A Superhero With An Arrow

    One show I've got into lately was the CW superhero TV series Arrow. It's been one of the best shows I've seen in a while and because of the rise of Superhero films the last few years, it's only fitting to put them on TV as well. This was on Netflix so I really had a chance to get into it, no commercials so I loved learning about the characters and the stories that unfolded. If you haven't read or heard of the Green Arrow, it's about a rich kid who becomes an Archer much like Robin Hood but with a twist. One thing hit me with this show is not just the action, the drama or him shooting these kick ass arrows but the training scenes; they're very unique in the way where you never see this type of training on practically any TV show, we're talking Ninja Warrior type stuff, Handstand Push-ups, Win Chun, Combat Training it's very unusual but awesome.

 
    The training scenes bring a different element to a show where it's not like a Rocky montage but what a hero literally does in his time while going after the bad guys. Normally you'd see anything close in a cartoon which exaggerates everything but in a full on TV show with real people it's practically realistic maybe not completely but it's there in some form. A lot of what this guy does on the show is mainly bodyweight and handles his strength in a very unique way. The way he was taught to train his hands before he even pulled a bow was similar to what shaolin monks would use in their training. Archery is a very old school skill set that dates back to the Remote Past where guns didn't exist and the Bow & Arrow was the number 1 weapon of its time, forget swords and spiked maces, the arrow was a weapon for elite fighters of war. To even train for the strongest bow takes years of not just practice but also pure hardcore strength that needed exact progression otherwise in battle if you missed too many times you would be kicked out. You had to learn how to handle a target from practically every angle, not just straight into a bulls eye like in a contest, you needed precision and accuracy from as many targets as possible. Some of the strongest men of the time couldn't pull back a heavy bow, those that could, had powerful tendons, super strong shoulders and an incredible pull back that envied many men.

 
    The way to sum up Green Arrow is if Robin Hood had Batman's money and unique tools. Although in the cartoons those two are part of the Justice League only one of them has actually killed. Batman is one of the top superheroes of all-time period but he also doesn't have the warrior's side to kill if needed and that part of him can be argued, however with Arrow; he's got some legit reasons in the show and comics and like the story of Robin Hood, steal from the rich and give to the poor. Each person that he has taken a life from has a purpose to it and although I don't condone superheroes killing, I could understand the need to.

 
    I love some of the training Stephen Amell does on the show and although he did a completely different type of training for the role, the fact of the matter is, he's not this overly muscle bound looking bodybuilder, he looks like a real athlete that can do some pretty gnarly stuff. He looks like what a superhero should be, athletic, strong, agile and flexible. It's an inspiration to see a realistic physique and not something grotesque like Ronnie Coleman. I'm not surprised if there were things he used to help build his body and I don't care, fact is he's got something awesome to use and I much prefer a physique like that with the strength and athleticism to back it up. Check out the show on Netflix if you haven't yet or get the first 2 seasons on DVD. It's worth a watch.

 
Happy Halloween everyone, have a blast, dress up with your most kick ass costumes and get some great candy for the night, watch a horror flick. Be awesome

The Excitement Of Training

    Most don't look at training or working out as a sign of excitement especially from an internal stand point because you're sweating, moving from place to place in the gym and doing some weird ass aerobics class (you see those new kangaroo jumpers they use). Now this doesn't just happen in the gym, it happens at home, while you're out swimming, at a park practically anywhere and one of the reasons most don't excited is because they don't explore themselves internally; using their imagination to create a workout or routine that fires every muscle in the body, picturing something happening while holding a stance or posture. You can go through the motions and still get some kind of result but it won't be the result you want, why not explore your imagination to make the workout interesting. Create scenarios, do pull-ups and each time you come down, picture as if a fire is trying to burn you alive. When you do squats, picture as if something was coming at you and you have to duck to avoid it. When you lift weights like a bench press, picture as if it wasn't a barbell with plates on it but I really heavy beam and in order to live you have you have to push that beam off of you. Now some of these don't need to be that drastic but you get my drift.

 

    There are certain exercises that are just so tedious boring (in my Thaddeus voice from Your Highness) that it's hard to believe that some of these things were created to get results. Seriously if you're going to take an exercise that could be effective but it's so dull, why not add a little zest to it. You can practically turn any exercise into a mighty training tool yes even some of those machines but I prefer old school lifting and bodyweight style training but anyway, if you can make a simple exercise fun and enjoyable, you're no longer working out, you're creating mighty training tools to get the results you want. You have a brain, so why not use it to your advantage and turn it into an awesome exercise that looks the same to everyone but you. You have the right to feel excited when you train, it should never be a punishment but a rewarding experience that could change the very landscape of what you have been taught. The way certain people teach is a bit cold-hearted and try to be all hardcore and act like a want be badass (have you seen those exercises some of those trainers teach, holy shit they're god awful) but that's not a reflection on you, it's on them and you deserve to get awesome results and have the time of your life, trainers are supposed to help you train so one day you won't need them anymore but yet they'll reel you in just so they can take more money from you but the real deal gives you the tools you need so you can be successful on your own.

 

    It sometimes can be a drastic change, at times it's easy to change but overall going from dull and boring to adventure is one hell of an experience and you have an opportunity to make it happen. I've seen people come and go from the gym and around certain areas like a park or field and you can just sense the fire that's inside them but others just go through the motions acting like there's no care around them and to me that's just sad. Ever felt that excitement as a kid when you played tag or being in the sand, opening your mind like it was the easiest thing in the world, what happened to you bro/girl? Oh yeah that's right you grew up and felt that opening your mind to an adventure was just a child's thing and you overanalyze everything. Stop and smell the roses everyone, there's a whole world you can create and it's all in your mind and you have a power in you that is just bursting to come out. Be adventurous, have a blast with what you do, laugh and when you train, have a little fun with it, be creative and let the inner kid in you out to play because this world is messed up as it is and the few of us that choose to live with happiness and lightful in a dark world find it different in our minds and we utilize it to help make the world a better place.

 

    There's potential in all of us and there's always going to be something we're terrible at but on the other side of the coin we are incredible at something and when we find it, it makes us whole and we do the best we can to ascend that ladder of success using what we're best at. Some don't know what they're good at yet but it's there and you have the power to find it. When you do, hold onto it and never let go. Use your potential to reach new heights and be successful at it. It doesn't matter if you want to get strong, do cool stunts, create a business, write a book, train others no all that matters is you find what you're best at and if it makes you happy, run with it and never look back because you have the potential to change the world just by doing what you're best at and you progress within your own style because nobody can force you to make your potential run any faster, we run at our own speed and we grow the way it is meant for us as an individual.

 

Happy Thor's Day everyone and have an awesome day. It is the night before Halloween so get your costumes ready, do what you need to do and have a blast the next night.

The Nature Of Movement

    In the last 30 years or more, we have devolved in terms of how we use movement as a practice for everyday life. Back when I was a kid in the early 90's we ran around the yard chasing each other, crawling, jumping, playing tag and being free. We swam when we went to the pool, we jumped off docks at the lake, climbed a few rocks to get to a place where when it was windy the water would splash up on us. Indoors there was a lot of crawling, squatting to play with the toys and (I was older when me and my friends did this) played silly sports games that were just intense and had to use every muscle in our bodies in a very tiny space. You can't do that from being on a treadmill or a machine, it's flat out impossible in my book. The few however that have continued to grow have taught people how to move with efficiency and using the muscles and tendons/ligaments in a natural manner although structured to learn but teach how to use our instincts.

 

    Some say we are descendants from Adam & Eve, others believe we came from hunter/gatherers of those who lived in Caves and apparently there those who believe that we just miraculously evolved out of nowhere to learn the understanding of Agriculture, Farming, Supply Shipping and whatever else that created this Civilization of the Remote Past. I'm not religious whatsoever but I'm not going to bring down someone's beliefs so they can think what they want. Quite frankly you can have your research and stating what is factual or what's myth and what you can gather from bones and artifacts the truth of the matter is no matter how you look at things it all comes down to one word: Survival. In the remote past it wasn't always having civilization and crops to grow to have food and the only water you had was in a river/lake. People needed to eat, drink and keep warm so they had to come up with a way to keep going and sometimes on a daily basis fight to get the best out of the things needed for a tribe or single person. These were the first geniuses of our ancient world because if they hadn't come up with a way to survive, they'd be dead period. Our ancestors needed to do a ton of things in order to survive for instance; crawl under low places, jump from one spot to another to avoid whatever, swim to catch fish or save a life of a tribesmen, run as fast as they can muster to avoid predators or chase after one and lift things to carry back to camp such as maybe firewood, rocks to cover up something or to use as a weapon. They relied on their instincts and had to move with such power and strength and they never were even taught it (not like today) so what we learn today is more structured to how our ancestors survived but it's got more of a twist.

 

    As a human species we are practically the most adaptable on the planet. We can never be strong as a tiger or gorilla, fly like bird, run like a cheetah or fish like a bear, hell even have the stealth of a Crocodile but we can adapt to practically any environment using our bodies to crawl, jump, squat, shift from one side to the other, going backwards just as efficiently as moving forward and our brain capacity amplifies that of any animal. This is how we are supposed to move our bodies; did I forget to mention we also can lift heavy objects in our time of need and/or carry them. Our DNA has us using our Physiology and Structure to move in a state of instinct and whether we are taught this or that it will come down to our instincts and not only the fight or flight mechanism but our brain can send energy to our system that has thrown that form of adrenaline within us. It is our nature to move and we as a species have lost touch on how to make our movements not just more natural but useful and utilizing our potential for real world strength and stamina.

 

    Like I said before we have the ability to adapt more than any other type of animal. We can cover areas from quite a distance, have incredible strength, run for miles on end and our ability to adapt when we need to sprint like hell for whatever reason and our awareness is very vast and cunning. We are wasting our potential by sitting on our asses and looking at violence and sex and many other things on a daily basis and it's become a horror basically. Move around your house, go outside and play around, jump on one leg, crawl under a long part of a tree, run on a track, lift rocks/logs or anything that is heavy that you can handle, go swimming in the lake or the ocean, Squat to pick something up or sit in that position to play or whatever. The point is to use what nature was intended for you, I don't care if you believe in god or whatever but nature is nature and you are part of it, use it to your potential and it doesn't matter where you live, learn to adapt.

 

Have a great Tuesday everyone, be awesome and get up and move.