Grip It By The Horns

    Being able to crush something in your hands is a powerful entity. What would it feel like to destroy metal in your hands, lift more weight, having to pay attention as you shake someone's hand or better yet, have a grip so powerful it makes the rest of you that much better? One of the most fascinating things about training is the variety of ways for you to become practically superhuman. Your hands are your tools to develop strength and power in ways the average person can't even fathom. Compete with a mighty grip that will have your opponents running for the hills, how about being a ball player and knocking dingers out of the park without steroids or PEDs, using your strength in an MMA fight and being to swing a heavy hammer with ferocious intensity. Having a crushing grip is a great thing.

 
    The strength to be able to grip long enough to handle a heavy weight or your bodyweight can help you in other endeavors. Rock Climbers have some of the strongest fingers on the planet and have tendons that are like eagle's claws and being to hang on one arm is just incredible. One of the most basic ways to begin doing pull-ups (or advancing for that matter) is to practice as if you were a wild gorilla or ape. No I'm not talking being an actual ape but learning to a degree how to gain grip strength just by hanging on a pull-up bar. Hanging by your hands builds strength not just in the fingers but elongates the spine, stretching the shoulders and eliminating fat from your obliques. Another great way to train is to use thick handles like Fat Gripz that you can attach to your barbell or dumbbell set (I prefer cables but that's just me) and tackle your workout like the old-time strongmen. Thick bar training has many distinct advantages and not just for building a mighty grip but build natural growth hormones, thick and powerful tendons, superhuman like power in your entire body from your neck to your toes. Why not swing a heavy sledgehammer for a long period of time, this alone builds insane strength and a grip that even Slim The Hammerman would be impressed by. Hold on tight if you want to develop grip power.

 
    The ability to squeeze with intense focus where the whole body is in play, you're on the verge to developing a powerful physique with real strength and muscle that is useful and resourceful, not petty and weak like a modern day bodybuilder. The old-timers knew of this long before this generation of roid-heads can possibly notice. Men like Reg Park, John Grimek, Bob Peoples, Brooks Kubik knew the real deal when they found it and that was training the grip in complete detail and not just using thick bars but odd objects and specific feats that required the outmost concentration on the grip and the body itself. When you have to squeeze hard enough to lift or hoist something up it doesn't have to be a barbell or dumbbell but yet you're turning on the juice in your nervous system and unlocking those muscle fibers to fire more than they normally would and unleashing your hormones into overdrive. A mighty squeeze for a mighty body.

 
    This is most crucial if you ever want to develop real strength and muscle and that's training to where if it came down to it, it can be life-saving strength you'll need to help someone in need. I've helped my family over the years (not always on free will) move other people and help carry very heavy pieces of furniture, shoulder-carrying a thick carpet, bed frames, drawer sets you name it and I was mostly called upon because they were impressed by my strength. Now helping someone move may not always be "life-saving" but if there was ever a situation and you have that powerful grip to use, make it happen and turn on that power within you. Even the most ordinary and average person can have some superhuman qualities in the blink of an eye when that adrenaline starts flowing but if you already have that within you already, imagine having a super grip beforehand. Train with intensity when you can and to make your workouts shorter but effective throw in some grip exercises to ease yourself along the way. Basic, simple and uncomplicated to create some serious packing power

Spread It Around

    Why would you settle for on big workout in your entire day? Maybe that's the only one you'll have time for because of other commitments or responsibilities. How long would be your big workout of the day, an hour/less/more, I guess it would depend on your effort and dedication to get what you need to do done. I have had my share of long workouts from 30 minutes up to 90 or more in one shot (I did try out for wrestling and those were brutal). Some people just don't have that amount of time but whatever time you have, use it wisely. I'm more in tuned to train throughout the day doing little exercises here and there for a few minutes. There was a course you can look to called Muscle Reminders but unfortunately it's not available at the moment but you do have another option and you're talking to him.

 
    Do you really want to sit on your ass all day withering away? I hate that, I love to move around, even when I was confined to a wheel chair I did little things not because I had no choice but also because I'd get bored. There are no excuses to do a few things here and there. Exercise helps your brain, bring blood flow to your body, and keep you energized. You can work out almost anywhere and you can even hide it if you know the right tools. What about being at your favorite grocery store picking up food for your family; get one of those little baskets and as you walk up and down the aisles with food in them, do a couple curls with each arm, maybe a row or two. When you get the big ones on wheels, you can go into an aisle and when you stop, grip the handles with one or 2 hands and squeeze for 5 seconds every few rows or so to build up that grip strength. How about at the office in that little cubical you may work in; instead of just typing away getting possible Carpal Tunnel and elbow/shoulder tendonitis, every few minutes or so press your feet into the ground for a few seconds, flex and do curls while sitting in your chair, using muscular tension simulate doing pulldowns or press on the arms of the chair for a few seconds. You can even exercise while at a stop light (don't ever do this while driving) by gripping and pulling/pushing or the steering wheel for 3 seconds in various positions or clasp your hands together and press hard for 3-5 seconds. Your home or the gym aren't the only places to train anymore and never really have been.

 
    You absolutely do not need to do hundreds of exercises everyday, not many people can even fathom remembering that many. Just do enough throughout your day that feels good to you. Experiment with different things, now it may look very odd to be doing push-ups in the middle of the grocery store or squats in line at a movie so save those for the park or wherever not many people are around but do little things that aren't obvious to notice, Isometrics are great for this, like at a restaurant while you're eating, put your other arm on the table and press into it for a few seconds or squeeze the sides in various directions, nobody really notices these things yet you're getting something out of it. At an event that requires your presence (boy that sounds stuck up don't you think)? You can even do a thing or two there, like talking to a colleague or someone you just met, try to squeeze your legs together without actually bringing them together flexing those adductors, or you flex your abdominals and breathing deeply and naturally. You can practically get away with some of the best exercises on the planet and no one would suspect a thing even in plain sight. Pretty cool huh?

 
    Everyone and their dying grandmother has a favorite TV show or movie they like to watch. I don't know about you guys but cable is way overrated and takes the fun out of watching your favorite shows or movies on regular TV. However if you happen to have cable (I'd be shocked if you didn't) and you hate those dumbass, unworthy piece of shit commercials what can you do until the show comes back on? Many things but a set of push-ups/squats/sit-ups ought to do the trick, there's 10-30 seconds per commercial that goes for about 2 minutes or so, so you can knock out about 10 reps an exercise or if you happen to have rubber cables, make the time to do some training, a few curls, presses, pulling movements, why not go knock out some pull-ups or handstand push-ups if you can do them. It doesn't take a genius to figure out some basic exercises to do. In a Wheel Chair, work your arms and do dynamic resistance to simulate various exercises like dumbbells. Learn an experiment as much as you can. Keep the blood flowing and burn calories throughout the day by doing small exercises. I like Netflix and Amazon when I don't want to put on a DVD/Blu-Ray so whenever a show is over and about to go to the next one, I stop and move around for a bit even just a few stretches. In the summer I do my best to stay outside as much as possible, getting that vitamin D, going swimming, taking a nice long walk, play at the park or mess around in the backyard and so should you if you live in a beautiful area. Make your training your own, make the effort and do what you can.

 
Philosophical Fitness: Ever wonder why most fitness trends or fads suck? It's because they're temporarily looked at as this big huge thing that's suppose to help people and bring new ideas to help develop the individual when in reality they're money grabbing leeches that feed off people's gullibility and tell you what is legit and what is wrong with anything else. Just like a TV show, it'll be on than it will leave within a period of time, sometimes short, other times longer than expected and you're either going to be hooked or you'll change the channel. Follow what's in your heart, learn and stick to what made you hooked on it in the first place, because you love it and cherish it.

Are You A Superhero In Training

    If you think about it, who doesn't want a superpower? Be able to jump high, run faster than the speed of light, have the strength of the hulk, fly from one place to another, superfast reflexes and/or accelerated healing abilities. We crave something more of ourselves because we are tired of being average and want to save the day, be able to handle ourselves in a fight, lift off a heavy object to save someone's like, carry a person to safety without fatiguing and even may want to heal from injuries faster. There are plenty of real life superheroes in the world but not enough to get people's attention a lot of the time unless you're a cop or a firefighter or someone in the military. I realize the exaggerated powers of a superhero aren't real but there are ways to accelerate your body's energy to have certain abilities and the way you channel your mind and body into them. I have met and talked to some of the strongest people on the planet, others that are lightning fast and even a few that can generate quick healing so I believe in the possibilities.

 
    The superheroes you see today in Marvel films and upcoming DC films are men and women who have taken their bodies to another level, putting on tons of muscle very fast and can do some slight damage, it's not everyday you see a guy like Hugh Jackman deadlift over 400 lbs. An average person can barely fathom that and although I find it impressive that's where I draw the line. What they put out in the muscle magazines is grossly dangerous and is not meant for the average person who wants to pack on muscle. If you're an actor being put up for a role where they need you to be super muscular (Jackman, Hemsworth, Evans) and need to have it within an extremely short amount of time like say 4-5 months; there's nothing average about what they do, they put in hours of gym training and an exaggerated diet to pack on muscle and burn fat like a mother plus being able to get to work for long hours in the day. What's not in the magazines is what goes on behind the scenes of shooting a movie and how long they really are in the gym. Unless you're in the movie business and overseeing what unfolds you can't possibly know what they're doing, some of them most likely do steroids to speed up the process, it's not an impossibility. To really put on some cool superhero realistic muscle, it takes dedication, patience and goals that are on the level depending on the person's body type, health and tolerance for length of training. I believe you can have kick ass muscle and learn the qualities of having a physique along with a balanced level of hormones.

 
    One of the greatest programs that helps you gain realistic strength and speed is called CoreForce Energy. It is a system that goes beyond lifting heavier weights, running faster and having quicker reflexes, it teaches how to incorporate your imagination to be congruent with your body's ability to move and feel out that surge of energy. I have practiced this system off and on since about 2007-8 and have made progress really fast in other fitness programs throughout the years including DDP Yoga which has some of the toughest workouts you'll ever be put through. Open up your mind, see things others can't and utilize them to generate strength and power that cannot be determined or explained any other way. Within us is powerful energy that our nerves can create to generate practically superhuman strength or endurance that we normally never use, how can you do that. With the techniques you'll learn in CoreForce Energy that include how you breathe, move faster at a relaxed state and integrate your mental realm with physical sounds that can have you nearly triple your strength within the snap of your fingers. I'm a thick 5'10 and 255 lbs. man that shouldn't be able to swim fast or have great flexibility yet I can hold my own in the water and fall back into a bridge on my head from standing and run pretty damn fast for someone my size. You can have great power just by how you focus and how you move. It takes practice but you'll be shocked how you'll be able to do things you thought you couldn't do and anyone can do this.

 
    Think what it would be like to smash through your workouts with something left in the tank, be able to heal your body fast, generate three times the amount of your normal strength and even run like a super-charged battery. It doesn't take up a lot of time to learn a few techniques but it takes practice and having an open mind to unlock the realm of what is supposedly the unknown to the average narrow minded person. Think of the shaolin Monks who can do these incredible feats and yet they're not big dudes most weigh less than 175 and are not taller than 5'8 yet their strength, healing abilities and their jumping is just unbelievable. Learn what it would be like to be less injured, do what you love and being pain-free and supple. Have the real powers of a superhero and tackle your obstacles with ease and do so being happy, clear minded and super productive.

 

 
Philosophical Fitness: It is not your job to try impress others who don't give a damn about what you do. Your training is your own and how you do it is your choice. Being impressive doesn't make you a badass. If you want people to notice you, find the ones that actually are in the same field or share your passion with people that may want to do something else and not exactly what you do. Inspiring people is a beautiful gift, show them what's possible and have a positive influence, not pretend to be some cool person and be a total jackass.

Get A Real Gift For The Holidays

    Getting a gift for someone around this time of year isn't always easy. Some stores either run out or you just couldn't get it in time. There are gifts you receive that don't always pan out. If you're getting a gift for someone should it be meaningful, genuine and from the heart? I realize you can't get everything you ever wished Santa would like to bring you but if it's reasonable and you can get would you want to? I like to be able to bring someone a present that actually means something and not meaningless like a cheesy gift card. I have been there when I've been asked what I wanted and I end up feeling disappointed because they either didn't care or just that it was too much for them to handle. I hate that, I'd rather be happy not getting a damn thing than receive something that just didn't have any love towards it. Giving a present that holds dear to me that's what I like to do or could do, make a cd for someone of their favorite songs or buy a movie that they don't have yet or make a card that is so unique Hallmark would envy. Do something original and unique whether giving or receiving.

 
    The true gift most don't realize they already have or noticed isn't a toy or a necklace or a new tv or hell if you're rich buying someone a new house or car, those are just things and really this time of year is more for the kids than anything but that's beside the point. Love and being with the people that mean the world to you and sharing in laughter, fun and being true to who you are, that's the greatest gift of all. There are people out there who can't be with their loved ones this holiday season and wherever you are, I want you to know that all of you are awesome and I have faith that you can have the most bad ass Xmas you'll ever have. If you're alone or with people you love, don't be throwing out any negative bullshit or have secret agendas or force yourself to be happy because it just doesn't have that real feeling of joy and sharing with your fellow man or woman. It's a hectic time of the year and there's stress all over, you can be happy or try to keep your spirits up but you know what, make the time to chill out, relax and take a breath. Stress makes things worse and when you're running around trying to get all your shit done, you could end up forgetting what's really important and that's to just take in the moment and be at peace.

 
    Around this time of year is when the pounds start rising and the food just looks so damn good. If you're on a good fitness program keep it up and get an extra workout or two every now and then because when everything is ready and the stress gets a little out there, exercise brings out that hard stress and puts you into a mood that could change the very foundation of your emotional state. Be on your toes and train with fire, passion and do enough so you'll be hungry enough to eat what you love and not feel any guilt. Make the best of things and do what works best for you.

 
    Back to gifting; if I want to get a gift for someone or receive it, I believe there ought to be a significance to it. Something truly special and heartfelt that tells you it didn't just be a typical gift but something you know that's real and emotionally genuine. Do something unique, share in something that's between you and someone else no matter who it is and do it out of love and care and not just for the sake of getting someone something. I believe in how the energy feels around us and it's not that hard to feel something might be off or something is really there. Getting someone something just for the sake of getting it isn't cool to me at all, it's hurtful, offensive and it could even be heart breaking. Be real guys, show how you really mean to someone when you get them something if you plan on getting anything. It's awesome to get a present but it's even better when have a gift already infront of you and it only has that real feeling only you can understand. Have a wonderful holiday season, enjoy your time with the ones you love and laugh your ass because you feel like it and it makes you happy.

Adventures In Exercise

    In most modern training areas of fitness and health from my point of view there's a lot of dullness. You have magazines telling you these complicated routines, trainers beating each other up trying outwit the other of who the best is, you have people do some of the most atrocious exercises (one legged tricep extension on a bosu ball anyone?) and you have some of these overweight plump bastards with no muscle whatsoever telling you how to lose weight because they have their name "certified." You have these bookworm morons who are so tedious and boring (in my danny mcbride voice) who have no clue how to have a real adventure and spark spontaneous kick ass fun in the gym or outside. Sure I'm all in favor of understanding what an exercise needs to be done technique wise but come on people live a little. Mix shit up, take a risk and put some soul into your exercise. Too many go through the motions and barely if ever smile and laugh.

 
    Beyond the motion of an exercise there are limitless possibilities of making your training into one of the most exciting things ever. Remember when you were a kid and you had this wild imagination and played out what you were thinking and what you wanted to do or be? Why can't you be like that again but with a better understanding of things; it's difficult for many because they have been led to believe that "being wild and adventurous is for children" or we have become so analytical and fearful that we stop taking risks and living life with gusto. Training can be fun, open up your mind, explore your inner adventurer. When you stretch, do you just move and let things get tense or do you think of something wonderful and imagining what it's like to be wickedly flexible and youthful even though at the moment you can't even touch your toes; how about this, when you do a weightlifting exercise do you just see the weight and nothing else or do you picture as if it was an object that is holding down a person and you need to save their life? You want to be a great hand balancer and you know all the moves but you still feel something missing, make a game out of it, walk on your hands a certain distance or try to have something on your feet in the handstand position that you cannot drop or you lose (works great with friends who are also in that field). Test out different ways to make your exercises more exciting and out of nowhere.

 
    I have made the choice to not be put into a position where exercise is boring and that to be really great I need to be tough and get mad. Making a statement shows character and standing up or what you believe in. I firmly believe in safety, technique, pushing your limits and getting results but I also believe in having a blast, making the very best out of what you do and having a kick ass time. Exercise is truly about finding what gives you the best results and achieving them but also using the imagination and exploring other possibilities to make them fun, cooler and feeling like you're living in a dream. I choose to have fun, I may not have six pack abs or 20 inch arms hell I can barely jump high enough to make any real claim yet I embrace my imagination; I pretend that I'm racing the Flash when I do sprints, I make a game out of my animal exercises, I visualize DDP training next to me while I do DDP Yoga and he's kicking my ass but cheering me on at the same time, when I stretch I imagine myself reaching for something instead of my legs or when holding a position I play a game where I'm a statue and people walk across gardens to see a cool display. It's weird and out there but who cares, it's your body your training do something cool with it. Create anything you want.

 
    The next time you start to feel unsatisfied and feel like you're punishing yourself more than being happy, change your mindset, create imaginary scenarios, make the exercise go to a deeper level, change the speed and tempo. When you do push-ups instead of just going up and down like the rest of humanity, picture as if you're drawing the ground with your nose and the only way you can make a kick ass picture is if you're moving in the push-up position, make letters, do numbers or hell do a painting from your favorite artist; think of how much of a workout you'll get from that alone and having to use your muscles differently. Turn your crappy exercises into awesome exercises just by the way you think and move, as long as you don't hurt yourself go for it. You have the power to make your life interesting and as they say you only live once so why not make things fun for you that you enjoy. Bring that inner adventurer out and explore the world on your own terms.