daeinwolf

If you want sheer strength, you need to stick with powerlifting routines. 5x5 is five sets of five reps, or 3x3 which is 3 sets of 3 reps. Either of those work good. What you do is focus on deadlifts one day of the week, squats one day of the week, and bench one day of the week. I posted an example 5x5 in the thread "gaining weight very slowly." You just select 4 variations of the lift you are working on, or auxilery lifts for the involved muscles, and do five sets of five reps. For abs, if you are doing low weight, high reps, do the every day. If you are doing alot of weight, they are like every other muscle in that they need rest days. Personally, I think an olympic lift routine would be more applicable to martial arts with some other lifts thrown in for supplementary reasons. But each to their own.

Umm....no. What you see is not determined by the strength of the eye muscles. It is determined by the shape and state of your cornea, lens, etc. SiK---Joshua

---I really hope that you are not implying that the Russians do not have martial arts. If I am mistaken, please elucidate on your point. SiK---Joshua

---While I agree with you on boxer's break, the boxer should be more than aware of this if he is worth his salt. And I disagree on getting hit with that area not hurting as much. If the force transferred is the same then the impact will be relatively the same. Now the amount of pressure that portion of the hand can withstand will be different, but not necessarily the amount of pain it creates. ---Wrong. While it is possible to control this reaction, VERY FEW people have the ability to negate such a psychosomatic reaction. I mean, to do so, you would have to be able to ignore thousands of years of evolutionary programming. SiK---Joshua

I would say a mixture of military press and raises would be the key. SiK---Joshua

There is no need for me to go into a diatribe about Taijiquan. Click the link that is in my previous post and it will show you. Click here for a rundown on the history of the art you claim to do. SiK---Joshua

---Do you realize how small of a target the eyes are? And think about this, if you are close enough to hit my eyes I am in the same position to do the same to you. That being the case, you should attack what is open...not a preselected target because it will make them "your training dummy". ---The subject that he is approaching is not the fact that it works. He is commenting on the ease of application. The same goes for your above quote. Yes, you can hit me in the eye or break my knee in a fight. But do you have any clue how hard it is to get those things to happen? SiK---Joshua

I hate to break this to you, but Tai Chi and Tai Chi Quan are the same there neighbor. Tai Chi Quan, or Taijiquan, is the full name meaning Supreme Ultimate Fist(approx). There are many different branches of Taijiquan, but the original format of the style was combat oriented. REAL taijiquan is combat based. The watered down meditative dance that is being taught in the West tends to move away from this. Here is a wonderful site speaking of the combat applications of Taijiquan(Yang). Enjoy. SiK---Joshua

This is pull out from one of Bujinkan's history website: Hatsumi Sensei had chosen the name Bujinkan Dôjô (Divine Warrior Training Hall) for the name of his school and system. For many years this "system" of skills was referred to as Bujinkan Ninjutsu. This was based on the fact that Togakure Ryû Ninjutsu was the "original" style of martial art that, over a several hundred year period, eight ( other Ryû, or styles, were later added. Sôke (family head) Masaaki Hatsumi is the 34th Grandmaster of the Togakure Ryû. This is the main lineage of the Bujinkan, in which the eight ( other Ryû, were assimilated. This "coming together" of the nine (9) Ryû of the Bujinkan had taken several hundred years to complete. Agreed. Here is a more indepth look into the Ryu. And also, I would like to apologize for the typo in my post. It should have stated 3 ryu are Ninpo, not 2. Taken from: here. SiK---Joshua

I think this can happen in any system though. For example, years ago a friend of mine (now ex-friend) who was a 7th Dan BB in TKD (my opinion is ) brought several of his students into my area to work out with my class. We had several of the same results you're talking about with our tuitte (grappling/joint manipulating). Also, one of my kids...14 years old and just a yellow belt, whipped up pretty good on his 1st degree ADULT black belt that he brought with him. The TKD BB was pretty embarassed by it. If you were to take me into a BJJ or judo class for instance and make me spar/fight using their citeria, I'd probably not do well either. Let me fight my own fight...well, let's just say I'd stand a much better chance of success. That is true. BUT, the two systems are supposed to be based upon some of the same principles. That is what makes the defeat so bad. SiK---Joshua

Muay Thai: Good---*One on one training *Intelligent trainer *Geared towards competition and Street *Classes go on for up to 3-4 hours depending on my needs. Bad---*Once a week *A little far to drive SiK---Joshua

I would work both hand positions, as the work different muscle groups. The main muscles to be hit are your lats. SiK---Joshua

All of the replies have been pretty dead on as far as advice goes. But I have one question, if you feel awkward about fighting from a normal stance, why do you not just fight southpaw? Personally, I am a big proponent of being ambidextrous in a fight. SiK---Joshua

We had a high ranking student of his "ryu" come in one time with a really bad attitude. When the lowest ranking member of our school had him on the ground in a omote-gyaku(wrist lock) he quickly decided to sign up and train with us. This is one of the reasons I have little respect for his "style". SiK---Joshua

I would be interested in seeing that article as well. In ALL of the studies I have researched, the only danger that comes from creatine is when you do not maintain a steady water intake. This produces excess strain on the kidneys. Aside from that, overdosing could do the same. SiK---Joshua

First, yes drinking a PWO shake is a really efficient way of restoring your glucose stores in your body that are used up during exercise and giving your body the necessary protein. As for your actual meal, you will want to eat a meal composed of good protein(chicken/fish/lean beef) and COMPLEX carbs(brown rice, sweet potatos, oatmeal, etc) with some veggies on the side. Try and get this about 45 mins to an hour after you drink your shake. This time frame is what I have found works best for me and the few people I train with. I have seen others recommend 30 mins. SiK---Joshua

Ok, done. here (first post) AND here (actual study) Sorry. But you and your mate are mistaken. SiK---Joshua

While it is possible to eat too much protein, I would not worry about it at this point. Too much protein can harm your kidneys, but you should be eating about 1-1.5 grams times your body weight of protein a day. So if you weight 156 you should be eating 160-220 grams a day. Remember, though, you should be getting MOST of your protein from actual foods, not shakes. Shakes are meant to supplement meals, not substitute them(in most cases). To gain size you should also increase your complex carb intake, as this is where most of your gains will come from. As for calisthenics, you will gain some size from them initially. But to really get the most out it, you should switch to a weightlifting program. If you wish, PM me and I will help you set up a diet plan and workout schedule. SiK---Joshua

As a Bujinkan student, I will be the first to say that it is not all ninjutsu. It has some elements of ninjutsu(2 Ryu). But the core is traditional jujitsu. SiK---Joshua

yang style has combat applications. the problem is finding someone who can teach them. No, he won't. The major difference between internal and external MA is body mechanics. they generate power differently. Agreed Seven. SiK---Joshua

No. 1) Raw egg protein has lroughly 30% less absorbabilty than cooked. 2) Egg protein, while not as slow as casein, is still a slow absorbing protein. You need a fast absorbing protein 15 mins or so after workout due to the fact that your muscles are more apt to perform protein synthesis. This basically means that your body will accept more protein at this point, another reason to use glucose/sugar as a protein transport. SiK---Joshua

After a workout you need to have simple carbs and a fast absorbing protein. Try and get this within 15 minutes of finishing. Your best bet is to get some whey protein and mix it with your favorite fruit juice. The juice helps restore glucose levels and aides in protein transport to the muscles. SiK---Joshua

Because some of us live on the go and cannot always cook prepare food. During those times, protein shakes are great. And to answer your question: Post workout you are going to need a fast-absorbing protein about 15-20 minutes after you finish up. Your best bet is whey protein mixed with juice. Whey can be digested in roughly 15-20 minutes. I like getting vanilla and mixing it with orange juice, it tastes like orange sherbet. The reason for the juice is that the simple sugars help transport the protein into the muscles for synthesis. For bed time or other times that you will need protein that takes longer to digest , you need to have a micellar-casein protein. This type of protein digests over a 4-6 hour period (approx). As for brands: Whey- Optimum Nutrition Casein- Muscle Milk Two great products. SiK---Joshua

I am not saying that they are the only good ones. But I would stay away from mono-creatine blends. You get more bang for your buck when you get di or tri-creatine malate. There is less water retention and I had less water retention. Plus Swole tastes great. SiK---Joshua

Double post. Please delete.