Category Archives: General Discussion

Sometimes our genius defies the laws of finite categorization.

The Effective to Efficient Continuum of Training

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What’s the difference between being effective in your training and becoming efficient?

When you first started to drive a car, you sucked at it, right? You couldn’t turn on the radio and the turn signal at the same time, and I’ll bet when you tried to wave at someone outside on the sidewalk, you turned the wheel in the same direction too. 

In short, you were a disaster.

Gradually, with practice, you got better and better at driving until you became effective. Meaning you could get yourself from point A to point B without crashing or otherwise screwing up.

Now, after years of driving you can effortlessly change lanes, check your mirrors, adjust the air conditioning, change the radio station, and carry on a conversation without even thinking about it. You slowly but surely moved from merely an effective driver (accomplishing the act of driving) to an efficient driver (accomplishing the act of driving with minimum effort AND maximum effectiveness).

Your martial arts training and your strength training are the same.

You cannot hope to progress beyond a basic level if you are just effective at your techniques or exercises. You must move across the continuum from effective to efficient. From mundane to master.

 How can we define efficiency?

Here’s the easiest definition – Efficiency = Useful Work / Total Work

 Look at any martial arts master at the top of his game. He is supremely effective (otherwise he wouldn’t be a master) BUT he’s also extremely efficient in his movement and energy expenditure. The master moves with grace under pressure, with strength and power refined and focused, and an effortlessness that defies belief. His mind and body perfectly integrated, he can do this all day. 

How do you progressively move from effective to efficient? 

Yes, it’s a matter of time and practice of course. But what else?

Throughout the ages, master martial artists have developed specific regimens of solo (and paired) training exercises to hack into the nervous systems software and update the code to bypass years of trial and error. This way they have laid out a clear path of progression for the savvy practitioner to follow step-by-step from effectiveness to efficiency to mastery.

 

Specific Training + Frequent Practice = Massive Results

 

What are the specific practices required?

That, my friends, is the subject of the next article… 🙂

 

NEVER Cocktail Your Training… Here’s Why

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NEVER Cocktail Your Training – Here’s Why…

Cocktail Training is a term coined by world renowned sports training expert, Dr. Tudor Bompa. It refers to mixing various exercise programs together, having arbitrary and even contradicting goals.

The basic idea is this – if you don’t have clearly defined goals and progressions when you train, you will, in effect, get nowhere. As I often say, random exercise selection leads to random results.

 Let Me Do the Heavy Lifting for You

Each program in the Warrior Fitness training library is specifically crafted to avoid the cocktail training effect and maximize your strength, conditioning, and skill development goals.

The entire catalog of stand-alone programs can be found HERE

However, if you’d like me to design a 1-month training program specific to your personal needs, goals, and unique situation, I am offering a special discount price on program design for today only.

Allow me to do the “heavy lifting” for you and design the perfect program to meet and exceed your goals. All you have to do is follow it and put in the sweat equity!

What’s included in each monthly program?

 

  • Professionally designed fat-burning, functional muscle & strength building, whole body workouts (video details of every exercise and written workout plans)
  • Complete performance nutrition program with shopping list and sample meal plans (if needed)
  • Guide to healthy supplements
  • Strategically programmed recovery strategies – flexibility, mobility, breathing exercises – to ensure consistent progress and results
  • Daily training practices
  • The Warrior’s Mindset training

 

Create a one month program for me <<===

 

Create a 2 month program for me <<===

 

Create a 3 month program for me <<===

 

NO Excuses!

With gyms shutting down again and the holidays coming up, most people rationalize (i.e. – make excuses) to themselves that it’s ok to be weak and lazy and “just take some time off from training”… You are NOT most people. Warriors are a rare breed who do not find excuses but find a way instead.

Do not slack off in your training. Now it is more important than ever to stay strong, healthy, and fit for whatever life throws at you.

Which Program is Best for YOU?

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I get asked this question all the time – Jon, which one of your programs should I start with?

And the answer is, it depends on your goals. So in this article I’m going to give you a set of general guidelines to help you decide which program is right for you.

Quick disclaimer before we get started: ALL of my programs are designed to increase functional strength, improve mobility/flexibility, and build your health and energy reserves. Even though my training is forged in the crucible of martial arts, you do NOT need to be a martial artist to reap all the benefits from any of my programs.

 So here goes…

 If you are a martial artist looking to unlock the methods of internal power which make ANY art powerful and useful than I recommend starting with Integrated Strength, Shadow Strength, or The Power Protocol. Each one of these looks at the secrets of internal power and strength from a slightly different perspective to guide you into becoming an all around power house in your respective art.

 If you are a weekend warrior looking for the edge in your strength and conditioning training, I suggest the WarFit Program or Sledgehammer Domination which are designed to build superior levels of functional strength, burn fat, and increase all around endurance.

If you are looking to build up your energy reserves and recover faster from all your training and life stress, I suggest Evolve Your Breathing or Vital Force. Both these programs will balance out your workouts and help build health, energy, and give you the edge in your recovery.

And lastly, if you are a man in the over 40 crowd, I highly recommend Strong(er) Over 40 and Dad Strength. These programs will guide you to growing stronger as you get older, along with building and keeping your levels of testosterone high!

At any age and in any life circumstance, keep training, keep pushing, keep growing, and always keep challenging your perceived limits!

If you want all the best that Warrior Fitness has to offer brought to you each and every month, then I highly recommend signing up for the Warrior’s Inner Circle. Here is where you get my most up to date training information plus 4 free stand alone programs!!

Random Training = Random Results

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One of the biggest problems rampant among many types of fitness programs is that random training yields random results.

It is difficult to measure progress when the parameters are constantly shifting.

In order for the body to produce an adaptation for improved performance in life, sport, or martial art, we must apply specific stimulus as per the SAID Principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand).

This basically means that the body adapts with a specific type of fitness to any demand which is imposed on it.

When the same exercise is performed for too long, the body adapts to the stresses of each set and the adaptations or returns get smaller and smaller.

Once it has adapted to the stress, then it’s time to change or increase the stress or else we fall into that trap of diminishing returns.

Usually though it takes the body a period of 4-to-6 weeks to adapt and then it is advisable to begin changing exercises.

This does not mean that we need to completely throw away everything we have been doing; far from it. An exercise or drill can be changed by increasing intensity, increasing volume, decreasing rest periods, or increasing complexity or sophistication.

Warrior Fitness Training Principle # 9:

Specific Training + Frequent Practice = RESULTS

Instead of training randomly and getting less than ideal (random) results, a properly organized training program with incremental progression of increasing complexity and sophistication will actually prepare the body much better than a set of random skills strewn together with a nebulous outcome in mind.

How do you properly organize a training program for internal strength? <<==

FREE Stay at Home Workouts

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Since all the gyms are closed and we are all stuck working out at home for the foreseeable future, I want to hook you up with a free copy of my WarFit Combat Conditioning program.

This hard-hitting program will build serious functional strength, torch fat like nobody’s business, and prepare you to face anything – including zombies!

So go HERE and grab yourself a copy on me.

 

This program usually sells for $37 but today you can pick it up for $0.

If you are financially able, and would like to donate something for the program, please do so HERE.

If you are not able to do so, don’t worry about it. Train and enjoy with my blessing! 🙂

 

Also make sure to go HERE and pick up my free follow along Joint Mobility Routine to keep you strong, mobile, and energized!

The Year of Strength

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I have dubbed 2020 “The Year of Strength”.

Why?

Because in strength is what holds us all together.

The strength of love.
The strength of family.
The strength of relationships.
The strength of community.

Yes of course the strength to physically defend ourselves and others. But also the mental strength to make the right choices. The spiritual strength to move past our own physcial and mental/emotional limitations and still be able to keep going when people depend on us or circumstances align against us.

The strength of character to do the right things even when no one is watching or holding us accountable.

The strength of will to persevere no matter what type of challenges life may throw at us.

In my philosophy, as you know, physical training is the microcosm of the macro. The strength of body translates over into all aspects of our lives and our psyche. Being stronger physically makes all of us more useful to each other and of course harder to kill. 🙂

So look forward to much more coming your way to give you all the tools you need to strengthen all 3 parts of yourself – physical, mental, and spiritual – from Warrior Fitness this year.

Happy New Year, my friends. Let’s make it a STRONG one!

Stronger Every Day!

PS – Looking for a crucible of physical training to put yourself through this year? Want to come out stronger, harder, leaner, and vastly healthier in just 6 short weeks? Warrior Fight Club training starts tomorrow – get in on the action HERE!!!

Powerful Morning Ritual To Start Your Day

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Here is a great way to set yourself up for success on a daily basis.

Spend the first hour of each day working on your own personal development. Discipline yourself to get up earlier and work on yourself each morning – This powerful practice will literally transform your life!

 

The Hour of Power

Step 1 – 5 minutes is dedicated to gratitude

Practice being grateful for all the people in your life and everything you have. When you start from a place of gratitude each morning, it’s much more powerful to begin each day from a place of abundance, realizing just how many things are going right in your life, rather than coming from a place of lack.

Step 2 – 5 minutes for writing your goals

Take a fresh sheet of paper and write out all your goals on a daily basis – health goals, financial goals, personal development goals, relationship goals, career goals, etc. When you write your goals make sure to write them in the first person and as if they are already accomplished.

For example, if you have a goal to earn one million dollars in your business, you would write – “I earn $1,000,000 in my business.”

Step 3 – 10 minutes of meditation or visualization (prayer fits in here too)

Visualize your goals as if you had already achieved them.

Every morning I sit down on the floor, close my eyes and focus on my breathing.

After each exhale I retain the breath because this is when your body is most quiet – after an exhale, before the next inhale – and silently say to myself, “Every day in every way I am getting stronger and stronger. Every day in every way I am getting better and better.”

I say it several times while holding the breath on the exhale, each time more intently.

When I open my eyes, I am clear, focused, charged up, and ready to start my day!

Here’s a short video I made describing the process…

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!

Step 4 – 20 minutes of exercise – begin with mobility and deep breathing with bodyweight exercises.

Do you jump out of bed every morning brimming with energy, ready to take on the day?  Yeh, me neither. 🙂

What I have found is that doing 3 simple exercises as soon as I get out of bed in the morning helps to rev up my energy levels and kick start my day.

Tomorrow morning, and every morning after that, I want you to perform the following 3 exercises.  You will be amazed at the powerful effect they have on stimulating your metabolism and getting you ready to kick butt for the day!!

What are the 3 exercises?

  • Breathing Push-ups x 10
  • Breathing Squats x 10
  • Breathing Leg Raises x 10

For each exercise, exhale fully and deeply (diaphragmaticly) while lowering down, and inhale fully and deeply by expanding the belly when raising the body.  Make sure to fully actualize the breath in every movement.

That’s all.  Just one set of 10 for each of those 3 exercises to kick start your day.

Step 5 – 20 minutes dedicated to reading

Great warriors train all the time. Reading is a form of training that must be practiced by the warrior on a daily basis. Feeding and training the mind is just as important as feeding and training the body. Remember – knowledge is power!

Fill your mind with creative, positive and motivational ideas, concepts, and philosiphies – reading is the key to success. Learn something new every day!

Here are 10 books that are a must in every warrior’s library. Expand your mind and pick up these books!

(PS – don’t have a full hour in the morning? change the amount of time spent in each area to fit your schedule)

You will find this powerful practice a great way to start your day and propel you towards success in every area of your life. Make sure that you implement it tomorrow morning!

Looking for more powerful practices to enhance your health, strength, and life?

Check out my new Warrior Lifestyle Coaching Program <<==

 

 

 

The Strength of Structure (and How to Train It)

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As we discussed in the previous post (see here), all martial movement must be based on a platform of both mobility and stability. Today we will discuss stability.

Kamae is much more than just a stance or ready position. It is the platform from which all movements are made and from which all techniques are delivered. Your kamae is quite literally the foundation upon which your entire martial art practice rests.

A weak, or structurally flawed, kamae will limit the amount of power delivered and reduce the effectiveness of every technique employed. Conversely, a strong kamae is the key to the effective execution of all your techniques. A strong kamae carries the support of the ground and efficiently conducts that power through the user with minimal noise creating, in effect, a transparent power.

“You can’t shoot a cannon out of a canoe.”

Water provides a very poor base of support to maximally fire a cannon ball thus it will not travel very far. This is exactly what happens with a poorly constructed kamae. So much power bleeds off in different directions that the mean effect of the movement is extremely reduced and more energy is required in order to compensate for the inefficiency.

How Do We Build a Strong Kamae?

There are many different forms of strength training but only a few, very specific, methods of strengthening the structure (kamae). The key to strengthening structure, as you will see, is training the connective tissue – fascia, tendons, and ligaments, and strengthening the bones, rather than working on muscle. The benefits of this type of training are enormous; not only does having a stronger structure increase the effectiveness of martial movement and techniques, but also acts as a natural form of injury prevention by improving the strength and elasticity of the tissues and increasing the body’s overall resilience.

We will examine 4 main ones here from the EARTH section of Warrior Fitness working on strength, structure, and stability.

Loaded Carries – These provide a unique challenge to the body as they are a type of moving isometric exercise. Kettlebells or dumbbells are a great place to start, but loaded carries can be done with just about anything.

There are 3 basic loaded carries we will discuss here:

  • Farmer Walk – Hold 2 kettlebells at the sides and go for a walk. Try to maintain a neutral balance and move from center.
  • Rack Walk – Hold 2 kettlebells in the rack position and go for a walk. Try to maintain a neutral balance and move from center.
  • Overhead Carry – Hold 2 kettlebells overhead and go for a walk. Try to maintain a neutral balance and move from center.

Static Holds – Unlike lifting or carrying, static holds can be done anywhere with zero equipment. They also place a great emphasis on strengthening connective tissue for supporting the body.

  • Static Kamae Hold: Pick a kamae and hold it for time. The goal here is to relax in position and allow the connective tissue to do the work, not the muscle.
  • Static Push-up: Hold the top, middle, or bottom portion of a push-up for time. The goal here is to relax in position and allow the connective tissue to do the work, not the muscle.
  • Partial Lifts – Partials allow you to develop the connective tissues and bones in a way that full range of movement lifting cannot. By doing partials you are supporting more weight than you would be able to in a full range lift.

  • Push Testing – The push test is a very practical way of testing the quality of one’s solo training for internal power. The body, when properly trained, acts as an omni-directional structure.  This allows the practitioner to neutralize any incoming force by diffusing it throughout the structure rather than having to surrender to it or resist against it.

 

I cannot over emphasize how critical this type of training is to your development as a powerful martial artist. Not only does this type of training condition the connective tissues, bones, and muscles, but it forms the body into a cohesive unit that is both resilient and powerful.

Study this well, my friends!

Check out my bestselling Integrated Strength Program for more complete trainiing information…

 

 

 

Daily Mobility Practice – The Fountain of Youth

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All movement skills, especially martial movement skills, must be built on a foundation of both stability and mobility. Today we will cover mobility.

A complete mobility practice moves each joint in the body through its complete range of motion bathing it in synovial fluid.

Movement is the only way your joints get nutrition!

Many trainers and coaches tend to look at the current rage of joint mobility protocols as recent innovations in sports science and training.  Everyone is talking about mobility for health, mobility for prehab or injury prevention, mobility for warm-ups, mobility for fending off the ravages of aging.  Everyone is talking about the benefits of increased range of motion for sport performance and martial art training enhancement.  And, just to be perfectly clear, this is a good thing.  They are all correct.  Mobility training is the rage for a reason.

However, as with many “new” types of training methods, mobility work is an ancient idea come full circle.

 

This is not a new idea.  In fact, Hua Tuo (2nd century AD), one of the patriarchs of Chinese Medicine and creator of the famous qigong set, The Five Animal Frolics, once said:

“Just as a door hinge will not rust if it is used, so the body will attain health by gently moving and exercising all of the limbs.”

 

Hua Tuo’s The Five Animal Frolics model movements from the crane, bear, monkey, tiger, and deer. Each animal emphasizes different health benefits and you can choose a specific animal for specific results. The movements form arcs, spirals, waves and spins, in order to accommodate all ranges of motion for the body.

Now what does that sound like?

Health by moving and exercising all the limbs… hmm… reminds me of a certain new exercise protocol called joint mobility. And this quote from Hua Tuo is just one example. There are many more within Chinese Medicine as well as Indian Yoga that all point to the same idea – mobility is essential for health. Or, more crudely but succinctly put, move it or lose it.

Each session can range from a quick 5-minute recharge to a 30-minute in-depth deep practice. It’s up to you and how your body feels on a particular day.

For example, did you do a ton of heavy lifting or a super intense metabolic conditioning session the day before?

Maybe a longer, deeper mobility session is required to aid in restoration and recovery.

Or, did you just get out of bed and maybe only have 5 minutes before you have to get ready for work?  A 5-minute quick-n-dirty mobility session will charge you up and get your body moving (literally!).

Daily Practice

I have been performing my mobility practice almost every day for over 15 years now.  However, there have been a few times when I decided to forego it for several days in a row just to see if I could notice a difference.  After 3-4 days without it I began to notice.  Muscles were tighter.  Movements were less fluid.  Joints were crunchy.  When I finally stopped my no mobility experiment on day 5, the contrast was amazing!

In my experience, mobility training and breathing exercises are the biggest bang for your buck daily practices that will only reward you more and more with each passing year.

Benefits of Mobility Training

In no particular order, here are some of the benefits of mobility training:

  • Lubricates joints and allows them to receive nutrition through synovial fluid
  • Aids in removal of toxins
  • Reduces joint pain and inflammation
  • Increases range of motion (flexibility in motion)
  • Increases energy by reducing unconsciously held tension
  • Prehab for injury prevention
  • Mobility is foundation of all sport, athletic, and martial movement
  • Decreased mobility leads to increased pain and stiffness

For your daily training, here is my own personal full-body joint mobility routine. Implement this first thing tomorrow morning and feel amazing all day long!

Be Dangerous to be Kind

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Inside the heart of every man lives a warrior waiting to be unleashed. Unfortunately, this fierceness, for the majority of men, lies dormant and untested. But, I assure you, it is there.

As boys we pretended to be superheroes, Jedi knights, or ninja warriors.  I know I did all 3 with matching costumes, capes, and weapons to boot. In fact, I distinctly remember when I was 6 or 7 leaping off the back deck of my parent’s house in New Hampshire fully garbed in Superman Underoos (on the outside of my clothes, of course!) and cape fully expecting to fly.

We ran wild, climbed trees, built forts, engaged in mock sword battles, and real fist fights as boys – not to test our mettle, but really just as an open and honest expression of our warrior nature.

As we grew up though, things changed. We grew tame (lame?). The wildness was repressed and replaced under the well meaning familial and societal pressure of becoming a responsible adult. We went to school, got a job working for the man, and become domesticated.

We shed our capes in favor of business suits.

We took off our Lone Ranger masks and put on listless, polite faces.

We put down our pretend weapons and picked up pocket protectors.

We suppressed the wildness and ferocity of the warrior in our hearts and tried to follow the expected path – college, corporate job, marriage, family, retirement, death.  One more masculine casualty – a would be warrior turned tame and toothless, a tiger no more, really just an aging house cat.

But is that really all there is?

Doesn’t the wildness remain?

Yes. I assure you it most certainly does. For as I stated earlier, inside the heart of a man – every man, no matter who you are – lies a warrior.

Being a warrior is not confined to myths and legends or historical anachronisms. Nor is it merely the province of those in uniform who stand on the front lines and protect us with their own (though they truly embody the warrior spirit).

No, warriorship, at its essence is the birthright of every man. For all of us are made with a warrior’s heart, strong and dangerous.

Yes, dangerous.  The most dangerous men I have ever met have also been among the kindest and friendliest. Is this a contradiction? No, not at all. Only the truly powerful can choose to be truly gentle. Those who lack strength and courage have no choice.

A warrior must have the strength, skill, and ability to wield violence. Notice that I did not say, “be a violent man”. There is a vast difference. The warrior’s capacity for violence is tempered by discipline, a sense of justice, and a strong moral code.

Moreover, the warrior’s role in society is that of a protector and defender of life. His strength must never be used to intimidate, but only to motivate, to inspire, and to protect.

Méthode Naturelle creator Georges Hébert wrote at the beginning of the 20th century, “Être fort pour être utile” – Be strong to be useful

Those of us who walk this path of strength have a duty to use our strength to help others and to defend and protect those who are not as strong.

As Spiderman once said – “With great power come great responsibility.” 🙂

Strength must have a higher purpose.

The Warrior’s Creed

This might be my own personal bias, but I believe a warrior has a greater responsibility, one of both self and others.  My perception has been colored, for the better, I think, by my teacher, Jack Hoban, author of The Ethical Warrior: Values, Morals and Ethics – For Life, Work and Service, and his mentor, Dr. Robert L. Humphrey.

These 2 men are both true warriors whom I admire greatly.  Jack served as a U.S. Marine Corps officer and is a master level instructor in the Bujinkan martial arts.  Dr. Humphrey was a boxer and Marine Corps officer who survived the battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.

There is much, much more to both of their stories, but for now, we can sum up the essence of what it means to be a warrior like so:

 

 

“The Warrior Creed”

Wherever I go,
Everyone is a little bit safer because I am there.
Wherever I am,
Anyone in need has a friend.
When I return home,
Everyone is happy I am there.
It’s a better life! 

-Dr. Robert L. Humphrey

 

Everyone who calls themselves a warrior believes that they should possess greater strength, greater power, and greater skill; should they not also possess greater compassion for others and a greater sense of responsibility for helping others as well?

 

For those who have the strength and the skill, but no accountability, they cannot be called warriors – they are merely thugs.

 

Ready to Upgrade Your Power? Click HERE now.