Aggressive Strength Magazine

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Issue 139 9/13/07

1. Aggressive Strength Quote Of The Week

I wish to God that you had as much pleasure in following my advice, as I have in giving it to you.
- Lord Chesterfield

Advice is a funny thing: some people love being in the advice-receiving stage. They just can't get enough advice. No matter how much great advice they receive, they always feel they need more before even thinking about acting on any of it. Rather than following good advice and achieving their goals, they've made the act of receiving advice their goal. Not a bad idea when writing a book on the advice, but even if that's your goal, at some point you'll still have to trade in your advice-recipient hat for an action-taker hat.

Then there are people who hate receiving advice: they think they know it all and don't want any advice from anyone. They never seek advice and if they happen to receive it, they never follow it. As a result, their growth is hampered and at some point, usually comes to a screeching halt. You can only get so far with what you know: in order to go from where you are to where you want to be, you need to learn more and act more.

Another category involves people who only seek advice, which is in line with what they currently believe. In other words, they're looking for validation when they request advice, not objective advice. These advice/validation-seekers have only their illusion of open-mindedness--in reality they just want people to agree with them. They've made validation-seeking their goal rather than a genuine impetus for growth. You're only going to learn so much from people who tell you what you want to hear and share your same views.

Let's back up a bit and take a closer look at the advice-receiving addicts: why do they love being in the advice-receiving stage? When we receive great advice we get excited about the potential of putting it into action. Thinking that the advice may help us achieve our goals is exciting; however, at some point you have to go from the anticipation/excitement stage to the action stage. And once you start thinking about putting the advice into action, reality kicks in and you realize that following through on the advice is harder than remaining in the advice-receiving stage. People receive great advice all the time, yet few actually do anything with that advice. For the advice-receiving addict, the remedy will always be to seek more advice and delay action. The problem with this mentality is you can postpone your entire life remaining in advice-receiving mode. You must take action with the advice you've been given before going back and filling your cup again.

Advice-receiving addicts are frequently addicted to receiving the same advice multiple times. Think of a friend who's called you for advice, received your advice, felt great about that advice...only to call you again an hour later asking for the same advice. This cycle goes on for years if you're not careful. Advice-receiving addicts like having problems--whether they know it or not--because it makes them feel important. When you receive advice, especially from people you admire, you're receiving their attention along with their advice, and this can be addictive. If you follow the advice, solving the problem, you no longer merit the attention. Advice-receiving addicts are unconscious of this motive, desiring to assure the continuing advice/attention fix over releasing their addiction by putting the advice they've received into action.

Next, let's look at the people who hate receiving advice: they tend to be pretty miserable people. If you think you know it all, how can life be exciting? After all, one of the greatest joys in life is interacting with--and learning from--those interesting people who can profoundly affect your life. People who hate receiving advice are usually in repeat mode, wherein every year is the same--for years on end. Ten years go by and nothing significant has happened since the same year has repeated ten times over. The advice-haters may be action-addicts who are simply too busy making their endless moves to stop and benefit from any useful advice but, unfortunately for them, their personal growth, and enjoyment of life, plateaus--or even declines--because they've failed to slow down and reflect. An action-addict's action is a distraction device, just as advice merely distracts the advice-receiving addict. If advice-receiving haters were more open-minded, their action would be more efficient.

The funny thing about advice-receiving haters is they love giving advice to others! After all, they've got the know-it-all mentality and feel an ego-boost when others approach them for advice. More often than not, they prefer to disburse advice they themselves wouldn't follow and the advice they give others is often negative: they're the people who'll tell you why your goals and dreams won't work out rather than offering constructive advice. Just as they can't take good advice, neither can they give it.

Now let's take a closer look at the final category, which are the advice/validation-seekers: advice/validation-seekers only want advice, which aligns with what they already believe. For example, an advice/validation seeker may have a problem with his business, but while the problem lies within his business structure, or even himself, he wants to believe it's an external factor. Rather than seeking sound and balanced advice, the advice/validation seeker is looking for someone who's on his same page. His motto is: I only accept advice that's in line with what I already believe. These people hold the illusion that they're open to advice and even benefiting from advice but upon closer scrutiny it's clear they're merely seeking validation. Because advice/validation-seekers aren't receptive to the possibility that they're in error, they never grow beyond their own egos. They simply follow their own advice, and when they doubt that, they look for external validation.

Advice/validation-seekers simply don’t want to change and grow: they want to justify their homeostasis.

How do you know which category you're in--if any? By using the example of a fitness trainee: if you spend more time researching training programs and emailing fitness professionals for advice than actually training, you're addicted to receiving advice. You enjoy getting attention/advice and, for you, pursuing training advice is your goal over any training results. If you're o.k. with that, keep it up; just don't hold any illusion of actually get stronger, losing fat--or whatever your training goal is--by chasing advice. At some point, you must leave the comfort zone of the advice-recipient and become an action-taker. Don't shed any tears since there are plenty of opportunities to get more advice after you've taken a few critical action steps. As a bonus, with your new, real-world experience, any new advice will hold more meaning.

Continuing with the fitness trainee example: if you're someone who's been on the same program for ten years and haven't made any training progress since the 1990's, it's time to finally take some advice and resume your long-lost progress. Thinking you're too good for advice, you've made an illusion of self-reliance your goal. Think again: be open to advice so you can get back on the path of personal progress.

Still using the example of a fitness trainee: if you ask a fitness professional for a solid training program, then continue using the ineffective program you were already on, you're not seeking meaningful advice, only validation. Of course, that's fine--if that's your goal. But if you actually desire training progress and you've hit a plateau, it's time to seek advice or do your independent research. As the saying goes: taking the same course and expecting different results is insanity.

While the above categories contain their flaws, they each have distinct merits: There will always be times in which we need to be advice-recipients--being open to advice and gathering as much information as possible before taking action decreases the likelihood of failure. Of course, there will be times in which remaining open to advice isn't the way to go--we need to stay focused while in the action phase and stay the course rather than making mid-course corrections every two seconds. Sometimes, we know what we need to do and seeking more advice only serves as a delaying tactic. Finally, there's nothing wrong with receiving validation--we need feedback to know we're on the right track and it's always nice to get the validation of others. Honest validation can serve as a signpost indicating the right direction--just make sure that validation isn't your destination.

In conclusion, get the advice you need, put it into action, and enjoy the validation that comes with being on track. Be honest with yourself and open to reality and you're all set.

Live Life Aggressively!

Mike Mahler

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2. Affordable High Quality Kettlebells Are Here! Time To Join The Fun

I have been getting a lot of questions regarding the new Lifeline USA Kettlebells and here are some answers:

Q: I have one Dragondoor bell, can I use a Lifeline USA bell with the DD one for double work?

A: Yes it should not be a problem at all. While the LL bells have slightly thicker handles, the bell is pretty much the same size and will not be an issue.

Q: Can the smaller ladies bells be used for Renegade Row?

A: While the smaller bells look like real kettlebells (no plastic thin handles) I do not recommend anything below 35lbs for Renegade Row. It becomes too much of a stability issue with very light bells.

Q: Do the handles have the slick smooth epoxy coating that DD bells have?

A: Nope, I made a point of having LL avoid the slick handles. They are smooth enough that they will not tear up your hands and rough enough that they will not fly out of your hands on high repetition work.

Q: How big is the 97lb bell?

A: Around the same size as DD's 88lb bell. I love the 97s for double work!

Q: How is the quality?

A: I am very happy with the quality. The bells went though strict quality control measures and passed with flying colors. I could put my reputation behind any bell on the market and chose to do so with the LL bells. I have been training with them for a month and love them. I know you will as well.

Here is what people are saying about the bells:

"I recently received two 80 lb. KB's from Lifeline. The delivery was very prompt. The bells themselves are of excellent quality. I like the thicker grips-they seem to facilitate performance. Cleans, rows, swings, and especially overhead pressing was very smooth with what I perceived as a very well balanced piece of equipment--they have  a different feel than their competitors in this regard much for the better. The handles are not at all slick and have enough grain to make gripping easy without raising blisters. Overall, a superior product."
--Steve Fink

"My Lifeline kettlebells have just arrived. I am well pleased! The finish and design are simply perfect. Your offerings are what I have been hoping would appear for years, quality, usable kettlebells at reasonable prices. Lifeline has met the challenge. I expected such, as it is my experience that the products, teaching and endorsements of Mike Mahler are honest and high quality. I shall be recommending your products to my friends and students. I look forward to a long and satisfying relationship with your firm as a customer."
--Randy Shadoe

"Mike, I received the Lifeline KBs(2 79s and a 97) today, and did some snatches, Turkish get ups, and presses. It felt good to be able to press the 97. The handles have a nice gritty feel--I believe I like them a little better than the original Dragon Doors, definitely better than the newer, slicker Dragon Doors. Thanks again for your ideas. I'm looking forward to your new DVD."
--Brian DeLong, Harrisburg, PA

You will love the prices on these bells. Click on the link below and check it out.

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3. Taking Online Clients Again

"I have to say this program really kicks ass. Everyone I know has noticed a difference in how much leaner I look already, and it has just been two and a half weeks (out of a 6-month program!) I am noticeably stronger (the girlfriend loves it;) Needless to say, I can tell you that I look forward to every work out, and I will be purchasing another six month program when this one is done. Thank you." 

And five months later.......

"I want to say THANK YOU in a huge way.  This past weekend was the RKC, and thanks to your program I am officially Mike Provost, RKC!!!  Not only did I ace it, I took third place (majority of the audience thought it should have been first, but it was fun so it’s cool;) in the technique competition, but I blasted through the snatch test and every workout they threw at me.  The heavy Kettlebell work translated to the light bell work perfectly, and the workouts, while certainly challenging, never made me tired for more than 30 seconds to a minute afterward.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
- Mike Provost, Reno, NV

"Lost 10 lbs and went down from a size 12 to a size 8 in jeans – that was something I expected not to happen for another 10-15 more lbs! So thanks for your guidelines – they really have helped a lot."
— Michele Milevoi

I have not taken on any new clients for a few months now and I am ready to take on ten new clients. Click here for more info: http://www.mikemahler.com/services.html

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4. 2007 Aggressive Strength Kettlebell Workshops (New DC Area And San Francisco Workshops)

"After attending your excellent Vegas Seminar in March and using routines from the above two DVD’s, I went in for my regular massage and my therapist was like “are you juicing”? She could believe how my body was changing, and how fast. Then, for some reason I can’t fathom, I switched to the “Enter the Kettlebell” workout for a month. At my next massage she was “did you stop lifting ‘bells”. Needless to say, I immediately came to my senses and went back to hard and heavy. I’ll keep the lil’ fellers workouts around for rest/recovery (maybe). Keep up the good work."
--James Lewiston Portland, Oregon

September 15, 2007:

Mahler-Shaffer Level 1 Plus Kettlebell Workshop In Dallas, TX (1 spot left) 
Click Here For More Information  

New: September 22, 2007 

Steve Maxwell Level 1 Plus Kettlebell Workshop in San Francisco, CA (2 spots left) 

Click here for more info

New: October 20, 2007 

Dylan Thomas Level 1 Kettlbell Workshop in Northern, VA (DC area) 

Click here for more info

October 20-21, 2007: 

Boys are back in town Las Vegas 2-day Kettlebell Workshop Plus! Featuring Steve Cotter, Mike Mahler, Steve Maxwell, and Nate Morrison (Sold Out: Email mahler25@yahoo.com for the waiting list) 

Click Now For More Information

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5. Aggressive Strength Training Article

The Steve Reeves Solution for Size, Strength and Health

By Mike Mahler

I'll be honest:  I'm not a big fan of modern-day bodybuilding.  It's gotten way out of control and no longer is it about developing health and vitality but more about getting massive, no matter what the cost to health.  It wasn't always this way.  When looking at the state of bodybuilding now, it's hard to believe there was a time in when bodybuilders were some of the healthiest people around.  Legendary bodybuilders such as John Grimek, Reg Park, and Steve Reeves had it all:  strength; incredible levels of size and symmetry; flexibility; and cardiovascular fitness.  In this article we're taking a closer look at the training philosophy of Steve Reeves and covering some sample training programs to get you into action.  Lets get started.

Reeves’ Rules For Size, Strength, And Health

Rule #1:  Train no more than three times per week

Steve believed most trainees work out way too much and that no more than three full-body workouts per week is the way to go.  Recovery is critical and far too many trainees overlook the importance of rest for maximum progress.  All the supplements in the world won't make up for poor sleep and inadequate rest.  Many trainees are stimulus addicts, tending to be process-oriented instead of goal-oriented.  Rather than training for the goal of getting stronger or more muscular, they focus on simply training as often and as long as possible--a big mistake which ends with over training and poor results.  Just as music needs pauses between the notes, you need rest between each workout.

For maximum recovery, Steve said that the perfect training program would have a day and half rest between each workout.  For example, the first workout of the week is on Monday morning, the second workout is on Wednesday evening, and the final workout of the week on Saturday morning.

Rule #2:  The number one mistake that trainees make is cheating on exercises

The idiot at your gym who likes to bounce the barbell off of his chest during the bench press wouldn't have impressed Steve.  Steve was a stickler for proper training form.  To ensure good form and for maximum development in size and strength, Steve used a repetition tempo of two seconds on the concentric portion of the exercise and three seconds on the negative portion of the exercise.  This tempo prevented bouncing or jerking to keep the weights moving.  Regarding breathing, Steve would breathe in just before the positive, hold it halfway through the positive, and breathe out during the negative.  Using the example of the barbell military press, breathe in while the bar is at chest level.  Hold your breath until the barbell reaches head level and then begin breathing out as you press the barbell to the lockout position.  Continue to breathe out as you lower the bar back to the starting position.

Rule #3:  Set a goal going into each workout to get you focused and excited

In addition to long-term goals such as adding twenty pounds to the overhead press, the trainee should have a goal at each workout.  Having a goal for the workout will get you focused and excited about training.  You should never go into a workout and then figure out what you're going to do; you should know exactly what you're doing and what you want to accomplish before you get started.  Goals increase focus and determination.  Training is not a place to be aimless and casual.  Steve believed you should work out with deep concentration and not socialize between each set.  Be a professional and take your workout seriously.  Socialize before or after training but never during.  All of your mental and physical energy needs to be applied to the workout.

Rule #4: Do leg exercises towards the end of your workout

Doing tough leg exercises such as the barbell squat at the beginning of a full-body workout is a big mistake.  The legs are your foundation and if they are fatigued from intense leg training, the upper body portion of the workout will suffer.  Beg to differ?  Try doing a few hard sets of barbell squats and then do a few sets of standing military presses.  You'll realize all too clearly what role the legs play in overhead pressing.  Doing all the upper body work first will get you warmed up for the tough leg work towards the end of your workout.  Here's the order Steve recommended for full-body workouts:  Work the deltoids first, then chest, lats, biceps, triceps, quads, hamstrings, calves, lower back, midsection, neck.  Take forty-five second breaks between each exercise set and two-minute breaks in between each muscle group.

Rule #5:  Exercise in opposition

Steve believed in pairing opposing muscle groups in order to ensure balanced development, tremendous pumps, and workout efficiency.  In other words, instead of doing three sets of the bench press and then moving on to the bent-over row, do the exercises back-to-back.  In other words, do a set of bench presses, wait a minute, and then do a set of the bent-over row.  Wait another minute and go back to the bench press.  Continue like this until all the sets are completed.

Rule #6:  Sets, reps, and breaks are determined by your goals

If your main goal is strength, do low reps of two to three for sets of five to six.  Take rest breaks of up to five minutes in between each set.  If you want strength and size, do sets of five to six for five to six sets with rest periods of two to three minutes.  For maximum size use the maximum weight you're able to do for eight to twelve reps with forty-five second breaks in between each set.  The only exercises that Steve trained differently were calves and abs:  for calves and abs, Steve did twenty to twenty-five reps per set.

Rule #7:  Practice Deep Breathing

Steve believed that deep breathing delivered more oxygen to the blood stream and increased the amount of the hormone epinephrine.  Epinephrine is a natural stimulant, which make one feel better and more energetic.  Steve didn't believe in simply exercising for big muscles and strength, but trained for overall health and certainly wasn't a muscle-bound bodybuilder who hyperventilates just walking up a flight of stairs.

In our super-hectic world, many of us live our lives in chronic tension.  When you're tense, you tend to be a shallow breather.  When you fail to breathe deeply you fail to get the maximum amount of oxygen into the blood stream.  It's no wonder so many people suffer from low energy and depression.  Make a point of breathing deeply as often as possible.  Breathe in through the nose to a count of four; hold your breath for a few seconds and then breathe out to a count of eight.  Take a walk first thing in the morning and breathe deeply during the entire duration of the walk--this is a great way to get energized for the day.

Rule #8:  Stretching is important but too much flexibility can be counter-productive

Steve said that while increased flexibility may decrease the chance of injuries, too much flexibility makes joints unstable and vulnerable to injury.  Yes, flexibility training, like any form of training, can be over done.  Steve also said one should never stretch while cold.  Thus, stretching before a workout isn't the way to go.  Stretch after a workout when you're naturally more flexible and less likely to create injury.

Rule #9:  Incorporate power walking for aerobic and mental health

For aerobic health and mental well-being, Steve was a big proponent of power walking.  While walking is hardly a hardcore form of exercise, power walking is definitely no joke.  One form of power walking is to take long strides and move as fast as possible.  Steve had trainees start by working up to walking a half mile in eight minutes.  Once that goal was achieved, the next goal was to gradually increase speed until the trainee could walk a mile in fourteen minutes.  The key with power walking is to continue increasing the intensity.  Walking up hills, wearing a weight vest, or holding on to some light dumbbells are all effective examples for increasing the intensity.

Regarding frequency, Steve recommended doing power walking four times a week for thirty minutes.  To get in shape walk two to three miles; to stay in shape walk one to two miles.

Rule #10:  Daily diet should be 60% carbohydrates, 20% protein and 20% fat.

Steve didn't follow any complicated nutrition regimens.  His carbohydrate consumption would be frowned upon in today’s low-carb fanatic society.  However, you can hardly argue with Steve's results.  In addition, his protein intake was far from the recommended two grams per pound of body weight espoused in many bodybuilding magazines today.  Another contrast is that Steve generally ate three meals per day.  For breakfast, Steve had a power shake consisting of orange juice; Knox gelatin; honey; a banana; some eggs; and a few tablespoons of protein powder.  For lunch, Steve had some cottage cheese with a handful of nuts and raisins, and some fresh fruit.  Steve's dinner was a big salad and some swordfish, turkey, tuna or beef.

Steve believed in eating real food and avoiding white sugar and white flour.  For a pre-workout energy boost Steve had a drink with some lemons and honey.  Finally, Steve recommended an interesting tip for ramping up energy for a workout:  many trainees focus on what they eat the day of a workout but Steve found that what you ate the day before had a great effect on the following day's workout.  Steve recommended a "pre-workout day" diet consisting of a good amount of complex carbohydrates.  For example, Steve suggested starting the pre-workout day dietary with a bowl of oatmeal combined with some almonds, apples, and raisins; then eat several bananas through out the day.  Later on, for dinner, have some whole-wheat spaghetti free of both meat and oil.  Have some more carbohydrates later in the day and get ready for a ton of energy the next day for your workout.  Maybe this explains why I had so much energy for my workouts after some excessive beer consumption the night before?

Next, how exactly did Reeves train to get so strong and powerful?  Lets take a closer look at one of his favorite training programs.

Sample Steve Reeves Full Body Workout

Monday:

Military Press

Bench Press

Bent-over Row

Barbell Curl

Triceps Extension

Parallel Squat

Standing Calf Raise

Dead lift

Crunch

Wednesday:

Alternating Dumbbell Military Press

Parallel Bar Dip

Pull-up

Alternating Dumbbell Curl

Triceps Extension Bench Press

Front Squat

Seated Calf Raise

Back Raise

Hanging Leg-raise

Friday:

Upright Row

Incline Press

One-arm Dumbbell Row

Concentration Curl

Lying Triceps Extension

Dumbbell Lunge

Standing Calf Raise

Dead lift

Sit-up

For the purpose of building as much muscle as possible, keep the rep range between 8-12 and do two to three sets per exercise.  Take forty-five second breaks in between each set and two-minute breaks in between each exercise.

  Strength-focused Steve Reeves-Inspired Workout

If your main goal is strength, do five sets of two to three and take three-minute breaks in between each set and exercise. Of course you will have to cut out a lot of the exercises to avoid having to spend the day training. Here is a sample strength focused workout based on the Steve Reeves model:

Monday:

Military Press

Bent-over Row

Full Squat

Romanian Dead lift

Wednesday:

Parallel Bar Dip

Pull-up

Dumbbell Lunge

Dead lift

Friday:

Incline Press

One-arm Dumbbell Row

Front Squat

Glute/ham Raise

If you find that three workouts are too much, reduce the training to two workouts per week such as Monday and Thursday.  Do the exercises one at a time or pair them up in antagonistic fashion.  When you can do five sets with the same weight, add five pounds.

Strength and Size Steve Reeves-Inspired Workout

For maximum progress in size and strength, Reeves recommended doing five to six sets of five to six reps.  Considering the high amount of volume a reduction in exercises is critical.  More than likely a reduction in training volume will be necessary for most trainees as well.  Here's a sample strength and size workout based on the Steve Reeves model:

Monday:

Military Press

Bent-over Row

Full Squat

Romanian Dead lift

Thursday:

Parallel Bar Dip

Pull-up

Dumbbell Lunge

Dead lift

Take two to three minute breaks in between each exercise and either do one exercise at a time or pair up the exercises in antagonistic fashion.  When you can do five to six sets with the same weight, add five pounds.

Wrap-up

For trainees who want to have it all you can combine the above programs in a variety of ways.  One option is to spend one month building up as much strength as possible.  Then, spend a month building as much size and strength as possible and finally, spend a month working on maximum gains in size.  Another option is to combine all three options into one training program.  For example, on Monday do a size and strength workout; on Wednesday, do a maximum size workout; and on Friday do a strength-focused workout.  The possibilities are endless.  Give the Steve Reeves program a shot and let me know how it works out for you.

For more information on Steve Reeves, make sure you pick up his exceptional book, Building the Classic Physique:  The Natural Way at http://www.stevereeves.com

Benefit From The Aggressive Strength Kettlebell DVD combo now

"After attending your excellent Vegas Seminar in March and using routines from the above your DVD’s, I went in for my regular massage and my therapist was like “are you juicing”? She could not believe how my body was changing, and how fast. Then, for some reason I can’t fathom, I switched to the “Enter the Kettlebell” workout for a month. At my next massage she was “did you stop lifting ‘bells”. Needless to say, I immediately came to my senses and went back to hard and heavy. I’ll keep the lil’ fellers workouts around for rest/recovery (maybe). Keep up the good work."

--James Lewiston Portland, Oregon 

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6. Aggressive Strength Article

Fitness Equipment: The answer to your best fitness ever!!

By Jon Hinds

Since I first began personal training in 1985 people have stated basically the same goals: To lose fat and gain muscle, improve athleticism, heal the body, increase movement skills, spend little money and train whenever and wherever they wanted.  I am pretty sure you want the same, but there’s a problem. Maybe you travel, it’s hard to get to the gym, or maybe you don’t like the gym and/or you can’t afford to build your own machine-laden gym at home? So what do you do? Well the answer has been here for over 30 years. The answer to true physical fitness is portable fitness equipment from the Monkey Bar Gym! Portable fitness equipment has evolved from the light resistance bands and ankle weights they use in aerobic classes. Today portable fitness equipment is literally all you need to get into the greatest shape of your life. Whether your goal is basic overall fitness, strength, conditioning OR high level sports performance you can get it all with portable fitness equipment.

How do I know this?  It is all I have ever done and all that my dad Bobby Hinds has ever done. My Dad started the beginnings of portable fitness equipment with the beaded jump rope and training program in 1973, which sparked the Jump Rope for Heart program. He followed it up in 1976 with the first ever Portable Gym. Back in the day people thought my dad was crazy…still do, but he was way ahead of his time. He saw a huge need for people to stay in shape while on the road, traveling, working out at home or outside. He knew that not everyone wanted to workout on machines, or had the money, time or drive to workout in a gym or inside for that matter. So, he took it upon himself to change it and the fitness world has never been the same.

Today, portable fitness equipment can do everything you desire in your fitness training: YOU CAN get stronger, leaner, improve athletic performance, heal & prevent injuries, increase movement skills, spend little money and train anywhere you want, anytime you want!!! Portable fitness equipment can also allow you to follow an online training program, almost like having your own personal trainer!  Because of all of these tremendous benefits, portable fitness equipment is a common term in the fitness industry.  I feel my Dad and his company, Lifeline USA, are a huge reason for portable fitness equipment being such an integral part of the fitness industry today. I have always believed in portable fitness equipment, so much that I opened up my Monkey Bar Gymnasium in 2001. It is the first hard-core strength and conditioning training facility in the country that uses ONLY portable fitness equipment!

“Full body anywhere, anytime training is all we do and all we’ve ever done” says Monkey Bar Gymnasium, Certified Natural Trainer, Jessica Rucker. “We teach movement mastery first and then add resistance via portable fitness equipment.

So what exactly is portable fitness equipment? Any piece of exercise equipment that you can easily pack and take anywhere in the world and get a tremendous workout. That is why my dad’s first Portable Gym’s tag line was “a gym in a bag”.  Portable fitness equipment gives you a great workout, not just an okay one.

IT WORKS!! A workout with really good portable fitness equipment improves your strength (functional muscle), conditioning (leaner body), sports performance, agility, mobility, stability, strength and power.  Want proof, At the Monkey Bar Gymnasium we AVERAGE 17 lbs of fat loss and 5.4 lbs of muscle gain over the first 60 days of training…did I mention, only using portable fitness equipment!

More Proof. On a recent road trip, Jessica and I brought along all of our favorite Portable Fitness Equipment, a Power Push Up, Jungle Gym, TNT Cable, Power Wheel, Power Jump Rope and even the new Lifeline Kettlebell. Yes, the Lifeline Kettlebell.  This may not be a true piece of portable fitness equipment, but it is a heavier version,  it still is portable and definitely is fitness equipment.  On our road trip we really put all of the portable fitness equipment to the test.

Could we drive more than 3,000 miles & get great workouts at the same time? The answer was definitely YES! Every hour we drove, we stopped and did a killer set with each piece of equipment. One hour we did a set of squat presses with the TNT Cable, the next hour a killer set of chins and rows with the Jungle Gym, the next hour 100 doubles jumping rope as fast as possible, the next hour 40 snatches each arm with the Lifeline Kettlebell. Honestly, it was amazing!  Each set only took us 3 minutes! When we would get back in the car we felt incredible! We were totally energized and ready to go and looked forward to the next hour and what we would do. By the end of the day, we had without question, gotten a heck of a workout and we were both tired but very satisfied in knowing that we not only can do these workouts anywhere at anytime, but that working out with Portable Fitness Equipment is the best way to attain ultimate fitness.

The World is your Playground” workout anywhere / anytime (AA), indoors or outside!!!

Lets lay out a Backpack of Portable Fitness Equipment for you to workout AA!!

1) Jungle Gym
Pure bodyweight training: chin-ups (assisted to kip ups), push ups, dips, rows, flys, assisting pistols /1 leg squats, leg curls, runners, core rollouts and lots more. One piece of equipment that can do full body training for strength & conditioning! Weight about 1.5 lbs, fits in pocket.

2)TNT Cable: Pure resistance training: squats, full extensions, cable cleans, presses, Russian twists, diagonal chops & lifts, resisted running & backpedaling, 1 arm punches, rows and lots more. Weight about 1 lb., fits in large pocket.

3) Power Jump Rope:

Pure conditioning training: probably the single best tool for overall full body conditioning. Weight 1.5 lbs, fits in pocket.

We put them all together in the Portable Monkey Bar Gym It even includes a comprehensive training DVD.

Add more fun to your Backpack with the following:

The Power Push up: Voted Best piece of exercise equipment by Men’s Fitness. Can adjust from 20 to 270 lbs of resistance for your push-ups. Weight 2.5 lbs., fits in backpack easily.

The Power Jumper: The Best Jump Training device on the market…and it’s portable!  Get the Jump Training DVD, it’s great. You can do all lower body exercises with it too. Athletes average 6-8” improvements over 12 weeks of training. Weight 2.5 lbs, fits in backpack too.

A Note on the Resistance Cables - 3 big points:

1) Non-Fixed ranges of motion - meaning you must react and balance the resistance, this improves motor function and performance greatly.

2) Progressive variable resistance - as cables lengthen they increase in resistance, creating an excellent balance as your leverage becomes greater, it becomes greater!

3) Adjustable resistance - in seconds you can lighten or increase the resistance. This means you can match bodyweight movements with precision resistance, can load or resist up to max loads thus giving covering all levels of strength training from endurance to power.

In general portable fitness equipment is in a league of its own.  It’s accessible, light weight and convenient but yet can generate max resistance loads if needed or maximum challenge of exercise if needed, it literally can do it all!!  With portable fitness equipment you never need to stop your workouts because of business trips or vacations and working out at home with $1,000.00’s of dollars of bulky equipment has become a thing of the past. Compare that with a mere $100 or so for all of the above listed portable fitness equipment.  You can use portable fitness equipment to perform online training with any of the great sites out there, and achieve incredible results! 

If you are interested or have any questions in our portable fitness equipment go to   You can also join our online training at www.monkeybargym.com and have fun includes daily workouts, nutrition, goal setting charts, videos of all exercises, all previous workouts, and workout & nutrition journals as well. So now you can train with us, anywhere, anytime, using our same Monkey Bar Gymnasium portable fitness equipment.  Look forward to our Road Warriors Training DVD coming soon!

Train hard my friends,
Jon Hinds, www.monkeybargym.com

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7. Benefit From The Kettlebell Solution For Fat Loss And Mental Toughness

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Recommended Fat Loss Supplement

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8. Aggressive Strength Article

Fueling Your Workouts: Your Body's Energy Systems

By Frank DiMeo

Have you ever felt like your body just won't move when you want it to? Maybe it's just your legs, or your arms if you're doing something overhead like installing a ceiling fan. It could be that you are out of fuel.

Tony Leyland, Senior Lecturer at the School of Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada recently wrote an excellent article on this for the Crossfit Journal. I'll reference his article, but simplify it quite a bit.

Your body has three energy systems: phosphagen, glycolytic, & aerobic. For all but the easiest of activities, your body uses all three systems. One is not used up then the next takes over. All three have definite characteristics of their own,shown in this very simplified chart:

1) Phosphagen--highest power output, but very short duration

2) Glycolytic--next highest power output, somewhat longer duration

3) Aerobic--lowest power output, but much longer duration

During strenuous activity, lactic acid is produced and it can hamper your performance considerably., usually by a loss of power and coordination. Lactic acid is not all bad, because it can be used as fuel for your body if enough oxygen is available. A lot of his is determined by how much rest occurs between bouts of exertion.

If you've ever watched a boxing match or MMA fight and seen the fighters moving sluggishly this is probably one of the main causes. Many times you'll see a fighter drop his hands, even though he needs his hands up to protect himself.

The same is true in any sport or activity that requires a lot of exertion. Your body must rest for a while to replenish the energy stores.

So if you're not a boxer, MMA fighter, or other type of athlete are you still affected by all this?

Absolutely yes! Go up and down the steps of a stadium, a few times, and your legs "feel like lead", right?

So, now that you're out of fuel, how do you get more? You rest, that's how.

You also have a few other factors that are related to all this, such as muscle fiber type and Central Nervous System (CNS) fatigue/neurotransmitter depletion. Rest is vital for recovery in all these areas also.

Have you ever tried to pick up or move something very heavy?

Maybe you couldn't get it at first, but you rested for a few minutes, then came back and got the job done.

You just can't rush your body's chemistry.

When you are training,  for example lfting weights, you can change the nature of your entire workout simply by altering the rest periods. Do a set of military presses, rest 21/2 to 3 minutes, then do it again.

Now do the same set again after only 30 seconds of rest; you'll see (or feel) what I mean.

Another example would be to do some hard sparring with your training partner for 3 minutes, then rest 3 minutes and go again. No big deal, right? Now try a few rounds with only 30 seconds of rest between each one.  Depending on what response you want your workout to get from your body, you adjust your rest periods to fit that. The level of intensity/exertion you put into your workout is a big factor also.

Walking a 1/4 mile versus jogging or sprinting it is a huge difference. Aside from the shift in energy sources, the type of muscle fibers predominantly being used also changes.

So plan your workouts depending on what you want to accomplish. No one gets fit by accident.

For more info on Frank DiMeo, go to www.crossfitgulfcoast.com

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9. Aggressive Strength Product Recommendations 

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10. Kettlebell Training Information  

http://www.mikemahler.com/kettlebell_info.html

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11. Aggressive Strength Magazine Archives 

http://www.mikemahler.com/newsletter

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Until next time.

Live Life Aggressively!

Feel free to email me with your comments and feedback at mahler25@yahoo.com

Mike Mahler

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