The Game Genie Of Fitness

 I had written what the game genie was in a previous article about Micro Workouts but I wanted to elaborate a bit more of what that truly means. Here's a small "recap" of what the Game Genie is....

Back in the 90's, Video Games made huge leaps and bounds with mainly 4 consoles; The Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, the N64 & the rise of Playstation. When it came to the SNES & Sega that I knew of, there were many ways to add a little zest to a number of games or in better terms, a bit of glitches that gave you so many cool things to do and have such as infinite lives, invincibility, unlimited weapons, level selection, and power ups that gave a character a faster way to build up to the ultimate version of that character. 

The god of all cheats and strategies came in the form of The Game Genie which was a cartridge you can place in the console and "download" various codes for the game you wanted to play and then put your game in and off to the races. There were times you may not have needed the Game Genie and you can just press a bunch of specific buttons to get a cheat for various things in the game while you play or at the start menu. This is virtually non-existent today because of online gaming, no cheats or buttons to hit that can give you the ultimate advantage to pass through a game at lightspeed and it's become "too real" in a sense. 

Now where is this going when it comes to fitness? What the hell does some retro "illegal" cartridge or knowledge has to do with working out? Well, it's more of a  geeky reference to how Isometrics are unlike any other method and how one man called them the Cheat Code of exercising. The moment I read or heard cheat code, the game genie popped into my head instantly. Isometrics tackle areas of the body or as a whole that most methods can't touch.

Isometrics break down the weak points of the muscles to make them stronger from angles that can't be done with typical weights, machines and/or calisthenics. If you're having trouble with squatting and have weak knees and legs, a wall sit or horse stance will show you where those weaknesses are and how you can reassess your structure to get the full benefit of strengthening the legs without needing to move. That's a basic outlook to what Isometrics can do but there are several versions of this method that can help many not just get stronger, but provide near injury proof bones, tendons and ligaments or in better words lessen the chances of getting injured quicker. 

Why call Isometrics the Game Genie Of Fitness? Because like the cartridge, you can "download" the ultimate ways to strengthen your body to unleash it's potential by overwhelming bounds. Think about what it would be like to have the secrets to increase your pushups without hurting your shoulders and be able to control your hips and lower back from sagging, to have such strong knees and ankles that going up stairs or even getting up out of a squat is easy as hell, to have such powerful tendons that you can play with your kids, grandkids, nieces/nephews or do some crazy stuff without getting hurt or with so small chances it's microscopic. How could you not want that? 

Isometrics have been around for thousands of years and although modernized, it still has value beyond its means and gives you the "lost secrets" to developing the body and attributes that would make people's jaws drop. From Shaolin Monks to Gymnasts, from ancient warriors to weekend warriors, from royalty to commoners and from athletes to everyday people all have used or done Isometrics at some point in their lifetime. If you researched from the very best who have done them with great success, you'll be heading into a world that many today can't even begin to fathom. The strength and power is right there, the game genie is in your grasp, get the "cheats" and unleash the true potential of your character. 

Sole (Himalayan Salt Water)

Staying hydrated is one of the key elements to keeping the body healthy but with all the stuff that's out there that sells you the best hydration packets and what they represent, it can sometimes become misleading and you can't trust all the commercials and things you find in GNC or other so called "health" stores. Probably the biggest things you'll find about hydration is Gatorade and Pedialyte which the latter would be used after a knocking back a few and being so drunk that the next day you need something to keep your organs from failing from dehydration. 

I've tried different things like Gatorade, Advocare's Rehydrate products and a couple others but two things lately have been favorites to do and noticed some differences. The first has been a product I use from time to time to help hydrate in the morning and either during or after workouts has been Liquid IV which is a powder that you can pour into a glass of water or into your water bottle that has pretty good amounts of vitamins and good sodium to keep hydrated for some time. Just one packet alone is the equivalent to 4 bottles of water. The only drawback might be the Sugar content which is around 12 grams per packet, so if you're hesitant about things like that there are others out there with little to no Sugar but this has worked for me. Whenever I do feel dehydrated and need a pick me up, that does the trick almost instantly and feel energetic and ready to go. 

The other thing I've been doing a little more recently is what's called Sole or a better term would be adding Himalayan salt to water. I was thinking of other ideas to use to stay hydrated and did some research and found out about this simple ingredient to add to my water. There isn't a ton of research done on this so I'm not going to say it's the GOAT of hydration but from my experiences, it's got some pretty damn good health benefits and it's pretty easy to make. Now I must caution you that not all salts are equal since most of the salt that is used in our food supply is very limited to no true value in the minerals real salt has. Salt has been around for millions of years and has been used in medicines and the rich minerals from certain areas around the world that has kept people hydrated for extended periods of time. Himalayan salt is about as pure as you can get and has been used for adding flavor to food to help eliminate toxins for salt baths. 

I would sprinkle the salt onto the meats I eat such as steak, lamb and chicken and have taken salt baths before but let's just say I can't fully stretch out and feel comfortable in a bath tub in my house. Creating the salt water is pretty simple to make. You take a bag and pour the salt crystals into a mason jar (don't incase it in metal from what I've read) and fill it to about a quarter of the jar if that and pour as much filtered water (not tap) till the water reaches the top. Close it ands tighten it with a plastic lid and shake it up a little, put it either on your counter or in a cool pantry to leave over night and there you have it. Easy to do. The amount to take mostly depends on the person but from the research it has said you don't need more than a quarter teaspoon to one teaspoon of the salt water because that amount contains about 400-500 milligrams of sodium. 

Do some research on it and see if it can benefit you. I usually just take a teaspoon and pour it into an 8 ounce glass of regular water and feel really good right away. The benefits from my research has said it can help with eliminating toxins in the body, increases energy levels, helps with headaches, lowers blood pressure balances out ions and possibly helps with sleep. Yes we do need salt in our bodies, it's an essential ingredient but here's an idea on how to find the real thing and not that crap that is white and full of stuff that is more of a killer than a healer.  

A Word On Bud Jeffries

 You were a light that shined on the world when the darkness tried to take over. A beacon of hope that there is still humility and love in the universe. Strength beyond the levels of most mortals and a man among the gods. 

You may be gone in the physical realm but your spirit now and to the end of time is stronger than anyone can possibly imagine. Our hearts have you to be a light for our dark moments and your strength becomes embedded with ours as we live on in our realm until it's our time to leave. We miss you but you will always have our back when we need your guidance in our dreams and in times of chaos or solitude. 

Tears that rain down aren't always of sorrow but of love and caring for when we think of your compassion you had for us and yours. It will never be easy or even simple to carry on without you but always know, we will never stop becoming stronger because even in times of dire straits, you'll have your hand to pick us up. 

Rest well my brother and say hi to all that came before us and may your legend and legacy live on.

Where I Originally Found Out About Animal Movements And How It Evolved

In between surgeries from my injuries, I was researching a way to rehab myself and I found Combat Conditioning by Matt Furey. Granted, I wasn't in the best shape and I always figured since I was going to be off the weights, why not bodyweight exercises? I read through it and when I was able to walk and start rehabbing, I just did his Royal Court of Hindu Push-ups, Hindu Squats & The Bridge. After about a month, I got into the supplementary exercises and some of the workouts. Three exercises I noticed in the book were ones based on Animals; the bear, the crab and the duck. They were interesting at first but something didn't click with me at the time.

For the next couple years around that time, I tried out all sorts of stuff from CC to gymnastics, Dinosaur Style Bodyweight Training, The Chest Expander, Pull-ups and others but what truly hit me with Animal exercises was when Matt's friend Ed Baran came out with the Primate Power course. It was weird to read at first because who in their right mind would want to move like a crazed Ape? I kept an open mind and gave it a shot and I loved it, it felt natural to me and I got pretty good results with it from the hanging to the Gorilla walks to switching one arm hangs and moving across a soccer goal along with being able to do multiple pull-ups as a heavyweight. It showed me a different perspective on how to have fun as you train.

Within a short time after that, Ed and his brother Andy started branching off into their own style of conditioning books and videos starting with their Gymnastic Abs course. I got into that and did decently with it and strengthened my core a bit more to get better with everything else but when they brought out their own Animal Movement course Animal Kingdom Conditioning, it took me to another level in my evolution to conditioning training. This came even more natural to me than the Primate Workouts and it began a chain reaction to the GOAT of all workouts for me. 

This course alone, changed an entire landscape from how I trained from then on. No matter what I did, every time I felt an urge, I would do the Animal Exercises and that's where the Animal Dice Game came from. I would do a suggested workout from one of the booklets that came with the book and DVDs but the dice game became my safe haven, a workout I just could not get enough of and one that helped me in more ways than I care to admit. I've made progress and stayed in shape from everything else I did and it still goes on today but none compared to the that game. It was a constant challenge where you never did the same workout twice and can do so much with it. I've played with other kids on it including my nieces and it has always put a smile on my face whenever I do it. 

I've played around with other forms of Animal Movement Training from Animal Flow to Ginastica Natural to Primal Training or MovNat type of training and Gold Medal Bodies' version of Animal Movements but none ever truly clicked than the ones I learned from Ed Baran's books and videos. He doesn't sell them anymore since he shutdown his site and focused more on just Website Designing and training others in Gymnastic Type training but the closest to his book you can find that I know of is David Nordmark's version which I call the B-Movie of Animal Exercise books. I don't want to call it a rip-off cause quite frankly everybody rips off someone in one way or another or tributes someone from another perspective but I think B-Movie is pretty appropriate in this case. Let me put it in another term, Animal Kingdom Conditioning is like a Mega Star like Tom Cruise and Animal Workouts is like a version of Bruce Campbell; likeable and a cult favorite just more low budget. 

Why The Animal Dice Game Is So Damn Fun

In our workouts, most of the time we have something set and schemed to work our bodies to a specific number of exercises in a specific order and specified time for rest. Unless you're going through a circuit, you're hitting an exercise for X amount of sets, X amount of reps and resting for some arbitrary amount of time. That has its merits and in turn can determine where you are as far as strength, conditioning, endurance or more than one attribute at the same time is concerned. 

When it comes to conditioning, I want to do exercises that I can go to one after another without rest and test my abilities to a certain degree. You've seen the superset workouts I've done along with darebee circuits being written but none of those compare to the animal workouts I do; specifically, the animal dice game. Not only is it different, but it also tests your strength and conditioning from another perspective that you don't get from circuits or just supersets.

With circuit workouts, you know what's coming, you do the same sets, same reps, nearly the same amount of rest and changing it up can make or break where your level is at. Not the animal dice game. You never know what's coming, it's unpredictable, just like the jungle. It fools you into thinking it can get easier and than all of a sudden, poof you hit an animal doing steps or distance that is hard and ready to take you out. You're constantly moving in awkward directions and your brain is continually being forced to send messages to the nerves and coordinate with those awkward positions without warning. You're challenging your body practically on every roll and the more you add, the harder it gets. It's so random, it forces you to be prepared for the unexpected.

Now, you don't just have to make this game full of of just steps or distance; you can make it interesting for other parties who want to join. You can roll for an animal and whatever comes up, you can race, tag or do a relay. The only limit is your imagination. You can go as long as it will allow you to but for my recommendation, don't keep going until your arms or legs are ready to fall off and you're going to have a damn stroke. Do enough that is good for the day and still have some energy left in the tank. It's meant to be a game, not a chore or some crazy balls to the wall workout that resembles something like crossfit. 

It's fun because it takes away the predictability of a typical workout whether from bodyweight, bands, weights or machines, it's just you being free and using your body in unique ways and developing a level of fitness that you can't get anywhere else. Animal Movements have had the dumb notion for decades as warm up exercises for sports programs or thought of just exercises meant for kids. They're more than just warm ups and whoever came up with the idea they were meant just for kids clearly never saw a well conditioned football player or wrestler. They're ancestral and have abilities to turn a person into a very fit one and have levels of strength that last, boundless energy and an unbelievable form of conditioning that would make an MMA Fighter's jaw drop.

With the dice game, you'll never do the same workout twice and you'll never know what comes next. Whenever I do it, I'm always up for what comes after each roll and sometimes I'll change an exercise on a certain roll to make things interesting but with the endless variety and how intense the workout is, it doesn't take long to get your ass kicked. I've done long and short workouts with this workout and I will tell you first hand, you'll always be on alert because any roll can come up something easy or so damn hard that you'll need a break within seconds. How much time do you rest? It depends on how many rolls you do until you feel out of breath but for the most part, there's no limit. When I need a break, I'll walk around and breathe deeply until I feel ready to go again which on average, maybe 1-3 minutes but that's just a guess. 

Get wild and take on the jungle with a vengeance. Unleash the beast within and have a blast doing it.