What Makes You Is You Only

    People these days want to defy others by what's different, what's wrong, or praise them by great efforts/deeds and tell them what they can and can't do. It's a vicious cycle especially when it comes to parents, teachers and politicians. Some like to play favorites and tell off that the other person is not good like that kid or that councilman, or defying a person's personality by the color of their skin or religion or whatever. It's like there's no neutral compromise of what is good, bad or different. Let me put it to you this way for you Twilight fans, you're either team Edward or team Jacob, that's what society is defied in today's world there's no middle. We are so consumed of what's different and fearful when there's a whole other door to be open that is beautiful, compassionate, loving and wholesome. To tell you the truth, I'm not a religious person, I'm not all about being a liberal or conservative hell I don't give a damn what color your skin is, to me you're another human being.

 
    What defies you is not what you are but who you are. You may not be a pro athlete or were in the top 3 in a spelling bee or won best debater but you have done something you must be proud of. Awards are only an object they are not what makes you a wonderful or awful person, it's who you become through experience, mistakes, triumphs, raising up and hitting rock bottom. I have won a few things in my lifetime, made a choice to fight back to walking again, I have exceeded people's expectations of me and I have experienced certain things in my life a kid should have no way of seeing yet I'm still here. I don't look for praises, to be someone's go to guy or to be the world's greatest writer. I've been told a lot of things some negative and some positive yet I choose to not to go with one or the other, I go for what works for me and learn about what I'm good at and what I can do to share my passion with the world. Don't ever let anything or anyone defy who you truly are, the only person or thing that can defy you is you and your passion. It doesn't matter if you're black, white, Jewish, Christian, Gay, Straight, rich, poor, comedy or action lover, writer, athlete or whatever if you're passionate about something and it's part of your personality and the way you look at life and those around you that defies who you are. I may have hidden who I really am around certain people but it's not because of what I think, it's about who truly deserves to see it because I've been judged, beaten up, ridiculed, told I would never make it somewhere yet I choose to not let that scare me away from my true self, it fuels me to want it more to become better and not do it for them but for me. Finding who you are is life's greatest adventure.

 
    Stick to what gives you the greatest benefit. If your heart is set on something and you're so passionate about it, there's a good chance you'll become great at it if you practice, see it, feel it, energize you and it helps others in a productive way. Some will drive you away from your passion not because they know you'll be good but apparently they have their hearts set at seeing you fail. It is sad to feel fear, to think that people have the nerve to tell something "you're going to fail" and it's not really you they're directing at, they're directing themselves in disguise because they don't have your passion, your strength to go for what's important to you and making something of yourself. Whatever makes you happy, brings you joy, anything that gives your soul and deep universal mind peace and warmth that's what you should be doing. I have known people who work at these jobs where they are just miserable and don't have any real life to them, no enthusiasm or passion it's "just a job", sure you may make good money to provide for your family or just you but if you have no reason to be joyful and inlove with what you do what's the point? For me when I get the urge to write I make it a habit to put passion into it and my soul with deep meaning and love for it because it's a part of who I'am and what I love in this world. I don't give a damn if you're a pizza delivery boy or a lawyer for some famous celebrity, if you truly put your passion into what you do it's no longer a job, it's getting paid to have a blast.

 
    Family & Friends may claim to really know the true you and maybe some do I'm not discounting that but for those that really know you don't reject your passion or tell you it's a hobby, they encourage you, want to help you because they believe in you with no agenda, no strings attached and no hidden bullshit. I have some friends and family that could care less about what I do and wouldn't have a clue on what encouragement really means and show they're care at all but you know what, I'm ok with that because there's another group of those two things that will learn about my passion and they will encourage me and they do believe in me because they know what I'm capable of and what I'm doing about it one step at a time. You can have all the people you want to have your back and give you love and affection and praises for what you do or believe in your passion but the only person that has your back despite all the trials, tribulations, failures, success and the choices throughout your life is you. You know the real you, you know what goes on in your head, you know what you're really feeling and you know what makes you happy or sad. No matter how many claim to believe in you or not the only thing that matters is if you believe in yourself.

 
     

The Gym Is Everywhere

    About 99.9% of the gyms out there today are horrible and I want to tell you why; they have no regard for people who truly want to get fit and strong. They have no class for showing fitness in a simple manner, they make it complicated by having too many gadgets and very little amount of free weights or they play their little con games to get you to sign up. Hell there's even a gym where they have pizza and bagels once a month and yet this same gym told a beautifully fit woman to leave because she was intimidating, what a bunch of crock. One gym I went to with my sisters, cousin and brother-in-law I got a ton of odd looks because I was lifting quite a bit of weight (apparently a partial press of 465 lbs. is a little odd to them). The reason most gyms today suck because they rather cater to people who are skinny as hell and feed them crap both physically and psychologically or to those who are overweight and put them on little baby weights while putting them on a machine feeding them celery. It is a travesty and I'm not surprised if the old-timers are rolling in their graves right now.

 
    What you deserve is to be healthy, fit, strong and vital. Now I realize some programs won't work and hey that's ok because there will be something out there for you to find that will have you glowing with energy, hormones are at their peak, your strength becomes stronger, you lose bodyfat and gain muscle. Most gyms don't deserve you because quite frankly if you look deep into it, they don't give a damn about you or how unfit or fit you are. What I don't get is, you have a gym that has some great free weights to use but yet the moment you start to show some real strength they give you shit for it, it's confusing isn't it? You deserve to be happy, challenged and cared about your progress, how can that be when your gym is making you do the dumbest stuff and yet you feel miserable. That's not real training.

 
    If you open up your mind and believe in possibilities, you can train anywhere you want, it doesn't have to be in a room full of (or empty for that matter) people that don't care or have any regard for hygiene and respect for the equipment; it can be in your home, backyard, park, beach, office, grocery store, restaurant even you're damn bedroom. Buy free weights if you want them, do sprints at the school yard, jump in the lake and find a rock or two to lift. We have become so narrow minded that in order to make us happy we have to join up somewhere that costs a ton of money or very little and not go plus wait for assholes on their cell phone to finish his set. Not every gym is like that, I've been in a couple that are actually worth going to and it's always awesome in the atmosphere and the amount of encouragement you actually get without pretending. Be open to do kick ass things without being crammed into a place that looks like the cysteine chapel or Bloomingdales and make something of yourself, flip a big tire if you find one, go do cartwheels, climb, run down the field, lift a heavy rock, swing a mace, throw a keg there are so many things to choose from. I haven't been to a gym since Aug. and only went just to get away from the complex for a while and spend some time with my sister and her husband; while there I made the best of it, lifted heavy, did a few exercises with a 53lb. Kettlebell, DDP Yoga, Arm Wrestling, one arm snatches for reps and other stuff and loved every second of it. At the time it was in Lake Tahoe but my gym was the lake, the rocks, climbing the ladders, push-ups, squats, bridging and more.

 
    The real gym is out there, you can create your own gym overtime in your garage or den if you have the space. No distractions, no bullshit gym politics and you're free to do whatever you want when you want and however you want with no judgment or someone telling you what to do. At the park you are free to move and do what your heart desires, practice your hand balancing, run sprints on a nearby track or the grassy field, dance if you feel like it, just getting out in the open air does wonders for your overall health. Go to your local beach either by the ocean or lake (if it's not too polluted, the cleaner the better) and go for a kick ass swim, if there are rocks around I'm sure there will be some to lift, carry, throw, curl, squat or toss that tickles your fancy. Why not do Isometrics while you're dining out, no one really looks at what you're doing so you can curl your fists under the table or press your arm down for a few seconds, squeeze your abs (maybe not while you're actually but between eating). How about while you wait in line at the movies or at your bank, sometimes those things take a while depending on what's going on so you can do things like circling your wrists to strengthen the tendons, open and close your fist, press your feet into the ground, work your shoulders. There are so many ways to do things that don't require those pesky piece of crap gyms. Do some research, experiment with a few things, find what can work for you and be flexible about it so you can go about your day and taking care of your responsibilities. Be bold and open up the possibilities instead of impossibilities.
    

Adapt Your Training Like A Wrestler

    I'm not going to talk about guys in WWE but the type of wrestling I will be mentioning will be more towards Catch Wrestling, Amateur style and some others. You can learn all the techniques you'll need in your arsenal and you can even go for days without needing a second wind but there will come a time where you can't play out the same scenarios and play the same style everytime. It's awesome to learn things you want to do and practice those ten thousand times but yet one of the best secrets is how to adapt and still efficient. When it comes to pro wrestling I'm a fan of the more scientific portion or for you fans technical wrestling where to me that looks more believable than the crap you see mostly on TV. When you train, learn the skills that will give you the edge and practice with efficiency as best as possible but at times those skills may not always work in your favor so you need to know when that curve comes sliding in. If you ever watched a great wrestler or read about how they are so powerful in their matches or fights you'll notice one thing that separates a good average wrestler to a damn elitist is his adaptability.

 
    Whether you're training for sports or just to get in shape a key thing to remember is when and how to change things up and work within your own prowess and adapt. If you do the same things too often, sure it'll be a reflex and it can become like a second language to you but what if those skills don't always come in the way they were meant to so how can you win your own battles? Being able to adapt gives you an advantage and teaches you how to be intuitive of when the time comes and how you'll handle the situation or workout in this case. Like in wrestling, a guy may wrestle the same guy a time or two and he'll be able to understand how that guy operates but what about the next guy who he hasn't done anything with and needs to know which holds to go to and change up his motive and where to get the guy in the right spot within an accurate time? Same thing happens in workouts, you can be awesome in one workout but may not have the same energy or feel and some exercises that aren't in your routine give you another outlook on how you flow through it. You never know what you'll get into so my advice to you is learn as much as possible and research what works and what doesn't because if something doesn't work then you got problems but if you find a program or series of them and customize your own version that works for you, you are on your way to mastering the very best within your natural style.

 
    There are a variety of exercises to choose from so learn and pick your favorites that give you the greatest benefit however; every once in a while or as often as you want, learn exercises you normally don't do but have an interest in. Create an arsenal that has you being efficient in how you recover, the amount of intensity you can provide, the volume that gets you peaked and if you ever happen to get injured but still know what you can do it'll be there right inside your mind and you can turn it into action. Being adaptable takes your results to another level and using different tempos, speeds and whatever can be useful that produces what you want to progress at your own pace. Make it a habit to adapt and improvise.

 
    A lot of people can't fathom the amount of intuition they already have. Being intuitive can make you dangerous in how you do things but in a good way. A great wrestler looks at his opponent like it's a chess game, he may not always find the right moves fast but he is intuitive and feels out his opponents next move and where he'll go, he will instinctively finds the mistakes and takes advantage and go for the win, doesn't always happen in a matter of seconds it might take him a round or 2 but when it happens it's a site to see. When you train, you may know certain exercises by heart and they're like a muscle memory but you may not want to do the same old routine, so you change things up a bit. Using your intuition to read out how your workout goes and it doesn't matter if it's 5 min. or 1 hour you'll find that when you turn things around and seek out your next exercise you'll fire it when you turn on that switch. I never do the same routine in the same week, I get bored easily so in order to stay at a level that I want to be at I have to switch things up and do exercises that I intuitively go for. You may not be able to do the set up you planned for so don't give up, face it in a different manner and go with your instincts. Like a wrestler, whether he wins or loses his instincts will always get the best of him because if he makes a mistake he's done but if he finds a way to get a move on his enemy and instinctively finds the right moves at the right time he will dominate. Learn to dominate my friend.

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.

 
    

How Long Should A Workout Last

    There are a variety of ways to exercise and some workouts take a long time, some are very short but what is the best length of time to train quality-wise? Well, some trainers have you work out for a little more than an hour, workouts last less than 20 minutes of pure intensity and there are some really lengthy workouts that last up to 2 hours or more. I go by what is comfortable and what I'm willing to focus on. I have done workouts that lasted as long as an hour and a half but that was usually a nice and easy qi gong workout where I let my body flow with energy and relaxed. On average my workouts last from 10-30 minutes depending on what my mind is set for. When it comes to high intensity training, I personally feel 25 minutes or less is optimal because there is no way in hell unless you're a professional athlete that high of a level of training over an extended period of time can cause injury and burn outs. However with a consideration of DDP Yoga, if a workout is intense but comes down every few minutes or so and you're at a considerable level of fitness, you can go up to 40 minutes or more if you wish.

 
    There is a big difference in the length of workouts and not just how long they are but what the intent is, if you're looking for intense hard nose training, less than 20 minutes is best but if you're looking for more length to increase stamina and moderate to about 65% intensity, 30 minutes to an hour is pretty good. There is no way you can go 100% for an hour straight and not even slightly be burned out, the body needs to slow down at times and be able to breathe well into the next set of exercise. I have been through some really intense training that lasted a little more than 45 minutes and I was cooked for at least 3 days and needed to tone things down to recover. Recovery is important in both short and long workouts. At best three times a week that would be your short and intense, hardcore type workouts like interval type training (sprinting, animal movements, jumping,) then take a day off or 2 to recover and once you're ready, get back on it. Long workouts that last 30 minutes or more can be done everyday but always be aware of how your body reacts, if you had a big workout but can't do much of anything the next day then I suggest you do what I call Recovery Workouts; these are great in helping you repair the muscles and getting you back to your next workout, generally these workouts consist of nothing but dynamic stretching, deep breathing exercises, tension releasers and focusing on your body internally. I work out 7 days a week and have done so for 9 and a half years without getting any major injuries and have learned to listen to my body and if I need a day or more to recover I do qi gong until I feel ready to get intense again.

 
    Whatever workout you want to do, do it for as long or short as you want. Your mind is set on something than do it but remember, focus on what you want to do, pay attention to your body's energy. Make the best out of what you like and love to do. If you want to train for 3 hours do so what's stopping you, if you want to break up your time throughout the day, great. You make the call, listen to your instincts, and be intuitive. Right now I'm focusing on DDP Yoga Workouts that last from 10 min. to an hour straight and that's where my mind is set at, eventually it will change and I will do something different later on. At times during the summer I'll just go swimming and lift some heavy rocks here and there or go for a sprint at a park down the road. Whoever tells you need to do this or that and if you do this you better do it right or the results won't come, your results will come when you focus on what works best for you. Nothing is permanent and even at times people do the same things over and over which is great but like Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity I doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Change things up when you feel the need to do what you love and work within your own level.

 
    Short, long whatever the length of workout you do, don't do it to punish yourself, do it because it makes you happy. If you feel forced into training than you need to check your priorities. It's awesome to push yourself but do so at your own pace, you can't always keep up with a trainer and you shouldn't. You have your own body, make it worth your time and effort and challenge yourself to get to the next level, before you know it you'll be in the best shape of your life. Your training is yours, be creative, experiment with different things and find what works best that uses the time and effort you need to get done. Don't make any excuses, I've known people with crazy schedules plus having to raise a family and have responsibilities outside of that plus their job and yet can still train and get the results they wanted because they did what was best for them and made the time to do it. So can you.

 
-Philosophical Fitness: To be the very best at what you want to do, it takes dedication and effort along with a mindset where you are focused and you're willing to go the extra mile even if you fail at times. To be the best lifter you can be, you got to lift and lift with passion and intent. To be the best hand balancer, you got to hold the position or focus on that movement or hold and practice with the best to your abilities and never settle for less. We want to be great at something and it's tough to figure out what that is, to me if you find yourself you have a knack for something, thats the starting point, to be great at it, you need to take it to another level within your own accord. Learn from anyone who is great in that realm and build your foundation to be great at it yourself. No shortcuts, no bullshit, bust your ass and if you want to throw people off, smile.

What Makes YOU So Special

    Do you feel you're more or less important than everyone else? It's a matter of belief within yourself that's important and what is special to you. There are over 6 billion people in the world yet less than a fraction of a fraction of a fraction are "important" people. There's always been a family that has someone who is the black sheep or the most special person within the group and people either praise or criticize that person. Do you feel special because you won a race or beat someone in a match? How are you that much more important than the other person. You're a human being just like the rest of us. You may have less or more important responsibilities and you're aware or not of what's around you but how you feel makes more of a difference than anything else.

 
    Practically everything comes in pairs; the jock and the nerd, the artist and the critic, burgers and fries, the strongman and the weak skinny kid. Being divided or meshed together is part of our daily life. Things will work together, some won't, you'll either be praised or criticized it's going to happen. Working within a divided complexity is a tough thing to really describe or comprehend. Just like a movie where there's the hero and the villain, each have their own story but with the right chemistry they will fight with the best of intentions and we're in awe (Batman & Joker anyone?). Why compare yourself to someone or something else when you are the person that truly matters within your very own soul? Sure we want to feel special when we do something good, heroic, out of nowhere and/or feeling like we need approval. Most of the time we try to do something outside of ourselves instead of truly feeling from within, again we are divided. When you feel something from within that not only takes your breath away but makes you feel stronger and powerful because you looked within yourself, not from others or have others make you feel it was you all along.

 
    What makes you stand out? Are you a pro athlete, average person, a businessman, a significant figure in our time or history? Where do you draw the line? Just because you can shoot a ball, wrestle or lift the heaviest weight, it doesn't make you any less than the guy who can't do all those things. We are different and come in all shapes, sizes, personality but we are also a part of a similar system; we shed the same blood, we have a love/hate towards something or someone, we all have a capability to improve who we are and we have a mind and a body. So why feel the need to think you have a better shot at being better than someone else. Yes we have men and women who have a role but whatever role that is, we tend to make it complicated because who is dominant over who and who takes over what. Whatever you're good or bad at you are a special person in your own right. Now I'm not saying someone who kills or has a corrupt mindset is "Special" but we all need to realize is that being special is not about how many touchdowns you score or how many points you make or even how you generate a ton of money, being special is internal and living that is a privilege to have.

 
    Mind your own thing. Don't be putting someone down because of who they are or what they do. Be yourself, inspire people not for the sake of personal gain but because you have something that is true to you and you make the best out of it. When I say mind your own thing, I mean mind your own way of doing what works best for you. You're not Michael Jordan or the next Bill Gates, those guys are already taken so be special to who you are and whether you get praised or criticized the important thing is you are who you want to be. Create your own story, write your own life chapters and if you end up inspiring someone, awesome if not you're still you at the end of the day.

 
Philosophical Fitness: What could possibly go wrong with your training? You've been injured a few times, maybe even ended up in the hospital (hopefully never had to) so how is it linked? There's stupidity and then there's that mindset where pushing to the limit makes you a better man/woman in the quest to be better than yourself or others. Push past your own limits, not somebody else, you have strength within you no one else has and only you have the power to take it to a level that is greater than when you began in the first place. It's a journey not a competition.