Can You Juggle Kettlebells???

Hey Guys,

I've played around with kettlebell juggling in the past and had some fun with it.

But if you truly want to master this art than my friend Logan Christopher is your man.

He's giving away 35 minutes of video on getting started and advanced skills from a workshop people paid up to $1000 to attend.

Master Juggling Kettlebells

If you do anything with kettlebells you owe it to yourself to check out this video. You'll see all the benefits these fun skills can give you.

This isn't just for advanced people, although many people may think it is. Whether you're just starting out, or have been lifting kettlebells for years, you'll surely learn something new here.

Jump On The Bandwagon Now & Take Your Conditioning To The Next Level

Be Awesome & Juggle With Power & Might

P.S. And that's just the start. He's got some even more amazing things in store that will change the way kettlebell juggling will be done in the future.

Sneak A Peak Here

Using Simple Exercises As Power Postures

           I have studied many aspects of training and one concept I have found very useful is the power of Qi Gong, not by moving but holding certain postures like in Yoga and building the body from the inside, creating that electric feel and Isometric Strength. Many people believe that to be really strong, you need to physically do something; lift weights, do tons of push-ups or squats or whatever which is all great but there is a whole other world, the world of being still. Jackie Chan once said in The Karate Kid “Being still and doing nothing are two very different things.”

            The key to understanding how to be still is not just holding but by your focus and your breathing; if you can’t focus, you won’t hold the posture very long. Your breathing is another factor, if you are a shallow breather, you won’t hold the posture very long. These 2 things cannot work without the other otherwise you’re not getting the full benefit of that powerful internal work of art that resides inside you.

            If you took a simple exercise and turned into a posture, it’s a whole different exercise. Let’s take the push-up for example; you can crank out a good 10-20 reps no problem, now hold it like the plank for 10-20 seconds; see how different it is and the way your muscles work differently? How about a weighted implement like simply holding a barbell overhead for time, pretty simple right? Wrong, there are many things going on in your body that you don’t realize, every single inch of your body comes into play and that’s where the real power comes in. My favorite posture is the Wrestler’s Bridge, being able to hold a position with my nose touching the mat, feet flat, hips and butt high and just letting the world pass by for a few minutes; after those few minutes, I come out of it and everything feels like the world was at peace where nothing is wrong, my body feels incredible and just smiling for no reason.

            That’s the embodiment of a power posture having that feeling from the endorphins and while you feel like a billion bucks, your body becomes stronger from within and your tendons just have this power of superb strength. With Power Postures, you open your body from the inside, building who you are and what strengthens you. The power of your mind has more to do with than just physically holding an isometric position. You can do this with just about any exercise, you can do it anywhere, anytime, sitting, standing or laying down. Learn some basic postures and you’ll see how powerful they are. 

Get Them Legs Moving

            For most of us guys, our legs were meant to be strong, powerful and muscular, not look like a bird. I've seen guys in the gym, at parks and other places where their upper bodies look like they were made out of granite but from the waist down, they look like a flamingo on a bad day. Granted I understand for some people, muscle isn't built that easily but yet some have pretty damn strong tendons and a body that is more ripped, defined and looking like iron cords but yet at the same time, they’re still strong in some form or another.

            To get an understanding of how the legs are vastly important, when done right and at a certain pace that’s built up, the legs are the very core to our fertility and our growth hormone levels that help burn fat, build muscle, recover faster, burn calories and balanced increase in Testosterone. Ever heard of the Satyr Pan? He is one hell of a god (or deity whatever stories you read). He can teach us more on leg training than most care to learn but for certain reasons, we would rather give him crap for his lust, uncontrollable sex drive and for “looking like the devil.” In the stories I've read, he has a passion for life and loves the ladies (in this case Nymphs) but he also teaches us how to be free and explore our true selves while being happy and living with gusto and virility. In my opinion, when it comes to leg training, he shows more on how to gain “Our loins” than anybody else by dancing, having a zest for life from within and building our testosterone levels that can go to great lengths without the need for drugs or any of that crap.

            Powerful legs go a long way (literally and figuratively) because we follow them wherever we go, we walk, we run and we even them to exploit our “Assets” in the media. Think about it, for women, legs are the very foundation to get someone’s attention, beautiful and lithe legs with a great waistline and a beautiful butt. For guys, our legs are the key to gaining virility, super strength and boost in natural growth hormone that builds muscle, loses fat, gain strength and testosterone that shoots through the roof more than any lethal injection combined because it gives that natural balance in muscle and tendon strength.

            Think of the energy you can possess if you used real, basic leg training that gives you a meaning to your life, be able to run, jump, squat, dance and be able to live with strength, unimaginable endurance and a love from within that has you smiling without thinking twice about it. Real physical power comes from the legs and it can open the door to health and fitness like you've never had before. Build up patiently and you’ll see the many wonders of health and strength from using your legs.

Building Your Mental Powers

            Without question, the mind is far more powerful than the human body. When you open up your mind, you open a door to a whole new world. A world filled with possibilities, opportunities and creative ideas that make the planet look like a green pea. When you are closed off and narrow minded, you’re a little more rigid, more cautious, question too much instead of letting it flow. I’m learning this myself every single day because even though I have a strong intuition and I’m open minded, I tend to fall off the wagon so do speak as we all do and it makes us human. To strengthen your mind, you have to be willing to let go and create new adventures for yourself.

            A big key in developing mental strength is how you project your self-image. The self-image is how you see yourself in your minds eye, the attitude and habits you portray are attributes to your self-image. I have read a book or 2 on this subject and even taken on different techniques to enhance the image I want. This isn't one of those voodoo religious type stuff or even a spiritual thing, it’s how you live in the way you see yourself. For example, if you’re living with the image of being broken down and you feel there’s no way of getting out of it and you whine and you complain about your appearance and/or how people or how you see yourself, that will project how you have created that attitude and letting those habits grow. On another hand, if you see yourself as confident, relaxed, poised, building yourself creatively without outside negative energy and you build ideas and run with them, that’s the attitude and habit of having a strong image of yourself. The way you see yourself can make you or break you depending on how your energy manifests itself to the things that surround you.

            One of the most powerful tools of developing mental strength is using your imagination. How you see things no one else does, the wide open plethora of another world that only you can create. You see things that give you strength, give you a reason to shoot for a goal and pointing you in the direction of getting there. I have a vivid imagination and sometimes I have to stop myself if I’m in that state of mind where it’s just frustrating and upsetting, so I go into a place where I let my imagination run like a madman and point out what can work and what needs to be erased. Whether you want to create instant strength or enhance your self-image, resistant-free to run your business and/or build an energy defense system where you block negative vibes; your imagination will help you build it if you apply yourself with the right tools.

            Last tool I like to use every now and again is what’s called Theater Of The Mind. This technique is incredible where you breathe powerful energy into your body and go inside your mind where you’re in your own movie theater with a big screen and a seating area where you can view it any way you want. You use this to create what you want and how you can rehearse it as you see it on that big screen. I don’t want to give away all the details of this technique but I can tell you, if you want something or want to create something, you view it as if it has already happened and it’s giving you little steps to get you there. Try it out and you can create anything you want that is within the limits of your imagination and how far you’re willing to go productively and with strong intentions. 

Everyone Started Somewhere

             When you see a great looking athlete or a powerful lifter, most automatically assume he’s been that way all his life when in reality he looked completely different and didn't always seem to have the strength or genetics to be that great looking. We all started at someplace in our lives when we began training. Some started at a young age; others began when they’re much older. I for one was never the muscle guy or someone that believed one day could rip phonebooks and bend tough steel, I was once very skinny as a preteen and also the fat kid when I was a teenager and didn't have much muscle to show for.

            To most who have rarely if ever trained, it feels discouraging sometimes seeing people who can do things rather easily and yet you can’t even fathom being able to do them. The thing to do is to create building blocks. Learn to find an exercise or fitness program that you can do that gets you on the path to becoming fit and healthy/strong. It doesn't take a genius to realize that if you’re at the starting gate, you need to build yourself up and keep it consistent, challenge yourself every so often to keep things interesting and fresh. Starting out isn't always fun but that shouldn't stop you from becoming one mighty human being.

            One of the first things I learned after I learned how to walk again when I began my own rehab was start little. There was no way in hell I could do 100 Push-ups or 100 Squats and hold a bridge to save my life at first. I had to build up and work brick by brick. It’s like building a house, you start with little things that lay the foundation and you progress to heavier things and put them in certain places that keep the house up an held; same thing with exercise, you do little things that turn into big gains later on.

            People in the fitness world tell you, you should be able to do this or that exercise by this time and if you haven’t then you’re not doing it right. Go at your own pace, your body isn't meant for someone else’s pace and the timing you do is what incorporates your body and mind to do. Progression is another look at starting with the little things and work up to the bigger ones later. I would've never thought I’d be able to do Handstand Push-ups at my size (I was 230 lbs. when I started) so to build up I had to learn how to hold a Handstand, then dip down a bit for an isometric hold, then do quarter reps, then half reps, be fore I knew it I was doing more 20 reps touching my head to the floor and back up with locked arms. It took me nearly 5 weeks to do that, but I went at my own pace. This is just an example of what you can do in other exercises and/or programs. Build up and have fun with it, we all started somewhere but it’s up to us how far we want to go.

Tips For Boosting Testosterone Without Steroids

          Many athletes today use those dumb and overwhelming dangerous steroid methods to boost their career stats, recover quicker, heal faster yet it’s slowly killing them. This isn't just for athletes but with men and women, who want to look better, feel like their invincible and will help them get noticed quicker because of its “anti-aging” affects. Why rely on something that is dangerous to your health when there are ways to boost yourself naturally and more safely.

            Your Willpower is like a steroid if you learned how to use it right, when you put your internal strength at a level that gives you that boost of adrenaline, fire and the desire to create instant magic. Imagine being able to create thoughts and make them into actions that can help you be successful in just about every endeavor you desire. As an athlete, you want to boost better running, jump higher, recover quicker, hit more homeruns, score more touchdowns and even win a medal at the Olympics. In fitness, being strong and fit is a major desire for just about everyone but some prefer one over the other. To be strong and fit, you think into what you want, use what’s called Theater Of The Mind to picture yourself as if you were watching your own movie, a movie that has a story to tell, that breaks into the very core of what you want to achieve. If you learn it right for you, you can create just about anything you want.

            One of the key ingredients to successful testosterone boosting is using the strength and power of your legs. Your legs are the very foundation for a youthful body that strives to become not only fit, but crazy strong. When I talk about leg training, I’m not referring to jumping up and down on a Taebo or a P90X video; I’m referring to building strong and powerful legs through basic elements that give you strength, stamina and flexibility. Squats are incredible and with certain ones especially that fit to your interests and your structure, you can boost levels of natural growth hormone you never expected to get.

            For men, picture having strong and mighty legs that can go distances, have strong tendons that can carry over to lifting and/or carrying heavy objects, climbing with ease and have endurance like crazy, for women, picture having sexy and head turning legs that are lithe, beautiful and strong that can make you outrun most men if you’re in danger, having great flexibility that even gymnasts would be impressed by. It’s all within your reach if you want it bad enough, to develop that mind/muscle connection internally without ever needing something dangerous can kill you more than help you in the long-run (pun intended).

            For some, people use cardio to get fit, others use high intensity training. I feel both are essential but yet the shorter the better. They each have pros and cons but each one has more to offer than you realized. I’m not talking about walking on a treadmill or running 10 miles a day, what I want you to know is that cardio can mean different things for example, if you’re doing circuit training for say like 30 min. and it keeps your heart rate at your peak levels, that’s cardio.

            High Intensity Training is a bit different, your workouts are shorter and you bring more of the muscle fibers into play that normally won’t work in the cardio sense. An example of this would be Sprints, you run at a high speed for a certain short period of time say like for no more than 30 seconds. You won’t be running at full 100% of your speed because that can last only for a couple seconds because everything that is fired in won’t have that long to tangle with. Doing sprints at 4-10 sets is great and you don’t need to do them everyday, no more than 2-3 times a week and this alone can burn fat faster, boost metabolism, raise your growth hormone up to 10 times more than the latest steroid injection or pill.

            My last tip for now is the use of Cold Showers. This method has been used for countless centuries and for good reason. You see, hot water back in the old days was more of a luxury than anything else because unless you found a place that has hot water like in the springs or something, you would most likely have used cold water. Let me rephrase the first thing here sorry, I meant to say Cold Water Therapy. Cold Showers is more or less than a couple hundred years but Cold Water like Ice Baths or being under a waterfall or jumping in a cold lake/ocean is more likely to happen. This method helps your body in more ways you can imagine.

            It sucks jumping into cold water or has it poured on you but it builds mental strength just as much as it could help you in a physical sense. When you’re cold water, your body heat shifts into overdrive and unlike hot water which hits the skin more, cold water hits the skin but your body heat shifts more to the organs to keep you warm. When you feel like you’re having a heart attack and you’re breathing heavy, that’s what the heart and lungs are doing to keep you warm. When this breathing happens, it feels like you’re going through hell and like a workout it puts you into another state of mind. Deep breathing in Cold Water brings a whole new way of thinking into your body, letting it work for you and feeling like you can take on the world. Cold Water can help you burn fat; lose weight, build definition in the muscles because of the involuntary muscle contraction and it teaches you to build your body internally. It’s very relaxing afterwards and it gives you a sense of clarity and peacefulness, also it wakes your ass up quicker than a slap in the face.

            Treasure these tips, not many want to reveal these to you because they feel if they keep it to themselves they’ll feel like they’re better than you and you’re inferior to them. I don’t want to do that to you, I want to help you and give you ways to help yourself and build strength in as many ways as possible naturally and without doing anything dangerous or put you in a state of fear. Be smart but also be tough and have fun.

Mixing Muscle Control Into Your Workouts

            The Art of Muscle Control was a staple for many of the old time physical culturists such as Otto Arco, Maxick, Sandow, John Grimek, Saxon and also the mighty George Hackenshmidt. When you think into the muscles and learning your own physiology, you’re finding out how your own body works in ways no one else can. In your workouts where you’re lifting maybe heavy weights, pull-ups, kettlebell snatches and/or working with Sledgehammer; mixing in Muscle Control can give you that extra edge in the flow of blood moving into the muscles and keeping them fresh and going just a tad longer.

            I've been experimenting with this lately because I want to find out how I can last a little bit longer or flow better in my workouts so after I do a set of an exercise say swinging the mace 100 times; I would superset it with a muscle control exercise. There are many ways to do Muscle Control but my style isn't just flexing and relaxing it’s moving through an entire range of motion, this style is called FMT a.k.a Focused Muscular Tension kind of the Charles Atlas Tension exercises. There are a series of exercises in FMT and all of them require a focus on the muscles being worked so not only am I building certain muscular power in my training but also keeping my mind focused and breathing deeply so that when “Resting” I’m really adding more flow to my muscles by giving them oxygenated blood. This is one way to look at building your Chi or life-force in your body so you can keep your body going more smoothly, more focused and not just resting the muscles.

            Deep Breathing is a key factor in any exercise because it can make a huge difference in how weak or strong you are. Correct Breathing with natural flow of your body’s movements creates a much more complete image on how you build muscle, utilizing the stabilizers and where you’re focused in. If you plan on doing this, experiment with your own style of muscle control, mix things up to get a feel for what has you flowing and keeping that “Strength/Endurance” factor that helps you down the road to burning fat, building natural and functional muscle and tendon strength.

            When I say mix up I mean keep doing what you've always planned on training but after each set do a Muscle Control Exercise and mix those up and try different ones. This is after you've mastered the Muscle Control Exercises in and of themselves because if you haven’t you’re not going to find that same effect that controls the flow of your muscles and the blood you want flowing. At first these exercises may be a bit unusual and feel a bit weird but keep practicing, find the ones that keep you interested and fresh.

            This is the beautiful part of Physical Culture where you learn how to listen to your body and find different exercises that build a puzzle of how you want to build your body without the need of those crappy supplements and steroids that eventually destroy your body more than give you that life-long process of health, super strength and crazy vitality. Be bold, be different, utilize what works best and throw out what doesn’t. It makes life interesting, more open and more beautiful. Take it in and experiment with it.

Superhuman Fitness

            Training has a meaning for different people and most of the time; they never take action to drive for what they really want. They want results fast but never put in the effort to put in the work it takes to get fit and strong. Some use aerobics as a workout and if that’s what they like more power to them but that’s not the kind of fitness I’m talking about. Others have used Crossfit to get in awesome shape; I’m all for pushing yourself but again not the kind of fitness I’m talking about. So what kind of fitness am I talking about?

            Taking fitness to a superhuman level requires not just effort but the will to progress by mastery. When you go to the gym, how many people do you see going from exercise to exercise like it’s a supermarket? They pick exercises and throw them in without looking at the big picture. Like a grocery list, you want to get what’s on it and not subject yourself to getting more than you have to. Take that concept and put it into training. Find the exercises you want to master. The fewer you want to master the better because it teaches you how to focus on what you’re doing and progress to a higher level of the exercise whether it’s more sets/reps, a more advanced version, changing the speed and tempo whatever. Mastery is a key to reaching superhuman potential.

            The biggest key is your imagination. Without it, you’ll just strolling along, not making any real progress, you might get some results but no where near the results you’re looking for. When you’re training, think into your exercises, picture yourself in a certain situation. Lifting Odd Objects like a keg or log for example; picture as if you’re in a place where it’s crucial for those things to be lifted. You’re in a big warehouse and those kegs of beer or whatever you see in them need to be carried onto a truck and sent out, time is of the essence and if you don’t make your quota you’re going to lose your job. Random I know but if it’s your job to make a certain quota wouldn't you want to keep it?

            You can use your imagination for anything you wish. Got a Sledgehammer and a tire, picture yourself in the woods, chopping down some lumber to take home and either built your home or bring in firewood to help keep you and your family warm so they don’t freeze to death. Each time you hit that tire, there’s more wood to put on the fire place, more wood to build something. Like Isometrics, push against the wall and picture yourself as if you’re in ancient Egypt and you’re moving blocks of heavy stone to help build the pyramids, or picture yourself in a secret chamber where gravity really takes you down (for you Dragonball Z fans) and the only way to stay up and move is by Muscle Control that gives you the strength to do any exercise you wish. 

            These are just examples but whatever you’d like to come up with be sure to focus and never let go of it. It’s like being able to fly like Peter Pan; sprinkle some pixie dust and think happy thoughts so in real life it be your feeling and energy as your pixie dust and your imagination is your happy thoughts, bring them together and magic happens.

            A food for thought if you want to become superhuman is to be challenge yourself at the right time and know when to back off but never being satisfied. When will you know to challenge yourself? It’ll come when you feel the need for a challenge, push yourself a little harder, do a few extra sets and reps, and test a new variation whatever it might be but sooner or later it’ll happen. Stepping back after a challenge doesn't mean you’re giving up, it means you want to get better and you need to rest up but again it doesn't mean you’re done. 

         Progress your way up, take a step back if you need to and challenge yourself often. A Superhuman doesn't prance around like a pretty boy, he challenges himself, he rises above those who don’t have the drive but also help those find that drive and show them how they can rise themselves. Want to be Superhuman; you have the power to be. It’s within you.

Muscle Control Journey

      Well where do I start? First to introduce myself I am Lewis Lindsey Jr. Well from the time I was young I had always admired the strength in others be it physical or mental. Throughout my life me along with my brother Jarell have always seen examples of both from different folks. One of the main ones my father Lewis Sr who was 5’6 and served in Vietnam had always shown signs of strength. 

     Lifting up my  mom who at the time was heavier and on top of that losing her ability to walk due to MS he was holding a dead weight but he made it look easy. In terms of their mental strength my father held on strong throughout the years even after having his Strokes and Heart Attacks he still maintained his sense of humor and will power until the end of his life in 2005. I remember this story my mom use to tell me at the time. She would talk about this story all the time where the ambulance was trying to pick up my mom who at this point is losing her ability to walk so their lifting dead weight.  

     My father wasn't a big guy by looks but while these pretty big guys were struggling to lift my mom up together he was able to do it singlehandedly.  I can believe that as I've seen him on the regular do things like this and that became my motivation to want to be able to gain that strength mentally and physically. So by the age of 10 I was already lifting my mom up who at the time was dead weight and around the high 200 range. My brother in law was also another man of great strength doing many feats of strength himself both in the mental and physical department. So I had those influences early in life. I also without realizing it was introduced to isometrics by my brother in law as he would have me sometimes do wall sits and push up holds then but years later when I would see my younger brother again I would be reintroduced to it like he was.  

    I would look up the likes of Bruce Lee one of my favorite fighters and philosophers and saw how he also incorporated isometrics in his daily routine from reading his books. My Jarell also shared with me 7 Seconds to a Perfect Body by Paul O Brien(now legally Batman O Brien) and got more into isometrics. I was definitely seeing that I was getting stronger but didn't have control of the strength which was pretty scary for people(laughing) so I had to first learn to control it. So then one day with my brother I learned about Maxick and Muscle Control. I learned the need to control my muscle well my body through the mind and I learned to not so much tense the muscles but rather to relax them.  

   I believe I started muscle control since April to now July 28, 2013. My muscles feel less tense and more rubbery and I notice I have a little more control of my muscles and though I haven’t yet gotten complete control I can see I’m on the pathway there and I look forward to continuing this journey and want to share that with others would want to get into Isometrics and Muscle Control. I have great respect for the likes of Benjamin Bergman, Batman O Brien and other modern strongmen who continue to keep this legendary culture alive and being willing to teach others. I can say my journey isn’t over and I only have more to grow and I indeed will.  

Hints Of Conditioning From The 60 Min. Men

           Back in the old days of Professional Wrestling, if you were the world champ and you had a main event, it was common for wrestlers to go for an hour or more draw. Now just being physically gifted is one thing, you also needed the mentality because wrestling for that long would give the average person a stroke if not kill them. Men like Lou Thesz, Vern Gagne, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Jerry Brisco, Harley Race & the Funks all at certain times in their careers had what was the called The One Hour Broadways where commonly if there was running feud, they’d have matches that went to an hour draw or drew from 2/3 falls. Ric Flair was considered the 60 min. man because he constantly went that amount of time with whomever he wrestled when he was the main guy.

            Granted, this was around the early TV era to about the late 80’s, nowadays, hour long matches are rarely seen, mostly in the indies or every now and then Ring Of Honor but long before the TV era, matches sometimes lasted more than 2 hours. One match where Ed “Strangler” Lewis and I believe Joe Stecher went at it for more than 5 hours. I couldn't sit through a match like that and I’m big on technical/scientific wrestling. To be prepared for a match of an hour or more is insane, the conditioning is beyond its peak and you’re mental capacity is taken to the limit.

            To even get to that point, your training has to be at the top of your priority, even back when wrestlers fought for real and entertainment wasn't a factor yet except in the carnies you had to be in the best shape of your life otherwise you’re out of a job or if you couldn't handle it, your pay was cut short. One of the best in the game who didn't have the charisma but the physical and mental attributes to be tireless was the late Karl Gotch. He emphasized the importance of training your musculature from every possible angle to get the best benefit for a match or to stay in peak physical condition. Squats, Push-ups, Bridging are key ingredients but keep in mind the supplemental exercises that become a factor.

            One of my favorite forms of conditioning is training like an animal in the jungle where you learn to move in awkward positions, think about it in wrestling (not WWE crap), you’re going to be in a position that isn’t always natural and might need to get out of a hold or keep your opponent at bay. Training with basic elements using multiple muscle groups keeps you in shape for the long haul. Barbell & Dumbbell Exercises are great for moving weight but they don’t have that same awkward positioning you have to make say like from lifting Odd Objects or moving with weight on your back.

            In India where wrestling was the sport of all sports, athletes worked in many different aspects and most likely Physical Culture developed. They used exercises in a more circular fashion (Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups, Clubs & Mace) so they can get great benefit for when they did Jor (aka Wrestling). Their matches in tournaments would commonly last an hour or more and the better man was usually the one in more condition and would end up beating the opponent by a throw or a pin or even took him by surprise when the other man was exhausted. These guys were some of the most feared in all aspects of wrestling; the most feared of them all was the great Gama to a degree that even American Champ Frank Gotch wouldn't want anything to do with him. Gama’s conditioning is the stuff of legends and although most of his matches rarely lasted more then a few minutes, he most likely could go easily in an hour or longer bout if he wanted to, he was that well conditioned.

            You don’t have to be a wrestler to understand conditioning but it wouldn't hurt to learn how you can keep your endurance up in other sports say like the Ironman, Basketball, Football, Gymnastics, even Soccer & Rugby. Every sport has specific conditioning programs to them but if you want to be the very best, you have to condition more than the other guy, not to compete against him in a training session but to keep you as less tired and fatigued as possible. In the UFC, conditioning is a tool you need more than anything else. You can punch, kick, slap a hold on or takedown as many times as you can but if you can’t keep it up in the later duration of the fight, you will get your ass kicked. If you want to be in serious condition, train like you can go an hour or more without blinking an eye.

            Nobody knows conditioning more than a wrestler does. He/she has to go through training that breeds a special kind of athlete, to understand conditioning to the highest level, turn to a wrestler and they’ll tell you how easy you have it made. You don’t have to be a wrestler to be in crazy condition but it’s important to learn the aspects of conditioning from a wrestler that’ll give you the competitive edge over your sport and training in general. Even if you just want to get in great shape and high levels of energy, a wrestler can give you the best tips.

            If you know the fictional legend of Tarzan, he is the embodiment of the ultimate athlete. He climbs, runs, swims, wrestles wild animals and can move through the jungle like nobody’s business. He’s one of my favorite characters and I strive to train the best I can to be like that, maybe not to the extreme like he does but to keep in awesome life-long shape. Want to know a certain way to in touch with your inner Tarzan, look to Erwan Le Corre, the founder of the Physical Education system MovNat that teaches you to unleash your inner spirit for natural movement like when you were a kid. Keep in condition, stay healthy and have a kick ass time doing it.

Having Fun With Your Brothers/Sisters In Physical Culture

            

           When you’re apart of a group that has great admiration for fitness and willing to help you in any way possible, they become more like a family sort of speaks. It’s that camaraderie that just has that special bond that you don’t get from other people in your life. It’s when some of us get together and you never know what’s going to happen. One of my best friends in this type of world is Logan Christopher and he’s one of the first guys that helped me shape up what I’ am today. Whenever I hang out with him, he always ends up putting me in some weird workout situation, one time he pretty much threw me into a kettlebell contest, he even got me on the rock climbing walls after kicking my ass in warm ups, even pushed me to get better at bridging. It’s all about making someone better and the right people will talk to you.

            Helping each other out is one of the coolest things in the world. Sometimes we struggle to make a goal or at times you doubt yourself, that’s when they give you that big slap in the face (figuratively and literally at times) to wake your ass up and make things happen. I had one of those experiences when I spent time with Bud Jeffries when he came around my town in Idaho. He helped me out by putting things in another perspective and from his knowledge and wisdom I learned a lot from him in a very short period of time. When you have someone or some people like that, it’s very rare to find and it be wise to be around those types of people. Even when they might try to hook you up with a couple girls at Wal-Mart (thanks Bud).

            There are people in your life that want to bring you down but they do what they can to hide about it and some are right in your face. When those people don’t believe in you, there will be people that will and they’ll go out of their way at times to tell you so and show you why they do. Being around positive people that share similar goals and want to help you in any way they can, those are the people you want in your life. There are plenty of men and women I've met and even more that I've chatted with more than being in person with but the principles are still the same. I love helping others because I had the opportunity to be helped out by those same people and want to pass that on. Doesn't matter what color your skin is, your background, religion, creed, passion you’re another human being like me who’s doing their best to make it in this world.

            In the world of Physical Culture, just like everybody else sometimes there’s a bit of chaos but in a good way, when you have a group of guys who train their asses off and then get together at a restaurant, its bound to get loud at times, telling stories, cracking jokes and even learn a few tips. Other times when you hang out with each other, they’ll push you like no one else will and at times there’s no remorse. You hear stories go around that are just plain strange and others are just funny as hell (Bud told me a story about Dennis Rogers that just made crack up). Even with all that shit going on, you’ll know when they have your back and give you that love and respect for one another even when one of them is a bit nuts but then again we’re all nuts in our special way.

            You are never alone and you’ll learn sooner or later who your brothers/sisters are in this wacky world because there comes a time when everything is in its place and you share things with other people that even your own family will never understand. It goes back to that bond you don’t see much in this day and age. Find them, learn from them and help each other out because eventually, success will be well in reach and you’ll soon find out how you got there.

It’s Hard Being Alone

            Some people like to train alongside someone, others prefer training alone and some even make the choice to be alone. Why is that, is it better or is it more distracting when you have someone training with you? Certain people train alone because there’s more freedom, do what you want, unless you’re in a gym and you have that issue waiting on someone but yet when you’re really alone in your workouts, there are no distractions, you’re the king/queen of your own challenges and the only thing that stops you is you.

            Every once in a blue moon, I train with other people, very rarely these days since I’m not much of a gym guy and there’s an extreme few who actually want to put in the work instead of walking around like a zombie. Friends however can be the best thing about your training, if they have a similar enthusiasm and love for training, they’ll be there to kick your ass and push you to levels you couldn't do on your own. In my own experiences I've been around enough guys that just made me want to be better and be tougher when I do get to be on my own because I’ll be hearing them in my head.

            When you are alone, it’s tough but it makes you learn things about yourself that is different than just training with other people. You learn that you’re the only competition and there’s no one to tell you any different. Self reliance is one of the keys to finding out what you’re best at and what to do when things don’t work. You can always ask for guidance but in the end, it comes down to you and how you want to make things happen. Challenges go deeper, your thinking is different and the way you push yourself goes far beyond anything else. You’re competing with yourself and when you fail, you can’t blame anyone but yourself.

            If you truly think you’re alone when you train, in most cases you’re not. Yes you have no one physically around to get you going but remember Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio, you have that conscience within you to help guide you to whatever it is that you want to achieve. If you listen closely, it can be your best friend or your greatest enemy but if you learned to use your mind and use your imagination, you can have the greatest workout without anyone there but in your mind, someone was there all along cheering you on, telling you to keep going, driving harder and taking you on a roller coaster ride that doesn't always want to end. It’s always great when you train with friends but when you train by yourself with that little piece of imagination it can create a major impact and show you the true meaning of Training.  

Technology Has It’s Purpose To A Degree

            In the world of modern technology, it’s everywhere from computers to cell phones, satellites all over the globe, little robots that can do certain things, apps that have just about every single piece of information you can find and it’s all mostly unnecessary in the fitness world. There are ways to work around that however. There was a time when there was no internet, no cell phones, no computers to give us the slightest bit of info and the closest to entertainment you found was in a movie theater, the radio, Burlesque shows, Vaudeville and the Circus. You actually had to find a way to make life interesting whether it was working on a farm, wrestling with many sparring partners at a YMCA and sometimes the nearest town was miles away and had to ride a horse or in a carriage.

            Machines today have their reason and some of them are good to use but when it comes to exercise, most machines don’t really do anything for you because of how fixated they are. Some people can use technology to their advantage in their training; I was never fond of the treadmill but somehow certain people like them and use them in the gym or their home. To take advantage of this while being productive there has been ways of people getting fit from a treadmill while working at the same time. A great friend of mine Tyler from Garage Warrior has his laptop attached to his treadmill so while he’s doing emails and writing up articles, he can get in a brisk walk at the same time so he’s making something useful.

            To be fit in my opinion is to be as old school about it as possible with as limited machining and technology as possible. Learn to be more wild-like and open to getting strong, certain people like lat pulldowns for the back muscles but in the end if you want a great powerful back stick to basic exercises like Pull-ups, Chin-ups, Deadlifts and DB/BB Rows. When you move a barbell/dumbbell or even your own bodyweight, it’s a different feel; you’re part of a tradition in a modern era that is overrun by microwaves and technological distractions. Learn how the old-timers trained, you don’t have to be exactly like them but learn to use their example of how being fit and strong really is. Lift odd objects to find out how your muscles work in an awkward and unstable position, learn to use your body like an animal seeing how you move with constant change and direction.

            Since there are so many freaking apps for fitness there are only two or three I've ever found that is truly useful, the Tabata apps and the Deck Of Cards. Tabata training is basically an interval training system where you do 4 minutes of intense exercise with 20 sec. on and 10 sec. off ratio, this app can be great for short and timed training. I use it for animal type training. The deck of cards app is by far the very best one I have found that gives you a workout that is never the same and it’s an unlimited deck where you can do an infinite number of cards. You can pick up to 4 exercises that you can type in and you’re off and running, after you do a certain exercise on the card, press a button to go to the next one and it’ll tell you how many reps to do for that particular card, sucks it doesn't have jokers though.

            We can use technology to our advantage in the way we train but you have to be smart about it, let it work for you. Stick to the basics as best as you can and have a kick ass time with them but don’t let technology run your whole way of training, overall its best to turn off your computer, cell phone, radio and just be free to do whatever you want. It’s all about how you find things that work best for you.

To Bridge Or Not To Bridge??? That Is The Question

            Is it not wise to build a mighty neck & back? For he that is weak in the electric embodiment of one’s core shall deteriorate with fierce consequence. A neck that holds the head up high with great confidence and soaring charisma must be strong that he must practice to save his body from a hunch and painful muscle.

            Fear is a piercing for those that not practice. It is this fear that thee doesn't take one step closer to his true potential with the ability to become not just strong but agile and fearlessness that brings forth his soul’s purpose to achieve inner strength. To practice is to be within the deepest reaches of one’s heart and purpose to leap with both feet and making thyself more wanted to be strong.

            The power of one’s spine is to a soul’s strength. The strength of man’s back is a source of great admiration, the might of his bones and muscle is a leap to perhaps a superhuman entity for which very few men can accomplish. It is within man’s birthright to be strong in many facets of life and only that crossing is from being weak to being powerful.

            Is it in the interest of thee that can fall with grace? Most fear because of their lonesome, they will be hurt and not tackle that darkness. Are there not angels that are there for guidance? There are angels but there’s also a blessing of a friend that can guide you and help you fall back with confidence and inner power. To fall back, one must reach down into his very soul to build the power to take another leap into becoming a being of no fear and not dwelling on putting his body at risk, with great practice, greater energy becomes.

            One must tell thyself to make way of crossing past the darkness and kicking over to the other side with will and the ability to fight. The more practice, the less you need to fight. An agile body doesn't happen overnight just like the cities of the Roman, Greek and Persian empires of the remote past. Your body is a temple of Great Power. Not everyone can enjoy this power but for most it is within your grasp to take whole of which is yours to keep. To Bridge takes patience, with great patience comes confidence, confidence becomes power.  

Going Back To The Bridge

              Lately I've switched my training around to Bridging and Sprinting to gain some agility, speed and awareness along with burning off bodyfat which has helped a great deal in a short amount of time but the Bridging however is the toughest of them all. A bridge routine can either make you or break depending what your level is at. To understand bridging, it really goes back to Karl Gotch’s DVD Conditioning For Combat Sports where I first learned about Bridging Gymnastics from a visual stand point. The amount of Agility you gain from it is insane and being able to handle your bodyweight in a manner most are afraid of.

            The key component of Bridging whether it’s on the head or hands alone is that it stretches the body in ways not many other programs can give you. The ability to stretch the spine to give that curvature in the spine is essential to lifelong health and functional fitness. Granted it’s not for everyone especially if you've had bone spurs in the neck or have had a mess of injuries to the spine but with the right training, most people can learn how to do the bridge, if you’re brave enough you can take it to the next step and that’s falling into a bridge and progressing kicking over and back while in the position.

            One of the all-time greats in the realm of Physical Culture George F. Jowett once said “In both man and the other male beasts, the neck has always been the true indication of the quality and quantity of his concentrated nerve power. A strong healthy man always has a powerful neck, and he always will have one.” He was right because if you look at how strong a man’s neck is that is congruent with the spine, it gives a whole new meaning to the term superhuman. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if you have a flexible and strong spine, the rest of your body feeds off that power and energy.

            Our spines are like the electric cord of the human body, it sends nerves into the brain that feeds us our way of thinking and how our body is able to move. If your spine isn't strong enough it has a bigger chance of making you paralyzed everywhere. Give your spine the fuel it needs and your neck should be right along with it.

            Karl Gotch always figured Bridging is a major key to getting in serious shape and I’m not making that argument because I've done a lot of different training methods and Bridging Gymnastics always cooks me in the shortest amount of time because you’re working every single muscle in the body and you’re working your spine and neck to a degree where the stronger you get at it the stronger you’ll be overall. I always admired the way how Bridging works and it takes quite a bit of guts and some serious awareness to do some of the things Bridging Gymnastics offers.

            I've had the great opportunity to learn it from a couple guys and taught it to a few people myself plus being one of the heaviest guys to fall back into a bridge, kick over and kick back at a bodyweight of 238+ pounds. It’s exhilarating and exciting to do something most people can’t. Even if you’re a lighter person and you’re able to do it is still amazing in itself. It’s also fun as hell once you get it down and doing some crazy stunts. If you got the guts to take your training to another level, learn the kick ass ways to bridge, it is one hell of a way to get in shape and it gives you benefits you wouldn't believe.  

Expanding Knowledge & Experimentation

            The ability to learn different things that keep your mind and body flowing is a gift in itself. Learning what you want to do makes things all that much simpler even when it gets difficult sometimes. Why is it important to learn what you want to learn? Because the more you experiment and practice, the better knowledge you'll receive and having it become a second language. Billy Robinson of Catch Wrestling legends said it best “Learn how to learn.”

            What is it you want to do? Want to learn to lift weights, practice hand balancing, move like a wild animal, become a old-time strongman or yet you want to learn them all who knows but whatever you decide to do, make not only the best of it but make it your own, you can learn the basics but it’ up to you to find what you're best at and making the habit to become self-reliant in your own style of training. We all use different patterns, moves, training ideals and what can work and what can’t but yet its how you interpret the way you experimented and practiced.

            In the commercial gyms today, you see a lot of trainers who push you when you're not ready, they'll tell you to do something and if you get it wrong they'll let it slide but then they get pissed and give you a hard time when you're just learning. I'm not saying they're all like that, I know a few guys and they're good at what they do but a lot of them just don't give a damn and rather take your money then share and help you succeed in what you want to accomplish. I’d say for the most part avoid commercial trainers. A lot of those guys don’t tell you how to be successful, they tell you to work this, work that and more stuff that has nothing to do with results, just them to keep cashing the checks.

            When you have learned a few basics and have mastered them, the next step is to climb the ladder and get better at some of the harder stuff. After a while, you'd want to put them together to create your own program to suit your goals. Nobody does things the same exact way because our body to weight ratio is different and we have to work things that suit our structure. Use what you learned, from different tempos, speeds, movements and holds that work for you.

            One of the most important aspects of expanding your knowledge and experimentation in what you want to do is this, break the rules. Sure you can learn a thing or 2 but you don't have to follow every single person’s advice, if you did, you're only closing off instead of finding what works for you. When you train, make up your own rules, you already have the basics down so why not rebel and make it your own. You're the king/queen of your own program, you know what works and what doesn't  and nobody can tell you what to do. Once you have mastered what you learned from others, break away from them and become who you want to be.

            Be creative, open up your mind and make it happen for you and only you. You can pass down what you learned but don’t give away all your secrets otherwise you won’t let them discover things for themselves.

Be sure to check out Don Powers’ new book Catch Wrestling For Cops here at Strongerman. You don't have to be a cop to make it work for you.

Where Do We Go

            People tend to ask “What should I do and how do I get there?” that can be asked about anything and in the fitness world its one of those daunting questions that doesn’t have the simplest answer. You want to be fit but how do you plan on getting there, by watching a few videos or reading a book or posts by other people? The truth is, what are you looking for?

            It’s difficult to give someone a straight answer because you don't always know what their intentions are. Some just want to look good, others want to be really strong and some don't even know what the hell they want. When I was going to the gym and lifting weights, I had somewhat of an idea of what I wanted but I didn't have a whole lot of patience of how to get there so I just went through the motions, never really had a coach, just diddling notes about some exercises and half-assed a lot of a routines. Unlike today where my patience is far better, I've discovered that if you want the best, you have to put in some thinking of what you really want.

            You don't need to put in a lot of time to find what you want and where you want to go but you do however have to find out what it is you want, a healthy body, a powerful physique or just want to be in awesome shape whatever it is. Research, find courses that are suitable to your goals and use progression to build your foundation in whatever program you choose. There are a lot of quacks out there that just rather take your money than help you, others deem themselves as “experts” when half the time they have no clue what they're talking about but the ones you do find will help you reach your goals in ways you couldn’t by yourself. In the last 8 years I've gone from being in a wheelchair to being a pretty decent conditioned athlete and I still have no idea where I'm going but I'm always willing to learn which should be apart of your mindset by growing mentally. Learn from other people, study how your own body works and functions and what training ideals suit you best.

            When you discover how you understand certain aspects of training in your own way, you develop strength internally that can carry over to anything else in life. Make it a habit to learn, put in the time and effort to make your goals happen, write them down if you have to which is always a good idea. Find who you are, if something clicks for you, use it and take advantage of it because not many find their best ways to do things. Where do we go? Who knows but every one of us has a journey that must be used in our own way to find our true path in whatever we do. 

Legendary Strength's House Sale is still up for a few more days. Get your hands on some kick ass deals including a Handstand Course that's only $7. Everything is 20-80% off and this will most likely never happen again so get cracking and spread the word.

Build Shoulder & Upper Body Power & Strength With The Chest Expander

100 or more so years ago back in Europe they had a strength contest to see who can pull the strongest of cables in a variety of directions. These cables had springs that can be stretches as long as 18 inches (1ft 6inches) and whoever won the conest was considered the strongest puller in the world kind of like the World's Strongest Man contests today. This was called Strand Pulling.

In the early 20th century the old-time strongmen and bodybuilders of the time were using strand pulling to build strength and power in the shoulders, back, abs and arms. Men like Eugene Sandow, Thomas Inch, Joesph Greenstein AKA the Mighty Atom and even Former Mr. Universe Reg Park all used strand-pulling in their training and even Charles Atlas did it at one time before he made a killing in his course Dynamic Tension. What these men did was train the body from angles that weights and bodyweight exercises couldn't reach because the pulling from different angles built different strength in various muscles that can help other exercises be easier and more efficiant.

Now the springs back then had one flaw and thats they would either snap or they scratched the body and can really hurt you. Today the springs are gone and are replaced with Rubber Cables and with careful practice you won't get scratched if at all. Jon Hinds has created whats now called The Chest Expander. Its a modern day version of the stran pulling from years past.

If you want to gain an advantage in your training the chest expander will do just that, now like I said you will hit muscles from angles that weights and/or bodyweight exercises dont hit but you won't be isolating those muscles, you are still hitting major muscle groups and plus with cables unlike barbells and dumbbells you won't be using gravity to lift, the cable is going to try to bring you down  while trying to pull the cable up so you're building much more strength and need more strength to bring the cable up.

Build your upper body with strength that is just animalistic and mighty powerful. With cables they are also very reliable on being able to travel with. You can literally have a gym in your very own bag. In a hotel instead of going to the gym or just wanting to do it outside the cables are very resourceful. I myself have a few cables and I practice them when I need those extra angles to work on. Remember use caution and work with a cable thats right for you and not use one where you'll hit yourself in the face trust me I've done it too many times to tell you its not fun. Bring out that power in you and give those shoulders and your upper body the strength it needs to get through everyday life. Also I forgot to mention they will help your flexibility for certain stretches or yoga type exercises that you may practice. For me I love bridging and the gymnastic bridge (Wheel Pose) is a great one for me and cables have helped the flexibility in my shoulders to be able to hold the pose for quite a period of time, my longest was around 5 min. at one time.

Get the Chest Expander today and build strength for powerful presses, curls, cleans and some major pulling for the latissimus dorsi (upper back).

Getting Back To Nature

           The most beautiful things in life happen in Nature. We get so caught up with our lives that we forget that nature brings a real connection, wild, crazy and simplicity to what we need to have in our life. It’s the roots of the earth that give its biggest love. Now I know I sound like a Hippie but far from it, I like connecting myself to nature (mostly in training) and it feels awesome.

            Just imagine being free and open, moving however you want wherever you want. If you can find a way, you can climb, run, chase, crawl, push, pull, lift, carry things and just have a blast. Nature can be very beneficial to your health and well being but at the same time, you have to be careful with nature, it can bite you in the ass if you don’t keep yourself at bay in certain times.

            At times, Nature will prevent you from being outside so do what you can to make it count. When the time is right, get your ass out there and make the best of it because we never know how long we’ll be alive so at best, get yourself healthy and strong as best as you can with plenty of awesome food, sleep and good old fashion fun (training). Being indoors isn't all bad but its not always good either. Keep in touch with nature when you can, its all worth it once you learn find it.

            Life can get complicated sometimes but the more complicated you make it; the more it’s going to haunt you. Live, Love and Laugh. It’s that simple, live with a purpose, love those around you and the things you love doing and laugh your ass off as much as you can because life is too damn short to feel sad the majority of the time. Nature can make you feel good, be alive and more accelerating than you can ever imagine, listen to the sounds of nature, even if its on a CD and you live in a metropolis like New York, LA or Detroit for examples it still gives you that mindset of where you want to be, the real thing is the best but if you can find a way to make due, go for it.

            Being consistent is tough but it has its rewards. Keep yourself happy as you train, even in nature, you want to be happy and pushing forward with what you want to achieve. In nature, move like a wild animal, run with the wind, breathe into the wilderness and breathe deeply. Stay consistent and good things will happen, progress and bring in life to what you do. It’s all about what comes natural to you.



Be sure to check out my friend Logan's House Sale he's holding. Still have 4 days to get the best deals.

Legendary Strength Is Holding A House Sale

Hello,

My buddy Logan Christopher is holding a sale in order to generate enough money to put a down payment on a house. That’s an admirable goal in my view.

So for the next few days you can save 20-80% off of everything he has available.

Get Them Now

In addition he’s even pulled a few courses from his vault that aren’t normally available that you can get in on right now.

Plus he’s got some pretty insane package deals for those of you who want it all.

Logan’s quite a diverse creator as you’ll see on that page.

If I may make a few recommendations myself I really like...

1) Acrobatic Flexibility

2) 10 Simple Steps To Radiant Health

3) Advanced Bridging Course

Remember that this is only available for a short time so go check it out.

House Sale

Ben Bergman