I was just reading a brief message from Matt Furey about some movements/activities that every man and woman SHOULD be able to perform to ensure if they were ever caught in a life or death situation, they would be confident enough that they could get themselves (or others) out of harm’s way.. Here is some of that message from Matt…I found it so inspirational and mind-opening that I thought you all should see this. It kinda “Wakes you up” to how fit and strong you REALLY are… Enjoy this excerpt. I know I did!

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Fight or Flight response.. How will you respond?!

“Recently, in Dr. Al Sears – Health Confidential for Men – a
newsletter I HIGHLY recommend,
he said:

‘I’ve seen patients transform their bodies through the power of
calisthenics. You too, can see improvements in your appearance
and in your stamina. And, by doing regular calisthenics, you will
be lowering your risk of injury and building muscle that has been
‘trained for function.’

Let’s face it, big gigantic muscles may impress some people, but
there is nothing more impressive than having the functional
strength-endurance to do things with ease – including saving
someone’s life. Yours included.

Liederman’s life-saving prescription is not very far off from my
own. He wrote that you should …

* Be able to swim at least half a mile or more;
* Be able to run at top speed two hundred yards or more;
* Be able to jump over obstacles higher than your waist;
* Be in condition to pull your body upward by the
strength of your arms, until your chin touches your hands,
at least 15 to 20 times;
* Be able to dip between parallel bars or between
two chairs at least 25 times or more.

Parallel Bar Dips

‘If a man can accomplish these things,’ Liederman said, ‘he need
have no fear concerning the safety of his life should he be forced
into an emergency from which he alone may be able to save himself.’ “

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I totally agree with this statement. Most trainees are HIGHLY neglecting the power of bodyweight training. I see this all too often, especially in younger athletes. Some of the  high school and even college athletes I’ve worked with could barely perform 5 pull ups.. NOT GOOD. Pull-ups, dips, sprints, jumps, and being physically fit enough.. These are extremely BASIC movement patterns and activities that are  extremely underrated and even more they are not being performed enough in the athletes training regiment. Of course every person’s goals are different, but regardless if you’re a recreational lifter, bodybuilder, powerlifer/strongman, athlete, firefighter, whatever your job or training goal.. We should still be able to MOVE with efficiency and not be afraid about gassing out halfway up the flight of stairs, or pulling a hamstring after a 40 yard sprint!

-How do you think the trainee or athlete would look if they were able to perform every single one of those qualities with EASE? I can almost assure you that the results would speak for themselves.

-I’m definitely not saying to ditch free weights and stop lifting heavy– far from it. It is important however to structure training that leaves you strong, fit, lean, etc. I am always saying that EVERY PERSON regardless of age, gender, race, etc should be training as athletes. We all move, and training like an athlete would surely leave one with less pain, more muscle, strength, and mobility, and ease of mind that activities of daily living can be performed without assistance from others..

And perhaps if you were ever caught in a life-or-death situation.. You’d be confident enough that you would survive. I want that peace of mind. Don’t you?

Let me know what you thought about this! What are your current strengths like? Weaknesses? Questions? Comments?

Yours in performance,

John Cortese, YFS

http://CortesePerformance.com