Tag Archives: motivation

The Iroh workout

Greetings dear readers, it has been a while but after a brief sabbatical I have returned. Speaking of returns, the warm weather is looking to make a return to prevalence after a moderate winter. After all these months of hibernation it is time for summer sports and activities. The best way to get ready for the more active time of year is preparing our physical health for outdoor projects and other activities.

For this year’s preparation I will share my latest workout plan I have prescribed myself to during the last several weeks. This plan comes inspired from one of my favorite shows growing up: Avatar the last airbender. Mild spoilers for those that haven’t watched this masterpiece of a series: one of the main characters, general iroh, is imprisoned and during his time in prison he spent time planning and preparing his body for his eventual escape from his captors. I will highlight his training regimen during his time in prison: sit ups, clap push-ups, hand stand push-ups, one hand pull ups. Inverted sit ups at the top of his cell. Of course there are more workouts one could do to develop more strength but I will focus on exercises one can use with limited to no equipment.

General Iroh aka the dragon of the west

I will divide these exercises into specific levels to work up to as time progresses. I’ll also include alternatives to mix things up as needed. For an extra challenge, you can also increase the set totals or reps per set (I recommend increasing the reps by increments of five). I would recommend 30 second to 1 minute rest periods between sets as you progress.

Level one:
3×10 Pike Push Ups

3×15 Sit Ups/Crunches

3×20 Push Ups

3×25 Lying Leg Raises

Level Three:
3×10 Handstand Push Ups ( alternatively I used incline/decline Push Ups as I can not do a successful handstand…yet)

3×15 Pull Ups (regular or door trainer modified. Check out my paid link for a good starting door trainer)

3×20 Sit Ups

3×20 Clap Push Ups

3×25 Hanging Leg Raises (or lying leg raises with ankle weights if available)

Level Four:
3×5 One Arm Pull Ups (each arm) or do a door frame row to work your way up

3×15 Inverted Sit Ups

3×20 Handstand Push Ups (alternative incline/decline Push Ups)

3×20 Clap Push Ups

3×25 Sit Ups

I have tried this workout program for myself, and it has been a very good series that doesn’t require heavy weight. This is perfect in a limited to no equipment environment and for those who love callestenic workouts. Until the next time, dear readers. Excelsior!

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Fighting February

Words are powerful, use them wisely

Everyone has a “bad” period of time in their life. From a bad day to a bad year (or three if we reference the last few years depending on the experience). These are tough spots to find oneself in, but where there is a bad time, there is a good time.

From struggling Performance at work, rough patches in relationships, health nagging, money trouble, writing blocks, and more. These are different struggles any and everyone faces on any given day. These times can prove rather disheartening and discouraging for anyone. Despite this feeling of discouragement, it is imperative to be able to know that there are tools and resources and people around you that do care about your struggles, and there are people in your corner cheering you on. From 10 friends to 1 friend and everything in between, there are people who can encourage, uplift, and inspire. Seek out people and things that uplift and bring about positive results to your struggles. For some that could be a workout in the gym, others’ time in prayer or meditation, and other’s time with loved ones over a home cooked meal. No matter the struggle or test; seek out the light at the end of the tunnel for the good of your bad day or situation. Reach out to others and pour out your support to them as well as you never know what their struggle may be. Take the time out to call that friend or family member to let them know you care about them and see how it brightens their day. We’re all we have in this world. Why not use the time we have to help each other when we’re down and stand up together?

This month seems to have been a hard month for a lot of people I know personally and maybe it’s the same for you. I encourage you to take the time out to find the things that lift your spirit, mental health, and overall well-being and cherish them in times like these. Stay encouraged, dear readers, Excelsior!

New years Solutions

Happy new year to you dear reader! I hope this post finds you well and happy. This is the time of the year that people make their new years resolutions for various things. Resolutions in regards to health, money, relationships, business etc. Resolutions statistically have been broken by many people (including yours truly). So the question to be asked: What is the solution?

First, let’s look at the definition of a resolution: a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner. That means a decision to take a course of action to achieve a particular goal. This is the conscious decision to do something to better one’s situation. 80% of New years resolutions failed by February of that year. Why aren’t we more successful at keeping our New Year’s resolutions? Some reasons include the idea that we’re thinking too big and not knowing where to start, not considering a “why” behind it, and the fact that one might not be ready to make such a change.

This points out a need for a change in approach would be not a resolution but a solution. A solution is a means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation. This means in order to reach a solution, one must look at all of the variables in a problem. This involves looking at the broad scope of the problem and why the problem persists. Once the solution to the problem is found one must implement said solution to fix the problem and stick to it.

Instead of a new years resolution, one would make a New years solution. Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic Timely) that you will be able to stick to with conviction to accomplish your solution to your problem. Write it down on a vision board or a journal, and whenever you feel like quitting, look at what was written down. If you can write it, you can achieve it because it will serve as a reminder of the decision you took on to solve the problem you are facing in life.

Statistically speaking, New years resolutions can fail. If you can turn your resolutions into solutions and create a clear road map, you can reach your goals and clear your challenges. Once you start, keep writing reminders down to encourage you to keep going until you hit your goal. Until the next time, dear readers. Excelsior!

Motivated May: The Vergil Workout

For those that know me personally, I am an avid gamer and a fan of working out and maintaining my physical abilities. I came across two websites called superherojacked.com and beagamecharacter.com which had many of workouts inspired by different characters and celebrities alike. I took on some of the different workout programs to much success and decided to attempt a custom program of my own inspired by a character of my choosing. For this series I will be drawing inspiration from Vergil from the devil may cry series. Vergil is an accomplished swordsman and has incredible superhuman strength and agility, I decided to craft my series based on this premise. I took the approach of using body weight exercises to make it more realistic for a wandering swordsman character such as Vergil. This is a six day program but go at a pace that will work for you and also remember to warm up beforehand!

Strength training (5 sets of 5-20 reps depending on experience follow up with low intensity cardio of your choice)

Workout 1

Step up lunges (5 x 5-20 each time)

Triceps dips (5 x 5-20, using a set of chairs work well for this)

Door rows (5 x 5-20 each side)

Plank (5x 30 sec-1 min or more)

Arm circles (5 x 5-20 both directions)

Workout 2

Pike shoulder press (5x 5-20)

Chin-ups (5 x5-20)

Good mornings (5 x 5-20)

Sit-ups (5 x 10-20)

Hindu squats (5 x 5-20)

Incline/ decline pushups (5 x 5-20, I switched from incline to decline to mix things up a bit)

Workout 3

Pullups (5 x 5-20)

Alternating width pushups (5 x 5-20, I switched from wide grip to closed grip pushups for this)

Shoulder touch (5 x 5-20 each side)

High knees (5 x 10-40)

Hanging leg raises (5 x 5-20)

Cardio

In conjunction to the strength training Vergil has a lot of endurance and cardio for fighting for extended periods of time. For cardio I suggest going with a HIIT approach with these (for those who do not know what that is, it is simply engaging in high periods of activity with resting intervals)

Cardio 1

Jog/run (one and one intervals for a 5k length or build up to it depending on your experience level) 30 min

Cardio 2

Shadowboxing (1 min work with 30 seconds of rest between sets) 30 min

Plyometrics

Vergil has explosive powerful movements with his fists and his sword, so it is only right to combine the two of them together. I also use a steel club to build on forearm strength and shoulder mobility. Check out my paid link for a good starter club.

Burpee (3 x to failure)

Plyo pushups (3 x to failure)

Medicine ball toss (3 x to failure)

Club/hammer swings (3 x to failure)

Club/ hammer abdominal twists (3 x to failure)

After giving this series a try I felt much stronger after the fact. Train well in preparation for the summer months and in general. Excelsior!

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A matter of the mind

In life you will come across different points of view on an argument, contrasting worldviews, and limiting beliefs that hold people back. What does this have to do with personal development you might ask? Simply put, looking at things from a different perspective and adapting a different mindset can help shape your way of thinking and how you adapt to changes or challenges presented in life

A prime example of how a mind set can help with priming you for success would be this video i came across in regards to one’s “inner game” and their ability to power through obstacles and get things done. Often times i hear things such as “i can’t” or ” i don’t know if i can” and my response is typically “yes you can” and “what makes you think you cant?” to challenge this limiting belief someone may have presented.

Limiting beliefs are things that can hold up back from where we need to be in life. Beliefs such as “I’m too young/old” i have an article that challenges that. “I don’t have the skill set or know how” there are hundreds of resources out there to educate yourself on different subject matters such as workshops, seminars and free classes for those who might pursue something without going for a degree. There are even websites like khan academy that are available for free for people to learn things such as coding, grammar, history etc. I am a firm believer of finding like minded people to collaborate ideas with to come up with innovative new ideas. Finding mentors to help you get to where you need to get to the next level of life and i strongly encourage finding one to help you push yourself to that level. Above all else, try and fail. You cannot learn without trial and error because when you have an error you can treat it as a learning experience to use for the next challenge. Do not be afraid to try for fear of failure but embrace it and treat mistakes and failures as something to use in obtaining wisdom for yourself those who follow after you.

The world is vastly changing in the digital age. There are more resources on the web, in person and even courses one could take to better a skill set or give people the starting tools for a new chapter in life. But it starts with having a mind to be open and willing to absorb the material required to get to the next level of success in your adventure of life. In my own experience I’ve trained with some of the best people in my position, took on some self study in my own time and above all took time and developed a system that works for me through trial and error to help me become a top producer in my position at work during my first few months. I had to challenge things i knew and didn’t know and learn from the best and find a way to take my game to the next level. Beforehand i had limiting beliefs that held me back on my overall workflow and production and once i obtained the training, self study, experience and getting a mentor I haven’t looked back since. Anyone can do it and so can you!

Challenging and changing one’s inner game is imperative to reaching the next level of success for whatever you are seeking to obtain in life. If you can change your mindset into what it needs to be to reach new heights you’ll find that those limiting beliefs are merely lead shoes that weigh you down. Remember change your mindset from limited to limit breaking and you will see results. Don’t wait what better time to start than right now. Excelsior!