Another workout idea for people to analyze if so inclined

[Mischievousjoe]

So i've been messing around with workouts that require only minimal equipment, as I recently graduated from college and am a lowincome wage earner at the moment This workout is what i've come up with. its four groups of trisets to be performed individually or combined in a circuit continuously. (but one tri set at a time) to warmup I usually to 3 or 4 set of 15 - 20 burpees some arm cirlces and stuff like that to loosent up. equipment required is a stability ball, dumbells that you can curl maybe like 10 - 15 times is a good weight i find, and a pull up bar, thought you could alter a set to go without it if you don't have access.

The idea was basically that if you have time limmits you can to just one or two trisets pretty quickly. anway, here it goes.

Triset One

Squat to arnold shoulder press (dumbells in front on suat portion)

Pullups (overhanded)

Triangle pushups

Triset Two

Lunges with dumbells

Upright rows (pulling from waist to chin )

Elevated pushups (feet high)

Triset Three

Stability Ball Bench Press

Lateral Lunges

One armed dumbell swings ( a controlled swing from between legs to chin level)

Triset Four

2 fisted Hammer curls

Tricep extensions (I usually do the two handed overhead version)

Fly's on the stability ball

Dumbell excercises I aim for 10 - 14 reps apiece, bodyweights are more or less to failure. Breaks are kept to a minimum to build muscular endurance. I'll usually throw a seperate ab routine at the end as it is fairly quick to complete and I don't like how ab work flows in circuits.

[Sohan]

I like the dumbbell swings, but get rid of the curls and triceps extensions and add dumbbell snatches (my favorite) and burpees with dumbbells or medicine balls (that exercise is too good to just be a warmup movement). Curls and triceps extensions are for bodybuilders, not combat athletes, and they will slow down a fighter's speed. I know--I haven't done a curl in quite awhile now and my hand speed has gone up dramatically.

Also, try doing your lunges with a medicine ball (press overhead with each step)---if you can't afford one do the search function at this site and you can learn to make one for just a couple of dollars.

Feel free to train high reps for muscle endurance, but don't neglect explosive power and maximal muscle strength (You can alternate these goals in different workouts). Those are very important components to any serious martial artist's regimen.

With respect,

Sohan

[Mischievousjoe]

thanks for the input Sohan, yeah i'm still tweaking the sets a bit - I suspected that the curls and tricep extensions may not be the best options, I'll have to give the snatches a try. As for the medicine ball, it's on my list of equipment to purchase. I've been trying to work on a plyometric program to go along with this, but so far mostly just have clapping pushups, tuck jumps, and resistance band punches.

[Sohan]

Don't bother purchasing a medicine ball. Get a cheap $5 basketball, cut a small slit in it, and get a funnel and fill it with sand. Then superglue the slit and cover it with duct tape. I have several of these and they work great, even for slams.

Also, add standing broad jumps to the tuck jumps you mentioned. A couple sets of 6-8 reps (without rest between reps) with maximal effort is great for leg power.

With respect,

Sohan

[Mischievousjoe]

sweet, thanks for the ideas Sohan! the basketball/medicine ball sounds like a nice improvised workout aid, and i'm all about training cheaply/ minimal equipment.

[bushido_man96]

Curls and triceps extensions are for bodybuilders, not combat athletes, and they will slow down a fighter's speed. I know--I haven't done a curl in quite awhile now and my hand speed has gone up dramatically.

If curls and biceps extensions are not conducive to MA practitioners, then what exercises would you recommend doing, Sohan? I still want to build some arm strength, and these are the exercises that I have been doing. Any advise is always appreciated!

Thanks!

[Sohan]

Curls and triceps extensions are for bodybuilders, not combat athletes, and they will slow down a fighter's speed. I know--I haven't done a curl in quite awhile now and my hand speed has gone up dramatically.

If curls and biceps extensions are not conducive to MA practitioners, then what exercises would you recommend doing, Sohan? I still want to build some arm strength, and these are the exercises that I have been doing. Any advise is always appreciated!

Thanks!

I wouldn't say to cut them out of your workout completely, but you'll build useful strength more effectively with complex movements that incorporate more muscle groups and use heavier weights. Olympic style lifts, odd lifts, and power lifts are all far better to make up your martial arts strength training program than bodybuilding movements. Remember, most martial artists have the goal of a more functional physique, not just a pretty one, though you can certainly achieve both goals as well.

Examples would be dumbbell and barbell snatches, cleans, clean and jerks, and push presses, as well as lifting sandbags, odd objects, and medicine balls. In the past year I have been training more explosively with movements like dumbbell shotputs and medicine ball throws and slams, and my speed and power output have improved dramatically. My favorite workout that I did tonight was quite simple: I just carried a 100 lb sandbag on my shoulders up and down four flights of stairs (2 stairs at a time), stopping at the top to do ten burpees in between each set.

Save biceps curls for supplemental movements or injury rehab, but don't make them a major part of your workout. For functional strength and power, you have to train accordingly.

With respect,

Sohan

[baronbvp]

These are great ideas, Sohan. I would add one caution: it is very easy to hurt oneself when changing to a dynamic, kinetic workout such as you have outlined. People hurt their backs, wrench muscles or tweak knees/ankles all the time by suddenly adding weighted twisting movements to their workouts. Anyone who has suddenly done heavy work like digging post holes or trenches by hand or shoveling rocks, who wasn't used to that workload, can attest to that.

You are in great shape. I'm in decent shape, but if I carried a 100 lb sandbag down four flights of stairs, my knees would be crying.

[bushido_man96]

Thanks for the pointers, Sohan. I will look them exercises up, and try some different ones. The snatches I have yet to try.

I hear you on the warnings, Baron. I think another important factor is for people to swallow their pride and start with a lighter weight, and work with it until they build some strength and get the technique down.

[Sohan]

These are great ideas, Sohan. I would add one caution: it is very easy to hurt oneself when changing to a dynamic, kinetic workout such as you have outlined. People hurt their backs, wrench muscles or tweak knees/ankles all the time by suddenly adding weighted twisting movements to their workouts. Anyone who has suddenly done heavy work like digging post holes or trenches by hand or shoveling rocks, who wasn't used to that workload, can attest to that.

You are in great shape. I'm in decent shape, but if I carried a 100 lb sandbag down four flights of stairs, my knees would be crying.

I'm only mentioning my workout for inspiration. Everyone should work at their own pace, and build up to higher intensity work. But, having been one who has experienced "bad" knees, shoulders, ankles, of my own in the past, I have concluded that it is often training practices and lifestyle choices that limit us. When we try to get by on 6 hrs sleep, eat poor diets, and train inconsistently with exercises that are not appropriate for our level, we run a much higher risk of injury than when we apply intelligent planning to our program.

I didn't start out carrying heavy sandbags up and down stairs. I started with lunges without weight, progressed to lunges with weight, then walking lunges, then walking stairs with a medicine ball, and then increasingly heavy sandbags. I also make sure I get a balanced diet with enough protein to help me recover, and I get 8 hrs sleep every night. It's a matter of choices, and the body is capable of far more than you might think.

A year ago I had knee tendinitis that had lasted since 2004 that I thought would limit me forever. Nothing I did seemed to help. However, since changing my routine from bodybuilding-distance running-karate to a more functional plan (power-balance-agility-strength-odd lifts-flexibility), I have achieved dramatic gains in my athleticism and injury avoidance. Today, instead of biceps curls and crunches I do sledgehammer workouts, sandbag carries, burpee drills, medicine ball work, rope climbing, and grip training. I no longer run more than 20 minutes at a time (rather I run MUCH faster), I stretch frequently and can touch my nose to my knees, and I have increased speed, power, and agility. And in the dojo or the ring, it shows.

If I can do it, anyone can. I'm nobody special.

With respect,

Sohan