Early this morning I had the opportunity to interview Tom Merrick, aka The Body Weight Warrior. He is in the UK, so the time change necessitated a really early call. When I was doing my +1 Pushup, Situp, and Squat Routine everyday for a year, I was looking at a lot of YouTube videos on how to do pushups, squats, and situps correctly. It was his channel that really helped me along the path. His YouTube Channel is great, as well as his website, https://www.bodyweightwarrior.co.uk.
I really want to improve my flexibility and also learn to do cool feats of human strength. He has a lot of guidance on his channel about programs that you can start quick and easy that will help you achieve certain goals. What was fun about the conversation is where it went and what advice he ended up providing. BTW, Tom is the same height and basic build as me and 6 years ago or so he was not the perfect specimen of human physical conditioning that he is today. He got where he is now by jumping in and making a commitment to learn how to transform himself, and he certainly has.
He now does this full time, coaches for a living and produces blogs and videos all day long. I am sure he has greater ambitions, but for now, he seems to be doing well for himself. He has some struggles, as he was quick to point out. However, most people would look at his physique and think Greek god. So I have been looking for a new habit to get myself back on track. So that was one of the ambitions of my interview. Here are a few surprising points that came out:
- Cold Showers. Yes, in the same vein has Wim Huf he is a proponent of immersing yourself in complete cold water everyday. Why? Well, he claims there are tremendous benefits. Mental, Physical, Spiritual. It basically checks all the boxes. Am I ready for his habit!!? Right as winter starts and the ground water gets colder!? Embrace the Suck!
- Shop at the edges and eat anything that you make yourself. This was a great conversation. Anything that is processed and manufactured is probably not that healthy for you. Nature’s whole foods are so much better for you then anything else. It is lower cost, simpler and chances are if you have to make it, you are not going to throw a bunch of bad stuff into it. When you go to the grocery store, shop the edges and stay out of the middle.
- Doing a handstand is a great goal! Ha! My wife says that I would be stupid for trying to do a handstand, but Tom tried to convince me today that handstands were awesome. I loved what he said to me. You are basically just wasting time until you die anyway, so if you are going to spend time exercising, why not spend that time learning to do a handstand! It also works out the shoulder muscles really well, and very little exercise does. He said it is an exercise that he says that he sees many healthy older adults do.
- Five Minutes a day is all it takes to see significant improvements in mobility. He has a lot of great videos that walk through the routines you can try. Just 5 minutes. You are going to have to spend your life reaching for things, leaning down to pick things up and a wide variety of other motions. 5 minutes of flexibility training will help you enjoy a full range of motion for the rest of your life.
So not sure that I am ready to become the next body weight warrior, but I certainly would like to enjoy life more. Having the basic strength and flexibility to engage in everyday activities is important and being able to improve my running are all good reasons for me to develop a new habit. I will come up with something and fill you in on my progress.
Guy Reams (653)
