It's no mystery my favorite animal is the Gorilla but what's your favorite Animal? In the fitness world there are a lot of freedoms like the variety of exercises and the programs to choose from but also they come with rules, rep/set schemes and narrowly structured limits to what can be performed because some shmuck decided to be a fitness god and tell you his/her ten commandments. For the most part, its not a bad thing to have a structure but its also not a good thing to lower yourself to standards based on someone else's teachings.
I've learned many things and one of them was learning to be self-reliant; teaching myself any facets of training I find interesting. I can teach you technique and a workout or 2 but in order to become your very best you have to discover things for yourself and tackle them with a vengeance. We all have an animal spirit within us that gives us ultimate freedom to move within our individuality, putting forth the power of what makes us stronger than we believed to be. I love to move like a Primate especially a gorilla but not everyone will want to do that, maybe you want to move like a Tiger, a bird, a reptile, a frog what have you; don't be afraid to open up to the possibilities of what can make you the strongest and most conditioned you could ever be.
Learn your animal spirit by moving like a wild animal and whatever you find that you seem to do frequently more than others, chances are that's the animal you were meant to do. You can learn the exercise all you want but when you find your center of gravity and naturally geared towards that amazing creature only then you'll truly learn the secret to animal conditioning. Check out the DVD Animal Workouts and find the animal that really puts you into that state of mind. The Animal Kingdom Conditioning Series 1 & 2 give you more insight into the movement, the mindset and the center of being that animal. Get the kids involved, help them find their favorite animal, kids are very imaginative and always seem to find what works best for them and stick with it.
Unleashing your inner animal in a positive way enhances your body's abilities to handle awkward movements, realign areas of the brain and make it stronger hence becoming a bit smarter than the average Bear (see what I did there) and gets you to build muscle fast and shed fat like a furnace. I make it a habit to move like a wild animal anywhere I can roam, sure it looks funny from time to time but its fun and i'm doing something not many are willing to even try because they don't want others to think less of them. I firmly believe in that what others think of my exercise is none of my business, i'm having fun and that's it; if they don't like it, they can shove it and keep having a stick up their ass. Be bold and take a chance, you might actually like. Feel the Awesomeness of your inner Animal Spirit.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Monday, July 11, 2016
Review Of Film Fittest On Earth
Always liked Documentaries since I saw Pumping Iron back in high school. From exercise to sports, to nature and others Docs bring in a tale of a story being unfold with real people doing real worldly things. This film I saw on Netflix The Fittest On Earth is the story on the lead up to the 2015 Crossfit Games.
It tells the story of participating Crossfit competitors from all over the world; features a few people out of around 40 total in the competition from the beach towns of Santa Cruz & San Diego, California to West Virginia and European Athletes. It is without question one of the premier events today and has some of the most dedicated, toughest and most well-built men and women on the planet.
I've known about Crossfit for some time now and have seen good, bad and downright ugly aspects of the "Sport" and my thoughts really on it are that as competitive as it is, its also one of the most dangerous and injury-prone form of conditioning & athletics. Without sugarcoating it its basically lifting, running, jumping, hard-nosed calisthenics that is taken to the extreme with some downright awful technique on exercise. The workouts are so insane it will literally kill the average person. Let me put it to you this way, it suppose to bring you to the absolute limit of your strength, endurance & coordination. Strictly timed and each workout makes you work faster than the last time.
I have mixed feelings about this film being that I couldn't take it too serious because the people being interviewed sounded like their on a reality show and no matter how much they say they love the concept of Crossfit, they'll literally do whatever it takes to win and fight off any competitor that gets in their way. Don't get me wrong, I love the competitiveness and the psychology of what these people go through, the training alone is brutal, hardcore and downright nasty. What I found really difficult was how much pressure they put on themselves more than understanding just being there is an accomplishment in and of itself. I've been in competitive sports so I get the idea that when you're on its crazy at times and its tough to maintain composure. Some of these men and women were so passionate about this that when they lost or had to withdrawl it sounded like their life just ended and there's nothing left to do.
It is an amazing film and the workouts these people went through defy the laws of human nature and were pushed so hard some have thrown up, passed out and/or had so many freaking bruises they piratically welcomed them as battle wounds. I'm all for challenging yourself and making the best of what you can do but not to this extent. I'm all for women tackling fitness and damn it I love it when they have better results than us guys do but a lot of these women had way too much muscle on their frame not the bodybuilding type but more than what's given for their height and bone structure. The injuries some of these people had were totally unnecessary and some of their technique in various exercises were horrendous and cringing. Some of them might take that as a compliment but its not a compliment when you are dead from dropping weight onto your body that broke the muscle in your heart and collapsing the lungs.
During the competition wherever they were at was hot, dry and painfully scorching; the workouts they endure was not meant to be done in that heat and not surprised if anything got broken during some of those exercises. I sympathize with them for what they do but I can't stand how they hurt themselves in the process. Is it inspiring in some form yes I will give them that; it teaches how to fight for what you want and hard work is the key. The biggest drawback is that they put so much on themselves they don't grasp the concept that losing is not total failure but a lesson and that when you have reached your limit and you can't move anymore, its time to back off. I don't know how much recovery they got in their training but clearly most of them didn't get even a fraction of what is needed. I'm not surprised also that some were on Performance Enhancers just to keep up the requirement for some of these workouts. Some workouts are doable but that's maybe in the 1.5% if that and the rest are just downright not meant for a human to do let alone not get injured from.
A positive thing for this is that it teaches what its like to put your heart and soul into something you believe in and that you'll fight to the very last breath. That's the warrior mentality and they for the most part are overwhelmingly warrior-esque. Out of ten I'd give this a 6.5 because as awesome the lead-up and the finish of the competition shows in this film, I can't give a rating any higher on the level where it also tries to make people see that regardless of your health in order to be the best you have to go beyond your actual needs of training otherwise you're not meant to be fit. That's the way I feel about it plus its not cool to beat yourself up so hard you can't grasp the concept that you did everything you possibly can do and realize that failure is a part of life and doesn't make you a two-time loser. I saw quite a few in that film that broke down and felt that because they lost they'd rather be dead. You can't win them all.
It tells the story of participating Crossfit competitors from all over the world; features a few people out of around 40 total in the competition from the beach towns of Santa Cruz & San Diego, California to West Virginia and European Athletes. It is without question one of the premier events today and has some of the most dedicated, toughest and most well-built men and women on the planet.
I've known about Crossfit for some time now and have seen good, bad and downright ugly aspects of the "Sport" and my thoughts really on it are that as competitive as it is, its also one of the most dangerous and injury-prone form of conditioning & athletics. Without sugarcoating it its basically lifting, running, jumping, hard-nosed calisthenics that is taken to the extreme with some downright awful technique on exercise. The workouts are so insane it will literally kill the average person. Let me put it to you this way, it suppose to bring you to the absolute limit of your strength, endurance & coordination. Strictly timed and each workout makes you work faster than the last time.
I have mixed feelings about this film being that I couldn't take it too serious because the people being interviewed sounded like their on a reality show and no matter how much they say they love the concept of Crossfit, they'll literally do whatever it takes to win and fight off any competitor that gets in their way. Don't get me wrong, I love the competitiveness and the psychology of what these people go through, the training alone is brutal, hardcore and downright nasty. What I found really difficult was how much pressure they put on themselves more than understanding just being there is an accomplishment in and of itself. I've been in competitive sports so I get the idea that when you're on its crazy at times and its tough to maintain composure. Some of these men and women were so passionate about this that when they lost or had to withdrawl it sounded like their life just ended and there's nothing left to do.
It is an amazing film and the workouts these people went through defy the laws of human nature and were pushed so hard some have thrown up, passed out and/or had so many freaking bruises they piratically welcomed them as battle wounds. I'm all for challenging yourself and making the best of what you can do but not to this extent. I'm all for women tackling fitness and damn it I love it when they have better results than us guys do but a lot of these women had way too much muscle on their frame not the bodybuilding type but more than what's given for their height and bone structure. The injuries some of these people had were totally unnecessary and some of their technique in various exercises were horrendous and cringing. Some of them might take that as a compliment but its not a compliment when you are dead from dropping weight onto your body that broke the muscle in your heart and collapsing the lungs.
During the competition wherever they were at was hot, dry and painfully scorching; the workouts they endure was not meant to be done in that heat and not surprised if anything got broken during some of those exercises. I sympathize with them for what they do but I can't stand how they hurt themselves in the process. Is it inspiring in some form yes I will give them that; it teaches how to fight for what you want and hard work is the key. The biggest drawback is that they put so much on themselves they don't grasp the concept that losing is not total failure but a lesson and that when you have reached your limit and you can't move anymore, its time to back off. I don't know how much recovery they got in their training but clearly most of them didn't get even a fraction of what is needed. I'm not surprised also that some were on Performance Enhancers just to keep up the requirement for some of these workouts. Some workouts are doable but that's maybe in the 1.5% if that and the rest are just downright not meant for a human to do let alone not get injured from.
A positive thing for this is that it teaches what its like to put your heart and soul into something you believe in and that you'll fight to the very last breath. That's the warrior mentality and they for the most part are overwhelmingly warrior-esque. Out of ten I'd give this a 6.5 because as awesome the lead-up and the finish of the competition shows in this film, I can't give a rating any higher on the level where it also tries to make people see that regardless of your health in order to be the best you have to go beyond your actual needs of training otherwise you're not meant to be fit. That's the way I feel about it plus its not cool to beat yourself up so hard you can't grasp the concept that you did everything you possibly can do and realize that failure is a part of life and doesn't make you a two-time loser. I saw quite a few in that film that broke down and felt that because they lost they'd rather be dead. You can't win them all.
Friday, July 8, 2016
All Year Round Is Amazeballs
For a long period of time, people have had this notion on fitness where you only "workout" 3x a week doing cardio (please), weight lifting (not real weight) & stretching (don't get me started). Its good to do all those things if you can afford the gym or the equipment but if you want to get the best results, your best bet is to learn not only the mechanics but the old school style of training because quite frankly, 99.9% of fitness these days is all about models on a cover & supplementing you to death.
I believe in being creative and not following someone else's "expert advice" down to the T. However; I do believe in learning different styles to get a handle on what works and what doesn't. It's not wrong to follow someone on a DVD through a tough workout but you'll only be second rate when you allow yourself to go at the same speed, tempo and time as another person. Its awesome to have goals that go for a period of time but with consistence all year round, you're building a habit that creates results that you can maintain for life.
Never taking a day off in nearly 11 years has taught me many things and one of them is to never stop learning and adjust to your status of physical, mental & emotional levels of what to do on a day to day basis. There are days where i'm not up for something an hour long or want to go so hard I feel like Rocky and just want to train being relaxed, go for a swim, live in the moments of deep breathing & meditation. Exercise doesn't always involve moving; there are days where I'll do nothing but Isometrics and do holds for various amounts of time, either way i'm always doing something even in certain exercises it looks like i'm not doing a damn thing.
Seeing training as a hardcore thing is a mental aspect to certain people but believe it or not, you can train with the out most intensity without physically doing anything on the outside. You want to talk hardcore training; you won't see me lift 600 lbs. on a barbell or run on a treadmill so hard its going out of style, to me hardcore is just moving your body in awkward positions and or utilizing combos while being heavier than most doing this stuff. I train all year round because its not only a habit but more than just a lifestyle, its freedom and taking on challenges that I have yet to experience.
What they don't teach you at planet "fitness" or "eat my shorts meathead" gym, hell even at "Look like Tarzan, lift like Jane" Fitness Center is that to get results, it takes effort and commitment to get what you want but you must pay first and keep paying for not showing up and rather have you do the latter. Get your own equipment, train on your own time, move your body that is suitable for your current level and do what makes you happy without having to wait while Zoolander McPrettyboy is texting in the middle of a set where you want to take weight on. Be an all year rounder, not a winter coat couch potato or a summer-timing beach body attempting psycho, get fit no matter what time of the year because in parts of the world there is no beach body season or New years resolutions because you never know when something might snatch up and be taken away from you. Take advantage and make it happen regardless of what season it is and we all know your New Years "Resolution" isn't going any further than Oscars Night.
I believe in being creative and not following someone else's "expert advice" down to the T. However; I do believe in learning different styles to get a handle on what works and what doesn't. It's not wrong to follow someone on a DVD through a tough workout but you'll only be second rate when you allow yourself to go at the same speed, tempo and time as another person. Its awesome to have goals that go for a period of time but with consistence all year round, you're building a habit that creates results that you can maintain for life.
Never taking a day off in nearly 11 years has taught me many things and one of them is to never stop learning and adjust to your status of physical, mental & emotional levels of what to do on a day to day basis. There are days where i'm not up for something an hour long or want to go so hard I feel like Rocky and just want to train being relaxed, go for a swim, live in the moments of deep breathing & meditation. Exercise doesn't always involve moving; there are days where I'll do nothing but Isometrics and do holds for various amounts of time, either way i'm always doing something even in certain exercises it looks like i'm not doing a damn thing.
Seeing training as a hardcore thing is a mental aspect to certain people but believe it or not, you can train with the out most intensity without physically doing anything on the outside. You want to talk hardcore training; you won't see me lift 600 lbs. on a barbell or run on a treadmill so hard its going out of style, to me hardcore is just moving your body in awkward positions and or utilizing combos while being heavier than most doing this stuff. I train all year round because its not only a habit but more than just a lifestyle, its freedom and taking on challenges that I have yet to experience.
What they don't teach you at planet "fitness" or "eat my shorts meathead" gym, hell even at "Look like Tarzan, lift like Jane" Fitness Center is that to get results, it takes effort and commitment to get what you want but you must pay first and keep paying for not showing up and rather have you do the latter. Get your own equipment, train on your own time, move your body that is suitable for your current level and do what makes you happy without having to wait while Zoolander McPrettyboy is texting in the middle of a set where you want to take weight on. Be an all year rounder, not a winter coat couch potato or a summer-timing beach body attempting psycho, get fit no matter what time of the year because in parts of the world there is no beach body season or New years resolutions because you never know when something might snatch up and be taken away from you. Take advantage and make it happen regardless of what season it is and we all know your New Years "Resolution" isn't going any further than Oscars Night.
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