Power Up Your Legs With The Portable Power Jumper

If you had to pick one athlete that had some of the most powerful yet conditioned legs in all of Physical Culture, The Great Gama would be at the top or close to the top of a short list. For being undefeated for decades and doing more squats daily than the majority will ever do in their lifetime, it's a wonder how he stayed in shape for so long. His regimen has been grossly exaggerated but at the same time, you can't deny the sheer strength and power he possessed. 

Leg work such as Squats, Lunges, Step Ups and Jumping movements are an essential to staying physically fit. You don't always need to do hundreds if not thousands of reps to reap the benefits. There are many ways to do leg work and you can make them easier or more challenging but in the end, making leg work a priority is one of the best things you can do. One of the things that Gama did to make his squats more challenging was using a Ring Weight called a Gar Nal where you put the inside of the Ring onto your shoulders and do squats that way. Now, that's about as bad to the bone as you can get when it comes to strength and conditioning in the old traditions of Physical Culture but at the same time, it's not as compatible or versatile for most people. There is another way though.

This device is not necessarily meant to make squats or other leg exercises "easier", but it does get the job done and has been used by the pros and by fitness enthusiasts the world over and that's the Portable Power Jumper. It's an apparatus that you can put your feet into a strap and put resistance cables onto your shoulders. This can take your leg conditioning to another level in the modern day. There are other forms of resistance cables you can do for the legs but most give you limitations but the PPJ can have you doing all sorts of stuff, even Hindu Push-ups & The Back Bridge. It's awkward as hell and as long as it doesn't snap on you in the hairy peaches, doing the bridge with this thing really tackles the back, core and legs like nobody's business. For a period I would do this for a few reps rocking back and forth and hold for about a minute (it's a miracle it never hit me in the coconuts) and I would feel it almost immediately. It really helped strengthen my bridge and one of the reasons why I could hold a nose to mat bridge for three minutes any time I feel like it. 

Whether you're training for a sport, needing that extra nudge in your training or just want to stay in shape, this awesome set of bands can do a lot in a short span of time. Work your legs hard in lesser time to get results that would astound people. It'll save you time and is affordable. Get it as a gift to yourself or for someone you care about and learn how to expand your horizons in the realm of fitness. Take it with you anywhere....To the gym, in your hotel room, at the park, during a break at work, in your bedroom, hell even on mars maybe one day. Get conditioned, stay strong and have a kick ass Christmas Weekend everyone. Be amazingly awesome to yourself and your loved ones. 

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Hitting 1000 Even Faster In Step Ups

Yesterday, I attempted to do 1000 Step Ups again just to see where it went. Recently for Step Up Workouts, I would go for 30 min or more non stop. Never counted how many total, just set my timer and went at it doing 12-15 per leg repeatedly. I have tested myself to see how fast or consistent I can do a certain amount of reps per minute, my fastest is 30-33 within a minute, at a decent clip for pacing it's around 24 per minute, so for a 30 minute workout that means I'm ranging around 650-720 reps. 

If you hear someone say Step Ups are a lazy man's form of leg training, they're talking out of their ass and have no clue how tough that exercise can be, he's feeding you bullshit for something else in order to make a buck. Last time I did a thousand was about a couple years ago or so and managed to complete 1000 reps in 50 minutes. That to me was beyond crazy and I didn't think I would go any lower than that. This was using a deck of cards and just going with the numbers you would do for each suit. This time, I used a deck of cards again and something incredible happened, I went even faster.

Now when I did the amount in 50 minutes, I was using a 14 inch step stool which was relatively difficult and I was feeling it in my hips, lower back and knees. Since then I changed it to a 12 1/2 inch stool which is only an inch and a half difference so nothing huge in terms of a matter of speed and consistency. This height is perfect for me when it comes to consistency and keeping pace without feeling discomfort in my hips and knees along with the low back. This time, I not only went faster, I shaved off a ton of minutes. I finished 1000 reps in 41:23, nearly 8 min and 40 seconds were sliced off. That was fucking incredible and it's an awesome feeling.

There were times where I was practically sprinting and other times keeping a solid pace. Around 3/4 of the way I wanted to quit and just say fuck it and call it a day but I felt something encouraging me to keep going and telling me I got this. For some reason, I kept hearing Bud Jeffries in my head and he wouldn't have let me stop. I know that sounds New Agey and full of shit when it comes to the paranormal stuff but it was weird that I felt his presence and just felt like I couldn't let him down, so I kept going. I don't know maybe it was the endorphin high, the heavy breathing, the mental state I was in or whatever but it was surreal and I couldn't stop to let it sink in, I had to fight a bit but I made it and I did it.

Doing that many reps in that span of time was on another level of fierce will and determination along with mental toughness and the ability to push through even when it got hard. I have no fucking clue where that puts me in the realm of fitness nor do I really care, I just wanted to see if I can do it again and god damnit I did and it was absolutely glorious. You have no idea how it feels to do that many until you've done it yourself. You can talk shit all you want and contradict what the idea is but that means you couldn't possibly fathom the mentality and the physicality to push that hard with such a simple exercise. I don't know if I'll do it again any time soon or even go past 1000 for that matter but I can say I did it and I was cruising through that shit with the spirit of a dear friend encouraging me and the will to make it happen even when I was fighting myself. 

When you take on a challenge, you may completely know what the outcome is or where that challenge will lead you. A challenge is more than just attempting something physical, it's a challenge to your mind, the heart you have and the fire that burns within in order to accomplish that challenge no matter what it is, so big you can see it through space or so damn tiny it's barely microscopic. There's a time and a place where you push yourself to limits that most people would fear for their life. It doesn't have to be all the time, you're not setting world records in your workouts, but it is important to have that curiosity and see what you are capable of. If it's with a friend or a workout partner that's great but also when you're by yourself and there's no one to help you, you have to dig deep into the very depths of your soul and there's no one to blame if you fail. 

1000 reps in anything whether it be push-ups, squats, pull-ups, step-ups or moving weight over a period of time or in one workout is a feat for anybody. If you do it consistently, you're in far better shape than the highest majority of the population. No matter what your challenges are, face them and find out what you can do. You may fail quite a bit but sometimes those challenges can make you succeed and you're putting in the fight to succeed. Don't be afraid to fail yet make your successes as pieces of a puzzle that is your journey. There's always a piece that fits, question is, how many pieces does it take for you to get to the big picture?

Kick ass everyone and I wish you all the successes you make, if you fail, pick yourself back up and keep fighting whether it's right there or at another time. Keep being amazingly awesome.

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More On The Bigfoot Walk Exercise

 Walking in a half or even quarter squat for an extended period of time can really fire up your legs and give that little jolt of energy. I have written recently about what the Bigfoot exercise is and how it's done. The benefits of it alone are pretty cool: It's a bit challenging but also has strong benefits for building incredible strength endurance along with powering up the tendons and ligaments especially in the knees. If you've had previous injuries or have trouble doing a squat, make that a priority before doing this exercise.

In my last article about squatting, I mentioned that when it comes to certain variations, it's better to do what gives the individual benefit more than how superior squats may be. Once you hit a certain amount of reps, where do you even go after that? You're not trying to break numbers like Gama or the legendary Karl Gotch, you're sure as hell not trying to always man up somebody over an exercise. Hitting something like 500 or more is awesome but that's not the full extent of how interesting squats can be. 

In wrestling or boxing, hell in most combat sports, you're in a certain squatting position or stance that can be closed in or have a wider base but for all intents and purposes, you're not squatting ass to grass the entire time unless it's to make an explosive move like a slam takedown or a wrap around for a suplex or some kind of set-up for a submission move. Your stance is roughly in the quarter squat position and you're shifting in various stages. Take out fighting for a second and think about how you go through bushes in a forest, you tend to squat down a little in order to efficiently move through. When a S.W.A.T team moves in on a target or has to keep a steady hand as he moves throughout a mission, he's in a particular stance for balance and effective shifting of the legs. 

When you move in this squat position that is called the Bigfoot Walk, you're training your legs to be strong and explosive when needed, it's part of a series you can find on youtube that coincides with other Animal Exercises. Walking like the Wonkavator going in various directions, you're maintaining a level of tension in the legs that can be just as effective as doing hundreds of full squats. Try it for yourself. Walk in a half squat or even a quarter squat for let's say 5 minutes and if your legs don't burn at all, than you've got some pretty strong and durable legs. Move like a wrestler or boxer and feel those legs tensing up. I started out moving in this exercise for 3 minutes a day, bumped it up to 5 for a bit and started today at 6 minutes. It gets you breathing a bit and has that TUT feel (Time Under Tension) while moving.

Yeah it looks goofy at first and seems like a silly move but when you put it into perspective on how guys like Gotch, Marciano, Ali, Mark Shultz, Dan Gable and others move in this position over an extended period of time in bouts, it gives you an idea of how powerful those legs are and make explosive movements at a moments notice and rarely get tired. Can you imagine the strength and durability your legs would be if you moved this way for even 10 minutes a day? Your legs would be hard as stones but explosive and full of stamina. For exercise purposes, only a few minutes is really needed and you don't have to be as explosive as a wrestler or boxer but it does bare some awesomeness when you can do this exercise in various ways and keep yourself strong in the process. 

This is an exercise you can do just about anywhere and if you don't have a ton of space, you can move in micro steps or hold as an isometric in various postures keeping the knees bent. Start with one minute and work your way up. Once you can go 5 minutes without standing up straight, it's a good chance you got some serious power going. 

Be strong, have fun and keep being amazingly awesome.

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If You Ain't Squatting, You Ain't Training

Who the fuck came up with this rule? Why isn't it training if you don't squat? Granted squats are essential but what kind of squatting are we talking about? Are we talking about High Repetition? Holding certain postures? Lifting a crazy amount of weight? All the above? What do we know what's right or wrong with training the squat?

I think it depends on the goals you have and what variations constitutes a squat type of training or part of a regimen. Squats again are essential but because of the plethora of variations, it doesn't have to be one or the other. When it comes to high repetition, it can be debatable depending on who you ask. Now something like 500 Hindu Squats is a great goal but is it a complete necessity outside of sports conditioning? There are plenty of fighters and wrestlers who can do 500 Squats like it's a cake walk but not all of them last in an actual match (which in a perspective is counterproductive don't you think?). High Rep squats can be healthy if you have experience and are consistent with it and it wouldn't matter if you did 100 or 1000 a day but there comes a time where high rep squats can be harmful to an extent. You're not going to see many 80-90 year olds doing 300 or more squats. 

Unless you have specific goals, you can do high reps in total with multiple variations to really reap the benefits. Do 50 of Hindu Squats, 25 Side Lunges each side, do several Pan Squats (Bodyweight Goblet Squat basically) and others. Step-Ups is great for leg conditioning as well to strengthen the legs unilaterally. Sometimes doing less number of squats can be good because you can do them slower to really tackle the tendons and ligaments. Some people think if you train slow, you'll be slow, that's not necessarily true. When you do Squats or variations at a slower pace say ten seconds or more up and down, it creates that time under tension which for older folks or those who have sustained injuries, can be extremely beneficial.

I would do various squats within a good level of repetitions but I prefer Step-Ups and Isometric Squats and Lunges which really help strengthen the joints from another perspective and give that protective shield for the skeletal structure. Wall Sits, Iso Zercher Squats, Iso Leg Presses, 30 second Hindu Squats and Isometric Lunges (Hybrid Style) can do far more for the legs as we get older than doing hundreds of reps. I've done 500-1000 squats and as great as that was for a period, it doesn't have as much value to me as it use to be. Quite frankly, some of the best squatting exercises aren't stationary but moving within an amount of space such as Duck Walks, Bigfoot Walk, Frog Jumps or combining the squat into a sequence of animal moves. 

Lifting extremely heavyweight may work for a powerlifter or strongman but again, you can't go that hard forever and expect to not have some form of injury or needing some kind of surgery. An extreme few exceptions in the entire world can manage some incredible numbers in the heavy squats and still function later in life. Hip replacements, broken bones, shattered femurs, ankle breaks and low back pain are going to be the majority's life if they continue that path. 

When it comes down to it, we squat a lot as it is in our lives; picking up stuff, putting on our shoes, getting baskets of laundry, being at the level of a child, gardening and other things. It's a natural form of movement no question but to say if you ain't squatting, you ain't training is like saying if you're not going fast on the streets like in Nascar, you're not really driving. There's a time and a place for squats but the question is, what squats are a priority and what style are you talking about? 

You don't have to do traditional squats to get awesome benefits for the lower body, in reality, the unconventional ways are far more interesting than to just shove rep after rep down someone's throat. Build strong and durable legs, be resourceful and keep being amazingly awesome.

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Are Certain Training Styles Replaceable?

 As we continue on our journey of discovery, some things may get lost along the way, we change things up and we may replace something and exchange it for something else but what is really replaceable? We hear or read someone say "you can do implements but they can't replace bodyweight exercises" or something vise versa. You can say whatever and still say nothing will replace this or that, why even care what could or can't be replaced?

No one method is vastly superior than the other however; some are questionable, others are essential and plenty are out there that just seem ridiculous but in the end, it all boils down to what benefits you and helps you stay healthy and strong in the long run. We live in an age where countless fitness programs, nutrition and equipment are at our fingertips but at the same time, we are overwhelmed and frustrated with what works and how to apply it to our lives when one person says one thing but another says something else and shoves his "expertise" down your throat. Hell, even people who will say they're stuff is the very best and no one else comes close to what they have or can provide....Bullshit, that's the best word to describe those types of people.

When it comes to training, you can't use a word like replaceable as if its like your favorite book got torn to shreds and have to replace another. Certain things have more value than just as an object. There are certain things you just can't replace no matter how hard we may try. The word replaceable is merely about materialistic things but it can also mean switching things out for another in order for something to work. When it comes to fitness, why replace something that works for you? Unless you're doing the same damn thing and expecting something different, doing what works is truly irreplaceable.

It's one thing to switch things out, it's another to take something all together and exchange it for something else entirely. Sometimes we do need to switch things up in order to grow but also at times we need to learn something new in order to understand how it works or doesn't work. If it works, you can make it successful for yourself, if it doesn't it's not meant to be. When I do my own training, I back away from certain exercises, programs and such and go other routes because I hate the idea of being stuck in a rut and just focused too much of the same things. It's like watching your favorite movie or reading your favorite book, you can't just watch or read the same thing over and over and expect a different thing to come along; you branch out, learn other genres, you can always go back to your favorites but it's also important to explore the possibilities of what could be great for you to watch or read that you can grow to love. You don't replace what's already there, you compromise what you have with what you learn from other things.

My favorite form of exercise is bodyweight exercises as you've read or heard from me in the past but that doesn't mean it's the only way or it's superior to other forms of training. There are methods and exercises that hit muscles bodyweight exercise can't touch, there's also more interesting exercises than just push-ups, squats, pull-ups and sit-ups. You find the value in what gives you the greatest benefit. Nobody should tell you what's replaceable and what's vastly superior according to Pseudo-Analysis or what method statistically generates greater strength and health. You decide what works for you.

Nobody can tell you what made you successful. It's important to be shown the basics and then you can figure out what works best for you. I can show you the resources that constitute a foundation, but I can't build your skyscraper, mansion, yacht or cabin for that matter. Some will try to sell you the idea that they can build you monuments when in reality they only build you shacks. You get to pick and choose how you build your fitness success, we just give you the tools. 

Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season and making the most with the people in your life. Be safe, stay strong and keep being amazingly awesome.

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