Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Bodyweight Exercise

One of BW's biggest proponents is a man named Matt Furey. His book, Combat Conditioning, is supposed to be one of the best in it's field. But until recently I wasn't quite sure what set his work apart. What brought this to light for me was actually seeing his videos.

Now Furey has what he calls his "Royal Court." These are three exercises, the Hindu squat, the Hindu pushup and back bridging. With these you can work every single muscle group in the body as well as get a cardio workout and become more limber. Now furey doesn't advocate just these three as many will claim, rather he gives these as starting points. And with good reason. Furey is all about combat training. As he explains, regular weightlifting has one doing sets of one particular exercise, than resting and doing some more. In combat one doesn't have that luxury. Instead one must call upon everything the body has for as long as it takes, for example boxing is three minutes each bout and one must be able to go full out the entire time. This point was illustrated for me by watching a video of a kickboxer going through rehab. Her training routine was insane and completely non-stop, exactly what one must do in the ring.

And so one doesn't get the impression this is only for fighters, improved physical condition is for everyone. From that pick up game on the weekend to having to walk up ten flights of stairs because the elevator broke, everyone can benefit from this type of simple workout that doesn't require any equipment yet leads to incredible strength. For any doubters out there, watch Furey do vertical push ups while going below the level of his hands.

Videos on YouTube:
Hindu Pushups: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4
Hindu Squats: part 1, part 2, part 3,
Back Bridge: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4