The Snow Has Fallen...FACK

 It is the first big snow day here in Hayden/Coeur D Alene Idaho which means time to get the jacket, sweats, gloves, boots and of course the almighty shovel. Life can't be anymore fun...Bullshit. To sum it up...Whoopie Fucking Doo. 

For real though, shoveling snow can be an invigorating experience and teach you valuable lessons like hard work, handling yourself in various conditions, getting the most out of the time you use like putting on some tunes. Sometimes it'll feel like you're in a war with the snow because it sometimes can get slushy so it weighs more as you pick up and toss. I envy those who live in warmer climates that don't have to do that unless you work at a site and shovel or farmer carry gravel and dirt. 

Many people around here do have snow blowers but there's something about having a shovel in your hands and putting in the work to ensure the people you care about can get out safely and get to where they need to. Hell yeah a snow blower is much easier to use but not everyone can afford one or even understand how to operate one so you go old school. Having a shovel and working heavy snow at times can be a test of your will and enduring strength. Some will say snow shoveling is not that big of a deal and saying how hard it is makes you sound weak and pathetic but the truth is, not everyone can last doing an hour or more of shoveling snow especially if its slushy as hell and if you live up in the mountains without many people around, a shovel can be your best friend or a pain in the ass. It's a matter of perspective.

It's always a good thing to help a neighbor when you can especially if that neighbor has kids and they're trying to get their car out. A snow blower won't always be the best option. That's what I love about this neighborhood, there are people who look out for one another and if there's an opportunity to help out, you do what you can. With all the crap that goes on in the world, there's still humanity somewhere and we have to hold onto that as best as we can.

One of things that has helped me stay injury free during the winter months and shoveling snow has been Isometrics. You wouldn't think that was possible but the fact is, moving snow can feel awkward and using muscles you normally don't use as you twist, pick up, turn and toss can have an impact on the body. Isometrics can give those movements a bit of leeway as you push/pull and twist in different directions. Hell there are workouts where I practice Isometric Shoveling in order to train my body so I don't hurt myself. There are people who do get hurt shoveling snow and it does happen often, not in a major way but enough where for some people there are issues especially in the hips, knees, elbows and shoulders. 

Now I'm not saying it takes a ton of strength cause it really doesn't or it makes you a better athlete, but snow shoveling isn't an easy task it's not meant to, simple yes and not difficult but you never know what you'll end having to do cause it can powdery one day and feel like easiest thing ever, the next day with slush, it can feel heavy as hell and the body has to adapt otherwise something could go wrong. This is where muscles do well for you but strong tendons and ligaments make the biggest difference. Obviously it's not a muscle builder or make you shredded but it is hard work and builds up mental toughness. 

Stay safe out there, help a neighbor, keep warm as much as you can and keep your body and mind healthy. Real strength comes from within and look out for one another, we can always use a bit of help sometimes. As always, be Amazingly Awesome. 

Sledgehammers And How They Take On Another Approach To Training

In one aspect of training with sledgehammers, you can essentially get a full body workout within a few minutes but in the overall aspects, there's nothing like holding one in your hands. This old school style of strength and conditioning has been used by fighters and enthusiasts for decades that go back to the old days of boxing and wrestling where athletes used hammers, axes and other tools to not only get stronger and fitter but to sharpen their coordination, enhance their conditioning and develop grip strength that just blows people's minds. 

The performance side of the coin is an added benefit because of that little nudge that edges an athlete's levels from mediocre to almost superhuman. The attributes alone would make any man or woman beg to possess. As you know, Sledgehammers are asymmetrical and performing movements such as the striking requires a certain blend of balance and coordination in order for the body to work like a madman and burn calories that would result in some awesome muscle building results. 

Now there are a variety of weights to use but as I've written in the past, the heavier the hammer is, the different the technique is in order to successfully and efficiently swing with control. I started out with a 10 lber and worked from there and for most people, it's a pretty good start. That's the bare minimum, now when it comes to the max, it all depends on your goals and quite frankly, you can go as high as you want but I caution you to understand the mechanics and how you control a hammer regardless of the weight.

When it comes to conditioning and continuous strength, you'll want to be able to handle a hammer that with great accuracy and speed, almost like a sprint. If you can do 30 reps within 40-45 seconds, that's cruising considering how you swing. There are also different variations of swings you can do for certain goals but the main two would be the rotational style that many use and the double handed chop style that is mainly used for lighter hammers for speed and conditioning. Now around 10-30 lbs using a speed style is more than enough (unless you're Bud Jeffries and can cruise through with a 40 or higher as if it was a 10), as you get heavier, you'll be focusing more on the power aspects and assuming you can lift a very heavy hammer (say 50 lbs or more), your whole will be forced to come into because there's no way you'll work a hammer that heavy the same way as say a 25 lber. 

Check out the video below for what I mean by this....

You can check out the tiktok video where I do more of a chopping motion and can move pretty fast with a 25 lb hammer. I did a workout yesterday where I did this exercise and worked up to a total of 552 reps using a deck of cards as my numbers count. That type of workout is not only brutal but your forearms will be pumped to the max and your lungs will feel like they just went through a marathon. The intensity, the heavy breathing, the pump and the surge of strength that can only be described as incredible. Using a 73 lb hammer is a whole different feel and a very different aspect of strength as you can see here.

Said it before, very few or anything can match having a hammer in your hands and going to town on a tire that pits you in the realm of the gods. Take it on and see what you're made of. Be strong and be amazingly awesome. 

Did You Hear The One About The Bear, The Crab, The Monkey & The Duck?

All jokes aside (maybe?) when it comes to exercise, you want to make things interesting. Being bored just sucks the fun out of doing something that's meant to get you in shape or keep you in shape. Although it is important to take training seriously because for one you want to maintain good health for as long as you can right? The other side of the coin is to make a workout work so well, you'll want to come back to it more and more or do it more often because you not only enjoy but it gives you a hell of a thrill.

That's one of the reasons why I love Animal Exercises so much, they allow you to freely move and harness your imagination to not only get great results but feel like it's not work but playing hard. From the dice games to flow routines and combos, there are so many ways to get in a great workout using the wild animals as your inspiration. One of my personal favorites for a while has been using a deck of cards which can be called the Animal Exercise Bible or the Animal Deck Of Madness (either way it's just a name). It consists of four Animals: Bear, Crab, Primate & Duck. It's 2 upper body animals and two lower body animals which target multiple muscle groups at the same time and works your conditioning, strength endurance, agility and your mobility. 

For a period with one of the lower body movements, I was doing an exercise called the chimp walk which I still do from time to time but have recently switched to an exercise that is based on wrestlers' type movements where it's somewhat like a lunge but you also reach out and pull as if to lunge and grab a hold of an opponent. I learned it from Eero Westerberg from Vahva Fitness and even though he isn't a wrestler, he was inspired by them and have seen a similar move people use in MMA and Amateur Wrestling. You can view it here....

The numbers on the cards can vary from workout to workout but today, the numbers on the cards were as follows.

Face Cards: 15 Steps/Reps

Aces: 20 Reps/Steps

Jokers: 50 Steps/Reps Of The Bear Crawl

2-10: Done As Shown. 

The objective is to get finish the deck as fast as possible. Now this doesn't mean you get sloppy and get lazy by not paying attention to form but to work the exercise as it intended to be with control and coordination. The speed will vary and it's not important to break world records by finishing in something like 10 minutes or whatever. These exercises are not just your typical type movements, there's a reasons wrestlers and grapplers have been using these exercises for a very long time and have stood the test of time. This can be used as a warm up to your MMA Workout or for conditioning in Football or Wrestling or as a stand-alone. It's not that difficult but it's not easy either so never underestimate it.

I've been doing deck of cards workouts off and on for years starting in my Post Rehab days of doing Combat Conditioning and evolving from there. I've written a few times on why I just don't like certain aspects of stationary exercises and feel like certain rules don't apply to me so I come up with my own workouts to suit my needs and Animals are the peak of conditioning exercises. Bodyweight Exercises have their place and if you're in close quarters like a hotel room, workouts like these are perfect for that but I love having that extra space to move around and I can go hard with Animal Exercises without getting sore. 

Be wild in your workouts and unleash the beast within. Grab a good deck, shuffle well and have at it and see how you do. Can't do a full deck yet? That's fine, do what you can and once you do, try to beat the deck every workout. Have fun and if you want to make some animal noises in the process, that's optional (recommend you do that alone). 

Are Herbs Dangerous?

 I've been told once that my misinformation about training and supplements such as herbs are not only dangerous but could get someone killed. Now granted whomever said this is a full on gym rat and quite frankly hates anything I do and only tries to "help" me so it benefits his ego. With that said, are herbs really that dangerous? Are you in danger of using an herb after an extended period of time and are there any long term effects? Well for starters, just about anything can be considered dangerous. It's not a cop out its a fact. 

Water is essential to life on earth but it also can kill you if you drink too much and get water poisoning. Even the cleanest water on the planet can still do that, should we stop drinking water? Herbs potentially can do the same thing. In the name of science, us humans sacrifice animals. A lot of herbs are being tested for what's called and LD50. What this stands for is Lethal Dose 50 as in what will kill off 50% of the test subjects. Now by writing this I mean the acute toxicity rather than the long term issues.  “Dosis sola facit venenum” or “only the dose makes the poison” was said by Paracelsus who was considered the father of toxicology and other credited notions such as Physician, Astrologer & Alchemist. 

It's the idea of understanding the difference between medicine and poison by the amount of the dosage. In the short term, this lies true and can be easily seen yet also lies true in the long term but we can't always see it. Out of the many reasons, one would being that the Western Medical Systems are one of the leading causes of death by iatrogenesis. Is there a reason why many don't trust doctors in the medical field? It's not always the medical errors but scary enough, it's the long-term side effects which don't always contribute to one thing. Other deaths have been swept under the rug as they say because a lot of people dare to question this stuff would be considered conspiracy theorists. We notice this in Pharmaceuticals as well.

Now the dose by medicine or poison is still considered true for herbs just by a lesser degree. Many of the herbs at Lost Empire are safe if you look at the research from a long term stand point. Herbs such as Reishi or Chaga are known to be very gentle on the body. Logan Christopher himself will take them just about everyday and even give them to his near 5 year old daughter. I've witnessed first hand how healthy that little girl is and it boggles my mind how energetic, smart and full of life she is. In the Daoist Philosophy, there are three distinctive classes of herbs. Superior herbs which is possible to take everyday and support enormous health. That's one of the main focuses at Lost Empire by using the motto of Do No Harm.

With superior there is also inferior herbs which are more medicinal in which they treat specific conditions. There is a class between the two such for example: Foxglove can be very useful in treating those in cases with heart failure or atrial arrhythmia but also has been known to be dangerous for those who don't have those conditions. 

There are some herbs that are not intended for the long haul. Depends on who you talk to really. Horny Goat Weed for example is one of those herbs not intended for long term use. Certain herbs that are gentle like Shilajit which is one of the best anti-aging herbs around and has great properties and benefits, shouldn't be taken with those who suffer gout. 

Make good decisions for yourself in how you apply the herbs and what they can benefit you. Are all herbs created equal? You've been reading what can be used everyday and what could be useful short term haven't you? For those playing the home game, no not all created equal and some herbs aren't meant for everyone due to certain conditions or how the organs take in certain herbs but for the most part in my own experiences, work very well and have done a great job in helping my performance, my mental clarity and energy levels. Hell for a period I was using Thor's Hammer on days of my Sprint Training days and I felt great. 

We all take a risk at what we buy but I can assure you, I wouldn't put this up if I didn't believe in Lost Empire and what they do. There's tons of research and shows you what the ingredients are and the do's and don'ts of how to use them. Be safe, take quality herbs and live in Amazingly Awesome health. 

Do Gorillas Carry Strength Secrets?

Have you heard of the story of the Gorilla at Animal Kingdom in Kissimmee, Florida? Many, many years ago, the foreman that was in charge of the habitat there was keeping an eye on the walls to make sure there weren't small cracks. Why would he do that? There's a simple explanation really and that's because if you gave an idea of how strong a Gorilla is, you'll learn that within a crack of a wall, if it gets even a singer finger within it, that's all it needs for leverage to scale the wall and get up and over. For real man, that's some stupid strength and if its in a rage, you're going to need to call on Godzilla or something.

The foreman knew it was possible for a Gorilla to do this. The real reason he knows, it's not because of the study of primates or anything like that, it's because it has happened before. How incredible is that? Think of the power you can possess if you had that kind of strength. Now, we know in reality, we can't literally have that kind of strength, however; we can have strength that the average human (especially in today's age) couldn't even fathom. Would you enjoy your training more? Feel stronger as a result of it? I would bet you would. Moving like an animal in the wild takes on a whole different feel of exercise than the conventional or even traditional way. 

Strengthening the tendons and ligaments by moving like a primate is actually one of the coolest things you can do. At Vahva Fitness, there are so many movements you can practice on but the movements that are inspired by Primates such as the Gorilla and various Monkey Patterns like the Baboon are on a completely different level. The conditioning aspect alone is worth the price of Movement 20XX. 

When you start to learn the patterns, the flows and the fundamental aspects of these movement exercises, boredom not only goes out the window, it shoots off into space to never be seen again. You can learn sample routines or come up with your own and format workouts that will shape you in ways many methods today can't. You'll be moving freely like a beast, gaining flexibility, strength, agility and endurance. That's only the physical part, the mental part is much more gratifying because you'll be finding ways to channel your brain and send your nervous system into a state of possible relaxation and a meditative aspect that can be only seen to believe. 

To give you an example of how powerful this type of training is: Rickson Gracie who's one of the greatest fighters of his generation practiced a lot of animalistic type exercises and breathing patterns that he mastered so well that one point, he was in such a meditative type state from moving this way that he couldn't even hear his coach Orlando Cani call him out for roughly 45 minutes and the man was within feet of him inside this little studio. Rickson was so in tuned with his body and mind that he became animalistic himself and was forming patterns and movements that were unbelievable to witness even for Cani himself.  Think about that, to be able to go into such a state that you're not even yourself anymore and just being primal. Being inside yourself and flowing on the outside as if it was effortless. That's a hell of an achievement and if the great Rickson Gracie can do it, why can't you?

If we can even do 1/10th of what Rickson accomplished, that would be an achievement that would satisfy us for a lifetime. Being animalistic is not about going crazy or so primal you'll hurt somebody, it's about being in touch with nature both internally and externally. The ability to unlock that animal within all of us. That's the true secret. We can become super strong and be able to move with ease if we let ourselves go and let certain aspects of our natural instincts take over. Move, Play and be Amazingly Awesome. 

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Developing A Physique That's Dangerous Through Natural Strength

 Let's forget for a second about false confidence and let's dig into the heart of building a physique that's real and functional in a practical manner while also being prepared for performance. If you ever pay attention to animals in the wild, you'll notice they can be totally at peace but even while in that state, it also radiates incredible strength and potency. It's important to remember that training in this manner, it isn't to create harmless sheep or just to feel good in your own skin. 

It's also not about building an ego that relies on crazy skills or lifting so damn heavy that it gives you confidence which can render false. Being soft isn't always ideal either when you train this way and living in fantasy land in order to become the best version of yourself. It's really up to you what you want to focus on but the true mission is to train for preparedness in performance. Training whether doing Animal Moves, lifting or other means is to truly shoot for practicality so the body is able to thrive when put to the test. 

There's great potential to be dangerous and you have a choice to be hard if needed be. Realistic training such as Isometrics, Movement Conditioning, Lifting & Carrying or even sledgehammer training for that matter should give you a direct advantage for competition and/or demanding scenarios if you're in sports, MMA or the performing arts. Being shielded, resilient and having a tolerance of pressure. Often times, the muscles and movements we display aren't just for show, they give us an understanding of how to tackle life's obstacles and whatever curve balls they throw at us. As a species, we can be a menace and many of us like it that way. Some of us can make training look pretty but don't forget that there's some harsh work there too and just because it may not look like much to the naked eye, training hard when needed can make a huge difference. 

Taking care of the body is a must obviously and sometimes "soft" training is needed in order to balance out the hard stuff by mastery yet making the body capable of withstanding power and understanding of pushing our limits (to a certain degree). Don't live in fear of your own power because in reality, we may not always know what we're capable of but also shouldn't be afraid of it either. We do put limits on ourselves and at times hold ourselves back (done this plenty of times myself) but the more we set our mind to becoming stronger, the more we find out where our true strengths are. In order to take full charge of developing the physique you want you have to go deeper than just typical means. That doesn't mean taking steroids or PED's, it means what are you willing to do naturally that brings the very best at what you can do and progress. By continuing to master ourselves utilizing both soft and hard training, we can become a great threat. 

Are we being stripped of our natural strength? Some will blame environment, others will blame their job or blame some lame politician (well maybe Donald Trump). Any one of those things can be a factor but realistically, the only thing to blame is ourselves. We buy into crap that make us believe would do us better; the influencers, the pseudo-science, trainers that get their info from horrible textbooks and programs that involve standing on stability balls while attempting barbell squats. If we are to become our strongest, we have to look at what we can do and progress from there. Some training methods can be very demanding but that's a good thing to the extent where if we want to get better, we must progress otherwise if we jump in blindly and not know what the fuck is there, it's going to bite us in the ass and sadly, too many people get bit and have to pay a price that's completely unnecessary.

We need to take back back what's ours and be the true masters of our bodies. Go from pet to beast and strengthen ourselves as naturally as possible. Train hard but train smart as well and be amazingly awesome.    

Fun Times In Vegas

 For her birthday, my wife wanted to do a trip to Vegas and go see the Raiders play. Turned out to be an awesome time full of food, relaxing, walking and checking out the sites on the strip. Last time I was in Vegas was almost 12 years ago visiting my friend Garin Bader and seeing a show by one of his friends Cees De Kok. Was only there for maybe a day and a half while on a road trip with my dad back then so I didn't really take it in as much as this trip was.

This was one of those once-in-a-lifetime kind of trips where you get to spend several days with the person you love and seeing amazing things like the Titanic Exhibit at the Luxor, seeing Criss Angel's Mindfreak show and seeing the Raiders annihilate the Texans by nearly 20 points. I couldn't ask for a better partner in crime to do this with.

Although a couple bumps during the trip, it wasn't even in comparison to the fun we had. I still got my workouts in just not at my normal capacity since we did a ton of walking and only stayed in the room to either sleep or chill out for a bit in between site seeing. Did Overcoming Isometrics most of the time using the Iso Belt and getting in a deck of cards workout consisting of Hindu Squats, Hindu Pushups, V Ups & the Tablemakers. Workouts ranged from maybe 10-30 minutes if that and wasn't even going full bore with them. 

Seeing Criss Angel was a hell of an experience. I've only seen a couple magic shows in my lifetime prior and one of them was David Copperfield when I was a little kid in Lake Tahoe in the 90's. I had seen Criss' tv show back in the 2000's where he was coming into prominence as the top Magician at that time. His illusions were just bad ass and the blend of music and picture perfect performance was incredible. I've seen a couple of those tricks from other people like the Locked In A Box Trick, the doves and all that but some of them were mind blowing as hell and was really impressed with his sense of humor, attitude and ability to make an audience laugh but also give the feel that what you're seeing is definitely entertaining but a true master of his craft. He's awesome at what he does and make you think twice about what was real and what's the illusion. 

The Raider game at Allegiant Stadium was probably the best part of this trip. Team has had a rough time during the season and needed a desperate kick in the ass win to get some momentum back. Back and forth but as the game went on, the Silver & Black went on a rampage that was the thing they needed. Their running back hit up numbers for yards and carries that you don't see a lot in this time of the NFL, we're talking over 20 carries and around 150 yards just for the RB alone. Carr threw decently and got the win by nearly 20 points 38-20. The biggest highlight was an interception caught by Duron Harmon that he ran for a touchdown from 74 yards, never thought I'd witness something like that, it was deafening when that play hit. Overall, it was about as memorable as you can get. We wore our Jerseys, mine was Bo Jackson's #34. 

I may never get to see another game (or maybe we will if my girl has anything to say about it) but it was an experience I'll remember forever and a big thank you to the most awesome woman in my life. You made it incredible and I love you so much babe. Till next time. Enjoy the great times in your life, take trips when you can and be amazingly awesome to each other. 

Tire Cutting & Smashing With Authority

On Friday, I asked a neighbor of mine (let's call him Jay) to see if he had any tools that could cut my tire in half. He ended up getting the set he needed and was eager to get it going. He never cut a tire before and was willing to help me out. Took 3 saw heads and a butcher knife (Michael Myers eat your heart out) to get the thing cut. It was an enjoyment to say the least and I begged to repay him cause it wasn't an easy job and all he said was "that's what neighbors are for." There would've been too much money to spend on getting a half tire and ended up with two so there was that.

Hitting a half tire with sledgehammers is a more convenient way to get some bad ass training in without a huge tire taking up space and could be hauled easier to places like a park, parking lot, camping or wherever. The flatter surface has a better "bounce" which when hit consistently throughout a set can generate greater cardio benefits and anaerobic conditioning. You've seen my latest posts about Sledge Training from Big Bertha to the Thor Hammers and Big Barry (25 lber) and its benefits on strength, explosiveness and other things. It's taking your anger or aggression and using it productively cause life can be stressful and it's important to manage our emotions as best we can (I know I still have some learning to do).

We all need a release and it's a hell of a lot better than beating on objects or worse somebody else. Ever heard of these places where you pay to go smash shit up in a room? I've seen them from time to time in TV shows and movies. They're in various places around the country where you pay the price of basically a concert or sports ticket to go into a room for 15 minutes with a hammer and just smash the living hell out of everything in site (wearing protective gear including glasses so the shattered glass doesn't hit you). It's supposed to help with using your aggression in a different manner to just let everything out and get yourself to calm down. Some people find it helpful which I'm all for and it's a hell of a lot better than going home and beating up someone you love or destroying property somewhere but others like Psychologists tend to have mixed feelings because it's believed it promotes violence.

Now don't me wrong man, we are a species that is violent by nature and our animalistic instincts tend to get the best of us but also because of our complexity, there are certain aspects of our aggressive nature we still have yet to discover especially when it comes to our brains. When us guys have a very high level of testosterone, it does bring out that animalistic aspect of our DNA and can turn us into a vicious person at times. That's where when it gets to a point where aggression has overrun our other emotions and we can't stop it, it can turn so violent that it's possible to black out and not know what you have done once you've "woken back up" so do speak. 

Testosterone in men is a must obviously and being aggressive is part of our nature. We fight, we wrestle, our sex drive shoots through the roof and the dominant areas of our brain can overload our nervous system. The thing is, like everything else in life, there has to be a balance somewhere, a yin and yang. Too much testosterone and aggressiveness can be a bad thing. Now with that balance, every guy is different and his genetic makeup won't have the same impact as other men so it's important to find that balance even into the golden years. A solid peak of testosterone even at an older age can be a good thing doing physical stuff, great sex, eating real foods and other things. 

Training with Sledgehammers is a powerful way more than what is being seen in order to utilize our emotions, aggression and reproductive health in a positive manner. If you're on adrenaline too much and that level of emotion is so high it can be seen from outer space, you won't sleep optimally, the satisfaction of being calm isn't where its at and if you have that overload of needing to fight somebody and it consumes you, it could have you end up in places you don't want to be (mentally & physically). Exercise is one of those things to channel our nervous system to get stuff out of our system that balances us out. Is hitting a tire violently a good thing? In this manner yes because when you get so wrapped up and need a release it's a hell of a lot better for your health than keeping it held up and turning it into a possible criminal act later.

We do need to find a source to release that dopamine and make the most of what can be used productively to channel our aggression. It's important to not go so far to the point where your faculties aren't there anymore. Control the emotions you have as much as you can and use them when they're needed. We can't 100% not get emotional (unless you're a fucking robot) but it's important to instinctively be able to know when an emotion comes on and be aware of it. When I really need a release and get some of the aggression I'm feeling, get the hammer and tire out, put on some tunes and just whale on that damn thing, sets and reps don't exist, only going until my anger has subsided. 

This is just an idea of what you can do. I love using hammers and having a half tire is just another of platform of training used for health and balancing myself inside and out. It can be very meditative and that feeling at the end where you're blissed out of your skull and and you're full of smiles more than sadness or anger or even depression for that matter. This is my definition of getting high.

Find your resource to channel your aggression without hurting someone else or something that can break easy. Be strong and keep being Amazingly Awesome. 

Being Explosive And Powerful Using Sledgehammers

A major thing about having an implement that you can smash the shit out of a tire with is being able to load it up to a weight that makes you feel like you have the power of a god in your hands. It's an awesome and bad ass way to use progression training to develop strength little by little. The mighty hammers at Stronger Grip are the like the barbell and weights of the olden days where hard work was earned. Using a hammer is hard work whether on a job or as a training tool and it's not to be messed with. 

Now, having a fixed weight is awesome and some of the best boxers and fighters have had great success with working with fixed weight hammers and/or axes to take down insane trees. Loading up on a hammer though whether it's the Thor Hammer, Epic Sledge or the Tactic Conditioning version, is just beautiful in a productive violent kind of way. The different styles of swinging even down to the very micro addition or decrease of your footing will show you your weaknesses and your strengths through your coordination and awareness. Sometimes it can take just one thing to turn you into a testosterone fueled machine and I can't stress enough how strong you can get adding weight to a hammer.

Each version of a sledgehammer has their own perks in terms of developing your strength, conditioning, coordination and durability. When you hit the tire and the hammer bounces off, it creates a shock to your hands and if you can't keep a firm grip on the handle, I don't want want to know what could happen if that sumbitch flew right out of your hands. That's the true aspect of having insane grip strength; you can do an insane amount of pullups, crush an ironmind gripper or do brutal fingertip pushups building those Eagle Claws but the amount of strength needed to move a heavy fucking hammer is in a class all by itself. 

Some will see it as a little toy you like to play with but if you want to call it a toy, than to us crazy bastards, it's a toy of Norse Legends & Gods. A toy is a little plastic figurine or a tool that even an ant can lift, Hammers are the tools that turns boys into men and men into another form of a powerful human being. Once you get a hold of one and consistently use it, you'd probably have to control shaking someone's hand so you don't break something. Again, there's no implement more intimidating and full of strength and power than the awesome Sledgehammer. 

Some of Ryan Pitts' Hammers vary in weight (empty or completely filled) depending on the kind you get. All will make your grip a force to be reckoned with but each implement showcases different aspects of Strength: The Thor Hammers can be used as a thicker version of Indian Clubs that forces you to squeeze your hands with great intensity, Popeye will be impressed with the results that range filled weight from 30-70lbs. The Tactical Hammer is a smooth handled implement that is used mainly for conditioning purposes and bring forth the power of an old time stone breaker; this hammer has a filled weight to about 25-30 max. The Epic Sledge (the mecca of sledgehammers) is the most beastly of all of these Hammers. The head alone is massive and the handle is slightly thicker or just as thick as the Thor Hammers so imagine the strength needed just to work with. This comes in 26 lbs empty, larger than the average size hammers and can be filled to the brim weighing up to 100 lbs. Imagine the type of grip you can posses just repping that hammer at 50 lbs or more. This is a hammer that even the mightiest gods will be impressed by and bring the power of John Henry into your soul. 

Become explosive, have the grip strength of a deity, have a workload that will even have the most elite athletes gasp for air in a matter of seconds. You guys deserve to be strong and you have the right to have the right tools in your hands. With a hammer in your hands, you shall become more than you can possibly imagine.

Grip Strength And What It Says About Health

 Having a solid grip while shaking hands with someone is known to be a form of confidence at a higher level. Strength in our hands and fingers can also be a process of longevity. Grip Strength according to researchers has great potential to predict our overall health and well-being. As we get older, the stronger we are in the grip aspects, the greater chances of blasting through diseases like cancer.

While maintaining muscle mass, it also indicates a strong importance of mobility and strength. If we lose muscle, we also lose mass. I'm only less than a couple years shy of 40 and need to keep up with what I do for as long as I can because after hitting the big 4-0, muscle mass will start going little by little each year from then on. Some say it happens after 25, some will say 35 but 40 seems to be the majority among those that research. A powerful grip is a large indicator of longevity so it's apparent we do our best to keep that intact. 

A study done in 2015 which 142,000 grip measurements were taken, along with obtaining info that tested ongoing diseases showed some pretty interesting results. It was suggested that for every 11 lb decrease in grip strength was a 16% chance you could die at a higher percentage from any cause. There are ways to measure our grip but there are great ways to build it as well using various tools while keeping a solid level of overall strength training as we age. Smashing a tire with sledgehammers builds incredible grip strength and also builds insane conditioning. Working with a Thick Bar or implements such as Fat Gripz you can attach to pull-up bars, barbells, dumbbells or even handles like with the TNT Cable System. One idea is about as simple as you can get is what John Brookfield has demonstrated where you take a towel and put in a bucket full of water, elongate it and start twisting the water out of the towel until it dries. This will fire up your forearms like crazy.

Building muscle and maintaining it can go a long way more than just looking good, it could be life saving and keeping things in order has great potential to keep you from getting injured easily and keeping your organs strong for a long time. Grip Strength is a piece of a big puzzle that continually comes together in order to live a quality life. Stay away from the steroids and find resources that will help you stay strong for many years to come. 

Stay strong, build some mighty mitts and be amazingly awesome. 

How Many Strikes Does It Take To Build Muscle With A Sledgehammer?

One of the things I love about Physical Culture and Fitness overall is being able to research things and finding various resources on training to help give me ideas on what could work and utilizing it in my own way. Doing research and actually testing things out is a big step to finding what could work for you and gaining a perspective from other aspects of training. With that said, there's also an overwhelming side of the coin when it comes to researching and learning things because many put their own spin on what works and how they obtained info and is it possible to trust that info?

Let's face it, when you research certain topics in the world of working out, you're going to get a lot of posers, arm chair shmucks, ghost writers and even dumbasses that claim they know what they're doing but all they do is talk a good game while spewing crap that is completely irrelevant (like bluntly revealing how much you hate your wife or talking shit about other people that have nothing to do with you). The marketing skills can be very immaculate and have the best looking format to tell you how great a method is but in reality, there are far more rip offs than original ideas. 

I'm not the biggest fan of set and rep schemes because everywhere you look, it may seem reasonable but a lot of it is crap and it's not about how it builds muscle or endurance or to test your conditioning, it's really an arbitrary number for specific purposes but yet tries to generalize the idea. Very few people have great ideas on how to utilize a set and rep scheme that not only works but gives the majority of people great benefit. When it comes to Sledgehammer Training, there's really very few who have any actual knowledge. 

People want to compare this type of training to an actual job in the Labor world when there's no comparison whatsoever other than the fact you're hitting something. It's two very distinctive animals that have very different aspects of strength, endurance and metabolic protocols. Yes, working with a sledgehammer will build crazy strength and will have you huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf trying to blow down a brick house but those who actually work for a living with a sledgehammer have a a very different level of strength and work a distinctive swing that keeps them going all day instead of an hour or so at a time. That's like trying to compare Slim The Hammerman to a regular guy who trains with Sledgehammers. Slim will destroy that guy any day of the week and twice on sunday even after his prime. 

So for training purposes, let's understand the aspects of Sledgehammer Training when it comes to building muscle. There isn't a single way to do it but a variety of ways. One of the things that I prefer (even though I've written in the past isn't a favorite per se) is high rep training to a degree. You can also do it as a way like sprinting (going as fast as you can for a small period of time and resting for the same amount of time or longer) or in a tabata like style. A key to remember is that to keep things even, you do have to switch the underhand to work hard. I prefer the deck of cards approach where you can count your strikes that way and for each type of card you can do a different style swing. I learned the different styles of swings from the Late Bud Jeffries. 

I have done hammer workouts that lasted well over an hour and some barely 30 minutes all together but either way, I always felt strong, worked and most of the time hungry as hell afterwards. Also there's the speed aspect where the heavier you go, the less speed you'll generate and it just becomes more of a strength format. If you've done a lot of reps with say a 10-25 lb hammer at a solid clip, there's no way in hell you'll be at the same speed with a 50-70+ lber. I've done 1000+ rep workouts that took me 30-35 minutes but the last time I did that was with a near 60 lb hammer and it took me nearly 2 hours to complete which I never did again. 

Will you build muscle working with a sledgehammer? Absolutely but it depends on how you do it and what you're striving to do. How many reps would it take to get there? That also depends on what you want to do. Some people would do great with working for a period of time and using quality rest periods and recovery, others have incredible muscle come in from doing High Reps. Could you do it everyday? That depends but for safety sake, let's go with 2-3 times a week. In my time of consistently using the cards, I did hammer workouts once every 3-4 days because it's really fucking taxing and your body needs to rest. My goal at the time was to add weight every time I beat the deck. Sometimes it took 4 workouts to do it which meant to beat the deck it took up to 3 weeks to be able to finish in one workout. 

Do what works for you to build the muscle you want to achieve. Work your ass off but be careful to not hurt yourself breaking your back and tearing up your rotator cuff. I've never experienced injuries doing this kind of training and I've worked up to a near 73 lb hammer. Be mindful and only do what you're capable of doing and progress with intentions on recovering and resting with great quality. It's not the same as a job that has guys working 12-16 hours a day and jarring the body with very little recovery. 

Remixes, Covers & Reboots

It seems these days, a movie reboot is just part of the process of showing a new generation what was old is new again and vice versa. Yeah, there's hardly an original idea anymore and it seems certain places don't even begin to try to manifest something that can be considered legendary. The problem isn't always what can be originally, it's usually the people who love the original and almost nothing more because it was either too great or it just goes by the wayside to become more of a cult classic than something meant for anyone to enjoy. 

Music can be considered the same way. You have so many cover songs and remixes that we forget what's even original anymore or think it's original but it's really a reboot of a song in a different tone and the way the lyrics are used. Does that mean the song is terrible? It depends on who's doing it. The funny thing is, the remix or cover can often times be far better than the original ever was. Take for instance, a good song by Bob Seger called Turn The Page; solid song and has a soft tone to it, almost calming (to an extent) and not a big epic style like he did with Old Time Rock & Roll that became the stuff of legends. Now, take the same exact song lyric for lyric and get a band like Metallica to do it that just puts goosebumps on your arms and fires up your soul and you got yourself a bad ass song. 

Another set of songs I enjoy from time to time are Disney Songs; I grew up on them and have fond memories. They're enjoyable and yeah the lyrics from the old school films (we're talking early 70's and before) are a little questionable in terms of dark undertones and some racial pointers but they're catchy. Even films during the Disney Renaissance were awesome in their own right from Hercules' Go The Distance to Scar's Be Prepared always gave me goosebumps. Some people today even the most mainstream artists will do their own version of the original songs and make them their own but others just come along and make them feel like you are ready to take on the world and go into a battle that you're willing to fight for. Almost like a Viking, Mongolian or even an American Soldier ready to take charge and fight. That's where artists like Jonathan Young & Peyton Parrish come in. 

Now what in the wide wide world of sports does this have anything to do with working out or fitness in general? Well, if you really think about it, many courses, classes, bootcamps and even seminars are reboots and/or remixes of what was already done. There are so many exercises that have been done and rehashed that it's ridiculous at times but we still buy them as if there's some magical potion or secret that they have within the pages or videos. From bodyweight training to powerlifting to isometrics to yoga or sports training they all have in hand in being used by the same exercises or variations and put into different perspectives to utilize for the goals needed in those types of training. 

You can take a set of exercises that people might be interested in, put them into a book or DVD or even make a series on YouTube and program your perspective and marketing ability to them. Some people do very well with it and are very successful, others try to pass it off as if it was the golden ticket to fitness god-hood and oversell what potentially can be dangerous and psychotic. Which one ends up being the best for you? However, you can take something that was originally done and put into a perspective where the rep/set scheme is better, there's other forms of information and there's variations people can start or advance with that works better than the original ever did. Kind of like a Movie or Song. 

Some exercises remain a focal point and can be used in progressions to create something better later on. Some use low basic skills and stay there while others progress to a more advanced style where only a fraction of a fraction of the population can possibly handle but all in all, the perspective is different but certain things remain the same in the regard of carrying on something that works and has worked for a long time. Find what works for you and make the most of it. If you enjoy it, that's awesome and I hope it brings you kick ass benefits, if it's not for you, don't force it. 

To find some of the best resources look no further than the right side of this blog. These are top of the line from some of the most knowledgeable people today and those that have passed on. Can't find what you're looking for, shoot me a message and I'll do the best to my ability to help you find the resources you need. Stay strong, kick ass and be amazingly awesome in your journey. 

Harnessing Your Individuality When It Comes To Training

We all had a hero in some form or another growing up as kids and we admire certain people as we get older but as time goes on and we learn a thing or two, harnessing our own individuality can be a tough gig yet it's part of a necessity that many loathe and can't stand. Some will go to extremes to be like somebody else (HOLLYWOOD wink wink) whether it be in business, fitness, movies, sports or whatever. We tend to promote ourselves as one of a kind but also put too much emphasis on who we are expected to be instead of putting emphasis of who we are and what makes us a unique person.

The reason many can't stand or loathe people being their true selves because mainly they're afraid of their own soul and that being an individual with a single point of unique traits is very hard to achieve. Almost anyone can act out or program themselves to be somebody else because it's easier than building yourself from the ground up. Fitness is right up there with that kind of approach.

When I was growing up, I wanted to be like Michael Jordan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Barry Sanders and other cool actors and athletes that looked larger than life. In reality, I was short, stocky and about as unathletic and uncoordinated as can be. I wasn't that good at Basketball, couldn't look like a bodybuilder if I tried and I didn't have the aggressiveness to play football. Those traits prevented me from doing a lot of what I wanted to be. As I grew up and learning what my strengths and weaknesses were, little by little things fell into place of what I expected and accepted of myself as opposed to what I was told to be and how to do things by others' standards and expectations.

Once fitness became a part of my very existence, I made a vow to myself to learn everything possible and focus on creating my own style from the things I learned. I've mastered many exercises but don't follow a trainer or guru to the T, I learned how to strengthen my body without the aid of Physical Therapy and never once used a Personal Trainer to show me the ropes. I learned to harness my individuality and continuing to evolve. Is it perfect and is my way meant for everyone? Hell no. Once you understand the value of not trying to be exactly like a Michael Jordan or Arnold or Barry Sanders, you learn the true meaning of being able to strengthen yourself inside and out. Another is, these people are the GOATs of their chosen sport or acting, you can't have the same exact accolades or try to be the way they were. There are people out there with better skills and have more titles to their name but don't have the same recognition. 

We train to better ourselves, not to showoff and try to be better than somebody else. We win, we lose and we're human with different capabilities, traits and fortitude. You can make it known what you're capable of and have a great level of strength, conditioning and a powerful will but in the end, you and you alone are the very best at what's happening right now. Certain things will fade and adjust to what comes next but never underestimate the power of your own individuality. Learn to progress and grab a hold of what makes you the best version of you. You can be a great wrestler and do all sorts of moves and submissions, you can be a great powerlifter that sets records and have strength beyond belief or you can develop an all around level of anything you set your mind to. Your training is what you develop to do something great later on no matter how big or small, victories come in all shapes and sizes. 

Be an individual of your own accord and make the most of what makes you great. It's a long journey but it doesn't have to be boring or so extreme that it becomes unrealistic. It can be interesting and you'd be surprised what you're capable of if you just open up your soul and become something you were meant to be because it's you and no one else. 

Different Conditioning Styles By Wrestlers

If anyone laid the foundation for wrestlers and how they condition themselves in the sport, it was arguably Wrestlers from the Middle East & India hands down. They taught the fundamentals of how to utilize the body to such a degree that stamina was inexhaustible, strength lasted for hours on end and being explosive was inevitable at any given time. They created what is still being used today just through certain variations.

The thing is, not every wrestler or coach uses the same exact exercises or even principles of their training to be successful in the sport. Some conditioned according to their size and what gave them the tools to be successful. Now in modern times when it comes to conditioning or even more specific, bodyweight conditioning, there were the three main forms of exercises that were the ground work; the pushups, the squats and the bridges. Those were the pinnacle aside from actual wrestling but there was more to them or in better terms, what other wrestlers and coaches took into consideration that honed the skills and the ideal training methods. 

Every culture since ancient times has their hand in wrestling in some form or another and formed their own ideas on how to condition the men to fight in order to be dominant in a tribe, kingdom or just a village for that matter. In Mongolia you didn't see wrestlers do Hindu Pushups or do Hindu Squats in order to condition, yet some of these were so powerful, it was unbelievable. There were cultures that if you look throughout history, probably didn't do a single supplemental exercise and just wrestled and were just as strong and dominant. Look up how Senegalese Wrestlers sometime and check out their methods.

In America, you had some of the best wrestlers in the world that came from everywhere and took their skills to places that just baffled onlookers. Some of the greatest in history utilized more of a weight training approach, some used a mixture of bodyweight and weights, bodyweight alone and some either ran or just wrestled in order to get in condition. The fact of the matter is, regardless of how you wrestled, you used basic exercises and often times compound movements to be successful. Once Karl Gotch came into the picture, his use of the Hindu Style became a requirement in most wrestling gyms since the 60's or even as far back as the 50's when he was being groomed but if you look at the ideals of conditioning the body for the sport, at least from an American point of view, the Hindu Style wasn't written up as much if at all.

Although many exercises can be traced back to the Hindu Style, you didn't see their version of the pushups & squats along with others in the old Physical Culture courses from the likes of Farmer Burns, George Hackenshmidt, Bernarr McFadden, Earle Liederman and others. At least two of these guys were very successful wrestlers in their time but you never saw the Hindu Style of conditioning. Also with that in mind, wrestling styles vary from culture to culture. Mongolia had more of a Greco-Roman/Judo type style, Senegal was grappling mixed with boxing or bare-knuckle type fighting, Hindus were a close relationship to our modern Amateur Wrestling and today's Catch Wrestling is utilized with Submissions and overall base of takedowns, suplexes and throws. Then you have styles from Turkey, Brazil, Japan and Russia that vary the rules of combat. 

Is the Hindu Style the very best? That all depends on the coach and what they're willing to teach students of the art. It certainly works in many aspects but if it was the very best, every wrestler since the dawn of man would do it but they don't. Today's aspect of conditioning for MMA still has its roots that trace back to India but with the concept of utilizing more explosive based conditioning than just stamina and strength based, there are countless ways to be a successful combat athlete or even a wrestler for that matter. The Hindu Style works without a doubt but there should be options to how we base our training according to the needs of the athlete. Look at the success of Dan Gable and the University Of Iowa, their style of conditioning wasn't like the Hindu Style but what did they produce? Some of the greatest wrestlers that went on to Olympic glory. 

Last thing, there are wrestlers out there that are so fanatical on conditioning they base their livelihood on it. I do believe the better condition you are, the higher chances of being successful but it's not always the supplemental stuff that will get you there, hell even Ed Strangler Lewis had said that wrestling was the best conditioner and despite the fact that he wasn't shredded or had the body of a Greek god, his stamina was the stuff of legends. The man in his prime just didn't know the meaning of the word "tired", he can go for hours and be practically just as efficient towards the end of a match as much as the beginning. 

You be the judge, what do you feel makes a successful wrestler?    

Rippers & Hookers

Sounds like a bad serial killer novel involving the world's oldest profession doesn't it? The funny thing is, it's far from what you might actually think. Back in the day, wrestlers who were known to literally break and tear people apart were called Hookers where they would hook or put an opponent in a dangerous hold where they could if given the chance cripple the guy and be one feared motherfucker. You would not want to get on the bad side of these guys.

These days, nobody would use the term hooker to describe a wrestler, now the word ripper is another story. Like the Hookers of yesteryear, a ripper can be used to describe a wrestler or grappler who could handle himself and tear limbs, tendons or ligaments. Some of the most feared wrestlers of the day were guys like Farmer Burns, George Tragos, Ad Santel, Tom Jenkins and even the legendary Robert Fredrick aka Ed "Strangler" Lewis. These days, the last of the Hookers or Rippers of the old school were men like Karl Gotch & Billy Robinson. 

The men I mentioned above were specialists in knowing the dark side to physical anatomy and could make you tap before you really had a chance to take a breath. These were WRESTLERS and had levels of stamina and mind that they were considered inexhaustible geniuses of their time. Catch Wrestling has it's roots mainly in England for the last 150 years but long before that, you had other cultures that would showcase styles of wrestling that were brought to other countries and became a molded sculpture in today's world. The old timers are long gone and quite a bit of their style of Catch has been left in the dust. 

Now in today's world, Catch Wrestling isn't as big as it used to be and other arts such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing and Amateur Wrestling dominated the landscape in how we see today's MMA. If BJJ is considered the "gentle" art, Catch is considered the violent aspect according to Former MMA champ and current Catch Teacher Josh Barnett. There are competitions purely on Catch and has taken extremely small steps to becoming a larger form of fighting since the early 1900's. You can arguably say the last known competitor in the art was Billy Robinson. The man would be considered the Einstein or Steven Hawking of Catch Wrestling. 

Although the hookers and the rippers don't have that fear factor today, you can still learn some form of that old school style with a small group of fighters, teachers and students of the old art. It's used more of a competition but can it be used in the streets? Afterall, street fights are very unpredictable and sometimes what you may think you know could get you killed or be sent to the hospital but if you were able to not necessarily make a shmuck tap but to save your life using techniques that won't kill the man but put a damper on the limbs he uses would it be worth it? Would it be worth it to save a loved one, defend yourself against attackers or send a message telling them not to fuck with you (in the sense of not upping up somebody like a douchebag but making sure you're not some weak punk). 

Now if you're in law enforcement, would certain techniques help restraining a suspect or defending a fellow officer? Catch can be used in many ways and possibly lifesaving if it came down to it. There are people out there who may understand Catch but wouldn't know how to use it, others have incredible knowledge and have great success, it just depends on whom you learn it from. There isn't a one-way of learning this art and everybody who teaches it especially today can be a gamble as opposed to back in the day where you could go just about anywhere and learn from the masters. All in all, whether a competitor or someone going down on the wrong side of town, Catch can be beneficial.