Weight called a Gar Nal where you put the inside of the Ring onto your shoulders and do squats that way. Now, that's about as bad to the bone as you can get when it comes to strength and conditioning in the old traditions of Physical Culture but at the same time, it's not as compatible or versatile for most people. There is another way though.

This device is not necessarily meant to make squats or other leg exercises "easier", but it does get the job done and has been used by the pros and by fitness enthusiasts the world over and that's the Portable Power Jumper. It's an apparatus that you can put your feet into a strap and put resistance cables onto your shoulders. This can take your leg conditioning to another level in the modern day. There are other forms of resistance cables you can do for the legs but most give you limitations but the PPJ can have you doing all sorts of stuff, even Hindu Push-ups & The Back Bridge. It's awkward as hell and as long as it doesn't snap on you in the hairy peaches, doing the bridge with this thing really tackles the back, core and legs like nobody's business. For a period I would do this for a few reps rocking back and forth and hold for about a minute (it's a miracle it never hit me in the coconuts) and I would feel it almost immediately. It really helped strengthen my bridge and one of the reasons why I could hold a nose to mat bridge for three minutes any time I feel like it. 

Whether you're training for a sport, needing that extra nudge in your training or just want to stay in shape, this awesome set of bands can do a lot in a short span of time. Work your legs hard in lesser time to get results that would astound people. It'll save you time and is affordable. Get it as a gift to yourself or for someone you care about and learn how to expand your horizons in the realm of fitness. Take it with you anywhere....To the gym, in your hotel room, at the park, during a break at work, in your bedroom, hell even on mars maybe one day. Get conditioned, stay strong and have a kick ass Christmas Weekend everyone. Be amazingly awesome to yourself and your loved ones. 

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If You Ain't Squatting, You Ain't Training

Who the fuck came up with this rule? Why isn't it training if you don't squat? Granted squats are essential but what kind of squatting are we talking about? Are we talking about High Repetition? Holding certain postures? Lifting a crazy amount of weight? All the above? What do we know what's right or wrong with training the squat?

I think it depends on the goals you have and what variations constitutes a squat type of training or part of a regimen. Squats again are essential but because of the plethora of variations, it doesn't have to be one or the other. When it comes to high repetition, it can be debatable depending on who you ask. Now something like 500 Hindu Squats is a great goal but is it a complete necessity outside of sports conditioning? There are plenty of fighters and wrestlers who can do 500 Squats like it's a cake walk but not all of them last in an actual match (which in a perspective is counterproductive don't you think?). High Rep squats can be healthy if you have experience and are consistent with it and it wouldn't matter if you did 100 or 1000 a day but there comes a time where high rep squats can be harmful to an extent. You're not going to see many 80-90 year olds doing 300 or more squats. 

Unless you have specific goals, you can do high reps in total with multiple variations to really reap the benefits. Do 50 of Hindu Squats, 25 Side Lunges each side, do several Pan Squats (Bodyweight Goblet Squat basically) and others. Step-Ups is great for leg conditioning as well to strengthen the legs unilaterally. Sometimes doing less number of squats can be good because you can do them slower to really tackle the tendons and ligaments. Some people think if you train slow, you'll be slow, that's not necessarily true. When you do Squats or variations at a slower pace say ten seconds or more up and down, it creates that time under tension which for older folks or those who have sustained injuries, can be extremely beneficial.

I would do various squats within a good level of repetitions but I prefer Step-Ups and Isometric Squats and Lunges which really help strengthen the joints from another perspective and give that protective shield for the skeletal structure. Wall Sits, Iso Zercher Squats, Iso Leg Presses, 30 second Hindu Squats and Isometric Lunges (Hybrid Style) can do far more for the legs as we get older than doing hundreds of reps. I've done 500-1000 squats and as great as that was for a period, it doesn't have as much value to me as it use to be. Quite frankly, some of the best squatting exercises aren't stationary but moving within an amount of space such as Duck Walks, Bigfoot Walk, Frog Jumps or combining the squat into a sequence of animal moves. 

Lifting extremely heavyweight may work for a powerlifter or strongman but again, you can't go that hard forever and expect to not have some form of injury or needing some kind of surgery. An extreme few exceptions in the entire world can manage some incredible numbers in the heavy squats and still function later in life. Hip replacements, broken bones, shattered femurs, ankle breaks and low back pain are going to be the majority's life if they continue that path. 

When it comes down to it, we squat a lot as it is in our lives; picking up stuff, putting on our shoes, getting baskets of laundry, being at the level of a child, gardening and other things. It's a natural form of movement no question but to say if you ain't squatting, you ain't training is like saying if you're not going fast on the streets like in Nascar, you're not really driving. There's a time and a place for squats but the question is, what squats are a priority and what style are you talking about? 

You don't have to do traditional squats to get awesome benefits for the lower body, in reality, the unconventional ways are far more interesting than to just shove rep after rep down someone's throat. Build strong and durable legs, be resourceful and keep being amazingly awesome.

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On The Squat

Squats have been a staple of fitness for as long as fitness has been around. It's the foundation for building not just the legs but the entire body. When I was weight training in high school, I didn't understand much about how to perform lifts properly and mimicked some of my classmates or what I saw in magazines. Because I didn't understand, I didn't know how to progress so I just picked weights that I thought I could handle. When it came to squats, all I really knew at the time was box squats with a bar that had the padding like Louie Simmons used like the Safety Squat Bar and the best I did was around 400. Never hit that amount again after that.

Before the accident, I was still learning how to use weights properly as I was never coached and just did what I thought was ok for me to do. When it came to Barbell Squats, it just never suited well with me for some reason and although I got around 300 in that lift, it didn't mean much to me at all. I liked the leg press and deadlift way better than the squats. At 20, I was doing 375 on Dead and around 750-800 on the leg press. After the accident, I stopped doing weighted squats completely and dove into the Hindu Squats almost exclusively for the legs. When I hit 1000+ Hindus in Dec of '05, that to me was a hell of an accomplishment (even though I went back and forth between the squats and jumpers) and that was my first real sign that I built that kind of conditioning without anyone guiding me or going to rehab. 

As the years went on, doing hundreds of squats at a time whether for an extended period of time or on certain days just got stale and I moved on to other forms of leg training. Now I'm referring to doing hundreds in a row but from time to time, I felt way more enthusiastic doing Squats during circuits instead of in a row or doing them with a deck of cards. Doing Hindu Squats or Squat Variations in a circuit gave me better space to perform other exercises and finish off totaling in the hundreds. On circuit days, I would do somewhere between 200-350 total in a workout which worked out very well. With the cards, I would do 500. Here's an idea on how to do the Hindu Squat....

These days, if I get an urge to do squats, I would do them but they're not a priority and have other options to choose from like Step Ups or Lunges. Step Ups are by far my favorite exercise for the legs and could do hundreds without blinking an eye. They just feel better, not that the squats don't but when it comes to interest and enthusiasm, I'll take Step Ups any day of the week. That doesn't mean I completely dismiss the Squat. It's just a preference and do multiple variations to add interest. 

I do believe Squats lay the foundation and should be practiced in order to understand the power and emphasis of leg training. The basic elements take in the ground work for developing overall body strength and conditioning along with maintaining or building testosterone naturally cause let's face it for many guys, testosterone is mandatory regardless of age. Now do you need to do hundreds of squats or lift 500 or more pounds in order to stand out? No, not necessarily and not everyone is gunning for a 500 lb squat even though many had success in it and are incredibly strong, doing hundreds of squats won't make you a great athlete either, just read about Billy Robinson that said "You can do thousands of squats everyday, but it won't make you a better wrestler." They do however, show that you can maintain or keep building strength and health. 

One of my favorites to do for legs is working Isometrics. From the wall sit variations to hybrid Iso Lunges and the Zercher Iso Squat. Isometric Leg Work can be just as tough if not harder than regular squats and you can get a workout in in a fraction of the time. Whether for rehab or prehab, Leg Isometrics built strength that weights or bodyweight can't always hit and develops the strength to withstand injuries. They're a great add on to regular leg training as they strengthen the tendons and give you the endurance to do hundreds of reps without compromising the joints. As we age, doing hundreds of reps or pounds isn't that big of a thing to work on as just maintaining healthy joints and tendons just to be able to go up stairs or hiking or climbing a ladder without hurting ourselves. Be smart about your training and drop the ego. Very few people at the age of 65 or older are doing 500 or more squats in a row and even fewer hit 500 lbs on the rack. They can continue to maintain strength however with Isometric Training.

Do your squats or whatever leg training you want to do and be healthy. Be strong and be amazingly awesome.