For those of you who are new to this, a pyramid is a simple way to get your reps on!

We suggest four pyramids of 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1. There you go…100 Reps

Alternatively, if you want more of a challenge try this…

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1!

And remember, you can easily mix up your 100 reps by alternating two drills back to back.

Get to it!

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!

- William H. Murray – The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

Whilst the human body is a miracle of engineering and we can move in all manner of ways, the Push, the Pull and the Squat are the the three most common patters (aside from walking) that we engage in. We perform these moves unconsciously hundreds of times every day. So, it makes sense to practice our most basic patterns and make sure we are moving with integrity.

Over the next couple of weeks we’ll give you the Perfect 10. Ten key things to keep in mind when training push ups, pull ups and squats. What’s more, we’ll outline the simple progressions that can take you from a wall push up to doing your first full body push up. And for those of you who are already banging out reps, we’ll give you some key pointers to make sure you are making the most of your training.

A little done often soon becomes a lot. Make your daily movement a ritual. Set aside time, no matter what. Remember, having a routine actually frees up time. Make a date with your reps!

Bodyweight squats are a staple. Quality movement is key so don’t rush. If you find it a challenge try doing low rep pyramids. For example, do 1 rep, then 2, 3, 4, 5 then work your way back down, 4,3,2,1. There you have 25 reps. You can simply do four rounds in a row or spread them out over the course of the day. As your body becomes more familiar with the pattern you’ll be able to change the rep scheme to something more challenging. For those who want more of a challenge simply do the drill in 5 sets of 5. Four rounds later you have your 100 Reps.

And on the subject of consistency, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn’t be doing 100 Reps every day. You can set the pace, choose the intensity and work to your own level. Remember, we are trying to replace our lack of regular movement and activity. The one thing you will quickly notice with regular practice is the natural desire to push a little harder. Before long, those simple pyramids will turn into 10 reps sets, then 20, 25, 50…next thing you know you will be doing 100 straight reps. Watch out for some suggestions over the coming weeks on how to mix things up along with recovery and mobility drills and a worksheet you can use to track your progress.

• Posting regular workouts, challenges and tips, suggestions and stories.
• Encouraging you to tell us how you make excellence your very own habit and share the small small wins and big changes.
• Asking you to post your very own 100 Rep Challenges, your stories, suggestions, recommendations and tips which everyone can vote on each month, for a chance to win prizes…including the soon to be released 100 Rep Challenge T-Shirt!

Make sure you sign up and get a copy of “Excellence is a Habit” with contributions from Martin Rooney, Andy McKenzie, Mike Mahler, Bob Breen, Jonathan Lewis, Dave Hedges, Tom Furman, Cj Swaby, Craig Weller, Davie McConnachie, Ross Enamait and more.

And look out for some big Challenges to get you moving, get you motivated and help you make the changes you need.

Todays Challenge is a favourite. This is a really simple way to get your 100 Reps in over the course of the day. You don’t need to do the whole Challenge at one, you can simply break it up over the course of the day. But don’t let me stop you if you want to go for it all at once!

Pyramids are an ideal method for increasing your overall strength and fitness. You can mix and match different bodyweight moves and today we are going to focus on two essentials, the push up and the bodyweight squat. Simply alternate the moves as you work up and down the pyramid.

Do a push up, then two squats, follow it up with three push ups, then four bodyweight squats. Work you way up to 10 and then back down again. 100 Reps, done and dusted.

And remember, the 100 Rep Challenge is a personal one. It’s all about what you do! Everyday. And what is so special about 100 Reps a day? That’s seven hunred reps a week, …that’s thirty six thousand & five hundred a year! One more time…that’s 36500 reps a year. Even if all you do are press ups and squats, imagine the difference it will make.

Each & everyone of us is a role model, each & everyone of us has the chance to make an positive impact on some one else’s day. So, spread the word, join us on Twitter and Facebook and share the message with anyone you know who could do with a little more movement in their day!

I want to tell you about a superb new bodyweight training book. But before I do that, I want to take to task the publishers and marketing departments who sell their wares by preying on the insecurities and fears of the average person. Who take simple material and couch it in “prison slang”, suggest weakness is a green light to the world of predators and take the art of movement and make it the joyless pursuit of body armour so that Bubba won’t make you his play thang. I understand the need to make your product stand out amongst the crowd. But scare tactics and promises of “secret methods” are cheap and fallacious. We are not Spartans, and this is not Sparta. Whatever about the imaginary training methods of prison culture or warrior nations aren’t we a little discerning to fall for the over priced hype?

Meanwhile…back in the real world.

Mark Lauren is the real deal. You can read his resume. He has actually been there and done it. A military training specialist, Special Ops Combat controller, triathlete and champion Thai boxer, he has the credentials. But his motivation is clear. He wants to create lean, strong, confident people. No hype, no fuss.

YOU ARE YOUR OWN GYM is remarkable book. Coming in at 171 pages of exercises and scalable routines to take you though a 10 week Basic program, a 10 week Master class and 10 week Elite class, it lays out a total body system.

I am a big fan of bodyweight training. I feel if you have not mastered bodyweight then Kettlebells, suspension training, sandbags and free weights should be approached with great care, if at all.

Mark’s own story is an interesting one, especially his account of his military training evaluations and the gruelling INDOC, nine weeks of relentless drilling. But what Mark goes on to advocate is a realistic program to get the average person exceptionally fit with clear explanations on how to take simple exercises and make them progressively harder.

Long slow aerobic advocates should look away now. The focus of the book is bodyweight training for strength. Mark is clear on the advantages of focussing on strength, whether it’s for body composition, conditioning or muscle with plenty of information on interval training and exercises that fit the bill.

The short nutrition section is clear and to the point with an emphasis on whole foods and hydration.

After busting some myths,  discussing motivation and intensity and outlining some excellent protocols (including a simple but incredibly challenging drill call Stappers which is an solid progression for anyone following www.100repchallenge.com) we move on to the exercises. There are 111 of them Once more for the people in the back seats…One Hundred and Eleven. These pretty much follow the push, pull, bend, lunge, squat, twist format, without any gimmicks or tricks . The photographs and comprehensive descriptions are excellent. Everything is scalable (that word again!) I am not going to get in to detail here, I just want to say, this lot will keep you going for a very long time. Thankfully the 10 week programs at the end tie everything together perfectly so you can jump right in and get going. There is also a short appendix on key training principles and periodization.

There are a number of sections dotted throughout YOU ARE YOUR OWN GYM that reference studies, facts and information to back up the methods.

This is an truly exceptional bodyweight training manual. Anyone interested in functional, practical, authentic training will find it invaluable. The really remarkable thing is Mark has pulled together more information on bodyweight training in this one book than in a half dozen books on my shelf combined.

What’s more, you can buy it for $9.95 at www.marklauren.com (That’s about £6.50!) You can also find it on Amazon UK

In the interest of transparency – I purchased my own copy and have corresponded with Mark since but I have no business of finanacial connection with him…I just love the book!

” The wise chief moves not without pondering its affect upon the following seven generations ” Native American proverb

RIGHT NOW – There is a surprisingly noticeable shift taking place all over the globe, as the repercussions of a extremely turbulent economic climate uproot the foundations upon which decades of several social traditions have stood.

At the epicenter of this awakening lies man’s fragile self image, intertwined with his consumer consciousness. Frantically begging him to focus on what is really important amidst a pounding hangover, a ugly reminder as well as a logical byproduct, from self imposed over indulgence.

The human body truly needs but a few basic things to maintain productivity

Sunshine – Air – Water – Food – Rest – Love – Exercise

Which brings us to the lowest common  denominator of life, MOVEMENT.

Life is always dynamic never static therefore  movement is an essential component of healthy living, psychologically- physically and spiritually.

In fact, when one researches the etymology of the word spirit we find that its of latin origins which means to breathe or breath.

Thus the very source of life itself is rooted in movement because the prolonged stoppage  of breathing is synonymous with death, lack of movement. Hence the medical term flat line.

Therefore, it is movement – its quality, its quantity and its consistency that we are most concerned with if we are about the art and science of living.

Current statistics tell us that this is the first generation of youth in the history of the world that is predicted to expire before their parents, due to the high levels of degenerative diseases running rampant.

However those same stats reveal that these so called diseases – high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, anxiety, depression and even cancer can be avoided as well as eliminated when make proper movement
a part of our daily diets.

That’s what makes the 100 rep challenge so genius! In its simplicity it addresses one of the most complex dilemmas of the present social/political/economic landscape.

By creatively engaging youth and the young at heart to do some form/any form of movement for 100 repetitions every day, we are planting the seeds of longevity in the minds of the children that will produce a bountiful harvest of healthy individuals.

Bottom line, better people make a better world.

So do what you do - be it walking, gardening, martial arts, deep breathing, weight training, parkour, free running, natural movements – whatever it is do it with a conscious intention and a mindful purpose and don’t forget to have FUN doing it!!!!!!!

SUCCESS IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT!!!!!

Oneness,
Dr. G
BARTENDAZ

TORCH Workout

” Inactivity is the destruction of the body, if you don’t use it you lose it “

Jack Lalanne

People worldwide have responded to the 100 Rep Challenge with great enthusiasm.

I’ve received emails from various athletes, dancers, firemen, law enforcement, armed forces, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters in regard to program.

BARTENDAZ and JC Santana have entered into a joint venture with Equinox to create a exclusive class based on natural movement body weight exercises, to be featured in Equinox locations throughout NYC.

In addition, BARTENDAZ will partner with Equinox and NYC Parks Department & Recreation on their Get NY Fit campaign to service low income communities with FREE  exercise classes 7 days a week in 43 NYC recreation centers across the city.

The 100 Rep Challenge will be introduced and hopefully embraced by the population who need it most!

Meanwhile, 40 so called at risk school students at Garret Morgan Elementary in the south Bronx, recently rated the most impoverished city in America have already accepted the challenge via a Giant Thinking/BARTENDAZ mental empowerment class.

I share these success stories humbly, in a honest attempt to show my brothers and sisters on this 100 Rep Challenge that your efforts are not in vain.

People are being moved to move, the vibration of that movement is producing a tidal wave of excitement as folks begin to realize their personal responsibility in regards to their personal health.

Its a BEAUTIFUL time to be alive, slow down enjoy the moment – the NOW!!!

Stop stressing the pass and fearing the future.

ENJOY the realities of the possibilities of NOW!!!!!

GIVE 100 THANK YOU’s for what you have, instead of complaining about what you lack, upon closer inspection, I’m sure, you have everything you need.

In order to live your dreams, you must first wake up.

TAKE 100 deep breaths, next time you find yourself in a funk and see if you’re  still feeling funky by the time you get to the 27th breath.

We are building bridges for future generations to cross.

SHARE 100 smiles with people you meet, random strangers, during the day. You will be pleasantly surprised by the responses you receive.

NO EXCUSE the only limitation is your imagination.

100 Salutes

Oneness

Dr.G

BARTENDAZ

You may have been expecting an article on the 1^st January, along with all the missives from the masses of trainers and coaches out there encouraging you to set goals to aid in your fat loss or fitness endeavours in 2011.

Of course, all your goals had to be SMART… and by Day 3, you were slipping right back into those old habits.  BOOM… habits is the magic word here, not goals.

Habits are what we do best.  It’s how we become consistently good or bad at anything and trust me; habit forming is the real key to success.

In the long term, you should look at creating good habits that will have a positive impact on your life, habits that make you feel amazing, make you feel full of energy and keep you walking the path you always envisaged.

All this is easily achieved by doing one thing right at a time.  Each time you make that thing a habit, you will consciously feel that you are achieving what you set out to do.  That very feeling will do more for your brain chemistry than any supplement!

This article will benefit any reader who wishes to create good habits in order to achieve success.  So let’s get started….

The first thing you need to do is to forget about all the books and articles you have read on dieting, health, fitness etc.  Start listening to your own body and how it responds, it will tell you everything you need to know.  You are your own expert from now on.

Pick one thing, and apply a good habit to it.  Don’t worry about anything else, tackling all that we wish to is like eating a whole apple, we are starting by taking the first bite.  An example of good habit to start with is by deciding that every morning, as soon as you wake up, you will drink a glass of water.  Squeeze in half a lemon, if you like, it will help your digestion, ‘massage’ the liver and improve the taste.   We’ll go into the quality of the water at a later date but for now, we are interested in building a habit.

How can you make building this habit even easier?  Take these effortless steps:

• Get your glass out ready the night before
• Put a post it note on the fridge, or by the kettle to remind you
• Put your lemon next to glass with a knife so you are not searching

As soon this habit becomes automatic, make another one to have a glass of water with every meal.  Don’t worry about how long it make take you to form this habit, just keep using the reminder system such as the steps above until such time that you simply don’t need reminding.  You’ll be rehydrating your body more than ever before and that alone will make a huge difference to how you are feeling.  You’ll feel great because all of your body’s millions of reactions and processes are made more effortless with simple, healthy hydration.

What about exercise?  If you are completely new to exercise or recuperating from illness, pop on your shoes, walk out of your front door and keep walking for 5 minutes.  At the 5 minute point, turn around and walk back home.  Do this twice the first week and three times the second week.  In the third week, walk three times and walk for 7-8 minutes.  In the fourth week, walk 8-10 minutes and so.  Sounds really easy?  It is.  And you are forming a simple habit that will serve you throughout your life.   When you can carry out three 20 minute walks per week, then we can talk about moving up the exercise ladder and more importantly some of the exercise challenges as part of the daily 100 reps.

Again, take these effortless steps to ensure habit forming is simple and straightforward:

• Get together the clothes, shoes and outerwear you may need ie waterproof jacket for rain, gloves and hot for a cold spell, trainers etc
• Keep them in all to hand in the same place
• Take the dog or your partner for some quality to talk – with your partner, not the dog…
• Take note of the distance on each session by using an easy landmark eg ‘walked to the bus stop’ or ‘walked 20 metres past the church’.

On the opposite end of the scale, you could already be fit, eat well and have lots of energy throughout the day.  So what good habits could you form?  Do you carry out mobility or flexibility sessions as part of recovery? Do you even have recovery days? It could be as simple as performing 5 minutes of mobility work pre session and increase this time, as it becomes part of your routine.  Equally, it could actually be ensuring that you have that recovery day and then spending 10 minutes working on any inflexibility that you may have (same 10 minutes as the person walking as part of their initial daily exercise habit).

Contrary to what others say about exercise and dieting and regardless of the end result, it doesn’t have to be full on from day one.  The important thing is to build on small successes with everything you do, always moving forward, gradually feeling better, both in body and more importantly, in mind.

Your next habit will be around your breakfast choice.  For now, put your water and walking habits into place or make sure you actually do a proper recovery day.

As Confucius says ‘it does not matter how slowly you go as long you do not stop’.

Andy McKenzie ASCC