Eye of the Tiger

Stop! I dont want to bulk up I want functional strengh and endurance. I have been backing up these exercises by people thinking that doing high reps of these combat conditioning calisthenics will only build endurance, and I am giving an example that if Matt since he can do over 2000 hindu squats has very muscular legs proving that high reps in calisthics still builds strengh not only endurance and if they did build endurance only; his legs would be very wirey and thin, not all muscular caused by strengh. Also body building is the name refered to people who lift weights for Muscular bulk sop when you said that these combat conditioning exercises where bodybuilding thats where I got a little confused; because you where saying it in a different scence.

First you have to strenghen your KI before you can do that. Anyway after reading a book about Aikido I found that my meditation is actually 'deep breathing' and is different to normal breathing where you just do it through the chest cavity but you do it through the 'hara' (lower abdomen) and is different to exerciseing spiritual energy.

Does muscle improve the power of the punch? If not is there any point in strengh training for the 'hard' style Martial Artist if muscle does not help? When we look at the Masters of the Shotokan style they dont really tend to be bothered about physical training apart through karate training, alot of them are quite fat aswell apart from the famous Masutatsu Oyama 1923-1994 who physically was one of the most strongest men in the world and on countless occasions pitted him self against fully grown bulls and each one was a fight to the death and he downed them with one mighty knife hand strike. At 16 he trained under Gichin Funakoshi. But for the majority they dont bother so much with physical strengh as much as kime or focus. So is there any point if strengh doesnt help the power of your 'hard' techniques? Thanks for your replys Tiger

Kensai you know what I mean. What do you think if those KI exercises anyway since I think its an Aikido page from what they are wearing but I may be wrong but whats your opinion.

In calisthenics you should do them everyday as well as stretching and cardio. Again you will become stronger if you use your own body as opposed to weights. For you people that think that doing high reps past 25 with only build endurance then click on the below link and tell me what Matt Furey looks like since he can do over 2000 hindu squats, so if he only builds endurance his legs will be very thin and weedy but if they build strengh they should be muscular. Oh how wrong you are. https://www.mattfurey.com

No shotokan is still quite traditional, the sporting aspect is only one part of karate but I follow the traditional path. Nakayama Sensei was in great favour of the use of Kime or focus and rejected other methods like the chinese influence as he called it where you build up power through movement in a continuous arc. Long term preventern to injuries can be combated with the correct karate stretching, and the use of KIAI is also used as a powerful exhale where the body is relaxed right up until tension and is very effective, and dont worry the traditional side of Shotokan is growing and is still the largest practiced MA in the world. I would like to ask you why you think meditation is nothing. The meditation I do is different than that of other methods. What do you think of this method as a KI exercise? Kneeling position with back straight, hands on lap looking forward at a point 18 inches in fron of you eyes half open, breath in through the nose and vizualize the course that the air takes until it reaches the 'hara' and goes around in a ever decreasing circle until reaching the point at this time the 15 second inhalation should have stopped and on exhalation the abdomen should be contracted and vizualize the air going in the opposite direction. It should be performed for i minute after training and is a great menefit in calming the mind and controling the ebb and flow of your emothions, sounds similar to some of those KI exercises? Welcome back Kensai

Oh isnt calisthenics bodyweight exercises. When you say bodybuilding thats building muscular bulk, thats why its called body building. Are you refering it to mean building using your body?

It was the opening song in the BBC SAS Bravo Two Zero starring Sean Bean, it was also used to advertise a boxing match with Lenex Lewis vs some South African guy. That song is so cool. What is it? Thanks a lot Edit: Just found out it was 'London Calling' anyway I guess we could use this post as a resource for anyone who wants to know what a song is called and we can all help each other out.

KickChick your a bit confusing that your talking about body building without weights. The point of the calisthenics in combat conditioning is to build functional strengh not bulk, so why are you talking about body building without weights. Also when you told me on that thread you refered to me to want to body build without weights. Confusing Girl! Also Ti Kwon leep said "With strength will also bring size, but not to the extent that bodybuilding will. Let's take pullups for example: do as many pullups as you can so that you are straining to do the last one. Wait a couple days and then do as many as you can WITHOUT straining. Continue this cycle till you can do about 30 pullups. At this point you should be able to chin yourself with one arm. To continue strength gains , warm up with 15 reps and then do as many one arm pullups as you can, using the cycle method described above." Should you not be staraining everyday, or should you have one intence then the next not so intenc and the day after intence again?

Dont worry my teacher showed me Mokuso (Japanese meditation) which is deep breathing and is desighned to control the mind and calm it sinmilar to that of KI. Oh and that little KIAI is very important, I combine Mind body and Spirit, so yes it is important, in shotokan it is said that without the undertsanding and use of the 'hara' the student will progress to a point and no thurther.

Its strange I know but its different to weights. Okay call me a freak of nature but I'm sorry but I get stronger every day I do these. I know I'm stronger because every day things like carrying groceries isnt exactly hard but they are still very easy to carry and for example after about 2 weeks of doing the exrcises i could pick up my 14 stone dad and run around with him something I was never able to do when I was doing weights and I'm not exaggerating. I cant say I understand the science but I know that I'm stronger by doing the exercises rather than in the knowledge of why they make you stronger than opposed to weight traininjg baffles me but thats just the way it is.

Weights is a different function to that of weights in that with weights you increase the weight so you keep the reps the same. With your own body by increaing reps is the only way to get stronger and the key to these exercises is that you do them every day. I really want to get you out of this way of thinking. Let me give you an example. Animals in the wild are far stronger than us humans and they dont push weights or use mechanicle devices they do it by working with their own body weight mastering it from all directions and angles. In the past humans where far stronger than us and pitted themselves against huge animals like bulls and defeated them. They also used their own weight. Why do you think the very best in the world such as the SAS and the US Navy SEALs use their own body weight? Because it builds functional strengh and endurance. I know that you still think that weights will make you stronger so I'm glad that you'l give these exercises all you have for one week and hopefull that will open your eyes to new strengh and endurance you never had before. I think you should look at the bio of Matt Furey at https://www.mattfurey.com. This guy was the first ever American to win a championship in China let alone their very own style of Kung Fu. Also I have never felt stronger through any other exercises. I can do 400 squats, 150 hindu pushups, and hold a back bridge for 10 mins. My strengh increases everyday, what you have to understand is that using your body weight is different than weights, you become stronger with the more reps you do and in weights you become stronger with increasing the weight. also for that 1 week only do 1 set of each since that is what I do cand in less than a week I felt far stronger than on weights. Also all my old weights I can lift far easier than before. Good Luck to you anyway

This is would be a great interst to MAs who are interseted like me in gaining the spirit. http://www.bodymindandmodem.com/KiEx/KiEx.html I would also like to ask if meditation is enough in gaining spiritual enery or should I also aswell as that inclued these exercises. Thanks Tiger

I never said an olympion since they train just for that purpose, and infact they had som e power lifters come down to his club and they could squat something like 250bs but couldnt do more than 25 hindu squats, of and he done 2000 squats on the eve of 2000. Anyway you seem to doubt these exercises so if you got the guts I want you for just 1 week to stop the weights and try just 3 exercises and after that week I want you to tell me how you feel. Hindu Squats Hindu Pushups Backbridge Then after the week go test your self on the weights and I think you'l be amazed since its no point of just demanding that you beleive me, the point is that you find the truth by your self. Keep in mind that the worst happens will be that you have tried the workout and know whats right for you. If you want bulk do weights, if you want real functional ungodly strengh then do combat conditioning calisthenics. But Jack before you say anything just do these 3 exercises every day just 1 set of each and in a week tell me how you feel and how you got on with the weights and I know your exat resonse unless you lie of course which I dont think you'l do. Good Luck oh that top link is wrong here it is https://www.mattfurey.com

dAMN I just lost the whole quate! Basically you are in a kneeling position with hands on lap breathin for 15 seconds with eyes half open starring at a poinbt 18 inches in front of him and imagining the course that the air takes. When it reaches the hara exhale and contract for 15 seconds. This is fdor the spirit for without this knowledge the student will progree to a point an no thurther. Jack I have done weights for years and all 3. Bulk, endurance and strengh. Weights are BEST for bulk. Body calisthenics are BEST for strengh, endurance, flexibility, explosivness and everything else. It has already been proven that people that do body calisthenis are far stronger than powerlifters who life for strengh. I strongly recommend you look at this and as a frind evrything it sais it does. https://www.mattfury.com

I made this post so that I can get an idea what people on this forum are doing. Here is my workout that I do everyday: Hindu Squats, Hindu pushups, backbridge, handstand pushups, reverse pushups, fingertip and fist pushups, pull ups (hands in close knuckles facing out), kneeling back bend, v-ups, side bends, hindu jumper squats, penetration step lunges, jumping lunges. That workout builds functional strengh, endurance, flexibility (upper body), explosive strengh and power, agility. Karate stretches= flex all my lower extremities. Road work= fighting while running builds greater endurancve that running mile after mile, skipping, punching and kicking the bag, practicing basic terchnique for 20 mins and kata. finish off with Mokusoko (japenese meditation). All this combines mind, body and spirit.

Lifting weights will make you slow, muscle bound and lethergic. If you want to big build big showy muscles then do weights but if you want to build functional strengh and endurance do body weight calisthenics. I also used to do weights but I am far stronger njow than I was ever doing weights. Body builders are not even strong, they build for muscular bulk, not even power lifters are as strong as people that work with their own body weights but its your choice.

This was where all the karate styles generated from Shotokan due to different body systems. Oh and how do you get pictures into your posts?

In my primary school all the fights I had went to the ground. The last fight I had was standing where the guy swung at me and smashed me in the face (showing that I was hard I took it) then I just smacked him in the stomach and then in the face. That was about 2 months ago, when he was picking on my brother. I did get into a lot of street fights when I started secondry when I was 11 and the youth clubs got pretty rough and I used to get into a lot of scruufles and they all went to the ground so yeah pretty much all fights go to the ground. I gues that shows mans instinct on how to fight. Though I dont do any ground fighting it appears it would be wise to start.

I even said that I used to think the same like z until I learnt from experiance when my Ju Jitsu friend showed me moves that changed my ignorant veiw on grappling.

http://www.dancingbush.com :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Welcome to the forums

What rubbish that I gave a disadvantage to grappling, I was trying to see what Z was saying. And anyway I was standing up for grappling so I dont know what this responce was for

Zenkutsu Dachi= front stance, I like it becuase you can really focus hard strikes onto the oppenant as well as a hard kick ti the solar plexus.

I had exactually the same attitude as you until my liitle Ju Jitsu friend showed me a few moves that would leave you crying ZakariRu. You are going to suffer if you carry on with this attitude because the truth is in Martial Arts you either have to be respectful or learn the hard way and boy are you gonna learn the hard way. I agree in one sence that grappling is not always wise. When against multiple attackers the last thing you want to do is be getting tangled up with someone letting the other people to start attcking you. But this is the only disadvantage I know of and obviously you are a complete lyer about your so called prior experiance in Grappling because you would not be making such ignorant posts if you had actually EXPERIANCED IT! You got 2 options, change or suffer the consequences of your actions.