“Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who can master both and surpass the result.” – T’ien T’ai

So you’re interested in Warrior Training and developing the strength, courage and awe-inspiring physique of an Awakened Warrior! Good for you, my friend (and I sincerely mean that.)

In a world where “Most People” are slurping down super-sized, sugary soda drinks, wolfing down greasy, artery-clogging, factory-farmed beef burgers and spending most of their waking hours sitting on the couch watching TV or playing videos games; you’re aspiring to achieve excellence by mastering your body and your mind.

“Like a true warrior you’re seeking the challenge of overcoming weakness, laziness, and fear of pain or death. You’re seeking something more for your life. Something greater. A path with heart, purpose and meaning.”

Whether you’re enlightened enough to realize that this type of required discipline, dedication and determination can be a HUGE catalyst for positive change OR you simply want to look good naked to attract the fairer sex…

One thing is for certain – Warrior training can transform your body and your life forever!

The Path you choose to follow from here will either lead to your ultimate success or utter failure. Unfortunately, “Most People” who try to build a warrior’s physique fail dismally. They make a plethora of all too common mistakes, expect instant, effortless results and underestimate the skill and persistence that is needed to become a warrior.

So as you read through these 17 Warrior Training Tactics, realize that you can either follow the lead of “Most People” or you can follow the Path of the Awakened Warriors.

Grab yourself a cup of green tea or black coffee and let’s get started…

 

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1. Most People… Think mindset stuff is weird, hokey or too “New Age!”

The Awakened Warrior: Understands that the mind leads the body and knows that having the proper mindset is vital for success. He realizes how important a positive attitude is to reaching and achieving his goals.

Like a Zen master, The Awakened Warrior tames a turbulent and noisy mind through Zazen (daily meditation practice.)

This is the first step to regaining control over his or her mental faculties and emotions. He begins monitoring his own internal self-talk and repetitive thought patterns which have been conditioned by the past.

He knows that every thought he has influences both his perception and experience of reality, therefore he is careful to choose his thoughts wisely.

In her ongoing study of successful men and women she takes notice of the common use of visualization and optimistic attitudes of leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs, and those that achieve greatness.  She makes a concerted effort to visualize her success and affirm the positive beliefs she desires to uphold. She encourages herself daily through positive self-talk to reprogram and condition her mind for true victory.

He fully grasps that the ability to think is what separates humanity from all of the other creatures that inhabit this planet. He is indeed “a thinking man.” Yet, the distinction must be made that he has risen above thought and is no longer controlled by it. Living mindfully is the master key which opens the door to his ultimate potential in training and life.

 

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2. Most People… Look for complicated solutions to what are often simple problems!

The Awakened Warrior: Realizes that a simple, basic strategy can be powerful and extremely effective. He grasps the concept that men like to make things intricate and complex, while nature often promotes that which is simple and easy.

To build the physique of a warrior, he knows he must train with the heart and courage of a warrior!

However, that doesn’t mean he needs a complex, secret Russian, supra-maximal, five-day split program complete with forced reps, undulating periodization and a kazillion Weider principles!!! 😯

To build muscle, all one needs to do is eat more calories to support muscle growth and perform some type of progressive strength training.  He understands that progressive overload is the key to getting stronger and building muscle. This simple approach will stimulate the need for his body to produce additional muscle tissue.

After first mastering technique, she focuses her efforts on getting stronger in a few proven, “tried and true” exercises.  Her ultimate goal is to perform ever more difficult versions of the basic bodyweight exercises and gradually add more weight to the bar over the next several months and years.

He knows that he needs high levels of testosterone and growth hormone in order to build muscle and recover from his training, so he makes sure to eat natural, whole foods and get plenty of sleep. He knows even though this strategy is simplistic in nature, it will NOT be easy.

 

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3. Most People… Join “Globo Gym” and hit the treadmills and the resistance machines hard!

The Awakened Warrior: First learns to master his own bodyweight before later integrating barbells, dumbbells and other tools into his training. He rarely, if ever, uses resistance machines.

He understands that the impressive physiques of the ancient warriors, gladiators, and old time strongmen weren’t built using fancy, fitness center machines or other contraptions and gimmick’s purported by today’s modern fitness industry.

Rather the classic physiques were forged through manual labor and consistent hard work utilizing progressive bodyweight exercises. Exercises that have been around for millenia and have stood the test of time.

Mastering his or her own body’s weight through the movement of space, lays the foundation for her impressive strength development. Advanced bodyweight exercises stimulate even higher levels of neuromuscular activity by creating a state of whole body tension and maximum contraction.

As he develops his body, the Awakened Warrior may integrate free weights, such as barbells and dumbbells, into his routine. However, he understands that he must first earn the right to lift weights by demonstrating mastery and control over his own bodyweight. Once a decent level of skill and athleticism is attained, he may decide to master other exercises such as heavy barbell squats and deadlifts or add new training implements like dumbbells or kettlebells for more variety.

 

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 4. Most People… Think that they must have a gym full of equipment to succeed!

The Awakened Warrior: Instinctively recognizes that his body is the only tool he needs. Of course having a gym and a few special pieces of equipment can make his mission easier and interesting, yet he appreciates these things as luxuries and NOT necessities.

With nothing but his body and his intellect, he can perform a wide variety of bodyweight exercises to get the job done. When those get easy, he can utilize harder progressions that employ the use of leverages to make the exercises more difficult.

He will NEVER use lack of equipment or a gym membership as an excuse.

If there is a children’s playground or park nearby, she can take advantage of it by incorporating the parallel bars, monkey bars, swings and other pieces of equipment into her training. She may sprint up hills or use the limbs of a tree or lift logs and heavy stones. The world is her gym!

If money is an issue, he may learn how to make his own home-made weights, gymnastic rings, chin-up bar or other relatively inexpensive pieces of equipment. As he continues to grow wiser in training and in life… he finally comes to the realization that it doesn’t take a gym full of equipment to build muscle… only the wisdom, passion and desire to do what it takes.

 

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5. Most People… Break the body up into muscle groups and train each muscle using isolation exercises.

The Awakened Warrior: Is aware that the body’s musculoskeletal system works holistically and should be trained as a functional unit.  He primarily selects exercises that simulate the body’s fundamental movement patterns instead of individual muscle groups.

He comprehends that there are more than 640 muscles in the human body and that groups of muscles work together and antagonistically to create movement through space.

The human body moves in six basic ways: squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull, and twist. By selecting compound exercises that correlate with these motions he will be able to train the majority of his muscles using fewer exercises. 

This will allow the simultaneous improvement of his or her body’s ability to perform these movements in a dynamic environment such as in work, sports, or combat. In other words, he is training the body and muscles to work in an integrated fashion as they are required to do so in everyday life.

This type of training improves both the appearance of the muscles and their ability to function in a coordinated effort to move and produce force. This philosophy forms the foundation of his training method; however, certain isolation exercises have their place and may be used to target lagging muscles, weak points or in the rehabilitation and prevention of injuries.

 

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 6. Most People… Train by using the latest split program they copied out of a muscle mag!

The Awakened Warrior: Carefully selects or designs his program based on his goals, body type and ability. He knows that copying an advanced bodybuilder’s routine is the surest and quickest path to failure and frustration.

He admires and respects Arnold as much as the next guy, yet knows he is not quite on the same level as the Seven-time Mr. Olympia and all-time greatest bodybuilder in the world.

He understands that he probably doesn’t have the same genetics or work capacity to handle an advanced bodybuilding routine.

To make progress as a natural trainee he must train as frequently as he can within his body’s ability to recover from his workouts.

Therefore, as a beginner he typically will train 2-4 days a week employing the use of full body workouts and/or upper/lower body training splits.

As a natural bodybuilder, he understands that this is the optimal frequency for size and strength gains. By making use of full body workouts he can hit all of his major muscle groups 2-3 times a week therefore providing a sufficient training stimulus to induce hypertrophy and strength gains.

As he advances and increases his work capacity, he may decide to train 4-6 days a week, as long as, he’s able to recover from the increased training stimulus.

In this way, his training evolves and grows as he does and he is less likely to burn himself out. Success over the long-term is achieved by training within the limitations of his own genetic code, body type and ability to recover.

 

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7. Most People… Limit themselves to one specific type of training method!

The Awakened Warrior: Incorporates a wide variety of training methodologies and philosophies into his programs. He is constantly looking to improve his performance and his results and therefore remains open to new ideas and systems.

He understands that there’s more than one approach to getting bigger, stronger and faster and that each approach has something to offer him.

He may experiment with many different styles, such as: bodybuilding, powerlifting, bodyweight exercises, ring training, strongman, martial arts, and other athletic styles in his effort to reach his ultimate potential.

If she finds a particular training system that fits her temperament and produces exceptional results for her goals and body type she may decide to narrow her focus and go deeper into the mastery of that method. On the other hand, she may elect to create her own hybrid training system by incorporating the best of all worlds.

By recognizing that each art has its own advantages and disadvantages, its own insights and oversights, he can compare and contrast the various styles; blending them into a method that goes beyond methods, beyond techniques and into an art form that borders on the realm of the formless.

 

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8. Most People… Try to force their bodies to grow by training for hours upon hours at the gym!

The Awakened Warrior: Works with his body by asking it politely to do just a little more than what it is capable of. Stimulation and not annihilation is the goal here.

He grasps the fact that short, intense bouts of training done consistently over time is the key to making size and strength gains, NOT endless, marathon training sessions that do little but make you tired and set you up for injury.

He knows to warm up the body thoroughly, lift intensely doing just a little more weight or reps than he did in his previous workout. He then gets out of the gym in under an hour or less, once he has fully stimulated his muscles for growth.

He realizes that training too much, too hard, and for too long are counterproductive to his goals of size and strength. The human body was designed for short bursts of intensity (fight or flight) or longer periods of low level activity (such as walking.)

By working with his body and slightly stretching himself beyond his comfort zone he allows the body to evolve and adapt naturally to the increased demands he is placing on it. In this way, he can assure continued progress without fear of needless overtraining and burnout.

 

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9. Most People… Train their muscles to absolute failure and beyond!

The Awakened Warrior: Rarely trains to absolute failure and typically ends the set 1-2 reps short of muscular failure. Instead of training to failure, he trains for success and to set new personal bests.

On more demanding exercises, such as the deadlift, he may decide to stay even further away from failure, since doing so becomes even more risky and could lead to serious injury.

By always being able to complete the last rep with good form, he finishes each set with a victory.

A few times a year (or in a competition) she may bend this rule and really push herself to test the boundaries of her strength and power.

Still, he understands that if he always pushes his body beyond what it is capable of, his technique and form will breakdown. This could easily lead to an injury that sets him back for weeks, months or possibly even years. The risk far outweighs the reward.

Training too close to failure on a regular basis also has a tendency to fry your nervous system, prolonging recovery and thus your ability to train frequently. Grinding out a few more reps may look “hardcore”, but it may actually reduce your strength and muscle gains in the end.

 

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10. Most People… Train the front of their bodies, focusing on the muscles they can see in the mirror!

The Awakened Warrior: Trains his whole body in a balanced way to maintain excellent posture and joint integrity. He may even put extra emphasis on training the musculature on the backside of the body, most commonly referred to as the “posterior chain.”

 

He understands that there’s more to developing a warrior’s physique than simply training the pecs, bi’s and abs aka “the mirror muscles.”

In her quest to unleash her ultimate potential in martial arts or athletics, she knows her ultimate success hinges on a well developed posterior chain.

The muscles of the upper, middle and lower back, as well as, the glutes and hamstrings are the biggest and most powerful muscles in the human body.

Realize that in today’s sedentary society the back side of the body tends to get neglected while the front of the body receives more activation. This can lead to dysfunction. He therefore recognizes the importance of these muscles in the maintenance of proper posture, pelvic alignment and scapular stability.

By putting extra emphasis on training the “posterior chain” he helps to prevent imbalances from developing and kicks his performance and explosiveness into high gear.

 

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11. Most People… Underestimate the importance of good nutrition and pay little attention to food quality!

The Awakened Warrior: Studies and learns all that he can about optimal health and dietary practices. He realizes that nutrition is a vital determinant of his ultimate success in training and in life.

She eats mainly organic whole foods that can be found in nature and rarely eats processed junk and fast foods that weaken and destroy her bodily systems.

She knows these junk foods may taste good, but they have no nutritional value or substance to them.

There is no greater wealth, than a healthy body that continues to function well into old age. For this reason he nourishes his body with the vital nutrients it needs to grow and flourish.

He sticks to wild caught fish, free-range and grass-fed bison, lean beef, chicken and game meats like venison. He eats whole eggs from free-roaming chickens. With most of his meals he includes copious amounts of vegetables like spinach and other leafy greens, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, peas, green beans, onions, garlic and peppers.

He eats at least two to three pieces of fruit each day, with some raw nuts and seeds as snacks. After his hard training sessions he also includes grains like oatmeal, or starchy carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, rice or pasta to refuel his muscles and glycogen stores and shuttle amino acids to repair his muscle cells.

 

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12. Most People… Look for magic pills and potions to help them transform quickly and effortlessly!

The Awakened Warrior: Knows that deep down there are no secrets and no shortcuts to an amazing body. And even if there were, such as anabolic drugs, he doesn’t want them because he understands that they often come with a hidden price tag… one that he isn’t willing to pay.

Secretly, he may be tempted like everybody else, yet he realizes that if he were to achieve his ideal body without putting forth the hard work and effort, than his success would mean little or nothing to him in the end.

The truth is that when he achieves his goal he will have earned it through months and years of focused labor and commitment. He will have paid his dues and time in the trenches… leaving a trail of blood, sweat and tears in his wake.

When he looks in the mirror he can rest assured, facing himself with pride and confidence and the knowing that he has walked a path that few men dare to undertake.

That being said, she is smart enough to realize that certain supplements can provide nutrients where her diet may be lacking. So, as a precautionary measure she takes a high quality multivitamin, extra antioxidants such as vitamins C & E, and takes a premium fish oil product to provide her body with the healthy omega 3’s (DHA & EPA) that fight off inflammation, soothe the joints and keep her brain healthy.

A high quality protein product may also be used as a meal replacement and for his post workout shakes. In addition, he may integrate other such supplements (such as Vitamin D or Creatine) into his diet as well, after studying them thoroughly. Yet stays far away from the latest marketing gimmicks produced by unscrupulous companies.

 

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13. Most People… Expect immediate results and need instant gratification to stay motivated!

The Awakened Warrior: Understands that lasting results come through consistent and dedicated training over time. He realizes that being strong, healthy and muscular is a way of life.

This type of training is not something you do for a couple months before summer arrives or as a new year’s resolution.

True strength and power takes time to build and in order to maintain them, one must be able to continue to train.

For that reason, she lifts with the long-term in mind and spends the necessary time to build a solid foundation upon which she can build in the years to come.

He is not in a hurry to achieve and is able to delay gratification by remaining true to his purpose.

He may not always feel motivated, but he has the discipline and will power to train in spite of how he feels at the moment. As the days, months and years pass… the compounding effect of all his hard work becomes evident as he ages gracefully, maintaining his strength and vitality well into old age.

 

 

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14. Most People… Underestimate the importance of rest and sleep in the muscle building process!

The Awakened Warrior: Fully understands that muscles do not grow in the gym, they grow during sleep and rest. He recognizes that training his muscles is actually a process of tearing them down and then allowing them to rebuild during his time away from the gym.

He knows that they will only grow back stronger if he gives them the essential recovery time they need to adapt and overcompensate.

Sleep is vital in this building and repairing process by flooding the body with testosterone and growth hormone (two highly anabolic hormones that are necessary for muscle growth.)

She accepts that she needs at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night and does whatever it takes to ensure her sleep is of the highest quality and sufficient duration. This may include making sure the room is cool, comfortable and dark with minimal electronic equipment present.

He may also decide to supplement with zinc and magnesium (ZMA) shortly before bed to help him relax and to provide two vital minerals for peak testosterone production. If possible, he works to get in sync with his own natural circadian rhythm, rising with the sun and retiring shortly after it sets.

 

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15. Most People… Think stretching makes them weaker, is boring and a waste of time!

The Awakened Warrior: Acknowledges that muscle is built through the lifting of weights; though he equally appreciates the role that proper flexibility and mobility play in maintaining optimal movement patterns, muscle-tension relationship and proper joint integrity.

Intense training can cause muscles to become tight and stiff over time, which can affect one’s range of motion and ability to move and perform at maximum capacity.

To preserve her joints and to retain the full length and elasticity of her muscle bellies and tendons, she develops the habit of regular stretching and dynamic mobility exercises that move the joints through their full range of motion.

These holds and movements help elongate the muscles and restore their length, suppleness and optimal tension.

The habitual implementation of these two practices as a warm-up and/or recovery method from your weight training will actually make you stronger in the end and safeguard you from injury; allowing you to age gracefully and stay active well beyond what the average person experiences.

 

 

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16. Most People… Are looking for the ‘perfect program’ that will solve all their problems!

The Awakened Warrior: Knows that it’s not the program by itself that brings results, but rather his own effort, consistency, perseverance and ability to follow the program to its end.

A well-designed training program is like a detailed map guiding you from Point A to Point B. Calculated by someone who has walked the path before you, the map can lay out the details of the terrain, even short cuts or detours to avoid potential difficulties.

Even so, it is not the map that takes him to where he want to go. Sure it helps to get him there, yet it is his own two legs that carry him over the hills and through the woods. YOU must walk the path if you ever want to arrive at your desired destination.

At the end of the day, it’s your own inner drive and desire, your sweat and effort, your discipline and dedication… day in and day out… that makes you successful. Execution of the program is what creates the body and life that you’ve imagined for yourself. Without your continual action and exertion to apply what you’ve learned, the training program is just a piece of paper that will be of little use to you.

 

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17. Most People… Give up at the first sign of failure, injury or defeat!

The Awakened Warrior: Is wise enough to know that one rarely succeeds at their first attempt at anything. If he is knocked down, he will always get back up because he realizes that any adversity or failure he meets is only a temporary setback.

Failure is simply the process by which one learns and evolves in this world and so if he falls short, the Awakened Warrior will analyze his or her approach to see what was working and what was not.

Once she determines what she could have done better she will recreate her plan and make a second attempt. If that attempt also fails, he will seek out new information, hire a coach or in some other way work to embetter himself for his next effort.

He intuitively knows that there’s always a solution to any problem he faces and eventually that solution will make itself known.

If it takes him 10,000 attempts to reach his goal, he will not fret, for he knows that with each shot he takes he is learning valuable lessons which help him to improve his aim along the way. If this is truly her heart’s desire, she will NEVER give up until her desire has been fulfilled.

 

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Awakened Warrior Training Wrap-Up

Well, there you have it, my friend…. 17 Awakened Warrior Training Tactics that separate the True Warriors from the bewildered herd commonly known as “Most People.”

By taking the time to carefully consider and integrate each of these tactics into your training philosophy, you will be able to Rise Above any limitations that otherwise might hold you down.

With time and disciplined action you too will transcend the world of mediocrity and evolve into the person you were truly meant to become… the Awakened Warrior.

And always remember….

“Strive for the body of a God, the mind of a Scholar, the humility of a Monk and the heart of a Warrior” – Unknown

Unleash your Potential,

Brandon

P.S. If you found this post helpful, insightful or valuable in any way… please share it with a fellow warrior, family or friends. Post or like it on Facebook or hit one of the share buttons down below. Thank you so much.  🙂