COMBAT CONDITIONING
15 Reasons Why it’s the Best
Training Program for
Martial Artists, Athletes, the Military
and Almost Everyone Else
by Ed Baran
I was the total skeptic. Not only had I lifted weights for years, but after years of following many different fitness programs, including long-distance cycling, I thought I’d seen it all. So I just didn’t believe Matt Furey, author of Combat Conditioning, and a world champion martial artist when he said you can get kick-butt fit with his program of bodyweight calisthenics.
I believed in what I had been doing, and there’s just no way that I was going to fall for something so “simple.”
But I couldn’t shake this feeling that Furey might have something I needed.
I remember reading that Bruce Lee did this type of exercise. Same goes for Hershell Walker, a Heisman Trophy winner and NFL running back who did over 500 pushups and sit-ups each day. Then there is Ray Lewis who supposedly did thousands of calisthenics per day, then went on to guide the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl Title while winning MVP honors himself.
And then there was Furey, the author of Combat Conditioning, whose fitness program had been featured in major martial arts magazines around the world as well as numerous news sites. He’d been on the cover of several magazines – and was certainly no slouch when it came to having and using functional strength.
Not only was Furey a world champion in Shuai-chiao kung fu and a national collegiate champion wrestler, he also trained under Olympic Gold Medalists Dan Gable and Bruce Baumgartner. And now, in his 60’s, Furey is a martial arts guru that can tear a full deck of poker cards in half with his bare hands, and can move better than almost anyone I have ever seen.
So I had to think: What if he was telling the truth?
I bought Matt Furey’s Combat Conditioning book and DVDs, mostly to improve my neck size and strength (that was my biggest weakness). But I didn’t expect there to be anything else in the program for me.
Boy, was I ever wrong.
In the book Furey challenges the readers with a test. 100 Hindu squats, followed by 50 Hindu pushups, then a one-minute back bridge. I didn’t want any part of that test… at first.
But something else that caught my eye, in addition to the neck exercises, was the handstand posture and handstand pushups he showed.
Figuring this would be easy, I had my brother, Andy, spot me as I attempted to kick into a handstand. I thought it would be easy, but I couldn’t do it. I collapsed in frustration.
And this led to me taking the test Furey recommended. At 40 Hindu squats my thighs were blitzed. It took about 90 seconds; not long compared to my squat routine at the gym.
Next, I tried the Hindu pushups. Funny thing is my legs were still shaking. I dipped down and pushed back. At 15 my arms were throbbing. This couldn’t be. No way. I could pump iron like there was no tomorrow and this exercise was nuking me. I gave up at 27 reps. This took about 1.5 minutes, so my workout at that point had only been 150 seconds long.
Then the bridge. After three unsuccessful attempts of ten seconds, I gave up. So my workout last a total of two minutes. Ugh!
The next day my legs, chest and arms were sore, but in
a good way. I thought my legs got 10 times more work with weights, but I was wrong.
Now let me tell what happened next. After I failed so miserably, I felt inspired. I was determined to master these exercises and I vowed that I was going to do so.
Over the course of three months my body changed big time. Here is a list of 15 of the main benefits I noticed:
1. My Chronic Back Pain Went Away. And that was only after ONE week of bridging.
2. My Shoulders, Chest, Back, Neck and Legs Got Bigger and Stronger.
3. I Began Sleeping Like a Log. Eight hours of deep sleep was no longer a goal. It was automatic.
4. My Confidence Soared. Especially when I got compliments from people who hardly paid attention to me before.
5. I can train anywhere, anytime. I no longer need more than a few square feet of space and I’m all set.
6. No equipment was needed. I could forget all the gadgets at home, most of which had become clothing racks, if I wanted. There are still a few though, that I enjoy using on occasion.
7. I could get a killer workout done in 15 minutes or less. Sure, sometimes I now spend more than 15 minutes, but in the early going, I didn’t even make it five and I still got huge results.
8. Reduced Chance of Injuries. My body now holds together when I train. It is much more stable.
9. I Eliminated the Pain Associated with Old Nagging Injuries. No more shoulder pain from benching or back pain from deadlifts.
10. I Turned Back My Biological Clock. Although I am now almost 60 myself, I now practice handstands and walking on my hands (something else in the book) regularly. How many people of any age can say that?
11. I’m Strong and Flexible. I didn’t lose strength on this program. In fact, I gained it while also increasing my flexibility.
12. Increased Speed. These exercises made me pliable, springy and explosive, like a tiger.
13. I Burned Off Excess Body Fat to the point where I could eat more than I normally did and still look terrific.
14. No More Separate Workouts for Strength, Stretching and Endurance.
15, My Endurance Tripled.
So there you have it. 15 BIG Reasons why Combat Conditioning is the best functional fitness program on the planet.
But forget about me. Take a look at what some other powerhouses have said about this program:
Clarence Bass
Author of Ripped
“Whether you are a striker or a grappler or you just want to be in the best shape possible, get this book. On a scale from 1-10, I give it an 11.”
Philip Ameris
7th Degree Black Belt
“I have found no other exercises that increase balance, agility, functional strength and overall grappling endurance like the bodyweight calisthenic exercises outlined by Matt in his book. As a martial artist, I’ve tried everything from long, slow distance running to high weight, low repetition high intensity ’bodybuilding’ style weight training, but found that my time is much better spent doing the calisthenics in Combat Conditioning. I rely heavily on these exercises, as do my students.”
Jason Crawford, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Combat Wrestling Instructor
Matt Furey’s Combat Conditioning: Functional Exercises for Fitness & Combat Sports has 48 super effective bodyweight exercises along with seven different programs that will get you into kick-butt shape fast.
Your total investment in the Combat Conditioning book and DVDS is only $129.00 plus S&H. You can also place your order for a digital copy of the program and not wait a second longer to get started.
