Ueshirokarate

Start with negatives, horizontal pulls or can do band-assisted pulls. Then jacknife pulls, vary grips, muscle ups, pulls off a rope or towel etc. then onto single arms of all the same. Paralletes are good for getting deeper pushups for the chest. Or you can move on to different equipment, rings and ropes. I agree that legs are difficult but you can assist yourself with a chair or something for pistol squats and being a Karate-ka, there's always kicks against a resistance band. Again I'm not saying that bodyweight should be used in place of weights, which method you go depends on your goals. And I agree that the fact that you can incrementally increase the weight each workout when using weights and that is a big advantage to that type of workout. Just usually the reason you might want to do a bodyweight workout instead of weighted workout is a) because you can't afford weights or gym membership or b) because you want to develop the associated skills that come with manipulating your body... therefore you should make the exercise harder before adding weight. Some people don't have the grip strength to do negatives and yes, there are creative ways you can work with your body, but I like the fastest, most efficient and precise methods of training, especially for beginners or those with limited time who compete, which to me is a blend of both. You can also use a sand bag or other form of weight. Once again, it comes down to the individual, their situation and goals. I totally get your point about affordability. However, I must say though, that I have run across those (especially in martial arts circles) that have almost a cult-like devotion to body-weight training. They look down upon weight training. I just don't understand that mentality. Resistance is resistance. Moreover, you are certainly manipulating your body as much with a push up as you are with a barbell bench press and even more than both with dumbbells. Resistance is resistance, just make sure you have a sound well-defined training program that gets you to your goals. If you are serious about applying the best training methods to reach your goals in the most efficient maner, you need to be open to both. Heck, I don't want to be lugging barbells with me on a work trip. I also don't want to worry about finding the right gym to train at on a short one. In short, its all good as long as it is done soundly.

What Ueshirokarate is talking about is progressive overload. He is not saying body weight exercises are bad, following his post's it sounds like he likes them! What he is saying is the body only provides a finite amount of resistance, no matter how you 'adjust' things, and there will come a time when you will need to add more resistance. I think you underestimate how much resistance you can apply using bodyweight alone. You'll probably be looking like Arnie then when one-arm pull-ups, one-arm handstand pushups are no longer providing enough resistance. And many people can't even do one pull-up with both hands, so how do you train them? The easiest thing is to have them do lat pull-downs or weight assisted pull-ups like on a gravitron. I also don't think pull-ups are the place where most people struggle with too little weight on body-weight exercises. My largest challenge is with legs and chest. I can easily do body-weight dips, push-ups and squats for many reps. Doing pistol squats or one-arm push-ups are not an option for me, but adding weight is and it is very easy to do. The biggest argument for weights over body-weight training, is the fact that you can increase resistance progressively in precise small amounts. Therefore, they provide more flexibility and precision. They do have the downside of taking up space and costing money. Moreover, as much as I believe in multi-joint moments, sometimes it is important to isolate muscles as much as possible and you can't do that well with body-weight exercises. In short, there is no perfect training modality for all situations. Finally, as a coach, I would much rather have free-weights to train someone than rely on them doing body-weight training, especially beginners. Other than that, I really have no bias either way and recommend both body-weight and free-weight training. Heck, doing kata is body-weight training, isn't it?

Lying about someone attacking you is a completely different situation than someone actually attacking you, as is someone believing someone was about to attack you but didn't actually do so. If someone actually attacks you, they are pretty much asking for anything they get in return up to and including death. The bottom line is that they would have no force from you if they didn't attack you in the first place. I see nothing wrong with breaking a guy's neck who jumps me in a dark alley, or tries to mug me, etc. By the way, I think this discussion would probably be a better fit in the politics of martial arts section. Laws that turn victims into criminals make about as much sense to me as laws banning nunchucks.

I think that is just plain smart no matter the law.

I think it is all hogwash. To me, anyone who initiates force against another is the only one responsible for what happens to anyone including themselves. I don't get turning a victim into a criminal, it is completely illogical. I am not saying to disregard current laws, only stating that some current law (regulations) are absurd.

Another solid post!

Strange criticism. I agree with the others. At the end of the day, even the most advanced moves come down to the same basic body movements. In our system, everyone does the first kata together, even Yon Dans. Basics are the foundation for everything and should be drilled and perfected over and over and over again. Even pro-golfers do basic drills in prep for competition. I don't think you can ever over-do kihon. That said, it isn't your school, so you need to quietly go along with your Shihan. Thank him for the correction and try to bring your curriculum to be in line with his desires. Take what you learn from him good and bad and then apply those lessons to your school when/if you open one.

I am still a beginner and don't think I am really at the stage to really focus on such, but think this an excellent topic. I found a good video on this the other day on Youtube:

Solid post. Of course I would suggest finding a CMMACC or CSCS to work with in designing the program for you, but I am biased.

Great post, I could not agree with you more.

I think that is smart. However, I am curious as to how you define "totally different art"? I am probably going to visit a Goju Ryu school soon. Really the only kata we share is gekisai dai ichi. I plan on showing up with my belt and a white belt and asking the instructor what I should put on. Both styles are Okinawan Karate, but I do see them as being dramatically different in certain ways, yet the same.

Work on your balance and don't worry about it. One device if you have access to it is a bosu ball. It is an excellent device for this application. I would just do deep knee bends/squats on it. It will dramatically improve your ability.

What Ueshirokarate is talking about is progressive overload. He is not saying body weight exercises are bad, following his post's it sounds like he likes them! What he is saying is the body only provides a finite amount of resistance, no matter how you 'adjust' things, and there will come a time when you will need to add more resistance. Remember: there is no single workout modality that fits every situation and the situation does change with an individuals fitness progressions and goals. Exactly right, thanks for stepping in to clarify.

The funny thing is, this is the exact argument we hear from boxers and MMA guys about the belt system. What kind of belt do you have? I am not a huge fan of belts, as they never truly represent a person's skill and knowledge. That said, if they are used I do believe that a person's rank should reflect the style being trained on the deck. I train in BJJ too and have no issues putting on a white belt. Heck, it is really nice to be a beginner again and humbling at that. I would never in a million years put on a karate belt rank when I train in BJJ. The two are completely different.

You use weights for body-weight exercises when you have reached a point in training where body-weight alone no longer cuts it. IMHO, going from 100-200 push-ups is not as good at doing 100 push-ups with an additional 25-50lbs in a vest. A backpack is certainly an alternative, but it would be impractical to use one with a TRX like device or certain type of body-weight exercises. I would much rather wear a weight vest when doing burpees and the like too. Every training modality has its ideal applications, but no training modalities are ideal for all applications. That is why it is important to first define your specific goals and then develop a program to reach them. If all you want to do is get stronger and bigger, nothing will out-do traditional free-weights. You're right we have to look at OP's goals. He said he wanted the vest for running so that's why I agreed with JusticeZero about the backpack being better not to mention cheaper. He also said he wanted to do bodyweight training so that's why I said check out those books. Instead of using a weighted vest for body weight exercises, s/he should look to increase the difficulty of the exercise instead of just adding weight. IMHO there isn't a point when bodyweight alone stops cutting it. Body weight can go a long way and if it seems like an exercise is easy, you should increase the difficulty of the exercise you are doing because that exercise is no longer as useful to you. If you can do 100 push ups easy, then you start doing things such as elevating your legs or work towards to one handed pushups, then through to hand-stand push-ups. No need for high reps unless you want endurance. Bodyweight exercises are great for martial artists because they also demand control, balance etc. If you want to be a bodybuilder you'll probably end up using weights but you can get definitely get big using bodyweight only, check out people like , that's only using bodyweight.Interesting video. However, think about this, your muscles do not know the difference between body-weight and free-weights. Resistance is resistance no matter where it comes from. Body-weight exercises are great, but they are not the be all end all (and neither are free-weights), especially for working the lower portion of one's body. Moreover, no matter how creative you get, you will always only have a maximum of your body-weight to train with.

Glad you are on the good guy's side. I can't imagine how much of a challenge being a police officer would be in today's day and age of absurd lawsuits and bizarre rules.

Or drink single malt???

You use weights for body-weight exercises when you have reached a point in training where body-weight alone no longer cuts it. IMHO, going from 100-200 push-ups is not as good at doing 100 push-ups with an additional 25-50lbs in a vest. A backpack is certainly an alternative, but it would be impractical to use one with a TRX like device or certain type of body-weight exercises. I would much rather wear a weight vest when doing burpees and the like too. Every training modality has its ideal applications, but no training modalities are ideal for all applications. That is why it is important to first define your specific goals and then develop a program to reach them. If all you want to do is get stronger and bigger, nothing will out-do traditional free-weights.

Funny, I usually have a hard time if I train hard at night. I get wired and can't sleep.

Whenever I am thinking of trying something new like this, I first ask myself the following questions: What exactly am I trying to accomplish with this training modality? What exactly is the goal I am trying to reach with this and how will I measure progress toward it and know when it has been attained? Is this the most efficient (cost and time wise) way to reach that goal? Answer these questions before you put money down on anything, or spending time doing it. IMHO, body weights are just another form of resistance and not the most efficient form. They would be good if you really like doing a lot of body-weight exercises or are using rings, a TRX type tool or running and have reached the point where straight body-weight will no longer tax you enough to make progress. I would be very cautious with wrist and ankle weights, as you typically use these for very high rep activities and they can strain your body as a result.

Which brands do you guys like? Why? What about the various weaves, etc? Found this website: http://www.aesopian.com/320/bjj-gi-survey-results/

I have no problems with a snack being a Twinkie. Just have have a cheat day once a week. You don't need to go crazy, but it is a huge psychological boost to literally have your cake and eat it too. You just need to make sure you are running the proper caloric deficit for the week in total. I lost most of my weight doing caloric cycling. I would eat like a pig on weekends (I also lifted heavy on these days) and then I would cut my calories way back during the week to about 1800 calories per day. I haven't been lifting for a while, so I have settled into a diet that is pretty steady with a moderate reduction in calories.

I don't know, I ate a ton of Chobani Greek yogurt and it is loaded with sugar. It was great to keep the hunger at bay. Also meat was viewed by me as essential to my diet, as I was also lifting weights and doing my best to gain muscle so the protein helped. I also avoided carbs at night and carbs to me are broccoli, corn, oranges, bananas, etc. You can believe anything you like, all I have is my personal experience. By the way, at one point in my life (around 29) I was a vegetarian for about six months. It was the worst diet I had ever been on and I plumped up and grew exceedingly tired. If being a vegan and avoiding sugar and the rest works for you, all I can say is I am glad you found something that works for you.

There is no doubt about it. However, you can still lose weight eating the stuff if you run a deficit of caloric intake to outtake as that nutritionist proved with his Twinkie diet. Given human history's record on mass starvation, I am grateful that we have an overabundance of food. I have no doubt that someone from a famine ridden country would kill for a Twinkie. Once again it comes down to the individual's responsibility to control what they do. I have personally lost 50+lbs of fat. I gained it in the first place because I failed to watch what I ate and didn't exercise all that much. No one did it to me and no one lost the weight for me either. It was all self-control and discipline, or lack thereof. I still enjoy high calorically dense foods like ice cream, as well as diet soft drinks and other artificially flavored items. I just now watch how much I consume and put the effort in on the exercise front. There is no magic bullet. Most people fail at losing weight because they don't know what it really takes to do it. They see all these programs and diet adds and believe the hype. When they don't lose 40lbs in two weeks they give up and go back to what they were doing. Their metabolism is now a little bit slower and the are in worse shape as a result. If they realized that it took a long time to put on and will take a long time to take off, maybe things would be different.

Same thing basically. Most knockdown styles just refer to it as sune uke which translates to shin block. The concept is the same though which makes sense as Kyokushin fighters got the idea from fighting Thai boxers back in the day. These techniques are peppered all over Matsubayashi katas, the same thing with some of Mai Thai's elbow strikes. Given the regional proximity of Thailand, China and Okinawa, I wouldn't doubt for a second that there was some cross pollination going on between fighters in these various countries. Heck, they probably fought one another from time to time and those that survived said wow, did you see that technique to their buddies?