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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Animal Deck Of Madness

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

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

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

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

Hearts: Bear Crawls

Diamonds: Crab Walks

Spades: Duck Waddle

Clubs: Chimp Walk

2-10 Cards are as is.

Kings/Queens/Jacks Are 10

Aces Are 16

Jokers Are 50 Steps Of The Bear Crawl

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

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

The Difference Between Being Fit And Looking Fit

 It's similar contrasts to Karl Gotch's idea of the Conditioned Muscle Vs. Counterfeit Muscle. Looks can be deceiving in the fitness world and just because you look a certain way doesn't 100% tell you how fit someone actually is. You can look like the most fit guy on the planet like those "influencers" on Instagram or Tik Tok but certain things may determine they're not as fit when it comes to real world application. Hell you can look at a bodybuilder like a Physique Contest competitor that has the slimmest waist and has a twelve pack but many of those guys in reality are stiff as a board and have very little flexibility or limberness. Even the Mr. O Competitors that look like a comic book character can barely wipe their own ass or able to touch their toes in a straight legged stretch position.

There's nothing wrong with looking fit and having a good looking body and posing more often in the mirror than walking. Just don't be deceiving and trying to get people to believe you only do this or that when it's not the full picture. Sometimes the most fit guys (ones that last, also limber and have great agility) look average or above average and wouldn't be caught dead on a muscle magazine. They're strong to the extent when they can maintain that strength for an extended period of time and have a stable level of flexibility where they're not so stiff they can't move in awkward positions. 

If you want to look at an extreme level of these differences, look up the UFC Fight between Maurice Smith and Mark Coleman. Smith, a kickboxer who was fit but not that big compared to Coleman who was a wrestler and burly. They went the distance (which is awesome in itself) but you can clearly see throughout the fight that Coleman was wearing down and Smith maintained composure, breathing well and had gas left in the tank. Another example was when George Foreman came back at age 45 and was nowhere near the level of fitness (even by a boxer's standards) he had when he was in his prime and practically had a dad bod with some muscle and still fought 10 rounds knocking out Wilcott. 

What I'm not saying here is to test this theory by just looking a certain way and trying to be fit. If you're way overweight and can't go up ten steps without breathing like you just ran a sprint, you might want to start somewhere and focus on getting fit little by little. Some people are exceptions and are bigger than the average person and are fit as you can get. Others are much smaller and look like they have stamina when in reality, they're stiff, don't have much muscle that is useful and don't have strength that would be lifesaving. Being fit does have a certain look but people are built differently and can get fit really quickly or it takes a longer stretch of time because their genetic makeup or structure prevents them from having a level of fitness within a specific period of time. 

You can get fit and if the look works with it that's awesome but you don't need six pack abs or have a ridiculously low level of bodyfat to be fit. Hell you can look average and be fit. What matters is getting fit using strategies that suit your goals and needs to get there. Sometimes you might have to shimmy around certain areas because none of us can use the exact same strategies and eating plans 100% of the time which by all accounts is impractical. Find ways that work for you and get fit the best way you can. Make it so the quality of life extends as far as it can go. Get strong, be fit and be amazingly awesome in the process. 

To find some of the best resources on strategies and equipment, check out the blog's side bar and check out some really cool books, supplements and minimal equipment to be in the best shape you can possibly be in. 

Creating Your Own Darebee Workouts

Circuit Training is a great method for developing a level of conditioning or overall fitness that reaps a lot of benefits. Off and on for years, Darebees workouts have been awesome in testing my endurance and mental strength to push through workouts that may seem simple on paper but once you do it, it becomes a big wake up call. I've written about some of the Superhero Themed Workouts they've put out and have substituted some exercises that suit me and the way I want to get through those workouts.

I'm not a fan of air squats so most of the circuit workouts I do, I substitute them for Hindu Squats or Step Ups. I wrote in a previous post about what was better; 500 Hindu Squats or 500 Step Ups? The truth is, I don't necessarily put those exercises on a pedestal like others have but also doing one particular exercise for hundreds of reps at once does seem boring to me but for some reason, I enjoy them doing a certain amount of reps in sets such as in a circuit. My fastest 500 Hindu Squats was around 12 minutes, fastest 500 Step Ups was around 22 minutes and the funny thing is, I got more out of doing hundreds in a circuit more than doing them all at once. Variety is more my style.

Darebee has more than 1800 workouts to choose from. Some are easy to do, some are very difficult and others are just plain insane but they provide awesome assessments and help you reach a certain level of fitness. Some workouts go for 3 rounds, some 5 and many have you reach for a goal of 7 rounds. My goal in circuit workouts is to reach 10 rounds as fast as possible with little to no rest. That's the real test of one's conditioning and mental fortitude. Some workouts I finished within 15 minutes, others have taken as long as 45 min but when it comes to circuits, I want to test myself to see how far I can go and hit that finish mark with gas left in the tank. 

Yesterday, I made a Darebee Circuit that consisted of mainly leg work, Pushups and Punching. I don't believe it's right up there with elite pro athletes but it was pretty good and it kicked my ass since I'm feeling it today and it's built on testing your cardio and maintaining a pace where the the only rest period is marking off the set and immediately get back on it. Here's the workout....

20 Step Ups (10 each leg)

10 Lunges (5 per leg or alternating)

20 Punches (Alternating for 10 each arm)

10 Pushups

10 Turning Kicks

Finished 10 rounds in 20:58 which comes out to a total of 200 Step Ups, 100 Lunges, 200 Punches, 100 Pushups and 100 Turning Kicks (700 Reps all together)

Sweat like Niagara Falls and listening to some tunes, couldn't get much better than that. These workouts can give you plenty of ideas to come up with your own and not just follow the routine made for you. Doing a workout made for you is awesome but there's a greater opportunity to create your own style and do workouts you choose that challenge you but also making it work for you as well. 

Is it good to train circuits everyday? Maybe not the high level ones which for the most part doesn't need to be more than 2x a week but if you want to do circuits with less intensity and are relatively easy on certain days, moderate on others and push yourself a couple times, that can make a hell of a program. Some of my favorite workouts are the Combat ones where it's like training MMA but also get into the workouts that are more strength and conditioning based like Push-ups, Squats, Step Ups, Sit-Up Punches and others. Sometimes I'll come up with a combo of the two. 

I like doing superset workouts where I can go back and forth without thinking twice about it but circuits every now and then are a real doozer and put you into another state of mind when it comes to conditioning. You get more variety to work different muscles groups. My circuits are always bodyweight based and I can do these workouts anywhere I want. They're free and go beyond just a workout; there's programs, daily goals, diet plans, specific entities of workouts such as Combat, Amazon, Soldier, Playground, Anime Themed or Sports. These will get you in shape and provide you with resources many pay thousands of dollars for. 

Stay strong and be Amazingly Awesome.  

    

The Price For Fitness

Various places around the net provide quality aspects of what people are looking for and a great many of them can be costly, as much as $10,000 or more just to go to a seminar. Is it really worth it? If you got the savings and have a determination to do it, that's awesome and hope it gives you something in return. When it comes to fitness courses or even the cost of personal training, not all is created equal.

In many cases, you would expect that if you pay for this much for a book or a session with somebody, it's going to be the best quality possible yet in reality, there are some greedy bastards out there. Don't get me wrong, I bought plenty of courses over the years and got great benefit out of them. I also got courses that were expensive but the quality of them were as shitty as you can get; crude pictures, writes like a 5 year old who just discovered sesame street, too much about the author, very little in how to apply exercises and other things. 

Over the years as well, you pick up on who writes what and how they advertise. Some people copy and paste someone else and pretend that they're unique and you got people who rip off someone else's work entirely. It won't be the first time and sure as hell won't be the last. Matt Furey has been ripped off many times but he also took a man's style of training and molded it into a global phenomenon which put a lot of people off but also made a killing in revolutionizing physical culture in the modern era for 20+ years now. I get it, people need to make a living, they want the best things in life but I believe in not always needing to stomp on people and take them for granted.

There are so many versions of methods of exercise that you don't know who's really the best or who's just out for the money. Let me ask you this: Is it worth it to you to buy a course for 250 bucks and get crappy quality? Or, would you want a course that's just under 30 bucks that has roughly the same amount of exercises, has ten times the quality and is relatable to even the average person? I would guess quite a few would go for the latter but in this day and age, gullibility can make it easy for some shmuck to spend some of his weekly paycheck to buy a course that promotes well but brings false promises and horrible writing along with making a customer work on exercises he clearly isn't ready for.

Believe me, in some cases, it's better to pay and invest in your health than end up paying a ton of hospital bills and end up in so much debt that it never ends. Unfortunately, some people pay good money for something and end up in the hospital anyway because something went wrong either by following a program too religiously that it caused problems or a program set them up for failure. It happens sometimes.

You can find some of the best training programs for free on the net, even some of the old time mail order courses but even free comes with a price if you're not careful. Just because its free, doesn't mean you won't pay for something later on. Some "gurus" even make the most ridiculous claims in order to sell courses and there are literally some guys out there who sell courses that belittle people and go straight for the jugular in hopes of making them believe their work is the end-all-be-all. That's just messed up and if you're going to belittle, make people feel horrible about themselves than they already are or even try to make them believe your shit is far better than anybody else, that says more about you than your customers. 

There's always a price, the question is, which one are you willing to pay? Personally, I believe in high quality work but not perfect. You don't need to be a perfectionist to have a great course and it certainly doesn't need to be bedazzling either. I believe in finding stuff that hits the spot for you. It's like the idea of Three Bears Method....There are things that are too much, too little and there's that one that just hits it right on the mark and you made it work in your favor. The idea is to find the third bear first, it may take trial and error but the possibilities are there. 

You'll find some of the best stuff just on the side bar of this blog alone. Are they the Babe Ruth of all courses and equipment? Hell no, but the quality, affordability and reviews on them are pretty damn awesome. You don't need to take out a mortgage payment to get the very best. Stay strong and be amazingly awesome. 

Bullworker Iso Bow

I've been hearing about this piece of equipment for a long time and finally caved in and grabbed a pair of them. Perfect for taking on trips like camping, to a park, train in a hotel room, the lake or wherever. It's a great substitute for my Iso Strap (the Isometric Power Belt) as I can do much shorter versions of exercises without the tail end of the strap.

This thing isn't just for Isometric Training, it can even be used for Iso-Dynamic or in other words Isotonic meaning as you move you're also contracting. I've seen several videos of people using them but a favorite is from Primal Play Virtuoso Rocannon MacGregor (aka The Zenkahuna) with his Isometric & Flow Workouts. This guy makes exercise look adventurous and fun to do. Some of my inspiration for quick and fun workouts is from him and his 2 Girl Power Athletes Tara Scott & Marga Madhuri. Together, their sequences are breathtaking and full of expression and dance-like movements. Coach Tara is an incredible athlete in her own right and can move as smooth as you can get.

The Iso-Bow comes with a booklet that shows all kinds of exercises from strength training to flexibility training, Isotonic & Isometrics. There are countless others you can come up with but the book provides some kick ass samples and a weekly routine. I'm already having a blast with it and only done a few workouts. I've added it into my Isometric Training and got some ideas on how to combine it with the strap to get even more creative. That's what I love about training, the ideas you can come up with and the creative aspects to form your own style is what makes it so damn beautiful. 

Today, I went out in the fresh air, dressed like I'm going to a beach party and worked on some Isometric Exercises for about 6 minutes. It's not glamorous or anything like that, just me playing around and working a little routine I came up with on the spot. Shook it off after a few exercises cause the contractions are very intense. I focused on taking a few breaths per exercise to really dig into the muscles and strengthen the joints good. About three breaths or so each. Just having a good time and doing something simple is a great way to go. That's what some of Zenkahuna's workouts represent, other exercises and flows are a bit more complex and advanced but once you get the idea of what he does, it's just inspiring.

Just a few minutes with this thing and you're good to go. You don't need to wear yourself out and call it a day, just play enough to where you still have energy left in the tank and feel like you've been challenged but not on the ground wanting to die. It's about the journey, not the destination. You wouldn't read the last page of a kick ass story would you? It's not the ending that makes it amazing, it's the pathway to the ending. 

Check out the video below and grab yourself an Iso-Bow or a pair for you and a loved one, friend, partner or whatever. Stay strong and be Amazingly Awesome.  

4 Minute Abs & Iso Core Training

Working the Core Muscles (Obliques, Transverse, Rectus, Pelvic & Spinal Erectors) can be difficult to build muscle on especially in the lower areas or even developed a trim style musculature. Some of the best bodybuilders in the world had trimmed abs like Maxick, Frank Zane, Otto Arco and others. Other men and women aren't always built to develop that trim like quality. Ever notice Dwayne Johnson doesn't actually have six pack abs yet has a decently strong core in order to do what he does? 

Core Training isn't complicated and is a lot simpler than many make it out to be especially those influencers that use every supplement you can think of or use the juice. Having a six pack can be awesome to an extent but it doesn't always mean its strong and can take a hit or even help balance the body in various positions. You can have a strong core by carrying things, work various breathing patterns for posture, dead hangs on a pull-up bar, working the rotational muscles when you chop wood or swing a sledgehammer. There's even the common sit-ups and crunches. Your Core is (literally) the center of your entire body and keeping it strong, limber and healthy both internally and externally, can help keep the rest of the body strong.

Gymnasts have some if not the strongest abs in the world because in order to perform the way they do, they need to control everything especially that area at all times because going loose even by a smidge can mean life or death. Many strongmen today have strong cores as well despite the gut size but in order to lift all that heavy shit, they need complete focus on the muscles at hand otherwise again it could mean life or death. So is it really wise to do thousands of crunches or hold a plank for extremely long periods of time? pardon me but fuck that man LOL.

You can get a very powerful set of abs just by doing simple things using low skilled movements or in the case of this article, Isometrics. One of the very best movements for targeting the abs hard is using the Ab Wheel like the standard one or the Power Wheel or as recently, the Ab Carver Pro because of how you can really target the sides and middle. I would spend as much as 3-5 minutes on this thing and I'm good to go. In the case of Isometrics, finding solid exercises whether overcoming, yielding or hybrid will hit your abs with a vengeance with the right focus and intent on the core muscles. 

Personally, most of my Iso Ab Exercises are usually towards the end of a workout to really get in there and dial it up. Normally I would do a Dead Bug Sit-up Isometric, Side Bends, Hollow & Arched Body Holds but more recently I've been testing out a Tabata Style Ab Iso Workout I learned from Matt Schifferle on his youtube channel where you take 3 exercises (one of them where you do side to side so technically it be about 4) and do two rounds of them for 20 sec on and 10 seconds off which builds up to 4 total minutes of the workout. You can check out the exercises in the the highlighted link. It may be 4 minutes all together but it can be tough and can be used as a warm-up, a finisher or even a micro workout to save some time and requires no equipment at all. Talk about 4 Minute Abs.

One of the GOATs of all Ab Exercises in my opinion is the Gymnastic Bridge. This exercise alone when capable, targets the core like very few can and combines the elements of building functional strength, stability, flexibility, agility and a whole other level of Ab Training. Just holding it is hard but you can put your focus into it, it becomes a challenge but in a bad ass fun way. You can check out my video of it below. 

All in all, it doesn't take much time to kick your ass in Core Training. Just a few minutes a day and you're golden. If you choose to do high volume training like with an Ab Wheel, that's awesome, it builds a strong core and make you practically punch proof but the Isometric Exercises for the Core can make a great impact and train you to control your body in positions you're not normally in. Be strong, toughen up your core and kill it in your training. You got this and be amazingly awesome. 

Reached Level 38

Time to celebrate and have an amazingly awesome birthday. A couple workouts here and there, some good food and the best company a man can ask for. This past year has had its ups and downs but you keep breaking down walls and shattering the glass windows that send you into the world of the unknown. Some don't celebrate their birthday, others make the best of what they have and plenty just treat it like any other day. 

Thought I'd get a few poses in to show my progress and although I have ways to go, I'll take what I can get at the moment because that's really all you can do and keep making small improvements. I'm currently at 257 lbs which isn't bad, wanted to be at around 249 but I'll get there, just not today bro. Even in the past couple weeks since I took pics, I do seem to have a smaller waist, definition coming in and keeping the back strong. The bulk of my training has been the Overcoming Isometrics and staying active especially since we went camping and chopping wood was the big factor in staying strong. 

With all the shit going on in the world and guys my age are dying out of nowhere like a lot of athletes and bodybuilders, we still need to keep pushing forward and do our best to look out for one another. I know I've had my fair share of crap with people lately especially one guy that we'll just call Rahul. I confronted him in a lie he said about me and to be honest, it was a dumb move on my part I admit that even though he ended up writing several posts that were so one sided in his favor (which in my opinion is the coward's way instead of coming to me directly) that we both wasted precious time bickering. Overall, it is so freakishly stupid and childish to go after someone whom you'll never see in your lifetime, we both need to just move on and I'll do my thing, he'll do his despite our disagreements. He's got a good business going which he can make improvements on little by little

Every year, there are small hints of wisdom we develop and gain some knowledge on how we proceed throughout the rest of our lives but also reflect on how we can improve ourselves physically, emotionally and mentally. Make each day a little bit better than yesterday, not a ton, just small increments because as each one gets better, it builds up to a huge explosion. 

Birthdays may not be as important to some and others look at it as just another day of still breathing but for me, I take it to heart. Before the age of 2, my parents came close to losing me because of the meningitis. I've had to fight ever since then from speaking to motor skills and brain function, therapy and a whole mess of things. I'm grateful for what I can do even now and I wasn't always alone, I had a great many people to give me inspiration and creative ideas to improve myself. 

Turning 38 is really just a number but in other cases, it makes me appreciate that I'm still here and I still have people in my life that got my back. My birthday wish from all of you, is to take a moment out of your day and just say I love you to somebody. No need to give people a hard time or try to make others feel miserable especially if they're going through things you have no clue about. Three words that can be so powerful, it brightens up a person's day. Just be careful who you say it to but other than that, show some love, some compassion and bask in the glory that you have opportunities to be better little by little even down to the smallest fraction. I'll start, I love you all. Even the haters because despite your obsessions and terrible descriptions, you're a person too and I hope you have an amazingly awesome day.   

Developing A Thick Back Without Barbells, Dumbbells Or Even PullUps

Building muscle can be easy or at times very difficult for some people, it just depends on the circumstances but also it bares some merit in how you develop muscle from a certain point of view. Some actually build more muscle in certain places around the body where other areas tend to be more difficult to develop. Red Delta Project Owner Matt Schifferle didn't understand how he developed his calf muscles that even Bodybuilders much bigger than him were curious how thick that area was. When he finally understood it, things started falling into place.

For years, I never quite understood how I developed my back because regardless of what I did, my back always seemed to be the most muscular out of all the areas around my body. It was weird. When I finally read Overcoming Isometrics and the explanation of Neuro-Muscular Proficiency, meaning the engagement of the muscles used, things started to make sense. My back was being engaged more than I realized in just about every exercise I did. 

Even guys like Matt & Mike The Machine Bruce even made comments to the thickness of my back. It's not a brag or anything like that, I just think it's cool I was able to do it. The idea of having a thick back shows what you're willing to work with and the type of training you would do to get there. The back muscles themselves next to the legs are the largest group of muscles in the entire body. Some of the greatest bodybuilders in the world had thick backs but do the muscles and surrounding tissue have the strength to make you near injury-proof?

When I was weight training in my teens up until about 20-21, all I cared about was just being strong and seeing how much I can lift. I didn't care about the consequences of what some of the weight I was using when it came back and bit me in the ass. I had no coach, no firm understanding of stretching and progressions and I paid a price even at the age of 19. After my accident, the gears switched and it became more of becoming strong both inside and out, learning the aspects of flexibility, developing strength from another perspective and forming more of a health format not just for muscle building but to keep myself from being injured as much as possible while training everyday. 

I do credit the Bridging I learned that helped me build a strong spine and neck but didn't have a real clue on how it made my back look, I had some idea and liked what it developed into but I never quite got the memo about muscularity. Pull-ups weren't always my strong suit and although I could do them (not many), something always drove me to do different things. Bridging, Gymnastic Work, Animal Movements, Isometrics and heavy resistance cables ended up being the factors on the development for the most part now that I think about it. Bending Steel, Ripping Phonebooks, Sledgehammer Training and Sandbells had a hand in it as well but nowhere near the level of the others. 

In reality, I don't know which form of exercise really targeted my back to its fullest engagement but all in all, I feel like I have developed a strong, muscular and thick back that I rarely ever got hurt with. I did have lower back issues a few years back due to picking up something while moving a family member and walking it up a ramp. It hurt like hell after that and it comes and goes now but for the most part, it's practically healed up and I don't feel pain, just irritation every now and then. Will that injury be a factor as I get older, probably but I'll do my damndest to make sure it's at bay as long as possible.

Barbell deadlifts were never my thing and never did any sort of consistent training yet managed a 1rm of 405. I did it in a friend's garage and I thought it was less cause the guy tricked me and put on weight while telling me not to look at it and just do it. When he told me what it was, at first I wanted to kill him but then the shock struck in and I never thought in my life I would be able to do that. 405 in most circles with that lift was nothing, barely a beginner in powerlifting but when you hit it and you hadn't done any consistent training, it meant something.

Isometrics & Heavy Cables were favorites for back training because unlike Barbells and Dumbbells, they felt in my eyes a greater sense of engagement because you focus so much and hitting the amount of contraction really made a difference. When it came to the cables, I always would do the 10-20 rep range cause that's where I felt comfortable at. With lighter weight, I'd do up to about 50 reps and would do supersets of Cables & Step Ups as a form of Upper Body Strength Training & Lower Body Conditioning. The majority of those superset workouts would come out to a total of 500 reps each. I would do a certain amount with the upper body and do the same reps with the lower. My exercises for cables would be 5 exercises for 5 sets of 20 each for a total of 100 per exercise. I would do the same with step ups and the workout would come out to 500 total by the end. I would have barely any rest at all and the set up for the cables would be my rest otherwise I would go back and forth without stopping. Here's a video where I do three of them as a demo.

The Isometrics for the back would be Deadlift Holds (using a dowel with the strap), Upright Rows and Bow & Arrow. Along with Core Training, that's the majority for the back, not a ton of exercises but they're very intense. 

So it is possible to develop a strong and thick back without machines, weights or pull-ups. Pull-Ups are awesome for the development and are an ideal exercise (just ask Mike Bruce). They can be tough but if you're passionate about them and you have solid mastery, they're one of the best around period. Stay strong guys and if you're wanting to build a thick body that has meaning, I got your back on some of the best resources around (pun intended). Be safe but also kick ass in what you do. 

A couple recent pics of my back development. 

Robin Hood & Little John Walking Through The Forest

Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day. Love that opening to Disney's Robin Hood. This past weekend starting Thursday, me and the wife went out camping at a great spot in the forest up on this mountain here in Idaho called Fernan. Had a bump in the road the first day but we made it and got everything set up. After setting up the area, I started chopping wood and she would get the fire going. Teamwork baby.

Friends came up the second day and stayed with us until yesterday. Always a great experience with these guys: Her best friend, Bestie's BF, they're friend, friend's son and BF. Between us guys, we got some good chopping and hauling some chunks of wood. Partying it up, cracking jokes and having the time of our lives. Some of us have a nickname like there's Fire King, Fire Queen, Wind Queen, Fire Prince, Wood King & my wife's new one Fire Fairy. Still haven't gotten one yet but I'll take whatever cause they're good people, usually it's between strongman and lumberjack. 

I'm not even talking about those campgrounds where you pay to stay in some cabin, we go to these spots where you can set up camp at a closed in area and just claim it for the time you're there. Chopping wood isn't just an essential aspect of being out in the wilderness, it's fun and when you got those logs that are stubborn as hell, you break out the Chopping Maul to finish the job. Between us guys, there was always some great chunks of wood to split. 

When these people get together, you never know what comes out of their mouth and having more than "That's what he/she said" moments than a church goer can handle. Sharing stories, making each other laugh, bouncing off each other verbally and just living it up. Blast some tunes especially while chopping, our favorite is playing The Hu's Wolf Totem. That song just sounds tribal and awesome when we got the ax and maul going. 

It's not just the connection to nature you experience, you learn about people and having little moments that form a bond and getting the most out of being your true self. Being your true self isn't always easy, in my experiences ever since I was little, I've had to hide certain aspects of my personality and not have that "put it all out there" kind of thing. For some, they evolve and just run with it, others only give themselves their true self to a small group of people or just one person. As I got older and with the help of my wife and others, my openess expanded massively and just go with it. These days as I continue to learn, I only show my true colors to those who are worthy of it.

When it came to workouts other than murdering wood to keep warm, I also did Isometrics, Deep Breathing, Deep Squat Holds, Joint Loosening, Exercises With A Towel and meditation in a cold creek. Being active in the woods is a huge difference than just working out at a park, your home or the gym. There's a good time to chill and bask in the glory of nature but being active as best as you can has a great impact on being aware and alert cause you never know what's out there. I've seen moose walk and trot by, seen a lynx while driving up there, there are bears, mountain lions and other critters roaming. Like I said before, these aren't typical camping spots, some spots are at times a half mile to a mile apart and animals can creep up at any given time. A good portion of the time, animals will leave you alone.

This is one of my favorite things to do in the summer, I was never a camping kid growing up and before I moved to Idaho, I only camped once with friends in Yosemite. When I got together with my wife, it was either take a trip camping or leave my ass home LOL, guess what I chose? I picked up on some things and still learning little things here and there but over these last 7 years, camping is quite fun. Just the bonding and working together as a team and the family of friends that do their part and being there for one another is an experience I always cherish. 

Listening With Eyes Open

Sounds kind of odd don't you think? Sometimes, things just sound weird but there's a perspective about it. When it comes to meditation, for some people it can be difficult because the idea is to learn how to shut your brain off, have a point to focus on and breathe deeply. Some people are more keen to visualization, others are more auditory meaning sounds are more their thing. I'm in the auditory category, I'm better understanding sounds than visualizing something. If I can't really picture it and try to form it in my mind, it can be very hard.

For me, meditation is very specific and just sitting quietly isn't always easy. Certain things just work like when I write, I need complete privacy, little to no sounds around me and focus on the task at hand. It can be meditative. Meditation specifically, I want to see, hear and feel what I'm meditating. At times, meditation to me is moving like doing Animal Movements or a good workout. Now, what I have found helps with listening, seeing and feeling, is watching videos on youtube called Rain Rider Ambience. These videos show various settings and the sounds to go with those settings such as: A beach with hammock, picnic area, fire pit and the sounds of the waves coming up to the sand. Another would be a woodsy type area where there's a tent with trees blowing in the wind to the sounds of the wind and windchimes. One of my favorites is like a forest area with a treehouse and a pond next to it with sounds of the frogs and other woodland creatures. 

This is my favorite form of meditation in the sense of being able to relax, just listen and take in a view of the video. Having headphones on is a cool thing to use cause you get to experience the sounds from another perspective. I do it often but definitely could use some improvements. These videos are extremely long, as long as 10 hours but you don't need to watch the whole thing, a good 20-30 minutes is best. I would sometimes just watch and listen for 15 minutes and I'm falling asleep pretty easily. It's an idea. 

Meditating has enormous benefits and has been around for god knows how long, the dawn of thinking LOL? There are many ways to get into a meditative state, some are basic but others can be really out there. Hell, there are people who listen to metal and can be in a relaxed state, others go to places and just soak up the environment like at a lake, a coastal beach, camping, next to their fireplace or wherever. Find what puts you in a relaxed state of mind and be able to feel that level of peacefulness and tranquility. Sounds New Agey doesn't it? Well, it's not, whatever you find meditative, use it to be at peace with yourself. Here a few of the videos of RRA I was talking about.

Tropical Rainforest   

Starry Night In The Mountains

Secret Beach Hideout

Enchanted Forest Night

Farmer Burns & Deep Breathing

108 years ago, one of the greatest wrestlers of his time published a course based on Physical Culture Exercise and Catch Wrestling. His name was Martin "Farmer" Burns. By the time it was published, he had already been in his mid-50's and this was also 3 years after his student Frank Gotch beat the Russian Lion George Hackenshmidt for the second time at Comisky Park (Brand New Chicago White Sox's Baseball Park). The book itself had some interesting notions about wrestling that even in that time would've been considered legendary. It's called Lessons In Wrestling & Physical Culture.

These days, the book can be found in reprints and also on Matt Furey's website where there's a DVD version of the course. For the most part, it is a pretty damn good book, if you can get past the blurry pictures of the holds and takedowns. One of the interesting aspects of the book are from pages 7 & 20 where it shows various Deep Breathing Exercises and the Farmer's Isometric Ab Exercise. Now I'm sure in that time, the Abdominal Exercise he presents may have some outdated and possibly dangerous notes on the elements of breathing. The other exercises are great and have awesome benefits but the Ab exercise does have some problems. You also need to realize back then, life expectancy was low (dead by 45 or younger) and certain aspects of scientific studies weren't as rational and safe as many are today (although still questionable in some cases).

When I first learned the Ab exercise, the breathing pattern was completely different. I learned the breathing pattern from Furey's Combat Abs book. The original version in Burns' book was focused more on the inhale and holding while contracting as opposed to a greater focus on the exhale and the sound that was made as you contracted the abs. I've done both and found the latter to be much more suitable and safe. It's the same breathing pattern when I do the 7-12 second Isometric Contractions. I also would go as long as 5 minutes doing this exercise which for more experienced people who have practiced it can be good but just doing it for a minute was more beneficial in my opinion. It just worked that way.

The breathing exercises on Page 7 however; are extremely powerful yet simple to do. I would practice them from time to time but also found a "routine" I do where I take various breathing exercises including the Isometric Ab Exercise and blend them together for a greater sense of a workout that works for me. Some are from the book, others are from a course I learned based on Breathing Exercises from the Shaolin Monks. The exercises themselves from the book, have been called American Chi Kung by some people which sounds cool but the same was said about John Peterson's DVR Exercises which were loosely based and "refurbished" from John McSweeny's version of them, they were also referred to as American Yoga which just sounds weird. 

Was the Farmer onto something when that book came out? Who really knows, I want to believe he did and those same exercises are still being used today in some circles which should tell you something. Deep Breathing is probably the single greatest element we can learn to keep our body healthy because let's face it, if we don't breathe, we die in minutes. Shallow Breathing can be more fatal than we realize and yes many people have overcome asthma and other things that affect the lungs but that should also give us a sign that breathing is just as important as anything else. Just mere tweaks of our attention to breathing can be a huge wake up call and develop levels of strength, endurance and conditioning that are freaking astounding. 

Breathe deeply and see what happens with your body from the inside (or should I say feel) and what happens with the exterior as well. Grab the book for yourself because it's also a hell of a great thing to add to your Physical Culture library. 

"Deep Breathing exercises alone, when done RIGHT, has made many a weak man strong and many a sick man well."- Martin "Farmer" Burns 1861-1937

A Full Body Exercise That Hits Just About Everything

Key words to remember "Just About Everything" but still, this exercise is one of the best for overall health but it also is tough to do at first and makes you focus on so many things it's not even funny. It's the Gymnastic Bridge or as it's called in Yoga, Chakarasana or the Wheel Pose. It truly is one of the GOATs in fitness and Physical Culture in general. 

When I first learned it many moons ago, it was just doing the Push-up version of it or as they were called Reverse Push-ups. They're tough to do when they're part of a routine in your arsenal but once you get the idea and hold the top position, you're going to feel one of the biggest stretches ever. Regardless of what size you are, it takes strength to get into and it takes even greater strength just to hold for a period of time. I remember the first time holding it and 10 seconds felt like an eternity. Have no idea what my longest time is in that thing but I do know that in my early 20's, I went to a party once for a cousin of mine at her house and kids were roaming around, so I decided in her living room to hold the Gymnastic Bridge and a number of kids were crawling under me back and forth for a period. Thought that was going to kill me LOL.

The Gymnastic Bridge is just another variation in a series of Bridging Exercises that target multiple muscle groups and forcing the body to work as a single unit. You see this exercise a lot in Yoga circles or in Gymnastics (obviously) and in Wrestling. Guys like Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson would teach this exercise to students to get them in amazing condition in addition to Hindu Squats, Push-Ups and the Wrestler's Bridges. It is a favorite that's for sure.

The idea of it as an Isometric Exercise is to hold it essentially with just the hands and feet on the ground. At first, having the heels up is a good starting point and as you progress, lower the heels until you're completely flat footed. Just the hands and feet alone would be enough but some have been strong enough to take away limbs and hold the exercise with one arm and both feet on the ground, one arm and one leg or do a sequence called Around The Clock which I learned from Logan Christopher. This is more of a skill than anything and yeah it's cool to do if you can do it but the point of the exercise is to feel the stretch, the full body concentration and breathing as naturally as possible.

Once you get the hang of it and can hold it, so many benefits are being thrown into the mix: Control Over Your Body, Strength that is functional, Spinal Health, Agility, Flexibility, The Opening Of The Lungs and hits the Core Muscles unlike any other exercise. Some powerful stuff comes out of doing this exercise. You can do the Reverse Push-ups and get benefits from them too but once you're able to hold it for even 30 seconds to a minute or more, you're getting far better benefit out of it in my opinion. 

I would consider this exercise for the most part a Yielding Isometric meaning that you're fighting gravity in order to hold it. Although I'm a bigger fan of Overcoming Isometrics, some Yielding ones are just awesome and this is one of them. I would sometimes use this exercise as a finisher or as part of my Isometric Training to hit the muscles from everywhere I can think of. Practice this with intent and do a little dynamic "warm up" to help with easing into the exercise like working the wrists, shoulders and hips. These areas are essential to getting into the position because if they're weak, you won't get very far and you'll just be stuck but hey, we all start somewhere. Here's a Demo of what the Gymnastic Bridge looks like.

500 Hindu Squats Or 500 Step Ups? Which One Is Better For You?

The numbers game in fitness and Physical Culture for that matter has been a standard for more than a century sense the time of the Mail-Order Courses. Setting a goal to hit a certain number in an exercise or set of exercises has worked for many but others got stopped in their tracks for whatever reason as well. When you hit a certain number, what's next after that? Going for more sets, more reps, greater tempo, what's the endgame here?

One of the gold standards for numbers in exercises (Push-ups, Squats, Powerlifting) has been the number 500. Who in their right mind came up with that specific number? Why is it a gold standard in powerlifting to have a 500 lb Bench or Deadlift or Squat? What about 500 Push-ups or 500 Hindu Squats? Why does that number have significance? It isn't a knock to it or anything, more of a curiosity in something so arbitrary that was made up by someone or a group of people to sell the idea that it is the real number to tell someone how strong or fit they are. 

The number 500 is a good number and many people have done far more than that in many exercises especially in Powerlifting. After all, isn't it just a number? Does it have any real historic significance especially since that number has been surpassed more times than I care to count. One of the first guys to Bench 500 was I believe the legendary Bodybuilder Reg Park whom by all accounts was one of the last generation of Bodybuilders to train as naturally as possible before Steroids became the staple of Bodybuilding. When Hindu Squats became popular around '99-2000, 500 Hindu Squats was the gold standard to test a person's conditioning. Matt Furey popularized it but the standard itself was "patented" by Karl Gotch that set the tone for a wrestler's test of stamina and physical/mental conditioning which gave the idea of doing 250 Hindu Push-ups, 500 Hindu Squats and a 3 min Bridge to even get in the door as a wrestler. 

Don't get me wrong, I've done 500 Hindu Squats many times from doing a countdown based method, to the 80/20 Protocol (80 Squats, 20 Jumpers) for 5 sets without a break and doing it using a Deck Of Cards that I picked up from an article I read where Catch Wrestler Billy Robinson mentioned the idea of using cards to help with reps. Unless you're a fan of the exercise or want to stay in relative condition for daily life or in sports, it isn't that magnificent of an exercise. It has it's perks and I'll do reps from time to time but after doing 500 so many times, it became boring and it didn't have that spark of excitement to do that many anymore. A few hundred sure, but I don't need some standard to tell me how fit I 'am. If you don't feel a spark or excitement when you exercise, you're just going through the motions and it becomes typical and tedious.

Now on the idea of 500 Step Ups? When it comes down to it, the exercise itself is just like any other that has its perks and drawbacks but for some reason I'm far more drawn to it than the Hindu Squats. Do I think it's better than the squats? Both yes and no. The yes part because I've gotten more out of it than I ever did with the squats and it gives me an opportunity to work one leg at a time which the squats don't. The no part is because in reality, it's just an exercise that I happen to like better, it's not mystical or magical, it's just different. Personally, I'd rather do 500 total reps with Step Ups because it just feels right and gives me a better sense of cardio. I've done 1000 on several occasions (fastest time being 50 minutes) and after hitting that number, it just got boring so whenever I do circuits, I add in those in substitute for squats and would total in most workouts around the 200-300 mark and I'm good. I would also just go for time (10, 20, 30, an hour whatever) and work on sets of 10-20 per leg. 

In reality, 500 of anything is really just a number and it's a great one to set a goal for. If you're into numbers like that, that's awesome and if it makes you happy and keeps you strong and fit, keep doing it. What suits you better, 500 Squats or 500 Step-Ups? The real question is, which one better suits your goals and needs? They both work very well and either one will get in you amazing shape so it's not like one or the other are terrible for you, one just suits better than the other according to a person's fitness and possible interests. With the Squats, you can virtually do them anywhere you want cause all you need is the ground. With Step Ups, since it's in the name (no shit sherlock), you'll need something to step up on like a stool, a log, stairs, rock or whatever but you can find those in most places so it's not like you can't find a place to do them. There's also no reason you can't do both, I've done a workout or two using both myself. 

Use what works for you and harness the enthusiasm and love for them. Sometimes you may hate them because they're tough to do but yet very simple exercises but in the end, love your exercises even if they're hard because the real benefits is what you get out of them both physically and mentally. Train awesomely everyone and have fun. Training is meant to be an adventure, not a chore or something that will make you feel bored. 

Isometrics As A Cardio Workout?

When most think of cardio; it's running or jogging on a treadmill or going around a town or neighborhood or even doing some kind of aerobics like spin classes. Those have their pros and cons like anything else but the real form of cardio comes in so many other things we tend to forget. You can chop wood or swing a sledgehammer smashing a tire, do sprints, work with the slam ball, do hundreds of squats or step ups, hell even do plyometrics. All of these give off a powerful cardio affect that actually is a lot more functional than just pure jogging. However; does Isometrics count as cardio?

The legendary Steve Maxwell has said that some of the best cardio is from strength training and he was referring to more on the Isometrics side of it and for years, I didn't think much of it cause I didn't even think it was possible. Cardio in a nutshell is just exercising to get the heartrate up to a certain level and keeping it there for a good period of time or raise it and lower it in intervals like from Sprints for example. When I started to really understand how easy it was to get the heartrate up during Isometric Workouts, it became clear that Isometrics are one of the best methods for getting in a great cardio session. If you really think about it, you can get some killer cardio from Yoga especially DDP Yoga.

When it comes to Isometrics, you learn to provide how much tension is used within the amount of time you're working a hold. If you don't use a lot of tension say 30% of your strength, you can do a hold for a good amount of time like say trying to do a 5 minute Horse Stance; it doesn't sound like that long but when you keep the tension at a certain point and the muscles start to burn and controlling your breathing, at a certain point, it becomes harder and harder to keep a steady breathing pattern. Your heartrate goes up and starting to sweat and you're not even moving. How crazy is that? Now how about using tension where you only last 7-12 seconds? The amount of tension normally would be around 65-80% of your strength so you're really digging into the hold hard and your breathing pattern is different. It's not the same as if you're using lighter or decreased tension. 

Both short and long duration holds benefit the body well and your breathing is a key in both. Never hold your breath whatsoever in Isometric Training or in most training methods for that matter. Last night I did an Isometric Workout where I did both Overcoming & Hybrid Isometric Exercises for 45 seconds each doing a curl, squat, deadlift, plank, bent arm pushup and dead-bug. Those kicked my ass because after each exercise, I was feeling my heartrate go up and I was pushing/pulling/squatting more in the 60-65% strength range and it felt like an eternity, they were that tough. I was sweating, breathing hard and feeling the pump in some of them. I wasn't even moving yet I came out of that feeling like I just ran a marathon. 

Never underestimate the power of Isometrics. They'll kick your ass in ways you didn't think were possible and can build muscle like crazy (not over-bloated type muscle like in today's bodybuilding) and I mean the type of muscle that hardens and is tight. It teaches how to handle tension and controlling it. Strength & Power beyond belief man and with the cardio aspects of it, that's just icing on top of a killer cake. Now that doesn't mean Isometrics are the end-all-be-all, movement is life after all so do plenty of training that's dynamic to get the best of both worlds. Be strong but be safe as well, training is meant to help prevent injuries, not cause them and Isometrics when done right is one of the safest yet most powerful methods to help build an injury-proof body.