Your Legs Are Your Wheels

    Ever since my accident and learning to walk and train again, I have made a vow to go into deep research on training the legs and making them stronger not just in the muscles but more importantly the tendons and ligaments. As we age, one of the first things that starts to go physically is our legs, the bones become a little more brittle and the joints get a little weaker and muscles begin to go south. It becomes more and more difficult to even get a good move going and your body just aches like a bitch. It doesn't have to be that way though; you can make a choice to keep your body in incredible shape when you get older like into your 50's and beyond. It's a matter of modifying and building a foundation. Flexibility is your first priority, then you work on strength so you can value the useful of what is working in your body.

 
    Most people think as you age, muscles need to keep strengthened more than anything else; not necessarily true, strength is a factor and should be in on your to do list but for the most part muscles are secondary compared to the joints and ligaments in the body especially in your hips, ankles and feet. How can you really move at all when your joints are all screwed up? Why do you think so many older folks have bad hips and weak ankles? It's not always about aging, its about how you take care of yourself. Sure you're not going to be lifting extremely heavy poundages (but then again what's really stopping you if you wanted to do that) but make it your main focus is strengthen the tendons as much as possible, the muscles will follow when you do the right amount of training. Isometrics are extremely power tendon builders and utilizing Chi Kung methods help you internalize your energy and build strength from the inside. Flexibility is not always about stretching and toe touching, it's about finding that youthful vitality in your bones that is full of vigor and life. Do some joint loosening, stretch your hamstrings efficiently and power up on the hips because they give the lower body some of its greatest power in many areas. I train my legs consistently with plenty of dynamic stretching, joint loosening, isometric stretching, mobility drills and others and I'm in my 30's, I want to be nearly as mobile 50 years from now because of it.

 
    Sprints build powerful legs, period; some people don't always have the luxury of sprinting somewhere or they don't have the strength to move as such but there are always alternatives, sprinting doesn't always mean running, you can do exercises at a much faster pace to get that effect whether it's push-ups, squats, running in place anything that gets their heart rate up quick and with intensity. Circuit Training can be useful mixing exercises together and moving in a fast pace and go round to round with no rest, that alone burns up a lot of fat and puts on muscle. It's all about what works for you and making the best of what you have. I love sprints, however I don't always feel like running so hard I feel like my legs are going to pop off, I can sprint in place and still get the same benefits. Make it work for you and experiment the very best you want to learn and master.

 
    If you want to learn on how to build powerful, agile and enduring legs, talk to an old-time pro wrestler like from the 70's and before. It's not always about entertaining a crowd with theatrical exploits, you also need to keep up with your opponent and work a match to the very end whether it's 10 minutes or 60 minutes. These guys are the very embodiment of superior conditioning. If your legs aren't up to the task neither will the rest of your body. Guys like Ed Strangler Lewis, Lou Thesz, Verne Gagne, Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair, Frank Gotch, Karl Gotch and even guys like Ben Sharman and Killer Kowalski were exceptional in the conditioning department and hardly broke a sweat within the first 10 minutes of a match (slight exaggeration). Being able to endure a lot and still have some fire burning in the tank is an awesome thing to have. Research on how wrestlers trained their legs, there is some cool stuff you can do and you don't need to do extremely high reps to reap the benefits, just enough to where it works for you and keeps you firing. Having enduring legs is also great for your testosterone and having a high sex drive. Strong legs can carry you in ways that can be useful when you need them too. These guys can teach you things about the legs most sports can't even fathom, why do you think wrestling is the most important sport? Keep your legs strong and agile no matter what your age and prove to yourself that age is just a number and not an ideal outlook of what you were and what you have been led to believe. Your legs are the wheels and your will is the engine and the rest are the various parts needed to keep going. Be awesome my friends.

The Circuits That Keep On Giving

   There are mixed reviews with circuit training as it is with of other methods. These days when you think of Circuits, you think of Crossfit and getting in as many rounds as possible in a certain amount of time. Although that's great for an advanced person but for someone starting out, it can put them in the hospital or in an unwanted grave. Circuits are done where you mesh a certain amount of exercises and do them without rest until you have completed 1 round. Most people can't handle that fast pace and high form of intensity because it takes far more than just strength & endurance, it becomes a mental game of chess and some are great for beginners but others are mostly for those in decent shape. Those long cardio sessions on the treadmill are practically useless unless you plan on training for a competition of some sorts. You'll gain endurance for sure but you'll also lose muscle mass and the ability to burn fat efficiently. If you want a quicker workout that has the same benefits circuits would be the way to go. You can get in a great workout in under 30 minutes with proper rest periods between sets.

 
    Although circuits are good in some order, some of the exercises they put people through most of the time are either boring/generic or far too much for someone to handle when they're not prepared for it. You can however mix your favorite exercises you do know and can use your imagination with to get awesome benefit out of. The key secret to circuit training is not always about speed and short rest periods (although they can be a great factor as you progress) but more on a steady pace with as good of form as possible. You want to have nearly as good form at the end just as much as crisp in the beginning. Once you start slouching and you're in need of an iron lung than you need to stop. If your form or pace is deteriorating as you go along, you can have some severe problems in your joints, muscles and tissue in the ligaments. I'm not a huge fan of plyometrics and I don't think you need to jump as high as possible 10-20 times per circuit so I personally believe especially for those who have had injuries and such ought to keep circuit training as low impact as possible and use very little to no equipment. Unless you're in a specific sport or in need to get in serious shape fast, some equipment would be good to use but really Bodyweight is best.

 
    One site I highly recommend that has circuit workouts for every level of fitness is Darebee where you can choose from well over 100 workouts and programs for your specific goals and needs. This is the next evolution from Neila Rey. These workouts even have themes that anyone can relate to; superheroes, movie characters, books, anime, military, Primal, Circuits For Swimming & Sports and way more than I can mention. These give you an idea on how to take a cool pop culture idea and turn it into a kick ass workout that will have you begging for mercy while having fun as well. Nobody really likes those boring and generic exercise systems that really have no value to the individual who's looking for something interesting to do. I'm all for using the imagination and utilizing basic and advanced exercises to build skills for your everyday life. I didn't like circuits very much until I came to Darebee and found a new realm of ideas to use. Plus it's all free and you can download and print out the workouts into little cards for you to travel with so you don't always have to get on the internet. These are truly some of the very best exercise programs around today and take less time to do than it is to get the gym, dress and getting on a machine (which you may need to wait for). They have programs for strength, weight loss, High Intensity, realistic cardio, fat burning, stamina, flexibility and speed. There are no excuses and you can switch exercises around to suit your needs and goals, modify them if you have to you have that option. They have levels of progression that are simple and straight forward; you can work out up to 3 levels of sets (or 10 sets total in some workouts) and learn how you can make your own progressions.

 
    I'm a hard working guy when it comes to training and have put myself through some of the most intense workouts imaginable so I can safely say if you want to be in great shape, you need to know what your fitness level is otherwise you can get injured or burned out; I was doing Level 3 type workouts for about a week or so and just didn't have it in me afterwards and ended up quitting for a while because I pushed it way too much and I was already in good shape. Build up and remember you don't need to go to the highest level every single workout and because of the limitless amount of circuits at Darebee not every workout is the same, so learn how to adapt and modify a bit so you can get to that high level on a consistent basis but not a frequent basis. If you only have enough in you for 2-3 rounds that day do so but don't push so hard you'll pass out or end up having some kind of lung problem from lack of pure deep breathing oxygen. Keep a close eye on what you do so you can make the very best of it. Circuits are great but if you're not careful, it can bite you in the ass and chew it with a vengeance. There are even custom type workouts in the forum section of the site where you'll find circuits not found in the cards such as the Tarzan Workout, Godzilla, Indiana Jones and others; I even came up with a circuit that professional wrestlers used when they trained and it takes even the most advanced people down for the count. Research on circuits and find what can be suitable for you and make it work for your needs, not for the sake of being able to do them. Have fun and keep going my friend.

Thick Bar For Killer Upper Body

    When it comes to functional strength and super muscle, there are many ways to achieve it but one of the most effective is the use of a Thick Bar or better yet (for a cheaper price) use Fat Gripz and attach them to your favorite barbell and dumbbell for better muscle activation, hell if you want to attach them to a cable machine like Rows, Chest Squeezes, Tricep Pressdowns and Curls. In the early years of Bodybuilding and Strongman, an athlete had to have some serious power in his hands to lift crazy weight or perform specific feats of strength. They needed to increase the strength in their tendons and ligaments of the lower arm in order to lift some of the heaviest weight in the world. Arthur Saxon most likely lifted with Thick Bars in order to help him lift and hold the world record 350+ lbs Bent Press or lift the 448lbs Two Handed Anyhow. John Grimek one of the greatest natural bodybuilders of his time was freakishly strong as well doing the Olympic lifts, presses, deadlifts, pulls and even performed nail bending and card tearing. Fat Gripz save the cost of regular thick bars and can be used for practically any upper body exercise you can use in the gym or in your home gym.

 
    Want to build crazy thickness in the lower arms, get yourself some Fat Gripz. With the amount of effort and activation it creates in the upper body, it will jumpstart those tendons and have the muscle fibers needing to use more power for growth. You won't be able to do the same poundages you normally would do because in order to even get the bar or bell up takes far more effort than normal and it fries you real quick. Say you bench around 315 with a regular bar, no way in hell you'll be able to lift that with 2inch thick (or more) fat grip; you'll most likely hit the 250 lb range at best if you got a good solid grip. Imagine building your upper body strength using these bad boys in pull-ups, talk about build gorilla size forearms or mighty pythons like Popeye. If you're into Arm Wrestling or other sports, having a solid grip is essential to your success and brings a whole new element to your game. Have more pulling power for arm takedowns, more pushing strength for football, better grip for batting and knocking balls into the field or out of the park and why not for Combat Sports like MMA and wrestling; you'll be a beast on the mat.

 
    One of the most effective ways to build natural strength and muscle is to do basic exercises whether bodyweight or weight lifting; presses, pulls and curls are a key to successful muscle building and when you put on the Fat Gripz, you've just jumped into the next evolution of muscle building. When you can do basic exercises with a greater thickness you're activating far more muscle fibers and your body will need to repair itself much greater. Less than a few times a week is best if you're at a good solid level of lifting but if you're a beginner don't even think about doing them yet but it is worth the challenge and you'll gain strength with flying colors. Doing the Basic lifts with Fat Gripz will turn you into a beast, guaranteed.

 
    When you activate multiple muscles in one shot, you're also turning on the growth hormone in your body that allows you for greater muscle growth and natural shaping of the muscles. This also works your strength factor as growth hormone generates more power in the nervous system which switches the muscle fibers to amp up the effort in what you do. When you do long cardio, it's great for endurance but doesn't activate much muscle per say unless you're doing crazy heavy stuff for your cardio like carrying a heavy rock several feet at a time, doing circuits with heavy weight and bodyweight movements. The best person to look into on this is Bud Jeffries who has developed a way to utilize strength and cardio at the same exact time in precise style of training. Natural testosterone is essential for keeping fat low, gaining strength quickly and recovering faster. You do not need steroids and PEDs to get serious muscle. It takes effort and dedication but with the right tools and the right education and physical example you can get some muscle that the old-timers got like Grimek, Reg Park, Bob Peoples, Bruno Sammartino, Saxon and many more.