This Simple Practice RESETS Your Body

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Jon

Let’s face it. Some days we just need to hit the RESET button. Whether due to stress, an accumulation of injuries, fatigue, or illness we need to find a way to RESET the body in order to allow its own natural healing function to take over.

Luckily, there is a very simple process whereby we can RESET ourselves and acquire a deep level of whole body relaxation. It can be accomplished through the Yiquan training method of Wuji standing, otherwise known as Health Standing.

Wuji translates to “without poles” or “pre-heaven” meaning that yin and yang have not yet been determined. It is a pure untapped potential and possibility. It is from this untapped potential that we will begin to form a relaxed, connected body primed for internal power training.

Before we get into the particulars of the exercise, you need to know how to stand. Continue reading →

We Were Once Warriors…

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Jon

We Were Once Warriors…

For centuries the warrior has been the archetypical model of physical fitness and power. This is due to the extreme nature of their training and overwhelming odds that they must have had to go through waging war in the ancient world.

The multifaceted development of skills required for the warrior’s brand of life and death combat is second to none.

Warriors needed to be able to carry heavy loads over long distances on uneven terrain, wield heavy weapons while wearing armor, wrestle and engage in other forms of hand-to-hand combat, fight for hours or perhaps even days on end in mud, sweat, and blood, all while continuing to display power, coordination, agility, and speed.

This was not a game with a medal or trophy at stake, but their lives and the lives of their comrades in arms, not to mention the entire village or tribe who were relying on them for protection. All of this placed immense demands on the warrior physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Today’s Training from Yesterday’s Triumph

The skills we know today as fitness, or strength and conditioning, depending on whether your term is all inclusive or a specific subset, all evolved over time from man’s need and ability to wage war. In fact, one of the earliest examples of sport in the western world is from ancient Greece; we now call it the Olympics. These early games were created as a way for warriors to channel their aggressive and competitive natures, while simultaneously allowing them to hone their battle skills, in times of peace.

So we can see from this quick look back in time that originally almost all athletics and sport competitions were based on the martial skills of the warrior and utilized as a way to sustain and practice those skills.

Now, working backward this time, is there a way to reverse engineer a warrior’s training regimen and use it to improve the components of martial skill, conditioning, AND athletic performance? Absolutely!!

Try This Warrior Workout on for Size

1) Heavy Sandbag Carry (Zercher carry, bear hug carry, over head carry) – 3 x 300 ft.

2A) Pike Push-ups on Fists – 4 x 10

2B) Mixed Grip Pull-ups (change grip each set) – 4 x SM

2C) Loaded Airborne Squats (load up with clubbell, Kettlebell, dumbbell, or sandbag) – 4 x 5/5

3) H2H Touch & Go Kettlebell Swings x 100

If you train in MMA…

NOW go punch, kick, knee, and elbow a heavy bag or have a partner hold focus mitts for 3 rounds x 3-5 minutes each! How is your performance?

Or, if you’re really daring and want to test your mettle, now is the time to go spar with a completely fresh opponent for 3 rounds of 3-5 minutes! How has your performance changed?

If you train in Bujinkan or other form of combatives…

Do the same as above but utilizing the basic techniques of your particular style. For Bujinkan peeps that means try out all the Kihon Happo on a fresh uke!

My brand new WarFit Combat Conditioning Program is perfect for the warrior athlete who wants to build superhuman strength, endurance, and conditioning:

Theme for 2015 – Integrated Strength

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Jon

New Years Day, 2015

Warrior Fitness HQ

Happy New Year, Warriors!

When I first began Warrior Fitness way back in 2008 the goal was simple – utilize my knowledge, training, and experience from several different disciplines under the broad heading of Strength & Conditioning to enhance the performance of martial arts. I began by creating a unique series of functional training exercises that encompassed mobility, flexibility, strength, conditioning, balance, agility, coordination, and endurance. Continue reading →

Momentum Based Training

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Jon

I’ll let you in on a little secret…

I can be a little lazy when it comes to cleaning up my house. I like to leave dishes in the sink overnight. I don’t mind dropping clothes on the floor as I remove them for the night. Some days my kitchen table looks like a tornado hit it. Yes. I can be sloppy. But once I get going picking up one or 2 things, I start cleaning more. Suddenly the clothes are in the hamper, the dishes are washed and put away, the table is neat, my desk is orderly, heck even the bathrooms are clean. How does all this magic happen??? Easy. One thing at a time. One small task completed leads into another and another and another until, before you know it, it’s all done. My house is cleaned by momentum. Once I get started, it all falls into place.

Sometimes the cleaning and straightening up leads into my becoming even more productive in other areas of my life. It’s like the small success in one seemingly unrelated area leads to improvements in other areas. For example, this morning as I cleaned the kitchen, did the laundry, and started cleaning the master bathroom, I suddenly started having more ideas for my website, new workouts for my clients, my training programs, etc. As soon as I finished the cleaning I used the momentum I’d built up and channeled it into brainstorming and writing. As a result I now have several new ideas for Warrior Fitness 2015! You’ll begin to see the fruits of my labor in the coming weeks and months as I produce and share it with you.

But does it have to be about cleaning?

Well, no. That’s just the example from my life, today. It can be anything. Do 1 push-up and it leads to 2, then to 20, then to 100. Eat one more vegetable each day for a week and see the effect. Take a short walk every day and breathe deeply. Do small things and build momentum. Train for 5 minutes and let it lead to more. Make one class a month. Then one a week. Stand for 5 minutes, then for 10, then for 30. The key to training is consistency. Build it through small victories and allow the momentum to accumulate. By this time next year, looking ahead to 2016, you will be amazed at all the progress you have made! Do it now!

Santa Strength Workout

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Jon

Santa Strength Christmas Workout

For all the readers of the Warrior Blog and visitors to WarriorFitness.org

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you for all your continuous and unflagging support of Warrior Fitness throughout the year. Your feedback and participation through all your emails and comments both on the blog, Facebook, and in person at the gym and at my workshops and seminars has been essential and inspirational to me. You ALL help me to keep going!

In order to give back to you, I have put together this holiday workout program just for you. Yes, you. This plan will keep you strong and fit over the Christmas holiday and give you a head start when you jump into the New Year!

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Download Santa Strength Santa Strength Program2<<=========

Reflections on 42

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Jon

Tomorrow, December 3, is my 42nd birthday. And, as anyone who has read Douglas Adam’s classic trilogy, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy knows, the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is 42.

Therefore, upon the occasion of my 42nd birthday I thought I might sit down and write out some reflections learned over the past 42 years. They may not contain the answers to life, the universe, and everything, but they are a good start!

Family first, always.
Brothers can be best friends.
Best friends can become brothers.
Nothing is as wonderful, or truly terrifying, as holding your newborn child in your arms for the first time.
Those feelings do not lessen as the children get older.
Life does not happen to you, it happens FOR you.
If you find yourself majoring in minor things, STOP.
Never be bored. There is too much to do, too much to learn, too much to experience, and life is too damn short.
Always train, even when you don’t feel like it.
Especially when you don’t feel like it – that’s when the biggest breakthrough appear!
Don’t find excuses, find a way.
Meditate, don’t medicate.
There is still nothing like the first sip of freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning.
Have strong values and know what you stand for before you are ever challenged.
Never compromise your values to please someone else, you will always regret it.
Go to church.
Pray – it helps.
Have a daily health maintenance routine. Here is my Morning Routine.
Workout at least 3 times per week.
More is not always better. Only better is better.
Oftentimes the obstacle is the path.
Life happens fast – pay attention!
Be fiercely independent yet smart enough to accept help when needed.
Master your craft.
Read something motivational/inspirational/educational every day.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Train more than everyone else, it adds up quicker.
There is a level slightly beyond excellence called outstanding – strive to be outstanding!
Always listen to advice from people you respect, but make up your own mind.
Use zero-based thinking.
Always be kind to people, you never know when or how it will be returned.
Protect others.
Always buy the highest quality foods you can afford – your family’s health is too important not to.
Put coconut oil in your coffee!
Always maintain a childlike sense of wonder about the world, but never be childish.
Remember that the only thing you can ever control is not what happens to you, but your reaction to it.
Find your mission and dedicate your life to it.
Never be afraid to look foolish.
Do not sit around waiting for things to happen – take action to make things happen!
Timing is never perfect so just do it!
Know the wisdom of when to be patient.
Understand that happiness is a choice you make ever day.

Mega Warrior Birthday Sale Announcement <<==============

Research of Martial Arts (Book Review)

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Jon

I love reading martial arts books. Over the course of my career, I have probably read hundreds of them. There are currently a dozen or more on my book shelf. I had to get rid of some that I no longer read to make space for the ones I constantly go back and refer to over and over again. Unfortunately, in recent years martial arts books have become boring and predictable. They have little real content and lots of pictures of techniques that don’t really mean anything unless you are taught them in person. I literally cannot remember the last martial arts book I read in the past few years that was worth talking about. Until now… Continue reading →

Sometimes More Is Better

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Jon

It seems that in this super busy, fast-paced world we live in many people are looking for the MED – minimum effective dose – for just about everything. How can we train more efficiently? How can we train smarter, not harder? How little can I do to produce the effects I want? Quality over quantity, right?

Minimalist Training is all the rage. Mini-workouts to get it done fast and hard. But with all this minimalist stuff going around, are we missing out on something? Have we lost something in the exchange? Is our abbreviated training just as effective or are we coming up short? Continue reading →

It Will NOT Change

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Jon

What is the one thing that has always been constant in every problem, every failure, every fight with a loved one, every argument, every challenge, every lost job, every lost relationship, every lost opportunity that you have ever encountered in your entire life?

What is this one thing that has been ubiquitous throughout all those times? Can you guess? Right. It’s YOU! Continue reading →

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