Matt Furey - Zen Master of the Internet

Politically Incorrect Health and Fitness

Phat as Fugg

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Over the weekend I saw photos of a few people that I know personally.

As soon as I saw the photos, the first and ONLY thought that came to mind was: Man, he/she is SUPER FAT.

No, I didn’t fat shame either of them.

I kept my opinion to myself. But if I were to speak to either of them in person, I can assure you, in my gentle el Furecat style, I’d be fat slamming them in a way that would be motivating.

I’ve done it before… and I do it all the time.

I have a guy who’s dropped nearly 40 pounds since I gently fat slammed him seven weeks ago.

Another who dropped 30.

Another who dropped 70.

The reality is this: fat slamming is one of the best things you can do for a person, provided you know how to do it. Again, it’s got to be so subtle yet so powerful the person thinks it’s his/her idea to lose weight. And it is, hehe.

Fact is, most people lie to themselves so much and so often that even though the mirror is telling them that they’re fat, even though the new clothes they need to buy every month are telling them they’re fat, they still find a way to self-delude.

Person looks in the mirror and says, I don’t look fat, do I?

Nah, you like fine.

Ah, thanks. I’m off the hook for now. How about pizza?

No, you’re phat as fugg. Face the music.

And exercise ain’t gonna do much for you.

I know this for a fact. I know because when I let myself get phat as fugg after a number of surgeries (see I got excuses, too), I worked out more than ever and I got nowhere.

At certain times in your life, exercise alone will do the trick. But when you get phat later on in life, the same (or more) exercise won’t seem to help at all.

This means you need a smarter approach, an approach that goes around the obstacles rather than running headstrong into them.

I’m going to be covering what I’ve been doing over the past 18 months in some earth-shaking videos for members of the MattFureyInnerCircle very soon. They will kick booty, in more ways than one.

In the interim, before these videos go up, perhaps you want me to personally motivate you on the possibilities at play. I won’t slam you too hard, I promise. I will only slam you hard enough to motivate you to take control of your life. If you want to take back your life, if you want coaching, contact me by clicking here.

Matt Furey

Pain is the Teacher

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Last week I returned from China, where I was training my arse off for 40 days.

I was learning a different style of tai chi… one that hardly anyone outside of the small village I was staying in, has ever heard of, much less seen or practiced.

Turns out this style is what I’ve always wanted. It’s totally badass. Every movement has a ferocious fighting application, and you begin learning these applications along with the form almost immediately – not after 10 years of practicing nothing but forms.

Master Wang, my teacher, although over 60 years of age, could easily pick me up and launch me. Not only is he older than me (chronologically), he is also shorter and weighs substantially less.

None of this matters.

In a calm, relaxed manner, he would ask me to grab him. Then he’d say, “You are very strong. You are much stronger than I am.”

What followed was pure pain.

Master Wang is Old School. That’s what I prefer.

But here’s how “old school” looks in China.

1. If my leg is in the wrong position, he would tell me… once. After the first offense, pain became the teacher. Master Wang would kick my foot or my leg, instantly positioning it the correct way.

2. If my wrists got lazy, he would either joint lock me or slap my hand in a way that hurt all the way to the elbow.

3. He never verbally complimented me. Not one time. The closest was a “thumbs up” when I started to get the main idea of a certain complicated move. A week later, when I thought I had the move down, at least compared to the first day, I was shown other details that I wasn’t entitled to earlier.

4. He loved to learn new things, laugh and joke around. The smallest things, such as teaching him how to say, “Morning,” instead of “Goo-duh morning,” made him smile.

5. After class we’d sit and eat while he transmitted the essentials of the art.

6. At least once a week Master Wang would go off, telling me I was practicing very badly. This was designed to keep the ego in check. No matter how much progress was made, I was reminded that there’s a lot further to go.

Overall, the training was physically, psychologically and neurologically grueling. Much of the time, my life was little more than training, sleeping and eating.

In many ways, I was all alone. No one to speak English with. No other Americans or foreigners.

At times I fought with feelings of loneliness; something I never felt before. At least NOT at the level I experienced it. This gave me an entirely new experience, something beyond the platitudes. It gave me greater empathy for those who’ve felt lonely after the death of a loved one.

“What in the hell are you doing this for?” crossed my mind a few times. But each and every time I reminded myself that this is what I wanted… and what I still want. Suck it up. Learn to enjoy it.

I’m grateful that my wife and children are supportive of the excursions I take each year. As great as the voyages are for me, I also treasure getting off the plane in Tampa and seeing them in the wings, waiting for me.

And you can bet that I’m passing on what I learned to my children, so long as they want to learn. The benefits of this particular style are off the charts. They are truly badass.

Whether you’re an athlete or a dancer or a person who wants to kick azz – you can look forward to some big reveals from me in the future.

Matt Furey

MattFurey.com

By the way: If you enjoyed this email and want to learn how to do the same in your business; or maybe have a business wherein you write emails for others, then go to knockoutmarketing.com and take advantage of the special offer I’m having.

A Weird Way to Heal Injuries Faster

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This past weekend I conducted a joint-coaching session with Eric Guttmann, a naval officer and fitness expert I’ll be introducing to you in the coming months.

Anyway, over a course of two days, Eric and I worked with several people who are 50+ years of age. These people come to us for a variety of reasons.

One of which is to get out of pain by increasing flexibility, mobility, balance, strength and so on, with our unusual but incredibly effective exercises.

As a naval officer, former collegiate javelin thrower, powerlifter, strongman, etcetera – Eric has experienced a good helping of injuries. The good news he’s learned how to heal them naturally.

In fact, per my suggestion, he’s putting together a course on the nitty-gritty details of how he did it.

I’ll let you know when the course is done – but in the meantime, I thought you might want to know this….

Eric figured out the secret to eliminating the pain from his old injuries by reading Gama Fitness – an advanced course in bodyweight exercises I put together a few years after Combat Conditioning created a tsunami of truth in the marketplace.

I tell you this because there are dozens of secrets in Gama Fitness (and NO, they are not “just hard work”).  The people who tell you it all boils down to “hard work” are hiding the truth from you just as much as the people who say you have a “mental block.”

Yes, hard work plays a role – but so does being a lazy sonofabitch. You gotta know when to turn it on and… off.

Same goes for “mind power.”

Mind power plays a role in maximizing your abilities and skills. That is something I know for a fact. But your physical structure and the way you move also plays a HUGE role. Without the basics (much less the more advanced methods) in physical structure, mind power has a really tough time getting launched.

Here endeth today’s rant.

Matt Furey

Note: Gama Fitness is currently available for 50% off the original amount. Get your copy while they are still in stock.

Stronger Now Than 20 Years Ago

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Stronger Now Than 20 Years Ago

My friend, Clarence, called a few weeks ago.

He says, “Quick question: I’ve been watching your most recent videos. Would you say you are stronger now than you were 20 years ago?”

“In some ways yes, and in other ways yes,” I replied. 

What did I mean?

Well, for starters, I don’t measure my strength the way “dead-lifters” do.

I measure based upon live-lifting, i.e. can I toss a live person around the room with ease when he is pushing or pulling on me.

Weights sitting on the ground attached to a barbell do NOT resist you.

As Bruce Lee was fond of saying about those who break bricks, “Bricks don’t hit back.”

This doesn’t mean that a deadlift or brick break is easy. It does mean that it is definitely NOT the same as being animalistic in origin, in terms of how you move your body.

When you are animalistic in your movements, a light flick of the wrist can make someone go flying. It’s not about how much weight you can push or pull – it’s about what you can do with your body when somebody else is pushing or pulling on you.

This requires a different type of strength – an elastic strength that feels like steel, and is impossible to acquire with weights. Yes, it’s an inner strength.

No, I did not say “mental strength.”

Mental strength is important, but can also be a disguise for those who don’t know the structure of body alignments and movement.

Without structure you don’t have jack – even if you have “mental strength.”

Recently, another friend, J, starting diving into the exercises in Combat Conditioning. He’s a life-long martial artist who is highly skilled and the program is kicking his ass.

Key thing is the program is making him better without injury.

So many of the bodyweight programs that have come out since I released Combat Conditioning some 20 years ago, are all about being EXTREME.

And they are Extremely UNNECESSARY.

You don’t need to be able to do one-finger pushups and handstands in order to be fit.

Keep in mind, as you get on in years, being free from injury must be a priority because injuries take longer to heal.

Stay injury free by being smart in how you train.

This is one of the reasons why Clarence, my long-time friend, from observation alone, believes I am stronger now than I was 20 years ago.

That’s all I need to hear.

Sign me up.

And don’t forget to…

Kick ass and take names.

Matt Furey

By the way: If you already have the Combat Conditioning book and DVDs and you want to go to the next level, click here.

Can Your Body Handle This?

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Can Your Body Handle This?

In today’s everything NOW world, it’s easy to assume that you’re ready to do something you see or read about online.

Look at my Instagram page – @mattfureysays – and you’ll see there are plenty of exercises that you may be able to do – and plenty that you probably cannot do YET.

The same goes for what I write about in my emails.

Hindu Squats, for example, are a knees-over-toes exercise. I have always been able to do them without any pain whatsoever.

But when I saw another knees-over-toes exercise, I instinctively knew that I had to work up to it, that I wasn’t ready for it YET.

I set up a progression of smaller movements that I could do without pain. As I checked the “no pain” box for each level, I worked on the next progression, and so on – until I was doing something  that I couldn’t do before without consequences.

My knees are currently stronger than they’ve ever been, due to the additional exercises I’ve added into the mix. But I didn’t start these exercises at an intermediate or advanced level. I started at the beginner level. In fact, I’m still NOT at the advanced level of these exercises – but I will be over time.

There are a lot of videos on Instagram and Facebook and YouTube showing a ton of insane bodyweight exercises that are SAFE if your body is ready for them and UNSAFE if your body isn’t. The exercise itself is neutral.

One of the keys to making progress is refraining from making assumptions.

Make no assumptions about what you can or cannot do until you prove you can.

Is it safe to assume that just because an exercise is safe for the person doing it, that you are also ready for it?

We can assume that a basic pushup is a safe exercise. And it IS – except for those who are not ready for it.

While one person can do one-arm pushups on his fingertips safely, another person can barely do a basic pushup from his or her knees, while another person is maxed out holding a plank pushup position from his knees for a few seconds.

Keep this in mind when you go through Combat Conditioning or any other fitness books, videos or courses.

Keep this in mind as you look at the progressions I provide in knees-over-toes exercises to members of the Matt Furey Inner Circle. 

Kick ass – take names,

Matt Furey

By the way, if you’ve enjoyed this simple email and want to know how you can start a whole new career doing something similar, click here.

The 1-Rep, 1-Minute Slow Motion Squat

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I broke the guy.

He questioned me about the one-rep squat in Wednesday’s email, without even doing it.

“Bad for the knees,” he says.

A typical know-it-all.

I smiled and asked if he thinks slow-motion squats are bad for you. He says “no.”

I demonstrate one for him. Taking 30 seconds on the downward motion – and another 30 to come back up.

He figures this is no big deal and begins. His legs shake uncontrollably. He can’t slow himself down and bottoms out.

On the way back up, he is only good for about eight seconds. In total, he was only good for 18 seconds. Sad.

I told him you can take as long as you want on this squat, meaning, you can make the repetition longer than one minute. I showed him another rep that was two minutes long. One minute down – one minute up. With a smile on my face, no less.

The next time someone tells you that “after 25 reps all you’re doing is building endurance” – see if he or she can do ONE REP of the above.

Kick ass – take names,

Matt Furey

By the way: If you want to be a published fitness author or email copywriter, following in my footsteps, then click here.

QnA with el Furecat – With or Without Weights?

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Great question came in from Robert about using weight in the deep squat hold position. My response will follow:

Hi Matt,

I work out in NYC, but I am a 65 year old Red Sox fan from Boston as well as the guy mentioned below (yesterday’s email).

I have lately been doing the deep squat holds with a 45 lb. plate on my back and go at least 3 minutes. Then I did a few Hindu pushups, wrestler’s bridges, and wall walks and a guy comes up to me and asks if I follow Matt Furey. I said of course. 

Question. Should I do those squats with or without added weights?

Robert H

el Furecat: Robert, it’s a shame you don’t live in Tampa, because we have far too many Yankees fans down here.

Anyway, to answer your pregunta, the answer is yes and yes.

Holding for long periods without weight is tremendous. Holding with a weight on your back is also fine.

My answer may surprise some as they think I am opposed to all weights, all the time.

Not the case. I swing the mace from time to time, as well as Indian clubs. They aren’t empty.

In martial arts, you need to be able to lift another human being.

The key to me, as I wrote in Combat Conditioning, is always about functionality.

Do people sit in fields with weight on their backs as part of their job? Yes.

Do animals carry their young on their backs? Yes. Do animals climb trees with their next feast in their mouths? Yes.

What you are doing is natural, and effective. It is also functional.

Yesterday I put a video up on Instagram – @mattfureysays – of me training backwards, pulling a weighted sled. Some thought this as wrong. Ah, Furecat is using weights.

Pulling a sled is not weight training for “the look.” Pulling a sled is functional; it’s something that used to be a job.

This should be enough of an answer your question, ya think?

Kick ass – take names,

Matt Furey

By the way: If you dig the way el Furecat writes these emails, and if you want to follow in his footsteps, go to knockoutmarketing.com and take a gander at the special offer that only has about six hours left. It’s huge. So huge you’ll kick yourself in the head if you miss out on it.

One Squat Per Day

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If I were only allowed to do one squat per day, which one would I choose?

And by one squat I mean only one rep of one squat.

Would it be Hindu Squats, barbell squats, dumbbell squats or hack squats?

Would it be sissy squats, split-snatch squats or what I call butt-back squats (now being taught to women who want a big ass)?

The answer may surprise you.

If I only got one rep – I would get into a deep squat with my buttocks on my calves and my knees over my toes. And I would hold that position for a long time.

I’m talking five minutes, minimum.

Why would I do such a thing?

Because I’m building strength and flexibility and endurance in my lower body. I’m also dramatically increasing blood flow and Nitric Oxide to the lower organs, making Mr. Happy carry his own weight.

One long-time Furey Faithful, Joe D., who now calls himself El D – thinks of himself as a Boston Red Sox fan. He told me he held this deep squat for two minutes or so and had a goal to hold for five minutes by the end of the month.

I told him that a “true” Red Sox fan would be able to hold for five minutes well before the end of the month.

Guess what El D did?

The very next day he held for five minutes – grunting and groaning and breathing raspy through the entire ordeal.

’twas painful to watch, I must admit – but the ole man got it done and I’m mighty proud of him.

Challenge yourself.

Five minutes in a deep squat can be rough. You can watch how I do it in the videos on my YouTube Channel

As well as by following me on Instagram – @mattfureysays

Of course, you’d also be wise to purchase what el Furecat has been writing about for the past couple decades by clicking here.

All for now, my friend.

Kick ass – take names,

Matt Furey

By the way: If you dig the way el Furecat writes these emails, and if you want to follow in his footsteps, go to knockoutmarketing.com and take a gander at the special offer that only has about six hours left. It’s huge. So huge you’ll kick yourself in the head if you miss out on it.

Marine Vet Does 1,800 Hindu Squats at a Time

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The testimonials continue to come in. Here’s today’s grand prize winner:

Matt,

I’m a Marine veteran and physical fitness has always been a top priority for me.  About 15 years ago, a friend pointed me in the direction of Combat Conditioning.

The first time I did 50 Hindu Squats, I was humbled, embarrassed and limping for a week. But 50 quickly became 500 and then 1,000 and I didn’t even feel sore at all afterwards.

I’m now 50 and still training ferociously. Usually a couple days per week I come home from work and want a workout that I don’t have to think about and can do while decompressing with a TV show. I just squat for 45-60 minutes. I know my pace is 30-35 per minute, so no need to count or think. When done, I underestimate with 30 per minute and end up between 1,350 and 1,800. I’ve been doing this for 15 years and I’ve never had knee problems.

Really glad you exist!

Thank you!

Kevin M.

el Furecat: Now, that is what I call kicking ass and taking names. Way to go, Kevin. And thank you for your service.

Matt Furey

P.S. Are you following me on Instagram? – @mattfureysays

And YouTube – Matt Furey – Zen Master Says

59.9 Year Old Shames Peers

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Here’s a message I received from Hank in the U.K.

Matt

Many years ago on the margin of a news website I saw your banner, that was in the 90’s when that was a thing…banner ads.

I’m glad I responded.

I had just started recovering from herniating 3 lumbar discs and was in horrible shape. I couldn’t lift weights for obvious reasons even though my therapist wanted me to, it hurt in all the wrong ways.

I began implementing all you taught in Combat Conditioning and do today. The magnificent 7 are my exercise staple and at 59.9 years old I shame many of my peers and a lot younger than me. They have never hurt my knees or anything else. I just get a little sore when I up the count when it’s time.

I don’t go overboard either. I vacillate between 50-100 because I want to maintain more than build as I’m super active at work and I hike a lot as well.

One last tidbit. I lived at sea level for years and would go to Colorado yearly to ski. At 10k feet you get pretty sick and tired if not conditioned well. A few months before leaving I’d up my squat count and suffer no ill effects when skiing at that elevation. Hindu Squats worked great for ski training! You might want to share that with people too, Matt!

Thanks and tell the squat trolls to piss off! As the Brits like to say…

Hank W.

El Furecat: Thank you for the note, Hank. It’s great to see you’re still whomping butt. Keep moving. It’s hard to take down a moving target.

Kick Ass – Take Names,

Matt Furey

P.S. If you’ve enjoyed this email and have an interest in acquiring this highly useful business skill, click here.

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