Training BLOG

[Serpent]

Maybe his skillz aren't mad any more.

[Serpent]

Originally posted by Stranger
Tiger Push-Ups:
(The set up for proper start position) Heels against a wall / bend at waist sharply until hands are on the ground- you should have your arse way in the air and be in an acute upside down v-angle / slowly rotate both hands inward so that the fingers of one hand point towards the fingerson the other hand- like this E 3

(The movement) bend at elbows and dip straight down / return to start position along the same path

Hmmm. Just gave these a go. They're interesting; a bit like a hand stand pushup, only easier and with your hands at a mad angle.

Couple of questions though:

Why have the hands positioned like that?

How are these better, if at all, than a hand stand push up?

Cheers

[SevenStar]

Originally posted by Chang Style Novice
13 Naughty Boys is Paul's translation, and you know how those chinese to english translations can be!

We've actually talked a bit about this set before; it's the balance and strength qigong for shuai chiao. Let me see if I can remember them all...

1 Jump into the sea (stand on one leg, stretch the other behind, stretch your arms forward, make your torso parallel to the ground)

2 Send hay to the barn (same as above, with arms stretched behind you)

3 Sparrow flies over the water (in horse stance lean forward until your torso is parallel to the ground and stretch your arms behind you)

4 Three levels (with feet together hold feet, thighs, and arms (forward) all parallel tot he ground)

5 Confused root of decaying tree (in horse stance bend forward and wrap one hand through your legs to grasp the outside of the ankle, raise the other hand high and fix your gaze on it)

6 Reap grain in the wind (balance all your weight on one foot, touch the heel of the other to the ground in front of you, bend over and sweep both hands in circles around your front foot)

7 Immortal looks in mirror (get some free weights, stand in front stance, and do wrist curls with one hand in front and one behind you)

8 Li Hei sharpens his axes (with free weights stand in front stance and push the weights forward horizontally palms down, bring them back palms up)

9 Green onion sprouts in the wild (hold both arms and one leg horizontally in front of you)

10 Rhino looks at the moon (cross your legs at the ankles, bend forward, and with the hand on the side as your front leg reach around to grasp that leg's ankle while the other hand sits on your hip and you fix your gaze on the elbow of the upper hand)

that's all I remember this minute.

I guess Eminem isn't too bad, for the mainstream. But then I also like Ludacris, so I better not talk too much smack about the mainstream.

gotcha. I'm familiar with 7 of those. Em - mainstream only? nah. I've got some of his underground stuff. old battles and a track he did with scam.

[Serpent]

Yeah man, search the net for old Eminem stuff. There's a lot more to him than the commercial stuff. He really worked hard and earned his place.

[SevenStar]

I strike a still pose
and hit you wit some ill flows
that don't even make sense
like dykes using d!ldos

[SevenStar]

As for today's BLOG -

ran two miles and did some cable work - endurance exercises and throws. did several reps of judo and shuai chiao throwing techs. didn't really learn anything new, just good training.

[Chang Style Novice]

Eminem is about to become as much of a digression as Gerhard Richter. And I'll bet a pint of ice cream that's the first sentence ever composed that mentioned them both.

I have to admit I'm playa hating Marshall just a little, because his stuff isn't that amazing in technique, or subject matter, or wit, etc. to me. If you've been listening to the underground for a long time, you've heard it all before - 'shocking' lyrics (Ras Kass, Chino XL, Necro) fast rapping, internal rhymes and polyrhythms (too many to mention but I think the Freestyle Fellowship did it best) confessionals (Biggie, Tupac, Ice Cube) nasal smart@ss vocals (Beasties, Eazy E, Cypress Hill) and folks that combine all of the above in different styles and proportions. Em's got skills and he paid his dues, and although I don't personally feel the neo-Dre production that he's made his fame with, I recognize it's a popular and distinctive sound. But it just doesn't move me, and I don't think there's any question that the big reason he's gained such a huge following when others haven't has to do with his melanin deficiency. And it's not like I'm a self-hating white man talking here: I like House of Pain, and El-P, and Beasties, and Grouch, and 3rd Bass. And some pop rap like Ludacris and (older) Busta Rhymes.

Now, back to the training. Tonight I added back raises to my bodyweight routine, since serpent mentioned them and they require no extra equipment. I also tried that hindu pushup stuff, and I definitely see the improvement over the regular pushup. I've been elevating my feet for my pushups, though. Is there anyway to do that with the hindus? I can't quite figure out an appropriate way to get both sets of benefits from one excercise.

[Serpent]

On Eminem:

I haven't had much experience with rap before, so when I hear his stuff it's all new to me. I think he is a lyrical genius and I think he's playing the mainstream for suckers and for that he gets huge props from me. Plus, he cracks me up and anyone that makes me laugh gets a gold star.

Beyond that I don't analyse it too much.

On training:

I would suggest maintaing both sets of pushups in your workout. Raising the feet for hindus would remove the ability to stretch at the end and the core muscle stretch is one excellent reason for doing hindus. One of many, that is. Raised feet pushups are also excellent, but also do non-raised ones as then you will target other shoulder muscles more specifically. Also do hand stand push ups as this is like a military press with 85kgs (or whatever you weigh) with the added advantage of giving your brain a blood bath. When you're strong enough and confident enough, do them between two raised surfaces (which won't move!) so that you can go full range of motion with them.

The combination of hindus, flat push ups, raised leg pushups and hand stand push ups is excellent. Add to that dips and your arms and shoulders are getting the goods, plus all your core stabilisers are involved all the time. Add the pull ups and chin ups to this routine and you're pumpin'!

The back raises are essential. Doing situps and no back raises is like rowing with one oar in my book.

[Stranger]

Why have the hands positioned like that?

I don't know.

How are these better, if at all, than a hand stand push up?

I don't know.

[Mr Punch]

Irregular schedule unfortunately, due to working and playing very hard as usual...! ... usually only get to train hard once every couple of days at the mo... as an example:

Yesterday morning something like this:

My standard basic maintenance workout:

Standing hip twisting/arm swinging exercises (various from chikung sets).

Standing back bending sets (can comfortably place my palms on the floor with straight legs, and backwards can make it about halfway without any strain).

Various faster back bending sets (eg bending backwards as far as possible and coming up into a stable posture and guard as fast and explosively as I can, paying special attention to linking my spine and hips and driving up from my feet... still look like a marionette sometimes though!

SLT three times, once with 500g weights on each arm, once without for slow relaxation, and once without as fast, powerful and snappy as I can make it.

550 centreline punches in sets with weights, 550 palms, varying heights of striking, half for speed and half for relaxation.

Same again without the weights.

Chum kiu, as SLT, with 1 kg on each leg... usually throwing in some extra kicks and stepping moves.

Biu jee, as above.

The 5 parts of the dummy set I know as above. Occasionally I remember the sixth, but for some reason it keeps slipping.

10 situps breathing out, rising as fast as possible, holding for 3 secs breathing normally, down slowly.

10 situps same, but breathing in.

20 of each of the same but twisting left/right (60 altogether - not many but if you do them properly it still hurts a bit the next day in a good way).

10 pushups, hands in the middle of my chest at nipple level (explosive?... the ones when you push yourself off the ground, clap and land again)... more if I have time, or feel particularly good.

10 with hands as far apart as I can, to get that nice burn in my chest muscles.

10 same explosive if I feel good... this sometimes ends up with me eating floorboard!

10 divebombers apparently... thought they were hindu pushups until I read this thread...!

10 hindu squats (can do hundreds - maybe 5 - but usually don't have time, find them extremely boring and don't see the point of that many reps).

10 hindu bridges (still can't reach forehead yet).

10 of two varieties of lower back exercises (lie on your front, lift your legs and head, hold, and down: lie on your front and raise yourself up on your forearms).

Aiki tai sabaki (various, usually lots but yesterday didn't have time for many).

Shadow boxing: starting off with a WC format and moving on to anything really!

Later met with a friend and did an hour of chi sau in the park.

Revelations (negative):

1) Must do more shadow boxing;
2) Must get heavy bag;
3) Must sink my root in chi sau, when I do I'm good and only move when I need to, when I don't I would be a pushover for your average grappler... not even the 'good' one (TM)!
4) Must relax more in chi sau, so I don't try too hard to stick to the hands when I have contact in an attempt to get the locks;
5) I still suck!

Ongoing revelations (positive):

1) It's really good to move your head to stop getting it punched: forget the WC purists who don't seem to like that idea; the structure regaining movements in Biu Jee are there to be used, not preserved as a mistake-correcting exercise, but as a living part of the system... and hell they work well!
2) The stop kick is really cool at any range to the back leg of your opponent;
3) Aiki locking techniques are really good for breaking your opponent's structure, but don't follow them up: you overcommit and get whooped!
4) Biu jee's finger movements are not really much to do with finger strikes.
5) Japanese onlookers asked us what 'kakutougi' we were practising (the word means fighting techniques, as opposed to budo which means martial arts!) and said we were very flowing...! Our heads swelled beyond all proportions till we realised that they didn't know what the hell they were talking about, and in reality, we still suck ass!!!

Serpent
Why have the hands positioned like that?

Probably blowing it out me arse, but isn't it better for working your triceps rather than your shoulder and biceps? Try it and see what hurts!

again
Why are these better, if at all, than a handstand pushup?

1) Handstand pushups look silly.
2) A tiger pushup may help you get out of a nasty position in a fighting situation... well probably not, but it's a bit more bloody useful than training for that time when you need to push yourself upwards from the top of your head!!!
3) Handstand pushups make your veins pop out like those geezers form 'Scanners' and thus even more unnattractive to women.
4) Oh, OK then... I can't actually do handstand pushups!

Sevenstar, can I just say that your thread is way better than Serpent's and I'm sorry this post is so long when

[Mr Punch]

I could have

[Mr Punch]

broken it up more and

[Mr Punch]

improved your count in the Thread War!

[Mr Punch]

BTW, how the hell does anyone work out that Eminem 'played the system'? The boy is part of the system!

And OK, his lyrics are sometimes cool, but he's such a ****head he still sucks...!

[FatherDog]

Two weeks ago, my weekly routine was:

Monday: 30 minutes weights (bench press, deadlift, calf raises, shrugs, weighted bridges and wide-grip pullups)
30 minutes cardio (swimming)
Tuesday: 30 minutes weights (bench press, deadlift, calf raises, shrugs, weighted bridges and wide-grip pullups)
3.5 hours grappling (1.5 hour class, and drilling and rolling with coach and other students after class)
Wednesday: 30 minutes weights (bench press, deadlift, calf raises, shrugs, weighted bridges and wide-grip pullups)
30 minutes cardio (swimming)
Thursday: 30 minutes weights (bench press, deadlift, calf raises, shrugs, weighted bridges and wide-grip pullups)
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: 2.5 hours grappling (Openmat: continuous rolling and drilling with whoever else is there)
Sunday: 5 hours grappling (Openmat: continuous rolling and drilling with whoever else is there)

Then I broke my foot last week.

So, it's gonna be three more weeks before I can even think about training again, and probably 4 more weeks after that before I can train as hard as I used to. Right now I'm doing pushups, bridges, dips, and hanging leg raises, and trying to work out a schedule for myself.