We all share a certain journey in our lives, our journey
starts usually when we’re born but also there is a journey where it’s not
always where you’ll go in life, it could be something you want to go after. In
the case of strength training, some of us in the Physical Culture world are on
a journey to create Super Muscle. What is Super Muscle you might ask? Is it
having a big burly body like a Mr. Olympia? Is it having the body of a
Powerlifter or is it having a body that can do all sorts of things? That is
entirely up to you and what your goals are. To me, Super Muscle is having a
strong, powerful and enduring body and learning to use it in many ways like
lifting heavy weights, doing tough bodyweight exercises kind of similar to a
Gymnast and doing high octane conditioning using various tools and programs
that keeps you functional and channeling your inner power.
There are
people who say because of a certain age or genetics; they can’t build a great
deal of muscle mass. Not true. Sure you may not look like another Arnold
Schwarzenegger or Ronnie Coleman but you can build good solid and mighty
muscle. Back in the golden age of Physical Culture there were men and women who
at first were sickly, weak, overweight, and thin down to the bone but somehow
managed to build crazy amounts of muscle and this was long before steroids and
high level supplements became the stuff to build muscle. To give you an
example, a man named Maxick who was a sick kid, didn't have a chance in hell in
his youth to live a long and healthy life yet persevered and became a legend in
weightlifting and bodybuilding by becoming one of the first men in his weight
class (145 lbs.) to lift double bodyweight in the overhead press and was able
to control the muscles in his body to move any which way he wanted. No matter
what your age or by genetics big or small, you can create great muscle.
In my
opinion, Functional Muscle is far superior to today’s Bodybuilding type muscle.
By functional I mean using your body to levels where it’s useful and can be
used in a variety of everyday situations. Bodybuilding muscle is isolating
specific parts of the body and not being able to use it in most everyday
situations. Take for example my friend Bud Jeffries, one of the strongest men
in the world (drug-free I might add) who’s around 6’1 and over 275 lbs. yet
when you first look at him he doesn't look like the functional type of
strongman but yet he’s extremely agile for his size, very agile and one of the
most conditioned athletes of any size. He is one of the embodiments of Super
Muscle.
On your
journey to develop Super Muscle, remember to work with other attributes because
just building muscle isn’t always going to cut it. Learn to be agile, work on
flexibility, build your balance and very importantly exercise your tendons an
ligaments, they are the very foundation for your Super Muscle development
otherwise you’re building useless muscles that can bite you in the ass. Here’s
some ways to build Super Muscle…..
Do Hard Bodyweight Exercises
Learn Muscle Control
Be Flexible
Do Thick Bar Lifting (Fat Gripz are optional to put on the
bar or dumbbell)
Self Resistance Exercise
All of
these are very useful and you don’t have to do all of them, pick what works for
you and run with it. Building Super Muscle isn't some thing you can get
overnight, it takes time but you don’t have to punish yourself. Have fun, use
your imagination and be creative. Your results will come when you make progress
a little each time to make big gains. Do what works for you and have a blast
with it. It’s only a matter of time before you achieve levels of strength you
never believed at first but now are in your grasp.
Picture yourself getting there, be mindful and get into the habit on never giving up
what you want.
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