The hunt.
Spear, firmly gripped in my hands. The beast stands proud, ears erect, unaware that he will soon provide my family with a much needed meal.
The ground is dry. If I’m not careful, the twigs and branches beneath my feet can alert the animal at any moment. I lie waiting for the right opportunity… it’s here.
I stand, stepping on one of those little bastards as I throw my spear. Aimed for its neck, the animal gets a head start because of my sloppy footwork. So instead of hitting his neck, it lands flush on the meaty part of his thigh. The huge beast darts away as best he is able. And I chase.
I grab my knife and sprint towards the beast. Hot on his trail, I’m gaining as he begins to slow down… I’m on him. Struggling to contain him, I manage to plunge my dagger into his throat. His death is quick.
That’s what a man used to have to go through to get a meal.
Today, you could say it’s a little different…
The hunt of the modern day man.
The steering wheel is grasped ever so gingerly between my index finger an my thumb. As I approach, I spot the beast that will soon be my lunch.
I crouch. Squinting, inching closer to get a better view. I pull up. So many choices! But I make my decision with the certainty that makes me proud to be a man. And then I hear a powerful voice booming from above…
“Can I take your order, sir?”
“Yes. Yes you can,” I say with a smug smile dawning my chubby little face. “I’ll have a burger with fries. And nuggets. And a salad. Gotta keep it healthy, right. I have a long day ahead of me spent with my eyes glued to the computer.”
LIFE used to be a workout.
We had to earn our food. Today, the hunt has been reduced to an activity where the act of chewing is more of a workout than ‘the hunt’.
We’ve been getting fatter and fatter for hundreds of years. Athlete’s aside, our workouts are nothing to brag about. We go to the gym, hop on the treadmill, and start talking. Our phones at our ear, brisk pace, sweating like a pig who knows he’s dinner. Then we head home and ruin the entire workout with a massive plate of “well-earned pasta”.
Are we ever going to be true hunter gatherer’s ever again?
No. Not unless it’s by some extreme life choice that 99.9999% of us won’t make, myself included.
What we DO need is to have our workouts and daily life imitate that of our ancestors as much as we possibly can.
And this is how we can accomplish this. Shrinking our waistline, building muscle, and living longer, more productive lives in the process.
1. Workout with extreme intensity.
The VAST majority of workouts don’t have the intensity they should have. We walk into the gym and simply do what’s written down (and that’s even better than most). If we want to be at our apex – which is what I assume you want if you’re reading this article – we need to train like we’re an apex predator.
Each rep should be attacked, not just done.
When we’re training, pain is a great thing. We want to push our muscles and lungs to new heights. For our lungs, we need to open them up for them to expand. We need to reach points of extreme exhaustion.
For our muscles, we NEED pain. It’s in those final few reps before failure where most of ‘the good damage’ is done to our muscles. Yes, the right program is needed, but once you find it, attack it.
Of course you do need to practice proper form, follow different cadences, and take a step back once in a while. The right program will help you with this. You can’t just go to the gym and run around like an idiot. There needs to be a rhyme and reason to what you’re doing. But we need to push ourselves much harder that we are now.
Too much talking, and not enough pain.
*Go hard for 25-45 minutes, then let the recovery process start. A hunt wasn’t 2 hours of sprinting, it was a journey to find the prey, but once found it was quick bursts. A workout shouldn’t be any different. Length and duration isn’t the key, its the quality of the training that matters most. It’s also what’s missing from a lot of gyms.
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Nothing exists quite like the ‘challenge workouts’ you’ll see in this program:
www.thePowerHowseChallenge.com
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2. Walk whenever we can.
Our ancestors obviously walked a lot more than we do today. Even though we might not walk miles upon miles, we can certainly walk more often. Don’t use things like elevators or escalators and instead choose the stairs.
If you can walk a few blocks, then walk. Don’t take your car.
Much is made of “working out”. But an all around more active lifestyle can be a HUGE benefit as well. Join a sports team and have fun while you workout. Most sports are dominated by short, intense bursts and are great for fat loss.
a) It’s a great way to meet new/active people.
b) It’s really fun.
3. Eat only what comes from the earth.
Eat animals. Eat vegetables. Eat nuts, fruits, and anything else that is killed or grown. It’s the simplest, most effective rule to follow.
4. Eat less often.
Having 6 small meals a day does make sense. The more often you eat, the more often you’re going to give your metabolism a boost. BUT, science is showing that it’s the AMOUNT of food that’s important.
If what we eat in one big meal is the same as what we ate in 2-3 smaller meals, the metabolic effect will be the same. When we eat fewer meals, we’re also going to eat LESS. Fewer calories = greater fat loss (within reason).
The hunters of old didn’t have 6 meals a day. They also weren’t fat. Being fat meant – and still means – a shorter life of lower quality with lower energy levels, less productivity, and a diminished chance of attracting a mate.
Eat healthy and work your ass off in the gym.
5. Train like an athlete.
Training for pure looks CAN mean you’re not becoming a healthier person in some cases. It can also mean you’re not becoming all that much stronger or faster.
The focus needs to be on explosive movements, intense training, as well as slower movements with slower cadences. Always explode on the concentric contraction of an exercise and be sure to include things like plyometrics and Olympic lifts into your workouts.
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If you’re looking for a program that helps you accomplish all of the above, have a look at this video:
How to build ripped, athletic, muscle <——
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