Sunday (22/07/18) I ran a fairly brief Circuit Session this morning, which really was just a little 'livener', to wake me up properly after a late start to the day. Warm-up: 5 min Double Time Walk Circuit: Station 1 - Kata (Ichi, Ni, Saifa, Sanchin & Tensho) Station 2 - 1 min x Shuttle Sprints Station 3 - 1 min x Shadow Fighting Station 4 - 1 min x Box Jumps (20") Station 5 - 1 min x Squat Kicks (1 min rest) Cool Down: 5 min Double Time Walk Note: For no real reason, other than 'because I felt like it' I decided to drop a Station following each circuit. Duration: 32 minutes Starting HR: 74 bpm Max HR: 166 bpm Average HR: 127 bpm Calories: 194 used Travess
Monday (23/07/2018 - 2 years and 1 week exactly, since I started this log...) Karate @ 90 minutes - I was given the go-ahead to attend training tonight, despite it being my Wife's 40th Birthday ( ) and I'm never one to miss an opportunity to hit pads/people Sensei started the session with a couple minutes of Mokuso (kneeling meditation) which we have been doing a lot of recently, before jumping straight into 30 minutes of Pad Work - Which took the form of themed rounds - 30 second rounds of Hands Only, 30 second rounds of Feet Only, 30 second rounds of Hands & Feet and 30 second rounds of Multiples (2 pad holders / 1 striker) The remainder of the session was then spent on Partner Work, running through a chosen kata - We chose Saifa - and coming up with Bunkai for the whole kata (but in small chunks, rather than a continuous 'flow drill') I was requested as a partner by a student who, whilst achieving her black belt at another club, has never really been immersed in any in-depth bunkai work (other than the ones she has done since she started training with us) and who is still trying to find her feet, so to speak - It is always really nice witnessing those ever elusive 'Lightbulb Moments' when they happen in others! Travess
Tuesday (24/07/18) I headed out the garage again this afternoon, for a few more rounds on the Heavy-Bag... Warm-up: 3 minutes of Light Shadow Fighting (1 min Hands Only, 1 min Feet Only and 1 min Hands and Feet) Routine: 12 x 90 second Rounds (30s Hands Only, 30s Feet Only and 30s Hands and Feet) (30s rest between each round) Cool Down: 3 minutes of Light Shadow Fighting (1 min Hands and Feet, 1 min Feet Only and 1 min Hands Only) I should have given more thought to my wife's warnings about the heat, as thanks to the 37 ºC temps in my garage, what should have been a moderately hard workout, turned out to be an absolute grizz!!! Duration: 31 minutes Starting HR: 87 bpm Max HR: 182 bpm Average HR: 162 bpm Calories: 351 used Travess
Wednesday (25/07/18) I turned the School drop off in to an impromptu Tempo Trail Run this morning... Warm-up: 15 min Walk (to School) Run: Off-road Trail Run Cool Down: 15 min Walk (from School) Duration: 58 minutes (full) Duration: 28 minutes (run only) Distance: 3.30 miles Fastest Pace: 7m 27s per/mile Slowest Pace: 9m 08s per/mile Average Pace: 8m 30s per/mile Calories: 372 approx. used Travess
Thursday (26/07/18) Physically, today was pretty much a Rest Day, despite running the Kids Karate class, and then assisting in the Scenario Drills with the adults afterwards (though I did get punched in the head a fair few times during the latter) Friday (27/07/28) I'd originally planned today in as a rest day, but started to feel 'guilty' over doing so little yesterday, so subjected myself to a quick Circuit Session. Warm-up: 5 min Light Stretching Circuit: Station 1 - Mason Twists Station 2 - Squat Kicks Station 3 - Bicep Curls (TRX) Station 4 - Mountain Climbers Station 5 - Push Ups Station 6 - Sit Thoughs Station 7 - Tricep Curls (TRX) Station 8 - Burpees I started with 10 reps of each for 2 circuits, then 9 reps for another 2, and so on, running thru it a total 8 times (with a minutes rest between each circuit) Cool Down: 5 min Light Stretching Duration: a little over 40 minutes (I left HR monitor at training last night, so that is the only news fit to share!) Travess
Saturday (28/07/18) - Rest Day Sunday (29/07/18) - Rest Day No. 2 Ended up taking the entire weekend off, which definitely was not planned! Monday (30/07/18) Karate @ 90 minutes - Our senior instructor was running late, so one of the other Sensei 'beasted' us on 30 minutes of Kata, until he showed up. For me, due to the fact that I was helping out a group of junior grades, meant lots and lots of repetitions of Gekisai Di Ichi (with lots and lots of sweat to boot...) The remaining hour of the session was spent on The Fence - using it to control/maintain space/range, Aggressive Posturing - Trying to promote the 'Fight or flight' response in your aggressor (and how this can be a double edged sword) and finally Pre-emptive Striking - Which we did in conjunction with all of the above (all of tonight's drills were being done with the understanding that Verbal De-escalation had been unsuccessful) Travess
Tuesday (31/07/18) I finished up July with a nice little Bag Workout, aimed at a high intensity work rate, with longer rest periods between rounds, so as not to (overly) sacrifice form. Warm-up: 4 x 1 min rounds (footwork only / hands only / feet only / anything goes) of Shadow Boxing (30s rest between each) Bag-Work: 13 rounds - 5 x 2 min rounds (rounds 1-3 / rounds 12 & 13) 8 x 1m 30s rounds (rounds 3-11) (90s rest between the 2 min rounds / 60s rest between the 90s rounds) Cool Down: 4 x 1 min rounds (anything goes / feet only hands only / footwork only) of Shadow Boxing Duration: 48 mins Starting HR: 81 bpm Max HR: 178 bpm Average HR: 147 bpm Calories: 473 used Travess
Wednesday (01/08/18) I had my girls with me all day and all evening today, so I was pretty limited on what I could get done. (Knowing this though, did not help with the 'itch') It was a beautiful day, which I made the most of, with a couple of Walks - The first one, which was around lunchtime, was a 2.5km (very) Hilly Walk, whilst the second one, done hours later, was a 1.3km Road Walk. Once both my girls had gone to bed (one fast asleep, one on her tablet) I fired up the fan, and set about doing a few Shadow Boxing Drills/Rounds, whilst the dinner was on... I started with 30 seconds rounds each of Footwork Only, Hands Only, and finally, Hands and Feet (each followed by a 30s rest) I then continually added 15s to each round, repeating them all again, until I'd worked my way up to 1m 30s rounds (before working my way back down again) Note: Technically speaking, I got a lot out of the 'footwork only' rounds, but I found the longer rounds to drag a bit - I think future incarnations of this drill will see a 30 or 45 second cap on those rounds... Duration: 39 mins Starting HR: 78 bpm Max HR: 171 bpm Average HR: 137 bpm Calories: 338 used Travess
Thursday (02/08/18) - Part 1 My youngest had a routine check-up at the hospital this afternoon, so I did not expect to be able to make the kids class, and even expected to be late for the adults class - Cue the quickest hospital visit I have EVER had, and I was back in plenty of time for both. Kids Karate @ 60 minutes - We kept the warm-up pretty low key today, as it was ridiculously warm in the hall, replacing their running around with some light Kihon, with a focus on Kicking - Mae Geri and Kin Geri - as well as working on their Mawatte. Next up was Group Kata, working as a whole, and sticking with just Gekisai Di Ichi - We isolated key problem areas that arose, and drilled them individually, before moving on to the next. Then, continuing the kata theme, we paired them up for some Peer-to-Peer Kata work - One doing kata, whilst the other watched, who would then offer advice / remark on their performance. To finish up, and as a change of pace, we ran them thru a little Pad Gauntlet, which contained 3 obstacles - Limb Clearing, Palm Strikes and Front Kicks. Note: This was a really small class, with just 9 students to 3 instructors, so we were able to give a lot more attention to those who struggled the most, which was nice. To be continued... Travess
Thursday (02/08/18) - Part 2 Adults Karate @ 120 minutes - I was already in the Dojo, following the kids class, so I made use of the time by running thru some Kata - Ichi, Ni, Saifa, Seyunchin, Shisochin and Sanseru (I think I added an extra step at some point in this one, which resulted in me ballsing up the the end of the kata!) Once under way, the session took a similar thread to that of last Monday, which covered The Fence, as well as Pre-emptive Striking Drills (among other things, but these were our main focuses this evening) We waisted no time, jumping straight in to some Pre-emptive Pad Drills (pad holder keeps hands down at side, and can present either, at any strikable option they wish, at any time) to get the masses warmed up (I was already sweating buckets!) We then took things down a notch, staying in our pairs, to work on Passive Close Quarters Passing (partner walks at you, whilst you use a light redirect to get passed/round them - Compliant partner) Assertive Close Quarters Passing (as above, but with a semi-compliant partner) Finally, we geared up with headguards and mitts, and I partners were instructed to Grab Hold of us (double lapel grab) and either throw a head-butt straight in, or try to drag us off (or even 1 followed by the other) whilst our goal was to Strike and Escape (or strike and strike, and strike some more, until we could escape - Non-compliant, heavy contact) Lots of 'fun' had by all, even if I did get my bell rung on more the than one occasion... Travess Lots of 'fun' had by all, even if I did get my bell rung on more the than one occasion... Travess
Friday (03/08/18) - Rest Day Saturday (04/08/18) After far too many beers, and far too few hours sleep last night, I struggled with whether or not to train today, but I am ultimately glad that I did... ...in the end. (and I faired so much better than I would have expected!) Warm-up: 1 mile Road Run - Time/pace per mile: 9m 44s Heavy-Bag: 2 x 10 minute Tabata(ish) Rounds (25s work/15s rest) Cool Down: 1 mile Road Run - Time/pace per mile: 9m 01s Duration: 40-45 mins Starting HR: 76 bpm Max HR: 177 bpm Average HR: 157 bpm Calories: 451 used Sunday (05/08/18) - Rest Day Travess
Monday (06/08/18) AM: My wife has made the choice to be more active, which (among other things) includes a new daily exercise app. that she downloaded to her phone. (Which she has roped me in to doing along side her) Day 1, Week 1: (3m 47s) 20 x Jumping Jacks 15 x Incline PushUps 10 x Kneeling Push Ups 8 x Military Push Ups 8 x Wide Arm Push Ups 15 x Incline PushUps 10 x Box Push Ups 8 x Military Push Ups 8 x Wide Arm Push Ups 20 secs Cobra Stretch 20 secs Chest Stretch PM: Karate @ 120 minutes - I got to the Dojo early again, so I ran myself thru Shisochin, along side a few brown belts, who are just now learning this kata. This theme then continued into the beginning of the class, as we continued with group Kata (Ichi, Ni, Saifa, Seyuinchin, and again, Shisochin) by way of a warm up. Next, we gloved up, put in our gumshields, and got into groups of 4, to work on some live Flinch Response Drills - One person in the centre defending, using natural flinch responses/covers, with the 3 others stood in-front/slightly flanking, randomly throwing straights and hooks (headshots only) We did several rounds of this, increasing in intensity and impact, as we progressed. Once everyone had taken a turn in the middle, we (temporarily) lowered the impact and intensity, as we introduced the Counterstriking part of the drill - This was exactly the same as the above drill, with the exception that we were now allowed to hit back. As we had needed to limit the level of contact for all the countershots to the head, Sensei wanted to offset this, so he fibished up the session with a Reactive Power Striking drill on the pads - Still 1 facing off against 3, any of whom could present a hand pad, at any angle/orientation, for a single, full power strike. Travess
Tuesday (07/08/18) - Rest Day* *With the exception of my wife's new daily workout app. Day 2, Week 1: (6m 02s) 10 x Crunches 12 x Mason Twists 12 x Mountain Climbers 6 x Heel Touches 12 x LegRaises 30 sec Plank 10 x Crunches 12 x Mason Twists 12 x Mountain Climbers 6 x Heel Touches 12 x LegRaises 30 sec Plank 30 secs Cobra Stretch 30 secs Left Lumbar Stretch 30 secs Right Lumber Stretch Wednesday (08/08/18) - Rest Day No. 2* *Again, with the exception of my wife's new daily workout app. Day 3, Week 1: (7m 22s) 16 sec Arm Raises 14 x Rhomboid Pulls 16 sec side arm raises 14 x Knee Push Ups 9 x Inch Worms 30 sec Arm Scissors 30 sec Left Side-lying Floor Stretch 30 sec Right Side-lying Floor Stretch 12 x Rhomboid Pulls 14 sec Side Arm Raises 12 x Knee Push Ups 30 sec Cat Cow Pose 14 x Prone Tricep Push Ups 12 x Reclined Rhomboid Squeezes 14 x Prone Tricep Push Ups 12 x Reclined Rhomboid Squeezes 30 sec Child's Pose Thursday (09/08/18) AM: Yup, you guessed it... Day 4, Week 1: (4m 02) 30 x Jumping Jacks 10 x Push Ups 10 x Wide Arm Push Ups 6 x Push Up + Rotate 6 x Staggered Push Ups 10 x Push Ups 10 x Wide Arm Push Ups 5 x Push Up + Rotate 5 x Decline Push Ups 30 sec Cobra Pose 30 sec Chest Stretch The contrast between days 3 and 4 is pretty big, in fact, I'd say the former could almost serve as a nice little warm up for the latter. There is already a lot in this post, so I will add the rest later/tomorrow... Travess
Thursday (09/08/18 - Cont...) PM: - Kids Karate @ 60 minutes - I started them off with an extended, 20 minute warm up, which included Kihon Drills, Fitness Excercises, and finally a Pad Gauntlet (4 obstacles - Slap, Palm Strike, Thigh Kick, Cross) The rest of the session looked at a) low level Flinch Response Drills - in 3's, with 2 attackers and 1 defender - Firstly just defending, then defending and escaping. Then b) Reactive Striking Drills - 2 pad holders, 1 striker - Whilst the striker stands with their eyes closed, a target is offered up, then on the command 'Go', the striker must open their eyes and strike! (Hopefully, without hesitation!) Adults Karate @ 90 minutes - We started off with our customary 5 Kata Warm-up (Ichi, Ni, Saifa, Seyunchin and Shisochin) before moving on to some Kicking Based Kihon - Mae Geri & Kin Geri These kicks then made the basis for the rest of the session, starting with Pad Drills - we looked at their uses for doubling a target over (Mae & Kin Geri) stopping them dead (Mae Geri) for creating distance (Mae Geri) and as a distraction technique (Kin Geri) Next up, we did away with the pads, to re-run the above techniques as Conditioning Drills. This time, in addition to looking at the kicks uses, we also played with various target areas - Inner thigh (Mae & Kin Geri) abdomin (Mae Geri) and hip joint (Mae Geri) My partner and I definitely got a little carried away with these final drills, leaving both us a tad tenderised (especially my inner thighs) by the end of it all... Travess
Friday (10/08/18) My wife completed her daily app. workout before I even woke up this morning, which left me free to add to mine at my leisure... (in brackets) Day 5, Week 1: 14 x Mason Twists (+ 1 min Shadow Boxing) 14 x Leg Raises (+ 8 x Burpees) 10 x Hamstring Lifts (+ 1 min Shadow Boxing) 10 x Right Side Bridge (+ 7 x Burpees) 10 x Left Side Bridge (+ 1 min Shadow Boxing) 14 x Manson Twists (+ 6 x Burpees) 12 x Crunches (+ 1 min Shadow Boxing) 14 x Leg Raises (+ 5 x Burpees) 8 x Left Side Bridge (+ 1 min Shadow Boxing) 8 x Right Side Bridge (+ 4 x Burpees) 10 x V - Ups (+ 1 min Shadow Boxing) 10 x Push Ups + Rotation (+ 3 x Burpees) 30 sec Cobra Stretch (+ 1 min Shadow Boxing) 30 sec Right Lumbar Stretch (+ 2 x Burpees) 30 sec Left Lumbar Stretch (+ 1 min Shadow Boxing) Duration: 26m Starting HR: 77 bpm Max HR: 170 bpm Average HR: 136 bpm Calories: 230 used Travess
Saturday (11/08/18) - Rest Day This is my 1st FULL rest day, since starting on my wife's app. journey with her, but I genuinly had zero interest in training today - which is very rare for me. In fact, I am a little surprised (and disappointed) just at how deep my 'I really can't be bothered with all this nonsense' streak ran today! Sunday (12/08/18) Not just disappointed with myself over how I felt about training yesterday, I'm also disappointed over how I'm feeling about how I felt - If that makes sense? A 5:45am wake up call, following a 2am bedtime, left me feeling like an extra from 'The Walking Dead' this morning, so decided I'd take this time to play catch up, in order to get myself woke up... Day 6, Week 1: (13m 20s) 30 sec Arm Scissors (10s rest) 14 x Rhomboid Pulls (30s rest) 6 x Tricep Kickbacks (30s rest) 6 x Incline Push Ups (30s rest) 30 sec Left Side Lying Floor Stretch (30s rest) 30 sec Right Side Lying Floor Stretch (30s rest) 16 sec Arm Raises (30s rest) 12 x Rhomboid Pulls (30s rest) 10 x Inch Worms (30s rest) 6 x Tricep Kickbacks (30s rest) 6 x Incline Push Ups (30s rest) 30 sec Cat Cow Pose (30s rest) 14 x Prone Tricep Push Ups (30s rest) 12 x Reclined Rhomboid Squeezes (30s rest) 14 x Prone Tricep Push Ups (30s rest) 6 x Reclined Rhomboid Squeezes (10s rest) 30 sec Child's Pose. Day 7, Week 1: (9m 37s) 30 sec Jumping Jacks (10s rest) 17 x Incline Push Ups (30s rest) 12 x Wide Arm Push Ups (30s rest) 8 x Push Up Rotations (30s rest) 8 x Staggered Push Ups (30s rest) 8 x Decline Push Ups (30s rest) 12 x Wide Arm Push Ups (30s rest) 6 x Push Up Rotations (30s rest) 6 x Staggered Push Ups (30s rest) 6 x Decline Push Ups (30s rest) 30 sec Cobra Stretch (10s rest) 30 sec Chest Stretch. Well, that's week 1, of a 4 week 'course' done, and a specific Leg day workout seems to be conspicuously absent - Especially as they have already doubled up on Arm/Chest days, and Abs/Core days in that time... ...Maybe week 2 will have the answers Travess
sometimes I wonder if that feeling of "can't be bothered" is my body telling me to take a rest. especially when it's in the peak of a training regime. nice to see your support of your other half by following the training app
That's how I looked at it (eventually) as I definitly felt more willing, following my brief down time. Which would be easier, if she hadn't given up on it, by day 4 - She didn't really do her homework, and the app. turned out to be a little more advanced than she would have liked. It's not all bad though, as she now has her own beginner workout app. which she does along side me, whilst I am doing 'her old one' Travess
Monday (13/08/18) I hadn't fired up the app. yet today, so I got to the Dojo early, and banged out today's sets, ahead of training. Day 1, Week 2: 12 x Crunches (10s rest) 16 x Mason Twists (30s rest) 30 sec Plank (30s rest) 12 x Hamstring Lifts (30s rest) 14 x Crossover Crunches (30s rest) 12 x Side Bridge Left (30s rest) 12 x Side Bridge Right (30s rest) 14 x Bicycle Crunces (30s rest) 12 x Crunches (30s rest) 16 x Mason Twists (30s rest) 30 sec Plank (30s rest) 10 x Side Bridge Left (30s rest) 10 x Side Bridge Right (30s rest) 14 x Bicycle Crunches (30s rest) 12 x Push Up & Rotation (10s rest) 30 sec Cobra Stretch (10s rest) 30 sec Side Lumbar Stretch Right (10s rest) 30 sec Side Lumbar Stretch Left. Karate @ 120 minutes - Both Sensei were away (one on holiday, one at a seminar) which left myself, and another one of the black belts, to run tonights session. Many of the 3rd and 2nd kyu students had been requesting an indepth Shisochin Session, so that is exactly what they (and everyone else in the class) got. I broke it down in to small, manageable chunks, which were performed to repetition - Firstly with me talking them thru each technique, then with me just counting them thru, and finally in pairs (seniors with juniors) watching each other work. Each new section was then practiced in isolation, following the above format, before piecing it together with the previous section(s) We did manage to make it all the way thru kata, by the time we were done, but there were a lot of glazed expression in the class, so I am not sure how many of them were able to process it all. Travess
Tuesday (14/08/18) AM: So, it turns out that I had not been using my new app. to its full potential, as there are various workout options to toggle thru, from day-to-day, depending on what you fancy doing - Today I fancied a low level Leg Workout. Day 2, Week 2: Side Hops - 30 seconds Squats - 2 x 12 reps Side Leg Lifts - 4 x 12 reps (alt. legs) Backward Lunges - 2 x 14 reps (alt. legs) Donkey Kicks - 4 x 15 reps (alt. legs) Quad Stretch - 1 min (30s each leg) Knee-to-chest Stretch - 1 min (30s per leg) Calf Raises - 2 x 12 reps Sumo Squat Calf Raises - 2 x 12 reps Calf Stretch - 1 min (30s each leg) PM: Feeling to 'pull' from the Heavy-Bag again, I headed out to garage for 30 minute / 15 Pyramid Timed Rounds - Each round was broken down into 3 equal hands only, feet only and hands & feet parts. 3 x 1 minute rounds (30s rest between each) (1 min rest) 3 x 90 second rounds (30s rest between each) (1 min rest) 3 x 2 minute rounds (30s rest between each) (1 min rest) 3 x 90 second rounds (30s rest between each) (1 min rest) 3 x 1 minute rounds (30s rest between each) Left my HR monitor in the house, so went ahead without it. Travess
