What Did Other Countries Do To Get In Condition For Wrestling?

 One of the biggest crazes in the last 20+ years when it comes to getting in shape has been bodyweight exercises by Matt Furey with Combat Conditioning, bringing to light for the public doing Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups & the Bridge as the main 3. Learning them from the legendary Karl Gotch and teaching others to develop a level of conditioning for sports mainly wrestling and MMA forms of fighting. Although the transition went in the direction of getting the average person in shape without needing to be a wrestler or someone in a high level of sports, what did those who wrestled, boxed or did combat sports do before Karl Gotch came along?

The Indian & Middle Eastern wrestlers were a force to be reckoned with when it came to the sport and in parts of those areas, wrestling was called the King Of Games. They believed so highly on the elements of physical conditioning that it became a basic entity if you wanted to wrestle or were brought to the Akhara to learn the craft. Karl learned these exercises from a wrestler of that part of the world in England and in turn, they became his foundation and taught it to other wrestlers from that point on. My question is, if these exercises were the ultimate for wrestling, what were the ultimate for everyone else before Gotch was even born?

The Hindu style wasn't always adopted by some of the greatest wrestlers in the world. I've never read anything about Tom Jenkins, Frank Gotch, George Hackenshmidt, Ed Lewis, Ad Santel or Billy Riley doing those particular exercises for wrestling, so what did they supplement their wrestling?

In Russia, you had wrestlers doing all sorts of exercises but one of their main implements was the Kettlebell, did they know the Hindu style at all during the early 1900's or even in the 50's when they were dominating the Olympics? For the most part, most countries did do some form of supplementation to wrestling yet a lot of what they did was drill, drill, drill and do just wrestling. Japan has Sumo Wrestling but weren't very known for Freestyle, Greco-Roman or Catch Wrestling until someone like Gotch or Lou Thesz came along and turned the tides from their biggest star from the land of the rising son Rikidozan.

Wrestlers never truly needed fancy equipment or do a ton of supplementation but who truly knows what they used in times before technology came along. The Greeks as far as I know, developed the early stages of calisthenics and when they created the Olympics, Wrestling was the biggest event. How did those athletes in that era train for the sport of wrestling? From certain records, it was just that, wrestling. 

One of the biggest pioneers in both fitness and modern catch wrestling was Farmer Burns who created a system that included elements of Deep Breathing, Calisthenics, Isometrics and light weight training to condition the body but wrestling was the main form of exercise. If you ever read up on the Farmer, you know he was one of the toughest and greatest wrestlers of his era, losing only 7 matches in his entire career out of thousands of matches. I never saw anything resembling the Hindu Style from him. 

Ed "Strangler" Lewis was considered by many to be the greatest wrestler in History. His conditioning was just unbelievable and not only could he cripple you, just wrestling in general would make any opponent tire out regardless of the shape he was in. Once wrestling for more than 5 hours in a professional match, it was a miracle he was still alive to go again within a good period of time. I never read up on him doing exercises like the push-ups and the squats. I'm not saying he didn't do them but there isn't a ton of evidence to what his supplementation was. Could be wrong. He did say however that wrestling was the best exercise and the best body builder (a term in his day for getting in physical condition). 

In Senegal, wrestling is one of if not the biggest sport in that area of Africa and some of those guys are just monsters, beasts who don't just wrestle but have a form of knuckle boxing as well I believe. They're style of wrestling is similar to the Hindu Style of Kushti. The supplementation exercises I've seen from a documentary shows some calisthenics and weight training using modern equipment but when it comes down to it, if you can't wrestle, you're not in shape which is more or less a cultural thing from every country. 

Some wrestlers don't do supplementation exercises and just wrestle, some coaches or old-timers would say that to test your condition, you wrestled and see where you're at. If they did any form of supplementation, it  was merely to keep themselves healthy like stretching, light calisthenics or run. What Karl Gotch brought to the the table is what practically everyone did later to build up to last in the ring or on the mat. He believed conditioning using bodyweight exercises was the start and once you're in shape, you started to wrestle. In part, I believe that to be true but even Billy Robinson has said that it didn't matter if you did 5000 Squats, it's not going to make you a great wrestler. Some of the most conditioned fighters today still gas out after a round or two in the cage/ring or on the mat and there's questions as to why if they put in the time and training, why they still running out of gas in the middle or even in the beginning of a fight?

Wrestling overall is just plain tough, pure and simple. Some are successful supplementing, others just wrestle and dominate. The point is, condition your body to a degree where it comes down to wrestling and preventing injuries as much as possible like any other sport, however; for some, just wrestling isn't going to cut it, do exercises that will help you stay in shape for the entire duration of a match, it doesn't matter how big or strong you are, you can still get your ass kicked and at times it will come down to conditioning and you better be at the top of your game otherwise sooner or later, you'll get tired and your opponent will pick up on it and beat you to the ground.

2 For 1 Deal On Conditioning And Fat Burning

 It's always fun to discover new things, doing what keeps you interested and rediscovering certain aspects of fitness. For me, I'm rediscovering the Burpee or better yet, a variation called the Hindu Burpee (Combination Of The Hindu Squat & Hindu Push-Up). 

I was doing this variation for a period some time ago and it went by the wayside for other forms of training. After seeing Matt Furey do it recently, it gave me a reason to go back to it. This is just one way of doing this exercise but there are other progressions and little goodies to make this exercise more interesting. Think of it as a 2 For 1 Deal on getting in shape fast using the methods based on Combat Conditioning.

As you know, I like my workouts short and to the point, if I go longer, usually that means i'm either really into it or i'm doing a challenge for myself. This exercises makes a better workout than doing the squats and push-ups individually. The rest periods are similar to doing Sprints, you do a set of Burpees that will get you winded but not going to failure or fatiguing and then just walk around or take your time to catch your breath as long as needed and repeat. Just a few sets is more than enough for most people.

It is awesome to work out using an exercise that gives you the best of both worlds from the two exercises in the Royal Court. I will go fast on this exercise but not so fast that it looks sloppy and going for quantity over quality. Doing the best to my ability, i'll do enough that really hits my body but still have energy left in the tank afterwards and bring in heavy doses of Natural Growth Hormone during and after the workout. 

Unlike Sprints, you can do this exercise everyday but be sure to learn the important details of how it's done and progress to a certain level at your own pace. You can do a set at every hour on the hour throughout the day, do a workout that lasts a few minutes or you can do one set of as many as you can and call it a day. This is amazing for getting in shape really fast and be able to burn calories like crazy without ever having to leave the house. You can do it anytime and anywhere and will turn your body into a lean and mean fighting machine.

How Much More Crazy Can The World Go?

 Growing up watching various sports such as Basketball, Baseball, Football and Hockey it was always fun seeing great plays unfold and records being broken. When I research and watch old school films and clips from a generation long before me, it always fascinated me when a sport evolves with the times whether it was good or bad. I was born into the generation of the steroid era of sports in the 1980's so a lot of what I saw were athletes juicing it up and breaking records left and right which was cool to see at the time but as an adult, it's just sad to see some of the same athletes die so young.

When it came to Baseball, for the most part of my life was of a San Francisco Giants fan, seeing Barry Bonds in action, watching the greats like Rob Nen, Will Clark, Matt Williams and others was a treat for me. Going to Candlestick Park with my dad and sitting in the same seats fans did of yesteryear watching Juan Marichal, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Gaylord Perry. I never had any aspirations to be a Baseball player but always enjoyed watching the game, playing stick ball in the streets and of course being a little kid in the 90's, playing video games hitting Homeruns with Ken Griffey Jr. at the plate.

I was 5 years old when the big earthquake hit the Bay Area. It was Game 3 of the World Series when it was the Bay Area series of The Giants & The Oakland A's that also had the Bash Brothers at that time (Jose Canseco & Mark McGwire). Scary times man and all I kept thinking about was where to even sit since so many things came crashing down, I was at my second mom's house who ran a daycare (still does today) and spent a few days there until things settle, plus my parents were going through a divorce around this time.

Back to it huh? Sorry, sometimes I hate how my memory works. Although I was a big Basketball Fan in the 90's watching the likes of Michael Jordan and the Bulls, Baseball was another thing with me that I didn't understand till years later when I was researching and learning about it's history and the impact it has on American Culture. When a Pitcher is up against the Batter, it's not just if one can strike out, hit a texas leaguer or smack one out of the park; it's about who can change the entire complexity of the game, who is better than the other in that moment and will history unfold? Sure it has it's boring moments but every once in a while, there's those magical moments that take your breath away. The steadiness of a Base Stealer, a batter so feared that intentionally walking him with the bases loaded was a pitcher's better option than to see that batter shatter him with a potential grand slam, just one pitch that can determine either a hit or a perfect game, turning a double play that wins the world series or hitting a walk-off homerun that can shatter an opposing team's chance of winning the Pennant. 

The point i'm making here is those moments are a treasured and when those same players that were in the same era as your parents and grandparents kick the bucket, it becomes a distant memory of what was good in the world in those moments of time. Al Kaline, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Joe Morgan & Whitey Ford have all died so far this year and the only thing left of their legacies and legendary prowess are the memories of people who watched them play. Kaline was a mighty hitter for the Tigers, Seaver was a wrecking machine for hitters with teams that included the Mets, The Cardinals' most feared pitcher Gibson was a force of nature on the diamond, Lou Brock was one of the greatest Base Stealers in history only to be surpassed by the legendary Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan was a finely tuned player that helped shape the Big Red Machine of the Cincinnati Reds and was a SF Giant towards the end of his career, Whitey Ford was nicknamed the Chairman Of The Board and is quite possibly the greatest pitcher in the History of the New York Yankees. 

How much more can this year take? How much more do we have to endure a year that has taken so much and made so many suffer? Cherish what is now and live the best you can because you never know when and how those moments will last. Make the most of what you have count and live for the moments that can end in the blink of an eye. 

Taking A Break From The Workout Madness

 Now this doesn't mean to stop working out, it means to step back a bit from the rough and craziness that certain workouts tend to put on some people. When I say step back a bit, I mean that literally. Often times, a good workout just means to de-stress the mind and body. To clear the cobwebs and get into a much calmer and more focused state of mind.

Letting go of negative emotions isn't always easy and it's no fun when it sneaks up on you in areas of your life that can have potential dire consequences. Like many others, I'm prone to anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. It doesn't help much when you also have a memory bank that creeps up on you on a daily basis and when certain memories are triggered, I don't just remember things, I also feel all the emotions from them as well. It's part of the cause of my anxiety and it can be extremely difficult on some days to feel happy and joyful. I think that was one of the things that became an after effect of my meningitis. 

This is where meditation and visualization programs such as Dao Zou really puts me in a better state of mind because with the effort of deep breathing and focusing on relaxing various areas of both my brain and my body (not forced upon), it gradually over a 30 minute period not only gets rid of the negative stress but puts me in a state of calming my emotions and flowing through my thought process in a non forced effort. I have rarely ever felt such powerful entities when it comes to training. When I practice the techniques in Dao Zou, my anxiety slowly drifts away and the emotional carryover when a memory is triggered becomes smaller and smaller. That's the type of training that can save a life.

There are some forms of stress that can't always be solved with exercise, it takes a much greater deal of effort to get help and form a way to deal with that stress with as much TLC as possible. Dao Zou may not solve everything and those who suffer from PTSD will find things more difficult to cope with but this program can be a huge leap in the right direction of living a life that flows and not suffering from stress that can cause more problems than just mental and emotional. 

Take a step back and practice being in flow without forcing anything. Imagine being in such a state where worry, anxiety, anger, frustration and others are pushed aside and having a feeling (for hours on end) of powerful relaxation, calmness, focus, love, joyfulness and effortless happiness. If you were to practice this at night before bed, you have a higher chance of falling asleep at the snap of your fingers the moment you hit the sack. 

Take a chance and get your hands on the Dao Zou program. It has incredibly powerful techniques that will change the way you see life. 

The Value Of Supersets For Conditioning

 When it comes to short workouts, I try to do very few exercises as possible down to just only one or 2 for the entire duration. I also do my best to keep it going with little to no rest. This keeps up my conditioning and testing my mental endurance. Take for example using Supersets. It's taking two exercises and doing them back to back. 

It's mainly used in weight lifting such as doing exercises for opposing muscle groups, doing exercises to get that extra pump or to get your heart rate up without needing the treadmill. A very tough superset workout would be the Backlund Deck Of Madness I would do where you took a deck of cards and you did Ab Wheel Rollouts and Step Ups. It's no joke and will test your entire body.

You can take various exercises and do supersets with those and still get in an awesome workout, just look as an example the Cables & Step Ups Workout I did. Step Ups just seem to be the norm for me these days over Squats and hey if it keeps me going and it's working, why stop a good thing? Supersets don't take a long time and plus they're great as a warm up or as a finisher. Finishers are awesome for getting that extra push at the end of a workout.

 A bad ass workout that really got me breathing hard like a madman was picking up my 20 lb Slam Ball and carrying it for an entire revolution around the garage (40ft) and then doing 20 Step Ups (10 per leg) and repeat. I did this for 30 minutes straight non stop. This is the type of training that builds loads of strength and endurance for helping people move furniture or carrying boxes up flights of stairs without tiring. This was the type of workout that helped me move my cousin a few days ago and although I was dripping with sweat, I never felt tired. This is the type of conditioning you want because just working out isn't satisfying enough, it's helping those in need and taking the time to help make it easier for them. 

That particular workout was great but the one last night really tested my strength/endurance using a heavier weight. I did 10 Rounds (with little rest in between) of Deadlifting my 70 lb Kettlebell 10 times and 20 Step Ups. Think about that, that's 700 lbs lifted per round and basically going up a flight of stairs after. The end result was picking up a total of 7000 lb (3.5 tons) and 200 Step Ups. This really puts stress on the Lower Back and Legs. 

When you do Supersets, don't just go for endurance and/or conditioning, try to put as many aspects of strength, flexibility, agility, cardio and muscular endurance all at the same time as you can. The stronger each attribute is, the better off you'll be. Conditioning is a mighty asset but with a combination of strength and others, you're tackling real world fitness that is meant to last and keep you from getting injured easily. Think of it as a dynamic duo of exercises and developing superhero like stamina and strength along with attributes that can't coexist without the other.