Decisiveness & Grip Training

Whenever I sit down to write this newsletter it always occurs to me to say first that I hope this finds you all well. Then I usually find a topic right off the top of my head and heart and give you my thoughts on that, but sometimes there are just too many things going on in my head to talk to you about and it’s difficult to choose just one. So that is the first thing we’re going to talk about today.

Many of you have probably heard the term “Analysis Paralysis.” This basically refers to over thinking anything to the point that you don’t actually get up and do something. Thought is great. I believe thought has power. It certainly has power over your attitude, and to a significant extent over your body. Many people have proved over the years that the greater control you have over your thoughts, the greater control you’ll have over your life as well as your body.

But thought is not enough. Action must accompany a thought for it to have any true effect. It’s the same concept as faith without works. Just because you believe something isn’t enough… you still have to do something about it. In the process of our daily lives, especially in this modern world everything competes for the priority of our attention. And if you’re like us, much of it deserves your attention. I think one of the big keys in success and modern life is balancing those things that do need attention or require thought in action with those things that need to be totally shut out and are nothing but useless distractions.

Here are some thoughts on that:

I think we could be more efficient in getting things done if we sorted out the things that require our thoughts and actions with the same decisiveness that we use in sorting the mail. Everybody sorts their mail right over the trashcan. They immediately keep what’s relevant, and immediately toss what isn’t. If you can develop that process of efficient decision making into every part of your life, you’ll be much faster and better off at actually getting the job done.

We always come back to balance. I said there are many things, which require my attention. God, family, business, training, the details of daily life… I think it’s important to spend the right amounts of time with the things that are important to us.

You have a limited amount of time to do the things of daily life, to accomplish your goals and in life itself. Once you understand this it’s easy to prioritize and not over think. There is also no promise of tomorrow. When you put those two things into perspective it will line up the things you need to do and the order in which you need to do them.

Knowledge is power. This is absolutely true and some part of our time must be dedicated to study, but be careful who you study from and how you take what they tell you. For instance most of what is presented to us as medical “fact” is actually opinion. You have only to look at the preponderance of nutritional information out there and actually research some of these studies to come to this conclusion.

Action is the next arm of the power of knowledge. Action requires a plan and physical steps. Budget your time among the actual gathering of knowledge and planning and put the rest to action.

Get in shape. Everything focuses better when you’re in shape. Your mind is clearer, your body function is better… you just get more done. When you have trouble concentrating or get fatigued mentally go do some short quick exercise. You’ll find it rejuvenating and will help to put you right back on task.

Prioritize. Answer the big questions first. What do you believe about God and are you spiritually settled? (Hint: There’s one God, His son is Jesus Christ and you need Him.) How do you take care of your family? How do you make sure they know you care? (Hint: You’d better tell them.) Finally, how are you getting in shape? (Hint: Does this order of questions give you an idea about prioritizing?)

Next time we’ll talk about some more ways to help expedite and make useful your daily time and hope this helps you all.


TRAINING TIP

I had a great conversation the other day with Jesse Marunde. I’m going to assume that most of you know who Jesse Marunde is and I’ll just be brief in telling you about him. Jesse was a protégé of JV Askem and one of the youngest World’s Strongest Man competitors ever and perennially a top pro strongman competitor in the United States.

He might the best competitive stone lifter in the America. Lightening fast, super powerful grip, (try long farmer’s walks with 300lbs each hand and 10 reps with the #3 gripper.) He has a great website with many articles in regards to training and nutrition and a great forum. You can find it here: http://marundemuscle.com.

One of the things that struck me in talking to him is how cyclic the whole weightlifting world is. It seems that what was the past of serious training is now the future. Top level strongmen incorporating massive amounts of cardio exercise and finding that it doesn’t hurt their ultimate strength. Big, basic lifts done in non-stop circuits, mixed with strongman feats and interval alternative conditioning type exercises.

It’s funny how this type of thing was what made up the foundation of training for the strongmen of 100 years ago and is flowing from history and trickling down from the top of strongmen of today. It’s also funny how even though there are changes in some of the expression of training style, almost all of the top strongest men I know train with this mix of strength and conditioning, barbell, bodyweight/conditioning and strongman exercises.

Jesse Marunde – Lots of barbells and heavy competitive strongmen training both for high and low reps as well as endurance training, bodyweight, kettlebell, and other alternative endurance work.

John Brookfield – Lots of old time strongman feats and some barbell training mixed with lots of alternative conditioning including kettlebells, bodyweight, sledgehammers, Indian clubs, high rep strongman events, etc.

Dennis Rogers – Lots of high and low rep barbell work. Many old style strongman feats. Lots of alternative exercises and conditioning including jump rope, stones, kettlebells, cables, etc.

Three of the strongest men on the planet. Even though they all express it differently, look at the similarities in their training. Hmmm… do you think we might be on to something here?

Now look back at the old timers. The Saxon brothers. Lots of heavy barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells. Lots of strongman training and alternative conditioning including biking, wrestling, jumping and medicine ball exercises.

Herman Goerner – Hmmm… heavy barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells. High and low reps and road work.

We could go on and on. Isn’t it funny how most of these men train in slightly different combinations of the same things tailored to their own needs and preferences, yet we all arrive at them independently. Isn’t it funny how this is exactly what we’re espousing in Twisted Conditioning? How independently I arrived at that these conclusions as the rest of these men.

There’s something intuitive about those who seek strength at its ultimate level. To learn what works, to learn yourself and yet we all end up at pretty much the same place. We all represent different sizes, shapes, strengths and genetics yet we all train very similarly. Maybe that should point to something for you. If these are some of the strongest men living, or who have lived in the last 100 years or so, and they all trained the same way, what’s missing in your training?

If we all train the same, and we all achieve high level strength, yet we all look and function differently, what does that tell you? It tells you that we’re all on the right road to super human performance, but that it is expressed differently in every person because of their individuality. It’s not a coincidence that we all have the same basic training. Because the way we are training is what works. It’s also not a coincidence that we do it slightly differently. We’re all different people.

So take what you learn from us and make it your own. What can you learn? That we all use most of the same tools. Barbells, dumbbells, strongman training and alternative conditioning (including kettlebells, bodyweight, cables, sledgehammers, indian clubs, light strongman implements, etc.). This is the training that builds real, powerful and enduring men. This is why I wrote Twisted Conditioning.

So ask yourself, what do you need to do to get better? What’s missing in your training? The answer is right there.

http://strongerman.com/twisted.html