As many know, this weekend brought a massive snow storm to the northeast (where I live).  I am currently without power, cell service, and internet access.

Consequently, I am unable to respond to email or ship any books or DVDs at this time.   State officials have estimated that the power outage could last 1 to 2 weeks.  Connecticut Light and Power has stated that the initial damage estimates are five times greater than what was left by Hurricane Irene.

I will do my best to get back to everyone as soon as I can.  My entire road is filled with downed poles, trees, and wires however so it could be a while.  Thank you in advance for your patience.

Regards,

Ross Enamait

Below is a video that shows classic training footage of former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano.

Marciano was a legendary fighter who was known for his relentless endurance.  When asked to describe him, fellow Hall of Fame fighter Archie Moore offered the following:

He could hurt you, sure, but it was the quantity of his punches.  He just had more stamina than anyone else in those days.  He was like a bull with gloves.

As for his approach to training, Marciano kept it rather simple.  You won’t find anything too fancy in the video above.  What he did however was work extremely hard with the basics.  He ran hard, hit the bags hard, sparred hard, worked through loads of calisthenics, etc.

Marciano also fought regularly, which is one of the key differences between fighters of his era when compared to today’s athletes.  Fighters from the past spent more time practicing their sport.  It wasn’t unusual for fighters to compete every month.  Marciano was particularly active early in his career.  He fought 11 times in 1948, 13 times in 1949, 6 times in 1950, and 7 times in 1951.

What heavyweights today fight with that frequency?  The answer is none.

Top level fighters today are lucky to fight a few times each year.  The higher level of activity from past fighters certainly helped to keep them sharp and in fight shape.  The sport itself is strenuous, so regularly practicing your trade is certainly a plus.

Therefore, when you look back to training methods from the past, it is important to consider the activity level of these fighters.  Fighters get in shape while fighting and sparring regularly.

In the words of Jack Dempsey:

Although some exercises help condition and others speed improvement, there’s one all-important activity that assists both. That activity is sparring.  There is no substitute for sparring. You must spar regularly and often to become a well-rounded scrapper, regardless of what other exercises you may take.  Sparring not only improves your skill, but it also conditions your body for fighting by forcing your muscles to become accustomed to the violent, broken movements that distinguish fighting from any other activity.

Unfortunately, many fighters in today’s era take long breaks between fights.  They are not active enough with the sport itself.  Long periods of inactivity are difficult to overcome, regardless of what the athlete does when he returns to training camp.

In summary, the moral to the story is simple.  Stay active with your sport if you wish to excel at the sport.

Woody Allen once said that eighty percent of success is showing up.  He certainly had a point, as nothing would be accomplished if you never showed up to work.  There is still more to the story though.  If showing up was all that mattered, every athlete who stepped into the arena would succeed.  Clearly, that isn’t the case.  There are countless factors that lead some to success and others to failure.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to dissect the entire topic of success within a brief blog entry, but I can highlight one extremely important factor…

Effort – exertion of physical or mental power

Individual effort is often more important than anything else.  At some point, the difference between you and a competitor may be nothing more than who wants it more.  Who is willing to push harder?  Who is willing to sacrifice more?

The answer to these questions will often be more relevant than any other commonly discussed topics in today’s training world.  While some athletes argue over dietary plans and periodization models, there are others who show up with the mindset that they cannot and will not be defeated.  They don’t care what rep scheme you believe in.  When push comes to shove, they are always ready to push back.

As for examples, I could have posted one of countless boxing or MMA videos where an athlete continues to get up from the canvas as he refuses to quit.  I’ve already shared several fighter based videos however so I opted for a less dramatic example.

The video below shows an extremely intense and sustained effort.  The lift takes almost 13 seconds to complete.  Those who haven’t pulled heavy weights have no idea how impressive it is to see such a lengthy pull through to completion.

Hats off to the lifter for his determination and effort.

+++++

Much good work is lost for the lack of a little more. – Edward H. Harriman

Below is a video that was recently passed along to me.  Within the clip, you’ll see a gym that is based almost entirely on homemade equipment.  Such low-tech gyms are not all that unusual among combat athletes.  Several examples have been featured on this blog before (ex. here and here).

As you can see, the possibilities are literally endless.  And while such an environment isn’t for everyone, the same can be said of those fancy gyms that don’t allow members to grunt or deadlift.  Ultimately, you must find a place that suits your interests, needs, and budget.

Regardless of your preference, do realize that low-tech gyms (including home based) can be quite effective.

+++++

For more homemade equipment ideas, please refer to the link below:

Homemade Exercise Equipment Archives

Do you need some pull-up inspiration?

Look no further…

+++++

Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools. – Napoleon Bonaparte

I first blogged about Dewey Bozella in July after he was honored at the ESPYs with the 2011 Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.  If you aren’t familiar with his story, I highly recommend taking a moment to familiarize yourself here.  The original video is well worth every second of your time.

The abbreviated version of the story is that Dewey served over 25 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit.  Amazingly, he never lost hope throughout the quarter century ordeal.

Fortunately, Dewey’s persistence paid off this past weekend as he was able to fulfill a lifelong dream.  At age 52, Dewey Bozella fought and won his first (and last) professional boxing match.  He earned a unanimous decision. Highlights from the last round can be seen below.

+++++

I used to lay in my cell and dream about this happening. It was all worth it. It was my dream come true… This was my first and last fight. It’s a young man’s game. I did what I wanted to do, and I’m happy. I appreciate everybody that made this possible. This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. – Dewey Bozella

In the video below, Matt Wichlinski demonstrates how to perform an assisted natural glute ham raise (aka Nordic raise or natural leg curl).  He also shows an inexpensive homemade apparatus that can be used to perform the exercise.  Those familiar with this blog may recall seeing something similar here.  Matt’s version is easier to build.

As for the band set-up, you could also attach the bands overhead as demonstrated at approximately the 9 minute mark within this past tutorial (link here).

As for comparisons between this floor based exercise and a true GHR machine, there certainly are differences.  I’ve used both and actually prefer the low-tech variation.  I do however know others who prefer the actual machine.  In either case, both movements are effective.  The floor based variation is typically more difficult though based on the pad angle of the machine.  Keep that in mind if you decide to work with this exercise.  It is likely more difficult than you initially realize.

As for additional low-tech hamstring choices, the following links provide a few options:

Loadable hamstring device

Hamstring training with bands and sliders

+++++

For more homemade equipment ideas, please refer to the link below:

Homemade Exercise Equipment Archives

Betty Lou Sweeney recently broke a Guinness World Record after holding the abdominal plank for 36 minutes and 58 seconds (related story). Her achievement is obviously incredible, but even more so when you consider her age and previous lifestyle.  This 71 year old woman is lucky to be alive.  Just two years ago, she was severely overweight and almost died of a kidney infection.

Fortunately, Betty refused to give up.  Instead, she took control of her life.  She realized that it is never too late to change.  She’s now lost over 100 pounds and has earned a spot in the record books.

The video below tells her story.  It also documents her initial attempt at breaking the record.  She failed at first but came back stronger to officially break the record in September 2011.

+++++

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. – Henry Ford

As a follow up to my last entry, below are two additional videos from the past.  The titles are listed in Russian (Бокс. Сила, скорость, выносливость).  Google translates this text to be Boxing: Strength, Speed, Endurance.  The date listed for each video is 1981.

Despite the fact that I cannot understand the language, it didn’t take long to recognize the exercises and training style seen within.  Similarly to the previous wrestling videos, many of the exercises have been popularized again in recent years.  You’ll see bag drills, barbell exercises, medicine ball throws, bodyweight movements, and more.

Once again, successful training strategies for competitive fighters have been around for a long time.

Below are two videos that were recently passed along to me.  Within the clips, you will see Russian athletes preparing for Greco-Roman wrestling. The Youtube description for each video lists 1987 as the production date.  Yet despite being 20+ years old, you will find exercises that are still passed off as new in certain markets today.

As has been said before, many of today’s new ideas are everything but new.  Dominant athletes have trained and competed for longer than we’ve all been alive.  It certainly seems that everything old has become new again.