7-12 Seconds Of War Doing Isometric Contractions

Strength isn't always built on bodyweight or weights for Insta Likes. It's built on stillness. When it comes down to it, Isometrics especially that dials in that 7-12 seconds of pure contraction and power, you unlock a method that's fucking brutally effective and can still be done practically daily.

The Method Of Going To War For 7-12 Seconds

How does this work? You pick a position like a Curl using the WorldFit Iso Trainer and you hammer it out hard. Not for 30 seconds or a minute where you can tone down the intensity, but as high of intensity as you can make it. 

Why that specific window though? If you were to get it to 100% max strength, it would be only for 1-3 seconds which isn't a bad thing when you've had enough experience. Steve Justa was a master at this along with holding for much longer times with less intensity. 7-12 in many cases is the sweet spot where you're blending the maximum motor unit and the peak levels of intensity without breaking your form.

You're not moving, you're becoming a machine. All those muscle fibers from the tendons to the trunk is switched to a serious capacity. You're not using momentum, no way of cheating, just you. The irresistible force meeting the immovable object. That's the true nature of Overcoming Isometrics.

Here Are Some Benefits The Fitness Industry Won't Tell You

1. At peak efforts, Isometric Training teaches your CNS to fire much harder. The recruitment of fibers that conventional lifting can't even begin to touch. It opens up the Mind/Muscle Connection to new levels of strength you didn't think existed. Next time you go for a deadlift or press, the bar might feel lighter.  

2. Isometrics don't shear, it doesn't have ballistic loading, your knees/shoulders/spine get stronger without wearing and tearing down the ligaments. You get the prehab, rehab and strength training all rolled into one super entity. You are in control of the angle.

3. Brutal Time Efficiency

Within 15-20 minutes, you can hit the full body in an Isometric Session. Don't need much if at all of a warm up set. You don't have to wait around for anybody or anything, things like a wall, a doorway, your own bodyweight, the floor or the Trainer for that matter are all the best options. 

The Power Of Doing Isometrics Daily

Overcoming & Yielding Isometric Training for 7-12 seconds create neural adaptation with less damage than typical weight training. Your CNS adapts fast (like Quicksilver fast). The tendons get denser and the ligaments thicken like steel chords. Adamantium anybody?

Legends like Bud Jeffries & Alexander Zass made Isometric Training an art form. The old-time strongmen called it Steel Sinew Training. They did them daily because Isometrics don't break you, they build your ass up. 

If you ever thought you missed a workout, pick a few exercises and do 1-3 positions of that exercise before hitting the sack. Isos are the perfect training style for traveling because you can do them while waiting for your plane, work various muscles on the train, as a passenger in a car and many other things. 

Purity In Stillness

You want to talk about the essence of strength training? This strips it down to its very core. You don't need to master a technique (although it'll help with your other techniques outside of the sessions). It's just straight up tension man. It's safe because you can't get out of the position. It won't crash on you and your form doesn't degrade itself. It's true honesty. It also doesn't lie to you. Work this type of training into your repertoire for a period and you'll begin to understand why the old timers said "motionless exertion, breeds motionless power." 

It's not some silly gimmick or something generic and unoriginal that promises you a Rolls Royce but you end up with a broken down Yugo. Don't fall for bullshit scams like that. It's a foundation, the Game Genie Of Fitness and it has been waiting for you to tackle it with heart and soul. 

Train hard, be smart, listen to your body and be amazingly awesome. For more info, grab the book Overcoming Isometrics By Matt Schifferle and learn what it means to open up a new world of possibilities with strength that will last and building a legacy that transcends generations. 

Back At The Bands And Getting Some New Updated Pics Going

The weekend has been a good one so far and getting back to the Dopa Bands after a couple days off from them was a breath of fresh air. Did my 500 Hindu Squats & 500 Steps on Wednesday, spent Thursday doing some crawls, Friday I was back at it doing a circuit. Took my Hercules Pre-Workouts Capsules and whether it was the two day recovery or something really clicked with the Capsules, this workout had a surprise for me.

As I was still feeling some soreness in my thighs, figured I'd get some upper body training in with the band and see what I can do. Chest Flys, Wave Pulls, Hook Pulls, Curls & Tricep Pulls for 10 reps each. Like I said, I don't know if it was the recovering or the capsules but as I was getting into the rounds, this insane burst of energy came over and I was cruising through that fucker like a breeze. 10 Rounds in (500 Reps), I knew I had to keep going. 20 Rounds in (1000 Reps) and still didn't feel anything was peaking so I went even further. Went 30 Rounds (1500 Reps) and still didn't feel tired or winded. I did want to keep going but something told me to take the win because I already broke my PR by 10 Rounds. 

My conditioning has gotten a hell of a lot better and now, at least for the moment, progress to doing a minimum of 1000 reps with the band during this coming week. As an experiment and give it a couple workouts to see where it leads. So yesterday, visiting some family, I did some Isometric Training earlier in the day and then a short bit after I got home, went to the park and did 500 Reps with the band doing my Deck Of Cards workout from the Pirates. Put on some tunes and went at it. If there was one moment that made me question my sanity was getting 2 Jokers in a row which I had to do 50 of the Propeller Exercise each. Since I was still feeling some soreness in my thighs, it was slightly more difficult than usual but I kept at it and pushed through. Finished the deck with a smile on my face man.

So, when it came to the Isometrics, I thought I'd take some new shots post workout for a bit and some of these came out not too shabby, not going to let it go to my head because I still have work to do and improve on things (always room I say) but after months of Bands and other things especially with my Isometric Training, I'm happy with what I've achieved. It's no Classic Physique stuff or looking like some meathead with an ego, just me and my development. No Steroids, No HGH, No Peptides or any of that crap. Hard work, focused energy and keeping the journey going. I'm between 228-232 at the moment and that's fine with me. Lose a bit more little by little as time goes on and not try anything stupid like lose something like 60kg in less than 2 months, I may be nuts with what I do but I'm not risking my physical and mental health for something as messed up as that or itching for a hospital visit. 

Small improvements, may not be seen as a wow factor or anything but I do like knowing that I can make those things happen and keep kicking ass. Going to be doing more bodyweight stuff as the spring rolls along going into summer, maybe focus more on stimulating the muscles and not do crazy high reps. Every now and then maybe but do enough where I'm near 85% fatigued but still have reps in the tank. I don't plan on doing more of the band stuff once the summer hits but that doesn't mean I'm not getting rid of it completely. Use it more of a warm-up or finisher to the other stuff I do. Maybe a finisher after hammer training, that'll be fun as hell.

Training is about discovering yourself and finding your capabilities in those moments of what is possible as you progress. Conditioning is your greatest asset but don't neglect your tendons and ligaments. Work with what you have, listen to your body and keep things low skilled especially with bodyweight training, the basics are where they're at. You got this and always leave your sessions with gas in the tank. Don't ever push to exhaustion or even unable to move well for that matter, that can be more harmful than good. Be amazingly awesome. 

Can Disney Inspire You To Move?

Some things will just give you the urge to move and play in the most random places. Or was it designed that way? Who really knows, but what I do know is that last night, I had the urge to do Isometrics but something else had me doing something completely different. I was watching the new film Disneynature put together about Orangutangs and really enjoyed it. 

The little story about the species in different families, forming bonds and seeing the young ones learn by mimicking their mothers was just fun to watch. So fun that it made me want to move around like an animal in our living room. Just crawling, doing switches, forming patterns and playing for several minutes. No structure or routine, did whatever came to my head and had a blast. My back was loosened up, felt very relaxed and the soreness in my legs from the squats and step ups yesterday faded out.

Took patterns and moves from things like Movement 20XX and Ed Baran's old Animal Kingdom Conditioning books. I wish Ed was still in business selling these, they were my true introduction to Animal Workouts. It's exciting to do stuff like that and reap the benefits of muscle building, conditioning and hitting those neurons in the brain. 

Sometimes a few minutes playing like an animal will give you that boost of energy that makes you feel great. Endorphins kicking in, that relaxed state of being and just letting go and be wild. I couldn't stop smiling afterwards, that's the effect it has on me. Took a cold shower afterwards and let things sink in. I wanted to keep going but didn't want to wake up the wife. 

Whenever I do this, something within me changes, something amazing and having that surge of strength and power. It's like transforming into a Super Saiyan without needing to get angry. It's a release that puts you into another realm of calmness and focus. That's the true nature of moving like a beast in the wild. Get Movement 20XX and learn exercises that are just insane to test out, plenty of beginner to advanced exercises but overall, let your mind run free. 

I encourage you for those who have Disney+ to check out Orangutan and see a story unfold of the Heaviest Tree-Dwelling Ape of them all. Be wild, play and have a blast using your imagination. Be amazingly awesome.  

500 Hindu Squats & 500 Step Ups: First Day Without Doing The Bands In Months

 Hey guys, how's your Thursday going? Hopefully well. For me, I'm a little sore but after what I did yesterday and before bed last night, I'm surprised I can still get up and function LOL. Thought I'd take a break from the Dopa Bands for a day and might again today focusing on mainly Isometrics but if I have an urge, I'm not going to fight it. For the first time this year, I didn't do a anything with the Bands and maybe in a way it was worth it. 

I have done close to 60,000 total reps with those fuckers and might finish 100,000 by the end of the year but for right now, just focusing on those little moments. Took the day off from them yesterday and maybe again today because there are times where we have that bit of a burnout and need to switch things up. Not giving up on them, just give other things a chance to experiment and have fun with. So with that in mind, figured I'd share with you my training and thoughts on moving forward.

Weather has been on an emotional rollercoaster lately, it'll be sunny and warm for a few days up in the 70's, then out of nowhere, rain and cold under 50 for a period. It's weird as shit. April Showers bring May Flowers that's for sure. So, in the morning, I got in some neck mobility work and loosened up my joints, decided you know what, fuck it I'm going to do 500 Hindu Squats using my Spider-Man deck of cards. Shuffled, got my head in the game and got it rolling. Finished the deck in 20:18. Been a minute since I've done 500 and even longer since I've timed them. I'll take it and for not doing that many in a while, it's not terrible but still needs work. Shit, I used to be faster than that years ago but in that moment, I still was able to do them.

Throughout the day, it was just casual chilling, interacting and went for a walk in the cool rainy weather. It was great, felt at peace and just let the mind relax. No bands, no needing to figure out if I should do a circuit or intervals, just set them aside for a while and get something else going. There's never anything wrong with that. 

Was starting to feel sore so, being the crazy bastard I' am (even my wife calls me that) I thought I'd get in 500 Step Ups to get the blood flowing a little better to help reduce some of the soreness. It worked because I woke up this morning feeling really good, sore but literally only in the thighs, nowhere else and it's not even that high of soreness. Out of a 10, maybe a 4-5 which is pretty surprising to me, I thought I'd be at a 7 or at least an 8. Guess my conditioning really has been paying off. 

The bands have been a stepping stone for me and they're one of the reasons why I've been able to keep up with a lot of things lately. They're part of who I' am now and for more than 4 months in a row doing them every single day, they've helped my cardio and long term strength in amazing ways. Doing 10's of thousands of total reps in a short period of time is no easy feat and the mental strength to keep up with the kind of routines I was doing was insane. a day or so off of them or a little longer is not going to kill me. There's tons of things I can do in the mean time but when I'm ready, they'll be right there just waiting for me to kick the shit out of them. 

In terms of moving forward, it's important to remain disciplined and doing what's possible for you and continuing the journey. We all have different paths but where we are going can be mysterious and exciting at the same time. Yes the bands are just a tool, great ones at that but they're only pieces of a much bigger puzzle. They're not the end all be all, nothing really is no matter who may say it differently. You do what's best for you and smash those goals like the Hulk smashes the Chitari. Learn what's possible, switch things up from time to time and kick ass in your endeavors. 

Be amazingly awesome and I hope you kill it. 

Are You Thinking 4th Dimensionally When It Comes To Training?

More like in 3D but hey, Doc Brown was onto something LOL. Anyway, one of the things Bud Jeffries taught me was to think outside of the box and expand your imagination to how you can train without always relying on conventional wisdom. Let's face it, the man was a genius when it came to training and the way he thought about things was part of his unique personality and been tested by world class people. For this post today, I blame him for putting this concept into my brain (in a good way of course).

For a few days, I was digging into my thoughts on what could be different in terms of what we can do to train the brain and learn multi-task exercise or in this case, training Multi-Dimensionally. Yesterday, I put this to the test and although it's a work in progress (isn't any training style?), I let out a side of me that took the inspirations of Matt Schifferle, Bud Jeffries and the guys at DopamineO and molded them into a very different and somewhat of a mind-fuck way of exercising. 

Let's start with why I wholeheartedly blame my mentor and brother in strength for this. Bud was a major advocate for Isometrics and came up with some crazy ideas on how to apply them in terms of using not just little implements but using rocks, chains, kettlebells, bodyweight, tires and things you don't look at from a normal point of view. In one of his Seminar DVDs on Isometrics, he applied what he calls 3D Isometrics or 3D Training where he takes weights and other things and go for Isometric Holds on one end while moving dynamically with the other. An example would be, taking a chain and hold it in a mid overhead press or use a strap to create a stopping point with one hand and as he applies the pressure, takes a kettlebell in the other hand and does overhead presses with it. 

This challenges your muscles to fire in that mind/muscle connection to the next level while applying control to two or more things at the same time. I remembered this and was thinking "what if I applied something similar but with the band and Isometric strap?" When we trained together, he always had something cooked up even when he was just shooting the breeze, he had thoughts going on about what he could do differently while applying the basic styles whether it was with hammers, kettlebells or even the steel bending. The way his brain worked was just mind blowing.

So, I applied Bud's Isometric IQ into working with Schifferle's Hybrid style of Isometrics and utilized the Dopamineo band's dynamic moves of rows and waves to create one powerful element. I made a demo of this and still working on some of the kinks in it, not to mention this was post workout of 5x5 Sprints with the Band. 

The strap I'm using here isn't available anymore but the WorldFit Iso-loop would work just as good if not better for some. In the demo, I start out with going into a Hybrid Squat where I would apply isometric pressure trying to stand up and open up the legs at the same time while doing a row with the band in either hand. What does this do? It forces you to work the legs creating strength and stimulus in the legs and back while dynamically rowing to apply the muscles from the upper body at the same time. This challenges the brain to fire the nerves creating a Super Exercise.

The next one was interesting because of doing two different elements of pushing and pulling at the same time. This was doing an Overhead Press Isometrically and creating a Wave and Pull at the same time. The unique thing about this is that while you're creating a wave that takes a certain level of coordination to do, you're also pressing and holding onto the strap as hard as possible without letting go of the press itself. This type of multi-tasking is way harder than it seems because the focus is chaotic yet stabilizing and controlling two very different aspects. It's one thing to do both pushing styles but to do pushing and pulling at the same time is on another level of insanity. 

The final one wasn't as difficult as the Hybrid Squat and Overhead Press. This was more of just trying to stand up in an isometric squat while using both hands to do the wave and pull move, It still isn't easy to coordinate because you're trying hard to straighten the legs but you're also finding the flow in a complete different move while in it. It's that unique element that makes you appreciate what is possible and what can be beneficial. 

In a normal training circumstance, we are taught to move singularly, up and down and focus on things that work the body from angles at a specific level of straight forward focus. Things like Push-ups, Curling a dumbbell, pressing a kettlebell overhead, bodyweight squats with foot patterns going up and down. The coordination is different but you can teach certain things easily with simplistic moves and holds. This however, goes out the fucking window because it forces you to move and hold while in a chaotic state yet be in control. Coordination is on another planet but also you have to think in different aspects than just what is normally understood. 

It is an advanced form of exercise. It's still using basic things, it's easier to learn an isometric exercise and dynamic moves individually but to challenge the construct of fitness intelligence by putting those elements together is a whole other sport in and of itself. Like I said earlier, it's a work in progress but it gives off a whole new vibe of what you thought of as exercise. It's not meant to be some kind of circus act or anything, not like me or someone else teaching and showing how to perform as if you're doing a barbell squat on a stability ball, that's just stupid and dangerous. What I'm showing here, is a different level of Fitness Intelligence to enhance your ability to create exercises that have more to give and offer in terms of function and strength than just conventional styles that most have already seen. You don't see stuff like this almost at all. 

It's not reinventing the wheel, it's opening up and expanding knowledge to where we learn what our capabilities are beyond just typical exercise and routines. What are you willing to give a go that's a little out there but has real benefit? Let me know in the comments or go to my linktree and find me on social media. Be amazingly awesome and keep at it.