Sometimes being a good protector is putting you own life at risk.
When you talk about man’s original role in this world, we always hear the word’s “hunter-gatherer”. Being in the 21st century the times have changed immensely; although I’d argue that one thing is, and always will be the same:
Men are born protectors.
We want to protect the those that we love, that we care for, and in many circumstances, those who can’t protect themselves.
This being a site focused on “Being Legendary“; that is, striving to become someone that achieves his own personal greatness – whatever that looks like – and helps or inspires others in the process.
There are so many ways in which we want to protect others. We want to protect others from:
- other people.
- themselves and their bad decisions.
- financial hardship.
- pain, both physical and emotional.
We’re going to take a look at exactly how we can become the best protectors we can possibly be in all facets of life. We’ll look at how to physically protect others first, and then move on from there.
You Either Have ‘It’ or You Don’t
Read the title once again: men are born protectors. We’re not made or manufactured protectors. It’s an innate sense that exists within us. Imagine a couple guys are roughing up a lady, would your first instinct be to help or not? Are you one of those people who would simply walk by without doing anything, or would you take action?
What you do can be learned, but if you actually do something is natural. It’s who you are.
I’m not saying that you have to jump in and knock someone around. You could call the cops, or call for help from others around you. Whatever your actions are makes you no less of a man, or any more of a man. It’s the fact that you do anything that speaks volumes about who you are.
How to Be A Protector
Now, we’re talking about the ultimate here. The ideal. What you want to ideally be. So don’t feel bad if you’re not there. That’s what this site’s here for and that’s where you’re headed. Enjoy the process and the journey. Strive to get to where we’re talking about. Work hard and make it happen.
In no specific order:
1. Be physically prepared.
2. Get your own shit together.
3. Getting your mind right.
Step One:
Being Physically Prepared
There are a few aspects to being the best protector you can possibly be:
1. Being strong enough to help someone in need.
2. Have the power and speed to get there in time and be able to come to someone’s aid.
3. Possess the skills necessary to fight if you need to. (I’m not big on fighting unless it’s necessary. So let’s prepare like it is).
Improving Strength
1. You need to focus on the exercises that are actually going to have an impact on your functional strength. More often than not this means focusing on compound lifts like the squat, bench press, military press, deadlifts, Yates row, chin-ups and so forth.
Make sure you’re always exploding on the concentric phase of the lift (the push in a bench press, or the pull in a deadlift).
2. Improve every week. Don’t remain stagnant or happy with a certain weight that you’re lifting. You should be at least attempting to add weight every week you’re in the gym.
3. Find a system that keeps you motivated and pushes you in new ways at least every 3 weeks. I recommend The PowerHowse Challenge above all else. I gained 32 pounds of lean muscle, but also dramatically improved my functional strength, speed, and endurance.
Improving Speed and Power
1. To improve pure power needed for lifting heavy objects but also for improving your speed, you actually don’t have to do a whole lot. You just have to do it fast and HEAVY. Focus on lifts like cleans or deadlifts. They’ll help improve the explosive, athletic power that transfer to real life situation.
Use a lower rep count of 2-4 reps with a heavy weight (80-90% of your maximum lift in each exercise).
Increase the sets and rest periods. So try for 4-6 sets, with 2-4 minutes rest in between sets.
2. To improve speed, make it simple and head to the track. Try doing 3-5 sets of 10 meter sprints which will really work on your explosiveness. Also, plyometrics are great as well.
3. To make this power and speed last, combine it with a challenge workout, much like what is done in the following video:
Developing the Right Skills
1. Strength, speed and power are all skills that are great to have in your back pocket in case you ever have to protect another human being. We’ve gone through power, as well as strength so we won’t get into those skills any further.
2. Let’s say fighting is a must, here’s a video that will help. Also, take a look at the other video’s in the series. I go through the different punches, as well as defence that will help you attack, but also protect yourself when necessary.
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