70 Pounds Of Fury

 Xmas is right around the corner and this year, one of the cool gifts I got was the 70 lb. Sandbell Pro. I've been wanting to increase the weight from my 50 lber that I've used for years now. It came yesterday and just immediately wanted to play with it. Even to go as far as doing a demo video showing what I can do off the bat including a one arm clean and press. You can view it below.....

I love testing my capabilities and seeing what's possible. With this bad boy that I call Beasty cause that's what it is, the possibilities to build strength and conditioning are only limited by the imagination. Carries, Bear Hugging, Slams, Presses, Curls or whatever I choose to come up can aid in my quest to get stronger. This thing is no joke and it can be a nasty bastard depending on what you do. 

Always said that training is about self discovery and disciplining yourself but also to make it interesting and consistent. Do you have to have a Sandbell, no you can always go cheaper and get a unfilled bag that fills up to 100 lbs and work things that way. I like the bells because they're just different and fun to use. For years now I've slammed, pressed, carried, squatted and other things for thousands upon thousands of total pounds moved and I'm going to continue with Beasty here. Sandbag Training is an old school form of strength training that works and is not meant to be easy. 

There are a lot of things you can do with Sandbells but the heavier you go, the more you prioritize which exercises are important to build strength because you can't do everything with a 70 as oppose to exercises with a 20 or so. It's strength that matters, not for the sake of looking good but to help others and being strong as you age. The older we get, the more reason to stay as strong as possible while still being mobile and flexible. You can be as strong as an ox but if you're stiff as a board and have bad joints, what's the point of having that strength? Not saying to go so heavy you wreck yourself but train to a capacity where you can go without sustaining injuries as much as possible and keeping the muscles, tendons and ligaments healthy. When it comes to Sandbag work, I probably wouldn't work with more than 100 lbs because there's no reason to keep going higher unless you want to challenge yourself. 

Sandbells are a lot of fun and they add a different variety to a training regimen than typical weights like a dumbbell, barbell or even kettlebell. They're safer in most regards and do many things just from one implement plus they wouldn't wreck the floor when you drop them or slam them. They can be great conditioning tools and can build some serious strength especially in your grip and your core. You don't need to be as crazy as me with this heavy of a bell, you can stop at 50 or 20 if you want but Sandbells are a great addition and has a boatload of exercises to choose from for anyone from a complete beginner to world class athletes. Get just one and see what you can do.  

Are Isometrics The Forgotten Secret Of Strength Training?

 If you've ever read my article on Isometrics being the Game Genie Of Fitness, it should give you a hint to the answer to this question, but just in case you haven't gotten the memo....When it comes to the old time strongmen, the one thing they have in common in most cases throughout the early 20th century to today's legends is the use of Isometrics. For some in today's world of the influencer and trendy shiners of gadgets and other equipment, Isometrics isn't as big of an influence or not as understood as it should be. It can be seen as a foreign thing and it doesn't give off a massive following. 

For centuries, Isometrics whether inadvertently or intentional, has been used as a means to keep certain aspects of strength in the realm of warriors, laborers (slaves in many cases), athletes, archers, gladiators, farmers and many more. I didn't understand much about Isometrics until I read Matt Furey's Gama Fitness Course and started studying up on it all the way up to learning about Zass, Maxick, Otto Arco, Dennis Rogers, Steve Justa and the man of the 1000 lb Squat Bud Jeffries. Getting several courses like Overcoming Isometrics and others, it became apparent that Isometrics truly have stood the test of time and have become a lost art along the way.

I've shown a few Isometric videos here and there and performed a few myself on film and it's awesome to see how known they've become in some circles but at the same time it's sad that many can't even do some of the simple holds, but hey there's always time to learn them. The truth is, despite the simplicity, even the simple Isometric holds can be very demanding and holding for 30 seconds can feel like an eternity. It happens a lot and it can be grueling doing various Isometric positions for 7-12 intense seconds and then with little rest, adjust to the next one and keep going, most can't handle that.

When you truly start to understand the concept of Isometrics and how to apply them whether doing Overcoming, Yielding or a Hybrid style, you'll start to see why they've been a real backbone to how getting fit and strong is. Do what you can and make little progressions but never turn away from the basics and using Isometrics to enhance your strength and fixing some of the weak parts of your body. 

For simple equipment to train with Isometrics, check out here... 

Happy Veterans Day

Combining Isometric Equipment For A Great Workout

 Isometrics can be done in so many ways that it's almost impossible to understand what's better when it comes to equipment or just your bodyweight. Right now I have three different things of Isometric Exercise Equipment that has more exercises than anybody knows what to do with: The Bullworker Iso Bow, The Worldfit Iso Trainer & The Transformetrics Isometric Power Belt. The Power Belt never really got off the ground because of the lack of reasons I'm not going to get into but it is a hell of a piece of equipment that you can take with you just about anywhere. The Iso Bow may not look like much but it packs a hell of a punch if you use it right and gives you a hell of a workout. The Iso Trainer is extremely versatile as it not only does Isometric Exercise but it can also be used as a Suspension Trainer that holds up to around 400 lbs so you can do pull-ups, dips, rows, one-legged exercises, Triceps Extensions, Twists and other things as well.

Yesterday, I worked on all three to get in a great workout doing exercises ranging from pulling apart, curls, squat, presses, bow and arrow, hybrid isometrics and others. It was one of the most fun Iso workouts in a while and felt like I got a lot done in a short amount of time. I've been leaning towards Isometrics in addition to Sprint Training which has helped me shed some fat lately and although I have a good road ahead of me, I'm already ahead of the curve. I will be showing results around next week in regards to achieving over 100 sprints since I started. 

All three of these pieces of equipment can fit into your bag and you've got an entire gym that weighs less than a few pounds. The only people that I know that have experimented with Isometrics far beyond most people were/are Bud Jeffries, Steve Justa, Zenkahuna and a few others. They practically wrote the book on what you can do with your imagination when it comes to Isometrics. There are authors who've written basic elements and a few creative ideas but these guys took Isometrics to heights that just can't be matched. With the exception of Matt Schifferle's Hybrid Isometrics which are very innovative, very few can match the amount of exercises you can come up with. 

From the days of Alexander Zass & Maxick to the overwhelming plethora of training modalities today, Isometrics are a timeless form of training that can be done in so many ways it's not possible to count all the exercises you can do when there's so much to be added onto. As long as you keep it basic, creative and just enough to work with, you can go a hell of a long way to getting strong, fit and keeping you interested for years on end. Isometrics are essential to a healthy life and reap more benefits than I care to count.

Sometimes one piece of equipment isn't enough because to me, it's not about expanding equipment per se, it's about expanding your horizons and creating workouts that hit those sweet spots that certain things may not hit. I'm not saying MORE is better, I'm saying that options can be a good thing. You don't need to try to build an entire gym in less than 300 square feet, just a few things that give you that edge and that are inexpensive without killing your budget. 

The closest thing to the Iso Power Belt I know of that can be used is the Iso-Loop but you can also utilize a strap from Strapworks which you can find on Amazon as well to use for the length you need to get the most out of your workouts and are very affordable as you can do DIY work. It's just as strong and durable. The Iso Bow is just a bad ass and yeah it's smaller but like I said before it packs a punch as you can do both isometrics and dynamic tension exercises. 

Get crazy strong using Isometrics and unlock some of the creative exercises you can come up with to achieve insane goals. In recent times, one guy who did Isometrics for the majority of his workouts got so freaking shredded that it took notice on the bodybuilding stage while being in his 60's. Richard Monoson is a chiropractor in Southern California that has one of the most intense physiques of a man at any age. His Isometric training is pretty basic but proves what it can do for your body regardless how old you are. Very humble man as well. 

Keep being amazingly awesome everyone and keep achieving your goals. 

Isometrics In The Days Of Zass Compared To Today

 Isometric Training has gone through many variations over the years from the days of the Shaolin, Yoga and throughout the 60's. The man that took Isometric Training to a peak until many decades later was Alexander Zass who utilized Isometrics to create the best strength program for building tendons and ligaments which evidently helped solidify him as one of the greatest strongmen of all-time. Using handles and an adjustable chain, Zass turned simple and advanced exercises into a powerhouse of training modalities that still baffles those in the Physical Culture World today.

Although he was around 5'7 and 170 lbs, Zass had strength that many today can't even fathom. The way he bent steel was extraordinary and the musculature would make even today's physique contestants look weak. His style of Isometrics can still be seen today from another perspective. Very few famous strongmen since then have really dug into the very depths of Isometric Training and some even refer to Charles Atlas as an Isometric Advocate. Although Atlas did practice certain aspects of Isometrics, Dynamic Tension wasn't an actual Isometric intended program. The exercises done in DT can be used as Isometric Exercises but it was never programmed that way. 

In today's world of miss/complicated information, gadgets, gizmos, gimmicks, equipment that is sometimes a little out there and costs more than a down payment of a car, Isometrics is pushed more to the side and even fewer people truly practice it as an art and programmed training system. I would think in some ways, Zass would be rolling in his grave in shame to what has become in Physical Culture. Don't get me wrong, some of the stuff today is good and some people really go after Isometrics with a vengeance such as the Bioneer, Matt Schifferle of Red Delta Project, Johnny Grube, the mysterious Paul Wade with the Iso-Chain and others. The two biggest advocates of Isometrics in their time were Bud Jeffries & Steve Justa. In their time here on this big blue, green and crazy rock we call earth, they were experimenting with Isometrics more than anybody else. They came up with stuff some of us are still doing today and there were things they were doing most wouldn't even try to attempt cause of how crazy they were. Justa himself was doing workouts that lasted hours, did holds that ranged from 3 seconds to over 5 minutes and exercises that hit angles more than the Wonkavator went around a city in England. They were revolutionary in the modern era, they were our generation's Zass.

More studies have been done in recent times on Isometrics but it's still not so much a taboo in fitness but more of a Black Sheep in the world of Fitness in the sense that it's pushed to the side and doesn't get the attention that it deserves. It isn't sexy or glamorous looking unless you see some crazy motherfuckers at a playground in New York where exercise is treated like the badassery of Basketball in Rucker Park. One of the best authors today on the subject of Isometrics is Matt Schifferle of Red Delta Project who's enthusiasm is just contagious. His take on using your bodyweight and/or minimal equipment goes to another level of building muscle and strength. His style of Hybrid Isometrics takes strength training to another realm of 21st century Physical Culture. Although guys like Steve Maxwell gives a ton of credit and powerful admirations to Isometrics, Matt brings that youthful and simplistic approach that's relatable to a younger audience. Maxwell is a legend no question and his style works great with most people, I'm just a bigger fan of Matt's approach. I find he brings more energy and excitement as oppose to Maxwell who's a bit more low key, still simple and full of knowledge since he's been training longer than most trainers today have been alive. 

I will always say that the best Isometric Equipment is the Transformetrics Isometric Power Belt but it's hard to promote that since it never really got off the ground. You can use just about anything to do Isometrics with and some have made DIY equipment like Maxwell, Schifferle and the late Bruce Tackett that made the Hook. Today's big products on Iso Training is more geared towards the Bullworker (like the Iso-Bow) and the Worldfit Iso Trainer. These are incredible for training Isometrics and can be used by anybody from the couch potato to the world-class athlete. Create workouts that take your fitness into the stratosphere. Zass would be a big fan of these. 

Practice Isometrics regardless of your age and make them interesting, simple and as low-skilled as they can be because those are the best exercises that will get the job done. Build strength most would be baffled by and lessen your chances of injuries. Keep being amazingly awesome everyone. 

Another piece of equipment that is great for Isometric Training is using The Rings, grab a set and use my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout to get 10% OFF. 

The Price For Fitness

Various places around the net provide quality aspects of what people are looking for and a great many of them can be costly, as much as $10,000 or more just to go to a seminar. Is it really worth it? If you got the savings and have a determination to do it, that's awesome and hope it gives you something in return. When it comes to fitness courses or even the cost of personal training, not all is created equal.

In many cases, you would expect that if you pay for this much for a book or a session with somebody, it's going to be the best quality possible yet in reality, there are some greedy bastards out there. Don't get me wrong, I bought plenty of courses over the years and got great benefit out of them. I also got courses that were expensive but the quality of them were as shitty as you can get; crude pictures, writes like a 5 year old who just discovered sesame street, too much about the author, very little in how to apply exercises and other things. 

Over the years as well, you pick up on who writes what and how they advertise. Some people copy and paste someone else and pretend that they're unique and you got people who rip off someone else's work entirely. It won't be the first time and sure as hell won't be the last. Matt Furey has been ripped off many times but he also took a man's style of training and molded it into a global phenomenon which put a lot of people off but also made a killing in revolutionizing physical culture in the modern era for 20+ years now. I get it, people need to make a living, they want the best things in life but I believe in not always needing to stomp on people and take them for granted.

There are so many versions of methods of exercise that you don't know who's really the best or who's just out for the money. Let me ask you this: Is it worth it to you to buy a course for 250 bucks and get crappy quality? Or, would you want a course that's just under 30 bucks that has roughly the same amount of exercises, has ten times the quality and is relatable to even the average person? I would guess quite a few would go for the latter but in this day and age, gullibility can make it easy for some shmuck to spend some of his weekly paycheck to buy a course that promotes well but brings false promises and horrible writing along with making a customer work on exercises he clearly isn't ready for.

Believe me, in some cases, it's better to pay and invest in your health than end up paying a ton of hospital bills and end up in so much debt that it never ends. Unfortunately, some people pay good money for something and end up in the hospital anyway because something went wrong either by following a program too religiously that it caused problems or a program set them up for failure. It happens sometimes.

You can find some of the best training programs for free on the net, even some of the old time mail order courses but even free comes with a price if you're not careful. Just because its free, doesn't mean you won't pay for something later on. Some "gurus" even make the most ridiculous claims in order to sell courses and there are literally some guys out there who sell courses that belittle people and go straight for the jugular in hopes of making them believe their work is the end-all-be-all. That's just messed up and if you're going to belittle, make people feel horrible about themselves than they already are or even try to make them believe your shit is far better than anybody else, that says more about you than your customers. 

There's always a price, the question is, which one are you willing to pay? Personally, I believe in high quality work but not perfect. You don't need to be a perfectionist to have a great course and it certainly doesn't need to be bedazzling either. I believe in finding stuff that hits the spot for you. It's like the idea of Three Bears Method....There are things that are too much, too little and there's that one that just hits it right on the mark and you made it work in your favor. The idea is to find the third bear first, it may take trial and error but the possibilities are there. 

You'll find some of the best stuff just on the side bar of this blog alone. Are they the Babe Ruth of all courses and equipment? Hell no, but the quality, affordability and reviews on them are pretty damn awesome. You don't need to take out a mortgage payment to get the very best. Stay strong and be amazingly awesome. 

Train With Love, Not A Necessity

Feeling forced to workout is a sure sign you aren’t getting your mindset in the right place. Training by making it an adventure is a whole different experience and it’s never the same after every workout. Loving what you do instead of making it a necessity is a better understanding of what makes you get the results you truly desire.

 A lot of people who exercise feel obligated to train because they feel they have to instead of want to. They feel if they don’t something bad will happen and they’ll never get the results they want. In a way that’s true but the real truth is that, if you make it an experience that makes you happy and you bust your ass the way you want to do it than there should be no problem for you then.

 There is a difference between training for no apparent reason vs. just going through the motions, the difference between the two is that training without reason can be a good or bad thing by that I mean, training because you just feel like doing it is a better idea than training just for the hell of it and not really give a damn yet just going through the motions just makes you weak minded and not have all the right tools in place. Exercise is not about doing stuff and working different muscles it’s much more than that. It’s about freedom and learning to go beyond just the exercises, it’s learning to use all your potential attributes in your exercise physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

 Any one of us with half a brain can use a machine at the gym and although there are some pros to those things it doesn’t seem like the same as to actually go out and run your ass off or sprint like a cheetah catching its prey. Back when machines didn’t exist, you had to really work to get the results you wanted, if you wanted to run, you sprint, if you wanted to lift heavier, you lifted barbells and dumbbells, you wanted cardio, you either boxed or wrestled or played a specific sport and if you wanted beautiful looking muscles, you didn’t take pills or protein shakes you did Muscle Control and ate with a purpose. If you want the body you always dreamed of, don’t always look to modern high tech crap that can only do a fraction of real functional training can do. Look to basic exercises that are rich in history and that’s presses, pulls, squats and grip work which consist of barbells, dumbbells, medicine balls, muscle control, push-ups, pull-ups and the squat either with or without weight.

 Some of us want to forget the past and move on towards the future but what if we took that from a different perspective? In exercise, the past was proven time and time again that basic elements gave you the most result producing methods that still stand to this day but lost in time. Some of the things today are good but if you added just a bit of old fashioned with its own modern day twist, you can make your workouts a very entertaining experience with real results and real functional muscle.

 Equipment has become a billion dollar industry and it’s usually the wrong equipment that is sold, not the ones that give you superior results. In reality, you don’t have to pay for a damn thing; training using just your body is really all you’ll ever need. If you truly want to get something that’s your choice but don’t buy a certain gadget that’ll cost you thousands of dollars and have it be in your closet the rest of your life. Certain equipment is good because there are methods that bodyweight, barbells and dumbbells can’t touch like the Indian clubs, the mace, Rocks, logs and sledgehammers all have qualities that will get you in shape much faster than a treadmill or a machine that only hits isolated muscles.

 Love what you do and make it fun, it takes one change in your mindset and your whole thinking will go into the stratosphere. Make it an adventure, never an obligation because if it’s not adventurous, it’s not worth doing.

You Are Never Alone In Your Training

Back in the 30's and 40's, there was a man that trained hard in the basement of a church in Brooklyn, NY and had no workout partner nor did he have a lot of people to talk to unless they visited him. The only thing he had was a barbell, a bench and a maybe a few dumbbells here and there. He went to become one of the strongest men in the world at Olympic Weightlifting. He was a World Champion, Olympian and an Senior Nationals Champion and went undefeated for over 15 years till 1953. His name was John Davis.

Why did I put a significance of this powerful man on here? Good question. You see most of his career was being Champion at so many levels and yet throughout most of his training days he didn't have a workout partner. Motivation must have been very difficult for him cause in that basement the only friends he had in his training quarters was a barbell and a freaking bench. Yet without being discouraged he pushed hard and trained like a mad man.

He is one of the perfect examples of someone who doesn't always need to have a training partner. A lot of people go to a gym because theres people there and they can either encourage you or shut you down or help keep you motivated there are many reasons for that. The truth of the matter is that you can have a workout partner or train by yourself. Never be discouraged because someone isn't there pushing you.

For me as an example most of my training is by myself. I rarely have a workout partner and for obvious reasons I really like training alone and have made it a habit. The reason why training by yourself is a wonderful thing is because you don't need to hear the negativity coming from others who don't believe in what you do and making your goals feel impossible to you. The beauty of it is its that you learn how to discover yourself and motivate the only person in the room and that's you. The difference between training with people vs. training by yourself is that there can be distractions with training with others but in some cases training with others can create bonds and friendships with one another and push each other but in other cases training with others can throw you off and they tell you to do this or that cause its either the right or wrong way to train. Training by yourself on the other can either make you or break you as a trainee. Its never easy training alone because the only thing that can keep you motivated is yourself. This is where learning who you are and giving yourself the opportunity to build the ultimate motivation.

With training with just yourself like our friend John Davis did you become friends or bitter enemies with what you have to train with. You may not have this mindset but if you have trained just by yourself long enough you can almost listen to the equipment you have or a bodyweight exercise that in your mind is either impossible or reachable and you either believe in your mind you can do it or not. Sometimes I can almost hear some of my equipment speak to me and there have been days where they are bitter and believe I can't do it but there have been other days where they encourage me and tell me I'm getting stronger and getting better. That does sound a little eerie and creepy though don't you think? You'd be surprised what you can discover when training by yourself.

Never for one moment think you're alone in your training. Training alone has its benefits. No distractions, no one to give you a hard time and no talking or shouting, no one to stand around to tell you what you're doing is wrong, none of that. Its just you and whatever you have in front of you. Listen to the things in front of you, what are they saying? Do they believe you can or can't do something? Or do they encourage you to get better and coach you. Believe it or not some of my greatest coaches are the actual little amount of equipment I have. John Davis had his Barbell as his best friend and look what it made him? A Champion. Become your own champion and let the things you have do that for you.