Shotokan

33 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Trying to figure out how to merge my Shotokan with Muay Thai and Boxing;

That is the path to enlightenment.  Oh boy, I sound really Zen now.  Serious face on now, this is the same path that I am moving down now. I have my foundation is in Shotokan but now it's time to break out of the confines of the style. I have been taking Zoom classes with a Karate instructor named Rick Hotton, who I have wanted to train with for years, and his words, that his Aikido Sensei told him, there is no style.  This doesn't mean to throw away what you have learned but instead, build upon what you already have learned.

 

Also, the blog post, after two years of not posting on the blog, is: http://www.shotokanplanet.org/2021/03/sunday-karate-training-and-a-long-overdue-update/

Day one - March 28th:

 

Even though I was late to the party again, I did have a good workout yesterday.  Karate class on my own and 70 minutes of training made for a good workout.  Also, I published a blog post for the first time in over two years so this challenge is starting with a bang.

 

Apple Watch Goals:

Move - 735 / 620

Exercise - 70 / 35

Stand - 14 / 12

After missing two challenges because of work and well, more work, I am back.  Oddly, during those two missed challenges, I had some of the most consistent training. It isn't anything earth shattering but the workouts were good and the 15 minute morning workout has because a habit that helps me through the workday. It's time to stop typing and start training because it's good to be back.

 

1. Close all three rings on my Apple watch seven times a week for the entire challenge.

This Apple watch is a devious little device. It makes me workout and get up and move like a little drill instructor on my wrist. Closing all three rings each day is a serious boost to my training motivation and this time around, closing those rings seven days a week is a want to do but a requirement.

 

2. At least one extra Karate class a week.

I haven't been to the dojo for in-person training in over a year but I have at least one Zoom class each week.  On top of that class, a second class each week is the goal here. Another Zoom or my own training class in my home dojo will suffice but either way, a full hour of extra, structured training is the goal.

 

3. Publish at least one blog post per week.

I have been battling this goal for what seems to be years now but this time around I know I can do it.

 

Extra credit: Any type of mobility or strength training is a plus.

On 12/9/2020 at 2:56 PM, sarakingdom said:

I just came along to harass everyone who wasn't Xmas-challenging, and noticed you went radio silent several weeks ago. Everything okay?

Thanks for checking on me.  I had some crazy hours at work and all the time I had away from the office was spent training.  It figures that one of my best workout months wasn't in the challenges.

Day fourteen:

 

Ah, this was a serious workout day.  Kata in the morning and two hard Zoom classes in the late afternoon. Walking was rough after the classes but that comes with the territory.

 

Move 1220/610

Exercise 144/35

Stand 12/12

 

Day fifteen:

 

No kata today, just some weights and a core workout.

 

Move 647/610

Exercise 50/35

Stand 13/12

Many good workouts over the last 10 days or so.

 

Day five:

 

Move 684/610

Exercise 38/35

Stand 16/12

 

Day six:

 

Move 635/610

Exercise 35/35

Stand 14/12

 

Day seven:

 

Move 653/610

Exercise 36/35

Stand 13/12

 

Day eight:

 

Move 817/610

Exercise 71/35

Stand 12/12

 

Day nine:

 

Move 632/610

Exercise 36/35

Stand 16/12

 

Day ten:

 

Move 747/610

Exercise 37/35

Stand 16/12

 

Day eleven:

 

Move 617/610

Exercise 54/35

Stand 14/12

 

Day twelve:

 

Move 764/610

Exercise 35/35

Stand 15/12

 

Day thirteen:

 

Move 625/610

Exercise 41/35

Stand 15/12

 

Lots of good workouts since my last time checking in.  Kata and some other training each morning and Grokker, bands, weights or core workouts at night.

 

On 10/31/2020 at 1:30 AM, Kishi said:

One piece of wisdom I've heard is that bodies are generally stiffer in the morning and loosen over the course of the day. I used to hear that if you were going to do morning work of the kind you're talking about that you should drink something hot to raise your core temperature a little bit, so you know, coffee, tea, that kind of thing. Dunno if that'd help or if your situation lends itself to that, but might not be a bad idea.

Moving cold would be rough for me.  I train after I shower so it seems to get my body temp up enough to move pretty well.

Day one:

 

The first day of the challenge was my day of rest.  I ended up getting in two Grokker workouts for core and mobility and some kata to finish it off. 

 

Move 471/610

Exercise 38/35

Stand 14/12

 

Day two:

 

Today started with kata in the morning and a short mobility routine to get me ready for the day.  The night time workout was a very tough Grokker workout

 

Move 662/610

Exercise 53/35

Stand 15/12

 

Day three:

 

Morning workout was kata and mobility. The night workout was a couple more katas and my hip workout which I got a little crazy with by doing a few too many sets but it started and just kept going.

 

Move 656/610

Exercise 37/30

Stand 14/12

 

Day four:

 

Today started again with kata and mobility.  This short little workout really does great things for my head before and I notice that my hips are much more mobile until afternoon.  The night workout was some band core work along with some forearm training. 

 

Move 650/610

Exercise 41/30

Stand 14/12

 

Trying to continue the forward moving progress from the last challenge, this time around is much of the same but different.

 

1. Close all three rings on my Apple watch six times a week for the entire challenge.

The Apple watch has been a big help on making me workout.  For this challenge, I want to close my rings at least six days each week.  I only missed two of day over the last challenge but when I have double Zoom classes a rest day after might be in order. 

 

2. Four workouts per week in addition to my Karate training.

Four days of structured workouts such as Grokker, dumbbell circuits, band or body-weight workouts.  The can include strength training, mobility and or flexibility but it needs to be structured to count.

 

3. Write 500 words per week.

I did start writing during the last challenge, which is more than I did in the last couple years.  This time around doing 500 words per week should be doable.

On 10/22/2020 at 10:58 PM, Kishi said:

Nice. Looks like this all came together rather well for you.

Yes it did.  I didn't really follow my goals but I had some good training sessions and made some great progress..

Day thirty one:

 

I missed day 23 some how so I have two day 31's.

 

Kata and core work was all but still a good workout.

 

616 active calories

48 minutes of training

14 stand hours

 

Day thirty two:

 

All kata day with some kicks for good measure.

 

617 active calories

33 minutes of training

13 stand hours

 

Day thirty three:

 

This was a mix of workouts all in one.  There was kata, five dumbbell circuits, and core training along with three Grokker workouts.

 

623 active calories

80 minutes of training

13 stand hours

 

Day thirty four:

 

Another mix of workouts with kata in the morning, then the five circuit dumbbell circuit and two Grokker workouts at night.

 

680 active calories

57 minutes of training

13 stand hours

Day thirty one:

 

Today was the first day of my vacation.  This is my first full week off from work in over five years.  I spent a lot of time doing things that weren't too challenging today but I was able to get in a good workout tonight with some unplanned cardio, dumbbell training, band work and kata. 

 

610 active calories

83 minutes of training

13 stand hours

5 hours ago, Kishi said:

Test days are interesting days! Was that by design or was it just one of those days where the training gets funny?

It was just one of those days where it all came together.  I knew I had two Zoom classes and even though I have had two before, this time both classes were tough and almost back to back.

Day twenty seven:

 

Getting back in the groove.  A good workout in the morning with some kata and another workout at night with some more kata.

 

716 active calories

32 minutes of training

16 stand hours

 

Day Twenty eight:

 

Another good session in the morning followed with some more kata at night and some bodyweight training.

 

662 active calories

39 minutes of training

15 stand hours

 

Day twenty nine:

 

Saturday was a test of my training up until this point. I had two Zoom classes and a fast paced outdoor walk mowing the lawn.  The Zoom classes pushed me harder than I can remember training in a very long time with lots of kata and basics along with kumite drills.  I need a few more days like this and I think I broke my training record for active calories and training.

 

1452 active calories

165 minutes of training

12 stand hours

 

Day thirty:

 

Mostly recovery from yesterday with some outside yard work, kata at night with dumbbell circuits and some band work.

 

602 active calories

37 minutes of training

13 stand hours

Day twenty four:

 

Well, I guess it was time for me to take a break from training.  One Monday, I had my yearly stomach problem that always come right after the weather change here in the Midwest.  Stomach pain, cramps and overall body ache started and I ended up leaving work early to spend the next 14 to 16 hours on my back.  I did get in kata that morning but that was the only workout of the day.

 

443 active calories

22 minutes of training

9 stand hours

 

Day twenty five:

 

Not much better of a day but I did stay home from work and was able to get in some kata late at night.

 

365 active calories

21 minutes of training

12 stand hours

 

Day twenty six:

 

Much better today although I was five pounds lighter today than I was on Monday but I was able to eat again.  Kata this morning felt a little rough but as the day went on and I had some more food it got better.  Tonight was some band work along with a little dumbbell work and my daily numbers are getting back to normal.

 

680 active calories

32 minutes of training

16 stand hours

Day twenty one:

 

Kata before work on a Saturday was definitely needed.  After work came Zoom class and it was tough but not extreme.

 

953 active calories

86 minutes of training

13 stand hours

 

Day twenty two:

 

Another Zoom class.  This class was excellent with more concepts to work on.  Many of the concepts are things that I was told years ago but I am guessing I was not ready to understand them until now.  I have some things to work on that I will take me years to become competent at but that's why I train.

 

651 active calories

63 minutes of training

12 stand hours

On 10/3/2020 at 5:03 PM, Kishi said:

This. I'm not a fan of overtraining or anything like that, but there's sometimes a disconnect between feedback in the brain and reality in the body. I suspect that the brain on a certain level can either be bored or dissatisfied with what's going on in training and voices its dissatisfaction by making you cognizant of the creak in your joints and the aches and all those things.

 

A rule of thumb which I've heard and seems useful is to go through a warm up and see how you feel afterward. If you still feel bad, it's good to stop, but if you feel ready and like the feedback is positive, then it's good to get into some training of some kind and see how far the body goes. Sometimes that works out to not very much, but other times it can work out to a full session before you even know it.

I think there is often a disconnect between the brain and body.  I noticed that the times I really don't feel like training or I am stiff, my body takes over and my brain just lets go.  There are other times when my body doesn't want to work but my brain talks it into working.  I lost count of how many days I worked out in a row now, it's somewhere close to 90 I think.  It's becoming more a of a part of life instead of a burden. 

Day nineteen:

 

Morning kata is starting to get a little longer each day.  Even though I have to leave for work, the morning training is getting better and I don't want to stop.  The night workout was more kata and my core routine using a band.

 

611 active calories

36 minutes of training

15 stand hours

 

Day twenty:

 

More morning kata.  Today was a little stronger than usual.  Night time was some band work for balance, more kata and some Jo training.

 

610 active calories

37 minutes of training

14 stand hours

Day eighteen:

 

Morning kata went well.  The only problem with the morning kata is, I want to stay home and do more but work gets in the way again.  The night workout was two Grokker workouts and my mini core workout with the bands.  I didn't feel like working out but once I got moving, I am glad I did it.

 

615 active calories

38 minutes of training

14 stand hours

Day seventeen:

 

Kata in the morning for a little longer today.  All kata for tonight's workout.  I spent most of the workout doing breathing kata, which is a full breath between each technique.  It helps center my mind and get me to focus more on the movement instead of everything else.

 

751 active calories

42 minutes of training

14 stand hours

Day sixteen:

 

A simple but good workout day again.  Kata in the morning is pretty standard now and the night workout today was two Grokker classes along with some suitcase carries and halos.

 

605 active calories

44 minutes of training

14 stand hours

12 hours ago, Kishi said:

Sounds like your body's got the memo in the past couple days. Good to hear! How's the neck doing?

The neck is so much better.  I had a hard adjustment with my Chiropractor on Saturday and he cracked something that made everything loosen up.  Thanks for asking.

Day fourteen:

 

Great workout day.  Two Zoom classes and a lot of good training.  This was one of those days where my body was doing what is was supposed to do.

 

1112 active calories

135 minutes of training

13 stand hours

 

Day fifteen:

 

Another good workout day.  Three Grooker classes, my core workout and some suitcase carries along with a little kata.

 

626 active calories

57 minutes of training

14 stand hours

Day eleven:

 

Kata in the morning and some more kata with my core workout from before. 

 

648 active calories

33 minutes of training

17 stand hours

 

Day twelve:

 

Kata in the morning with two Grokker workouts at night. I need to get back into doing the mobility workouts again.

 

787 active calories

32 minutes of training

16 stand hours

 

Day thirteen:

 

Kata and kicks in the morning and two more Grokker workouts tonight.

 

735 active calories

46 minutes of training

16 stand hours

 

Day ten:

 

Today started with kata.  I would like to have the same feeling when I workout at night as I do in the morning.  My energy and my body seem to be aligned in the morning more than at night lately but work has to be done.  My other workout was more functional in nature.  I spent about an hour moving containers that were stored in my crawl space under the house.  Some kata and a little dumbbell work finished off the night.

 

648 active calories

33 minutes of training

16 stand hours