Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Sprints Without Needing To Run

    When people think of sprinting, normally you'd think running very fast as hard as possible on a track/field, up hills and stairs but yet sprinting can be used in a variety of ways where you don't always need to run your ass off. As far as I'm concerned Hill Sprints and hard running on a field for up to 30 seconds is the very best method for burning fat faster than anything else. Some of you may not have that luxury due to being in certain places that doesn't have hills or you live in a city that uses more of the elevator and also weather can be a factor. I'm all for training in nearly any type of weather but I realize some of you like to be in inside and want to train in that environment or somewhere around your home.


 

    My training varies from practicing chi kung to hard hitting sledgehammer work and I even practice DDP Yoga from to time but if I want a quick workout that doesn't take a lot of time and is easy to set up, I go out to my driveway and work with my 50ft one inch thick rope and go to war on Battling Ropes. It has become a great trend lately in the last couple years due to its major influence from old-time strongman John Brookfield. Because of the way you need to use your arms to make those kick ass waves takes a ton of strength and coordination that it's almost impossible to not burn fat doing this. Although there is more than one way to sprint, I find this the most fun and interesting because you can vary the exercises by going in different directions, different grips and more often than not changing the tempo while maintaining a good clip and velocity that makes you sweat from head to toe within a few minutes or less.


 

    If you want a workout that will smoke you quick and you're pressed for time; do this and you'll be cooked like a Xmas goose in 10 min. Go after this workout once you have the basic exercises down and are efficient to keep going.


 

-30 seconds on/15 seconds off

Go for up to 10-15min. in this fashion.


 

It is brutal, hardcore and will test your limits and your creativity as you generate a great amount of strength and endurance that shape you into a machine.


 

    When it comes down to it, just training with the ropes a few times a week will generate a great deal of natural HGH (Human Growth Hormone). Because of the benefits of strength and cardio at the same time, the exercises will take your lungs and your breathing to the next level and you're working the whole body by holding a stance with your legs or squatting depending on the exercise and working your arms, shoulders, back, grip and anything else you can think of. This type of sprinting burns fat like crazy and the amount of strength you generate is immense. Think about it especially if you're over 35 or 40 to bring up your levels of natural testosterone and power up your metabolism like when you a kid. For women, this helps awesomely for strengthening the arms to get rid of that fat from the upper arms, being in a quarter squat for a period of time taking fat out of your glutes, thighs and hamstrings and building a killer core because you have to stabilize a certain position in order to stay efficient for the movement. It doesn't take up much time but if you want to train longer that's fine too, Brookfield can go for an hour without stopping so there are a great amount of possibilities. Get fit fast without wasting your time on hours of endless training that won't get you anywhere. Unless you're a pro athlete or training for competition, 45 min. to an hour of training should be your max and using compound movements that hit multiple muscles.


 

Be awesome and rope yourself into a powerfully fit body with endurance to back it up.


 

    
 


 

Friday, September 26, 2014

My Unusual Way Of Researching

    As a fitness fanatic, I always find certain ways to get stronger, interested in cool programs, watch films, listen to music and read books. There are certain phrases done in a certain tone that help me discover a way to unlock my brain power into training differently. I guess you can say I'm a total nerd when it comes to this stuff. Although I love fitness my research doesn't involve it. I have a very unusual way of laughing pretty much any time I wanted which is a workout in itself if you really understand it; I can think of something funny at the top of my head out of nowhere and I just start laughing my ass off. After I have a good laugh, my body is more relaxed, calmer, full of life and I can train very efficiently. Laughter is an awesome tool to help you train if you learn to apply it.


 

    The way I see things and hear things is different than most people. When I see an action flick or a scene that is emotionally intense, I see an opportunity to learn how to make my training more fun or serious to do. Remember those scenes in No Country For Old Men where the guy is just so cold he doesn't hesitate killing someone, its not one of those "maybe I'll kill you" kind of character it's destiny and that's the way it's going to be, most see that as a cold-blooded murderer with a psycho entity but me; I see intense focus and yes it's evil but for you it's a way of learning to channel your focus on what you want to do. How about listening to a certain quote not just reading it but how it's sounded. Reading a quote can be done in many ways but the way it sounds is more powerful, it can make you laugh or cry, make you think or it can destroy your way of seeing things. You can take some of the most ridiculous quotes from music, film, books and turn them into some of the most intense sayings. Kind of like a workout that just looks weird, odd and unorthodox and yet can turn it into the most intense and sweat drenching workout of your life and you're so focused it makes people run instead of laugh at. I have done workouts playing the animal dice game from Animal Kingdom Conditioning and yes some are tough and some a relatively easy but even doing what's called the Cartoon Workout which consists of looking at the exercises as your favorite characters can be the most brutal and fun workout of your life and you'll never see those characters the same way again.


 

    For a while now I've looked into certain aspects of Mythology from the Greeks, Norse, Irish and even Vampires to study not only the strength and superhuman entities of these beings but the way they're personality is conducted and how they live that can be both a blessing and a curse. Like the Vampire that has extraordinary gifts of sight, strength and speed but yet has to live with the fact that it's main source of food is blood. Also given its lifespan can last 100's of years which means knowledge and learning different aspects of culture throughout time. How does this apply to training? Well, you learn things you normally don't learn from other places, you're not into learning the normal way of training, you want to be crazy strong, super-fast and want to find out how to increase your length of life at the same time gain knowledge of the foremost secrets that mainstream people don't know, like an underground thing. In all of mythology there is always some power hungry god or goddess that think they're hot shit and if you don't worship them they'll find a way to destroy you in some form or another; we as humans can relate to that because we have people that are so full of themselves that if we think differently of them in a way they don't approve they'll get rid of you or put you down in some form or another. Think about it from a fitness point of view, there are "top gurus" who tell people that they're way to train is the only way and if you strike back at them because you have a different opinion they'll give you shit for it. Truth is we are all different and we can't do things the same way so in order to make something successful happen, we need to find a way to learn what can be the best for us and makes us the very best of ourselves. Train according to your needs and use exercises that use your potential to become very good at what you do.


 

    The few people who know this I'm a total movie buff (if you don't believe me than you ought to learn about my collection). Ever since I was a kid, movies have been my way to get away, have a few laughs, get pumped up or spend time with family and friends. I have many favorites from Indiana Jones to Spaceballs, Star Wars to cult films like The Big Labowski and yes I like some of the dumbest films ever like Adam Sandler films to Will Ferrell but I also like Marvel Films like the Avengers series, X-Men and Blade and even DC stuff like Batman & Superman. I get pumped every time I watch Indy or get great ideas about training from Pumping Iron and I even get a kick out of the sarcasm and references used in the Avengers. As a fitness fanatic, this is an incredible way for me to learn how to channel my focus when I train because of the way a character moves or his intensity in a scene helps me find an intense way to focus so much on what I do that nothing else gets past me. The Expendables are awesome to watch because you have the nostalgic thing of seeing the greatest action stars in one flick and you can't help but want to train and just get that flow of testosterone going.


 

Happy Friday everyone and have a kick ass weekend. If you have a weird way of researching ways to train or have an unusual way of doing what you love, that's great. If it makes you happy and it helps you be unique than don't ever let it go. You may have the most oddball way of learning things and you know what, that's awesome because you found a way to do what works for you. Keep it up and use it to make yourself successful.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Why Join The Matt Furey Inner Circle?

    Before I could walk again in 2005, I learned about this guy who was a wrestler, world champion in Kung Fu and practiced Bodyweight Exercises. I bought a book of his called Combat Conditioning and it seemed interesting. I didn't want to do regular rehab like most people would after an injury so I made a vow when I did learn to walk again I would do the exercises from this book to help me along the way. First month sucked as I only did the Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups and the Bridge. Couldn't do more than 25 squats, 15 push-ups and 30 sec. of the bridge felt like an eternity. I never gave up because although I couldn't do a damn thing at first, my legs were getting stronger and I was having more energy than I could possibly imagine. Within 6-7 months of just pure bodyweight training, I did over 1000 squats in a workout, over 300 push-ups and could hold the bridge for 5 min. anytime I wanted. I was hooked ever since I got that book and many more courses from Furey and he helped change my way of training forever. Nearly 10 years later, bodyweight training is still my main style of training adding in cables, hammers, mace and a few strongman stuff in the mix.


 

    When I first signed up for Furey's Inner Circle a few years after buying Combat Conditioning, I learned things there that couldn't possibly be worth using in public styled book or DVD because a lot of it was very different, not meant for hardcore bodybuilders or the typical gym rat. A lot of it was bodyweight stuff but adding in hill sprints, cable work and others it's just one of those things that you want to grab a hold of and never let go. I was on there off and on for a number of years but always found a way to learn something new from it and use to my style of training. You can't learn this stuff from a regular DVD/CD/Book because it wouldn't have that unique and mystical aspect of it. Think about it, if everyone knew all the secrets where is anything more to learn? In the Inner Circle you get to learn about training from a very different perspective and you get exclusive access to some of the most guarded secrets he has to offer. You think you know all there is to know about bridging? Think again. How about various squats you don't normally do or see anywhere else? I thought you knew about squat training. Why not how to run faster without adding tension to increase not only speed but to burn off fat faster than any other type of training? It's all about learning from different angles to give you the edge in health, fitness, sports and longevity.


 

    One of his recent forms of training came in the style of Neck Chi Kung. If you thought you knew about training the neck, this is goes beyond your own assumptions and what you have previously learned. It's not bridging although it helps and will make you neck stronger. This style of training is not hardcore and not meant to make you sweat hard or breathe heavily it's far from that; it teaches how to relax the neck and the body all the way down to the toes by moving in a much slower fashion to unlock and release tension from that area. First time I did this routine, I was hearing crackles from every square inch of my neck, traps, upper back and shoulders and that doesn't happen too often. I rarely if ever stay with routines because that's just how I roll but I trust Furey's judgment and do what I can to learn from him. His other style of training the neck is doing exercises based on the Tortoise because it's been said this animal is a symbol of longevity and one of its secrets is having a healthy neck. You move and hold the neck in certain positions, some I've never heard of before and they hit you like a bolt of lightning and you're not even doing a whole lot. The last thing I'll mention about this is his Bridging Chi Kung. This type of training alone is worth the price of the Inner Circle because it teaches how to relax in the hip, back and front bridges in a whole new way. Imagine holding the bridge with your arms in different positions that will make you stronger in every portion of your body and doing it only a few minutes a day; the routine lasts about 15 min. at best. Release all that tension in your back, neck, legs and torso as you sail through the day with vigor, internal power and agility unlike anything else.


 

    I like doing hardcore stuff from time to time like sprints, animal exercises, pulling on the chest expander with heavy cables, hit a tire with the Epic Sledgehammer, bend spikes, rip cards/phonebooks all kinds of stuff but I also like to train a little calmer, learn how to internalize my body and expand my energy from the inside. It's fitness on a whole other level and although it's not hardcore and bad-to-the-bone crazy, it's also tough, demanding and takes great concentration on a scale you can't find anywhere else. From walking backwards extremely slowly in 30 minutes to standing and just relaxing the body for several minutes to even sitting in a chair and letting go of the tension in my body by just breathing deeply and using a visualization technique its fitness within a different world that is needed. Do me a favor and sign up for the Matt Furey Inner Circle. At the moment you can get a yearly membership fairly cheap that is less than 10 bucks a month yet you get thousands of dollars' worth of info you can't get anywhere else. This cheap price won't last long because soon he's going to double it. It is one of the most awesome things you can do and it's far cheaper than going to a gym, buying lousy junk food, bottles of booze and even far cheaper than cigarettes that can kill your health far quicker. Be healthy and learn the very guarded secrets that will have you gaining more energy, strength, flexibility, explosiveness, stamina, mental clarity, emotional stability and can even help you in sports like never before.


 

Happy Thor's Day everyone. Be Awesome and get your hands on one of the most helpful resources on the planet.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Strengthen The Spine

    Lately I've had this one spot on the left side of my lower back that's been aggravating me. So far it's only painful when I sit or lay in a certain position but when I train or sit in a natural squat there's no pain whatsoever. So what I can I do to reduce the pain? I'm certainly not taking some kind of meds just temporarily ease the pain and unless I can't walk I'm not going to any doctor. I've decided to train my spine a little more and not just build muscles of the back (got plenty of that already) but want train the bones, the ligaments and make my spine the electric superpower it's meant to be. The spine is our foundation that is connected to the brain which wires all the nerves in the human body. If you have a spine injury, chances are you can be crippled for life or haven't learned the aspects of spinal training.


 

    One of the best ways to train the spine is by Bridging. This can be done in quite a few ways; one is what's known as the wrestler's bridge where you're on your head and feet are on the floor and the objective is to touch your nose to the floor. Another way would be is to go into a bridge where your hands and feet are only touching the floor; this called the Gymnastic Bridge or the Wheel Pose. The most common bridge you see people do is the Hip Bridge where you lay down, lift the hips off the floor and the only parts on the ground are the feet, upper back and shoulders. Bridging is one of the key ingredients to developing a healthy spine that builds that natural curvature and lengthening the torso that helps you lose fat, build muscle and have a strong body overall. In the Gymnastic Bridge you're practically lengthening the entire body and it's also one of the greatest forms of isometrics because it takes a lot of strength to hold the position. In the wrestler's bridge where you're on your neck and stretching everything from the neck down. Some discredit this exercise because it seems dangerous plus you're putting pressure on the neck when in fact the exercise helps increase blood flow to the brain, strengthens the legs and torso for the stabilizing muscles and it's regarded as a great way to get into a euphoric state or a natural high that de-stresses you and brings a calming sense of mental clarity.


 

`    An exercise I've been doing lately that really helps my spine is just hanging on my pull-up bar. By doing this, I'm stretching my entire body from the arms to the legs because just hanging there the flow of the body becomes a whole other realm of electric power within every vertebrae of the spine. This alone builds incredible grip strength, shoulder flexibility, eliminating those "love handles", creates better posture and you're getting a sense of what it's like to a wild ape like an orangutan, gorilla or Chimp. I ought to do this more often and so should you. As we age our spines start to shrink and compress until we are so hunched up that just by moving or straightening feels like a crowbar smacking every part of your body. In order to reverse this, lengthen your spine a few minutes a day and if you have trouble hanging, just do what you can and build up, eventually you'll be so strong you can hang for minutes on end.


 

    Another style of training I've used for my back from the muscles to the spine is doing DDP Yoga. You know I've written about this a few times but it bears repeating. DDP Yoga brings a whole new element to strength and stretching. Bringing the spine into play is the focal point of this because DDP learned how to recover from major back injuries from wrestling all those years ago and to bring that powerful lengthening to build a solid, strong and flexible spine to live without pain. In some of his exercises like the Cobra or the Diamond Cutter, they open up the spine like crazy and when you use Muscle Control as you move throughout the movement you're getting strength and cardio at the same time. Think about it; if you have a healthy spine you have more energy, greater sex drive, be able to flow through your favorite exercises with ease and you get to open up your breathing better. A powerful spine that is relaxed and pain-free creates better awareness and better posture. You're expanding your life force because the nerves in your body are just immensely powerful and it helps your internal organs become stronger which means better hormone levels, youthfulness, recover faster, burning off fat and living well past your prime (hell with a healthy spine you may not even peak beyond your 40's or more you'll just be in superb health).


 

Strengthen that spine everyone and live with happiness, pain-free, love and energetic power. Have a great Tuesday guys. Be awesome.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Benefits Of Animal Training

    The variety of fitness programs is endless. You have your infomercials, developing one-arm chin-ups, the next phase of bodybuilding, getting cardio from the latest trainer hell there's a way to tone your arms with a damn Shake Weight. Why do we get so caught up in all the hype and broken promises of what these programs produce? The truth is, even though there are endless ways to train only an extreme few create the best results and do so in a short amount of time that is healthy, interesting and useful. Animal Exercise is one of those extreme few and here's why; aside from the great benefits you're about to read, it's a style of exercise that can be incorporated into practically any routine, can be used to amplify your conditioning for your sport and it jump starts your cardio in a much more practical way than machines ever could.


 

    Here are a few benefits on why Animal Exercise is so powerful over many other programs….


 

  1. It produces greater amount of Natural Growth Hormone:


     

    Even with the latest injections of steroids and Performance Enhancers, they still can't produce the amount that Animal Exercise produces. The reason why is because when you move your whole body through a plane of motion, you're jump starting what is already natural in your nervous system. Moving like a wild animal for up to 20 minutes fires up the lungs, making you take in more oxygen and throws in powerful endorphins that feeds the blood in your body. Growth Hormone in its natural state produces gains in strength, sexual energy, lung capacity and the ability to recover. It's the compound movements that produce fast results.


     

  2. The Strength Gains become your biggest asset:


     

    Using multiple muscles in a single exercise produces a great deal of strength especially in the awkward positions animal training gets into. It's not easy moving your bodyweight in such powerful movements. Sure we can't be as strong as a gorilla or a tiger hell nowhere near the strength of a Rhino Beatle but we can adapt and strengthen our bodies in ways that weights and "human" exercise can't touch. Say you can do a few push-ups but it takes a greater amount of strength to push up like a Grasshopper because you have to jump and fire up the muscle fibers even more just to get off the ground. When you move your body in ways that you normally don't move in, your muscles fire to the point where even the smallest fibers in your legs, arms, back and abdominals become generate a huge amount of strength.


     

  3. Short Workouts are essential to your development:


     

    When you go to the gym, how long does it take you to get there? How long did it take you to get dressed for your workout? How long is your workout? The thing is, the amount of time being put into from these 3 questions alone can be greatly reduced to the point where if you drove to the gym, got dressed and started on your cardio, you could've had a much shorter workout in that amount of time. It is not rocket science to know that if you want to make the most of your day, you can't be training 2-3 hours at a time because for most people it's downright impossible. With training in Animal Exercises, you can get in a great workout in less than 20 minutes without ever having to leave your house or go very far and you don't need to dress up like a fitness model, just sweats, a t-shirt and some comfortable shoes (don't recommend heals or flip flops) or go barefoot your choice. The exercises are very intense and it doesn't even need 20 minutes worth of training, 5 minutes is great if that's all you can do. You can get more done without compromising your home life. Think about it if you're trying to raise a family or have to travel for your job and the only good hour you have to anything is spending time with the people you want to be with or chill out after a long day.


     

        Getting kids involved is a priority nowadays. In this country, childhood obesity is through the roof and less than a few people are out there doing something about it. It's been said that today as oppose to 30-50 years ago, kids are mostly likely to not even outlive their parents. That is sad, I've been around children all my life from when I was in Daycare till I became practically family to the woman and her family that helped ran it and I've seen a lot of kids come and go but very few if any were obese when she took care of them. We played tag and ran around, play ball in the street, even played hockey in the living room. Most of the time exercise is boring to kids and many P.E teachers just put them through generic types of exercise like a sport or too much running that doesn't really go anywhere. Exercise is supposed to fun, exciting, teaching the value of teamwork and friendly competition without their minds going numb. Animal Training gives kids a chance to not only strengthen and build muscle but increase their level of awareness, bring down aggression and build calmness and relaxed states of mind. It doesn't matter if you're in first grade or in High School, a kid can have a powerful body from both inside and outside. Help each other, make a game out of it and you can even use it to get more out of their sport because the movements strengthen not just the muscles but the tendons and ligaments that can help reduce injury and have greater stamina during the game. Parents, get involved to. A family that trains together, bonds together because you're not just giving your kid a chance to better themselves but building a bigger love as a parent and showing them that when you work as a team and have fun.


     

    More Benefits Of Animal Training…….


     

    1. The fun you can make that produces even greater results:


       

      Most programs are rather boring and generic. When you lose interest, you can't get the results you want and it sometimes can be depressing when you feel like crap after a workout even though you sweated everything out. With Animal Exercises you can make it however you want. One of the best ways to get the most bang for your bucks is making a game out of it. Play tag with your friends, have a race or make a cartoon version of it using your favorite animal characters, sure it looks goofy (pun intended) but who cares, you're getting something out of it. When you are excited to exercise and feel like a million bucks afterwards you're not just creating a strong body but a strong connection to your emotional and mental state of mind.


       

    2. Being able to adapt that teaches you how to move your body:


       

      We can't move exactly like a wild animal because we aren't structured like them but we can however, move our bodies that simulates the best we can with our physiology. It's not easy moving in awkward positions yet we can use our bodies that is suitable to our anatomy and move with the best of intentions. Say like moving like an Alligator for example; using our own anatomy we can move in the push-up position by widening our arms and legs to simulate looking like that animal. It's about using your imagination and paying attention to level your body can handle, you may need to start moving slower to get the mechanics down or not just so high. The Frog is a favorite but because of the way my legs are I can't jump very high otherwise it will hurt like hell so I need to adapt and still get great benefit from it. How about practicing moving with less limbs say moving on one leg; if you get injured and can't use that leg your body is still strong enough to move around because you have adapted to that position. How about moving backwards to use muscles from another angle, this puts the body in another phase of strength.


       

    3. The variety of progressions that gives you a level that can work for you:


       

      Variety in this manner is a great thing to look at. We may not have the same structure to move in a powerful like someone else can. Some can jump higher, others need to jump low because of how their body is tailored to that aspect of training. The way we use our legs may not be the same, some move great with a much wider stance as oppose to someone who's more comfortable in a more narrow position. It's also important to pay attention to your level of fitness because if you're starting out you may not be able to move as fast as someone with a higher level of speed, tempo or placement of hands and feet as well. I'm very good at moving like a gorilla in a diagonal position but not very good at moving exactly forward as the exercise implies so I adapted to what my body can handle and work well into a greater level of progression. Find what works best for you and look into how you move well and moving in a manner that won't hurt you or your way of training.


       

    4. There is no isolation involved, just like an animal in the wild:


       

      The most common theme in fitness is that if you want to get strong, you have to isolate every part of your body in 50 different ways. Unless you're in bodybuilding or in rehab, isolation shouldn't even be a thought. With Animal Exercises you simply can't isolate the muscles because in order to move efficiently, you have to use more than one muscle. Multiple muscle groups are the key for a single exercise because you need more than just the arms or legs to become good at an animal exercise no matter what it is, the stabilizing muscles are involved to protect the lower back from injury and they're also used in how you balance in a specific movement or series of movements. A gorilla doesn't curl or bench press, he's climbing, walking/running on his hands and use his mighty hands to hold onto a vine in order to keep from falling out of a tree. A bird that flies doesn't do dumbbell flys or do shoulder raises; he moves his wings to reach high altitudes and holds them in position to glide and soar around the sky. Move with efficiency using the muscles needed to move.


       

          Hope you got enough to go on to understand that it's not just a program of different exercises but it's a program that brings excitement, logical variety to use the muscles the way they were meant to. Having fun and getting a kick out of making the most of your body without spending a whole mess of useless time. Build greater endurance and strength in the shortest time possible and building an awareness that you can't get from other forms of fitness and you can do them just about anywhere with no equipment and without needing to go to a machine infested gym. You can kick ass with intensity, sweat and doing it without breaking a smile. Play into them and find the right progression that you can build on to take you to the next level.


       

          Be awesome guys and welcome to a new week.


     


     

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