Unlock Cheat Codes Hidden Within The Lost Art Of Muscle Control

How's it going guys, happy Revenge Of The Fifth. What's in stored for today's possibly EPIC Post? Well, it's something I don't write often about but it is an important aspect of physical training and it's within the realm of Isometric Training that isn't just for bodybuilders and wanna-be posers. It's the type of training that also strengthens and even sharpens the mind. Learn how to command the muscles and see what you're capable of when you channel the mind/muscle connection in one of its best forms. That's where Muscle Control comes into play.

The lost gem of the old school Physical Culture Era (more notably the Bronze Age) that transforms how you move, feel and perform at an insane level. This isn't the type of training that leaves you wrecked and beat up for days on end. Muscle Control fits right in the concepts of developing realistic and sustainable fitness that includes real world strength, conditioning and mental toughness. It's about isolating the muscles that get you to channel your focus into contracting and relaxing those muscles with precision. Think of it as flipping a switch in your body. You call the shots.

Let's Learn A Little Lesson On Some Of The History On Muscle Control

Forget the modern bro-science bullshit for a moment. This style of training exploded in popularity back in early 1900's thanks to men like Maxick, Otto Arco & a few others. Maxick in particular was a sick lad living in Austria and transformed himself into a legendary figure that would baffle most Classic Physique contestants today. Born in 1882, he battled and fought against issues of the lungs, dropsy and even rickets. His own parents tore up his home set of weights to prevent him from continuing training because they thought it would make things worse. What the fuck was this kid supposed to do now? Turns out, he began experimenting on consciously contracting his muscles and learning how to control which ones flexed and let the other relax using willpower and focus.

This became his sanctuary and when he turned into basically a comic book looking Superhero, he teamed up with another athlete who practiced Muscle Control named Monte Saldo to bring out what became known as the Maxalding System. A detailed mail-order course on that taught how to program this style of Isometric Training. It took off like a damn rocket and blew the roof off the Physical Culture scene. It wasn't just about posing, it also let you know that Maxick was a legit athlete that practiced Gymnastics, Strongman Feats and Weightlifting. Because of his mastery, he was able to lift insane weight for a guy his size. 

Before the days of Steroids, Commercial Gyms and the Billion Dollar Supplement Industry, methods like Muscle Control produced many men with incredible physiques and strength that were the talks of the street. It was beyond size and power, it was learning how to control your body that carries over to other areas of life and sports. With the desk jobs of today, this type of training is more relevant and needed than ever. 

Bad Ass Benefits Of Muscle Control 

Why add this to your routine? Let's break it down into 6 points of benefit that gives you an idea of where we're going with this:

1. Higher IQ in the Mind/Muscle Connection

Do you ever get the feeling some of those muscles don't "Hit Right" during a lift or even using your own bodyweight? This is where it gets fixed. With Isolated Practice, flexing places like the lats, pecs, abs or individual parts of those muscle and others, you are strengthening those neuromuscular pathways. What this means is that the muscle recruitment becomes better as you do exercises like Pull-ups, push-ups, deadlifts, band work or animal moves like Bear Crawls for example. You're winning the battle and becoming stronger without having to fight those uncooperative muscles.

2. Efficiency Along With Better Relaxation

Control is not about tensing up per se. It's learning to relax the antagonists so you don't get dragged down. This helps with amplifying your endurance, reduce unnecessary tension and improves the blood flow. When I do my own training with the bands or Isometrics, it gives me opportunities to push hard but not gas out within seconds. You've read about the 500-1000 rep circuits and the Deck Of Cards Workouts, there's a reason why I'm conditioned enough to get through those things and it's not just progressively leveling up to them. That's just part of it. 

3. Joint Health & Prevention Of Injuries

By individually controlling the muscles, you build stability around your joints that strengthens the tendons and improves even your posture. When it comes to things like Bridging, Band Work and Suspension Training, it comes in handy. Lessens the wear and tear and enhances Longevity.

4. Laser Focus Mixed With Mental Toughness

This is where guys like Maxick nails the hell out of. Controlling the muscles builds willpower and heavy concentration. The mind cannot wander when you're isolating the serratus or holding the "vacuum." This will help carryover things into the real world: stronger discipline and clearer thinking along with the mindset of "I own this" during those tough workouts and/or daily challenges. 

5. Functional Strength & A Physique That Has The Go With The Show

Carving the definition and teaches those muscles to contract with a vengeance. Combine it into your regular training and watch results blossom like a wildflower. Don't chase the pump; command to the degree where you're not just posing, you're moving with style and confidence. 

6. Sustainability & Accessibility

Don't have a gym? No problemo ladies and gents, you can do this anywhere: Standing in line, during a work break or as a finisher to your workout. Micro Workouts, easily adjustable. Matter of fact, it's perfect. You're not going to fry your CNS unlike constant max efforts. You'll recover better and train more consistently.  Train smart, train often just in the ways of Power And Might.

Honorable Mentions: Improved Breath Control, better digestion, leveling up in your sports performance and possibly have carryover into rehabbing or managing back pain through Core Stability.

How Can One Get Started?

It's best to not complicate it. Keep it basic: Stand relaxed and try to flex one of the pectoral muscles, then the other. Isolate the abdominals in sections, practice Vacuums for the Transverse Abdominis. Use the hands to feel and guide at first, hold contractions for only a few seconds, fully relax and repeat. Work through various groups like the chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs and core. Progress to combinations and then move onto controlling while doing certain movements. Pair it up with the routine you're on. Work it as a warm up or finisher if you'd like. It'll make things click better.        

Not saying to ditch what you already do, give it a whirl so you can raise your training to the next level. It's a missing link for many who may look strong but lack the command.

Be amazingly awesome and hit me up on your progress using the linktree that leads to my email and social media outlets. keep at it and I hope you're enjoying the journey. 

May The Schwartz...I Mean May The 4th Be With You

Spaceballs, probably my favorite comedy of all time next to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. "What's the matter Col. Sandurz? CHICKEN???" Anyway, Happy Star Wars Day everybody. Today is not just about the stories from a Galaxy Far, Far, Away, it's also our Anniversary. 7 Years married, together 11. 

Celebrated a little bit last night going out to dinner at a favorite restaurant and took a walk around the park nearby to watch the sunset. Before we left, I got my girl some Anniversary gifts and of course the majority of them was Star Wars themed. 

A Grogu Coffee Mug that says "Coffee I Need"

2 Funko Pops of Princess Leia from the Original & 3rd Film (the ROTJ one was a 40th Anniversary Edition) 

Last one was a book she had an eye on that is an Autobiography of WWE Women's Legend Natalya Neidhart, the only woman to have survived the famous Hart Dungeon. Daughter of Jim The Anvil Neidhart and Granddaughter to Stu Hart. 

So, as usual during the day, I get my workouts in but yesterday was a hell of a challenge. Decided to really test my conditioning by doing both a Deck Of Cards Workout and a Dopa Band Circuit in the same session. The deck was 800 Reps of Animal Moves including Bear Crawls, Crab Walks, Half Squat Walks & Duck Walks. Little rest other than walking back and flipping a card. Once I finished the deck (a bit fatigued), I set up the Dopa Band and did another 500 Reps of the Circuit including Chest Flys, Wave Pulls, Uppercut To Squats, Jump Skis & Propellers. 10 Reps each exercise with the only rest was marking down the circuit. 

That was nasty as shit but I made it through and the endorphins really kicked in. The only thing that sucked ass was, before I trained, my left sandal broke off where the toes are locked in and ended up walking back home barefoot. Wasn't bad really, kind of enjoyed it especially being able to walk on some grass and feeling the earth beneath. The workout itself was interesting but hard and a hell of a mental game. There were a couple times I wanted to quit but I just said to myself "Fuck that, this is getting good".

I've said it before and I'll say it again, conditioning is your greatest asset. You can look like a million bucks but if your cardio is barely a thing when it counts the most, all that muscle is just flesh that won't save your ass when shit gets called upon. Workouts like these will test most men and some may even call them world-class but I'm too damn modest to have it called that. Train with intent and challenge yourself but always be in control as best as possible and still walk away without looking like you just fought the walking dead. 

Extreme training has its perks but only every couple to a few days or so. Is this workout considered extreme? Well, it's 1300 reps with very little rest so you tell me LOL? Do it too often, it'll bite you back in the ass if you're not careful. Anybody who tells you to go extreme all the time is a sell out that would rather have you hurt than thrive in your journey. They don't give a shit about you, they care about what goes into their bank account and like to run their mouth about being better than anybody else when chances are, they're not in the type of shape they claim to be and just expect you to take their word for it. They're likely to look like something that makes Karen Carpenter seem like she had muscle on her compared to them. Not a good look man. Fix that asap.

Realistic training is about self discovery, learning what your capabilities are, finding challenges but not killing yourself in order to get results, utilizing awareness and small progressions overtime. You don't need to go so crazy that you can't make progress or act like you need to be better than 8+ billion people in the world. Don't be a second rate has been or a ever was, be the first you and thrive with a kick ass mindset that makes you want to do things daily. You got this and I believe in you.

Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the force, but be aware of the Darkside. Fear is a path you never want to go down, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. If you let yourself go down a path where you have to use your ego as a weapon or be some controversial asshat to make others feel worthless about themselves because they don't follow what you "teach" or you tell them that it's your way or the highway, you're losing a battle that can't be won and it just makes you a pitiful little prick with a superiority complex. Don't destroy yourself mentally and physically in order to get the results you want. Be successful in inspiring others and give them tools that will help them become something they were meant to be.

May the force be with you all and be amazingly awesome. Use the linktree below to find me on social media and/or email me if you'd like to get in contact. Looking forward to hearing from you. For more info on arguably one of the best courses on Animal Movement Strength Training, check out Movement 20XX. Grab a band or two at Dopamineo.com and use my code POWERANDMIGHT to shed a few bucks off your order.  

Happy Anniversary babe, love you beyond the stars...

Your Hubby-Wan & Han Solo. 

Fun Training Over The Last Few Days

 The last few days have been not too bad and the weather is getting nicer and warmer out. On Wednesday, I went to the bigger park near by the one I usually go to and did some Isometrics and Suspension Training with my straps. Warmed up with the Isos doing full body work. Wrapped my WorldFit Iso Trainer around a Tree Branch and got in some good bodyweight training that actually left me a little sore at the end but not a whole lot.

Pull-Ups: 4, 3, 2, 2, 1

Dips: 3x5

High Tension Amosov Squats: 3x12

Rows: 3x8

Simple Push/Pull/Squatting and rested as long as needed between sets. The Dips were more of a bitch than anything and trying to control all my bodyweight holding onto nothing but the handles and my legs not touching the ground. Tore a little bit of skin doing them but the healed up pretty quickly. For more info and training ideas for this type of training, check out Matt Schifferle's Suspension Calisthenics. Great stuff. 

This was not even my first workout of the day, it was my biggest one though. Earlier, I did some Neck Mobility and Joint Loosening. Waited a little bit and then did some Bridges but mainly focused on rocking since it has been a minute doing any consistent bridging. I did the following exercises to stretch my back, neck and plenty in the hips, lower body and core.

4x5 Back Bridge Rocks using the hands as support, heels up and slowing touching my forehead and nose to the mat.

4x5 Front Bridge Rocks using the hands as support. 

4x5 Each Side To Side Rocks in the Front Bridge. 

Felt great and my entire body went into a relaxed state for quite a while. 

Thursday was a hell of a training day where I went to the park in the morning, much earlier than I normally would and wanted to get a bad ass session with the Heavy Dopa Band. Did my circuit of 5 Exercises for 10 Reps each of the following:

10 Chest Presses

10 Rows

10 Squats

10 Alt Skis

10 Propellers

20 Rounds.....

Even timed this workout. Focused mainly on Technique and Breathing. Let the speed come naturally and finished the workout (1000 total reps) in 32:31. The rest of the day was decent and had to cancel on somebody due to things that were out of my control. 

Yesterday was a good day to do Isometrics and Bridging Exercises. Did my Isos in the morning before handling stuff with my apartment. Got to visit a family member, hung out, had lunch, showed them some Isometrics to help with certain issues to build strength. Was a great visit and went for a walk out in the nice fresh air. After I got home, cooked some Steak & Rice, watched Raiders Of The Lost Ark (Best of the Indy series next to the Last Crusade) and capped off the night doing my Bridges. 

Rocked 10 times in the Back Bridge using the hands for support, touching the mat with my forehead and nose, heels up. 

Slight Rest.

Held a 3 Minute Nose To Mat Bridge with arms crossed to the chest and heels up. Took 18 Breaths.

Slight Rest.

10 Front Bridge Rocks using the hands as support.

Slight Rest

20 Side To Side Front Bridge Rocks (10 Each Way) using the Hands as support. 

Slight Rest.

3 Minute Front Bridge Hold. Took 15 Breaths. 

Hell of a workout and felt invigorated. Took a nice cold shower, chilled out for a bit then went to bed. 

Want to get into Bridging? Get arguably the best one on the subject and that's Advanced Bridging by Logan Christopher. 

What's on the agenda for today? Cleaning up the house a bit, Isometrics, maybe Bridges and Band Work but who really knows. See where it leads. Might film some stuff but haven't figured out what yet. Hopefully you all are having a good weekend so far and plenty to do. Have a blast, don't go too crazy and be amazingly awesome.  

Want to get in contact with me? Go to my linktree below where you can email me or find all my socials. Looking forward to hearing from you. 

Light Conditioning And A Finisher

 Yesterday wasn't too bad of a day, mostly chilling out and resting up on some things but like always, got to get some training in you know. Worked on my Neck Mobility and Joint Loosening but then later on, did some Dopa Band Intervals with a "little" finisher.

Wasn't feeling 100% myself so I took it "easy" and did 20 minutes of Intervals focusing on 5 exercises for 45 on, 15 off 4 times. Figured I'd do some boxing and wrestling techniques like alternating punches, step skis, squats, wave pulls and waves holding a boxing stance with the dukes up. Normally, it's 30-45 minutes of intervals but this was more just to keep me moving and getting a little energy up. 

The finisher was quite interesting. Tied the band, pull it over till it was behind my neck, got on all 4's and did Resistance Banded Bear Crawls. Crawl until the band reached as best as it can go (for me at least), walk back and repeat. Did 4 sets of 5 of these. One of those last ditch efforts to really tackle some post workout work. Lungs were firing, endorphins kicked in and feeling great. No music, no partner, just me and the band.

Some days aren't always going to have you feeling invincible, it's more of a test of wills and what you are capable of in the moment. You don't have to be extreme all the time like some people shove down your throat about. Matter of fact, that's more hindering than productive. I mean, if you want to test how fast it'll take before you get an injury, that's up to you but it's important to understand your body's awareness and what's possible in a point in time. 

Daily exercise isn't about how hard you can push it, it's about teaching your body signals to when you can go hard and when to back it up a bit. I enjoy doing things daily, some like training 3-4x a week and that's great. People get worked up about recovery and all that. Yes, there's importance on being able to be efficient in your sessions but life doesn't always give you that luxury. The true best form of recovery is sleep, hands down. Mine could use a little more work but I'm still able to go daily, even if its just Isometrics or some squats and step ups.

Should there be a form of daily exercise? Absolutely, but it doesn't have to be in the gym; it can be climbing stairs in your building, stretching, going on a hike, swim in the pool, some light crawling, Isometrics for a few minutes or whatever you enjoy doing. If you like to dance, fucking do it. Shit, the last time I didn't do any form of exercise was during the Bush Administration when I couldn't walk just yet but if you need to let your body take a load off for a day or two, go for it, it may suit you better than it would for others. You have options and get to learn what you're capable of when things are called upon or need that few minutes to get something going. Look into Micro Workouts and get ideas on what you can do within any time in the 24 hours you have in your day. 

Go hard one day, lighten up another, work on a project, do a challenge day or just do a few minutes of crawling. You can have a great deal of knowledge, it's a matter of applying it to your lifestyle, the rest is pretty easy once you understand how things can work for you. Life may throw you curveballs at times but don't give up on what you can accomplish even in tough times. Be amazingly awesome and do what's possible for you. Don't forget to go to dopamineo.com and use my code POWERANDMIGHT to get some kick ass bands and make your workouts as hard or as light as you like. 

If you'd want to get in touch with me, check out my Linktree below where you can find all my socials and email. Looking forward to hearing from you and if you'd like to have a comment shown on the blog here, read up on the comment policy. 

7-12 Seconds Of War Doing Isometric Contractions

Strength isn't always built on bodyweight or weights for Insta Likes. It's built on stillness. When it comes down to it, Isometrics especially that dials in that 7-12 seconds of pure contraction and power, you unlock a method that's fucking brutally effective and can still be done practically daily.

The Method Of Going To War For 7-12 Seconds

How does this work? You pick a position like a Curl using the WorldFit Iso Trainer and you hammer it out hard. Not for 30 seconds or a minute where you can tone down the intensity, but as high of intensity as you can make it. 

Why that specific window though? If you were to get it to 100% max strength, it would be only for 1-3 seconds which isn't a bad thing when you've had enough experience. Steve Justa was a master at this along with holding for much longer times with less intensity. 7-12 in many cases is the sweet spot where you're blending the maximum motor unit and the peak levels of intensity without breaking your form.

You're not moving, you're becoming a machine. All those muscle fibers from the tendons to the trunk is switched to a serious capacity. You're not using momentum, no way of cheating, just you. The irresistible force meeting the immovable object. That's the true nature of Overcoming Isometrics.

Here Are Some Benefits The Fitness Industry Won't Tell You

1. At peak efforts, Isometric Training teaches your CNS to fire much harder. The recruitment of fibers that conventional lifting can't even begin to touch. It opens up the Mind/Muscle Connection to new levels of strength you didn't think existed. Next time you go for a deadlift or press, the bar might feel lighter.  

2. Isometrics don't shear, it doesn't have ballistic loading, your knees/shoulders/spine get stronger without wearing and tearing down the ligaments. You get the prehab, rehab and strength training all rolled into one super entity. You are in control of the angle.

3. Brutal Time Efficiency

Within 15-20 minutes, you can hit the full body in an Isometric Session. Don't need much if at all of a warm up set. You don't have to wait around for anybody or anything, things like a wall, a doorway, your own bodyweight, the floor or the Trainer for that matter are all the best options. 

The Power Of Doing Isometrics Daily

Overcoming & Yielding Isometric Training for 7-12 seconds create neural adaptation with less damage than typical weight training. Your CNS adapts fast (like Quicksilver fast). The tendons get denser and the ligaments thicken like steel chords. Adamantium anybody?

Legends like Bud Jeffries & Alexander Zass made Isometric Training an art form. The old-time strongmen called it Steel Sinew Training. They did them daily because Isometrics don't break you, they build your ass up. 

If you ever thought you missed a workout, pick a few exercises and do 1-3 positions of that exercise before hitting the sack. Isos are the perfect training style for traveling because you can do them while waiting for your plane, work various muscles on the train, as a passenger in a car and many other things. 

Purity In Stillness

You want to talk about the essence of strength training? This strips it down to its very core. You don't need to master a technique (although it'll help with your other techniques outside of the sessions). It's just straight up tension man. It's safe because you can't get out of the position. It won't crash on you and your form doesn't degrade itself. It's true honesty. It also doesn't lie to you. Work this type of training into your repertoire for a period and you'll begin to understand why the old timers said "motionless exertion, breeds motionless power." 

It's not some silly gimmick or something generic and unoriginal that promises you a Rolls Royce but you end up with a broken down Yugo. Don't fall for bullshit scams like that. It's a foundation, the Game Genie Of Fitness and it has been waiting for you to tackle it with heart and soul. 

Train hard, be smart, listen to your body and be amazingly awesome. For more info, grab the book Overcoming Isometrics By Matt Schifferle and learn what it means to open up a new world of possibilities with strength that will last and building a legacy that transcends generations.