Truck and Car Pushing

Conditioning Secrets Finally Revealed

Back in the late 90’s there was a T.V. show called “Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed”.

A masked magician would expose the methods behind large scale magic tricks and illusions by explaining how they were done and showing you how they were performed.

His reason for doing this was because he was tired of seeing magician after magician perform the same tricks and illusions over and over again.

By exposing these secrets it would force magicians to come up with new tricks and illusions to entertain us.

Today I’m going to uncover a conditioning exercise that needs to be exposed and updated.

And that lowly exercise is truck and car pushing.

For years I have read articles and have watched videos from coaches, trainers, athletes, MMA fighters on pushing vehicles for conditioning.

If you go to YouTube you’ll find a large amount of videos on car or truck pushing.

For years I have watched and waited for someone else besides myself to come up with a new way to push a vehicle for conditioning.

But sadly it’s been the same way year in and year out, video to video.

Put your arms about shoulder width apart on the back of a vehicle, feet spread about shoulder width and start pushing forward for distance or time.

Then get in front of the hood and push it back, while this works well for conditioning, man is this ever boring!

If you had a barbell and all you ever did was bench press or squat with it, you’d get pretty bored very quickly.

Recently to my excitement I found one, one person who has come up with a new way to push a vehicle.

Getting into a push up position this person put his feet on the back bumper of his truck and pushed the truck with his hands on the ground.

That was awesome, but unfortunately after 35 plus years all I have found are two ways to push a vehicle.

Come on people where is the creativity or out side the box thinking when it comes to pushing a car or truck.

Did you know that one of the favorite exercises of the ancient Greeks was pushing large columns and round boulders on soft sand.

They learned this by watching how their slaves developed strong bodies by moving these types of objects on their properties.

And since slaves were forbidden to train at the local gymnasiums in the city, they reasoned that this was a great way to develop the body.

So to all you experts, trainers and coaches out there, I challenge you to come up with new exercises for pushing a vehicle.

If you can come up with variations for bodyweight exercises, sand bags, kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, clubbells, medicine balls, suspension trainers etc…

Then way can’t you come up with a single variation when it comes to pushing a vehicle for conditioning?

In my next article I will get your mental juices flowing by teaching you five new exercises with variations to get you started.

So now that I have exposed this conditioning exercise, it’s your turn to create the magic!

Until next time, train safely and creatively.


Daniel Sambrano
http://oldstylemuaythai.com

Turning the Fist into Sword and Shield

The Greeks added boxing to the Olympics in 688 B.C. in honor of Patroklos the slain friend of Achilles.

All the Olympic games of the ancient past had their origins in the need for combat training and thus closely connected to actual battle.

The ability to box and wrestle were both battle preparation activities, and so athletes were restricted to the standing battle related positions of combat.

Boxing ( Pugilism) is one of the oldest combative activities in history.

Carvings and paintings show people fighting with their fists over 5,000 years ago in ancient Sumeria and over 3,000 years ago in ancient Egypt.

The word “Punch” comes from the Roman (Latin) word meaning to “Stab”.

The ancient Greeks considered boxing (pugilism) more dangerous than pankration due to the more severe injuries caused by boxing.

It was widely believed in ancient times that boxing began as a way for warriors who used shield and spear/sword to grow accustomed to the movements of fighting in combat.

The complex stepping movements of the legs; the strikes and parries of the arms holding the weapon and shield would help train a warrior for battle.

It should not be forgotten that the stance and tactics of sword and shield play were identical to those of boxing (pugilism).

The shield held in the left hand was used to jab, slam, bash, pummel or block and the sword in the right hand delivered the killing blow by stabbing or slashing.

The left lead foot was kept in front so the shield would be better positioned to protect the holder, while the unshielded right side was held back away from the enemy.

Boxing was also a way to develop the physical and mental toughness needed to face adversaries in combat on the battlefield.

The Spartans were pugilists as were the Romans and other warrior cultures.

Today by participating in boxing (pugilism), you are taking part in a great and legendary tradition stretching back to the beginning of time.

So when you train in boxing don’t just dance around throwing light jabs as you shuffle and slide with your footwork.

This just doesn’t mimic combat at all or train you for the real thing.

This was not how the warriors of the past trained; they would step, shift, and strike with power, purpose and intent.

They never wasted any movement because in combat it could cost them their lives.

To them it was a matter of life or death, and this is how you should approach your training if you want to use it for self defense in the street.

So when you train think of your fists as shield and sword/spear deadly weapons to use against your adversaries.

When you punch your opponent don’t just hit him; stab him with your fist, smash him with your shield (arm) and finish him with your sword/spear (fist).

Get ancient on his ass when fighting, after all this is how it was done in combat on the battlefield.

And this is how it needs to be done on the streets today.

So train accordingly.

Daniel Sambrano
http://www.superherosystems.com/