Gaia: Integral Strength - Tips & Techniques

Reflections of an Integral "Crossfit" Strength Practice

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:23:40 GMT

Greetings to Rob and Integral Strength, apologies for my absence.

Thought Id share a short reflection of what I have been engaging with over the past six months related to Integal Strength.

The base of my physical practice has been through the influence of Crossfit (crossfit.com) and its philosophy of training "constantly varied, high intensity, with functional movements". I have transitioned away from a focus of traditional body building, to incorporating gymnastics, olympic lifting and other forms of monostructural training. For those not familiar with the Crossfit movement check-out the site and even if you dont resonate with this style of training, at least respect the depth of the information within this community.

The workouts are short - usually less than twenty minutes and sometimes less than 5 - although on occasions I do increase the duration to challenge strength and endurance from a different dimension. The intensity is very high, and requires deep, deep concentration, focus and efficient co-ordinated technique. To engage in the practice (or to use a term often used by Rob the "dance with the weights") I need an extended period of meditative time beforehand and a great deal of post reflective time to emerge from the intensity and normalise my consciousness.

Often this style of trainning doesnt always lend itself to same engagement/reflection mini-cycles as in Strength for Life - but its effectiveness in developing deep states through the intensity is very powerful.

I also find myself focused on the weight lifting and gymnastics techniques I have been learning, spending time observing myself in differnt ranges of motion and body reactions to different movements and pressures. Its no different to a yoga asana - in fact id even go far as to say it is an extension of yoga not just an association.

So this is me for now and my practice - as always feel free to ask any questions and post reflections of your own in terms of how you are individually engaging in this practice.

Strength and Spirit

Damon

PS The picture below is me training at The Cell (thecellfitness.com.au) during a recent trip back to Australia in July, with a good friend of mine Rod on the sled providing resistance to my efforts.

Re: The Dark Night of an Integral Strength Practice

http://sardonyx.gaia.com — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:34:17 GMT

I am so thankful D and Rob for having the pioneering spirit to actually bring these subject up- at least on the web... :-)
I am unsure about which "stage" I am at. I have had a few times where I would begin at a gym and typically discontinue. This has happened with martial arts too, but in a different fashion. I have such a love-hate relationship with body practice, that, I have decided to probe into it as deeply as I can...!

I am employing therefore, "The Work" inquiry to help me, and the pathological structure becomes clear quite quickly....
One of the issues that came up for me as well was "superficial motivation".

So, as I phrased it in The Work was:
"My motivation for engagining in weight-training are just not good or legitimate enough".
This phrasing already exposes the super-ego self-righteous tendency that comes with this type of thinking: (from journal)
"When I think this thought, I am actually in the business of 'self-righteously favoring [pseudo-evolutionary] spiritual bypass instead of alignment with authentic aspiration'".
And, at almost a transrational level,
I thought that hey, I don't -need- "superficial or illegitimate reasons" to feel "not good enough"- freeing "not being good enough" from the tyranny of having-to-have reasons to feel that way is paradoxically liberating!

I myself am not sure what this MEANS- just that in the integral circles, there is the need to justify everything integrally, and sometimes it borders on being self-righteous instead of loving ourselves for the aspirations we have. We get so incredible afraid of what might look as shallow, which is actually a quiter voice, a willingness that demands much less than our "non-superficial reasons".

My plan is continue to examine my relationship with training, and eventually return to training slightly more integrated I hope!

Re: The Dark Night of an Integral Strength Practice

http://Rob.gaia.com — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:01:58 GMT

Here's a little for you to bounce off of...

The very heart of the dark night is organized around this singularity - that which you want to get rid of isn't going anywhere. The lucidity from which you grasp this and the fullness within which you embody this determines much of what follows in my opinion and practice.

The dark night is at it's heart despair, which is born from the desire to get rid of something (or if you want to flip that coin - attain something). When everything fails, when in your most honest and awake moments you spontaneously know you are left with failure your body-mind contracts up into your essential wound. The contraction that defines you, makes you and owns you is now consciously in your face and there is absolutely nothing you can do.

While there are many considerations to look at when stepping further into this phase of practice and life, the general prescription is to push into this, because as Terry (and others) presuppose, it is this fertile space that gives birth to that which you seek most desperately to know within.

Personally, in my own experience the dark night never ends and it completely disappears depending on how I want to organize myself and my perspective. I choose to embody the fullness of this contraction and despair and hold the essential liberation that is this. Freedom and Fullness, to embody and enact integral practice you must have both, awareness and embrace they actually require each other.

You are not one, not the other. You fundamentally are not two.

For me, moving into this despair and letting go, this is the work that we're here to do. This is what it really means to do a set with all of your heart, tears rolling down your cheeks, with a shattering smile of Suchness that allows everything, absolutely everything to be ok just as it is.

This is the path of becoming uniquely you, not ejecting in escape of something or reaching to attain something but not the unconscious attachment to the enveloping immanence of your relative vehicle. You'll know something is radically different when the contraction that scares you, the knot that is you that you try to manage, control and negotiate with has been transformed into itself. From this perspective, from this embodiment the contraction and limitation of you is the unfolding liberation of your divinity.

Discover this in your breath right now, re-cognize this as you move resistance, realize this and you'll know your Unique Self - the you that's always known you ;-)

Big Love,
~Rob

The Dark Night of an Integral Strength Practice

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 06:52:52 GMT

I've had a chance to travel recently which, in the process of transit and spending time in hotels, had given me time to read and reflect. An interesting topic that came up for me whilst reading the new Integral Life Practice book was the concept of the "Phases in the Practice Life". What resonated was how it related to the phases in my previous yoga practice and how it now relates to my current strength training practice that I pursue as a yoga. As a roadmap of what potentially to expect at each stage of a strength training practice I thought this would be worth sharing with the group.
Quick overview of the theory (Integral Life Practice: p. 368-372)….

Practice takes time. An over time, as you engage practice, certain phases often unfold organically. A series of different "seasons" will appear…[being The Honeymoon, The Plateau and Falling from Grace, The Fruits, The Dark Night, Responsibility].

The Honeymoon is usually for a period of at least several years, practice involves the process of establishing a new orientation in life, breaking old habits, and establishing new conscious routines;
The Plateau and Falling from Grace, the regularity of practice will have become second nature and awareness expanded and stabilised with practitioners, unaware that they had become addicted to the experience of expansion, begin to feel like their practices aren't working anymore;
The Fruits, new, free capacities bloom and awareness effortlessly expands. We worked hard and now we re seeing results. Were gratified. Proud. Identified . Attached. And, inevitably, full of it!;
The Dark Night, At a certain point your practice life may seem to fall apart. You may lose all motivation, no longer able to believe that practice is going to get you anywhere. Awareness of the underlying selfish motives for practice may become so acute that you despair of the whole enterprise. You may discover that something essential is dying. The awful aloneness and sense of limitation that you may have hoped to escape through practice has now engulfed you. Despair is inescapable; your aspiration to infinity will never succeed. You are going through a kind of death, one you cannot escape. Congratulations - this defeat is the doorway to profound freedom;
Responsibility, This phase of responsibility contains all the previous phases flowing together in a stability whereby the fruits of practice may even gracefully deepen - perhaps becoming the liberating illuminations described in our ancient spiritual traditions.

My reflection, and hopefully a point of discussion, is focused on The Dark Night phase. I experienced similar feelings and reactions on my yoga practice to the point where I have abandoned this practice almost entirely and replaced this with a Integral strength training practice. And while I am very much in "The Honeymoon phase" of this practice - motivated by the energy and intensity of the new practice - a cannot ignore the residue of the feelings I had in experiencing what I believe was A Dark Night phase. I've discussed this a little in this forum as my reflection is that I'm concerned by my own capacity for a superficial shadow motivation for pursuing strength training practice even as a form of developmental practice may lead to a deeper, more intense Dark Night than potentially other modes of practice. This is a generalisation and dependant on an individuals relationship to practice and their own understanding of shadow motivation.
So what I want to explore here is The Dark Night, Shadow motivation, and the superficial motive. If you have experienced a Dark night phase - how did you recognise it, what were your physiological reaction, did you continue/persist with the practice and for how long or did you radically change the mode of practice to overcome the experience as I have, have you emerged from A Dark Night and again how did you recognise that and what part of that phase still is residue in your current practice post experience of this phase.

Re: Lifting for rest

http://Rob.gaia.com — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:39:50 GMT

Surrender baby, Surrender!

Sorry, I missed this post from last month - not sure how at any rate thanks for sharing.

The FIT cycle is intrinsic to your own natural movements physically and psychologically. It's how deeply you participate with it that determines your progressions.

You needn't try to "create" something, just feel into what's there and follow the emergence of your body-mind in the moment.

Peace,

~Rob

What to expect at each stage

http://quanta-fire.gaia.com — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:35:01 GMT

Another one from me.

What can we expect to feel from the inside at each of the different stages in the FIT cycle?

Let's see. There is Grounding, Charging, Focus, Rest.

So I was on the bench today and I thought: What does each stage look like at its peak? I notice that sometimes I don't have what I know would be "at my peak"

Grounding: I'm in my body. Often my belly is the most difficult area to fall into. I have noticed that I often try to "force" myself into my belly, which is like forcing a layer upon it in other to "fill" it. There have been times (infrequent, but occurring in succession when it arises) when I have felt grounding really strongly and my whole practice is served by it. I feel an energy rising up my belly. Before I even charge, I notice that if my belly is not full, and I am not grounded THROUGH it, then my charging will be like blowing air into a balloon with holes in it. It'll fill up but I won't be able to hold it to its most full contraction when it comes to Focus.

Charging: Quick successions of exhaling to bring the fight-flight response into the body. When I charge, sometimes I can allow it to happen in its own way. I don't necessarily do THREE charging breaths, but becoming more aware of my breath beforehand allows me to really come down into my body and notice the POWER of my breath, rather than just becoming a mechanical exhalation machine. When I become more aware of my breath beforehand, my charges are CHARGED. That seems like the key to me. I'm charging through being intentionality into the breath (interesting insight I just had). I feel an overlap between Grounding and Charging, but there is an melding between these two - rather than two disparate parts. When charging has been fully and successfully completed to its peak, my final breath feels like I've just breathed fire. I notice a contraction in whatever muscle group I've been working. Bringing the contraction WITH the charge, and elevating my focus at this point allows me to really explode into my set.

Focus: Everything that has come beforehand allows this stage to be successful. Like Shawn says in S4L, without the space between the music, the music would just be an unmelodic mess. When I achieve maximum focus, I feel that my Presence has been supported through the awareness of all my energies on each of the different levels. From my causal body, all the way up to my gross body, if everything is in alignment, then I can BE Present to all sensations in my activated muscles - beginning with form. My Presence to the set is NOT just to do with "I can feel my muscles". It goes WAY beyond that. My Presence extends from bottom to top of my Being.

Rest: When I rest, this is different to lying down for a nap. For the gadget lovers amongst us, have you ever played with one of those gyroscope hand trainers? You have to move it in a certain way to keep it going, and in turn it strengthens your wrists and forearm. You have to keep it going in a particular motion for it not to jolt around. When I rest, I feel the same motion in my relaxation. I'm not completely surrendering. It's like I still allow the motion to continue within me. The energy is still circulating, but I'm just letting it continue on its own for a little while. If I let rest go on for too long then I lose the momentum and my circulation of energy stops. But it doesn't feel like surrender as in "let go of everything, including your build up of energy" (at least this is how I understand it). I'm surrendering to the momentum of the energy, without guiding it. It goes where it wishes.

At the end of the Focus stage, I sometimes have made a sound. A really gutterall sound from my belly. It's as though I'm releasing some energy from my belly. It continues on its own and yet it it allows me to more fully engage in Resting. I love what you've said about moving to the BodyMind at this stage, Rob. In following that, I've noticed myself sometimes falling entirely into it and really allowing myself to be expansive, and moving in a certain way that my BodyMind commands. And sometimes I've noticed my head doing a lot of the guiding. It has sometimes expected me to manage the process of rest. This causes problems of its own as sometimes no intentional rest has been achieved. I notice sometimes that I want to fill the gaps. It's like when you talk to someone and you say "Yeah, yeah, sure, totally" just to fill the space, rather than listening to the moment and being One with It.

It's been great to share this. I've had a lot of insights from working on the bench over the last 9 weeks, and I'm just gonna keep bringing them on here as they come.

Thanks!

Marc

Lifting for rest

http://quanta-fire.gaia.com — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:03:57 GMT

Something interesting has come up for me this week. Firstly, last week was almost a complete write-off for me. My work snowed me up under and my practice went out the window.

So I came into this week with a renewed determination having sat down and said "No, I'm getting through this".

Monday started well. Really great contractions in all exercises. And then Tuesday arrived. My body felt supremely energised. I was ready to rock and roll and kick some HIIT ass on the treadmill. 7 minutes into it and I almost completely crashed. My body felt full of energy, but it wanted to spread that energy like a knife spreads energy on a piece of toast. I was alternating between a steady jog and a fast sprint. My bodymind was speaking to me.

So I let my 1min rest periods go even slower to a steady walk. When I pulled this back, I noticed how much spaciousness there was. It was as though the cycle was ironing itself out to me rather than me trying to supplant myself upon IT. It was speaking to me. And it was telling me to rest.

My abs workouts on Tuesday, and my leg workouts on Wednesday had something very similar to them. I was not working out for intensity, I was working out for rest. It was the space between the music rather than the music itself that I was working out for. This kind of blew my mind, and was perhaps the only thing to make me return to the bench - rather than "Boy, I'm whacked, I'm tired, I can't do this anymore!". My workouts feel more whole, more complete, and the FIT cycle is yearning for each stage to be completed more fully.

Has anyone else had an experience of the cycle speaking through you like this? Where you can't NOT obey what it tells you through your bodymind?

Beautiful stuff!

Marc

Re: The power of the drop set

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:28:29 GMT

Marc

Thank-you for sharing this with the group, I find it interesting how people are using the broad framework of FIT within the different forms of training.

To continue on this theme there is a principle in training called "general adaptation" that recommends changing the rep, set, weights, exercises, speed and pace so the body (mind and spirit extended also to this principle) never has a chance to adjust to the tension that is applied. Change when necessary to avoid routine, and keep the body and spirit adapting to different sensations and experiences.

If you want to take this principle to the next level I recommend having a read of the following link and quote on EDT or Escalating Density Training:

http://www.staleytraining.com/articles/charles-staley/edt-for-maximal-strength-development.htm

To a lesser degree, MxS improvements also lead to higher levels of aerobic fitness, agility, and dynamic mobility. And to point out a sadly-overlooked fact, MxS development is a precursor to lean-mass gains, since fast-twitch motor units have much greater capacity for hypertrophy than do Type I MU's. And needless to say, all MU's must be recruited before they can be trained.
Traditional MxS training involves the use of maximal or near-maximal loads, typically 90% of 1RM and above. The maximal-load method has validity and a proven track record for results. However, load is only one-half of the equation, since it is tension- not load- that provokes anatomical adaptations leading to MxS improvements. These adaptations include improved inter- and intra-muscular coordination, as well as more efficient rate-coding.
Tension of course, is the offspring of load and speed. High loads, performed at (unavoidably) low speeds produce high tensions- that's a given. Less appreciated however, is the fact that moderate loads, moved at high speeds, also lead to high tensions. So as it turns out, there are two distinctively different methods that can be employed in your quest for MxS. Given what we know about the importance of variety for the sake of preventing physical and psychological stagnation, why not employ both methods?

I have found EDT training conducive in a FIT training philosophy of going deep into intensity for short periods of time, and extended period of rest into a deep reflective state. Its highly efficient, powerful, however leaves enough space for witness state to emerge.

The EDT for me works best with Olympic and power lifting movements and it is recommended if you are to experiment with this training that you are familiar with the basics of these lifts in a conventional sense before embarking on an EDT program.

Strength and spirit

Damon

The power of the drop set

http://quanta-fire.gaia.com — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:07:08 GMT

For the last 2 weeks I've been wondering why I've not really seen any noticeable difference in my physique from arriving at week 6. And then, tonight, it clicked. The drop set. And the power of changing weights.

Let me explain how I see this from my padawan view from week 6.

A lot of my training so far has focused on being REALLY slow but lifting weights that although were difficult, they didn't really challenge me all too much. Then, I actually took some time to read S4L PROPERLY and realised that I was just using the same weight all the way through. Even for the drop set. So, the last 2 strength training workouts, I changed it up. I increased the weight as my routine went through (making my form SO much more sloppy but requiring a much greater presence to what was going on) AND, I realised that drop sets are called drop sets because you drop the weight on the second set.

The way I see the drop set, you're working out your arms and getting them into a big contraction from the heavy weights (that are a real test for me to push) and THEN you're using smaller weights to HOLD that contraction and go deeper. Would this be anyone else's experience? It's like the heavier weights build something up, and then the smaller weights are more controlled ways to really dig in deep and USE that..."suchness" whatever it is. The difference is phenomenal to me.

This is the way I see it, and it works really well (on an intellectual level anyway) but I really feel my arms get so much more fatigued afterwards. To the point that now, I sit here more fatigued in my arms than I have been since starting this.

Part of me is mad that I didn't get onto this earlier and may not have gotten as much out of the last 5 weeks as I could have. But part of me is like "Whatever, wow! Embrace it"

Just wanted to share this.

Thanks,

Marc

Re: Ouch

http://quanta-fire.gaia.com — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:45:46 GMT

Hey Guys,

Wow, thank you! Really!

Yeah, Rob, I'd describe the pain more like a global pain. It felt like it was ALL in my abs, but most intensely in my lower abs. The upper abs felt more like...they'd just been punched. And it was REALLY hot. It felt like fire down there. I noticed it the first few reps in and could barely go on. But then I moved into it some more after a few deep controlled breaths. Second and third sets were HORRIBLE with less than 10 reps being pulled. That was on Tuesday. I did the same exercise on Friday and didn't get quite the same reaction. But I noticed myself being so much more cautious to go deep with the exercise.

This has been one of the most intense exercises for me out of ALL the exercises in the program - swiss ball ab crunch. It's the one where I can get one of the deepest contractions (biceps being the only other one that gets deeper - but I haven't had this problem with them because I love working out biceps).

OK let me finish off your questions here.

1. Is it more of a global stinging sensation in your core muscles as a whole or is it localized in a specific area?

It's more localised in just the area I was working with. i.e. lower abs, where this exercise targets. I know the reverse crunch hits the upper abs (at least that's what I'm feeling in my body) but I didn't feel it quite as strongly there. As I'm trying to recall it more, an image of a big black piece of paper with lots of pencil holes in it is coming to mind. That's how it felt. Not like pins and needles, but more like a general intense sensation, with more minor intense sensations that just felt BAD and more sickly. I realised when I repeated this on Friday, that I shouldn't be eating the energy pudding I'd been consuming before this exercise on that day. It may be due to that, because my stomach felt too full. Although the discomfort I had on Friday was nothing at all like Tuesday's.

2. Does the sensation build over the course of a set or does this stinging sensation 'jump' up at a particular point in your movement?

It came in at the first set after only a couple of reps. Right after I'd gotten off the treadmill from my 20min HIIT.

What is also odd about this coming up is that BAM, it really affected the quality of all workouts subsequent to that. My motivation has been shot this week (although I've still been going the gym). But my body feels tired like UGH. It feels more like a bodymind thing rather than a direct body experience. Some things have been coming up this week surrounding my work, purpose, etc, so I'm unsure if it had anything to do with that. All I know is that I'm struggling to get excited to go the gym like I had been before. Although when I get there, I can still bring myself pretty fully to what I'm doing. Funny how it said that the second group of 4 weeks (in S4L) was when motivation would be lacking.

I know I've digressed somewhat here, but I wanted to bring a full picture of my experience - inner and outer, higher and lower.

Doing this on my own has been hard with nobody to reflect anything back on what's happened in my workouts. I'm grateful for you guys being here (and in S4L pod) to bounce these things off.

Much love,

Marc

Re: Ouch

http://Rob.gaia.com — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:54:44 GMT

Marc,

Thanks for bringing this up.

Damon thanks for your reflections and thanks for bringing in one of our pioneers... not just pumping iron is such a good book...

Anyway, here are a few of my questions for you Marc:

Is it more of a global stinging sensation in your core muscles as a whole or is it localized in a specific area?

Does the sensation build over the course of a set or does this stinging sensation 'jump' up at a particular point in your movement?

If you can, say more about the direct sensations... Dull, blunt, sharp, hot, piercing, chronically present or acute to the movement of the reps, etc.

Let me know ASAP... and when did this start?

As for Damon's suggestion as to attending to the relationship you're taking to the pain, he's dead on regardless of what's going on. Follow that rabbit hole baby! :-)

Peace & Stillness

~Rob

Re: Ouch

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:19:57 GMT

Marc

Not being a physician cant really diagnose what the problem may be, but would like to discuss your reaction to the pain and what insights you have in going through this experience - more meta-phys than physical.

In reference pain - within context of strength training - I have found the book "Not Just Pumping Iron" chapter 6 has a meaningful discourse on the meaning of pain and injury that I find a useful reference:

"The serious seeker of growth must be willing to endure pain which is the by product of her or his seeking. The challenge is to come to terms with the pain, to accept it, perhaps even embrace it.......Is this not what lifting weights is all about? Lifting weights is a way of creating adverse conditions for the body to adapt to, in its most amazing way. Push, it, strain it, stretch it, today, see its adaptation tomorrow. And, oh, yes, your pain will confirm your success in creating an adverse condition"

The book goes into the complexity of interpreting pain in relation to personality. The lifter can relate to pain in three generic personality styles:

"disuse your body" (phobic)
"misuse your body" (impulsive/masochistic)
"use your body" (self actualising)

As you are engaging into the pain and willing to explore it even around the edges, I would discount the "disuse" style. I often find myself reflecting on whether I'm authentically in the "use" or deluding myself in the "misuse". I haven't found the answer yet which one as the intent behind each one can be more a function of subtle behaviour than gross behaviour.

But by the fact that you explored the biofeedback from the painful experience, reflected on its root cause(s), and put this experience within a practice focused on growth - you are probably engaged in self actualising experience through this pain.

Its an interesting topic, pain, and one completely relevant to this discussion forum.

Let us know how you are getting on with it through your training and the S4L program. Sorry I couln't be more of help on the diagnosis.

Damon

Ouch

http://quanta-fire.gaia.com — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:06:40 GMT

Hey guys,

I'm sure some of you have had an experience where you are in a LOT of pain during your workout. Well, this week I did my Abs exercises. And, I was doing the Swiss Ball Ab Crunch, and WOW, did it ever hurt?!

It hurt a LOT! Like a really intense stinging sensation that was really hard to hold. But I wanted to carry on so I moved into the pain, and it was really intense. I couldn't do it for very long.

Does anyone have any insight into what's going on here? I wasn't sure if it was that I wasn't getting enough fluid (possible) or whether the fluid didn't contain enough electrolytes or whatever. I found a really good drink I can make myself which would have all the electrolytes I need, but would that be the problem?

I'm in Week 4 of my S4L program, and I'm really getting into a good flow with it, so it could just be some muscle spasm or whatever with working on them so much. My body's never felt so alive!

Cheers,

Marc

Re: Gravity Training System

http://jeepdog.gaia.com — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:49:19 GMT

Well, a little over a month now rotating the GTS into my workout cycle, which equates to 6 workouts with it.

First, I will explain why only 6. I use four different gym facilities and the great outdoors, which equates to 8 different "locations" for workouts. Then, within each facility, depending upon the equipment available, I will also vary the workouts in each facility.

The outdoor locations are long runs, using pullup/chinup, dip bars, sit up, and elevated push up locations along the way. Also, once a week, I will climb a peak of a nearby mountain, and at the top toss around boulders, et cetera.

I have not "duplicated" a workout, that I can remember, for 3 or more years.

Anyhow, the GTS is super for varying workouts - I can hit any part of the body. I couple dumbbells with the GTS as well.

The weakness of the GTS is the weight limitation - one's body weight. While the angle (resistance) of moving the body weight can be increased, the fact remains one is capped at their body weight. For the "average" person out there, that is probably sufficient. For anyone who regularly engages in strength training, adapting to the motion properly and hitting the "greatest" angle for highest resistance happens pretty quickly (about 2 sessions for me).

At any rate, it is still a great machine - I slowed down the reps SIGNIFICANTLY, and also use the machine on a "light" day or for workouts involving parts of the body that are strained/close to injury.

Today's workotu with the machine, very slowly executing reps and concentrating on the movement, it was as if I could feel every muscle fiber fire - I have to admit, it was awesome.

Peace through Strength,

Christopher

Re: Gravity Training System

http://Rob.gaia.com — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 05:32:59 GMT

Christopher,

Thanks for passing this link along - I absolutely love new machines that engage the body-mind in novel ways. I haven't seen this machine before but I have to admit I'm totally craving to get on one!

Keep us posted on how you're using this piece of equipment and what you think of it. I wish I could take one for a *test drive*!

I'm in Casper WY right now at my parents place and just spend a couple of hours at an old school gym that I'm madly in love with. They've got all the classic machines in what I consider to be a beautiful setup, so I'm enjoying a retro workout this week.

Good luck showing mother nature who's boss :-)

Peace buddy,

~Rob

Gravity Training System

http://jeepdog.gaia.com — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 03:54:09 GMT

I experimented today with a new piece of equipment in one of the gyms I cycle through.

Ok, let me step back and explain. I have a total morning experience going, where I run - run to one of three places to conduct strength or core training. Then continue to run. Running to one of the gyms is where I visualize the strength or core training. Total focus.

At the gym, sometimes I work with weights. Sometimes I work Tai Chi. Sometimes I clobber core (also hit core on the run with pull-ups, burst jumps, cross-country runs/jumps).

Anyhow, I planned a workout with a machine that I have been eyeing for a week.

WOW! Their motto of "Show Mother Nature Who's Boss," while a bit flaunting to the Kosmos, certainly is a bit of a truth.

GTS for me enhances natural body movements in smooth repetitions and ensuring proper biomechanics. I have come to learn that smooth, concentrated natural movements is important to maintain health (prevent injuries), especially critical at 40 years of age.

I am not affiliated to this product in any way. I merely see huge potential as one of many tools in a FIT program and in Integral Strength training.

You can check it out here:

http://www.efisportsmedicine.com/commercial/

Peace through Strength,
Christopher

Re: bicep curls

http://breakthroughtosuccess.gaia.com — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 08:30:40 GMT

It's inevitable that the forearm muscles will be worked when performing bicep exercises. If you don't have strong forearms you won't have strong biceps.

Variety of exercises is the most important thing, try the preacher bench with either dumbells or barbells.

Effective Goal Setting

http://Rob.gaia.com — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:15:13 GMT

Your motivation as well as your progress depends in a large part on your ability to set effective goals. If you set goals that are too easy or too difficult you’ll find your desire and motivation wane and sometimes dissapear entirely. Smart effective and thus motivating goals have 5 basic parts - all of which have an important impact on motivation for your training.

Let’s start with the need to set specific goals. Ambiguity isn’t motivating. When you’re pursuing a nebulous cloud, such as “get stronger,” you’re not sure if you’ve arrived at your goal or not. From one perspective, you might have become stronger, but from another you haven’t. This ambiguity in the end dissipates your focus, stunts your motivation and leaves you wandering around often without much aim. Setting specific goals means writing down what you intend to achieve with as much detail as possible. So instead of setting the goal of “getting stronger” you could set the goal to perform 3 specific exercises - say chest press, leg press and seated row, using only these 3 machines at your gym. Then you would want to choose a weight and a number of repetitions that’s challenging for you.

This leads to the second important aspect of smart effective goal setting, your goals need to be measurable. If you can’t measure the goal you’ve set, you need to make it more specific. Having a goal that you can measure your progress towards and ultimately see if you accomplished your goal is critical if you’d like to foster your motivation. If your goal can be objectively measured you can be accurately assessed, evaluated and thus gauged on your progress (or lack there of). So if you set a goal that’s measurable you can have a day of reconing with yourself - you can see - that is objectively measure - did you accomplish your goal?

This day of reconing is the third important aspect of setting highly motivating goals. Your goals need to have a clear deadline. Without a clear ending point, your energy and motivation dissapates. You’ll end up saying to yourself, “well, it will take me a little bit longer to achieve that goal...” It probably won’t be long until you forget about your goal and simply start focusing on something else until you get distracted from that aim. With each day your focus wanders about your motivation is seeping from you like a that slow leak in your bike tire. It won’t be long until you’re standing still wandering what you’re going to do. Giving yourself a clear deadline focuses your mind on the goal at hand. As your mind focuses on the goal your energy and motivation to accomplish what you’ve set out will steadily build leading up to your goal. Instead of tapering off, you’ll begin pursing your goal with more vigor, focus and energy as your deadline approaches - the closer the deadline, the more motivated you’ll become.

The fourth aspect of effective goal setting is being realistic. When you set your goals you’ve got to be realisitic. If you’d like to leg press 500 pounds 12 times by next friday but you’ve never done more than 300 pounds once, you’re setting yourself up for failure. When you choose a goal that’s too hard or right next to impossible you’ll find your motivation to achieve it dissappearing. Similarly if your goal is to leg press 500 pounds 12 times in 3 months, but you can do 500 pounds 8 times right now you’re goal is too easy. If your goal is too easy it isn’t realistic in creating a real challenge. Choosing a goal that is realistic means finding the right challenge - the right tension - to push you, to ignite your motivation to fully engage in to your training with focus and a serious purpose.

Finally, smart effect goal setting needs to be recorded. You can’t have this all living in your head. You must write down your goals being as specific as you can. You’ve got to write down exactly how you’re going to measure your goals and the deadline within which you’ll work diligently to accomplish your goals.

Follow these 5 steps for smart effective goal setting and you’ll find your motivation naturally swell in its power, aim and focus. Along with it, you’ll be swept forward with continual movement forward towards achieving your goals. That doesn’t mean you’re not going to come across setbacks, sticking points and other difficulties; however, these are simply the critical stepping stones from which you’ll stand to take the next step forward towards your goals.

Summary: The 5 Aspects To Effective Goal Setting
1. Be specific.
2. Make your goal measurable.
3. Be realisitic.
4. Give yourself a clear deadline.
5. Record your goals and the path to achieving your goals.

Re: The importance of "space" for an Integral Strength Practice

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 08:21:32 GMT

Its been two months but im there. Its been my intention for some time to set up my own space for an Integral Strength practice, free from the distraction of a commercial gym environment.

Ill share some of my experience of setting this up later this week and set up some links on this posting that I used as a resource in helping me set up this space.

Quick background - I have converted my garage into a space that i can practice strength training, yoga, and cardio. The space is 3m x 5m and in this I have a squat rack with an Olympic bar plus 220kg weights and a hi lo pulley system rated to 200kg, adjustable spin lock dumbell set that takes each up to 55kg, olympic rings, yoga horse, spin bike, medicine balls, setubandhasana bench, smaller weights and dumbells, 2 x sandbags, various yoga props, a white board, skipping rope, and a sledgehammer (see posting on shovel glove to explain why the sledge). And have enough space to practice inlcuding experimentation with olympic lifts.

Photo's as of today (if the link fails go to my profile and click on the photo tab)

http://balaprana.zaadz.com/photos/view/203278

Ive spent about 3 years worth of gym membership getting to this set up. But in all im excited about the potential for this space - I just need to fulfil this potential now.

Strength and Spirit

Damon

Re: The importance of "space" for an Integral Strength Practice

http://Rob.gaia.com — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 17:27:03 GMT

Hey Buddy, Ok, I've totally got a big smile on my face. I think anyone who's made it into a commercial gym can relate. I think you've got some of the major trends nailed to a T... Personally, I always train at a gym - now my gym right now is pretty good; however, I've had my fair share of gyms that were the farthest thing from supportive to what I was cultivating on the interior side of things. Here's my take on these environments. I view gyms as the perfect environment to establish a strong consistent practice amidst the least supportive environment. The conventional gym is the perfect place to develop your ability to manage and maintain a steady course of action (interior and exterior) irregardless of what's going on around you. It's a great training exercise in self-authorship. That said, I give a deep bow to practice whereever it arrises. As for the home front, there's yet another layer of distractions, habits and obstacles to be worked with; however, you do have much more control on the external dimensions. As for the home front, it's important to set the space. Commit the space so to speak. Make an intentional choice about where you're going to train. Create boundaries around your space, a separate room is ideal, but not necessary. I'd suggest some sort of ritual for entering into your training space and a set of rules both for you and the house hold to honor and respect. Good luck on the home front, I know its HUGELY helpful for many just for the convenience element. Keep us posted on how you're setting this up as I'm sure others will greatly appreciate your insight and wisdom. ~R

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