One of the biggest keys to a successful fitness experience is giving yourself daily achievable goals that do NOT take you out of your comfort zone.

True, this is the exact opposite approach that many coaches and goo-roos teach, so hang with me for a moment as I explain.

Suppose you haven’t worked out in months, if not years. You set your NYR (New Year’s Resolution) to work out for an hour each day, and dadfreakinggummit, despite starting with the best of intentions, you fell off the wagon within three weeks of beginning.

This is the norm for what happens across the globe.

Meanwhile, in Furecatville, I have students who haven’t missed a single workout this year, yet they have a daily goal that is almost laughable.

One student, for example, has a daily goal of ONE Hindu Pushup. You read that correctly. His goal is to do ONE REP each day.

How many does he end up doing?

He does more than 100 most days, over the course of 20 minutes. He’ll do one set, then rest, followed by another set and more rest, and so on.

Again, his goal is ONE REP.

And this seemingly ridiculous goal gets him started each day without any excuses about not having time or “not feeling” up to it.

In doing this one pushup, he not only achieves his daily goal, he also gains momentum. He feels good because he got started, and as you are aware, getting started is at least half the battle.

On the other hand, if he gave himself a goal of 100 or 200 Hindu pushups, he could come up with plenty of reasons to break the good habit and NOT train.

I’m not recovered.

I need a break.

I don’t have time today.

I have a lot of other things to do today.

I need to watch my favorite tee-vee show.

My wife needs me to eat with her.

Etcetera, etcetera. 

So what about the tee-vee and the other excuses you have. Get the job done. NOW.

It’s only ONE PUSHUP.

I don’t care what you have going on, you have time for that.

Another student followed my advice and is doing similarly with Hindu Squats. His goal is one rep per day. And he hasn’t missed a day in months.

Most days he cranks out 150 reps. Somedays he does 300, ever 500. But he never misses a day because he doesn’t give himself a goal that pushes him out of his comfort zone.

He begins with an easy, achievable goal that is within his comfort zone. He gets started and the comfort zone expands. One rep often turns into hundreds. And as a result he’s running circles around his former self. He not only lost the excess on his belly, but he’s got some powerful, explosive legs to boot.

The above is a reflection of my no-nonsense way to get your training in, even when you can invent dozens of excuses to avoid it.

As I often say: “Start small and you can have it all. Think too big and you’ll stumble on every twig.”

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

By the way, this approach works the same with all the exercises in Combat Conditioning, Combat Stretching and all my other programs.

About a week ago, a guy on Instagram told me that I needed some fiber to go with the picture of the 10 scrambled eggs I was readying myself to eat. 

I asked him why?

He says, “It’s the only proven way to have a BM.”

To which I replied: “Then how is it that newborn babies shit? They don’t eat any fiber and they are relieving their bowels just fine.”

“I have children,” he barked. “Now let’s have a rational discussion, shall we?” 

Said person then proceeds, with not an additional word from me, to tell me how great my products are but that I exaggerate and embellish, and that EVERYONE hates me.”

I looked at his account and noted he has 29 followers. While doing so he throws more rotten eggs my way, and boy did they have a stench. I did the only rational thing at this point, which was to block him. 

The truth is that EVERYONE on the face of the earth has people who hate him. And the more successful you are, the more hate there is. ’tis the way it goes and it’s important to accept this as part of living. 

Here’s one of the main reasons to enjoy the hate…

At almost the same time that someone spews vitriol, you can count on there being an equal amount of love coming your way, and oftentimes it’s a delightful downpour. 

Shown below are some recent examples of love coming my way that prove there’s no need for me to exaggerate or embellish anything:

I know that you probably get this daily but I wanted to tell you that your Theatre of the Mind process has literally transformed my life and is nothing short of miraculous. So I just wanted to drop you a line and say thank you. That’s all.  Just thank you. 

Ben S.

Hi Matt,

Just wanted to extend a huge thank you to you for fixing my elbow tendonitis that has plagued me for more than 3 years. Its taken 4 months to repair with your exercises but I can happily say the tendonitis is GONE! I have been to physios, and occupational therapists, and spoken at length with pharmacists and of all the methods they gave me which I used for 18 months did nothing to solve the issue. My elbows where so bad I couldn’t use my longbows or even operate a hand drill for very long. Now 4 months of your exercises (and applying NONE of the previous advice I was given from many professional) and my tendons are now lethal weapons with no weaknesses. I used no medication and didn’t even use anti inflammatory rubs, just your exercises.
I call the routine “Drunken Master” as they remind me of many of the techniques Jackie Chan display in that fantastic movie, and my kids (10 and 8) also do the exercises with me.

Thanks, you are a legend!

Kristian

So you see, truth IS better than fiction and it’s not a bad thing to have haters because there’s always an equal or greater amount of good. Look for it, find it and focus on it.

Then go out and Kick Azz.

Best,

Matt Furey

By the way, I’ve noticed a lot of marketers and copywriters joining this list lately, which is great. But you’re holding yourself back if you’re not subscribed to my monthly newsletter and video, which you can read about by clicking here NOW. 

There are people who think you’re not gaining any additional benefits if you hold a stretch for longer than 10 seconds, and they’ll quote “science” to try and prove their point.

The reality is there are many ways to bend the so-called rules when it comes to stretching.

For example, you can gain flexibility by bouncing and moving dynamically, but the exercise police don’t want you doing this because “someone” might get hurt.

If you make it a golden rule to ignore whatever the exercise police advise until you’ve tested it on yourself, you might discover an entire world of possibilities that supposedly never existed before.

Yes, you can get hurt bouncing, if you’re stupid about it. You can also get hurt doing yoga, as many people have realized, if you push yourself too hard, too soon.

Key thing is I have improved my flexibility with a variety of methods, including holding positions for a LOT longer than 10 seconds.

I’ve held stretches, such as the bridge, for three minutes or more. But I have also taken advantage of rocking back and forth (bouncing) in the bridge.

Then there’s my secret weapon that allows you to make incredible improvements in your flexibility in a mere six seconds.

Yes, you read that correctly.

In six freaking seconds you can expand and extend your flexibility in specific stretches, and surprise YOURSELF and others.

The above may sound as though it is exaggeration or hype, but that’s only if you’re unaware of the method. Once you’ve practiced the method and experienced the results, you will realize why it works.

It just so happens that I can teach you a combination of everything I know about stretching… it all of it definitely WORKS.

The answers you’ve been searching and looking for are in my Combat Stretching DVDs.

Get ’em NOW.

They kick azz.

Best,

Matt Furey

The other day I saw a picture of myself from 2008, doing the kneeling back bend stretch in front of a reclining Buddha statue in China. I put the picture up on my Instagram page and someone asked, “Can you still do that?”

I’m not a fan of this question as it implies “I think you’re too old to do that now.”  

Most people go along with the “age narrative,” telling themselves from a young age, that they are “too old” for various activities. In some cases this is wise, but in many situations, the “I’m too old” idea is nothing more than a self-imposed delusion. 

It’s not that you can’t do it; it’s that you haven’t made up your mind to “make it happen.”

When I was 20, I wasn’t able to do many of the things I accomplished at 35, 40, 55, and so on.

After going through a rough period in my late 40’s and early 50’s, with various eye injuries and surgeries, which led to weight gain, inflexibility and much more, I wondered if I would ever get back to being anywhere close to what I once was. 

Various drugs I was given caused my body to balloon almost beyond belief. Along with the bloatage came stiffness of virtually every joint in my body.

At this point I dropped the prescribed drugs, put myself on enzymes and herbs, and this helped tremendously.

Yet, what about repairing the side effects that lingered? The weight gain. The stiffness. 

This is where I discovered the healing power of meat, especially when consumed abundantly and almost exclusively. 

Getting carbohydrates, in all their forms and guises, out of my body, allowed my body to make a miraculous recovery. Most of the excess weight dropped off from eating meat alone – and when I was able to begin seriously training again, going back to the program I outlined years earlier in my Combat Stretching DVDs, helped me get my strength and flexibility back in a monumental way. 

So when I read the words, “Can you still do that?” below the picture of myself doing the kneeling back bend stretch, I had my son, Frank, take a few pictures for me. 

I got into the position within seconds and Frank snapped a good one. 

Upon seeing it, someone asked, “What is the secret to your longevity?”

Ask me that in another 40 years, I thought. 

But if you want to know the secret to my flexibility, I can answer that now. It’s called Combat Stretching.

Get it and you’ll see why it works wonders all over the world. 

KATN!

Matt Furey

By the way: Long-time Furey Faithful follower, John Torres, posted something yesterday that made my day. He wrote:

“I’m actually laughing at myself now. I’ve tried every stretching program, before, and after Combat Stretching. Needless to say, Combat Stretching IS THE BEST. Two days later, I am feeling as flexible as a cat. Forever grateful, Matt Furey.”

Thanks mucho, John. It works every time, doesn’t it?

When you see your average person stretching, you are observing what NOT to do. On top of that, the stretches that most coaches teach are useless and unnecessary.

Before people begin formally exercising, you see them stretching their muscles. This is wrong because the first order of business is not the muscles, it’s the joints.

Lubricating your joints activates the release of synovial fluid; it also moves the qi or vital energy through the limbs. From head to toe you want to learn how to circulate your joints so that the you increase your energy and get prepared for more vigorous action.

Or you rotate your joints so thoroughly that your brain-body is buzzing and there’s no need to do anything else. This is something you can do before heading off to work, or before going to bed.

It’s never a good idea to work only on muscular flexibility while ignoring joint mobility.

This is why one of the central components of my Combat Stretching DVDs addresses dynamic stretching and joint rotations.

Every joint that is tight is negatively affecting the positive balance you want to experience in the rest of your body. Tight ankles send signals to your shoulders. Tight hips send messages to your knees. And a stiff neck makes Jack and Jill’s connective tissues so tight they tear.

Be on the positive side of this stretching solution.

Notice how those who stretch their muscles before training jump from one stretch to the next and never get loose.

Loosen your joints the way I teach in Combat Stretching and notice how everything flows when you train.

Then when it comes time to stretch your muscles, make a note at how much more flexible you have become, with hardly any effort at all.

KATN!

Matt Furey

Earlier today I created a video on the unsung benefits of Hindu squats. 

I haven’t written or spoken about this benefit too much before because I always thought it was obvious. But I’ve grown weary of all amateurs who are telling people that Hindu squats are for your “quads.”

They’re not. 

Hindu squats give your quads some work, but they are not supposed to be the primary mover and shaker in this exercise. If your quads are blasted after 20-25 repetitions, then you’re doing something wrong. 

If you can last for 40-50 repetitions, this is an improvement, but it’s still nothing to brag to grandma about.

You cannot get to hundreds, much less thousands of consecutive repetitions of Hindu squats, you cannot develop the springy elasticity of the body, if your quadriceps are the main body part you are working. If they are, you’re stuck in “muscle-think.”

True, what I am stating is a mind-bender for many.

The bodybuilding industry has polluted the minds of so many for so long that it’s nearly impossible to imagine outside the box. It’s not much different than believing in the four food groups, the food pyramid or that moderation in all things is good for you.

Misinformation galore. 

Years ago, I spoke with a martial artist who insisted that doing more than 25 Hindu squats in a row was “boring.” I told him that a fighter who cannot concentrate his mind for longer than 25 repetitions lacks mind power and concentrated focus. He couldn’t dispute me on this one. 

Think of it in terms of skipping rope. How good is a fighter who can only last for 25 jumps? Or one who is bored after 25 reps. 

Physical training is also mental training. 

Greatness comes from practicing the “same old boring exercise” until you realize it’s not boring at all. It was your mind that was polluted.

One exercise may save your life, or give you a reason to live.

One exercise can turn your world into a whirld. 

Just as the secret to meditation is focusing on one thing, the same is true with exercise.

It all gets back to the power that is unleashed by focusing on one thing, or one exercise, such as Hindu Squats.

Focus on them until you learn how to do them without getting a “quad pump.”

When you’ve nailed this one thing, you’re a rare human being.

Your mind is now a powerhouse that can’t be beat. 

KATN.

Matt Furey

P.S. By the way, in Expect to Win – Hate to Lose, I wrote about the monk that I met in Japan, who was declared a Living Buddha after running 1,000 marathons through the mountains of Mt, Hiei, in seven years. After doing so, he asked to do it again as he believed he could do much better. It only took him six years to run 1,000 marathons on his second go-round. The same old boring exercise turned this man into a living saint. 

There are three secrets to increasing your flexibility that are “lost” to most people.

The reason these secrets are lost is due to erroneous advice from ignorant physical education teachers or sports coaches.

You didn’t know any better at the time, so you accepted their advice as fact, even though it was faulty.

The mind is a funny thing. The first thing you hear often gets precedence, even when it is not deserved. 

Said coach told you, “Don’t bounce when you stretch. Bouncing tears muscles.”

Indeed, bouncing can tear muscles… IF you do it in an idiotic fashion. On the other hand, if you bounce with intelligence and a sense of feel, it can lead to quick improvements in flexibility. 

The second secret is wiggling, which is NOT the same as bouncing. If you get into a position where you feel “stuck,” you learn to squirm around and find a different pathway that leads to the promised land. 

The third secret is playing a game with tension and relaxation. You move into a stretch in a relaxed manner until your nervous system forces you to come to a halt. Relaxing further can help a bit, but it’s also a potential time-waster. 

What to do?

Alternate between tension and relaxation. Squeeze the muscles you are stretching isometrically, then let them go. After you relax, test yourself to see if you can go further in the same stretch. You may be stunned with what you learn about your body when you do this. And it’s usually HUGE.

In fact, tension and relaxation work in tandem so well that you can double your flexibility in a single session. ’tis why I began telling people this over 20 years ago. I’ve watched people who were stiff as steel learn how to achieve their flexibility goals in record time. 

Will it happen to you if you apply the techniques in Combat Stretching?

Of course.

But ONLY if you watch the videos, learn the stretches and DO them.

Combat Stretching is not one of those courses uniquely positioned by marketers who tell you that you don’t need to do anything but “watch the videos,” and in so doing, you’ll “instantly download flexibility into your system.” 

Nah, doesn’t work that way. 

You’ll need to do some work as you learn to become flexible. 

And that’s the bottom line, my friend. Do you want to LEARN?

If so, I can teach you. 

If you want it, the sky becomes a place where you go beyond your previous limitations. 

Start NOW and you’ll be thrilled with your newly found flexibility.

Matt Furey

By the way…

Be sure to follow me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRKuE125AOA

Now that I think about it, I’ve never been to a single New Year’s Eve party in my life. Nor a New Year’s Day party.

This might seem strange to you, but for me it’s perfectly normal. I don’t go to parties and I don’t host them.

Perhaps I could let my hair down a bit, but it’s a little late for that.

The best news I have to report this year, so far, is I got my fifth workout of the new year in this morning.

That means I was training, not freaking partying, on New Years Eve. In fact, on the eve of 2022, I was doing squats and pushups and practicing martial arts.

A friend of mine, who trained with me in the morning on New Years Day told me that most everyone he knows was still drunk and/or hungover when he got out of bed. They thought he was crazy to go train with el Furecat on the first day of the year.

Aren’t you ‘sposed to be taking it easy?

Hell no.

The key to kicking ass and taking names in 2022 isn’t crafting New Years resolutions, setting BIG goals that SCARE YOU, taking massive action or getting out of your comfort zone. None of those strategies work, no matter who touts them.

Yes, these ideas SELL. That’s true. But they don’t work because they are unnatural. 

The natural way to success is recognizing that you can ONLY take one step at a time; that you only get to take one breath at a time and you only get to live one moment at a time. 

Resist this idea all you want. It doesn’t matter. Nature will continue being nature, requiring that you take one step and one breath at a time.

The is why the concept of massive action leads to anxiety, depression and feelings of failure. It’s an unnatural system.

Look at it this way: 

The gyms will be filled for the next week; then there will be a drop off. A week later another drop off will come, and by the end of three weeks, the gyms are back to normal. That’s the truth. 

The DOERS will keep on doing, regardless of what year or what day it is. The DOERS takes one step at a time. They are consistent no matter what. 

Each year there will be more DOERS coming aboard, but you won’t be able to see who they are until the first 21 days of the New Year have passed.

Why? Because it takes 21 days to form a new habit.

Sure, you can change a habit at any time, but getting that habit to stick is another matter. A new habit has to be repeated… repeatedly, for it to stick. 

If it’s a good habit, you need to guard it, even when you think it’s installed. It can still slip away at any time if you’re not ON IT.

If it’s a bad habit, that’s a different story. You needn’t guard your bad habits because they have a not-so-funny way of taking control of you. 

One of the keys to eliminating bad habits is to banish them one at a time.

Again, not massive action. Not a complete overnight overhaul.

One change at a time that you consistently follow over the course of one year represents a monumental shift in your life. 

This is one of the reasons that I advocate DAILY exercise; not the garden-variety three times per week notion. 

Animals in the wild don’t train two or three times a week. They move to survive and to thrive. 

As an aspiring humanimal, I train every day, not only to keep my good habits, but to see how much my mind-body can accomplish. 

If you’ve already partied your way into 2022, no worries. I’m only telling you what I do and why.

Either way, once you GET FOCUSED, everything shifts and changes. Immediately. 

Make today the start of YOUR new year – and the beginning of creating a New YOU. 

Begin or end your day NOW with my international best-sellers, Combat Conditioning, Combat Abs and/or Combat Stretching. 

And let’s see how far you can go with your mind-body this year.

Kick ass – take names.

Matt Furey

P.S. My son is home from college and we’ve been cranking out videos on my YouTube channel. Be sure to check this one out and subscribe.

Ole Farmer Burns knew a thing or two about a thing or two. And when it comes to working your shoulders, he stands on the top of the mountain.

The Farmer may not have understood anatomy the way we do today, but he was darn sure that the shoulder is the joint with the greatest chance of things going wrong.

Your shoulder is the most complex joint in the human body, with 17 muscles that tie into it. Your shoulder allow you to do the simplest of tasks, such as shaving, brushing your teeth or lifting a drink. It allows you to push, pull, twist and throw your arm in multiple directions and from a wide array of angles.

If you have any weakness in the shoulder complex, your chance for injury increases substantially, and that is before something nasty happening to you that exposes you to injury. As a combat athlete and martial artist, I have experienced the agony of getting slammed sideways on my shoulder, or having my arm twisted and torqued behind my back. I have also learned over the years the best ways to recover from this type of injury.

And let me tell ya, the Farmer nailed the healthy shoulder protocol better than any modern day weight-training method. Using nothing more than breathing movements, calisthenics and self-resistance exercises, the Farmer teaches you how to strengthen and heal your shoulders FAST.

The secrets are contained in Lesson in Wrestling and Physical Culture, a 1914 by-mail course that I’ve been teaching from for years. Although most of the course is devoted to teaching wrestling holds, what you learn in Lessons 1 and 3 alone, is worth the price of the book many times over.

Build yourself a pair of bullet-proof shoulders that are flexible and strong from every conceivable direction and angle. The Farmer knows what to do.

Now make sure you learn what to do, and follow through with action.

Order Lesson in Wrestling and Physical Culture NOW and change the life of your shoulders for the better. 

Matt Furey

Over the weekend I received a surprise in my email inbox.

’twas from Phil Campbell, a master speed coach and author of Ready, Set Go! Synergy Fitness – a book I have raved about for years, as well as his more recent Sprint 8: Maximum Results. Minimum Time, which is another gem on sprint training and its profound positive effect on fat loos and muscle gain.

In his books, Phil teaches how he transformed his middle-aged body and ran a 4.7 40-yard dash at 50 years of age. Absolutely phenomenal, eh? So I think the man knows what he’s rapping about.

Anyway, the big surprise was what Phil wrote about my Combat Stretching program. Here goes:

“Matt Furey’s Combat Stretching gets results! Every athlete needs to get it and follow it to improve performance.

In recent years, a few studies have been taken out of context in an attempt to prove static stretching is not beneficial. This is a ridiculous conclusion.

Matt Furey doesn’t go with the crowd. He teaches what works and his Combat Stretching works.

As a speed technique coach for 40 years, I can tell you flexibility is the secret weapon in speed improvement. If you want to help a young athlete improve performance by improving speed, get “Combat Stretching.” It works, and you’ll physically see and feel flexibility improvement within days.

I didn’t say you will like stretching. I personally dislike it. No, I hate it. But the truth is athletes will not live up to their potential unless they are doing a flexibility program like Combat Stretching.

If you are an aging adult like me (age 70 next year) and your aren’t combat stretching, stop taking the pain supplements and follow Matt Furey’s Combat Stretching. Your lower back, shoulders and knees will thank you.”

Phil Campbell, M.S., M.A. FACHE-R, ACSM C-PT.

Thank you so much, Phil. I’m thrilling you are using Combat Stretching and getting results. Your email made my month. Keep me posted on your progress.

Matt Furey

BTW, if you already have Combat Stretching and you want to find out about Phil’s Speed program for athletes, go to 40speed.com