Yoga With A Bad Ass Attitude

   

     I like certain programs that are unique and sticking to the basics, not complicated and has some great use for the imagination. One day I decided to check out what DDP Yoga was because I heard about ex-pro wrestler Diamond Dallas Page doing this Yoga gig. As a researcher and an athlete it helps to learn a thing or two from people you've actually heard of and a system that you have studied on. When I saw what it's about, I was in awe and it was refreshing. This isn't your typical studio vegan health nut Yoga, its Yoga with an attitude. I studied the exercises as I possibly can and tried a few of the workouts and it just clicked. I don't like doing other people's workouts, as you know I love creating my own workouts with various systems. This works.

 
    I already knew quite a few of the poses in the DDP Yoga system from other programs I've studied and used but he makes them a little different. He uses Muscle Control (calls it Dynamic Resistance) to turn the exercises into a cardio type workout while also building strength and flexibility. The exercises are similar but he names them very differently, mostly after certain pro wrestlers and football analogies but that's cool to me and makes the workouts interesting. He doesn't sugarcoat anything and goes right between the eyes. It's amazing how this guy expresses himself in a unique way. He won't tell you it's going to be a sweet and old fashioned workout, it's going to be tough, you'll curse and you'll be sweating your ass off; he'll actually say that. For me, it's awesome to find something that is unique and having fun with it and believe me I make my workouts as easy or as tough as hell as I want and I wouldn't want it any other way.

 
    His advanced program DDP Extreme isn't just tough, it makes elite athletes look like chumps. One of the exercises he does is push-ups but in a damn handstand non supported; the man is 6'4 around 230 lbs. That's insane and his flexibility is incredible. I've tried a few of the exercises and I was dying after a few minutes, he does this for practically a whole hour. It does look like a bit of an infomercial when you first see the promos of it and normally I wouldn't look twice at things that have to do with Infomercials but it caught my eye and I like to think he's got that bad ass physical culture side to him that is raw, uncensored and in your face and I love that. If anyone can do his Psycho Workout all the way through you have my respect.

 
    Dallas is the real deal. Most ex-wrestlers have trouble having a life after being in the spotlight, believe it or not this guy became a wrestler when most athletes are ready to retire. He just made it happen and led a new career that gave people faith that you can make a difference not just for other people but more importantly for yourself. He has helped thousands of people and even practically saved two great wrestling Icons Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) and Jake "The Snake" Roberts from their own self destructive paths. Dallas has seen it all practically in wrestling, he's won the world title 3 times, wrestled the biggest names in the wrestling business and knows the hardships of being on the road and being plagued with injuries. He made a name for himself a second time around and turned one of the oldest forms of exercise into one of the most hardcore systems around. Take a look at DDP Yoga and see for yourself how awesome it can be and that it's no longer a smooth ride to blissfulness, you earn it with sweat, tough exercises and more expressive personality.

 
Be awesome guys and Dallas, you are one incredible man and I thank you for what you have done.

There is Fitness And Than There Is DDP Yoga

           For most people Yoga is a tough, hot and just a simple style of postures ranging from easy to nearly world-class. Yoga has been around for countless ages. What most don’t know is that Yoga originally were for warriors, older folks and for wrestlers in the Middle East because the training gave them the strength, agility and flexibility to be able to handle battle and matches that can last long periods of time. For the older folks, it was a way to stay in shape as they got older and were some of the wisest people of that time. It’s kind of fitting when an ex-pro wrestler takes an ancient art and turns it into something different, a little edgy and it has a lot of benefit for any ages. It’s not the typical style(s) most people have heard of, it’s practically revolutionary.

            Back in the WCW days especially during the Monday Night Wars you had some of the best talent in the business including Hulk Hogan, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Scott Hall (Razor Ramon), Scott Steiner, Lex Luger, Sting and a man named Diamond Dallas Page. DDP was in his early 40’s and only been in the business a few years, most at that age have been in wrestling more than 15 years or more. It’s not everyday you see a guy that age and that less amount of experience (years wise) and can handle his own not just physically but to control the crowd and get them psyched for his signature move; The Diamond Cutter. After the MNWs have ended, DDP signed with WWE and had a great build up to face the Undertaker. They had some good matches but Dallas was just plagued with injuries as most wrestlers do so he ended up retiring.

            After a number of years trying to get over the injuries, he gave Yoga a shot and this made his comeback in a whole other realm. He created something different out of it and made it in his own way and it worked. He bring a whole new meaning to the term Awesome Training. I’ve done some Yoga in the past doing various holds and postures from books and DVDs that had similar styles just a different format but DDP Yoga is just great in the sense where I know what it’s like to make things unique and different and I love doing Muscle Control and he adds that element in his program, he calls it Dynamic Resistance.

            The one thing I always look for is how fun a program can be and mixed in with what I already am doing or can supplement with. DDP Yoga is fun to do and I find it fascinating about Dallas’ passion and his eagerness to bring power and awesome charisma to his style of training. I’m not big on fads or who is the best guru or any of that crap but I admire what DDP has done and the exercises he shows are pretty cool and it’s something I would continue to learn.

            For the most part if you know what I represent and have read countless times; I don’t really follow programs to the letter and for good reason. I take and learn exercises that interest me and mold them into my own unique style and change it up often because I do get bored and want to have a change of pace. I don’t like following other peoples workouts because it makes me feel that if I did, I won’t have the creativity I so crave and practice. So no offense to DDP or any of the badass men and women I’ve learned from but don’t expect me to actually go through the pre-set workouts. I practice creating my own style and molding exercises I’ve learned.

            DDP Yoga can easily be put into other styles. Some people like just doing a person’s program and that’s awesome, just not for me. He is a one of a kind athlete, passionate and love for what he does and I admire guys like him and hope one day get a chance to speak with him either on the phone or in person.

Be awesome guys and have a great start to the week.

My Theory On Pro Wrestlers Training

  

>>>>>Don't Believe It All<<<<<

            I've always advocated since I was 20 years old to not believe everything that is said in the muscle magazines especially with a celebrity on the cover. I've never done pro wrestling or even trained to become one but I have put in a lot of study, trained in the old-time strongman game and looked into a lot of athletes and the way they trained so that’s why it’s a theory. Don’t believe all the training you read about a wrestler in a magazine because you may not realize that it’s not all there.

            For the most part when you read about a wrestler’s routine in the magazines or on the net or whatever, you've got to look at another angle from what you're reading or listening to. For the most part I’m not doubting those guys bust their ass day in and out but they're not telling you the whole story. When you read a routine you automatically think that’s exactly what they do, not all true. Think about it, for a full-time wrestler, they travel up to 300 days out of the year at best, they get if they’re lucky a good hour or so of training at the gym or so and eat, than get to the arena for the night’s show to cut promos, tapings and do a 10-30 min. match. There’s no way in hell they can train that hard nearly every day or up to 4 times a week and not be completely exhausted. Most of those guys train pretty simple while on the road and I’ll talk about that in just a bit.

            Back in the old days when the bodybuilding craze was just for those who were actually into it, athletes who traveled a lot like wrestlers did, gyms weren't that popular, you'd be lucky to find one in a few cities in the entire state. Most of those guys relied on what they can find useful but for the most part did bodyweight training and wrestled. Let me give you an example: Lou Thesz, one of the all-time greats who can go an hour with just about anyone who can keep up with him, he probably lifted a few weights here and there but mostly Push-ups, Bridging and Wrestling were his mainstays on the road. Ric Flair; 16-time world champ and the king of hour long broadways, carried a deck of cards with him and at the studios where promos and most of the matches occurred, he would put himself through Push-ups, Sit-ups & Squats, if he happened to find a gym on the road he used it to the best he could. Karl Gotch did practically nothing but Bodyweight exercises on the road and it kept him in phenomenal shape.

            Superstar Billy Graham was practically the first wrestler who took the bodybuilding look and made it the focal point of today’s wrestlers such as John Cena, Batista, Triple H, Scott Steiner and others. When you train like that plus are on the road for practically a full year with only 7-10 days being at home, it puts a whole new level of perspective and how really all that contributes to the way they eat, rested and what have you. Simplistic Training for a Pro Wrestler is doing enough exercise for both strength and endurance that are at a very different level than most athletes and using compound and full body exercises.

            Today, gyms are practically in every damn city in the entire country and provide training for every type of sport or athletic endeavor there is. Most wrestlers today can go to a gym for a little while before heading to a show and be ready for the night’s matches and promo cuts. I'm not putting these guys down because they’re awesome of what they're capable of and plenty of them are in pretty damn good shape but they don’t share their true training ideals because a lot of the public really only looks at the hardcore stuff they do in the gym and think that they have a lot of time in there to stay fit and read about the routines in the magazines or what they might say on WWE’s Websites but the reality is, they do train their ass off but not as extreme as some might put on paper or an online interview.

            Take away the drugs, pills, injuries or whatever those guys endure and take and you have an athlete that trains by a necessity and has to be efficient in their training to stick to be able to matches that can go as long as an hour and many of them can’t unless you're a Antonio Ceasaro or a Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and guys of that caliber. They really do in my opinion do pretty simple exercises but I'm not doubting they do the isolated crap either yet in the end, they can't afford to spend 3 hours at the gym and muster up enough muscle and all that to go into a match or cut many promos in a single and not feel like collapsing. They train when they need to, to be in top shape and keep their build as long as possible.

            So the next time you want to be inspired by a pro wrestler and want to train and be like them, be a little more realistic, use common sense and think about what could be going on with them if they actually 100% trained like they write about in those magazines because you'd be surprised what they go through if it was remotely true. Although I stopped watching Wrestling on TV, I still have DVDs that have wrestlers talk about the real side of how they trained, got into the business and what they put themselves through on the road for that long period of time. I admire some of these guys but I love realistic, no bullshit and fun old school training for any sport or just being in awesome shape as well.