Dear Friend, When I attended a three-day super-conference in Atlanta last month, it became time for me to put myself in many

of my clients shoes. When Im away from home, I get a taste of what many people go through with their heavy travel schedule. When youre out of your normal routine, it can be hard to get yourself into the mindset you need for exercise. This presumes, of course, that you even need the so-called mindset? To a certain degree, you do, but getting a daily training regimen in is not as hard as youd think and in this edition of Fitness & Conditioning Tips, Ill explain why. In addition, Ill give you some routines you can follow that will make the pangs of travel seem like no big deal. When packing my suitcase, there is one item that I always manage to find room for. And that item is ... my 18 x 24 bridging mat. My good friends at Quality Mat Company in Waterloo, Iowa, made the mat for me several months ago. Its the same thickness (1.5) as the wrestling mat I train on. Its light weight and easily fits into my suitcase. Most importantly, it deprives me of any and all excuses for not training while Im away. With my small mat I can practice the King of all Exercises in my hotel room ... or in the hallway. I can use it for holding a three-minute back bridge. I can use it for holding a three-minute front bridge. I can use it for headstands. I can use it to practice bridging gymnastics ... and believe me, when you learn how to do that, it is much more than a workout. Its an all-around ... butt-kicker. Having it in my suitcase is a reminder that I can always make time for a 15-minute workout, no matter where I am, no matter what I have going on before or after. Bridging is something I love so much, I make sure I do it everyday. So that much goes without saying. What I really want to impress upon you in this issue of Conditioning Tips is how you can use your unfamiliar travel environment to your advantage, giving you some quick but highly useful workouts you can follow when you have conferences, meetings or other business engagements taking up most of your day.

December 2000 Vol. 1 - No. 1

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Unlike most of my travels, the trip to Atlanta was a whole family affair. My wife, Zhannie, and her parents came, and so did my five-month old son, Frank. Zhannie and I were in Atlanta to attend a three-day Internet superconference, which meant a lot of sitting, a lot of note taking, a lot of thinking, a lot of studying ... and it never seemed to end. Then, when it was over, we were to jaunt over to Birmingham, Alabama, where Zhannies mothers sister and cousins live. As for the super-conference, the only bad thing about the seminar was the fact that we had to sit on our rumps all day. Sitting is the worst thing for your lower back ... and it makes the stretch you get from bridging a necessity. Anyway, on Thursday, the day before the seminar began, I took a tour of the Hilton. I noticed they had a gym and pool in the lower lobby, so I checked it out. The gym was huge ... with machines and dumbbells all over the place. It also had a good-sized aerobics room. Imagine, now, what it was like when I asked the receptionist if there was a charge to use the place. Are you going to use the gym or the pool? she asked. The pool, I said. Well, the pool is free. The gym costs six dollars extra. I grabbed a towel and headed to the pool. Little did the receptionist know that I could get one helluva workout there. As I trotted past the men and women pumping up in the weight room, I was struck by the fact that there wasnt a single one who appeared to be even remotely fit. Sure, they can get fit with weights, but no one in there had a clue as to how to use them. Most importantly, I dont think a single person had an idea that he could get into great shape with nothing more than his own bodyweight. But they cant be faulted for this. They havent read Combat Conditioning yet, so I feel compelled to forgive them. At any rate, once I got to the pool, I stripped off my shirt, took off my shoes and socks and started cracking off some push-ups. Now, because I had just driven nine hours, this workout had a different purpose. I was not going to strive for my best in anything. I was not going to train for an hour or more. In fact, all I wanted to do was rev up my engine for a few minutes, get myself huffing and puffing ... then go back to my room, take a shower, read a good book and fall asleep. So guess what I did?
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Here is the routine:

51 10 10 10 10 10 Total number of push-ups = 101

Hindu Push-ups Elbows-in Push-ups Fingertip Push-ups Decline Push-ups (feet elevated) Arms Wide Push-ups Hindu Push-ups

Now, this doesnt sound like much, does it? But if you did 100 pushups this way for one year without ever missing a day, would you be in better condition? Of course you would. It isnt how much you do when you train, although I do encourage you to train hard and push yourself. But most importantly, CONSISTENCY is the KEY. Doing something once in a while is of little help. Doing a little something all the time is far better. The next morning, I got up at six and .... because I wanted to be wide awake, clear headed and relaxed when the seminar began, I knew of no better way to accomplish this aim than another round of push-ups. I dont know exactly why it is, but Hindu push-ups and the deep breathing that goes along with them, energize me much more than most other exercises. Each repetition stretches the spine, shoulders and hips. Each repetition forces more blood to pump in my arms, chest and shoulders .... but its THE DEEP BREATHING from Hindu Push-ups that is most important of all. It amazes me how often I see people going through the mechanics of Hindu push-ups and squats, yet I cannot even hear them breathing. This, my friends, is not the way to do them. It is not the way to get the greatest benefit. As Martin Farmer Burns said in his 1914 mail-order course, Lessons in Wrestling and Physical Culture: Deep breathing alone has made many a weak man strong and many a sick man well. Deep breathing is nearly the whole point of exercise. There are some teachers who go so far as to claim that all exercise is nothing more than a technique to get people to breathe deeply. I wont go that far, but I will say that ... breathing is the most important part of your exercise program.

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If you dont breathe deeply while you train, youre cheating yourself of the results you want and deserve. As more oxygen pours into your lungs, your blood stream is purified and every cell of your body is strengthened. When you breathe deeply you rid your body of toxins, namely carbon dioxide in the lungs. And each time you rid your lungs of these toxins, new life, new energy comes to you. A while ago a customer wrote me and questioned exactly how deep breathing could strengthen the organs of your body. The question caught me off guard as I believed the notion to be so basic to human survival. Without the capacity to breathe, you die. It is the first and last thing you do on this earth. When you breathe deeply and fill your lungs to their capacity ... the first organ that is strengthened is YOUR LUNGS. The increased oxygen in the lungs then goes on to purify your bloodstream. A clean bloodstream helps keep your heart healthy (organ number two). Deep diaphragmatic breathing improves your digestion as well. As your diaphragm moves up and down in sync with your breathing, your intestines, stomach and other organs are massaged. This internal massage improves and strengthens the functioning of your body. Isnt this taught in school? I guess not. Okay, enough about the obvious. On Friday morning, my push-up routine was supposed to consist of 101 repetitions. Instead of beginning with Hindu push-ups I did the elbowsin variety first. After 51 of these I did 10 reverse push-ups, 10 fingertip push-ups and 30 sumo push-ups against the door jam. Then for good measure I finished off with 25 Hindu push-ups ... giving me a total of 126. The blood was pumping. I was breathing deeply. I BE raring and ready to go. And this great energetic feeling lasted the entire day. In the evening, I was so excited with the material I had learned, I couldnt sleep, so I took time to relax and let the information soak in by going to the jacuzzi to set a spell. In the jacuzzi were three of the seminar presenters and we got to talking. I ended up getting even more excited and around 10:30 that night I took to the stairs for another brief workout, in the hopes that I would work myself hard enough to relax and unwind. One of the great things about Combat Conditioning is that you can do it virtually anywhere. You dont need a lot of space and the only limits are your imagination.
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The Hilton was great because it had 17 flights of stairs. How many possibilities for great workouts could you come up with, if the ONLY thing you could train on were the stairs? Those who dont follow the concepts of Combat Conditioning may only think of walking and/or running them. But there is so much more that you can do. Just think .... one simple change can shorten your workout to the point where youre getting more results in far less time. Although the bodyweight exercises I teach are extremely good for your cardiovascular system, I wont argue the point right now. Neither will I point out the scientific facts. Instead of this, if someone says, Well, what do you do for your cardio? I just smile and say, Follow me to the stairs. Once I have the person there, he will follow one of the following routines. It wont take long ... but itll get his attention. Instead of simply running or walking the stairs over and over, why not take a break at every floor? During your break - do 10 Hindu push-ups and/or 20 Hindu squats. You could also give yourself even more variety. You could do 10 Hindu push-ups on one floor - then 10 Hindu squats on the next. You could do 10 jumper squats on the third floor and ten stomach flexors on floor number four ... and so on. Not to mention that you dont simply have to run up the stairs. You could also duck waddle, bear crawl and so on. Get the picture. Give me 15 minutes with you and Ill turn the stairs of a Hotel into living hell. Getting back to the push-ups and squats: If you did 10 Hindu push-ups on every floor, that would be 170 push-ups once youve reached the top. If you did the Hindu squats alone, youd have done 340. And if youre brave enough to do both in the same workout ... I think youll know what it means to see Jesus Christ walking across the water. WE CALL IT ROAD WORK Running the stairs, the hallways, the streets, the parks or up and down your driveway - then mixing it with bodyweight calisthenics fits within the framework of what Karl Gotch calls roadwork. In sports like wrestling, he would say, you never fight on one level. You are on your feet and on the ground. And when you train this way, it forces you to get into combat shape. We know that wrestlers the world over are oftentimes the best conditioned specimens around. So its good to learn from them. I first learned how to do roadwork from 2x Olympic champion Bruce Baumgartner, when he coached me at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
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Baumgartner had me running and sprinting around the wrestling room, interspersed with push-ups, jackknife sit-ups, pull-ups and up-downs. Naturally, we didnt call it roadwork back then. I think torture was the word we used. Then, when I met Karl Gotch two years ago, he talked about roadwork versus running, and described for me how to do it. Baumgartners method qualified as roadwork, but Ill say this: Karls method is even harder. He has roadwork for one person and for groups. If it is only two people, youll run for awhile, then one guy will carry the other, then youll trade off. Hell have you doing bridging gymnastics, literally lifting one guy off the ground, turning him head over heels. As that guys feet touch the ground, he does the same to you ... and you keep moving like that. Hell have you run three steps, squats and pick up a rock with your right hand. Run three steps and do likewise with your left. Believe me now and listen to me later, these are only a few of the things Karl will do to those who dare to learn from him. BEGIN SLOWLY For those of us who have never done stairway-to-hell road work you should begin slowly. Dont try to accomplish too much in one session, otherwise, when you wake up the next morning, you may not want to get out of bed. Im talking major soreness. In the hallways .... you can run up and down the carpeted terrain, but do not sprint. Id hate to see someone open his or her door and have a collision with you. Simply run at a moderate pace. When you get to one end, drop and give yourself 25 push-ups. Jog to the other end ... drop and do 25 v-ups (jackknife sit-ups). Then bear crawl to the other end. Then walk back. Then crab walk. Then do 25 more push-ups .. and so on. Believe me 15 minutes of this and you are spanked. But ... youre going to feel like a million bucks and the changes that take place in your body ... the increased energy and vitality ... the deep breathing that will come naturally ... my God, youre not going to believe it. Its awesome. ONE THING FLORIDA DOESNT HAVE One thing you wont find an abundance of in Florida is hills, so when we got to Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday afternoon and pulled into a motel that sat alongside a steep meandering hill, you can imagine my delight. Can you guess what I did on that slope? Roadwork. Yes, you can do it almost anywhere you go. In fact, new surroundings are literally begging you, asking you to test your mettle.
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And thats what Im asking you to do once you put down this issue of Fitness & Conditioning Tips. Test your mettle. See what youre made of. Probe yourself for strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, when you find your weaknesses, dont avoid them. Get to work on them and make yourself a better, a tougher, a more rugged and physically fit human being. Yall take charge now - ya hear. I be off to do some roadwork myself. Sincerely,

Matt Furey

Matt

P.S. Many of you have asked me to keep you informed of new products as they come out, so Ill have a category for that each month as well as answers to your questions. P.P.S. Merry Christmas to all of you. Ill send my Happy New Years wishes in the next issue.

December Workouts
Copy & clip these workouts to take with you when youre on the the road!

December Program #1:

December Program #2:

Hallway Roadwork
Jog the length of the hall. 25 push-ups (elbows-in) Jog the length of the hall. 25 V-ups (jackknife sit-ups). Bear crawl to the other end. Walk back to the other end. Crab walk to the other end. 25 push-ups (arms extended).

Post-Drive Refresher
51 push-ups (Hindu) 10 push-ups (elbows-in) 10 push-ups (fingertip) 10 push-ups (arms wide) 10 push-ups (feet elevated). 10 push-ups (Hindu)

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CONDITIONING MAILBAG

Mr. Furey, My name is Winston. Im usually an active person. I would run on a semi-regular basis but would have to lay off at times because of lower back problems. Recently I came across an article on you in a martial arts magazine and checked out your website. Intrigued by your theories, I started to practice bridging even though I was told by others that this would be detrimental to my back. I have had no serious back pain since then; only what I would consider normal muscular soreness from time to time. Ive looked at the items you offered and wanted to know what you would suggest I start with to get in shape for your more intense workouts. I have not wrestled before but have been active in Kenpo Karate. Your information is one of the very few straightforward offerings that has helped me. Any advice you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Winston Detroit, Michigan
M.F: Hello Winston. Great news on getting yourself out of lower back pain. This makes my day. I would suggest everything I offer on the subject of conditioning, but youll probably want to begin with the Combat Conditioning book and videos. There are over 50 exercises that will help you. You can start at your own pace and make progress as you adjust. The exercises work so well and give you so much energy that youll look forward to doing them. Keep in touch.

Matt, I just bought your book five weeks ago, and I gotta tell ya, its cool. Ive been a swimmer, breaststroker and IM-er for 14 years, thats how I got here on a swimming scholarship, three years ago from Croatia. Im not swimming any more, and I started to lift the weights using the Charles Poliquin principles, and it worked great. I cursed and cried but results came. Now Im 64', 250 lbs., all natural, none of that steroid bull.... So, my question is this: I dont wanna lose my size, and I wanna do your thing. How does it look? Possible? I dont know. I just wanna know if I stop using weights completely, and just do your stuff, will I be able to get bigger, will I lose my size...? Once again thank you for sharing your knowledge w/ me. Sincerely, Srdan
M.F.: Srdan, Congrats on the scholarship and the vast improvement youve made from your training. The only size you should lose from following the exercises in CC is excess fat. You can get much bigger and stronger using these exercises, it just depends on how you eat. Weights dont make you huge without food either. Be sure to do the more difficult exercises like handstand push-ups, one arm push-ups, one legged squats, etc. But even if you dont do these, with Hindu squats, push-ups and bridg8

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ing alone, you will continue to develop. Look at the Great Gama from India. He was about a foot shorter than you and weighed 260 pounds. And he wasnt the only big guy from that era who trained that way.

Dear Matt: Just got your tapes yesterday. They are great. I reviewed them quickly and many of the exercises reminded me of the Turnverein (Gymnastic organization) in my childhood, that I was part of in Austria and Germany. During that time I was in the best shape of my life. My Uncles and Grandfather practiced wrestling and boxing and I remember copying many of their routines as well. When I came to the United States I let myself be convinced by martial art instructors and weight lifters that what I had been doing was wrong, and what they did was right. I was so thoroughly brainwashed that even when I went to practice Judo, Karate, and Aikido in Japan I never truly followed their emphasis on non-weight routines. Still to this day, pick up any magazine about weights, health, or martial arts and everyone disagrees or says nonsense. Well Im 40 years old now, 5-10, 250 lbs., and have a waist measurement of 46. Except for my childhood I have never been in shape, and always thought it was an individual flaw I had. Until recently I lifted heavy weights, last week I squatted 1,000 lbs. (in a free-weight contraption, 1/2 way down for 5R X 8S) but I can hardly walk now, and couldnt start your program due to my knees hurting so much. I have participated in martial arts since I was 4 or 5 years old. My last major sport was Judo, from 1980 1993, but I only reached a medium level. One note of interest in Judo which shocked me at the time was, whenever wrestlers came to visit the club they would kick our butts. The only thing that saved some of the advanced players were arm bars and chokes. Anyway, for the last year and a half Ive been practicing boxing, not at a pro-level but hitting mitts, the bag, etc. I started getting in shape but a stomach problem and 2 month layoff put me back into fat town. At this point I have nothing to lose, everything you say makes clear and perfect sense, and Im going to devote myself to your program. I can barely do even a few of any exercises you are showing, therefore I will do them one step at a time. There is so much nonsense out there its really hard to find good advice. I feel Im back on the right path. Im going to start doing the routines tomorrow, step by step. The book is great but the tapes are really essential to see the finer parts of the movements. W. Mann New York City
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M.F. Glad to hear you got the tapes and like them. Im glad to hear of your commitment and you can count on me to guide you along the way. The very best to you.

Matt, It is been awhile since I spoke to you but I want to tell you your combat conditioning videos and book have improved my fitness 100%. At a 150 lbs, 38 years old and not much of an athlete, I found your exercises have given me the ability to continue to be able to hang in there with 20 year olds while I train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and JKD. Another benefit to your exercises was that it helped me with my lower back problem. Over the last month I have not been able to swim so I had to rely on your exercises to keep my lower back healthy. I was surprised that the walking the wall exercises and bridging did the trick. My wife loves the fact that I will be canceling my membership at the local gym since I no longer need to lift weights. What she does not know is that the $40/month I will be saving will enable me to train more in the martial arts! Kali Ramachandran New York P.S. As a Hindu I love the fact that your key exercises are named after my religion.
M.F.: Thanks for writing to tell me how youre doing. Im very pleased to hear of your improvements and know you can expect much more in the future. Continued success to you.

Matt Furey, I was so excited to discover your website and plan to order some of your products. I have heard of dinosaur training from another source, in Ned Beaumonts book on street grappling, and as strange as it sounds, I heard of Hindu squatsonly they were called Indian squats in a text on Bruce Leehowever, it contained no explanation on how to do them. I appreciate you providing instruction free at your website. I do want to ask you a question about bodyweight exercises that has always befuddled me. In weight lifting exercises, as you know the standard advice is to wait 48 hours or there abouts before performing weight exercises for the same parts of the body again, why do I hear from various sources that it is alright to perform the same bodyweight exercises everyday for however one wants or needs? I would really appreciate your reply to this question, which has been on my mind at different points throughout the past several months. Thank you for your kind attention. God bless you. Mariano

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M.F.: Hello Mariano. Thanks for writing and asking this question. Before I answer, let me say this: Not ALL schools of weightlifting advocate rest. Some train everyday as well, i.e. Bulgarian, etc. As for bodyweight calisthenics, they represent a natural form training, just like animals in the wild. Animals dont train one rest two. They exercise everyday as it is part of their survival. who do bodyweight exercises each day will note that they get into tion faster if they train everyday. This doesnt mean that you do exact same routine each day. Variety is the key. of day and People condithe

Mr. Furey, I just received your book from Dragon Door Pub. I don't really have to much trouble with the Hindu Squats. My Hindu Push-up is weak, but it is there, and I am sure I can develop it more. However, the Back Bridge seems to be totally beyond my grasp. I can't even get my hands by my shoulders properly let alone press up with them into the proper position. Can you suggest any intermediate steps to help me develop the flexibility to get my hands in position. I am sure my upper body strength will improve with the Hindu Push-up, but I am really frustrated at this point with the state of my "Back Bridge." I am convinced that the Royal Court is very effective from having tried them. I have become convinced that the most effective exercise comes from a few of the right exercises (exercising the whole body) done correctly, rather than doing a lot of repetitive, isolating exercises. Your (and Karl Gotch's) system seems to me to be very sound. I look forward to making great gains with this exercise system. Sincerely, Mark Buhrdorf

M.F.: Mark, one of the things you can do is work on your wall walking and reverse push-ups. I know you're having trouble getting into position with your hands, but you have to keep trying, even if it seems to no avail. Eventually it will come. Another thing to help develop some strength and flexibility in your arms and shoulders is to do the "Table Maker Push-ups" as seen in the book. Best of luck to you.

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NEW PRODUCTS

Combat Conditioning Videos - This exciting three-volume video series is based upon Matt Fureys bestselling book, Combat Conditioning: Functional Exercises for Fitness and Combat Sports. Each video goes into great detail on the exercises found in the book. Those who thought they knew how to do the exercises from the book alone have reported what a difference they have made since getting the videos. Entitled The Leg and Lung Workout, The Push-up Workout and The Ab & Back Workout, each video takes you through the mechanics and benefits of each exercise, then has a 10-minute follow along workout segment to top things off. Only $99 plus $6 S&H. Karl Gotchs Conditioning for Combat Athletes - This video comes from the personal archives of the great mat legend, Karl Gotch. Shot over five years ago for remembrances, Karl decided to release it recently so that all may see a broad overview of his expertise. Learn how Karl got his athletes in shape in Japan and Europe with nothing more than bodyweight exercises. See the unlimited possibilities that exist with this method. Rope climbing upside down? Yes, its on the tape. The still rings from gymnastics, including muscle-up and two-finger pull-ups. Hand stand push-ups from wooden apparatus that allows you to change the level and intensity of each repetition. Bridging gymnastics and much more. 37 exercises on one tape. Only $49 plus $5 S&H. Combat Abs: Rock Hard & Punch Proof - This smashing book is Matt Fureys latest, and will be available for Christmas. Learn how to build a rock hard stomach with bodyweight calisthenics. In fact, find out how the oldtimers flattened and hardened their waistlines with exercises done while STANDING. Nearly 50 different exercises you can use, most of which you have not seen before. Talk about results: After a month of training youll be able to take shots to the midsection with no trouble at all. This book is only $29.95 plus $5(US) S&H($10 foreign). Call and place your order today at 813 994 8267. Visa, MC, Amex accepted. Or send a check or money order to: Matt Furey 10339 Birdwatch Drive Tampa, Florida, 33647.

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