Shiju-kata

I spent the weekend working on my shiju-kata. For my karate pals out there, no, it's not a martial dance with hidden deadly technique. Shiju (40) and kata (shoulder) is a Japanese term referring to shoulder immobility characteristic of desk-bound types in their 40's. My shiju-kata presents itself as an inability to touch fingertips of opposite hands when one arm is raised above shoulder level, elbow bent, hand behind the head, while the other arm reaches up from behind. In truth, I had poor shoulder mobility long before I hit my 40's. It's only now that I am trying to address it.

One of the things I'm doing to combat shiju-kata is to raise one forearm behind my back with the aid of nylon webbing. The webbing loops around the wrist and drapes towards the front of the opposite shoulder. Pull down on the free end. You need to do this move while seated in a chair. With the arm raise in this position, lean into the chair back and enjoy the pain.

12-13-10 (more density training)

-15 minutes of squat-clean press and weighted pull-ups

-2 reps of each per minute

The no-mas-ometer reads 3.8. Ouch.

My lower back fatigued before I could get to 20 minutes. I stopped at the 15 minute mark rather than risk injury. You can bet I'll be hitting the lacrosse balls for recovery.