Routine A - Arms (Push) Saturday, March 24th, 2012 (二０一二年三月二十四日) Warm Up: - Shadow Boxing 1 x 2 minute round - Light Punches - Jabs (w/ Yellow Resistance Band) 2 x 10 reps - Cross (w/ Yellow Resistance Band) 2 x 10 reps - Jab Cross (w/ Yellow Resistance Band) 1 x 10 reps Main: - Standing Chest Press (w/ yellow R-band) 3 x 10 reps - Overhead Press (w/ Green R-band) 3 x 8 reps - Push Ups (Standard) 3 x 10 reps - Push Ups (Wide Grip @ Elevated) 2 x 5 reps - Triceps Dips (@ Elevated) 3 x 6 reps Cool Down: - Stretching - Joint Rotations - 2 mugs of 2% milk Notes: It's been a long two days. Thursday was hectic as hell. I had a terrible headache after coming home from school, but I had to go back in an hour in order to help set up, maintain, and clean up during a coffeehouse. Took a quick half hour nap, scarfed down some dinner, and had a Coke so I could bolster myself with caffeine (stupid, I know, but it doesn't end there). Once at the school, I wasn't doing to great, but managed to stay upright for the most part. The coffee arrived and I figured, why the hell not, I'll have a cup (my train of thought was that the caffeine would oppress the headache, stupid yet again). To be clear, the last time I had a taste of coffee was 3 years ago, and it was only a sip. After drinking a cup (and despising the taste yet again), 15 minutes had elapsed and I was the most energetic child, headache gone, full of energy, and generally happy. Problem was that I took it at around 7 o'clock at night. I've read briefly some things in Simon's thread concerning caffeine and its half life, so I knew the caffeine was going to be sticking around for a decent while, which meant no sleep when I got back, which is what I actually needed. I thought I would hopefully be one of those people who would shrug of caffeine, not to mention the fact that I really didn't care at the time, but this was not the case. Needless to say, I finally got back home around 10 o'clock at night, hit the bed at 11 (that's when I finally slowed down, but I also got distracted by a troll in one of the threads), but didn't fall asleep until 1 am, with myself waking up every other hour, until I had to wake up at around six and go into school early to help out with a pep rally. This time though, I ate a proper breakfast and had some hot chocolate and an apple to give me a boost. Survived the day, went home, ate, played Civ 5, and took the most satisfying nap ever. Moral of the story? The caffeine of coffee worth the taste (kidding). Now, onto today. Workout was fine considering the past two days. I took another nap before hand so that helped. Overhead press was challenging, as usual, but overall, feeling stronger and quite decent. Nothing amazing, but I'm satisfied. Sleep was good, better then the past two days, and food and water consumption was generally healthy and good. Arms (Pull) tomorrow.
Routine B - Arms (Pull) Saturday, March 25th, 2012 (二０一二年三月二十五日) Warm Up: - Subari 2 x 2 minutes rounds - Light Dynamic Stretching - Shoulder Circles 2 x 20 reps - Joint Rotations Main: - Rows (w/Yellow Band) 4 x 15 reps - Rows (w/ Green Band) 3 x 12 reps - Inverted Bodyweight Rows (regular) 3 x 5 reps - Back Flies (w/ Green Band) 3 x10 reps - Bicep Curls (w/ Green Band) 3 x 8 reps - Pull Ups 1 x 3 reps Cool Down: - Stretching - Joint Rotations - 2 mugs of 2% milk Notes: Still feeling slightly tired, and I took several dog naps (20 minutes) throughout the day. Feeling better though, which is good. Workout today though felt decent. Rows felt good, though the bodyweight set felt difficult. However, it could be just me, but they have been feeling stronger (I know, I've been saying this a lot). I'm not entirely sure, but with every week, I feel slightly stronger. Perhaps it's some sort of placebo effect? Either way, I'm enjoying myself and feeling accomplished. Back Flies however are a definite challenge, and I struggled with them. Something to work towards for sure!! Sleep was good, so was food and water consumption. Went to a Korean Buffet, and kinda gorged on food lol. Guilty pleasure, but oh well, there was nice food, and a good time with the family, so I don't regret it Legs tomorrow!
I never feel guilty about eating out with friends or family! It's fun. I once went for a weekend away with a friend of mine and some friends of hers and one of them was so paranoid about eating the wrong things that she took her own 'detox' teabags with her. It was laughable! I vowed never to turn into someone as stupid and paranoid as that. Life's too short for that sort of behaviour!
Routine C - Legs Monday, March 26th, 2012 (二０一二年三月二十六日) Warm Up: - Shadow Boxing 1 x 2 minute round - Leg Swings 2 x 10 reps - Joint Rotations Main Portion: - Lunges 2 x 10 reps - Glute Bridges 2 x 20 reps - Squats 1 x 30 reps - Squats (w/ Yellow Band) 2 x 20 reps - Squats (w/ Green Band) 3 x 12 reps - Calf Raises 3 x 16 reps Cool Down: - Stretching - Joint Rotations - Leg Swings 1 x 10 reps - 2 mugs of 2% milk Notes: Forgot to update this yesterday, whoops. Workout felt meh. Nearly "died" on the last set with the green bands. Not feeling too strong with this workout. Sleep was okay, water and food consumption could have been way better. Got some walking in, about 3-4km from walking to the movie theater and back. Overall, an okay day. Core today.
Routine D - Full Body Circuit Wednesday, March 28th, 2012 (二０一二年三月二十八日) Warm Up: - Joint Rotations - Simon S's 100 Punches Drill - Quick Rest (Simon's Drill is evil) Main: - Chest Press 1 x 30 reps - Squat 1 x 20 reps - Upright Rows 1 x 30 reps - Calf Raises 1 x 20 reps - Overhead Press 1 x 15 reps - Lunges 1 x 20 reps - Rest 1 minute (x2) Cool Down: - Stretching, lot's of stretching - Joint Rotations - 4 mugs of 2% milk Notes: This workout felt crappy. Don't know why, I just feeling kinda disappointed. I missed core yesterday too and am contemplating just taking my core routine and spreading it out over the other 3 workout days (arms push, arms pull, legs). Nothing much to say really, just felt really meh. Sleep was good, took a nap. Food was good too, though water consumption was bad 3 hours before the workout, could be why I did so bad.
**Update** Thursday, March 29th, 2012 (二０一二年三月二十九日) In lieu of some recent thought, I've upgraded my workout routine, and reorganized it. Spoiler Routine A (Push Day, Arms): - Overhead Press 3 x 7 reps - Chest Press (w/ yellow band) 3 x 12 reps - Push Ups (Regular) 3 x 12 reps - Push Ups (Wide Grip @ Elevated) 2 x 7 reps - Triceps Dips 3 x 7 reps Routine B (Legs) - Lunges 2 x 20 reps - Squats 1 x 24 reps - Squats (w/ Yellow Band) 2 x 18 reps - Squats (w/ Green Band) 4 x 10 reps - Calf Raises 3 x 16 reps Routine C (Pull Day, Arms) - Rows (w/yellow band) 4 x 15 reps - Rows (w/ Green Band) 3 x 12 reps - Inverted Bodyweight Rows (regular) 3 x 7 reps - Back Flies 3 x 10 reps - Bicep Curls (w/ Green Band) 3 x 10 reps - Pull Ups 1 x 4 Routine D (Core) - Deadlift 4 x 6 reps - Standing Ab Twists (@ Green Bands) 2 x 20 reps - Planks (2 x 40 sec) (1 x 45 sec) Routine E (Full Body @ Green Resistance Band) - SimonS’s 100 Punch Drill - Chest Press 1 x 30 reps - Squat 1 x 20 reps - Upright Rows 1 x 30 reps - Calf Raises 1 x 20 reps - Overhead Press 1 x 15 reps - Lunges 1 x 20 reps (x3)(1 minute rest between each cycle) I've shifted the Arms (Pull) and Legs around, so I won't be doing Arms two days in a row. In my mind, if I give my upper body a day's rest, I'll be able to work out harder the next day. One thing I've been noticing is that the Arms (pull) day always is weaker, most likely due to the previous days workout, Arms (Push). So right now the order is: Saturday: Triceps, Shoulders, and Chest Sunday: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, and Calves Monday: Biceps, Forearms, and Upper Back Tuesday: Abs, Obliques, and Lower Back Wednesday: Rest Day Thursday: Full Body Circuit Friday: Rest Day *Repeat* What do you guys think? Concerning today, I took a day off, and plan to have next week as a rest week. Went in today to apply for my first paying job, feel kinda nervous about it. I'm one of the youngest, and haven't had any work experience, so I am worried about my chances. Oh well, time will tell. Sleep was good, though no nap today sadly. Went to nice Mexican restaurant, their Nacho dish was excellent. Baked Nacho's with chipotle beef, melted Parmesan cheese, Fresco cheese, diced onions, tomatoes, and green peppers, and some Guacamole. Twas amazing, and very, very tasty. Besides that, food consumption was good, as was water. Will resume normal operations on Saturday, April 7th, 2012.
Routine A - Arms (Push) Saturday, April 7th, 2012 (二０一二年四月八日) Warm Up: - Light Shadow Boxing 2 rounds x 2 minute - Joint Rotations Main: - Overhead Press (w/ green band) 5 x 5 reps - Chest Press (w/ yellow band) 3 x 12 reps - Push Ups (Regular) 3 x 10 reps - Push Ups (Wide Grip @ Elevated) 2 x 6 reps - Triceps Dips 3 x 7 reps Cool Down: - Stretching - Joint Rotations - 2 mugs of 2% milk Notes: Whoops, forgot to update this. Anyways, workout felt good. Feeling stronger with each passing week, though that could just be me. Overhead Press/Shoulder Press felt pretty good, though that last set gave me some grief. Managed to finish it though, which made me feel good. Push ups felt really strong. Focused on popping up as fast as I could, and lowering myself down in a controlled fashion. Ended up finishing the push ups slightly faster then last time, with the same amount of form. Elevated push ups though gave me some angst, mostly on the last few reps of the last set. Feeling an improvement though! Tricep dips felt especially good, explosive and fast. Overall, good workout. Sleep was decent, as was food and water consumption. Had some Easter duck, which was stuffed with soya sauce, hoisin sauce, apples, apricots, oranges, orange slices, and a couple other things I can't remember. Rice flour rolls filled with sauce, celery, and duck were also ingested in large amounts, as well as a hearty helping of sweet mashed potatoes. God I feel so stuffed haha. Overall, decent day, Legs are next.
Routine B - Legs Saturday, April 7th, 2012 (二０一二年四月八日) Warm Up: - Light Shadow Boxing 2 rounds x 2 minute - Joint Rotations Main: - Squats (w/ Green Band) 1 x 15 reps - Squats (w/ Blue Band) 3 x 8 reps - Leg Curls (w/ Green Band) 2 x 8 reps - Calf Raises (@20 lbs. elevated) 3 x 16 reps Cool Down: - Joint Rotations - Stretching - Steak, Sweet Mashed Potatoes, and an Apple Notes: Nothing really to say. Workout today felt a little to easy, so I'm planning to tweak the reps and sets. Sleep was pretty good, first time in a long while that I've been able to sleep in. Food and water consumption is fine as well. Arms (Pull) tomorrow.
Routine C - Arms Monday, April 9th, 2012 (二０一二年四月九日) Warm Up: - Subari 3 x 50 reps - Joint Rotations - Rows (@ Yellow Band) 1 x 25 reps Main: - Rows (@ Green Band) 3 x 15 reps - Rows (@ Blue Band) 4 x 7 reps - Back Flies (@ Green Band) 3 x 8 reps - Bicep Curls (@ Green Band) 3 x 10 reps - Pull Ups (@ BW) 2 x 3 reps Cool Down: - Joint Rotations - Stretching - 1 Mug of 2% Milk, Steamed Chicken with Tomatoes and White Rice (plus some Soya Sauce yum) Notes: Workout wasn't to bad. Encountered the same problem as yesterday concerning the lack of difficulty. I've already made the appropriate changes. Besides that, workout went pretty well. I think it was a good idea to have the Arms (Pull) on another day instead of right after the Arms (Push), as I felt much stronger compared to when I had on the next day (if that makes sense). Rows felt good, as did the curls. Back Flies were more of a challenge, as were the pull ups, so I'm going to leave them alone. Sleep was alright wished I got more. Food and water consumption was good too. Overall, an alright day physically. Starting to feel the DOM's now haha! Core tomorrow.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD6bWswETzs"]kendo suburi - YouTube[/ame] Done with a wooden dowel as a warm up.
Routine D (Core) Tuesday, April 10th, 2012 (二０一二年四月十日) Warm Up: - Shadow Boxing 2 minutes x 3 rounds - Joint Rotations - Deadlifts (@ Green Band) 1 x 15 reps Main: - Deadlifts (@ Blue Band) 3 x 7 reps - Leg Lifts 3 x 20 reps - Standing Oblique Twist (@ Green Band) 2 x 20 reps - Standing Oblique Twist (@ Blue Band) 1 x 10 reps - Planks 1 x 90 sec, 1 x 45 sec Cool Down: - Stretching - Joint Rotations - 2 Mugs of 2% milk Notes: Feeling pretty good right about now. Workout wasn't to bad. Deadlifts were alright, as were the leg lifts. SOT's were quite fun. Definitely a challenge, especially with the blue band. Planks were quite fun as well. Jacked up the time substantially as an experiment to see what happened. Original goal was 1 minute, but I happily surpassed it. The original goal for the second set was 40 secs, which I passed by 5 secs. Not the most dramatic thing, but it was satisfying to an extent. Sleep was alright, could have been better, and food and water consumption was quite good. Not a bad day overall. Rest Day tomorrow.
Nice work, Seventh! Seeing you list shadowboxing amongst your training made me realize that I don't know what style(s) you train in. You've a Kendo video listed--do you do that or something else?
Tae Kwon Do: Head instructor trained in Sikaran Arnis and I think BJJ, and tossed some of it into our TKD training. Second instructor trained in Military Tae Kwon Do, and taught self defense to bar workers. Main focus was striking, and supplements were sweeps, joint locks, and a little little bit of ground work. Aikido: Aikikai style of Aikido. Main focus was joint locks/redirection/throws, with the supplement being Atemi and use of weapons (Bokken, Jo, Tanto). Jujutsu (Currently): A modern western Jujutsu, or "bastardized" Jujutsu. Focused on self defense, and most of what we consists of Randori, striking drills, rolling/breakfalling, and escapes/defenses from attacks. Main focus ate throws/joint locks, with striking and choking as a supplement, though to be honest we mix it up a lot. Shadowing boxing is an old habit from TKD. I fully admit that I won't magically become a boxer by doing. I just use it as a warm up, as I find it much more fun then running. Same goes for the Suburi. I've never taken Kendo, and by doing to exercise I don't expect to magically be an awesome Kendoka. I just use it for warm up purposes, for the same reasons as above.
Great! How are you enjoying the styles you're training in? Do you find that they blend together well? Are they each offering something different for you? I won't further derail your log, but was just curious as to your journey in MA--in other words, just a 'how's it all working out for ya' question.
Sorry for getting back so late. I only train in Jujutsu right now, though I'm on a temporary break until September due to recovery from a broken arm, and because there are no summer classes. TKD has taught me to strike hard and fast, and to play the angles. I took mostly striking skills as well as parries from my few years in it. Aikido has taught me not to try and out-strength everything, instead redirecting raw force or moving myself to a more advantageous position. I mostly took joint locks from this. My favourite joint lock to this day has got to be either kotegaeshi, or nikkyo. Jujutsu has kinda blended those two concepts together. Jujutsu also kind of taught/forced me to constantly stay alert, sharp, and aggressive during a combat situation. If I don't keep sharp during Randori, I'll get my ass handed to me several times over. It's kind of a survival situation sort of feeling. Another thing I like about Jujutsu is that everyone is at their prime age wise, and that everyone has 4 years and 40 pounds on me, which gives me a greater challenge. It also pretty much makes half the idiotic aggressive morons at my school look quite un-intimidating. After going through 2 hours of hell twice a week for 3 month's straight, the "macho" posturing by the students don't quite have the same effect. I think I "blended" my arts pretty well. It's not flawless, but I have definitely think I took a few concepts/techniques and made them work for me. I'd like to think that I have unique approach to combat, but perhaps that is just me.
Good to hear--I especially like that it has put school bullies into perspective for you. Keep training! Okay, thread derailment over--back to your regularly scheduled training!
