Sohan

Loved him ever since I heard "My Bologna" when I was a teen. I have several of his albums and even won one on a local radio call-in. If you haven't seen the movie "UHF", you should. We saw him in concert here in Atlanta back in the early 90's at the Masquerade and some of us actually got to sit on the edge of the stage during the performance (it was a very small venue). After the show, Al even went out in the audience and shook hands with his fans and mingled a bit. He is a wonderful showman and really appreciates his fans. With respect, Sohan

Almost forgot. Isometric holds can also be helpful. Do a static hold from various postions (chin over, halfway, full extension) for as long as you can--this can do wonders for increasing your strength. It's been found that you gain strength within 15-20 degrees of any particular joint angle trained with isometrics, so don't feel you have to do isometric holds at every angle possible. Go for quality rather than quantity, and do them consistently. With respect, Sohan

Both. Variety is the spice of life. With respect, Sohan

You just made his list. With respect, Sohan

Supertraining by Mel Siff. Great read for the serious exercise buff. With respect, Sohan

Try eccentric movements. Start at the chin-over position (jump, step up, whatever to get there.) and then lower yourself as slowly as you can. Once you can get one rep, just do sets of one rep with short rest (10-20 seconds) until you can do two reps, and so on. Also, partial reps can help too. Lower yourself halfway and go lower as you get stronger. And lastly, you can use a "kipping" motion with your legs (basically a downward kick with your legs as you pull up---kind of like a downward frog kick) to "cheat" until you get stronger. There are 300 lb men who can do pullups and so can you, you just have to work your way into them. I'm a big fan of pullups and do them regularly. I think the reason they're not as popular as pushups is because you need something to pull from, whereas pushups require no equipment. Not that that's any excuse, of course--you're only limited by your creativity. With respect, Sohan

I take Ashido Kim Ninjitsu and I love it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OK, maybe not. . . . . . . . Actually, I have training of 2-3 years or more in each of Okinawan Karate-do, BJJ, MT, Hung Gar Gung Fu, Tang Soo Do, TKD, and Boxing. I never wrestled competively but have trained with and volunteer coached a local high school team here for the past 10 years. Karate, BJJ, Gung Fu, and MT are my main loves and what I train currently....in my spare time. With respect, Sohan

Grandmaster Eizo Shimabuku of Shobayashi Shorin Ryu was awarded his 10th dan at age 34. However, times are different, and dan rank doesn't seem to carry the same authenticity as it used to with all the orgs willing to throw around rank for a buck. Even Shimabuku himself has been quietly accused of selling rank for income. Perspective is a great equalizer. Like Lordtariel says, try a few classes, try other dojos, and you'll be able to make your mind up before too long. With respect, Sohan

It will never happen!!! Just playing! I hope to get my degree sometime soon; I am at a standstill at this point. I hope to get a little further along in the Law Enforcement area, as I am really enjoying what I am doing now. I will always stick with the martial arts, and maybe have a school someday...but it is so much fun to be learning. I've actually thought about being a cop here in Atlanta, as it is an honorable profession serving the public. But being a cop is a hard, tough job with lousy hours not to mention the fact that there are people out there pointing guns at you. Also, it'd be a bit of a pay cut (low 40's), though I'd get benefits. If I was a few years younger I'd try for OCS in the Army or Marines. I always regretted not joining the Marines for a few years after college, and now I'm too old to enter as an officer, unless I were a physician or nurse. With respect, Sohan I'm not sure how it would be there, but here, the shifts rotate, every two or three months. However, my job being up in the jail, the shifts do not rotate. Therefore, I am stuck working nights. However, I much prefer to work nights as opposed to working mid shifts, where I would miss out on training and my family. Mid 40's is better than the wages here! Heck, you may even be able to schedule your other interests around it. Or better yet, you could get the department involved in a package that you could set up. Keeping cops in good shape is always beneficial to them! Actually cadet pay would be only 34k for about 5 months, and then you're starting at around 42 with a degree. After a year of that, probably about 46 or so. I have a wife and son to support, and in Atlanta, that's not very much money. Decent houses can go for 400k-1mil where I live, unless I move to the boonies. Plus, Atlanta cops aren't very popular right now after some very public SNAFUs. Not sure I want to be a part of that. Besides, one of the great things about being a trainer is that people rarely shoot at me. With respect, Sohan

A pic of the beautiful Mrs. Sohan. With respect, Sohan

Does a metal coat hanger on a broken Kmart plug-in antenna count? . . . . . ... Actually, we have DirectTV and love it, though I rarely have time to watch. With respect, Sohan

Yeah, I know. I never considered myself "big-boned." I am just big. The funny thing is, when I started to work out more, I didn't seem to lose. And I have been doing more than just lifting weights. I am not really gaining either, but just not losing. Do you have a Registered Dietician in your area that specializes in weight loss? You could ask your doctor for a recommendation. You might also want to get your thyroid checked, just to rule that out as a cause. It could be your training program, it could be your diet, it could be your hormone levels, it could be your genes. And it could be all of the above. Keep your chin up. You'll find the solution. With respect, Sohan

Keep in mind that muscle soreness arises from inflammation with exercise that was too intense for the body to recover from completely. If you stretch a muscle that is very sore without a complete warmup of the fibers involved, you risk tearing the muscle or creating microtrauma that can weaken the fiber and result in a later injury. Tired or sore muscles tear very easily compared to fully rested muscles. Light stretching seems to help some people, and there are plenty of studies that suggest it may actually help speed recovery of the muscle tissue. Just make sure you warm up the muscles involved with heat and light exercise first. However... Overall much of the research I have read seems to be conflicted on what is the best way to deal with muscle soreness. Some recommend a light workout to help speed recovery, some advise stretching, and some advise complete rest. I have personally found rest to be the quickest way to get back to business, FWIW. With respect, Sohan

Strength and muscle size are not necessarily directly related. Strength is more of a function of nervous system coordination, so it is easily possible to be very strong and not very big, and vice-versa. With respect, Sohan

:snort: What the heck is he doing in that first photo? Shadow puppets???? "And this one is Abraham Lincoln." With respect, Sohan

This one's for you, Brian.... With respect, Sohan

It will never happen!!! Just playing! I hope to get my degree sometime soon; I am at a standstill at this point. I hope to get a little further along in the Law Enforcement area, as I am really enjoying what I am doing now. I will always stick with the martial arts, and maybe have a school someday...but it is so much fun to be learning. I've actually thought about being a cop here in Atlanta, as it is an honorable profession serving the public. But being a cop is a hard, tough job with lousy hours not to mention the fact that there are people out there pointing guns at you. Also, it'd be a bit of a pay cut (low 40's), though I'd get benefits. If I was a few years younger I'd try for OCS in the Army or Marines. I always regretted not joining the Marines for a few years after college, and now I'm too old to enter as an officer, unless I were a physician or nurse. With respect, Sohan

I prefer the term "follically challenged", thank YOU. With respect, Sohan

Bushido, I agree with PAL. It's likely not a coincidence that you have knee problems and are also "big boned". You may find that losing about 40-50 lbs or more would likely make your knee problems miraculously disappear. And if it takes major life-style change, so be it. It's your health. With respect, Sohan

I'll tell you when I've grown up. With respect, Sohan

I still have an old Pioneer turntable and speaker system, and it works just fine after 29 years. I also have a ton of old LPs that I just won't get rid of. Ever. With respect, Sohan

That's not that bad. Could be 40 and looking 50 or 60. I'm just trying to look on the bright side if age. Best of luck to you/ Actually, I feel stronger and fitter at 40 than I ever have. All my friends of the same age group are falling apart, and I seem to be hanging in just fine, though I have become somewhat follically (sp?) challenged in the past decade. Hmm. Guess there's something to all that exercise stuff? With respect, Sohan

I like it shaved, but it tends to make me look like a UFC fighter, so I just keep it short and neat (I am, after all, a Cub Scout Leader). With respect, Sohan

I'm 40, but I don't look a day over 39 1/2. With respect, Sohan

I'm a big believer in karma. Pay for the coat and free your conscience--you'll benefit in the long run. With respect, Sohan