Showing posts with label control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label control. Show all posts

Thursday, December 15, 2022

Yielding Isometrics And The Benefits



Although I'm more on the side of Overcoming Isometrics, Yielding versions still hold merit especially if you want to develop strength from another platform. For those playing the home game, Yielding Isometrics is a style of training where you're going against gravity and keeping still for short or extended periods of time. The most common example would be the "almighty" plank whether on the forearms or on the palms of your hands. 

Some people have set world records in the plank position but it's not necessarily the only type of Isometric exercise that produces killer results. There's the Wall Sit, the Horse Stance, Side Planks, The Superman Hold (Arms Extended Out), The Warrior Pose in Yoga, The Gymnastic Bridge and all sorts of ways to do Yielding Isometrics. Each one has it's own variations and progressions but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

One of the things that I get a kick out of these kinds of Isometrics is that they can deceivingly hard and many have trouble holding certain positions for more than 10-30 seconds. Another thing is when you get into a certain position, many things are going on beyond just the sight of the exercise itself. You're trying to control the posture, your breathing, prevention of collapsing and targeting areas of your body you don't always realize you're targeting.

Back to the plank for a sec. I've held multiple variations for up to 3 minutes at a time and the key aspect is not just what's going on inside the body, it's about learning to be in control despite what is around you. One of my favorites is the Fist Plank whether holding straight up or with bent elbows, it's one of the most powerful core building exercise around. Holding it even for a minute can help you develop some serious strength. The Wall Sit is another favorite because you can do several variations from flat footed to heels up, toes up, one-legged or whatever. This was one of the exercises that helped me during my rehab. 

One of the toughest of them all was the Gymnastic Bridge. This exercise alone is brutal from head to toe even though your feet and hands are only touching the floor. In Yoga it's called Chakrasana and it takes a tremendous amount of Strength & Flexibility just to get into the position, let alone hold it for an extended period of time. This particular bridge is one of the most result producing exercises in existence. 

What are the benefits of these? First off, they can be done just about anywhere and anytime, think about how much time and money you can save just doing these exercises for a few minutes a day. Now, it is important to do dynamic movements as well but adding the Yielding Isometrics either as a warm-up, cool down or in between sets of your regular training can really give you a run for your money. Second, the longer you hold a pose or particular position, sooner or later the whole body will come into play and it will harness the power of fat burning and toughening your tendons and ligaments like steel. They're a hell of a strength and conditioning form of training. 

In sports like Wrestling, holding various positions and toughening the body can make you feel immoveable. The Wall Sit in particular is a love/hate exercise for wrestlers because it's either going to most likely end up being the first or last exercise of a practice and after drilling, conditioning and training until near exhaustion, doing any sort of isometrics would be far from the list of the last things to do because you'll be quivering and shaking like an earthquake is happening, your muscles are shot to hell and you're just so fucking out of it at times you won't always know what day it is. But it is effective.

The Horse Stance is a basic exercise that has been done by practitioners for thousands of years to the point where some of the strongest masters of qi gong, shaolin training and even Yoga can hold that one pose for mere hours without fail. Just holding it for 5 minutes would make most people drop to their knees let alone be able to concentrate for more than 1-2 hours. 

Try a few exercises for no more than 30 seconds and see how they feel, if you can go longer than do so. Remember, even a few minutes will make most quit but in the end, you're not setting world records or try to show off your strength, it's about the journey and getting the most out of it. Strength is more than just lifting, in a sense, Isometrics like these are a great metaphor for keeping yourself strong and composed in the midst of adversity. They could skyrocket your conditioning to another level. Try this workout for 5-10 minutes. Do Tabata Style timing of 20 on/10 off of the Horse Stance & Fist Plank.  

Stay strong, hold on for dear life and keep being amazingly awesome.

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Tuesday, November 22, 2022

How Important Is Form Really?

One of the things I've learned throughout my fitness journey is to be in control of an exercise as much as possible. Making mistakes along the way through trial and error, it's important to understand that although form may not always be what makes or breaks you, it's the control that really pits the findings of avoiding getting hurt and getting injured. In some videos you see people making all kinds of mistakes and flopping around like a fish out of water and can't control themselves if they tried in a fucking boat. 

When it comes to exercises like Push-ups, how far do you go before you lose control of your form or better yet, how much control do you have over the amount of tension concentrated on the movement itself. For some, it doesn't take long before their arms turn to jello or they think that arching the back for a regular pushup is a good idea. Let me put it this way....This is a work of art and control, this is bullshit form and think this is in some way good for people.

In weightlifting or just typical weight training, control is a must otherwise something terribly wrong can happen, granted that the heavier you go, the greater the form and control but even then you can get hurt. Some bodyweight fanatics admire guys like Herschel Walker who's a genetic freak and has done hundreds to thousands of pushups, squats, situps and such a day for decades; the weird thing is, his form isn't always pretty looking and looks like he does half reps or TUT (time under tension) throughout the movements which has worked for him well and is still a hell of a specimen (despite having a few issues in the political arena these days) but those particular movements aren't always meant for people with different body structures. Hell even the Great Gama didn't practice the best form when it came to the Hindu Push-ups, Hindu Squats, Sapates and other things because the form and control was very different in order to work his body for a specific purpose, it sure as hell wasn't completely for health sake.

It can be stingy to how we control a movement and which muscles to focus into as we move throughout any specific exercise. There are certain things you can get away with but you can't teach people the same exact style as you because different body types come with different structed areas of the muscle groups, you can't teach a 6'6 man at 25 pull-ups the same way you teach a 5'1 75 year old granny, the mechanics yes, absolutely teach that area the best way you know how but the structure in order to perform pullups is different due to arm length, shoulder distribution, the control of the torso so it doesn't swagger and other things. 

Training is meant to help prevent injuries as much as possible, not to cause them. There are ways to train like a madman and not have as many injuries or if any if they can help it. We can't 100% avoid injuries from training, it's a part of the game and it's important to understand that no matter what we do, whether microscopic or something completely stupid, there is a chance of injury. However; if we practice our control and keep a solid focus on making a movement work to our advantage so the chances of injury are reduced, that's a far better option than just seeing how many reps you can do and think you won't suffer the consequences when your form turns to shit. 

That's one of the things I love to learn from guys like Matt Schifferle, his style of training is to put tension and control into every movement he does in order to make any exercise he does efficient and maybe not spectacular looking but solid enough to where the muscles are worked and it takes on a life of its own even at a low-skill setting. His books in particular like Overcoming Isometrics & Suspension Calisthenics give you an inside scoop to how you can practice controlling your body in order to make exercises effective to their highest degree. His style is more Low-Skilled compared to say someone like those guys from Barstarzz that at times are so advanced that an extremely small percentage of the population can pull it off. The hand placements, the straightness of the core, the curvature of the spine as it moves and the level of tension throughout the body is what will make or break you. 

Swinging a sledgehammer is another and it's going to tell you if you're in control or not. If you can barely swing it and your core is too loose, it's going to wreck your back and put strain on the hips, elbows and shoulders. People who work for a living with sledgehammers understand this as well and after many years, some are wrecked regardless because it is really hard physical labor. The point of this area is to understand what you are working with and learning the mechanics while training safely and effectively. As you can see here working with a near 73 lb hammer, I have to keep my body tight in many areas otherwise I'm risking serious back problems and greater chances of blowing a disk along with hernia problems. Also, I wouldn't be training with a hammer that big all the time. With a much lighter hammer, the mechanics are a bit different but the principle of keeping your body safe as you work throughout the movements is the key and to avoid injury whenever possible. I can do hundreds of reps if not up to a thousand or more with a 25 lb hammer and not get injured or have any serious issues but it's only because I pay attention to my body and keep on eye on being not so much stiff but keep control of how I move with precision and speed.  

Depending on the type of exercise you do (not kipping pull-ups or crappy form in olympic style lifting), keep control of your body and the movement you perform. Never take such a risk that it becomes a serious injury sooner rather than later. Like I said before, we can't 100% avoid an injury, but we can avoid them a good portion of the time if we learned control and utilizing the best form possible to make ourselves stronger, healthier and in far better condition than the person who can literally be going to the hospital due to stupidity more often than he is training. Be safe yet bold, strong with control and be amazingly awesome in the things you do. 

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Getting In Shape While Gambling


 When was the last time you heard about doing that? When you gamble, you usually sit at a table or a slot machine and sometimes you stand at the Roulette wheels. Now this might be the most interesting and very unusual way to stay in shape while money is being won or lost so let me give you my take on it.

 Billions of dollars are being put into thousands upon thousands of slot machines and being thrown down on the tables just edging for someone to get their ass kicked or get rich and possibly come out even. Now think about this for a moment, there’s another set of dollar making business that people waste their money on and that’s the typical chrome and fern commercial gyms that they put a few bucks down and don’t bother showing up and their bills get rung up. The difference is, you can win at Gambling but in the gym you have to earn your body and that’s where most people give up and just drop the gym all together.

 If you live in places like Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Coeur D’Alene or the eastern parts of Washington, there are a few places to go to put your betting money on. I can bet you can get in shape while at the casinos and no one will ever know. This is no way of saying, you should workout at a casino because come on, as funs as it would be for you, there are others who don’t give a damn and will walk away from you. This is just a simple suggestion to use to remind your muscles that you can do something in between pulls on the machine or doing something while playing the cards or the wheel. Let me give you an example, you sit at a slot machine, doesn’t matter what it is (unless it’s that kick ass Wheel Of Fortune), you can do Isometrics or Muscle Control while you play. After your first pull, squeeze the lever as hard as you can for 10 seconds, that’s it, than you play and while those things are spinning you can press your hand against the side of the machine. See you just did a little of exercise.

 One of my favorite types of training is from the Charles Atlas course and doing self resistance exercise. After I do a turn on a machine I would do curls by resisting one arm against another and after do another turn, than I would do something like squeeze my feet down on the ground to build some tendon and leg strength. Don’t waste your energy just sitting there like you just threw your house away, if you want to play a little bit, why not give your body a chance to do some work, in a small twisted way, you’re paying money to exercise, plus if you win, it makes things that much sweeter.

 To me Gambling really is a waste of time and there are people who are addicted so bad with it that they end up losing everything. This is for those that want to put a few dollars down and have a little fun with no reason to overdue it. It’s like exercise, if you overdue it, you can get hurt, when you gamble and you’re putting too much into it, you can hurt your mental state and I better hope you never have to use a loan shark and get your legs broken, that to me for yourself is adding insult to injury, literally. If you want to have a little fun, why not give your muscles a run for their money and use small but effective exercise which you can learn where no one will ever know you’re doing them. I know what it’s like to win big and lose just as bad so hopefully you never have to go through losing a bunch of money. There’s time for fun and there’s time to just walk away, like exercise, you can only do what you’re body is capable of and there are times when you just need to catch your breath and call it a day, gambling might be a bit harder but it’s the same thing, if you’re losing and its not helping you, walk away and move on or just get out and go home. Be safe and get your exercises in my friend.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Mastering Muscle Control At Legendary Strength

The art of muscle control has been a lost subject and its very rare seen today by top physical cultrists of the 21st century but Logan Christopher has brought back this dying art to life in a whole new realm at Legendary Strength. No matter how much you think this course won't give you strength then you haven't learned the true arts of Physical Culture.

Back in the early 20th century many of the old-time strongmen performed great feats of strength ranging from bending steel, tearing phonebooks, lifting odd objects, hand balancing and quite a few made challenges to all comers to see if they can lift they're signature lifts like the bent press, apollon's wheels, The Thomas Inch Lift and many more. All these feats were impressive but I feel nothing was more impressive then a real old school bodybuilder performing some staggering and incredible muscle control. These guys were able to move their muscles in ways that just seem impossible to the human eye and many wondered how the hell they can do that. Imagine being to relax and contract your muscles at will and and having one of the ultimate forms of the mind/muscle connection.

I have always believed the true masters of this art were of Maxick, Otto Arco, Matsyek & quite possibly the greatest bodybuilder of all-time John Grimek. These men took muscle control to levels that made them look not only superhuman but made them the very legends that they deserved to be. Just imagine what it would be like to move your stomach muscles in a variety of directions or the back muscles in ways that the average man just can't help be in awe of. The man who first coined the term Muscle Control was Alois P. Swoboda and he created one of the first mail-order courses on the subject before 1910 when Maxick brought out his version of the art. Although Swoboda was the first of his kind his popularity was overshadowed by guys like Maxick & Arco.

Muscle control can be used in a varity of ways but believe it or not it can generate some brutal strength that you never thought you can have. From learning this Maxick & Arco became the first athletes on record to lift double bodyweight in the overhead press in their respected weight classes of 150 pounds or lighter. So don't think for a second this won't help your lifts.

It wouldn't be possible to do muscle control if you don't use your mind. In order to generate individual contraction and relaxation you need to think into the muscles you're using. Without this you won't achieve high level muscle control. This is critical if you're a weightlifter or hand balancer or like Maxick & Arco bodybuilders. You have to think into the muscles you want to contract and relax otherwise you'll just be moving more then one muscle.

Now with all the ways to create strength and have the body of a greek god you can actually build your health through muscle control as well. Because of the contraction and relaxation of the muscles used it helps create blow flow to the organs of the body and helps create nerve impulses that keeps the functioning of the body strong and healthy from the inside out. Not only does your body work like a unit but your organs get stronger too, the stronger they are the stronger your body is overall. Using deep breathing and moving individual muscles you can even make a workout that is not only meditative but also controlling your awareness of the surrounding muscle groups.  This can help with your Yoga training or just old fashioned bodyweight exercise.

With great muscle control and with enough practice you can build a great body. Whether you focus on this exclusively or using other methods, your body will begin to take shape and you will have lithe, good hardened muscle and you can do this all without equipment if you choose to do so. Also I may add doing this form of training is fun to do. As you progress you will find ways to move your muscles that would impress your friends and family. Now this doesn't mean showing off and making yourself look like an ass but if you learned it well enough it can even help you generate momentum and possibly win bodybuilding competitions if you're into that kind of thing where muscle control is critical.

So whether you're into bodybuilding, gymnastics, wrestling, weightlifing, MMA or just want to be healthy and strong Muscle Control will help you get to where you want to go and beyond. If you go to Legendary Strength and go to the products page you will find a picture of Otto Arco in one of his most famous poses in physical culture. Click on the link and this will be your first step to finding a new way to build strength, health and build a newfound love for Physical Culture. Muscle Control has never been done in this type of fashion before and Logan Christopher is the one guy that can bring that rarity to life.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Four Products That Can Turn You Into A Muscle Building Machine

My friend Logan Christopher at Legendary Strength has put up four new products that will turn you into a strength machine in ways that have been lost and now are found again here at Four Courses Product Release. These four courses will show you the lost secrets of strength that haven't been seen in many years and after years of research and training they're all here in one package. Here's what you will be learning.

---Arthur Saxon Power Pack

Learn the secrets of what you will learn about the only man in the iron game to put 370 lbs. overhead with one arm.

Why light weights are for pansies. Are you One?

Find how you can learn about the Bent press from the best on the planet.

How you must think outside the box in order to build the best results.

Secrets of One-Arm lifting such as the bent press, snatch, clean & jerk and much more.

Use "Trick" exercises to make any crowd be in awe and how you can do that.

Plus many more from this pack.

---Mastering The Art Of Muscle Control

Be able to do muscle control anywhere, anytime and be able to impress friends and family

How Maxick used muscle control to aid in his lifts to become one of the first three men to officially press double bodyweight overhead.

Building strength using muscle control

Can you do "The Rope"?

This one muscle control exercise can increase your vitality and improve your health dramatically.

Learn Progressions that will take you from here to there fast and safely.

Do muscle control exercises that even Mr. Olympia contenders will pay attention to.

Can you contend with Muscle Control acts that true masters flaunt?

How to Structure a Muscle Control Training Session


& Others that will take your muscle training to a whole new level.

---Drills that raise Strength, Flexibility & Athletic Prowess

If you want to be skilled & coordinated then you must do this before any session.

How to fix your energy for Weightlifting

Are you Energy Deficient? Learn these exercises for Testing and how you can improve over time.

One drill that will shoot your flexibility through the roof by rubbing specific spots on the body.

All this and more on this DVD.

---Explode Your Body With Bodyweight Exercises

Learn 3 Major Training Formats to develop Unstoppable Speed.

What is the number one exercise for Expolisivness? Learn it here

Brutalize your workouts combining Kettlebells & Bodyweight Training.

Find your weakenesses and turn them into your strengths.

You can get these packages seperatly or you can get them all at once. These will get you on the right path for strength & conditioning and put you ahead of your competition. These won't be around for long so get them sooner then later. You never know when this sale will end.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Legendary Strength & What’s In Stored For You

How many websites can say their motto is someone becoming strong and healthy in the best ways possible? Well, many but not many can lay claim that their stuff actually works and that individual keeps coming backing for more and wants something new to try or be coached by the owner and have that person share their darkest and secure training secrets to help those in need succeed at a level that goes beyond the imagination. The real motto is to not only reveal the secrets to Becoming Superhuman but have that person hit PR's, Lift heavier, run like the wind and all do it with the proper ways to get them there.

At Legendary Strength it is important that each person knows and understands that the old-time tested methods of the strongmen of yesteryear worked and worked with perfection. Imagine for a moment that back then there were no trainers, no live instructors, no yoga classes, no pilates studio and no seminars that teach the latest and recent updates for strength training. These men and women of the time had to learn from a course here and there and actually put in hard work and blood and sweat and tears to get what they wanted. They didn't have lat pull down machines or itty-bitty pink dumbbells, they had Olympic bars and plates, they had kettle bells, gymnastic rings, Indian clubs, chest expanders and just pure old fashioned dumbbells that the gym rat today would look at and say "what the hell is that?"

The site also has some "new" courses out as of this moment that teaches you the ways of how Aurthur Saxon trained on his legendary unbreakable feat of the Bent Press & The Two Hands Anyhow. It will give you the true secrets that took many years to find and had been tested by those who practiced it which is not many. This is one of the most forgotten lifts in the Iron Game but it is now available for the first time in this type of fashion. You won't find isolated movements that go with this feat. This feat took every inch of the body to a level that is unheard of today in the fitness world. It is without question one of the most impressive lifts of all-time and now you have a chance to learn its value and heart & soul with the one man who made it look easy but never will be.

A coach who understands the values and methods of what you want to achieve can either make you or break you as an athlete. Yet a real coach will be there to not only answer questions but give you time honored lessons on how you can achieve a level of strength that brings the mind, body & spirit together. That's what Logan Christopher has done and will do for you along the way to your destiny as a strength athlete or whatever you want to be. I've been coached by him a bit personally and I can tell you for damn sure he's one of the best I've ever worked with. He was the first guy to see me fall back into a bridge and kick over & back. He only gave me one small tip and I made it over without doing any of the progressions for that feat. He is the best at what he does and he is very wise beyond his years and I can tell there's no stopping him.

One of the dying arts of the old-time strongmen is Muscle Control. It is a training method that has the muscles move individually with a series of flexing and relaxing. One of the most famous men of this art was Otto Arco who by far was the very best at this and moved muscles you wouldn't believe that can move. Because of this practice it helped him achieve a level of strength unlike any other and not was it in weight lifting but gymnastics and wrestling as well. How would you like to learn the very same methods and take your strength to levels that originally were unimaginable? You would want that don't you? I have practiced a few forms of muscle control and its helped me press 88lb. kettlebells without much trouble and helps my handstands, stretching and strength training. What can it do for you is up to you. Find what you want and learn this art for what it is.

Come and see what all the fuss is about and find the true methods of strength training and learn to take your training beyond the mountain and the sea and run right past those that have blocked you from reaching your goals and your destiny to be super strong and superhuman.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Alois P. Swoboda

A man very rare you hear about in this day and age. A man of great importance is now shrouded in mystery as well as history. His impact on physical culture is still apart of our everyday experiences in exercise. His level of intelligence is very respected and honored by the people who have read, heard and knew of him. His exercise program is highly similar to John Peterson's DVRs and Greg Mangan's VRT systems. The method of physiological exercise is one of powerful subjects that continues to work even after his death nearly 80 years ago. Today you would almost need to be college educated just to understand the foundation that made him famous. Although DVRs and VRTs are more detailed today, its still an honor to learn where they were based from. Coining the term Muscle Control made sense to those who have the system even today cause after careful practice its not surprising you can control the muscles of your body. Learning this method is the quickest way to learn one's own Physiology. To learn more look at the site below.

http://www.sandowplus.co.uk/Competition/Swoboda/swoboda.htm

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