Put Some Spark Into Your Day

I don't usually review supplements, hell very few I've ever tried actually worked but even more rarely one make a difference within an instant the moment I used it. I want to share with you my view point on what makes this one of those extremely rare reviews. Like some people, I see the majority of Supplements as complete bullshit and I'll tell you why; first off many of them don't work and for good reason, there's way too much stuff in them that can harm a person's body. I feel when it comes to it, a supplement ought to help you in the way it was meant to and not give you your body something to ache on.

Some guys like to drink those really high octane energy drinks which includes red bull and monster. For the most part that shit is horrible and it has chemicals that devour more of your system than help it. Sure you have a ton of energy for a while but it has that jittery and unwanted feel of high anxiety. I've drank Gatorade and Vitamin Waters yet somehow they don't have that kick that i'm looking for, sure they help with electrolytes but there's sugar in there that can possibly lead you on the path to diabetes. Don't get me wrong I'll drink Gatorade from time to time but because it's something to have every now and then, yes I do also drink soda which i'm cutting back on so what could possibly help me to kick start that boost I need?

I was talking to a fellow strongman Adam Glass and he gave me an idea that at first I was skeptical about because come on how can a guy be so excited about something that just screams "That crap" but I put my skepticism aside and after research and joining up on the program this supplement is a top seller for, I gave it a shot. From the moment I tried this, I shot up like a cannon and was wired and focused. In that instant, it gave me what I craved and training a little after taking it, I was in for the ride of my life. I was moving with greater awareness and precision I was stunned. I shifted moves, my body was in its best state and I felt like a young kid full of life. Even after hours of the workout, I felt no crash and still had my focus. This stuff is amazeballs.

It's called SPARK, an energy supplement that jacks up your body to a level that makes Monster & Red Bull obsolete. Sugar-Free, a plethora of vitamins and minerals in every serving and it helps you take your training to a whole new level. Imagine breaking a new PR, gaining endurance and strength that is unleashed in you brought out. This is not and I repeat NOT a steroid drug, I absolutely loath steroids and I would never let anyone get me to do, I don't care if it was for a movie deal it happening brother. Back to the benefits at hand; imagine being a parent and needing to keep up with your kid, have that jolt while you're at the office or to help your performance in your sport. You don't believe me? Than I'll give you one pro athlete who uses this and other stuff of that caliber; New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees, you know the guy who recently Passed the 500 yard mark in a game and Passed for not one, not 2, not even 5 but 7 freaking touchdowns, that's about average 2 per quarter the entire game. Talk about awesome.

You see, even world-class athletes who need to be at their best on a daily to weekly basis during the season need something to help them perform better, some use worse things than others but the truly natural powerhouses take real world-class nutrition that not only helps them excel but also in their daily lives outside their sport. So hey, you may not be into sports and just want to gain some extra energy for whatever you do during the day and put extra springs in your step. Maybe you're just into training like me and want to do better in each session. I like to play when I exercise and as a big man, I still want to have energy and agility while I train. If this can help me perform better without the crazy side effects that some other stuff has it can definitely work great for you even far greater than I can imagine.

Train To Play

I have developed a few philosophies over the last couple years or so. I've covered what I believe in what works and what doesn't, helping others find awesome ways to train but all in all nothing takes the cake more than using exercise as PLAY!!! When you start to play in your training, the word "Workout" becomes a thing of the past. Working out can be good but it has the word work in it and many times that drives people away. Now I know what you're thinking "Then how can someone take you seriously if you only play, isn't that the opposite of what you're suppose to in exercise?" Here's where I do take it seriously, by not putting a stamp on being so hardcore and fixated on a single system that I worship it's abilities. I take it seriously by being myself and putting effort into not just mentally seeing the power in play but physically I make it a mission to be creative and throw in some off the wall stuff you won't see coming.

Alot of us in the world think fitness is about machines in a gym, drinking nothing but protein shakes and lifting weights to look like a bloated freak with enough syntol or steroids his brain can't tell the damn difference. No, fitness is a journey of finding exercise throughout all walks of life. Some people get fit lifting weights, some use nature to crawl, jump, swim and anything else that the earth can be used, others get fit riding a bike or swimming in their pool or lake on the beach, hell some are so extreme they even get fit rock climbing without any gear (not recommended). I choose to get fit by doing different things and combining them together to create something unique and fun to do. How you feel gets you fit should be your biggest priority.

Playing bends the rules and even breaks them. You can color outside the lines, do something outside the box that makes people's jaw drop, you can even step out of the time depleted routines where you are have so little time to do round after round of injury-type exercises that can kill your potential and take away your psyche to which you based on your training in the first place. I get super excited for when I do my days of Playful Movement; just free to do what I want, how I want it and pick things I like and work them into the ground with a smile on my face and feeling like a billion bucks from beginning to end.

I believe when you start to play and let your mind loose and free, results will come when you least expect them to. You're relaxed and not so tense you become internally inflamed, you move better, your organs become stronger and you will generate greater breathing and flexibility. Don't become so rigid and narrow that you get stuck and can't get out. Be free and use your imagination.

****Product Of The Day****

-SPARK

For optimal performance it is vitally important to have as much energy from the beginning and ending of your training session. This bad boy is the ultimate replacement for high-risking and surgery substances/beverages like Coke, Monster, Red Bull, Gatorade and many more. This product is Sugar-Free and full of kick ass nutrients that help you have the best training in your life. My friend Adam Glass used it to help him enhance his strongman and bodyweight feats that make him one of the most physically powerful men on the planet today. This is not a steroid or a performance enhancing drug; it's to help you bring out the very best in how you perform with awesome benefits that will also help you live a healthy and full life.

Play Vs. Work

There are two sides to everything, its what makes life interesting and how obstacles and struggles play out. For me the word "work" is a bit harsh and very negative. Some say work is a positive which in a way it is depending on your perspective. You hear things like "I work hard", "She's a workaholic", "Nice Work Bob", "I'm proud of your work sweetheart." With a certain perspective Work can be used positively and negatively. The funny thing is though, people work all their lives, some more than others and even put their lives at risk for their work but more often not many people work so damn hard and still don't get the recognition they deserve. I knew guys who bust their ass 12 hours a day and struggled so much they're brains were caving in. Work a lot of the time feels daunting, harsh and downright sucks.

The word "Play" in my mind is something that is filled with fun, excitement, creativity, something effortless even though it doesn't from another person's view, time passes by like an 8 hour day felt like 5 minutes; it happens sometimes. Fitness is a prime example between the words "play" & "work"; when you work for your body, you push it to certain limits, sweat dripping down after a hard fought set of Push-ups or deadlifts or you put in a good hour or more battling exercises and busting your ass for the results you want. No matter how much work you put in, results may not come the way you want them to because your body will do what it can and it's a gamble at times. People workout so hard and most of the time too quickly then end up quitting. When you change the mindset to the word Play, it becomes a whole different ball game; hell it won't be in the same freaking sport. I like to use certain phrases when I train, things like "today, i'm going to play with these exercises", "my training session consists of playful movement", "I'm excited to play today." You can't help but feel happy about hearing stuff like that, using words like these can change how you move, the way you think and how you use your imagination.

Play is letting everything go, the rules fly out the window and all you're left with is your imagination and what course of action within your creativity you develop. Believe me it's not easy being creative but once you let loose and let yourself be anything, possibilities open up, you begin to have burning passion and it won't become work anymore, it becomes something to play with and create something out of your own world in your mind. Being fit is both a mind and body journey that has you learning all kinds of things but what you do mentally first will show in how you physically move in that next step. I pushed my body to limits I can't even bare to mention but I have bled, I've been hurt and I've been as sore as you can possibly imagine but once I change my mindset to play mode; my creativity comes out, I move more freely, I smile and have a greater focus.

Next time when someone says "work harder", tell yourself "No, i'll play harder". When you're in school, you work on your homework to get good grades, sometimes working just won't cut it, play with your homework, make something funny and find answers that both the subject and your creativity can co-exist. You're in a sport and you work on drills, now say "let's play on the drills" it goes in a totally different direction and those drills may be easier to do because you're relaxed in the mind and you're grooving through the session like a pro. Play with your heart and your mind and you can't go wrong.

Do You Want To Feel Excited Or Full Of Negative Bullshit?

Some trainers say that training aught to be serious and if you're not strict about it, it means you're either not committed or you're being lazy. Granted I believe training shouldn't be taken lightly but be serious while having fun man. Being negative about exercise won't get you the results you want or they do and they turn you into a complete asshole. Being committed to training takes effort yes, however; it's much more pleasant when you create something out of it and not reduce to a drill sergeant kicking your ass on every fucking rep.

Fitness is not always about pushing the limits and going to extremes to get the results you desire. Real fitness is meant to make you not only stronger on the outside but the inside as well. I firmly believe in the power of Playful Movement such as in Animal Flow, MovNat and stretching to a various degree. Being playful stops the negativity of a strict structure and makes it an adventure where you learn to tackle the way you move that works for you, even in weightlifting sure technique needs to be a factor but how you imagine that lift and making it a reality makes it all worth doing instead of do this, do that and never having any fun.

I'd say fuck what most people think and learn for yourself, find creative ways to exercise. Create your own road map and live within your imagination because your results will come in even if it's a small fraction. Learn from people you believe to be awesome, screw the hype of all these retarted guys who think training should be a spectacle chalk full of broken promises and bullshit training advice. You are the real trainer, you get to decide what your workouts should be, not what some jackass tells you to do. I believe in people I've been trained by and worked with but I dont worship them like fitness gods because every person I've come into contact with has their own style so i'm entitled to have mine.

Excitement is a blessing and shouldn't be taken for granted, whether it's a hardcore workout or light and easy, work and play within your own element. Get that blood pumping full of adventure and have the enthusiasm for what could happen next because no matter how you go about, you're going to feel different one way or another, I live for this shit my friend and I want to live it on your own terms. I believe in you and you are a bad ass. Take that negative bullshit and dump in the trash can of that huge mind of yours and jump in with both feet on your next workout and feel the excitement of training.

The Wild One

Fitness can be complicated these days. Not because of how you get results, it's the endless varieties of workouts, programs, challenges and the eagerness to be as fit as possible while setting a certain goal. The problem is over 95% of the ideal fitness trends out there are complete bullshit and full of Marketing schemes that promises results inside of a few weeks, hell some say even days; how stupid do you think we are? Truth is the general population is so gullible that even the coolest picture can bring them false hopes.

For over 18 years, I have gone through many changes in my fitness life/career; I've been through the ringer of a bodybuilding workout, I have scaled the heights of circuit training, I made 20 lb. Sledgehammers feel like Wiffleball Bats, even lost over 20 pounds at one point on a diet I decided to try out but the one thing that has stayed consistent with me all these years is the ability to experiment and practice what I'm interested in. I can honestly say in the near 2 decades of Fitness Training one particular method that I thoroughly enjoy is Animal Movements. It's because unlike most methods, moving like a wild animal doesn't have a strict structure that is built on something. It's based on creating your own style of training and becoming enthralled in your imagination as a wild beast from within.

Like any of those assholes that tell you in the fitness world I can say that Animal Training will get you trimmed and toned inside of six weeks or have the body of a god in 30 days, hell I'll even tell you that you'll run faster and become stronger than a Super Sayain (for you Dragon Ball Z Fans) within less than 14 days but I know you're not that dumb because you have read my articles and you have seen my enthusiasm for real results. The truth is when you move like a wild animal you may not get ripped or have muscles in places you didn't think were possible but I can tell you that you'll change not just physically but mentally as well. How long do results come in? Do you really want to know, are you so eager to find out that distinct answer that will have you say "Shut up and take my money"? Well my friend here it is....The results will come when they are meant to. You don't need to put in a ton of time to do them because they use more muscles and tendons than practically any other method but they need to be done for a good measure of time in order to get the results you desire whether they take a month, 8 weeks or half the year; be consistent and do them as often as you like and I promise you, you will see results and it will be insane.

Sometimes even if you're having a blast with animal movements it's good to spice things up and look at animal style moves in another light. That's why I love Animal Flow 2.0; it is a course that has you moving from one exercise to the next in a series of what are called Flows & Forms that not only get you strong but develop cardio and coordination at the same time. Learn various forms and develop your own workout with your own rules and customized program. You don't have to follow someone else's workout anymore and why would you; you can't move at the same speed as them and not all exercises are created equal plus would you rather do something that's fun and exciting than to feel punished or bored? Like I said before how you get results is up to you and how much time and effort you're willing to put in. For me less than 20 min a day to a few times a week is it because I do get winded doing these quickly which is what I like because I'm generating loads of natural growth hormone and my endurance goes through the roof, not to mention feeling like an 18 year old roids at 31 isn't too bad either. Are you a Wild One?

Go Wild my friends and kick ass. BE AWESOME!!!!

Ben

Animal Flow 2.0 Review

When something upgrades you have to learn some things over again in order to be efficient at that next level; fitness is no exception. There are different levels and styles changing daily and it's sometimes hard to keep up but not with Animal Flow. Unlike other systems where they make it a bit more complicated, this sucker provides simple strategies with stretches, flows, combos and transitions that can be used in any workout as oppose to just splitting them up.

I got in my first workout on it yesterday and oh man it felt incredible. Tried out some of the new transitions that incorporated some stretches and movements to create a combo that stretched every single muscle of my body and utilizing a greater form of the Crab & Beast was just unbelievable. It's not just an upgrade, it's a whole new experience amplifying an old set of tricks and training ideals that will surely get you in awesome shape and have killer cardio at the same time.

Mike Fitch of Global Bodyweight Training has taken a formula from the original Animal Flow and with plenty of experimentation, practice and physical observation he has created a new element of the system and channeled it's very core to seek not only new life but even better a greater outlook and simplistic way to have fun, learn the animal moves from another perspective and just pulverize your body using muscles you didn't think were possible to use. Just in that first workout took a lot out of me moving from one exercise to the next holding my entire bodyweight up in order to transition properly. My hips were unlocking, my abs were sore and my arms were on fire just doing three moves.

You will never be bored doing this kind of training and it won't take very long either. With practice and self progression you can get crazy fit and do things you didn't think were possible. When you watch and absorb the instructional videos it will amp you up to the point where you just want to get out and have fun with them. These are for people who want to have a unique training experience and have an adventure; if you're already using Animal Exercises, think of the level you will climb to just integrating some of the moves from Animal Flow 2.0. Don't forget to practice but also don't forget to have fun either.

Your Conditioning Is Your Greatest Asset

It's always good to be in great shape, even better when you can not only look amazing but have the strength & endurance to back it up. However; most people today refer one or the other when it comes to fitness. They only want to look good and use it to pick up women and women only want to look good for the most part because they think that'll land them a guy. I'm not being stereotypical but let's face it, only those who seek the outside seem to be the most shallow. I use to be like that (not so much shallow) but I wanted to look like my favorite bodybuilders; I read the magazines and tried various workouts but nothing seem to let me achieve my goal so I took it as a sign that maybe looking good only is too much of a pain in the ass plus my mind came to that while I was laying up with 2 broken legs.

Sure there's a lot of good looking folks out there with rippling abs, biceps that look like softballs and legs that just make some guys crumble when they see a hot chick. The problem I have with this type of thinking is that no matter how good you look if you can't back it up with real strength & stamina what the hell was all that training for. I believe in being fit to the point where you can handle certain things and still have energy left in the tank or have as much as you started with at the end of a workout. One of the all-time favorite quotes of mine came from a man named Karl Gotch who once said "Conditioning is your best hold." Although he was talking about wrestling it brings up a profound sense of worth no matter what sport you're in and you have an opportunity to learn and make use of your body for whatever obstacle or general areas where stamina may be needed whether in the workplace, traveling, holding seminars and other facets of life.

Train not only to look amazing but also do so at the expense of making yourself an unstoppable machine. This is where Darebee Workouts & Superhero Sprint Training fall into play. Each method has their own style of developing the body with simplistic strategies and giving you tips on how to use them for your goals. These methods can take up to no more than an hour but at minimum 10-15 minutes is really all you need. I did a Darebee Workout today called the Pirate's Workout (would've been fun having a costume on hand) where I did 10 sets of that workout in under an hour that had me pouring with sweat and feeling incredibly high afterwards. There were 9 Exercises that total up to......200 Fly Steps, 200 Cross Chops, 200 Climbers, 200 High Knees, 200 But Kicks, 400 Half Jacks, 200 Lunges, 400 Punches & 400 Side Leg Raises. That my friend is pure no bullshit conditioning that will have you in shape in no time and there are plenty of other circuits you can do. The Superhero Sprints are just as simple and slightly more hardcore where not only you do a circuit but you also do either Sprints (outside or run in place) or Burpees. Some circuits range from 3-4 exercises and they'll either be timed or do repetitions.

So whether you want to be in shape for sports, want to be in shape both inside and out or just feel like tackling something you've never done before, conditioning will be your biggest factor because if you can outlast more than your normal abilities; things will begin to change. You'll have a greater metabolism, you'll burn off unwanted fat, generate human growth hormone naturally and your recovery will be greater. Think and feel what it would be like to have crazy energy and how amazed your friends will be when you can do things that take more than a couple people to do. I got compliments from my own dad about my stamina and strength even though i'm bigger than he is (weight not height) when I use to help him carry firewood. Be able to hike up mountain trails with ease, keep up in your sport when others have dropped, swim longer at the beach without tiring, play with your kids, reach a new level of brain activity that can help you or your kid in school, take off belly fat like it was nothing and still be able to eat your favorite foods. It's all yours for the taking if you condition yourself. You'll be shocked at what you'll be able to do. Hell you may even outlast others half your age it is possible.

Superhero Conditioning For A Superhero Body

People love that rippling shape of muscles; the heavy thick Chest, Biceps like cannonballs, Columns of muscle of the spine, Legs that Tom Platz would be in awe of and abs with bump after bump of muscle with 3-4 each side. The problem is, most muscle building men and women don't realize that functionality is about as important as the muscles themselves. There is a thing as too much muscle which decreases functional movement and when muscles overpower the tendons and ligaments you're just a step on the curb away from an injury. We have these fantasies even in the last 10 years or so about being muscular like our favorite superheroes like Batman, Wolverine, Blade, Thor and others. 

It's not a bad thing to want to build your body like a superhero; matter of fact I highly admire it, as long as it doesn't compromise health and you have the ability to stay agile and flexible while being crazy strong and muscular. We have been o consumed over building so much muscle that too many people believe that's the only option; it isn't. We have resources around the net that are free full of ideas and strategies and there are courses out there that are relatively inexpensive worth more than you want to believe. I believe in the art of pure conditioning and training with high intensity to build real muscle. To build a superhero type body, you need to train the body with strategic type training in order to burn fat, gain quick muscle and increase metabolism. One of the fastest ways to do this is through Sprint Training. Powering up on Sprints burst the lungs and the rest of the body as it works in unison. 

Superhero Sprints give you these exact strategies using High Intensity sprint training mixed with circuits to not only burn fat faster but literally have it scream in agony like The Wicked Witch Of The West. Within an hour a week you can train your body in this matter and you may not be ripped in 6 weeks but you will change and it'll be super insane. Plus it's fun as hell; think of it as running like the flash, doing push-ups like Batman from Batman Begins and others. Training like a superhero and thinking like a superhero will get you the body you desire that is full of functional muscle and more. Trust me when I say this, very few methods bring you this kind of awesomeness. 

Building A Realistic Natural Superhero Physique

Do you love Superhero movies? So do I. The action, the team-ups, the coolest characters come to life right out of the comics and in living color. Superheroes are our fantasies of being super strong and saving the day, taking on the baddies and winning battles that us normal people can't. Sad thing is like with every superhero, there's always a price to pay for doing what they do. Since the movies have brought these characters to life you have to wonder how much they had to go through to look like that hero. The workouts, the diet, the constant state of character they need to be in on set and being able to do it for years at a time. I don't care if you paid me half the film's budget, risking my health for fame isn't in my forte.

I admire what these guys do to make us fans come see them on the big screen and having us in awe of their charisma, heroism and fun filled ways for us to enjoy the movie but on the other side of the coin I feel bad for them to push themselves so hard to do their roles it's astounding. The thing that really pisses me off is that certain people like from the muscle magazines try to get other people to do what these guys do for film roles and it's plain old despicable and very pathetic on their end. It's the old adage of "you do this, you can get huge like your favorite comic book character." The trouble with that is, they're bringing a very unrealistic approach to fitness that can literally kill a beginner even attempting those kind of workouts even once.

A realistic approach would be to do workouts based on your level and progressing to higher levels but not so quickly it can possibly put you in the hospital. Getting fit is not a 3 month or 6 month gig like actors do, it's a life-long journey that will have results come in not always in the time you want them to. It takes patience, imagination, proper rest and food in order to even build a foundation. The training itself should be based on a custom made style that not only has incredible potential but keeps the trainee interested. I like imagination part, thinking into your mind what it feels like and the possibilities of building a superhero physique that is reasonable without the steroids and eating 5 steaks a day. I like the feeling of training like Cap or Thor hell even Spiderman but let's be realistic here, getting huge or slim doesn't take just working out and eating properly, it's all in the mind first and believing in what you're doing but not so much as costing your health to make it happen.

People like shortcuts which to me is why our society has turned to shit. It's all about getting this or that done as quickly as possible and screw the consequences. Feeding you info on how to look like a Mr. Olympia in 6 weeks or you can have the body of Superman in just 30 days; that is a pure marketing ploy and 99.9% of the time is complete bullshit. I use to be a heavy fat kid, at 13 I was 5'4 20 bucks shy of 200 pounds with no muscle to show for and I ate crap pretty hefty of the time, by the time I was 20 I wasn't anywhere near where I wanted to be and I did all the weight lifting, the running, throwing shot put, sprints, push-ups, squats you name it; I even at one time was taking Met-RX supplements to help build muscle and still didn't look like my favorite bodybuilders and superheroes like Batman and Blade. After my accident I made a choice to stop trying to build a physique from the outside and build myself from the inside first, developing mental strength to have the courage to walk again and push myself to my tendons stronger.

After 10 years of everyday training I still don't look like my favorite bodybuilders and heroes from when I was younger but I'am however in the greatest shape of my life at 31, 255+ pounds of near solid muscle, conditioned my tendons to bend steel and rip phonebooks, have the endurance to withstand some of the most grueling workouts and have the strength to move a near 60 pound sledgehammer hitting a tire for over 1000 reps. I didn't build this body over a 6 month period, it takes years of self discipline and the awareness of knowing how you work physiologically, emotionally and knowing when to back off every now and then. Friends of mine have done things in a similar way and never thought that only doing 6 months was enough for them hell even 30 days, it was years. So stop reading into that bullshit about getting ripped so fast you'll blink and it's there or having a hulk like body in under 3 months of a powerlifter's routine.

A physique is more than the look, if you fuck with it it will bite you in the ass if you do bad things to it. To build a realistic superhero physique is to nurture the body, challenge it in order to progress but at a pace that fits your level of fitness and getting better even by the smallest fucking fraction. I don't use the "no pain no gain" method to make my body the way it is, I train according to what I know about it and make the effort to be as fit as possible in the most natural ways possible. Want to have a superhero body; earn it with sweat, good food, basic exercises, rest and using your imagination to make yourself better for you and not someone else. Train with real effort and believe in yourself.

A Taste Of Old School Pro Wrestling Conditioning

Back in the day before WWE was the major king of wrestling promotions, you had territories spanned across the country in practically every state plus some around the world like in Mexico, Japan, Europe, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and parts of Africa & Asia all had rosters filled with wrestlers. You had promoters, bookers, ring generals and of course a champion of that promotion even though the NWA of the time was considered the company where you had one world champion. Behind every wrestler that comes in, there is someone who trained them before promotions came calling.

When it comes down to it, forget the aesthetics, the high flying stuff and the brawling; if you don't have the strength & stamina to stay with the other guys you're working with you have no business being in the ring. Some champions took on hour long Broadways that kept people on the edge of their seats and today it's somewhat of a lost art. Can you imagine the conditioning it takes to go hard night after night let alone any good match for 10-20-30 minutes or more. When it comes down to guys who can go hard for nearly any time in the ring and still have reserves are guys like Lou Thesz, Brisco Brothers, Ric Flair, Ted Dibease, Ricky Steamboat, Harley Race, Bruno Sammartino, Karl Gotch, Billy Robinson and a few others including Kurt Angle & Bret Hart. Some trainers rely on getting his students in the best shape possible just to be able to handle himself in the ring whether it's taking bumps, high spots, chain wrestling or whatever the case may be so they put them through workouts that would make most men even at a world class level cringe.

The point I want to make here is if you want to be in awesome shape, it's going to take more than a few rinky-dink exercises that will have you look like a greek god and trust me if you can't back up your training by only looking good you have no business telling people how to train. It's going to take you going beyond certain limits and really take on a mentality most would call "insanely dangerous."Conditioning ideals when it comes to pro wrestling is bonified circuit training that has you repping totals in the triple digits of an exercise. Most people would be considered crazy doing this but as Karl Gotch use to say "Conditioning is your best hold" imagine the type of energy you can use in the sport you're playing or having insane endurance and strength in your workouts. When it comes to circuits I call on Darebee.

Some of these circuits based on their theme and set of levels you can achieve it makes me think of what Pro Wrestlers would go through in order to achieve that green light for the promoter or trainer to say "yeah he's ready." Like some of the Superhero type circuits such as Batcave, Justice Served, Ivy, Loki and even Black Widow will have you doing up to 10 sets of 1 circuit which for example would be something like from the Strength Of Asgard Thor Workout: 200 Squats, 200 Lunges, 400 Side To Side Chops, 200 Climber Taps, 100 Push-ups, 200 Shoulder Taps, 200 Sit-ups, 200 Seated Twists & 200 Get-Ups; that's nearly as close to a Pro Wrestler's Conditioning Workout you will get. Talk about being crazy fit, you will look awesome too but your conditioning can be right up there with some World-Class people. Even if you have no ambitions to be a wrestler or athlete you can still progress up some serious fitness and outlast your friends or even your gym buddies. It's up to you but think about it and progress at your own pace. No one will be able to do these at first and Level 1 might be very difficult to achieve at first, take your time.

Time Crunching Circuits

Wasn't a fan of Circuit Training until I got into the Darebee Workouts. I'm not saying they're the end-all-be-all method but they have a place in fitness even when you don't have a lot of time. There's always that notion about needing a half hour of cardio and an hour of weights three times a week when clearly for most people who work and have families it's impossible at times; the fitness magazines tell them there aren't a lot of options which in fact there are.

The purpose of training a circuit is going through one exercise after another until you have completed one round. Some of them have as many as 4-10 exercises and you do as many rounds as possible or a certain amount depending on the goal. Crossfit thrives on circuit training but many exercises are too difficult for the average person and could end up in the hospital. If you're a decent level of fitness and have a firm grasp of the mechanics of an exercise circuits are great. However, circuits do rely on speed and not resting until an entire circuit is done. Circuits can do used in many ways and the biggest factor is conditioning.

What Darebee provides is circuits that have basic movements preferably in the Bodyweight department and give you a certain set of levels that determines your fitness level and how much rest you can use. Personally I like to rest as long as needed but every now and then to amplify my energy is to just keep going until I reach a certain level. For a beginner Level 1 is quite a feet as most circuits carry from 6-9 exercises at a time; Level 2 would be someone who's fairly fit and can go pretty hard; Level 3 is a conditioning maniac and someone who should be a world-class athlete. I'm not one to judge everyone has their own levels and at times I go beyond Level 3 just for the fun of it.

Here are a few circuits you can do that take no more than 20-30 minutes which you can do anytime anywhere.....Don't worry ladies you're included too.

As you can see, the workouts depending on the levels can be easy or as brutal as you like. Talk about time crunchers. Some of these workouts can be done through H.I.T using only 4 exercises and do them tabata style or one minute each until the circuit is completed doing as many as 15 rounds. I use circuits like these for my Superhero Sprint training three times a week doing sprints or burpees for 30 sec. or more than do a circuit until I have completed the amount of circuits and sprints resting as long as I need to after each circuit or set of sprints/burpees. Be creative and listen to your body. These can be a lot of fun and picture being your favorite hero/villain training hard for your goal. You a martial arts fan, they got tons of those; movie characters too plus superheroes how cool is that. Get away from the boring training like you're in hell routine and make an adventure out of it. Practice good form and breathe naturally as you move throughout a circuit.

Here's a total of the Batman Workout when you can do all ten sets...

200 Squats

400 Punches

100 Jumping Lunges

100 Push-ups

200 Shoulder Taps

200 Slow Climbers

100 Sit-up Punches

100 Leg Raises

100 Seated Twists

If that doesn't get you in top condition you can just shoot me now, that's 1500 total reps in a workout that's insane. You can be extremely fit from these workouts and never need to pay for the gym again. The only profit you get on free training is the body you have built for yourself and challenged the fitness naysayers that bodyweight training is only good for endurance. Guys in sports will go nuts over these like UFC Fighters, Pro Wrestlers, Football Players, Olympic Athletes, just about anyone who is willing to challenge themselves. Get your training in the best way you can and if you want to save money, here you go. 

Training At The Happiest Place On Earth

On those rare occasions when you find someone not training in a gym or the woods, in a barn or hell next to the damn beach but in an amusement park? How and why would anyone want to work out there. Truth of the matter is why not? The fact of the matter is it is one of the most oddball things to do other than rides, getting little toys and taking pictures with favorite characters. How would you even begin to exercise at such a place better yet at the mecca of amusement parks Disneyland? Well my friend here are a few tips to where you can burn calories and get in decent shape at Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom.

First off it is one of those really weird things to do and what can you do without anyone suspecting you or making weird gestures? Here's what i've done in my own experiences that have inspired workouts outside the park I use to this very day...I've held Handstands at both parks (California Adventure included) and have done power walks all over the place and even had a hell of a time stair climbing at Tarzan's Treehouse. Who needs a stairmaster in Orange County when you can go up and down the Ape man's pad. How about wall sits while waiting in line to build leg strength and endurance while maintaining good joint health for your knees and ankles. The very best method in my opinion is Isometrics. They are the perfect system because while you're in line waiting for that bad ass ride whether it's Pirates Of The Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, Star Tours or whatever you choose to go on; lean up against the wall and press into it with your hands, forearms, legs whatever and all the while no one even realizes what the hell you're doing. Think what would be awesome for being in line say a good 15-20 minutes and you can get an entire workout in within that?

The fact of the matter is, you literally have no excuses and say you have no time to exercise. I've been to Disneyland multiple times in my life and only on a few trips I discovered how to get my workout in for the day other than walking all day. You can do dips at various benches all over the park, Do squat sits in various lines, grip different props within the confines of the ride, do isometric pushes and pulls on the handles of Splash Mountain, Press your feet onto a box in line of Roger Rabbit's Car Ride, do chest presses in new Orleans square I've even done arm exercises while riding Peter Pan, Isometrically pressed against the legs riding its a small world. There are endless possibilities, the only limit is your imagination. I'am telling you without thinking twice about it there are possible ways to exercise in the Happiest Place On Earth and nobody will ever notice and if they did who cares, you're not hurting anyone however I wouldn't be too hasty to do Push-ups smacked in the middle of the Jungle Cruise or do sissy squats around Mr. Toad's Wild Ride but yet creativity is in your grasp.

Here's something to think about; the next time you book your trip, make it a mission to do some form of exercise that doesn't have to be in the hotel room or a gym but in the park itself. After say a good hour of walking around, go in line to a ride that's roughly in the 30 minute range and do nothing but Isometrics ever so often every 5 minutes doing at least 3-4 exercises ranging from a chest press to wall sits and see how you feel once you get on the ride. Adapt your exercising on every line you're in. Play a game like say whenever you see a certain character more than once do 5 push-ups somewhere that won't make a scene, taking a picture with a character and doing 10 squats in a near by area afterwards. Whenever you see Jack Sparrow on Pirates flex your biceps ten times while sitting in the boat. Very awesome things to do while having a good time and if you're in line it passes the time faster than you originally thought. Be creative and have that no excuse attitude on your next adventure to one of the most amazing parks in the world.

Are Warm Ups And Cool Downs Really That Important?

In P.E we are taught to stretch before we exercise as a warm-up to the muscles and let them get heated before hitting it hard at whatever it was you were going to do that day. The gym applies the same principles and when it comes to cool downs; same thing you stretch at the end. Believe it or not, stretching or basic western style stretching can do more harm than good and it's not always a good idea to get injured before you train. I believe in loosening up the joints more than the muscles because if the joints are better prepared, the muscles will have a better chance at making your workout that much more efficient.

I'm not an expert at anything but after nearly 20 years of experience in fitness I have the right to a opinion on what makes workouts more efficient or not. I want the workout to go as quickly as possible without losing form and staying at a consistent pace. Breathing is a major factor and how you breathe can make you or break you in your training. Yes I believe some good solid stretching is good but don't take so damn long you don't want to go full bore in your workout. I rarely if ever "warm up" anymore because I listen to my body as I train, I don't separate a little routine just so I can be prepared. Everyone works differently and some need to stretch before training if they're inflexible, in the beginning stages or need to build a foundation before doing anything remotely hardcore. A lot of exercises I perform have stretching automatically like Bridging, Animal Exercises, VRT and other methods of training. Now if you're a maniac and lift heavy fucking weight often and need to stay mobile yes you should stretch before and after training usually for recovery purposes not for the sake of being able to touch your toes.

Cool downs are usually a form of stretching or "extra" training to recover from the hardcore workout you just put yourself through and I have mixed feelings towards that. One way I look at it is that if you stretch too much after training and not understand the concept of deep breathing and naturally stretch you can pull muscles that can affect your next session and you won't be able to go the way you'd like to. On the other hand; if you can make a habit of breathing deeply and letting the body relax as you move or stretch after a workout this can be a great asset to your overall training because you're giving your body the recovery it needs and give it that little edge to make your next session even more bad ass than the next.

So are warming up and cooling down really that important? Yes and no depending on the type of training you do and the essential recovery you need to proceed to the next workout. Better yet, make your warm ups and cool downs part of the workout itself as you loosen up then hit it hard than relax and be loose, almost like moving meditation. I train every single day whether for 5 minutes or an hour and I have not had any major injuries or issues that are worth going to the hospital for and my flexibility has actually gotten better as I got older since I do hardcore type workouts and recovery workouts where I practice deep breathing and qi gong to stimulate blood flow and give my muscles and joints some relaxation type exercises which helps me stay in awesome shape no matter what I do. This works for me so whatever you wish to do make it work to your advantage and stay as injured-free as possible no matter what method you do; if you do things that are a set-up for injury it's best to avoid that method as much as possible. I believe in long-term training and being able to do things that save me from torn shoulders, ripped tendons, shattered bones (had enough of that in my lifetime) and doing what I love to do. Training is a lesson that you learn every single time you do something for a period of time; something to think about.

Superhero Muscle

In the comics we have some of the most powerfully sculpted and muscular physiques in the realm of fiction. The power of Thor, the athleticism of Captain America, the gymnastic body of Batman and even the v-shaped muscle powered Superman. Muscles have been the defying moments of man and how stature has been the key. However; muscles these days have become controversial because of steroid use and the big thing of Bigorexia (the need to build more and more muscle despite the cost of health). There is still hope on building real and functional muscle in a variety of ways. Weightlifting, hard hitting calisthenics, lifting odd objects and possibly the most intense of them all Sprint Training.

I've always been fascinated with muscle building since I was 13 but up until learning about sprinting, I feel it is one of the very best when it comes burning fat, increased metabolism and age defying qualities that develop the very best in the human body. When you combine the elements of Superheroes and Fitness that is a very powerful and creative idea to instill motivation and bring to life one of exercise's most intense form of training. What would it feel like to have the body of the Flash or Gambit, Spider-Man and other heroes?

Shaping the body is not meant for Isolation but utilizing the whole body as if it was one piece. Hill Sprints are by far the greatest method for incredibly fast fat burning but not everyone has a hill nor can they train in very hot or cold weather so there has to be a solution. That's where the Superhero Sprints System comes in handy where it teaches not just how to sprint out in the fresh air but also inside as well. Want to lose weight, build muscle and increase your metabolism and only train up to 60 minutes a week? Superhero Sprints is there. Build real muscle that not only looks awesome as hell but also be just as strong and athletic to boot.

Not All Methods Are Created Equal

Around cities in every state of this country has some kind of gym, warehouse and studio dedicated to fitness one way or another. The problem is that with 99.9% of these places have a trainer and/or owner that say they're method is the best of the best not because it's true it's most likely because they don't want you going to someone else's place. That's one of the reasons why today places like Planet Fitness, the average Crossfit Gym and yoga studios try to lure you with promises of greater results than the other guy; the kind of promises that give you a monthly fee that is either stupid cheap or ridiculously expensive. You have to remember a gym's major profits aren't how much trainers get paid it's the memberships and sales pitches that get the most attention.

What does this have to do with methods of exercise? Simple, when you join up or get consulted, they pitch to you the type of fitness they represent and there's always that "one-all-be-all" program that tries to creep up inside your brain and brainwash the shit out of you until you either give in or you learn you have a brain and you walk away. The most common theme in most gyms has nothing to do with realistic training and consistent weight loss or muscle gaining. You have machines up the ass in these joints and they are more of a distraction than helpful. Very few can get buy on them but real training requires effort and sticking to something you believe in not what you are told to do.

If you're going to do a methodical program that works in your favor, the best approach is to be as minimal as possible, you don't need all those cardio machines or pullyes that can do more harm than good. Use simple and basic tools that have you working the muscles directly in congruent with the rest of the body; bodybuilders isolate muscles because they're sculpting the body using things that hit one direction of a muscle. I also believe in timing your workouts that is to the point and not making you stay or train longer than you have to. That's not the same as having fun if you're training three hours at a time; some guys do that because they're into it and gives them excitement but hardly anyone has time for that period of training. On average my workouts are less than 30 minutes because I get bored easily and I want to do things a little more intense, the only time I ever go an hour or longer is one of three things; I either practice Qi Gong and Deep Breathing exercises including stretching, Go after a deck of cards for reps hitting a tire with a heavy ass sledgehammer (current record is 59 lbs for 1252 Reps) or I train with my buddies and we get so into it time flies by.

The very best method is what works best in your interest; the way to time it, the amount of effort and the type of exercises that give you results with purpose and intent. Change things up, make them interesting and never feel bored whatsoever because the moment you are things won't go right and you can either hurt yourself or quit your training all together. I want you to learn what's best for you; maybe you're into sprinting but don't want to go outside due to weather conditions; that's what Superhero Sprints are for. Maybe you've gotten bored staying in stationary positions and want to move more; that's what Animal Movements or MovNat is for. Change of pace from weights and need to save some money; Darebee Circuits are perfect for that. You may even want more out of your workouts to help raise hormones to stay youthful; my bud Logan has a book for that called Upgrade Your Growth Hormone. Hell you may even want to spice things up and want to be odd yet also get out of your comfort zone; Bud Jeffries has two books perfect to look into and that's his Twisted Conditioning 1 & 2 series.

There are tons of stuff you can do but do your research and see what you can do for yourself. Even if you did go to the gym and want to spice up on the weights and dumbbells but need an extra challenge; I highly recommend Fat Gripz just slap them onto the bar and see if you can do the same weight with those bad boys. You have options, but make them count and not lose your brain trying to figure shit out that is overwhelming.

A Superhero Workout For The Ages

Being a superhero isn't about being the fastest, the strongest or the most charismatic. It's about being who you are with a sense of yourself learning to extend to your fullest potential. One of the greatest facets about Superheroes is not what they're powers are or how smart they are against villains but it's their consistency to keep on going even things are in dire straights they fight to the bitter end. Same thing with conditioning; it's to keep going until you are done. When I train, I do the best to my abilities to stay with form and making progress with what brings me the most satisfaction. For the heroes in comics it's saving the world; for us fitness nuts it's being in shape on a consistent basis despite obstacles. 

No matter how rough life gets on you, always find a way to train; I have trained on days where I didn't feel like it because of whatever, death in the family, moving to a new state, someone new putting me through hell and even when i'm by myself and got no one to motivate me but my damn self. You have a choice and that's to mope around thinking you can't train because there isn't anything to do or get off your ass even if its for 15-20-30 or 60 fucking minutes of pure training that will help you in the long run. That's why one of the systems I'm returning to is Superhero Sprints where you bust your ass for about 30 min. and turning yourself into a man/woman of Comic Mythology that is pure power and physicality that is fun, exciting and doesn't take very long. When you can burn off more fat and build greater muscle in that short amount of time you'd be a fucking moron to not want to do it. 

When it comes to physiques, the type of superheroes that are best to develop naturally are guys like Batman, Spider-Man, Robin, Gambit, Green Arrow and Hawkeye. For women it be Spider-Woman, Wonder Woman, Daisy Johnson (Skye), Black Widow, Catwoman & even Batgirl. Forget about the big tits thing for a second and realize that some female superheroes have a build that can be achieved with the proper training and eating habits. Training like a Superhero in this particular system combines the elements of explosive training, intense speed and powering up on basic exercises that use multiple muscles in one shot. Increase your metabolism by lets say an extra 50% (its far higher but i'm making it simple for you) and improve natural muscle mass by 80% in just a few weeks. Women need muscle mass to help level out unwanted fat and since they're less testosterone based than us guys it makes it even more crucial and also i'm not talking bulk here, its physically impossible for women to bulk up unless they're taking steroids so ladies you'll be fine. For us guys, having high testosterone gets to be a great factor beyond a certain age, i'm over 30 and mine will drop 1% every year for the rest of my life unless I do something about it and i'm not alone in this. This program induces growth hormone that not only builds lean muscle and torches fat like the Human Torch to butter but also helps us stay looking younger than our age. I feel blessed to not look 30, some have told me I look younger than 25 on most days. It is realistic hormone therapy that doesn't cost you a small fortune and won't drain your bank account from hospital bills for shots and all that crap. 

Do me a favor and take a look at this program, it's a great piece to look and get the concept of. You know how Planet Fitness promises memberships that are ten bucks a month with cool shit and pizza; well my friend this course alone is not only cheaper only paying $9 you not only get the entire course but as a bonus there are meal plans, bonus workouts if you're into weights and how to sprint for better performance. There are video demos and exact strategies to get the most out of your workouts, there's even a system for both indoors and outdoors so you have no excuses plus unlike driving to a gym and getting stuck in traffic you can do this system in the comfort of your own home or at your favorite park, hell you can do it on the beach before jumping in the water. Trust me, you will love this and I guarantee you'll have a blast with it. Picture being your favorite Superhero and go after your goals for being the fittest you can possibly be.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

We sometimes don't realize not everything is what it seems, just like the internet you can't always believe everything you read is true. The fine difference between a bodybuilder today as oppose to 50 years ago is that back then those guys were some of the most functionally fit people on the planet as oppose to guys today full of muscle and bullshit strength. And let me ask you this if you saw a man like Bud Jeffries for example and went up against a guy like Mr. Olympia Phil Heath in a strength contest who do you think would if you had no prior knowledge to either man? I bet you, you would think Phil would destroy Bud but yet on the contrary Bud would do more than destroy Heath, this boobybuilder would be pleading for his life in a workout, I guarantee it.

I'm not an Olympia contender whatsoever and have no desire to be a bodybuilder but yet I'll go head to head with nearly anyone of those guys and i'll most likely walk out with a smile on my face while they get pissed off and their roids give out. I train to have realistic strength and health plus have a blast with it; most bodybuilders today train to make themselves look like a grotesque statue of musclemen that can literally kill them or cripple them later in life. It is sad to realize that if someone saved your life, it'll be a guy that doesn't have the most amount of muscle or the head of a comic book character.

Same can be said about the little guy no one even remotely believes has any real strength; that's where arrogance and  inexperience comes into play and figured this dude seems like he can get his ass handed to him but in the head the bigger man might be down for the count and your jaw will fucking drop my friend. You see looks are not always what they appear to be, ever heard the expression" Don't judge a book by it's cover"? I'm not saying all bodybuilders aren't strong, plenty of them are fucking stupid strong but by statistics and seeing from close up range I would bet greater money on a dude that doesn't seem to be that strong. Be objective and not always jump to conclusions on what is going on because whether you know it or not there some bad ass motherfuckers that make most bodybuilders look like pussies.

Natural Movement Is The Excitement Of Mankind

Throughout history movement has been the key to live a healthy life, given the edge in sports and long before that it was meant for survival. Our ancestors lived moving throughout various motions and survived on wit and strength of their bodies by swimming, running, climbing, throwing spears, lifting boulders and balance in order to get food, strategy against predators and running for miles in order to hunt long distances. There was no training for natural movement it was fight or flight.

These days it's not about survival, it's about training in order to combat disease and health threatening illnesses and also for the sake of feeling like Tarzan in the African Jungle. The functional modalities to crawl and use other forms of movement based on practicality and competency reflects on how you develop through your own method of practice and learning valuable tools to control your entire being. Erwan Le Corre is giving others the opportunity to find their inner hunter/moving being and become one with nature in all it's glory.

Sure we don't always have trees to climb or have heavy rocks to lift; hell we don't always have the luxury of using treehouses to live in but we can still practice the art of MovNat. Fitness that goes beyond aesthetics and the gym, it creates a life you wouldn't expect to happen but it's programmed in our DNA whether we realize it or not. The power you can have over your own body in realistic situations and exercises that require multiple muscles through planes of motion and the ability to control your movement becomes an adventure unlike anything in the modern age.

You're becoming one with nature, like your ancestors did thousands of years ago before society became "civilized" and had to survive on brains, brawn and a key sense of the dangers around them. MovNat brings out the best in our potential instincts and the awareness of our most deepest facets of the internal self that is within all of us using the ability to move like human beings were meant to. It's our destiny and our way of bringing forth a sense of the past to create a future that is filled with wonders in health, strength, agility, human capabilities that were thought to be lost forever and fight back what modern times has plagued us. Move and move like a man in nature.  

Develop Your Own Jungle

Like the apeman, he had to learn to use skills in the jungle that was either fight or flight. Survival in our society most of the time is getting off our asses and moving the way we were meant to. Convenience has become our "savior" by grocery shopping, exercise gadgets from hideous infomercials and having kids be so cautious it's not like we feel human anymore. The jungle can be dangerous but so can diabetes, heart disease, cancer and atrophy.

Movement is our adventure into what our ancestors did 10's of thousands of years go. We lived by running, swimming, climbing, balancing on awkward areas so we didn't fall like on a cliff or within a gnarly riverbank. We used to lift boulders to help build shelter, jump from dangerous spots to get away from predators and even threw objects. We can still have those skills through realistic movement whether from systems like MovNat or moving like a Jungle Man doing Animal Movements.

By developing our own Jungle we can develop our bodies using different scenarios and exercises that bring out our natural instincts and utilize what our DNA was meant to do. Real Movement is using your whole body as a unit, not full of isolated & injury prone crap that does more harm than good. Tarzan is the ultimate symbol of full potential human movement; the ability to adapt to the environment and use every inch of our body in just about every position possible. Being able to swing on vines takes insane grip strength, incredible jumping ability to go from tree to tree and powerful core muscles to swim hard, climb up the highest trees and move without missing a single beat. Why has it become so downright fucked up for us to not want to do this.

True power is in the mind. Harnessing our Animal Spirits and moving like the fabled creatures we are in awe of is meant for us to acquire and bring forth a rebirth of real human strength and power. They say we can't compare to the animals of the wild which is true 99.9% of the time but there are literally thousands of animals that shed the same color blood as us. We may be different but animals and humans have something in common we all tend to forget, being a part of this world together. Live with the heart & soul of your favorite animal, learn the valued essence of Tarzan and become truly strong and powerful with Animal Physicality.

Cables Made For Fitness

Like a lot of guys at one time the gym was my sanctuary. For a few years I'd train on the iron, pumping it up and lifting some pretty good weight but yet it sucked when I traveled and needed to lift things. I could've lifted rocks in Tahoe during my gym years but I was too damn proud because I liked to lift weights. After my accident and learning plenty of other fitness methods, I let go of the gym and never needed it anymore.

I never said I stopped lifting weights, I still do them from time to time but only for real strength and power, not so much a full-time gig to become a boobybuilder and whatnot. My gym is now anywhere I want it to be because I can do either bodyweight exercise or I can use cables like the TNT Cable System where I can come up with any exercise that is done in the gym. Most gyms today don't really cater to true and wholesome fitness where you truly sweat and get real results with realistic training; none of that celery, muscle milk machine, treadmill and pink dumbbell crap. I'm talking real world training where you condition the body whether its for strength, speed, athletics and old school bodybuilding where you are as strong as you look and eating real food not those terrible supplements.

To really get the best out of your training it takes time and patience, nothing happens overnight and whatever "shortcuts" people tell you is a lie and selling you awful shit for your health. Most health and fitness gurus out there are a bunch of whiney, no good pieces of shit assholes who rather take your money and talk you into buying stuff that was written for them to say by a ghost writer that is skinnier than twiggy. Those people you see in infomercials selling fitness gadgets are models pure and simple. I want to see someone like YOU get incredible results and not just to look handsome or beautiful but to have real strength and muscle that is functional and powerful.

That's why I really like the cables from Lifeline Fitness because they make fitness equipment that is resourceful and economical the area that you can carry cables and such things in a hefty little bag and go anywhere to work out. If I wanted to get my workout in before let's say going for a swim at the lake I got a good size bag to stuff the TNT Cables along with maybe the chest expander for shoulder work and do a few exercises right there on the beach before jumping into the water. You can't beat that. These babies will have you building muscle in no time and you don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to, just train in your own living room. There are options beyond the gym. Live your life without risking going to a place where people sweat endlessly and have to share equipment that is just unsanitary; don't get me wrong I love exercise and lifting but I also know that it can be nasty and full of germs if you don't have a strong immune system, be resourceful and get fit with gusto and having fun.

Giving Exercise Back To Kids As Fun

Nothing is more awesome than the great areas of a kid. Every kid has something really cool about them and it doesn't matter where they came from or what privileges they were born with or not it's there. Unfortunately not every kid will be able to find that awesome side of themselves due to how they're raised, the way they're treated throughout their lives and how little or too much of a push is put on them when they're very young. I didn't grow up in a mansion or was a silver spoon baby; hell I can't even think of any rich kids I knew as a young lad but I did grow up with wonderful families, friends that looked out for me and got to experience things that are both a blessing and a tragedy yet still here happy as can be.

In today's society, kids are groomed to be politically correct, not put so much strain on their bodies, where every type of protection for riding a bike, being awarded with Ipads, Tablets, Cell Phones, a pat on the back for losing, being told that winning isn't everything and don't get me started on the food kids are fed today. The average 8 year old has more electronics in their hands than at any other time in history, man when I was 8 the only electronics I really ever had was a Super Nintendo & Sega; my electronics never went outside the house. They will never understand the true meaning of play and being outside getting dirty and just making stuff up just to entertain themselves.

I have always loved playing with my buds, ball in the street, kill the carrier, tag football, being your favorite animal and lots of other stuff. For you kids born between '98-'01, did you know the internet didn't even come around until I was in second grade and Ipods first came out when I was a sophmore in high school. I firmly believe that exercise is one of the major keys to a happy life. Most treat exercise as if it was a negative necessity; being used to torture and push someone to the brink of the no pain, no gain crap. I do believe it to be a necessity but in a more positive way, being adventurous and creative. Helping a kid find that awesome side to him/her while having a blast and never feeling like they're being put down. Animal Exercise is one of those methods that just give kids the boost they need since it helps build brain power, takes out their hyperness and perks them up if they're stressed.

Give exercise back to kids that is fun and exciting. Learning to value their bodies with good wholesome training and food that just screams real health and happy moments that even involve teaching how to treat others respectfully and being competitive but at the same time learn valuable lessons from both winning and losing. When you truly research how Animal Exercise works and not just do the movements but to imagine as that animal while you move and learn the fundamentals of balance and coordination. This type of training goes beyond building strength and athletic ability, it brings a whole other universe of learning and mentally building a life of interest, controlling your emotions, being excited for different things and making real health a priority.

Here is the ultimate fitness course for your little one called Wild Animal Fitness For Kids and learn what it can do to help a kid get fitter physically, mentally and emotionally.

Real Strength & Cardio From Animal Exercise

Here we are again, at it about Animal Movements, will I ever shut up about them? Hell no. If you don't like it read something else. Moving in this method requires you to use every muscle in your body including the stabilizing muscles to keep yourself balanced during the exercise. Every animal has it's own style of movement so for us to pull them off we have to adapt in order to get the greatest benefit. Adjust accordingly and breathe as naturally as possible, animals don't practice breathing patterns it naturally comes to them.

I really don't like the word cardio, just sounds demeaning and makes me think of machines and dumb zumba classes where you follow someone else. When it comes to cardio for me, moving like a wild animal gives the best benefit because when you work out for 15-20 min. your heart rate keeps a solid pace at a level where if applied right you will burn off fat and gain lung capacity for greater endurance. Unlike training for an hour on a treadmill where you're doing stationary running and trying to get into that weight loss mindset, you're actually depleting muscle mass instead of gaining it. Ever heard of skinny fat? That's the type of thing you see on distance runners where there isn't much muscle but have fat left over because of the over excessive running. When you do Animal Exercise, you're actually building muscle while doing cardio. I never stop moving, I pick the animal and go with the steps I take and keep going. This alone can help you in other endeavors that require you to have something left in the tank.

It takes strength to keep yourself stabilized and moving your bodyweight in awkward directions and positions like for example the Alligator exercise; you're basically moving in a walking push-up and anyone that has done push-ups know how tough they can be holding yourself up without slouching and doing reps, now move in that manner and it's even harder because your muscles need to fire off more than usual just taking a few steps. Even animals that are specific for the legs will get your lungs firing; the duck walk requires you to squat as deeply as possible and walking in that position and it really opens up the hips and brutalizes the thighs and hamstrings so just walking 20ft can be a chore.

The most basic animal in the entire system is the Bear Crawl, you've seen it, you did it as a kid and it has been used in countless training areas like in the military, wrestling, football, MMA and even in Yoga in order to really strengthen the back and abs for the downward dog position (don't believe me? Try it some time and tell me your downward dog pose doesn't improve). It fires your lungs more than almost any exercise including sprinting because you need to move fast on all four limbs instead of two which alone can burn off fat and increase your metabolism greater than a torch to a flame.

I believe in all my years of training that Animal Exercise for 20 min. is the equivalent to an hour of cardio on the machines and it's way more fun and builds on hormones much faster because if you're outside you're also getting vitamin D from the sun which is a hormone so you get the best of both worlds. You can do it indoors as well doing animals from a stationary position and moving in the little space you have. It challenges your creativity and gets you into the mindset of a wild animal and I bet you big time whatever animal that's your favorite is your spirit animal as well because the mind and body work in unison when you train in this manner. So if you want to be more adventurous, getting more out of your cardio and strengthen every muscle from head to toe, move like a wild animal and see why it is the best for real world strength & cardio.

Animal Kingdom Conditioning

Animal Kingdom Conditioning II

Wild Animal Fitness For Kids

Animal Flow

Take Your Animal Exercise Anywhere

As of late I've gone back to the Animal Movements because it is by far my most favorite form of exercise and the one system I get most excited about. Having that urge to move like a wild beast and getting in awesome shape while having fun for under 30 min. I'm convinced nothing burns off fat faster and makes you stronger than Animal Exercise. As much as I love doing things like pull-ups, sprinting, hammer workouts and kettlebell juggling; the animals take the cake.

I have written possibly a dozen times or more about moving like a wild animal and the reason that is besides what I just wrote above is that it brings me joy to my life more than any other system has. You can do these anywhere you wish, I even do them indoors on a sucky day. When you're outside you can do them all over the place but indoors you can move a little slower and do exercises in a stationary position like the Frog, Flamingo, Condor, Spider against your wall, Armadillo, Puma, Isometric Alligator or Seal whatever you choose to do. I believe in making the best of them when you're in the mood and just have at it. I do these exercises no more than 30 min. at a time and always hungry and ready for a shower afterwards.

It's also important to incorporate deep breathing between sets of exercise to open up your lungs and let your body recover because these exercises hit your whole body with a vengeance. This helps increase endurance, develop a faster metabolism and generate insane natural growth hormone which helps you burn off fat, build strength, put on natural muscle mass (not bulk like a bodybuilder) and create athletic ability. Watch how animals have insane lung power like the tiger, cheetah, Bear and even chimps. Sure we're built differently and don't have the same hunting senses but overall we can increase our conditioning and power in our bodies that frown upon our DNA to move and live with great strength and incredible athletic agility and stamina.

The biggest thing about training this way as I've said many many times is that it creates an atmosphere that is enjoyable and fun that it doesn't feel like working out. If you're someone who is hyper, this is the perfect system for you because when you move for so long your body releases endorphins and builds on bringing that calming and relaxing affect on your nervous system. Don't push so hard you pass out (happened to me on the first day) but understand when to stop and just breathe and let those endorphins kick in. If you're someone with low self-esteem these exercises perk you right up because when you move in this manner you're using every muscle in your body and it opens up an area of the brain where you generate that happy side and having that sensation of powerful calmness and beautiful feeling of smiling from the inside you can't help but light up.

Get into the mindset of a wild animal being adventurous and exploring your fitness potential. Who knows, in a short amount of time you'll ind yourself feeling better, muscle comes in quicker, you have more energy and for guys, your testosterone will shoot through the roof and for women those hormones will get you going like you were 18 again. Do us all a favor and get out there and just move like your favorite animal and get your body in the shape it was meant to, build up and see your body shape up with animal muscle.

Making Push-Ups Interesting

I'm not the biggest fan of push-ups but I know they work very well and have great benefits that are beyond conditioning and strength. Some call them the greatest bodyweight exercise and some say there are better ways to build muscle than with push-ups. All I care about is how things make you better whether people agree with them or not. Push-ups have been the staple exercise throughout many cultures and in the military making it the homestead of strength and endurance. I for one feel once you reach a certain level of push-ups, do more difficult versions and see how far you can take it without injuring yourself or get so bored you begin to hate them. 

I do feel however that an exercise of that caliber should have a place in any program but it's not always a necessary exercise, for me the best exercise is the Bear Crawl; it literally hits your body from every angle and having to move in awkward positions creates a stronger base as oppose to push-ups where you are only going up and down in the majority of variations. Sure the Bear Crawl needs a bit more space but when it happens, you will be huffing and puffing quicker than Peter Griffin's time on a Cardio Bike. I like to make Push-ups interesting or try variations that are a little out there. One way I do my push-ups is using a weighted vest and do them slower with less repetitions with fewer sets to build up testosterone and get more of my arms in the mix. I also use what's called The Power Push-up Plus from Lifeline that makes it more of a Bench Press feel to it where resistance is the main key. 

Most of the time I see people doing Push-ups, most of the variations they use are very boring and just so tedious they're not fun. Sometimes too basic becomes dull so spice things up a bit. Going up and down isn't what life is about, it has curves, swirls, circulates and even has you at a dead stop at times. Make your push-ups interesting; do them upside down, do Archer Push-ups, clap for joy and even jump around, have fun with them. If I wanted to just go up and down just do stairs. Be creative.

I've done tons of reps in this exercise well within the hundreds in single workouts so why continue that cycle, sometimes I don't count and bounce around doing a few reps of different variations and goofing off. Doing hundreds of reps a day is boring period, if you're into that more power to you but having a puffy chest can only get you so far. Live it up and do push-ups with a little Flair (and no i'm not talking about Ric Flair's grandkids).  

Theme Park Isometrics

When it comes down to it, I love amusement parks, been to a few in my life and always end up having a pretty good time especially at the greatest theme park of all-time Disneyland. Yesterday however, I had the opportunity after nearly 4 years of living in Idaho I went to the state's most famous theme park Silverwood in Athol. Very fun and just an awesome time with my girl Holly, speaking of which if you get a chance check out her bad ass blog about Turner's Syndrome at This Butterfly Life. Anyway back to it, me and the lovely Spider Monkey had an incredible day full of love, laughter, enjoyment and just pure kick ass fun. Went on water rides, a couple Coasters, saw a magic show, ate awesome burgers at a wild west themed restaurant and rode a 3 mile train ride that included a stunt show and tour of the grounds circling the park.

Now why did I come up with the title of this article, how the bloody hell do I mean Theme Park Isometrics? Well students, what you do is when you're in line at a par of this caliber or any amusement park for that matter, while you're in line waiting for your ride; you do Isometric Exercise against the railing or wall of the line. This really tells you that excuses are not part of the quota here and you can get training in even at a crazy place filled with characters, buildings and large fucking rides. I've been doing these for years at the Boardwalk and at Disneyland. Standing in line, doing wall pushes, pulls, sits, arm wrestling a pole, chest presses, Iso Curls and even muscle control with my hands in my pocket; whatever you can come up with make use of it. This will help you keep up your energy so you can stay pumped full of life during your stay at the park, walking is also awesome which you do a lot of anyway but why not bring muscular contractions to make things interesting. I even once did a unassisted Handstand in line of World Of Tomorrow at the Happiest Place On Earth.

It can be a little trying to exercise in line and might be worried that someone might look at you funny and think you're some kind of weirdo; trust me I thought the same thing and I did get some looks every now and then and was even asked what I was doing, just said that i'm doing what I love and that's training. Some get weirded out by it, others have given me praise for them but the majority of the time, no one gives a shit; they're either on their cell phones texting friends that are right next to each other or being bored when the line will move and then there are kids, that is self explanatory. I do it because it's fun and you can even make it look a little casual like nothing out of the ordinary; that's where the wall sits come in handy big time especially if you want to keep up the stamina of your legs throughout the day.

Next time you're in line waiting to get on a ride, do a few Isometrics against the railing whether it be wood, a chain, hollow aluminum steel and whatever else. Passes the time when you're there a while (try being in 2 hour line waiting for fucking Indiana Jones in Adventureland you'll thank me on that one). Will it wear you out? No if you play your cards right and not go full boar in every line, only use maybe 40% of your strength at best and do it for a few seconds and don't make yourself too obvious to attract so much attention the person operating finds out and won't know what the hell to do with you, be creative but casual and relaxed, not so full of adrenaline you make a damn scene. It's a lot of fun and it gives you something to do instead of moping around or getting so excited that you might lose it after waiting too long. Go for it and may you get stronger before you get on your favorite ride.

A Traveling Fitness Companion

I love to travel and have been to many cities and a few states in my lifetime. Being back east was an adventure, traveling up and back the pacific nothwest was a delight although I was recovering at the time but won 500 bucks at a Harris Casino in Lake Tahoe. With the way you travel and where you travel it is important to have valuable needs that are as basic as possible and I certainly believe you should travel with a fitness training kit.

Even though we have gyms at every major corner in the U.S, it's difficult to get some exercise in after a hard day driving on the road or flying for hours on end. It's also very difficult to carry weights around so I don't think its wise to travel with a rowing machine or squat rack full of iron plates and a bar. A gym to travel with should be easy to carry and put away like in a suitcase, backpack or dufflebag so when you get to your hotel room or wherever you're staying, you can get a little bag out that has handles with cables to attach to and use a door anchor to place so you can all sorts of exercises from as many angles as possible. I sometimes travel with my chest expander and it's a hell of a way to get some kick ass training in before you head off to bed or after you wake up in the morning before a meeting or session with your employees/employers.

A great training kit would be a TNT Cable Pack that you can get in a 60 lb. Pack, 120 lb. Pack or 180 lb. pack  that have a few rubber cables where you can attach a triple insert slot with the cable and have at it doing the same types of exercises you would in a gym such as overhead presses, curls, squats, lunges, cleans and others. With the Door Attachment you can hook your cable(s) and handles over a holding bin where you can do exercises based on the machines such as Lat Pulldowns, Arm Wrestling Pulls, Tricep Pressdowns, Twists, Sit-ups, Upright Rows, Chops, Rows, Chest Presses going downward/upwards and like a standing Bench Press but that's just the tip of the iceberg. You don't need the gym per say when you have it everywhere you go. Take it out while you're at the park, at a baseball field, at the airport waiting for a plane, in a guest room at a house you're visiting for the weekend, at the beach hell if you an get away with it train at a gas station while you're pumping gas; you have no excuses.

People tend to believe that if you want to get in shape you have to train at a gym or a fitness studio paying a shit ton of money that could be used for other important factors like your fucking food or gas money. I'd say "you're right I do train at a gym when I travel, got it right here in my bad ass bag here, this is my gym and I can get fit anywhere I fucking wish." It really throws people off when you carry a gym in a hefty little bag that weighs no more than 3 pounds at best yet get in great shape under 20 minutes a day and don't have to pay for the day at a lousy gym filled with gross sweathogs that don't wipe down equipment and judgmental shit for brains that think that they own the fucking joint, no you never have to go through that. The world is your gym my friend, embrace and don't give a shit what people think, you're the one getting fit while they stand there with their finger up their ass looking like you're some kind of hippie.

Uncut Review Of C-Mass

Haven't written a review in quite a while on this bitch so I thought I'd share some insight into a course I humbly loved looking into....Paul Wade's C-Mass course, you know that book with the bad ass Kavadlo Brothers on the cover, yeah that book.

What does C-Mass stand for for those playing the home game; it stands for Calisthenic Mass, in plain English means building insane muscle using only your bodyweight. Now really how the fuck does that happen? Isn't this a contradiction that only skinny dudes and guys that can't afford a gym membership only do Bodyweight and isn't Bodyweight Training mainly for Gymnasts and those who do Zumba classes? Believe it or not guys, you can get pretty fucking big using your own body. Just to be clear, I'm not talking the grotesque type of muscle mass you see on roided shit for brains bodybuilders with a gut the size of New York and arms bigger than Sally Field's head and it damn sure isn't about having a back that makes North Dakota look small; it's about realistic muscle mass that is functional, useful and looking like a real old school athlete or muscle builder (pre-1950's).

Paul's brand of humor and non-sense bullshit is the heart of this book and he gets down to the nitty gritty with very few scientific outlooks but more based on experience and letting his readers know in plain English what the real stuff is all about. He's no scientist or doctor, hell the guy has been in the joint but yet he's honest about what has happened and what inspired him to how guys can get huge using the body as the ultimate weight. I for one admire his views on building real muscle and how you can do it without drugs, supplements or machinery.

Now with the guys on the cover Al & Danny Kavadlo, they bring the soul of this book with their smiles and plethora of tattoos (Danny takes the cake as the most tattooed bodyweight guy I've ever seen). Some people gave these two guys shit because they're not "big" in the sense of what the book was intended to apply as but yet in my blunt opinion; they are pretty big for guys who only do Bodyweight, yes they're most likely under 190 or more but that's the amount of weight most muscle guys back in the early 20th weighed; guys like Charles Atlas, Bobby Pandour, Eugene Sandow and let's not forget pound for pound the greatest muscle control masters Otto Arco and Maxick. Shit I admire that amount of muscle on guys like them. I have them beat by nearly 100 pounds and can do gnarly stuff from a bodyweight stand-point.

What's amazing about this course in and of itself is a true testament and hope that with the right tools and the more muscle being used in a single exercise can constitute a great physique. For over 10 years the majority of my training is pure bodyweight and I can attest that it is possible to be big and use nothing but your own body. All I can really say is once you apply these simple techniques you're gonna need a new freaking wardrobe so be forewarned. I give this book on a scale of 1-10; it goes to 11. It's one of the most unique books on building realistic muscle mass and staying as healthy as possible with the only side-effects being increased metabolism, higher testosterone, burn off fat like butter to a fucking frying pan and it can only be limited by your imagination. Get massive shoulders doing presses like Handstands, close-grip push-ups, Dips and others and getting cannon-ball biceps from pulling movements like Pull/Chin-ups, Rope Climbing, Aussie Pulls and Bodyweight Curls and let's not forget an insane mid section from Levers, Knee Pulls, Dragon Flags, Human Flag, Hanging & plenty more. Learn The Commandments with a Vengeance, study the old-timers he mentions and keep an open mind.

Here's the link to C-Mass: How To Maximize Muscle Growth Using Bodyweight-Only Training