60 Seconds Of Crawling Leads To Many Health Benefits

 Animal Movement is by far one of the very best methods of exercise anyone can do. Granted in times like these where information is overwhelming and the plethora of beginner to advanced movements tends to get awkward and confusing (depending on whom you learn the movements from), it's still important to understand that even the most simple movements can have a major impact on health and well-being. Fitness in and of itself isn't glamorous, glistening bodies or going so damn hard you pass out; it's about developing skills and strengths that play a major role in how we keep living to our fullest.

One of the most basic forms of Animal Movement is the Bear Crawl. It has been used throughout the ages and comes in different ways to perform it along with using it to condition the body in various ways as well. It can be done slow or it can be done fast but either way, it'll challenge your brain and muscular function despite its simplicity. 

I saw this picture of the Bear Crawl on Facebook in a post by Wong Yuen-Ming that went like this....

“Bear Walking” is popular these days but probably not many realize it was popular in old China as well, so I have taken the liberty to translate a short intro to the practice from a Ming era manual (circa 1500). Enjoy!

‘Tiger emerging from the cave’

First, assume the posture of a quadrupedal animal.

Extend the front and bend the back to move with strength.

Then, bend the front and extend the back, following the previous method.

Do this gongfu thirty-eight times, pausing at each one.

Zhi Gang said:

Use your hands as feet, hence the saying, "Assume the posture of a quadrupedal animal, extending the front and bending the back", means to position your body firmly and place your hands on the ground. "Extend the back and bend the front" means extend your legs and move forward. Doing so back and forth, your body will look like a tiger emerging from the cave, your muscles and bones will be relaxed, your organs will be at ease, and your blood flow will be smooth. 

This is one of the coolest depictions of the classic exercise in ancient text. A qi gong style format that not only shows what this exercise does but what it does for the body as you perform it. We all have heard of this exercise being used to torture athletes in sports like Football & Wrestling which for all intents and purposes is one of the many reasons why it has lasted so long as a conditioning exercise and fat burner. When we see it from a different point of view, it changes the stereotype that it's meant only for conditioning when in fact, it can be used to enhance one's brain and motor functions as we get older and we can't move as fast as Speedy Gonzales (Not that we last that going that fast anyway). Doing this exercise slower hits the muscles differently, it focuses not just the awareness of the movement but also the control and the amount of focus it takes. Yes it's very simple to do but it's not so easy to control especially when you go so slow that it's almost like time stood still. 

 

Now, if we were to practice this exercise each day to wake up our Brain Fog, imagine what the possibilities would be if we felt more alive in the morning and the things we can accomplish with a mind and body that's ready to go. The way it said to do this exercise 38 times and pausing after each one (who knows how long to do it) can be revitalizing to the organs and harness the neurons needed to wake the body up better than a cup of coffee. You can count if you wish and practice it that way, you can also do it for just 60 seconds. Just crawl for one full minute till the timer hits and you're done. That may not sound like much but if you were to do this everyday for a year, the body changes, your mind highly likely will be sharper and clearer, you have more energy and possibly have better days starting off with a smile or an endorphin high. 365 minutes is just over 6 hours, all that time crawling. Those 6 hours can be life changing, hell just a week can be life changing. Try it for 7 days and see how you feel in that time, that's 7 minutes all together, 7 minutes of just moving like a beast in the wild. 

If you really want to amp up the ante and want to push yourself, a couple times a week you can do a Tabata style workout that takes no more than 5 minutes to complete that will have you gasping and breathing hard like a madman. Crawl for 10 seconds fast, rest for 20 seconds and repeat for a total of 10 rounds. Although you're resting the majority of the time and the amount of work is really only 1:40 seconds long, it can turn you into a fitness machine and rev up the metabolism like crazy. Not to mention it creates spikes in HGH and Testosterone.

Have fun with this exercise whether you do it fast or slow, just don't go so hard you fall on your face and hurt yourself. It's meant to be an experience, a personal form of growth and physical activity. It'll feel like being a kid again just playing. It's not an exercise that's meant to be boring or a chore, it's meant to enhance those neurons and fire up the excitement in your system. Keep being amazingly awesome. 

Healing Up Well

 Training to get back to your full strength is never easy and can be frustrating because you're at limited capacity. Some of the simplest tasks can be difficult but you push through because you don't to just lay around and not do a damn thing. With the way my hip has gone, it's healing up pretty damn well. Been seeing a chiropractor and going for a few more adjustments and had a massage yesterday which really loosened everything up.

Little by little I'm doing what is helping with recovery like the Isometrics, Stretching, Step Ups, some Crawling and other things. Yesterday, I did some sledge striking for the first time in a while with my 31 lb Giants Hammer, getting in 120 reps. Could easily do more but didn't want to push it any further than I had to. I felt it for sure but I wasn't in pain (merely discomfort). I expect things out of myself and not to prove how tough I 'am or trying to hide the pain but to progress little by little while being aware of what I can and can't do. Sometimes we push ourselves beyond what we know is right to do and rarely it comes out good, most of the time it ends up biting us in the ass.

It's not just knowing your limits either, it's about understanding them and finding ways to adjust so you can maintain or get better as time goes on. It's easy to act all macho and that pain is temporary and keeping that "pain is telling you you're not dead" mentality but unless it's under severe circumstances, for normal everyday life, there are ways to make the pain worse and add time onto it and not get rid of it completely. Learn the difference between pushing through pain as if your life depended on it and recovering so you can be efficient. 

My hip is getting better to the point where my flexibility is coming back and it's not shooting down my leg so much along with not being able to sit right. When you know things are working, it gets better as time goes on. When it's not working, you need to reassess so you can find the right "formula" for you to recover. Experiment and be aware of what feels right and what doesn't. We all recover differently and it's not a good idea to push the same direction of a method because some things don't work for certain people and injuries and pain tolerance is different. Work with your own style to get back to your strongest again without pain and suffering.

Train to be efficient, don't train to suffer more pain than what you're already dealing with because that could lead to problems not just in the physical but the mental as well. I know what it's like to be in pain but also take the frustration with that pain onto others which is never a good idea cause you might say things in the heat of a moment that can never be taken back. Pain can do a number on us and no matter how much we deny it, it can put us on a path that hurts others along with ourselves in the end. So train to get yourself out of pain so it doesn't cost you more time later. 

Keep being amazingly awesome and have a kick ass day.   

A Setback Can Be A Blessing In Disguise

Injuries happen and we can't always be in control of when they happen but we can choose to either work with it (depending on the significance) or give up on ourselves and let the injury completely defeat us. Although pain tells us we're not dead, it's not a great thing to deal with either (unless you got some twisted fetish when it comes to pain LOL). 

Back on Friday April 28th, I was going for my Hill Sprint Workout when by the 2nd or 3rd sprint, the lower right side of my body just about collapsed on me and there was an excruciating amount of pain that nearly resembled the pain I felt when I had my leg injuries. If I would've kept going despite the pain, I would be rolling in a ditch next to the road and wouldn't have been able to get up and go home and I didn't have my cell on me to call anybody. My instincts kicked in to immediately stop and truly assess the pain I was in. It was so bad that to me it was a miracle I was able to walk back home. 

I knew exactly why this happened and I only have myself to blame. A few days earlier, I was going for a workout with the 70 lb. kettlebell doing deadlifts and do shoulder carries with my 50 lb. sandbell. In the first round of the wotkout, something tweaked in my lower back on the right side. I knew I had to stop and just do something else. I went out the next day doing Sprints and I felt a little something but still managed the 6 sprints I was going for. Took it slightly easy on that Thursday but on Friday it just took me out. It was literally hitting me around 3/4 of the way into my 3rd sprint when the pain was too much to go on. 

I got an appointment with the chiropractor and the pain went down slightly and my posture was better but it didn't 100% fix the problem. It's most likely a sciatica injury and it has shifted from my lower back to my right hip. The pain comes and goes and my flexibility is limited to not even sit in a lotus position without being in pain. Heat and Ice was barely doing anything. Me & my wife went on our anniversary trip to Quinn's Hot Springs the following Monday the 1st until we came home Friday on the 5th. It was difficult being comfortable and the pain would shoot up to about an 8 every couple hours or so. Although it was a fun trip, it could've been better if I had not been in agony the majority of the time and I feel bad that I put her through that. In the pools, it helped lessen the inflammation and pain especially in the cold plunge they had there that was between 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit. It wasn't a bad trip by any means, we had a blast and met new people and ate awesome food and chilled out by the pools as much as possible, just sucked that I wasn't at my best. 

Throughout the trip, my training mainly consisted of Joint Loosening, Deep Breathing, Isometrics and walking to the pools. Stretching little by little to not feel pain as much as I could but I wish I could say it wasn't hurting when I stretched. It's a big lesson to learn when you sustain an injury and do whatever you can to heal up. I won't be doing almost anything hardcore including Sprints until I feel 100% which can take a couple weeks. I'm not giving up on my training, just need to let things die down, reduce inflammation and rejuvenate. Focus on flexibility, Isometric Training, some Suspension work and do Step Ups for my legs. The Step Ups are a godsend in this manner since I don't feel as much pain on a scale 1-10 which for the Step Ups is no more than a 3. 15 minutes is my max time and no more than 12-15 reps per leg. 

Pain and Injury is a teacher and it gives you an opportunity to learn what you're capable of mentally and understanding the value of instincts, being aware of what can be done in the moment in time along with making the choices to give yourself time to heal. I'm not the type of person that scarfs down pain pills, muscle relaxers to make myself better. The only things I've taken pill wise to help reduce the inflammation is nothing more than something similar to aspirin and so far since this happened I've only taken them twice. I hate meds with a passion and unless I'm in a hospital bed, you won't see me take anything more than an Advil.

I will get back to full strength soon enough and kick ass the way I was meant to. Take care of your body as much as you can without going overboard. Be smart in your training and keep the injuries to a minimum. I've said it before that we can't 100% prevent an injury but we can reduce the chances significantly if we keep ourselves in check. Stay strong, take care of yourselves and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Working Out While Playing Video Games

 Video Games have been a part of my life since the late 80's playing Super Mario Brothers. Believe it or not, if I remember correctly, my mom actually got me into them because she wanted me to have something to enjoy while I developed my dexterity in my right hand. Although the controller mainly has you using the thumb (especially back in those days when 2-3 buttons were on the right hand side) I learned to use my thumb, pinky and trigger finger which in those early days were a huge thing for me because with most things, I would just try to grip. Still played outside and did many activities as a kid but it was fun playing Sonic, Super Mario Brothers, Quackshot, Star Wars and even Toe Jam & Earl at one point. 

Exercise and Video Games may not sound like they go hand and hand but if you had an imagination, you can create some cool workouts. This was long before Dance, Dance Revolution, the Wii and Kinetic. One of the early games that had you actually moving your body to the controls was that step pad you plugged into to play track and field games like the 100 meters and triple jump. You literally moved your feet like those football drills or sprinting in place in order for the game to work.

Although you have more options today using VR and other things, there's still a small percentage of people who actually exercise while playing Video Games. Every once in a while, I would play baseball or whatever game and at some point, push-ups and squats would be involved. Take for instance playing baseball (this is especially fun if you do 1 on 1 with another person), say you chose to do Push-ups for hitting and Squats for Strikeouts; if you're just playing by yourself you can do 5 push-ups for every hit you make and 10 Squats if you struck out or you strike the batter out. If you're playing with another person (online doesn't count since you can't see the other person) in 2 player mode, they would have to do 10 squats every time they struck out and you have to do 5 push-ups if they get a hit and vice versa. Playing alone, I would at times be getting in as many as 100-150 Squats and over 100 push-ups. It makes things interesting.

You can do this with any game and pick the exercises you want. There's no limit to what you can come up, just don't be throwing controllers or punching objects unless it's a heavy bag. There are a lot of people out there that believe Video Games cause violent tendencies and/or have kids be lazy which isn't always the case. Yes there have been times where a controller may get broken and you might be high on something but all in all, Video Games don't necessarily cause someone to go out on a killing spree or go knock out a hooker, hell you won't see many people try to jump off a building because it happens in a Video Game. We can make video games interesting and different. We can make them productive both mentally and physically. I do realize some people do nothing but play Video Games to the point where they become Vitamin D deficient and need real interaction and remember there is still humans out in the world. 

Video Games these days compared to the 80's and 90's might as well be two different planets since these days it's all about buying up stuff and overreacting to some 10 year old kicking your ass or a 400 lb guy with Cheeto dust on his lips acting like he can fight. Back in the day, you had kids who came in after tiring out playing street ball or doing stuff at the park and just chill out playing Mortal Kombat or Tony Hawk's Pro Skater seeing how many flips you can make more than the other kid. It was a completely different atmosphere and a very different aspect of interacting. I do miss those days where we would all play a game or two outside and come back in and try to one up each other playing baseball, racing games and playing Guitar Hero or Tony Hawk. We would even make little bets that were pretty innocent (nothing over the top disgusting) depending on what game we played. If we took that piece of innocence and molded it into something that can be used for exercise, there would be way fitter gamers. 

Make your playing time extra fun and enjoyable, challenge each other in a different way and compete with positive intentions. If you literally have to get into fist fights with someone playing with you over who can outrun the cops in Grand Theft Auto, you need some serious therapy. Be smart, be kind to one another and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Over 100 Done So Far

 The journey continues as I keep grinding with my Hill Sprint Training. Thought I'd share my results so far. There isn't a huge difference but I'll take what I can get and keep getting better and better. I've now reached over 100 Sprints since I started a little over a month ago. Had to reduce the amount of sprints after the first three workouts since I was doing too much just to begin with. I was doing 10 sprints a session and reduced it to 5 each for the next three weeks, I'm now in my second week of 6 sprints a session for 12-15 seconds each. 

Results don't come easy for me and I've actually changed my eating habits around since I started this up again. I've cut back on a number of things and focused more on Steak, Rice, Eggs, Homemade Shakes with Milk & Raw Eggs, Chicken Salads from time to time and some other good stuff. On my days off from sprints, I'll do mainly Isometrics but I also go on walks, play basketball, work with hammers, do circuits and even one workout where I managed 105 slams in 5 minutes with my 20 lb slam ball. I thought I was going to die from that one and that felt more intense than the sprints LOL. 

Isometrics help a lot with the recovery and some days I'll do the intense 7-12 second contractions but other days I'll do 30 seconds or longer doing various positions. Overall like I said there isn't a massive difference in my physique and I still have quite a road ahead of me but I'm loving it and I feel different. I feel lighter even at around 255, my legs feel springy, the definition in the legs is awesome too and haven't felt I lost any strength. Stamina keeps getting better little by little and the endorphin highs are just flat out incredible. 

Not planning to look like Zach Efron from Baywatch but the idea is to slim down more, eat better, drink more water, harden the muscles up a bit and just be in better shape. This is my last year in my 30's and I want to be in the best shape I can be in when 40 hits. Getting a head start isn't a bad thing now is it? I don't want to feel like an old man and still want the ability to keep up. Too many people I know let themselves go after they approach 40 and many younger than me are already starting to wear down from injuries and even dying because of certain lifestyle choices. Although looking like you're in shape and actually feeling and doing things that keep you in shape are different things, I just want to get better little by little and feel like I'm not wearing out and can't keep up. Conditioning and Flexibility becomes more crucial as we age and staying strong is part of that puzzle. 

Sprints are more than just running hard for a few seconds, it's about fighting yourself and discovering where your true strength and will lies. Keep at it and keep being amazingly awesome everyone. 

Mar 20th

Today Apr 24th

 

Combining Isometric Equipment For A Great Workout

 Isometrics can be done in so many ways that it's almost impossible to understand what's better when it comes to equipment or just your bodyweight. Right now I have three different things of Isometric Exercise Equipment that has more exercises than anybody knows what to do with: The Bullworker Iso Bow, The Worldfit Iso Trainer & The Transformetrics Isometric Power Belt. The Power Belt never really got off the ground because of the lack of reasons I'm not going to get into but it is a hell of a piece of equipment that you can take with you just about anywhere. The Iso Bow may not look like much but it packs a hell of a punch if you use it right and gives you a hell of a workout. The Iso Trainer is extremely versatile as it not only does Isometric Exercise but it can also be used as a Suspension Trainer that holds up to around 400 lbs so you can do pull-ups, dips, rows, one-legged exercises, Triceps Extensions, Twists and other things as well.

Yesterday, I worked on all three to get in a great workout doing exercises ranging from pulling apart, curls, squat, presses, bow and arrow, hybrid isometrics and others. It was one of the most fun Iso workouts in a while and felt like I got a lot done in a short amount of time. I've been leaning towards Isometrics in addition to Sprint Training which has helped me shed some fat lately and although I have a good road ahead of me, I'm already ahead of the curve. I will be showing results around next week in regards to achieving over 100 sprints since I started. 

All three of these pieces of equipment can fit into your bag and you've got an entire gym that weighs less than a few pounds. The only people that I know that have experimented with Isometrics far beyond most people were/are Bud Jeffries, Steve Justa, Zenkahuna and a few others. They practically wrote the book on what you can do with your imagination when it comes to Isometrics. There are authors who've written basic elements and a few creative ideas but these guys took Isometrics to heights that just can't be matched. With the exception of Matt Schifferle's Hybrid Isometrics which are very innovative, very few can match the amount of exercises you can come up with. 

From the days of Alexander Zass & Maxick to the overwhelming plethora of training modalities today, Isometrics are a timeless form of training that can be done in so many ways it's not possible to count all the exercises you can do when there's so much to be added onto. As long as you keep it basic, creative and just enough to work with, you can go a hell of a long way to getting strong, fit and keeping you interested for years on end. Isometrics are essential to a healthy life and reap more benefits than I care to count.

Sometimes one piece of equipment isn't enough because to me, it's not about expanding equipment per se, it's about expanding your horizons and creating workouts that hit those sweet spots that certain things may not hit. I'm not saying MORE is better, I'm saying that options can be a good thing. You don't need to try to build an entire gym in less than 300 square feet, just a few things that give you that edge and that are inexpensive without killing your budget. 

The closest thing to the Iso Power Belt I know of that can be used is the Iso-Loop but you can also utilize a strap from Strapworks which you can find on Amazon as well to use for the length you need to get the most out of your workouts and are very affordable as you can do DIY work. It's just as strong and durable. The Iso Bow is just a bad ass and yeah it's smaller but like I said before it packs a punch as you can do both isometrics and dynamic tension exercises. 

Get crazy strong using Isometrics and unlock some of the creative exercises you can come up with to achieve insane goals. In recent times, one guy who did Isometrics for the majority of his workouts got so freaking shredded that it took notice on the bodybuilding stage while being in his 60's. Richard Monoson is a chiropractor in Southern California that has one of the most intense physiques of a man at any age. His Isometric training is pretty basic but proves what it can do for your body regardless how old you are. Very humble man as well. 

Keep being amazingly awesome everyone and keep achieving your goals. 

A Few Benefits Of Rucking

Us humans have been doing this particular activity since the dawn of man as hunter/gatherers. Military men and women have done Rucking in order to keep them in shape so they can be as tough as they need to be when all hell breaks loose. A few benefits that everyday people can have when they practice this bad ass type of training....

1. Unbelievable Endurance & Work Capacity

Not the same as weight training as it aids in building endurance while fatigue is at the bare minimum. The overload for Work Capacity helps build a foundation that gradually progresses as you get stronger just like in the gym. Even the late Louie Simmons was a huge advocate for Work Capacity which included multiple variations of loaded carries, sled pulls and other things.

2. Wicked Awesome For Posture

Believe it or not, adding weight can help aid in building a better posture when it's done properly. It strengthens our muscles that are responsible for keeping us upright. This allows the body to stay in that position much easier when removing weight.

3. Powerful Calorie Burn

With recent studies done by the Compendium of Physical Activities, by rucking its possible to burn up to 650 calories within an hour, a massive 300 more calories than just regular walking. If you were to do about 5 hours a week of rucking, that's 3250 calories burned (nearly the equivalent to losing a pound a week alone). 

4. Let The Sun Shine Bright

Being out in the fresh air is always a huge benefit. It lowers stress, weighs down the cortisol levels and heightens Vitamin D and Testosterone Levels. As us guys age, maintaining and balancing our testosterone becomes more crucial. 

5. It's Safe & Pretty Easy To Do

Screw jogging since it's more exhausting than Rucking is. In fact, it may be even more enjoyable and can be done with better consistency. We all know regardless of your goals, consistency is the key along with eating right (I didn't say diet, just eating right meaning better but not completely depriving yourself). Another added benefit is that rucking is actually safer on the joints than regular jogging. 

Where do you start? Well, a good foundation would be to start with wearing about 10% of your bodyweight (say for a 200 lb man, it be a 20 lb Vest or Backpack). Work your way up little by little. Hell, I'm only using a 40 lb vest when I go out on my rucks. You don't need to go around looking like you're carrying a piano on your back, gradually build up until it feels more than enough to walk with. Very few people will ever use more than 100 lbs to ruck with. The only two people I know of who walked with 300 lbs was Bud Jeffries & Steve Justa. You don't need to push it that far, even on a hike, 50 lbs would be more than enough for most people. It's tough as it is and it can give you the workout of your life. If you could go a good distance with 100% or more of your bodyweight, that's pretty damn impressive and shows some serious strength and conditioning. 

Grab the Kensui Weight Vest to progressively load up using weighted plates. The smallest loadable is up to 80 lbs. The heaviest is loadable to 300 lbs. Save yourself a few bucks by using my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout to get 10% OFF your order. If you order the 300 lb loadable, this saves you close to a whopping 25 bucks. Have a wonderful day and keep being amazingly awesome. 

The Hill And You

 It can be a love/hate relationship and sometimes you just want to quit but when you push because you know what's at stake, you find out what you're capable of. Now that can be a lot of things in life and some will take it to extremes even to the point of extreme conditions to prove how tough they are but in the end, there has to be balance amongst the chaos. For this specific reason I'm going with Hill Sprints here.

When you're at the hill and you sprint up that son of a bitch like your life depended on it, there's a lot of things going on that many don't realize. The hill can be your best friend or your worst enemy depending on how you do it and treat it as such because believe it or not, that hill is like a coach. I teaches you what you're doing wrong, how to correct your stride, how you proceed with the right speed and how to apply the strength of your fortitude to its demanding presence. If you have someone to go sprinting with, that's great and you could push each other and encourage each other but even that is rare to find unless you're training for a sport like Football or Wrestling or MMA. The majority of the time, a Hill Sprinter is by him/herself, locked onto a specific goal with nothing but the clothes on their back, the surroundings and the ground they're sprinting on.

Hill Sprints are of a different animal than other forms of Strength Training or Interval Training. The hill fights you and wants you to not be able to tackle it's angle or dimensions. It doesn't want you to succeed but you push on anyway. It can be intimidating and it can even speak to you saying "you can't beat me, I'll make you feel like you're dying inside" or something along the lines of "Try me and find out what it feels like to know you need everything just to even get pass me by a few yards." It doesn't discriminate, it doesn't care where you come from, it doesn't matter what color, creed or if you're a world champion, it will beat you to a metaphorical pulp if you let it get to you. 

As of late, I've completed about 70 Sprints so far in my training and it doesn't get any easier. I've had to reduce the number of sprints because I did sense something wrong after doing too many of them too soon and that hill was laughing in my face. I still managed them but I was going back home on fumes and my body was in shock along with shot to shit. When I reduced the number to 5 sprints instead of 10 per session, things felt better, I felt stronger both during and after. The hill taught me a valuable lesson and that's to never underestimate its ability to kick your ass and ravage your ignorance. I don't sprint at 100% cause that would only be a few seconds and my legs would be shot, I sprint just hard enough to go for 10-15 seconds to hit that sweet spot. That gives me the opportunity to show that hill that I'm listening to not only it but to my body and finding that balance of going hard but not to the point of possibly getting hurt. 

The progression is simple and I nearly found out the hard way that simplistic progression and not all out high number of sprints is the way to go. I'm not Walter Payton or a Shamrock or Brock Lesnar, I can only be me. Right now I'm in the final week of doing 5 Sprints per session, by next week I'll be going after 6 for a max of 4 weeks and then add 1 more and so on and so forth. I don't bring my cell, I don't bring a backpack or water bottle with me, just the clothes I wear and the shoes on my feet to get me there. Walk to the hill, do my sprints, walk home and that's my workout. Depending on how many sprints I do, door to door takes about an hour or so from the time it takes to get get there, sprint and go back. There's beautiful trees, a cool park nearby and nobody bothers me unless they honk their horns driving by to cheer me on or give me a thumbs up. It is seriously one of the friendliest places I've ever been in. Most of the time with people coming by, I just nod and have us both be on our way. 

The hill I run on is a hill where my grandmother-in-law lives next to and it's a hill that leads up to the mountain where my Father-In-Law lives. Beautiful hill to even just climb up and there's a little trail on the side of the mountain that overlooks the road leading to the lake. Nobody bothers anybody, very civil and very little of the time you see an asshole drive by or some nutjob trying to see how fast he can go in his pickup with a MAGA Sticker & Gun Rack on the window. Always careful where I'm at and aware of any cars coming by cause the lane is barely small enough for a bike. When I walk back down to recover, I shift over to the ditch on the side. 

It's not the steepest hill but it is fun to sprint on and every now and then, you get some deer close by just sitting or looking on. If you like Hill Sprints and have a hill near by, use it to the best of your abilities, just be careful depending where it is. Keep being amazingly awesome and hope you have a great start to the week. 

The Difference Between Being Euphoric And Being A Zombie

 

The first 3 workouts of my current sprint training program didn't start off on the right foot so do speak. I started out at 10 sprints a session and without realizing it, it just didn't seem right. Something was off especially after the sprints and walking back home. When I did my third session and finally understood what I was feeling, I changed it up and went down a few notches. After each of the first three sessions, I was feeling like a zombie walking home. No energy, walking on fumes and feeling dead inside. It felt like shit and my body didn't completely respond well until I decided to make one change. Reduce the amount of sprints to half of what I was doing and progressively build up to 8-10 again.

When I made this one small change, it became something bigger than the previous three workouts. Cutting the sprints down to 5 not only changed my outlook on the workouts but felt the complete opposite of what I was doing before. I felt that I did enough but still had something left in the tank. I felt a sense of euphoria, that happy energy and bustling with life and vitality. Walking back home felt great and easy. Here's the main difference between the two opposing effects of being euphoric and feeling like a zombie: The feeling of euphoria is like a 70's Hippie in a meadow, just feeling great and high without an ounce of hate or negative feelings towards the world. Feeling like a zombie however; feels like nothing matters, the world goes on but you have no life in you, there's no usefulness and the feeling of no purpose, you just don't give a shit. Your body is moving or being still but there's nothingness as well, the energy feels empty and no sense of vitality whatsoever. 

This isn't just a feeling from sprint training, these can happy during any form of training or having such a long day at work or during work that it either sucks the life out of you or give you a reason to be happy and full of life. To me, training is about having something left in the tank but also feel like there's vigor and power that still runs strong while feeling great at the end. If your workout ends where there's nothing left and there's no life or energy coming from you internally or externally, there's something wrong there. If you're a competitor training for a sport, sure you want to work hard and make efforts to go against the competition but if there's no energy left for when the game even starts and you're just playing without an ounce of vital energy, what good was all that practice for? Practice with the intention of being at your best before, during and after whether it's a workout, training for a sport, at your job or whatever that keeps you being vitally strong. 

Now when it comes to awareness, you should always be aware of your surroundings. When you're naturally high and full of euphoria, you still know where you are and what's going on. When you're high out of your skull and have no sense of awareness whatsoever, that has a very high risk of killing you. Overdosing and things like that is what I can't condone and taking drugs to feel good just isn't right. Be vital and strong in your euphoric state with a solid sense of awareness. Don't go so far that that not only life is sucked out of you but there's no energy and strength left to do anything that it seems like you're dead but still moving. Be amazingly awesome and live with happiness and strength.   

Do Binaural Beats Work?

 

First off, what in the bloody hell are Binaural Beats? It's the perception of sound we create in our brains. If there is two tones we hear each at a different frequency and each in a different ear, our brain creates a third that we can hear. That third tone is a Binaural Beat. Our tolerance for various frequencies depends on the individual but the idea is to promote relaxation and be put into a deep state of meditative like format. Whether for a few minutes or for several hours, massaging the brain can have a profound affect positively on our psyches. That doesn't mean we should overdue it. Like training the body, we have to progressively build up and keep a balanced level of tolerance in order to strengthen the brain. 

I've been listening to a lot of these lately and varied the volume I use on my headphones and my speakers. Ranging from meditative music for increasing dopamine (the happy hormone) to testosterone/HGH and even attracting unexpected money from sales. I don't go all day listening to these but depending on what I want to do or to keep my energy levels up, I listen to different tracks. I would loop one track over and over for about up to 15 minutes or so since some are just over 2 minutes long while others may be over 5-10. During my Dao Zou Training (meditatively walking backwards), I would listen to Becoming Happy which is over 10 1/2 minutes long and would listen to this three times. This is supposed to help with ridding the mind of negative thoughts and energy and strengthening serotonin and dopamine while increasing positive thoughts and energy. Yeah it sounds very "New Agey" but hey, it's far better than popping pills and taking loads of muscle relaxers. I listen to this at night before going to bed and so far it has worked and I sleep like a rock, calm and relaxed. 

These kinds of beats have been around a while and has roots in ancient shamanic rituals where music and surroundings put you into a deep state of meditation where you relax the mind and body to heal or have some other worldly type of experience. Almost like those who have taken LSD or Shrooms to go somewhere else in their mind. This has been taken to extremes and yes drugs are bad (in my bad Mr. Mackey voice) but we all want to escape reality at one point or another. With listening to these Beats on YouTube, this is a safer option but you do have to be careful so you don't have volume up so high it could lead to some hearing loss and create headaches. Keep them to a volume that you can hear but are comfortable with and immersing yourself in it. 

With regards to the Testosterone/HGH frequencies, there are some things to be skeptical about especially when it comes to the description of what they do. Some sound a little off the rails but I give it a chance and just listen and do my best to naturally feel the vibrations and what gives the brain a reason to send those neurons to the areas where Testosterone and HGH lead to which is mainly in the sex organs. Creating blood flow and having that surge of masculine energy and sexual vibrancy. Again it sounds weird and there's a reason to be skeptical. Nothing wrong with giving it a shot just to see how it feels. It may not always work instantly but in my recent experiences, listening to them a few times a day on loop like maybe no more than 3-4 times (time can go by fast with these) for a week may give you some insights to how the body feels. One of my favorites to listen to is called Unleash Your Masculinity- Super Testosterone Subliminal For Male Potency, Muscle Gain & Confidence. Talk about a mouth full, it's around 10:40 long and has a lot of vibrational sounds along with using some kind of synthesizer which at times really hits you but it feels good and energetic. I listen to this track once, maybe twice at a time and always come out of it feeling great and feeling like a weight has been lifted and ready to go. 

There are many other styles of frequencies used to target many things for the mind and body like healing certain areas, bone strengthening, recovery, getting rid of cobwebs, enhancing your focus and concentration, sleep, losing weight, gaining weight, attracting wealth, attracting soulmates, stronger estrogen for women, various testosterone building frequencies, helping migraines, brain strengthening and a hell of a lot more. Whatever you may want to work on or enhance, give these a try and see what could work for you. If they don't and you just don't see them doing anything for you, than it doesn't work for you. That's ok, we all experiment with something and sometimes certain things don't work. I find them to be very powerful and helpful. I mainly use them to keep my energy up especially for training and when I'm ready to go to sleep, I have one or two videos to listen to for a period and feel ready to fall asleep. 

Here are some of the channels to look up on Youtube. You don't have to watch the videos, just listen and feel, that's it. On some of them, you can multi-task like doing dishes or writing or even working out. Just don't listen to these while driving or operating heavy machinery. 

Good Vibes Binaural Beats 

Positive Vibes

Inner Peace

Vastu- Meditation, Brainwaves & Healing

Binaural Beats Frequency Wizard

There's tons of others and all have their pros and cons but quite a few are powerful and potent. Last time, being skeptical is very understandable and reasonably so, shit I never thought of listening to stuff like this but I gave it a shot and they work very well for me. Just the feeling of my brain relaxing and getting thoughts and negative crap out of head was the start of it. This is a hell of a lot better than turning to drugs or drinking to stun your sorrows. Be safe, listen with intent and keep being amazingly awesome. 

The Historical Significance Of Movement Training

 Today is going to be a history lesson (sounds boring but I'll do my best to make it as fun as I can). We're going back in time to look at the origins of Movement Training. Some good info here along with learning the benefits, positives and even the negatives. Sit back, put pedal to the medal and let's jump time at 88 miles per hour.

The time? About 10,000 years ago. As you may know (but just in case you didn't), animals don't actually need to do any form of exercise, our ancestors before the age of Crop Circles or the Agriculture Revolution didn't need to do any form of exercise either. Based on the harsh and cruel realities of life as it was, the environment of that time forced the man to be strong, incredible agile and about as athletic as it could get. Now we can even go back to the future into the 20th century (A century of our modern times) and you'll find that the most common person was in pretty good shape from the physical labor they put themselves through. The greats like Farmer Burns, Bob Peoples and others were laborers that went on to become legends in their chosen endeavor. For back then, it was part of people's lives.

Even before the 1900's, there wasn't a need to do movement type training or exercise unless you specifically wanted to obtain a physique or be fit for war, dance or even sports for that matter. From a human race perspective, we've always been interested in the potential of what the human body can do and what it could develop into in terms of building a mighty physique. When the first Olympics were going on many thousands of years ago and the rise of martial arts throughout the centuries, the ability and capability of the human body was tested in every way you can imagine. Rituals are still practiced to this day in various formats. Innovations in our modern world today have made life a bit easier and had us feel a little laidback so to speak but also stressed as hell in many cases. The quality of life has skyrocketed but in terms of the physique, it could use a tune up big time. When that vitality and vigor starts to dwindle, the mind will soon follow suit.

Many people today do lack mental toughness which could use a tune up as well and our emotional resilience does need some tough love but not so brutalized it drives a person to insanity so it's more of an individual thing. Physically moving and doing things like carrying, lifting or similarities to labor were a natural part of life and has gone by the wayside. It can create issues but we can do the best we can to move daily and as often as possible. Go for walks, lift rocks, carry sandbags, sprint on a hill or some grass, climb, hike, ride a bike, swim; whatever you can do to keep yourself from turning into the Vampire Blob from Blade. 

What else can be a solution to this? Learn from the masters of the early 1900's that took these problems head on and formed the era of Physical Culture. The precursor to MovNat was started by George Hebert whom developed the method of Natural Movement where he utilized patterns that many needed for optimal health. These included running, walking, stretching, throwing, lifting, climbing and many other things that consisted of what a human is capable or "relearn" what it means to move like a human. Bodybuilding was right alongside this with the likes of Eugene Sandow, Bobby Pandour, Maxick, Fred Rollon and others due to performing strongmen who displayed incredible muscularity. This wasn't just about muscle building either, this was more on the emphasis of function. Before the steroid era, guys like John Grimek experimented with so many things and even invented a few things as well to build an incredible body that helped many around the world. He was even an awesome gymnast, talk about training everything even though he was considered at the time a Heavyweight. 

Bodybuilders of that time were geniuses at finding what was possible to train with real intentions and not turn to drugs. If anyone really connected bodybuilding and mental power was the great Maxick. The guy could make any muscle be on their own and move with ease. Another thing was the use of light weights instead of going heavy to reduce the wear and tear on the joints. From the heart of Germany, another Physical Culturists emerged by the name of Joe Pilates. He was originally a gymnast and bodybuilder who went to become a boxer, circus act, a wrestler and a self-defense teacher. His study of Yoga and the movement of wild animals was intense. This level of experimentation was incredibly high to the degree where his method of training that now bares his name taught you how to focus the mind and control your body with such effectiveness that it was insanely efficient.

In the Eastern part of the world, many martial arts masters were so far ahead of their time that it's mind blowing like the ways of Qi Gong. From the east as well, yoga masters taught incredible aspects of flexibility and breathing techniques. Before it became a run of the mill McDonalds level of franchising, Yoga was a pinnacle practice of keeping the body healthy and strong long into old age. The real practices still go on today but few and far between.   

In the era of PED's and marketing, we've become so sidetracked it's not even funny. The days of old have seem to become more of a "lost art" and a way of saying like Indiana Jones "It belongs in a museum" type of mentality. However; in the last 25+ years or so, the style of Natural Training has brought on a second wind of popularity due to people like Rickson Gracie who learned his conditioning techniques from Brazilian Yoga teacher Orlando Cani. Gracie learned the aspects of animal crawling combing the elements of Pilates and Yoga. In Russia, Systema was a hit after the fall of the Soviet Union which is now considered to be a Martial Art. It's more than just a self defense system; it puts a high emphasis on Strength Training and Breathing Techniques. 

As the years go on, we keep developing and re-introducing the old style with modern twists and progressively bringing back that heart and soul of what the old-timers did so long ago. With the help of people of Mike Fitch, Eero Westerburg, Erwan Le Corre, Matt Schifferle and others, we can make a difference in how we bring back not only that quality of life but the practice of movement and play/experimentation to stay strong and healthy until the day we die. 

Hope this was a good learning experience and it shows you what we can do to keep the ball rolling. Be amazingly awesome and get moving.  

100 Seconds Of Fat Melting Training Like Nazis Standing Next To The Ark

 

Certain aspects of training can be hard as hell and you do the best of what your body allows you. Even with a strong mind, your body is quite capable of more than we give credit but there's always a limit that reaches maximum. In Sprint Training, no matter who you are, your top speed only lasts mere seconds. In those seconds however, you are training your body to tackle fat like Kevin Greene took down quarterbacks; hard, fast and with ferocious intensity. 

Sprints separate the men from the boys and turns them into lean, mean fighting machines nearly as fast as the Flash. You can have your life flash before your eyes and still see what it would be like to go so hard that you are fighting for your life at the same time. Sprints are primal, intense and full of benefits that we often ignore because of the various things that it does or doesn't do. In simple terms, Sprint Training gives off Warrior Vibes.

For 10 seconds at a time, you can imagine many things to make this as intense as it's meant to be: Chasing down somebody, running from an animal, racing your shadow, being a character, being a real life superhuman or whatever you choose to do, make it so you're creating the fastest version of yourself. Those 10 seconds can determine the ability to burn off fat at a rate that's almost unbelievable to comprehend. Now imagine working those 10 seconds multiple times and rest 2-3x as long in order to recover. It's Strength Training in its simplest form; no complicated things to do, no machines, no gym noise, nothing but you and the ground. 

Hill Sprints however make fat burning the ultimate workout that ground sprints doesn't get passed. Even by mere inches, Hills make your ground work better and you take on a whole new meaning to the words "Mental Toughness." This past Thursday and yesterday, I took on a Hill nearby the house and went as hard as my body allowed me for 10 Sprints at 10 seconds at a time. I wasn't always my fastest, but went hard as I possibly could and made each sprint and my recovery count. It's that time of year where flowers bloom, the weather gets warmer and the days are longer. It's time to hit the Hill to really make the most of what you want to achieve in having a lean physique fast. 

Like the Nazis standing and getting melted by an ancient and powerful box, your fat won't stand a chance with Hill Sprinting. Like always, pay attention to form but at the same time, pay attention to your intentions as well. This isn't some climb up a hill and going for a hike, you're going to work at the hardest you can possibly make it for those few seconds of training. Intensity is the key and your will to go hard as if your life depended on it. 100 seconds is all of the time it takes to induce the largest amount of Growth Hormone and Testosterone possible. Be able to breathe better, sleep better, eat more and feel that urge of sexual energy that every guy wants to feel. 

Training this way is only needed 2-3x a week and it's best to start off with a small number of sets and seconds if you haven't done them in a while. 4x8-10 seconds would be a good starting point, that's a max of 40 seconds of work. Each month, add one sprint and a few seconds to progressively get more out of it. Max sprints IMO shouldn't be more than 20-30 seconds and on most days, 10-15 is more than enough. Max amount of Sprints shouldn't be more than 10 because you're training merely to get leaner and stronger, you're not trying to match Walter Payton who did so many damn sprints it's a miracle his legs didn't fall off his body. At full speed may not be more than a few seconds and probably no more than 10. It's very difficult if not impossible to stay at 100% speed for 30 seconds. 

To build a program on Hill Sprints, check out Josh Bryant's 6-Week Sprint Training Guide to get you started. Also check out his Speed Training book.

Be fast, run hard and keep being amazingly awesome. 

A Realistic Outlook On Bodyweight Leg Training

Over the years, doing various aspect of Leg Training from Squats to Animal Movements and Sprinting has given my legs some serious strength and overall conditioning. From doing 1000 Hindu Squats in 33 minutes, 10-10 Sec. Sprints, Horse Stances, Overcoming Isometric Squats, tons of Duck Walks, 1000's upon 1000's of Step Ups, it has been a blessing to be able to do these things and still make progress. 

From a realistic stand point, it doesn't come right away and had to make adjustments and modifications along the way but training the legs goes beyond just building muscle and being strong long-term, it's about finding ways to prevent injuries as much as possible, train hard but not get so sore that you can't get out of bed or even be so stiff that walking hurts (at 19 I know what that was like and don't wish it on anyone). It's the ability to train and strengthen the bones, tendons and ligaments. Another plus to consistent leg work is the ability to generate great levels of HGH and natural testosterone. 

Now granted the things I've been able to do are nothing compared to people I know and have witnessed first hand so I'm no superman or world record holder. I do however know how to adapt, what to look for and who to listen to when it comes to training using simple and advanced methods of training. There are people out there who are far more skilled than me so I learn from them and work with what makes it work for my body. Logan Christopher is one of those guys. His knowledge is unbelievable and teaches far better than most people. 

In this case, I'm going to give you a small rundown on how he can help you jack up your leg training to another level utilizing simple bodyweight movements and a couple implements to create some killer workouts. His feats alone are worth the price of this type of training. What does some of this training entail? Let's take a gander....

Gaining A Full Range Of Motion Squat

For us humans, a natural position is to go all the way down and sit in a full squat. In most places in the world, this is a position where games are played, eating some good food and even resting. Here in the states however, it's not so much of these things and we treat the full squat like it's some kind of demon that tears down our knees and we sit in chairs way too much. Ultimate Guide To Bodyweight Squats can teach you how to reverse this. It teaches how to create the best form for you since not everyone learns the same way to go to Ass To Grass. Breathing patterns for performance, squatting mistakes to avoid and also to use a time challenge to hit your comfortable spot and stay there. 

Learning this and from other people, I can hold a deep squat for 10 minutes or more if I felt like and not feel pain or strain whatsoever. It helped build my flexibility and mental state. I've even meditated in this position and time just flew by. 

Squat Variations

With a variety of Squat Exercises to choose from, you can learn how to take your leg training to another level and not just hitting a certain number of reps. I'm talking about building a great level of flexibility in the hips, ankles and knees. Be able to explode on command with variations that makes you jump like a wildcat in the jungle. How to utilize multiple variations so you can get the best out of your training than just sticking to one type of squat for extended periods of time. You're getting more than 20 Variations here.

Building Up Reps For Conditioning

A short but important video on how you can build up to doing 500-1000 Squats in a single set that is effective in how you move forward in your quest for awesome leg conditioning. This is great for those who've hit plateaus and want to up the ante to amplify their training for sports, challenges and daily training. 

Tips On The Pistol Squat

This is for the nutballs who want to take their leg training to another stage of the game and perform awesome Pistol Squats. Learn specific exercises to help with your flexibility. The way you breathe and place your hands to make them easier while also using a Stomp. If you want to make Pistol Squats your bitch, this is for you crazy fuckers. 

Beyond The Pistol

Take your one-legged training up another level that separates you from the crazy to the clinically insane. Shrimp Squats, Dragon Squats, Weighted Pistols and other exercises to really test the limits of your leg training. Learn about assisted squats to help you progress to each phase, how come many big men never pull off the Dragon Squat, stretches that specifically target the exercises and exact hand positions that are crucial to the Shrimp Squat and Double Shrimp Squats (this one's a doozer). 

Get invested in your leg training. With more than 15 years of training with various Squats, Logan has been through the ringer and has tested everything he has learned so he can pass it onto you and show you the do's and don'ts of progressive leg training. When it comes to pricing, this is a steal in comparison to most courses and not some rinky dink Squat Course that charges you 149 bucks for a damn hardcover or 50 bucks for a KINDLE of just typical variations and that's it. With this course going on right now, you can get the videos and e-book for less than $100 and you'll get far more variations, instructions on what to do to progress, safety guidelines to avoid injuries at a much greater rate and train for real world flexibility, strength, conditioning, balance and a hell of a lot more. Don't settle for low quality at a ridiculous price, set your sights on the real deal that makes your investment worth while and get treated to one of the best Physical Culturists of the past 20 years. 

Get those legs going, have fun and keep being amazingly awesome. 

An Ideal Look At How To Strengthen Your Structure

 Let's set aside the typical muscle building stuff for a moment and look at the idea of strengthening the body that's unorthodox, old school and forgotten in today's world where you build real strength in your bones, tendons & ligaments. The true masters of this concept aren't your run of the mill personal trainers and gym-goers that go by textbooks more than real experience. The true masters were the Old-Time Strongmen of yesteryear that made strength not only a priority, but a product of health and longevity. 

Believe me it is possible to achieve a level of strength that would make just about any bodybuilder or "influencer" run home and hide under their beds and be able to do so without the use of steroids or PED's. Most of us weren't born with genetic gifts, even me. I was sick when I was little if you've ever heard or read my story and it took me a long time to achieve the strength I've attained but I did it and don't underestimate the fucking fact that you can too.

You see, I tried the dumb bodybuilding workouts and had some decent strength but nowhere near the level I wanted and should've had stupid strength and vitality by the time I was 18-20; I didn't. I didn't understand the real old school ways of Strength Training until I had my accident and started researching everything on how to heal myself. I learned some bad ass stuff from the strongest people on the planet and I got to perform some crazy feats of strength along with building a level of knowledge that is almost lost if not forgotten in today's Gen Z society. Strengthen Your Structure is a product of what the Old-Timers used to build strength that would fathom even strongmen today. 

Just about most training ideals focus more on the muscles than anything else and damn it me and several others have an issue with that. The muscles may grow in size, but does size also equal strength? Muscles and even Strength are just parts of a puzzle that goes beyond what many trainers do today. A major set of keys is to build Bone Strength, the Tendons & the Ligaments as well. It's the structure that holds everything together. Think about the most common injuries; torn ACLs, ripped Cartilage, fractured ankles and hips. With SYS, you can work on training these areas to reduce injuries as much as possible. Although it's not a complete program or meant to be, it can still aid in building a powerful body beyond just good looking muscles.

It builds connective tissue but did you also know it helps aid in boosting your hormones? Think about it, the amount of Testosterone and HGH you can achieve with some of the exercises in this course is incredible and do a better job than what the classic Squat will do. Add in the intensity to "Structure Training", holy shit talk about jacked stimulation. This is partly based on doing Partials as you can use more weight than a full range of motion. 

Back to injury proofing...Because of the great loads you can utilize more than a full lift, this has the high potential if not certain to actually thicken the bone structure. This can aid in avoiding Osteoporosis as we age. These exercises also put you in awkward positions under the load. If you do this consistently in a safe manner of course, you'll be in far more condition and ready to tackle things when you are in those positions. 

If there was a question of how powerful the old-time strongmen really were, this was part of the puzzle in their journey. I've done some exercises where I did a partial press of 405 overhead, partial deadlift of nearly 500 lbs and even rowing a 130 lb dumbbell for multiple reps. They can be brutal. Because of these along with the other things I've done, I've bent spikes, torn phonebooks, slammed tires with a 75 lb sledgehammer and deadlifted a thick handled 125 lb Dumbbell. 

Power up learning from this bad boy and get strength that would make the old timers proud and show what these "influencers" today are missing out on. Keep being amazingly awesome everyone. 

Close Grip Pull-Ups: An Elusive Bicep Building Exercise

 Many experts in the fitness field believe that one of if not the best bicep builder is by doing Pull-Ups. When it comes to specifics, the Close-Grip Pull-Up/Chin-Up target the biceps at their peak for strength and building muscle. Is the Close-Grip superior for the biceps? Let's take a look....

It's also noted that they can be very beneficial once you've practiced them. So why the Close-Grip? How can they be superior for arm development or more importantly targeting the Biceps? Maybe it has to do with the Lats being in a mechanically awkward and even a disadvantaged position when the arms are so close together. Because of the awkward position, the arms are doing the majority of the work if not all of it. Because of this, they're tough to pull off and if you haven't done regular pull-ups or chin-ups, I wouldn't recommend you start out with Close-Grips, build that foundation to take that next step.

Once you've got the regular ones down or even a neutral grip, start testing out the Close-Grip style, for building the strength and understanding the mechanics of them, I would start with Isometrics whether by hanging or hitting the three positions (low, middle, top) for a period so your body can get the idea of what it's like being in those positions. After a period, go after full reps if possible. Listen to your body and don't force it, let the strength comes naturally cause there's a lot more than just getting your chin up and over the bar. Once you start doing reps, you may notice some development in the forearms, brachialis and biceps when you utilize the Close-Grip Pull-up/Chin-up. Even the great Arnold Schwarzenegger thought the Close-Grip was a great exercise.

Here's another good question, how close should the grip be? It's recommended that the hands are hitting each other directly or around 6 inches apart. Some people may have some issues due to shoulder alignment and possible injuries or previous injuries so I would say if you could work around that great but don't put yourself at risk otherwise things could get worse. Make it a point to have healthy shoulders, hands, wrists, elbows and obviously the back. Everyone has different areas of mobility as well so use what gives you the best quality of the movement along with being comfortable to do them. 

What would be a good routine for Close-Grip Work? Commonly the 21's have been the most effective for people but like I said before, some work their body differently so adjust accordingly. What are the 21's? Remember this is where you have evolved to doing a good amount of reps at this point and have the strength to do them...The 21's is where you perform reps at a 7-7-7 ratio in this format...7 Reps bottom to half pulls, 7 Reps mid to top (as in start at the middle and hit the top of the movement) and 7 Reps at Full Movement from the bottom to the very top. Do all 21 in a row performing 3 sets each. Now if this is too much especially in the beginning when you are just starting to rep them out, you can start at a 6-6-6 ratio or even a 5-5-5 but if you're a complete beginner, it's recommended to use some assistance to build the strength such as using bands like the Lifeline Pull Up Revolution Assistance System

If the Close-Grip Pull-up/Chin-up is really uncomfortable for you because of wrist issues, the Swissies & Swisses45 can do great things for you and you can still build incredible strength and muscle. You can get these at 10% OFF when you use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. My gift to you. I want you be evolve and progress comfortably, meaning let it be natural and let the speed and performance build up without pushing so hard that you either end up injured or doing too much too soon. Have fun, build some killer muscle and keep being amazingly awesome.