Warrior Fitness

Old School Training for the Modern Warrior

25 Life Lessons from Martial Arts Practice

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Jon

At 41 years old, I have now been training in the martial arts for over 30 years. It does not seem like it’s been that long! Some days I look at the huge expanse of knowledge and history that is real budo and feel dwarfed by its enormity. Other days I feel like I have a really solid grasp on it. But that’s the nature of the training. As Hatsumi Soke has said on many occasions, “If you think you have it, you don’t…” This is one of the many lessons learned through martial arts training. Continue reading →

Can You Ever Be Strong Enough?

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Jon

Whenever I meet with a potential new client at the gym, I always ask them 3 basic questions: Why are you here? What are your goals? What is it about yourself that you want to change/improve? Invariably, they all say some semblance of the same thing…

“I want to lose x number of pounds”,

“I want to be healthier.”,

“My doctor wants me to lose weight.”,

“I need to get in shape”,

“I just want to tone.” (whatever that means!) Continue reading →

9 Steps to Creating Harmony in Your Life

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Jon

1. You Cannot Control What Happens

This first one is an essential principle. If you can wrap your head around this one, the rest is easy (well, easier, anyway). The basic premise is simple: you cannot control what happens to you. The only thing you can ever control is YOUR reaction to it. See my post on Where Do You Locate Your Control for more on this topic. Continue reading →

7 Ways to Jump Start Your Fitness Routine

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Jon

You need to get back to the gym. You know it. I know it. The question is, why aren’t you doing it?

You know you should workout. You know you should upgrade your nutrition. You know you should do more to support an active healthy lifestyle. You know you should hire a trainer. You know you should sign up for that yoga class. But you don’t. Why not?

You are, as Tony Robbins would say, should-ing all over yourself.

Here’s a list of 7 strategies to help you get it together and turn that should into a must! Continue reading →

My Morning Routine

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Jon

For the past several weeks there has been a running theme interwoven throughout my blog posts. That theme has been practice, Daily Personal Practice (DPP), to be precise.

I’ve gotten several questions about the details of my own DPP since I refer to it several times in my writing. So I figured I would pull back the curtains and give you a more detailed glimpse into my Morning Routine of DPP in this post. Continue reading →

Best Way to Program Your Training

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Jon

One of the most oft asked questions I get from people, from both the online and offline worlds, is about their weekly workout schedule:

“How should I program my workouts?”

“How many days per week should I train?”

“Is it wrong or bad to train 2 days in a row?”

“How much rest should I have between workouts?”

“Is there one best way to program my training?” Continue reading →

Are You Practicing Wrong?

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Jon

Are you making progress in your practice, or do you feel like you’re running in circles, making lots of motion but essentially getting nowhere?

Maybe you’ve got this whole practice thing wrong…

We all know that practice is absolutely essential to the development of any skill. But how should we practice? What qualities should our practice have to make sure it is both effective (increasing skill) and efficient (making the best use of time)? How long should we practice, how often? Continue reading →

The Alpha Protects

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Jon

I’m here in Long Beach Island, NJ for a week of fun and sun with the family. Today, however, was cloudy and cool so instead of heading to the beach we decided to stay at the house in the morning to relax a little bit and then take in an early afternoon movie. So with my parents and 2 kids in tow, we went to see “How to Train Your Dragon 2“. Continue reading →

Powerful Book Recommendations

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Jon

I am an absolutely voracious reader. Usually I am reading 3-4 books at a time AND listening to a book on CD in my car. The book on CD is key. My car becomes a mobile library and I’m able to productively utilize my driving time. I do occasionally jam out to my favorite tunes while driving, sometimes you just have to roll down the windows and sing (or try to in my case) at the top of your lungs, but for the most part I really love being able to read and drive at the same time! Continue reading →

The UN-Natural Athlete

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Jon

I was never what you would call a natural athlete growing up. In fact, I pretty much sucked at every sport I tried – baseball, basketball, soccer, kickball, tennis… you name it, I sucked at it. To make things worse I was also ridiculously shy and introverted as a kid, so that combination, on top of having little to no athletic skill, made things even worse! Continue reading →