Last nights workout, and a little history.

Did this last night after work:

Burpees 10
woodchoppers with 10 lb medicine ball 10
10 2h kettlebell swings
10 mountain climbers
10 jumping jacks.

Repeat 6 times, no rest between excercises, 20-30 secs between cycles. a real intense workout performed in my living room, took about 20 minutes.

Just to give a summary of what I do as far as working out goes and how it has evolved for me, I began lifting weights in high school to get stronger for football and wrestling, then eventually trained for bodybuilding, constantly striving for bigger "pecs"., "delts", Bis" and so on. While I looked great asthetically, I really was not functionally fit as I should have been. I also spent a lot of time in the gym, up to two hours, thinking I was actually accomplishing something.
Around 1999, seeking to improve my fitness, I quit bodybuilding for good, but still incorporated weights into my program on occasion, which was by now, mostly bodyweight excercises. I did lots of pushups, pullups, squats, squat thrusts, dips, sit ups and leg raises. I also began running quite a bit again, at least 3-4 times a week, 2 to 3 miles. My bodyweight and running program was very beneficial for a couple of years, but I was still seekiing new ways to train. I was doing 100s of excercises, set after set, and eventually, the routine began to get stale and I was rapidly losing my enthusiasm for training. I'm the type, no mattter what, will never, ever miss a workout or make an excuse to, but at this juncture, I was merely going through the motions. My program lacked variety, creativity and I was no tmotivated to train as hard as I was capable of. In the meantime, I was searching the web for different routines, excercises, and the elusive "magic pill".

Fast forward to 2003, and one day I came upon a site by accident called "Rossboxing.com" and visited the site. What really garnered my interest was a book called "The Underground Guide to Warrior Fitness". So I e-mailed Ross, and not only did he respond right away personally, unlike other sites, but he sent me a few suggestions to get started. I also went ahead and ordered the book. In the meantime, I tried a few of the routines, and holy shit..I was blown away, not to mention on the verge of puking my guts out. Most of the routines are in circuit fashion, meaning you go from one excercise to the next without rest, and working as fast as possible. If you believe you are "in shape" and have never been through this type of session, you are in for a serious wake-up call. Plus, If you spent the previous night at your local pub or watering hole, I would seriously consider waiting a day or two before doing these workouts, unless you want to analyze the contents of your stomach.

Overall, it was a truly new dimension for me as far as fitness goes, and I have found Ross Enamait to be one of, if not the most innovative persons in the fitness industry when it comes to designing programs. You also couldn't ask for anyone more than willing to help, despite his frantic schedule. I was also introduced to using "odd objects" such as sandbags, sledgehammers, wheelbarrows, beer kegs and other items you wouldn't even consider as implements for getting in shape and condition. Since then, Ross has written several books, of which I have all, except 1. My two favorite and his most recent ones are "Infinite Intensity" and "Never Gymless". While the target audience is combat athletes, ANYONE can benefit from his programs. I have never been bored with a training program, my workouts take only 20-30 minutes to complete, sometimes less. Plus you can do most of these workouts anywhere, so there is no excuse for missing a session. I am also in the best shape and condition of my life and it has given me confidence in other areas as well. I also no longer go to a commercial gym, but train outdoors as much as possible,weather permitting. It's liberating to say the least.

Besides Ross, I have also gained inspiration from other trainers and trainees such as Zach Even-ish, Mike Mahler, Matt "Wiggy" Wiggins, JC Brown of Kettlebell athletics and Crossfit Philly, Tom Brose of Crossfit DC (where I go when time permits) and Rhadi Ferguson and JC Santana, both of Into Combat. I have also gained inspiration from people I have met on Ross' forum such as Ballast, who has become a great friend, Ironwarrior, The Fruitarian One, Rightcrosslefthook, Leapingcat, GT and many others. Last but not least, I can't forget Bas Rutten, better known as "El Guapo" in the MMA world for his inspiration as well, even though we have never met or communicated.