Everyday Systems

i've decided on these as my shovelglove warmup:

http://www.mkprojects.com/fa_TibetanRites.htm

they are simple straightforward and seem to loosen up all the places sg tightens. the first exercise may seem a bit silly but is included in fureys combat conditioning book as well. i'm starting with 3 reps of each adding 1 each week to the maximal recommended 21. i'll give feedback as i progress.

Yoga rules!!!!
Have fun
Thanks again for the good link!
Peace,
Deb

Rite five is very Hindu pushup-like (if you are Furey-experienced).

If you can pull of Rite 4, you probably don't need any other exercise!

Exercise 4 is also Furey approved. He refers to them as Tablemakers. It's all good as a warm up. A stripped down yoga.

I guess it's not has hard as a bridge, which I've never been able to pull off (you need pretty flexible shoulders).

I'll give it a try.

Also as a more advanced version of the 4th Rite you have The Stretcher. Basically the arm motions are the same but the legs remain extended.

So what does everyone think of the books of the mighty Mr Furey? His combat conditioning and combat abs books look interesting, but I'm skeptical because his website reads like an infomercial.

Do people have these books? How are they?

I have read Combat Conditioning and Abs as well as viewed a number of his videos. They are full of information. CC concentrates on the Royal Court but adds a large number of additional exercises to prevent boredom. He also very briefly gives diet advice. This boils down to eliminate carbs. Meat, Veggies, Fruit, Dairy are fine though. No counting carbs from Fruits and Veggies a la Atkins. Overall good.. I might recommend The Underground Guide to Warrior Fitness by Ross Enamait first. www.warriorforce.com. Same idea with a greater emphasis on workouts. Furey spends about 75 words on the "how to put it all together."

Combat Abs is a bit different though. It is based on 7 unorthdox exercises as a foundation to which he gives a wide number of non traditional ab exercises. Such as bridging and hindu pushups as well as the more standard v-ups and coffin situps. The 7 basic exercises are taken from various sources such as the vacuum of yoga and a waist turning tai chi exercise. The primary exercise is a tricker than it sounds deep breathing while contracting the abs movement. Definately different. No equipment required like with Pavel Tsatsoulines Bullet Proof Abs. These 7 could be a nice addition to SG..

Yes many are turned off by his Snake Oil Salesman meets Carnival Barker delivery. One almost wonders if he refers to his customers as marks. I think it is worse that he sells a marketing course that spreads this approach. Check out www.spartanhealth.com or www.chetday.com for examples.

So is it worth the cash? Well honestly I didn't buy any of these I found them hm.. around. I'd say overall Furey does pack more content less fluff than his competitors (Pavel, Sonnon, Dragan, etc)

Combat conditioning is okay. There's nothing magic. If you'd like to borrow the book, e-mail me off line and I'll send it to you on long term loan.

Maybe you could just hang out here and talk to hlidskjalf and VG. I suspect you'd do as well.

If you are familiar with the Hindu pushup and the Hindu Squat, you've gotten most of the Combat Conditioning book, I think. I've never been able to do that back bridge, although my shoulders are loose enough now that it's probably time to start.

Hey Kevin! How about this one?!

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/473_1.cfm

Love,
Deb

Holy crap...

Yeah, "The Wheel"!!!
That's my favorite "challenging" yoga pose...
I can usually only hold it for about 15 seconds max...
Still can't do a headstand yet though! LOL...
Working on it
Love,
Deb

I recently found a copy of The Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth by Peter Kelder. This introduced the Five Tibetan Rites. You get official instructions as well as a visit to some Shangri-La monastery. The book is in .pdf format and brief research leads me to believe it is in the public domain. Anyone interested message for delivery by email.