My Home Vitality
Introduction to guest:
Tom Furman is a highly experienced individual who has been involved in martial arts and conditioning since 1972.
Eleven of Tom’s family members were combat veterans, the most famous one being “Uncle Charlie” aka Charles Bronson.
His down to earth training methods are derived from his decades of practice in martial arts and his study of exercise science. The application of force, improvement of movement, and durability, rank high on his list of priorities when training.
His methods have been developed from hundreds of hours attending seminars, training sessions, ‘backyard’ workouts, and spending time with many martial arts legends.
He also credits his methodology to the incredibly gifted training partners who have influenced him from a variety of training backgrounds, including: Exercise Physiologists, Airborne Rangers, Bounty Hunters, Boxing Trainers and Coast Guard Rescue Divers.
Tom was also one of the first American trainers to become RKC certified for Kettlebell Training in the US, and is quoted twice in “The Naked Warrior” by Pavel Tsatsouline, the founder of RKC. Tom has also done workshops with Kettlebell legends Mike Mahler and Steve Cotter.
For tips on how to become stronger, healthier and slow the effects of aging, listen to the full podcast below and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more!
More from Tom:
Key quotes and takeaways from the show:
Losing weight is about eating fewer calories.
Direct your communication to your audience.
Stay in your lane. Talk about what you know.
Define your purpose (for working out).
As you age you’re going to lose lean body mass so you need to partake in some form of resistive exercise. If you don’t use it [muscle] you’ll lose it [lean muscle mass] and it will dissipate rapidly [as you age].
“Jahn Danaher said that he’s never seen a jiu-jitsu athlete or mixed martial artist change greatly based on their conditioning programme.”
You’re always better stronger, but being the strongest doesn’t mean you’re the best.
People shouldn’t run who start running late [in life]. Some people have been running all their lives and it works for them.
There is no best methodology, just best for you, your purpose and your personality.
“Sleep is the most anabolic thing you are going to do, short of the needle [steroids].”
“If you’re not sleeping, your brain is aging rapidly.”
Be religious with your sleep schedule.
“You get closer to the sunset and further from the sunrise. Every day is valuable.”
“The highest motivation is when you get results.”
What is measured, will improve.
Every 5 years you need to adjust your training.
“It’s not what you can do, it’s what you can sustain.”
Find mini-goals if you’re injured: “If you break your leg, work on your bench [press].”
“If you look for your limits, you’re going to find them.”
“The body is amazingly resilient, until it isn’t.”
Develop enough flexibility for what you need [in life]. Too little and your range of motion reduces. Too much and you suffer from lots of dislocations.
A light, medium and hard intensity day [cardio, mobility and strength training] is a good place to start for the average older male. Two blocks of three days, makes for six days of exercise, with one rest day.
Don’t reward bad behaviour.
There’s no such thing as a hack.
Everybody’s got their own voodoo.
A prophet is without honour in their own home.
Question of the day:
“How do you maintain the perseverance and motivation to continue to train for a long period of time?”
Links to podcast sites:
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Related episode:
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Show notes:
- 00:00:00 – Coming up.
- 00:00:26 – Where to find more and mhvpath.com.
- 00:01:01 – An introduction to Tom.
- 00:03:12 – The Fort Lauderdale microwave!
- 00:04:01 – Stop pushing food into your pie hole!
- 00:13:00 – What is health & fitness?
- 00:22:32 – Tom’s training regime.
- 00:25:47 – Tom’s diet.
- 00:29:16 – Supplemental training for a manual labourer.
- 00:34:16 – Advice on rest & sleep for strength training.
- 00:44:52 – Workout motivation & tips for perseverance.
- 00:54:01 – Training methodologies that Tom does not believe in.
- 01:01:50 – Supplements Tom takes.
- 01:03:35 – Hormone blood tests.
- 01:10:54 – The portrayal of Bruce Lee in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
- 01:13:39 – Tom’s heroes.
- 01:17:29 – Tom’s martial arts background.
- 01:26:38 – The elusive Skunk Ape.
- 01:28:17 – Seasons of Temper.
- 01:35:31 – Principles Tom lives by.
- 01:41:38 – Books Tom recommends.
- 01:45:20 – Tom’s advice to his younger self.
- 01:48:24 – Tom’s uncommon beliefs.
- 01:53:02 – A behaviour that has changed Tom’s life.
- 01:58:03 – The film business.
- 02:02:42 – Tom’s training offer.
- 02:05:18 – A prophet is without honour in their own home.
- 02:07:32 – Where to find more and mhvpath.com.
People and resources mentioned:
In alphabetical order:
- Absence of Malice
- ACDC
- Andy Stumpf
- Angelo Dundee
- Armour of War by Tom Furman
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Arthur Jones
- Baron Scicluna
- Bill “Superfoot” Wallace
- Bourne films
- Brad Pitt
- Bruce Lee
- Bruno Sammartino
- Casey Viator
- Castro (Fidel Castro)
- Chris Hemsworth
- Chris Sommer (Gymnastics coach)
- Chuck Norris
- Cliff Lenderman
- Cliff Stewart
- Dan Inosanto
- Dan John
- Detroit Rock City by Kiss
- DoggCrapp Training
- Don “The Dragon” Wilson
- Donnie Williams
- Dr Toru Tanaka
- Dr. Stuart McGill
- Eddie Bravo
- Eddie Quinn
- Elon Musk
- Erroneous Zones by Dr. Wayne Dyer
- Excel Male
- Extraction (film)
- Faces of Death
- Fall of Saigon
- Foundation training
- Francis Fong
- Francis Ngannou
- Gene LeBell
- George St. Pierre
- George “The Animal” Steele
- Glenn Hairston
- Gordon Ryan
- Graciela Casillas
- Hal Needham
- Harold Koning
- Herschel Walker
- Isaac Hayes
- Jack Dempsey
- Jack Palance
- Jack Reacher
- James Bond
- Jocko Willink
- Joe Lewis
- Joe Rogan Podcast
- Joe Weider
- John Danaher
- John Heinz
- John Korab (Joe Lewis sparring partner)
- John Wick
- Keith Richards
- Killer Kowalski
- Larry Hartsell
- Leon Spinks
- Lex Fridman
- Live Life Aggressively Podcast with Mike Mahler and Sincere Hogan
- Luis Gutierrez
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Machado brothers
- Marcelo Garcia
- Mariel Boatlift
- Marvel films
- Master Chai Sirisute
- McGill 3
- Mickey Mantle (Baseball)
- Mike Mentzer
- Mike Stone (Karate)
- Murph (Workout)
- Old Elvis
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Personal Power by Anthony Robbins
- Peter Attia
- Quentin Tarantino
- Randy Couture
- Ray Liotta
- Robert Conrad
- Robert Tessier
- Roy Dean
- Season’s of Temper
- Self Hack (Website)
- Steve Cotter
- Steve Maxwell
- Taken films
- Ten Laws from Life Strategies by Dr. Phil McGraw
- The Avengers
- The Equalizer
- The Notebook
- Thor
- Tim Tackett
- Tony Blauer
- Tony Stark (Iron Man)
- Ultimate Aerobic Protocol
- Walter Cronkite
