routine anyone ?

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by duncan9021, Feb 14, 2015.

  1. duncan9021

    duncan9021 New Member

    Hey folks,

    I am a first time poster on here, basically i am 29 years old and i do karate i am not the worst student in my class but i am way off being the best i am wanting to start basically getting superfit outside my class so i can not only become the best student in my class but also start entering competitions etc. So basically i need to build up everything cardio, strength, flexibility and technique etc any ideas for a routine i can do at home ( i have a weight bench and some weights )

    any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated :eek:
     
  2. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    You don't need to be super strong to do light contact karate competitions, so focus on building your cardio with high intensity interval training. Where possible make the movements karate specific. Squat kicks are pretty brutal, but they'll get your heart pumping and build up your flexibility.
     
  3. FunnyBadger

    FunnyBadger I love food :)

    I'd recommend a mix between long cardio sessions 5+km runs, sprints, powerlifting exercises (squat, deadlift and bench press) and bodyweigt training (eg pressups, pull ups, crunches etc ). Are you comfortable with your ability to safely perform all the exercises I mentioned above?

    What's your class training schedule like? Knowing how much training your doing and when is pretty important before anyone suggests any routines. What do you feel needs more attention to start with your cardio or your strength? As you only have so much time and recovery potential its important to adress you biggest concerns first, there's always more time to adress the rest later :)
     
  4. duncan9021

    duncan9021 New Member

    thanks for that i wouldnt mind building up strength anyway just so i am a complete fighter if you know what i mean.

    How often should i perform the HIIT training ?
     
  5. duncan9021

    duncan9021 New Member

    I can perform most of the exercises but really struggle with pull ups, my classes are Mondays and thursday nights for a hour. Probably my cardio as when i am sparring i get tired out very quickly
     
  6. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    For general strength, look at stronglifts.

    Do HIIT two/three times a week.
     
  7. FunnyBadger

    FunnyBadger I love food :)

    If your not sore the day after your karate training then I would suggest Hiit training on the Tuesday and the Friday. If you are sore after your karate training then I would suggest doing the sprints the day before.

    As strength is a secondary consideration I would only do one strength training day. I would recomend you concentrate on big compound movements like the powerlifting exercises. Try doing 3 sets of squats, 3 sets of bench then 3 sets of deadlifts. Use a weight you can comfortably do 10 reps with and concentrate on your form to start with.

    If on one of the rest days you feel like you have some energy to burn then either do a long run or a bodyweight session. How you do your body weight session should depend on your abilities but try to have an even mix of core (plank, crunch, leg raise), chest (press up) and back (pull up) to keep it an all body work out.

    If you struggle with pull ups do you have a bar or strong door frame you can do pull ups from? I'd suggest you just jump up and try and pull a few a couple of times a day. Realy it's such an awesome exercise and it gets so much easier with practice, just keep trying it and the strength will build up pretty quickly :)

    Try to keep a day where you do don't train though. It's inportant to give you key the time to recover.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2015
  8. Noomi

    Noomi Valued Member

    I would also wish to point out that you should never aim to be the best student in your class. If you think you are the best student, you are probably not. You are your own person, on your own personal journey, and you shouldn't compare yourself to others, or want to be better than they are.

    As for becoming fitter, others have given you some great suggestions. Myself, I go to my local gym several times a week on top of my regular karate training. I do a lot of cardio and weight lifting to strengthen my muscles, and so far, its paying off.

    Good luck.
     
  9. duncan9021

    duncan9021 New Member

    thanks for the advice very helpful, do you think i should practice my striking techniques outside of my classes aswell ?
     
  10. Mangosteen

    Mangosteen Hold strong not

    I'd second the pull up suggestion.
    get a door frame pull up bar and any time you walk past it or through it, force yourself to do as many pull ups as possible.

    also yeah; find a good gym to bench, squat and deadlift with someone knowledgable to show you how (for the fastest increase in strength). do more biking or running or walking and just get more active if you can.
     
  11. FunnyBadger

    FunnyBadger I love food :)

    Shadow boxing and I assume kata aswell can be as easy or as hard as you make them so yeah if you have the time and energy why not :) as long as you make sure you have some recovery time and you confident your form is good then oractise your striking all you want I gues lol :)
     
  12. duncan9021

    duncan9021 New Member

    ok thanks for the advice folks :)
     

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