Shu's Training Journal (or "Old Man Kung Fu")

Solo Training

Here's how it all went down:

First...start off with some Weights

-Decline Bench Press - 155 lbs - 3x8
-Seated Lat Pulldowns - 150 lbs - 3x8
-Tricep Dips - my fatarse bodyweight - 3x8
-Standing Cable Curls - 70 lbs - 3x8
-Roman Chair Twisting Leg Raises - 3x10

Then some Stretching

-Low Stance Stretch
-Standing Splits
-Straddle Splits

And finished it off with some Heavy Bag Work

(All drills were done both orthodox and "Southpaw" stance (since I'm left handed)

-Jabs - 10
-Jab/Cross - 10
-Jab/Cross/Hook - 10
-Back Fist/Reverse Punch/Ridge Hand - 10
-Back Fist/Reverse Punch/Ridge Hand/Front Leg Roundhouse - 10
-Rear Leg Roundhouse - 10
-Left Leg Side Kick - 10
-Right Leg Side Kick - 5

Notes
-I realized why I have trouble with the Right Leg Side kick. It goes back to that old parkour injury on my left hip. It's impeding my ability to create a stable base for a kick (and as we all know...it's all about the base)
-I need to work on both strengthening the side and improving its flexibility
-Oddly enough, my right leg roundhouse is just fine.

 

Kung Fu time! (as Sifu says...)

Pretty basic stuff today (not that I'm complaining). Here's the skinny:

Warm Up

(All exercises for both sides)
-Jumping Jacks - (50)
-Lunge Stretch
-One Foot Stance
-Standing Leg Stretch (one foot stance with opposite leg held out in front)
-"Searching the Sea"
-Standing Leg Stretch - Heel Stretch (same as above but leg held by heel and pulled outward)
-One Foot Hop - 5
-Horse Stance/Low Stance Stretch - 8
-Horse Stance/Low Stance/Bow Stance - 8
-Horse Stance Punches - 10
-Horse Stance w Six Punches - 10
-Horse Stance Punch/Kick - 8
-Horse Stance Punch/Kick/Punch - 8
-Knuckle Push Ups - 10
-Tricep Push Ups - 10
-Spider-Man Push Ups -10
-Pike Stretch
-Straddle Splits
-Tricep Dips - 10
-Back Bend Push Ups - 10

Techniques
(Done down the length of the studio and back)

-Back Fist
-Back Fist/Reverse Punch
-Back Fist/Reverse Punch/Ridge Hand
-Back Fist/Reverse Punch/Ridge Hand/Rear Leg Roundhouse
-Back Fist/Steal Step/Side Kick/Spinning Side Kick

Forms
-Sei Fon Sei Bei
-Kuen Lei Kuen

All in all...a good, moderate training work out. Even told Sihing Alex I missed his Theater of Pain workouts.

He laughed.

Then he punched me in the mouth.

(Just kidding...he didn't really laugh)

(Seriously...just kidding. That's part of a Woody Allen stand up routine back when he was funny)

 

:topic:​

I still remember the one about his cousin's wife who'd taken out Orgasmic Insurance with Mutual of Omaha.

 

HA! I just got it!

...I am so embarrassed :cry:

 

I remember that one. My favorite was the routine about him playing cello in the marching band (later used in the classic film..."Take the Money and Run")

But we digress...

 

Kung Fu time!

Warm Up

-One Foot Stance
-One Foot Hop
-Horse Stance Stretch
-Squats - 10
-Knuckle Push Ups - 10
-Tricep Push Ups - 10
-Spider-Man Push Ups - 10
-Reverse Push Ups -10
-High Heel Kicks - 10
-Inside Crescent Kicks - 10
-Outside Crescent Kicks - 10
-Front Slap Kick - 10


Technique

-Rear Leg Round House Kicks
-Rear Leg Double Round House Kicks
-Rear Leg Round House Knee (kick without extending the leg...just pointing the knee. Good hip exercise)
-Stance Walk (Horse stance, low stance, bow stance, cat stance. Later. Rinse. Repeat)
-Skipping Front Leg Round House Kick


Cool Down

-Back Bend Push Ups - 10
-Sit Up Punches - 25
-Back Extensions - 35


Forms

Nunchuck


Notes:
-Limbs seemed to be looser today. Low stance and round house kicks had better range and fluidity.
-Training. It pays off.

 

Kung Fu time!

Man, felt good to get back into it after sitting on my **** for a solid week of work "training". Being cooped up in a conference room for nine hours straight was seriously cutting into my work out time.

But it's over now.

And there was much rejoicing (yaaaay.)

Anyway, here's how it went down:

Warm Up

-Squats
-Lunging Stretches
-High Heel Kick - 10
-Inside Crescent Kick - 10
-Outside Crescent Kick - 10
-Front Slap Kick - 10
-One Foot Stance
-One Foot Stance Hop
-Searching the Sea
-Searching the Sea Hop
-Knuckle Push Ups - 10
-Tricep Push Ups - 10
-Spider-Man Push Ups - 10
-Tricep Dips - 10
-Back Bend Push Ups - 15


Technique:

-Front Leg Roundhouse - 8 (per side for this and all following exercises)
-Front Leg Roundhouse/Back Fist - 8
-Front Leg Roundhouse/Back Fist/Reverse Punch - 8
-Front Leg Roundhouse/Back Fist/Reverse Punch/Step Around/Ridge Hand - 8
-Steal Step - 8
-Steal Step/Side Kick - 8
-Back Fist/Steal Step/Side Kick - 8
-Back Fist/Steal Step/Side Kick/Reverse Punch/Rear Leg Roundhouse - 8 (very good combo!)


Cool Down:

-Standing Splits
-Straddle Splits
-Sit Up Punches - 25
-Back Extensions - 35


More Technique:
(done down the length of the studio and back)

-Horse Stance Punches
-Horse Stance Punch/Kick
-Stance Walk (Horse Stance/Low Stance/Bow Stance/Twist Stance/Kick)
-Running Punches
-Running Backwards Punches
-Crab Walk Forwards
-Crab Walk Backwards

Whew! Good to be back!

 

Kung Fu time!

Here's how it all went down:

Warm Up

-One Foot Stance
-One Foot Stance Hop (from one leg to the other)
-"Searching the Sea"
-"Searching the Sea" Hop (from one leg to the other)
-High Heel/Inside Crescent Kick - 10
-High Heel/Outside Crescent Kick - 10
-Knuckle Push Ups - 10
-Tricep Push Ups - 10
-Spider-Man Push Ups - 10
-Round House Kick (double) - 5
-Round House Kick (four) - 5
-Tricep Dips - 10
-Back Bend Push Ups - 10
-Standing Splits
-Straddle Splits
-Sit Up Punches - 25
-Back Extensions - 35

Forms:

Nunchucks...for the rest of the class!

 

Solo Training Day

Didn't have time for a proper workout. Just managed to squeeze in a quick gym visit in between meetings.

Here is what went down:

-Seated Chest Press - 140 lbs (3x8)
-Seated Cable Pull Down - 150 lbs (3x8)
-Overhead Rope Tricep Cable Pull - 80 lbs 90 lbs, 100 lbs (10,9,8...no reason for this. Just trying to find a heavy enough weight)
-Cable Curls - 70 lbs (3x8...this is a two-handed exercise)
-Seated Leg Press - 210 lbs (3x10)
-Seated Calf Press - 210 lbs (3x10)

-Low Stance Stretch
-Straddle Split Stretch
-Hip Rotations

Then on to the next meeting where the only thing that got stretched was the truth.

Sales guys. I tell ya...

Who's with me? Haah?

Haaah?

 

Kung Fu Time!


I was a little late to class so I missed a bit. But here's where I came in:

Warm Up

-Lunging Stretch Hop
-High Heel Kick - 10
-Inside/Outside Crescent Kick - 10
-Knuckle Push Ups - 10
-Tricep Push Ups - 10
-Standing Splits
-Straddle Splits
-Sit Up Punches - 25
-Back Extension - 35


Technique

For this...we used the pads (and did both sides).

-Back Fist/Reverse Punch/Ridge Hand
-Back Fist/Reverse Punch/Ridge Hand/Front Roundhouse
-Back Fist/Side Kick
-Back Fist/Shuffle/Ax Kick/ Same Leg Round House

Forms:

Nunchucks - Learned (and finished!) the whole form


Notes:
-What a difference a week makes! Sitting on my rear at the conference last week robbed me of my opportunity to train (and thus my flexibility).
-My kicks were so awful, Sifu actually took me aside and had me work on some exercises to improve them (which isn't so bad, really).
-I think I'm going to make it a point to stretch a couple of times a day. Did that when I was doing parkour and it helped.
-I'll start tomorrow and keep y'all posted.

 

Right on! If I don't do my stretches for any significant amount of time I have to waste a bunch of time at barre and such to make up for it. It's miserable to not be able to limber up properly with the usual barre work before class and winding up stiff during centre work. :/

 

I thought quick loss of flexibility was the exclusive bane of us older folk.

 

Haha, sadly not.

 

With all those knuckle push-ups, you'll need to change your handle to "Iron Fist" - seriously, do you wrap your hands beforehand? Not noticed any spreading between the knuckles, you have?

 

Wrapping knuckles is for sissies! So is stretching, pain medication, doctors and head gear!

Naaah...the studio floor is covered in a gymnastics mat, so it's a soft surface for those dreaded knuckle push ups. And any time we're outside on the concrete, we don't do them.

Besides, my knuckles are already pretty calloused from muay thai...just like my soul.

 

Heh!

I have a ganglion cyst in my right wrist, so doing pushups on my palms is very painful. I just do knuckle pushups all the time. Fortunately at my Muay Thai school we have pretty heavy mats, so it doesn't hurt. I even use my knuckles often when I do burpees.

Now not sure if the cyst was caused by a couple of years of doing knuckle pushups in kung Fu class on a hard floor covered with thin carpet or not...

 

LOL!

 

Solo Training

So, I overslept and didn't start my morning stretching routine. But I did manage to work it into the daily training.

Here's the drill:

Kung Fu

-Forms:

-Sei Fon Sei Bei - Focused on flow and power
-Keun Lei Keun - Focused on proper form​

-Kicking Drills

-Slow Kicks - Roundhouse - 10 per side
-Slow Kicks - Side Kicks - 10 per side
-Roundhouse Kicks - 20 per side
-Side Kicks - 20 per side
​

-Stretches

-Side Hip Stretches (3 per side)
-Glute Stretches
-Lie Down Straight Leg Band Stretches (see notes)
-Standing Straight Leg Band Stretches (to the side)​

-Nunchuck Form (about 15 minutes...see notes)

Then...off to the gym for

Weight Training

-Decline Bench - 165 lbs (3 x 8)
-Pull Ups - 3 x 10 (see notes)
-Tricep Dips - 3 x 10
-Curl/Press Ups - 3 x 8


Notes:
-Kicks are getting way better. Last night's embarrassment in class may have been just the thing to break all the crust off those tight and stiff ligaments.
-My dear old Mother-in-Law gave me those elastic stretch bands for Christmas as a stocking stuffer. Figured I'd break them out today and work on my leg flexibility.
-Those may just be my new favorite thing! Did usual stretches...lay on my back with one leg flat and the other in the air. Then loop the bands around the leg in the air and pulled.
-Did the same thing balanced on one leg with the other off to the side.
-At the gym a lot of the machines or stations I wanted to use were occupied. So I substituted the dips and the pull ups. Which leads me to a question:
-Is there any thing fundamentally wrong with combining body weight and weight training in the same workout?

 

Hope they're of the high end sort. I love mine as well but learnt the hard way the cheaper sort ( such as the one's the physio gives you ) break far too easy - very aggravating to have them break and slap one in the face.

I've a bcg - extra heavy resistance training band and it's a cracker - don't have to worry it snapping, as well.

 

Wow. Didn't know one could get a wrist cyst (heh). But that's pretty hardcore to do knuckle burpees. You've inspired me to try that. I'll send the medical bill your way.

Muay thai calloused my knuckles because from time to time our coach wanted us to go bare-knuckle for bag drills to build up those callouses and get us used to it. Not a bad thing, really...