Relaxation Lovers Rejoice

Fall is in the air, and maybe you’re in a climate where that gentle, chilly breeze is starting to fill the air. Lost Empire Herbs has an herb known to make people feel cool and calm on the inside as well. It’s one of their most powerful tinctures for stress and it’s now back in stock. 

Ashwagandha, known as Indian Ginseng, has been the go-to for lowering cortisol (the stress hormone) and increasing relaxation for the people in India for thousands of years.  

Studies on the herb have shown it can reduce cortisol levels by up to 26% in humans!

Not only that, it has also been shown to......

·       Increase memory and focus so you can master skills quicker.

·       Faster reaction time to help you flow through activities without hesitation.

·       Promotes anti-aging activity for a youthful appearance.

·       An easier time falling asleep and higher sleep quality.

·       Supports testosterone and sperm health in men.

·       Can help with Thyroid issues, especially in women.

·       Shown to increase endurance, strength and muscle mass.

This Ashwagandha Tincture is anything but average. It’s biodynamically farmed which allows for the highest quality roots and most nutrients to start the process. 

It is cultivate it right on a farm in Oregon, making it the only commercially available Ashwagandha in the United States. How much Ashwagandha you consume is largely up to you, but many studies use a dose of 300-500 mg. Lost Empire recommends you experiment until you maximize its effects.

Hammers And Anger Management

Every now and then, we need to blow off steam and just let loose. Sometimes we get carried away because anger can consume us and take over our emotions. Anger can be a very powerful emotion that at times can blur the lines between reality and what we think we're angry about. Many times, it's just in our heads and need to get it out of our system but in a productive way. There's no need to hurt someone or hurt yourself, that's just bad ju-ju magumbo.

We would vent about our anger by going on social media and tell everyone why we're angry especially about how society is run today. Other forms of getting rid of anger is talking to someone you trust, going to therapy, get drunk, eat a bunch of food till you're in a coma, watch funny movies, read a good book and than there's exercise. Exercise is a very productive form of anger management because it gives you something to do, it channels your energy and focuses on a task that requires skill, coordination, sometimes speed and velocity and we'll work it until that emotion leaves our system.

Have you ever heard the quote by Yoda on Fear? here's a recap....."Fear is a path to the dark side, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." When we are led to anger, it can put us down a path that would be very difficult to come back from and for some people, it has consumed them so much that anger and the path that unlocks that door closes behind them and the key is thrown out never to be seen again. Like I said before, sometimes we just need to blow off steam, so where's the true nature of anger and it's destruction to a person's path? If we let anger consume us to a breaking point, we suffer for it and others around us suffer it as well.

Exercising with Hammers can be very beneficial to a certain extent. It's not a 100% cure for anger issues just like there's no cure for the common cold but we can learn how to channel it to our advantage and not do damage to ourselves or others. No you won't be 100% immune to an injury with exercise but with the right training, you can prevent injury as much as possible and still become strong and resilient. Hammers are a great tool because when you hit a tire, it becomes more than a tire, it becomes something you are doing battle with and productively battling your own demons. In reality, a tire is just a tire to use as target practice but in your imagination it's something else.

There are workouts with hammers I have done where at the start, I would just want to go off like a loose cannon but the more I got into it, the more it became meditative and focusing on my breathing while forming as good of a technique as possible because one screw up and you can have issues for a while. That's the beauty with training, you can have all the emotions you want or feel so many things but if you can't channel an exercise to the degree that you can't pay attention to what you're doing, you can get hurt. Regardless of what I'm feeling, when I swing or thrust down a hammer, I would go until the pump in my arms or the tension becomes something I need a break from. Walk it off and breathe and than go again till I'm done.

Depending on your strength and conditioning, if you need to blow off steam and use the hammer and tire, I would recommend a light hammer (no more than 25 lbs) because if its too heavy and you can barely handle it, if you are in that angry state and trying to handle an object too great for your britches, you might end up with broken toes or horrible back and shoulder pain. With a lighter hammer, you can use it for speed and velocity as you go to town on that tire. 

Is it a boss you hate? A co-worker that rubs you the wrong way? Having a bad day? Can't stand how society is and just want to slap everyone upside the head? Channel that anger and make it productive in a positive way because being negative about it over a period of time will be less valuable to everyone. There are times where we are angry and we don't know why but we don't want to keep it in our system. Every time I go out there and smack a tire with Big Barry (my Giants Hammer), I always come out feeling better, less tense and have an overwhelming sense of calm and tranquility. What's your idea of handling Anger in a positive way? 

Bud Jeffries And Hammer Training

 When it comes to variety and testing as many things as possible, nobody takes it to such lengths as Bud Jeffries does. He's not just a machine, he's a modern barbarian that makes most fitness gurus run out of their shorts. You want to talk about ridiculous strength, that's just a compliment compared to the real amount Bud has acquired. Whether you watch him or have trained alongside him, there's no doubt on this planet that you can get stronger and more conditioned from just the vibes you pick up on him. 

It brings me back to training with him before my wedding and we did a hammer workout together using Big Bertha (who was 59 lbs. at the time) and we would rep out on the tire and just explode with velocity and power on that tire. Off and on since then, hammers have been one of the most awesome tools I've used to not just get a workout in but also use as a form of therapy or something to really test my strength and endurance. 

Every once in a blue moon, I'll do a 1000 rep workout with either hammers or step ups or whatever I'm doing using a deck of cards. It does get boring after a while if you've done enough workouts with that many reps so now when I do my deck workout, I just do as many cards as possible and try variations such as with the sledgehammers and that is inspired by Bud. Sometimes just doing one variation can be great if you want to master it but why not do other variations in order to work other muscles and work your brain in other ways? Being in pretty good shape, even with hammer workouts, I don't get as sore as much and I love that. I've also learned to recover better when I do high rep workouts with hammers because the heavier the hammer, the more you need to be aware and handling variations that won't cause an injury but with a lighter hammer, you don't want to compromise form as you speed up on the exercise and get injured that way either, there needs to be a balance.

I've never used gloves with hammer workouts and I found out the hard way which style of hammers breaks skin more than others. The ten pounder I have that use for speed and velocity along with technique practice actually tore up my hands more than the 25 lber I have or even the 73 lber because the 10 has a handle that edges almost rectangularly as opposed to the circular style handle. Depending on the variation, gloves might be more appropriate and you don't want to be tearing up skin and have to recover from it for a week or 2. With a circular handle, I literally never have to worry about any skin breaking or start to rip. 

There are plenty of people to learn from but I always found Bud to put things in not just simple terms but using analogies and references that make training sound interesting and captivating. When you listen to him, he talks as if you were there and he's being himself while at the same time showing you how to handle things without getting hurt or compromising your body's ability to withstand the blows of a workout. He's one of the few people that make training fun to do while developing strength you didn't think you had in you. His hammer style is crazy but it's explosive and shows what strength and power is all about and how it carries over to other areas of training. 

Mimicking Blue Collar Vs Actual Blue Collar

 While I was walking to and from Hill Sprint Training this morning, I started thinking about the differences between mimicking blue collar work as opposed to actual blue collar work and where they lie in the reference of strength and conditioning. From a general stand point, blue collar people (construction, tradesmen, rock breakers ect.) are very strong and are amazing at what they do. Going sometimes 14 hours a day is grueling and just flat out nuts. I admire people who are willing to put themselves though that day in and day out.

Mimicking Blue Collar is very different but there's a reason for that. It's not necessarily to mock those who work blue collar as a profession, it's the idea or the imagery of what it's like to bust your ass and understand the meaning of functional movement. I do mimic blue collar because I prefer that over the gym and it's satisfying in some ways like the Sledgehammer Training, farmer's walk with a heavy kettlebell, carrying a heavy sandbell or whatever movements that work the muscles and tendons in a fuller adaptation versus the bench press or using machines.

Now although I do like to mimic, I also have worked on projects that were actually fun (but also tiring AF) and it gave me a chance to help out someone or work with people to get some side money. Helped out a family friend on a job that surrounded the 18th hole of Pebble Beach in Carmel, CA, dug out a walk way on a hill at my ex-uncle's house, moved furniture countless times and hauled kayaks and canoes a time or two and other stuff so I don't just mimic. For me, I train blue collar type movements so when I'm needed, I'd be there and have the strength and endurance to help. 

For the most part, I didn't grow up in a blue collar environment like others have and that isn't necessarily a bad thing, it was just different, plus dealing with things in certain times of my life where I had to learn how to balance out using both my arms or just both sides of my body instead of just using my left from the meningitis. I also had to learn things differently that would be hard to explain to someone who can pick up on things at a faster rate or understand things from a general perspective. My way of learning and working was difficult and figuring out specifics and having to learn that it isn't always a straight shot or this and that, I have to zig zag around things in order to understand them, it's just the way it is.

I've always admired Blue Collar workers, hell my friends worked blue collar jobs before they became successful in their own businesses, one was a musician. My wife's family comes from multi-generations of Blue Collar Workers (Loggers) and her grandfather once owned a Logging company. They're incredible at what they do, that's from a general point of view but on a personal level, some blue collar guys I've been around were some of the nicest and coolest guys to hang out with, shooting the breeze and arm wrestling and laughing it up while others I've talked to were and still are complete assholes and think they're hot shit when in reality they're just another human being trying to make his way in the world. 

I believe in training to be useful, that's what I learned from guys like Bud Jeffries, Erwan LeCorre, Logan Christopher, Tyler Bramlett, Zass and many others. Whether in a profession or just doing side projects, if you have the ability to help people and it gives you a chance to use your strength in ways that isn't from typical fitness, that's what makes it satisfying. There's also nothing wrong with smashing shit up like taking a sledgehammer and breaking down a wall, I love shit like that. 

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

 I don't know why but yesterday I had the urge to go out and do Sprints in the hill while it was pouring outside. After some lunch and shopping, I just felt like it and went for it. That's the beauty of training sometimes, if something is there and you have this motivation or inspiration or whatever and you know how to do it, it's  a hell of a feeling. Maybe I'll go back on Wednesday, you never know.

Now you got that song from B.J Thomas stuck in your head don't you? I'm sorry while most normal people think of that song from Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, I think of Leslie Nielsen in Spy Hard, its a curse and I know it's a a spoof but I laugh every time. Seriously though, when it comes to training, doing something everyday whether it's fast, slow, holding postures or doing something while the commercials are on during a Baseball game (GO GIANTS!!!!), has a powerful and satisfying feeling and making the most of what you can do and/or what you have.

These are tough times and with all these mandates going back and forth and people screaming at each other telling the other to get the damn vaccine or not, it is important to still realize we are human and above all take care of our bodies as best as we can and develop a naturally strong immune system. Fitness doesn't need to be done at the gym and workouts should be catered to a person's goals or needs. We can't all do the same form of training but we can learn how to deep breathe and fill our lungs with natural air and sunlight. A workout doesn't even need to take that long, hell mine are less than 30 minutes most of the time. Find something that works for you.

From a general standpoint, it's hard to completely determine how strong the average person's immune system is because of all the vaccine shots being done, I'm not saying get it or don't get it but what I 'am saying is that the immune system would have to probably adapt or keep up with the vaccine shot and it could possibly be a gamble because you can have a strong immune system that may not suit well with the shot or it could and you'll be fine but overall, be as healthy as you can whether you get the shot or not. Everyone reacts differently to the outcome of a shot and some will be fine, some may not and realistically (not statistically, I'll let you figure that out) quite a few vaccinated don't have very strong immune systems because of either previous conditions or have become or are severely obese and don't take care of themselves. Do your own research.

I'm sure you've heard enough of this Covid Crap and want to try to move on with your lives, I do too to be honest. I do what I can to make sure I'm healthy and can keep going and building strong organs, a crazy strong immune system and develop my body with as natural means as possible. Be healthy my friends, that's all I really ask and be amazingly awesome to each other, being divided sucks and that's what many in the higher ups want to be and many go along willingly or without hesitation regardless of the consequences. Get the shot, don't get the shot, you have a right as a human being to make that decision. 

Here are some cool herbs that have high benefits of supporting the immune system and get those blood cells fighting for you. It is the cold and flu season after all as well.....

Ashwaghanda

Athena Formula (For Women)

Chaga

Elderberry

Goji Berry

Lion's Mane

Remembering My Friend Tom Puckett

 After my meditation walk today, a new facebook friend wanted to know a few things about Tom Puckett (the student who did the exercises in Karl Gotch's Conditioning For Combat Sports DVD) and memories came flooding back to those times me and him met up at the gym and would do conditioning exercises before we hit the weights. 

This guy was about as hard-nosed as you can get and was a tough son of a bitch, even when he started getting sicker. The things he showed me when it came to submissions was about no more than 3 holds but they were real and I felt them. Tom would tell me things about Gotch if I asked him and about other guys and it was an honor to learn about Gotch from someone who actually trained around him. 

The hard-nosed style of his was his military style background along with being pushed by Gotch and his conditioning methods. He didn't let up on me for the most part and when I struggled, he gave me tips to make things feel "easier" like the Hindu Push-ups. I felt defeated at times trying to keep up with him but it was a humble experience and he was legit. The one thing that always makes me laugh about him was when we went to a park one day to do some conditioning, we got to the bridging portion and I struggled at times to keep my hands off the ground in the Front Bridge and he just blurted out "Keep those hands up grandpa", I still hear that to this day when I bridge. 

Tom was humble when he answered certain questions I had but he was blunt as hell too on certain things especially when I asked him about guys like Shamrock who he thought was a complete asshole and didn't feel he was a legit fighter. Shamrock can go but his knowledge wasn't as great as he talks about. I think there was some bitterness too but that's because Tom was sick and he wasn't getting any better. He didn't have many friends, at least around here and when we hung out together, I think I made him feel a little at ease because he was around someone who wanted to learn and could attempt to keep up with him. He was kind to me and if he didn't want me around, he would've kicked me to the curb long before we had a chance to meet. 

It was an honor to have met someone like him and was a student to one of the most legit wrestlers in the world. I do miss him and I hope he and Gotch are having a blast wherever they are. 

What to Know About Your Body When Even The Environment Is Out to Get You

 It can be tough nowadays to regulate what goes in our bodies. We know that plastic is bad, or that we should eat more organic food. But for most of us, our eco-friendly goals are a second priority. At least until we start to think about what’s actually going on…

Estrogens and androgens, what do we know about them?

We know that both are hormones necessary in both men and women. We know they regulate puberty, sex drives, emotions, and more. But what happens when something else starts regulating the hormones, instead of the hormones regulating us?

here’s a sneaky devil hiding in our food, our makeup, shampoo, even our plastic cups, that’s slowly hurting everyone’s endocrine system. It goes by the name xenoestrogen, and may be the cause of more than one health problem you’ve experienced. 

Xenoestrogens are found in a variety of everyday items, from cosmetics to plastics, food preservatives and many other everyday items. However they can cause a variety of diseases including: 

Several different cancers, including breast, prostate and testicular cancer

Weight gain and obesity

Fertility problems 

Endometriosis

Early onset puberty

Diabetes

Xenoestrogens are categorized as endocrine disruptors. As the name suggests, endocrine disruptors cause changes in your body’s hormones. They are able to mimic your natural hormones, disrupting the balance in your body and causing adverse effects on your health.

Xenoestrogens mimic natural estrogen in the body, causing a condition known as estrogen dominance. These “fake” estrogens aren’t biodegradable, so they are stored in your cells and continue to cause issues to your health. So, how do you fight off xenoestrogens and protect your hormone health in the future?

One of the best ways to combat xenoestrogens is to balance your body’s endocrine system. For the best adaptogenic effects, you need to boost your body’s androgen count. Androgens are a steroid hormone that regulates male characteristics in the body (similar to the “manly” version of estrogen). Both men and women need androgens as well as estrogen, but they need it in a healthy balance to avoid the health risks we talked about earlier. 

Where can you get natural androgens?

The answer is, in your diet. While you can’t increase production of androgens without pharmaceuticals, you can supplement androgens in the body with Pine Pollen. Pine pollen is a rare and plentiful source of phytoandrogens. Phytoandrogens are the plant-equivalent of androgens, which will help balance your hormone levels for a healthier, feel-good body. 

In addition to the phytoandrogens it contains, Pine pollen is also a rich source of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants. Now that you know what’s going on inside and out, here’s what you can do about it:

Lost Empire Herbs offers pine pollen supplements, harvested from the finest natural sources and processed for 99% absorption into the body. You can choose the concentrated tincture (optimal dosage for men’s health), or the powder supplement which is ideal for men and women. 

Click. Shop. Save Your Body.

Burpees And Metallica And Hammers Oh My

It's official, I'm obsessed with this damn hammer and I'm not ashamed to admit that. It's fun as hell and brings me a sense of joy when I make videos with it. This app I've been using as a background is fun to use too which you've seen from a recent article when it comes to pictures, the only thing that sucks is making the hammer work into the picture since this app only uses bodies. 

It's a learning process but it's a great experience. I want to find more of my creative side and see where it goes. It gets me excited and makes me think of things I normally don't think about and sharing it. This is purely out of enjoyment. When I get like this, it puts me in a genuine state of mind that I can pursue anything and whether I fail or succeed, I gave it a chance cause there's that great Wayne Gretzky quote "You Miss 100% Of The Shots You Don't Take." 

The hammer itself in reality is just a tool like anything else but with an imagination and the ability to put in the work, you can make something of yourself beyond what we think is possible. When you slam it onto a tire, yes there's an object there but in your mind, the tire doesn't exist; it's smashing your fears, your doubts, your anxieties and your goals into an oblivion. You are destroying things that wear on you and using a productive output to create something better. 

Strength & Power starts in the mind and that's what I want these pictures and videos to represent. It's igniting a fire in your soul and burst into flames of passion. Soar with vigor, intent and shatter walls with a vengeance. I'm going to be honest here; in reality, I'm not a big fan of fire, been burned a time or two when I was a kid and always felt weird around fire pits so maybe in a twisted way, these pictures are slowly helping me get over my Pyrophobia. It may not make sense to people and it doesn't completely make sense to me yet, but it could be little baby steps to being better around fire. 

Metallica has been one of those bands I loved listening to during my high school years and to this day, I still listen to some of their best songs. My personal favorite is Until It Sleeps with the Orchestra that plays beside them from their 1999 S&M Concert in San Francisco. The vocals from James Hetfield & Jason Newsted, the blast of the lyrics and just the power in that song is so well done. I listened to it over and over again many times back in the day and used it as a warm up song when I use to go to the gym from '03-'05. It never gets old and when I learned I can use a sample of it for a video, I jumped on it. I'm doing Burpees on this one and it just felt right to do. I only did 30 seconds of Burpees but for me it worked and brought a love of metal and training that is just awesome. 

The other video I made is with the hammer and doing a more explosive movement doing 10 reps each side and Metallica's Fade To Black is playing. It's something I had an idea for and went with it. Like I said, it's an experience learning how to set up videos with pictures. I love being creative and finding things that expand my horizons because I've never done anything like this before. This is only the beginning and have no damn clue where it's going to go. 

Riders Of The Storm

The hammer is more than just a symbol of strength and a tool of The Gods, it is an implement that represents the vitality and power in a man's soul. Yes striking a tire can wield great results but never underestimate the feeling you have when you hold that hammer in your hands.

When it comes to conditioning, using hammers has a place among the elite and among those who wish to acquire strength from an old school perspective. Fighters and other athletes have used hammers for ages as a means to tackle the body and forge a steel like being. Stronger Grip's Tactical & Epic Sledgehammers bring that old school feel to life that takes on a life of its own. The striking, the swinging and the explosiveness just roars with the thunder of Thor and the armies of the Norse. With a mighty hammer, you become a Rider Of The Storm.

With the Tactical Hammer, I wanted to do more than just have a regular hammer, I wanted something special and meaningful and represent something that holds close to my heart, so I had it engraved with the San Francisco Giants Logo, the team that many fathers, sons, grandfathers and more generations grew up with in the Bay Area and previously in New York at the Polo Grounds seeing the likes of Christy Matthewson, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Carl Hubbell, Will Clark, Mel Ott, Monte Irvin, Matt Williams & Willie McCovey. This hammer represents generations of fans and players that have passed through the halls of ball parks and represents the strength this team has gained and defined tragedy for more than 100 years, the championships, record setting homeruns and the glory of coming back and rebuilding. It is most certainly a Giants Hammer.

How cool is it to have something made for you and engrave something that means something to you personally? Ever since I got it, I've used it quite a few times and already got in tons and tons of reps, it's just so damn cool to train with. It's more than just something to workout with, it's something that gets results and builds strength you can't get in a gym. You're forging muscular strength, endurance and lung power along with muscle building that uses the whole body not just piece by piece in isolation. 

If you're ever in need of training with a hammer, you can go to a regular store like Lowe's or Home Depot but if you want a hammer that is more than a typical one and want something that represents you and what you love, go to Stronger Grip and have Ryan Pitts make something for you that defines you. Ride The Storm with your own hammer and smash your way to getting results like never before. 

Did The Farmer Have It Right?

 In sports and in life, breathing is not just essential, it is literally our lifeline. Go for days without water, weeks without food but yet can die in a matter of minutes if we don't breathe. These are tough times and our immune system and respiratory system are being tested and it's important just as now or at any point in time to strengthen those systems as best as we can. For thousands of years, breathwork has been the cornerstone to some of the most famous systems of health and exercise such as Tai Chi, Yoga, Qi Gong, Martial Arts, Meditation & Sports. Without proper breathwork, it wouldn't be as effective.

Deep Breathing Exercises can be very simple to do and with studying its principles and techniques, they can be a focal point to how you react to certain situations in intense moments or even relaxed. Techniques can also teach you to tell the difference between panic and focused intent. When we panic, we lose sight of our breathing and eventually channel into fight or flight mode almost instantly, but with control, we can have a better understanding on how to react in areas with better focus and less negative stress. We all have negative stress at certain points in our lives but it is important to learn how to lessen it as best as possible.

Martin "Farmer" Burns who was one of the greatest wrestlers and coaches in American History, emphasized not just the importance of the breath, but how it can lead to not just as a wrestler/athlete but also someone who isn't in athletics. Although his intentions were geared towards wrestling and it how it taught someone to be a man, he threw in wisdom that even the old time yogis could understand. In his book Lessons In Wrestling And Physical Culture, he taught what it meant to practice daily breathing exercises to not just get the blood flowing to the body, but how they'll play out the rest of your daily activities with techniques that break through walls in terms of endurance, control and conditioning. This was talked about more than 100 years ago and it's principles are still being applied today.

In the era of fitness junkies, crossfit maniacs, influencers and bodybuilding; breathwork has its moments in these places but it's almost a lost art unless you're specifically learning how to do breathing techniques in Yoga Classes or Seminars that focus solely on the breath. In MMA, the breath is actually one of the most important factors in how long you can go in a fight and it can determine how you or lose. If you get tired in less than a minute, you've already lost and when you panic breathe, you eventually lose control of your focus and make mistakes much quicker. When you control the breath and are handling the negative stress of a fight or a spar better, your focus can become clearer and you have better chances of finding your opponents mistakes and/or react quicker to finding a submission or a knockout. In my opinion, Rickson Gracie was the man that took this to an extreme in the modern era and is right up there with the best of the best in any sport.

There are a lot of Gurus out there that teach good, bad and at times very ugly ways to teach you how to breathe properly but who can you trust the most? Which ones are the biggest to learn from? The truth is, it depends on who makes it simple to learn and gives you proper application whether in a sport or in everyday life. You can make tweaks to certain aspects of Breathwork such as how Farmer Burns did his style of breathing compared to folks today. His teachings are powerful and do work, but some people need some adjustments and his ideas on breathing and holding the breath can have different effects in how people react to the techniques. I've tried both the actual techniques and the tweaking of those techniques and my areas of tweaking gave me far better results and the actual techniques (word for word) aren't meant for everybody. 

There is a great book that talks about various systems and technique on the breath that is really a nearly "all in one book" concept of what works, what doesn't and better ideas to apply the breath even in dangerous situations. Some Techniques from the Wim Hoff Method to the Breath Of Fire, Upgrade Your Breath is a great go-to book. 

So did the Farmer have it right? With adjustments to your individual needs and applying techniques with proper instruction, he was certainly on the right track and some of his ideas are being used today but overall, from the Farmer to Rickson to Wim Hoff and others, breathing techniques are in your grasp and the better your breathing is, the better quality of life you'll have. 

"Breathing exercises alone, if done RIGHT, will make many a weak man strong and many a sick man well.”- Farmer Burn (1861-1937)