Bravado Living

For everyone who wasn't born with a giant claw.

I’m big on knives and I really like a good number of Spyderco products, but one in particular stands out as just the most bad ass. The Spyderco Civilian is that bad ass knife. It reminds me of another Spyderco product, the Harpy, but the Civilian is longer and more wicked looking. Spyderco was actually approached in the 1990s by a specialized branch of U.S. law enforcement about making a knife for their undercover agents, allowing them to carry weapons in situations where a gun would have been too noticeable.

The Civilian is Spyderedged(serrated in the Spyderco pattern) and is really great at slicing. This type of knife is perfect for slicing through fishing line, rope, netting, giant spiderwebs, seat belts, things like that. It rides deep in the pocket thanks to a custom curved black clip and is mounted for tip-down carry. We also can’t overlook that the overall design of the blade is scary as hell. It looks like a demon eagle talon or something along those lines. And intimidation is half the fight. Visually, its also beautiful. I really enjoy the very deep curves and the fullness at the belly. I also like the classic little Spyderco hole in the blade, which makes it much easier to open the blade without taking away from the aesthetics. The blade is usually available in limited quantities and costs around $270. I would advise anyone who purchases this blade to handle it very carefully because it can really leave a nasty cut.

Buy it here.

Popularity: 7% [?]

If fighting techniques had a Hollywood, then let me tell you that The Flying Armbar would definitely be an A-lister. It’s a variation of the judo move juji-gatame which, despite its fancy name is simply an arm lock where you secure an opponents wrist and arm by squeezing it through your thighs and pulling. Take the simple effectiveness of such move and then force-feed it dynamite, and that is what the flying armbar is like. By tightly holding the opponent’s neck and arm, the attacker puts one of his or their shins against the opponents midsection, and leans up on the opponent; at the same time, the attacker swings the leg on the same side as the opponent’s collar tie over the opponents head. Game over.

This is the type of move that either makes or breaks a fight. Very tricky to pull off, attempting it could leave you vulnerable from several angles. Successfully pulling it off means your opponent has two options: submit immediately or get their arm broken and then submit. Size and strength can affect how easy the move is pull off, they mean little once the move is accomplished.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Beach season has arrived and it’s time to slip out of the button-downs and blazers and show off the guns. Thankfully the new P90x workout promises to get you “absolutely ripped in just 90 days”, so you can be strutting your stuff with confidence. It pretty much consists of about twelve different workouts, a nutritional regimen, and supplement options.

P90x’s secret weapon is the concept of “muscle confusion”. Usually we try to avoid getting confused, but according to the workout, by constantly introducing new moves and routines, you can sidestep hitting a plateau. This is what let’s you shred so much excess body fat. Just so you know, this isn’t your grandma’s workout program, it’s for people with at least some sort of physical conditioning who want to take it to the next level.

Be forewarned, this is very tough. Anyone who gets winded after climbing stairs or can’t do more than 50 consecutive push ups should stick to yoga class. Get it with the iron gym pull up bar and you’ll never need to go to the gym again. Also, as much as we love Amazon, buy this from the official site, there are a lot of knockoff dvd’s being sold from 3rd party vendors.

BUY IT P90X Home Fitness System $150

Popularity: 11% [?]