I've been out of the loop since leaving the States for the Middle East, so I'm just now finding out about this.
Y'all know I'm a big "Ninja Warrior" fan on G4. Well, I guess G4 is sponsoring a contest to send somebody from America to Japan to compete in "Sasuke" (as "Ninja Warrior" is known in Japan).
Here is an entry video from Bryant P. of Waipahu, HI.
I've talked about "Mastering Bodyweight" a number of times - this is a PERFECT example.
Enjoy!
Wiggy
Friday, August 24, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
New Edition of "Working Class Fitness Newsletter"
I've just sent out a new edition of my "Working Class Fitness Newsletter" entitled "Are You A Hero?"
If you're not on my newsletter list, click on the newsletter link at the right, and I'll make sure you get a copy ASAP.
Wiggy
If you're not on my newsletter list, click on the newsletter link at the right, and I'll make sure you get a copy ASAP.
Wiggy
Last Night's Workout - 22-Aug-07
Last night's workout was a combination of strength training and "Tonnage Training." Here is how it looked:
Strength Work:
-Bench Press: 8 sets x 1 rep
-DB Rows: 8 x 1 (each side)
*alternate sets of each exercise
Tonnage Training:
-Behind Neck Press (Snatch Barbell into position, and then press) x 10
-Curls x 10
-Hang Clean x 10
-DB Triceps Extensions x 10 (each side)
-Sumo Deadlift High Pulls x 10
-Tuck Jumps x 10
*Rest 30-45 secs between exercises. Entire circuit was performed 5x. Tuck Jumps were done with just bodyweight (no external resistance). DB Triceps Extensions done with 30 lb. dumbbell. All other exercises done with 105 lb. barbell. Each rep done as explosively as possible on the exertion part of the rep, w/controlled negative. Figuring a resistance of roughly 60% of bodyweight on Tuck Jumps (don't want to get liberal and over-estimate), Total Tonnage moved = 31,400 lbs.
Conditioning:
-15 minutes @ medium pace on elliptical trainer
Wiggy
Strength Work:
-Bench Press: 8 sets x 1 rep
-DB Rows: 8 x 1 (each side)
*alternate sets of each exercise
Tonnage Training:
-Behind Neck Press (Snatch Barbell into position, and then press) x 10
-Curls x 10
-Hang Clean x 10
-DB Triceps Extensions x 10 (each side)
-Sumo Deadlift High Pulls x 10
-Tuck Jumps x 10
*Rest 30-45 secs between exercises. Entire circuit was performed 5x. Tuck Jumps were done with just bodyweight (no external resistance). DB Triceps Extensions done with 30 lb. dumbbell. All other exercises done with 105 lb. barbell. Each rep done as explosively as possible on the exertion part of the rep, w/controlled negative. Figuring a resistance of roughly 60% of bodyweight on Tuck Jumps (don't want to get liberal and over-estimate), Total Tonnage moved = 31,400 lbs.
Conditioning:
-15 minutes @ medium pace on elliptical trainer
Wiggy
Friday, August 17, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Last Night's Workout - 15 August 2007
Here was last night's workout:
-Barbell Bench Press: 5 sets x 1 rep, 1 set x 10 reps
-DB Rows: 5 x 1, 1 x 10 (each side)
*alternate sets of Bench Presses w/sets of Rows, resting ~30 secs between sets
-Rear Delt Work: 3 x 8
-EZ-Bar Curls: 3 x 8
-Body Tricep Extensions: 3 x 8
*alternate sets of each exercise
Complex:
-Double DB Swing x 6
-1-Arm DB Snatch x 6 (each side)
-Squat Press x 6
-Bent Raise/Rows x 6
-Jump Squats x 6
*Repeat x 3
-Finished up with 15 decently paced mins. on the elliptical.
Wiggy
-Barbell Bench Press: 5 sets x 1 rep, 1 set x 10 reps
-DB Rows: 5 x 1, 1 x 10 (each side)
*alternate sets of Bench Presses w/sets of Rows, resting ~30 secs between sets
-Rear Delt Work: 3 x 8
-EZ-Bar Curls: 3 x 8
-Body Tricep Extensions: 3 x 8
*alternate sets of each exercise
Complex:
-Double DB Swing x 6
-1-Arm DB Snatch x 6 (each side)
-Squat Press x 6
-Bent Raise/Rows x 6
-Jump Squats x 6
*Repeat x 3
-Finished up with 15 decently paced mins. on the elliptical.
Wiggy
More Thoughts on Conditioning...
In keeping with my recent trend in cross-posting thing I've posted at other forums, here are some thoughts I recently posted on conditioning, how it applies to MMA, and the differences between "conditioning" and "cardio."
"I've said this before, and maybe it's just a semantics game, but I don't feel that "cardio" and "endurance" (or "conditioning" for that matter) are the same thing.
To me, "cardio" refers to the ability of your heart to pump blood thorought your body, and you lungs to take in enough oxygen - esp while under duress and/or over the long term. "Endurance" (or "conditioning" as I usually call it) is about the ability to perform over the long term. This entails not just cardio, but also muscular conditioning, as well as strength/power-endurance.
To try to illustrate, here is an example I like to use for beginners:
Let's say you're a sedentary person and decide to start jogging 1 mile 3x/week. When you first start, you're pretty out of shape, and you're breathing so hard after your first 1/4 mile or so, that you have to stop and walk some, b/c you can't get enough air. This would be a deficiency in cardio.
But then, after a few weeks, you've brought your cardio up so that you can run much further without having to stop for air. However, you're now stopping to walk around the 1/2 mile mark, not b/c you can't get air, but b/c your legs are burning so bad that you need to give them a slight rest. This would be a deficiency in muscular conditioning.
In MMA, it is "conditioning" that is king - not cardio. All the cardio in the world won't do you any good if you're still not quick (and therefore powerful) at the end of your fight, or if your muscles hurt too much to hold onto a sub attempt.
One of the things that I feel "conditioning" work has going for it is that when you do "conditioning," you'll improve "cardio." However (depending on how you train), when you do "cardio," you won't necessarily improve "conditioning."
Of course, much of this *could* be explained by the mental toughness that was discussed above. LSD - esp long LSD - builds a mental toughness that most other forms of exercise don't. Not only to get through the LSD, but to actually get out and get started. It can be pretty daunting to know that you're going for a 3-5 mile run, and won't get to stop for the next 20-50 minutes (depending on how far/fast you run). While sprints can be much harder, you also get to rest, which can be easier on the psyche. *shrug*
I also think that each person is different. For myself, I've gone plenty of LSD, plenty of interval training, and plenty of complex/circuit training in my day. For fat loss (though it's against much of what we read), LSD has always worked best for me. However, I usually feel slower. If I'm crossing the street, and a car is coming, I can't just quickly dart out of the way - I feel like I have to get moving, and *then* I can run out of the way. Complex/circuit training, on the other hand, takes my conditioning (and work capacity) *and* my cardio, and shoots it through the roof. But it's done little for me in the way of fat loss in the past. However, what I've found to be a good combination is to do complex/circuit training for a few weeks to bolster conditioning and cardio, and THEN focus on LSD (b/c I can go longer due to the previous complex/circuit training) for fat loss. I went through a period last year where I was alternating days of some basic strength work and hard complex training, with days of LSD on a Complex 2 Rower and/or Treadmill. But this is just one example, and is just me.
The two things I think we need to remember in all of this are that:
1. Like we always say, build well-rounded program. Just like we wouldn't tell somebody to do only striking or only grappling, don't do only cardio or only strength training.
2. Like the old saying goes, some things work for all people, and all things work for some people, but not all things work for all people. Just b/c a fighter does a certain kind of training and is successful, that doesn't mean you'll be successful if you do it. It *also* doesn't mean that, as mentioned, the whole "they succeed in spite of - not b/c of - their training" is in effect, either. If Rocky Marciano, Tito Ortiz, George Foreman, Mike Tyson, Matt Hughes, Sean Sherk, etc. all did LSD in their training, and were all fairly dominating champs in their own rights/times, then they must have been doing *something* that worked for them. Try to learn why others are successful before you tell them how much better they could be if they knew what you knew.
As usual, just my two cents...
Wiggy - MMA Training"
"I've said this before, and maybe it's just a semantics game, but I don't feel that "cardio" and "endurance" (or "conditioning" for that matter) are the same thing.
To me, "cardio" refers to the ability of your heart to pump blood thorought your body, and you lungs to take in enough oxygen - esp while under duress and/or over the long term. "Endurance" (or "conditioning" as I usually call it) is about the ability to perform over the long term. This entails not just cardio, but also muscular conditioning, as well as strength/power-endurance.
To try to illustrate, here is an example I like to use for beginners:
Let's say you're a sedentary person and decide to start jogging 1 mile 3x/week. When you first start, you're pretty out of shape, and you're breathing so hard after your first 1/4 mile or so, that you have to stop and walk some, b/c you can't get enough air. This would be a deficiency in cardio.
But then, after a few weeks, you've brought your cardio up so that you can run much further without having to stop for air. However, you're now stopping to walk around the 1/2 mile mark, not b/c you can't get air, but b/c your legs are burning so bad that you need to give them a slight rest. This would be a deficiency in muscular conditioning.
In MMA, it is "conditioning" that is king - not cardio. All the cardio in the world won't do you any good if you're still not quick (and therefore powerful) at the end of your fight, or if your muscles hurt too much to hold onto a sub attempt.
One of the things that I feel "conditioning" work has going for it is that when you do "conditioning," you'll improve "cardio." However (depending on how you train), when you do "cardio," you won't necessarily improve "conditioning."
Of course, much of this *could* be explained by the mental toughness that was discussed above. LSD - esp long LSD - builds a mental toughness that most other forms of exercise don't. Not only to get through the LSD, but to actually get out and get started. It can be pretty daunting to know that you're going for a 3-5 mile run, and won't get to stop for the next 20-50 minutes (depending on how far/fast you run). While sprints can be much harder, you also get to rest, which can be easier on the psyche. *shrug*
I also think that each person is different. For myself, I've gone plenty of LSD, plenty of interval training, and plenty of complex/circuit training in my day. For fat loss (though it's against much of what we read), LSD has always worked best for me. However, I usually feel slower. If I'm crossing the street, and a car is coming, I can't just quickly dart out of the way - I feel like I have to get moving, and *then* I can run out of the way. Complex/circuit training, on the other hand, takes my conditioning (and work capacity) *and* my cardio, and shoots it through the roof. But it's done little for me in the way of fat loss in the past. However, what I've found to be a good combination is to do complex/circuit training for a few weeks to bolster conditioning and cardio, and THEN focus on LSD (b/c I can go longer due to the previous complex/circuit training) for fat loss. I went through a period last year where I was alternating days of some basic strength work and hard complex training, with days of LSD on a Complex 2 Rower and/or Treadmill. But this is just one example, and is just me.
The two things I think we need to remember in all of this are that:
1. Like we always say, build well-rounded program. Just like we wouldn't tell somebody to do only striking or only grappling, don't do only cardio or only strength training.
2. Like the old saying goes, some things work for all people, and all things work for some people, but not all things work for all people. Just b/c a fighter does a certain kind of training and is successful, that doesn't mean you'll be successful if you do it. It *also* doesn't mean that, as mentioned, the whole "they succeed in spite of - not b/c of - their training" is in effect, either. If Rocky Marciano, Tito Ortiz, George Foreman, Mike Tyson, Matt Hughes, Sean Sherk, etc. all did LSD in their training, and were all fairly dominating champs in their own rights/times, then they must have been doing *something* that worked for them. Try to learn why others are successful before you tell them how much better they could be if they knew what you knew.
As usual, just my two cents...
Wiggy - MMA Training"
Friday, August 10, 2007
Nothing But Deadlifts?
Well, since I've been cross-posting so much from what I post over at mma.tv, I might as well keep on, right? Just this morning, I saw a post where somebody said they were going to ditch all their weight training, and do nothing but deadlifts for the next six weeks.
Here was my response.
If you're just going to go with one exercise, I would go with Clean & Press or Clean & Jerk instead.
You obviously won't be using as heavy of weights as you might with a deadlift routine, but since you'll be pulling much faster, you'll be generating as much - if not more - power (it would all depend on how much weight you're using in each exercise and how fast you perform each one).
The Clean portion will thoroughly tax your posterior chain as deadlifts would, however, with the Press (and lesser extent Jerk) you are now also working the entire shoulder girdle as well - something pretty much avoided when doing strictly deadlifts (DLs will tax your traps and rear delts, but emphasis on your medial/frontal delts, pecs, and triceps is minimal). If you add a Front Squat or do Squat Cleans, you're now also getting all the leg work you'll need.
Plus, C&P - when done for reps - involves a *serious* conditioning component, much akin to the complexes mentioned above. For even more conditioning, do Dumbbell C&P instead, one arm at a time.
Just my two cents...
Wiggy - MMA Training
In looking back over it, another suggestion - if you weren't that good at the "catch" portion of the Clean - could be to do two exercises. First, do heavy High Pulls from the floor. Then follow it up with Presses or Jerks out of the rack. That would give you about everything you need. Toss in some Chins and some Jump Squats (with Dips now and then), and you'd be even better.
Wiggy
Here was my response.
If you're just going to go with one exercise, I would go with Clean & Press or Clean & Jerk instead.
You obviously won't be using as heavy of weights as you might with a deadlift routine, but since you'll be pulling much faster, you'll be generating as much - if not more - power (it would all depend on how much weight you're using in each exercise and how fast you perform each one).
The Clean portion will thoroughly tax your posterior chain as deadlifts would, however, with the Press (and lesser extent Jerk) you are now also working the entire shoulder girdle as well - something pretty much avoided when doing strictly deadlifts (DLs will tax your traps and rear delts, but emphasis on your medial/frontal delts, pecs, and triceps is minimal). If you add a Front Squat or do Squat Cleans, you're now also getting all the leg work you'll need.
Plus, C&P - when done for reps - involves a *serious* conditioning component, much akin to the complexes mentioned above. For even more conditioning, do Dumbbell C&P instead, one arm at a time.
Just my two cents...
Wiggy - MMA Training
In looking back over it, another suggestion - if you weren't that good at the "catch" portion of the Clean - could be to do two exercises. First, do heavy High Pulls from the floor. Then follow it up with Presses or Jerks out of the rack. That would give you about everything you need. Toss in some Chins and some Jump Squats (with Dips now and then), and you'd be even better.
Wiggy
Thursday, August 09, 2007
To Bench or Not to Bench...
A few days ago, a thread was started over at mma.tv about Bench Pressing. The basic question (and I'm paraphrasing) the poster had was that he had seen a lot of people that claim the Bench Press was a good strength-building exercise, but he had also seen a lot of people in the fight game trash the Bench, and wanted to know if it was really a good exercise or not.
Here is what I posted:
My thoughts:
-Benching (w/a barbell) in and of itself is not a bad exercise. It is not necessarily the most "useful" exercise, as the chest doesn't (necessarily) play a large role in striking/grappling.
-Benching is not exclusively a chest exercise. Depending on your grip width and your Range of Motion, it also GREATLY bring the frontal deltoids and the triceps into play.
-Benching can wreak havoc on your rotator cuff if done too much, too heavy, and/or too long. However, you can say this about many exercises - not just Bench. You also need to make sure that you do rotator cuff prehab, and keep it strong (something a vast majority DON'T do). Also, elbow positioning can take much of the stress off the rotator cuff.
-People who say that Benching will make you inflexible are just plain mistaken. While it may not necessarily not have the greatest/longest Range of Motion, it is not responsible for you losing flexibility. Overworking the Bench, without equal amounts of work on the back's horizontal pulling muscles can result in lack of flexibility. And a lack of stretching/flexibility training is an even bigger cause of a lack of flexibility.
-Also, people who say that they lost a lot of endurance b/c they started to Bench are also mistaken. They may have lost endurance when they started Benching, but the Benching itself more than likely wasn't the reason. It was *how* (i.e. - set/rep scheme) the Benched that resulted in a lack of endurance.
-Too many people think the Bench is the measure of all that makes you a man - how good of a fighter you are, how strong you are, how well you can score with chicks, etc. And this is just plain wrong. However, as in vouge as it is in many circles to want to praise the Bench, it is just as in vouge in other circles to criticize the Bench and those who do it. It's kind of like Bodybuilding - people are either for it or against it, but either way, they're completely over the top about it.
-Benching is LIKE ANYTHING ELSE. It can be a good and integral part of an OVERALL strength, conditioning, and flexibility program. It just isn't the entire program.
Wiggy - MMA Training
My next article for MMA Weekly will discuss exercises/methods - such as the Bench Press - that are "popular" to trash or look down upon. This happens not necessarily because the exercises/methods are that bad (they might not be optimal, but they're not useless), but because it's "cool" to trash them. Examples other than the Bench Press would include curls/biceps training, certain isolation movements, and bodybuiding training.
Got anything else that you think should be on that list? Leave a comment.
Wiggy
Here is what I posted:
My thoughts:
-Benching (w/a barbell) in and of itself is not a bad exercise. It is not necessarily the most "useful" exercise, as the chest doesn't (necessarily) play a large role in striking/grappling.
-Benching is not exclusively a chest exercise. Depending on your grip width and your Range of Motion, it also GREATLY bring the frontal deltoids and the triceps into play.
-Benching can wreak havoc on your rotator cuff if done too much, too heavy, and/or too long. However, you can say this about many exercises - not just Bench. You also need to make sure that you do rotator cuff prehab, and keep it strong (something a vast majority DON'T do). Also, elbow positioning can take much of the stress off the rotator cuff.
-People who say that Benching will make you inflexible are just plain mistaken. While it may not necessarily not have the greatest/longest Range of Motion, it is not responsible for you losing flexibility. Overworking the Bench, without equal amounts of work on the back's horizontal pulling muscles can result in lack of flexibility. And a lack of stretching/flexibility training is an even bigger cause of a lack of flexibility.
-Also, people who say that they lost a lot of endurance b/c they started to Bench are also mistaken. They may have lost endurance when they started Benching, but the Benching itself more than likely wasn't the reason. It was *how* (i.e. - set/rep scheme) the Benched that resulted in a lack of endurance.
-Too many people think the Bench is the measure of all that makes you a man - how good of a fighter you are, how strong you are, how well you can score with chicks, etc. And this is just plain wrong. However, as in vouge as it is in many circles to want to praise the Bench, it is just as in vouge in other circles to criticize the Bench and those who do it. It's kind of like Bodybuilding - people are either for it or against it, but either way, they're completely over the top about it.
-Benching is LIKE ANYTHING ELSE. It can be a good and integral part of an OVERALL strength, conditioning, and flexibility program. It just isn't the entire program.
Wiggy - MMA Training
My next article for MMA Weekly will discuss exercises/methods - such as the Bench Press - that are "popular" to trash or look down upon. This happens not necessarily because the exercises/methods are that bad (they might not be optimal, but they're not useless), but because it's "cool" to trash them. Examples other than the Bench Press would include curls/biceps training, certain isolation movements, and bodybuiding training.
Got anything else that you think should be on that list? Leave a comment.
Wiggy
Monday, August 06, 2007
Friday, August 03, 2007
Row, Row, Row Your Boat...
Man, I'm one happy dude. There is a small MWR close to the LSA I stay at. In laymen's terms, there is a small gym and TV/game room close to the series of hooches us contractors stay in. I was in there a couple days ago, checking the place out. The weight room is small, but very doable (besides, there is a bigger gym just a few minute's walk away). Then I noticed a little room off to the side with the door closed. I opened the door to see what was in there.
What did I find? In the small room, all by itself, in all its glory - a Concept 2 Rower!!
*key the choir*
HALLELUJAH!!
I had used a Concept 2 quite extensively when I spent my year in Basrah, and couldn't wait to jump back on one. I decided I should get re-acquainted with the Concept 2 with the quickness. Two nights ago, I rowed 3500m, and last night, it was a 5k. My times weren't staggering, but MAN, what a good workout.
I love that thing. It's going to be an exclusive part of my conditioning while I'm in Iraq.
Good thing I was nosy enough to see what was in that room! HA!
Wiggy
What did I find? In the small room, all by itself, in all its glory - a Concept 2 Rower!!
*key the choir*
HALLELUJAH!!
I had used a Concept 2 quite extensively when I spent my year in Basrah, and couldn't wait to jump back on one. I decided I should get re-acquainted with the Concept 2 with the quickness. Two nights ago, I rowed 3500m, and last night, it was a 5k. My times weren't staggering, but MAN, what a good workout.
I love that thing. It's going to be an exclusive part of my conditioning while I'm in Iraq.
Good thing I was nosy enough to see what was in that room! HA!
Wiggy
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