Physical Practice

Best Ways to Toughen Up

Published

1 year ago

July 28, 2023

You know what they say “All things get better with age,” and that rings true here. Right off the bat, the best recommendation I can give you is to get with an experienced trainer and get scientific about your goals and your results to get the best. I would find a few of them in fact, remember in “Old-Schooler selection,” “Character is King.” Now once you find this character make sure to be a respectful young person, but good character will always help the TRUE SPIRITED.

That said,

Let’s start with the basics and then we can go on to some of the “alternatives,” but some, of the more aggressive toughness builders.

Building muscle and strength involves a combination of effective training, proper nutrition, proper hydration, adequate rest, and consistency. Here’s a detailed guide on the best way to build muscle and strength:

Set Clear Goals: “The man with the plan.” Define your specific muscle-building and strength goals. Having clear objectives will help you tailor your training program and track your progress effectively.
Resistance Training: Focus on progressive resistance training, which involves challenging your muscles by gradually increasing the resistance over time. This can be achieved through weightlifting, bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, or machines. Compound exercises (multi-joint movements) like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, overhead presses, and rows are especially effective for overall muscle and strength development. We have put together some key focuses not normally mentioned to help enhance your training here.
Frequency and Split: We call this “time in training,” and there is real momentum here. I must mention that this momentum that carries into all aspects of one’s life. If I am going to take someone through the 007 training, it all starts with dynamic physical training. Aim to train each muscle group 2-4 times per week, depending on your experience level and recovery capacity. You can follow a split routine, where you divide your workouts to focus on different muscle groups on different days. Common splits include upper/lower body, push/pull/legs, or a body part split.
Progressive Overload: This principle involves continually increasing the demands on your muscles to promote growth and strength gains. You can achieve progressive overload by increasing the weight, reps, sets, or intensity of your exercises as you get stronger.
Form and Technique: Maintain proper form and technique during your workouts to prevent injuries and ensure you’re targeting the right muscles effectively. Consider working with a fitness coach or personal trainer if you’re new to resistance training.
Nutrition: A balanced diet that supports muscle growth and recovery is crucial. Focus on the following elements:
- Protein: Consume enough protein to provide the building blocks for muscle repair and growth. Aim for around 1.2 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, depending on your activity level and goals. Supplementation of protein is common practice to achieve required minimums in the modern workman’s day.
- Carbohydrates: Carbs provide the energy needed for intense workouts and replenish glycogen stores in muscles. Opt for complex carbs like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
- Fats: Include healthy fats from sources like avocados, nuts *, seeds*, and olive oil for hormone production and overall health.
- Hydration: Stay well-hydrated to support performance and recovery.
- If you want the next-level on optimal human nutrition, click here.
Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition: Eating a balanced meal containing carbs and protein before your workout that can provide energy and minimize muscle breakdown. After training, consume a post-workout meal or shake with protein and carbs to aid muscle recovery and replenish glycogen stores. Pre-work out supplements are also safe ways to add a kick to the workout.
Rest and Recovery: Muscles grow during periods of rest, so ensure you get enough sleep (7-9 hours per night) and allow muscles at least 48 hours of recovery between intense workouts targeting the same muscle group.
Supplements: While a well-rounded diet should cover most of your nutritional needs, some individuals may benefit from supplements like creatine, whey protein, or branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)* –ND Team wants to benefit from strategically certain supplements but limit synthetic nutrition overall, we don’t usually recommend the BCAA supplements that are out there, but some people do find benefit in using them. Consult with a healthcare professional before using supplements.
Consistency and Patience: Building muscle and strength takes time and dedication. Stay consistent with your workouts, nutrition, and recovery, and be patient with the process. Progress may not always be linear, but with persistence, you will see results.
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how your body responds to training and adjust your program accordingly. If you feel excessively fatigued or experience pain, take a step back and give yourself time to recover.

Remember that individual factors such as genetics, age, and training experience play a role in how quickly you can build muscle and strength. Stay committed to the process, and you’ll see the results you’re striving for.

Ok now let us go over some of the alternatives that many readers of self-character-building material know about and have maybe journeyed in a bit.

Certainly! Building toughness and mental resilience can be achieved through various practices beyond traditional physical training. Here’s a list of alternative but effective toughness-building practices:

Meditation and Mindfulness: Developing mental toughness involves cultivating focus, clarity, and emotional control. Meditation and mindfulness practices can help you manage stress, increase self-awareness, and build mental resilience.
Cold Exposure: Taking cold showers or immersing yourself in cold water can improve your ability to handle discomfort and stress. Cold exposure has been linked to various physical and mental health benefits.
Yoga: Practicing yoga enhances flexibility, balance, and body awareness while also promoting relaxation and stress reduction.
Breathing Exercises: Deep breathing exercises can help you regulate your emotions and maintain composure during challenging situations.
Visualization and Mental Rehearsal: Engage in visualization techniques where you imagine yourself successfully overcoming obstacles and achieving your goals. This can boost confidence and mental preparedness.
Gratitude Journaling: Writing down things you’re grateful for each day can foster a positive mindset and help you reframe challenges as opportunities for growth.
Volunteering and Community Service: Helping others and engaging in community service can build empathy, resilience, and a sense of purpose.
Solo Adventures: Taking on solo adventures or challenges, such as hiking alone or traveling to new places, can develop self-reliance and inner strength. This is more important than people give it credit, in fact, I would venture to say that in the scope of the animal kingdom, the men who roam alone more often than not are amongst the strongest.
Reading and Learning: Expand your knowledge and mental agility by reading books, exploring new subjects, or taking up a challenging course or skill.
Breath-Hold Training: Practice breath-holding exercises (in a safe environment) to increase your lung capacity and tolerance for discomfort.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is a form of psychotherapy that can help you identify and reframe negative thought patterns and develop healthier coping strategies.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): HIIT workouts challenge both your physical and mental endurance, helping you push through mental barriers.
Embrace Discomfort: Purposefully put yourself in uncomfortable situations, such as public speaking or initiating difficult conversations, to build confidence and adaptability. “Suffer Daily,” David Goggins, Navy Seal and author of You Can’t Hurt Me, has a key phrase for this, “embrace the suck!” Putting yourself through hard times, deep suffering, and all the cold showers is what toughness building is all about. “All challenges are opportunities to build strength.” For me and my crew “All Challenges are RESPONSIBILITIES to build strength, I cannot run with weak people or I weaken my own journey and my own toughness level, I am better alone than with my natural enemy.” Strong and weak are natural enemies do not forget that, in the human social construct the weak will try to deceive the strong, this means the strong must be smart too. Let’s go!
Intermittent Fasting: Practicing intermittent fasting can improve self-discipline and mental clarity while also offering potential health benefits.
Constructive Journaling: Keeping a journal to reflect on your experiences, thoughts, and emotions can enhance self-awareness and problem-solving skills. This is especially important in regard to creative or business endeavors where optimization and reflection will later be sought, and this practice if done in an organized easily re-callable fashion will deepen that time.

Remember that mental toughness is .not about suppressing emotions or denying vulnerability. It’s about developing resilience, adaptability, and the capacity to bounce back from adversity. Incorporate a mix of these alternative practices into your routine to build both physical and mental toughness.

Now we will get into what you won’t find anywhere else, what chatGPT cannot tell you.

Sleep on the floor. It takes a week of getting used to.
Striking. Boxing class, hitting the heavy bag, kickboxing, a form of striking. This kind of well-planned and well-executed training is great for joints and overall skeletal strength. Wrestling or Ju Jitsu is also recommended. I myself always try to encourage those around me to be consistent in martial arts in training of whatever kind, I feel to be at the top levels of well-roundedness and toughness together this component is necessary.
Early 0230-0330 wake-up. The morning routine of a few hours before the sun comes up, something we are out in front of ready for, appreciative of, and with open arms of love. This arcadian rhythm setting is for high-geared individuals.
Suicide Sessions. As I coach it likely takes a long time before I prescribe these but eventually, this is where apprentice gym-killers end up. This is where we have passed the warm-up stages, we getting up early, and we are training our brains out every session. It starts after a few weeks of build-up, then a suicide session happens then we recover a day from it sleeping ten hours. Before you know it we are suiciding every session every day, there seems like there is no limit to what we can do!!!! When experienced athletes come down, or guys that have been with me before they know what they are coming for. I am not the biggest fan of a cocky person, that said, I and my crew are breaking all necks in the gym, the humble great characters in there will ask questions the small jealous minds will fry and this is because we are doing double what other m*f*rs are doing in there in a non-stop, frankly terrifying fashion. They are all thinking “If these guys got ahold of me and started going all non-stop for hours like that forget it I am in little bits and pieces at the end.”
Mountain Climbing. Climb mountains literally as a pastime. Climb the nearest one all the time.
Time in Nature. Stay in nature, stay roughed get certified by the Great Teacher, and build on that with more and more dedicated trips for longer amounts of time.

Please keep in mind that supplements are a great way to address the issue now but we highly recommend getting into a permaculture-sourced high-diversity diet and starting to craft it to address all issues as soon as possible.

Physical Practice

How We Can Prevent The California Wildfires from Happening Again & Make Money & Enhance Life

Published

13 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Brandon Angel

The devastating California wildfires result from a combination of natural and human factors, and their frequency and intensity have increased in recent years due to climate change, land management practices, and urban expansion into fire-prone areas. While not all wildfires can be prevented, many could have been mitigated or their impacts reduced through better planning, preparation, and policies.

Strategies That Could Have Helped Avoid or Mitigate California Wildfires:

1. Improved Forest and Land Management:

Controlled Burns: Native American tribes historically used controlled burns to clear dry vegetation and reduce fuel loads. Expanding this practice could prevent massive fuel buildups.
Thinning Overgrown Forests: Removing excess vegetation and dead trees, especially in fire-prone areas, would reduce the intensity of wildfires.
Zoning Restrictions: Limiting construction in high-risk wildfire zones or enforcing fire-safe building codes can reduce damage.

2. Addressing Climate Change:

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Climate change has led to longer, hotter fire seasons. Efforts to curb emissions would help reduce extreme weather conditions fueling these fires.
Water Resource Management: Ensuring sustainable water use for both agriculture and ecosystems can help prevent overly dry conditions.

3. Infrastructure Improvements:

Upgrading Power Grids: Electrical equipment malfunctions caused some of California’s most devastating fires. Upgrading power lines and burying cables could prevent sparks.
Fire-Resistant Structures: Using fire-resistant materials for homes, roofs, and fences in fire-prone areas could reduce the spread of wildfires.

4. Early Detection and Rapid Response:

Advanced Monitoring Systems: Satellite technology and drones can detect fires early and monitor their spread, enabling faster containment.
Enhanced Firefighting Resources: Investing in aerial firefighting equipment, training personnel, and building accessible fire breaks would improve response times.

5. Public Awareness and Preparedness:

Community Education: Informing residents about fire-safe practices, such as creating defensible space around homes and avoiding risky behaviors during fire season, can prevent accidental ignitions.
Evacuation Plans: Better-prepared evacuation routes and systems would minimize casualties and chaos during fires.

6. Legislative and Policy Changes:

Revising Liability Laws: Utility companies have often been implicated in fire causes. Holding them accountable encourages safer practices but also requires balanced legislation to ensure they can afford infrastructure upgrades.
Land Use Policies: Enforcing policies that discourage development in wildfire-prone areas would reduce risks.

7. Indigenous Knowledge and Practices:

Integrating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) from Indigenous tribes into modern land management strategies can restore fire-resilient ecosystems.

8. Better Water Management:

Ensuring adequate water supplies for ecosystems through improved storage and delivery systems would mitigate drought conditions that exacerbate wildfires.

9. Wildfire Insurance and Funding for Prevention:

Allocating more resources to proactive fire prevention measures instead of reactive firefighting could save billions in damages and lives.

Case Studies of Success:

Australia’s Bushfire Management: Australia faces similar fire risks but has implemented widespread controlled burns and strict building codes, reducing some wildfire impacts.
Portugal’s Post-Fire Strategies: After devastating fires in 2017, Portugal adopted stricter land management policies, including the replacement of highly flammable eucalyptus trees with native species.

Composting Company !!

While it’s impossible to prevent all wildfires, California can learn from both historical practices and global best practices to build a more fire-resilient future. Would you like to delve into any of these strategies further?A compost business utilizing forest brush could serve as a transformative solution to wildfire risks while promoting urban greenery and gardening. Here’s how it could have worked:

1. Addressing Fire Risk by Removing Forest Brush:

Fuel Reduction: Forest brush, dead leaves, and dry wood are significant fuel sources for wildfires. A compost business could actively remove these materials from forests and fire-prone areas, reducing the likelihood of severe fires.
Sustainable Forest Management: Partnering with forestry departments and communities to clear underbrush as part of regular land maintenance would provide a continuous stream of raw materials for compost production.

2. Creating High-Quality Compost for Urban Use:

Turning Waste into Resource: The cleared forest brush could be processed into nutrient-rich compost, repurposing what would have been wildfire fuel into a valuable agricultural product.
Custom Blends for Urban Gardening: Tailored compost blends could be created for urban gardens, rooftop farms, and community green spaces, encouraging city dwellers to grow plants and food sustainably.

3. Promoting Urban Greenery and Gardening:

Incentivizing Green Spaces:
- Providing affordable or free compost to urban communities could spur a movement toward backyard gardens, community gardens, and green rooftops.
- Partnerships with municipalities could encourage developers to include greenery in urban planning, creating pocket parks and planting trees.
Educational Programs:
- Workshops and training on compost use, urban gardening, and wildfire awareness could inspire city residents to create sustainable green spaces.
- Programs teaching composting at home or in community centers would encourage waste reduction and self-sufficiency.

4. Economic and Environmental Benefits:

Job Creation:
- A compost business would create jobs in brush collection, compost production, and distribution, stimulating local economies in both rural and urban areas.
Carbon Sequestration:
- Compost improves soil health, enabling it to store more carbon. Increased urban greenery would also help offset carbon emissions.
Waste Diversion:
- Repurposing forest brush that might otherwise be burned or left to decompose reduces methane emissions and minimizes waste.

5. Social Impact and Community Involvement:

Strengthening Communities:
- Neighborhood compost hubs could bring people together to garden, share resources, and learn sustainable practices.
Health and Well-being:
- Urban greenery reduces urban heat islands, improves air quality, and provides mental health benefits through access to natural spaces.

6. Enhancing Resilience Against Climate Change and Wildfires:

Fire-Resilient Landscapes:
- Urban gardening initiatives inspired by compost use could include planting fire-resistant vegetation, creating defensible space in fire-prone communities.
Water Retention and Soil Quality:
- Compost-enriched soil retains water better, reducing irrigation needs and making urban landscapes more drought-resistant.

Examples of Implementation:

Local Distribution Networks:
- Partnering with schools, urban farms, and municipalities to supply compost could foster widespread urban gardening.
Wildfire Grants and Funding:
- Securing government or nonprofit grants for wildfire prevention through fuel reduction and community greening initiatives could provide initial capital.
Incentives for Participation:
- Offering discounts on compost for materials donated (e.g., kitchen scraps or yard waste) would encourage participation and close the loop in waste management.

Potential Impact:

Wildfire Risk Reduction: By systematically removing forest brush, the business would lessen fuel availability for wildfires.
Urban Green Spaces: Increased gardening and greenery could cool cities, improve biodiversity, and enhance quality of life.
Climate Action: The combination of reduced emissions, carbon sequestration, and water conservation would contribute to climate resilience.

A compost business that transforms forest brush into an urban greening catalyst represents a win-win for rural fire prevention and urban sustainability. Would you like ideas on how to launch or scale such a concept?

Physical Practice

Master Work, Wizard on the Hill, What does the old Kung Fu-er Really Have to Say?

Published

2 months ago

November 30, 2024

Brandon Angel

Today I read the work of a dear friend Richard Aliberti, a man I deeply admired, made a few mistakes and regrets with but shared a deep connection with, and the positive times we shared were more than thought-provoking. He writes about Devinci.

Richard and I came from two different ends of life. He made a name for himself as a fine artist, graduating from fine arts school in Boston, Mass. He did bronze work for Bishops there, and his sculptures peppered a large region on the East Coast United States, and so much more. He told me he lived it up for the most part, had a good time, and was paying a bit for that in his later years. I learn now from his book that he came from a warm home of love and appreciation for art and the spiritual side of life.

Two winters back now we had plans for him to come stay with me in Medellin, I had a date for him and everything. We talked twice a week during the month before he slid off the road and died instantly against a tree. Richard loved trees, more than most, and I knew this was a big part of the reason I valued him more than most also.

I was a throw a kid and everything that comes with that, we all know what it ends up being.

I can tell you the highlights of my story are that I was born of a witch who later became the tutor of another witch who destroyed me, using her own innocent child to do it. The child had was to trap me, but if that didn’t work, then she would be the vehicle used to destroy me. I say ‘her own’ because these kids are no longer anything of us ‘used, “targeted parents;’ they have been programmed to be our opposites and the bond has been cut and cauterized and voodood to never re-attach.

The other highlight is I have always been supposed to have been a superstar and while the potential still exists, in fact is almost a certainty, there is no need to write anything in area of fiction here at this time.

Timing is everything in the fight of life.

I wish I could tell my younger self exactly how much skill learning and crafting and refining was required to move the way I do now. Like James Bond, if you are she could only see you would be addicted to it like everyone else who has gotten a glimpse of it.

Filling that personal encyclopedia of moves on top of moves, if one could simply download it, or learn from a dedicated tutor – a blessing of another level. Take it from someone who only lives because of this type of tutelage donated by deep minds across a long drawn-out mission impossible x 1000 timeline.

Lots of scars.

They are the marks or experience a record of the wear. What would be I can’t help to fantasize if I could have gotten in somehow at 13. I actually did better at that age then at this time on the line that I write this.

Physical Practice

California Special Starters List

Published

3 months ago

November 3, 2024

Brandon Angel

This list is of easy-to-get seeds/plants,

rosemary rosmarinus officinalis
sage salvia officinalis
lavender lavandula spp
thyme thymus vulgaris
oregano origanum vulgare
basil ocimum basilicum
parsley petroselinum crispum
mint mentha spp
bay laurel laurus nobilis
chives allium schoenoprasum
california sagebrush artemisia californica
white sage salvia apiana
coyote brush baccharis pilularis
manzanita arctostaphylos spp
black sage salvia mellifera
toyon heteromeles arbutifolia
cleveland sage salvia clevelandii
sticky monkey flower mimulus aurantiacus
california fuchsia epilobium canum
yerba santa eriodictyon californicum
echinacea echinacea purpurea
chamomile matricaria chamomilla
feverfew tanacetum parthenium
lemon balm melissa officinalis
california poppy eschscholzia californica
st johns wort hypericum perforatum
valerian valeriana officinalis
yarrow achillea millefolium
comfrey symphytum officinale
marshmallow althaea officinalis
bee balm monarda didyma
mexican bush sage salvia leucantha
purple coneflower echinacea purpurea
russian sage perovskia atriplicifolia
goldenrod solidago spp
butterfly bush buddleja spp
penstemon penstemon spp
california lilac ceanothus spp
milkweed asclepias spp
hummingbird sage salvia spathacea

…..damiana too!

Some ornamental species, that can be mixed in for incredible aesthetics, and provide diversity for the growth of the above;

oleander nerium oleander
rockrose cistus spp
bottlebrush callistemon spp
texas ranger leucophyllum frutescens
lavatera lavatera maritima
pineapple sage salvia elegans
woolly blue curls trichostema lanatum
french lavender lavandula dentata
manzanita dr hurd arctostaphylos manzanita dr hurd
grevillea grevillea spp
buddleja davidii butterfly bush
desert willow chilopsis linearis
purple sage salvia leucophylla
lantana lantana camara
california buckwheat eriogonum fasciculatum
red buckwheat eriogonum grande var rubescens
santolina santolina chamaecyparissus
creeping thyme thymus serpyllum
jerusalem sage phlomis fruticosa
silver bush lupine lupinus albifrons