“Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler.” said Albert Einstein – so Bair Knuckle Strength is the name I chose for 1 simple reason. Life is a fight and I’m here to help you score a knockout using the least necessary to get the most results. My Life’s mission is
I’ve distilled Bair Knuckle Strength – the culmination of 17+ years experience in Physical Culture, into a system that’s simple, measurable, reasonable, sustainable and repeatable. I want you to live life as well as enjoy it, which requires doing what is necessary to be healthy and not a drop more.
I am a student first and would never ask you to do something I haven’t tested first, as the results of those I work with are the absolute bottom line. To see for yourself how this system has helped others click here and to read more about me click here. Now you can enjoy the rest of this article knowing I’m not blowing sunshine into unwelcome orifices.
Together we will work to remove red flags, unnecessary stressors and bad habits – instead of just adding more stuff. We do not use hundreds of exercises, rather train a vital few basic human movements: Push, Pull, Squat, Hinge, Single Leg, Rotation and Locomotion. This ties into our bare human needs of Breath, Water, Calories, Movement and Competent Strength.
The most important thing we do is breathe and without oxygen for 4 minutes we will die, or be brain dead. Respiration is something we all do subconsciously, however, learning to ‘own’ your breathing under stress takes practice. In particular – deep belly breathing can release tension, increase energy and improve productivity which makes exercise more enjoyable and life more rewarding.
If breathing is most important then water is most essential as 4 days without it and you don’t get to enjoy my blog anymore ;( The ‘recommended’ amount of water consumption is 1/2oz per pound of bodyweight, i.e. – 110lbs = 55oz water, etc. This is an estimate and needs to be monitored to what’s best for you, especially before and after exercise because if you’re dehydrated, you’re leaving performance on the table.
Calories are to be consumed and 40 days without them, you will die. Inherently, you know what is best for you and it doesn’t come wrapped up or boxed. ‘If it swam in the ocean, flew in the sky, walked on land or was planted in the ground’, it’s probably ok to eat. That’s a very generic guideline and as for meals, Some prefer frequent meals, others – methods of fasting.
Without an expression of the human body we have chaos, as movement is how we learn – nourishing our brains and helping us grow confident in our surroundings. By engaging our bodies in a sensory rich environment, we gain feedback and strength to tap into our navigation success mechanism that auto corrects to keep our body safe. You can make a habit of quality movement, not the borderline criminal routines perpetuated by mainstream fitness – with less movements for more results.
And then the Most Important thing we do: is get Strong. Strength helps fortify your body against falling and broken bones if you do fall. You increase bone density and lean muscle which regulates sugar levels more efficiently. The mental resolve you build will help you have more energy for life’s demands. I elaborate more in my Health Report which you can grab for Free Below.
Click the picture for – The 5 Top Red Flags to Fix: Before Training
Here is the strength training pyramid that I have found works best for most – getting tweaked according to individual goals, without too much or too little work. Any tool can be used including: barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, bodyweight, aerosling and other modalities we will explore later – like kettlebell juggling and clubbell training.
Training Pyramid
Top – Metabolic Conditioning – 1-2 High Intensity Sessions every 7-10 Days
Middle – Lift Heavy Stuff – 2-4x a week
Bottom – Low Level Activity – Everyday
You will build a foundation of Low Level activity, everyday and 10-30 minutes is sufficient. Listen to your body and do some movements that don’t require too much exertion. Here are some examples: Deep Belly Breathing, Brisk Walking, Joint Mobility, Neuro Reset- Rolling, Rocking, Crawling, Light Marching or Restorative Run
The middle is where we put money in the bank, embrace the struggle and lift heavy stuff 2-4x a week – in order to gain strength. By practicing quality movements with heavy weight at least some times, we force our bodies to grow resilient – with a low volume in a 1, 2, 3 laddered fashion, while staying fresh and still doing more work. Meaning do 1 rep, then 2, then 3, then back to 1 and you’ll know you’re improving when you can do more ladders in a session – which can range from 10-60 minutes depending on your goals. See the Movement examples below.
Metabolic Conditioning should not be done more than once or maybe twice – every 7-10 days. This is extremely demanding work that requires lots of energy and is meant to enhance your work capacity. Example: Sprint the straightaway of the track, walk through the turn and Sprint the other straightaway, walk the turn and repeat for 10 – 15 minutes – Stopping after that time. Go Hard and then Go Home.
Movement Programming Examples
- Push/Pull – (Horizontal) Pushup/Suspension Row
- Push/Pull – (Vertical) Military Press, Chin Up
- Hinge – (Maximum hip bend with minimum knee Bend) – Deadlift, Single Leg Deadlift, Kettlebell Swing and Clean
- Squat – (Maximum hip bend and maximum knee Bend) Bodyweight Squat, Goblet Squat, Pistol Squat
- Rotation, Anti Rotation, Twist – Bird Dogs, Turkish Get-Ups, Rotational Lunge, Windmills
- Locomotion – Rolling, Crawling, Loaded Carries
- Lunge – (Strengthens glutes and improves deceleration) Forward, Reverse, Lateral
Form counts and is the foundation for your future success. Variety for variety’s sake breeds mediocrity, especially if doesn’t sync with your goal. Consistency always trumps intensity and program deficit disorder, so pick something, stick to it and do it well, then rinse and repeat.
Bair Knuckle Strength takes diligence and is similar to this quote by John Bytheway- “Inch by inch, life’s a cinch. Yard by yard, life’s hard.” Simple, Build your self a little at a time and practice getting 1% stronger everyday – instead of going hard everyday only to crash quickly. I’m tired of people getting hurt when it’s not necessary – while strength is so simple and less costly.