Over the past month I’ve been enjoying an extended martial arts journey in Thailand, training in an obscure martial art that was never taught outside the Lanna kingdom until about 10 years ago. 

Some might think I am on vacation, but that is definitely not the case. Per usual, I am in learning mode. 

We flew to this Land of 1,000 smiles in mid-December and have been on the go, since then. Each day I meet with Kru Nik, a master who also recognizes me as one, for a few hours of private instruction.

The material is challenging in many ways, and the benefits are incredible as well as palpable. 

The first day I began training here, Kru Nik, told me how he got his start in martial arts, but after realizing how destructive the art he began with was to his body, he switched gears to an internal art that was far more rewarding. 

This same sentiment about the destructiveness of many forms of exercise and martial arts, is echoed by Pendekar William Sanders, whom I’ve been training with for over three years. Pendekar is 70+ years of age, and when it comes to movement, I’ve never seen anyone better. In fact, it’s not even close. 

But sadly, most people don’t get the memo about the harm they are doing to their bodies until it’s too late. This is why so many martial artists, athletes and fitness freaks turn into dream patients for orthopedic surgeons. 

I got the memo long ago, and I changed the way I trained from primarily external to mostly internal. 

Last Friday, during a lengthy conversation with some other masters, they told me how so many once great fighters in Thailand can no longer kick with any power. Their bodies are banged up beyond belief. In fact, many cannot lift their leg and maintain balance. 

But this is not the case with those who practice the internal arts and engage in the exercise practices I teach in my Power Postures course. 

When you practice internally, the way I lay it out for you, instead of traumatizing your body, you repair and regenerate. You recharge and renew. 

As a 20 or 30-year old, you might think there’s no trauma to your body when you train. But when you turn 40, 50 and then some, you find out that your body remembers everything you did to it that wasn’t so good for the long haul ahead.

The good news is that, you can start today, as in NOW, to turn the tables in your favor.

Learn how to move in ways that eliminate pain and weakness without beating into submission.

As I have said many, many times: Focus on being loose, long, limber and strong, and you’ll go far. 

Even better, enroll in my Power Postures course NOW, while the amount is still quite low.

I’ve had to raise the fee a few times already, and will probably be doing so again quite soon, as the benefits are off the chain. So jump on this pronto, my friend. Your body will thank you for doing so.

Matt Furey

Below is an email exchange that began a couple weeks ago:

Hi Matt,

I am 55 and have been training for many years, my body is beat up and in pain just about every day, and I have muscle cramps a lot through out the day the pain is debilitating and obviously any workouts that I do are sub optimal, is power postures a stand alone system.

Regards,
Glen

Hi Glen,
Yes it is. Begin slowly. Take your time and allow yourself to heal and recover. 

Matt

Ok, thank you, Matt, I appreciate your quick response will order now.

Best Regards,
Glen

Glen placed his order on November 21. Yesterday he wrote to give me the following update:

Hi Matt,
I did go ahead and order as I said below and have been doing the warmups everyday, I started with the Wu Ji, then after a couple of days I added farmers squat and have recently added pyramid pose, I will add the remaining 2 exercises over the next couple of weeks.

I have also been doing another isometrics programme every second day. (I did the best workout I have EVER done with this programme a few days ago)

The purpose of this email is to tell you I am absolutely blown away by my results all ready, and I would like to thank you for providing this programme, this really is a game changer for older or probably any age for that matter beat up bodies.

Thanks again mate, I am in deep gratitude and appreciation for your knowledge.

Best Regards,
Glenn

Glenn,
Absolute awesomeness. I’m so happy for you. 

Matt

Glenn isn’t the only one blown away with this program. Last week I worked with a small group of men for three days. Two of them were stellar athletes in their younger years, and now they are regaining their youthful mobility.

The way these men used to train made them stronger, but it simultaneously traumatized their bodies. Now the pain from the way they used to train is going away. What’s more, the overall feeling of well being and calmness these men felt almost immediately was palpable. They felt the stream of electrical and magnetic energy in their hands and feet.

After the first 30 seconds of standing in the first posture, I asked, “Do you feel anything different?”

“I feel plugged in,” said one of them.

“That’s perfect,” I answered. “That’s the feeling you want. When you stand the way I’m teaching, you’re plugging yourself into an invisible socket, and you feel it FAST. And this energy goes into everything you do, making what you do better and better.”

YES, you can FEEL similar results NOW.

For the next 24 hours the Power Postures course will be available at the current fee, then it’s going UP.

Order NOW and change your life for the better.

YES!

Matt Furey

“The journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

Contrary to what many people preach, taking your first step is more important than the goal of traveling 1,000 miles.

Last night, for example, I looked at the clock when my workout was finished, and ’twas a surprise to see that I had been training for 95 minutes.

Was it my goal to train for this long? No.

Well then, what was my goal? It was to “get started.”

There’s a saying that rings true: “Beginning is half-done.”

If you will just get started, this will lead to doing more than taking your first step. It may lead to thousands of steps. When you ignore the clock, and place your focus on one simple movement and the breathing that goes with it, applying no pressure to yourself in terms of time, this one movement leads to a second and a third.

So many people are slaves to the clock when they train. Everything is timed. The buzzer tells you when to begin, when to end and when to rest. There’s no sense of feel or getting into a groove. To me, this makes for an unenjoyable, mechanical training experience.

The clock doesn’t tell me what to do. And if it does, I am using an approach that is almost robotic.

A much more natural approach to training is to get yourself going and then see where it leads. There’s no pushing or prodding, there’s no force. This leads to the minimization of resistance to doing the things that will make you better.

I realize there are those who believe they have “the math” figured out when it comes to exercise, but the truth is that all the math is made up. Regardless of what “math” you use, you will get results if you are consistent.

You can do 5 sets of 5. You can do three sets of 10. Or two sets of 20.

All three approaches will work, if you do.

So will the the one-rep approach. Historically, people have gotten mighty strong, doing sets of one repetition.

Some time ago, one of my teachers taught me a grueling exercise that I could previously not do. He gave me the secret to doing it and a minute later, when I successfully did this exercise for the first time, I was exhausted.

Then he gave me the following advice: “If you do just one repetition of this movement every day, you will eventually be able to do it easily.”

One repetition per day?

Not five sets of five or three sets of 10?

What the hell?

Turns out my teacher was spot on with his “math.” From that day forward I made sure I did this exercise once each day. And guess what happened? Within a week I was doing five repetitions per day. A month later I was doing 10.

Now, if he had told me to do 10 repetitions per day, or three sets of 10, what are the chances I would find a reason not to train it?

Look at your own resistance to training and you’ll find the answer.

Having trouble getting started? Having trouble with consistency? Then heed my directions and your resistance and lack of consistency will become a thing of the past.

Take that first step everyday. Focus on that one step – and be surprised and shocked at where it leads.

You’ll see how true these words are when you follow the protocol in my Power Postures program. It kicks azz and takes names.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

This morning I got up early and began my internal workout outdoors.

If you were to observe me you might think that I wasn’t doing much. It might appear that all I’m doing is hanging, or standing still or balancing in a strange position as I look straight ahead in total silence.

But the gentlemen who trained with me over the weekend realized the truth. There’s a lot more going on than meets the eyes. And you can feel it in your hands and feet. They get hot and begin to pulsate.

When you train this way, in between your hands you can feel a ball of energy. It’s a big ball. Sometimes the ball feels as though it’s a large pipeline of energy. Even when your hands are three feet apart, you can feel this wavelength of invisible substance. And when you feel it, you relax at a deeper level, feeling more connected than ever before.

Other people pick up on this current of energy, and they treat you better. So do animals. Dogs, cats and other critters, want to be around you.

And that’s a good thing.

Want some of this?

Then go to PowerPostures.com and see what el Furecat has in store for you.

Matt Furey

Man, I love how it happens.

You’re pondering a question during the day and the answer comes in the evening, when you’re supposedly sound asleep.

I had a number of dream downloads last night. One of them was literally writing the copy for my next newsletter while another was taking me through the jungle, where I visited a number of primates.

I got to hang out with monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas and my favorite, the orangutan. And these primates were talking to me, telling me the truth about developing internal strength.

The best conversation of them all was with a gorilla who sat in a deep squatting position the entire time we talked. I told him that there are fitness trainers who believe humans come from monkeys, that we evolved.

“Hehehe,” laughed the gorilla. “Then why are we still here?”

“Oh, I’m sure they have an answer for that one, too, but it’s not a good one.”

“True,” snorted the gorilla.

“And here’s what’s interesting,” I continued. “These same trainers say that humans shouldn’t sit in a squat, the way you are. They say it overstretches the tendons and ligaments.”

“Hmmm,” the gorilla grunted. “They don’t think it makes you stronger? They think it’s only a stretch?”

“Apparently so,” I replied.

“Well, have these trainers ever watched the primates closely? Have they taken note of how many postures and positions we sit in each day, for long periods of time?”

“Apparently not. They have a lot of theories that don’t take in the reality of how the primates sit, stand, hang, balance and move, yet they think we evolved from you.”

The gorilla laughed and said, “And that shows what theories will get you. I don’t know a single primate who studied a single theory, but we can do whatever we need to do. Being able to do whatever you want with your body based upon what is natural is always superior to the latest theories.”

“Good point. Theory and practice are two different things.”

“None of us have knee pain, hip pain or lower back pain,” the gorilla added. “According to the theories, we should be seeing a surgeon.”

The dream ended with a long period of silence, wherein I sat in a deep squat and observed the gorilla and his friends going through a number of postures, many of which I had never seen before. I took a ton of notes that awakened the gorilla mindset within me.

Anyone who thinks that sitting, standing, stretching and moving through various postures and positions doesn’t build strength, hasn’t observed animals up close. Even their so-called resting positions are physically demanding.

And that, my friend, is one of many reasons I suggest you study my latest, greatest course, Power Postures-Tiger Tendons.

It teaches you to get fit, strong and flexible as you sit, stand and move.

Get it NOW and observe the monumental difference it makes in your life.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

P.S. If you want to develop your inner animal even more, make sure you also latch onto Primate Power, the course I did with Eddie Baran that is still kicking ass and taking names.

Six years ago, I began planting bamboo around the house. I planted in the back and front yard, as well as along the sides. 

Most of my neighbors loved the idea, but some balked, as all they’ve ever heard about bamboo is that it’s invasive and unmanageable.

I told these people that there are more than 1,400 species of bamboo in the world, and almost all of them grow in clumps or clusters. And almost all bamboo is relatively easy to manage and control.

But some people prefer to believe the stories playing inside their minds; stories that are based on zero experience. 

Several months ago, a tai chi friend acquired a plot of land that had bamboo growing. What’d he do with it? He removed it. 

I wrote him the following: “One of the universal symbols of tai chi is the bamboo tree, and you’re removing it?” 

I told him he ought to pull up a chair and watch the bamboo as it moves to and fro with the wind. Study how it moves with the wind, bending in any direction, but never breaking. 

One of the practices of many internal martial arts students is called “Stand Like a Tree.”

Students are taught to stand as still as they can for long periods of time, working on relaxing their bodies, freeing it of tension as they sink their energy. 

This is a practice I engaged in long ago. Every evening I would stand still for an hour or more. 

Then one day one of my teachers told me not to stand this way for so long. Instead, he encouraged me to stand for a much shorter period of time.. and to move the way a tree branch and its leaves move. He demonstrated what he meant by this and I took notes. 

At first I didn’t want to believe this instructor as I had invested a lot of time and energy in this method of standing still. But as I practiced the movements he taught I noted that I became more flexible, more mobile, more energetic and more powerful. I developed an uncanny snappiness and springiness that I never had before. 

I was moving like bamboo.

Then one day, as I was taking a look at the bamboo trees in my yard, I noted that they were doing what my instructor told me to do. The bamboo would be still for short periods of time, then it would move with the gentlest breeze. 

The branches and leaves of the bamboo tree moved – and so did the culm.

The bamboo tree, which is really a type of grass, moves its entire body as one unit, something that high-level athletes and martial artists are continually working on. Many still can’t do it as they’ve become de-naturalized with the way they are taught to train. 

I mentioned earlier that bamboo comes from the grass family. This is good news for you because it means that bamboo renews itself. You can chop it down if you wish, but so long as the roots (rhizomes) are still there, it will grow back. 

Renewing yourself is what you are doing when you practice the Power Postures – Tiger Tendons exercises I teach. 

But you’re doing more than that. What you are doing is recharging your brain and nervous system and bringing healing energy to the joints and muscles. 

In short, you are giving your body precisely what it needs to recover from the pangs of heavy exercise or stressful life conditions. 

You don’t need to give up other forms of exercise to enjoy the benefits of this type of training. And you will most definitely enhance whatever practice you engage in.

For those who are “banged up,” this type of training can serve as ALL you need.

Stand and move the way bamboo moves, and you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes in your life.

Be the Bamboo.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

If you go to bed tired, you wake up tired.

But if you take a few minutes to reboot your system before bed, or as soon as you wake up, you can count on sliding through your day with FAR more energy.

Instead of trudging along during the day, hoping that the tired feelings will end, you take charge and reboot your body-mind by plugging yourself in and turning yourself on.

As a result, you bring a much higher level of energy into everything you do.

When you get up in the morning, you reboot your computer and digital devices, but what about your body-mind? Don’t they need a reboot as well?

They most certainly do – and that’s why I begin every day with Power Postures.

When I practice standing still in these superhuman postures, I reconnect my internal circuitry at a deep level. Unnecessary tension and stress melt away as the “Spiderman suit” within recharges itself by weaving an invigorating web of electrical energy.

​​​​​​​Then I begin to practice subtle energetic movements that amplify this feeling, and within minutes, today is a new day. It’s not a repeat of yesterday. It’s not Groundhog Day.

Discover more about the fastest way to recharge by going to PowerPostures.com.

​​​​​​​Slap fatigue in the face. Reboot your body-mind and take charge of your day.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

One of the most common approaches to physical exercise is what I refer to as the “force it” method.

Regardless of whether you are engaged in weight training, bodyweight calisthenics, cardio endurance training, speed work, yoga, tai chi or discuss throwing, the idea is as follows: push yourself out of your comfort zone. Force yourself to do more, even if, and perhaps especially if, it hurts.

Many years ago I advised a client on how to improve his fitness with uphill sprinting. He hadn’t run sprints since he was in high school, but man was he fired up about the possibilities.

I told him to begin with some light bursts at about 50% of his maximum, and after doing three or four of these, to continue with two to three more bursts at 70-80% max.

“Then what?” he asked.

“Then you’re done for the day. This isn’t a one-day program. You’ll see incredible results over a few months time.”

A few months? This wasn’t good enough for him.

There’s no way that will be enough, he thought to himself. I’m not going to be able to change my body with this simple approach. I need to push myself hard. 

So he went out that same evening and began sprinting up a hill. He ignored my advice and whatdyaknow, he pulled a hamstring and threw his back out.

When he told me about his injuries during our next call, I asked him what he did for his workout. “I did seven sprints total,” he replied.

“At what percentage of your perceived max?” I asked.

“I sprinted as hard as I could on each one,” he replied.

“That’s not what I told you to do.”

“I know, but your approach is too rinky-dink for me.”

“And now you are injured and can’t run at all.”

It’s not just block-headed men who do this sort of thing to themselves. Women do so as well. 

Last week I spoke to a woman who returned to the gym a few weeks ago and began doing a lot of abdominal exercises. She pushed herself too fast too soon, and started to feel pain in her midsection. But instead of backing off, she added gasoline to the equation. Now she’s needs surgery to repair the damage. 

All over this nutty-plain, you’ll find the “force it” method transforming bodies into a surgeon’s dream. 

I used the “force it” method for years, too. Now I don’t because I get better results, without injuries, with a different approach.

Now let me tell you something that you’ll want to put into writing and hang somewhere prominent: “YOUR BODY REMEMBERS.”

Yes, your body remembers what YOU did to it and what others did to it.

Your body remembers every injury, every surgery, every ache and every pain.

And if you think the injuries you had long ago are forgotten by your body because you never consciously think about them, think again. The body remembers, takes notes, and eventually sends a message that something else is wrong.

The good news is that you can make greater strides than ever before with an approach that doesn’t force improvements.

This can be verified in any sport, and in any exercise.

One of my friends is a catcher on a local baseball team. One day when we were talking about this idea of coaxing results v. forcing them, he remarked that he’s seen many pitchers throw the ball harder, and with more movement, when they’re relaxed and not trying so hard. But the second the pitchers “muscle up” and apply extra unnecessary force, their velocity dips.

Whether it’s sprinting, or flexibility training or hitting a golf ball, the pros understand that the ability to relax on command is key – and the harder you try to force something, the worse your results.

This is why I believe in improving upon your previous results with a “coax it” rather than a “force it” approach.

Apply too much force too often, and there’s going to be a breakdown. And it’s not going to be pretty.

But when you coax yourself, you will be continually amazed at how much you continue to improve.

That’s a smidgeon of what you’ll learn in my new course, Power Postures – Tiger Tendons.

I suggest you begin learning this approach NOW as it may very well save your body from unnecessary trauma, helping you recover from the aches and pains that are begging to be energetically cleared.

Matt Furey

P.S. For those of you who are aspiring copywriters, info-publishers and so on, you might wonder if this “coax it” approach applies to what you are doing. It most certainly does. If you are forcing yourself to write, you’re not only using the will power approach, which leads to burn out and a “frying” of the nervous system, but your verbiage will never have a sense of flow to it. See how el Furecat does it by clicking here. 

I get this sort of question all the time. A reader will ask me if there’s any difference between two of my programs or courses.

I understand the concern. You don’t want to get a course that is essentially the same as another one you already have.

The truth is that, with the exception of various versions of Combat Conditioning, none of the programs I have created are essentially the same.

Combat Conditioning is not the same as Combat Abs or Combat Stretching.

Farmer Burns 1914 by-mail course, Lesson in Wrestling and Physical Culture  is not the same as Gama Fitness or Primate Power.

And Dao Zou is not the same as my newest course, Power Postures-Tiger Tendons.

Speaking of the last two programs I mentioned, let me elaborate.

Dao Zou is a shamanic reverse-training program that dramatically improves your sense of balance and gives you an overall feeling of well-being. It eliminates the stresses of the day and helps improve the health of your knees, hips and lower back. It also helps you unplug from the onslaught of negative emotions, gives you an enhanced ability to focus while improving your memory.

Power Postures-Tiger Tendons is an entirely different animal. It loosens all the major joints of the body through a series of postures and exercises that are partly isometric. Then there are the spiraling  exercises that activate the tendons and put a powerful springiness into your every movement.

This program also greatly improves athleticism and martial arts skills. It ramps up your energy as you learn to physically and mentally relax.

It also teaches you how to become more explosive, putting pep into every step or move you make.

And it strengthens the tendons of the body, which are the weak link of most people. Most injuries that people sustain, including the injuries that happen to the big, strong and freakish athletes you see on tee-vee, are tendon injuries.

Strengthen your tendons and add spiraling energy to your movements and you give yourself a new body that some would refer to as “bulletproof.”

Is it really bulletproof? It is not, but it will definitely feel invincible compared to what you have now.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey