Being Free To Train However You Want

    It's important to have a discipline mindset and a foundation where you learn the basics and understand the mechanics but too many people restrict themselves both physically and mentally to a certain system where they believe it's the only thing in the world and everything else is crap. I get it that you would like to do one particular system of training and if it makes you happy awesome but I feel for others it's a thing where they're told this or told that and if their system doesn't work for them they're horrible people. It's not good for your health to be restricted to something when you may want to explore something else and use it to what gives you the best results you wanted to achieve. You are a human being, not a puppet on strings and you certainly don't need to be confined to a cage where you're extremely limited. You have options and it's up to you to find which ones suit you the best. It's all about being your own trainer.

 

    Some people take pride in punishing themselves to make themselves feel better or if they don't do it they're going to hate themselves. It's not just pushing yourself to your absolute maximum it's the mentality that if you punish yourself in your training something good will happen. Don't ever punish yourself; you don't always need to be hardcore and lift this heavy or do this many reps and sets all the time. Also at the same time don't punish yourself by restricting your progress because if you aren't hitting your goals don't hate yourself for it, change it up and find the solution not a problem or excuse. I have punished myself a few times in my training because I felt like if I can't keep up with this guy or do what he says in terms of what is this ideal way to train I'm no good but I take a step back and realize that by punishing myself I'm making things worse for myself so why do that when you can do things that can make you happy and give you reason to train with heart, passion and to feel invincible.

 

    Back to restriction; another thing to look at is in training a lot of trainers have these rules and feel like if you don't follow them according to their standards you're not worthy of their time and you just suck and don't deserve anything worthy, bullshit. One thing I learned in the near 10 years of following physical culture, chi kung and energy practices in my training is that you can have all the books and DVDs you can get your hands on and you can find the best systems but in the end it comes down to what takes you to the next level from a mental stand point and making progress on your own terms. You know your body better than anyone and it's up to you to find what can help you be pain-free, gain muscle, lose weight, burn fat, achieve great flexibility and endurance and in order to do that you have to throw the rule book out and train the way you want. Learn what you want to do, you're in control of what works and what doesn't. It's important to learn basic holds and movements from others but do them according to your body's structure and alignment and pace yourself within your own level. I've learned my training craft from the very best I can find and it's helped me learn who I 'am through my movements, my breathing, my thinking and the way I align my mind and body to do what works best for me. I don't have rules, I have freedom and that's what it all boils down to. Be free to do what works best according to you.

 

    The best training system(s) is what makes you happy to do them and they work for you. You get something out of it no one else can and you're not uptight about it. I don't worship every system I've come across and I certainly don't agree with everything I've learned from everybody but what works for me makes me happy and relaxed mentally to do them. You have a right to be happy and doing what gives you the best out of what you put in. It's not even like working out it's more of like playing around, having fun and taking it to another on your own terms and pushing yourself when you're ready not when someone else tells you to. Train with an attitude and don't let others tell you how to feel. You want to get results and in order to do so it starts with having an attitude and taking the chance to make it work for you, if it doesn't happen after a while, most likely that system isn't for you so you change things up, find exercises or workouts that are interesting to you and that help you progress at your own pace. Don't put yourself in a position where you feel like you have to do this or that and it's going to make you feel like crap later and you're fighting the whole time, train yourself to be happy and when you do train do it with the best of YOUR abilities.

 

    Hope you all had an awesome weekend and welcome to a new week. For most Mondays suck but they don't have to be and it's important to start a new week with an attitude of kicking ass and doing it with a smile. Be awesome and have a great day.

 

    

Why Bodyweight Exercises Are Important

    Within the fitness food chain there's a source of many levels of different styles and forms in exercise and workouts. Some people do the cardio machines, lift weights, go to aerobics class, do those weird ass kangaroo bounces with those shoe springs and there are forms of fitness that are not normally associated with the gym. Within bodyweight exercises a lot of people see that as toe touches, jumping jacks, military push-ups, basic squats, planks, burpees or whatever and you see these in the gym every now and then but the key to remember is that bodyweight training within the right system are extremely important for any workout routine. If you take a look back in history say 100 or more years ago; Barbells and Dumbbells were in the early stages of the major weightlifting world but the main type of training these old-timers used were Bodyweight exercises and why is that?

 

    In another lifetime, using one's own bodyweight was a main source of health, strength, conditioning, flexibility and even looking the part. The reason why was because back then, gyms weren't as mainstream as they are today and if any young man or woman who weren't doing farm work, working in the coal mines or oil rigs hell even the railroad or skyscraping in the big cities they couldn't always afford a weight set so they had to learn to use their bodyweight in great many ways. Training in this manner teaches how to master your body from all sorts of angles the body is able to manage or develop. Think about it; if you mastered lifting your own weight that's a great amount of strength to withstand even in the most basic positions. There a lot of programs out there today that do work but very few teach how to go to a level of physical strength that is beyond the basic components. You do need a foundation and progress to a different level otherwise how will you achieve a higher status of mastery. Mastering the basic exercises doesn't mean how many reps and sets you can do and although that's awesome what more can you do; how about changing the tempo, speed, holding and slowing down the movement. Say you can do 250 push-ups in a single workout or within a few sets of up to 25-50 reps at a time, great now how about you change things up a bit like doing them on your fingertips or getting in the push-up position and go down for a ten count and up a ten count. You are taking a basic exercise and using the body on a whole other level that is not just using external formalities but building an internal strengthener.

 

    I'm all for pushing the body to its maximum capabilities, it's a test of your mettle of how the body is taken to a higher level however; with that being said I also believe in testing the body in doing exercises that are a little out of the norm and building that relaxed strength and moving at a much slower pace or holding a certain position that is difficult. It's creating that internal power that you don't always get from just a regular routine. Holding certain postures or creating dynamic resistance to get that heart rate up in another way. Its power beyond the typical strength and endurance concepts you're used to seeing. I've done well over 500 push-ups in a workout and for nearly an hour I did over 1000 squats but yet I can also do the exercises in a much slower pace like doing 15 count push-ups and going so slow in the squat it not only gets me breathing more but it also creates a sensation in my body I can't experience any other way. I'm mastering my body in a different way that builds energy from within. The next time you hear that "Bodyweight exercise is only good for endurance" bullshit, have that person tested on that theory by having do exercises at a much slower pace or holding a posture for say like 3 minutes max; they won't be giving you a hard time and they'll either run away or won't have a clue what the hell hit them.

 

    Are bodyweight exercises good for only smaller people like gymnasts? Fuck no, it doesn't matter what size you are, you can do bodyweight exercises. For big men, this is extremely important because if you master your body at a much larger size, you're doing something most can't even fathom. Say you want to do 10 pull-ups but you're a big guy say around 220 lbs. or more, is it possible? Of course it is as long as you understand the mechanics and how your body to weight ratio works in unison with the muscles needed to do that many pull-ups. I'm over 250 lbs. and I can do around 12 pull-ups if I chose to do so and that is exceptional for a man that size. If you are a big person and still want to do hard bodyweight exercises you can do them if you practice and learn how to use the muscles for that exercise. One of the greatest lifters of all-time Doug Hepburn was the first man to bench press over 500 lbs and was well over 260 lbs. but would you believe he was also an exceptional hand balancer? How about wrestler The Great Gama who was 5'7 and well over 250 lbs yet was capable of doing reps in the push-up and the squat in the hundreds, how about Bud Jeffries; at around 6'and 280 plus lbs. he can do push-ups that make smaller guys look like chumps from clap push-ups to one-arm and beyond. There are possibilities and don't think for a second that you can't achieve something because of your size. Make it work for you and don't try to surpass someone else, learn to surpass yourself and build strength that reaches your potential.

 

Have a kick ass Friday, have a wonderful weekend and be awesome.

Can This Be The Most Powerful Hypnosis Technology Ever?

My friend and esteemed colleague Niraj Naik – a pioneering brainwave entrainment and meditation expert has collaborated with John Vincent – an expert hypnotherapist and change expert trained directly under the father of NLP, Richard Bandler and world renowned hypnotherapist Paul McKenna.
I think they may have created what I believe in my experience of developing mind tools, is quite possibly the most powerful hypnosis audio technology of its kind.
It’s called Trypnosis™.



The reason why self help tools like affirmations and the law of attraction do not work is because you have to go deeper and change the story you tell yourself.
Trypnosis is an evolution of hypnosis and a powerful new method created by leading peak performance experts designed to empower your inner voice and thoughts.
Imagine your life with better health, confidence, creativity and motivation. Trypnosis™ – the heart of the full Peak Power Hypnosis system will give you this and more.
Download the first part of the full Peak Power Hypnosis System powered by Trypnosis™audio technology for FREE today.
» Download your free Trypnosis™ session called ‘The Conscious Mind Primer’


Be Awesome

Recovery Workouts Are Essential

   

   Some people just love to get in the gym and just hammer out the weights and use their Bosu Balls, run like a madman on the cardio machines and just crank out rep after rep on those "machines." I love training hard too; getting out and hitting tire with my Epic Sledgehammer, play with Battling Ropes, and move like a wild animal and just go raw with my favorite exercises but yet I understand the importance of recovery. Unless you work all day in construction or at some heavy duty job or having to survive in the wilderness; you can't train that hard all the time without suffering some sort of consequence like an injury or being burnt out or whatever. It's great to push yourself but it's also important to let things die down a bit and let your body repair itself.

 
    My type of recovery training is to practice forms of Chi Kung to train my internal strength and use more of a flow of movements and holds that unleash that electrical vibration in the body not just outside. A lot of us can be filled with tension that deprives us from doing things that are fun and enjoyable. Tension can be used in a positive way depending on the situation but the negative side of it is it can cause damage to your body like inflammation, tendonitis, back pain, knee problems and it can take a toll on your emotional state as well. Exercise done right releases endorphins and is often a stress reliever which is why daily exercise is good for the body but like anything else if it's not balanced than you're in for a rude awakening which is why a lot of people quit after a week or 2 of training because they pushed too hard and not enough recovery time to balance it out. You don't have to do Chi Kung to recover but you can do other things that balance out your body's nervous system. Go for a walk, stretch your body and loosen up the joints, do deep breathing exercises for a day or before/during/after your workouts, do meditation; there are so many things you can do but it's up to you to find that balance.

 
    Now contrary to popular belief you don't always have to do workouts that only go 3-5 times a week and not do anything on you're off days. In this day and age, very rarely you find people in fitness who never take a day off. I have not taken one day off since I started training for rehab way back in 2005 around august. When I tell certain people that they often think "how can you do that everyday and not be burnt out, don't you get injured?" The truth is, I train hard when I can but when I need to back off I do which I'm currently doing right now. There's no such thing as a day off because you're constantly doing something every single day and it doesn't always require training in the gym or doing a few push-ups at home. Here's the thing, there are times we can get so sore from a workout or we become sick and need to take care of ourselves, what to do then? How about say you're sore from head to toe and you still want to get in a good workout, why not go for a brisk walk for about 30 min., go swimming and just tread water or swim a few laps so the muscles are loosened up, stretch your body to open up the channels within your muscles. What about being sick with the flu or you can hardly move feeling like a crowbar is hitting your body; well you do a fast or eat very lightly, lay back and flex the muscles in various places to bring blood flow to the body, you can also do light stretching, kick back and do some deep breathing exercises (trust me it's not easy to do when you're stuffed up but breathe from your diaphragm and not your nose) and mentally picture yourself feeling better and visualize healing yourself. You don't always need to move to train your body.

 
    A lot of us struggle to relax and go with the flow. It happens to me quite a bit and I get really tense sometimes and jittery. I'm known to be a night owl so sleeping at night isn't always simple to do like in my current situation where my body is just going nuts and my sleeping patterns are way off so I'm training myself to not fight and just relax and flow while listening to my body. Relaxing isn't easy for some people because they're so stressed from their job or something is wrong in the family or your mind just runs at a million miles an hour and it's causing you frustration. We have 24 hours in a day and so if you have time to ease down even if it's for a few minutes believe me you'll see a whole new look at training the body in a different perspective. Watch something funny, chill out and forget about the negative bullshit for a bit. Destress yourself with intent. I'm not always talking about positive thinking or be one with the universe but train your body to ease down when you make the effort to and let your body repair itself, sleep when you need to so the muscles can have time to rebuild and grow. Balance yourself according to your needs and recovery just as efficiently as you train hard.

 
Welcome to October everyone. Have a happy Wednesday and be awesome.

Sprints Without Needing To Run

    When people think of sprinting, normally you'd think running very fast as hard as possible on a track/field, up hills and stairs but yet sprinting can be used in a variety of ways where you don't always need to run your ass off. As far as I'm concerned Hill Sprints and hard running on a field for up to 30 seconds is the very best method for burning fat faster than anything else. Some of you may not have that luxury due to being in certain places that doesn't have hills or you live in a city that uses more of the elevator and also weather can be a factor. I'm all for training in nearly any type of weather but I realize some of you like to be in inside and want to train in that environment or somewhere around your home.

 

    My training varies from practicing chi kung to hard hitting sledgehammer work and I even practice DDP Yoga from to time but if I want a quick workout that doesn't take a lot of time and is easy to set up, I go out to my driveway and work with my 50ft one inch thick rope and go to war on Battling Ropes. It has become a great trend lately in the last couple years due to its major influence from old-time strongman John Brookfield. Because of the way you need to use your arms to make those kick ass waves takes a ton of strength and coordination that it's almost impossible to not burn fat doing this. Although there is more than one way to sprint, I find this the most fun and interesting because you can vary the exercises by going in different directions, different grips and more often than not changing the tempo while maintaining a good clip and velocity that makes you sweat from head to toe within a few minutes or less.

 

    If you want a workout that will smoke you quick and you're pressed for time; do this and you'll be cooked like a Xmas goose in 10 min. Go after this workout once you have the basic exercises down and are efficient to keep going.

 

-30 seconds on/15 seconds off

Go for up to 10-15min. in this fashion.

 

It is brutal, hardcore and will test your limits and your creativity as you generate a great amount of strength and endurance that shape you into a machine.

 

    When it comes down to it, just training with the ropes a few times a week will generate a great deal of natural HGH (Human Growth Hormone). Because of the benefits of strength and cardio at the same time, the exercises will take your lungs and your breathing to the next level and you're working the whole body by holding a stance with your legs or squatting depending on the exercise and working your arms, shoulders, back, grip and anything else you can think of. This type of sprinting burns fat like crazy and the amount of strength you generate is immense. Think about it especially if you're over 35 or 40 to bring up your levels of natural testosterone and power up your metabolism like when you a kid. For women, this helps awesomely for strengthening the arms to get rid of that fat from the upper arms, being in a quarter squat for a period of time taking fat out of your glutes, thighs and hamstrings and building a killer core because you have to stabilize a certain position in order to stay efficient for the movement. It doesn't take up much time but if you want to train longer that's fine too, Brookfield can go for an hour without stopping so there are a great amount of possibilities. Get fit fast without wasting your time on hours of endless training that won't get you anywhere. Unless you're a pro athlete or training for competition, 45 min. to an hour of training should be your max and using compound movements that hit multiple muscles.

 

Be awesome and rope yourself into a powerfully fit body with endurance to back it up.

 

    
 

 

My Unusual Way Of Researching

    As a fitness fanatic, I always find certain ways to get stronger, interested in cool programs, watch films, listen to music and read books. There are certain phrases done in a certain tone that help me discover a way to unlock my brain power into training differently. I guess you can say I'm a total nerd when it comes to this stuff. Although I love fitness my research doesn't involve it. I have a very unusual way of laughing pretty much any time I wanted which is a workout in itself if you really understand it; I can think of something funny at the top of my head out of nowhere and I just start laughing my ass off. After I have a good laugh, my body is more relaxed, calmer, full of life and I can train very efficiently. Laughter is an awesome tool to help you train if you learn to apply it.

 

    The way I see things and hear things is different than most people. When I see an action flick or a scene that is emotionally intense, I see an opportunity to learn how to make my training more fun or serious to do. Remember those scenes in No Country For Old Men where the guy is just so cold he doesn't hesitate killing someone, its not one of those "maybe I'll kill you" kind of character it's destiny and that's the way it's going to be, most see that as a cold-blooded murderer with a psycho entity but me; I see intense focus and yes it's evil but for you it's a way of learning to channel your focus on what you want to do. How about listening to a certain quote not just reading it but how it's sounded. Reading a quote can be done in many ways but the way it sounds is more powerful, it can make you laugh or cry, make you think or it can destroy your way of seeing things. You can take some of the most ridiculous quotes from music, film, books and turn them into some of the most intense sayings. Kind of like a workout that just looks weird, odd and unorthodox and yet can turn it into the most intense and sweat drenching workout of your life and you're so focused it makes people run instead of laugh at. I have done workouts playing the animal dice game from Animal Kingdom Conditioning and yes some are tough and some a relatively easy but even doing what's called the Cartoon Workout which consists of looking at the exercises as your favorite characters can be the most brutal and fun workout of your life and you'll never see those characters the same way again.

 

    For a while now I've looked into certain aspects of Mythology from the Greeks, Norse, Irish and even Vampires to study not only the strength and superhuman entities of these beings but the way they're personality is conducted and how they live that can be both a blessing and a curse. Like the Vampire that has extraordinary gifts of sight, strength and speed but yet has to live with the fact that it's main source of food is blood. Also given its lifespan can last 100's of years which means knowledge and learning different aspects of culture throughout time. How does this apply to training? Well, you learn things you normally don't learn from other places, you're not into learning the normal way of training, you want to be crazy strong, super-fast and want to find out how to increase your length of life at the same time gain knowledge of the foremost secrets that mainstream people don't know, like an underground thing. In all of mythology there is always some power hungry god or goddess that think they're hot shit and if you don't worship them they'll find a way to destroy you in some form or another; we as humans can relate to that because we have people that are so full of themselves that if we think differently of them in a way they don't approve they'll get rid of you or put you down in some form or another. Think about it from a fitness point of view, there are "top gurus" who tell people that they're way to train is the only way and if you strike back at them because you have a different opinion they'll give you shit for it. Truth is we are all different and we can't do things the same way so in order to make something successful happen, we need to find a way to learn what can be the best for us and makes us the very best of ourselves. Train according to your needs and use exercises that use your potential to become very good at what you do.

 

    The few people who know this I'm a total movie buff (if you don't believe me than you ought to learn about my collection). Ever since I was a kid, movies have been my way to get away, have a few laughs, get pumped up or spend time with family and friends. I have many favorites from Indiana Jones to Spaceballs, Star Wars to cult films like The Big Labowski and yes I like some of the dumbest films ever like Adam Sandler films to Will Ferrell but I also like Marvel Films like the Avengers series, X-Men and Blade and even DC stuff like Batman & Superman. I get pumped every time I watch Indy or get great ideas about training from Pumping Iron and I even get a kick out of the sarcasm and references used in the Avengers. As a fitness fanatic, this is an incredible way for me to learn how to channel my focus when I train because of the way a character moves or his intensity in a scene helps me find an intense way to focus so much on what I do that nothing else gets past me. The Expendables are awesome to watch because you have the nostalgic thing of seeing the greatest action stars in one flick and you can't help but want to train and just get that flow of testosterone going.

 

Happy Friday everyone and have a kick ass weekend. If you have a weird way of researching ways to train or have an unusual way of doing what you love, that's great. If it makes you happy and it helps you be unique than don't ever let it go. You may have the most oddball way of learning things and you know what, that's awesome because you found a way to do what works for you. Keep it up and use it to make yourself successful.

Why Join The Matt Furey Inner Circle?

    Before I could walk again in 2005, I learned about this guy who was a wrestler, world champion in Kung Fu and practiced Bodyweight Exercises. I bought a book of his called Combat Conditioning and it seemed interesting. I didn't want to do regular rehab like most people would after an injury so I made a vow when I did learn to walk again I would do the exercises from this book to help me along the way. First month sucked as I only did the Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups and the Bridge. Couldn't do more than 25 squats, 15 push-ups and 30 sec. of the bridge felt like an eternity. I never gave up because although I couldn't do a damn thing at first, my legs were getting stronger and I was having more energy than I could possibly imagine. Within 6-7 months of just pure bodyweight training, I did over 1000 squats in a workout, over 300 push-ups and could hold the bridge for 5 min. anytime I wanted. I was hooked ever since I got that book and many more courses from Furey and he helped change my way of training forever. Nearly 10 years later, bodyweight training is still my main style of training adding in cables, hammers, mace and a few strongman stuff in the mix.

 

    When I first signed up for Furey's Inner Circle a few years after buying Combat Conditioning, I learned things there that couldn't possibly be worth using in public styled book or DVD because a lot of it was very different, not meant for hardcore bodybuilders or the typical gym rat. A lot of it was bodyweight stuff but adding in hill sprints, cable work and others it's just one of those things that you want to grab a hold of and never let go. I was on there off and on for a number of years but always found a way to learn something new from it and use to my style of training. You can't learn this stuff from a regular DVD/CD/Book because it wouldn't have that unique and mystical aspect of it. Think about it, if everyone knew all the secrets where is anything more to learn? In the Inner Circle you get to learn about training from a very different perspective and you get exclusive access to some of the most guarded secrets he has to offer. You think you know all there is to know about bridging? Think again. How about various squats you don't normally do or see anywhere else? I thought you knew about squat training. Why not how to run faster without adding tension to increase not only speed but to burn off fat faster than any other type of training? It's all about learning from different angles to give you the edge in health, fitness, sports and longevity.

 

    One of his recent forms of training came in the style of Neck Chi Kung. If you thought you knew about training the neck, this is goes beyond your own assumptions and what you have previously learned. It's not bridging although it helps and will make you neck stronger. This style of training is not hardcore and not meant to make you sweat hard or breathe heavily it's far from that; it teaches how to relax the neck and the body all the way down to the toes by moving in a much slower fashion to unlock and release tension from that area. First time I did this routine, I was hearing crackles from every square inch of my neck, traps, upper back and shoulders and that doesn't happen too often. I rarely if ever stay with routines because that's just how I roll but I trust Furey's judgment and do what I can to learn from him. His other style of training the neck is doing exercises based on the Tortoise because it's been said this animal is a symbol of longevity and one of its secrets is having a healthy neck. You move and hold the neck in certain positions, some I've never heard of before and they hit you like a bolt of lightning and you're not even doing a whole lot. The last thing I'll mention about this is his Bridging Chi Kung. This type of training alone is worth the price of the Inner Circle because it teaches how to relax in the hip, back and front bridges in a whole new way. Imagine holding the bridge with your arms in different positions that will make you stronger in every portion of your body and doing it only a few minutes a day; the routine lasts about 15 min. at best. Release all that tension in your back, neck, legs and torso as you sail through the day with vigor, internal power and agility unlike anything else.

 

    I like doing hardcore stuff from time to time like sprints, animal exercises, pulling on the chest expander with heavy cables, hit a tire with the Epic Sledgehammer, bend spikes, rip cards/phonebooks all kinds of stuff but I also like to train a little calmer, learn how to internalize my body and expand my energy from the inside. It's fitness on a whole other level and although it's not hardcore and bad-to-the-bone crazy, it's also tough, demanding and takes great concentration on a scale you can't find anywhere else. From walking backwards extremely slowly in 30 minutes to standing and just relaxing the body for several minutes to even sitting in a chair and letting go of the tension in my body by just breathing deeply and using a visualization technique its fitness within a different world that is needed. Do me a favor and sign up for the Matt Furey Inner Circle. At the moment you can get a yearly membership fairly cheap that is less than 10 bucks a month yet you get thousands of dollars' worth of info you can't get anywhere else. This cheap price won't last long because soon he's going to double it. It is one of the most awesome things you can do and it's far cheaper than going to a gym, buying lousy junk food, bottles of booze and even far cheaper than cigarettes that can kill your health far quicker. Be healthy and learn the very guarded secrets that will have you gaining more energy, strength, flexibility, explosiveness, stamina, mental clarity, emotional stability and can even help you in sports like never before.

 

Happy Thor's Day everyone. Be Awesome and get your hands on one of the most helpful resources on the planet.

Strengthen The Spine

    Lately I've had this one spot on the left side of my lower back that's been aggravating me. So far it's only painful when I sit or lay in a certain position but when I train or sit in a natural squat there's no pain whatsoever. So what I can I do to reduce the pain? I'm certainly not taking some kind of meds just temporarily ease the pain and unless I can't walk I'm not going to any doctor. I've decided to train my spine a little more and not just build muscles of the back (got plenty of that already) but want train the bones, the ligaments and make my spine the electric superpower it's meant to be. The spine is our foundation that is connected to the brain which wires all the nerves in the human body. If you have a spine injury, chances are you can be crippled for life or haven't learned the aspects of spinal training.

 

    One of the best ways to train the spine is by Bridging. This can be done in quite a few ways; one is what's known as the wrestler's bridge where you're on your head and feet are on the floor and the objective is to touch your nose to the floor. Another way would be is to go into a bridge where your hands and feet are only touching the floor; this called the Gymnastic Bridge or the Wheel Pose. The most common bridge you see people do is the Hip Bridge where you lay down, lift the hips off the floor and the only parts on the ground are the feet, upper back and shoulders. Bridging is one of the key ingredients to developing a healthy spine that builds that natural curvature and lengthening the torso that helps you lose fat, build muscle and have a strong body overall. In the Gymnastic Bridge you're practically lengthening the entire body and it's also one of the greatest forms of isometrics because it takes a lot of strength to hold the position. In the wrestler's bridge where you're on your neck and stretching everything from the neck down. Some discredit this exercise because it seems dangerous plus you're putting pressure on the neck when in fact the exercise helps increase blood flow to the brain, strengthens the legs and torso for the stabilizing muscles and it's regarded as a great way to get into a euphoric state or a natural high that de-stresses you and brings a calming sense of mental clarity.

 

`    An exercise I've been doing lately that really helps my spine is just hanging on my pull-up bar. By doing this, I'm stretching my entire body from the arms to the legs because just hanging there the flow of the body becomes a whole other realm of electric power within every vertebrae of the spine. This alone builds incredible grip strength, shoulder flexibility, eliminating those "love handles", creates better posture and you're getting a sense of what it's like to a wild ape like an orangutan, gorilla or Chimp. I ought to do this more often and so should you. As we age our spines start to shrink and compress until we are so hunched up that just by moving or straightening feels like a crowbar smacking every part of your body. In order to reverse this, lengthen your spine a few minutes a day and if you have trouble hanging, just do what you can and build up, eventually you'll be so strong you can hang for minutes on end.

 

    Another style of training I've used for my back from the muscles to the spine is doing DDP Yoga. You know I've written about this a few times but it bears repeating. DDP Yoga brings a whole new element to strength and stretching. Bringing the spine into play is the focal point of this because DDP learned how to recover from major back injuries from wrestling all those years ago and to bring that powerful lengthening to build a solid, strong and flexible spine to live without pain. In some of his exercises like the Cobra or the Diamond Cutter, they open up the spine like crazy and when you use Muscle Control as you move throughout the movement you're getting strength and cardio at the same time. Think about it; if you have a healthy spine you have more energy, greater sex drive, be able to flow through your favorite exercises with ease and you get to open up your breathing better. A powerful spine that is relaxed and pain-free creates better awareness and better posture. You're expanding your life force because the nerves in your body are just immensely powerful and it helps your internal organs become stronger which means better hormone levels, youthfulness, recover faster, burning off fat and living well past your prime (hell with a healthy spine you may not even peak beyond your 40's or more you'll just be in superb health).

 

Strengthen that spine everyone and live with happiness, pain-free, love and energetic power. Have a great Tuesday guys. Be awesome.

Benefits Of Animal Training

    The variety of fitness programs is endless. You have your infomercials, developing one-arm chin-ups, the next phase of bodybuilding, getting cardio from the latest trainer hell there's a way to tone your arms with a damn Shake Weight. Why do we get so caught up in all the hype and broken promises of what these programs produce? The truth is, even though there are endless ways to train only an extreme few create the best results and do so in a short amount of time that is healthy, interesting and useful. Animal Exercise is one of those extreme few and here's why; aside from the great benefits you're about to read, it's a style of exercise that can be incorporated into practically any routine, can be used to amplify your conditioning for your sport and it jump starts your cardio in a much more practical way than machines ever could.

 

    Here are a few benefits on why Animal Exercise is so powerful over many other programs….

 

1. It produces greater amount of Natural Growth Hormone:
   

   
    

   Even with the latest injections of steroids and Performance Enhancers, they still can't produce the amount that Animal Exercise produces. The reason why is because when you move your whole body through a plane of motion, you're jump starting what is already natural in your nervous system. Moving like a wild animal for up to 20 minutes fires up the lungs, making you take in more oxygen and throws in powerful endorphins that feeds the blood in your body. Growth Hormone in its natural state produces gains in strength, sexual energy, lung capacity and the ability to recover. It's the compound movements that produce fast results.
   

   
    

2. The Strength Gains become your biggest asset:
   

   
    

   Using multiple muscles in a single exercise produces a great deal of strength especially in the awkward positions animal training gets into. It's not easy moving your bodyweight in such powerful movements. Sure we can't be as strong as a gorilla or a tiger hell nowhere near the strength of a Rhino Beatle but we can adapt and strengthen our bodies in ways that weights and "human" exercise can't touch. Say you can do a few push-ups but it takes a greater amount of strength to push up like a Grasshopper because you have to jump and fire up the muscle fibers even more just to get off the ground. When you move your body in ways that you normally don't move in, your muscles fire to the point where even the smallest fibers in your legs, arms, back and abdominals become generate a huge amount of strength.
   

   
    

3. Short Workouts are essential to your development:
   

   
    

   When you go to the gym, how long does it take you to get there? How long did it take you to get dressed for your workout? How long is your workout? The thing is, the amount of time being put into from these 3 questions alone can be greatly reduced to the point where if you drove to the gym, got dressed and started on your cardio, you could've had a much shorter workout in that amount of time. It is not rocket science to know that if you want to make the most of your day, you can't be training 2-3 hours at a time because for most people it's downright impossible. With training in Animal Exercises, you can get in a great workout in less than 20 minutes without ever having to leave your house or go very far and you don't need to dress up like a fitness model, just sweats, a t-shirt and some comfortable shoes (don't recommend heals or flip flops) or go barefoot your choice. The exercises are very intense and it doesn't even need 20 minutes worth of training, 5 minutes is great if that's all you can do. You can get more done without compromising your home life. Think about it if you're trying to raise a family or have to travel for your job and the only good hour you have to anything is spending time with the people you want to be with or chill out after a long day.
   

   
    

       Getting kids involved is a priority nowadays. In this country, childhood obesity is through the roof and less than a few people are out there doing something about it. It's been said that today as oppose to 30-50 years ago, kids are mostly likely to not even outlive their parents. That is sad, I've been around children all my life from when I was in Daycare till I became practically family to the woman and her family that helped ran it and I've seen a lot of kids come and go but very few if any were obese when she took care of them. We played tag and ran around, play ball in the street, even played hockey in the living room. Most of the time exercise is boring to kids and many P.E teachers just put them through generic types of exercise like a sport or too much running that doesn't really go anywhere. Exercise is supposed to fun, exciting, teaching the value of teamwork and friendly competition without their minds going numb. Animal Training gives kids a chance to not only strengthen and build muscle but increase their level of awareness, bring down aggression and build calmness and relaxed states of mind. It doesn't matter if you're in first grade or in High School, a kid can have a powerful body from both inside and outside. Help each other, make a game out of it and you can even use it to get more out of their sport because the movements strengthen not just the muscles but the tendons and ligaments that can help reduce injury and have greater stamina during the game. Parents, get involved to. A family that trains together, bonds together because you're not just giving your kid a chance to better themselves but building a bigger love as a parent and showing them that when you work as a team and have fun.
   

   
    

   More Benefits Of Animal Training…….
   

   
    

   1. The fun you can make that produces even greater results:
      

      
       

      Most programs are rather boring and generic. When you lose interest, you can't get the results you want and it sometimes can be depressing when you feel like crap after a workout even though you sweated everything out. With Animal Exercises you can make it however you want. One of the best ways to get the most bang for your bucks is making a game out of it. Play tag with your friends, have a race or make a cartoon version of it using your favorite animal characters, sure it looks goofy (pun intended) but who cares, you're getting something out of it. When you are excited to exercise and feel like a million bucks afterwards you're not just creating a strong body but a strong connection to your emotional and mental state of mind.
      

      
       

   2. Being able to adapt that teaches you how to move your body:
      

      
       

      We can't move exactly like a wild animal because we aren't structured like them but we can however, move our bodies that simulates the best we can with our physiology. It's not easy moving in awkward positions yet we can use our bodies that is suitable to our anatomy and move with the best of intentions. Say like moving like an Alligator for example; using our own anatomy we can move in the push-up position by widening our arms and legs to simulate looking like that animal. It's about using your imagination and paying attention to level your body can handle, you may need to start moving slower to get the mechanics down or not just so high. The Frog is a favorite but because of the way my legs are I can't jump very high otherwise it will hurt like hell so I need to adapt and still get great benefit from it. How about practicing moving with less limbs say moving on one leg; if you get injured and can't use that leg your body is still strong enough to move around because you have adapted to that position. How about moving backwards to use muscles from another angle, this puts the body in another phase of strength.
      

      
       

   3. The variety of progressions that gives you a level that can work for you:
      

      
       

      Variety in this manner is a great thing to look at. We may not have the same structure to move in a powerful like someone else can. Some can jump higher, others need to jump low because of how their body is tailored to that aspect of training. The way we use our legs may not be the same, some move great with a much wider stance as oppose to someone who's more comfortable in a more narrow position. It's also important to pay attention to your level of fitness because if you're starting out you may not be able to move as fast as someone with a higher level of speed, tempo or placement of hands and feet as well. I'm very good at moving like a gorilla in a diagonal position but not very good at moving exactly forward as the exercise implies so I adapted to what my body can handle and work well into a greater level of progression. Find what works best for you and look into how you move well and moving in a manner that won't hurt you or your way of training.
      

      
       

   4. There is no isolation involved, just like an animal in the wild:
      

      
       

      The most common theme in fitness is that if you want to get strong, you have to isolate every part of your body in 50 different ways. Unless you're in bodybuilding or in rehab, isolation shouldn't even be a thought. With Animal Exercises you simply can't isolate the muscles because in order to move efficiently, you have to use more than one muscle. Multiple muscle groups are the key for a single exercise because you need more than just the arms or legs to become good at an animal exercise no matter what it is, the stabilizing muscles are involved to protect the lower back from injury and they're also used in how you balance in a specific movement or series of movements. A gorilla doesn't curl or bench press, he's climbing, walking/running on his hands and use his mighty hands to hold onto a vine in order to keep from falling out of a tree. A bird that flies doesn't do dumbbell flys or do shoulder raises; he moves his wings to reach high altitudes and holds them in position to glide and soar around the sky. Move with efficiency using the muscles needed to move.
      

      
       

          Hope you got enough to go on to understand that it's not just a program of different exercises but it's a program that brings excitement, logical variety to use the muscles the way they were meant to. Having fun and getting a kick out of making the most of your body without spending a whole mess of useless time. Build greater endurance and strength in the shortest time possible and building an awareness that you can't get from other forms of fitness and you can do them just about anywhere with no equipment and without needing to go to a machine infested gym. You can kick ass with intensity, sweat and doing it without breaking a smile. Play into them and find the right progression that you can build on to take you to the next level.
      

      
       

          Be awesome guys and welcome to a new week.
      

   
    

   
    

Animal Training To Burn Off Steam

    There are at times where we can be so hyper and we can't sit still that we need to move. It may not always be because we drank a highly caffeinated coffee or soda but it's our nature to not always just sit around all the time. Don't you find it odd that after sitting most of the day that once you get up you need to move around a while and feel tense and aggravated? I get really fidgety sometimes and my body is trying to tell me "Get up dumbass and move." Now there is thing called restless leg syndrome (which I think of one of the symptoms is breaking out in the river dance) so how do you get a hold on that and relax the muscles? I'd say if you need to move or blow off steam for whatever reason (hopefully not when you're at work or in the bathroom) than go do some animal exercises and just do what you need to do until you are completely wiped out.

 

    Even if we are not hyper and fidgety, we sometimes get angry or frustrated and we need to find a way to blow off steam that way. Here is another reason to do animal exercises, it shows when you move your body in awkward positions at a pretty decent clip it unleashes endorphins that distress the body and after exhausting yourself, in your mind you forget what you were mad at and you're too damn tired to be mad. Anger is an emotion and frustration is the feeling of that emotion. It doesn't matter why you're angry all that matters is you need to chill out. Do some deep breathing because when you get angry, you become shallow and you tense up and you're losing command of your inner power. It isn't not natural to be angry but you shouldn't hold it in or let it out too much otherwise you're losing what can be beautiful and loving from another point of view and letting go of the attachment. I get that way sometimes (actually often) because there are certain people who just piss me off and I feel hurt even though I need to learn that I should accept that's the type of people they are and not be attached to them hurting me, it's not an easy process (30 years of learning) but it helps me train to get my anger out of my system.

 

    One of the most difficult things in life is getting kids to behave and calm down when they want to run around and get into things or want to play more than they should. That's the problem with kids today, they don't get enough time to just run around and have fun when all they do is sit in a classroom. Also that's also one of the reasons why obesity has become the modern day plague in our country because they make kids not have enough time to exercise and they're taking away things that could actually keep them chilled out while in the classroom. They're taking down Jungle Gyms and the Monkey (Ape) Bars because of whatever reasons and I understand you don't want a child to get hurt. Hell in some country (maybe even our own) they're banning cartwheels because it's deemed too dangerous, give me a break. Before you know it they're going to ban walking because it's too dangerous and a kid can lose his leg or some ridiculous nonsense. If you want a healthy child than you got to let them move around and do it without making it a punishment. In Wild Animal Fitness For Kids it teaches how to structure a kid's exercise program that makes it fun and interesting for all ages and it even teaches not only individuality but also teamwork and friendly competition that is safe, beneficial and can even help your kid be smarter because of how it hits the brain when they exercise. I realize I'm not a parent or a teacher so I shouldn't be telling you how to raise your kid however, I've been around kids my entire life from all ages and have seen plenty of things to know that a kid wants to move and find things interesting to enable their imagination.

 

    When we blow off steam, or burn the energy, we relax and mellow out. It's those endorphins that kick in and taking care of the body and channel our levels of stress. With animal exercise, you are moving with your entire body not just parts like isolating muscles but every muscle in the body. When you use most of the muscles, you're gaining more muscle, burning off fat, jump start your metabolism and increasing growth hormones that aid you in staying young and keeping you recovered. For both adults and kids this is essential to making your body a machine that can go and have a positive impact on your muscular system and your central nervous system. One of things I love to do with animal exercises is playing a game where you roll a 20 sided dice and playing around with whatever animal comes up whether it be a bear, frog, ape, bird or whatever and just play around with it till it's time for me to stop. When it's over, I'm more relaxed, calmer, happier and at times hungrier than a bear in spring time but that's a good thing because food is fuel (depending on what you eat). Have fun and play while moving like a Wild Animal because it is not just a way to get super fit and strong but it can help you let go of the unwanted tension you have in your body and help you put more spring in your step so do speak.

 

 

Happy Friday everyone and get the animal fitness courses I've mentioned in this article because nothing gets you fit as fast that is fun and awesome to play with. When you move like an animal, it's not a workout, it's an adventure. Be awesome and have a wonderful weekend.