AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH MAGAZINE

ISSUE 76 - 9/21/2005

1. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"No man should have to slog through a job that fails to stoke his soul and fire up his imagination."
- Will Keiser

My friend and top strength coach Steve Maxwell and I recently did a great seminar this past weekend in Marina Del Rey. We both had a lot of fun and I had several moments in which I smiled to myself as it is still hard for me to believe sometimes that I get paid to do what I do. I do not just get by either, I make a great living and recently passed what I used to make when I was a Business Development manager in the dotcom world. The best part about what I do is that I feel like I am making a positive difference in the lives of others every day. Sadly, the concept of actually loving what you do and making a great living is a fantasy for most people. Not because it is not possible, but because most people do not believe it is possible. We are taught at an early age what we are supposedly not capable of and that message is reinforced constantly. Everyday we are told what is not possible, rather than what is possible. It is up to you to empower yourself and carve your own path.

While Steve was out here, he gave me a copy of the most recent issue of Men's Journal. The issue is loaded with stories of people that used to have high salary jobs that were not fulfilling. They eventually reached a turning point and took the plunge to find greener pastures. Simply making a great salary is not enough and these men realized that (sorry ladies, it is called Men's Journal for a reason ;-). Life is too short to not enjoy life. To some, people that are dissatisfied with their high paying salaries must seem laughable. Many people would love to have a high salary jobs no matter how boring they are. Nevertheless, that is no excuse to settle for a job that you dislike. Your personal happiness is decided by you, not what others think that it should be. If you do not like what you are doing, do what thousands of other people do everyday. Find a way to make your passion your profession. Pick up this month's "Men's Journal" for inspiration or be a cheap skate and read it for free at the bookstore. Just read it!

My vision as a strength coach was to develop a holistic approach to building strength. Most strength coaches focus on making people stronger physically which of course is great. I have had the honor of meeting and learning from many incredible coaches. However, I did not just want to jump in and do what others are doing. I looked at things that I enjoyed and wanted to see how I could incorporate them into my business. First, I have a B.A. in Religious Studies with a focus on eastern religions. I wanted to find a way to bring the wisdom of the world's greatest thinkers into what I do, without focusing on any one religion. Second, I spent several years in sales and marketing and while I did not enjoy working for others, I do enjoy being a businessman and closing deals and designing marketing campaigns. Fortunately these are necessary skills to be successful in any business and I would not have a problem finding ways to use these skills. In fact I would not have had the rapid growth that I have enjoyed without this knowledge. Third, I developed public speaking skills in a previous business and enjoy being in front of people. After some research, I realized that seminars are a viable option as a strength coach and decided to focus my efforts on seminars instead of private lessons. Finally, I developed writing skills in college that I did not have a chance to put into action after I graduated. Fortunately, after some research, it was abundantly clear that articles are a great way to build a strength training business. I have written close to 100 articles in the last few years and I have no doubt that this skill really paid off in building my business. My point, is that I looked at things that I enjoy doing rather than doing things that others told me that I should doing. If you like what you are doing you will be much better at it then if you simply do what you think you should be doing.

Several months after getting into the business, the concept of "Aggressive Strength" emerged. Aggressive strength is far more than just building the body. What is the point of being strong physically, if you are weak mentally. Mental intelligence combined with physical strength allows one to enjoy life much more fully. However, those are just two components of strength. Without strength of character or a strong philosophy that you can always come back to, you will be at the mercy of others. If you do not have a strong sense of purpose and moral guidance, then you will be at the mercy of others. Strength is synergistic. Get stronger mentally and you will get stronger physically. Get stronger spiritually and you will get stronger physically and mentally. Focus on what you can do to give back to others, and you will develop the most rewarding level of strength as compassion and generosity are also forms of strength.

Finding your dream job and waking up excited each day, does not have to be something that never happens to you. You can be like the people in this month's issue of "Men's Journal" as well. You can give yourself a million reasons why it can work and a million reasons why it will not work. Either way, what you believe will create your reality. If you really want something, you will find a way to make it work. If you are not prepared to make major sacrifices and persevere through the inevitable obstacles, then you were never really serious and never wanted it bad enough. Living life aggressively means not taking your life for granted and being pro active in acquiring happiness. You owe it to yourself and the world to find your way as when one person rises, others do as well.

Live Life Aggressively!

Mike Mahler

Mike Mahler

2. HELP THE KATRINA VICTIMS

My friend and top body worker Dianna Linden recently sent me a list of non-profit organizations for helping out the Katrina Victims. Here is the list:

I encourage you to take a look at the above organizations and make a donation to the one that sits well with you. Also if you want to help out animals, make a donation to http://www.bestfriends.org.

3. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH TRAINING ARTICLE

Make Progress By Avoiding Pet Lifts

Tired of getting stuck at plateaus on your favorite exercises? Time to cycle them out for a while and focus on similar exercises. What happens when you do the same exercise over and over again is you eventually become less efficient at it. Once you get good at the skill of the exercise, it is time to switch gears and put another exercise in for a while. This is what Louie Simmons calls the "conjugate approach." Instead of just benching to get better at bench pressing, Louie will have his athletes cycle in a variety of exercises such as floor presses, dumbbell presses, band presses etc. The conjugate approach is a great way to avoid CNS burnout and frustrating plateaus. However, to make it work, you have to get over the stimulus of doing your favorite exercises. Do you want to make progress or just keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results? If you want to make progress, try the following:

I am going to use the Barbell Military Press to illustrate the point. Feel free to apply this approach to any exercise.

Avoid training to failure on the GTG sets. Test your 3-5 rep Barbell Military Press on the test days.

To Purchase a TNT Cable, visit the Aggressive Strength Online Store.

For more info on Louie Simmons, click here.

4. GET THE AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH DVD COMBO PACK TODAY

"Kettlebell Solutions for Speed and Explosive Strength is incredible! All of the exercises are explained and displayed perfectly and leave you with no questions. There is absolutely no filler and it gives so many options to add to your arsenal. Watching it gets me so amped up to train! One of the best things is the Free DVD User guide to set you on the right track. I love all of the exercises and together with Tke Kettlebell Solution For Size and Strength, I will never get bored of training!"
- Chris Pontius of MTV's Wildboyz and Jackass

Kettlebell Solution for Size and Strength

Kettlebell Solution for Size and Strength

If you enjoy lifting light kettlebells and have no desire to be strong with a powerful physique, then this DVD is not for you. However, if you are ready for a new challenge with kettlebells and desire to maximize the benefits of kettlebell training, get this DVD today.

The Kettlebell Solution For Size And Strength will show how to get much stronger with kettlebells and build a muscular physique as well. This detailed DVD is for all levels and covers the basics enough for beginners and offers new challenges for experienced kettlebell lifters.

» Click Here for More Information, or:

Kettlebell Solution for Speed and Explosive Power

Kettlebell Solutions for Speed and Explosive Strength

Super comprehensive kettlebell training DVD that goes over how to build speed and explosive power in four different categories: Full body explosive power, Upper body explosive power, Lower body explosive power, and Rotational explosive power. Translation? You will be one explosive hombre after you practice the exercises on this DVD and follow the programs in the Free Kettlebell Training DVD E-book. I did not leave anything out on this DVD. Even if you do not care about getting faster and more explosive, you will love the wide variety of exercises that this kettlebell training DVD contains.

» Click Here for More Information, or:

5. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH PERSONALIZED PROGRAM DESIGN SERVICES

"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

Tired of trial and error? Want a training program that actually works? Click here for more info!

6. NEW AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS

I have just added some great new products to my website including: medicine balls, the ultimate portable gym, and some pull-up straps that allow you to do a pull-ups anywhere! Click here.

7. THE AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH SOLUTION FOR THE ROAD WARRIOR

Tired of terrible hotel gyms and getting out of shape on the road? Tired of doing bodyweight only routines in your hotel room because there are no other options? You need Lifeline's resistance cable products. Not only are they light and portable but they provide enough resistance to humble the strongest athletes around. Click here for more info

8. KETTLEBELL TRAINING INFORMATION PAGE (NEW)

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

9. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

http://www.mikemahler.com/newsletter

10. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH ARTICLES

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

11. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH TRAINING JOURNAL

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

12. RECOMMENDED READING LIST

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

Until next time.

Live Life Aggressively!

Mike Mahler

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

Mike Mahler