The lost art of thinking for yourself in training and in life

Learning from credible sources and applying that information in a way that suits your individual goals is a good idea. Blindly following anyone is not.

If being liked and accepted is what drives you, then you will always be someone elses slave.

The strength and fitness world is often divided into warring camps, each claiming to be the best way to train. If you let any of them dictate how you train without even thinking it through yourself, you are already trapped.

The good news is you have the key to the prison cell door! If you have been trapped, you can still escape.

The same thing can be said of life in general.

Someone asked me the other day how I planned to retire, since I am already 65 years young. I told him I didn’t plan on ever retiring. I love what I do each day, so why would I want to stop doing that?

Sitting on the couch turning into a fat pile of mindless mush just watching TV doesn’t appeal to me one bit.

I’d much rather do deadlifts or doing some other type of challenging training.

I refuse to be someone elses slave or puppet whether it is in training, or in life.

  • I will train in a way that best suits what I need, not what is most popular
  • I will keep my personal beliefs no matter what the culture says I should believe
  • I will learn from as many people as I can, even  the ones I don’t agree with
  • I will not put limits on myself

Just a few thoughts for you to ponder, have fun with these ideas!

 

The powerof the mind

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Bruce Lee was brilliant, innovative, and extremely tough.

He knew the power of a person’s mind.

Centuries before Bruce Lee said this, an ancient wise man, King Solomon, in his Proverbs said,

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Truth is timeless.

Your mind is powerful, so keep it clearly focused on the things that matter most in training, as well as in life.

 

 

Updated contact info

Due to technical difficulties, I will be without a phone for the next few days.
you can reach me on Facebook (Frank DiMeo)or by Skype (cave coach).

Don’t let your ego get in the way of your progress

Don't let your ego get in the way of your progress http://cavestrong.net from Frank DiMeo on Vimeo.

Coach Dru Patrick at the Cave: a look back

For about 18 months we had Coach Dru Patrick running the first ever Powerlifting class at our gym. He changed how we approached training in a big way! I owe him a debt of gratitude.
Here are a few videos from that time


Why you should read Unconventional Athletes Magazine

Basics versus dogma & silver bullets

Between having trained people in martial arts, military, and the fitness world I have accumulated several decades of experience in coaching.
That in itself is not the main point, others have also done that.

Some of the things I have learned from working in these disciplines are common to all of them.

In all of these things, the basics always produce results. Credible coaches know that and focus on strong basics.

Before the rise of MMA,  the for centuries martial arts were taught as different styles, each had it’s own specific ways of teaching movement, kicking, punching, etc. However, they still built foundations of solid basic techniques. Over time, rivalries developed between training systems and each practitioner upheld the honor of his system as being the best.

Then Bruce Lee comes along and shakes all that up. Keep what works and discard the rest.

Similar things have happened in the fitness world, different training systems have developed for different reasons. Powerlifting, Olympic Weightlifting, Strongman,  and Highland Games are all great ways to train.Same goes for swimming, running, climbing,  gymnastics, etc.

I have an expression I use often, which is, “_____ is good for what it is good for.”

Fill in the blank with any discipline you want. You can always find people to argue with you over which system is best, which way to do a certain technique is right, and on and on.

This where many people forget about focusing on their training and just start bashing other ways to train. The immaturity of that mocking and hating is appalling.

No one has the proverbial “silver bullet” or “the best method ever discovered in the history of the universe” !

Many will act as if they do. They waste a lot of training time doing that and are only accomplishing annoying other people.

People just need to go do their own training and not worry about what others do.

Back by popular demand (and because the coach thinks it’s a good idea)

We are adding CF Striking training into our Warrior Strength-Cardio classes. We used this several years ago in our Tropical Trauma MMA conditioning classes.

This fits well with our Adex mace and club exercises, Battling Ropes, etc. that are already part of the classes.

Here’s a brief look at how it works

Please note that this is not boxing, my friend Tony Spain is a boxing coach I am not. My background is in  martial arts.

One size doesn’t fit all in work capacity

The “one size fits all” approach to training is not good. Everyone is not alike, no matter how you slice it.

I have experimented with various levels of training frequency and volume over the years for myself and those I train. Work capacity varies from person to person.

Some people will thrive training only two or three days a week, others will stagnate on that schedule.

Some people can train five days straight and excel while others will be annihilated by that pace.

The most extreme case I have seen recently was a guy who served in the Bulgarian Special Forces. He trained twice a day, five days a week and played soccer on the weekends.

His work capacity was “through the roof”. The crazy thing was, he could handle it.

As a coach don’t try to hammer people into fitting your mold. Treat each person on an individual basis. That will help bring out their best.

You must know your people and program accordingly!

Your survival and safety are up to you

When a crisis hits, it’s your responsibility to protect your family and yourself.
It doesn’t matter if it is a tornado, a shooter, or a terrorist, the guys in Washington D.C. can’t help you.
They can pass all the laws they wan t, they can make treaties but those things cannot protect you from imminent danger.
In fact, sometimes things happen so fast, the Police and other first responders cannot not get their in time.

During times like these, pray fast and take action!
Hopefully you have kept your body strong enough to fight a thug hand-to-hand or to carry someone who is injured a long distance.
Hopefully you have developed the mental toughness that will keep you from crumbling when everything goes wrong.

It’s been said that, “These are times that try men’s souls.”  Unless you are personally strong, tough, and smart you might get crushed by life.

Think about how you train and why!

In a dangerous situation, your six-pack abs won’t save you.

If you are only training to look better naked, you will be totally unprepared for real life.

The real world is a hard and dangerous place.

Only the strong will survive!