Kraut Workaut (was: Dice and Rune Yoga)
Mar 30, 2022 15:54:35 GMT
BigBruvOfEnglandUK, billfish, and 3 more like this
Post by kraut ᚲᚱᚨᚢᛏ on Mar 30, 2022 15:54:35 GMT
Hey folks,
I figured that after submitting my body and mind (the soul is untouchable) to all kinds of pain during my 37 years of full-contact martial "arts", it's about time to do something for my health instead of against it 😉
Just so you get an impression of where I've been so far on my journey:
When I was 14, I started full-contact karate, and bodyweight training was THE way to work out for me.
When I was 21, I added weight lifting to my karate, and this was THE way to work out for me.
When I was 25, I started kung fu, and the sifu told us weight training would slow us down, so bodyweight training was THE way to work out for me.
When I was 29, I started boxing and wrestling, and, seeing that the greats all had used both weights and bodweight, lifting and calisthenics were THE way to work out for me.
When I was 30, I discovered Furey's Combat Conditioning and old school calisthenics, and I knew high-rep bodyweight workouts were for me.
In the same year, I stumbled across old school chest expander training, and car-pulling and walking under load, and I knew that old school stuff was THE way to work out for me.
A while later, I also heard of isometrics and dug into them, but I didn't have enough good information and understanding, so I used them only when I didn't have the time for bodweight training.
When I was 33, I discovered Jon Peterson's "Pushing Yourself to Power", and loved it. So much indeed, that I used self-resistance for about 80 percent of my workouts, the rest was old school bodyweight training.
When I was 35, I added Russian combatives to my training, and slow bodyweight training (60 secs up, 60 secs down, or 2 minutes up, 2 minutes down) was another effective way to work out for me.
When I was 36, I picked up Pavel's first kettlebell book and was hooked, and the cannonballs were yet another great tool for me.
When I was 39, I became instructor for reality-based self-protection and military combatives, and trained with kettlebells almost exclusively.
When I was 43, I heard about prison training for the first time, bought Josh Bryant's genius "Jailhouse Strong" and Paul Wade's books, and trained that way religiously.
When I was 45, I bought two Persian meels (clubs) and started Persian Yoga (a mix of old school calisthenics with a push-up board and the clubs), added Bulgarian bags, and this did wonders for my combat-ready strength.
About two years ago, I got into isometrics for real, bought the isochain, Paul Wade's "Isometrics Manual" and Steve Justa's "Iron Isometrics", and I have loved that way of training ever since.
Now I'm 51 (turning 52 in August), and I have more muscle mass and strength endurance than ever. Even though I haven't touched my kettlebells in two years, I can still handle the 70.5 lbs kb with relative ease, and my punches and kicks seem to have become noticeably sharper (according to my training buddies). All this with just 20 minutes daily training (on average), negligible to no muscle soreness, increased energy after workouts and better sleep.
After 37 years of working out with and without all kinds of weights, isometric training has revealed itself as a real miracle. It's making me stronger and more resilient by the day. I'm not exaggerating when I say, "isometric training is God's gift to the world". Wow. I'm blown away.
I tried to follow "programs" in the past, and sometimes, I followed them to the letter (like Josh Bryant's Jailhouse workouts, or a couple of old catch-wrestling classics), but most of the time, I just do whatever I feel like, every day. I think doing something everyday adds up considerably, regardless of "intensity" (an overrated concept, if you ask me).
On to my new endeavor: Creating a training strategy that covers the bases I value most: health and fitness. ("Combat readiness" used to be a focus, but I'm pretty confident that I can protect myself and my family, plus: I need to relax much more, muuuuuuuuch more. Constantly being on "red alert" is not healthy)
So, my plan is to do (as I'm already doing) isometrics every day. I'm varying the time under tension, reps and movements – Steve Justa is my iso god, if that makes sense.
AND I'll add chi gong to the mix. Nothing fancy, just Ping Shuai and Zhuan Zhuang (I'm familiar with the first one, and very fleetingly know ZZ, but on both accounts, it's nothing to write home about).
Today, my focus was on 2-minute holds (at 40 percent) for 20 different exercises, with 30 seconds rest between them. Tough, but very satisfying, and the pump was considerable.
After five hours, I added Ping Shuai (500 reps) and 10 minutes of Wu Chi (standing upright, the first position of ZZ). Tonight, I'll either do 500 more reps of Ping Shuai, or more Wu Chi. The chi flow is already noticeable, which I attribute to my (on and off) meditation practice I started years ago. I'm an absolute believer in chi energy and the health benefits that come with regular and mindful practice.
Thanks for your patience.
I figured that after submitting my body and mind (the soul is untouchable) to all kinds of pain during my 37 years of full-contact martial "arts", it's about time to do something for my health instead of against it 😉
Just so you get an impression of where I've been so far on my journey:
When I was 14, I started full-contact karate, and bodyweight training was THE way to work out for me.
When I was 21, I added weight lifting to my karate, and this was THE way to work out for me.
When I was 25, I started kung fu, and the sifu told us weight training would slow us down, so bodyweight training was THE way to work out for me.
When I was 29, I started boxing and wrestling, and, seeing that the greats all had used both weights and bodweight, lifting and calisthenics were THE way to work out for me.
When I was 30, I discovered Furey's Combat Conditioning and old school calisthenics, and I knew high-rep bodyweight workouts were for me.
In the same year, I stumbled across old school chest expander training, and car-pulling and walking under load, and I knew that old school stuff was THE way to work out for me.
A while later, I also heard of isometrics and dug into them, but I didn't have enough good information and understanding, so I used them only when I didn't have the time for bodweight training.
When I was 33, I discovered Jon Peterson's "Pushing Yourself to Power", and loved it. So much indeed, that I used self-resistance for about 80 percent of my workouts, the rest was old school bodyweight training.
When I was 35, I added Russian combatives to my training, and slow bodyweight training (60 secs up, 60 secs down, or 2 minutes up, 2 minutes down) was another effective way to work out for me.
When I was 36, I picked up Pavel's first kettlebell book and was hooked, and the cannonballs were yet another great tool for me.
When I was 39, I became instructor for reality-based self-protection and military combatives, and trained with kettlebells almost exclusively.
When I was 43, I heard about prison training for the first time, bought Josh Bryant's genius "Jailhouse Strong" and Paul Wade's books, and trained that way religiously.
When I was 45, I bought two Persian meels (clubs) and started Persian Yoga (a mix of old school calisthenics with a push-up board and the clubs), added Bulgarian bags, and this did wonders for my combat-ready strength.
About two years ago, I got into isometrics for real, bought the isochain, Paul Wade's "Isometrics Manual" and Steve Justa's "Iron Isometrics", and I have loved that way of training ever since.
Now I'm 51 (turning 52 in August), and I have more muscle mass and strength endurance than ever. Even though I haven't touched my kettlebells in two years, I can still handle the 70.5 lbs kb with relative ease, and my punches and kicks seem to have become noticeably sharper (according to my training buddies). All this with just 20 minutes daily training (on average), negligible to no muscle soreness, increased energy after workouts and better sleep.
After 37 years of working out with and without all kinds of weights, isometric training has revealed itself as a real miracle. It's making me stronger and more resilient by the day. I'm not exaggerating when I say, "isometric training is God's gift to the world". Wow. I'm blown away.
I tried to follow "programs" in the past, and sometimes, I followed them to the letter (like Josh Bryant's Jailhouse workouts, or a couple of old catch-wrestling classics), but most of the time, I just do whatever I feel like, every day. I think doing something everyday adds up considerably, regardless of "intensity" (an overrated concept, if you ask me).
On to my new endeavor: Creating a training strategy that covers the bases I value most: health and fitness. ("Combat readiness" used to be a focus, but I'm pretty confident that I can protect myself and my family, plus: I need to relax much more, muuuuuuuuch more. Constantly being on "red alert" is not healthy)
So, my plan is to do (as I'm already doing) isometrics every day. I'm varying the time under tension, reps and movements – Steve Justa is my iso god, if that makes sense.
AND I'll add chi gong to the mix. Nothing fancy, just Ping Shuai and Zhuan Zhuang (I'm familiar with the first one, and very fleetingly know ZZ, but on both accounts, it's nothing to write home about).
Today, my focus was on 2-minute holds (at 40 percent) for 20 different exercises, with 30 seconds rest between them. Tough, but very satisfying, and the pump was considerable.
After five hours, I added Ping Shuai (500 reps) and 10 minutes of Wu Chi (standing upright, the first position of ZZ). Tonight, I'll either do 500 more reps of Ping Shuai, or more Wu Chi. The chi flow is already noticeable, which I attribute to my (on and off) meditation practice I started years ago. I'm an absolute believer in chi energy and the health benefits that come with regular and mindful practice.
Thanks for your patience.