Always liked Documentaries since I saw Pumping Iron back in high school. From exercise to sports, to nature and others Docs bring in a tale of a story being unfold with real people doing real worldly things. This film I saw on Netflix The Fittest On Earth is the story on the lead up to the 2015 Crossfit Games.
It tells the story of participating Crossfit competitors from all over the world; features a few people out of around 40 total in the competition from the beach towns of Santa Cruz & San Diego, California to West Virginia and European Athletes. It is without question one of the premier events today and has some of the most dedicated, toughest and most well-built men and women on the planet.
I've known about Crossfit for some time now and have seen good, bad and downright ugly aspects of the "Sport" and my thoughts really on it are that as competitive as it is, its also one of the most dangerous and injury-prone form of conditioning & athletics. Without sugarcoating it its basically lifting, running, jumping, hard-nosed calisthenics that is taken to the extreme with some downright awful technique on exercise. The workouts are so insane it will literally kill the average person. Let me put it to you this way, it suppose to bring you to the absolute limit of your strength, endurance & coordination. Strictly timed and each workout makes you work faster than the last time.
I have mixed feelings about this film being that I couldn't take it too serious because the people being interviewed sounded like their on a reality show and no matter how much they say they love the concept of Crossfit, they'll literally do whatever it takes to win and fight off any competitor that gets in their way. Don't get me wrong, I love the competitiveness and the psychology of what these people go through, the training alone is brutal, hardcore and downright nasty. What I found really difficult was how much pressure they put on themselves more than understanding just being there is an accomplishment in and of itself. I've been in competitive sports so I get the idea that when you're on its crazy at times and its tough to maintain composure. Some of these men and women were so passionate about this that when they lost or had to withdrawl it sounded like their life just ended and there's nothing left to do.
It is an amazing film and the workouts these people went through defy the laws of human nature and were pushed so hard some have thrown up, passed out and/or had so many freaking bruises they piratically welcomed them as battle wounds. I'm all for challenging yourself and making the best of what you can do but not to this extent. I'm all for women tackling fitness and damn it I love it when they have better results than us guys do but a lot of these women had way too much muscle on their frame not the bodybuilding type but more than what's given for their height and bone structure. The injuries some of these people had were totally unnecessary and some of their technique in various exercises were horrendous and cringing. Some of them might take that as a compliment but its not a compliment when you are dead from dropping weight onto your body that broke the muscle in your heart and collapsing the lungs.
During the competition wherever they were at was hot, dry and painfully scorching; the workouts they endure was not meant to be done in that heat and not surprised if anything got broken during some of those exercises. I sympathize with them for what they do but I can't stand how they hurt themselves in the process. Is it inspiring in some form yes I will give them that; it teaches how to fight for what you want and hard work is the key. The biggest drawback is that they put so much on themselves they don't grasp the concept that losing is not total failure but a lesson and that when you have reached your limit and you can't move anymore, its time to back off. I don't know how much recovery they got in their training but clearly most of them didn't get even a fraction of what is needed. I'm not surprised also that some were on Performance Enhancers just to keep up the requirement for some of these workouts. Some workouts are doable but that's maybe in the 1.5% if that and the rest are just downright not meant for a human to do let alone not get injured from.
A positive thing for this is that it teaches what its like to put your heart and soul into something you believe in and that you'll fight to the very last breath. That's the warrior mentality and they for the most part are overwhelmingly warrior-esque. Out of ten I'd give this a 6.5 because as awesome the lead-up and the finish of the competition shows in this film, I can't give a rating any higher on the level where it also tries to make people see that regardless of your health in order to be the best you have to go beyond your actual needs of training otherwise you're not meant to be fit. That's the way I feel about it plus its not cool to beat yourself up so hard you can't grasp the concept that you did everything you possibly can do and realize that failure is a part of life and doesn't make you a two-time loser. I saw quite a few in that film that broke down and felt that because they lost they'd rather be dead. You can't win them all.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Friday, July 8, 2016
All Year Round Is Amazeballs
For a long period of time, people have had this notion on fitness where you only "workout" 3x a week doing cardio (please), weight lifting (not real weight) & stretching (don't get me started). Its good to do all those things if you can afford the gym or the equipment but if you want to get the best results, your best bet is to learn not only the mechanics but the old school style of training because quite frankly, 99.9% of fitness these days is all about models on a cover & supplementing you to death.
I believe in being creative and not following someone else's "expert advice" down to the T. However; I do believe in learning different styles to get a handle on what works and what doesn't. It's not wrong to follow someone on a DVD through a tough workout but you'll only be second rate when you allow yourself to go at the same speed, tempo and time as another person. Its awesome to have goals that go for a period of time but with consistence all year round, you're building a habit that creates results that you can maintain for life.
Never taking a day off in nearly 11 years has taught me many things and one of them is to never stop learning and adjust to your status of physical, mental & emotional levels of what to do on a day to day basis. There are days where i'm not up for something an hour long or want to go so hard I feel like Rocky and just want to train being relaxed, go for a swim, live in the moments of deep breathing & meditation. Exercise doesn't always involve moving; there are days where I'll do nothing but Isometrics and do holds for various amounts of time, either way i'm always doing something even in certain exercises it looks like i'm not doing a damn thing.
Seeing training as a hardcore thing is a mental aspect to certain people but believe it or not, you can train with the out most intensity without physically doing anything on the outside. You want to talk hardcore training; you won't see me lift 600 lbs. on a barbell or run on a treadmill so hard its going out of style, to me hardcore is just moving your body in awkward positions and or utilizing combos while being heavier than most doing this stuff. I train all year round because its not only a habit but more than just a lifestyle, its freedom and taking on challenges that I have yet to experience.
What they don't teach you at planet "fitness" or "eat my shorts meathead" gym, hell even at "Look like Tarzan, lift like Jane" Fitness Center is that to get results, it takes effort and commitment to get what you want but you must pay first and keep paying for not showing up and rather have you do the latter. Get your own equipment, train on your own time, move your body that is suitable for your current level and do what makes you happy without having to wait while Zoolander McPrettyboy is texting in the middle of a set where you want to take weight on. Be an all year rounder, not a winter coat couch potato or a summer-timing beach body attempting psycho, get fit no matter what time of the year because in parts of the world there is no beach body season or New years resolutions because you never know when something might snatch up and be taken away from you. Take advantage and make it happen regardless of what season it is and we all know your New Years "Resolution" isn't going any further than Oscars Night.
I believe in being creative and not following someone else's "expert advice" down to the T. However; I do believe in learning different styles to get a handle on what works and what doesn't. It's not wrong to follow someone on a DVD through a tough workout but you'll only be second rate when you allow yourself to go at the same speed, tempo and time as another person. Its awesome to have goals that go for a period of time but with consistence all year round, you're building a habit that creates results that you can maintain for life.
Never taking a day off in nearly 11 years has taught me many things and one of them is to never stop learning and adjust to your status of physical, mental & emotional levels of what to do on a day to day basis. There are days where i'm not up for something an hour long or want to go so hard I feel like Rocky and just want to train being relaxed, go for a swim, live in the moments of deep breathing & meditation. Exercise doesn't always involve moving; there are days where I'll do nothing but Isometrics and do holds for various amounts of time, either way i'm always doing something even in certain exercises it looks like i'm not doing a damn thing.
Seeing training as a hardcore thing is a mental aspect to certain people but believe it or not, you can train with the out most intensity without physically doing anything on the outside. You want to talk hardcore training; you won't see me lift 600 lbs. on a barbell or run on a treadmill so hard its going out of style, to me hardcore is just moving your body in awkward positions and or utilizing combos while being heavier than most doing this stuff. I train all year round because its not only a habit but more than just a lifestyle, its freedom and taking on challenges that I have yet to experience.
What they don't teach you at planet "fitness" or "eat my shorts meathead" gym, hell even at "Look like Tarzan, lift like Jane" Fitness Center is that to get results, it takes effort and commitment to get what you want but you must pay first and keep paying for not showing up and rather have you do the latter. Get your own equipment, train on your own time, move your body that is suitable for your current level and do what makes you happy without having to wait while Zoolander McPrettyboy is texting in the middle of a set where you want to take weight on. Be an all year rounder, not a winter coat couch potato or a summer-timing beach body attempting psycho, get fit no matter what time of the year because in parts of the world there is no beach body season or New years resolutions because you never know when something might snatch up and be taken away from you. Take advantage and make it happen regardless of what season it is and we all know your New Years "Resolution" isn't going any further than Oscars Night.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Power Up Your Hormones On HIIT
For men, hormones are a big deal and the older we get, the more important it is to maintain. Natural hormones create a fusion of energy that carries nerves all over the body and keeps us young and vibrant. When that energy throughout the nerves begins to go down, our bodies come down with; losing muscle, gaining bodyfat, lack of energy, the soldier hiding more often than saluting & more.
It takes specific training and developing strategy that not only charges up the hormones but skyrockets them into the next galaxy. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is the very basis of generating that area to where in a matter of only a few workouts, you can jump up your testosterone very quickly. There are many ways to do it but you have to go so hard for only 30 seconds or less and rest a minimum of 3x that (90 Seconds). How often do you need to do this? Roughly 2x a week but no more than 3x a week. How many rounds or sets? Some in the beginning can only do 2, others can do up to 5, the most elite don't do more than 7-10.
You can do this by doing anything that gets you huffing and puffing fast such as; Sprinting, Lifting weights at a fast pace, running hard on the treadmill, jumping rope, Push-ups, Jumping Jacks, Bear Crawls, Snatches, Squats whatever feels right to you. When you power up on your hormones you'll start to see & feel these benefits; Losing weight, building dense muscle, burning fat like a furnace, intense sexual energy, burning calories even after hours of the workout, higher state of euphoria, focused, greater sleep and a hell of a lot more. I'm over 30 so I'm just beginning that stage where maintaining testosterone is important, when you're over 40, it becomes critical.
To get an idea on ways to use HIIT here are a few places to check up on.....
Superhero Sprints
Animal Workouts
Darebee Training
The Twisted Conditioning Series
Weightlifting Made Easy & Interesting
It takes specific training and developing strategy that not only charges up the hormones but skyrockets them into the next galaxy. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is the very basis of generating that area to where in a matter of only a few workouts, you can jump up your testosterone very quickly. There are many ways to do it but you have to go so hard for only 30 seconds or less and rest a minimum of 3x that (90 Seconds). How often do you need to do this? Roughly 2x a week but no more than 3x a week. How many rounds or sets? Some in the beginning can only do 2, others can do up to 5, the most elite don't do more than 7-10.
You can do this by doing anything that gets you huffing and puffing fast such as; Sprinting, Lifting weights at a fast pace, running hard on the treadmill, jumping rope, Push-ups, Jumping Jacks, Bear Crawls, Snatches, Squats whatever feels right to you. When you power up on your hormones you'll start to see & feel these benefits; Losing weight, building dense muscle, burning fat like a furnace, intense sexual energy, burning calories even after hours of the workout, higher state of euphoria, focused, greater sleep and a hell of a lot more. I'm over 30 so I'm just beginning that stage where maintaining testosterone is important, when you're over 40, it becomes critical.
To get an idea on ways to use HIIT here are a few places to check up on.....
Superhero Sprints
Animal Workouts
Darebee Training
The Twisted Conditioning Series
Weightlifting Made Easy & Interesting
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Why Do Things That Work Best For You???
Over my lifetime, very few things have ever truly worked for me and shaped my life over the course of experimenting and learning. School wasn't the greatest thing for me and didn't enjoy it much, only liked maybe 3 things about it...Drama, Track (Maybe) & Weight Training. Since then I went back and forth doing little jobs that barely lasted enough for a pay day and wanted to lift. Since my accident that changed too.
When began experimenting almost exclusively bodyweight exercises, some things just came natural to me and worked. Did more things and more stuff kept popping up, before I knew it I had an arsenal of exercise weaponry and knowledge that helped turn me into a fitness machine. I may not run 100 miles or do 3000 Squats, endless and worthless crunches but I can do things most men my size & age can't do and that's something I'm very proud of. Why do they work for me; hard to explain but if I had to some it up I'd say it because they make me happy and I feel it doesn't take too much effort (even though they were tough as hell in the beginning).
Doing things that work for you may not always work for others. I do my best to not teach to do the same exact things but to help find your potential and give you resources that not only hit you like lightning but help you make them feel as natural and effortless as possible even though you're putting in effort to make them work. For the most part, I believe in challenges but I don't believe in making you work so damn hard and nothing is clicking for you, its just not practical and or sane to do. If it doesn't click with you, something's up. Whenever I train and something doesn't click, I toss it in the trash or save it for a rainy day and just play around with it but really most of the time I train in a manner that makes me feel awesome inside and challenges me but at the same time comes natural to me effortlessly.
Some things can be a pain in the ass but if you make the effort and learn plus use it to your liking, things will happen; you won't be as stressed, you move with greater ease, have a blast and it doesn't cause you pain. I really hate that term "no pain, no gain" its a crock of crap to get you to push so hard you might as collapse and die. I believe in the term "all gain, no pain" where you can built up great muscle but without the unnecessary pain that doesn't have you function very well. I'm all for making an effort and hitting little peaks but I also believe in recovery, flow & working hard enough to where its just right. Remember Goldie Locks & The Three Bears...Here's my philosophy...
Papa Bear Fitness: Its too hard, painful & doesn't seem right
Mama Bear Fitness: It's too soft, not enough effort and no real challenge (BORING)
Baby Bear Fitness: It's just right, enough effort to where its fun and challenging but not to the point of pain and suffering that makes me feel like crap.
Be like Baby Bear Fitness guys. Fitness aught to fun, unique, challenging both for the brain & the physical body. Pain-Free & Injury-Free as much as possible. The ability to grow without being put through torture that questions your training.
When began experimenting almost exclusively bodyweight exercises, some things just came natural to me and worked. Did more things and more stuff kept popping up, before I knew it I had an arsenal of exercise weaponry and knowledge that helped turn me into a fitness machine. I may not run 100 miles or do 3000 Squats, endless and worthless crunches but I can do things most men my size & age can't do and that's something I'm very proud of. Why do they work for me; hard to explain but if I had to some it up I'd say it because they make me happy and I feel it doesn't take too much effort (even though they were tough as hell in the beginning).
Doing things that work for you may not always work for others. I do my best to not teach to do the same exact things but to help find your potential and give you resources that not only hit you like lightning but help you make them feel as natural and effortless as possible even though you're putting in effort to make them work. For the most part, I believe in challenges but I don't believe in making you work so damn hard and nothing is clicking for you, its just not practical and or sane to do. If it doesn't click with you, something's up. Whenever I train and something doesn't click, I toss it in the trash or save it for a rainy day and just play around with it but really most of the time I train in a manner that makes me feel awesome inside and challenges me but at the same time comes natural to me effortlessly.
Some things can be a pain in the ass but if you make the effort and learn plus use it to your liking, things will happen; you won't be as stressed, you move with greater ease, have a blast and it doesn't cause you pain. I really hate that term "no pain, no gain" its a crock of crap to get you to push so hard you might as collapse and die. I believe in the term "all gain, no pain" where you can built up great muscle but without the unnecessary pain that doesn't have you function very well. I'm all for making an effort and hitting little peaks but I also believe in recovery, flow & working hard enough to where its just right. Remember Goldie Locks & The Three Bears...Here's my philosophy...
Papa Bear Fitness: Its too hard, painful & doesn't seem right
Mama Bear Fitness: It's too soft, not enough effort and no real challenge (BORING)
Baby Bear Fitness: It's just right, enough effort to where its fun and challenging but not to the point of pain and suffering that makes me feel like crap.
Be like Baby Bear Fitness guys. Fitness aught to fun, unique, challenging both for the brain & the physical body. Pain-Free & Injury-Free as much as possible. The ability to grow without being put through torture that questions your training.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Play To Build The Brain
It is important to learn the facets of a routine; knowing what to do, how to do it and understanding the route from A to B. Not all routines are equaled though, not everything will be what it seems and the unexpected tends to pop up at random times. The best routine is to teach the brain the unexpected. For instance, my current training is based on many things I have learned and molding them into a workout where I don't know where the hell I'm going, but I know what the hell i'm doing.
I play to strengthen the brain, ever since I was little I always had to learn things a little differently since having the meningitis. A lot of what I learned came from Video Games and observing others both in life and in film/tv, I know that sounds really odd and very weird but its true. I never not went outside and played I did a ton of that too and it was playing that gave me certain tools that transferred into my nerves and help me coordinate my body and use my mind in a unique way. I developed a crazy memory over the years and I can't tell how I did in precise details because quite frankly I didn't even understand it until I got a little older.
When I was getting into Fitness on a serious level, I taught myself a lot of different exercises by reading books and doing them as best as I could. I got so deep in it that I just built up this knowledge of dozens upon dozens upon dozen of exercises, workouts, programs, the history, the details and just flat out by playing and mixing things up. My brain starting doing things it hasn't done as long as I can remember and that's developing stronger nerves to send into my body and "upgrading" a few things I never experienced before. I'm not the best at explaining things but what I can tell you is when you play and observe and learn your awareness effortlessly things begin to shift in your brain and bring in more flow and power that can help you enhance intelligence, create better emotional comprehension, sharpen your mind to do tough tasks and many other things.
Play to build your brain and things will come alive like you have never experienced before.
I play to strengthen the brain, ever since I was little I always had to learn things a little differently since having the meningitis. A lot of what I learned came from Video Games and observing others both in life and in film/tv, I know that sounds really odd and very weird but its true. I never not went outside and played I did a ton of that too and it was playing that gave me certain tools that transferred into my nerves and help me coordinate my body and use my mind in a unique way. I developed a crazy memory over the years and I can't tell how I did in precise details because quite frankly I didn't even understand it until I got a little older.
When I was getting into Fitness on a serious level, I taught myself a lot of different exercises by reading books and doing them as best as I could. I got so deep in it that I just built up this knowledge of dozens upon dozens upon dozen of exercises, workouts, programs, the history, the details and just flat out by playing and mixing things up. My brain starting doing things it hasn't done as long as I can remember and that's developing stronger nerves to send into my body and "upgrading" a few things I never experienced before. I'm not the best at explaining things but what I can tell you is when you play and observe and learn your awareness effortlessly things begin to shift in your brain and bring in more flow and power that can help you enhance intelligence, create better emotional comprehension, sharpen your mind to do tough tasks and many other things.
Play to build your brain and things will come alive like you have never experienced before.
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