Most beneficial lifts

[sensei8]

I've one word. BATTLE ROPES!! They'll take you to and through things that you've never thought existed and appreciate all at the same time. The more variation of exercises with them, the more neglected areas become worked at.

My legs are very strong and ever since high school, I was lifting off the top step, and nowadays 1K pounds is a normal weight. Often times, I'll max out the weights and do leg lifts with one leg at a time.

Grappling is a big part of Shindokan, and one of the things we strengthen is our grip strength. Hojo Undo is an important part of our grip strength training as well as:

1) Wrist rollers

2) Pegboards

3) Crush grippers

4) Landmine exercises

5) Rope climbs

For striking, my most favorites are:

1) Cable press

2) Face Fulls

3) Anterior Oblique Sling

4) Supine rolling

Heavy bag and makiwara training are paramount to increase strength as well of correcting incorrect striking techniques.

I've a very routine regime whenever it comes to my core strength training, and to blast through stalling plateaus, amendments to my routine have to be its own routine.

Now, I've been attacked by what my prostate cancer has done to my T12 and L4. In such a way that I either can no longer do certain exercises or effective changes has to incorporated how I can do certain exercises that are still effective without causing too much unwanted pain. While I've moved from Stage 4 to Stage 3 with my cancer, the damage to my T12 and L4 has already been done.

Swimming has always been my Saturday workout, but now, it's 3 times a week. The pool absorbs all of my weight which relieves pain and stress of my lower back and my lower back.

[DarthPenguin]

I've one word. BATTLE ROPES!! They'll take you to and through things that you've never thought existed and appreciate all at the same time. The more variation of exercises with them, the more neglected areas become worked at.

My legs are very strong and ever since high school, I was lifting off the top step, and nowadays 1K pounds is a normal weight. Often times, I'll max out the weights and do leg lifts with one leg at a time.

Grappling is a big part of Shindokan, and one of the things we strengthen is our grip strength. Hojo Undo is an important part of our grip strength training as well as:

1) Wrist rollers

2) Pegboards

3) Crush grippers

4) Landmine exercises

5) Rope climbs

For striking, my most favorites are:

1) Cable press

2) Face Fulls

3) Anterior Oblique Sling

4) Supine rolling

Heavy bag and makiwara training are paramount to increase strength as well of correcting incorrect striking techniques.

I've a very routine regime whenever it comes to my core strength training, and to blast through stalling plateaus, amendments to my routine have to be its own routine.

Now, I've been attacked by what my prostate cancer has done to my T12 and L4. In such a way that I either can no longer do certain exercises or effective changes has to incorporated how I can do certain exercises that are still effective without causing too much unwanted pain. While I've moved from Stage 4 to Stage 3 with my cancer, the damage to my T12 and L4 has already been done.

Swimming has always been my Saturday workout, but now, it's 3 times a week. The pool absorbs all of my weight which relieves pain and stress of my lower back and my lower back.

Excellent post - i've never used battle ropes but they have always looked interesting.

You did mention one exercise i wasn't familiar with that has piqued my curiosity : what is / are pegboards in this context?

[sensei8]

I've one word. BATTLE ROPES!! They'll take you to and through things that you've never thought existed and appreciate all at the same time. The more variation of exercises with them, the more neglected areas become worked at.

My legs are very strong and ever since high school, I was lifting off the top step, and nowadays 1K pounds is a normal weight. Often times, I'll max out the weights and do leg lifts with one leg at a time.

Grappling is a big part of Shindokan, and one of the things we strengthen is our grip strength. Hojo Undo is an important part of our grip strength training as well as:

1) Wrist rollers

2) Pegboards

3) Crush grippers

4) Landmine exercises

5) Rope climbs

For striking, my most favorites are:

1) Cable press

2) Face Fulls

3) Anterior Oblique Sling

4) Supine rolling

Heavy bag and makiwara training are paramount to increase strength as well of correcting incorrect striking techniques.

I've a very routine regime whenever it comes to my core strength training, and to blast through stalling plateaus, amendments to my routine have to be its own routine.

Now, I've been attacked by what my prostate cancer has done to my T12 and L4. In such a way that I either can no longer do certain exercises or effective changes has to incorporated how I can do certain exercises that are still effective without causing too much unwanted pain. While I've moved from Stage 4 to Stage 3 with my cancer, the damage to my T12 and L4 has already been done.

Swimming has always been my Saturday workout, but now, it's 3 times a week. The pool absorbs all of my weight which relieves pain and stress of my lower back and my lower back.

Excellent post - i've never used battle ropes but they have always looked interesting.

You did mention one exercise i wasn't familiar with that has piqued my curiosity : what is / are pegboards in this context?

Battle Ropes are FANTASTIC. I encourage anyone to give them an honest try.

Pegboards are roughly when you're holding a pair of 1- to 2-inch-wide pegs in your hands, you climb up, then descend, a board that has been attached to a high wall. The pegboard can come in any shape or size but is commonly a 3-by-3-foot square. Other pegboard shapes include long vertical rectangles for advanced climbers, or larger, horizontal surfaces for swinging side to side. Pegboards usually have 60 to 100 holes accommodating a 6- to 8-inch climbing peg...roughly.

[DarthPenguin]

Pegboards sound like quite a grip / forearm workout then!

[sensei8]

Pegboards sound like quite a grip / forearm workout then!

Most assuredly so. The burn one gets from pegboard exercises are undeniable, but in a positive way. Try it, you'll love it. The only thing I can vividly remember about when I first used this particular exercise was that, at first, I couldn't hold my spoon or fork because of the burn.

[username19853]

Although I despise lifting weights in any way, i spent most of my life as a gym rat, experimenting with both Olympic lifting and power lifting. Yet, I think I’m mostly a fan of kettlebell exercises and pull-ups.

Example of a circuit: 5 rounds

- Turkish get ups (3 each side, as heavy as possible)

- alternating single arm snatch (5 each side)

- pull-ups (10 reps)

- alternating single arm clean/press (with a full squat, 5 each side)

Rest 1-2 minutes between rounds

The key, I think, is to go as heavy as possible while still being able to perform the exercises explosively (except for the get ups). If you can still perform the exercise, but you can’t lift explosively anymore, then it’s time to drop the weight.

For pull-ups, I believe variation is key. Whether you alternate each round or each session, I’d recommend the following:

- close grip pull-ups (overhand)

- close grip chin-ups (underhand)

- medium grip pull-ups

- medium grip chin-ups

- wide grip pull-ups

I do NOT recommend wide grip chin-ups because it’s terrible for your shoulders

On a side note… back squats vs front squats. Am I the only one who’s found front squats to be more applicable for fighting? I think it’s best to include both variations in a regimen because they benefit each other so well, but I truly feel like there’s more to gain from a front squat.

[username19853]

Oh, I had another thought because I saw someone say BATTLE ROPES in all caps. In this category, my top 3 exercises:

5 rounds, rest 1-2 minutes between rounds

- 10 tire flips

- 10 sledge hammer swings (hitting the tire)

- 30 seconds of battle ropes

Not only are these exercises extremely beneficial, but they’re extremely fun and stress relieving as well! I’d rather do this over the kettlebell stuff I said any day.

[DarthPenguin]

On a side note… back squats vs front squats. Am I the only one who’s found front squats to be more applicable for fighting? I think it’s best to include both variations in a regimen because they benefit each other so well, but I truly feel like there’s more to gain from a front squat.

Interesting thoughts! For myself i always found that front squats had a quick impact on my abdominal strength and i noticed i could perform more ab-work in class when doing them. Back squats though strengthened my legs more and i think led to more powerful kicks / other leg techniques.

It possibly also comes down to how you perform your back squat. I typically do quite a high bar back squat with a lot of knee flexion as i prefer it that way. For someone with a really low bar squat the answer is likely different.

[bushido_man96]

On a side note… back squats vs front squats. Am I the only one who’s found front squats to be more applicable for fighting? I think it’s best to include both variations in a regimen because they benefit each other so well, but I truly feel like there’s more to gain from a front squat.

Interesting thoughts! For myself i always found that front squats had a quick impact on my abdominal strength and i noticed i could perform more ab-work in class when doing them. Back squats though strengthened my legs more and i think led to more powerful kicks / other leg techniques.

It possibly also comes down to how you perform your back squat. I typically do quite a high bar back squat with a lot of knee flexion as i prefer it that way. For someone with a really low bar squat the answer is likely different.

The downfall of front squats is that they ultimately can't be loaded as heavy as a back squat, and are thus more limited.

I've got terrible knees, and front squats just hurt too much. A well down, technically sound, low bar back squat is a hip dominant movement, and thus doesn't impact the knees like a front squat or a high bag squat does.

[DarthPenguin]

On a side note… back squats vs front squats. Am I the only one who’s found front squats to be more applicable for fighting? I think it’s best to include both variations in a regimen because they benefit each other so well, but I truly feel like there’s more to gain from a front squat.

Interesting thoughts! For myself i always found that front squats had a quick impact on my abdominal strength and i noticed i could perform more ab-work in class when doing them. Back squats though strengthened my legs more and i think led to more powerful kicks / other leg techniques.

It possibly also comes down to how you perform your back squat. I typically do quite a high bar back squat with a lot of knee flexion as i prefer it that way. For someone with a really low bar squat the answer is likely different.

The downfall of front squats is that they ultimately can't be loaded as heavy as a back squat, and are thus more limited.

I've got terrible knees, and front squats just hurt too much. A well down, technically sound, low bar back squat is a hip dominant movement, and thus doesn't impact the knees like a front squat or a high bag squat does.

Yeah i think the Back squat is more flexible : you can empathise hip dominance (as you do) with a low bar or quad dominance (as i do) with a higher bar, whereas a front squat is more restricted.

One way i used to like to use them was do heavier sets as back squat and then shift to lighter sets for higher reps with front squat. As you say, it can't be loaded as heavily, so don't even try to progress in that way