Friday, May 4, 2012

Are You Not Entertained????

This is the very first guest article in the near 5 years of Power & Might....Please show some love for my man and fellow Physical Culturist, Matti Marzel.....



Is this not why you are here?

Yeah I know, a very weird way to open up an article. But I have very good reasons to start an article this way with these exact questions! Let me explain further…
These 2 questions and the movie scene they come from, have a lot to do with Training and with getting MAJOR RESULTS from your Training in the long run! You see, ALL the very STRONG dudes in the world see their Training as a Fun Journey, an Interesting Quest, or Wild Adventure! Think I’m making this up? Go head and think whatever the hell you like. But instead of being close-minded (like most of the population is nowadays), put all your disbeliefs & pre-programmed thoughts aside and be open-minded for a second and bear with me!

Let’s take an PRIME example of a person that looks at his Training as an Crazy, Wild & Fun Adventure! Yours truly, that’s right! Me, Myself & I! I take myself as an example, because I know more about myself then anyone else in the world, and especially the Physcial Culture World!

The way I look at my own Training, wether it’s in the shortrun or the longrun, is this: Before I train, I take a deep breath, go visualize while I’m under Hypnosis, use Affirmations to install more and greater beliefs in myself, and then I also trigger & fire Anchors in my mind and connect that to my body! After I’v done that and I’m already in a very calm, deep, relaxed & energized state, then I watch a movie scene, listen to music or think about a specific thought in my head!

In this case, we’ll take the movie scene from the CLASSIC movie “Gladiator”! Once I went through all the Visualization, Hypnosis, Affirmations & Anchors. I take (in this case) the “Are you not entertained” movie scene and summon up & call upon specific emotion(s) when I see it, thus using emotional content and channeling those emotional contents in my body and connecting them with the Anchors that I triggered & Fired in my head previously! Put those 2 together, the Emotional Content & the Anchors, and you’ll get Emotional Anchors! You also want to look deeper into Goosebumps and the huge benefits they providde! Wich I go into way more and in deeper details in my FREE Bonus Opt-in report! Wich you can claim on the right hand side of my site once you’ve signed up/subscribed with your name and e-mail adress! Once you’ve read the WHOLE report, you’ll have a way deeper & better understanding of what I’m talking about!

So that’s the FIRST example as to why these questions have to do with Training! Now that we’ve covered the first and MOST important part, let’s move on to the second part, wich is the Training itself! I’m telling you right here and right now! If YOU don’t see and look at your Training as an Fun Journey, an Interesting Quest, or Wild Adventure (or ALL of them together!). Then you’re basically wasting your precious time! Why? Because having these Emotional Content mixed together and intergrated into your Training and every being of your body makes the Training a LOT better, more time efficient & effective in the longrun! And that’s exactly where I’m aiming at in this article: the Longrun!

In other words: Training HARD, Intensively & Productively into very old age! Wich is something a lot of people want, wether they admit it or not! Even when they don’t really know it, it’s somewhere deep inside of them and once they realize it and are smart enough to take actions, then they would enjoy their Training Adventure/Quest/Journey a lot more! Guarenteed!

I’d say the #1 Reason why most of the worlds population don’t want to live into very old age (80+ and above), is because they think & have been brainwashed by the stupid dumbing down society, that when you reach the age of 70, that it’s ALL downhill from that point on. In other words, you can’t possibly become STRONGER, Healthier, More Resillient & Powerful at that age, no way man. But, is that the truth? I’m pretty sure that even the most sickest and weakest people in their old age know and realize somewhere in the back of their minds, that they could STILL be very STRONG, Powerfull, Healthy & Robust! Even when they have reached the age of 70 and beyond.

Being sick and weak at that age, wich is basically just a LACK of excersise & movement (Plus living a sedentary lifestyle, sitting too much, eating junk & crap, not sleeping enough etc. etc.). And that goes for the Body as well as the MIND! And in my humble opinion, the mind even more so then the body. The mind has got to be trained as intensively, hard and dilligently as the body! That way you’ll age Gracefully, Healthy and Strongly, with a lot of life & enthousiasm left in you!

And that brings me to another point of this whole discussion. The reason why almost EVERYBODY in the world loves movies, series & games so much, is because, to be quite honestly, they’re live is just BORING as hell without them. Just think about this for a second, the average Joe goes about his life living like half a robot. He wakes up to an alarm clock (BARF!), hates his own guts because he got woken mercilessly out of his deep sleep (wich is VERY Important btw! And I will deliberate on that in future articles) by that annoying f-cking sound. Then he goes to work, he’s working and socializing with people that he could give a f-ck less about. Acts (as in acting) and puts on a fake smile & persona when he’s at work (most of the time, not always, again this is an example!). Feels even shittier about himself, because he can’t do the things in life he truly enjoyes from deep inside his heart and soul!

Then when the time for work is over, he gets back home. Then he has to do as much FUN stuff as he can, wich is inevitably a lot of sitting and watching the Idiot Box a.k.a TV (wich I said before, but I will say it again, because it’s worth repeating: it’s very bad for you!), but he doesn’t have the time to do ALL of the things he wants to do. And he knows that he has to Train, everbody needs to train, for the reasons discussed earlier and to keep it that way into very old age, and then some! So then he comes up with EXCUSES, wich are actually LIES in Disguise and worth NOTHING! So he makes up these lies and keeps on telling it to himself day in and day out! Untill he reaches an age where his metabolism (wich is very CRUCIAL for anti-aging properties and a whole lot more!) starts to slow down to almost an halt! Wich leaves him feeling older, weaker, more tired, crappier, sicker & basically ready for the SCRAP YARD, so to speak.

But NOOOO, not excersising, god forbid he trains hard, sweats, breathe heavy and actually becomes a lean, mean fighting machine. Because that’s not important at all right? No, it’s better to live an UNFULLFILLING piece of shit life, where you feel like CRAP 90% of the time, if not more. Getting the frustrations out on your loved ones, and basically at the end of the day disrespecting & dishonouring YOURSELF! Wich in my opinion, is so stupid and retarted to do, but hence, MOST people nowadays do that to themselves, men and women alike. Yeah, go figure. In this day and age? What the hell is this world coming to? Right?

Obviously when I said that Excersising & Training is not important, I was being VERY Sarcastic. For the strong dudes, women, family, friends & people that know me, they knew that already. But for the people that are reading this for the first time and only just signed up or started to read articles on my site not so long ago. I’m telling them (YOU!) that I’m being sarcastic over here! Actually being so damn sarcastic makes me feel like CRAP, but I do it for a very good and legit reason, and that is to teach YOU, whoever you are that is reading this, that it doesn’t have to be that way and that you can definitely take charge of your life. Grab it by the throat, shake it upside down and take control of it however you want!

And there’s where Training and living this kind of lifestyle comes in very handy and feels like an Awesome Movie-like Adventure! I literally wake up everyday and say to myself: HELL YEAH, today I’m going on another Adventure, Quest or Journey! Just like Indiana Jones does in his movies (for example, and what a GREAT example that is!). I’m the hero of this Adventure and the good part is, I ALWAYS win in the end! Just like in the movies. First the Hero embarks (either by his own doing or not!) on the Journey, then he stumbles upon his enemy or enemies (wich are Plateaus, TOUGH Mental Excersises, Inner Fears & injuries etc.). He goes against them ALL by himself, fighting against any and all of them 1-by-1 or all together, and defeats them in the end!

In real life however, this translates into the fact that you can and WILL conquer your inner fears, blast through Plateaus, DESTORY & DEMOLISH the TOUGH Mental Excersises & Exterminate Injuries by outsmarting them!

If this doesn’t sound like a Phenomenal and Fun way to look at Training, Physical Culture and the whole lifestyle that goes along with it, then I don’t know what does. Looking at it, living and experiencing it in this way, and from this point of view, is EXACTLY like a movie! A wild thriller-horror-action movie that is! And guess what? YOU’re the Hero and Main Character of the whole damn thing!

So, my 2 Final questions for you, my friend are:

Are You Not Entertained? Is this not why you are here?

Go out there and Kill it like Aurelius Maximus in Gladiator, and give them a show they won’t forget in a lifetime! Go own your Training & most importantly: Your OWN Life!


Have at it and Good luck in your Training!

In Strength & Health!

Matti Marzel!!!!!

P.S. If that scene didn’t get you Fired up, Psyched and Hyped as hell to Train Hard & Rip Sh*t up, then my friend, you got a BIG problem and you should check your Estrogen Levels, and Get them the hell out of your body and replace that with big dosesses of High Octane Testosterone! I know Mike Mahler would agree with me for a FULL 100% on this matter!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Can You Become Your Own Avenger? Pt. 5 The Final Chapter

It has come down to this, some of us have waited four years to see this movie come out, some have waited ever since they were a child reading the comic books.  Will it be a great movie? Who knows, it will however impact someone one way or another, I guarantee it. There are even some people who had dreams of becoming an Avenger and have a plethora of powers that will make them stronger, agile, burst with speed and even be more creative in their own endeavors. I’m here to tell you that if you want to become your own Avenger, you got to feel it and find the best resources to find your true powers and grasp them with might, vigor and vitality.

 For most in the Avengers world, we’ve all heard the stories of Thor and his mighty Hammer but what if we really wanted to know the secrets of Thor’s gift of strength and power? We all know Thor is a god among the four heroes yet how does a god get to that level? It really all starts from within. Becoming a god is no easy task and in reality there is nothing more powerful then god himself but yet we can become more powerful then ourselves. You have more power physically and spiritually than you can ever imagine. Just think for a second of having that power, how would you use it? Building yourself from the inside takes practice but at the same time with that practice a rewarding experience that will change the very essence of whom you are and where you want to go.

 The secret to creativity starts with a thought in mind. Being creative shows the uniqueness of who we are as a society not just as individuals. Look at the creativity Tony Stark aka Iron Man shows when he first made that Iron suit in a deep and dark fortress in the middle-eastern desert, as accomplished as he was for rebuilding an empire you can’t substitute success when your life is at stake and this is where he becomes dangerous when he sets his mind to create something that will reward his efforts in the end. In some cases we can relate to that, not building a suit but building our own lives for when we need to be creative the most. If you want to be at your best in any situation, you must have an open mind to find the best resources to create solutions or at least attempt to. It’s being creative that can become your very secret weapon of not only success but to endure the very worst and most of all, the very best of what you can accomplish that will put you ahead of the pack without ever knowing it.

 Captain America without question is the leader of the Avengers and although individually each hero has his/her own agenda, in the end it’s the leader that gets the big reward and the big letdown if he fails. That’s a huge responsibility and that goes for all leaders not just in war but in our society. When you decide to change the very brink of your own individuality whether its becoming fitter, stronger or creating a life that you want, it’s your responsibility to make those things happen and when you take a hold of it, that shows the mark of a true leader because when you lead yourself, you are ready for that next challenge and that’s leading others. Make it your mission to learn to be your own leader.

 I firmly believe that if you practice laser-like focus on anything you wish to accomplish, you want to find that precise accuracy that defines the realm between successes and failure. Look at agent Hawkeye, the most accurate shot of the Avengers. His ability to focus is staggering to say the least. The way he pin points his targets can easily be used in how someone in real life can go after a goal that will hit the nail right on the head. Reaching a goal is not easy and like Archery, you need to practice with the intent of hitting that center, goals are pretty much the same thing, will you accomplish every single goal you attempt? Not always but with practice and the right intent, you will find the right goals to shoot for and one way or another it’s going to hit the center like a bolt of lighting.

 Let’s face it, the Avengers kick major ass and however you slice it, no Avenger is greater than the other, each one has their own great qualities that can be served just as an individual as well as a team. Kicking ass has been a moniker of American culture since the Revolutionary War, wanting to tear down enemies with a vengeance is not only inspirational but at times it can be over the top annoying and out of context. When you really want to be an ass kicker you want a strategy in order to accomplish it but kicking ass doesn’t mean beating someone up or always becoming a solider and go off to war, being a real bad ass is taking charge of who you are and what you represent yourself with vigor, power and might. The real people who are the bad asses take charge of what makes them great and what they’re all about and that can make them dangerous. If you want to be an ass kicker, then learn from some of the best who are bad to the bone powerful and strong not just physically but mentally as well.

 Building your own team of Avengers is not easy but simple nonetheless. You want to build a team of people that have a keen sense of your interests and how each person can be just as important as the other. Each Avenger has his own strength to what he is and what he’s capable of but at the same time each one is very different but each share a common goal and that’s to bring peace to those who want to destroy it. Creating your team is like building a family that will stick with you through thick, thin and thinner and if you truly want to find a role in that team of individuals nothing can stop you. When it comes to a team in my field there are many and I hope I have a role within that team. That team represents the very best in strength and health and when you have a band of brothers and sisters all searching for the same thing, you have a force that will be the focal point of who we are not just as a team but as individuals who help each other.

 To be the very best at something, you got to want it more than anything in your whole life. The desire and drive to reach what you want to be is fierce and has no signs of slowing down and with time, you get better and better and you want to wake up each day feeling strong, confident and have a sense of vitality. One man’s desire to be the very best was none other than Slim The Hammerman. By day he was a rock cutter who destroyed tons and tons of rock, by night he turned into a powerful being of immense proportion as he attempted and later on accomplished being the strongest man at specific feats of strength with his trademark specialty being Hammer Levering. He not only made this happen but it came with a price but yet at the same time, it didn’t stop him from being the very best at what he wanted to do. I’ve known many guys over the years and only a handful ever had that dedication as Big Slim did. If you want to be the strongest person, you go and grab it and never let up on it, that doesn’t mean drop everything in your life but to be the very best you will make the time to do it and be serious about your goal but also build some fun around it because when you love something so much it doesn’t become a goal, it becomes an adventure.

 There are a lot of polls around the internet to see which Avenger you are. If you truly do those polls than you’re really second guessing yourself because there’s a big difference between general testing and observing yourself. If you want to find the true Avenger within you than you must find the qualities that resemble that particular Avenger but seriously though, don’t ever compare yourself to another person or fictional character because there’s more to life than comparing yourself to others. Want to know why I know this? Take one of those dumb ass polls and answer all the questions and I would bet you it won’t come out the way you want it, you’ll be disappointed and you’ll want to redo it over. If you want to become your own Avenger don’t look at something else, look at yourself and see what you can do to become more powerful and more resilient to things that can harm you. Learn to develop your powers from the qualities that you have and find a real positive way to amplify them to make them your own personal quest. That’s one of the true marks of becoming your own Avenger.

 Every Avenger has their a secret power or skill that makes them a valuable asset so why not learn your own secret to what can bring out the power that you truly possess. Learning to harness a powerful force inside you takes practice and there are no shortcuts to what you really want to learn but it can easily be a piece of what you really have and how you develop it. We all have a form of power within us one way or another and it’s different in each of us. The way to explain it is by experiencing it for you. There is an old saying “For those who believe, you don’t need to explain, for those that don’t believe no explanation will do.” If you truly want to harness the power that resides within you, then you got to believe in it, trust it and let it guide in anything that happens in your life.

 In every system of strength training there are tools that will help you achieve what you want but it’s not the tools that get you there, it’s how you use them to get you there. Take for instance, Thor’s Hammer, if you held that hammer in your hands what would it feel like? If you are an open-minded person, you would know that hammer is not just an object or an exercise token of strength, it’s the very presence that will captivate your attention and you will want to wield that hammer with fire, passion and strength and that’s why for most people, its cool looking but also intimidating. A true man or woman of character will take hold of that hammer and find a way to make it his/her strength and bring it to the forefront of making them the strongest they can be. Take a chance and you will see how you can go from being intimidated to the one who’s become intimidating.

 If you ever watched the movie or read the Comics then you know the Shield of Captain America. To me that’s the coolest looking shield ever in my opinion; it’s light, resilient to bullets, protects you and can be used as a weapon all in one form. Having a shield can help you on the road to success. In fitness becoming healthy and strong is a sure fire to shield you from disease and other things but most people either do one or the other and if that’s their choice good for them but I would like it to be more than that. To be both healthy and strong takes different forms and molding them together to create a powerful, creative piece. To really develop a shield physically would be one to train your tendons and ligaments through loosening the joints to doing isometrics. Building this kind of shield helps the body be less prone to injury and helps in recovery of the body’s stress through physical action. Another form of shielding is through strengthening the internal organs from training the body from the inside out. This could done through Muscle Control, a form of Qi Gong, again training the joints in various places and it could done through training the body to where you’re training really intensely for a few seconds and begin to breathe really hard. There are many ways to help shield the body so learn what you can.

 After Captain America realizes what this serum can do for him, he learns that his metabolism runs 4x faster than the average person and that helps him regenerate faster. What if you can have that power to regenerate and have a high metabolism? I would like to think you’ll have greater ability to recover, heal, get stronger, leaner and be able build great natural muscle. When you train hard, I mean really hard, your body’s nervous system kicks into overdrive and your hormones shoot through the roof. You have the ability to stimulate natural Growth Hormone at any age and it all can be done without lethal injections of steroids or taking pills and creams that can probably kill you. Your body is the fiercest machine of anything else on the planet. One way to build a high level of natural HGH is to do Hill Sprints or wind sprints at a track or long stretch of land. Look at how powerful looking sprinters and NFL running backs, they’re some of the most built athletes on the planet and not one was ever more of an exception then Herschel Walker. Doing this for a few seconds and resting for several minutes for very little sets can get your natural growth hormone kick it in gear faster than anything else. When you have a high metabolism and can generate natural muscle growth, you can have a lean body, eat what you want and have better recovery.

 Remember when I talked about Hawkeye? Learning about his Archery skills can actually help you in whatever it is you want in life. Pin point the target you wish to hit and aim for it with the best accuracy you can do, that’s the same as going after a goal and heading straight towards succeeding in it. Learn where to aim and let the universe take its course and put some action into it. Like in Archery, don’t aim too high or too low otherwise you won’t know where that arrow is going to go, aim straight forward and pierce through that point of space.

 Iron Man’s suits are a protective armor with a few weapons at his disposal. How about building your own armor mentally and building a defense strategy to help you get rid of those negative people who don’t want you to succeed or want to dump all their crap on you and making you feel worse. Most people teach in the ways of offensive strategies where you shoot for the goal in mind and run with it, that’s all well in good but what about protection? You need a strategy where you have a defensive line where you can prevent things from happening. One way to look at it is, picture in your mind having a source of great energy that no one you want to get through, it can be a brick wall or a circular form of electricity, either way you want something that works and helps you move forward and get those energy dwellers out of your hair so you can move down the road to success. Think of it as building imaginary armor and like Iron Man, have a few of your best weapons at your disposal. Building on this metaphor can increase your chances of succeeding at what you want if you really learn to harness it.

 Having great power, you have a responsibility to hold onto that power and use for a purpose and not for real personal gain to manipulate others. Each Avenger has their own power they're responsible for, one however is unable to control that power once it’s harnessed but with great concentration and using his intelligence with the best of his abilities, that power can be a great asset to his own curse. You make the choice to do what’s right for you and if you want to learn how you can use that true power within you, you must be responsible for how you use it.

 In my field the real guys don’t teach you how to fly or beat people up or even make you better then the next guy, we want to help you harness the power that can be used to help not only your life but for others. One example would be that I helped a friend move stuff into his Uhaul so he can get to his new place, he told me that’s one of the reasons I trained is to help others when they need it and get heavy things out of the way. There are many other examples but the fact of the matter is, when you train the way we teach you, you will get a better understanding of how fun and responsible it is to have strength and power not just for personal use but use it when it’s needed outside of the workouts, the exercises and the places we train in.

 So for this final chapter, learn the very best of what it takes to become your own Avenger and be there for those that need you in time of need. Harness the power from within and give yourself a chance to shine with the great strength you have developed. Nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams and if no one else believes you, there are those out there who do and I’m one of them. I believe in YOU and I believe in what you can accomplish.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Isometrics: A Golden Key To Super Human Strength

Although everything has been done in the world of Physical Culture we still have much to learn especially when it comes to Isometrics. If there were any true secrets in the realm of super strength, this is it. When done properly, Isometrics get you past plateaus that you never believed existed. It’s no wonder it is one of the most underrated forms of strength training. Those that know its secrets hold the power to unlock true super human powers.

 Focus is a cornerstone in any exercise system whether it’s Muscle Control, lifting a heavy weight, enduring rep after rep or even going long periods of time in one exercise but Isometrics takes on a whole new level of focus and laser-like concentration. It doesn’t matter if you hold a posture for 10 seconds or 10 hours, the focus is still needed and if your mind goes blank, your body will follow. Holding a wrestler’s Bridge for example takes great focus and concentration not just on the body but internally. The real secret to Isometrics is not how long you can hold a posture or how intense the contraction, the real powerful secret is how much internal power you develop.

 Have you ever watched guys like Dennis Rogers, Bud Jeffries, Logan Christopher, Pat Poviliatis, Chris Rider and others like them in action? Some of the things they do are just mind blowing and flat out super human. My favorite form of training of these guys is Steel Bending. I would bet you dollars to donuts that you will get more of a reaction from any of these guys bending a extremely tough nail or bar than you would see someone lifting a 600 pound deadlift.

 Steel Bending is a style of strength training that is unique and builds a level of strength that you can’t get from a weight lifter or bodybuilder. I don’t care who you are or where you come from you will sweat and put everything in your body more from bending and shaping a steel bar 3ft or longer than you would going to the gym for an hour. How do you build that level of strength, from Isometrics? Hell yes you do and I’ll tell you why, because Isometrics gives you the power to give everything you have into one full out moment. Bending Steel is one of the best forms of Isometrics you can get.

 If there was ever an athlete that took Isometrics to a level that will never be duplicated is without a doubt quite possibly the world’s greatest wrestler, The Great Gama. Gama was known for his intense and brutal workouts ranging from swimming to wrestling for hours on end to his massive amount of repetitions in Push-ups and Squats and being famous for never losing one match in his entire career which extends to 5000 matches. What you may not have known unless you’re in the circle of Physical Culturists is that Gama was fierce with his takedown and throwing abilities to toss opponents left and right looking like a rag doll. One of his secrets to achieving that level of strength was every morning he would get up, tie a belt or some kind of strap around a tree and try with ferocious intensity and fiery power to take down that tree. He did other forms of Isometrics if I stand corrected but that was a move he was famous for and it made him not only a legend but a force that no one ever wanted to get in the ring with.

 Did I forget to mention that Muscle Control is a style of Isometrics? Damn, I must be slipping at almost 28 but seriously though, practicing the control of your muscles for contracting and relaxing is that of Isometrics and I believe arguably the two greatest superstars to ever do muscle Control was Maxick & Otto Arco. No two men before or since had a level of Muscle Control then those two gents right there. The flexion and extension of the muscles they contracted looked like balloons about to pop out of their veins but did it with grace, fluidity and control unlike anyone else in their time.

 Isometrics gets a bad rap these days because of how it develops blood pressure and that it does more harm than good and this and that but the truth is it’s really all a bunch of crap. If one took the time to actually learn this type of training, they will see that not only will they get stronger physically but internally as well. A lot of people including scientists believe that Isometrics is doing something extremely intense but yet the breath is being held. That’s where the high blood pressure comes in and the head aches, the pulled tendons and the ripped muscle tissue.

 A true Isometric contraction is in the breath. Just like any exercise you inhale and exhale during a movement or a hold. When you hold a posture, you don’t hold your breath now do you? You breathe deeply in order to keep that holding that posture. When you do an intense contraction say for ten seconds do not hold your breath, exhale with power and might. I believe the very best exhale you can do during a very intense contraction would be to make an “ssss” sound, when this happens your body is building more lung power and you’re not just contracting the muscle you want to flex but you’re also contracting the abdominals which in turn makes you strong throughout the entire body. When you hold a certain posture say like the Bridge or a downward facing dog (Hindu Push-up) or even hanging from a pull-up bar, you want to breathe deeply and picture as if you’re breathing into the muscles themselves, believing you’re giving them the oxygen they need to help stay in that posture longer.

 This has been a concept since ancient times and from the old-time yoga instructors to the old-time strongmen, the concept remains the same just in a different juncture. Practice Isometrics often and research the best ways to work them into your own training or just doing them as they are. If you look hard enough and are open-minded, you’ll find yourself in a whole new world of strength training that is better, healthier and more efficient to your bodies needs as oppose to the cardio machines and the pink dumbbells you see too many people doing plus those god damn weight machines that really don’t do diddly squat for you when it comes to functional strength and fitness. The old-timers had it figured out long before we were ever around, listen to them and they will help you, I guarantee it. 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Ferocious With A Vengence

As of late there have been a few strongmen popping up around certain areas around the world. Some ain't very legit and those few that are legit are far and in between. I can tell you first one of those legit strongmen is not only out there but he's hungry and full of fire and passion for the world of Physical Culture. That one man is Matti Merzel.

He burst onto the scene not too long ago compiling feats of strength that need to be seen to believe from bending and breaking wrenches, ripping phonebooks, 6000 Kettlebell Swings and one of the most awe-dropping Snatch test of 304 KB Snatches in 10 min. He hasn't been in the game very long but has already risen through the ranks of one of the fastest growing strongmen in the world today. His passion is unlike any other before or since. He has come into his own using influences by the best modern strongmen today with the likes of Bud Jeffries, Logan Christopher, Dennis Rogers, Brooks Kubik, Ryan Pitts, Pat Poviliatis and many more.

From the looks of him, he looks like the typical, athletic and not very muscular looking guy but that's where looks can be deceiving as underneath that type of physique lies one of the most powerful men today and has more will power than anyone thought possible. He is the personification of being an individual who doesn't need big muscles to be extremely strong and gifted in the Super Human Conditioning category. Because of this, he has developed a style of strongmanism that very have ever achieved and plans to break as many records as possible and quite frankly I have every confidence he will achieve those goals. I've talked to him on several occasions sometimes for more then 2 hours and I will say first hand he is one of the most knowledgeable young guys today and has tremendous wisdom for a guy in his mid 20's. He is without question an individual that will speak from the heart and will tell you what he really thinks and I admire guys like him.

Because of his passion for Physical Culture, he has developed a website dedicated to the strongest of the strongest individuals throughout the history of Physical Culture. He wants to help those who are need for guidence into becoming one powerful individual physically, mentally and even Emotionally. So I encourage you to be open-minded and come on over to http://ferociousstrength.com/ and learn all about the journey and well written articles of this up-incoming Strongman including guest articles by other athletes including yours truely. You will find very valuable information that you'll only find in very few places. I also encourage you to sign up for his newsletter where you'll get great info on health, fitness and history on physical culture plus when you sign up you will get a bonus report on how to develop Emotional Anchors, it is a must read and once you apply even a spec of that report, your results will skyrocket and if you apply all of the info I don't want to imagine how far it'll take you not only in your training but your life as well.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

13 DVDs That'll Turn You Into A One Man Wrecking Crew

At a recent workshop this year, Logan Christopher & Bud Jeffries took on a whole new deminsion of Physical, Mental & Emotional Conditioning that will have you bring out whole new levels of strength, power and muscle. You will find a plethora of new info on Isometrics, Kettlebell training, bodyweight exercise and various feats of strength.

There has never been a set of this Super Human caliber. Just when you thought everything was done, well you will learn something new on these bad boys because these two powerhouses of might and muscle will take you through program after program of powerful info you will not find anywhere else. Find out about the "Prison" workout that Bud demonstrates that will take your Kettlebell conditioning to a whole new level with just two exercises. Learn the Mental secrets that give you the power to climb past plateaus you thought you couldn't get past. Get the inside scoop on how Isometrics in their fashion can lead you to a whole new world of super strength, speed and power beyond belief.

This isn't just a set of DVDs, this set will set the standard for what you can achieve beyond your own beliefs. As you will see, these masters will show you a different prespective on training that you're not use to or have ever seen before. Find out how a simple 50-100' rope will give you Super Human endurance, get a sneak peak into the realm of mace swinging and kettlebell juggling unlike anything before. Training is a lifestyle and when you learn from two men at the top of their game, you will find yourself never having a boring workout ever again. Conditioning takes on a whole new meaning when you get your hands on a monster set like this.

Becoming Super Human is a work in progress but if you give your open mind to these individuals, you will see results faster then a speeding bullet and you can even find yourself turning into the Incredible Hulk once you learn to harness the power within you that takes your levels of strength into the stratosphere. Workouts will come and go but your ability to find out the one's that bring out the best in you will stay with you forever.

Many things have been done but there are still secrets out there that will teach you how to build muscle, lose fat, burn calories and give you energy beyond belief the fastest way possible and you can do it drug-free. Get yourself on the band wagon and become a Super Human. You are the only person stopping you from taking your inner powers to a level beyond imagination. Welcome to the world of Super Human Training.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Jackie Chan: Hardcore Athlete

Bruce Lee changed the way Martial Arts films were made and was a pioneer in the quest for what being an action star and dramatic actor was in films throughout Asia and the U.S. If there was one man who would be a successor to Bruce Lee and take action/comedy to a whole new level would be Jackie Chan. Chan personifies the qualities of a martial artist, action star and comedic actor all in one body.

 Martial Arts films are a genre that is unique and different among other genres. When you add comedy in the picture with awesome chorography, you have a blend that is a style all on its own. Chan’s skills are second to none as he doesn’t just know how to kick, punch and maneuver from many angles but the plethora of strength, agility and flexibility is one of the most surreal aspects that not many people realize. Growing up and training in a school for academics, athletics and theater, he took on a life most kids at that time was the norm unlike a child growing up in the U.S where you have school, do some form of extra-curricular activity and do homework, there was a guy who went to a school of hard-knocks as some of the training he was into was grueling and insane to western society.

 At a young age, Chan would go to the Theater and watch on the big screen, the legendary physical comedian Buster Keaton of the Silent Film era. Watching the actor became a passion and made the young prodigy love the world of acting and physical comedy. Although loving acting, Chan’s regimen in conditioning was legendary even at a young age doing hand balancing, various horse stances, high kicks, variations of extreme push-ups and sit-ups, fast pace punches that only a few including Bruce Lee ever achieved I mean it goes on and on. When it came to Abdominal Conditioning, Chan is far above than the majority of people in most cases. When you look at some of his films, the muscles on his abs are not just cool looking but they’re extremely powerful and can withstand quite a blow. When you have powerful abs like that, your whole body is powerful because training the Core is training the center of your strength and conditioning.

 Speed is another one of his phenomenal traits and I can think of only two other guys that have speed faster then the average person, those are of Bruce Lee and Jet Li, maybe Donnie Yen. You know you have phenomenal speed in a movie when the crew tells you to slow down by a huge margin; Bruce Lee was a perfect example of that when he was doing the short lived Green Hornet TV show. When you get good at going at a fast clip and with good form, your body’s nervous system will shift into overdrive and your growth hormone will ring up faster then any other attribute which means you can look young,burn fat, gain muscle and have energy unlike anything else.

 Jackie Chan has done countless movies throughout his career from Supercop to the Rush Hour trilogy but if there was one movie that is a must see that’s not only funny as hell but awe-dropping training methods at the same time with awesome Kung Fu to boot is one of his early films from the late 70’s called Drunken Master. I won’t give away too much of the film but there are certain scenes where his chorography is just incredible from a scene in his father’s Dojo to the grueling exercise regimen with his uncle doing horse stances, push-ups, sit-ups, crushing walnuts ect. It’s one of those films that have lots of comedy, awesome fight scenes and awesome messages about training.

 Chan is now in his late-50’s and shows no signs of slowing down and still has the grapes to do most of his own stunts which only an extreme few actors at that age can muster. He truly is the Bruce Lee of our generation and only a few after him can remotely have that type of status but there can be only one Jackie Chan.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Force Is Real

Let’s get something straight, unless you’re a magician, there’s no way in hell you can levitate objects. Now that we got that out of the way, the force has a lot of truth in how you can generate great strength and speed at the drop of a hat. The way it works is how you incorporate imagination, breathing and the way your body moves. With regular practice you can triple your strength in a shorter amount of time then the amount of years you spent training. With regular practice, you can have matrix-like movement where it’s fluid, graceful and above all strong.

 No matter what you believe in the fitness world, having 20 inch arms, a six pack and a puffy chest won’t mean jack S*it if you look like Tarzan but have the strength of Jane. Real superhuman strength comes from the power of your mind. There’s an old saying, “If you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” The power of belief in your imagination can help you generate strength beyond your own assumptions of how strong you can really be. The mind is your greatest weapon and if you looked deep inside yourself, you can generate real world-class strength without lifting weight or needing to have a muscular body. One man who can show you the most comprehensive system of creating the ultimate strength from the inside is Master Strength Trainer and Concert Virtuoso Garin Bader.

 Yoda said “A Jedi’s strength flows from the Force.” What that means is that your strength has the ability to flow from within and how you see yourself finding that flow of power and your ability to control it any way you want to. The secret is within your imagination and how you can use sounds to test your power. The power of sound can make all the difference of where your strength relies in. Take the “BAM” for example, what does it feel like? In reality it’s powerful but has no give, no speed to go with it and above all, it’s slow and complicated. Now take another word like “WA-KAHH”, the Bruce Lee sound when he knocks out a guy without ever having him known what hit him. What does it sound like? In reality, it’s fast, fluid, and powerful plus builds a torque point that generates momentum that has just as much speed as it has strength. What you want is to generate momentum and find a torque point that shoots like a bolt of lightning and gives you that surge of strength that just flows like water.

 Jack Lalanne once said “Imagination is the elixir of life.” What that means is that the images you can create in your mind can give you a sense of life that can make or break your spirit and confidence. Our imagination is the first thing we think about before we take action kind of like thinking before acting on a certain task. Inventors are extremely imaginative and have created things that help us in our daily lives. The old-time strongmen had imaginations beyond the average person’s own mindset. When they were young and had certain health issues, they imagined themselves being strong and having dreams of being a superhero with the strength of ten men and the body of a Greek god, if you don’t believe me, look up guys like Maxick, Doug Hepburn, Otto Arco, John Grimek, George Hackenshmidt and one of the most beloved men in the history of Physical Culture Joseph Greenstein aka The Mighty Atom.

 When you learn to harness the power of the Force, you can create strength that goes up and up each time you use it and amp up your conditioning to levels unheard of before and do so without causing injury. Garin Bader had made a living harnessing this power and it’s given him a powerful presence not only in his strength but in his performance on the stage with playing the piano, gliding on a silk curtain, using his gifts as a magician and have the key eyes of a magnificent sculptor. The way he has taught this power gives you a whole new perspective on strength training that you won’t find anywhere else and only a handful of masters know its true power.

 Practice this type of training often and you will see a new found confidence in your presence of people, the energy that will feed off of you like electricity and the strength you can develop will stagger your friends and yourself. I’m a student of this practice and because of it’s teachings I can move light on my feet at a bodyweight of over 240 lbs. You will see how everything blends together and gives you the raw power and fluidity of your body that craves strength, that wants that super speed and it all can be yours if you open your mind to it.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Abdominal Training For Superior Strength

When you think of Ab training, you mostly hear about crunches and little side bends and mostly isolating the Abs with little rockers and machines. This is not real world Ab strength training. Our body’s core is all the muscles of the Abdominals from below the breast line all the down just to the top of the sexual organs.

 A lot of people think if you want six pack abs you need to do this many crunches, eat less, do 100’s of side bends and whatever crap that others come up with. Not saying a six pack isn’t a bad thing but really what does it really matter when you have a washboard stomach that can’t take a punch and your organs aren’t strong enough to hold off diseases? Karl Gotch once put it that there are two types of muscles for an athlete or bodybuilder and that “Conditioned Muscle” & Counterfeit Muscle.” These two variations have obvious statements but let me clarify a little, conditioned means that it’s strong, can take a lot whether in a workout or a fight, it’s useful, functional and the organs are strong, counterfeit means basically it looks awesome but than no further than that as you can have great development but that won’t amount to anything if you’re prone to injury.

 Real Abdominal training comes from training the entire body as a unit while keeping a major focus on the Abs. If you look back over 100 years ago, the old-time strongmen had some of the most powerful Abs on the planet. Men like Otto Arco, Maxick, Sandow, Farmer Burns and others all had what would be called punch-proof Abs. Their developments were off the charts and this was long before machines and gadgets. They developed this kind of strength and power by utilizing Muscle Control, full body training, Gymnastics, various sit-ups and Deep Breathing. They became so strong that would be able to handle certain feats that were beyond their own bodyweight. This type of training didn’t take hours a day and never isolated yet some of them had muscles that are still better than the bodybuilders of today.

 One of the true kings of Muscle Control was Otto Arco of Poland. A master of abdominal training that had the ability to wrestle, lift heavy and was one of the purest acrobats in the world at that time. Many came after him but there is only one Otto Arco and unlike bodybuilders today, Arco not only looked incredible but had pure strength and power to back it up. For one of the first 3 men in history to lift overhead double bodyweight it was a real feat to be reckoned with. The ability to control any part of his body was a sight to be hold and very few then can match and chances are slim to none no one can match him today.

 Another facet of phenomenal Ab Training is the Bridge. To most the bridge is either a neck, back or a shoulder exercise but really it is an exercise that works the core to a level unlike any other. If you don’t have good solid strength in your abdominals, the bridge will be difficult to do. Holding a posture is one thing but to do lethal and acrobatic maneuvers is a whole different ball game. Ever heard of the burpee? I’m sure you have, it’s a staple of conditioning that’s practiced in many areas but what about the Bridge Burpee? This makes a regular burpee look like a cake walk as you fall into a bridge either on the hands, head/hands or head alone and you kick over and back, if you’re really athletic you would do this then stand back up. A good bridge builds functional and powerful abs and with power of deep breathing, your core will be difficult to hurt.

 A key ingredient in all of Physical Culture is one of the most neglected forms of modern training and that’s learning to breathe. We today take our breathing for granted but what if I told you that your breath is the source of all your power and strength. Breathing gives us life. We can go long periods of time without food or water but we can only hold our breath for only a few minutes before we start to give out and die. The number one secret to true core strength is in how you breathe.

 You don’t need the skills of a gymnast or the body of bodybuilder and neither do need to have the skills of a wrestler, all you need is a few minutes a day of working your body as a unit and focus on the abdominals. Muscle Control is a healthy practice as it teaches you how to use your mind and body’s connections and with basic gymnastics that anyone can learn from a humble beginner to an advanced athlete. The stronger your core inside and out, the stronger your whole body will be. Learn to take control of your body and your strength & fitness will skyrocket to levels you can’t imagine.


Friday, April 6, 2012

The Indiana Jones Mindset

The character is the ultimate embodiment of an adventurer. Seeking new civilizations and bringing them to the forefront for all to cherish. He is a man’s man with great intentions to stop those who oppose all that is decent, resourceful and good productivity. We can all learn from quite possibly the greatest explorer in the history of film. What does this have to with training and great workouts? We can symbolize on finding that great quest on finding the greatest exercise or the ultimate workout or even the most productive program. Each workout is never complete without having some kind of adventure.

 We learn all kinds of things and the people that we learn from is just as important as the workouts themselves. There are those that are in it for the glory and never give you the right road to success. Consumed by greed, money and luxury, there are trainers out there that are like that and rather hurt you and take your money then give the valuable info that can help you live longer, get stronger and become a better individual. To me those are people like René Belog (Lost Ark), Mola Ram (Temple Of Doom) & Nazi General Vogel (Last Crusade). They want to destroy what’s awesome about real training and finding the true nature of strength, conditioning and personal health.

 The people that give us the true meaning of strength and fitness show us how we can learn for ourselves and show us the true path to becoming strong, athletic and conditioned for the things we want to do and love to do. Some do have expensive things to help us but they want to teach us, how badly do you want it, do we have what it takes and how far forward do we want to go? Training is all about learning, finding who you are, where do you want to go in life and sometimes there are road blocks…Financial troubles, not finding that magic pill, what you’re doing is right or wrong, we all have had these issues but there are ways to work around them and still give yourself that adventure you’re always craving. The best I’ve learned from taught me how to push myself in ways no one else could, they gave me a sense of hope and they gave me the power to find my own path in what I can accomplish.

 We will never know if there actually is the Holy Grail that is from the bible, the one cup that caught Christ’s blood in the crucifixion and said to have powers of healing. The truth is, we’re all searching for ultimate power of healing or even the fountain of youth. The search is the search of the divine in all of us. I believe from a fitness standpoint that the Holy Grail is finding the right way to train that keeps you young, healthy and vibrant that keeps you pain-free and live a long, happy life. Very few have found that Grail. Jack Lalanne was one of them, George Hackenshmidt, Paul Bragg, Charles Atlas and a few others. It is that one true quest that keeps us going, finding what works and what doesn’t, learning where you will go.

 Like the Temple Of Doom, you are caught in a web of deceiving jackals that want to destroy your very well being and make you believe in something that not only can bring you to the brink of destruction but destroy your own personal beliefs for life and love. In the beginning, you’re crawling through a dark, mysterious and frightening cave, never knowing where you’ll end up. You find deadly creatures that not only look ugly and fierce but can also kill you in the process. You fight off the creatures a bit and each phase of this dark tunnel; more things tend to find you challenging your deepest fears. Sharp and destructive spikes rain down and you have to fight for your life to get out. You eventually walk out but the ultimate challenge is not too far ahead. Your ultimate challenge is fighting off the one thing that you fear the most and that fear is in yourself. This fear at times can take over you like an addictive drug that controls you more then your own well being. In order to destroy it, you must find that fire within you and set that fear ablaze and bring that spark of life back into glory. Those that don’t want you to have that spark or fire within will try to take you down into the depths of hell and make you they’re own little puppet. Never become someone else’s puppet, pull on your own damn strings and use whatever fight you have left.

 When it comes to the Ark, you are looking at one of the most prominent objects in world history. It is an object that in legend if its power is harnessed, you will be invincible. Reality check, no one is invincible but we can learn to harness the power of regeneration. Our bodies heal from certain injuries and therefore can help you be stronger in some cases. The human body is one of the greatest mysteries of all-time. We can learn anatomy, physiology, neurology and whatnot but the whole mystery of how powerful the body is just incredible. Regenerating is a major key in our body’s system and helps us build ourselves back up from some of the fiercest things like disease, aging, injuries and painful mental attributes. Now there are certain things that our body can’t recover from but with the right tools and with great people to learn from, we can harness our own healing powers and prevent certain things that can destroy what we need to keep healthy the most, ourselves. For most of our society today, we have lost touch of what’s important and that’s being healthy and living a long life. Diseases like obesity, lung cancer, heart problems, drinking and osteoporosis have plagued our way of life and we need to get back to what’s important. Being fit is a tough gig but it’s never too late to start working your way up and having the adventure of a lifetime.

 People need this, want that, this works, this doesn’t, we need this type of equipment, this machine blah blah. Why not just shut the hell up and look at what you’re doing. You’re putting more on your table then you need to and you need to see what the big picture is. Look at Indy, does he have a boatload of things to carry around that people tell him what he needs and should have? Hell no. He has a small change of clothes, a satchel, pistol, whip, his body and mind. He doesn’t use the latest gadget or tries to find a local store to get food, he’s in the f*cking jungle. Having less is more then enough. In fitness, you are seeing thousands of exercises, machines beyond the radar and equipment that you can’t possibly store in a small space. The less you have, the more you might gain something. There’s nothing wrong with variety but choose the things that will suit your needs. Find the best things that will give you superior results and give you success in your workouts. For the most part all you need for life if your own bodyweight, if you want variety then go here and see what can work for you. Use what you can and become the strongest and healthiest person you can be. There’s nothing that should be stopping you.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Wrestling & The Golden Age Of Physical Culture


Before baseball was a major success, before football became the second national pastime, wrestling was the talk of the world. Even in the carnival ACT shows, wrestling was a way to make money whether by side bets or on a major bout in a small city. The most notable wrestlers of the day were Tom Jenkins, George Hackenshmidt, Frank Gotch and quite possibly the greatest of them all Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Wrestling as we all know is the oldest of sports and what better to help bring wrestling to the national spotlight then in the Industrial Revolution. It took more then these men to make a profit and matches were unpredictable as some lasted a few minutes to lasting a few hours.

 If there was ever a man long before Television swept the nation in America’s living rooms, he took wrestling to a height that only Hulk Hogan and Lou Thesz would achieve later in the century and that was George Hackenshmidt. A man born in Estonia, the most built developed man at that time and was considered to be at one point to another title, The World’s Strongest Man. Looking like he was carved from Granite, Hack sold out areas in Europe such as the London Opera House and in America drew one of the biggest crowds in Sports History wrestling Frank Gotch. By far one of the strongest competitors of that time but more importantly believe it or not one of the most conditioned. Hack lived and breathed exercise and wrestling as he build muscles and brains by writing a course that became his Magnum Opus: The Way To Live. Up until Hulk Hogan arrived, Hack was the guy that brought strength and muscle to the world of Professional Wrestling.

 Lou Thesz who was the most watched man in America in the early TV era, considered one man he didn’t question as the greatest of all-time (even though it’s still argued to this day) was a man who was known to beat anyone at any length of a match and whenever he wanted but still made a moniker as a boring defensive wrestler named Ed Lewis a.k.a Robert Julius Fredrick if I stand corrected. Although very well talented and could cripple any guy he faced, Lewis wasn’t all that of a offensive wrestler if history serves me right and he just didn’t do very well when drawing a crowd. During one match it lasted five and a half hours when spectators were expected to see a good hour of wrestling. Because of this notion, during the roaring twenties and the Depression of the 1930’s, the scientific style of wrestling became faded and the people needed excitement. With promoters and wrestlers alike they began doing performance matches which they don’t try to cripple each other but get the people in frenzy and this was the turning point from being a sport to becoming an entertainment spectacle.

 No matter what sport you love, there’s always going to the single greatest debate, “Who’s the greatest.” Wrestling is no different. During the Industrial Revolution, kids and athletes of all shapes and sizes flocked to YMCA’s and the early stages of Gymnasiums done by guys like Sig Klein’s gym in New York in the 30’s and also York Barbell Company along with a Health Club in Oakland, CA by a little known Physical Culturist and athlete himself Jack Lalanne. Wrestling for most people at that time and in Europe such as England, Germany, Ireland & Scotland honed their skills just to pass the time because of either money trouble, tension at home, odd jobs or even to become a professional. Back then, Wrestling gave you a sense of hope and to test your manhood of not only skill but character. A lot of great athletes came out as wrestlers at one time or another. Even big name Presidents were wrestlers in their lifetime like William Taft, Calvin Coolidge, Teddy Roosevelt and others but the most famous wrestler in the White House long before the Industrial Revolution was none other then Abraham Lincoln.

 Such big names during this era up until the TV era were names like Otto Arco, Gama, Hackenshimidt, Frank Gotch, Eugene Sandow, George F. Jowett, Tom Jenkins, The Mighty Atom Joseph Greenstein, Lou Thesz, Ed Lewis, Jim Londis, Toots Mont, Ad Santell, Stu Hart and many, many more. These men were the cornerstone before there was a WWE, WCW and ECW. The NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) was on the verge of becoming the top promoting company in the wrestling business at that time. Wrestling back then was far more real and scientific then the high flying, bloated up bodybuilding and chair swinging entertainment that it is today and wrestlers had to be in tip top shape and be able to go an hour or more in a match if they needed to.

 Money wasn’t a major deal at the time until Hack and Gotch came around and for them, they were practically the first two athletes to draw a major wrestling card as they had a series of Championship matches that lasted god knows how long but they kept at it until they had a final match in 1911 at Chicago’s brand new Comiskey Park where Hack lost another match to Frank Gotch.  Other then that unless it was in the Carnival shows, betting on a wrestler was as much a gamble as horseracing (maybe less). Side bets came left and right and most likely there were guys who took a fall to get a big payday like shaving points in a basketball or football game today. Like any gamble, there were guys who won and lost money on a good wrestler and very few great ones like Santel, Gotch and Jenkins ever lost a match before they ended up crippling their opponents. Like any athlete you want to bet on a man that is good, strong and intelligent in how he uses his opponents. Once the promoters began running shows in various cities around the country and the real style of wrestling faded, the gamble wore off and ticket profits became the stuff of legends.

 There are an extreme few wrestlers today that are as good, some better and some far less then the wrestlers of the past. If I had to name a few would be Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, Dan Severn, Kurt Angle, Kazushi Sakuraba, Brock Lesnar and Matt Hughes that are keen wrestlers to tearing down their opponents, yes I realize a few of these names were in WWE at one time but seriously, I’m talking before they even talked to guys like Vince McMahon. Any wrestler whether in the WWE, UFC, King Of The Cage or even what use to be PRIDE in Japan should pay homage to those that came before them, learn their history, learn where they came from and how to model themselves after. It’s more worth while knowing your history then knowing your techniques. Knowledge is power, wisdom is strength, and conditioning & technique come last. Whoever is the greatest wrestler doesn’t matter and really shouldn’t ever matter, what does matter is what did you get out of learning from the best whether it’s from one wrestler or ten of them.

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