Getting Stronger & Limber

 At a good point to where I'm close to 100% healed up. Been doing the DDP Yoga Workouts for 24 days straight now and just feeling better and better each time. Some days I'll do beginner to intermediate, every few days or so I'll do one or two of the brutal ones and repeat that. None of them are easy and some are just so damn nasty it works me like a motherfucker but I love it. 

Starting to get my itch back with Isometrics as well and even did some Step Ups last night. Managed a total of 100 in sets of 25 per leg. Don't want to jump into my normal stuff just yet, keep a level head of the DDP Yoga and focus on building my flexibility and mobility. My strength & endurance is back at full force as well because of the continuous holds and movements of DDP Yoga.

Even tested myself with a 5 min Micro Workout of just picking up my 20 lb Sandbell to my chest, drop and repeat as many times as possible. Just working things back up and strengthening those areas and hitting many muscle groups at once. Hit 74 reps in 5 minutes lifting a total of nearly 1500 lbs. Felt some discomfort but that was to be expected because I haven't done that kind of workout in over a month. No pain though and didn't go Speedy Gonzales on it either, just steady pacing and technique intention. 

The walking has become much easier and limping almost not at all now. Went shopping at grocery stores with the wife and was pretty much cruising without a hitch. Even had an afternoon lunch and movie the same day, even walked around a park area. Happy to get things going again and our 5th anniversary is only a few days away so I'm definitely happy I'm in the shape for it. 5 years Married, Together for 9 years and couldn't be more excited for it. I can be a sappy bastard but hey, it's my nature.

Being strong and limber again is teaching me how precious and important it is to have those attributes and not take anything for granted. Being mindful and taking better care by doing things more methodically and better intent. I'll still do some things fast but not to the point where I lose my sense of awareness. Maybe that was one of the contributing factors to getting hurt again was not being aware of what was going on and just being this crazy guy doing crazy workouts. I'm still that guy but need to be more present and utilize technique and what my body is telling me. Not be so gung ho and paying more attention to what my body can do at the beginning, during and after a workout. If I need to take a break from time to time I'll take it. Not going to try to keep up the same pace, back off when I need to and go hard when it calls for it. 

Injuries are not to be fucked with. They happen and we can't 100% avoid them but we can be more intentional about listening to our bodies, especially as we get older. Some guys will just go hard until they're in the ground, others are trying to prove how manly they are by doing things that probably aren't good for their body in the long run. I'm learning daily myself this and learning more and more that I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself. I love to share demos and things like that but I'm not going to inflate my ego just to prove how tough I 'am and try to outwork anyone. It's not worth it anymore.

Health and progressing little by little is more important than how far I can go with a 70 lb Sandbell or try to do 1000 Reps with a Hammer in 25 minutes or less. Train for function and making strides without breaking down. I still want to do carries, swing a hammer, do bodyweight stuff and work the Dopa Band, it's just a matter of what is possible without risking highly for injuries again. 

Will this ever happen again? I sure as hell am going to do my damndest to make sure it doesn't and take things one day at a time. Pain in one sense tells you that you're still alive but it also brings misery and heartache to yourself and to those around you. I felt so guilty and ashamed of what I put the people I love through was just horrifying and made me hate myself. This is the lesson I'm learning right now and making little changes, do things a little differently and being more aware, not to the point where I'm cautious all the time or whatever but to more in the present and listening to my body because the very thought of doing this again after just healing would shatter my very soul. 

As for my weight, I'm right at around 235-236 right now and plan on losing a bit more weight, already looking slimmer and I have my appetite back with a vengeance. I also don't want lose so much weight I start to look older than my age lol. Maybe that's partially an ego thing but I like having my good genes and stay looking as young as I can. Just got to keep things in stride.  

Sprint 8 Without The Machinery And Summer Results So Far

Changing things up can be a good thing so you can stay interested and take on a different style of the training you're working on. Since about late May, I was working on Hill Sprints and up until now did around 60 Sprints in that time ranging from 4-5 per workout at 10-15 seconds each. I would take about a 20 minute walk to the hill, do my sprints and walk back 20 minutes. It was good for a while but was feeling burnt out and needed to change things up. Doing research and seeing what could work for me, I found the Sprint 8 Program.

Doing a couple workouts with Sprint 8 so far and it's tough but I have greater energy and the timing is better for me since I can practically do it anywhere and not always exhaust myself. If you ever read the course by Phil Campbell it's simply a workout where you do an exercise for 30 seconds fast and "rest" for 90 seconds for 8 rounds. The workout itself takes less than 15 minutes all together and only 4 minutes of intense training.  

The program itself is not really that new and the concept itself as I recall was originally "founded" by Dr. Lawrence Moorhouse who had athletes do this with Burpees or Step Ups (can't remember which one exactly) but it's a good program. Campbell updated this protocol in the modern age by using it for cardio machines that's actually pre-set to the protocol. There's a warm up period, the workout and a cool down which all together takes 20 minutes. This is to be done 3x a week which the trial run is 8 weeks. 

I don't use machines so I just do Burpees for this particular workout because as a bodyweight exercise, Burpees are the closest to the most intense, fat burning and weight loss exercise you can do next to sprint training. The rest period is just walking it off. I would start with a few minutes of Joint Loosening and than get right to it. When I'm done, I hop in the shower and do recovery work the rest of the day. The workout itself is less than 15 but if you include the joint loosening its about 18-19 minutes) and that is perfect for me. 

You don't need machines to do this workout (which I just showed), you can do this with slam balls, bodyweight exercises, sprints in place, Burpees, Step Ups, weights just about whatever your imagination can come up with, just do something fast for 30 seconds and actively rest for 90 for 8 rounds, that's it. With the Hill Sprints and this workout so far, I've lost 7-9 pounds and put on some muscle but it's still a work in progress and got a ways to go so I just need to trust the process. I didn't even diet that much if at all and the pounds were still slowly but surely coming off. 

Who knows where I might go with this but at the moment, I like it and it could lead to my best physique ever but I'm not looking for the beach body, just be in better shape and be in better health little by little. As of July 4th, I've gone from 267 lbs. to 258 lbs. (Pictures at 258), would like to be a little under 250 by the time I turn 38. Is it possible? We shall see.

An Epic Review

          

            This is a special treat because I rarely ever write reviews for a certain product so today you’ll get an un-cut and uncensored review of the Epic Sledgehammer from Stronger Grip. Granted in this review I will not hold back how I feel about this Hammer and why it is one of the most awesome tools in no nonsense grip strength and conditioning that it is not to be underestimated.

            When you have a Hammer of this size & power and you have it in your hands; it strikes into your very soul because its beauty is without equal and its strength is unmatched. There are many great tools in the world of strongman but like with Highlander, there can be only one that hits you with ferocity and the power to take you down if you don’t have the guts to withstand it.

            It is not to be underestimated. Sure it looks awesome and has a mystic to it that even the folk legend John Henry can smile about but at the same time, you will either be handle it or you won’t and if you can’t, you don’t have anyone to blame but yourself. People believe that to get strong you need weights or machines to do the work and slug off anything else that seems to extreme or not enough for them and I say bullshit. This one tool has the power to give you crushing grip that be used in many sports like Football, Baseball, Hockey, Golf, Wrestling, MMA you name it because when you strike it at a high volume or work it in different positions it tackles the mind more than anything else.

            I've held it in my hands and did quite a few exercises that don’t require a tire and I can tell you first hand it is brutal and your lower arm will get sore. It’s not a tool for just sports but to build that functional and enduring strength with a powerful grip, hand-eye coordination, lung capacity increase, shaping the body of a man with mighty tendons and super muscle. When you begin to train with this bad boy, your body will never be the same again. It takes effort to swing it, it takes to endure it and it strengthens your mind in ways most tools can’t. This Hammer is a tool of the gods that only one man has the guts to create and does it with style and class (and a bit of nerdyness) and that’s Ryan Pitts. He has built some of the most powerful tools in the world of grip strength and if Thor, Zeus and many of mythology’s famous gods were around today, they’d look to him to build the strength for the people and the strength that we all have within us.

            It is up to you if you have the guts to take on a challenge that could very well be the most fun and powerful challenge in your quest for physical strength.

The Stronger Your Grip Is, The Stronger You’ll Be

           Why is grip strength so important? It’s essential to our everyday lives and not just for training or getting in a good forearm workout but it has the ability to save a life or help someone in need. A surgeon needs his hands to construct, repair or save another person’s life, a massage therapist needs strong and supple hands, an athlete needs strong hands to throw a ball or tackle someone, even in soccer at one point you need to throw the ball out into the field to get the best advantage of scoring a goal. A parent has to have some strength in their hands to carry groceries, help keep their baby up, play with them and so on. Catch my drift here?

            Your grip is a major key and I’ll get into different types of grip strength in a second but let me point a few things out. In the world of the strongman, your grip cannot be neglected because if you’re going a specific feat of strength, the majority of the time you’re going to be using your hands. You can’t bend steel if your grip isn't up to par, you can have strong wrists but you need to keep a lock on a bar a spike, if you’re Ryan Pitts at Stronger Grip you can’t swing another human being on his human swing set without having a solid grip and if you’re like Dennis Rogers, there’s no way in hell you can lift a fridge with one finger without training your grip. Now the majority of us aren't strongmen or a specific athlete or really big with genetic gifts of strength; most of us don’t realize how important our grip is, to hold onto a child, to carry a gurney to put in the ambulance to take someone to the hospital, to rescue someone from a burning building, to fight in combat as a soldier. The stronger your grip is, the stronger you’ll be.

            There are different types of grip strength; there’s pinch gripping which is having that alligator type snap, crushing strength like from grippers and thick bar lifts or using fat gripz, working the fingers like fingertip push-ups, twisting strength, working the wrists, playing an instrument like playing the piano or guitar hell even the drums, for carpentry you need precision and accuracy in your hands to build and carve things and also lifting something like the blob; there are many ways to develop your grip but focus on the ones that geared toward a specific goal. The more you focus on a particular type of grip strength, certain things fall into place where your whole body becomes apart of the exercise. A lot of people think isolating the lower arm will make them stronger, which is true in certain cases but when you engage your whole body as you focus on the lower arm, bigger things arise like your conditioning, strength in other place, muscles being used that aren't normally used. Think of Arm Wrestling, its not just slamming another guys arm down, it’s a full body effort.

            Mighty hands build mighty things period. A key thing to remember is to focus on the tendons and ligaments when you’re training your grip, this is where it’s most neglected because people mostly focus on the muscles and only do half the work. The more you focus on the tendons the more you realize that’s where your strength falls into place and will prevent you from getting injured. Using different implements like Sledgehammers for example to strengthen the tendons will help you succeed in your life. The most common injuries in sports and the work place are torn tendons/ligaments and carpal tunnel, you can prevent these if you focus on your tendons. Isometrics work very well with this because it gives your body the maximal effort without moving a single muscle. Steve Justa makes this very clear and it keeps things in perspective. Make it a habit to include grip strength in your training and you’ll see how much stronger your body will become just adding a good amount of tendon work. 

A Powerful Grip Goes A Long Way

         The joy of having a strong grip is a lot to have. Many opportunities arise when your grip can handle many things like carrying groceries, helping someone move, twisting off a tough jar, climbing, carry someone and holding onto them so why not develop a mighty grip? It’s a lot of fun because our hands were meant to be strong for the things we need to have in our lives. The stronger our lower arm is, essentially the stronger our whole body is. It’s not just a pump you get in the gym or squeezing someone’s hand.

            Most people who start out with developing anything, get all excited and can’t wait to jump in but as they move along, most of the time get really bored and don’t want to progress any further or they just keep up the same old crappy routine and never make any headway. It’s all about the three P’s; Pacing, Progressing and Patience. We start out weak in some area or another so we begin with the simplest things plays around with them, we progress in order to advance ourselves. Don’t just push yourself all the time, pace yourself; do a little more each time. It’s the journey, not the destination that is the key; the smallest things can have the biggest impact. Be patient, if you get stuck somehow, find a solution, change things up and use your imagination to get better. We all have different ways of progressing, some are faster than others but we share a common goal and that’s getting better. It’s like math; you don’t start out with calculus right? We start with Arithmetic and work our way up, same thing developing your grip strength.

            One of the greatest modern Physical Culture authors Brooks Kubik said to Master your exercises. Doesn't matter what you’re shooting for but to progress with the best intentions, you must master what you want to develop. For grip strength, you don’t need to master a million things; you just need to focus on a few things. Do no more than 3-4 things to master because this helps you focus on what you can do to progress to a higher level whether it’s adding sets/reps or advance to a more difficult exercise. For me as an example with my Thor Hammer, I started out just lifting up, down and side to side. Next progression, slamming it with a tire 1000+ times often, next one was pressing it up using only the ball of the hammer, after that was juggling and flipping it. There’s more to progress to but you get my drift. It doesn't have to be a hammer, you can add in Fat Gripz onto your barbells and dumbbells to make your exercises harder, the effect is much different when you curl a 40 lb. dumbbell the regular way, slap on a Fat Grip, you’re in a whole new world of lifting my friend.

            Some of the strongest men in the world don’t always have the biggest hands. Yes big hands give a distinct advantage and that’s awesome if you have them but there are some of us who don’t have that luxury. Don’t fret though, there’s still hope and don’t ever let it stop you from chasing your dream from having strong hands. Want an example; Dennis Rogers is one of the strongest men pound for pound ever yet he’s no more than 5’8 and weighs no more than 170 yet he’s been able to do things most men twice his size can’t even fathom. He was also a champion arm wrestler at a point in his life and took down some of the best there was and some of them were far bigger than he was. So you see, there’s no excuse for you, you have the power to have some mighty mitts and you can have them if you want them bad enough. Train with intent, think big, think powerful, use your imagination and make it happen for you. Grip strength is very important, it can even save someone’s life, think about that. Don’t ever give up chasing your dream, don’t just chase it, thrust through and take a chance. It’s within reach, go get 

Real Reasons To Be Super Strong

           So you lifted a heavy weight and/or bent some steel & can do pretty gnarly bodyweight exercises, big freaking deal. Sure it’s cool to do those things but what do they really mean? Becoming strong isn't always about how much you can handle, it’s about building the strength that you can use in certain situations when troubled or being needed is called for. Have you ever been in a situation where you might need to save someone’s life or help your friends & family when they move? I’m sure the latter is more common for you but the first one is a real eye opener. Let me give you a prime example of this….

I went to a concert once with a girlfriend back in the day, it was fun even though everyone around us was having a bit too much weed and the room was hot as hell. All of a sudden out of nowhere she just passes out right in the middle of the crowd and I panicked like any guy would but I had to do something, with little to no help I picked her up off the floor and this is dead weight I mind you. She was fine after catching her breath and I helped her out the concert doors so she can call her mom somewhere.

            It’s those things where being a strong person is most crucial. Am I saying this to scare any of you or give you a big wake up call? In some ways yes, sure I can be all fun, have a kick ass time but I can also tell you how scary life can be when someone’s is at risk and you have to be prepared for the unexpected.

            Be prepared to have unexpected times being called upon you and one of the best ways is build a foundation that will have you stay functionally strong and aware of certain things. Helping someone move or working your body in different environments such as construction, carpentry, mining, being a blacksmith, military, law enforcement or whatever is important to keep a good strong body intact.

            One thing I've learned for nearly a decade is one of the things you hear like in Captain America from Dr. Erskine “A strongman, who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power, but a weak man, knows the value of strength and that’s compassion.” There are a lot of strong guys out there but very few know their strength’s true value but there are also the average Joes who have a power that can express extraordinary abilities when you or they least expect them. Don’t go looking to save someone just for the spotlight that just makes you an asshole in the end; learn to use your strength when you need it the most, that’s one of things training is all about.

            The next time you train, sure have fun with it, use your imagination and have a kick ass time but at the same time, in your mind you’re doing these crazy things for a good cause because you never know when the time comes to use what you have built. In your life you may never have to use your strength but you never know don’t you? Train hard, help each other and be safe.

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. 

I Want YOU To Become An Animal

 I've written out about Animal Training a few times before but it’s something worth mentioning time and time again because people should learn about this great style of strength & conditioning training. As we get older our hormone levels drop a certain percentage every year starting at around 25 I believe. I'm a couple years shy of 30 and I want to be able to have that great level of metabolism and natural growth hormone levels by the time I hit that age and beyond, I can't imagine the percentages someone over 40 or older has dropped.

 Animal Training is a system where you imitate and move like an animal in the wild, simple as that. One of the most famous exercises in fitness when it comes to bodyweight is the bear crawl, walking or sprinting on all fours and you can do it for reps, time, distance hell even play tag whatever you can do is up to you. It’s one of the most fun exercises there is plus many more. In my experience, I have received awesome benefits from this type of training including….

Better Awareness

Endurance

Strength in Awkward Positions

Higher Metabolism

Stronger Abs

Muscular Definition

Increased Agility

Last But Not Least….Increased Growth Hormone

 These are just the tip of the iceberg from what I received and I'm a big guy over 240 lb. and yet feeling like Tarzan. I don't care if you're big, small or whatever, this will give you lifelong fitness if you take a chance and learn it. I love it and it gives me a hell of a workout or should I say play time in short durations.

 Children these days don't do enough fitness and have gone off the deep end with becoming overweight, lack of strength, water being replaced by soda and not getting enough brain activity to study but yet rather watch TV and text/talk on their cell phones it's ridiculous. I'm not saying you should force your kids to get fit but it wouldn't hurt to help teach them, better yet not letting them know they're exercising but rather playing and having a good time. We all have a favorite animal so why not put it to good use. Studies have shown that exercise increases Awareness, Strength in the brain, increased energy, high endorphins, stronger metabolisms, natural muscle growth and bone density, wouldn't it be awesome to have all those things and more. Parents I encourage you to exercise with your kids, it'll help bring a bond that a family that trains together sticks together. My parents when I was growing up didn't do that with me and rarely ever do it now and have to learn all on my own which isn't a bad thing but I always wondered what if so don't let your kids slip away from you on that notion, work with them as stress-free as possible. Time flies by and before you know it, your kids are gone and going after their own thing, spend time with them before it’s too late.

The biggest benefit of this type of training is not what you get from it but how you do them. Exercise is suppose to fun, exciting and something to look forward to and not looked at as a punishment or feel you need to do it or force yourself into it. Make it worthwhile. One of my favorite workouts is taking Animals and making them like Cartoon characters like the Bear Crawl can be turned into Baloo from the Jungle Book and playing with mowgli, another can be a cricket and turning him into Jiminy Cricket, even turn the Gorilla exercise into becoming King Kong the larger than life Ape. My all-time favorite animal is the Gorilla and as an Avenger Fan I got to see both of that in a Comic Book which you can find right here. The more you realize its fun, the more benefit you'll get out of it.

Being fit for decades to come is a goal we all strive to achieve, some have even made it, one of my mentors is in his 60’s and acts like a man in his 20’s, one man is approaching his 80’s and still has the strength to lift the heaviest of hammers and one of my favorite strongmen can do feats of strength that makes guys in our generation look like weaklings. Its how you put your mind to it, building that Mind/Muscle Connection. Make it a habit to have fun for you, your friends, your children maybe even grandchildren, it’s never too late to be strong and healthy. 

The Difference Between Believing & Not Believing

 There are a lot of skeptics out there who don’t believe in certain ideals or they do believe in certain things but it’s by tradition and rules when in reality they don’t have the slightest notion of how to be open minded. For those wondering, when I speak of this article, I’m talking about fitness and health not religion or politics, that’s way out of my league and have my own views of what they are. Back to the task at hand, many skeptics are the ones with their guard up and never want to take it down and that’s not a good thing because they miss out on many things that they can work on.

 One of the best quotes I've learned since I was 13 was “For those who do believe you don’t need an explanation, for those who don’t believe no explanation will do.” Want to know where I learned that from? Believe it or not a pro wrestler named Jeff Jarret on the Unreal Story Of Professional Wrestling, talk about weird. A lot of people sometimes including myself feel like we need to explain our beliefs and what they’re all about but in the end, people need to figure it out for themselves. Its one thing to throw something at a skeptic but it’s a different ball game on how they figure it out themselves.

 One of my biggest peeves is people who do believe in something but only because they listened to someone’s word and not use common sense or research. The traditional belief in fitness is do a half hour of cardio and an hour of weights to get strong, eat less to lose weight, do push-ups for warm up and do bench presses to get a big chest and my all-time favorite, bodyweight exercises are only good for endurance once you reach a certain number of reps and than you don’t build strength. I’m sorry but tradition has never really been my style and going on someone’s word is just (excuse my language) bullshit. If I want to believe in something I’m going to try certain things out, do a little research and experiment a little to see what works and what doesn't.

 For you skeptics out there, drop your guard a little, not all the way but a little and try certain things, you never what you’ll get out of it. I know what it’s like to be a skeptic, I've been there many times before and still a skeptic to certain things but with a purpose and not just because someone says something and that’s it. Opening your mind is like opening a new door to a world you never seen before. To give you an example, I was skeptical about being athletic and agile as a big man, these guys told me try gymnastics and try hand balancing and all these different things but I was just so guarded about who I was that I can’t do all this stuff but the moment I dropped my guard just a little, I opened up a whole new door and kept an open mind and gave a shot at few things I felt I could do but get better at and low and behold, I got stronger, more flexible, more agile and more durable than ever before and never looked back since. Dropping your guard a little can be a big impact on how you do things. It’s up to you to do it, no one can really do it for you.

 To me the true meaning of believing is not by someone’s word and just believe because they said so but believe in your heart that it works for you and you've done some things to find that belief. A true believer is someone who wants to find what he’s looking for and believes in oneself and not from this or that, he/she believes this does work and it does give me something to do. Fitness wise, you can be a sheep and follow everyone’s word or you actually do something about it and find your own belief and create something out of the norm and make it your own tradition. Like before you don’t need an explanation as a believer, it’s there it works, you understand it from all angles and you learned how it works for you. Believe in yourself and trust it. It took me many years to figure that out but and I’m still learning a thing or two but it’s a journey and that I believe will go a long way to make me better at what I do and so can you. 

All The Reasons To Make Your Conditioning Twisted

One of the golden rules in the quest of strength and conditioning is to learn how you can adapt and improve of what you can with things you have and what things you don't. No workout should ever be the same. Things change and evolve overtime as you get stronger and more conditioned. This can help you learn to focus more on what you want as you don't need to do the same things over and over again. Yet what if you had a manual that gave you options for things you can use and things you don't have and have a kick ass workout?

Some people say its not possible to do strength and endurance workouts at the same time because it either has to be one or the other. But what if you could and you can. How would that go? What would you have to do? In Bud Jeffries' Twisted Conditioning Programs you can do all of that without losing your strength or your endurance, they'll just keep growing.

Combining the best of the best elements into a series of workouts that are endless. Do you like bodyweight training, strongman lifts, kettlebells, rocks, barrels, logs, steel bending...Why not all those things and more. Finding what you want to do and build the greatest of strength doing it. Having a variety of choices makes for a never boring type of workout and finding the best at what works for you and you alone. Putting together a program isn't easy but with the right focus and goal of what you want to do, you'll find a way to do and my boy Bud will help you every step of the way, I should know, he gave me a number of tips himself personally. Even if you don't have all those tools, you can still learn to use your own bodyweight in a variety of ways that can help transfer over to other possibilities. For me as an example, about 90% of my training is pure bodyweight training and yet have managed to pick up a 400 lb deadlift without touching nearly a single barbell for over 2 years.

Its all about what you want. What's the image in your mind, becoming a bodybuilder, a strongman, a MMA fighter, sports athlete, just having a body that will turn heads? You can have anything you desire with the right mindset and the will to bust your ass to get what you dream of. Become the best for yourself and transform yourself into the person you want to be. All I can say is on that, don't change who you really are from the inside, however, if you work with the right program for you, things will change in your life and will for the better.

One of the secrets of the old-time strongmen to becoming strong is thinking that you are strong and you will be strong. I can imagine myself back in my early teens when I was flabby, weak and ridiculed for being a heavy kid and all I wanted to be was to be strong, be respected and be larger then myself. I started lifting weights and got stronger in some cases and started having a somewhat muscular body, then I had my accident and had to learn things all over again. I began imagining myself being far stronger then when I was younger and decided to not use the mainstream courses on bodybuilding and strength training. I got stronger to the point where when I did lift weights, the numbers were higher and I can bring up weight however I wanted. Like I said its all about how you want to be strong and what you can do to get there.

An old-time wrestler/strongman George Hackenshmidt wrote that if you wanted to become stronger then you have to combine different elements in order to achieve the strength you wish to achieve. You can lift weights and still do bodyweight exercises, you can still do kettlebells while practicing gymnastics. What's to stop you from achieving what you want. That's the basis of what the Twisted Conditioning courses are is to help you find the best combinations to the goals you want to reach or better surpass. There shouldn't be an excuse where you can't swing kettlebells and do 500 squats in the same workout, there's no reason why you shouldn't want to pick up a partial 600lb deadlift and smash a tire with a sledgehammer in the same workout as well.

Never believe you can't build strength an endurance at the same time, anything's possible with the right focus and the will to believe that yes you can do this and never in any doubt that anyone else is afraid to go for the gold, you're shooting for the platinum. It's finding what you want and proving to yourself you can get there.

If you want to learn this method and others from Bud himself, go the Superhuman Workshop he's co-hosting with Physical Culture's Rennissance man Logan Christopher and possibly a special guest.

Tendon Strength In Steel Bending

Building the tendons with steel bending takes focus, hard work and knowing which ones to start and where to advance. When I first started bending I tried out 40D Penny Nails and some of the Iron Mind white and green nails. Those started becoming too easy so what did I do to get better? I bought steel bars, flat, rounded and re bar. I began bending them like crazy into all sorts of shapes and made some art out of them. Now why am I telling you all this? Its because like me and a lot of up-coming strongmen you want to progress through different levels of difficulty and experiment with what you can and can't do.

As you progress through your training and building solid steel tendons you want to find certain pieces of steel whether short or long and its strong enough to where you can't even budge it. This type of training is a key ingredient to successful training in Bending Steel and that's Isometrics. With Isometrics you learn to hit various points of a bend kind of like a partial lift in weights. Learn to focus your power on a certain point so when you get to bends that you had trouble with before now can be very easy.

Now contrary to popular belief in some circles certain people believe that strongmen use the same style of bending whether braced or un braced (using the legs and not using the legs) which the opposite is actually true. The Mighty Atom for short bending used whats called an Under Hand grip style which during that time was the only thing people knew until his Protege' Slim The Hammer man said once he tried it and didn't feel comfortable to him so he puts his hands on top of the spike and then bent the spike with full force.

Another key about bending is to find your style of bending that works for you. My style is the reverse hand grip which is where one hand is in front of the other. Having your own style will make you unique in how you present yourself in that form of Strength Feats. In Logan Christopher & Bud Jeffries' new DVD set on Feats Of Strength, you will find and learn what bending can do for you as far as strength and endurance is concerned. They will teach you the right and wrong ways of bending because if you're not careful you will get hurt.

These 2 men along with a few others they have learned from are the real experts on Strongmanism. When you learn from a real strongman and learn the correct way to bend, tear and just manhandle anything you can get your hands on you will build a level of strength and fitness that makes commercial gym goers look like wimps. I have learned from both men and without question I immediately got better at what I thought what I was already doing right. This is where you need to have an open mind to learn from rugged and powerful trainers.

Now that you've made it this far LOL....I will tell you first hand that if you apply the techniques and principles of whats on this DVD set you will be one powerful strong wo/man and this course will help you find your nich whether you're an athlete, trainer or just the average person who wants to become strong, this will help you with the best of intents.

Building Super Strength & Endurance for MMA

In the world of MMA, you need many tools to win a fight. You need strength, power, punching ability, grip agility for grappling, flexibility to get out of holds and awareness of avoiding your opponents punch and takedown strength. There are many great fighters but they will tell you that your conditioning will be your number one priority. In the words of Karl Gotch "Conditioning is your best hold." Some say you don't need strength just technique. In some ways this is true but because of leverage you can aquire wheres the power going to be if your opponent is going to get away from it easily? Bodybuilding workouts will give you a body from the outside but your opponents will figure you out and find your internal weakness. So you have a choice, do you want to look pretty and prance around the cage or do you want to stalk your prey and make your opponent afraid of you?

In this course, the man who has created Bud Jeffries, he will help you reach your goals and get you on the right path. He may not look like a pretty boy and ripped to shreds but he is one of the most powerful men on the planet. When he first came out with this he was well over 350 pounds. Although still very strong, he was also one of the most conditioned for a man his size. He's lasted as long as 15 min. in the ring with a few tough fighters and for a man his size thats nothing short of incredible. Almost 99.9% of men at that weight would rather sit on their ass eating chips and watching TV but not Bud Jeffries. He will go the extra mile unlike anyone else and now that he has lost well over 110 pounds in the last couple years that extra mile turned into an entire stateline. Heres a little peak of what you'll find.......

You will find as many as 50 workouts to find that ultimate nich in your conditioning and skyrocketing your power to another level.

A very powerful technique from the words of Old-Time Strongman Paul Anderson that has been proven in a scientific fasion in the last 50 years.

Learn the power of Qi Gong. Internal power that can take your being to another level that hasn't been used before or since.

Learn the secrets of becoming super strong but still be fast as lightning on the feet.

Make your punch like a freight train with enough force that may be even the FBI may keep on file.

Follow the most cutting edge training secrets of today that have been passed down by some of our strongest ancestors.

And Many More........

How can you not want this kind of info and become a feirce animal in the ring, in the weight room, in the outdoors and more importantly in yourself. Have Bud help you and take you far beyond your current level whether you're a greenhorn or an experienced fighter this course has something for everyone even for those who arn't fighters but want to jump their conditioning up a notch.

Small or Big You Have The Ability To Be Super Strong

When you visualize the image of a strongman what do you see? Cannonball Biceps? Thourobread Legs? Horseshoe Triceps? A V-Taper Back? Thats what many would think you nee to have to be strong when infact you don't need to have major built muscles. When a strongman performs a feat of strength (legit ones) he doesn't just incorperate muscles, he throws in muscle fibers, tendon power and the will to push through pain. It doesn't matter how big you are or how small you are, you can develop your body into a superhuman with proper training, an iron will and the ability to want to reach the next level. Here are the names of some strongmen small and big that you'd be surprised that are as strong and powerful far more then how they look....

Joseph Greenstein aka The Mighty Atom: At the peak of his career as a strongman he was no more then 5'4 and weighed just around 155 pounds. He was able to bend objects that just seemed impossible to the human eye. How can a man that size bend things like spikes, Iron Bars into various shapes, pull a car with his teeth, hold back an airplane with his hair. Its hard to believe that a man did all this but its true. He took various methods and put them together in a way that almost no one on earth can touch and was a feared man at one point because not only was he incredibly strong but he was also a wrestler that rarely ever lost. What was his secret?

Lawrence Farman aka Slim The Hammerman: At 8 years old his parents took him to a market and while the parents shopped, the young boy sat at a table and watched the Mighty Atom in his "old age" bend spikes and talk of nutrition and health. 10 years later this same young boy grew to a rugged muscular man and was still going to the Market to watch Atom do what he does best. This same man was working at a rock quarry where he smashed rock after rock for hours and hours on end. He became so strong that at 6'6 230 pounds, he can pick up a 16 pound sledgehammer from the floor by levering the bottom of the handle. Atom took a look at this and just couldn't believe a man can do this. Atom took on the Rugged man as his protege' and taught him the secrets of strongmanism and 20 years later, this guy sets a world record in all places Madison Square Garden and lifted and levered 2 hammers weighing in at 28 pounds each would put as much as 1760 inch pounds on his wrists. Within a 10-12 year period he started to peak and get stronger. Most men would think peaking is in their 20's and yet this guy peaked beyond 40. How the hell do you do that?

Otto Arco: The man of muscle control is one of the most developed men that ever lived during the golden age of Physical Culture. His poses were not only unique but were the stuff of legends. He not only had a superior physique but he had more then enough power to back up being one of the first men to press double-bodyweight at his size of 140 pounds at a height of 5'5. Where did he get his power from? What were the things he took to get that muscular? Is it genetics? Believe it or not he lifted weights, hand balance, ate whole foods and practiced gymnastics/wrestling, with the exception of surreal muscle control he never took steroids or took so?

How awesome would it be to learn the best of the best and develop a powerful physique whether you weigh 150 pounds or 300 pounds? Is it really possible to create strength and superior stamina, flexibility and nerves of steel without steroids or supplements? Just ask these guys and tell me if it isn't possible.....










 









 

Whats With All The Damn Links

As many of you have seen, I have banners and text links on the right-hand side of the blog because I'am apart of the affiliate programs and whatever one buys from one of my links I get a certain percentage out of it. Now am I in this for the money? I don't think so, if I was I would need to do far more work to promote them. Unlike wanting just money out of it I want to spread the word on them as well because I have personally used the various products and they work wonders without needing to say it twice. What you see is what I have used and go by. For bodyweight exercise I practice Bridging, squats and Animal Exercise very often & its never boring for me and it shouldn't be for anyone else.

I cannot express enough how awesome most of these products are and the athletes who work these products to me are the best of the best in their profession. Take Logan Christopher for example. A man at 6'2 and 180 pounds can juggle weights that the average man can only dream of. His strength is that much greater then some heavyweights. I'm 250 pounds and there are some things I would never attempt to do. That tells you size doesn't matter if you put yourself in a state of mind where you can be powerful no matter how big or small you are. His flexiblity is just as incredible as his strength as he's got some of the most controlled flexibility i've ever seen....Being able to fall back into a bridge then kicking over and standing up all in one fluid motion is not easy at all let alone being able to do it at 6'2  thats how controlled he is over his body. Anything he has to offer I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. He can take a weak individual and turn him into a athlete and not just on building strength and power but can teach you how to tap into your mind and bring out power within you that you never have done before. He is that damn good.

Bud Jeffries is another individual who has tremendous power. He is the exact opposite to Logan as far as size and strength goes. At 5'11 and 275 pounds he can take 100 pound dumbbells and make them look like 3 pounders. He's one of the strongest men on the planet hitting weight that would make the average man want to run for the hills. He has lifted half a ton in the squat starting in the bottom position, he's been able to lift heavy logs, carry large rocks and move kettlebells like they were lightweights. Regardless of his strength he is also one of the most flexible superheavyweights as well, able to do the splits, get into a bridge (both wrestler and gymnastic) and can stretch further then most men 20-30 pounds lighter then him. If you want to combine the best in weights, bodyweight and odd objects he is your man and if you feel he isn't then get the Twisted Conditioning series and see for yourself how much you can develop for overall strength and pure ferocious power.

Ryan Pitts would be the next guy on this list of athletes because he has helped bring back an old-time physical culture tradition and thats the Indian Clubs and The Mace. These weapons of exercise destruction has taken wrestlers to the very brink of the sport in Europe, Asia, India & Iran and everywhere else inbetween. You think you know conditioning, you haven't seen a damn thing until you have used the Clubs & The Mace. Once you get your hands on these bad boys you'll start to feel more powerful and more agile. Plus if you're a real stud get some sledgehammers and take the Mace to a whole new level of superior strength and power and work the grip unlike anything else. Even if you're not a wrestler these peices of equipment can be used by anyone who is willing to take the challenge and even has light weighted clubs and maces to help you get started or as an advanced athlete you will learn how to move your upper body in various directions to build shoulder and wrist agility that can help recover joint pain and carpal tunnel.

These guys know what they are talking about and are willing to help anyone who is up to the challenge and take his or her first steps to becoming a superior athlete and a rugged human being. Give these guys a chance and take your rightful place in Physical Culture. Spread the word of exercise and health and get rid of weakness and fear. Theres an old saying...

"Weakness is a crime...Don't be a criminal."

Getting Back To Basics & Why

Isolated training is really only good for one thing and thats rehabbing. The muscles and tendons were designed to be able to do multiple things while doing a single act. Push-ups for example are not just a chest exercise, it works the wrists, chest, arms, abs, shoulders and legs. Why would you need to work one specific muscle when you can get the whole shabang. Say you're in manual labor and had to dig ditches, stack bricks, break concrete blocks or move heavy objects....all of these do not require just one type of muscle group, they work multiple muscle groups so you're getting quite a workout in and of itself. That was just an example but it doesn't matter if you're an athlete, average joe, laborer or what, yes it takes some specific muscles to work something but for the most part you want to be able to use as many muscles as you can because if you work a specific muscle group too long you're prone to injury. Exercise in working multiple groups adds more benefit then just isolating.

Working out doesn't always mean you have to work the same muscles all the time, change things up make it interesting, instead of doing lateral raises why not do presses, instead of leg extensions do squats, why not take out the pull-downs and actually try pull-ups. When it really gets down to it, basic exercises are the way to go. Ask any strongman or look at and read of the old-timers and you will find the same thing. Isolation sucks because the body was not made to function that way it was meant to move and use multiple muscles to work that movement. Even in weightlifting, basic exercises like presses, squats, curls and dealifts are really all one needs to get in awesome physical shape. If you want to add variety why not add a sandbag or a few rocks and kettlebells to the mix. Practice performing basic movements whether bodyweight or weights either way they work like a charm and can build wonders beyond your imagination.

Want to learn the best in basic exercises and take a look at the banners and texts of guys like Logan Christopher, Bud Jeffries, Ryan Pitts and Pavel. Check them out and never look at isolation exercises again.
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My Thoughts On Super Humans

I watch the History channel quite bit alongside its cousin History International and I love the stories on there whether some are true or not with the likes of Haunted History, True Carribbean Pirates, Mystery/Monster Quest and tales of the Samuri or Barbarians it just facinates me. I've been a history buff as long as I can remember, first it was baseball, wrestling and basketball (sports stuff) then just getting into history itself. One show in particular though thats a series really caught my eye and thats Stan Lee's Super Humans. For those who don't know Stan Lee is one of the most famous Comic Book writers in the world and has created some of the biggest names in Super Hero history such as Spiderman, The Fantastic Four & The Incredible Hulk.

He has a man travel around the world in search of human beings who have extordinary abilities to have certain powers. One guy they found happens to be an idol of mine and thats Strongman Dennis Rogers. For those who don't know who he is Dennis is considered pound for pound the strongest man on the planet for the feats he performs. He's held back Harleys, bent 8-10inch Crecent Wrenches into "U" shapes and can rip a deck of cards in quarters not just halves. Those are just a few with many more up his sleeve. Anyway back to what I was saying, the man who travels around is considered the most flexible man in the world. He has found quite a bit of people with powers that are beyond belief. Now are there really super humans out there?

In my opinion I would like to think so. People who posess great power are not really born with that power but they have developed it over time through careful practice and long concentration to perfect their craft. I mean you can't really bend a wrench or dive into a 1ft pool without knowing how it works and what it takes to make it not only look good but without harming yourself as well. Yet I feel that anyone can become super human if they practiced what they want to do and there are many keys but I have a few that just make the top.

Creativity- What you want to do has to come from you, you can't perfect your craft from others. Learning your own way and practice, practice, practice.

Will- You gotta put effort into what it is you want to do. Half-cocked isn't going to get the job done. It takes more then physical power to create the power you want. It has to come from the mind first and the will to go that extra mile.

Learn The Proper Technique- There are major consequences if you don't get your technique down to the point where you know it like the back of your hand. Know how your technique works through your own self observation.

Going That Extra Mile- Perfect your craft like nobody else can. Put into effort that would others think its impossible for them. That one peice of small effort can make a major impact on your way to making your feat look surreal.

So do you want to be super human? Make the effort and learn your own physiology and most importantly use your imagination. If you want to build great power it has to come from the mind. Our minds are the fastest computers and can build data faster then any laptop machine. Work up to what you can do. If you want to learn how to find your way to superhuman strength then I encourage you to check out my friend Garin Bader's CoreForce Energy System. Its a system that helps incorperate sounds with your imagination to create great strength and speed. Does it teach you to fly? Hell no but once you learn to find the power within you it'll make you a more confident person and you will soar through the will of your imagination.

http://www.coreforceenergy.com/

Fitness Tools To Spice Up Your Conditioning

If you're a lifter, strongman, body weight enthusiast or starting training you want to have top quality tools to make your conditioning that much better then the next guy. For me every now and then I would throw my sledgehammer around, do some swings, levers or holding at a certain angle to not only strengthen my grip but to get me breathing hard and when you are training hard and breathing hard, growth hormone comes into play and that helps build muscle, jack up your heart rate, building tendon strength from angles certain methods can't touch. If I were to recommend top quality tools for conditioning it be from Ryan Pitts' Stronger Grip.

From maces to clubs to hammers he's got it. I have had the pleasure of using a couple of the clubs and his hammer and I will tell you off hand they are tough as hell. If you're new to them start with a weight that you're comfortable with and can do a significant number of reps and sets. I'm a body weight guy at heart so I don't do very heavy weight when it comes to equipment but when I need that extra edge and hit muscles from angles body weight exercises can't touch then I would hit the clubs or hammer. It doesn't take much to get you breathing fast and when that happens you're burning off fat like a furnace. Check out Ryan's stuff tell him I sent you and get the quality you deserve for the best conditioning you can create for you and get stronger then the average human. Take a look on the right side of the screen and get your butt in gear. In the words of Benarr McFadden "Weakness is a crime, don't be a criminal."

Who Are The Best Conditioned Athletes?

Sports.....Its our culture and our drive to compete to be the best. We see some of the greatest athletes in the world. We see heroes like Hulk Hogan, Walter Payton, Barry Bonds, Dan Gable, Otto Arco, Frank Gotch, Babe Ruth ect. These men are the best at what they did/do and how they got there (minus the steriods from a couple of the guys on this list) is no accident and pushed themselves to levels no one can fathom. Their conditioning is without question amazing and unreal but is it the best? Lets face facts athletes in any major sport at the highest level are well trained and can do things average folks can never do. Smack a homerun 500+ Feat, run well over 10,000 yards in a career, Win a gold medal without allowing a single point in a tournament, Slam a 500 pound giant and retire undefeted as a world champion. All those men achieved those goals because in order to achieve those things they have to go through many hours of training but again are they the best conditioned? Truth is their amazing conditioning is due to their sport. The training they go through is through that sport and in it alone.

We all strive to be the best we can be and become great when it calls apon us. I feel the best conditioned athletes are not the ones that are most conditioned for their sport no. I feel the best conditioned athletes are the ones that strive to master many different endeavors. In the early 20th century some athletes in the physical culture world were not only conditioned in their respected field but were conditioned in many other areas. Example would be Otto Arco, he was a hand balancer, wrestler, gymnast, weightlifter and strongman at a bodyweight of no more then 150 pounds at 5'3. To me the greatest athletes are men and women that are the master of multiple sports. Take another example would be the great Jim Thorpe. Arguably the greatest athlete of all-time. He was a great football player, a decathlete in the olympics and if I read correctly he played some baseball. So lets count here he was an athlete in about 12 different sports he perticipated in and nearly excelled in all of them. Thats a defenition of a well conditioned athlete, being able to transfer different movements at will and be incredible at it.

All in all there really is no greatest athlete but the athletes that excel best are the ones that can transfer from sport to sport without letting up and brining 100% a good portion of the time.

Tools For Gripping Power

There are many ways to train your hands to get full on grip strength and power. If you don't have much money and yet you still think you can't get anything to build a great grip, think again my man because a lot of what you can use in your house can build a much stronger grip then most guys can get in the gym.

Example would involve a towel and a bucket of water. Fill the water to about half full to three quarters full, now take the towel and put it in the bucket to get it wet as possible now pick it up and start whatever end you want and begin to squeeze the water back into the bucket until it gets as dry as it can. This alone can take your grip to a new level of power and might unlike those puny wrist curls the so called "bodybuilders" use.

Bending steel fries the entire body when you put your all into it and it turns hands and forearms into cords of steel especially if you bend rebar. Another hosehold tool to use is believe it or not your towel rack in your bathroom, what you do do is if you have one of those long racks is to grip the rack, now lean back as much as you can until you get to your fingertips then shoot forward and roll the wrist, do this about ten times, now just reverse the movement by under gripping the rack and lean back until it reaches the fingertips, now shoot back and roll the wrist, do this ten times. After doing this exercises my wrists and lower arms were pretty pumped. Work into this carefully and do not overdo it, ten reps is only needed.

When it comes to equipment for the hardcore grip fanatics, thick handled bars are great especially hammers, maces, clubs because when you have to grip something just to be able to move it is functional strength in itself. Now I must caution you, I may not be an equipment fanatic but if you were to use them do them for a short period of time but do what works for you and train smart.