Keg Training

Keg Clean & Press 

1. With Keg Laying flat on its side on the ground approach with your toes touching the Keg.
2. Grasp the Keg with a tight grip and elevate your hips so that your back is flat, very similar to a dead-lift position.
3. Engage your hamstrings, Glutes and Upper back to lift the keg up past the knees.  
4. Once at the Hips (or mid thighs) Push your hips forward contracting the Glutes while simultaneously flipping the keg so now your hands come up underneath of the Keg.  
5. At this top position, the Keg will come to rest on your Chest.  
6. Use a strict or push press to drive the Keg over-top of your head into a full lock out position.  
7. Lower back down and repeat.  
8. Add a Push-Up to add intensity to this movement.

Keg Carry

1. Pick the Keg Up with various styles of grips (Holding on either side, bear hug, overhead, etc) and carry for distance or time.
2. You can do teammate carries as well.

Keg Overhead Squat

1. Perform the Clean & Press to get the Keg Overhead
2. Engage your Rear Delts (back of shoulders) to maintain strict alignment of Keg over the crown of your head drop into a squat.
3. Perform desired reps and repeat for sets.

Keg Toss

1. Throw the Keg, Overhead, to the side or front.
2. Chase it down and repeat for desired reps or time.

Train with the RIGHT Intensity... Here's How!

Hey Gang, Showing up at the gym and going through the motions will NEVER produce the RESULTS you are looking for.

Often times, people think they are getting a lot done because they are breaking a light sweat or puffing so hard that they are near the brink of passing out.

These two methods are NOT what you want in a solid Fat Burning, Strength and Conditioning Program (there are exceptions to this rule but I'm not going to get into that now).

Here is a QUICK way to know if you are training with the RIGHT intensity or just wasting your time in the gym...

Check it out here!

Stay Motivated, Dedicated and Focused Gang and Get Work Done!

UNLEASH the MAYHEM,

Sean "Mayhem" Murphy

Get Angry - Get Results

Recently I got to thinking about the several hundreds of client transformations that I have personally helped over the years.

Feel free to visit http://www.mayhemfitness.com/they-said-what to see many of their before and after photos and testimonials.

For more than a decade, I have worked with so many men and women who possess different personalities, body types, emotions, habits, challenges, health issues, physical complications, work schedules and family dynamics that it would seem it would take a different strategy and approach to help each individual for their own personal success... and to some degree that is very true.

I have definitely learned a lot over the years that the text books just don't teach you about addressing difficult challenges and meeting the personal needs of each individual client.

And with each person that I have worked with I can tell you a unique story about how they accomplished their health and fitness goals.

I can also tell you that every single one of my clients has benefited from the motivation and accountability that I provide and that nearly 100% of these men and women needed the help and education of proper training and nutrition.

But even with my coaching and understanding of how the body works and responds to exercise and a healthy diet there were still some who would get results faster than others that I have worked with and continue to coach and mentor.

There is ONE THING that separates those who get amazing results from those who don't and seem to give up altogether.

Even in pursuit of my own personal goals, whether it be passing or improving my score in the APFT (Military fitness test), fat loss, rehabbing my lower back or improving strength & athleticism (which are my goals today), I had one thing that kept me driven and determined to reach my goals that were and are important to me...

And that one thing, that one common bond that I share with my cliental that has had tremendous success and the one thing that should drive you is Frustration!

You actually need to GET ANGRY to Make Results Happen!

I know, this isn't the same speech you're use to hearing from me with Positive Mindset and such but hear me out on this.

It's only when you are Truly Frustrated with where you are currently at...

It's only when you are Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired...

It's only when you are at your weakest point and SNAP OUT OF IT to become Strong again...

It's only when you are finally feed up with being FAT, OUT OF SHAPE, TIRED, SICK, WEAK, BROKE, LONELY, UNATTRACTIVE, INSERT YOUR FEELINGS HERE_______________...

Whatever that Feeling is that has you down and out and miserable, its only when you Finally Get Angry and Say Enough is Enough is when you will actually do something about it and be serious enough to make the changes necessary to Get Results!

When you allow yourself to GET ANGRY and attack your goals with a vengeance you will find yourself UNSTOPPABLE!

Nothing will step in your path of RAGE as you stare down the limitations you placed on yourself and discover they no longer have a hold on you, that YOU are in control of your fitness and health and that YOU DO have the Will-Power and Drive to Get Work Done and accomplish your goals.

Just like when Bruce Banner has had enough and he transforms into the HULK - He has to GET ANGRY and then he SMASHES everything in his path.

Imagine you have that same energy, that same drive, that same passion, that same level of intensity as the Hulk when you GET ANGRY!

That anger will be your fuel to use after years and years of frustration and you will break barriers and become the absolute BEST version of yourself.

You see, it has been in my personal experience that those who finally say enough are the ones who truly find that inner warrior to Get Work Done and change what they don't like about themselves.  
It's this trigger that sets them off and they break out of the mold that once held them back.  In fact, once they start making the transition into the new confident, vibrant, healthy and stronger person they want to be, they NEVER want to experience that old self again!

I've seen it time and time again and heard the same story over and over again from those who went from Overweight and Unattractive to Firm and Sexy, Weak and Insecure to Strong and Confident, Health Issues and Life Threatening Illness to Healthy and Medication Free - They all have said the same thing to me... 

"I hated where I was and it was TIME for me to change."

Yes, these words come out from their mouths - HATE, UNATTRACTIVE, DISGUSTED, MAD, DEPRESSED, WEAK, INSECURE, FAT, UGLY - these are not words that express any type of good feeling about one self that's for sure...

So if you look in the mirror and have any of these adjectives depicting how you feel or how you look at yourself my advice to you TODAY - RIGHT NOW is to GET ANGRY and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

No sugar coating, coddling, pat on the back, its gonna be ok softness here - GET ANGRY and GET TO WORK!

If you desire to be more, to do more, to become what you're not - then you need to know that the TIME IS NOW!  HULK OUT - GET MAD and DO SOMETHING RIGHT NOW!

• Throw out the junk food that clutters up the kitchen!
• Call up the local gym and schedule your first session with a personal trainer and KEEP THAT APPOINTMENT!
• Get Outside and go for an hour walk!
• Write down what you don't like and how you're going to fix it - this is called setting goals!

And for those of you who are looking for the perfect timing - let me be very clear...

THERE WILL NEVER BE A PERFECT TIMING!

You think you're busy now?  I guarantee your life will continue to be busy and become busier as time marches on!  You must MAKE the commitment and the time to yourself!

I get it - You have a full time job, maybe two or three jobs...

A demanding family at home...

Kids homework...

Appointments...

Volunteer Work...

Sports...

Etc... Etc...

We all have the SAME 24 hours in the day and life is NOT going to slow down - I guarantee it.  If you're ANGRY enough you're going to do something about it TODAY.  

If you're ok and not frustrated with the way you are, you will make excuses and remain the same.

DONE!

MXT Training - September 26, 2014

Hey Fellow Mayhem Maniacs,

It's been quite a while since I've posted on this Blog and for that I apologize.  I have been busy working on a few projects and things have been slamming busy at Mayhem Fitness & Cross Training which hasn't left me a whole lot of time to dedicate here.

But, I'm pleased to say that I'm back and have an incredible story to share with you.

This past Friday at MXT I issued a challenge to my members knowing this would be one for the books.  Here is what it looked like...

We divided up into teams of 2 or 3 and the goal was to complete each exercise for the total amount of reps or laps shown on the board.  Teams of two followed the left column while teams of 3 followed the right.


Each exercise could be performed in any rep count and any order, the Challenge was to complete each exercise to full completion of reps or laps.

You'll notice that some of these exercises have a circled 1 next to them.  For these exercises only 1 teammate could work at a time.  This made for team building, support and encouragement as the other teammate(s) would help drive their fellow Maniac through the Challenge.

All the other exercises teammates could work together at the same time.  You also couldn't work any other exercise until each teammate completed their working set.

After a good warm up, our members had 45 minutes to complete this Challenge.  This one went down as The Toughest Challenge we have ever offered at MXT and while almost everyone near completed the challenge, only 1 team was able to complete the whole thing.

This workout wasn't only a challenge of physical toughness and being able to push past your comfort zone but also staying mentally tough and even using some strategy with your teammate(s) to be able to see it through to the end.

After taking my morning members through this Challenge I decided I needed to step up to the plate and take this one on myself.  I teamed up with Roger and together we grunted, pushed, pulled, and sweated our way through each and every drill.

At the buzzer we fell short of one remaining lap left on the sled push.

I have to tell you, this one about killed me when it came to my cardiovascular endurance.  I have been working so hard on strength that my conditioning has fell to the way side which brings me to my lesson for you today...

Don't allow yourself to become complacent in your training routine.  When you find yourself staying away from certain exercises or training drills, recognize it and then step up to it.

Don't allow yourself to become weak in any area.  Remember, a balanced training regimen is one that consists of Advancement in Muscular Strength, Muscular Endurance, Cardiovascular Health / Performance / Endurance, Flexibility and Balance.

Train Hard and Train Smart but Most Importantly, Train Your Weak Areas!  That's where you will break through barriers and See Results!

Unleash The Mayhem!

Here is the Video from Friday's workout...

MXT Training Clips 27JUN14

HEY NOW!

As promised yesterday here is the last training clip compilation of our Maniacs for the month of June.  

I'm pretty sure you can see how Transformation happens in each of these Champions lives as they hold nothing back during their training.

If you missed yesterday's post and aren't sure what I mean by Transformation, be sure to catch up on that read right now by clicking here!

After you have read that post, check out the Transformation in progress here...



Keep rocking it Maniacs!

Get Work Done!

What TRUE Transformation Looks Like

Hey there Mayhem Maniacs and Happy July 1st!

Before I left for vacation I was able to get in one last training day at MXT this past Friday and capture so much of the action of our members working hard and having fun.

Working on the video compilation this morning has really fired me up and I am so ready to go train hard today.

But I have to tell ya, this is only day 2 of being away from MXT and I am missing it a lot.

We truly have a special family and the training environment that simply cannot be matched anywhere else.  But it goes so much further than that.

You see, like many of our members, I have gone through such a transformation in my life since I decided to open my first training facility.  

As I look back I can recognize my own personal growth, maturity, discipline, courage and strength that has developed from the inside out that has made me the person I am today.  I take on obstacles head on and I'm very aggressive at working hard on my goals.

I wasn't always this way.  There was a time in my life when I let things happen and wasn't much of a chance taker.  I've always been a hard worker but was very shy and introverted - I know right, that doesn't seem right does it, but it's true.  

There was once a time you'd never see me speak in front of large groups or be in front of a camera (ask my Mom about all the photos she wanted to take as I was growing up but couldn't because I hated it so much).  

Today I'm very comfortable in front of a VIDEO camera and love leading from the front which often includes speaking in front of large groups.

I credit this type of self transformation from the lessons learnt being under the Barbell - training hard!

Not everyone gets this - and it takes time for our members to see it happen for themselves sometimes but I guarantee this ONE thing happens with each and every dedicated member of Mayhem Fitness - they TRANSFORM.

I'm not talking about their bodies here, no, this goes much deeper and is way more important.  I'm talking about the psychological changes that occurs; the development of each members character, the fire that burns inside them to be better, do more and take on every challenge that is presented to them.

We have members who do things today they never thought they would ever try.  We have members who are not afraid to LIFT HEAVY, run and crawl through MUD, become leaders and encourage others (these are the ones I admire the most!), take on every new challenge I present them with at the gym and more!

I believe in one thing when it comes to men and women who train with discipline and that is, Training TRANSFORMS people.

It certainly doesn't happen over night but the crossover from who you use to be to who you are becoming occurs in an instant and when it happens that feeling becomes addicting and you want it every single day.  Of course, it doesn't happen for everybody either.  There are plenty of people who spend years working out but never change.  

What is the difference between the two?  

The answer is simple - Type A is the person who accepts the challenge and everything that comes with it, no matter how hard things get or how many times they have to try they will keep persisting and pushing through pain (emotional and physical) while Type B stays in their comfort zone, never truly pushing themselves into the unknown.

Are you waiting for The Transformation to happen to you?  If so, here is my invitation to you:

• Think BIG - Your dreams should be so big that they literally scare you to achieve them.  Chase them without hesitation and be prepared to work for it.
• Break out of your comfort zone during your workouts - You will only know your limits when you push yourself to them
• Stop allowing others to hold you back - Ever have someone tell you that you don't need to do something or question why you want to chase something that seems so daunting and tasking.  Even if they mean well, their questioning and "advice" could be holding you back.  Find others that have gone out and done what you are trying to do.  Listen to their advice and positive reinforcement.  Why would you ever listen to someone who is miserable in their own life or who hasn't had the courage to dream big and strive for it with everything they got?
• You want something different, Change Something - The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  Too often I hear people say they want to lose fat, become stronger, make more money but yet they aren't willing to change their daily habits.  You tell me, what sense does that make?
• Enjoy the process - This is probably the most important because in today's society of instant gratification and having everything at a moments notice we have been brainwashed into thinking that everything can be solved in minutes.  Success in anything takes a plan, time and dedication.  If you're not willing to accept the process and TIME, you will always be one of those who are discouraged, frustrated, looking for shortcuts and miserable.
• Be Grateful for everything!  Here in America, being able to enjoy the gym and train is a luxury, not a right and its another thing we take for granted that so many people in the world don't have access to.  Before you complain about ANYTHING that has thrown a monkey wrench into your perfect little world of working out I would encourage you to be thankful that you have a place and the freedom and the healthy body to be able to workout!  
• Stop WHINING!  Here's a little secret, every single time you complain about something, even in a joking manner, you hold yourself back from receiving opportunity and reward!  It's too hot, it's too cold, I forgot my gloves, I hate pushups, squats are too hard, I have no money, Joe didn't show up - I don't care what it is - whenever you entertain these thoughts and share them with others, all you are doing is inviting yourself to focus on negativity rather than focus on the task at hand to better yourself!  IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE WHAT IS GIVEN TO YOU ON A DAILY BASIS, HOW THE HELL CAN YOU EXPECT TO HANDLE MORE RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES WITH SUCCESS?

Here's the deal - we live in an era today where rewards are given for mediocrity, people are ungrateful for what they have, everyone is about what's in it for me instead of what can I do for my fellow man, people are willing to hand over their future for what they can get right now and hard work is a thing of the past.

Fortunately, success in life doesn't play by these new rules!  You can't just get by in business and you can't just get by in the gym if you want better for yourself.

The Barbell doesn't care WHO you are or WHAT you are.  It will break you down and demand your very best.  Only when you give your 100% very best CONSISTENTLY do you see THE Transformation occur.

You can't be in this for the short hull - think Marathon over Sprint here.  You can't be negative or take short cuts - The Reward, the life lessons, the man or woman you will become on the other side CANNOT be cheated!

If you're waiting for the Transformation to occur - you're staying asleep dreaming, its only when you WAKE UP and take MASSIVE action and LIVE your dream that you'll come out on the others side and say, WHOA - I'm LOVING this and I want MORE of it!

This is what Champions Are Made Of and This is what TRUE Transformations Look Like!

Get Work Done Maniacs!

By they way, I'll have the training video compilation out to you tomorrow so stay tuned!

But I do have this for you today - One day I was having a big struggle with my squats, as I stared down the Barbell, I had this thought cross my mind.  After I killed that set of squats I grabbed my notebook and wrote down these exact words which I later put in this pic...

Oh, and hey, You may be thinking, "Not every successful person works out," and to that I would argue, NOT TRUE.

Leading an active and healthy lifestyle is surely a trait that the most successful live by.  Its even part of the 7th Habit - Sharpen the Saw in the book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

Heavy Bag Training

NOPE!  I'm not talking about your traditional heavy bag 

training you might be thinking, boxing, kick-boxing, martial arts, etc.

I'm talking about a full body conditioning routine that will build overall strength and cardio all in one workout.

This past Thursday my body was STILL feeling pretty beat up from heavy lifting on Monday and Tuesday.  I typically take Wednesdays off and do recovery and mobility work.  When I went to train heavy this past Thursday my body was just not having it.

Nothing hurt, it was just the simple fact that my body wasn't responding no matter how much I pushed it to get going.

Not allowing that to deter me from a great workout I decided to pick up the Heavy Bag and get some aggression out.  Half way into the workout I decided to break out the video camera and record some of the fun drills I did.

Check out my Heavy Bag Training from this past Thursday... This one truly was a lot of FUN!

Watch it here!

Remember, you don't need a fancy gym or basement full of expensive equipment to get the job done.  I had one hell of a full body workout just by utilizing this one, old, beat up heavy bag.

No excuses right!

Get Work Done Maniacs!

June Highlights

Well, June is almost over... can you believe it?

Here at MXT it wasn't just the Summer weather that brought on the heat this month, our members at Mayhem Fitness & Cross Training really rocked it out with their hard training.

In case you missed any of it, here are some clips from this months training and special events, including the Tough Mudder and Open Gym where Lori got to practice her coaching skills.

June was truly a month that the Mayhem was UNLEASHED!

Check it out all the action and Fun times here!



Oops!  I thought I had included more clips of the Tough Mudder in here - ah well, you can see all the action from that day by clicking here!

Stay Strong, Dedicated and Focused Maniacs and...

Get Work Done!

Men, Muscle and Mayhem - Chest Day

So yesterday, Josh and I hit Chest with a little vengeance.  After doing the Tough Mudder on the 14th I suffered a bit of a shoulder impingement - luckily it wasn't anything that one trip to my Chiropractor couldn't fix but it did make me miss my chest workout last week.

This week I was ready to UNLEASH the MAYHEM on my chest.

I'm changing up my training protocol just a bit to get myself more conditioned for competitions, but I don't want to lose any strength, in fact, I need to keep building my strength up as much as possible.

So I'm doing a little Hybrid Training by mixing it up with Powerlifting, Bodybuilding and Conditioning all in one workout.

I know I'll get a lot of questions about this style of training, you can't really focus on all of that at once, can you?

Joe Defranco would even say, there is a time for Strength and then a time for Conditioning and I agree 100% so most of my focus right now is still on raw power, however, throwing in a bit of bodybuilding and conditioning with this method will continue to take me to the next level in my training.

Today we hit Chest so I started with 5 sets of 5 on the Bench Press for overall Strength.

From there I moved onto 2 Bodybuilding cycles - 1st being the Incline Bench for four sets of 10 / 8 / 6 / 15 reps.  Then finished off with Decline Flyes for 3 sets of 10.

Finally, I hit 8 rounds TABATA Burpees making sure I got full range of motion with my Push-ups for my conditioning.  This workout took just under an hour to complete (including a 10 minute warmup) and it felt great to be up under the Barbell again.

Josh mixed it up a bit utilizing the War Machines for Cable Cross Overs (nope, can't do that on TRX) and hitting some Decline Bench work today.

Check out these video clips of Josh and I Getting Work Done!

5 KILLER Upper Body Exercises For a KILLER Summer Body

WOW!  Does the weekend move fast sometimes or what?  Here it is  Monday morning already and I am pumped up and excited to do work.

This past week I received an email from one of our Mayhem Maniacs who wanted some ideas on some great upper body strength training exercises that they could do from home.

With that said I wanted to give you some great tips to get your week off to a great start!

Here are my TOP 5 Killer Exercises for a Killer Summer Body!

1. Rope Climb / Pull-ups / Inverted Rows - Ok, I know Pull-ups aren’t doable yet for everyone so I have some different progressions until you can get your feet off the ground and body up to new heights.  Lets start with the lessor of these 3 exercises (although still very challenging) The Inverted Row.  You can use the Kitchen table or throw a strong rope around a low hanging branch of a tree in your yard.  Perform this exercise by getting up under your table and pulling your chest up as seen in the pic below.  From here you can move into the Assisted Rope Climb.  Essentially the same movement as the inverted row, you’ll start by lying flat on the ground and grasping the rope.  You’ll climb the rope hand over hand until you are almost in a full standing position.  Keeping your feet in contact with the ground at all times reverse the movement by walking hand over hand back down till your laying flat on the ground again.  Both of these exercises are great for beginners who can’t get their first pull-up yet or struggle to climb a rope.  
   
2. Push-ups - These are the most basic of all upper body pressing movements however many times folks get them wrong.  To execute the perfect pushup make sure you keep a tight core.  This means from the base of your neck all the way down to your heels you have one solid, straight line and from your chin all the way to the toes, same thing.  No bowing in the back, no sagging in the stomach.  Keep your elbows slightly back instead of flared out to the sides to protect your shoulders and come all the way down till your triceps (back of the arms), upper back and floor all make one parallel line.  Another tip you can do is place a tennis ball under your chest and come all the way down till your chest hits the ball, then back up to full extension.  Its ok to keep the elbows soft at the top and not lock them out.  I actually prefer this as to not put unnecessary pressure on the elbow joints.  You can hit many different variations of the push-up to keep up the challenge.  Choose from regular, close grip, wide grip, spider crawl, burpee, bear crawl, box, explosive, weighted, etc  - Check out this video of our members hitting different pushup challenges.  
3. Odd Object Throw - This one is as basic as it sounds but a heck of a lot of fun and will build tremendous strength and give you a great metabolic conditioning workout as well (cardio to burn fat!)  Execute this movement by finding any large, heavy object (Big Rocks, Bricks, Concrete Blocks, Weighted Medicine Ball, Sandbag, Even a Dumbbell) pick it up off the ground and heave it as far as you can with a variation of different throws.  Try doing this for time.  2-4 minutes will do the trick here :D
4. Sledge Hammer Chops / Split Wood - Sometimes, the ol’ fashioned household chores growing up were the best workouts I have ever done.  Splitting and sawing wood was definitely one of those winter chores that I never looked forward to because it was HARD WORK!  Dad would do most of the splitting but my brother and I would carry and stack the wood into nice piles to burn later in the wood stove.  If you don’t have firewood to cut, get out a heavy sledgehammer and “chop wood” by hitting it into an old tire.  The heavier the hammer, the better the workout :D
5. Farmer Carry - One of my all time favorite movements that’s pretty much the Ultimate in a Strength and Conditioning exercise.  Not only will you test your entire bodies strength and endurance from your grip, to forearms, biceps, shoulders, traps, upper back, core and even legs but you’ll also be huffing and puffing trying to manage the weight for more distance or time.  Of course once you get good at a certain weight, its time to take it up or increase your distance, time, etc.  Simply grab 2 heavy objects in your hands and start walking.  Keep your body as tall as you can (think tall spine) and try not to drop.  Don’t need anything expensive here, just grab a couple of 5 Gallon buckets and fill them with water or sand.  They’ll get the job done!

So there you go.  5 Great Upper body (and really full body) drills you can do at home with things you already have laying around.

Try these exercises on this week and let me know how you do!

Get Work Done!

TABATA Throw-Down

The Maniac crew is at it again this morning unleashing the Mayhem TABATA style.  This no holds barred approach to high intensity intervals is a sure fire way to blast fat and get a great conditioning workout in 20 minutes or LESS!

Today the crew did 4 different TABATA stations which consists of 20 seconds of all out effort followed by 10 seconds of absolute rest, then repeat for a total of 4 minutes.

If you’d like to try this Routine at home or in your own gym here is what we did:

1. Sprints
2. Flutter Kicks
3. Jump Rope (Jumping Jacks or Quick Box Steps can be used instead)
4. Dying Cockroach

Again, each drill is 4 minutes in length and completed for 8 full rounds.  We took breaks between drills to allow recovery and water before moving onto the next exercise.

Of course, any MXT workout wouldn’t be complete without a great BURN OUT which consisted of various drills and ended with Conveyor Belt Sprints as shown in the video below...

Ok, ok - for you technical folks out there, TABATA dictates that after a 10 minute warm you do a 4 minute workout and then you're done!

The TRUE Tabata protocol is to work at 170% of your VO2Max for 20 seconds (which happens to be the highest amount of oxygen your body can consume and use for energy) followed by the 10 seconds of rest to try and fully recover.  

The only way for us to test whether our members are even close to this is with the use of oxygen and carbon dioxide analyzers as seen here....

Ooops, sorry, wrong image....

Ah YES!  There's the right one!

Where did TABATA come from?

This system was developed and tested by Japanese researcher Dr. Izumi Tabata in 1996.  With the test subjects, just one 4 minute session burned as many calories as a 60 minute jog.

Over a six week period of 4 sessions per week (with a single session of long-duration cardio added in), Tabata was shown to be more effective at improving the bodies aerobic and anaerobic capacity compared to regular moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.

Since its popularity, there are many training facilities and gyms (like us) who have adopted a prototype of this training system used to give members a great challenge and improve their overall quality of life.

So can we truly call it a Tabata workout if we're not following the protocol of 4 minutes at 170% of VO2 Max - 

Not really... But we can say - OH WHAT A HELL OF A WORKOUT!!!

Give it a go and try to keep up, after all, you're only in competition with yourself when you give Tabata everything you've got!

Get Work Done!

Tough Mudder 2014

So Hey Now Mayhem Maniacs, Murphy here and I really don't have the words to express the Tough Mudder event in Doswell VA this past Saturday - all I have to say is - IT WAS EPIC!

I'll just let this video do all the talking for me - 

OH WHAT A RUSH!!!!

Make sure you watch this thing to the VERY END - the only thing I wish we could of gotten on video was SHOCK THERAPY - I have no idea what we all looked like going through that crazy station.  All I know is that it felt like someone sucker punched me all the way through it.

Love Being a part of Mudder Nation!

Life BUILT Around Passion

Happy Friday Mayhem Maniacs...

You know, Friday's are kind of bitter-sweet for me; it means the beginning of the weekend, which is usually filled with some good down time spent with my son, Hunter, my girlfriend Lori and our crazy Dawg Penny.

This weekend will be a bit different as we are taking on the Tough Mudder tomorrow morning AND its Lori's Birthday so we'll be living it up a bit :D

Here's a pic of all of us at the Chancellorsville Battlefield taken this past fall.

But it also means the end to another Fun-filled week of training members at our facility, Mayhem Fitness & Cross Training.

For the typical person working a 9-5, Friday's are highly anticipated and the weekend can't come soon enough.  Then of course, the dreaded Monday rolls around and its back to the daily grind, trading their hours for dollars.  

I recall these days all too well...

I remember Sunday nights being filled with anxiety, stress and often depression... Monday HAVING to get up and work long hours to earn an income.

Now, don't get me wrong, it was never that I didn't appreciate hard work.  In fact, its only when I put forth the effort to Get Work Done that I feel good about myself and these days I work just as hard if not harder then ever before.

But there is a difference in my life between the past and where I am at now... The difference lies within my Passion!

At one time in my life, before I became a certified personal trainer, I was working for a trucking company in Fredericksburg VA and I truly loved the work.  I spent my days loading these freight trucks with various items that would be distributed to convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and Wal-Mart chains.  

The work was intense to say the least as everything was loaded by hand so I honestly got a great workout each and every day.

My co-workers quickly became great friends and through the help of Facebook I still stay in contact with some of the boys today even though I'm an hour away and its been over 10 years since I've worked there - Wow, has it really been that long.

I actually loved this job because of the work and the friends I made and because I was providing for my family.

But something was missing, I always had this burning desire to be more, to do more although I was very proud that I had a job that provided what we needed.  I knew however, that I wasn't in control of my destiny there and I didn't like the politics of upper management.  

I knew there was no room for growth for me because I never wanted to move up the success ladder they provided by becoming a team leader, manager, supervisor, etc.  I didn't like how the company used many of these "leaders."

I don't think these people were bad in any way and looking back I have a much greater understanding of why things worked the way they did in such a large company and I can appreciate it; but I still wouldn't want any of those positions, for much different reasons today though.  

My mind was made up, I would never be a sell-out so the way I saw it I had two choices; one, continue working as a truck loader and get paid what they told me I was worth or follow my hearts love, which was and still is, fitness.

At this same time that I was working for this trucking company I was also studying and learning more about working out and nutrition.  I was overcoming a back injury that I had sustained from the military and was a bit over weight when I first landed the truck loading job.  I actually used my workday as one tool for me to help lose the extra weight, which truly made the job so much more fun and rewarding.

My teammate and I would actually time ourselves on how fast we could load our trucks.  The typical truck took about four hours to load and we averaged 2 trucks per day... we loved to get each truck done in 3 hours or less.  

Of course, we needed to do a good job and load these trucks in a manner that wouldn't be unsafe to the drivers, so there was a little bit of a science to doing it right... 

Its funny, because every time I have to pack my truck up with stuff like groceries or for vacation I use the techniques of this previous job and it does take me back to the "good ol days."  

I can pack everything so tight that nothing moves around and every inch of space is utilized. Loading these trucks daily was like piecing together a giant puzzle.

Ok, so as I was losing weight and studying, my co-workers witnessed my transformation and began asking questions in regards to their own workouts.  I did the best I could with my rookie knowledge and we would have some fun conversations and even mini workouts in the back of the trucks doing pull-up and push-up challenges.

I would come home from work and train in my basement, just killing it with everything I knew to do.  I would use every exercise program out of the bodybuilding magazines.  My workouts would sometimes last 2 hours or more.  I didn't care, I was getting leaner and my back was getting much stronger so it was successful.

My workouts progressed out of the basement and into a gym setting and one of my good friends and co-workers, Kevin started working out with me.  It wasn't long before he said to me, "You really need to be doing this for a living."

At this point I had lost over 60 pounds of fat, could run 7 miles in under an hour, had no more back pain that prevented me from doing the lifting I enjoyed and was living the lifestyle of health and fitness. 

When Kevin said these words to me a lightbulb went off in my head... I love this lifestyle, I love how I feel and I want everyone to know this feeling!  In an instant I knew what I had been looking for!

I immediately took action on what today has become an extraordinary adventure and journey in my life. I had no idea at the time when I decided to become a certified personal trainer where that decision would lead me to and where I am at today.

I say this because there has been so many changes in my journey, all of which has molded me and enabled me to grow as a trainer, a coach, as a Father, a Business Owner and as a role model to others.

I wake up excited to do work (and have fun) each and every day.  I have been training men and women for over 13 years now and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will be in this industry Leading from the Front for the rest of my life.

I have no idea where this journey will continue to take me with years to come.

I had no clue that my journey would have its times of failures, hardships, victories and life changing lessons.

All I knew at that time is that I made a decision based on my Passion, stepped out of my comfort zone and followed my heart... which is exactly what I'm encouraging you to do right now no matter where you are in life.

Before you ask why you let me ask, why not you?

Maybe you've tried something before or maybe you've been too scared to step out and venture into the unknown.

Best piece of advice I can give you for that is, don't fall victim to circumstances, don't believe you're not good enough and certainly don't think you don't have anything to offer others.  

Believe it or not, you have a tremendous gift to share with your peers.  

What that may be I don't know but I do know that living a life built around Your Passion is the ultimate way to achieve a lifestyle on your terms, what ever that means to you.

I use to think it meant a life of ultra success, money, maybe fame and stature, with the exotic cars, multiple houses, girls on both arms.  Material things are nice, but they don't make me who I am. 

And hey, that stuff may be important and true to some but through the lessons I've learned along my journey I've come to discover, these kinds of things are just not what I'm in it for.  

What I have learned along the way is my life has so much more meaning when its based on serving, giving and being a positive role model to others.

It doesn't mean I don't strive to make a decent living this way, it just means that my values have changed of what living life on my own terms means.

How did I come to discover this?

I'll be honest, it wasn't an easy lesson and its one that I sometimes still struggle with today.  Yep, just like you I have my bad days too.

It all started once I decided to go into business for myself.  

After I received my personal training certification I went to work Part Time for the local gym.  I was still working my full time job at the trucking company and working on my own fitness goals so my day typically consisted of waking up early and going for a 2 mile run or completing a Tae Bo workout (remember those VHS tapes?).  

From there I would work at the warehouse from 6:30 am - 3 pm then go straight to the gym, do my second workout (or 3rd if you want to count my trucking job) of the day and then train clients from about 5 pm till 9 or 10 at night.  

I did this Monday through Friday and worked at the gym on the weekends as well.  The long hours didn't phase me as I was doing what I loved.

I loved being at the gym.  I was building a new career, making new friends, learning a hell of a lot, making lots of mistakes, asking even more questions and training hard with the guys that were way stronger and better than me.

At the point I was hired as a trainer I was a lean 185 - 190 pounds so my attention changed to building up muscle mass.   I trained with some of the local bodybuilders and thats when my training really took on a new meaning and focus.

I applied everything I learned from these guys and my growth was astounding... some were even asking if I using Steroids.

Nope, just lifting big, eating big and still doing my early morning running or Tae Bo because I enjoyed it.  At my best shape I weighed in around 215-220 at 8 - 10% body fat.

I was never the ripped guy and had absolutely no desire (still don't) to jump up on stage in my underwear.  I won't lie to ya, I'm that guy who still likes to enjoy life so its probably a good thing that I enjoy the Iron so much.

Here's a couple of pics of me from back in the day trying to look all Fly, GQ, Egotistical, whatever you wanna call it...

Sorry if I got a little off track there - my mind works that way sometimes and I'll be honest, I haven't talked about my old training days in a very long time and its fun to reflect on but lets get back to why you're here reading...

As my client base grew at the gym I was working at I knew my time with my full time loading job was coming to a close after being there for over 5 years.  But I wasn't considering a Full time position at the gym, instead I decided to open my own personal training facility with the help of a franchise.  

This decision was rather impulsive and I moved quickly to making this opportunity happen.

I won't get into all the details of opening my first personal training facility but I will say I learned a lot of business and life lessons along the way.  And the lessons of what not to do have helped me tremendously with everything I do today.

Here are some pics of that personal training facility...

I bought into the franchise model as I was influenced by some books that I read and the franchise itself that this would be the ultimate way to leverage myself as a leader in the industry; I bought into the short cut approach.  Was that a mistake?

That's probably the toughest question I ask myself today.  If I had it to do all over again, would I?  Meaning, would I of started with the franchise model or just go at it on my own if I had that decision to make all over again.

Even though the franchise failed, I took away so many lessons from it that I feel benefit me today and had I not learned these things I seriously doubt I'd be anywhere close to where I am as I write this.

The #1 Lesson I Learned was to Follow Your Heart - Do Not Chase Money!

I feel into this trap very hard even though I couldn't recognize it at all.  I had my Passion, Fitness and wanting to help others; however, I could of started building a business built on serving others through my passion rather than build an expensive place for people to come to.
  
The problem with this was if I didn't get what I wanted, MONEY, nobody was going to be happy.

Here's what I mean...

I had to chase money with my first gym because when I started up my business I had taken on loans (DEBTS), rent, business expenses (marketing, insurance, paychecks, electricity, water, phone, internet, etc) and I needed to provide a living.  

I HAD to do everything that I could to make sure all these things were met and that meant working extremely long hours, training people I didn't have a good fit for and turning away people who I wanted to work with but who couldn't afford my services.

Don't get me wrong here, I loved every single client I worked with - just some were suited for my style of training and coaching and some weren't.  Some got great results, the others didn't. Can you guess which ones did?

Here is the lesson I learned once I recognized the mistake I had made - I had became a SELL OUT!  I had done exactly what I didn't want to do in the trucking company and I had no one to blame but myself... very tough pill to swallow.

Remember when I said I dreaded Mondays... the Mondays I hated were the ones when I owned my first gym.  I was much happier in the days as a truck loader - go figure!

My days were long, stressful, filled with worry and angst.  I was drained mentally and physically, I started gaining weight again.  I was eating poorly, I was making excuses for myself, I started playing the what if game and the should of game with myself.  

My relationship with the girl I was dating suffered, my relationship with my son and family suffered.  I was a total mess and on top of it all, I WASN'T EVEN ABLE TO PAY ALL MY BILLS!

I was LIVING A LIE NOT MY PASSION!

Eventually, the franchise I was a part of closed me down giving me a cease and desist letter because I wasn't making the minimum royalty payments.  My dream had fallen apart and for the first time in 6 years I felt one thing that mattered most to me - RELIEF.

Now, I was extremely upset, disappointed in myself and the franchise, broke and wondering if I even belonged in the fitness industry.  By the way, this all happened during the biggest recession period of 2008 - 2010.  I was one of the 20% of gyms that close during the recession.

Wanna know how I know that 20% of gyms in America closed during that time frame?  Because I started to look for these types of statics to blame.
I blamed my location, I blamed the franchise, I blamed my marketing but I never put the blame on where it should of been placed, myself!  

And Hey, other gyms managed to stay open during the recession, and some were even able to grow so the truth is I can't put the blame there.

I had to OWN up to the fact that for whatever reason, this business model was not following my true passion and because of that my business failed, I failed myself and I had failed my clients.  Not a happy day.

I have another blog post about the way I was feeling when that time of my life hit me and the instant decision I made to take back my passion and start anew.  You can read that blog post here - When its time to fight back

Ok, so I said there was a difference between chasing money and chasing passion right.  Well here is where I changed things up, dramatically!

I still needed to make a living and I didn't want to do anything else but work with people and help them with their health and fitness goals - this Passion still THRIVED in me and it does today just as strong, if not stronger as it did the first day I started my personal training career.

The big difference was that I was going to establish MY OWN parameters (no franchise telling me what I could and couldn't do), I was going to work the hours I wanted to work and I was going to train the clients that were a good fit for me AND I was going to make it much more affordable so I didn't have to turn anybody away who truly wanted what I had to offer.

No longer would I be a slave and no longer did I need to take on everybody and anybody just to pay the bills.  Those who appreciate my skills and want to train hard are those that are members of the Mayhem family today.  

Those who aren't a good fit, are complainers and negative don't last long and I won't cater to them - don't want to, don't have to.

My energy is better spent on serving my clients and giving them what they need, not on gossip and negativity.  You'll NEVER see me feed this kind of monster.

This is one of my code of ethics I live by and I wrote that down as one of my core values when I started the new business model which is known today as Mayhem Fitness & Cross Training.

When I started this company I was once again pursuing my PASSION!  

I didn't worry about the money, still don't today.  When you chase your passion and LEAD from the FRONT people that appreciate what you have to offer follow.

I'll continue to pursue my passion which is to help as many people as I possibly can and is the main reason I started up this Blog - MurphysMayhem.com a while back.  

(Although, I have recently dedicated more time to it than in years past, the reason is simple, Passion will give you more time to do the things you want to do!)

I use this tool as my platform to help those who are looking for the kind of content I put out there.  And I do this for FREE!  Why?  

Because its what I LOVE TO DO!

When I receive emails, comments and Facebook likes, that lets me know that what I'm doing is helping and that people appreciate what I have to offer.

Does this mean I'm always right?  NOPE.  Does it mean I'm always happy with my word choices and rambling that I do often, nah... but I'm not trying to be perfect... I'm just trying to help with my best efforts.  

After all, thats all I can be, my absolute best... and for the haters... I love them too.  

Why?  Because like it or not, they are extra fans that I have.  They still follow what I'm doing.  Why would anyone who didn't like what I put out there follow me and waste their energy on negativity?  I don't waste my time hating on others, don't need to.  

I'm confident in my abilities and love what I do and helping men and women with their health and fitness goals is all I will ever do.

I encourage you to LIVE YOUR PASSION.  Find what you love to do, what you're passionate about and go make a difference in somebody's life.

You don't need to have any money to start.  When I started MXT I was broke and in a LOT of debt... in fact I'm still paying off some of those old debts today!  

I didn't have anything but my love for fitness and desire to help others.  

I found a way to make it happen and did it - No Excuses, No Blaming Circumstances or Others, No Bad Mouthing Anybody, No Chasing Money - Just Living My Code Of Ethics and Following my Passion.

Its the BEST Decision I have ever made in my life.

Are you Living Your Passion?  Whether its your own business, your job, volunteer work, blogging, your church, etc etc...

If so, I would love to hear about it in the comments box below.  Share your story with others as you never know who it may help!

If not and would like to, here is a Quick Checklist of my most important tips to help you get started

• Define what your passion is
• Be a LEADER and be true to yourself!
• Define who you want to help
• Write down your core values
• Get busy today working on your passion whatever those steps may be for you
• Follow Through, Always Believe, Don't Ever Give Up and Don't Give your time to the haters
• Inspire and Lead others with your Passion each and every day

Get Work Done!

PS:  Here are some Blogs I've written that talks about my journey, how I started, the steps I took, my feelings at the time, etc.  Hope this helps somebody today!

The Legacy of Mayhem Pt 1

The Legacy of Mayhem Pt 2

The Legacy of Mayhem Pt 3

The Legacy of Mayhem Pt 4

When Its Time to Fight Back

When Life Gets Heavy

PSS: And hey, maybe your 9-5 Job is your Passion and you're living it every day... this post wasn't to slam anyone or anything they do.  There are many who struggle with what they do and feel there is more to life, this blog post was intended for those individuals who want more out of life.

Love Hard, Live Passionately & Die Strong With No Regrets Maniacs!

FUN With The High Intensity Agility Course

Hey Gang,

Murphy here and real quick I want to give you an awesome idea on how you can Train Hard with your High Intensity Intervals and Have FUN at the same time.

I know, I know, every time I tell my members we're going to have FUN today they look at me like I'm crazy - maybe our ideas of a FUN time are different but I HATE cardio so any way that I can mix it up and not have to go for a long boring run or pedal on a freaking Eliptical Machine is indeed FUN to me!

As you know (or should know) if you want to Burn Fat and Stimulate more muscle and strength, you need to be doing High Intensity work.  This means short burst of all out effort coupled with lower intensity for time or reps.

One way we accomplish this at MXT is with our Agility Course.  It's set up to give you the perfect blend of Speed, Coordination, Balance, Strength, Explosive Power and Agility.

Here's why the Agility Courses works so well.

• Raises your bodies resting metabolic rate - Burn More Fat every hour, every day
• Enhances your neural pathways - helps with overall performance, balance, agility and coordination
• Helps Overall Body Strength - Your muscles will become stronger
• Increases Cardiovascular Endurance - Stronger heart and respiratory system
• It's QUICK - It doesn't take hours of work - a simple 10-20 minute workout is all you need!

As you know, when you train with high intensity you force the body to use more oxygen compared to steady state cardio.  Think Sprints vs a 1 mile run.  How far do you think you'd get if you tried an all out sprint for 1 mile straight?

The agility course does this automatically as you are mixing up fast paced movement such as sprints along with slower performance types of movements, hurdles, tire runs, jumps, etc.  

We never take long runs in the wee hours of the morning with our MXT training group, however it never fails to get feedback from members who enjoy running that they can run longer and faster due to our short HIIT at MXT.  

This is because they have increased their overall cardiovascular endurance and respiratory system much more efficiently than running alone ever will.

One very cool thing about training with obstacles such as an agility course is that you also enhance your neural path ways - meaning you get smarter when you train this way amongst many other benefits such as providing more blood flow and oxygen to the brain.

Think of your mind and body as a giant computer.  It learns new skills.  When you challenge it, it figures out what it needs to do to accomplish the task easier.  

My members often hear me say, "Make that mind and body connection," and I do this for one very specific reason - to enhance their neural path ways and create that focus and awareness of what they're doing at all times.

Think about a child who's first learning to walk.  They first must learn to stand, then balance, then take their first steps.  When starting they'll use something to pull themselves up onto their feet and fall many times but the neural path ways are learning and strengthening through each attempt until finally the child is able to stand on their own, walk and eventually run.

It's the same thing with your training and agility course's will take you from crawling to running, recruiting more muscular tension and explosion which leads into the next benefit - overall strength!

Your muscular skeletal system will definitely reap the benefits of getting stronger through the use of agility training and when you mix in strength training and / or explosive exercises such as pushups, monkey bars, various jumps, etc, you'll only enhance it even more! 

It's easy to see why you would not only get a great cardiovascular workout from agility course training but also muscular strength, endurance, coordination, speed, explosive power and ultimately FAT LOSS!

Check out this video of some of our different agility courses we've done over the years... Are we having FUN or What?!

I'm sure this has given you some creative ideas of how to set up your own agility course but here are some quick tips to help you out.

How to Set Up Your Own Agility Course

• You don't need a lot of equipment - use anything that you can step through, jump over, crawl under, climb over, etc.
• You can get tires for FREE (I picked mine up at the local Harley Davidson Shop - saved them on deposal costs and they are the perfect size for running through)
• Set it up in your backyard or utilize the local playground
• Set a timer and see how many rounds you can do in 1 minute, 2 minutes, 4 minutes, etc.
• Get a group together and have FUN with this one :D

Get Work Done!