Super-Slow Bodyweight Exercising

I have been experimenting recently with Super-slow bodyweight exercises, what’s that I hear you ask?

Super-Slow is a controversial Body Building technique, instead of performing multiple sets per body part, you would perform only 1 set to failure. The major difference between is how long you take to perform 1 repetition, the average rep count is 4 seconds up, hold for 1 second and then lower for 4 seconds.

Super-slow takes the average repetition count and totally blows it out of the water! Generally speaking with Super-slow you take 10 seconds to lower, 10 seconds to lift and about 5 seconds holding at the most difficult part of the exercise.

Why perform Super-slow?

In a word, STRENGTH!

Super-slow is not something you perform every workout, because it is a very demanding on the physiology of the body and you will soon deplete your energy stores, shortly followed by over-training.

How many exercises should I perform?

Generally speaking you should not perform more than 6 – 8 different exercises per session; this is because of the High Intensity nature of the training. I suggest the following Bodyweight exercises;

• Pull-up or Chin-up
• Dips
• Push-up
• Crunch or old fashioned sit-up
• Bodyweight Squat

The above exercises should give you a very intense workout if you follow the principle of Super-slow training as outlined above.

How long should I perform these exercises for?

I personally suggest that you follow the above routine for 3 days per week, alternating the day’s you workout on (i.e. Mon, Wed and Fri). I would also suggest that you perform this routine, on a rotating basis, so for example:

Week One - Perform Super – Slow Training
Week Two - Perform training at normal speed, maybe even try Speed specific training

The basic rule of thumb is to listen to your body, at times you may wish to perform more than one week of Super-Slow. There is no right or wrong way of using this system.

If you’re interested in learning more about Super-slow Bodyweight training, you can join our Free Newsletter at www.natural-transformation.com

How to Exercise like a Warrior

Learning to exercise like a warrior is easy if you understand the following simple guidelines:

• Everything the warrior does has to be efficient
• Everything the warrior does must be effective

So taking the above bullet points into account, how would a warrior exercise? The warrior generally would not opt to use weight training as a staple in his training for the following reasons:

Weight training can only be done if there is access to weights and machines.
Weight doesn’t teach the warrior how to naturally use his muscles.

So if weight training is not suitable for constant use in a warriors training regime, what does that leave? Body-weight training is the perfect staple in the warriors training for the following reasons:

• Can be performed anywhere.
• No equipment is required
• No gym memberships

Are there any negatives to performing bodyweight exercises? Some people believe that increasing resistance on a body weight routine is impossible, well the answer to that is yes and no, you can increase resistance by elevating the body in different positions (ie; elevated push-ups etc)

So what exercises do you suggest to get started? The basics are as follows:

• Body-weight squats (one-legged etc)
• Ski sits
• Push-ups (elevated, one-legged, etc)
• Handstand Press
• Pull-ups
• Dips

Unlike weight-training these exercises are not performed on a set and rep principle, instead we use the term MMF or Momentary Muscular Failure. MMF basically means you perform an exercise like a push-up until you can’t perform another full rep no matter how hard you try.

Try the basic routine above for a few weeks and see how you go, here’s a friendly warning for you, if you can do 500 body-weight squats you may discover that you don’t have full use of your legs for a few days! I remember the first time I did 1,000, yes that’s right 1,000 body-weight squats my legs felt like lead for over a week!

If you want more training tips like this, then drop by my site for more information.

Loving The Experience

My three year old son started playgroup today, for the last couple of days it has been all he has talked about. That really got me thinking, isn't this the way we are supposed to be as adults, embracing new experiences either good or bad. We seem to have a tendency as adults to put everything into boxes, if I consider some experiences bad I will be stressed and unhappy and if I consider other experiences good I will be happy and joyful.

We as adults have a tendency to put ourselves in situations that we consider 'stressful', and then instead of making a choice as to whether or not to accept or change the situation, we will stay in the 'stressful' situation and complain and play victim. Some people spend all their lives playing victim, never taking any responsibility for their own lives.

In a way I can't really blame these people, we live in a world were we are taught how not to be responsible. Please sign this 'waiver' this does away with any need to be responsible for your own actions!

A waiver is nothing more than a legal reason to be unconscious, being unconscious accounts for the following:

• Global Warming and Damage to the Environment
• Violence (both verbal and physical)
• Stress
• 'Accidents'
• Not being Financial Free

Are you going to keep living your life as an 'Accident' waiting to happen? Or will you start taking some responsibility for yourself and for this planet we call home?

Where we go from here is up to you.

The Office Shadow

I have been working as a Financial Administrator for a big Multinational Company for several months now, this has been my first office J.O.B in about 6 years or so. But it still never ceases to amaze me how prominent the Human Shadow is when confined to the four walls of the office. There seems to be a never ending barrage of back biting and fake love.

There is one young lady in our team that has been made the scapegoat, the team are all very nice to her face, but as soon as she is out of ear shot the comments start to flow.

Working in an office is a good place to discover just how conscious you really are, to be honest I am finding it hard work at the moment, the constant negative energy is starting to tear away at me. Each day I come to work and I am faced with the constant negative energy, I am reminded how something as terrible as what is currently happening in the middle east can occur.
A world based on fake love has always been and always will be a receipe for pain and destruction.

A lot of people are still resting under the illusion that they are in some way perfect and that it is other people who have the problem, this is a very dangerous attitude to hold.
If you want to see what happens to a person when the negativity gets to them, then may I suggest you watch the film 'Falling Down', this is abit of an extreme example but it does happen and it seems to be happening more and more.

The only solution to preventing the destruction that we are seeing on a daily basis is to learn how to integrate your shadow, without this integration then shadow projection will continue to cause havoc on this planet and it's inhabitants.

Fear of your Life

As I sit here looking out of my window, watching the world go by I can't help but wonder. Why are people in denial of the truth? I see people with pained expressions on their faces, wasting energy pretending to be something or someone they are not. Scared to show the world who they are, for fear of rejection or condemnation. They defend the castle of their deception till the day that they die, scared to be who god destined them to be. People seem to be proud that they look like they have fought a thousand battles and lost.

Just look into their eyes, you can see the pain screaming at you! I'm sorry but am I supposed to be impressed that you have spent your entire life torturing yourself? Human beings are creatures of vast energy, and we utilize that energy by repressing who we are.

Our natural birth right is to be a fully functioning loving being, repressing our love for ourselves and each other is the fastest way to deplete your energy. When people have a 'lack' of energy their first thought is 'Maybe I haven't had enough sleep' or maybe 'My diet is all wrong, maybe I should become a vegan' how many of us realise that the truth could be much closer to home? How many of us conform to what others expect just to keep the peace, or tow the line? Who's benefit is this for?

Maybe you just want a peaceful life.Do you like to dance? Most people do, it's just one of the many thing's that people repress. Their favourite song comes on the radio and they really want to get up and dance, but what stops them?

Fear!, they can't dance, now what? Instead of getting up and expressing them self as only they can, they will sit there and be miserable.Fear is a very powerful tool when used correctly, but most people will let fear turn them into a pathetic mess on the floor.

Am I saying that your weak if your scared of something? No not at all, what I am saying is that it is how you respond to what scares you. Will you adopt the mentality of a warrior or a coward? There will be times when you confront your fear, and your fear will totally trash you!

This is where the warrior mentality comes into it's own, are you going to lie on the floor feeling sorry for yourself or will you get up and try again?Next time you meet fear, take a long hard look into his eyes. You maybe surprised at what you see!

Don't let fear rule your universe.

Miss Perception Meets Mr Delusion

Why is it that what a person see's is rarely an accurate reflection of the Truth? Women seem to suffer greatly with this self induced sense of perception, when it comes to the subject of weight, women seem to view themselves as bigger than they actually are, this however seems to be the complete opposite to how men perceive themselves.

This self perception issue is not just related to weight, I have lost count of how many 'victims' of life I have had the pleasure to meet, everyone of these so called 'victims' have one recurring theme, these people will shout from the roof tops till they are blue in the face....it's not me, it's them...I never asked for this to happen!

The vast majority of people have no understanding of basic psychology, how much do you know about your own psychological make-up? Do you know why you get angry? Do you consider your anger as justified? Is it possible that your anger is in reality your own Shadow Projection? The Human Shadow isn't inherently bad, there are alot of positive aspects within the Shadow.

The Shadow is at it's most destructive when you are resting under the illusion that you are never at fault for any situation that you find yourself in. This is called Projection, you are basically externalizing everything that you feel; for example if you are feeling Angry you will Project that feeling onto an external screen (person).

That way you can justify never excepting your anger as part of who you are, you have no need because your not angry it's them!

Try this little exercise: next time you feel that you are projecting, take a moment to focus on your Breath. This is a very simple exercise, but it is also very effective when performed correctly. This exercise performs two functions, first it calms you down and second it makes you conscious of the current situation.

Once you have calmed down, you can then evaluate the current situation and make the relevant rational choice/s. When you are conscious of the Present moment there is no Stress, because you are making the conscious choice of ether accepting the current situation or changing it.
Once you have spent some time focusing on your Breath you will learn to understand and recognize your own Shadow before you Project it onto another person.

I will be explaining more about the power of the breath in future articles and writings.

How can a Taoist help you lose weight!

What is this madness, how can a Taoist help me lose weight! I thought all Taoist's live in a monastery on nuts and berries? You don't want really expect me to live off nuts and berries, just so I can lose 20 pounds do you?

STOP!

No, I don't suggest that you go and make such a drastic change to you nutritional habits, although many 'health' gurus out there do expect that sort of a change and they will throw every bit of Scientific Research at you they can find to justify their new book or DVD.

Today everything is put into two categories 'Good' and 'Bad'. We have Good people, and we have Bad people, we have Good fats and we have Bad fats. Back in the days of the Taoist things were a lot more simple, the Taoist new that to lead a healthy and happy life he had to live in harmony with nature.

So what does it mean to live in harmony with nature? Well before you say it, No you don't have to sell your house and build a hut in the middle of some forest. Nature or Gaia has given us everything we need to live a healthy life, but we have forgotten how to listen to Gaia.

Today Gaia's richness has been replaced with the super sized Big Mac meal and the 3 Gallon diet coke for only a few cents extra! Well, forgive me if I am wrong but MSG and Aspartame are not natural products, hence they are totally against everything that Gaia stands for.

The junk food industry is against everything that the Taoist lives for, they do not teach people how to be responsible for what they consume, they do not make people aware of what people are consuming in their 'Restaurants'.

So what does a Taoist suggest to help me lose a few pounds? Well the key word here is simplicity, by simplicity I am mean Natural. Each time you eat something ask yourself this question, is what I am consuming Natural? One brief check of the ingredients and you can tell instantly if it is natural.

Try this little experiment for a week and see how you feel, I would love to hear how you got on with this experiment, please feel to post a comment on our blog!

1. Keep your stimulants to a minimum (i.e. caffeine, that means those diet soda's too)
2. Consume about 70% Fresh fruits and Vegetables (Yes, you can juice them too)
3. The other 30% should consists of about 20% Organic Meat, and 10% Fats
4. Remember to drink pure mineral water; stay away from tap water (contains many bad chemicals!)

If you're looking for some more reading information, you may wish to check out this e-book, I found it interesting although I don't agree with some of what the author says. You can also read my review of this e-book on my website

Health and You

I have spent the last few days listening, listening to my feelings, listening to others but something still nags at me. I may have been listening, but nobody else was. I have been shown over and over again, that what is said is very different to what a person hears. Either a person is not interested, or maybe they have not been taught how to listen.

We live in a sick society, we are taught that as soon as your ill you have to visit your doctor, if you need to lose weight you have to go out and buy the latest 'Scientific' book on how to lose weight and change your life too. I'm sorry, but why do you need to spend money on a book/dvd on a subject that is so simple. OK, before people start moaning that not all people who need to lose weight are able to.

You are totally correct, there are a small number of people out there who have a medical condition that makes it very difficult to lose weight.The sad fact of the matter is this, most people who are obese are totally unconscious of what they are shovelling into their mouths. If you confront these types of people, they will give you a hundred different reasons why they can't.

They are suffering from massive denial! How many people still have no understanding of the human body that they inhabit, they abuse their bodies mentally and physically and then to add insult to injury they have no idea why it stops functioning. “Quick phone the doctor, I am too lazy to do anything myself!”Most illnesses has it's roots in emotional problems, it is only when the emotional issue has not been dealt with that the body has to give you a huge kick in the butt. Nothing in this world happens without a reason, there are no 'grey' areas.Are you going to get in touch with how you feel? Or do you need some 'magic' pills from the Doctors?

The big 'Health & Fitness' craze that has been around now for a number of years really makes me laugh, we are sold the benefit of joining a health club, sold a membership to run on a treadmill getting no where fast. We are sold the latest books, DVD's and gadgets for getting super ripped abs. Spend $39.99 and in less than 20 minutes, 3 times per week you too can look like Cindy Crawford. Just don't look in the mirror because you may realise your not Cindy and put that super gadget under the bed, next to the last gadget you brought. Sorry if any of this is making you angry, but I get emotional when people refuse to take a long hard look at themselves.

Yes I know that seeing yourself for who you are will be very painful, but don't you think you owe it to yourself to be honest after all these years of neglect? Throw away those silly gadgets that you never really wanted anyway, and stand tall as the creator of your universe. Take a deep Breath and............

Declare;

I am (Insert Name Here) and I am the creator of my universe, and I love myself for who I am.

Global Fascist State

The Neo-Con’s crusade through the Middle East seems to be gathering pace now, I feel sorry for the innocent children that have lost their lives and the lives of those close to them. I don’t know how people can watch the news and not feel totally ashamed to be human.

I am going to put my neck on the line and say that I can foresee western military forces entering Lebanon by the end of this year, using the flag of peace as a deception. I also believe that this will be the precursor to a full scale invasion of either Iran or Syria or maybe both.

The Neo-cons are very clever at using fear to obtain their goals, just like they did for 9/11. I believe that another incident on the scale of 9/11 will be needed to ‘justify’ the invasion of Iran/Syria.

I am not sure where this is all going to end; some people are predicting that this could be the start of world war 3.

That is a very good possibility, considering that the Neo-Cons are using the Muslims as a scapegoat for their plans. If things start to get any hotter in the Middle East, then I would start looking for an alternative way to get to work, because oil prices will sky rocket like never before.

Thank god for my little bike!

I am not sure what we can do to avoid all this destruction, maybe it is our Karma? I would hope that as a race we could become conscious of the destruction that we are causing on this beautiful planet of ours, before it is too late.

How to achieve Freedom in the 21st Century

Are you trying to tell me I am not Free? Well, the citizens of the western world are Free, well to an extent, as long as you pay your Taxes and don't say anything bad about the 'embarrassment' that is your President or Prime Minister.

What I am referring to is the Freedom of your Emotions, Finances and your ability to Love humanity and Gaia.

Lets look at how Freedom affects the following:

1.Emotions
2.Love of Humanity and Gaia
3.Financial Freedom

Emotions:

We are so scared of being who we are, we are scared to cry in front of other people, men are scared to hug other men out of fear of being considered Gay (unless these men are on a Sports field!). Most men can demonstrate one emotion very very well. Anger, most men seem to have a huge problem with anger, and it's not always men, women are starting to get in on the act too.

I understand why most men are angry, they are taught from being children, their Uncles, Fathers and Grandfathers teach them anger as something Holy and Good. Son, you have to teach a woman her place, just give her a smack and she will soon learn her place!

I am not suggesting that anger is bad, what I am saying is that when anger is manifested in the 'outside' world it turns into pure violence and hatred, if you don't believe me just switch on CNN.
When was the last time you stopped and listened to what your emotions had to say to you?

Love of Humanity and Gaia:

As a British man I can speak from first hand experience of how cold humanity is capable of becoming, the average British person will only communicate with you if they can get something from you. On the outside people can give the illusion of being really nice, but what are their motives of being this 'nice' mask? Just don't disagree with people, when their nice mask falls off you may not like what you see.

We live in a world of Political Correctness gone totally nuts, since when was it bad to hold an opinion that was totally different from the rest of collective? What has happened to respecting other people's opinions, doesn't Freedom means Freedom to express what you believe, right or wrong.

The British person has next to zero respect for Gaia or anything else, this country is so dirty and dark. Britain is a major consumer based society, everything is 'what can I buy, how cheap can I get it!' People generally don't care if their Nike shoe's are made in a sweatshop in the far east, and the employees (slaves) are paid barely enough to live!

We have the power to change this path of destruction, but as much as I live in hope of wakening to a New World based on Love and Compassion, somehow I get the feeling this is futile when you are surrounded by people saying 'wow, I brought this sweater from GAP and I saved £5.00!'

Wake-up People!

Financial Freedom.

How can you be Free when you work at K-Mart for $5 an hour? The human race is financially controlled by 10% of the world, these people are known as the 'Global Elite'. These people are taking (taken?) all of our wealth and telling us that we are not worthy. This would not be possible if we were taking responsibilty for our own Financial Freedom! Instead we put our Resume/CV into K-Mart trying to justify that we are worth the minimum wage.

We have given away our Financial Freedom for too long now, that vast majority of the world is wrapped up in debt, and who are we paying this debt to? Yep, you guessed it, the Global Elite.
Money is a tool, a tool to be used to experience life here on this beautiful planet.

Instead we use what little money we have left after paying the mortgage that we can't afford, just to live!

Slavery still exists, the only difference is the shackles have been replaced with Car/house payments that you can't really afford to pay, but then again you can't afford not to.

You are not living, you are surviving!

Is your indifference killing our home.

I overheard a very interesting conversation the other day, the whole conversation was based around the topic of ‘I’ or should that be ‘Me, me, me’. The conversation basically went like this; ‘I got a new mobile (cell) phone last night, it’s really cool and it’s pink, I was so ashamed of my last one, but I am happy now because this is cool and it’s pink!’ The young lady looked over at me as if to say, look and me, look at my phone.

I could feel my anger mounting from deep within me, I felt like screaming ‘this world is falling apart, there is mass pollution, and children are being murdered for no reason, and you want me to pay homage to your stupid mobile phone, just because it’s pink!

People’s indifference is amazing, we seem to be able to justify killing other human beings, justify slavery because it means we can get cheap clothing and home furnishings. People are amazing if it’s not happening on their doorstep, they just don’t care. Well my friends global warming is on your doorstep, it’s on everybody’s door step!

I wrote an article about how people refuse to take responsibility for their own actions, this world is full of little egos battling to prove that what they believe is all good and holy and everybody else is wrong. Of course that attitude is natural, it’s what the ego does; ‘my car is better than your car’ etc. But you can’t afford to hold that kind of attitude when the planet is facing a massive crisis, wars are being waged all over the planet, chemical weapons are being used on a daily basis. Children are being born badly deformed as a direct result of the use of these chemical weapons, and the topic of general conversation is:

Look at my new pink phone!

One of the fastest way’s of rousing my anger is to show your indifference, there is/was an old saying ‘Ignorance is bliss’ well look at what your ignorance is creating.

What's the Big Secret to losing weight?

According to all the Marketing books I have read I am supposed to instill some fear into you the reader, perhaps by saying things like how obesity kills XXX thousands of people each year, or how about this one, fat guys and girls don't get laid! Well lets get rid of some of those silly fears:

1.We all know the risks of being obese, just switch on CNN!
2.Fat Guys and Girls do get laid, judging by how many searches are done daily on Google!

Now we have got rid of those silly fears, lets get down to brass tacks. The reason you are reading this article is because you want to know the 'Big Secret to Losing Weight'!

Have you noticed that when you open any diet book, the first several chapters are spent 'teaching' you about 'positive thoughts' or even why you have 'failed' on every single diet you have ever been on. Ok, lets get real here for a moment, I know what I am going to say is really going to screw my chances of making any money selling affiliate weight loss products!

Effective Weight Loss is not Rocket Science.

There I said it, but it's true it's not Rocket Science. Where people fail is not because they don't have the information, in many cases it is because they have too much information. Just type into Google the word diet, and you will be presented with all the information that you will ever need.
So if losing weight is not about knowing how many calories 1 gram of fat contains, help me Jay what is the answer?

Sorry if I sound like Sai Baba or some other guru, but the answer you are seeking is........YOU.

Jay, what do you mean I am the answer to the question? What kind of new age rubbish is that?

Weight Loss comes down to two things:

Yes or No

That's it, I told you it wasn't Rocket Science. You know what needs to be done, you want to lose weight , stop making excuses and start doing what needs to be done. Some people call this being Pro-Active, I would agree but with a little twist. Life is about choices, yes or no, do or don't do.

So next time your passing the Golden Arches, remember it's all about choices:

Big Mac and Super Sized Fries.....or A slimmer you?

I promised you the Secrets to Weight Loss, and I did it on one page and it didn't even cost you $39.99. If I could put this information in a 60 Page E-Book, I would make a fortune!

Safe Travels
Jay Pierce aka The Guru.