Mobility, Mobility, Mobility

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Jon

What is, hands-down, the most effective, efficient, and time saving daily practice you can adopt for greater health and longevity?

In one word – Mobility, Mobility, Mobility!

I’m sure you are familiar with the phrase, “move it or lose it”, right? But how seriously do you take it?

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! 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 10 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

Looking for a fantastic resource on mobility? I would suggest checking out my Martial Power Program or Ninja Missions Program 1. Both of these courses contain a different, yet highly effective mobility routines that will keep you healthy, active, and pain free for life!

Martial Power Cover1

No matter which program you choose, mobility training is the gift that keeps on giving – it literally pays health dividends that increase over time. Establish a daily practice and keep going!!

Who is This Program for Anyway?

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Jon

It recently came to my attention (yesterday, as a matter of fact) that several people are under the impression that my Evolve Your Breathing program is only meant for a small demographic of the population, ie – male martial artists.

Correct me if I’m wrong here, but the last time I checked 100%, that means ALL, of the population breathes – am I right? 🙂

So why would someone assume that a program on breathing exercises for health, wellness,performance, and stress management, applies to just a limited segment of the population?

Let me help – No matter who you are and what sort of activity, sport, or martial art (or none) you are engaged in, your breathing is an essential, and I mean critically essential, component of that activity.

Want to make it better? Get Evolve Your Breathing. Period.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee

To make this an even easier decision, I am so sure that EYB will increase your energy levels, improve your response to stress, and speed your workout recovery that I am offering a 30 day money back guarantee.
Try Evolve Your Breathing for 30 days and if you don’t like it, I will give you 100% of your money back no questions asked. (well, I might ask one question, like – did you actually try it???)

Take the Evolve Your Breathing 30 Day Challenge today!

PS – You can also get Evolve Your Breathing at 50% off the regular price when you purchase it as part of one of my Budo Packs!

How I Healed My Neck with Mobility & Breathing

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Jon

Several years ago, back in about 2004, I severely injured my neck. At the time it happened, it didn’t feel too bad. I thought it was something I would just shake off and keep going. However, when I woke up the following morning, I realized I was in severe pain and couldn’t move my neck.

After panic subsided and I managed to crawl out of bed into a hot shower, I figured the warm water would loosen it up and I’d be fine. The hot water provided some initial relief, which allowed me to begin to move slightly, but not by much.

Fast forward to later that day at the doctor’s office. She examined my neck, checked my range of motion (which was non-existent!) and then prescribed muscle relaxants and talked about surgery.

Surgery?

Drugs?

Ummm… no thank you!

Back at home, lying in my bed feeling sorry for myself, I began to think about how I could start to help myself and heal my own neck. I began to work on mobility far from the source of my pain. Starting with the fingers and hands, I worked my way up my arms and into the elbows. Since this felt okay, I tried the shoulders. That hurt. So I backed off. Again and again just working shallow range of motion on the rest of my body until I could reach, and begin to move the neck. Each time I was able to do a little more, go a bit farther.

When I was finally able to work into my neck, these are the exercises I did:

This was not an instantaneous process by far, but gradually, bit by bit, day by day, and week by week, I was able to increase the range of motion and decrease the pain. Eventually, I was able to completely restore the full, pain free mobility back to my entire body.

In the video above, I also mention some breathing exercises I did along with mobility to help heal myself. The main exercise is quite simple, yet extraordinarily powerful. Using your mind to locate the source of pain, inhale directly into the pain. Visualize the breath bringing healing energy into the area. Then exhale from the pain. Visualize your breath pulling the pain out of the body and expelling it. Repeat until you feel the pain begin to decrease and the area feel warm and energized.

If you would like to learn more about healing yourself with mobility, breathing and posture, I highly recommend you check out:

The Warrior’s Health System : Reintegrating Breathing, Movement, Alignment

My Heavy Metal Strength Meditation

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Jon

Guest blog post by Eric Guttmann, U.S. Navy Officer, Author, Fitness Enthusiast and More!

Its amazing what you can pick up when you are paying attention. At the 2012 Super Human Workshop I overheard Bud Jeffries tell one of the participants that if she wanted to get conditioned to work up to 50 tire flips. That was over a year ago, but I remembered. I then had a conversation with Bud Jeffries were the subject came up and he mentioned again that if you had to do only ONE exercise to get both strength and conditioning that Tire Flipping would definitely be it. This spurned in me the desire to focus single mindedly in this endeavor, just like a meditation. Some regard breath counting as a meditation, I decided to do Tire Flipping as a strength meditation where I count the reps instead of breaths, and since I listen to high energy music when I train, it became my heavy metal strength meditation!

My plan is very simple and I will see what happens when the upcoming Navy Physical Readiness Test rolls around and how my body performs. Originally I was going to work up to 50 consecutive tire flips. On my first workout some of the staff members at US SOUTHERN COMMAND, where I am currently stationed, saw me and asked me about it. When I mentioned my 50 tire flips, they said, “Oh yes, we use to have a General that loved tire flipping and he would do 100 tire flips.”

Well, if some General can do 100 flips, then so can I! So after my first workout and that comment 100 tire flips became my new goal.

Here is my three pronged plan of attack:

GOAL 1: Perform 100 tire flips in one workout broken up in sets of 5 reps

GOAL 2: Perform 50 consecutive tire flips

GOAL 3: Perform 100 consecutive tire flips

OK, since I have never flipped a tire except at that Super Human Workshop over a year ago, I am starting slowly and methodically. My first workout was 10 sets of 5 repetition with a 250lb tire. I am currently doing 15 sets of 5 repetitions and next week I am looking to increase it to 20 sets of 5 repetition to achieve my first goal of 100 tire flips in one workout.

Believe it or not the limiting factor is your forearms. If you are strong and conditioned enough you could probably do 100 tire flips on the first go. At least I felt I had the strength and conditioning to do this in the first week except for ONE detail, and that was that after 50 reps my forearms where blasted and I could feel it was time to STOP. When I mentioned this to Bud Jeffries he mentioned how tire flipping trains you in the open hand position which is something we RARELY do, most training is done gripping a bar, dumbbell, kettlebell, etc. Even if it is a “thick-handled” implement it is not the same as the open hand position used in tire flipping. Hence the workout is built up methodically to allow your forearms to catch up.

Of course if you are deconditioned or have not trained in a long time then you are better off starting with Extreme Military Fitness Basic to achieve the basic levels of strength and conditioning before attempting the 100 tire flips:

What I have noticed is that I go through two stages. In the first stage the body gets accelerated for tire flipping. Heartbeat goes up and it is demanding (fun, but demanding). As the Russians say, “every exercise is a breathing exercise” and I am applying the same rules to my tire flipping experiment. I slowly get up to the tire and get in that meditative state where I match breath to movements. Inhale as I slowly lower myself into perfect position and get my grip. Explode as I exhale and get the tire up to chest level and then a short inhale and another explosive exhale as I forcibly push the tire. Take one breathing step to the base of the tire and repeat.

After about 25 reps I get something like a second wind or I just get in the flow or something, because I merely focus on the breath and then it gets EASIER. It is almost as working through the effort of matching breath to movements with your heart beating faster during the initial reps that builds a groove and then it becomes a literal STRENGTH MEDITATION! Again, what will probably stop you is your FOREARMS if they are not trained and strong enough in the open hand position. Hey, I am the first to admit it, and that is why I am building nice and slow, like a another General here at SOUTHCOM says “easy peasy…”

I will train tire flipping EXCLUSIVELY until I achieve GOAL 2 of 50 consecutive tire flips. At that point I might add sledgehammers or something, but until that point ALL MY WORKOUTS ARE ALREADY DECIDED! All I have to do is flip the tire 2-3x a week until I achieve my goal. I love having this singularity of focus in my training. Reminds me of that “chop wood, carry water” analogy. If you have the strength and conditioning (and an available tractor tire) try this with me and let me know your experience.

All my best,
Eric Guttmann

PS – If you want to increase your recovery so that you can improve faster then I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you add my FULL Mobility program to this experiment by CLICKING HERE NOW! 😉

Read Eric’s complete bio HERE.

Why You STILL Don’t Breathe Properly

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Jon

I know, I know. You’ve been breathing your entire life so how could you be doing it wrong? You practice all day, every day, right? So you’re thinking – Pretty simple stuff here – in through the nose, out through the mouth, what’s so difficult about this? How could I possibly be screwing it up? I mean, it’s an automatic process for goodness sake! Doesn’t my body know what it’s doing? Continue reading →

Lessons in the Mud

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Jon

Warriors Are Mudders Too!

This past Saturday I, along with my brother Dave and my brother-from-another-mother, Jason, ran the ultimate Adventure Race, the Tough Mudder! If you are not familiar with the Tough Mudder, let me explain. It is a 12 mile race with 25 military style obstacles between mile 1 and mile 12. Oh yeah, and lots and lots of mud! Continue reading →

15 Ways To Be Awesome In Training

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Jon

Sometimes we all need a little reminder of our own innate greatness. Take a minute to read through the list below and watch the video. Keep these things in mind as you go about your day today. Continue reading →

6 Tips to Build a Better Warrior

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Jon

1. Get Stronger.

Whole body strength, along with mobility, is the foundation for all athletic movement. Being strong makes everything else easier. Your conditioning, your skill acquisition, your endurance, all become quicker and easier to attain and maintain once you have a solid base of strength. Don’t underestimate how important it is for a warrior to be strong. Continue reading →

Combat Conditioning Seminar

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Jon

COMBAT CONDITIONING SEMINAR

Learn Exercise Programming and Secret Conditioning Techniques by 2 of South Jersey’s Top Strength and Conditioning Coaches.

On February 25, 2012 Coach Jon Haas and Coach Christopher Lopez will blow your mind.

***

You Will Learn How To:

(1.) Use Proper Warm Up Techniques to prepare you for Combat based movements

(2.) Incorporate Soft Tissue Movements to Increase Blood Flow and Muscle Recovery

(3.) Maximize Your Strength and Conditioning results from a Combat Perspective

(4.) Use Specific Exercise Programming That can Increase Speed, Explosiveness, and Cardio Capacity…at the Same Time (

5.) Use Secret Breathing Techniques that could be the difference in winning or losing a fight.

PERFECT FOR:

MMA Trainees

Police Officers

Military Personnel

Traditional Martial Artists

Location:

Warrior Fitness Gym

Hainesport Business Complex

4004 Sylon Blvd.

Hainesport, NJ 08036

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Date and Time:

Saturday February 25, 2012 10:00am – 2:00pm

(bring small snacks to eat during the Seminar)

Price:

$65/Person (Early Registration)

Click HERE to Register.

$75/person (At the Door)

A Word on Recovery

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Jon

Training harder demands training smarter.

We all know people who think they can continue to grow and continue to make gains indefinitely by simply pushing harder and harder in their training day in and day out. But what always happens to them? Injury, burn out, sickness, stagnation. Then what? Well, once they get back on their feet they start the same cycle all over again. Why? Because maybe, just maybe they weren’t pushing hard enough or using enough brute force last time to succeed and this time will be different. Riiigghhht…

How about this instead?

Continue reading →

Warrior Fitness

Old School Training for the Modern Warrior

Tag Archives: breathing exercises