Decided it was time to put up a log over here on KFM.
I’ve been doing one consistently since 1 Jan 2008…it has been a long time goal to have a journal and to keep it going for at least a whole year. I’ve been using a journal feature on another site but figured I’d put it over here as I’ve been here a long time and my focus is still Kung Fu in my training.
My goals for the year have been to compete thrice, perform 200 55pd snatches in under 10min, and open a San Da club in Winnipeg. I’d also like to get stronger, as always, but that seems to take a backseat to conditioning and martial training.
My best lifts are 315 deadlift and 225 squat. Not bad but nothing special.
So far I have fought Judo and San Shou. I took silver in both going 1-2 in Judo and 2-1 in San Shou. If things go well with work this summer I hope to fight San Shou in July or August if possible. I will more than likely fight Judo again but I need to get my technique up to par (my first tournament I had trained for maybe 10 classes in total…kung fu base sure helped though!).
I’ve been training for 8 years this May in everything from Savate to boxing to CLF, to wushu, to Judo to kung fu. I spent 6 years doing Black Tiger kung fu and continue to practice this daily. I’ve been doing Judo since Nov 2007 and have a great club with a couple of Olympians for coaches. Although I’ve always maintained kickboxing training and conditioning, I’ve recently had the pleasure of hooking up with a Coach/Sifu in the city who has fought quite a bit of San Shou and who let me come to his Kung Fu club and spar with him to prepare. I’m also hitting up LKFMDC’s club in NY this April for an instructor seminar and will hopefully be getting our website and posters for the club going in May…plus forking over the dough for mats!
On to the training!
21 March 2008
Weight: 175
Just came off a week off from training after fighting at the Tiger Balm Internationals in Vancouver. Now it’s back to hard work!
Kung Fu/San Da training
Warmed up with footwork, agility exercises, and a variety of movements from Magnificent Mobility (a DVD I highly recommend!).
Iron Palm
Gung Lik Kuen (a power generating dynamic tension set)
Heavy Bag
5X3 min, 50 sec rest.
Worked different combos mixing in grabbing the bag for throws and using a lot of stop kicks. Really trying to work the flow from punching, kicking, to throwing and back again.
Then I did this awful Steve Maxwell Spartan 300 Bodyweight routine…I recommend it by man it made me sore!
You basically do 30 reps of each exercise coupling them together doing as many of each in the couplet back and forth till the couplet is done then do the next one.
Chin up/Push up (in this one you glide back and forth over the arm at the bottom)
Full Squat/V-Up
Bodyweight Horizontal Row/Hindu Push Up
Cossack/Alternating leg raise with elbow to knee touch
Jumping Lunge/Burpee
Time: 27:50 Not too shabby, I’ll be doing the above routine every Friday and trying to beat that time.
22 March 2008
Weight: 177.6
San Da
Went to a gym facility with a workout area. Usually I do Judo today but there’s no class due to the holidays.
2X3min skipping.
Lots of joint rotations and Magnifcient Mobility movements…I am very sore from yesterday!
Then we did some footwork stuff.
Attack and Counter drills:
Defend the jab and pay attention to openings. The same with the sidekick. Then a basic Jab, legkick defend drill.
Then a hook drill where the one guy throws jab, cross, hook, or jab, right hook, and off the hook you perform a separation grab of head and leg…not sure of the name but whatever.
Then did some Thai Pads really working on mixing all the elements together using stop kicks and punches flowing into takedowns…really worked that one takedown as I need to broaden my San Da takedown repertoire.
That was it…just a short one today.
Another note is that although my cardio held up in the competition my muscular endurance, from all the takedowns and wrestling didn’t hold up as well so I am looking to really expand my muscular endurance and my limit strength to a certain extent. No doubt I’ll be pushing cars around the neigbourhood and sprinting up a huge hill soon enough!
23 March 2008
Nothing today.
Forgot to weight myself. I’m still pretty sore from that Spartan thing.
Oh well, lots of hard training tomorrow!
24 March 2008
Weight: 176.8 (Surprising considering the amount of cheesecake and chocolate crap I ate yesterday. But nonetheless…
San Da Solo Practice
Piles of joint mobility and loosening exercises
3X3min skipping with more movement stuff inbetween.
Went through a bunch of kicks and punches real slow building to fast and faster to work the whole body mechanics.
Da Kuen (Fighting Set about 5min long) X2
Shadowboxing 3X3min with 50 sec rest period.
Squats (Finally!)
135X5
185X3X3sets
135X5
Just working on the movement and the mechanics, getting good depth. Plus I’m not that strong in the squat.
Will do kettlebell later tonight.
24 March 2008 cont.
Kettlebell
Warmed up with various swings, halos, snatches and presses with the 40 and 56 pound kettlebell.
Turkish Get Up: 2X4reps with the 56er.
Then a back and forth of:
Military Press: 50 X 3 reps
Swing: 105pdsX6
Did that for 4 sets.
Then ended with three times through a workout I found called “Heaven and Hell”…that one was pretty bad. Twice through, did some abs, then once through. I’d like to do the whole thing through 5 times but my forearms were screaming with lactic acid. It’s this type of training that makes newaza not so painful!
25 March 2008
Weight: 176.8
San Da
Warmed up with some mobility stuff and some agility/footwork drills.
3X3min shadowboxing with 1min rest.
Thai Pads: Just a light one today, each round worked on either one or two punches and two different kicks.
3X3min with 50Sec breaks.
Clinch: Pummel for 50/50 clinch:
2X2min with 50sec rest. The guy I was training with is very, very strong and about 30-40 pounds heavier than me but has the gas tank of a tricycle. It’s still fun using technique and leverage to move him around. Not so fun when he gets a good hold on me!
Abs
Did a 3min circuit mixing bodyweight and medicine ball stuff. Went through that twice.
Ended with a bunch of body conditioning.
26 March 2008
Weight: 177.4
Judo
After a good warmup with a million rolls and breakfalls and pushups and abs, we carried partner on our backs for lunges, then carried them in the front for more lunges, then dragged them across the mat, then we carried them in a double leg type of grab across the map. Good strength training!
Worked on o soto gari, and ouchi gari, for 30 reps each doing uchi kome, and then we did ippon seoi nagi for 30 reps.
Then newaza. I applied a triangle (my first in sparring!), an armbar, and a choke against another beginner that was very, very strong. Went up against a green belt that is also a high school wreslting coach, I managed to break his guard, get to half, then almost into side control but he turtled, I worked for a choke, he told me to roll with it and I pulled him but then he was in my guard. I avoided his choke attempts and struggled to get out but eventually I tapped.
Then I went against a brown belt and managed to fight to a draw after 5 minutes, which was pretty sweet as this guy almost always pins me.
Did some defense standup. Basically 3, 1min fights where you rotate people and the guy on the mat stays and can only defend. My attacks were worthless but my defense was great until the coach’s son came and destroyed me.
After doing this for awhile we ended with 1, 5min round of randori. I was against a brown who always throws me and I’ve thrown once. In those 5 min I managed to throw him 3 times! I was stoked.
Ended with jogging, pushups, burpees, situps, etc. and then a good stretch.
The moral of the story: hard cardio vascular conditioning really, really pays off!
Do your burpees, sprints, and kettlebell circuits kiddies!
27 March 2008
Weight: 178.4
No training.
Pressed some kettlbells a bit.
28 March 2008
Weight: 176.4
San Da/Kung Fu
Warmed up with some footwork…fast feet = good.
Iron Palm
Gung Lik Kuen
Heavybag
5X3min with 50 seconds rest.
Really worked on footwork and putting combinations together as relaxed as possible but also as hard as possible. Mixed in the feet pretty good as well dealing with the different ranges.
Spartan 300 workout
22:30 min! Took 5 minutes off this workout this time around!
Here’s the ten exercises you do in pairs:
Chin up/Pushup with hover side to side at bottom
Squat/V-Up
Bodyweight Horizontal row/Hindu Pushup (first half)
Cossack or drop stance/Elbow to knee leg raise twist
Jumping Lunge/Burpee
My goals are to do the following versions of these exercises:
Wide Pull Up and then Towel pullups or rope climbs/ Ring Pushups and then Ring dips
1-Leg Squat (That’s 30 each leg!)/Keep the v-up maybe just do it much stricter
1-Arm Body weight Row/Full Hindu pushup
Cossack holding 55pd stone lock/Hanging Knees to elbows
Keep the Jumping Lunge/Burpee with an explosive pushup
Once I’m comfortable with this workout, my chinups are still the slowest portion, then I’ll start doing these advanced versions.
I’ve also added doing 2X5 military presses per arm everyday with 50 pd kettlebell to work up to my 56er. I’ll be doing this 3 days a week, then one day of higher volume like 5 sets, and then after two days of rest I’ll do 2 sets with the 56er.
hard work pays off,
My Sifu always told me “in gung fu there is no magic, only hard work”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-xQ4MmCohg
good show brother
29 March 2008
Weight: 179 (Thanks to a big bag of Mini Eggs and a large pepperoni and beef pizza I ate to myself at midnight last night!)
Judo team was off fighting and I want at least a month if not two of solid practices before I fight again.
Kettlebell
Press 2X5, 55pd
Snatch
5L,5R, rest 15 sec…repeat until 100.
Swing (above head for maximum hip extension) 10, rest 15sec, repeat to 100.
A bit of footwork and shadowboxing.
28 March 2008
Weight: 178
San Da
My toe is sliced up because of being stupid so no skipping rope. Did some mobility and footwork crap.
Then did a whole whack of two man drills focusing on counter attacking blending takedowns, kicks, and punches.
Then: 4X3 on the Thai pads. Working two kicks and two punches per round for form and maximal power.
Ended with a bunch of sidekicks, spinkicks, and roundhouse kicks to the belly pad with a thai pad wedged between the body. Doing this actually disperses some of the impact!
31 March 2008
Weight: 177
Ok, so apparently I’ve added or lost days or something, my ability to keep track of the calendar is gone. That said:
Afternoon training at the university:
1X3min skipping. Toe still messed up and I forgot my shoes and every time that **** rope hits my toes, it hurts.
Did a couple of rounds of footwork and agility practice.
Da Kune 2X Felt good. Stances solid and flowing from one posture to the next. My cardio is also great for this one these days which is awesome!
Shadowboxing
5X3min with 50 sec rests.
Nothing too big. Just working on a couple of things and paying attention to what I instinctively do and then trying to make it better.
Squats:
1X3 @135
2X3 @185
3X2 @205
Good workout! The squats are feeling great and I’m finding my groove baby!
Evening kettlebell workout:
Military Press
4X3 @53pds
Supersetted with
4X3 pullups with an additional 20 pounds added on.
Then:
Cleans 1X8 with 53 and 55.
Clean and push-press: 3X3 with both kettlebells
Clean 1X8 with both again.
Swings 2X6 with both bells.
Good workout and not as taxing as the high rep stuff!
got a link 2 the heaven and hell workout?
I have found that using a couple of the cross fit training ideas is good too. (sorry for stealing your stuff cross fit)
kb’s - swings (from horse to overhead x50)
box jumps x100 (2 ft off the ground - this is a plyometric exercise)
wall ball (you wuill come to hate this one, but it is hella good)
rowing
and then add all the other stuff.
sorry for the mini jack. 
[QUOTE=SevenStar;851186]got a link 2 the heaven and hell workout?[/QUOTE]
Just type it in youtube. It’s basically:
1 kettlebell, I use a 40pder
5 Swings
5 Highpulls
5 Snatches
5 Clean and Press
5 Circular Cleans
5 Reverse Lunges
Then pass the bell from hand to hand around your back for about 5-10 reps. Then repeat on the other arm.
Sounds easy but try 3-4 times through each arm without putting the bell down. Good for the cardio and insane for the forearm lactic acid.
[QUOTE=David Jamieson;851226]I have found that using a couple of the cross fit training ideas is good too. (sorry for stealing your stuff cross fit)
kb’s - swings (from horse to overhead x50)
box jumps x100 (2 ft off the ground - this is a plyometric exercise)
wall ball (you wuill come to hate this one, but it is hella good)
rowing
and then add all the other stuff.
sorry for the mini jack. :p[/QUOTE]
Yeah, they’ve got some great training ideas. My focus has always been related to theirs but after fighting I realize I need to up my raw strength…aside from some technical tweaking necessary!
I did 100 55 pd kettlebell swings overhead the other day, that was awesome. I actually prefer the overhead variation.
1 April 2008
Weight: 177
San Da
Warmed up with lots of calesthetics and footwork, bear crawls, joint mobility, etc.
Did some kicking and punching drills to loosen up mixing in some footwork.
Shadowboxing
3X3min 50 sec rest. Each round a different person took turns randomly calling out exercises like 10 tuck jumps, 10 pushups, 10 squats, etc. It was pretty good.
Fight Drills: lots of mixing up punches, kicks, and takedowns. Working reflexes in all sorts of positions.
Thai Pads
2X3 min
We did two kicks and two punches and did as many of the 4hit combo as possible giving each shot 100%…no holding back. It was pretty tiring and the short amount of rounds was due to the pad guy being destroyed from the body kicks.
Then 6min abs…and lots, and lots of iron body impact drills.