todome

It sounds like you're in good enough shape to push your body to your heart's limit without hurting yourself. Finding your max means no matter how hard you push it your heart rate doesn't increase any more. That point doesn't last long. The failure is in the body, not the heart, because its anaerobic system seizes up. Me, I've been finding that redlining (90% of max) my theoretical @ 160 for a few moments during my intervals is plenty. Some trainers say that will increase your limit. I Might think about substaining that redline later on but not these days. I'm making plenty of progress as it is.

The turning of the fist at the end of the punch involves not just the forearm but shoulder muscles as well. Those who favour this technique, myself included, can argue (some more fervently than others)... 1) The rotation fosters a greater range of motion in the shoulder, allowing the rotator cuff and deltoid muscles a more concentrated and forceful contribution to the vector sum of forces. 2) The movement sequence of a rotated punch allows a more efficient path for the contracting muscles to follow due to less force lost to tension caused by early torque. and 3) At contact the orientation of the fist creates a greater stability along the horizontal plane (do knuckle push-ups both ways for a quick and dirty demonstration) making power in the punch of function of an effective stance than it would be otherwise. The last point opens a window into why different styles are not necessarily right or wrong about the choices that are made. A style that emphasizes rotation power over connection to a strong base will naturally favour a lateral-fisted punching style.

nice floor

The ITKF doesn't require tekki nidan for nidan testing.

Not without a stress test but even at that I think its fair bet I'm too old to expect that avenue of pleasure to be available to me any longer.

gotta tell you folks. those toe touches are killers. great routine!

Sorry but I have to disagree. Circuit training maybe as a part of the plan, but not weight training in general. The Compendium of Physical Activities lists weight training as the metabolic equivalent of just barely jogging (6 METS). Circuit training with minimal rest and aerobic elements is about the same as running at around 5 miles an hour (8 METS) so if calories are the issue it seems to me that something light and substainable is the better first choice. There are a lot of good reasons to get into resistance training. Burning calories isn't one of them.

I've been hoping to come across a good core workout with a wide range of movement. That looks wicked good. I'm not even sure I can do 8,9 and 10 with no weight at all. gotta check this one out. Thanks! btw. this looks like a good vid of it.

I suggest that whatever you choose to do for cardio, and yes absolutely talk to your doctor and start doing cardio, you make a point of learning the basics of heart rate training. In a nutshell it involves sitting down and roughing out your target heart rate(s) and training to it(them). It takes the guesswork out of avoiding either over or under training. Personally, I've been having good results with a stationary bike and a chest strap that lets me keep a close eye on my heart rate. Not exactly a laugh a minute or anything but its low-impact and easy to control. I've developed a 6 routine rotation of workouts ranging from 17 minutes at 151 bpm to 30 minutes of interval work between 124 and 155 bpm and a 40 minute endurance session at 141 bpm. The system is a bit more finely tuned than just roughing stuff in but for all the fuss its still just a fancy way of going at it hard enough to keep my heart going 145 (I'm 50 years old so oh yeah 145 is plenty) for a while. 145, btw, is smack dab in the middle of the standard anaerobic zone for my age, which makes it a recommended interval training target. I stick to the upper ranges when I'm on the bike since the karate training itself provides plenty of lower range/intensity exercise. I think its 2 hours a week well spent. Its taken a lot of the worry out of having something in the tank for the end of class. I'll scale back on how much time I'm spending on cardio sooner or later but having quit smoking a few months back I'm making too much progress (eg. 2% improvement in VO2 max a week over the last four weeks) to not keep it up at least for now. If you're interested, here's a decent reference to get you started. http://walking.about.com/cs/fitnesswalking/a/hearttraining.htm

Todome,... Sorry sk. Didn't even notice this thread until now. The test was a bit of an uphill struggle from the get-go. Our dojo didn't get notice of it until around 6 weeks before which left us trying to rattle our acts together in time. A few more weeks might have made a difference, may not, but back then I knew going in I'd have to have a good day to pass. I didn't*. Having totally screwed up Kanku Dai after a rather lacklustre kihon, I knew before the test was finished that I wasn't going to pass and I'm glad I didn't because after all was said and done I didn't think I deserved to. What I felt the worst about was that Sensei wanted me to test (he tells you to test, you test, no?) and I felt then and still feel now that I had let him down. It does get to the point where you should test for the good of the dojo, not just yourself. He was right, too. It was time for me to test. Pass or Fail, it gives everyone else something to look forward to and hopefully something to strive for. I might have done better somehow but that's water under the bridge and tomorrow's another day. I'm happy to report my 'tough time' was quite brief. More importantly than being dissappointed, which of course I was, I got a taste of where I needed to go to get there and have turned up the effort getting ready to test again next April. Hell. I even quit smoking. So I may have failed the belt test and had to endure the embarrassment that went with it, but I like to think I passed the karateka test. It IS supposed to be about character after all. * my excuses: 1) Tweeked my knee just before the test so placing weight on it was a worry. 2) Being two days into what turned into a two-week bout of what was probably the swine flu, I was totally totally totally running on empty. Did I say totally? 3) I was jonesing for a smoke. Not a showstopper but it sure didn't help.

Do it. It takes about three days to clear your body of nicotine. Once that's done you've seen the worst of it. It takes one smoke to retrigger half the (extra) receptors that drive the addiction so if you think turning down the next smoke is tough just remember turning down the one after that is even worse. https://www.whyquit.com

healing speaking of which... which subforum do I use to lament failing my nidan with flying colours?

Not that I'm any sort of a whiz when it comes to kumite, but I do believe that not being prepared to both punch AND kick from ready state limits both offensive and defensive potential. In terms of kihon its been my experience that what I learn about kicking techniques specifically can always been applied more generally to such aspects as moving in stance and refining my form. I'm no spring chicken either so I've learned to satisfy myself with mostly waist height targets doing side and roundhouse kicks but make a point once in a while of squeezing an extra few inches out of myself by concentrating on timing my actions more deliberately from the ground up. Carefully, mind you. If I don't get the hips into it properly it hurts like stink.

Don't mind at all, thanks.

I'm just a Sempai but I teach when I'm told. IMO, as long as the clearcoat hasn't been layed on too thick, nothing beats a hardwood floor

Maybe I should've mentioned at the time my crack about adults being sick of working up a sweat was tongue in cheek. They are more prone to getting their grey matter involved, though. It IS easier to get kids to "do now, think later". They think it's hilarious. Although when it the idea kicks in with an adult, he or she tends to substain the attitude longer.

I think you hit on something there. Even when kids ARE there of their own accord, for good or for bad there's always the Mom factor. I think by their nature what motivates kids and adults is different. For instance I've always found adults are more likely to enjoy the challenge of learning kata while the kids are more quick to consider it a chore. absolutely adults can and will give their best effort on the dojo floor but relatively speaking that's more of a conscious application of self-discipline than it is with kids. relatively speaking.

Kids: pro - more easily entertained as long as you keep them moving con - not as quick on the uptake of the more general concepts so, for example, when you tell them to drop their weight they bend their knees and call it a day put it together - can be introduced to the broader concepts underlying techniques by patiently breaking down the factors involved into more simplified progressions. a logical series of drills that thrills the kids could very well just make the adults impatient. Adults: pro - pride themselves on thinking so as long as you keep on yakking sensibly they think they're getting their money's worth con - basically sick of working up a sweat put it together - successfully demonstrate and challenge them to discover the efficiency of movement upon which tha art is built and you'll have a roomful junkies falling over themselves to solve a brainteaser. not all of them, but no plan is perfect.

Remembering that the straight back and forth action of the thigh during walking involves rotation at the hip only this time figuring out that it applies to movement in stance as well.