Hanging At The Bar Works Wonders For Your Health

Thought I'd start off with a little joke. No i'm not talking about an establishment that serves alcohol. For people that really know me know I don't drink and get wasted. For me, going to a bar means something different; more jungle like and developing physical abilities from simple forms of exercise that are actually quite difficult for the average person. Exercises that are not only essential for amazing health but can alleviate back pain and slim the abdominals to a great degree.

Hanging at the bar to me is a literal sense of activity, you are hanging on a pull-up bar and staying for as you can. This exercise alone has insane benefits such as: Tendon Strength Builder, stretches & tones the core muscles including the obliques, strengthens the grip, opens up the shoulders, elongates the spine which can eliminate back pain and develop natural posture. There's far more but you get the idea.

I just got my new CAP BARBELL RACK yesterday and although I don't plan on doing bench presses or squats any time soon, I'm using it for a healthier and more fun approach; building strong primate muscles & tendons. As you know I'm a big believer in animal exercise especially those of the Primate Category (Apes, Monkeys) and developing the ability to hang from different positions and build pull-up strength in a unique way. Some of the most powerful animals on the planet are Primates primarily for their climbing, hanging, running & swinging skills that give them strength no human can truly possess. Sure we don't have the capacity at 100% leveled to be strong enough exactly like them for many reasons however; we can develop strength & pure muscular endurance utilizing exercises that are safe and practical for us humans to do and be in a healthy situation.

The ability to hang is not as easy as it looks, doing so for more than a few seconds can feel like an eternity at first. The average person at first can't hang for more than a few seconds if that. The grip is the key component because without it regardless of how strong the rest of you is, you won't last long and sure as hell won't be doing pull-ups very much. Many people don't understand the required strength to just hang on the bar because when they see a bar all they think is pull-up pull-ups and pull-ups. There's more to be seen than just pulling yourself up which is very difficult in itself. It is one of the toughest body-weight feats whether you're a beginner or an advanced trainee.

To become very strong at pull-ups it is critically important to be able to hang and do so without tiring. The longest I ever hung on a bar was just over a minute and that was brutal. Many crossfitters can't do that because the majority of the time they're seeing how many they can do by kipping which to me isn't anywhere near a real pull-up, unless you plan on rock climbing a mountain and building that jerking strength that's one thing but if you're trying to break records by swinging yourself so damn hard and jerking your shoulder sockets around bad things will happen to you. A real pull-up is when you have complete control of your body, tightening and flexing all the muscles from your fingers to your toes and not jerking or swinging to get your chin over the bar. When you tense the muscles enough so you can move its nearly impossible to completely jerk the movement. The most chin-ups I ever did was 21 at a 225 lb body-weight and there was no jerking or swinging whatsoever.

Having that Gorilla/Chimp type strength to hold your body-weight in those positions and do all kinds of cool stuff is a powerful form of mastering your body. To be able to swing, twist, pull and hang with complete control without being too loose can make your training be legendary. I'm a big dude at nearly 270 and I'm amazed that I have the strength to hang onto a bar even for 10-15 seconds. Even at this size I can still do multiple reps in both pull-ups and chin-ups and trust me, one wrong move or a bad jerking motion can cost me not a torn rotator cuff or series of joints, it will be breaking bones. So you can't possibly understand how hard it is to train on a bar at my size unless you wear a heavy weight vest. It takes a lot of focus and control to be able to just hang. When you can control your body either by hanging or doing pull-ups, it is a beautiful thing to see and do; I have seen guys do pull-ups that would kill most people's shoulders and destroy their elbows but I have also seen guys small and big have control that is just jaw dropping to watch. Hanging is nothing fancy but even something as simple as that can bring a lot to the table when it is mastered.

Every Story Starts Somewhere

Where Does Your Story Begin???

In one of my episodes on my Power & Might Facebook Page, I talked about what comics can do to inspire others to get in shape and build on ideas of using stories as certain aspects of motivation. Here's a piece of what was in that VideoCast.....

Every comic regardless of character, scene, situation & dialogue/monologue start somewhere and in order to get your mind wrapped into the story, it'll hit you at the beginning. Some stories might hit you more in the middle because of the slow process or the story just isn't getting anywhere until the middle act comes but if it captivates you from the very beginning, that's something to look forward to.

Every person has a story that began somewhere in time. Some people's story don't start until they reach a certain age or a milestone in their life. Maybe they're story really begins after hitting rock bottom or their journey from rock bottom you can never truly know until it happens. That's what happens for newbies in fitness as well; they have a starting point and the first chapter of their story or journey starts off low and slowly but surely begin to rise and tell a tale that builds up to climatic ending. Some journeys begin at a higher and faster pace so the observer has to keep up otherwise if they blink they'll miss something.

My journey into full-time fitness began after being in the gym for over 2 years and when I broke my legs. The hard fought road to recovery and what I put myself through to get where I wanted to be. I struggled just doing 3 exercises the first month I started walking again. Self-Rehabbing was a pain in the ass in itself but as hard as it was, I was passionate and full of fire to get passed it and make something of myself. My story still keeps hitting twists, turns and cliffhangers to this very day because even I never really know what chapter of the story comes next. That's the beauty of a good mystery, the anticipation and the build up, never knowing what's going to happen next.

A story is not written just by failures, victories, trials & tribulations; it's written by what you bring to the very moments that are worth reading about and consistently taking it one step at a time and tapping into your own mysteries, finding that big plot twist that's been building for a long time. We all start somewhere and you can build your own fitness journey by creating building blocks; a foundation if you will from your starting point to being able to do things you never thought were possible. That's the biggest plot twist of all in your fitness journey. It's not how much better you are from others but what made you better as time goes on and marking little details that lead to your biggest and most shocking twist by that end of your story.

Wherever you are in your story, make the most of it and let people see with their own eyes the journey you have made and getting to the best parts where you made the story come alive and learn things and do things you nor anyone else ever expected. Your START is what will make your story the best you can make it or it will become something you might need to change along the way to make it the biggest best-seller of your own actions.

The Wild Is A Sanctuary

Jungle Workouts or Play is a gift of giving us back our roots to nature. Being able to handle our body's natural abilities of jumping, crawling, swimming, running (Sprint not jogging), balancing and have the strength to move in awkward positions is essential to the power of our lifespan. Progressing at your own pace and having fun and creative can enhance your results larger than that of going through the motions with no sense of imagination and over-analyzing the movements themselves.

When you move like a wild animal, you're using more than just the muscles within a giving movement; you're using the whole body from the inside out as the total package of muscular movement, the strength and mobility of the joints, tendons & ligaments, utilizing the full extent of your lumbar, creating billions of nerves within the brain and the power of your organs to form fresh & oxygenated blood into your veins. It isn't like lifting a typical weight like a bench press or a curl; its bringing the entire system into play otherwise there would be no multi-directional movements.

For me, animal exercise is more than just a workout; it's the ability to unlock areas of strength you can't get from conventional or through a century old tradition. Animals are the originators of Body-Weight exercise and they are the ultimate inspiration of how the body was meant to be used. It is awesome to lift a weight or odd object and its essential to have some of external usage to build strength but if you haven't mastered your own body you're not unleashing your full potential. Not only do Animal Moves build muscle and burn fat, they release unwanted tension out of the body and stretch the muscles at any given time and given some specific movements hit the body in a different way that's functional, empowering and create natural body shape that is more than just a body, it is dangerously strong at the same time. 

Strengthen your body by moving like a wild animal, build a natural and strong physique that not only promotes health but strength as well. Whether you're big or small it is possible and it could even carry over to other areas of your life if you were into sports, carry groceries, bring your energy up if you're lethargic, mellow you out if you're hyper-active, increase your endorphins to create overall happiness in the body, develop great focus whether at work or school and it could even turn a simple workout into a game with friends or family that can be enjoyed. There are so many benefits the list is too long. 

Do You Have Jungle Fever?

In the jungle, in order to survive you must move and be aware of your surroundings. In the fitness world, moving efficiently creates better muscular development and acquiring the ability to strengthen the body from awkward angles. Animal Exercise is a complex style of movement and in order to be great at it is to progress from beginner to advanced like an animal in the wild starting out as a baby and growing into adulthood.

The exercises themselves are very powerful, intense and fun but in order to build on getting results the quickest way possible is to visualize as that animal as you move within the action. Unlike being in a stabilized strict position where you go up and down or side to side, animal moves have you going in all sorts of places like the Wonkavator you can move long ways, short ways, move forward, move backwards, move sideways, short jumps, long jumps 10ft or 500 yards in practically any direction; animal movement is freedom to go anywhere you want.

I have been doing animal exercises again for a while now doing 20 min. sessions or play routines and its not only been fun but very addicting and intense. Unlike doing tons of burpees or push-ups and squats, moving like an animal in different directions open up the mind and body to move more freely and openly. Many calisthenic moves are in one spot only and although that is very beneficial and gives you the opportunity to train anywhere, anytime, you become stuck in one spot until you move with an exercise that makes you go to another area. I firmly believe in being able to train anywhere but unless you're in prison or have a small house and the weather sucks, its important to move in any direction possible indoors or outdoors. Because of the winter here, I've been training indoors and although I don't have the space needed like a park or field, I still manage to get in a great animal workout traveling throughout the den, living room and even sometimes the kitchen. You use your imagination and use what you have.

A lot of people feel the need to be one spot to train and that's it, for me I like to move about and do something fun as I go from one place to another. I have climbed stairs doing bear crawls, duck walks & gorilla jumps; I've used small space to do crazy animal jumps & even sprinted only 20ft doing a crab walk. Don't limit yourself to that one spot for exercise, use your environment however small or big it is. You can be very creative being in one spot and there's thousands of exercises for that one spot on the floor or ground however; you're only scratching the surface (no pun intended) and haven't completely opened up that door to much greater possibilities. When you can truly train safely anywhere you want and move wherever you, you're developing greater strength in being open minded and unlocking your potential in more ways than you ever thought possible. Get into that Jungle Fever and move wildly and with PASSION!!!!

Fatigued?

Do you have physical or mental fatigue?

If so, there’s a little-known class of herbs that can help you out. These herbs, known as adaptogens, help to fight all kinds of fatigue.

Check this out…

This comes from a paper titled Effects of Adaptogens on the Central Nervous System and the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Their Stress-Protective Activity by Panossian and Wikman, published in Pharmaceuticals 2010.

It was a review of all the other science and studies on these three amazing adaptogens.

Rhodiola rosea is a root that clearly has some amazing effects here in assisting with fatigue and more. This was the original plant from which the term adaptogen came to be.

Eleuthero, previously known as Siberian ginseng, comes in a close second.

Schisandra, a Chinese berry, may look like a laggard here, but it also has other far-reaching effects helping digestion, skin, liver detox and more.

So why choose just one?

Spartan Broad-Spectrum Adaptogenic Formula contains not only all three of these herbs but also Cordyceps, the amazing fungus from Tibet, highly regarded by athletes the world over.

You can read much more about how you can use adaptogens to fight stress and fatigue right here. 

Spartan Formula

Be Awesome & Have An Amazing Day

Caffeine vs. Adaptogens

Most people drink coffee for its stimulant and energizing effects. Yet take a look at this…

Stimulants just don’t stack up to adaptogens.

If you’re not familiar with adaptogens, is a group of natural herbs and compounds that, essentially, help the body better adapt to stress.

They’ve got both physical and mental fatigue fighting abilities.

For one of the best sources of adaptogens in a well-rounded blend check this out. 

Spartan Formula

Whether you need more energy for your workouts, your work life, or just back at home so you haven’t crashed at the end of your day this can help you.

Seems like at the very least you should add some adaptogens to your morning coffee!

Find out here all that Spartan Broad-Spectrum Adaptogenic Formula can do for you.

Spartan Formula

Be Awesome & Have An Amazing Day

*This comes from a paper titled Effects of Adaptogens on the Central Nervous System and the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Their Stress-Protective Activity by Panossian and Wikman, published in Pharmaceuticals 2010.

Shifting To Other Methods At Odd Times (Being Intuitive)

I talked last about staying with doing Burpee HIIT Workouts 3x a week and doing 20 min. Animal Workouts 4x a week and see where it goes. Turns out not so good, the animal workout was so addicting I couldn't walk away from it and Burpees & HIIT went out the door for me. I needed to go with my intuition and go with a method of exercise I'm very passionate about.

You see, I think differently when it comes to training. Most of the time I don't stick with the same program for more than a couple weeks and I went practically 8 weeks with the Superhero Workouts & Burpee HIIT so that's a first for me. I needed to shift gears and go with my strong intuition. Training with Animal Exercises makes me feel more alive, open to ideas and just flat out can't get any more excited about it. To me, the animals are about freedom, the ability to move throughout as much space as possible whether its very little or an entire stadium either way I'm bliss.

Changing up your training at odd times doesn't mean you never had a chance of reaching a goal, sometimes you just feel the need to do something that makes you happy and even take yourself out of your comfort zone. Animal Exercise provides greater variety for me than traditional "human" exercises and it teaches me things that take me out of my comfort zone. Believe it or not, I like the idea of not knowing what will happen in a workout or what will come up next. Putting in a program that is so structured and full of pre-setted exercises and rep schemes that it can become predictable and predictability puts you in that comfort zone. In order to come out of that is to not only go into the unknown but never expecting what comes next.

With my Animal Dice Game, it becomes more than just training; it becomes an adventure and I never know what comes next. I know the exercises down to the letter and know all the moves like the back of my hand but with that roll of the dice, that is something that always keeps me guessing and will I have to do an animal in a beginner or advanced variation? I don't go for speed, only going with the movement and let my body tell me how fast I should go or how slow.

Back to intuition, when I feel the need to do something, I go for it and because my intuition is very powerful I go with what it tells me. Denying your intuition or fighting it is never a good thing to do. When it is that strong, there's no need to fight it, flowing with it is the law of the universe and having it give you guidance and support. Why would not want something to guide you to help you be happy and full of life? Go with your intuition.

How Long Should An Animal Workout Be?

Some programs prefer time limits, others go with a free for all and sometimes they just go by feel. I like to go by feel because even though a structured system is doable, it can also restrict how you feel in a workout. When you're short on time, you want to get in and get out. You make progress or just have fun and goof off; I'm somewhere in the middle.

For the most part it depends on an individuals schedule, they're timing whether its in the morning, afternoon or night and it really depends on their preference and mood. I do believe in making the most out of the time you have but if you want to just have fun and run wild and free than that's your choice. Some of the workouts I've done last no more than 20 minutes. Depending on the physical aspects and my energy levels I keep it at a minimum of 5-10 min.

Animal Workouts can vary depending on the tempo, the amount of exercise, the timing for each exercise and how to incorporate it in a solid amount of work put into it. You don't really need to go very long because many animal movements have you using multiple muscle groups in one solid movement and because of the intensity a lot of them feel, it doesn't take long to get huffing and puffing. Now if you're a wacky speed demon, they'll last even less because you're generating a lot of strength and excess power into the movements as quite a few are very explosive and if you have to move really fast to get to a certain amount of yards, that can wear you out.

I really don't go for speed because just the movements alone and the randomness of a game I play, I challenge my body every time I roll for an animal and move in specific amount of steps. For 20 minutes, I go back and forth playing this game and focusing on the movements and seeing myself as that animal and putting as much effort as possible while maintaining energy levels. I want to be as energized or enough towards the end than what I started with. Going to failure in animal movements is never an issue because it doesn't take long for a movement to bring you down so I do enough to where I still feel it but can keep going without giving out.

Experiment your timed workouts with animal movements and see where you are fitness wise. In reality because these exercises are so much fun, you can do them as long or as little as you want, either way you're benefiting a great deal of building great strength, endurance and agility. Some workouts can wear you out in under 5 minutes if you do it right, others can have you on the ground in 20 so its a matter of finding your right niche. Have fun, be careful and have a blast.

Find out more about Animal Exercise by going to the Wild Animal Section @ ben-bergman.branded.me

The Animals Are Alive With The Sound Of The Jungle

During the winter months up here in Idaho, I have been learning and developing creative ways to stay in shape at home and keeping certain options open and coming back to other training modalities. For a while I was in deep with Superhero Workouts using Sprints/Burpees then a circuit and a Finisher to end it off; it was fun but had to switch things up so I don't burn out or get bored. I still do Burpee HIIT Workouts 3x a week but also want to get in some solid Movement Training so I did Ape Exercises to strengthen my tendons, stretch my back, power up on my arms and shoulders and learn to be mobile in these movements.

After doing this for some time I decided to come back to the Animal Movements that never gave me problems and never got bored with so I'm officially back in the jungle doing my HIIT 2-3 times a week then the rest of the week train 10-20 min. on Animal Moves to enhance my HGH, strengthen my body from awkward movements and relish in the passionate powers of the animals; creating a leaner body while maintaining solid weight (i'm 268 right now) and building on denser muscle along with flexibility and agility.

The animals are the kings of Bodyweight Training and its time to devolve to our animal instincts by moving and strengthening the body in a very old-school way. Hone skills in crawling, jumping, running, balancing, explosive conditioning and strength in the Core that centers all that you do. Man is animal and you must power up on your Animalistic entities that become something more powerful than modern-traditional exercise.

30/90 Protocol On Burpees

HIIT is a powerful method to help shed fat, burn extra calories and put on lean muscle. The mere fact that timed intervals give an exceptional outlook on the guideline of how fit you may not always be the greatest factor. Certain intervals such as tabata style or 30/30 can be really good however; when it comes down to the level of intensity to rest ratio its only worth its weight in gold on what hits that level of intensity and the need to rest.

If you're doing ultra intense exercise while only resting for a very short period of time that can screw things up especially on the Central Nervous System. No matter how good of shape you're in a long rest period of very intense training is more beneficial than you'll like to believe. A lot of trainers depict heavy challenges and takes on a general assumption of how intense a workout should be and for how long. Funny thing is unlike many things, a lot of trainers or coaches don't take into consideration about a person's body type and level of fitness to give them something to realistically start with and giving them an idea of how to use their full potential.

There are many pros and cons to interval training but an ideal way of timed intervals using specific exercises such as burpees needs to looked at from a certain perspective on how to keep energy going and not depleting the muscles to where they're so broken down with little recovery its more of a disaster than an achievement. I do prefer the 30/90 Protocol on HIIT because its the perfect blend of intense exercise and the ability to recover so you'll be strong enough for the next set. Burpees in this fashion are awesome because the exercise itself generates powerful entities in the body when used properly and using the best form possible with enough intensity to go hard. During the 90 second rest period instead of just standing there, use the time for Active Rest meaning use deep breathing, light stretching, marching, anything with far less intensity to bring things down but still keep the blood flowing.

Use this protocol 2-3x a week for a month and see what you get out of it, your body could change at a faster rate because you're getting hard exercise but enough rest to gain oxygenated blood and have the muscles build a solid foundation to grow efficiently.