Library's review
Combat Conditioning is a system of bodyweight exercises comprised of the three most important exercises for developing the entire body: Hindu squats, Hindu pushups and bridging. When Matt Furey, the author of Combat Conditioning refers to the body, though, he does so in a different manner than
'I am not simply referring to the muscles when I talk about the body,' says Furey. 'I am also talking about the lungs, the heart, the kidneys, the spine and all the internal organs and glands.'
When you exercise, think of training everything from the inside out. This means that deep and concentrated breathing plays a major role. Hindu squats lay the foundation for strength and endurance. They build lung power, as well as the thighs, lower back, calves, chest, shoulders and arms. The deep breathing that you do with this exercise, all by itself, will expand the chest and make it larger and more prominent. Additionally, Hindu squats develop balance and coordination.Hindu pushups are the second component of the Combat Conditioning program.
As great and important as Hindu squats and Hindu pushups are, however, the KING of all Combat Conditioning exercises is the back bridge. It exercises the entire body from head to toe. Many people with neck and back pain feel like new after less than a month of training in the Combat Conditioning program. Furey's entire Combat Conditioning program can be done without equipment of any kind. And it can be done virtually anywhere - making gyms, health spas and weight training obsolete. Combat Conditioning is great for the average man or woman who wants to get into kick-butt shape fast - and it's perfect for the combat athlete or martial artist who wants to ramp his skills to the next level.
Well... this book is a mixed bag. Its style is fairly amateurish and it makes a lot of over-the-top claims about how superior its methods are to every other form of strength training, familiar to anyone who's read through the marketing for as-seen-on-TV fitness programs. I would also tend to disregard any of the long-term training plans (1000 repetitions of any exercise is clearly not a good use of your time, and is certainly not the best way to gain strength).
However, for those who can read with a cynical eye and ignore this nonsense, there is a LOT of valuable content here. It is true that bodyweight exercise can be excellent for developing functional strength, and that many simple bodyweight exercises train muscles that are often neglected by weight training programs (though this argues more for their use in conjunction with weight training than as a replacement). And the list of exercises in this book is very detailed, clearly written and pictured, and includes a lot of esoteric but highly effective exercises that most people, even fitness-aware people, will not know. And these exercises can mostly be done anywhere without equipment, which makes them very useful for those who travel a lot or cannot always make it to a gym.
If you are capable of designing your own workouts, are already interested in bodyweight exercise, and are willing to do more research to find the best way to integrate these movements, this book can help you on your way and offers things many other books on strength training do not. However, if you are looking for a complete fitness program written by a professional with a scientific and reasoned approach, you may want to start elsewhere, as much of the general advice in this book is misleading, and it is much more useful for the descriptions of specific exercises.-Mason Bockelman
Matt Furey's best-selling 'Combat Conditioning' is an incredible work. It is basic and rudimentary, which may be misleading for some readers or prospects; however, the recommendations and guidelines for combining the myriad of highly effective exercises in the book, especially Furey's 'Royal Court,' WILL aid you in your endeavors to quickly and efficiently lose excess body-fat, and build your muscular strength and endurance, as well as improve cardiovascular conditioning to a very substantial degree. It's not the most complete work on calisthenics or body-weight exercises, yet it does more than 'gets the job done.'
Personally, my neck pain (which has troubled me for years) dissipated after nearly two weeks of performing the 'Royal Court' only five days a week in less than 10 minutes each day. Of course, if you have neck pain (or any other pain, for that matter) you should consult a physician before adopting this program.
Also, keep in mind Matt Furey is a world-class grappling champion and National title-holder in wrestling, so his methodology is geared towards conditioning, not bodybuilding or pure strength and power. It will increase strength, but is has more to do with developing muscular and cardiovascular endurance - or 'staying power' - than it does brute strength. This type of stamina is the most important facet of physical fitness for a grappler/ wrestler because if you're physical stamina is shot, so is your mental stamina, your ability to focus and give 100%. Obviously, it should go without saying that this benefit spills over into your everyday life as well.
Basically, 'Combat Conditioning' is all you need to get great results, especially if you're goal is muscular energy and stamina that won't quit, improved mental focus, and a new-found confidence. Follow Furey's advice in the book, and his recommendations and you'll gain the fitness you desire.-Ronald Brown
Contents
Disclaimer
Abokut the author
Introduction
Opening instructions and comments
1 The Royal Court
Hindu squats
Hindu pushups
Back bridge
Bridge with hand support
Bridge with arms folded across chest, heels up
Bridge with arms folded across chest, heels flat
2 Supplementary exercises
Hindu jumper squats
One leg in air pushups
Wall walking
Wall walking to back bridge to chest on wall
Wall walking with reverse pushup
Wall chair
stationary hand stand
Front bridge
Whirling Dervish
Reverse pushups
Leg lifts behind head
Fingertip pushups
Kneeling back bend
V-ups
Table maker
The stretcher
Handstand pushups
Side bends
Jumping lunges
No momentum sit-ups
Bowing
Boing with partner
Pushing
Fireman's carry with partner
Grass hoppers
Mountain climbers
Duck waddle
Bear crawling
Crab walking
Reverse handstand
Grab ankles lift
Sideward leg lifts
Reverse leg lifts
Torso lifts
arms extended pushups
One-legged squats
One-arm pushups
Towel pushing
Penetration step lunges
Pleasant valleys
Hand stand with neck stretches
Wheelbarrow walking
Jumping rope
Hill squats
Uphill buddy carries
Road work
Wrestling
Sample conbat conditioing routines
500 Hindu squats workout
250 pushups workout
Hindu pushups
Reverse pushups
The Karl Gotch Bible
Wall walking, one-legged squats and reverse pushups
Scab run
Circuit training
The most neglected muscle in the body
Commonly asked questions
A sneak peak at other Matt Furey products
Show More
most:'I am not simply referring to the muscles when I talk about the body,' says Furey. 'I am also talking about the lungs, the heart, the kidneys, the spine and all the internal organs and glands.'
When you exercise, think of training everything from the inside out. This means that deep and concentrated breathing plays a major role. Hindu squats lay the foundation for strength and endurance. They build lung power, as well as the thighs, lower back, calves, chest, shoulders and arms. The deep breathing that you do with this exercise, all by itself, will expand the chest and make it larger and more prominent. Additionally, Hindu squats develop balance and coordination.Hindu pushups are the second component of the Combat Conditioning program.
As great and important as Hindu squats and Hindu pushups are, however, the KING of all Combat Conditioning exercises is the back bridge. It exercises the entire body from head to toe. Many people with neck and back pain feel like new after less than a month of training in the Combat Conditioning program. Furey's entire Combat Conditioning program can be done without equipment of any kind. And it can be done virtually anywhere - making gyms, health spas and weight training obsolete. Combat Conditioning is great for the average man or woman who wants to get into kick-butt shape fast - and it's perfect for the combat athlete or martial artist who wants to ramp his skills to the next level.
Well... this book is a mixed bag. Its style is fairly amateurish and it makes a lot of over-the-top claims about how superior its methods are to every other form of strength training, familiar to anyone who's read through the marketing for as-seen-on-TV fitness programs. I would also tend to disregard any of the long-term training plans (1000 repetitions of any exercise is clearly not a good use of your time, and is certainly not the best way to gain strength).
However, for those who can read with a cynical eye and ignore this nonsense, there is a LOT of valuable content here. It is true that bodyweight exercise can be excellent for developing functional strength, and that many simple bodyweight exercises train muscles that are often neglected by weight training programs (though this argues more for their use in conjunction with weight training than as a replacement). And the list of exercises in this book is very detailed, clearly written and pictured, and includes a lot of esoteric but highly effective exercises that most people, even fitness-aware people, will not know. And these exercises can mostly be done anywhere without equipment, which makes them very useful for those who travel a lot or cannot always make it to a gym.
If you are capable of designing your own workouts, are already interested in bodyweight exercise, and are willing to do more research to find the best way to integrate these movements, this book can help you on your way and offers things many other books on strength training do not. However, if you are looking for a complete fitness program written by a professional with a scientific and reasoned approach, you may want to start elsewhere, as much of the general advice in this book is misleading, and it is much more useful for the descriptions of specific exercises.-Mason Bockelman
Matt Furey's best-selling 'Combat Conditioning' is an incredible work. It is basic and rudimentary, which may be misleading for some readers or prospects; however, the recommendations and guidelines for combining the myriad of highly effective exercises in the book, especially Furey's 'Royal Court,' WILL aid you in your endeavors to quickly and efficiently lose excess body-fat, and build your muscular strength and endurance, as well as improve cardiovascular conditioning to a very substantial degree. It's not the most complete work on calisthenics or body-weight exercises, yet it does more than 'gets the job done.'
Personally, my neck pain (which has troubled me for years) dissipated after nearly two weeks of performing the 'Royal Court' only five days a week in less than 10 minutes each day. Of course, if you have neck pain (or any other pain, for that matter) you should consult a physician before adopting this program.
Also, keep in mind Matt Furey is a world-class grappling champion and National title-holder in wrestling, so his methodology is geared towards conditioning, not bodybuilding or pure strength and power. It will increase strength, but is has more to do with developing muscular and cardiovascular endurance - or 'staying power' - than it does brute strength. This type of stamina is the most important facet of physical fitness for a grappler/ wrestler because if you're physical stamina is shot, so is your mental stamina, your ability to focus and give 100%. Obviously, it should go without saying that this benefit spills over into your everyday life as well.
Basically, 'Combat Conditioning' is all you need to get great results, especially if you're goal is muscular energy and stamina that won't quit, improved mental focus, and a new-found confidence. Follow Furey's advice in the book, and his recommendations and you'll gain the fitness you desire.-Ronald Brown
Contents
Disclaimer
Abokut the author
Introduction
Opening instructions and comments
1 The Royal Court
Hindu squats
Hindu pushups
Back bridge
Bridge with hand support
Bridge with arms folded across chest, heels up
Bridge with arms folded across chest, heels flat
2 Supplementary exercises
Hindu jumper squats
One leg in air pushups
Wall walking
Wall walking to back bridge to chest on wall
Wall walking with reverse pushup
Wall chair
stationary hand stand
Front bridge
Whirling Dervish
Reverse pushups
Leg lifts behind head
Fingertip pushups
Kneeling back bend
V-ups
Table maker
The stretcher
Handstand pushups
Side bends
Jumping lunges
No momentum sit-ups
Bowing
Boing with partner
Pushing
Fireman's carry with partner
Grass hoppers
Mountain climbers
Duck waddle
Bear crawling
Crab walking
Reverse handstand
Grab ankles lift
Sideward leg lifts
Reverse leg lifts
Torso lifts
arms extended pushups
One-legged squats
One-arm pushups
Towel pushing
Penetration step lunges
Pleasant valleys
Hand stand with neck stretches
Wheelbarrow walking
Jumping rope
Hill squats
Uphill buddy carries
Road work
Wrestling
Sample conbat conditioing routines
500 Hindu squats workout
250 pushups workout
Hindu pushups
Reverse pushups
The Karl Gotch Bible
Wall walking, one-legged squats and reverse pushups
Scab run
Circuit training
The most neglected muscle in the body
Commonly asked questions
A sneak peak at other Matt Furey products
Show Less
Genres
Publication
Matt Furey Enterprises, Inc. 10339 Birdwatch Dr. Tampa, Florida 33647