full body isometric exercise

9-28-11
-200 kb swings
-weighted shiko dachi hold (24 kgs, 1.5 min)

I came up with the weighted shiko dachi a couple of days ago. In the past I had walked around with dumbbells held up by my shoulders in a rack position. It's a great full body isometric exercise, but as I get fatigued, I tended to let the curve of my spine take the weight-not a good thing. Enter the weighted kiba dachi hold. Shiko dachi, for anyone who hasn't taken a karate class, is a wide legged stance where your knees are bent close to parallel, knees and toes are angled outwards. Grab a kettlebell by the horns and draw it up to your chin, hold it close to the body. Assume the shiko dachi position and hold. Don't forget to breathe. After a few seconds, it will be hard to find a muscle group that is not quivering from the effort: pecs, delts, traps, lats rhomboids, abs, erector spinae, glutes, quads. Like Nana's soup, it's all in there.

9-26-11
-weighted pull-ups with off-set negatives (2x5, 3x6, 24 kgs)
-rack hold (2x24 kgs, 2x1 min)
-weighted shiko dachi hold (24 kgs, 1 min)

Clean the db's to your shoulders and walk around for a minute. Rest and repeat. There's your rack hold. I felt like I strained a pec on the weighted off-set negative. Gotta watch that. Maybe more warm-up.

9-24-11
-3hrs of sambo with sambosteve

I have been looking forward to this striking and throwing seminar for weeks. Although the turnout was small, some of the most progressive and influential Kyokushin instructors in the tri-state area were in attendance. My orthopedist would not have been happy to hear what I was doing, but I organized the event. I had to be there. Besides, good buds were signed-up.

For some, throwing and falling were new experiences. I was pretty happy to work on closing-in with a technique Steve called Key 2.

9-23-11
-circular pull-ups (8x10)

Pull-up Project:
660 bw
121 weighted (24 kgs)
25 weighted (26.5 kgs)
25 weighted (25.2 kgs)
44 weighted (40.8 kgs)
40 weighted (42 kgs)

double stuff

I took two back-to-back classes of sambo last night. Both were very good classes. The first one was spent setting up a throw, tani otoshi (again sorry for the Judo terminology) in a self defense situation, and then transitioning to a choke on the ground. Steve, the instructor, pointed out the importance of using gravity and bodyweight to get most of the work done. The next class was an advanced level class which included some sparring at the end. We worked on sasae tsurikomi ashi. Sparring was limited to this throw, which makes it difficult to execute because there is no element of surprise. Once a throw was executed, one minute of mat work. The grappling is easily the most grueling. By the end of class, I was well done.

7-20-11
-100 kb swings
-weighted pull-ups (80 lbs, 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1)

Check engine lights

The check engine light is flashing on your dashboard. What do you do? Last night at during Sambo class warm-up, my check engine light went on. We were sort of running in circles on the mat: take two steps, then take a knee, repeat. Usually, warm-ups in general, and this exercise in particular, are no problem. I was having a bit of difficulty with the running and kneeling. I took this as a sign-not enough rest. I promised myself to be extra careful.

We worked on grip changes, then grip changes into throws. The throws were variations of morote seionage (again, sorry I don't know the Russian equivalent): normal grip, two hands on lapel, one on lapel the other guiding the legs over. There's a version of the seionage throws where you shoot one leg deep into your opponent's stance. A karateka might recognize zenkutsu dachi in there. The last throw in the series was tani otoshi, which kinda looks like kiba dachi, gedan barai. You had to be there.

Luckily, we didn't do any sparring or mat work. I was pretty tired.

Back on the scene

So I returned from 2 weeks of vacation in Vienna. Great holiday destination, BTW, lot's of stuff to see all within a few tram, bus or train stops. The beauty of this particular destination was not marred by thoughts of exercise.

7-5-11
-29 pull-ups
-50 burpees (3'39")
-db push press (75lbs, 2x3x5)
-5x(10 burpees + 10 roll-outs)

7-6-11
-2x(10 burpees + 5 pull-ups)
-Sambo class

My lower back and hips have been tight since deplaning, so I didn't feel too committed to complete 100 burpees, plus I had Sambo class later on in the day. In Sambo we worked on a throw which looked like a cross between Judo's kouchi gari and a single leg take-down. Basically you block your opponent's foot with your own and then grab his leg and push him over. After that I did two, two minute rounds of grappling. I was going mostly for chokes but couldn't sink any. I did score a reversal though, which I pulled out in the last seconds. The weighted pull-ups and cleans really pay off when you are fighting on your back.

My pet project this summer is to get my kids conditioned. I offered them a choice of burpees or rowing and they chose rowing. I introduced them to the Concept II model C and Mr. Tabata. Both kids benefitted from having seen me row. Their form needed a little tweeking, but they were up and spinning in no time.

10,655/[238]
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The ol' homestead

My wife just happened upon a real estate listing featuring our former home in Tokyo. Interestingly enough, the video was taken while we still lived there, oh about 4 years ago. That's out Honda Fit parked out front and my mountain bike under wraps on the side. Natsukashii.




Yesterday was a rest day. I cranked out 22 pull-ups and I was done. I did work on some stretching though.

6-8-10
-10x(10 burpees+ 5 pull-ups)

Throwing class at Sambo. We worked on a hip throw with an over the back grip that ended up looking a lot like osoto makikomi and another which was pretty much uchi mata. From the throws we transitioned into straight and bent arm locks. With the crash pad, you can really slam your partner into the ground without worry. Good stuff.

6-10-11
-3x20 shrugs & heel raises
-2x3x5 db push press (65lbs L, 70 lbs R)
-14x10 burpees

OK, so I got off my fanny and worked out a little bit today. I was planning on doing some db power cleans, but my wrist won't allow it. I went with the shrugs/heel raises followed by push presses. The shrugs offered a little mini grip endurance challenge.

9,725/[238]

A man's gotta know his limitations

Last Monday's 200 burpee extravaganza was the gift that kept on giving. It wasn't until today, Thursday, that I could even attempt another burpee. Despite the fatigue, I was able to make last night's Sambo class, where we worked on a mash-up of the Judo throws harai goshi and osoto makikomi. Basically you wrap the arm as in osoto makikomi and use your hip as in harai goshi. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of this technique in Russian.

We also worked on tumbling: basic forward rolls; back rolls; back roll to a hand-stand and kip. I felt pretty good throughout the class- no residual signs of fatigue. This gave me the confidence to contemplate burpees again.

5-26-11
-31 bw pull-ups (pr?)
-6x2x10 secs, one-handed, bent arm hangs
-10x(10 burpees + 3 db C&P)*

It was the pull-ups that let me know that my energy levels had come back to almost normal today. I kipped on the last rep, so I'm not sure I can count it as a pr, but call it a sloppy 31. On the bent arm hangs, I felt a little ambitious, so I spiced the isometric with a little concentric. I didn't time the burpees, but it felt no longer than previous attempts.

As Clint Eastwood's Harry Callahan said in Magnum Force , "a man's gotta know his limitations." 200 burpees? just shoot me.

8,605/[238]

* Some folks have criticized this routine as more of a conditioning than strength routine, like skipping rope. Meh, make the db's progressively heavier and you'll be conditioned and strong.