The world is my battleground, this day is now sound.

Swords clang, shields bang.

The winds blow, screams flow.

Fire rages, the battle engages.

The iron will, a test of skill.

The enemy falls. Their onslaught stalls.

The world is my battleground, this day is now sound.

Notes: What this poem refers to, is the way in which I personally view life. To me, each day is a battle. A test of will and a means of evaluating and working towards that higher self that I aim to be.

The bottom line:

Whatever you’re going through in your life, PERSIST, PERSEVERE and OVERCOME. That’s the warrior way. That’s the way of THE UNCAGED ANIMAL.

This is a kick start to 2015. Happy New Year to all. Let’s make 2015 another great year.

Before we jump into this article, I want to clear the air. I’m not proclaiming I’m at the point where I am complete, nor have I experienced everything this vast world has to offer. I am not trying to impress anyone with feats of greatness. I only seek to forge a legendary existence for myself that in truth will probably never fully be realized. It’s a paradox. The closer you get, the further away you get.

In 5-10 years’ time you will look back at the individual you once were, and see how you’ve hopefully grown, achieved and become better than your previous self. In no way however, will you be fully complete.

That constant drive to outdo yourself and improve would otherwise not exist.

Strange as it sounds, therein lies the beauty.

Here’s 10 steps (in no particular order) that I deem of high importance and value, which drive me forward in my quest to mold myself into a true warrior. They comprise the foundation of my outlook and attitude in life. I make my best effort to incorporate these steps into my life wherever feasible and in doing so they’ve enabled me to become a tougher, resilient and more valuable human being.

Perhaps by implementing them in your life, you can experience the same.

Anyways, that’s enough introductory chatter. Lets get to the real substance.

1) Break the Mold

Don’t be afraid to live. Sometimes you have to do something extreme and throw yourself into the deep end if you really want to know what you’re made of, test your resolve and grow as a person.

I think back to a time a few years ago, two pals and I got on our bicycles for what was to be a short, leisurely ride in our locality. We ended up riding 8 miles out into uncharted territory. The journey itself was made more challenging by the fact that I was riding with a flat front tyre, which due to a slow puncture was gradually having the life sucked out of it, like the kiss of death. (The chains were also pretty badly rusted).

To the general public we probably looked like 3 morons, but I didn’t much care. The thrill of the ride and thirst for adventure was all that really mattered. Long story short, we got lost a few times, made a few pit stops and wound up being out for a few hours. In total we rode 16 miles that day.

The next day I couldn’t walk straight, but man, the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction was one of the best damn feelings I’d had. I’d broken out of the ordinary and done something new.

2) Face fears

You can’t live in fear. A warrior, despite his deepest, darkest fears never lets them get in the way of his mission. You and I will probably deal with fears till the very end. Acknowledge it and move on. The only real fear you should have is the fear of a life wasted. A life of stagnation is the main thing that frightens me. The thought of not living up to the potential and high standard I’ve set for myself.

Imagine lying on your deathbed, reminiscing over your life and realising just how little you actually did and achieved with your limited time here on earth. That to me is one hell of a scary scenario.

3) View hardship and struggles as tests

See your struggles and hardships as tests, tests of resilience and your ability to “stick it out.” Tests that prove you’re ready to move on with the next phase and evolution of your life, and bring you a step closer to that legendary self you envision. This is probably the hardest thing on this list to do, staying positive in times of turmoil and anguish. If ever there was a quality that separates the warriors from common folk, this is it.

We all go through hardships and times of suffering in life. However, those who complain about their circumstances and badger others with tales of their problems demonstrate their weakness. Be like a tree. Remain rooted firmly in the ground. Don’t let your problems get the better of you. There’s always something to be learned from a situation, provided you’re willing to learn.

4) Dissolve labels

Preoccupation with labelling, defining and otherwise chasing status is a form of disillusionment. It’s an impurity. Forget about judging others. Instead, focus on living your life and becoming the best version of yourself that you can. Labelling and comparing yourself with others only leads to negativity and bitterness towards them in the form of jealousy, envy and resentment. If others attempt to label and define you, let them. Just don’t get wrapped up in it and give more attention to it than it deserves.

5) Reflect and refine

Keep a diary or journal. Write down your goals, both current and future. Reflect on where you are in your own development. Are you progressing towards the life you want for yourself? Are you taking steps towards becoming that warrior? If you’re not happy with your current progress, start refining. Make the necessary changes to your life. Maybe you aren’t happy with your physique. Start going to the gym and change your eating habits. We all need to reflect and refine from time to time. I use my journal to evaluate my progress, to gauge whether I am meeting my targets or not. I do this on a daily basis. Doing so helps bring accountability into your life. It keeps you in the game, preventing you from screwing progress by doing something stupid, that’s not in line with your goals.

6) Embrace unease

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Do what others lack the conviction to. Where others flee and choose the path of least resistance thrust yourself into the fire and it’ll strengthen and harden you in ways unimaginable.

This is the reason I train hard, endure cold showers morning and night. Each morning I do a series of knuckle and fingertip pushups. (They’re a pain, literally).

Some people will never understand the real reasoning and true meaning behind it. I want to toughen and harden myself in every way I possibly can.

Training yourself to thrive in situations of discomfort is probably one of the greatest investments you can give yourself. It prepares you for situations, which maybe unlikely, yet potentially pose a threat. In this world you have to expect the unexpected.

When you find yourself getting too comfortable, that’s the time to be worried.

7) Govern yourself

Pledge allegiance to none other than yourself. Be self-reliant. You’ve only got yourself to count on and it’s all you’ll ever really have, during the good times or bad. Never blame others for your failures and don’t expect others to have your best interest at heart. Be your own man or woman and live independently.

8) Be in tune with yourself

In a world plagued with technology and modern invention, people have grown out of touch with themselves and their surroundings. I’m not bashing technology. It’s definitely had a positive impact on the world and has its time and place. However, most people have become far too dependent on technology and cling to it all the time. It’s a damn joke. Like they can’t live without it.

If you really want to maximise your skills and become the best version of yourself possible, you need to be connected with yourself on the deepest level. Be in tune with your body. Listen to it. It gives you signals all the time.

Spend sometime mediating daily, you’ll begin to understand the ways you can control your mood and emotions. It’s an incredible feeling and way to go through life. Knowing you’re in the drivers seat, cruising. This is something I really began honing in on over the past year.

9) Devote yourself to something larger than yourself

Ra’s Al Ghul’s line to Batman pretty much say’s it. “If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal and they can’t stop you. You become something else entirely. A legend, Mr Wayne.”

As a warrior you should be willing to help your fellow man. Consider it an obligation to offer your support to those in need and less fortunate than you.

In today’s cutthroat, selfish world that’s asking a lot, I know. There are few truly willing to go out of their way to do it.

Bear this in mind. If you can’t do good for someone, have some damn decency and don’t go out of your way to do bad for them. That’s a tendency of cowards, losers and the spineless.

10) Use force as a last resort when reason fails

Back when I was 6 years old I was waiting in line with other school kids to be let into class one day. On this particular day I had the pleasure of being inline next to this wise cracking kid, who kept whispering nonsense into my ear and irritating the hell out of me. I told him to get stuffed (real polite like) and he kept doing it. (Kids). Having had enough, in one fluid motion I clocked him in the nuts.

As you can imagine, his immediate reaction was to clasp them as he slumped to the floor in tears.

(To make the situation funnier my mum was there, as she happened to help out at the school and was fortunate enough, depending on how you look at it to witness the whole thing).

Obviously it was a very harsh thing to do, we did ultimately become good friends later.

The point is, sometimes resorting to violence is necessary. However, it should only be used as a last line of defence when all other means have failed.

Closing thoughts

These are not intended as lessons. I am not trying to lecture you and tell you how to live your life. That’s something you must decide and choose for yourself.

Follow your own path.

This post is a reflective point for me.

It’s a way for me to evaluate where I am at this stage in the journey to forge my own legendary life.

Keep striving and make 2015 a better year than the last. Going forward this year, live grander, set higher goals and work your ass off to achieve them.

That is the warrior’s way and the path to carving a legendary existence.

Got anything to share? If you’re on a similar path, what aids you in your quest? I’d love to hear from you. Leave your comments below.

Alternatively, if you liked this post subscribe for free to receive future updates and info.

Nutrition nowadays is one of the most highly debated and controversial subjects out there. Some people tend to identify with a particular “diet” or way of eating to the point that it becomes a religion/ideology of its own.

I don’t think extremes are healthy. (Especially in the mental sense). They cause unnecessary tension and are the reason for many pointless arguments.

I’ve tried numerous diets, tinkered with different macro/micronutrient ratios, played with, and cycled calorie intake, all of which finally enabled me to uncover and create the nutrition protocol that has served me well.

Personally, I don’t diet in the conventional sense.

Dieting, or at least most people’s connotation of the word conjures feelings of negativity and misery.

Screw starving yourself to death in an attempt to look great. The truth is you don’t need to be extremely restrictive with your food intake.

Creating a modest 400-500 calorie deficit daily is your best bet when the goal is to lose body fat, as opposed to dropping down to 1000 calories a day.

That said, just because I don’t “diet” in the conventional sense of the word, that doesn’t mean I don’t monitor the food that goes down the hatch. I do. However, I just don’t see what I do as dieting.

While there’s a great deal of variation in regards to meal set-up, frequency, calorie breakdown etc. The basic principle remains fairly consistent.

On the simplest level, if you want to look great, experience amazing energy, vibrancy and health, whole, natural, minimally processed foods should make up the bulk of your nutrition plan.

Eating like a warrior involves eating predominately from the land itself. Eating minimally if not completely unprocessed foods the majority of the time.

That means lean proteins, vegetables and whole fruits should be staples in your diet, with starches like rice and potatoes added in to supply glucose to fuel demanding activities such as intense training.

These are staples in my “diet” and the way I eat 90% of the time. The other 10% I allow myself room to fit in some “junk” foods. Although by sticking to the outline listed above, I pretty much steer clear of any cravings.

I find these foods are typically more filling than the processed garbage that is so prevalent in todays society.

This is the basis of “warrior nutrition.”

Eating in this manner combined with an intermittent fasting set up and the right training protocol will cause your body to lean out and develop warrior proportion and strength.

This is just a basic, general template.

The following are my go to food choices. I don’t buy them all at the same time (particularly the protein sources). I just rotate them when I want to spice things up and add some diversity to it.

It’s pretty simple and basic, but damn does it get the job done and I feel great eating this way.

Proteins

• Chicken (breast, thighs and drumsticks)
• Lamb (mince and chops)
• Eggs (Whole)
• Tuna
• Salmon
• Venison
• Turkey
• Cottage cheese

Carbohydrates

• Rice (white)
• Yams
• Sweet potato (White as well as red varieties)
• White potato (Jersey royals, new potatoes and russet potatoes)
• Vegetables (Mainly green beans, broccoli, carrots, spinach and kale)
• Fruit (Primarily berries, pears and bananas)

Note: Although I’ve included vegetables under carbs, they only contain trace amounts that are insignificant and not worth the hassle counting.

Fats

• Butter
• Olive oil
• Avocado
• Coconut oil
• Cashews, walnuts, pecans (small handful)

 That’s pretty much the bulk of my diet. I do add certain spices and condiments to add and enhance flavor, but this is the key component.

It looks fairly limited, because it is. I like sticking to foods that enable me to stick to my diet.

Occasionally I’ll fit in treats here and there because I believe in a balanced approach, but I never deviate from the backbone of my nutrition approach.

Now, I do include intermittent fasting as part of my nutrition strategy mainly because it frees up time (I don’t like to cook and clean all day). It also allows me to eat bigger meals as opposed to snaking on small meals throughout the day.

I use a leangains style approach to fasting. I fast for 16hrs a day and have an 8hr-eating window.

Though I’m more relaxed about the window. I don’t worry about going over it. Sometimes life gets in the way and I end up going past the eating window.

The important thing with intermittent fasting is not to get caught up with the eating window itself. You’ll still want to push your breakfast to later in the day, around about lunchtime. (Don’t be to damn rigid though. The whole point of fasting is to break away from nutritional dogma).

The number one priority is hitting your macronutrient and calorie intake. The eating window itself is secondary.

A typical day

1-1:30pm: Meal 1

4:30-5pm: Meal 2

8-9pm: Meal 3

Addressing psychological factors behind dieting

Most people lack the drive and conviction to stick to a nutrition plan. I don’t blame them.

When you’re told you have to give up certain foods for good, it just makes the whole process miserable which is exactly what you don’t want your experience to be like.

The whole purpose of your nutrition plan should be to help you reach your goal in the most enjoyable and rewarding way possible.

1) Stop deriving and associating happiness/pleasure with food.

Stop associating pleasure and happiness with food. Let go of your emotional connection and attachment to food. Food is fuel. It’s nourishment. Nothing more.

Most of the food related issues such as obesity and comfort eating all stem from associating food with pleasure and giving food power over your life.

If getting lean, dropping fat and developing dense muscle is your goal, all you need to do is eat enough to sustain yourself while progressively getting stronger in the gym. That’s really all there is to it.

Happiness and contentment has to come from you. Specifically being content and present. Accept the moment as it is and just roll with it.

2) Become a conscious eater.

When you sit down to eat, focus solely on the food you’re about to consume. Put the phone away, don’t stare at the tv or laptop, or read a book/magazine. Just concentrate on the food in front of you. These things are all distractions and the last thing you want to do is be distracted.

People that pay attention to their food and chew each morsel thoroughly, focusing on the flavor and texture tend to find it easier to not only eat less food overall, but also reach satiety quicker than those who are preoccupied with the aforementioned distractions. (This is purely an observation on my part. I’ve got no scientific studies to back it up. It’s my own anecdotal evidence).

3) Give yourself permission to include foods you like.

A bit of reverse psychology at work here. If you were told you could never have a certain food you liked again, for example chocolate. You probably wouldn’t be able to stick with your eating plan for very long. It’s damn frustrating and infuriating to be denied like that. Sooner or later you’d cave and eat a whole bunch of it.

It’s like telling someone not to press the red button, the individual will no doubt do it anyway to see what happens. The point is, people always want what they can’t have.

The simple way to avoid this predicament is to not put yourself in that position in the first place.

As long as you’re mindful of the quantity you’re consuming and it fits within your overall plan (macro and caloric breakdown) you can still lose body fat while including “bad foods.”

Funnily enough, when you allow yourself the choice to include “treats” into your nutrition plan, you’ll actually find yourself craving those foods less. It’s a weird feeling and something I’ve personally gone through.

Nowadays, sticking to my nutrition protocol isn’t difficult. I don’t deal with cravings or binges and I attribute these three simple, yet powerful pointers to helping me on that front.

Well, that about wraps up this article. There’s still more to cover on the nutrition front. Namely breaking down macronutrient and caloric intake. We’ll cover that in part 3. Subscribe now. You don’t want to miss out.

If you want to learn more, pick up a copy of WARRIOR 101. Everything is clearly detailed and broken down for you. You’re covered on both training and nutrition.

The warrior build is a lean, defined, proportionate look packed with strength and versatility.

Bruce Lee, Rain (ninja assassin) and Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden character from Fight Club all reflect the warrior build to some degree.

The simplest, most effective means of building this physique is through progressively getting stronger whilst remaining lean and trim.

For many, that means stripping of body fat whilst preserving/building lean muscle tissue, through the combination of diet and heavy, progressive strength training. (It doesn’t get any simpler than that fellas).

Focus on boosting your strength and power to weight ratio. Every single pound on your body should have a reason to be there.

Breaking down the warrior physique

The Warrior physique is a lean, dense and proportionate build that prioritises strength and density over “puffy mass.” Every pound on your body has to earn its place, and pay rent in a manner of speaking.

The warrior build prioritises compact, solid, hard muscle, with incredible levels of leanness and definition.

The actual size of the muscles themselves may not be that impressive by bodybuilding standards, but they’ll be hard, cut and dense. The muscles will look like they’re literally carved from marble.

It’s the combination of a very low body fat and heavy strength training that produces this result.

An average amount of muscle mass, with exceptional definition brings about a much more impressive look, than a puffy, swollen, bloated looking physique.

Besides, training for dense muscle will have a lasting effect. Your muscle will look hard virtually all the time. Whereas, simply relying on higher rep, pump and fatigue training will only boost sarcoplasm (fluid) within the muscles, leading to a temporary swelling of the muscles.

This ultimately makes the muscles look bigger, but unfortunately it doesn’t last.

Anyway, moving on. Lets get to the meat and potatoes of this post.

The Essentials: The main movements of the “Warrior Routine”

• Weighted Chin-ups/pull-ups
• Weighted Dips
• Barbell Curls
• Incline Bench press
• Overhead Press

These are the exercises that will make up the bread and butter of your routine. Give them your undivided attention.

Pour your sweat and guts into them and you’ll carve out an impressively lean, dense and proportionate physique.

Increasing strength on these exercises alone will carry over and yield incredible results in terms of helping build and maintain an impressive physique.

Note: If you already have reasonably large thighs, you can drop or reduce emphasis on moves like squats and deadlifts.

Additional exercises/ contributing lifts

These are movements that complement the main lifts. They round out the routine and help fully develop the physique.

Chest: Incline Dumbbell Press

Deltoids (Shoulders): Lateral Raises and Face Pulls or Bent Over Flyes.

Back: Bent Over Rows

Legs: Squats, Deadlifts and Standing Calf Raises

Biceps: Seated Incline Hammer curls

Abs: Hanging Leg Raises and Planks.

Workout Overview

The overall volume and frequency is low. You’ll perform three workouts a week, each comprised of no more than 5 exercises per session.

Your primary objective is to improve strength on the on the main movements, which incidentally happen to be the one’s with (RPT) next to them.

Why low volume?

As mentioned earlier, higher volume, pump style training is not conductive to long term strength and dense muscle gains. (It’s worth repeating).

Put it this way, if you perform extensive volume and exercises per workout, you’ll end up stalling your strength gains and even regress.

It’s pretty well established that to make continual progress in the muscle gains department you need to get stronger over time.

Doing too many exercises will sap your strength during training and subsequently you’ll find your energy, focus and ability to lift heavy will waiver with the latter exercises. (Also increasing the likelihood of sustaining an injury as fatigue takes it’s toll).

Well that’s enough chatter. I’ve kept you waiting long enough. So hear it is folks….

The Warrior Routine

Note: Perform 2 warm up sets on first exercise of each muscle group. On RPT sets rest 2-3 minutes between sets to allow for optimal strength gains.

Workout A : Chest / Triceps / Deltoids

 Incline Bench Press 3 x 5,8,10 (RPT)

Incline DB Press 2 x 6-8

Overhead Press 3 x 5,8,10 (RPT)

Lateral Raises 3 x 5-8

Dips 2 x 5-8

Notes on this workout: I like to emphasize heavy lateral raises. Most people perform them in the 8-12 rep range. I find that going slightly lower, working with 5/6 reps helps build density and caps the delts off nicely. Play around with it and see what works for you.

Workout B : Back / Biceps / Rear Deltoids

Weighted Chins/Pull-ups 3 x 5,8,10 (RPT)

Barbell Rows 3 x 5-8

Barbell Curls 3 x 5,8,10 (RPT)

Face Pulls w/rope attachment or Bent Over Flyes 3 x 8-12

Seated Incline Hammer Curls 3 x 8-12

Workout C: Legs / Abs (Optional)

Squats 3 x 5

Sumo Deadlifts 3 x 5

Standing Calf raises 3 x 4,6,12 (RPT)

Hanging leg raises 4 x 8-12

Plank hold 3 x 90 secs

Notes on this workout: You’ll notice I use RPT on calf raises. I’ve found that getting stronger in the 4-6 rep range with calves tends to yield better overall development. Calves are one of those areas that are stubborn as hell when it comes to growing. Be prepared to work them hard.

Means of progression

The aim of the game is to make some form of progress from workout to workout. Each training session you should be lifting heavier weight on the main lifts than your previous session.

 I always aim to add anywhere from 2.5 – 5lbs to the bar each session. Constant progress, no matter how small is still progress and it adds up in the long run.

At the end of a 4-week period you could add 15- 20lbs to your lifts. (Damn fine progress). If you track your poundage, you’ll be able to see the progress you’re making and that’ll only help keep you motivated. (It’s a thing of Beauty).

What and why RPT?

If you’ve been lifting for a while, you probably have already come across RPT. This style of training has been increasing in popularity. Especially in strength circles.

RPT stands for Reverse Pyramid Training. It’s simply a way of training that involves beginning your session with your heaviest set first, while you’re fresh and full of energy.

Regular pyramid training involves building up to and ending with your heaviest set. With RPT you reverse the order.

The biggest benefit of training in this way is, that by starting with your heaviest set first (minus 1-2 warm up sets), you’ll find you’re stronger and lifting heavy won’t be as much of a struggle as it would if you were to lift heavy later on, as you become fatigued.

How long should I stick to this routine?

Thought you’d never ask.

I usually find it best to stick with a program for at least 8-12 weeks. Forget all that “muscle confusion” bullshit. Your body needs a chance to actually get used to the movements and improve at them before you switch up and do something else.

If you constantly program hop in search of “the next best thing”, you’ll never get the full benefits from the routine.

My thinking when it comes to training is to “milk” all the benefits and results that a program has to offer me. When progress comes to a halt, I’ll switch things up.

The problem is people change programs and exercises way too soon.

What about Cardio?

As leanness is a prerequisite for the warrior physique, most people will find they need cardio to help them reach and maintain a low body fat percentage. For cardio I usually go for walks with my dog on a daily basis, which covers low intensity cardio

On rest days or days when I’m not hitting the iron I’ll hit some sprints for a little high intensity cardio and to keep my anaerobic system in good condition. (Never know when you’ll have to out run an army of zombies).

You can play sports, hike, swim etc. Do whatever the hell you like, as long as it’s something you enjoy and doesn’t interfere with your strength training.

You don’t need to go cardio crazy. Just 15-20 mins of high intensity work 1-2 times a week on rest days will suffice. For low intensity cardio 30-45mins is fine.

To sum up:

• Hit the iron 3 days a week
• Focus on progressive overload on main moves
• Do some cardio and abs on rest days
• Be patient and enjoy the process.

In part two we’ll delve into eating for the warrior physique. Don’t miss out. Subscribe now.

If you liked the article and found it informative and want a fully structured program and nutrition guide that breaks everything down and goes into more detail when it comes to building the warrior physique, head over and grab a copy of WARRIOR 101.