bushido_man96

Ok, been a while, but this next one is a long quote, on Buddhism's Eight-Fold Path. A lot of this sounds like the power of positive thinking. I'm not a Buddhist, though, and have not studied it, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. 1. Understand and see the problem/issue at hand, and be honest with yourself about what it is. 2. Make the decision that you are going to fix it, get better, etc. 3. Positive self-talk with a focus on the goal in mind. 4. Make the changes and do the things necessary to that end. 5. Live in such a manner to facilitate this. 6. Keep moving forward at the highest sustainable pace towards that end. 7. Be conscious of it. 8. Learn to meditate; probably on the outcome sought.

This school's many deficiencies led me to join Muay Thai too, but I still miss the more "artsy"aspects of a karate-like martial art, with forms and all that. I understand that. Just keep in mind that no matter what you decide to try, it's not set in stone. You have the flexibility and the experience to evaluate what you are being taught, and move on if you so choose. This is a great idea, too.

5/5/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x1, 235x5, 235x5. Press: 45x5x2, 85x5, 105x2, 125x1, 140x4, 140x4, 140x4, 140x4. Barbell Rows: 95x5, 115x5, 145x8, 145x8, 145x8, 145x8. Light day squats. Form felt good. Press, I don't know what to think about today. When the first set wouldn't go up for 5, I was pretty hacked. I had hoped I'd get at least 2 sets of 5. However, I was able to do every set for 4, which completed workout in fewer sets than Monday, at the same weight, and I even got a total of 16 instead of 15 reps. So, what do I do on Friday? Same weight, and shoot for sets of 5 again? Or add weight, and try to stay around 4s? MA Training Got about 15 minutes of stick work in, working on some basic stuff and some single stick drills with my youngest. TKD Class: 6:30 - 7:30 pm. T-shirt Class. I did a lot of front kicks on the bag. Front leg, back leg, front leg stepping forward, side-stepping, push kicks, etc. Also did some helping with a young student new to the class, so that was fun. Skipped out on the sparring. Now my knees are yelling at me.

Have you broached the topic with your instructor?

This could also be an opportunity to start learning something totally new, as well. BJJ school nearby? Perhaps consider giving it a try. Keep an open mind to completely different styles.

Ugh, missed my Friday workout due to work conflicts. I hate that. So, back on Monday, and used it as a day to try to get back on track with my programming. 5/3/2021 Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 295x5. Press: 45x5x2, 85x5, 105x2, 125x1, 140x5, 140x4, 140x4, 140x2. Deadlifts: 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 275x5, 275x5. Moving to H/L/M programming on the squats. So the plan for the next few weeks on Heavy day (Monday) is to add sets with the work weight of 295. I'm going to add a set next week Monday. Light day will be a few light sets at about 15% backoff. Friday will be more like 5% of Monday's weight. I'll play with the figures as I go along here. Doing the heavy set really wacked my Meniere's, leaving a bit dizzy for a few minutes after finishing the set. I backed the press off to try to get back to sets of 5. The goal now is to get 15 total reps, getting as many reps as I can per set (up to 5). On Wednesday, I'll do 140 again, and try to get more sets of 5. I'm kind of moving deadlifts into the same programming I am for the squats, but doing it more like M/L/H. I'll keep the heavy set of 5 on Fridays for now, with a light day of rowing in the middle. Monday is dropping the weight back and adding a set for a bit more volume. This will also break up the intensity days of the lower body lifts, so that I'm not totally destroying myself with the heavy day of both lifts on the same day.

Congratulations, Zaine!

Sorry to hear this, RW. That's a really stinky situation. Solo training is always available to you, and you could also put yourself out there that you are searching for some training partners. You could end up with a small group dedicated to self-improvement. Also, don't discount the thought of finding a new school to train at. You won't be "starting from scratch;" you'll still have all the knowledge and training you've acquired through your experiences. That has value that will carry over into whatever you decide to do.

As the saying goes, "When one teaches, two learn."

I think as a third dan you should be more than competent in opening a school, and I think it would be a great idea. You'll find that you learn so much while teaching, and you'll figure out your style, and also how to adjust it for reaching students that learn differently. If you are living somewhere that will allow you to open a school and host in-person classes, I say go for it.

I'm not, do you think it's worth investing in one? I'd not yet as I figured my weights were too low to need extra support. Sorry to hear things are getting tough Brian. But those are some impressive numbers! Do you have a goal in mind you're trying to reach? I belt up for my work sets now on press, and I find it helpful. The heavier it gets, the more layback tends to become a thing. If you plan on being serious about your lifting, then a belt is a good investment. You'll want if for squats and deadlifts eventually, anyway, and it can offer some good extra support when you Valsalva for bench and press. I recommend a three inch belt, and make sure not to get one that is velcro or has that extra width in the back. Those are pretty useless. How many kilos are you adding for each press workout? I got to where I was only going up 2.5 lbs per session, and have now dropped it to 1.5 lb jumps. The press has a long kinetic chain, and uses lots of smaller muscles, so you won't be able to make the same kinds of jumps that you can with squats and deadlifts. Thanks for the encouragement. As far as a goal goes, I'm just focusing on getting stronger. If that means it's time to change the programming to keep moving forward, then I'm ok with that. 4/28/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 250x5, 250x5. Press: 45x5x2, 85x5, 105x2, 125x1, 147.5x4, 147.5x3, 147.5x2, 147.5x2, 147.5x2, 147.5x2. Barbell Rows: 95x5, 115x5, 142.5x8, 142.5x8, 142.5x8, 142.5x8. Light day squats. Press sets were better, and I didn't have any sets of 1. First set of 4 felt good, and thought I might get another set of 4, but didn't.

4/26/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 275x5, 275x5, 275x5, 275x5. Press: 45x5x2, 85x5, 105x3, 125x1, 147.5x3, 147.5x3, 147.5x2, 147.5x1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1. Deadlifts: 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 295x1, 330x1, then fail. Ok, this day. So with squats going like they did the previous Friday, I decided a programming change was necessary, and was going to switch to an HLM setup. However, in doing my research, I screwed up a little, and switched it to Texas method. So this week will consist of a volume day (today), then a light day, and Friday will be an intensity day. We'll see how it goes, and I may try to switch to the HLM setup the following week. I don't have the time and don't get the recovery to work a Texas Method. Press stalled out and died after set 2. So on Wednesday, I'm going to do the same weight, and try to get more sets of three completed, and still hit a total of 15 reps. Deadlifts were just that....dead. First rep was hard, and the second would not come off the floor. So a change is in order for deads, too. I'm thinking I'll back off on Friday a bit, and then come back on Monday with two sets of 5 at a reduced weight, making Monday a volume day and Friday an intensity day for the dealift. MA Training TKD Class: 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Black Belt Class. I taught this class today. We warmed up with Do-Kangs 1-3, focusing on two at count for some of the newer black belts. Next was forms, working on Kwang Gae and Po Eun. Three-steps were done for about 15 minutes, and we finished with some modified self-defense work based off our white belt #1 one-step.

Hello, and welcome to KF! Well, for me, the only Karate kata I've ever learned was Naifanchi, so that would have to be mine! (Although I do need to practice it....)

Wow, 20 years! What a milestone for this great community! And I do mean great. I signed up March 31, 2006. Fifteen years with KF, and I wish I could have been there from the beginning! When I first found KF, I was actually looking for martial arts chat rooms. I didn't find anything like a chat room that satisfied what I wanted, but I did find KF. And what a gem I had found! The contributors were great; martial artists of all kinds of different levels of experience and backgrounds, sharing their knowledge with each other in such a positive manner, even if they did disagree here and there. I found a place where I could share my own thoughts and experiences with a myriad of other like-minded individuals who were more than happy to offer up their own thoughts and experiences on the subject matter at hand. With so many helpful and passionate members, it's hard to go wrong. Over the years, I've received so much great advice, critiques, and suggestions from some great martial artists, and I have done my level best to offer the same in return. I think above all else, KF has provided me with a positive atmosphere in which I've been able share my many musings on the martial arts over the course of my journey. At this point in my life, I can't imagine not being on my MA journey. Echoing that, I now can't imagine being on my MA journey with having KF alongside it. Of all the postings and articles I've had the privilege to contribute to KF, the most rewarding circumstances that have come from my time here were the chances when I got to meet Patrick in Kansas City and when Bob, better known as sensei8, came to my hometown to meet and train with me for three days. Those are moments I'll cherish forever. Congratulations to Patrick especially for providing and maintaining such a great community for 20 years, and to those members who came before me and laid such a great foundation for the atmosphere and character of this community. Here's looking to the next 20!

I'm going to have to wait to see this one. But I'm looking forward to it. It does appear it will have more of an edge than the original.

Hello there, and welcome to KF! I think between 5 and 10% is pretty reasonable. Do you plan on that being from the monthly dues, or will that include testing fees, as well (if you charge testing fees)? Something else you might consider is if you ever decide to stop promoting your business under his name, or if he moves on and retires, what kind of arrangements can be made for you to either take control of the entire interest, if possible.

Danielle, do you wear a belt when you press? If not, it might be something to consider. It can help give your core something to push against, helping it be tighter. I've found over time that the heavier the press gets, the more layback I end up having. 4/21/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 300x5, 300x5, 300x5. Press: 45x5x2, 85x5, 105x2, 125x1, 144.5x3, 144.5x3, 144.5x3, 144.5x3, 144.5x3. Barbell Rows: 95x5, 115x5, 140x8, 140x8, 140x8, 140x8. It was great to see squats get to 300 for reps. They were heavy, and grinding. 4/23/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 305x3, 305x5, 305x3. Press: 45x5x2, 85x5, 105x2, 125x1, 146x3, 146x3, 146x3, 146x3, 146x3. Deadlifts: 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 280x1, 325x5. Squats...they stalled out big time today. I didn't feel like there was any way I was getting 5 reps out of my sets, so went with 3 each. And they were grinds. I felt and video confirmed that my knees were floating forward at the bottom. So, time to make a change in programming here, I think. The deadlift set was a really monster. On video, each pull looked good, and the back stayed in extension, but each pull was super slow.

4/19/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x5, 225x1, 245x1, 295x5, 295x5, 295x5. Press: 45x5x2, 85x5, 100x3, 115x1, 143x3, 143x3, 143x3, 143x3, 143x3. Deadlifts: 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 320x5. Squats were in a better groove today, but they were a grind. Sunday was a travel day for me, away for baseball games, so my diet didn't get all it wanted, I think. Press; first set was from dead stops, but after that, I was breathing at the top and rebounding at the bottom. Even then, rep 3 on sets 4 and 5 were sloooow. I don't know how much more I can add to the bar here before I make changes. Deads were a grind, but they came up. I'd say about 6 seconds per pull.

That stinks, Wayofaswede. Hopefully, you're back to in-class training in no time! Right now I'm missing some classes, but it's due to kids' baseball season and my work schedule. It's tough, but got to get that solo time.

Danielle, great to hear things are opening back up! I look forward to seeing those numbers go up! Bobd, thanks for joining the thread here! Strength Training 4/17/2021 Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 290x5, 290x5, 290x5. Press: 45x5x2, 85x5, 100x3, 115x1, 141.5x3, 141x5x3, 141.5x3, 141.5x3, 141.5x3. Deadlifts: 135x5, 205x3, 225x2, 245x1, 315x5. I missed getting in on Friday, my usual day, so made it up on Saturday. Squats just felt like they were rolling around on my back each set. Not sure what the deal was. I was happy on deadlifts to get back to three plates. For press, I'm moving to 1.5 lb increases, to see how much longer I can prolong the linear progression.

Bob, I too agree with that analogy, that it's important to be able to be flexible in teaching, and being able to change things from one student to another in order to get the same ideas and points across. As far as interesting others....I don't know! I just hope some more pop in here and there and offer up some thoughts.

I think at times we veer into thinking that all black belts should be the same as far as skill level and physical abilities go. I think that is a dangerous rut to fall into. It's easy to appreciate someone who is a physically gifted athlete, when things seem to come so easy to them. I had an instructor that I thought was kind of an issue with him. He was a great athlete, and I think he thought that it shouldn't be an issue for all students to get to be that good, as well. In reality, that just doesn't happen. I wouldn't call myself a physically gifted individual. I don't know if I'm a good fighter or not, because I don't fight. But I do know that I have a pretty good grasp of the material I've been taught over the years, and I know I'm pretty good at teaching it. Give me a physically gifted individual and three years time, and I can probably make them better than me, as far as physically performing, anyway. But I also believe that I am capable of taking a less than talented individual, and given the time and effort, I can make them pretty good, too. Will they be able to achieve what the natural athlete can? Perhaps, perhaps not. But I know enough to understand that the athletic black belt will look different than a more average practitioner will at the same rank.

That is what I've heard a lot, as well. I think it'd be a fun one to try.

4/12/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 280x5, 280x5, 280x5. Press: 45x5x2, 85x5, 95x3, 115x1, 137.5x4, 137.5x4, 137.5x3, 137.5x3, 137.5x1. Deadlifts: 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 310x5. Squats felt really good. I mean, really solid. Press...I knew this day was coming, where sets of 5 were just going to be too much. Each set was to failure, except the last one, which was the single I needed to get 15 total reps in. I tried to get 5 on the first two, but it would only go about 1/4 the way up. Same with rep 4 on sets three and four. Deadlift was a long, slow pull, all 5 reps. 4/14/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 285x5, 285x5, 285x5. Press: 45x5x2, 85x5, 100x3, 115x1, 140x3, 140x3, 140x3, 140x3, 140x3. Barbell Rows: 75x6, 115x5, 135x8, 145x8, 145x8, 145x8. Press is sets of 3 now. I tried for rep 4 on the first set, but it didn't want to budge. 5 sets of 3 it is for now. With as heavy as the deadlifts are now for me, I've decided to move to a Wednesday light day for my pulling work. My knees don't like power cleans, and I have a hell of a time racking it properly (I think due to arm proportions, or flexibility), so I'm doing barbell rows now in the middle of the week. Work and kid's sporting events have prevented me from making any TKD classes this week, which is a bummer.