One of the most important concepts in training is the execution of exercise. How you go about each movement determines what type of results your going to get. Just because you complete or go through a movement doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get the same result as another person.

 

This all has to do with learning the art of dying in the weight room, which becomes the proper use and activation of muscle. There are many people that seem to have the ripped six pack abs and jacked physique, but how do they get it? Do we truly have to become defeated many times over to become great? Do we often times think too much which allows for a negative response instead of a positive one?

 

Thinking too much as well is thinking to little prior to lifting a weight could be the cause of this plus poor loco-motor skills to begin with are something to take into consideration. But how do we fix this problem so that we can take advantage of muscle development in the shortest amount of time possible?

 

There is little if anything that we can do about a persons genetic predisposition so I’m only going to say that  we are all born with certain gifts and some people find that it’s easier to put on muscle than others. I personally am a hard gainer, meaning that I have to work extra hard when it comes to putting on muscle mass and getting strong, but if I can battle through it you can as well.

 

I’ve worked with the iron since I was a 6th grader and always wondered how I could develop strength, size, and power. I mostly wanted this power so I could do better in everything. I wasn’t the most popular kid around and often got picked on for some reason, but all that changed as soon as I started hitting the weight room. It took hours and hours for my mind to wrap around how to pick up a weight and work it in a way so that I could benefit. Nothing seemed to work for the longest time until I was a sophomore in high school.

 

Yep! It took me that long before I was able to see anything develop. As soon as I started to win in sports I knew that my constant battle in the gym payed off. Something that I kept doing wrong for the longest time was going through the motions of movement without actually thinking about what I was working and why. It was almost as if I had to go internal before anything happened externally and it may be just what YOU need to do to get the results your looking for.

 

This video sums up what I’m talking about! Don’t try too hard and learn to FEEL what you’re doing. Pay particular attention to the last part of the video and learn the “art of dying”.

 

With this in mind let’s take a look at some other videos where we can try to channel that concept. One thing that I constantly think about is that we often times must die doing what we’re doing in order to become better and only then will we be successful.

 

How many times do you catch yourself wanting something so badly that you fail to understand that getting what you’re seeking must be earned. Many times I catch myself thinking the same thing then have to check and become humble once again for more and better practice. Our world has taught us that we should be able to get what we want in a blink of an eye then when we get it we don’t want it anymore. Let yourself be destroyed. You will then find the true meaning behind what you were looking for.

Whats easy isn’t appreciated, but what took repetition, practice, and constant focus is valued. Michael Jordan has shown what he was able to do through his failures.

Only when we die to ourselves do we understand how to get what we want. If being overweight is your problem you won’t be there for long if you learn the art of dying. To sum this up it’s the point where you have had so much pain that going any lower is no option so you rise. At that point weight falls off and muscles  form.

What we tend to think about we abhor and eventually become. So what in the world does this have to do with recovery? Everything! Have you ever been so sore that it seems like you’re injured and wonder if you actually are? Chances are that you have overworked yourself and now are suffering the consequences.

In training there’s a time to absolutely dominate your workout as I like to call killmode, but sometimes this can be too much for some so rehabilitation and recovery is needed. I rehab constantly with the workouts we do! Every single day I’m rolling or stretching something. So here are some things to keep in mind before you return to the battlefield.

 

My Top 5 Recovery Secrets:

 

5. Too much work - Make sure that you’re not doing too much too soon. There are numerous times where I see too much work with not enough strength built. Lay down the foundation of strength first then go hostile later. If you don’t jack yourself up to begin with, you won’t have to worry too much about rehab so watch the load.

How?

Progress your weights slowly so your body has a chance to catch up. Many systems are stressed when you start lifting so make sure to regress when needed. You will go farther in the end compared to the person who tries to muscle hundreds of pounds of weight around with horrible form. Don’t be that guy!

 

4. Cool down - One of the best things you can do for yourself is to go through a cool down after a workout. Think of this as putting things back into place. Your wanting the body heal as fast as possible before your next training session, so be sure to roll out and stretch if need be.

Any movement that the human body does requires energy. This energy usage causes a byproduct. That byproduct is lactic acid production which shuts down muscle tissue. You feel this when your muscles burn during a workout. The idea is to flush this stuff out so that’s why it’s important to roll out and stretch after. Shoot get a massage if you want to, that would be even better.

 

3. Supplements- There are many supplements on the market so be careful when it comes to picking this stuff. Some sups have been found with traces of arsenic and other harmful chemicals so pay close attention.

 

I use a branch chain amino acids as part of my recovery with hydration pre and post workout. There are times when I feel great and others where I’m not sure if I even benefit from them, but I experiment constantly so we’ll see in time. The best supplement out there is real food that you can pick straight from the ground so you can never go wrong with that approach.

 

2. Food- what type of food products you choose to put into your mouth has a dramatic effect on your well being and recovery. When training you need to replace your muscles with excellent sources of food. Not too long ago I had an athlete tell me that he was going to grab a burger after his workout! He was serious and I damn near fell on the floor. After all the training and info I gave to this guy he goes and says that. I fixed him up though. He’s good!

 

For a full break down on what to look for just check out my food rations list. This will give you the main idea on what to look for while training. Getting in shape is easy. The hard part is thinking that way. Many people self sabotage themselves into believing they can’t do it because their current success is minimal. Keep trying and never quit!

 

1. Stress- This is the number one killer when trying to recover and is often overlooked. It’s overlooked because you don’t know you’re doing it to yourself. I’m not talking about the good stress either. Whenever you have any form of physical or mental pain you are having stressors.  As humans we should seriously not have anyof it, but the real deal is that many choose to focus on what’s going wrong instead of going right. It takes no more effort to choose to feel powerful and strong than it does to feel inferior and weak.

 

Try it!

 

Right now you can think of strong and powerful thoughts as well as weak one’s. We must limit all negative beliefs about ourselves and only focus on what we want to become. It won’t happen overnight, but in time it will. If done right you could have the body of your dreams. You can become stronger in all aspects! You can do just damn near anything you want to do if your willing to pay the price. It starts within the mind and then seeks expression outward.

 

Mental and physical work are both one in the same and not one without the other. The more mentally strong you are the better work you can get done. If you’re stressed or frustrated it’s an indication that we need to refocus the mind on the task at hand. Keep your mind on your work (training) and get strong like kong. Remove all crabs (people who bring you down) and move toward the good stuff. Watch for the too much too soon method of heavy lifting and keep in mind your cool down, supplements, food intake and most important your stress levels for optimal recovery.

 

These recovery secrets will get you back on track in no time. One way of knowing when to implement them can be the difference between having huge strength gains in the gym and getting hurt and run down. Listen to your body and use these recovery secrets when needed. Remember the number one recovery secret and how to over come it.

 

Who’s kicking ace and taking names right now? Who really wants to have a great life? Who wants to be the best version of themselves?

 

Speak up with thoughts or comments!

 

Your time is NOW!

 

 

 

One thing that I have grown up around all my life is tough minded people. I am blessed and lucky…..Thank You! Many ranchers and farmers are all working toward the same goal, to make a living. I was always told to toughen up when I would complain about not wanting to work. Little did I realize that some of the work that had to be done would carry over into sports and in life in general.

 

If you are a high school athlete, you know that minimal work will get you kicked off of the team. You also know that to make it to the next level, it requires twice the work it did in high school.

 

Fortunately for me, I was able to develop a side of that mental toughness component that would take me from the cows and horses of Wyoming to a division 1 national power house football program in Nebraska.

How?

Before my sports career had started, I had always wanted to be a part of a big time sports program. It was with one specific university though, not just any. Every day I would wake up thinking about what I had to do to get there! What was it going to take? I would think about these things while I was doing small chores that were assigned to me from time to time. I would not only think about what it might take, but I would visualize it as well.

I would see it in my mind until it became my reality. This didn’t happen overnight, but took time. It took seven years before I hit my goal. This world is filled with instant gratification.

 

When people don’t get what they want the second they want it, they quit. There’s no work ethic, no patience, and no mental toughness. What happened to the real men and women that built this country with their bare hands? Why are we over weight as a society? Why in the hell don’t people want to work for anything anymore?

 

Belief!

 

Some don’t believe they can, so they won’t, and they are right. Whatever we continue to tell ourselves is what we will be. If you think you are weak, you are. If you don’t think you can do anything about it, you can’t. Not until we change our internal representation of how we think of ourselves, will we ever change. Its daily unforced mental ideas, thoughts, and actions that will lead you to success. This mental process has to be done daily or the power behind what you want to do will be decreased.

 

I want to become the best athlete I can be, but how do I do this? It’s not enough to tell someone that they need to work out. It’s not enough to tell someone that they need to eat better to perform better. If you are not getting the results you want, you have not failed enough. Only when we fail do we figure out what it takes to succeed. The failure is the seed to success!

 

My weed out rate in the gym is high. Why? People are not mentally tough enough to figure out that it is because of THEIR weaknesses they are quitters. Many are too lazy, not strong enough (mentally), excuse makers. Only if they were to realize that by failing they are succeeding, would they make the decision to become better. This would create enough momentum for them to become unstoppable IN TIME.

 

If you want to get somewhere good, you have to work at it. It has taken me thousands of hours in the gym to get stronger and more developed. I’m not the biggest, baddest mo fo on the planet, but I can move when I need to move and get things done when they need to be done. I don’t have to worry about taking breaks to catch my breath or about not having enough strength to complete a task; which feels awesome. And as a bonus, if the suns out, the guns are out! Every Friday and possibly into the weekends, is suns out, guns out day. We work hard in the gym so enjoy it while you can because gravity will eventually win us all over.

 

That’s trained tuff with some armed and equipped action on ya.

 

Phase 4 kill mode!

Your mind is the most powerful tool on the planet! I often marvel over the idea of how powerful the mind can be when it comes to doing anything. In our case we’re here to develop and learn how to control the body and mind as a unit to get certain tasks done so we can perform better.

I use strength training tools to help develop that process and so should you. It is said that we only use around 10 – 15% of our brains. Just imagine what we would be able to do if we could use 100% of it. 

 

Someday maybe!

 

For now I want to climb inside the mind a little bit and take a brief look at how things go down while training. You often times hear or are around people who are trying to loose as much body fat as possible plus add muscle mass, but few realize that in order to do so there must be sacrifices.

 

You cannot and never will be able to add large amounts of muscle mass if you keep thinking about being wimpy and weak. There comes a time where you must rise and make a decision on what you want to do and become or forever be stuck in the same rut. This goes along the same lines as relationships. I’m no relationship expert, but if you’re a guy and just lost your girl, it will take you far longer to get over her if you keep crying about it. Toughen up and move on!

 

BE A MAN!

 

My point being is that you have to focus on what you want in order to get what you want. There was a time in my life where I was trying so hard to get stronger and be faster that my results weren’t coming fast enough. I was pissed and couldn’t figure out what I had to do to get bigger and stronger. I ended up meeting a college football player back at the U of WYO who was HUGE!

 

He caused me to elevate my game so high that I had no other choice , but to put on some lbs. I hung around him often as we became good friends!

 

It’s a known fact that if you hang around drug dealers you’ll eventually become one so pick your people wisely as they often dictate what you do and where you go in your life. Critical! It’s said that whatever you think about you become!

 

It’s tough to get strong if you don’t think about the weight room. Many people like to workout, but there are only some that see true long lasting results from continued effort and an increase of intensity in the gym.

 

 

 

Training is a hell of lot of hard WORK period! Use your mind and overcome all obstacles. When the work needs to be done get in there and make it happen. You can’t expect yourself to have any changes if you don’t go through some discomfort. If you puke don’t worry it’s only weakness trying to flee from you. To me it’s just a sign that you’re coming along nicely and in a matter of weeks to months you will be a new man.

 

Get jacked!

 

Yes there will be people around you that tell you otherwise. They will laugh and try to pull you down, but quietly walk the other way.

 

I don’t give a rip about them and neither should you!

Ahhh yeah, here we go and once again it’s on!

Back when I was a lot younger (like any young kid) I used to watch in amazement all the high octane athletes doing there thing when it cam to game time. Sports from track and field to football and even hockey. Track and Field was my go to sport as sprinting seemed to come naturally and felt great. To this day sprinting is one of my favorite of all time things to do.

 

There’s something about a well built powerful athlete that is jaw dropping! Not everyone can be one so maybe that’s what makes it that much more impressive to watch. From people like Lolo Jones, one of my favorite track and field athletes, to Evander Holyfield, these people are amazing at what they can do.

From a young age I made it my mission to try my hardest to develop the raw explosive power that a lot of these athletes had. I wanted to know what made a human being move the way they did.

To develop speed one must know that you have to train fast to be fast. In other words I figured out through some coaching that all I had to do was move fast and all would be good right?

This is true, but a lot of what athletes are able to do are god given talents, so work with what you’ve got and train explosively! Do what you can do and give it everything you got.

 

 

My Top 10 Power Movements

One of my favorite lifts of all time has to be the hang clean! I first learned about this movement in high school, but was taught at the U of Nebraska in Lincoln. If you want to develop power this is the one to use. It’s a multi joint lift that will hit every muscle in the human body. It develops explosive power in the hips and legs.

 

 

Before working with the clean you will want to feel how the bar should be moved accordingly to maximize your full potential for increasing power. This is why I always hit a few sets of full pulls beforehand. It teaches you to move the bar off the ground properly as well as to engage the hips through a full range of motion followed by elevating yourself upward and beyond.

 

Following after the clean I love doing power presses. There is some talk about how lifting overhead causes problems of the shoulder girdle and spine area, but not here. I lift things over my head frequently. Use common sense if you have shoulder problems and regress your movements to body weight. Those who do this movement can expect to increase power in the hips and legs as well as strengthen the knees, ankles and wrist while pressing over head.

 

 

A very easy lift to start out on before the complex barbell lifts is to take a look at a dumbbell snatches. This movement has worked wonders for shoulder stabilization and explosiveness. If you don’t have access to a barbell a variety of these guys with various rep schemes and weights are great.

If you want to increase your vertical, practicing how to jump using a box is golden. This movement will develop tremendous power through the hips and legs as well plus teach the athlete how to control his/her body-weight while landing. It’s critically important that you do not let your knees buckle upon landing. Land soft as a feather!

Learning how to jump will directly carry over to your sprinting. During the warmer months, hitting sprints is my go to power move. This one is a calorie incinerator and will work all muscles in the human body. Its violent action requires many muscles to be recruited upon execution. Sprinting should be approached with caution with a lengthy warm up routine. Pulling muscles in not fun so make sure to warm up before hand.

Before you begin any exercise program check to see where you’re at on your body-weight movements because this next power move will work wonders for the lower body IF you can squat with your body weight first. Squat jumps are awesome for hip and leg power development and much safer than a loaded barbell if you’re new to lifting. Repetitions anywhere from 5 to 10, but no more than 10 work good for me.

From the squat jump to alternate lunge jumping we go! Most times I will superset these two movements either to turn the CNS on before a heavier lift or work explosiveness in the top portion of my workout. I always start with a power movement followed by a lower body movement and beyond. You can even work laterally with these guys to train another angle which I’m a huge fan of.

Broad jumps will also fall into the category of power body-weight movements. Every warm up these guys get hit followed by skips for height and distance. It’s vitally important that we work athleticism constantly in everything we do including our warm-up selection. It’s all planned for a specific purpose and that is to build a powerful individual.

When you need to rely on your strength and power to get a task done it’s available to you, but if you don’t train for it you will never have that extra boost or hop in your step. Training with a focus on becoming more powerful is the spinach that Popeye eats when he’s ready to go! It’s the color green that the hulk turns into when you make him angry and it’s the domination of your competitors that makes them fear you.

 

 

 

 

 

They say as a navy seal enters week 4 of phase one called, ” Hell Week” it is meant to weed out who’s got it and who doesn’t.

 

Strength training in 95% mental as your mind will often times get the better of you and ask if you wanna quit? This thought can become your reality quickly if you don’t override it.

 

This month at the gym is dubbed phase 4 kill mode for those who are ready to attack their workouts and put the finishing touches on all the hard work from winter conditioning.

 

Those who have trained throughout the winter are now reaping the benefits that the spring and summer now offer.

 

It’s a year long process to get to this point!

 

Training the spirit, mind and body is a daily cleansing process  that a person should go through year round to maintain balance.

 

Any negative feeling during this process is no good and is keeping you from achieving great results in the gym and life.

 

Phase 4 kill mode is designed to take all limiting beliefs and crush them!

 

Building strength, athleticism as well as adding muscle mass are the goals.

 

Suns out guns out

 

Phase 4 kill mode has to do with a lot of outdoor training. After being inside all winter your body is lacking from a very important vitamin.

 

Vitamin D!

 

Research shows that vitamin D from the sun stimulates certain hormones in your body that allow the body to function properly. This vitamin also can cause a decrease in cancer.

 

Your skin is the primary source of absorption when getting vitamin d from the sun. Watch the sunblock and lotions you put on as they have a tendency to block absorption rates.

 

Too much is no good as we all know from sun burn. Balance is the key wile in phase 4 kill mode so it’s always smart to use common sense with the sun.

 

Blood warmed from the sun also gives you tremendous mobility compared to training in the cold. The more mobile you are the more range of motion you will have.

 

Athletes will perform better and have better gains in moderate to warm weather which is why I choose to get outside as soon as possible. The warmer weather does wonders for the body.

 

 

It’s only natural for your body to constrict during the colder months, but during the warmer you actually do whats called vasodilatation and become open to perform more efficiently which will give you better results in theory.

 

If you think about it the planet and all the living things in it work the same way. Constrict during the winter and open up during the spring.

 

 

Training outside also gives you freedom to move in all angles of motion as well as breath in the fresh air. Critical!

 

Phase 4 kill mode

 

Digging a little deeper into the actual training methods and workout sessions that are done this month it’s important to always focus on what you visually want to get out of your workouts before you start them.

 

They say that a solider will rehearse how to move through the chaos of war in training!

 

The same goes when going through battle in the gym. Staying on point and focused is the key. Keep your mind on the outcome and stay away from getting side tracked by what may be going on around you.

 

It is said that great performers have a way of looking through a tough situation and seeing the outcome regardless of what lies before you.

 

The iron will humble you, but stay on point with you’re training and keep moving forward. Mental toughness is built by doing whats hard! You’re working against resistance so it’s supposed to be tough.

 

 

If you see a few exercises that you want to try give them a whirl. Start with light weights until you feel confident in your abilities then move up a little.

 

During this workout I used dumbbells, chains, bodyweight movements and my trusty tire for conditioning near the end of the workout. A lot of drags in phase 4 kill mode!

 

Weapons Of Mass Construction 

 

 

 

We have arrived into an age where more and more people will start to understand that the primary weapon system (as what I like to call it) will change a person forever.

 

• Primary Weapons list

 

• Secondary weapons list

 

• Special

 

 

I’ve learned to use these systems over time with an implantation into the weight room!

 

There was a time before the understanding of this system that training was different. I felt burnt out  and unmotivated.

 

The mind is a powerful weapon!

 

Combine all three and become unstoppable.

 

Ok, the truth about training abs is to not train them directly! There are times you will want to, but the purpose of this post is to focus your attention to how training like an athlete will get you a strong stomach.

 

Back in the Wyo I used to split wood for an abdominal workout. The heavier the ax the better the workout, but it’s likely that you don’t have any wood or an axe lying around so that may be a little difficult.

 

What can we do?

 

What you do have though is a variety of different opportunities for movement that can work wonders on your gut. I’m not talking about sit down movements that seem to work your core because they look neat and nifty, but real functional movements that challenge the entire kinetic chain.

 

One of the best ways to keep in shape is train like an athlete!

 

In my eyes athletes have the best all around body structure on the planet. They may not be the most ripped or have the lowest body fat percentage compared to bodybuilders, but they do have an extremely well balanced physique.

 

Multi-joint movements are king when it comes to training! The more you do of them the better off you’ll be.

 

These movements require you to use the body as one instead of isolating muscle groups as in machine lifting. It’s okay to do this sometimes, but to focus on it will take you further away from your goal of having this type of physique. Stick to the basics!

 

The basics:

 

• Train explosively not slow

• Sprint

• Do a variety of activities

• Get out of the globo big box gym

• Train many angles especially the weak ones

• Eat well

• Watch the beer intake

 

 

 

 

What Can Be Done – Solution # 1

 

Today there is way too much emphasis being put on the supplement companies and how they have the next best protein powder to get you where you want to go. Eat a well balanced meal and staying active is the best way to achieve optimal performance.

 

If it’s not broke, don’t try and fix anything, but if it is broke you may want to get on that asap.

 

Instead of one angle look at many! This is exactly why I train with a variety of odd objects and switch up my training frequently. There are times when working with weights does the trick and there are times when the track and field needs some lap time.

 

The human body is designed to move in a variety of different movement patterns so be sure to train your weakest one.

 

For example, if you’re slow, train to be faster. If you lift heavy, lighten the load and become more agile and flexible. If I were a betting man I would bet that most of the people that lift heavy are not mobile.

 

They’re strong yes, but what good is all that strength if you can’t use it effectively. A well rounded athlete would punish a “just strong individual” because the athlete has strengthened multiple movement patterns not just one.

 

 

Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable – Solution # 2

 

In order to grow more often times than not we are put into situations that make us feel uncomfortable. If you feel like this in any situation it’s probably a good thing. It means advancement and growth are about to happen.

 

Again, too many people are stuck in a gym thinking that weight lifting is the answer to get in shape. They’re stuck because it’s all they know or are good at. It’s in their daily routine, but break that habit and get outside and do something different.

 

Have a de-load week and do something not related to lifting. Instead try riding your bike, track and field work, swimming, rock climbing, white water rafting or whatever you desire, just do something new during your de-load week.

 

What’s a de-load week? Either the third or fourth week of a training cycle should be used as a regression from a weight training week. It helps repair and strengthen the body and also prevents over training. Muscle can’t develop if it keeps getting torn down.

 

In my last email I talked about sprinting into water and how that used to be awesome to do. It was a great leg workout and de-loaded my CNS (central nervous system) from the weights. Believe it or not, but my obliques were rocked from driving my knees against the water. I’m sure my dogs were rocked too as we would transition from the sand to the water 10 to 15 different times before we would take a break.

 

 

Train With A Purpose – Solution # 3

 

Lately I’ve picked up on too many people giving up in the gym or with their goals. They’re quick to change and usually go from one thing to another; trying the latest fad diet or fancy piece of workout equipment.

 

They believe that the next colorful crazy machine will shed the pounds with minimal work and effort.

 

Nope, train to dominate, period!

 

Be ferocious with your training, but channel your energy and use common sense. Training to dominate is just another way of saying, “Train explosively!” Being ferocious and dominating your workouts under control is the key to burning a boat load of calories and decreasing body fat.

 

If you train with minimal effort and lack power in your workouts you fail and so will your results. If you want a stronger stomach or a decrease in body fat you will have to put some effort into your training.

 

This is what I talk about by getting equipped and armed in your workouts!

 

Use your body as whole instead of pieces in a puzzle. This is the mistake many people make when working out. They become disproportionate and unbalanced. You often times will see people with huge upper bodies and toothpick legs. All show no go!

 

If you want your stomach to show, sprint! Always beforehand you will want to warm up prior to running. You’re likely to pull a muscle if your body’s not equipped for this kind of punishment. Be smart and use your head on this one. Build up to it!

 

On Eating – Solution # 4

 

You’re really lost if you can’t get this down. For me, when someone is training like crazy and then going out to eat afterward is like saying, I’m going to build a fire using snow.”

 

Huh?

 

Yeah! Your thinking what I’m thinking, Not gonna happen! The hardest thing for people to do is to commit to an eating schedule that supplies the body with all the good stuff. Here’s a quick tip, only eat the foods that you have access on the outside of the store and stay away from the middle. The middle of the store is where all the junk is.

 

That is clear as I can make it for most people that have a hard time understanding how to feed their bodies! if you can do this and make a habit out of it there is no doubt that in time you will become a champion with a rock solid abdominal area and a champions attitude.

 

 

 

 

What a great time back in California this last weekend! The few short days I was there ended up being pretty awesome. My biz partner Travis and I hit up a local gym in the area called strong 101 to hit a workout. We met these guys a few years back and stayed in touch ever since. There’s something about like minded people and the connection we make. Were always training anywhere, anytime!

 

The temperature was around 80 degrees Celsius or 176 degrees Fahrenheit for all you guys that read temps another way. I love training with people that train on the level you do.

 

There’s something about how it adds fuel to the atmosphere and cause extreme workouts. I would strongly encourage anyone reading this to make sure they have a good workout atmosphere and people to train with. Critical!

 

I wasn’t sure what these guys had in store for us as roomer has it they wanted to punish a couple of mid-west boys on the west coast. I think we handled it pretty well considering being out of my comfort zone and not in the gym back in Nebraska, but as I always say, “you’ve got to be ready for anything at anytime, anyplace no exceptions!”

 

 

 

Entering a hostile environment with new surroundings causes your senses and spacial awareness to rise. Your natural flight or fight response kicks in and then it’s game time.

 

The music is jumping and the blood is flowing like crazy with all the chaos. Get in there and tear one of those workouts up! You’ll enjoy the huge benefits this style of training gives you plus the carry over is awesome when it comes to doing normal day to day activities.

 

What happens when all hell breaks loose and you need to tap into your strength?

 

I don’t know about you, but I want to be able to easily maneuver around any task that’s thrown my way no matter what the situation. Let the instincts take over and roll out! I never want to be taken out by circumstance, but to control and conquer it is how I roll and you should to. This day in age requires extreme mental toughness and the will to keep going when the going get tough. If you train in tough and rough environments you’ll be that way, period!

 

What a great weapon to add to your arsenal. Just make sure you know how to shut it off when you need to. Most people don’t understand the weapon you have acquired through training. Just keep it between us and all is good, let the others wonder why and how!

 

Speaking of weapons, It’s a great idea to start slow with this type of training. The classic dumbbell curls and tricep extension mean nothing when your working with full body exercises. If you think about it, when do you ever do isolate bicep curls at any point during real human movements such as mowing the lawn, riding a bike, canoeing, jumping over a fence? The point is not to isolate, but to work as a whole to strengthen as a whole.

 

The kettle bell swing attacks the weakest part of the human body on most people. If you’ve guessed the back side you’re right. It’s said that people are sitting down 9.3 hours per day which can lead to an increase in death by 40%. Holy hell that’s way too high so make sure to incorporate these bad boys if you can.

 

If you can’t, any pulling or extension movement will help you balance the body which increases range of motion. This will ultimately give you balance and good posture. Kill it!

 

Remember to focus on the back side, many people don’t and are hurt because of it!

 

 

Get Armed & Equipped!

 

PS – Drop a comment or two and let me know your thoughtson training and how you’re preparing to do battle, I want to know!

PPS – Always Remember to hit a good warmup before training!

 

So there’s a lot going on with a possible war on the horizon as I stated the other day in an email. I have no idea whats going to happen, but I’m not going to sit around here and worry about it either. The best part about all this is that your going to be prepared just by learning to keep mentally strong in crazy times like these.

 

I briefly discussed that your agility level and strength could possibly save your life someday. This is a fact, as I’ve come to rely upon my strength training to get me out of sticky situations. With all this talk with Iran and Afghanistan and 2012 we need to be prepared. The people who live in big cities and who may not know how to survive need to be prepared.

 

It would benefit you to check your health and fitness strengths and weaknesses to see if your equipped enough to handle high stress situations. How long can you last during a long distance run? Can you do many body-weight movements – Pull ups, push-ups, squats, sit ups? I would hate to be one of those people who can’t move very well and get caught up in the mix of chaos.

 

Sometimes this can be genetic, but I hate giving that as an excuse with many not being able to move correctly. As a human being we we’re made to move and create things, not sit on a couch and eat bon-bons all day long watching re runs of our favorite t.v. shows. While Americans are getting weak the enemy is plotting there next move. A cat ready to pounce on a mouse!

 

Not this guy and hopefully not you!

 

First things first. Go to this link and do these movements! Get damn good at em and you’ll be way ahead of a lot of people who can’t move properly. After we’ve concurred these routines, lets get into some strength training so we can rebuild the body. Oh and and just in case you missed that guac recipe, here it is.

Guac dip:

1a) Tomato

1b) Avocado

1c) Onion

1d) Lemon Juice

1e) Homemade or Jacks Special Salsa

1f) Pepper

 

Nutrition is huge and needs to be constantly focused on. Many people slip on this and find themselves gaining excess body weight which slows you down. Remember if we’re trying to move quickly or get away from something, we can’t have too much extra body fat on our frame. It’s better to be light and maneuverable. If you have trouble with good eating, focus on it more so that you are constantly visualizing in your mind what you need to eat to nourish your body. Feel it and be strong! It’ll come…  it just takes time.

 

With all the stuff going on in Iran and in our planet, we need to be prepared. What happens when our supply for oil is cut off and gas goes up to ten bucks a gallon? I’m not saying that will happen, but it’s looking more and more that it may. We need to be ready to move on a moments notice when all hell breaks loose. Feed your body with all the good nutrition and be a machine. You’ll be ten times better off!

Speaking of all this stuff going on, there was a 4.0 earth quake in northern California the other day and they say a 7.0 is likely to happen from now until April. I’m relaying this information to you so your prepared. Furthermore, I’m heading out to California to do some training. I’ll have some updated information for you as soon as I get back, but for now stay strong.

Armed & Equipped

****Joe****

PS. The last couple of months I’ve been hitting the gym extra hard in preparation for this trip. I want to make sure I’m good to go with all the strength training and excellent eating I’ve been focused on, but more on that later.

 

 

A couple of days ago I was reading a friend of mines blog post about keeping it basic with your training and I couldn’t agree with him more. I’m sure many people out there are still training multiple hours in the gym with many  exercises per muscle group.

 

I used to train the same way because I thought more was better at the time, but later learned that it was doing nothing but hindering my progress.

 

It wasn’t until I got hurt when I started to listen to the body instead of doing what I wanted to do. Maybe this post will help you make that turn so that you can avoid the mistakes I’ve learned from. I would like to share four focus points I’ve always believed in.

 

Eating

 

Eating is the most important focal point when training. I say this because what you put in your body is what you get out of it. I’ve always hear sayings like, “eat like crap and you’ll be crap.” It’s true and you can’t have one thing without the sacrifice of another. Many people want to have their cake and eat it too. This is something that can’t happen if you want to have a great physique.

Do you eat for taste and fun or do you eat for performance and survival? Most of my nutritional habits are extremely boring, but I feel strong, and have large amounts of energy throughout the day. My sacrifice is giving up the feeling of comfort and fatty foods for performance gains and longevity of health. It’s a lifestyle and some will do it some will not. Keep it black and white and eat clean or gain unwanted weight and eat foods that are bad for you.

 

Lifting

 

Workout at least three days per week moving explosively. A huge pet peeve of mine is when I observe slow movements. Train slow and be slow. Train fast with controlled movements and you will be deadly.

 

Some of the best movements you can do are deadlifts, squats, cleans, sprints etc. I pick these movements because they hit large muscle groups at the same time do a couple other things for you.

1) They save large amounts of time for you so you can get in and out of the gym.

2) Allow activation of many muscles in one movement instead of training multiple parts of the body.

3) There are also many scientific benefits that I won’t dig deep into now, but save that for another time.

 

Sprinting

 

I used to be a sprinter in college. When the season would start I would loose large amounts of body fat. The stuff would fall off me so fast that I had to eat around the clock. My metabolism would go INSANE which was awesome, but eating became a job it seemed. The idea to understand is that sprinting burns large amounts of calories so if your trying to have a lean body —sprint.

Try this:

1) 5 – 10, 100 meter sprints with the walk back to the starting line being your rest interval

It’s important that you don’t go out and rip out ten sprints in a row, you’ll likely pull a muscle so make sure you build yourself up to it and get a really good warm up in. I’ve seen guys sprint without warming up and pull hamstrings. Not good make sure you hit those warmups.

 

Rest

 

After all this woking out and eating healthy your body’s going to need to repair everything you’ve been doing to it. Rest is needed for the repair of the working muscles of the body. If you avoid this you will get hurt. Many people choose to not stretch, roll out etc after workouts. I was there at one time with the more is better routine, but I assure you injuries will creep up.

Repetitive movements cause wear and tear in the body!

Sometimes I’ve taken a week off from training and come back very strong. Depending how you feel you may need to deload or take a week off of training. Don’t be afraid to do this if you feel it’s necessary. You’ll come back strong!

 

There’s something to be said about living to train another day! It makes no sense in trying to impress someone or lifting a ton of weight to feel more of a man or woman in any case. It’s about health and fitness not just strength.

Always good to remember!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Armed and Equipped

****Joe****