Karl Gotch......May he R.I.P

A true legend in the world of physical culture died this past saturday nearing the age of 83. A man of moral character and a great student to wrestling was known throughout Japan as "the god of pro wrestling" for his shoot-fighting style and conditioning training. In the united states though he wasn't a popular hit so he never became a big figure in the ways of other famous athletes. Up until recently this man was very private and kept a strong eye on the people who felt should be trained for wrestling. He knew that if you werent in condition you're not worth a damn and if all you wanted to do was learn a few moves then he'll kick you out the door. He was considered by a few peers and students as arguabley the greatest wrestler of all-time. He wasn't always a wrestler though, he was a survivor of world war ll concentration camps and became a soilder of the US army. He was an olympian in 1948 and became a pro throughout the 60's and 70's. He put his heart and soul to the sport he loved and created many friends and equally as many enemies but through it all he was just a man that squeaked by with a few injuries and a determained will to keep on fighting. A few years ago, he took on a student that was different then most of his others and taught him the ways of wrestling and conditioning. He turned this man's life upside down and for the better and is now known as "the zen master" Matt Furey. That was just one of thousands of students that he made a wrestler out of. In some circles he was considered brutal, viscious and unmerciful when it came to conditioning. Thats the fun of it cause thats how he was not only hated but also respected knowing that cause thats what he was taught and he made it his own unique style. Be as it may he wasn't the biggest public figure but he was a true loyal man and believed in what he loved and how life should go through one's life. Rest in peice Karl and thank you for the powerful impact you've put on us through your conditioning and ways of wrestling that can never be matched.

Yours in Power & Might

Ben

Is it possible to gain strength/flexibility/stamina all in one shot?

To answer that question you have to look at the type of people who know and those who don't. Its common in todays gym rats, high-tech loving and hardcore trainees who believe without question that in order to get these attributes you need to lift for strength, stretch for flexibility and run on the tredmill for a half hour just to get a decent amount of endurance. Now thats all good for them and they can all of that as much as they want but its not always true. It is possible to get those three major attributes into one exercise. The people i've mentioned don't want to believe that cause thats what they were taught and you don't see trainees talk about the important factors anymore cause its "outdated" and science proves new theories for the fitness industry. Its what I have learned in my 7 years of weight lifting. Up until my freak leg accident I learned an researched the old ways of strength training and decided that weights and scientific theories arnt my idea of conditioning. Mother nature with a few peices of equipment are my choices.

Now back to what I was saying..........When you look at animals in the wild by looking hard enough you notice they don't do seperate things to keep them strong and fit they tie everything together from their body structures and survival skills to keep everything strong. The old-timers knew this and adapted to their styles of training. The thing to remember is don't always look to the future in fitness but look to the way you adapt old styles for the future for yourself. Take in what you know and adapt. Its a lot simpler then it looks just find out for yourself and find a unique way to enhance all three of these attributes. The secret to this is to adapt and improvise never repeat.

Yours in Power & Might

Ben

New Strength Feat

Last night as an experiment I attempted to rip up a phonebook (around 1000) but with sock puppets (using socks as gloves) and got it on the first try. I was shocked and happy at the same time. It took a great deal of strength to pull this off and Isometrics can help you build that power. When it comes to ripping phonebooks you want to start by just tearing it in half. Simple right? Not nessesarely, you have to not only build up the kind of strength just to tear but you want to progress onto thicker books. If you can rip a 3000 page phonebook without too much trouble then you got super-human strength. One of the key elements to ripping a phonebook or anything else for that matter is through the use of isometrics. This particular type of stength training has been overlooked in the last couple decades and to me thats just sad.....Anywho I want to film this feat and prove that with bodyweight training and learning proper technique in feats of strength you can achieve anthing you wish when you use the mind/muscle connection and just sheer will. Until then keep training and have fun while you do it even when it gets difficult.

Yours in Power & Might

Ben

Powerflex In The Air And Of Course On Land!!!!!!!!

I have mentioned Powerflex aka Flexercise in a couple posts but I never mentioned how valuable it is for a traveler or a bodyweight enthusiast. I will be going to Pennsylvania as of tomorrow and gonna do nothing but Powerflex training the entire time there. It'll be great to get an awesome workout using my own resistance and strength to build up. Me and my gf will be going there to visit her best friend whom she hasn't seen in over nearly 2 years. I'm sure glad flexercise will help keep my energy up on the long flights, 3 to be exact in a 12 hour period. I'm very blessed that I know what to take with me to stay strong and energized. I've written about 7 workouts 1 each day while were there and if anybody knows this my specialization training will be on the gorilla flexes and all of these workouts will be at level 2 repetitions. Its gonna be tough but i've dealt with things far worse so this makes me happy. Its gonna be a joy having people look thinking "what the hell is he doing." Jim Forystek created one of the best bodyweight programs around and not many can match it its a program all on its own.

Yours in Power & Might

Ben

Having Fun Whenever You Can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are times when people worked hard all day and need to just eat dinner and go straight to bed. There are other times when you need excitment and feel left out from doing something either cause your bored or you just dont feel like you fit in. No matter how bad life gets no matter how hard wee ourselves feel like we do something but never do it heres what I gotta say: Have some fun man even if you act like a goof and just cant stop yourself at times just think of it this way. Its better then nothing.

Tonight was one of the best times of my life. Went to a concert where a couple buddies of mine were playing in the battle of the bands. It didnt matter if they won or not the important thing is they put on one of the best shows in their careers and nobody would stop them from having the time of their life and neither were us arrowheads. Life goes by fast and theres always that one regret we have that we didnt do. Most of the people in this world regret far more. Never regret anything and do what you feel shoul;d be fun for you. Take advantage of what you have cause it might not happen again. I choose to go to concerts played by my friends and no matter how bad I feel during the day they always cheer me up by letting me hang with them and just being guys talking about this and that.

Its one of those things that cant help but feel good inside cause you get to show your true self. It doesnt have to be a concert but no matter what find whats fun for you and take advantage of it. You never know if its going to end or not. We always tell ourselves "Man i wish i could've done that" dont wish do it. No matter where we go or what we do in life at least one time just time you want to say to yourself "That was one of the best times of my life." My late stepdad once told me "Never sit around thinking somethings gonna happen. You need to make it happen." I've stood by that saying since he last talked to me man to man just before he died. I'll never forget it as long as I live and i'm not gonna stop listening to those words in my mind.

We never know how long we will live so do what you can to make the best of it cause things dont just come out of thin air you gotta make it happen.

Yours in Power & Might

Ben