Putting In The Work Yet Making It Adventurous

 So many influencers today try to tell you this or that and whatever else to get you to buy into their shit. It can be hard for many out there to trust what's being given and how to apply their methods to your goals and daily life. Not saying all are bad, a few out there are top notch, legit and have realistic outlooks on how you can be in better shape when you make the choices to do so or continue in your journey. 

With me, I sure as hell wouldn't call myself an influencer. I do what I can to help others and give them resources to look into from people I've either personally had experienced with or worked with their methods and molded it into my own from their inspiration. The ability to create your own style to suit your life is one of the best things you can ever do. Learn from the very best. You may make mistakes along the way and adjust to what benefits you but as long as you put the work in and make it adventurous, you can make things happen that would never expect.

It can be overwhelming to find the absolute best from one single trainer or author that has the ultimate end all-be all training system. The truth is, that doesn't actually exist. If anyone says differently, it's a sales pitch or it's only for a specific demographic. My style is a smorgasbord of different people and systems that I've taken bits and pieces of and created something that is entirely me. If you're more of the one author/system approach and it works for you, that's awesome and I hope it benefits you greatly. We all have different bodies and work on things that aren't going to always work for the same person so we adjust accordingly. Take control of what is possible for you and expand on it. 

With my training with the sandbag lately, it has taken me to new heights of what hardcore strength and conditioning can be. Hell a few days ago I took three exercises including the Sandbag and did a circuit workout that went more than 30 minutes with the only rest being to check off a set and keep going. That workout made my heart want to explode out of my chest and test my strength & cardio in ways that were different and so intense that I don't know if I want to even top it. My strength has gone up to where I made PRs at the gym I didn't think were possible but they were and proud to have done them but it doesn't change how I keep training. 

When you bust your ass and you're making gains whether in muscle building or strength building regardless of age, things will come to light when you thought it would stay dark. Do what benefits you and help others find their opportunity to create something for themselves. Don't be an asshole and tear them down because they're overweight or wear a man bun or they're weaker than you are, everybody has a journey. Some have let themselves go and need help, others could use a tip or two that can tweak their program and some are just starting out. Make training an experience that people want to continue on and help them find opportunities to make themselves better, this world has enough dipshits and asshats. Be amazingly awesome and keep on kicking ass.   

Training With 100+ LB Sandbag

Love my Sandbells but I wanted to up the ante a bit and go even heavier and with only a few workouts, it feels awesome. Got some sand at a Ace Hardware store down the road and poured it into my 100 lb bag I've had for a while. Weighed it at 104.6 lbs. Just getting used to it and feeling it out was tough at first but knew I was strong enough to play with it. 

From carries to squats to overhead presses and more, this thing is making me work my ass off pretty well. Don't get sore all that much but I'm not killing myself with it either. With the carries, I marked 15 yards on the grass from the side of the house and would do a full revolution (30 yards) for however many times. One workout was 300 yards Bear Hug Style and another was 600 Yards doing shoulder to shoulder. Those exercises alone with a bag that heavy can make you rugged. 

Love going old school with this type of training and just sticking with one to a few exercises per workout and just hammer them. The last workout was 300 Total Yards & Over 1000 total pounds carried, 5x5 Deadlifts and 5x5 Overhead Presses. Might go for 100 Bear Hug Squats in sets of 10-12 reps but haven't decided yet or maybe I haven't reached that type of training yet but you'll never know. The idea is to see what's possible and work from there. 

Will I got even more say 150-200 lb? Someday but not anytime soon. Just working with this weight is still a great way to keep myself in shape. Sandbags are no joke and they can be brutal especially since they force you to work the stabilizer muscles and have the closest to training against a human. The transfer to regular weights is enormous and if you can easily work a 100 lb bag, you can work plenty of good weight with a barbell or dumbbell. One of the grips I use when I hold it in the bear hug position is the Gable Grip like in Grappling as I pull to keep the bag steady against my torso and work my back, shoulders and arms all at the same time as I Squat or Carry. It's a full body workout regardless of what you do. Just make it work for you.

I mostly use it for Strength Training and when it's needed, I rest long enough to go tackle the next set. These workouts can make you breathe harder than usual and quite hungry afterwards. If you want greater power in your training, a sandbag will do the trick plus if you're in wrestling or BJJ, you can do bag training by mimicking certain moves and throws as if you're going against an opponent, one of the oldest types of workouts around. Imagine building explosiveness in your throws, having insane grip strength, handle opponents like rag dolls or if you're a firefighter and able to carry a human being with ease out of the flames of a burning building. Strength Training with a Bag can be life saving.

This type of training is suited to the real world and being able to handle your own when it's called upon. Strength is more than just a look, it's having the ability to be strong enough to help others and not everyone picks on the rugged looking guy who can probably take your ass to the cleaners 6 ways to Sunday. Train to handle yourself but also be humble. You don't get strong to become an asshole bully, you become strong to have a greater quality of life and to make others feel safe. Get a Sandbag and see what you're capable of. Have an amazingly awesome day and check out the video below for some samples of exercises you can do. There are all sorts of exercises you can do but these few would get you started. 

Sandbell Front Squats And Squat To Stand

 Sandbag Training can be a hell of a method to getting some of the kinks out of your training and teaching you how to stabilize the body with an object where the weight shifts. When it comes to Sandbells, it's a great way to utilize this in that regard. From Shouldering to Carrying to doing all sorts of stuff with these things.

Training the Legs with a Sandbell offers great resistance and added benefits to working the muscles to a greater capacity than with a typical barbell or dumbbell which could add some cool benefit to what you're already doing. 2 Exercises that I've worked on for a couple days now that hammered out the legs hard was doing the Squat To Stand and the Front Squat or a better name for it, the Bear Hug Squat. The STS is an exercise similar to lifting a stone where you get the Bell into position in a deep squat and once you have it in a good grip, stand up, drop it and repeat. Because of the shifting of the weight, it's not always easy to get a good grip every time. Here's a demo here to see what I mean....A few sets of these and you'll be feeling it.

The Bear Hug Squat is pretty damn simple, pick up the Bell, squeeze it against you and start going up and down. Unlike a barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell for that matter, you're working a bit more of the core in my opinion as you work on keeping the back steady and in control. You may lean a little bit and create more of that natural feel like picking up a box or a sack of flour. When you work these like a madman, you'll be jacking up some hefty hormones and building some incredible strength. Some guys work light or heavy depending on their goal. I've only got the 70 lb which in itself can be a bitch and others work as heavy as 200 lbs or more (strongmen mostly) but for the best weight in this manner, 100 lbs would be more than enough for many. Personally, I may go 150 if I work hard enough but that's the highest I'll go, maybe 170 if I'm ambitious but I don't need to go that heavy to get something cooking.

These two simple exercise will give you some insane strength and power. With a good clip, you can get some serious cardio out of it as well especially if you're an athlete training for a sport like Football, Wrestling or MMA. It's the classic moves of the Old Time Strongmen that gave rise to what is possible to have that ruggedness and mental toughness. Squats are no joke and Sandbells or Sangbags for that matter are just going to murder you with a vengeance. It builds real strength.

You know you busted your ass when you feel things you normally don't feel after a training session as you'll find out your fingers may be sore, your core is sore, your shoulders are on fire and your traps feel like they went to war. Not saying being sore is the greatest factor to determine a good workout, I' am saying that your muscles are being used in a way you're not used to because of how awkward the bag is. Go old school and you can't go wrong. Have an amazingly awesome day and I'm going to check out the Freestyle Wrestling that starts today at the Olympics....USA USA USA!!!

40th Birthday Shenanigans

 This past Sunday, I officially turned 40. A new decade of my life begins and getting the most out of a great celebration. My wife surprised me the night before that we were going to the resort we've gone to twice before called Quinn's Hot Springs in Montana. She also surprised me with a cool cake of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, one of the first cartoons I grew up on which the Turtles also turn 40 this year from the first comic. 

On the day of my birthday. before we packed up for the Hot Springs, I took some photos to celebrate the building of my physique and going to the gym with her. Did some Farmer's Walks, Overhead Presses, Shrugs, some pulldowns, worked on Kettlebell Presses and other stuff. 

Got to the Hot Springs, checked in and just spent every moment of the trip relaxing and being together. At the pools, they have various temperatures from a Cold Plunge that was about 64 degrees all the way to a hot 105 degrees. Guess which one I always did first LOL. Interacted with people from various places and just felt happy. 

We would mostly have dinner at this little tavern next to the pools and ate mostly burgers and fish & chips, the first night I got a steak and garlic mashed potatoes. Wasn't too bad actually. The only breakfast we had there was from yesterday morning which for me was probably the biggest breakfast I've had in ages...A sausage and egg sandwich which already had a big patty, 3 scrambled eggs, 3 more sausage patties, Hashbrowns and 2 glasses of Orange Juice. Built up an appetite from an Isometric Workout before grabbing food. All the workouts I did was O2 Training 2x a day, 7-12 Second Isometrics hitting the full body and my Neck Mobility Work. At the pools, I would sit in the cold plunge for several minutes where my head was the only thing at the surface and hit the hottest pool to balance out, then go to the pool where my girl was and hang with her. 

Very beautiful place surrounded by trees, mountains and other things. It's on the outskirts of a highway about 25 minutes out from this little town called St. Regis. The first two times were for our anniversaries so this was a quite a treat to do a summer stay there. Family Friendly and has really good food. It's next to the Clark Fork River which is just awesome to look at. 

 Had a ton of fun and just getting to chill, watch the Olympics in the room at night, had some rain on Tuesday but still fun and tasted a few drinks that were pretty good. If anyone knows me, I'm not much of a drinker and wouldn't do enough to get buzzed or drunk but I'll try some things every now and then. Can't go wrong with a good Buffalo Burger though, holy shit that thing was just awesome and the Beer Battered Cod was tasty as hell. Can never get enough of this place, I recommend everyone go there at least once to experience the beautiful country next to it and hit the Sulfur Pools. 

This was a really great birthday and I'll cherish it for as long as I live. Love being 40 and get to continue to do kick ass stuff. 

High Rep Training Or Isometrics: Which One Is Better As You Get Older?

 With advances in science, nutrition and fitness training, it still boils down to how an individual adapts and maintain throughout their lives. High rep training can be very beneficial when it comes to being in top condition, hell I'll do up to 500 Step Ups in a workout and have written about it a time or two, also do 500 total reps in circuit workouts with the Dopa Band. To an extent, it has its perks and can do wonders. However, certain exercises are not meant to be done in high reps like one arm push-ups or hundreds of burpees, what's to be gained from that? Where's the long term benefit? 

The greasing the groove method of high rep training is a lot more beneficial than trying to hundreds of reps within a fixed time. Do pushups here and there throughout the day, pull-ups or whatever BASIC movement. Gives you time to rest and be fresh when you get to a new set. Herschel Walker was a big advocate for this and other athletes. Do what works for you. As you get older, you might need to do as high of reps or total reps. You're not going to see many people do hundreds of squats and pushups at 70 or 80, some can at that age and it's incredibly impressive but how necessary is it?

With Isometrics, it can benefit just about anybody. If you've never worked out a day in your life or are a seasoned vet, you can enjoy the benefits of Isometrics. Once you feel it, even at a small percentage, it can work your musculature like a charm and develop strong tendons and ligaments. There are different types of Isometrics but the Yin & Yang are Overcoming & Yielding Isometrics. Overcoming is doing a hold at a fixed point and you can't go any further. Going against something immoveable. Yielding is holding a position where you fight against gravity and keeping that position as best as possible (plank, horse stance, wall sit, L Sit etc.). Now there's a way to combine the two called Super or Hybrid Isometrics where you take a position where there's a stopping point but you're fighting to keep that position using a strap or a loop like putting a strap on your legs to squat up but you stop and hold that position while fighting gravity at the same time. 

Isometrics can be extremely adaptable and virtually done anywhere and depending on the intensity, it can be short or long with the type of goal you're going for. Isometrics can be used in a variety of ways to warm ups, cool downs, in between sets, working around injuries, strengthen an area of the body to even things out, a workout in and of itself or as a method to use for purely strength training and do activities the rest of the time. 

What method of training is better for you as you get older? In a nutshell, neither is better or worse than the other. It comes down to what benefits you the most and gives you the type of quality training that helps you live long and prosper (for you Trekkies). Both have their pros and cons but both can be used in different ways. They can be used on alternate days, used for recovery, used as supersets, do splits for certain muscle groups, whatever keeps you strong and going. We all follow different things and make changes but it doesn't mean we can't do what we love. Train to what helps you. I've done both in the same workout and on different days or done one exclusively for a period and changed it up. 

Keep training and make the most of what's possible and learn the basics. Have an amazingly awesome day.