Training hard

[franco1688]

I'm starting this thread for martial artists to discuss/share training techniques and to share training stories. I don't wish to discuss politics or what style is the best. If you're training hard this may be the thread for you. No s**t talkers! Please.

[yenhoi]

f-u

I trained so hard I pulled my groin a little.

:cool:

[bodhitree]

To me training needs to involve a few certain things and the combination of those things as many times exercises can be a combination of more than one.

1. technique training. This is where skills are developed. Drills, sparring, bagwork, etc. Probably most important (unfortunately for me probably what I work least).

2. Conditioning. Often times technique practice can aid in this if modified (such as punching out HIIT, other bagwork, heavy sparring, padwork) and supplementary exercises (on some days I do distance cardio and some days interval cardio) because for a martial artist endurance is essential, if for no other reason you can endure more technique training
3. Strength training. There are a number of approaches to this, I don't want to debate them, they can all be applied to your specific goals (explosive power, muscular endurance, strength). Personally, I cycle and change what I do every few months, I love powerlifting but I always want to give my body a change.I powerlifted for about 6 months on my last cycle.
4. Mental training. This MUST be different for every individual. Every persons mentality is different. I have one coach who calls himself our 'pain thresh-hold coach'. He is 300+ pounds and has grappled for 15 years. He looks at his job as making us tough. After taking beatings from him other people just don't seem very intimidating. Getting my mind right means becoming focused, relaxed, and ready. If I have time to warm up in a relaxed manner I will perform so much better. This aspect is also interesting because martial arts training trains the individual mentally and the individual trains themselves mentally for martial arts. Mental training is also putting that extra plate on the bar, or running that extra minute. Pushing yourself to do a little better every time. Mental training can also be gathering of information about combat, martial arts, fitness, nutrition, self, human nature, and anything else that might be applicable to martial arts. Then of course meditation and visualization if you're into that sort of thing. Mental training can be taking place all of the time.

To me, these are the essentials. Every area can overlap.

[franco1688]

It sounds like our training approaches are very similar. You have to keep an open mind and switch things up a little every now and then. When I first started training (when I was 13yrs. old) I don't think I placed enough value on strength training and running. I was all about kung fu and at that time, to me, it was the answer to everything. I think that is what some sifus want you to think. As I got older and ventired outside the kwoon, I realized that merely having good technique is not enough. Nowdays you have to be a well rounded athlete. You'e defintely right about the importance of mental preparation/training. There were many times, throughout the years, in my training that I would hit a sticking point, especcially where strength and endurance training are concerned. If it wasn't for great training partners making me realize that it was mental barriers that were prohibiting me from advancing, and not the lack of strength or endurance, I don't believe I would have progressed as far as I have in my life.

I've found that the best endurance training, for myself, as far as wind is concerned, is running. Here's the program I follow, for the most part. It's not detailed it's just to give you an idea:

1. Build an aerobic base. You need to work up to jogging/running 2-5 miles (or I believe thirty mins. is sufficient at a respectable pace). After doing this consistently for a period of time (let your body/ results be the judge) you're ready for the next phase.

2. Sprint/jog or stairs or hills/jog. You start off jogging until you feel you are sufficeintly warmed up. Then, you sprint this can either be for an alotted time period or until you are winded. Once you do this you don't stop you resume jogging. This teaches you active rest. What your body experiences by doing this type of training is very similar to what it experiences in a fight. Short bursts of energy followed by active recovery. When fighting you don't really have an oppertunity to stop and recover (unless the bell rings). You have to be able to recover while still in movement. Obviously, pacing yourself and some other things factor into the equation, but I think this training method definitely helps.

[bodhitree]

Yeah I remember when I thought martial arts alone was good enough conditioning. I believe maybe when I get older it will be, but the conditioning I do now (cardio wise) will help me age better (whether or not it will be good for the joints is another story, but thats what glucosamine, chondroitin, msn are for). Like I said, the thing missing the most from my personal training right now is sport specific training. I have a really busy schedule so I can't committ to a regular school and therefore conditioning is much easier for me because I can get to the gym at various hours. Someday this will change, training will always change, we just need to adapt, continue, and keep working on ways to get past those plateus.

[SevenStar]

1. Build an aerobic base. You need to work up to jogging/running 2-5 miles (or I believe thirty mins. is sufficient at a respectable pace). After doing this consistently for a period of time (let your body/ results be the judge) you're ready for the next phase.

2. Sprint/jog or stairs or hills/jog. You start off jogging until you feel you are sufficeintly warmed up. Then, you sprint this can either be for an alotted time period or until you are winded. Once you do this you don't stop you resume jogging. This teaches you active rest. What your body experiences by doing this type of training is very similar to what it experiences in a fight. Short bursts of energy followed by active recovery. When fighting you don't really have an oppertunity to stop and recover (unless the bell rings). You have to be able to recover while still in movement. Obviously, pacing yourself and some other things factor into the equation, but I think this training method definitely helps.

In a sense, this is incorrect. phase 1 does not prepare you for phase 2. You are working two different systems here. increasing your aerobic conditioning in phase one will not prepare you for anaerobic training in phase 2. you can actually do both of them at the same time, as they are two independently functioning systems. do cardio one day, do your sprints the next. your thought on active rest is correct, though.

[franco1688]

Did you read all of phase two? Phase two is not merely anerobic. It is also aerobic. Before you can start training like this you need a base to start from. That's what phase one is. Of course you can do both at the same time. But, like anything, you have to have a foundation first. Sure, you could jump right into phase 2, if your in decent condition. If you're not sure you'll benefit from it, but your not going to be able to last as long as you would with a good aerobic base. The same theory applies to martial arts forms. Sure anyone can perform a basic form, but you need to establish a foundation (ie. stances and basics) first before you can perform any forms or techniques properly and proficiently. When you build a house you have to start from the ground up. If you were building a house, would you start with the roof first?

-What does every great athelete do to prepare for their chosen sport? What does every great pugilist, every soccer player, every wrestler, every baseball player, every great football player have in common? They all run. It has to be done if you ever want to excel in any (physical) sport. ----- Yurich, (2002)

-"Running is the king of aerobic conditioning." ---- Bruce Lee

[SevenStar]

Did you read all of phase two? Phase two is not merely anerobic. It is also aerobic. Before you can start training like this you need a base to start from. That's what phase one is. Of course you can do both at the same time. But, like anything, you have to have a foundation first. Sure, you could jump right into phase 2, if your in decent condition. If you're not sure you'll benefit from it, but your not going to be able to last as long as you would with a good aerobic base. The same theory applies to martial arts forms. Sure anyone can perform a basic form, but you need to establish a foundation (ie. stances and basics) first before you can perform any forms or techniques properly and proficiently. When you build a house you have to start from the ground up. If you were building a house, would you start with the roof first?

-What does every great athelete do to prepare for their chosen sport? What does every great pugilist, every soccer player, every wrestler, every baseball player, every great football player have in common? They all run. It has to be done if you ever want to excel in any (physical) sport. ----- Yurich, (2002)

-"Running is the king of aerobic conditioning." ---- Bruce Lee

I read the whole thing. we do the same drill, measured on a track - sprint 100m, jog the next 100. Sprint the next 100, jog the last. repeat. If you are unable to jog, speed walk. I agree that a foundation is a great thing, but disagree that the best way to go about that is to startby spending x amount of time on cardio. If anything, I would start with only sprints. then, add the speed walk. then, take the walk to a jog. that way you are reaping the benefit of the anaerobic work, which is the more important aspect of combat anyway, unless you are in a ring and fighting in a venue with several rounds, like boxing.

and bruce may have been right - running is the king of aerobic conditioning, but anaerobic conditioning is the name of the fight game, not aerobic. And, I agree with the yurich quote as well. but they are making a different point from you. There point isn't that aerobic is a foundation for anaerobic. They are merely saying that aerobic conditioning is important.

[franco1688]

In regards to fighting and training in general, aerobic conditioning and anaerobic conditioning are of equal importance. Aneorbic alone is great for short bursts of energy. If you can't end the fight quickly you have to be able to last. A well rounded fighter and athlete works on both. That's about all I have left to say about this subject. Best wishes and I hope your approach works well for you.

[yenhoi]

:eek: :eek: :eek:

[Chief Fox]

Here's a little article about Evander Holyfield's training program.

http://sportsci.org/news/news9709/hatfield.html

Take note of the sentence that says "The road work ended promptly and completely."

Interesting that a long thought staple of any boxers training program is now thought of as ineffective.

[bodhitree]

I don't think every trainer has the same philosophy about road work, many fighters do still use distance training in conjunction with anaerobic training. Personally I thing running (while not great on the joints) is great for the wind and stabalizer muscles. I do interval training also, in two minute rounds (that being the length of rounds in the tournament I will fight in october 14). I don't know, some athletes I really respect consider distance really important to their performance.

[franco1688]

You're right running isn't the greatest on the joints. Usually, in the "off season," or rather leading up to about 8-10 weeks out from a fight I usually run one day and strength train the next (I still do cardio on this day, but I do something low-impact like the elliptical or something). If you need to take a day off, do so. If you don't you'll regret it and your career either won't last long or you training will be hindered due to injury. I start pre-fight training usually 8-10 weeks out, depending on my condition at that time. In the pre-fight stage I use a pyramid style program, not only as far a running (cardio)is concerned, but with strength and sport-specific training. I work my way up to a certain point (peak) then I taper off slightly and focus more on sparring and technique. I'm sure there are other views on this, but it seems to work for me. Another area of concern is diet. I'm kinda interested in hearing what some of you guys do, as far as diet is concerned.

[franco1688]

Trained hard monday and tuesday:

mon.- 2 mile run, biked 1 hour. later did Iron Vest training and Iron Palm. 15 mins. elliptical, ab machine, practiced silps under rope w/&w/o combinations (3min. rounds x 3), finished hard on exercise bike 22 min./10 miles.

tues.- weight train chest/shoulders/triceps ,
chest- bench/ bar x 30, 135x20, 185 x 15, 205 x 10, 225 x 8
dips/ 15 reps
incline press/ 135 x 12, 135 x 10, 135 x 8
decline press/ 135 x 12, 135 x 10, 135 x 8
pec deck/ 80 x 20, 90 x 15, 100 x 10

shoulders- behind neck mil. press/ bar x 30, 95 x 15, 115 x 10, 135 x 6
lateral raise mach./ 80 x 15, 90 x 12, 100 x 10 ,decending set to failure 100-80-60-40-20
plate raises/ 45 x 15, 45 x 12, 45 x 10
frontraise/ 20 lbs. dumbells to failure

triceps- tricep push downs/ 130 x 15, 150 x 12, 170 x 10




iron vest, iron palm. later I did 10 mins elliptical, slips drill (3 min. round),shadow box w/ weights (5lbs. dumbells/100 straight punches, 100 crosses, 100 upper cuts, alternating presses to failure), 20 mins. bike

[franco1688]

wed.- 2.5 miles hills and sprints

thurs.- chopped wood (split 50 logs non-stop), loaded wood into rubbermaid tote carried, at a fast pace, 50 yards and stacked (3 hrs. total no rest), lifted back, traps, biceps.

Back- Pull downs/ 15x 120, 12x 140, 10x160
Hammer Strength Rows/ 12x140, 10x160, 8x180
Hammer Strength Close Grip Pull Downs/ 12x180, 10x180, drop set 8x180 , 4 x160, 4x140, 4x120,4x100,90 to failure.
Straight arm pull downs/ 15x110, 10x130,8x160

Traps- Superset Upright Rows & Shrugs/ 12x90-12x140, 10x90-10x140, 8x90- 8x 140

Biceps- Preacher curls/ 12x65, 10x65,8x65
Alt. dumbell curls/ 12x30, 10x35, drop set 8x40, 4x35, 4x30, 4x25, 4x20, 4x15, 10 to failure

[SevenStar]

In regards to fighting and training in general, aerobic conditioning and anaerobic conditioning are of equal importance. Aneorbic alone is great for short bursts of energy. If you can't end the fight quickly you have to be able to last. A well rounded fighter and athlete works on both. That's about all I have left to say about this subject. Best wishes and I hope your approach works well for you.

I'm sorry, but no, they aren't - unless you are fighting a LONG match. Hell, boxers fight 12 rounds and most of them only run 3 - 5 miles. And not necessarily everyday. It's not just my approach, its common among many fighters today. It's said that fighting is 80% anaerobic and only 20% aerobic - that doesn't sound too equal to me.

Regardless, welcome to blog world. It's always interesting to see what the others here are doing.

[franco1688]

Most boxers, due to years of training, have built what I called an aerobic base. I agree, that once you have built this, you need only to maintain it. Then comes the jog/sprint/ jog program to develope aneorbic, aerobic, and active recovery qualities. The running program I use, I use it in conjuction with various other anaerobic training. I definitley won't argue the importance of it either. What type of stuff do you do?

[SevenStar]

http://martial.best.vwh.net/forum/showthread.php?t=36295

How often do you chop wood? Is that a regular part of your program as the weather gets colder?

[franco1688]

Yeah. My wife thinks I'm crazy. You should see the stack of wood I have going already. This weekend I'm picking up another load of wood and in two weeks I'm getting three truckloads from my brother-in-law. Like I said, what I'll do is split the logs until I have a huge pile. I usually wear two sweatshirts and a thermal to get a good sweat going. Then I'll load up a big tote and carry it at a brisk pace about fifty yards (I have a big yard). I have a big metal fire pit that I burn it in. I like doing it, it kinda reminds me of Rocky IV. It's a great workout and it helps build focus and coordination. Especially when you split the smaller logs. Some of the logs I get are so big you can barely get your arms around them. These I drop off near the front of my yard and I'll pick them up and run (it's probably more like a fast walk) with them, about 100 yds. or so, and stack them in a pile.

Today:

Ran 2.5 miles hills and sprints.

This week: along w/ regular training, mon. and wed.- boxing. Tues.- judo. thurs. and fri.- mma. Everyday Iron Palm, Iron Vest and forms (tai chi, kung fu).

[franco1688]

just seeing if my sig. pic. works.

[franco1688]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[franco1688]

Let's try this again

[SevenStar]

boxing, judo, mma, kung fu... you're not training all of those formally right now, are you? What are you receiving formal training in, if anything, right now?

[franco1688]

I trained formally in Kung Fu for 13 years (I hold a black sash and I'm a certified instructor). I lived with my instructor for five years and trained for about 3-6hrs. a day. I had my own school for a while but I found that the time I put forth reaped little finacially and it cut into my own training time. I have a couple guys I train a couple times a month though. Mainly, I do my kung fu training on my own and I cycle my trainings (iron vest (small and large frame), tiger claw, and ironwire). I do train formally in Kodokan Judo once a week, mma twice a week, and boxing 2-3 times a week. I do my weight training at the same gym that I train in judo and mma at (different instructors though). I box at a gym that's about fifteen minutes from where I live. I train a lot. Especially lately, the place I work has been closed for repairs/ remodeling for about two months. I don't just consider it a hobby, I consider it a lifestyle. On top of training, I go to school, manage a night club and I'm married (which is a job in itself). I'm always on the go. Luckily my wife is very supportive and understanding, for the most part.

Today
Rode bike 12 miles
boxing

[SevenStar]

dayum... you sound like me. I no longer train in kung fu. I currently train and teach muay thai, and am starting back my training in capoeira and bjj tonight. I want to go back to judo as well, but it interferes with some private students I recently took on. I'm gonna try to shuffle some things around and see what I can come up with. I am in the gym several times a week, if not daily. I am also married. I don't manage a night club, but I work as a bouncer in one.

[franco1688]

You know exactly what I'm talking about when I say it's a lifestyle and not a hobby.:eek: I was a bouncer for a little over eight years. The place I'm at now I worked my way up from security, to head of security, and finally manager. Even though I'm the manager now, I still like to get my hands dirty, if you know what I mean. I always admired capoeira for it's acrobatics and such. One has to be a pretty good athlete to master that style. How applicable is it as far as fighting is concerned? At one time there was a capoeira school in my area but I think that the instructor may have been a fake. Who knows. One of my classmates at the time went to check him out and after the first class the instructor wanted to spar him. It got pretty ugly from what I'm told and needless to say he wasn't invited back. That school only lasted about a year. My buddy said that he thought the guy was a video master. The type that learns all of his material from tapes.

Yesterday- Easy day 35 min. elliptical, (iron vest, iron palm)

Today- 4.1 mile run (lots of hills), forms, boxing (this evening), (iron vest, iron palm)

[SevenStar]

our particular group - nacao - doesn't do a lot of the flashier stuff you see on tv, until much later in traning. we drill elbows, knees, headbutts and takedowns - things that most people don't have a clue that capoeira teaches. The cartwheel is used a lot, and there is a lot of movement around the ground - mainly for defensive and evasive reasons. capoeira basics are like anything from any other style - roundhouse, front push kick, side kick, hook kick, crescent kick (outside and inside)... these are things that are practical in the street. I have my reservations about play in the roda, because it is non-contact, but I have contact sparred with the instructor before, and he hits pretty darn hard.

[franco1688]

That's cool. Strength in the basics it what really matters in the arts. I'm sure you know that, being a fellow fighter and hard trainer. I always wanted to try out muay thai but the closest school, that I would actually go to, is about two hours away from where I'm located. There is one that's closer but when I went there to check it out they said that they don't spar because of liabilities. That's cool and all but I'd probably get more from a cardio kickboxing class.

Today-
Chest/ flat bench,incline bench,pec dec
Shoulders/ military press, lateral raises
Triceps/close grip presses, french curls
20 min. elliptical
Usual trainings

I did a short but intense workout today. I just wasn't focused or feeling it. Got into an argument with the wife. She's pregnant and hormonal right now.

[Wood Dragon]

If I hear "running isn't great for joints" one more time....


I serve with personnel who are competitive athletes (some of whom have been on the Army-level teams), to include marathoners, ultramarathoners and triathletes. None of whom have expressed any greater-than-average incidence of joint injury or chronic irritation. Ages range from 18-40+.

If you are outside the structural parameters of your frame (5'4" and 190lbs, for example) and do not have a corresponding build (i.e. your 5'4" frame should only be carrying 140 lbs, as you don't have a Arnold-like build), then yes, running is probably not a good idea. Drop the moonpies and mount the Stairmaster to lose the extra beef.

Running on concrete will increase the risk of stress injury, as will increasing distance/duration too rapidly. Running with bad form will do so as well (there is a right way to run)

Running won't injure you. Running improperly will.

[Wood Dragon]

Tuesday:

Cardio Day

Warmup/Stretch

Running
4 Mile Track Workout
Run 1mile in 7:00
Three sets of:
1/4mile sprint
1/4mile run @ 1:45
Six sets of:
1/8mile sprint
1/8mile run @ 1:00

Swimming:
Hypoxic Pyramid
100m set

Strokes-per-breath (pyramid): 2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2
Total swim distance: 900m

Cool down and stretch.



Evening: 30 minutes of kihon (technique) work
30 minutes of bag work (~25 mins, after I chased away some friends)
10 minute run through of several kata

Note: I am on a 52 week program (I'm a Staff Officer now, so I can do that), and don't really use weights a lot until the dead of Winter. 90% of my strength training come from calisthenics and task-oriented training (rope climbs, etc). We didnt have to fight barbells in OIF.

[franco1688]

Wednesday:
4.1 mile run w/ lots of hills
kung fu trainings

Bodyweight/calisthenics circuit-
100 jumping jacks followed by 3 rounds of the following:
(one minute each exercise, no rest between exercises )
push ups, burpees, squat thrusts, mountain climbers, squats, calf raises, pull ups, arm circles, sit ups, crunches, kick outs (or bicycle), and flutter kicks.

later in the evening:
boxing

I felt pretty good today I had lots of energy.

[franco1688]

Thursday-

Elliptical 20min.

Back,traps,bis.

Back- Close grip pull downs 4 sets
Hammer strength pull downs mid grip 3 sets
Hammer strength rows 3 sets
Cable Rows 3 sets
Wide grip behind the neck pull downs 3 sets

Bis- Barbell curls 4 sets

Bi and Traps superset- Hammer Curls 3 sets, last set drop set
Rotating shrugs 3 sets, last set drop set

MMA Class

[franco1688]

Friday-

Run (hard/fast) 2 miles

same circuit as wed

MMA class

I recently found the discipline to switch to a six meal a day eating plan again. My metabolism is increasing as is my strength and weight loss.

Meal one- 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 banana, 1/4c blueberries, 3 eggwhites
Meal two- Myoplex shake
meal three- chicken breast, 1 can green beans, 2 whole grain rice cakes, lite yogurt
meal four- low carb chocolate protein shake (GNC)
meal five- 1 cup pinto beans, 1 chickem breast, salad light dressing
meal six- protein shake (GNC)

[franco1688]

30 min. treadmill

15 min. speedbag

burpee/push up/ pull up/ leglift (one movement) 2mins. x 10

forms

kung fu trainings

[franco1688]

Sunday-
15 min. speed bag
5 x 3min. rounds heavy bag
punch out 3 min.
kicking drill (trading kicks w/ partner thigh, stomach, stomach/thigh combo)
Shin stregthening exercise
Leg/balance manipulation training (partner)
skip rope 5 min.
worked on techniques with a partner.

Still sticking to the diet lost a total of eight lbs. this week.
Today-
meal 1- oatmeal/banana/4 egg whites
meal 2- myoplex shake
meal 3- 3/4c. pasta/tuna/peas
meal 4- gnc protein shake
meal 5- 1c. rice/ chicken breast/ brocolli

1 gallon of water throughout the day.

The diet has really made a difference not only as far as weight loss is concerned, but also in accelerating my metabolism. The weight loss will probably slow down. When it does, I will have a cheat day and then start back the next day. I'll either keep it the same or possibly cut out the carbs at my last meal.

[franco1688]

Monday-
took it kinda easy today.

45 min. treadmill (wore thermal shirt, t-shirt, 2 sweat shirts, and hooded sweat shirt, to get some serious sweat going)

boxing

Diet- cheat day ate pizza, cookies, hot peanuts, little debbie, 3 pot pies for dinner. Afterwards I felt like crap, my stomach was hating me for it. You have to fool the body to keep it from plateauing on the diet. After what ate today and how my body felt I can't wait to get back on my diet on tuesday.

[bodhitree]

I haven't had much of a cheat day, sugar in coffee is about the only thing. I'm gonna pig out after my fight on the 14th. Are you going to the tournament?

Plus I'm also competing in submission tournament in the burgh on the 28th, and i'll need to gain some weigh (cause I'm not losing anymore) the weight classes are like 160 and 175, I will be at 165 for the 14th (I'm already down to like 167/68).

I will eat greasy, sugary, things:p

[franco1688]

Yeah I'll be there. I'm just going to be there as a spectator and to see a few old friends.

Today-
judo

20 min. elliptical
1 hr. bike

chest/shoulder/tris

chest-
bench 4 sets
incline bench 4 sets
dips 3 sets
cable crossovers 3 sets

shoulders-
military press 4 sets
lateral raise machine 4 sets
cable front raises 3 sets

tris-
rope push downs 3 sets

I only do one isolation exercise for the tris because I hit them in all of the compound movements I do (ie. bench and military press etc.).

Diet-
1. Oats/banana/4 egg whites
2. Myoplex shake
3. 1c.rice/2c. brocolli/ chix breast
4. gnc shake
5. chix breast/ salad w/light dressing/potato sauteed in nonfat cooking spray

[franco1688]

wednesday-

3 mile hard run (lots of hills)

Combination movement- burpee/pull up/leg lift (6 sets 10 reps)

Mountain climbers

knees to elbows (crossfit movement)

Diet-
1. Oats/1tsp honey/1tsp cinnamon/4 egg whites
2. myoplex shake
3. 1c. rice/chix breast/green beens
4. gnc shake
5. tiger milk bar/peanuts
6. progresso beef and vegetable soup/ oyster crackers


I've been looking into the crossfit exercise program lately. Has anyone tried this program out? What kind of results did you achieve? Did you like it or dislike it?

[SevenStar]

chief fox was doing it at some point - not sure if he still is or not. He had good things to say about it.

[WinterPalm]

Cross fit is really some pretty good stuff. When I was doing personal training I would get people onto routines based around Cross Fit workouts.

Personally, I would not bother trying to match their workout of the day and instead maybe take a specific workout and do that one in a circuit once or twice a week.

They are also very generalized with savage intensity usually being the only common thing from week to week. I think it would be a good way to burn out if you are going to train as much as you do and try to keep up with the WOD.

[franco1688]

Yeah, I actually started to feel a little burned out at the beginning of the week so I took a night off from boxing and tonight from mma. I did an intense but short workout yesterday and today. I like their theory on training and I'm going to incorporate some of it into my training. For the most part I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing but I like some of the exercises (knees to elbows etc.). It seems as though they strive to obtain real world/ functional strength and fitness. I'm a believer in training the body in order to making it better capable of what it was ment to do (ie. lifting objects, running, swimming, climbing, jumping, etc.). Thanks for the input.

Thursday-

Back, biceps, traps

wide grip lat pull downs- 4 sets
Hammer pull downs- 4 sets
wide grip t-bar rows 4 sets
Hammer rows -4 sets
deadlift/straight bar shrugs (superset)- 4 sets
wide upright row/diamond bar shrugs (super set)- 4 sets
dumbell curls- 4 sets (last set drop set)
preacher curls- 4 sets (last set partial reps at the top to failure)
double cable curls- 4 sets

I felt good at the gym I had very little rest between sets ( rested only as long as it took my partner to do his set). During the supersets I there was no rest. I went back and forth to each exercise. One thing I do different than a lot of people is that I do upright rows on back day instead of shoulder day. My reasoning for this is the fact that upright rows are a pulling movement and it makes more sense to me to do them on my pull day. Not only that I seem to feel them more in my traps and rear delts than I do in the medial head or the frontal head. When I perform them rather than just pulling them up, I also pull them slightly back under my chin and I squeeze my traps.

[SevenStar]

One thing I do different than a lot of people is that I do upright rows on back day instead of shoulder day. My reasoning for this is the fact that upright rows are a pulling movement and it makes more sense to me to do them on my pull day.

I do this also.

[Chief Fox]

chief fox was doing it at some point - not sure if he still is or not. He had good things to say about it.

Crossfit is a great workout and the online community is great but i've stopped doing it. I couldn't figure it out. There wasn't any rhyme or reason to the structure. I wasn't sure why I was doing what i was doing.

I've since started doing the Never Gymless workout by Ross Enamait. It is very Crossfit-esque in it's intensity but he encourages you to make a goal and taylor your workouts to that goal. This just makes sense. My workouts now have more meaning.

I still do some of my Crossfit favorites from time to time. Like Fight gone bad. Great workout and a great test of fitness.

[franco1688]

I checked out the website for Never Gymless. It looks like good stuff. Today I took a much needed day of rest. As I said earlier I was feeling a little burned out. By rest day I mean from training only. I put in 8 hours at work, then I took a truckload of wood over too my dad's house and wheel barreled it over to where he wanted it stacked. Finally, both of us had nails in our tires so I plugged both of them. Needless to say, I had a fun-filled action packed day. I still feel pretty refreshed though, and I'm ready to hit it hard tomorrow.

Friday-
Rest

Diet- I was running around a lot so I strayed from eating 5-6 meals.

meal 1- peanuts, sugar free no fear
meal 2- apple, banana, chix breast
meal 3- homemade fried rice (rice, green peppers, onions, celery, brocolli, tbs. low sodium soy sauce), green beans, chix breast

[franco1688]

Saturday-

Cardio-
20 mins. treadmill (sprint/ jog, sprint followed by 1 min.jog to recover 1/1, 1/1, 2/1, 2/1, 3/1, 2/1, 1/2)

20 mins. elliptical

10 mins. bike

10 mins. speedbag

Performed each exercise back to back 1 hour total.

Later...
100 jumping jacks followed by 5 mins. skipping rope. Burpee/ push up/ pull up/ leg lift combo 1 mins. x 10 sets, 30 sec. rest in between.

Diet-
meal 1- (restaraunt w/ dad) Two eggs, hash browns, 8oz. chop steak, dry rye toast, black coffee
meal 2- protein bar
meal 3- two rice cakes
meal 4- rice (same as day before), chix. breast
meal 5- protein shake (myoplex)

Wasn't really hungry once I ate breakfast today and also decided to cut back on calories the rest of the day to make up for breakfast.

[franco1688]

Sunday-
Leg day :eek: -
4 sets squats
4 sets leg presses
4 sets leg raise/hamstring curl/ calf raises (giant set).

15 mins. speed bag
5x3 min. round heavy bag (30 sec. rest)
3 min. punch out
100 each round house (shin) (l&r), straight kicks (l&r)
100 punches each arm (straight, cross and uppercut) light weights

I felt good today (training). After training I took my dad to my buddy's tattoo shop and he got a tattoo on the inside of his forearm from his wrist to his elbow. It's kinda crazy (he's 50). Out of the blue he said he wanted a tattoo and he got one. He started going to the gym with me about a month ago and the changes that he's made, not only physically, but in his attitude towards life are great. He used to seem depressed and sort of down all the time, but now he's excited about working out and the progress he's made. He even got a tanning package. I don't know if it's a mid-life crisis or what, but whatever it is, it seems to be going good for him. It just goes to show you it's never too late to start taking care of yourself and start living life to it's fullest. Lately my dad has really inspired me. On the days that I barely drag myself out of the house to go to the gym I remind myself that my dad's 50 years old (and works 50-60 hours a week) and he's not complaining about being tired or overworked. So just remember, if your debating about whether your going to go to the gym tonight or if you should just stay home and watch Gilmore Girl's and eat bon bon's, somewhere out there, there just might be a fifty year-old guy who's training harder than you are. If you do decide to stay home and see what the Gilmore chicks are going to do next, it's ok my dad and I will train for you. Train hard and keep on keepin' on.

[franco1688]

monday-
I didn't train today. I worked on a roofing job today and that was enough of a workout, about 12 hrs. worth. Tore up two layers of shingles, carried up 15 rolls of tar paper, along w/ everything else I had to carry up, picked up the scrap shingles, and did all of the other fun stuff that roofers do.

-kung fu trainings (iron vest, iron palm)

diet-

meal 1- protein shake w/oatmeal
meal 2- banana, chix breast
meal 3- two rice cakes, apple
meal 4- steak (I only eat red meat about once or twice a month), salad, baked potato w/ I can't believe it's not butter spray (making fabio proud)
meal 5- protein shake
meal 6- 1c. pinto beans, 4 hard boiled egg whites (I don't think my wife appreciated this meal an hour after I ate it :eek: )

[franco1688]

Tuesday-
Worked on the roof again today. I'll have to say, I have nothing but respect for a man who does this day in and day out for 20+ years. Afterwards, I drank a diet turbo tea and hit the gym.

Chest, shoulders and tris. (did a lighter workout today because roofing kinda kicked my you know what.)

Chest-
Hammer bench- 4 sets
Incline bench- 4 sets
Incline flies- 3 sets (last set, flies to failure then pressed the weight until fully fatigued)

Shoulders-
Standing shoulder presses (straight bar)- 4 sets
lateral raises- 4 sets

Triceps-
Press downs - 4 sets (last set drop set to failure)

Judo class

After watching Tito and Mr. Shamrock fight, I did my iron vest and iron palm training. Although I haven't been a big fan of Ken Shamrock lately, I'll have to say it was kinda sad seeing him retire. Granted, it was a good choice and he was pretty old for a competitive fighter. I think its just the image of the older, tired looking fighter bowing out from what they obviously love to do, that gets me. Oh well.

[franco1688]

wed.

45 min run treadmill

burpee combination movement 5x 2min. (30 sec. rest)

kung fu trainings

later in the evening...
boxing

diet
meal 1- two eggs, 4 pcs. turkey bacon, 1/4 c. oatmeal
meal 2- 1c. pinto beans, salad (3 c. salad mix, 2c. cauliflower, 1/2 green pepper, far free ranch), chix breast
meal 3- protein shake, banana
meal 4- 4 slices smoked turkey ham (deli), 2c. cabbage, 1/2c. penne pasta
meal 5- protein shake, rice cake

I still felt pretty hit from roofing, but I perservered. I changed up my diet a little bit today. I ran out of eggs so substituted the turkey bacon and I've eaten so much chicken over the past few weeks that I think I'm starting to grow feathers. The switch today wasn't too bad. I consumed a lot more sodium than I normally would but it's all good. I drink at least a gallon of water a day and I usually wear three sweatshirts and a t-shirt when I do cardio so I'll sweat it out.

[Ford Prefect]

Tuesday:

Cardio Day

Warmup/Stretch

Running
4 Mile Track Workout
Run 1mile in 7:00
Three sets of:
1/4mile sprint
1/4mile run @ 1:45
Six sets of:
1/8mile sprint
1/8mile run @ 1:00

Swimming:
Hypoxic Pyramid
100m set

Strokes-per-breath (pyramid): 2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2
Total swim distance: 900m

Cool down and stretch.



Evening: 30 minutes of kihon (technique) work
30 minutes of bag work (~25 mins, after I chased away some friends)
10 minute run through of several kata

Note: I am on a 52 week program (I'm a Staff Officer now, so I can do that), and don't really use weights a lot until the dead of Winter. 90% of my strength training come from calisthenics and task-oriented training (rope climbs, etc). We didnt have to fight barbells in OIF.

Somebody got Stew Smith's book... :)

He has some great material out there. Although I no longer have access to a pool, I still do hypoxic pyramids on a rowing ergometer.

[Wood Dragon]

Somebody got Stew Smith's book... :)
.

Utilize it religiously.


Short of some of the CrossFit stuff (I'm living in BOQ, so I don't have space for a custom gym or tractor tires), it's the best workout template I've seen.

His workouts are usually <60 minutes as well, which is worth major points to me.

Since I've been following the Max Fitness cycles, I've never scored less than a 300 on the APFT.

[franco1688]

Could you guys explain the hypoxic pyramid? I'm not really familiar with it, but I'll try anything once. Who's Stew Smith? I'm always interested in checking out new stuff. I like the crossfit program (I should say I like their exercises). I think it's cool that they post a daily workout for free. I think I'm just a trainaholic, I feel I need to do a little bit more than what they post as a daily workout.

Training-

Back/bis/traps

back-
hammer strength pull downs- 3 sets
hammer rows (wide grip)- 3 sets
close grip pully rows- 3 sets
neutral grip pull downs- 3 sets

traps/bis-
upright rows- 3 sets
dumbell curls/shrugs superset- 3 sets
preacher curls (machine varying intesity low/middle/high)- 4 sets (3rd set to failure then partial reps, 4th set partial reps to failure)

cardio- run treadmill (8 min. mile pace)

mma

kung fu trainings

diet- didn't get my 5 meals in today I was out running around. I've been in the bar/nightclub business for about 8 or 9 years and I recently decided it was time to pursue my own business. My partner and I put our business plan together and checked out some potential locations today. Anyway:

meal 1- lean pocket
meal 2- big veggie salad, chicken and bean soup (my own concoction and Id have to say it wasn't too bad.)
meal 3- protein shake

[Wood Dragon]

Hypoxic pyramid: By limiting your breathing, you imitate training at high altitudes. So, while swimming, you ration the number of breaths you take, via a certain # of strokes per breath.

IOW:

Hypoxic Pyramid
100m set

Strokes-per-breath (pyramid): 2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2
Total swim distance: 900m

100m per set, 9 sets.

On set 1 of the pyramid, you would do 2 strokes per breath. On set 2 (2nd 100m), you would do 4 strokes, then breath. On up to 10 strokes per breath, then back down the other side of the pyramid to 2 strokes per breath.

NOTICE: NOT NOT NOT to be practiced or employed outside of a Lifeguard-rich environment. You can push your system too hard and black out in the middle of a stroke, underwater. I've come close.


Stew Smith: Former Navy SEAL Officer. Designed the Physical Training regimen for BUD/S and the Naval Academy. Any book or program by him is worth it's weight in platinum. Especially MAXIMUM FITNESS.

http://www.stewsmith.com/

[Ford Prefect]

I'd just like to reiterate the need to do those in a lifeguard rich environment. You can black out before you know it.


Wood Dragon,

I agree. I initially got his 12 Weeks to BUD/S book, and then I got his Maximum Fitness book. Definately some of the best workouts I've seen. I incorporate elements from them into my workouts year round.

[franco1688]

friday- i took a bye. I had a lot of running around to do.

saturday-

training

-100 crunches
-skip rope 5 mins.
-heavy bag- 100 jabs, 100 straight rights, 100 hooks each arm high and low, drilled combinations for 15 mins., 100 punches each arm punching out
-speed bag 15 mins.
-treadmill run 30 mins. total jog/sprint
-speed bag 10 mins.

*started new kung fu traing cycle, tiger trainings- 24 tigers (weights), tiger tension training, keur wong training (developes speed, breath control, and short distance striking power)

diet-
meal1- 1/4c. oatmeal, banana, 4 egg whites
meal2- protein shake, 2 rice cakes w/ light peanut butter
meal3- 1c. pinto beans, chix salad (lettuce mix, green pepper, chix, fat free italian)
meal4- protein shake

I hate the cold weather season. I need to move somewhere where it's warm all year.

[franco1688]

sunday-

-elliptical 20 mins.

-treadmill run 5.5 pace 15 incline for ten mins.

-100 crunches

-10 mins. speed bag

kung fu trainings (tiger)

Something must be going around I've been feeling sick the last couple days. It feels like I have the flu or something. It sucks, but for right now I'm trying to train through it. I've noticed, in the past, that if I sit around and relax when I'm sick I seem to not only feel sicker but it seems to last longer.

[franco1688]

monday-
run 2 miles (outside w/hills)
burpee combination
tiger trainings

boxing

meal 1- oatmeal w/ banana, chix breast
meal 2- cashews
meal 3- chili
meal 4- protein shake, 2 rice cakes

[franco1688]

Tuesday-
Still feeling under the weather. I did my kung fu trainings and the elliptical and called it quits for today.

[franco1688]

Wednesday-

Earlier in the day.....

Tiger trainings (24 tigers 576 total reps, tension training, keur wong speed and short power training)

Burpee combination (burpee, knuckle push up, legs in, jump grab bar, pull up, then leg lift) 3 sets of ten

Iron palm, iron arm, and elbow conditioning and power drills

Later...

Chest/ Back supersets

Bench press/ Hammer pull down 4 sets
decline bench/ Hammer rows 3 sets
incline bench/ wide grip pull downs 3 sets
incline flies 3 sets
pec dec 3 sets

100 crunches

15 mins. speed bag

elliptical 15 mins.

didn't go to boxing tonight

diet-
meal 1- whole grain waffles, 3 egg whites
meal 2- protein shake w/coffee instead of water
meal 3- salad, steak, baked potato, glass of milk
meal 4- protein shake
meal 5- chix salad

[franco1688]

Friday-

arms/sholders superset-

behind the neck military presses 4 sets

clean and press/upright rows 3 sets

lateral raise machine/straight bar curls 3 sets

close grip bench/ preacher curls 3 sets (after last set of preacher did partial reps to failure)

100 crunches

20 mins. treadmill

2 rounds speed bag one before weights one after 1- 10 mins. , 2- 15 mins.

tiger trainings, iron palm, forearm and elbow conditioning and short power training

diet-

meal 1- protien shake w/ 1/4 c. oatmeal
meal 2- protein bar
meal 3- grilled chix sandwhich, baked beans
meal 4- hamburger, green beans, potato

[franco1688]

Saturday-
easy day forms w/ 10 lbs weights ankles and wrists. slow, low, and good form.

My dad decided today, at fifty years old, he wanted to start learning kung fu. It's a little different, a son teaching his father. But oh well, I'm glad that he's getting into training. I started teaching him our basic stationary form (all hand techniques). I don't think I'm going to worry to much about stance training. I'm just going to teach him some basic kung fu forms, some chi kung, and eventually yangs tai chi.

[franco1688]

Sunday-
25 mins. elliptical
forms

I took it a little easy today too. My body needed some time to recoop. I'm gonna hit it hard tomorrow.

[franco1688]

monday-

forms (10 forms 10X each)

kicks- straight thrust (150 X each leg), round house shin( 150X ea.), side kick (25 ea.), back kick (25Xea.), straight thrust heavy bag (50Xea.), shin kick( round house) (50Xea.), knees (50xea.)

shadow box 5 mins.

heavy bag- 100 jabs, 100 straight right, 100 hooks, 100 shovel hooks, box 5x 3 rounds, 1 mins. punch out (fast from chambered at belt), 1 mins. punch out (fast from hands up)

speed bag 10 mins.

jog/ sprint- 2 min warm up jog, 1 min jog proceeded by 1 mins. sprint for a total of 20 mins., followed by 2 mins. cool down

later.....

burpee combo

tiger training, iron palm

diet-

meal 1- protein shake w/ 1/4 c oatmeal
meal 2- pinto beans, ground beef, and salad.
meal 3- protein shake
meal 4- chix breast, 1 can no salt added green beans
meal 5- protein shake

[monkeyfoot]

how the hell do you have the time to do all of that each day?

do you have a job/college etc

craig

[bodhitree]

Franco,
Are you coming out to pittsburgh for the submission tournament this weekend?

[franco1688]

how the hell do you have the time to do all of that each day?

do you have a job/college etc

craig

Yeah, I have a job and I go to college. It's all about time management. Like I said in an earlier post, I consider the martial arts a lifestyle not just a hobbie. I break up my training throughout the day. Usually, I either do my kung fu training in the morning or in the evening before bed, depending on the day. I hit the gym everyday and my classes are located at the same gym where I weight train etc. I don't go out and I don't really drink. Basically, my life is comprised of school, work, martial arts, and more importantly my wife.

Scott,
No, I can't make it out there. If all goes well I'll be competing in a toughman contest out here in January. Good luck man.

[franco1688]

thursday-

back/traps/bis

back-
hammer strength pull downs- 4sets- 90x15, 180x10, 230x8,270x6>180x6>90x15 (last set drop set)
hammer strength rows- 4 sets-180x10,230x8, 270x6, 270x5>230x5>180x5(last set drop set)
close grip pull downs- 4 sets- 150x12, 170x10,200x8, 220x6>200x5>170x5>150x10(last set drop set)

traps-
upright rows (cable)/diamond bar shrugs superset- 4sets 120x15/135x15, 140x12/185x12, 160x10/225x10,180x6/245x6 (last set dropset)

biceps-
barbell curls- 4sets- 80x12, 100x10, 120x8, 140x6
dumbell preacher curls- 4 sets- 30x12, 35x10, 40x8, 50x6>40x5>35x5>30x5>25x5 (last set drop set)
alternating dumbell curls- 1 set (descending set)- 50x8 (lbs.), 45x6, 40x6, 35x6, 30x6, 25x6, 20x12

cardio-
treadmill- 10min jog, 10 sprint intervals, 10 min jog

earlier in the day.....
tiger and iron palm training

diet-
meal1- 1/4 c oatmeal, 5 egg whites
meal2- protein shake
meal3- protein shake, banana
meal4- boiled cabbage, 1/2 lb turkey burger (plain), 1/2c pasta
meal5- protein shake, 1tbs. natural peanut butter

[franco1688]

friday-

shadow box- 1x4min
bob and weave drills (w and w/o rope) 1x4 mins each
heavy bag 3x 4min rounds
speed bag 10 mins.

cardio-
25 mins elliptical fast pace
25 mins exercise bike

burpee combos- 6x 1 mins rounds (45 sec rest)

plyometrics (front to back, side to side, box jump) 1min rounds each movement performed 2 times (1 min rest)

duck walks/ bear crawls - 6 laps (lap= down and back across training area)

shoot/reverse bear crawl- same as above

run in place sprawl - 3mins

mountain climbers - 2 mins (failure)

earlier.....
tiger and iron palm trainings

diet-
meal1- 1/4c oatmeal, 5 eggwhites
meal2- protein shake
meal3- turkey breast sandwhich plain
meal4- met-rx protein bar( choc chip cookie dough, these are the bomb-diggity)
meal5- 3c. boiled cabbage, 1/2 lbs. turkey burger (plain)

I've been training pretty hard and feeling good. This crappy weather here sucks. It's cold and rainy. I'd really like to get outside. I think I'm gonna buy a poncho or a rain coat and get out there this weekend. After I go trick or treating, of course. I'm going as a six year old dressed up as a 28 year old training bum.;)

[franco1688]

saturday-

run 3.5 miles (outside. rain mixed w/ snow it was awesome)

gym-

bench (checked out my max today) 25xbar, 20x145, 1x225, 1x275, 1x295, 1x315
(my max went down quite a bit since I lost weight used to be 425)

light upperbody circuit- 2x- dips, pec dec, upright rows, double front raise cables(hits shoulders and upper chest), shrugs, lateral raises, dumbell curls.

neck machine- front, back, both sides

forearms- reverse curls, standing dumbell forearm curls front/back, side/side, different movements w/ bar and weights attached to one end

50 crunches

earlier....
tiger and iron palm

diet-
cheat day

meal1- two eggs (whole), dry rye toast, potatoes, 1/2lbs. chop steak
meal2- protein shake
meal3- 1 small pc. pizza
meal4- two small cheeseburgers, fries, pumpkin pie blizzard, washed it all down w/ an ice cold mountain dew (dairy queen)

I felt pretty good today. lots of energy.

[franco1688]

sunday-

10 mile bike ride (lots of hills), sprints up hill 5x (appx. 100 yds. about 65% incline at least this hill is an ***kicker! As I was riding along I saw it and I decided that I owed it to myself to run up this bad boy.)

tigers and iron palm

monday-
rest

tiger and iron palm (I do whatever training that I'm cycling no matter what)

meal1- 1/4 c. oatmeal, 3 eggwhites
meal2- protein shake
meal3- turkey breast sandwich (whole wheat, 4oz. turkey), 5 carrot sticks
meal4- protein shake
meal5- 1/2c pinto beans, 2c boiled cabbage, chix breast

[franco1688]

I've been really busy lately and I haven't had much time to post. I'm still training hard and taking care of business, as usual. I'm going to be hosting an Iron Vest seminar in the near future. If anyone is interested please contact me via PM.

[franco1688]

I haven't posted to this in a while. I'm still traning hard ( seven days a week) and I started teaching classes again (three days a week). Getting ready to cycle iron vest training into my schedule again (the small body). 100 days of hard training while abstaining from sex, alcohol, nicotine, sugar, salt, and acidic foods.

[franco1688]

I really haven't had much time to keep up on my log lately. It's the end of the semester and I'm busy w/ school and work. I start teaching again tomorrow (CMA). I also cycled into my next training today. I'll be doing the Iron Vest training (Iron Jacket, Small Body) along w/ iron palm (as I always do). I'm still doing the same training split mon, wed, fri, (and sometime sat and/or sun) run 2-4 miles, and tues, thurs, & sat weight training (tues- chest, shoulders and tris/ thurs- back, biceps and traps/ sat- legs). My wife and I are expecting our baby in the beginning of may so I'm going to fast from february to may. (I usually start on Jan. 1 and I go for 100 days). When I say fasting what I mean is I abstain from caffeine, nicotine, sugar, salt, alcohol, (including anything processesd or that contains ingredients I can barely pronounce), acidic foods (ie. tomatoes, and citrus) and sex/ sexual release. This may sound strange to not eat citrus (they are a good source of vitamin C etc. but so are other non-acidic foods) and tomatoes contain all-important lycopene (so does watermelon and I can eat that). The reason behind staying away from acidic foods is to put your body in a more alkaline state. Some (Chinese and Western medical practicioners) believe that when the body is more alkaline you are less likely to suffer from sickness and disease. The opposite is true if your body is in a more acidic state. The reason for abstaining from sex is because some believe that when you have release you expel chi and by retaining this you also heal faster. Either way, the only thing that I can say for sure is that I feel great about two weeks into fasting and from there on out. During the first two weeks I sometimes experience headaches and sometimes I feel slightly sick. This is because of all of the toxins that have built up in my body over the year.

[franco1688]

Tuesday-

Run 2 miles 5:30 a.m. (15degrees outside today. strapped on my boots and did it anyway)

KungFu class- taught basics

Chest/ shoulders/ tris

Ironvest and Iron Palm

[JDK]

Hypoxic pyramid: By limiting your breathing, you imitate training at high altitudes. So, while swimming, you ration the number of breaths you take, via a certain # of strokes per breath.


Hi Stew,
We had a token ( Kata , Form) we did in Southern Shaolin called Far Ken
The intent was to build up to the point where you could do the entire form without taking a breath.
Another student explained to me that is was a Old Style shortcut to a minimal degre of aerobic fitness.

Depending on your level of expertise the form took between 1-3 minutes to complete.

Whats your opinion...do you think it works? Anyone ever heard of it before?

JD



Stew Smith: Former Navy SEAL Officer. Designed the Physical Training regimen for BUD/S and the Naval Academy. Any book or program by him is worth it's weight in platinum. Especially MAXIMUM FITNESS.

http://www.stewsmith.com/[/QUOTE]

[franco1688]

JDK,
If your still out there. I have heard of this and I actually do the Far Kuen token myself. I also do this from time to time while hitting the heavy bag. When I've finished my San Shou/ Boxing routine I'll do what I call "punching out." First, I expel all the air out of my lungs then I'll hit the bag 100x (just using basic punches from a horse stance). Second, I'll breath in and and hold it, then I perform another 100 reps. Lastly, I hit the bag as many times as I can to finish utilizing normal breathing. I see that you're from Ohio, so I'm figuring that we probably come from the same root system. But anyway, I also do this with the big body training (expelling all the air out of my lungs, then performing a movement). I believe that doing this type of training is not only useful from a cardio/ aerobic standpoint, but it also teaches you to perform when out of breath (ie. if you happen to get the wind knocked out of you). Also, and this may or may not sound strange, it triggers the the same chemicals in your brain that come into play when your drowning. You know how when you dive a little too deep into the water and you didn't take as deep a breath as you should have and your frantically trying to swim fast to the top? Your body is experiencing this internally, but by incorporating this into training you're teaching yourself to not only remain calm when out of breath. Also, by inhaling deeply before performing a movement, your expanding your lung capacity (over time). Oh well, that's my two cents.

I'm still training hard. My training schedule has changed a little do to a job change. It is as follows:

*Mon thru Sun- Iron Vest and Iron Palm (4:30 a.m.)
Arm Grab Program (in the evening)

* Sat, Sun and Mon - run 3-5 miles

* Tues and Thurs- Traditional Kung FU (teaching and training)

* Sat- San Shou/ MMA

* Tues, Thurs, and Sun- weight training (I changed to a superset program for the time being utilizing weight and bodyweight movements. Tues- Chest and Back, Thurs- Shoulders, Traps and arms, Sun- Legs)

It all seems to be working good so far. I've dropped about twenty lbs. and I feel great. Dietwise, I cut out all refined sugar, salt, caffeine and anything that contains these items. Basically, if it's processed and packaged I don't eat it (for the most part). I even cut out protein shakes too, but I'm still getting plenty of protein. A day in my diet looks sort os like this:

1) 1/2 c oatmeal, 3 egg whites 1 whole egg
2) 1 banana, 1/4 c almonds
3) 1c baby carrots (raw), sandwhich sugarfree salt- free bread- organic bread w/ 8oz. chix breast and lettuce.
4) 1 apple, 1/4 c cashews
5) 1/2c brown rice, 1c broccoli, fish (usually salmon, tuna or tilapia)
6) 1c. green beans, 8oz chix breast (sometimes I skip this meal depending on the time)

I only drink tea (herbal) or water and I eat my last meal 2-3 hrs. before bedtime.

[JDK]

Hey franco1688 ,
thanks for the reply. Good to hear from someone who has actually practiced the token...and knows the physiological reasons of how and why it works.

In all honesty...I have forgotten most of the form, so I do what I remember.
( I no longer train at that School) But even the 20 percent I remember is helpful

I am only one month back into serious training....so I have a long way to go.

It is interesting and encouraging however that it has come back to me so quickly
AND the results of a mere one month of Stance Training , Arm Grabs, other tokens I remember, weight training, Heavy Bag training and speed work, Boxing and one Staff Form I partially remember....has increased my power and stamina in such a short amount of time.

I have lost 11 Pounds..feel MUCH better, drink herbal Tea and water ...and also I
have incorporated a tone and stretch program taught to me another teacher...and that has helped immensly.

My original Style didnt really incorporate any stretching, and I have very tight hamstrings and lower body in general...so I desperately needed daily stretching.

I am eating better..but not as good as you!;)

I KNOW so much information...but head knowledge isnt enough.
Without me putting into pratice the teachings I have learned over the last 20 years..the knowledge is useles.:(

Also, I lack a practice partner for grappling, which I feel is essential in todays society, as many have learned through the UFC and attend schools that now incorporate Grappling and Jujitsu into their training Todays thugs and criminals are NOT from our fathers generation...it is a bIt of a different world out there in actual combat.
But what am I telling YOU for...you know the scoope from experience!!!:D

I wish you good health and good training.

JDK

[franco1688]

I'm actually teaching in the area. Tues and Thurs. are traditional Kung Fu and on Saturdays I have a class that incorporates kung fu (san shou), boxing, some wrestling and various techniques a stand up fighter may use to defend against a grappler. Just send me an IM if you're interested.

[franco1688]

Update-
I haven't had much time lately to keep posting my daily training schedule. I'm still doing the Iron Jacket Training (Small Body) and I've lost twenty pounds so far. Not bad for only being about 5 weeks into the program. Last week was rough though, I had pneumaonia all week, but I still kept up with the training and the diet (although I did find someone teach my class for me). Due to my crazy schedule and the fact that I have a baby on the way my routine has changed a bit and I had to cut some stuff out for the time being. My new schedule is as such:

Monday- Run (2-4 miles), Bodyweight routine (compound movements)

Tuesday- Kung Fu class, Weights (Chest, Shoulders, Tris)

Wed- Bodyweight routine, elliptical, bike, speed bag

Thurs- Kung Fu Class, Weights (Back, Bis, Traps)

Fri- Same as wed

Sat- Kung Fu/ San Shou 1 1/2- 2hrs, Run

Sun- Weights (Legs), Run

Everyday- 5:30 a.m. Iron Jacket, Iron Palm, and Meditation