The Workshop

This past weekend, we held the first Becoming Bulletproof Workshop. We being Geoff Neupert and myself. Geoff was very gracious in helping me put this together.

The workshop was great! For the first time in a group setting, we had an opportunity to teach the resets and their regressions in person. While I am a huge believer that the material in Becoming Bulletproof will lead to a healthier, happier life, it was great to see how instant the resets can affect people too.

We were able to see instant improvement in movement in almost every participant. The coolest thing was the look on their faces when they realized how much better they were moving. Change doesn't have to take weeks or months.

I will never get tired of saying this: Our bodies are amazing! It is also amazing to see our bodies change, almost instantly, when we start doing what we were designed to do.

If you attended the workshop, thank you very much. We really appreciate you and all the feedback you gave us. I am blessed to have met so many wonderful people through this entire process.

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Okay, I must not have eaten as much as I normally do over the weekend. I weighed in Monday morning at 156! That is LOW.

I still managed some fairly easy turkish getups with a bar at 115 pounds. I say fairly easy, but it is still heavy for me.

Today I did a whole lot of crawling! The workshop sparked my love to get out and cover some distance on all fours. You know what? It feels so good - my body just feels so well put together after I've done workouts like these. I covered 480 yards today.

Have a great week!

TA

Where does the time go?

If you are a regular reader, I am sorry its been a couple of weeks since I last posted. Also, if you are a regular reader, thank you very much!


I haven't posted in a while because, in my head, I've been busy. I have no real good excuse except for all the things I allow to occupy my time. I have been trying to put together a manual for the first Becoming Bulletproof workshop, but that isn't what has kept me from posting. 


If anything, I've been playing around on local playgrounds. The time I would normally sit down and write a blog post kind of got replaced by me trying out some of the new skills I learned at the MovNat workshop I attended. I have really enjoyed playing around on playgrounds. If I am being honest, this is probably the biggest reason I have neglected to write anything lately. Also, if I am still being honest, this is a good reason I have fallen short in my posts! I've been out enjoying movement!


If you live anywhere where your weather is good enough to allow you to get outside, you should go find a place to just enjoy movement. It doesn't have to be a playground. Maybe you like going to wooded trails or canoeing. It doesn't matter, just get out and enjoy moving.


Movement is one of the great gifts that makes life "life". And remember, it is okay to not answer a facebook post here and there if you have a good reason like climbing on monkey bars. 


Have a great week.


TA

MoveNat Workshop

Yesterday I had a great day. I attended a MovNat Workshop in Durham, NC. It was fantastic! I spent the whole day yesterday thinking how cool it was that I was playing around on a playground.

MovNat is all about moving the way man was intended. In our current world, we are so far removed from moving how we were created to move. MovNat introduces man's movement base back to man.

I know I've preached about moving the way we were created before on this blog and in Becoming Bulletproof, but the guys at MovNat are preaching the same thing! If you haven't gone outside to play yet, maybe it is time you start. There is something wonderful about moving and exploring our environment. It can solve a ton of "issues" that we face today. But, I won't preach this today! I will tell you about all the cool stuff we did yesterday. However, I will not go into too much detail as I think it would benefit you to go and experience MovNat for yourself:

Balance - how often do you walk on balance beams, tree branches, or walls? Not only can this be a fun thing to do, it could end up being a life saving skill one day. Do you know anyone who could not use better balance? MovNat has some very cool and innovative ways to train balance. I was surprised how much fun I had doing these drills. 

Climbing - I'm a big fan on being able to climb. Yesterday I learned that I'm a big fan of being able to climb effortlessly. Wow. I have been introduced to a whole new level of play. Climbing is a balance between strength, movement efficiency and grace. Your kids know how to climb. Go climb with them.

Rolling and Crawling - It will be no surpise that this was my favorite part of the workshop. Mostly because MovNat gets it! We start out doing this and we should keep doing this. I don't know that crawling and rolling are used in the restorative way that we lay out in Becoming Bulletproof, but If you are rolling and crawling everyday for fun, you are being restored. Get down on the floor and play more. It is good for you.

Running - Okay, this was really cool. MovNat has a quick and simple approach to barefoot running. It is quick to learn and it just feels good. Yes, running can feel good. Nay, running should feel good!

I pick things up and put things down! - MovNat does this too. Why? Because you were made to so you might as well know how to do it.

Again, the MovNat workshop was a blast. My instructors were Clifton Harski and Amy Heidbreder. They were great. They really have a passion for moving and teaching people how to move.

If the movement and play ideas of Becoming Bulletproof or Pressing Reset resonated with you, the movement concepts of MovNat will too. Check out a workshop if you can. It is a great excuse to be a kid for about 8 hours. It could also help you stay a kid for a lifetime. Check it out at http://www.movnat.com/.

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Did somemore Turkish Get-up Practice Today:

Barbell: 65 pounds x 2/2, 85 pounds x 2/2, 105 pounds x 1/1, 1/1,
115 pounds x 1/1, 85 pounds x 3/3

135 pound get-up is on the horizon!

Have a great week!

TA

You are what you eat

There may be some truth to that. I don't think many people would argue that the food you eat determines a great deal about how you look, feel and perform. Nutrition is pivotal for a healthy body. 

Movement is also pivotal for a healthy body. In fact, you could even say "you are what you do", or "you are how you move." If you don't move a lot, you might end up quite lumpy and lethargic. If you move a lot, you will probably be fit, feel good, and have a healthy body composition. Movement is like an elixir for your body. It keeps you young, lubricates your joints, gets toxins out of your muscles, helps with your digestion, it regenerates you. Conversely, not moving ages you, it promotes joint degeneration, short and tight muscles, poor posture and poor quality of life. 

There are so many things you can do to improve the quality of your life. Here are just a few things that will keep you younger, healthier, happier:

Eat well. Make smart food choices. You don't have to eat perfect, but be honest with yourself and try to put quality foods in your body.

Move well and often. Get out of the fetal position. You spent 9 months curled up inside your mom's belly. After you got out, you were meant to stretch out and explore the world. So, get up and stretch out! Move and enjoy your environment, enjoy your body.

Be social. We were made for community. It is easy to isolate yourself in today's technologically advanced world. Learn how to engage in other people's worlds. Learn how to love others and develop a community of friends, brothers, comrades, or amigos. You were never intended to put yourself in solitary confinement. Yes, I am telling you to go join a bowling league! 

Get to know God. You want to find a way to relieve your stress and improve your quality of life? Develop a relationship with God. There is nothing like love to cure what ails you. Especially perfect Love. 

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Training has been going well. I am still playing with heavy turkish get-ups. I worked up to 120 pounds this week with both arms. I think 135 pounds is in the future. Gotta have something to shoot for!

Have a great week.

TA

Your Body Comes with a Free Membership

Do you often wish you had a great place to train? Or maybe if you had a certain DVD, you could be ripped like those guys on the commercial. Maybe you could get in awesome shape if you could just afford that health clubs monthly dues. 

There are many reasons and obstacles that hinder us and slow us down when it comes to claiming our health. But that is just the point. There are reasons and obstacles that deter us, but we allow them to. When it comes to owning your health, it is you who holds all the power. Your brain and your body are all that you need in order to have the best body you could possibly have. 

Picture the best you that you can imagine. The only thing keeping you from becoming what you imagine is probably your own self. You don't need a gym membership, or a DVD, or a weight set. Yes, those things might make it easier to obtain the body you desire, but they are not necessary. If you can't use your own body to build the best body you've ever had, then the best body you've never had is simply not that important to you. Don't give in to excuses. 

Hershal Walker claims to have only used bodyweight exercises for the last 20 to 30 years. Have you seen his body? He looks as if he is carved out of granite. He exercises discipline and makes his body yield to his mind. He is not limited by where he lives or where the closest gym is located. He doesn't need such things. He has his brain and he has his body. 

Hershal is just one example. Others have done the same thing. There is even a popular series of books out now where you use your own body to train like a convict. The premise is that convicts don't have a lot of resources, but they do have their own bodies and they can maintain phenomenal health. I don't know that all convicts train like this, but I imagine that there are some that do. If you don't like the idea of training like a convict, maybe you could start a program called Frugal Conditioning: For those that want to save an extra $1000 a year. Instead of going to a health club to get on machines that will absolutely do nothing good for your body, you could learn how to use and move your own body! 

It doesn't have to be hard. It only takes a decision, to not succumb to excuses, coupled with action. You can achieve the body you want to have, the body you imagine having. If you are totally de-conditioned, you can simply start with walking. Walking one step at a time can eventually lead you to where you want to be. It really doesn't have to be hard. It just has to be, if you really want it.

Okay, enough of the rambling. I used my own body today! ;)

I ran for 5 minutes, followed immediately with Spider-man crawling for 5 minutes x 3 rounds with not rest until after the 30 minutes was complete. 

Run x 5 min, Crawl x 5 min x 3 times

It was beautiful outside today, especially when I was not looking at the ground while I was crawling!

Have a great week.

Tim

No space, no problem

Sometimes we end up away from home or we find ourselves "off" from our normal routine. Being the fitness minded people that we are, we often want to find a great way to train on the road, or where ever it is we find ourselves. 

This is a small workout that I think is great for traveling. It doesn't take any space and it will really work you in a good way. 

It revolves around an exercise that I call the Spider-man Cross-Crawl. Yes, I am combining two moves in one! Basically, you get down on the floor in a Spider-man crawling position. Next you start touching opposite elbow to opposite knee. You are simply performing cross-crawls while you hold yourself up in a Spider-man crawl, or pushup position. You aren't actually covering any ground, though you could if you had room. This exercise is great for small hotel rooms.

Here is an example of how to perform a small workout with the Spider-man Cross-Crawl:

Warm-up by Pressing Reset. 

A1 - Spider-man Cross-Crawl x 1 minute, rest for 30 seconds

A2 - Burpees x 10

Repeat this sequence 10 to 15 times. Yes, it would total ten minutes of this wonderful exercise.

If the Spider-man Cross-Crawl gets easy, you can progress it by going as long as you can without resting. For instance, maybe you work up to 20 minutes without stopping. If you can do this, that is awesome. Please don't try this on your first time out though!

You can also progress the Spider-man Cross-Crawl by putting your feet about 2 feet up on a wall. Now you are in kind of a pushup like position while you wedge yourself between the floor and the wall. (Hint: push through the balls of your feet to stay up on the wall) Once in this position, you simply alternate back and forth by touching opposite arm to opposite leg. Again, this is a great travel exercise. Really though, it is simply just a great exercise period. You don't have to travel to do it.

What makes these drills so great is that you are really strengthening your core (entire body) by putting your body through a great deal of time under tension, and your using both hemispheres of your brain. 

If you want to see how great this is, try it for a minute and then get back to me. 

Hope you have a great week!

Tim

Skills for Life

In your life, there are some skills that are just good to have. Most of us probably don't think of movement as a skill, but in today's world, that is pretty debatable. I think movement can be a skill. There are some movements that I think are worth owning, having, or possessing with proficiency. In truth, the skills of all human movements are worth owning. But to be more focused for this blog, I will just mention a few.

The pushup. I think the pushup is an invaluable movement. It is a skill that will serve you well for your entire life time. Yes, from an exercise standpoint, the pushup develops strength throughout the whole body (when done properly). You can use pushups no matter where you are. They are the perfect go with you anywhere gym. Exercise aside though, the pushup is also a life skill. Think about it, being able to push things away from your body is essential to a healthy life. Being able to push yourself up off the floor, or catch yourself if you should fall to the floor, can really make a difference in the quality of your life. However you find yourself there, I promise you one day you will end up on the floor or ground for some reason. The simple pushup can improve the quality of your life.

Another great skill to have is the deadlift. Don't freak out, but yes, the deadlift is an essential skill to own. Being able to pick things up off the ground is a life enhancing skill. Being strong enough to pick things up off the ground is also a blessing. Whether it is a bag of groceries, a pencil, a bag of rocks, or a barbell, the deadlift is a very important skill to own. If you live to be 80 or 90 years old, wouldn't it be great to be able to pick things up off the floor? It would be even better to be able to pick things up without getting injured, too! The deadlift is a wonderful skill to own. Besides, we were made to pick things up. If you don't know how to deadlift, learn how. You don't have to pick up anything super heavy, but you should learn how to pick things up. 

The squat is a very essential skill, or pattern, that you want to possess. What easier way is there to be able to gracefully lower yourself to the floor, or stand up if you should find yourself on the floor? I believe a man that can squat will stay younger than man that cannot. Squats can keep you young. Again, you will find yourself on the floor. You will want to be strong enough to stand up. You may also want to get down to the floor to pick something up without doing a deadlift. If you can't squat, or you don't know how to squat, it is worth learning. Everyone, no matter what age, should be able to squat. You want to have the mobility and the  strength it takes to squat. Squats are vital for vitality. 

There are other essential movements that can help with your quality of life, too. It is no secret that I believe everyone should crawl and roll around on the floor. In fact, I believe these skills are perhaps the greatest skills to own. In your life you will find yourself on the ground. If you put yourself there purposefully, and give yourself some play time while you are down there, you will be a lot better off. Having the strength and mobility to get up and down off the ground is essential. 

Movement is the key for quality living. Spending time on the floor, even doing "tummy time" like babies do, can make all the difference when it comes to having the ability to enjoy your life. 

Ok, go get some "tummy time."

Have a great weekend.

Tim