Squats & Push-ups....The Foundations For Superior Bodyweight Conditioning

When you learn bodyweight exercises the first 2 types anyone should learn and master are the Push-up & The Squat. The reason why for these is because they lay the foundation for total body conditioning. There are many variations of them but only a few surpass the true monument for superior exercise. In the early days of Physical Culture, men and women of either bodybuilding, weightlifting or gymnastics trained in Squats and Push-ups because they knew how much power they can build to help assist their training. Some of the biggest names did these exercises such as:

Charles Atlas

John Grimek

Otto Arco

Maxick

Alois P. Swoboda

Steve Stanko

Earl Liederman

Great Gama

Ect......

At one time or another all these men performed push-ups and squats. At high reps they combine a great deal of strength, endurance, flexibility and balance. High Rep Squats performed correctly build ammense lung power and superior conditioning and they know it gets them in high regard when it comes to competition. It takes a great deal of mental awareness and strength to do great reps. Whether its 100 or 1000 you will take your physical and mental game to the next level. I for one have done over 300 reps a day for a while and I once went over 1000. Regardless of your fitness level, if you learn to work and adapt you can become strong and vital. Once you reach a certain level you can increase your HGH Levels which helps boost testosterone and helps you stay younger.

One guy that can help get you there is considered the world's strongest man drug-free and thats the big 'ol southern man Bud Jeffries. In his time of training he has recorded the following.....

1000 Pound Squat (Starting From The Bottom Position)

2000 Push-ups

3000 Squats

2000+ Kettlebell Swings

Pulled A School Bus

Bends & Scrolls Long Steel Bars

Those are just a few to mention but no matter how you slice it the man knows conditioning and has done it as a super-heavyweight at a BW of 380 Pounds. He now is at just under 275. He still performs as a strongman all over the country. Yet inspite of all this he still uses BW Squats and Push-ups. He's put together a series of the two exercises in DVD sets and both Videos have multiple variations that can be suited for any need and adaption. Bring you level of conditioning to new heights and be on the look out for more muscle, more stamina, more mental power and great physical strength waiting within you. Are you up for the Challenge.

Ultimate Bodyweight Conditioning - Squats

Ultimate Bodyweight Conditioning - Push Ups

My Thoughts On Super Humans

I watch the History channel quite bit alongside its cousin History International and I love the stories on there whether some are true or not with the likes of Haunted History, True Carribbean Pirates, Mystery/Monster Quest and tales of the Samuri or Barbarians it just facinates me. I've been a history buff as long as I can remember, first it was baseball, wrestling and basketball (sports stuff) then just getting into history itself. One show in particular though thats a series really caught my eye and thats Stan Lee's Super Humans. For those who don't know Stan Lee is one of the most famous Comic Book writers in the world and has created some of the biggest names in Super Hero history such as Spiderman, The Fantastic Four & The Incredible Hulk.

He has a man travel around the world in search of human beings who have extordinary abilities to have certain powers. One guy they found happens to be an idol of mine and thats Strongman Dennis Rogers. For those who don't know who he is Dennis is considered pound for pound the strongest man on the planet for the feats he performs. He's held back Harleys, bent 8-10inch Crecent Wrenches into "U" shapes and can rip a deck of cards in quarters not just halves. Those are just a few with many more up his sleeve. Anyway back to what I was saying, the man who travels around is considered the most flexible man in the world. He has found quite a bit of people with powers that are beyond belief. Now are there really super humans out there?

In my opinion I would like to think so. People who posess great power are not really born with that power but they have developed it over time through careful practice and long concentration to perfect their craft. I mean you can't really bend a wrench or dive into a 1ft pool without knowing how it works and what it takes to make it not only look good but without harming yourself as well. Yet I feel that anyone can become super human if they practiced what they want to do and there are many keys but I have a few that just make the top.

Creativity- What you want to do has to come from you, you can't perfect your craft from others. Learning your own way and practice, practice, practice.

Will- You gotta put effort into what it is you want to do. Half-cocked isn't going to get the job done. It takes more then physical power to create the power you want. It has to come from the mind first and the will to go that extra mile.

Learn The Proper Technique- There are major consequences if you don't get your technique down to the point where you know it like the back of your hand. Know how your technique works through your own self observation.

Going That Extra Mile- Perfect your craft like nobody else can. Put into effort that would others think its impossible for them. That one peice of small effort can make a major impact on your way to making your feat look surreal.

So do you want to be super human? Make the effort and learn your own physiology and most importantly use your imagination. If you want to build great power it has to come from the mind. Our minds are the fastest computers and can build data faster then any laptop machine. Work up to what you can do. If you want to learn how to find your way to superhuman strength then I encourage you to check out my friend Garin Bader's CoreForce Energy System. Its a system that helps incorperate sounds with your imagination to create great strength and speed. Does it teach you to fly? Hell no but once you learn to find the power within you it'll make you a more confident person and you will soar through the will of your imagination.

http://www.coreforceenergy.com/

Bring Out The Animal In You

Training can be a pain in the ass sometimes. We are told to do this, we are told to do that so when do we have the time to be ourselves and just flat out burst into an animal in the wild. In some gyms you can't make noise because it seems disruptive to others who are listening to their ipod and lifting 10 pound dumbbells. This is one of the reasons why I don't like going to gyms anymore. Most of these gyms don't let you bring out a side of you that could actually create more strength and mental power. Say you broke a new PR in a bench press and you're so happy you jump for joy and laugh a little, just for that you can get kicked out of a gym and thats a shame. Training is about sweat, perserverance and putting in that last inch of effort to make your workout effective and nowadays you can get out just for those particular things. A lot of those gyms make me want to punch those guys in the face.

To me one of the best ways to train effectively is to bring out another side of yourself a transformation if you will. What i'm getting at is I want to bring out the animal within me that is just ferocious and powerful and doesn't let anything stand in the way. This is why I love doing Animal Exercises. Its like taking on a new personality and you just feel invicible and nothing can stop you. Get your mindset to think and move like a wild animal. Your gym can be a grassy knoll, a field, your backyard or the park for that matter and yet you can get a far better workout and there won't be anyone to tell you you can't do this or that. Sure people will look at you funny if you move like a bear or a gorilla but you know what who gives a shit.

When it comes to raw power, surreal speed and unbelieveable stamina nothing is better then moving like an animal in the wild. If you do a few exercises a day for as long as you want whether it 5 min. or 30 min. You can burn off fat, build muscle, gain flexibility and have strength that would envy the strongest of men. There are bodyweight exercises then theres Animal Exercises. These exercises alone can help you fight off obesity and regain your health in ways most exercises can't. There are a lot of great training methods but moving like a wild animal is beyond unique. You don't need sets/reps schemes, you don't need a lot of time, you don't need a specific program to go on just go outside and do it until you're out of breath.

This is not only for adults who want to get in shape but its also for young children as well. Obesity is at a high rate in this country more then any other time in history. Theres not enough exercise and lets face it some physical education protocals are just plain stupid. Certain kids hate running, they hate push-ups at times hell even jumping at times is no fun because they're asked to this many reps and yet they'll get hurt if they don't do it correctly. I know I hated P.E sometimes because it was hard and there were times where I just didn't care about what was going on. I even passed out once running up a hill. For me I want a program for kids where they learn how to move whats comfortable for them and they're bodytype and if they get out of breath then let them walk it off until they want to do it again. Now that may not be sensible to understand but if you give them a chance to see what they are capable of and to teach them to adapt to what they can handle believe me they will have a better chance of having fun then giving a teacher the bird (slight exaggeration).

So for great results and building undeniable confidence I feel one of the top methods for conditioning that includes having fun and building a foundation for a better health and mind is moving like a wild animal. One guy who can help get you there and knows how to turn into a wild animal is my good friend Ed Baran. His background is in Gymnastics and has done olympic weightlifting and cycling. He is a very strong guy in his mid-forties and one of the most conditioned men around. Tell him I sent you and he'll help you get results in the fastest time possible. All you have to do is take a look at what he has to say on the subject and believe me it is worth it a million times over. He has helped me in many ways in terms of amping up my conditioning for being a heavy guy at 5'10 245+ pounds. Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle or just want to get in shape this is the guy to talk to.

http://images.ultracart.com/aff/88F46789C0276A012D59C78437051600/index.html


http://images.ultracart.com/aff/6D7CDB4942DB80012D59CA2507051600/index.html   
 
Bring out the animal in you and you'll notice how awesome it'll feel.

The Passing Of A Legend!!!!!!

One of the greatest human beings and physical culturists of all-time passed away yesterday Jack Lalanne. He personified the meaning of physical fitness and helped more people then just about anyone in history. His endurance was unmatched and took feats of strength to a whole new level. Every year on his b-day starting at age 40 he did endurance feats that not only were surreal but you pretty much had to be there for it to be believeable. He was one of my biggest influences in the last 14 years of training. At a young age he turned his life around and became a pioneer in the fitness industry and became the first man to jumpstart fitness on television from the late 50's to the mid 70's and it was still to this day the longest running fitness show in television history. His books and videos changed so many lives I think we all lost count and whenever you mention great bodybuilders Jack has to be near the top of the list. He had one of the best physiques of all-time. Nobody can say Jack about his undeniable boundless energy and ever enduring smile apon others. Some of his most memorable quotes are inriched into the brains of millions and should be in the library of congress. May he RIP and lets never forget who made fitness an art.

My Time At The New Legendary Strength Gym

Went to the grand opening of my friend Logan Christopher's Legendary Strength Gym in Scotts Valley, CA. It had great people there, awesome food and a couple contests which featured Kettlebells in the Snatch & Jerk. Three guys including me was in the kettlebell snatch competition and I came in second place with 83 snatches in 5 min. There was a great atmosphere in the air and meeting a few guys from around the california area from San Mateo, San Jose and Belmont. There was also a feat of strength show done by Logan himself ripping a phonebook, bending a 60d penny nail and probably the most dangerous feat i've seen him do up close by getting into a wrestler's bridge, hold up 2 kettlebells, 3 concrete blocks stacked on top of him and while the position a friend of ours Smashed the blocks into peices with one swing of a sledgehammer. He also pulled his truck with his own hair while me and a few people sat in the back of the truck going for a ride.

For kicks Logan did a series of snatches with the kettlebell hitting an impressive 157 reps in 5 min. without ever putting down the bell. For the most part it was one of the best days I've ever had. You couldn't help but smile and laugh if you had been there. We all cheered each other on and one of the contestants' son did some snatching of his own hitting 104 reps with a 4kg kettlebell, that may not sound very much but this kid was 7 years old. He impressed us all and he was just having a grand old time. Me and some of the other guys were swapping stories about the old-time strongmen and giving each other ideas about training and we did it for hours and never once was it boring.

The Gym looks awesome for such a small space but with time and work I feel its gonna widen and take on some hefty competition. This was a big day for Logan and as a fan he's one of the coolest trainers there is and one hell of a physical culturist but as a dear friend of mine it was a very proud moment for me to be apart of it and share it with him. He deserves every bit of this and more. If you're looking to get in awesome shape, get strong, more flexible and gain more function for your body then go see Logan. I guarantee you will not only learn what he can teach but you will get the training of a lifetime. I'm very proud of him and I could not be any happier then what he has accomplished at his age.

For me it was a blast and when you get the oppertunity to share with the same people with the same passion as you do its nothing like anything else in the world.

Here are some of the results from the competitions

KB Snatch 53 lbs.: 5 min. Time Limit

1. 95 Reps

2. 83 Reps

3. 70 Reps

Logan: 157 Reps

KB Jerk 70 lbs.

1. 20 Reps

2. 21 Reps

Logan: 60 Reps

Tyler: 72 Reps (Hopefully I got that right)

Legendary Strength

How To Take Your Bridging To The Next Level

Bridging is often refered in wrestling and gymnastics to work the neck and spine. For the most part The Bridge is one of the most feared exercises there is but yet it can take your strength & Conditioning to levels that are surreal once you learn to bridge correctly. One of the greatest wrestlers that took the bridge to great heights for his body was the late Karl Gotch. If you were to learn wrestling from him; the first thing he'd teach you was bridging because if you want to dominate yourt opponent you have to be able to move your body from every angle possible and the bridge works the body from many angles. When you learn to bridge properly you can move onto advanced forms called Bridging Gymnastics. This is where you fall back into a bridge either on the hands or the head and kick over and back. There are many versions of the bridge.

Working the bridge takes patience and form just like with other forms of exercise but approach with caution and don't hold a bridge longer then you need to. Its not necessary to hold a bridge for more then a few minutes. When you hold a bridge on the head for quite some time you're building more then just your neck, you're building strength and flexibility in the spine, legs, neck and importantly the abdominals. When you're holding a bridge on your hands your stretching every part of the body and its strengthening everything in and out of the body as well.

There arn't many courses on the subject of bridging but my friend Logan Christopher much didn't just write a bridging book he brought a whole new meaning to the term Conditioning. You'll learn these types of Bridges......

Head & Hands

Hands Alone

Head Alone

One Legged

Holding/Lifting Weight In a Bridge

Bridging Gymnastics

And More.....


Advanced Bridging Course

How To Use A Deck Of Cards For Optimal Conditioning

There are a million waysd to get into shape....We can lift weights, get on a cardio machine, go through circuit training, do animal exercise but what if we took a workout to the next level by using a deck of cards and went through a 30 min. training session thats just off the chain. Pick 1-4 exercises and hammer them with a vengence and do them with the best form possible. Lets say for example you want to do push-ups. Pick 4 types of push-ups that go with a card thats either spades, diamonds, hearts and clubs. Go through the deck as much as you can and if you are willing to go for the gold, use the jokers as well. Thats one workout to do but then a real ass kicker of a workout would consist of Push-ups, Squats and Sit-ups....Pick 2 types of push-ups, one squat and one type of sit-up. Work with what you can do and take as little rest as possible. If you're new to it after each card take a couple breaths and move on. The reps for the cards are pretty simple.

Kings, Queens, Jacks: 10-15 Reps

Ace: 15-20 Reps

Numbered Cards: 2-10 Reps

Jokers: 25-50 Reps

At possible work up to finishing the deck in under 30 minutes. My best time doing 2 Exercises is just under 25 minutes. Now thats cruising but thats only 2 exercises.

Now I would say the most brutal form of deck training is not doing repititions but taking in breaths. Now picture for a moment you draw a card and if you pick a squat then you hold a position for that many breaths. It may not sound hard but once you get to about 10 cards you'll start seeing Jesus walk on water. To me this is the ultimate aerobic isometric workout. When it comes to a joker you can pick any exercise you want its up to you and trust me its better to do 50 reps then do 50 Breaths. If you can't do the breathing reps then hold a position for seconds. I've gone through a deck of cards just doing Breathing Repititions and by the time I was done I was Niagra Falls with a touch of rain drops. This takes conditioning to a whole new deminsion and this type of training in of itself can get you in the best shape possible. Try it out and get your workout going unlike anything else before.

Whats The Big Deal On Animal Exercises?

When people go to the gym, they do a half hour of cardio and an hour of weights. They do this off and on for months sometimes years and a good portion of them don't get the results they want or expect of themselves too much. Now for one before they even get to the gym they need to drive, change and hopefully theres a machine or station they can get to before the previous person. To me thats too much of a pain in the ass to do and I hate waiting to do something. If you want results you have to move your body in different directions that require more then 1 or 2 muscle groups its most or the whole body that needs to move. One of the greatest wrestlers whoever lived said it best "You will find that animals in the wild are in the greatest of shape by using their own body and stretching." That was said by the late Karl Gotch. He personified the meaning of conditioning. If you want the best results take a long look at the conditioning of the wild animal whether its a tiger, gorilla, cheetah, Bear or frog. They're powerful in every sense of the word. We may not develop like an animal but we can be pound for pound far stronger then the average person.

Someone may be able to bench press 500 pounds but I dare them to move like a bear for 5min. straight. I guarantee they won't last 40 sec. If you want to get results move like a wild animal, get outside and be your favortite animal whether its a primate or the largest land carnivore on the planet it doesn't matter. Even doing 5 min. of exercise to start can help your conditioning go a long way. The only time you shouldn't go outside to workout is if theres a hurricane, typhoon, monsoon, tornado or if its 10 below zero. You can even get your kids into it because their health is very important in this day in age. Your health is important too. The great benefits of Animal Exercise is that it creates more Human Growth Hormone in your body which helps make you stronger, healthier and can help you stay young.

When you train start with just a few min. and thats it. do an exercise for a minimum 30 seconds. Take a few breaths for rest then get down for another 30 seconds. Work up to 15 minutes of exercise. This is really all you need but its up to you for how long you want to train. You will get fitter, you will get leaner, you'll burn fat and build muscle in ways not many other methods can match. The guy who can help you get started in that area is my good friend Ed Baran. As an animal himself he practices what he preaches and is one of the fittest men I know. He's in his mid-late 40's and looks no older then 30. He will help you get you in the best shape of your life. If he can help me he'll help you as well. Check out his animal courses below, Animal Kingdom Conditioning & Wild Animal Fitness For Kids.

http://images.ultracart.com/aff/88F46789C0276A012D59C78437051600/index.html




http://images.ultracart.com/aff/6D7CDB4942DB80012D59CA2507051600/index.html

My 10 Favorite Bodyweight Exercises

When I train, I want to get the best out of it whether it be for 5 min. or a whole hour because not only do I want to get a great workout I want to feel good and energetic at the end of it no matter what. We all have our favorite Exercises that we like to do and we sometimes forget how good they can really be. We even change them up sometimes or make a variation of them to create a challenge. I for one have many exercises that I mastered and can do at just about anytime I wanted but theres always certain favorites I like to do every once in a while and I have picked and neither of these are any better then the next but they are very important and some are pretty difficult and some are pretty simple to learn. Without further ado here are my favorite Exercises.....

Sumo Squats

Hill Sprints

Bridging

Bear Crawls

Pull-ups

Gorilla Walks

Crab Walks

Hindu Squats

Tablemakers

Sumo Side Splits

Now why would I pick these specific exercises? Because for obvious reasons they're fun to do. Some you may notice are squat variations and I picked them because however you look at it, squats are the foundational exercises for burning off fat and building overall muscle. The legs are the largest parts of the body and we must strive to not only keep them strong but flexible because as we age one of the things we start to lose is the flexiblity in our legs.

They are a major key to how we get around places and how strong our development is. Some of the other exercises I have chosen like bear crawls and Crab Walks are because they use all four limbs in the body and can get you out of breath much faster then most exercises, do one of them and time yourself 2 minutes and see how long you last. Tablemakers are really the only push-up variation I do these days because I just have very little interest in push-ups because I get bored after doing high volume reps and with the animal exercises I can move around on both arms and legs and I get more out of it.

Not saying Push-ups are not good, they are, if one is getting into bodyweight exercises the first exercise they should learn is the push-up. Hill Sprints on the other hand are one if not the best exercise for burning off fat faster then anything else. Because of the huffing and puffing you get very quick it generates more Human Growth Hormone and the heat it builds up in your body.

Why did I choose Sumo Squats as a favorite exercise? For one its different unlike other variations. Two because of the other parts of the legs that work not only the thighs but the inner and outer portions of the thighs. Look at sumo wrestlers. They may not be the most durable athletes but they are strong, fast, agile and flexible. So why not take a picture out of their training and if you're an athlete in any sport this exercise can go a long way beyond just getting out of breath and building flexibility, it teaches you where to position the legs and the balance it requires you to take on. For wrestling these can help you very much because in wrestling you need to work the body in various angles for control and power and when you do sumo squats it shows you how to pivot the feet so when you're ready to make a move either defensive or offensive you'll know when to pivot to make your move much more explosive and powerful.

Again we all have our favorite exercises but the key is to not just do them in moderation, do them with feeling, power and will so when you train them you make them the way they ought to be. This is a major factor to learning self reliance and creating your own program for your needs of strength & conditioning.

Burning Fat & Building Muscle With Animal Exercise......

There are many ways tro burn fat and build muscle. We lift weights, use cardio machines, we run, do push-ups, squats, sit-ups or pull-ups and these are all good in some way shape or form. However you slice it the more muscles you use in an exercise the more work you're putting in and burning calories and fat much faster then working individual muscles. Many people believe you need more then an hour and a half three times a week to get great results and getting a steady heart rate to burn fat. Not true at all. One of the fastest and most simple ways to train, burn fat and build muscle quick is to get outside and move on all fours for a few min. and before you know it you're breathing hard. When this happens great things in your body begin to form as your HGH levels spring up, testosterone comes into play and muscle is being built quicker then ever. Plus with the jumps in HGH levels this will help you stay younger and stay healthy. Animal-like Exercise can carry over to many other things in your life and can even help spring up your brain activity. Eddie Baran has a course exactly for all these things called Animal Kingdom Conditioning.

When it comes down to training like a wild animal you are building a foundation of turning back the clock, gaining confidence and among other things your sex drive will go through the roof. Learn to get a great cardio workout in less then 2 min. Make your upper body stronger then the average human and create explosive power unlike anything else. Click/Type the link below and

Animal Kingdom Conditioning