Tag Archives | Exercise

Enhance your Body Skills through Crosstraining! Boxing 101

By Jon Magno on July 29, 2017 in Acrobatics, Hand-to-Hand, Mobility, Other Skills, Uncategorized

Crosstraining.

Its about introducing new information and growing body’s fitness or performance library of knowledge. This can be especially useful as we are developing are own body skills. Whether you are working on your handstand, deep squat, or even the backflip. There are many transferable elements found in each move.

The human body can only move in so many prescribed directions. Outside of a few with genetic differences outside of the norm. Your elbow bends in a certain way as does your hip runs through multiple ranges. Although this is a fact, the way you combine it all changes everything.

Here’s what I mean. A dancer will extend a leg or squat in a certain way. Likewise, a practitioner of yoga or even a crossfit athlete has their own version of similar moves. This understanding is important because it will add new information that can help you refine a body skill your working on or even help you get past a plateau.

The more body of information you have the more effective you can make a change or come to a decision. When you are training your body, its once again a bit of a biological mess. Although the anatomy is the same, we’ve all introduced different information to our bodies. So the way that one person learn a move and understands it will be a different experience for another.

So with that said. I’m going to be introducing you to a sport and way of movement that I love. Boxing. It’s one of the oldest combat forms and can really show you how to combine simple concepts into something explosive and beautiful. In the video I go over things like alignment, hip-hinging, body positioning. While watching, you might even find something that could help you with your handstand or another body skill you’re developing.

Catch the video here:

Since this is all about introducing new stimuli to your body, check out the GMB Vitamin Program to give yourself new patterns to explore and play with!

Stay Inverted!

-Jonathan Magno

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Igniting Your Reason. What keeps you Motivated?

By Jon Magno on July 25, 2017 in Acrobatics, Flexibility & Contortion, Gymnastics, Hand Balancing, Handstands, Mobility, Other Skills, Uncategorized

So I was coaching a small group of three people today working on unilateral body weight strengthening and finishing off with balance skill work focusing on the frogger lead-up stunt. After the session ended an all too familiar question came up from one of the ladies that was training this afternoon.

“How do you keep doing it? How do you keep working out?”

My immediate answer was that its hard, I’m currently having trouble staying as motivated, and I don’t consistently work out.(Although I am probably a bit more active than the average person!)

This wasn’t the most sales invoked answer but it was honest. I tend to try to be honest about these things as it won’t serve any purpose to the person to give them a half-made answer. Especially when I’m supposed to be there to guide them and support them in the right direction.

This next piece is where I got deeper into the question. I said that if you want to work out or train more, its gotta be something more than the workout.

For me, it was always about being able to perform. To be able to utilize the human body in ways that others could only dream of. Whether it was in combat situations or amazing feats.

I then asked her what does she like to do. Things that are active and with body.

She came up with multiple sports and multiple activities. ( She’s a very driven and motivated type. Being in the silicon valley, that’s a given. But it also means that motivation is usually directed to work.)

None of the activities had anything really in common. Some were team sports, while others were individual.

I could have left it there, but I had to dig deeper. I then asked her what made her stay. What was the defining reason that got her to keep going to one of the activites.

Now I’m not going to go into more details so we can fast forward to the reason for this story. ( hint: it involved milestones and progression)

So the reason for this story is that if you really want to make working out a consistent part of your life, you’ve got to find a goal bigger than just working out. ( Remember working out as it is today wasn’t even really a thing until the 1980s.)

Once you’ve found that one thing. Take a look at what things you’ve done the longest. Then find out why.

Finally; and this is probably those most important part.

Make a decision. Pull the trigger. Flip the light switch on.

Because if you don’t do anything, nothing will happen.

To help you with flipping the switch, take a look at this motivational video below!

Finally, since this site is all about hand balancing, check out the Secrets of the Handstand System!

Stay Inverted!
-Jonathan Magno

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Movement Flow to Overcome Plateaus!

By Jon Magno on July 22, 2017 in Acrobatics, Flexibility & Contortion, Gymnastics, Hand Balancing, Handstands, Mobility, Other Skills, Uncategorized

Have you ever been stuck on a task that you couldn’t get past? You try to understand or finish the task but seem to meet consistent stops. You go through all the different variations you can try to accomplish the task, and probably all of the different levels of frustration, but still can’t seem to complete your goal.

The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing

Truth be told. This happens quite a bit. Especially when you’re learning a new body skill. When this occurs, it just means that we don’t internally have enough information to make a change. So if that’s the case, what can we do to make the change happen.

Simple.

Change your perspective and safely experiment.

The basic idea is that once you start adding new connected stimuli and experiences, you give your mind more to work and play with.

Let’s put it into the framework of skill development. When you’re working on a new skill, a good thing to do is isolate the skill. People tend to do this by breaking it down into separated movements, which is an excellent way to drill the skill. Although, they don’t think of the working on the skill as an isolated training method in itself. When you work on the handstand for example. Your main focus is to get the handstand and in turn that causes you to laser beam all your energy and thoughts into that one move.

But to gain mastery or even just attain a move you also have to test it. Honestly, the best way that I’ve found to test new moves is to place them in combinations or flows. Sometimes the combinations are predetermined to work on specific aspects and other times they are done in a free-flow to really gauge where everything is at.

This is important because it causes you to put your body in situations you would never have thought of while going through the different transition. In a sense, you add more information to utilize in your library with each flow session.

I’ll get more into the state of flows later. But, just in case you want a different way to look at it, check out the video below!

For another way to play with and test your skilled flow, check out the GMB Vitamin Program

Stay Inverted!
-Jonathan Magno

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Drifting Cars and Your Hand Positions for the Handstands!

By Jon Magno on July 15, 2017 in Acrobatics, Gymnastics, Hand Balancing, Handstands, Mobility, Uncategorized

So this post comes a bit later than usual because I’ve been busy doing a small update on the training studio while getting ready for a bigger update. Hint: Colors are awesome!

For today’s post I’m going to be talking about cars and your handstand.

Specifically how your hand positioning can affect how much drive and control you need to balance while you kick up into the handstand.

There are two main hand positions your see. Either with your fingers facing forward or with you fingers externally rotated to the side. Although I have been known to play with my hands turned in as well.

Either way you choose to position your hands will work. But each position has its own set of rules to help you achieve the balance you’re looking for.

Lets take the turned out or externally rotated position. You can liken this position to a force choke in star wars. With the alignment of this position, your kick up becomes smoother and faster. Which means that you need to have good solid control to put on the brakes once you’ve reached the apex and are ready to keep the hold.

In contrast, the fingers forward position is similar to drifting. The muscles and fascia counterbalance each other to create drag and slow down your kick up. This gives you a little more control so that you don’t fall over on your backside. Although you might have a problem with underkicking the handstand or not kicking with enough force to get into position.

Test which version works best for you and look at the video below for deeper information and demonstrations on learning how to drift your handstands.

To get a done-for-you blueprint on the handstand check out The Secrets of the Handstand System today!

Stay Inverted!
-Jonathan Magno

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A Superhero Solution to a Tiring Exercise

By Jon Magno on July 5, 2017 in Mobility, Planche, Presses & Pushup, Uncategorized

The Burpee!

There. I’ve said it.

Love it or hate it. The burpee is a mainstay in most fitness routines. I’ve even used it in my programming, although sparingly. Don’t get me wrong, the burpee is a solid exercise covering many different muscles groups while including strength, balance work, and power development. Although I normally see people use it as an ending metabolic finisher or something to throw in and get their clients tired. Honestly, it actually pains me to watch people run through technique without activating the correct muscles.

There’s a lot going on in that seemingly simplistic exercise, but that’s for another day and another breakdown.

Today I’m going to talk about doing something different with your burpee. Giving it a little bit more mobility, while also working on your motor control and endurance.

I usually breakdown the normal burpee into 3 different pieces. No different here.

This Superhero burpee includes a forward crawl, lateral jump, and even a cartwheel!

Take a look below to see how you can turn your burpee more superheroic: Spider-Man Style!

If you liked the video and want to develop your body’s endurance and conditioning, check out The Ultimate Guide to Bodyweight Conditioning!

Stay Inverted!
-Jonathan Magno

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An Easy Fix to a Pressing Predicament

By Jon Magno on June 28, 2017 in Mobility, Planche, Presses & Pushup, Uncategorized

Today we are going to jump back towards simpler times with a supposedly simple exercise.

The Pushup.

Although it is a seemingly easy exercise, it can cause trouble for some people.

Whether it be sinking of the hips or lack, lack of core engagement, or any of the other number of possible problems.

Don’t worry though.

There are many methods to fix your pushup, and I’ve found a simple way to get you to feel the right movement while using a simple prop.

Take a look at the video below to see the simple tip to a better pushup!

If you liked the handstand pushup in the beginning of the video and want to develop them yourself, check out The Ultimate Guide to Handstand Pushups!

Stay Inverted!
-Jonathan Magno

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How to Roll After a Jump

By Ismar on October 28, 2011 in Parkour

If you have ever jumped in your life, you may have noticed that it is only the beginning of your journey. Depending on the length of your jump in the air you might need to change balance or reposition yourself. Once gravity starts pulling you down, you need to think about how you want to land.

If you are performing a long or high jump, landing is the most important part because executing it properly will keep you safe from injuries. In the video, you are able to see one of the Parkour pioneers David Belle, perform some of his jumps and effectively executing the roll.

The important thing to notice is that after landing on his feet, he rolls over his shoulder. This way, he effectively transfers the momentum and the energy that was used for his jump transfers to the roll.

By landing only only on his feet, he would risk injuring his ankles, feet and legs. The roll allows for flexibility that keeps him safe.

Try practicing on flat land, then from higher platforms and ultimately from a wall. Also work up to harder surfaces but start on something soft.

Even with these simple moves you can move up to a huge level of master. For more Parkour Training info click here.

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How to do a Wall Climbup

By Ismar on October 4, 2011 in Parkour

While Parkour and acrobatic tricks may seem difficult, all of the people doing it had to start somewhere. By starting out with simple tricks and advancing later on, you build up confidence, skill and acquire a decent amount of tricks up your sleeve.

In the video, you are able to see that wall climbups are not that difficult to perform, and while looking cool are actually also quite functional. Even if you do not want to show off your skills, you might find yourself facing a wall that you would need to climb, by learning how to do it, you will be able to.

While climbing up, try to keep your hands straight, because by bending them you lose all the power you had. While performing 180s you should be kick yourself in the opposite direction only when you’re high enough. It’s rather simple, just needs a little bit of practice. Fun thing about is, you can go outside and practice right now.

For more parkour skills like these check out this DVD or the online course.

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Building Handstand Strength

By admin on August 7, 2009 in Handstands

A great way to end any training is to work on your strength and endurance a bit. And in this instance I’m talking specifically about in the handstand.

Just kick-up against the wall and see how long you can hold it.

Not only does this help you train the position it will build strength for holding the handstand with or without the wall.

If you can do one minute you are getting somewhere.

If you can do two minutes you are doing awesome.

Anything beyond that and you may want to switch to one arm handstand holds. This will increase the resistance to build even more strength and endurance.

Wherever you’re at, every time you do this exercise again just try to add one second of time. If you fight for it, it won’t be difficult to do at all.

Whether you are doing a conventional type of workout or are just practicing your hand balancing this can be a great way to finish it off.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. Holding a handstand against the wall and balancing in the open are tow very different things. If you need help on the second check out the Secrets of the Handstand Quick Start DVD.

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