Physical Conditioning

I know this has been covered before in various ways

But id like to know what if anything our members do in the way of conditioning.
Stamina, strength, explosive power, Endurance.

Mine personally is weight training 3 times a week, not for size just strength and stamina,
bag work, usually LOTS of it, as well as focus mitts for a good number of rounds, failing rounds on pads I do drills featuring the tools i use, cross, hook, power slap, etc etc, and drill in 100's for each hand, each shot as hard as the first or try to at least.

not to mention instructing people and getting hands on during the week also.
press ups, hindu squats, sprawls, all in between rounds on the pads and bag at times also.

So come on guys,
let us have your regimes and see what we can do to improve ourselves.

Craig

I admit I do nothing physical, im probably asking on the wrong thread but do you need to train physical daily for self protection?

Regards,

Den.

Hey Den

I know people who only train a couple of days a week
I have one guy who trains with me and only does one day a week and he does pretty damn well. I think it is a matter of personal preference and based on how fast you wish to develop your skills. its the same with anything

if you play guitar once a week for an hour eventually you will get some chords and play a tune, if you do it 5 days a week for an hour the time to play the tune is a lot less.

I personally train more than most of my friends who practice, I have done bag work and sessions 5 days a week, but I know instructors who do 2 classes a week. again mate it depends how fast you wish to progress.

the more time you put in, the better the results. plus it good to hone what you already know and improve on it, and you cant do that while you are not training.

Craig

Had some really good results doing the Bas Rutten work out .Get a few like minded together and it soon gets competetive .Cool dutch accent to boot.
They can be done on a bag , pads or shadow
Karl

first time i did the bas rutten workout, i completely underestimated how hard it was going to be. i threw some ankle weights around my wrists to make it a bit harder..... hehehehe. didnt do it again

@ Rick

its a good work out,
bloody hard work though

Craig

It depends what you want out of your training I guess.

If it's pure self protection then you obviously don't need as much fitness to 3-second-fight as you do if you're planning on getting in the ring.

For me, the fitness element helps me to enjoy the arts more - I can train for longer, discover more, and generally get more out of them.

It's also a proven fact that someone who trains and is fit will carry themselves differently, the way they walk and stand all changes - usually alot more confidently.
It's also proven that this change in posture and gait can drastically improve your chances of being omitted from the selection pool of potential attackers.
So, if nothing else, being fit can help you avoid personal attack simply because you walk differently!!!

If we want to take self protection to it's truest means, then one example is that we're statistically more likely to suffer a stress related illness than we are from being physically attacked in the street.
So self protection to me also means protecting ourselves from ourselves. Being more in tune with our bodies (not in that way Mick T!), being more in control, being fitter and healthier, being stronger physically and mentally.
Our training, amongst other things, can help with that.

Take care all

AL

Nice one rick .Dumbest one (or personal best I dunno) was 7 -3min rounds MMA workout followed straight away by the 28min non-stop workout in a gym with hard carpet and barefoot

Nice One Al cracking post mate

Self confidence is a huge part of training, and its incredible the difference in how you feel once you have trained no matter what it is that you do.

Hey Karl

28 min workout barefoot on carpet mate, jeez. glutten for punishment I think. I once got burns on my knees from a class on floorboards, and a black eye, the mrs asked me what kind of a class I had been to. I dunno.... some people just seem to look at things differently.

Craig

A recent article I wrote on the whole attitude I have towards martial arts training: http://www.clubbchimera.com/?p=291

In basic terms I set priorities to manage my time most effeciently.

1. Specific Training - Working a particular area and training it inside out.

2. Attribute Training/Cross Training - Researching the best martial arts methods to develop the attributes to improve your specific training. For example, you box to improve your punching not necessarily to become a highly skilled boxer.

3. Functional Fitness - Solo and partner work used to condition the body in the most productive way. See Ross Boxing, Gym Jones, Training for Warriors and Mo Teague's Red Flag Days for an idea of the type of training that comes under this category.

Hiya

I have to say I train most nights, either classes or personal. Sometimes even both! (yeah fruit cake!)

Personal is for my stamina as much as anything, (but I spend a huge amount of time at a computer or on the road for work so it is my way of getting rid of stress) so I run, use the cross trainer and then do weights and I have leg weights which I use for floor work and then spend time building my core muscles (the tum!) either through just normal stomach crunches/excerises or by thinking about being on the floor and moving around on my back with my legs out in front as though kicking someone (yep everyone in my gym thinks I am mad as well!)

I shadow box and go over routines as well, I have a punch bag in the garage so I use that to do combinations, sprawl and then do combinations, sprawl repeating over and over.

I continuously try to imagine a person in front of me when I can, so when I am using the fitness ball I am pulling someone in a head lock etc (anyone else think I should see a doctor yet?)

Pretty much I use my personal training to improve my fitness levels so that I hope I will heighten my ability in my MA/self protection training and develop mentally, expanding upon techniques etc

Take care

Cheers for the Insight Tigger

Thought I was the only one who gets funny looks when training.
still its all good fun and keeps us in the shape we are.

Sounds impressive though Tig

Keep it up
Craig

Love this subject as you may imagine. Having spent most of my life pursuing extreme exercise regimes, I invariably get fairly passionate about it given the chance.
The secret of fitness is not just, I think, the endless ratcheting of upping training routines and loading more and more stress on the body. It is like many aspects of life, not least Martial Arts and fighting, whereby paradoxically the more relaxed you are the more alert and ready to cope you are. I'm sure Al Peasland and other of you guys who've done the doors would agree that the ability to relax and control the adrenalin is an automatic advantage in an impending confrontation and ensures more control over all bodily functions and movements.
I believe that a similar edict applies in fitness. We used to do these runs in combat kit and it was always noticable that on the approach to a hill, heads would drop, expressions would change and breathing would begin to quicken, sometimes even before the hill had really kicked in. The vicious circle psychology of fitness begins then - see hard task ahead - brain tells lungs, "oh no, not going to enjoy this". - lungs quicken correspondingly, send messages to brain - "we can't cope, send more oxygen" - Brain begins to panic, tensing up limbs and lungs and the whole process escalates into eventual bodily submission. Real fitness lies in the control of this circle. If you can train your brain to relax when under physical stress and tell yourself that you ain't going to die, the threshold at which you overload rises beyond what you thought was possible.

Of course, like Al said, if you can't fight, maybe you'll only be in the mix for three seconds - in which case, just ignore the above as it might not be relevant!!

If anyone is interested in developing strength, particularly dynamic/explosive strength, then I can highly recommend this book by Bompa and Carrera:

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/591771/Periodization-Training-for-Sports/Product.html

It was a main reading source for undergraduate sport science study but not too difficult to understand. It has strength training plans for martial arts, boxing and wrestling (as well as other sports), but the main ideas you get from it are how to structure your weight training into a proper and beneficial plan; especially rotating max strength work with explosive power work etc. It explains why to avoid conventional body building methods and gives examples of what to do. I've based all my weight training around it now (only twice a week now) and seen lots of benefits.

Hope thats helpful to anyone.

Nath

Cheers Nath

Think I may take a look at that

Craig

Nathan - great recommendation - getting it tomorrow

Al, excellent post, and very very relevant.
I think we often forget how much fitness is linked to psychology.
I wouldn't begin to be able to offer any advice on the level that you can so this one is definitely over to you mate.

I'd be interested to know some of the training routines you did during your military career, particularly as it is kept very shrouded, but also the techniques you learned to manage this circle of fitness.

Do you actively now try to find ways to re-create those psychological feelings that can hamper your fitness and performance.

For example, we know that simply increasing our heart rate by physical exercise does not fully bring on the same performance side-effects as a heart rate that's been increased due to fear.
So I guess this will be the same when trying to recreate those feelings you mention when the body is beginning to panic about the impending difficult exercise ahead.

Thanks for the contribution mate - I'm keen to hear more

AL

I'm tempted to have a butchers too. Am currently going through "Training for Warriors" by Martin Rooney, which the most comprehensive and specific book I have read on the subject (my BJJ coach is in it too ;-) ). Here are some great sites along the lines of what I mean by "Functional Fitness":
http://www.gymjones.com/
http://www.trainingforwarriors.com/
http://www.rossboxing.com/

I agree with you, Al, regarding the psychological connection. I believe that at least one workout a week should be geared towards pushing yourself past your perceived boundaries.

I had a look through that 'training for warriors' the other day and it does look very good. I am a fan of functional training and have been for a while now, although I always feel like i'm battling with myself to find the perfect weekly routine mixing MA and strength training. Currently I spend the majority of my training time doing MA but will put one session of functional stuff in every week. eg tonight was a kettlebell complex circuit. Sometimes I will put bodyweight stuff in and occasionally I'll do some weights but they do have to be functional. I also like to put in an extra couple of exercises onto the end of a MA session eg. pull ups or KB snatches, depending on how intense it has been. For the time being this is working what I need, but no doubt that'll change again in a few weeks.
Also, as Jamie has mentioned the above websites, there is also www.crossfit.com which is another site where you can get some killer workouts from and for those into Kettlebells I can recommend going to www.intensefitness.co.uk and getting the 'Kettlebell Bible' as it is incredibly informative, scientific, has great exercise descriptions and has some excellent workouts in it too.

I think you are right Al, about the diff between the two. One I suppose triggers the adrenalin dump Geoff T talks about. Fitness is inner conflict. Its about finding a means to control the levels within the body of lactic acid and another stuff called creatine phosphate. We have 20 seconds or so of creatine in us, which allows really explosive movement like sprinting but its precious stuff and needs to be used sparingly. How many times do you see guys starting off routines too hard, then fading rapidly. It is only through regular and increased conditioning that the body will learn to deal with the lactic levels.
I'm aware that I've been spouting on about the power of the mind but it can only take you so far. Some conditioning has to take place. I am passionate about core fitness and that is something we find very noticable at FFMA. You can see the guys who have this. Its a strength from within almost. And its a strength that is usually there from a way of life. We have a student who is a stonemason and he's a nightmare in the clinch. Yet you can clinch up with some of the bodybuilders and there is no substance to them. Look at some of the UFC guys, noticably Matt Hughes - farm boy - chucking bales of hay around and wrestling with animals and he still does it now to train for fights in spite of all the technological fitness machines around now. AMC Steve is def looking down the right road with the kettlebells, as they work not just target areas but stability muscles too and its these that are crucial to core strength.
Rabbiting on a bit mate but hey, love it. As for military stuff we used to do, there was nothing too out the ordinary, just lots of it. You would be pushed beyond your limits many times a day, way beyond what you could push through your own self discipline. But thats how the threshold is raised. I remember you Al talking about how you felt before animal days and the excuses you'd try to think of to make to not go. But you went and your threshold was raised because of it. It was the same for me. There are many military guys in the martial arts and they bring their training techniques to their clubs. It requires real willingness on the part of their students for it to work as extreme training requires extreme committment. To me I think you cant go far wrong in following Peter Consterdines fitness philosophy - do that and you'll soon be bloody fit!!

Hey Alan,

Nice post as usual mate, you can really feel the passion you have.
absolutely fantasic mate look forward to more of the same soon I hope.

PS,
I agree totally about Peter C, and if you cant keep up, you will be bloody told, ( Peter Stylee ). all good fun though, and makes us stronger within.

Craig

Thanks Craig, you are so on the ball mate.

I try mate

its good to keep an eye in from time to time.
just looking through FFMA at the articles on here.

Mate, you have got a cracking way with words lol.
absolutely brilliant reading.
keep them coming mate