Being Sore Doesn’t Mean You Get A Day Off

           Training is apart of life no matter what. It takes guts to keep going day after day, week after week, and year after year but in the end its all how you make it be. People assume because you’re sore you overdid it and you need a break when in reality that’s where the fun begins. You've worked out hard and you wake up the next day and you’re aching what do you do? You can either rest or not do any type of training or you can adjust and focus on something else to train on till you’re fully recovered.

            The late Karl Gotch once said “you must adapt and improvise” and what does he mean by this? From my point of view and personal experiences, you learn to adjust your training by how you feel and how you can switch things around. In this case of being sore, you don’t have to go hardcore but you can change things up like for example…Say you exercised with a deck of cards and all you did was push-ups and squats, you’re very sore the next day from going through that whole deck, instead of moaning and bitching just do a little bit of stretching and work on little exercises throughout the day to keep your blood flowing and keeping the body loose while you recover.

            You can always do something. I've seen a lot of guys in the gym who go all out one day and the next they don’t show up because they’re sore, give me a break. I've also seen other guys who have pushed to their limits and the next day came back looking to do something else to help them recover. Taking a break from your regular routine is a good thing but it doesn't mean you’re out of the woods. Focus on something that keeps you active, ride your bike if you have one, take a nice walk around the neighborhood, do some deep breathing to open up the lungs and work on other muscles and tendons that didn't get worked. Have a little fun with it. Go out and move like a wild animal even if it’s a few steps, juggle kettlebells who knows, make something work for you till you’re ready to go full blast again.

            Recovery is very important, there’s no question about that. Sure you get it that muscles get torn down and need some down time but its also important to stay active, keep on your toes, keep your blood flowing, your body is like a machine and can go more than you can expect. Your body will heal itself and the better shape you’re in; the more you can keep active without being so sore. Keep that in mind and rest if you need to but don’t just lay around like a chump, do something that makes you happy, have fun and get in the habit of improvising your exercise. Be smart, train hard and keep at it. 

Technology Has It’s Purpose To A Degree

            In the world of modern technology, it’s everywhere from computers to cell phones, satellites all over the globe, little robots that can do certain things, apps that have just about every single piece of information you can find and it’s all mostly unnecessary in the fitness world. There are ways to work around that however. There was a time when there was no internet, no cell phones, no computers to give us the slightest bit of info and the closest to entertainment you found was in a movie theater, the radio, Burlesque shows, Vaudeville and the Circus. You actually had to find a way to make life interesting whether it was working on a farm, wrestling with many sparring partners at a YMCA and sometimes the nearest town was miles away and had to ride a horse or in a carriage.

            Machines today have their reason and some of them are good to use but when it comes to exercise, most machines don’t really do anything for you because of how fixated they are. Some people can use technology to their advantage in their training; I was never fond of the treadmill but somehow certain people like them and use them in the gym or their home. To take advantage of this while being productive there has been ways of people getting fit from a treadmill while working at the same time. A great friend of mine Tyler from Garage Warrior has his laptop attached to his treadmill so while he’s doing emails and writing up articles, he can get in a brisk walk at the same time so he’s making something useful.

            To be fit in my opinion is to be as old school about it as possible with as limited machining and technology as possible. Learn to be more wild-like and open to getting strong, certain people like lat pulldowns for the back muscles but in the end if you want a great powerful back stick to basic exercises like Pull-ups, Chin-ups, Deadlifts and DB/BB Rows. When you move a barbell/dumbbell or even your own bodyweight, it’s a different feel; you’re part of a tradition in a modern era that is overrun by microwaves and technological distractions. Learn how the old-timers trained, you don’t have to be exactly like them but learn to use their example of how being fit and strong really is. Lift odd objects to find out how your muscles work in an awkward and unstable position, learn to use your body like an animal seeing how you move with constant change and direction.

            Since there are so many freaking apps for fitness there are only two or three I've ever found that is truly useful, the Tabata apps and the Deck Of Cards. Tabata training is basically an interval training system where you do 4 minutes of intense exercise with 20 sec. on and 10 sec. off ratio, this app can be great for short and timed training. I use it for animal type training. The deck of cards app is by far the very best one I have found that gives you a workout that is never the same and it’s an unlimited deck where you can do an infinite number of cards. You can pick up to 4 exercises that you can type in and you’re off and running, after you do a certain exercise on the card, press a button to go to the next one and it’ll tell you how many reps to do for that particular card, sucks it doesn't have jokers though.

            We can use technology to our advantage in the way we train but you have to be smart about it, let it work for you. Stick to the basics as best as you can and have a kick ass time with them but don’t let technology run your whole way of training, overall its best to turn off your computer, cell phone, radio and just be free to do whatever you want. It’s all about how you find things that work best for you.

Catching If You Can

             

              In the realm of Martial Arts there are those few that a not practiced often today but yet one has become a dying art with a little heart beat left and that’s the sport of Catch As Catch Can Wrestling. It is a style of wrestling that requires great practice (as does most Martial Arts) but yet it has a scientific feel for it, it’s a mind game like Physical Chess, you have to think certain moves ahead in order to defeat an opponent but it never gets easy. It may be a dying art but it hasn't sunk into the grave yet and has been rising in the last decade. This is the pinnacle of Submission Wrestling.

            The first rule of Catch is to get into the best condition possible. The reason why is because if you’re in a fight and you have your technique down but don’t last too long, you’re a goner before you can say “Damn.” Before you ever step on a mat, you should train with great intensity to become a conditioned individual. No one knew this better than the great Karl Gotch. To be able to get something, you have to earn it. I've heard about a lot of guys that love wrestling but never get down to condition because they don’t care about the work that goes into it. You want it bad enough; get your ass into gear.

            There aren't many who are left to teach the sport of CACC because most of them are gone including the late Karl Gotch but there are those that are out there that can help bring the sport back from the dead with the new generation. The one that sticks out the most now is the legendary Wigan wrestler Billy Robinson who coaches and helps out with seminars around the country with Scientific Wrestling front-runner Jake Shannon. Learn from who you can because it’s not everyday you learn about wrestling from the old school ways.

            Catch Wrestling has been around for decades has its roots in England, Eastern Europe and even in America with greats like Frank Gotch, George Hackenshmidt, Tom Jenkins, Farmer Burns, Fred Grubmyer and possibly the greatest American wrestler Ed “Strangler” Lewis aka (Robert Julius Fredrick). It is important to learn about our roots about mankind’s oldest sport and how it became what it is today. It is man’s birthright to wrestle, you didn't start out with a ball or a track or a racket, you started by getting your man to the ground and making him cry uncle to be the dominant man. You didn't have the Romans duel to the death by shooting a basketball, you certainly didn't have the Mongolians take down half the world by scoring touchdowns, they fought with powerful weaponry and the might of their body to wrestle and kill if needed to. From my understanding Catch is probably at the top of the list of being the great self-defense program and if you can strike, kick and wrestle masterfully, you’d be a dynamo.

            Not many want to earn their place because of how tough it is to get there. Look at this from a perspective, the conditioning is actually the easy part, it’s the consistency to keep it up and wrestle over a period of time is the hard part but that’s the beauty of it. Training is a constant state of motion and yeah it takes guts and the balls to get through it but at the same time it’s a preparation to help you stay in the game. Very few see that perspective and the rest bitch that they can’t handle it so they just up and run away like a scared mutt. I love wrestling and I've learned that if I want to be good at it, I have to earn my way to get there just like when I had my accident, I wanted so bad to train and walk again but I had to earn it through progression, drive and the will to get what I wanted and I made it happen. If I want to wrestle and learn the holds, I have to go through the trenches first to get there and if it means getting up to 500 Squats and 250 push-ups consistently so be it.

            To learn Catch Wrestling, you have to catch yourself and grab a hold of your conditioning and your will to get to where you want to be, if you want it bad enough, you won’t turn it into a nightmare, you’ll turn it into a dream you’re making come true and knock down the metaphorical brick wall to make that happen. Get at it and catch that light that is Catch As Catch Can Wrestling. 

Training Philosophy 101: A-to-DBZ

Hello My Friends!

Our friend and comrade in physical culture, Benjamin Bergman, has been kind enough to yield the stage to me for the moment.  You might be asking who I am.  I shall not labor the introduction, but I tell you that I am a martial artist of nearly two decades, beginning my formal training in April of 1995, and a life long fan and mimic before that.  I have studied several arts, and it is through that study that I came into the world of physical culture.  Martial arts has little meaning without a vital body behind it.

So today, I would like to talk to you about this very connection between training for violence and training for vitality.  To aid me in this, I shall pass it through the lens of popular the popular anime Dragon Ball Z.

Let us first discuss the exemplary characters.  While the world of DBZ is populated by many characters, many noble, and many villainous, we shall focus on three:  Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo.  It is true that Gohan, Goku's son, is technically the most powerful character in the series (for a time) and has the greatest potential, but because his training is sporadic, and usually forced upon him, we will exclude him from this discussion.  Without further ado, we shall briefly list Training, Fighting, and Characteristics of each character:

Goku:  Innocent and simple, he has an incredible natural talent for martial arts and physical training.  His training style varies depending on his teacher at the moment, everything from strongman type training to traditional martial arts training to intense spiritual training.  He is generally happy-go-lucky, but has an incredible battle joy, and an intense drive for constant personal development.  The quote that could define his attitude best comes from the first Dragonball series [Episode 59], Goku says, “This is great!  I'll be better at everything once I go up there.” To which his friend Upa replies, “Do not get your hopes up, my young friend, it may only be a legend.”  Goku contests, “Oh. I want to try it anyway.”  Upa protests, “But you're already strong.” And Goku has the final word, “I'm not the strongest, though, so it's still worth a chance.  Yeah.  It's definitely worth it. To be the best!”

Vegeta:  Pride and heritage drive him.  His was—IS--The prince of all Saiyans.  He is nearly as powerful as Goku, but grew up quite privileged.  It can be assumed that he is of average talent, but because of superior training early on, and being in constant battle since he was young, insisting on the hardest missions, being on the front lines, and having access to the best science and medicine of the Saiyan race (and beyond!) he was able to develop as only a privileged lord could.  He could never accept anyone being better than him at anything.  Greatness was his birthright.  He tends to be arrogant and extremely aggressive.  Prone to rage.  His training is the hardest, and self imposed.  He must constantly prove that he can do more, that he can do better than anyone else.  Competition and singularity drives him.  Very regimented and military in nature, always pushing for more, he is really Goku's antithesis.  The quote that describes him best is from Dragon Ball Z [Episode 214] “Imagine my shock, to see the undeniable proof, to discover no matter how hard I try, I would never be able to catch you.  A warrior-prince forever living in the shadow of a low level clown.  So that's when I secretly made up my mind...Yes, I saw the power of Babadi's magic at the World Martial Arts Tournament, those two henchmen he sent.  The people who had seen those fighters in the previous tournament couldn't understand how they had become so powerful.  But you and I know, don't we? It was Babadi's magic, and I knew what his magic had done for those fighters it could also do for me.  I knew that if I allowed myself to fall under his control, the difference in our power would disappear.  I'm quite pleased with the results.  Even if they do come at a price.  I'd say the end more than justifies the means...'cause I wanted him to reawaken the evil in my heart.  I wanted him to return me to the way I was before!  I was the perfect warrior; cold and ruthless.  I lived by my strength alone, uninhibited by foolish emotion.  But slowly, over the years, I became one of you.  My quest for greatness gradually giving way to this life of mediocrity.  I awoke one day to find that I had settled down, formed a family.  I had even grown quite fond of them.  Would you believe I was starting to think the Earth was a nice place to live?  Do you understand now, Kakkarot?  That's why I needed Babadi; to set me free by releasing the evil in my heart.  He has freed me of these petty attachments, and I'd have to say it feels pretty good.”

Piccolo:  A loner and tactical genius.  He seems to train for personal development, and to explore the depths of his potential.  As a Namek, he enjoys a unique biological makeup, including a diet of solely water, size changing ability, regeneration, and high psychic potential.  He is very much a cerebral, calculating type.  He looks at all the evidence, and makes decisions based on data rather than gut feelings.  This, of course, leaves him feeling alien and cold much of the time, but without his keen sense of timing and leverage, the Z Fighters would have lost many battles, and many lives.  His training is mostly psychic/internal as his biology is so completely different.  The quote that best describes his training potential comes from Dragon Ball GT [Episode 44] (Yes, I know it's non-cannon, but it sums up his attitude nonetheless!), “The powers of a Namekian have many uncharted avenues.” (In response to why and how he went to Hell to help out Goku.)  And this followup in the following episode [Episode 45] after he got Goku out of Hell, “Well, as long as I'm stuck in this dump, I might as well get in some target practice.”

Now that you have an idea of the characters and their styles, we can discuss the benefits of each when training for Violence and Vitality.  We'll call Goku's method the “Natural”.  When training “Naturally” you tend to follow your whims.  Whatever seems to be bugging you.  A new skill, a dodgy rep, just a bit of fun, etc.  You may find yourself hefting stones one day, and walking on your hands the next.  This fractal kind of practice does a couple of things.  It keeps you from getting bored with static routines, and it constantly challenges you with something new, never letting you get too comfortable with anything.  Of course, all this self experimentation can lead to mistakes and imbalances.  But Goku's training wasn't always whimsical.  No, he studied under many masters who had him do repetitions of fundamental principles over and over again.  But then this is what amateurs and naturals do as well, now isn't it?  They go off in a focused manner just plugging away until they “get” it, and then they move on to the next thing.  This is, in fact, the beginning point, and the end point.  It is where space time curves around back on itself, and we realize after all those years of learning, we just want to play.  Some of the real-world established systems that work well with this are Strong Man competition, Parkour and MovNat, as well as fundamental, natural martial arts practice like Shaolin Kung Fu, or Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestling.

Next we have what I'd like to call the “Professional”.  This is Vegeta.  He was born to it, and lived it as an occupation until he joined up with Goku and his lot, and then it was an obsession and a charitable need, as he helped save the Earth many times.  This professional attitude is like many athletes and soldiers.  They have coaches/drill instructors, and are fed their routines, nutrition, and recovery, and have access to the best medical and scientific advancements.  This regimented training can take someone less than average, and put them into the top 5% quickly.  The benefits of training like this is the utter focus.  You don't have to stress over anything but the next rep because it's all laid out for you, and you know you're in expert hands.  It also means there will be fewer mistakes along the way because of the constant supervision.  This is the path to glory, but rarely ever to autonomy.  Real-world examples of this type of training obviously are reflected in military training, but also in popular systems like Crossfit and TacFit.  More systematized martial arts, perhaps like Shotokan Karate or Brazilian Jiujitsu.

Finally, Piccolo's style we will call the “Scholar”.  The Scholar is a collector and studier of training information.  They gather all the data and make informed decisions.  They focus on form and and function, timing and leverage.  They are the academics of training.  Ever vigilant, looking for new data, new observations, testing theories, and eventually coaching others in their wisdom.  Of course, one cannot solely collect information without ever moving a muscle.  That would be devastating in the long term.  It can also lead to paralysis by analysis, meaning having to filter through too much information and delaying the decision to act.  Piccolo never had this problem, but then he's not human.  The accumulation of knowledge and the wisdom of how to apply it is quite obviously beneficial.  The real-world correlation is not in any particular program, but rather in researching all programs.  It is the journal articles, and coaching programs, the clinics, the certifications, the ranks, the titles and degrees.  One would be best served finding a mentor in an area of interest, and studying as a disciple.  Less that, there is a world of information available in the form of books, videos, and seminars.  Pick a few that sound interesting and follow along until you are satisfied.

In closing, you may find that one or another of these styles calls out to you, but each one carries a drawback.  The stability and focus of the Professional is appealing, but I like being autonomous.  I am certainly the Scholar, a collector of knowledge, with experience in a literal dozen martial arts, and nearly equal that in fitness regimens.  However, I have to be constantly aware of what path I am on, otherwise I start muddling my training into something less effective.  And of course, as a true kid at heart, I love to just play.  Playing the natural, and just doing whimsical activities here and there helps me stay sane and play with things that are left out of my advanced routines.  How about you?  What is your balance?  Listen, thank you all for sitting in on this discussion.  I now return the stage to Benjamin.  Feel free to look me up, wherever you may find The Black Sun Renaissance.  Good Journey.

Pushing Your Limits

            Every once in a while you have that workout where it becomes a challenge, you want to take it as far as you can possibly, shooting beyond the realm of your capabilities. It’s great to have something to shoot for but it’s also important to understand progression, recovery and rest because if you try to do this every time, your body will burn out and you’re going to set up for injury. This doesn't mean you stop training.

            We all want to find out what we’re capable of but we never strive to actually find out what that really is. Workouts come and go and we always try to do better than the last but what’s really doing better? Do you do more reps/sets, does your tempo change or do you vary the position to make it harder or easier? In the end its best to what your capable of but one time, rather a week, month or year go as far as your body will take you and make your recovery period as long as it takes.

            Most don’t cross that threshold of pushing the realm of hardcore to one insane way to take your body to the limit. The reason why because they’re afraid of injuring themselves, overtraining, doing this more than that and never finding out their true potential. I've had my fair share of taking it to the limit but by my own way, you don’t push it like other people, you push it by yourself. There’s a lot of guys out there that can’t handle what I do but at the same time there are others I can’t match no matter what I do and I've learned to accept that. You’re no better than the next guy but he’s also no better than you are, it’s a matter of how you’re willing to go beyond yourself.

            All of us have plateaus to conquer, but the majority never hit that part of the hill because they’re afraid. In the movie Pumping Iron, one of the bodybuilders is talking to Arnold and the other Muscle Beach bums and says that the wolf on the hill isn't as hungry as the other wolf climbing the hill. It’s all about perspective and how far you’re willing to push yourself to climb to the top of your mountain. No one should climb someone else’s hill but their own, you don’t have to better or stronger or faster than the next guy but to be more of those things for yourself. Conquer your own hill, every little step doesn’t get easier but when you hit that hill at the top, it’ll make things all that much worth it.