Fun Times In Vegas

 For her birthday, my wife wanted to do a trip to Vegas and go see the Raiders play. Turned out to be an awesome time full of food, relaxing, walking and checking out the sites on the strip. Last time I was in Vegas was almost 12 years ago visiting my friend Garin Bader and seeing a show by one of his friends Cees De Kok. Was only there for maybe a day and a half while on a road trip with my dad back then so I didn't really take it in as much as this trip was.

This was one of those once-in-a-lifetime kind of trips where you get to spend several days with the person you love and seeing amazing things like the Titanic Exhibit at the Luxor, seeing Criss Angel's Mindfreak show and seeing the Raiders annihilate the Texans by nearly 20 points. I couldn't ask for a better partner in crime to do this with.

Although a couple bumps during the trip, it wasn't even in comparison to the fun we had. I still got my workouts in just not at my normal capacity since we did a ton of walking and only stayed in the room to either sleep or chill out for a bit in between site seeing. Did Overcoming Isometrics most of the time using the Iso Belt and getting in a deck of cards workout consisting of Hindu Squats, Hindu Pushups, V Ups & the Tablemakers. Workouts ranged from maybe 10-30 minutes if that and wasn't even going full bore with them. 

Seeing Criss Angel was a hell of an experience. I've only seen a couple magic shows in my lifetime prior and one of them was David Copperfield when I was a little kid in Lake Tahoe in the 90's. I had seen Criss' tv show back in the 2000's where he was coming into prominence as the top Magician at that time. His illusions were just bad ass and the blend of music and picture perfect performance was incredible. I've seen a couple of those tricks from other people like the Locked In A Box Trick, the doves and all that but some of them were mind blowing as hell and was really impressed with his sense of humor, attitude and ability to make an audience laugh but also give the feel that what you're seeing is definitely entertaining but a true master of his craft. He's awesome at what he does and make you think twice about what was real and what's the illusion. 

The Raider game at Allegiant Stadium was probably the best part of this trip. Team has had a rough time during the season and needed a desperate kick in the ass win to get some momentum back. Back and forth but as the game went on, the Silver & Black went on a rampage that was the thing they needed. Their running back hit up numbers for yards and carries that you don't see a lot in this time of the NFL, we're talking over 20 carries and around 150 yards just for the RB alone. Carr threw decently and got the win by nearly 20 points 38-20. The biggest highlight was an interception caught by Duron Harmon that he ran for a touchdown from 74 yards, never thought I'd witness something like that, it was deafening when that play hit. Overall, it was about as memorable as you can get. We wore our Jerseys, mine was Bo Jackson's #34. 

I may never get to see another game (or maybe we will if my girl has anything to say about it) but it was an experience I'll remember forever and a big thank you to the most awesome woman in my life. You made it incredible and I love you so much babe. Till next time. Enjoy the great times in your life, take trips when you can and be amazingly awesome to each other. 

Tire Cutting & Smashing With Authority

On Friday, I asked a neighbor of mine (let's call him Jay) to see if he had any tools that could cut my tire in half. He ended up getting the set he needed and was eager to get it going. He never cut a tire before and was willing to help me out. Took 3 saw heads and a butcher knife (Michael Myers eat your heart out) to get the thing cut. It was an enjoyment to say the least and I begged to repay him cause it wasn't an easy job and all he said was "that's what neighbors are for." There would've been too much money to spend on getting a half tire and ended up with two so there was that.

Hitting a half tire with sledgehammers is a more convenient way to get some bad ass training in without a huge tire taking up space and could be hauled easier to places like a park, parking lot, camping or wherever. The flatter surface has a better "bounce" which when hit consistently throughout a set can generate greater cardio benefits and anaerobic conditioning. You've seen my latest posts about Sledge Training from Big Bertha to the Thor Hammers and Big Barry (25 lber) and its benefits on strength, explosiveness and other things. It's taking your anger or aggression and using it productively cause life can be stressful and it's important to manage our emotions as best we can (I know I still have some learning to do).

We all need a release and it's a hell of a lot better than beating on objects or worse somebody else. Ever heard of these places where you pay to go smash shit up in a room? I've seen them from time to time in TV shows and movies. They're in various places around the country where you pay the price of basically a concert or sports ticket to go into a room for 15 minutes with a hammer and just smash the living hell out of everything in site (wearing protective gear including glasses so the shattered glass doesn't hit you). It's supposed to help with using your aggression in a different manner to just let everything out and get yourself to calm down. Some people find it helpful which I'm all for and it's a hell of a lot better than going home and beating up someone you love or destroying property somewhere but others like Psychologists tend to have mixed feelings because it's believed it promotes violence.

Now don't me wrong man, we are a species that is violent by nature and our animalistic instincts tend to get the best of us but also because of our complexity, there are certain aspects of our aggressive nature we still have yet to discover especially when it comes to our brains. When us guys have a very high level of testosterone, it does bring out that animalistic aspect of our DNA and can turn us into a vicious person at times. That's where when it gets to a point where aggression has overrun our other emotions and we can't stop it, it can turn so violent that it's possible to black out and not know what you have done once you've "woken back up" so do speak. 

Testosterone in men is a must obviously and being aggressive is part of our nature. We fight, we wrestle, our sex drive shoots through the roof and the dominant areas of our brain can overload our nervous system. The thing is, like everything else in life, there has to be a balance somewhere, a yin and yang. Too much testosterone and aggressiveness can be a bad thing. Now with that balance, every guy is different and his genetic makeup won't have the same impact as other men so it's important to find that balance even into the golden years. A solid peak of testosterone even at an older age can be a good thing doing physical stuff, great sex, eating real foods and other things. 

Training with Sledgehammers is a powerful way more than what is being seen in order to utilize our emotions, aggression and reproductive health in a positive manner. If you're on adrenaline too much and that level of emotion is so high it can be seen from outer space, you won't sleep optimally, the satisfaction of being calm isn't where its at and if you have that overload of needing to fight somebody and it consumes you, it could have you end up in places you don't want to be (mentally & physically). Exercise is one of those things to channel our nervous system to get stuff out of our system that balances us out. Is hitting a tire violently a good thing? In this manner yes because when you get so wrapped up and need a release it's a hell of a lot better for your health than keeping it held up and turning it into a possible criminal act later.

We do need to find a source to release that dopamine and make the most of what can be used productively to channel our aggression. It's important to not go so far to the point where your faculties aren't there anymore. Control the emotions you have as much as you can and use them when they're needed. We can't 100% not get emotional (unless you're a fucking robot) but it's important to instinctively be able to know when an emotion comes on and be aware of it. When I really need a release and get some of the aggression I'm feeling, get the hammer and tire out, put on some tunes and just whale on that damn thing, sets and reps don't exist, only going until my anger has subsided. 

This is just an idea of what you can do. I love using hammers and having a half tire is just another of platform of training used for health and balancing myself inside and out. It can be very meditative and that feeling at the end where you're blissed out of your skull and and you're full of smiles more than sadness or anger or even depression for that matter. This is my definition of getting high.

Find your resource to channel your aggression without hurting someone else or something that can break easy. Be strong and keep being Amazingly Awesome. 

Being Explosive And Powerful Using Sledgehammers

A major thing about having an implement that you can smash the shit out of a tire with is being able to load it up to a weight that makes you feel like you have the power of a god in your hands. It's an awesome and bad ass way to use progression training to develop strength little by little. The mighty hammers at Stronger Grip are the like the barbell and weights of the olden days where hard work was earned. Using a hammer is hard work whether on a job or as a training tool and it's not to be messed with. 

Now, having a fixed weight is awesome and some of the best boxers and fighters have had great success with working with fixed weight hammers and/or axes to take down insane trees. Loading up on a hammer though whether it's the Thor Hammer, Epic Sledge or the Tactic Conditioning version, is just beautiful in a productive violent kind of way. The different styles of swinging even down to the very micro addition or decrease of your footing will show you your weaknesses and your strengths through your coordination and awareness. Sometimes it can take just one thing to turn you into a testosterone fueled machine and I can't stress enough how strong you can get adding weight to a hammer.

Each version of a sledgehammer has their own perks in terms of developing your strength, conditioning, coordination and durability. When you hit the tire and the hammer bounces off, it creates a shock to your hands and if you can't keep a firm grip on the handle, I don't want want to know what could happen if that sumbitch flew right out of your hands. That's the true aspect of having insane grip strength; you can do an insane amount of pullups, crush an ironmind gripper or do brutal fingertip pushups building those Eagle Claws but the amount of strength needed to move a heavy fucking hammer is in a class all by itself. 

Some will see it as a little toy you like to play with but if you want to call it a toy, than to us crazy bastards, it's a toy of Norse Legends & Gods. A toy is a little plastic figurine or a tool that even an ant can lift, Hammers are the tools that turns boys into men and men into another form of a powerful human being. Once you get a hold of one and consistently use it, you'd probably have to control shaking someone's hand so you don't break something. Again, there's no implement more intimidating and full of strength and power than the awesome Sledgehammer. 

Some of Ryan Pitts' Hammers vary in weight (empty or completely filled) depending on the kind you get. All will make your grip a force to be reckoned with but each implement showcases different aspects of Strength: The Thor Hammers can be used as a thicker version of Indian Clubs that forces you to squeeze your hands with great intensity, Popeye will be impressed with the results that range filled weight from 30-70lbs. The Tactical Hammer is a smooth handled implement that is used mainly for conditioning purposes and bring forth the power of an old time stone breaker; this hammer has a filled weight to about 25-30 max. The Epic Sledge (the mecca of sledgehammers) is the most beastly of all of these Hammers. The head alone is massive and the handle is slightly thicker or just as thick as the Thor Hammers so imagine the strength needed just to work with. This comes in 26 lbs empty, larger than the average size hammers and can be filled to the brim weighing up to 100 lbs. Imagine the type of grip you can posses just repping that hammer at 50 lbs or more. This is a hammer that even the mightiest gods will be impressed by and bring the power of John Henry into your soul. 

Become explosive, have the grip strength of a deity, have a workload that will even have the most elite athletes gasp for air in a matter of seconds. You guys deserve to be strong and you have the right to have the right tools in your hands. With a hammer in your hands, you shall become more than you can possibly imagine.

Grip Strength And What It Says About Health

 Having a solid grip while shaking hands with someone is known to be a form of confidence at a higher level. Strength in our hands and fingers can also be a process of longevity. Grip Strength according to researchers has great potential to predict our overall health and well-being. As we get older, the stronger we are in the grip aspects, the greater chances of blasting through diseases like cancer.

While maintaining muscle mass, it also indicates a strong importance of mobility and strength. If we lose muscle, we also lose mass. I'm only less than a couple years shy of 40 and need to keep up with what I do for as long as I can because after hitting the big 4-0, muscle mass will start going little by little each year from then on. Some say it happens after 25, some will say 35 but 40 seems to be the majority among those that research. A powerful grip is a large indicator of longevity so it's apparent we do our best to keep that intact. 

A study done in 2015 which 142,000 grip measurements were taken, along with obtaining info that tested ongoing diseases showed some pretty interesting results. It was suggested that for every 11 lb decrease in grip strength was a 16% chance you could die at a higher percentage from any cause. There are ways to measure our grip but there are great ways to build it as well using various tools while keeping a solid level of overall strength training as we age. Smashing a tire with sledgehammers builds incredible grip strength and also builds insane conditioning. Working with a Thick Bar or implements such as Fat Gripz you can attach to pull-up bars, barbells, dumbbells or even handles like with the TNT Cable System. One idea is about as simple as you can get is what John Brookfield has demonstrated where you take a towel and put in a bucket full of water, elongate it and start twisting the water out of the towel until it dries. This will fire up your forearms like crazy.

Building muscle and maintaining it can go a long way more than just looking good, it could be life saving and keeping things in order has great potential to keep you from getting injured easily and keeping your organs strong for a long time. Grip Strength is a piece of a big puzzle that continually comes together in order to live a quality life. Stay away from the steroids and find resources that will help you stay strong for many years to come. 

Stay strong, build some mighty mitts and be amazingly awesome. 

How Many Strikes Does It Take To Build Muscle With A Sledgehammer?

One of the things I love about Physical Culture and Fitness overall is being able to research things and finding various resources on training to help give me ideas on what could work and utilizing it in my own way. Doing research and actually testing things out is a big step to finding what could work for you and gaining a perspective from other aspects of training. With that said, there's also an overwhelming side of the coin when it comes to researching and learning things because many put their own spin on what works and how they obtained info and is it possible to trust that info?

Let's face it, when you research certain topics in the world of working out, you're going to get a lot of posers, arm chair shmucks, ghost writers and even dumbasses that claim they know what they're doing but all they do is talk a good game while spewing crap that is completely irrelevant (like bluntly revealing how much you hate your wife or talking shit about other people that have nothing to do with you). The marketing skills can be very immaculate and have the best looking format to tell you how great a method is but in reality, there are far more rip offs than original ideas. 

I'm not the biggest fan of set and rep schemes because everywhere you look, it may seem reasonable but a lot of it is crap and it's not about how it builds muscle or endurance or to test your conditioning, it's really an arbitrary number for specific purposes but yet tries to generalize the idea. Very few people have great ideas on how to utilize a set and rep scheme that not only works but gives the majority of people great benefit. When it comes to Sledgehammer Training, there's really very few who have any actual knowledge. 

People want to compare this type of training to an actual job in the Labor world when there's no comparison whatsoever other than the fact you're hitting something. It's two very distinctive animals that have very different aspects of strength, endurance and metabolic protocols. Yes, working with a sledgehammer will build crazy strength and will have you huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf trying to blow down a brick house but those who actually work for a living with a sledgehammer have a a very different level of strength and work a distinctive swing that keeps them going all day instead of an hour or so at a time. That's like trying to compare Slim The Hammerman to a regular guy who trains with Sledgehammers. Slim will destroy that guy any day of the week and twice on sunday even after his prime. 

So for training purposes, let's understand the aspects of Sledgehammer Training when it comes to building muscle. There isn't a single way to do it but a variety of ways. One of the things that I prefer (even though I've written in the past isn't a favorite per se) is high rep training to a degree. You can also do it as a way like sprinting (going as fast as you can for a small period of time and resting for the same amount of time or longer) or in a tabata like style. A key to remember is that to keep things even, you do have to switch the underhand to work hard. I prefer the deck of cards approach where you can count your strikes that way and for each type of card you can do a different style swing. I learned the different styles of swings from the Late Bud Jeffries. 

I have done hammer workouts that lasted well over an hour and some barely 30 minutes all together but either way, I always felt strong, worked and most of the time hungry as hell afterwards. Also there's the speed aspect where the heavier you go, the less speed you'll generate and it just becomes more of a strength format. If you've done a lot of reps with say a 10-25 lb hammer at a solid clip, there's no way in hell you'll be at the same speed with a 50-70+ lber. I've done 1000+ rep workouts that took me 30-35 minutes but the last time I did that was with a near 60 lb hammer and it took me nearly 2 hours to complete which I never did again. 

Will you build muscle working with a sledgehammer? Absolutely but it depends on how you do it and what you're striving to do. How many reps would it take to get there? That also depends on what you want to do. Some people would do great with working for a period of time and using quality rest periods and recovery, others have incredible muscle come in from doing High Reps. Could you do it everyday? That depends but for safety sake, let's go with 2-3 times a week. In my time of consistently using the cards, I did hammer workouts once every 3-4 days because it's really fucking taxing and your body needs to rest. My goal at the time was to add weight every time I beat the deck. Sometimes it took 4 workouts to do it which meant to beat the deck it took up to 3 weeks to be able to finish in one workout. 

Do what works for you to build the muscle you want to achieve. Work your ass off but be careful to not hurt yourself breaking your back and tearing up your rotator cuff. I've never experienced injuries doing this kind of training and I've worked up to a near 73 lb hammer. Be mindful and only do what you're capable of doing and progress with intentions on recovering and resting with great quality. It's not the same as a job that has guys working 12-16 hours a day and jarring the body with very little recovery.