...and how do YOU know?

Over the months of June and July, the dojo did a lot to prepare for the Superfights tournament in Oxford, AL. Lots of fitness and padwork, footwork and combinations...we even did a few sessions on how to warm up. It was a big picture and finer details stretch of time, to say the least. But there was one aspect of preparation that befuddled me, which brings me to the topic of this post.

I was describing for the class, warm up techniques and preparation leading into the tournament, when I stumbled upon one aspect of preparation that goes largely unattended to, and even when attention is given, it may not be the best attention or advice available. Let's start big picture.

You've got a tournament coming up. You've been training hard inside and outside the dojo. It's nearly time to put all of that hard work to good use. "Go Time" is two weeks away.

Question for you: What's your approach? Do you:
A). Bust your butt for the next two weeks, and show up tournament day ready to rock?
B). Finish out this week, and shut it down to get ready for the big event?
C). Split the difference; 7 or 8 days of solid work and reduce the workload for the next 3-4?

The answer - "I dunno".

Yup, that's right. I don't know. Chances are, neither do you. But here's the beauty of the situation: You can find out. Yes, yes you can. First, let's explore the scenarios above.

Bust your butt for the next two weeks, and show up tournament day ready to rock
The worst plan of the three, but that's not to say it couldn't work. How do you feel after several days of hard, strenuous workouts? Personally, I feel like a 6 foot pile of poo, that's not to say that you, Mr. Reader, are not the epitome of fitness. If you're not, you don't want to go with plan A. Keep reading.

Finish out this week, and shut it down to get ready for the big event
I used to be in this category, largely at the behest of my instructor. I have moved away from this approach over the years, which I'll discuss in more detail below. Sensei's reasoning for completely shutting me down was to avoid injury. When I say shut down, I mean SHUT DOWN. I had very strict instructions not to lift, no running, take it easy. Very much "come-to-the-dojo-but-when-you-get-here-don't-do-anything-to-exert-yourself"; it drove me crazy. The advantage, again, is avoiding injury. If you're the type that can take some time off and still perform near peak, this might be where you want to hang your hat...if not, keep reading.

Split the difference; 7 or 8 days of solid work and reduce the workload for the next 3-4
This is the Hangtime way to go; I finish out the week, then gradually reduce the workload ending two (sometimes three) days before an event. The advantage to this method is your event is treated like any other workout. Two days rest between your last decent workout and your event. For me, this is optimum.

So, how do you find out what works? The same way you make anything else work --you train it!

"Wait...you train rest times?" -- You betcha! Here's my approach:

The World Yoshukai Calendar has 2 camps, 4 tournaments and 1 black belt test. Of the four tournaments, two of them include fighting, which is a large motivator in my training --I guess you could say I train my physical fitness for these events. For the sake of discussion, we will also include my shodan, nidan and sandan testings as well (I train the same for tournaments and testings).

So, since 2007, I have had 38 opportunities to experiment with what tapering method works the best for me. Of the 38, 12 were "live" runs, the other 26 were tests. That's a lot of practice...good, solid reps. For each camp & tournament, I marked an 8 week run to the event. So, starting 8 weeks out was prep time. A few times, I've even gone down to six weeks a few times and two weeks once due to injury. Each lead in was different -- weight was different, cardio varied year to year, etc. Each time, I set a few goals and worked toward them in the allotted time.

So for each camp, the goal would be to make weight as if I were fighting. Moreover, the goal was to be in fighting shape. Winter Camp makes for a long day (brutally long, in my opinion), but I didn't want to miss a minute of it. Sand, sun, wind, water, tug o' war, running on the beach, sumo, you name it, I wanted to do it. If I missed my mark on where I wanted to be, I went back to the drawing board for the next event. If that worked, then I took that method and improved on it for the next event. So on and so forth. If you don't have a good memory about these things, you might want to grab your notebook.

So, what does this mean to you? Well, I hope that by this point in the article, you've taken stock of your approach and how you prepare for your event. Unless you're one of those people who can role out of bed and run a half-marathon or fight without any prior training, proper tapering is an important aspect of training...just as important as the work itself. Experiment and find out what methods work best for you.

OSU!
CM

4/11/2012 Early AM Session

Not the best session, but a good workout nonetheless. Shoulder issues have crept back, which made today's session a little harder to deal with.

Warm Up:
10 x 10LB DB External rotations
Shoulder mobilization exercises


Workout: Bagwork 4: "Ten good ones". The premise is ten of the best reps you can muster; if it's crap, toss it out, it doesn't count. Only the ten best.

As Many Rounds as Possible (I have 10 rounds listed on the card)
Mawashi geri
Jab (W)
Cross (W)
Jab + Mawashi Geri
Jab + Mawashi Geri

The first couple of rounds were a good way to start the warm up (I know better next time --marked with a "W" for warm up). After two circuits, I dropped the single jab and cross; I felt it was a better usage of time to focus on the combinations than the single technique; I will leave them in for warm up next time.

I finished 4 circuits. Doesn't sound like much, but that's four rounds of max power/effort of ten solid reps. Not terrible, in my humble opinion, and it leaves a lot of room for improvement. That said, the shoulder played a big role in limiting the number of rounds.

50 Double Unders
Abs:
10 x 10 LB Leg Raises (bench)
10 x 30LB Knee raises (cable)
10 x 20 LB Leg Raises (bench)
10 x 30LB Knee raises (cable)

Finisher: 100 Double Unders. Stalled around 50; the next ten left a lot to be desired, but I got it back on track around #63. The last 10 were not fun either.

Stretched and called it a day.
OSU!

4/10/2012 Early AM Session

My alarm went off this morning...and I shut it off. Felt like I took a five minute buffer, it was actually 45 minutes. Good thing I get up early

Warm up:
5 x 25LB DB Halos
10x 10LB External Rotations
Burgener Warm up
5 x 25LB DB Halos

Workout:
Ross E's ICT #5
5 rounds:
10 Burpees
10 Chinnies
10 Squats
10 Pushups

I did not set the world on fire doing these, lol. Good circuit, got the lungs going pretty good. Despite not going at blazing fast speed, I finished fairly quickly, so I moved onto the next card as a finisher...

Ross E's EIT#4:
As many as possibly in 15 min:
Sprint 50M
Bear Crawl 25M
Crab walk 25M

I didn't have the space, so I adapted to the basketball court in the gym, so instead of 50M, simply point A to point B. I managed 6 reps before my wrists started giving me fits. I did learn, however, that the bear crawls and crab walks made a great time buffer. After 7 minutes, I stopped torturing my wrists and did sprints.

In 15 minutes - 16 total trips down and back; 6 included crawls/walks, the other 9 were straight up sprint up and back. Or simply: 15 minutes of sucktitude.


Quick stretch and called it a day.
OSU!

2012 First Quarter Review

Previously, on Yoshukai Strong...

That said, here are my goals for 2012:

1. Keep training focused by dividing the session into strict, time-based segments, by the end of January.
2. Increase leg press working rate to 800LBS (2 rep minimum) by February 1, 2012
3. Work toward 3 times bodyweight deadlift 1RM (1 rep max), based on average weight (180LBS) by Feb 4, 2012
4. Complete sandan test on Feb 10, 2012...preferably in one piece.
5. 100 consecutive double unders by May, 1 2012
6. Perform 100LB DB  Bench Press by Feb 1, 2012
7. Perform 225LB Bench Press 1RM by April 1, 2012
8. Perform 400LB Squat by June 1, 2012
9. Maintain ability to perform all achieved goals through end of 2012

First quarter 2012 is in the books. I want to take a look at the goals I set for the year and reevaluate. Looking at some of them...I wonder what I was smoking when I came up with these.



Goal 1: Keep training focused by dividing the session into strict, time-based segments, by the end of January.
The card system I'm using now goes a long way in helping keep sessions going. Having a plan is a good thing. There are some of the planned workouts that simply run long. In fact, I have two coming up: "52 pickup" and "Crossfit Angie" :-/

Goal 2: Increase leg press working rate to 800LBS (2 rep minimum) by February 1, 2012
I haven't met this goal yet, but, I could. I need to prioritize it and do leg presses before I'm too beat to complete them. I have flirted with the low 700's since the beginning of the year...I have no doubts I can do this, I just need to do it (even if only for the sake of saying I did).

Goal 3: Work toward 3 times bodyweight deadlift 1RM (1 rep max), based on average weight (180LBS) by Feb 4, 2012
Lofty goals aren't a bad thing, but unrealistic goals are.  My current PB is 350LBS, which is less than half of my current bodyweight (188LBS) - 2.5 times BW sounds a lot more reasonable....by end of the year.

Goal 4: Complete sandan test on Feb 10, 2012...preferably in one piece.
Nearly lost an eye, but I made it :)

Goal 5: Perform 100LB DB  Bench Press by Feb 1, 2012
Done, and... (1/19)

Goal 6: Perform 225LB Bench Press 1RM by April 1, 2012
Done! (230 on 3/8)

No time to rest, however. Still plenty of mileage left to burn up and more goals left to accomplish.

How are you doing with your goals for the year? Do you work on them daily?? If not, it's not too late, get back on the wagon!

OSU!

4/6/2012 Early AM Session

This morning's session inspired the question: "What on earth was I thinking when I made THIS ONE up?".

I also realized that I may have failed in my efforts to not repeat a single session. The session this morning looked to have a duplicate card as well...I will have to check to be sure, but it would be a bummer if I screwed that up! That said, it was a replacement for the next card on deck...which also means I'm in trouble with the remaining workouts, because I am sure they've all been swapped out at some point and I'm getting to the point of not having any latitude to do that going forward. D'oh.

Warm up:
Circuit x 2
10 x 10 DB WIndmills
10 x 10 DB External Rotations

Burgener's Warm Up
7x25LB DB Halos.

My shoulders were a smidge on the stiff side from yesterday's session and sparring at the dojo...should be interesting.

Todays session was a Ring session...fun stuff.

As written:
Circuit x 5
Pullups x 8
Dips x 8
L-sit, to inverted position, pullup, pike to L-sit x 5
Thrusters x 8

Sounds good in theory, but I had to scale it back some. I did manage to get through two circuits before deciding this wasn't going to happen as planned.

As performed:
Circuit x 5
Pullups x 6
Dips x 6
L-sit, lever to inverted position, pullup, pike to L-sit x 3
Thrusters x 5 @ 75LBS

Abs (on a bench):
Leg Raises - 10 x 15LBS, 10 x 15LBS,10 x 15LBS
Knee ups - 10 x 30LBS, 10 x 30LBS,10 x 30LBS

Finisher: Untimed bag round. ~3 minutes or so. I'm starting to get back into form, where punches and combinations are flowing nicely. Now the plan is to not let this progress slide!

OSU!

4/5/2012 Early AM Session

Warm up:
Mobilization stretches
Bergener Warm up

Today's torture was 5x5 Max Strength.
Push Press (155) [PB Match]
Romanian Deadlift (275) [PB]
Double Arm Row (185)
Leg Press (630)

Now here's the downside; I lost all of the numbers for this session (*sigh* Technology, gotta love it), but I do recall some of the max weights

That said, I didn't reach 5 sets on the leg press, I was pooped. It looks like I wasn't tracking the two arm row, so the 185 makes a PB by default as a baseline. Not bad for a session where the point was just to make it through...

Finisher:
2 min 7/5 burst on the heavy bag
30 Double unders
1 min 7/5 burst on the heavy bag
30 Double unders
1 min 7/5 burst on the heavy bag
30 Double unders

Abs:
20 x 45LB Seated Russian Twists
20 x 45LB Seated Russian Twists
45LB Seated Russian Twists to failure (26)

Stretch then end scene.

OSU!

3/29/2012 Evening Session

It's been a very long time since I've done 2 workouts in one day...I just reminded myself why. Tonight's torture was ICT #4...but not just any ICT #4, ICT #4 - IN THE DOJO!

ICT #4:
Part 1: x 5
10 Burpees
20 Lunges
30 Squats

Part 2: x 5
10 Pullups
20 Pushups
10 High pulls (resistance bands)

I didn't bother to keep track of time. Why remind myself of how long it took to torture myself (and Miss M)?

Finisher: Kata
Tensho (tonfa) x 3
Yosei no Sai x 2

Stick a fork in me for today, I'm done!
OSU!

3/29/2012 Early AM Session

Ultimate-XC: 60 minutes, as many rounds as possible:
1 mile run
Tabata row

Warm up:
10 x 45LBS Cleans
8 x 75LBS Cleans
Light jog around the basketball court
Dynamic stretching

Ultimate-XC:
2 times through.
Mile 1 - 10:17
Mile 2 - 9:02 (mostly interval)

At the start of round three, I was drained. I attribute that to getting better with Tabata Rows...well, that's the story I'm going with. I haven't run at all since the Rock N' Roll Savannah in November, so I am pleased with the times as well.

Ab Work:
10 x 10LB Knee to chest
10 x 10LB leg raises (bench)
10 x 15LB hanging Knee to chest
8 x 10LB(each leg) alternating knee to chest
8 x 10LB(each leg) alternating knee to chest

Finisher:
Tabata Standing Russian Twist; one side per interval

Stretched and called it a day. I'll probably spend the rest of my day dragging my carcass around the office!
OSU!

3/28/2012 Early AM Session

Today's workout is Bagwork 5...at least in part. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about my breathing issues, so I cut it down from five "fights" to two.
Warm up:
Untimed bag work

Workout -Bagwork:
3m-2m-1m - 5s/7s Burst Rounds
3m-2m-1m - 7s/5s Burst Rounds

I should have had 3 regular 3m-2m-1m after this, but I was huffing and puffing...felt good, but I decided not to push it.

Ab Work:
Cable Woodchoppers: 10 x 30LBS, 10 x 60LBS, 10 x 90LBS,
Standing Cable Crunch: 10x150LBS, 10x160LBS, 10x170LBS
Hanging Leg Raises: 10x20LBS, 8 x 30LBS, 8 x 50LBS

Stretch, cool down and called it a day.
OSU!

3/22/2012 Early AM Session

Today's torture: MS 5 1-10-1 swings and snatches...on very little sleep. The little guy had some trouble breathing last night and spent a good bit of the night agitated & pissed off.

----
I want to learn a little more about some of the Olympic lifts; before I started, I thought, "You know...I should do barbell snatches instead of dumbbell snatches..." And that I did.

Warm up:
A mix of hanging snatch, snatch balance, and ground up snatch @ 45LBS...

These were fun...kinda. I knew this workout would be a bear.

Workout:
1-10
2 hand DB Swing @ 60LBS
BB Snatch smorgasbord @ 75LBS

Most of the snatches were snatch balance, especially once I got over 5. Total sucktitude. I don't see how people do this with heavy weight (yet...I will...trust me, someday, I will understand)...

The snatches started to be too much. No way I was going to make it back down the ladder, even @ 45LBS

10-1
2 hand DB Swing @ 60LBS
95LB Cleans (hanging & power)

Even the cleans were a challenge. I was whooped about half way down, but I pushed through and kept going Osu-EN1

Even with the (at the time) unwelcomed disruption to talk about the Peyton Manning deal this was a scorcher...win!

Abs:
Hanging knee raises: 10x20LBS, 10x30LBS, 8x50LBS, 5x50LBS (failure), 10x20LBS (alternating legs), 8x20 (alternating legs; failure)

Good stretch & tons of water.
OSU!

3/21/2012 Early AM Session

Warm up:
Dynamic stretches

Today's Recipe: Ross Enemait's ICT 7

100 Burpees (10:58), bleck!
Rest 2 minutes...erm..."2" minutes
Tabata Squats (131)
Tabata Pushups (68)

Abs (all exercises on the bench):
10 x 10LB Leg raises
10 x 25LB, 15 x 25LB Knee up
10 x 10LB knee to chest

Quick stretch and end scene.

---
Those burpees were brutal. I could have done x number per minute, but I tried just "powering through" and it cost me some time. Next time, I know better.

OSU!

3/13/2012 Early AM Session

Before I got started, it occurred to me that on this day 5 years ago, I lost my nephew far, far too young. I was already pumped for this session, but thinking of him gave me a little extra. We weren't particularly close, but that matters not at all; he is my nephew, my sister's son. He was a very funny guy and by funny I mean you don't want to be caught in his crosshairs...he will make you laugh at yourself while ripping you a new one in the most brutal of ways. And that's what people loved about him. I miss hearing him "cut" on people, and the laughter that came out of it. I miss you, Dude...

Donald, this one was for you.

Warm up:
Circuit x 2:
8x15LB DB Windmills
10 x15LB DB External Rotations
10 x15LB DB Romanian Deadlifts

8 x 135LB Bench Press
5 pullups

Light stretching

Workout:
Crossfit Lynne -- Five Rounds max reps:
Bench Press @ body weight (185) 10, 5, 6, 3, 4
Pullups 9,9, 12 (kipping), 8 (kipping), 6

I am very impressed with myself on the bench press! A little over two years ago I hoisted 185 for the first time EVER. I was mired down @ 185 for 18 months before I moved past that and hit a 1RM of 215LBS. I spent most of 2010 and 2011 trying to perform 20 reps in 10 sets...10 reps in one set is huge for me.

The finish:
1-5 DB Swings (55LBS) & Snatch (35LBS)
Weighted leg raises: 10 x 10LBS, 10 x 20LBS, 10 x 20LBS

Good stretch and called it quits :)

OSU!

1/27/2012 Early AM Session

5:30

warm up:
8 "side to side" pullups (pullup, hold left, right, rinse repeat; left + right = 1)
5 pullups

Workout:
Pullups: 5, 4x45LBS, 3x45LBS, 3x45LBS
Deadlifts: 21x185LBS, 15x195LBS, 9x205LBS

Moved the workout into the cardio room...

Yoshu & Yoshu dai x2 @ 50% - nice and slow, focusing on the moves/counts & setting correct stances
3 x 60s/15s bag work. It seems like forever since I've hit something...

Funny thing happened when I work up this morning: I remembered that I have a pair of 3LB wrist weights and one of them needed to be patched. So, I grabbed some duct tape :D and patched that bad boy...

Yoshu & Yoshu dai x2 @ 75% - with wrist weights
3 x 60s/15s bag work - with wrist weights

Thoughts on the wrist weights: Swinging nunchakas with wrist weights makes the nunchackas seem light; that said, hitting oneself w/nunchakas wearing an A-Shirt is not advisable (it hurt!). Hitting the bag with the weights feels a lot like being tired; that said, it felt good to still hit with a little sting despite being weighted down a little.

...keep your eyes peeled for the workout with the fully loaded weight vest, wrist & ankle weights (you knew that was coming...).

Back out to the main floor:

Single arm DB Swings:
2 sets of 15 x 30LBS
15-1 ladder x 40LBS (plus 2 extra due to miscount)
280 total, 6405 down, 3597 to go. Looks like I'll be doing quite a few swings over the next few days to get this thing wrapped up!




6:40



6405/10000
OSU!
CM

1/25/2012 Early AM Session

Today's session kicked off at around 5:05am

Warm up:
Circuit x 2:
8x 15LB DB Windmills
8x15LB DB External Rotations
5x25LB Weight plate Halos

10x45LB Deep squat

Workout:

Deep wide leg squat --for this, I used 5 step risers and the goal was for my butt to touch the stack of risers. Feet were as wide as the squat cage.
8x 95LBS, 8x145LBS, 6x195LBS, 4x215LBS

DB Bench press -- mixed doubles and single arm: 10x 65LBS (d), 8x35LBS (s), 8x45LBS (s), 4x85LBS (d), 4x85LBS (d)

I will play with the singles more in the future. I am surprised that the lower weight wasn't as tough as I thought.

Kata - Sochin, Bassai and Chinto.
I didn't have my weapons, but I also worked on/walked through Yoshu & Yoshu-dai (nunchakas) & Shounnokon (bo). Hard to believe I'm less than 21 days away from testing for sandan!

Standing Cable Crunch: 20 x 170LBS, 10x170LBS
Cable Chest Fly: 10x 40LBS, 10x60LBS, 8x60LBS --it has been years, literally, years since I've done this exercise.

Good stretch and called it a session. I managed to squeeze in 100 double arm swings as well (so far...).
6125/10,000

OSU!

1/19/2012 Early AM Session

Warm up:
Circuit x 3:
8 x 10LB DB windmill
8 x 10LB DB External Rotations
4 (each side) 25LB DB Halo

Workout:
Hanging out on the gym rings
3-3-2
Hanging L-sit into full inverted position, pull up (still inverted), pike down to hanging L-sit

That's tiring!

3 sets of ring dips: 4, 6, 8 --It really took me three sets to get into the flow of it.

By this point in the workout, I was feeling pretty strong. So I decided to let's go after it...let's get that elusive personal best. 100LB DB Bench Press.

...but first...

BB Push Press: 3x45LBS, 8x95LBS, 3x115LBS, 3x135LBS, 2x155LBS[PB].
I didn't realize it at the time, but 155LBS is a personal best. I also didn't realize it at the time, but I don't do these very much (gotta change that).

On the DB bench press: 5 x 65LBS, 3x90LBS, 2x100LBS [PB]
I am MOST proud of this PB, more than any other. The first recorded PB on this lift was on 1/13/2010 and the weight was 40LBS. It goes to show what a little hard work and persistence can accomplish. I remember dropping a BB across my chest with 100LBS on it in high school, I remember barely being able to do this lift with 20LB DB's. More importantly, I look forward to setting my sights on the top of the rack: 125LBS!

I took a lot of rest in order to get the DB BP PB, so I was a little short on time at this point....

30LBS x 1-10 Single arm Swings.
50 Double unders
50LBS x 1-10 Single arm Swings.
50 Double unders

I guess I was in a zone today (truth be told, I as well rested...), the double unders seemed easier than usual.

Seated Russian Twists: 15x45LBS,15x45LBS,15x45LBS
Knee-ups: 10x25LBS, 8x45LBS, 8x45LBS

Stretched and called it a day

5805/10,000

OSU!

1/24/2012 Early AM Session

OSU! Seems like I've been away for awhile...I 've been here, been training, but short on time --which explains the lack of posting. I'll try to get better at posting while I stretch as I have in the past.

Warm up:
3 Sets:
8 x 15LB DB Windmill
8 x 15LB DB External Rotations

Workout:
1-10 Ladders:
Pullups
Dips
25LB DB Thrusters
25LB KB Swings (Single Arm)
Pushups

Circuit x 4:
30 Double Unders
25LB KB Single Arm Swings (20, 15, 15, 15)

Good stretch and call it a day!

This workout was one heck of a cardio burn! If I had a little more time, I would have come back down the ladder. Believe me, going up is a good burn.

6025/10,000

OSU!
-CM

10K Swing Challenge: Almost Half Way There

4485 out of 10,000. Wow, we're getting there. That said, I have been keeping up (for the most part) with my normal training. Unfortunately for me, I haven't been keeping up with the logs. That said, here are a few thoughts, feelings and training highlights over the past few days:

1. I could do a single arm swing and a double arm swing with the same weight and the single arm swing seems easier. 
2. I've noticed an increase of strength doing the last smidgen of a deadlift. My numbers are down (but that occurred before the 10K swing challenge...heck, that occurred before this blog's existence!). 
3. Last Saturday I was trying to lock out 275LBS and stalled; I had a decision to make
   A). Put it down
   B). Power through it.
   
   Typically, attempting B leads to A, however, I pressed through and locked out the lift...in fact, I squeezed out another rep. I attribute the increase to swinging through exhaustion; I've noticed that form has to be very crisp and the feeling of locking out the hips is largely the same in both exercises.
4. That said, deadlifting and swinging in the same workout isn't ideal. 
5. Learning the previous lesson twice is even less ideal :-(
6. Another personal best has fallen: Bodyweight + 110LB deadlift is the new mark (previous best was 105).
7. Deep-squatting seems to be easier since undertaking this challenge.
8. Swinging 85LBS on a t-handle is as hard as it sounds. I don't know what made me want to do 225 reps!
9. Single arm swings have really helped with my "sleep shoulder" issue. I've noticed that I am in a lot less pain after swinging (but the first 20 swings or so suck!).

So there you have it: a small little picture into the last week or so of training and my thoughts on the 10K swing, through  4400+ swings. The only cumbersome thing I can note is the callouses forming all over creation on my hands, though after a few swings, the pain tends to "blend into the background", so to speak.

Lindsay, I believe, is right around the 4000 mark up to this point. She tends to break her swings up into sets of 100, even swinging her t-handle on the days she works. Some nights we knock out our swings together...it's become a bonding experience for us! She came home from the gym today and mentioned that she's going to buy a kettlebell (she prefers it to the t-handle). I think my craziness is spreading!

OSU!
CM

12/30/2011 Early AM Session

OSU!

start time: 6:51

Warm up:


Circuit x 3:

DB Windmills	10 x 15LB	10 x 15LB	10 x 15LB
DB External rotations (forearm parallel)	10 x 15LB	10 x 15LB	10 x 15LB
DB External rotations (forearm perpendicular)	10 x 15LB	10 x 15LB	10 x 15LB

3 minutes on the exercise bike.
10 dynamic pullups (pullup, change grip at the apex of the pull, descend, pullup, rinse, repeat).
5 Skin the cats

Workout:
Circuit x 3:
5 Single arm DB Row
3 Skin the cats


Circuit x 3

Single arm DB Push Press:	10 x 45LB	8 x 45	8x60LB
10 double unders

Nagging shoulder issue caused some issues here...

Bag work: 5 - 1 minute rounds (20sec. rest)
Round 1: jab - cross - jab - cross - jab - cross - jab - cross - jab - cross - reset
Round 2: "Open sparring"
Round 3: jab - cross - knee, step, jab - cross - knee
Round 4: "Open sparring"
Round 5: footwork

Abs

Knee ups	10 x 10LB	10 x 25LB	10 x 25LB
Knee-to-chest	10 x 10LB	10 x 25LB	10 x 25LB

2 sets of 10 x 10LB "Captains Chair" Leg Raises.

Note: the weight for both the knee ups and knee2chest is weight per leg. I attached weight plates using a pair of Husky Hangalls (right).




Finish Time: 8:00

Kaizen, baby!

Referring back to my post on goals, goal setting and my 2012 goals, a friend pointed two things out to me: first, all of my goals are concentrated in the first six months of the year and second, goal #9 implies I'm content with what I accomplish within the first quarter to half of the year. Can't argue with the picture that's painted, however, that not the case. My goals for the year are "front loaded", to allow for future goals or furthering the stated goals. This also allows me to discover and implement new goals and milestones. I guess, it's fair to say, these are my goals as of now; once those goals are accomplished, I have the latitude to evaluate those accomplishments & move forward or assess whether or not it's feasible to push beyond the boundary set. Resting on my laurels is not something that I do; I'm always looking to improve, learn and grow.

Kaizen, or continuous improvement, is the singular word I would use to describe my fitness and martial arts endeavors --I hate moving backwards (unless, it paves the way to steamroll forward). I wanted to ensure that you, the reader, didn't leave with the impression that I am satisfied with accomplishing eight goals in the gym by June and coasting through the rest of the year...well, I am satisfied with that, but only in the moment.

Football fans will appreciate this analogy: Great defensive backs and quarterbacks both have one trait in common that makes them great --a short memory. Same thing applies in karate, fitness and life in general; doesn't matter if the discussion is about accomplishments or failures. It happened, move on. When you fail, forget it, get past it, learn from it and capitalize. When you do something great, good! Celebrate a little, enjoy it and get back to work on the next thing. No one cares what you did last year and neither should you.


Kaizen, baby. Live it, love it, embrace it. As you read through, I hope you pick up on that theme. Always looking to get better. The very embodiment of the phrase "Yoshukai Strong" is based in the notion of kaizen. Continuous improvement, not just through the first six months or even six years; CONTINUOUSLY!


OSU!
CM

Hitting 2012 in the Mouth!

In a mere 3 days, 3 DAYS, we will be entering a new year. What will your training goals be?

Goals?

Yea, GOALS...as defined by Merriam-Webster: the end toward which effort is directed.

When goal-setting,  your goals should have five characteristics: specific, measurable, attainable,realistic and timely; what those five attribute gives you is a SMART goal. SMART goals are a great way to keep you focused on what you need to accomplish. The SMART component takes a goal and gives it focus in a number of ways.

For example, a goal of mine is shorter workout, less time in the gym. That's a good goal (I have a tendency to run long...), but the goal doesn't address how I will get there, what will I gain by shortening my sessions, will anything "get lost" by focusing the goal....none of that.

So let's reform that goal:

Goal: Keep training focused by dividing the session into strict, time-based segments, by the end of January; for example:
10 min warm up
10 min full body/cardio
20 min skill/power/whatever
10 min core/abs
10 min cool down

The goal is specific...if I were to get any more specific, I'd have to document how long each rep takes me, and while I should know that, is a bit too far. Let's face it, I roll out of bed 20 minutes to five most days, so if my windmills are off by a second or two, I can live with that.

It's measurable: the schedule laid out above keeps me at 60 minutes, start to finish. This also gives me an added ability to log my workouts based on the segments, and note when I deviate from said segment.
Attainable --"nothing to it, but to do it.". Also, the above schedule leaves some flexibility to combine segments for specialized workouts or to focus on a particular area. Prime example, is my 12/28/2011 session: the extra stretching took longer than 10 minutes, but I was able to utilize what would have been my Ab/Core time for that; I was able to complete everything else in the remaining 40 minutes.
Realistic -Absolutely. In fact, I kept this schedule for several months...somewhere I lost focus.
Timely - The goal included a specified date of committal; I admit, it's a little lame, but I actually started this today and should be on track in fairly short order...a week or so.

So, now that we have a basis for goal setting, we are going to be SMART; get a piece of paper and WRITE down your goals. Get a notebook, track your progress. Remain focused on what you want to accomplish it and make the sacrifices to get there.

That said, here are my goals for 2012:

1. Keep training focused by dividing the session into strict, time-based segments, by the end of January.
2. Increase leg press working rate to 800LBS (2 rep minimum) by February 1, 2012
3. Work toward 3 times bodyweight deadlift 1RM (1 rep max), based on average weight (180LBS) by Feb 4, 2012
4. Complete sandan test on Feb 10, 2012...preferably in one piece.
5. 100 consecutive double unders by May, 1 2012
6. Perform 100LB DB  Bench Press by Feb 1, 2012
7. Perform 225LB Bench Press 1RM by April 1, 2012
8. Perform 400LB Squat by June 1, 2012
9. Maintain ability to perform all achieved goals through end of 2012

Solid goal setting can take you anywhere you want to go;


OSU!
CM