“Someone asked me how many sit ups I do.  I said I do it until it hurts really bad, then I keep going.” -Muhammed Ali
 
One of my favorite series of movies growing up in the 1980s was the Rocky franchise.  Rocky 3 was particularly good and entertaining for me as a young boy. It wasn’t Shakespeare but the plot was engaging and simple. That’s what made the films popular.  Rocky had won the boxing title in Rocky 2 from Apollo Creed but had gotten soft. He went easy in his training, lost his intensity and edge, and when he fought the mean and hungry Clubber Lang, played by Mr T, he got his butt kicked.  What was the problem? Simply put, Rocky didn’t have the intensity in his training that he needed to hang in there with Mr. T.   He didn’t train hard enough relative to what he was capable of.  He needed to train harder if he wanted to win. 
 
We don’t need to be a world class athlete to garner an important lesson: Intensity of training is an essential principle. We want to be safe and not over train, but to get the results we want we need to always come back to intensity.  We need to make sure we’re pushing ourselves.  
 
Intensity is simply the percentage of maximum at which you’re training. Faster running, more explosive movement, more weights, more effort, closer to temporary muscle “failure”, this is the essence of the intensity of training. Again we need to always consider safety but push the intensity, within reason and according to our goals. 
 
How fit are you? What are you capable of?  The fitter you are, the more intensity you can safely handle. If you can run 6 minute miles at a maximum speed and you train at 7 minute miles, this is a high intensity workout, whereas training at 9 minute miles would be low intensity. If you can lift 200 pounds 10 times maximum, and you lift 185 pounds ten times for 3 sets, this is high intensity training. If you can walk a mile in 20 minutes and you walk 3 miles in an hour (3 20-minute miles) then this is high intensity for you.  What constitutes high intensity is different for everyone.  
 
Intensity is relative to the trainee! For example, you may not be able to do what I do, and vice versa. If you’re a really good swimmer, then you can swim at a low intensity and if I did the same thing, it would be high intensity for me, because I’m not a swimmer. What is high intensity or low intensity for one person may not be for someone else.  
 
I went to watch the Auburn University football team practice a few years ago, and was shocked by the intensity the coaches were pushing. I played football and had seen some hard practices but the level of effort and speed was a shock to my system, as I had not seen that level of intensity for a while. Auburn runs a no-huddle offense, so the tempo and intensity of their practices are pretty insane, not to mention expletive filled! 
 
Intensity is a cornerstone of fitness.  Find out or make an educated guess about what your maximum is, then strategically train at least periodically, close to your maximum.  It’s a simple concept but one to remember, if you want to be fit, you need to work hard relative to what you’re capable of. This is what creates a training effect and makes you more fit. Again, be safe, be realistic, and focus only on improving you, relative to you not someone else, but push the gas pedal enough to make progress in a safe way.  

Read Next:  Just Move

​One major principle of fitness is to Just Move.

We can analyze things indefinitely. We can talk about floor exercises versus free weights, interval training, personal training, the Peleton, the Ellyptical, Tai Chi. We can consider 10ks 5ks or even marathons. Or if not that we could think about doing martial arts, Kung fu, Tae Kwon Do, or kickboxing. We might roll on mats and throw each other around like in Judo. 
 
We could even do Barre, CycleBurn or Yogalates, a combination of Yoga and Pilates, or just plain old Yoga. We could take tennis lessons, golf lessons, or riding lessons. We could buy a horse to ride, or a bike, or go hiking. We can hire trainers, coaches, massage therapists, Thai massage stretch therapists, or do hot partner yoga. 
 
We can climb mountains, climb stairs, or walk the dog. We can consider riding our bikes to work. We could hire someone to go on a walk with us. We can look at all the gyms in town, consider the amenities, and then pick the best one. We could think about a gym just for women or one just for hardcore fitness fanatics or weightlifters. 
 
We can do water aerobics, or swim. We can do triathlons. We can play softball, basketball, or pickle ball. We can even bring headphones to listen to CNN, Fox News, or CNBC , so we can reinforce our own views while we exercise. We can even hire someone to yell at us as we pretend we’re in boot camp at 5:30 in the morning.  There are so many things we coulddo and mightdo.
 
We might even decide to buy the right workout gear.  The best shoes, the best gym bag, or the best workout clothes.  We might give all of our Champion workout gear away and upgrade to Under Armor.  Or we might really go all the way, and buy some Lulu Lemon.   

The options are limitless. The techniques are plentiful. The experts are available.  
 
The sky is the limit as to what we could do.  The question is, what will we do?

We need to get back to first principles comrades, amigos, and friends. If we don’t move, then we will not achieve fitness. Keep this principle in mind above all others: Just move and do it daily.

It’s not that it doesn’t matter what we do. It does matter and some things are better specifically for you and your goals and limitations. But the most important thing is to just move. Taking action is the most important thing.
 
P.S.:  If you’re just getting started tracking steps or are older or sedentary aim for 5000 and optimally 10,000 if you can one day. This pictured watch tracks it which makes it easy. The big differences for most people with weight is diet and activity level NOT some magical intense workout. 10,000 steps and counting, but not including 90 minutes of martial arts. I’m fortunate in that I stand up a lot at work. If you even stand up for 2 hours per day you could lose 10 pounds in a year. Most smart phones track it now. Use technology when you can to be healthier without obsessing over it. If you walk 2 miles a day you’ll live 10 years longer on average. 

​Read Next: Life is Like a Dojo

Religious behavior is just as inherent for people as breathing. This is a fascinating sociological read and worth the 15-20 minutes. Humans are inherently religious whether they're aware of it or not, and I never thought about how the religious ideas of the sacred and profane work with a sacred "totem" in progressive politics. The virtuous victim (gay, black, woman, etc.) acts as the sacred positive object or totem, and the white male acts as the profane negative object or totem.

The progressive community binds itself by purging the profane totem, or requiring self-loathing, or self-hatred by it at a minimum. This article reminds me of observing the Aboriginals when I went to Australia 3 years ago. The aboriginals had totems which revolved around fish, certain rivers, and other natural objects. I have a boomerang at home that I brought home which has some representation of the Aboriginal totem. The various victims of progressive politics serve as a totem for the expression of religious impulses. Some of these "virtuous victim" totems have more sacred power than others. For example, a black lesbian is a more sacred totem than just a black straight man. It is amazing to observe human nature and how people act, whether they are aware of it are not. The result of all this is cultural exhaustion, as the positive religious expression of progressivism, identification with the virtuous victim, is not enough to sustain a culture. 
​
If you consider the Jessie Smollet hoax, the Covington Catholic HS Hoax, and the violence against people wearing MAGA hats, among many other sociological phenomena, it makes perfect sense. These are religious expressions, just as natural as breathing.  The scary thing is how working class white males are treated as profane religious objects, to be purged from society. How would you respond? With a deep sense of shame? I know for a fact from my work helping inmates that shame is a big problem with black males, many of whom never had much of a role model or father. I wonder how many mass shootings, how much depression, how much drug abuse, how much family dysfunction, and how many other sociological problems are caused by this sociological dysfunction at the core of progressive "woke" politics ? 

​The full article:

Speed & Power Training Simplified: Hex Bar Training & Force Production
 
A very talented and gifted strength coach and athletic trainer, Ryan Flaherty, has developed an extremely effective training protocol for speed and power.  I want to first of all give him the credit for most of what I am going to write and tell you about in this post.  If you want to learn more about him and his work with professional athletes in California I highly recommend you looking him up online. 
 
What Ryan started to notice from his research was that force production, as measured by maximum Hex bar deadlift, correlated completely with running speed and jumping ability.  An athlete with a higher hex bar deadlift weight, relative to the athlete’s bodyweight, will be able to run and jump faster and higher. 
 
Key Idea
Get stronger on the Hex bar deadlift, and you will run faster and jump higher, particularly if you minimize your hypertrophy (muscle building) and / or weight gain, because you will be able to generate more force.  
 
For example, the formulais simple:
 
Maximum Hex Bar Deadlift / Bodyweight = Force Number       
Example 1. Hex bar deadlift = 300 / Bodyweight = 150, Force Number = 2.0
Example 2. Hex bar deadlift = 400 / Bodyweight = 150, Force Number = 2.66
 
The concept is simple as well:
 
A higher force number equals greater force production, and thus greater speed and jumping ability.

In a race, a person who takes fewer steps by taking a longer stride generally wins.  Speed is trainable and so is stride length. Greater force productions results in greater stride length .  A 100 m sprinter who has consistently good form and who takes a longer stride will win by one or two feet, while a marathoner who has a consistently longer stride could win by a mile! 
 
Technique matters in running, but what matters the most is developing more power relative to bodyweight.  A runner could have perfect running form, but if lacking power, he or she would still struggle to run faster.  The Hex Bar, if done correctly, is safe and works 90% of skeletal muscle.  It is much safer than bar squats, Olympic lifts, or regular deadlifts.  If you don’t have one in your training facility, try to get one.  
 
So what are athletes, or individuals just looking to be in better shape,  to do to implement this powerful method?  

1. Develop a training program which improves Maximum Hex Bar deadlift strength. 
2. Also perform bodyweight exercises to target weak areas (hips, knees, core, back).
3. Throw in some other jumping exercises on 1 and 2 legs to develop even more leg and hip power for running and jumping.  

 
Here are some general tips for how to implement a Hex Bar Force Production program:

• Train on the Hex Bar once per week.  
• For general population a high-performance goal would be a Force Number of 1.8-2.4 (according to Flaherty).  Professional or semi-pro athletes could aim for a 3.0 or even higher.  
• Use longer rest times between sets, because when training for power, it takes 3-5 minutes for energy to replenish.  Try alternating some stretching or upper body exercises during the rest times.
• Look for “energy leaks” using one leg squats, one leg drop downs, side planks, and full squat range of motion, as well as other assessments.   Energy leaks are muscle or join dysfunctions which prevent proper biomechanical movement.  
• Use smaller exercises for the hips, back, core, and knees to “plug the leaks” and strengthen or improve function in these areas.  
• Here’s a sample program to get you started:
  • Week 1- 4 sets of 8 reps, increasing the weight each set and maxing out on the last set but leaving one in the tank you could have done.  
  • Week 2- 4 sets of 6 reps, increasing the weight each set and maxing out on the last set but leaving one in the tank you could have done.  
  • Week 3- 4 sets of 4 reps, increasing the weight each set and maxing out on the last set but leaving one in the tank you could have done.  
  • Week 4- 4 sets of 7 reps, increasing the weight each set and maxing out on the last set but leaving one in the tank you could have done.  
  • Week 5-  4 sets of 6 reps, increasing the weight each set and maxing out on the last set but leaving one in the tank you could have done.  
  • Week 6- 4 sets of 5 reps, increasing the weight each set and maxing out on the last set but leaving one in the tank you could have done.  
  • Week 7- Rest
  • Week 8- Back to Week 1, Repeat for 3 cycles. Take 3 months off per year for long-term training. 
• If you’re worried about gaining weight, do one set less, and also try dropping the weight if possible.  Negative reps, when the weight is lowering, tend to build more muscle mass.
• Add in some one leg squats, and two-leg and one-leg jumps for additional power.  
• You could injure your spine severely if you use poor technique.  Keep your back straight and don’t hold your breath.  Make sure you use proper lifting form! 

 
Hex Bar Training for power and speed is an awesome concept, because it is so, so simple.  I’m excited to use it more with my athletes and clients. Now get to work!
 
Check out the pics below to master the technique, and contact me for more information.

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