Remixes, Covers & Reboots

It seems these days, a movie reboot is just part of the process of showing a new generation what was old is new again and vice versa. Yeah, there's hardly an original idea anymore and it seems certain places don't even begin to try to manifest something that can be considered legendary. The problem isn't always what can be originally, it's usually the people who love the original and almost nothing more because it was either too great or it just goes by the wayside to become more of a cult classic than something meant for anyone to enjoy. 

Music can be considered the same way. You have so many cover songs and remixes that we forget what's even original anymore or think it's original but it's really a reboot of a song in a different tone and the way the lyrics are used. Does that mean the song is terrible? It depends on who's doing it. The funny thing is, the remix or cover can often times be far better than the original ever was. Take for instance, a good song by Bob Seger called Turn The Page; solid song and has a soft tone to it, almost calming (to an extent) and not a big epic style like he did with Old Time Rock & Roll that became the stuff of legends. Now, take the same exact song lyric for lyric and get a band like Metallica to do it that just puts goosebumps on your arms and fires up your soul and you got yourself a bad ass song. 

Another set of songs I enjoy from time to time are Disney Songs; I grew up on them and have fond memories. They're enjoyable and yeah the lyrics from the old school films (we're talking early 70's and before) are a little questionable in terms of dark undertones and some racial pointers but they're catchy. Even films during the Disney Renaissance were awesome in their own right from Hercules' Go The Distance to Scar's Be Prepared always gave me goosebumps. Some people today even the most mainstream artists will do their own version of the original songs and make them their own but others just come along and make them feel like you are ready to take on the world and go into a battle that you're willing to fight for. Almost like a Viking, Mongolian or even an American Soldier ready to take charge and fight. That's where artists like Jonathan Young & Peyton Parrish come in. 

Now what in the wide wide world of sports does this have anything to do with working out or fitness in general? Well, if you really think about it, many courses, classes, bootcamps and even seminars are reboots and/or remixes of what was already done. There are so many exercises that have been done and rehashed that it's ridiculous at times but we still buy them as if there's some magical potion or secret that they have within the pages or videos. From bodyweight training to powerlifting to isometrics to yoga or sports training they all have in hand in being used by the same exercises or variations and put into different perspectives to utilize for the goals needed in those types of training. 

You can take a set of exercises that people might be interested in, put them into a book or DVD or even make a series on YouTube and program your perspective and marketing ability to them. Some people do very well with it and are very successful, others try to pass it off as if it was the golden ticket to fitness god-hood and oversell what potentially can be dangerous and psychotic. Which one ends up being the best for you? However, you can take something that was originally done and put into a perspective where the rep/set scheme is better, there's other forms of information and there's variations people can start or advance with that works better than the original ever did. Kind of like a Movie or Song. 

Some exercises remain a focal point and can be used in progressions to create something better later on. Some use low basic skills and stay there while others progress to a more advanced style where only a fraction of a fraction of the population can possibly handle but all in all, the perspective is different but certain things remain the same in the regard of carrying on something that works and has worked for a long time. Find what works for you and make the most of it. If you enjoy it, that's awesome and I hope it brings you kick ass benefits, if it's not for you, don't force it. 

To find some of the best resources look no further than the right side of this blog. These are top of the line from some of the most knowledgeable people today and those that have passed on. Can't find what you're looking for, shoot me a message and I'll do the best to my ability to help you find the resources you need. Stay strong, kick ass and be amazingly awesome in your journey. 

Training In A Different Area Can Be Scary

              

               Going to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier later on today I thought I’d share with you an aspiring way of how training in different areas like Cap getting used to a new world while he was frozen under ice for many decades. Steve Rogers comes from a totally different era where men wanted to save our world from Nazis and life was vastly different. As a young man roughly early-mid 20’s he fought with the best intentions and was a wholesome type guy with a few touches of being a superhero. After being frozen for many decades, he’s living in an entirely new world where everything he knows is gone and needs to learn fast how to adjust to life in an era where image, war, relationships and technology are vastly different. What does this have to do with training?

            Exercising and working out in a different area than you’re use to can be night and day and very scary. You’re not use to moving and exercising muscles and joints in awkward positions and usually you’d be on a treadmill, pumping up muscles with isolated exercises and going to an aerobics class it’s not a bad thing. However, moving like a wild animal or attempting Handstands is very different and requires a whole other realm of coordination, concentration and technique so how would you adjust to that or better yet adjust to smaller workouts using compound movements that hit the whole body? It can be scary I know.

            Like Cap, to better yourself in a totally different area you need to have the intent on getting better and at first you’ll most likely fail but that’s how you learn and pick yourself back up. Use your imagination and believe each day you’re getting a little better even down to the smallest fraction. Learn to utilize what you already experienced and work with using that part of you to create a better version that will have you getting results. Some people just stick to one thing only and they’re so use to it, it scares the living hell out of them when something different comes along. The world changes and so does training certain things, if you do the same things over and over you’ll be getting the same results and it can get boring.

            Be who you are no matter how the environment seems. Be a little open minded, it’s ok to be skeptical but don’t just push it off, give it a chance even if it’s for a short period of time. We all adjust differently and how our bodies respond to the way we do things, certain things work, some don’t and we have to fin what works best for us. I feel for Captain America who has to adjust to a life that no longer holds up to what he knew before he was frozen and that’s how fitness is, it’s so different from when our parents were kids and how over the years things evolve and some just don’t cut it so we learn to adjust and learn various things that bring us results and do better at them because it’s what we love to do. 

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.

It Ain’t Easy Being Green

All of us have different traits, physical structure and certain intellectual abilities, however, being different scares people period. Many people want others to see the world the same way they see and force you to not challenge their opinions and philosophies. Fitness is a lot like that too, if you challenge the system, they’ll ridicule you and make you feel guilty that whatever you’re doing is wrong and their system is the end all be all.

 People have different opinions about the would whether in sports, life, fitness, politics or whatever but if you go out f the norm and do something that isn’t according to their standards, you’re considered a freak or a person who doesn’t belong with them. In strength training too many trainers put their own egos in with what doesn’t work for them and have people believe the same thing when in fact it’s a bad way to help people. Being different and unique has a lot of qualities that certain people just can’t understand. Take for example doing feats of strength, you do things the average person doesn’t want to exert himself to and yet they give you a hard time for what you, they say everyone loves a strongman but a good number are jealous because they want that kind of strength but don’t do anything about it.

 Ever heard the song “Rainbow Connection” by the Muppets, god that’s a cheesy tune but at the same time it’s inspirational because it teaches you how to find your own path. Connecting your dreams and finding that end to your own rainbow gives you the chance to find out that you really are and that being different is powerful and a unique view as an individual. However you choose to be, make it happen for you, finding who you are is the greatest and most challenging journey, you will have road blocks but you can’t give up on what you want to become. Forcing your beliefs on someone isn’t a healthy way to approach people, take them for who they are and give them the chance to be themselves, besides who the hell really wants to be the same person anyway or follow the same program of somebody else, it’s just unethical. Nothing wrong with being inspired by somebody but you don’t have to be exactly like them. I have learned from many people over the years and mold what I find best about their qualities and make my own interpretation on them to find my own unique style.

 Many groups have this notion that if you don’t follow what they say and don’t play by their rules you can’t be apart of them. Us strongmen are really a band of brothers who give everything we have to be the best we can be and help others what we have learned from not only each other but others outside our little group. The only rules we really have is that you work hard, play hard and find who you are by becoming the strongest you can be in many aspects and not just strength. We learn from one another and help push each other, we may not agree with everyone’s opinions about various things but we have a found respect for one another and teach those who want to earn that respect. Sometimes getting respect means you go out of your element and challenge those that don’t believe in what you do. If you believe in yourself first, the rest is easy.

 Too many people back off from making something happen because they’re afraid it’ll backfire. Certain things will backfire but giving up just before it reaches its peak is a deadly game of cat and mouse, which one are you going to be. One example would be Bud Jeffries who’s had plenty of setbacks in his life and yet he pushes beyond the brink of making something happen because he knows he can, on the opposite end, take a guy like Barry Sanders, quite possibly one of the greatest running backs of all-time, was at the peak of his career and abruptly just walks away, a lot of people criticized him for that but at the same time, he gave up a true potential to become better than the biggest legends in the NFL and not just in their class of legend but a legend of his own class. Certain people just crack when it really gets awesome.

 Our greatest journey is to find out where we belong and find the best that won’t judge you or ridicule you, who will support you and give you a chance to shine in your own way not theirs, push you when its time to push you and give you the chance to bring your potential beyond the very core of your own abilities. Where you belong is up to you and if it means being different so be it, you are your own person, make it happen for you.

Opening Your Mind To A Whole New World

When it comes to mental strength, people look at certain methods that help open the mind but not enough to walk through the door itself, very few methods do this such as some meditation, chi kung, postures in yoga or even muscle control can be a form of mental training. I have practiced this type of method and it’s given me a new look of the world both reality and imaginative and that’s coloring Mandalas. Mandalas are the different shapes and sizes of patterns that can have many angles and never knowing which one’s come next. To me it’s the adult version of a coloring book.

 Coloring in a Mandala takes practice but it’s a fun and healthy practice as you look inside your mind and see which colors go with certain patterns and shapes. Sometimes depending on your mood, you will find colors to draw in based on that particular mood and you won’t even realize how you did it. The best way in my opinion from personal experience to color mandalas is to use big bright colors that sparkle throughout the patterns and each color represents what you have brought to life. The beauty of this is, there’s no right or wrong and you don’t need to think too much about it. After good practice and finding what colors suit you, you can make your own masterpiece and turn it into your own Picasso or Degas painting that just captures the human eye and opens up a world only you possess and feel as your own.

 As far back as ancient Asian and Egyptian cultures, developing patterns and drawing was a form of meditation to teach the mind and body how to see the world through their own eyes. The Samurai are famous for this type of meditation because they weren’t just trained for battle and the life of the sword but were trained in many arts to view the mind from many angles and from different backgrounds of the mental side of the martial arts.

 One of the very keys to practice while coloring mandalas is to not concentrate so much on what colors go with what pattern, it’s to just learn to be calm and instinctive and opening up your imagination. Just choosing a color to go with a certain pattern isn’t going to help you be calm and instinctive, you choose the colors but the colors will do the work for you as you instinctively color in that pattern that gives you inner comfort and gives you the power to create what you want. This is one of the best ways to be creative because when you look at various patterns no matter how big or how small, you will find one way or another to use your imagination and see the colors in your mind. Even better is to come up with your own patterns and coloring them in. There are pre-made patterns you can find on the net and print them out so you can do what you want with them.

 The great end to coloring mandalas is what comes to life after whether 10 min or 1 hour of drawing it. Bringing a mandala to life is one of those moments that just give you a rush of pure unbelievable happiness that only happens when you make it happen. One way to look at it is, breathing is essential in all forms of training whether physical, mental and spiritual and when you breathe into your mandala, it almost seems like as if reading about God breathing life into Adam and becoming this awesome being with feeling, a body and a soul that is born innocent and pure. Not that I’m religious or anything but for those that are, drawing mandalas is one way to look at different aspects such as that notion from the bible. Find your own mandala, create it the way you want, not how it should be but what you make it to be.

 As kids, coloring was fun to do and saw different drawings of animals and designs of cartoonish delights, as a painter, you see the color and picture beforehand and you grasp it as if you can reach out and touch it with your very own hands, sculptors have that exact same passion and mandalas are no different. At the bottom you’ll see a mandala I colored in over a year ago and it’s still as beautiful today as it was being colored in at the time I did it. It’s fun to see something you can appreciate not just as a person but a creative individual.

What Torture?!!!!

People have this belief in the fitness world that they need to torture themselves in their workouts in order to get into shape. They do the 30 minutes of Cardio and the hour of weights and some don't last that long at all. There's a fine line between good torture and bad torture n your training.

Good Torture means in your mind you're training to the best of your abilities and you love what you do and you also find it fun and creative. Its never a bad thing to love your workouts the rule of thumb however is to not love it so much that you forget what you're trying to accomplish. A lot of people fall into this trap at times because they push so hard and just don't want to stop that at some point injuries will occur and they might never realize it till its too late. Taking the time to put your heart and soul into what you do and feel like a million bucks afterwards puts you on good terms of how torture means to you.

A perfect example of Good Torture is my friend Bud Jeffries, he is one of the strongest men on the planet but also one of the fittest men as a super-heavyweight at 270 lbs. He often does High Rep workouts while combining strength training at the same time lifting weights that range from 53-1500+ lbs. and has been known to do reps as high as the 3000 range. For most people that's just ridiculous and is doing far too much work but infact that type of training has not only made him lose well over 100 lb. but has given him vitality and endurance that can be used for long-term effects for other things in life. Is this the type of training for you, most likely not as you don't need to be this extreme but you can put yourself through workouts that your body will thank you for and can take them to extremes on a safe and productive basis.

Bad Torture means you're training hard just for the sake of training or it could mean you don't know how to use certain form and just go through the motions when really that can lead to injuries and you torture yourself far too often and your mind isn't in the right place. Even more people fall for this trap because this type of torture is disguised as some programs in the fitness magazines and this more frequently has more people quitting the gym and training all together. This has more short-term effects and not in a positive manner as you find certain workouts you want to try but your body can't handle the stress therefor if you keep it up you will get hurt and hurt bad physically, mentally and emotionally. Trying a program that you're not ready for and pushing through it anyway is never a good idea.

An example of this is the modern bodybuilding and some strength workouts from the muscle magazines where steroids and supplements run rampant. This is not productive and long-term training and 99.9% of the time it isn't safe as well. Torture workouts like these are for those who have been training for years and never is this at a beginning level as the Cowardly Lion would say "Not no way, not no how." It is this type of torture that brings long-term problems to bad backs, hernias, joint pain, neck spurs and who knows what else. It isn't just the magazines but also those infomercials as well as they have you do hard training you're in no shape to perform and some of the exercises are just ridiculous and can do more harm to the joints then anything else. They don't give you well rounded structures so you're physically and mentally ready for the challenge. Torture like this won't get you anywhere and won't let you live a productive and healthy life.

I have been through torture myself good, bad and just downright ugly and have had a plethora of problems when I went through my weight lifting days to the point where when I woke up in the morning every inch of my body felt like bone rubbing on bone and it hurt like a motherf*cker and that's something nobody should experience ever. When I became smart and used torture from a different angle I went through workouts that would've kept me out of training for days on end but instead only went to extremes on a few occasions during weekly training. Never under any circumstances torture yourself daily no matter how tough you are. Putting together programs that help recovery is just as important as your extreme workouts.

Some hate going through tough hard workouts and feel if they don't do it they're not going to reach a goal. This should never be a type of mindset. What you should be doing instead is on your extreme days, set your mind to loving the workout and make it fun to the point where yes its hard work but your mind is saying "This is fun I'm loving this." Using that type of mental training can you surpass goals and achieve results more then you bargained for on a positive basis. If you're training at a park and having a tough workout, most would call it torture and run away but to you its just another training session. This is where mental training is critical and should be as important if not more then physical training.

Taking control of a torturous workout is very difficult to do. Your mind needs to be focused, your body needs to handle the stress and you must know what you're getting yourself into. Its not easy to jump into hard and tough work when you don't have the right preperation. Taking the easy road by just going for it and not giving your body a chance to learn to handle certain things can get you in trouble big time. Controlling Torture takes practice and a lot of mental strength so learn what you can and work your way up going through progressive phases at your own pace. Study your workouts from how your mind and body work together and trust your progressions. Learn how torture can turn into a powerful experience with the right mind set and the right & safe progressions.

Using Different View Points To Create Your Style

Learning different view points from other Physical Culturists is quite a learning experience. You learn what works for them, how they developed a philosophy for training and what can work for others. Some of the best guys in this field have great philosophies and quite a few I agree with but yet for that same line of guys there are things I do disagree with. Its not out of disrespect its because I know what works and what doesn't. If you want to learn from the best you have to do research and experiment. Find what works for you and be open minded about who these guys are.....For example...

Bud Jeffries....A man of great strength and ferocious power is a man of god who uses the best equipment and body weight exercises to create the ultimate athlete and build strength & endurance at the same time with a separation of spiritual strength and strength using energy or qi gong. One guy I have very high respects for and one of the coolest guys I ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Brooks Kubik....Without question one of the greatest writers in the history of Physical Culture for the last 20 years. His beliefs is in Hard Work, Old School time-tested methods for super strength and muscle-building and puts a lot into basic lifts and the great methods of Olympic weightlifting. Work your exercises into the ground and master the exercises you want to do.

Logan Christopher.....A man I would def. call a brother because he's helped me over the years showing me how I can be a good physical culturist with the way I'am and have on many occasions seen him do some of the coolest feats of strength a man his size should not be able to do. He believes that to get the best results is to build a foundation to creating great strength and use the best equipment for mega results whether it be weights, bending steel, tearing phonebooks or using the Indian clubs. Whatever style of training you want to pursue learn the values of what is the best to use.

Dennis Rogers....Pound for Pound the world's strongest man for the feats he performs. A man of god as well who has taken grip strength to a level in his line of strongmanism that is as unreachable as wile e. coyote catching the road runner. The things he does should not be done by a man of his size. He is the modern day little Samson and in my opinion the man with the spirit of The Mighty Atom within him. His philosophy is based on how to develop the grip while using the body as a whole using odd objects, tools and weird looking but effective equipment to get the best out of becoming super strong without the need to be a monster.

Garin Bader....Quite possibly one of the most legendary concert pianists of the last 20 years has developed a style where he develops energetic strength through his imagination and mindful power to create surreal strength, dexterity and speed that is just off the charts. With a way to create sounds and develop the difference of muscular strength and his system CoreForce Energy anyone can provide the strength within them in a very short amount of time. Being powerful using muscular strength and being powerful with CFE is a massive difference and once you see it you'll notice right away how strong you can become.

These are examples of the guys I have researched and learned from over the years and I have the highest respect for them for what they do. Whether I agree with what they all do doesn't matter but what I have learned I have taken and developed a style of my own. You may have noticed that some of their styles are similar but at the same time very unique and different in many ways. My style of philosophy of Physical Culture is to learn the basics, transfer that to your daily life, never be hardcore all the time but never slouch either. You don't need to be big to be strong but in order to be strong you have to think big and being wise about what you want to do. Again my style is a little similar to the guys I've mentioned but yet its very different in many ways. I train for strength and power using many different styles that are the best and not use too many things.

Create your own style of Physical Culture by learning from the best and never shy away from who they are and give them the respect they deserve.