Interval Cardio Warm Up, 14 minutes

A 14 minute treadmill cardiovascular warm up routine. It takes less than 15 minutes to complete and since you can do almost anything for 15 minutes; there are no excuses, nike!

Elapsed Time	Duration (Minutes)	Intensity	Incline	Heart Rate	Zone
0	2	3.0	0	98 - 114	fitness
2	1	3.8	0	114 - 131	aerobic
3	1	3.8	3.0	131 - 147	anaerobic
4	1.5	3.0	6.0	131 - 147	anaerobic
5.5	2.5	3.8	< 5.0	147 - 164	VO2 max
8	1	3.0	6.5 - 7.5	131 - 147	anaerobic
9	2.5	3.8	3.0	114 - 131	aerobic
11.5	3	3.2	1 - 2	98 - 114	fitness

Upper-body curcuit #1

Although labeled 'upper-body' this is a great workout for the quads as well.

• Squat to row cables (35 lbs) x 15
• Bicep curl (red band) x 12
• Single lateral raise (red band) x 12
• Wu chi (30 seconds)

Repeat the curcuit three or four times.

Lower-body circuit #1

This is the first circuit that I am adding to my bi-weekly training routine.

• Step-up with lateral arm raise (5 lbs per hand) x 10 per leg
• One leg single shoulder press (10 lbs) x 12
• Medicine ball slams (full extention into squat) x 15
• Wu chi 30 seconds

Repeat the circuit three or four times.

"Uncle Willie's" pushups

Last night while leading the conditioning exercises Mr. Rypma said that during the Uncle Willie's exercise one should contract the abdominal. If one were strong enough and performing this on ice the body would jack knife.

This exercise is performed by prone, the forearms on the mat and lifting the body up off the ground so that it is parallel to the floor, weight on the forearms and balls of the feet. It is named for Grand Master Willie Adams.

I use to think that this was an "easy" exercise and an opportunity to rest. Not any more, it's bleeding hard work to pull the elbows to the toes. Can you say isometric? How about dynamic tension?

Dynamic Tension

Dynamic tension is a self-resistance exercise method which pits muscle against muscle. Similar to isometic exercise but with movement, you know, isokenetic.

"Dynamic-Tension" is a registered trademark of Charles Atlas, Ltd. Mr. Atlas watched a tiger stretching in the zoo and asked himself, "How does Mr. Tiger keep in physical condition? Did you ever see a tiger with a barbell?" He concluded that lions and tigers became strong by pitting muscle against muscle.

FYI, This principle was exemplified in the business concept of the balanced scorecard, pitting revenue against profit ratio in calculating sales commissions.

Mr. Oliver says that Grand Master Shimabuku wanted students to use dynamic tension to both develop strength and to focus on important movements. It is first introduced with Seiuchin Kate. This Gojo-Ryu kata uses dynamic tension to build strength and stamina through its ibuki breathing and strong muscular tension.

Example for legs. Do deep knee bends and flex hard your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hips and even calves. Keep the tension hard and steady, it will take some practice to do it all together, but the incredible pump and muscle growth you will get from it will be well worth your while.

Mind Your Body Program

Two weeks ago I started the Mind Your Body (MYB) program offered at the Karate dojo. It is working for me so I have decided to continue the program.

The way I am thinking of the program is as follows:

• Consume fewer calories
  
• Shrink size of the stomach
• Good nutrition
• Herbs to regulate body chemistry
• Protein carbohydrate balance to stabilize blood sugar
• Proper exercise in shorter bursts (20 minutes as opposed to 90 minutes)
• Positive thinking and meditation
• Body mind intention/integration
• "Eat well" 5 days a week, no worries 2 days a week
• Eliminate unconscious consumption of sweets
  

Hindu Press Ups and Squats

The book I'm reading this week is about a Japanese American assassin. My ears perked up this morning when he talked about his conditioning routine.

He does 250 Hindu push ups and 250 Hindu squats with forward and backward neck bridges and a few other exercises. All in 30 minute in his hotel room, no equipment necessary.

I imagined that the push ups were a variation of the sun salutation (surya namaskar) but I really hadn't heard of these before. Wikipedia rocks!

Turns out the Hindu press ups are similar to the Japanese pushups we do in Okazaki's Kawami.

FYI, the book is Killing Rain by Barry Eisler. This is part of the John Rain thriller series of which I am planning on continuing.

Jump Rope

When Grand Master Willie Adams was at the dojo he suggested a drill using a jump rope to improve your fighting abilities. I told Sharon about it and showed her the drill. (See "Skip Rope Drill".)

For Father's Day today Sharon gave me a Reebok speed jump rope with "T" handle.

I haven't done any solo rope skipping before so I went to the web for instruction.
Jump Into a Health Life is a site with a program to teach kids how to have fun with roles. Their skills page has what I need to get started.

The Jump Rope Institute is intended for adult athletes, PR for adult training. Redefine Jump Rope For The 21st Century. There is a good deal of information at this site, no need to look any further today. The following was grabbed from there:

Correct Jump Rope Technique

1. Hold handles with a firm grip, elbows close to sides.

2. Make small circles with wrists while turning the rope.

3. Keep torso relaxed, head erect and look straight ahead to keep balanced.

4. Jump only high enough to clear the rope, with light ankle knee motion.

5. During jumping, the rope should touch the surface lightly.

6. Never sacrifice good jumping form for speed!

Remember: the key to effective jumping is to be light on the balls of your feet.

I'd like to find some videos of proper technique (look on YouTube bro). Wikipedia has more info.