Animal Stretching & Flexibility

Would you believe that Animal Exercises go beyond just warming up or being used for conditioning? What if the method was used to help loosen up the muscles and joints in a stretching routine? Although mainly used for dynamic work, they can also be used in isometric fashion if you understand the mechanics. Most stretching routines are pretty boring and you look stiff as it is as opposed to actually being stiff and trying to loosen up. A good routine can be found here if you want to try it out.

My favorite exercises to really get the body going and have that relaxing feeling is utilizing the Bear Walk, Scorpion Rotation, Over Reach and various moves based on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, add in a few Yoga moves, concentrated stretches and working the spine, knees, elbows and ankles you've got it made. I don't really take breaks in the middle of this workout because I just transition from one exercise to another like a Flow and keep going. The objective is to not speed through it but pace as relaxed as possible, remember it's just mostly stretching.

You don't have to do the transitioning, that's just part of it. If you're new to it, doing them one at a time than two moves, than three and so on until you can do a continuation without having to stop. It's like building up a cardio like routine where you get the benefit of building stamina as you stretch and you can go as long as you need to. There's no limit, once you get the a good routine down for yourself, you can go into a regular workout or just practice flows and combos till you're done for the day. It's all up to you.

I can make an update video of a off the top of my head kind of routine but for now here's a video of a 5 minute routine I did a couple years ago to get you an idea (I've lost weight since then) but it's still a good set of stretches to do at just about anytime when you need it. Stretching should never be boring, it should give you the ability to wake up and feeling good. I've never been a fan of routines and just go with my instincts which works for me. Because of the type of memory I possess, I can take just about any exercise I know and do a flow style set. That's where I feel most like myself instead of trying to follow exactly the same style as someone else, it just doesn't feel right, I'll pick up on stuff and learn the exercises for sure but from a routine stand point, it just feels wrong to me to "follow along." 

The transitioning aspect as you get better, creates more than just stretching the body, you're also stretching your brain to send the nerves into overdrive and be quick on your feet and breathing naturally. When animals stretch like a wildcat or a wolf, they naturally program their bodies to be ready for what lies ahead whether it's on a hunt, a battle for leadership or even when mating occurs. That's what Animal Style Stretching is like, to be able to wake up the body for what the day brings. You never know if you'll be able to help someone in need, to stay healthy to prevent injuries and having the body alert for taking care of loved ones. 

Flexibility is a key to staying young and some of the best stretches in the world come from the inspiration of the Animal Kingdom. Be flexible/limber, be aware and be amazingly awesome. 

Micro Animal Workouts

It's never easy getting the time in when it comes to training, that's where short workouts can come in handy as opposed to getting something in for 45 min to an hour or more in one shot. In most cases, just a few minutes will kick your ass, hell if you do it right, 30 seconds to a minute can feel like an eternity. They're intense, hard and yet so freakishly simple many overlook it.

That's one of the things about Animal Workouts that I love. Just doing a few rounds of something can wipe you out just like that. Last night, I did a workout where I took 4 animal movements and did 5 yards each straight through for a total of 20 yards for one set or round. Did a total of 10 of these with breaks in between every 2-3 sets or so because they're intense and will make you breathe hard quick. All together did 200 yards worth of training and I was dead. For most, just half of that would be more than enough but I wanted to see how far I can take it. 

Animals are some of the most challenging exercises anybody can do, sure some are fairly easy and not too difficult but others (as you progress) will work body in ways traditional movements or what have you won't even begin to touch. Like I said before, I'd rather work my ass off doing animals than most stationary exercises. The key to remember however is simplicity. Progressing to higher forms of movements is awesome but if you don't have the basics down, you won't understand the challenges that do lie ahead. You can still take the basic movements and just progress to greater speeds (as long as you stay balanced).

On Sunday, before heading out to watch The Raiders, I did a "quick" workout where I show three rounds of doing Bear Crawls & Crab Walks. Believe it or not, these three were the last three of actually 6-7 rounds because my angles were off and kept getting out of focus with my phone cam. That workout kicked my ass big time and it was just two exercises going one way with one and back with the other. Still fun though and is one of those workouts that can build up an appetite. 

The objective of good training is to make it effective as much as possible and to make it intense while also progressing safely without hurting yourself. Some people have used animal movements as warm ups which is awesome, but as a workout in and of themselves, is a whole other ball game. One of my favorite scenes from the movie Vision Quest is where the wrestling team is warming up doing basically the seal walk like it's a cake walk before getting into pinning drills. The seal walk is basically walking on your hands while keeping the legs nearly limp and no movement from them so in other words basically dragging the legs while intently tightening them in isometric fashion. 

Next time if you got a couple minutes, mark off a few yards and do a bear crawl one way and the crab going back. See how many rounds you can go straight before needing a breather. It's very simple but effective and this workout hits practically everything in the upper body but also will make your legs feel like jello. Just this workout alone can get you in rugged shape and will fire up your lungs faster than the first 30 seconds of a Ric Flair Vs. Ricky Steamboat match. Be strong, go hard and be amazingly awesome.

The Benefits Of Animal Movement Strength Training

Fitness methods come and go and we never know what the next trend will come next. For some, a method is not a trend or something just discovered, it's a lifestyle or better yet, a style they take beyond the norm because it's part of their life and they want to master it. That's what Animal Style Training is like for me, I always go back to it no matter what I try and the path takes me back to a place where I can be my true self from a fitness stand point. There's always something to try and take on with the challenge and the ideals but moving like a beast in the wild just feels different than anything else.

Practicing it for so long, it always fascinates me on its origins and why it has stood the test of time. If you do enough research, you'll find that Animal Movement Training has its roots in Martial Arts & Wrestling. On the eastern side of the world, the mighty Shaolin Monks use animals as a testament to their success in Kung Fu and other arts by mimicking animals in their unique form. In the west, animal moves are a traditional conditioning method in Wrestling. Anybody who's been on the mat can still feel in their memory the pain and lactic acid build up from crawling like a bear or going backwards like a crab, walking like a duck or moving like a seal. 

In recent decades, Animal Moves are used more as a warmup in MMA schools and football teams use this method for conditioning. The Bear Crawl is the most common animal used because it's so damn simple yet can turn a weak kid into a rugged machine within less than a few months if not weeks. As good as that sounds, the benefits alone are far beyond just warmups and conditioning style exercises. The warmup version is just a beginning to what really comes into play. 

Believe it or not, moving like an animal in the wild takes on shapes and forms beyond what we could normally understand or what we've been taught. It's more of an untapped resource more than we realize and when you start to get into it, there's a boost of strength, agility and challenging aspects you may have never experienced before. Here are some benefits to help you understand this:

1. The Expansion Of Your Performance & Function

Our bodies are far more capable of doing amazing things than other traditional or conventional methods call upon. When we focus on something one dimensionally, the body will reflect on this and we wouldn't be using our full potential in the aspects of sports or in life in general. Nothing wrong with using other forms of exercises, matter of fact, some are pretty damn essential to do but yet, the demand for more versatile movements needs to be utilized. Practicing Animal Style Movements can do phenomenal things for our functionality and perform at a greater level. We are challenging the norm by moving in ways that are more in the 3D variety more than just focusing from a single point in training.

2. Quality Of The Movements & Mobility Training

As we practice moving like a wild beast, we form patterns that are in 3D which has a high potential of developing great mobility and joint lubrication. The muscles can be shortened or elongated but also with many cases, the activity in these positions build an incredible reservoir in the range of motion of the joints. Learning the aspects of the Lizard Crawl for example shows how the Core is in constant motion of twisting and rotating throughout the movement. This in turn will train the spine very well. The hips are getting mobilized and the shoulders are getting worked as well because of the support they provide while also rotating as you take each step. This exercise alone is a full body movement that develops incredible strength and movement quality in the body.

3. Restoration & Rejuvenation Of The Body

Our bodies and our brains were developed with similar movements to the animals. Think about it, as a baby, we learned to crawl, progressed to walking and than to sprint like there's no tomorrow. As we age, it becomes more and more important to maintain our quality of life by moving and keeping our strength, mobility and efficiency for as long as we can. For a lot of us, Animal style training can be seen as a fountain of youth that will revitalize the body. Animal moves also has great potential to target injury prevention and possibly getting rid of aches and pains. This method makes you feel like a kid again. 

These are just a small portion of the benefits you'll find when you practice Animal Movements. Be strong, get wild and be amazingly awesome.    

Could Movement Training Put On Some Serious Muscle?

Movement Training building Muscle? Is that even possible? For the most part, the human body couldn't even give more of a shit where the resistance comes from whether it's utilizing your own body or lifting weights. When given a good amount of time with the amount of resistance (in other words TUT), the muscles can create growth.

Believe it or not, you'd be shocked how amazing movement training puts on muscle, it's just a different version of it than typical weight training. This particular method emphasizes certain areas more than weight training. Let's give this a rundown: When we move the body in this manner, it's a more holistic approach as you form patterns, combos and mix and match using the body as a single unit. You're not isolating the muscles even though you could focus on certain areas as you move. 

Moving like a beast in the wild is a beautiful and even more phenomenal way to develop many parts of the body. Is it perfect? Hell no, nothing is but that's where you can supplement to really focus on the areas you do want even though Animal Moves are quite unbeatable. Here's one idea to look at it, walking like a cold-blooded Lizard...it'll hit your triceps hard and really tackle the shoulders, chest, hips and core like crazy. Another would be a variation of the Bear; going after the shoulders and core with an emphasis on the posterior chain while developing strength and flexibility in the hip flexors. When it comes to the wrists, Animal Moves are some of the best you can do. 

Leg Training wise, I found nothing more fun and exciting to do than moving like an animal. Don't get me wrong; Hindu Squats, Step Ups, Lunges, Bulgarian Squats and others work like a charm and can be kick ass supplemental exercises especially step ups (look up Bob Backlund and you'll know what I mean) but if there was anything close to putting a method on a pedestal, animal moves would be right up there with the best leg training you can do IMO. If you really want to tackle the legs in other ways, check out Warrior 20XX for more info on conditioning that area. 

From Hops to Duck Walks will work you legs far more dynamically and make you more Athletic than other traditional methods. Nothing wrong with working deadlifts and squats and have made many champions and athletes successful but they're still not the GOATs for hitting the lower body. In reality, the exercises in and of themselves could only work with the individual that gives them the best benefit. 

When it comes to Core Training, Movement Training is as close to perfect for that specific area. It's not just strengthening the abs or specifically targeting the front but everywhere around that area. In most cases, Gymnasts & Fighters have some of the most developed Core Muscles that actually makes them functional and athletic as hell. Because of the movements they use, that's where they mostly get those awesome abs that can make them soar through the air or take a punch. 

On Back Training; very few understand the concept that the back muscles work harder than you may realize when it comes to Animal Moves when you're crawling on the floor. That's because our back muscles need to work hard in order to stabilize the scapula or the shoulder girdle. With Animal type movement, the scapula is worked through 3D motions which in turn can develop the muscles in the back. Now there's still some pulling movements you can utilize especially in Suspension Calisthenics to really add on that development. If you look throughout ancient practices such as Yoga or Qi Gong, what is one thing that never comes up? Pulling Exercises yet some of these people have developed incredibly healthy bodies and balanced musculature. Even Ballet Dancers have some awesome back development and most don't do almost any floor work or weights. The arm movements when done with proper control develop the rear delts and backs by themselves.

Although there's more to Movement Training than meets the eye, you can develop a whole plethora of muscle through other means like I said before with Suspension Calisthenics or through Warrior 20XX or even Athlete 20XX. Isometrics work amazing too especially if you're new to certain aspects of training and strengthen the muscles, tendons and ligaments for the movements later on. Be strong, get wild and be amazingly awesome. 

Movement Flow & Stretching

Yesterday, I wrote about using movement or sequences of primal type movements as a creative outlet to get in some good workouts but what about stretching? How do you "warm up" for that particular method? You can always utilize certain aspects of joint loosening and stretches like we typically do or take it from aspects like qi gong, gymnastics or from Ginastica Natural. Flexibility and Elasticity is part of the flows used in movement style training. 

Some of the animal movements I do can be used as both stretching and strength training; take for example an Alligator Walk or Hold: Arms wide in a pushup style position and legs as wide as you can and start to walk. This opens up the hips, the shoulders, the chest and the groin muscles. You don't have to go so wide you turn into a contortionist but enough to feel the muscles as you move through the motion. You can also use it as an Isometric where you stop at a certain point in the movement and press the feet and arms into the ground as hard as you can for a few seconds. This can strengthen the joints and help control your body in an awkward position. 

That's just an idea but Eero at Vahva Fitness tackles anything that can be useful when it comes to conditioning, flexibility and flow work to help harness that creativity. From Martial Arts to Gymnastics to Animal Work, Weights, Bodyweight and Flexibility Training, he goes after it all and he's one lean son of a bitch and can back up some pretty cool stuff. Flexibility is a key to all that awesome stuff and being able to work out the kinks is a great way to get you into the things that will challenge your body in ways you didn't think were possible.

The flows in what I call Playful Movement can also be used as stretching routines. You slow them way down to the point where it's not about speed or jumping from one move to the other but practicing changing the moves into a stretch like the Scorpion, Over Reach in a Crab position, some of the crawls like a Tiger or Bear. They can be used to focus on opening channels in the spine, core, hamstrings, shoulders and hips. This is the beauty of this style of training, you can break them down anyway you want and progress at your own pace. Once you feel stretched out, start doing the flows in regular fashion or practice certain exercises so they're smooth in order to transition into the flows. 

Training is meant to be adventurous and getting into the habit of unleashing that primal and creative side within all of us. Get the blood pumping and get wild. Here's a recent video of some of the things you may see in Movement 20XX. For the explosive movements, you can just hold and focus on the areas in the legs to stretch them out instead of jumping. Be Free, go crazy and be amazingly awesome.  

Turning Imagination Into Reality

Throughout history, creativity has been a cornerstone for what has become civilization and the people that have made things happen, from the pyramids to Mickey Mouse, creativity and vision became a reality. As humans we have built monolithic structures, ruled and conquered civilizations, made sportsmen warriors, became heroes in battle and we used our minds and our imagination to create theme parks that started with a cartoon character. 

Throughout all of this, we have also tackled areas of physical fitness that have stood the test of time. From weightlifting to yoga, bodyweight conditioning, sports training and bodybuilding. All of these have turned men and women into athletic specimens. Now granted some areas of fitness have been lost or have changed gears due to decades of practice, trial and error and the formation of scientific inquiries and studies, we still use creativity to utilize what has been done and make it greater or more interesting.

Primal Training isn't a new concept, it's been around a while but in recent years, we have taken movements based on Animals & Gymnastics to create formulas of incredible athleticism and conditioning programming. From MMA Fighters to everyday Joe's, doing Primal Movements is a powerful idea that shows amazing creativity. The Flow, the Sequences, the coordination and the strength & agility is just phenomenal to watch. Once you understand the movements and practice the transitions, you can come up with some crazy athletic moves that are just phenomenal. Sticking to the basics is key, but never underestimate the power of imagination and creating your own style to create your reality.

Some movements are not for everyone especially those who have severe injuries but the majority can do some awesome stuff with the right tools to cater to their individual needs. It's that evolutionary need to move the way we were meant to and conquer our own selves in order to become the best version of our selves. Move like you were a young kid, become Athletic using building blocks that help reduce injuries and develop that Warrior from within to become the best YOU. Training can be fun and exciting the way it should be and learn things about yourself through physical movement that showcases what the human body is capable of. 

Turn your imagination into reality and get creative in your fitness endeavors. Don't ever let yourself get bored and do kick ass workouts that keeps you strong and healthy well into your golden years. Feel the fire in your veins whether you're 25 or 75 and bring something to life that makes you feel like you can do anything. Be strong, move with vim and vigor and be amazingly awesome.

Is Sledgehammer Training A Key To Youthfulness?

The simplest things tend to be the most overlooked or the most underrated because it's not shiny or extraordinary but yet when they happen, the simple things become incredible to do. We're always looking for that fountain of youth and finding ways to feel and look younger, have energy like we did as a teenager or be able to recover quick. One of the simplest forms of training is using a sledgehammer.

In most cases, working with a hammer is about as old school as you can get. The swing, the thrust and the smashing is all taken back to the days of hard labor, men like Lawrence Farman whom made his living smashing up rock and stone, fighters that smash a tire in order to develop their explosiveness and conditioning, boxers like the late Earnie Shavers used Sledge Training & Wood Chopping in order to develop his punching power which he said himself increased as much as 25%; Muhammad Ali himself had said Shavers had one of the hardest punches he ever faced. 

A great perk of Sledge Training is the maintaining or increasing testosterone naturally. Chopping Wood has been known to give us guys that feeling of manhood and being able to last in the bedroom, now think of a sledgehammer. That surge of power, hormones coursing through your blood and having strength that could kill. It's that feeling like you're a god among men. Youthfulness can have many factors such as testosterone, looking rugged, energy that lasts and being almost injury-proof. Sledge Work can be back breaking but there is a progression in the recreational style and reduce injuries along with keeping the back and spine healthy. 

Another perk is the development of your grip. Working with even a 25 lb sledge over the course of a workout will tax your grip like a motherfucker. You don't have to squeeze the handle as hard as an Ironmind Gripper but you do need to grip hard enough to control the hammer as you're training. Over time, that grip strength can carryover to other things and somebody will feel it when you shake hands with them. The heavier the hammer, the stronger your grip has to be and your body is in control because one wrong move and you can really hurt your yourself. 

Most of the average Sledge Strikers work with hammers ranging from 10-25 lbs. This isn't a knock to anyone and even those weights can turn someone into a machine. Some of us like to go a little higher and testing our strength mainly to see what our bodies are capable of. So far my highest weight and repping it is around 73 lbs. Guys like Nick Nilsson (The Mad Scientist) aren't even human and has repped out a 100 lb hammer and he's roughly 10-15 lbs lighter than me. Bud Jeffries had done 1000 rep workouts with a 40 lb. hammer and we all know the type of strength and conditioning that beast of a man had. Doing reps with a really heavy hammer is a whole other ball game and the amount of power you generate from it, just gives off incredible production of strength.

With lighter hammers, you can go for quite a while and still get incredible results. This is a great training tool to really pack on some muscle and get in cardio shape at the same time. Be strong, slam hard and be amazingly awesome. 

Should You Count Your Steps Or Reps In Animal Workouts?

During workouts, we utilize a set/rep scheme to determine our fitness levels whether for strength, conditioning, endurance or how much we can handle during a certain set. In most circles, this can be good to figure out where you are and how you progress but sometimes, reps don't really seem to matter because the main focus is improving your technique, utilizing tension or using timed sets. Red Delta Project emphasizes those three methods together to help you get the most out of a workout.

When it comes to Animal Workouts, most of the time, rep counts don't really matter but more how long can you last before you start breathing hard. In many cases, a few seconds is all it takes. When I play my Animal Dice Game, it consists of using a step method to count how many times you move throughout an exercise. It can be used as a rep count as well but you don't always have to keep a record of how many steps or reps you do during rounds. In some workouts, you can time it and just play around until the time is up or you can just go until you can't move anymore; either one will get you results fast. 

For a period or ever so often, I do keep a record of how many steps/reps I do in a workout especially if the amount is doubled per animal. I kept a record for a month to see how many I can do and during that month, I recorded over 10,000 Steps/Reps of Animal Exercises. The most I ever recorded in a day was around 2000. Consider that some of those rounds have you doing up to a hundred reps or more depending on if you multiply the dice and you keep going. The highest multiplier I did during certain workouts was around 5 times of what the round called for, so if let's say I rolled a 20 for the bear crawl, I would have to take 100 steps and they can be either fast paced or just "walking" it for that amount. In most workouts, I don't do more than doubled the amount which can still kick your ass in less than a few minutes.

Considering that you don't count your reps and do timed rounds for different animals, you can still end up doing up to several hundred to a thousand or more in a workout. That can be brutal but effective training and developing levels of strength and conditioning that would just astound people. When it comes to the ADG, you never know when you'll start to fatigue, it can happen in one round or 30, you never know. I'll always say that's the beauty of it, no workout is ever the same twice and you never know what you'll have to prepare for cause it can be a breeze one minute and stupid exhausting the next. The bear crawl is considered the foundation for Animal Movements and the easiest to start with; with that in mind, if you had to do even 20 steps of the bear crawl, the next one could be 20 Frog Jumps and you can wear out your legs and be huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf needing oxygen after trying to blow the brickhouse down. 

The thing to remember with this specific Animal Workout is that the more times you multiply the amount per animal, the less rounds you'll end up doing. In one sense if you just did the regular numbers and went for 15-25 rounds or rolls, doubling the amount can take you down to less than 10 and you'll be done. Doing multiple rounds or rolls with a 5 times multiplier can be considered a superhuman feat but until you actually do it, you'll never understand the feeling of it. 

One of the perks of the ADG is that you can do this with a partner and do all sorts of games like Tag, Medley, how many yards you can go for and so on. If you're playing tag, roll for an animal and whatever comes up, both parties have to do that animal. If you're doing distance like a race, roll for an animal, next roll is how long the distance is and it can be feet, yards and if you're insane, go for kilometers. Imagine the amount of reps/steps you take with those kind of games. If you were to do these games for a week, the numbers can rack up in the tens of thousands possibly, talk about being in shape or getting in shape pretty damn quick. 

So with that in mind, should you really be counting? IMO, that's up to you but it's also not entirely necessary unless you have a specific goal in mind like doing 5000 Reps in let's say ten days or you want to average out a certain amount per workout. Regardless of what you do, with consistent training using animal movements, results will come fast and you'll develop skills and other attributes that other methods are obsolete to. Get strong, be wild and be amazingly awesome. 

The Length Of An Animal Workout

Time can be your best friend or your worst enemy depending how you prioritize and take things into consideration along with making time. Time in itself is an illusion but for the sake of everyone's sanity (which could use a bit of a tune up these days) let's just play with the idea that time is of the essence. 

Workouts in reality don't take up a whole lot of time unless you're a pro athlete who's job is to train for a specific sport and supplement exercises in order to perform at a high level. You could also look at the Great Gama who did nothing but exercise, eat, sleep and do a ton of wrestling that would make the average man's job look like a walk in the park. Most workouts shouldn't last for more than 30-45 minutes max, hell look at guys like The Mentzer brothers and Dorian Yates at the peak of their bodybuilding careers doing the HIT method and trained for 90 minutes a week. Most ideal training programs should be simple, short and with intent.

If you ever read up or check out the books from Red Delta Project (Side Bar Here), you'll find out that the workouts built in or certain plans don't take up a ton of time and make the time count in order to get the results you need. The truth is, if you can time your workouts right, you can make them as short or as long as needed. Micro Workouts are perfect for this because they give you ideas on how to spread out a workout or help you put in a certain short time frame and get the most out of it. 

Now for the reason of the title of this article, Animal Workouts don't take up a ton of time and for good reason, they're intense as hell and most of them make you work every muscle in your body in various directions. A high percentage of workouts don't take more than 20 minutes if that because of how intense and explosive they can be. In reality, you can go as long as you want or do short workouts because it's not meant to be a "workout" per se but more of a way to play and have fun with. With other methods of exercise you can have fun with them too but it's something that brings that natural excitement when it comes to Animal Exercises. When you were a kid, you weren't thinking about how to properly do tricep kickbacks or planning your future to bench press 500 or more more pounds, most likely you were chasing friends and pretending to be a wild animal. Howling like a wolf, making sounds like the wildcats as you crawled like them or play on the monkey bars thinking you can be an ape. 

It's that natural and instinctive connection to wild animals. We are fascinated with what we see at the zoo or an aquarium or even some crazy battle in the Forest or Serengeti that's on National Geographic or Animal Planet. It's that feeling of wanting to know what it's like to run like a cheetah, climb like a monkey, swim like a dolphin or wrestle like a Grizzly. As we get older, we lose sight of what made us pure, connected to nature and understanding what it's like to have that child-like energy and imagination. 

You've all read about the animal dice game more times than you care to find out. To me, it's the GOAT of all workouts because you never know what comes next and you can either do a beginner's version of a movement or a more explosive, fast and more advanced version it's up to you. Some days, I'll just go a few minutes, other days I'll go for a half hour, it's new all the time and it builds your awareness and being ready for what comes next because you never know what animal you'll have to do. The longest workout I did with this was 82+ minutes long and if you want to know what it's like to need water and feel endorphins kicking in, that's it. For the most part, 20 minutes max is more than enough for anyone but it all depends on your energy levels and what you want to do. They can be so intense, 5 minutes will kick your ass and that's all you'll be able to do. 

When you really get into it and understand the movements, you can go as long as you want or can handle. There's really no timeframe when it comes to Animal Exercises, you can do one animal per workout or do a whole zoo of them if you want. The variety is there for you and regardless of your age and sex, you will get some crazy results from them. Think about how much stamina you can build up, the strength you can posses, the explosiveness you will attain and acquiring a level of conditioning that would blow people's minds. Make the time count but have fun with it too, animals can teach us a lot of things. Be strong, get wild and be amazingly awesome. 

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.