Gym Exercise Essentials?

[Spodo Komodo]

I have joined a gym in my quest to lose two stones and rehabilitate myself to the point where I can get back to karate without embarrassment. The cardio stuff is fine but my trainer is putting together a weight-training plan for me in the next couple of days and he asked me if there was anything I particularly wanted to include regarding my karate goal. I have asked for a lot of quad/knee-stabilising to alleviate my previous injuries but I have no idea what might be useful to a karateka as I am a complete gym newbie.

So for Shotokan/Wado Ryu Karate what gym exercises would you call essential (given a gym with most basic machines, free weights and medicine balls)?

Cheers, I'm just off to iron my pump or something...

[JusticeZero]

Don't see why it wouldn't be the same as usual for the situation - core, cardio, legs/knees, flexibility.

That said, forget the embarrasment and just start training.

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly!

If you want to do it, it's worth waddling around awkwardly and flailing gracelessly for awhile while you move toward your goal. Don't think "oh, I don't want to look like an out of shape newbie.." You ARE an out of shape newbie. EVERYONE THERE was an out of shape newbie. They see out of shape newbies every week. The whole reason they are there is to facilitate the process by which out of shape newbies work through their OOSN-ness on their way to becoming in shape awesome looking experts. So don't think you need to do all this side stuff before you come in just so you won't look like an Out Of Shape Newbie, it's silly and not productive.

[Jeffrey]

Don't see why it wouldn't be the same as usual for the situation - core, cardio, legs/knees, flexibility.

That said, forget the embarrasment and just start training.

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly!

If you want to do it, it's worth waddling around awkwardly and flailing gracelessly for awhile while you move toward your goal. Don't think "oh, I don't want to look like an out of shape newbie.." You ARE an out of shape newbie. EVERYONE THERE was an out of shape newbie. They see out of shape newbies every week. The whole reason they are there is to facilitate the process by which out of shape newbies work through their OOSN-ness on their way to becoming in shape awesome looking experts. So don't think you need to do all this side stuff before you come in just so you won't look like an Out Of Shape Newbie, it's silly and not productive.

WOW! Well said. Agreed!

[Spodo Komodo]

Sorry, I should have explained. The embarrassment is not that of waddling around with a few extra stones under the belt, it is that of not being able to stand up for more than half an hour at a time without my knees buckling. I had an accident which left me in a wheelchair for a short while and walking on sticks for a couple of years and it has been a long haul and many operations to get to the point where I can do any training at all. My physio/trainer has got me into a local gym and is sorting out some exercises to help my legs and back but while I am there I might as well do something about the rest of my body. I have tried to get back into the dojo prematurely on a couple of occasions in the past but without much luck so I'm not going to rush things, I would rather start Karate again in six months with a fighting chance than just put myself in the queue for more surgery.

[Ashley]

I wish you a quick recovery, man! Don't rush and train slowly to recover 100% without any complications.

[Spodo Komodo]

Thanks Ashley, that's why I have hired professional help this time.

I guess just a general upper body workout to go with my lower body rehab then.

[bushido_man96]

Good luck in your rehab. Whatever it is you decide to do, make sure to listen to your body as you do it.