Shotokan goes back to fundimentals

[Shotokan]

After three months of fairly consistent workouts, it's time to put my newly added hip strength and mobility to use and focus more on Karate.  

 

1 - More Karate training - Karate class at home each week

Ever since one of my Senseis, who is also my Iaido Sensei, retired over two years ago, I no longer have the same amount of fundamental training that I had back then.  I am told by my kata coach that my basics are very good but I still feel that need more of the back and forth drills that I used to do in class each Thursday night.  With that said, this time, I have to get in that second Karate workout each week at home along with my formal Karate class each week.

 

2 - Kick, kick and kick some more - Kicks at least 5 days a week

Now that my hips are starting to cooperate, it's time to work on some kicks again.  Sets of 5 kicks with each leg to start and I will see where it goes from there.

 

3 - Time to cut the fat

Doing all the workouts I did over the last three months really helped me pack on some leg and glute mass but it also helped me gain over 15 pounds and some of that is in my waist.  Needless to say, I like the smaller waist and I do feel that I am carrying a bit too much weight even though is has had any impact on my endurance.  I'm eating less now than I was before so I am not totally sure where the weight came from but I want to spend the next four weeks figuring out how to take it off.

 

Life challenge - Level up my life

I recently bought Steve's excellent book and am about a third of the way through it and I really like what he is saying.  I have read many self help books and I went to see Tony Robbins last year but for some reason, I have this big motor and my tires are spinning instead of it taking my life forward.  With that said, I want to finish Steve's book and starting implementing what he suggests over the next 30 days.  I think I already have my alter ego picked out and now it's time to get going with it.

[Kishi]

So what you're saying is, you're going to side kick fools. Okay. This is a good use of hip strength.

[Shotokan]

Today starts the building of the foundation.  It's the big rock on the bottom that I am working on now.

 

 

When I would workout years ago, I train so hard that my muscles would feel almost like jello at the end of the workout.  I would be dripping in sweat and as I would do each set, I would keep asking myself if I can finish that set.  Today was one of the days that brought back memories from long ago.  In order to cut down my fat, I am trying something called German Body Comp training.  This is a workout based on supersets between the upper and lower body with somewhat reduced rest times.  Needless to say, this was a really hard workout for me and the nice part is, I even talked the Typhoon into doing it.

 

I started with some dynamic stretching with leg swings to the front, side and back and then I got right into it.

 

Squats - 3 x 15 ( In order to keep the corrected body mechanics I did these while holing on the upright for the squat rack) I can get lower now than I ever have before.

Superset with:

One arm dumbbell rows - 3 x 20 x 15 each arm

 

Kettlebell deadlift - 3 x 35 x 12

Superset with:

Dumbbell bench press - 3 x 20ea x 15

 

Step up - 7 each leg

Superset with:

Dumbbell press - 3 x 10ea x 12

 

This doesn't look like much on paper but after 60 seconds rest between each superset, I was starting to shake.  Also, the cadence for the reps was 4 seconds down, 0 pause, 1 second up and 0 pause.  

 

The jury is out until tomorrow on whether or not I will ever want to do this again but I will admit, it did feel pretty good over all.

 

Some very shaky kata finished up the workout and now it is time to read a few more pages of Steve's book. 

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

Looks like you're off to a great start! Kata when your muscles are tired is always a shaky kata, but it's good for your muscles

[Shotokan]

Last nights workout really did a number on my hamstrings but I did my Karate workout at home.  Since my Karate do not resume until next week, I wanted to make sure that I get in at least two classes at home this week.

 

Moving through the kihon with sore legs didn't really help but by the time I got to doing kata, I was moving okay again.  I ended up getting in 14 Shotokan katas along with 10 Iaido katas after I was done with my Karate class.

 

I finished up with a set of 10 glute bridges for a 4 second hold, side leg raises with 2 second hold and two sets of 20 second planks.  I did the planks a little different tonight by tightening my glutes as hard as possible.  It seems to make the plank feel much more rigid but it also makes it feel much more intense. 

 

I also did 5 side thrust kicks for each leg at work today. 

[Shotokan]

Wednesday's workout consisted of 15 minutes of static stance training.  This included front, back and horse stances held for 60 seconds each time.  

 

The 15 minutes is something from Steve's book about devoting at least 15 minutes to your goal each day. 

 

Some kata finished up the day along with reading more of Steve's book.

[Shotokan]

Today was Karate workout at home.  Today's theme was to move throw each technique fast, tense and then relax as fast as possible.  I have found that I often tense my muscles for too long which makes it hard to move the next technique.  This is something that I have been working on for many years now and it's finally starting to work.

 

I also did my side thrust kicks as part of this workout.  I wanted to lift tonight but my hamstrings are still extremely sore from the workout on Monday.  I guess I should have took it a little easier with the leg work. 

 

Time to read more of Steve's book. 

[Shotokan]

Friday wasn't much of a workout day.  Some kata was about all I did.

 

Today's workout went a little better along with teaching three hours of Karate.  It felt good to be back teaching.  It's something that I really miss and I really need to find the time to get there more often.

 

Today's workout was something that I came up with to help burn the fat and work my hips at the same time.  This was done as two circuits.  

 

Lat pulldown - palms out - 70 x 15
Glute bridge - 15
Band high pull - 15
Fire hydrant  - 15 each leg
Deadlift - 20 x 15 - kept these extra light since I want my hamstrings to settle down.
Lying side leg raise - 15 each leg
Squats - 15
Push ups - 10
Plank - 20 seconds

 

I want to work up to 4 or 5 circuits over the next few weeks.

 

Some side thrust kicks, stretching, kata and the foam roller finished it up.

[Shotokan]

Sunday was kata training with my kata coach.  We worked on some specific parts of a couple kata that I felt were lacking.

 

Monday a was supposed to be a full workout day but a nasty headache kept me from doing it.  Instead, I did Cheechoe's awesome hip routine, which took care of my daily kicks, along with some kata, some extra stretches and time with the foam roller and that horrible little device called the lacrosse ball. The foam was painful enough but the lacrosse ball was even worse because it targets those places that the foam roller just can't reach.  Some kata finished up the day.

[Shotokan]

I almost forgot,  Here is how I train my kicks at work...  Needless to say, we are hiring again.

 

[Shotokan]

Tuesday's Karate class was excellent. It was our first day back after a two week break and my Sensei made sure that he made up for the two weeks off by torturing us.  I almost didn't make it because of work but I ended up making it home, changing into me gi and then back out the door to the dojo.

 

It was a lot of kata work and 10 minutes of solid basics at the end of the class but I made it through it.  The best part was that it was a great class but the worst part was, when I went to sleep, my hip hurt so much, it gave me the chills.  I had to go to sleep with the electric blanket and two others.  This doesn't happen often but when it does, I know I had good workout.

 

Luckily, today, I went to see my chiropractor this morning and he worked on my hips.  I might be more sore now than I was before I went but I know that in a couple days, my hip will be better for a while. 

 

I'm not sure what it making my hip so sore and I think it might be from all the stretching I have been doing but either way, I need to fix it.

 

No workout tonight except for some light kata and then it's off to bed d bye...

[Kishi]

Well, you might have got a good workout, but if you've been worked to the point where you have chills for the pain, that's... I mean dang.

 

Still, a good class is a good class. I've limped off the dojo floor before and thought it was awesome, even if I did end up paying a price for it.

[Shotokan]

 

Well, you might have got a good workout, but if you've been worked to the point where you have chills for the pain, that's... I mean dang.

 

Still, a good class is a good class. I've limped off the dojo floor before and thought it was awesome, even if I did end up paying a price for it.

It might have been my body telling me that I need a little rest and I ended up not doing much except for kata over the last few days. I did teach for couple hours today so that was some movement but I plan on working out tonight to try and get back in the groove.

[Shotokan]

Since Sunday, I started playing with a new hip routine.  It is really simple but I can also feel all through my hips and glutes.  It's by Rick Kaselg and it is only four simple band movements.  The link is below if anyone is interested.

 

http://exercisesforinjuries.com/4-resistance-band-exercises-for-legs-and-hips/

 

I do two sets of each of those movements and then three pnf stretches.  I have done this three days in a row and it does seem to help since I did it before Karate class.

 

Karate class was extremely tough for some reason.  I'm not sure if it was the 30 minutes of sparring drills, the 15 minutes of kihon or the 15 minutes of kata.  We did only five katas but I am almost bowed out on the last kata.  My I should have picked one with less than 54 moves but after the four other black belt katas before it, my head wasn't really right at that point anyway.  Either way, I made it through class with an extremely read face and pain in my side and lungs from breathing so hard but I am hear today to type about it.

 

The downside is, something happened to my shoulder overnight.  I don't know if I slept wrong or if it was from class but either way, the pain is nasty and I goes from my lower trap to my neck.  I'm sure if will go away but if not, I am hoping to see my chiropractor on Friday if need be.  

 

Today I did the band hip routine, some static stretching and kata with some foam roller on my upper back to try and fix whatever I broke.

[Cephalopod_Dreams]

Thanks for the hip routine share  I will be looking in to that