Tag Archives: warrior fitness

Bored With Push-Ups? Try These!

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Push-ups should build all-around 3 dimensional strength from every conceivable angle and hand position. If you’re bored with your current push-up regimen, give these a try and let me know what you think!

 

Screwing Push-ups

Knife Push-ups

Wrist to Fist Push-ups

How to Train Wrist to Fist Push-ups

Multi-Directional Push-ups

Whole Body Plyometric Frog Hop (not technically “push-ups” but close enough and fun!)

The Aiki Push-up

 

Read more about how to use different push-up variations to condition your fists for striking HERE.

 

Learn the secret step-by-step method used to build fierce internal strength and martial art power from a little known way to perform push-ups in the latest release from Warrior Fitness, The Push-ups for Internal Strength Program

 

Musashi’s Rules – “Forge Yourself in the Way”

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If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing every day.

Musashi instinctively knew this.  He became the greatest swordsman Japan ever produced by practicing what he preached.

The concept of forging oneself through the rigors of daily training was so important to him that he made it a rule for those who would follow his way of martial strategy.

But this article isn’t about Musashi, it’s about you and tapping into your own innate greatness.

musashi

Forge Yourself in the Way

Forging must be done daily. There is no way to forge body, mind, and spirit into a finely honed blade without constant hammering and firing through the steel tempering process of training.

  • Half-assed training won’t cut it.
  • Training only when you feel like it won’t get you there.
  • Training without a properly focused strategy will not work.
  • Training the same way over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.

So What Works?

The only answer to the question of how does one become a great martial artist (and I’m assuming you want to be great otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this blog…) is this – TRAIN MORE.

But, like anything else, there’s a caveat.

Train smarter AND Train Harder.

As I always say, there are no secret techniques but there ARE secret (or less well known) training strategies that will improve all aspects of martial performance in much less time.

Training more and training harder are NOT the only variables. Anyone who thinks this way is an amateur.

Click HERE Now to Get All the Details!

 

The Warrior Code

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Every warrior society throughout history from the Spartans, the Samurai,and the Apache, to the modern day warriors like the SEALs all possess a strong code of ethics that they live by.

The Warrior Fitness Tribe is no different.

When you belong to this tribe, there is a code that must be adhered to.

the-warrior-code

This is the code of the Warrior Fitness Tribe.

Learn it.

Live it.

Share it!

The Yin and Yang of Strength

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The art and science of becoming stronger can be broken down into 2 main methods.

  1. The Addition of Driving Forces (Yang), and
  2. The Subtraction of Restrictive Forces (Yin)

When most people train for strength they focus solely on the Yang of Strength – the addition of driving forces.

But this will only get you so far…

It’s like driving a car around all day with the emergency brake on.  You can still get where you need to go, but that extra, unnecessary drag is killing the car’s performance and guzzling gas (consuming energy).

What is the hidden drag in your performance?

Residual muscle tension, or tonus, is the continuous, passive partial contraction of muscles in the body that aids in posture and support. Any type of strength training exercise, stress, fear, and trauma, will all cause an unwanted and unnecessary increase in the normal residual muscle tension of the body.

Usmuscle-boundually this extra tonus goes unnoticed, or worse is simply deemed an acceptable and natural side effect of living.  The problem with this added tension is that the continuous contraction of muscle throughout the day, ever day, is using up energy.  Energy that can, and should, be available to us is being siphoned off thereby putting the brakes on our performance.

Rather than increasing our energy, freeing our movement, and allowing us to access our full strength potential as human beings, the consistent focus on the Yang of Strength makes us literally muscle bound.

The Yin of Strength

The Yin of Strength is how we strategically and systematically remove those restrictive forces to reveal our true strength potential as an Integrated Human Being.

What specific recovery methods are used?

  • Mobility Training
  • Yoga Postures to act as compensatory movement
  • Vibration Training to literally shake out the tension
  • Breathing Exercises
  • Foam Rolling and Fascial Release
  • Qigong

Check out my latest program, Vital Force: The Yin of Strength

Form Begets Function

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A new guest blog post by my friend, Jarell Lindsey owner of  Lean Functional Muscle.

Form Begets Function

I was scanning the posts of a fitness forum the other day, and I came across something that confused me a bit.

The post was regarding the physique of one Sig Klein, you may have heard of him, and how a modern bodyweight trainer could achieve a physique comparable to such a strength legend.

sig-klein

What could have been a great platform to discuss the merits of old school training methods became a complete misunderstanding of their use. For instance, the poster spoke on how lever work and static training lacked appropriate intensity for muscular growth, despite the incredible physiques that gymnasts possess above most other disciplines of fitness.

He furthermore went to say how he had trained with gymnasts before, and noted that they rarely trained to exhaustion, and more for technique than for musculature; therefore, he wanted a method that would help him develop the musculature, regardless of technique.

Funny that.

For, you see, one of my first lessons in biology was that, even on a molecular level, function begets form. The function of an organelle determines the way that it is structured.

Why wouldn’t it be the same on a macroscopic level? Gymnasts, traceurs, rock climbers, and martial artists all train for function over form, and they offer some of the best physiques the training world has to offer.

If you truly want a physique like Sig Klein with the strength to boot, training for function is key.

Furthermaxick2more, the poster said that the gymnasts never trained to exhaustion. From the training journals of Maxick, one of the strongest oldtime strongmen there ever were, you train daily so as not to train to exhaustion.

 

Your body doesn’t get stronger from training; it gets stronger from nourishment from your breath, your food, your blood and organs, etc. Many oldtime strongmen, including Sig Klein, rarely ever trained to failure. Nevertheless, they’d train their whole bodies everyday in a way that nourished their strength without fatiguing it.

Function begets form, my dear Watson.

Observe how well you function, not as a crane, tiger, or bear style, but as the functional patterns of a human, and watch your strength and physique truly begin to soar.

How Warriors Train for ENDURANCE

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Warriors Need to HIIT!

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is one of the best ways to train for endurance. It will enhance all 3 energy systems in the body, as well as prime the nervous system to recover automatically during lulls in activity.

Simply put, HIIT alternates periods of high intensity exercise with periods of rest and recovery. It can be performed with almost any exercise and can be utilized both with and without equipment.

The variety and adaptability of this style of training is second to none in results.

How else does improving your endurance through this type of conditioning aid your martial arts training?

I’m glad you asked!

If the benefits discussed above weren’t enough, consider that having a high level of conditioning also aids in learning new skills.

How’s that possible?

To put it simply, when the central nervous system (CNS) is fatigued, the body cannot effectively process new skills, especially technically advanced skills. So, in essence your lack of a general level of fitness and conditioning will actually impede your learning process as you will tire more readily and not have the ability to recover quickly enough during training.

 

  • Want to train more, at a higher level, for a longer period of time?

  • Want to get more out of your training time both at home and in the dojo?

  • Want to build new skills and enhance your technical arsenal?

    My brand new WarFit Combat Conditioning Program will show you how!

warfit3d3

Top 10 Strategies for Optimal Health

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“The way is not far from people. It is their expectation of the way that distances them from it.”
– Zhong Yong

We humans have a certain knack for overly complicating simple things. We think that if something is too simple sounding, it can’t possibly work. But often the opposite is true.

Building vitality and creating optimal health are simple provided you follow a certain set of simple sounding, time tested practices.

road with sign pole and blue sky with clouds

Top 10 Strategies for Optimal Health

  1. Drink a gallon of pure water per day (yes, you’ll pee a lot. Get over it)
  2. Eat more fresh vegetables and fruit (Notice that vegetables come first. That’s no accident. As for fruit, eat mostly berries and cherries)
  3. Eat organic, free range, and/or grass-fed meat ONLY
  4. Eat more healthy fats such as grassfed butter, almonds, avocados, eggs – yolk and all!, coconut oil, wild caught salmon – no farm raised fish ever!, extra virgin olive oil (find out why here)
  5. Limit your grains, or at least go gluten free.
  6. Take cold showers (find out why here)
  7. Get outside on the grass barefoot for at least 20 minutes a day
  8. Go for a deep breathing walk (see my videos here and here)
  9. Learn how to do standing meditation (see here)
  10. Workout at least 3 times a week (see here)

Need more help? I am here to serve you.

10X Your Fitness and Your Life HERE <<===

The Aiki Push-Up

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The Aiki Push-up is a literally a one-stop-shop in the study of internal power building. It was rumored to be part of Daito Ryu master, Yukiyoshi Sagawa’s secret training regimen.

Sagawa Training
Here’s a video where I explain the purpose and it and how to do it.

Watch carefully as the Aiki Push-up may look similar to what you already know, but the entire engine driving it is different!

Don’t fall prey to the common idea of thinking you know something just because you know about something! Be diligent in your study and your training – go deep!

“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing…”

Learn all the fundamental building blocks to the Aiki Push-up, as well as creating Internal Power (plus much more!) HERE!

Isometric Breathing – Lessons from Martin “Farmer” Burns

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Martin “Farmer” Burns was a world champion Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestler as well as a coach of many other famous wrestlers such as the great Frank Gotch.

In 1914, Burns published a 96-page mail-order course entitled Lessons in Wrestling and Physical Culture, which incorporated breathing techniques, calisthenics, stamina exercises, and wrestling techniques. It was made famous (again) in recent years by Matt Furey, but back in the early 1900s it was the bible for all aspiring wrestlers.

lessons in wrestling and physical culture

There are many breathing exercises in the course, but the one that caught my eye is called Breathing for Internal Exercise. In it Burns teaches a form of reverse breathing and contracting the core to “Force the air downward with all the power you possess.” He states that there is nothing better for the development of abdominal muscles than this type of breathing exercise!

“Breathing exercises alone, if done RIGHT, will make many a weak man strong and many a sick man well.”
– Farmer Burns, 1914

Here is my version of Farmer Burn’s Breathing for Internal Exercise with a couple slight modifications. Give it a try!

 

For a complete reference on breathing exercises, make sure to check out my course, Evolve Your Breathing. Also, see my review of Logan Christopher’s book, Upgrade Your Breath.

The Mona Lisa and My Disgust with Tourists

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I have to admit that waiting in line the other morning to get into the Louvre in Paris, France I was vibrating with  excitement.

Leonardo Da Vinci has always been a hero of mine (more on Leo later…) and to actually stand in front of his most famous painting, The Mona Lisa, was something I had looked forward to for a long, long time. It was more than just looking at a painting to me, it was the achievement of a lifelong dream.

So naturally when we entered the building, like all the other tourists, we ran up the stairs past other priceless works of art to be able to get a look at the Mona Lisa first.

When we got to the room it was crowded. Dozens of people milled around snapping photos, snapping selfies, taking videos, and rapidly changing positions for others to do the same. Now, don’t get me wrong – we took pics of the painting and with it too.

FullSizeRender

But then something happened…

I put my phone away. Took a position directly in front of the painting and stood like a rock with my arms crossed in front of my chest, gazing deeply at the painting, the flow of tourists churning around me as I stood unmoving in their midst. My eyes welled up with tears as the profound beauty all around me affected me and I actually began to experience it.

I was reminded of a quote by Musashi when he talked about people who look, but don’t  SEE. And suddenly I SAW. The white noise faded into the background, time slowed down and  I stared at the painting and really SAW it.

I looked around at the mass of people milling about me as they quickly took their pictures and moved on to find the next item to cross off their list and it made me angry. None of them were actually SEEING the amazing works of art in front of them. Yeah, they looked and took hundreds of pictures, but it was all so very superficial.

They were not able to appreciate nor experience the magnificence that was right in front of them!

How often does this happen to you in your life?

How many times do you look, but don’t SEE what’s in front of you?

How much of life do you miss by running from one place to the next from one appointment to the next, from one task to the next, without ever experiencing the in-between moments that are so critical for us?

Take time. Don’t just look as your life passes you by, SEE. FEEL. EXPERIENCE IT.