Walking in the footsteps of an Emperor

I had heard about this place but never expected it to be so big and breathtaking.





















Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City, once home to the Emperor and his extended family, now a place for everyone to congregate and appreciate Chinese culture and history.

Walking in this place feels kinda like when you first start practicing martial arts: You're a bit Overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed with what you have to learn and accepting of the fact that you need to give your body time to adapt.

Just like this place, it wasn't built in a day. The same is true with your development.

To avoid being overwhelmed, you must take one step at a time.

That's why in our approach we put major focus on the conditioning part first.

Your body, like tilling the soil of a garden, ready for harvesting must be just right. Getting your body fit first is a wise way of liking the results you get out of your martial art training.

Once that is in place, the foundation you've created will be there for you to fall back on as you continue walking the path of mastery.

Sibok M

P.S. Want to see how quickly we get our students ready for the martial art journey? Follow this link.

Training with Cecil Peoples

I'm back!

Maintaining my daily tips and blogs is somewhat of a challenge while being away from my home for so long.

One more week and everything will be back to normal.

On to my number 6 instructor while here in LA.

Apart from being a referee and judge during many MMA events, like the last UFC 100, he's also doing a string of reality shows and trains alot of stars in the area.

I'm talking about the one and only Cecil Peoples.

Before getting to meet him, Bob Wall related a story about him during his early referee days.

He was a referee during a Thai Boxing match between an American and a Thai in which the American was winning.

Nobody likes to lose to a foreigner especially when the sport you're competing in is native to your country.

Out of frustration the Thai fighter started *accidentally* kicking the american fighter in the groin.

2 Warnings later, Cecil stops the fight.

Declaring the American, the winner.

Out of anger the Thai Fighter tried to kick Cecil in the head.

Cecil deflected it and knocked him out with one punch.

Very seldomly do we see the Ref doing the knocking out part.

So that's my introduction to Cecil Peoples.

This guy is tough and has been there, done that.

I was always taught to be immune to criticism or praise. Believing neither one was good for my development.

But when a guy like Cecil compliments you on your speed & power in front of a group of experienced fighters, I can't help but to take it at heart.

Up to now, I can tell all FSD practitioners (whether students inside one of our schools or around the world) that what you're learning is top notch.

Take just our Strength Training Kits for example which we've been improving and refining for the past 35 years.

It will help lay, like it did for me, a strong fitness foundation to adapt yourself to any sport you undertake, avoid injuries and increase flexibility at the same time.

If you're a martial artist and still you haven't been using our Station Training System, what are you waiting for?

Get yours here and see what kind of difference it can make in your training.

Master Yourself,

Sibok M

P.S. If for some reason you didn't know who Cecil was, the next fighter I worked with while in LA is known throughout the world for his devastating leg kicks. Stay tuned.

Bob Wall leads the way

If you've been following me for a while now you've heard me talk about the benefits of martial arts training on many occasions.

One of the subjects I cover regularly is how martial arts can keep you young, vibrant, alert, strong and active right into old age.
















I know it to be true.

But some people might think when reading my newsletter and think this of me: "How do you really know for sure, you're only in your 30s?"

That's when you go to someone who's living it. Enter: Bob Wall.

























(Sijo and Bob Wall at a recent seminar in Montreal)

We've been spending some quality time with him this past week and I can say, I'm fascinated with him not only from a celebrity stand point, who he is and the people whe knows in the martial art community but his level of enthusiasm and willingness to learn new things at his age is an inspiration.



























Monday morning we had him do one of our advanced workouts, they are challenging for a 2o year old let alone a 70 year old!

Still he persisted and impressed all of us. It's a shame that so many people in our society think they're over the hill when they pass 65.

Some are plagued with arthritis, others condemned to a walker, some slowly dying from that last cigarette puff, health problems due to mal nutrition and the list goes on.

How you feel and look at that age is what you reap from what you sowed during your life time.














Are you sowing health seeds right now? Are you sowing death seeds?

Start planting seeds now which will continue to give you an abundant, fruitful harvest well into your 70s.

Those seeds are not found at your local gardening store they're found right here doing martial arts.

If you still haven't experienced FSD training, crops might be disappointing this year, if you are, you already realize how smart of a choice
you made.

To get started on your first class go here.

If you're part of our group and feel ready to step it up, get started on our Intermediate Strength Training Kit today.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

Talk is Cheap

Hope you had a great weekend, the weather was pristine here in Casselman.

Spent all day with my family, my immediate family and kung-fu family yesterday. It was refreshing to play our national sport: Hockey

The family that plays and trains together, stick together.

I surely couldn't of done what I did this weekend without the help of my kung-fu training.

The endurance, the speed, the never give up attitude, and coordination.

Just my break-falls and rolls alone saved me from injury.

It's always when I play other sports that I realize how kung-fu helped lay a strong sport foundation and if you're like me you've surely come to the same conclusion.

I've said it before, everyone should have at least 3 years of martial art training.

Above all else, martial arts should teach you about taking action.

Thinking, talking, or writing about something is a start but in the end it's all about the DOING.

Something the UFC guys didn't do Saturday night if you happened to watch a few of the matches.

Maybe YOU also want to start something, you think about it, you've told someone close to you you were going start it but you DIDN'T.

Kinda like Fitness.

Is it something you just talk or think about or do you commit some time each day to get stronger in that area?

Talk really is cheap. Action is king. It reminds me of the saying: "I can't hear what you're saying, your actions speak louder than your words"

When will it be the right time to get in shape?

Never.

The time will never be just right.

The more you wait, the more you won't feel like it, you'll say: "maybe tomorrow", the mind will always find ways to distract you away from taking action.

The easiest way I've found to get in the fitness habit is to stick to 1 minute exercises.

You can exercise for one minute right?

An interesting thing happens after a minute, your body craves ... more. Your body craves oxygen. If you've been living a pretty inactive lifestyle and suddenly start, your body will start feeling good very quickly.

That's why before you know it, 1 minute will turn into 10 minutes and beyond.

We've broken it down for you in a simple system you can start using right away.

It's been at the center core of our martial art program for the past 35 years with great results.

See what I mean here.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

Disguise Exercise

Do you realize some people actually view exercise as work and therefore decide not to engage in it?

Many of you might have associated massive amounts of pain with exercising because you felt so much of it the day after your first training, making you question why you decided to get in shape and follow a fitness program in the first place.

I normally categorize someone's fitness level with "Days of Recovery" you require to get rid of all soreness.

It's worth mentioning on a side note that once you have more experience and "time in" training you look for that soreness the day after to judge how hard you pushed yourself.

If you feel nothing you're either in tremendous physical shape or you failed to give your maximum output.

More on that later.

From a beginner's standpoint I follow these basic rules:

If you need one day of recovery you're in decent shape.

If you take 2 to 3 days to recover and can hardly walk up stairs or sit on the toilet bowl or get out of bed, you really need to stick to your plan and exercise regularly.

If you take 4 days or more to recover you seriously need to look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself: "no matter how great the soreness you might feel now from exercising, it will pale in comparison to the kind of pain and health issues that await you in the future.

Heart Attacks, High Blood Pressure, Gallstone operations, Lack of Energy, Circulation problems, Diabetes and Obesity are far more painful than the muscle soreness you experience after your first few workouts.

Being a martial art teacher for the past 20 years you have no choice but to evolve and be constantly improving how you communicate with your students to get the best results.

And sometimes it also means helping students by disguising repetition, creating a variety of drills which uses the same technique but presented 10 different ways, this is also very effective when working with kids which as you know, have an even shorter attention span than adults.

In general we get bored easily and exercising for some might be tedious and boring but it doesn't have to be that way.

Today I thought I'd give you ways to "Disguise Exercise".

One way to disguise exercise is to blend it into your day.

Exercise along side the most common daily chores. Wake up in the morning and instead of walking to the bathroom get down on hands and feet and crawl there without allowing any other body part to touch the floor. Hold a wall sit while brushing your teeth. With the help of the kitchen counter, hold your leg up off to the side and hold for as long as possible while your eggs boil. If you sit in front of a desk all day, squeeze your butt and flex your calves while you work.

Take small steps this way and give your body a chance to adapt while you implement healthy habits such as daily exercise.

Think of yourself as a fighter. You always want to be ready, use every moment of the day to strenghten yourself.

When you think of it we're all fighters. We're all fighting to make a living, to leave our mark, to make a difference, to achieve some level of success and happiness, to defend against cravings which slowly weaken us, to make the right choices.

Speaking of choices, I gave just a few examples of what you can do throughout the day to squeeze in exercise. Our Basic Strength Training System offers 50 different bodyweight exercises which can be performed anytime of the day.

Remember, one of the things your body craves the most is Oxygen. As you implement little exercises here and there throughout the day and make demands on your body it will come to crave them, one exercise at first might become 3 or 5, maybe even 10. This in turn might lead you to train in the morning when you wake up because you feel so good after you've exercised.

Try it and let me know how it goes.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

P.S. Exercising is the fastest way to optimize your body's chemistry and improve productivity throughout the day. Learn how to do that here.

Putting Fitness First

I never get tired of receiving and reading success stories especially when I know the people on my list can benefit from them. Today I reached in the old mail box and thought I'd share Bill's Story.
----
"Sifu Martin,

In response to your daily email, I just wanted to share briefly "my story"

I have had an office job for the past 15 years. Over that time my health gradually declined to the point where I was scared to really exert myself for fear of a heart attack.

At the start of the summer my wife and I signed my son up for the "Army" run, so I decided to take up jogging so I could be in the run with him.

At the same time, I spoke with Sifu Scott about my son attending his school, and Sifu Scott challenged me to join as well.

I said "I am not in shape yet...maybe after the summer". He pointed out that Fang Shen Do will get me in shape, and there is no better time than the present to start. It has been four months and in that time I have developed a real enjoyment of the physical (brutal) workouts.

I am now able to do about 25 sit-ups in a row, when prior to joining I could do exactly ZERO. My confidence has greatly increased, and I feel so pumped for each class. I am having the time of my life, and I am feeling so much stronger and healthier than before.

I know I have a long way to go, but I am giving it 100%. As one man put it "practice does not make perfect, practice IS perfect!".

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Bill McEvoy

----

SMP: Bill, Awesome. I'm sure your son is proud of you and gave him a powerful lesson of leading by example. The best is yet to come in your training I can guarantee you that.

I'd say that's a pretty good return on his investment, from 0 Sit-Ups to 25, that's one hell of an increase. Just goes to show what you can accomplish if you just decide to start. The hardest part is to take that first step and then to stick with it.

It couldn't be easier, if you're not a member yet visit our classes section to get a Free 30 day pass to any of our schools. Or follow through on the fitness commitments you've made this year and get started on our Strength Training System today.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

YOU are the Master

That's what Martial Arts is supposed to teach you.

Nothing ever happens if you don't put love and effort into it.

No one is coming for you.

You can pray all you want, that won't help get rid of that belly fat around your waist.

It won't save your marriage.

It won't make your kids love you.

It won't attract good friends.

It won't protect you in a self-defense situation.

The only thing you can count on is ACTION.

The right action, making the right choices at the right moment.

Let's take for example the right "Fitness Action".

Mastering what you eat and strengthening your body through daily activity and progressive improvements which you can measure and track are crucial.

That's why our Fitness System takes you through different levels of difficulty (White = Basic, Yellow = Intermediate, Blue = Advanced, etc...) so you gradually improve over time.

Nobody wants to keep on doing the same exercises at the same pace with the same reps all the time. Going that route is a dead end.

Solution: Structured Progresssion

Every exercise needs to grow into something else, to keep up with your growth, more challenging exercises have to be integrated to prepare you for the next step. Once your body has adapted, we can push its limits to a whole other level, starting the process all over again.

Then, Time increments are changed, rest periods change, and on and on you go. All you need to do is follow the system and everything else takes care of itself.

Our Fitness System is something we're particularly proud of, The Dinosaur version we used to teach 30 years ago is a thing of the past. We've had about 30 years to fine tune it and test our results on thousands of students.

Result?

It friggin' works.

Want to start building your dream body? Look no further. Get started now.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

Teen is kung fu and pushup king

I was particularly impressed when I read this article, I thought I would share parts of it with you.

Talk to any parent who has teens in the house and they'll tell you it's not always easy to motivate their kids (even themselves for that matter), especially when it comes to physical training.

There are always exceptions to the rule.

One of our students in Kingston got named Athlete of the Week by the newspaper "Kingston this Week" recently.

At 16, Tristan Euringer recently broke a 40-year pushup record at the Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, doing 55 pushups in one minute.

"Martial arts is an athletic outlet for me, it has been for a long time now" Euringer says.

"For me, kung fu is where mental and physical philosophies merge, and the things that happen between the mind and the body make sense."

One thing for sure, Martial Art Training will give you unusual abilities and strength and endurance are some of them.

He went on to say: "My ultimate goal in the (Fang Shen Do) system is to earn my black sash and continue training and expanding my knowledge of martial arts", "I snowboard as a hobby and do regular daily workouts to keep in shape, but Fang Shen Do is the pillar of my athletic life and I hope to master it."

I think Tristan is setting an excellent example for all of us. There is no limit to what you can accomplish with the right instructor and the right training program in place.

The FSD Fitness Program is designed to transform your body and give you the right mental attitude to tackle any obstacle you might face. At the core of the program you'll find 3 major areas of development:

Progressive Improvement (through the different colored training kits)

Full Commitment (being engaged emotionally and harvesting a never give up attitude)

Full Body (learning to use your body in one unit so every link in the chain is sturdy)

Whether it's setting new fitness records in your school or just setting personal best records in the comfort of your own home, when you train the way we do, lasting results are just around the corner. You can see what I'm talking about here.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

Never Again

While you get set for this new year ask yourself: "What am I fed up about?"

What must absolutely change this year?

If you find nothing to change or improve upon, that's great, I'm happy for you.

I don't know about you but there are still many things in my life and in my training that I want to improve on.

If you also feel this way, good. It means you don't want to settle for mediocrity and you possess the discipline to constantly set a high standard for yourself.

One thing for sure though, if you don't get disturbed or angry about the current situation you're in or about a destructive habit you subject yourself to or you fail to back up your desire for change with some emotion you'll either never change or the change will be temporary.

You have last year to look back on. What did you start last year but didn't finish?

How much time went by before you cracked and gave in?

Become a master at following through and it starts with two simple words: "Never Again"

Those 2 words should echo through your mind this year.

When you catch yourself thinking of giving up on your goals of training 3 times a week or catch yourself reaching for food you know goes against your goal of losing X amount of pounds, say it with strength: "Never Again".

When someone tries to discourage you from making a career change or tries to sabotage your efforts, say it with strength: "Never Again"

This is the perfect time to start something new. This time of year, your motivation should be at an all time high.

Act on it.

What better way than to get started with one of our strength training kits. If you're a student you'll enjoy having the freedom to use it in between classes. If you're not one yet, you'll be surprised at how easy and fast they are to follow. Once the area of Fitness is taken care of, all your other goals will be that much easier to accomplish this year.

Your fitness kit awaits here.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

Take your Fitness to another level

Most people on my list know I'm a bodyweight fanatic focused on mastering my mind and body.

Every once in a while I'll get an inquisitive question from one of my students like: "I know you're all about body weight but if you had to recommend a piece of equipment I can train with, which one would it be?"

It would have to reflect the same qualities as our Fitness System: Station Training

Simple, Fast, and Intense.

Some of you might be ready for this kind of training some of you might be almost there.

What I'm about to recommend ties in very well with the exercises you're already doing if you own our Basic or Intermediate Strength Training Kits.

This tool simply amplifies the degree of Intensity you must put into each Station. In order to progress you need to make incremental improvements and consistently beat personal past reps, weight or speed records.

Sometimes the best way to break out of a plateau is a) be sure you're not over-training, and b) you use specialized equipment so your muscles are forced to adapt and get stronger.

This piece of equipment is called the TRX.

There's always a more challenging way of doing any exercise. This is why there are 4 levels to our strength training kits (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Expert) that give you the natural progression of each exercise and the TRX is used in the more advanced levels.

Originally developed for the Marines, it offers the versatility, portability and simplicity I was looking for and also gave me the confidence of knowing the tried and true Marines gave it their stamp of approval.

You can find out more about it here.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

A Silent Killer

You've been given a vessel, take care of it.

Do not wait until it is completely deteriorated to start maintenance on it.

Your most prized asset: Your body.

And still millions will be diagnosed with heart disease, lung cancer, and diabetes this year.

All because of mal nutrition, smoking and lack of exercise.

A real shame when you consider body weight exercises are the simplest and easiest forms of exercise.

They can be done by anyone, anywhere, anytime.

1 minute of exercise is better than any vitamin.

Mastering your body is the most rewarding activity of all yet very few dedicate any substantial time to it compared to how much time spent watching countless hours of useless TV.

Obesity and Inactivity is a silent killer, the worse virus to ever plague our modern society.

Information abound, latest technologies all around us but unable to control the gem that's located between our ears.

Our fitness kits are easy to use, simple, fun and challenging no matter what level you're at.

Instead of buying useless gifts this holiday season, invest in something that will extend your family member's life, so you can enjoy more quality time together.

You can pick yours up here.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

It's Louse Time! To Move is better than to Sit

If you're new to my list of focused, motivated, self- starters, Welcome.

(if you're not new jump right away to today's lesson below)

Every day I communicate to you the best ways to train and the kind of mindset it takes to get results either in your physical fitness or martial art training.

Friday is always what I call: "Louse Time". Modeled after Bruce Lee's strategy in Enter the Dragon.

You know that part where he's having tea with the government agent but he's disturbed by one of his students and Bruce Lee tells the agent: It's Louse Time! The agent replies with his British accent: "yes of course".

Since I'm 6 years old that scene has always stuck with me and I'll be using that same strategy with YOU every week.

Friday is where I share with you Life Lessons and Direction given to me by my dad (and Sifu) every Friday.

Today's lesson is: To Move is better than to Sit

No matter how you feel, tired, sore, in pain, sluggish, depressed, moody, or stressed, it's always better in the end if you decided to move and exercise instead of opting for sitting and not doing anything.

Our morning training today was a challenge. It's getting colder and we both trained extra hard this week, instead of skipping our traditional friday workout, we still did it and let me tell you I'm happy we did.

Most of the pain in my legs I felt all week is gone as well as in my shoulders. The morning sweat had a cleansing effect both on my body and mind, feeling clear and focused, determined and commited to my goals.

During my interview with Bob Wall I asked him what his secret to Longevity and Health was?

As you might already know Bob is in his 70s and showing no signs of stopping any day soon. The similarities between him and my dad are pretty identical in many respects and in the area of fitness it's no different.

Bob's fitness paradigm goes like this:

Resistance Training (self-induced or assisted)
Aerobics (sustained, high intensity workouts)
Flexibility (in all ranges of movement)

Coming from Bob, it confirms why Station Training is so effective. All of those 3 elements are combined into our strength training program. I've seen the same fast results time and again, it's simply the most efficient way of training to acquire greater strength, endurance, flexibility, balance and coordination.

Get your strength training kit now and see what others have to say about it.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

It's Louse Time! Will to Succeed

If you're new to my list of focused, motivated, self- starters, Welcome.

(if you're not new jump right away to today's lesson below)

Every day I communicate to you the best ways to train and the kind of mindset it takes to get results either in your physical fitness or martial art training.

Friday is always what I call: "Louse Time". Modeled after Bruce Lee's strategy in Enter the Dragon.

You know that part where he's having tea with the government agent but he's disturbed by one of his students and Bruce Lee tells the agent: It's Louse Time! The agent replies with his British accent: "yes of course".

Since I'm 6 years old that scene has always stuck with me and I'll be using that same strategy with YOU every week.

Friday is where I share with you Life Lessons and Direction given to me by my dad (and Sifu) every Friday.

Today's lesson is: The Will to Succeed

Last Sunday during my interview with Bob Wall we got to talk about the 3 major things he could attribute his success to.

Bob Wall with the Great Bruce Lee

Without hesitation he fired out all 3 points. Bang, Bang, Bang, just like a three punch combo.

The very first one was his Fear of Failure. He was just a skinny kid and he had to put in double the effort in all areas compared to the other more gifted kids in school.

It was that determination that landed him a wrestling scholarship when he was 15 years old. His mother was his Tower of Power as he called her and didn't want to let her down. This was the major engine driving his ambition in his early teenage years.

Failure for him, ultimately, was not getting the respect he deserved. We all have the potential to accomplish great things if we just learn to believe in ourselves. One way to get this respect was to start training in Martial Arts. One quickly realizes how developing yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and strengthening your spirit raises your self-esteem, confidence and self-image to new heights.

This in turn gives you the confidence required to even entertain the idea of reaching for your goals that seem so out of reach at first.

Once you have confidence firmly in place you can get started on Bob's second point which I'll cover tomorrow.

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin

P.S. The very first level of confidence is Physical Confidence. Having trust in your body and what it is capable of. Build superior strength and endurance with our Strength Training System which we've been testing for the past 35 years to ensure maximum results, in the least time, while maintaining a steady progression to meet your fitness goals.

Almost lost my left hand

When I was 14 years old I had a bad accident.

I wasn't supposed to be able to move my left hand ever again. Looking back on that event I'm happy I have the freedom today to use my hand 100%. Doing Double Stick drills, Bo Staff and Chi Sao just wouldn't be the same if I didn't have my left hand!

We had just moved into our new school on Isabella St in Ottawa. Side kicking gyproc walls, basically breaking everything we could with baseball bats, sledge hammers and kung-fu.

When it came time to take out big glass windows out of their frames that's when it happened.

I was pulling out a 3 foot by 3 foot piece of glass with Christian. Both of us carefully nudging and slowly sliding it out of it's frame when suddenly, it broke in half and fell directly onto my wrist, 20 pounds of it.

It's only later I would realize why my hand was saved when the doctor explained to me why.

Most people's reflex would be to pull the arm away after being cut but I didn't. If I would of, the razor sharp glass would of sliced the main vein and crucial ligaments and tendons in my wrist.

There's an exercise we do in our strength training kits that always reminds me of that day. It's called Isometric Press Out. That's what I did out of pure instinct. And it saved my hand.

Maybe the exercises we show won't ever be used to save your hand like it did mine but it will definitely make you stronger, tougher and more flexible.

Our strength training system is very progressive, meaning it takes you from where you are, no matter what your level of fitness, and helps you build strength and endurance at your own speed. If you're starting out you should get the basic kit. If you're more advanced you should get the intermediate one.

Everytime I look at my scar I think: "Never let go". When I feel like quitting in any area of my life I just look at my wrist and keep going.

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin

P.S. I'll be releasing exactly one week from now the Advanced Strength Training Kit. Check your inbox for details very shortly.

Ex students making a comeback

This past week I've been speaking to most of our owners and got similar feedback from a lot of them concerning ex-students.

There's been a flood of them coming back.

One student in particular was my father's very first student in a church basement of Ottawa, he's now training in St-Leonard.

Some say they always wanted to come back, for some it's something my dad said that stuck with them, many bring their kids into the school to get them started, others realized how good they felt when they were training and want to get that feeling back again, or some tried something else but weren't satisfied.

Some were gone for a year or two and can't help but notice how things have evolved. Although the core principles of our system have not changed, the drills, the training strategies, the curriculum is in constant evolution and will always keep on evolving.

One thing you get when you're a part of our school is a guarantee you'll be learning nothing but the cutting edge in physical training, self-defense, and personal development.

If you're one of our ex students and feel like starting back again but wish to be prepared for your comeback, pick up a station training kit so you can build your endurance and strength in less than 30 days so you can get back to training the way you used to.

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin

P.S. I know alot of our ex students are still subscribed to my list but now live too far away like Vancouver, France, Manitoba, or Costa Rica. Just want to let you know I appreciate you keeping contact with me and our organization and maybe our paths will cross again some day.

If there's anything you need consult our product section or better yet stay connected with me by joining the Inner Circle. A monthly subscription to advanced workouts, nutrition, and training techniques covered in newsletter form and DVD that can be shipped to you no matter where you live.

What's in our kids food?

Whenever I have free time, reading is the first thing that comes to mind. I would rather educate myself than to lay still in front of the Zombie Box.

I was reading an article yesterday from researchers of Calgary University examining 367 types of foods destined to kids.

Being a parent, as soon as someone mentions any research on food and how it effects kids, I'm all ears. Even if you don't have kids, this e-mail today warns you not to trust food companies and expect them to have you and your family's best interests at heart.

The results of their research showed that out of the 367 types of foods analyzed:

70% of the products examined contained too much sugar. (What a surprise)

23% had too much fat

17% contained way too much sodium

89% in general contained too much fat, sugar and sodium.

63% of the products boasted their high nutritional value on the package.

If we can only control 2 food poisons of our society it's: sugar and salt.

If you cut out these 2 ingredients from your diet or your children's diet, you can avoid potentially serious health problems in the future.

They are both very addictive and will require some massive will power for most people to kick it out of their diets. I'm still amazed at the record breaking line ups for donuts and coffees as the breakfast of choice of most people. Disgusting.

Food Manufacturers now have a new ingredient. It's cheaper and is used in 1000 thousands of products: Corn Starch. Next time you buy any product and scan the ingredient list you'll surely find that poison on it.

Stick to fruits and vegetables, grass fed beef (considering you're a meat eater), nuts and seeds, plenty of water and a dynamic fitness training program as taught in our strength training kits.

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin

P.S. If you want to know more about What I eat, How I train, and What I think, consider joining our Inner Circle where every month I share with you via newsletter and DVD, insights on Nutrition, Training Programs and Personal Development delivered right to your front door.
Sign up here.

Enjoying the fruits of your Labor?

I came across these tidbits of information about labor day over on history.com. As with alot of holidays, most people, including myself don't really know the history behind each holiday.

When you read the facts below you can't help but respect how hard people worked in those days for so little.

12-hour workdays, 7 days a week, were standard in America in the 1800s - and even children worked.

The National Labor Union began fighting for an 8-hour workday in 1866.

In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act set a minimum hourly wage of 25 cents.

Also worth mentioning, those years produced some of the strongest men the world ever seen. They still found the time to follow a strength and fitness program despite these work conditions.

Are you reaching YOUR full potential?

Are you really doing everything you can to get in the best physical shape of your life?

On this Labor Day take some time to reflect on the fruits of your labor. Especially the Fitness Labor you've been subjecting yourself to (if not get to it!). Now's the time to make changes to your program by increasing your rep numbers, time held, level of difficulty and degree of Intensity.

Natural Progression is built into our strength training kits, yours awaits right here.

Aim Higher,

Sibok Martin

Getting started in the Martial Arts

What brings more joy than seeing your child finally start to walk?

The joy of seeing your child walking

As an instructor it would have to be: Seeing a student finally start to GET it.

When you've poured a part of yourself into a student and now you see results. Priceless.

Just like watching your child fail so many times at walking and admiring their will to keep trying,
I've had the pleasure to watch so many students gain better control of their mind and body through FSD Training.

We're very efficient at laying a strong foundation.

Once the foundation is strong you can build pretty much anything on it.

One of the keys to building a strong foundation is "Work Ethic".

In our schools, right away you learn the mindset it requires to succeed in your physical training. The Emotional Intensity you need to bring to it in order to get results.

You have to learn how to train.

Once you' re good at not giving up in your physical training, that skill transfers automatically in your personal, academic and professional training.

I haven't come across many methods for quickly building a rock solid foundation the way we do.

You'll need this tool first.

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin

P.S. In conversing with present and past students the subject that always comes up is "You gave me such a strong base that I could learn any other art or start any kind of project and I know I possess the right mentality and foundational skills to be successful at them".

Like I mentioned earlier, the first foundational tool can be found here.

Am I regressing? say goodbye to Plateaus

Yesterday I talked about plateaus and keeping track of progression and how it wasn't as important as the FEELING you have when training, there is a reason why I said what I said.

When you start training, counting reps and holds as well as measuring flexibility levels is very motivating and crucial to building the drive to do more.

In the beginning stages you'll make dramatic improvements in strength, endurance and flexibility.

Students sometimes see their numbers double or even triple in the first couple of months.

What I'm getting at is when you gain more experience and you've been training for a while you will reach very high numbers, so much so that when you look at how many reps you could do of certain exercises when you first started will seem like a joke.

If for example you could only do 25 non-stop push-ups when you started and now after having followed the guidelines found in our strength training kits you build that up to 50 then 75, 95, 100, 115 and eventually to 125, making the jump from 25 to 50 is more exciting than the jump from 120 to 125.

Same thing with Squats. If you started at 50 and now you reach the 800 to 1000 rep range you realize there has to be more to your training than just counting and beating rep records.

As I mentioned, those are great motivators at first when you make giant leaps in strength and endurance. Same thing with flexibility, once you reach a level of doing a full split and you become flexible and pliable throughout your body and are able to perform full range of movements with ease, you've reached what we call the gold standard. I'll go more in detail about this in another e-mail.

A Plateau, recognize when you're

 stuck on one

 

  

When reps are the only thing that you focus on and you don't beat your past record during one of your workouts that's when you start doubting yourself and asking some unnecessary questions: What's happening? Am I regressing?, I must of hit a plateau?, etc...

If you simply switch your focus to how good you felt that day in your workout, paid attention to your breath, visualized yourself accomplishing certain goals you've set for yourself professionally and personally during each exercise, worked through the pain and showed yourself it's something you can control, and just had an overall sense of gratitude to be alive and able to do these exercises and movements, that's the important stuff.

Focusing on the above elements will keep you motivated forever and help you avoid the dreaded plateau.

Follow the system that is outlined in our strength training kits. It's been put to the test for the past 35 years and will automatically push you to progress with each workout.

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin

Home Fitness Program

During the past few weeks I've been bumping into old acquaintances from high school. Some were jocks, captains of hockey teams, girls everyone had their eyes on.

And what have they become?

FAT.

Do you sometimes wonder what your old friends you haven't seen in a while are doing, what they look like as well as what they've accomplished?

In most cases they've most certainly regressed.

I ask myself WHY? Why did they let themselves go. Why didn't they put Health, Fitness and Flexibility as their number 1 priority?

A part of me just wants to grab them by the head and start shaking while I tell them exactly where that road is leading if they keep neglecting themselves.

As we say in French: "C'est la vie".

Most people are complacent and are too comfortable to even listen to some advice about training. Most often than not if I do mention something about the extra poundage, they agree, they know they should do something, they know the consequences, but still they don't do anything?

Let's be different than the norm me and you.

Instead of having people we haven't seen in a while silently wonder : "What the hell happened to him", or "I almost didn't recognize her", maybe even "Did you see that ASS".

Be committed to looking and feeling your best. Follow our Home physical training system that will leave you feeling like you were 18 again.

Get your strength training kit here cause you never know who you're gonna meet on the street.

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin

P.S. Do not be a shadow of what you were or what you can become.