CHARLIE MIKE

Breaking News from Marcus & Jim

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:22:00 +0000

Just in from Marcus Colburn! Like Alden says, you have to be ready for anything. GO 4 THE GUSTO HOOYAH!! Turns out that yesterday, when I went for a run, instead of going around a steep hill, I went for the downhill. Started jogging carefully down, got a little speed going -- OK, too much speed -- tripped on a root and found myself somersaulting to my face. Needless to say, I have fallen from higher than that before! As I got up, I assessed the damage. Just some dirt around my knees and some embarrassment. Easy day.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot I had heard a ((((((SNAP)))))! It seems I broke my arm in two. Went to the hospital -- they said, "You again?" I smiled as they x-rayed and put a cast on my arm. So I'm out of commission for a month but hey, I know I was going for it! I call it going above the call of duty :) Marcus Colburn

Marcus, Continue Mission and keep us posted!!

Jim, HOOYAH for sharing your fitness journey with military.com. Teammates, it will run on CHARLIE MIKE too but here's a sneak peek. Here's what I heard from the military.com team: "Great stuff! There is definitely a strong interest in SEAL content among our audience. I'll make sure we promote this as much as possible. Thanks again."

Thank you Jim!

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

P.S. More teammate stories are coming -- like Max on fight or flight and the importance of being ready for any and all contingencies. Stay tuned! AMM

Thank you Veterans!

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:04:00 +0000

I would just like to say thank you for your service to all of our veterans. To all of you still on active duty, thank you for keeping our country safe. God bless the United States of America!
CM SEAL Team blogger: Tim Grizzell

Alden, love this quote: If a man does only what is required of him, he is a slave, the moment he does more, he is a free man. Think about it, free men end up finding each other! They are truly "PERFECT"ly free men. Carpe Diem!
CM SEAL Team blogger: Marcus Colburn

Veterans Day Philosophizing

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:54:00 +0000

CM SEAL Team blogger: Tom Rancich

"Rest in Peace"---nice sentiment--but what if you don't want to? In the Navy it is fair winds and following seas--and I am like---but the tempest is the cool part! And the old Irish blessing, "May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face". If you have spent your whole life living for the challenge, why be wished ease?

Perhaps this is a retired sailor waging philosophical and hating not being in the fray, but 60 years from now when I die--wish me the worst storm ever and an eternity of impossible challenges---and a G&B boat to face it in.

My favorite song, so appropriate for today, is "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda". "The song describes the futility, gruesome reality and the destruction of war, while criticising those who seek to glorify it," says wikipedia.

"When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murrays green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over
Then in nineteen fifteen my country said Son
It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off to Gallipoli

How well I remember that terrible day
How the blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter
Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well
He chased us with bullets, he rained us with shells
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell
Nearly blew us right back to Australia
But the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we stopped to bury our slain
We buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Then we started all over again"

Tom Rancich

Picture courtesy of wikipedia: George Lambert's Anzac, the landing 1915.

Go Above the Call of Duty

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:08:00 +0000

Mission Critical

Teammates, what’s the difference between success and failure? How about between winning and losing or the haves and the haves not?

Think about it – think hard … because success isn’t inherited or handed out in class or gifted during the holidays. NOTE – there one way and one way only to earn success: you work for it. But it’s not just work or even hard work, it’s more than that – it’s extra effort, what we call “above the call of duty”. This is what separates the men from the boys – the true winners from everyone else.

When I was in ninth grade, I had the privilege of learning from William H. Armstrong – author of more than 20 books, including “Sounder” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. At the time, he was “easily” in his late seventies – definitely eccentric but probably the most memorable man I’ve ever met. He had two quotations hung behind his desk. On the first day he read them aloud to us and told us to remember them. On the second day, he handed out a blank sheet of paper and told us we were having our first test – not a quiz – a test – if we aced it, we would receive an A for the semester. We were psyched.

He pointed to the quotations behind him – now turned around so all we could see was the cardboard backing … and he said: “Your test is to write down verbatim the two quotations I read to you yesterday.”

Needless to say, none of us received an A, but this point was indelibly made on me … and hopefully you’ll take them to heart, for whether your mission is to transform your body or your life, you’re gonna need to keep those close to you, especially when the going gets tough, as it always does.

They are:

“Before the gates of excellence, the High Gods have placed sweat.”

“If a man does only what is required of him, he is a slave, the moment he does more, he is a free man."

Go above the “call of duty” – put the extra effort in, and you’ll never be disappointed.

CHARLIE MIKE – ALDEN

P.S. The stronger your body (fitness level), the better suited/equipped you are to go above the call of duty.

Perfect Handle Twist

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:19:00 +0000

CM SEAL Team blogger: Marcus Colburn

Hey team, ya know what I've noticed? You can use the different parts of the perfect products in many situations in a million places. Like the perfect pullup handles can be used in any gym or device because they have that perfect turning factor just like the perfect pushup devices & that is priceless! As you can see in my photos.

Any questions about anything? Fire away & fall back: just write this blog back with suggestions or questions in anything to make our days or yours go easier! PS... You will notice that I have the "perfect counter" hooked up at the top of a pullup cage to count either my head at the top or my feet kicking the top of the cage! "PERFECT"!

Marcus Colburn

Perfect Ab Exercises Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:45:00 +0000

CM SEAL Team blogger: Marcus Colburn

To recap, the key is to TRAIN your abs hard in the gym, just like ANY other muscle...with RESISTANCE! Nuff said, on to some exercises!

Just tonight I was doing 8 sets of 5 on weighted crunches with 30 seconds rest for my abs and man do they feel thick and rock hard afterwards. Sure, there are a lot of machines you can find at your local gym that will target your midsection, but...here's a "Quick Bodyweight Tip" For Training ABS...

Most people are especially challenged with hitting their LOWER ABS. EASY DAY JUST TRY THESE "MMA-JUJITSU-HEAVYBAG SITUPS"(My own invention): as pictured (above) just wrap your legs round a heavy bag & start upside down & pop up & hit the bag with the knockout blows! Try this and send pictures to getfit@perfectpushup.com.

Or this might be an easier trick to try out today...

Find yourself a DECLINE BENCH and a bath-sized TOWEL.

* Roll the towel up into about a cylinder, about 6 inches high
* Lay on the decline bench with your head toward the top and your legs straight with feet on the floor
* Place the towel from left to right under your lower back and grab the bench behind your head with both hands to gain leverage
* The towel increases the range of motion in your abs and ALSO gives you incredible lower ab activation.
* Now, keeping your legs STRAIGHT, raise them in the air until you're in the shape of a "V" and breathe out forcefully at the peak contraction point
* Lower your legs SLOWLY but don't give them a break at the bottom.
* Raise them back up in the air and continue back and forth until exhaustion
* When your abs are toast, finish them off by bending your legs at the knees and doing "reverse crunches" in the same fashion, bringing your knees up toward your chest.

Really, any kind of exercise indirectly affects your abs so here's the
secret trick team: Train hard with passion & get ripped & stay ready!

"STAND BY FOR HEAVY ROLLS"
NUFF SAID

Marcus Colburn

Perfect Truth about ABS Pt 1

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:44:00 +0000

CM SEAL Team blogger: Marcus Colburn

Hey team, here’s a "little-known" PERFECT TRUTH about ABS." Aren't you annoyed every time you read a "how to get abs" article and all it says is the same old, same old? You know what advice I'm talking about, "You already have a 6-pack but it's covered by a layer of blubber!" Duh! Tell me something I don't know. And that's true... SORT OF! You see, too many people have put in all the "hard work" to get to single digit body fat levels only to find that when the fat is gone... their abs are still FLAT AS A PANCAKE!

Wouldn't that suck?

You bust your butt and diet your brain off till you get single digit body fat and all you have it a "flat stomach" like a skinny runner. Now I'm sure many would be happy with just a flat and firm stomach but let's face it... the trophy of all trophies is a chiseled, dense set of 6-pack abs that you could bounce a quarter off of.

So here's "THE PERFECT REAL TRUTH" about ABS. You actually have to HAVE "muscle" on your abs in order to achieve that chiseled, "popping out" look! Plus, here's one more little "unknown" that will make getting a 6-pack EASIER...You see, the amount of muscle you have on your abs will determine whether you start seeing your "pack" poke through at 10% body fat or 6% body fat. I can see see my 4-pack at 13% fat because I have muscular abs. And TRUST ME...there's a WORLD of difference in that 4% gap, as anyone who's ever tried to "diet down" to single digit body fat levels will tell you! As far as I'm concerned, if I can look great at 10% body fat because my abs have more muscle and are more defined, then all the better...easier abs!

So you see, the key is to TRAIN your abs hard in the gym, just like ANY other muscle...with RESISTANCE!

Part 2: two exercises that will get you perfect abs.

Train hard with passion & get ripped & stay ready!

"STAND BY FOR HEAVY ROLLS"
NUFF SAID

Marcus Colburn

What Are Your Limitations?

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:23:00 +0000

Teammates – Today’s topic is about limitations – it’s about understanding the difference between limitations that are discovered versus limitations that are self-imposed. Understanding this distinction is critically important to you - to me - to all of us!

Everyone has limitations: I know for a fact that I will not be running a 4 minute mile in my lifetime. I know for a fact, because I’ve tried – vomited – tried again, and again and again (threw-up all along way). I now realize that 5 min and 20 secs is the best I’m going to do…and I’m absolutely comfortable with that. I discovered my running limitations over years of trying and winning such prestigious high school cross country awards as: “Swifter than the Continental Drift Award” or “Faster than a Growing Hickory Tree Award” (actual awards I received at my cross country awards dinner in high school). I can sleep at night knowing that I’ll never run a 4 min mile because I know in my heart that I have given everything that I WAS WILLING to give it to try to conquer this limitation. I discovered this limitation on my own – I didn’t take the word of my coach or my friends (they said I’d never break 6 mins).

However, there’s another kind of limitation that is much – much - more insidious, and if you’re not careful and cognizant of it, you may commit one of the great travesties in life, that is, living a life with self imposed limitations. I call it “one of the great travesties” – hell you can call it a great sin – for no one should accept someone else’s limitation as their own. Ask Lance Armstrong if he’d be happier right now if he had accepted the first doctor’s recommendation to give up cycling!

I use the word “insidious” because self-imposed limitations creep up on you – they come from credible sources such as doctors or friends or even fathers. They’re not trying to intentionally sabotage your chances of success – they are (in most cases, unless we’re dealing with the jealous and insecure types) usually trying to protect you from “failing” or perhaps from injury either mentally or physically (from failing). They’re passing along limitations that they’ve either discovered or have chosen to accept as true because they heard it from someone they trusted. The trick is to identify the self-imposed limitations from the ones you’ve discovered and accepted as fact.

We all have limitations, after all there’s only so much time each of us has to pursue goals in our lives (and in my 4 min mile quest, I was unwilling to move to Kenya, lose a 100lbs and be chased by lions in an attempt to break my 5 min and 20 sec mile limitation!). The key is living the life we want by determining which limitations we are willing accept versus the ones we willingly commit to crushing. When you identify the limitations in your life that are holding you back from living the life you want – well then – CONGRATULATIONS!!!, because you, my friend, have just discovered your path to freedom!

What are you waiting for? Go find some limitations worth crushing! And let your teammates know the joy you’ve encountered from conquering them! HOOYAH!!

CHARLIE MIKE – ALDEN

Blue plaque recording the first ever sub-4-minute mile run by Roger Bannister on 6 May, 1954 at Oxford University's Iffley Road Track.

UK Alert: Perfect Dip Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:47:00 +0000

CM UK Teammates -- great news: you can now order the Perfect Dip Bar, the Perfect Pushup V2, in addition to Deluxe Ab Straps and the Perfect Pulllup. Choose the Perfect Bundle of products for you and you'll save big and get ripped.

Here's what I had to say last April when we launched the Perfect Dip Bar stateside. Drum roll please or perhaps a 21 gun salute (Okay – that’s a bit much) – but after months of prototyping (and many, many broken prototypes) it’s time to let you know about our latest product launch: the PERFECT DIP BAR. Why is it Perfect? Good question: first, it mounts onto your existing Perfect Pullup without tools (however, we do suggest you swap out your bottom bracket of your Perfect Pullup with the included Perfect Dip Bar bracket). It attaches/removes within 7 seconds (yes – we’ve timed it) – but the best part is: it’s the first adjustable bar that adjusts to your Perfect shoulder/elbow width to ensure you get the maximum tricep engagement while maintaining PERFECT shoulder – elbow – wrist alignment.

We’re Fired Up about it and we’re looking forward to hearing from you about it – first ten comments (success stories – positive – negative – whatever) posted to me on CHARLIE MIKE get a free t-shirt! UK Teammates, that means you! The first ten UK Teammates who post on CHARLIE MIKE about the new Perfect Dip Bar will get a Perfect Fitness t-shirt.

CHARLIE MIKE - ALDEN

Tom Rancich on Female Fitness

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:02:00 +0000

Teammates, have you seen the November 2009 SHAPE magazine cover? The cover girl is The Office's Jenna Fischer, wearing a bikini and a big confident smile! According to Ms. Fischer, "I ditched the trainer and got THIS body on my own." Here at Perfect Fitness we're fired up that the Perfect Pushup is part of her workout. Every two or three days, Jenna does Macho Jacks, Pendulum Rows and finishes off with Triceps Pushups, from the knees, using Perfect Pushup handles. The November SHAPE magazine is on newstands now.

Now according to Tom Rancich, my SEAL Team swim buddy, all it takes is six weeks to get into bikini shape. Yeah sure you're thinking, but Tom knows why it takes the average 35 year-old woman so long to put on that bikini. Keep in mind that Tom Rancich has spent the last six months at the beach, leading a group of Navy veterans who were tasked to remove potentially lethal practice munitions dropped decades ago at former target ranges along South Beach in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

The secret: confidence. Says Tom, "I have spent the entire summer at the beach and you have no idea how many 30-somethings I talked to who were wearing ass blankets or frumpy one pieces with skirts no less! They would have been fine in bikinis...except they lost their confidence." You all know the famous SEAL motto, "the body obeys the brain." It's not enough to work the body -- you have to unlock your body's potential so that you can get more out of life -- and that starts inside your head. Check out my Right to Bare Arms workout and start making changes from the inside out.

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Defining Your Mission Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:38:00 +0000

Teammates, it’s easy for me to say: “follow your heart” – or “go after your dreams”, but it’s a totally different ballgame when you try to apply it to YOUR reality. However, you CAN do it – it’s a matter of how badly you want to make the change and understanding WHY you want to make the change in your life. This principle goes for anything in life you’re after – a new body or a new life. Understanding the “WHY?” will become the definition of your mission – this understanding will lead to your purpose, and consequently to your passion.

Like a fire triangle: heat + fuel + oxygen = fire;
The success triangle is: passion + purpose + persistent action = success.

Define your passions, identify a purpose that truly Fires You Up, and I promise you (along with staying fit!), you’ll have the power to perform persistent action. After all, you are defined in life by your actions – whatever they are – your actions DEFINE YOU. And that’s why I’m so motivated about helping folks get fit – because your level of health directly correlates to your ability to TAKE ACTION AGAIN AND AGAIN – i.e. PERSISTENT ACTION…and persistence is the NAME OF GAME!!

Get your game on and CHARLIE MIKE!!

ALDEN

Picture of Buzz Aldrin's footprint on the Moon courtesy of wikipedia

Defining Your Mission Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:02:00 +0000

Teammates, on the last blog I defined what a mission is, on this blog I want to define YOUR mission. Let me be clear – I have no intention of defining your specific mission because I can’t – only you can. My hope is to challenge you with some questions – and your ability to honestly seek the answers will directly help you define YOUR mission.

First, a quick recap on the definition of mission:
• a mission is a purpose-driven goal
• a goal is a dream with a deadline

So how do you sort through the goals that are worth “dying-for” and the goals that are “nice to have”? There’s no right answer here, but I can tell you from experience that there are two kinds of goals out there – there are the nice-to-have superficial ones and then there are the ones that will define you and your character – they’re big, scary and hairy and will leave you doubting yourself until you start to try. My question to you is:

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

Answer this one slowly – take some serious time to dream – look inside yourself and ask honestly, what would I do if I knew I wouldn’t fail at whatever I tried…then ask yourself that again…and then again and again. The true answer won’t come immediately – you’ll have to sort through the superficial ones first – like having a billion dollar bank account or a private jet, but the ones that will start to percolate to the surface are ones that have a deeper meaning to you – they’re the ones that have a purpose. Sometimes, actually most times, that purpose doesn’t immediately connect with you.

You’ll have to journey a bit down the planning path of a couple of your dreams, but the sooner you learn to connect a purpose to your goal, the sooner you’ll stop viewing work as a “9 to 5” job and start seeing work as an opportunity to excel beyond what is currently possible or even what some may consider acceptable.

Huh?

Stay with me here – you see most folks get caught up very early in life in the game of earning money as the ultimate reward. No doubt, having money opens doors to new possibilities, but for most, we end up chasing a never ending rainbow of superficial stuff – cars, boats, houses, jewelry, etcetera and get stuck in a vicious cycle of: “I work because I owe, and owe because I work” (and btw I’m as guilty as the next guy for coveting different “superficial things”), but the trick is to earn these things doing what you love, not doing what you “have” to do to continue make payments on the things you’ve wanted. Once you get ‘stuck’ on the car, house, credit card payment treadmill it becomes increasingly more difficult over time to get off the vicious cycle.

Part 2: how to follow YOUR dream

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Picture of Buzz Aldrin's footprint on the Moon courtesy of wikipedia

Fire in the Gut: Tim Grizzell Update

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:33:00 +0000

CHARLIE MIKE Teammates - I just wanted to provide all of you with an October update on the status of Fire in the Gut – Innovative Performance Shirts for Athletes with a Warrior Attitude (www.fireinthegut.com). We were supposed to go live last month in September. As I mentioned previously, not everything always executes as planned. We have had some unforeseen productions issues that caused a slight delay.

The formal launch of the company will be in the next few weeks. A newsletter for all of you is forthcoming – you can sign up at my website. I recently activated a Twitter Account (www.twitter.com/timgrizzell) where you can track live updates on the launch.

Also, here is a sneak peek of the men’s crew neck short sleeve shirt. I am fired up and I look forward to sharing the new products with you soon.

Tim Grizzell

P.S. Alden--Congratulations on CHARLIE MIKE reaching the 2-year mark--you are truly helping others unlock their potential! Fired up for you brother! Tim

Definition of a Mission

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:41:00 +0000

It's CHARLIE MIKE's Two Year Anniversary! Get ready for a week of Defining a Mission, updates from the CM SEAL Team bloggers and a few surprises!

Teammates – probably one of the more over-used terms today is “on a mission” but what does it really mean? Does it stand for getting a couple of cold beers at an over-crowded bar or perhaps finding a coveted toy before it disappears off the shelves mid-December? I want to define the true term, because once you appreciate it, you’ll think about it in a whole new light.

In the military, On a Mission literally means in harm’s way, and in SEAL Team on a mission meant doing whatever it takes to get it done – including if absolutely unavoidable, the ultimate sacrifice … so why are there men and women out there willing to die to complete a mission? Because they have linked to a purpose so strong – so powerful – so much bigger than themselves, that they are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.

Now imagine if you pursued your goals with similar purpose – imagine if you linked a purpose so powerful to your goal that you’d take on overwhelming odds to accomplish it – what would you accomplish?

It’s been often said that a goal is a dream with a deadline attached to it – but a mission – well that’s a goal with a purpose welded to it!

As you decide your next goals in life – first start by deciding their purpose – when you recognize a purpose worth giving it everything you got, then you’ve found your mission.

Go after it and never quit!

CHARLIE MIKE – ALDEN

Potential Entrepreneurs Pt 2

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:23:00 +0000

How will you grow, fight off imitators and keep your competitive edge? In a phrase: Passion Driven Purpose. Huh? It’s about linking your company – your values – your mission statement – to a purpose. If the sole focus of your company is to profiteer, then your goals will be aligned for the short-term “get-rich” schemes and it won’t deliver long-term value.

If your company’s goals are directly aligned with a higher purpose – in our case, helping people unlock their body’s potential (and our number one core value is WE CARE about the health of our customers), then some powerful forces with start to align with you.

* First, you’ll take a long-term and creative approach to bringing true value and success to your customers. The more you help your customers succeed, the more they will help you succeed. If it’s all about “taking” from your customers, then they have no incentive to “give” to you.

* Secondly, the true super-stars of talent out there work for much more than a paycheck – money itself isn’t enough. There’s a much more important value element that a profiteer company can’t deliver, that’s providing people with the value of delivering on a higher purpose – of giving back to society, to communities around us, and the environment.

When you start with goals that have a purpose, and build a team of like-minded teammates, then no competitor becomes a long term threat. And if a competitor chooses to truly bring purpose into their mission – then it raises the bar on all of us. And one final note – when a company knows its purpose, it Fires UP the passion in all the people it attracts, and when this occurs, work is no longer work and creates an unstoppable work ethic and crucible for creativity!

If you’re thinking of taking the leap to chart your own entrepreneurial path whether inside an existing company or out on your own, trust me when I tell you, you’ll never regret the journey – it won’t be easy, but in the words of a military recruiter: “It’ll be the hardest thing you’ll ever love.”

CHARLIE MIKE - ALDEN

Rancich on Rugby in Olympics

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:26:00 +0000

Yes...unfortunately sevens is not rugby...it is a game invented by backs (backs get all the glory, the pack gets all the blame) so they can prance around and not have to worry about being spanked by a 220+ ogre who is both fleet of feet and powerful and irritable by nature (not to mention suave and debonair). I mean if the pack invented its own game we would have shortened the field and added people so there was more opportunity to kick ass not run free.

But other than that I think it is great that rugby ...sorta … is in the Olympics but I am thankful of one thing and hopeful of another...I am hopeful that this leads to 15s in the Olympics and I am thankful that it isn't that league rule crap. Oh and if you noticed I said both but named three things...you are such a back :)

Tom Rancich, CM SEAL Team blogger

Scrum picture courtesy of wikipedia. Here's a link to a wikipedia article about the Rugby Unionand the picture of the black eye above is courtesy of Guam Motleys vs Australian SAS---Guam Motleys 6, Australian SAS 0.
_________________________________________________
Lt. Commander Thomas Rancich, US Navy SEAL (Ret.) is the co-founder of VRHabilis, a disabled veteran-owned small business that seeks to employ the highly trained and motivated veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for work in construction and related fields. Rancich and co-founder Elliott Adler are pioneering the concept of using adaptive technology to bridge the gap between industrial and medical technology. Their company contributes proceeds to two worthy causes: a fund for the development of adaptive technology that will allow disabled veterans to pursue their desired career path and the EOD Wounded Warrior Fund.

Rugby's Clark on Olympic Ruling

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:05:00 +0000

Teammates, here's Cal coach Jack Clark's reaction to the great news that Rugby is once again an Olympic sport! "I got the word at about 4am Friday morning from pals who were in Copenhagen for the IOC's decision. I thought about opening some champagne but it was early even for a rugger.

I've been telling everybody they'll have to excuse our pride for a few days, all of us in the rugby community are over-the-top with rugby's inclusion back into the Olympic Games. We've been working towards this for quite some time and now that's its happened it almost seems surreal. Olympic status is a great boost for our sport, especially in countries like ours in America where rugby is played as a minor sport. Olympic acceptance is important for the sports credibility on university and high school campuses. There is no denying the power of those five rings, and the USOC will be a tremendous partner to help take U.S. rugby to the next level.

Unfortunately, the IOC cut baseball and softball from the Games, two strong U.S. sports, but those ball-diamond sports aren't world sports to the extent of the replacement sports of rugby and golf. I believe rugby 'sevens' will become among the most popular of Olympic participation sports.

Also, rugby reentering the Olympics has special meaning to us at Cal. Partly because six of our students won rugby Olympic Gold in the 1920 and 1924 Games. It's now my job to increase our number of rugby Olympians and I confident we'll do so."

Jack Clark
Team Perfect Athlete Ambassador

A special HOOYAH to Marketing Coordinator Julie Erickson, who reached out to Coach Clark as soon as the decision was announced! Thanks Jules!

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Stay tuned for Tom Rancich's reaction to this -- as always, my SEAL Team swim buddy (and rugby player) Tom has a unique perspective!

Potential Entrepreneurs Pt 1

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:19:00 +0000

Teammates, having just returned from the INC 500 awards ceremony and a trip to London, I’ve been asked a series of questions that are surprisingly similar and thought that both the questions and the answers would be of interest to you. Many of the questions are from students in entrepreneur or public relations classes (Mike Lamothe and Carolyn Casnova to name a few), but what was particularly interesting to me was while meeting new retailers in England, the buyers asked me similar questions – here you go. Paging all the potential entrepreneurs out there!

How did you come up with the Perfect Pushup?

The funny thing is, I had this idea since the early 90s when I was a young SEAL officer, but thought it was so “ordinary” that it wouldn’t be of interest to people. I was looking for the really “extra-ordinary” breakthrough product, and I spent A LOT of money and even more time trying to make the invention work (which we called BODYREV). I nearly went bankrupt (along with my partner) trying to educate folks on the value of our invention. Finally, we came to our senses after four years and decided to adapt to the marketplace and put our efforts behind an innovation – which we called the Perfect Pushup.

What’s the difference between an Invention and Innovation?

This is a really important concept in my book. An invention is an idea that has no reference point – it’s completely new to the market – it defines an entirely new category, which by the way presents another challenge: what are you going to call the category? What’s the definition of the category? And how are you going to defend it with your limited resources?? Examples of a new category: Segway, the two-wheeled motorized scooter or Apple’s iPod or Xerox’s copier or Twitter. In the case of an innovation, the idea has a reference point. That is, people can reference something in the brain that is a launching pad for quickly understanding how the product works and then easily filing it in their brain and passing along the idea to others.

In our case of the Perfect Pushup, our reference point is pushup bars – U-shaped stationary handles and the innovation that we brought to the table was adding rotation so it better simulates the natural movement of your arms. Our mantra: engages more muscles – easier on the joints – like a punch. Super simple to explain and convey to others.

When you launch your own idea, first ask yourself, it is an innovation or an invention?

If you have really deep pockets and super patient, long-term investors, then knock yourself with leading with the invention, but if you’re just starting and with limited resources, go for the “ordinary” idea first – the innovation – that people can quickly grasp and understand.

Part 2: How will you grow, fight off imitators and keep your competitive edge?

CHARLIE MIKE -- ALDEN

Keep those questions coming! Send them to getfit@perfectpushup.com

Beth Rodden on Bouldering

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:55:00 +0000

Beth Rodden, Team Perfect Athlete Ambassador

Hello again Perfect Fitness fans! I am just settling into ‘Valley Season’ (as we like to call it in Yosemite) after an amazing six week trip to South Africa. This was my second trip to the Rocklands of South Africa, a hot spot for climbing and bouldering (climbing without a rope, but on short enough rocks that you can fall safely onto pads). It is one of the main places for top boulderers around the world to travel to and climb, and this year we saw climbers from all over Europe, Asia, and the States traveling there for their summer trip.

Our first two weeks were spent climbing non-stop. We woke up, ate a quick breakfast and headed out until dark, climbing until our skin on our fingers couldn’t handle it anymore. Luckily, the Rocklands provided so much variation that at any given area there was enough climbing for all of us, regardless of ability. And, of course, I brought my Perfect Pushup Mobile Unit on the trip with me! It was right next to all of my most important climbing gear; shoes, chalk bag, and bouldering pad. So, each night when we got home, we would do a Navy SEAL workout before dinner. Waiting my turn for the Pushups, I sat and chuckled that there were all these climbers, lying on the floor, chest tired from their set, laughing and having a blast doing the workout! It was way better than TV.

After traveling through this amazing country, the last two weeks were spent solely in the climbing area. We saw sunsets that were out of this world and the wildflowers were in full bloom. The climbing is some of the best I’ve seen. Bullet-proof sandstone that provides for very athletic climbing. It is some of the best full body workout climbing that I have done. The angle of the rock is past vertical or vertical for the most part, which means that as a climber your arms, core, and back are doing a lot of the work. Your legs do provide much support and stability, but much of the weight is put onto your fingers and upper body. I think we were all super psyched to have the Mobile Unit to balance out all of the pulling that we were doing and do some pushing. Not to mention all the core you use while doing the Navy SEAL workout: my chest gets super sore and it hurts to laugh afterwards too! :)

I am so excited for the fall in Yosemite. It is my favorite time of year, when the temps start to drop, the leaves change and the climbing gets really, really, really good in Yosemite Valley. Stay tuned for more updates on how the season is progressing. My new V2s are in the training garage and all ready to kick my butt. I hope you are having fun whatever you are doing this fall! Get psyched and have fun!!

Beth Rodden

The Mission of CHARLIE MIKE

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:07:00 +0000

My name is Alden Mills and I started this blog while I was on a new mission in my life – moving slowly from one peak in my life (as a platoon commander of Navy SEALs) to a new peak as an entrepreneur. The “valley” I encountered between those peaks reminded me of other valleys that I have endured during my life. Though the mission may be different, the tools to succeed remain the same … and that’s the purpose of this blog – to share with you those tools of mission success, so you are empowered to encourage others to go after their own missions – that is – their own purpose-driven goals.

I named this blog CHARLIE MIKE after the SEAL Team radio call sign for CONTINUE MISSION. I don’t care who you are or what you’ve done – we all face dark valleys in our lives and when we do, we are faced with a decision: quit or forge ahead – that is, Continue Mission. It’s our hope that the words shared on CHARLIE MIKE will inspire you to Continue your Mission. It takes a team to accomplish a mission – and we’re here to help … God only knows we’re received more than our fair share of help from teammates over the years.

If you find success, we’ll hope you’ll share it so others may benefit – for there is no great success than helping others succeed.

CHARLIE MIKE – ALDEN

How to Get Football F I T!

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:54:00 +0000

Football season is here, and I couldn't be happier. I grew up in Chicago as a die hard Bear fan. Sundays was all about “da Bears”. With football come the chips and dip, the beer, the dogs and not much activity. And with the holidays fast approaching, now is not the time to shift into neutral. Now is the time to pick up the intensity; now is the time to train the body to burn calories all day and night. I enjoy beer, I enjoy my chips and guac. But I also understand moderation and balance. I eat what ever I choose, but in moderation. Instead of 8 or 10 beers I'll have three. Instead of maxing out on a bag of Doritos, I'll just have a few handfulls. I also understand that calories-in needs to be balanced with calories-out. If I indulge, which I do, I will make the next workout longer and harder. If I know I will be enjoying myself a little more than usual, then I will give myself a very intense workout.

What am I talking about? A full-body, fast paced workout that targets every muscle. Using multiple muscles groups in the same exercise burns more calories, raises metabolism and strengthens the heart. With each REPETITION! If you are still doing a traditional body building work out and not getting results, it is time to change. Your body is bored. Time to shock the body using Perfect Pushups, Perfect Pullups and a jump rope. It’s all you need. Want more ideas?
• Grab light dumbbells and do a squat stand curl.
• Using a band or cable, perform a squat to standing row.
• Lunge with a bi-cep curl. Multi task!

The more muscle I engage, the more I burn. The more I move, the more I can enjoy. We must continue to increase the demands on the body to avoid plateaus. I use the F.I.T. principle.
• Frequency (how many),
• Intensity (how hard),
• Time (how long).
We must increase one, if not all, to continue getting results we desire. More times per week. Work harder. Go longer. FIT principle will be talked in a future blog. So enjoy, but then move, and move with passion!

Guest blogger: Marty Heilman
Please look me up if you’re near Cardiff By The Sea, on the beach. Can you say paradise? Location: EZIA HUMAN PERFORMANCE. E.Z. Intelligent Athletics. Simple but smart!

Where in the World? India

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:14:00 +0000

Sean Glass checking in again. Working out on the road takes discipline. The excuses are easy... Too tired, not enough space in the hotel, the gym is old, I'm jet lagged. But once you do, you feel great, and get more out of your trip. The nice thing about doing a quick workout with the Perfect Pushup is exactly that - it's quick...and you get a solid workout, and sometimes, you even get to do it while looking out at the Taj Mahal -- there it is in the background :-). The pictures with me actually doing pushups came out too dark (hard to take a picture out a window without a good flash setup which I don't have with me).

Almost any place we go that is "exotic" or "famous" has very strict security (we live in the age of terrorism), so I've been wary of carrying the perfect pushups with me lest I cause an international incident! Understandably, they're really security conscious in India. We even had to get frisked to go into a mall in Hyderabad today.

We started our around the world trip July 9th and we're planning to be back in the United States December 18th, 2009. You can follow Kellee and my progress at www.seanandkellee.com or by following me on twitter @seanglass. I may go several days without internet access, so thanks for being patient. I'm trying to keep up with email as best I can while savoring the trip!

Sean Glass

How to Gain Weight Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:38:00 +0000

Teammates, fighting Mother Nature is difficult. Lots of younger athletes want to gain size – particularly for sports. Unfortunately, most of these athletes are fighting nature. Men and women in their early to late teens typically experience growth spurts. Loosely translated, they grow taller - not bigger. Your body grows at its own pace. Messing with your natural metabolism almost always does more harm in the long run.

Still want to gain weight? If you are interested in gaining muscle mass try the following. First, monitor your caloric intake. Slowly increase your caloric intake until you start to gain more fat than muscle. Believe me you will notice when this happens. Eat good amounts of protein, fat from natural oils, and nuts and seeds. Carbohydrates should come from fresh fruit and veggies. Try to avoid processed foods and white flour products. If you increase your calories, eat more lean protein and good fat. Eat a minimum of six meals per day.

Second, change your workout routine. Watch the number of repetitions and the amount of cardio you do. High reps and lots of cardio can actually decrease your ability to gain muscle mass. Lift heavy, with good form, and get lots of rest. Stick with this for a while and modify as necessary. You will see some size increments but be patient.

Remember, gaining weight is oftentimes harder than losing weight. Hope this helps you reach your goals. If you have any questions, post a comment and I will get back to you.

Mike Ryan
---------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Ryan is the President and CEO of Intensity Nutrition LLC. Founded by former Navy SEALs, Intensity develops super-premium sports supplements for professional, semi-professional, tactical, and functional athletes. Intensity will launch in 2009 and welcomes any recommendations for product development. Mike and Alden met during “running remediation” at Basic Underwater SEAL (BUDs/s) training. Special thanks to BMC Pardue for the introduction.

Answers to Gain Weight Queries

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:45:00 +0000

Great comments Charlie Mikers! A couple of generic comments before I address specific issues. First, this is part 1 of a two part post. Second, most of the comments regarding weight gain were posed by younger athletes (teens) that were having a difficult time trying to gain weight - so keep that in perspective. Finally, nothing has ever, or will ever, replace proper nutrition. If you want to re-read the questions, check out the comments to my Part 1 post.

Joe G.: Everyone has a six pack - you just can’t always see it. Typically, for men, your abs start to show when your body fat is under 12% - better around 10%. For women it is a little more. To put this in perspective, the male model for the perfect push up is under 7% body fat. The best way to measure body fat is hydrostatic testing - immersion in a tank. Electronic impedance testing and calipers will also give you a baseline BF measurement.

Paul: I agree. It is absolutely possible to lose fat and gain muscle. People do it all the time. However, it can be very difficult for a novice to dial in their nutrition to the point where they maximize muscle gain without gaining excessive fat as well. As you pointed out, it is all about discipline with nutrition. Check out the second part of my post.

Jim: As Paul points out, you can gain muscle and be extra lean – but you have to watch your nutrition religiously. It also takes longer to build a pound of lean muscle mass that it does to pack on 1 lb of fat. So the gains take a bit longer to achieve. Finally, supplements aren’t inherently bad – as a matter of fact, they can be immensely helpful in achieving your fitness objectives. If used correctly and in the context of proper overall nutrition they are great. Much more on this later.

Mike Ryan

How To Gain Weight Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Alden Mills) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:36:00 +0000

CM SEAL Team blogger: Mike Ryan.

There have been some recent questions from those trying to gain weight. I'm here to share with the Perfect community some of my thoughts on the matter.

1. Be Careful What You Wish For: Gaining weight is not a typical goal in the fitness community. In general, those who wish to gain weight do so for two reasons

• to gain mass for sport specific purposes (football linemen)
• to build mass for bodybuilding.

If either of the above are your goals, there is a fairly reliable formula; eat everything that moves. Seriously. At a certain level calories are calories- and you need calories and protein to build muscle mass. But fat comes with those extra calories as well.

2. You Can’t Have Your Cake and Eat It Too: When athletes try to gain weight, they typically consume vast amounts of calories during a ‘bulking phase”. They do this so that they have the baseline caloric intake to offset the calories burned by exercise. But be careful. Most of these athletes ‘cut weight’ after they have reached a certain goal. Fighters, particularly those jumping up in a weight class, are famous for doing this. Many of the Mr. Olympia candidates do this as well. Have you ever seen a bodybuilder during a “bulking phase?” They look like a bowling ball with eyes. Totally unrecognizable from the ripped look they have during competition. Bottom line, if you bulk up, at some point you need to come down. If your goal is a having perfect 6-pack abs you don’t want to gain weight – you want to lose weight. As a guideline, your body fat has to be under 10% to show your ab muscles.

Part 2:
• Fighting Mother Nature is difficult
• Still want to gain weight?

Gaining weight is oftentimes harder than losing weight. Hope this helps you reach your goals. If you have any questions, post a comment and I will get back to you.

Mike Ryan
---------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Ryan is the President and CEO of Intensity Nutrition LLC. Founded by former Navy SEALs, Intensity develops super-premium sports supplements for professional, semi-professional, tactical, and functional athletes. Intensity will launch in 2009 and welcomes any recommendations for product development. Mike and Alden met during “running remediation” at Basic Underwater SEAL (BUDs/s) training. Special thanks to BMC Pardue for the introduction.