Suspension Training And Other Fun Stuff

Reflecting on this past week has been a great one. We were going to go up camping a second time around but nature told us otherwise (Fires, Thunder Storms) and better be safe than sorry. Made the time though with just being together, enjoying the sun, sitting in the pool and listening to some great tunes. Wife got some vacation time so we made it as fun as we can make it. Went floating up near the mountains with friends and family, went Huckleberry picking this past Saturday and went down to the lake. Just got to soak up that last bit of summer man.

Throughout the little festivities, I was training on not just Isometrics but also getting into Suspension Training. Got myself a new door anchor (The EverStretch) that could hold up pretty good, attached the Iso Belt and was testing out various exercises doing rows, curls, pushups, slow assisted pullups, one legged squats, knee pull ins and others. It's been a while since I've done Suspension type training, the most recent was testing out pullups with the belt at a park and before that was maybe a couple years. I figured getting into it being inspired by Red Delta Project's Suspension Calisthenics book which is pretty damn awesome BTW. Figured I'd snatch up the rest of the series which you can find on the right side bar on the blog. 

Although I don't have a ton of experience in Suspension Training, it is enjoyable and right now, my main focus is working on technique and balance. Don't need to rep out a ton yet and even then just get into the habit of controlling the body and utilizing tension while doing technique reps. If there was ever any consistent suspension workouts in my time was doing the rings in gymnastics in my mid 20's. Didn't do the Iron Cross or anything, just keeping form and tension while doing pull-ups and worked on improving little by little. With the Iso Belt and door anchor, the basics are where it's at and taking the belt to a park and wrap it around the monkey bars to work on other exercises. When it comes to Isometrics, I want to test my strength in the Hybrid Pull-Up and see what I can do with that. The Hybrid Pull-Up is taking a strap and tightening the cross between the two poles on the pull-up bar and then you pull-up or chin-up until you reach that stopping point on the strap hitting both that Overcoming & Yielding Iso combo.

Training is an adventure and should be something you're excited about. Even taking the most basic exercises and turning them into something fun and interesting is where the ultimate goal should end up. That's what I love about Red Delta Project; it's runner Matt Schifferle, has this amazing attitude and enthusiasm for training that's awe inspiring. No question he's one of the best trainers around today and part of the new generation of Physical Culturists but his positivity is where many are drawn to. He doesn't shame anybody and doesn't go for that "my way or the highway" type of attitude, he's relatable, fun to listen to and utilizes his knowledge in a sense where whether you're a complete beginner or a veteran athlete he gives you a rundown that makes you want to do something no matter how small. His ideas may not be completely brand new but he takes old school exercises and tackles the classic formats of muscle control and balance to develop workouts that although low in skill, create the best versions of muscle building and conditioning training. 

Check him out and his YouTube channel. Be safe, be strong and be amazingly awesome. 

Creating Your Own Darebee Workouts

Circuit Training is a great method for developing a level of conditioning or overall fitness that reaps a lot of benefits. Off and on for years, Darebees workouts have been awesome in testing my endurance and mental strength to push through workouts that may seem simple on paper but once you do it, it becomes a big wake up call. I've written about some of the Superhero Themed Workouts they've put out and have substituted some exercises that suit me and the way I want to get through those workouts.

I'm not a fan of air squats so most of the circuit workouts I do, I substitute them for Hindu Squats or Step Ups. I wrote in a previous post about what was better; 500 Hindu Squats or 500 Step Ups? The truth is, I don't necessarily put those exercises on a pedestal like others have but also doing one particular exercise for hundreds of reps at once does seem boring to me but for some reason, I enjoy them doing a certain amount of reps in sets such as in a circuit. My fastest 500 Hindu Squats was around 12 minutes, fastest 500 Step Ups was around 22 minutes and the funny thing is, I got more out of doing hundreds in a circuit more than doing them all at once. Variety is more my style.

Darebee has more than 1800 workouts to choose from. Some are easy to do, some are very difficult and others are just plain insane but they provide awesome assessments and help you reach a certain level of fitness. Some workouts go for 3 rounds, some 5 and many have you reach for a goal of 7 rounds. My goal in circuit workouts is to reach 10 rounds as fast as possible with little to no rest. That's the real test of one's conditioning and mental fortitude. Some workouts I finished within 15 minutes, others have taken as long as 45 min but when it comes to circuits, I want to test myself to see how far I can go and hit that finish mark with gas left in the tank. 

Yesterday, I made a Darebee Circuit that consisted of mainly leg work, Pushups and Punching. I don't believe it's right up there with elite pro athletes but it was pretty good and it kicked my ass since I'm feeling it today and it's built on testing your cardio and maintaining a pace where the the only rest period is marking off the set and immediately get back on it. Here's the workout....

20 Step Ups (10 each leg)

10 Lunges (5 per leg or alternating)

20 Punches (Alternating for 10 each arm)

10 Pushups

10 Turning Kicks

Finished 10 rounds in 20:58 which comes out to a total of 200 Step Ups, 100 Lunges, 200 Punches, 100 Pushups and 100 Turning Kicks (700 Reps all together)

Sweat like Niagara Falls and listening to some tunes, couldn't get much better than that. These workouts can give you plenty of ideas to come up with your own and not just follow the routine made for you. Doing a workout made for you is awesome but there's a greater opportunity to create your own style and do workouts you choose that challenge you but also making it work for you as well. 

Is it good to train circuits everyday? Maybe not the high level ones which for the most part doesn't need to be more than 2x a week but if you want to do circuits with less intensity and are relatively easy on certain days, moderate on others and push yourself a couple times, that can make a hell of a program. Some of my favorite workouts are the Combat ones where it's like training MMA but also get into the workouts that are more strength and conditioning based like Push-ups, Squats, Step Ups, Sit-Up Punches and others. Sometimes I'll come up with a combo of the two. 

I like doing superset workouts where I can go back and forth without thinking twice about it but circuits every now and then are a real doozer and put you into another state of mind when it comes to conditioning. You get more variety to work different muscles groups. My circuits are always bodyweight based and I can do these workouts anywhere I want. They're free and go beyond just a workout; there's programs, daily goals, diet plans, specific entities of workouts such as Combat, Amazon, Soldier, Playground, Anime Themed or Sports. These will get you in shape and provide you with resources many pay thousands of dollars for. 

Stay strong and be Amazingly Awesome.  

    

500 Hindu Squats Or 500 Step Ups? Which One Is Better For You?

The numbers game in fitness and Physical Culture for that matter has been a standard for more than a century sense the time of the Mail-Order Courses. Setting a goal to hit a certain number in an exercise or set of exercises has worked for many but others got stopped in their tracks for whatever reason as well. When you hit a certain number, what's next after that? Going for more sets, more reps, greater tempo, what's the endgame here?

One of the gold standards for numbers in exercises (Push-ups, Squats, Powerlifting) has been the number 500. Who in their right mind came up with that specific number? Why is it a gold standard in powerlifting to have a 500 lb Bench or Deadlift or Squat? What about 500 Push-ups or 500 Hindu Squats? Why does that number have significance? It isn't a knock to it or anything, more of a curiosity in something so arbitrary that was made up by someone or a group of people to sell the idea that it is the real number to tell someone how strong or fit they are. 

The number 500 is a good number and many people have done far more than that in many exercises especially in Powerlifting. After all, isn't it just a number? Does it have any real historic significance especially since that number has been surpassed more times than I care to count. One of the first guys to Bench 500 was I believe the legendary Bodybuilder Reg Park whom by all accounts was one of the last generation of Bodybuilders to train as naturally as possible before Steroids became the staple of Bodybuilding. When Hindu Squats became popular around '99-2000, 500 Hindu Squats was the gold standard to test a person's conditioning. Matt Furey popularized it but the standard itself was "patented" by Karl Gotch that set the tone for a wrestler's test of stamina and physical/mental conditioning which gave the idea of doing 250 Hindu Push-ups, 500 Hindu Squats and a 3 min Bridge to even get in the door as a wrestler. 

Don't get me wrong, I've done 500 Hindu Squats many times from doing a countdown based method, to the 80/20 Protocol (80 Squats, 20 Jumpers) for 5 sets without a break and doing it using a Deck Of Cards that I picked up from an article I read where Catch Wrestler Billy Robinson mentioned the idea of using cards to help with reps. Unless you're a fan of the exercise or want to stay in relative condition for daily life or in sports, it isn't that magnificent of an exercise. It has it's perks and I'll do reps from time to time but after doing 500 so many times, it became boring and it didn't have that spark of excitement to do that many anymore. A few hundred sure, but I don't need some standard to tell me how fit I 'am. If you don't feel a spark or excitement when you exercise, you're just going through the motions and it becomes typical and tedious.

Now on the idea of 500 Step Ups? When it comes down to it, the exercise itself is just like any other that has its perks and drawbacks but for some reason I'm far more drawn to it than the Hindu Squats. Do I think it's better than the squats? Both yes and no. The yes part because I've gotten more out of it than I ever did with the squats and it gives me an opportunity to work one leg at a time which the squats don't. The no part is because in reality, it's just an exercise that I happen to like better, it's not mystical or magical, it's just different. Personally, I'd rather do 500 total reps with Step Ups because it just feels right and gives me a better sense of cardio. I've done 1000 on several occasions (fastest time being 50 minutes) and after hitting that number, it just got boring so whenever I do circuits, I add in those in substitute for squats and would total in most workouts around the 200-300 mark and I'm good. I would also just go for time (10, 20, 30, an hour whatever) and work on sets of 10-20 per leg. 

In reality, 500 of anything is really just a number and it's a great one to set a goal for. If you're into numbers like that, that's awesome and if it makes you happy and keeps you strong and fit, keep doing it. What suits you better, 500 Squats or 500 Step-Ups? The real question is, which one better suits your goals and needs? They both work very well and either one will get in you amazing shape so it's not like one or the other are terrible for you, one just suits better than the other according to a person's fitness and possible interests. With the Squats, you can virtually do them anywhere you want cause all you need is the ground. With Step Ups, since it's in the name (no shit sherlock), you'll need something to step up on like a stool, a log, stairs, rock or whatever but you can find those in most places so it's not like you can't find a place to do them. There's also no reason you can't do both, I've done a workout or two using both myself. 

Use what works for you and harness the enthusiasm and love for them. Sometimes you may hate them because they're tough to do but yet very simple exercises but in the end, love your exercises even if they're hard because the real benefits is what you get out of them both physically and mentally. Train awesomely everyone and have fun. Training is meant to be an adventure, not a chore or something that will make you feel bored. 

A Playout That Turns Boys Into Men & Little Girls Into Strong Women

Many playouts can be challenging and having variety brings a great element of using your brain and your nerves to take in strength & endurance you didn't realize you had. To me such a playout is using a simple deck of cards that can be done in a variety of ways; you can go fast, go slow, do holds, modify and utilize different variations to your advantage and fitness levels.

A awesome playout with the deck of cards is just doing Hindu Squats & Hindu Push-ups. Just these two alone can get you in awesome shape and give you a level of conditioning second to none. The idea of this one is to beat the deck and go a little faster beating it each time but unless you're a pro athlete (Pro Wrestler or someone in Combat Sports specifically) you can only go so fast until you start to lose form and stop focusing on the breathing, the technique and paying attention to the body inside and out. At one point in time for a while I was doing 400 Hindu Squats & 250 Hindu Push-ups at a time with the deck and that wasn't always the best thing for me and ended up hurting myself due to over excitement and adrenaline not paying attention to my body. It's a learning experience and doing that high of reps is a great accomplishment but there's more to it than just hitting those numbers.

You can put any exercise you want with your own deck but don't just do repetitions and thinking that's the best way to get stronger; there is a line you don't want to cross and it'll either make you or break you if you don't pay attention. The deck I like best is the one made for students of Matt Furey and the exercises are Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups, V-Ups & Tablemakers. These 4 are the foundation for Combat Conditioning and can be done in great ways that don't always require speed. There have been playouts with this deck where I didn't go for reps but counted breaths or seconds with each card and that becomes a whole other ball game. Doing them in Isometric Fashion develops strength from another universal element and creating power you didn't think existed. It gives that extra spring in your step and puts you in a state of mind that is blissful, peaceful yet excitingly challenging.

You don't need the Matt Furey Exercise Bible to do these 4 exercises, you can put them on any deck you choose but how you apply them for the best intentions is up to you. I mean just the other day I did a total of 300 Hindu Squats  and 100 Hindu Push-ups, V-Ups & Tablemakers each and felt like a million bucks. It never gets easier but it does get more interesting once you're consistent with it. You can make it the most challenging Playout of your life or make it to where its not that difficult but yet still feel great. Make it play for YOU!!!

If you can't get your hands on that specific deck, here is a place where you can pick your own deck and have at it.....My personal favorite deck is here.

The Bodyweight Exploits Of Spiderman

                

               Out of the many classic superheroes, Spiderman seems to be the most athletic in the sense where he doesn’t have the weightlifter physique or the bodybuilder look but he moves like an athlete should. He has the most control in his body to weight ratio and moves with unbelievable grace and power at the same time.

                In Bodyweight Training, you learn to control your body through movements that require no equipment (unless you do pull-ups). For the most part when people begin lifting weights they don’t realize that mastering your own bodyweight ought to be more important before even touching a weight. I’ve seen guys in the gym who can lift more than double their bodyweight but can’t hold their own in a single push-up or pull-up. Handling your own bodyweight goes a long way in learning how to contract and extend the muscles with fluidity and great power. Some use Yoga to do Bodyweight Training, others learn how to master their body through Handbalancing or Gymnastics.

                Mastering your body in various directions can give you strength that weights can’t touch. Think of it like this, a man can bench press 400 lbs. but most likely can’t do 400 push-ups; the two exercises are different but one uses more muscles than the other. I’m not saying if you could do 400 push-ups you’ll automatically lift that same number but yet you have mastered an exercise that requires deep concentration, working more than the upper body and there are many variations you can do. To master your bodyweight, you work from as many angles as possible using as many muscles in a single exercise. Karl Gotch once said “you don’t need to do much, for doing a lot.” You can have ultimate mastery when you can control your body in very difficult movements or holds like a free standing handstand, one-legged squat, finger pull-ups, front levers with one arm, the iron cross on the gymnastic rings, the various planch positions these are all examples of what great mastery can achieve.

                When most learn bodyweight training, they usually go through the motions and just learn an exercise. Now here’s a small tip to create bigger results; learn to use your imagination. Creating a vision in your mind and applying it to your exercises can generate even greater strength because a different thought creates a different result. When you do squats, instead of just counting reps and thinking of just squats, picture in your mind something cool that makes you do squats like if you have to duck from a hazardous object like Indiana Jones did in the Last Crusade or doing Hindu Squats and imagining you have to row a boat where you squat down and rowing the oars, think of the result coming out of that and how much fun it can be and not dreading just the exercise. Thinking differently with feeling can give you far greater results than just going through the motions.  Picture yourself being superhuman and training to save your city from evil.

                Spiderman is one of those superheroes most can relate to, sure he has super powers we don’t have but like anyone else, he can be hurt or worse get killed. He doesn’t have that overpowering physique most heroes have; full of muscle and all that, he just seems like a regular guy when he’s not being a superhero. Don’t forget, some of the ordinary looking people can have extraordinary gifts. Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Be awesome everyone, have a badass weekend and have fun. First day of summer is tomorrow, the longest day of the year, make it a blast.

My Theory On Pro Wrestlers Training

  

>>>>>Don't Believe It All<<<<<

            I've always advocated since I was 20 years old to not believe everything that is said in the muscle magazines especially with a celebrity on the cover. I've never done pro wrestling or even trained to become one but I have put in a lot of study, trained in the old-time strongman game and looked into a lot of athletes and the way they trained so that’s why it’s a theory. Don’t believe all the training you read about a wrestler in a magazine because you may not realize that it’s not all there.

            For the most part when you read about a wrestler’s routine in the magazines or on the net or whatever, you've got to look at another angle from what you're reading or listening to. For the most part I’m not doubting those guys bust their ass day in and out but they're not telling you the whole story. When you read a routine you automatically think that’s exactly what they do, not all true. Think about it, for a full-time wrestler, they travel up to 300 days out of the year at best, they get if they’re lucky a good hour or so of training at the gym or so and eat, than get to the arena for the night’s show to cut promos, tapings and do a 10-30 min. match. There’s no way in hell they can train that hard nearly every day or up to 4 times a week and not be completely exhausted. Most of those guys train pretty simple while on the road and I’ll talk about that in just a bit.

            Back in the old days when the bodybuilding craze was just for those who were actually into it, athletes who traveled a lot like wrestlers did, gyms weren't that popular, you'd be lucky to find one in a few cities in the entire state. Most of those guys relied on what they can find useful but for the most part did bodyweight training and wrestled. Let me give you an example: Lou Thesz, one of the all-time greats who can go an hour with just about anyone who can keep up with him, he probably lifted a few weights here and there but mostly Push-ups, Bridging and Wrestling were his mainstays on the road. Ric Flair; 16-time world champ and the king of hour long broadways, carried a deck of cards with him and at the studios where promos and most of the matches occurred, he would put himself through Push-ups, Sit-ups & Squats, if he happened to find a gym on the road he used it to the best he could. Karl Gotch did practically nothing but Bodyweight exercises on the road and it kept him in phenomenal shape.

            Superstar Billy Graham was practically the first wrestler who took the bodybuilding look and made it the focal point of today’s wrestlers such as John Cena, Batista, Triple H, Scott Steiner and others. When you train like that plus are on the road for practically a full year with only 7-10 days being at home, it puts a whole new level of perspective and how really all that contributes to the way they eat, rested and what have you. Simplistic Training for a Pro Wrestler is doing enough exercise for both strength and endurance that are at a very different level than most athletes and using compound and full body exercises.

            Today, gyms are practically in every damn city in the entire country and provide training for every type of sport or athletic endeavor there is. Most wrestlers today can go to a gym for a little while before heading to a show and be ready for the night’s matches and promo cuts. I'm not putting these guys down because they’re awesome of what they're capable of and plenty of them are in pretty damn good shape but they don’t share their true training ideals because a lot of the public really only looks at the hardcore stuff they do in the gym and think that they have a lot of time in there to stay fit and read about the routines in the magazines or what they might say on WWE’s Websites but the reality is, they do train their ass off but not as extreme as some might put on paper or an online interview.

            Take away the drugs, pills, injuries or whatever those guys endure and take and you have an athlete that trains by a necessity and has to be efficient in their training to stick to be able to matches that can go as long as an hour and many of them can’t unless you're a Antonio Ceasaro or a Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and guys of that caliber. They really do in my opinion do pretty simple exercises but I'm not doubting they do the isolated crap either yet in the end, they can't afford to spend 3 hours at the gym and muster up enough muscle and all that to go into a match or cut many promos in a single and not feel like collapsing. They train when they need to, to be in top shape and keep their build as long as possible.

            So the next time you want to be inspired by a pro wrestler and want to train and be like them, be a little more realistic, use common sense and think about what could be going on with them if they actually 100% trained like they write about in those magazines because you'd be surprised what they go through if it was remotely true. Although I stopped watching Wrestling on TV, I still have DVDs that have wrestlers talk about the real side of how they trained, got into the business and what they put themselves through on the road for that long period of time. I admire some of these guys but I love realistic, no bullshit and fun old school training for any sport or just being in awesome shape as well. 

Combo Workouts To Make Things Interesting

             Its fun when you combine things together and make them unique but not many people think they’re that creative and just follow others’ movements and just don’t learn how to use their brain. Not saying training isn't a bad thing, whatever works is cool but when you bring certain things together because it’s what you’d want to do, it’s a whole different ball game.

            When you create certain workouts, sometimes you need a place to do them. A park with benches, swings, bars and walkways make up for a very unique training experience. Another example would be your backyard or garage if you have room, building and setting up your own style of training. Say you want Kettlebells in one corner, Maces/Clubs in another area & a pull-up bar or rack in the back and you've got it made, maybe you’d like to have some Odd Objects laying around and picking them up at random moments in the workout who knows. For you Bodyweight Practitioners, you can do things just about anywhere and have just as much fun without ever spending a freaking dime. Here’s an example if you’re up to the task….

Do a kettlebell snatch for a minute or two

5-10 reps of Bridging Gymnastics

Lunge to the furthest odd object you have and lift it

100 Squats

50 Push-ups

50 Tire Swings with a Thor and/or Sledgehammer

Do a couple rounds and finish off with some stretching

Now that workout might seem a bit advanced but it’s very random and it’s unique. Pick exercises and combine them into what works for you or try something different and see how it turns out while understanding how your body reacts.

            The best thing you can do for yourself is go outside the norm. Make things work for you that others can’t fathom of doing, not to prove anything towards them but to prove to yourself that you can step outside the box and have fun with what you have. Be resourceful, learn to see things differently. If anyone knows how to make oddball exercises work its Steve Justa, he just finds things and works with them in unique ways like lifting up a tire off a 2000 pound truck or holding an isometric for an hour straight hell he’ll even circle around a 500 pound stone or barrel just for kicks. The more you learn to do things outside the box, you begin to understand the limitless potential to become super strong and crazy fit.

            One of the things I learned in my years of Physical Culture is to “learn to be your number one self instead of being a second rate somebody.” You are one person, one mind, one body and everybody else is taken. It’s great to have idols and learn how they do things but in the end it’s up to you to become just yourself and not try to be someone else otherwise you’re missing out who you truly are as an individual and as a human being. Own it and be quirky because most other things are just sound tedious and boring.

Making The World Your Little Playground

            It doesn't matter if you’re locked in a cell or have the freedom to run around outside, you can find a way to adapt to training any way you want. A lot of people look at exercise as a closed minded ordeal that you have to be in a gym in order to get results. There are guys in prisons that have very limited space and yet some of them do some basic training methods like push-ups, squats and Isometrics yet are pretty damn fit. What about those who have an outdoor lifestyle, they don’t use smith machines or leg extensions, they use trees, the water, the playgrounds and benches. Imagination is a key to developing the type of fitness you want.

            Anybody can move some kind of weight but if they can’t move their bodies well and handle awkward positions it’s going to bite them in the ass one day. To move with power and grace is essential, you don’t have to move like your instructor exactly to the T but you want to be able to move your body naturally according to the realms of your structure, moving like a wild animal is a great example of this . Move the way you can handle and if you need to progress in certain stages than do so but the more your body moves in a natural state, the stronger and healthier you get.

            A key component in developing your fitness is to find ways to gain that positional strength to help with your Range Of Motion and nothing does that better than Isometrics. When you’re in a locked position, your muscle fibers fire off harder than anything else and because you’re pushing/pulling against an immovable object, your body’s nervous system shifts into overdrive and it causes the fibers to shoot at a higher rate, thus building strength in various positions and building muscle from odd angles that you can’t get anywhere else.

            No matter where you are, you have the world as your playground, in your imagination, you can create anything you want. Believing what you can do can accelerate your progress by 10 fold. If you live on a beach, your imagination can run wild, if you happen to be in prison, it’s a bit tougher but you can still be fit and strong so use what you have but make it count no excuses. Your imagination can work wonders and help you unlock the powers of your potential. There’s no excuse for finding some form of training but the more natural the exercise, the better off you’ll be. 

What’s The Point Of Daily Training?

            Many people get discouraged about the use of daily exercise because in their mind reading from the dumb-ass magazines, it has to be hardcore and the go big or go home attitude but most can’t deal with that and they just leave it alone. They don’t see the point but what if we shifted that mindset, instead of telling them and showing them the hardcore style; let’s show them how to progress on their own.

            Others might say they don’t have the time to exercise. Unless you’re working 24 hours a day, I think you can put in a little time to train. Doing a set of push-ups really quick doesn't take that long. You’re sitting at your desk, typing away when every few minutes or so, do a few simple exercises that take about what a few seconds on your counter-top  How about when you get home, you’re tired and worked a hard day, do some deep breathing exercises to help keep your energy up. There are many ways to make time yet you keep that negative mindset of not making the time. Do it.

            Daily exercise is beneficial because it helps release stress and builds up hormones in the day with the right amount of exercise but its tough to find your starting point. If you’re new to daily exercise it’s important to ease into it and build yourself up. Starting with a minute of exercise is very simple to do, if one minute is too much, start with 30 seconds. I want to encourage you to do what you can and make it a habit to have fun with it. The benefits of training helps your body function better, you’ll be happier because of the amount of endorphin's released, your attitude will change for the better and you’ll glow even more.

            The key to successful daily training is to have fun. Go to the park, play in the snow, throw the football around, be a wild animal. There are many ways to have fun. Jack Lalanne first emphasized this when he did his show way back in the 50’s and it’s still being used today.

            One of the things I've modified lately into my training is what’s called Animal Flow, it’s combining different elements into one program like Animal Exercise, Yoga and others but in a sufficient and safe manner and can be done anywhere. Another style of training I highly recommend is the use of Isometrics. There are many versions of this method but I can only think of a couple guys who have practiced just about every style possible on Isometrics and that’s Bud Jeffries and Steve Justa. If you’re really into wanting to build strength from every possible angle, Isometrics can help get you there and they’re crazy fun to do.

            With your daily training it’s important not to worry how well or bad you are, the important thing is to adapt, keep your body moving and do what you can. One of the most important figures in Wrestling was Karl Gotch who once said “You must adapt and improvise.” What this means is that you don’t have to do the same old routine all the time, to get the results you want, get fixated on what works for you and disregard what doesn't and adapt to how your body works into it.  There is no right or wrong on how you exercise, learn basic principles and learn how your body fits that exercise. We all have different body types and we all have to adapt to what our bodies can handle so don’t try to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jack Lalanne or whatever, be yourself and learn to take things one day at a time. You have only one life, use it to your best advantage and be happy.

You Have Great Choices

Confused on what to get?

I knew a guy that hated going to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. If you're not familiar with the place the idea was they had 31 different flavors. This guy hated it because he didn't know what to choose. He'd rather go to a smaller ice cream place that only had ten flavors.

Well with these workshop videos you might be feeling the same. There is something for everyone, but there just may be too many choices.

Superhuman Workshop DVDs

To help you narrow it down this is what's most popular:

#1 The whole set (this makes it easy, no need to pick, just get it all)

#2 Extreme Power with Isometrics Volume 2

#3 Myofascial Mobility

#4 Advanced Bodyweight Exercises

I have to say the crowd has made some pretty good choices on this one. 

Best Choice

Ben Bergman

Get the Complete Super Human Workshop Videos

There’s about 15 hours worth of training information available here!

Go Here To Find Out Why

This includes from the massive and massively strong Dru Patrick:

8 Day a Week Program for Massive Strength and Muscle
Bench Press Secrets from the Raw World Bench Press Champion
Pulling a Monster Deadlift

For you bodyweight guys Logan Christopher taught his most complete info ever on:

Front and Back Lever Training
The Ultimate Guide to Handstand Pushups

The amazing Bud Jeffries covered what he does best…stuff no one else is talking about

Extreme Power with Isometrics Volume 2
Myofascial Mobility: The Next Evolution of Mobility Training to Unlock Your Body
The Mind Force Training Behind Big Bending (which largely futures his son Noah Jeffries)

And then Eric Guttmann showing you how to stay young and healthy by going outside the box

Agility and Explosiveness Workout
Moving Freely for Life: Full Body Mobility

There is something for everybody and that’s the great thing.

Learn It All Here

With workshops in the past they’ve only released the whole set. Either buy it or not. Those where your only choices.

Now Logan has told me they’re trying something different.

You can pick up any one course (complete by itself) you want. You can get two, three or five if you want too.

You can also get the whole shebang for a substantial discount.

Not only that but for those of you who like DVD’s they’re available. For those that want to pay less and be able to download the videos to your computer there’s that option too.

There’s a lot more details over here so check out this page.

Check It Right Here

Ben Bergman

P.S. Also rest assured as everything is backed by a 3 month money back guarantee. This is a limited time deal so you’ll want to act now.

Go Here Now

RARE Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight training is all the rage these days.

Some people teaching it are great. Other not so much.

Logan Christopher fits into that first category. In this new video from him you’ll get to see him do advanced back lever exercises and more.

But more importantly he teaches you have to use different variations of the lever (including one dynamic movement that can be done by people of all levels).

Plus there’s a handstand pushup variation that I’ve never seen anyone do before!

Check out this new video here.

Ben Bergman

P.S. Seriously go watch this video and then try out the moves yourself. You may be surprised at what you feel...

Ridiculous Bodyweight Training

Warming Up Like A Warrior

            You know those miracles that happen often in this world? Some people come back after major injuries, horrific experiences and yet they still find a way to fight to keep living. One of my dear friends has done just that and beyond. In our group of friends he’s known as Duke but as of late he’s gone by another nickname that has become a hit in the undergrounds of Physical Culture known as the Garage Warrior, his name is Tyler Bramlett.

            After getting injured by getting hit by a car, Tyler wanted to find out how to get back into shape in ways he never thought of before. I've known Tyler going on for well over a decade and when he sets his mind to something he’s going to find the best strategy to make it work. He’s done the bodybuilding thing at a time, lifting weights like the great builders of yesteryear and buying the crazy supplements and doing workouts from the magazines, but something wasn't working.

            During his recovery phase being in pain that was excruciating at times, he tried a few different things like Kettlebells, Bodyweight, Gymnastics, Odd Object Lifting and some of the oddest training methods you can think of, believe it or not they worked. He began combining different elements of training instead of just picking random exercises, plus testing out nutrition strategies. He gained some muscle and came back stronger than ever. The lethal combinations of workouts he devised became practically fool proof strategies that transformed him into a near superhuman warrior.

            We all have the warrior spirit within us, it’s our nature but very few of us know how to unlock it from within and release it for strength, health, power and wellness. It doesn't matter if you’re a male or female the principles still apply while learning our own styles of how to bring that spirit to life. He has created one of the most unusual ways to train to help fight with that warrior spirit and no name is more perfect than the Warrior Warmup. It combines different elements of exercise that gives your muscles a run for their money whether it’s for strength, endurance, flexibility or just to get in shape either way you’re going to get them all in one complete package.

            You know they say you warm up before doing a really big workout, well it won’t be long before you start noticing a few things from the Warrior Warmup, hitting muscles you didn't know you had, progressing a little easier in some of your other workouts and your body will change for the better because you’re giving the muscles the fuel they need for the hard stuff later on. Another great thing about this is you don’t need to use it as a warmup, you can use it for a workout in and of itself. You can choose however you want to do it but with the advice and legit expertise of the Duke here, you’re in for the ride of your life and your body will love you for it. You will never look at a warmup the same way again.

            Last thing before I make this Father to be blush is that he’s not one of those guys that just takes programs and tries to rip them off as his own, he gives credit where it’s due and he’s one of the coolest dudes on the planet and I have enjoyed being friends with him. I’ve trained alongside him many times from doing hand balancing to gymnastics, from lifting heavy weight to using some gnarly ways to do Kettlebells and he’s the first guy that got me into this crazy world of physical culture. Changing my life because of him would be an understatement.

            He’s practiced a numerous amounts of things and is literally one of the strongest guys on planet earth. He embodies the warrior spirit and will do whatever he can to help others achieve a level of potential they've never seen before. If there’s one guy to that knows his stuff it’s my boy Tyler. Now that I've made him blush, have fun and let him help you, it’s what he does best.

The Art Of Bodybuilding Without Ever Picking Up A Weight

Going to the gym can be fun, exciting and learn a few things about fitness but most people don’t have time for it or since gyms these days don’t have real world-class training and instruction for lifelong health and fitness it’s better you find alternatives. There are those who also don’t have much money since the economy has become a bit of a downward spiral what can one do to get fit? I’m a fan of old school bodybuilding and I’m talking about long before the Arnolds and the Lou Ferrignos, I’m talking of guys like Bill Pearl, John Grimek, Reg Park, Otto Arco, Maxick and the likes.

 There have been decade(s) long debates about building muscle and how to acquire it, some say you need to lift weights, some say do bodyweight exercises and others have certain things in between. I feel from my own experience you don’t need a gym to get in awesome shape and certainly don’t need weights to build muscle. One of my all-time favorite methods is what’s called VRT or Visualized Resistance Training. This is a system where you mimic lifting a heavy weight using the mind/muscle connection and use tension to move through the exercise. This is another look at Muscle Control, being able to move individual muscles however you want. In bodybuilding today and yesteryear this is a look at posing.

 Using your own tension and resistance creates blood in your body hence forth the pump you get from an exercise. Think of a curl that targets the biceps, you do a certain amount of reps and blood rushes to the muscles and builds a pump, you can do the same exact thing without ever lifting a weight. You can create any exercise you want with this program, you can visualize lifting a car or pulling on the toughest of cables. It’s all about using your imagination while flexing the muscles in a dynamic movement. This is effective because not only does it build muscle but it protects the joints and can give you a bit of a cardio workout from breathing hard after doing an exercise.

 This was created by one of the most underrated Physical Culturists of our time named Greg Mangan who discovered the way to a better alternative from weightlifting. Not saying weights are bad this is just another option you can use to get a quick workout in anytime, anywhere. Infusing the mind/muscle connection is the key ingredient to this program and Greg will show you how that works. In his course he even states you don’t have to do the routine layed out for you, you can create any type of routine you want. I once tried some bodybuilding programs from the champions in Joe Weider’s Ultimate Bodybuilding book and they wiped me out and I didn’t have to switch stations, just stand or sit where you are and have at it.

 Muscle Control is one of the coolest and mot effective ways to build muscle and did you know that when Arnold was winning his 7 Olympia titles, he would stop lifting 6 weeks before contest to work on his posing to build that definition and symmetry and it worked, that’s another look at Muscle Control, forget the steroids and all that crap this was done back in the early 20^th century, Sandow did the same thing and one of the greatest artists of MC was a man named Maxick who looked like he was carved from granite. Lifting weights is fun to do I get that and whenever I do hit the gym once in a blue moon I want to hammer out as much as I can get my hands on but at the same time it does get expensive and gym memberships are crazy expensive and only less than 5% of those who do go to the gym actually do it the other 95% quit after a while because they get burned out and are tired of driving, changing and god forbid wait for some douche to get off his set so you can do your thing. 

 You have a choice and you have more options than you realize. Don’t get frustrated trying to get fit, find alternatives that suit your lifestyle, this could be one of them and you don’t need to do 2 hours of training for this to be effective, 20 minutes a day is really all you need and if you don’t have that amount of time, start with just a minute and work your way up. Make it happen for you.  

Ultimate Kings & Queens Of Bodyweight Exercise

 Usually most people look at bodyweight exercise as a waste of time and don’t hold any real value for fitness. Even many trainers would say that if you want to get strong you advance onto weights and machines. The problem with this notion is that many people don’t know how to handle their own bodyweight. When you learn the real styles of Bodyweight Exercise, you’re learning how to use your body from multiple angles, work more muscles one exercise at a time and you burn more fat. Those who tell you it doesn't do anything either can’t do it themselves or they’re trying to make a buck and don’t really give a damn who they hurt to get by.

 To be a stronger person physically, you can and should learn to build strength from multiple angles, the more muscles you work at one time the better. In Gymnastics, strength is built all over the place from your neck to your toes. Now I never said you needed to be like a gymnast to have that kind of power but learning certain basics won’t hurt very much either. It does take practice but with time, your strength can skyrocket to levels you never imagined before. Think about it, what it would be like to hold a perfect handstand, be able to switch from exercise to exercise without pain or fatigue or better yet, have the strength to hold even the most basic positions and still look good doing it. It could happen if you just believe and take action.

 Gymnasts and even Acrobats have the most fluid and graceful movements that are strong and cunning. Even a ballet dancer is very strong once you start paying attention. The power of a movement even in basic positions isn't how it looks; it’s how it’s presented, straight and tight. The best way to describe those straight and tight movements is how you are flexed in that position. In other words, you’re looking at Isometrics. Think of a guy on the Rings in the Iron Cross or in a Handstand, that is a form of isometrics. Isometrics is the form of strength training where you’re throwing all your strength in a fixed position.

 Have you noticed that one of the key components if not the key component to a gymnast is their powerful abdominals? It has been said that Gymnasts have the strongest abs in the world, why? Because without strong and powerful abs, they can’t move or better yet hold the most powerful looking positions. A lot of us look to having strong abs, but the majority just want abs to look which is not a bad thing but I’ll say it won’t look good on your resume if you’re trying to do certain things. Your Core is the center of your whole body, the key that holds everything together, from the lower chest down to near your pelvis, that’s the Core that holds it all. Building strong abs= A strong body.

 Every time you watch Gymnastics, Acrobatics, Ballet or anything that has nothing but their own body moving through the air or holding some pretty awesome positions, you’re in awe and think “how the hell do they get like that?”, besides years of training, they all started somewhere, some of them had natural ability, others were terrible but with practice got better and better. We all start somewhere, I didn't get into Gymnastics till I was in my 20’s when that’s the retirement age for most gymnasts, a good friend of mine didn't start till he was in his mid 30’s when most would say he was too late and won’t be able to withstand those exercises. No matter how old you are or what your current fitness is, beginning an exercise program is a great way to go up that latter, it’s like learning math, you start with arithmetic and work your way up to calculus. Start with where you’re at and progress to the best of your abilities.

 One of the coolest ways to look at training with Bodyweight Exercises is that it doesn't take up a lot of time, hell no more than 15-20 minutes a day is all you need and if you don’t have time, start just doing a few seconds, work up to a minute. You can even do separate exercises throughout the day. It’s all about making it work for you. Those who say you need 30 minutes of cardio and an hour of weights don’t know a damn thing about your lifestyle, the majority don’t have that amount of time to do all that but its not impossible to do something during your day. Doing a few minutes of training is really all you need, you used many muscle groups, you don’t need to do more than a few exercises and best of all, you can make them fun and exciting, not dull and used as a punishment. Do what you can, your body will thank you for it.

 Getting stronger is not far out of reach but you got to want it bad enough, not to the point where you’re taking short cuts that’s the cheating way. The true value of being strong and healthy is practice, practice, practice. Consistency is a key and whether you exercise for one minute or one hour it still counts. Make it happen for you, you can think all you want and nothing will come of it, it’s the action that gets the job done. Your body is what you make of it, don’t let certain things or people get in the way of what you want to do. You can have a beautiful, powerful and strong body if you believe in yourself and find the right resources for you to develop what you want to achieve. It’s not that far away but it’s up to you to reach out and grab it by the horns and run with it. 

The Unknown Benefits Of Handstand Training

In the world of Physical Culture, a lot of things come and go, some things work, some don’t and others just have a way of taking things to a whole new level and one way to look at is looking at the world upside down. In training of the handstands, this teaches you to look at things from a different perspective and I mean this literally, when you hold a handstand either up against the wall or free-handed, you have to teach your body how to use it from a very different light. Think about it while you read this.

 It’s not easy at first to get into a handstand, believe me I know how you feel. At first it seems scary, like waking up in a different place and don’t understand where you’re at. With practice, you learn to shut that off and become comfortable in your new surroundings. Eventually when you hold a handstand, you will find out right away that you can’t be very loose otherwise you’ll fall. Keeping the body tight is essential to your progress. Holding the position isn’t just an exercise, it’s a test of will.

 Tighten up the body in a handstand is the foundation for Hand Balancing and when you hold it for a period of time, you’ll find out about the benefit of increased blood flow to your body especially in the brain. Flex your body in every position, point your toes, flex the calves, squeeze the legs together, tighten your torso and press your hands into the ground as if you’re going right through it. What this teaches is to use the body as a complete unit, powerful, strong and tight like a steel rod.

 Practicing on the wall is a start and whether or not you aspire to be a gymnast or an acrobat but the most important thing is to keep your body relaxed while in a flexed position. I realize that sounds like an oxymoron but yet you will soon understand the concept that holding the position itself brings great benefits to your body, making it strong and shrinking fat and building muscle while increasing strength in your tendons and ligaments.

 I’m giving you this tip not to progress to handstand push-ups which you should eventually progress to but to teach you the value of Internal Power meaning you’re strengthening the body from the inside out. Isometric Handstands bring blood flow into the body meaning stronger organs, increased flow to the muscles and strengthening the very things that help hold the body together meaning bones, tendons and again ligaments. This is what I like to call Isometric Practice, fusing the mind/body connection to build strength in every form of your body both internally and externally.

 I realize I have repeated a few things here but a lot of people don’t see how certain things work and a lot of people think that if you want to get stronger, lift weights, ok let’s test this theory, you picked a few barbells and dumbbells and you worked them hard, now test yourself in the handstand and see how strong you still are. I bet you, you won’t last more than a few seconds. Strength does not always mean picking up the most weight or how big your guns are and it certainly doesn’t matter how you look. Strength in different arenas gives the body variety of what it can do, it’s not just meant to pick up a weight, hell even in the old days of Physical Culture men and women didn’t just lift, they wrestled, did gymnastics, were circus performers, entertaining strongmen all these things and yet were strong and many different areas and sometimes lifting weights had nothing to do with it.

 It’s all about looking outside the box and using your body in ways that other things can’t transfer over. If you’re interested in Hand Balancing, practice it not just to hold a handstand but hold it and move it with intense will from your mind and your body together, you will see things from a new light you never thought of and find some unknown benefits that they didn’t teach in the course. You’ll know once you experience it, it’s a feeling you can’t get from anything else.

The Astounding Strength & Grace Of Acrobats & Gymnasts

 

  Ever seen Cirque De Solei or something similar and even Gymnastics, than you know how cool it is to see these world class athletes fly through the air with grace, power and beauty. Just having the speed and the strength to pull off certain moves is just incredible and you never know what comes next. To me Aerialists are one of the most powerful people pound for pound in the realm of Acrobatics.

 There have been debates who have the strongest this or the strongest that, you got big arms than you have some serious upper body power, powerful legs you can either squat a lot or run like the wind but yet the Core is what separates the men from the boys. Your torso carries the most power and strength in your body next to your legs being the strongest. When it comes to athletics, gymnasts have pretty much the strongest core in the world. Think about it, how do they fly through the air, hold hand balances so perfectly and move around on their upper bodies as if they were legs?  If they didn’t have strong torsos, everything else would be gone in a snap. Now some people think Bodybuilders have strong abs but in reality, it’s just the opposite, not all of them but most have very weak torsos to do anything basic let alone incredibly superhuman. The stronger your Core is, the rest of your body is strong, this doesn’t mean do nothing but crunches and sit-ups and leave everything else out, it takes the whole body to work together.

 

 

 One of the most kick ass shows I’ve ever witnessed was in Las Vegas where there was a vampire show called Bite. This show featured smoking hot and beautiful women, jaw dropping dancing & acrobatics and heavy metal that was just as powerful as the performers themselves. During one segment, a man who was pulled from the audience gets bit by a vampire, turns into this incredible monster with a shredded body that you need to see to believe, becomes consumed by the powerful bite and begins to take hold of a chain hanging down, wraps around his arm and begins to fly and twirl in the air like a madman and reaches down and with one arm picks up a woman and bites her as well. I can’t tell you the rest of the show but I can assure you that same actor has powers in real life that even he can teach you how to grab a hold of.

 

 

 An important aspect to keeping the body fit and ready for anything is to keep the blood flowing throughout the day. Doing small little exercises can have a huge impact on your level of strength and power beyond belief. Even the most experienced gymnasts and acrobats do some form of exercise throughout the day because during practice or even rehearsals, they have to be in top shape otherwise they can lose their spot on a team or worse be out of a job. Learn to use your time for these little things and big changes will come. “You don’t have to do much, for doing a lot” Karl Gotch.

 

 

 Practicing Hand balancing is the most basic component in both acrobatics and gymnastics because what some teach Bridging in wrestling, Hand Balancing is one of the first things taught in those areas of sport and entertainment. Hand Balancing isn’t for everyone I understand but there are those who want to learn it and get good or even great at it. At the same time, how cool would it be to have the strength to hold yourself up in Handstand and move around just like a gymnast or an acrobat? You don’t have to be a either one to get great benefits from this type of training. If you want to practice it, than look no further from my friends Logan Christopher and Ed Baran.

 

 

 In both acrobatics and gymnastics, the number one rule is to keep the body strong in every movement and by that I mean the whole body from your head to your toes. You will learn how to keep the body tight and strong because being loose anywhere can spell disaster or you’ll just not be able to do even a basic exercise. Learning to use your body in complete unison builds awareness and strength in ways nothing else can match. Anybody can lift a weight one way or another but you can’t hold yourself up in certain positions without the whole body working together.

 You may never aspire to be a Gymnast or an Acrobat which is perfectly fine, yet you can still have the great benefits and a strong & powerful body once you learn the basic elements of using your body as a whole package and become stronger than the average person. You don’t have to be a world class athlete to find world-class or even superhuman results. All that matters is you make your exercise fun and enjoyable and if you have children, let them exercise with you or teach them to exercise; this builds power and confidence within and helps build character. Have fun and make it worthwhile, even if you have only 5 minutes in the day.

Put Your Back Into It

Stretching the spine and back muscles is one of the most important aspects of Physical Training and that’s because the spine gives us that electric charge from the brain to the cord itself. You can get injured with a broken wrist, I’ve had my legs broken and had my ribs nearly crushed but having a broken back if worse a broken spinal cord, the chances of coming back are slim to none. Keeping yourself flexible in that area gives the rest of your body that power and supercharged.

 That electrical energy in your body is really at that cord that’s in the middle of your back and the stronger it is, the stronger your body is. It connects to everything from your muscles to your nerves, all the way towards the brain where it all brings the rest of the body together. There are many ways to stretch the back but there are those that actually teach the wrong way and don’t realize that they can get hurt doing some of these things. Do your own research and you’ll see what I mean.

 One of the best exercises you can do for your back is the Bridge. This exercise alone can help bring that powerful charge in the spine into a level of strength you couldn’t have imagined before, you can do this in the Wrestler’s Bridge (aka neck bridge) on the head or the Gymnastic Bridge (wheel pose for you Yoga maniacs). There are many ways to do the Bridge and you can even do certain athletic moves while in those positions.

 

 

Another part of the body that many neglect is your neck. Your neck is a series of muscles and tendons that help hold your head up and held up with the muscles of the back. You see everything has to work together otherwise we’d be pretty awkward looking. Too many people forget to work the body as a whole but you have these wackjobs as experts in the gym telling you to do this for this muscle and that for that muscle, it’s all crap. When you work on the whole body but focus on a specific part, you get a different perspective on what it takes to work the body as a complete piece.

 Quite arguably the greatest Catch Wrestler of all-time Karl Gotch taught his students that if you want to be a complete wrestler, you must first learn the bridge because it teaches how to work the body in unison and it’s one of the best forms of Physical Conditioning. Now you don’t have to be a wrestler or a world-class athlete to do this stuff, with the right instruction and the will to practice, the majority of people can learn this stuff. There’s even Bridging in Yoga if you haven’t figured that out already and Yoga is one of the most popular forms of training.

 Like I said before, you don’t have to be a wrestler, gymnast, Yogi or another type of Athlete to understand and learn how to keep your body specifically your back and spine in great shape and it’s a great time saver. You don’t need to do cardio or an hour of weights to get in awesome shape, you can if you want but I can assure you from personal experience and from a couple I’ve trained, working exercises that target the back and neck while using the while body will get you breathing harder than an asthmatic finishing a 10 second sprint.

 

 Your body will become a fitness machine and it doesn’t take more than a few minutes a day. At 240+ lbs. I can hold a wrestler’s bridge for three minutes anytime I want and can hold quite well on the gymnastic bridge and am in better shape because of these exercises than I ever did when I was training with weights in my teens. I’ve even become stronger in the weights through some of this type of training and I’ve kept getting stronger every time I go to the weights without touching them for months at a time. Not saying this can happen for you but with practice and learning different things, you’ll be surprised what you can do outside of that type of training. Keep your back strong and spine stronger, it’ll thank you in the end, I guarantee it.

The Olympics

 I watched a little of the Olympics a few weeks ago and from most of what I watched was the majority of Swimming & Gymnastics. The female gymnasts just destroyed opponents left and right and in my humble opinion none of them shined as much as Gabby Douglas. She embodied what a gymnast should have, grace, power, strength and above all fierce balance. Gymnastics is by far one of the toughest sports there is, both Male & Female competition, the training is fierce and it gives you a whole new perspective on Animalistic Bodyweight Training. The closest to Gymnastics would be the Animals although you won’t see a Tiger on the balance beam or a Gorilla on the Pummel Horse but the resemblance is uncanny and like an animal in the wild, you have to be quick, fast, coordinated and extremely strong.

 Swimming was the other sport I couldn’t take my eyes off cause our American squad just took over with a  vengeance in just about every event both men and women. Michael Phelps was the dominant king but the dominant queen in my opinion was Missy Franklin who was no more than 17 and won many gold medals. Just to swim at an incredible pace takes conditioning to a level you can’t even imagine. Like Gymnastics, Swimming takes up your entire body from head to toe and each event looks more grueling than the other the toughest being the Butterfly I think. That sport became a favorite to watch and wasn’t much of a swim fan in previous Olympics but after learning many forms of exercise and conditioning I had a new found respect for certain sports.

 We all know that some athletes have used steroids in the Olympics to increase their performance and chances of winning but it comes with a price. Steroids for personal gain is just plain stupid and there were at times when some of them didn’t realize they were on it because Roids don’t always come with a needle, comes in creams, pills and all sorts of stuff and it’s just plain dumb to even put athletes on it. I realize there is pressure among coaches, families, teammates and the organization to an athlete that they are expected to do great things and many of them are duped into being as perfect as possible even taking serious health risks for seeking that perfection. It’s really tough to avoid that kind of thing when you’re a world-class athlete whether an Olympian or a Professional so to really avoid it, do your research, learn alternatives that bring you more health instead of decreasing it and find that power within you that gives you the strength, speed and endurance naturally and show it that you don’t need Steroids or P.E.Ds (for those playing the home game that’s Performance Enhancing Drugs). This is a suggestion not a general way to do things.

 Training at the highest level of Competition takes practice in ways you can’t imagine unless you’re in your specific sport. One of the greatest amateur wrestlers of all-time Kurt Angle was an Olympic champion, World Champion, NCAA Champion and a profound man on his intense level of conditioning. While he trained for the Olympics, he ran hills as far as 200 yards, lifted weight in very high numbers, once he went to the University Of Iowa where Dan Gable was still coaching and once had a match with one of his wrestlers, this wasn’t your typical hardcore 4-3-3 minute rounds, this was a 40-30-30 minute rounds that made you realize how far you’re willing to go to keep going. That’s not hardcore training, that’s pure insanity and the will to fight to keep up with yourself. I have been in a wrestling room and for a 3 day period, it was till this day, the longest 3 days of my life as an athlete. It’s not just wrestling, it’s every sport you’re in, if you want it bad enough, if you want to be the very best, than you got to train harder than anyone else, you won’t always be the strongest, biggest or meanest cat in the gym or in your field but the will to bust your ass in practice makes you an athlete with the highest of honors and that’s fighting for what you love and smiling while you’re doing it. The hardest part isn’t the training, training actually is the easy part, and the competition is your toughest part because the training you already bled sweated and gotten through, now you got to put that to the test.

 Out of everything you do for a sport, no matter how many opponents you won or lost to, there’s that one opponent that will always come after you and that’s the same one you see in the mirror every morning. The other guy is just another athlete that you’ll face time and time again or face him/her only one time but fighting yourself is the one thing you face every single day. If you can learn to grapple yourself and overcome the challenges you face every day, the rest is a cake walk. After watching some of the Olympics and reading about the other athletes, it’s safe to say with every up and down, won or lost, defeated and conquered every single athlete down to the very last place did everything they could to make it to the highest level of competition but many of them still need to find that one thing that brought them there and make it consistent otherwise, they will become just another athlete with the word Olympian attached to their name.