Sohan

Does anyone know who this guy is? I'm curious... With respect, Sohan

Nice to have you! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Welcome to the forum! With respect, Sohan

Geez. If he thinks Michael Myers is a friendly character today, imagine what HE is going to do with the concept. I watched Devil's Rejects. Rob Zombie is either a very sick man, incredibly brilliant, or a bit of both. Personally, I don't care for those images floating around in my brain. With respect, Sohan

I've found that two hours of kata without breaks has it's cardiovascular benefits. Another idea is to get a pair of fins and head for the pool. Practice kicking on your back and your stomach for up to a mile or so, broken up into intervals. I love the feeling of moving quickly through the water and never find it boring. You could also try inline skating too. If you have a good paved area where you can go for a while without stopping you may find this a good cardio workout. It also strengthens your knees and ankles and helps improve your balance. With respect, Sohan

Here's a much better explanation of Bagua Zhang than I can give: http://www.shenwu.com/bagua.htm And here is a demonstration of a Bagua form: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icwEuTHsDKM&search=bagua I'd love to study the style, particularly now that I've been practicing Hung Gar, but it's quite the drive from Atlanta to Michigan. And I know of no one that teaches it in Atlanta. With respect, Sohan

Not quite a fair comparison. Despite his many flaws, Abbott would destroy Diego by virtue of his strength and size. Sanchez is vastly overrated as a fighter, anyway--he wouldn't last 3 minutes against Matt Hughes or Rich Franklin. With respect, Sohan You're vastly overrating Tank and underrating Sanchez. Sanchez would most likely get beaten by a more well rounded MMA fighter in Rich Franklin. He would also get beaten by Matt Hughes for the simple fact that they play very similar Ground and pound games (except Hughes is much much better at it). Sanchez has a lot to improve, but his grappling skills are good enough to get him through all but the top tier of his weight class. Perhaps. But I've watched Tank Abbott for years and I've seen plenty of Diego Sanchez in action, too. Well-rounded fighter or not, if Tank is at his best he throws devastating heat, and the weight/strength advantage between him and Diego is just too great. Sanchez's grappling skills are very impressive--but who has he fought? And sure, towards the end, Tank's lack of conditioning and submission technique was bordering on embarrassing. But it's the old argument of skill vs. strength and power. For two 5 minute rounds in a cage, I have a hard time seeing Diego Sanchez not getting KO'd by a peak form Tank Abbott. Kind of hard to get that armbar submission when you've got a 600 lb bencher pounding you in the eye socket. With respect, Sohan

I also split my head open when I was about 7. Fell off a desk at school after I had been told not to sit on it. Always been a little stubborn, I guess. Glad to hear everything is OK. With respect, Sohan

Not quite a fair comparison. Despite his many flaws, Abbott would destroy Diego by virtue of his strength and size. Sanchez is vastly overrated as a fighter, anyway--he wouldn't last 3 minutes against Matt Hughes or Rich Franklin. With respect, Sohan

It is. I goofed and posted it here first. I reposted in the Chinese section. With respect, Sohan

Sohan - Would you say that it is due to the development you get from the exercise, or the proprioception you build with a superslow movement, and the balance from the slow/hold phase? Just curious, I know which helped me more, I want some independent confirmation. Aodhan IMHO, it is because I teach my motor units to fire in a more coordinated fashion, which makes my kicks more precise. And since strength is often as much a function of neural conditioning as well as hypertrophy, this "education" makes motor unit facilitation all that more efficient and productive. With respect, Sohan

Ever do superslow reps? They are absolute killers. They're described in Loren Christensen's book Fighting Power, and I use them here at home every day. I do front kicks, side kicks, roundhouse, etc, with a very slow motion and hold the extension for a 5 count (10 reps each set). My kicks have really improved the past five years and they are faster than ever with better balance and control. With respect, Sohan

You bet! Cover my airfare to Kansas, and I'll see ya twice a week. With respect, Sohan

Strength training requires longer rest than bodybuilding because you want as full a recovery as possible for maximal performance and intensity. Bodybuilders are more interested in hypertrophy, which you get with 8-10 rep sets with short rest. Powerlifters want pure strength, which doesn't necessarily correspond with huge muscles, and this requires lower reps with higher weight and a more complete recovery between sets. I was actually being rather conservative about the rest periods. When I competed, for most of my sets I took up to 9 minutes between each. Massage your muscles and stretch lightly to stay warm and you'll be fine. Just remember, the key to getting stronger is less sets/reps with more rest, but the sets are VERY intense. You should be pretty wiped from the effort you give as you improve. Benching 5 reps with heavy weight takes a lot more out of you than you think. With respect, Sohan

Squat down, perform chicken head blocks to the left and right, and then step to the side and do a naihanchi punch.

I made a few adjustments: Monday: Barbell Bench Press (Heavy) Military Press Tricep Push Downs Wednesday: Squat (Heavy) Glute-Ham Raises Calf Raises Thursday: Barbell Bench Press (Light) Military Press Tricep Push Downs Friday: Squat (Light) Deadlift Chins Barbell Curls Set up a 8 week cycle like this for your power movements: Week 1: After warmup, 4 sets of 8 Week 2: 3 sets of 8 Week 3: 5 sets of 5 Week 4: 4 sets of 5 Week 5: 4 sets of 4 Week 6: 3 sets of 4 Week 7: 3 sets of 3 Week 8: Warmup to 50% of max, then work singles every 10-20 lbs to 1 rep max All assistance work should be between 6 and 8 reps for no more than 3 sets. Cut out assistance work after week 5. Rest up to 5-6 minutes or more between power movement sets, assistance work can be 3-5 minutes. Experiment to see what works for you, but this gives you a pretty good idea. You can cycle longer or shorter, but 6-12 weeks is pretty much a norm. Definitely give your body a week or two of higher reps after your max week to recover and remember that what you have in your plan can be affected by other variables occurring in your life, so if you're really feeling good one day, give a max a try! But don't max too often or you'll get stale. With respect, Sohan

Here's a site link to some info on Bagua Zhang. Surprisingly it's not even listed on our home dojo website, as it's only taught to blackbelts and above (except for basic Bagua stepping). http://www.shenwu.com/bagua.htm I'm intrigued by the mobility of the style and curious about how they utilize weapons training. With respect, Sohan

I accidently posted this in the Karate thread--I was wondering if there are any Bagua practitioners here. They study Bagua at our home dojo in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but we only incorporate some basics from the style in our karate training in Atlanta. Sounds exotic and interesting. I'd love to learn more if anyone here practices or has practiced it. With respect, Sohan

I was wondering if there are any Bagua practitioners here. They study Bagua at our home dojo in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but we only incorporate some basics from the style in our karate training in Atlanta. Sounds exotic and interesting. I'd love to learn more if anyone here practices or has practiced it. With respect, Sohan

Just wanted to add a couple things to what Aodhan said: ---True overtraining doesn't occur overnight. If this were a short-term occurance, it would be termed "overreaching" which is easily remedied by a week of increased sleep and enhanced carbohydrate intake. Your situation sounds more chronic, so you likely will need a longer period of recovery because it does indeed appear you are overtrained. ---6-8 hours of sleep isn't enough for a college kid who's pushing it like you are. 9-10 is more like it. Skimp on rest and you don't recover---which is crucial for a young guy like you. Remember that you secrete more growth hormone in the second half of your night's sleep, so if you only get 7 hours, your body doesn't get the sufficient hormonal response needed to rebuild. --Recommendation? Take a week off COMPLETELY, then cut back on some of your workouts for about a month. Up your complex carb intake and take a multivitamin, if you're not already. Drink plenty of water and get at least 20-25 grams of protein 5-6 times per day. With respect, Sohan

You'd be surprised what you are capable of remembering if you give it a chance. My mother could quote entire books from the Bible and my brother was an actor who had to memorize several pages of dialogue. If you are interested in it, practice it, understand the moves, and recognize patterns of movements, the kata practice will become much easier. Besides, your body will remember kata far longer than your conscious mind will. Interestingly, I have found that the more kata I learn the easier it is to learn new kata forms. With respect, Sohan

I have one of those Chinese Schwinn mountain bikes that serves me just fine. Had it for a year and it has held up like a champ. Couldn't imagine doing anything competitive with it, but it's really sharp looking--my wife thinks I'm a hotty when I ride it and my son says he's not embarrassed to be seen with me. We try to go to the trails every weekend, and I find it a great way to spend time with my family. With respect, Sohan

Thanks. From what I've been able to tell, the sport revolves around the deadlift, squat, and bench press, and maxing them out. I've heard a 5x5 program is best for beginners, using a single day each week for that lift and supporting muscle. From what I can gather, a routine would look something like this : Monday: Squat 5x5 Front Squat 3x8-10 Glute-Ham Raises 3x8-10 Calf Raises 3-4 sets to failure Wednesday: Barbell Bench Press 5x5 Dumbell Bench Press 2x8-10 Close Grip Bench 3x5 Tricep Push Downs 2x10 Friday: Deadlift 5x5 Barbell Rows 3x6-8 Hyperextentions 3x 10-15 Barbell Curls 5x5 How close is that to a workable beginner routine? I'm not sure, but I think the opposing muscles should be worked on the same day. I got that routine off of bodybuilding.com , but something about that doesn't seem right. Maybe it's the bodybuilding knowledge I have that's different from powerlifting. I'd throw out the front squats, dumbbell work and close grips and add barbell shoulder presses, if at all. I got my best gains on just bench and tri pushdowns. I looked better, though, with a more complete routine. I also wouldn't do barbell rows or hyperextensions on deadlift day. Too much. Stick to some pulldowns or chins and maybe some seated rows. Also, if you're young, you should bench and squat twice per week. Squat lighter with more reps on deadlift day, nothing too strenuous, just to warm up for deadlifts. Bench heavy one day, a little lighter (not too much) the next time. Don't train like a bodybuilder if you want to get strong. Learn to use knee wraps and get a powerlifting belt and a lifting suit. You need to keep things simple and intense, train on a cycle, and set yourself to peak at a particular date. 5 x5 all the time will get you stale. You need to have a period of higher reps, then decrease reps and sets to develop your peak. Shoot for a meet in your area or just set a date and get a buddy and plan an impromptu powerlifting trial. With respect, Sohan

I see rank at different MA schools much like degrees at various universities. They're really not all equal---not to offend anyone, but would you really say a Bachelor's from the University of Phoenix is the same as a Bachelor's from MIT? They both require roughly about the same period of time to achieve, but the standards/requirements and the quality of those students at each school are quite different. It's fair to say that it is much easier to graduate from U of Phoenix than from MIT just as it is much easier to get rank at McDojo Karate School than at a traditional Okinawan dojo that studies two systems. There will always be those who abuse the authority that they possess and provide rank for less than honorable reasons. It's unfortunate that the general public doesn't know the difference--but this is the case with many things in life. With respect, Sohan