A Prison Swing Challenge

This is a workout that came to me a week or so ago and I decided to experiment with it. It’s also a part of one of the workouts featured in my upcoming kettlebell book. Here it is, quick hitting, but hard, hard, hardcore.

Kettlebell SwingsGrab your kettlebell of choice and begin with one minute of swings. Swing exactly 40 reps or at least 40 reps in one minute and at the end of that minute clean the bell and immediately begin to push press it. Do not put the bell down for the entire workout. You push press for one minute and then repeat that cycle non-stop five times. So 10 minutes straight of 40 rep swings and as many push presses as you can get in the alternating minute.

I did two rounds of this with 40 reps swings an average of 25 reps of push presses on the push press minute. It is brutal and a killer, but what did it do? It allows your body to keep working, to keep moving at an explosive endurance, building explosive strength, works your entire body with the pulling pushing motion of the swing and the pressing motion, explosive movement of the push press. It spreads the stress back and forth across the body as well as the blood flow creating a greater cardiovascular component, as well as a better breathing component and blood flow component and still getting solid fatigue in the posterior chain, shoulder and arms as well as the quads and calves from the push press movement. However you don’t drive any of them so that they would require massive recovery and you can really jack this workout up and keep going.

I tested it also on some of my MMA guys. They both loved and hated it from the standpoint that it is both horribly hard to do and at the same time incredibly productive. Another in the series of these workouts that you’ll be seeing soon.

Try it, let me know how you do, let us know how you progress with this – it really IS bad to the bone!

God bless,
Bud Jeffries

P.S. Tonight is another of our Super Human Training Teleseminar Series. There’s still time to get in live and for free.

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Posted in Challenge Workouts, Conditioning Exercise, Explosiveness, Kettlebells, Martial Arts, Training Ideas, Workouts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stress

Did you know the body perceives mental and physical stress in exactly the same way? It reacts with exactly the same hormone response. Do you know that the body perceives training and any other physical stress also in exactly the same way?

stress Stress

Don't let stress get to you

In having this knowledge you need to understand your body’s response. I’ll give you a personal example from my life. I have matured a great deal. I used to be kind of a Wildman – I don’t know if you heard that – a little bit quick tempered, very emotional. I’m still a little emotional, very passionate, but most of these days I’m much calmer. Recently I had a situation with some people close to me that caused me lose my temper. Most people don’t tell you that especially if they’re attempting to achieve teacher status. They don’t want to give you any talk about their own personal flaws. Do you know what? I’m a real person – it happens.

But here’s something I noticed. It had been a long time since I’d been angry in that way and don’t worry – I didn’t snap anybody in half. However I noticed an incredible dump of adrenalin and physiological response to that emotional movement. It wasn’t anything I did physically it was purely a mental stress and a mental reaction that created an extreme amount of physical stress.

While this is unavoidable occasionally at times except through extreme practice of self control every day little stresses add up. Build the ability over your life to use training as catharsis. Now I did this a lot when I was younger. I got angry and went out and trained until the energy felt better and you can do this occasionally, but at the same time you need to over a period of time mature and not take everything out through training. You do not need to absorb stress and then blow it away. You need to literally build the ability to be immune to stress to focus your mind and create an attitude that deals with life in a stress-free way, because no matter where you go things are tough. Mental pressures, family pressures, lots of those things create stress in life. Worrying about them literally will not help. That’s in every major religion of the world – the bible being one of the foremost of which that says, “Worry will not add a hair to your head.”

It literally cannot help anything only active action against a situation will help. Only an attitude that recognizes the important things of life and allows the other things to get away can help you even out your emotional responses and not succumb to the plague of stress. Be careful how you manage the stress in your life because it has huge effects on your physical as well as your mental well-being. Keep the mind right and the body follows. Keep the stress under control, muscle grows better, health is better, fat loss is better and your whole world is better all around. Everyone likes you better when you’re not ticked off all the time. Be sure you tell your loved ones that you love them and find a way to calm your mind.

God bless,
Bud Jeffries

P.S. On an unrelated note, we’ve got The World’s Strongest Redneck, Steve McGranahan, on live this week. Have you signed up?

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Growing Your Own Green Beans

The fourth in a series on growing your own food. This one features green beans.

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Strength and Aging

Now I guess athletically you wouldn’t call me a spring chicken anymore even though I’m only 36 and I’ve got many of the best years way ahead of me still. In fact in many ways because of the training I’m doing today I’m actually younger and stronger now than I was at age 18. I’m certainly in far, far better condition both from an athletic and endurance and cardiovascular standpoint as well as in body composition. I’m also stronger than I was at 18 and in some ways stronger than ever.

I also have perspective gains on balance and totality of training with inclusion of nutrition, restoration, strength, endurance, energy, sleep and all the other things that I didn’t have as a youngster. But here are examples of things you really should be shooting for as you age and here’s the point – don’t let yourself off the hook. I recently read again in Peter Ragnar’s book something that really makes sense and struck home to me. For instance what’s the difference biologically between a younger body and an older body? Nothing really except problems created by stress and nutrition. Now there is the issue of damage accumulated from physical stress besides that you don’t have a significant injury wrong with you there’s no reason even as the body ages you can’t radically gain health, strength and endurance.

So here are some things to think of and if you’re a youngster even more so to not let yourself off the hook on because these guys I’m about to reference are bad to the bone and continue to be as they age. Since I’ve already referenced him I’ll use again Peter Ragnar. Peter is ageless meaning he hit a place where you couldn’t pick out his age if you knew it and you’d never find it out, because he simply refuses to acknowledge age period. What a mindset! Peter has gained strength and he is well over 65 years old pulling partial deadlifts over 800lbs, doing 2,000lb leg presses and I’m talking about leg presses with some range not little 2” reps and multiple other feats of strength. Another thing that Peter accomplished that I think is just phenomenal is a wall chair, some people call it the electric chair, you sit with your back and butt against the wall in a parallel position and hold that in a static movement for time. He did this with 440lbs resistance sitting on his body in the form of a weighted vest and dumbbells and held it for five solid minutes. A man well above 65 who could accomplish a feat that very, very few younger people can do.

Slim the Hammerman

Performing feats at 70+ that no one can match.

How about Slim Farman, 70+ years old still levering 25lb per hand or better, sometimes 30lbs per hand, hammers in multiple different ways. Slim is another example of someone who’s mind refuses to let them age. Even though he’s dealt with serious health issues in the past couple of years he’s still phenomenally strong.

Dennis Rogers – over 50 and still kicking butt in fact now bending some of the toughest wrenches: 12”, tougher than anyone’s ever or may ever bend. He may be better at this than he’s ever been.

John Brookfield – also 50 and maybe the most conditioned athlete on the planet. An incredible array of strength and conditioning feats as well as massive pure physical strength and incredible conditioning. Hour-long sessions with Battling Ropes, one mile semi-pulls, bend the red nail – what more is there to say?

I’m sure there are multiple other examples which I’m sure you could find. What’s the point to all of this?

1 – Don’t let yourself off the hook, young or old, big or small, whatever you desire, whatever you feel is necessary for you to accomplish you CAN accomplish.

2 – All of these guys have an incredible mind. Their mind does not allow their body to age. Their mind does not allow their body to deteriorate. That is more than important than just about anything physical you can do. The power of the brain is unstoppable. If you pursue things that with significant and powerful focus and dedication and focus that brain on it you can literally achieve incredible things at any age.

God bless,
Bud Jeffries

P.S. He ain’t old but he sure is strong. Be sure to join us live with Andrew Durniat tonight. Click here to sign up.

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Posted in Amazing Lifts, Mental Training, Super Strength | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Water, Water, Water

drinking water Water, Water, WaterListen, if you’re not paying attention to how you hydrate your body you’re literally not paying attention to your health. Intense physical exercise – the kind that we do and if you ever do it with me you’ll know the reason why – requires lots of water. Now I don’t think it all has to strictly be water, other liquids count into that area, but you have to be aware if it’s a liquid that pulls water away from your body or adds water to it. For instance – very diluted caffeinated tea or water with lemon is okay, but sugary drinks, caffeinated drinks, alcohol, etc. are not. Now can all these things be enjoyed in moderation at certain times? Absolutely, but rehydrating and hydrating during your workout needs to be done with these very basic liquids.

Drink your water! You know that many high level athletes especially high level athletes that train very hard sweat a lot, live in humid climates are consistently dehydrated. Long term dehydration leads to all kinds of problems: Kidney, joint problems as well as a drop in strength and drop in performance. At the extreme level it’s damaging to your heart. Take care of your body and be smart about being hydrated especially in the middle of the summer where the heat gets really crazy. If you live where I do or train like I train which includes a bizarre amount of an incredible, intensity and sweating then you need to make sure you’re hydrated. Don’t skip this – you will regret it! It is a big key to both health and lots of other factors that people are interested in; weight loss, fat loss, building muscle.

Within that be sure you keep control of the salt and make sure you get plenty of potassium. You know that most natural foods actually have a much higher level of potassium to sodium than most processed foods. In fact processed foods tend to radically ramp up the sodium and cut down the potassium. Potassium and sodium are always in competition for the water balance in your body and you need more potassium to help you keep that water. Make sure you keep the water and keep your potassium up. That means eat your bananas, eat your broccoli and supplement with potassium if necessary. Make sure you get that water because hydration is huge for health and performance.

God bless,
Bud Jeffries,

P.S. Have you signed up for the Super Human Training Teleseminar Series? In a couple days we’re interviewing Andrew Durniat. You won’t want to miss it! Click here to sign up.

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Some seminars you better be going to

If you haven’t signed up already for our Strongman Seminar on July 24th at Crossfit Gulf Coast you’re missing the boat. It’s going to be an incredible seminar with myself and special guest Scott Weech teaching lots of techniques on how to perform a phenomenal array of strongman implements; stones, sandbags, barrels, logs, yoke, farmer’s walk as well as carrying style movements and lots of old time strongman movements like steel bending, Indian clubs, maces, sledgehammers, etc. All tied up with programming for strength, partial rep training, using the barbell to build strength for strongman work and a ton of other things. If you don’t get there you’re going to miss this and you’re going to miss an incredible opportunity for this seminar at one of the cheapest prices you’ll ever get for a seminar of this quality with this amazing amount of brand new information.

It’s going to be taught by world champions at a great facility with some very good people. I’m extremely excited to get it done and I hope to see you there!

The second – My buddy John Brookfield’s seminar which is actually this weekend. Now because of some circumstances you’re going to get a very low price for this seminar and it’s something you shouldn’t miss. John’s going to unveil a brand new part of his Battling Ropes system. Battling Ropes themselves are hardcore enough and the most innovative systems you’ve ever seen. It’s wonderful to learn from John up close, but to see brand new stuff revealed for the first time ever – Do NOT miss that!! That’s going to be at the Next Level Training Center in Tampa and here’s the link.

Now because John is doing it for such a low price you should know that you’ll have to pay up front and that’s something specific that John wanted me to relay to you guys, because that’s how John is – a very up front guy. It’s also going to be at a great facility with terrific people and I wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world if I were you. Be sure you get to these seminars! If you really want to take your training serious to another level or any kind of strongman training especially for the incredible amount of physical power and endurance that’s going to be displayed at both of these seminars you should get there and the cheapest prices you’ll probably ever get for these seminars.

God bless,
Bud Jeffries

P.S. For those of you who can’t make it next weekend, for whatever reason, we are going to try to have the entire seminar filmed and make the video available. Still nothing beats being there in person for the Strongman Seminar on July 24th at Crossfit Gulf Coast.

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Growing Your Own Broccoli

The third in a series on growing your own food. This one features broccoli.

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New Teleseminar Series

That’s right, we’re doing it again! Another lineup of super strong guests for our second teleseminar series. Join us to learn how these strongest people train and all their little tips and secrets to getting super human results.

See who we’ve got, get the full details and signup here.

Super Human Training

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Massive Kettlebell PR

Lately I’ve been working on a new kettlebell book and within that I expand on the cycling style of kettlebell training that I like to use as well as its application to multiple exercises. The first and foremost of which is the swing, but for me the second of which right now is the one arm push press. By the way, the book also deals with training kettlebells with other tools, as well as total programming and tons of cool stuff. For right now one of the major exercises I’m working on is the one arm push press.

kettlebells Massive Kettlebell PRNow why the push-press instead of the jerk? First of all I like the idea of being muscular with the kettlebell and not just being efficient. What does that mean? I want the bell to be used for explosive, powerful movements that creates fatigue not just escapes fatigue by efficiency. There’s nothing wrong with using the best technique and most efficient technique for what you’re doing especially if you’re in the sport idea of kettlebell lifting, but I’m lifting for pure maximum physical benefit. That means the most power I can get from my arms and shoulders as well as unification of my body to my lats, hips, thighs and abs and everything involved as well as the massive cardio components in an explosive drill. That’s the reason I use the push press.

It is an explosive drill, but at the same time a muscular drill not a drill that depends on small explosion and lots of relaxation. Now in the style that I use is there some relaxation? There’s some relaxation in absolutely everything you do, but especially from an endurance standpoint, though at the same time there’s a great deal of tension, extreme power repeated over and over again for a very fast pace. I also use multiple hand switches generally after 10 rep sets, but it could be any formation that strikes my mind especially after the first round of this particular type of training.

So what did I actually do? I took the 24kg bell and I one arm push pressed it for 300 reps in 10 minutes. Now this was a drop-the-hammer so to speak sprint to get that many done and I actually do believe you could do a little higher pace than that and in the future may attempt to get more repetitions in 10 minutes, but this was a goal of mine for a few workouts in this cycle now and I hit it. Within that, because of the sprint pace I then took a couple of minutes to rest and then continued pushing the bell for the rest of the hour. Actually 61 minutes and in 61 minutes I got 1,100 repetitions.

While I could get a higher total number of repetitions for the one hour workout if I used a better pacing method, this method gave me still a lot of stuff. I achieved long term explosive power, long term endurance, long term muscular strength, an incredible cardio session and a very, very hard workout all around. This is really what I’m looking for not just a paced workout that I can keep up, but something where I really have to cut it out multiple times throughout the hour hence the slower pace in the rest of the workout after the first 10 minute hard sprint.

Either way it’s incredible physical training both from a physical ability standpoint and from a cardiovascular standpoint as well as a mental strength standpoint. It’s another in the experiments in kettlebell cycling that you’ll be hearing about in the upcoming kettlebell book.

Now go out and hang your own PR because you know you can do it.

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Posted in Conditioning Exercise, Explosiveness, Kettlebells, Program Design, Training Ideas, Workouts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What have you actually done this week

A great deal of time, energy, effort and mental power is extended into the building of information that’s sold to people. Within it there’s often the idea of, “I’ll give you just enough to get your interest peaked, but then you gotta go buy my stuff to really get anything out of it.” While there’s nothing wrong with that – peaking people’s interest through advertising and it is the intelligent and right thing to do if you wish to sell information for a living – at some point people just need to get some real rubber-meets-the-road info and from that here’s the thought:

What have you actually done this week?

We all talk theory about training, esoteric ideas and diet. We discuss what’s the right workout, sets, reps, etc. This even goes into other areas of life – What’s the right level of everything: How much food, how much this, how much that. To diet, not to diet, what about stress, what about sleep, what about relationships, what about work, all the other million things that go into making a full life. Especially if you want to have a real manly life I think one of the biggest things we all need is balance. In this sense “manly” doesn’t necessarily have to refer to men, though I think we all need some masculinization. This is inclusive of anyone who wants a deeper, more powerful more robust life.

One of the truly important factors here is what do you actually do? Now what does that mean? It means all the thought, effort and everything that goes into training means nothing if you don’t set it out and drop the hammer. If you don’t do it for real with meaning. If you don’t do that in every area of your life. For instance here are some of the things I did this week:

qi2 What have you actually done this week

Qi Gong

I hit a massive PR in a kettlebell workout. I did yoga to help build and rehab some joints. I did Qi Gong to help build my energy as well as build focus and all the other health benefits. I read a book. While I don’t read many training books anymore, because most of them don’t have much to say these days with the exceptions of some of my friends and a few other people whom I really respect I read a really innovative book by Peter Ragnar recently. It was packed with a ton of information that’s truly unique to training that you just don’t get from other people. I also wrote in both a new book I’m working on as well as blogs. I spent time with my wife and son. I slept. I went out and played. I trained other people. I lifted some very heavy things as well.

What did you actually do?

No more talking about it, no more thinking about it – go out and act!

God bless,
Bud Jeffries

P.S. Want to comment on what you’ve done? Leave your comments here.

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