Upper One Day Lower The Next

 The fun thing about training is the experimenting and seeing what comes out of it. Being an advocate for Isometrics especially Overcoming, it is a method that not only strengthens the tendons and ligaments but also enhances the quality of life as you move through ranges of motion. Yeah sure you're hitting various angles in a single point but as you strengthen those single points that leads to greater range of motion later on, it puts another perspective into play. 

A good routine that helps build that strength can be done almost in a split style; doing various muscle groups on certain days or you can work on doing Upper Body one day and then Lower Body the next. The possibilities are endless. Working on certain muscle groups can help find your weak points from another point of view and hit the muscles hard without spending a ton of time. Although I prefer the 7-12 Second contraction method, you can vary the intensity and length of time however you like or what gives you the most benefit. That's the true secret is what helps you move forward and have a wealth of knowledge that puts you in the driver seat instead of being the passenger. 

Having an upper and lower body split routine can be beneficial because you can hit muscles hard and then rest them while working on the others. You can even make a point of working on say shoulders and chest on let's say Monday, Legs on Tuesday, Back & Arms on Wednesday and Legs again on Thursday. You can then have the option of taking a "rest" day and do some casual stuff or repeat the program, it's up to you. Just remember to pay attention to your body and get a feel for it, you don't want to go into overkill mode. If you need a break, take it, your body, your choice. 

Isometrics in my eyes and in many, is one of the most underrated methods of strength training for a reason. It's not glamorous nor is it easy but it also doesn't sell a whole lot cause all it looks like to the untrained eye is just a hold for a few seconds or longer. Looks too simple and people shrug it off. It's simple but even the most basic holds can test your strength and even show your weaknesses almost immediately. When you utilize Isometrics into a routine, it can make you faster, lift with greater efficiency and hit spots you may be lacking at. It's more than just a stand-alone or add on, it's a next level style of work that gives you tools that bring you into another realm of strength. The type of strength that means something, life saving, the difference between winning and losing, the way you shake a person's hand, your performance in sports and combat. It is an essential part of physical fitness that can't be ignored. 

Learn the value of Isometrics and incorporate them into your life, see and feel what you can accomplish. Keep being amazingly awesome.  

12 Push-Ups That Kicked My Ass

Wow, only 12 push-ups. Can't be that great if that's all you can do. Why not? Some people haven't done any either in a long time or ever, everyone starts somewhere and has their own journey. Granted it also depends on the variations you're talking about. Most likely though, some crazed nutcase might think doing only 12 push-ups is pathetic and they should be doing better. Should they?

Now when I say I did only 12 Push-ups, that doesn't mean I did 12 straight through doing regular push-ups. Come on, after all these years, do you think it would be that simple and easy just to say that coming from me? That sounded a little egotistical don't you think? Shiver at the thought of it. No, these 12 Push-ups were spread out in a span of time that is more than meets the eye. Always experimenting with stuff and seeing how to do simple exercises that are still tough to do but effective AF. 

What did I do that only ended up with 12 of them? Well, first off, I did them on my fists so it manifested more into the tendons and ligaments. Second, it was in a timely manner and third, I made a game out of it to really make things interesting. These push-ups were a minute each. Literally, I would hold the top position for 30 seconds and then hold the mid point position for 30 seconds and push back up, that was it. Truth is, it's not as easy as you may think. These really tackled the little muscles and worked my core like crazy, let alone hitting everything else just to be stabilized.

So how did I make a game out of them? So 9 of these were done while I was playing MLB The Show 24 on my PS5. I would do my set, play one full inning and do another minute of the pushup until I did all 9 innings in completion. The other 3 sets were done prior to playing the game. Some innings were shorter than others cause I out quicker and some were longer cause I just kept scoring so it was a nice little rest. Some sets were tougher than others but I held onto them each and every time. Did this the other day.  

You see, exercise doesn't have to be boring or some crazy chore, it can be be an interesting entity whether it's one big workout, or doing stuff throughout the day. It's good to have discipline and a solid mindset to train but at the same time, you want to have fun with it too. It's a hell of a motivator and if you're a gamer, it helps you stay fit while playing your favorite games. Now I wouldn't recommend playing online against other people cause it's unpredictable and if you pause or leave a person stranded while playing, you lose quite a bit of things but that's for another time. 

Fitness is about discovery, experimenting, being consistent and doing what needs to be done but also get to live a life. Keep yourself moving, it can suck at times but we also can't always afford to lose out the important things in life. Find what works for you and get into it. You might be surprised what you could accomplish. This is just another idea to use and mess around with. You can do all sorts of exercises and create weird yet awesome scenarios and still kill it. Be amazingly awesome and GAME ON!!!

Exercises Throughout The Day To Stay Energized

 Spreading a few exercises here and there throughout the day is never a bad thing. Matter of fact, it's probably better for many than getting one big workout in that takes up some time. Some do like getting in that hour long or so workout either before or after work which is awesome and I applaud you for making that effort, if you enjoy it and it's meaningful to you, keep at it. There are other options though if you need it to save yourself some time.

 Doing a few moves or holds over the course of the day can help you stay strong and fresh for what is thrown at you and getting the most out of it in little bits of time. Even certain exercises that seem basic can be very challenging when done right. One of my favorite exercises believe it or not I like to do for a couple minutes a day along with the other things I do is doing Push-ups either on my fists, palms or using my handles and I would hold at the top for as long as 30 seconds, then go down to about mid point and hold that for 30 seconds, come back up and hold for 15 seconds, mid point for 15 and repeat that 15/15 one more time for a total of 2 minutes without a rest. It's tough as hell but it gets the job done. Picked up that version of push-ups on youtube but do different variations instead of just one (variety you know). 

 Combining dynamic and isometrics is a great way to keep your strength and condition up and keep things flowing. Do a wall sit for a minute or go bear crawl for 30 seconds to a minute, these will add up as the day progresses and it'll feel like you're getting more done than you thought. Micro Workouts are a key ingredient to successful training and it pits you into a style that can be creative using simple moves and holds. Got a way to do Suspension Training? You can do some assisted pull-ups to build strength and muscle in your back or do rows as you advance. Washing dishes? Every few plates cleaned or so, press down on the countertop for 10-12 seconds and tighten the core muscles. Want to work the legs a bit, if you're going up a couple stairs or so, take a step and press hard with the front leg for 5-10 seconds each leg to build strength in the quads and knees. Sometimes the littlest things can create the biggest impact.

 A great exercise for the lower body is the Amosov Squats which I picked up from Steve Maxwell in the case of doing assisted type squats using a counter space, a door or using a Suspension Strap. Go down as low as you feel comfortable and come back up within control. As you get better, get down a little further and slowly build up speed. This builds great strength in the legs and conditions the entire lower body. Some do this to get the blood flowing as a warm up, others for conditioning purposes and to help with building strength in the knees if they can't do squats unassisted yet.

 Build a foundation and utilize your exercises the best way you can. Don't be afraid to experiment with something and don't think for a second that simple exercises are too easy, when you utilize the right tension and timing, they can be crazy tough to do but yet be as effective if you were doing a long workout. A few seconds can feel like an eternity at times. Making even 5 reps feel like 50-100 is a killer way to train. Have fun with them and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Training And Developing A Healthy Neck

 One particular body part many don't realize that is crucial to a healthy life is the neck. It's not just a little bundle of muscles, it's a link between the spine and the brain that makes the big element of nerve function. Neck Training comes in different forms from using machines and weights to doing Bridges, Self Resistance & Mobility Work. I was never a big advocate to do weights or machines for the neck in my own training, I was doing bridges for years and off and on doing Self Resistance Exercises totaling as much as 200 reps a workout. 

Still do bridges from time to time and can still hold the front and back for 3 minutes each if I chose to but mostly these days, I'm geared towards more of the mobility style while adding an isometric component to it along with dynamic movement. I came up with a routine that was inspired by Matt Furey when he put out a video on youtube on how to thicken the neck and clear the cobwebs so do speak. He only put out 2 exercises for the left and right side each or so but I added in a few more and used the concepts of what he taught and made my own routine of it. It's a great routine which involves starting with an isometric element and then moving in the position in a 2 count fashion, move onto another exercise and same thing until I finish off with circles of the neck. Do a 10 count Iso hold and then 10 reps of movement, next exercise, same thing and then just do 10 circles each way for the finish. 

Been doing this routine off and on since May of this year and it's one of my favorites that helps clear my head and/or to strengthen my neck. It's a great alternative for those who can't bridge yet or if they're already bridging and want to do this as a supplement. For me, it takes about 6-7 minutes to complete the full routine. Not long but very effective. One of these days, I'll film it and show you how I do it. It'll be a full routine demonstration and not just little bits to do a 1 min demo. It can be done anywhere, anytime. It's a great routine to start the day and think of it as a routine to help rid of that morning brain fog we get at times after waking up. Nothing hardcore or anything, just a simple thing to help get your head in the game as they say. 

I did mention a little earlier that it could thicken the neck. That might sound a bit far fetched but after doing it for a period, I did gain muscle in the neck that was functional and mobile. It didn't make my neck look like Mike Bruce or anything like that but it did build the type of muscle that was strong yet elastic along with building strength in the nerves. It's not the same as building muscle like a Wrestler or Football Player, it's meant for health and elasticity. A strong neck goes a long way in how it can be life saving and how it could aid in your routine. 

As we get older, strength training becomes more and more crucial and it's not always the quantity of what we do or how much we lift and all that, there's a foundation there for sure but it's more about the quality and the control we have as we progress. We may not be able to do all we did in our 20's by the time we reach 40 or 50, but we sure as hell can slow down the aging process as best as we can to make the quality of life going on for as long as possible. Do what's possible and progress little by little. You don't need to do a ton of reps to make something worth while, sometimes, only a few is really needed to move things along. Stay healthy everyone and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Being Creative In How You Make The Basics Work

 It can distracting AF when you have all the information at your disposal but have no true clue what to do with it. It happens to a lot of people (me included sometimes) but it's important to learn the value of how we process that information by taking bits of it and molding it into our own style. It's not always easy, it's not meant to be, but it can bring greater value to what we want to achieve. 

Having knowledge of the basics lay the foundation to what we can do to move forward. That's the beauty of what training is about, it's the idea that you can use simplistic approaches to what gives you the greatest benefit for your individual needs. Become a master of your domain (channeling Seinfeld IYKYK) and harness a creative entity in how you use the basics. When it comes to fitness and training, people are fixated on certain things and shove all sorts of methods down people's throats. I do my best to not do that but to give you resources that could bring you incredible results because I want you to succeed and get the most for what goes on in your life. 

Not everyone has the mindset to do an hour long workout, some do and it's awesome that they can pull that off and make time for themselves. However; sometimes it's not always an option so if you're short on time, it's important to find what can give you the best out of your time you need to train. It's one of the reasons why I advocate and respect the Red Delta Project. With a series of courses dedicated to making your training effective with basic exercises and with little to no equipment, you can create a workout just about anywhere you wish. With fundamental training, you have the ability to do what works for you with the time you have. 

Books like Suspension Calisthenics, Overcoming Isometrics & others, these build a level of knowledge and wisdom that seldom use even by today's standards. Although some exercises look plain and boring to some people, it doesn't take away the fact that they not only work but have a far greater outlook to how you train for the long haul. You don't need to do 20 sets of every single body part or train for  1-2 hours in order to get results. Hell, yesterday my workout barely lasted 45 minutes if that and I'm feeling a bit of it today. Did 8 exercises that hit just about every muscle from the shoulders down to the legs and did no more than 3-4 sets on each of them. The main focus was technique and tension using only 1-3 movements per muscle group. Here's what I did to give you an idea......

Push-ups x 13, 12, 10

Suspension Curls x 14, 11, 10

Split Squats (Per Leg) x 16, 14, 10, 10

Side Hip Raises (Per Side) x 12, 10, 8

Suspension Squats x 15, 15, 10, 10

Power Wheel Knee Pull Ins x 12, 10, 8

Power Wheel Rollouts x 12, 10, 8

Suspension Incline Rows x 15, 15, 10

Not complicated, didn't take up a ton of time, rested as long as needed for a fresh set and kept things simple and focused on the muscles worked. No jolting or bouncing, no mindless reps and made the exercises work for me. Train for what matters and make the time work in your favor and not against you. Sure I can do far more reps on each of these exercises if I wanted but it would defeat the purpose of what I wanted to get done. Again with the mindless reps, it boils down to intent and what needs to be done to stimulate the muscles. You're not going for world records unless that's your intended goal or you have a goal to do 500-1000 reps of something consistently. Those are all well and good and they work (to a degree) but finding a way to stimulate for growth and strength is utilized in a more condensed but basic approach. I used a countdown method for my reps in the workout above for a reason and it was to create more tension into the muscles I was working to build a greater level of concentration and focus without resorting to going to failure.

The number of reps you do is arbitrary for others but what really counts is how you apply muscle control to those reps that makes the difference in the quality over the quantity. You can make 10 reps feel like 100 if you know the right physical and mental aspect of the control of your muscles. That's the idea of what RDP teaches. It shows you how to control every movement you do so you can get the most out of your workouts in the best amount of time possible. It gives you tools to be creative but also have the best knowledge even at low skill set exercises. Create opportunities to build your body that will not only bring you great joy but also a sense of gratification that you can do amazing things on a basic level. Keep killing it and keep being amazingly awesome.   

4 Animals And 1100 Reps Later

 When you need a pick me up or even the urge to challenge yourself, sometimes you just go with your gut and hope for the best. This morning, I wanted to do some Animal Conditioning and did my Deck Of Cards Animal Workout. Doubled the reps/steps to really sink things in and feel the wrath of the wild. The animals were as follows....

Bear

Crab

Sasquatch

Duck

-The way the deck of cards goes....

Hearts = Bear Crawls

Diamonds = Crab Walks 

Clubs = Sasquatch Walks

Spades = Duck Walks

-Rep Count

King/Jack/Queen = 20

Ace = 32

Joker = 100

2-10 = Doubled

All together, its 1000 total reps. Crazy thing is, I had three jokers in the deck I used so it came out to 1100. A lot of crawling and walking in a half squat and full squat. The only rest was getting up and flipping a card, that was it. For the Animal I did for the jokers it was 100 Steps of the Sasquatch. Walking in that position for a period of time really puts tension in the thighs and works the tendons and ligaments with a vengeance. It's almost walking in a wrestler's stance or a football stance getting ready for a tackle. 

This particular workout hits practically every muscle in the body and you can move in all sorts of directions and revs up your cardio that is unbelievable. Awesome conditioning for combat sports, health, coordination, agility, upper & lower body strength. Doesn't take very long (just around 30 minutes or so) and targets quite a bit of the brain since you need to send the nerves to the muscles to keep them going and stay balanced. It's like a jolt to the noggin along with building lung power. 

Training is an adventure and when you can play like a beast in the wild (even a duck), it makes your workout all the more enjoyable. With a workout like this, it's like a game and you can create the difficulty. Have fun and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Does A Six Pack Really Mean Anything?

 Many would say having a six pack has many benefits and a indicator of health. In a few cases that is true, low bodyfat can be an indicator of health but how low is too low and where does the balance formulate to say someone's healthy? A great six pack shows you've worked hard to build the abdominal muscles and made strides to make yourself look good which by itself isn't a bad thing, however; does those muscles help minimize or prevent injuries as much as possible? Can it take a hit? Is it strong enough to work the Stabilizers? Is it conditioned?

These are the questions I look for when I see those with a six pack. Seen some strong people that look average and seen bodybuilders who can barely walk, plus crackheads have very low abdominal fat and have a six pack at times so where is the line drawn that a six pack meaning something healthy? The truth is, because we're all different, our bodies don't always develop the same way as others but it is important to understand it's not always the abdominal muscles that should be looked at for an indicator of health, it's the entire realm of the Core (abs, low back, obliques) that should give you an idea of how strong it truly is.

Core Strength is one of the true indicators of how healthy a person is. You can have extremely low bodyfat and still have a weak core structure. Being able to twist and turn without hurting yourself gives off some strong vibes there along with utilizing those muscles in how you perform your workouts. The tension vs the relaxation in your performance. Understanding how to brace yourself as you control a movement or hold. Think of Gymnasts, the control over their bodies is one of the most fascinating things about the human structure. The way they can move and hold positions on the Rings, swing on the High Bar, flip in the fucking air during a floor routine or on the vault, its captivating and eye popping. Sure this is sports specific but it doesn't take away the fact that if they couldn't control the way they do things, they would be crippled for life.

The greater your strength is in your Core from a certain POV, the stronger you'll be not just physically but overall. It's one of the reasons I train a lot with Isometrics, Suspension Training, Sandbags, Bands and Hammers....In order to perform these methods well or even to get a pass by, I need to be in control of my Core otherwise I'd be injured a hell of a lot more. Core Strength goes beyond just doing Abdominal Exercises, it's about creating a strong foundation to what is needed for things in life that can be a saver for people. Hauling furniture takes Core Strength, doing Farmer's Carries takes Core Strength even when you're off balance, moving in awkward positions without injury starts with Core Strength. 

Having a strong Core may not always be obvious just on appearance alone, again, you can look like a million bucks but do you have the strength and control that comes with it? That's the true indicator there. Keep yourself strong and healthy and keep being amazingly awesome everyone.