Sohan

Start out by building a base with slower endurance running first. If you start out doing sprints without a decent base, you will likely get injured. Plus, your work capacity for sprints will not allow you to do enough training to significantly change your bodyfat at this point anyway. Work up to at least 3-4 times per week of slow running (about 30 mins) for about a month. Then, if you're not having any issues, take one of those running sessions and start doing 4-6 long intervals, such as 3-5 minute faster paced intervals with 1-2 minute slow jogging in between. Every two weeks, reduce the duration of the intervals about a minute or so and up the intensity/number of reps, while increasing the rest period. Do this for about two months total, and then you can give some 100's to 200's a try. All your workouts should last around 30 mins (not including warmup or cooldown). The key is a gradual buildup, and not too much at any one time so that you can recover properly. If you are patient, your program will pay off in a leaner and more powerful physique. With respect, Sohan

Congratulations! With respect, Sohan

How would you set up a horizontal motion? Brace the tire against a wall, maybe?? Actually, I hang it from a hanging bag stand and secure it to the base. With respect, Sohan Could you elaborate a little bit more, or post a picture? I am a little confused. I use this, but I suppose you could also hang it from a tree, as long as you tie it securely to at least 100 lbs on the ground. I wouldn't attach it to a tree trunk as I wouldn't want to damage the tree. http://www.onlinesports.com/pages/I,CEN-10870.html With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Anybody know how Isshin-ryu Grandmaster Steve Armstrong is doing these days? Last I heard a few years ago he was in a nursing home and was rapidly declining in health. He would have had his 75th birthday on Sept 22, but in the last pictures I have seen publicly of him, he seemed very frail and weak. Any info is appreciated. I certainly wish for him a quiet and peaceful twilight to a life that was indeed highlighted by a marvelous career in the promotion of Okinawan Karate-do. With respect, Sohan

Nice drill. Thanks, cathal. With respect, Sohan

How would you set up a horizontal motion? Brace the tire against a wall, maybe?? Actually, I hang it from a hanging bag stand and secure it to the base. With respect, Sohan

One more thing, remember that you can do the swings over the shoulder, or you can do them with a horizontal motion as well, just depends how you set up your striking surface. With respect, Sohan

Pretty straightforward. I just hit a truck tire with the hammer for two or three 2-3 minute rounds with 1 min rest in between. I switch sides every 30 seconds. I'm sure there are plenty of variations of this, but I like to keep it simple. It's a tough, tough, workout. With respect, Sohan If you just switch sides with every swing, would that work as well? I do ten on one side, then ten on the other, but certainly you could do it that way. You might end up getting fewer strikes per round, though it will really help with your rotational strength. With respect, Sohan

Eat more frequently. Bodybuilders eat smaller meals every couple hours in order to assimilate their food better, but more importantly it also stimulates their appetite. Also, eat less fiber and have some sugar with your meals. For example, if you eat cereal with milk, eat a cereal that has less than 2 grams of fiber per serving and at least 10 grams of sugar. Add your own if you like. By stimulating your hunger response with sugar, you'll eat more calories overall. Eat more whole cheese, whole milk, eggs, butter, regular beef, chicken with skin, ice cream, pasta and sauce, potatoes, and fruit juice (instead of whole fruit). Get more calorie dense foods in your diet to up your daily calorie intake. Eat good foods that just happen to be higher in calories. Try a weightgainer shake with milk. Or save some money, get some ice cream and whey protein powder, blend it with whole milk and drink a shake 2-3 times per day. My favorite weight gainer is this: 2 tablespoons Peanut butter 2 tablespoons your favorite jelly 1 cup vanilla ice cream 1 cup whole milk 1 scoop any brand whey protein powder Mix in a blender until smooth. This has approximately 850 calories, 46 grams of protein. If you can't gain weight with this, you can't gain weight. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to eat this way any more. With respect, Sohan

I agree. I also think that many people have a very negative connotation with regards to the phrase "hard training". They conjure up visions of hours-long training sessions with brutal exercise schemes where they end up crawling out on their hands and knees. My view is somewhat the opposite. The missing link in many practioners' training is found in one word: quality. We sometimes spend too much time doing skills practice because in the end, it really isn't that hard. That's why most of us can do kata for hours, but a few good rounds on the heavy bag, a couple rounds on the jump rope, or a few sets of burpees and sprints, and we're wiped. And this is precisely the energy system we will be calling on in a self-defense situation. If more people would focus on the quality of their training, meaning training with more intensity, rather than the length of their workouts (though long workouts certainly have their benefits) and incorporate more anaerobic training into their programs, they might find their martial arts practice and application dramatically less physically taxing. With respect, Sohan

I'm glad to hear quitting is going well. Keep it up, we're all pulling for you! With respect, Sohan

We had this happen during a belt test this summer. It was hot, and the doors were open because the A/C was on the blink. During a kata a big dog came streaking in through the door right onto the mat in the middle of everyone and jumped up on one of our mates. Before we could catch him he streaked back out another open door. However, our member didn't have quite the reaction that yours did. With respect, Sohan

Officially, Bruce Lee died of a reaction to a prescription pain-killer that caused brain edema (swelling). However, he had collapsed a couple months prior to his death, nearly passing on then, and it has been long speculated that overwork may have been a contributor to that. Guess we'll never know for sure, though I know an extremely fit guy who died of mysterious causes this past summer at a Masters swim practice. Not an ounce of fat on him. He trained 6-8 hours a day as a professional triathlete, and was supposed to be the fittest guy you'd ever seen, but some say he pushed himself way too hard at times, to the point where he was urinating blood. That can't be good for you. With respect, Sohan

Conditioning is what helps a martial artist maintain their skills the going gets tough. Here's a few suggestions to up your work capacity (remember to vary your routine and don't do all of these in any given week): *Run sprints twice per week (hi intensity, but NOT all-out). 5-10 reps of about 4-800 meters with a minute rest in between. If you don't have access to a track, estimate it on the street or a trail. The distance isn't as important as the time spent and the intensity. Remember, the intensity depends on the distance. You run the 400's harder than the 800's, and the harder you run, the more rest you need between. If you can't make it through at least 5 intervals, you're either working too hard or not resting enough. *Run hill repeats. Find a hill that's not too steep (3-6 percent grade), and that will take at least 1 minute or so to run up. Do ten repeats charging up hard, and walking back down. *Do burpee intervals. Do 10-20 at a time, rest 1-2 minutes between for 3 sets. This is a great exercise because it takes very little space and only about ten minutes of your time. Make sure you do a real burpee and not a squat thrust. *Invest in a $3 jump rope and do 3 three minute rounds with one minute rest every day. I do this every day, especially before every karate workout. Stretch after. *If you have a heavy bag, wavemaster, etc, do punch out drills with wraps and gloves. Punch hard and fast with good rhythm for 30 second intervals with a minute rest between. Stay on your toes and don't let up no matter how tired you get. Do 3 sets two to three times per week. If you don't have a bag, get a brave friend to hold a big kick shield for you. IMO, there is nothing "traditional" nor "cutting edge" with regards to conditioning. You are only limited by your imagination. Just be sure to tax the anaerobic system over various intensity ranges by including short (30 seconds), high intensity intervals along with longer (2-5 mins), medium intensity intervals. In the beginning, add only ten or fifteen minutes worth of training to your routine until you adapt. Expect to be tired and hit the pillow a little earlier the first few times you add conditioning work. As your conditioning improves you will develop the capacity for more and harder intervals, so don't sit still, push forward constantly, while being smart enough to do what's necessary to recover from your workouts. Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions. With respect, Sohan

I don't do powerlifting or olympic-style lifts for muscle endurance. Instead I just top out at 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps for bench press, etc, and for muscle endurance I use other modes like the sledgehammer, burpees, heavy bag, and various bodyweight exercises. With respect, Sohan

Pretty straightforward. I just hit a truck tire with the hammer for two or three 2-3 minute rounds with 1 min rest in between. I switch sides every 30 seconds. I'm sure there are plenty of variations of this, but I like to keep it simple. It's a tough, tough, workout. With respect, Sohan

That there is a lot of equipment and infrastructure to do those exercizes, and none of that time is likely emphasizing proper structure etc. I can see how many would be a bit intimidated by that shopping list, since i'm usually happy to just find a patch of space that will allow me to play my bow without annoying the neighbors. Without proper conditioning, in a real fight, you'll lose your technique very quickly. As far as equipment, this is my cost for the above-named equipment: Heavy bag $69 Speed bag $25 (Both of these free at my local rec center) Jump Rope $3 16 lb Sledgehammer $30 Used Large Tire $Free from local tire shop 75# Sandbag (Self-built) $25 Ab Wheel $10 Slant board (Self-built) $20 20 lb Weight Vest $50 Dumbbell and Weights: $80 Total: $312 (Less than a yearly gym membership for most people) Being strong and fit enough for a REAL fight: Priceless. Also, I don't do every exercise every day. Variety and intensity are the keys to this training, and my conditioning workouts rarely take more than 45 minutes, so I have plenty of time for skills work. As far as space needs, I live in a condo, and my gear fits fine in the garage. With respect, Sohan

Do you have any talents or professional skills you can use to barter with your sensei (web design, bookkeeping, etc)? Or are you advanced enough that you can teach in lieu of payment for a short period of time? I agree, you should talk to your sensei. You may be surprised what they say. With respect, Sohan

Yep. In my neck of the woods I too see guys either training with the strategy of knocking someone out in one punch, or thinking that spending most of their valuable training time to perform flawless kata will be adequate to save their lives. Martial artists should be in far better shape than their potential attackers. An out of shape karateka is going to lose form much quicker than a well-conditioned kickboxer. But then, I'm not really saying anything new. Just something that needs to be repeated, over and over. With respect, Sohan

This is one of my favorite powerlifters, Dennis Cieri. He shows that size and amazing strength are not necessarily the same thing. In person he looks like a regular guy, a little on the muscular side, but you'd never think he could bench over 600 lbs. http://www.99shadesofgrey.com/fitness/2006/09/15/interview_with_dennis_cieri.php You can also do a Google image search of him and see more pics. He's strong looking, but nothing overly exceptional. I would, however, like to give him a couple of years of MMA training and then put him in the UFC at 185. With respect, Sohan