Hammer Training For Strength, Conditioning & Performance

 Methods come and go but very few stay true through the test of time and that is Sledgehammer Training. Burn calories, develop an iron core, full body strength training and conditioning from the old school of hard knocks. It's also one of the best methods of training to get aggression out of your system.

The improved work capacity is a mighty benefit that both men and women can use especially for those who need to be in top shape whether for a sport or an all day job that requires some form of labor. When it comes to Combat Sports especially in Boxing, Wrestling and Jiujitsu, you need to develop a level of endurance or strength endurance that lasts as long a fight is required and if you're tired within a minute, you might as well start tapping or get your ass knocked out. Hammer work also develops wrist and hand strength that helps a fighter get control and keep a lock on a submission. 

A key ingredient in working with a sledgehammer is the rotational aspects: It forces the body to keep control and balance the swing while keeping a certain form of finesse in order to properly slam it down and not risk heavy injuries. Smaller size hammers generate greater velocity and speed where as you explode and keep going, you're generating incredible force. Bigger size hammers (30-50+ lbs) won't have you generate as much speed but the brute force itself and the amount of control needed to create that brute force also creates strength from another perspective. Not everyone can do high reps with a really heavy hammer and there's really no need to break world records in reps so focus more more on the strength and control aspects. 

A personal favorite is doing this kind of training for relieving stress such as getting something out of your system after having a bad day at work or finding a positive solution to relieve negative emotions because as men, we can have high levels of aggression that at times can be unpredictable and have experiences where we are thrusted into our primal instincts and we leave the realm of reality which at times can be beneficial. We do however, need to keep our emotions in check and for some it's a constant learning format plus we don't want to hurt anyone that might be in our way when we go ape shit. This is a great solution to help us become calmer and burn calories at the same time.

Sledgehammer training is a lot of fun but shouldn't be taken lightly. Don't underestimate the power of a hammer and what it can do to improve your performance as an athlete or as an everyday person. It's hard work but with consistency and drive, you can develop that old school working man's strength and have your body handle stress in ways you can't get from the gym. Plus, the added benefit of training in the fresh air and working up a sweat while also building conditioned muscle instead of counterfeit muscle (as Karl Gotch used to put it) is just the tip of the iceberg of what is possible to build a conditioned body that is ready for whatever is thrown at it. Let me put it like this, yeah someone can lift a lot of weight but almost nobody will mess with someone who's got that strength from using hammers. 

What Is The Perspective On What Is Considered Natural Strength?

 When we think of someone being natural in the fitness world, most likely we're talking about someone who's never taken steroids or illegal performance enhancers in their chosen field such as Bodybuilding and other sports. It's not as simple as that. Being natural from a certain point of view to me is picking up on something right away and making it look effortless. They say someone like Michael Jordan was a natural in basketball or someone like wrestler Frank Gotch was just a naturally gifted wrestler or even John Grimiek being the most naturally gifted bodybuiler of his time but the real logical thing is, they all didn't have what experts would call "Natural Talent", they busted their ass in order to be the best at those fields.

Very few people just magically pick up on something and are an expert in a short amount of time. Being natural is more about having the timing that it took to pick up on a given thing and had consistency and figuring out quickly what to do and how to apply it. When it comes to someone with natural strength, I see guys like Slim The Hammerman, Farmer Burns, Eugene Sandow and a few others. Once they took to the thing they became legendary for, they dominated through training, proper application and intensity that made what they did look like a piece of cake. 

Let's talk about Slim, he had that natural gift of strength for his feats because of the back breaking work he did in the quarry and amazed the mighty atom when he asked Slim to bend a nail and Slim did it. Think about this, the amount of strength it takes to bend a spike and never really having any training and just be able to do it without hesitation. That just isn't human and that is one definition of natural strength. Another would be Bud Jeffries, one of the world's strongest men drug-free had to develop his strength through real work and not do anything to chemically enhance it. He developed a gift of strength that even some of the most chemically enhanced strongmen today can't do, that's another definition of what is considered natural strength.

Another look at natural strength is what farmers, laborers, carpenters and blacksmiths do. These people are stupid strong in many areas because of the tools and the way they twist, push, pull, grip and lift/carry their body throughout the day in order to make a living. Have you ever shaken the hand of a farmer or a blacksmith? They're hand strength can often times be intimating. Slim would be along those lines of a crazy strong laborer and could do things that even made other laborers' jaw drop. 

Being naturally strong on one end means you have built strength without the need of steroids or enhancers but another look at it is having that continued strength even way past your prime and having that vim and vigor. From a mental standpoint, it never comes easy but you just do it and you learn where to channel your focus. Does Natural Strength have a certain look? From my point of view, looks aren't always relevant, hell a natural bodybuilder may look awesome but his strength doesn't match up but if you look at average looking guys under 180 that look like they never saw a gym in their life yet have incredible strength it pisses off people that think they know what strength really is. 

Real strength from a natural perspective comes from developing a consistent progression with proper application and understanding the body's capabilities of handling things over a period of time. It comes quickly to some, for others it takes time but the strength that is developed could be carried over to other areas. On the other hand, some people are just born with certain genetics that makes strength building come at a quicker pace with or without proper training or application. So where's the true perspective on having a natural gift of strength? The real answer, there really isn't one, you either build it up, have it right away or not or have some genetic outlook on doing things at a faster or slower rate than others. Everyone is different and have different aspects of strength that either comes natural to them or developing it over time.  

The Hammer Is Coming Back

It's been a while since I've slammed a hammer down on a tire and after some searching and playing around, I have an intention on getting back to hammer workouts once to twice a week (fingers crossed) to make things a little more practical or should I say TACTICAL!!!! One of my big workouts was doing really high reps with my Epic Sledgehammer (nicknamed Big Bertha) that weighs close to 60 pounds. It's a hell of a workout and it has helped in developing incredible strength but the speed and velocity is not meant for a hammer that big and I want to add that to my workouts.

The other day I took out my 10 lb hammer and hit the tire for 418 reps before I started noticing my left hand was getting a little scrapped. Why 418? I was using a deck of cards as my way of doing reps. I was going more for speed and thrust so I swung it pretty damn hard as fast as I could for each rep. This is why once or twice a week is good for workouts because mostly for recovery purposes but also if you haven't done it in a while, your hands might need some toughening up so you do what you can little by little.

I love hammer training and it has taken me some time to come back to it and doing things a little differently. I had previously trained to go as heavy as I could and do as many reps with a heavy hammer as possible. With Big Bertha, it was to increase weight every time I would beat the deck which at times took up to 3 workouts and I would add about 3-5 lbs or so at a time, started at 26 lbs. I can still do some damage with that heavy thing but not for 1000 or more reps anymore, maybe a few hundred and at that weight, it's more than enough. I decided this time, I wanted to focus more on how fast I can go with a certain weight and got a hammer from Stronger Grip that is lighter and only goes up to no more than 25-26 lbs. This is to take on more of a conditioning and speed style of hammer training. 

This particular hammer is something special though and I'm getting a very cool engraving on it that has a special meaning for me. Not only do I get to train with this thing but I get to have something custom done just for me which is why this company ran by Ryan Pitts is so awesome. The Tactical Sledgehammer is purely meant for conditioning and long term strength training and watch the videos of Ryan & his son Logan as they slam, swing, play and power up. The hammer starts empty at 13 lbs which is a great weight to use and goes up to 26 using shot lead which for conditioning purposes, you don't need to go higher than that. 

Hammer workouts are about as old school as you can get when it comes to training. Boxers, Wrestlers, Football Players, MMA Fighters, Laborers all had done some form of hammer work and had some incredible physiques and powerful upper body strength. When it comes to hammers, no one made it look more intimidating than the legendary strongman Slim The Hammerman who made his living with his hammer, he might as well been the white John Henry. So many exercises you can do with a hammer and you'll never get bored but the time and true swing and slam is a testament to a man's strength in the real world. 

One of the things I noticed about messing with hammers is that after a hard workout, it's not surprising that you would build up an incredible appetite. I can eat pretty good but after one of those high rep workouts, it just blew up and I was as you might say "Super Saiyan" hungry if you're a fan of the Dragon Ball Mythos. If you ever noticed how the Protagonist Goku eats, I wasn't too far off with the way I ate after a workout. Another great benefit is the amount of testosterone that is built up, this aids in muscle building and heightening up the metabolism. The more consistent, the more your body will change into a natural and powerful physique. When it comes to calorie burning, it ranks right up there.

Women can do really well using hammers too, it's impossible to build as much muscle as a man unless you take some form of TRT but with proper training, women can build incredible physiques that have very strong tendons, naturally muscular arms, shoulders, back and core. In my opinion, women have every right to be as strong as they need to whether physically, mentally, emotionally or whatever. 

Get your hands on a hammer and go to town. This is real functional strength and has more carryover to the real world than we are lead to believe. It's a working man's exercise but it also has benefits for both sexes or those who choose to be Non-Binary or whatever you choose to make of yourself, it benefits many and builds strength you can't get in the gym. Become strong and powerful no matter what. 

Pirates And The Animals

 Ahoy there mateys, it be a be a beautiful morning out on the Caribbean Sea as we sail to find the buried treasure of Cortez on The Black Pearl. Sorry, had a goofy moment channeling my inner Pirate. Who doesn't love a good Pirate movie? Now when it comes to talking about animals, how are they and pirates linked in this article? Well, if you ever read any of my workouts, sometimes I come up with weird stuff.

One of my favorite workouts is taking a deck of cards and doing reps of animal moves for a good conditioning program. Deck of cards workouts have been around for decades with multiple variations of exercises that even a legendary wrestler used to torture his students with. You can do all kinds of exercises but be prepared to get your ass kicked. It's fun, it's challenging and you never do the same workout twice. 

When I was in Oregon, me and the wife went to this seafood restaurant and I saw these decks of cards at the gift shop that I couldn't help but be in awe of and they were a deck of cards with pictures of Pirates. I snatched it up later in the trip and they are pretty cool. When we got home and settling back into our element, I wanted to do a workout with this deck and doing animal movements were my exercises of choice. My animal moves were the Bear, the Crab, the Chimp & the Duck. I made it through the entire deck pretty easily but still got a great sweat going and breathing heavily. After, I was thinking I had a great game for this.

To make an interesting scenario out of this, I came up with the idea based on Pirate Lore and some bad jokes where it didn't matter what exercises you did, you had to finish the entire deck or you walk the plank but instead of walking it, you are the plank. You hold a plank as you listen to A Pirate's Life For Me (which is less than 5 minutes long) and if you can't hold it, than you're lost in Davey Jones' Locker. Now that may be found annoying or really fun to do depending on your perspective but also if you finish the deck, you can reward yourself with either the end of the map that leads you to buried treasure or reward yourself with good food and drink or whatever. Another creative and imaginative way to reward yourself with finishing the deck would be that you passed the test to become Captain of your own ship and take control of the seas.

A workout never has to be boring and as long as you keep things simple and using your imagination, you can create just about any workout you want with the knowledge of exercises you possess. Workouts should be challenging but fun to do and to create an atmosphere that will have you coming back for more. Now you can do this "Pirate Workout Game" with any normal deck but if you have a Pirate Deck on hand, that just adds more to the fun. If you ever read or learned of any of the real life pirates back in the 18th century you know what they were really about and the horrors that went on but you can create your own pirate legend and make a game out of it. I wouldn't recommend this game be a drinking game that if you can't finish an exercise in the deck you had to take a shot of Rum. 

Have fun and remember to set the sails and head for that horizon because you never know what treasures you might find out there and what Islands you'll find on your journey. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me. 

The Oregon Coast & My Birthday

 Been a tough year and throughout the ups and downs, me and the wife definitely needed some vacation time where it was just the two of us and getting away from things for a few days. We were supposed to head out to Lincoln City, OR on our Anniversary but that got botched because of that messed up accident we got into, so we made a new plan to head out there around my birthday. Safe to say, it worked out quite well.

We made it to the Oregon Coast the day before my birthday (July 27th) and although it was a long drive, we got to our hotel safe and got in some good ole beach fun. Our first full day was on my Birthday as I turned 37. Got in a great walk on the beach, ate at some cool restaurants and even got in a couple workouts that just felt right to do. My celebration workout was The Frank Gotch Squat Challenge which you can read about HERE.....I managed 10 Squats and than did 152 Hindu Squats in 5 minutes after my rest period from doing 30 second deep squat holds and adding 1 rep after each hold. I felt like my legs were on fire but it was a great workout. 

Continuing on throughout the birthday shenanigans, during a walk on the beach, I spotted a log that looked cool to pick up. I had no idea how much it really weighed but I'm guessing due to how solid it was and the ability to even get a grip on it, I'd say it was around 180-230 give or take and had my wife the photography goddess get a couple of shots of me holding it up. This was a beast for sure and only held it a few seconds which was the icing on the cake of just lifting the damn thing. Nature's weights baby LOL.

I had only been around the Oregon Coast maybe once or twice in my life before this trip and walking along the beaches was just so breathtaking and beautiful it made me miss the coastline in California. We walked on one beach called Siletz Bay that's literally next to the hotel we stayed at that had a beautiful dock and we got to see Seals swimming and resting across the way. The sunset was just awesome and it looked like a painting come to life. Here's a pic my girl took from our balcony.

Another beach we went to was called Road's End that had a long stretch of a beach with bunches of drift wood roaming around. It felt peaceful out there and having fun. A couple pics she took was a stretch of walkway and me just goofing around walking on the logs and balancing being a kid at heart. 

She was just having a blast taking pictures and practicing her Photography skills. She took some incredible pictures on this trip and I'm so proud of her at what she's becoming passionate about. This was definitely a trip to take advantage of for photo shooting.

Overall this trip was one of the best I've had in years and got to see some pretty cool stuff. Bought a couple decks of cards to add to my collection which were a deck of African Animals and Pirates. The little shops we went into were fun but can get Closter phobic because of hoe low the ceilings were and a bunch of people walking around a tiny store with very little room to move around. A couple places we went into was called The Chocolate Frog which had chocolates imported from various countries around the world and even found a chocolate frog from the Harry Potter films which is rare to find in most stores. The other was The Christmas Cottage and that was a bit much for me to be in because of how small it was to be around in. It was cute and had cool items but being in there longer than needed wouldn't want me to celebrate Xmas again.

I would say the most fun restaurant we went to was this Burger Joint called the Highway 101 where fresh made Burgers were cooked and had a great atmosphere of a total beach town style Burger place. Great people, awesome service and just fun to be in. It was the only food place we went to twice. The food overall at the places we ate at were pretty decent but a few were very forgettable. The second best would have to be Moe's on the bay, great seafood place and some of the best Halibut around. Growing up near beaches, I've been to a lot of seafood places and this was pretty damn good. 

There was never a dull moment on the trip and most of my training was just merely isometrics and deep breathing exercises, nothing huge or anything and it was one of those things where I can get in something quick in the hotel room and spend the rest of the time either sightseeing, going on the beach or watch the Olympics (Awesome swimming and gymnastics events). I would say on average when we walked on the beach, we walked a good mile and a half to two miles at a time and had a blast. She even carved out our initials in the sand having that moment of love and togetherness like Teenagers.

It was bitter sweet to leave the coast and for the most part we didn't want to leave. So much fun and just being together was so joyful and full of laughs, memories and finding ways to love one another more and more. Turning 37 was amazing and getting to spend it with this awesome woman was the best birthday present I can ask for.

Why I Prefer 6-12 Seconds Of Isometrics

 Learning certain aspects of training over time, you become accustomed to what works for you and what doesn't. You experiment and find out through trial and error what benefits you the most and how you develop yourself through mind and body. There are certain things many people preach in fitness I just can't stand and there are some that I take and mold it for myself that really hits the spot. The animal dice game is one of them, it helps me learn what to expect from the unexpected and keeps me on my toes. Isometrics however is a totally different ball game and a key form of my experimentation.

Isometrics have various ideas on what contributes to muscle building, strength training, the timing of certain holds and what benefits the idea of training anytime and anywhere. I'm just obsessed with the 6-12 second protocol of Isometrics because for one, I can exert as much force as possible and two, I can immediately change from one exercise to the next and keep my heart rate up. I love the cardio aspect of this and it's congruent with the awareness of my mind and body. With other protocols, it does become somewhat complicated for me to understand.

There are many aspects of Isometrics that do work such as holding a contraction at half the intensity for a longer period of time, the 30/30/30 format that is a core idea that Steve Maxwell & Drew Baye use and others but the way my brain is set up and where it goes can have frustrating directions. Unless I'm holding a wall sit or some kind of push-up or pull-up, longer holds effect my ADD and I at times will get bored after not even a minute, it just doesn't work for me a good portion of time, it has to be specific exercises that I understand and are enthusiastic about. 

The 30/30/30 protocol which effects the percentage each 30 second stage for 90 seconds throws me off and frustrates the hell out of me. First off, it's not as simple for me as does for others and when I'm supposed to exert the amount of force for each stage puts my mind in a whirlwind because as you exert force each stage, you're supposed to know if it's the actual percentage which IMO doesn't. The 50% the 1st 30, 70 in the second and 100 in the last makes no sense to me whatsoever. I just never figured out how that works and to be honest if you're trying to contract 100% at 30 seconds, that's practically and logically impossible, even sprinters can't go their maximum speed for 30 seconds, maximum force at best is right around 3-4 seconds if not only 2. The mechanics are not fluid with me on that. 

I look at longer holds as more of a meditative practice than a strength practice because if I only focus on the strength aspect, I immediately want to exert more because that's my thought process. Holding a handstand, a horse stance, warrior style poses, deep squat, wall sit and dead hang are all great for a meditative practice of isometrics. You don't have to exert as much force and yet it's still effective. If it's arm wrestling, deadlift, wall push, bow and arrow pulls, curls or mid fist plank, I exert as much force as possible for those 6-12 seconds because those to me are strength formats of Isometrics and I get far more out of that.

When it came to results and the way I can time a workout, shorter contractions with 70-80% of max strength is where I thrive at. It gives me a greater format of cardio as well. When I use my Isometric Power Belt or strap, I don't do the double loops very much because it's difficult for me to know if I'm exerting the same amount of force in both arms which in most cases I don't believe I do because my right arm isn't as strong as my left and focusing on both throws me off. Focusing on one arm at a time works much better for me and notice a significant strength increase with my right arm. Calisthenics wise, I don't do single limb training unless it's animal movements and when I do pull-ups my awareness in both arms is decent, it's hard to explain when it comes to certain exercises.

Do what works best for you, use your intuition and utilize the benefits. When things don't work very well but you keep forcing it or feel obligated, it's like mixing oil with water, many people don't thrive in what doesn't work. If doing the 90 second protocol of Isometrics works for you, continue doing it and be successful with it, if 6-12 works better that's awesome too. Don't settle for something that's a constant frustration and no matter how hard you try, you just won't get it and you won't be as successful. There's no one way to do something and sometimes it takes a while for someone to get use to it and become successful but for others, they get it right away or get it in a short amount of time and have a higher rate of success.

Keep at what you love, learn something new and experiment. The more you learn, the more you understand what comes out of it. 

Where Does It Lie When It Comes To Being An Expert?

 Across the internet spectrum when it comes to fitness courses and the foremost authority on training, where do you draw the line of finding someone with expertise in their field that is worth pursuing? Many claim to be an expert in this or that along with even going as far as calling themselves masters of the craft or even a level beyond mastery which in reality, an extreme few even hold up.

Speaking for myself, I can't call myself an expert or even remotely someone with authority when it comes to fitness; yes I have been around it off and for 25 years, more so in the 16 years where I've trained everyday trying all kinds of stuff under the sun. Do I know some things? Very much so. Do I have a good opinion on what works and what doesn't? Yeah sure but as an expert, get real. When it comes to "expertise" or having some kind of knowledge, how would it be defined? By the amount of years you've had within it? By how many certifications you have? By forming an opinion after decades of READING a book? Where do you draw the line of calling someone or yourself an expert?

Ego, willing to stomp on the competition or even going as far as humiliating someone in order to get by doesn't help in becoming an expert in something. Some people are very knowledgeable like Bud Jeffries, Steve Maxwell, Ed Cohen, Dan Gable and Ed "Strangler" Lewis all have/had strong and treasured knowledge in their respective fields and yes I would consider them experts. Their ability to learn from trial and error, failure and success and driven to be the very best, made many people under them very successful in what they were taught. By far, when it comes to wrestling, conditioning, progressive training, building mental toughness and which spots to work with for various individuals, these guys are the very best.

Certifications have their place which is true but real expertise comes into play on how you apply your knowledge with your sense of character and understanding of not just the field but to help give people opportunities to develop their own skills is the mark of an expert. Granted not many guys in their 20's and 30's (myself included) have a complete authentic level of expertise and from the level of that age range they do have a great skill set that they can get by on. This isn't a knock or an insult to anyone, I firmly believe that when someone who has a great sense of knowledge and skills in their field can help me whether it's 20 years or 100 years of experience and I want to learn, I give them a chance and see what comes of it.

I can give an opinion and share my experiences since I've been around this since I was a teenager but not at the level of high end expert. I never claimed to be one and I don't believe in having authority over others who have way better experience and knowledge than I do. I want to help as many as I can who ask for it and sometimes I can't answer or give someone something to learn because my knowledge does only go so far and direct them to someone way more qualified than me. Sometimes my answers for people can be heard as crude, maybe too basic and downright weird but I do what I can. 

Some claimed experts are complete assholes and like to use this narcissistic mindset that because they're an expert should be treated like a god and whoever doesn't agree with them is scum. Very few experts in the world have a great sense of morality but are firm in their beliefs due to their experiences and who to work with. 

Being trained under someone like Bud Jeffries up close, he makes you feel like you can understand what he teaches and makes it relatable so you can learn and succeed in your own line of training; that to me is an expert I want to continue with. My session with Garin Bader back in 2010 still gets me to this day in a good way because as odd as he was, it made me feel like he could be one of the guys and show you stuff that is exciting and enthusiastic. Garin is a very unique person, like Bud, he puts a stamp on training that is often times off the wall but makes it fun and enjoyable while learning how to value the true aspects of creating something not just physical but emotional, mental, spiritual at times and you can't help but smile about it. 

So one last time, where does it lie when it comes to being an expert? For me it boils down to great knowledge, the ability to understand people, have extensive wisdom from experience and proving that success is real with proper applications of the field you're in. Some people can get away with it by just on certifications alone and the ability to manipulate by showing credentials that in reality are sketchy but go over someone's head. Credentials can only get you so far, the proof and the authenticity of that proof tends to show the true nature of an expert. 

Does It Really Matter How Long Or Short A Workout Is?

 We go against the clock a lot in many fitness oriented systems and quite frankly, a lot of the time it's pure crap. When you're against the clock, it puts more pressure on what needs to be done as opposed to what can be done with realistic results. There's a difference however with going against the clock and having the clock work for you. When you create a window of opportunity in a timed fashion, there's a bigger outlook on how you perform in my opinion. It works for some and others, not so much.

With creating a window to workout and time it enough to put the work in, you're establishing a different atmosphere to build and hit a workout hard for what it's worth to do. Some people have more time on their hands and others have only a small amount of time to do something that makes training worthwhile. Short workouts work great for people strapped for time but they don't always understand how much they could really get done in such a short period. For long workouts, I think it depends on what you're shooting for and finding ways to train for an extended period of time. Some do longer workouts because that's what they're told to do to get results but the truth is, it has to be done with a realistic point of view and what the body is able to handle with the extent of that form of training.

Short and intense workouts throughout the day or a couple times during the day has worked and gotten greater results than those who do one long workout where the intensity is less so and has an easier pace. I see it as, if you enjoy either one and you get results, why does it matter and who gives a shit which one is better than the other. Some workouts for me last somewhere between 30 min to an hour and that's all I need but other times, shorter (less than 10 minutes) sessions have a profound effect in how I do other things the rest of the time. Once you understand how short and long workouts are effective for your needs, you can create any workout you want. 

This morning I went for a walk around the neighborhood with a 40 lb weight vest on and that took roughly about 30-35 min and felt great. For most, that could be their entire workout for the day and would be satisfied. Yesterday I chose to do 30+ minutes nonstop of step ups because I felt like it, it's something I enjoy and I get something awesome out of it. Some workouts are 10 minutes of a superset and that's all I'll do for the day because I got other stuff going on, hell even on my wedding day I got a workout in before heading out to the venue because it's what I felt I needed to do and wasn't very long at all. When you open up yourself to create a window regardless of time, you establish a form of discipline that also comes with the joy of training.

What matters to you whether your workouts are short or not? What do YOU get out of it and is it worth the effort? Be open to creating opportunities to train no matter what because if you want to be in great shape and get results, you need to put the work in and sometimes that means creating a timeline when things in life get in the way. You're not always going to get in an hour plus long workout but that doesn't mean you should sacrifice your training, find the time to do something, it's better than not doing anything at all. 

Be instinctive, create opportunities and develop a discipline while getting the most out of what you do and make it interesting and a joy for you and nobody else. Train with a vengeance but also train with intelligence too.  

Goal Setting Vs Intention

Goals were never my strong suit and for good reason, whenever I talked about them, I always put more pressure on myself than what was originally intended. I have failed more times than I can count but I've also been successful in what I wanted to achieve. My intentions were always to be fit and be able to do things with ease. My training changes constantly and the idea of sticking with one thing because of what a goal was just never made it through, at least not to its fullest extent.

When I set my mind on something, I intend to do it with the best of my abilities but when it came to a goal, my intentions were in the right place but always felt like I was setting myself up for failure and I have myself to blame for that. When I was weight training, I never really knew what the hell I was doing and couldn't think of a goal to go after because all I really cared about at the time was just being strong but never set a specific amount of weight to go after, I just did it and suffered in the process. After my accident, I did have a goal to get stronger again but it became something more and it became an obsession once I stopped looking at it as a goal, I was just determined as hell to find out what I can do.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with setting a goal and you want to accomplish something, I never want to take that away from anyone. You set your mind to something and you go after it but also be prepared if things don't go your way. Sometimes when we set goals, they become such a part of our psyche that it puts everything else that could be great aside and set the tone for losing more than gaining. Michael Jordan had incredible goals to achieve and put so much on himself that eventually that fire burnt him out and when he retired for the first time, he needed to go in a new direction.

Walt Disney was an awesome visionary and set goals to create one of the most powerful empires in entertainment history. He took every bit of his vision and spirit and laid it out to build something nobody thought he could achieve and made a mark on the world that will live on forever whether it's good, bad or downright ugly but he did it. He set goals and achieved them but also failed. Setting a goal can't just be on just taking a risk and expect something to happen, you have to be prepared for the unexpected and understand that a goal could potentially point you in another direction that you didn't intend to be in or go forward with. The idea of intentionally going after something but understanding the risks involved whether you fail or succeed brings in the foundation of really making something happen.

With intent, you put forth in the direction you want to go and learn the risks you're willing to take and have the courage to fail. It's not about failing intentionally, it's about understanding the direction you intend to go and that the potential to fail is there. Success can be a powerful thing and you intend to become successful with where you want to go. Now there are things that we need to be successful in in order to stay alive, that's something very different but if you have a route and you want to be successful towards that road to your destination; what are you willing to do in order to get there? Will you have the mindset to take failure as it is? Are you willing to take a shortcut in order to get there faster? What about changing routes that may seem harder or smoother? What are your true intentions?

What are my intentions with what I do? I intend to do what is possible to make myself the fittest I can with little to no injuries along the way. I intend to be better at writing little by little and I will make mistakes in that area of the journey but they're also lessons I can continue to learn from. I intend to use what I have to keep myself in solid condition for as long as I live and not rely on the gym. My biggest intentions is to have fun with what I do while at the same time learn when it's time to be useful when I'm needed. 

Silly Rabbit Trix Are For Kids

 It is true, certain things are geared towards children and raise their levels of imagination and seeing some cool things. Until you grew up and still watch yet collect something like My Little Pony and you're a 50 year old man who hasn't seen the sun in 20 years. Having eaten Trix only a handful of times in my lifetime, it's safe to say I could go the rest of my days without eating it. We as a society develop certain aspects of entertainment and food towards a demographic that gets people excited or something to grab, the odd thing is, kids get toys and cool looking cereal boxes while adults get medication for every possible thing under the sun and whatever is wrong with them, they take something for it.

There's got to be something that's geared for everybody or at least a good amount of people that has spanned generations? Movement is something that's geared for everybody isn't it? I mean as a kid (at least a generation or two ago), we ran, went swimming, played out our favorite animals and didn't have a care in the world if we slipped off the slides, monkey bars or swings. What the hell happened? Being careful has become a little over the top and although I believe in being safe, I also believe in being able to explore and learn what your creativity is and seeing what it feels like to have an imagination and be able to move without being so damn analytical about everything.

When it comes to movement, the basics should be taught and build a foundation but after that, how you pursue it is up to you, find your way to master them to become better and getting creative with your skill set from those basics and progress through your own admission. We all progress differently and some are slower than others and some are faster and learn quicker but the principles are still there. What we haven't learned at least in today's world from a fitness standpoint is catering to an individual's abilities whether they're a beginner or advanced and what we are taught is the same curriculum and expected to progress the same way and follow along as if we know what the hell we're doing. 

We don't absorb as much as we did as a kid and wanting to explore new things in order to get better at the things we do in life. As we get older, we lose sight of what it's like to have an imagination and think creatively and cater to what we are told what works and what doesn't, become analytical and overthink with caution. You don't need to take extreme risks or measures to do cool shit but just a hint of courage and a bit of a backbone to take a chance on something that can develop skills and strength to move forward with life's obstacles. 

  It's one of the reasons why I love playing my animal dice game, it creates something for both worlds where I get to feel like a kid while at the same time strengthen my body and enjoy the feeling of crawling, jumping, balancing and more the way we were meant to do as human beings. I get to be all sorts of animals and play out cool scenarios in my head as I move. Other aspects of movement such as MovNat, Animal Flow, Ginastica Natural and even Yoga bring out the joys of being human and working towards building something greater than before. To be in condition for the long haul, strong when needed and agile like a kid. It's the enjoyment and exploration of the human spirit. We need to have that in our lives. A demographic is a specific group of people that is catered to, why not strive to have something catered to as many people as possible regardless of age, sex, creed or whatever?

Verne Gagne & Isometrics

 Athletes promote themselves in various ways; Michael Jordan had his shoes, Bo Jackson had his "Bo Can Do Anything" campaign and Hulk Hogan had his weight set (advertised by the late Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff) but oddly enough, there was a time when the legendary wrestler/promoter of the AWA Verne Gagne was showing Isometrics calling it Gagne-Metrics. 

There were a lot of stories surrounding Gagne for decades especially as a promoter and the what wrestlers he wanted along with how he treated people. When I met Greg Valentine at a comic con here in Idaho, he told me that Verne was quite an asshole. There's no denying that Verne was a great athlete in his day; Alternate for the '48 Olympics, exceptional college wrestler, was considered for the Green Bay Packers and was one of the best pro wrestlers of his time. 

If you're a student of pro wrestling, you've definitely heard the tales of how he trained wrestlers in his barn and at his office building in Minneapolis. Legends like Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, The Iron Sheik, Jumping Jim Brunzell & Gagne's son Greg were all tortured and ran through the rigorous training Verne laid out. Now whether Verne had them do Isometrics at that time in the 70's is hard to say but he did do them or at least showed to a regional audience back in the mid 60's. This was also a time where Jack Lalanne was still going strong with his workout show and I think Verne wanted to cash in on something of that sorts.

For the most part, the workout Verne displays is about as basic and stupid easy as you can get and for the record, he has little enthusiasm and isn't very upbeat and charismatic as Lalanne would be. He shows three exercises which you can see in the video below. Don't get me wrong, they're great exercises especially for beginners or those who want to something that's quick. This was also the era where Isometrics were at their peak with the Hoffman courses, Olympic wrestler Henry Wittenberg's course and others. 

Safe to say Verne's Isometric Training never really went anywhere and it's not at all surprising. It just didn't have anything at the time that really got people interested and if anything, it was just another small promotion to advertise for his company and to get people involved somehow with the AWA. Today it is a gem to find and if you got your hands on a book he had at the time, that's a rare thing to have. In the fitness world, he isn't too well known but if you love pro wrestling, he had one of the greatest promotions in the history of the business and just about anyone and everyone who went to the AWA were either stars in the promotion or went on to become bigger legends in other territories eventually in the WWE. Had great matches with the likes of Lou Thesz, Billy Robinson, Nick Bockwinkle and others. Whether you loved him, hated him or just love wrestling, Verne was a legend of his time.

One of Verne's Classic Encounters with Lou Thesz....

   

The Final Nail In The Coffin After 15 Years

A while back in October, I did an exercise that I demonstrated on Social Media called the Hindu Burpee; combining the Hindu Push-up & Hindu Squat. I've written a couple articles on it which you can find somewhere on this blog. It was a great exercise and I learned that particular variation from Matt Furey on his Membership Site. This exercise did have a negative effect or a positive one depending on the circumstance surrounding it that ended 15 years of my association with him.

The way it ended was I showed my demonstration on his Private Group on Facebook and wanted to give people an idea of what it meant for me. I never intended to steal it or make a big deal out of it, just showing an exercise all the while crediting Matt and what the exercise is about; it backfired and I not only was removed from the group, he unfriended me and terminated my status as a member to his Inner Circle site. I made the effort to reach out to him and to ask why and if he had such a problem with it, why didn't he ask me to just remove it which I gladly would've done if he directly told me to. All he said was (paraphrasing) "Let me think on it" and nothing else after that.

It devastated me because for over a decade and a half, I bought course after course, sunk energy into learning from him and hell even had a one time interview (which to this day I still think was horrible on my end). It hit me hard because his book Combat Conditioning literally got me on my feet again and changed everything for me when it came to training. Around my second to third Surgery, I got the book and started reading through it, the moment I was able to walk again I focused that first month to nothing but the Royal Court and put everything I had into self-rehabbing and getting in shape. Within less than a few months, I had strength and conditioning I never experienced before and it put me on the path to Physical Culture.

Throughout the years, I made those exercises and other things he put out a priority and made 90+% of my training to bodyweight exercises. He got me into the cables, the qi gong stuff, the pathway to the old time strongmen, him and a couple friends led me to Bud Jeffries, the same man who became one of my dearest friends and officiated my wedding. Furey made that explosion for me to carve out my passion for fitness. I was literally loyal to the cause he created. 

For it to end the way it did without any explanation, no response back at me and just making me feel like I was kicked to the curb, for what? Did he think I was trying to steal his thunder, make a ton of money off of him, upstage him? I couldn't do any of those things if I tried and never spoke to me again and treated it like I meant nothing to him but a follower who was a student to his method. It pissed me off for quite some time, I only told a few people what happened including Bud. I got a reality check about Furey that I won't go into and as I started to understand it better, it made sense on why he did what he did. 

Whenever I try to do Combat Conditioning or some other training methods I learned from him, I couldn't bring myself to really finish anything because it just puts a dark cloud over me and I would at times get angry or don't have the will or desire to get a workout done. I'm not saying his stuff doesn't work, they do and one of many people in the world that is living proof of what they can do. He has done a lot to bring Bodyweight Exercises to the general public but let's face it, his methods for all intents and purposes are refurbished exercises that were taught by Karl Gotch and others throughout centuries of training incredible athletes. Most would say they're knock offs or rip offs of other people's methods but I think the word Refurbished is more appropriate.

I never wanted to be an enemy and it was never an intention to make exercises he put out a thing where I called them my own, things happen for a reason and although it put a hole on 15 years of dedication, like a rock being thrown into a lake, the ripples are there and go away but the lake is forever changed. I was reluctant to write this because I don't know what effect it'll have and I wish things went differently but life goes on and Combat Conditioning served its purpose for me. 

Matt, for what it's worth, I hope you continue to live the life you made for yourself and continue coming up with training ideas that will give people results. You started my path and because of you, I will continue to learn from others and make the most of it.  

Building Great Grip Strength

 

Our hands can be either deadly weapons, smooth & peaceful or they can be used to build & destroy. Training the hands creates powerful entities that can determine where our strengths and weaknesses lie. The building blocks of developing a powerful grip showcase what we are capable of in certain aspects of life whether it be sports, law enforcement, carpentry or blacksmithing. 

My aspirations for developing grip strength was what I struggled for years developing the nerves in my right hand from the meningitis. After learning a few things from the old-time strongmen later on in my life in my 20's, it was apparent that I keep up the various methods of these men of strength. For years I did various feats from bending steel to ripping phonebooks to levering hammers and other cool stuff and I'm proud that I was able to do those things; now in my 30's, some things changed, I can still do some feats but my attention is more on keeping my hands healthy and strong for the long haul. 

Keeping the hands supple and flexible is a must as we age because as we get older, we run a higher risk of developing arthritis and bone spurs in the fingers and wrists. We may not need an extreme amount of strength as we age but have enough to still do things without pain and nerve damage. Finger Gymnastics is one of the very best courses that helps you prevent problems in the hands such as Carpal Tunnel and the other two points I made here, simple exercises that are very effective in developing the strength, agility and suppleness not just in the muscles or nerves but also the tendons and ligaments. Weak tendons and ligaments won't get you very far.

To really understand certain aspects of strength, training with a thick bar can show you some realities of how strong your grip is. You won't be able to lift as much weight as you normally would with a regular bar but that doesn't mean you can't get strong in that area. One of my favorite things to do in my training is taking the Fat Gripz and attaching them to the handles of the TNT Cable System and really tackle exercises that not only hit the muscles I'm working but also challenge my grip in the process. It's tough work and you don't need to do much to feel it. Just attach them to a pullup bar or a kettlebell and notice a huge difference in your strength, balance and the need to squeeze hard with a vengeance just to work an exercise. 

When it comes to weights per se, I like to really test my grip with heavy hammers such as my Epic Sledgehammer or Thor Hammers. These bad boys will make you humble as hell when it comes to grip strength. The handle on the Thor Hammers are thick enough to where even exercising them like clubs takes a good amount of balance and your hands will be tested. In the video above, I demonstrate doing the bottoms up press with the 30 lb Thor Hammer. You've heard of the Bottoms Up Press with a kettlebell, that's quite a movement or hold as it is but this is a different style of gripping and balancing, you have to almost pinch the ball at the bottom of the handle and shift your body differently than usual. It can be dangerous and is a unique skill to do. 

There are a great many ways to train the hands but the reality is, if you don't train them properly or take good care of them, they can lead to problems in your future and if you're in a job where you're required to use the hands for specific tasks, you don't want to be useless. It's also one thing to get them calloused and toughening them up, many laborers, farmers and those who work in manual labor have some tough hands but very few know how to also take care of them and many have huge problems later in life just picking up a pencil or a mug. 

Condition the hands to develop strength that lasts and creating awesome suppleness and flexible in the fingers and wrists where they can be nearly injury proof. The Indestructible Body is another great course that teaches this. Be safe, get strong and kick ass. 

Are Aesthetics Really That Important?

 Having a beautifully pleasing physique can do a lot for you and it shows the work you have put into the training you do; but does it have any real significant importance? Don't get me wrong some of the best athletes in the world have incredible bodies but how long does that physique even last, a few years, a decade or maybe even a month who knows. Hard work does pay off but even the most pleasing physique can have damaging effects especially if you use performance enhancers or just heavy doses of steroids. 

Just because you have a great body, doesn't always mean you have other attributes to back it up. Here's an example, Alexander Karelin was arguably the greatest Greco-Roman Wrestler of his time maybe even ever and had one of the most powerful physiques that would make the Old Timers' jaw drop and has accolade after accolade of accomplishments but yet in his very last Olympic Match, he got beat by a farm boy who didn't look like he can make it a mile without dying and practically came out of nowhere. Rulon Gardner was so conditioned that despite his looks, wore down the Russian beast and won a gold medal for the good ole USA.

You don't have to look like a classic bodybuilder in order to be a badass. George Forman, Ed Strangler Lewis, Butterbean, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Paul Anderson and others never really had good looking muscles or had abilities other athletes had but they were practically superhuman in their field and made an impact that leaves them in the legendary status to this day. Aesthetics have their place in certain areas but rarely today you have guys with awesome bodies that have the strength, agility and endurance to back it up. 

My physique changes from time to time as you have seen with results from doing Hill Sprints, Isometrics and other things but I know realistically I don't have the desire or the will  to develop a pleasing body, I just want to be healthy and conditioned that even in my later years I can still go and be able to do things. A physique isn't going to save your ass in the long run but conditioning will. This doesn't mean you eat everything under the sun and expect to be in awesome, it does take eating good food to get the most of your training as well but stop trying so hard to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger or think that just because you look like a million bucks you think you can outwrestle someone or hit a homerun 500 ft or even run the 100 yard dash in under 9 seconds, be realistic but also strive to be the best version of yourself because remember, there's only one YOU!!!

When The Animals Call

 Our energy levels vary from day to day and we don't always know when those will dip or just have a moment of pure adrenaline. Some days we'll feel like crap and have various mood swings where we can feel happy one moment and all of a sudden do a 180 and be an ass. We're human, it happens and it's part of our nature. Some days are better than others and we just have that bundle of energy. Having that kind of energy shouldn't go to waste but neither should be at an excess.

Exercising is without question incredible for productively getting that energy out. Even if you're in a bad mood and just need to find a way to get rid of it, training can definitely help beyond just getting physical, it could also relieve stress from an emotional and mental stand point as well.

Whenever I need a pick-me-up or have that excess energy or just find a way to chill out, I turn to the animals and just play my animal dice game. It changes my state of mind completely and puts me in a better place to think clearer and feel better all around. Life is hard at times and its important to find the good and positive things that make life interesting. Moving around like an animal has this power to channel stress in ways certain methods can't match, that doesn't mean other methods are crap and what you do makes you feel better and changes your mood should be in your arsenal. 

When the animals call, I go until it's time for me to stop. At times it's only a few minutes but those few minutes can change an entire day. The crawling, the jumping, the walking and the balancing all put things into perspective and harness a strength to be better, to prevent negative things from entering your mind and release endorphins that make the world feel easy to be in. 

Get the most out of the stress you want to get rid of or use what's possible to get that excess energy out so you'll feel more clear headed, be able to sleep better, better control of your breathing and letting things flow. When the animals call, try answering every now and then, you'll be surprised what you'll find out.