There are literally thousands of ways to get in amazing shape; you can do hundreds of squats & push-ups, do 100 Burpees or HIT 2-3x a week, you can hit the gym and do circuits there, do strongman type training to build strength & conditioning, you can do sports, follow along on DVDs and so on. What gives you the greatest benefit of being in top condition for you?
The truth is, whatever helps you break barriers and/or lets you find that niche to keep going and fighting on is a solid foundation in my book. However, in reality, only a fraction of programs give you the best tools to be in the best shape possible. It's all about what your exact goal is and what style of program or training system that requires you to proceed through specific forms of exercise.
MMA Fighters have all sorts of styles to be in shape for the ring such as the old Hindu Wrestling Workout Traditions, Boxing style conditioning, condition the hard style of Muay Thai Boxing and others. Strongmen lift heavy objects but also do high reps with extreme heavy weight, Football players condition by Sprinting, Drilling and patterning for catches, blocks & others. There's all sorts of ways but whatever you end up doing and it works will give you the best benefit.
I like being unique in learning different styles to mix together and form my own style which in my opinion is the best thing you can do. Don't follow someone else's style and try to keep up with their stats on it, you're not them and some of the exercises are not meant for your body type and going at the same speed/tempo can only spell disaster because you're not leading your own example, you are lead by someone else. Sure I do the same style of someone from time to time but that's only to switch up and learn so when I go back to doing it on my own, I can do the exercises by memory and form my own program with it.
I have done workouts using decks of cards, done many burpees, hundreds of reps for the abs, followed along to DDP Yoga and done finishers that would make the average person puke yet the best conditioning style for me is using animal movements. They represent the attraction of what is natural, instinctive and unlocks doors to major elements of conditioning to where you practice moving in specific positions or flows and learning where you are in space as you move.
Practice the movements, become accustomed until they become a second language than you form your own style of program and utilize those moves to create the best workouts or playouts for YOU!!
Monday, July 10, 2017
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Combat Conditioning
My real introduction to Physical Culture was through the book Combat Conditioning by Matt Furey. This got me on the path to strength training that would change my entire concept of exercise. The first three exercises in the book (Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups & The Bridge) were all I did the first month I fully used it and holy crap they were a wake up call. Very tough to do 25 reps on either Squats or Push-ups and a 30 sec. Bridge was the most I can do at that time. As I added other exercises in the book and really taking off, I was astounded by the amount of shape I developed physically, mentally and yes emotionally.
Within months I did over 1000 Hindu Squats/Jumpers in a workout, over 60 Hindu Push-ups in a row and could do the Deck Of Cards workout in under 30 min. These give you the tools to take your body to a level that was traditional in the Hindu Wrestling Culture of India and what it was like to have the conditioning and endurance of an old school pro wrestler. You don't have to be a wrestler to be in amazing shape, look at guys like Bruce Lee, Marcus Allen, Ray Lewis, Mike Tyson & other athletes, they used similar or practically identical methods of bodyweight exercise to get in insane shape.
Workouts (playouts) based on these exercises will strengthen your body and give you natural muscular shape and stamina that you can't even remotely get from weight lifting. You think being on a treadmill is considered cardio and its tough? Test out doing 500 Hindu Squats or more in a row or do the Deck Of Cards in 30 min or less. That builds toughness and it builds a level of strength endurance that's off the chain. There are 48 Exercises in this book that are very powerful and although may not look like much, can take down even the strongest of men. Once you become efficient at them, challenge yourself on certain workouts like doing 500 Squats in a row doing 5x80/20 or the 250 Push-ups Workout or 250 Hindu Push-ups in a row. This was the staple for the old-time wrestlers. This book goes beyond exercise and challenges your body, mind and soul to the brink of crazy conditioning for whatever you have in stored in sports or in life. Come and grab it and let the kids do it as well with you.
Within months I did over 1000 Hindu Squats/Jumpers in a workout, over 60 Hindu Push-ups in a row and could do the Deck Of Cards workout in under 30 min. These give you the tools to take your body to a level that was traditional in the Hindu Wrestling Culture of India and what it was like to have the conditioning and endurance of an old school pro wrestler. You don't have to be a wrestler to be in amazing shape, look at guys like Bruce Lee, Marcus Allen, Ray Lewis, Mike Tyson & other athletes, they used similar or practically identical methods of bodyweight exercise to get in insane shape.
Workouts (playouts) based on these exercises will strengthen your body and give you natural muscular shape and stamina that you can't even remotely get from weight lifting. You think being on a treadmill is considered cardio and its tough? Test out doing 500 Hindu Squats or more in a row or do the Deck Of Cards in 30 min or less. That builds toughness and it builds a level of strength endurance that's off the chain. There are 48 Exercises in this book that are very powerful and although may not look like much, can take down even the strongest of men. Once you become efficient at them, challenge yourself on certain workouts like doing 500 Squats in a row doing 5x80/20 or the 250 Push-ups Workout or 250 Hindu Push-ups in a row. This was the staple for the old-time wrestlers. This book goes beyond exercise and challenges your body, mind and soul to the brink of crazy conditioning for whatever you have in stored in sports or in life. Come and grab it and let the kids do it as well with you.
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
48 Hour FLASH SALE!!!
Hope you Americans out there are having a blast today celebrating our country's independence!
But, if you got some time today or tomorrow, you might want to check out our 2-day July 4th Flash Sale on our American products.
Every product that is grown and made in the U.S., is currently being discounted 20% off for the 4th and 5th of July. LOST EMPIRE HERBS.
Monday, July 3, 2017
Follow Blindly With Pride 2: Don't
I wrote a while back about following blindly with pride on fitness programs that are more experimental. There were a few things I admittedly was wrong about. Following blindly isn't the best idea to look for something to help you get the results you want. Learn what the program does and how it applies to the goals you're searching. Going in head on without learning is like jumping into a wrestling ring and not knowing a damn thing how to wrestle; you'll get your ass kicked.
Training should be about learning and venturing into something you can be interested in and getting results, if it doesn't work then you move on to something else. You may not know at first what you're getting into but start at the beginning, learn the basics and absorb what you can. Following without really knowing all the details can sever your chances of succeeding.
When I first truly learned about animal movements I was in for a shock how tough they were and I blindly went for the dice game and nearly passed out the first time. It was a tough lesson learned and I made a point to learn the exercises themselves before making the mark for a big workout. It paid off in the end and now it has helped me be in the best shape of my life.
Think of it this way, if you just jumped into olympic weightlifting and thinking because you've seen it done so easily by champions why not do the same exact thing. Let's face it if you don't have the basics and just lift without any mechanical training, you can end up hurt and you'll find something to blame for your failures. Follow the basics not the blind.
Training should be about learning and venturing into something you can be interested in and getting results, if it doesn't work then you move on to something else. You may not know at first what you're getting into but start at the beginning, learn the basics and absorb what you can. Following without really knowing all the details can sever your chances of succeeding.
When I first truly learned about animal movements I was in for a shock how tough they were and I blindly went for the dice game and nearly passed out the first time. It was a tough lesson learned and I made a point to learn the exercises themselves before making the mark for a big workout. It paid off in the end and now it has helped me be in the best shape of my life.
Think of it this way, if you just jumped into olympic weightlifting and thinking because you've seen it done so easily by champions why not do the same exact thing. Let's face it if you don't have the basics and just lift without any mechanical training, you can end up hurt and you'll find something to blame for your failures. Follow the basics not the blind.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Animal Style Movements Enhance Brain Power & Mental Toughness
Some refer to animal movements as nothing more than warm ups for the "big" exercises; that's fine if they think that but that mainly tells me they have fully experienced the benefits of the movements themselves and what they truly represent. When you break it down, each movement in its capacity brings in a full engaged body otherwise you won't be able to move very well and you're not using your body's natural instincts. This in turn establishes more power into the body's Central Nervous system and flows up the energy of the spine and produces blood into the streams leading up to the brain. When your body flows with that much energy, it enhances the activity in the brain which can enhance memory, the ability to process better and increase possibly with intelligence.
The focus of the movements opens up the areas of the brain that produces endorphins and with the blood flowing at a powerful, natural rate it stimulates all areas of the brain. I'm no scientist, I'm only going on experiences and the possibilities of what these animal moves can really do when engaged. The mental toughness comes from the ability to keep going. Like an animal in the wild, it has to be tough in order to survive and be able to take down prey or run from it when it's called for. In life, things do get tough and when you have the drive to keep moving even though you're tired it brings out a whole other realm of strength that's within you.
After doing thousands of steps, yards ect I personally believe that when you're done with a session, you'll experience a level of focus, blissfulness & calmness that anything that is thrown at you would just fly by. Other than Bridging exercises I have never experienced an endorphin high and level of positive energy than through the training of animal moves. I feel like the world is my oyster and I can do anything even if its just for a few moments. Because of all that energy, your mind and body become one and you will have abilities you didn't think existed. I have literally done hundreds of programs and playouts and none of them gave me that kind of energy. It was scary but I have come to accept it and learn how to apply it in my everyday life. So like I said, its beyond a warm-up, it is a way of BEING!!!
The focus of the movements opens up the areas of the brain that produces endorphins and with the blood flowing at a powerful, natural rate it stimulates all areas of the brain. I'm no scientist, I'm only going on experiences and the possibilities of what these animal moves can really do when engaged. The mental toughness comes from the ability to keep going. Like an animal in the wild, it has to be tough in order to survive and be able to take down prey or run from it when it's called for. In life, things do get tough and when you have the drive to keep moving even though you're tired it brings out a whole other realm of strength that's within you.
After doing thousands of steps, yards ect I personally believe that when you're done with a session, you'll experience a level of focus, blissfulness & calmness that anything that is thrown at you would just fly by. Other than Bridging exercises I have never experienced an endorphin high and level of positive energy than through the training of animal moves. I feel like the world is my oyster and I can do anything even if its just for a few moments. Because of all that energy, your mind and body become one and you will have abilities you didn't think existed. I have literally done hundreds of programs and playouts and none of them gave me that kind of energy. It was scary but I have come to accept it and learn how to apply it in my everyday life. So like I said, its beyond a warm-up, it is a way of BEING!!!
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Developing That Summer Body
There's nothing wrong with wanting to look like a stud or a hot woman for the summer season. Show off those curves, washboard abs, thigh gap legs and arms that would make chicks go "oooo lala" but in the end, how are you going to look good if you got nothing really to show for it with real strength? Many people want fast results and want to look like a greek god(dess) for beach season so they can show off what they feel really accomplished. In some places in the world or even just the country; you work on a beach body all year round so what are you really trying to do in those other areas?
It's never easy developing a physique, it's even more difficult to get that physique but also have strength, endurance & flexibility as well. Most beach bodies look pretty but for the most part that's it, there's no real strength to show for and why need flexibility when you can make robotic turns and pose to impress someone? To have the total package; you must go all out on what is truly needed to develop what you want. The funny thing is, many beach body "practitioners" focus on bodybuilding type exercises and think cardio is the best way to lose fat and weight. This isn't just women, a lot of guys do it too and a lot of them don't get anywhere because they don't have the right method and they end up blaming something else instead of themselves.
Use methods that have stood the best of time and make that summer bod year round instead of only a season and then destroy yourselves the rest of the time. Methods like Animal Movements shed fat really fast and develop muscle faster than most methods, lift like the old-time strongmen doing Dinosaur type training, ladies; do body sculpting exercises using only your bodyweight that breathes life into the body YOU want, do gymnastic type movements to target the core muscles at its maximum without lollygagging around with stupid crunches and such.
Real beach bods develop not only an awesome look but you'll have other factors that contribute to developing that look; functional strength, stamina, conditioning, increased testosterone, higher metabolism, stronger organs (not just on the outside), creating natural muscle mass (not grossed out bulk) and one of the greatest factors of all; being pain-free or becoming that over time. Use the methods in this article and see your body change along with a balanced eating program. Why a seasonal bod when you can have it for life?
It's never easy developing a physique, it's even more difficult to get that physique but also have strength, endurance & flexibility as well. Most beach bodies look pretty but for the most part that's it, there's no real strength to show for and why need flexibility when you can make robotic turns and pose to impress someone? To have the total package; you must go all out on what is truly needed to develop what you want. The funny thing is, many beach body "practitioners" focus on bodybuilding type exercises and think cardio is the best way to lose fat and weight. This isn't just women, a lot of guys do it too and a lot of them don't get anywhere because they don't have the right method and they end up blaming something else instead of themselves.
Use methods that have stood the best of time and make that summer bod year round instead of only a season and then destroy yourselves the rest of the time. Methods like Animal Movements shed fat really fast and develop muscle faster than most methods, lift like the old-time strongmen doing Dinosaur type training, ladies; do body sculpting exercises using only your bodyweight that breathes life into the body YOU want, do gymnastic type movements to target the core muscles at its maximum without lollygagging around with stupid crunches and such.
Real beach bods develop not only an awesome look but you'll have other factors that contribute to developing that look; functional strength, stamina, conditioning, increased testosterone, higher metabolism, stronger organs (not just on the outside), creating natural muscle mass (not grossed out bulk) and one of the greatest factors of all; being pain-free or becoming that over time. Use the methods in this article and see your body change along with a balanced eating program. Why a seasonal bod when you can have it for life?
Monday, June 26, 2017
Why I Choose Animal Movements For Cardio Instead Of Running
Back in grade school it was fun running around on the playground, playing ball and just being able to move. When High School came around there were times where we had to test strength, stamina and flexibility in various areas in P.E. Back then I wasn't in any shape for running hell even sprinting for that matter and didn't have any real stamina to show for; I was pretty strong though and was able to move a lot of weight naturally for my age but I also had no flexibility that gave any incentive to my peers. I didn't understand cardio at the time, all I heard of what cardio was was just running long distances. I couldn't jog if my life depended on it and always failed at the mile test averaging 12-14 min. a mile which is pretty damn slow for them and you're considered weak and not in shape.
I mainly focused on strength in those days even before I broke my legs by going to the gym and just lifting heavy shit and that was it. From the bench press to the cable rows I did the best to my abilities to naturally get very strong without the use of steroids or P.E.Ds. I did get pretty strong without any coaching or being taught the fundamentals of lifting, I did it all on my own and learned from books and checking out guys like Ronnie Coleman & Jay Cutler. It wasn't until I broke my legs that strength wasn't the answer to all my attributes for fitness.
You've read my story on what I did at first when I started walking again; doing the Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups & the Bridge for a month; I never did that kind of cardio and strength training so at 21 I decided to make the most out of developing every attribute possible that I can learn and absorb knowledge on. At first it was just rehabbing my legs, than I started developing better conditioning and stamina, the strength came naturally and my flexibility was shooting the through the roof.
Now what is the whole point of all this or why am I still rambling about cardio and haven't fully mentioning the animals or running? Well, for the most part I hate running with a capital "H" but I do like sprinting. It wasn't until the last few years that Animal Exercises were my calling for utilizing the areas of cardio conditioning, functional strength and overall fitness that they're far better than running is and for good reasons: With running or jogging, you're only using specific muscles and going for distance at a specific pace but yet due to recent research, it can cause injuries especially in the ankles and heels not just the legs or feet. With animal moves, you're using your whole body in various positions where everything is engaged.
Animals reflect on using the natural formations of muscular movement such as crawling, jumping, balancing, climbing & coordinating and providing the ability to utilize many fitness attributes into one shot; Jogging isn't necessarily a natural form of movement but more of an isolated outlook to the nature of what real running is and that's running hard and/or fast like sprinting, chasing prey and other natural formalities. Early man didn't jog as a way to get fit; he ran like hell to get away from predators, ran hard to catch food, rushed his body into battle. Jogging is a systematic form of unnatural running. Animal Exercise take on the ideal of what early men had to do in order to survive. He had to climb, jump, swim and outrun what could potentially kill him or chase prey to feed his family/tribe/himself. Cardio when broken down is a term where you sustain a level of your heart rate whether in a short or long period of time. You can do 500 Squats and it'll still count as cardio, you can do 1000 Kettlebell swings it'll still count as cardio and you can do 5-10 Hill Sprints; that's still cardio. I choose to do animal movements because for me they're a sure fire to have hit peak levels of my heart rate and power up my lung capacity and develop a metabolism and fat burning zone even hours after a playout.
You can do Animals as fast or as slow as you want, either way your heart rate will go up and your fat burning zone will come into play because the more muscles you use, the higher chances of burning major calories and building powerful muscle in the process. Some of the greatest athletes on the planet have done animal moves to hit peak levels of cardiovascular conditioning. You don't need an insane amount of hours to get in high physical condition, just 30 minutes or less a day and you can get into a level of cardio similar to running 10 miles it is that powerful. The stamina you will develop and the ability to be nearly as strong in the end just as you started is what makes this so superior to many other forms of exercise. Want to get stronger lungs; do animal moves, want a stronger core; do animal moves, want powerful and enduring legs; do animal moves. Because of this method I'm in far better shape than I ever was in my teens and if I had a chance to go back in time to talk to a 16 year old Ben, I'd tell to get his ass into gear doing animal exercises; who knows what would've been if I had that knowledge then.
I mainly focused on strength in those days even before I broke my legs by going to the gym and just lifting heavy shit and that was it. From the bench press to the cable rows I did the best to my abilities to naturally get very strong without the use of steroids or P.E.Ds. I did get pretty strong without any coaching or being taught the fundamentals of lifting, I did it all on my own and learned from books and checking out guys like Ronnie Coleman & Jay Cutler. It wasn't until I broke my legs that strength wasn't the answer to all my attributes for fitness.
You've read my story on what I did at first when I started walking again; doing the Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups & the Bridge for a month; I never did that kind of cardio and strength training so at 21 I decided to make the most out of developing every attribute possible that I can learn and absorb knowledge on. At first it was just rehabbing my legs, than I started developing better conditioning and stamina, the strength came naturally and my flexibility was shooting the through the roof.
Now what is the whole point of all this or why am I still rambling about cardio and haven't fully mentioning the animals or running? Well, for the most part I hate running with a capital "H" but I do like sprinting. It wasn't until the last few years that Animal Exercises were my calling for utilizing the areas of cardio conditioning, functional strength and overall fitness that they're far better than running is and for good reasons: With running or jogging, you're only using specific muscles and going for distance at a specific pace but yet due to recent research, it can cause injuries especially in the ankles and heels not just the legs or feet. With animal moves, you're using your whole body in various positions where everything is engaged.
Animals reflect on using the natural formations of muscular movement such as crawling, jumping, balancing, climbing & coordinating and providing the ability to utilize many fitness attributes into one shot; Jogging isn't necessarily a natural form of movement but more of an isolated outlook to the nature of what real running is and that's running hard and/or fast like sprinting, chasing prey and other natural formalities. Early man didn't jog as a way to get fit; he ran like hell to get away from predators, ran hard to catch food, rushed his body into battle. Jogging is a systematic form of unnatural running. Animal Exercise take on the ideal of what early men had to do in order to survive. He had to climb, jump, swim and outrun what could potentially kill him or chase prey to feed his family/tribe/himself. Cardio when broken down is a term where you sustain a level of your heart rate whether in a short or long period of time. You can do 500 Squats and it'll still count as cardio, you can do 1000 Kettlebell swings it'll still count as cardio and you can do 5-10 Hill Sprints; that's still cardio. I choose to do animal movements because for me they're a sure fire to have hit peak levels of my heart rate and power up my lung capacity and develop a metabolism and fat burning zone even hours after a playout.
You can do Animals as fast or as slow as you want, either way your heart rate will go up and your fat burning zone will come into play because the more muscles you use, the higher chances of burning major calories and building powerful muscle in the process. Some of the greatest athletes on the planet have done animal moves to hit peak levels of cardiovascular conditioning. You don't need an insane amount of hours to get in high physical condition, just 30 minutes or less a day and you can get into a level of cardio similar to running 10 miles it is that powerful. The stamina you will develop and the ability to be nearly as strong in the end just as you started is what makes this so superior to many other forms of exercise. Want to get stronger lungs; do animal moves, want a stronger core; do animal moves, want powerful and enduring legs; do animal moves. Because of this method I'm in far better shape than I ever was in my teens and if I had a chance to go back in time to talk to a 16 year old Ben, I'd tell to get his ass into gear doing animal exercises; who knows what would've been if I had that knowledge then.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
New Product! Rehmannia
That means if you are in anyway suffering from chronic stress then you could very much benefit from this supreme kidney tonic. The adrenals sit atop the kidneys (the term "adrenal" comes from ad- (Latin, "near") and renes (Latin, "kidney") and Chinese Medicine considers them together to make up the Kidney Meridian.
So if you burn yourself out with constant work, life, family and never have enough time to recuperate fully, you are overworking your Kidneys. To be so go-go-go all the time is considered very Yang. So adding some Yin herbs can greatly counterbalance and create more resilience in the body, especially if you can't stop being that way due to your situation.
Rehmannia has been found to be adrenal-protective and renal-protective. It has also been found to be a potent anti-inflammatory throughout the system. This action allows the body to finally get about healing irritations that have been stifled by its trying to keep inflammation in check. It is just another way that Rehmannia can bring deep restorative balance.
All of this is very important to athletes. After all, who stresses their bodies more than those that day in and day out push their limits physically and mentally?
It should be noted for you athletes as well that weak joints, specifically, lower back, ankle, and knee pains, are common symptoms of weak Kidneys in Chinese Medicine.
I know many of you suffer from these maladies which are truly unfortunately for you. Well, now we offer an herb that can perhaps alleviate some of that.
On top of that, this herb does not taste bad at all! No bitterness to speak of! Right now you can get Rehmannia for $5 until the end of Sunday.
As I said, there is a reason this herb is so commonly prescribed in Traditional Chinese Medicine...perhaps it can help bring balance to your force (hehe, Star Wars).
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Developing Overall Conditioning With Animal Movements And Partial History
The late Karl Gotch once said "Conditioning is the basis for all Combat Sports; go back to nature and you'll find that animals in the wild are in the greatest of shape because they use their own bodyweight and stretching", although he was mainly talking about bodyweight in general it goes far beyond that in my opinion. I have taken this literal in the way of not just developing conditioning for a sport but for life itself.
I do believe systematic exercises such as push-ups, squats, pull-ups, sit-ups, bridging and skipping rope are incredible body conditioners whether for sports or not but nothing truly beats animal movements for strengthening the body from every possible angle. The reason why that is, is because animal movements represent the natural flow of the human body's instinctive and abilities of what has been programmed into us since the dawn of man. The systematic exercises were developed during the dawn of civilization and developing cities such as worldly kingdoms of the Greeks, Romans, Britannia & even African/Indian Settlers. Animals represent power, strength, grace, natural movement and the instinctive awareness of man's original "training" system for survival throughout the cavemen era. Before the Greeks, Romans, Mongols, Cossacks & other armies of the old world, man had to survive on instinct using his body to outrun predators, swim to catch food in rivers & streams, climb trees to get food, crawl at times to sneak up on prey to feed his family, had to balance himself through rough terrain to fight off other members of tribes and had to have quick reflexes in order to survive attacks.
Animal Exercise is the ultimate old school form of exercise because it forces the body to adapt every step and it creates a chain reaction in the spinal column and teaches the instinctive nature of movement itself. Think about it, if a man in the jungle was hungry and needed to find a way to get it; he would at times need to mimic the animal's movement to get an idea of how it behaves, how it feels, being aware of predators; it developed an ingenious way of striking down an animal's instincts and outsmart it. It didn't always happen that way but because man's brain at that time was only processing information and natural instincts to fight, swim, crawl, run and balance.
Today, exercise is more concentrated, more analytical than natural and takes on a systematic approach that has become chaotic and complicated. There are literally hundreds of thousands of ways to get fit but literally only a fraction have any real benefit. You have DVD's, books, workshops & classes that teach a concentrated approach to fitness yet in today's society, natural movement is acted like a mind-boggling "new" thing yet in reality it is the oldest form of exercise not because of exercise itself but what was originally the instinctive nature of man before becoming a colonized world.
When it comes to conditioning, the animals have it made and it can teach us the greatest things on how to use our minds and our bodies to adapt every step, every turn, every possible scenario to stay within the abilities to keep going without fatiguing or have gone so far, the body doesn't know it's fatigued. You can do all the push-ups, squats, bench presses you want but you won't last very long in a bear crawl, duck walk, Monkey Jumps and other movements because they utilize every muscle in the entire system of the body and goes beyond the typical modern movement. The more you practice moving like an animal, the more you develop the muscles and joints to last in certain situations. There are systems that use animal moves in a more concentrated humanized approach such as using push-ups while moving, concentrating on using opposite arm/legs in specific movements, using yoga-esq type drills or gymnastics/breakdancing but when you truly break it down, using animal movements in the best ways possible for us humans to adapt to, can create the ultimate conditioning tool.
There are animal moves that are not meant for everyone due to either severe past injuries, bone spurs, torn ligaments and such but in the end, when we go back to being instinctive and using our bodies to crawl, walk, run, jump, climb, swing, swim and other things, we are coming to grips on what truly gives us strength, power, endurance, conditioning, coordination & agility. Animal movements give us those qualities of the human body and how we can adapt and improvise in order to become our strongest selves mentally, physically, emotionally & even spiritually.
Get your hands on incredible Animal Movements from these courses: AKC 1, AKC 2, Kids Book & Workout DVD.
I do believe systematic exercises such as push-ups, squats, pull-ups, sit-ups, bridging and skipping rope are incredible body conditioners whether for sports or not but nothing truly beats animal movements for strengthening the body from every possible angle. The reason why that is, is because animal movements represent the natural flow of the human body's instinctive and abilities of what has been programmed into us since the dawn of man. The systematic exercises were developed during the dawn of civilization and developing cities such as worldly kingdoms of the Greeks, Romans, Britannia & even African/Indian Settlers. Animals represent power, strength, grace, natural movement and the instinctive awareness of man's original "training" system for survival throughout the cavemen era. Before the Greeks, Romans, Mongols, Cossacks & other armies of the old world, man had to survive on instinct using his body to outrun predators, swim to catch food in rivers & streams, climb trees to get food, crawl at times to sneak up on prey to feed his family, had to balance himself through rough terrain to fight off other members of tribes and had to have quick reflexes in order to survive attacks.
Animal Exercise is the ultimate old school form of exercise because it forces the body to adapt every step and it creates a chain reaction in the spinal column and teaches the instinctive nature of movement itself. Think about it, if a man in the jungle was hungry and needed to find a way to get it; he would at times need to mimic the animal's movement to get an idea of how it behaves, how it feels, being aware of predators; it developed an ingenious way of striking down an animal's instincts and outsmart it. It didn't always happen that way but because man's brain at that time was only processing information and natural instincts to fight, swim, crawl, run and balance.
Today, exercise is more concentrated, more analytical than natural and takes on a systematic approach that has become chaotic and complicated. There are literally hundreds of thousands of ways to get fit but literally only a fraction have any real benefit. You have DVD's, books, workshops & classes that teach a concentrated approach to fitness yet in today's society, natural movement is acted like a mind-boggling "new" thing yet in reality it is the oldest form of exercise not because of exercise itself but what was originally the instinctive nature of man before becoming a colonized world.
When it comes to conditioning, the animals have it made and it can teach us the greatest things on how to use our minds and our bodies to adapt every step, every turn, every possible scenario to stay within the abilities to keep going without fatiguing or have gone so far, the body doesn't know it's fatigued. You can do all the push-ups, squats, bench presses you want but you won't last very long in a bear crawl, duck walk, Monkey Jumps and other movements because they utilize every muscle in the entire system of the body and goes beyond the typical modern movement. The more you practice moving like an animal, the more you develop the muscles and joints to last in certain situations. There are systems that use animal moves in a more concentrated humanized approach such as using push-ups while moving, concentrating on using opposite arm/legs in specific movements, using yoga-esq type drills or gymnastics/breakdancing but when you truly break it down, using animal movements in the best ways possible for us humans to adapt to, can create the ultimate conditioning tool.
There are animal moves that are not meant for everyone due to either severe past injuries, bone spurs, torn ligaments and such but in the end, when we go back to being instinctive and using our bodies to crawl, walk, run, jump, climb, swing, swim and other things, we are coming to grips on what truly gives us strength, power, endurance, conditioning, coordination & agility. Animal movements give us those qualities of the human body and how we can adapt and improvise in order to become our strongest selves mentally, physically, emotionally & even spiritually.
Get your hands on incredible Animal Movements from these courses: AKC 1, AKC 2, Kids Book & Workout DVD.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
The Benefits Of Playing The Animal Dice Game
Once you've consistently worked on as many animals as possible it's time to step it up a notch. Make a game out of the animals you have learned and use these games to attack goals and create challenges that are interesting and give you great benefit. The animal dice game is my most personal favorite and for good reason.
It goes beyond just doing random animals per round; it teaches you how to get ready for whatever comes next because like life it's unpredictable and certain things can happen when you least expect it. It teaches you to expect the unexpected and when you can go round after round it takes on a life of its own. The playout is never the same twice so you're on constant alert.
Conditioning both your mind and body gives you an idea of where things can go and you can keep going even when you're ready to quit. You can be just as strong even towards the end but you still never know what can come up. I have literally done hundreds, thousands of rounds with this game and done hundreds of reps total each time and it never gets easier; only more interesting. There can be times where most rounds are upper body others can be lower but again you're on constant alert and you must be prepared to do that animal. You can make up any animal you want with the dice and you can switch things up on a fly if you wish but never mistake that it is a cake walk. It literally forces you to adapt and having to improvise some rounds just to keep things going. One game can teach you many things beyond the numbers and the types of animals; it enhances memory, conditioning and tells you to always be ready.
To really spice it up, don't always do steps; do yards, meters, feet, inches whatever you choose make it interesting. I like to double sometimes triple the amount of steps per animal to make it challenging and force me to train harder than usual. It's always fun but in the end, I control the challenge but I can't control what animal comes up next. It's a simple game that will turn even some of the most conditioned athletes into the most humble individuals you'll ever witness. Like in sports, anything can happen and a single moment can change the entire outcome of a fight, match, game or whatever; like the game, one animal can bring you down when you least expect or you'll rise up and tackle it with a vengeance either in the first round or 50th.
Get in the habit of moving like an animal and challenge yourself while having fun and taking your conditioning to another realm.
It goes beyond just doing random animals per round; it teaches you how to get ready for whatever comes next because like life it's unpredictable and certain things can happen when you least expect it. It teaches you to expect the unexpected and when you can go round after round it takes on a life of its own. The playout is never the same twice so you're on constant alert.
Conditioning both your mind and body gives you an idea of where things can go and you can keep going even when you're ready to quit. You can be just as strong even towards the end but you still never know what can come up. I have literally done hundreds, thousands of rounds with this game and done hundreds of reps total each time and it never gets easier; only more interesting. There can be times where most rounds are upper body others can be lower but again you're on constant alert and you must be prepared to do that animal. You can make up any animal you want with the dice and you can switch things up on a fly if you wish but never mistake that it is a cake walk. It literally forces you to adapt and having to improvise some rounds just to keep things going. One game can teach you many things beyond the numbers and the types of animals; it enhances memory, conditioning and tells you to always be ready.
To really spice it up, don't always do steps; do yards, meters, feet, inches whatever you choose make it interesting. I like to double sometimes triple the amount of steps per animal to make it challenging and force me to train harder than usual. It's always fun but in the end, I control the challenge but I can't control what animal comes up next. It's a simple game that will turn even some of the most conditioned athletes into the most humble individuals you'll ever witness. Like in sports, anything can happen and a single moment can change the entire outcome of a fight, match, game or whatever; like the game, one animal can bring you down when you least expect or you'll rise up and tackle it with a vengeance either in the first round or 50th.
Get in the habit of moving like an animal and challenge yourself while having fun and taking your conditioning to another realm.
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