Two fighters square off in a ring. One fighter is muscular and ripped while the other looks somewhat ordinary.

Based upon appearances, who is the better fighter?

Most would immediately assume that the fighter with the biggest, buffest and most defined musculature is the better of the two.

But the truth is there’s no way of knowing for sure without watching the two tangle.

Why?

Because strength and athleticism aren’t solely based upon how you look or how big your muscles are.

Then there’s this thing called Invisible Strength.

It’s more than a will or a desire to win.

It’s not purely psychological, although “the mind” is definitely part of it.

There’s something that is missing, an unknown factor. It’s invisible to those who don’t have the eye of experience.

This unknown factor is also part of what helps you improve your mobility. You’re stuck in a position you cannot advance in. You lack strength as well as flexibility in the pose.

In order to advance, you need to figure out how to move beyond your limitations. But how do you move when you’re stuck?

That’s where the internal component comes into play.

You train your body to go further, and do so with relaxed ease and intelligence.

You don’t force anything, yet everything gets accomplished.

What a way to get the job done.

This is what I teach you in Combat Stretching – the program I created to help you double your flexibility in record time while also increasing your strength.

Latch onto this program, take your internal strength and flexibility training to the next level, and come to realize who the better fighter truly is.

Matt Furey

You see these people who look lean and mean when they’re all dressed up, but beneath their long sleeved shirts and dress pants, they might be flab-city.

Looks and the clothes they are wearing can be deceiving.

Then there are people who look fat on the outside, or from a distance, but you’d better not go toe-to-toe with them because they can haul ass. Beneath their outer layers of flab, is an abundance of functional muscle, bone and sinew.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to fitness is thinking that a person’s outer appearance dictates his or her abilities.

If someone’s body fat percentage is low, we assume that person is flexible, even though reality shows that he’s as stiff as a statue.

If someone is muscular, it’s easy to assume the person is really strong as well as inflexible. Neither may be true.

But flexibility, mobility and strength have far less to do with how your body looks than you might think.

Flexibility, like strength, power, speed and endurance, has a lot to do with what exercises you are doing, what plan you are following and how much time you are investing in it.

I recall the first time I tried to do the front splits. It’s not a pleasant memory. I thought I was going to tear a hamstring.

Similar story holds true with bridging. Thought I was going to break my neck.

At that point, it would have been easy to think that the key to getting looser was to change how my body looks, or to go on a special diet.

But surprise, surprise… the reason I wasn’t flexible in these positions was due to other factors.

Here are three of them:

1. I never trained the stretch, so my brain-body didn’t know what to do.

2. I lacked strength in the direction the muscles were being stretched, which caused a myotatic reflex that held me back.

3. I wasn’t breathing in a way that commanded my nervous system to relax.

The keys to making progress, then, are the opposite of the above.

First, you train the new stretch regularly and you devote a lot of time to it.

Second, you focus on methods that cause the muscles to get stronger as well as more flexible.

Third, you integrate your breathing with each stretch.

The results I got from following the above, amazed me as well as those who watched the transformation take place.

I went from stiff and creaky to limber and slinky.

And I’ve never looked back.

Stretching your body stretches your mind.

Experience how to do it yourself with Combat Stretching.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

P.S. Want to learn how to write emails such as the one you’ve just read – then click here.

Part of my recovery plan includes adequate sleep and nutrition – but as essential as these are, they are not enough. I can increase sleep as well as the nutrition I take in and still not be recovered.

But as soon as I engage in something light, something flowing, something with deep breathing in it, something that isn’t working my muscles to the point of failure, I begin to feel stronger and more energetic. As soon as I become aware of how I inhale, exhale and use my imagination, everything shifts.

I’ve attended sports conferences and seminars where the subject of deep breathing is “covered” by a coach in 30 seconds or less. These coaches unknowingly revealed to me that they knew next-to-nothing about the power of deep breathing and how it helps athletes improve their performance.

I look at deep breathing this way…

Deep breathing is something you do when you train, as part of every repetition of every exercise.

Deep breathing is something you do when you’re resting between sets or after the workout, so you can recover faster.

Deep breathing is what you do to relax and unwind your mind, to cool off internally and rebalance your system.

Years ago, when I first began working on becoming more flexible, I uncovered how deep breathing gave me more freedom of movement.

Stretches that I was previously stuck in, lengthened on their own as I learned to relax and breathe life into various parts of the body.

I’ll always remember the day I was in a martial arts class with a dozen other students. As I was sitting on the floor with my legs spread in a V, I tried to lean forward but, per usual, it appeared there was nowhere for me to go.

I was stuck.

Then the magic happened.

As soon as I figured out the where and the how on directing the breath, my chest came forward about a foot. I repeated this same style of inhale and exhale, and the next thing I knew my chest was on the ground in a pancake position.

At this moment I knew I had something, so I began testing it with my students. The results they got inspired me further.

And all of this lead to me coming out with my Combat Stretching DVDs.

This incredible program not only helps you gain greater flexibility, it helps you recover because you’re doing far more than just stretching. You’re rebalancing and rebooting your system with the power of deep breathing.

Stretching, in and of itself, can help you recover faster. But stretching and the deep breathing I teach in Combat Stretching take you even further. A lot further.

Breathe Deep and Stretch Yourself.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

P.S. If you’ve ever thought about becoming a well-paid email copywriter, or an information publisher, i.e. published author, and you want to know how I’ve done it, then I suggest you dive into my Zen Mastery program – and get yourself going.

I talked with a fitness fanatic some months ago. He was filled with fear, worry, self-doubt and other ill feelings, in spite of having a number of big wins in his life.

After a few questions, I learned that he was reading about how to 10X his business… and virtually everything else in his life.

It wasn’t enough for the him to be showing constant and continuous signs of improvement. Nah. It’s gotta be 10X… or else you’re a “loser.”

HAH.

The guy had zero clue as to why his nerves were rattled. Could it be that he’d given himself such a big target that his brain and nervous system were rebelling?

Oh no, it couldn’t be that, could it? Aren’t you supposed to be emotionally rattled on a daily basis?

According to the self-development schexperts, you should set goals that scare you, goals that make you uncomfortable. These same advisors don’t tell you that you may need to live on pharmaceutical medications as a result of this type of thinking.

Then along comes el Furecat, who tells you to set small, incremental daily goals. He tells you to stop the 10X thinking, and focus on the daily actions and habits that will take you where you want to go in life. And that this alone will lead to massive changes over time.

But that’s not good enough for some as they want it ALL and they want it NOW.

To paraphrase Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: “Daddy, I want one of those ooopah loompahs and I want one NOW.”

Sorry, Violet, but Master Willy says no.

And so it goes with fitness.

In the fitness world, you can employ a 10X mindset all you want, but the reality is that you need to prove you can handle a “get started now” workout. After that you gotta prove you can repeat your workout consistently.

As you follow through with your daily workouts, your body begins to change. You get stronger, more flexible and garner greater endurance. These improvements lead to greater momentum and personal power, which lead to you wanting to stretch yourself to a new dimension.

Seeing yourself where you want to be, seeing yourself getting better, is a wise practice.

Doing the work, taking care of the here and now, and accepting that some of your goals are going to take longer than you think, is also part of the process.

Life is closer to being a marathon than a 40-yard sprint.

In 1990, after I ran the Honolulu marathon with a finishing time of 3:35:52, how absurd would it be to ponder 10X’ing that result? Wouldn’t it be better if my goal was to run the next one faster?

Or what if I never run another marathon again?

Now that’s a great idea.

That makes even more sense to me.

But guess what? Whether it’s running a marathon or doing pushups, squats and pull-ups, if you want to keep going, there are going to be days that you cannot break your previous records. Nor is it advisable to be attempting to do so.

The smart people do not attempt to set a new record on a daily basis. They put the work in and watch the results of that work grow. They test themselves intermittently, not daily.

Why? Because your brain and nervous system need a rest.

If you can only do 10 pushups, don’t berate yourself for not being able to do 100 in a row.

You just keep putting in the time.

As you do so, you realize, over time, you’re now able to do 15, then 20, then 25, and if you desire it, you will eventually do 100-straight.

Each improvement along the way is a victory.

Enjoy the incremental stages of improvement and the work that goes into them. Enjoy what sucks; it’s only temporary.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

Combat Conditioning Book and DVDs

P.S. Many people with zero interest in fitness read my emails each day, hoping to capture some ideas they can use to improve their online business or to become an effective copywriter. Oftentimes, these people are looking for pithy words and phrases, or “tricks” to model. But as a friend once stated, “You can’t model uniqueness and authenticity.” Discovering and living your unique and authentic self is part of what it takes to make it in this world, and I help you discover how to do that in my Zen Mastery Group.

One of my long-time customers and seminar attendees, wrote me yesterday to rave about his results.

Here’s a portion of what he wrote:

Dear Matt,

OMG!!! You told my story! I know you’re busy but please read. I became aware of the Great Gama back in 1969 in a Strength & Health article. I first saw your ad for Combat Conditioning in Bill Hinbern’s catalogue in 01.’

When it mentioned bodyweight exercises pioneered by Indian wrestlers, it triggered my memory of Gama and I ordered Combat Conditioning. By 2003-4′ I was knocking out 500 at a clip just to warm up in the gym. My best was 1,400 straight in 44 minutes.

Then came arthritis. Dr. told me the knee cartilage was disintegrating. By 2012 I couldn’t seem to squat anymore. Well, it ran its course (as the Dr. said it would) and by gosh I could squat again.

I’m now 72 and couldn’t seem to get motivated. Then a couple of weeks ago I did just what you said (in your email). Set a goal of 25 (repetitions). Damn, you were right. It was like opening the floodgates! Man, those endorphins started pumping and I cranked out 3 more sets w/ hard breathing..vacuum exhales.

Matt, I feel like I’m 25 again!! Feel the power coursing through my entire body! Someday I’ll get up to 500-straight again.

In just a few weeks my legs feel like steel with noticeably more musculature. In my opinion, Hindu squats are the king of all exercises. You’re right…the legs feed the wolf.

It was said Gama’s wrestling technique was mediocre but his superhuman conditioning (squats & pushups) made up for it. Same with Rocky Marciano…minimal skills but the best conditioned fighter of all time.

You’re the man Matt!! Thanks always for a most valuable education. You and the family stay safe and well. Blessings

Cliff 

Way to roll, Cliff, and thank you for the update. It’s good to see that you’re still kicking butt. And it’s amazing to see how the mind-body wakes up when you get started, even when you don’t FEEL like it.

Yesterday morning, when my training partner showed up, I went outside and started moving… slowly. I didn’t feel up to snuff and didn’t think there was any possibility of me having a productive workout. Even so, I got started.

After five minutes, I could feel a tiny shift taking place, but nothing major.

Then I began my first set of some fairly complex martial exercises, doing only five complete repetitions, four of which were in slow motion.

I took a break after five repetitions even though I didn’t need one. Within 30 seconds, I began the second set of five.

Another brief rest.

Followed by another set.

When the two of us finished, we’d performed five repetitions of 15 different complicated exercises.

How did I feel afterward?

I was ready for more, and we’d been training for over an hour.

Strike the idea of training to failure, of doing every set you perform to the max.

Instead, start small and let the momentum that is naturally generated by your brain and body to take hold. When it does, you won’t have to push yourself to do more. You’ll want to do more.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

Combat Conditioning Book and DVDs/videos

Last week, a customer wrote to tell me about the success he’s having in strengthening his whole body, since he implemented the advice I’ve given in this email newsletter.

Instead of forcing himself to train harder with the “more, more, more” mentality, he gives himself a simple daily goal, which when achieved, naturally expands into something bigger.

Por ejemplo, instead of trying to break a personal record each day, he sets a minimum goal to do 25 Hindu squats per day.

That number may be a joke to you – but it’s no laughing matter. Why? Because a “minimum goal” i’s a get-started now with no-excuses goal.

There’s no “I don’t have time” bullcrap excuses when you can accomplish your objective in 30 seconds or less.

So, you crank out a set of squats, and then you think you’re done.

But an exhilarating thing tends to happen AFTER the set. Your brain pumps out feel good neurotransmitters, and these often make you want to do another set, and another, and possibly another and another after that.

So the minimum goal of 25 turns into sets that add up to 100 repetitions or more.

Well, as for the guy I mentioned – he’s been doing over 200 Hindu squats most days and that’s where it gets even better.

One day he noticed that his strength went up on other exercises. When he tested himself with reverse pushups, he discovered he could do 15 repetitions, even though he hasn’t worked on it and his previous best was five.

He asked me how this could be.

“The legs feed the wolf,” I replied, borrowing a line from Herb Brooks, head coach of the 1980 USA Hockey Team, who won Olympic Gold.

Yes, the legs feed the wolf.

Tis why I call the Combat Conditioning DVD that teaches the proper technique for Hindu squats, The Leg and Lung Workout.

Make sure you set a “minimum goal” for your Hindu squats. Even a super simple goal of doing one repetition is enough to get some people going, and once your azz is moving, it’s harder to stop than you might think.

Pick up your copy of the Combat Conditioning book and DVDs today.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

Yes, flexibility and aging tend to go hand-in-hand.

Show me someone who is stiff and inflexible and I’ll show you someone who is aging far faster than necessary.

On the other hand, show me someone whose muscles and joints are loose, pliable, supple, strong and flexible –and I’ll show you someone who is turning back the clock, someone who is defying the aging process.

My Combat Stretching system can help the super stiff unlock their tight muscles in one evening!

What you’ll discover with my stretching system will blow your mind and put slack in your muscles and joints.

Especially when you get hold of and practice the 1 Simple Stretching Secret that gave me the flexibility I still have today, at nearly 60 years of age.

I’ve been teaching this secret for over two decades, and every single person I have ever personally worked with made extraordinary improvements in his or her flexibility during the same session.

Come get some NOW.

And begin living life with more gusto than EVER before.

Matt Furey

In Combat Abs you will learn…

• The difference between conditioned muscles and counterfeit muscles – and how one burns fat and helps you lose weight while the other is a waste of time!

• The exact exercises that harden your abdominal muscles faster than anything else in the world!

• A deep breathing isometric that tightens and tones your abdominals muscles within days, while increasing metabolism and improving digestion!

• Why the “ripped abs” look, although desirable, does not necessarily mean you are healthy, or that you are functionally fit!

• The abdominal exercises you MUST do to ensure a healthy lower back and the precise exercises that eliminate lower back pain!

• Why the “crunches” mentality of ab training is a crock!

• An exercise from “tai chi” and how this one exercise realigns the vertebrae of your spine from top to bottom, ridding you of lower back pain while simultaneously helping to increase circulation to your vital organs!

• The seven exercises you can do for your abs every morning when you get up that will strengthen your entire core and make it easy to reduce your waistline!

• Why fat can only accumulate on the area of your body where there is the least amount of activity!

Grab your copy of Combat Abs today.

Matt Furey

When it comes to exercise, there are two crowds of people:

1. the “go through hell” no matter what group and 2. the “train smarter” group.

The “go through hell” people insist you must constantly and relentlessly push yourself to the maximum to get results, while the “train smarter” group has a balanced approach. Sometimes you push yourself to the max – but most of the time, you don’t.

The “go through hell” people are quickly identified via the following slogans:

“get out of your comfort zone” “no pain – no gain” and “you must train to failure.”

The “train smarter” people recognize the value of pushing yourself beyond – but they are also aware that you can break through barriers faster when you stop knocking your head against the wall.

One of the realities that the “go through hell” crowd fails to recognize is that harder workouts are not always better – especially when it comes to gaining greater flexibility and overall mobility.

I tell you all this because when it comes to stretching, many people are under the impression that you need to “get out of your comfort zone.”

Supposedly, you should put yourself into an uncomfortable position and tough it out as you groan.

Yet, this is NOT the ideal way to gain greater stretchability.

The key is finding your comfort zone with loosening exercises and dynamic movements that get the blood and synovial fluid pumping. These exercises are NOT done to failure, or to the max, or any other equivalency.

Upon doing these exercises, you not only find your comfort zone, you EXPAND it. Without realizing it, you’re feeling so good you WANT to do more to feel even better.

The good feelings you are experiencing in your comfort zone lead you to PUSH yourself to do more, be more and accomplish more. And you DO more because you WANT to, not because you feel you must.

If you’re uncomfortable as you stretch, assuming you’re not recovering from a major surgery, I can assure you that you’re doing it wrong.

When you stretch properly, you feel better instantly.

And these good feelings lead to increased energy, overall well-being and mental sharpness.

As you move, you find yourself naturally going where you’ve ever gone before – which leads to more of the same in other seemingly unrelated areas of your life.

The methods you will learn in my Combat Stretching DVDs will show you the way. As you follow along, dramatically increasing your flexibility, you’ll not only stun your friends, but yourself as well.

And surprising yourself with what you can do NOW is perhaps the greatest surprise of all.

Matt Furey

“Some people are born flexible and some aren’t,” Greg said. “It’s as simple as that.”

“Oh really?? replied Coach Woo. “Why is it then that ALL new born babies are super flexible?”

Greg exclaimed, “Huh? What are you talking about? I’ve seen teenagers who can’t touch their toes.”

“So have I, but let’s get back to your original point,” Coach Woo stated. “You said that some people are born flexible and some aren’t. Now you’ve jumped all the way to teenagers who can’t touch their toes to make your point.”

“Whatever,” Greg grimaced. “Whatever you want to think. The fact remains that flexibility is largely a matter of genetics. You either have it or you don’t.”

“Is that the final word on the matter?” Coach Woo asked. “You’re either a blue blood or you’re not? And if you’re not one of us, too friggin bad.”

“Essentially, yes.”

“Well buddy, I got news for you. Flexibility and mobility have MORE to do with how you are trained to move, how you breathe and what you focus on than you can currently imagine. Just because you couldn’t touch your toes in high school doesn’t mean you cannot learn to do so at age 40, 50, 60 or 70. But if you buy into the genetics deception, you’ll be stuck for life. And frankly, that’s where you are now.”

“Look at you and how you do the splits,” Greg countered. “You really think people can learn to do that? You’re a genetic freak.”

“So the time I spent working on the splits and the methodology I used didn’t have anything to do with the results I got?” Coach Woo replied.

“Stop being so defensive.”

“Stop being so OFFENSIVE,” said Coach Woo.

“Why can’t you just admit that you’re a freak?” Greg asked. “No one can do what you do.”

“No one?”

“There you go again, arguing.”

“There you go again, universalizing. I’m curious, have you ever tested yourself to see how flexible you are?”

“Yes, many times. And I can’t be flexible. I’m too tight.”

“Well how about we take a different approach?”

Greg agreed to get into position and see how close he could come to touching his toes. His fingertips barely went past his knees.

Coach Woo took note of where Greg was, then gave him a series of seemingly simple exercises to do, exercises that appeared to have nothing to do with increasing flexibility in his stiff muscles.

After doing them, Coach Woo had Greg test his flexibility again.

What happened shocked Greg into submission. He was now able to touch his toes.

“I can’t believe it,” Greg said.

“You don’t need to believe it because you’ve just done it,” Coach Woo replied.

For years Greg had bought into the genetic freak theory. It was a convenient excuse to not even bother trying.

The reality is that genetics do not determine your level of flexibility. It’s true. All of us came into this world with soft, pliable and flexible limbs.

As we moved beyond babyhood, if we lost our flexibility, it is not due to genetics; it’s due to lifestyle factors.

What’s good to know is that we can regain most, if not all, of our suppleness. We can recapture the flexibility we lost… if we are willing to put in the time and work at it.

If you assume a lack of genetics is the reason you can or cannot do something, you may be correct. Then again, you may be a million miles off the mark.

In my Combat Stretching DVDs, you learn to bypass your ideas about genetics and move to the head of the class, whether you’re “supposed to be there” or not.

It’s easy to look at someone doing the splits and say, “I could never do that.”

It takes courage to observe someone doing the splits and say, “I want to do that,” and “I’m going to do it.”

Very different orientations toward life, eh?

Which one you gonna choose?

I suggest the one associated with my best-selling Combat Stretching DVDs.

Here endeth the lesson.

Matt Furey

P.S. If you want to learn to write emails such as the one you just read, if you want to work from home as a kick-butt info-publisher, if you want to go beyond the idea of “genetics” predetermining your every move, then you owe it to yourself to become a member of my Zen Mastery Info-Publishing Group.