What Is Inner Strength?

How many times have you heard a discussion, or some reference to inner strength and fortitude? Are these only words, and empty rhetoric, or are they rather the main ingredients that influence how we handle challenges, how we perceive of ourselves, whether we will take actions or procrastinate, and what our main attitudes are and how they influence us? Inner strength and fortitude can be simplified by describing it in terms of P.E.P., which stands for positive attitude, using our energy to move forward, and a commitment to preparation and planning. Inner strength becomes significant when we abandon the rhetorical aspects, and take to heart the P.E.P., that has the ability to strengthen us and make us more productive and effective.

1. Most meaningful actions begin with how our attitude propels us. Does our attitude move us forward and upward, or does it drag us down and lead us to look for ways to avoid taking meaningful action? Having a positive attitude is never about smiling in a phony way, or merely using the positive rhetoric. It is based, rather, on what goes on in our mind, and how our subconscious and conscious thoughts move us. When we believe that we can do something, our odds of accomplishment are multiplied exponentially, because we exhibit more commitment, direction, persistence and perseverance. When self doubt overpowers positive thoughts, we waste time and energies on non productive activities such as worry and fear. Inner strength and fortitude is impossible unless it begins with a true positive attitude.

2. Those that dedicate their focus and energies to move forward and to achieve are most apt to develop the greatest degree of inner strength. We always have the option, and therefore make a choice in some matter or degree, whether we are going to use our energies in a proactive and meaningful direction, and to achieve our personal goals and ambitions, or if we chooses to waste those energies by focusing on why we can't do something, or why we believe it is impossible or too difficult, or blaming others, or focusing on fears and spending our time on worry, etc.

3. Most productive activities occur because of what we do to get them done, and not merely because we talk about them. This must always begin with a commitment and engagement in meaningful preparation and planning. Not only is it important to prepare and plan, but part of that process includes being able to adapt. That means that there must be priority planning, as well as contingency or back - up plans.

Inner strength is an important personal quality. However, this does not simply happen, but rather needs focusing on our P.E.P.


Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, and Director of Development, as well as a consultant. He has professionally run events, consulted to over a thousand leaders, and conducted personal development seminars, for over 30 years. Rich has written three books and well over a thousand articles. His company, PLAN2LEAD, LLC has an informative website http://plan2lead.net and Plan2lead can also be followed on Facebook http://facebook.com/Plan2lead

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Unity is Strength

n a word, unity means oneness, or togetherness. When there is oneness there is likely to be more strength in opinion, more strength in action, and more strength in character. This is a very simple and obvious fact that, if one person tries his hands on some job, he will manage much less than what a group effort will achieve. This, in all simplicity what unity is all about.

Let us peep into different spheres of our existence and we can adjudge the truth of this statement. Let us first discuss the smallest unit of our society the family. If all members of a family go on divergent roads, the very semblence of a family disappears. A family indicates oneness, they live together, they work together they enjoy together they share their woes together, and this is the basic strength of the unit, each member pumping in vigour and confidence in all others, all this on the simple vasis of being one. When we lose this oneness, as of to day we break the family, i.e. the very edifice of our construction.

From this smallest unit, we go to the bigger horizon of society. Where is our society to day? It is broken into fragments, and each segment i.e. an individual family just looking after itself, as if we sternly believe in the adage, "everyone for himself, and God for all. "This has become the motto of the society at large. This has lead to the loosening of the ties of the society and this is the cause of the growth of so many social evils. When there is no strong bond in different segments of a society, it is bound to break into factions, and thus lose its strength, both moral and social.
From the society, let us move on to the position of the country. This is the saddest side of our appearance, a complete lack of unity in the country, thereby the creeping in of evils in the very fabric of the system. The country is, to day seen crumbling under its weight of separationism, each state is desirous of a new younger cousin, so instead of getting together, we are continuously moving on the path of disintegration and thus weakening our system. The best example of unity that India has ever portrayed has been during its struggle for independence, Even though the struggle lasted for almost a century, the Indians clung together as one single unit unmoved and what happened to the great British Empire is for all of us to see. This is all what unity is about, and this is the magic that unity can play on a country. I am sure that, if India had not depicted its great unity in this war, our History would have been different. India has undoubtedly got an inbuilt strength of unity, which it shows off and on then why can it not always stand as one entity, and become a power to reckon with.

Let us consider and understand that, unity is the password which heals all bruises big and small. It is this that helps us enjoy few happy moments of life. In the good moments of a marriage, in the sad moments of sickness and death, it is the unity of the well wishers that makes the pleasure great and despair less. This is the unique power of unity. A lone individual or community can achieve nothing and neither can they enjoy the fruits of any achievement. The secret power of unity is strength, which is built up by mutual trust and faith and love for each other, and the oneness of a single well formulated goal.

To achieve or even to destroy, we need unity, for example, if the terrorists had no unity even they would not have been able to cause as much destruction as they have succeeded in achieving. From Kashmirr, lakhs of people have migrated just because the terrorists have their unity in action, thought and spirit and so they are able to destroy as per their target. Thus in order to make any significant achievement, the most necessary ingredient is unity. Your targets may be good or bad, but success is assured if you have a united consolidated group to work up to the goal.


Sambath Shah has been building websites for many years and runs a number of successful websites. He is the owner of www.KeywordArtices.Org Further articles can be found on his website at White Hat SEO Service, India.

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Factors Affecting The Strength Of Wood

Besides the normal variability of strength among and within species, many other factors may affect the strength of wood. These factors may be broadly grouped into natural defects and irregularities, factors related to the environment and the effects of biological agents.

When the grain direction is not parallel to the long axis of a wooden component, it is said to be cross-grained (sometimes referred to as short-grained). Cross grain may occur from spiral grain in the tree or by the manner in which the timber is sawn. In linear furniture parts such as legs and spindles, whose performance depends on longitudinal properties such as bending resistance, cross grain may result in serious strength loss. A slope-of-grain of one in five, for example, may result in 50-60% reduction in the modulus of rupture. Knots in wood are another major weakening defect. Loss in strength results not only from the abnormal tissue and grain direction of the knot itself, but from the cross grain of wood distorted around the knot. Compression wood, the reaction wood formed in conifers as a result of crooked or leaning stems, is usually higher in density and compression strength than normal wood, but the wood is weaker in tensile strength and in both modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity in bending. In hardwoods, tension wood is exceptionally weak in compression parallel to the grain though it may be stronger in tension and tougher than normal wood of the same density. It exhibits abnormally high longitudinal shrinkage and slightly increased tangential, but normal radial, shrinkage. The lignin content of the cell wall is deficient compared with normal wood and gelatinous fibres may be present.

As wood dries below the fibre saturation point, strength increases with the loss of bound water. The greatest increases are in compression along the grain: strength is approximately doubled when wood is dried to 12% moisture content, tripled when oven-dried. Modulus of rupture is increased much less, and modulus of elasticity is increased least upon drying.

Strength of wood is also affected by temperature, increased as temperature is lowered, decreased as temperature is increased. Over the range and duration of naturally occurring temperature changes, strength changes are temporary. However, if exposed to higher than natural temperatures, or for prolonged periods, permanent loss of strength may result. Effects of heat in reducing strength are least in dry air, greatest in moist air or steam. The use of steaming to temporarily plasticize wood for permanent bending of furniture parts is well known.

Strength of wood is also related to duration of loading. Time-related creep in wood reduces strength over longterm load periods. For example, a beam might carry a short-term (5 minutes) load three times as great as it could carry for a long term (a hundred years or longer).

The destructive effects of wood-inhabiting insects such as termites, carpenter ants and beetles need little elaboration, as the physical loss of wood will result in proportional loss of strength. Fungi are a major cause of deterioration in wood. In order for the threadlike hyphae of fungi to develop in wood, four major requirements are necessary: favourable temperature (70-85 °F is ideal), oxygen (20% or more air volume in the wood), moisture (fibre saturation point or above is ideal), and food. Wood-staining fungi utilize the residues of stored materials in parenchyma cells of sapwood but they do not attack cell walls. Therefore, although the staining fungi discolour the wood, they do not reduce its strength. However, the wood-destroying fungi utilize enzymes to break down and assimilate the cell wall substance, producing various forms of decay or rot. Initial stages of fungal invasion, termed incipient decay, may at first have insignificant effect on strength. Impact strength is the first strength property to be affected. If allowed to continue, total loss of strength may result. It should be noted that Chlorociboria both deposits a green stain in the wood and causes losses of strength. Controlling moisture is the principal approach to preventing decay. If wood is maintained below 20% moisture content, decay fungi cannot develop.


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The Difference Between Strength and Power in Rock Climbing

Strength and power are both vital in rock climbing and, despite being related, need to be trained for differently. Strength represents the maximum possible force you can exert. This might be locking off with one hand on a crimp, for example. Power, on the other hand, is defined as energy expended over time. Having lots of power enables you to make big dynamic moves like throws and dynos.

Climbing Strength

Strength is the most important aspect of climbing. Many people would argue that technique holds that title, but all the technique in the world won't keep you on the wall if you don't have enough strength to hold on first.

Climbing strength can come in many forms. The most important and obvious form is finger strength. A high level of finger strength allows you to grip the wall well and keeps you from falling off. This is often our weakest link in climbing, as fingers tend to tire out before arms. Finger strength can be increased through focused finger exercises like hangboarding.

Arm and back strength allows you to move on the wall. Pulling yourself up and locking off on one arm can require immense strength! Core strength allows you to balance and hold precarious positions on the wall. A strong core will help stop you from swinging and barn-dooring when your footholds are bad. Body strength like this can be built through weight training or ring workouts.

Lastly, leg strength allows you to push yourself up the wall with your feet. Strong legs can take a lot of weight off of your arms and hands, leaving you more energy to climb longer. Additionally, sometimes when there are no finger holds your legs are your only source of propulsion up the wall. You may need to balance on one toe while pushing off that leg. This kind of strength can be built through things like yoga and slacklining.

Climbing Power

Power is an explosive force. It is defined as energy expended over time. This means that if you release the same amount of energy in less time you have more power. This can be seen in moves like dynos, where you need to rapidly generate a large force to propel yourself through the air. If you move too slowly you won't gain the momentum needed to complete the move.

Power comes into play in more advanced climbing, where dynamic moves are necessary. These require big throws and difficult catches, so being able to generate a lot of force quickly is paramount. To train for this kind of power, aim for quick movements at full strength. Try doing pull ups where you go up as quickly as possible, and then slowly lower yourself down.

Campus board training is the most famous and effective way to build immense power. Campusing accurately mimics the dynamic movements necessary for climbing. This builds extreme strength and power. However, campus training is very hard on your tendons and must be done with caution. It should only be attempted by advanced climbers looking to further their training.


Eli Hart. http://RockClimbingStrength.com

At Rock Climbing Strength we keep you updated with the latest climbing training, gear, news, and more! Stop by to check out our newest rock climbing articles and say hi!

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Super Strength Workout In 30 Minutes!

Super Strength Workout

This brutally simple yet effective workout has 2 parts.

The first part of the workout focuses on maximal strength (intensity) on one core/main lift.

The second part of the workout focuses on density and volume and getting the most 'bang for your buck'.

It's nothing new or revolutionary, but it works if your stumped for time and want to hit all bases.

This is best if your NOT already on a structured program that your following consistently, such as if your on holiday and have access to a gym, or need something easy to follow.

This is not recommended for beginners.

The Plan

Part 1: First 15 Minutes

Pick a main exercise. This should be a compound lift, preferably barbell, such as a barbell squat, deadlift or bench press, as they allow for the most weight to be loaded.

The focus should be on maximal strength here. A few templates you can follow:

3x5@ 80%1RM

5x5@ 75% 1RM

3-3-3 @ 85% 1RM

This should take under 15 minutes to complete.

Alternatively, you can establish a 3-5RM on the desired lift within 15 minutes.

You can be flexible with this, as long as your resting under 3 minutes a set and keep it low volume. Intensity is key* You get plenty of high rep action in part 2...

*Intensity referring to the % of your 1RM, not your rate of perceived exertion (RPE).

Part 2: Last 15 Minutes

Part 2 we flip things around.

Select 3 accessory exercises. For example, on squat/leg day you could choose leg press, walking lunges and good mornings.

Optimally, compound movements are better, as you get a better hormonal response which works twofold for muscle gain and fat loss, but you can add an isolation exercise if you wish.

You will complete the exercises as a tri-set/complex, one after another with no rest between.

If you where to do 10 reps per exercise, at a tempo of 3-1-1 (3 seconds to lower, 1 second pause, 1 second to lift) equates to just under 3 minutes to complete all 3 exercises in a row.

For the above example, I'd go with a weight that I could do 15 solid reps with (around 50% 1RM). The focus is not on maximal load here, but total volume within the timeframe.

Now given the first part took 15 minutes, we only have 15 minutes left, so arguably if you were to go with the scheme I provided above, you would be able to complete around 5 total rounds.

1 Round = The three exercises completed one after another (tri set).

You can experiment with the tempo and reps per exercise, but you want to limit it to a total of 3-4 exercises instead of turning it into a circuit.

This method is what crossfit peeps call 'AMRAP' which stands for as many rounds as possible. In this case however, our aim isn't to achieve as many rounds as we can by focusing on speed of movement, but rather limiting the rest between exercises. Quality of movement, time under tension and limited rest are the goals here.

This will create a massive lactate buildup and taps into the muscle glycogen stores considerably by moving beyond the anaerobic work zone.

You can use more ballistic movements (kettlebell swings, kettlebell snatches, medicine balls) however the total time under tension is a lot less, and you'd have to increase the reps substantially, making the workout more aerobic in nature.

The beauty of it is you won't be inclined to waste as much time as you normally do between sets, mindlessly looking around the gym, texting or daydreaming... it makes you work, your RPE (rate of perceived exertion) will be high.

You shouldn't be gassed after this, it isn't cardio, but you will be breathing hard... treat it more like a hybrid bodybuilding workout, go for the pump and feel the burn, and just keep moving... embrace the pain.


Ryan Fernando is an accredited Strength & Conditioning Coach and holds a degree in exercise & sport science with extensive understanding of anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, muscle imblances, mobility, injury prevention, program design, nutrition and management.

In addition, he has gone through the same trials and tribulations as most people are in pursuit of their health and fitness goals, and knows what works and what doesn't.

He has experience working with people from all walks of life, having consulted/trained/dealt with developmentally delayed clients, the elderly, state and national level athletes and everyday people simply looking to get fitter and lose weight.

Ryan's Approach is about much more than just exercising... Physical activity is just one part of the picture and recognize the importance of total mind and body health.

Ryan operates a blog at http://www.rynosrant.com

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How to Gain Strength

1. Lift Heavy- If you perform thousands of reps in the gym with hundreds of sets, you may get bigger, but you will not get stronger. Lifting heavy weight with speed increases the recruitment of the nervous system, which is where true strength comes from. Muscles are simply there to act upon the stimulus from the nervous system.

2. Eat Heavy- Eating 6 meals daily is a myth. If anything, you will get fat from eating that way. For proof, look at cows and look at lions. Cows eat all day long and are fat. Lions eat once or twice a day and are lean and muscular. Which one would you rather be?

3. Sleep Heavy- If you don't get enough sleep (8-10 hrs), then you won't secrete enough anabolic hormones such as HGH and Testosterone. The highest amounts of both hormones are secreted during sleep. This means you gain muscle and strength while you sleep, NOT while you are working out.

The perfect example of a creature that practices all three principles of building strength is the majestic lion. The lion sits on his ass for 20 hours a day while the lionesses do the hunting for him. He then proceeds to eat first before the lionesses and the cubs. They get what's left over. Although he doesn't life weights, he can run 35 miles an hour, jump 35 ft high, and has a bite strong enough to crush a bull's spine, all while weighing 400-500 lbs.

The perfect example of a creature that doesn't practice all three principles is the cow. It eats all day, doesn't sleep for long stretches of time, and is docile. For this reason, the cow has been domesticated by humans for thousands of years and the little strength it has is insignificant compared to other animals in the wild.

If you don't like learning from animals, then consider this. Arnold Schwarznegger, the best body builder in history, followed a strength routine. In this routine, he did 5 sets of 5 reps for squats, deadlifts, bench press, barbell rows, and shoulder press. He got this routine from his mentor, Reg Park, a bodybuilder from before the era of steroids. For those that are interested, this source goes into further detail concerning the 5x5 routine.

Enjoy tearing up the gym and watching others, as well as yourself, become shocked at the amount of strength you possess.


For more info regarding strength building, visit stronglifts.com and visit http://morayq786.tumblr.com/ for more reviews.

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Aerobics Vs Strength Training - The Benefits!

Before we delve in the core of the article I would like to inform the readers that neither Aerobics nor Strength training is harmful or hurtful to any individual. Both serve identical purposes as well as individual concerns. It is impertinent to match the exercises with your needs and you must always remember to listen to what your body is telling you.

Lets now discuss the benefits of Aerobics. If you have come this far I am confident you are aware of what Aerobics are. However, for the sake of the newbies and recently motivated health conscious fellow readers, I will in brief describe aerobics and its main functions. Aerobic exercise also known as cardio, is a low to moderate intensity physical exercise that involves stretching and cardio at its minimum. Its main function is to Improve overall health of the individual performing the exercises. The benefits of Aerobics are numerous from improved blood flow to reduced resting heart rate. The main aim of the individual performing these exercises is generally to improve overall health or facilitate weight loss. Either of which can be attained simultaneously with the employment of aerobics in the individuals lifestyle. However the lack of incorporation of Weight training in to an aerobics regimen can mean missing out and reducing the efficiency of your workouts considerably. Relying solely on Aerobics would result in a body that has an efficient cardiovascular system but lacks muscle mass to effectively live a healthy life. Performing Aerobics solely not only stagnates muscle growth but further reduces muscle mass, this can be a very important factor as one reaches old age since muscle mass becomes much more valuable than a healthy cardiovascular system.

To combat the aforementioned problems with Aerobics alone we introduce weight training. Weight training also known as Strength training, or working out - in its simplest form is exercising with resistance, the resistance can be in the form of weights or elastic bands etc. The benefits of Weight training are numerous, from increased strength to improved cardiovascular system, to increase in bone density and loss of fat. Weight training has an upper hand on Aerobics in several areas, for one it does not come with any negative side effects such as those of decrease in muscle mass with aerobics. It is also easy on the bones and joints as it does not have to be as high impact as Aerobics. As for the benefits it provides all of that of Aerobics plus some. With an ideal weight training regimen you can expect to improve your cardiovascular system, whilst gaining strength (muscle mass) that will come in handy as you get older. Weight training does not have to involve heavy weights and require you to have big muscles to start, on the contrary, as long as there is resistance and adequate regimen is followed you can be sure the reap the benefits of Weight training.

So from the above analysis we can conclude that weight training has the upper hand on Aerobics when it comes to improving your health and living a healthy lifestyle. However, it must be mentioned that an incorporation of both Aerobics and Weight training can be exponentially advantageous for the individual, since Aerobics compliment weight training and vise versa. I hope I have effectively addressed your concerns, I would recommend checking out the source for a true in depth analysis of this issue and much more on a breadth of topics from weight loss to healthy living. Good luck!

Note: The aforementioned substance incorporates research as well as personal experiences to arrive at the opinions stated in this article.


I hope I have been of some help to you all, with the right information and knowledge you can gain the same benefits by working out less and enjoying life more! Below is the link to the website by a personal fitness trainer/owner of a very successful fitness centre located in the heart of Toronto. (Fitness Solutions Plus)
http://www.torontofitnessonline.com/2012/04/23/aerobic-exercise-or-strength-training/

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