8/29/2016 2 Comments What's BarLords?BarLords was the original incarnation of PrymaFit I launched my blog as PrymaFit because it was more akin to the old Physical Culture movement. BarLords persisted as my personal/local calisthenics workout group.
Why the name? Because that's my name on the bars. And it suits me. I adopted it because Star Lord has always been one of my favorite comic characters and we share a lot of the same cheeky, adventurous personality. And also - because I'm a Bar Lord. And that's why I originally started BarLords, because we can all be one. Purpose Originally, the entire reason I decided to start a brand and launch a blog was to educate. Too often is there misinformation, clever marketing pages, and bro science all over the fitness community. I'm no expert, but don't let my fun and saucy personality fool you. I am very well versed in fitness. Especially Physical Culture, which was the genesis of fitness as we know it today. This brand is meant to be the rebirth of Physical Culture in the modern fitness world. This site is meant to be a repository of information on fitness. I take my near decade of research and experience, refine, and deliver it to you in informative and entertaining articles, and coherent rants. I provide online coaching at half of the ridiculously high cost that most trainers charge. I deliver programs at a fraction of the price almost every online coach is charging. All while delivering powerful, educational, entertaining, and free content (including workouts) on an almost daily basis. All while using authentic Physical Culture. This is what BarLords is all about. What You Can Expect? Pretty much the same as before. Except less commercial, more frank and maybe a lot more geared towards Bodyweight, Bart Athletes, and Progressive Calisthenics. Informative articles, historical profiles, online coaching, the usual. A lot of the articles will be inspired or based on comic characters, celebs, movie characters, etc. Oh, and some pretty cheap training programs that will be goal-specific. You can pretty much expect to have a lot of fun here. More than most other blogs of the kind. All while learning a lot more about this training and lifestyle than anyone else or will teach (for free).
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The Layman’s Guide To Heart Health: A Word on Mindfulness of the Heart “The body has two hearts. And two brains. The 2nd Heart is the Stomach. The 2nd Brain is the Heart" - BarLord In light of the passing of one the true innovators of Mixed Martial Arts, I wanted to do something to promote mindfulness of heart health. Kimbo Slice was an amazing athlete. And an innovator in the sense that not many have ever made the transition that he did. He may very well be the first. He passed at the truly young age of 42 last night, from heart failure. This was within the same night that he was rushed to the hospital, apparently due to a heart attack. Heart Disease is the leading cause of death. Not only in the U.S., where health is controversial, but also around the world. It kills over a half a million people annually. Now I’m no doctor, but part of my primal truth is that I am - in many ways - a Shaman. You can take that for what you will. I believe in the power of the Universe, Nature, and Ancestors. I believe in the power that being one with them can bring. Guess what? Your ancestors did too. Back in the primal days, Shamans were healers and doctors. As well as spiritual leaders. That being said, I’m going to outline a few things everyone can do to be mindful of heart health. Take it with a grain of salt (no pun intended). And cross reference it. If you have any suggestions or methods you’d like to share, comment below. Step #1: Actually Be Mindful The first step is to actually be mindful. I’m not telling to obsess yourself to the point of stressing. That would be redundant. But keep in mind that almost everything can have some sort of effect on your cardiac health. So be mindful of the things you put into your body. The things you put your body through. And, most detrimental, the outlook you maintain. Negative thoughts have negative effects. If not on the world around you, then most definitely the world within. Step #2: Watch What You Eat Sodium - We already know that too much sodium can be bad for your heart. But did you know that too little sodium can be just as detrimental? The recommended dose of sodium daily - is from between 1500 - 2300 mg per day. The former is recommended for those of African-American descent, those with chronic illnesses (hypertension, diabetes, etc) and those age 51 and up. The latter is recommended for all other persons. Caffeine - If you’re like me, you sometimes view yourself as a caffeine dependant being. Stop that right now! Mindfulness, remember? Change that mindset. I can tell you right now that it’s really all a matter of perception. There was a four month period where I had absolutely no caffeine outside of the small dose provided in green tea. I didn’t have a lot of it, and I didn’t use it pre workout. Stop using pre workouts. I know that the strictly bodybuilder types will bash me. I know that the supplement companies will look at me sideways. I know this may be bad for business. But give it up. The recommended daily dose of caffeine for adults (children really shouldn’t have any) is between 200-300mg. That’s the average amount per scoop in most pre workout drinks. You really don’t need that much caffeine. I usually cycle coffee for three to six months at the most. This is as a pre workout and an “as needed” energy boost. I never exceed the daily recommended amount. And then I’ll taper off with black tea. Sometimes I just detox completely for a week or two, and then reintroduce caffeine into my system via black tea. I do this to avoid the adverse effects of caffeine on the heart, as well as the suspected effects on other organs. Sugar - Come on. This is self explanatory. Sugar is the culprit with many bodily issues. And heart health is no different. While substantial evidence linking sugar directly to heart disease is seemingly unavailable, so they say. Clicking the “sugar” link will allow to read up on this for yourself. One thing I can conclusively say, though, is that if you’re living the healthy lifestyle you should already have your sugar intake under control. I prefer to use honey to sweeten things. But if I’ve run out or I’m cooking something that just won’t be the same without it - I use raw sugar instead of processed. Either way I don’t use much. Alcohol - We know that alcohol undoubtedly has negative effects on one’s health. Heavy drinking and alcoholism can lead to death in a number of ways. Alcohol is not only a blood thinner, but it weakens the heart altogether. It makes it harder for your heart to fulfill its main function - pumping blood. While I typically avoid hard liquor at all costs. Opting instead for wine or champagne. I do not expect you all to readily and willingly do the same. Though, like I said, if you’re gonna live this healthy life it should already be expected. For some it may be harder than others, but start with moderation. And then elimination, if you so choose. Tobacco - How many times can I state my expectations of those committed to leading this awesomely healthy life? For some I know it’s an addiction. In fact, I struggled with it on and off - month here, month there - for just about two years. A habit I mimicked from my father and other neighborhood influences. My father has been smoking for about 30-plus years. One thing I can tell you is that the longer you keep it up, the longer it will take to quit. I can also tell you that even if you’re free of it for 10 years, it can haunt you. Because nicotine just about irreparably rewires your dopamine system. And when you smell it coasting down the street, around the corner, it’ll tease you. It will remind of you of the “good times”. But if you can do it for just one day, you can go a lifetime more without it. I personally used e-cigs to wean myself off of “analog” cigarettes. This lasted for about a year. Whenever I though I had a craving, I reached for the e-cig. Cravings were sparse before. But this destroyed them. I’ve since given those up (about 6 months since I threw it in the trash) and never looked back. You can try this, the patch, cold turkey, whatever floats your boat. But give it up. And prioritize cardio conditioning. I’d also like to add that if you’re a marijuana smoker - please don’t use “blunts” or “rellos”. The marijuana is not adverse, itself. But the leaf you’re rolling it in is. That’s a lot of tobacco and filter paper, believe it or not. And it can also be the start of an ugly relationship with the tobacco itself. Step #3: Watch How You Train Cardio (Warming Up/Cooling Down) - One thing I’ve learned over the years that I pass onto others, is that a proper warmup and cool down is a must. Before I tell you why, I’d like to say that I really hope you’re doing some type of cardio. I absolutely abhor it but I still get it done. Do something you like. I prefer HIIT and circuit training. This is included in my program. Included with these workouts are warm ups and cooldowns. I didn’t just add the cardio so that you could lean down and burn fat. But to condition you. Being Prymal is as much about performance as it as looking good. I’m not saying you’ll be running a 4:40, but keep it up and you won’t be getting winded when life switches up the pace on you (literally). And this is why I added warm ups and cooldowns to those workouts. Because you need to ease your cardiovascular system into these types of workouts. You also need to gently guide it down from them. Suddenly stopping a cardio workout means you’re suddenly dropping your heart rate. Which can lead to lightheadedness. I’d venture to say you’ve been there at least once. Now you know why. Treat your body the same way you treat your vehicles in the winter, let them warm up before you rev it up. Treat your body the same way you treat your computer when shutting it down, do it properly. Not just suddenly holding the power button until it shuts off. Yoga and Breathing Exercises - Look, I am in now way a Yogi. I kind of wish I was. I do mobility drills for mobility and flexibility. I do things that may resemble yoga when doing martial arts. But I’m not a yogi. I’m actually kind of envious of those of you who are. I am, however, a huge proponent of Yoga. It promotes holistic health in so many ways. It’s a truly primal mode of exercise. From its physical effects to it’s spiritual and metaphysical underpinnings. While I’m no Yogi. I do practice Pranayama breathing. It has helped me almost eliminate my mild asthma. It has greatly increased my lung capacity. And it’s one of my favorite ways to meditate and relieve stress. That’s pretty much the way it is for any breathing exercise. Another of which I love is the Sanchin Kata. I’m not saying you have to be a martial artist to use it, because truth be told it’s a Japanese/Karate form and I do not practice Japanese arts. But I know martial artists may see it more befitting than those of you who aren’t. Internal Martial Arts - We all know Martial Arts is what lead me to fitness. I started with what many would consider external arts. Both Taekwondo and Hapkido have been considered external. While the latter has also been considered a Hybrid of sorts. Jeet Kune Do has never been mistaken for internal. Since then, I’ve cross trained with a myriad of other stylists. Absorbing what is useful, discarding what is useless, and adding what is uniquely my own. One of the most useful styles I’ve learned is Taijiquan - better known as Tai Chi. I personally like it because, to the naked eye it is soft and only an exercise of sorts. But many styles are actually quite brutally effective. I digress. Taijiquan promotes holistic health having many positive effects on the body. The most notable of which is incredibly serene stress relief. I can’t tell you where to go in your town to learn the combat applications, but most schools that offer it teach it properly. So the health benefits will always be there. If you want to learn another style, maybe not so cliche, there are others. In the grand triad of Neijia (internal martial arts) there is Taijiquan, Baguazhang, and Xingyi. All of which have a number of positive effects on your health. All of which are moving meditation. And then, there is QiGong. It has specific practices, relating to bodily organs. Which would be an entirely different article in and of itself. So I’ll just leave this here. Step #4: Lifestyle Sometimes it really isn’t enough to commit to this lifestyle. Sometimes all of the workouts and holistic supplements and practices in the world can’t save you from yourself or the people around you. This is when it’s time to make a change, family. This is when it’s time to sit in meditation and reflect. Reflect on yourself and those around you. In many cases there are two extremes. There is the “not so extreme” solution. In which, after deep introspection and reflection you find that most of your problems are out of your control in many ways. That these are just the things life does to you. In this case, it is best to withdraw within, yet again. This time it is to find a solution. That solution should be in the way you handle things. No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, or who your guide is, within that system and guide is a stress elimination tool. This is usually in the form of a maxim. Most spiritual leaders had a firm belief in “Let that shit go, man”. I promise you, you’ll find it somewhere. Whether your cast your worries into the Universe, onto God, etc. Learn to handle your stress and the way you deal with stress factors. Promotion not pushing through? Give it to the Universe. Coworker being a tool? Give it to the Universe. How about the love of your life left you? Give it to the Universe. As hard as it may be to accept or believe - grief, worry, fear, anxiety, etc are all terrible feelings that can only lead to despair. The longer you hold onto them, the deeper it gets. All of the aforementioned feelings are chocked up to the umbrella term of “stress” these days. So learn how to isolate the type of stress and deal with it properly. Conversely, there is another extreme. This is the extreme of removal. The extreme of necessary destruction. This is when you withdraw and reflect, to find that many of the problems you face are environmental. I mean environmental in the sense that you’re surrounding yourself with stressors. You may or may not realize it. You may have identified a few before, and upon introspection you find that there are more where that came from. Whatever the case may be, it’s time to assess these factors and find peaceful solution. It may be your job. Maybe it’s time to start shopping your resume around elsewhere (quietly, of course) while you’re at your current job. Maybe it’s a certain job duty. Maybe it’s a family member? Or friend? It’s time to put your foot down and spark that change. Maybe that person has destructive habits? Don’t let them destroy you. Then, there’s the middleground. You awake from your introspection to find that you need to change yourself and your environment. You might be a sweetheart. Maybe a sweetheart that works in HR? Terrible combination. You’re going to have to be firm in your decisions, though. The lesson learned would be to separate your work self from your true self, and fire people. Maybe you have financial woes. Almost everyone can stand to learn how money really works. And take a free course in finance/accounting online. This may have to be balanced out by another extreme. You may have to consolidate your debts via loans or what have you. The point being that it’ll take balance to achieve peace in your life. Life is about peace through balance. The point of all of those examples is to show you how much lifestyle can affect your health. It all starts in the brain. The brain is where you worry. After that it all trickles down. Your body doesn’t know the difference between external and internal stress. So treat them equally. Be mindful. Conclusion The last thing I want to leave you all with is this: your heart is your 2nd brain so be mindful. That’s not just a figure of speech but it is literal. One of the mainstays of Physical Culture back in the day was muscle control. Just like you won’t be able to expand your brain to new heights overnight, you won’t be able to lower your heart rate at will either. It will also take just a little bit of time (depending on your perception) to lower it overall. Your heart is a muscle, but it also functions as a second brain. And likewise, it has a mind of it’s own. But getting it under control can be done. It must be done. One of the most mindful things you can do beyond reading this article. Beyond implementing what was suggested here. Is to be mindful of your heart at the most crucial time - your doctor’s appointment. You don’t have to be a heart patient. It doesn’t have to be a cardiovascular issue that brought you in. Just be mindful enough at your next doctor’s appointment to ask them what can be done to ensure heart health. If you don’t go to the doctor for whatever reason, put your ego aside and go. If it’s not ego or pride, but insurance/finance related. Then, please go to a reputable clinic (such as Patient First in my area). Like I said, I’m no doctor. Only a Shaman. Albeit a shredded one. I cannot prescribe anything to you. I can only speak to you as a friend. As family. And as a leader. So if you take anything away from this, let it be Mindfulness. And even though I’d love for you all to implement at least one suggestion from each section. The most important suggestion here is to take that Mindfulness with you into the doctor’s office and ask questions. Guide to Heart Health 8/29/2016 0 Comments Physical Culture: What is it?If you’ve looked around the site then chances are you’ve definitely seen the term “Physical Culture” thrown around quite a bit. Some of you may be wondering just what in the world it is, though. To put it simply, physical culture was a strength and health training movement that began in the U.S., England, and Germany nearly 200 years ago. It included many different systems and schools of methodology. Physical Culture is, in fact, the movement that many modern fitness systems grew out of today. The most famous of which being bodybuilding. But many modern systems can be traced back to Physical Culture in some form or another. Though this post is meant to be an introduction to physical culture, I will have many posts in the future that draw on the similarities between modern systems and their ‘ancestral’ counterparts from the old days. One such example that comes to mind almost immediately is Street Workout. Street Workout is another name for the system of calisthenics training that originated in the U.S., in the inner cities of New York. I may be biased here but I’d venture to say that it was somewhere in the Five Boroughs, and probably in Brooklyn (I’m being completely biased with that specification). Street Workout practitioners go by many names. The most popular being “Bar Athlete” and “Bodyweight Athlete”. If you’re familiar with it, then you know that the focus is on developing functional muscle mass that makes you as athletic as you will be aesthetic. Street Workout can indeed be compared to the calisthenics training of old. With Physical Culturists not only focusing on using calisthenics as an exercise methodology, but developing incredible skill as well. This is probably due to the heavy influence gymnastics and gymnastic training had on fitness and athletics up until relatively recent times. As a result, many physical culturists were huge proponents of such training methods and could demonstrate some pretty impressive gymnastic/bodyweight skill. Nowadays we see Bar Athletes demonstrating circuit workouts and “sets and reps” workouts, as well as demonstrating some pretty impressive “gymnastic” skills and freestlye moves. This isn’t really anything new, though. As Physical Culture in the turn of the century is where the lines between calisthenics and gymnastics truly begin to blur. Another important aspect of Physical Culture is Strongman training. This is not to be confused with today’s version. Strongman back then simply meant someone who competes in strength athletics. When we see the Physical Culturists of old we often see them holding barbells over their heads. To put it simply, it was just things like this which qualified someone to be touted as a strongman - lifting/pressing/moving impressive loads of weight in impressive ways. Though today’s iteration is a bit more diverse in terms of events and feats, make no mistake, it grew out of Physical Culture. In fact, Strongman sort of splintered off from what it was back then into today’s iteration, and weightlifting. Basically, in the 20th century we saw strength athletics being codified into what we have today. Powerlifting can be seen in its’ modern form as far back as the 1950’s. Olympic Lifting didn’t nearly resemble what it is today until about the early 1930’s. What about Bodybuilding? Bodybuilding as we know it today can be traced to the Aesthetics movement (within Physical Culture) and a man by the name of Eugen Sandow. Eugen Sandow is the namesake of the coveted trophy awarded to winners of the Mr.Olympia bodybuilding championship. Eugen Sandow was a turn of the century strongman and physical culturist. When it came to aesthetics he focused on achieving ideal Greek proportions and emulating Greek statues. He is considered by many to be the father of modern bodybuilding. Another aspect of Physical Culture that is quite noteworthy is Muscle Control, but that in and of itself requires a full article to really understand and truly appreciate. So now that you’ve got a bit of a crash course in Physical Culture, I hope you understand it’s connection and relevance to fitness today. Expect many more articles that draw specific connections from the good old days to modern times. And with that, I leave you with a video from one of my chief inspirations (and probably the first “Legend of Physical Culture” I’ll profile) - the Great Otto Arco. |
Shredded ShamanLifelong athlete and martial artist. I'm on a mission to bring back the good old days of Physical Culture and make this fit lifestyle a lot more enjoyable. Archives
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