Fingers As Strong As Talons

Our hands are much more than a few digits that can grip and hold onto things. They're an enormous asset to how things are made; from buildings, to art, music, fitness or starting and ending wars with single gestures and signals. Many times, we take our hands for granted and don't realize how valuable they really are. Like anything else, we've used our hands for evil and have done horrible things to other creatures and human beings but we've also done wonderful things, heroic things and mind-blowing things that can be still talked about to this day. 

Some are born without hands and others have lost the ability to use their hands yet some of those same people have done great things and made the most of what they're limited to. Having a good set of hands are meant for great things but others go on paths that causes blood to spilled, use technology to derail or send messages to kill another person and have caused trauma to many who are young and old. Our hands are a gateway to what we learn and where we are going until we die. 

In the fitness world, we mainly use our hands to grip a bar and either press and pull something whether it's a free weight or machine but in other areas, we take our hands to another dimension when we develop the ability to tear things apart or bend tough steel, lever sledgehammers, snap spikes or do other crazy things. Bud Jeffries use to combine lifting with old time strongman feats such as holding heavy weight while also tearing a deck of cards or bending a spike. That takes incredible concentration and control of the nerves and muscles. Very few in the world was able to do that. 

Another great example of Hand Strength & Dexterity is the legendary Concert Virtuoso Garin Bader. Not only does he have incredible power and agile fingers to do a workout with, but also work the piano or other instruments with ease, dazzle an audience with magic and the ability to work his fingers in such unique ways it's mind blowing. If you want to know more check out his Finger Gymnastics Course. I've seen and felt first hand how powerful he is and he does it without much effort yet you feel like you're in a vice when he gets a hold of you. 

I'm not big on high reps when it comes to push-ups because to me it gets boring after a bit and if you do them too long over a period of time, you can get complications in the shoulders and elbows. I prefer Isometric Push-ups or Slow Tension Push-ups since you don't have to do much to really feel it and Isometrics really tackles the muscles and the muscle fibers than just typical push-ups. I also get a kick out of holding positions in the push-up where I can hold for a few seconds than go to the middle and bottom, working it both isometrically and dynamically. Here are a couple videos where I demonstrate the Push-up from different perspectives....

Another favorite where I don't have to do a ton of reps but get incredible benefit out of is Fingertip Push-ups. These are much harder for obvious reasons and it's a test of the strength in your tendons and ligaments. Just holding a Fingertip Plank is hard enough, now trying to do multiple reps. You'll mostly see MMA or other sports athletes do these because they have the ability to really dig into the nitty gritty of your grip strength and building those forearms like steel cords. These three videos should give you an idea of what I mean....One is just your typical form of Fingertip Push-ups, another is just using three fingers of each hand and the last is where I do 1 Push-up but it's so damn slow that it takes about a minute to complete using tension and control the entire time. 

 

As you can see, when you train the fingers, they can enhance your fitness and other things in your life that have meaning to you. Having strong fingers are great for massaging, better grip control for lifting and carrying, be able to climb better, pinch power, bend stuff, work with tools and more. Strong hands equals a strong body. 

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.