Lyonhart Fitness

Reaching Maximum Potential

As a child and young adult I battled regularly with a whole array of demons. Family dysfunction and abuse led to creating a defensive psychological shell around myself. Accompanying this was extreme lack of self esteem and high levels of fear reactivity in all social contact. My genetically defined physicality was lacking any advantage except being tall. I was overfat, under-muscled, athletically inept and always the "last one picked" for the very few sports I ever engaged in.

But I eventually came to realize that these circumstances and disadvantages were not me. My true self lay somewhere deeper within, untouched by the trauma and waiting to emerge. The path I am now on is allowing that self, the real me, to manifest itself more and more everyday. This path consists of a daily practice of melting away the slag and allowing the gold to shine through.

You too can choose the path you will follow. The downward spiral ruminates in the past and focuses on the attacks to our ego. The upward spiral, while not easy, leads to realizing the amazing potential that is inside each one of us.

The lyrics of the song "Everyday Glory" by one of my favorite bands, Rush, tells a similar story with captivating imagery:

In the house where nobody laughs
And nobody sleeps
In the house where love lies dying
And the shadows creep
A little girl hides shaking
With her hands on her ears
Pushing back the tears
'Til the pain disappears

Mama says some ugly words
Daddy pounds the wall
They can fight about their little girl later
Right now they don't care at all

No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...

Everyday people
Everyday shame
Everyday promise shot down in flames
Everyday sunrise
Another everyday story
Rise from the ashes and blaze
In everyday glory

In the city where nobody smiles
And nobody dreams
In the city where desperation
Drives the bored to extremes
Just one spark of decency
Against a starless night
One glow of hope and dignity
A child can follow the light

No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...
No matter what they say...

Everyday people
Everyday shame
Everyday promise shot down in flames
Everyday sunrise
Another everyday story
Rise from the ashes and blaze
In everyday glory

If the future's looking dark
We're the ones who have to shine
If there's no one in control
We're the ones who draw the line
Though we live in trying times
We're the ones who have to try
Though we know that time has wings

We're the ones who have to fly...

3 Requirements for Maximal Wellness

1. Joint Mobility - lubricate and nourish the joints to recover full pain-free movement

2. Comprehensive Weight Training - using either weighted equipment or simply bodyweight, its not just building muscle mass but complete strength to all of our connective tissues and joints

3. Compensatory Movement - counterbalancing overspecialization in our daily movements patterns to restore our six degrees of freedom

All of these aspects are present in the holistic health method of Circular Strength Training.  The 3-rings of Intu-Flow, Clubbells, and Prasara Yoga work together synergistically to create an effect much greater than the mere sum of its parts.  By practicing ALL of the ring together daily in an intelligently designed program you are guaranteed to increase not just your fitness level but your overall health, wellness, vitality and longevity.

You can get started on a journey to maximal wellness today - regardless of age, athletic ability or experience: RMAX International

Be Well.

Jeff

5 Reasons to Practice Joint Mobility

 

The art and science of joint mobility practice as encapsulated in the Intu-Flow system is a revolution in the fitness world that is taking the world by storm.  It is an easy to learn method that yields unbelievable yet very tangible benefits as more people are discovering daily.

Here are my top 5 benefits of practicing the Intu-Flow joint mobility system:

Lubricate and Nourish Every Joint:  It is only through full and complete movement that joints are bathed in fluids that supply necessary nutrition and remove toxins and adhesions.

Regain Pain-Free Movement:  By following the Intuitive Training protocol of Intu-Flow you can gradually recover, coordinate, and refine your full range of motion in all joints.

Release Mental and Emotional Tension:  Trauma and stress have a physiological effect and becomes stored in bodies.  The specific movement techniques of Intu-Flow allow you to begin become truly free of these daily stressors.

Increase Quality and Quantity of Your Life:  We are as old as our connective tissue.  If we allow our joints to be sedentary and static is will have a definite and deleterious effect on the rest of your life.

Realize Flow: You will open the gateway to peak performance in competition, your professional work, your recreation or the major league sport we call ‘everyday life’.

Get started on the path to maximum wellness and longevity by starting your Intu-Flow practice now.

For more information on this powerful system get the book “Free To Move” by Scott Sonnon HERE.

Go HERE to order the Intu-Flow DVD set.

For the complete package go HERE.

It will be an investment in your future that will pay off huge dividends in the long run.

 

Be Well.

Jeff

 

You are the Artist

The word ‘art’ is one of those things that is hard to comprehensively and accurately describe yet we can say that we “know it when we see it”. This is something similar to the concept of ‘quality’ as in the famous book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Art is something that is sensed on more than just a visual level. When we perceive something truly artistic we are emotionally ‘moved’ and feel something that is hard to capture in mere words.

Look at this portrait by the Renaissance master Pontormo:

You can get a real, visceral understanding of the young man in this painting if you look at it carefully. Observe the stance, the arms and shoulders, the facial expression, the eyes, and so on. Some of the words that come to mind might be grace or poise or confidence or sophistication. You might well come up with another description that is similar.

Now look at this clip of Coach Scott Sonnon from FlowFit II:

Could you not use some of the same descriptive words here as for the portrait. Others that come to mind might be energetic or vibrant or flowing.

CST has been very poignantly defined as a ‘movement art’. It is not just about exercise or looking good or a novel new fitness gimmick. At its core CST is about quality of movement. Yes we are working on attributes like strength and stamina and mobility but these are the pieces of puzzle. Visual artists like Pantormo also spent much time studying paint colors and textures and specific techniques but at the heart of all this was the artistic vision. Likewise your fitness practice must have at its heart an artistic quality that is bigger than mere reps, sets, techniques, or tools.

Ultimately the goal is to be able to move with freedom, poise and strength. Not just to live a ‘fitness lifestyle’ or live longer but to live better.

Be Well.

Think Again

Author and master martial artist George Leonard, in his book Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment, describes the essential components in the path to true excellence regardless of the particular skill set or functional area that is being pursued. This is not the ‘get-rich-overnight-in-3-easy-steps’ type of scheme that promises so much for so little but at best results in a quick high with no real substance followed by a fast descent back to where you started. This is the long and deliberate road that produces slowly but steadily produces tangible and permanent results and true personal self fulfillment.

Key #4: Intentionality

Leonard uses the term ‘Intentionality’ to label an important but evanescent concept that is sometimes hard to describe in words. This is because this key element has more to do with our thoughts and how we direct them as we pursue the path of mastery. Attitude, mental outlook, concentration, visualization and even meditation are some other words that could fall into this category of Intentionality. The bottom line is this: how we think about what we do is at least as important, if not more so, that our physical action.

Even if you have the best exercise program in the world if you are just focus on knocking out reps and getting it over with you will not get nearly the full benefit. In every exercise, every rep, you must fully engage your mind as well as your muscles. There are many specific aspects to concentrate on depending on your particular stage of development and fitness goals. How are you breathing? Are you executing a full range movement? Is your body structure sound? Maybe you need to focus on slow, smooth motion and maximum muscle fiber recruitment. Or perhaps you need to really push up the speed/tempo.

As modern Western science continues to progress forward we are beginning to rediscover some of the lessons from the ancient East. We are seeing more and more clearly that what we call the ‘mind’ and ‘body’ are not separate things but intimately connected. Thoughts have real power that are made manifest in our physiology (and vice versa). So be very aware of your thinking while you workout or practice your particular physical discipline. Focus on mastery and you will reap amazing rewards.

Your Personal Path, Your Personal Trainer

The path to mastery is available to everyone regardless of age, sex, or previous experience. It is our human birthright which can and must be reclaimed. Just think about the incredibly complex skills you have already mastered in growing up: walking, running, bike riding, speaking a language (or two), driving, typing, etc. But at some point in our lives we seem to stop this deep process of learning sophisticated skills, especially when it comes to our physical movement.

There are a number of reasons for this such as a modern culture that preaches quick results without effort and values the product over the process. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Take just a moment and think back to long ago when you first learned to ride a bike without training wheels. Remember how that felt? Remember the sheer joy of feeling the wind against your face as you were propelled forward faster than you ever had before? Remember the incredible self-satisfaction you felt as you had mastered this amazing new physical skill?

That was an experience of flow and it was a huge step along your personal path to mastery.

The best part is that it doesn’t have to end there. You can continue along that path. And the first key to finding your path again is finding the right instruction.

Key #1: Instruction

      They go by many names and hold many different titles depending on the particular path of physical mastery you wish to follow: coach, trainer, sensei, mentor, guru, sifu, and so on. They may be close by or a long distance away. You may find them through word of mouth, in your phone book or by doing and internet search. But however you find your teacher its very important to find one.

      You want to find a person who has successfully traveled up the path already. Someone who has been there and done that. Someone who practices even more than they preach and can “walk the talk”.

 

      When it comes to world class trainers there is none better than my mentor and coach Scott Sonnon. His travels around the world in search of the ultimate methods of health and physical performance enhancement are well known along with his record as a champion martial artist. As the creator of Circular Strength Training he is a deep well of knowledge of human physiology and movement, an articulate writer and inspiring teacher.

      RMAX Faculty Head Coach Ryan Murdock is an unbelievably talented martial artist and formidable CST athlete. As another of my personal teachers Ryan has an amazing ability to challenge all his students in just the right way to allow them to overcome their weaknesses and grow. Time and time again I am in awe of his fearlessness and creativity.

      As for myself I have maintained a daily personal practice of CST for over 3 years and now proudly call myself a CST Coach. Before that I walked the path to personal mastery over and over again in a number of different areas. I hold black belt rank in multiple martial arts, I am certified as an instructor in yoga and Tai Chi, and I’ve experienced some of the toughest physical training available in the US Army.

      Now I am offering to you all of what I have learned from my coaches and my personal experience through Lyonhart Fitness. I have an intense desire to help everyone as much as I possibly can in their own path to personal mastery.