Might As Well Jump

 

Every now and then, it's good to just jump and play. Work the fast twitch muscle fibers and make a game out of it. Being explosive has its perks regardless of age. I mean, come on, many of us grew up watching Tigger bounce around since he's the embodiment of someone with ADHD. He made jumping fun. In reality, things like frog jumps, jumping rope, explosive pushups and even burpees had their ways of making a person worn down but have a solid feeling afterwards. Some took these to extremes to the point where they wrecked themselves but if you learned how to balance out what's possible, being able to jump can reap certain benefits.

I don't do a ton of explosive stuff and for specific reasons but when I do play around with them especially when it comes to animal movement, it shoots levels of endorphins and hormone entities that help keep you vital and strong. Sometimes jumping like a frog, hopping like a rabbit or bouncing off the ground like a Kangaroo makes things interesting and when you see and hear things in your imagination, it can make a workout really goofy or stupid serious. Either way, you're getting something in.

Not all explosive movements are created equal, there are some things that aren't meant for certain people. Not because it isn't cool, some just don't have the capacity or the strength to do certain aspects of Explosive Training and it is ok. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. 

Take into account what is possible and build from there. There are some athletes that are just fucking nuts when it comes to things that shoot off like a damn rocket. Some of those old time Russian Wrestlers were insane with the stuff they did and when you look at someone like a Alexander Karelin, you will find out what made guys like that incredibly tough to beat. For other reasons to jump around, it can just be doing a few reps of certain movements just to warm yourself up or cooldown from a crazy workout. Just doing a few jumps per exercise can have an impact on how you work things and find the creative side of training.

Be playful and have fun with it if possible. It's not mandatory and you don't HAVE to do any of these if you don't want to. If you choose to do them, make them work for you and keep it as basic as possible. Training is meant to be adventurous and discovering what your capabilities are. 

Be amazingly awesome, be playful and get to it. It's never too late to explore yourself. 

A Beacon Of Light That Will Be The Hand On Our Shoulders

You were the embodiment of what it means to be strong.

You were a guide, a teacher, a therapist, a hard worker and our Beav.

As individuals, we had our own struggles and battles. They were real, they were powerful and they were even dark at times; yet you fought them along with us because you didn't want us to be alone and comforted us when we needed it the most. You picked us up out of the darkness using you love, your light and your hand.

You fed us whether we liked it or not but you didn't do it for reasons most would think. You didn't want us going hungry and you made it your mission to make sure we ate.

A tradition that went on forever (especially during your birthday, mother's day and Christmas) was to get you to cry for even a brief moment so we can see the joy on your face as you shed a tear. At one time or another, I believe all of us made that happen but we never knew when it would happen.

You were there before I could speak and fought for me when some thought I wouldn't make it. You were there when I was literally broken. You were there to see me play and grow and you taught me more than I can say.

You loved us even when we struggled to love ourselves.

You put your hand on our shoulders and hugged us when we cried or to just hold us because you just needed someone to hold.

The world won't be the same without you.

Your smile, your laugh and your love will never fade as we carry those memories throughout our journeys now. 

The beacon of light on our shoulders will be you continuing to guide us as we carry on what you created.

Rest well and thank you for everything.

I love you grandma. RIP

Building The Biceps Through Suspension Training

 Bodyweight Training can be very interesting when it comes to certain aspects of it. The pushing, pulling, squatting and all its variations can have an impact on how you apply things in everyday life. It's really one of the GOATs of Exercise you can do anytime and anywhere next to Isometrics. 

A solid form of doing Bodyweight work is through Suspension Training or Suspension Calisthenics where you can hook or hang a strap and do many more exercises than if it was just you alone. It opens a gateway to another realm of fitness and conditioning. For Strength Training purposes, its important to note that like with weight training, Suspension work is most effective when you can control the movement and utilize tension or in other words Muscle Control to target certain muscles. Because it's bodyweight, you're the true engine and driver as opposed to moving a inanimate object like a Barbell or Dumbbell.

It's interesting that with a Suspension, you can switch from one exercise to the next by placing your feet in a certain position or lean back a bit more to make certain exercises harder or easier depending on what you're shooting for. For instance, targeting the biceps and forearms in this format would be to lean back enough to where you can have a good grip on the handles, turn the palms towards your face and Curl the arms until the full movement reaches eye level like so here.

Working the arms this way gives off different vibes of control and technique despite it being a low-skilled movement. Within your control, put the tension into the biceps as you move and feel as you pull into the handles. curl your wrists as well which can also target the forearms as well. Now remember, although you're specifically targeting a body part, you still need to stabilize yourself within your foot placement, keeping your core and back tight and bring the hips within alignment in order to make the movement as bad ass as possible. 

Will this movement give you cannonball 24 inch pythons? Most likely not but you can build some solid natural strength and muscle doing this particular move. Because of movements like these along with rows and pull-ups, you can have some powerful arms that are not only functional but can keep your joints, tendons and ligaments strong as well. You don't even need to do a ton of reps to get results. As a matter of fact, don't focus so much on the number of reps themselves unless you have a specific goal in mind, focus on the tension you put into it and work the technique. Don't even go to failure, once you hit a certain point where you may have 2-3 reps left in you, hold the top of the movement in an isometric fashion for a few seconds to end a good set. 1-2 sets is more than enough. Train to stimulate, not annihilate.  

Strength comes in many forms and when you can control your strength, you can control other aspects of your being. Have fun with these, check out Suspension Calisthenics and be amazingly awesome. May your journey bring you much success and keep killing it. Have a great Sunday.  

Finding Things Of Value That Really Matter

Yesterday as I made my way through my workouts that included O2 Training, Joint Loosening, Neck Training, a 1000 Rep Dopa Band Circuit in 36:26 and Isometrics, there are things I continue to learn that hold dear. As the world struggles, we continue to persevere and through those struggles, we learn to value things that are important to us. 

It's one thing to overcome another person who has made attempts to discredit you or do just about anything to destroy your spirit and humanity, it's another to overcome yourself. We battle things everyday nobody will ever know or understand unless they've been around you long enough to know your true nature. When you overcome yourself, you find what your true values are and to the people that matter. 

We may have enemies whether in our own minds or those that feel the need to be an enemy while they pretend to be some superior being. They're not, they're just another flash in the pan, flesh that isn't worthy of your energy or time and sure as hell don't deserve to be in the company of anyone that might catch their disease of narcissism, racism or psychotic ruthlessness that shows a hopeless and jealous little boy that thinks he's a man. 

There are people out there that matter to us and not put them so much on a pedestal, but to honor who they were/are and remember what they mean to us from our memories, the good times, the little moments in time and living the best way to can so we can continue our own journey. 

It's high time that you stop putting your energy into those that are of no value to you. Focus on the people that matter, not the ones that tear you down or have become obsessed with you. Let them live in their own hell. For they have stopped being human and became the slime of humanity. 

You'll never win to try to change anyone. Only they can change themselves and when they display distasteful bullshit in order to bully and mock others while playing the victim, it opens up new doors to what their true colors are. 

They have no moral compass, no honor, no honesty and they live a trash existence while pretending to be some superior entity. Boys trapped in a man's body thinking he's got some power over people when in reality, he is weak, pathetic and unoriginal. 

Your energy shouldn't be wasted. It's to preserve and used to encourage others without tearing their spirit apart. The slime will eventually die while those who persevere leave a legacy that gives others hope to rise above and know that assholes don't deserve a legacy and will go on to be destroyed by their own vanity and other dark entities. 

Time to let go and time to make something worthwhile while the slime gets cast out sealing their fate into an oblivion. You have value and those that matter to you have value as well. Cherish them, because when they're gone, the only things left is the memories and the stories to tell for generations to come. Keep the slime away that holds no merit to your life and hold onto the precious and pricelessness of those that have lived and still here that give you new found perspective to what your journey evolves into. 

Be amazingly awesome and remember that you have great abilities to become something or someone that is valued, loved and can do incredible things in this world, don't let those who want to see you broken win, they've already lost the moment you open the door and walk through it like a fucking boss.  

Sometimes, Some Crimes Go Slipping Through The Cracks

 Bernarr Macfadden once said "Weakness is a crime. Don't be a criminal." in most cases, he was right but if you ever read the book Mr. America by Mark Adams, there were some questionable things the man did that made you think twice if he was a little off in the head. However; it's important to know that building strength and health can keep you out of a jam and avoid certain unlawful activities when it comes to fitness.

Nobody's perfect and we all slip every once in a while where it can be a workout, a missed meal or go off a program. It's the consistency of staying so called "weak" that can be criminalizing but it's mostly on ourselves. certain things aren't always in our control but we do what's possible to keep things in check.

On that note, when it comes to bodyweight training, the most common exercise in many aspects is the Push-Up. Whether the typical Regular Ones, Hindu Style or Isometric Holds, Push-Ups are the ground work for building strength and conditioning beyond just being an upper body movement. It is a test of control and a test of what you can do with just you alone. They can be done anywhere and can make someone very successful in various aspects of life. 

Some only do one format, others learned multiple variations that they can use in their arsenal. You have incredible knowledge at your fingertips on doing types of push-ups that will send you into realms beyond your imagination. That sounded really corny and a marketing cliche didn't it? For real though, it is important to understand what certain push-ups will do within certain muscles in the body because not all push-ups are created equal and that's ok. Some start out with a few and expand to doing hundreds at a day at some point, others may prefer doing a certain amount of reps to get a pump or to stimulate the muscles in order to build strength and then there are those who just like holding at certain points of a push-up in an isometric fashion. However you do them, as long as they don't hurt you or cause harm to the shoulders and elbows, you can have great success.

Train to what gives you the best benefit. That's the true nature of the game. If you want to go nuts and do hundreds of push-ups a day, go for it if it helps you stay strong. Just remember, doing that is just one aspect of the puzzle, it's not the only way to results and not everyone is meant to do hundreds a day. There are people who do have joint problems and doing tons of push-ups can make things worse so find a solution that doesn't make you feel pain in your joints. Hell, most of the time these days, I'll do no more than a couple hundred myself and that's it, other times, I'll do my 1 minute push-ups where I hold the top for 30 seconds, then hold at parallel and not touch my chest to the floor for another 30 seconds. I'll repeat this kind of push-up for several sets. In some workouts I'll superset them with a 1 minute Horse Stance and do up to 5-7 supersets. 

The most push-ups I've ever done in a workout was 600 doing different variations and could do 250 doing a deck of cards with Hindu Squats. I like doing Fingertip Push-ups from time to time and like the Mishra Dand style in honor of the ancient wrestlers of India. Find what works for you and kick ass in it. I believe in you and you fucking got this. Be amazingly awesome.