Evil Dave

Ok, you have a dream {sorry, lack of a better term} goal. Now take a look at where you are in your training, are you and what level of competition are you planning on entering and what resources you have available. Next you take a look at the bigger picture and plan a complete training package. If you are still in your first couple of years of training, I would concentrate on your main MA, and slowly add more. As already mentioned, work on the full body exercises and big lifts. Check out your local Crossfit gym for a general preparedness program. If you are looking to get into serious competition then you need to talk with a conditioning coach that understands what you need, as this level and type of program requires more then we can offer you here.

Endurance Athlete is a little to broad spectrum. What sport are you interested in competing / practicing? Are you still thinking MA?

What are you looking for in stronger hands? Is it grip strength or punching strength? For grip strength, pullups, any heavy lifting be it in the gym, sandbags, kettlebells, yard work, etc. For punching strength you need to look at the wrists and then up the arm and into the shoulder as well. This is where heavy bag or makiwara work comes in. Also take a look at shoulder strength and stability exercises.

Try contacting your local physiotherapists, and look for one that works on backs. The physio should also be able to tell you if there is a structural issue and in that case you may need to see a chiropractor. Take care of your back.

TIME! Simply put, you've lost your flexibility. You can get it back, but it just takes time. One of those things that can not be rushed. Instead of a stretching machine, take a look at other assisted stretches. I use exercise bands for my hamstrings, hips and ankles. For my IT band, hip abductors, quads, back and more I use a foam roller. Both are fairly inexpensive, should be under $60 for both items and you can use them for other exercises as well. Do a quick Google search and you will find examples of different stretches.

Your best bet is to sit down with a recruiter, only they can give you the up to date information, and if you do not meet the current prereq's they will inform you on what you need to do for what you are looking for. That's more then just 'joining' the Navy, what do you want to do in the Navy? At the same time work on getting your GED, as the majority of good jobs out there require a basic level of education.

Power lifting is a sport in itself. That being said there are many different ways to lift weights. Concentrating on low reps and heavy weights does focus on strength, but any trainer will only keep you lifting like that for one cycle {8-12 weeks} before moving you on to another focus. This mainly does two things, avoids weight room boredom and avoids over training of specific muscles and joints. Training for sport {like karate or other martial arts} takes a different approach to your conditioning. Notice I said conditioning, not weight lifting, strength training. etc. We need to stop thinking our muscles work as individual units. Our body works as a whole unit, thus our conditioning needs to work that way as well. Take a look at the number of muscles needed to throw a crescent kick or a punch? Some of the things, as martial artist, we can work on in our conditioning program are lung capacity {VO2 max}, power {not strength}, flexibility and muscle endurance.

Not be sound rude, but you are not power lifting. You are doing some basic isolation body building exercises. The three power lifting exercises are back squat, deadlift and the bench press. These are a great start along with the myriad of supporting exercises for them, just stay away from the isolation exercises. First you need to ask yourself what it are your goals? Weight lifting and MA have different conditioning requirements, although both can be used to support the other. If your goals are MA related, do not get into lifting heavy weights, get into lifting many repetitions with weights. Also, look into the Olympic lifts, along with any plyometric exercises.

I do believe that a knowledge in the basics are needed before weapons training begins. Although in my opinion, most places wait too long, blue or purple belt {5th, 4th kyu}. The student does need a good foundation in stances, kicks {mainly for body control and balance}, blocks and strikes [again mainly for targeting purposes, they now know where they are supposed to be hitting}. Not necessarily kata, as they will be learning new and different kata with the various weapons. I would start my students around orange belt {8th kyu}. Even in various Army's Basic Training, the new recruits are not handed a weapon on day one. Usually the rifle comes along in week 2 - 4 depending upon the Army's training plan.

They are both good conditioning tools, but like anything they have their strengths and limitations. Heavy bags are much more rigid and you have to practice to get your balance with them. Also, they are generally heavier and bulky, so not adaptable to all fitness levels. There are also conditioning exercises you can do with the heavy bag still hanging {swing the bag and do a burpee, windshield wippers, etc}. Sandbags will just flop over your shoulders. You can also work your grip strength with a sandbag. They are much cheaper then a Heavy Bag, and some locations may not like you tossing and slamming their heavy bags around. If a sandbag breaks you sweep up the sand and put it into your next sandbag. For exercise ideas do a Youtube search. Start with some exercises you already know and look at both heavy bag and sandbag variations. For example, squats, thrusters, situps, Turkish getup's, etc. Then start to venture out to some knew stuff. If you are working with a group and not just yourself both of these items lend themselves to partner and team workouts for added fun. I have both, 60 and 2*90 lbs heavy bag, plus 2*45 and 2*20 lbs sandbags in my workout toolbox.

It looks like you are worried that other students are starting to lack attention due to these few students. I have had a few individuals that were slow grasping the physical demands of basic movement much less the demands of a MA. ~ repetition, we all know this works best. Try to not change your program too much, but add repetition. Focus the warm-up with what you will be working on during the main portion of the class, etc. ~ assistant instructors, do you have any other black belts or senior students that could take one or more of these individuals for a while? Remember to break up the rest of the class, as you do not want to alienate these individuals. ~ imagination, sorry you have to come up with the answer to this one... Every student has a different key to getting them through the ruff spots. ~ be patient, most things can be accomplished with time and persistence. You are doing a good job, first you care enough to ask for help. They think enough of you to keep coming back even though they see how slow and frustrating it is - for both parties. Cheers

Sandbags are a great workout tool, you lift them, toss them, squat with them, run with them... Let your imagination go wild. Do a Google search on sandbag training and you will find plenty of good ideas. There are also plenty of resources out in Google land that will direct you in building a cheap durable sandbag. Basically an old truck tire inter-tube filled with sand. If you have heavy bags in the Dojo they are not just for hitting. You can lift them, toss them, squat wit them, run with them, etc. Just another option.

With a proper diet most people do not need any supplements. There is a great deal of misinformation out there along with bad marketing of a generally unregulated industry. - most people get enough protein in their daily diet, any extra gets converted into fat - the majority of both macro and micro nutrients need a catalyst to aid in the proper absorption of the desired nutrient - when supplements start taking the place of meals and snacks {ie the post workout protein shake} you start to deprive your body of other essential items, fiber is the first one - as humans we need a variety of nutritional sources to keep our complex systems working at their peek efficiency With a proper diet you should have food entering your mouth every 2-3 hours with either a meal or snack that has elements from the three macro nutrients {protein, carbs, fat}. Plus plenty of water. If you are feeling sluggish it could be from low blood sugar. What most people do not realize is that it is not what you eat right before a workout, but what you eat all day that aids in your blood sugar levels. What I tell my clients, don't complain to me unless you are eating a complete breakfast! Without a good breakfast you body is playing blood sugar level catchup all day! That being said, I do think there is a place for supplements, but please don't listen to the guy in the supplement store! Get help from a registered nutritionist that will do a blood workup on you. That will tell you what you are missing or are short of, you may be surprised at what you find. Also, as a self discovery exercise write out a food journal for five days ~ this is always an eye opener. As for supplements that I use or recommend to my clients, a one-a-day multivitamin taken with a meal, glucosamine or fish oil {omega 3 fatty-acid} if they are getting old or have joint issues.[/u]

Wherever I go this is an emotional topic, specially having a blackbelt under 16/18. In the school I came up in, we have an adult system and a junior system. There was a adult and junior program with the main difference being the adults having a self-defense program and divulging deeper into the bunkai of the various kata. The one nice thing about this school was that we did spend a lot of time with the teenagers working on leadership and training skills.

As an Olympic Lifting coach, there is nothing better for building power and coordination training! You can do any number of plyo exercises, but they are all missing the addition of controlling the added weight being tossed up. That being said, the lifts are very technical and if not done properly can cause injury. Like kata, practice, practice, practice ~ oh yah, then you can add a little weight. It all comes down to what are you training for, how much time do you have for all your training aspects, what equipment do you have, etc.