Pets

Real Estate Trends in Long Beach California

The city of Long Beach, California is an ethnically diverse area with many cultural attractions, including the Long Beach Museum of Art and the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. It is the southern terminus of the Los Angeles Blue Line light rail, which runs into downtown Los Angeles about 20 miles away. It has a good public transportation system and access to the highways of Southern California.

The Blues Festival and the Jazz Festival are just two of the many festivals that take place each year. California State University of Long Beach is the largest school in the city. El Dorado Regional Park is the largest of many public parks.

Median home sales prices were around $300,000 in June 2010, an increase of $20,000 from the previous year. Home sales volume was 391 homes sold in April and 431 homes sold in May 2010. Vacancies are likely to remain low due to rental market pressure as unemployment and high home prices erode purchasing power, although these factors will also reduce rents.

Popular areas include Downtown, Belmont Heights, Eastside, Plaza, and Belmont Shore, where the median sales price is $1.5 million. The population is approximately half a million within an area of ​​57 square miles. The big employers are health care, manufacturing and construction, which have been cutting jobs.

Mortgage rates are at their lowest point, 3.88 for a 15-year fixed and 4.38 for a 30-year fixed. Foreclosure rates are high, with one in 254 homes receiving a foreclosure notice as of June 2010. Although the local housing market is showing some signs of recovery, it is still clearly a buyer’s market, for those with the resources. .

Pets

Wine and Health – An Introduction

The use of wine and our strong convictions of its health benefits, teetotalers and teetotalers notwithstanding, are probably as old as wine itself, dating back to the earliest civilizations of the ancient world. In Mesopotamia ca. In the 3rd millennium BC, Babylonians believed that wine had medicinal and therapeutic effects and was considered so pure and untainted that it was preferred, along with beer, to water. In Ancient Egypt, over two thousand years BC, wine also became a common ingredient in “prescription drugs” to cure a variety of foods. The medicines were formulated using also other ingredients, such as water and, in particular, those derived from medicinal plants.

And stories abound from the Far East where the Chinese mixed wine with animal parts to invent drugs to cure almost any ailment. Even Hippocrates, the father of medicine who had a keen sense of the physiological and metabolic reactions in the human body, not only used wine as a prescription medicine in ancient Greece, but also made it an antiseptic for the treatment of wounds. .

The link between wine and its medicinal and therapeutic benefits was strengthened throughout the different eras and from the Middle Ages to modern times. So compelling was the link that, following the decline in the death rate of convicts and immigrants who were treated to wine aboard Australia-bound ships in the early 19th century, it led to the founding of vineyards and wineries. by British doctors in the rest of the century. century. Many of these wineries have become global businesses responsible for some of the largest wine production in the world. For example, Lindemans and Penfolds were founded in the early 1840s by Drs. Henry J. Lindeman and Christopher R. Penfold, respectively.

But as wine became an integral part of religions since Biblical times and the evils of alcohol took root in societies, wine, its health benefits, and sociological impacts became highly controversial, spawning the temperance movement. Against Alcohol in Colonial America. In 1916, federal health authorities removed alcohol from United States Pharmacopeia (USP), “the official public authority that sets standards for all prescription and over-the-counter drugs and other health care products manufactured or sold in the United States.” Then, in 1920, the Volstead Act was enacted under the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which made the manufacture, sale, import, and distribution of moonshine last until 1933 when the Twenty-first Amendment was ratified to repeal National Prohibition. . During Prohibition, the consumption of alcohol and homemade wine for personal use was still permitted, though it was left to individual states and often towns or counties to implement further control according to local needs. Wine for sacramental and medicinal uses was also exempt. In Canada, the provinces had already begun to implement prohibitory laws in 1917.

Much research on the health benefits of wine has been documented, particularly since the 19th century. But the temperance movement had been strong and gained renewed momentum in the 1980s by championing the public health ills of alcohol. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), a now highly influential organization, was first founded in 1980. Then, during Ronald Reagan’s first presidential term in the 1980s, First Lady Nancy Reagan launched the drug awareness campaign drugs “Just Say No” which, naturally, included alcoholic beverages. . Senator James Strom Thurmond, whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver in 1993 and whose wife later became addicted to alcohol, was a longtime staunch supporter of the fight against alcohol. He led the offensive responsible for implementing (in 1988) the now-familiar warning on the labels of all wines sold in the US.) The text reads as follows:

GOVERNMENT ADVISORY: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy due to the risk of birth defects. (2) Drinking alcoholic beverages affects your ability to drive a car or operate machinery and may cause health problems.

But there was a major twist in 1991 when the French scientist Dr. Serge Renaud released his theory of the French paradox which observed that the French suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), which is the leading cause of death in the countries industrialized. despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fat found, for example, in eggs, dairy products, and particularly cheese and meat. Renaud’s work catapulted sales of red wine in the US and renewed interest in the health benefits of wine when CBS aired his french paradox television segment on 60 minutes that same year. The French paradox, the countless epidemiological studies, and laboratory studies and experiments, such as those of renowned Kaiser-Permanente cardiologist Dr. Arthur Klatsky, make a strong case for J or U-shaped relationships between alcohol consumption and the mortality rate. More specifically, these have shown that moderate alcohol consumption resulted in a lower mortality rate compared to teetotalers and teetotalers or heavy drinkers of alcohol. In addition, moderate consumption has also been linked to a lower morbidity (disease) rate.

Moderate consumption is generally defined as 14 g of pure alcohol (ethanol) per day that can be obtained from 148 ml (5 fl oz) of twelve percent alcohol wine – beware of the “two glasses a day” guideline – or 12 fl oz (355 mL) of five percent alcohol beer or 1½ fl oz (44 mL) of forty percent alcohol liquor. And to enjoy and maximize the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, consumption must be daily and not average, for example, drinking seven times the recommended amount at a Saturday night party, and must be part of a diet balanced and a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise.

Beginning in 1999, wine destined for the US market could be labeled through TTB approval with a directional health-related statement directing consumers to “see [their] Family Physician on the Health Benefits of Wine Consumption” or to order the publication from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines for Americans “to know the health effects of wine consumption”. But Senator Thurmond and temperance advocates like the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and MADD struck again, effectively forcing the TTB in 2003 to defeat directional label statements on the grounds that they were inherently misleading and misleading and gave the impression that the government endorsed the health benefits of alcohol consumption, which encouraged consumers to drink more. After all, the whole premise of alcohol control is that wine, beer, and distilled spirits have all been considered intoxicants, not drugs.

The wine industry, with the support of trade organizations like the Wine Institute and the American Winemakers Association (AVA), lobbied federal agencies for more substantive health-related claims and reached a compromise of sorts. Hereafter, under the authority of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (FAA Act), the new TTB regulations provided in part that:

A specific health claim on a label or in an advertisement is considered misleading unless the claim is true and adequately supported by scientific evidence; duly detailed and qualified with respect to the categories of persons to whom the claim applies; adequately discloses the health risks associated with moderate and high levels of alcohol consumption; and describes the categories of people for whom any level of alcohol consumption may cause health risks.

Such requirements have made it nearly impossible to obtain approval to include directional or substantive health claims on labels or in advertisements, particularly that claims must contain a disclaimer “advising consumers that the claim should not encourage the consumption of alcohol for health reasons,… “According to Richard Mendelson in From Darling to Fiend: A Legal History of Wine in Americanot a single health claim has been approved by the TTB since the regulation went into effect.

But there is hope. There has been great progress in the last decade on the health benefits of moderate wine consumption. Although we, except for anti-drinking advocates, have been thirsty for more good news about wine’s role in our health, the research is far from conclusive given the often conflicting findings and range of ailments, diseases and conditions on which the wine is based. it is believed to have effects. The list ranges from heart disease, stroke, cancer, dementia including Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes to arthritis and osteoporosis, and yes, even erectile dysfunction, just to name a few. But naturally, much of the attention has been focused on cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

In future articles, we’ll examine the science behind the complex interactions between wine and health that are so near and dear to our hearts, literally.

Pets

Cell Phone Signal Booster – What is the ZBoostYX510?

How the zBoost YX510 solves problems

If you’re looking to buy a cell phone signal booster like the zBoost YX510, here are some questions you might need to ask yourself before you fully decide to buy one.

Is poor cell reception in my work area causing me to miss important calls? Do I have disconnections in the middle of a winning call due to weak power? Surely, everyone hates being in that situation due to weak signal.

If this is the case, then you need a cell phone amplifier. A cell phone booster, or signal booster, is the newest giveaway to the gadget society. Improves phone reception over wireless connection. And Wi-Ex gives you the best solution.

cell phone signal boosters

Yes, these robotically named products may be the answer to your cell signal problems. Also known as Wi-Ex (Wireless Extender), cell phone boosters are innovative products. Whether you’re stuck in traffic, in the middle of the ocean, or in the smallest corner of the building, zBoost YX510 solves your reception problems.

How cell phone amplifiers work

zBoost YX510 picks up the strongest network in the area via an external antenna and “repeats” and boosts the signal to cover 2,500 square feet and even up to 5,000 square feet. Therefore, it is called “Cell Phone Repeater”. It can even be used simultaneously, serving up to 20 users.

Compatibility

This innovative product works on all cell phone models and is compatible with all networks (except Nextel). Everyone at family and work can benefit from the high cellular reception that a cellular repeater like YX510 can generate. Improves voice calls, 3G signals on all data cards and 3G phones.

Other advantages of zBoost yx510

– Simple and easy to install. It uses a wireless connection, so you won’t be bothered with

any wiring connection.

– Extends your phone’s battery life by using less power when the signal is stronger.

– There is a reduced level of radiation emitted by your mobile phone as less power is required

to search for signal.

Having fewer dropped calls along with all the other advantages of using a cell phone signal booster makes buying a cell phone repeater well worth it. The zBoost YX510 is the most efficient and popular cell phone booster on the market.

Pets

Qualities of good dog harnesses

You love your dog and you are doing everything you can to give him the attention he deserves. You want them to eat well and look good, of course. In the effort of trying to make your pup look good and stay safe, you try to check out dog collars or harnesses. Then this certain question arises in your mind: “What type of harness or collar is suitable for my precious puppy?”

Collars are the most popular dog walking accessories, but in addition to dog collars there are also what we call dog harnesses. Dog harnesses are basically used to secure canines in a similar way as a dog collar would. They are a simple but effective accessory to use around dogs. Collars are worn around the neck while harnesses are generally worn around the dog’s body, which causes even distribution of pressure and this will help protect your dog’s fragile body parts. Harnesses are really good for very energetic dogs as these types of dogs often choke on their dog collars. Choking can sometimes lead to serious problems, such as vomiting, retching, or breathing problems. Using dog harnesses will eliminate the choking problem because the harness is worn around the dog’s torso and not around its neck. Also, hyperactive dogs tend to run away with collars, but with dog harnesses, they can’t run away easily. It will take a lot of effort to get a dog out of its harness.

Dog harnesses are available in various types. There are cotton, leather harnesses and also fine traditional ones. There are also harnesses that come in larger sizes. Those are the ones used to wrap the body, like a vest. Many dog ​​owners prefer vest harnesses as there is no pressure on the dog’s neck. These types of harnesses have a D-ring in the back where you can clip the leash on. Since they are larger, more material is required and that is why there are many opportunities for harness manufacturers to design them. There is also the type of harness that is called an “easy on harness”. The name explains it all. Easy-on harnesses are so easy for everyone to use. They have a hook and loop or what they call Velcro attached which makes it much easier for dog owners to leash their dogs. They are still very useful and can be quite comfortable for your dog if he prefers to get that instead of a collar.

So what qualities of dog harnesses do you have to look for?

1. Sustainability

– Of course you have to look for dog harnesses that are worth every penny you spend. You have to make sure that it is made with good quality material and a good design as well.

2. Comfort

– You bought the dog harness for your beloved dog right? So you better make sure your dog is comfortable with it. Look on the coat rack for soft fabrics like fine mesh, nylon, or suede.

3. Machine washable

– You don’t want your pup wearing something dirty, do you? Look for harnesses that can be easily washed.

Dog harnesses can be found at any pet store. You can even find many designs online. Just remember those three qualities that you should consider and that’s it.

Pets

California Dog Bite Cases: You Better Keep an Eye on Your Pup

There is no doubt that Americans love their pets. Humans and dogs have been living together for tens of thousands of years. There is a saying that “a dog is man’s best friend”.

I myself have three dogs; two siberian huskies and a good old fashioned american mutt that i rescued from one pound.

Although a dog can be your best friend, a dog could become your worst nightmare if the dog bites and/or attacks a person.

In the state of California; Dog owners are strictly responsible for the actions of their dogs. In other words, if your dog bites a person, you are strictly responsible for all damages caused by the dog.

No matter how well trained your dog is, you never know when it will bite you. Even small breeds can cause bites that result in permanent scarring and significant damage.

It is your responsibility as a dog owner to ensure that your dog does not bite another person. You should always walk your dog on a leash; secure your garden and house so that the dog cannot escape and bite someone; and secure your dog in a room when he has visitors in your house. If you don’t take precautions when it comes to your dog, you could receive significant damages in a lawsuit if your dog bites someone.

In some cases, your owner’s insurance policy may cover you if your dog bites someone in your home or on your property. In some cases, it may not. If you have homeowners insurance that will cover a dog bite, that’s great, however, in the end you’ll probably end up paying a higher premium for homeowners insurance, or your insurance will be canceled entirely. If you do not have insurance, you could be stuck with a massive lawsuit in a lawsuit that you must pay out of pocket.

There is another issue regarding dog bite cases that affects landlords who rent their property to people who have dogs; A landlord can be held liable for their tenant’s dogs under the theory of negligence and premises liability. I have successfully handled cases against owners whose dogs bit a person.

Landlords are not strictly responsible for dog bites caused by their tenants’ dogs, however they could be held liable under the theory of negligence and liability if they know or should have known that their tenants’ dogs had a propensity to be aggressive and/or bites people.

The conclusion is the following; love your dogs, enjoy your dogs, but be sure to keep your dogs under control at all times. The consequences of not doing so could be disastrous.

If you are an owner, you may want to exercise caution when renting to people with dogs.

By Norman Gregory Fernandez, ESQ © 2006

Pets

Don’t Kick the Cat – Teachable Moment

The story of kicking the cat is about a person having a bad day and passing those negative feelings on to others. He says like this: Jim is angry because the morning traffic has made him late for work. Shortly after arriving at work, he starts yelling at his assistant about a report he needs. Alice the assistant calls the manager who didn’t turn in the report on time. In a very forceful manner, Alice tells the manager to give her the report right away. Jack the manager is very upset but complies. Jack is still angry when he walks into his house after work. Unfortunately, the unsuspecting cat walks through the front door just as Jack walks in. Kick! * The cat did nothing wrong, but it took the brunt of the bad day as it passed from Jim to Alice to Jack and finally to the cat. Why?

What if they had compartmentalized their negative feelings and not passed their anger onto others throughout the day? Often when someone is having a bad day, they look to share the load. If there is a legitimate concern, then by all means handle the situation. However, many times these concerns are not legitimate.

They are simply annoying attempts by someone trying to get attention, bring drama to the room, or show that they have some perceived power. Recognize negative feelings for what they are. If they are legitimate, act accordingly, but don’t pass the negative thoughts on to others. If they are simply attempts to kick the cat, then you should be the person to stop the negativity.

Ideas for implementation

  1. Observe when people get angry and see how they handle those feelings.
  2. The next time you get upset about something, examine your reactions.

Discussion Topics:

  1. Think of a recent event that upset you. Was your response appropriate to the event or did you overreact?
  2. Why did you react that way?
  3. What will you do differently next time?

Good luck! You are a winner! *I paraphrased this story from Zig Ziglar, one of the world’s leading motivational speakers. It weaves homespun humor and inspiring stories to provide you with valuable life lessons. I encourage you to get the CD from him. Visit www.TeachingMoments.com

Pets

Wireless Broadband Internet-EVDO

EVDO is short for Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data Only. It is the new emerging standard for wireless data transmission via radio signals. This technology is currently used for wireless broadband Internet access. In the constantly advancing telecommunication technology, EVDO has come up using multiplexing techniques like CDMA or Code Division Multiple Access and TDMA or Time Division Multiple Access to improve and maximize the performance of the individual user and the overall system. EVDO travels on the CDMA network, just like cell phones.

This 3G wireless broadband Internet access service called EVDO is in direct competition with Wi-Fi. While Wi-Fi has limitations, EVDO transcends most of this and provides always-on Internet services. Wherever your cell phone has range, EVDO will work and provide high-speed Internet. The US has seen a rise in EVDO service providers with the emergence of Verizon and Sprint as the leading contenders. In India, state-owned communications giant BSNL has already gone ahead and rolled out EVDO wireless broadband services in selected Indian cities and towns. With EV-DV, EVDO’s voice counterpart slated to arrive, the wireless Internet service scene looks bright.

Broadband Internet services in India have recently come of age. But rapid advances in this area belie India’s late entry into the field. Various public and private service providers already compete with each other and the fierce competition has already seen price cut wars. With EVDO being adopted by public and private players, the competition is heating up. Tata Indicom, one of the largest private players, has already introduced the USB Internet modem based on the CDMA platform. Tata Indicom was earlier eclipsed by Reliance Infocomm, another big private player in its rush to launch the internet data card or usb-CDMA modem. Now the BSNL has entered the scene with a fancy launch of the EVDO data card.

Whether it’s DSL broadband or EVDO wireless broadband or WiFi, customers will enjoy surfing the web at breakneck speeds at virtually rock-bottom prices.

Pets

Bonding with your Rhodesian Ridgeback

The Rhodesian Ridgeback, or African lion dog, although bred to hunt lions and known for its bravery, also has its sensitive side and needs to be handled with care. Rough handling and harsh training techniques will not work with this breed.

Rhodesian Ridgebacks, or any breed, respond well to rewards. If you take your Rhodesian Ridgeback to a pet supply store like Petco or Petsmart, which allow dogs to shop there, you can test what kinds of treats he’ll like. Hold a packet of treats to your dog’s mouth and when he wags his tail, you know he has a treat that will work.

The best time of day to train your Rhodesian Ridgeback is before his usual dinner time. Wear a small treat bag around your waist.

Gently push down on your dog’s hindquarters while saying, “Sit.” When he gets to the sitting position, give him a treat. Repeat this until your dog learns to associate the command with the action. Then give the command and wait for the action before giving the reward. If your Rhodesian Ridgeback sees the treat and jumps, he won’t give it to you. He or she must be seated at the time the prize is given. If your dog runs to the door and scares guests when the doorbell rings, the “sit” command will stop him from running to the door. It’s also good at the vet’s office or anywhere you want your Rhodesian Ridgeback to stay calm and not get involved with other pets or people.

Walking on a leash is another good skill to teach your Rhodesian Ridgeback. Wear a comfortable cloth collar. You should be able to insert two fingers between the collar and your dog’s neck to ensure it is not too tight. The leash must be 6 feet long. Say “Let’s go” and walk forward, holding the end of the leash. If your dog tries to pull the wrong way or pull on the leash, stop and go the other way, so he learns that the walk will only start with appropriate behavior.

The “leave it” command is good for any dog ​​to learn, but particularly a large one. Hold a treat in front of you while saying “Leave it.” Remove the treat and substitute another treat with the other hand. After this is repeated a few times, your Rhodesian Ridgeback will learn that good things come from obeying this command.

Besides dog training, another way to bond with your Rhodesian Ridgeback is through play. Just as humans bond by having fun together, dogs like to play. Get a ball that is small enough for your dog to pick up easily, but too big to swallow. Show the ball to your dog and act enthusiastically. Toss the ball and say “Fetch” or “Ball.” This will excite your Rhodesian Ridgeback’s natural desire to chase things. He or she will want to get it back as part of a fun game. Running together is also a great way to bond. If you’re running on city streets, run at a time of day when the streets aren’t too hot for your dog’s feet. Be sure to wear a leash even in the field, so your Rhodesian ridgeback doesn’t take off after rabbits and squirrels.

Many people enjoy talking to their dogs as a way to bond, and this can also cause unconscious training to occur. Dogs can learn to understand many words if they hear them consistently in given situations. If, for example, you always say “Let’s go in” when you enter the house, the dog will learn to move closer to the door when it hears that phrase. Of course, this is not always a good thing. If your dog learns to associate the word “vet” with punctures, he may need to avoid saying it. Have fun bonding with your Rhodesian Ridgeback.

Pets

General Property Issues Related to Divorce and Family Law in California.

community property

California is a community property state. All property that is purchased or acquired during the marriage, or is transmuted (converted) into community property during the marriage is community property.

The husband and wife in a marriage each own an undivided share of one-half of all community property of the marriage.

Community property is not divided, unless a divorce proceeding is initiated or by the death of the husband or wife.

Community property can be real estate or personal property. Community assets can also be businesses, pension plans, or any other type of tangible thing that is acquired during the marriage.

Community property is normally one of the main issues involved in divorce actions.

Quasi-Community Ownership

Quasi-community property is property that was acquired outside of the state of California during the marriage. Although married couples may have purchased property in a state that is not a community property state such as California, the property will essentially be treated as if it were community property for purposes of division in a divorce action in the state of California.

Business

Businesses started during a marriage are community property.

In some cases, a person may have owned an existing business before marriage and continue the business after marriage. In a divorce action, the courts will assign a percentage of the value to the business “after the marriage” to determine how much of the business is community property.

If you owned an existing business before the marriage, it is extremely important that you consult with a lawyer in a divorce action as soon as possible.

pensions

Any portion of Pensions, IRAs, 401(k’s), retirement plans, etc., that were contributed during the marriage are community property.

Generally, pension plan funds cannot be obtained until the pension plan vests and expires. Therefore, special court orders are needed for each party to get their share of any retirement plan after it matures and vests. These orders are typically called qualified domestic relations orders, or QDROs for short.

Obviously, the parties to a divorce have a vested interest in making sure they get their fair share of any alimony or retirement plan after the divorce.

Community income, bank accounts, stocks and investments

All income earned during a marriage is considered community income. This is true even if one party to a marriage makes money in a business that was theirs before the marriage. Community income is the same as community property, in that each party owns one-half of an undivided interest in the community income.

Each party to the marriage has the right to spend and use the income from the community, even if they are not the one who earned the money. However, after legal separation or the initiation of divorce proceedings, the parties may only use the community property for the necessities of life and to pay their lawyer.

Likewise, bank accounts, shares and/or investments that are acquired during the marriage are also community assets. This is true even if the bank account, shares and/or investment are solely in the name of one of the parties.

Some parties try to hide money in separate bank accounts during the marriage and/or hide assets that were acquired during the marriage from the other party.

If you are a party to a divorce action, you have what is called a fiduciary duty of disclosure. What this means is that you must disclose all assets, bank accounts, and other investments that were acquired during the marriage to the other party. If you do not fully disclose your assets and/or income to the court and to the other party, the court could severely punish you.

You may have read about the case where a wife won the lottery and then filed divorce proceedings against her husband. She did not inform the court or her husband about the fact that she won the lottery. As punishment for not disclosing the fact that she won the lottery, the court awarded her husband the full amount of the lottery winnings.

Separate Property

Separate property is all property that was acquired before the marriage; during marriage by motto, testament or inheritance; and after legal separation. Proceeds from a personal injury judgment or settlement are also separate property, even if received during the marriage.

Once the court determines that the property is separate property, the person who owns the separate property will leave the couple with their separate property.

Separate property can be transmuted (converted) to community property by intent or inadvertence. For example, a party may have a separate bank account prior to the marriage that would be considered separate property. If the party then takes the income earned during the marriage and deposits that money into their separate bank account, they may have inadvertently turned that bank account into community property.

Obviously, the parties in a divorce proceeding will likely want to keep their own assets separate after the divorce is final. It is very important that you contact an attorney regarding the issue of separation of property to ensure that you can keep separate property from her after the divorce.

If you are considering filing for divorce or are currently involved in divorce proceedings, you can call our law firm for a free consultation at 818-739-1544 ext. 10, or visit our family law website at http://www.divorce-legal.net.

By Norman Gregory Fernández, Lic., © 2006

Pets

Bodyweight Conditioning: Why It’s A Superior Way To Train

In previous articles I have tried to explain why bodyweight conditioning is a superior form of training. I’ve talked about gymnasts and how they are able to develop incredible, animal-like strength using nothing more than their own body weight. Another example of athletes who are in incredible shape with great athletic ability are wrestlers. And by wrestlers, I don’t mean today’s professional wrestlers. Most of these are more artists than athletes. However, there was a time when professional wrestling was a real sport. Real wrestling, unlike WWE, requires strength, stamina, and flexibility. At the turn of the last century, some of these wrestling matches lasted for hours. How did these athletes get into the shape required to do this? You guessed it. Most of them used some form of bodyweight exercises.

One of the biggest proponents of natural bodyweight conditioning was a professional wrestler named Karl Gotch. He wrestled in the 1948 Olympics and turned professional thereafter. He was known for being in incredible shape and for being an absolute maniac when it came to conditioning. Here are these thoughts on training:

“I don’t like lifting weights for wrestling,” says Karl. “I think you should do gymnastic type exercises that use your own body weight. Take a gymnast, for example. She is the only athlete who, without weight training, when given her own body weight and asked to push it overhead it will BANG and press it no problem you have to look at animals in the wild that’s what I did I watched them move and figured out how to do similar movements as a kid in Belgium a doctor a My friend took me to the zoo to observe the animals, he said that they were the ones who knew how to train, he was right, so I started to put together a way of training… but I don’t want to take credit for it. How can you take credit for exercises and ideas that they have? at least 3000 years old?

The bodyweight exercises Karl is talking about are probably the type Indian wrestlers used to (and still do) do. Exercises like Hindu squats and Hindu push-ups, among others. Also, a lot of Yoga actually has its roots in wrestling, I think.

Regardless, for most of his wrestling career, Karl was a fierce advocate of bodyweight conditioning. However, he was open-minded and DID decide to train exclusively with weights. In his mind, how would he know if his natural methods were superior if he didn’t try otherwise? He worked diligently at it, and was once able to squat 700 pounds and bench over 400. Pretty impressive. What Karl discovered, however, is that weight training did not give him CONDITIONED STRENGTH. I mean, the strength he gained allowed him to lift weights, but that’s about it. When he participated in a wrestling match, he would get tired after a very short period of time. Again, this is the key. In my opinion, man-man exercises like weight lifting don’t train your body the way nature intended. You CAN achieve a certain look with it, which is fine. Ultimately though, it’s a fake look. Karl would call it fake muscle. All that muscle you put on may look good, but none of it is worth it. What can you do with that? If you get tired playing tennis or hurt a muscle lifting a bag of groceries, who cares? If you want to get in top shape, the strength you have must be balanced with stamina and flexibility. The way to achieve this is with a bodyweight conditioning program.

So the question is, what exactly do you want? Chances are you’re not a wrestler (or gymnast) and never plan to be. However, what do you look for in an exercise program? If you want to achieve a naturally healthy, athletic body that is strong, flexible, and possesses great stamina, bodyweight exercises are the way to go. Always remember, animals in the wild don’t need to use machines or weights, and neither do you.