Some Adults Need a Good Spankin'
Dear Friend,
Boy oh boy. Am I ever licking my chops this
morning. Gotta lot of emails with plenty of meat
in them for me poke holes through. Sit back and
enjoy today's ride. I promise you two things: It will be
brutal and ... it will be fun. Let's get started:
Hi Matt.
I have with great enthusiasm been reading yor newsletter,
everyday, and it makes so much sense. Now, I really wonder
as a beginner to your way of training, is it really only needed
15 minutes a day with a mixture of your exercises? And how
many hill sprints do you have to do, and would it be better or
worse to do your exercises two times a day (if you only manage
a few of each in the beginning). Have been doing the normal
training for many years with weights at gym, now I want to get in
'top condition' again after many years with childrens/family life.
Thanks a lot
Kosotie
M.F.: Kosotie, there is one very fast way to find out if 15 minutes
is enough for you or not. Do the program!!!! I'm betting that you
won't last that long the first time. Now, for a little 'inside' information,
I say '15 minutes' because ...
a.)It's true. In fact, most people can only do about 5 minutes of
Combat Conditioning when they start. And they get results - which
then leads to the ability to do more. You can go beyond
15 minutes if you want - but there is no question that you can get a
kick-butt workout done in that period of time.
b.) Most people are so lazy that if I say anything more than 15 minutes it
will probably scare them away - hence '8 minute abs' - and
other similar programs. Granted, you're not one of these lazy people -
but, instead of diving right in to find out - you have sat back and
wondered whether or not 15 minutes would be enough. I say, 'If you want
to know if the 15 minutes 'hype' is true or not - then 'do the program.'
Today!! 'Do the thing and you will have the knowledge.'
Dear Matt:
This is not a testimonial but a cry for help. I am a 40 year old
stay-at-home-mom with 3 sons. Prior to pregnancy I never had
a weight problem but now I do. Our friend Brian highly
recommended your program and I ordered Combat Conditioning.
My husband loves it. He's a wrestler. He wrestled throughout college
and also for the army. However, since I'm a cow (I need to lose 45
pounds) and in terrible shape, I'm having a very difficult time and it
does not take much for me to become discouraged. I could go on and
on but the purpose of the email is to ask you for suggestions on the
first course of action. Although I am asking for me there are thousands
of women and even a few men like me.
Thanks,
Lana A.
M.F.: Lana, first course of action. Quit calling yourself a 'cow.' Quit talking
about being discouraged. Think about the way you want to look and feel.
Tell yourself you 'WILL' get fit. Keep the image of how you want to look
in mind - then get off your arse and 'Do the program.' That's it. If you ever
begin to feel discouraged - 'Do the program.' When you feel lazy - 'do the
program.' When you want to give up - 'do the program.' When you catch
yourself making excuses - 'do the program.' The only difference between
those who 'make it happen' and those who don't is FOCUS and ACTION.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Dear Matt,
It really annoys me when people say they know about mental mind set, as
whether to think 'I am' or 'I want'. People pretend to know.... the answers,
without going through the process or experiencing it for themselves. So...
'I am' which is in the present tense, implies you are 'already,' what you think
you should be, or where you want to get. Goals and targets are set in the future.
That's where people improve their performance. Once you have said 'I am', that
moment is history. In England we have a name for people who pretend they
are something that they are not. We call them 'THE BIG I AM'. They fall by the side,
full of hot air, whilst the I 'I WANT' and 'I WILL' continue achieving.
Chris Dixon
British Royal Marine
M.F.: Chris, what we're talking about is what I call the 'be here now'
vs. the 'be THERE now' way of thinking. Fact is this: Your mind was not
designed soley for 'be here now.' Otherwise, what do you have a memory
for? And what do you have an imagination for? During moments when
I practice deep breathing or chi kung, part of the goal is 'being present'
and living in the moment. Yet, this is something you're still focused on doing.
So even that kind of practice is still goal-oriented.
I believe in taking time to count my blessings (which requires use of your
memory for what you have to be thankful for) - but I also realize that the
more I focus on future wants - the more things I'll have to be grateful for.
So remember, if you want instant 'peace of mind' - then focus your mind
on a goal and don't let your vision become distracted. And make
'BE THERE NOW' your daily mantra.
Matt,
I bought 'No B.S. Fitness' recently and was delighted to find
all the information on cold showers and the Finnish sauna. I took a
humanities class at the university a couple of years ago and one of our
sections was on the Navajo Indians.
A custom of the Navajos was to take 'snow baths'. They would actually
roll around in it and scrub themselves with it until their skin was beet-red.
This would get them accustomed to the colder weather of winter and no doubt
helped their central nervous system as claimed by many of your examples.
I am also a big fan of your advocacy for sprinting. I ran sprints in high school
track and here a few years ago decided to jog in order to lose a few pounds.
I do not have the body type for LSD and my body reminded me of that. Even
after running 2-3 miles 3-4 times weekly, I never felt like I had the wind that I
did when running wind sprints in football or sprint workouts in track.
Well, another practice of the Navajo was to wake up and take a hard run due
east (toward the rising sun) first thing in the morning. I don't have the exact
details of this on hand, but they would run at a top speed as far as they could
go and then let out a huge, loud yell when they stopped from fatigue. Thinking
about sprint workouts, breathing and the cold showers reminded me of this great
culture and I thought I would share it with you. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Cade Brenchley
Wellsville, Utah
M.F.: Thank you Cade. Sounds like the Navajo had a great program. It is also
the standard practice of the Finns, who invented the sauna, to roll in the snow
and jump in a cold lake in between rounds. Kind of hard for me to do in Florida,
but I'm trying.
Dear Matt,
Just got your Combat Conditioning book a couple of weeks ago. I had the
high school class I was teaching doing the Hindu squats, Hindu push-ups
and handstand push-ups along with some other body weight exercises. I've
taught them weight lifting before, and was a little concerned they wouldn't
like body weight exercises. They really took to them. The thing that has
amazed me though, is my own kids. For some reason, my 8th grade daughter
decided she was going to be the champ for Hindu squats. So she did 80
one day. Her 9th grade brother, who had declared himself a non-sports
person, decided to show her who's boss, and did 115. This has gone back and
forth, and 2 days ago she did 330. He jumped 80 and did 410 yesterday. Will
it never end?
On a personal note, I've always done dumbbell weight lifting since I lift alone,
but realized recently how stiff I was getting (I'm 44). I've switched to body weight
exercises for all multi-joint exercises, bridge every day, and am feeling much more
flexible. The difference is obvious when I get up in the morning, and during my weekly
beach volleyball.
Also, I got plantar faciatis 3 years ago and have had to use orthotics
on both feet. However, I've been doing my Hindu squats barefoot, with no
ill effects. I can even play beach volleyball barefoot now. It's hard to
know, but I wonder if the squats haven't helped with that a bit.
Scott Rempel
M.F.: Glad to hear about your classes enthusiasm for the program as well
as your children's. Regarding plantar faciatis, you are not the first to tell me
that the Hindu squats helped it - nor will you be the last. Keep up the fine work.
Well, my friend, that's all for now!
Kick butt - take names!
P.S.: Hey, remember my Inner Circle member, Aaron MacKenzie, whose
been writing to tell me how much my Combat Stretching program has helped him? And how he had a goal to kick over in the bridge by next week? Well, as I told him, he did it sooner than that? For more information on the program he's following - a program that can double your flexibility overnight, go to Combat Stretching.
P.P.S. You can get two free months in
the Inner Circle when you invest in my
Combat Conditioning book and video
package. The book itself is free with
your order of the videos. As you read
it you'll instantly understand why it has
become a smash-hit international best-
seller. So let's just do it, shall we? Go to
Combat Conditioning
and make it happen.
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