Sohan

My wife and son have been battling colds for the past two weeks. I have (knock on wood) been doing OK so far. Hope your SO is feeling better soon! With respect, Sohan

Atlanta Braves New York Yankees New York Mets Seattle Seahawks New York Jets Georgia Bulldogs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets With respect, Sohan

That's a very dangerous assumption. I always get a kick out of martial artists who assume that bodybuilders are just bloated mirror jockeys who are worthless on the street. Skills pay the bills, so to speak, but strength and size can go a long way towards evening the score. Mass can provide a very effective barrier to a kick and a strike, and it can be very difficult to block or evade a barrage of wild strikes in tight quarters from a 260 lb man capable of lifting 500 lbs or more. Bob Sapp comes immediately to mind. He is largely slow and unskilled compared to his professionally trained competition, but who on this board would realistically have a chance of defeating him? It's not like most of us are CroCop. Fights depend on many factors, skill being of primary necessity, but not by as much as you would expect. I have defeated more skilled fighters by relying more on my strength, speed, endurance, and power, and I have also defeated larger, stronger opponents by relying on my skills. Skills certainly are of highest priority, but all it takes in a streetfight is one lucky punch by that bodybuilder (yes, it CAN happen!) and your skills go right out the window. As for me, I like having the confidence to know that if my skills should fail me for any reason, that I have developed the strength and conditioning to help me survive. With respect, Sohan

Thanks, Patrick. Best to you as well. With respect, Sohan

I host my business site through Yahoo for 12 bucks a month, and use their free SiteBuilder program to design my site. It's nothing super fancy with special graphics or effects, but it looks fine, it was easy to use, and best of all it is FREE! Also, to plug Patrick's sites for a moment, he has a couple good sites that can give you some insight into website development. I particularly enjoy his Webmaster Forum, which I lurk in from time to time. With respect, Sohan

I perused his website. There is an "interview" from 1991 done with him that is quite hilarious where he expresses admiration for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (they're fictional characters, buddy!): "...the Turtles themselves are special, elite, and possess covert power that must be hidden from the 'normal' world, yet another powerful incentive to follow them for those who feel outcast, downtrodden, and disenfranchised, ...." What the?....hahahah!!!! Funny, and scary stuff at the same time. I can't believe anyone would follow this nut. http://ashidakim.com/ With respect, Sohan

My pleasure. With respect, Sohan

At 28, you shouldn't be having problems like this. Have faith that your doctor will help you get to the bottom of your dilemma, but in the meantime, educate yourself as much as you can, and evaluate everything in your life that might be contributing to your pain. Don't give up. There is an answer to everything, one way or the other. With respect, Sohan

DVT=Deep Vein Thrombosis. http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/mosby_factsheets/Deep_Vein_Thrombosis.html With respect, Sohan

Do the exercise outside. And you don't need a dumbbell. Anything heavy you can grasp in your hand will do the trick. To make it a different type of challenge, try holding a full pitcher of water from the bottom, and see if you can stand up without spilling it. A plate of food works well too (hold it like a waiter would, on a flat hand, and use a hard plastic plate). Funny how many strong people can't do this. As far as getting hurt, there's a risk with anything you do. You could slip and fall in your kitchen. Does that mean you stay out of your kitchen for fear of falling? Of course not. Start light, and work your way up slowly and you should be fine. With respect, Sohan

For an 18 year old woman, I'd say that's not too shabby. Try doing lower reps (4-6) for a couple weeks and you should see it jump a bit. With respect, Sohan

Absolutely. It also helps with agility and improves jumping ability. Just one more tool for the toolbox. With respect, Sohan

Lazy? Then perhaps this exercise isn't for you. This is not a traditional bodybuilding exercise, so it doesn't "work" your muscles as you might expect. Rather, it strengthens the entire body while developing a strong and balanced core, which is of interest to martial artists. Many of the best training methods never see the pages of Muscle and Fitness Magazine. With respect, Sohan

Hmm. Every year you mention that KF is 5 1/2 years old? That's kind of like me saying every year that I'm turning 39 again.... Just kidding. Congratulations! With respect, Sohan

Congratulations, bearich. Well-deserved! With respect, Sohan

Recovery time is dependent on workout intensity and duration. The longer and harder you train, the more recovery time you will require between exercise sessions. Your fitness level and ability to recover will factor in as well. An older person of modest fitness who gets only 4-5 hours rest at night and works long hours at a job that is mentally stressful may not be able to train at a high intensity as frequently as a 20 year old professional boxer who sleeps 9 hours per night and doesn't have to carry an additional job. The rule is that there is no rule. If you can improve your performance on a given rest period between workouts, then that is what is optimal for you. Many powerlifters train their specialties only once per week, because they need that recovery time between workouts, though they are doing other supplemental training during the week. Less intense training programs may be performed more frequently. You can run every day, but if you perform clean and jerks each day, you may soon find yourself in physical therapy. As for plyometric training, twice a week max is usually recommended because of the intensity involved. As for me, I run in the morning and do strength training, MA, or conditioning in the evening, rarely repeating the same workout two days in a row. Rest and proper intensity is of interest to me, because if my morning run is particularly hard or long, I will not recover sufficiently to train that evening. Therefore it takes some thought to determine what your goals are for training, what workouts you will need to achieve those goals, and what kind of rest you will need to recover from them. Best of luck. With respect, Sohan

Hi everyone, This exercise is one of my current favorites, and it is highly effective for developing balance and strength for the martial arts: 1. Lie on the floor on your back with a dumbbell in one hand, with that arm pointing straight up to the ceiling. 2. Get up off the floor, any way you like, while keeping the dumbbell hand extended towards the ceiling throughout, until you are standing fully with the dumbbell extended overhead. Do NOT let the dumbbell lower. That's it. Start with a light dumbbell and gradually increase your weight. Remember that how you get up is really not that important. Do 5-6 reps per arm, and switch arms after each repetition. This exercise can be performed twice per week. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. With respect, Sohan

Persently I do standing alternate dumbbell curls with 60-65 lbs for 6-8 reps per arm. Most I've ever done for 6 reps is 75 lbs. I remember that back in the 80's the NBA basketball player Ralph Sampson was reported to curl 95 lbs with one arm. He is 7' 4" tall. Love this exercise. Other curls may be a waste of time but this one isn't, as long as you don't cheat and perform the movement correctly. With respect, Sohan

Ok this is going to sound a rather odd question but what oats do you use for the oatmeal? I have tried to look for just oats but most are porriage oats, whats the best to look for? I'm sure any rolled oats would be fine. I use "old-fashioned" oats by Quaker, and they mix well in my little blender. "Quick" oats also have blended well. Funny you mention this, as I am at present consuming that very shake (the oat one, not the peanut butter one). With respect, Sohan

Hey, alright! Now you're talking, Sohan!!! However, I think I should probably stay away from that one. I am going to have to exercise some self-control on this one. But it looks soooooo good! Well, I have to create clients somehow.... With respect, Sohan

It looks like another form of functional training, but I do give him points for creativity. He admits that he himself is no expert, but it is great that he has the initiative to find innovative ways to train. I wish more people did. With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Flax seeds are great for digestion and they're loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids, which are recommended for your heart. An overall health booster. Milled flax seeds are simply ground up seeds, which digest much better than whole seeds that practically pass through your system undigested. Plus they taste pretty good in my shake, too. Since you're trying to gain weight, you can try my Reeses Peanut Butter Cup shake (you can adjust the fat content if you like--this is the megafat version): 1/2 cup Peanut Butter 1 Milk Chocolate Bar 1 Cup Premium Vanilla Ice Cream 1 cup Whole Milk 1 cup Chocolate Whey Powder 3-4 Ice Cubes Mix well. If this won't put weight on you, nothing will, though it's definitely not for the casual exerciser. You can subsitute chocolate syrup for the chocolate bar, but the taste is somewhat different. With respect, Sohan