Tabata: Japanese for fat loss?
Thu, Jul 26 2012 02:14
| fat loss, kettlebells, cardio, stamina, weightlifting, training, keep fit, exercise, fitness, conditioning
| Permalink
This summer I’ve dropped about 4kgs in standing weight. That doesn’t include fluctuations in water weight, but does include the extra muscle mass I’ve gained too. At the centre of that have been Tabata circuits, a system of training devised to train Japanese athletes in a short amount of time. They’ve been around for a while and reasonably popular for a few years now.
The basic principle is one of short bursts of high intensity activity cycled with brief periods of rest. The standard model is 8 repetitions of 20 seconds at high intensity and 10 seconds of rest per each cycle. This is followed by a minutes rest. A ratio of 2:1 intensity over rest seems to work perfectly although lengthening the times will make it hard to keep the pace up.
You can pick one exercise per circuit, or two, although personally I like to do four after a circuit of purely skipping to get warmed up.
How you structure your circuits will depend on what equipment you have, your goals and where you train. I like to keep mine very simple and use a skipping rope, 16kg Kettlebell and a 3kg medicine ball. With just those three things I can run through dozens of exercises. If you have the equipment though there’s no reason you can’t set out a whole gym with any number of stations!
The important factor to plan is the order of exercises and what they are targeting. For example, you might want to structure a circuit as follows:
Kettlebell swings – Med ball squats – Clean and Press – Skipping
This allows you to work the cardiovascular system and target the largest muscle groups. Building lean muscle and burning fat for longer.
You can also choose to make the circuit harder by focussing on one side of the body at a time e.g. left handed Kettlebell exercises on the first time and then do the same on the right hand side as four stations means two reps of each exercise.
Alternatively you can add in extra exercises as long as you have 8 of them to complete each circuit. Classic bodyweight stuff such as press ups, core work, shadowboxing, burpees are all excellent ways to burn more calories. Likewise a medicine ball can be thrown, pressed, rotated in many different ways to challenge muscle groups and flexibility. Perhaps add in four core exercises if you are strengthening your midsection or save them for a circuit of their own.
How you structure your circuits will depend on what equipment you have, your goals and where you train. I like to keep mine very simple and use a skipping rope, 16kg Kettlebell and a 3kg medicine ball. With just those three things I can run through dozens of exercises. If you have the equipment though there’s no reason you can’t set out a whole gym with any number of stations!
The important factor to plan is the order of exercises and what they are targeting. For example, you might want to structure a circuit as follows:
Kettlebell swings – Med ball squats – Clean and Press – Skipping
This allows you to work the cardiovascular system and target the largest muscle groups. Building lean muscle and burning fat for longer.
You can also choose to make the circuit harder by focussing on one side of the body at a time e.g. left handed Kettlebell exercises on the first time and then do the same on the right hand side as four stations means two reps of each exercise.
Alternatively you can add in extra exercises as long as you have 8 of them to complete each circuit. Classic bodyweight stuff such as press ups, core work, shadowboxing, burpees are all excellent ways to burn more calories. Likewise a medicine ball can be thrown, pressed, rotated in many different ways to challenge muscle groups and flexibility. Perhaps add in four core exercises if you are strengthening your midsection or save them for a circuit of their own.
This might give a circuit that looks like this:
Set 1 | Kettlebell swings | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 2 | Sit ups | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 3 | Med Ball Squats | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 4 | Leg raises | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 5 | Clean and Press | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 6 | Wrestler’s Bridges | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 7 | Skipping | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 8 | Jab Cross Sit ups | Rest 10 seconds |
The principles of Tabata are important. If you spend that 20 seconds ambling through bicep curls, there’s little point. If however you are going so hard and fast you can’t talk you’re doing it right. The beauty is you can then do as many circuits as you like. I tend to do a minimum of 6 if I’m short of time and up to 10. You want to work intensely so any more than that and you might need to up the resistance with bigger weights.
You can also change the exercises each circuit to stop you getting bored or work more areas. The choice is really up to you. Even the skipping rope allows you to perform a multitude of variations, unless like me you’re still mastering the basics!
There’s no reason why you can’t train with a partner and then add in partner exercises such as padwork, wrestling drills, partner lifts (piggybacks, wheelbarrows etc). You also get the added benefits of motivation and support.
Afterwards a warm down of stretching, yoga or a foam roller workout is a good way to break down lactic acid and make sure you’re not too stiff the day after. You’ll find out how much you can do and how quickly you improve your fitness. Two of these circuits a week alongside regular training will definitely give you results when done correctly. Just remember diet and rest will have the biggest influence on your progress alongside these exercises.
A simple workout
Sat, Nov 26 2011 02:42
| stamina, sport, health, fighters, strength, stretching, MMA, martial arts, power, cardio, weightlifting, exercise, Wing Tsun Kung fu, fitness, flexibility, martial arts Altrincham, sparring, conditioning
| Permalink
I've been already toying with my January ritual of getting back into shape and healthy. It seems another year older, another year wiser, another year of good intentions.
I'm the first to admit my willpower and discipline when it comes to diet, exercise and tipping myself that extra 5% or so into being more athletic. The demands of martial arts are sometimes a heavy burden - especially if you let them be. However as a teacher, as somone who practices more than just casually it is perhaps reaosnable that I should set by example.
With this in mind I've been reinventing the wheel so to speak. None of these exercises are particularly complicated, fancy or specific. They are however demanding, effective and designed to promote muscle growth, fat loss and improved performance.
The first concept relates to what. What should I work? The answer as always is as much as possible. Big muscles groups utilising as many joints as possible.
By dividing the body in half to upper and lower, and then in half again to front and back I am able to isolate large muscle groups to focus on each set and rotate them to avoid muscle fatigue and lactic acid build up.
The principle of alternating the upper body one set with the lower body the next, combined with alternating front of body exercies with the back of body exercises means you only have to choose four exercises and the order is dictated by the first one you choose.
The next answer is how much? My response depends on your own aims and preference on volume. For me the German system of 10x10 sets x reps and my preference of using light/body weight is ideal. This can be played with though if you want to bulk up; drop the numbers and increase the weight. If you want to up endurance and leaness up the numbers and drop the weight (ideally bodyweight only).
Here's a guidline to one 8 week rotation: I use a 12kg Kettlebell, a 40lb resistance cable and my own bodyweight.
Day 1:
Lower back: Clean and Press with KB swing (5 Left and 5 Right)
Upper Front: Press Ups
Lower Front: Sumo Squats (KB in upturned grip)
Upper Back: Lat Pull Downs
Day 2:
5 x 2min rounds of shadowboxing
30 seconds rest
Day 3:
Lower Back: Sprawl and tuck jump
Upper Front: Press Ups
Lower Front: Kettlebell Lunges (5 Left 5 Right)
Upper Back: Bent Over Rows
Day 4: Rest
Day 5:
Lower Back: One Arm Deadlift (5 Left 5 Right)
Upper Front: Crusher Bicep Curls (press the palms into the bell of the KB and curl)
Lower Front: Hindu Squats
Upper Back: Tricep Pull Downs
Day 6 & 7: Rest
Start each workout with a light cardio set to raise the pulse - finish with an all over set of stretching.
If an exercise is too difficult, painful STOP! If you can't finish your sets without puking/wanting to puke/decent form STOP! Don't do long term harm learn what your body can do and respond to it.
Let me know what you think. Where improvements can be made. What you'd change.
Happy training!
I'm the first to admit my willpower and discipline when it comes to diet, exercise and tipping myself that extra 5% or so into being more athletic. The demands of martial arts are sometimes a heavy burden - especially if you let them be. However as a teacher, as somone who practices more than just casually it is perhaps reaosnable that I should set by example.
With this in mind I've been reinventing the wheel so to speak. None of these exercises are particularly complicated, fancy or specific. They are however demanding, effective and designed to promote muscle growth, fat loss and improved performance.
The first concept relates to what. What should I work? The answer as always is as much as possible. Big muscles groups utilising as many joints as possible.
By dividing the body in half to upper and lower, and then in half again to front and back I am able to isolate large muscle groups to focus on each set and rotate them to avoid muscle fatigue and lactic acid build up.
The principle of alternating the upper body one set with the lower body the next, combined with alternating front of body exercies with the back of body exercises means you only have to choose four exercises and the order is dictated by the first one you choose.
The next answer is how much? My response depends on your own aims and preference on volume. For me the German system of 10x10 sets x reps and my preference of using light/body weight is ideal. This can be played with though if you want to bulk up; drop the numbers and increase the weight. If you want to up endurance and leaness up the numbers and drop the weight (ideally bodyweight only).
Here's a guidline to one 8 week rotation: I use a 12kg Kettlebell, a 40lb resistance cable and my own bodyweight.
Day 1:
Lower back: Clean and Press with KB swing (5 Left and 5 Right)
Upper Front: Press Ups
Lower Front: Sumo Squats (KB in upturned grip)
Upper Back: Lat Pull Downs
Day 2:
5 x 2min rounds of shadowboxing
30 seconds rest
Day 3:
Lower Back: Sprawl and tuck jump
Upper Front: Press Ups
Lower Front: Kettlebell Lunges (5 Left 5 Right)
Upper Back: Bent Over Rows
Day 4: Rest
Day 5:
Lower Back: One Arm Deadlift (5 Left 5 Right)
Upper Front: Crusher Bicep Curls (press the palms into the bell of the KB and curl)
Lower Front: Hindu Squats
Upper Back: Tricep Pull Downs
Day 6 & 7: Rest
Start each workout with a light cardio set to raise the pulse - finish with an all over set of stretching.
If an exercise is too difficult, painful STOP! If you can't finish your sets without puking/wanting to puke/decent form STOP! Don't do long term harm learn what your body can do and respond to it.
Let me know what you think. Where improvements can be made. What you'd change.
Happy training!
The 3 planes of movement
Fri, Jan 28 2011 01:01
| kettlebells, calisthenics, martial arts, weightlifting, exercise, practice, martial arts Altrincham, fitness
| Permalink
As far as I'm concerned there are (shock horror) 3 types of movement that are relevant to exercise for everyone but especially martial artists. They are as follows: pushing, pulling and rotation. The first two are perhaps the most obvious and well known in terms of lifting weights whilst the third - rotation might seem more applicable to things like stretching. However when training for martial arts it's important to recognise that we don't move in short static ranges of motion.
The true benefit of the bench press or deadlift for example, are in the bulk they add to our muscles and strain they place on our endocrine skeleton. The fact they tax more than one set of joints and release hormones into our bloodstream aiding growth and development is important, but they are not the only tools we need to add to our regimens to really succeed.
To truly test our bodies and apply more realistic challenges to our muscles it is important that every time we exercise, either in training, or the gym, we appreciate these fundamental types of movement. When we assume IRAS we 'pull' on our quadriceps and lengthen our spine, similarly we 'pull' on our lats and rotate our forearms when using tan sau. Without one the effect is lost and the structure of our shapes and movements fail.
The same concepts must be recognised when lifting weights. To truly recruit as many muscle fibres as possible and in a useful way it is important to use "multi-plane" movements. What that means in layman's terms is that we musn't just pull a dumbbell up and down, contracting our biceps to feel good and build trophy muscles.
Every week at least you should be looking to perform functional lifts. To lift a weighty object of some sort from the floor to our chest or even above our head for example. The concept of clean and press is massively taxing but works muscles and joints from toe to top whether it's a barbell, two dumbbells or something more exotic like a sandbag it matters not. As long as the lift is practised safely it will tax your body and build truly useful strength and balance over time. This is crucial for fighting - whether it's dealing with the deadweight of an adversary, or adjusting your own position under pressure and tension during conflict the benefits are obvious if you give this kind of work a chance, once a week, for a few weeks.
Similarly taking something like the humble sit up you can up the difficulty and benefits by adding a "twist". You'll probably have seen people sitting up and twisting towards one knee or using a swiss ball to challenge their core stability and wondering why. The simple answer is - it's harder! It tests your resourcefulness, strength and stability and will up your output and fitness quickly and powerfully. I like to perform a jab cross combo at the top of a sit up. With your lower body anchored it places extra stretches to the arms and upper body, increases the exercise with a slight cardio element and keeps you focussed and occupied during an endless set of ab work.
For those who are really looking for something difficult the kettlebell is a of course great place to look. It's off centre balance and abilty to be swung, pushed, pulled and flipped in a multitude of ways incorporates everything I've been talking about. However think about performing lifts with a weight in each hand. It allows the flexibilty to add rotations to a lift eg twist to one side as you perform a shoulder press and do the same on the other side. It also allows you to link lifts together eg bicep curl to shoulder press to squat. Imagine the concept of varients of a burpee with weights and you'll get the right idea.
Look to change direction, change the type of motion and finally change the muscle group or body part under tension with each link of the chain as it were. Do some research, experiment without wieghts or at least tiny wieghts at first and see how creative you can be.
If you like some ideas feel free to let me know but here's a few "chains" if you will, I really like.
Clean and press: Deadlift, clean the barbell to shoulders, pause, press above the head. Very difficult and gets the sweat pouring!
Abs-1-2: As you sit up throw a strong jab over the right knee followed swiftly by a cross over the left. Be sure to breathe out (I snort "1-2!" as I do it) and get a full twist of the torso into this one. It works the obliques which run under the ribs beside what most people think of as your abs and are criminally under worked by most.
Manmaker to press: Hold yourself in press up position. Pull the dumbell upwards in one hand as if performing a one armed row. Brace yourself on the planted arm and twist the torso 90 degrees with the rowed weight on top. Press out and directly upwards with your shoulder under the dumbell supporting it. The body should be in one straight diagonal line from the toes to the head with the weight raised directly upwards. Return the weight to the body, rotate backwards and return to the original press up position. Repeat on the other side.
The true benefit of the bench press or deadlift for example, are in the bulk they add to our muscles and strain they place on our endocrine skeleton. The fact they tax more than one set of joints and release hormones into our bloodstream aiding growth and development is important, but they are not the only tools we need to add to our regimens to really succeed.
To truly test our bodies and apply more realistic challenges to our muscles it is important that every time we exercise, either in training, or the gym, we appreciate these fundamental types of movement. When we assume IRAS we 'pull' on our quadriceps and lengthen our spine, similarly we 'pull' on our lats and rotate our forearms when using tan sau. Without one the effect is lost and the structure of our shapes and movements fail.
The same concepts must be recognised when lifting weights. To truly recruit as many muscle fibres as possible and in a useful way it is important to use "multi-plane" movements. What that means in layman's terms is that we musn't just pull a dumbbell up and down, contracting our biceps to feel good and build trophy muscles.
Every week at least you should be looking to perform functional lifts. To lift a weighty object of some sort from the floor to our chest or even above our head for example. The concept of clean and press is massively taxing but works muscles and joints from toe to top whether it's a barbell, two dumbbells or something more exotic like a sandbag it matters not. As long as the lift is practised safely it will tax your body and build truly useful strength and balance over time. This is crucial for fighting - whether it's dealing with the deadweight of an adversary, or adjusting your own position under pressure and tension during conflict the benefits are obvious if you give this kind of work a chance, once a week, for a few weeks.
Similarly taking something like the humble sit up you can up the difficulty and benefits by adding a "twist". You'll probably have seen people sitting up and twisting towards one knee or using a swiss ball to challenge their core stability and wondering why. The simple answer is - it's harder! It tests your resourcefulness, strength and stability and will up your output and fitness quickly and powerfully. I like to perform a jab cross combo at the top of a sit up. With your lower body anchored it places extra stretches to the arms and upper body, increases the exercise with a slight cardio element and keeps you focussed and occupied during an endless set of ab work.
For those who are really looking for something difficult the kettlebell is a of course great place to look. It's off centre balance and abilty to be swung, pushed, pulled and flipped in a multitude of ways incorporates everything I've been talking about. However think about performing lifts with a weight in each hand. It allows the flexibilty to add rotations to a lift eg twist to one side as you perform a shoulder press and do the same on the other side. It also allows you to link lifts together eg bicep curl to shoulder press to squat. Imagine the concept of varients of a burpee with weights and you'll get the right idea.
Look to change direction, change the type of motion and finally change the muscle group or body part under tension with each link of the chain as it were. Do some research, experiment without wieghts or at least tiny wieghts at first and see how creative you can be.
If you like some ideas feel free to let me know but here's a few "chains" if you will, I really like.
Clean and press: Deadlift, clean the barbell to shoulders, pause, press above the head. Very difficult and gets the sweat pouring!
Abs-1-2: As you sit up throw a strong jab over the right knee followed swiftly by a cross over the left. Be sure to breathe out (I snort "1-2!" as I do it) and get a full twist of the torso into this one. It works the obliques which run under the ribs beside what most people think of as your abs and are criminally under worked by most.
Manmaker to press: Hold yourself in press up position. Pull the dumbell upwards in one hand as if performing a one armed row. Brace yourself on the planted arm and twist the torso 90 degrees with the rowed weight on top. Press out and directly upwards with your shoulder under the dumbell supporting it. The body should be in one straight diagonal line from the toes to the head with the weight raised directly upwards. Return the weight to the body, rotate backwards and return to the original press up position. Repeat on the other side.
Going it alone
Sun, Aug 15 2010 11:44
| gym, martial arts, weightlifting, training, exercise, Wing Tsun Kung fu, basic, martial arts Altrincham, fitness
| Permalink
Quite often students are faced with a real quandary – what can I do at home and away from training to improve? Some people become confused, anxious and demotivated by the prospect of training by themselves or away from class without my best shouting voice and direction to guide them. In all seriousness, it can be a make or break area for some people. So how can you solve it?
Basics, basics, basics! Spend a few spare minutes practising the following:
1.Stance: Open and close IRAS stance a few times and get used to standing in it. Don't look at your feet, keep your head up and look to be relaxed and smooth in your movements
2.Footwork: Run through all 8 basic steps in turn. Once happy you can execute all of them look to link them together in sequences of your choosing. Then see if you can switch between all of them without hesitating or stopping to think.
3.Hand-shapes: See how many of the 8 basics hand-shapes you can remember (without looking at the list further down the page!). Drill them front on without turns. Once satisfied run through them with turns. Always check your weight is on the right foot, your shapes are correct and in line with your centre, make sure punches are pointed towards your imaginary attacker!
4.Form: This is the thing that most people get worried about. 'What if I training things wrong? What if I'm developing bad habits?” is the most common form of protest. I always advise students that if they are turning up to training regularly it is my job as their teacher to pick up on 'mistakes' in anything they do. I'd much rather correct students who have worked hard on their form than those or shy away from practice – just in case!
Remember no one is ever going to chastise you for practising and going the extra mile. If anything it's dedication like this I admire and earns students respect from teachers and peers alike as it really shows when someone is hard at it, paying their dues.
A few things that can help training at home include, using a mirror now and again to check your work. This comes with a note of caution though. Don't rely on your glassy friend, the mirror can sometimes distort and mislead your movements at high speed so using it sparingly rather than as a crutch.
When you're waiting for the kettle to boil or the dinner to be ready then instead of standing idle practice any of the above. Please be aware if it's your turn to make the tea at work chucking out your Siu Num Tau in the canteen can get mixed reactions so be prepared for all comers and their reactions!
If you're not sure about going it alone – don't! Talk to your buddies at class and arrange to get together somewhere and practice together. Work on your weaknesses and go over what you did in class that week. See if your partner can offer you insights and advice and vice versa. Sometimes word gets around you can be finding a whole group of you are in the park doing your homework from class regularly! I've known it to happen.
Get fitter, get leaner and get meaner! I love to exercise, not many people do but anything that gets me sweaty, red and panting (diseases aside) are fine by me. Work on your all round fitness when you get the chance. Try to find functional exercises that will improve your WT. I've given you ideas elsewhere in the blog but take some time to consider these questions:
What are my aims? What am I good at? What do I need to work on?
If you're strong as an ox is it useful to bench press day in day out? Why not see how far you can run, how fast, how often? Interval runs are the best for fighters of any background. Jog for 3 minutes and then sprint for 30 seconds. Do this for 10-15 minutes and that's a kick-ass cardio workout right there. Increase the speeds and resistance on the treadmill or find a hill in your local park if it's too easy.
Calisthenics are your friend! Squat, push up and sit up your way to a stronger smarter body! Find out why the warriors of old put so much stock in these take anywhere essentials. I doubt the Spartans worried about how they looked in a vest or what swiss ball matched their sandals!
Try some iron! See what you can do with a few free weights or machines. Pick up some exercises that relate to your movements in WT. Beef up jut saus with your lat pull down bar. Grab a bench and a dumbell and pull up a few kgs with bent over rows as if freeing your arms from a ground-fight! The choices are endless and limitless really. Pick things that are areas of particular concern and weakness and try and even them out. If you're not sure ask the staff at your gym, ask you teacher, even google it!
Either way the main thing is to be excited and interested in what you do. If you're not feeling it don't train it. If you're getting lost ask teacher! I'm not sure about over schools but I'm not on a meter and always happy to answer questions and discuss the art I love. Hopefully you've got a teacher you can approach when you need it – I would say though always make sure you've tried something before seeking help. If you've not given it a go there's little anyone can do to improve it for you. All in all just do it as the people of Nike like to say. What have you got to lose after all?
Basics, basics, basics! Spend a few spare minutes practising the following:
1.Stance: Open and close IRAS stance a few times and get used to standing in it. Don't look at your feet, keep your head up and look to be relaxed and smooth in your movements
2.Footwork: Run through all 8 basic steps in turn. Once happy you can execute all of them look to link them together in sequences of your choosing. Then see if you can switch between all of them without hesitating or stopping to think.
3.Hand-shapes: See how many of the 8 basics hand-shapes you can remember (without looking at the list further down the page!). Drill them front on without turns. Once satisfied run through them with turns. Always check your weight is on the right foot, your shapes are correct and in line with your centre, make sure punches are pointed towards your imaginary attacker!
4.Form: This is the thing that most people get worried about. 'What if I training things wrong? What if I'm developing bad habits?” is the most common form of protest. I always advise students that if they are turning up to training regularly it is my job as their teacher to pick up on 'mistakes' in anything they do. I'd much rather correct students who have worked hard on their form than those or shy away from practice – just in case!
Remember no one is ever going to chastise you for practising and going the extra mile. If anything it's dedication like this I admire and earns students respect from teachers and peers alike as it really shows when someone is hard at it, paying their dues.
A few things that can help training at home include, using a mirror now and again to check your work. This comes with a note of caution though. Don't rely on your glassy friend, the mirror can sometimes distort and mislead your movements at high speed so using it sparingly rather than as a crutch.
When you're waiting for the kettle to boil or the dinner to be ready then instead of standing idle practice any of the above. Please be aware if it's your turn to make the tea at work chucking out your Siu Num Tau in the canteen can get mixed reactions so be prepared for all comers and their reactions!
If you're not sure about going it alone – don't! Talk to your buddies at class and arrange to get together somewhere and practice together. Work on your weaknesses and go over what you did in class that week. See if your partner can offer you insights and advice and vice versa. Sometimes word gets around you can be finding a whole group of you are in the park doing your homework from class regularly! I've known it to happen.
Get fitter, get leaner and get meaner! I love to exercise, not many people do but anything that gets me sweaty, red and panting (diseases aside) are fine by me. Work on your all round fitness when you get the chance. Try to find functional exercises that will improve your WT. I've given you ideas elsewhere in the blog but take some time to consider these questions:
What are my aims? What am I good at? What do I need to work on?
If you're strong as an ox is it useful to bench press day in day out? Why not see how far you can run, how fast, how often? Interval runs are the best for fighters of any background. Jog for 3 minutes and then sprint for 30 seconds. Do this for 10-15 minutes and that's a kick-ass cardio workout right there. Increase the speeds and resistance on the treadmill or find a hill in your local park if it's too easy.
Calisthenics are your friend! Squat, push up and sit up your way to a stronger smarter body! Find out why the warriors of old put so much stock in these take anywhere essentials. I doubt the Spartans worried about how they looked in a vest or what swiss ball matched their sandals!
Try some iron! See what you can do with a few free weights or machines. Pick up some exercises that relate to your movements in WT. Beef up jut saus with your lat pull down bar. Grab a bench and a dumbell and pull up a few kgs with bent over rows as if freeing your arms from a ground-fight! The choices are endless and limitless really. Pick things that are areas of particular concern and weakness and try and even them out. If you're not sure ask the staff at your gym, ask you teacher, even google it!
Either way the main thing is to be excited and interested in what you do. If you're not feeling it don't train it. If you're getting lost ask teacher! I'm not sure about over schools but I'm not on a meter and always happy to answer questions and discuss the art I love. Hopefully you've got a teacher you can approach when you need it – I would say though always make sure you've tried something before seeking help. If you've not given it a go there's little anyone can do to improve it for you. All in all just do it as the people of Nike like to say. What have you got to lose after all?
The Building Blocks
Sun, Jan 10 2010 01:51
| kettlebells, calisthenics, martial arts, cardio, weightlifting, health, exercise, Wing Tsun Kung fu, martial arts Altrincham, fitness
| Permalink
In my last entry I talked about the relevance of fitness and exercise to martial artists and tried to illustrate my belief in its necessity. I spent many years training badly, training infrequently and training the wrong stuff with good intentions.
I’m glad to say I can pass on a little bit of what I learnt through my own endeavour to you and illustrate my logic and thoughts as to why you need to know this stuff.
In this blog exercise falls into two large categories that can be dissected further: cardio vascular and resistance. The first deals with exercise designed to burn fat, increase all round endurance and improve traditional ideas of fitness. Examples include running, cycling, rowing, alongside many sports. Resistance work includes weightlifting, calisthenics (bodyweight exercises) and weapon training.
Each type of exercise has its own benefits and place in the routines of martial artists and neither must be neglected. I spent years ignoring my CV work to my determent focussing on weights and routines designed for body sculpting not performance. It hindered my martial arts training and didn’t give me the results I wanted.
I knew that increased muscle mass burns more calories and therefore fat per hour. However I didn’t realise that cardio not only strips off fat much faster but it adds to muscle mass and definition too!
In short I broke the golden rule of ignoring my weaknesses and stayed secure working on what I was good at/enjoyed.
So what exactly should you be doing? Of course this is an individual answer and depends on what your needs are. If like me you try to train/teach martial arts 5 or 6 sometimes even 7 days a week fitting in other training can be tough and dangerously taxing.
I believe in doing a lot in short bursts, it gets faster results and is mimics the stresses of fighting with short bursts of intense activity. How many people claim to take up “jogging” and then bitch about a lack of success in losing weight?
If you amble around at a medium intensity like a Lycra clad bovine it is unlikely you’ll achieve much. If you hit the gym hard and with focus for 20-30mins and are breathing sweat out of your ears you’ll soon see results! On top of that it speeds up your metabolism and digestive system in processing food avoiding calories becoming fat and stops you over-working muscles so that they become catabolic (break down), injured and testosterone levels get used up rather than used to build muscle.
I tend to cross train and mix up routines. So typically I warm up with cardio, running and jumping on the spot before shadow boxing in 3 minute “rounds” pausing long enough to get my breath and sip some water.
I then mix sets of specific weight exercises, calisthenics and more cardio before finishing on a chin up bar with some pulls-ups, leg raises and then a “hang” to stretch my muscles and bones back out!
Here is a typical list of exercises that you should work on perfecting:
Whole Body (I include all cardio in this section)
• Clean and Press
• Kettlebell Swing
• Dead lift
• Hindu press ups
• Hindu Squats
Upper Body
• Pull-up
• Press up
• Bench Press
• Bent-over Row
• Military Press
Lower Body
• Squat
• Lunges
• Tuck Jumps
Core/Abs
• Janda sit-ups
• Leg raises
• Medicine Ball Twists
If you do not know what any or all of these exercises are then do a little bit of research. You will notice that by and large they are what are known as ‘compound’ exercises which work more than one joint at a time and very large muscle groups.
This adds bulk, tests the muscles you will use fighting not just sculpting trophy muscles and release much larger quantities of testosterone and other hormones into the body to promote better results. It also means that you target quicker long lasting gains rather than trying to perfect tricky and irrelevant exercises.
I would recommend 3 sessions a week as a rough guide and add more depending on results, tiredness and dedication. Anymore than that and you must be careful not to over-train and undo all of your hard work.
If you are a slight and want to gain lots of muscles I recommend the following work out with heavy weights – be warned it’s a killer and requires about 2 days rest afterwards!
Bulk up routine
After ten minutes of light cardio and stretching to get the blood flowing and body loose perform 5 sets of 5 repetitions of the following exercises. Be sure to keep pausing for 2 or 3 minutes between sets to allow the body time to cope with the demands.
• Clean and Press
• Bench Press
• Dead lift
• Bent-over Row
When learning these or any exercise run through them for a set or two with an empty bar to ensure your hand-eye coordination is correct and if the weight is too heavy STOP! Take a plate off and carry on. Do not exhaust yourself or hurt yourself so you can’t train for weeks!
I recommend using this particular routine once a week at most. Generally for martial artist I find that performing 3 sets of 15 reps per exercise the best way to go. It builds lean mass and tests muscles by enduring weight and motion much like fighting does.
If you are already “too bulky” go for lighter weight at 25 reps a set and if you really do need to pack on the beef up the weight and aim for sets of 5-8 reps. Similarly when performing calisthenics start “light”. For example, if you can’t do a press up start on your knees, then after a few routines lift your feet off the floor, a few routines later see if you are strong enough to use your full body.
Do NOT neglect your lower body! It might be our pectorals, abs and arms; that we seek to boost in order to attract attention, but having matchsticks legs helps no one. Your legs are what you stand on and having a strong powerful set of legs is very useful for martial artists. It also adds valuable muscle bulk keeping down your body fat and stops you looking weird when you do decide to hit the beach in summer.
Happy training!
I’m glad to say I can pass on a little bit of what I learnt through my own endeavour to you and illustrate my logic and thoughts as to why you need to know this stuff.
In this blog exercise falls into two large categories that can be dissected further: cardio vascular and resistance. The first deals with exercise designed to burn fat, increase all round endurance and improve traditional ideas of fitness. Examples include running, cycling, rowing, alongside many sports. Resistance work includes weightlifting, calisthenics (bodyweight exercises) and weapon training.
Each type of exercise has its own benefits and place in the routines of martial artists and neither must be neglected. I spent years ignoring my CV work to my determent focussing on weights and routines designed for body sculpting not performance. It hindered my martial arts training and didn’t give me the results I wanted.
I knew that increased muscle mass burns more calories and therefore fat per hour. However I didn’t realise that cardio not only strips off fat much faster but it adds to muscle mass and definition too!
In short I broke the golden rule of ignoring my weaknesses and stayed secure working on what I was good at/enjoyed.
So what exactly should you be doing? Of course this is an individual answer and depends on what your needs are. If like me you try to train/teach martial arts 5 or 6 sometimes even 7 days a week fitting in other training can be tough and dangerously taxing.
I believe in doing a lot in short bursts, it gets faster results and is mimics the stresses of fighting with short bursts of intense activity. How many people claim to take up “jogging” and then bitch about a lack of success in losing weight?
If you amble around at a medium intensity like a Lycra clad bovine it is unlikely you’ll achieve much. If you hit the gym hard and with focus for 20-30mins and are breathing sweat out of your ears you’ll soon see results! On top of that it speeds up your metabolism and digestive system in processing food avoiding calories becoming fat and stops you over-working muscles so that they become catabolic (break down), injured and testosterone levels get used up rather than used to build muscle.
I tend to cross train and mix up routines. So typically I warm up with cardio, running and jumping on the spot before shadow boxing in 3 minute “rounds” pausing long enough to get my breath and sip some water.
I then mix sets of specific weight exercises, calisthenics and more cardio before finishing on a chin up bar with some pulls-ups, leg raises and then a “hang” to stretch my muscles and bones back out!
Here is a typical list of exercises that you should work on perfecting:
Whole Body (I include all cardio in this section)
• Clean and Press
• Kettlebell Swing
• Dead lift
• Hindu press ups
• Hindu Squats
Upper Body
• Pull-up
• Press up
• Bench Press
• Bent-over Row
• Military Press
Lower Body
• Squat
• Lunges
• Tuck Jumps
Core/Abs
• Janda sit-ups
• Leg raises
• Medicine Ball Twists
If you do not know what any or all of these exercises are then do a little bit of research. You will notice that by and large they are what are known as ‘compound’ exercises which work more than one joint at a time and very large muscle groups.
This adds bulk, tests the muscles you will use fighting not just sculpting trophy muscles and release much larger quantities of testosterone and other hormones into the body to promote better results. It also means that you target quicker long lasting gains rather than trying to perfect tricky and irrelevant exercises.
I would recommend 3 sessions a week as a rough guide and add more depending on results, tiredness and dedication. Anymore than that and you must be careful not to over-train and undo all of your hard work.
If you are a slight and want to gain lots of muscles I recommend the following work out with heavy weights – be warned it’s a killer and requires about 2 days rest afterwards!
Bulk up routine
After ten minutes of light cardio and stretching to get the blood flowing and body loose perform 5 sets of 5 repetitions of the following exercises. Be sure to keep pausing for 2 or 3 minutes between sets to allow the body time to cope with the demands.
• Clean and Press
• Bench Press
• Dead lift
• Bent-over Row
When learning these or any exercise run through them for a set or two with an empty bar to ensure your hand-eye coordination is correct and if the weight is too heavy STOP! Take a plate off and carry on. Do not exhaust yourself or hurt yourself so you can’t train for weeks!
I recommend using this particular routine once a week at most. Generally for martial artist I find that performing 3 sets of 15 reps per exercise the best way to go. It builds lean mass and tests muscles by enduring weight and motion much like fighting does.
If you are already “too bulky” go for lighter weight at 25 reps a set and if you really do need to pack on the beef up the weight and aim for sets of 5-8 reps. Similarly when performing calisthenics start “light”. For example, if you can’t do a press up start on your knees, then after a few routines lift your feet off the floor, a few routines later see if you are strong enough to use your full body.
Do NOT neglect your lower body! It might be our pectorals, abs and arms; that we seek to boost in order to attract attention, but having matchsticks legs helps no one. Your legs are what you stand on and having a strong powerful set of legs is very useful for martial artists. It also adds valuable muscle bulk keeping down your body fat and stops you looking weird when you do decide to hit the beach in summer.
Happy training!