When The Animals Call

 Our energy levels vary from day to day and we don't always know when those will dip or just have a moment of pure adrenaline. Some days we'll feel like crap and have various mood swings where we can feel happy one moment and all of a sudden do a 180 and be an ass. We're human, it happens and it's part of our nature. Some days are better than others and we just have that bundle of energy. Having that kind of energy shouldn't go to waste but neither should be at an excess.

Exercising is without question incredible for productively getting that energy out. Even if you're in a bad mood and just need to find a way to get rid of it, training can definitely help beyond just getting physical, it could also relieve stress from an emotional and mental stand point as well.

Whenever I need a pick-me-up or have that excess energy or just find a way to chill out, I turn to the animals and just play my animal dice game. It changes my state of mind completely and puts me in a better place to think clearer and feel better all around. Life is hard at times and its important to find the good and positive things that make life interesting. Moving around like an animal has this power to channel stress in ways certain methods can't match, that doesn't mean other methods are crap and what you do makes you feel better and changes your mood should be in your arsenal. 

When the animals call, I go until it's time for me to stop. At times it's only a few minutes but those few minutes can change an entire day. The crawling, the jumping, the walking and the balancing all put things into perspective and harness a strength to be better, to prevent negative things from entering your mind and release endorphins that make the world feel easy to be in. 

Get the most out of the stress you want to get rid of or use what's possible to get that excess energy out so you'll feel more clear headed, be able to sleep better, better control of your breathing and letting things flow. When the animals call, try answering every now and then, you'll be surprised what you'll find out.  

End Of The Road On Hill Sprint Training For Now

 Since May 17th, I wanted to see what I can do doing Hill Sprints and it was a joy to do and I loved it but I don't have the drive to do them for a while. The reality is, it's a 15-20 minute walk to the Hills I was running on and getting there, doing some kind of warm up, sprint and than walk back was putting some stress on my shin and ankles and needed to stop. 

Sometimes you need to change things up to avoid injuries and when you get burned out or have had enough, it's important to not force yourself into something you don't put your heart into. Now if I was less than 10 minutes away walking there, it be no problem but since day 1 of walking again back in '05, it can be difficult for me to walk for an extended period of time without feeling some kind of discomfort which has led to pain at times. 

My results from training on the Hills are pretty good and after about close to 2 months, I've put on some muscle and although I weigh practically the same, my shape is different and lost some fat. It has given me some fresh perspective on what it takes to train with intensity and fortitude to push myself to a different level. Although the runs were short, each sprint taught me how to handle my footing, determine speed and explosiveness during the duration and practice solid rest time for optimal performance. 

On Friday, I was doing 20 second sprints and the distance was roughly the same but the very last one, for some reason the distance was further than all the others and I was pushing hard on the others. When you're determined to find out what you're capable of, you can do things you didn't expect to do. These last results are from June 14th and yesterday. 

When I was sprinting, I would think of myself as the Flash or the legendary Walter Payton, just exploding upward and giving everything I had. That's one of the true aspects of this kind of training, there's more to it than just shooting up a hill. I don't know what I'm going to do next but for the next phase of training, it can lead to anywhere from Hindu Burpees to another chapter of carrying, step ups, animal workouts or whatever comes to mind. It's just a matter of what I make of it to get the most out of. 

Wrestling In Mongolia

Throughout mankind there have been many different styles of wrestling or grappling. In certain regions of the same country, you can find various styles of wrestling and what it pertains to the culture of that region. In today's age we understand the concepts of Freestyle & Greco-Roman Amateur Wrestling, Catch As Catch Can, Folkstyle, some understanding of Kushti or Indian Wrestling and others but how often have you read about a style that is centuries old but rarely talked about such as Mongolian Wrestling?

From our history books, the most famous thing about Mongolia was the rise and fall of Genghis Kahn, the legendary warrior and general of quite arguably the greatest army that conquered nearly the entire world. Did you know that many of his soldiers were incredible wrestlers and highly skilled archers? The reason he chose many wrestlers because they were the embodiment of strength, skill and durability. Archery as you may have guessed was one of the greatest form of weaponry that dates back thousands of years used in War & Hunting. 

Mongolian Wrestling or Bokh (meaning Durability) is a folk style of grappling where in order to win, your opponent's body other than his foot must touch the ground. The match has some Judo & Greco-Roman elements to it but there's no pins or submissions and it's mainly open weight classes and no time limit. In Mongolian Culture, Wrestling is king. It's one of the "Manly Skills" that includes Archery & Horsemanship (In other words the Trinity of the seemingly unstoppable Kahn Army).  Wrestling events were common during the Qing Dynasty that was from 1646-1911 I believe.

Cave Paintings that date back around 9000 Years (7000 BC) in a Mongolian Province show a match that was surrounded by crowds. Bokh has appeared on Bronze Plates as well within the ruins of the Xiognu Empire. Originally a Military Sport, it was intended to showcase the Strength, Stamina & Skills of recruited Troops. Kahn & other Emperors supported the sport to the degree that today, a Festival called Naadam is the continuing tradition of the art of Bokh.

The competitions are tournament style and has a long list of competitors that one tournament can last about a couple days. The top ranked wrestlers are given titles from their places in the tournament which are.....

Sum Falcon

Sum Elephant

Aimag Falcon

Aimag Elephant

Aimag Lion

National Falcon

National Hawk

National Elephant

National Garuda

National Lion

National Champion

National Surge Champion

National Wide Champion

National Grand Champion

These are the titles out of at times 1000 Wrestlers (But mainly over 500). The Naadam takes place in July every year, the largest competition is the National Naadam in Ulaannaatar which houses the largest number of wrestlers. Two other Classes of the Naadam (Aimag & Sum) are on the bases of Mongolian Administrative Divisions. 

It is quite a site to how important this festival is to many guys who compete. The training these guys go through is pretty insane (what wrestling training isn't insane) and their diet is mainly of meats. A lot of competitors have powerful legs and although they don't have muscles that stand out like a bodybuilder or athlete we're use to seeing, they still have some serious strength and endurance. Some matches only last a few seconds but others can go quite a while but in the end, the moment you fall to the ground it is over. 

To get a glimpse or the idea of how these wrestlers train, compete and utilize the philosophy and culture, here are a few videos to check out. One of the videos is a music video by The Hu that opens a Naadam Festival.

 

The After Effects Of Hill Sprinting

Can we just have a decent amount of weather FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!! Sorry, had to channel my inner Chris Farley for a moment. Training in this heat can be a real bitch and if you have a routine going and it's outside, be careful out there. It was already in the 90's by the time I did my Hill Sprints today. Couldn't do my normal speed but managed to kick my ass. 

All in all, Hill Sprints are still one of the best methods for burning fat and increasing your metabolism while putting on muscle at the same time. When you're resting the majority of the time, that's just one of the perks but also the work itself is so damn short it's ridiculous. Today I did a total of 100 seconds of work on the Hill and especially in this sun, that was more than enough.

One of the best after effects from Hill Sprinting is the endorphin high where negative stress just gets kicked to the curb and you just feel happy and feeling like a million bucks. It feels peaceful and the relaxation feels like you never want it to go away. Those moments where the world is just right and life is at its finest. 

When I finish a session and walking back home, it seems like I'm walking faster going back than I was getting there. Maybe that's the endorphin high kicking in or my body just naturally has that extra pep in my step. Sweat is pouring and I can't help but smile and have that emotional and mental clarity. My stride is perfect and naturally breathing deeply as possible is just awesome.

The calorie burn is another perk I would think many would love and the continuation throughout the day is the cherry on top of a killer ice cream sundae. Food tastes better and at times it'll feel like you can eat a wild elephant, Hill Sprints is for sure the GOAT when it comes to body composition and the transition rom shedding unwanted fat and developing natural muscle.

All this gets the job done no more than 3x a week and never needing more than a 30 second burst. People tend to find that some sprints should be up to 45-60 seconds which in my eyes is pretty unrealistic because for one, you're not even going as fast as you would on flat ground and two, your level of speed can only sustain for so long before you feel like you end up jogging instead of sprinting. 

The last big perk, the cold shower you feel after coming back from a workout feels like you can take on the world and having that feeling of thinking you're having the best shower of your life. Cold showers help burn even calories and increasing brown fat while decreasing white fat (look up the difference and you'll know what I mean. 

For more after effects, research on Hill Sprint Benefits and see for yourself why this method is incredible for a lot of things. Be safe, drink plenty of water and keep having an amazingly awesome summer. 

Cold Showers Can Be Your Best Friend

 

Still hearing that song from Beverly Hills Cop 2 "The Heat Is On" in my head as this heatwave continues throughout the Pacific Northwest. This particular heat is meant for people who live in freaking Arizona, not those who're near the ocean or live near mountains in these specific areas. Hell I don't know how people survived the Ironman that went on here this weekend. 

When it's this hot out, you need to know how to stay safe and hydrated along with not turning into a stop light at an intersection. Our body temperatures can only sustain certain levels of heat for so long before we have heat strokes. One of the best I know of is Cold Showers. For me in my experiences, they're a lifesaver and can prevent skin from peeling after a rough sunburn. I don't particularly wear sunscreen for certain reasons but one of them is because I get burnt even faster when I have it on it doesn't matter what brand. After a cold shower, it balances everything out and gives me a natural tan from being in the sun.

As you know or may have read, taking a cold shower can help regulate body temperature and keeps the skin smooth, when it gets really hot out and you've taken hot showers beforehand, it can develop dry skin and potentially cause you to sunburn much faster which in turn can be very painful. Finding that balance isn't easy to work on but when you know how to keep yourself from overheating and regulating temperature even on the hottest days of the year, it feels quite nice. I'm not saying you should go out and get so much sun, that can only last so long before you need shade and/or need to jump into a lake or the ocean. 

Take it upon yourself to take cold showers whenever possible and keep your Core Temperature at a level that can be sustained throughout the day and depending on your body's intake of water, drink it as much as you can and stay hydrated. It is an important time this summer to be ready for the unexpected and be safe, take care of each other and let's not get to a point where we ask ourselves "you want that in original recipe or extra crispy" when it comes to our bodies.