As you well know i'm not a man of copying or making other people's routines my own, I take what works for my interests & develop a style that is of my own design. Its not easy being your own trainer but its far better for your mind and body to be so. There is importance in learning specific exercises and gaining technique by practice but its more important to perfect what works in your favor not someone else's.
I believe in self-mastery meaning that I take what I do seriously and put my heart and soul into creating something for myself and only myself. I have no problem training with others but I'm not going to do exactly what they do otherwise i'm missing out on who i'am. Most take the easy route by being sheep and following someone else's routine or go at the same speed, same exercise step by step. There's nothing wrong with learning an exercise and doing it right but if you want the complete package, you need to step away and also master yourself first and foremost. Some people think being your own trainer will get you hurt and no matter what you need a trainer, I disagree in parts of that area; I believe that if your technique is off and you are hurting yourself then learn from someone how to do it right but at the same time, learn the facets of your own physiology and develop technique that suits you and your needs of obtaining results.
I have learned from the very best on what exercises need good technique on and have trained alongside some of the strongest and fittest people on the planet. I had to learn on my own 11 years ago how to walk again and train my body, I worked out with people but for the most part, the training, the process of getting strong again and the some was all me and whatever technique I learned I observed it very closely in books and on DVDs. I was very good at observation and it helped me find what can work for my structure and how I've stayed less injured this whole time. Being your own trainer takes guts and its not a temporary thing, its a life-time commitment. Be your own trainer roughly 80-90% of the time, the other 10-20% is from learning from others, observing, participating and practicing.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Monday, June 20, 2016
Your Body And Your Imagination
Most equipment in fitness these days are way overrated and most of the time don't even work. The stupid gadgets, cardio machines, smith machines, Bosu Balls and others are just things that take up way too much damn space. Very few things are worth while having like maybe a rack to use for squats, a pull-up bar, a hammer, mace, kettlebell & Steelbell other than that its not worth putting your money on. I like to move heavy things from time to time but I always have a better use for my body by doing things that are fun, realistic, unconventional & imaginative.
The more stuff you use the less you get in the habit of using your imagination. Less is more. That's part of the beauty I love on bodyweight training, there's so much you can come up with but only need a fraction to get what you want. Training using a ton of equipment takes away the purpose of putting real effort into your training. Its very important to use both your body and your brain in the best way possible and trust me, having a ton of machines will diminish your progress rather than have it climbing. There are also certain forms of training that can't mach certain others, take calisthenics for example, there is so many variations that are possible but like any other method it doesn't hit everything. I love doing squats, push-ups, pull-ups, v-ups, handstands and others when i'm in the mood but even those components cannot touch or even scratch the surface of other methods.
This is why I like the VRT method of exercise, you can have all the equipment you need in one form of training where your imagination is the key. Think about it, being able to have all that equipment by just focusing on it in your mind and programming it to the muscles in your body. Be able to take the gym anywhere and do it whenever you want. VRT gives you freedom that you never experienced before. The benefits of this system are amazing in more than just developing muscular growth, it also enhances cardio, endurance, heals possible previous injuries, doesn't wear and tear on your joints and get this; you can wear whatever you want or nothing at all when you do a workout. You can do it in a long or short period of time and you can do it with your kids or grandparents, hell do it for students in a P.E class. This is a system meant for everyone from 10-100 years old, it isn't easy but it can be very interesting and it can really get you out of breath when properly performed.
When I need a break from regular forms of bodyweight training I go to this but lately its become so addicting I've been doing it and a variation of the system for weeks now and haven't even felt the slightest bit of a burn out. Target the muscles you want worked in mere seconds just by thinking then moving in a range of motion while maintaining tension. You control the amount of resistance being used and you have the freedom to come up with any exercise you want. Instead of thinking of regular, boring dumbbells, why not think of a car, heavy chains, a strong rope, picking up heavy bricks, pushing the pyramids, rowing an extremely heavy oar, squatting with a boulder on your back or even pulling a train full of gorgeous women; there's a limitless amount of things you can think of to hit the muscles you're working. You are powerful and this system can give you amazing energy and insane control over your whole system; be able to flex and relax your muscles at will, putting your thoughts into the muscles to create that surge of strength & power plus become enthralled in developing muscle that stands out and gives that natural glow on your structure.
There's nothing like doing the VRT Workout and no other form of muscle control gives you more freedom and lends you a limitless amounts of ideas that can create a workout that not only is out of this world but puts you in the front seat and gives you the tools to ride your own ship.
$1.99/Kindle $9/Paperback
The more stuff you use the less you get in the habit of using your imagination. Less is more. That's part of the beauty I love on bodyweight training, there's so much you can come up with but only need a fraction to get what you want. Training using a ton of equipment takes away the purpose of putting real effort into your training. Its very important to use both your body and your brain in the best way possible and trust me, having a ton of machines will diminish your progress rather than have it climbing. There are also certain forms of training that can't mach certain others, take calisthenics for example, there is so many variations that are possible but like any other method it doesn't hit everything. I love doing squats, push-ups, pull-ups, v-ups, handstands and others when i'm in the mood but even those components cannot touch or even scratch the surface of other methods.
This is why I like the VRT method of exercise, you can have all the equipment you need in one form of training where your imagination is the key. Think about it, being able to have all that equipment by just focusing on it in your mind and programming it to the muscles in your body. Be able to take the gym anywhere and do it whenever you want. VRT gives you freedom that you never experienced before. The benefits of this system are amazing in more than just developing muscular growth, it also enhances cardio, endurance, heals possible previous injuries, doesn't wear and tear on your joints and get this; you can wear whatever you want or nothing at all when you do a workout. You can do it in a long or short period of time and you can do it with your kids or grandparents, hell do it for students in a P.E class. This is a system meant for everyone from 10-100 years old, it isn't easy but it can be very interesting and it can really get you out of breath when properly performed.
When I need a break from regular forms of bodyweight training I go to this but lately its become so addicting I've been doing it and a variation of the system for weeks now and haven't even felt the slightest bit of a burn out. Target the muscles you want worked in mere seconds just by thinking then moving in a range of motion while maintaining tension. You control the amount of resistance being used and you have the freedom to come up with any exercise you want. Instead of thinking of regular, boring dumbbells, why not think of a car, heavy chains, a strong rope, picking up heavy bricks, pushing the pyramids, rowing an extremely heavy oar, squatting with a boulder on your back or even pulling a train full of gorgeous women; there's a limitless amount of things you can think of to hit the muscles you're working. You are powerful and this system can give you amazing energy and insane control over your whole system; be able to flex and relax your muscles at will, putting your thoughts into the muscles to create that surge of strength & power plus become enthralled in developing muscle that stands out and gives that natural glow on your structure.
There's nothing like doing the VRT Workout and no other form of muscle control gives you more freedom and lends you a limitless amounts of ideas that can create a workout that not only is out of this world but puts you in the front seat and gives you the tools to ride your own ship.
$1.99/Kindle $9/Paperback
Friday, June 17, 2016
True Intent Creates The Very Best Results
Its not hard getting some results from certain methods o training; not easy but not too difficult either. When you set a goal, your mind is set on that goal and regardless of what may get past you, you intend to get that goal. Most people can't fathom that. They set a goal but often times go through the motions and never put any real heart into it.
The best results in a training program should not only excel at a physical level but a mental & emotional as well. You fight to get what you want but at the same time, be at peace and emotionally invest in the time you want to get the results in. Some will try to tear you down not because you can't do it but because they don't want you succeeding. I've literally heard people tell me to my face that what I do is pure bullshit, its a hobby, something that doesn't cater to society and that I should do something real. I've been training in different methods for over 11 years without one single day off and never once thought about it; its not a hobby, its my addiction, my livelihood and a powerful form of safety net that I can't live without. When I hear people tearing down other people's dreams and choices that could do good for this world, makes me want to punch somebody.
Train using every bit of your soul into what you want to accomplish, its your choice and what comes of it will be what its meant to be. Not everyone can be an athlete, but they can be a part of sports or athletics in one form or another, not everyone is meant to lift 1000 pounds but you can become very strong in ways most people can't even dream of. When you are intent to do something and you make the best of it on your terms, results will happen one way or another; often times when you least expect it. Nobody can be an Arnold Schwarzenegger, but they can be the best versions of themselves and have something even the former Mr. Olympia can never have. You have the power to get amazing results but they need to be done with great intent. True intent creates the very best results.
The best results in a training program should not only excel at a physical level but a mental & emotional as well. You fight to get what you want but at the same time, be at peace and emotionally invest in the time you want to get the results in. Some will try to tear you down not because you can't do it but because they don't want you succeeding. I've literally heard people tell me to my face that what I do is pure bullshit, its a hobby, something that doesn't cater to society and that I should do something real. I've been training in different methods for over 11 years without one single day off and never once thought about it; its not a hobby, its my addiction, my livelihood and a powerful form of safety net that I can't live without. When I hear people tearing down other people's dreams and choices that could do good for this world, makes me want to punch somebody.
Train using every bit of your soul into what you want to accomplish, its your choice and what comes of it will be what its meant to be. Not everyone can be an athlete, but they can be a part of sports or athletics in one form or another, not everyone is meant to lift 1000 pounds but you can become very strong in ways most people can't even dream of. When you are intent to do something and you make the best of it on your terms, results will happen one way or another; often times when you least expect it. Nobody can be an Arnold Schwarzenegger, but they can be the best versions of themselves and have something even the former Mr. Olympia can never have. You have the power to get amazing results but they need to be done with great intent. True intent creates the very best results.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Less Time Using VRT
Training within a period of time has always been a learning experience where its not just the time being used its the quality of the time. I take what I can get and train in a manner that my mind is set at a point in time and just do what pops up and make the best of it. Lately its been on Muscle Control and hitting my body using the DVR exercises from transformetrics.
For the past few weeks I've really hit these exercises hard doing 7-12 of them at a time where its three sets of 10 or 10 each arm. I clocked it once at 35 min. & 25 sec. for a full routine and felt amazing. I've decided to change things up and add in VRT Exercises to supplement some of the DVR exercises to get not only less time but put more focus on particular muscles such as the shoulders & upper arms. VRT is a beautiful style of training where you mimic the use of weights by flexing or extending a muscle by contracting and relaxing from a specific range of motion instead of a full range of motion. I've talked about and used this training in the past many times and always learn something new. With DVR's you control the contraction by utilizing your mind and muscles as if they were one and the same, VRT has a similar protocol but you use more of your imagination to truly make the contraction even greater.
I believe in what works and yes I have gained significant strength from this method especially in pull-ups and arm wrestling. It doesn't just give you a "pump" it goes beyond that where you infuse the mind and visualize what you're lifting. Your muscles can't tell the difference in what is being used or not used. You can virtually mimic any form of weights, machines & more by seeing in your mind's eye what the weight & implement you want to mimic; it even goes beyond weights, it could even go as far visualizing lifting a car, pulling chains like Samson, pushing a pyramid, pulling a really thick rope, gripping hard on a metal ball, Pressing a boulder your exercise is limitless.
It doesn't really take a lot of time to do this type of training, for the most part 20 minutes is really all that's needed. You can do more but its not necessary. I only go longer because its my choice. When I need a break from Calisthenics, Yoga, Circuit Training or Animal Moves I go to this method of exercise. I never make an excuse to not train because if I stop, it'll set me off and I'll literally hate myself for doing so; plus my brain is just not wired for it, I'm constantly learning and making adjustments to what methods work for me. Can this make you strong, absolutely but not in the manner you may want it to be; you can't lift a thousand pounds after doing VRT but you can however, generate real muscle & functional fitness without wear and tear on the joints plus you create rapid blood flow, endorphins and tapping into your own physiology. This has helped me learn how to control my body that has carried over to other areas like Isometrics & heavy lifting. It didn't make me crazy weightlifting strong but because of the way my body can contract and relax it has helped me in lifts I rarely if ever touch.
Use this method to put on awesome muscle and challenge the mind and body in a different manner than the norm. Don't be giving it a hard time if you never used it. It has its place more than you're lead to believe that it may not by some quacks who just want you to do their stuff otherwise you're just dumb. Its amazing for cardio, help lose bodyfat, lose weight, gain muscle, target muscles that won't be in isolation because in order to get the full benefit, you have to use multiple muscles for any specific exercise. Trust me, when you're strapped for time and you don't have the energy or transportation to get to a gym, this is a great alternative. It can be done practically anywhere from the park to a hotel room, at a banquet, a restaurant, lunch breaks at work, between meetings, sitting at a red light (And only at a red light NO DRIVING), in your chair watching a movie, while you're cooking or at the beach its up to you and you can pick any exercise that your imagination can utilize.
Use the VRT System to your best advantage and make the best of it no matter what time you have.
For the past few weeks I've really hit these exercises hard doing 7-12 of them at a time where its three sets of 10 or 10 each arm. I clocked it once at 35 min. & 25 sec. for a full routine and felt amazing. I've decided to change things up and add in VRT Exercises to supplement some of the DVR exercises to get not only less time but put more focus on particular muscles such as the shoulders & upper arms. VRT is a beautiful style of training where you mimic the use of weights by flexing or extending a muscle by contracting and relaxing from a specific range of motion instead of a full range of motion. I've talked about and used this training in the past many times and always learn something new. With DVR's you control the contraction by utilizing your mind and muscles as if they were one and the same, VRT has a similar protocol but you use more of your imagination to truly make the contraction even greater.
I believe in what works and yes I have gained significant strength from this method especially in pull-ups and arm wrestling. It doesn't just give you a "pump" it goes beyond that where you infuse the mind and visualize what you're lifting. Your muscles can't tell the difference in what is being used or not used. You can virtually mimic any form of weights, machines & more by seeing in your mind's eye what the weight & implement you want to mimic; it even goes beyond weights, it could even go as far visualizing lifting a car, pulling chains like Samson, pushing a pyramid, pulling a really thick rope, gripping hard on a metal ball, Pressing a boulder your exercise is limitless.
It doesn't really take a lot of time to do this type of training, for the most part 20 minutes is really all that's needed. You can do more but its not necessary. I only go longer because its my choice. When I need a break from Calisthenics, Yoga, Circuit Training or Animal Moves I go to this method of exercise. I never make an excuse to not train because if I stop, it'll set me off and I'll literally hate myself for doing so; plus my brain is just not wired for it, I'm constantly learning and making adjustments to what methods work for me. Can this make you strong, absolutely but not in the manner you may want it to be; you can't lift a thousand pounds after doing VRT but you can however, generate real muscle & functional fitness without wear and tear on the joints plus you create rapid blood flow, endorphins and tapping into your own physiology. This has helped me learn how to control my body that has carried over to other areas like Isometrics & heavy lifting. It didn't make me crazy weightlifting strong but because of the way my body can contract and relax it has helped me in lifts I rarely if ever touch.
Use this method to put on awesome muscle and challenge the mind and body in a different manner than the norm. Don't be giving it a hard time if you never used it. It has its place more than you're lead to believe that it may not by some quacks who just want you to do their stuff otherwise you're just dumb. Its amazing for cardio, help lose bodyfat, lose weight, gain muscle, target muscles that won't be in isolation because in order to get the full benefit, you have to use multiple muscles for any specific exercise. Trust me, when you're strapped for time and you don't have the energy or transportation to get to a gym, this is a great alternative. It can be done practically anywhere from the park to a hotel room, at a banquet, a restaurant, lunch breaks at work, between meetings, sitting at a red light (And only at a red light NO DRIVING), in your chair watching a movie, while you're cooking or at the beach its up to you and you can pick any exercise that your imagination can utilize.
Use the VRT System to your best advantage and make the best of it no matter what time you have.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Do High Repetition Calisthenics Really Matter?
Often in training there are little things that can be up for debate for what works best and applying to a particular style. I've been through many styles of training; high rep workouts, heavy lifting, sprinting, focused tension on specific exercises, animal moves and circuit training; the thing I've come to grips is working best on a style of training that gave me the condition to not always rely on high rep workouts such as push-ups & squats in the triple digits or higher. Not that I don't believe they work, they do but there's far much more to training than focusing purely on high rep calisthenics.
What I look for is specific elements that don't take a long ass time and focusing purely on specific exercises that can be as effective strength wise either through high repetition or utilizing tension for lower reps. Take the push-up for example; I've been through the ringer of only as much as 5 reps in a single set and have hit more than 500 in a single workout; the true effectiveness for me is using muscle control that gets me only a few reps but just hits me like a Mack truck. I do believe High reps works beautifully but after a period in my eyes, it becomes boring, drags along and I don't have the energy to do anything else. The only true purpose to do this type of training is if you're an athlete and needing to be in top condition for your sport or to test yourself to see how far you can go.
I prefer Isometrics & Bridging over most these days and because I've become so enthralled with DVR Exercises, calisthenics is more of a background thing. You don't need to do a ton of reps in order to get in shape. Its great to have that kind of strength & endurance but sometimes you need to step away and test out other things. High reps is also time consuming so if you only have a few minutes, you won't be doing 500 reps of anything but you can do Isometrics, Yoga, Qi Gong, DVR Exercise, Bridging and Gymnastic Type Exercise. I believe in the quality in movement and isometric holds so wouldn't it be better to do a movement that demands quality or just go through the motions and screwing up your form in the process because trust no matter how you slice it, very high reps will cause you to lose your form in one manner or another and if you do it too often that leads to injury. The other thing on that count is how you recover, its important to rest up or do something a little different otherwise you can strain something and it'll bite you in the ass.
Do they truly matter? That's up for you to decide and depending on what you focus on. I love the excitement of training and putting together a workout or sets of workouts throughout the day that takes in quality breathing, energizing effects of particular exercises and making the most out of it and not always striving to do a great level of repetition and lose my sight on what's important or other things. High reps have their place and its ok to not do them if you don't want to but its also important to learn what you're capable of and making a note that you have the ability to do something amazing. Regardless of what you do, learn the value of quality over quantity.
What I look for is specific elements that don't take a long ass time and focusing purely on specific exercises that can be as effective strength wise either through high repetition or utilizing tension for lower reps. Take the push-up for example; I've been through the ringer of only as much as 5 reps in a single set and have hit more than 500 in a single workout; the true effectiveness for me is using muscle control that gets me only a few reps but just hits me like a Mack truck. I do believe High reps works beautifully but after a period in my eyes, it becomes boring, drags along and I don't have the energy to do anything else. The only true purpose to do this type of training is if you're an athlete and needing to be in top condition for your sport or to test yourself to see how far you can go.
I prefer Isometrics & Bridging over most these days and because I've become so enthralled with DVR Exercises, calisthenics is more of a background thing. You don't need to do a ton of reps in order to get in shape. Its great to have that kind of strength & endurance but sometimes you need to step away and test out other things. High reps is also time consuming so if you only have a few minutes, you won't be doing 500 reps of anything but you can do Isometrics, Yoga, Qi Gong, DVR Exercise, Bridging and Gymnastic Type Exercise. I believe in the quality in movement and isometric holds so wouldn't it be better to do a movement that demands quality or just go through the motions and screwing up your form in the process because trust no matter how you slice it, very high reps will cause you to lose your form in one manner or another and if you do it too often that leads to injury. The other thing on that count is how you recover, its important to rest up or do something a little different otherwise you can strain something and it'll bite you in the ass.
Do they truly matter? That's up for you to decide and depending on what you focus on. I love the excitement of training and putting together a workout or sets of workouts throughout the day that takes in quality breathing, energizing effects of particular exercises and making the most out of it and not always striving to do a great level of repetition and lose my sight on what's important or other things. High reps have their place and its ok to not do them if you don't want to but its also important to learn what you're capable of and making a note that you have the ability to do something amazing. Regardless of what you do, learn the value of quality over quantity.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
