A Great Benefit Of Isometrics Especially In The Winter Time

 

Although it's a necessary activity during winter, snow shoveling can be fun, especially when you listen to music. Sometimes, shoveling can have light or powdery snow but at times you'll get that slush that just isn't always easy to move. It is important to be in shape and be prepared for what the snow can bring. That's one of the great benefits of being able to do Isometrics.

When you shovel (depending on the design of it), it's not just a pick up and dump on a spot, there's the rotating of the trunk, making every muscle work to do it efficiently and stabilizing the core muscles so you don't get injured. I realize some people have a plow and it makes it easier but some of us don't have that luxury and need to do things the hard way. Normally it doesn't take me more than a half hour to shovel and depending on if there's slush or not, it doesn't wear me out all that much. Because of Isometrics and incorporating techniques in my Breathing and CoreForce Energy Training, I have never gotten winded or injured shoveling snow. 

Mainly with the Isometrics, it helps build strength in the muscles and tendons I need to be consistent with the pace of the shoveling itself. The countless angles and specific points Isometrics provide, have helped me move faster and utilize greater power for that hard to move slush at times. Being able to be strong at awkward angles creates better movement for the tasks needed to get done. When your body is strong at a variety of angles, you can do things that would baffle most people. It's not even angle specific, it's being able to control your body in positions that you didn't realize that could be strong. 

I never truly understood the benefits of Isometrics until a year or two of being really into them and seeing the results not just in how to contract, relax and control the muscles but in how my movements were smoother, strong, powerful and with agility. When you really dig deep into what Isometrics really are, they have a component of building your cardio as you truly apply the muscular contractions whether with short intensity or longer holds. Isometrics are a key component in how I do activities such as wood chopping, snow shoveling, picking up furniture, how I prevented certain submissions in MMA, my animal moves and other things.

Isometrics work wonders and when it comes to handling snow and moving furniture, they're a lifesaver. When you need speed, power, strength and conditioning for the long haul, Isometrics will be there. The fact that you can do them anywhere is just icing on the cake. 

Do You Have Excess Energy At Night?

Sleeping isn't always that easy with people especially when it comes to responsibilities like kids, jobs and dealing with deadlines. There are more mental and emotional factors too as it may be hard to hit the sack. There's also the possibility of either running on fumes, you napped earlier in the day or drank caffeine too late in the day. With kids, they can be very restless at a young age.

I've been a night owl for as long as I can remember, there were at times when I was 11 or 12 where I stood up at night on weekends or read a book at night during the week and was difficult to fall asleep. When I was in high school, I'd stay up to listen to Adam Carolla & Dr. Drew's radio show. I wouldn't be able to fall asleep till 2 in the morning and have to be up by 6:30. I over stimulated my brain quite a lot.

There are at times when having excess energy can't be a good thing because when you don't let your mind and body rest, it can lead to insomnia, possibly have hallucinations, night terrors for when you finally do sleep or it can lead to a breakdown. We need that energy during the day to get tasks done and form that balance of doing what we need to do and let our bodies die down at night so we can be ready the next day.

One of the things that has helped me at night at times is Bridging or Animal Movements. Recently, I tried out some Hindu Burprees or a combo of the Hindu Squat & Hindu Push-up. I would do as many reps as possible until I'm out of breath and then walk around a bit to catch my breath. Once everything dies down, I feel a hell of a sensation or "high" in my body, I would take a cold shower afterwards and within minutes of laying down, I'm out like a light. That kind of workout takes maybe a couple minutes max, to me it's way better than taking a pill or do something really boring. This is just an idea.

Reading a book can be vey helpful to just stimulate the brain enough to wear down certain areas. If you happen to get really into the book, that can come back to bite you in the ass. Watching TV is way over stimulating and doing too many things at once and if you happen to fall asleep, it may cause problems later on. Some people can't sleep because there's too much on their mind and can't quite quiet things down no matter what they do, so they find ways to distract themselves but more often than not, it leads to worse problems. It is hard and it may feel like at times there's no end and your excess energy or overstimulation just takes over.

Do what you can little by little and do your best to sleep. Some people like to take pills or drink some wine but if you're taking pills, eventually you might have to take more because you've built a tolerance and drinking isn't always the best choice, even in moderation because over time, your body will come to rely on it and can cause damage. I hate having to take something and drinking is no where near on my radar for anything. There could be a solution if you're willing to give it a chance, it's a tincture called Blue Vervain, it is meant to help calm the body down and relax which in turn can help with falling asleep. Albizia Powder can also be a way to help you sleep, it's meant to support your sleep and emotional well being; the herb itself and its compounds is known to be as "The Tree Of Happiness."

Give these herbs a chance and maybe even grab a Sleep Bundle to really kickstart your sleep. Excess energy can be good in some areas but when it comes to sleep, we want to sleep well enough to be ready for the next day and have optimal energy for it. We spend 1/3rd of our lives sleeping and getting the best sleep can lead to a happier life. 

Taking The Gym Anywhere Using Resistance Bands

 Needing a building to get in shape is like saying you need Harley Quinn to be your Therapist, there are other options out there. Seriously though, you can go to the gym if that's your preferred place to go get a workout. Some love that because it's like getting away for awhile and focusing on yourself and doing something that is rewarding to you, but that's not the end all-be-all option. Sure there's a lot of equipment to choose from but does it save you the amount of time you can truly use?

Resistance Bands have been around for decades and with the most recent ads of the X3 and other banded products, you can virtually take your workout anywhere. The best set of Bands to get is from Lifeline Fitness period. They're inexpensive, they last a long time and provide the lightest to bands so damn heavy that the strongest men in the world can barely budge if at all. 

I would sometimes do research on weightlifting routines either from books, the internet or from DVDs I have and get ideas on how I can do those same routines with the bands or make up one as I go. Doing workouts ranging from conditioning to strength training to agility training, I've got more routines in my head and more exercises than I can count but only end up doing a fraction for the kind of training that suits me. I train mostly in my Garage but at times I'll do a workout in my office while I take a break from writing or want to be in much warmer areas of the house. That's the beauty about the Bands, you can take them anywhere and still have an ass kicking workout.

One of my favorite workouts these days is a conditioning workout where you do Supersets of various band exercises and step ups for building stamina and strength in the legs. Mainly I would do curls, presses and rows with the bands and do step ups after them. The lightest I use is my 100 lb TNT Cable, the heaviest I do is the heaviest cables I have and that's putting two 40 lb Resistance Cables with the 100 lber to total 180 lbs of resistance, those are tough as hell at times but it provides a hell of a strength workout for the upper body. 

The objection of my workouts to do as little rest as possible to the point where I keep going without resting. The lighter band I use is purely for conditioning purposes. At one workout doing supersets I totaled 500 Reps with the Cable(s) and 500 Step Ups, the only rest was maybe marking off a set which took a few seconds. 

After some time at the gym for nearly a year, I was glad to get away from it, I really only went there because there was a strongman room with stones, heavy bags and logs along with a place for MMA and after experiencing both, I do miss it but my heart wasn't fully in them. I did break some PR's there and had the opportunity to spar with a former UFC fighter and quite a few champs in BJJ along with my coach. My gym will always be the world around me and I'm more keen to training at home where I know where everything is, I can listen to my own style of music, don't have to pay to eat somewhere and no one to wait on for equipment. Within a total of less than 30 minutes, I can have the best workouts of my life.

The biggest take on using bands is that you can adjust the resistance within seconds and unlike weights, the the longer you stretch the band, the heavier it gets as oppose to the same resistance throughout an entire movement. The gym can be an amazing place depending on the area it is in and the people that have positive attitudes but it can also be a pain in the ass because you have to find a way to get there, change clothes, at times wait for your turn on the equipment, get your workout in, change back into regular clothes (maybe shower first) and find your way back home. With Bands, you save a hell of a lot more time and save so much freaking money it is ridiculous. 

If you have a gym to go to and you love it, continue to do it but if you're traveling or have no desire to go to the gym that day but still want to do something for a workout, get the bands out and take them with you or get them out of a bag or little storage space you put them in and get cracking. Make the most of what you have and use the time that is meant for you. Train to believe you can do a workout no matter where you are and never limit yourself the knowledge of what is possible. 

Burning Out And Changing It Up

 Often times we are told to give it "All we got" and "Go at 110%." I've fallen for this many times and at times I don't realize that I'm doing it because I'm so far into the zone. In my early gym days in my late teens, I would hammer out what I could do and see how far I can push myself. At one point, at 19, I was pushing so hard that I woke up so stiff and hurt that getting out of bed felt nearly impossible. For years, I would do my best to find the right kind of workouts that challenged me and see what my limits were. Being burnt out wasn't uncommon.

For some odd reason or another, routines were never my strong suit, no matter how hard I tried, doing a consistent program just never felt right with me. I would be into it for a bit but it becomes less and less of an exciting thing to do and the spark I have goes out faster than when it was lit up. There was a time where I consistently did the Matt Furey Exercise Bible but after several workouts finishing a full deck, it became boring and I wasn't putting in the enthusiasm I normally would put into. Another time would be doing Animal Workouts (Even though they're a favorite), I would just naturally stop and move on because it just never felt as exciting as I want it to be.

People get caught up in the ways of being told that if you did X amount of squats everyday, go to the gym X times a week or run X amount of miles, you'll be in awesome shape. How about going in for the long haul. Unless you're an athlete or just flat out crazy and have an obsession, there's only so many times you can do thousands of squats, going to the gym is great but do you really need a building to go to to get in shape? Running can be good for a while but there's a high risk of developing problems with ankles and knees. I personally believe that doing what suits you is what gives you the greatest benefit, but don't do it because some nutjob with a greedy hand and very little knowledge of real fitness told you what to do.

Being burnt out can be debilitating not just physically but even more so mentally and emotionally. You get so excited and enthusiastic that it just won't end until you've reached that point. When you're burnt out, you shut down and it's hard to determine when you'll get back up on your feet. After more than 15 years of doing something every single day, I've learned and continue to learn that it's more important to do something that makes you happy than to do something that burns you to the ground and having to crawl out of the ashes every single time and repeat the process. 

As you have seen with my workouts over the years, I'm always changing things up not because I don't enjoy a good routine every now and then but to constantly use my brain and find things that are fun to do and do them because of the challenge and seeing what is possible. I do have a form of ADD, I will admit that and I get bored quickly when it comes to workouts, so I'm always having to shift and find things to do that keep me wanting more and backing off if needed. The funny thing is, my constant changing of workouts has kept me in far better shape than a 3-4 week routine because when I change workouts often, I'm not neglecting anything and I learn how my body reacts, with a routine; I end up feeling I'm neglecting certain areas or overusing the muscles i'm working and needing to back off due to nearly injuring myself.

Workouts should suit the needs of an individual but at the same time, if you don't have a passion for them or don't get that spark or twinkle in your eye when you're training, it won't help you in the long run and you'll be doing workouts like a Zombie; no real attachment, no enthusiasm and never feeling happy or looking forward to what lies ahead. I train because it makes me happy, it's one of the few things in my life that has constantly been my rock and place to go. I have lost friends, fallen short on relationships, lose family members in death, times going through depression and have been to the hospital on a couple occasions but aside from my wife and the people in my life, working out has been my life saver because without it, I wouldn't be who I'am.    

Can Isometrics Be Good For Women?

 For Women, losing weight and building muscle isn't as easy as it is for us guys. There is a fine line between an athletically toned and functionally strong woman as opposed to women with muscles bigger than an ectomorph male's head that went on a steroid cycle. Most women have trouble getting rid of the unwanted fat and flab and not always because of a genetic makeup or after having kids, it is possible to develop not only a high metabolism that burns off the fat they want but also build muscle that is not only awesome but functional, useful and gives them energy.

Isometrics have a lot more benefit than many in the fitness world give them credit for. They burn fat like crazy when properly applied, form a natural structure to the body, relieve back pain, strengthen the internal organs and builds strength for the long haul. Many women either don't know the full extent of Isometric Exercise or are fearful because they believe it'll make them bulky which in reality isn't true. You gals can develop a beautiful feminine figure if you set your mind to it, not look like a bodybuilder and naturally revitalize the way your body was meant to develop. 

Think of the overall health you ladies can have with doing Isometric Exercises. The type of health that can strengthen your immune system, a stronger bone structure and prevent osteoporosis. Did you know a pound of muscle can burn up to 75 calories a day? What if I also told you a pound of fat only burns 3 calories a day? Think about this for a moment, if you added say just 10 pounds of muscle that is lean, not only will you be faster, stronger and not to mention fitter, you'll be burning up to 750 calories while you freaking sleep. For doing not even moving a muscle you've just burnt off 1lb of fat in a 5 day period.

Also think about this; it has been said women are more fragile and need to be careful so they don't hurt themselves, I say that's bullshit because if you practiced Isometrics, you can be far better protected from injuries because you'd be toughening up the tendons and ligaments along with stronger muscle that won't tear as easily. Women have a right to protect themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and often times spiritually so why not do something that will protect them in the long run?  

Now there are some problems with certain routines that women do and fall into a trap with; developing those troubled areas such as the legs, butt and abdominals. The reason why is because of the "idea" of gaining weight and losing that muscle tone in those specific areas. This is where you need to understand that focusing almost all your attention to those troubled areas can lead to a bad downfall because overdevelopment can happen and you're left with bad muscular imbalances that not only loses the value of how you want to appear but can also cause pain and irritating discomfort. If you want the very best out of your routine, focus on the whole body that creates something more balanced and beautiful. 

One of the perks of doing Isometric Exercise is that you can do them anytime, anywhere and the workouts only take a fraction of the time it takes to get to a gym, change, workout, change, drive home. That will save you so much time for the tasks or responsibilities you have going on in your life. 10-15 minutes can do wonders for you. 

Want to start getting fitter, healthier and stronger using Isometrics? Than come and check out this book by Fitness Trainer & Author Marlon Birch called Isometric Lean for Life (Build Your best Body Ever). A course specifically for Women.