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.

Experimental Meditation

          One of the greatest minds in all of history; Albert Einstein, he had developed one of the greatest theories and a part of that discovery is through the power of meditation or what he called “Thought Experiments.” Because of this, he was able to tap into a world no one else can imagine and began to create things back then that people would consider insane, crazy and downright “not there in the head.” If Einstein were alive during the Salem Witch Trials he would've been burned at the stake I have no doubt about that.

            This isn't a new idea. Meditative practices have been going on for countless millennia and there’s always different ways to practice. In China, they mediate through Qi Gong, in Japan they call it Ki and in India they call it Prana. Many different cultures have developed ways to open the world from within. There’s never one way to meditate and great powerful minds like Einstein proved this. When you get in tuned with your mind, you open a new world you've never seen before. Sometimes it’s blurry at first because it’s hard to picture but when you are relaxed and you breathe and begin to picture what you want, you begin to see things that only you can understand when no one else does.

            In fitness, mind and body work in unison but yet most never understand this. Does a carriage need a horse to move? Does a car need gas and oil in order to run? How about your brain charging specific muscles to make a lift or any particular exercise? The mind is always first in line and the body comes second. It’s part of the definition of the Mind/Muscle Connection. If you’re looking to make a specific goal or want to lose weight, gain muscle, lift heavy weight with ease; you’ll want to think into it first and see it right in your mind’s eye. Build that power within you, feel the vibrations of those cheering around you, feel the rush of your muscles that make a lift seem like nothing, picture as if your goal is already done and the rest is helping you get there without resistance.

            You have a whole other world in your mind. For some it’s scary, freighting and you don’t always know where you are but for others, it’s beautiful, you’re happy, you have a sense of love and passion and there’s something wondrous about it that only you can see, feel, touch and smell. You can make the world the way you want it to be. Now it may not always run in your favor but in order to love the world, it’s important to love who you are and not just your physical form but your inner spirit, that child who wants to learn about everything and feel that no matter how things turn out, you have deep warmth for who you truly are.

            Meditation is a powerful practice. Picture what you want, see things happen and believe everything happens for a reason. Meditations can be through sitting, lying down, moving but you learn what works best to get you in that peaceful state, that warmth of strength and power that dwells within you. Experiment with different ways, use what comes best to you and learn the value of seeing a world that only you can see and protect it in your heart, soul and the deepest parts of your spirit.