The Other Side Of Training

 Fitness is not only a passion of mine, it's a path I chose through trial and error along with understanding what I had done to get to this point and helping others see things from another perspective. Like with all things that go with the path you choose, you'll suffer some stuff along the way in order to appreciate and even learn what it took to survive them.

I wasn't really into working out per se when I was a teenager, it was just PE and a weight set in my dad's garage that I barely used or even took seriously. I was so bad that I got hurt far more often and just didn't care about safety or recovery. Being 15-16 years old and not knowing any better, it's crazy to think that looking back on it now, I really wished I knew then what I know now. Hell even as a young kid I hated running and my conditioning was so terrible that running a mile felt like torture and dogging it most of the time. One time our PE class did a run and we had to climb up this big hill right next to the field and then keep going along this trail and back. I was already out of it just doing that damn hill and ran pathetically with my classmates but about 100 yards to get back to the hill to go down, I collapsed in front of my PE coach and nearly blacked out. I was so exhausted and just wanted to die. 

Talk about some scary shit man lol. During my first year of weight training in High School, I was a sophomore at the time, we were in the weight room and I was going for the Bench Press. I had put maybe 155-160 on the bar and test out some reps (at least I thought that was it), well I put the wrong set of weights on and accidently put on like 235 or something like that and when I was about to bring the bar down, it shot straight down onto my lower chest and almost broke my ribs. I bruised my ribs pretty bad and had to go to the nurse. Hard to breathe and the only thing I could use was an ice pack. 

When I got out of High School and joined the Gold's Gym right down the road, I wanted to get stronger and lift more weight. No real conditioning to show for and basically learned on my own how to move weights that I read in one book of Ironman that featured some Dinosaur Training and Bodybuilding. I didn't have specific routines even though I tried and taking MetRx supplements. One day, I tried a circuit I saw either in the book or some other book I had, not even halfway in I was feeling overwhelmed and breathing so heavily that it didn't feel right. Went into the bathroom and in the stall I sat and nearly passed out. I was seeing spots and than it just went black for like a minute or 2. 

In gymnastics when I was 23 almost 24 in 2008, we were doing forward and backward rolls one day and I rolled back wrong and put heavy stress on my neck and spinal cord. It felt like a crowbar smacked my neck. I couldn't stand straight for a couple days and it scared me. I did remind myself to be grateful for the bridging training I did because if my neck wasn't strong as it was, it could've been way worse and after those couple days, I felt bruising but nothing severe and focused on little things to recover. 

So what's the point of me telling you guys this? It's definitely not to brag about injuries as some badge of honor, when scary shit happens, there's not a whole lot to be proud of in those situations. People tend to think that when it comes to certain things in fitness, yeah it looks easy and you handle certain things but you're not immune to everything. Injuries and even such physical and mental exhaustion that you black out can happen and if you're not careful, you can end up losing your life. I learned from those experiences to make myself aware that you don't need to push to such limits to make your training worthwhile. Become strong and conditioned with little to no injury sustaining issues. 

The other side of training is what many won't talk about and have this taboo idea that looking from that other side of the coin is bad and should be left alone. That is dangerous as hell and sure some will go to lengths to see what they're capable of but there's a price to pay. Nobody is like Duncan McCleod of the clan McCleod and can live forever. Make the most of what you're capable of and progress little by little. We never know what's coming so train to the best of your abilities and make the best life you can.  

Can You Bear It In The Wild For Even A Minute?

It's easy to forget that whether you're starting out or are a seasoned vet, fitness doesn't have to be complicated or so damn time consuming it becomes problematic in your life. First and foremost, we are responsible for what we make of ourselves and getting the most out of our existence and learning new things or adapting helps us grow. Throughout my fitness career, I've learned to create any workout I want no matter how long or short it is anywhere I go. It's a constant practice to find the creativity and develop the habit of doing something daily which at times can be hard because life throws us curveballs.

Lately, one of my things for daily exercise is to do something for one minute. That turned out to be the classic Bear Crawl; for one minute everyday I would do this exercise whether in the morning, after a workout or in the evening. One minute of this exercise is incredible. It has become such a good practice that I have now done it for 24 days straight. That's 24 minutes of just Bear Crawling. 

It doesn't have to be fast, just get on all fours and start walking. This exercise is great for waking the body up, neurons firing and feeling a slight endorphin high at the end. Not to mention it gets the heart rate up pretty quick and targets so many muscles it's not even funny. You don't have to do the Bear Crawl, you can pick other animals to do for a minute or you can do isometrics or a callisthenic exercise for a minute, it's up to you. I prefer animal movements for that one minute because it challenges the body to move differently and just getting up and playing. Calisthenics aren't playful to me, I enjoy them don't get me wrong but the idea of being wild and primal just feels right, it feels ancestral. 

Most think in order to accomplish a good workout, you need to do this for 10 minutes, lift for an hour, do 30 minutes on a treadmill or take some crazy aerobics or spin class around 3-4 times a week. This is more of a set up to fail because not everyone has time on their hands and have important things going on in their lives plus they might have kids, PTA meetings, conferences and jobs that just renders them dry at the end of the day. Instead, look into the idea that if you do some form of exercise for 60 seconds, it's a hell of a lot better than doing zilch. The funny thing about this is, one minute may feel like a cake walk but some exercises for that long may feel like the longest 60 seconds of your life. Once you get past a minute, go for 2 than 3 or spread your training throughout the day. You have more options than you were led to believe.

If you're up for it, start with Bear Crawling for 10 seconds each day for a week, than bump it up to 15, than 30 and keep adding till you get to a minute. You want to do something else, go for it. Hell if you want to bring it up to minute in stages, do 6 sets of 10 seconds and go from there, you can even make a tabata workout out of it (20 seconds on/ 10 seconds off for a max of 4 minutes) if you wish, make it work for you. One minute can change so many things it's mind bottling (channeling my inner Ron Burgundy) but seriously, what have you got to lose? Give it a chance and see where it goes, if you're still on the notion that you have to do something crazy for an hour or more 3 or more times a week than that's what you will end up or not end up doing. 

Go and be Wild with these books on Animal Workouts & Exercises

 Animal Workouts by David Nordmark

Animal Moves By Darryl Edwards

What's More Important? Good Looking Muscles Or Healthy Joints?

 Now this isn't to say you can't have both which can be attainable with the right tools to make it happen but many these days go gung ho for one but not the other and look at it from an external point of view most likely. With all the overwhelming info out there and never truly knowing who to trust when it comes to "Fitness Influencers" these days, how the hell can you make a bold decision to make something worth while without understanding the aspects of it?

There's nothing wrong with having a good physique, it can look like a billion bucks and maybe even land you a role or two in a Superhero flick but did you know they sometimes CGI areas of a person's body in those movies? Anyway, it does take hard work to develop a great body, for some it's easier on others but in the end, putting in the work is where it starts. The problem is especially in the day of Social Media, Magazines and other Digital Formats, they filter and alter various aspects of the human body in pictures to the degree where it looks practically unrealistic to even achieve. Along with many who photoshop and/or take steroids, diet pills and often very unsafe supplements, you're looking at a body that isn't made to be developed by the average person. 

Muscles can do wonders, but they won't always be able to save your ass. Some guys and even women develop a condition that's called Bigorexia which is to develop so much muscle that it looks as if it popped out of a comic book. They take steroids, TRT, Muscle Supplements and eat so much that it consumes and overwhelms the organs. That can kill you quicker than the amount of time tickets are sold for Wrestlemania. Along with that, many Influencers show off bodies that look great but have some very dark undertones in order to obtain it and to even try to maintain it, they brainwash people into believing it can be achieved through all these gadgets and $500 resistance bands or these workouts that would put the average person in the ER. It's ridiculous. 

Now, what about developing healthy joints, tendons & ligaments? They're internal and they don't show anything that is worth more than a pluck Nickle at times but they do far more than meets the eye. For people who have healthy and conditioned joints, many don't look like Bodybuilders or Crossfitters, they look almost "normal" or average but they've got more going on than you might think. The power behind those healthy joints is incredible when it is used in various ways. Did you know that some people over the age of 60 have a much healthier body than the 30 year old influencer that gets injured more than Wiley Coyote? That's because despite the appearance, the joints carry far more into a person's years from a long term point of view than those who only use fitness for a short period of time and lose themselves by the time they're 40. Imagine still feeling you're in in your prime than only having it for a few years and than it just poof disappears. 

I'm not saying all influencers and fitness stars can't do things into their golden years but many can't grasp the damage they can cause when they influence people to believe what they do is the greatest thing since sliced bread and that if you did this or that you can be just like them. It's that snake oil salesman mentality and can have dangerous consequences. As we get older, things do change and it can be very challenging to keep a level head on how to maintain a level of fitness and health especially when it comes to the organs and joints. If you can maintain a good physique, that's awesome and I'm happy you pulled it off, but also keep your eye on maintaining healthy joints because nobody wants to say "I've fallen and can't get up" by the time they're 50 and beyond. Be vigilant on taking care of your body both internally and externally. 

Overcoming Isometrics

Encyclopedia Of Bodyweight Training 

Lost Empire Herbs 

Jack And Jill Went Up The Hill To....

 Remember that old Rhyme? Well. times have changed and those two have been climbing that hill too long to fetch some aqua from that damn well. I bet they got in pretty decent shape from climbing that thing everyday but what if they decided to sprint up that hill? They'd be totally different in terms of physique wouldn't they? 

Sprint Training is a timeless and true art form of burning off fat faster than any other method period. Hill Sprints are the king of beasts when it comes to fat loss and quick muscle building. Run up one for 10-12 seconds, slowly walk down to the starting point and repeat, you'll be getting a hell of a workout. There's even research that says Hill Sprints are better than running on flat ground; I wonder why? Well, for one you won't be able to run at the speed you normally do on flat ground and two, you're looking at better joint application. You're also fighting more on a hill because the incline is resisting you; this in turn gives off better chances of developing the muscles.

Acceleration is different too so even at the starting point, you're only accelerating at the speed that a hill will give you. There's no doubt that even at top speed, you won't stay there for more than a few seconds and to even maintain it takes up more force than if you were to do it on flat ground. Some of the best athletes were Hill Sprinters and their conditioning was in the elite of the elite. Did you know that when Walter Payton ran those hills during the off-season, some athletes would join him and these guys weren't too bad either but even then, they had trouble keeping up with Sweetness and would quit before he even had a chance to feel fatigued. He even once said he would run hills trying to kill himself. Now for most people, you don't need to go to extreme lengths to get the most out of Hill Sprints.

How many should you do? That depends on where you're at. If you're just starting out and you can't even sprint yet? Be like Jack & Jill; climb the hill a couple times twice a week at best and increase the number of climbs by one every few weeks or so. When you feel ready, start jogging up and see how it feels, 2-3 times a week. When you're ready to start sprinting, start with 4 at first and you don't need to go further than a 10 second burst. 2-3 times a week do 4 sprints time for a little while, than bump up to 5 and so on. You don't need to do more than 10 sprints per workout and you don't need to sprint any further than 15 seconds worth. A sprint should be your top speed otherwise you're basically jogging up the hill. Even jogging up can get you in good shape but a sprint will separate the men from the boys. 

Start as Jack Jill going up to fetch a pale of water and work your way up to a mountain lion catching prey. Be prepared to see major changes in your body from Sprint Training. It'll be like looking at a totally different person.  

Unleash The Power Of Your Core

 Core Training these days is being thrown around like it has to mean something; for example, the six pack abs look or working towards training for a sport or god forbid Crossfit. Real Core Training is more than just some explosive exercise or working your ab muscles so hard into the ground that if you're not sore you didn't do it right, it's more about strengthening both internally and externally. It has more to do with training the body to prevent injuries as much as possible. Many exercises taught today are merely just muscle building and have no regard for being safe and realistic. 

From a realistic point of view, real life situations aren't going to call for how many sit-ups you can do or how many times you can toss a ball against a wall or even how long you can hold a plank. Things creep up on you and it's important to be prepared. If you have to move your body in awkward situations and your core muscles aren't in shape for them, you're not going to last long. Conditioning is more than just how long you can go, it's about going while staying strong in the process. 

Conditioning the mid section goes a long way than to just put on some muscle. Core Strength helps you move things in awkward positions without hurting yourself, it gives you power to take a hit and it even helps with flexibility and mobility. The Core is not just ab muscles; it's the obliques, the lower back, the pelvic area and others. My favorite forms of training the core is using the Ab Wheel or the Power Wheel to really tackle those areas in a short amount of time. Sit-ups don't really do it for me anymore and plus, they're boring as hell in my eyes. Isometrics while focusing on the Core is a hell of a lot better than sit-ups, you can do sit-ups until the cows come home and not truly get anywhere. Farmer's Walk or shouldering & walking with weight is a hell of a Core Builder because you need to be in control otherwise you're flopping all over the place. Animal movements force you to work the Core in order to stabilize you in those weird positions. 

Having million dollar abs may look awesome but if you turn slightly or can't move in the most basic format, you just wasted all that time and now you're hurt. There's a difference between being sore and being in agonizing pain; I've had both. When I do focus on Core Conditioning, I have a greater chance of being strong when the unexpected comes. That's the reality at times and it's important we make training the core a priority. I don't give a damn about a magazine cover or what people think what's better for your abs, I train to make myself as strong as possible so I don't get hurt very often and be able to do things that are fun to do. 

The idea is to train the body as a unit, not working a bunch of isolated muscles. When you work your Core, work it to the degree where multiple muscle groups work together to get the best out of it. Exercises from the Power Wheel give you real Core Strength & Conditioning in such a short amount of time it's not even funny. Get strong and remember, you have the power in you to unleash levels of strength you didn't know existed.