Morning Cardio

There's nothing wrong with getting the blood pumping or getting a little sweat going in the morning. Many people dread just getting up, showering, eat a little and run out the door to get to work. They may have an ok day and come home just ready to drop dead on the couch and watch a little something, eat with the kids/spouse/yourself and head off to bed to repeat it all over again.

Getting some exercise in before heading to work can change your mood drastically and give you a little endorphin high to feel awesome and ready to jumpstart the day. For me, it depends on the mood i'm in but if I get an urge, I might do some skipping, circuit training, step ups, hindu squats, animal movements or swinging the Indian Clubs. Often I'll do Isometrics but changing it up isn't a bad thing either.

Motivation can be a real bitch to get a hold of and the will to actually do something can be difficult for most people. You don't need to do an hour straight of exercise to make it count for something, just a few minutes can do the trick. Do some movements before getting out of bed, put on your favorite music to set the tone and do exercises that are on your level. You don't have to do a crazy crossfit workout or some infomercial program. Do a few push-ups, a stretching routine or some crawls for a minute to wake the body up. Just Bear Crawling for one minute in the morning will not only help you get fit but it'll jumpstart the brain and kick in your metabolism. 

This morning, I felt like doing Step Ups with a deck of cards and ended with 500 Reps. It felt amazing and the level of de-stressing was incredible. Great sweat running down, breathing and going at a solid clip and moving with very little to no rest. It felt therapeutic, it had been a while and didn't want to overdue it but hey it still woke my ass up. 

A deck of cards workout is a great way to wake the body up, develop some crazy cardiovascular conditioning and you don't have to do the whole deck if you haven't hit that level yet. Start out with a few cards and work up to a full deck. You can do Push-ups & Squats, one exercise, 3-4 exercises, work with kettlebells or whatever works for you. It doesn't take a ton of time and is a hell of a calorie burner and you may even keep burning calories some time after the workout. Be sure to drink water and get a little food in your system. A workout like that can build up a crazy appetite. 

One of my favorite Deck Workouts was what I call the Backlund Deck Of Madness in honor of the legendary pro wrestler Bob Backlund. It's two exercises of Step Ups & the Ab Wheel; you flip a card (red for the wheel, black for step ups) and you do the reps for that particular card. I would suggest you spend some time strengthening yourself on the wheel before doing this workout, it's intense, hard and brutal. This will test anyone in the realm of world class conditioning and physical fitness. I talked to Bob one time and told him about this workout, he thought it sounded pretty good. The fastest time I finished this workout was just under 45 minutes, if anyone can do it faster (with safe technique and pace), you've got some insane cardio bro. 

If you're not into doing intense exercise in the morning, do some qi gong or joint loosening exercises, this also wakes up the body and supercharges your organs. If you're someone who's had previous injuries or is unable to do much, do what you can. Life doesn't have to be so dreary and full of the same negative patterns, learn to change your mindset and use some positive energy. Do what is possible and do it on your level and progress. If you create a routine and stay consistent both mentally and physically, your life with have better quality. If you have kids, have them join you and train together as a family. Build bonds and push each other with great energy. 

Video Game Workouts

Being stuck in the house because of Quarantine can be a real pain in the ass for most people. For gamers, it doesn't matter if you're big on the PS4, XBOX, Wii or (if you're a classic gamer) a Sega/Nintendo, it can get boring after a while. I've always enjoyed video games ever since as a kid in the 90's playing Mario, Sonic, Streets Of Rage, Ninja Turtles, NBA Games, Star Wars you name it.

For you young kids out there, before there was VR, Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Fit and all that, the only way you even felt remotely getting a workout playing video games was the running pad you had to hook up if you had a game that was based on Track And Field. For some, when you had this, in order to move the players or in-game athletes, you had to run in place as if you were sprinting, even the most serious gamers today wouldn't last 5 minutes with this thing.

Along with today's technology, if you're into fitness, you can get hooked up to various games on certain platforms that have you doing exercises aerobically or just swinging your arms to get some blood pumping. Even though it's much easier today to get some form of exercise while playing video games, many people still aren't motivated or have any clue as to what you can do without realizing you don't need to hook up a damn thing.

One of the things that kept me in shape while I played video games, was to come up with a little game myself to do exercises based on the game's plot or in the case of a Sport's game, the wins/losses or getting scored on and having to do an exercise when you are getting beat a little. One of my favorite games growing up in my teen years was the MLB The Show series and always enjoyed playing the legends they had. Still going strong with that series at a point in my late 20's every once in a while I would play a game and if I got struck out, I'd had to do 10 push-ups, if I was pitching and the batter got a base hit I'd have to do 10 Hindu Squats. If a batter got an extra base hit such Double, Triple or a Homerun, I would do 20-30-40 Hindu Squats. Now picture having to do that for a full game. That be a hell of a workout.

You can do this with just about any game, all you need is a little imagination and create exercises for certain scenarios or scenes in games. If you're into War Games like Halo or Call Of Duty, you can do exercises for every time a member of your unit is killed or every time you lose a life. If you lose a life, you have to do 5-10 Push-ups, a member of your squad is killed, you do 10-20 Squats. You can make it even harder by doing Burpees or a harder variation of a basic exercise. If you're doing a two player game or 3-4 player game, you can do some trash talking and taking things to another level.

You don't have to do Push-ups and Squats, you can do Sit-ups, Burpees, Punches and Kicks (keep the distance to a safe area of the room where you won't hit anything), Leg Raises, Jumping Jacks or Lunges, whatever suits you. There's no reason you can't be fit while having fun playing video games. Video Games make us use our brains to figure out things to get certain points, to use hand/eye coordination to fight, dodge and block opponents and have quick reflexes because the higher a level you go up, the harder it is.

Make the use of your Gaming a way to help you stay fit at home. Hell it doesn't even have to be a video game, it can be a board game or a game you play on your phone, don't just sit around twiddling your thumbs, get in shape and never look at gaming the same way again.

If you're looking for Classic Video Games or updating your collection with Next Gen Games, check out my friend Cory Arrison's Retro Attack Ebay Store. If you're in the Santa Cruz area, come check out Retro Attack Official Store in the Capitola Mall along with my other friend George Tegenkamp's Hadbro Toys. Buy, Sell, Trade and Find vintage and classic toys and games that will have you getting that nostalgia feeling and collect some of the most rare items around. They're awesome guys and will hook you up.

What Isometric Routine Works Best For You?

For people who do practice Isometrics, at times it's not easy picking a routine or finding an interest in one particular area of Isometrics. Some use straps, others used the bullworker, some do Free-Handed, using the environment such as within the house or do full on Muscle Control. Courses such as 7 Seconds To A Perfect Body and Isometric Power Revolution (practically the same course just different authors) use the Free-Hand approach while one writes about fat loss and developing better musculature, another takes it on geared to purely physique type training or better to look at it from a old school Bodybuilding approach. Both do wonders.

There are people who practice a particular method of Isometrics and than after years of doing it, changes it up and acts like it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. How would you know what truly works? In my opinion; do different methods, practice styles of it in a combination. Although I prefer the straps using the Isometric Power Belt, I also practice Free-Handed, using things around the house, holding weight, posture type exercises and even animal based movements in an Isometric fashion. 

There are so many uses for Isometrics it's not even funny. You can do them for bodybuilding, rehab, increasing strength for weightlifting/olympic lifting, sports like MMA, Arm Wrestling, Baseball (segments of pitching and batting), Boxing for punching power and so much more. It is often overlooked because for one, they can be boring and two, it's harder work than many movement based methods. You can even use it to increase strength in your calisthenics for example; if you can do 100 straight push-ups do you think you can hold that same push-up for 2 minutes in the mid position? Many people can't. Doing a hold like that takes on a whole other sport of tackling not just the muscles but the tendons, ligaments and fascia. Try doing one push-up where you hold the top for one minute, mid for one minute and the lowest position for one minute and push back up. 

The best people that I have researched and known in this day and age that make Isometrics a cornerstone for incredible conditioning, physique building and superhuman like strength are guys like Bud Jeffries, Steve Justa, Steve Maxwell, Jarell Lindsey, Batman O'Brien, Matt Furey and a couple others. What they taught me about Isometrics through their writings, videos and even seeing one of them personally up close, it makes training all that much sweeter and much more leveled around doing things that help overcome plateaus and utilize cardio without moving. 

Don't always look to making a specific routine routine of Isometrics unless you have specific goals in mind, I encourage to use it as an add on to your regular training say either at the beginning, as a finisher or strengthen the weak points of your training. My use of Isometrics recently was to heal a minor injury to my left shoulder which was my fault since I used a method that had overusing the shoulder muscles for too many days in a row. Within a couple days, my shoulder was feeling great and no longer discomforting or even slightly painful, that was all thanks to Isometrics. 

Now if you want a specific routine that is exclusively Isometrics, here's an idea of what I do....

For most days if I focus on Isometrics, using the strap (or Power Belt), I would hit the biceps, shoulders, back and traps for those particular muscle groups (different exercises for different days). For the Chest, Abs and Legs, I stick to Freehand exercises such as a series of Chest Presses for the Chest, Side Bends plus Hollow & Arch Body Holds for the Core Muscles and Wall Sits mainly for the legs. My personal favorite Isometric is used in two different ways; Fist Over Fist (Which I learned from Furey) or Wrist Over Wrist (Which John Peterson calls the Milo, I call it the X-Factor cause it sounds cooler) and do this Free-Handed Exercise almost every time I do my Isometric Workout. It hits just about every muscle in the upper body and can be done anywhere at anytime. It's more of a Finisher Isometric than anything else but it's a favorite to get a pump going. 

God Dammit, silly me LOL, I forgot about the Freakin Neck (doing my best Kurt Angle impression). Neck Isometrics really are one of the most crucial aspects for any form of training especially those in combat sports. For me, It's Bridges and Self Resistance Isometrics that really work best. The only neck issues I've ever had was when I wasn't training my neck which isn't very often, I train my neck almost more than any other muscle group not only because I find it more important but it's a hell of a lot more fun. 

Add in some Isometrics into your training and see the skyrocket of strength you'll achieve from all sorts of angles. The late great Karl Gotch once said "Always work your muscles from every possible angle." 

The Ups And Downs Of Being An Empath

Definition Of An Empath: a person with the paranormal ability to apprehend the mental or emotional state of another individual.

It is rare to find someone who has incredibly strong empathy which also means absorbing others emotions/feelings like a sponge. I have developed a very strong level of intuition and memory ever since I got the meningitis as a baby. Because of those things, I naturally developed empathy cause for as long as I can remember, I have always sensed things about people or I can read certain emotions or how others felt without saying or showing anything. 

Although it is rare, it's not something all that special and I know I'm not the only empath in the world. It can be both a blessing and a curse because with other people, they don't absorb very much and what goes in one ear, goes out the other and nothing comes of it. I however, absorb it like a Duck to Water and it is difficult to explain or make others understand. Many people believe Empathy is just made up and we're just emotional people and seen like it is mental weakness because we don't have our shit together, trust me I've heard it and been told to my face. 

Here's one way to explain someone who's an empath.....If someone can walk into a room and there's something off or something just feels incredibly good, an empath can sense it, he/she doesn't know who it is or where exactly it's coming from but there's something there and the emotions and feelings can at times be overwhelming. Sounds like something out of science fiction huh? Now it doesn't just end with Empaths, if you have ever sensed a certain energy that just didn't feel right or you felt off, that does happen. 

Here's another way that might seem relatable.....In Star Wars, there are those who are Force-Sensitive beings, those who are strong in the Force and can channel abilities which can include, the sensing of people's energy from a telepathic point of view. Of course in the real world, that's exaggerated but there's a small hint of truth there that we as human beings aren't just made up of bones, blood, skin and a brain. We have emotions that has both good and bad, at times we carry a heavy heart on our sleeve and have a form of sympathy for another person. Others were taught or learned on their own to cut their emotions off, block themselves from feeling a certain way because it is considered weakness to show emotions and form an identity as an emotional robot. 

Empaths are very sensitive to certain things and if someone nears them or feels someone else's emotions, the empath involuntarily collects it and can either feel sick, mentally drained, at times if someone has strong positive emotions or feelings an empath will feel happy or elated for no apparent reason. Empaths feel more compelled to feel compassion and hyper involved with those who have suffered or have felt incredible sense of joy and happiness. If an empath is around a crowd, that can be one of the most mentally exhausting things they'll put themselves through and it's not entirely their fault. When you absorb so much, sleeping can be one's best friend and needs a full on recharge. Throughout most of my life, I have felt this way. 

Isolation can be your best friend, or your worst enemy and in cases like mine, it's a bit of both or a catch 22 meaning as much as I may need isolation, it still sucks because I do love being around people. People do need to be aware and understand the way empaths are and do some research into the subject. We can be hypersensitive and we do what we can to protect ourselves from certain energy sucking vampires but it's not always that simple or easy and in reality, we don't wish that on anybody. It can be very powerful and many who are empaths tend to be more alone than the average person. 

When I absorb people, at times my emotions aren't mine anymore and will feel anger, joy, hatred or suffer emotional trauma without knowing really why. Sometimes I feel things right away, other times, I can't sense anything at all but when it hits me, it's not a tap on the shoulder, it's a shot to the gut with a sledgehammer. I'm talking about this because I want others to know that they're not alone and I sympathize what you are going through and there are empaths out there that have suffered far more than I can imagine and want them to know that I may not understand the full extent of your pain but I do understand what it's like to be overly emotional and not always realizing why. 

Some people don't realize they're empathic and maybe were told to hold their emotions in, not to feel and that emotional strength comes from being told what to do instead of thinking for yourself. When someone's empathic, emotions become erratic and we can't help but feel things others don't understand. No matter how hard we try, being mentally exhausted from others' energy is a sign that we do need a little TLC at times or that when someone cries next to you, you can't help but cry with them, that means you're suffering with them and you sense how much they are suffering. 

If you are someone who carries empathy; learn to protect yourself, set boundaries, take time to recharge and be open to the idea of learning the value of understanding. 

Sometimes A Walk Is More Than Just A Walk

It's always nice to take a stroll on a beautiful summer day, either with someone, a group or by yourself. Taking in the fresh air and listening to the sounds around you. Now if you live in a city like New York, probably got to be more careful but if you live in an area where there's trees, a waterfall (artificial or natural), kids playing, a park or wherever brings you joy, it's to get a good walk in. It's one of the best exercises you can do for your health and wellbeing.

Some people power walk or use very light dumbbells as they walk or in some cases, walk with a weight vest on to add onto your cardio. Recently on my walks, I take out and put on a cable apparatus to really get things going. It's a handle, a foot strap and a cable you attach it to and you're off to the races. This takes Power Walking to a whole other level.

With this device, you can do all sorts of exercises like curls, raises (front and lateral), punching, overhead presses, circles and flys to name a few. The main exercise is a similar motion to a ski walk. This helps burn more calories than regular walking and really tests your cardio, muscular endurance, coordination and long term strength. How long can you go? For most people, a couple miles would be more than enough, for me I try to go for about 20-30 minutes non stop.

Lifeline Fitness use to carry this product but doesn't sell it anymore but it's still around if you do some research. It's a personal favorite of mine and is awesome for a lot of folks who don't like running or can't run but love to walk. The resistance isn't much but the longer you go, you will feel it and you'll be breathing pretty heavy too. The one website I did find it is on Amazon.

Burn more calories, work the tendons and the muscles at the same time, enhance your cardio, endurance, strengthen the organs and the Central Nervous System. It's low impact and gets you in shape fast. Start out with about 10 minutes and get a feel for it. You don't even have to go for a walk, you can use it in your own doing exercises that tone and enhance your metabolic system. Sometimes, a walk is more than a just a walk.

Core Conditioning With The Power Wheel

Many who go to the gym and work on their Abs, generally work in different parts or through Isolation. Doing work one area at a time and although they may look good, they won't have any particular strength that is needed in the long run. Our Core muscles aren't just for building a six pack. Back over 100 years ago, the most built athletes at the time such as Sandow, Hackenschmidt, Arco and Zass didn't do Crunches or used devices that only targeted one area; they built their bodies through hard work, gymnastics, wrestling, labor, bending steel and moving weight in awkward positions. They were the backbone of Physical Culture at that time and very few today in the mainstream fitness culture knows who they are.

Having a six pack in general is an overrated thing to accomplish. If you don't have the strength behind it or can't take a punch, what good are you to anyone other than a photoshoot? I will say it isn't a bad thing to develop it, but in order to truly accomplish having great abs, they better come with a solid foundation of strength and conditioning. To really go into the depths of your Core so to speak, you train it as if it was a single unit instead of pits and pieces of a puzzle put together.

Now, great ab exercises such as V-Ups, Dragon Flys, Side Bends, Bridging, Wall Walking and Overhead Leg Raises will strengthen your Core like crazy but the Cream Of The Crop goes to the simple Ab Wheels and the best of them all, The Power Wheel. The Power Wheel targets not only the abdominal muscles but works other areas of the body too such as the lower back, the obliques and the hips. Our Core is the center of our body and needs to be trained so we have less chances of getting injured or we train it to make it even stronger than before and rid ourselves of back pain.

Someone like Bob Backlund perfected the standard wheel to build incredible strength and conditioned muscles that to this day at 70+, he's still kicking ass in his training. The Power Wheel in my opinion is the Major Leagues of Wheel Training where you don't just roll it out, you can put your feet in and do even more exercises that has your body working together otherwise, you won't last very long. Take your Ab Training into the stratosphere and conquer what sit-ups and crunches could never do. Want to be a better athlete, use the Power Wheel, want to be in shape fast, use the Power Wheel, want better posture, use the Power Wheel.

You don't need more than a few minutes to really feel what the Power Wheel will do to your muscles. It can make you so sore the net day, you would feel like you got hit with a Crowbar. The basic exercises is really all you need such as: The Roll Out, Hamstring Pull-Ins, Pike Ups, Knees To Chest and Walking On Your Hands. The more advanced exercises such as Alligator Walks, Plyo Push-Ups, Walking Pike and the 100 Yard Challenge are for the Sadists who want to test their limits. A few minutes with this thing will do far more than taking a ridiculous amount of time doing thousands of crunches. Want Punch-Proof Abs, strap into the Power Wheel guys.

Staying In Shape While Camping

When there's an opportunity to go camping, it's usually wanting to get away from civilized life and responsibilities while finding a place of solitude or among a small group of friends and recharge the batteries. Being outdoors among the wilderness, surrounded by forest, animals at times and listening to the sounds of the creeks and rivers. 

Growing up in California, I only camped maybe a couple times in the first 27 years of my life. Camping out with friends in Yosemite was fun and my friend Tyler brought along his Kettlebell and we did swings next to the fire. That was a blast. For the last 8+ years since I've lived in Idaho, I've gone camping now 3 times and all have been in a 5 year period with my wife and her friends. 

Camping can be fun but it's also an opportunity to find out what kind of shape you're in. The things I love to do camping is finding big odd rocks to lift, chop some wood, swim in the creek and practicing some qi gong or meditation techniques near water. I've always been a water kid, swimming in oceans, lakes, creeks, rivers and basically just being drawn to it. This past Saturday, we went up for a night and I brought my Indian Clubs with me and got in about 500-600 Swings standing on a small rock inches from the creek. It was a riveting experience and feeling totally at peace.

Being out in nature is a powerful experience and not just seeing trees and all that, it's the experience of feeling the earth and listening to the sounds of the birds, wildlife and water that flows the way the universe intended to be. You learn to be helpful among people, you play a role when camping and whether you are alone or with a group, you find out things about yourself. I'm not big on making a fire due to trauma and I'm really not the type of guy who would camp by himself but I love it when I get to help chop, break down and carry firewood and the person doing the fire gets to do his/her part. I learn to use my strengths and gain knowledge of what I'm weak at and little by little have them become my strengths. 

I do believe in that i you're going camping, you need to be in some kind of shape, maybe not professional athlete kind of shape but some form because if you're among people or by yourself, it can be awkward at times pitching a tent, chopping wood and carrying loads of it is hard work and swimming among a river or creek can at times be rugged and learning how to take the cold water. Ok maybe you don't need to be super strong to put up a tent but you do need some brains, coordination (especially if you find a spot where being at an awkward angle might happen) and the understanding of putting it up properly with some covering because if it rains or the tent isn't set up properly, you're in for a rough night. 

Being in shape has it's perks and not talking Gym Rat kind of shape. I don't think too many gym guys who have built their bodies using machines and metal can last very long chopping wood and than having to carry it. Most pretty boys wouldn't last ten seconds in a cold river or creek and many "gym strong" guys wouldn't have much strength to carry up a heavy cooler up rugged terrain or a small hill. For men (and women at times), you learn what real strength and conditioning is when you camp. 

This is why I love training using hammers, maces, sandbells, rubber cables, ab wheels and skipping; they give you tools to be in shape for the real world and learning how to use your body at awkward angles instead of just straight up and down. Train for the real world and utilize your knowledge to help others. 

Indian Clubs And Rope Skipping

Getting the body to wake up or getting out of a funk from being groggy can be a difficult task for many, especially those who have to be at work in the morning rushing out the door and sometimes forgetting your pants. Some take a nap and wake up still feeling like their energy is depleted. I'm not a morning person and had plenty of times where I napped and still felt tired and unmotivated.

Exercise can be a hell of a wake up and often times, better than a cup of coffee because you're releasing tension and opening up the body from the inside, creating energy and getting those endorphins in. With coffee, people drink it to get the caffeine and give their body that jolt of adrenaline and even help eliminate some waste but the trouble with most caffeinated drinks, that crash can drain you so bad that even recovery is difficult and gaining that energy back. 

A great routine you can do to wake up the body and wake up the brain is swinging the Indian Clubs & Jump Rope. Some people, like me aren't all coordinated with a regular Jump Rope so we use an alternative that anyone can use called the Ropeless Jump Rope. You can do all sorts of skipping movements with it and it'll never smack you in the ankle or foot. The Indian Clubs are incredible for building stamina and upper body conditioning while strengthening the shoulders, elbows and developing agility. They also work the brain because of the specific exercises to execute as you work the wrists and follow the centrifugal force.

You can do this routine as a superset, or do one series of exercises with the clubs and head straight to the rope. It builds awesome upper and lower body conditioning as you get into the high reps. For the clubs, I do sometimes up to 50 reps per arm for 100 total reps of an exercise and go up to 500-700 Reps for that workout. For the rope, sometimes i'll go 10 minutes straight or do no more than 500-1000 skips depending on how my body feels that day. This routine energizes the lymphatic system, strengthens the shoulder girdle, strong feet and ankles and works your reflexes. 

It's a very light workout, doesn't do a ton of impact on the joints and can be done just about anywhere at any time. A lot of us need energy to do the tasks that is needed from us and that's where we might be tested for our stamina and be able to keep going without fatiguing. As we get older, recovery becomes a bigger necessity than the training itself and we need to be able to keep on our toes and get plenty of rest, it varies for certain people but the principle still applies. 

So if you're in need of motivation to wake your ass up and get that blood pumping for the day, give this a shot and see what you can do. If you're to club swinging or haven't skipped rope in a while, do lesser reps and skips and build yourself up. Start with 10 reps per exercise and work up to 100 skips, after that build from there. The workout doesn't need any more than 20 minutes, that should be enough. In the beginning, start with 1-5 minutes. 

Come and check out Matt Furey's *NEW PRODUCT* The Success Posters based on The Theater Of The Mind from Psycho-Cybernetics.

Meditation Finisher

Training in a variety of ways reaps many benefits beyond the physical and the development of the body. There are workouts you can do that don't take very long and can be used as what's called a Finisher where you do your regular workout but at the end, you do an add on of getting that extra boost of hormones, energy and fat burning entities. This last no more than 10 minutes and if your workout isn't long to begin with, than 3-5 minutes is more than enough.

Finishers are awesome for burning those extra calories and keep burning long after the workout. It can be 3-5 exercises where you just blast right through (safely of course) with little to no rest for as many rounds as possible or they can be like a metabolic booster where you do tabata types of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off or go through the exercises, rest 15-30 seconds than repeat for several minutes. Been a while since I've done one and maybe I just try one out today, you never know.

Now, if we did a finisher to boost our calorie burning, what if we took the Finisher approach and used it as one for Meditation? That might sound contradictory because why meditate and than just go like a madman for 5 minutes? Here's my idea of a different kind of finisher; you do a series of meditative exercise (Qi Gong, Yoga, Tai Chi, Dao Zou, Joint Loosening) for say around 30 minutes to an hour, just de-stressing and calming the mind and body, letting go of worries, fear, criticism and build clarity, endorphins, positive energy. As a finisher for no more than 10 minutes (minimum of 3) do a series of techniques of visualization, deep breathing and boosting even greater clarity and positive energy. Something to give that little oomph of even greater mental conditioning, emotional stabilization, eliminating negative energy at a bigger rate, just like getting rid of unwanted fat.

Here's an example of what I mean by Meditation Finisher.....You do the Dao Zou Program for 30 minutes, swimming in an ocean of peacefulness, mental clarity, brain power and effortless control of emotions by acceptance of the universe and shielded from negative thoughts and energy. Boosting your cognitive abilities and having the radiant energy of a zen monk. As a finisher, you listen, visualize and focus with emotional content the voice and sounds of Garin Bader's 5 minute session of The Magical Imagineering Theater. It's a mental fat burning audio of seeing your goals achieved and picturing yourself in a Success Arena/Theater in your mind. Taking mental pictures of being at your absolute best and most successful even if it hasn't happened yet. It opens up the door to your imagination and creating a new outlook of what YOU can achieve as long as you FEEL it, DREAM it and BELIEVE in it.

To me, the MIT is so damn powerful that every time I listen to it, something always happens within a short period of time. No more than a day or two, I see sales pop up, more money is made, getting positive reviews and clicks/views jump up almost doubled. It is just so amazingly awesome to feel such incredible energy and being able to send it out without strenuous effort. Now this doesn't mean you listen and not do anything. It helps you take action but with incredible passion and energy; you get into a greater flow that makes negative stress seem far in the background. It gives you the belief that the universe is on your side and developing that LAW of ATTRACTION.

Just listening to it once can have an impact on you, listen to it 2-3 times a day, success can come so easy, you thought it was a dream. You can achieve anything in the MIT, the next step is taking action. Boost your mental powers even more with a Meditation Finisher and see where it takes you.

The Spirit And Mysticism Of Animal Exercise

The mimicking of animals has been around for centuries, if not eons from the days of the hunter observing and understanding the movements of a wild deer, wolf, bear or any big animal in order to make a kill to the Shaolin Masters who practiced moving in animal like sequences for combat, moving meditation and defense to the modern day man using Animal Moves as recreation and health benefiting qualities for a better, functioning body. It is a timeless method of exercise that corresponds with the understanding of nature and it's tough yet beautiful construct.

As children, it benefits in a most crucial time in their lives because of the practice and development of gross motor skills and coordination to master the balance and strengthening of the human body both inside and outside. For teenagers and adults alike; the movements from a basic concept, build a rugged body but also teach how to form patterns within the brain and learning the ideas of functional muscle building and the will to test their abilities in agility, endurance, strength, durability and flexibility. It is meant for all ages but like every other method, it has to be tailored to the level their currently at whether it's the complete beginner or the superhuman like qualities that form incredible conditioning.

Crawling alone, tests ones ability to learn how to balance his/her body and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the human structure. It can be both serious and fun at the same time. It can be a game or used as a punishment but when it comes down to it, it is a continuous cycle of being lost yet found again. The movements or names of the movements may have changed over the years but almost nothing has changed in the fact that it comes back again and again. When you give it a chance and open the doors to its possibilities, it's beyond an exterior looking concept of exercise, it is a door to unlocking the secrets of nature within all of us.

It is slow, it is fast, you can move in different directions, make up it as you go and use it as hard work but seen with the illusion and belief that is playful. Although it is watered down so many times, you can't take away the fact that when you use it as much of an interpretation of movement that humans can handle, it becomes a beautiful form of making the body strong for years to come. It has been broken down to concepts of Yoga, Breakdancing, "Primal" and gymnastic entities and that's where it becomes confusing. Cheetahs don't tie themselves in a pretzel or mimic a tree pose, the Gorilla doesn't do handstands or dance around to the cha cha, a Flamingo doesn't do tumbling moves and a bear doesn't move and always focus on opposite arm and leg movements; they run, jump, crawl and fight for the will to survive otherwise they'll be killed. 

The most awesome yet challenging aspects of animal movements is how to move at a moments notice in unexpected conditions. An example would be the Animal Dice Game; for most, it is just a random set of exercises and you count the steps/distance of that movement but the real depth of it is beyond just a game, it is an ideal experience of being prepared for the unexpected. In the jungle, it's unpredictable and things can sneak up on you at any time so you have to be ready for anything that'll come up and be on your guard. It's that fight or flight mode and also being ready to pounce or run in the blink of an eye. The idea is to teach the person an intuitive mindset that although you are practicing, you must always be ready and if you lose focus, you're a goner or you'll get hurt. It's about play but also learning preparedness and being able to change movements on a dime.

Workouts become play but even the most serious student of the method knows how tough it can be and practices the mindset of using it as way to master their body that most methods can't teach or apply to in a real situation. It is way of tackling your ability to condition the body for other things in life. It isn't easy for most people climbing a flight of stairs or being able to get up off the floor without feeling pain but if you had strong legs, arms that last and core strength to twist and turn without discomfort, you're on your way to being in condition to do those things easily. It can also aid in weight/fat loss because it is a multi-dimensional, multi-muscle grouped set of movements that burns calories like a furnace with the right applications of the movements.

Treat it as play but don't treat it as if it was the easiest thing in the world, it is hard, it's tough to do and if you do it wrong you'll painfully find out why. It is not meant to be easy but with seeing the simplicity of it, it becomes a world full of wonders and will have an effect on your psyche and your soul. Some see it as a myth in the sense of how it's used as a movement for only as a warm up and nothing else but others see the spirit of it in the sense it is a general outlook of developing a conditioned body and turning weaklings into strong individuals and overcoming an obstacle of generating the human condition within our natural selves. It is used in many cultures with their own versions but it is a gateway to learning nature in our own way. 

Conditioning The Hands

When I was in High School, I went out for the Shot Put & Discus. Wasn't all that good at it and didn't really do it for competition, I did it because my dad did the same thing at my age but I wasn't anywhere near his level. My best throws were a 32 ft shot put and 110ft Discus Throw. My training wasn't all that great either and because of it, I developed tendonitis and wrist problems. I even went to rehab at one point at 16-17 years old and it didn't really do me any good. 

At the time I was a busy bee doing School, S & D and Drama at the same time. Safe to say, my sleep and recovery wasn't very good and I use to stay up most nights until 1-2 in the morning because I was too wired. For some odd reason (and getting my own version of sex ed) was listening to Adam Corolla & Dr. Drew's Show on the radio to help me fall asleep. So what does this have to do with Hand Conditioning? At a young age, it sucked being hurt and not understanding how to keep my body in good condition whether for the Sport I was doing or thinking I could heal easily and not have problems. I didn't understand a damn thing when it came to training and just followed everyone else because it was easier that way and I paid the price for it.

Later on in my life after High School, I was going to the gym, still not understanding what the hell to do, had no one to teach me anything and ended up hurting myself to the point where before the age of 20, I woke up at times feeling like an 80 year old man with arthritis and pain in places where I didn't think existed. After studying Combat Conditioning and getting myself back into shape, I started learning other aspects of exercise that weren't just for muscle building and having a good set of lungs. Learned more about the tendons and ligaments, the smaller aspects yet important stuff of the human body. I remember my studies of anatomy when I was going to Massage School and used some of that to train myself. 

I learned right away some of the weaknesses in my lower arms, wrists and hands when I was doing Matt Furey's Carpal Tunnel Program and felt the need to not only improve, but eventually throw all the pain I had from a few years before out the fucking window. Started studying up more on training the fingers and building suppleness in the wrists. It was around this time I was also practicing strongman feats such as bending steel, ripping phonebooks, levering sledgehammers and others. My hands were getting stronger and started noticing that I wasn't having painful days like I use to. The one course (which isn't up and sold anymore as far as I know) that really skyrocketed my progress with Hand Conditioning was Garin Bader's Finger Gymnastics DVDs which to this day is still in my possession. 

Finger Gymnastics opened up a whole other world of possibilities for building strength, flexibility, dexterity and mobility in my hands. I was even noticing very small results from certain exercises with my right hand that I never noticed before. If you read the story about my Meningitis, you know that my right hand has some nerve damage and individual dexterity is virtually non existent but with this course, it taught me how to use my brain and my movements to create another outlook on the way I move my hands. For decades, it was difficult just to feel any sense of normalcy with my right hand, about 75%+ Dominant in my left hand and always felt out of my place to what I had to do with that other side. This course was what I needed more than 20 years prior to when I first learned about it. For me, it was the Holy Grail of Hand Training.

If you talked to Garin or learned the aspects of CoreForce Energy, he can show you incredible exercises that will open up your eyes and shock you to what you can do if you practiced these hand exercises. I was able to play golf with Right Handed clubs, took up gymnastics and could hang with just my right arm on the horizontal bar for a good period of time, better coordination in my other exercises and strongman feats and I was able to give better massages to the point where people thought I was using my elbow but it was my pinky, they couldn't tell the difference. 

To this day since learning Finger Gymnastics, I don't have tendonitis, have very supple yet strong wrists, my finger strength has increased to where I could pick up my 70 lb kettlebell with the middle finger of either hand, my forearms feel like bone yet flexible and elastic and more. 

Strengthen your hands and turn them into powerful weapons of awesomeness. To find out more about Finger Gymnastics, talk to Garin Bader at garin@coreforceenergy.com or you can find him on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/garin.bader.

The Catcher's Squat Hold

Holding a near ass-to-grass squat can be very beneficial to ensure healthy hips, legs and the spine. Taking the pressure off the lower back, this specific squat also promotes incredible flexibility and a test to strengthening your structure.

It has been called by many names but Catcher's Squat seems very fitting especially to those who understand sports like Baseball. Catchers in the big leagues have incredible explosiveness and endurance to withstand holding a position like this for 9 straight innings day in and day out. The best catchers such as Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, Mike Piazza and Jorge Posada were a dominant force at their position for a reason and arguably had loads of flexibility and explosive strength to just jump up and throw the ball to a base with incredible accuracy. It's awesome how long their careers lasted considering not one has yet hit 500 Homeruns.

As toddlers, we almost have stupid flexibility and can hold this for several minutes without feeling a damn thing. As we age, it becomes less important to us to stay that limber and we get caught up in the rigors of life and forgetting what it was like to be very mobile, flexible and strong. Often times we have to use a reset button and start over, learning mechanics and body reassessment to understand the ways of living without pain or stiff muscles/joints. When I was rehabbing after my accident, just doing the Hindu Squats were more than I can bare, I couldn't hold the low squat for more than a few seconds because of the stiffness I had not just from not being able to walk for almost 3 months but not understanding how important it was when I was going to the gym and training beforehand. Now, I can hold this Squat for 10 minutes and feel great. I have a profound respect for farm workers who have to plant, pick and water fruits and vegetables in that position for hours on end. 

In qi gong circles, being able to do this is a basic testament of how good your health is and being able to transition fluidly from a low squat to standing or kicking. Russian Dancers have powerful legs being able to kick in front and sideways in the lowest squat possible. Some of the strongest squatters in the world have flexibility that can't be matched. Some don't think it's relevant at all in how it determines health but just a thing you can do to build flexibility and nothing else coms of it, I humbly can't agree with this but I can understand why. 

You don't have to squat for hours to get the benefits of it but a few minutes a day or a few times during the day can really aid in how you can strengthen your spine through realignment and building supple yet pain-free hips. Many of us sit in a chair way too long and put too much compression on the spine so doing this squat takes away the compression and just sink in and breathe. Even when we go to the bathroom, we're not squatting properly, for best elimination of waste, we need to squat as low as possible, elevate your feet onto a stepstool and relax. 

The body was meant to squat and the universe gave us legs for a reason. Train those legs not just for stamina and strength but like every other part of the body, become supple, flexible and mobile. 

The Changing Of The Tides

Sometimes, there are things you cannot simply change about yourself. You are who you are through experiences, self discovery, observation of your personality towards others and how you apply things. Things change eventually and we can't stop the change any more than we can stop the sun from setting but there are things that will never change because of what you have become and where you move forward.

I do love talking about my workouts and sharing ideas but at the same time, I've always had trouble keeping interested after talking about them. I keep thinking and try so damn hard but alas, every time I talk about my goals or make certain promises of what I'm going to do, my interests sooner or later, they go by the wayside and my motivation and interest doesn't exist anymore with those goals. It's basically a curse I've brought upon myself unintentionally. I' am one of those people for some odd reason, wants to prove to others what I'm capable of doing and yet it comes back to bite me in the ass.

I want to fit in with certain people and I'm confident that I can get along with just about anybody and talk about anything but it becomes apparent that whenever I force myself to fit in somewhere, disaster usually strikes either on my end or theirs. My workouts whether they're short or long shouldn't reflect how much I'm worth to somebody else. Truly the only people that should matter are the ones who encourage me and push me to discover for myself what I can do and learn how to mold it to my own goals and dreams. I know I'm not the only one who feels this, it's human nature to have dreams, goals and fit in because it's tough being alone and understanding your worth in this world.

Sometimes I train because it's what I'm supposed to do and follow someone's protocol down to the very T. My problem with that is, every time I try to just follow a course to the core of it, I become a slave to it and I have no say in how it could truly work for me. It's the way it is and if you can't do it or think you can do better, than you're an idiot. When I started out with Combat Conditioning, I had no idea what the hell what I was getting myself into, I had no real experience with bodyweight exercise, I did it only as a self-rehab program and drilled myself into the program because in a sense I felt that it was what I was told to do. It was painful, agonizing and for weeks during my first run with it, I wanted to quit and give up on myself because at first I was just doing stupid Hindu Push-ups, Hindu Squats and Bridges. The more I kept with it and learning from my friends Tyler Bramlett & Logan Christopher, I started really discovering a whole other world full of possibilities. 

Quite frankly, after every single course, exercise, program, the amount of time and the hard work I put myself through, one thing always never changed with me and that was that I couldn't stand following others and feeling like I had nothing to call my own. I started creating ways to fit all the things I learned into something that was meant for me, nobody else. The programs do work but it didn't matter who it was, I couldn't last very long doing what they only do. I had to fight for myself and change what I needed to do for me. I can't do Hindu Push-ups exactly like Matt Furey or John Peterson, I can't do Hindu Squats like Karl Gotch did, I can't do Animal Moves exactly like the Baran Brothers or Mike Fitch, hell I can't even do the speed and precision like a Barstarzz Guy doing Pull-ups but what I can do is exercise that my body allows to do with the structure and accuracy it can only do at the time. I can do things many people the same size as me can't and I have convinced myself that if I took a "day off", I would end up dead or in coma before the day's out. 

Change is inevitable but some things will never change because if it comes natural to you, it's what you were meant to do. You'll find things you've never done before and it can be scary and you never truly know if you can do them until you take action but if you force yourself into something and you can't do it but keep pushing it anyway, the majority of the time, it'll end in disaster and it's either going to keep you from what is natural to you or it'll bring you to the brink of always doubting yourself and confidence and the ability to move forward won't exist. Some things are just natural to us whether physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually and when we find that, we work hard to make it stronger. What isn't natural to us, makes us feel fear, doubt and not knowing if it's going to work. 

It is not your job to be like somebody else, they're already taken and even if you're a twin; there's always something different. I can't be a second athlete, businessman, teacher, promoter or even someone in Hollywood; I can only be the 1st me because if I try to be like somebody else, where's my true reason to live or discover who I' am?

Train to what suits everything about you. Put in the work that is synergistic to your being, your personality, your outlook on life and helping others discover themselves. It's a gift to help people discover themselves, it's also murder to humanity when you drive people away from what they're true self is and make them be more like you or have them be a slave to your agenda. 

Isometrics For Core Strength And Better Posture

Working the Core Muscles whether dynamically or Isometrically helps prevent injuries to the lower back and sides but for the most part, many train the Core to have that six pack look and have a thin ass waist. There's nothing wrong with wanting to look like a million bucks but if you don't have the strength and conditioning or the flexibility, looks will only take you so far, they may make you money possibly but you'll be plagued by injuries easier later on in life or sooner.

From an Isometric standpoint, you don't need to do a ton of exercises to work that center of the body. Maybe 3-4 should do the trick if you understand the technique and the breathing aspects. The Core is usually always activated in a lot of exercises as it is because in a lot of cases, you have to be stable in order to pull them off. If you slouch or don't pay attention to the movement or the hold, you're going to pay a hefty price and suffer a hernia or worse.

Karl Gotch talked about the two C's of muscle that gives you a clear distinction to how certain people last or become Injury Proof; there's the Counterfeit Muscle where you have the bodybuilder type look where it looks straight out of a comic book and has a plethora of ripped, shredded and even bulky structures but outside of that, they can't do a damn thing when it comes to fighting and real world cardio. This look burns out faster and if you're tired within a minute, you're a dead man. The second he talked about is called Conditioned Muscle where although you may have an athletic build or carry a bit more body fat, you have a better set of qualities of endurance, long-term strength, agility and flexibility where you have a far lesser chance of being injured. You want to see the difference in action, check out on youtube the fight between Maurice Smith and Mark Coleman in the UFC. Another look at the two major differences would be the Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match between Rulon Gardner and Aleksandr Karelin in the 2000 Olympics.

Two of my favorite Isometric Core Exercises is the Arch & Hollow Body Holds. They target the whole body but at the same time, you're generating great power and stability in the Core Muscles. Great for developing posture and developing injury-proof abs. Another great exercise is one you can do after waking up in the morning or at any time during the day; it's called the Farmer Burns Stomach Flattener. It's very simple to do and this can be done seated, standing or laying down on the back, you inhale as you pull the stomach in, once you hit the full inhale, exhale and and squeeze the abs as you make the "sssss" or "ffff" sound. You'e not just working your abs, you're hitting the transverse muscles, the obliques, the low back and the upper/lower abdominals.

When it comes to Posture, in my personal opinion, the best exercise or Isometric would be to just hang from a pull-up bar, even if you can only hold it for a second that's ok, just build up little by little. This builds a tremendous stretch in the obliques and helps ease tension in the lower back. This exercise alone when practiced regularly, can possibly man handle that slouch you have and get you to that natural upright position. People have even experienced adding an inch or two to their height. Now this isn't to say you'll turn into Shaquille O'Neal but it'll help develop your natural height and have that feeling of being taller than you normally are.

Isometrics for Core Strength and Posture is not just about looking good and having punch-proof abs, those could end up being just a bonus, it's really about creating a better conditioned center of your body and being able to move without putting your back in danger doing small things. Train your Core with efficiently and you'll be rewarded in ways you've never experienced before.

One Body Part A Day Isometrics

Been focusing a lot on Isometrics lately, particularly doing one body part a day from the Neck down. I took ideas from Batman O'Brien's Perfect Body Course and mixed in exercises using both Free Hand and the Isometric Power Belt. I'm already well into my second time around the exercises, hitting shoulders and arms today. Tomorrow is Legs.

Always experimenting with something since I'm not the best at sticking to a routine, but my intention is to cycle around the parts of the body at least 4 times. I'm already nearly half way there so this should be interesting. So far, I like how it's going. Mainly, I love how the workouts don't take very long and I can purely focus on the areas of the body one at a time instead of trying to do so many in one workout. It's all well and good to do multiple body parts but it can also be very draining and Isometrics are crazy enough as it is. 

After you focus on particular body part, you can go after other exercises in your arsenal the rest of the day and work on other areas. At times i'll do animal movements, do a quick workout while filming, go for a walk with my weight vest on, play around with CoreForce Energy Techniques, do some circuit training, mace play, play with the Indian Clubs, whatever tends to pop up into my head. So far my favorite body parts to train are my neck and back. I'm seeing definition and thickness from both areas and that makes me happy. Great seeing results from other areas and I'll take photos when I'm done with my version of the program but I've always seemed to form better results from the neck and back. When I do the back, I use the Belt for those doing the deadlift, upright row, lat pulldown and seated row and then finish off with the 3 minute wrestler's bridge. 

I have been gearing back towards bridging again to get some stretching, strengthening my neck and experimenting with both flat footed and heel up Back Bridges. Because of the rod in my left shin along with the scarring, I have to be careful to not aggrivate that area because it does cause serious discomfort that I don't wish on anybody. I don't have very good flexibility in my ankles anymore so when I do the Back Bridge, I literally can't flatten my feet after a certain point that others can otherwise I'm risking pain and feeling that metal pressing against my skin. Although I can Bridge feet flat for 3 minutes whenever I want, having the heels up seems to take more of the edge off on my shin and ankle and hits more of the thighs and calves and I can get a way better stretch while also bringing the heels closer to my head without discomfort or pain. Don't do things that cause pain, trust me, it's too muh of a bitch to handle for so long.

I'm doing this experiment mainly just to see what it's like to focus on one thing at a time and putting my energy into an area of the body where I don't feel the need to focus on anything else and go with the straight line of just hitting that muscle group. It's a good experiment and if it's something you want to continue to persue, do so, if you're more of working multiple muscle groups, that's awesome. Do what makes you happy and gives you results. If you're not getting the results you crave, change things up, try different things and focus on getting better. Progression is the key. There's so many things you can do with Isometrics and it can make you stronger and help drop unwanted bodyfat. Keep at it and train with intention, not for the sake of just exercising.