On The Squat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When Working Out Becomes Playful

Simplicity is the key to all aspects of fitness and Physical Culture but also the concept of Creative Movement opens up a new door to a world where you get to roam free and move your body in a more natural setting. The act of animal movements is nothing new but developing combos and switching from one thing to another in the blink of an eye, puts a new perspective on how you use your imagination.

Hard work is the idea but it's putting that hard work into an art form where it becomes practically effortless and it creates the illusion that it looks easy. This morning, I decided to just roam and move doing various movements switching from one thing to another using the concepts of Vahva Fitness, Animal Flow & Ginastica Natural. Granted I'm no where near the level of the creators of these awesome methods but it's not my job to be better than them, it's my job to be better than yesterday. 

I like to call it Playful Movement which gives the idea that it's something exciting, adventurous and learning things about yourself in the physicality of the moves you come up with. Just a few moves in, I feel stretched out, breathing like a madman and working my brain to control everything I do. It's not easy by any means and it's not to poke at other methods, it's the way to form self expression through the physical. As kids, we create games and pretend what we see, are and do is out of this world and different, venturing into the unknown and doing things you didn't know you were capable of doing. As adults, we lost sight of this because we stopped using our imaginations, we are told what reality is and that we should stop acting childish before we hurt ourselves because adults get hurt much faster as they age right? 

Yes if you had previous injuries and need to adjust that's one thing but to be told you can't be creative or use your imagination because it's a child's thing is pure bullshit. As humans, we were meant to create, we were meant to move and we were meant to imagine incredible things and act on them to become the best version of ourselves. Mickey Mouse didn't appear out of nowhere; he was drawn, made up in the mind of a man but that drawing became iconic, expressive and had CHARACTER. That's the beauty of Playful Movement, you develop a character and make up things that become reality. 

We all have abilities inside of us that we haven't discovered yet and can do things that can change the course of our lives or the lives of others. We have powers beyond our own beliefs and have been locked away because we were told this or that and this or that is how it is and being creative gets us nowhere. I would bet if we let go of the bullshit, this world would be a better place and you have the power to create what you desire and take things to levels others told you were impossible. Our imagination can turn into reality if we fully embrace it's power. 

Playful Movement goes beyond animal exercises and weird looking moves, it's the high rise to Self-Expression and forming patterns that generate strength, flexibility, endurance, coordination, balance, conditioning and all the mental aspects as well. It's like Dancing Gymnastics or Interpretive Dance. You may not be graceful at first or for a period of time, but once you start forming moves that become effortless through practice, you become something more than what you started out as. They say practice makes perfect? No, it's the practice to become effortless. Nothing is ever perfect, but becoming effortless means you have made the effort to make something happen that looks beautiful and incredible to do. If you ever want to see someone that made things look effortless, watch highlights of Bo Jackson.

Get up and move, be creative and be amazingly awesome.  

Animal Documentaries And Their Inspiration To Move Like A Wild Beast

Sometimes, watching TV can be a good thing, especially when it comes to true stories or documentaries. I'm a sucker for a good documentary if it's on Aliens, Baseball, Nature, Serial Killers or Ancient History. It fascinates me whether some of it is a little fabricated or twisted around but there's always some form of truth in there. Nature Docs are one of my favorites and have several in a collection from the Planet Earth Series, Dynasties, the study of Primates, Wolves and others. 

If anything, they inspire me to train like an animal in the wild. Just getting up and crawling, jumping or flat out mimic an animal just for the hell of it. Certain streaming services these days are actually pretty cool especially with Nat Geo on Disney+ or the Nature Docs on Netflix because it's not just trash TV or movies or countless shows but being able to actually learn a thing or two and have some fun in the process. I've seen practically every Nat Geo show on Disney+ from The Wild Series to White Wolves, Primal Survivor and Docs on Animals in America. Every time I watch them, I want to get up and go play as a wild animal.

Animal Docs aren't just to teach the behaviors and seasonal rituals animals have but also showcase the landscapes and homes they build, the bonds they develop, the playful fighting amongst cubs, the way they battle each other and how powerful they can truly be. Would you ever get in the middle of a fight between big horns, tigers, bears, bison or elk? As humans, we're the only species that can take in very close quarters of a fight and live to talk about it most of the time, but if humans were even within 100 yards of a fight between testosterone fueled wild animals, you'd be lucky to even still be breathing. Imagine two fully grown bears that weigh up to 1500 lbs at best just whaling on each other, would you even be dumb enough to get within 50 feet of them? You would either have to have nerves of steel or just have some kind of Death Wish.

The closest I've seen to a fight between animals was wild deer outside my garage window and it wasn't even a full on battle, just messing with each other, if it got out of hand, glass shattering and walls broken would be inevitable. I've also seen a teenage moose strolling in the backyard once and it made a normal size horse look small. It's incredible what we are able to observe but even more incredible to develop our bodies using natural resources to build strength, athleticism, stamina, flexibility, explosiveness, conditioning and other major attributes using our own bodyweight, pushing/lifting rocks, carrying logs, taking down trees, dragging something heavy and anything else in between.

Crawling, Jumping, Balancing, Sprinting and other movement patterns create the natural order of what the human body is capable of. We crawl as babies, we jump onto things, we develop awareness that helps us balance and we become explosive and channel that flight or fight mode. As adults, we don't always crawl as much as we had to as little ones, jumping improperly has led to many injuries and/or fatalities and most of the time, sprint either for recreation or if we're being chased down. As we got older, being natural dwindles and we let age and our faults define us and consume us. Even if we utilize nature even a little bit, there's still some of that order left in the world. Learn to crawl again, play like an animal in the wild, have fun in your exercise and use your imagination. 

We need to realize we're part of nature too and sure we'll always be far more advanced than a wild animal but that doesn't mean we can't learn from them and use nature as a way to strengthen ourselves physically and mentally. Their specific skill sets are extremely powerful and jaw dropping and if we even used a smidge of that to make ourselves stronger as a species, think about the good that can come out of that.  

On Clothing During Workouts

What do you like to wear when you train? Do you have a specific shirt or pair of shorts/pants? Do you wear specific shoes or do you go barefoot? How about Spandex and headbands like in an 80's aerobics class? Some of the clothes I've seen may not always be appropriate to my taste but that's just me. Some people wear tight clothes that show off various muscles they want to display, others (especially women) wear crazy short shorts to show off their ass, again it's a preference and if it works for them and they want to flaunt it it's their choice. 

Some people are not only turned off by certain aspects of clothing, but find it "distracting" or they'll say something just to cause a scene. If you're distracted by what someone wears, in most cases that's on you man. In the gym, I've seen both men and women wear ridiculous outfits which some look so damn tight on them, I'm shocked they haven't developed a yeast infection but to me it's just clothes and I go about what I'm doing. Quite frankly, if you wear something that you feel that makes you stand out or just wear a t-shirt that says "fuck Satan" and acid jeans, that's your business and you do you.

A good 99% of the time, you'll see me in a t-shirt and basketball shorts with either shoes, flip flops or completely barefoot. That's just the way I' am. Being born and bred in California, it's quite common to wear beach clothes just about anywhere you go. Up here in Idaho, I do the same exact thing and no one seems to give a shit which is nice. The mere fact people bitch about certain types of clothing really just makes me laugh more than anything. 

Did you know there are people out there that hate men that wear flip flops? People have their quirks but seriously, how shallow and dumb do you have to be to hate on someone because of a damn beach shoe? I just don't get it. Saying it makes men look feminine and weak; do they not realize the flip flop/sandal has been around since ancient Egypt and have been worn by Royalty, Slaves, Soldiers, Hunters/Gatherers and Tribal Leaders. I would pay big money to see some douchecanoe tell a Roman-Greek Soldier or a Tribal Hunter how weak he is for wearing that kind of footwear; he probably wouldn't last 5 minutes before being stabbed to death or taken down and smashed by a rock or log. If you have the strength to handle heavy armor or carry a good amount of weight and be able to fight when you need to while wearing that, who the hell really cares?

In ancient times (and in some aspects today), men and women trained completely in their birthday suit and had great success. Some of the greatest athletes trained with very little to no clothing so if it works for them, that's awesome. Clothing is a construct and is an option more than anything else. Now many would frown upon going commando in a public area which is understandable because there are children present at times and there are things they don't need to see and get scarred for life or need some serious therapy. At times during my workouts, I trained in a garage or the living room just in my boxers (in the summer, it's almost vital) and blasted through sessions like the old timers. 

When clothing is required (public setting here), wear whatever makes you happy, hell I've seen people with pierced noses, nipple rings in a see-through shirt, cut off jeans, shit even a guy wearing a full on Spider-Man Outfit doing gymnastics and Barstarzz Calisthenic type training in the middle of a gym. When you're completely alone in your home or live in an area where no one within a mile can see you, go out in the nude or train with people who like to be naked. Training should be challenging, fun and exciting to do. Sometimes we have to push ourselves because we don't always have the motivation but what you wear in most cases is completely irrelevant. If you want to be stared at, that's your choice and better be prepared for any consequences that may or may not occur. If you wan to be colorful, go for it, you might encourage someone to do the same. If you want to just look plain (wife beater shirt, khakis, no color) that's great too. Clothing is just part of the process but it doesn't have to be a 100% priority (depending on where you are).

Last thing, I just want to point out that if you plan on using very little clothing out in the snow, you might want to learn a thing or two from Wim Hoff before you start going crazy and I highly recommend you DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES where 10 layers of clothing from head to toe while trying to run an ultra-marathon in 100 degree weather (dry heat or humid), chances are you will die and you're literally giving vultures a chance to snack on your corpse. Be strong, wear whatever works for you and be amazingly awesome. 

Micro Workouts For More Efficient Training And Time Friendly Options

Time isn't always our friend and because of certain obligations we have in our lives, we have to get things done and feel like it's never enough. It can be stressful doing many things like making sure the bills are paid, are the kids happy and fed, is the house clean, need to pick up the groceries, got this and that appointment, am I going to make it to that meeting on time, I need to get my kid to practice, need to get dinner ready. At some point, either someone has done all of these or at least 3 of them. 

Even when we try to focus on ourselves, it can be stressful too; do I look ok, is my ass too big for this dress, need to get to Yoga class (or wherever you choose to train at), I have to be restrictive about my eating or I won't lose weight, am I eating enough to put on muscle, I need to workout longer but will that take away my time from everyone else? It's that rush, rush, rush and taking on so many priorities, we often forget that there are 24 hours and yes there are things to prioritize, but also it's not good to try to sprint during a whole marathon either. 

Getting some form of exercise in doesn't have to be stressful or complicated like we make so many other things. Sometimes, just a few minutes is all we get but we can also make them count. Micro Workouts have been around a long time but what really is the term Micro Workouts? In a nutshell, it's the idea of doing exercise for a short period of time that can range from a few seconds to like an open window of 15 minutes. It's the concept of using the time you can use to get something going and with the intent of being efficient and utilizing intensity. There's the Tabata concept where you do 20 seconds of hard exercise with 10 seconds rest for 8 rounds (4 minutes all together). Another great one is a favorite where you take two exercises and go back and forth with them as a superset for say like 10 minutes with little to no rest. That might be your workout for the entire day which is great, so don't feel bad because you can't exercise for an hour straight or longer like the magazines and general fitness ideals tell you.

 One workout I did the other day was part of what I'm learning about Suspension Calisthenics and molding the superset concept and making it intense but not impossible to do. If you're into Suspension Training, this is a quick one that doesn't take up a lot of time and targets your core muscles like crazy...

Do 6 Knee Pull-Ins Followed by 16 Mountain Climbers (8 each side) for 3 sets resting as needed in between sets. You can add another set of exercises if you wish like I did or just do that. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes depending on your rest periods. My add on to it was another superset of Suspension Curls & Rows doing 10 each for 3 sets. That workout alone was an ass kicker. For that first superset of the knee pull ins and climbers can be better explained here...I just did the Knee Tuck version without the seesaw move as you'll see. 

Another great Micro Workout is a great Tabata Style of Isometrics focused on the Abs. It involves 4 exercises (In reality only three cause one of them involves side planks for each side) that you do 2 rounds of for 20 on and 10 off for 4 total minutes. You will feel it and not one exercise involves crunches or a sit-up. The workout can be seen here...

You can just use your bodyweight for things like push-ups, squats, lunges, step ups, carrying a heavy bag, animal style movements, you can use light dumbbells if you want, it can even be a sprint session. Don't be afraid to use the time you need to get the job done. You won't always have an hour to get some training in. If you have little ones, use their nap time to get some exercise in. Take the time during commercials of your favorite show to get some blood pumping (this was a favorite for athletes such as Herschel Walker & Rickey Henderson) or doing a few squats or lunges while the gas is being pumped into your car, there are so many ways to do Micro Workouts it's ridiculous. 

Find the strategies that work for you. To learn about this training concept check out the book Micro Workouts by Matt Schifferle of Red Delta Project. Be strong, use your time wisely and be amazingly awesome. 

Stronger Bones & Sexual Health Using Powerful Herbs

Getting older can suck but it doesn't have to be. We can still manage if not produce awesome levels of testosterone and power up our bones with the right things. We wouldn't think these two ideals could co-exist with each other or even have a relation to one another even though some of the same hormones affect them. From a Chinese perspective, the two are not just interlinked intimately because of the relationship with Jing but also when you consider that Jing covers both bone and reproductive health. 

Tongkat Ali has been a hell of a pick when it comes to these two and studies have shown what TA's affects on testosterone but also the relation to Bone Health. The positive results were astounding. Another bad ass herb is the Horny Goat Weed.

More studies shown around specifically for Bone Loss, one could take a look at the "active" constituent icariin (it's a mouthful when you read it LOL). There's also been studies done for Post-Menopausal Women where it's common to develop Osteoporosis. It gave the fact that Horny Goat Weed has phytoestrogens and a high potential to help with Bone Growth.

Should us guys run from something like that? Hell no. Both testosterone and estrogen are part of the hormone balancing in both men and women. For women it's finding the balance of utilizing more estrogen yet it's the other way around for us men who need a balance of testosterone that consists of a higher percentage than estrogen. Both sexes need both in some format, hate to break it to you. We need that balance to maintain or develop greater Bone Health & Sexual Health. 

There's also the mighty Cistanche; the herb known as the "stalk enlarger" that shows evidence of Bone Strengthening. Oddly enough, although you can take these herbs one at a time, they're also 3 of the 5 incredible ingredients in the combined herbal product Thor's Hammer. Sure it's used more to help with sex but it could be a great thing for Bone Health as well. You could also look into Pearl Powder and check out the benefits of this. 

That's the one side of the coin for building Bone Health, another side would be doing exercises in Partials such as weight training. Partial Lifting is a hell of an idea on developing stronger bones, not to mention the level of testosterone you can build up. Guys like Bud Jeffries, Paul Anderson and other incredibly powerful strongmen used Partial Training to not only increase their actual lifts but also strengthen the tissue to make those lifts go with limited chances of injury. Check out Bud Jeffries' book on Partial Training and you'll see what I mean. The hormonal effects on this method are astounding. 

Last thing that builds incredible Bone Health & Sexual Health is the simple use of Vitamin D that also consists of hormonal signals as well. Go out and get some sun, get in the habit of spending quality time outside in nature and let the rays hit you (not too much though). Doing all these things should give you an amazingly awesome foundation.    

Suspension Training And Other Fun Stuff

Reflecting on this past week has been a great one. We were going to go up camping a second time around but nature told us otherwise (Fires, Thunder Storms) and better be safe than sorry. Made the time though with just being together, enjoying the sun, sitting in the pool and listening to some great tunes. Wife got some vacation time so we made it as fun as we can make it. Went floating up near the mountains with friends and family, went Huckleberry picking this past Saturday and went down to the lake. Just got to soak up that last bit of summer man.

Throughout the little festivities, I was training on not just Isometrics but also getting into Suspension Training. Got myself a new door anchor (The EverStretch) that could hold up pretty good, attached the Iso Belt and was testing out various exercises doing rows, curls, pushups, slow assisted pullups, one legged squats, knee pull ins and others. It's been a while since I've done Suspension type training, the most recent was testing out pullups with the belt at a park and before that was maybe a couple years. I figured getting into it being inspired by Red Delta Project's Suspension Calisthenics book which is pretty damn awesome BTW. Figured I'd snatch up the rest of the series which you can find on the right side bar on the blog. 

Although I don't have a ton of experience in Suspension Training, it is enjoyable and right now, my main focus is working on technique and balance. Don't need to rep out a ton yet and even then just get into the habit of controlling the body and utilizing tension while doing technique reps. If there was ever any consistent suspension workouts in my time was doing the rings in gymnastics in my mid 20's. Didn't do the Iron Cross or anything, just keeping form and tension while doing pull-ups and worked on improving little by little. With the Iso Belt and door anchor, the basics are where it's at and taking the belt to a park and wrap it around the monkey bars to work on other exercises. When it comes to Isometrics, I want to test my strength in the Hybrid Pull-Up and see what I can do with that. The Hybrid Pull-Up is taking a strap and tightening the cross between the two poles on the pull-up bar and then you pull-up or chin-up until you reach that stopping point on the strap hitting both that Overcoming & Yielding Iso combo.

Training is an adventure and should be something you're excited about. Even taking the most basic exercises and turning them into something fun and interesting is where the ultimate goal should end up. That's what I love about Red Delta Project; it's runner Matt Schifferle, has this amazing attitude and enthusiasm for training that's awe inspiring. No question he's one of the best trainers around today and part of the new generation of Physical Culturists but his positivity is where many are drawn to. He doesn't shame anybody and doesn't go for that "my way or the highway" type of attitude, he's relatable, fun to listen to and utilizes his knowledge in a sense where whether you're a complete beginner or a veteran athlete he gives you a rundown that makes you want to do something no matter how small. His ideas may not be completely brand new but he takes old school exercises and tackles the classic formats of muscle control and balance to develop workouts that although low in skill, create the best versions of muscle building and conditioning training. 

Check him out and his YouTube channel. Be safe, be strong and be amazingly awesome. 

Little By Little The Weight Is Coming Down

For some, weight loss can be very difficult and for others, it can be very easy but regardless of how you lose the weight, if it starts to go little by little it's still progress. The most I've ever weighed in my life was 275 which was back in 2017, I didn't like weighing that much so I made a few changes and kept it off ever since. Throughout my life since I was about 13 or so my weight has always fluctuated and now my weight is roughly the same as when I was 20 years old. 

My eating habits weren't always the best and when I was a teenager or even a little younger, it was even worse but sometimes you put in a little more effort and focus and make the best of it. It can be hard and no weight loss program is permanent but I've also worked on fat loss more than the weight and oddly enough, the weight was coming down quicker than programming specific weight loss. I really only eat probably no more than 2 big meals a day and keep it more to a meat eating plan (hate the word diet) where I don't eat a ton of bread or sweets (very little compared to what I actually eat) but grade A to grass-fed meat is a big part of my eating habits. I rarely ever drink alcohol, think the last drink I had was maybe one bottle of a Hard Mike's or something but that is basically alcoholic soda than anything and the last thing of hard liquor I had was a shot of scotch in a toast to Bud Jeffries when he died. If anybody knows me, knows that drinking isn't my thing.

Right now I'm sitting at 255 which has been a couple pounds lost since my birthday. My program as of late has been a big help with the weight loss. As of May, I've lost close to 13 pounds which isn't a ton but it's still weight down and that's a big thanks to Isometrics. Ever since I got Overcoming Isometrics, I've been obsessed with the exercises and put more focus into the method more than over. At first, I was doing Sprint Style Training for 6 weeks but ended up switching to Isometrics ever since then and with the addition to the Iso Bow and working on Suspension Training, it has been incredible.

I'm not a huge fan of doing specific weight loss programs but fat loss is another story. You can have two people who are the same exact weight but can look incredibly different. What I care about at the moment is not so much how much weight I lose but taking off body fat and maintaining muscle, strength, conditioning, flexibility and stamina. The eating is an awesome component but it has been the Isometrics that really made the biggest difference. Most workouts I do the 7-12 seconds of 65-80% of a contraction and keep going with very little rest, other times I do longer holds but that's using the Hybrid Isos from O.I. Overall, the program has kept me strong in other areas of training. 

Throughout my life, I've been skinny, fat, husky and muscular but now at 38, I'm in great shape and I'm making improvements little by little. That's really all you can do and do what's possible. Find programs you can design that suits your goals and ambitions. If they become stale or aren't working anymore, make changes. If you desire to lose weight, find a way to do it but also do it with intent and without sacrificing your health or your well-being because you can lose as much weight as you can but if you're miserable, was it really worth it to damage yourself mentally and physically? There are plenty of fat loss programs that are out there that work and help get rid of that unwanted fat, just be careful and work towards programs that keep you on your toes but don't drain you mentally or physically. 

Little by little, improvements will come and before you know it, you can look totally different and have great energy and full of vigor & life. Be strong and be amazingly awesome in your journey. 

Putting Exercises Up On A Pedestal And Approaching Fitness In A Dogmatic Fashion

Training can be done in a variety of ways and there are millions of exercises that we can all choose from, but from a "no shit sherlock" point of view, we can't do them all. There are even certain exercises that have a high risk of harm or an extremely fatal entity that some should never attempt because of either previous injuries, doesn't match from a structural stand point or it's too early during a progression period. No question many programs and exercises work very well but they're not equal to every individual. 

The trouble is, many trainers and "gurus" have a dogmatic approach to fitness or physical culture in general where the exercises they show or demonstrate in order to appeal to a certain audience or group of people are the only ones they aught to do and anything else is wrong and should never question it. In other words, they put certain exercises or programs up on a pedestal and treat them in a cult-like fashion. I've said it before, not every exercise is created equal. If they were, everyone on the planet would be able to do them just like that, life doesn't work that way.

I've seen and read about guys who treat certain exercises like they're gods on Mount Olympus and force feed people into them like it's a hardcore religion. Don't get me wrong, I love the simple approach and progression with a keen eye for the basics which would take someone further into their journey than push so many advanced movements that has a very high potential of putting them in the hospital; however, I don't believe in shoving an exercise down someone's throat as if it's the fountain of youth and if you question it you might as well go to hell. I love animal movements and have a passion for them but not everyone has to believe in them like me and if they want to do something else, that's awesome because everybody should have an opportunity to be passionate in what they do for training.

These days, very few people in fitness and physical culture have a non-agenda approach and actually care about a person's well being and wants them to succeed whether with them or someone else. Trust me, I've been trained by various people and merely a handful ever gave me a reason to be passionate about this stuff. I wouldn't put them on a pedestal, but I do listen and observe how they do things...The body language, the confidence, the energy they create and making you a priority. 

No program or exercise is the end-all-be all. There are people who try their damndest to tell you differently cause they're style is the only one that works and force feeds your brain into believing their way is god especially with many of those ad copies and putting their program into this cult-like formality. That doesn't mean they're not good, some are very well written and a number of them are successful, but it's all about reading between the lines because if you look at certain styles of an ad copy, many have specific words or words within them that some people stole from somebody else by writing something and practically verbatim writes the same thing but in a different context if that makes sense.  

Hey man, I believe in certain people and take what I can absorb to develop my own style. I don't however follow them to a "T" in the sense where they're way is the only way. I hate that in every bone in my body. I guess that might be hereditary if that kind of thing exists because my grandfather (mom's father) just did things his own way, he would pick up on something, follow to a certain extent and took it to another level. The man was a genius (literally) and whatever he absorbed or learned, he took the best of those things to form his own style and developed abilities that would make people's jaw drop. Many don't know this but my gramps was a high school graduate at 16, went to Northwestern & did Graduate Studies at MIT as a Navy Man. 

So formatting what you absorb and utilizing the best meant for you is the true sign of freedom in your fitness journey. You can take so many things but only a few will give you the greatest benefit and no one can truly tell you otherwise. Learn and absorb, do the things that suit you best. It is really about freedom and simplifying the ideals of what truly benefits the exercises and programs you use. Be strong and amazingly awesome. 

The Animal Deck Of Madness

A great workout is when you can play with certain exercises and make a little game out of them and making training more enjoyable while also getting the most out of your conditioning in a short period of time. Animal Exercises is one of those methods that really throws boredom out the window and into a world of imagination, playful movement and being free. 

When it comes to Deck Of Cards workouts; over the years I've done various types from doing Combat Conditioning Exercises, totaling 500 Hindu Squats, 1000 Step Ups, Ab Wheel/Step Ups duets and doing hundreds to a thousand reps or more with sledgehammer training. Some of these workouts go from 20 minutes to over an hour depending on what I'm doing. The 1000 Step Up Card workout lasted 50 minutes at my fastest. Some workouts are about speed but others were more precise and keeping form as best as possible and letting the speed come naturally. Some workouts required rest periods and others were straight through the deck where flipping the card was your only rest. You do what you like and make progress little by little.

When I came up with the animal movements for the cards, it naturally became a favorite. It was fast, quick and didn't require almost any rest and just go straight through. It consisted of 4 Animals: The Bear, The Crab, The Duck & The Chimp. At a good clip, it should take about 15 minutes or less to complete but don't forget, the faster you go, the more you need to be aware of your balance because if you move too quickly and the body doesn't line up, you can trip and fall on your face or ass. So although this workout requires speed and agility, it also requires a solid amount of balance and awareness. This was my morning workout today and finished the deck in 13:28. Got a great sweat going and feeling energetic plus the endorphin high just fucking rocks man. 

Here's how you number out the reps/steps to reach 500 (in this case for the animals)....

Hearts: Bear Crawls

Diamonds: Crab Walks

Spades: Duck Waddle

Clubs: Chimp Walk

2-10 Cards are as is.

Kings/Queens/Jacks Are 10

Aces Are 16

Jokers Are 50 Steps Of The Bear Crawl

All cards should lead up to 500 Reps/Steps. I learned this specific numbers game from an article that legendary catch wrestler Billy Robinson had said that he would do this with wrestlers from time to time on Hindu Squats because you can do 500 in various ways but with the cards, it's never the same order twice. 

This is an awesome workout that hits practically every muscle in the body and has awesome benefits for conditioning, continuous strength, balance, agility and cardio. Requires no equipment and if you're short on space, just move back and forth with the space you do have (for this particular workout, it's a lot more fun to do it out at a park or on a grassy area. Be wild, free and amazingly awesome.