Believe it or not, I’ve been going to the gym for my evening workouts… usually after 8 PM.

I go to a gym filled with dumbbells and barbells.

I go to a gym with treadmills, rowing machines and other cardio devices.

I go to a gym with mega expensive weight machines.

And what do I do once I arrive at this gym?

I walk past all the equipment. All the machines, electronic and otherwise.

I walk past all the weights resting on barbells and racks.

I open the door to a big classroom with wooden floors and mirrors. It’s quiet. No music blaring… no one talking.

PERFECT..

I set a timer that gongs every five minutes, and then I begin to loosen every joint in my body.

As I loosen my joints I feel connections throughout my entire body, especially my hands and feet.

My brain lights up. I feel euphoric.

Loosening your joints moves the qi, the vital energy in the body. I know this to be true because the bottoms of my feet gt so hot they often feel as though they are resting on hot asphalt.

Once finished with this routine, I begin to work my tendons and ligaments and skeletal system the way I’ve learned over the years while training in China.

Within every movement I emphasize relaxed power. If my face ever contorts or strains in any way, I’m doing something wrong.

Whether I move fast or slow or super slow, this spirit of relaxation is supposed to be the same. Whether I’m throwing a punch or a kick, or leaping in the air, my face should never tell the story of how grueling the training is.

And this is where the mirror serves a tremendous purpose in training. Look at your face. Look at your structure. Make adjustments as you move. As soon as you note a mistake, immediately correct it. Not tomorrow. Not next week. NOW!

That’s how you get good.

It’s how you get better.

It’s how you become better than your best.

Feedback is key.

It always amazes me when I go to a gym or an academy to observe a class. First two things I observe are as follows:

1. Level of tension in the face

2. Breathing method

Truth is that it’s very rare to find a strength place in our western world wherein these two essentials are taught. And yet, these two factors influence, in a huge way, how much strength, power, speed, agility and flexibility you will have.

Got tight joints?

Got a stiff neck or lower back?

Then keep the hell away from the weights and cardio equipment.

Learn to loosen your joints with the spirit of relaxation. You don’t “tense” your way to getting loose. You smile your way to it.

I’ll show you how it’s done.

Let’s loosen up together. It’s much easier than you can imagine.

Follow along with me in the Matt Furey Inner Circle

Within a month of loosening your joints on a daily basis, you’re going to be blown away at how much better you feel, how much stronger you are – how much more energy and flexibility you have.

Come get some.

Kick ass – take names!

Matt Furey