I’ve worn Merrell shoes for ages, even back in 2007 for Japanese horseback archery training.
It’s a long story, but I still have those bad boys.
In 2012, Merrell themselves noticed that I wore Merrell. DMs were sent, and the seeds of a partnership were born. Today, I’m thrilled to formally announce that I’m collaborating with Merrell in 2013 to get more people outdoors. Of course, they want to move product, but I’m happy to help. Why? Because I already love their stuff, and the new minimal shoes are precisely what I wanted and wrote about in The 4-Hour Body. The soles of the M Connect line are designed by Vibram but less socially awkward than their Gecko-feet variety, which I’d stopped wearing.
I’ll be doing a lot with Merrell using their Twitter and Facebook accounts (keep reading), so you might want to follow them here:
I’d also like to give away some shoes! Just answer both of these questions in the comments below:
– What does “connection” mean to you?
– What are your favorite bodyweight-only exercises?
The best 10 responses will get 10 pairs (one pair each) of Merrell shoes: 8 domestic US winners and 2 international winners. All answers are due no later than 5pm PST on Tuesday, March 12.
Live Events and Q&A — Saturday and Monday
I will be doing a few live events today, Saturday:
– Live SXSW keynote in Austin, TX — 11AM-12PM Tomorrow, Saturday, March 12. It’s called “Acquiring the Skill of Meta-Learning” and is about how to become world-class in nearly any skill in 6 months or less.
– Book Signing at SXSW following above presentation, from 12:30pm to however long it takes 🙂
Then, next Monday (March 11), a free 2-hour Q&A on Twitter:
Here’s how it works:
– Go to @merrelloutside and follow them.
– Starting 9pm EST, ask any questions you like in the following format “@tferriss @merrelloutside [Insert question]?” Anything is fair game, and I’ll do my best to answer as many as possible.
Have a great weekend… and get outside!
The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.
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Connection is the shared human experience. Everyone has a different perception of the world, are informed to various levels, and believe certain things. Connecting with other people, whether we agree or disagree, is how we make sense of the world around us and continually test our own world views and challenge ourselves. Without connecting with everyone else around us, we would never be able to evolve personally throughout life, or as a species.
As far as favorite body weight only exercises go, I’m a big fan of running (not strictly an exercise in the sense you mean). Beyond that, push-ups and pull-ups are solid foundational exercises, and I enjoy mountain climbers for warm-ups.
And now a question about Merrell: I’ve had a pair of Vivo Barefoot shoes for almost a year now, and unfortunately a hole has worn into the underside of the shoe. I’m used to buying shoes on a much less frequent basis, and was wondering how well Merrell shoes hold up in comparison to other barefoot options.
Connection is a bond with the surrounding environment, a kinship with the elements.
Favorite body-weight only exercise: “Ground-work combo’s” — head-stand to somersault to push-up; repeat. (many other variations are fun too!)
CONNECTION is the alchemy of human interaction, yielding amazing things which redound to everyone’s benefit.
The workmanlike push-up and pull-up are my favorite body-weight exercises.
– What does “connection” mean to you?
Connection to me means you are insync with someone or something to the point of understanding them them understanding you.
– What are your favorite bodyweight-only exercises?
My favorite bodyweight – only exercises are
The Burpee w/pushup and jump
and wide fly pullups.
Just doing these two exercises alone will give anyone a great workout.
A connection to me is an exchange–perhaps through words, ideas, emotion or physicality. When both parties gain something of value from that exchange, the connection endures insofar as it is mutually acknowledged.
Best body-weight only exercises:
1) Squats – if you can do only one exercise for the rest of your life, make it a squat. Must be executed perfectly to maximize results and prevent injury (all the way down so your quads form a right angle with your calves, knees not extending beyond toes, chest up, with an explosive hip and gluteal squeeze…). Mastering this functional movement will form a solid foundation for other fun activities such as boxing (stance is a modified squat), power lifting, spinning, etc.
2) Pull-ups – how many people can do even ONE unassisted pull-up? Surprisingly few. As a relatively small, lean female I still struggle with these and yet the effort is well-worth it. They sculpt back, shoulders, arms, etc. They also keep you honest about your strength-to-bodyweight ratio.
3) Sprints – While I would only recommend most cardio for recreational purposes (sorry), sprints improve aerobic capacity, endurance, strength, explosiveness and stability in record-time (pun intended).
4) Planks, side planks and other variations – more than just a “core” exercise; these are the foundation for a solid body. If you think they’re easy, you’re probably not holding them long enough. And keep that butt down.
5) Actual sit-ups – why have these fallen out of favor? A highly functional exercise that helps you get up whenever you find yourself knocked down. Do these instead of crunches.
6) Air jump-rope – if we are going for strictly body-weight only exercises, then just imagine you have a jump rope and start skipping away. This exercise will increase agility, speed and endurance (and build some nice looking calves in the process).
– What does “connection” mean to you?
The opposite of feeling alone.
– What are your favorite bodyweight-only exercises?
push-ups, chin-ups, pull-ups, dips
1. Connection is being everywhere in everything. Breathe – connect with the air. Eat – connect with nature. Sleep – connect with your dreams. Love – connect with others.
2. Fave bodyweight only exercises (not stretching): top three
a) Trail running, negotiating rocks, dirt, climbs, descents…
b) Rope climb / tree climb / boulder
c) Lunges forward, backward
“Connection” to me means that I am bonding in some way with whatever it is that I am interacting with at that moment. It could be a person or it could be a trail through the woods. An exchange is occurring between myself and who or whatever I am connecting with.
My favorite bodyweight exercise is squats while holding one or both of my kids! It adds some extra weight to make it more challenging and the kids think it’s fun. Usually after I do some squats holding them, they want to get down and try some for themselves.
Thanks for all of the awesome content that you provide!
Connection-to me it’s like having an extra sense. There’s a certain zone-like state achieved where you can predict what’s going to happen, what the correct course of action should be, how you can tip the scales into your favor. i’m sports minded, and to me it’s seeing a tell in the other player, feeling the their body shift minutely a split second before I make my move to counter their action. At work it’s intuitively knowing how to troubleshoot the other employees problems, break down a situation and make it easily understood (and retained), and created a positive flow.
Best bodyweight exercise- hands down burpees. Excellent workout is a burpee touchdown: start at the goal line, do a burpee and at the top leap jump out. Repeat until you spanned the 100 yards, sprint over to the goal post and knock out as many chins as possible. Try and beat your time each session.
Hey Tim,
– What does “connection” mean to you?
Connection is best described by explaining what dis-connection feels like – dread, anxiety, apathy, physical and emotional disregard for life. Connection on the other hand is calmness, tranquility and the desire to care for your physical and emotional self, the desire to contribute to things around you with more than just your hands.
– What are your favorite body-weight-only exercises?
I love squats. Take away my kettlebells, my shake weights (who uses those!?), my cool five finger shoes – take away anything but my ability to do squats. I love squats.
damai dengan Anda,
David
While the word connection can have many different depths, I think it best defines a deep bond, something you feel, that extends further than it may initially seem, or be expected to. Getting out into nature can just be a present connection with a trail, a physical space or a surrounding, but can also transcend into a deeper connection with your mind, body, your past and your future.
My favorite body weight exercises are split squats and push-ups, they travel well and pack light.
Connection: When you stop over in an airport to catch another flight OR a buddy who can hook you up with something
Bodyweight-only exercises: (1) Handstand push-ups leaning against a wall (2) crawling up backwards on stairs, doing one push up with each step (3) dips (4) pull-ups (5) one-legged squats
Except for (2), perform each exercises in a SAFE and stable 1-set-to-failure fashion (i.e. 5 seconds up, 5 seconds down cadence, no more than 10 reps)
…see also Occam’s Protocol in 4HB
I’d be happy to create some youtube-videos demonstrating the above exercises, if anyone’s interested – but right now I’m at work and I’m running out of time to submit : )
Cheers,
Chris
I really feel a strong agreement with you on the power of being outside, as being inside multiple hours a day really seems to sap my energy away. In response to the above questions, I just want to say that connection is the acknowledgement of someone or something beyond it’s physical presence. You might say hello to a person down the street, but you don’t really have a connection until you realize and acknowledge a person as a business partner/from a similar background/friend etc. We are already connected in a multitude of ways, but I think the most important moment is when someone realizes that the connection is there.
On the note of my favorite bodyweight exercise, it has got to be the bodyweight dip. It has always felt like a natural movement to me, recruiting your stabilizing muscles and your triceps. No one works their triceps to show off; even bodybuilders only work them to maintain a certain level of symmetry. The bodyweight dip is an exercise for fitness alone, and is not plagued by thoughts of vanity.
Connection is the synergy produced by the encounter of kindred spirits.
Favorite bodyweight exercises:
Handstand
Squats
Around-the-world plank
the closest sense of connection i can define is back when i ended up working as a staff member in a tough mudder event at the high hat ranch in florida last year (2012). i found out about the event a bit too late to participate in it, but was presented an opportunity to work it.
never have i ever been in a place where SO many people, so many strangers we so mutually supportive of one another as they endeavoured to complete the course. there were thousands of participants, all encouraging one another to complete obstacles, and helping complete strangers with an extra boost, or a hearty laugh, or good-natured smack talk, so everyone could finish. the object wasn’t to win, but to finish, and i saw so many examples of random people connecting with one another and then just laughing.
i felt that i found my people and they do exist somewhere other than my imagination; big kids all posing as adults. it was truly beautiful. it underscored the lack of connection i feel in my daily life. but it gives me hope.
another example of deep connection for me would be when you witness the brief life of a flash-mob; organized people coming together for a brief burst of shared art to play to the common, but often buried humanity. it is good to be reminded of that need for art from time to time.
my favorite bodyweight-only exercises have to be:
1. what i call the 1-legged, dip, lunge: one foot is placed, dorsal side upon a bench, while the other leg is placed forward from the bench at a distance such that when you genuflect down, the knee does not go past the toes of the foot on the floor. then shoulders are squared with the hips, spine erect, and you genuflect toward the floor. it is a simple movement, but not easy, as the tightness of the hip flexors become the limiting factor in this movement. i’ve beaten up many a client this way.
2. my second favorite body weight exercise has to be my modified version of the glute-ham raise on a bosu ball. i kneel on a bosu ball, with my feet firmly secured underneath a heavy (preferably bolted down) bench or other piece of heavy heavy gym equipment. i then slowly lower myself to the floor, using my hands as a breaking cushion. the axis of rotation for the body is at the knees. the spine is straight and aligned with the hips. the belly is tight, and then it’s just hamstring and calf action all the way down. good times for all. doing the glute-ham raise on a bosu (as opposed to just a solid plastic riser) forces far more core stability work than simply kneeing on a solid foundation. these humble more than any other exercise i’ve done so far.
3. my third favorite body weight exercise has to be push ups on medicine balls. whenever i’m feeling a bit insecure watching all of these younger, stronger guys bench-pressing volkswagons at the gym, i hop on the medicine balls, one on each hand and one on each foot. i then crank out three sets of 20 push-ups like a machine, letting the younger padawans know that the Force is still strong in this one.
this was fun!
“Connection”: Mind and body being formless like water a Bruce Lee described.
Favorite body-weight exercises: Planks
Connection
Established in language – whether English, French, art, a coy smile, a clammy handshake, a lullaby, or listening to your own breath. Strengthened by trust, dogged pursuit, and intuition. Allowed only with humble recognition. Only avenue to closeness; necessary for survival.
Favorite bodyweight-only exercises
Deep relaxation, planks (not the sissy ass fake ones – I mean the ones that fully engage the core and are nearly impossible), roll-downs (for daily personal assessment), squats in the line at the grocery store, belly dancing alone in my room, tossing children into the air until they practically pass out from giggling, the perfect push-up, sex.
Connection: The exchange of communication between two entities. Such as when I throw on my new pair of Merrell Barefoot Train Flux Glove size 12’s, and immediately begin to explore the trail in an entirely new way. Informed by superior design and materials, my experience is enhanced by the collective years of artistry in the shoes themselves. Meanwhile my feedback, years of adventures, and brand loyalty help contribute in inumerable nuanced ways to the Merrell product line for years. That’s Connection.
My favorite body weight exercise is the push-up. You can do them anywhere, they make you look great, there are a thousand variations, and their just plain fun!
When I think “connection”, I think of this universal oneness that connects all of us to each other, and all of us to the earth. In terms of running, nothing makes me feel more connected to my animal self than running barefoot or in vibrams or Merrells.
I’d have to say my favorite bodyweight only exercise (if this counts) is climbing. Specifically rock climbing, but I guess to make it more like a daily work out, doing pull-ups in all variations is amazing. In the case of really minimalist bodyweight only exercises (excluding pull ups due to the bar), situps and pushups trump all except for running.
1)
Where the rubber meets the road; my personal launch pad.
2)
Running and Muscle-ups.
Connection means you feel cosmically linked to other human beings, other organisms, both those who share this planet with you right now, at this moment, and those who have come and gone. You feel a sense of unity with the world, recognizing our fates, those of the creatures who inhabit this planet, the sky and the waters, and the souls within the rocks, the trees, the flowers, and the dirt are not separate, but mysteriously intertwined and dependent on one another — and it’s a delicate dependency.
My favorite bodyweight-only exercise is the burpee. It’s like the ultimate pushup and it brings out your inner Marine!
Connection depends on what you are talking about Tim. ?
Here is my top 5:
1. Connection can mean a causal, logical relation, or sequence. Like the connection between two ideas: Healthy Lifestyle and the Outdoor Experience.
2. Connection can mean a contextual relation or association like a connection with a robbery.
3. Connection can mean a relation of personal intimacy, like the relationship you have with your dance partner Alicia Monti.
4. Connection can mean something that links things together like an umbilical cord.
5. Connection can mean communication or transport like a telephone or AC Transit.
Top 10 body weight-only exercises:
1. Mountain climbers
2. Diamond Push ups
3. Tricep Dips
4. Planks
5. Lunges
6. Squats
7. One legged Squats
8. Calf-raises
9. Chin/ Pull-ups
10. Knee Jumps
Well, this is my first time participation, but will not be the last one, I’m sure … 🙂
If I want to win these Merrell I have to be creative, cool and efficient, like they are! 😉
– What does “connection” mean to you?
Connection: the mean to achieve the objective.
– What are your favorite bodyweight-only exercises?
The bodyweight-only exercise that gives me more pleasure is by far making love !
Cheers from Portugal !
Connection to me is things tied together – cause and effect, action and reaction, call and response. I act in some way and those people and things connected to me move and change because of it. They act and I move and change.
My favorite is the pull-up. Done fairly slowly, I feel the progression move through the muscles of my body. First my back, then my shoulders, up into my biceps, then wrists and fingers. The bar is right there coming at me, tying my will, my muscles, and my movement together. Connection between mind and body and world.
For me, “connection” is a dynamic state of being whereby we are actively transmitting, receiving, and interpreting signals. Having a strong connection to people or place means being highly attuned to emotional and environmental cues. It is having that keen sensitivity to signals subtle or gross, a good feel for the ground beneath us, a sense of our role in the inter-connected web we find ourselves in. It requires us to pay attention. While people can have similar wavelengths, without our antenna on, we cannot connect with and understand each other.
Currently digging the dive bomber push-up 🙂 I also love doing tai chi – talk about getting connected and rooted to the ground, while also constantly shifting and maintaining balance! If Merrell is ever looking for seniors to model their shoes, ping me because I know where they are. They practice tai chi with me and in my intro email to my students, I specifically recommend the Pace Glove / Trail Glove.
Connection is presence, being present in the current moment. In our current society, most people have some level of ADHD or inability to be fully present in the current moment. Take a look around the next time you’re at a restaurant and watch people mid-conversation glance at their phones to read a text or email that’s come in, or upload a picture of their food to facebook, rather than fully enjoying the moment they’re in, and the conversation they’re having. If you get far enough away in nature, it’s easy to be fully connected to your surroundings, because all of the noise, and interruptions brought on by your phone no longer work. And when those interruptions are gone, you are present and connected to the present moment. You feel the sun, the breeze, you hear the birds, you smell the flowers, or the pine trees, or whatever is around you. And that’s when you truly feel alive.
Favorite bodyweight-only exercise: An empty high school football stadium in the summer, at night. Run the stairs the entire way around the stadium. 100 yards of walking lunges, 20 yards of walking push-ups, and pullups hanging from the goal post.
Connection for me is where two separate entities BOTH produce a reaction BECAUSE of the other. Doesn’t have to be the same reaction, doesn’t have to be a good one… but a reaction, indeed.
Best bodyweight exercise? Running uphill,(or walking uphill, for that matter). I can jog for an hour no problem, but put an angle in my path? what a workout. To quote a Radiohead song— “Gravity always wins”.
Connection, to me personally, is what I felt the first time I went to Brazil, speaking no Portuguese, and met a Japanese Brazilian girl who didn’t speak English. We had the strongest CONNECTION I had ever felt. We had a “chemical”, as she said, using her English dictionary.
8 years later: she is fluent in English, I am fluent in Portuguese, and we are married.
My favorite bodyweight exercises are the ones that use leverage and creativity to create extreme difficulty – one-armed pushup and one-armed pullup.
A connection is both experiential and tangible. When a connection is made it can invoke not only a psychological response but, even a physical response, or “gut” feeling, which causes one to pursue whatever that connection might be (animate or inanimate).
Favorite body-weight only: The Harlem Shake. Boom.
Connection to me is something that fills your heart with warmth. could be a friend, or a perfect day at the beach or a wholesome food.
My best workout is walking. builds stamina and gives me time for introspection.
Connection to me means having a powerful bond with someone. Where just the thought of them gives you comfort. You can both look at each other and the two of you already know what to do. I have that with my best friend. She is amazing.
Connection is something that happens at a mental and physical level that embeds the emotions created into your being and serves as waypoint in the journey of life. A connection can be draining when lost or invigorating when established.
Favorite bodyweight exercise- burped with pull up
1. Connection, for me personally, strangely deals with disconnecting. Getting away from the usual business and grind of life allows me to “connect”. Not only reestablishing the important connection to myself, but with loved ones. I love using the outdoors to grow and strengthen those particular connections. There is nothing like a fun run/hike through a woods or park with close friends and family.
2. My favorite body-weight exercises would have to be two simple “hindu” workouts. Hindu pushups, along with hindu squats. If you want a full body workout that hits every muscle, these two are the way to go!
To me, connection is when two or more people (or even a person and an environment) are in such harmony that ideas and emotions can flow back and forth seamlessly, without any insecurity or hesitation.
As for the bodyweight exercise, definitely burpees. They’re just brutal. Although chin-ups come in a close, close second!
Connection to me is a deep and profound understanding of another person, place or thing that transcends language, time, and emotion.
My favorite body weight exercise is Burpee Box Jumps.
Connection to me, is tying into the spirit of the planet, whatever you deem that to be; whether it’s some amicable gaia spirit, magnetic fields or the instinctual recollection of an existence without layers of steel and concrete beneath you. The feeling of the terrain leaving its impression on the soles of your feet in a blissful marriage of man and earth, like your thirsty roots being pressed into fresh soil; that’s connection.
I’d have to say my favorite body weight exercise is prisoner squats. If I could do them, I’d say handstand pushups!
Connection: A relationship with something, either physically or emotionally.
Favourite bodyweight exercise: the humble push-up!
– Connection is to me the feeling of not being connected but rather being entirely immersed with the connecting counterpart.
– My favorite exercises are dive rolls (: and of course reasonable running, sit-ups, and pushups!
Love from Cologne!
Connection: when present, a link to something whose depth, nuance, and reality that can only be understood by me (and by who I am linked to, if it is a sentient being).
Best body-weight exercise: Sex–if two bodies are allowed. Burpees, otherwise.
Connection: a moment where your soul is freed from captivity.
Exercise? Nothing beats a pull-up. It requires use of your entire body from the waist up and you either beat the next rep, or it beats you.
Connection: Telling a funny personal (true)story and having everyone listening laughing so hard that they can’t breath, the kind of laugh that ends up being seriously painful from the lack of oxygen and strain on the diaphragm.
I don’t know if i’d call it my favorite but it’s definitely the most hardcore and the one i’m most proud of completing. I call it the “You mean I have a whole minute of these?!?” (On my work out log that’s what i wrote when I created it”) It’s the core section of my full body circuit. I sit at the end of a weight bench and lean back to 60%, place my hands over my head (except for the Russian twists) and do the following:
8 count flutter kick
8 count horizontal scissor kick
8 count seated knee raises
8 count Russian twists with
That’s one rep. Do as many reps as possible in one minute.
Rinse and repeat each circuit.
I love my merrell hiking boots and minimalist running shoes!
i believe connection to be spending time together and having honest, vulnerable conversation. it can be online or in person.
i think pullups are probably the best body weight exercises, but if you have access to one of those pegboard things like louden swayne climbs in “visionquest,” that’s the most exciting one to try!
This might go against the ultimate message in your campaign, but the word connection instantly makes me think of other people. What other way to find more about yourself than through your interactions with others? It’s an activity that you can constantly learn and tweak, with a mix of immediate and long-term rewards. And I can think of few better ways to connect than to head to the park, throw the frisbee around, and then shoot the shit around a plethora of hammocks.
Pull ups and handstand push ups would have to be my favorite bodyweight exercises!
I just got this post mailed to me a second time a few minutes ago, which is odd. Not to mention the dates look like they could use a proofing my freind…
“Saturday, March 12. It’s called “Acquiring the Skill of Meta-Learning” seems to be Wednesday the 13th here unless all that acid I took as a child melted my brain.
Connection blossoms from an awareness of who I am, the empathy to embrace the ‘other’ (person, experience, etc.), and the courage to share both.
The exercise I NOW “love to hate” is the Blurpee, but it was the Burpee before reading/viewing this post.
Connection is when two people have such a deep understanding of each other and the others’ needs that there no longer are physical boundaries between the two.
My favorite exercise would have to be push-ups. They are so versatile and target almost the entire upper body, including the core.
1. Connection: it means being present to something else that you even feel your own presence that in that moment you are connected to the universal power source.
2. Favorite body weight only exercises:
Ones that involve beauty and experiencing nature: hiking half dome, going to an adventure to find the wave in AZ, climbing waterfalls in HI or sand dunes in Death Valley- you get more than just a workout.
Connection: At its root its an understanding. Whether its with a person or the ground or the way a car “connects” with the road. Unaltered understanding of the situation or thoughts and feelings of another.
Body-weight only exercise: different variations of one-legged squats. Usually you can stand on a ledge or something to allow you to get the 90degree bend in the knee. These are great for balance.
Connection to me means an EFFORTLESS bond between mind, body, and soul. (Either a bond with yourself or with any other being.) It’s living in the most enjoyable, easiest, & purest form.
Favorite Exercises:
+Mountain Climbers
+Reaching Lunge
+1-Legged Deadlift
– What does “connection” mean to you?
It means listening for and respecting the other (person, place, thing) enough to acknowledge its awesomeness.
– What are your favorite bodyweight-only exercises?
Best one is Aikido. Since its just like dancing 🙂
A true connection is automactic, effortless, and lasting.
Best exercises are yoga and sex.
What does “connection” mean to me?
Connection means a willingness to understand.
What are your favorite bodyweight-only exercises?
Rock climbing (fun), 1-handed pushups (impressive), meditation (difficult)
Side note: I’m building my muse, Tim! I’m terrified, but I’m trying to overclock my fear, and track my progress as I go.
Connection to me are those times when you are one with a person, activity or place. It is unspoken and not overthought. It is what life is all about.
Favorite body weight excercise has to be the pull up. So many varieties, bringing so much pain (in a good way).
Connection to me is where the day melts away. It is no longer me and ____. It is oneness, peace, serenity. I loose myself to something greater, the combination being greater than the sum.
Beast body weight excercise is muscle ups. Pull Ko plus a dip with the needed strenghth and atheletic ability needed to actually do them.
1. Connection is defined as, when you have a real conversation with someone about your deepest fears and your darkest desires.
2.Pull up
To connect is to trust, allowing the previously remote to permeate your defenses.
Favorite body weight only exercises:
Forward and reverse lunges, calf raises, the Pilates plank.
Connection to me means feeling the world around you. When that be intuitively or through physical contact. If I experience something that doesn’t cause me to react/ or adapt, there’s no way I can be connected to it.
My favorite body weight only movement is the air squat. Seeing babies/children drop into a perfect ATG squat with a neutral spine makes me jealous and realize how lost most of human movement is. The air squat is performed all over the world by different cultures as a part of every day life. To Americans it’s seen as just an exercise.
Whoa, just got the email today (13th)! Hope I can still enter the contest. Here goes anyway.
1) Connection –
The word ‘connection’ always reminds me of the 1970’s BBC series, Connections, which taught me as a kid that”the entire gestalt of the modern world is the result of a web of interconnected events”.
2) Favorite body weight exercise
The I Chin Ching. Secret weapon of Chinese martial artists.
For my son’s first date, the plan was him, his girl and his girlfriend’s friend. True connection occured in the look my son gave me when he realized I wasn’t messing with him about needing a “wingman”.
For body weight exercises, I was going to say the good’ole push-up, then no, maybe the diamond push-up… then no, cancel that and go with the ass-kicking burpee. It’s part of a new cross-fit WOD I’m working on called, TISSS (This is some stupid shit). It combines several body weight exercises: Burpees, pull-up and box jumps with wall-balls. Besides being completely worn out, each round of 5 has a different number of reps and the number is always a prime number (1,3, 5, 7, 11, 13…) – still working out the details.
Wonder if I can still enter?
When I don’t have to explain myself, when the other person just gets me, when I know what somebody else is feeling, when our ideas pass freely between us without needing to be expressed- then I feel connected.
If I have to pick my favorite exercise- it’s definitely running. Just running. No rules, no warm-ups, no cool-downs. Just running with the wind, until my throat feels raw and my cheeks burn and my feet ache, until I’ve outraced myself, and left behind every part of me that dragged me down. Just running until I’m free.
Connection is harmony. Mind, body, soul… Completely rocking it. YOLO!!!!
Favorite body weight exercises are kettle balls swings. Man, they sure kick your ass…
To me, a connection is a moment or realization that awakens something in your subconscious, brought on by some external force, be that an experience, a person, place, etc. the catalyst awakens some innate, previously unnoticed knowledge in the individual and passion brings the connection into fruition…the moment you meet someone Important in your life, realize a tremendous talent, or find your “home.” All connections…
My favorite body weight only exercises are planks, exhaustive arm circles/movements and squats/squat hops
Have a lovely night!
Pure connection, in my view, is the moment when every single other thing in the world disappears. It all fades away except for the very thing that you are connecting with at the moment. Thinking about the life experiences you’re in with this happens helps to paint the picture. When you’re out with your really good friends for a drink, when you’re home for a holiday weekend, when you’re engaged with a project that you love. I feel most connected with the world the moment I start running down the trail and for the first time see no one. The parking lot fades and it’s just me and the trail.
My favorite bodyweight exercise is the dive-bomber push-up. The pistol is a close second but that’s already been mentioned. Pair those two together and you’ll have plenty of fun in the woods.
Connection is why we make art. Whatever your medium, express your values by making, raise your flag and connect through the truth of your being.
The Best bodyweight only exercise is the back bridge. Period. The only reason I didnt break my back during my French Foreign Legión Training was because of all the progressions of the back bridge. Thank you coach Wade.
Connection is knowing what someone’s feeling through the empathetic investment in their vulnerability, perspective, insecurity, ambition, strengths, weaknesses, its knowing what they are thinking without any external communication. It’s seeing into the essence someone’s soul with your soul. It’s love.
That’s deep connection.
Favorite body weight exercises? Truthfully? The type of sex that you lay in bed for the day because your body feels like it ran a marathon and your heart and soul are so content, life itself is not worthy of tearing you away from the connection of that person.
1) Some thing or person that causes me to view it, myself, and our relationship with a different perspective. Something that brings me out of myself.
2) Dancing! 🙂
I love Merrells. They make the best, longest-lasting hiking shoe I’ve ever tried.
Connection is the ongoing passionate exchange of conscious energy that enlivens myself and all my relations to see our common life force.
My favorite body weight exercise is mountain running and tree branch pull ups.
CONNECTION: In AIKIDO, we talk about connection in terms of HARMONY of ENERGY. This can be physical, mental or spiritual in nature. When we interact with others, it is important to establish a connection of spirit, before trying to talk or perform a martial arts movement. Like a rider and his horse, you must become one before you can dance together.
BEST BODY-WEIGHT EXERCISE: Rock Climbing son. there is only Rock Climbing.
PS – i know i missed the TUE deadline. Still posting in the event of an extra pair of Merrells for me. My soles have holes in them.
Connection is the ability to leave someone or something better than when you found it.
The best body weight exercise is to move. Jump, climb, run. As long as you move. Movement isn’t about push-ups or dips, it’s about movement, expression and connection.
Hi Tim …
Thanks for the chance to win a pair of Merrells. Have loved them and your stuff for a long time now. Have all three of you 4-hour series and have run through several pairs of Merrells over time.
So I was excited for the chance to win a pair of new Merrells but received email notice of your blog post just over 5 hours ago (early AM Mar 14th) with the closing date for entries the 12th.
So I just wanted to relay that there is a glitch in the matrix with email delivery that will have cut off the chances of some keen followers out there.
Thanks for listening.
Cheers, Nick
Hey Tim,
I love All Things Ferriss, but have had this issue for well over a year now: I am subscribed, and ALL of your emails show up late. Very late, lately. This post (according to the email) went up at 10:52pm on the 8th. Everything was over by the 12th. I received the email at 8:22pm on the 13th. I am baffled.
I assume that’s not common–but anyone else report this issue?
John, my apologies to you and everyone else who received the email late. Tim has been trying to replace Feedburner for ages and hasn’t been able to export the email. Donna, Tim Ferriss’ Assistant
Connection is what happens when a heart and a brain on the same wave length meet.
My best bodyweight-only exercises are handstand push-ups, pistols (one-legged air squats), Tabata burpees and MMA-style shadow boxing (including takedowns and submissions).
Connection is the relationship between two corporeal or incorporeal bodies, whether tangible or intangible, which may be known or unknown.
I am a runner, so I suppose if running counts, it would be the body weight only exercise I do most frequently. But I like the diamond pushup. When you first start doing them, you can only pump out a very small number. Then one day, you do 50 and amaze yourself. I really love to surprise myself 🙂
Connection means to me…
Magnetism
One with
Abundance
No pretense
Partner
Expansive
My fav body weight exercises are…
Burpies
Plank
Walking lunges
Split squat jumps
Doing these in interval sequences (except the plank). Oh man! Fun and tough!
Oh yes! Happens to me too. Just realized as I read this post. I responded to the challenge before I realized the cut off time had passed. I got the email at 11:22pm last night.
How do you know who won?
Congrats with this great partnership, Tim!
Meaning of connection: feeling the earth beneath my feet.
Outside, I love walking barefoot or with five fingers. It makes me feel connected and content when I can sense the ground, it’s consistensy, it’s temperature, it’s material. With normal heeled shoes, it kinda feels like I’m floating in the air.
Your feet are very sensitive to touch, and when stimulated a part of the brain becomes active which is also related to genital stimulation (cited from the 4-Hour Body). Why would you derive yourself of touching the world with your feet?
Favorite exercise: body satisfaction training.
I get to the track and start sensing my emotional state, and how this feels in my body. For example: If there’s tension in my legs, I ask them: do you want to run? If so, they start to cramp a bit, and I start running like a madman. Or if my arms want to pull (as a gesture of desire and strength) I run to a tree and start pulling myself up till I feel happy and content. So it’s more about satisfying your body’s needs then a rigid workout regime, and in terms of contentness it’s the most rewarding exercise I have ever did!
To be clear: I’m not a hippie / treehugger / spiritualist. I just like to give room to my natural instincts and this is actually quite primitive and testosteron-driven.
I missed the deadline for the shoes, but want to answer the questions anyway, because i´m sure you´ll love my answers. They come in photos:
Connection:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151217109009495&set=pb.84778774494.-2207520000.1363255223&type=3&theater
Exercise:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151217109074495&set=pb.84778774494.-2207520000.1363255223&type=3&theater
Wow, that’s awesome you’ve joined forces with Merrell. They’ve been a favorite of mine for shoes. I currently own three or four pairs!
My definition of connection is simple. It’s an interaction with someone that makes you feel like the two of you are kindred spirits.
My favorite body weight exercise would have to be curved back pull-ups.
Connection means masks off, a signal to stop thinking and start feeling, whether talking to someone, jumping in a concert or climbing a mountain.
My favorite body-weight only exercise (leaving stand up sex aside) is martial arts training.
Connection means being able to feel and sense things – differences, nuances, pain, softness or hardens of the ground, smel, taste. Everything put together for a sensory experience that’s hard to single out as one feeling.
My favorite body weight exercises are hand stand push ups and burpees
Connection is meaning itself. to find a connection between between lyrics in a song and something that you’ve experienced creates a personal meaning. Feeling a connection with a character in a story gives that character meaning and in a scientific context having a connection between two data points means there is a relationship. To learn, live and love is to connect
My favorite body weight exercise is the bear crawl, i hated it a first but after a few rounds of bear crawl tiggy (or tag) in the dojo its my favorite
It’s interesting that you’re hooking up with Merrell and that minimal shoe sounds cool, but like other posters I didn’t get the email until the 13th, after it was all said and done.
To me connection is really about a deep understanding. You connect with a person when you really understand something about them; a value, idea, like, dislike, personality trait, belief system you share. Sometimes you connect with things you differ on but are passionate about.
You can also connect with concepts, ideas and causes; the things that capture your attention out of the din of everyday life and wrap you up in passion, a sense of purpose and belonging. The ability to connect with other people and with concepts, ideas and causes is uniquely human.
i connect with your efforts to get more people outdoors. Being outdoors is relaxing and helps us center on what is important and valuable in life.
My favorite body weight only exercise is wild passionate fun sex. A more acceptable answer would be Parkour:-)
Favorite body weight exercise has got to be the plank. when done correctly it is the best for the core and the foundation to so many other moves.
Connection means being 8 years old and running on the golf course behind our house, You could feel the grass between your toes and the life that sprang from the ground. Nothing like it, and we needed that energy as we got chased off the course by the grounds keeper.
For connection:
“The children of Adam are the limbs of one body
That share an origin in their creation
When one limb passes its days in pain
The other limbs cannot remain easy
You who feel no pain at the suffering of others
It is not fitting for you to be called human”
That’s very old persian poetry, chosen by Obama in 2009, and also written on UN NY building.
So probably timeless way of describing “connection”
For body weight exercice, we’re primates, so finding a tree and chin-up is a great way of using body weight in traction.
2nd exercice is holding an elevated v-sit position (even if less than Bruce Lee’s 30 minutes) 😉
Lateral push-up are good too for the latissimus dorsi muscle.
Connection means to me The freedom of barefoot connects your foot to its natural movement something that most of us have forgotten about after too many years wearing shoes. You can really feel your feet connect with your legs and activate muscles all the way up your body and you can start to move freely and move as a body as your body is really connected and not individual muscle groups working against each other.
Favourite body weight exercises are pull ups, Burpees and Bulgarian split squats. They work so many muscles and can give you a really tough workout.
Connection is that feeling when everything in the universe is right, as if the world was made of brinks and they suddenly lined up perfectly and fit together. You can feel the connection to everything and you move effortlessly through the world.
My favorite bodyweight exercises are the plank and the overhead squat, for how hard they hit the core.
Connection to me means to have something in common .
I love Lunges,squats and push ups.
Connection = Instant Understanding.
Its like that saying about if you have never done it, it can’t be explained. But if you HAVE done it then no explanation is necessary! You are connected in that experience.
My favorite body weight exercise is handstands. It works your coordination, balance & strength. Looks impressive too!
Connection to me, if it is a person, is knowing each other. It’s knows your likes and dislikes, your desires and fears. If it’s an item, then connection means it’s my go-to item. If it’s clothing, then when I’m getting ready, that’s what I want to put on!
My favorite body weight exercise is calf raises! I love squats and pushups and a variety of others. I wish I loved pullups!
When you’re connected, you have a physiological response to something whether you’re physically connected or not. Sometime, as when you’re in nature, your body has a response as if you’re truly connected.
Burpees.
Connection is natural attraction.
My favorite bodyweight-only exercise is the plank.
Connection: If we strip away our fears, doubts, and uncertainty, we sometimes catch inspiring glimpses of the person we have the capacity to become – whether that involves becoming vegan, running a marathon, founding a successful startup, or being a great parent. “Connection” is that feeling we get when we come into contact with something or someone that resonates with that inspired version of who we are at our essence, and the person we are striving to more fully become.
Exercises: Nothing fancy or trendy, just good old pushups, pullups, dips.
Pullups are my favorite bodyweight exercise. I rank these as one of the top 3 exercises (squats and deadlifts reign supreme).
Connection — a unique and intimiate bond that develops with more intensity as our exposure with another is increased.
Connection gets me CLOSE to something I LOVE.
When I’m connected to my lover, I feel close to her. When I’m connected to NATURE, I feel closer to LIFE.
My favorite body weight exercise are wide grip pull-ups. I love the feeling of doing them slowly with a 5 up 5 down cadence.
Connection is the bond that creates and sustains synergy. It allows two beings (whether humans, food components, or something else entirely) to unite and create something otherwise unattainable.
While there are so many body exercises rotate through, my current favorite is Dragon walks – similar to a bear crawl but alternate elbow and knee touch the ground with every stride. I was surprised how quickly it wiped me out! check it out – top non-ad youtube result for “44 best bodyweight exercises ever.
Connection is the bond that creates and sustains synergy. It allows two beings (whether humans, food components, or something else entirely) to unite and create something otherwise unattainable.
While there are so many body exercises rotate through, my current favorite is Dragon walks – similar to a bear crawl but alternate elbow and knee touch the ground with every stride. I was surprised how quickly it wiped me out! check it out – top non-ad youtube result for “44 best bodyweight exercises ever”
Connection sparks and causes us to shower complete strangers with a welcoming smile
Connection tastes like distant lands, traveled bite by bite through the skilled hand of the chef
Connection burns with the heat and grit of supreme effort as they collide with and manifest our dreams
Connection swells and fills the distance between us and our loved ones upon a mere thought
Connection draws the earthly beneath us into the the heavenly within us and reveals our purpose
-Pull-ups with leg raises on the descent)
-Dips with leg raises on the descent
-Spiderman pushups (alternating knee to elbow on descent)
-Bullets
-Jump box
I love the use of Connection for marketing these shoes. The sole of the shoe is the Connection point between our energy and the Earth’s. For years, we’ve tried to dampen that Connection; Merrell is designing shoes that enhance it.
1) Connection is that moment when you go from being an observer of something to an active participant.
2) My favorite body weight exercises are the “cat vomit” ab exercise from the 4 hour body and air squats.
Hi Tim,
I am not sure if the dates are correct below as I got this email on the 13th and deadline was the 12th??? I am a HUGE Merrell fan myself! Owned and had them travelling with me across the globe! Vibram soles ROCK and never wore down which is rare with so rare with so much use.
Anywho, if I still have a chance I would LOVE a new pair…was actually looking at replacing mine so couldn’t be more perfect timing!
I’ll stop rambling and here’s answer to your questions 🙂
– What does “connection” mean to you? – It means when “things” fit, this could be relationships, business or physically. That “A-ha” moment!
– What are your favorite bodyweight-only exercises? – Currently I am loving yoga and swimming, signing up for my 2nd triathlon!
Cheers,
Paula