Becoming a convict

Hello once again

There seems to be a lot of debate on the dragondoor forum concerning the new book Convict Conditioning and if you already have it or have never heard of it I'd like to share with you my thoughts on it today.Many of you know I'm a BIG fan of bodyweight training so this automatically caught my interest.After careful consideration of the merits of the material and what my goals are I have decided I will devote 2010 soley to this combined with the shaolin workout.

I believe this is a great program for most fitness trainees regardless of your current level of conditioning or strenght.If you think about it what is more practical and functional in everyday life and recreation than learning to master your own bodyweight?The book gives you a clear cut plan to easily and safely progress through the various exercises to very advanced levels.Even someone who hasn't exercised in years can do this.

I realize many will disagree but as I've said before I can't see why people want to mess with heavy weights when they can't handle their own body properly.I suppose it stems from peoples early gym experience.It's easier for a trainer to stick you on a machine and tell you to push or pull then to make you have patience and properly perform basic bodyweight exercises.I'm not against weight training but I am anti machine except for rehab purposes.

So ladies especially if you want inspiration as to what bodyweight traing can do for you rent a DVD of say Terminator 2 or GI Jane and look at Linda Hamilton or Demi Moore.I will keep you informed on my journey in the coming year and share my thoughts and experience.Feel free to post a comment or a question.

Happy New Year

Thoughts on 28 days if the Shaolin Workout

So I finished my 28th day yesterday and had a lot of fun doing it.I enjoyed the concept of each day building on the previous one and even the meditations weren't as boring as I thought they might be.For those of you involved in martial arts you'd probably find the movements in this workout to be very basic.However I think anyone could benefit from this as the progressions become more advanced and the whole concept is that everyone no matter how skilled can improve every day.I consider myself very flexible and able to move pretty fluidly thanks to yoga but I still enjoyed this.

So how did it benefit me?In several ways it made me appreciate the need for active flexibility more.Second it gave me some different takes on joint mobility.More specifically I found my upper body wasn't as flexible as I thought but it helped me a lot there especially in the lateral plane of motion.Without focusing on it my speed of movement has increased a lot.The punches and kicks were great and helped improve my power.Overall it's made me feel lighter on my feet and improved my posture.

I would definitely recommend anyone to add this to their training arsenal.It's fun,very effective,and can be done anywhere.Through this and prior experiences I find my practice moving more and more towards training movements and not muscles.Moving more away from weights and more towards mastering my own body.So on to the next adventure!I'll keep you posted on what's up next week.

For those curious about the Shaolin Workout

It's been a while since I last ypdated my blog but I plan on trying to change that and keep things fresh.The last couple of months have been a bit trying physically for me as I'm not used to dealing with injuries.It's actually minor stuff in the big scheme of things but it still bugs me.I'm rehabing from rotator cuff surgery and dealing with some cracked and bruised ribs from a fall in a rollerblading park.Anyway I'll get straight to the point.

I first heard about this workout from my cousin who heard about it from someone in his martial arts class.I decided to check it out and bought the book.I really like the sub title 28 days to transforming your body and soul the warrior's way.The book gives a background about the history of shaolin and also the author Sifu Shi Yan Ming.It also explains that in the east traing is focused on flexibility and speed to create power whereas in the West the focus is on muscle building.

The workout plan itself is a 28 day plan.One day builds upon the next and each day includes a meditation.The exercises are not your typical stretches and they are dynamic in nature.You are urged to push yourself a little harder each day and that none of the movements no matter how it feels right now are not impossible to master.In fact with enough practice you can master every one of them.

Overall I really love this type of training and would highly recommend it to anyone but especially women because of it's lengthening and suppleness approach.

Thoughts on selective vs full body tension and other stuff

Though I'm not an exercise physiologist by any means I would say through self education and experimentation has increased tremendously over the last year or so.The people who have had a big impact on what I do include but are not limited to Pavel,Scott Sonnon,Eric Cobb,Paul Chek,and Adam Glass.Each of these individuals have their own style and philosophy but do have some things in common.

In doing single limb lifts such as presses I started out using full body tension on every rep when I first started training with my 18lb KB.Using that technique made it feel light as a feather.It obviously served me well as I progressed through the 16kg to the 24kg.As I became proficient at pressing the 24 I first read about the concept of selective tension.For those of you not familiar with it it's basically using only thje muscles required to accomplish the task.My first few attempts at using it were not very good.The KB felt much heavier than normal.However with continued practice I got the hang of it and now it's a breeze with whatever KB I'm using.The added bonus is now I have more energy in my workouts as I'm not wasting it on unecesaary tensing of other parts of the body.Give it a try.

I'm now playin around with (SEE) stored elastic energy and how I can use it not only in my yoga practice but apply it to power output for my KB work and other stuff.Stay tuned!

A minsset evolution from working out to practice to playing

Hi Everyone,
It's been awhile since I've posted anything and there is good reason for that.I originally started this blog as basically a training journal due to a lot of interest from people wanting to know what my workouts were like.Over time my methodology and attitude towards training have radically changed.

When I first started training in a commercial gym I had the mindset like many others of doing bodybuilding type workouts followed by a long run on the treadmill or using a stair master.I judged my workout by how wiped out I was when I was done.To be honest I actually hated it.Then I found Pavel and loved his stuff and especially the concept of not working out but practicing strength.Thanks to the principles I learned my strength took off to the point where it stunned my family and friends.

For me though I felt something was still missing though.I wanted more tham just moving heavy weight and set routines I wanted freedom!LOL That's when I discovered Prasara yoga.The practice of it has given me all the fitness benefits I want and then some!My strenght has increased further still and my endurance is great with no other "cardio".Most important to me is that it has given me a mindset of play instead of training.Everyday I do it I feel like I'm 8 yrs old again playing with my friends!

The demise of my all or nothing approach to training

Today I'd like to share more of a personal philosophy rahter than a specific workout.Actually it's not technically my philosophy but rahter things learned from personal experience and research.Sorting through the bull that prevails in fitness and learning from real experts and of course my own body.

I have always had a hard time with the concept of an "easy" workout ever since I can remember.To me if I wasn't going all out I was wasting my time.This was true for both resistance and cardio workouts.I'm coming to realize this mindset is a HUGE mistake.I'm finding that active recovery and rest are equally important as high intensity training if you want to ensure continued progress and injury free training.I know we've all heard the axiom to have a light,medium,heavy day but I don't see many people following it.

I haven't gotten my plan together yet but when I do I'll let you know.One thing I can share is I will no longer follow a monday,wednesday,friday kind of approach.Your body doesn't know what day it is so why follow a calendar?One of my starting points will be to do a high intensity session once every four days.Stay tuned in the next week or so for a full detailed plan!You DON'T need to constantly batter your body to get great results.

Don't workout practice,Dont' train cardio have fun!

This thought hit me over the weekend as I was thinking about my writing and how I could make it more interesting and informative at the same time.My "discoveries" are not new just bits and pieces taken frm various sources and blended together to produce for me what is the most efficient,result producing,and fun approach to fitness.It doesn't need to be long,boring,or redundant.

I am a frequent reader of the dragondoor forum.My main sources of training ideas come from Pavel,Scott Sonnon,Eric Cobb,Michael Steble,and the guys at bodyweight culture.As many of you know my my approach is mainly HIIT with a lot of variety in terms of exercises and equipment.You'll never catch me "playing" for more than 25 minutes.Not to say there's anything wrong with those who do it longer if training for a specific purpose but in general it's a waste of time.Think about it how many people do you know that go to the gym.Thet spend a couple of hours,do the same routine,generally lift the same weight and get zero results.

Right now my focus is on getting my left hand strong again so as I continue my PT I'm also adding in bottoms up presses with mainly the 8kg beel for 5 sets of 5 reps and every other workput I mix in the 12kg for 5 sets of 2.My cardio is indoors right now consisting of either 10 minytes of jump rope or band sprints.Forget the treadmill and the barbie weights.GO HARDCORE!