Training Like A Superhero

Ever since we were children, we were fantasized by the extraordinary powers of Super Heroes, if you were a DC Comics fan, you were in awe of Superman, loved the gadgets of Batman, wanted to wear the ring of the Green Lantern and if you were a woman, you wanted to battle like Wonder Woman. As a Marvel fan, you wanted to see Spiderman swing through the streets of New York, watched and read about the X-Men and wanted to triumph like Captain America and so on and so forth. Super Heroes are our every fantasy of being strong, fight for injustice and have powers beyond belief than you come back to reality and for some your life sucks to you. It doesn’t always take a Super Hero to do extraordinary things, some people are just like you and me but when that light turns on and you have to run from a mugging or rescuing someone, you can find the strength that goes beyond the levels of your own abilities and I’m here to tell you, you can make those things a reality.

 In reality, we can’t even fathom of having powers or the great minds of our favorite Super Heroes but we can however with the right amount of training, we can turn on that imaginative switch and have the power to pull off many things we couldn’t do before. Think of the Flash, to me he’s the fastest hero next to Superman with blazing speed and explosive strength. Increasing your speed isn’t that far of a stretch. If you learned to tap into your mind on how you can bring your speed up even a small percentage would you do it? If you want blazing speed, you do sprints or move in an exercise very fast. Doing this will not only build your explosiveness but will jump start your metabolism like a bat out of hell. Another look at increasing your speed is through Isometrics. Isometrics teaches you to hold a certain position and stay there, in other words a non moving exercise. If you don’t believe me try it out for yourself.

 When it comes to reflexes, I immediately see Captain America or Spiderman. Their senses are so keen and accurate that whatever jumps at them turns to dust. One of the best ways to learn your reflexes is playing handball, take a tennis ball and bounce it off a wall and see how quick you catch it. One guy who emphasized this greatly was the late Karl Gotch. Reflexes help your awareness and your accuracy to react quickly. Reacting to something will help poise your confidence to get a sense of things around from every possible angle.

 No hero used a hammer better than the Mighty Thor. Hammers are the axes of explosive power, strength, and lever strength. We are fascinated on how a hammer can be used in ways that can’t be duplicated with weights, machines or even bodyweight exercise. It’s also a great stress reliever and you want to pound the living hell out of a tire. To learn Hammer Strength is to take up just that and practice many elements from levering to swinging to holding and everything in between.

 If you took the strongest men on the planet and molded then together, you still won’t have the strength like the Incredible Hulk. Back in the late 70’s, Lou Ferrigno brought the tall, green and powerful to the Silver Screen and nobody did it better than he did. To have that much strength to the point where it would make Hercules scared out of his wits is to build a level of mind and body together to create a level of strength that’s beyond belief. In the movies you see Hulk throw tanks, choppers, and toss cranes like they were softballs. How would that would a realistic approach to training for Hulk-Like strength and power? Progressing lifting heavy objects is one way to do it but if you don’t have access to a gym or weights, you can always find a way to do tire flips, toss kegs, lifting logs, holding up heavy barrels or do partial lifting and get the most bang for your buck. Creating this level of strength has to come from the mind as well and learn to surge that power and tap into level of electrical charge that resides in all of us.

 Spiderman is really the only superhero that has somewhat of a normal build, lean, not heavily muscular and has great definition but has enormous strength for his size and you can develop that as well. If there were any real Spidermen in the world it would be rock climbers, those dudes are just freakishly strong and can climb up the highest of mountains. Another way to be a bit of a web-swinger is learning the strength and agility of a gibbon where you brachiate on your hands like in hand balancing or moving across the monkey bars at the park. Progressing in this manner takes patience but with time you can move in ways that the average person would run for the hills from. Almost like becoming a real life Tarzan. If there was a real life Spiderman in the fitness world, Brad Johnson would be just that. The way he moves is just insane and nobody can do pull-ups like he can.

 We all have special powers within us whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual it all depends on what gives you the most benefit to develop powers of your own. Finding that power within you is more reachable than you would believe. Once you find it and can tap into it anyway you want, you will see what it’s like to have great powers and using them to benefit your goals and to help others. Practice them, learn them and tap into them the best way you can possible because there’s no greater feeling than developing your own superhuman powers.

Isometrics & The Limitless Possibilities

Since ancient times, Isometrics has been used for many forms of strength, health, war and longevity. Think of the Archers of Greece and Mongolia, those guys went through a series of combat training techniques that in order to successfully shoot an arrow through the bow, they had to use muscles they normally wouldn’t use on the battlefield. The strength of those bows was so fierce that they practiced on bows that could not be pulled all the way back. When they finally had the bows in battle, the velocity of the arrows was amazingly fast. Speed is another cornerstone of Isometrics, not just strength.

 In the early 16^th century an Indian Buddhist traveled to China and taught the monks how to get in shape because at that time, Shaolin practices was mostly meditation and building on enlightenment but not for also being in physical shape. This Buddhist sat in a cave for nine long and meditative years to find the inner strength to not only rebuild him but help rebuild others. After the near decade long hideout, he began training the monks in a way they have never practiced before and one of their requirements for reprogramming their philosophies was to practice Isometrics. After many practices and a few 500+ years later, these monks are now considered the real life Jedi and masterful athletes of many arts in Kung Fu, Win Chun and other forms of Martial Arts.

 Wrestling is man’s oldest sport, it’s a fact whether you like it or not and it’s by far one of if not the most disciplined sport in the world. The training is tougher than any other and with its many styles going as far back as ancient Egypt or earlier; it is one of the most rigorous forms of training by far. In the early 20^th century and in the modern era, two wrestlers took isometrics to the extreme in their style of wrestling was Dan Gable and quite arguably the most feared wrestler of the modern age and that’s The Great Gama of India. In my opinion, no two wrestlers were better at using isometrics than the two I’ve just mentioned. When Gable was in school, he uses to grip class desks so hard that at one time, it ripped right off. His pinning style was so fierce that not even men twice his size could get out of it, that’s how powerful he was for a guy who was no more than 155 lbs. He went undefeated in the ’72 Olympics and didn’t surrender one point during his quest for the gold. Was Isometrics part of the reason, you tell me? Gama however was a massive man of power, strength and conditioning that no man before or since has topped. When he uses to rise in the early mornings before training, he would take a belt and wrapped it around a tree and do with all his might to rip the tree out of its roots. He never took the tree out but after many years of doing this, he threw guys around the pit as if they were rag dolls and they weren’t small guys either, he once threw a 290 lb. wrestler 13 times in 13 minutes. He was undefeated in a staggering 5000 matches and just about every known wrestler at that time never wanted to take him on, not even the two biggest names of the time Frank Gotch & George Hackenshmidt. Again, did Isometrics play a role? You be the judge.

 Isometrics is practically the very best system in the world that teaches you to break through your weak points in the range of motion category whether you’re a lifter, gymnast, fitness fanatic or an athlete, this type of training will skyrocket your strength and speed to levels you have never imagined before. When you hit a rough spot in your training it’s frustrating to push beyond it and Isometrics done with a proper structure can increase your range of motion beyond its own limits.

 One of the most awesome displays of Isometrics is through Muscle Control; you flex and relax the muscles. This is probably one of the very few times that isolation is a good thing. Mastering this teaches you to infuse your mind and body together as you learn to contract various muscles from a single point on the body that contracts and relaxes. One of the best known masters of this was Otto Arco, not only was he superhuman in this type of training but this helped him wrestling, hand balancing, Gymnastics and weightlifting. The way he could transfer from one muscle to the next was nothing like anyone had seen before or since.

 In my opinion from personal experience and learning from some of the best in the world, Isometrics is one of the golden keys to developing superhuman strength because it hits the body in ways weights and bodyweight exercise in their ranges of motion can’t touch. Just the feeling of flexing so hard for a period of time and then relaxing is one of the best highs you can have. There are a limitless amount of exercises to choose from to do Isometrics and can be done just about anywhere at anytime. It develops the mind/muscle connection in a way that can’t be duplicated and it’s one of the toughest forms of strength training there is but the rewards are endless. Take the time to practice Isometrics and you will see how it can be applied in ways you never thought of before. It’s well worth the practice.

The Simpler The Better

Ever since cardio machines and big monster machines that work only 1 or 2 muscles, exercise has become a confused and out of whack form of strength training that just won’t cut it. Sure there’s Hip Hop Abs, 8 minute abs, Tae Bow, P90X and other infomercial products that are “designed” to give you the body of your dreams. Hate to break it to you but once it does happen or “if” it happens, your body will look great but your health will be in the slammer because they expect you to train hard all the time for the rest of your life and that’s just not ethical.

 The machines that are designed to work a certain muscle is not a realistic approach to functional training and should really only be used for rehab or if that. Isolating the muscles may make you stronger but you’re only stronger with that particular muscle. To build a functionally strong and healthy body, you only need a few exercises and the less you have the better.

 Back before cardio machines and cables, there were dumbbells,barbells, gymnastic rings and a few racks, which was all that was needed for the old-time lifters and strongmen of the day. They didn’t isolate the muscles and were far stronger and healthier pound for pound than most people today in our obesity, diabetic and cruel twisted world. Would you believe that a man back then only lived to be no more than 50 yet a number of physical culturists lived long lives and actually got better as they aged say for instance George Hackenshmidt lived to be 90, Jack Lalanne was 96, Bodybuilder John Grimek lived to be in his late 80’s and believe it not even a man as little as Joe Greenstein aka The Mighty Atom lived to be in his mid 80’s. Simple training with the right mindset and program that works can give you a long and healthy life.

 One of my all-time pet peeves from certain people in the fitness industry believe that they’re system only works and nothing else does so it’s their end all be all mentality and try to brainwash people into believing that. In reality there is no one way to any exercise system. I use to believe that too until I broke my legs and had to learn how to walk again. I learned to be open-minded and try certain things and if they work, great if not than I get rid of it. Having an open mind gives you limitless possibilities to find what works best for you but knowing and doing the basics lays the foundation to what you can really accomplish.

 It’s never a good idea to torture yourself and be frustrated trying to achieve your fitness goals. I was frustrated for quite some time when I first started training and read about routine after routine after routine in the fitness magazines that no matter what I tried to accomplish something else was telling me that I sucked and needed to do something else. The moment I learned to stop that, everything became clear. You don’t need to go to a gym, you don’t always need thousands of pounds of equipment in your house that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Save your money and if you want to get something, make sure you really could use it otherwise you’re just throwing yourself in debt.

 Remember that military tag line “The Few, The Proud, The Marines.” Great line and remember how many words are there, I counted 6. Six words and it already have a powerful statement. So look at it this way, the fewer exercises you do and you master them, the more powerful and stronger you can be. Here is a new tag line for you in your fitness endeavor “The Few, The Proud, The Basics.” Simple, easy to remember and sends a power message that you don’t have to do everything under the sun, just a few simple things and you’re on your way to fitness glory.

Kids & Exercise

When you’re a baby, everything is new to you and you explore all sorts of things. Babies are the most observant at this stage of life. As things progress, you begin to crawl, stand, take a few steps than before you know it, you’re off and running. As we get older, we lose sight of being observant and wanting to explore and new things.

 “The world is a mighty big place” which was said by great author and Physical Culture specialist Brooks Kubik. As we get older, the ability to learn increases but the will to learn is very different. Exercise should be one of those frontiers that needs to be explored as much as possible to see what works for us and what doesn’t, gives us the best results, helps us recover after a hard workout and what to use to make our bodies stronger. Wild animals are no different except for the fact they don’t know or even realize that they’re training. A young cub or ape learns its environment through movement and observing the surroundings plays with its own kind to train them for survival.

 Getting older is something we can’t control but we can also grow younger by using the right mindset. Taking a lesson from Peter Pan who never grew up (Unless you saw the movie Hook), he gave us the chance to see what it’s like to have fun and smile with the best of intentions also fighting for what we believe in. My best friend’s dad is the ultimate grown up kid in my opinion and although he lives a responsible life helping his wife and having raised 4 kids, he still treats everyday as if it were a kick ass day (most of the time).

 Training like a wild animal teaches both kids and adults how to have fun and not worry of just exercising but making it worth while and get to explore new ideas of movement and wonder. Kids today need more of that structure than ever before because of the rise in obesity and children not getting enough exercise in both school and out of school. When I was a kid going to daycare, I ran around all the time and playing with the other kids and doing wild and crazy imaginative stuff, I still get to do that for myself now in my late 20’s and still wanting to explore and shoot for new ideas to play around with.

 Kids deserve to be healthy and strong and teaching them a structured form of exercise is not only to keep them from getting diseases like heart problems and diabetes but exercise has been shown to increase the strength of the brain which means they can grow smarter in certain cases so the blood flow is just right. You don’t even have to tell them its exercise it’s more like play and adults can learn this too. Play tag, race, and create an obstacle course or whatever you’d like to do but also do it with them. Family exercising is a great thing to do not just to help you get in shape but for your kids as well and only needing a few minutes before they play video games or watching TV. There are kids however that have certain issues like a disability or are hyper even at a low self-esteem and exercise can help balance those things out.

 Nap time is crucial for a child’s development when it comes to growth and giving the adult some time to relax, put the kid through a little animal exercise by helping him pick out his favorite animal, play with him and sooner or later he’s going to want to sleep whether he likes it or not.  Children need structures but it doesn’t need to have corporal punishment or as a way of torturing the kid but to help him enjoy his disciplines and giving him/her the chance to learn responsibility in a safe and fun manner. It’s all about giving them what they deserve without them ever knowing it.  

There’s No Suffering In Exercise

Back in the early 90’s there was a baseball movie called A League Of Their Own and one of the most famous lines of that film was “There’s No Crying In Baseball.” If you ever get a chance, check it out it’s a great movie and one of Tom Hank’s best performances after Big. Now what does that have to do with exercise? Well, some of us do cry while training, sometimes if we get hurt and others when we accomplish a goal. Many people in fitness feel like exercise is torture and think its just another day in the gym, in the end they end up suffering and that’s something that should never happen. “There’s no suffering in exercise.”

 Most trainees put so much stress on themselves that they drain their emotional strength and mental strength to keep up with them. That’s one of the ideal problems with the fitness magazines and routines they put in there. Forget for one moment trying to look like a Ronnie Coleman or a Jay Cutler and try to realize how ridiculous these routines actually are. Almost every routine you’ll find has no realistic approach to progression and people don’t realize how painful some of are as well. I had bought a Iron Man encyclopedia when I was weight lifting back in the early-mid 2000’s and tried every possible routine to see which one worked and at one point one did work but only for a short time. I was promised that I would build strength and muscle if I did this routine often but yet one came, the other didn’t and I’ll leave that a mystery to you readers.

 You suffer because someone told you to do this for strength, that for endurance, the other for flexibility and some go awful crap for building big chests and biceps I mean seriously, who the bloody hell can manage all that let alone doing 30 min. of cardio before doing your weights and god forbid that if you can’t handle it, they’ll tell you you’re weak and shouldn’t train at all. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. To get out of your suffering, research what you want to learn, test exercises you want to do, work on the technique that suitable to your body’s structure and build your own routine. Everyone can be good at something, just because some trainer tells them their lousy and have no real strength tells me that they’re nothing but low-life scumbags. The real way to get results is to make a goal, find what works, work on technique and make the damn thing fun.

 Flipping the coin of suffering and enjoying yourself doesn’t have to be one or the other, your goal is to enjoy yourself, challenge yourself and master what you want to learn. Trainers come and go but your health is a life-long quest and if you want to make the best of it, quit seeing it as suffering and set your mind to looking forward to it and have a smile at the end. I have suffered just like everyone else at the gym and I hated training at one time and if you hate doing something you love there’s a major problem there. Mentally program yourself and you will find that if you make one little change, it can have a big impact not just building your body but building your life all together. Don’t suffer, be happy and make things happen for you.