The Martial Artists' Training Log

[bushido_man96]

2/20/2026

Strength Training

Deadlift:  135x5, 165x3, 185x2, 225x2.

RDLs:  135x5, 135x5, 135x5.

I have to be really careful with the deadlifts.  That lift fills me up with a lot of pressure, and I don't want to send my head reeling.  This lift will be a touchy one, and I'll really have to play with the set/rep scheme to see what I can get the most benefit out of.  I may play with a rack pull to see if the shorter ROM is better for my head.

 

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:  6:45 - 7:45 pm.  Started with several warmup rounds.  The way things started out, I thought we were just going to be rolling for the night.  But we spent the rest of class working on leg entanglements with the top player standing and the bottom player seated.  We started simple with the first game having the top player try to pass to the side of the legs and the bottom player trying to stop it.  The drills progressed to the bottom player trying to destabilize the top player and the top player defending it and trying to get one leg inside.  That progressed to the bottom player starting with hooks at the ankles and working to destabilize and get one leg wrapped from inside the top player's leg around the outside and get the heel into their hip, and destabilize from there.  Top player worked to get one leg inside and defend.

My arms were sore from yesterday and they soon died off in class.  I struggled to create the proper distance and angles to get the leg wrap.  I got it a few times, but I struggled most of the night with it. 

[bushido_man96]

2/22/2026

Strength Training

Bench Press:  45x5x2, 95x5, 115x3, 135x5, 145x3, 155x5.  I need wrist wraps for this lift.  My left wrist especially hurts on lift-off.  Once it's out of the rack, it seems to be ok.  I ordered a new pair as my oldest son has inherited my old pair.  I'll play with my tolerance with the rep/set scheme as I move forward the next few weeks.

[bushido_man96]

2/24/2026

Strength Training

Squat:  45x5x2, 95x5, 115x3, 135x1, 155x5, 170x3, 185x1.  Left knee was really sore.

 

Taekwondo:  5:45 - 6:30 pm.  Traditional Class.  Taught.  Prior to class I tried to do a little bag work in an attempt to warm up my left knee.  It did not work.  It was hurting pretty bad, and really limited my mobility.

Basics:  got through these, albeit it took a big chunk of the class.  Lots of students today, too; 13 total.  It's also the first week after testing, so we're hitting a lot of new material.

Forms:  We had white belt, high orange, low and high green, and a low brown belt that I had do low blue belt form.  Finished with two 2nd dans doing Gae Baek.

Sparring:  6:30 - 7:00 pm.  Started the sparring session off with 10 minutes of one-steps.  Then we got into some rounds of sparring.  The rounds were short and quick with little rest between.

Round 1:  Regular sparring.

Round 2:  Any kicking had to be front leg kicking.

Round 3:  Closed stance only.  No techniques could be thrown if stances were open.

Round 4:  Open stance only.

Round 5:  Each pair of sparring partners were confined to a puzzle mat square (same square).  At least the front foot had to be in the square.  They could switch stances, but a foot had to be in the square really quick.  

[bushido_man96]

2/26/2026

Aikido Video Review:  Good habit to get into while eating breakfast.  I reviewed video for katatetori sankyo omote and ura.  I like to call them ikkyo/sankyo, as we get to the ikkyo position first and then transition to sankyo.

 

Strength Training

Press:  45x5x2, 75x5, 95x3, 115x3, 115x3, 115x3, 115x3, 115x3.

Clean & Jerk:  65x2, 85x2, 95x2, 115x2, 115x2, 115x2.

 

Aikido:  3:30 - 4:30 pm.  Club Class held at the campus.  Very laid back class, as no other instructors were available.  The club president ran the class, and after some loosening drills and aikitaisos, we did weapons work with the jo.  Paired warmups with hi-4 and low-4 combined, then lots of review of jo kata 1.

 

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:  6:45 - 8:00 pm.  Four warmup rounds to start.  I think they were 4 minute rounds.  The instructional portion of the class was spent working on isolating an arm in side control, elevating the shoulder off the mat and getting the bottom person on their side.  We worked to a Kimura mounted with them on their side.  We did quite a bit of work on this transition.  We finished with a few rounds of free rolling, working on going from standing and posting on the hips of the seated bottom player to control the knee and then pressure in to pass to camping position, then to side control.  This helped secure the leg so I didn't have to fight the knee shield so much.  I did get a stretch in.

[bushido_man96]

2/28/2026

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:  10:00 - 11:00 am.  Open Mat.  Lots of 4 minute rounds, and there were just three of us, so round robin it was.  Prior to class, coach showed me a video by Bernardo Faria of the technical breakdown of the over/under pass, then he showed me a dynamic application in a video of from a high-level competition.  It helps to see both, because when things get dynamic, it rarely looks textbook.

I had one early round where I spent most of the time on top.  By hook or by crook, I managed.  Then, I rolled some more, and that didn't happen again...  Towards the end of class, coach let me work just offense so I got to move through advancing positions to submission.  Stretched between rounds.