Morning Workout And Feeling Those Legs

 Time can fly right on by when you're having fun training. It puts you in a better mood and the endorphin high is just fan-fucking-tastic. Working on my agility, strength, coordination and some cardio to really pump up the lungs and heart. The feeling afterwards is nothing short of bad ass. 

This morning's workout was a doozer but it kept me loose, strong and enjoying the playful aspects of it. Not to say it was easy, it was a bit challenging but I kept going and I never wanted to quit, I actually wanted to keep going but when you have projects to do in the day, you do what's possible in the moment.

Started out with my Neck Mobility routine holding and moving my neck in various positions to strengthen the muscles, maintain elasticity and move without pain. 

Next up was my Joint Loosening routine of doing arm circle style movements for the shoulders, moved onto the wrists and forearms. Worked the hips, obliques and groin muscles doing various circular movements. This was about about 3 exercises or so. Got into the Tai Chi Waist Turner which I learned from Matt Furey's Combat Abs book, working the spine and almost everytime I do this, my knees wake up a bit. Up until the TCWT, I would do 10 reps each move, with the Waist Turner I do 100. Move onto a bit more of the hips for maintaining health in those joints. A spinal stretch and dynamic move of the hamstrings were next. Knee circles to really loosen up that area and then stand on one leg and do circles with that leg, focusing on the knee and foot. Ankle Circles on the ground and then on one leg each. Finished off this routine with a calf raise and spinal stretch raising up on the balls of the feet until I hit my 5th rep holding for a 5 count, continue until I hit the 10th rep and hold for a count of 10. Very relaxed.

Next up were the animal moves or a style of them.....

First was what is called the Deer Posture which I learned from Furey watching and studying the move. Hell of a way to work the core using simple movements. Done something similar when I was in BJJ. By rep count, I usually end around 100 total. This really targets the core overall.

Second was a 1 Minute Bear Crawl. Focusing on coordination and the pattern.

Third was a combo move of a Bear + Crab Switch into a Over Reach to open up the hips and obliques. This was a total of 20 Reps. This is one of my favorite exercises. Learned this from Movement 20XX

Fourth was a Tiger Style Walk for 1 Minute. Utilizing tension in the Core Muscles and working the reach in the stride instead of just stepping little by little, this makes the move a bit harder and putting focus on keeping the spine as neutral as possible. Great exercise.

The final exercise was the Step + Squat Interval of 60 Seconds on, 30 Seconds off. I did 6 Rounds today instead of 5 cause I really wanted to hit the legs and have that little bit of progression. Every few days or so I may add a round until I can do 10. My quads really burn on this one and the pump is insane. Thick Thighs save lives as they say LOL. 

Sweating bullets after this and (especially after hitting the squats), it just felt like being on cloud 9. Great for getting the blood flow in the morning, ready to tackle the day and see what else unfolds. Isometrics is on the table today later but let's see how I can do with the projects I have. 

Hope you enjoyed this article and have an idea of what my personal training is like and hope it inspires you to get up and do something for you in the morning or whenever as well. Be amazingly awesome. 

Unlock Your Inner Bear: The Power of Bear Crawl Sprints

When it comes to building strength, speed, and agility, traditional sprinting is often at the top of the list. But what if you could take your sprinting to the next level by incorporating a primal, full-body movement that challenges your entire physique? Enter bear crawl sprints, one of the most intense yet simple exercises that's about to amplify your workout routine.

What is Bear Crawl Sprinting?

The Bear Crawl is a quadrupedal movement that involves moving on all fours, with your hands and feet in contact with the ground. It's a natural, animalistic movement that engages your entire body, from your shoulders and arms to your core, hips, and legs. By adding a sprinting element to the mix, you'll be upping the intensity and reap a multitude of benefits that go beyond traditional sprinting.

Benefits of Bear Crawl Sprints

1. Full-Body Engagement: Bear Crawl Sprints are a true full-body exercise, engaging your arms, legs, core, and hips in a single, fluid movement. This integrated approach strengthens your entire physique, improving overall power, speed, and coordination.

2. Injury-Resistant Strengthening: Unlike traditional sprinting, which can be high-impact and stressful on your joints, bear crawl sprints offer a lower-impact alternative that may be easier on your joints. This makes it an ideal exercise for those looking to build strength without sacrificing joint health.

3. Improved Coordination and Agility: Bear Crawling requires coordination and agility, challenging your brain to communicate with your muscles in new and exciting ways. As you progress, you'll notice significant improvements in your overall athleticism and reaction time.

4. Core Strength and Stability: The positioning in this exercise demands engagement from your core muscles, including your abs, obliques, and lower back. By sprinting in this position, you'll develop rock-solid core strength and stability that translates to improved performance in other exercises and sports. Wrestlers and Football Players know this very well.

5. Increased Metabolism and Fat Loss: Very intense exercises like Bear Crawl Sprints are proven to boost your metabolism and ignite fat loss. By incorporating this exercise into your routine, you'll be tapping into a potent fat-burning mechanism that will help you achieve your physique goals. 

6. Enhanced Neuromuscular Connection: Sprinting in this manner require a high level of neuromuscular coordination, challenging the brain to communicate with your muscles in new and complex ways. As you master this exercise, you'll develop a stronger connection between your nervous system and muscles, leading to improved overall strength and athleticism.

A good solid workout doing this takes no more than 5 minutes. You can increase time as you get better but it's not a requirement because the workout itself is so intense. My favorite is just going for 10 seconds, rest 20 seconds and repeat that for a total of about 5 minutes, that's it and you're good to go. This could be a finisher to your regular routine to boost your conditioning and/or calorie burning or it can be used on it's own where you go hard and do something later. I've only done it a couple times as a finisher and it was brutal as hell. On it's own, just raw and intense that makes me want to sleep it off afterwards when my breath returns to normal. 

Bear crawl sprints are a game-changing exercise that can take your strength training and athleticism into new and exciting territory. By incorporating this primal, full-body movement into your workout routine, you'll develop rock-solid strength, explosive power, and a leaner, more athletic physique. So why not unleash your inner beast and give bear crawl sprints a go? Your body – and mind – will thank you.

Be amazingly awesome and become a wild beast.

For more training like a wild animal, check out Vahva Movement and get to work on becoming the most athletic you can be and have a blast doing it. 

Weight Loss, Animals & Rollouts

 Yesterday I weighed in for the first time since this injury came back and last I checked I was around 248, just a touch below 249. The pain levels vary from a 3 to a 9 depending when it flares up but when I'm in pain, I literally have little to no appetite so whenever I ate, it was when it was at bay enough to eat. That didn't happen a whole lot. I'd be lucky to eat once a day, very lucky to eat 2 meals but they weren't very big. When I weighed in, I was shocked that I lost quite a bit of weight in a short amount of time. It came up at 238.8 lbs and that scared the hell out of me. It was mainly the little appetite I had and the mere fact that I haven't done workouts to maintain muscle mass.

Sometimes things like that give you a wake up call. It's good to lose weight but at the same time when you're in pain and you can barely even eat or walk around long enough to do much, losing weight can suck and not the healthy way to do it. My appetite is slowly coming back but it's no where near what I can normally eat. Regularly, I can eat a good steak and rice or have nearly half dozen eggs with bacon without issues but I haven't eaten any of that and even if I did, the stress prevents me from even finishing my food which isn't good. 

My workouts have been almost nothing but stretches, squatting down throughout the day to ease the pain from walking and occasional animal workouts. The animal training is getting better little by little since I've focused on mainly just moving with technique, coordination and paying attention to my flexibility. I did try to focus on speed at one point but something didn't click yet so I switched to being more methodical, deliberate and just the technique with a slower pace. It started working where I went from doing 7 rounds of a flow (from Movement 20XX) that was a struggle to 12 rounds (5, 5 and 2) doing movements that focused on coordination, flexibility and agility. That animal workout yesterday felt great and didn't feel pain and did some heat and ice afterwards. 

I wanted to try something today that I was hesitant to do since I didn't want to fuck anything up. I wanted to see what I can do with the Ab Wheel and test out my Back & Core Strength. After the first couple reps, it started to feel good, kept going and nothing felt wrong or anything and before I knew it, I did 25 Rollouts in a row. That was enough because I didn't want to push it any further than I had to and it was a good mini workout. Didn't feel pain but I knew where the point was on my back and it was annoying than painful so I took it as a good sign that my strength is coming back even microscopically. 

The thing I really need to figure more out now is being able to sleep decently. Since this whole thing started back up, 4 hours of sleep a night was my luck of the draw and if I was relaxed enough during the day, I would doze off for a bit but not long. It sucks and the thing that helps with recovery mostly is sleep and I barely get that. It is what it is but I'm doing what's possible right now. With this weight loss as well, it may help the recovery process but it's not the ideal way to drop weight and I can't let myself develop atrophy and lose the muscle I worked so hard to build. Hasn't been easy and have had bouts of anger, depression, frustration, doubts and being on an up and down mental state. Just hate it man. 

I hate seeing anyone suffer and it's not living a good life if you're in pain to the point where you alienate yourself from loved ones. I've done it and I'm not proud of it because I can be a very social person. When you have been in such pain that you go into this dark and depressive episode where you don't want help and distancing yourself from the people you love, if you let it go on too long, it becomes something you never wanted. Do what you can if you're in pain but don't let it destroy your humanity. Keep being amazingly awesome and stay healthy physically and mentally as long as you can. You never know what could pop up on you.