The Depths Of The Deep Squat

 

Having a good set of legs can do wonders for you especially if they're strong and limber. The big thing is, if you don't maintain solid flexibility and realistic strength in your legs, it won't be long before they become a pain in the ass. You can lift a ton of weight, do the splits, run for miles and do hundreds of squats but if you have trouble getting up or getting into a deep squat and holding it, what was the real point of all those other things?

As we get older, it is important we respect and adapt to how our bodies begin to change and learn the true value of being able to do things that may seem so simple and easy to one person but to someone 50 and over, it is a blessing and a godsend that we are able to keep things in check and still have abilities that the average person doesn't. We as a people take for granted many times that in our youth, we feel invincible and can take on the world but before we know it, we are in walkers, getting hip replacements, knee problems, joint deterioration and feeling like broken down old dogs. It's nothing to scoff at.

Holding a squat as low as ass to grass nearly may be not all that much to the untrained eye but in reality, there's more going on than most would believe. It opens up the hips, can relieve pressure on the low back and strengthens the joints around the knees and ankles. A lot of people have trouble not only getting into a deep squat but even if they did, they don't have the strength or the flexibility/coordination to stand back up with ease. If you look at many people in Asia & Africa, you'll notice they will work, play or even just sit in a deep squat for long periods of time and very few get injured. 

From a western point of view, the deep squat has been a feared exercise because you see people like lifters, farmers, baseball players and laborers develop bad knees and hip and joint problems as they get older because they've held or done so much squatting over their lifetime that it's become problematic and having hips and knees replaced more often than practically anywhere else. The realism behind that is that when certain tasks become repetitive over a period of time, yes it can happen but there's more to it than just repetitive movements or being in awkward positions. 

When you really train the very depths of the deep squat, depending on your condition and health, there are incredible benefits that are way overlooked. I've trained my legs over many years and rarely if ever got injured since my big injury at 20, sure I've been sore many times but never had severe joint problems. I attribute the way I can hold a deep squat for a solid period of time was because of my training from Hindu Squats, Step Ups, Isometrics and the dynamic flexibility leg exercises I've done over the years. Someone once asked me to hold the deepest squat I could for 10 minutes because they didn't believe it was possible, I did it with ease. Once you understand how the deep squat is worked, it becomes almost meditative by just breathing and sinking into it with no tension. 

A squat is more than just a squat, it's a natural aspect of the human condition and it's not about how long you can hold it or if you squat so low that your ass is touching the ground, it's about using it to maintain your health and overall well being, it's like physical medicine for the muscles, joints, organs and your raspatory system. Some people can't do it because of severe problems hey have developed which is sad and it's heartbreaking that has happened but for those who still have a chance, make it work for you and do it for your health and overall fitness. 

Why Micro Training Kicks Ass

A key aspect of being in good physical condition is to be able to take on physical tasks whenever it's needed. Yesterday was one of the worst snow days this winter so far here in Northern Idaho as it came down hard on and off from 9pm Wednesday night to about 7 yesterday hitting at a peak of 8 inches ground level to nearly 14 inches in the mountains. 

This was the most I've had to shovel snow as I went out 6 times starting at 2:30 in the morning until about 6 O'clock in the evening moving snow for 30 minutes to an hour at a time. Some of it was powdery but quite a bit got heavy and building little mountains of snow around the front yard and around a space my wife parks her car. Very few people have shovels in this neighborhood and have snow plows. The only time you see someone else around here that uses a shovel is if the plow breaks down or there's bits of snow left to kick off. So, I ended up being one of the few who was burning energy like crazy.

Between rounds of shoveling, to keep my energy up, I did various exercises throughout the day. From doing 360's with a Sandbell to Push-ups, Step-Ups and Isometrics, these little Micro Workouts kept me alert and ready for when I was going out again. If anyone understands that yes Shoveling Snow isn't a special thing and many people do it but statistics have shown that if you're not in good shape and you just go out and do a very demanding physical task, it can get dangerous for some people. Cold weather alone is tough to deal with at times because even though you have good clothing on to stay warm, you're still burning off calories just to stay warm overall, add in something like Shoveling Snow, you're working harder than you normally would. It has led to Heart Failure in some people and has had people drop dead from overexertion. 

Around my 5th round of Shoveling, I ended up helping a neighbor's son get his car into the driveway because it got stuck within feet of the driveway. Me, and the neighbor's 2 sons were digging around the car because the snow had scrunched up under and around. The car couldn't move for about several minutes so I was hauling ass just to get snow out around it. Ended up pushing the car a couple times to add some umph as it was in gear. We got it into the driveway but it came at an exhausting price. I'm glad I was able to help but that drained me for a while. 

This is where Micro Workouts can be a godsend because when you need to be ready for something like this, it's important to realize that even the little things can have a huge impact on how you handle certain tasks at any given time. Picking up and carrying weight for 5-10 minutes may not seem like much but it gets your blood going, it strengthens your muscles for the the work you might put in later among other things. Isometrics are definitely the "game genie" of fitness because when you strengthen the joints and tendons, your whole body will have a stronger outlook on the physical movements you need to do at times. 

(For those reading who don't understand what Game Genie means.....The Game Genie was a device for various video game consoles back in the day such as Sega, Nintendo & Super Nintendo where you can get cheats and secrets to various games that had "glitches" in them where you can acquire certain things such as infinite lives, invincibility, unlimited weapons, level selection and be able to run faster and jump higher.) 

Whether you shovel snow, do landscaping, brick building, breaking concrete or something like dry walling, it's important to be in good shape because these things can be very taxing and yes you can be in good shape from doing them by themselves because over time it becomes second nature and your body has adapted to the stress but, some micro training can give you that extra boost of energy and keep you alert and on your toes. 

Micro Workouts give you the opportunity to train with the little window of time you can use to keep yourself in shape for whatever the day's tasks you may need to do and stay on top of your physical well being. Those few minutes can be life saving and help you be in better health than just either doing one big workout or nothing at all. 

Stay strong and stay healthy as long as you can throughout this life and do amazingly awesome things when you are needed and to be strong and fit for yourself and the people in your life.

New Years And Isometrics Experiment

 Happy Belated New Year's Everyone. It's a time of reflection and moving forward with new goals and making this year as awesome as possible little by little. Finding new things to discover, train a little differently and learning new skills. 

Do you have any resolutions? Seriously, I hate that word because it doesn't hold any true meaning and 95-98% of the time, most people stop after two weeks of mainly anything that they try to jump into the deep end of. When it comes to experimentation, it's important to remember that coming in cocky and becoming too excited can spell disaster if you're not aware of the consequences. That's why if you have any new goals you want to set, start small and built yourself up, even if it's microscopic. It's ok to come into things a little scared and not completely knowing the outcome or what will happen in the middle. 

For me, New Years is more about not just starting fresh but learning what is possible for what's to come. It's worth noting that focusing on what is important and not focus on what you don't want is better suited to understanding the real light shining at the end of the tunnel. There will be ups and downs and not everything you do will be perfect, but you keep moving forward inch by inch because you never know what will have an incredible effect on you. 

An experiment I was playing with over the last few days before the clock struck Midnight was a different area of Isometrics that I wanted to see happen. In the spirit of Steve Justa and learning a few things from a book called Overcoming Isometrics, I got the idea of utilizing Isos in what I call "10 Breath Isometrics." It's an idea where you hold certain exercises (in the overcoming style even though it could be used in yielding Isos as well) for a maximum of 10 Breaths...

The first 9 breaths are as deep as possible while contracting at 40-60% of your strength like an aerobic hold but on the 10th breath, you exhale as you contract hard at 70-75% of your strength for 7-12 seconds. Deep Breathing mixed with great intensity at the end potentially has incredible benefits in how you become efficient at Isometric Training. It also allows you to find out how long you can hold for those first 9 breaths and go hard on the 10th. Some people just like timing a hold which is great but that's still focusing more on the timing than what's really going on. This is geared towards focusing on your breathing as best as possible and because of this, you can go longer than you may have previously and than on that last breath, use the last bit of strength. 

I would still recommend the "ssss" sound on the 10th breath but if you wish to just go as hard as you can on that last one and just breathe out, go for it. Another alternative if you're not ready to go hard on that last breath, just stay at that 40-60% strength level and breathe deeply and keep it to a aerobic hold. Test it out and see how it is for you. This isn't some secret new way to do Isometrics but it is different than what is usually written and how to do them. I've gotten a few workouts out of it and it feels amazing especially the aftereffects with the strength and speed that is generated. You can use a strap, a towel, that is immoveable. 

For the Yielding Isometrics (like a plank for example), you can just do 10 deep breaths. How long is each breath? That's hard to say, some can inhale and exhale only in a 10 second period, others can go longer so experiment and learn how good your breathing is. The big thing is focusing on the breath and not so much on the actual time held. Give it a whirl. 

It's great to try new things, just don't try so hard where you hurt yourself, be aware and if something feels off, it's best to stop. Listen to your intuition and utilize what works best for you. Be amazingly awesome during the New Year and make the most of what is possible. 

Here's a video I made that demonstrates the "10 Breath" Isometric Experiment.  

Is Having Six Pack Abs Really That Important?

 All over Social Media, you'll find ad after ad after ad of programs and promotions on how to develop 6 pack abs and getting down to such a ridiculous amount of body fat and telling everyone that yours is the straw that stirs the drink. Mainly Hollywood is obsessed with image and will do anything to make someone look good (or look like shit depending on the circumstance) to the point where photoshopping is the norm, we as a society on social media thrive on making certain things look like a million bucks but what is the reality?

Youtube, Instagram, Twitter & Tik Tok have become the go to places for How-To videos that last ranging from 20-30 seconds to well over an hour and very few or a fraction can really tell the difference to what is bullshit and what is legit. For the most part, unless you plan on being a star to millions and don't care about the consequences, you can convince plenty of people (if done right) on how to get abs so good looking that heads will turn. This is not realistic and certainly not the true way to go about it.

Having a six pack does have its benefits and it's helped some reach Olympic levels of greatness but the reality is, in order to maintain it, it can get harder and harder as we age. Having powerful muscles or even sleek looking abs didn't get everyone who had them anywhere, some of the greatest athletes had a six pack but never reached levels of legendary status. Even some of the best known fighters with a six pack don't even have a winning career record. Having a six pack can do wonders for some but for the rest, it's not worth achieving if it costs your health and well being.

The late Karl Gotch used to talk about the difference between counterfeit muscles and conditioned muscles; he said that the counterfeit muscles the majority of the time (mainly in bodybuilding) were the ones that looked amazing but that was it, those muscles were mainly stiff, couldn't take a hit, very immobile and didn't have a chance in hell on lasting very long in realistic situations. Conditioned muscles didn't always look like a million bucks but could go the distance if needed, can take a punch, durable, had less chances of getting injured and had great flexibility. 

Does this mean you shouldn't build six pack abs? Here's where the truth lies....It isn't wrong to develop awesome looking muscles or in this case washboard type abs however, it is more important to find the balance of developing a physique but also having the conditioning to go with it. Sometimes conditioning the abs is far more worth it than to simply just build a look. some of the old-time strongmen of the vaudeville era didn't just look incredible, they had strength and fitness to go with the physique and can do things most couldn't dream of at the time. Otto Arco, Maxick, Zass, Sandow and others had physiques that even to this day would make people's jaws drop but unlike many bodybuilders and "influencers" today, they also had strength and conditioning that is so legendary, it's hard to believe. 

So if you plan on developing a strong six pack but also give it a good look, use fitness and eating habits that are realistic and achievable through progressive training. Build a core that can take a hit and can go, you don't need to do 1000 crunches or do 100's of sit-ups to make that happen, work exercises that challenge the core muscles like an Ab Wheel or better yet a Power Wheel, do Isometric holds that target the core along with the whole body (Fist Planks, Side Planks, Superman Holds, Iso Crunch, Hollow/Arch Body Holds, V-Up Holds ect.). Condition the core first, than work on building a look for it cause if all you care about is the look, eventually sooner than later, you're increasing your chances of developing injuries that you may not be able to come back from. 

Joint Health And Athletics

In sports, at least in the modern age, training for the sport itself is a solid priority but we tend to forget about keeping the joints strong and focus more on the big muscles. Don't get me wrong, athletics are freaking awesome especially in areas like Baseball, Wrestling, Soccer and Basketball. Sure there's stretching, conditioning programs and solid use of weight training for specific sports that provide an athlete's ability to excel in his field. 

Keeping a solid level of conditioning and a healthy structure outperforms the ability to short bursts of energy and utilize muscles that aren't always trained the way they're meant to. Let me give you an example of two athletes from very different sports that challenged the norm to what the majority were doing in their day....

Rickey Henderson

The legendary outfielder mostly known to play for the Oakland Athletics wasn't just incredible at Stealing Bases, he was also awesome at the way he scored runs and the strategies used to make those runs happen. Beyond his stats, he was one of the few players of his generation to have a long and lasting career that lasted 25 years. From 1979-2003, he dominated areas of the game that we rarely or even will ever see again. 

He was a throwback to a time of the deadball era and the Negro Leagues where base stealing, bunting and scoring little by little was known more than knocking homeruns and driving in runs 3-4 at a time. His conditioning was uncommon among other players of his time, while many shifted towards the muscle building and juicing up during a period of hitting homeruns at a greater rate than before, he was one of the few that didn't get injured as often. 

He wasn't much of a lifter if at all and focused mainly on 4 distinctive exercises (or variations of ) such as push-ups, squats, sit-ups & sprints. Because of that foundation and understanding the aspects of realistic stretching and mobility work, he was extremely agile, fast, had reflexes that is even to this day would be considered superhuman. His joints in his prime were the pinnacle of what a healthy ball player should be and has an awesome physique that looked the part for his level of play. 

Herschel Walker

One of the most durable and highly conditioned athletes in the history of Football. He was doing things (and still does) back in the day that would consider him a freak of nature. Out of every maybe every 10 players in his time, he was in the small percentage of players that rarely got injured. His numbers in Push-ups & Sit-ups is just as legendary or even more so than his playing career. The man was a conditioning machine that puts him right up there if not at the top with guys like Walter Payton, Marcus Allen, Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor & Bo Jackson for athletic ability in the sport. 

Again, like Henderson, Walker knew and understood the aspects of Joint Health and Conditioning that gave him abilities that most athletes ever will achieve and knew that although great muscles can do great things for you, having joints and ligaments as strong as steel can help you stay in the game longer than most. Now, even though none of us will ever achieve what these guys did, we can however, take inspiration and ideas to make ourselves stronger and healthier than the average person.

The importance of having strong and healthy joints go beyond just doing exercises for mobility and little stretches, it'll make a huge differences in how strength from a long term and developing an injury-proof structure will play a role in our lives as we age. Most will never understand how in depth the significance and quality aspects of having healthy joints will do for them.

As we get older, having loads of muscle will become less important than the ability to just get up and move around without feeling pain and our bodies feeling less stiff. Yes we need muscles to move, but the joints and ligaments are the things that ties things together and give us that powerful shield to help us get around without hurting. We may not be as spry or springy as we were in our youth, but we can still learn to do things that will keep us out of a wheel chair or from not being able to get up and feel hopeless. We want to still do things that give us the quality of life we deserve, like playing with kids, play a sport, get up and down stairs, climb out of bed without pain, move gracefully and powerful at the same time. 

DVD Course On Joint Health By Lee Holden  

A Gift To Myself

 Happy Holidays everyone, hope you're getting what you need for the season and being with the people you love. Hope you get plenty of cool stuff for Xmas especially for the kids, I got my shopping done a while ago for really on the two people in my life, my mom and my wife. 

It has been a hard year more than most in recent times and still here, fighting and making the most of it. The problem is at times, I get so caught up with certain things that have affected me in ways I don't wish to discuss. This season did get a little harder since I lost a family member less than a week ago and although I wasn't close to him, he was still family and I hope his kids will be ok, I wish I can be with them especially one that is only a couple months younger than me and grieve with them. 

It's difficult at times coming to grips to how much of a rollercoaster this year has been and where I want to be along with where I feel most valued at. When it comes to online stuff, yeah I sell a few things here and there and share my knowledge of fitness in my own way but especially with all the ups and downs emotionally, I got caught up in arguments and put myself in situations where ball busting was just a little over the top. 

I signed up on a forum for the 4th or 5th time and left after one day (partially because I hated the name I put up) mainly because I thought if I just stick with sharing knowledge I'd be fine, but I wasn't. The majority of people on this forum just love to knock on me and ridicule me and put a bad taste in my mouth. They're not my friends, they're a lot older but most of the time don't have much value in the way of fitness because they don't really give a damn about grouping together and helping others, they're out for themselves and just have a place to let out their old man grumpiness along with busting each others balls. That's not the type of environment I want to associate with, I need to finally accept that. 

I' am very grateful for the positive things that are happening in my life and that in itself is a gift. The gift I feel I need to give myself is to trust more of my intuition, be aware of what I'm going into and do better as a person. That sounds like more than one gift but it's a tie in. This coming year will have many unexpected things but the end game is to have a greater attitude and bask in the things that do matter more than the trash that can swarm on you if you let it. Value what works and surround myself with people that lift me up more than letting in those that make me feel like I have no value to myself or others. One group I'm very thankful for is the Isometric Group I'm a part of on Facebook and how much those guys inspire me everyday to do what I love and that it is contributing to something. 

It isn't an ego thing to give a gift to yourself if you truly understand the concept of it. It doesn't have to be physical, it can be something comforting from an emotional and mental format that is meant for you. Although I believe in helping others as much as possible, we also need to make time for ourselves and reflect on the important things that keep us going and becoming better in the process. We are only human and can do so much before it consumes and overwhelms us. We need to learn to love ourselves as much as we love the people in our lives and what we love to do. This is the only life we have and each day should be a time to know that you still can do a little better and have greater attitudes towards yourself, your family, friends and your overall health. 

Don't be afraid to gift yourself and make it valuable to you and something that is important to help you on your journey. Have the most amazingly awesome holidays wherever you and if you're just by yourself, make it fun and something that makes you happy. I'm grateful for all of you and you have helped me learn things I continue to discover. 

Muscles Will Only Do So Much

 Being muscular can be a very tempting thing to achieve, especially if you love to work out. In the fitness world, muscles could do wonders for you. You may not become a Mr. Olympia or a Bikini Winner but you certainly can do great things when you built plenty of muscle, but where does the line draw? How do you achieve a level of muscle when many in the magazines, social media and even pictures on the Wall Of Fame could be photoshopped and the build is barely even real?

In reality, having muscles is only part of the real picture. Let's face it, muscles may look great but can they really do anything or at least anything that's worth more than just getting the pump from a curl or having less than 5% bodyfat? Muscles in retrospect should be useful and functional and not just a way to hook up with another human. However, as much as muscles can be great looking, the joints should be just as strong if not stronger because having strong ligaments can get you further in life or better yet, have a better quality of life. Very few people live long enough to still have quite a bit of muscle into their 50's, 60's and so on. 

Some people don't look like they have that much muscle on them but have crazy strong joints, tendons and ligaments and tend to look more wiry than burly. Same can be said with people who have solid muscle but have powerful joints to go with them. Both have their own debates on who's the strongest but in the end, the long term mentality should be maintaining health in both the joints and the muscles, not just one or the other. A muscular body won't last forever and it's not a very pleasant life if your joints are so out of shape or worse, develop problems early with arthritis, osteoporosis, bone disease and other ailments that affect the skeletal and tissues in the body. 

Many look down on exercises that loosen up the joints and just see them as warm ups or stupid exercises but the truth is, with the right training and understanding of "lubricating" the joints, they give you greater chances of not being injured or better yet prevent soreness and recover more efficiently. From your head down to your toes, find a good workout that gives you the opportunity to strengthen and loosen up the joints in your body that gives off energy and blood flow that feels really good. 

Here's one course that can give you plenty to work with but at the same time give you ideas as to what is possible to live a quality life and bask in the glory of having meaningful strength and fitness, not just building muscle. 

  Steve Maxwell's Joint Mobility DVD