Fat Gripz And The Gym

 Every now and then, I'll go to the gym with the wife and do a few things while she does her own training. It's almost like a day off for me and just seeing what's possible. Sure there are more machines than free weights but I'll go with what I can get. Usually do a quick warm up doing DDP Yoga and then get to it. Normally when I go, I take my Fat Gripz with me to make the exercises harder and engage more muscles than the machine has you doing. 

Most of the exercises I do with the FGs is Dumbbell Curls, Lat Pulldowns, Close Grip Pulldowns, Rows and Bench Press on the Smith Machine. I'm sure I'll get hounded one way or another for not using a real barbell, which is fine because like I said, it's just another exercise that I can make more difficult. When it comes to reps, I really don't do more than 10 with a weight and increase little by little until I can only do a few reps as opposed to the beginning. Sets are typically 3-4 or so per exercise. With the FGs, I don't use as much weight as I normally would since it's supposed to make the exercise harder and the muscles are working at a greater capacity. 

I do take rest periods but only long enough to get going for the next set and then move on. With the SMBP, I wanted to test my strength and see where that went. When I go after this exercise, most of the time, I'll go until I can barely do a few reps but the last couple times, I've done quite a few sets until I start hitting singles and increase weight from there. The bar weighs 20 lbs so when I add on plates, I do count the bar when I lift. So far with the Gripz, I've gone up to 280 for a single which to me is the heaviest I've ever done having those things attached. I would say even with a machine, that's pretty decent strength. 

Fat Gripz create an interesting element to Strength Training and teaches you more about control than anything else. It forces you not just to engage muscles but target the ligaments and tendons as well and you can build some crazy upper body strength from doing that. Utilizing the old school method of working with a Fat Bar, it adds another level of Strength Training that has helped many lifters reach new PRs and harness power from another perspective. You won't use nearly the same weight without them which isn't a bad thing, it's just another look at what you can do to build strength. 

I'm the type of guy who doesn't really get into the whole isolation movement thing so if I'm going to work with machines or weights, I'm going to make it interesting and focus as many muscles at once in whatever movement with the upper body in this case. This way, I'm getting more out of the movement. Grab a set yourself and see what you can do with them. Remember, these are not to be taken lightly, work with a weight you are able to control and focus on the mind/muscle connection as you push or through the exercise. Turn an isolated movement into a multi joint strength builder. 

Be amazingly awesome and build insane hand and wrist power. 

A Powerful Grip Goes A Long Way

         The joy of having a strong grip is a lot to have. Many opportunities arise when your grip can handle many things like carrying groceries, helping someone move, twisting off a tough jar, climbing, carry someone and holding onto them so why not develop a mighty grip? It’s a lot of fun because our hands were meant to be strong for the things we need to have in our lives. The stronger our lower arm is, essentially the stronger our whole body is. It’s not just a pump you get in the gym or squeezing someone’s hand.

            Most people who start out with developing anything, get all excited and can’t wait to jump in but as they move along, most of the time get really bored and don’t want to progress any further or they just keep up the same old crappy routine and never make any headway. It’s all about the three P’s; Pacing, Progressing and Patience. We start out weak in some area or another so we begin with the simplest things plays around with them, we progress in order to advance ourselves. Don’t just push yourself all the time, pace yourself; do a little more each time. It’s the journey, not the destination that is the key; the smallest things can have the biggest impact. Be patient, if you get stuck somehow, find a solution, change things up and use your imagination to get better. We all have different ways of progressing, some are faster than others but we share a common goal and that’s getting better. It’s like math; you don’t start out with calculus right? We start with Arithmetic and work our way up, same thing developing your grip strength.

            One of the greatest modern Physical Culture authors Brooks Kubik said to Master your exercises. Doesn't matter what you’re shooting for but to progress with the best intentions, you must master what you want to develop. For grip strength, you don’t need to master a million things; you just need to focus on a few things. Do no more than 3-4 things to master because this helps you focus on what you can do to progress to a higher level whether it’s adding sets/reps or advance to a more difficult exercise. For me as an example with my Thor Hammer, I started out just lifting up, down and side to side. Next progression, slamming it with a tire 1000+ times often, next one was pressing it up using only the ball of the hammer, after that was juggling and flipping it. There’s more to progress to but you get my drift. It doesn't have to be a hammer, you can add in Fat Gripz onto your barbells and dumbbells to make your exercises harder, the effect is much different when you curl a 40 lb. dumbbell the regular way, slap on a Fat Grip, you’re in a whole new world of lifting my friend.

            Some of the strongest men in the world don’t always have the biggest hands. Yes big hands give a distinct advantage and that’s awesome if you have them but there are some of us who don’t have that luxury. Don’t fret though, there’s still hope and don’t ever let it stop you from chasing your dream from having strong hands. Want an example; Dennis Rogers is one of the strongest men pound for pound ever yet he’s no more than 5’8 and weighs no more than 170 yet he’s been able to do things most men twice his size can’t even fathom. He was also a champion arm wrestler at a point in his life and took down some of the best there was and some of them were far bigger than he was. So you see, there’s no excuse for you, you have the power to have some mighty mitts and you can have them if you want them bad enough. Train with intent, think big, think powerful, use your imagination and make it happen for you. Grip strength is very important, it can even save someone’s life, think about that. Don’t ever give up chasing your dream, don’t just chase it, thrust through and take a chance. It’s within reach, go get 

One Of The Fastest Fat Burning Methods

To burn or not to burn? That is the question. The way certain people train, they try different things like weight lifting, bodyweight exercise, aerobics, sports specific strength training and/or Yoga. We don’t always look to finding ways to not only build muscle but burn the fat off as well like a furnace. If I had to pick one of the fastest methods to burn fat faster than just about anything else is the use of Isometrics.

            When it comes to Isometrics, when done properly they torch the fat as if it was being cooked on a grill. There are many ways to use Isometrics and you can do them just about at any given time. Some look at them as just positions or holding a plank. Isometrics incorporates the 2 structured links that bring harmony to the Mind/Muscle Connection because if you try to do one or the other it’s not going to fit right so using the two is like bringing PB & J together or Fruits & Veggies, The bat and the Baseball or a football to a quarterback that kind of connection. Anybody can hold some kind of position but when you hit the muscles in a specific position whether you do it all out for a few seconds or easing the tension and hold for more than a minute the way your mind fights, the body will follow.

            I've experimented with many types of isometrics including various postures, holding in an arm Wrestling position, parts of a body weight exercise like the Hindu Push-up and tried unusual types of Isometrics from the Nebraskan Wild-man Steve Justa. When you a hold a position, your nervous system shifts into overdrive and your working more than a specific muscle, your whole body comes into play. I've held positions ranging from 5 seconds to 10 straight minutes and the same principle applies no matter what you do.

            I've been experimenting holding and pulling in various positions for Arm Wrestling and what I've noticed is how the muscles begin to tire after a bit but the power is still there. No matter what you want to work on, I would bet Isometrics will help you get that little edge you need. Fat Burning using isometrics will strip fat off your body because when you hold a position, the body builds internal heat and because of the strength to hold the position all the fibers start firing and that causes the body to burn fat. 

            Isometrics when you apply them with intensity and using specific breathing patterns, they can make you feel lighter and move better with speed. Ease up on the tension of a specific hold and hold for 1 min. You will that after that one minute you work that position with a dynamic movement and your body moves with a bit more speed and power but you feel lighter at the same time. Steve Justa uses one particular method doing Jerk Reps which means you’re still contracting but using very little movements to the point where an inch or so is all you need. This still gives you that lighter feeling and your body feels good and relaxed afterwards. Keep your mind open and remember that when you practice Isometrics, your body will begin to change, kind of like natural reconstruction, your muscles will be more defined, your tendons will feel like steel rods and your strength will increase and fat will pour out of your body like crazy.

Building Eagle Claws

Building strength in the fingers, hands, wrists and the entire lower arm can make you or break you in a workout or anything you need your hands for. We need our hands to build things and create things so is it essential to build a level of strength, flexibility and dexterity that helps us in our everyday lives? I believe so. There are many ways to build a solid steel grip but there are other ways to keep the tendons strong and durable no matter what you do.

 The lower arm area all the way down to the fingertips is the most neglected parts of the human body in exercise. You won’t get by much with just wrist curls and a few isolated circular movements; you are learning to build that area by squeezing, flexing, extending, push, pull and working the individual fingers. It is important to master all these factors because if you don’t have strong hands, you won’t be able to pick up a weight no matter how big your arms it’s not going to happen. What if you need to fix something with a wrench or screwdriver and don’t have the hand strength to twist and turn, that would suck and if you work using those types of tools you won’t be at your job for long.

 When I talk about building eagle claws, I’m not just referring to training the entire lower arm to claw somebody in a fight or having great strength to do amazing things, I’m referring to creating great strength, flexibility and dexterity no matter what you want to do with your life. It doesn't matter if you’re a musician, athlete, entertainer, carpenter, construction worker or landscape artist, you will have great attributes if you gave yourself the chance to learn. How about curing Carpal Tunnel and never needing to wear a brace ever again, be less prone to injury and be able to heal quicker with exercises that work the entire region and not just that area but the shoulders, the arms and the trapezoids.

 One of the best conditioning programs ever assembled is the use of Animal Exercises. You can learn how to move like an animal in the wild and teach your body to burn fat, build muscle, increase the strength in your organs, tendons, muscles and so much more for only a few minutes a day. Now how about amplifying those exercises once you have mastered them, begin to do some on your fingertips, this type of training alone can build crazy strength in your lower arm in ways you can never get from machines. Having a solid steel grip and power in your lower arm can help increase your strength in other areas, it’ll help you pick up weights better, and it’ll help your grappling game much more efficient and if you’re into Arm Wrestling, look out because you’ll be ripping those guys up in no time.

 Getting started is like everything else, begin where you’re at and progress from there, work certain exercises that keep the blood flowing and ready to go. Spread exercises throughout the day so you can keep that energy flowing and use certain tools to help the grip. One of the coolest tools I like for building grip strength is called Fat Gripz, these babies will take thick bar training to a whole new level and you can attach them to just about any dumbbell or barbell but if you’re a bodyweight guy, you can attach them to your pull-up bar to increase the difficulty. I use these for building strength and endurance in Arm Wrestling using my lifeline Chest Expander. Progress is a very important factor because once something becomes easy; you want to continue to challenge yourself so you increase the difficulty by a small percentage. Even Rock Climbers have to progress otherwise if they jump in too soon, they’ll fall off much quicker and that can mean certain death so it’s important to build progression.

 No matter how you slice, strong hands equals a strong body because when you have the strength to pick up really heavy weight or be able to twist off certain objects with a wrench or even pick up groceries for that matter, your hands are the tools that open doors to everything you pretty much do. Even doing certain Feats Of Strength requires strong hands, you can build as much strength as you want in every other area in your body but if you’re hands aren't up to par, you’re pretty much done. Complete the whole package by training as many areas as possible including your lower arm, you’ll be amazed how weak or strong your hands are certain situations so my suggestion is make those hands work for you and build a foundation to have the strongest and most functional hands as possible.     

Black Widow: Rising Superhero For Women

I don't know the orgins of the Black Widow from the movies and comics or how she came to be an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D but I can tell you she is one of the toughest looking chicks on the plent. Her martial arts skills are second to none and has leverage of strength that many men cannot fathom plus she is smoking hot all at the same time. For real I wouldn't want to mess with a chick like that. She's good looking but there's the old expression "looks can be deceiving." In this case a beauty that can beat the living s*it out of you is a kick ass woman in my book.

There are more famous female superheroes then she is but I feel that the success of The Avengers and the already Box Office hit of Iron Man 2, this character will be apart of the new breed of influential superheroes. Probably the most famous female superhero is Wonder Woman. Whether you're a nerd or a fan I don't care it is what it is and there's no debate. However, Wonder Woman is a powerful woman, but at the same time she just can't live up to the "boots to asses" mentality of Black Widow. That may be the nerd in me talking but I know the difference between beauty and ass kicking and BW has it over WW any day of the week. Anyway...Widow has a unique personality as she uses her beauty to get where she wants to go in life but if you mess with her a broken arm would be more of a compliment then a total destruction of getting your ass kicked to the point when you have children they'll be born with a black eye.

I firmly believe if they market the character right, Black Widow will be a Major influence on younger women on how they can be beautiful but still have the ability to defend themselves if need be. Beauty however in this country is way overrated and our generation of beauty is a far cry then what beauty was back in the 50's and 60's. Back then women were more curvy and had a certain "pop" when they moved and people took notice, in my generation and for the last 20-25 years or so that curvy ideal became outdated and became the skinny, twiggy, drink diet coke and be bulimic/anorexic type body and its become a damn shame. For the me an influential woman of modeling and media should be strong, has some natural muscle and have awesome hips and upper body that is more natural and good looking.  Women were meant to be strong both in and out and be the focal point of what a powerful woman should be and not have this dumb f*cking idea that the skinnier you are the more attractive you'll be in a magazine or on camera or better yet real life. Trust me who would you rather be with, a bag of bones or a nice and well made steak with some flavor?

Don't get me wrong I love women and know a few who know the term "ass kicking" with a capital A. I just feel bad for women in the media who are suckered into this notion that if they slim down to outlandish proportions and have this much makeup on and have to eat that much less then the average woman they will get somewhere in life. They do for a while but it will be biting them in the ass down the road. Now Scarlett Johannson (Black Widow) busted her ass to become that character and do a hell of a job creating that body that is suited for some of her stunts and the martial arts she learned for the fight scenes. Is that how she is in real life, hell no but again I wouldn't know im being observant here.

Women are the mot precious beings on earth next to children but can improve their bodies in a natural nature (Redundant I know shut it) and make use of what they can do to make themselves stronger, healthier and more vibrant. I've said it before I believe women are pound for pound stronger then most men. Yes men are stronger because we have more testosterone and can build more muscle and lift heavier objects more then our own bodyweight but women however can do things none of us can do. For one carrying a kid for 9 months, hold groceries for long periods of time, shift things around and believe it or not with proper training can lift more weight ounce for ounce. I've seen a woman swing a kettlebell that weighed 106 lbs. Shes no more then 102. Thats pretty damn impressive. Now you may ask "106 isn't that heavy if you think about it." Ok smart ass you try swinging a weight that just a few pounds more then you are, say you're 200 pounds, I highly doubt you'll last a while swinging a 206lb KB. So I think its safe to say a small woman can be very strong when it comes to certain things.

Having the body of your dreams doesn't happen overnight, it takes time, patience and practice. Keep in MIND what you want. Here is a good place to start and believe in yourself tha you can get strong without weights, steroids or the feeling of getting too buff for your weight or size. You do the best you can to improve yourself and make it a habit to keep improving with a poitive attitude and the will succeed. You don't need to be a crimefighter to be the best damn woman you can be. A real woman is strong, vibrant, powerful in and out and makes the best of things no matter what life throws at them. Most of the women you see on TV these days aren't that healthy and most likely arent practicing what they preach on those infomercials and don't give a damn about other women. So if you some skinny little twat that thinks she so surperior ten anyone else be sure to be the exact opposite and become strong, healthy and happy the right way and help other women do the same thing.

Burning Fat & Building Muscle With Animal Exercise......

There are many ways tro burn fat and build muscle. We lift weights, use cardio machines, we run, do push-ups, squats, sit-ups or pull-ups and these are all good in some way shape or form. However you slice it the more muscles you use in an exercise the more work you're putting in and burning calories and fat much faster then working individual muscles. Many people believe you need more then an hour and a half three times a week to get great results and getting a steady heart rate to burn fat. Not true at all. One of the fastest and most simple ways to train, burn fat and build muscle quick is to get outside and move on all fours for a few min. and before you know it you're breathing hard. When this happens great things in your body begin to form as your HGH levels spring up, testosterone comes into play and muscle is being built quicker then ever. Plus with the jumps in HGH levels this will help you stay younger and stay healthy. Animal-like Exercise can carry over to many other things in your life and can even help spring up your brain activity. Eddie Baran has a course exactly for all these things called Animal Kingdom Conditioning.

When it comes down to training like a wild animal you are building a foundation of turning back the clock, gaining confidence and among other things your sex drive will go through the roof. Learn to get a great cardio workout in less then 2 min. Make your upper body stronger then the average human and create explosive power unlike anything else. Click/Type the link below and

Animal Kingdom Conditioning

Benefits Of Hill Sprinting

Lets face it many trainers feel that if you want to burn fat you do thousands of crunches, run for miles on end and needing to bounce the joints for a good period of time. Well that may be all good in a fantasy world but those guys are forgeting a few things..

1. How does it affect their health?

2. Is it really helping their natural growth hormone?

3. How bored do you have to be to do all those things?

4. How do these things not injure the joints?

Seriously though there are many ways to burn fat and build muscle but very few training methods not only build these 2 at the same time but get them done almost instant. One of those methods is Hill Sprinting. Flat sprinting is another method but Hill Sprints take on a very unique form of training that gets you out of breath quicker then anything else just about. When you get out of breath and huffing and puffing like you just ran down a gazelle your body is producing endorphins through the roof and your hormones jump up like Superman leaping tall buildings in a single bound.

It doesn't take that long of a workout, 50-70 yards each set is all you need to get the high of your life. No more then 4-8 sets and with consistancy 2-3 times a week you'll burn fat like a damn furnace. Besides having a quick workout that only takes minutes rather then hours is far more rewarding and fun then anything else. Isn't it cool to be able to do things that the average person can't. Thats the difference between human and superhuman, willing to go that extra inch that makes every bit of a difference.

The real benefits of Hill Sprinting are that you can produce natural growth hormone which not only have you recover quicker but keeps you younger. Your conditioning skyrockets to levels that would make an average person insanely jealous and your mental toughness become a second language so in life you will find decisions much easier to come by and you're aware of what you can accomplish. A big benefactor of this type of training is that the more consistant you make it the more chances other things in your life are gonna turn for the better especially when it comes to the bedroom. So like I said, hormones jump, your stamina is off the chain and you're getting smiles all over that significant other.