Technology Has It’s Purpose To A Degree

            In the world of modern technology, it’s everywhere from computers to cell phones, satellites all over the globe, little robots that can do certain things, apps that have just about every single piece of information you can find and it’s all mostly unnecessary in the fitness world. There are ways to work around that however. There was a time when there was no internet, no cell phones, no computers to give us the slightest bit of info and the closest to entertainment you found was in a movie theater, the radio, Burlesque shows, Vaudeville and the Circus. You actually had to find a way to make life interesting whether it was working on a farm, wrestling with many sparring partners at a YMCA and sometimes the nearest town was miles away and had to ride a horse or in a carriage.

            Machines today have their reason and some of them are good to use but when it comes to exercise, most machines don’t really do anything for you because of how fixated they are. Some people can use technology to their advantage in their training; I was never fond of the treadmill but somehow certain people like them and use them in the gym or their home. To take advantage of this while being productive there has been ways of people getting fit from a treadmill while working at the same time. A great friend of mine Tyler from Garage Warrior has his laptop attached to his treadmill so while he’s doing emails and writing up articles, he can get in a brisk walk at the same time so he’s making something useful.

            To be fit in my opinion is to be as old school about it as possible with as limited machining and technology as possible. Learn to be more wild-like and open to getting strong, certain people like lat pulldowns for the back muscles but in the end if you want a great powerful back stick to basic exercises like Pull-ups, Chin-ups, Deadlifts and DB/BB Rows. When you move a barbell/dumbbell or even your own bodyweight, it’s a different feel; you’re part of a tradition in a modern era that is overrun by microwaves and technological distractions. Learn how the old-timers trained, you don’t have to be exactly like them but learn to use their example of how being fit and strong really is. Lift odd objects to find out how your muscles work in an awkward and unstable position, learn to use your body like an animal seeing how you move with constant change and direction.

            Since there are so many freaking apps for fitness there are only two or three I've ever found that is truly useful, the Tabata apps and the Deck Of Cards. Tabata training is basically an interval training system where you do 4 minutes of intense exercise with 20 sec. on and 10 sec. off ratio, this app can be great for short and timed training. I use it for animal type training. The deck of cards app is by far the very best one I have found that gives you a workout that is never the same and it’s an unlimited deck where you can do an infinite number of cards. You can pick up to 4 exercises that you can type in and you’re off and running, after you do a certain exercise on the card, press a button to go to the next one and it’ll tell you how many reps to do for that particular card, sucks it doesn't have jokers though.

            We can use technology to our advantage in the way we train but you have to be smart about it, let it work for you. Stick to the basics as best as you can and have a kick ass time with them but don’t let technology run your whole way of training, overall its best to turn off your computer, cell phone, radio and just be free to do whatever you want. It’s all about how you find things that work best for you.

Getting Back To Basics

           Basic exercises are the true measures of what can be done in fitness whether it’s weights or bodyweight the principles still apply…

Presses

Pulls

Squats

Grip

            It’s important to use these principles with the best intentions because you’ll get the best results using these elements, you can add in supplemental exercises for extra variety but the more consistent you use these four the more you’ll get out of it.

            Sometimes we progress to higher stages of development that we move on without thinking too much of how we got there in the first place. Yes it’s important to progress and advancing yourself to harder types of training but in the end it all comes back to the basics and how it gives us the foundation to bring us higher and higher to where we want to go.

            The single most important ideal for being a great trainee is to not copy someone else’s program but to create your own with the basic principles and there are endless ways of doing them. Doing what works best for you is the journey of finding one’s self and that although you can get ideas on how to do things you’ll want to learn how you can create something on your own that you enjoy and making it challenging for you and you alone.

            There are countless attributes but the best ones stay within the realm of the basic principles and that’s…..

Strength

Stamina

Speed

Agility

Reflex

            All five of these attributes should be planted into your brain at all times not because it’s just a few words but when it comes down to it you’ll need them in whatever you’re doing whether it’s in sports, training for conditioning or whatever. For some who have read, I like saying to have fun and although it’s important to have that, there’s also times to get down to brass tacks and get the job done whether it’s for a specific goal, in competition, in training and in life. Do what you can but never be satisfied, keep moving, keep driving and keep achieving the things you want to do. No matter how tough things are, come back to the basics and use them to bring you back up because they will always be there when you need them. 

A Whole Gym In The Palm Of Your Hands

How cool would it be to workout anywhere you wanted, at the beach, the park, your backyard, garage, house, even at the top of a mountain? Having a gym is way overrated. I’m not saying going to one is a bad thing but if you wanted to train anywhere you wanted, what can you do? One way to do it is getting a device that could have endless ways of strengthening everything from your neck to your toes and that’s my dear friend, the Chest Expander.

 This little bitty rubber cable apparatus can work your body from more angles than weights never could and you need to strengthen those areas for overall functional strength and fitness. There are many types of cables to progress with ranging from the easiest to nearly impossible to expand. Weights can hit many muscle groups but the cables hit muscles that aren’t reached by any other method except this. Unlike weights that use gravity, you are fighting the cables because they don’t want you to expand them and you need that kind of power as if you’re fighting a person.

 The cool thing about this bad boy is that you can go from one exercise to the next in a snap, go from a curl to a press or from a row to a lateral raise; this is great for circuit training to help bring that conditioning element. Dumbbells are fun to use if you’re into them but it takes you a little bit to put down the thing, grab another and go through the cycle again, with the cables you can put as many as three on there and if its too much for you than take one off to ease the resistance, I find that more fun than taking the time to switch plates or dumbbells. When you see that you’re working from odd angles, you’re building odd strength and flexibility which can aid you in almost anything from lifting to bodyweight exercise to cardio or even to help rebuild injuries and heal old wounds to get that functional strength back for the things you want to accomplish whether it be sports, your job or helping out your family.

 One of my favorite things to do is use this thing for Arm Wrestling. This sport is one of the toughest forms of strength there is, period and you need well developed grip, wrist arm overall body strength to take even the toughest of opponents. Read about my article about Arm Wrestling Training to learn more details to get an idea of how strong you can get just using cables and never needing a machine or weights to get the job done. This is where it gets even prettier by the second where you can go from using it as a rehab tool to taking it to a superhuman level that even the strongest forces in strength athletics can appreciate.

 If you want to take it even further my man Bud Jeffries has a DVD course that specifies in Alternate Conditioning Methods which one of them is based on Cable Training and the things he has in stored on there will blow you away and just when you thought you only had a few basic ideas, he takes beyond another level. An extreme few courses out there on this type of training so that should tell you that there are secrets out there that can take your fitness to levels never imagined before. Being fit is awesome, being strong is great but being functionally fit and strong is the most gratifying thing you can achieve and becoming superhuman is that much sweeter.

The Simpler The Better

Ever since cardio machines and big monster machines that work only 1 or 2 muscles, exercise has become a confused and out of whack form of strength training that just won’t cut it. Sure there’s Hip Hop Abs, 8 minute abs, Tae Bow, P90X and other infomercial products that are “designed” to give you the body of your dreams. Hate to break it to you but once it does happen or “if” it happens, your body will look great but your health will be in the slammer because they expect you to train hard all the time for the rest of your life and that’s just not ethical.

 The machines that are designed to work a certain muscle is not a realistic approach to functional training and should really only be used for rehab or if that. Isolating the muscles may make you stronger but you’re only stronger with that particular muscle. To build a functionally strong and healthy body, you only need a few exercises and the less you have the better.

 Back before cardio machines and cables, there were dumbbells,barbells, gymnastic rings and a few racks, which was all that was needed for the old-time lifters and strongmen of the day. They didn’t isolate the muscles and were far stronger and healthier pound for pound than most people today in our obesity, diabetic and cruel twisted world. Would you believe that a man back then only lived to be no more than 50 yet a number of physical culturists lived long lives and actually got better as they aged say for instance George Hackenshmidt lived to be 90, Jack Lalanne was 96, Bodybuilder John Grimek lived to be in his late 80’s and believe it not even a man as little as Joe Greenstein aka The Mighty Atom lived to be in his mid 80’s. Simple training with the right mindset and program that works can give you a long and healthy life.

 One of my all-time pet peeves from certain people in the fitness industry believe that they’re system only works and nothing else does so it’s their end all be all mentality and try to brainwash people into believing that. In reality there is no one way to any exercise system. I use to believe that too until I broke my legs and had to learn how to walk again. I learned to be open-minded and try certain things and if they work, great if not than I get rid of it. Having an open mind gives you limitless possibilities to find what works best for you but knowing and doing the basics lays the foundation to what you can really accomplish.

 It’s never a good idea to torture yourself and be frustrated trying to achieve your fitness goals. I was frustrated for quite some time when I first started training and read about routine after routine after routine in the fitness magazines that no matter what I tried to accomplish something else was telling me that I sucked and needed to do something else. The moment I learned to stop that, everything became clear. You don’t need to go to a gym, you don’t always need thousands of pounds of equipment in your house that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Save your money and if you want to get something, make sure you really could use it otherwise you’re just throwing yourself in debt.

 Remember that military tag line “The Few, The Proud, The Marines.” Great line and remember how many words are there, I counted 6. Six words and it already have a powerful statement. So look at it this way, the fewer exercises you do and you master them, the more powerful and stronger you can be. Here is a new tag line for you in your fitness endeavor “The Few, The Proud, The Basics.” Simple, easy to remember and sends a power message that you don’t have to do everything under the sun, just a few simple things and you’re on your way to fitness glory.

Who Says You Can't Do It?

A lot of people try to get strong and fit not because they believe in themselves but what others think of them. Believing what others say will make you a second rate wanna-be instead of being a first rate individual. "You're weak because someone said you are", "you're pitiful because you can't do a simple push-up", you can't be flexible and be big at the same time", "you will never be stronger then that guy" and my personal favorite, "bodyweight exercise won't make you big and all you're doing is endurance." What's so wrong with this picture? You are a person who has a strong individual waiting to shoot out and take on the world but first you must let aside those negative things people say and turn them into your strengths by going after what you want for yourself but not for them.

You have no excuse for what you want to achieve. What you want is waiting for you to take and take with a vengeance. You are more powerful then you think you are. That's right, I'm not giving you a hard time, not telling you how weak or pathetic you are, you aren't any of those things. If you want something bad enough you make it happen. No one can do it for you and those who say bad things about you want you to not achieve it because they have no will power themselves but you do my friend.

I'm telling you this right here, right now you are responsible for your own goals. If you want to succeed and become strong and mighty then you got to take it with a grain of salt, I can care less if you want to lift weights, do bodyweight exercise, use odd objects or cool looking tools the important thing here is that I believe you can do it and if you want it bad enough then go out and get it. Build the body of your dreams, in your mind you have a V-Shape back, powerful muscular arms, thoroughbred legs, tendons like steel cords, the neck of a lion and well rounded mighty shoulders but you have to make them a reality. It takes patience, time, hard work and will power to get what you want but if you work on the right things, everything will pay off in the end.

One of the key secrets to achieving your goals and achievements is to keep them to yourself. There are people out there that don't want to see you succeed and tell you its impossible or you're putting too much on yourself and something like this won't happen for you. That's a lot of bull because you have more power in you then they'll ever now and never let your dreams die. You are one powerful person no matter what someone says, good or bad. You have the ability to create something that's beyond yourself. Train for yourself an don't let anyone tell you different.

There are people out there however like me who believe in you and what you want to accomplish. These are the people to connect with and share with them what you would like to do but the golden rule is no matter how much advice you are given, you alone need to buil your own style of training and make it your own. Learn to become your ultimate teacher. You are the one who's making the choice.

Never settle for less then what you want to do. You are responsible for your own actions and you have no excuses for what you want to achieve. Don't let others take you down when you have more power getting back up. Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog. You need to train for yourself and don't let anyone tell you any different because you can do it and you will do it. You're the boss. Now get out there and make something happen for you. Become a giant among men whether you're short or tall, you can tower over anything if you put your mind to it.

Building Your Way Through Bodyweight Exercise!!!!

Some people spend years training and don't get anywhere. They try this program, go on that diet and never really see the big picture on how to get in awesome condition. As we get older it gets harder and harder to stay in shape and find the right program that keeps you strong, healthy and in phenomenal condition.

Albert Einstein once quoted the definition of insanity "doing the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome." Many people try so many programs, sometimes the same one for many years and keeps thinking their bodies will change but never does. That is not the real way to get in shape.

To stay in great shape you need basic exercises that progress to harder more difficult exercises. Also I believe its better to shorten your workouts down to less then 20 minutes a day and not always at once but spread out throughout the day. You get to concentrate and focus on the exercises that matter the most and this helps build self-mastery.

Twin brothers have got you covered on how to develop a powerful a body and even if you haven't worked out in years or new to exercise they will teach you the basics by using Baran Brothers' Basic Bodyweight Building Blocks. With no equipment, no supplements, can train at any age and save loads of time which can help you keep up with being with your family and friends.

Starting at 5 minutes a day and progress with the exercises until you can go up to 20 min. of training. Plus its fun because most programs are boring as hell and never really getting you anywhere. Get yourself this course and take your conditioning to new heights and build your fitness to levels that have been impossible before.

Building Your Way To Greatness

Whether you're new to exercise or want to get into or even get back into the shape you use to be a key rule is to build a foundation. Start with where you're at and build from there. Doing basic exercises doesn't sound pleasing as much as people think but when you begin a program the basics are always the best. The reason why that is its because no matter how far advanced you are in any program or whatever level you're at doing the basics takes you further beyond your will to develop strength, conditioning, stamina and flexibility.

One of the main things I really don't like about most trainers is that they tend to put people on programs that is so general its stupid. Lets see how this works, take an obese person and put them through the same program that a trainer has with a skinny person who never works out. Who do you think will be in better shape? Truth is its difficult to tell on many different things. The structures are different, the shape is different they're body chemistry's are different so why put them on a generic program that a trainer "thinks will work." Fact is whether you're big, small, weak, strong or whatever, you have to train at your own pace because no one should have the same exact program. Its more efficient and logical for a trainee to set their own pace so when they get stronger the better they'll be.

I've said once I'll say it again, do not fall for that 30 min. of cardio and the hour of weights crap. Again see the generic outlook? People train differently so they're bodies need to train differently. If you start with 5 min. of exercise a day you will have a better chance at progressing then doing the boring hour and a half bulls*it. I personally cannot do an hour and a half of training because for one, its boring, two I'm very ADD when it comes to stuff like that. Give me 20 min. and I'm set easy. That works for me so I train at my own pace. Others do shorter or longer sessions which is fine but for an individual it shouldn't be so long they lose interest. I have done the 2 hours 3x a week stuff and I lasted barely 3 weeks so safe to say it sucks big time. What works for one may not work for another so that's why one needs to find what works for them.

In my friend Ed and his twin brother Andy's Baran Brothers' Basic Bodyweight Building Blocks they take the new trainee and help them through a series of exercises with progressions. Progression is one of the keys to building muscle and burning fat. Progressions help you reach from a beginning phase to a very difficult exercise. Start at your own pace and work your way up. In any program you can't just jump into an advanced program, that can lead to injuries and you can get bored or burnt out. Progressing with a starting point will help you find what works, how your body works and how your mind progresses as well.

If you're new to training a good tip to use is to see yourself in your mind how fit you are and that you are happy with not only what you have but that you want to keep going and train well. Training safely and progressively can help you lead an active lifestyle and help you be healthy and vibrant. Happiness and having a positive mindset along with patience and goal-settings you can build a great foundation for life-long health and fitness.

Secrets Of Successful Animal Training

To become truely animalistic in your workouts you have to be a consistant observer. Observation plays a major role when you work on animal exercises. There are some exercises that are too dangerous but the ones that are simple are really the best ones to do. Watch Animal Planet every now and then and pick certain animals that you like. Watch how they move and how they use their bodies from various angles. In my opinion Apes and monkeys are the best to observe, they may have different structures then we do but we can adapt and improvise for ourselves.

For being a true animal you must learn to use your imagination. Be creative in what you do in your training. Just going through the motions can't hold a candle to being imaginative while physically moving. When you pick your exercises don't just hammer them out picture yourself as that animal. If you're a bear imagine yourself out in the wilderness moving boulders and every move you do you become stronger and stronger. You're a 800 lb beast with ferocious power and the strength of ten men and nothing can stand in your way. Imagine yourself as a 500 lb. gorilla that has enough power and strength that will make the strongest of men feel weak. You can pull yourself up with one finger and crush coconuts with your bare hands. When you have a mindset like these examples your results will come much quicker and much more consistant.

The beauty of this type of training is that you don't have to have a set/rep scheme like every other type of training or in a gym, you just go out and move like a wild animal. You're having a good time and you're playing with happiness and conviction. Making it fun is the most important secret of being a successful animal. Don't think of working out because if you bring that mindset into play you'll be missing out on the important things that make you want results not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. I don't like doing sets when it comes to animal training its not ethical or logical. Do you see a gorilla doing sets and reps when he works out? Of course you don't thats the way he moves and the way his body was made for. When you learn to do the same thing for exercise, you'll find a much better concept.

Putting together an animal program to me is the easiest out of any type of training. All you do is pick a few animals, time yourself 8 min. 10 min. 20 min. or whatever you want and just go out and do them, either one at a time or switch after moving a few feet and keep going for as long as you can. Thats just an example but however you do your animal exercises is up to you. Forget about what you need to do and do this or that many times and whatnot just go out and have fun. Becoming strong and healthy is one thing but becoming a strong and healthy animal is even better. Go check out the links below to find the animal in you and how you can become your own powerful animal.

Animal Kingdom Conditioning

Animal Conditioning 2: Call Of The Wild

Wild Animal Fitness For Kids

Keeping It Simple Works Period.....

In the modern gyms today you have to do this for triceps, biceps, quads, hams, calves, chest ect. ect. Unless you're in rehab why the fuck waste your time with individual muscle groups. Excuse the language but sometimes some trainers just piss me off because not only are they teaching a client the wrong thing but at certain can even get them injured and even some trainers tell you to do as many as 20 or more exercises for 10 different muscle groups to get a full benefit in exercise.....Bullshit. Whether you're a weight lifter, bodyweight enthusiast or a strongman the very best program you can do is a simple one. Now that doesn't mean easy, simple and easy are two different things.

Yes in some cases you can do 20 or more exercises in a workout but each one hits the whole body in a different fasion and my favorite form of training is doing energy drills. Work the joints in various places from your neck to your toes and with the right amount of time and being smart you can do all the exercises in either 5 min. or an hour. Now a real simple program for a weight lifter really is only no more then 5 exercises total doing presses, pulls, squats and rows. This works the whole body and you can do it in less then 20 min. max. Now people buy into that bullshit senerio that they need this for that muscle and that for that muscle and its just plain stupid. Back in the golden age of physical culture before steriods was huge and supplements were "the way" of the future you had men and women busting their asses working on basic lifts and full body calisthenic work. Some of them did a combination of both like George Hackenshmidt and Otto Arco. Both men were strongmen in their own way but both used bodyweight and weightlifting and they were so basic its stupid.

For a simple Bodyweight Program its usually around push-ups, squats, sit-ups and pull-ups. You really don't need much more then that but supplement exercises like muscle control and self resistance can help build certain muscles bodyweight exercises cant touch. It doesn't matter what people say in my opinion basic exercise is the best way to go. Here are a few places to pick a plethora of exercises and only need to master a few of them. Personally you can do exercise throughout the day or in one big workout choose only 5-7 exercises and go for no more then 20 minutes. It saves you time, gym fees and gives you complete freedom.










 
Ultimate Bodyweight Conditioning - Squats
 
Ultimate Bodyweight Conditioning - Push Ups
 
Advanced Bridging Course
 

Getting Back To Basics & Why

Isolated training is really only good for one thing and thats rehabbing. The muscles and tendons were designed to be able to do multiple things while doing a single act. Push-ups for example are not just a chest exercise, it works the wrists, chest, arms, abs, shoulders and legs. Why would you need to work one specific muscle when you can get the whole shabang. Say you're in manual labor and had to dig ditches, stack bricks, break concrete blocks or move heavy objects....all of these do not require just one type of muscle group, they work multiple muscle groups so you're getting quite a workout in and of itself. That was just an example but it doesn't matter if you're an athlete, average joe, laborer or what, yes it takes some specific muscles to work something but for the most part you want to be able to use as many muscles as you can because if you work a specific muscle group too long you're prone to injury. Exercise in working multiple groups adds more benefit then just isolating.

Working out doesn't always mean you have to work the same muscles all the time, change things up make it interesting, instead of doing lateral raises why not do presses, instead of leg extensions do squats, why not take out the pull-downs and actually try pull-ups. When it really gets down to it, basic exercises are the way to go. Ask any strongman or look at and read of the old-timers and you will find the same thing. Isolation sucks because the body was not made to function that way it was meant to move and use multiple muscles to work that movement. Even in weightlifting, basic exercises like presses, squats, curls and dealifts are really all one needs to get in awesome physical shape. If you want to add variety why not add a sandbag or a few rocks and kettlebells to the mix. Practice performing basic movements whether bodyweight or weights either way they work like a charm and can build wonders beyond your imagination.

Want to learn the best in basic exercises and take a look at the banners and texts of guys like Logan Christopher, Bud Jeffries, Ryan Pitts and Pavel. Check them out and never look at isolation exercises again.
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