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To see Bob Backlund return to Monday Night Raw has been a throwback to the character he portrayed early on during his return in the 1990s. Hes intense, driven and almost maniacal in his enthusiasm to Make Darren Young Great Again!In reality, Backlunds the same kind of person off-screen as he has been on-screen since his first WWF run in the 1970s and 80s -- intensely committed to physical fitness and clean living.Backlund is applying that same intensity to a new endeavor, touring the country doing motivational speaking events, where he touts the benefits of physical fitness and living right. Think of him as someone carrying on the tradition of legendary fitness guru Jack LaLanne, only with a bow tie, suspenders and a couple of WWE championships to go along with the presentation.Harvard Step TestBacklund is locked in to providing the highest levels of performance advice to Young on-screen, but hes also eager to spread the message to the youth of the world that being physically active and fit is a goal worth striving for.To really understand why Backlund is so uniquely qualified to preach the advantages of working out, look no further than the Harvard Step Test?and Backlunds continued excellence in performing it.The Step Test consists of stepping up and down on a single 12-inch step at 24 steps per minute for three minutes. It might sound easy, but this test was initially designed during World War II as a way to measure cardiovascular endurance. It can wear out even the most in-shape person in a hurry.This was not the case with Backlund, who was so adept at doing hour-long Step Test workouts that the WWE eventually used it as a promotional tool. Backlund would start doing the test at the beginning of a one-hour show and do it nonstop until the end of the show. The WWE also used the Step Test as an angle between Backlund and Sgt. Slaughter.Backlund recently noted that he actually received a legitimate Step Test challenge from an award-winning marathon runner who saw Backlund doing this exercise in a gym. When the marathoner indicated he thought he could keep up with or surpass Backlund in this type of workout, Backlund smiled and said, You better be ready, because youll actually have to work to do this.Backlund said the runner was able to do the test for about 20 minutes but finally ran out of gas, stopped stepping, turned around and walked out of the gym without saying a word to anyone.This wasnt the only conditioning challenge Backlund has won over the years. In the book The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes & Icons, authors Steven Johnson and Greg Oliver tell a story of a 62-year old Backlund attending a Massachusetts police academy as a guest instructor and proceeding to outwork every recruit in pushups, squats, pullups, situps and leg lifts.His feverish workout pace continues to this day. Backlund indicates he does the Harvard Step Test for 30 minutes a day and could still do it for an hour straight if need be.One-of-a-kind short-arm scissor high spotOne of the ways Backlunds elite constitution helped him in the ring during his days as WWE champion was with a short-arm scissor spot.Watch the clip embedded here on this page, and youll see it in all of its glory. Ivan Koloff put Backlund into a short-arm scissor armlock, Backlund tried to find a way to maneuver out of the hold, and his efforts were to no avail.Thats when his endurance came into play.When somebody gets you into the short-arm scissor, youve got to pick them up, Backlund said. You got to be able to last, too, because youve got to finish the match [once thats done]. Most people would have been gassed just picking [the other wrestler] up. When they have you in the short-arm scissor, they keep you in it for quite a while, and youre fighting to get out. And the more enthusiasm you can do when youre fighting to get out, the better. But if youre not in shape, youre not going to keep up with that rate.And then when you pick them up [to get out of the short-arm scissor], youve got to walk around with them [in the air] and leave them there for a while so the people all see it. Then you go set them on the top rope, give them a slap, then he comes running at you and you backdrop him. Then you give him a body slam and then small-package him or backslide him to try to pin him. Its important to be in shape so you can do the [high spot] at the right level of intensity.There is no such thing as a rest holdBacklunds approach to fitness even helped him take a different kind of position on so-called rest holds than most of the wrestling industry.Youre not resting when you get a hold on [another wrestler], he said. Youre getting the people emotionally involved. Its that guy thats trying to fight to get out of it. The other wrestler would do something to get me into a headlock, maybe by pulling my hair, and I was constantly fighting to get out [of the hold]. Its up to the guy thats in that hold to keep moving. I was trying to make it look like I was trying to figure out how Im going to get out of that hold. Id be always on the move.I dont want to lie around all day and take pills to stay aliveBacklund doesnt view staying in shape as an option -- its a necessity.I have to sleep to stay alive, he said. I have to eat to stay alive. I tell myself I have to work out to stay alive. Im not just staying alive to stay alive, I mean stay alive and live a quality life. One of my biggest things is I dont want to have to lie around all day and take pills to stay alive. And I think working out is a better alternative to some doctor giving me pills all day. I dont want that to happen. Its a big reason I work out.The driving forceBacklund said that his never-ending drive to work out began during a very difficult childhood. He describes in his autobiography?how drinking brought out his fathers violent temper, how it was so bad at one point that Backlunds older brother Norval had to jump in and save their mother from being beaten by their father.This difficult beginning could have driven Backlund in many negative directions, but he instead decided to never capitulate -- his favorite saying -- and chose a route that eventually led him to develop his 18 principles of healthy living. These guidelines include staying in shape, eating the proper foods, maintaining a positive mental attitude, being kind to other people and turning any negative into a positive.The best way to sum up Backlund and his path of positivity is that he decided to be a real-life babyface and not just play one inside of the ring. That hasnt always been the case with wrestlers who portray good guys on-camera over the years, but its a big reason why Backlund stands out as the real deal to this day in an otherwise kayfabe world. Custom Philadelphia 76ers Jerseys . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Custom Washington Wizards Jerseys . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/custom-chelsea-jerseys/ . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Custom Cleveland Cavaliers Jerseys . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Custom Florida Panthers Jerseys . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. CONCORD, N.C. -- Tommy Johnson Jr. took the Funny Car qualifying lead Friday in the NHRA Carolina Nationals, the first race of the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.Johnson pushed his Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car to a zMAX Dragway time record of 3.876 seconds at 323.43 mph. He won this year in Bristol, Tennessee.It just shows how determined they are how much we want this and the Countdown and how on top of it they are, Johnson said. You have to be aggressive and take the championship, you cant wait for it to come your way. RReally happy with the performance and still shocked.ddddddddddddDoug Kalitta led in Top Fuel, Jason Line in Pro Stock, and Jerry Savoie in Pro Stock Motorcycle.Kalitta had a 3.721 at 325.77. He has three victories this year.The top-seeded Line ran a 6.581 at 210.41 in a Chevy Camaro. He also has three victories this year.Savoie had a 6.850 at 195.19 on a Suzuki. The Louisiana alligator is winless this season. ' ' '