Finished The Matt Furey Exercise Bible In Under 30 Minutes

When I first began the Matt Furey Exercise Bible now over 3 weeks ago, it had been a long time since I finished a deck and previous attempts I couldn't finish because I felt bored. Something clicked in me to just go for it again and get myself back into shape with those exercises. The first time I went through the deck it took about 45 min.

I wasn't discouraged but I felt like I could do better and went after it day after day for weeks. At one point during a 5 day period, I would switch up the numbers on the cards or I would double the squats on the cards which for my numbers came out to 308. I know i'm in shape but this was a different kind of conditioning, a whole other ball game.

One of the important aspects of card workouts is to be prepared for what lies ahead because you're doing a different workout every time you shuffle those cards. You can do the same exact exercises but it'll never be in the same order. That's one of the things I loved about doing 500 Squats with the cards, same numbers, same goal but the order was always different.

The thing I learned from Furey is that, you can do the speed aspect of the workout with the cards but they can be done in ways beyond speed. You can do multiple variations of the exercises, you can do them slow, you can hold positions or add more reps, there's no limit to what you can do with them. For the exercises done (Hindu Push-ups, Hindu Squats, V-Ups & Tablemakers) sometimes i'll speed through but at the same time I want to have the best form possible while having solid breathing. The workouts themselves are tough as it is.

As time went on, the speed through the deck came naturally and I was getting better and better. My tension in the lower back was fading, I was doing V-Ups like they were nothing as to feeling tense pain when I would do reps, the squats went by faster and my endurance in the push-ups got better. I switch things up again and lately I started doing not one but three variations of the Hindu Push-ups since I heard Karl Gotch's voice in my head going "Always work your muscles from every possible angle", so on cards under 10 reps, I would do them palms down, higher numbers were with the Push-up bars either facing vertically or horizontally to work other muscles.

On tuesday, I tested myself and set a timer to see how fast I can get through the deck (wasn't trying to go for a world record). It felt like things were flowing and my energy was there, my mind was super focused and my form felt flawless through all the exercises. After it was all said and done, I stopped the timer at 28:41. I was in a state of disbelief because in years I haven't touched 30 minutes or less in a deck of cards workout unless it was 500 Squats. My conditioning game was on fire that day and after doing one breathing technique for recovery for 30 seconds afterwards, it literally felt like I could go through a whole new deck. Felt on top of the world and smiling both inside and out and had an amazing sense of pride and love for what I had pulled off.

Setting a goal is a great thing but to really go after it, it takes more than just pushing through obstacles, it takes something you are invested in with being interested and having a fire within you that burns even in the toughest of times because there were days where I wanted to quit but something inside me told me to keep going, see the bigger picture and feel as if you witnessed it in your mind's eye that you can do this and you have the balls to run over that "Governor" in your head. One of the things that kept me going day after day doing this was how I would focus on my breathing and try to remain relaxed as possible without being sloppy. I would tell myself outloud to "relax" and feel the flow of the exercise and not worry about speed. It worked and now as far as I can tell, this workout feels like physical meditation.

 We all have a fire within us, the question is, how hot do you want to make it burn? There's a difference between cozy & warm and fire so damn hot it turns blue. Cozy fireplace warm is the type of fire within that the majority set their goals to, they set it and once they achieve it, it doesn't have a ton of value; some but not high and then there are those who have flames that are so hot, anyone who comes near the person burns to a fucking crisp. Their flames are so powerful, nothing can stand in their way and nobody can put it out no matter what they attempt.

I'm proud of what I accomplished with sincerity, not ego. No matter what your goals are, they have bigger victories later that build up and if there's a peak, be the ruler up high in that mountain.

One Of The Scariest Moments Of My Life

For years, I've practiced various methods of conditioning, deep breathing exercise, strength training and developing flexibility and endurance; very few things however have scared the living hell out of me and recently it was one of those moments and also nearly put me in the ER. I recently bought Jon Hass' E-Book and Video Evolve Your Breathing Program and I figured it was a way to learn some new techniques to enhance my conditioning and performance. This nearly became a tragedy.

From this experience only, I tried out the exercises he laid in his course and although I never experienced them before in that manner, it didn't feel weird at first until I was getting dinner ready that night and something terribly went wrong. The exercises I did were Chest Breathing & Intercostal; my chest started feeling as someone hit me with a bat or something and my breathing became very shallow, I stood in the middle of the kitchen feeling nearly paralyzed because although I was conscience, I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I lost my train of thought, my brain didn't feel connected to my nerves so I can move my body and it almost seemed as if I had a mini stroke.

I was disoriented for what seemed like minutes but according to my wife, it was a couple hours. Normally it takes me a good 7 minutes or so for the dinner I was making but this time took me over a half hour because I completely forgot how to make it. Something with those exercises triggered something in my brain that took me to a place where I wasn't me and I was just a pole in the middle of a room. Those that know me, know that I have a memory that is very unique and a solid sense of balance but for that moment, it was completely gone and my body was nearly shutting down on me, I have no clue how I was still even standing and conscience.

Once I felt some form of composure and intuitively knew I was in a good state of mind, I started breathing the exercises I knew like the back of my hand and I was back at 100% with complete sense of my memory, my control of the limbs, the balance and completely aware of everything around me. Only one other person knows about what happened but my wife was the one who witnessed it and I can't bare putting her through that again. I cannot put myself through those exercises again.

We breathe through life because if we couldn't breathe, we'd be dead but yet certain techniques can make or break your nervous system and it's extremely critical to pay attention to how you do breathe. I don't know if i'm the only person who had this experience or people before me experienced it but I do feel the need to warn you that certain techniques can be dangerous and don't want to imagine anyone going through what I did or worse. I have read both sides on Chest Breathing & Intercostal but after this experience, I know first hand, these techniques can be a hazard to your health.

The best breathing techniques that have given me the optimal performance and conditioning were Diaphramic Breathing, The Breath Of Fire Technique and Exercises that ties in with Garin Bader's CoreForce Energy Program. I also use techniques to remain as calm as possible, even through tough workouts as I stay relaxed but not loose.

There are techniques that have been around for thousands of years but that doesn't mean they're meant for everybody. Be as safe as possible as you train and never to the degree where you could end up in the hospital like I nearly did or worse. Learn to use the breath as your power and breathe with intentions on building a strong nervous system and cardiovascular as well.

Enhancing Performance Using Breathing Techniques

"Deep Breathing Exercises alone, if done right, will make many a weak an strong and many a sick man well."- Farmer Burns (Catch Wrestler 1861-1937)

Everyday we take a breath and never really give it a second thought, it's our biggest thing to do in this life because without the breath, we'd be dead. Go weeks at a time a time, days without water but yet only last minutes without breathing, it is something we do take for granted.

When it comes to fitness, there are techniques to not make us perform better but recover better as well. In most mainstream training ideals, the breath is very little talked about and although you can move good weight, can't walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded. Even the most conditioned fighters in the world at times can't last 3x5 min rounds in a fight so, what more can you do to keep up the endurance while reserving your strength?

When I was in high school, breathing techniques didn't really exist or weren't really even taught and I can move some weight but I couldn't run if my life depended on it and was always slow and having little to no endurance. Between 18-20 years old, I was in the gym learning on my own different ways to handle weights and did some circuit training but I still had no real stamina and just felt drained a lot of time. My warm-up was just walking to the gym which was about 15-16 minutes but by the time I got there, I felt like crap.

After my injuries and learning the exercises from Combat Conditioning, I started picking up on how to really breathe when I moved and as I got better and my reps were getting higher and higher, my endurance shot through the roof and my strength had a lasting effect, not just temporarily. I had far better cardio and lasting strength than I ever did in my teens and I felt like I can take on the world.

I wanted to learn more on how deep breathing or specific techniques helped increase my endurance and kept up my conditioning. Learned what chest breathing did, intercostal, diaphramic, holding the breath and others so I took what I felt was best and ran with it. Some of the very best techniques I learned were from Garin Bader's CoreForce Energy System and not only gave me a fun way to perform better but be able to do things outside of my workouts I never had before. Learning how to breathe in certain situations and putting mental imagery and sound-making with it made things quite interesting. I moved smoother, protected me from injuries, handle awkward movements and more.

When I was in Jiu Jitsu, I learned the hard way that the breath was more important than using my strength. After many years of training, I was good at breathing but focused more on how to use my strength and it bit me in the ass. I was winded moments after getting on the mat at first and I felt that something had to be done. I started letting my body relax a bit more and ore instead of using tension cause in some methods that was what was taught. Once I relaxed and used some of the CFE Techniques, 5 min rounds didn't feel as difficult, still got my ass kicked but the guys started to see what kind of strength I really possessed and had trouble putting me in some holds and even escaped a choke hold that was really clamped on.

I did some research on the Breath Of Fire and Diaphragmatic Breathing  that the Gracies used to keep themselves in awesome shape throughout a fight and practicing this techniques has opened another door in how I can perform better. It isn't an easy technique to learn but once I got used to it, it made my workouts better. I then started learning techniques from Matt Furey on how to relax even more to move faster without using so much tension if any. I used these techniques recently with the Matt Furey Exercise Bible and even with doubling the squats, I finished the deck in 35 minutes which was the fastest I have ever done with those specific exercises and didn't feel winded or tense.

There are some techniques that just don't work for some people and I have found even after one practice that certain aspects of chest breathing or intercostal breathing just freaking suck. I have found that the better you can relax, the better you can perform in most cases, yes you need tension in some forms of exercise like olympic weightlifting or powerlifting, things of that nature but in performing or moving throughout everyday life, the less you have unnecessary tension, the better you will be.

To learn more on the phenomenal methods of breathing, check out these courses......

Upgrade Your Breath

CoreForce Energy

Introduction to Qigong Exercise for Beginners with Lee Holden

7 Minutes of Magic: Recharge Your Body Each Day with Qi Gong

Getting Fit Like Wonder Woman

In a few months, the sequel to Wonder Woman will be in Theaters. I'm looking forward to it as i'm a fan of the DC Universe and quite frankly I find strong women to be freaking bad asses. When you grow up around strong women like I have with 2 sisters, my mom, my second mother and my grandmother who is still kicking at 98, you learn a thing or two and it's not a good thing to piss off a woman who has some strong german and italian in her veins.

Many female warriors aren't always given the credit they deserve and because us men live in a dominant world in many countries where women are secondary or even third on a list and not seen as equal. Now there are facts that women have certain physical attributes that can never match a man but there are things that man can never match a woman beyond those attributes. They have strength most of us men cannot comprehend but i'm not talking just physical strength, the ability to endure mentally and physically, emotional comprehension and the ability to fight. If they have the skills, they can beat the living hell out of you.

For women, getting fit isn't as easy as it is for us guys for a lot of reasons and this isn't a knock to anyone. The process of our bodies are different and building muscle takes different roads but it all leads down to the same path one way or another. When I talk about muscle, I' not talking those jacked up girls from the Crossfit Games, they've got way more things going on there than just lifting and working out like maniacs, i'm not even talking the sleek and toned model types either, I'm talking about what's in the middle. The type of muscle that has true meaning and functionality where you can still be feminine but not the bodybuilder type. For all intents and purposes, you can be a curvy girl and still be healthy with the right tools, you can also be athletic looking and not be bulky, it's what you're shooting for and using the tools to get you there.

To get into the strength aspects of women, it's important to understand that in certain cases, the training is different, not by a ton but to the degree where whether it's bodyweight exercise, weightlifting, Yoga, Pilates or whatever, train according to the needs that your structure makes the exercises you practice moves with intent. That sounds weird I know but after training my wife and other women when I was in college, I learned to target different exercises through different body types.

When it comes to fit women, I'm looking at ladies like Vanessa Raymond, Melody Schoenfeld, Kirsten Tulloch whom you can find on Instagram @littletank and others such as Tara Scott that does work on Kettlebells, Swinging The Clubs/Mace and Movement/Flow Training. These women practice fitness in a variety of ways that you won't need to look much elsewhere. Combined have decades of experience from bodybuilding to dancing, kettlebell training, bodyweight exercise, strongman training, conditioning and more, they are the real deal and can take you places that you didn't think were possible. If you learned from even just one of them, you're getting knowledge that most female trainers today couldn't even handle but if you learned from all four, you might as well be Wonder Woman yourself.

If you want to get an idea of getting fit like the Amazon Princess, check out Darebee.com for workouts that are exclusive for women, they're mainly bodyweight and some are tough as hell that even men might struggle with....

Talk about a whole new meaning to the term, "Working out like a girl."

It Is Never Easy Posting Your Results

The last time I can ever remember being skinny was around the age of 10 and 11, so for 25+ years, I was a heavy kid. By the time I was 13 in middle school I was close to 200 lbs at a height of 5'4. As I got older and was hitting weights more often throughout high school, I put on some muscle but not much to show for. I couldn't run for the life of me, had less than average stamina, ok strength and very little flexibility. I didn't know what fitness can really do until I got into Track & Field doing the Shot Put & Discus and I wasn't very good at that either lol, throwing just under 33ft shot and over 100ft in the Discus.

Hitting the gym for nearly 2 years after high school got me pretty strong but wasn't fit according to certain standards and than my leg injuries happened, you know the story and that old chestnut. Learning the hard way of becoming fit without rehab wasn't without doubts but I was set in my ways and made the choice to become fit, not look like a greek god or anything like that but fit in the sense where yes physical changes were made but having real strength, stamina and flexibility was where I wanted to go.

Over the years, learning and experimenting with so many different programs and dieting that I have come to accept the fact that being big, at least my definition of big was a great protector but also being fit at the same time made me more useful. I know deep down I don't ever want to be skinny again or have a tight waist and V-Shaped but have a build that is meant for something and can carry me with a level of conditioning that not many guys at my size has.

Some have told me to look more fit like a fighter, some have told me to hit more of the iron again to develop mass that gears towards my size and one other person said I was in the top 3% of the strongest men in the world; they're all good things to say but the more they say it, the more reasons to stick to my choices of what I find to be fit. I'm not a fighter or a Combat Athlete in general but if somebody tries to test me just remember i'll keep going until I can't, weights were fun while they lasted and every now and then I get a bite but I'm happy not hitting weights (barbells, dumbbells, machines) any time soon and saying that i'm in the top 3% is pushing to the extremes, the compliment is a nice gesture but I don't deserve that kind of praise.

I have shown results of my training a few times over the years but it's been some time recently and wanted to share with you what I have done. I'll admit it's scary as hell. It takes courage to show what you have accomplished and SOME people recently can't stand it and it makes things all that much sweeter. I'm not ripped or have veins trying to push out of my skin and certainly a far cry from having extremely low body fat but it's a work in progress and training differently shows that. I love what I have accomplished and will continue to do so because this is my passion and I love being in great shape at 35. I'm fitter now than I ever was in my teens and have improved since being in my 20's.

People make certain choices, I made the choice to become the fittest I can be and still be happy in my life. Everyday I make the choice to either workout or not and some days are far harder than others but it always takes me back to when I was laid up in that hospital bed and thinking of what I HAD to do to walk again and choosing to rehab on my own. It was never about motivation, it was a choice and the risks I was willing to take.

Because of programs like Combat Conditioning, Animal Exercises, Isometrics and the variety of equipment I have, I get to challenge myself every single day and make the most of what is possible for me to do. It's ok to be scared to show people your starts and your updates but don't let fear tear you down for what you can accomplish and rise up to even inspire one person who is afraid to show themselves.