The Combat Conditioning (CC) exercises, presented by Matt Furey are the Bridge, Hindu Pushups, and Hindu Squats. Hindu pushups and hindu squats have become so common these days that it’s worthless to write yet another article about these two movements.
However, as I was thinking about what new content I could come up with for this site, after writing almost everything there is to write about bodyweight training, I suddenly remembered old Mr. MattFurey and his “Royal Court” of bodyweight exercises.
According to Mr. Furey, his exercises are so powerful that it could transform your physique and strength to levels unseen before. Well, his claims are very outlandish. And as a marketer, many people in the hardcore bodyweight training community were not very fond of him.
However. Mr. Furey did find a very loyal following with individuals who were either brand new to bodyweight training, or were looking for some brand new exercises to incorporate into their training programs. Mr.Furey’s products were/are very expensive compared to the amount of information he was actually offering.
From a marketing standpoint, I must say that he had a pretty big advantage: no one was doing what he was doing. He was introducing a brand new concept, and he was going to sell to anyone who would to listen to him and open up their wallets.
However, in the present day, with numerous bodyweight products floating around in cyber space, are Matt Furey’s methods and exercises really worth taking a look at? The answer is…no. They’re not. I personally do not feel that purchasing a product that shows you only three bodyweight movements will benefit you.
Instead, there are numerous really great products out and training systems out there that show you unique exercises and intense workouts you can perform at home with your own bodyweight. In fact, the bodyweight training has transformed into a new era, with the common person already familiar with the basics of bodyweight exercise.
Unique Training Program vs. Complete Training Program
I would choose a complete training program over a unique training program any day. I feel that people need to first get the big picture with regards to bodyweight training before they can go on to learning new and unique movements.
Think about this: would you rather pay $20 for 200 exercises, methods and training techniques, or would you pay $40 for just 3 basic exercises. I don’t want bits and pieces of information. I want the big picture.
I do, however, credit Matt Furey for “starting” the bodyweight revolution so many years ago. I’ve never purchased any of his products, and never in my right mind would. However, there were numerous reviews of his programs. He was even featured in a few martial arts magazines I used to borrow from my father’s convenience store.
There were enough bodyweight workouts and exercises to keep me occupied at a young age. But again, all this was bits and pieces of knowledge here and there. Anyone who’s ever given an honest review of Mr.Furey’s book has always stated that his system is not the “best training program in the world.”
In fact, Clarence Bass, from Cbass.com wrote, “I’m not prepared to say that his system is better than a combination of weight training and high-intensity aerobics for producing functional strength and endurance, as he suggests, but it definitely deserves a place in a well rounded training program, at least occasionally. I can even see doing his bodyweight exercises exclusively when you need a change of pace, as we all do from time to time, or when traveling.“
Isometric-Training.com says, “Combat Conditioning offers you the bare minimum in bodyweight exercise – many of which are poorly shown. His instructions are skimpy and un-detailed, and the book is littered with adverts for his other products. Do bodyweight exercises work? Yes.
Do the exercises taught in Combat Conditioning work? Yes.
Can you learn these exercises better elsewhere and for cheaper? DEFINITELY!Should YOU buy Combat Conditioning? I wouldn’t! “
According to SFUK Reviews,”Combat Conditioning is a decent book but it’s rather like buying an old computer.”
What you Should Look for in a Bodyweight Training product
On one hand, I feel sorry for everyone who as purchased any of Matt Furey’s products. However, I can see why they bought it: at the time, it was something new and exciting. People didn’t know anything about “hindu” pushups and ancient wrestlers.
They were fascinated by the unique movement of the hindu pushup, and felt somewhat of a connection with ancient Indian wrestlers as they worked out. Well, at least I did. When I was younger, I literally imagined myself as an Indian wrestler, trying to do 1,000’s of repetitions per day (I never quite made it up to that level).
But the point is that there was a lot of story fabrication, lots of intrigue, and lots of…well..marketing. As someone who studies marketing and hopes to become a good marketer in the future, I see the potential for evil with marketing. I mean there are a lot of products out there that are just pure B.S., but are selling because of exceptional marketing.
Some of the products include -
- Red bull energy drink (or all “energy” related products)
- Creatine
- “Low Fat” products
- Fat Burners
- Tae Bo (is that still around?)
- Ab lounge
- Tony Little ( and all of his crappy gadgets).
I can probably go and on and on. But the bottom line is, that there is lots of great marketing selling bad products. But, there’s also some bad marketing trying to sell good products. Finally, there’s good marketing selling good products.
Now, some of the products that I sell on this site have both good and bad marketing. But, all of them are top quality. If they weren’t I wouldn’t be advertising them. Here are a few things you should look at before purchasing any sort of fitness product:
- Read as many reviews of the product as you can before purchasing
- Don’t impulse buy
- Dissect the sales letter. Take a look at each claim made and really ask yourself, “Does this make sense?” If a claim can’t be proven, then it’s probably false or fabricated. The FTC has been cracking down a lot on online products, so you may start to see a lot of shady products being taken down.
- Ignore the testimonials. Testimonials once used to be mean something. However, these days it’s very simple to get random people to write a testimonial for you (just give them a free copy of the product, or get your friends to do it).
- Finally, make sure there’s a clear return policy. I’ve returned a few products that I did not like or felt did not live up to my expectations. However, there are also people floating around that buy a product, then return them right away. I bet there are just as many dishonest consumers as there are dishonest marketers.
Ok, so now that we’ve gotten all that cleared up, it’s time to point you guys in the right direction. One of the better bodyweight products out there is Workout Without Weights. Coach Eddie Lomax shows you over a hundred bodyweight movements you can use to lose fat, build muscle, increase strength, improve athletic fitness, and enhance longevity.
This article features affiliate links to products I endorse. I will receive a portion of the sale if you buy it. See my Disclaimer.
