Saturday, January 15, 2011

My 10 Favorite Bodyweight Exercises

When I train, I want to get the best out of it whether it be for 5 min. or a whole hour because not only do I want to get a great workout I want to feel good and energetic at the end of it no matter what. We all have our favorite Exercises that we like to do and we sometimes forget how good they can really be. We even change them up sometimes or make a variation of them to create a challenge. I for one have many exercises that I mastered and can do at just about anytime I wanted but theres always certain favorites I like to do every once in a while and I have picked and neither of these are any better then the next but they are very important and some are pretty difficult and some are pretty simple to learn. Without further ado here are my favorite Exercises.....

Sumo Squats

Hill Sprints

Bridging

Bear Crawls

Pull-ups

Gorilla Walks

Crab Walks

Hindu Squats

Tablemakers

Sumo Side Splits

Now why would I pick these specific exercises? Because for obvious reasons they're fun to do. Some you may notice are squat variations and I picked them because however you look at it, squats are the foundational exercises for burning off fat and building overall muscle. The legs are the largest parts of the body and we must strive to not only keep them strong but flexible because as we age one of the things we start to lose is the flexiblity in our legs.

They are a major key to how we get around places and how strong our development is. Some of the other exercises I have chosen like bear crawls and Crab Walks are because they use all four limbs in the body and can get you out of breath much faster then most exercises, do one of them and time yourself 2 minutes and see how long you last. Tablemakers are really the only push-up variation I do these days because I just have very little interest in push-ups because I get bored after doing high volume reps and with the animal exercises I can move around on both arms and legs and I get more out of it.

Not saying Push-ups are not good, they are, if one is getting into bodyweight exercises the first exercise they should learn is the push-up. Hill Sprints on the other hand are one if not the best exercise for burning off fat faster then anything else. Because of the huffing and puffing you get very quick it generates more Human Growth Hormone and the heat it builds up in your body.

Why did I choose Sumo Squats as a favorite exercise? For one its different unlike other variations. Two because of the other parts of the legs that work not only the thighs but the inner and outer portions of the thighs. Look at sumo wrestlers. They may not be the most durable athletes but they are strong, fast, agile and flexible. So why not take a picture out of their training and if you're an athlete in any sport this exercise can go a long way beyond just getting out of breath and building flexibility, it teaches you where to position the legs and the balance it requires you to take on. For wrestling these can help you very much because in wrestling you need to work the body in various angles for control and power and when you do sumo squats it shows you how to pivot the feet so when you're ready to make a move either defensive or offensive you'll know when to pivot to make your move much more explosive and powerful.

Again we all have our favorite exercises but the key is to not just do them in moderation, do them with feeling, power and will so when you train them you make them the way they ought to be. This is a major factor to learning self reliance and creating your own program for your needs of strength & conditioning.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Burning Fat & Building Muscle With Animal Exercise......

There are many ways tro burn fat and build muscle. We lift weights, use cardio machines, we run, do push-ups, squats, sit-ups or pull-ups and these are all good in some way shape or form. However you slice it the more muscles you use in an exercise the more work you're putting in and burning calories and fat much faster then working individual muscles. Many people believe you need more then an hour and a half three times a week to get great results and getting a steady heart rate to burn fat. Not true at all. One of the fastest and most simple ways to train, burn fat and build muscle quick is to get outside and move on all fours for a few min. and before you know it you're breathing hard. When this happens great things in your body begin to form as your HGH levels spring up, testosterone comes into play and muscle is being built quicker then ever. Plus with the jumps in HGH levels this will help you stay younger and stay healthy. Animal-like Exercise can carry over to many other things in your life and can even help spring up your brain activity. Eddie Baran has a course exactly for all these things called Animal Kingdom Conditioning.

When it comes down to training like a wild animal you are building a foundation of turning back the clock, gaining confidence and among other things your sex drive will go through the roof. Learn to get a great cardio workout in less then 2 min. Make your upper body stronger then the average human and create explosive power unlike anything else. Click/Type the link below and

Animal Kingdom Conditioning

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Tumbling To The Top

One of the basic moves in Gymnastics is to learn how to tumble forward, backward, side to side, dives ect. It takes a good amount of balance and strength to do a backhand spring and its harder to do flips. Some of the moves I can do are pretty simple as far as basics go but I can't do a backhand spring, I'm too big of a tree to do that, plus I like falling into a bridge on my head and kicking over and back better. But if you're looking to get better at Tumbling or just starting out theres only one guy I know who can help take you to the top as far as I know and thats Logan Christopher. He's a good friend of mine and as far as I know he's one of the best trainers in the world and this is one of his specialties. Taking you from a basic forward roll to backhand springs he'll help you along the way for you to becoming a master tumbler. He's given me some awesome tips and its helped my bridging and its helped me carry over to things I want to do its that powerful. Learning from some of the biggest names in Physical Culture, he's put ingrediants together to bring the best in putting not only your Tumbling skills to the test but if you make an effort he'll even throw in a few secrets to get your training going a bit quicker. You will learn safety, what to do, not to do and where to have the best alignment to get great results for your tumbling skills. Get into and learn some of the best gymnastics without needing to be a gymnast.











Tuesday, January 11, 2011

How We Can Learn From Rocky Balboa

For most us we've seen the Rocky movies and how motivational they are when it comes to adversity, the never say die attitude and the way he does his conditioning. One of my all-time favorite training scenes was in Rocky IV where in Russia he moved through the snow, chopping down trees, lifting a cart of people in the press, pull-ups, jump rope and bear crawling a sled. That's the type of conditioning a true man learns to posses. As oppose to Drago who used machines, took steroids, used technology and look what happens, he got taken out by the underdog. Whether or not you feel weights make a great athlete yet in some cases they do.


In the days of the Cavemen, they needed, to adapt in order to survive, they swam, ran, threw, pushed heavy boulders, wrestled and take down some of the roughest things put in front of him. To me that's a great definition of Rocky, he adapts, he puts himself in awkward situations and makes an effort to get strong from all angles. To weightlifting is a great way to get in shape but it only goes so far as that and conditioning using different angles and training in awkward ways. Get out and train like a caveman or better yet train in a way like Rocky, something we all can learn from.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Handstand Video

Hello,




Have you ever thought about learning how to do a handstand?



Well my friend, Logan Christopher, is doing something radical. You see, he runs a site called Lost Art of Hand Balancing where he teaches people how to do just that.



He has taken one of his best-selling DVD's, something that has sold hundreds of copies at $29.95, and he is now literally giving it away online, no strings attached.



I think he’s crazy for doing this, but he is doing it!



http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4037383



What's so great about this video? In this close to half hour video Logan takes a systematic approach to the handstand. The problem with trying to do a handstand is it's way beyond the ability of someone starting out.



You can try to do it but you'll end up frustrated. That's the long slow path. In fact, many give up.



Instead, you should break it down into component parts, working on lead-up stunts, which teach you the necessary skills, but in an easy manageable way. This cuts your learning curve by over half.



Logan has laid this all out in his handstand system, including a sample nine week plan that can take you from zero to holding a freestanding handstand for 30 seconds.



Be warned. This may not be around forever so jump on this chance while you have it. Check it out.



http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4037383



Ben Bergman

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