Reached Level 38

Time to celebrate and have an amazingly awesome birthday. A couple workouts here and there, some good food and the best company a man can ask for. This past year has had its ups and downs but you keep breaking down walls and shattering the glass windows that send you into the world of the unknown. Some don't celebrate their birthday, others make the best of what they have and plenty just treat it like any other day. 

Thought I'd get a few poses in to show my progress and although I have ways to go, I'll take what I can get at the moment because that's really all you can do and keep making small improvements. I'm currently at 257 lbs which isn't bad, wanted to be at around 249 but I'll get there, just not today bro. Even in the past couple weeks since I took pics, I do seem to have a smaller waist, definition coming in and keeping the back strong. The bulk of my training has been the Overcoming Isometrics and staying active especially since we went camping and chopping wood was the big factor in staying strong. 

With all the shit going on in the world and guys my age are dying out of nowhere like a lot of athletes and bodybuilders, we still need to keep pushing forward and do our best to look out for one another. I know I've had my fair share of crap with people lately especially one guy that we'll just call Rahul. I confronted him in a lie he said about me and to be honest, it was a dumb move on my part I admit that even though he ended up writing several posts that were so one sided in his favor (which in my opinion is the coward's way instead of coming to me directly) that we both wasted precious time bickering. Overall, it is so freakishly stupid and childish to go after someone whom you'll never see in your lifetime, we both need to just move on and I'll do my thing, he'll do his despite our disagreements. He's got a good business going which he can make improvements on little by little

Every year, there are small hints of wisdom we develop and gain some knowledge on how we proceed throughout the rest of our lives but also reflect on how we can improve ourselves physically, emotionally and mentally. Make each day a little bit better than yesterday, not a ton, just small increments because as each one gets better, it builds up to a huge explosion. 

Birthdays may not be as important to some and others look at it as just another day of still breathing but for me, I take it to heart. Before the age of 2, my parents came close to losing me because of the meningitis. I've had to fight ever since then from speaking to motor skills and brain function, therapy and a whole mess of things. I'm grateful for what I can do even now and I wasn't always alone, I had a great many people to give me inspiration and creative ideas to improve myself. 

Turning 38 is really just a number but in other cases, it makes me appreciate that I'm still here and I still have people in my life that got my back. My birthday wish from all of you, is to take a moment out of your day and just say I love you to somebody. No need to give people a hard time or try to make others feel miserable especially if they're going through things you have no clue about. Three words that can be so powerful, it brightens up a person's day. Just be careful who you say it to but other than that, show some love, some compassion and bask in the glory that you have opportunities to be better little by little even down to the smallest fraction. I'll start, I love you all. Even the haters because despite your obsessions and terrible descriptions, you're a person too and I hope you have an amazingly awesome day.   

Developing A Thick Back Without Barbells, Dumbbells Or Even PullUps

Building muscle can be easy or at times very difficult for some people, it just depends on the circumstances but also it bares some merit in how you develop muscle from a certain point of view. Some actually build more muscle in certain places around the body where other areas tend to be more difficult to develop. Red Delta Project Owner Matt Schifferle didn't understand how he developed his calf muscles that even Bodybuilders much bigger than him were curious how thick that area was. When he finally understood it, things started falling into place.

For years, I never quite understood how I developed my back because regardless of what I did, my back always seemed to be the most muscular out of all the areas around my body. It was weird. When I finally read Overcoming Isometrics and the explanation of Neuro-Muscular Proficiency, meaning the engagement of the muscles used, things started to make sense. My back was being engaged more than I realized in just about every exercise I did. 

Even guys like Matt & Mike The Machine Bruce even made comments to the thickness of my back. It's not a brag or anything like that, I just think it's cool I was able to do it. The idea of having a thick back shows what you're willing to work with and the type of training you would do to get there. The back muscles themselves next to the legs are the largest group of muscles in the entire body. Some of the greatest bodybuilders in the world had thick backs but do the muscles and surrounding tissue have the strength to make you near injury-proof?

When I was weight training in my teens up until about 20-21, all I cared about was just being strong and seeing how much I can lift. I didn't care about the consequences of what some of the weight I was using when it came back and bit me in the ass. I had no coach, no firm understanding of stretching and progressions and I paid a price even at the age of 19. After my accident, the gears switched and it became more of becoming strong both inside and out, learning the aspects of flexibility, developing strength from another perspective and forming more of a health format not just for muscle building but to keep myself from being injured as much as possible while training everyday. 

I do credit the Bridging I learned that helped me build a strong spine and neck but didn't have a real clue on how it made my back look, I had some idea and liked what it developed into but I never quite got the memo about muscularity. Pull-ups weren't always my strong suit and although I could do them (not many), something always drove me to do different things. Bridging, Gymnastic Work, Animal Movements, Isometrics and heavy resistance cables ended up being the factors on the development for the most part now that I think about it. Bending Steel, Ripping Phonebooks, Sledgehammer Training and Sandbells had a hand in it as well but nowhere near the level of the others. 

In reality, I don't know which form of exercise really targeted my back to its fullest engagement but all in all, I feel like I have developed a strong, muscular and thick back that I rarely ever got hurt with. I did have lower back issues a few years back due to picking up something while moving a family member and walking it up a ramp. It hurt like hell after that and it comes and goes now but for the most part, it's practically healed up and I don't feel pain, just irritation every now and then. Will that injury be a factor as I get older, probably but I'll do my damndest to make sure it's at bay as long as possible.

Barbell deadlifts were never my thing and never did any sort of consistent training yet managed a 1rm of 405. I did it in a friend's garage and I thought it was less cause the guy tricked me and put on weight while telling me not to look at it and just do it. When he told me what it was, at first I wanted to kill him but then the shock struck in and I never thought in my life I would be able to do that. 405 in most circles with that lift was nothing, barely a beginner in powerlifting but when you hit it and you hadn't done any consistent training, it meant something.

Isometrics & Heavy Cables were favorites for back training because unlike Barbells and Dumbbells, they felt in my eyes a greater sense of engagement because you focus so much and hitting the amount of contraction really made a difference. When it came to the cables, I always would do the 10-20 rep range cause that's where I felt comfortable at. With lighter weight, I'd do up to about 50 reps and would do supersets of Cables & Step Ups as a form of Upper Body Strength Training & Lower Body Conditioning. The majority of those superset workouts would come out to a total of 500 reps each. I would do a certain amount with the upper body and do the same reps with the lower. My exercises for cables would be 5 exercises for 5 sets of 20 each for a total of 100 per exercise. I would do the same with step ups and the workout would come out to 500 total by the end. I would have barely any rest at all and the set up for the cables would be my rest otherwise I would go back and forth without stopping. Here's a video where I do three of them as a demo.

The Isometrics for the back would be Deadlift Holds (using a dowel with the strap), Upright Rows and Bow & Arrow. Along with Core Training, that's the majority for the back, not a ton of exercises but they're very intense. 

So it is possible to develop a strong and thick back without machines, weights or pull-ups. Pull-Ups are awesome for the development and are an ideal exercise (just ask Mike Bruce). They can be tough but if you're passionate about them and you have solid mastery, they're one of the best around period. Stay strong guys and if you're wanting to build a thick body that has meaning, I got your back on some of the best resources around (pun intended). Be safe but also kick ass in what you do. 

A couple recent pics of my back development. 

Robin Hood & Little John Walking Through The Forest

Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day. Love that opening to Disney's Robin Hood. This past weekend starting Thursday, me and the wife went out camping at a great spot in the forest up on this mountain here in Idaho called Fernan. Had a bump in the road the first day but we made it and got everything set up. After setting up the area, I started chopping wood and she would get the fire going. Teamwork baby.

Friends came up the second day and stayed with us until yesterday. Always a great experience with these guys: Her best friend, Bestie's BF, they're friend, friend's son and BF. Between us guys, we got some good chopping and hauling some chunks of wood. Partying it up, cracking jokes and having the time of our lives. Some of us have a nickname like there's Fire King, Fire Queen, Wind Queen, Fire Prince, Wood King & my wife's new one Fire Fairy. Still haven't gotten one yet but I'll take whatever cause they're good people, usually it's between strongman and lumberjack. 

I'm not even talking about those campgrounds where you pay to stay in some cabin, we go to these spots where you can set up camp at a closed in area and just claim it for the time you're there. Chopping wood isn't just an essential aspect of being out in the wilderness, it's fun and when you got those logs that are stubborn as hell, you break out the Chopping Maul to finish the job. Between us guys, there was always some great chunks of wood to split. 

When these people get together, you never know what comes out of their mouth and having more than "That's what he/she said" moments than a church goer can handle. Sharing stories, making each other laugh, bouncing off each other verbally and just living it up. Blast some tunes especially while chopping, our favorite is playing The Hu's Wolf Totem. That song just sounds tribal and awesome when we got the ax and maul going. 

It's not just the connection to nature you experience, you learn about people and having little moments that form a bond and getting the most out of being your true self. Being your true self isn't always easy, in my experiences ever since I was little, I've had to hide certain aspects of my personality and not have that "put it all out there" kind of thing. For some, they evolve and just run with it, others only give themselves their true self to a small group of people or just one person. As I got older and with the help of my wife and others, my openess expanded massively and just go with it. These days as I continue to learn, I only show my true colors to those who are worthy of it.

When it came to workouts other than murdering wood to keep warm, I also did Isometrics, Deep Breathing, Deep Squat Holds, Joint Loosening, Exercises With A Towel and meditation in a cold creek. Being active in the woods is a huge difference than just working out at a park, your home or the gym. There's a good time to chill and bask in the glory of nature but being active as best as you can has a great impact on being aware and alert cause you never know what's out there. I've seen moose walk and trot by, seen a lynx while driving up there, there are bears, mountain lions and other critters roaming. Like I said before, these aren't typical camping spots, some spots are at times a half mile to a mile apart and animals can creep up at any given time. A good portion of the time, animals will leave you alone.

This is one of my favorite things to do in the summer, I was never a camping kid growing up and before I moved to Idaho, I only camped once with friends in Yosemite. When I got together with my wife, it was either take a trip camping or leave my ass home LOL, guess what I chose? I picked up on some things and still learning little things here and there but over these last 7 years, camping is quite fun. Just the bonding and working together as a team and the family of friends that do their part and being there for one another is an experience I always cherish. 

Listening With Eyes Open

Sounds kind of odd don't you think? Sometimes, things just sound weird but there's a perspective about it. When it comes to meditation, for some people it can be difficult because the idea is to learn how to shut your brain off, have a point to focus on and breathe deeply. Some people are more keen to visualization, others are more auditory meaning sounds are more their thing. I'm in the auditory category, I'm better understanding sounds than visualizing something. If I can't really picture it and try to form it in my mind, it can be very hard.

For me, meditation is very specific and just sitting quietly isn't always easy. Certain things just work like when I write, I need complete privacy, little to no sounds around me and focus on the task at hand. It can be meditative. Meditation specifically, I want to see, hear and feel what I'm meditating. At times, meditation to me is moving like doing Animal Movements or a good workout. Now, what I have found helps with listening, seeing and feeling, is watching videos on youtube called Rain Rider Ambience. These videos show various settings and the sounds to go with those settings such as: A beach with hammock, picnic area, fire pit and the sounds of the waves coming up to the sand. Another would be a woodsy type area where there's a tent with trees blowing in the wind to the sounds of the wind and windchimes. One of my favorites is like a forest area with a treehouse and a pond next to it with sounds of the frogs and other woodland creatures. 

This is my favorite form of meditation in the sense of being able to relax, just listen and take in a view of the video. Having headphones on is a cool thing to use cause you get to experience the sounds from another perspective. I do it often but definitely could use some improvements. These videos are extremely long, as long as 10 hours but you don't need to watch the whole thing, a good 20-30 minutes is best. I would sometimes just watch and listen for 15 minutes and I'm falling asleep pretty easily. It's an idea. 

Meditating has enormous benefits and has been around for god knows how long, the dawn of thinking LOL? There are many ways to get into a meditative state, some are basic but others can be really out there. Hell, there are people who listen to metal and can be in a relaxed state, others go to places and just soak up the environment like at a lake, a coastal beach, camping, next to their fireplace or wherever. Find what puts you in a relaxed state of mind and be able to feel that level of peacefulness and tranquility. Sounds New Agey doesn't it? Well, it's not, whatever you find meditative, use it to be at peace with yourself. Here a few of the videos of RRA I was talking about.

Tropical Rainforest   

Starry Night In The Mountains

Secret Beach Hideout

Enchanted Forest Night

Farmer Burns & Deep Breathing

108 years ago, one of the greatest wrestlers of his time published a course based on Physical Culture Exercise and Catch Wrestling. His name was Martin "Farmer" Burns. By the time it was published, he had already been in his mid-50's and this was also 3 years after his student Frank Gotch beat the Russian Lion George Hackenshmidt for the second time at Comisky Park (Brand New Chicago White Sox's Baseball Park). The book itself had some interesting notions about wrestling that even in that time would've been considered legendary. It's called Lessons In Wrestling & Physical Culture.

These days, the book can be found in reprints and also on Matt Furey's website where there's a DVD version of the course. For the most part, it is a pretty damn good book, if you can get past the blurry pictures of the holds and takedowns. One of the interesting aspects of the book are from pages 7 & 20 where it shows various Deep Breathing Exercises and the Farmer's Isometric Ab Exercise. Now I'm sure in that time, the Abdominal Exercise he presents may have some outdated and possibly dangerous notes on the elements of breathing. The other exercises are great and have awesome benefits but the Ab exercise does have some problems. You also need to realize back then, life expectancy was low (dead by 45 or younger) and certain aspects of scientific studies weren't as rational and safe as many are today (although still questionable in some cases).

When I first learned the Ab exercise, the breathing pattern was completely different. I learned the breathing pattern from Furey's Combat Abs book. The original version in Burns' book was focused more on the inhale and holding while contracting as opposed to a greater focus on the exhale and the sound that was made as you contracted the abs. I've done both and found the latter to be much more suitable and safe. It's the same breathing pattern when I do the 7-12 second Isometric Contractions. I also would go as long as 5 minutes doing this exercise which for more experienced people who have practiced it can be good but just doing it for a minute was more beneficial in my opinion. It just worked that way.

The breathing exercises on Page 7 however; are extremely powerful yet simple to do. I would practice them from time to time but also found a "routine" I do where I take various breathing exercises including the Isometric Ab Exercise and blend them together for a greater sense of a workout that works for me. Some are from the book, others are from a course I learned based on Breathing Exercises from the Shaolin Monks. The exercises themselves from the book, have been called American Chi Kung by some people which sounds cool but the same was said about John Peterson's DVR Exercises which were loosely based and "refurbished" from John McSweeny's version of them, they were also referred to as American Yoga which just sounds weird. 

Was the Farmer onto something when that book came out? Who really knows, I want to believe he did and those same exercises are still being used today in some circles which should tell you something. Deep Breathing is probably the single greatest element we can learn to keep our body healthy because let's face it, if we don't breathe, we die in minutes. Shallow Breathing can be more fatal than we realize and yes many people have overcome asthma and other things that affect the lungs but that should also give us a sign that breathing is just as important as anything else. Just mere tweaks of our attention to breathing can be a huge wake up call and develop levels of strength, endurance and conditioning that are freaking astounding. 

Breathe deeply and see what happens with your body from the inside (or should I say feel) and what happens with the exterior as well. Grab the book for yourself because it's also a hell of a great thing to add to your Physical Culture library. 

"Deep Breathing exercises alone, when done RIGHT, has made many a weak man strong and many a sick man well."- Martin "Farmer" Burns 1861-1937