Relearning To Write Cursive

 

From what I talked about having Meningitis as a baby, you know that the way I learn things isn't always the traditional way or what is the normal curriculum taught in schools. Some things I had to learn the hard way and what comes natural to most people, can be very difficult for me to comprehend. It becomes an issue constantly to think in specifics and understanding certain concepts one at a time and not from a generalized point of view. It's not an excuse and it's not because I can't but it is how my brain operates and I can only do what works with that chemistry of brain to body function.

When I was little and learning how to write, I never really had great hand writing, it wasn't and still isn't all that pleasing to naked eyes but I never gave up trying. When I was about 9 or 10, I was taught how to write in cursive and although it was readable (not steady but you can understand a little) that was the only period of my life where I consistently wrote in cursive. As a boy at that age, it was tough for me to understand simple concepts and being socially awkward didn't help. I did have friends but wasn't truly part of a brotherhood so I always just went along with people. 

I stopped writing cursive on a consistent basis for more than a quarter of a century and although I'd write my name in what looked like cursive was more than just a scribble of lines, I just signed my name in print. Up until about a year or so ago and as recently as Saturday night, I had learned how cursive could be a major brain building exercise and generate natural hormones. Now that does sound ridiculous as far as the hormones part but the way you strengthen the brain through various notions of exercise methods can jumpstart powerful nerve points in your body's system. I started writing in cursive again, it's not very good and as you'll see, the writing in pencil was from a year ago and the blue ink is from Saturday night. I just started practicing writing my name, my wife's maiden name, superheroes, Matt Furey's and just about those for now. 

Hardly anyone under the age of 30 writes in cursive anymore and it has become somewhat of a lost art because due to the technology we have today, we can just write or type up notes and names and such in printed formats and fonts that are extremely easy to read. Sure some type words in cursive on their laptops or design websites but how many actually write on paper in cursive?

It is hard to do and we need to utilize our brains that is rarely seen these days. Back in the day going back centuries, cursive was the norm for mainly those that were highly educated. Hell the declaration of independence is written in inked cursive for crying out loud. The fundamental aspects of writing this way, helps strengthen neurons in the brain and can raise intelligence by a good margin. Some studies even say it can raise testosterone but who knows if that's true or not , the fact is it's one of those things we should be learning again.

It takes patience and practice but as they say, practice makes perfect but I'd say, consistent practice creates better results. Like I said before, right now my cursive is not very good and probably no better than a 4th grader from the 80's or 90's but little by little it can get better and I believe it's worth perusing. 

Workouts That Can Be A Great Add On To Hill Sprint Training

 If there was one method that is the Holy Grail of burning calories, fat and building muscle at the same time, it's Hill Sprints. Just finished my 3rd full week of Hill Sprints doing bursts from 10-20 seconds starting with only 4 sprints at a time and little by little, increase one rep every 4 weeks. I'm already seeing some changes in my body, lost a few pounds in the process and put on a little muscle while reducing fat. 

I love the way sprints make me feel afterwards and when I walk back home when I'm done, I feel like I'm on cloud 9; must be the endorphins kicking in and getting that Runner's High. Because of the crazy calorie burn, I have been eating a bit more than usual but yet continue to drop weight, not a lot but as I progress, it gets more and more obvious that fat loss and weight loss are showing. 

Now, as a person who likes to go nuts when it comes to training, it is important to be smart about what you do in addition to training this particular method. Having said that, what workouts could you do that keeps things flowing but not burn you out? Since I've started back up on Hill Sprints, I've done other workouts on other days that aren't as intense but still feel like I'm getting something done.

1. Isometrics have been a great addition because you can just do certain holds for an extended period of time or you can do the intense 6-12 second contractions and get that strength training going along with burning even more calories. Along with Hill Sprints, Isometrics can put on definition and keep the fat burning going without impacting the joints.

2. Animal Movements are awesome for day after Sprints but it is important to not go full boar on them because you still have to recover as much as possible. They're great conditioners but they're also amazing for keeping up your mobility and they're fun as a treat to do so you can feel like a young kid.

3. Step Ups can do amazing things to keep your stamina going and in addition, because they're not as intense as Sprinting, they're really good for keeping your breath under control. One day after doing Sprints, I dis a superset for 30 minutes carrying my 50 lb Sandbell and doing 20 Step ups. Felt incredible afterwards and didn't feel exhausted. It was a chance to learn to breathe while focusing on building stamina and no so much on strength.

4. Club Swinging & Mace Swinging have exceptional benefits of training for mobility, coordination and conditioning. I'm going to try this out myself and see what it does because the exercises that these implements display also have growth hormone effects that keeps you healthy and strong. In addition to building flexibility in the shoulders, wrists and elbows there are strength components for the entire upper body and building muscle in the upper back, core and arms. They also strengthen the hands which also leads to brain strengthening. Just a few minutes is really all that's needed.

5. Loosening Up The Joints to me is the ultimate form of recovery exercise because we don't want to stiffen up and feel like we're walking like C-3PO. We want to relax and not have so much tension built up in our bodies otherwise we won't be able to perform the amount of training we need to do in order to be successful in our goal setting. When you loosen up the joints, you're also creating better blood flow to the body while developing suppleness, flexibility, mobility and chi energy. When we are stiff, things don't flow as well and when our mobility and energy is limited, it won't have the full effects of being able to perform the simplest tasks. 

There you have it and hope these can give you ideas of what you can do if you pursue Hill Sprinting. Don't push hard, just keep it simple and keep things flowing. If Hill Sprints are more than enough for you especially in the beginning and additional training isn't in the cards for you yet, than that's great. The idea is to recover as much as you can on your off days from Sprints but if you want to play around with the idea of other workouts because they're beneficial to you, keep the intensity levels low and rest as much as you need between sets. When you train Sprinting Hills, you're going to need that explosive power and strength to do those hard climbs.   

Do Workouts Cause You Anxiety?

 Living in an age where information is just a tap or click away, it can be stressful finding a workout that gives you meaning and suited to your goals. A major anxiety problem in fitness is that you have to count your macros, do this many reps, that many sets, do this amount of exercise per week and if that isn't stressful enough, you need to be in the right position to hit the right set of muscles otherwise results don't ever come. Now with all that, when you actually get to the workout, does it become stressful to even try to keep up with the "curriculum" of what you're supposed to do? 

Personally, there have been times with my own workouts where I felt I had to follow every step someone else said to do and it just made me feel like crap. The truth is, I really don't like it when a book or a person orders me to do this or that and if I did it wrong I'm a horrible person; fuck that LOL. My philosophy has always been to study the principles, experiment and see what works and what doesn't that pertains to me, nobody else. A workout should never have to cause an anxiety attack, it's supposed to help push it aside and give you an endorphin high and feel good about what you're doing.

There are times where your mind isn't even there and if you're trying to do a workout, it'll feel like at times you're resisting yourself and at the same time it just doesn't feel right, that can cause some anxiety and you feel forced. Not all workouts are going to cause you anxiety but it could lead to a way of doing things where if you do have anxiety, you do things to calm you down. Being hyperactive can also be a factor in certain things and that's where you need to train yourself to understand what's causing the anxiety and what is possible for me to do to pull the plug on it?

In case you haven't figured it out, I do suffer some form of anxiety and it's been that way with me for as long as I can remember and that's where my workouts are a blessing to me. When I do Hill Sprints now, they tone down the anxiety and release that high where it just feels great afterwards and I'm better focused and I handle tasks better. When I do my animal workouts, I keep going until I feel I've had enough and my mind is calmer, my body feels more relaxed and it keeps me from being all over the place. 

If you read my previous article on workouts being a form of therapy or meditation, than you understand that for some people who suffer depression, anxiety, ADD, ADHD, being Bipolar and other sources of mental/physical issues can't always practice standard programs like seated meditation and mainstream forms of therapy. Exercise should be a blessing and not a chore or something to feel forced on. Working out should be about taking your aggression or raising your endorphin levels or you being hyperactive and making something great out of it so you can feel like a functioning human being.

I do understand that there are medications for those ailments and for some people, medication is needed in certain cases but not everyone needs to be popping pills and looking like a damn zombie. I know what it's like to be on medication, I was on Ritalin for years when I was younger because of the meningitis and I needed to stay focused. I hated it so much that by the time I was about 8-10, I completely went off of them and it took adjusting especially for the people in my life but I managed to live my life for nearly 30 years without it. I'm not saying you should do the same, just telling you what I did.

Anxiety can be harmful, at times dangerous but it's also a teacher and we need to be aware of it and what it is causing beyond what's going on in our heads or in our bodies. Sometimes it can be harmless and you're just over anxious and nervous, it's a very human thing. If someone is suffering from Anxiety or Depression or other mental ailments, don't poke fun at them, it's not cool and it can drive a person to a place they never wanted to go but do because they just want the ridicule and mocking to stop. Do what you possibly can to not let ailments like these ruin your life and do something productive that keeps them from popping up frequently. If at all possible if you manage to rid yourself of these things, I'm very proud of you and you are amazingly awesome for overcoming them. 

Do what is right for you and if you do use exercise to get yourself off of medications, that's great. 

Why My Training Is My Therapy Or Meditation

 For the life of me, I can't do standard meditative practices very well like sitting or standing. I get overzealous easy and become hyper or feel the need to move. Some people have mastered it, others not so much and it has been that way for me since I was a kid. Throughout my life since I was 21 years old, exercise has been my go to session for meditation/solace/therapy whatever you wish to call it. From relationships to the stresses of moving to another home and even with the loss of friends and family, it has always been there for me.

When you find something that gives you a reason to rethink things and emerging yourself into an element that becomes something beyond yourself, it turns into something you'd never expect. You put yourself into a world where it is your own and only you can allow someone in or not. You've seen the videos, the pics, the articles and some will tell you what they see when I train but there's more to it than meets the eye. When I zone out, nothing around me matters and I get to be in full control of what happens, what I use and how it's going to go.

Working out for the majority of people is more about impressing others and doing what is "possible" to look good when in fact, looking good should be secondary or third or whatever is on a list except for first. Most of the time these days, people have no clue what real training is and they follow trends and do this or that because they don't have a mind of their own. It's one thing to experiment and learn new things or make a habit to train but it's a totally different world where you're zoned out and a workout becomes something beyond moving a weight or doing a hold or doing some variation of a callisthenic exercise. 

The world can be a scary place and we all have dealt with some traumatic things within that scary world but if you can find something that is therapeutic and it gives you hope, smiles and a reason to reach for something, the world for a few moments isn't scary anymore and you get to do something that makes it brighter, more fun and full of possibilities. It does feel like therapy and it becomes meditative when you have full control of your mind and your body together, not just one or the other. It's like a car being able to move with gas in the tank or a carriage being pulled by horses, it's about connection.

Create your own world, throw yourself into your imagination and build that connection to what gives you purpose and how you develop a skill to meditate in your own way. Meditation is not about Yoga Poses or humming in a seated position, it's about finding what connects you and holding onto it. 

These are things that make me feel I'm in a meditative state and get to do something fun and full of wonders. The tools and exercises aren't perfect and some may look horrible to some people but in the end, this is me and this is what makes me happy along with creating my own sessions of Therapy or Meditation.

   

The Mental Aspects Of Hill Sprinting

 When we do physical things, we don't always realize how much of the mental side comes into play. We may have muscle memory or we learn certain things many times and they become a reflex but that's mainly because we have conditioned our impulses and our nerves to move at various points and understand concepts faster. When it comes to Running Hills, there isn't much to be seen yet we are in awe of them.

The mental aspects of Sprinting up a Hill is not just in how we program our minds to literally run as if our lives depended on it but also to push our capacity and find out what we are capable of doing. A 10 second burst isn't long but there is so much going on that it would take an encyclopedia to completely explain it. We can however use certain examples on what is going on; in order to even explode into a sprint, we need to use our brain to send messages to the wiring in our body to activate muscle fibers and become in sync with our structure and keep up with sending those signals in order to stay in stride. 

Other than what we signal our body from the brain, it's also a matter of what makes you want to go a little further, run a little faster or toughening up to beat the Hill. There are certain goals we want to achieve and what we are willing to do to achieve those goals. Walter Payton was the man when it came to Hill Sprints, he pushed himself so hard that it made him a machine. He saw beyond what the physical was to take on that Hill and pushed his mental capacity to a level that some of the best athletes in the world couldn't understand. 

The real mental aspects is how you use your imagination and taking goals by putting them together to create the ultimate achievement. Some people visualize, some just run up and don't think about anything else and there are others that do something different and unique. What would it feel like or sound like when you picture yourself as the fastest human alive? What would it feel like if you thought of yourself as a superhero like the Flash or the GOAT of Anime Characters; Goku from Dragon Ball Z? How would you characterize that kind of Speed, the ability to run so hard that it melts fat like butter in a hot pan or that having that power to accelerate your hormones and burn calories as if it was a furnace? Imagination creates a different result when you add in the physicality.

Don't just go to a Hill and run it, make a game of it, a test of your mental game and creating something in your mind that is greater than your human form. In Dragon Ball Z, there was the villain Frieza who is just your typical aspiring dominator with ambitions to be ruler of something but has a unique way of fighting, he can do great things but he doesn't have just one aspect of his body that's at it's peak, he has layers of weird transformations that make him a little stronger than the other and each time he changes his form, he becomes more and more powerful until he reaches the ultimate transformation. When you have that kind of mentality where your body right now isn't even in it's final form, there's a layer of strength and power just waiting to be revealed until it hits a peak.

The most powerful version of yourself isn't even remotely at it's peak and if you picture yourself at your strongest and see "as if" you can harness that power, it could turn into such a reality that it feels unreal to have done it. The net time you do Hill Sprints, picture being in your most powerful form and when it's unleashed, that Hill has no choice but to give in and let you reach the top. Conquer your own Hills and become even more powerful than you can possibly imagine.  

A Blast From The Past (Training Hill Sprints In Santa Cruz)

Since I've gotten back into Sprint Training (specifically Hill Sprints), it made me reminisce about the times I did them in Santa Cruz in my early-mid 20's. The hill I use to train on was about a quarter of a mile from my house if that and it was the road that led to the DeLaVeaga Golf Course that was also a Disc Golf Course behind it, that hill to this day is one of the steepest I've ever done. Just the incline alone would even make you question your sanity. 

I would do up to 10 Sprints at 10-30 seconds at a time and this was all I could do, no matter how hard it was, ten was my limit. Whenever I did it, no one else was really around and just to hike that thing to get to the golf course would take down some really fit people. I never did the whole Hill, if anyone would be crazy enough to pull that off would be a Olympic Primed Kurt Angle or someone of that Caliber, maybe Walter Payton. The point is, training with a hill like this took guts and doing it off and on tested me. 

When you got a good hill, make the most it and that's what I did. I busted my ass on that damn thing and it was one of the best times in my training career, I really wished I had some footage to show how crazy this thing was. If you go to google and research a little, you might find something. Not too far away from this is another hill that led to a restaurant/resort called the Chaminade and fun fact about that hill, that was the same hill Matt Furey trained on while training for the world championships in shuai chiao in 1997. I was 13 at that time and never heard of him then. He was basically a nobody back then and was only a couple years shy of training with Karl Gotch. 

Sprinting the Delaveaga Hill wasn't for competition or anything, it was just a time in my life where I wanted to know what it was like to do that kind of training. It was hard and I wish I was more consistent with it but life has a way of turning you in a different direction and although I was still training everyday, Sprints weren't a priority and it was a shame on my end. I use to take my girlfriend at the time there and my best friend, neither one wanted to do Sprints with me and would just watch. I don't think we ever fully climbed the hill, maybe once or twice and that nearly killed me. 

Today, I'm back at doing Hill Sprints and it reminds me of how important they are even more now than all those years ago because in my 20's, I was 15-30 lbs lighter and they were hard but fun to do but now in my mid 30's, it's a different ball game and I don't want to lose out on having a good level of testosterone and lowering my body fat. As we age, our hormones get lower and it becomes harder and harder to maintain that youthfulness and drive in the body to produce natural Growth Hormone. I know where I'm at fitness wise and have decent cardio to prove it on certain levels but I want to build that explosiveness and jump start the metabolism and burn calories like a furnace again. 

After a few sessions now, I do feel a difference in my body composition and my need to fuel up with food and have lost a few pounds in the process but I also know this is just the beginning and got some work to do. This is important to me and the beauty of this type of training is that the workout doesn't take long at all, just sprint up for 10 seconds, walk down and repeat. The whole workout without the rest period is like no more than 1:40 seconds if you do 10 10 second bursts. 

It's all uphill from here.

The Ability To Train Harder Using Hill Sprints

 When I was growing up in California, I was more of a baseball fan and basketball fan watching the likes of Barry Bonds & The San Francisco Giants (Had an opportunity to go to Candlestick Park several times) and Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls dominating the NBA for years. I wasn't a big fan of football but I did grow up watching the 49ers and watching the duo of Steve Young & Jerry Rice. I didn't understand conditioning and working out until I was in my teens and early 20's and how sports guys trained but once I understood it, I had a much higher respect for their craft and determination.

Jerry Rice will always be the GOAT of Wide Receivers but what made him remarkable and be able to last as long as he did starting in the 80's and ending his career in the 2000's was his conditioning, specifically hill sprints. Seeing footage of him running hills is just awesome. Hill Sprints is a simple but tough as hell form of exercise that not only burns fat faster than practically any other method but also has some great safety benefits as well: It helps avoid shin splints, reduce the risk of ankle and/or knee injuries and even saves you from pulling a hammy. If this kind of training can help even the greatest catcher in NFL History have a long career, why wouldn't it help you live a healthy life?

It doesn't cost you a damn thing to do Hill Sprints, it doesn't require any special equipment and it keeps your metabolism firing so freaking much that even after a workout you're not only revving it up in to the stratosphere but also burn tons of calories. Because they're hard to do in the first place, they build that mental toughness that helps you stay in the game not just in sports but in life as well. It builds confidence because when you can go hard on a hill and do it with that fighting spirit, it'll carry over to other areas of your life.

Now should sprints be the only workout you do? That depends on your goals but for the most part, they aught to be an addition to your regimen because they can help you develop insane levels of conditioning and explosive strength that in other workouts, it might feel easier to get through. One day after doing sprints, I put myself through a 30 min superset of Sandbell Carrying & Step Ups and it not only felt easy, I felt like I can go another 30 just for good measure. My stamina was just off the chain I couldn't believe it. 

Be smart and be sure to check with a doc to see if you're healthy enough. If you have the ability to do so, start with 4 sprints in the beginning for no more than 30 seconds and don't worry if you can't go full speed yet, just go at a pace for those 10-30 seconds that gets you out of breath. As you progress, picture being able to able to sprint like Jerry Rice, Rocky or Walter Payton, picture them as if they're cheering you on and telling you that YOU GOT THIS!!!

The P.A.C.E Method

Sprinting Hills To Make Fat Scream Like The Wicked Witch Of The West

 Warmth is in the air and it's getting nicer out by the day. Been in the 70's and 80's here the last few days and it feels like summer. Feeling incredible at 100% again, I started changing up my training to doing Sprints. Have only done 3 sessions so far starting back on Thor's Day. Sprinted on a hill about a 10-12 min walk from my house and ran 4 10 Second Sprints. 

Hill Sprinting was a favorite of mine back when I was living in Santa Cruz, CA and off and on for the last 10 years up here I would do them (been about 3 years or so since I've done them). I figured since I might want to drop a bit more weight and get rid of some body fat, nothing will do that better than Sprints. I love to train and do things that some of the greatest legendary sports heroes have done. Walter Payton is definitely at the top of the list as one of the greatest hill sprinters ever. 

The training is so damn simple and nothing beats simplistic training. Want to be explosive, sprint; want greater speed and burn fat like like a furnace? You Sprint. If you can't sprint, do something that you can give your all fast for 8-30 seconds. Go hard and slack off for 2-3 minutes than you repeat it a few times, how awesome is that?

What if it was so simple to burn unwanted fat in such a short amount of time that the fat is melting like the Wicked Witch Of The West right before your eyes. Be able to crank up your metabolism and burn calories during and long after a workout. Not only that but you don't need to do it more than 3 times a week. Start out by getting a feel for sprinting, you don't need to go 100% full speed, just enough to get out of breath. Just doing a few of them is more than enough for most people and the most you'll ever really need to do is about 10 bursts if that. Build up and little by little add time to your sprints and max out at 30 seconds because let's face it, even the greatest sprinters on the planet wouldn't last more than 30 seconds without slowly down at their highest peak of speed. 

Be smart about your training and get that beach body ready. Eat good and drink plenty of water.  

I Am Ready

 It has now been just a tick shy of two weeks since the accident and it has been a crazy road healing both physically and mentally. Slowly getting myself back to feeling like me again and seeing a chiropractor for adjustments and such. I have been eager to get back to doing my sandbell carries, kettlebell exercises and throw in some hammer work since it's nice out this time of the year. 

Yesterday was the day that felt made all of the difference in how I felt before and everything from my mind to my body telling me that I' am ready and I feel like me again. I went to a park nearby and just get in some animal movements along the grass, rest as long as needed and not try to kill myself. After a while, something within me decided to add in some sprints which I haven't done in a long time but I figured what the hell. Ended up doing 4 sprints from one end of the park to the other, walked slowly after each sprint back and took my time and as a finisher, I did some hanging exercises on the Monkey Bars to stretch and elongate the spine.

I jus felt incredibly happy and I wasn't in pain or any discomfort. Had an adjustment that same day about an hour or so after the workout. I talked to my chiropractor about what I did and how I felt, also told him how ready I was to get back into using the weights (sandbells mostly). I told him what size weights I had and planned on what to do with them and all he said was to keep it light for another week and see how they feel like the heaviest I can do is the 20 lb sandbell which is perfect for me to start with. The only thing not to told me not to do was to lay off the bridging for a little longer which is easy for me to do since I don't plan on doing bridges for at least a couple more weeks.

It's a continuous journey and my healing has come a long way but I feel like me again and I'm incredibly excited to train the way I want to again. When you're determined to do something, you keep that fire and passion within. Do everything you can to make things happen and little by little things will become bigger. Be strong and don't ever give up on what you love and what possibilities you can create to make an impact not only on yourself but others around you. 

Healing In Progress

 Since my last article, the healing process from our accident is coming along pretty well. My wife is just now starting to show some bruising and it's hard for her to take a deep breath at times but she's fighting the best way she can and I do everything I can to help her so she doesn't strain herself. For me, I'm very close to being 100% again, just a bit longer and I'll be back to doing my crazy workouts. We're both seeing a chiropractor whom I've got work done on before and I trust him and he's done a hell of a job with our adjustments.

My training has shifted a little more when I added in DDP Yoga the first few days and when it came to Isometrics, I was holding various positions for 1 minute each. I shifted back to the 6-12 second Iso Contractions and added in Hanging to my rehab training. The hanging has helped immensely, doing sets of different hanging positions and stretching the muscles while building strength in the tendons in my forearms along with building shoulder flexibility. I've also done a couple 30 min workouts with just the step ups at 12 reps per leg per set non stop. 

I still can't do the weights I normally use in my workouts (sandbells, kettlebells, hammers) for a bit longer (not that I'm tempted because of how I feel) but because even one tweak can set me back, I need to stick with bodyweight and isometrics. To test myself to see what I can do again, yesterday I did a 10 min non stop superset of Bear Crawling 40ft and 20 Step Ups (10 per leg) as many times as I could and afterwards, did various hanging exercises. It felt great and I didn't feel pain or discomfort, some tension yes but neither the first two.

The one workout that I've kept consistent with every single day since this thing happened is my mobility routine which consists of Neck Exercises in a slow fashion that doesn't use tension and focuses on breathing and dynamic flexibility, circulating the shoulders in three different exercises, working the wrists and forearms, rotating the waist, side bends, rotating the pelvis, tai chi waist turner, standing leg lifts, hip rotations, hamstring flexibility, 2 different knee rotation exercises, 2 ankle rotation exercises and calf raises. This workout hits the body everywhere and it's all from standing. It takes roughly 20-30 minutes to complete and it feels nothing short of amazing afterwards. 

Injuries are a part of life and the best thing we can do is doing what's possible to get back to our full strength. Some don't ever come back because of severe injuries that can be life threatening but do what you can and don't take life for granted. Take care of each other and be there for the ones you love when you can. 

Sometimes The Universe Prevents You From Going On Vacation

 Life throws curveballs at you and you never know when they'll hit you. For me and my wife, that curveball hit us hard. We were on our way to the Oregon Coast on Saturday for our 2 Year Anniversary and about 90 minutes into the trip, we had a car accident that totaled our car. I don't want to go into too many details but we did sustain some injuries; she had bruising on her chest and ribcage and I ended up with Whiplash, tearing some muscles along the left shoulder and a injured my Rotator Cuff. 

Scary couldn't even begin to be an understatement as we were really shaking up and there were 3 cars total (including ours) involved and one person went to the hospital for precaution. Last year for our 1st, Covid prevented us mainly but this time, it just wasn't meant to be. I'm just glad we are both safe and not severely damaged physically. The man who went to the hospital, I believe he'll pull through and has a full recovery. The first couple days were mainly getting over the shock of everything. We went to an urgent care the day of the accident and quite frankly, I didn't get a good vibe from the doctor and barely even looked at me and put me on a mild dose of muscle relaxers. The wife was to take ant-inflammatory. 

We decided to go to a chiropractor and that's when I found out there were tears in my muscles (mainly along the scapula and just below the neck line). Luckily my spine was still good. I'm going to be off some resistance training for a while (kettlebells, sandbells, hammers ect.) and was basically told to take it easy and stick with light stretching, yoga and joint loosening. I felt that when it came to that, do Neck Chi Gong, DDP Yoga, Aerobic Isometrics and my mobility training. Also needed to take Ibuprofen & Tylenol to help with the inflammation so it dies down and helps the healing process. My wife does need more work done due to also having a knotted up back and shoulders when it comes to adjustments. 

We ended up spending the rest of our anniversary vacation recovering and taking time to heal. We took care of each other and as much as it sucks, I'm doing my best not to shoot for the typical workouts I do and help my girl with stretches and keeping things mobile so things flow better. I feel so blessed to be in the shape I'm in and for the most part, the way accident happened, if there was even a second or more, the car that we collided with could've hit the the passenger side completely (where I sat) but ended up hitting the front end around my side. All that mattered to me during the shock was if my wife and all those that were involved were ok, I didn't give a damn about me.

Tragedy comes with lessons and we learn and find out who we really are in the midst of it. All we cared about was making sure we were all safe and coming together as a couple. Being overly emotional was bound to happen and being there for each other. Learn to love one another and we all know accidents happen and doing our best to come out of it alive. We are both healing the best way we can and taking it one day at a time. Real strength comes from how you react from suffering and having the courage to keep fighting no matter how small or big it is. 

Keep it up everyone and don't take anything for granted. We get only this one life. 

Deep Breathing Isometrics

 One of the great benefits of Isometric Training is that you can do all sorts of exercises that take on a unique aspect of the results you'll receive. When it comes to Aerobic Isometrics, people find it easier to time their holds and focus on the breath as they hold a posture or whatever. Now, what if we changed things around a bit? Why not experiment with the breathing part of Isometrics in a different way? 

Learning this concept from my workouts with Matt Furey's Exercise Bible and taking repetition to a different level, the concept of breathing for reps as you hold an exercise (wall sit, hindu push-up, tablemaker and V-Up), let's look at it a different way. When you hold a posture, let's try seeing how many deep breaths we can take before our bodies feel like coming out of it. I experimented with this the other night (sort of) doing Isometrics of Dead Hang, Fist Push-up Plank (mid range), Handstand, Dragon's Pose (variation of Warrior Pose in DDP Yoga) and Hugging The Tree (or Embracing The Tree in Qi Gong circles) and counted my breaths until I felt coming out of it. 

How many breaths can you take (slowly) in a dead hang before your grip gives out? When you're done, how long do you think those breaths made you last? This is a different way of thinking and seeing what is possible to hold an exercise longer and not just see if you can hold it. If you can hold an isometric for 30 seconds or longer, how many breaths would that take? One idea of this is something I learned from Matt Furey was how many breaths it took to hold a 3 min. bridge. Some counted breaths like seconds but what if you were to able breathe deeper than that? I was averaging 12-15 breaths in 3 minutes at some points in the last 15 years and my best was about 10-11 breaths in 3 minutes which is pretty good in my book.

Deep Breathing is a vital and crucial component that gives us the idea of how we handle stress whether in training or in certain life situations. When it comes to training, the better your breathing, the more you'll last. When you're in a horse stance, how many breaths can you take before you even start shaking? Or how many breaths does it take before you start breathing faster like for example: If you can take in a breath that lasts about 15-20 seconds (a full inhale and exhale), how long can you do that before your breath becomes frequent at 5-10 seconds a breath or less? It's the ability to control the breath as much as possible. 

When you think differently, you get a different result. So the next time you do long holds in your isometric workout, instead of just timing the hold, count your breaths and see how long you can hold the isometric before your breathing becomes faster. Just an experiment, something different to test your breath control, strength and endurance. 

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Playground Isometrics

 

When you were a kid, being at a park was one of the best times of your day. Going up and down slides, running around the grass, going on the swings and doing all kinds of crazy stuff. When I was little living in Santa Cruz, there was this one park called Branciforte Park and it had this really long slide that was probably about 15 ft or so going down that was close to a wooded area. Kids today wouldn't understand what it meant to be on a huge slide.

I always enjoyed going to a park and sometimes just sitting on the grass and let the world go by. See kids play, see a ball game on the other side of the fence, skateboarders doing tricks or seeing families play little games. It can be a beautiful place to go to especially in the sunshine. These days, most adults don't enjoy a park so much and because of so many changes to playgrounds even from 20-30 years ago, it's become a thing where being careful and overly cautious becomes the norm.

I do understand that we don't have the same energy we did as kids and our bodies aren't as durable as they used to be when we were used to running, climbing, swinging and falling off of places. I know I've slid off swings and slides the wrong way a time or two but got back up, today it's almost like if you go down a slide or go on a swing and you move ever so slightly, you can hurt yourself. We may not have the same strength or endurance to go for hours at a playground, but we sure as hell can do something to help maintain our joint health and still enjoy doing things.

I was out for a walk yesterday and went to this park that I haven't been to in a long time and had the urge to go hang on the monkey bars from different angles. Just to hang there and feel the stretch from the torso down while maintaining my grip strength, it felt great. Hanging is a great Isometric Exercise that many don't realize the true benefits. Yes not many people can hang for very long if at all but with practice and working different grips, you can gain some incredible strength and endurance (not to mention flexibility and posture). Going on the swings was just as fun and engaging the core to stabilize you is also a great isometric. 

There are so many different ways to do Isometrics at a playground it's almost unreal. Other than hanging, you can do pulls for arm wrestling, hold yourself up on the dip bars, do pushup holds on the Jungle Jim, do pikes holds on the swings (those are tough as hell to do), L-Sits on the Monkey Bars, Chest Presses on poles, if you're really ambitious and strong you can do the human flag, there's so much we don't realize is possible. Strengthening the body doesn't have to be boring and if kids see you doing Isometrics, they may imitate you and see that there's cool stuff to do. Kids absorb like sponges and when they see some positive and encouraging things as they play, it teaches them to see that exercise is fun and interesting. 

If you live near a park and its got a playground, find a time where there's no kids around and really tackle some exercise and enjoy yourself, if there are kids around, maintain distance as much as possible because these days parents and guardians can freak out and nobody will be able to have fun. We all need some joy in our lives especially now and it is important we find a balance in how we do things. Train while having fun and have fun while training. 

Can't Beat An Old Fashioned Pair Of Legs

 Sometimes when I think about legs, I think of the back and forth banter between Will Smith & Kenneth Branagh from Wild, Wild West. Watched that scene so many times and laugh every single time. It's good to laugh.

Many trainees hate training the legs because they're the muscles that basically get the crap beat out of them more than any other muscle group and get frustrated as hell when they train the calves since they're very difficult to develop a large amount of muscle. Leg Day to me is kind of fun and don't do a ton of exercises to get the job done. Just doing Step Ups in the triple to quadruple digits is more than enough and when I was consistently doing 500 or more squats a day, I felt satisfied.

For the most part, when I train legs, I don't go for the bodybuilding approach and try to put on a ton of definition and specially put on as much muscle, I train to condition the legs as much as possible and strengthen the tendons and ligaments of the ankles, knees and feet. My big workouts for legs these days is occasionally doing 100's of step ups, consistent rucking walking with up to 40 lbs or more (once did a 45 min walk with 70 lbs of gear) and Isometrics that include Wall Sits and other exercises. My goals are mainly to keep my legs healthy and strong because I get older, there's going to be issues with shin and ankles from my injuries if I don't train accordingly. 

Some people bust their ass working the legs so damn hard, walking feels like death the next day and as cool as that may be in your 20's and 30's, once you reach 40, 50 and 60+, you're going to need to train differently. Building muscle should be a priority for sure regardless of age but train safely and train for long term strength, not just temporary. As we age, one of the first things to go is our legs. Strengthening the ankles, knees and feet is what's going to keep you from being in a wheelchair in your golden years. 

From time to time to strengthen my ankles and put some muscle on my calves, I would do one legged calf raises going from one to the other for 5+ minutes non stop, it's a hell of a warm up plus it almost looks like a little dance and hey, dancing can be fun every once in a while. Dancers have some of the most powerful legs around and not talking the squatting 500 plus pounds or trying to leg press a freaking car kind but the kind of strength that keeps you on your toes and are conditioned over a period of time. Some dancers have had serious injuries they paid for later in life is true but others even in their 70's and 80's have incredible stamina and that people half their age would be jealous of. 

Recently I took photos of my legs that I don't think I've ever really shown before since most of my workouts and photos are of me either in sweats or shorts that you can barely notice the calves. I was hesitant about it but the majority of the reception I got felt really good. Honestly I don't think my legs look that good at all but after a decade and a half of training legs off and on, I think I developed them pretty good and they kept me from getting seriously injured a time or two. My dad doesn't call me Tree Trunk for nothing so I think I've done something good. 

Definition and looking good isn't always going to save your ass and if your legs aren't conditioned to a sense of degree, you're not going to last long in many areas. Train them with ferociousness but also take advantage of the little things that make a huge difference. Remember the words of Herb Brooks in Miracle "The Legs, Feed The Wolf." 

2 Mini Workouts And 130 LBS Of Hell

 Sometimes you may not always have a lot of time to get a workout in but just a few minutes could do wonders. You can even do them throughout the day when there's a window of opportunity, 5-7 minutes can do a lot than just doing nothing.

Yesterday, I thought I'd get in a couple mini workouts just for fun and chill out and work on stuff the rest of the day. Here are the workouts...

Superset Of 10 Overhead Presses (50 lb Sandbell) & 20 360's (20 lb Sandbell) for 5 Rounds in 5:41.

The second one was another superset but this time it was for 5 min nonstop of Carrying the 50lb Sandbell 2x across the garage & 10 Sandbell Slams with the 20 lb Sandbell. 

After a while during the day, I thought about doing something else for a quick workout and decided to test how long I can hold a Horse Stance wearing my 2 Weighted Vests (40 + 20) and holding my 70 lb Darth Vader Kettlebell. I didn't expect to hold it very long since I never used that much weight before but I managed to get past the 30 second mark (approx. 36 seconds). It was brutal in my opinion and by 20 seconds, my legs started quivering. My goal for next time is over a minute.

Horse Stance training can give you an idea of where your weaknesses are at and just holding one without weight for an extended period of time is a killer workout in itself. Shaolin Monks would hold a Horse Stance Posture for hours on end and we all know how bad ass those guys are. When you add weight, it becomes a whole new ball game of testing your strength in your entire body. I would at times hold my 50 lb Sandbell in a Horse Stance for as long as 3-5 minutes and feel sore as hell the next day. I once held 110 lbs for more than 2 minutes and that felt different.

130 lbs of added weight in a Horse Stance would test you big time and shows how much strength you can possess beyond the muscles. It shows how strong your tendons and ligaments are and that is what really pays off. You don't need to go crazy like I did, just holding up to 50 lbs can be beneficial. If you prefer just your bodyweight, hold it for as long as you can. My best time in just a regular Horse Stance was about 10 minutes or so and I was dying, that was years ago, I don't know what it would be now.

Train outside the mainstream of modern fitness today and learn the old school aspects of strength and conditioning. Toughen up your bone structure and strengthen your tendons and ligaments especially in the legs because as you know, as we age our legs tend to go first. Train accordingly and progress little by little even if it's a tiny fraction each day. Stay strong everyone and have an amazingly awesome weekend.

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Cyber Bullies And Haters

 Words can have an impact on a person that at times is far stronger than getting physically beaten up. Physical wounds can heal, the mental wounds can be far more difficult to heal. Some people are more sensitive than others and you think in most cases they just need to get over it, if only it were that simple. Can words weaken a person? Words at times are like the bullets of a gun and if you point it right, they'll hit you and you can be changed forever.

Kids especially are impressionable and vulnerable to bullying and even if they're taught to fight back, some way, an impact has been bestowed on them. Some of us are taught to stand up to bullies and take a stand for our own psyche and believe that nobody is going to bully us. It works at times but just about everything comes with a price. Sometimes the victim becomes the bully, what we see and hear can give us the impression that being a bully is inevitable, not always so. 

Suicide rates from being bullied on social media these days is pretty damn high and it's a shame that has to happen to people whether it's the victim or the bullies themselves. On one end, a person makes the choice to be an asshole or that was what they were taught and learned how to belittle and poke at people. On another end, a person didn't do anything wrong yet is ridiculed for just having the wrong hair color or listens to terrible music or can't read a sentence without stuttering. Suicide is about suffering and ending that suffering and often times, people think it's selfish to take your own life but in certain cases, you can never understand the suffering someone goes through.

When you have haters, mainly it's either out of jealousy or they hate themselves so damn much that they have to take that hate on others in order to feel some sort of satisfaction. How could you hate someone that you don't even really know and why do you feel the need to hate on them because they're different or they're associated with someone or just flat out have a sickening passion to just hate and not look at the world around you? Success doesn't always come from something you were born as or born with, it comes from failing over and over again and not giving up until something clicks and continuing that click consistently.

Haters have issues with their own set of problems and at times hate on someone for no other reason than to just hate. They say things that really don't make any sense and try to call you out as if they think they can fight you when the truth is, they really can't. A lot of times, haters are basically cowards with nothing better to do than try to piss on your success and calling it Peach Tea. They're not your friend but at the same time, not really an enemy either unless it goes to an extreme setting because all they truly want is attention and to be recognized as the big dog when they're really a scared little poodle. 

If you're successful, you're going to get some form of bullying or hating whether you want it or not and true success is taking the good with the bad. Some just love to talk shit just for the sake of being able to "talk" but in reality, what's the real issue here? What exactly triggered them to make them hate you so much? The answer, we don't truly know. Words can have an impact on people that triggers many things and we don't always know which ones are triggered or which ones that were deliberately thrown at. 

Don't buy into the bullying and stick up for yourself if you have to or ask for help. If you have haters, keep your distance but stop being you. It's not easy, I understand that, trust me but the more you live with the love and compassion and success of your endeavor, the less noise comes from the haters and bullies are nothing more than turds with bad egos and a hate for themselves. Don't be a bully and don't hate on anyone. 

90 Seconds Of Isometric Exercise

 If you ever have read my articles or have done research on Bud Jeffries, Steve Justa and even Bruce Lee, you know we're all big advocates of Isometric Training. My favorite style is doing the 6-12 sec intense contractions from as many angles as possible but every few workouts or so, I do either a mixture of intense Iso training and Aerobic Isometric Training or do Aerobic exclusively for that particular workout day. 

Long Isometric Holds take on a whole other realm of strength training and conditioning. The most common AI hold is the Plank which can be really good especially if you practice certain variations instead of the typical hold with the forearms on the floor. One variation that is difficult but simple to do is holding the plank on your fist with elbows bent at mid-range, most people barely last 20-30 seconds if that but if you can last a minute or more, that shows some serious strength.

Some people have experienced some interesting results with AI's such as hypertrophy, feeling lighter as they move, loss of body fat, increased strength, better stamina and even an increase in testosterone. When you hold a position for more than a minute, it takes another level of strength beyond the muscles, it is the strengthening of the tendons and ligaments. Shaolin Monks can attest to this as some of their holds go for hours, talk about strong joints. I've had great results in doing long holds but unless it's bridging or holding a horse stance, 90 seconds is my cut off point not because I can't go anymore but because I want to do other exercises and not just do one for a long ass time (I get bored easily).

For the most part with Isometric Training, most courses teach people to do holds at 60-90 seconds because that's where they'll start to experience the fatigue of the muscles and only exerting no more than 60% of their strength. The truth is, very few people know how Isometrics work and the understanding of where fatigue starts or ends depending on what they're doing. Isometric Holds are nothing new obviously but the knowledge of when fatigue sets in, the experience of fat being burned and strength that is developing conjures up more to what the real veterans of the method teach as opposed to those B-Movie style books where knowledge is virtually non-existent and go through the motions (oxymoron I know) of just showing exercises have little to do with real world applications and have dangerous consequences when they're not applied right.

One of the most common mistakes people make when doing Isometric Training is how to breathe. This is because Bodybuilders today and even quite a bit of yesteryear that hold the breath as they flex as hard as possible, this is extremely dangerous and could prove fatal to someone's brain. In longer holds, the objective is to breathe deeply and as controlled as possible and to not exert more than 40-50% of force. If you're a shallow breather, you may not hold a position for very long but if your breathing is controlled, you can hold for a good extended period of time. The better your breathing with long holds, the stronger you can be. 

The fact is, Isometric Training is far from easy and it takes a decent level of concentration that many don't understand. Once you exert an amount of force, you need to keep it there for the duration as much as possible. It is literally impossible to hold an isometric at 100% for 90 seconds or more but if it's around half or less than half that amount of force, you can go longer and develop strength that can shoot past plateaus in your regular training. 

At first, 90 seconds may not seem like that long but when certain things start to set in, it may feel like an eternity. Once you can control your breathing and keep that exertion of force at that level, it can give you one hell of a workout and feels very relaxing when you come out of it. One of my favorite exercises is the 90 second Deadlift using my Iso Strap & Dowel, I feel it everywhere and builds a great level of power in the forearms and strength in the legs and lower back. You don't need to do a ton of exercises to get in a good workout, just a few that totals around 10-15 minutes is more than enough. The results can often be extraordinary and it's not complicated unless you make it that way. simple and yet can beat you into submission. 

You can do them anywhere and use just about anything. Have fun and make it interesting. 

Are Isometrics Good At Healing The Body?

 When we think of exercise, from a general perspective it's about health, well-being and a way to make ourselves better not just physically but mentally as well. Now we don't necessarily would say exercise cures us from anything but there might be a way to have it heal the body, as in take in the HEAL part in healthy.

Isometrics have long been debated on its uses, its ability to strengthen and having a somewhat decent discussion if it's worthy to be in the same realm as weights, machines and sports. The truth is, Isometrics can be used in all three but from specific uses within those three types of training or competitive undertaking. You can practically use anything and turn it into some kind of Isometric exercise, you can either hold something and hold a position for time, hit a specific angle an not move but exert as much force as possible or just use yourself. The point is, Isometrics isn't always a black and white outlook of the method, there's more to it than meets the eye.

When it comes down to healing the body, many wouldn't think Isometrics has anything to do with healing the body but that's where most either don't understand or just pretty damn arrogant. When you have an injury and you can't quite move yet, there could be something done about that. Now, I'm not a medical doctor nor am I a occupational/physical therapist but I do understand from experience what Isometrics can do to help with injuries. I never really talked about this but when I was laid up from my leg injuries, I had to use practically 100% of my upper body in order to get around, if I ever used my legs for anything, I would Isometrically press my feet on the wall, only for like a second or two but I would press with the strength I did have which was maybe 5-10%, I would press and walk up the wall, 2-3 at time. I felt that did strengthen me and I was told I was healing rather quickly by then and it was maybe less than a few weeks before my last surgery when I did that but it could also be I was 20-21 at the time so youth was a bit of a factor. This was an alternative since I was no where near ready to walk yet.

The biggest contribution to my rehab was ultimately calisthenics but it wasn't until I learned about Isometrics specifically what they were all about. I tried many different ways to do them and they helped me really well. Once I got into my 30's, Isometrics have been edging more and more to that area where it's now a top 3 set of methods I use to train. The older I get, the more Isometrics become a great asset especially for my legs. 

Depending on what you want to accomplish and is it plausible to heal certain injuries or problem areas such as the lower back, knees, ankles and shoulders? Many people have claimed Isometrics have completely healed them but how many are true? Other than me, I would say there are quite a few people who have legitimately healed themselves using Isometrics such as Steve Justa, Bud Jeffries, Steve Maxwell, Logan Christopher and others. The healing areas are mainly the strengthening of the joints and utilizing the strength of the tendons and ligaments. 

There have been studies done on how Isometrics help strengthen the body through rehab or as a program to shoot past plateaus in an athlete's sport (with so many studies out there, very few are legit). The healing aspects depends on the exercise used in a safe and controlled manner and which joints to strengthen. I firmly believe that with Isometrics, you can make gains in how you strengthen the structure beyond the muscles. It gives you the ability to walk better, carry things easier and making the body near injury-proof.

Holding a position say the Wall Sit where the target areas are the thighs and calves help immensely for those who have trouble with squats or have trouble bending the knees to a certain degree without pain. This is all too familiar with those with knee and ankle issues but with Isometrics, you can strengthen those areas to hold off pain going up flights of stairs. Some people only do Isometrics exclusively because other forms of exercise either cause them pain or it's because their movements are so limited, Isometrics is the only thing that's helping them stay strong for this long. Justa was nearly crippled before Isometrics healed him and it got him off meds for Type 2 Diabetes. Some people do only Isometrics because that's the amount of strength training for them to do so everyday activities can feel easier to do. It all depends on where you're currently at and what possibilities there are.  

Find out for yourself if this method has healing properties. I certainly believe in it and it has kept me from getting seriously injured over the years.  Keep your joints strong. It goes beyond just doing exercise, it's developing a powerful structure that keeps you strong into your golden years. 

New PR In Step Ups And Club Swinging

Sometimes, certain things inspire you to test yourself and see what you're capable of. Yesterday for Easter, I decided to do 1000 Step Ups using the deck of cards again and see how fast I can do them. My previous best was 51:38 and I thought I'd never be able to go faster than that. I guess things have a way of surprising you and after all the sweat and number of times I wanted to quit I did it and broke my own record by finishing in 50:01, shaving off nearly 100 seconds of my previous best.

Step Ups are for all intents and purposes an underrated exercise that works like a charm when it comes to building leg strength and conditioning. Hell if Bob Backlund can go for hours straight doing them, a few minutes a day would be just as good for the average person. I'm not big on celebrating holidays like I used to. When I was living in Santa Cruz, holidays were a constant thing with my dad's side of the family especially Easter and Xmas (my grandmother is Roman Catholic) and ever since I've lived up here for nearly 10 years, it hasn't been the same since it's gotten harder and harder to travel to see them.

For holidays, I like to do crazy workouts to celebrate which is kind of a weird thing for most people but it gives me an opportunity to celebrate victories for presents. Now that I'm married for almost 2 years now, my wife and I would do some holiday celebrating but because of her job, it's not as easy and we celebrate either the day before or some time after. 

One of the other workouts I did on Easter was doing 1000 Reps with the Indian Clubs doing various exercises. Getting fresh air and getting into almost a meditative state that just feels incredible and getting in some conditioning for the shoulders, wrists and elbows. It was fun and just having that calmness and happiness instilled into you as you exercise. That's what it's all about and making the most of your time so you can enjoy other things later on. 

Today for some reason I just decided to start my day with 5 straight minutes of calf raises on one leg switching from one to the other each rep, it's one of the exercises I learned from Kevin Wikse's Pan Program which is now defunct and consisted of training the legs in a unique way. You can learn a bit more about Pan and his other takes on mythology by going to https://mightandmagick.com/. It just felt right to do and I enjoyed it. That's one of the great perks about fitness is that when it feels right and you enjoy it, it becomes something more than just physical, it becomes a mindset. Most likely today would be an Isometric Day but who knows what will happen. 

Enjoy the day, be happy and make the most of what is possible for you. 

A Moment In My Life That I Thought Would Never Happen

 For those that have known me my whole life know the struggles I had to endure when I was diagnosed with Spinal Meningitis. It made a major impact on the nerves around the right side of my body and scrambled my brain to the point where it would either kill me or make me live my life as an unintelligent member of society. When I was little, I used almost nothing but the left side of my body and barely did anything with the right side. Couldn't even pick up a pen or pencil with my right hand because the nerves were badly damaged. I struggled for decades but I kept fighting.

By the time I was a teenager, I could do quite a few things here and there for basic daily life but some things still weren't possible. I could lift some decent weight and move ok without the assistance of my left arm. Still can't shoot a basketball or throw a baseball or football with my right arm. After my leg injuries, I focused on getting stronger in a different way than ever before (as you may have read) but I also needed to challenge my right side even more. In gymnastics, I had a moment where I could do a one arm hang either on the horizontal bars or the rings with my right arm and that was an amazing feat for me, I was 24 at the time.

As I got older, I had to find more challenges, I was bending steel bars, nails, ripping phone books, levering hammers and holding myself up in a one arm push-up. Yesterday was a defying moment that made all those years struggling worth while. You've seen the videos of me pressing the Darth Vader Kettlebell with either hand or doing one arm farmer's carry with it, I wanted to make it harder so I thought I would attach one of my fat gripz to the handle. I never thought I'd be able to even clean it, let alone lift it with that thing attached and to my surprise, I did it with each arm and didn't use any assistance with my left when I did it with my right. I got it up to my shoulder and pressed that son of a bitch 10 times each arm, this thing is 70 lbs BTW and took a lot of concentration to use the muscles I needed to lift it. At 3-4 years old I have gone from not being able to pick up a damn pencil to basically cleaning and pressing a thick handled kettlebell that weighs 70 lbs. more times than I ever thought I could. This to me was decades in the making and I made it possible. 

You have the power to overcome adversity beyond anyone's expectations. Some never thought ever that you could do something they thought was impossible. You have the power to become stronger and make the impossible possible. The struggle is part of the journey but its those moments in time where everything came together and something incredible happens. Look at some of the old-time strongmen and what they endured to become legendary figures in the world of strength. I made something happen for myself that I never dreamed would happen and yet, it came to light when for years there were dark clouds over me. Although the fighting never stops, it's in those brief moments where you have won the battles over yourself and those who told you it wasn't going to ever happen. You made things happen and you CAN continue to make things happen. You are a bad ass my friend and never stop becoming something YOU were meant to be. 

Starting The Day Off With The Wu Ji Posture And A Cold Shower

 Sometimes when we wake up in the morning, we're still groggy and barely alert but also we wake up full of anxiety and feel the need to really haul ass; shower, dress, get a quick bite and run out the door to head to our job. I wanted to start my day with the Wu Ji Posture and just stand there practicing deep breathing for 10 minutes. It felt really good and it was a great moment of just getting blood flow to the body, breathe deeply and controlled and shake the cobwebs out a bit. The cherry on top of a beautiful Tuesday morning was getting into a cold shower.

For all intents and purposes, a cold shower is a hell of a way to wake your ass up out of that groggy zombie like state. Most wouldn't last 10 seconds and I can't blame them. Who in their bloody mind would want to emerge themselves in cold water, let alone bathe in the damn thing? This practice is more than just having the guts to withstand the cold, it's to really tech you how you handle your body and being calm, cool and collected. I practiced my deep breathing and focused on that as much as possible. It's never easy but the benefits are incredible man.

Getting into the habit of taking a cold shower does take time and taking small steps into letting that fear go and just let the water consume you and build that tolerance for cold temperatures. Is it meant for everyone, probably not but you never know until you test it out for yourself. For the most part, it's fear and others can be because of certain conditions. You don't need to take a 20 minute shower in order to notice the benefits, just a couple minutes is more than enough for most. 

The absolute key to both standing in the Wu Ji Posture and being in a cold shower is how you breathe. Cold showers tend to really get the lungs going and naturally make you breathe even deeper than normal (at least from my experience). You breathe in as deep as you can without straining, breathe out everything without straining and hold onto that. It's a very powerful sense of focus and concetration, think of it this way; you remember the stories of Peter Pan? The idea of slapping on some pixie dust and focusing on a happy thought, put them together and you can fly. Your pixie dust is your breath, your happy thought is your mind and picturing being calm, happy and full of power (I know this sounds goofy but it's the best analogy I can come up with on the spur of the moment).

We hate starting the day off with being anxious, in a rush, having our brains go haywire and dealing with negative thoughts. Start your day fresh and ready to kick ass, whatever it might be and being cool and collected in the midst of chaos. 

Is It Unmanly Or Weak To Be Open About Injuries?

 When it comes down to being a man, you're taught this or you shouldn't talk about that, hide your feelings so they're not used against you later, be cold, don't show weakness and most importantly don't cry like a little bitch; do any of these sound familiar to you? So basically, you're taught to be an emotionless robot or act like you're angry. Quite frankly, some of that stuff is a bunch of bullshit. That tells me, you are taught to live in fear and that everyone is against you, even the people in your life. Should you be open about everything, hell no but you shouldn't be ashamed of who you are either.

Injuries happen to everyone at some point unless you've lived under a rock and were taught to be careful with everything. Do I feel you need to brag about your injuries? No, even those that believe an injury under a certain circumstance is a badge of honor which the majority of the time really isn't. In sports, injuries are more common than a goal, run or point and some are very devastating and end careers while others may be more of a scratch or a sprain and you still go out there or lay low for a few days. In life, some injuries completely transform you either physically, mentally, emotionally or all three. Injuries make us suffer but they also teach us lessons that only those who have similar or we're the only one who can understand it. 

I don't brag about my injuries, I'm open about them because they're a part of who I' am, they're mistakes I have made and had to come back from them, they're ones that changed my entire brain chemistry, one injury changed my entire outlook on fitness and one broke my skull when I was little. They're not badges of honor, they're teachers and I continue to learn from them and adapt so I can keep living. Some have been taught to not talk about them or show they're painful because for some god awful reason it's a sign of weakness and you won't be seen as a man. 

Injuries teach us to make certain choices and whether we can come back from them or not. Some never get that opportunity and die from injuries and it's not always their fault. When I broke my legs, I had to choose whether to make myself strong and push through what would lie ahead or I could've just let them wither and not give a damn about myself and stayed in a wheelchair longer. Because of the meningitis, I couldn't speak very well until I was about 6 or 7 and with problems in my right hand, I couldn't pick up a pencil for a long time but they taught me how to overcome those issues and turn them into strengths. I'll never be 100% from the things that happened to me but that's ok, the world goes on and like everyone else, I have to adapt to it.

When people brag about injuries, they treat them like they've won some special award. When it comes to military, (uncorrupt) law enforcement and firemen there's an exception because they sacrificed their mind and bodies and get injured for a cause for which in many cases are heroic. Some people make too much of an injury that is a little over the top for example: every now and then a famous quarterback breaks his pinky, he'll make the front page of a newspaper and fans will send sympathy cards and roses but what about a soldier or cop trying to save someone's life dies? you'd be lucky to find him/her in the obituaries of the same newspaper. 

Injuries happen in life and we can choose to overcome them or let them consume us. You don't need to shout to the world about every injury you've had because at times, some injuries are completely irrelevant and no need to mention them but there are those that you can never come back from and not everyone is going to understand them but I believe that sometimes being open about yourself shows character and you're not afraid of what others may or may not think because in reality, what people think of you is none of your business. If you're willing to be open about who you are and what you have suffered and overcome, the negative stuff could end up being just dusts in the wind.

Be compassionate and remember, you don't always know what someone is suffering from so do your best to be mindful. Some of us are continuing to learn this. 

The Power Of Aerobic Isometrics

 Out of all the crazy type of training people do these days, would Aerobic Isometrics be one of them? I guess it depends on the type of isometrics you're doing. First off, what is exactly Aerobic Isometrics? It is a form of Isometric training first coined by the White Buffalo of old-time strongmen Steve Justa that he used to increase strength for his hay bailing back in his early 20's. To make this work, he would push, pull, squat, grip, twist in every direction that his brain can manifest and specifically work with longer holds of these categories up to 5 minutes at a time exerting less than 50% of his full strength. The idea is to hold an isometric for more than 30 seconds to a minute or more using less strength and controlling the muscles when needed.

Within a few months, Justa increased his labor work by 40% as opposed to only building 10% strength after 2 years of heavy weightlifting. Now if he can build that kind of strength using Isometrics, what's possible for you? Although I prefer the 7-12 second contractions, holding an isometric longer than usual helps aid in building strength, power and speed that is just nuts and gives off several other attributes including endurance, fat burning and skyrocketing the tendons and ligaments beyond the norm of strength. Holding a horse stance is a classic Isometric that helped martial artists for centuries including the famous yet Jedi-like mystique of the Shaolin Monks. Bridges such as the Wrestler's Bridge and Gymnastic Bridge build incredible power in the neck, spine and legs. For the Gymnastic Bridge specifically, it takes strength and flexibility just to even get into the position but the moment you hold it, you learn very quickly how strong you are with your own bodyweight.

Aerobic Isometrics can be very beneficial to your training especially if you're short on time. Just doing a deadlift isometric for 90 seconds at 40-50% max strength would humble most people and it's a hell of a back strengthener and works the grip like a mother. It can be used for rehab and strengthening the knees and hip joints, just doing a wall sit can build incredible strength in the knees and it would give you stronger ligaments to go up flights of stairs or feel better on a hike or just standing. One of the most famous Isometric exercises today is the Plank and its many variations. Most people would do a plank on their forearms which is a great starter but to get the full benefit, do a plank on your hands/fists and see where your real weaknesses are in that position. A good fist plank at 2 minutes would be a killer for a most.

Some would do Aerobic Isometrics to test where their weakest at and strengthen those areas, many discount Isometrics overall because it is tough to measure strength in various positions. For the most part, they're very good at building an injury-proof body and help you work longer and feel lighter as you do other tasks. No it's not going to give you a 500 lb bench press or break a world record in the 100 yard dash (or maybe it could, you never know) but it also develops a level of conditioning that isn't from conventional styles of training and that would be extremely useful in sports such as MMA, Amateur Wrestling, Baseball, Football and Hockey. 

It develops the little muscles and provides them with strength that is hard to break. Think what that could do for a pitcher or a running back, being able to last longer in games and have little chance of injuring a shoulder or an ankle. Most injuries occur because the big muscles overlap the tendons and because of that, the tendons can't always keep up and are at a higher risk of breaking down faster and tearing. Strengthen those areas and see the results for yourself. 

You can do Isometrics with just about anything from a strap to your own bodyweight to using traditional equipment, hell you can do isometrics with a freaking broomstick and build some awesome strength. Use your imagination and get stronger in very unique ways. 

Weight Vest Training

 I have been experimenting with Rucking lately and within a few workouts went from walking with a 20 lb vest to 50 lbs (40 lb weight vest and 2-5 lb ankle weights). It has been interesting and it's great for those days where I feel like going for a walk. I love the cardio benefits from it plus getting out in nature walking around the neighborhood where there's enough trees to make yourself believe you're in Lake Tahoe. 

Been trying other workouts besides walking where I would do push-ups, animal walks, carry my 50 lb Sandbell, holding a horse stance or doing isometric hangs. There's a lot you can do with added weight for resistance. I bought myself a 40 lb vest to see what I was capable of and I'm happy with what I have done that is now possible.

Yesterday I tried a step up workout with an extra 50 lbs and managed 182 reps in 10:20 which for my first time doing that workout with that much added weight was  more than enough. Hell of a cardio workout and building incredible leg strength and conditioning at the same time. One workout I did recently was wear 50 lbs of gear and pick up & shoulder carry my 50 lb Sandbell 50 times across my garage (40ft at a time), so with that math I was walking with 100 lb per set (2000ft (666 Yards), 5000 lbs carried). 

Rucking can be hard at times so whenever I need a break from it, I just recover and do other things, most of the walking is around 35-45 min depending on the route I take. I've done research about how much per week to Ruck and some places say once a week, others say a few times a week if you're experienced at it and quite frankly, I don't trust certain things so I go with my instincts. If I need to recover, I do it and it has panned out very well. I also need to be careful how often I do go because as great as it is, I still feel I need to give my ankles a rest because of scarring and the hard discomfort I get from my injuries. I ruck basically to toughen up my legs overall, also need to do consistent stretching and loosening of the joints so they don't become painful later. 

I do believe Rucking is phenomenal exercise and strengthens the body along with developing great cardio. It also builds great durability and forces you to have good posture because if you bend over too much walking with weight, it can strain and really hurt the lower back plus not to mention if there's no one around, you're pretty much screwed so be sure to have a few things handy if certain things should arise. Be careful but also have fun with it. 

Train that isn't conventional and be unique. Why be normal in your training? It's not going to do you a bit of good, do something crazy, something challenging and find creative ways to make your workouts interesting that doesn't involve getting yourself injured or doing something stupid that you could lose a body part (it has happened). 

What Is It That We Truly Need To Prove?

 Many people in this world have a need to prove something to either themselves, somebody else or both. We have this mentality that if we get in good graces with others or proven ourselves worthy, it aught to come with some kind of reward or sense of belonging. The truth is, what we try to prove, won't always work out in our favor and no matter how hard we try, it sometimes ends in tragedy not by death but by never getting the satisfaction that we have accomplished it.

I'm no exception to the rule of trying to prove myself to others or to myself entirely. There've been many times where no matter how hard I try, I don't feel something ever came out good but at other times, I have made a difference and it worked out amazingly. Many have this mentality whether from their background growing up or learning from mistakes along the way that proving you're beyond capable and forcibly working yourself to death in order to build a life for yourself or for someone else is both admirable but also has it's own set of tragedy. I do believe in hard work and doing the best to my abilities to create a life but also when kids come into the picture, I don't want to be so broken down that by the time they get married that I can't either walk a daughter down the aisle or stand up and be able to hug my son and congratulate him. 

In life, there are those moments that change your entire universe and you need to make a choice of developing a greater life for another and bust your ass so they can live better, I do understand that but trying to prove how much you bust your ass doesn't always mean you'll be a better person or even a good person. There are very hard working people out there who are complete assholes and never show an ounce of compassion or encouragement towards others, even their own and there are those who have compassion and understanding for others and work hard with a sense of balance and solidifying their level of being a good person beyond the work. 

In life, many don't give a damn about you whether you prove yourself worthy or not. Many try to prove to their boss, their spouse, their friends, their family that being somewhat of a superhuman will make you the king/queen of the circle, but it doesn't always end up that way. In reality, when we prove ourselves too much, it bites us in the ass. So how do we show people we are worthy of anything either as a hard worker or redeeming ourselves after fallen on hard times or just being in someone's good graces and hoping they would let us in somewhere? The truth is, not everyone will accept you no matter how much you want them to. It isn't a bad thing to prove something and at times not only do people accept us, they embrace it and we become to accept ourselves and made it work. 

I've had to prove myself over and over many times in my life from learning how to speak well at 5 years old, showing how strong I 'am in various formats and proving that I can come back from a stupid jump at 20 years old and rehab on my own. Some things didn't always pan out in my favor, some did but often I feel it's never enough and I have to keep proving myself either for me or to others when there are people out there I have no business whatsoever proving myself to and yet for some reason I do it.  I guess I'm one of those people like many who just wants to be accepted, understood and knowing I made a positive impact somehow but I know deep down, not many will accept me, understand me or see any positive influence. What good is it to prove yourself to others when in some cases there isn't a chance in hell you'll ever be worthy or accomplish anything? The only things in life that need to proven are the ones worth fighting for. 

Do you remember the line from the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio, "Prove yourself brave, truthful and unselfish and someday you'll be a real boy." Well, not all of us are brave, very few are truthful and there are a lot of selfish people out there but if we prove to ourselves that we can stick up for what's right, be honest about who we are and show a little more compassion, there's a chance we can show the true nature of our being by just being us. That's where the heart and soul of that line I feel has meaning.

What is there to truly prove? That we find a way to live and make the most of this life because once we are gone, proving something becomes non-existent and we can only carry on in the afterlife where you have absolutely nothing to prove and just be a part of the everlasting universe. 

Care To Go Rucking?

 Simply put, go walking with weight attached (Backpack, Weight Vest, ect.). Sounds easy right? It depends on the weight you use and the distance you walk but it's great for cardio and strength building. Every now and then (even recently) I would go for a walk wearing my 20 lb weight vest for a good 20 min to an hour around my neighborhood. Beautiful scenery with lake views, lots of trees and practically quiet. 

When I was living in Santa Cruz, CA, I would walk practically everywhere but it wasn't until a few years ago that I actually started really walking with weight on me consistently. When I was in High School, the only form of Rucking I ever did was carry a backpack full of stuff up to about 25-30 lbs at times and it helped build my shoulders and back at the time but now, it's more of an enjoyment than a requirement. 

I didn't really understand the benefits of carrying weight around until I was experiencing it on a more consistent basis and it's nowhere near as hard for me as some cardio workouts until one day recently I went for a walk up and down a hill near my house. I slapped on my 20 lb vest and put on some ankle weights (5 lbs each leg) for a total of 30 lbs and walked as a warm up to the hill, it's a bit steep but I figured I'd give it a shot. Walked up and down that hill (about 75-80% of it) 6 1/2 times and that was enough for me. From the time I left the house to coming back home took almost an hour and I was ready to drop dead lol. 

I literally hate jogging mainly because of the damn rod and pins in my legs but for other reasons, I never found jogging to be very beneficial. Sprints however, were a favorite and occasionally do them but Rucking seems to be a bit more interesting to do and I can get in some great cardio just by carrying weight around for a little while. Quite frankly, I find it relaxing and it's a great teacher on how you control your breathing as you walk. 

Investing in a weight vest can do wonders and build incredible cardio and strength training at the same time. They even have plate loading vests these days which one of these days I may invest in. The next vest I'm looking into goes to 50-100+ lbs which would be a hell of a workout just by walking. Some like to do other exercises with vests which is awesome, gives you more of a challenge, I'll do step ups on occasion wearing a vest and that's incredible strength and cardio training for hiking. 

We often carry the weight on our shoulders, let's make it worth while and build our bodies with it and make it interesting.