Is The Bigfoot Walk Another Move To Increase Strength In The Legs

This is one of my favorite moves to train my legs and for good reasons: They're fun, they can be a challenge and it gives off a hell of a burn in the thighs. IMO, it's really underrated. Many people don't know what it is and if they saw it at 1st glance, they may think it's some silly move and why the fuck would you want to move in this manner? Why is it even called The Bigfoot Walk? Is it something that an actual Bigfoot does? Well, we've never actually seen one so why call it that?

The truth is, it's just a name, what it really is, is walking in a quarter to a half squat that digs into the quads and glute muscles and it has similarities to a wrestler's stance. Very effective and it's more than what people may perceive it to be. When seen at first, it doesn't seem like much, after all it's just a rinky dink goofy ass move right? Shit, where's the resistance when you do it, the range of motion is just a tiny part of a squat right? Give it a go, see how it feels after 30 seconds or so. Seems easy doesn't it, the fact is, you're in constant tension and when you keep going, there's that build up that might make those legs scream like Drew Barrymore in E.T. 

Many people (most likely men) may see it as some kind of exercise that only pussies do. It's part of that dogmatic mindset where if you want real strength, you lift heavy, have greater ROM, you get results like a man. They'll have you believe Heavy Squats & Deadlifts are the true kings of Lower Body Development. Bro, might want to pull that stick out of your ass and come back down to earth. Here's a fun fact (and might come as a shock): Many athletic movements are in a partial range position. How about this for a kicker, many movements are dynamic, semi unilateral & semi bilateral, kind of like the Bigfoot Walk here.

What you may call a sissy, poor excuse of a move might just save your knees and your quads that has more use than a loaded squat. Don't get me wrong, squats with or without weight are essential depending on your goals but it's not the Zeus of all leg exercises. In Martial Arts such as Wrestling, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kung Fu, this is the type of strength you need in the legs where you only need to go down a bit but not in a complete squat. Because of the constant tension along with the shifting from one leg to another, you're putting a greater long term strength into the muscles. It's not a matter of pure strength that is temporary, it's about that strength lasting. 

Like I said earlier, give it a go for a minimum of 30 seconds or even a minute if you think it's easy. If you feel it right away, that means you have some work to do. I would do this for up to 5 minutes 1-2 times a day and go longer sometimes. I don't do it everyday but it would be a change of pace, some who have gotten into it will go longer or do them in sets like 3 sets of 3 minutes. This is only a piece of the puzzle though, an idea if you will of what Animal Movement Training does to condition the body. Our fitness culture has this obsession of heavy squats that i n reality isn't 100% productive for long term health. It is impressive as hell at times and if that's your thing, cool and I hope you're able to minimize injuries. 

For more info on Animal Based Movement & Training, give MOVEMENT 20XX a glance, very powerful stuff and some of the best conditioning & strength training methods on the planet. 

Baseball Has Begun

Good start yesterday for my fav. team the San Francisco Giants. Solid win with a 3 run Homer at the top of the 9th to get a 6-3 lead and win 6-4 in the end. Finished my documentary of Ken Burns' Baseball Documentary the other day that I watch every year before the season starts.

Been a fan since I was a little kid going to Candlestick Park and eventually now Oracle Park. Watching guys like Will Clark, Matt Williams, Barry Bonds, Rob Nenn, Buster Posey, Madison Baumgartner and others. 

Some of the training those guys go through can be unique from typical weight training to oddities for helping them hit, pitch & run. Some guys even back in the day didn't train much at all or did things in the offseason. Guys like Mickey Mantle & Hank Aaron didn't lift weights but did labor work, Rickey Henderson was famously known for doing Push-ups, Sit-Ups, Sprints (And Ice Cream) and guys in the minor leagues would do things like Step Ups & other calisthenics since salaries are much lower so they would do what's possible with coaches that they have. 

Branch Rickey who was a former player himself and then turned to management helped establish the Farm System that developed the Minors to work with players and give them opportunities to reach their potential beyond just talent and skill. However, one coach for a college team helped build his squad to go 14-1 one season while using Indian Clubs as part of their training. Coach Judson Hyames had his boys work the clubs as part of extensive training before their season (Were undefeated for two years prior). It gave his players great Wrist Strength/Mobility along with Suppleness & Flexibility.

This guy was like the John Wooden of his time, his career record as a coach is 166-62-2 which is pretty damn impressive and makes you wonder what he could've done with guys in the majors. That college is now known as Western Michigan University and the field there now is named after him. Taking something that came from India and reached the training ideals for the Baseball Diamond goes to show that with great word of mouth, many styles of training can make it to championship sports teams and athletes. 

If Clubs can build a championship squad, what else could they do? It's one of the reasons I love training with clubs because they're great for joint health, complex but awesome for keeping the body healthy, builds brain power because of the patterns used in the swings and works with motor skills. Be amazingly awesome and grab a pair of clubs to train with and help carry on the tradition that has been going on for centuries. 

  

The Finer Points Of Suspension Training

 For the most part, Suspension Training is one of the most effective yet simple forms of bodyweight exercise around. Some advantages include the portable and versatility but there are lesser known advantages that people may not be aware of or even realize. 

For starters, it offers a wider base than typical bodyweight training because of the greater resistance you can apply. It fills in gaps that give a boost or even a harder outlook to regular Push-Ups & Pull-Ups. They can be used in a variety of ways such as: Those who are starting out and want to lay a foundation, work around injuries and give even a seasoned veteran of Physical Culture a run for their money. If you're limited in your Range Of Motion, this style of training can also bring a flexible entity into how you can build yourself up despite that other side of the coin. You can virtually create any workout you want within your capabilities.

As you're aware, the most basic rule of effective Strength Training is to utilize the format of Pushing, Pulling & Squatting. With Suspension Work, it can build a bigger branch of accessory training such as working curls for hitting the biceps or working on hip abductions. This is most likely a greater option to not only save money on gym memberships but even more cost effective on fancy equipment. It works like a gym that fits right in your backpack. 

It also creates greater freedom to train practically anywhere from your home to the park, in your hotel room, at the office or wherever on your own terms. If you're traveling, you can get in something quick like waiting for your flight, stretching your legs from a long car ride or getting the most out of it after a long day at work. Being able to move more freely is just the cherry on top of a kick ass sundae.

Because of the wide variety of exercises, some sources will list either very few or dozens upon dozens of exercises. Some of the things listed can seem overly repetitive (like many of Ric Flair's matches) because they really are more of a variation of one thing or another. In reality, you would only need a few exercises at a time to get the most benefit, you can do all of the exercises until the cows come home but are you really benefiting from them? Once you learn only a few for each muscle group or Chain of Muscles, you'll have a broader base for what to work with to truly enhance your physical training. Modify if needed and focus on the goals you set for yourself.

Go kill it and keep being amazingly awesome.