DarthPenguin

Anyone else excited for Diablo 4? I have it on pre-order and counting down the days now!

Tuesday 30 May Lifting Session Bench Press 20kg x 5 40kg x 5 47.5kg x 5 55kg x 5 62.5kg x 5 47.5kg x 5 47.5kg x 5 KB Swing 24kg x 16 24kg x 16 24kg x 16 24kg x 16 24kg x 16 24kg x 16 24kg x 16 These felt smooth still. Will likely order a 28kg soon to continue progression. Really focusing on hip explosion with these. Rack Chins (with purple band) 6reps 6reps 6reps 6reps 6reps 6reps Final reps of last two sets were tough but numbers are increasing nicely. Some of the improvements are due to neater form i think Triceps banded pushdowns 25kg x 11 25kg x 11 25kg x 11 25kg x 11 25kg x 11 25kg x 11 these feel good still total poundage lifted : 8638 kg time taken : 43 min density : 200.9 kg/min

Saturday 27 May Lifting Session Back Squat 20kg x 5 40kg x 5 60kg x 3 72.5kg x 5 80kg x 5 90kg x 5 72.5kg x 5 Left knee started to feel a little funny after first backing off set so decided to call it there. Had got main weights done already and no sense risking an injury for additional volume Standing single arm kb press (total reps = L+R) 20kg x 12 20kg x 12 20kg x 12 Was happy with these as they felt very strict with both arms KG Swing 24kg x 15 24kg x 15 24kg x 15 These felt smooth and easy. Could have done more reps i think but wanted to stick to the program. Think i will invest in a pair of 28kg ones soon Rack chins 6 reps 6 reps 6 reps 6 reps 6 reps These are gradually increasing nicely and i don't feel like the band is being used much (which is good). Will work up to sets of 10 and then reduce band in case it is doing more than i realise! Banded triceps pushdowns 11 reps 11 reps 11 reps 11 reps 11 reps used same band as for the rack chins. Quite liking how this feels Total poundage : 6580 kg time : 35min density : 188 kg/min

That is an impressive amount of time for a forum to remain active and constructive. Credit goes to you Patrick for the amount of time you have put in to ensuring the smooth running! Here's to the next 22 years!

Brief update - thats me had it and worn it several times over the last few weeks. Still very happy with it. Dries quickly and fit is pretty much perfect. Feels slightly tighter than my other gis when wearing it but is well cut and no restrictions at all in movement. I'll add another update a few months down the line but currently extremely happy with it and quite likely to purchase another!

I'll second bushido_mans comment - sounds like a really interesting class!

Thanks! Think it is in a slightly different location this time but fingers crossed it will all be fine. I try to take the view that all i can control is do my best on the day. Worst case i get direct feedback from an 8th dan on what i need to improve on!

Wednesday 24 May Karate Session Warm ups Same as per usual Kihon We did this slightly differently to usual - less combinations but with more emphasis on the shoulder and hip movement for the single techniques. Felt useful. Foe the kicks my hips appear to gradually be loosening again so i am feeling mawashi geri and yoko geri kekomi less uncomfortable in the hip (mawashi geri was actually hurting a while ago). Soon i should be able to start increasing the height again Kata Multiple run throughs of Tekki Shodan. Also ran through heian Godan and Sandan plus Heian Shodan in Ura which was interesting Kumite Practicing some jiyu ippon kumite drills. Was useful practice. Initially stated attacks then unstated. Finished with some more kata Overall good class. Also got confirmation that i will be grading again next mth (in about 3wks)

Tuesday 23 May Lifting Session Still not feeling 100% but thought i would get some lifting in, as long as i did main lift that is the main thing. Decided i will repeat the deadlift 3 wk progression for next block so moved onto next planned session Seated Overhead press 20kg x 5 27.5kg x 5 35kg x 5 40kg x 5 45kg x 5 35kg x 5 35kg x 5 stopped these here as didn't want to make myself worse! KB Swing 24kg x 14 24kg x 14 24kg x 14 24kg x 14 24kg x 14 24kg x 14 24kg x 16 did a couple more reps on final set to make it a round 100 reps total Rack chins with purple band 5reps 5reps 5reps 5reps 5reps These are feeling smoother every time i do them. Plan is to work up to 5 sets of 10 and then reduce banding etc Banded Pushdowns with purple band 10reps 10reps 10reps 10reps 10reps tried these and they felt surprisingly good so will do again. Easier to keep good form with elbows tucked and could feel them where i was meant to! Total poundage : 4837.5 time taken : 35min density : 138.2 kg/min

Sunday 21 May Lifting Session Still wasn't feeling too well but i decided to try something and see how it was. Oddly i had woken up in the middle on the night with my right knee cramping heavily behind the knee and it was still feeling a little odd too so i thought this might loosen it up Trap bar deadlift 70kg x 5 85kg x 5 100kg x 5 112.5kg x 5 Stopped these there as was feeling tougher than usual plus i could feel that the being ill was affecting my focus. Whenever i have ever picked up a tweak doing the deadlift it has always been whenever my focus wasn't 100% so i didn't chance it this time. Standing one arm kb press (L+R = total) 16kg x 24 16kg x 24 16kg x 24 16kg x 24 stopped these here to keep the sets even. These felt surprisingly light/easy which is always good Will repeat the sessions from this week next week so that i hit my target numbers. Think it was an oddity so will chalk this week up to illness and just be pleased i managed a little at least!

Thanks, me too! Am cheering myself up with the fact that Saturday is deadlift day! I'm at the point that I never cheer for deadlift day anymore! I have always enjoyed them for some reason - likely because it was always my best lift!

I'd have separate displays too as they are separate styles. It also shows your progression/journey across styles nicely i think. I have never done one but when i re-earn my shotokan shodan i was toying with doing one with all my old belts ranking from white to black and then my new belts since i am going back through them. Thought it might look interesting! One to reflect on when i get back there! I have always taken the view that it looks nice for a teacher / coach as it shows their progression nicely for the student body etc but not sure how it looks for a private individual. Have a feeling i might make one and end up taking it down!

Hello, nice to (virtually) meet you!

Thanks, me too! Am cheering myself up with the fact that Saturday is deadlift day!

Ouch hope you feel better soon! I try and look at these things now as a long winding road. There will be bumps and gaps in training etc but as long as you get the most out of it that you are able to then that is all you can do.

Personally i would say it is very hard to find an answer to this one as it entirely depends on your student base. Myself, i prefer a lot of repetition with only a small amount of variation as i find that that is a good way to build skills and get better. I don't mind doing the same thing 1000 times to improve and don't need to change it up. I like point of variation usually with it having a clear reason eg practicing a certain combination with an uraken to work on hip/shoulder rotation etc. Changing for changes sake doesn't work for me. For others, i know it is totally different. They like to be exposed to the widest variety of things possible and then they can pick from it what they like and work on that themselves. They like to be exposed to the widest possibly variety of stimulae and then take it from there. One think i think works well for the majority of people is to do what my bjj coach does. He sets 'topics' for a time period and all the coaches will cover that area. eg it might be open guard passing and each coach delivers their own sesssions in gi or no-gi in that broad area and on their individual takes on it. If you have a clear framework of : we will do kihon, some kata, some bunkai an some kumite and then impose a framework on it such as "this month we are working on closer range fighting" and then practice kihon with shorter range combinations; kata with less range; bunkai for close in; some kumite drills such as one person has their back to a wall and fight from there etc. that could work well

Wednesday 17 May Had an unplanned week off any training as got some food poisoning at the weekend and not been able to do anything! Tonight was first night back doing some exercise Karate Session Warm ups Same as per usual Kihon Worked through full grading kihon. I was working really hard on being relaxed for punches and tensing at impact (the 'whip' idea). Apparently it was visible as the instructor commented positively on pucnhes when working through them. Kata Couple of run throughs of Tekki Shodan. Couple of minor points to work on to improve it, but the point was made clear that it is ok and these are to make it better - always good! Ran through Heian Godan once also. Instructor is adding in more practice with the Heian's as at the brown belt gradings you have to perform one Heian of examiners choice alongside Bassai Dai - as this will hopefully be my next grade soon he is starting me early! Kumite Worked through grading require kumite. Require to do Ippon Kumite for grading. Instructor stood almost directly behind me throughout, with a lot of attention. Got good feedback from him on it - was quite obvious it was a pre grading test! All in all a good session. Likely grading again in a month and this is it beginning to ramp up towards that

Some pretty good goals there! Am sure you will smash them

Hi, I recently ordered and received a MH-11 gi from Hirota and i thought it might be helpful to others to post a review. I have always looked for these when it comes time to purchase a new gi myself. Sizing My size : 6'4" and 220/225lbs. Size ordered : size 7 I had been undecided between ordering a size 7 or a 6.5 as i didn't want it to be too long or baggy but equally, since it comes from Japan, i didn't want it to look comically small. Eventually i decided on the size 7. I emailed Kuroobiya to ask and they couldn't recommend an exact size (due to personal preferences etc) but they did send some very helpful information on the likely shrinkage (they gave estimated lengths and %) and this was extremely helpful. Once opened sizing seemed really good when i took it out of the packet. Slightly longer than i would ideally like and slightly baggy but i was expecting to shrink it a little to fit so this was fine. I could tell that once shrunk a little in a warm wash and dry it will be pretty much perfect size wise. Delivery Ordered from Japan and it took approx 6 wks to arrive. This was clearly advertised BEFORE i paid any money to place the order so no problem here. As long as i am told in advance that it will take a while i have no problem with that. I am aware that i am an unusual size so don't expect as many to be on hand. Item was well packaged and i got regular delivery updates once it was shipped and letting me know what was happening every step of the way, which is always good Also didn't get hit with a customs charge which is always nice! Quality Build quality seems really good. It just feels good quality as soon as you take it out of the packet. Everything seems well machined and put together. Will obviously have to see how it holds up to repeated training sessions over and extended period of time, but i doubt that will be an issue. If it is i will update review accordingly. Only thing i would say is even as a MW gi it still feels really light to me, though this is likely because i am used to bjj gi's. I may be tempted to go for a HW one down the line when i feel like i need another one to see what it is like Value for Money No getting away from it, the gi isn't cheap. They do give a lot of customisation options which i liked (you can even request that the gi is pre-shrunk to the size ordered). I've never minded spending a decent amount on quality MA gear though as it is so much more pleasant to train in plus the longer wear saves money in the long run (i have some bjj gi's i have had for over a decade, with them initially seeing usage about twice a week each). I will come back and edit this section in a few months as i think how something has held up over time is a better estimate of value for money for me. Would i order again? Initial thoughts are yes, though i would possibly go for the heavier model. Again i will update if that changes over time.

If you guys need me to add Patrick again for a do-over just let me know

The main issue i have always found is shrinkage. If you tumble dry it then it will shrink, however, if you have bought one that is a little big and are shrinking it to fit then you may have already experienced all of the shrinkage so the dryer would be fine. Personally i always hang dry it as i do shrink them a little to fit but i am aware that it could shrink more and don't want to chance it. I usually find that a karate gi hang dries in a day. BJJ gi's are a little more annoying and usually take a couple of days i find.

The press is still good though. What percentage of bw are you doing? It is a funny exercise as i find it depends more on body shape than most others (for me at least). I'm quite tall with long arms so i have always found it really tough to get to a decent weight. Other people can absolutely blast it easily

Wednesday 10th May Lifting session Due to the overabundance of bank holidays this month there is an effect on karate classes where they aren't all running etc. should be back to normal next week! Bench Press 20kg x 5 40kg x 5 52.5kg x 5 60kg x 5 67.5kg x 5 52.5kg x 5 52.5kg x 5 52.5kg x 5 52.5kg x 5 52.5kg x 5 All felt smooth and easy. The inadvertant months spent doing what was in essence a close grip have likely helped a lot. Will still stick to planned weight progression though so i don't mistakenly push it too far too fast KB Gorilla Rows (L + R = Total Reps) 24kg x 18 24kg x 18 24kg x 18 24kg x 18 24kg x 18 KB Swings 24kg x 13 24kg x 13 24kg x 13 24kg x 13 24kg x 13 Assisted Rack chins 6 reps 6 reps 6 reps 5 reps - 6th rep didnt clear the bar by enough Banded face pulls 25kg x 25 25kg x 25 25kg x 25 Was feeling this quite a bit in the back of my neck when i did it. Tried to adjust neck position and posture but didn't make a difference. May switch to one armed ones if keeps occurring but will try again next time in case it was a one off total poundage : 8107.5kg time taken : 39min density : 207.9 kg/min

The customs charge is always annoying - even more so since it is not always consistently applied!

Excellent. Thats me removed you as mgr. If you need added again then let me know