Sun Bathing And Mace Swinging

 Training outside is such an awesome way to get fresh air, feel the warm sun on your skin and moving your body among the blue sky. Mace Swinging is an ancient form of exercise Middle Eastern Wrestlers used for centuries to get in crazy shape for their sport and utilize not just strength and muscle building but also working on mobility, stretching and developing coordination. 

There are quite a few exercises you can do with the Mace but the two main exercises you'll see people do are the 360 Swing and the 10-2's. These main exercise lay the foundation for building well rounded strength and conditioning as it involves pushing, pulling and rotating. In India, there are some competitions on who can swing the most reps with a certain weight. Some Maces weigh more than 60 pounds yet very few can even manage a single rep. 

For the most part, it's best to swing the Mace outside where there's more than enough space to swing and be in control of your surroundings. It is possible to swing Indoors but you need a ceiling more than high enough so it won't hit anything and to never do them around household objects. I always train the Mace outside and just a few exercises will do the trick. Doing no more than 20-30 minutes you can still cook up a great pump in the forearms, working your shoulders, obliques, the trunk and your Core. Right now my Mace is around 25 lbs but wouldn't do more than a couple hundred reps total, it can get brutal sometimes and if you sweaty palms, just trying to grip that sucker is a challenge. 

To learn more about the practices of Mace Swinging, check out Rik Brown, one of the most authoritative figures on the method today. 

Here's a Demo of my swing style doing about 50 Reps while bathing in the sun. Great exercise and a beautiful way to get a good sweat going. 

 

Learning To Shut Out The World As You Train

 I have been training on my own since I was 21 years old. When I first learned how to walk again, I had to learn how to concentrate hard enough to where everything else around me didn't exist. It does get lonely at times but it taught me how to be self-reliant and to challenge myself not to let anyone else help me unless I was desperate enough. When I was in college, yeah I worked out around people and gave them a helping hand as well as learning from them but I was at my very best when I put myself into that mode of "it's just me and nothing else."

Training by yourself has its own rewards and you learn more about yourself than when training alongside others. The only time I have ever truly felt comfortable training with others was other strongmen and not feeling like an outcast or someone who didn't belong. By myself, it becomes a mental game more than anything. The cons really of training alone is that if you're stuck or you get hurt, you're on your own and have to figure out how to save your own ass; it's not the same as being in a gym, they're there to make sure you don't do anything stupid and if you're training by yourself and do something stupid, there are those close by.

Unless there's a training session with my wife, my workouts are nothing but me, some music and whatever I end up doing. I take my training seriously to the point where I shut everything out around me and put on some music and don't stop until I'm ready to call it a day. Some days, my mind runs ragged and I can't always concentrate (we're human, it happens) but most days, I just want to be left alone to do my thing and take care of me. That's one of the true benefits of working out is to give time to yourself and do things that put you into a state of mind where you're in control and you get to choose your challenges and schemes.

On those days where I do up to 1000 Step-ups, I put on music and just go, nothing in the world matters but being in those moments of exercising not just physically but getting in tuned with your inner self. With those Animal Workouts, before every animal I move as, for a split moment, I visualize myself transforming into it and believe that it is the strongest and most powerful it can be. I shut out everything except the music and the movement, I make it feel as if they are one with me. 

What training alone has really taught me was to be open with yourself and understand the only competition you have is just you and making the most of your abilities. I get to pick and choose what I get to do, I can make the choice to do something easy or extremely hard and what pace I get to go as. I'm in no competition with anyone, there's always going to be someone out there faster and stronger than me but not everyone can do what I can do. I figured out on my own how to develop my own program, how to go hard when it's the right time and when to back off. 

I rarely have let anyone coach me, really only a few have ever worked with me and showed me the ropes, everything else I have read, watched and mimicked. I have literally taught myself to shut out the world, some days are not as easy as others but my style is what I live by and what it has given me. I would love to train people but as I've gotten older, I realize that my style of exercise and my way of training someone isn't always compatible with someone else who wants to train. 

When you can shut things out and just focus on the task at hand, you'll start to understand what it takes to make things happen. I've pushed myself for so many years especially in the beginning because for the most part, other than learning a thing or two from dear friends, I had no one to rely on but myself. When I'm training, two things will happen if you try to jump in, you're either going to try to keep up or get kicked out, I don't allow anyone to work out with me unless they're prepared to work, I don't give a damn who it is. I'll be having fun with some things but my pace, my attitude and my dedication is about as serious as a heart attack.

Train according to your style, not everyone is willing to train by themselves, if you're at your best with partners than have at it but if you're on your own, only let in who is worthy and shut everything else out until you're done. 

National Geographic And Fitness

 

Ever since I got Disney+ for me and my wife (yes we are Disney Geeks, deal with it LOL), the majority of the time I spend on it is watching National Geographic, specifically the animal specials. I've always been fascinated by Animals ever since I was a kid but didn't really give it the real attention I do now. There aren't too many Zoos around here and the closest to an Animal Sanctuary I've been to is called Wolf People up near Sandpoint here in Idaho where there's a lady that educates people and raises Wolves on a piece of land. The last and only time I was there was when my friend Bud Jeffries came up here for a few days and he was doing some shows up here and stayed at my house. 

I've also seen some wildlife up close quite a few times around here and when we go to Tahoe for our family vacations. A few bears walking along near our cabins, deer constantly around our house feasting on our lawn and bushes, a couple of moose while camping and wild turkeys roaming. These shows are just a lot of fun to watch and get educated on the vast habits of wild animals. My personal favorites are on Primates (Gorillas, Bonobos and Chimps mostly) and the strength they possess is just inspiring. 

Because of my love of Animal Movements, these specials or at least an episode or two just make me want to get up and crawl around the house or have a little workout out in the Dungeon. The pure and natural aspects of moving like a wild animal pulls me in like the Tractor Beam did to the Millenium Falcon in Star Wars: A New Hope, it puts me into a state of mind where the freedom to roam is the best option. There's nothing wrong with doing stationary movements whether it's weightlifting, bodyweight, cables, club swinging or just doing Isometrics but the ability to move as animal-like as possible opens up another world of Fitness Potential.

The longest time I ever did an animal workout was 1 hr 22 min. and haven't gone anywhere near that long since but it was fun and never knew I went that long until I saw the stopwatch on my phone. I wanted to see how long I can go. Normally now I don't go near more than 30 and on average I do about 10-20 minutes depending on what I'm feeling that day and my energy levels. It is by far the most fun training I've ever done. All I do really is play my Animal Dice Game and just go. Having done literally in the 10's of thousands of Steps/Reps of Animal Movements, it's safe to say it's my all-time favorite training method. I love Combat Conditioning and doing Step-Ups and playing around with a Hammer and Mace but Animals are truly my go-to method of exercise bar none.

Watching what animals can do is an experience that truly shapes the way I look at certain things about life. Most people today don't appreciate the value of the Wild and what it means to be strong and fit in order to survive. We live in a world where we have become accustomed to showing off our bods, eating more and moving less, confused what is the best exercise program to do, sharing memes more than ideas and believing Bodybuilders pumped full of roids and supplements are the way to health. You don't need to be 5% body fat to be healthy and you don't need to look like Frank Zane or Arnold but it is important to use our bodies for long-term well being and be able to move with less chances of getting injured. 

Wildlife is unpredictable, there's no question about that, some of the most deadliest animals sometimes become friendly with other species you wouldn't expect. Animals do whatever it takes to protect their young although often if an offspring is too weak, it gets left behind which hurts to see and hear but if it means a way of needing to survive, you just see it unfold. The point is, movement is life but not to the point where you feel broken at a young age and overwhelming yourself with stress. We can't control what happens around us at times but we can choose how to adapt to it and overcome the odds.

Take the opportunity to move like a wild animal, not for the sake of just exercise but to feel the body from a different perspective and feel what it's like to be free and use your imagination. Imagine the results you can achieve that goes beyond weight loss and muscle building, imagine the possibilities of doing tasks with greater stamina and strength and what you can harness when you have to use your brain in order to work the movements. 

10 Minute Step Up Challenge

 Care for a challenge today? It's one exercise and all you need is a sturdy step stool, bench or the second step of a flight of stairs. The challenge is to do as many Step Ups or at least keep a solid pace and go for 10 minutes non stop. That sounds easy doesn't it, after all it's only 10 minutes right? 

For most, doing this exercise is extremely tough and for good reason; it's a tough exercise and it challenges your cardio big time. It builds incredible stamina, strengthens the muscles in all of the legs, doesn't pound on the joints so it is a much safer option than long distance running and it's a hell of a conditioner if you're an athlete or a laborer or just someone who wants to get in shape. There are great benefits to this exercise.

A lot of people today don't realize what it means to be fit; not just to look like a million bucks but to use your fitness in other endeavors. Some work out to pass the time, others don't care and just go through the motions and there are some that push themselves to the brink of death. When it comes to this exercise, it doesn't take long before you're huffing and puffing. Test it out yourself for even 5 minutes and tell me it doesn't do anything.

Here's a story that makes this exercise so effective, that it made one guy leave the gym without saying a word because he couldn't keep up: One of the most legendary wrestlers of the 1970's was Bob Backlund who became the second longest running champion in the WWE. He became an advocate of the Step Up and the Ab Wheel and made them the foundation for his unrivaled strength and conditioning. One time, a marathoner challenged him in the Step Up because it looked such an easy exercise and if he can run 26.2 miles, doesn't seem much of a challenge right? Bob accepted and told the guy to be prepared to work very hard, after about 20 minutes, the guy gives up and storms out of the gym, never to be seen again. That should tell you flat out how badass this exercise is.

This isn't some ricky dink exercise, it will test your lungs and put on some good functional muscle. Ladies, if you're looking to tone up and shape your butt, this exercise can do that for you. If you can get passed ten minutes without dying, it's a good indication that you're in pretty good shape. You can vary the reps, when I do my workouts with this exercise, I set my watch and do 12 reps per leg, that works for me. When I want to really challenge myself, I'll do 1000 Reps using a deck of cards and keep going with little to no rest. I'm very thankful for this exercise. It feels great on my knees and ankles because although I've done thousands of squats in the past, when I do squats, I feel more tension in those areas because of the rod in my shin and the pins in my ankles. I don't feel tension whatsoever in the Step Up, I do feel my legs working but it makes me feel like the Rod and pins aren't there.

Are you up for the challenge? You think you can go 10 minutes doing this? See what you can do. If you can't do 10 minutes yet, that's ok. You can build up to it doing various sets and reps and taking as little rest as possible each workout until you don't have to rest at all. For safety sake, if you're using a step stool, make sure it's sturdy and can hold a great deal of weight. Most stools can hold up well over 200 lbs. My step stool holds up to 300 lbs. Don't go Speedy Gonzales on this exercise unless you've been at it long enough and you have a good sense of balance. I made the mistake of going like the Flash and ended up tripping and hurting myself twice, I never made it a third time since. I like to keep a steady pace because quite frankly I don't need to sprint on that thing, I feel awesome just getting my heart pumping from the pace I do. 

Do what works for you and do your best to focus on your breathing as well. You'll be huffing and puffing as it is doing this but if you can control your breathing as best as possible, you can go for a much longer time. My first 1000 Reps, I had to take several breaks because those cards will never tell you whats coming. My second time, took less breaks and was feeling pretty good, the third time, I felt like I blasted through it and was in the zone. It becomes a mental game after several minutes cause once you hit 100-200, the mind becomes more of a target than your body. Be sure to find a Stool or Bench that doesn't go past your navel point when you step up; you don't want to overuse the hip joint because this is a full leg exercise not one to overstress the hips. 

Here's a video of me doing the 10 Min Step Up Challenge. 

Some Days Are Short And Others Go Longer

 Although good training results come from consistency, we can't always control the days we do train. Some workouts last shorter than others and other days we'll go longer than normal because the energy is there, our minds are clearer and we just love to keep going. 

A good mini workout on certain days is better than nothing at all. You can do a quick superset of squats and push-ups for 5-10 minutes, you can grease the groove (spread out throughout the day). Rest and Recovery are important no doubt but being active goes a long way as well. Depending on the type of work you do, some people have more time, others only have a certain window of opportunity but how often will they take it? 

We train according to our time frames, our energy, our motivations and what goals we want to strive for. Some talk so much but don't do a whole lot, others don't need to say a damn thing and go after it but overall; what puts you into a state where you want to make things happen?

I'm not a routine guy as I have said in the past, I don't know why I can't stay with a consistent program very long. Maybe it just doesn't come natural to me, my brain processes things differently than most people and I go by my instincts and intuition. Some days I'll have the urge to do 500 Hindu Squats, others go for 1000 Step Step Ups, another day might be a circuit or go for a swim. I go on what my body tells me and how far my mind is willing to go. Here's another example: I tried for a good period doing hundreds of Step Ups a day and so far tackled 1000 Reps 3 times in succession but the challenge didn't feel tough anymore after a short while and didn't feel satisfied or that I accomplished anything. 

At times I feel, why the hell am I really doing this? To prove that I can keep up with others, that i'm in the same league as someone smaller or bigger than me? That despite brain damage that has surrounded me practically my whole existence I should be in the same company as a Professional Athlete? What is really the actual point? The truth is, although I have accomplished so much in my fitness life and it has carried over to things that have helped others in various ways plus I wouldn't be the same person if I went a different route after my accident, the only person I need to prove is myself. The same can be said for anyone. You are your own competition in the reality of no matter how strong or fit you are, there's always someone stronger, healthier, more motivated, more driven, less than fit as you and not everyone is going to love what you're doing. 

Some workouts whether short or long may not always appeal to you or you won't always have a happy place for them in your heart but if you made a choice to do something rather than take a load off, you're already ahead of the majority who don't have a clue to where they can go. You are capable when you push yourself no matter how small and if you have to change things up, do so. Find a challenge, utilize your knowledge and be wise enough to understand your good days, your bad days, short or long. Learn to compromise with yourself.