AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH MAGAZINE

---

ISSUE 99 - 5/25/2006

1. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I am a true believer that if you don't like the company you work for, quit your job. But if you choose to stay and draw a payroll check from the company, ethically, you don't have the freedom to sabotage the company's morale through your constant expression of dissatisfaction. You are duty-bound to present any constructive suggestions that occur to you."
- Chin-Ning Chu

Complaining about problems, especially luxury problems is easy. This is why many people engage in such behavior. It provides the illusion that one is doing something about the problem. Regardless, the reality is that it is simply a waste of time. Moreover, I would go as far as to say that many people enjoy complaining about problems. It provides the illusion of being important. The more problems you have the more important you are and the more attention you can get from others. This is not even acceptable behavior for a five year old and it is certainly not acceptable behavior for an adult. Regardless, I have seen many men and women get together in groups to vent and complain to each other. Often it turns into a competition to see who can complain the most and who has the biggest problems. People often try to one up each other. For example, one person might say "I got hit by a car yesterday." In response another might say, "that is nothing, I got hit by a car, lost my job, and then my relationship feel through." What is my advice for such people? Get your estrogen levels checked because it is a certainty that you have high levels and poor Testosterone levels. If you had high testosterone levels you would be too busy trying to carve out the life you want and would not have the patience to waste time complaining about petty matters. Here is some pretty blunt advice. If you do not like a situation, do something about it that will improve the situation. Complaining of course does not fall into that category. Complaining that ultimately leads to action is acceptable as long as the action occurs sooner than later.

You know what the worst kind of complaining is? Complaining to people that cannot do anything about the alleged problem. One of my former managers used to say, "complain to someone that gets paid enough to care and has the power to do something." Pretty wise advice. Actually, a form of complaining that is even worse is bitching about others and then putting on a fake face when you are around them. Such behavior is pathetic and cowardly. Do not say anything behind someone's back that you would not say to his or her face. Why do so many people choose to talk behind other's backs and complain to people that are not involved in the problem? Because there are no apparent negative repercussions. The reality is that the effects of such behavior are devastating to your integrity and personal growth. Every time you avoid taking a problem head on and fail to have the courage to deal with the possible negative repercussions, you lose a part of your internal strength assuming you had any to begin with. Repeat such actions long enough and you become a pathetic sycophant that chooses to go with the flow. Once we have enough people that choose this path in life society as a whole is in trouble. As the saying says, "evil exits because good men and women choose to do nothing." What you relinquish in choosing not to face problems head on is your soul. Once you go down that path, it is not easy to return.

Regarding doing a job, If you choose to do a job choose to do it well. When you no longer feel like doing it well, move on. Do not let the job deteriorate to the point where you get fired or are completely miserable. Many people stay in relationships that are no longing fulfilling for the same reasons as unfulfilling jobs. The reason of course is fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear that the situation may get worse, fear that you cannot do better. Living in fear and from a mindset of scarcity is no way to live. Do what you can to make the relationship or job better. If that is not possible, then move on. Life is short and it will end before you know it. What you do not do now will hurt you. What you put off now will likely hurt you. Ignorance is not bliss and complaining and not taking action is certainly not bliss either.

What is the upside of being honest with yourself and what you want in life? The person you become in the process is one you can be proud of regardless if you achieve the desired goal. Think my advice is too utopian? The world does not work that way and compromises have to made right? What you choose to believe becomes your reality. If you want to make excuses for not having the life you want you can. Just remember you can either go after the life you want or make excuses for not doing so, but you cannot do both.

Live Life Aggressively!

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:

• Operation USA http://www.opusa.org
• Mercy Corps http://www.mercycorps.org
• Oxfam America http://www.oxfamamerica.org
• America's Second Harvest http://www.secondharvest.org

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

The 80/20 Rule Part 2

By Mike Mahler

Last time we talked about the importance of focusing on exercises that provide the most bang for your buck. Isolation exercises such as curls, triceps pushdowns, and leg curls do not fall into this category. Exercises such as Barbell Deadlifts, Clean and Presses, and Barbell Squats do. Such exercises will do more to transform your body then spending hours on isolation exercises. Again, the main reason why trainees avoid these exercises is because they require hard work. Also, in a world where just about everything is complicated, it is hard for many people to believe that simple programs work. Regardless, the reality proves otherwise and a wise trainee chooses to accept this. You can either excel in a few areas or be mediocre at best in a lot of areas. Only a rare individual can break the rules and have it all. Do not assume that you are that person.

Here are some more exercises that fall into the "20% Club."

Weighted Pull-up: Lat pulldowns are okay, but the real money is on weighted pull-ups. If you are into getting bigger, no exercise will provide more benefit for the lats than the weighted pull-up. In addition to working the lats, the weighted pull-up incorporates the biceps tremendously. Now if you could care less about getting bigger, no problem. Do several sets of low reps and avoid the negative (lowering phase). You will build a tremendous amount of strength that has real world application. This is a great exercise to work in with Clean and Presses for balanced development.

Barbell Bent-over Row: many trainees especially male trainees often avoid working the muscles that they cannot see in the mirror. As a result incredible exercises such as the Barbell Bent-over Row are often left out in exchange for more focus on the bench press. Big mistake! Even if you could care less about building a strong back, if you want an impressive bench press you need a back to press off of. The Barbell Bent-over Row is the perfect exercise to pair up with the Bench Press or Floor Press. In addition to working the mid back and lats, Bent-over Rows are great for the biceps. Similar exercises for variety include: Alternating Kettlebell Rows, Renegade Rows (Kettlebells or Dumbbells).

Floor Press: While I prefer to focus on overhead presses, the Floor Press is a great exercise for trainees that have breast envy or have breasts and want to focus on that area The Floor press is a great triceps builder and because it does not take you through an extreme range of motion, it is easy on the rotator cuffs. A complete upper body workout can be as simple as combining the Floor Press with the Bent-over Row on one day and combining the Clean and Press with the Weighted Pull-up on another day. Regardless, I rarely do floor presses and choose to focus on the Clean and Press and other overhead variations. I do not find having big pecs desirable. I rather have strong and well developed shoulders.

Okay what is next Mike? Well, that is about it. Six exercises? Yup, this week's three exercises and last week's three exercises are all that you really need. Feel free to focus on variations as well. Here are some options:

Squat: choose from: Dumbbell Squats, Barbell Squats, Barbell Front Squat, Kettlebell Front Squat, Kettlebell Overhead Squat, Barbell Overhead Squat, Sandbag Overhead Squat, One-legged Squat.

Deadlift: Barbell Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Dumbbell Deadlift, Sandbag Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift, Double Kettlebell Swing, One-legged Kettlebell Deadlift.

Press: Clean and Press, See-saw Press, Alternating Military Press, Sots Press, Seated Press, Floor Press, Incline Press, One-arm Dumbbell Floor Press, One-arm Dumbbell Or Kettlebell Military Press, TNT Cable Military press, Power-pushup 2 pushups, Alternating Kettlebell Floor Press, Guard Attack.

Pull: Barbell Bent-over Row, Renegade Row, Alternating Kettlebell Row, Weighted Pull-up, Sandbag Bent-over Row, Lat Pulldown, Double Kettlebell Bent-over Row.

80% or more of your training time should be spent on the above four categories. You could easily spend 100% of your time on the above categories and have incredible training success. Most trainees should be taking exercises out of their regimens rather than adding more in. You can only focus on a few things successfully so when in doubt leave it out. If you have trouble on all four categories, strip it down further. For example do the Clean and Press and Squat and that is it for a month. Then switch to the Floor Press and Deadlift for a month. If you can handle all four categories, feel free to add in some core work such as weighted sit-ups, hanging leg raises, Turkish Get-ups, or Windmills. Beyond that you could add in a few sets of some isolation work to address a weak link. However, that is only beneficial for advanced trainees. Work on putting up some great numbers on the 20% club before you even think of that. For example get your Floor press up to 300lbs, Clean and Press up to 200lbs, Squat up to 400lbs and Deadlift up to 500lbs. Once you have done that, you may benefit from some isolation work. Otherwise, isolation work is generally a waste of time. Think you are the exception to the rule? You are not so repeat this mantra "I am not an exception to the 20% club" as many times as necessary to get is down.

---

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

---

5. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH MUSIC RECOMMENDATION

Here is some info on the greatest hardcore/metal band of all time. The founder of "Cro-mags" Harley Flannagan does all of the kick ass music on my DVD's. If you love intense music while you are working out, you owe it to yourself to get this CD. You will not be disappointed.

CRO-MAGS GREATEST HITS UNRELEASED MATERIAL,WHITE DEVIL& MORE

CRO-MAGS GREATEST HITS PLUS UNRELEASED MATERIAL!

ORDER NOW WHILE LIMITED SUPPLY LASTS!! ONLY A FEW COPY'S LEFT!!!
28 TRACKS PLUS UNRELEASED MATERIAL LIVE TRACKS AND MORE OVER 78 MINUTES OF CRO-MAGS GREATEST HITS AND MORE!!!
$10 PLUS $5 SHIPPING ( $6 OUTSIDE OF U.S)
SEND CHECK FOR $15 ($16 OUTSIDE OF U.S) TO

HARLEY FLANAGAN
P.O BOX 16
TROY NY
12182
U.S.A

ORDER NOW WHILE LIMITED SUPPLY LASTS!! ONLY A FEW COPY'S LEFT!!!! For more info on "The Cro-mags" and "Harley's War" go to CroMags.com.

---

6. 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!

---

7. 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.

---

8. 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

---

9. KETTLEBELL TRAINING INFORMATION PAGE (NEW)

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

---

10. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

http://www.mikemahler.com/newsletter

---

11. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH ARTICLES

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

---

12. AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH TRAINING JOURNAL

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

---

13. RECOMMENDED READING LIST

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

---

Until next time.

Live Life Aggressively!

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

Mike Mahler

ARCHIVES:

• 2007
• 2006
• 2005
• 2004
• 2003

Home • Store • Aggressive Strength Magazine • Kettlebell Information • Testimonials • Massage • Journal • Contact • Links

Copyright © 2003-2007 Mike Mahler. All Rights Reserved.