Back Log

Sunday



8,7,6,5 Handstand Pushups
5,5,5,5 1 Arm Pushups (l, r)
10,8,7,6 Door Pullups
10,9,8,6 Pistols (r,l)
10,9,8,6 Knee Jumps
10,10,9,8 Headstand Leg raises
25,25,25,25 Body Blasters

Done in circuit format....Brutally hard, rest as little as possible. Aim for 5-10 reps for 5 rounds. Body Blaster done for 25-50

Work your way up...it is hard...

This circuit was originally made by Mike Mahler found here.

Triples, Big Six, and Daily Dozen

I am currently at a point in my life where I need to get as many things done as possible...and do it well. I need to work as an exercise instructor, teaching a bodyweight exercise class 2x a week back to back. I need to train BJJ frequently to assure skill progression for Pan Ams. I need to get good grades in my classes for Physical Therapy School applications. Finally, I feel the need to become stronger, faster, and increase my work capacity.

I approached this haphazardly and stressed myself WAY TOO MUCH. I took 18 credit hours, committed to strength training 5 days a week (including work), trained 3-4 days a week in BJJ/ Judo, and took up more personal training clients. As a result, I became injured, over trained, stressed, and mean. I look back at the past few years of my life and saw myself making the same mistakes. Taking on too much at once and driving myself to the point of exhaustion and depression.

Does this need to happen to achieve what you want? I thought it did, and I was wrong. I have pushed myself too hard too many times and I have finally realized my mistake. I have realized i just need to take a step back and BREATHE. Once I acknowledged this, things did not seem so bad. I started reading about the idea that 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your efforts. 80 percent is a low B. That is not good enough for me; consequently, I thought of something a little different. Why not make it so that each 20 percent of the effort you give yields 80% and transforms your numbers into something better than perfect.

I recently have read a lot of material by Mike Mahler, Pavel Tsatsouline, Dan John, and Steve Maxwell. I enjoyed reading it and feel enlightened from the material that I have read. I would suggested reading these expert's materials and hopefully you will take away as much as I have. This brings me to presenting you with several ideals which I have started to aide me in my progress.

Start the day with joint mobility drills. It improves coordination, decreases pain, promotes healing, and is a great way to wake up. I strongly recommend Steve Maxwell's Daily Dozen.

Set goals for the day, the week, and the month. Setting goals with differing time frames helps you attack what needs to be done and allows you to label priorities. It will also prevent procrastination.

Choose your big six exercises which address your goals. When choosing your "big 6" limit it to compound movements. I think the 5 Pillars by Mike Mahler is a great place to start. Addressing a pull and a push for both upper body and lower body is a great place to start. A great finale is to link it all together with exercising the core/trunk. Steve Maxwell present a list of exercises for fighters here. If you really want to focus on strength gains, cycle series of a "big 3"

Approach your workout with a set x rep of 3x3. It is a great place to get started and will aide tremendously in strength gains. Size can also be addressed in the 3x3 workout scale by increasing frequency and decreasing rest between sets. Another note, NEVER FAIL!

Finally, REST. Rest is probably the most important part of the entire ordeal. If you do not rest, you cannot recover. If you do not recover, you cannot perform in any endeavor.

Unleash the Beast!

What is best in life?

Let me ask you. What is best in life? Some will say a big house, a nice car, and a pretty wife. Others might be in nirvana with their family, and a small back yard. Finally, some delve deep into their vices and lose themselves to it. I personally have 2 answers. "To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women," says Conan the Barbarian. My answer is a little more comprehensive. What is best in life is control. Control over your emotions, spirit, environment, mind, and body!

What does it mean to be in control?

Mentally you must be knowledgeable and quick. Additionally, your mind initiates everything. An easy way to think about it is your computer. You should always be seeking to upgrade your processor, your hard drive, and your memory. You must be emotionally stable. To be resilient and bounce back from adversity. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Spiritual health is something that a lot of people can get muddled in. Spirit is resolve and focus as well as moral beliefs. Whatever your idiom of bolstering faith is, from being self confident and focused to acknowledging a greater power, you must decide.

Environmental dominance requires knowledge, interaction and service. You must know your surroundings and how to interact with it. This includes the social dynamics of daily living. What you put into your environment, you should receive. You should also be able to survive in different environments given nothing, be it in combat, politics, or the ocean. Finally, you are who you associate with. Your tribe as some would say is there to support you when you are down, or push you onto greater heights. Surround yourself with people who feed off of eachother instead of only feeding on you.

Physical health, or what this blog's primary concern is, is one of the most important things. Your body is the vehicle which your traverse this world. You need to put fuel in it, empty exhaust, and it does work. The body is connected in other ways to everything else we do. Everythign is connected, and most things do not stand alone. What is the body without a mind or spirit...well it is nothing useful unless you want to make zombies. You must be strong, agile, and robust to be fit. To be healthy is an entirely different thing involving nutrition and recovery.

Long story short: what is best in life? To have a resolved spirit, quick and knowledgeable mind, controlled and benficial emotions, a mutually beneficial relationship with your environment and the other people in it, and a conditioned body. These things will allow you "To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women!"

DRIVE ON BRUTES!

Introductions

Welcome to BRUTE FIT,

Training for the every day hairless ape who wants to become the BEAST inside themselves. Following true to the Naked Warrior philosophy of Tony Blauer and Pavel Tsatsouline, I promote self sufficiency no matter the materials or situation. . The warrior's wellness should include: Focused Spirit, Sharp Mind, and a Strong Body. Addressing technical knowledge and skill, healthy joints, coordination, endurance, and strength.

Become the beast,

Kevin Holmes