The Magical Imagineering Theater

The book I finished recently was Psycho Cybernetics (The Godfather Of Self Development Books) and enjoyed reading about the Theater Of The Mind section of the book. Although it is a powerful technique, I felt something was missing, something that can be added onto it that really made me believe and I believe I have found it from another aspect and that is The Magical Imagineering Theater by legendary Concert Virtuoso & Strength Expert Garin Bader.

This technique takes the basic principles of TOTM and molds it into a musical composition and visualization element that instructs you to picture what you want, see yourself in a Success Arena that you can picture being in, no matter how big it is. It gives you your own mental camera and take pictures of the success you seek and transfer your energy, your drive and igniting that passion within you to achieve your goals. What if you were so successful in your mind that everybody you know and love were cheering you on for it and initiate that winning feeling?

I have used this technique to help me achieve goals in making money, surviving in BJJ, proposing to my soon to be wife, workouts and others. I still use it for what I want to achieve in my life and the majority of what I saw, actually came true. Here's an example....I pictured in my mind that my fiance would get the perfect car for her, it turned out to be a replica of the same car that got totaled in the accident we were in. I pictured half a dozen times she would get it, now granted that car could've been sold at any time but I felt so strongly that she was meant to have that car, I pictured what would go down with the sale, the shaking of the hands, the smiling, the joy of getting things back on track, being handed the keys and driving off being happy as can be and guess what happened, it all came true.

Sure I didn't use this technique for me but because of my strong beliefs and the little steps that took to make it happen, it worked and if that could happen, picture how your goals can be achieved with the belief, the passion, the steps taken and the laser-like focus you have on what you desire. I'm not saying this technique will do everything for you and you don't do anything after listening to it, it gives you the ability to take strong actions and powerful steps to make your dreams a reality and they won't just happen without feeling behind them, you set the tone for a goal, you picture it, you feel it as if it was real in that very moment, you heighten that winning feeling and you see yourself feeling that way every single time.

This technique leads you down that path to that winning feeling, the turning of the key to rev up the engine, the driving force behind your desires and fueling your passion that is unlimited. Harness your desires in your own arena of The Magical Imagineering Theater, where everything is possible as long as you feel it, dream it and infuse your passion that is yours and making your goals a reality.

Getting More Into The Flow....Animal Flow That Is

Sometimes you change things up to get another perspective on training the body. I've been intuitively doing the Animal Flow movements a lot more lately mainly for the great stretching component and combining the elements of Animal Flow, Dynamic Stretching & the Static Holds of the Beast & Crab. They're not easy to do and a continuous flow adds on the conditioning aspects but the concentration and the way you switch from one to another isn't always done at a fast pace.

Sometimes after doing my Indian Club Workout, i'll come back in and do the stretching part of Animal Flow or combine the stretching of Animal Flow, Ginastica Natural & DDP Yoga. Some have similar movements but the more you keep going and lengthening your body, it becomes a hell of a workout. I find it relaxing and strengthening the brain to figure out where to go and finding out how you can move and hold positions in the snap of the fingers. I don't do a particular routine but I like to fixate on the movements themselves and what's possible to make transitions and really stretch.

Practicing this often really opens up the body and wakes up the joints. My focus right now is more on conditioning and flexibility, it has put everything else into place. I wonder if this will help with my BJJ and breath control? Anything is possible if you figure out a way to do it. The more you get into it, the more fun it becomes and it can be even fun in the beginning just learning the basics. Being playful brings out our inner youth and can be a great stress reliever. Have fun with Animal Flow my friends.

Update On The Indian Clubs

Although it's only a few days but I started noticing a few differences in using the Indian Clubs. My shoulders feel a lot looser and feeling a little sharper mentally. They're a lot of fun to use so far and am happy with what they can do. I don't do a particular style of a routine, I just learn what I can do and forming patterns learned from videos and researching on the clubs.

The clubs really are a lost art in the realm of Physical Culture and with "new" and exciting programs coming out like a whirlwind today, it becomes harder and harder to find some real classic training ideas. Some companies still bring up the clubs to help people with their fitness like Onnit, Scott Sonnen's Clubbell Training, John Wood's Oldtime Strongman Site and one man who has mastered the art of the Mace and that's the big man Rik Brown.

The patterns can be tricky to learn at first like anything else but if you're willing to keep practicing and learn as you go along, sooner or later, those patterns will form smoothly and with great conviction in the movements. I do these as a first workout for the day and opening up the body and waking up the joints and muscles. The pair I have is only 2 pounds but that couple pounds can feel heavier as you keep going and hits your grip like crazy due to the steadiness you need to keep from flopping around or accidently letting go and possibly breaking something or hurting somebody.

I do recommend you get a pair yourself and learn how to use them for your benefit. Old school fitness can teach you a lot about what can be useful in the future and as awesome as some programs are today, the classics are there for a reason and not always to collect dust. There are tremendous benefits and developing the body in a healthy manner and having fun. It really works the brain too because you're constantly using patterns you don't normally use in an exercise implement on the count of most exercises have a up and down, left and right range of motions that have limited usage but when you can use your body for all sorts of directions and using circular movements for healthier purposes it goes beyond just the muscles and joints. 

Getting Ready For The Indian Clubs

One of the things I've been wanting to get for a long time is finally coming true and that's having a set of Indian Clubs. I have a Mace and a couple Thor Hammers at home that I use from time to time in Indian style training but knowing that having the classic style Clubs will be in my possession is another layer of icing on the cake.

For those playing the home game and wondering what the hell the Clubs are; they're an ancient training tool for the middle eastern wrestlers that dominated their variation of the sport for centuries and arguably started the Physical Culture evolution. There are heavier weighted clubs you can grab but that's mainly for strength purposes and only for those particular athletes that are at an advanced level of elite competition. Wrestlers were considered the elite group of athletes in India for many years and were some of the most feared in their time. The most famous and arguably the greatest of all Indian Wrestlers was the Great Gama who was undefeated in 5000 Matches over a 50 year career.

Back to the Clubs; the lighter sets focused more on mobility and conditioning to keep the body healthy and targeting the shoulder joints and arm agility. This helped keep wrestlers in shape especially with the way they grip, these guys could squeeze the living hell out of you and they're serious business. In addition to calisthenics, wrestling, running, rope climbing and gymnastic type movements, they were in far better condition than many of the elite wrestlers around the world. The lighter Clubs became a staple for Physical Culture within the British Army in the Victorian Era as soldiers were taught a series of exercises that educated the musculature structure and evolved this style of training for health enthusiasts in Europe and eventually in the United States.

In the 20's and 30's, Club training started winding down due to up and coming training methods brought on the weightlifting popularity that took the world of fitness at the time by storm. Gymnasiums becoming more like a Health Club and revolutionizing fitness to whole new era. In the last decade, the Indian Clubs have slowly started making a comeback due to bringing back the ideal methods of functional movement and increasing the health of the joints and ligaments regardless of age.

Companies such as Onnit, RMAX, Atomic Athletic and others provide variations of the Indian Clubs from modern craftsmanship of Metal and Wood to the classic development of the Persian Meels that were a staple in Indian Culture. I got my Clubs from here and started training my shoulders to prepare for them using the Chest Expander and doing various exercises to hit from many angles as possible. I snatched up a 2 lb. pair of Clubs and sure the weight may seem like nothing but when you dig into the movements and keeping a solid grip and utilizing your core, shoulders and arms, they can give you a workout that will blow your mind. Kids at a young age can do them, people in their 40's, 50's, 60's and beyond can do them, they're amazing for combat athletes and can aid the average joe in getting him/her into amazing shape.

Grab a pair for yourself and open up a new door to a world of fitness that has become nearly a lost art. Do the very same exercises as soldiers from the 1800's to the athletes of early 20th century. Be a part of history again in the technological age and get your body fit in the old school style.

Taking A Literal Hit This Holiday Season And The Vast Roller-Coaster Of The Aftermath

This Christmas was probably the worst one I've ever experienced in my life and am ready to talk about it. One week ago today, we were having a nice Xmas eve and found out about my outfit for my wedding, so we had to deal with that since we waited a month for it. As we were coming back home from being at the post office within mere seconds, a guy decided to pull a fast one and tried to yield left as we were going through a green light and we crashed into him.

My fiance was driving, my mom was in the passenger seat and I was sitting behind my fiance. It was about a cluster fuck as you can get and the mixed words of who was at fault. We at 1000% had the right away and it was this jackass's fault and it was determined earlier this week that we were in the clear but not without emotional trauma and the mere fact that my girl's car was totaled and is now forced to get another one because even with insurance claim, there isn't enough to pay off the damage done to her car.

I have had to do my best to take care of both my mom and my fiance on a mental and emotional level just so things didn't escalate to a severe breakdown by all three of us. I don't know how she did it but my girl still found a way to get to work and we went to a Xmas gathering at her dad's which was fun and had a good time but that was the only fun we really ever had this whole week. Back to the accident; from witnesses to members of the driver being there, it was just full of adrenaline, placing blame and talking to cops with the best composure we can muster. It was cold as hell and the warmest thing had on were my sweats along with a t-shirt and shoes. I was so irate with one witness I almost lost it. I did apologize to him but than he had to egg some shit on.

My fiance's ex sister in law was at the scene literally coming out of an area from a bank that was just next to the sidewalk where the scene of the accident was. She did her best to be there for us and I'm thankful for what she did to help my girl out. The cops were night and day in terms of dealing with us and it didn't help much when one cop is being nice one way and a dick the next but another cop was amazing and worked with us and took whatever statement we gave him and remained professional.

In the midst of all this, despite having thoughts of hurting this guy who ruined our Xmas and traumatized me and the two women that are most important to me in my life, I'm glad neither he or his girlfriend who was his passenger was hurt physically. There wasn't very much sleep this entire week and even with insurance, there's only so much that could be done and my girl is so devastated about her car that she worked so hard to get and now being taken away from her just crushed a piece of her. On a good note, there's a high possibility that she can get a new car exactly like the one she had down to the very year and model. It's only a matter of time and negotiating to make it happen.

I can't say what else we are able to do as we move forward from this but it made me step up as a man and be there not just for both of them at the same time but to give them something to be positive about and understand that although we went through this together, things could've gone way more up shits creek and we are universally lucky that car saved us because if it was in my mom's car and my mom was by herself, she could've easily been in the hospital with severe injuries. Despite my issues and dealing with my own line of PTSD, I didn't care about me and focused everything I could on my mom and soon to be wife. I still did my workouts and I'm so thankful not one person on either side got injured in that accident plus making the most of what I can do.

Although this article didn't come on a good note and is the very last one before New Years, I want to wish all of you a safe and happy New Year. Take care of each other, love one another and do the best in your abilities to make the New Year a mighty one and cherish what you have and what you can look forward to. Don't make resolutions so far out of your reach, shine bright with goals that will benefit you not just for the year but more importantly just to make the day a little better even for a single moment because the littlest things down to the very fraction, can create the biggest impact both short term and long term.

What Do You See When You Look In The Mirror?

Most people dread getting up in the morning and having to go to a lousy job and feeling like crap. When they look in the mirror, they see what they feel and think. Your reflection homes the image you create and what you will let in for the rest of the day. We have all been there and we're human, it happens. Some days, I feel great and my body just generates what I see; other days, I feel like crap and my body and expression shows it.

We can't be perfect all the time and why should we? We can only do so much but yet we can improve on what our day will be the first few seconds we get up. Even on days off, we still build an image and it reflects what we see. It's not easy building our self image and automatically have it reflect so we form habits and habits transition to what we feel, see and do without thinking about it.

In the Theater Of The Mind, we can create whatever we desire and what we feel and what we WANT to see, not just take a glance but to put energy, commitment and strengthen what we see of ourselves. I'm constantly learning this and using this technique in different aspects and goals I desire to do. I've used it to help me with my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and although I have long road ahead, I'm moving faster, lasting longer and edging closer to applying submissions. I have used it to aid in my self confidence and have made choices that have created income, generated great strength in my workouts and more.

Create what you want to see, strengthen how you see yourself in the mirror in your mind and put powerful energy into it. What you put energy into, will reflect what you see in physical form. Strengthen who you are, tackle those mental obstacles and build confidence in how you want to see yourself. Nobody likes seeing themselves looking like crap but yet we automatically channel our energy into it out of habit and become or see what is reflected.

No matter how strong your image is, there's always room for improvement. Think of this analogy on Disneyland....It will never be finished because there's always room to add something incredible. Everyone has a Disneyland in them even if you're not a fan of Disney or the cartoons and movies because like the park itself, you never have to stop improving and strengthening the most awesome version of yourself. The room for improvement is always expanding and there's always a great big and beautiful tomorrow, just a dream away which means in your mind, you are an expansion and have the ability to build a more powerful and beautiful version of you.

So the next time you look in the mirror, practice this analogy and apply it to your self image and what you want to see in that mirror.

Do Animals Play Poker?

If you have a WILD and crazy imagination, it wouldn't be too much to think you can see certain animals playing cards. Poker back in the day (maybe even now) was a guys game where you had your boys shooting the breeze, kicking back, guzzling some beers and have a cigar (at least that's the stereotype) but you don't need to gamble away to have a good time. In fitness, a deck of cards workout is quite the challenge and can be used in a variety of ways. It was made popular by the late Karl Gotch in Japan where he had his wrestlers do Squats, Push-ups and other exercise to torture them to get the most out of their conditioning. Other athletes have used this form of workout such as Ric Flair, Ray Lewis, Mike Tyson and others.

Although it has become a type of trend, there's no denying that when it comes down to the nitty gritty, it can take your cardio to a whole other dimension. With the right exercises (mainly bodyweight style), you can increase your muscular and cardiovascular endurance, speed, long-term strength and overall fitness. I loved doing Hindu Push-ups, Hindu Squats and other exercises in the DOC workout and have hit high numbers when finishing the deck at one time but with my focus on Animal Movements, I switched things up to doing 3-4 Animal Moves and work my way through the deck. This can be done just about anywhere, hell I did it in my own living room.

I took the numbers game I learned from Matt Furey's Exercise Bible and made it into the Animal Realm. I don't like being stationary and love to move around so I felt the need to make it fun for me. The numbers are each step you take and are very simple.....

1-10= Face Valued Reps

Face Cards= 15 Reps

Ace= 20 Reps

Jokers= 50-100 Reps Of Your Choice Of Animal

Pick the animal(s) you want to do and have at it. It's a lot of fun and really kick starts your cardio into overdrive. This is a great combo for athletes in many sports especially in MMA. It takes me roughly 18-20 minutes to complete this workout and it feels incredible every time. Don't like the numbers? You an always lower the face cards and aces & jokers or if you're in crazy shape, you can double or triple them. If you plan on doing Burpees, I'd recommend you keep solid form as possible for those cards because once you become sloppy, you can hurt yourself, let's not let that happen ok.

Although it is a challenging workout, it won't feel like a workout and you're just playing a game. You can do this with a partner where you can either flip a card for each of you or you each have a deck and see who's the fastest to get through it. For the animal moves, you don't have to do reps, you can take it outside at a park or in the yard and go for feet, yards, meters or whatever you choose to do. It is your game and do what you makes you feel good to do it.

Kids can play this game as a way to get out that excess energy and if you have a kid that needs an emotional uplift, this can be an awesome idea. Kids are normally energetic and need to use it productively and if they have friends to play with, it makes it even more awesome. I love these kinds of workouts because it brings out a side of me that is extra joyful, having that spring in my step and creates a phenomenal endorphin high. It helps me stay coordinated forcing to use my brain and my body that isn't in the norm. Whether you're 10 years or over 80, having strong motor skills and being in solid mental and physical condition keeps you healthy and produces strong brain cells and increases in memory, functioning of the organs, strong lungs and gives you greater power in your joints and ligaments.

Have fun with this and don't be alarmed if after a while, you'll have a greater sense of awareness, longer lasting strength, energy that would baffle the average person and for someone older, feel young again. I use this to get my cardio up for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and taking on some guys nearly half my age. Make it a part of your program and see what happens. What have you got to lose?

Abdominal Isometrics

Our Core Muscles are a key component to living in great physical health. The problem with today's methods is that they don't go beyond just the muscles. The old-time strongmen had some of the strongest Abs on the planet and they weren't from doing endless sit-ups and crunches. They took the time and effort to train these muscles beyond the muscular structure; they trained the organs as well.

One of the greatest wrestlers in American History was the legendary Martin "Farmer" Burns taught a series of exercises in his mail order course Lessons In Wrestling & Physical Culture. One of these exercises is known today as The Stomach Flattener where you contract the abdominals for a few seconds and repeat. It is a powerful exercise that can be done anywhere and at anytime. The way to do it for best results is to inhale as much as possible and than as you exhale, you breathe out making the "SSS" sound for 6-8 seconds.

Crunches and Sit-Ups are good beginning and intermediate training and Sit-Ups have been a staple for conditioning in various sports. However; you can only take these types to a degree when there's a whole other world of Ab training that can help not just build muscle but strengthen your insides very strongly. Isometrics for the Abs can be done in a variety of ways; one comes from the course called 7 Seconds To A Perfect Body. You can do Isometrics for the abs in another course called Gymnastic Abs where you take your Core Training to another level, learning the conditioning methods of a Gymnast.

There are certain exercises that can weaken the abdominal chain and can put a strain on the lower back so it is important to find the best ones suited for you. After learning about Abdominal Conditioning through Isometric training, I never done an ab machine workout again. I once did 1000 crunches in a workout and have done crunches for a while when I was a late teen cause that's what I thought built abs when all I got was a hurt back, strained hips and abdominal pain. After training on exercises that focused on the whole body and using deep breathing techniques, my core got stronger and gave me awesome stamina and strength.

Train like the old-timers and learn the real aspects of Abdominal Training. They're more than just bits of muscle. 

Staying Active Throughout The Day (For Android Users)

Many people have busy schedules and can't always cram in a workout when they want to. It's not easy juggling life, a mortgage, a marriage, kids, PTA meetings and Gatherings but you always have a little time to exercise. Instead of thinking you only have this much time and you can't exercise, change it to "What can I do quickly?"

There was a course I use to promote called Muscle Reminders by my friend and gymnast/entertainer Cess De Kok. What this taught was resetting the mind and thinking differently in terms on how you can exercise daily without needing to do one particular workout. He used the idea of doing different exercises throughout the day whether at the grocery store, in your car (only at a red light or stop sign), at the park, in your hotel room or while strolling on the beach.

Our lives don't ever have to interfere with our way of staying fit. You can join the gym and do your thing but you may not always have that opportunity so it is important you still believe you can get some exercise in even if you only do a few at a time. Since a lot of us are obsessed with our phones, why not make it useful instead of always posting selfies or taking pictures of your food. There's an App for many things and a few of them are from one of my favorite websites and that's Darebee where you can find workouts you can do just about anywhere and can be modified to your level.

Three of these Apps are.....

1. Fit Tap:

A fun and active way to do exercises throughout the day or can be played by friends and family and challenging each other in a productive way. Are you up to the challenge?

2. Pocket Workouts

A massive collection of approx 250 Workouts you can choose from that are divided into different categories. Each one has a workout that has three sets of levels for determining your fitness level. Some are easy, some are very difficult but you can adjust them however you want and if you can't do all three levels in the same workout than pace yourself and see what you can do or you can do a certain level at certain points during the day. Each round takes roughly a couple minutes at best so if you're short on time, do a quick round and go from there. Make it work for you.

3. 100 Office Workouts:

These can come in handy while you're on break at work. Easy to follow and again can be adjusted if needed. Don't hold yourself back and get fit, even at your job.

All of these are free to download or you can choose to download them for less than a dollar. The "Champion" Version is virtually identical. All it is is a donation to the site so they can keep you up to date with workouts, programs and challenges.

I do this every now and then and at times make a full workout out of the Fit Tap App. Don't ever get discouraged and make the best of what you can. If you're really into these workouts, check out the site or grab one of their programs in book form either on Kindle or Paperback such as....

Hero's Journey

Fighter's Codex

Volumes 1 & 2 each containing 100 Workouts

 1000 Workouts

All books sold have a donation go to the site. Have fun and stay active for you and your friends/family.

1 Minute Animal Walks A Day

In mainstream fitness, there's an arbitrary set of rules for exercises in how they are mapped out and what this does for your cardio, this for your strength and so on and so forth. Numbers are good in the sense of what your goal is and what is allotted on paper but there are times where we just want to forget all that crap and just go and kick ass. There's even a format with how much time you're "allowed" in how long a workout should be and it has to be done in this amount of time.

I don't always believe in "closed in" or limited numbers or time when I train. I go by what makes me happy and pushes me when i'm most interested. Hell last night I did a deck of cards workout and only lasted about halfway in; not because I was exhausted but because I got bored and when my mind stops being in that zone, I'm not going push any further. I have beaten the deck many times in the past and have beaten it at least once recently. Where do the animals come into play here?

As you know, animal movements are my go to exercises and yeah I play the numbers game seeing how many steps I can take in a workout or throughout the day (my best is around 2000) but I also just want to move and play. I still get great results and my mindset is dead on from beginning to end. Some days, I go for endurance, others; i'd just go for a minute or 2 on a couple animals each and that's it. Animal Workouts can be done anyway you want them to and can do them at your pace, your own level of progression and you can spend as much time on them as you want or capable of.

Let's start making a habit each day to move like an animal for 1 minute whether it be a bear crawl, crab walk, tiger walk, duck walk, Squat/Jump like a frog, hop like a bunny rabbit or whatever you decide but do it for up to 1 minute. This could be a great start for a beginner or a warm up for an advanced animal mover, either way you're going to find something going on in your body that isn't just the muscles and tendons. If you're in a house or indoors and there isn't a ton of room, you can do a few steps forward and back, take a few steps and turn around and repeat or whatever but keep going for a full minute. If it's too much for you, do 30 seconds. You don't have go fast and be like the Flash but just move and focus on the placement of the hands plus breathing naturally.

Doing one minute of exercise can get your heart rate up if you do it right. A minute may not be much but it can have a huge impact on the beginning to your day. You're stretching the body, you're opening up the brain and you're training the tendons. If you wanted to do a full workout, just add on animals and do no more than 20 total minutes of exercise. Because of the intensity, a solid workout shouldn't take that long anyway and you're getting those major attributes done for the day; cardio, strength training, conditioning, coordination, flexibility, agility, muscular endurance, strength endurance and power all done at the same time.

Do 1 minute of animal movement a day and feel how good you'll be afterwards. Think of the energy you'll spring up, the endorphin high that helps you stay smiling and the mental focus you'll generate for later in the day. Animals are amazing for exercise and they open up doors to a whole new world for you when you do them consistently.

Go to the animal pictures and courses on the right side of this blog and learn what animals you can do just starting at 1 minute a day.