Learning From A Physical Culturist

 I have doing exercise since I was a little kid in PE and first got a taste of Weight Training when I was an early teen. After High School I joined a gym and learned from a few guys here and there but never made a big impact with them and just didn't get it. After my accident back in 2005, I began learning just a few things from a book called Combat Conditioning by Matt Furey. When I began walking again and was cleared to train, I dedicated myself to get stronger and healthier and it just happens that one of my good friends lived only literally a couple doors down, we call him the Duke but to a lot of people today you know him as the Garage Warrior Tyler Bramlett. He was the first guy that taught me real conditioning and mental toughness. This was my stepping stone into Physical Culture.

 One of the guys Tyler had me research on was Karl Gotch, the man who’s considered the God of Pro Wrestling in Japan, one of the first things I learned was how to use bodyweight exercises on a deeper level. I had already done some work on the deck of cards workouts but another thing I learned later on was “You think you know, you’re dead.” Getting that stuck in my head I understood that if you want to be great, you got to keep learning. Just because you know a thing or two doesn't make you a superior expert, you keep testing yourself and when you pass your knowledge onto others you want them to succeed more than you did, if you don’t than you’re not a good coach and you haven’t learned a damn thing.

 Another great wrestler of the old days was Billy Robinson who has quoted saying “You learn how to learn” by this he means no matter what you do in life or in training you keep filling your head like a sponge and although you could be a master later on, you will always be the student. Understanding this isn't easy because you've done so many things in your life and yet you feel there’s nothing left but only have touched the surface. In nearly 8 years of being in the Physical Culture world, I have learned more than most guys my age have learned in their entire life and yet I haven’t even peaked the mountain. Constantly learning helps you become more successful, doing things one day at a time.

  Taking foundations from different elements of training gives you variety and teaches you which ones to work with and not to work with. Taking from Tyler and other guys it is essential to build your style and learn how to maximize them with different parts from different people. If you just do the same stuff over and over and expect something different to happen you’re on your way to be insane (literally). The ability to find your own style makes you unique and although most people don’t like change it’ll make them think twice about what they do.

 A golden rule in the Physical Culture world that made me learn the hard way with a few guys is the level of respect. Respecting others who have made big impacts, small ones and even crossed in the middle should be respected. I’m not saying you should like everything someone puts out, hell I can’t stand some of the crap that’s out today but I give those men and women credit for doing what they think is best. There’s guys out there who hate weights but love bodyweight, some loathe bodyweight and embrace weights and then there’s guys who are caught in the middle like me, Tyler, Bud Jeffries, Logan Christopher and many of the old-timers. We all have our own opinions of what works, what doesn't and what can be improved but in the end you learn respect not just to them but yourself because the moment you learn to respect that you are as a person and/or athlete, the bigger your opportunities will be.

 There’s always going to be debates on who’s the best of the best but in my opinion there’s no such person. Each Physical Culturist over the last 100+ years has had something that made them successful and they’re the best at it. I’m not going to compare who’s great at what and who’s the most successful because come on that’s just a waste of time and you’re not going to accomplish much. There’s a lot of great strongmen, wrestlers, steel benders, hand balancers, bodybuilders and others that are no different than you and me, just have something special about them that you can also find within yourself.

 To truly understand Physical Culture it’s a lifelong journey from your beginnings up until the day you die, there’s no real destination. You constantly learn, take things from different places and mold them together creating your own jigsaw puzzle so do speak. It’s finding who you are as a person physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

A Gift Of Health Is Far More Rewarding

 Today is Black Friday and that means the plague of shopping for Xmas and getting deals left and right that just boggle the mind. It sucks mostly because it’s really the only day where people get ran over or run over for things after a day of what they’re thankful for. Sad isn’t it? The one thing good about Black Friday is that you do the best you can to get your family something special later on next month but with the right leverage, you don’t need to get trampled all over the place.

 A real gift that you can use for a lifetime rather than a few times out of the year is really the gift of health. Help those who are in need to be fit and strong. I realize exercise may not be on your mind because you’re clawing your brains as to what to get for your loved ones especially your kids. Training however can relieve stress on the mind and body if you give it time to relax and breathe. Your body can take only so much from the stress of getting something at a fast clip.

 The biggest shopping day of the year can be used to your advantage and here’s why, in my opinion almost everyone has a computer these days and has an internet hookup so why not use that to get what you want instead of running off to some store where the crazies just go nuts and become something they’re not normally as. If you don’t have internet or a computer, shop a little before Black Friday by a small percentage, this way if you saved up enough and do your research, you can find better deals long before thanksgiving and store them so the kids don’t see it, it can be effective and you won’t have to get your ass kicked all over the place.

 For the most part if you want to give a great gift, I believe exercise is a better option because it’s not just for you but your loved ones as well. Exercising together as a family creates bonds and helps teach kids rules, boundaries and how to earn what you want. Don’t need to force them or anything like that, find a positive and productive way to get fit for the holidays. If you really want to be an animal than I suggest you start here. Kids love toys, I get that I was part of that generation too and wanted every toy from tv show I watched from Spiderman to the Power Rangers and these days kids love Justin Beiber and Spongbob Squarepants. Kids and families deserve a little something so why not earn it and put a little effort in it. One of the greatest gifts I ever got as a kid in the late 90’s was a ticket from my dad to go see WWF Royal Rumble ’98 at the San Jose Arena long before it became the HP Pavilion, I was massively into Pro Wrestling at that time and got to see guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, The Rock and Triple H when he was with Degeneration X. I never forgot that night and it’s stuck with me for life.

 Not saying you should spend a lot to do something but the key is that having something for a lifetime rather than a few times is far more awesome in my opinion. Exercise is a lot like that, you can do whenever you want at anytime when you want or need to do it and you can use it for the rest of your life. Be sure to have fun this holiday season and don’t stress so much about what to give someone and hurt yourself in the process of doing it because as much as you love someone, you don’t want to go through the trenches of World War 3 to do it. Be safe and happy holidays everyone. 

Movies That Inspire Me To Train

 Ever since I was about 3 or 4 years old, I've loved watching movies ranging from Disney to the most awesome action packed movies ever. Movies are a great way to look at things at a different perspective whether you’re into fitness or not, you’re being pulled back into a world where anything is possible and the impossible just doesn't exist. It gives you hope and realize that you can dream and make things happen. Granted there are some terrible movies out there and you know which ones so it’s better to understand the type of movies you love.

 When I began seriously training when I was in high school there was a film we watched in class when I was in Sports Occupations that gave me a sense of what I wanted to do at the time and that was Bodybuilding. It was Pumping Iron, the film that put Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno in the limelight. I've seen big dudes before but nothing compared to them. To me they were monsters of muscle and do things that would make the average trainee cringe. I wanted to be just like them, I took supplements (no not steroids), I ate like there was no tomorrow and trained like a mad man. I didn't get to that level and now I don’t want to be at that level, it’s much different but the principles are the same, train hard, eat well and rest.

 Over the years I've watched action films from Arnold to Stallone to Lundgren but one action star caught my eye after watching Rush Hour and that was the legendary Jackie Chan. This guy was fast, agile, strong for his size and just flat out incredible. Once I began studying his films which led me to guys like Bruce Lee and Jet Li, his comedy and action sequences were some of the coolest in the film industry and wanted to learn how to be fast and powerful. After my accident in ’05 I learned how to use my body alone and move with ease and increased my reflex, speed, agility, flexibility and strength all in a short period of time. I realize I’ll never be a Jackie Chan but it is a lot of fun learning your own quickness and putting different elements together.

 Overtime I've had plenty of favorite actors to some of the guys I just mentioned to Adam Sandler, Bob Hoskins, James Earl Jones, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and others but one guy stood out in my mind as an actor who just has it and became one of the biggest icons in history, forget Jack Nicholson or Tom Cruise, it was Harrison Ford that got me interested in epic film watching. As Indiana Jones it was practically the end all be all of action stars, there are great actors no question but I’ll watch Ford at any time. Out of all the actors I admire, he had a look, presence and charisma that just outshine them all, he wasn't a bodybuilder or anything like that but he had a built that I can relate to and was lean and athletic and to this day I would like to have that lean, athletic look but still have great strength and abilities under that. By far the Indiana Jones films are my personal favorites of all-time.

 The last few years, I liked some of the Comic Book movies that have been out like X-Men, Spider-Man, Dark Knight Trilogy but nothing more got me more hooked than the Marvel films of the Avengers from their separate films all the way up to The Avengers movie. Seeing guys like Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk just had me in awe the entire time and that rarely ever happens with me when it comes to movies, this style of Comic Book series alone got me into reading Comics and look at my own training and see what I can do with it. If you get a chance look up my Can You Become Your Own Avenger? Series and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Because of the Thor movie I got my own set of Thor’s Hammer and haven’t looked back since.

 This is just the tip of the Iceberg of how I’m a movie buff and if anybody knows me or seen my house they can vouch for me having a over the top collection of movies. Do I watch movies all day, hell no I love what I do and I train each day as best as possible but the point is from my perspective a movie is not just a way to kick back and have fun for a couple hours, its like studying, researching and learning different aspects of not just film making but how certain actors train or learn for their role in that movie. It’s way better than watching TV and having to listen to the BS you see in it with the dumb reality shows and all the political crap that goes with it, that’s the beauty of a movie, no commercials, no big ads in the middle, just a good solid watch and getting into the characters and settings. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and be sure to watch a good movie after having the feast of your life and have the joy of being together as a family.

Developing Real Jedi Powers

 As you can probably tell I’m a huge fan of Star Wars but I’m more interested not just in the Space Opera but its true meaning and that’s the ability to use the Force as a means to become stronger physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. It’s not always what you see in the films but yet what you don’t see is the real importance. I’m not saying you’ll be able to move objects by making them float in the air or you’ll develop magical powers and ignite a light-saber, what I will tell you however is what is real about the Force and what you can do to develop realistic Jedi Powers.

 Miracles happen all the time but what if we learned to harness certain levels of our own power to do certain things that leaves a mystery to the untrained eye. One of my favorite Jedi Powers is the ability to heal and recover much quicker. A known factor in the realm of Physical Culture that has been almost lost today is the way you breathe. Your breath is a big source of your life if not the biggest source. If you learned how to breathe in such a way, you can learn the ability to put yourself in a state where your body heals itself from certain diseases or wounds. Legendary Catch Wrestler named Martin “Farmer” Burns wrote in his 1914 mail-order course which you can get here stated “Deep Breathing exercises alone can make many a weak man strong and many a sick man well.” This statement is as true as you’ll ever get. Healing using this fashion can reap rewards in ways you can’t imagine. I have had bruises, cuts, scrapes and open skin wounds from bending some of the toughest steel you can imagine, once I learned how to harness my breathing to heal, I healed much quicker and gotten stronger every time I did this. How is that possible, it’s something you got to find out for yourself.

 What if you learned to harness the power to create super strength and speed at a moments notice? This Jedi ability isn't that far of a stretch. Scientists have said that with all the strength and speed we develop, we’re only using 5% of our brain at max level. I believe you can achieve this with a few percentages higher and do so without years of training or getting frustrated because of its difficulty. It’s a lot simpler than you may believe. Is it easy? No, it takes practice and patience but if you put your mind to it and learn to infuse your body at the same time, you achieve levels of strength and speed that can practically triple it within a short period of time but again everyone’s different, it can happen within an hour, a few days, couple months who knows but the principle still applies

 Meditation is a very powerful tool once you understand how it works and not always what a book or a guru says, it’s the ability to understand it for yourself and how you harness it. A lot of us Westerners have the notion that meditation is just sitting or standing and trying to bring in positive energy and block out bad stuff, doesn't always work that way. The power of meditation is the ability to create energy by infusing the mind and body together through different factors including breathing, thought, visualization, at times movement and other things. Some people have trouble finding a way to meditate when they sit or stand, I happen to be one of them because its very difficult for me sit or stand still so I use moving meditation, using my body to connect with my thoughts and my breathing. This way helps me be more centered and be more connective spiritually and when I use a certain thought to connect my breathing, things happen in ways I can’t explain, things like calmness, positive attitude, my strength is higher, my thoughts are more clear and my imagination becomes a reality. Others are better at standing or sitting and building greater energy that way, its all about what works for you.

 A great Jedi ability is learning to increase your instincts. Developing this can be used in meditation but as good as it is, there’s more into it than you might think, instincts is using your intuition, being aware of your surroundings, sensing certain things by feel, touch emotional connection and your reflexes. One of my favorite movies is based on a book by Dan Millman called Peaceful Warrior. Having met the author and seeing the film I get a sense of what transpired during his time as a gymnast trying to find his place and learning from an old man named Socrates. Socrates taught the value of learning to use everything around you as a source of finding your own abilities and building them. The mind is a very powerful thing and if you don’t practice using your instincts, it can play tricks on you and may even deceive you. In one scene of the film Socrates puts his hand on Dan’s shoulder after the boy says “There’s nothing going on”, the moment that hand touched his shoulder, Dan began to see things differently and noticed certain sounds, his sight heightened and felt things more than usual like the wind blowing and many other things all in the glimpse of a few seconds, after that, he turns to Soc and the old man says “There’s never nothing going on.” Think about that for a minute.

 Still don’t believe there are some form of Jedi’s out there, well wrong again because the closest I can think of who have the ability to harness instincts, strength, speed, reflexes and spiritual power are the Shaolin Monks. When it comes to athletic and mindful abilities, these guys rank at near top of the list. They don’t just train to be strong and powerful, they train with love, peace and acceptance just like a true Jedi. They teach how to harness your inner power through Chi or in other words life force. Harnessing your Chi can bring wonders to your health, athletic abilities, strength, flexibility and many other things. One way to look at harnessing this Power is to learn what’s called CoreForce Energy by a man I highly admire, respect and recommend named Garin Bader. Remember when I talked about harnessing your Strength & Speed at a moments notice, this is one of the biggest topics this course goes into detail.

 Another look at a Jedi are the Samurai, they didn't just practice living and dying by the sword, they practiced poetry, painting, combat, powerful movements, meditation and a plethora of other things. The man Socrates Dan learned from had a saying in the film “You practice Gymnastics, I practice everything.” Just like the Samurai, Soc practiced not just one thing because if you only put yourself to one ideal and not look at other things in life, you’re limiting yourself. Another look at it is if you believe in one thing and it gives you meaning and teaches you everything else, the rest don’t matter. In the movie City Slickers with Billy Crystal and Jack Palance, good old Jack tells Crystal’s character “You know what the secret to life is? One thing, just one thing, you find that out the rest of the world don’t mean shit.” It’s how you look at things from a different perspective.

 Now out of all things philosophical about Jedi and having great powers, what about the power of the Dark Side? In reality the Dark Side is the other side of the coin, it’s learning too soon and taking it for granted, using your powers for personal gain, anger, hatred, lust for power, all the things that a true Jedi practices to avoid. In spirituality there’s God and there’s Satan, the foundation for good vs. evil and overcoming unexpected obstacles when you’re being overpowered by something or somebody. Really, no one is born a monk, a murderer, a sadist, Christian, Jewish, Islamic or even a lawyer or a cop, its developed overtime who we become from different influences, background, history and Creed. The Dark Side clouds the judgment of everything around us and it’s a factor of taking the easy way out, cheating and bullying others to get to the top. A real practice is to look at things from various perspectives, how to build a positive and productive outlooks. Some fall to this side of the coin too late, picked it up early in life or got caught in the middle and had to make a choice.

 Don’t fall for what you can make a real impact on and believing in the good of others and being happy with yourself. Avoiding the Dark Side isn't easy, it’s a constant challenge and the real power is within you to find out where you go and what you’re willing to do to get there.

The World’s Strongest Marine

 Every now and then in the generations of strongmen, there are a few that come and go, some stay on as performers, others teach and bring in a new generation but this time around only one has not only done both but is also a Marine and is one of the toughest men out there today. I’m talking about Professional Strongman and Coach Mike “The Machine” Bruce. Not only is he known as a Strongman but also one of the coolest guys you’ll ever talk to. Trained by the Grandmaster of Strongman himself Dennis Rogers and one of the most conditioned Heavyweights of the modern era Bud Jeffries, Mike has become one of the best destroying steel in his path and in one of the most dangerous places to bend.

 Throughout his life he’s dealt with abuse, ridicule and always wondered what he will become. Joining the Marine Corp. as a young man he made the choice to create something of himself and not only made it through one of the toughest military factions in the world but served his country the best way he could. Upon returning home he tried out wrestling and I believe either kickboxing or boxing or both and excelled by winning the majority of his fights and became known as we know today as The Machine, a man who’s conditioning is world-class with people who couldn't tell if he was human or not because he didn't know when to stop. He literally and figuratively became strong in every since of the word.

 His trademark and famous strength is known because of the strength of his neck. Forget this guy that bend horseshoes and destroy steel at a moments notice, his neck is considered the strongest out of not only the majority but possibly of all strongmen. He own records for having steel bend over his throat such as long steel bars and believe it or not horseshoes, seriously I’m not joking you can look it up yourself. When you put up 300+ pounds using only the strength of your neck and have steel being bent over your throat and not just any easy type of steel, I’m talking steel the majority of people can’t bend with their own hands let alone around the neck, you are a freaking beast. He’s not just strong in steel but has one of the strongest backs and abdominals in the world and that’s just the tip of the Iceberg.

 I believe coaching was something he wanted to do before and after retiring as a performing strongman and has opened up a gym in Kentucky called The Machine Shop and has produced many clients that not only got in awesome shape but became something more than themselves and a lot is influenced on Mike. I've always wondered what it be like to be coached by a former Marine, I've dealt with great coaches in the past including a few being trained personally by some of the strongest and most conditioned people on the planet but a Marine takes it to whole new level in ways you can’t imagine unless you’re there experiencing it.

 To me he has gone through such great adversity yet is one of the most humble guys I had the chance to speak with a time or two. A man who has put God ahead of everything else except maybe his beautiful wife but anyhow and still able to have a great sense of humor and a wonderful motivational speaker to kids and adults alike, he is truly a man’s man with a lot left in him and I hope to be trained by him someday and want to not only shake the man’s hand but salute him with the best of intentions. I’m proud to have written this article and hope it gives him something to check out and know that when I write something, it came from the heart and has more meaning than he can imagine, Happy Birthday my friend.

Semper Fi