Is Society Really That Terrible Today?

 Great day to wake up and shovel snow.....said no one ever. Seriously though, it felt good to get up, stretch a bit and take care of some snow on the ground, it can be quite riveting. A lot of people today talk about how bad our society is as a whole and how back in the day, things were better. Some of these same people are those "make America great again" types that just never caught on. Yes there are pros and cons, rights and wrongs with how society has evolved or devolved in some cases but is it really that terrible?

Societies rise and fall all the time and we won't be an exception. Yes social media has it's fair share of issues when it comes to people of certain varieties but let me ask you a question....For those who like to cry MAGA or think society was better during a certain decade, do you really want to go back to a time where women couldn't vote? Go back to a decade where soda was in ads that featured babies, doctors telling people to smoke to lose weight, where a woman was practically a slave to a man, where someone with different skin couldn't or didn't have the choice to sit in an empty seat in the front on a bus, where a "just say no" campaign never statistically worked and drugs were running rampant? That's more than just one question I get it.

Not every kid is shooting up a school, not every attention monger is on social media and not every celeb or pro athlete is an asshole or does drugs. We have become so angry with what others do that we forget that this isn't the only time in history where people wanted attention, where a person with great influence actually did something good and an athlete is celebrated for his accomplishments, not what he did outside of his chosen sport. Society today does have problems and there should be accountability for sure but do we really have to hold those accountable for even trying to do something decent like I don't know actually showed kindness and compassion? 

I think the real issues are not always in Black & White. Everyone isn't always protesting about something in their community but everyone does have a story no matter how boring or extreme and some people go down a wrong path, some thrive and become successful but no matter how you put it, there will be others who want to destroy someone's way of life for god knows what reason. Society as a whole isn't perfect, neither was any society anywhere at any time, it's flawed, it's crude and downright awful at times but there are great times too, places where people take care of each other regardless of your background. 

Now, are there a bunch of dumbasses living among us?  Of course, you can't have a society without a bunch of morons roaming around, sometimes they can make things entertaining but more often than not, they teach us lessons that we don't always realize like what not to do and what lines you don't cross regardless of the circumstance because it is important to realize what really matters. Not everyone survives that but what doesn't survive, something that comes along will, it can be a vicious cycle but also some beauty comes out of it depending on what it is. 

When I was growing up in California, I saw crazy things go down and been around alcoholism, survived an earthquake, survived meningitis, seen what people are like on drugs and observed some really shady dealings. Been around kids of all shapes and sizes and while some I knew lived great lives, others had very toxic people around them and went down dark paths and knew a couple people who've killed themselves. Seeing and being around some of that, you'd think I would be another statistic and go down a path of drinking like many I knew, getting into drugs and all that, well I didn't and there were times in my life I thought about it but something never kicked in me to drink like a fish or smoke like a chimney or do enough drugs to not care about the world around me. I've seen terrible things in society but I never lost sight of what amazingly awesome things happen in society as well. It doesn't make me special or anything, just that I do understand where someone is coming from at times.

Not everyone has it easy growing up in various societies and communities no matter where you are whether it's a rural area, conservative, liberal or whatever. Deep down, some of us will choose life in a very different way than what statistics say and others naturally or forcefully go down roads that very few will ever climb out of. Make your choices and do what works best for you and the people around you. Do the best to your abilities to be there for someone and show compassion until there's a reason not to be and protect each other. Societies rise and fall all the time and very rarely has there ever been a society that wasn't divided in some form. It takes work but at best, live your best life and don't try to destroy someone else's because it's not in your bubble.   

Getting Stronger Without Needing To Go To Failure

 It's easy to get caught up in that warrior mentality of pushing yourself so hard that getting sore, going to failure or even getting injured is considered a badge of honor. Now, I'm not saying don't challenge yourself or half-ass a workout by going through the motions, train to make yourself stronger little by little because over time, it adds up.

Unless you're a competitor, in law enforcement, the military or a pro athlete, pushing yourself to the brink is not always the way to go to make yourself better. When I performed feats of strength such as nail bending, hammer levering, tearing phonebooks or shaping long pieces of steel, I would hammer out what I could do and sometimes I pushed so hard that I did injure myself on a few occasions. Luckily nothing was damaged to where I couldn't do anything but there was a price to pay. 

I believe in training hard without question, however; you can only go as far as you're willing to go and it's important you keep your mental game and body awareness in check. We understand that if you get hurt and you can't keep up with your responsibilities, you're no good to anyone but do we really get what that means? I'm lucky I'm able to train every single day without failure but when I got hurt, I have to adapt, modify and improvise at times in order to do things to help others plus still take on responsibilities that are asked of me. 

Strength is not just physical but mental as well and it's important we understand the differences and similarities between the two. We learn how to progress and do so at our own pace, not the same as everyone else because everybody is different and if we act on the same progressions and the same pace as everybody else, it's not going to pan out well. We learn as we go along and find our strengths and decrease our weaknesses little by little. 

Some days are easier than others but as we pace ourselves and pay attention to our energy, our awareness and the way we can recover, our strength in certain areas will go up even by a 1/10th of 1%. Some never see that or want to think that it's possible, if they're not stronger at a 5-10% increase in a day, they see it as a failure and not a success. Success eventually happens and failure is more of a lesson than a defeat. Now, this isn't the same if you're a policeman, a soldier, a fireman or whatever, if it comes down to life and death, failure can be fatal so building strength and awareness is a completely different area. You train for a specific purpose and do everything that's possible. 

Work on building your strengths little by little. You may fail at some things and you may push to the brink where you can't hold on or move anymore (which I highly don't recommend) but never give up on making yourself better even by the smallest fraction because the tiniest or most microscopic improvements can make the biggest differences in what happens next. 

The Hammerman Now Walks Among The Elite In The Heavens Of The Old-Time Strongmen

There are strongmen and then there's Lawrence Farman. A man who admired the legendary strongman figure of Joe Greenstein, AKA The Mighty Atom and worked hard as hell in the rock quarry, breaking stones and rock day in and day out since the early 50's until he late 90's or so. In between, he learned the craft of strongmanism; bending steel, breaking chains and driving nails through boards. His most unique feat was the reason for his nickname, The Hammerman. The Lifting and Levering with the heaviest sledgehammers that would make John Henry's jaw drop.

When it comes down to records and what someone can achieve, Slim The Hammerman was above and beyond the very fathom of what it means to achieve a level of strength the way he did. His strength and prowess among the strongmen of his time and generations after almost sound like it should've been myth, but in fact was not only very real, made it legendary in ways that put him in a class that should be in the ranks of Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Ed Strangler Lewis and Paul Anderson. 

Slim passed away at the age of 87 and although he is gone from this world, his spirit will live on in the memories and hearts of strongmen the world over. I regrettably never got a chance to meet him but I did have a phone conversation with him once a few years back thanks to fellow strongman Chris Rider. We talked about Atom and Slim's life and how he achieved financial success in his work. How he lifted the hammers using a mental technique he perfected and gave me advice on what I can do in my own strongman endeavors. It was an honor to even talk with him and swapping stories, my favorite is how he gave his high school the bird as he walked out the door and made something of himself.

For all intents and purposes, his records in levering will never be broken. His world record of lifting 2-28 lb hammers that were attached to each other is not only unbelievable, but the mere fact that his wrists weren't even 100% when he made the feat. He achieved this in the mid 70's at Madison Square Garden as the Atom watched by his side. He was also a man among giants, at 6'6 and a max weight of 230 lbs of pure muscle that was sinewy and the toughest of tendons and ligaments anyone could ever thought of. His grip was so powerful that men in recent years who've shaken his hand can attest to the incredible strength he still had. 

Slim, you were a man among men, a strongman's strongman and one of the hardest working people the world had ever known. RIP big man and say hi to the Mighty Atom for us. 

Work With Isometrics To Prevent Injury As Much As Possible

It's snow season and it's that time of year where in many parts of the country (and areas around the world), shoveling snow is practically mandatory. Some use Snow Ploughs but for the most part, a shovel is their only hope to get rid of snow when it's dumped on your car, covered up around your door step, your backyard or the driveway. When you're not use to exercising and you don't have a choice but to shovel snow, it can be very difficult on some people and they can hurt themselves or worse, have a heart attack (it does happen more often than we care to admit).

It's a blessing that I've never been injured shoveling snow and it's actually one of my favorite forms of exercise. For a decade now over the winters here in Idaho, snow shoveling has been a big factor in how my fitness is being tested and although it's something many people do, how many get hurt doing this simple task? Depending on your area and how wet and/or heavy the snow is, it can vary in weight and how your body handles the stress. It's hard work at times but it can be quite fun.

At our house during the winter, I'd be up around between 5 and 7am working the driveway so my wife can get out in the morning to head to work. When the ploughs would come by, at times they'll inadvertently create a berm that blocks the driveway which at times creates heavier snow to move. It's a pain in the ass but you do what you need to do man. I'm one of those few people who actually loves to shovel snow and gets a lot of satisfaction out of it. Put some music on, twist, turn, lift, carry and have a blast. Often I'd be shoveling multiple times a day so the conditioning really kicks into gear. 

Now, what do Isometrics have to do with shoveling snow. For one, when you have to twist and turn, you're using muscles not normally used so the joints surrounding those muscles need to be strong and durable otherwise you're running a greater risk of injury. Number 2, Isometrics can be a key ingredient in how you can maintain and even increase the strength of your tendons and ligaments in order to be efficient, fast and have suppleness/flexibility so you can get the job done without hurting yourself. Does shoveling snow to be considered manual labor? I'd say so and it's important to have a solid level of conditioning and strength because if you don't cover all the bases, there can be complications. 

Isometrics have been a staple for many for centuries and most today can't understand how valuable and even necessary to train with Isometrics. A priority as a human being, is to be strong and conditioned at just about any given time and gives off a sense of honor when it's used to help others and not just as a individual. I love training with Isometrics because I can work so many angles in a short amount of time and strengthen those weak areas I might have and be able to gain strength from places most don't think can get strong. 

Isometrics don't just strengthen joints, muscles and the tendons & ligaments, they provide somewhat of a shield to prevent injuries as much as possible. We can't 100% avoid injuries but if we can reduce the risks as much as we can, wouldn't it be worth it. The amount of exercise for Isometrics is limitless but find what works best for you and make the most of what's possible to be as strong but feel light as a feather. That's the beauty of them, they can make you feel like you're walking on air, be faster, move with greater ease and handle physical stress in a better fashion. Read up on my article about Isometrics building a structure like Wolverine's Adamantium Skeletal Structure. 

Isometrics are truly the lost secrets of building incredible strength and the greater we can build on them, the better we can handle other tasks in life. Be strong from every angle imaginable and enjoy the fruits of fitness in an awesome way. 

Overcoming Isometrics: Isometric Exercises for Building Muscle and Strength (The Train Smarter Series)

Isometric Power Pulse Method

Super Isometrics for Maximum Strength and Muscle Gain

Developing The Isometric Mind : All 7 Volumes

Taking Ownership Of Your Fitness

We are our own self critics and have a hard time making certain things our own. Taking ownership of something is not just about responsibility and making it a priority, ownership is when you are driven to make the most of what is possible and making it not just your own but providing the means to keep it for yourself. From a fitness point of view, ownership is not so much of running a fitness brand or making videos, it means you put in the work and making the most of what is possible.

From day one, my priority to myself is being as fit as I can be to live a quality life, make it interesting and fun along with using it productively whenever I can help others. The beauty of ownership in my eyes is not just being responsible for what I train with but also being to train however I wish at any given time. No one can take that away from me and I love what fitness has given me.

If you want to be in the best shape, it's up to you to get everything you can out of it and making it worth it for you. It takes work, there's no magic pill that will give you a 50 inch chest, 20 inch neck, 24 inch pythons or legs that can outrun a deer overnight. You want to be fit, you need to make yourself fit, no one will do it for you. You can have the best trainers or have the very best DVD's, Books, Podcasts or webinars that will provide you with the secrets and modules for a successful fitness transformation, but all of it is useless if you don't do something about it. 

There will be days where you may not want to work out or don't have motivation but if you take ownership and have the knowledge to get the most out of yourself, you can do something even for 1 freaking minute. If all you did for the day was a wall sit or 10 pushups, that's fine, matter of fact it's great because you still made something happen, that's still putting in work. Little by little down to the smallest fraction, if you put in the work, things will add up over time.

You know the old saying "health is wealth", well when you own your fitness and you hold onto it like Thor with Mjolnir, putting in the work provides greater income for your body. It's like running a business which can be hard and tough at times but with flow, harmony and acting as a team, things will be successful and you can run it with an ironfist because it is YOURS!!!!

Be successful in your fitness endeavors and everything else you do. We only have this life and it shouldn't be wasted. Help others take ownership for their own fitness and use that success as a driving force to be the very best for you.  Be amazingly awesome. 

Elderberry