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.

Karl Gotch & Conditioning

             

             It’s important to understand that if you want to the very best in your sport or in your training, you want to be in the best condition as possible. Karl Gotch put this rule to a level not many want to achieve. It doesn't matter if you’re in Wrestling, Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey or Soccer for that matter, you can have all the gnarly skills you want but if you can’t last the way you need to, you’re done. A lot of people seem to have this notion that if you just train a little and work on the skills you’ll be fine. Wrong. Conditioning and technique go together like a Horse & Carriage, one without the other is worthless.

            When it comes down to conditioning, there are many ways to do it and like everything else, it takes time and patience and building your mental strength as well. One of the things I admired about Gotch was how he can make cardio look like a firestorm with just a good old deck of cards. I’m sure he might not be the first to come up with this concept but he did make it worth it in gold. Take a deck of cards, shuffle them and get to work. This makes training a little different because it’s never the same workout twice. If you can get through the deck, you’re in pretty decent shape and if you do it twice in the same workout you’re a terror practically on the mat, floor or on the field.

            The cards have a way to test your mind power and see how far you’re willing to push yourself. Yes it takes progression to work up to a full deck but after that it’s more of a mental game than a physical. The more you generate power in your mind; the body will give in and do more. It’s the mind/muscle connection that brings together the most powerful type of training of all.

            Remember about basic exercises? This is no different and your best shot is to stick with the fundamentals as best as possible when it comes to bodyweight…Push-ups, Squats and Bridging. These three alone can be beneficial to your health and strength training because there are many variations of them, some are easy, some are harder than others but once you have them down and you can train hard on them, you have the idea of mastering your own body in a way most will never understand. Like the old man once said “Conditioning is your best hold.”

Practice Develops Knowledge & Wisdom

          We develop certain things that make us unique. Sometimes it comes naturally for us but the rest of us have to practice these things in order to be really good at them. What do you desire to do? Do you want to be a great athlete, a business man, a writer or better yet a better coach, well in order to make that desire is to practice and believe you’re practicing more than anyone else. My desire was to be strong, and a hell of a good writer. I practiced by applying the things that helped me reach my goals and not only did I get strong but I kept it consistent in various areas of my life but writing has been my love for a long time next to fitness. I was telling stories and writing about people long before I became an athlete. I learned my writing from my mom and I expanded what I learned to create my own style, I was determined to be great at it in my own right.

            To learn is to practice. It’s like if you never touched a kettlebell but wanted to be great at snatches, juggling and presses and so on but in order to do them you have to actually do them. Now there are those that say “Practice makes perfect” but what does that really imply? If you practice and its consistently terrible, does that mean you didn't practice enough, no it means you just have a consistent application at being perfectly terrible so it’s time to switch things up. There are certain things that we’re not good at and no matter how hard we try to perfect them it’s not always going to come in our favor. If we find something we love then the practice of that might be better and you’re going to get better because you’re mind is in the right place and it’s going to happen.

            Should you practice what you want to do more or less? That’s actually a tricky answer but I believe I might have an insight to how both work but one will do more than the other. Personally if you want to be the best at something you should do more of it because if you practice more and learn how it can make you better greater things will come and you developed that knowledge by understanding how it’s applied yet you also did it and have that experience. For less practice, there are those that have certain gifts and even though they practice a little, it still has that mindset that just translates to how their bodies move, the way they think and how aware they are with that natural instinct. Both have good qualities but the more you apply the more you develop and it becomes a second language to you.

            To be strong, is to simply practice. It’s not how strong you are physically or mentally, it’s the strength to apply the things you want to be really good at. Some of us can’t be huge and have a 700 lb bench press or be able to do certain feats of strength like tearing a deck of cards or bend wrenches and rip phonebooks in half, but we can get strong in areas for those who can’t because we end up practicing differently and that’s the beauty of it. Practice what you love no matter what it is and never stop learning it. Be strong at what you do and apply it the best to your abilities no one else’s. Knowledge knows and understanding, wisdom is how you apply it into action and doing it, mastery takes a lifetime but day by day practice makes it all that much sweeter. 

Wizardry By The Beach

 It’s one thing to be apart of something that sparks your interest, it’s another that when you’re interested in something and you’re near the sandy beaches of San Diego it’s a whole different ball game. Strength Training is a tough thing to do once you get a hold of it but at the same time when you’re having fun with the guys that will push you and maybe make you laugh, it’s all that much sweeter. The presenters at the Wizard Of StrengthWorkshop will blow you maybe literally out of the water down at the 619.

 Now contrary to popular belief, a heavyweight or super-heavyweight athlete is said to have not very much endurance and if he’s strong, he’s one strong S.O.B but in reality those myths are not only not true one man has both and it’s off the charts. That man is my friend Bud Jeffries. At this workshop he will teach you the much hidden secrets of how to achieve superhuman strength and endurance at the same time. I know what you’re thinking “how the hell is that possible and why should I listen to a guy who looks like he can’t even run a lap let alone a mile?” Well I thought the very same things, till I witnessed first hand what this beast of a southern man can do. His strength is well known throughout the Physical Culture world but his endurance is even more impressive as he can swing a kettlebell more than an hour at a time, do presses like nobody’s business and does it all with a smile on his face. Endurance is a key for long sessions in a workout and in life and he’ll give you a hell of a way to do both, I guarantee it.

 

 

 

 You know in the sci-fi fantasy world, there are aliens, flying ships that are the size of a major city and my personal favorite, there are the Jedi. The Jedi are a peaceful set of warriors that help bring the knowledge of the force, oh I’m sorry you already knew that forgive me but again, maybe you think it’s just make believe and no one has real knowledge of a force-like concept. Wrong again. The one man I can think of that has the ability to achieve super levels of strength and speed in the blink of an eye and can knock you on your ass from a few inches away is the man known as GarinBader. It’s not surprising you might be skeptical about a man like that, but once you learn his journey and understand what he believes works it’s pretty much listening to Obiwan Kenobi in a sense. He has made his living soaring through stages across the glob, dazzle with magic and spectacular music that will make your jaw drop but his true calling is teaching YOU how to build super strength and blazing speed within minutes.

 

 

 Physical Culturists come and go and they have their purpose and leave you with things from a different perspective but one man that has revolutionized Physical Culture in the last few years is a man I’ve known for a long time and every time he comes up with something or training something fierce with him, he just makes it all look awesome, even when he throws back his hair every and now and then and that’s The Renaissance Man Of Physical Culture Logan Christopher. His ideal for mind power and conditioning has been proven by top experts in the field of Kettlebell Training, Hypnosis, Superfoods, Hand Balancing, Bodyweight Training and Feats Of Strength. Not many guys can claim all these attributes but he has and what he offers at this workshop will make you think twice about what you’re already doing and giving you the tools to become something beyond your own capabilities.

 

 

 Being mobile is a element of training that many neglect and don’t always see it as a way to train for strength, health, flexibility and agility but yet it’s one of the top keys to achieve all these levels and more in your life not just physical training. Chuck Halbakken is the man that will teach you the insider secrets for powerful mobility and strength in the tendons and ligaments that will help achieve a level of power you have never imagined before. A former Motorcross rider and a authority in the strength feat of Card Tearing, he knows what it takes to have great mobility and flexibility to build strength even the smallest of places, he understands that even the little things make a huge impact and he will give you ways to create all of that. I have witnessed what he does and to me it’s nothing short of incredible. It’s never too late get a hold of great flexibility and movement that won’t tire you or hurt you. It’s that damn good.

 

 

 All of these presenters have a way of teaching you the very foundations of having levels of strength and power from every possible angle and they give it in ways no one can teach. No matter what you have learned, take it with power and vigor and let them help you achieve what you always wanted. Being open minded is a key to learn things from a different perspective and if you’re one of those close-minded people who think nothing of this than stop reading this right now. Use your mind like a sponge and absorb as much knowledge as possible because you never know when you’ll be able to use it and be prepared for it. These are the best in the world at what they do and it’s very unlikely you’ll see this group of guys again in the same room presenting, grab your seat and be sure to bring a friend with you, he/she’ll get a kick out of it too. You will leave that workshop a changed person and for the better.

The Forgotten Lift

Before anyone said “How much can you bench?” Before there were cardio machines reigning gymnasiums and long before the testing powers of Power lifting, there was one lift that gave you the most praises for your test of strength and that was the overhead press. This was the lift that told you how you belonged in the Physical Culture world and the two variations that became the stuff of legends were the Bent Press and the Two Hands Anyhow which means lifting 2 objects any way you can.

 In this day in age it’s very difficult to find almost anyone doing these lifts. The closest would be doing them with a kettlebell, rarely a dumbbell and almost never with a barbell. Why have these lifts fallen off the radar? Good question. Olympic Weightlifting has dominated the strength world and so has Power lifting and the Strongman competitions and have other tested feats of strength. However, these two lifts alone are one of the very pinnacles of what true lifting strength is and it’s also one of the most difficult to train. Yeah I can understand there are safety rules and injuries that can accrue but really, there are more dangerous lifts then these two bloodhounds.

 The man that not only made these two lifts famous but owns records that haven’t been broken in over 100 years was none other then quite possibly the greatest one-handed lifter of all-time Arthur Saxon. Saxon was a lifting god among the average man back in the old days of vaudeville and stage lifting. He and his brothers Kurt and Herman was the trio of strongmen acts that were unlike anything then and now. Their feats of strength were the talk of the world at that time and trained in very unusual ways. They drank beer, lifted, ate enormous amounts of food and trained day in and out for many, many years. In Germany, weight lifting and beer were the biggest draws and no one team of individuals did it better then the Saxon Brothers (aka Henning Family).

 When you talk about records you might think 762 career homeruns, 33,000+ career points in the NBA, 56 straight baseball games hitting 1 ball a game, Bret Favre’s consecutive games played in a NFL career, 100 points by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962 and even Wayne Gretzky’s most goals in a season, Saxon’s Bent Press should be right up there with them. His record of pressing 370 lbs. with one-arm stands the test of time and is a record that could never be broken. Think about that for a second, 370 lbs. with one arm. The majority of men can’t pick that much weight with two arms and yet one man defied the odds. His record of Two Hands Anyhow is 448 lbs, also an unbroken record.

 Those that have attempted to break these records have been on the receiving end of a failure. No one has come close and if it does get broken, I want to see it happen and I can probably see one guy I know do it and he’s determined to do it hell or high water in the coming years. It really is one of the ultimate challenges in the world of strength. Majority of men can lift something with two arms but to lift something with one-arm is a test of power, grit, world-class ability and the strength of a lion.

Feats Of Strength DVDs

Hello,

There’s nothing quite like the ferocious power needed for feats of strength.

You know like bending steel with your bare hands...

Like tearing a thick phonebook in half in a matter of seconds...

Making a chain explode...

Lifting a person overhead with a single finger...

Can you do these things? Do you want to?

Not only are they phenomenal methods of training to become ridiculously strong, but you can actually perform like an oldtime strongman.

There’s nothing quite like it to impress your family and friends.

Heck, you can even turn it into a career!

That’s just what Bud Jeffries has done. Along with his partner Logan Christopher they’re delivering some awesome information on everything about feats of strength.

Just click here to see this video showing many of them (some of which you’ve probably never seen nor heard of before).
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4424645

If you just want to watch the video that’s cool, but I highly suggest you sign up on that page as they’re going to share more videos with you that teach you the exact steps you need to get started.

Ben Bergman

P.S. Seriously go watch the video on this page now. If you’re not inspired to start destroying cards, nails and more then you can go back to lifting pink 3 lb. dumbbells in your workouts.
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4424645

Poker Conditioning

One of the best ways to get in super condition is not through bike riding or running for miles on end. Take out a deck of cards and draw/shuffle them 2-3 times. Now flip a card over and do a number of reps of squats or push-ups. Try finishing the entire deck with good form. At a good clip this shouldn't be more then 25-30 min. Its one of the most brutal workouts you can be put through just ask the japanese wrestlers.

 This type of training was built by one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time Karl Gotch. Nicknamed "The God Of Pro Wrestling" in Japan cause not only did he influence pro wrestling and martial arts but a real test of ones conditioning training. He put the wrestlers through workouts that would make Dan Gable think twice about. Not only can you get a hell of a workout but it makes your mind much sharper and more balance for your workout and how much you can handle.

 Try out the push-up and squat workout and after doing the entire deck try other exercises like v-ups, isometrics ect. If you want to get into super condition w/out the use of weights and find other forms of training in the deck of cards these are the way to go.

Matt Furey

Scientific Wrestling and look for Submission Master and Conditioning For Combat Sports

Yours in Power & Might

Ben