Why Quick Fixes Are A Joke

    Say a young teenage kid just turned 16 and has a full license to drive and up right in there gets a car because they told daddy they wanted it. The kid hasn't had much driving experience and has that thrill of getting into a car and wanting to drive fast, smooth out the drift and believe their invincible. That's the attitude of most people in the fitness industry, they believe that if they take something or follow some idiotic program promising them muscle in a ridiculous amount of time they will get the muscles they "wanted." That's the type of people I call the "I want it now" folks, you know those mindless yaps who have no interest in making an effort to get truly strong and healthy for themselves; they want a body now and they're willing to risk their health just to look good without considering the consequences. The magic pill that will turn them into supermen or that little itty bity program that turns women from an overweight sappy housewife into a picture-perfect goddess in 6 weeks or less. Jesus Christ how low can you go?

 

    Ever read those obnoxious magazines? I'm not talking about just the muscled ones but those moronic diets they put in US Magazine or the latest trend that will have you shed 20 pounds in less than 2 weeks if you eat this one thing. Even those online marketing pitches that just want to make you cringe. The type of bullshit that leads people to believe that without effort they can look like the superheroes they see on TV or in the movies. I'm a superhero fanatic and always look forward to seeing the big cats of the big/silver screen in action but I also know when to be realistic and do my research. It doesn't matter if it's in a magazine or in an online scheme there's going to be some shmuck ghost writer who never touched a weight or moved his body in any form that builds the slightest amount of muscle in his life will make you a sheep to a Shepard promising you guarantees of beautifully sculpted muscle and being able to achieve it inside of a few weeks or less. To me that's a low blow to us guys who help you find programs that are not only real but deserve more recognition than the latest diet that some celebrity endorses or building a superhuman body that isn't realistic.

 

    When people take the easy route; they get excited, jump right into some program that looks incredibly awesome with promise of having a body that a supermodel or bodybuilder would envy and within a few weeks or less what commonly happens? Someone gets injured or gets burnt out and then quits and actually believes all programs are like that because it didn't work out for them. I've been down that road myself where I wanted to have a bodybuilder's body and read up on all the workouts the best bodybuilders produced and yet came out looking like someone ran me over with a mac truck and ended up looking more like Allen Covert in Little Nicky (bad reference I know) than Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando. Ever see those yahoo Crossfit guys and ladies, they look extremely fit and they look like the superheroes you see on TV but what you don't see is the nagging injuries that are wasting their life force more than gaining it. Being hardcore can only last for so long and when it comes to Bodybuilding, most don't realize it takes years to get to where those guys are at, if you had good genetics you'd be lucky to even stand up to the bottom of the Mr. Olympia barrel let alone the top guys. Quick fixes are for those who have no spine to make the effort that can not only be healthy and fit but keep it so without damaging the joints and ligaments that could plague them later in life.

 

    There is a hidden truth in the fitness world that most refuse to accept and it is called consistency. When you find a program that delivers results and gives you an idea to build a foundation on and progress at your own pace, with consistency you will have found the one true thing that never gets around the average person. I personally don't believe in the hype or the belief that I will have the perfect body inside of a few workouts a week, if I see something that interests me and shows something that seems like fun and enjoyable I do it and I get it. I have exercised every single day for nearly 10 years straight and have been in fitness for nearly 18 years and I will tell you that if you can't enjoy and challenge yourself on a consistent basis than someone is leading you on and are taking advantage of you. I've trained on some of the best and worst fitness programs there is from weightlifting to gymnastics, bodyweight training to odd object lifting, strongman to kettlebell training and even had a small stint doing powerlifting type stuff and the one thing that has kept me on my toes and out of taking a day off is the value of time and consistency in what I want to do. It takes time to learn things, the mechanics, the way your body handles things and that no one person can do the same exact things. Don't accept a quick fix, be different and break a few rules in a positive and healthy way. Have fun and learn from guys who have done realistic, smart and use of consistent training that builds real muscle, doesn't take a mess of time and brings out the strongest version of yourself.

 

Happy Thor's Day everyone. Never settle for the easy way to train, train smart, train hard and have a blast doing it without getting injured, taking drugs and following your instincts.

 

    

Train With Your Kids

    In this day and age there are school shootings, kids getting fatter everyday and it's become somewhat of a concern in some countries including our own when play has become very strict. I can deal with structuring and teaching kids to be careful but you can't take away too many things otherwise you're treating them like they don't have a right to just have fun. In Australia, a teacher or set of teachers have restricts kids to not do cartwheels while during recess; I don't know if that's true but even if it was it's not awesome or funny to take away an activity that brings such joy. Do kids get hurt sometimes yes and it does suck sometimes but the other kids shouldn't suffer because it happens every now and then. There's always been violence in the world especially in the home and it's sad when kids are getting beat up or slapped around because of stupid things what does that tell you about the parents. I've been hit a time or two and for very dumb reasons and it's one of the reasons why I vowed to never hit my future son/daughter in any manner because I don't promote physical/verbal or emotional abuse and it's not worth it trying to teach the kid discipline. We have more food varieties than ever in the last century but yet because of cheap prices and an overwhelming idiotic way to pay hardworking people we have become a nation of junk food addicts. Making healthy choices isn't east but it's not impossible.

 
    I've been around kids my whole life ever since I was brought to a day care when I was 6 months old. I'm still friends with the family that raised me to this day and throughout that time I've seen a ton of kids come and go. Some of those same kids had incredible parents but others not so much. Some parents have just let go and can't keep themselves in god shape to even help raise their kids. Out of shape, overweight, skinny and other things but still if you can't keep yourself healthy, how you are supposed to help your kid be healthy. Just because your kid can physically run around doesn't mean their mentality isn't at stake. I've had my fair share of run ins with my dad and he wasn't always healthy either. I'm not saying all parents have trouble with kids it's the toughest job in the world whether you're a single parent or two parent family. The point here is, if you want the best out of your kid's life, don't just put a roof over their head and feed them whenever you need to or they need to but also bond with them, talk things over with them, discipline them in a healthy way and share the little things in life with them without hidden agendas, bribery or force them in more than a number of ways otherwise they will figure it out and can resent you for the longest time.

 
    One of the healthiest things you can do for your son(s)/daughter(s) is to play with them, exercise with them disguised as play. When you create something that's productive and offers not only a form of discipline but structured to value teamwork, punishment without the violent side of it and sharing a common goal of getting kids on the right track in life. It doesn't matter if you get them to do animal movements, push-ups for talking back, playing tag, grounding them adding an exercise for that punishment or whatever it's better than taking the easy route by slapping the kid around or spanking them or just taking away their favorite things. Back to bonding; when your kids exercise with you, it forms a powerful entity when those endorphins kick in and taking all that energy out in a healthy way because some kids are not so easy to calm down, they're hyper, can't stop moving and you're more exhausted trying to chase them around. When you need to get serious do so but don't do it out of anger or frustration, be bold and honest. Have fun with your kids, let them open up their imagination with you alongside them. You only get so many years with your kid so make the best of them even when times are tough and tension arises, make the choices because it will have an impact on their life one way or another.

 
    I have never worked out with my parents and playing wasn't always easy to come by but I loved going on trips, going to ball games, spend summers in Tahoe, watch something hilarious and laughing it up with either one so it was a lot of fun but I always wondered what it would've been like to play tag and being chased, race them or whatever. I'm not saying every family should wear spandex pants and bandanas and chase each other moving like a wild ape while shouting their sounds around the neighborhood (although that would be quite hilarious in itself) but the point is, to get the best out of yourself and kids is to bond in some form that is accepting, loving and helping one another. Sure kids need space very now and then and want to be with friends or significant others when they get older but yet there's that power of family that just sticks with you and a greater appreciation for each other that many families will never understand. Keep your kids fit and healthy but do the same for yourself yet if you do it at the same time it can bring many other benefits of not only raising awesome kids but also giving them hope and faith in each other with not only physical health but building brain power, emotional balance and structure that helps them in their own lives. You have the power to change their life.

 
Be safe and healthy everyone. And to all you kids out there, have fun, listen to your folks, do the best you can on your homework and keep being awesome. You guys rock, don't ever forget that. Be awesome.

Let The Animal Flow Through You

    Many systems of training would have you believe that in order to exercise like them they treat you like a little puppet; they've put the strings on you making you dance and twirl and got you in the palm of their hands. They don't care about your freedom, they mostly just want your money and don't give a shit whether you live or die. Sure they'll train you but also drain you just so they can keep going to the bank. I do understand people need to make a living but there's a fine line between someone being an asshole and one that is compassionate, willing to help you achieve your goals the best way they can teaching you their style and helping you adapt to yours. That's what me and a few others believe in, we want to help you succeed and show you how to take your fitness to a whole other level with intensity and adventure because that's what it's all about. No more being someone's puppet, you are your own man/woman to make the decisions you want to make.

 

    One thing I have always emphasized about training is the ability to have fun. Sure you can be serious about making goals and challenging yourself but if you strict yourself to feel like it's more punishment than adventure than what's the point. The way we connect our minds and bodies together is through the way we think and putting it into the physical. Our imaginations help us find that line that will make us or break us in our training. When I see something I believe can benefit me and utilize my imagination, I believe in it whole heartedly. Recently I got the Animal Flow workout program created by Mike Fitch and I've done some of the moves before by just watching and imitating but when I finally got it and started practicing them, it's a whole new look at training. There are times when Bodyweight Exercise gets a bad rap because you can't get strong unless you lift weights or it's an endurance thing or better yet it's a beginner's type of training; hate to burst your bubble people but you haven't seen bodyweight training like this before. The way you move your body in multiple directions, switching from move to the other and combine movements in a sequence can take down even the strongest of men. It's fun, interesting and it's unique which I like because too many people show the same type of training but this is way different.

 

    The moves you will learn in Animal Flow will not only make you strong and flexible but give you that athletic prowess that feeds on speed, coordination, awareness and how you use your body in various motion. There are a lot of boring stretching programs and some strength training programs that just dull and generic when this takes out all of that and be able to move however you want and get both a stretch and build strength at the same time, when that happens it's a sure fire to work. It doesn't matter if you're in a sport or just want to get in shape, just a few minutes of this training will have you breathing hard, sweating like crazy, moving with grace & agility and open up your body in a whole new way. When it comes to progression, its right up there with some of the best I've ever seen. He takes the ABC's to a whole other level and it makes you want to move and do cool stuff.

 

    From some of the advanced movements it looks like Animalized Breakdancing and to me that's just insane and fun to look at but I'm one of those guys who likes to move and just flow through my own way which he also teaches. We've all seen some form of breakdancing and not just spinning the head on a piece of cardboard but combining moves that involve hand balancing, jumping, switching from one form to the other, dancing and utilizing the imagination to move in a very unique way. In this form of training he breaks down bit by bit on how to work the moves efficiently using hand placements, using the legs to switch and stretch the body while holding a certain position. Once you understand how to use the moves you can combine them however you want and that's what I love is to be able to learn cool exercises and mold them into my own style instead of being told to train this way or that way. Flow in your own way, practice making the moves your own, learn how to get them down to the point where it's not even like working out but playing and having a good time while building a body you can be proud of or be able to move like an animal in the wild being free and happy to do as you wish.

 

Hope everyone had a kick ass weekend and welcome to a new week. Less than two weeks and I'm off to Spokane, WA for the first PAC Con (Washington's version of Comic Con) and getting my geek on seeing celebs, grabbing a few comics maybe and have the time of my life. Be awesome everyone and have a wonderful Monday.