Spring Into Action With Animal Exercises

   The air is beginning to get warmer, the flowers are blooming and life is being reborn after the cold winter. You have been inside too long, not knowing if you should exercise or not and whether you're prepared to do awesome outdoor training. It can be cool, you may even join a gym which is cool if you want a place to go to but yet why choose the gym when you can be free to roam at your favorite park, the backyard, a nice little area near your house or the beach. You can always do both but it's very important to get that vitamin D and open up your lungs to fresh air and the feeling of a nice breeze coming down on you. Like a bear coming out of hibernation, it's time to get your spring legs going.

 
    Most people hate the words "workout", "intense training" and "hardcore" because they sound harsh, single minded and only have one goal in my mind and that's to take you down as hard as possible. Replace them with words like "fun", "play", "worldly", "happy" and "awesome". Get out and move, don't worry so much about your set and rep schemes; make up games, race, go swimming and be adventurous. That's the beauty of training the animal way, you get to have fun and train your body in a very unique way. Kids in particular love to use their imagination and make up cool stuff and make weird noises as they play their games, its fantasy used in motion. Imagine yourself being an animal, transform yourself in your imagination into a powerful wild beast like the Tiger, the Gorilla, The Bear, the Alligator, a fast moving Greyhound and many more to feel out and get fit by. Work in workout is no longer a part of your vocabulary, it's replaced with fun and awesome by doing what makes you happy, being silly and living your life with joy.

 
    Here is some playful training that both kids and adults can do and it only takes 5 minutes to start or do. It's based on your favorite characters from cartoons and movies you grew up watching. You can even do some of the funny gestures and singing from these cool dudes from your past and for the new generation…..

 
Baloo The Bear: 1 minute
King Kong: 1 minute
Tigger: 1 minute
Krusty Krab: 1 minute
Marlon The Gator: 1 minute
    Just these 5 animals alone will get you going on the path to great health and fitness. Kids love mimicking animals especially if they see them in their favorite tv shows and Disney movies. I loved watching Baloo as a kid doing the Bear Necessities or being in a dance craze like in Disney's Robin Hood. Too many people get all uptight and analytical about things; it's important to learn the movements but once you amp up that other in your head and living it out in your exercise your results will have a greater affect. Kids these days need to be helped on getting fit but not making them do push-ups as a punishment or making them feel worse about themselves because they didn't get what you want them to do. Kids do need to be disciplined in some form I agree but rather make some of it a disguise as play to help them learn lessons, value teamwork, being mindful and even chilling them out because as you know they can be very energetic and its hard keeping up with them. Be bold but also let them figure out who they are and keep them happy in ways they'll never know. Animal training for kids helps out many types like the underweight needing to build muscle, the overweight needing to lean out, hyper energetics needing to cool down and relax, those with low self-esteem to pick their spirits up and release those endorphins, even the lethargic turning them into robust energetic individuals. Do it with them and play together, get a family game going, have them exercise so they'll be hungry for dinner later, instead of making them sit for an hour on timeout; supervise them by having them move around like they're favorite animal until they give in. It's about compromise and doing something that isn't verbally/emotionally/physically abusive.

 
    It isn't fun when you hate what you're doing, training is supposed to be adventurous, specific, useful and understanding of what you want out of it. Forget the reps and sets schemes, go out for distance, see how many jumps it takes to get 100 feet or more, how fast can you go without losing your form, going backwards, picking certain species that are meant for either land or water whatever you choose to do go for it and make it as long as you need to and rest when you need to. Most work outs last less than 30 minutes because they are intense and full bodied but if you wish to go longer because you're up to it who's stopping you. Do it throughout the day, while your kid is sleeping, in the morning before work, at night before going to bed make it work for you and if you only have a small window of time use it. It is far better to do something you love then dread something you hate because if you hate what you do your energy will spread around and it wouldn't be pleasant to make others feel miserable just because you are; use it to make yourself happy, release those stress hormones and crack open a genuine smile because when you are glowing with happiness it will spread to others around you. For us men, Animal movements are essential to our manhood not just as we get older but also because in order for us to stay looking young & vibrant we need to keep our testosterone at optimum levels so we don't get our bodies to have that flabby gut or getting moobs on our chests. For women it's just as important because women have greater trouble putting on muscle and losing weight than men do so they need to train just as efficiently so they can keep an awesome figure. So get those bodies cruising on the grass or any natural place to move around and open up your mind to becoming animalized.

ST Patty Day Fit

   Top of the mornin' to ya laddie. It is the day of St. Patrick in one of the most celebrated Holidays of the year. A day of green-filled adventure of happiness, drunken shenanigans across every major bar in the country and possibly having the hopes of finding a little Irish gold under the rainbow. I'm not a drinker so I'm not in the habit getting wasted off my ass and having a hangover the size of Dagda's Cauldron but I'm somewhat a fan of the Irish culture and those awesome accents that you can't help but smile about (at least to me). I 'am however going to have my own fun filled day of playing with Animal Exercises, awesome food (not traditional Irish Cuisine like Cabbage & Corn Beef) and watching a little underrated Disney flick titled Darby O'Gill & The Little People, where a young Sean Connery burst on the scene years before he became the first and most bad ass James Bond in History.

 

    Since reading up on a little Irish History, I've also learned of a fitness course that turns little boobybuilding wanna-bes into full on powered men of muscle and strength called the Dagda Course. If you're a fan of Non-Traditional fitness than you'll love this my fitness junkie friend. It's not a trend that is used in everyday gyms or used by the latest meathead who is strapped for cash to model on but it is one of the most serious and fun muscle building courses out there that takes you back to the days of the Irish All-Father with a zest for food and drink and carrying his trusted Club where on one end, can destroy armies but on the end can heal lives. With that type of imagination using a club from the brain child of Scott Sonnon the Clubbell it will take on a whole new meaning to the stories of Dagda. On one path with the clubbell you'll burn fat, destroy flab and crush death destroying illnesses like Diabetes, Obesity and low testosterone but on the end of the spectrum, you'll gain muscle, mobility, flexibility, stamina, strength, coordination and dominate your workout like the Irish Myth himself dominating his enemies.

 

   I don't care if you're out at the club having a blast and I believe everyone is entitled to. Having fun and interacting with others, I went to places all the time when I lived in Santa Cruz, CA going to concerts, the Boardwalk, the beach anywhere where the fun was especially with my boys and whoever I was with at the time. I do however have more fun these days training and seeking out new adventures to go on and have a blast doing something most people won't do or think it's too weird for them to do. Go Clubbing in a different way where your liver can still be intact and go to sleep happy and energized and not passed out drunk and wake up next to a buck-tooth barmaid with a donkey in the living room and some dude pissing in a potted plant. You never know what really might've happened, so be smart on this green lit day.

 

    Be happy and merry on this wee day of St. Patty and have fun wherever you are. Be like King Louie who is tired of moping around and wanting to be like YOU!!! Dance, be wild and go animal on this incredible day, give some love to others and have a positive outlook on life. It's a day of joy and full of leaf clovers that could bring you the luck of the Irish. Never let a dull moment get in the way of being filled with heart and awesomeness; not Guinness and shots that will have you end in the hospital or end up in an alley somewhere with a homeless dude named Buck.

Jungle Fever

    Not it's not a disease infected virus or have a drug addict having a withdrawal in the bush; it's the love and good feeling you can have after doing a few animal exercises or adding them into your routine. Most "human" exercises today are terrible, you got your cardio machines, your weighted machines, little pink dumbbells and those god awful sweat induced prissy gyms that only care about your money and not your damn health. Do you really think machines are really going to help you in the real world? Do you really think that doing tricep kickbacks on a bosu ball is going to truly help your balance? Seriously people get some brains will you? A lot of those machine infested exercises take away the freedom of moving your own body; if you want to lift something, lift it or learn how to progress to a specific level of lifting. When you move like a wild animal, you're utilizing every muscle in your body that has some awkward movements because not everything is up and down or a straight line. There are curvatures and a few twists and turns. It can also be fun if you use a little imagination.

 
    Sure you may not want to eat bugs, chase after a gazelle or wrestle alligators but it is important to follow one of our basic components of the human entities; our animal instincts. Even as humans, we have urges and the need for movement and fight or flight. We are taught to control our urges by various aspects of society and it is a valuable tool to learn self-control but yet it is important to act on what is instinctive and utilize what makes us human in the first place. Living up to that with a sense of balance, not controlled strictness because let's face it, whenever we are very strict of something someone ends up breaking free sooner or later. It's like trying to fill a balloon full of water more than it can handle, it's going to eventually pop. When it comes to your fitness, be instinctive, act on what values you as an individual and do things geared towards your personality and interests. Be bold and challenge the norm but also have fun with it, not push yourself to the brink of death or punish yourself with a 2 hour workout and not sleep for 24 hours. Using a little of your instincts you can change the very course of how you live your life.

 
    With one animal movement at a time, we can change the landscape of the obesity epidemic (sounds like a plague) that is taking over our country and cities across the world. When I was a kid in the 90's and early 2000's, most of my P.E teachers didn't give us a chance to really have fun with our exercise. I learned a lot from them don't get me wrong but I was mostly taught "do this, do that and see what you can do." It isn't as vague as it may seem but looking back on it from 97'-03' it sucked quite a bit and I never really was taught any real technique because the teacher had to teach so many kids at times how could they keep up? It almost felt like torture on some days and it made me hate exercise at times. There were times where I loved going to lift weights or play basketball but others it felt like here you go and let's see how you run with it. Fitness is about structure, learning the value of teamwork and making it interesting, not this very bleak look at some basic stuff that a ten year old can learn and feel miserable. Kids crave activity whether they admit it or not or even understand the concept yet also they have an expanded imagination that is beautiful yet mysterious. Disguise exercise as play and I guarantee you it will be a little more interesting and favorable among the young ones. Get in the habit of utilizing Animal Movements for kids because it can help the in ways typical exercise can't like help their self-esteem, burn off fat, build natural lean muscle, gain stamina, wear out excess energy so they can relax while in other classes, form games to keep things interesting. There are so many ways to do it its mind boggling.

 
    Being able to benefit the way of the animal is a beautiful thing for both adults and kids. I love the idea of giving someone the chance to be themselves while they do something cool and exciting. It can be a bit goofy at times but who cares. They're getting fit while having a good time and they become accustomed to its concept of movement, imagination, playfulness and the ability to take their strength to another level. If I knew at 13 what I know now, my life would've been way more interesting to me and would be far fitter and probably developed a six pack in the process but things happen for a reason and I do the best to my abilities is to stay athletic as possible while being a bigger guy. I love Animal Movements, it's incredible to feel my body was worked in a very short amount of time and get amazing benefits in the process. Doing a 10-20 min. workout is like playing a game that is fun and get practice all this cool stuff. What would it be like to you and/or a child to have natural strength, high levels of happiness, incredible stamina, elf-esteem through the roof and sleep like a baby? That's just some of the benefits anyone can have if they apply themselves in animal fitness. Let's spread the word by learning, teaching and valuing a high level of getting anyone who wants to learn; young or old the awesome tool of moving like your favorite animal and get in awesome shape inside and out. Are you with me?

Movement Is Life

    It's not always just moving and doing regular exercise, it's how you move that makes the difference. There are simple movements, creative movements and just plain dumb movements. How you move dictates the efficiency and quality of what separates you from others. For me, I don't move quite like a gymnast or an acrobat but what I create in various movements helps me challenge what I can do and learn the value of moving really is. You don't have to show a spectacle or look like you belong in the circus but moving with efficiency and good technique that is suitable to your body type but then again it's not everyday you see a 260 pound man doing cartwheels or a bad ass husky ninja doing the splits or doing push-ups on a wine bottles so make the best in how you move and be alive.

 
    Creative movement breaks you away from "the pack"; you know those stuck up fitness people who would rather have you on a machine that does very little for your overall balance on the body than to use what your body is capable of and give you the tools to be free to make your own style. I like some gyms where you are challenged in the best way possible but most of the others are just plain (in my Danny McBride voice from Your Highness) tedious and boring, you literally have no room to really move unless you're walking and going to your next calf blaster machine or Smith Bench Press. I get it if its cold out and you don't want to work out in that type of environment it's ok I have that issue too but I don't act like a little whiny little 6 year old because "I don't have a way to work out without my gym." You don't need that crap, the world is your oyster, find the treasured value of moving with freedom and creativity. Practice different disciplines like Hand Balancing, Muscle Control, create different combinations, Animal
Exercises, Move like Tarzan (in the most efficient way of course) or take up swimming in a much warmer climate and do Self Resistance Training for indoors. Pick what you're interested in or do a combination of anything you want to do, you have options.

 
    Learn how to use your body's abilities, modify if you have to especially if you're a beginner. Like they say you learn to walk before you can run or built up to doing calculus in mathematics by doing arithmetic. We all START somewhere and we work up to certain things; no gymnast started out doing backflips and tumbles like a pro, nobody hits a homerun the first time using a bat and no one sure as hell deadlifts 1000 pounds if they never lifted before. It takes practice and skill to develop all of these things and if you want to be the very best you can be it will take time. Learning various movement is about challenging your brain, creating adventures and finding what to use next that hits the right spot. Your body is very powerful; I realize not everyone is a greek god or a sculpted bodybuilder (before 1960) I'm certainly not one, I don't have a six pack or looking like an Adonis and sure as hell don't look like a supermodel (although I do have that boyish face looking ten years younger than I'am) but I do the best I can and it's far from perfect but that doesn't matter because I enjoy the challenge and it makes me happy.

 
    It's hard out there for a pimp (sorry I had Hustle & Flow on the brain, damn you Terrence Howard) but seriously, it can be freighting out there in the unknown and it's scary to do things you normally don't do or have never done. I was always afraid of falling into a bridge on my head because I was scared I'd crack my skull open (already happened at a much younger age) but I didn't, I kept at it and learned to control my body to the point where it became natural to me and it felt amazing to go back and fall into the position and stretch every ounce of my body like my life depended on it. I was scared of learning to do Cartwheels (you read that right) but I learned to trust myself by pretending I'm playing and pretending I'm a cool ninja or something. I was even afraid of lifting heavy rocks because I felt it would drop on my head and kill me, but it has never happened otherwise I wouldn't have written this and it feels good to lift something that is natural and challenging in case I need that strength one to save someone's life or move heavy boulders out of the way if needed. Movement is an adventure, living with a sense of daring and unlocking your true potential.

 

Progression Into Super Mode

    Sounds like an additional level or an upgrade in a video game don't you think? Seriously though, there are ways to progress in any area of fitness or sports, you start somewhere most likely at the very bottom of the totem pole. Unless you're superman, you're not going to have the strength to lift 100 tons in a press; you can however progress to heavier weight with specific strategy. You're not going to be as fast as the Flash or Usain Bolt but you can build up a level of explosiveness and speed that would take down the average guy and you sure as hell won't have the stamina like Lance Armstrong or Jack Lalanne, yet you can progressively have greater endurance than when you started with if you follow a good system. I believe in finding creative ways to achieve levels of strength, endurance, flexibility and all others without risking major injury, I just don't condone it and getting hurt as a badge of honor is just idiotic in most cases. I do believe in taking yourself past your limits but in a safe manner that doesn't involve scarring, tearing muscles everywhere and even ripping out joints. I have pushed myself this past month using the Superhero Sprint System and to most people on paper looks ridiculously deranged and I should be put in the nuthouse but in reality I have tweaked it a bit that still has nearly the same principles of the program but to my liking and it's working. I can hear my fat crying and screaming in agony like the Wicked Witch Of The West (not the Mila Kunis version). I have pushed so hard these last couple workouts I look like I'm ready to drop dead but in fact I'm just waiting for that opportune moment for when my body and mind are ready I blast on it like a bat out of hell.

 
    It is not your job to push past limits that are set by someone else. Nobody ever should decide what limits you should be past or "can" past because they don't have your body, they don't have your possible injuries or what your mental establishment is. I have people pushed me because I didn't know at times how far I can take it, they didn't set a bar for me to push towards, all I did was ask for a little nudge that I normally wouldn't do when I'm alone, there's a difference between pushing the limits set by someone and pushing because you want the push. Work within your own limits and set the bar your way no matter how small or big even by the tiniest fraction. You're not going to be the next John Cena or the next Kobe Bryant or take it harder than Bruce Lee it's impossible to reach their level; you can either be way beyond them or fairly under their level but never exactly like them so prioritize the standards for which you set. This is one of the reasons why I can't stand some of the crossfit stuff or that dumb ass P-90X crap or even those magazine workouts, most are not that sustainable, it's difficult to follow someone on film in exact moments without feeling like you're going to die and he's on camera looking like he just got laid after his wife came home and why in the hell would you want to beat some other time clock on a dumbass name of a workout that is meant to make you sound like a weakling? You have one body and one life, be creative and set your own bar not the bar chosen for you, come on you're better than that.

 
    There is a difference between training hard and training smart; some look at training hard is pushing to failure every workout and push to the limits like they're in Dragon Ball Z (which can be a motivator in some cases) and others look at training smart as being cautious and being a scared twerp with the complexity of a five year old and thinking they're being "smart" about what they're doing. Training hard from my observation for the true warriors is taking things to another level and putting yourself to the test that requires focus and physicality for which you get as high as possible in what you do; smart training is based on strategy for how you handle a progressive load whether it be an amount of weight or sets/reps you have concocted and how you move on reaching a higher level one step at a time. When you combine the two despite the differences you're taking your limits to another realm based on your knowledge and wisdom of what makes it work and what might happen. You have the abilities to create your own style of training and what prompts you to make it work. Don't beat yourself up because you don't have incredibly insane strength yet, it will come when you make the decision to progressively get up that part of your mountain. Just because you didn't beat the clock doesn't mean it wasn't a great workout, you did and it came out the way it was meant to.

 
    Here's an outlook of my current training so far: First 3 weeks of training have had me run in place (sprint), do a circuit and Sprint again; I don't push so hard that I pass out or have a heart attack but I push enough to where I'm aware of what's happening and I can still think within my body as I breathe deeply and rest for as long as I need to. I have completed every workout I put myself through without fail and still managed to keep my sanity and not be put in an iron lung. The last couple workouts had me out on the field doing 2 brutal sprints and a circuit & repeating that 4 times; sounds crazy right? Here's the kicker; first off the circuits are actually tougher than the sprints, at least from what I've noticed but for the most part on the sprints, I don't go 100% full speed because if I did, I would not only tear something but my lungs would be so messed up that an Iron Lung wouldn't even begin to work so I go as fast as I can but at a certain percentage so I can still maintain myself in the workout. It's still brutal and only rest when I need to but I have created a blueprint in my mind of what I want to do and go with my intuition on how it'll play out. You can't lose if you develop your own blueprint, you can make mistakes and you're going to have to correct them but there's nothing to lose on when you have devised the strategy yourself. Test your limits the right way and you'll be on your way to gain that Super Mode of muscle, fat burning, weight loss, endurance and gaining a perspective on how you train with the right amount of intensity, strategic sets and reps and making a statement that the workout doesn't own you, you own it and it's your bitch.