Beauty Amongst The Chaos

The world isn't perfect and neither are we, so why keep hating on things that have nothing to do with us personally. There is beauty around us, we just don't always see it. There's beauty in people, there's beauty around our environment and there's beauty in how we could see the world through our eyes. These are the things I do my best to think about on my walks to a bad ass hill to do sprints on and living in the moment as I walk back home and letting the endorphins kick in.

We still live in a world where there's transphobic and homophobic people, racists and extremists who want to tell you how to live in their image. It's pretty messed up and yes although there are plenty of LGTBQ+, they can be just as much of assholes as straight folks but they also can be just as amazingly awesome, beautiful inside and out and they can do great things many never give them credit for. I've heard all the crap about indoctrinating kids with the LGTBQ+ community and it's not all that black and white as the media tries to point out and I'm going to give you an example of that....

When I was in High School in the early 2000's, being in one of the most liberal and open cities in California, we had a group of people come into a class one day. Each one was of a different sexuality (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans Man) and each one talked about their experiences about what it was like growing up, transitioning and seeing first hand what it's like being different. They were all amazing people and didn't once felt the need to hate on them. They didn't shove down my throat about needing to be that way, they didn't brainwash me into becoming something than I already was and they certainly didn't feel the need to hate on others who were straight. This was more than 20 years ago. I never once chose to join another team not because it was ok if I did, it made understand that being different wasn't horrible either. I'm as straight as you can possibly imagine but just because you like or want to be someone or something else, doesn't makes you any less of a human being. In the end, we're all still human beings.

Nobody is born a racist, it is taught and objectified to the point where you show off so many stereotypes and jerking around other people's skin color and culture that it becomes an issue. Growing up, I was friends and/or classmates with just about every race and culture you can name and never once thought about having hatred towards their skin or culture. Sure there are jokes here and there but when it comes down to it, there are amazing and beautiful people within every race and culture. I believe in being Color Blind in the sense where skin color is just a shell with a soul. That soul either has something awesome or has darker tones but it has nothing to do with what the outer appearance is. Being racist is childish, selfish and has no positive outlook of a human being. In the end, we're all still human beings.

There's beauty amongst the chaos in this world and we need to learn it more than what the bullshit brings. There's always going to be assholes, screw ups, morons, idiots and dumbasses regardless of skin color, culture or who they choose to become or love but there's also going to be beautiful, kind, light hearted, selfless and amazingly awesome people regardless of their skin color, culture or who they choose to become or love. Ying and Yang with a hint of awesomeness. Be strong, be kind and find the beauty amongst the chaos. 

Rewire Your Stress System So That You Handle Stress Better

What if we could take the best of a many thousands of years old tradition of health and combine it with the utmost quality sourced right in America too? That’s what I would like to talk to you about today. Ashwagandha is fast becoming a popular herb across the globe. Many people have learned about this adaptogen and how it can rewire your stress system so that you can handle stress better.

Others take it to support deep restful sleep and recent research is showing its effects not only on these things but supports thyroid function, increasing testosterone in men, regulating hormones in women, protecting the nervous system, boosting fitness results and more. It truly seems to be one of those amazing roots that do a bit of EVERYTHING (or perhaps just lowering chronic cortisol is what makes everything else in your system better)!

That’s all great…but unfortunately not every Ashwagandha supplement is equally effective. Far from it! What if we could add the following on top of it all? It’s grown in the states, on small farms in Oregon. It’s the only fresh root tincture on the market, rather than dried roots shipped halfway across the world. It’s ORGANICALLY and BIODYNAMICALLY farmed for the HIGHEST soil quality.

Independent lab testing proves it is free of heavy metals and harmful chemical toxicity. It’s spagyrically prepared, using real alchemical methods that enhance its potency even further. Lastly, it’s backed by a money-back guarantee, where you try it and love it or get your money back with no need to ship anything back.

It might surprise you just what this Ayurvedic root can do for you. 

Go here now to find how out more, including how you can save up to 20% off and get free shipping.

What Are The Risk Factors In Doing Hill Sprints?

Like in all aspects of fitness, there's going to be risk factors that take form. There are pros and cons to every method of exercise but we don't always take in the risks that we take to make them work. There are many methods that could easily cause an injury but others have limited factors of risks of injury. How can you tell and how can you research it? 

There are fitness maniacs out there that say the best methods are the ones with the biggest risks that grant big rewards but how true is that really? Now when it comes to bodybuilding; there are several risk factors (not including steroid use) and how much weight works for the amount of muscle you want to develop. Compared to yesteryear, today's bodybuilding has a lot more risks of injury than those who performed feats and Muscle Control in the early 20th century. There's always a chance of getting injured but if you compare the injuries of a Ronnie Coleman to a George Hackenshmidt it is virtually night and day. There is a factor that because of an injury, Hack made transitions but yet lived to be 90 and was still in pretty good shape but Coleman got so banged up from extreme heavy weights and bodybuilding that it took a toll on him and as of 2020, most likely will never know how to walk again. 

So this brings up a certain question from another perspective....What are the risk factors in doing hard Sprint Training (more notably Hill Sprints)? Sprinting for the most part is a great practice but it takes a bit of a build up. Whether on a track or on a Hill, sprints will kick your ass whether you like it or not. If you do the research, as hard as land sprints are, hills are actually safer because the stride is shorter for one, the amount of speed is cut down compared to on flat ground and it forces resistance like in weight training. The risk factors are very limited when it comes to Hill Sprints but don't make the mistake of thinking you can just go nuts the first time around or haven't done them in years. That's what would get many people in trouble. Sprints don't care how tough you are, they will try to beat you down and one slip up and its all over. 

If you perform them safely and with progression, they can turn you into a fat burning machine and can generate up to 500% HGH or more and eliminate unwanted fat like butter on a frying pan. Another great thing about them is that you don't need to do that many for very long. No more than 10 for 10-15 seconds. If you find anything on Hill Sprints and tells you to progress up to 20 per workout 4-5 times a week, that's literally setting your ass up for injury and way too short of recovery between workouts. A sprint can only be pushed to a maximum speed for a very short period of time. If you try to Sprint at 100% for 30 seconds or more, it's not going to happen. Even Usain Bolt or Walter Payton wouldn't be able to do it. 

Be vigilant in how you research this kind of training and observe the do's and don'ts very carefully. Plus the more elevated the hill, the harder it'll be and you'll be working your ass off using more of the ball of your foot and your knees will be slightly higher in order to make the stride work. Here's what to look for....

Injury Prevention

Sensible amount of Sprints

Recovery Time

The amount of time on a Sprint

Hill Grades

And the differences of leaning forward compared to leaning back or keeping the back straight. 

These will help you understand the risk factors more than what I've given you here. Train hard but be smart as well and recover with a vengeance between sessions. It'll determine the less or more likely of injury. 

Fat Burning Methods That Doesn't Always Include Sprinting

Although Sprint Training (Especially Hill Sprints) is the fastest method possible to burn off fat and build lean muscle mass, sprints may not always be an option and when you need ideas you can use what could you do? For the most part, it's really how fast you move during certain exercises or using greater explosiveness to really hit that heart rate up quick that feels like you're huffing and puffing in a matter of seconds to a minute. You can do swim sprints, you can do explosive kettlebell work, bodyweight exercises or weights. It's a matter of how fast can you get out of breath.

If you're not ready to do Sprints yet but want to add something to your walking; do a brisk pace and than for 10-30 seconds, powerwalk as fast as you can and than slow down and repeat. This can be done around a neighborhood or at a park/field. On those days where the weather is crappy or it's so windy it feels like a hurricane is roaming, you can do some indoor training like the workouts Darebee provides. These are really more of a 1-2x a week type of workout and they can be extremely tough so work with what you can. Some are pretty easy but others could take down very conditioned people so recovery is a big thing to utilize when it comes to these workouts. Just pick one for the day and do the best levels you can. They can range from 3 minutes to 35 minutes and if you need a longer rest between circuits, take it.

Burpees are a hell of a workout you can do just about anywhere and they can turn you into a fitness machine. I would say they're the closest to a method of a fat burning method next to Sprint Training. They're quick, explosive, get your out of breath fast and generate a killer level of natural HGH. A great routine that can be done in a total of 16 minutes is doing Burpees for 30 seconds as many as you can (without flopping around and using good form as much as possible) and resting for 90 seconds. 8 Rounds of this 30/90 protocol is all you'll do. You can do this with other exercises like Push-ups or Squats but Burpees will do the best job. 

If you can't sprint up hills yet, just walk them up and down, they're a hell of a start for a beginner. Just do a few up and downs and you'll be huffing and puffing in no time. When I would go for a hike, I would wear my weight vest and just go for about an hour or so. Lost a good few pounds doing that. Doing this 3x a week is more than enough. Weighted walking has a lot of benefits and has similar calorie burning effects as a run. You can also rope skip for ten minutes a day (they've been studied to be the equivalent to a 30 min run) 

Work with what you can do but nothing will kick your ass more than a solid set of Hill Sprints for 10-15 seconds a shot. These are ideas if you're not into Sprinting yet and just want to try something that doesn't require running. When you do get the opportunity to do Hill Sprints, make the most of them and imagine becoming a fat burning mega star like NFL Legends Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, Mike Singletary, Ladanian Tomlinson & Marcus Allen. Feel as if you can eat like the Flash and burn it off fast like nobody's business. You'd be able to burn calories hours after a workout (studies call this the Afterburn Effect) and change your body composition within a few workouts. 

Training During Commercials & Video Games

Many of us have a favorite show, movie or video game we like to play. Kick back and enjoy some of the cool scenes, graphics, storylines and get immersed into the drama, action or comedic antics of characters but there's always a time to take a pause or do something in the middle of those pests we call commercials. Let's face it, the only commercials worth watching is either a movie trailer or the crazy stuff that happens during the Super Bowl; other than that, 99% of the commercials are trash and have no value to watch. 

What can you do in the meantime? You can do some Push-Ups, Squats, Burpees, Sit-Ups or whatever you can think of. Most commercials last from 15-35 seconds and two minutes before the next set of scenes of a show come on so there's plenty of time to get a little exercise in. You still rest longer as you watch the show so what's the harm? Many big time athletes have used this method to get some kick ass training in over the period of a half hour to an hour of a show. Guys like Ray Lewis & Rickey Henderson took full of advantage of this. At times I would watch a Giants game and between innings would knock out some Burpees or do random exercises using an app from Darebee called FitTap. 

What about Video Games or Movies? Well, I have written ideas about exercising while playing video games especially if you play Sports Games such as Baseball or Football. Do exercises after getting struck out or if someone scores on you, make a game out of a game so to speak. For movies, it can be doing something when you pause the movie for a minute or two every 20 minutes, it can also be a fun challenge to do exercises that a character does consistently like a line, a gesture, a bold move or antic for example: For Indiana Jones; do a set of push-ups every time he uses the whip. For a TV show like Supernatural; do 5 Push-ups every time Dean makes a smart ass comment or do a set of Squats every time Sam uses "his powers." Some people play drinking games when it comes to movies but for the sake of health and saving a liver, let's try something a little different. 

Movement is life and life is movement. It's good to take a breather and enjoy kicking back but we also don't want to be doing that too much so this is a way to use our brains and our bodies to get the most out of our time. Get the blood pumping, don't just sit and twiddle your thumbs or just kick back on the couch or recliner the whole time. Use your time wisely and have fun with it. Training is an adventure and building discipline. 

"You Too, Can Have A Body Like Mine."

Slogans and certain phrases are some of the basic principles in how you get people to buy a product period. A product in and of itself is just a tool, no more, no less but it's the idea to make it look like a million bucks that gives it life or death. We've all seen ads about building the perfect physique since the days of the early muscle magazines and pamphlets from mail-order giants like Bernarr MacFadden, Charles Atlas, Maxick & George Jowett.

When it comes to how even a product works vs. the reality of the end results aren't always congruent together. Sure there are products and programs that do work for many but there's no such thing as the "one size fits all" ideal construct. Back in the early days, like say 100 years ago; there were no scientific principles on macros, steroids were non-existent and supplements were not a major thing or if at all from today's standards. The products back then did work to an extent especially from MacFadden who was an advocate of healthy living, bodyweight/Self Resistance oriented style training and other things. 

Building a powerful physique takes time, patience and dedication. However; you have to remember, some of the greatest physiques back in the day were more than just show, they were a marvel of pure, unadulterated strength and vitality. Even more so, many of those who had an awesome body weren't that big either. The average weight of a man with a great physique back then was about 145-185 lbs. Only a fraction compared to today were bigger guys like Saxon, Hackenshmidt, Groener and a few others. Today, small guys with a physique that look like they were carved out of granite are considered weaker than those who on average range from 215-275 or in the 300+ lb range that look like Comic Book characters are believed to be considered strong. It can be confusing but it's what social media, news, ads and magazines are telling us what is considered strong "looking" and what is considered weak "looking."

In reality, when you develop your own physique, you're not going to have the exact physique of an Arnold or Ferrigno, hell even a Coleman or Cutler. Why would you want to? What purpose is it really to have a body that looks like a billion bucks but end up with $2 strength? I'm not saying you shouldn't build a body that looks awesome, what I 'am saying is, when you put yourself on a program and follow it to a "T", your results are going to be what you put into it and sometimes your genetic make-up will factor in and what happens when you're not doing it. The sad thing is, you're also being duped into believing that a lot of influencers these days that they build their physiques just by what they preach in their ads when in reality, there are things going on you're not aware of and outside the commercial spectrum, chances are very likely, they're on other things or have photoshopped themselves to make you be even more gullible to believe in their product. Where do you go from there and how can you trust what they're trying to present to you?

 A body will only last so long for so many years no matter how dedicated you are but what you consistently do to make your life as best as possible and being as strong physically and mentally, will have you go further into your years than just a cool looking body. It's important to develop and maintain the vitality and quality of our training and not always rely on how we look. Looks have their place and merit but it is the progressive and wisdom of developing realistic strength and condition that factors in our lives. We all have different strengths & weaknesses, some people have greater realistic strength and live longer than those who go to great lengths to build a body that will win them some mini statue of a dead physical culturist. Just because you have the body of a comic book character, doesn't mean you'll live a long and healthy life. 

Get strong and develop a body that is resilient and powerful regardless if you're big or small, whether you want to lose weight or gain weight, natural and realistic strength comes first, the body will come and the results again are what you put into it.  

Recovery While Sprint Training

 There are things we are taught especially in sports where we have to go hard every single day in order to become successful in what we want to do. The truth is, only a fraction of athletes ever truly become successful if you looked at things from a perspective. We were taught to give 110% and to not show weakness, be a robot that doesn't show emotions; in a nutshell you're not meant to act human. I'm all for giving it the best you can, but doing too much that your body can't handle it could kill you. 

What about the average person just trying to better themselves and develop things little by little? Most of us are not some world-class athlete who have trainers at our beckon call and we certainly don't have the luxury of having a nutritionist telling us what we can or can't eat to make our performance better. For the most part, we must learn to rely on ourselves to make the most of what we can. We have to be our own nutritionist, coach, trainer or what have you. There are people in our lives that can guide us but it's up to us as individuals to put in the work.

Ever since I got into Physical Culture and studying different methods, being taught by various people and reading up on some of the best conditioning and strength programs on the planet, I end up really being my own guide. I have been given advice which I still use to this day from people I admire and have learned from but at the same time, when you're on your own, you learn things about yourself.

That's when I get into things like Sprint Training or better yet; Hill Sprints, I rely on my own instincts and take in things from various sources. For instance: The act of recovery as you perform Sprints 3x a week at max. In the past, I would do my sprint days near my home and do the typical lollygagging down the hill after a hard sprint and give myself an opportunity to catch my breath and than repeat for however many sprints. On my off days, there were times where I felt I had to be just as hardcore or slightly less than my sprint training and would do hammer workouts, circuit training, animal movements, deck of cards workouts or whatever and within a few weeks to a month or more I quit cold turkey and don't do it again until almost a year. I became my own worst enemy when it came to recovery.

Recovery is not an enemy, it's an ally and the older we get, the more recovery becomes our biggest asset. When you're in your teens and 20's, there are things you can get away with and believe me, I got away with stuff in my own training in my 20's but now since I'll be a couple years shy of 40, training will be different and although I love doing crazy stuff, still need to be wise enough to find the right tools to perform at my best. When I need a recovery day or just something to get my energy levels going, doing little things seem to be easier than just going balls out in one shot. Isometric Exercises here and there, some reps of bodyweight or cable work and maybe some weight vest walking or hiking. The most important thing to take care of on recovery days is definitely your joints, next to that is rest. Anything else will fall into place with the right mindset.

Most people can drive to a hill (if there's one in their area) but mine is a 20 min walk, that's my warm up. I get to the hill, do some Joint Loosening and than go for it doing as many bursts that I want to do that day and than walk 20 minutes back home. Overall takes about an hour door to door and it knocks my ass out cold at times. Maybe that's a good thing because I listen to my body and recover as much as I need to and than go about my day. Your body is the only one you have, get the most out of it but also have the wisdom and knowledge to keep it maintained and keeping things in gear.

There are people who don't always have the luxury of sleeping it off after a hard sprint day and it is understandable. The point is, is if you're doing any sort of hard training whether it be Sprints, Weight Training, Sports Conditioning or whatever and it doesn't matter if you're average joe or freaking Lebron James, if you can find some sort of time to recover, take it for as long as you can and it may be 5 minutes or when the kids are taking a nap or out playing, make the time for you when you can. 

Recovery is letting the body take care of itself and it varies from different people how well they can recover. Too much of it however, can hinder your progress but too little can get you hurt and you'd be useless to people who may need you. Just like the Three Bears, there is something there that is just right; you just need to discover it and take advantage of it. 

Train hard, recover as best as you can and be your own success. You got this and you are amazingly awesome.