An Ancient Angle for Workout Recovery

In Chinese medicine there’s the concept of the Three Treasures.

Jing, Qi and Shen

Shen is your spirit.

Qi is the everyday energy you use for all things.

And Jing is your foundational energy.

While all three are important Jing is considered the most, because without it, you can’t have the other two. Without it you’re dead!

With an abundance of Jing you have tons of energy reserves, bounce back from injuries, and would certainly recovery quickly from even the toughest of workouts.

Unfortunately, most men find that they take longer to recover from workouts as they get older.

 You could say this aging. You could say it’s less helpful hormones. But the Chinese would say it’s because of Jing, which encompasses both of those things.

Sadly, as we age our Jing tends to dwindle downwards from various stressors, lack of nutrition, sleep and so much more.

Some say the only thing you can do is preserve the Jing that you’re born with….

But the ancient Taoists believed that certain practices could actually replenish and build it.

These include certain forms of qi gong…

And a select few herbal supplements.

He Shou Wu is one of them.

If you’d like to bounce back from your workouts like you use to you need to check this out.

And remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is one thing that you can take for the long term and it will just continually support you better and better.

That means your recovery will stay high throughout your life.

Recover Like A Boss & Be Awesome

Darebee Of The Day: Running Through The Minefield Workout

Get that adrenaline pumping and the sweat dripping with this high impact routine that will guarantee the lungs being on fire. Increase that explosive power and drive through the torture that will give your legs a run (pun intended) for their money.

Neck-Rupturing Centrifuge Science…

Wow!



Science certainly investigates some odd things and in odd ways, but this one may just take the cake.



You know how ants have the reputation for being the strongest creatures on the planet pound for pound? (Or perhaps more accurately milligram for milligram)



Recent research has looked into how true this is…in a very odd way.



It is estimated that ants can carry about 1000 times their weight. To test this, Castro, Nguyen and Lilly anesthetized ants and glued their heads into a centrifuge.



They then sped this centrifuge faster and faster until the ant body ripped from its head.



Castro said, “We had to put a Plexiglas barrier around the centrifuge to protect the grad students because the ant bodies would go flying at the moment of rupture.”




I guess that gives new meaning to the term “bullet ant.”

What a way to go!




They found that the force applied was from 3400 to 5000 times their bodyweight, well above the 1000 time idea they started with. (Of course lifting and withstanding force are certainly different things).




And did you know that ant extracts have been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine?

In fact, it's such a potent remedy that it has been called The Herb of Kings.




Anyone that has taken them as a pre-workout supplement has noticed that “feelable” energy they seem to provide.




Find out more details here.




Get Ant Strong & Be Awesome
References:
Nguyen, V., Lilly, B., & Castro, C. (2014). The exoskeletal structure and tensile loading behavior of an ant neck joint. Journal of Biomechanics, 47(2), 497-504. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021929013005459

Darebee Of The Day: Cardio Step Workout

There are those days where you don't want to so intense. A gentle workout that will get your heart rate up without all the impact. Think of it as a recovery type workout or something to do because it just feels right for that particular day. Have fun.

Rise from the Ashes like a Phoenix

In Greek mythology the Phoenix was a bird that lit on fire and was consumed from it. Then from the ashes it would be reborn and come alive once again.

Do you feel like you need to be reborn to greater health and vitality at times?

A powerful class of herbs known as the “Superior Herbs” in both Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda can do that for you.

Why settle for an herb or supplement that may help you with a symptom you’re suffering from?

The other option is to get a powerful formula of some of the VERY BEST herbs in the world. Something that can support your health, your hormones, your immune system, just about everything in your body.

My friends at Lost Empire Herbs put together Phoenix Formula for this reason.

This blend of four herbs has some of the most powerful stuff on the planet.

Shilajit - The Destroyer of Weakness and Conqueror of Mountains, the #1 substance in Ayurvedic medicine

Polyrhachis Ant - The Herb of Kings and #1 Qi Tonic in Chinese Medicine

Pine Pollen - The Superfood of the 21st Century and a Rare Source of Phyto-Androgens

He Shou Wu - The Ultimate Jing Fortifier and #1 Anti-Aging Herb in Chinese Medicine

You have to try this out.

Rise My Friends & Be Awesome

Darebee Of The Day: The Right Side Workout

You have two choices when you get up in the morning, you either wake up and pumped for the day or you will wake up feeling like the world is going to be crappy. Either one will be the one thing that determines your entire day, choose wisely. A workout that jump starts your morning can be a powerful thing even if its for a short period of time yet can wake up the muscles with a vengeance and can be all done before you even get out of bed. How cool is that? Talk about NO EXCUSES!!!

Will The Animals Inherit The Earth?

Maybe not in a literal sense since a lot of species are dying out although plenty still flourish. In a fitness sense its not likely but it will make people think twice about what to look for in a program. There's always going to be that age old question of who or what will inherit the earth but for today let's focus on what becomes of the way to animal training than to crazy schemes like Crossfit, P90X, Insanity, Triceps Extensions On Bosu Balls or any other form of crazy training.

More and more, animal exercise is becoming more popular due to the Primal Movement & Animal Flow workouts that focus on moving more naturally utilizing movements unilaterally, all four limbs in various positions and developing the body's natural function to jump, crawl, balance, coordinate & control the awareness of movement. When it comes down to it, the animals are the originators of Bodyweight Exercise period. Sure you can claim that the Romans started doing bodyweight exercise, tribes in Africa began it and it expanded throughout the continent into Europe, the Pacific and everywhere in between, the shaolin monks with their style of Animal Kung Fu, warriors of India & the middle east are believed to start the Physical Culture revolution but in reality; the wild animals are truly the real ideal for bodyweight training because the most famous species such as the birds, bears, cats & snakes were observed and people of ancient times started to mimic their movement, studying anatomy and behavior. Over time, we have faded away towards humanized form of exercise to develop our own species and teach what brings more to the table.

Exercise has been formed in millions of ways throughout countless centuries in endless names of cities, countries, tribes, civilized culture & ritualistic groups. There's nothing new you can come up with that hasn't been done before; its merely just re-invented into a different style kind of like how stories are told, many are repeated but using different characters, storyline & other entities. However when you dig deep into the very depth of evolution, religion, storytelling, exercise & living; a form of animal was observed and man got creative and interpreted what he observed and developed his own style of life.

Think about it, in religion what are the most evil animals named? A snake, a goat, bird & a cat. In Greek Mythology, you have the Bull, a 3-headed snake and a lion; in classic fairy tales you have a Dragon, a series of forest animals, sea creatures & a Cricket. In India, Hindu Mythology has the Monkey as one of the ultimate gods, in films we have werewolves, golden terriers, a shaggy dog, Cat loving Villain in Batman. In Comic Books you have a Black Panther, A Beast, an animal shape-shifting Teen Titan, a man who controls Ants, a Rat who trains Ninja Turtles there is countless animals being used in every area of culture on the planet.

In exercise terms, the movement of animals are the true beginnings of fitness & conditioning. They can be used to strengthen your body regardless of age, race, creed & whatever else, conditions the lungs for various sports, gives kids something fun to do, They are the pinnacle of functional strength training. Weights, Hammers, Maces, Sandbells and others are all cool to get in shape with and aught to be used in some form but animal training in its simplistic form is the fastest and most fun way to get in shape. Will the animals inherit the earth? we will never know but they are a part of history's greatest beginnings and it greatest up to date powerhouses.

Product Of The Day: Wild Animal Fitness For Kids

A course dedicated to help children overcome anxiety, hyper-activity, obesity, depression and many others that plague many children today. I wished I had this when I was younger like 10 or so, maybe my life might've been different if I had this for exercise. It's very unique in the sense that its not a typical workout book but a well-written aspect of giving children & families the opportunity to not only teach exercise using fun elements of fitness like games, lessons & progression that leads greater brain activity, muscle/bone building, endurance, fat loss, balanced energy & mobility that kids in this day and age need now more than ever. With over-excess of technology that includes cell phones, ipads, video games and more its become a bit of an epidemic where kids need exercise to build not just a functional body but more importantly a greater mind. It has been said that compared to 100 years ago, kids today are far weaker than their parents as thy got older and that to me is a damn shame. Strength is not always in the muscles but the strength of one's character, sure teens have attitudes which is understandable in most cases but not when they don't have the strength to help others or be able to run, jump, climb, crawl with fatiguing and being strong enough to hold themselves up. With this course it can aid in getting kids in shape in fun ways that are disciplinary as well so take a look and get the course, its far cheaper than a gym and its way less time consuming (They can get a workout in as little as 5 minutes a day to start).

Darebee Of The Day: The Jade Workout

Create the body you want using this Combat Formed workout that develops skill & strength in areas that women want to be hit. Let the workout do your bidding, make it work for you instead of you being against it. Train hard, Train Smart and be empowered.

Thoughts On Steve Maxwell

I have yet to meet this amazing individual either on Social Media or in person but I have seen enough of his work that I believe I can make an observation. For the most part he clearly does not look like a guy who's in his 60's but more of a man at around 45-53 at best. One of the most knowledgeable guys on the planet when it comes to fitness, conditioning & Brazilian Jui-Jitsu and clearly that has been in the game for 40+ years. I watched his interview with Joe Rogan for the second time on his podcast, its a 3+ hour interview where he talks about his life story, the type of training he does, his traveling life and philosophy on fitness plus some history lessons.

Not many men at this stage of their life are in this kind of shape, the guy can do pull-ups, sprints, crawl, do hindu push-ups, swing a kettlebell and has greater conditioning than most guys half his age. When it comes down to it he's the type of guy many can learn from. Its not everyday you get a guy in later stages of life and lives it with a passion and is fit like crazy. He is the personification of elite conditioning taking the most basic principles of exercise and molding them into a powerful setting of training ideals that can be used by practically anyone and is one of those that teach that training should help you become injury-proof, not cause injuries otherwise something is wrong.

If you want to get an idea of who this guy is and how his conditioning is inspiring get this 3 pack combo of Steve's best work and you will see first hand how insanely conditioned this dude is. He's not a big probably no more than 5'7 around 160 lbs but yet makes many men twice his size think twice of going toe to toe with him. It blows my mind what this guy can do.

Product Of The Day: Phoenix Formula

A mythical form of re-birth is the summary of the Phoenix. A brave bird rising from the ashes with a stronger sense of purpose and powerful entities give you the strength to not only come back more powerful but with greater energy and force that will tackle your greatest obstacles and put extra zing into your body. A combination of the most powerful herbs on the planet will enhance your body's energy to go after your exercise with greater force and determination. Use it as a pre-workout formula to jump start your body's batteries and give it that jolt of raw, unadulterated strength that will make you feel new and full of life.

Darebee Of The Day: The Nightwing Workout

It's time you stepped out of the shadow of your old self and form a new line of conditioning that helps find your true individuality and hone the skills you have learned a time before that have now become your greatest weapon. Go out on your own and be your own fighter, your own brand of hero and become something nobody else could have imagined. You have been preparing and learning for this very moment, make it epic and make it your own.

A Deck Of Wild Cards

I was reading an older article of mine yesterday and it got me thinking; a workout that was simple, basic but fun to do and can be done quickly so I ended up doing it. It was a deck of cards workout that would be cool to share with that can aid in amplifying conditioning in a very cool and very unboring way.

So for today you don't get 1 but 2 workouts that can get you going. This was a very cool session of flipping a card and getting to move like a wild animal. The objective is to get through the deck as fast as you can but still on good form and getting them lungs firing. It didn't take me too long to get through the deck so it wasn't difficult but wasn't easy either. Most of the cards had me bending my legs either in a full deep squat or partial squat that really hit the muscles everywhere. You pick 4 animals to the regular cards like spades, clubs ect. but the jokers if you had two or three you pick up to 2-3 animals so you can get a variety of movement that isn't on one area of muscles but multiple muscle groups.

I have a deck of Indiana Jones playing cards that are just bad ass to use working out or not and that alone fires me up because come on man its Indy. If you can find a deck of wild animals on the cards that's even better because it gives you a better visualization; oh wait a second I think I found some here. This kind of workout can be done by anyone and you can go as fast or slow as you want all that matters is its fun and doesn't feel like working out. Here is the example I'm speaking of...

Spades= Bear Crawls
Clubs= Monkey Crawl
Hearts= Duck Walks
Diamonds= Chimp Walk
Jokers= Octopus/Starfish/Condor

You can pick other animals if you wish, be creative and do your favorites. For reps its very simple; face value is 2-10 as you see on the cards, Aces are 11-20, King/Queen/Jack is 10-15. Set a timer and have at it. If you can't get through the deck at first that's ok keep building up. Once you beat the deck go for time and really spice up the intensity but don't ever lose form and get sloppy, we want you to be safe and have fun not be lazy and injure yourself. Pay attention to your breathing, count out loud if you want I do that but my motto is to count backwards instead of forward. If it becomes too easy no matter animal you throw in the mix, double the reps and really make it interesting. Normally a deck of cards for training is usually doing Push-ups & Squats which are great i''ve done it many times but I tend to get bored with doing the same one or two movements; my philosophy is to make things interesting and enjoyable but challenging as well. Push-ups & Squats are foundational exercises for sure but eventually it can wear thin and its going to be really boring going just up and down. With Animal Exercises you move in all sorts of directions and your imagination is more open to possibilities.

Have fun with this workout and let me know how it goes for you.

Product Of The Day: Animal Kingdom Conditioning

My all-time favorite fitness book. This course takes away those "human" exercises that can be so tedious and boring and take you to a world full of wonders, possibilities and most of all the imagination. Learn about the strength of animals as you go through this course and mimic the very best of the wild kingdom. There's exercises that have going on all fours, jumping on two feet, hopping on one leg and having you moving more naturally forward, backwards, side ways, long ways, up ways and down ways (sorry got into my willy wonka mode, I miss Gene Wilder RIP bro). It takes you into the jungle that can aid in building functional strength, conditioning, endurance, mobility, brain activity, tendon strength and much much more.

Darebee Of The Day: The Ivy Workout

Now this workout does have simple bodyweight exercises but you can make them even more fun when you ladies imagine yourself as Gotham's Villainous Goddess of Plants World (that was a mouthful). This fun workout has you doing movements that are based on that of the Ballerina & Yoga that strengthens and tones the muscles in the arms, legs and butt so you know you're training those hard to develop type muscles that women are frustrated with. Takes roughly 35 minutes to complete or you can make it shorter by either doing only 3 sets at Level 1 or you can build yourself up progressively by cutting the reps in half and go from there. If you're a lean and mean Goddess of Plants you can double the reps and see how far you get or go for 10 sets of the regular reps, if you can pull that off you would make the majority of men envy of your conditioning and not to mention having an insanely built physique of a Greek Goddess. Enjoy....

Does Music Have An Importance In Training?

I'm part of a 2-sided coin o whether to listen to music while training. Now hear me out (no pun intended) I do believe music is great to workout with but at the same time, it depends on the type of training you do. If you listen to any type of music that you love do so but look at this type of perspective; Music is great but also focusing on your mind and body as one is just as important.

Some people listen to music while training because it revs up the adrenaline and gets them into that "zone" which is awesome I do it too but also at the same time, its very difficult to pay attention to your breathing and focusing on the mental aspects of training like utilizing visualization & internal energy. Sometimes music can be distracting when it comes to training in certain aspects like Qi Gong, Yoga & other meditative practices. Maybe its just me but my preference is to listen to music during intense training where I can move with the beat and shred it up with the movement yet when I train in qi gong, DDP Yoga or Theater Of The Mind meditations I do without any music whatsoever for specific purposes; I want to pay attention to how I breathe and I want to view my mind's eye without any distractions because it works better for me that way.

It is important to have motivation and spice up that energy to train at your very best but its also important to quiet your mind and listen to your inner self so that's where music can be very distracting because you're not just blocking out your mind, you're blocking out the energy of within that can generate greater power than you think. I listen to tunes while I write because the sounds enhance my brain waves thus having more creative ideas but I also look within without music and see the writing without needing to hear the tunes.

So is music really that important? depends on your preference but in reality you want to be a master of being able to train with or without tunes; its very different when you shut out the world and your mind and another thing when you open your mind without a shred of distraction. Do what works for you but read my words and learn the difference between training with or without music. It all comes down to how aware you are and how you feel when you have done both. Trust me its very tempting to listen to tunes but for a few sessions go without tunes and focus on the breathing plus the movement. If you can't hear yourself breathe, you're not breathing correctly.

Product Of The Day: Upgrade Your Breath

Our greatest sense of power and strength doesn't come from how big the muscles are or how good we look, its the way we breathe and how it can be our greatest asset in our training or being our greatest enemy. It can help us relax, increase our endurance, enhance our speed & strength and it can even put us in a state of mind where you are calm in every sense of your surroundings. Most of all, it doesn't cost you a damn thing and yet we take it for granted. You can go weeks without food, days without water but you can die in a matter of minutes or less without breathing. Breathing is what made the weakest become the strongest, breathing is what helps you fall asleep, breathing is what gives you that strength to lift the heaviest weight, breathing is what gives you the greatest endurance & its breathing that can increase your flexibility & youth. Double your lung capacity just by using breathing techniques, activate your organs by these breathing techniques that enhance digestion, energy, blood flow and more. Grab this course and power up on the breath.

Darebee Of The Day: Boxer Endurance

How do these athletes have such crazy stamina to last 12 rounds or more in the ring? By training for that specific reason. Get those lungs firing by testing your will in this workout that will make you sweat, breathe harder than usual and breaking down those muscle fibers down to the smallest crease. Some boxers back in the day fought for more than 25 rounds. The closest I can think with that kind of endurance are wrestlers that need stamina to stay in a match from start to finish. You want an idea on how much conditioning is worth in a fight? Look up the UFC Fight between Maurice Smith & Mark Coleman.