Got up this morning and stretched like a cat – looked through some of your emails that got forwarded – and I’m ready to rock the day with some good ole fashioned QnA. Here goes:
Dear Matt,
I am 40 and a Army Reservist. I work for a highway dept. I do alot of bullwork. I ended up with 3 protruding discs. After dealing with chiropractors and physcial therapy, and with a Physical Training test looming I finally ordered Combat Conditioning. I did the Hindu Pushups, Hindu Squats, and finally the dreaded Back Bridge. As I raised up into the bridge it sounded like twigs snapping. I must have been
sublaxsaded and it put me in alignment. I felt like a new man!!! Thanks to you I’m now kicking butt!
Marty S.
M.F.: Marty, that is awesome to know. Keep up the fine work.
Matt,
I am an Instructor for the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. I’m sure you are aware that we use many of your Combat Conditioning exercises every day we practice MCMAP. I personally have made it instrumental to my own work out regimen – with the Royal Court being key. Surely enough can’t be said about the value of your program and methods. It’s the best thing going as far as combative fitness and strength is concerned.
My question: I have a very close friend who has just ‘made her peace’ with the fact that she is woefully out of shape. If she doesn’t do something about it soon, she is bound for some serious health problems as a result of being so overweight. My wife and I have been bringing her to the gym with us for about a week now and she’s been very positive about the commitment to get in shape and I know she can. I realize that starting slowly and setting gradually progressing goals is a sound way to help her begin to ‘dig herself out’ of this hole that she’s in. At this stage doing anything is better than doing nothing.
She has been attending water aerobics classes with my wife and doing some low intensity cardiovascular work on the elliptical trainer. I wonder, though, would it be advisable to incorporate some Combat Conditioning exercises into her routine? If so, to what extent and which exercises would be the most effective in our battle to bring her back to the world of the able? I could really use your advice here as I’m not sure if the exercises are too intense or stressful for her at this current level of fitness.
Please Help!
Respectfully,
Nick H.
M.F.: Hi Nick. Glad to know you’re spreading the word. Regarding your friend, don’t think of her as if she’s any different than a recruit. Naturally you’ll train her different, but she is not to be babied. Expect her to succeed just the same as you expect those you train to succeed. How she does is as much your emotional state of mind as hers. If she’s ‘open’ then you can have enormous impact and influence on her. If she’s not open – no one can.
If this woman is doing water aerobics and using an elliptical trainer, there is no reason why she cannot begin doing Combat Conditioning. I would start here on a modified Royal Court, if need be – but the workout is the same. By modified I mean Hindu squats (halfway down), Hindu Pushups from knees and bridging over a Swedish ball. These are some basic tips. It would also be well worth your while to be a part of my Furey Faithful because you will get your questions answered promptly and in a ton more detail. Those who are on board are raving about it. For more information on it go to http://www.FureyFaithful.com
Matt
I want to thank you for the emails.They are informative and motivating. I had purchased Combat Conditioning awhile ago, the Handstand Pushup program, Kick A<$, Take Names more recently. I was on the right track, gaining endurance and functional strength. I have always had a strong upper body-mainly triceps, shoulders and chest. I have yet to really apply the Handstand Pushup program, let me tell you and other readers why.
Like several people who have written to you, I too pulled a blockhead move one day and grabbed some heavy dumbbells after a perfectly good pushup/pullup workout, and wrecked a tendon in my forearm. The injury (medial epicondylitis-‘golfer’s elbow’) is now over a year old. I cannot do more than three pullups per set (I used to do three sets of 15). Parallel bar dips are minimal (used to do three sets of 25). I can do Hindu pushups but at 15 or 20 my injured arm begins to give out.
I went to a doctor, went through physical therapy and still have the injury. I am going to bite the bullet, have the surgery and recover so I can continue to train ‘properly’. The doctor says it will be at least 6-10 weeks until I can try to continue the kind of workout I want to do even though the surgery is fairly simple.
Anyway, I am looking at this recovery time as a great chance to really improve my Hindu squats. Going to shoot for 600. ‘Out of the seed of adversity comes something good.’
Again, thank you for the motivation and information. I will always train the Combat Conditioning and not do anything dumb in the future. Please continue to do what you are doing, you are helping many people gain strength, health and fulfillment.
Jim
Oceanside, CA
M.F.: Jim, all of us have adversities and I’m grateful to you for the reminder to turn them into something positive. All the best to you.
Well, that’s all for now.
Best,
Matt Furey
P.S. A set of my Combat Conditioning dvd’s, along with a free copy of my international best-seller is waiting for you in my office. Be sure to claim yours today by going to here or here.