You gotta exercise. It's not a debate, it's not a maybe, it's not a “bonus” … exercise is a must!
Sitting and lounging all day will slowly kill you dead.
Many people choose not to exercise because there is one major thing that turns people off of exercise … exercise is work! It's hard to do if you're not used to it.
Exercise isn't fun if you're new to exercise. Exercise becomes fun, but only when you take the time to make it fun.
Exercise isn't fun … unless you make it fun.
Personally, I have a great time lifting weights.
Lifting weights and eating steaks is my only hobby outside of practicing damn good business.
Most people do not enjoy lifting weights — it takes a very hard-headed, disciplined, meathead type of guy to enjoy pushing iron — but lifting weights becomes fun when you get in the gym and really see what you're made of.
I've been in the gym for years and years pushing myself, testing my limits and seeing what I'm made of.
But, I have a confession to make…
Lifting weights is (well, was) the only part about exercise I enjoyed.
I LOVED lifting weights like starving people love food. I lifted weights like a damn animal.
I could not get enough of it. I would lift when I was as sick as a dog. I would lift when I was too tired to lift.
I would lift when I was in some crazy 3rd world countries and the gyms were filled with rusty and sharp equipment. I didn't care!
I would lift no matter what. But lifting is all I would do.
I skipped cardio mostly, I skipped stretching mostly, I skipped agility work mostly, and guess what? I paid the price for my neglect of my own body!
Now I'm as stiff as a board.
My body is as strong as an ox, I'm muscled from head to toe … but I'm not flexible in even the slightest bit.
A physiotherapist told me I was the most un-flexible person he'd ever met (and he was not only talking about my personality).
I paid the price for my single-minded focus on weight lifting and I became “muscle bound.”
But you, soldiers of the B&D ARMY, do not have to make the same mistakes your Shogun made.
You should be strong, yes. You should lift weights, yes.
But you should not be as stiff as a board … you should be as flexible and free as a monkey.
You need strength … but you also need flexibility, agility and endurance.
But that kind of training isn't fun unless you make it fun.
I'll show you how to make it fun in a moment, but first let's quickly talk about the #1 rule of exercise.
The #1 Rule Of Training, Health And Fitness
What is the absolute, #1 rule of training?
You gotta move the body.
Exercise doesn't actually have to be exercise. All you have to do is move the body, get the blood pumping and get a sweat on.
HOW you move your body is unimportant … as long as you move your body!
Lifting weights is great and necessary … building muscle and strength is crucial.
But you have to find balance because you actually CAN become muscle bound.
Many of us lift weights hard and heavy and we neglect flexibility and agility. Training for flexibility and agility is not fun unless you make it fun.
So what you gotta do is make moving fun again.
How you move your body is your choice, as long as you move it.
Whatever you do, just remember this: moving the body is of the utmost importance.
But what do we know about exercise? If it isn't fun, no one will do it.
No one will go move the body if it isn't fun … so let's make it fun. Deal?
How To Make Movement Training Fun Again
Kids who go outside and play all day never seem to get fat, no matter what snacks they eat.
Why is that?
Because they're moving the body and burning calories… but what they aren't doing is exercising.
They're just playing and having fun and that's what keeps their bodies lean.
When I was a kid I would never even dream of going to a gym, running a race or exercising … but every day I would play basketball, baseball, football, jump on the trampoline and ride my bike for hours and hours.
It wasn't work, it was fun! All of my friends were the same way and all of us were lean.
Back then, absolutely no one was addicted to video games, no one sat inside watching tv all day. We all played and we played all damn day.
Fat children were very rare where I come from. Very rare!
We didn't even play with the fat kids … there barely were any fat kids … and the kids that were fat were too busy watching television inside to come outside and play.
We didn't sit inside all day. The only reason to be inside was to watch a movie with the whole family … or if there were a tornado around and we had to stay in the basement to stay safe.
As kids, we were always outside playing & running free like little monkeys.
That was our secret to staying strong fit, agile, lean and energetic … we had fun while playing and moving the body.
It was never exercise, because we would have NEVER EXERCISED.
We'd play, we'd go to football practice and train for hours, but we damn sure wouldn't go exercise “just for the fun of it.”
We would play and stay in great physical shape. We had endurance, energy and flexibility for days.
But something got lost along the way. Somehow, moving become a chore. Instead of being fun, moving became a drag.
But moving doesn't have to be a drag, it can be fun.
How?
We'll use the same principles that keep children lean and we'll make a game out of it.
We're going to do something very different…
I KNOW my B&D soldiers love to lift … but if you've been following me strictly you haven't been moving as much as you should.
I take full responsibility for that and I will rectify it starting right now.
Remember my plan to live clean and green?
Living clean and green starts with your body … your body has to be able to move free.
This is how you train your body to move free…
Movement Training Routine For Agility & Flexibility
Movement training may just be the next big thing.
This functional exercise combines the fun of playing with the benefits of exercise.
Instead of thinking of it as exercise or training, think of it just as fun because that's what it is… a game.
Movement training burns a whole hell of a lot of calories, improves flexibility, improves agility … and it guarantees you have fun while doing it.
One of our Sponsored Athletes at Red Supplements, Eero West from Vahva Fitness, is a movement training pro who created this animal movement training program.
Pictured: Eero West from Vahva Fitness
Eero and the team from Vahva have a very unique training style that no one else is doing right now … and I think you'll love it (I do).
What they're doing is really wild (at first glance) and I wanted to share it with the B&D ARMY.
What do they do that is so different?
They train like animals.
So what? Every hardcore meathead trains like an animal?!
No, I mean they literally train like animals. They mimic animal movements and have turned it into an effective training style!
Instead of taking a dry, boring routine they have made movement based training fun.
To get an idea of what exactly they are doing, press play on the video below. It's a quick, 15 second compilation of Eero's crazy training drills and it gives you a quick look at what kind of training they are doing.
(Don't forget to press stop when the video starts to repeat.)
The training is wild and got me hooked so I invited them to do a video for the B&D soldiers and they accepted.
They were kind enough to do a video for us showing one of their more popular animal movement routines.
This routine will help you move free, become more agile, increase flexibility … and just plain have fun again.
It's called…
How To Move Free Like A Monkey
50 years ago people thought lifting weights was absolutely silly. Now we know better.
Moving like a monkey may sound silly but I don't give a damn if it sounds silly!
I only care if it works. And it definitely works to help you learn how to move your body freely.
In this video they will cover the basics of the Monkey Movement Training Routine.
In this video you will get 4 exercises (with rep schemes) and they will demonstrate exactly how to do each monkey movement.
At the end of the video you will see an improvised “play” routine.
After you watch the video, it's a breezy 4 minutes long, you can scroll down as I have laid out the entire monkey movement training routine for you.
Enjoy this movement training YouTube video…
(If you'd prefer to watch on YouTube, you can click here to watch this movement training video.)
Be free like a monkey don't be stiff like a board.
The monkey movement routine is a very fun and intense routine.
It's fun, it burns calories and it gets you moving and stretching in ways you wouldn't normally.
You'll get some wild looks if you do this in public but so what.
Below you can find the exact routine in case you want to write it down and take it to the gym/park with you.
Monkey Movement Training Routine
For Flexibility, Mobility And Agility Recap
1. Gorilla Walk - 3×16 steps
2. Baboon Walk - 2×10 steps (per each side)
3. Jiu-Jitsu Monkey - 3×10 steps
4. Chimp Walk - 2×10 steps (per each side)
After you master the basic exercises don't forget to improvise and create your own free-flow routine.
The goal is not to mimic Eero's training style, the goal is to learn how to move your body freely.
You won't be running around like a perfect monkey right away … It takes time to build agility and flexibility. Keep at it.
I'm hard at work on this routine and if you're stiff like me, you should be hard at work on it too.
Can movement training build a great physique?
Let's not get it twisted, functional movement training is never going to build a bodybuilders physique.
To build a bodybuilders physique you have to lift weights. End of story.
But movement training is not designed to build a superhero physique … it's designed to keep you lean, flexible, agile, energetic and fix imbalances.
And it works.
Not only does it work, but it's a whole lot of fun…
And it will teach you how to be free like a monkey and not stiff like a board.
Until next time.
Your man,
-Victor Pride
PS - If you like this training routine and want more training routines specifically for B&D soldiers, let me know and it shall be done!
If you want even more routines and coaching, Vahva offers a movement training course called Movement 20XX which is fantastic.
Nice article Vic.
I’m a 5’7″ (and a little bit) 203 lb. power lifter. I get my cardio by riding my bicycle at a brisk pace to and from the gym.
I have ALWAYs had flexibility problems and although “Move like a monkey” is a great idea, I’m not a newbie anymore, too bad I had nothing like this when I was 18/20 years old.
Oh well, when the miss J. Is not around, I have my reliable fork to scratch my back. I’m guessing you do the same.
Cheers!
j.
Thanks Gary.
Great write up, I’ve seen this guy online before and his movement training is incredible.
As far as training like a bodybuilder and supplementing your weight training with movement, it depends on your goals and fitness experience.
If you want to excel at moving your own body, it seems that the most success is achieved with combining the movement patterns with bodyweight training programs that work to excel strength and skill, such as gymnastics conditioning.
For someone whose main goal is their body and physique for appearance purposes, nothing will give the results that weights do.
As I get older, and find my joints aching more and recovery taking longer, phasing out certain exercises for bodyweight progressions has been a life saver…but importantly, I built my foundation with weights. I’ve lost little to no strength and I have a more athletic look as opposed to the bulky bodybuilder which suits me better as I get older.
It’s great to see things like this to remind everyone that as life changes, so must your approach. Looking forward to hearing about how this is helping you progress Vic.
Thanks Joe.
If you are going to lift hard and heavy, you need to address flexibility. ‘Move or die’ is an expression they use in the fight game, and I agree. Who cares if you bench 400 pounds if you can’t move when it counts? I’ve seen little guys (wrestlers, Ju -Jitsu) who can’t put up sh*t weight room wise, who would mop the floor w a couple of the older, over-inflated bodybuilders I’ve met. It’s almost like a different kind of strength, one that you only get through body weight/flexibility/mobility training. In other words, a more balanced program.
Great comment BC.
Really nice post, Victor. I today was thinking about mixing up my exercise routine! This training is gold and I have already tried it after reading your post. It really feels different than all I have done before. But it feels GREAT. Thank you!
Thank you Stephan.
Nice post, it’s a basic warm up when your doing martial arts or MMA. lift weights and what about calisthenics? I didn’t train in a gym for 4 months and returned even stronger then before. Mixing weights and calisthenics is the best way to train in my opinion
“Mixing weights and calisthenics is the best way to train in my opinion”
Yes, I agree. So do all athletics training departments.
I am not really sure about this kind of exercises for flexibility, all I know is that the ‘Trifecta’ (=perfect three, twists, bridges, L-sits) from the book Convict Conditioning 2 has given me huge improvements in my flexibility and I would recommend it to everyone who has been weightlifting for a long time.
I own Convict Conditioning 1 and have thought about getting #2, mostly for the Trifecta part. Along those lines, I recently heard about this exercise and have been meaning to try it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm9L0RIhR3s
Maybe it’s best to do both static holds and movement routines (like Eero’s) for overall flexibility.
Hell yeah Victor keep these routines coming!
OK!
“You are stiff as a board Vic, I´d snap you in half” - Connor
:-P
ha!
Now you can touch butt in the park with Connor Mcgregor. Hilarious cartoon video. Can’t wait till Saturday, I love Conor but I think Diaz repeats, and any chance of a fixed fight to promote UFC’s poster boy is probably out the window, cause Diaz doesn’t seem to be the type. But money talks so who really knows. Link to video, will see if that monkey training helps him this time!
[redacted]
Vic I have the same problem as you. Strong as a lion but have the flexibility of a piece of wood.
After working on static stretching for months and getting no results I did a little research in the holistic world and here’s what I found….
When you buy a rotisserie chicken have you noticed the “film” like substance covering the muscles of the chicken? Not the skin. Its below the skin and you often have to peel it off after the skin is removed.
This is called FASCIA and we have it in our bodies. It’s a connective tissue covering our entire body…and it can get very stiff.
I believe you have tight fascia.
How can you fix it?
Foam rolling and deep tissue massages seem to be working for me. This monkey movement stuff looks great as well since it’s not a static movement it will help to loosen the tight fascia surround my body still.
I Will be adding this stuff to my routine.
Thanks again uncle Vic.
“This is called FASCIA and we have it in our bodies. It’s a connective tissue covering our entire body…and it can get very stiff.
I believe you have tight fascia.”
Very perceptive, Blayde. I do have extremely tight fascia.
I should give this a try because I can’t even wash my back in the shower. I can only touch my outer lats and upper traps… And my legs are stiff as hell.
Kick ass post Vic, now I want to get back into parkour.
Hmm new goal for the arrival of spring.
Keep killing it Vic.
Thanks Bebop.
Victor,”I could not get enough of it. I would lift when I W>>>as as sick as a dog. I would lift when I was too tired to lift.”
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing the knowledge!! Can this routine work as cardio in winter months?
Yes, for sure.
Freedom of a Monkey + Body of a Spartan = prepared for war.
Strong and flexible. Ripped and functional.
Way to go.
“Freedom of a Monkey + Body of a Spartan = prepared for war.”
Love the sound of that, Dave.
Just a few days ago i started to train my flexibility in the morning straight after i wake up for about 15 minutes.
Was inspired by clarance0 on youtube, fucking strong guy and also atheltic as fuck.
https://youtu.be/y2acamyIGeM?t=2m58s
Amazing article! No doubt I will give it a try to those animal routines
Great post. Also worth checking out Elements programme by Gold Medal Bodies, and Animal Flow by Mike Fitch. Those programs have helped me a lot over the last year to improve my mobility while maintaining strength (and having fun).
Thanks Josh.
Great stuff, it’s the “paleo” version of exercise. I learned the importance of mobility after I sparred and got my but whooped by a guy 70 lbs. lighter than me. Not only does the increased mobility give you the range of motion, but it gives you power through that range of motion. Look at a lot of Muay Thai fighters. Relatively skinny legs but they kick like the devil. This is due to both core strength and the ability to move through a range of motion unrestrained. If you’re lifting to look good I am all for that, however I think it’s important to step in to a martial arts setting (MMA if available) to really grasp what physical fitness abilities are important in a realm as fundamentally functional as fighting.
P.S. It’s funny how we’re coming full circle in the realm of fitness. Advanced training equipment and supplements is being replaced with more natural movements and organic foods.
P.P.S. As a reader, I really appreciate the fact that you can acknowledge short comings in previous information you’ve given on fitness and well-being. Anyone that gives great advice does this. And it goes to show your commitment to your readers and looking out for their interests vice being painstakingly dogmatic like some. It shows the highest level of maturity and openness to new information on your part. Hopefully others reading this will appreciate it as well.
Thank you Nek.
I really enjoy this type of out-of-the-box movement and practice!
This is exactly the type of stuff that Daniel Vitalis, and Ido Portal talk about.. I got into this about a year before Ido started training Conor McGregor, and look what an awesome difference that has made in his footwork and pattern-breaks.
Too many people in MMA stiff as a board, and this, plus BJJ can really help you simply be in your body, gain flexibility, and increase your natural movement. An awesome guy to watch for this is Michael “Venom” Page - what an entertaining fighter.
Another position is the flat-footed squat, which is also good for digestion and hip mobility. On top of that, you can start off with stretching from the squat, and a lot of these different flexible positions can start by sitting how the Vietnamese sit on the street when washing dishes.
Remember what I mean Vic?
“Remember what I mean Vic?”
Yes, I started working on the flat footed squat 6 years ago when I got to China.
This is a cool idea. It definitely reminds me of playing around as a kid and climbing trees and such. Maybe I should do that more? Go out and climb trees in the woods like I used to. I was a champ tree climber back in the day.
I was into Parkour back in high school and I used to always climb things, go jogging every morning, do push ups and sit ups. I was thin, but had a lot of endurance and could run.
I was considering taking up Yoga, but I’m still undecided on whether or not its effective, or a crock of new agey, white-chick bullshit. Thoughts?
I never noticed a large impact from yoga. I think the main issue is they focus only on static stretches and never incorporate dynamic stretches. Each person is different though. Give it a shot and see how you feel after a month.
Yoga is great if your teacher is attractive. For muscles, it’s nothing. For piece of mind, could be great for you.
Mr. Pride,
I’d disagree on the Yoga question, depending on what kind you pursue.
Most Yoga these days does fall into that sort of category. It’s meant for “hippie chicks” (women), and will therefore have the wrong moves, and types of moves.
Old-school warrior yoga, IIRC Ashtanga, was meant as a warrior’s practice, not what we Westerners have made it into. Like the Shaolin, who became such fighters because of exercises they did to attain strength to meditate. This is the time of the Moghuls, though, who conquered the indigenous peoples and created what we think of as Indian society.
Yoga done correctly will increase your pump and vascularity and grant control of the muscles, similar to a dancer’s poise. While it might sound “gay,” my mom was a dancer (Lincoln Center, NYC, and toured the US.) You DID NOT mess with her, and she was about 120 pounds. She could kick like a mule, and she’d lift stuff without a thought. 50# of lawn mower, for example. Squat down, deadlift, into the car. I could wrap my fingers around her upper arm when I was 15 or so… She could hold her arm there and I could ALMOST do chinups.
THAT sort of control is worth it, and it is the same sort of power Victor is talking about with the animal movements. Do them for a year or two, you’ll get the density, and when you tell the body to do, it does. You lock your joint, that arm bar stops dead. Etc.
It’s no less a way of life than the lifting itself though, just another tool. Research it well and apply as appropriate.
Excellent ideas here. I’ve been really hitting the weights hard lately and I can tell a huge difference in the flexibility of my muscles. Will give these a shot as I’ve always had better results with more dynamic stretching routines as opposed to the standard sit ‘n’ reach type of stretching.
Thanks Jacob.
Hey Vic, you should check out Zuu training. Similar ideology but very high intensity. It’s brutal but gets serious results.
Awesome monkey movement training routine! It’d be an interesting experiment if someone were to do a gorilla walk for a few hours every day. I bet their arms would grow huge. After all gorilla’s arms are almost as big as their legs.
So basically, moving everywhere and keeping it fun? Seems like judo does the same thing, plus you can make big moves confidently because of the mat.
I’m stiff as well, maybe I’ll try judo, and I’ll do your monkey moves in the meanwhile.
“So basically, moving everywhere and keeping it fun?”
Yeah.
Most of this article is actually useful & interesting.