Christmas has been and gone, my kids are back to school and as life returns to normal,I thought it'd be a good time to start a training log and implement a few changes I've been planning for a while. My main aim is to draw up a plan to expand on my current home routine and integrate a couple of new elements;a morning pre-work stretching session and a weights programme(I'm going to post a separate thread for detailed advice on this in the weightlifting forum). Tueday and Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon I'm training at class so this is supplementary to that,with the overall aim of keeping myself fit and healthy for work and to keep the dreaded middle age spread at bay! Running,skipping and bagwork are the bulk of my home fitness routine but I feel it needs to be more structured and hopefully a log will help me with a more disciplined approach. Today was what I plan on being a new daily basic plan; 6am Stretching 10mins;Head up/down ,left/right, roll anti-clockwise,clockwise shoulders forward,backwards left arm " " right " " " both arms together one fwd,one bk,then reverse circle waist anti-clockwise,clockwise Knees,legs apart " " " " together " " " Ankles/wrists " " " floor stretching legs/back Ba Duan Jin (breathing/meditation exercise) 15mins 5.30pm 30 mins walk with dogs (normally a run,weather/light permitting) 5mins skipping(varied routine)5 mins shadowbox 5mins " " " 5 mins on bag I'm aiming to keep this basic structure and add to it which hopefully will get easier as the days get longer.The main addition will be some weight training with the aim of toning up and building upper body strength. As some background information I'm currently 5' 9", 10st 13lbs,body fat 15%, ideally I'd like to get this to around 10st 6lb, body fat 11%. Any thoughts or advice would be welcome.
Having to answer to a log does make for a more disciplined/thought-out routine as well as better attendance. There are some good stretching routines and Van Zandt has a good section on the pro's and cons of passive/static/isometric stretching and so forth. What is your reason for the 10min 6am stretch? To loosen up? Increase flexibility? Are you going into the stretching cold? Not familiar with Ba Duan Jin. Is it something akin to Yoga, Tai Chi?
Especially if you have a hard log (notepad). If you don't do what you're supposed to it just sits there, looking at you, making you feel guilty. Sometimes I just go to the other room. :Alien:
I was going to ask what the breathing/meditating routine thingey was, too Your basic premise for your training routine seems solid though as long as you're happy to stick to it. Personally I find strict routines too oppressive and end up scrapping them after a few days, but that's just me. Only advice I can offer off the top of my head is that walking the dogs is an awesome time to do it weighted. Small amount of weight on your hands/ankles/chest/backpack/whatever you prefer does make the same distance a tad more taxing. Hope it helps.
Experts on the forum here correct me if I'm mistaken, but I'd think you'd be better off doing warm-ups ahead of your work day. Don't know what sort of work you do, but warm up exercises that mimic the movements you do at work. Stretching would be more beneficial after your strenuous day is over. Again Seiken Steve and Van Zandt have a lot of good tips on this. Not familiar with Ba Duan Jin. Is it something akin to Yoga, Tai Chi? Seems like I'd read somewhere that it was kung fu, or what would eventually become Kung Fu, that was exported to the Chinese monks in this fashion...:dunno: I'll look into it. We are looking for a good meditative art that can help with my son's OCD/Anxiety. Cheers,
I had construction jobs from late teens to late 20's as well. If I'd known then what I know now...Good post Ero
You are quoting me and he is quoting you and I is quoting he and me, too; but its really you and we are altogether ♭♫♫♩
It's a common set of 8 exercises performed by different folks (not just CMA people) in slightly different fashions for different purposes.Probably the most widespread ch'i/nei/whatever gung exercises. It's not a TC exercise but no surprise to walk in a TC school and see them doing it.Or a N.Mantis school.Or a Hung school.That's how well known it is.Old W-G spelling is Pa Tuan Chin. Yeah,he's supposed to have made up a routine of exercises,the "Muscle Change Classic"-which somehow morph into the CMAs.Y'know,the same way someone's gym teacher taught them jumping jacks and pushups-and thus was English prizefighting born! I think it's safe to figure that both CMAs and the Ba are homegrown.The whole Boddhidharma brought MA/ch'i gung to China story originates hundreds and hundreds of years after he was around. As for Ned's morning stretch,I have to do specific stretches in the morning for a squeezed disk.I've never found passive relaxed stretching to be a problem cold. Not that I'm disputing that warm ups before climbing ladders and swinging a hammer is a better idea.
Another version I read recently was it was created by a soldier, Marshall Yue Fei for the benefit of his soldiers-you heard of him El Medico? BTW I first learnt BDJ in kung fu class,as you say there are slight variations between that Version and the the one I learnt in taiji.
08/jan Early(ish) start again, went through the stretches etc, did sil lim tao. Did'nt get back from work till 7 so just a 20 min walk for the dogs in some pretty grim weather. Then back home, 5 mins skipping(1min running on spot,1min double jumps with shuffle,1 min running on spot,cross hands every x5 turns,1min khan khan, 30 secs high knees,30 secs sprint) 5 mins shadowboxing(working on footwork,head movement) repeat skipping sequence 5 mins on bag (working on double jab,cross both sides)
Yeah,well he created Ying Jow P'ai,too.And Hsing I.And a bunch of other stuff.Supposedly....tho' I don't remember the 8 Pieces being credited to him.But mayhap I done forgot that story.None of these things are in his bio written by his grandson which contains a lot of of its own fiction.There's nothing anywhere giving credence to any of these stories of MAs or gungs he's supposed to have created.
Morning;stretches,ba duan jin,chum kil brisk walk after work with dogs(when I got out I realised it could have been a run as it was so bright from the moon) First gong fu class after christmas,focusing on dragon sets,then drilling applications in pairs,also went through broad sword form/applications. Chi sao and sparring on saturday.
11/jan Did no training yesterday,end of a long week at work on a pub/hotel refit,it's a mad rush to finish by the end of the month.Got home at 8 and just relaxed. Had to work today and missed usual afternoon training session.Finished work at 5 today,did'nt really feel up for it but such is the force of the log... 5 min skipping(same routine as Thursday) 5 mins on bag(no gloves,light contact,working jab,cross,turning/hook kicks both sides) 5 mins skipping, repeated 5 mins on bag(gloves on,left jab,right cross left body,right hook then reverse Dug out my weights(unused in a while),just used one dumbbell 4kg,each arm in turn shoulder press 3x10 bicep curl 3x10 single arm row 3x10 overhead extension 3x10 bench press 3x10 standing flies 3x05 (I suck at these !) 30x press ups(knuckles) 30x sit ups,twisting elbow to knee 30x " " (wrists) 30x " " " " " " 30 min walk with dogs.Freezing but clear bright starry nightsky again.
But the question remains - do you feel better having done some training that you could post on your log?
That's a rhetorical question I think ! I'd recommend a training log to any one who wants to raise their game.I've also enjoyed reading other peoples logs,I hadn't really looked at this part of the forum before.(Glad to see you did nothing and chilled out yesterday too !)
12/jan Bit of a lie in,coffee and papers then 5 mins skipping(same routine,but I notice if I freestyle it a bit it's cleaner) 5 mins on bag(no gloves,just simple jab and move,singles and doubles with cross) 5 mins skipping 5 mins on bag(with gloves mainly to body,moving up to head with hooks) Lao joia sections 1&2 Ba Duan Jin Went over and had roast beef and a couple of glasses of red wine at my dad's with wife,kids and my sister,after we got back 20min brisk walk with dogs another very busy week ahead,I'll have to try hard to squeeze in my extra home training as there'll be a few late nights to get the pub finished on schedule.