The Dying Art Lives Again At Coney Island

           Strongmen have been apart of American Culture since the early 20^th century and have performed countless feats in various cities across the country. One of these areas however holds a special place in the heart in some of the modern strongmen today and that’s the infamous Coney Island Strongman show in Coney Island, NY where legends like Warren Lincoln Travis, Joe Greenstein aka The Mighty Atom and others performed some of the most awesome feats in history. For many decades after the vaudeville shows were diminishing and slowly dying out, there have been a small group of people to help bring back the one show that got people’s attention way back as far as the 1920’s or earlier.

                       

            Imagine being able to perform or even witness a strongman show that just has so much history it hurts to think about at times. Your best feats performed at the very same spot where a little man stood out more than men twice his size and opened up his heart by performing feats that gave people hope and love for an awesome show. Ever thought of performing at your best with the best by your side?

            Think of what you can create to put on a show that makes people’s jaw drop, cheer loud and see your passion at hand right in front of their very own eyes. Perform at a level unlike anything you’ve done before and learn the very secrets of how to hone your creativity to perform better than at any other time. You have a passion to do wicked awesome feats like Bar Bending, Tearing Decks Of Cards, Rolling Frying Pans, Tear Phone Books like a piece of paper and other feats that will be shared.

            The man that will teach you these very same skills, techniques, crowd control and other facets of the Strongman game is Chris Rider; a world-renowned strongman has performed some of the craziest feats and not just bending steel and tearing phone books but doing feats with his hair and has coached some of the strongest performers today. He is hosting a seminar that will teach you various feats that you can perform in a show and will give you insights on what materials to use, technique, develop showmanship, how to train for your feats and much more in one 8-hour workshop. Here at the Coney Island Strongman Spectacular Seminar you will find out more details on where this awesome seminar will be and perform at a whole other level.

            Will you rise up and become a better performer? Chris and his friend Adam Realman will show you key ingredients to take your strength and your mind to the next level in a way that only Rider & Realman can do. It is your opportunity and your chance to shine and amp your potential even higher. They’re looking for up-incoming strongmen to go even further not just in strength but as a performer and show the real deal in a show. Better hurry up because this will go out fast so jump on the bandwagon and hone your skills to greater heights.

The Fun Of Doing Feats Of Strength

          Back in the vaudeville days of the early 20^th century and even today in some areas, there were men and women performing various feats of strength that would get the crowd roaring and make their jaws drop in amazement. In the fitness world today, almost nobody does even a few feats because it’s not up to their standards and don’t want to go to that other level but I believe you’re a little different. You can learn various feats because the human body is capable of doing things we still haven't discovered yet.

            When you train in certain feats whether it’s nail bending, card tearing, ripping phone books in half, scrolling steel or even pick up an awkward heavy object; make it interesting, find what makes them fun to do and perform in a way that’s geared towards who you are and what you represent. I've seen guys who try to copy another’s performance or try to be something they're not but I've also seen guys who have a unique way of performing or even just training to where yes it’s a little odd but it’s cool at the same time. Being unique is never a bad thing, you are one person and you have the right to become anything you want to be if you set your mind to it.

            Even if you don't aspire to be a performing strongman you can still make the most out of your strength feats by just playing around and build your body a little differently. Some people take aerobics classes, run on the treadmill, lift weights, do complicated programs (Insanity anyone?) but then there are those who do things a little out of the ordinary, they use their bodies in ways most would run away from. Imagine steel that’s not meant to bend just melt in your very own hands or tearing up decks of cards like a piece of paper or lever heavy sledgehammers to your face without smashing into it. It is beautiful when you get it down to a “T”. One of my favorite feats which I have performed in front of more than 600 kids and adults is where I bend a 6 inch spike into a U while holding the wrestler’s bridge with my nose touching the floor. Most people can't even hold a bridge like that let alone bend a spike that big so it’s an awesome feeling to be able to do that. Work on different feats and find ones that you find exciting to you and want to perform the most of, this helps you find your niche and find your creative side.

            Taking certain feats to a new level is the fascinating thing in the world of Physical Culture. On video I've seen a guy rip a deck of cards while being hung by his neck, another in person where he had a plate on his stomach and someone from 8-10ft up drops a bowling ball on top of it, why not rip a phonebook while hanging upside down; there are many unique ways to do a feat but I advise you to not go so crazy like a WWE show but you can do things that nobody else can do and that’s where taking it to another level is just that much sweeter. You have more power in you than you would believe and you have gifts that people would envy but never think you’re not good enough. You want to be different and you are different so do what makes you happy. Don’t be someone else, they’re already taken, be who you are and have fun with it. 

The Very Best Physiques?

           When you look back on the legendary facets of Physical Culture, you’ll notice that some of the classic bodybuilders of their era had some of the greatest physiques even by today’s standards. These men didn’t just rely on bodybuilding, they also relied on their strength as well that was unheard of in that time especially since quite a number were strongmen.

            One of these very exceptional specimens was the great Eugene Sandow; he looked like he was carved from granite. Others that were like him had mighty biceps, powerful torsos and as some of them were also had narrow waists. In that day and age they were the object of perfection.

            A great way that some of these guys did to achieve that muscular, rugged and chiseled look was by bending tough steel, in this case; long bar bending. They took these lengthy pieces of steel and mold them into designs with their very own hands doing such shapes as a fish, paper clip and even clover leafs. It was jaw dropping for most people to believe that a man would have the guts to take steel and make it something into a form of art.

            This type of training alone required very intense pushing and pulling while the body moved in different directions during a particular bend. It is also one of the most intense forms of isometric contraction so the fatigue factor in the muscles is often equaled to at least an hour long workout although it would take as short as 10-20 min. to complete a bend.

            Jedd Johnson one of my friends in Physical Culture has become quite the expert in the art of Steel Bending. Although he has dabbed in conventional weight lifting, muscle building and strength workouts, he loves to bend steel with a passion. Here’s a list of the things he has bent over the years that would blow your mind and I’m not kidding you these are tough, rough and hard steel to even budge let alone complete….

-Frying Pans

-60D Penny Nails

-Horseshoes

-8 inch adjustable wrenches

-10+ ft long steel bars

Here’s a pic of Jedd himself doing what’s called a Scroll.

            He has also just released a powerful 2 DVD course that teaches you The Art Of Scrolling. These DVDs will show you the inside secrets to how the old-time strongmen were masters at this art. He shows you how to make beautiful designs with your bare hands and with strength you cannot get anywhere else.

            Along with fellow strongman and strength giant Bud Jeffries, they bent 6 different pieces of steel on this DVD series and donated them to a benefit for the daughter of of of Jedd’s old high school classmate who’s got a severe form of brain cancer and it was a huge hit. If you want to challenge yourself in a different format of strength training, this could be exactly what you’re looking for.

            Wouldn't it be awesome to feel the steel in your hands as it gives way in your wrath? Even if you have no desire to be a strongman you can still forge your body into a modern day Sandow filled to the brim with mighty muscle and iron cord-like tendons. Click Here To Find Out More.

            Remember now, this was just released so the price right at this minute is the lowest it’ll be for a short period of time. If you happen to live overseas you can get the course immediately by getting the digital download without the hassle of shipping costs or any of that customs stuff. Get The Art Of Scrolling today and never look at training the same way ever again.

The Scrolls Of A Dying Art

              What is a dying art? It is a system of something that once thrived long ago and in the modern day has started fading away into a memory or became a joke even to the point where it’s not taken serious anymore. In the fitness world, lost arts from 100+ years ago have begun to fade into the memories of those who done them in the past and/or very few still do them for example: Muscle Control was an old-time art of the bodybuilders from the 1890’s to about 1950’s/60’s. This art thrived as it was a way to learn how to control your body from within to create muscular definition and/or mass naturally with the body’s structural alignment. This is one of many but only one had many exciting qualities that are now coming out of the ashes slowly and with power.

            One of these dying arts that are slowly rising like a phoenix is the Art Of Scrolling. What is scrolling you might ask; it is a style from the old-time strongmen that used long pieces of steel from thin to relatively thick that were bent into shapes or designs using only the hands and body. In the old books from the early 20^th century called this coiling or shaping steel. This was a mighty task to take because it works the body in ways that you have never felt before. To shape steel with your hands can be taxing but if you do it right it builds the tendons and muscles with strength that is unbelievable.

            I have personally have done some scrolling with tough steel and I’m going to tell you, it’s tough, it’s hard but it’s way more fun than most feats in the world of strongmen. You don’t need to be a strongman to get the best benefit. This can be used by athletes from all walks of life from martial artists to arm wrestlers to baseball and more. If you’re not interested in sports and just want a great workout, this will get the job one. The way your body has to shift to move the steel is uncanny and a lot of it has an isometric component to it. It will make you sweat and once you start to move the steel you have to keep going until it’s too difficult to move a single portion of the bend. You can create many designs that your mind can come up with and they may not always be the same.

            Today, very few people practice this art and some are incredible with various designs and shapes that boggle the mind. Imagine creating a wine holder with your own hands; a bow-tie, a couple loops, a swan and more with the power of your imagination and physical strength. Two guys that are keeping this art alive and giving you an opportunity to shine are Bud Jeffries & Jedd Johnson, two extremely strong and intelligent men that will show how to safely and with precise coordination how to turn a steel bar into a thriving piece of art that even Picasso would be impressed by. It is an art that has been fading for decades but with your help, we can bring this art of strength back into what it once was or what it could be with the modern strongmen of today. Build tendons of Iron Cords, build strength within every inch of your body and utilize your mind to create something that is beautiful and strong with character and imagination. 

Train To Move

           The power of movement is essential to everyday life. In fitness when people think of movement, they think roaming on elipticals, moving weights around, aerobic exercise and other types of stuff. That’s all good in some cases but what I’m talking about by movement is using different functions of the body that keeps you healthy, free and open to channel the body by squatting, running, jumping, climbing, lifting and carrying weight and making the habit to be practical and utilizing every inch of your body to it’s potential. Functional Movement is precise in what brings the body as a whole as you move through various patterns, using as many muscles as possible in any given time.

            When it comes to sitting, we usually bring ourselves to sitting in chairs or our beds sometimes but never take the time to actually squat and sit that way or move in the squat. This exercise can help build the tendons and ligaments in the knees and build strength in those muscles. Jumping has become a meaning to use in sports or in other endeavors but never for any real fun anymore, when was the last time you felt like jumping and playing hopscotch or something? Lifting doesn’t always mean heavy but it means picking up an object of certain weight, moving with the weight by carrying it is pretty fun to do, think of carrying a heavy backpack or picking a 50 pound rock and carrying it a certain distance then tossing it. We all know how running goes, personally I’m not a fan of running but I like to sprint and amp up my body’s metabolism so that’s a form of running.

            Some movements are in awkward positions like moving in an animal type fashion like Bear Crawls, hanging and swinging like an ape or climbing like a gecko, your body was meant to move in all sorts of directions granted how you’re structured and the way your body can operate in a certain movement. Even walking in an awkward terrain or non-flatted areas is moving in an awkward position and changing directions as you go along. When you can move in an awkward position, you’re utilizing other muscles you normally don’t use.

            When you move, you have a greater chance of having a longer, healthier life if you practice enough to where you’re using practical movements, progressing and utilizing your mind at the same time. I love moving around even when I’m out in the snow hitting a tire with my Sledgehammer; I’m giving my body strength and heading towards specific goals of movement. I even love to just move around in the living room, stretching my body out and jumping & crawling just for the fun of it. 

          To understand the fun of movement, look to what Mary Poppins says by “in every job that must be done there’s an element of fun. You find the fun and snap the job’s a game.” This applies the same way as moving in your training, you learn to imagine having fun with what you’re doing and making it more enjoyable instead of feeling like you have to punish yourself. This helps having a longer life by using your imagination and building a happy attitude to what you do and incorporate it to other things in your life.