Getting The Kinks Out After Waking Up

As we get older, it is important to keep our joints healthy and our muscles ready for what lies ahead. When we are young, we don't think too much about flexibility and mobility and we think because we are young, our joints don't need much. There are a great many ways to loosen up the body but the biggest factor is after waking up whether from a night of sleep, a nap, or even after passing out on the couch.

One way to loosen up the joints and give your body that wake up jolt is to move certain parts of the body in a circular type fashion and work from your head to your toes. Hip Circles, Ankle Rotations, Neck Circles, Circling The Knees; these will open up the body big time and just because they're not big exercises, that doesn't mean it won't help your body in the long run. Another would be to do Animal Flow by dynamically stretching the muscles by moving in animal like fashion. A favorite of mine is the Ape Reach which opens up the hips, lower back, shoulders, chest and scapula.

Another great way to open up the body is by doing Yoga, even just for a few minutes. I prefer DDP Yoga as it seems more fun to me and it interests me than other forms of yoga. The 10 Minute Warm Up is freaking amazing to get that body going. That is from the DDP Yoga Extreme DVDs but because it is a warm up, don't freak out because it's on an extreme workout DVD. I'm not the biggest fan of following along but I do modify it to my needs and pace and do what's best for me which is what DDP encourages.

I know what it's like to not be able to move after waking up because i'm so damn stiff and my joints hurt every inch I moved. After my accident, I dedicated myself to be in the best shape possible and not just for building muscle but keeping my tendons strong and my joints healthy because when I get older (I'm almost 35 now) I'll have issues in my shins and ankles so my job is to prevent as much injury elements as possible and focus on staying fit without having to go on meds to suppress my joint pain. I flat out hate being on medication because up until about 9-10 years old, I was on meds from when I had the meningitis as a baby and it didn't make feel normal, now granted I'm still not normal but I don't have pills being shoved down my throat for the sake of being under control.

Be healthy inside and out and keep your joints strong for as long as you can. In our teens into late 20s, we don't think too much about our tissue and cartilage along with staying on top of keeping our tendons strong so we just go hardcore on the biggest workouts and tear it up until we are so beaten up that by the time we reach Grandparent age, we can't move or do a damn thing without being in so much pain. By our 30's and beyond, we have to be smarter and not let our egos get the best of us, we can still do amazing things but we want to enjoy life as well. It all starts with getting the kinks out.

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Why Did I Let Them Win?

During the preparation of my wedding, I had some anxiety issues, not because I was nervous about the wedding itself but the after effect of nervousness who had some doubts of what man I'm supposed to be for my wife, my future kids, my work and overall image. I needed a distraction in order to really stay balanced and it didn't really work out the way I wanted it to. I joined a forum out of word of mouth and research, it was decent and had some knowledgeable people there but pretty much from the start it became a negative vibe and mentally painful entities that I didn't want to see but it was right in front of my face.

Some of the people on that forum were nice to me and were open to what I had to say and were inspired by me but the majority were just mean, self absorbed assholes that didn't give me the time of day to just have an intellectual conversation about fitness. Some even tried to call me out on bullshit I wasn't even really aware of. I admit I got caught up in it and lashed back at them and it bit me in the ass. I left that forum for a day or 2 than came back but made up the story of being hacked and had restart the process of being there. That blew up in my face and I got bullied again and also fought back in those keyboard wars which now in my mind was so freaking stupid, I just wished somebody would slap me upside the head and tell me to quit being a bitch and let it go. The weird thing is, whether in reality or online at times, it isn't ignoring certain comments. I wear my heart on my sleeve and some of those people made me feel ashamed of that and I let that happen.

Why did I let them win? How could I have been so blind that I didn't see that they were deliberately trying to get under my skin and I let them pin me down just like the kids that pinned me down when I was 12-13 years old and a kid got on top of me and starting beating the crap out of me. I felt sick and appalled that I let that happen to me. The truth is, these same people who think they're knowledgeable, don't have a clue how to be a true human being and put people down because they look different or have to be this way and do things that cater to them. The real truth behind these people is that they hate on and mock one man and his system of exercise and the people who follow him to such a degree that they band together and do nothing but try to "expose" him as a fraud and a frail old man that can't find his way out of a paper bag. Honestly, these are some sick bastards that need more therapy than an assault victim. One of these guys even tried to compare this one man to Hitler for christ sake, the hell is wrong with you?

Now that I'm married, everything is done, had the wedding, went on the most kick ass honeymoon and ready to start my life as a married man, I started seeing things more clearly and remembering the advice Bud Jeffries gave me when I talked to him about the cyberbullying stuff, it has opened my eyes to a different perspective and going through this experience and surviving it mentally and emotionally makes me appreciate more of what the world does offer and the people that love and care about you is a gift. I'm always learning how to be a better human being not just in my self but to those around me and the things I heard out of Bud, my father, my best friend, my wife's best friend, the BFF's mom, my niece and my sister just shook me to my very soul that maybe there is something about me that can grow into this person and what to do with it.

I had quit this forum a second time even though I said I was back for good because the BS these guys kept coming at was overshadowing the real important aspects of training, philosophy, intellectual conversations and other things. I check in on it occasionally but I don't post there anymore and check out the free info I can find on there that has some value. The rest of those guys can go screw themselves and live in their circle jerk world. They have no real value to fitness or to the aspirations of being gentle and loving, they just love to hate on what values others and can't seem to let go of the person they try to "expose" and live a real life that has meaning, positivity and forming a real relationship. They're nothing but keyboard jackasses that live their lives demeaning others. They don't win anymore and I'm not going to lose sleep over their BS about me or the people they hate on. I hope they find peace and learn to just be human instead of trash.

Got Married In A Galaxy Far Far Away And Couldn't Be Any Happier

Did you miss me? I've been gone for more than a month because I was preparing for the biggest day of my life. Times were a little rough, saved up quite a bundle with some help and made it happen with all our friends and family there to celebrate me and my Princess Leia.

The majority of the planning goes to my awesome wife Holly because quite frankly, decision making isn't my thing although I got in some really cool ideas and plenty of ideas we came up with together. One of the best things about this wedding was getting our officiator. The world's strongest man/jedi Bud Jeffries. He did an amazing job with setting things up, telling us what we would like to do and run with it. During the ceremony itself, he made us all laugh to ease some of the extra nerves and just made it so perfect for us.

I'm so thankful for everyone that came out to be there for us and me and my wife are so blessed to have friends Jeremy Farr & Jackie Nicholson for the extra things they did for us and we owe you both a great deal of gratitude. Everyone who pitched in was wonderful and deserves a lot of credit.

A fun thing I got to do since it was Star Wars themed was instead of the traditional tux, I went a completely different route and dressed up as Han Solo for the ceremony. It was super cool and Bud dressed up as Obi-Wan Kenobi. I had the idea of doing music for my groomsmen when they walk out. I also got to dress up as Indiana Jones because that was one of my biggest dreams as he was my all-time favorite character and the films were what I grew up on. Being Indy was definitely a dream come true for me.

It truly was a fun and magical day for me and Holly. I couldn't be any happier and getting to share our nerdiness, love for Star Wars and being our true selves with the rest of our loved ones. This wedding was truly one to remember and can never forget our Anniversary, May 4th LOL. Here are some more pictures from the wedding you'll get a kick out of.

To see more photos, got my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.j.bergman

I even did some training days before the wedding with Bud doing Hammer & Kettle Training. Think you'll find these pretty damn cool. Now that I'm back, I'll be writing more frequently and bring you some fun articles and maybe a guest or 2. Have a wonderful day guys and bask in the love of those around you.

Review Of Animal Workouts Book/DVD

This course is a lot of fun to do and gives the reader a series of progressions for each animal and has quality content for doing something different or what you did as a little kid. Most of the issues that come with the program isn't a major factor for me but I do wish the author were more involved with the exercises instead of using models. Don't get me wrong, they are very fit people but it is important to show the readers what YOU can do and inspire them.

David Nordmark is a knowledgeable guy I'm sure but shows more of a copy and paste style as an author selling courses at a cheaper price than folks who wrote previous courses that cover the topics virtually identical. Matt Furey, Ed Baran, Batman O'Brien, Charles Atlas and others wrote courses that dealt with basic to advanced calisthenic movements utilizing traditional Hindu Wrestling Training, Gymnastics, Self Resistance, Isometrics & Flexibility training. These courses are pricey in areas but are well worth it. David wrote courses that carry the same exact exercises and a tad more but sold them half or more cheaper.

The animals based in this book and DVD course are very simple to do and can be done virtually anywhere. I love how playing around with these exercises can make a person fit and healthy in the long run but if one has had previous injuries, some exercises won't cut it for that individual. The principle movements are mainly crawling and jumping which is essential but some people no matter how hard they try, won't have great jumping abilities because of how their tendons and ligaments handle the stress. Overall, one can adjust to the exercises according to their level of energy, flexibility and fitness. You don't have to do the jumping exercises, you can just do squats or hold the positions in an isometric fashion. It's all what you can do and make the most of it.

Although it suggests elements on speed, technique and rest periods, do what you can do. Some exercises I can never speed up on due to previous injuries in my legs and I don't jump that high on some exercises. With the crawling, your body will naturally tell you the speed and the weak links in your body. Take it from me, just play and adjust accordingly. Don't expect to have great strength off the bat and your stamina and endurance will come in time because when you really get into it, it doesn't feel like a workout, more like a game and that mindset can help your results come quicker.

The weight loss & muscle building aspects vary from individual to individual so if you don't lose weight or build muscle right away, it's OK, keep at it and things will eventually happen. You will build natural muscle due to the amount of muscle groups being used during the movements. The more muscles being used, the greater chances of development faster. Have fun with it and get into the mindset of making it a game, it'll change your perspective and develop results you didn't think were possible. Get wild my friends.

Animal Workouts Book

Animal Workouts DVD

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Pushing The Limits....Good Or Bad

Every individual experiences different levels of tolerance or intolerance to soreness, pain, strength, endurance, flexibility, durability and stamina; so we can't fully determine what gives us that balls to the walls limit of understanding how far we can go in our training. There are people who do the Ironman, run Ultra-Marathons, Crossfit like a maniac, train to extremes for bodybuilding or their specific sport and than there are people who feel going beyond the limit is a badge of honor.

Don't get me wrong, testing one's ability is a meaningful goal and every person wants to know within themselves "How far can I take this?" The problem is that too many people strive for this goal way too quickly and it's not always by way of their own choice. Yes we have a choice but we also tend to get caught up in the hype and being told what to do and how to apply ourselves to reach our maximum limit without regarding the consequences of injury, possibly death, becoming crippled, breaking bones, tearing tendons and scarring the psyche for life. It's like driving a Viper and testing it's limits of how fast it can go and getting caught up in that mentality of seeing what it's truly capable of. The car can only take so much and at its highest peak of maximum performance, won't last more than a minute tops. A similar ideal is the cheetah the fastest land animal on earth, at top speed, the wildcat only lasts seconds and only uses that speed for survival and catching food. If this cat were to challenge itself and even remotely test it's speed more than it is meant to, the death scale would be at its highest due to exhaustion, heart beating too fast for the body to handle, the bones would shatter and would be destroying the internal organs.

Like the Viper and Cheetah, the human body can only take so much and everyone, even the greatest athletes in the world have their limits. How we determine what we can tolerate is through experimentation, where the mind is tested, preparation and finding out what we can do to do more and more until we reach complete and utter failure. It is important to challenge yourself but it must be done with intent, understanding when to back off and recover, plus learning your mentality and physical needs. When we are young, we have greater chances of recovering like crazy and have energy that keeps us going and having mental toughness. As we age, recovery takes more time, physical exertion becomes greater in order to provide results and mental strength is at it's apex.

Pushing our limits can be beneficial to a degree but each individual will never have the same limits or abilities as the person next to them. There are some things I can never achieve because of my structure, my strength levels, my tolerance for pain but that other person may not have what I have and won't ever do things that I'm capable of doing. It's all a matter of perspective and understanding how far that person can push their highest levels of the attributes they have acquired or willing to test at their maximum levels. Now the real question is.....If you push beyond your limits, are you willing to suffer the consequences that comes later or during? Or are you willing to find out what you can truly do? This is the real test for every individual. 


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