Do you want to have the strength, mobility & toughness of an action hero? Well let me tell you about my own method that I have used training myself (& others as a former fitness trainer) to work towards this goal. Let me preface this by saying if you want to be a powerlifter, bodybuilder, etc you need proper guidance for steering this toward your specific goal. Also if you play a specific sport you need to make sure you add in specific skill development.
My methods will take you 80-90% towards anyone of these categories. If you want to be prepared to take on anything then this is a (if not the) style to use. Strength, power, speed, agility, quickness, mobility & flexibility are what this style will help you build.
So let's jump right in & quit the yammering, the following is a guideline to the order I have found works well in most cases. Now when I say most that means it is NOT written in stone. Do not be afraid to experiment! Just don't hurt yourself doing something weird. I train six days per week, one day conditioning/cardio type movements, the next more explosive/strength/power oriented work. I use Monday – Saturday with Sunday being a free day.
General Warm-up – I know, I know, boring, but it needs to be done. Take at least five (5) minutes of moving all or at least the majority of your joints. Do not just get on a bike for 5 minutes & think you have done good, because you haven't. Jumping Jacks or a variation are a good thing to start with, but you need some squatting/hinging, some reaching & twisting.
Specific Warm-up – This is usually used mainly on explosive/strength/power days as your body works best when your nervous system is stimulated. This usually (you may see this word a lot) consist of the first 3-5 exercises or movements simulating them. I even do this for explosive jumping/plyometric movements, I just do them without as much explosiveness.
THE WORKOUT!
Stamina/Conditioning/Cardio - I sometimes use a certain skill or skills I wish to learn at or near the beginning, but then I get into the meat. I use rounds/timed tempos with minimal rest between movements & rounds/tempos. I usually end the session with some odd work like muscle endurance in my feet, light resistance high reps.
Explosive/Strength/Power – I usually (that word again) start with a jumping &/or sprinting drill. I try to make sure the combined rep total is 20. Depending on S/C/C day I choose drills that are not compromised from that training. This is important as it further stimulates the nervous system. This can allow stronger muscle contractions.
Next I usually move to some high resistance lifts. I usually perform a squatting &/or hinging, upper body pull (vertical – horizontal), upper body push (vertical – horizontal), ofttimes I will follow with midsection or posterior chain work. I try to stick with certain basic movements & place specialized odd movements after basic heavier movements. Some people would choose to do it opposite, but in my experience the basic movements are so much heavier than odd movements that with focus it doesn't really matter that you have worked those muscles.
A final comment before I go to the next part. E/S/P is not stamina/conditioning/cardio so take at least 0:30 or longer between movements. Having said that it is rare that I rest longer than 2:00.
STRETCHING!!!! - This is the life saver. For the last five years I have been using http://www.yogabodynaturals.com/ method called Gravity Poses. I have no monetary interest in this company I just have found Lucas' Gravity Poses to work the best.
RECAP:
General Warm-up 5-10 minutes
Specific Warm-up (especially on high resistance days) 5-10 minutes
Stamina/Conditioning/Cardio 10-30 minutes
Explosiveness/Strength/Power (jump, sprint, basics + esoteric) 15-30 minutes
STRETCHING! 10-20 minutes
Total Time S/C/C = 30 - 60 minutes
Total Time E/S/P = 35 – 70 minutes
You should always strive towards the lower end of the time scale. Most important take away is use the minimum amount needed to achieve your fastest gains.
So if you wish to be prepared physically & mentally for any activity or sport try the Animal Ability style!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
My Journey Into The Underground
When my friend, Ben Bergman, asked me to write about my journey into the world of Underground Strength training, I didn't have to think twice about it. I was blessed to find several coaches back around 2004-2005 whose methods were unorthodox, but highly effective. Some of the strength & conditioning renegades I found then were Mike Mahler, Diesel Crew, Bud Jeffries, Greg Glasman, and Zach Even-Esh.
All of them were training in warehouses, garages, parks, back
yards, or playgrounds; any where except in gyms.
I still learn from all of them to this very day. However,
Zach Even-Esh is in the spotlight today.
I had trained in martial arts for quite a few years and had
always looked for something to that would fill the void in the training we'd
been doing. I knew strength and power had to be improved to improve what I call
"stopping power".
When I learned of Zach's wrestling background and got his
first training manuals, which I still have and study), something just clicked
for me.
Though I opened one of the earliest CrossFit gyms in the USA , number 35
to be exact, I continued to follow Zach's methods. I was kind of the "black sheep" in CrossFit, and
still am, because I believed in learning from all valid sources whether they
are CrossFit or not.
Let me clarify one thing right now, I refuse to become a
CrossFit hater or basher even though it is now the "cool" thing to
do. If someone who doesn't do CrossFit can whip Rich Froning, Jr., then maybe
their opinion is worth listening to. We are one of a very small number of gyms that offer
CrossFit and Underground Strength training, in fact our gym has become known as
the Cave, not by its' legal name of CrossFit Gulf Coast.
We are a strength-based training center. Our training
regularly includes bench press, squats, deadlifts, and shoulder presses. All our athletes do strict pull-ups on a variety of
apparatus like Zach's original Underground Strength Gym in NJ. Odd object lifts often replace barbell lifts, though we do a
lot of heavy barbell work still.
I could go on about this for hours, but let me narrow it
down to the subject Ben asked me to talk about, that is why I go the Underground
route and how it has affected my business. Underground Strength workouts are harder and longer than
what most people are accustomed to, but they produce great results. We usually train from 1 1/2 to 2 hours, not
15 minutes.
Another plus for Underground training is the shorter
learning curve with odd object lifts than with barbells. This is especially
true for the Olympic lifts, though they are tremendous. Underground Strength has let us rise above the herd. I have
refused to run a "cookie cutter" gym.
You could say, "I took the road less traveled, and that has made
all the difference."
Monday, July 15, 2013
Putting The Super In Superhuman
Becoming beyond the realms of human abilities in fitness
isn't as far fetched as most people want to believe. Sure you won’t always be
someone who can deadlift 1000 pounds, run 50 miles, do 100 pull-ups or swing a
kettlebell 10,000 times but you can however push the very brink of your natural
abilities to become something more than yourself. Being superhuman doesn't mean
you’re just a physical specimen and do whatever the hell you want; a superhuman
has physical gifts using his emotional content to define his spirit and conquer
him/herself in their own endeavor.
To reach
certain levels, you must push yourself out of your comfort zone naturally and
with reason. Don’t be just jumping into something already advanced and think
you won’t be sore or get hurt, that just makes you a moron. Instead focus on
the progressive elements of what you’re capable of and little by little keep
pushing. Testing your limits are tests of your will power, how far you’re
willing to go. There is a bit of a price but it’s worth everything you've put
your heart into. Some people go so deep it might end up crippling them, others
keep edging and finding what they’re capable of and in doing so learn the value
of your mind and body’s strengths and weaknesses.
To become
superhuman is to follow simple and basic rules or you can come up with ones
suitable for you but the most basic ones are as follows:
- Never be satisfied with your training, keep learning.
- Train hard and smart, use your mind and body as if they’re the same thing.
- Sleep & Recover, very important in building the body and resting the mind
- Push yourself progressively, never take a short cut or you’ll end in a way you won’t like
- Value your true friends in your field for they’re the ones who give you the best advice and keep you motivated either through a conversation or just a few words.
One of my
favorite teachings to become superhuman is to follow your own path. This is one
of the toughest things to do and I’ll tell you why; people want to follow
someone else because they see how they do things and want to follow along but
never go beyond that. I realize some people like to do that P90X or Insanity
type programs and I’ll admit it’s better than nothing and if it works for them
awesome but they’re missing the big picture. You’re watching the DVDs and you
follow along as best as possible and if results come great, however, DVDs tend
to wear out or get scratched, stolen, ripped and whatever could happen how will
you do your workout? You going to pay another couple hundred bucks to get them
new? Think about it. I have my own
opinions about them but let me tell you something, just watching and following
along is really only good for techniques and tempos.
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Friday, July 12, 2013
Why Old School Is Superior
Back in the old days of the early 20th century,
you had workers in mining towns, quarries and other places where things needed
to be dug up, barreled out and transport heavy equipment or rock/stone that
weighed more than you can imagine. These men were extremely strong from this
back-breaking work and can topple just about any modern strength athlete today.
You want to talk about hard times, try being underground for 10-12 hours a day,
cutting, toppling and carrying out rock, stone and coal for a living. It’s a
point to learn what real strength is like.
In my
opinion Blacksmiths are some of the most underrated artists in their
profession. There are paintings in Paris that are as beautiful as a smoking hot
woman but when you assemble a weapon or a crafting tool by your very own hands,
the labor, the grip strength, the mind and precision is just off the charts.
Blacksmiths are very rare today because you have machines that cut down the
object making to a 1/3 of the time. These guys were very good at what they did
and the strength of their hands was second to none. I wouldn't doubt some of
those guys would be able to bend tough steel or crush your hand by shaking it
or squeezing it. There’s a lot we can learn from them.
If there
was the type of athlete we should strive to learn from is that of the ancient
athletes of the remote past especially the original Olympic athletes of Greece and Rome
long before the modern games came into play. You had guys that can most likely
destroy athletes of today. In India ,
wrestlers were the best soldiers the old empire had because of the discipline,
the conditioning and the level of strength that came when they were called upon
for war. Milo of Croton would lift and carry a calf everyday, as the calf got
older and bigger, Milo would still pick it up and carry him on his shoulders,
when the calf matured into a full-size bull, Milo
was still at it carrying this massive animal. This was one of the first
documented ways to progress to a heavier weight. In the middle ages, you had to
be tough as a knight because of the armor you wore was pretty damn heavy and
still had to have precise accuracy and strength to fight in battle.
How can we
learn and use to create certain methods for old school strength and fitness?
For starters, want to get an idea of what it’s like to work in a rock Quarry, get
a tire and a sledgehammer and hit that tire for as long as you can. To simulate
moving and carry something heavy, lift odd objects and/or sandbags and carry
them a certain distance. Learn the ancient traditions of Indian Wrestling by
swinging the Clubs and the Mace, when you’re doing them right you’re carrying
on a legacy that has lasted for centuries. Don’t have equipment, learn how to
handle your body in awkward positions by moving like an animal in the wild, or
learn how to use natural movements that the very first men had to learn;
sprinting, jumping, crawling, lifting/carrying kind of like moving like Tarzan.
Push-ups and Squats are great foundational movements if you’re in a closed-in
space or learn how to handle your body similar to a gymnast or wrestler. These
modern fads in fitness today really cannot compare to those who actually had to
bust their ass back in the day, training can be fun as I've always emphasized
but to really get to what you want, it’s training hard and smart that gets you
the best results.
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Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Combo Workouts To Make Things Interesting
Its fun when you combine things together and make them
unique but not many people think they’re that creative and just follow others’
movements and just don’t learn how to use their brain. Not saying training isn't
a bad thing, whatever works is cool but when you bring certain things together
because it’s what you’d want to do, it’s a whole different ball game.
When you
create certain workouts, sometimes you need a place to do them. A park with
benches, swings, bars and walkways make up for a very unique training
experience. Another example would be your backyard or garage if you have room,
building and setting up your own style of training. Say you want Kettlebells in
one corner, Maces/Clubs in another area & a pull-up bar or rack in the back
and you've got it made, maybe you’d like to have some Odd Objects laying around
and picking them up at random moments in the workout who knows. For you
Bodyweight Practitioners, you can do things just about anywhere and have just
as much fun without ever spending a freaking dime. Here’s an example if you’re
up to the task….
Do a kettlebell snatch for a minute or two
5-10 reps of Bridging Gymnastics
Lunge to the furthest odd object you have and lift it
100 Squats
50 Push-ups
50 Tire Swings with a Thor and/or Sledgehammer
Do a couple rounds and finish off with some stretching
Now that workout might seem a bit advanced but it’s very
random and it’s unique. Pick exercises and combine them into what works for you
or try something different and see how it turns out while understanding how
your body reacts.
The best
thing you can do for yourself is go outside the norm. Make things work for you
that others can’t fathom of doing, not to prove anything towards them but to
prove to yourself that you can step outside the box and have fun with what you
have. Be resourceful, learn to see things differently. If anyone knows how to
make oddball exercises work its Steve Justa, he just finds things and works
with them in unique ways like lifting up a tire off a 2000 pound truck or
holding an isometric for an hour straight hell he’ll even circle around a 500
pound stone or barrel just for kicks. The more you learn to do things outside
the box, you begin to understand the limitless potential to become super strong
and crazy fit.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Discovering What You Love
Fitness is about discovery, finding what drives you to be in
shape and live a better life physically, emotionally and spiritually. Some find
it and learn to keep it going with changes, new ways to challenge and again
learn, others take years and don’t get anywhere because they don’t know what
really works and drag themselves along and then there are those that just hate
it and let’s leave it at that.
Being in
shape is great don’t get me wrong, you look awesome and can do cool things but
it’s important to explore new possibilities. What can you do to challenge
yourself and create different goals and setting them? There are people who get
in shape just to look like a hot shot and impress others, more power to them
for that but that can only go so far, if you look awesome but you’re an asshole
what good are you? Find ways to not only stay in shape but have the strength
and endurance to back it up. Explore what is out there, moving in different directions, being out of the gym and having to find a way to train. In the gym
it’s automatic; there’s weights, machines, mats, cardio stuff all there for you
but it’s a closed in space. Now go outside and find how to adapt and move freely with the environment around you, very different huh?
One of the
things I believe in is using your instincts, valuing intuition and sensing how
you do things, feel and understand. It’s like the Force in Star Wars; you sense
things around you, how you think and using your intuitive powers to find
different meanings. If you trust your instincts and follow your energy and
understanding it you’ll discover things you never thought before but there’s a
dark side to it (just like Star Wars) you have to pay attention or your
instincts can betray you. Learn and pay attention to how your body and mind
respond to certain things, just because you think them doesn't always make them
true. Follow how you respond to things, the more positive they are, the more
likely you’ll love doing it but also pay attention to the negative things, if
you are in pain or just don’t feel that something’s right, then you need to
adjust and find something different.
Have fun
with what you do, keep it interesting and learn to get better at it. Learn to
flow with things and do what you can to resist pushing too hard too fast (I've
done it and I've paid for it). Have patience and make it a habit to be strong
and believe that things will go the way they’re suppose to. The universe
works in odd ways but there’s always a way to make it work for you. Learn the
attitude, trust in yourself and be joyful to make things in your life happen.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Real Reasons To Be Super Strong
So you lifted a heavy weight and/or bent some steel &
can do pretty gnarly bodyweight exercises, big freaking deal. Sure it’s cool to
do those things but what do they really mean? Becoming strong isn't always
about how much you can handle, it’s about building the strength that you can
use in certain situations when troubled or being needed is called for. Have you
ever been in a situation where you might need to save someone’s life or help
your friends & family when they move? I’m sure the latter is more common
for you but the first one is a real eye opener. Let me give you a prime example
of this….
I went to a concert once with a girlfriend back in the day,
it was fun even though everyone around us was having a bit too much weed and
the room was hot as hell. All of a sudden out of nowhere she just passes out
right in the middle of the crowd and I panicked like any guy would but I had to
do something, with little to no help I picked her up off the floor and this is
dead weight I mind you. She was fine after catching her breath and I helped her
out the concert doors so she can call her mom somewhere.
It’s those
things where being a strong person is most crucial. Am I saying this to scare
any of you or give you a big wake up call? In some ways yes, sure I can be all
fun, have a kick ass time but I can also tell you how scary life can be when
someone’s is at risk and you have to be prepared for the unexpected.
Be prepared
to have unexpected times being called upon you and one of the best ways is
build a foundation that will have you stay functionally strong and aware of
certain things. Helping someone move or working your body in different
environments such as construction, carpentry, mining, being a blacksmith,
military, law enforcement or whatever is important to keep a good strong body
intact.
One thing
I've learned for nearly a decade is one of the things you hear like in Captain America
from Dr. Erskine “A strongman, who has known power all his life, may lose
respect for that power, but a weak man, knows the value of strength and that’s
compassion.” There are a lot of strong guys out there but very few know their
strength’s true value but there are also the average Joes who have a power that can express extraordinary abilities when you or they least expect them. Don’t go
looking to save someone just for the spotlight that just makes you an asshole
in the end; learn to use your strength when you need it the most, that’s one of
things training is all about.
The next
time you train, sure have fun with it, use your imagination and have a kick ass
time but at the same time, in your mind you’re doing these crazy things for a
good cause because you never know when the time comes to use what you have
built. In your life you may never have to use your strength but you never know
don’t you? Train hard, help each other and be safe.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
When Is It Time To Change Things Up?
People in fitness like to hang onto a routine, having a
routine in the first place feels comfortable. Having one is used mainly as a
goal, if you’re a beginner or more advanced and it’s in your comfort zone and
you’re use to it. The trap however is if you keep doing the same things over
and over again eventually your progress begins to die out, results aren't
coming in, you’re frustrated but also those who have a routine and stuck with
it for a long period of time also eventually begin to only know that routine
and don’t know how to change it.
I know what
it’s like being burnt out, your body begins to take a toll on you and it’s time
to make a change because your mind needs to be fresh, your body needs to
re-energize and your exercise routine needs to bring out a bigger and exciting
challenge. I was on a routine for about over a month doing mostly push-ups,squats and bridging using a deck of cards. What I've noticed lately is due to
the excess work over 3-4 times a week is that I've gotten stronger and have
more endurance but my shoulders and knees are breaking down on me and need to
stop. Most likely I’ll change it to 1-2 times a week because with the cards
you’re looking at a minimum of 388 squats and 238 push-ups (I make it 400/250
to make certain goals) and the bridging is hard enough as it is.
When your
body begins to hurt more than it should from a routine, change your pace, use
less volume or learn to exercise the joints, tendons and ligaments so you don’t
get an injury. Find something fresh and fun to do because if you overload the
body without using multi-directional exercises you can get hurt and you will be
in pain. Also being burnt out means your mind isn't there anymore and if you
keep it up, your mind just goes dead and you’re going through exercises like a
zombie, it’s not fun and you’re getting the results you want and it’s bad for
your health.
There are
people (I happen to be one of them) who has a bit of ADD which means they can’t
always pay attention to what they’re doing and they change things up
frequently. This has been a bit of a habit for me because quite frankly I hate
routines; aside from doing the deck of cards and some of the bridging for the
last month and a half I’m constantly doing different exercises. This could also
mean people like to go by feel, what they’re in the mood for. Some days they’ll
do odd object lifting, other days gymnastics and even every once in a blue moon
they’ll just hammer out whatever energy they have and try to go as far as they
can go. Be careful how you do things but at the same time have fun and learn to
use your imagination.
Here’s
another reason to change things up; boredom. I've been there and seen plenty of
guys in the gym do this and that’s being bored as hell with what you’re doing.
If you’re not having fun and your routine is dull and what I like to use from
the movie Your Highness is what Prince Thaddeus refers to as “It sounds tedious
and boring” then you need some serious changes my friend (watch the movie and
try to say it like he does, you’ll perk right up). You should never be bored
with what you do. Want to know what boring is, look in the magazines and the
routines they have, most of that shit is boring to do and who the hell can
finish them in the amount of time it needs? Find a way to train that gives you
freedom and challenging. Find what gives you a reason to train, make it
interesting and use the power of being happy with what you do. An exercise
program is supposed to make you feel good, not terrible and hurt; it gives you
energy and happiness not dark and un-eventful.
The
ultimate reason to change things up is to create a new challenge. If you can do
a deck of cards doing push-ups and squats in full within a period of time after
a while, it gets easy, how do you make it harder? Double the push-ups and/or
squats and see how far you get. That’s an example, how about doing animal movements? Eventually you’ll get the exercise down and you need a change of
pace, to make it more challenging, move slower to the point where you hold a
position isometrically and then take a slow step.
Everything
needs a challenge so we can learn to grow mindfully and get stronger physically
because when you challenge yourself, you learn new things, how to make the
exercise a bit more difficult or the tempo and timing of the workout. Maybe
you’ll do a challenge once a week/month/year whatever but do it and find new
ways to make it interesting and learn how to handle yourself in certain
situations. Growth is a natural part of life so what makes exercise any
differently? Get to it and change things up, you may find certain things more
fun to do than others.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Having Fun With Your Brothers/Sisters In Physical Culture
When you’re apart of a group that has great admiration for
fitness and willing to help you in any way possible, they become more like a
family sort of speaks. It’s that camaraderie that just has that special bond
that you don’t get from other people in your life. It’s when some of us get
together and you never know what’s going to happen. One of my best friends in
this type of world is Logan Christopher and he’s one of the first guys that
helped me shape up what I’ am today. Whenever I hang out with him, he always
ends up putting me in some weird workout situation, one time he pretty much
threw me into a kettlebell contest, he even got me on the rock climbing walls
after kicking my ass in warm ups, even pushed me to get better at bridging.
It’s all about making someone better and the right people will talk to you.
Helping
each other out is one of the coolest things in the world. Sometimes we struggle
to make a goal or at times you doubt yourself, that’s when they give you that
big slap in the face (figuratively and literally at times) to wake your ass up
and make things happen. I had one of those experiences when I spent time with
Bud Jeffries when he came around my town in Idaho . He helped me out by putting things in
another perspective and from his knowledge and wisdom I learned a lot from him
in a very short period of time. When you have someone or some people like that,
it’s very rare to find and it be wise to be around those types of people. Even
when they might try to hook you up with a couple girls at Wal-Mart (thanks
Bud).
There are
people in your life that want to bring you down but they do what they can to
hide about it and some are right in your face. When those people don’t believe
in you, there will be people that will and they’ll go out of their way at times
to tell you so and show you why they do. Being around positive people that
share similar goals and want to help you in any way they can, those are the
people you want in your life. There are plenty of men and women I've met and
even more that I've chatted with more than being in person with but the
principles are still the same. I love helping others because I had the
opportunity to be helped out by those same people and want to pass that on.
Doesn't matter what color your skin is, your background, religion, creed,
passion you’re another human being like me who’s doing their best to make it in
this world.
In the
world of Physical Culture, just like everybody else sometimes there’s a bit of
chaos but in a good way, when you have a group of guys who train their asses
off and then get together at a restaurant, its bound to get loud at times,
telling stories, cracking jokes and even learn a few tips. Other times when you
hang out with each other, they’ll push you like no one else will and at times
there’s no remorse. You hear stories go around that are just plain strange and
others are just funny as hell (Bud told me a story about Dennis Rogers that
just made crack up). Even with all that shit going on, you’ll know when they
have your back and give you that love and respect for one another even when one
of them is a bit nuts but then again we’re all nuts in our special way.
You are
never alone and you’ll learn sooner or later who your brothers/sisters are in
this wacky world because there comes a time when everything is in its place and
you share things with other people that even your own family will never
understand. It goes back to that bond you don’t see much in this day and age. Find
them, learn from them and help each other out because eventually, success will
be well in reach and you’ll soon find out how you got there.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Powerful Functional Legs
It is one of the most solid foundations to have strong,
agile, functional and powerful legs. If you’re in a sport, your legs are your
carryover. You can’t kick a soccer ball, score a touchdown, jump shoot a
basketball or run the bases in baseball without the use of your legs. It is
important to have the best legs possible, not just in sports but in real life,
if you’re in law enforcement you might need to run down a suspect, if you’re a
strongman you might need to use your legs for certain feats like bending or
maybe pulling a large object like a truck possibly. You see way too many guys
in the gym that have flamingo legs meaning large upper body and bird legs.
Never fall for this.
Having a
powerful lower body is essential to the many things life offers but power
doesn't always mean super strong, it’s crucial to also have flexible and supple
joints, tendons and ligaments. I know this all too well because of the recovery
from my accident 8 years ago. I started out with squats but as I learned
flexibility training it became more important. Stretching is a key to lifelong
health so it’s important to find the best ways to keep you from having burned
out legs as you get older. Remember to learn to relax as you stretch, the key
is to release tension because the more relaxed you are, you can be more
explosive and powerful later on.
We all know
the key to superhuman legs is squats but that’s not the only exercise that
builds them. Squats are usually the straight up and down exercise but what
about directional movements or isometric holds for different directions. When
you lift odd objects, your legs aren't always going to go up and down, you need
to move in different patterns to lift certain things like Rocks, kegs, logs and
furniture. You want to keep strong in every direction possible. Think of it
like wrestling; you don’t always shoot in for the kill, you need to shift the
body for certain moves or holds that require flexibility otherwise you’re just
going to be stiff and you’re down for the count.
The single
most important reason the legs need to be super strong is because they also
build crazy lung power which amps up your conditioning. I have repeated it so
many times but certain people need to get this planted into their brain, the
late Karl Gotch has said “Conditioning is your best hold.” This means the more
conditioned you are, the longer you can go and can stay in the game. This goes
for everything. Endurance is essential and yes it’s possible to have big legs
and still have insane stamina (Great Gama anyone). You don’t always need high
volume training to build endurance and certain things won’t build lung power
the way you might think. Powerful muscle and endurance go hand in hand. Keep
your legs strong, supple and crazy powerful because you never know when they
might come in handy when the time calls for them.
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