That 1 Individual That Changed My Way Of Thinking And Training (and from MANY others)

I remember that a year ago, one night I was just scrolling on YouTube, trying to find ways to work out as the gyms were closed because of the pandemic. I came across a channel from a U.S. marine called the Iron Wolf and this man has changed my life. 

I saw him doing insane amounts of push-ups, pull-ups military style burpees and other body weight exercises in his videos which literally blew my mind. Over a 1000 burpees or push-ups is very common for him. Rest is extremely limited to none and the tempo is very high. I seriously did not know that one could be capable of this - and it got me. But let us first talk about who is the Iron Wolf.

Who is the Iron Wolf?

"My name is Arthur Schwartz Berg and I'm a Russian immigrant. I came to the United States when I was 7 years old. My parents moved to Brooklyn New York after the fall of the Soviet Union, because like all immigrants they want to make a better life for themselves. 

So, we came to Brooklyn New York and that's kind of where my story really starts. When people ask me where I'm from, I usually say I'm from Brooklyn. I Love New York! I grew up there. That's what's home to me. That's where most of my memories are from.

I'm not gonna talk much about my teenage years, because I wasn't really doing the right thing and it's nothing to be proud of. I was a little sh*thead and getting into a lot of trouble. I wasn't doing the right thing. I wasn't hanging out with the right people, that cliche kind of stuff.

So I wanted to make a better change and I needed discipline as well. I had no direction so I decided to join the Marine Corps. One of the things that attracted me to the Marine Corps is that Marines were always known for their high level of physical fitness and to me that's very important. It's a very important characteristic, because people who are physically fit most usually all the time have a high level discipline and commitment. High levels of physical fitness is not easy to sustain! It's something that you have to do on a daily basis and it's kind of like they say "if you don't use it you lose it".

I really started to become a practitioner of calisthenics during my first deployment to Gnawa district in Afghanistan in 2009. I was with 1st battalion 5th Marines Bravo Company. We were at a Forward Operating Base and there was no gym. It's nothing like that. You're in the middle of nowhere with things called Hesco barriers - they're filled with sand and sandbags around, and you're patrolling from there. You're living from there and that's it.

We built a pull-up bar and a dip bar to continue to maintain a high level of physical fitness. That's when calisthenics really came into my life, because that's all we had. So me and the Marines, we just started cranking out pull-ups, push-ups, dips, burpees, of course the Marine Corps 8-count bodybuilder (a variation of the burpee) and all the calisthenics we used to do.

I still realize that I didn't lose my physical fitness that I thought I would, because at that time this was over 10 years ago. I used to lift weight, and then I thought that also you needed weights to be in shape. I thought you needed weights to get a good workout, but then of course I quickly learned that you didn't. From that deployment to Afghanistan I continued to do calisthenics, and I'm a reps and sets kind of guy. I love high rep calisthenics. I'm a practitioner of high rep workouts and I believe that repetition is the key to excellence.

You have to do something hundreds and thousands of times to actually be good at it. You got to be consistent, and you have to hammer in muscle memory, consistency, and get really good at doing that stuff by actually doing it daily. It becomes an art! It almost becomes like an obsession and in a way for me, training is a healthy obsession. So I've been practicing calisthenics since then and I'm continuing to do it now.

Right now I'm heavily focused on the burpees, but I can do it all. I could do pull-ups, push-ups, dips. I work out the legs, I'd do one-legged squats (the pistol-squat), I can do muscle ups, one-handed push-ups - I could do it all. I can do different styles of burpees and that's what makes me who I am, because I can adapt to any style. I could do the strict style, I can do the CrossFit style, I can do the prison style - it doesn't matter to me. It's all training and I don't discriminate against any style. I don't really have a style per se. I do what gets me a good workout and to me that's the most important thing. Calisthenics are king! They're the number one thing you could do, and you should be doing. You should be training!

I'm currently serving in the Marine Corps and calisthenics have been a great key to success in my progression. The Marine Corps as well, because leadership -> you have to lead from the front and if you're out of shape it's really hard to be credible with your Marines. So when I step out in front of them and we're cranking out reps together, they see that the Gunny is doing the reps! I'm not just saying "Hey, do this X amount of reps!" I'm actually doing it. I'm leading from the front, and I'm setting the example. That's what's important to me as well." 

Source: YouTube.

A BIG inspiration

For me and thousands of other people, this individual is a massive source of inspiration and information. The knowledge and routines he shares on his YouTube channel are very valuable to those who are looking to achieve a high level of fitness. 

When the gyms were closed because of the pandemic, YouTube's algorithm has led me to the Iron Wolf and I started doing burpees as well. At first, I must admit, I thought it was easy. A 1-pump burpee - just a burpee with one push-up. I thought I could do hundreds of those, but I have never been so wrong (typing this with a smile on my face). 

When I tried one of his routines for the first time, I couldn't even stand 5 minutes. I was exhausted and totally surprised. "What the h*ll is this? What's happening here?". I thought I was in shape, but I had to think again. Then my respect grew to this man, as I realized his workouts are insane. 

This situation gave me a huge boost, because it was so challenging (and it still is). I used to practice Muay-Thai in the past and those training-sessions were also incredibly heavy (sometimes until vomiting), but this high rep calisthenic-type of workouts are making me feel like that as well. 

As I progressed through my journey of this way of working out, I realized that I definitely do not need to lift weights to get stronger and to get in shape. I got completely hooked, and I even quit my gym membership. All thanks to this one man for which I am truly grateful. 

Not only workout routines, but also warm-ups, cooling downs, nutrition advice and much more things are to find on the Iron Wolf's YouTube channel. One BIG inspiration!

Way of Life

I am actually still a beginner in this calisthenics-thingy as I am practicing it for a year, but it has become a way of life for me. The challenge I experience during these type of workouts and the mental toughness it requires are things I value a lot. They do not only help me to become more physically fit, but it's helpful in many areas of life. It has helped me to become more disciplined, determined, pay more attention to my nutrition, to be a man of accountability and that's maybe the most important. What is your worth if you cannot rely on yourself? If I say to myself before a workout that I will do 300 push-ups, I will complete them - no matter what. Being able to count on yourself is extremely important and will not only be important in your fitness journey, but also on your life journey. Be a man/woman of your word and do the things you say you do. 

The Iron Wolf shows this way of life on his channel. He leads the way through every workout counting every rep and makes sure that the last rep goes as smooth as the first. Always pays attention to proper form and high tempo. In my opinion, there's NO better PT (personal trainer) available on YouTube's platform. 

Make sure you check out his channel and try some of his workouts. They are gruesome but will be satisfying and challenging for sure. You WILL definitely sweat and have a tough time, just like working out supposed to be. 

You probably will be seeing more blog posts from him as an information/inspiration source on this blog as I want to learn more from him. If I want to get better at all this, I gotta study it and he is the best teacher.

Salute to the Wolf Pack and to the master himself!