If a man is intent upon lifting and winning, he will have limited time for nonsense.  Prioritizing the act of passively watching sports in a consistent manner is nonsense.  There are legions of fat, ignorant, and indebted men who do just that when they clearly have more pressing matters that need their attention.

Sports are awesome.  As someone who has played numerous sports competitively and for fun, I have great respect for athletes and the value of athletic training and competition.  Watching sports can be very inspirational and entertaining and is a good thing in measured doses, but following sports in a consistent and obsessive manner as a fanatic will slow and possibly prevent a man from winning in life.

Note fanatic because that’s where the word ‘fan’ originates from.  A fanatic is preoccupied with observing others as they perform at a high level (winning) on a television screen for the sort of money, glory and personal achievement that the fanatic will never glimpse if he does not wrest himself from his couch and become a fanatic about winning in his own life.

Where is the widespread sense of obligation and drive in men to be something more than average instead of abdicating that role to a small number of men playing a game who likely would find said abdication to be pathetic if they told the truth?

Some men spend an entire Sunday watching football and in the next breath claim they do not have time/money/energy to:

•             -exercise
•             -actually play a sport
•             -make side money to pay down debt
•             -read
•             -start a business
•             -learn an instrument
•             -practice a hobby
•             -learn a skill
•             -stretch
•             -coach a team
•             -meet a woman
•             – (any other non-passive, success-promoting, winner activity)

There is nothing wrong with catching a big game sometimes or watching some highlights, but a man should spend most of his time being a fanatic about his own success, not the ball player on TV.

If you train hard on a consistent basis and you are not taking soft tissue therapy seriously, you are most likely missing out on attainable relief from any nagging joint or soft tissue problems.  Repetitive postures and movement patterns lead to adhesions, subluxations, and mobility loss.  If not addressed, these issues in turn negatively impact strength and performance.  Even if you are not in pain or discomfort, you can improve performance with soft tissue work.

A friend of mine intuitively discovered an extremely potent tissue therapy that has been a life changer for me.  I’ve taken to calling it swing rolling, but feel free to come up with a better name.

By combining a chi machine with baseballs, softballs, lacrosse balls- spheres of various diameters, one can make rapid myofascial, soft tissue, musculoskeletal and neurological improvements.  In more casual terms:

Swing rolling is like foam rolling on crack.

The chi machine oscillates your body in a fish-like movement, opening up the discs of the spine and bringing blood flow to all areas of the body.  In and of itself, the chi machine is amazing and has many benefits.  Research it if you’re not familiar.

When you combine the chi machine with hard balls, by laying on top of the balls while using the machine, the massage is incredible.  The substantial body weight placed upon the ball/s combined with the fully assisted movement from the chi machine are what create the magic.  I can put in hours of intense soft tissue work with very little effort other than moving the spheres periodically.  Swing rolling is a great way to help make any time spent lounging in front of a TV productive and healthy.

I primarily target various areas in my back, but the possible techniques for targeting different areas of the body are endless and the relief is profound. For example, I lay on my side with one leg in the chi machine stirrups and a softball under my IT band.  You can target nearly any muscle or area on the body.  Different ball diameters will work better in different areas.

I’ve solved two stubborn, prolonged and distressing dysfunctions with this modality thus far- one in my right scapular area that was affecting the function of my shoulder, and the other in my right IT band that was disrupting the smooth function of my knee.  I’ve also dramatically improved my thoracic spine mobility, and my elbows feel better from regularly hitting my triceps with baseballs from a multitude of angles. Not only does my body feel more supple and comfortable, improved joint and neural function has positively impacted my performance while training. For example, improved shoulder function from swing rolling has helped me bench more since I can now more freely create and express strength in my shoulder.

It is truly difficult to convey the tremendous value of this particular therapy to someone who hasn’t tried it.  Start slow if you don’t want to risk a massage hangover from large amounts of metabolites and accumulated toxins being released and processed by the bodies various disposal mechanisms.

Below are Amazon links to what you’ll need to get started with swing rolling.  I suggest getting two baseballs so you can place one on either side of your body.

Most Affordable Variable Speed Chi Machine Currently On Amazon
Baseballs on Amazon
Two-Pack Lacrosse Balls On Amazon
Two-Pack Softballs On Amazon

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor or certified medical expert of any kind.  Try the preceding techniques at your own risk.  Consult your physician.  

I’m riding high right now.

Let me back up…

Last night I gathered with some good friends and relished the UFC card.

McGregor continues to choose his own destiny and hurdle his opposition with supreme confidence.

One of my friends said McGregor told Bruce Buffer at the age of 18 what his name is and to remember it because Bruce would be announcing it in a few years.

That’s straight up awesome.

I decided last night I had to train hard today.

After watching all that MMA I gravitated to the thai bag, naturally.

I put in five solid five minute rounds while a new playlist thumped on the speakers.

I had to push things further today so I tacked on 1000 kettlebell swings with my 62 pound bell for sets of 50 with 1-2 minutes rest between sets.

I’ve got so many endorphins rippin and muscles activated right now and it feels incredible.

Take inspiration to choose your own destiny wherever you can get it.

Carry on.

Maintaining mobility is rewarding.

It makes your body feel better during daily life and while lifting.

A lot of people don’t do it, though, because it just gets lost in the shuffle of the daily grind.

So, a good way to make sure you’re getting some consistent mobility work in is to simply incorporate overhead squats with the barbell in all of your warm-ups.

3 sets of 10 will go a long ways.

Your hips, thoracic spine and shoulders will thank you.

If you don’t regularly overhead squat, you might find this extremely humbling at first.  Stay consistent and you’ll improve rapidly.

Bonus: Toss in a couple sets of deep overhead reverse lunges for even more hip mobility.

Bonus: Toss in a couple of heavy OHS sets on leg days for even more mobility, and of course muscle and strength.

Carry on.

FEW ACHIEVE GREATNESS.

PURSUIT IS DIFFICULT, ILLUSIVE AND LONELY.

MEDIOCRITY ABOUNDS.

DISTRACTIONS AND DECEPTIONS,

PITFALLS SURROUND.

AN IMMORTAL SPIRIT, DETERMINED AND FAITHFUL,

RARELY FOUND.

THE PATH IS NARROW, AND COVERS RUGGED GROUND.