Isometric Experimentation

 I like coming up with stuff to train differently or put them in a different perspective. That's the beauty of fitness, you learn various things and experiment while setting goals and getting the most out of what's possible. In this case of experimentation, I've been working on a Isometric Style program that blends TUT (Time Under Tension) and 7-12 Second Intense Contractions with the 1 Minute Push-Up.

Have done a few so far and it really has me going through a routine that switches up some muscle groups and working the Core & Legs consistently. I'd start it by doing the 1 Minute Push-up (On my fists) for 30 Seconds at the top, 30 seconds at mid point (doing my best to not have the chest touch the floor) and then go into a 7-12 second intense isometric exercise in three positions (Like the Curl or Deadlift for example), rest a bit, do another 1 minute push-up, another Iso exercise and so on until I've completed whatever exercises and the push-up. I'll do up to say 5 1 minute push-ups and many 7-12 second contraction exercises at 70-85% max. Here's a sample workout I've done....

1 Minute Push-up

Wall Sit (Feet Flat. Heels Up, Toes Up)

1 Minute Push-Up

Core (Hollow Body, Dead Bug, Arch Body, Side Bends (Feet Wide, Feet Shoulder Width, Feet Together))

1 Minute Push-Up

Overhead Press

1 Minute Push-Up

Curl

1 Minute Push-Up

Total: 5 1 Minute Push-Ups & 15 7-12 Second Contractions

This is a hell of a workout and gives off some crazy vibes at the end. Not easy by any stretch and it adds an element to ancient techniques mixed with modern strength training. 

Last night, I tried another experiment where I did a Superset of the 1 Minute Push-Up and a 1 Minute Wall Sit. Did 3x with little to no rest. This is a different look at keeping TUT instead of just doing reps of squats and push-ups. Nothing wrong with doing them dynamically, those are essential but this builds a different level of strength and conditioning. This is more in tuned for joint health and working the little muscles, toughening up the tendons and lessening the chances of having knee pain, elbow and shoulder issues. As a Superset, it becomes a battle of the lactic acid that builds up as you do more sets. I only did 3 but I plan on doing more and seeing what's possible. If rest is needed at first, do so but the objective is to test your mental fortitude and physical endurance. These can also harden the muscles to where they'll feel like solid oak lol. Shaolin Monks would do something similar but they would go for long ass periods of time and they're pound for pound strong motherfuckers. 

This is where Isometrics becomes something that is needed in the realm of health and fitness, it's not always about ego and seeing if you're better than anyone else, it's about what you can do that becomes better and better as time goes on. You can go long, you can shorten it to a micro workout, whatever you want to do but remember to find what works best for you. Isometrics have been getting a bit more traction as of late because of studies being done but it's still a very underrated style of training because it's not shiny or always some exciting blend of crazy moves that seem almost acrobatic or speeded up; it's tough, hard yet so simple, can seem boring cause you're just holding positions but in the end, some of the strongest and athletic people on the planet do Isometric Training. From Dan Gable to the Great Gama, Baseball Legends like Mickey Mantle & Hank Aaron did them, fighters such as high ranking Boxers and BJJ Legend Royce Gracie did them, they're part of a puzzle that we don't normally see under the surface.

Isometric Training has benefits that can be not only Game-Changing but Life Changing As well. What would it be like to go through your golden years with little to no pain in your joints, your muscles are as strong as ever and you can still do things with the grandkids, be active without being hurt, get up off the floor without being in agony and even feel like you're light on your feet. That's the true goal in life, to have strength that lasts, powerful ligaments that lessen the chance of hip/shoulder/knee replacements and have the stamina to keep up with the little ones. See what I'm saying? Give them a go. Books & Courses such as Overcoming Isometrics cand give you plenty to keep you on your toes and be able to Strength Train without wrecking yourself. 

Be amazingly awesome and stay strong.  

Diamonds Are Forever And So Is.....

 Egon Spengler? We know who is forever and miraculously still alive (Got to hand it to you naitch). Anyhow...Yesterday was a pretty good day, worked on my neck, got a few joints loosened up and got in some Isometrics to target a few things. Not too shabby.

In the midst of it all, thought I'd film an exercise I haven't done in a while, did a couple takes since the first video looked like you can't see my hands so you wouldn't know what the fuck I was doing. The second worked out well and was the finishing touch. I figured I'd get in some Diamond Push-Ups which are pretty gnarly. They're great for building strength in the Triceps and hitting that inner part of the chest but the true nature of it is being able to control the movement with little to no jerking at all, some might get away with it but when you really focus into it, touch your chest to your hands and back up, it's an awesome feeling. 

Push-ups have their place, hell I've done enough of the PUGS that I can attest to this. Doing multiple variations can have a great impact on how you develop. I may not do 100's upon 100's in a workout as much as I did back in the day, hell within a 90 minute period I did 600 doing different types and playing off a ladder format for each exercise going up to like 12-15 (1, 2, 3 and so on) and then go back down. Think one of the last times I did hundreds of them was doing 300 Military Style. That was interesting but been a minute since then.

Personally these days, I'll do them for fun and have thought about getting back into them but at the moment, I'm having a kick ass time with the bands, the hammers, isos and as recently, the slam ball (holy shit that fucking ball). When it comes to push-ups, I like doing Burpees doing the 30 sec on/90 sec off workouts which I hit about 9 or so per round. Awesome workout and a hell of a metabolism booster. 

Training is an adventure, don't let anybody tell you different, its hard at times and it can test your abilities, but don't ever make it feel boring or a chore, sure you may need to push yourself to do it when you don't always want to but that's the beauty about adapting and making the most of it in the moment. It's not always going to be fun nor is it always going to flow right but you do what you can and get at it. Be amazingly awesome and remember, diamonds can be a man's best friend too LOL.  

Building Strength and Character with Herschel Walker's Basic Training

As someone who's passionate about strength training and self-improvement, I always try to find and work on various things. Let's take a look at Herschel Walker's book Basic Training, Walker, a legendary NFL running back and Heisman Trophy winner, shares his insights on building physical and mental toughness through a rigorous training program.

The book is a no bullshit guide to getting in the best shape possible and developing a strong mindset that carries over to other aspects of life. The man draws from his own experiences in the NFL and being an entrepreneur to provide solid advice on how to push yourself to new heights and limits. He emphasizes the importance of discipline, hard work, and resilience in overcoming obstacles and achieving great success.

One of the key takeaways from the book is the importance of setting clear goals and creating a plan to achieve them. Walker stresses that having a clear vision of what you want to accomplish is crucial to making progress and staying motivated. He also provides tips on how to develop a strong work ethic and overcome self-doubt, which is essential for anyone looking to improve their physical and mental performance. Keeping that eye on the prize bro.

The training program outlined in the book is one of the most intense and challenging systems around, with a focus on building strength, endurance, and agility. It provides detailed workouts and training ideas that can be tailored to many individuals needs and goals. What I like about his approach is that it's not just about physical training, but also about building character.

(Some Key Takeaways)

- Set clear goals and create a plan to achieve them

- Develop a strong work ethic and overcome self-doubt

- Focus on building physical and mental toughness

- Create a training program that challenges you and helps you progress

Who is this book for?

Basic Training is for anyone looking to improve their physical and mental performance. Whether you're an athlete, entrepreneur, or simply someone looking to get in shape, this book provides incredibly valuable insights and practical notes on how to achieve your goals.

Herschel Walker's Basic Training is a must-read for anyone looking to build strength, character, and mental toughness. The book is an awesome and comprehensive guide to getting in bad ass shape and developing a strong mind, with practical & important advice and training routines that can be tailored to various people. If you're looking to take your training to another level and develop a stronger, more resilient mindset, Basic Training is definitely worth checking out.

Although it's based on principles of calisthenics and sprint style training, you can still get insane results. This system had made him one of the most conditioned players of his generation if not of all time. A rare find nowadays but it's worth the price. Be amazingly awesome. 

Strength Built On Spikes

The Epic Power of Neuro-Grip Pushup Handles (Power T Push-Up Spikes)

In the realm of bodyweight training, where bad asses forge strength from simplicity, a device that lurked in the shadows and became a tool of Strength Enthusiasts has emerged: the Neuro-Grip Pushup Handles. These unassuming tools, crafted from aeronautics-grade aluminum, are not just equipment—they’re a challenge, a gauntlet thrown at the feet of anyone daring to push their limits. Championed by strongman and Neuro-Mass author Jon Bruney, Neuro-Grips are designed to transform the humble pushup into a crucible of strength, balance, and mental fortitude. The man that invented the tool was Gary Bowes, a Fireman by trade.

The Mythic Origin of Neuro-Grips

Picture a world where pushups, though mighty, have become the norm. The floor is familiar, the movement mastered. Enter Jon Bruney, a titan of strength, who envisioned a tool to shatter complacency. The Neuro-Grip Pushup Handles, introduced by Dragon Door, are no ordinary pushup bars. These solid, one-piece grips, with their anodized finish, are as unforgiving as they are elegant. They’re not here to coddle you—they’re here to test you, to demand precision, and to forge a vice-like grip, a core of steel, and forearms that could crush stone. As for Gary, who created the original design, wanted to take bodyweight training into another realm of strength using a basic element and turning it into a weapon of power that made the tendons and ligaments like steel and the muscles hardened like an iron shield.

Bruney’s philosophy, rooted in his Neuro-Sets—combinations of grinds, isometrics, and explosives—infuses these handles with purpose. They’re not just about doing pushups; they’re about doing them with such intensity that your entire system enters neural overdrive, unlocking strength you didn’t know you possessed. Trust me, just doing a few of these is no easy task, if it was, this tool wouldn't be legendary. See for yourself here.

Why Neuro-Grips Are the Ultimate Challenge

Unlike traditional pushup bars, Neuro-Grips are a beast of their own. Here’s why they stand alone in the pantheon of fitness tools:

Unrelenting Instability: Neuro-Grips are designed to be unforgiving. Their T-shaped design forces you to master balance, engaging your forearms, shoulders, and core in ways a flat floor never could. One wrong move, and you’re kissing the ground (And not like Katy Perry coming back from Space). This instability isn’t a flaw—it’s the point. It demands focus, turning every rep into a battle of mind and muscle.

Extended Range of Motion (ROM): With Neuro-Grips, you can lower your chest below the level of your hands, amplifying the stretch and contraction of your pecs, triceps, and deltoids. This increased ROM makes every pushup more intense, recruiting more muscle fibers and sparking greater gains.

Core and Grip Annihilation: These handles don’t just work your upper body—they obliterate your core and grip. Holding the grips requires constant tension, sculpting your forearms and strengthening your wrists. Your abs and glutes fire to maintain a plank-like stability, making Neuro-Grips a full-body crucible.

Portability and Durability: Crafted from lightweight, aeronautics-grade aluminum, Neuro-Grips are built to withstand the heaviest athletes and the toughest workouts. Toss them in a gym bag or take them to a park—they’re ready for battle anywhere.

A Humbling Experience: Even pushup veterans find themselves humbled. Users report dropping from 50 standard pushups to a mere handful with Neuro-Grips. This isn’t defeat—it’s rebirth. Each rep is a chance to rebuild stronger, sharper, and more disciplined.

The Epic Quest: Mastering Neuro-Grip Pushups

Embarking on the Neuro-Grip journey is not for the faint of heart. It’s a quest that demands preparation, progression, and respect for the tool. Here’s how to conquer it:

Step 1: The Initiation

Start slow. Neuro-Grips are not a toy—they’re a challenge that requires solid pushup form and wrist strength. Begin with planks on your knees, holding the grips for 30 seconds per set. Focus on wrist alignment and core engagement. Progress to full planks when you can hold for three sets without wobbling.

Pro Tip: Practice on a soft surface like a carpet or grass to master bailing out safely. Neuro-Grips don’t forgive sloppy form, and bloody knuckles are a harsh teacher. Happened to me in the beginning many many moons ago.

Step 2: The Grind

Once planks feel steady, move to knee pushups with the grips. Aim for 3 sets of 20 reps, keeping movements controlled. The instability will feel alien, but embrace it. Your forearms will burn, your core will scream, and your focus will sharpen. When knee pushups become manageable, transition to full pushups, starting with low reps (5-10 per set) and building slowly. As of right now, I've managed 15 in one set and 72 total in a workout at 12 sets of 6 reps.

Step 3: The Ascension

As you grow stronger, experiment with variations. Try slow-mo pushups (10 seconds down, 10 seconds up) to maximize time under tension. Incorporate feet-elevated pushups for added intensity or single-leg pushups to crank up the instability. For the bold, explore slow-mo mountain climbers—holding a plank and bringing knees to chest—to torch your midsection. Even I haven't hit step 3, so don't fret about trying to ascend quickly.

Step 4: The Legend

Mastered the basics? Dive into Jon Bruney’s The Neuro-Grip Challenge book for advanced progressions, from shoulder prehab exercises to gravity-defying stunts. Push the boundaries with ramp up the challenge with plyometric pushups or one-arm Neuro-Grip pushups. The only limit is your imagination—and your strength. This is where men become gods. 

Real Warriors, Real Results

Neuro-Grip users are unanimous: these handles are a game-changer. One user, a 280-pound strongman, went from one-minute knuckle pushups to struggling with just four slow Neuro-Grip pushups after four days. “What a challenge!” he exclaimed, praising their ability to humble even the confident. Another, battling osteoarthritis, found Neuro-Grips allowed pain-free strength training, unlike traditional calisthenics.

On forums like StrongFirst and Reddit, enthusiasts share tales of newfound core strength, grip power, and mental resilience. Adrienne Harvey of GiryaGirl.com calls them “unforgiving” yet transformative, urging users to respect their difficulty. Even skeptics admit the grips add variety and intensity, though some prefer rings for safety. It's that hardcore.

Why Neuro-Grips Reign As A Tool Among The Gods

Compared to traditional pushup bars or rings, Neuro-Grips are in a league of their own. Standard pushup bars reduce wrist strain but lack the instability that makes Neuro-Grips so potent. Rings offer similar stabilization work but are slightly less portable and don’t match the grip challenge. Parallettes, while versatile, are bulkier and less focused on pushup-specific intensity. Neuro-Grips are the perfect storm of portability, durability, and unrelenting challenge.

Are You Ready To Take Action?

The Neuro-Grip Pushup Handles are more than equipment—they’re crucible for forging strength, discipline, and resilience. They’re not for everyone, but for those who crave a challenge, they’re a ticket to Olympus. Grab a pair from Dragon Door (back in stock and shipping now!) and start your epic journey. Check out The Neuro-Grip Challenge book for expert guidance, and join the community of warriors pushing the limits of what’s possible.

Are you ready to rewrite your legend? Grip the handles, brace your core, and let the battle commence.

Disclaimer: Always consult a fitness professional before starting a new exercise program, especially with tools as demanding as Neuro-Grips. Start slow, prioritize form, and listen to your body to avoid injury.

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Double Push-Up Burpees

Last night, thought I'd go to the gym and get some Burpees in before dinner. Yeah it sounds contradictory because it's a bodyweight exercise and it can be done ANYWHERE but I figured, what the hell, go for a little walk down there and just do a good workout for about 15 min. No music, no noise, just good ole training. 

I've gone back and forth for years doing Burpees and since it has been a while, might as well revitalize it and see where it leads. Not prioritizing it, just having a little fun with it. I did the Sprint 8 Protocol which is working for 30 Seconds On, 30 Seconds Off for 8 Rounds. Very demanding and puts you in great condition but it's not something to take lightly. Pay attention to form, technique and pace. It will bite you in the ass if you're not careful.

Most of the time, I don't give them much thought but a guy who just turned 70 recently did a variation called Navy Seal Burpees which are just brutal and for a man at that age to be doing them, was inspiring. I did the style with 2 Push-ups & a Jump. Not something I'd do everyday or even more than 3x a week, maybe do them no more than a couple times a week because they are so demanding on the body. 

Until I can put the rest of my toys into a better storage space close by, use what works for the moment which is mainly bands, isometrics, bodyweight and some of the weights at the gym which really is more than enough for the majority, I just love my hammers, mace and Darth Vader Kettlebell so it'll be awesome to have them back soon. 

That's the beauty of training, you learn to adapt and with proper knowledge, you can create workouts anywhere you want. Getting fit is not a one dimensional thing like needing a building and a bunch of random shit around, I look at it as what Doc Brown would say to "think 4th Dimensionally" and go beyond just a narrow minded outlook. The world is your gym, it's up to you how you make it work. Fitness is about taking the fundamentals and molding them into your journey, you learn, you study the environment around you and experiment with what is possible. 

Burpees or their variations is just another tool in the arsenal, that's all they are. Like Sprints, Bands, Weights, even household stuff can be tools to make you stronger and better conditioned with creative thinking along with the understanding of the basics. There isn't an end-all-be-all exercise that can solve all your issues with getting fit, there's a bigger puzzle, you have the pieces and you put them together to create what's really there. 

Hope everyone has an amazingly awesome day and get some solid training in.     

12 Push-Ups That Kicked My Ass

Wow, only 12 push-ups. Can't be that great if that's all you can do. Why not? Some people haven't done any either in a long time or ever, everyone starts somewhere and has their own journey. Granted it also depends on the variations you're talking about. Most likely though, some crazed nutcase might think doing only 12 push-ups is pathetic and they should be doing better. Should they?

Now when I say I did only 12 Push-ups, that doesn't mean I did 12 straight through doing regular push-ups. Come on, after all these years, do you think it would be that simple and easy just to say that coming from me? That sounded a little egotistical don't you think? Shiver at the thought of it. No, these 12 Push-ups were spread out in a span of time that is more than meets the eye. Always experimenting with stuff and seeing how to do simple exercises that are still tough to do but effective AF. 

What did I do that only ended up with 12 of them? Well, first off, I did them on my fists so it manifested more into the tendons and ligaments. Second, it was in a timely manner and third, I made a game out of it to really make things interesting. These push-ups were a minute each. Literally, I would hold the top position for 30 seconds and then hold the mid point position for 30 seconds and push back up, that was it. Truth is, it's not as easy as you may think. These really tackled the little muscles and worked my core like crazy, let alone hitting everything else just to be stabilized.

So how did I make a game out of them? So 9 of these were done while I was playing MLB The Show 24 on my PS5. I would do my set, play one full inning and do another minute of the pushup until I did all 9 innings in completion. The other 3 sets were done prior to playing the game. Some innings were shorter than others cause I out quicker and some were longer cause I just kept scoring so it was a nice little rest. Some sets were tougher than others but I held onto them each and every time. Did this the other day.  

You see, exercise doesn't have to be boring or some crazy chore, it can be be an interesting entity whether it's one big workout, or doing stuff throughout the day. It's good to have discipline and a solid mindset to train but at the same time, you want to have fun with it too. It's a hell of a motivator and if you're a gamer, it helps you stay fit while playing your favorite games. Now I wouldn't recommend playing online against other people cause it's unpredictable and if you pause or leave a person stranded while playing, you lose quite a bit of things but that's for another time. 

Fitness is about discovery, experimenting, being consistent and doing what needs to be done but also get to live a life. Keep yourself moving, it can suck at times but we also can't always afford to lose out the important things in life. Find what works for you and get into it. You might be surprised what you could accomplish. This is just another idea to use and mess around with. You can do all sorts of exercises and create weird yet awesome scenarios and still kill it. Be amazingly awesome and GAME ON!!!

Exercises Throughout The Day To Stay Energized

 Spreading a few exercises here and there throughout the day is never a bad thing. Matter of fact, it's probably better for many than getting one big workout in that takes up some time. Some do like getting in that hour long or so workout either before or after work which is awesome and I applaud you for making that effort, if you enjoy it and it's meaningful to you, keep at it. There are other options though if you need it to save yourself some time.

 Doing a few moves or holds over the course of the day can help you stay strong and fresh for what is thrown at you and getting the most out of it in little bits of time. Even certain exercises that seem basic can be very challenging when done right. One of my favorite exercises believe it or not I like to do for a couple minutes a day along with the other things I do is doing Push-ups either on my fists, palms or using my handles and I would hold at the top for as long as 30 seconds, then go down to about mid point and hold that for 30 seconds, come back up and hold for 15 seconds, mid point for 15 and repeat that 15/15 one more time for a total of 2 minutes without a rest. It's tough as hell but it gets the job done. Picked up that version of push-ups on youtube but do different variations instead of just one (variety you know). 

 Combining dynamic and isometrics is a great way to keep your strength and condition up and keep things flowing. Do a wall sit for a minute or go bear crawl for 30 seconds to a minute, these will add up as the day progresses and it'll feel like you're getting more done than you thought. Micro Workouts are a key ingredient to successful training and it pits you into a style that can be creative using simple moves and holds. Got a way to do Suspension Training? You can do some assisted pull-ups to build strength and muscle in your back or do rows as you advance. Washing dishes? Every few plates cleaned or so, press down on the countertop for 10-12 seconds and tighten the core muscles. Want to work the legs a bit, if you're going up a couple stairs or so, take a step and press hard with the front leg for 5-10 seconds each leg to build strength in the quads and knees. Sometimes the littlest things can create the biggest impact.

 A great exercise for the lower body is the Amosov Squats which I picked up from Steve Maxwell in the case of doing assisted type squats using a counter space, a door or using a Suspension Strap. Go down as low as you feel comfortable and come back up within control. As you get better, get down a little further and slowly build up speed. This builds great strength in the legs and conditions the entire lower body. Some do this to get the blood flowing as a warm up, others for conditioning purposes and to help with building strength in the knees if they can't do squats unassisted yet.

 Build a foundation and utilize your exercises the best way you can. Don't be afraid to experiment with something and don't think for a second that simple exercises are too easy, when you utilize the right tension and timing, they can be crazy tough to do but yet be as effective if you were doing a long workout. A few seconds can feel like an eternity at times. Making even 5 reps feel like 50-100 is a killer way to train. Have fun with them and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Pushing, Pulling, Squatting, Sandbags, Bands And More

 Keeping things basic is the way to go but don't always look to them as a generic boring thing. Make the basics interesting, make games out of them and have fun while kicking your ass. Daily training and being smart about what you do will make all the difference. If you're more keen on doing things 3-4 times a week, that's great too, just don't fall for bullshit that'll get you hurt or worse. 

Building muscle at 40 these days isn't surprising or as shocking as it was back in the day but it's still incredible that people can still accomplish it and continue their journey. For me, it's becoming more and more of a realization that the more you can make it happen and without TRT, HGH, HRT and other things that many even as young as their 20's are doing, is something to celebrate and be proud of. 

Old school methods are what keeps the world going around when it comes to Fitness in the long run. Been doing it for ages but there's always been fluctuations in terms of what my physique has gone through over the years and I blame no one but myself on what some of those fluctuations entailed. The best thing to do is to keep improving, making better decisions on the type of training you do and getting the most out of it. Some may say Daily Hard Workouts will get you better results but some of those same guys look like Bean Poles and have less muscle than Karen Carpenter (bad joke I know). I say, do what you can and go hard when needed, go hard for too long, too frequently, it can bite you in the ass.

There was a reason I fell in love with training and it went beyond my accident and all that, you already know the story by now so you don't need me to repeat it like a broken fucking record. It's the love of doing things that mean something, that are valued and making adjustments. Doing 500 Push-ups and Squats are great for some but there are plenty of things that don't require hundreds or thousands of reps in one shot. Play it over time and spread them out. If anything I do 500 these days is Step Ups or a total of 500 doing 5 exercises for 10 reps each for 10 rounds doing Circuits with my Dopamineo Band. The rest of the time, I'll do lifts with the sandbags, work on isometrics, consistent deep breathing training with the O2 Trainer and play with the hammers, chest expander and other kick ass equipment I got laying around. 

Working on bodyweight training is always fun to do especially when you learn from people like Matt Schifferle of the Red Delta Project. Guy's knowledge and applications of movements are so freaking awesome, it's shameful he's not ranked up there with being one of the very best in Physical Culture today. His method of Grind Style Calisthenics and Isometrics brings that old school mentality with a humble notion of encouragement in the modern age is refreshing. 

Keeping the grind going and putting up content of Push-ups, Pull-Ups (Suspension), Sandbag Work, Bands just keep getting better and better man. My physique is changing for the better as well and losing weight has been a great blessing. When I turned 40 back in late July, I was already down 17-18 lbs within the last several months since my recovery from that fucked up Sciatica injury which I will aways take responsibility for. This time around, I'm down to roughly 230 lbs and the muscle just keeps packing on little by little. Often these days I take a longer time to eat during the day, only eating when I'm hungry and consistently eating Meats, Eggs, Rice, using the Air Fryer and other things. Still have my vices like pizza, fries, burgers (not always fast food), Burritos, Pasta and sandwiches from Subway or this little place here called Local Deli where even half a sandwich looks huge yet still losing weight and dropping bodyfat. Haven't had Burger King in months and been more than a year that I can remember having McDonalds.

 

When you put in the work but keeping the stress to a minimum, things will pop up for you and being consistent with your eating habits and training smart and not like a maniac frequently. It's good to go crazy a couple to a few times a week but don't push to where you're so sore, your muscles are screaming at you "You are a fucking asshole for doing this to me." Have gas in the tank, make little progressions and keep your mind sharp when you train, even on those days when things around you suck. Don't go overboard with the junk stuff but don't have to 100% cut them out of your life either unless it's dire and need to clean things up. 

Training at this age and beyond is crucial and valuable but don't make it so that you're going to act like a dick and tell people how much of a loser they are if they don't train. Be more encouraging, share your progress and utilize what gives you the greatest benefit in your journey. Calling people derogatory names because they don't do pull-ups or some shit like that makes you more of the loser than anything else. Do many these days need a tune up in their health, absolutely, but preying on their insecurities and mocking them with such vengeance is such a copout and just downright mean bro. Being a goody too shoes isn't ideal either so it's important to find a balance of being encouraging and giving people a reason to train and giving tough love when needed. It's hard enough when the biggest critics is ourselves. 

Stick to the basics as much as possible. There will be days where things aren't always there and the chaos of life just throws you curve ball after curve ball, don't give up and do a little something even a few push-ups or holding a few postures during commercials while watching your favorite show and if you got a streaming service, pause the movie for a little bit and do a quick mini workout that can be as short as a few minutes like this Core Workout, it's not easy but it'll do some good in a span of 4 minutes. You got this and keep your journey alive. Be amazingly awesome.

It's Always Good To Have A Backup

Always keeping my training simple, the workouts can vary to either going hard one day and "taking it easy" the next. Physique wise, it could be better and putting in more effort to trim down since I couldn't do a whole lot while I was injured. Keeping an eye on doing more Isometric Style training (with an emphasis on the Hybrid Forms, check out Overcoming Isometrics on that one) and other things. 

I love going to the park and playing basketball and shooting around, some days I bank them in, other days not so much but I enjoy it. Every now and then, some guys would want to shoot around or play one on one. In addition, I like to bring along my Worldfit Iso Trainer and when I'm not shooting, I put the strap around the back of the hoop and do things like Rows, Pushups, Squats, Hangs and Pull-ups. One day not too long ago, I went to the park to shoot around but there was an event going on and there was a promotional jeep covering the side of the court, not wanting to hit the damn vehicle, I had my back up Iso Strap and just did 50 Rows & 50 Push-ups in 5x10 each exercise. Always good to have a back up, after the exercises, went onto the grass and did an animal workout doing my favorite dice game until I was ready to head back home. 

Sometimes you just have to adapt and improvise. You won't always have things align right, the stars won't always be in your favor and you won't always know if you'll get an empty space around you or getting a crowd of people. Do what's possible with what you have. That's one of the reasons why I love Isometrics, they're always there with or without equipment and having the strap in your bag can make up some stuff you're not always able to do. Training is about discovery, conditioning the mind to always have something there and be able to come up with stuff on the fly if needed. It's important to have that knowledge because some workouts may not always be at your disposal so you come up with something doable and something you can do for the moment. 

Find ways to train that will be in your favor, learn to improvise in certain situations and get what you need with what you have at the time even if it's just your own bodyweight. Never settle to just one thing or one type of workout. The knowledge and creativeness you can possess can take you places that many won't or be able to come up with. I mean seriously, who the hell puts a suspension trainer around a basketball hoop and can do an animal workout on the fly? Not many but that's the beauty of being intuitive and understanding what you know and be able to act on a workout you didn't expect to do. When I got to that park, I expected to just normally shoot around, put on some tunes, get some exercises in with the strap and that was it but that didn't happen. There are events that go on about every other weekend at that park and most days, I'm just there by myself with literally no one in the vicinity other than the restaurant right next to it and the houses around the corner. It's peaceful, get a great view of the mountains, getting in fresh air and just having a blast putting on my speakers. On that particular day, I had to do something different and had to tone down the volume I normally use with my speakers to where only I can really hear it and just do a couple of exercises and an animal workout which turned out great and had fun. 

Always good to have a backup in mind whether training or whatever. Hope everyone is having a great summer so far and stay safe tomorrow for Independence Day. Be amazingly awesome. 

400 Push-Ups And Learning About Enjoyment

 Yesterday, I just felt the need to do Push-Ups, mainly the regular or military style with a few variations here and there. I finished off with 400 for the day and it made me learn a few things. As great as push-ups are and how some are so damn fanatical about them, I just don't enjoy them or find them that stimulating unless their part of a circuit. It's not saying they're a terrible form of training, they're definitely not but unless you're in a sport or doing some kind of challenge for a cause or hell if you're joining the military than maybe they have something worthwhile doing. 

I wanted to do them just to see if I can since it has been years since I've done that many in a day. I didn't enjoy them at all quite frankly and if I don't get some form of enjoyment out of it, it's not going to last. This might piss people off or make them think that not doing push-ups, I'm not training right, well, yeah I' am, just not big on certain forms like others. I do what I love because that's what stimulates me and gives me enjoyment whether it's challenging or just having fun with exercises. It's not in my mindset to do that many on a consistent basis which is ok, It's not like I can't do them at all, just a thing to do in a relatively less capacity or once in a blue moon. 

What you enjoy is what you should be doing. If you enjoy push-ups and you can't get enough of them, do a fucking lot of them and I really hope they benefit you. Some will do 200, 300, 500 or more a day and it's beneficial to them, that's what's important, most of the time the numbers are just arbitrary and more of an ego thing. It doesn't need to be shoved down someone's throat fitness wise that if you don't do this many reps or do that exercise a certain way, you're not fit, you're a loser and that's way far from the truth. There is more to life than just push-ups guys LOL. 

I get far more out of animal moves, Isometrics, cables, carries, hammers and step-ups/squats than I ever do with push-ups. Once you hit a certain mark and it doesn't stimulate your mind but force it anyway, you're just going to end up miserable and not get any thrill out of your exercise. More doesn't always mean better, find a balance in what keeps you fired up and still having something left in the tank. I swear on my grandfather's ashes in a pond in some forest in Washington, those 400 Push-ups couldn't hold a candle to the isometric training or the animal workouts I do, it didn't feel the same, it didn't have the same challenge and it sure as hell was no where near the level that makes me love what I do. 

Training is about adventure, discovery, learning who you are and what you're capable of. It's about loving what you do beyond the craziness and the numbers along with the soreness that might come with it. If it fulfils you and makes you feel great even on the hard days, that's what is going to help you in the long run. If it causes you pain, stop doing it, if you're bored out of your mind no matter how hard it is, stop doing it. Never force anything otherwise it's going to hurt mentally and/or physically. 

Are there standards to what constitutes to being fit? Yes but it's complicated especially in this day and age, if you read my statement on the high school football kids about the 300-400 pushups in an hour and ended up in the hospital because of it, you know what I think. There is so much info and so many rules and size differences to what actually makes someone fit that it doesn't matter what you do, you're not going to be fit in the same circles as everyone else. Is it important to be fit? Absolutely but we need to learn what our individual strengths and weaknesses are to make ourselves fit but not comparing to somebody else. We all have various levels of strength that won't have the same attributes to what makes us strong in certain aspects. Not everyone who can do 400 push-ups is going to bench press 500 lbs. Both individuals are strong but not in the same capacity as to what others try to compare to. That be like trying to compare 170 lb person doing pull-ups compared to a 300 lber. Yeah, the lighter guy can highly likely do more but you also got to remember, even if the person can do more, the other guy weighs far more so he doesn't need to a ton in comparison. Here's what I mean, say for example, the lighter guy does 10 pull-ups, 10x170 is 1700, compare that to the heavier guy who can do only 6 or 7 at 300 lbs. 6x300 is 1800 pounds, you see where I'm going with this? Now I'm not saying there's a lot of 300 lb guys doing pull-ups but if you want to play the comparison card, who's really stronger here? 

Here's another example since we're talking about push-ups here....On average, let's say most guys who do push-ups (military style in this scenario) are around 150-185 or so, let's go with 180 for those who like to play this game of comparison. Let's pick an arbitrary number of push-ups to compare to say...300. Guy does 300 push-ups in a workout or in a day doesn't matter it's still 300. let's play a round of Math for all you debaters out there and those who like to shit on who's stronger or who's more fit. In the military or regular push-up, it constitutes around 65% of your bodyweight so 180 lb man doing 300 push-ups, 65% of 180 is what? 117 lbs every time you do 1 rep. 117x300 is what? A total of 35,100 lbs moved throughout the workout or in a day. That's a lot of weight moved for a human being in an exercise, very fit and can total out some serious strength. Now let's make this interesting, I'm 257 lbs. 77 lbs heavier than our boy here, at 257, 65% is 167.05 lbs. That's still quite a bit more weight, around 50+ in comparison. 167.05x300= 50,115 lbs total moved. By this comparison, I'm far stronger and should be a hell of a lot more fitter than the lighter guy. The truth is, we are both strong and fit in our individual rankings in push-ups. You shouldn't have to compare somebody else to what they're level of fitness is by stupid numbers. One has a better pound for pound chance while the other has more mass, that's all it is.

We focus so much on what we're compared to to others that we don't think of the layers of what real comparisons are and debating over bullshit that doesn't do anyone any good. The real point here is, train to what satisfies your discipline and passion for exercise while also understanding your individual strengths and weaknesses. Strengthen your weaknesses as much as possible but not in comparing yourself to others but by learning to be stronger than you were the day, week, year before. In most debated comparisons, you're metaphorically measuring someone else's dick, breast size, ass or whatever and thinking the bigger the better when in reality, it's pretty petty, meaningless and makes you both egotistical. Stop putting others down when they don't have the same strengths as you and/or weaker and don't underestimate someone who may not look fit but could possibly knock you into next week or outlast you. 

Enjoy your training, make it fulfilling and keep being amazingly awesome. 

My Thoughts On Texas High School Football Coach And The Boys Hospitalized

 There was an article I read a few days ago that was a little different to read but it's partially not that surprising. A High School football coach from Texas (the Mecca of Football) was suspended and investigated for putting his players through a Push-Up challenge as a punishment and the challenge was to do 300-400 Push-Ups within an hour. 8 boys were hospitalized because of it.

Now whether this is just another story that could be fabricated who really knows and I do see both sides to the issue but let's stick to the big thing here. Many kids today aren't in the shape this challenge calls for and yes it can be a tough challenge but it's not impossible to do WITH THE RIGHT WAY TO TRAIN FOR IT!!! Do I think these boys are pussies for being put in the hospital? Hell no, I do sympathize with them and hope they get back on their feet soon. The trouble I have is, yes these boys should train to be able to do that however, since the coach is very old school from what I read, he pushed them to the extent where their bodies didn't have the capacity to withstand that amount of stress. I believe in a kid training for any sport to prepare themselves for whatever challenge comes to them and they weren't prepared. 

Those boys should not be in football if they can't put themselves through that hard training and it's not entirely their fault, the parents should've helped them prepare for that. I'll give you an example: When I was in high school, I was in nowhere even close to the shape I'm in now and I went out for Shot Put & Discus and Wrestling. The Shot Put was purely using Weight Training but even with that, I wasn't that good and didn't need a ton of conditioning but I also had no preparation to handle injuries and I got elbow and shoulder issues because of that. The wrestling was the hardest and if I hadn't gotten hurt from a bad knee and nearly breaking my wrists, I would've kept up with it as best as I could. We did push-ups, squats, wall sits, drills, sprints up stairs, suicide runs before, during and after sparring. It's brutal but I sure as hell never went to the hospital. 

One of these boys was reported to have a disease that was prone to kidney failure and that was what got me because for one, the coach had to have known this otherwise he wouldn't have let that kid on the team and two, the parent(s) pushed that kid most likely or the boy wanted to be on the team so bad that the parents couldn't let go of his ambition and let him do it. That kid needed help. I understand also the need to want to prove yourself even at the risk of one's own health. It's human nature.

These days, many boys have no conditioning or structure or discipline because it's easier to just chill, play video games and not play outside so much since many parents today are either way uninvolved or too involved that it can screw up a kid's future. I've been around kids my whole life and have observed many parents in my lifetime and can't wait to be a father one of these days but if I were a parent, I would challenge my kids to help prepare them so they can handle certain things that will be thrown at them and physical fitness is definitely one of them. Trust me, I didn't really get fit until I was 21 years old and was never a fit kid that could do countless push-ups and sprint till my legs were ready to fall off. Yeah I played outside and all that but I didn't have a coach or a person to teach me how to condition my body or better yet gave me an interesting concept to help me. P.E helped to a small degree but I was never in decent shape until after I was in high school. 

Now that we got all that out of the way, let's play a math game here. 300-400 Push-Ups in an hour is tough but not impossible if you look at the math from a certain point of view. These boys were probably pushed to doing consecutive reps their bodies couldn't handle and they ended up having piss that was darkened and had injured their shoulders and arms. Now if either they, or the coach for that matter, taught or learned the math that shows how it is reasonable and applicable to handle that many reps in that span of time, none of this would've ever happened. I get the punishment and disciplining the kid, I'm not faulting that, kids need a kick in the ass every now and then but not to the point where Life and Death is creeping up at a faster rate than Usain Bolt's 100 meter sprints. 

If a person can do 20 Reps in a span of a minute (which is roughly 3 seconds per rep), it is very possible to do 300 within less time and have a small increment of rest before the next minute. Apparently there wasn't much time to rest according to the coach and no water breaks until they finished (that's a bit of an issue in itself since this took place in fucking Texas where high heatwaves are normal). At that pace, the boys most likely couldn't do that and even tried to do more than that and paid the price for it. If they did 5-7 reps per minute, get the reps in and rested until the time changed and repeated that for the hour, they could've easily done 300-420 reps in that time. 

5 Reps (at a pace of 2-3 seconds per rep) is still 10-15 seconds with a max of 45 seconds of rest time....5 Reps = 1 minute, 1 hour is 60 minutes, 5x60 is 300. Now if they attempted to do the 400 in that time frame which they can do 6-7 push-ups per minute (pace of 2-3 seconds per rep) is still 12-18 seconds for 6 reps and 14-21 seconds for 7, still gives them the rest period of let's say 35-40 seconds till the time changed. 6 Reps = 1 minute, in the span of an hour that's 6x60 is 360 reps. For 7 Reps = 1 minute, in that hour 7x60 is 420 reps. These numbers would've been very easy to shoot for to complete 300-400 in that span of time. Isn't math fun? The parents never saw this (neither did the coach apparently) and all the parents saw was how horrible to put the boys through that many because it's such a huge number (in reality it isn't).

Like I said, I see both sides to the issue and the coach did his best at punishing and disciplining, it just could've gone a different way and both the coach and those players would've been satisfied (even though those kids would've been pissed off at the guy anyway since hello teenage boys). On one hand, if a kid can't handle the stress of the training, he shouldn't be in a sport because sports are hard and if you want to be good at them, you need to train accordingly and sometimes that means taking it to the limit (without suffering injuries of course) in the training process, injuries happen, there's no getting around that but there are ways to limit it. You can't expect a kid to be just thrown on a team and expect it to be just sunshine and rainbows and not feel the wrath of exhaustion or playing a little hurt. There's going to be an injury somewhere on the field but it shouldn't be as frequent in practice. 

All in all, I never want to see a kid hurt in a sport or pushed to the point where he/she ends up in the ER over something that could've been prevented with progressive training instead of pushing so damn hard the body couldn't handle it in the first place. There needs to be balance which many times is thrown off but can be done in most cases because each kid is different and handles physical and mental stress differently. It is a small complex issue but again kids today don't have the same drive as others did even 20 years ago. Much has changed, not always for the better but we can do great things and get fit if we applied it to the individual's needs and not try to make people do the same thing the same way for everyone involved, it's not going to work that way the majority of the time. 

Be safe, get strong/conditioned and if you have a kid going out for a sport of any kind, prepare him/her beforehand in small increments so they can be ready to tackle the challenges ahead and learn how to make the most of what's possible. Keep being amazingly awesome.

A Push-up Workout For The Ages

    

      Most people know what a push-up is, it's one of the most basic forms of conditioning and can get you into supreme shape. There are literally hundreds of variations of the push-ups and each advanced style is just as beautiful as the next when mastered. I have seen and done many types of push-ups, my biggest workout using different variations came to a total of 600 reps. You are about to learn a really cool style of push-ups which I will show in a video soon so don't miss out.

 
    One of the ideal aspects of physical strength and conditioning is to create a style that is suitable to an individual. No workout is the same for everyone so we must learn what we can do to better ourselves. You can learn the most basic principles but the mind must also be in play in order to get the workout you're striving for and practice. Simple training doesn't mean easy, it's just taking basic points of exercise and not making it complicated. I'm about to give you an idea that will change the way you think about push-ups.

 
    I saw Bud Jeffries do a video on his Push-up Matrix series and it showed how to move your body in the push-up and finding certain movements that give it another perspective of building strength and agility. He did a couple letters and I thought to myself that'd be interesting so I took that idea and it became this. Write in Push-ups. Think about it, how cool would it be to do letters while in the push-up like for starters writing your own name. Here's how you do it, get into a push-up position and move your body as if you're writing a letter in the alphabet. Sounds weird huh? But that's the idea, training in a very unique way and making it challenging. I've tested this and wrote the first three letters of my name in the push-up and was breathing heavily after that. Most trainers would say that push-ups are only good for endurance, well try it Sherlock and see how you do. My full name is Benjamin Justin Bergman; that be a hell of a workout alone.

 
    Use your imagination, do something out of the norm and screw the rules (in a positive way of course). This type of training has a new meaning to the term Mind/Muscle Connection because you need to think as you are moving and this can build brain power and it charges up the neurons in the brain. It's a crazy idea but all great ideas started out skeptical. Give it a whirl and see how you do. Start with your name in capital letters whether short or long it's up to you. Make your push-ups interesting, if you can do letters, try numbers and if you're a stud (or bad ass woman) do push-ups in cursive, talk about strength and brain building.

 
Have fun guys be awesome and use your imagination, it's the greatest nation ever.
     

Happy Veterans Day!!!!

           Wanted to wish all those kick ass men and women that are/or have fought for our country. You guys carry the banner and fight the battles that we never could. We do fight in our line of the country but nothing compared to the people who take down some of the biggest baddest dudes on the planet. Keep up the awesome work and to you Veterans, I salute you.

            Some of the training the military boys and gals go through is practically superhuman. It doesn't matter if you’re a ranger, SEAL, Marine or a Pilot, it takes more than guts to even mince through obstacle courses, the 3-4am wake up drills, the push-ups and the combat techniques it still pretty damn spectacular what these people go through.

            Although he’s fictional I consider this particular hero a run for this article and that is Captain America. He’s a man of principle and fights for the other guy. He brings heart and soul to his cause and he’s uncanny ability to take down even the toughest of bad guys. He’s a symbol of hope and what you can do when you put your heart into what you want to do. I believe without question he’d salute to each and every one of you that gave their lives.

            Whether you’re a veteran or already in the Military, from the rookie Private to the legendary Admirals, it’s important to be in tip top shape no matter how old are you. You don’t always have to do boot camp like training but maintaining your health and fitness should be a priority to all those who serve or have served. Exercise can improve moods, natural growth hormone and keep you strong and vibrant for life if you do it right. One exercise that gives you that profound upper/lower body strength is the Tiger Crawl, you’re ready to pounce on the enemy and take down the vicious beast that’s trying to overthrow you. Animal Training is a lot of fun to do and can keep you young and super strong. If you’re a lifter, you’d want to keep be strong and build natural functional muscle and put an end to those that drag you down and don’t want to see you succeed.

            Train hard, be strong and keep being you because as they say, heroes can be remembered but legends never die. Training the right way can help destroy depression and live your life even after those grueling missions and those death-defying tours. Be healthy you guys and those who are shipped out, come home and stay strong no matter what. You may be a soldier but also an incredible human being, never let that go. I salute you all and kick ass wherever you are.

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.

When Is It Time To Change Things Up?

          People in fitness like to hang onto a routine, having a routine in the first place feels comfortable. Having one is used mainly as a goal, if you’re a beginner or more advanced and it’s in your comfort zone and you’re use to it. The trap however is if you keep doing the same things over and over again eventually your progress begins to die out, results aren't coming in, you’re frustrated but also those who have a routine and stuck with it for a long period of time also eventually begin to only know that routine and don’t know how to change it.

            I know what it’s like being burnt out, your body begins to take a toll on you and it’s time to make a change because your mind needs to be fresh, your body needs to re-energize and your exercise routine needs to bring out a bigger and exciting challenge. I was on a routine for about over a month doing mostly push-ups,squats and bridging using a deck of cards. What I've noticed lately is due to the excess work over 3-4 times a week is that I've gotten stronger and have more endurance but my shoulders and knees are breaking down on me and need to stop. Most likely I’ll change it to 1-2 times a week because with the cards you’re looking at a minimum of 388 squats and 238 push-ups (I make it 400/250 to make certain goals) and the bridging is hard enough as it is.

            When your body begins to hurt more than it should from a routine, change your pace, use less volume or learn to exercise the joints, tendons and ligaments so you don’t get an injury. Find something fresh and fun to do because if you overload the body without using multi-directional exercises you can get hurt and you will be in pain. Also being burnt out means your mind isn't there anymore and if you keep it up, your mind just goes dead and you’re going through exercises like a zombie, it’s not fun and you’re getting the results you want and it’s bad for your health.

            There are people (I happen to be one of them) who has a bit of ADD which means they can’t always pay attention to what they’re doing and they change things up frequently. This has been a bit of a habit for me because quite frankly I hate routines; aside from doing the deck of cards and some of the bridging for the last month and a half I’m constantly doing different exercises. This could also mean people like to go by feel, what they’re in the mood for. Some days they’ll do odd object lifting, other days gymnastics and even every once in a blue moon they’ll just hammer out whatever energy they have and try to go as far as they can go. Be careful how you do things but at the same time have fun and learn to use your imagination.

            Here’s another reason to change things up; boredom. I've been there and seen plenty of guys in the gym do this and that’s being bored as hell with what you’re doing. If you’re not having fun and your routine is dull and what I like to use from the movie Your Highness is what Prince Thaddeus refers to as “It sounds tedious and boring” then you need some serious changes my friend (watch the movie and try to say it like he does, you’ll perk right up). You should never be bored with what you do. Want to know what boring is, look in the magazines and the routines they have, most of that shit is boring to do and who the hell can finish them in the amount of time it needs? Find a way to train that gives you freedom and challenging. Find what gives you a reason to train, make it interesting and use the power of being happy with what you do. An exercise program is supposed to make you feel good, not terrible and hurt; it gives you energy and happiness not dark and un-eventful. 

            The ultimate reason to change things up is to create a new challenge. If you can do a deck of cards doing push-ups and squats in full within a period of time after a while, it gets easy, how do you make it harder? Double the push-ups and/or squats and see how far you get. That’s an example, how about doing animal movements? Eventually you’ll get the exercise down and you need a change of pace, to make it more challenging, move slower to the point where you hold a position isometrically and then take a slow step.

            Everything needs a challenge so we can learn to grow mindfully and get stronger physically because when you challenge yourself, you learn new things, how to make the exercise a bit more difficult or the tempo and timing of the workout. Maybe you’ll do a challenge once a week/month/year whatever but do it and find new ways to make it interesting and learn how to handle yourself in certain situations. Growth is a natural part of life so what makes exercise any differently? Get to it and change things up, you may find certain things more fun to do than others.

Breathe While You Train

             I've said it before and I’ll repeat till you get it through your thick skull, learn to breathe while you train. It is the single most important aspect of physical and mental conditioning. It is the one thing that keeps us alive more than anything else. You can go days without water, weeks without food but a few minutes without breathing is killing you. The power of the breath is essential as it can help you stay in the game far longer than if you just started hyperventilating in the first couple minutes.

            Breathing helps you conserve energy and the more you practice it, the more energy is reserved. Its power can be used any way you want if you know how to use it. It can be used to help you in a strength exercise or it can help your endurance over a period of time. Different athletes use different breathing patterns for how they stay in their sport but the principles stay the same, if you can’t conserve your energy, you won’t last very long. Learn to breathe and learn when to use it to your advantage.

            Deep breathing is an awesome way to keep your energy intact and granted sometimes if you’re in a fight or in a match against another opponent or team your breathing tends to be tested which is a good thing because you learn how to handle it when it’s time to make it count. Even in a training session in the gym or your home workouts, you want to learn how to breathe while you exercise and while you’re in between sets because after a while it takes a toll on you so you learn to keep your breathing as best as possible to keep going.  It’s the reason it keeps you focused no matter what you’re doing.

            There are tricks to help your breathing while you train. When I do my deck of cards training, sometimes once I get to a certain part of the deck I have to keep my breathing intact because it becomes so intense you have to take in as much air as you can. After you do a set of push-ups or squats for example, although you want to keep going without much rest as possible there’s that other part you can use where you take in as many breaths as the number of reps for the next set, that way you’re not taking up too much rest and you’re conserving your energy. You can use this method for different exercises and different areas of fitness. Another great trick I learned to keep your breathing at bay is what I learned called the Hoffman Walk which was termed in Brooks Kubik’s books on the adventures of the old-time strongmen Legacy Of Iron series, after you do a set of an exercise, you walk and breathe deeply till you’re ready to tackle the next set, you’re not sitting down and you keep moving without stopping so this helps with your endurance.

            Get the concept of breathing and how it can help you in any endeavor and it doesn't always have to be training, it can be how you prepare for meetings or conferences in business, or how you handle shopping without tiring out before you get to your car (this happens with a lot of people believe it or not) and it can help you stay in the game in your sport so you can keep up that reserved power to stay driven and help your team keep going. Breathing is life and life is breathing. 

Being Sore Doesn’t Mean You Get A Day Off

           Training is apart of life no matter what. It takes guts to keep going day after day, week after week, and year after year but in the end its all how you make it be. People assume because you’re sore you overdid it and you need a break when in reality that’s where the fun begins. You've worked out hard and you wake up the next day and you’re aching what do you do? You can either rest or not do any type of training or you can adjust and focus on something else to train on till you’re fully recovered.

            The late Karl Gotch once said “you must adapt and improvise” and what does he mean by this? From my point of view and personal experiences, you learn to adjust your training by how you feel and how you can switch things around. In this case of being sore, you don’t have to go hardcore but you can change things up like for example…Say you exercised with a deck of cards and all you did was push-ups and squats, you’re very sore the next day from going through that whole deck, instead of moaning and bitching just do a little bit of stretching and work on little exercises throughout the day to keep your blood flowing and keeping the body loose while you recover.

            You can always do something. I've seen a lot of guys in the gym who go all out one day and the next they don’t show up because they’re sore, give me a break. I've also seen other guys who have pushed to their limits and the next day came back looking to do something else to help them recover. Taking a break from your regular routine is a good thing but it doesn't mean you’re out of the woods. Focus on something that keeps you active, ride your bike if you have one, take a nice walk around the neighborhood, do some deep breathing to open up the lungs and work on other muscles and tendons that didn't get worked. Have a little fun with it. Go out and move like a wild animal even if it’s a few steps, juggle kettlebells who knows, make something work for you till you’re ready to go full blast again.

            Recovery is very important, there’s no question about that. Sure you get it that muscles get torn down and need some down time but its also important to stay active, keep on your toes, keep your blood flowing, your body is like a machine and can go more than you can expect. Your body will heal itself and the better shape you’re in; the more you can keep active without being so sore. Keep that in mind and rest if you need to but don’t just lay around like a chump, do something that makes you happy, have fun and get in the habit of improvising your exercise. Be smart, train hard and keep at it. 

The Deck Of Destiny

              One of my favorite workouts is simply using a deck of cards and going as far as I can go. He didn't create it but he certainly gave it greater purpose especially if you’re a combat athlete and that was Karl Gotch. If you were to get in superior condition it was important to stick with the fundamentals and that was squats, push-ups and bridging. With the deck, you just shuffle them however you want and when you flip one card you do that many push-ups or squats, face value is up to 15, Aces are 20 and Jokers are 25-50.

Numbered As Is

Aces- 20

Face Cards- 15

Jokers-25/50

            Once you have it down and you can finish the deck in a reasonable amount of time (keep it under 45 min.), you can switch things around, make certain parts of the cards different types of push-up and/or squats along with an abdominal exercise or maybe add in pull-ups that’ll be an ass kicker. It’s good to switch things up, keep the body working in different directions and ways that’ll keep your heart rate up and challenging your body to a different degree. My shortest time with the cards ever was just over 21 min. and that’s cruising, that’s just on various push-ups and squats, however with only 4 exercises it takes me just under 45 min. at a time.

            Gotch always found that conditioning was the base for every combat sport and in general all sports for that matter. You can do all the techniques in your sport all you want but if you can’t last very long on the mat or on the field even on the court you might as well walk out the door. Another legendary sports figure whose conditioning training helped bring a series of championships was the late John Wooden of NCAA Basketball lore at UCLA. If his guys weren't up to par to stay in the game efficiently, they didn't get to play much, it was this golden rule that put his teams in the best of the best during the 60’s and 70’s that had Hall Of Famers such as Kareem Abdul Jabarr and Bill Walton. This type of training gives your workouts a twist because it’s never the same every time so there’s no guess work it’s just there.

            When it comes to timing, you should attempt to finish the deck with as little rest as possible to the point where you’re just zooming like lightning. In the beginning, you might need to rest after a few cards to catch your breath and let the tension out because of the lactic acid build up. Each workout should have a little less rest than the last time so you can build that endurance and your mental strength. A key component to learn is that after a while, your form might be a little off, this happens often so do your best to keep your form as best as possible because if you start to get sloppy, it’s going to bite you in the ass.

            If you want to jump up to a level of conditioning that is different and a bit more hardcore than doing reps, do the deck in an Isometric format. You’re probably wondering “how the hell do you do that?” Instead of doing reps, you hold a certain position for time either for a few seconds or a few breaths for example, you got a 5 and it’s a squat, you can hold a horse stance or wall sit and hold for 5 seconds or take in 5 breaths. Jokers are a killer and you’d be in great shape if you can hold a position for up to 50 breaths but 50 seconds is still ok. This takes your body to a level most never dare go to. At best this kind of workout can take as long as an hour or more, that’s a lot of trying to hold still.

            The deck can work in many ways and no matter how you do it, if you can do the whole deck you’re in reasonably good shape. Gotch took to a level only a small group has ever achieved and that’s doubling the number of squats and kept the push-ups as is. I once read he did the deck twice in a row, no wonder he was a beast on the mat. It’s a lot of fun to work on and you can do it just about anywhere at anytime. See how you do it and how it can work 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.”

The Living Legend Returns

           

            Who do you think I’m referring to? It could be anybody, there are a lot of powerful guys who had their best days and now are returning to the place that gave them that glory but I’m referring to quite possibly the most popular Professional Wrestler of the 60’s and early 70’s and that’s Bruno Sammartino. He defied an era when pro wrestling still had colorful characters but also had a more mat based style to some of the guys who fought in the ring.

            His style of wrestling was some mat-based with a plenty of power moves and a brawler type style as well. Even though his wrestling isn’t as popular as his strength, he still can go the distance with some of the biggest names in the business at the time. His strength was the stuff of legends. One of his first tastes of glory was picking up 640 lb. Haystacks Calhoun in 1961 if I recall and it was a big deal at the time and still is a feat that no one did to him after. Bruno’s lifting power was just incredible, he was one of the first men to Bench Press over 560 lbs. At 5’10 and over 260 lb. he was a force not to be messed with.

            Back in the 60’s where the most popular stars had an ethnic background Bruno was at the top of the ladder because of his Italian background and his love with the fans especially at what might be called the house that Bruno Built Madison Square Garden in New York. No one guy before or since has headlined the World’s Most Famous Arena more times than anyone 211 headlines with 187 sell-outs. Color TV was very low and only less than a handful of shows had color the most popular being Batman so whenever you saw Pro Wrestling it was 99% in Black & White. You had guys like Nature Boy Buddy Rogers, Fritz Von Erich, Pat O’Connor, Lou Thesz, Walter ‘Killer” Kowalski, a young Harley Race and even Karl Gotch but nobody made the money like Bruno did.

            His training was legendary, picking up heavy weights, hundreds of squats and push-ups and had endurance like some of the other greats who can go do hour long marathons in the ring. Many guys couldn't keep up with him and he even wrote a short book on how to build the body from basic strength training and muscle building and he did this (hopefully I’m right) all without drugs, steroids or PEDs when it was the boom of its time. He was a man of hard work and will to become the very best and wrestled the very best.

            He had the longest reign of any champion in history going on nearly 8 years as the champ when he beat Buddy Rogers in 1963 till he lost to Ivan Koloff in 1971. He won it back in 1972 I think and lost again to Superstar Billy Graham in 1977. Nobody ever since held the world title for that long and that tells yeah how important the man was to the business at that time. He fiddled around a while longer before retiring and became a commentator for WWE.

            He ended up leaving the business for good because of what Vince McMahon was bringing to the business and Bruno would have none of it. He was bitter about the business for the longest time about its direction and what was changing with the business until recently a man who has a hold on the company in certain areas especially in Talent Development is Paul Levesque aka Triple H got to talking with Bruno and told him what was going on really. Because of this encounter, Bruno started learning to love some of the business again and finally broke down after turning down so many offers to be in their Hall Of Fame has finally come to an end. The Living Legend will be at Madison Square Garden one more time being the headline but not in the ring, not in an interview but on stage as a WWE Hall Of Famer.

            I've been watching wrestling ever since I was 11 years old and learned so much about the wrestlers that I wanted to learn more about the history and how it came to be and how we as fans can improve it. I like more of the mat style wrestling than the colorful antics of the wrestlers. My first glimpse of Bruno was in a Video Game, Legends Of Wrestling 2 where they did interviews with big names like Hulk Hogan, Jerry Lawler, Jimmy Hart, Jimmy Snuka, The Road Warriors, Eddie Guerrero and Paul Orndorff to name a few and I was fascinated with how they portrayed Bruno. The powerful man that he was and how he talked about his matches with Killer Kowalski was just great. It made me love the old-timers ever since then and I kept learning more about real style wrestling and pro wrestling.

            I don’t know if its because I’m of Italian descent or because of my love for wrestling but I felt connected to Bruno’s career and wanted to learn more about what he did, who he wrestled and how he trained. I’m glad one of the best finally gets the respect he’s deserved for so long and be enshrined for the test of time. I never got to see Bruno during his Career because he retired not too long after I was born give and take a couple years but at least I and others my age who are in love with wrestling get to see some of his work through youtube and some other wrestling sites and be in awe of what it would be like to be in that era. Welcome back Bruno and thank you.