Is Bodyweight Training All That Is Really Needed?

 Heated debates can be interesting when it comes to things in the fitness world and what works and what doesn't when it comes to exercise. A general outlook to what is perceived the "superior method" and how it applies to certain aspects of life outside of it. Ultimately, it boils down to what your goals are and what gives you the practitioner the benefits.

If you look at it from a certain perspective, yes, bodyweight training is at the top of the list as the method for training anytime and any place. There are so many things you can do without a single shred of equipment or very minimal other than a pull-up bar and maybe even a chair. However, bodyweight does have drawbacks like anything else. There are aspects of strength that it may lack and there are things that may create imbalances without proper knowledge. Doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, hell it's better for you than killing yourself with extremely heavy weight and it is one ideal method to master more than anything else. Once you have mastered your bodyweight, whatever else is just icing on the cake bro.

If one chooses to do nothing but bodyweight, that's awesome and the only limit is your imagination. I did it for so long it's like a second language to me and it will always be a part of my journey. I do like having other options though if opportunities arise. It's not like I have a complete gym set up, most of my equipment is in storage cause it wouldn't be wise to have some of those things in an apartment where you're on three floors. What I do have and am able to use at home works well for me at the moment and when I need to, I'll head down to the storage place, pick out what I want and head over to the park and play around. 

Now, even if you did only bodyweight training, there's even debates on what exercises one should do and what you will be criticized for. For instance, step ups is a favorite form of leg training but it has been a while since I've done them and doing more squats like Hindus, (BW) Goblet Squat Style and Sumo Variations from time to time. Same with push-ups, you can do crazy high reps which is great if you want to get good at them but there are ways to make push-ups harder which creates stronger stimulation to build muscle. Use handles or chairs for deeper stretches, handstands, fingertips or things like the Push-Up Grip Spikes from Stronger Grip that ties in grip strength, balancing even in the basic positions and utilizing more tension to create stability. Step Ups in my opinion are better than any machine and you can work your legs unilaterally to build strength and stamina that also helps fixing imbalances. Pistols are awesome too and things like Bulgarian Split Squats, Lunges & Shrimp Squats. I'm not big on the pistols much and I don't have the best form of balance when it comes to doing them but the others work just as well and have built strength from them. 

There's different styles of bodyweight training one can do to build levels of strength and endurance. Sprint Training, Gymnastics, Barstarzz, Animal Moves, Isometrics, Plyometrics, DDP Yoga, all have their place in doing what is possible for you. Quite frankly if you did nothing but these, you'd still be a hell of an athlete. From a reality based POV, they're all great options for what you want to achieve. If one wants to go to the gym and just do stuff there, that's great, they're doing something but I believe there's more to life outside of the gym. The gym has its place in many things. I joined up at Forge Fitness here in town because for... 

1. It has things that are pretty gnarly that I like.

 2. I get to support someone locally instead of just any typical gym like Anytime or something.

3. It has that old school vibe. Yeah there's a few machines but the way the Barbells, Dumbbells and Racks are set up, it has that aura of a dungeon type atmosphere where guys can train like those of the past. 

4. It's actually a hell of a lot cheaper than the majority of gyms around here that range from 50-90 bucks a month that have things that are way too fancy for my taste. 

5. It's another place that I can work on things that are fun to play with. 

I'll still do bodyweight training everywhere I go cause it's easy to figure out. Everything else is part of the package deal with me LOL. Do I need the gym, no. I like going cause it's part of what I love doing and that's training. I have always believed that if you're a true student of Physical Culture, you can create a workout anywhere you want with the knowledge & application and being part of a gym is just another aspect to it. 

So, back to the question at hand....Is bodyweight training all that is needed and nothing else? In most cases yes, you can go your entire existence without ever picking up a barbell or dumbbell or do something on a machine. Is bodyweight training good for as an addition or even something you do the majority of next to weights? Fuck yes, matter of fact, make it something to use as finishers or something great to do on off days with your regular gym routine. It will always be there when you want to do it. Like I said, it is important to master but in addition to that, it is the best ally for any method you practice. 

Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it in your journey. 

My Sanctuary, Social Media Walk-Outs And What Helps Me At Certain Times

 We all have our struggles, our demons and what we choose to do with what's possible to keep going. I'm no different, had my fair share of battles, physically and mentally. Others have it way worse than me and I wouldn't compare myself to someone who doesn't have much but wishing they did so they can live a peaceful life. Hell, maybe it's the universe or god or whatever you want to call it that gives me a reason I'm still going strong when I was already close to death before I even knew what the word meant and able to spell. 

Have my own struggles and fears daily but also have places that I can call home, be around those I'm closest to me and be able to talk to those who care enough to listen. I'm very grateful for those things. It's never easy to ask for help but if I need it, there are people I know I can turn to. I wish others had this because many are alone in this world or feel like they're alone and have no one to turn to. At times it may be by their own mistakes or people shut them out and they end battling themselves more than what they may end up doing to themselves.

This isn't just some random rant about anything. Just what I'm thinking in my head. Have I had the worst upbringing? Hell no, but it wasn't sunshine and rainbows either. There were things I learned growing up a kid shouldn't know and understanding some of the things that could've led me down a path to drugs, drinking and smoking but didn't. I knew people who were heavy into drugs, some were and some are still very close to me. The things I saw what drinking does to people, pushed me away from it damn near to the brink where I never wanted to drink at all. Been only drunk once in my entire life and that was in my early-mid 20's and that was it. I didn't black out or anything, I was a happy drunk from what I remember but after that, having a sip of anything was the majority of the time. When it comes to drugs, I think the closest things I ever did was have a few pot brownies once and that was more than a lesson I don't want to remember. Another was when I had my sciatica injury and I was taking muscle relaxers and getting to a point I had to stop myself and just push through my own pain so I stopped taking them and focused on supplementation and other things.

There are very few things in my life that I would call my Sanctuary or things that give me a sense of peace. One will always be my workouts because when I get into them, the world shuts down and I get to create my own universe, be in a state of mind that I feel safe and get to do what makes me happy. Another is being around people I love especially my wife who's just insanely awesome and makes things in my life seem like it's a dream. Yeah, I can be a sap at times, but I'd rather be a sap than some hateful asshat with no remorse towards other human beings that don't agree with him. A third sanctuary, is my office in my apartment. Sometimes, I just sit in here, by myself and write down things, train, read or listen to music and/or meditate. It's where I'm calm, collected and get to look at things that are cool like my decks of cards, mandalas I've drawn, pictures of legends I've met and seeing what I know is me.

I've had my ups and down days like anybody else. The one thing I do believe and anybody who knows me will understand it right off the bat is that I break out into laughter at the most random things at the most random times. A certain thought I think is funny that pops into my head just has me burst out laughing to the point where people like the wife has asked "what the fuck man, the hell you laughing about." I would tell her or whoever and I get looks at times that have them questioning my sanity. In the words of Uncle Albert from Mary Poppins "I love to laugh." Either I find things funny somewhere or a random movie line/scene that comes out of nowhere just has me rolling at times. I guess that's one of the reasons why I've never had severe depression, something inside of me won't let that happen. Laughter, truly is a gift and not just a form of emotion.

For a while now when it comes to Social Media, it becomes more mind boggling how ugly it can get each and everyday. Now I still have Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tik Tok and Threads but I don't have others such as Lemon 8, Tumblr, Rumble, Truth Social or Snapchat. The first two I ended up walking away from because neither one were doing anything for me and I have no appeal for them. The rest, just a poor excuse of apps that people go on to shit talk about dumbest stuff that hold no real merit to anything relevant. Snapchat to me, is a poor man's Onlyfans. I deactivated my twitter/X account a while ago and have no desire to go back to it. It just has way too much bullshit and other things that take away other people's reach who have far better platforms than dumbasses who seem to try to be like the Mean Girls in high school, popularity that ends up hurting others. Granted some numbnuts out there have claimed that I only ended my account because of them and want credit for it and act like it's a fact. It isn't, they don't get or even deserve any credit, not to mention that they're just wanna be ego maniacs who can't fight out of a paper bag. If I were a betting man, a 16 year old nerdy girl has more fight than people like that. Besides, they're nothing more than a sag of bones that have no life and have nothing to offer other than wanting someone to put them in a chokehold just to shut him up. 

Social Media is a whirlwind but the ones I've kept, suit me well and have plenty of friends and acquaintances on them that are great people that accept me for me. There's negative bullshit on there like anywhere else but I can choose where to go and have conversations that matter. Twitter at the end of day has more people getting away with murder than anywhere else. I do miss some of the folks there like baseball fans or wrestling fans and the few friends I had there but after a while with the other stuff being shadowed, it was a "fuck this" kind of moment for me and it was a route in my journey that I didn't want to cross into anymore and I'm happy to make that choice.

Overall, sure nothing is perfect, why would it? If it were perfect, it be boring as hell. I'm in the best shape right now at 41, I've maintained and even built muscle this year I didn't expect from, I live in a great apartment with an amazingly awesome and beautiful woman, I can still train at a level that has my conditioning be where it's needed, I'm not a big spender so money isn't a huge issue and have a system in place that works, donating clothes I don't need anymore or tossing out ones that have too many holes in them and get to eat awesome food. I'd say, life is pretty damn great and it can only get better from here. We never know what tomorrow will bring but we can make it interesting. 

Hopefully you all have a great day and keep killing it. Be amazingly awesome and thank you for taking the time to read this, I do appreciate your patience. 

What Makes Suspension Training One Of The Most Versatile Tools In Fitness?

 When it comes to minimal equipment, it's important to see what can give the greatest benefit for putting the most in your training. Things like Resistance Bands can be very versatile because they weigh practically nothing and can fit into a travel bag easily. That's one of the reasons why I like Suspension Training from the WorldFit Iso Trainer, you can take it anywhere and it easily fits in your pocket basically. When you can have a whole gym that you can take anywhere, there's not a whole lot of excuses to not train and I'm being modest here.

Being able to switch from one exercise to another in the blink of an eye makes training not only interesting but doesn't take a lot of time to get shit done. When you have that at your disposal and courses like Suspension Calisthenics, your entire world is your playground. It may not turn you into Mr. Olympia or some Acrobatic but it can do wonders for your body and mind that you didn't think were possible. Think about it....Being able to channel your creativity into a device that stretches the imagination beyond the core of a typical gym rat. A device that gives you opportunities to better your well-being as well as teaching you how to be your own coach. Not only that, it's AFFORDABLE as hell.

Yes bodyweight exercises are completely free and can be done anywhere and at anytime. You can learn a ton on Youtube and other Social Media that you can't learn in a book, however; it is important to realize that as great as those places are at times, having a knowledgeable course with someone who knows the grind and is fitter than many people his/her age, it isn't hard to find what you may be looking for and that's where I love recommending and teaching you to be aware of who is pretty damn good and who's a POS snake oil numbnuts who's only after your money. 

I understand people need to make a living and it's understandable in many cases to charge people services that cost an arm and a leg because they believe that's what they're worth, even when they look like bean poles or looking like they got inspired by Karen Carpenter's look of Anorexia. There's literally a guy who charges a "collectors" edition for a BOOK for 250 bucks. Paperbacks & Digital Downloads for 400 bucks or 200 for two books. I'm sorry but that's ridiculous as shit and quite frankly, I've seen better quality that was cheaper. This dude is also one of the crudest and sexist guys I've ever come across and doesn't have the balls to see what he's doing to people's hard earned money. Treats people like dirt and hates anyone who isn't fit because at one time he wasn't fit himself, it's Psychology 101, you put out what is a reflection of your own insecurities and shoving people's inadequacies down their throats. The only way that crazy haired and poor excuse of a man stays in business is because people are gullible enough to buy into his bullshit. There are better options folks and you don't have to feel like a loser for it either. 

I'd rather put my faith in a fitness master or knowledgeable trainer that treats people like human beings, gives encouragement and make you feel like hanging with him is one of the most fun things ever. He doesn't treat you like you're worthless, he gives you options and respect along the way without the need to rant on how bad things are and you are a POS. That's what I see in Matt Schifferle of the Red Delta Project. He's one of those guys that makes you feel good about yourself when you think you don't and he doesn't have some kind of agenda to make you feel like his way is the highway and sure as hell doesn't have some kind of ego that makes him hot shit. What he brings to the table is hope, opportunistic in a positive way and makes training interesting and fun to do. Remember the cost of a book in the previous paragraph? Matt's Grind Style Calisthenics Paperback is less than 30 Dollars and has higher quality and knowledge than the other guy's two books combined. With the cost of the WorldFit Iso Trainer, it's still way less than 100 bucks together and you have far more options in terms of exercises than ever and exercises that regular bodyweight styles can't match but can be a great addition to. The cost of the kindle version? Less than 10 bucks. Here's another kicker that really makes me love his work...His Youtube Channel has free workouts and tips that go beyond the books but still have the wherewithal to give you the option and encouragement to get the books. The other guy's channel, doesn't even have the option to comment let alone have the way of learning things from a fitness perspective. Awkward angles, long rants and shoves his ego down people's throats more than a Scientologist Cultist trying to recruit some poor guy. 

What makes Suspension Training one of the most versatile tools in fitness? It gives you the ability to train anywhere, anytime and makes you learn how to control your body from another outlook of bodyweight conditioning. Being serious about getting fit is never a bad thing but it's also important to have fun with it too and you get to play and experiment in ways that make you feel like a kid again. Matt's style of Suspension Training gives you all that and more and is one of the fittest men around today and at 46, he's still getting stronger and fitter. He teaches control and how to apply tension while also being a little quirky and often times nerdy about it but that's what makes him unique and a great asset to the Fitness Industry, he's one of the guys and makes you feel like you can accomplish anything with a little extra. I really cannot say anything bad about the guy, he's likeable and is one strong motherfucker for a bodyweight guy. 

In the wise words of Matt Schifferle....Be fit, live free. Keep being amazingly awesome everyone. 

Let The Outdoors Be Your Friend

    

      It's a whole other connection to your body when you train outdoors. Now granted some of you (like me) live in a state where all 4 seasons occur and in the winter time, it can get pretty damn cold. This is where you learn to adapt and value the awareness of the various conditions that give to the weather. I love to train outside especially in the summer time, it does get super-hot sometimes but that's how you learn your awareness, unless you're working outside, don't be out training in the hundred degree weather for three hours unless you have a shit load of water and breathe with efficiency. The feeling of fresh air sinking into your body that reconnects your roots of those that came before you and the value of getting that Vitamin D which I will get into a bit here.

 
    To really get the connection of exercising outdoors is to do it on nice green grass. The feeling of the earth on your feet when you walk on nice, soft and loving grass. Not a lot of people have that luxury and I understand especially those in California right now where practically brown is the new green so do what's possible, do it on the beach if you want if that's your next option. Grass however gives you that sense of love and connection with the earth and I'm not talking that astro-turf or whatever that stuff is, find real grass even lay in it for a few minutes and your mood begins to change and you don't know why. When I go to parks that have grass, I move in any way I can and let my whole body get the feeling of it and I have a deeper connection than I would if I trained indoors.

 
    Now onto the Vitamin D. The best place to get it is in the sun where it shines on your body, giving you a radiant glow of energy, hormone increase and nourishing the skin. Some people can't take the sun too well like those with pale skin and that's understandable so find vitamins or supplements that give powerful vitamin D complexities. When you're balancing your hormones (not including pregnant women, they can't control that it's just not possible) you're giving your body a gift of building natural strength, metabolism, bone strength, your joints and it helps with recovery. What you eat is important and it's awesome to keep up with your fruits and veggies but eat according to your needs because not everyone can eat the same amount of food and drink the same amount of liquids. I'm a big man over 250 lb. and I can eat quite a bit so if I'm out of my own balance and certain people don't realize that, I become someone I don't want to be so I need to nourish my body the way it's meant for me. Granted fasting is a great way to let the body repair itself and have a great deal of hormones bouncing out of you because you're setting them free; however, you must learn the balance of fasting because if you go too long without being aware of it your body will turn on you so a good 24-36hr fast once a week is great if you want to drop weight but keep up with your liquids.

 
    This is a sensitive subject when it comes being burnt from the sun when you've been in it too long and it's too hot out. I'll go on record and say yes I don't use sunscreen for a lot of reasons and one being it doesn't really do that well for you and the chemicals in that crap can make you burn even worse (sounds like a contradiction). When I was in Lake Tahoe earlier this month, I'd go down to the lake, lay my towel and my shirt & shoes on the dock, climb a few rocks, jump in the water and just swim for as long as I can. Yes I did get a little burnt but only in a couple places as oppose to the whole damn body. I learned valuable lessons when my whole body would be burnt from head to toe so I had to be aware of what my body was getting so instinctively I stayed in the water and this helped a lot. But what if you're outside training without being in water, well; you pour a little water on you from time to time, not a bucket or anything and where very light colored clothing like sky blue shirts or white shorts for example because for the most part, black clothing gives the sun a chance to tell you "don't mess with nature dumbass" and you'll feel it. Some people can handle the sun wearing black clothing but others not so much. Don't get so burnt you start to peel skin, it's not fun, it hurts like hell and you can barely move your body. Be aware of how you use the sun and have it work for you, not against you because the sun does give life but it can also make it a living hell if you're not careful.

 
Happy Thor's Day everyone. Be safe, have fun and be awesome.