Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Secrets Of The Old-Time Strongmen

Some of the biggest names in weightlifting shared certain secrets on how to not only increase their strength but how to build tendon and ligement strength as well. Back in the early days of Physical Culture there were strongmen that didn't just lift weights and do bodyweight exercise....They added an arsenal of training methods to not only experiment with but it helped their advantage that much more. Back when gyms were just on the uprise there men across the country who couldn't get to a gym either because it was too far away or because they didn't have the money to pay for the equipment themselves to use at home so they improvised a lot and tested different methods and found exercises that not only made them very strong but it helped carry over to when they could use weights. There were exercises that tackled very differently then weights and challenged the body from different angles and were in different shapes and sizes hence the name Odd Object Lifting. Say you had a barrel laying around or a sandbag....You can do a good amount of training using these objects and can turn your body into a conditioning machine.

Odd Objects are not barbells and dumbbells they are peices of equipment that can come from whatever you have. Here are a few Examples....

Barrels

Kegs

Logs

Sandbags

Hammers

Rocks

Concrete Blocks

All these would be considered odd objects to train with. A man who has mastered these time and time again is strongman Steve Justa. If you never heard of him he is considered one of the strongest men in the world and has written a book called Rock, Iron, Steel. You can find that on the Ironmind Website or at Functional Strength owned by John Wood. Justa is best known for training in his backyard and lifting very heavy weight ranging from 500 pounds to 2000 pounds. He carries scrap iron, lifts heavy barrels and carries a yoke that weighs as much as a beetle car. I have very high respect for what he does and is a genius in the realm of strength training. Another man whom I have high respects is Strongman Bud Jeffries. He has a DVD series covering many exercises on odd object lifting and the way he teaches you how to handle them are just incredible. I've played around with Barrels, Rocks and Sandbags myself and I will tell you without blinking twice they are ass-kickers and once you learn to adapt them into your training you will get stronger.

Think of it this way, with barbells and dumbbells you can only move them in limited directions. Now what if you can move a weight in more directions and still gain strength? That be a better way to look at it in my book. George Hackenschmidt once said that to be strong overall you have to adapt to more then just limited movement. If you want to get strong you have to work different angles while working major muscle groups. If you think lifting a 135 pound barbell is the same as lifting a 135 pound barrel it isnt. It takes far more strength and stability to lift a barrel because you can't tell which way it'll go so you have to shift your weight and grip it much differently and not in the same places as a barbell. Odd Objects teaches the muscles how to stabilize differently and how it makes adapt over and over. Go check out Bud's DVD Series and then find out for yourself how awkward it really feels. Train smart and train effectively according to your training needs.

Odd Object Lifting Series

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

What Women Want?

In the fitness world many women have trouble creating the body they want to achieve...Toned Muscles, Firm Thighs, Slim Abs and last but not least a sexy butt. Its harder for a woman to build the body she wants because the less terstosterone they have as oppose to us guys. Whenever they do think about exercise many feel "It'll make me bulky and I don't want to look too muscular." How many times have we heard them say thaty? If someone had a nickle every time they heard it he'd be a millionare.

As far as i'm concerned regardless of how much estrogen or testerone a woman has they are pound for pound ounce for ounce stronger then most men. I once heard of a woman who was 106 pounds swing a 106 pound Kettlebell, now I dont know about you but that is pretty damn strong and from what I heard she wasn't a bulky girl either. Now try picturing a man at 200 pounds trying to swing a KB his own weight, do you think he could pull it off, highly unlikely so that should tell you how strong a woman can be.

I have trained around plenty of women in gymnastics, Core-Performance and Weight Management Training and they have smoked me in areas I can't do and i'm pretty flexible for a 245+ pound guy. Its never easy for a woman to train the same way as a man and why should they? They're build different and need different types of training to enhance their abilities but yet they can become stronger. It takes practice and patience and the belief in yourself to bring out a strong and powerful woman. Women are precious in more ways then one and some are vulnerable to many areas but that doesn't mean they can't get strong and still look super sexy.

There are 2 people I know of who can train not just men but perferably more for women how to become strong and powerful not just on the outside but the inside as well. They're names are Vanessa Bader & Ed Baran. Vanessa to me is one of the best dancers in the world and believe it or not she is one of the strongest women on the planet and yet she has one of the most beautiful bodies you would ever seen. She is a kettlebell, pilates and dance instructor and has performed in shows that would blow you out of the water. She performes with her husband Garin Bader who's a Concert Virtuoso and Magician. If anyone knows how to get women in shape the right way its her. Ed Baran is a former Charles Atlas student and has dabbed in bodybuilding, cycling and olympic weightlifting. At age 35 he studied gymnastics and has never looked back. He is an instructor and author of a plethora of fitness books and dvds. I would consider him one of the best conditioned men in the world and his physique is one of the best i've ever seen. He's in his mid 40's but makes men 20 years younger look like chumps. He's also an instructor on women's fitness and has had testamonials from women all over the world proving without a shout of a doubt he is the real deal and help women reach their goals.

Check out the links below and see for yourself what these 2 wonderful people can do to help you bring new life and create the body you always wanted. Gain strength, flexibility, stamina and power and unleash that confidence that you always wanted to bring out but never knew how. Take charge and prove to yourself that not only can you be beautiful and sexy but have the additude that makes you feel like a badass that can rule over anything that walks in your path. I never judge a book by its cover. I've seen quite a bit of hot women but the real women are not only sexy but could possibly kick your ass at the same time.

http://images.ultracart.com/aff/7231FABB02AAD4012D59C873E2051600/index.html

http://hotburningbody.com/hotburningbody-bodyweight-workout/

http://hotburningbody.com/hbb-kettlebell-workshop-for-beginners/

http://hotburningbody.com/kettlebell-extreme/

What Alternatives Do You Want To Spice Up Your Workouts?

Whether you lift weights, do bodyweight or both they are incredible in various areas to make your training not only efficiant but can turn you into a strength machine. We all have ways to train and we can find many exercises to either build mucle, lose weight, tone up or just become flat out strong. Weights have great value for building muscle and has been proven for decades (even before steroids). Bodyweight exercise have exercises that not only build phenomenal power and explosiveness but are superior to weights in the amount of Range Of Motion used for unlimited amount of exercises.

With all that well and good its apperant to realize there are methods out there that neither weights nor bodyweight exercises can touch. How would you feel to do various training methods that can build power from various angles and take control of greater strength and better stabilization. Here are a few ideas to get you going.....

Cables

Hammers

Maces

Rocks

All of these can turn your body into a machine in ways that nothing else can touch. Building strength in many angles can help you in many areas whether you're in a sport or training for competition or just want to shapen your muscles that put you ahead of the competition. Bud Jeffries on the other hand can help bring all of these things to you if you make the effort. I have worked with cables and hammers and believe me these will take your strength to levels you never knew you had. Even the simplest exercise from a rubber cable can improve your joints and build muscle in ways that not many other methods can touch. Bud may seem like a super-heavyweight that doesn't have a chance of being flexible and he's just all strength but I can assure you he's beyond strong and has strength that most men would kill for. He has a series of DVDs called Alternative Conditioning which features methods of training that people can work on if they can't get to a gym or want to try something if bodyweight exercise don't have the answer.

Take a look at what they can do and get on the bandwagon. Its never too late to learn and build up ferocious strength and power.  Click below and read what this Strongman has to say on the subject.

Alternative Conditioning Series

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