MizuRyu

IMHO: Public "education" is a farce. To tell a kid they can't defend themselves against an attacker and to punish them for doing so is digusting, and unfortunatly a common practice in schools. the real problem is the 'zero tolerance' attitude. As said, if someone was struck first, that should be reasonable grounds on which to retaliate, depending on the degree of attack. I think the rule of reasonable force should apply here, but it never even comes into the question with administrators who are trying to send a 'message' to people that fighting is an unacceptable behavior. I personally do not like to fight, which is exactly why this policy gets me so fired up, because if I'm ever put in a situation where I need to fight, it's bad enough I had to to begin with, let alone the risk of being suspended or expelled. my 2 cents.

I recommend also joining the forum at https://www.davedraper.com... been there for a long time and they ALWAYS have the answers to any questions you have about bodybuilding!

I may be looking at an opportunity to learn Snake for a small penny... but I know virtually nothing about the style outside of what little his son has told me. What is it based around (structure, principles) and do you recommend I take it?

http://shop.vtmuseum.org/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8_3 they should have what you're lookin for.

I've been in your boat before. I started lifting when I was 14 at 118 lbs, I now weight 175. So, if you ever feel discouraged, don't... it'll just slow you down. Anyway, what you need is a strong, solid core program, as is my recommendation for every beginning lifter trying to add mass. Also, you'll need a strict diet and lots of motivation. 3 sets of 10 reps is the commonly accepted bodybuilding hoopla, which I support fully, but that should never be confused with "3 sets of 10 reps = muscle failure". This is overtraining, and overtraining happens to a lot of us skinny guys because we get too overexcited about our workouts... no pain no gain isn't always the way to go. You should ALWAYS have a little left 'in the tank' when you're done. 3 days a week, alternating... Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for example, no lifting on the 'off' days, you can do cardio but keep it at about 30 min and light, that'll actually aid in dumping some of that nasty lactic acid. so... 3x10 all -deadlift -bench press -chin ups (or curls) -press -bent over dumbbell rows -back hyperextension (good mornings work too.. but more dangerous) -Abs... this is the exception to the 3x10.. do as many as it takes to get you tired, but not 'cashed'... hold a weight to your chest if you're good at em. don't forget your obliques either that's about all you need there.... Diet: lots of mass gainers.. milk, cottage cheese, steak, chicken, tuna, supplements (wisely), nuts, eggs, fish... etc if you have any more questions or comments.. just post em up! hope it helped ~Mizu

No problem ! my major concern is that I'm off to college very soon, and I'm not sure where, if I'm not accepted to MSU, which is literally RIGHT next to my Wing Chun class, and accepted somewhere else, I may have to leave, which would cut my training and definatly break my heart.

I grew up in a... racially biased.. neighborhood. I was one of about 200 caucasian children in my 1,100 student school. A Jiu-Jitsu class was offered at our local YMCA, so I begged and begged my mom, finally she agreed. It became my LIFE, and through a lot of hard work and self control I got to where I am today, and couldn't be happier!

I've considered doing this a lot. I also have a nice hill on which to train virtually in my back yard, of course, I'm bulking right now, so I'm going to wait till my cut cycle to begin it.

Hello Robert! Welcome to the forums. Martial arts are a great way to get to bond with people, especially kids, because it gives you a very powerful common interest from which to build on. It helped me bond very tightly with now one of my best friends. Good luck and keep at it!

Last scuffle I got into was with a pretty large wrestler/football player, and I found my being smaller than him to not matter as much as I thought. The real thing is technique and speed. I backfisted him in the side of the head the second I saw a clenched hand start moving towards me, hit him before he hit me, he only landed 2 shots before I was able to get him in a submission.

don't get my wrong here... I'm not in a 'rush'... I fully understand the importance of repetition and complete mastery, which is required before you can even consider chum kiu... i was just wondering what my total time investment was lookin at....

I'd DEFINATLY throw bench presses in there. I'd hit the legs a little harder in that routine too, deadlifts are a good compliment to squats, but that's just my little training thingy. Also, throw out the sit ups. Crunches are the only way to go, sit ups can waste energy and don't directly benefit the larger group of abs as much as crunches do. If you don't have a bar for bench press by the way, just do super slow pushups, OR put cement blocks on your back! worked for me pretty well when i was on vacation and weightless.

Today my friend was talking to a red neck, and somewhere in the conversation my friend's TSD experience came into it all. The redneck responded "I can still beat you in a game of arms.." so, for those of you who don't know what arms is... it's when 2 idiots stand next to eachother and slug eachother in the arm alternating until one gives up. See, I normally wouldn't have a problem with this, but I had a feeling this could go horribly wrong.. because if he can break a solid hardwood board, I think he could break this kid's arm.. and he ALMOST did. He took the first shot, then he just planted himself and stumbled the kid back about 4 feet, leaving a nice purple mark on his arm. I personally don't understand why he would've done something that dumb. He knew he would win, so I don't see how it would make him feel any better to actually go through with it, considering also that he could've easily damaged the kid's arm pretty badly...

Basically, working out actually makes you weaker. It's your body's rebuilding process that makes them stronger. The key to maximizing the efficiency of the process lies in lots of rest (8 to 10 hours of sleep a night and 3 days of working out a week), a proper diet, high protein intake (20-40 grams every 2 hours), and lots of water. Be sure to keep yourself in check with overtraining, back when I started lifting my freshman year in high school, I noticed declines in my strength and weight because I was training too enthusiastically. "No pain, no gain" isn't always true....

I'd say you are overtraining... way overtraining. That, and you do need to balance it out. A core program would be excellent... that's what you should always do when hitting a wall w/ a certain area, it helps balance you out.

Do you see this as being a good combination? I figured that Wing Chun could easily open the way for the knees and elbows of Muay Thai, and fill in the footwork limitations of WC.

I agree here. Personally, I found a lot of good in taking Wing Chun, if it's available. I didn't take shotokan, but I took a few years of Tang Soo Do, and I found that Wing Chun, being a soft/hard style, compliments hard styles well.

you're overtraining.. or at least it seems to me like you should tone it down. unless your protein intake is insane... you're going to be losing strength or hovering for a while. Try and stick to 3 days a week... and eat lots of solid healthy foods. Lots of milk, red meat, and cottage cheese, the 3 best mass builders.

Guns... most definatly guns.

180 17 71in 240 bench = 10.16

welcome to the forums! Bill Wallace was a beast! lol

How long on average would you say it takes to go from Sil Nim Tao to Biu Tze? I'd say I'm 6 months or so away from Chum Kiu and I'm curious as to the time frame...

our band covers a lot of Lamb Of God.. it's solidly written and challenging to pull off with the clarity they do. Give As The Palaces Burn a go!

I've been bodybuilding for a little over 2 years now and went from 118 starting to 180 now. I also hit a plateau around 150 and didn't make any progress, then I talked to a football coach who gave me some insight: "your body is like a tree, it can't have huge branches until it has a powerful trunk" Your progress could be halted by your leg focus, which bears a lot of effect on upper body.. and visa versa. so... I'd say go back to the cores! 3 sets of 10x8x6 of cores at a medium weight; Monday, Wednesday, Friday Deadlift Press Bench Rows Squat Good Mornings Chin Ups Abs (weighted or otherwise, 3 sets of a comfortable repetition) as DokterVet and Aodhan said, increase your calories, but make sure they mean something! Lots of quality meat, veggies, and don't forget milk! a supplement never hurt, just be sure to use it smartly. I personally found a LOT of help in casein, which is a slowly absorbed protein found in milk. Instead of buying the expensive compounds just eat a cup or more of cottage cheese before bed. If you don't like cottage cheese... I have the weirdest sounding most insane technique... ADD SUGAR sounds crazy, tastes great haha. Try and consume about 60 grams before bed... if you can flush yourself with niacin it really helps, though I'd save that for further down the road. Whey protein is a real saver too. It's cheap and absorbed almost 'instantly'. After completing those workouts consume 30-40 grams of whey protein mixed with skim milk and do some light cardio to help distribute it. Hope some of that helps! (BY THE WAY: when you do the sets, make sure when you're done to have a little 'left in the tank'... NEVER work to failure!!!)

I don't think I would do anything, because when all is said and done, they are nowhere near as good of a person as whoever they're trash talking.