Do you ever do a warm-up routine and than go after your workout? What kind of warm-up do you do; stretches, yoga, jogging, lifting lighter weights, loosen the joints? I've noticed over the years that warming up isn't always the best choice depending on the circumstances. Do you ever see a Gazelle stretching before being chased by a lion or a cheetah? No and why is that; because if you're in a life or death situation, having a warm up could get you killed. Some people regardless of age are so energetic that warming up isn't a big thing and can function in training sessions without issues.
As we do get older, it is important to keep tabs on our muscles and joints but warming up in a general sense won't always help maintain muscular and joint health. I believe in finding ways to get the blood flowing within a few minutes to get the juices going but if you're taking more than 20 minutes to warm up for an hour long session in addition, that could ruin your progress because there is way too much time being used when you don't need that much time. However, if you're very tense and have had previous injuries than maybe a few stretches won't hurt you but it is important to do exercises that release tension, open up channels in the body and giving the body a bit of a kick before doing something strenuous.
I have knocked hard on Warming Up in the past but now i'm closer to 35 and already have tension in my lower back, effects of scar tissue from my accident at 20 and an off and on bad right knee so I do have to think more of the health and shape my body is in. If i'm doing something like BJJ, I do some exercises before sparring like dynamic flexibility training, Animal Flow, stretches from Combat Conditioning or other animal movements to loosen up the areas I need to stay in a sparring match. Most of the time I rarely ever warm up and itch my way to going full boar. With the Animal Dice Game, I don't completely go full speed, I let my body get acclimated to the exercises and within a couple minutes I'm good to go.
The bad thing about warming up in my opinion and from personal experience is that if you do exercises that tire you quickly, you're not going to have a full and bad ass workout. Another is that if you warm up too long and with the wrong kind of stretches for your structure, you can injure yourself even quicker before your training really starts. There are awesome stretches to do and doing something like Animal Flow for even 5 minutes is a lot of fun and gets that motivational energy flowing. I sometimes like to start off the day with Isometrics or exercises based on CoreForce Energy. I'm very intuitive in what I do and I normally don't always go by being told to do this or that.
I truly believe in flowing with your body and if it's out of balance and you're so damn stiff that moving is painful than you need to find out what you can do and maybe even get an adjustment. I know what it's like to be so stiff that every muscle aches and cracks each inch you move so I feel your pain but even if that happens, sometimes just sitting and slowly rolling the joints can work wonders and on some days where I don't feel like doing anything strenuous, I just do joint loosening or holding a few postures or hang from the pull-up bar to loosen my spine.
If you feel the need to warm up, make it interesting and fun; do deep breathing, loosen up the joints, hold postures and depending on your condition, just do a few minutes of what you can and get in on your training from there.
Herb Of The Day: Nettle Root
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Monday, August 27, 2018
Hotel Workout Ideas & Tips
Traveling on the road shouldn't damper you from your training and it's important to not only keep an open mind, but willing to adjust to exercise you can be in control of. From our recent road to Lake Tahoe and back, I got in my head to do animal movements while in a hotel room. Now if you ever read my posts on facebook about the Frontier Motel in Winnemucca, NV than you you know we don't need to get into that but at the Regency, I did some Bear Crawls & Tiger Walks the morning we left for Tahoe.
In the next hotel we stayed at in Baker City, Oregon I did another workout of animals. Now, I should give you a fair warning that if you're above people, be careful how you jump and if they're screeches in the floor because you never know if somebody wants to come bang on your door and tell you to knock it off. Hotel Workouts can be a lifesaver for those who are dedicated to fitness and want to stay in shape. Granted nowadays, a hotel for the most part has a higher percentage of having a gym on the premises than say 30-40 years ago. It's not ideal to always lift weights in a hotel room so bodyweight exercises are the next option or doing Isometrics, Charles Atlas type training or using cables like from Lifeline Fitness.
A great idea for Hotel training is doing a circuit of up to 9 exercises and going for rounds or for time. They don't take up a lot of time and you stay fit while getting ready for the next trek on your road trip or before catching a cab to take you to the airport. After 21 plus years of doing all sorts of fitness training, I can say that no matter where I go, I can figure out exactly what workout to do. You don't need years of expertise to learn the value of training anywhere but it is important to know what can be useful and utilizing the best possible scenarios.
I've been in shitty hotels, beautiful looking and a few downright Fugly (Frontier, Sahara e.g) and managed to get some training in. Some had a gym I used but mainly kept it bodyweight based because if you just so happen to have weights around and something happens in the hotel room, you better know how to back it up otherwise you can wreck some stuff in that place if you're not careful.
The best alternative to weights hands down is Cables and/or the power wheel; if you have a door attachment, you can have an endless variety of exercises and doing some rollouts for the core is an awesome bonus. Want to spice it up and really get cooking; use a deck of cards and do some push-ups and squats. Nature Boy Ric Flair did card decks for exercise during his time in Mid-Atlantic when gyms weren't always available in the territory and worked up to 400 reps each of push-ups, squats and sit-ups.
There's no need to be lazy and not train just because you're on the road. It opens up the brain to become more creative and learn what you can use and the knowledge of figuring out the best ways to make exercise a product of your imagination. Be creative and find the best exercises for traveling and making it worthwhile anywhere you go.
In the next hotel we stayed at in Baker City, Oregon I did another workout of animals. Now, I should give you a fair warning that if you're above people, be careful how you jump and if they're screeches in the floor because you never know if somebody wants to come bang on your door and tell you to knock it off. Hotel Workouts can be a lifesaver for those who are dedicated to fitness and want to stay in shape. Granted nowadays, a hotel for the most part has a higher percentage of having a gym on the premises than say 30-40 years ago. It's not ideal to always lift weights in a hotel room so bodyweight exercises are the next option or doing Isometrics, Charles Atlas type training or using cables like from Lifeline Fitness.
A great idea for Hotel training is doing a circuit of up to 9 exercises and going for rounds or for time. They don't take up a lot of time and you stay fit while getting ready for the next trek on your road trip or before catching a cab to take you to the airport. After 21 plus years of doing all sorts of fitness training, I can say that no matter where I go, I can figure out exactly what workout to do. You don't need years of expertise to learn the value of training anywhere but it is important to know what can be useful and utilizing the best possible scenarios.
I've been in shitty hotels, beautiful looking and a few downright Fugly (Frontier, Sahara e.g) and managed to get some training in. Some had a gym I used but mainly kept it bodyweight based because if you just so happen to have weights around and something happens in the hotel room, you better know how to back it up otherwise you can wreck some stuff in that place if you're not careful.
The best alternative to weights hands down is Cables and/or the power wheel; if you have a door attachment, you can have an endless variety of exercises and doing some rollouts for the core is an awesome bonus. Want to spice it up and really get cooking; use a deck of cards and do some push-ups and squats. Nature Boy Ric Flair did card decks for exercise during his time in Mid-Atlantic when gyms weren't always available in the territory and worked up to 400 reps each of push-ups, squats and sit-ups.
There's no need to be lazy and not train just because you're on the road. It opens up the brain to become more creative and learn what you can use and the knowledge of figuring out the best ways to make exercise a product of your imagination. Be creative and find the best exercises for traveling and making it worthwhile anywhere you go.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Dynamic Stretching: Animal Style
Flexibility and Mobility are key components to having an overall structure of attributes contributing to the body's full capabilities. You can have the best looking muscles but if you can't really move, what good is it for you? Stretching is a powerful ingredient but how can you get the most out of it if you keep hearing what's good, what's bad and what's worst? Coming from leg injuries, I value what gaining flexibility has done and stretching with the intent of not over lengthening a muscle but keeping mobile, loose and opened up.
Getting back to doing the Animal Flow program has only been a short time but already feeling better with my body and stretching out my spine has become more of a priority. I do love static style stretching but that's usually before bed or after a workout; with utilizing transitions, combos and stretching the body as I move puts me into another state. It's almost like meditation; I can't sit or stand still to mediate, it's very difficult but moving makes it more fun and a greater learning experience.
Warming up can be done in a variety of ways but the very best gives you the greatest benefit and I'm learning more and more as I get older even though i'm 34, having a warm up doesn't have to suck or be dreaded. The spine and legs are our greatest asset and by the time we hit 40 and beyond, it's a couple of the first things to go if we don't maintain it. Animal Flow is a powerful element of bodyweight training that combines various disciplines but mainly yoga and gymnastics in a different context.
The experience itself can be intimidating but never fret, there's a series of progressions that takes you step by step to teach you how to control the movements and how to hold specific positions that will build your strength from the ground up. Warm up by having fun and learning how to make your body more flexible using great methods that can be used in a variety of ways.
Why bother with boring exercises when you can have the time of your life and find your creative side. Animal Flow is beyond building flexibility, it adds an element that brings you great joy and you get to play like you were a kid again. Let the child in you out and harness your imagination while getting fit.
Getting back to doing the Animal Flow program has only been a short time but already feeling better with my body and stretching out my spine has become more of a priority. I do love static style stretching but that's usually before bed or after a workout; with utilizing transitions, combos and stretching the body as I move puts me into another state. It's almost like meditation; I can't sit or stand still to mediate, it's very difficult but moving makes it more fun and a greater learning experience.
Warming up can be done in a variety of ways but the very best gives you the greatest benefit and I'm learning more and more as I get older even though i'm 34, having a warm up doesn't have to suck or be dreaded. The spine and legs are our greatest asset and by the time we hit 40 and beyond, it's a couple of the first things to go if we don't maintain it. Animal Flow is a powerful element of bodyweight training that combines various disciplines but mainly yoga and gymnastics in a different context.
The experience itself can be intimidating but never fret, there's a series of progressions that takes you step by step to teach you how to control the movements and how to hold specific positions that will build your strength from the ground up. Warm up by having fun and learning how to make your body more flexible using great methods that can be used in a variety of ways.
Why bother with boring exercises when you can have the time of your life and find your creative side. Animal Flow is beyond building flexibility, it adds an element that brings you great joy and you get to play like you were a kid again. Let the child in you out and harness your imagination while getting fit.
Monday, August 20, 2018
Moving Like A Wild Animal Is A Gift From Nature
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"- Charles Caleb Colton
As children, we imitate what we see and mimic actions, body language and form traces of the personalities we imitate. Sometimes what we mimic won't always be a good thing because it can lead down a road where we may not know better but we also don't understand the concepts of right and wrong. It is important to set a prime example and if it is good and we construct morals and the teachings of how to treat other human beings, that quote would make the ultimate for others in their lives.
Animals are amazing teachers and mimicking their movements sets a form of natural wonders for us humans. Movement is life and we don't always move through the natural order of things. We are taught this and that, being shoved certain things down our throat as if it was life or death and sometimes what we are taught doesn't always benefit the treatment of another human being.
Moving like an animal is not just physically getting into position and crawling, hopping, jumping and coordinating but what it really does is imitate the concept of freedom; the freedom to express the body and hone skills that not only strengthen the body but also the brain as well. Moving like an animal is a gift from nature itself. The idea of expressing yourself through the spirit and teachings of the animal kingdom brings another level of discovering ourselves in the form of natural movement.
Although we don't want to be as violent or territorial as wild animals, it is important to realize that growth comes from getting ideas on how to apply what is being taught. Animal Movement provides the ideals of challenging the body in a manner of learning how the muscles work, how the brain subjects the nerves and impulses to form the movement and using the imagination to get the very best out of applying our strengths and motor skills that we may need in other areas of our lives. It is a gift that we can't ignore and a great aspect of teaching anyone from young to old how to get the most out of the body on all three planes of our structure: Physical, Mental & Emotional.
Work within your ability and progress with the best of intentions because as you get better, you become greater equipped with knowledge and wisdom. Imitate what is pure and beautiful.
As children, we imitate what we see and mimic actions, body language and form traces of the personalities we imitate. Sometimes what we mimic won't always be a good thing because it can lead down a road where we may not know better but we also don't understand the concepts of right and wrong. It is important to set a prime example and if it is good and we construct morals and the teachings of how to treat other human beings, that quote would make the ultimate for others in their lives.
Animals are amazing teachers and mimicking their movements sets a form of natural wonders for us humans. Movement is life and we don't always move through the natural order of things. We are taught this and that, being shoved certain things down our throat as if it was life or death and sometimes what we are taught doesn't always benefit the treatment of another human being.
Moving like an animal is not just physically getting into position and crawling, hopping, jumping and coordinating but what it really does is imitate the concept of freedom; the freedom to express the body and hone skills that not only strengthen the body but also the brain as well. Moving like an animal is a gift from nature itself. The idea of expressing yourself through the spirit and teachings of the animal kingdom brings another level of discovering ourselves in the form of natural movement.
Although we don't want to be as violent or territorial as wild animals, it is important to realize that growth comes from getting ideas on how to apply what is being taught. Animal Movement provides the ideals of challenging the body in a manner of learning how the muscles work, how the brain subjects the nerves and impulses to form the movement and using the imagination to get the very best out of applying our strengths and motor skills that we may need in other areas of our lives. It is a gift that we can't ignore and a great aspect of teaching anyone from young to old how to get the most out of the body on all three planes of our structure: Physical, Mental & Emotional.
Work within your ability and progress with the best of intentions because as you get better, you become greater equipped with knowledge and wisdom. Imitate what is pure and beautiful.
Friday, August 17, 2018
Tips On Recovery
There's going to be days where the body needs to rest and heal. I'm not saying rest completely but do some form of exercise that is softer, less strenuous and lower intensity. One of the things I love to do for a recovery day is doing deep breathing exercises or focus more on keeping the joints and ligaments loose and generate blood flow to the structure of the muscles.
There's a fine line between being sore and being in pain, a lot of trainees have experienced both but some cannot tell the difference. Being sore in a nutshell is not being able to move as you normally would after a day of training and it feels like a weight is being held on you and it feels like you're carrying more on your shoulders. Being in pain means it's sharper and certain areas of the body hurt like hell and pain is pushing the body passed its threshold. I've been through both and as much as I can take it, i'm one of those people that just can't tolerate it. Some people take pain differently and if they have a sadistic way of handling it, good for them.
Recovery is that other side of the coin where the body can still do amazing things but at a lower level and help the body heal. Qi Gong is a phenomenal tool for recovery because some styles are low impact and have a way of decreasing the load on the body and strengthen the internal organs. Yoga is another great recovery tool, I do DDP Yoga from time to time because again, it is low impact but can get a lot done and stretching the muscles along with strengthening the joints.
A personal favorite is obviously animal movements because you can vary the intensity, speed and coordination of the movements to where by slowing down and concentrating on the movement or than the muscles themselves, it can be a powerful entity of being able to recover. Animal Moves stretch the muscles and if you practice a certain sequence or combo, it can be a lot of fun. Dynamic Stretching is amazing too because as you move and lengthen the body, it opens up the meridians of the body and opens up channels that can decrease tension in the muscles plus with the addition of deep breathing and focusing on the muscles, you're giving the body a chance to heal quicker for your next training session.
There's no such thing as a day off when it comes to training. You do something everyday whether it's a hardcore day or a taking it easy day. Your body will come back and fully charged when you use the right tools and exercises for you. Forcing recovery can hold you back because if you don't listen to your body, it'll bite you in the ass and you'll pay the price. However, I would take over recovery over overtraining any day but there's a balance and the body is a well-oiled machine that does need maintenance and as we age, it becomes more critical. Nobody has the same training style at age 60 as opposed to their 20's; things change and the body needs greater upkeep but it shouldn't stop you from having a healthy and long life full of wonders and happiness both physically and mentally.
Older folks need greater recovery but can still do awesome things in their training if they put their mind to it. Many just let themselves go and just let age take a hold on them and just wither away. Yes, you can't do the same things as you were younger but that doesn't mean you should stop being fit into your golden years. Research what you can use to recover and make the most out of your training you body can handle. Everybody is different but it can still do amazing things. Recover with intention and listen to your body.
There's a fine line between being sore and being in pain, a lot of trainees have experienced both but some cannot tell the difference. Being sore in a nutshell is not being able to move as you normally would after a day of training and it feels like a weight is being held on you and it feels like you're carrying more on your shoulders. Being in pain means it's sharper and certain areas of the body hurt like hell and pain is pushing the body passed its threshold. I've been through both and as much as I can take it, i'm one of those people that just can't tolerate it. Some people take pain differently and if they have a sadistic way of handling it, good for them.
Recovery is that other side of the coin where the body can still do amazing things but at a lower level and help the body heal. Qi Gong is a phenomenal tool for recovery because some styles are low impact and have a way of decreasing the load on the body and strengthen the internal organs. Yoga is another great recovery tool, I do DDP Yoga from time to time because again, it is low impact but can get a lot done and stretching the muscles along with strengthening the joints.
A personal favorite is obviously animal movements because you can vary the intensity, speed and coordination of the movements to where by slowing down and concentrating on the movement or than the muscles themselves, it can be a powerful entity of being able to recover. Animal Moves stretch the muscles and if you practice a certain sequence or combo, it can be a lot of fun. Dynamic Stretching is amazing too because as you move and lengthen the body, it opens up the meridians of the body and opens up channels that can decrease tension in the muscles plus with the addition of deep breathing and focusing on the muscles, you're giving the body a chance to heal quicker for your next training session.
There's no such thing as a day off when it comes to training. You do something everyday whether it's a hardcore day or a taking it easy day. Your body will come back and fully charged when you use the right tools and exercises for you. Forcing recovery can hold you back because if you don't listen to your body, it'll bite you in the ass and you'll pay the price. However, I would take over recovery over overtraining any day but there's a balance and the body is a well-oiled machine that does need maintenance and as we age, it becomes more critical. Nobody has the same training style at age 60 as opposed to their 20's; things change and the body needs greater upkeep but it shouldn't stop you from having a healthy and long life full of wonders and happiness both physically and mentally.
Older folks need greater recovery but can still do awesome things in their training if they put their mind to it. Many just let themselves go and just let age take a hold on them and just wither away. Yes, you can't do the same things as you were younger but that doesn't mean you should stop being fit into your golden years. Research what you can use to recover and make the most out of your training you body can handle. Everybody is different but it can still do amazing things. Recover with intention and listen to your body.
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