Weight Loss, Self-Defense Training, Pt 2.
In Part 1, I detailed a bit about why I do this sort of thing to myself. Here, I’ll show you what I do. In an effort to get healthy and get my self-defense mojo going with speed and power training, here’s what I do.
First, a disclaimer – this is one iteration of a few different ones I’ll go through. You need variety in training, and you need to know your own limitations. I design my workouts to a point where I have to struggle mightily to finish. Everything should be just out of your reach. By the time I’m done with this one I’m panting, unable to complete it without taking a few breaks to catch my breath and compose myself, etc. When I can do this workout without stopping, it’s too easy. Others can do much more than me, others can’t. If you’re going to whip yourself into combat shape, work until it’s hard, and finish what you’re doing. Someone just starting and doing my workout will be wasting time after a certain point.
With that … let’s begin!
Warm-up!
Very light stretching. Arm bends/circles, hamstring and back. I’m not a fan of over-stretching as it causes more cramps for me than if I don’t stretch at all. I’m pretty flexible already, so I increase my flexibility very slowly over a long period of time with more light, sustained and variable than heavy “burning” stretches.
Next? 50 push-ups, on the knuckles. Full push-ups and I usually churn these out rapidly to get the heart rate up a bit. Push-ups are crucial to training, they work your arms all around, your forearms (particularly with knuckle push-ups), your wrist strength and grip strength, chest, core and more. You’ve got to do a lot to see all those benefits. “25 and I’m done” doesn’t cut it.
Just a note, when I started my workouts about a year ago, I couldn’t get to 25 push ups – on flat palms – without taking a break. Now, failure for me is at about 80 push ups. My goal is to be able to crank out 100 without a break on palms, and eventually 100 without a break on knuckles. Then … NEW GOALS!
Now crank up the iPod with some real aggressive music (not TOO loud, have to hear the round timer beep!), and have at it.
Round 1 – Nothin’ but jabs.
When in a fighting situation one-on-one, whether it’s sparring or some drunken idiot in a bar, your jab is your safety. I’m a righty, so I spend the first two minute round working the left jab every few seconds. Once for speed (retracting your jab is just as important as extending and striking) and once for power. Every once in awhile throw in a double-jab (pow-pow). Again, speed then power, speed then power. Power builds strength and you want to be able to hit hard, but as anyone knows, speed kills.
So I list this round as: LJ – LJ (left jab, left jab)
When the timer hits and I have 1:15, I drop and do 30 push-ups. On the knuckles. No cheating. The faster I finish, the more time I have to breathe deeply and recover for round 2.
Round 2 – Add the Cross.
LJ – LJ – RC (left jab, left jab, right cross)
Again, alternating speed and power. Left jabs keep your opponent at a distance (when you have a good reach advantage). I’m big with a long reach, so my tactical advantage is keeping an attacker in my comfort zone at arm’s length so they can’t get inside. If they try, you punish them with the right cross. Big, strong, BOOM. Jab to set up, cross to make pain.
Round over? DROP AND DO 30 PUSH-UPS ON YOUR KNUCKLES, MAGGOT!
Round 3 – The Hook.
LJ – LJ – RC – LH (… Left Hook)
I usually scoot a quarter-way around the bag for that Left Hook. That’s a wicked punch if someone manages to cover up and get inside on you. Give it a turn, get around their guard, and bash them in the side of the head. The workout is taking shape … Heart rate is up around 130 at this point.
30 Push ups, on your knuckles!
Round 4 – Surprise! SMASH!
LJ – LJ – RC – LH – RE (… Right Elbow)
I heart elbow smashes. This gets into the whole Muay Thai thing (8 striking points, both feet, both hands, both knees, both elbows). Nothing, and I mean NOTHING is as devastating in a close-quarter self-defense situation as a surprise roundhouse elbow square into someone’s face. You hit the jaw? Jaw’s broken. You hit the nose? Nose is broken. You hit the temple? They’re at least dazed. Even if they’re covered up in a guard position, you can knock ‘em to the ground with a strong elbow.
Done? You know what to do. THIRTY KNUCKLE PUSH-UPS! GO, GO, GO!!
Round 5 – MORE COWBELL ELBOWS!
LJ – LJ – RC – LH – RE – LE ( … bring in the left elbow too!)
At this point, heart rate is way up in the target area – 145-150, and it’s going to stay there. My left arm is jello from push ups and from throwing repeated left jabs every. single. round. Adding the left elbow is going to bring this workout into real pain territory. Hammer out as many repetitions as you can, alternate speed and power, and …
THIRTY KNUCKLE PUSH-UPS! That rest period goes by REAL quick now. Push-ups are slower, less time to catch your breath and recover. My goal is to turn push-ups into “thank goodness I get a break”. If you’re looking forward to knuckle-push-ups because it’s time to relax, you’re in the right mindset.
Round 6 – Finally, KICKING!
LJ – LJ – RC – LH – RE – LE – RR – LR ( … Right Roundhouse, Left Roundhouse)
Here’s where your abs and core start to BURN. A right roundhouse kick gets thrown by having your left foot forward (which it should be all the time if you’re a righty doing this kind of training). Lift the right leg, bent at the knee, pivot the left foot on the ball, rotate the hips and SMASH the bag with your right shin, extending at your knee at the last second to get a real good *snap*.
You deliver that kick into someone’s unprotected side and you will break every rib they have.
Done? THIRTY KNUCKLE PUSH-UPS, PRINCESS!
Round 7 – Uhhh … MORE KICKING!
LJ – LJ – RC – LH – RE – LE – RR – LR – RR – LR (… double up to four kicks)
Now it’s just getting brutal. Exhausted, dripping sweat, more kicks. When I practice kicks, I go for nothing other than technique. Try to perfect balance and hip rotation and power+speed will follow suit. Just like a baseball player. Better balance and hip rotation = faster bat swing = bigger hits. Unless it’s the late ’90s, then you would add Creatine shakes, but I don’t do that sort of thing.
DEAR GOD THIRTY KNUCKLE PUSH-UPS, GO GO GO!
Round 8 – NOW it’s time to really work.
LJ – LJ – RC – LH – RE – LE – RR – LR – RR – LR – RU – LU – RU – LU (… after kicks, four alternating uppercuts)
I *hate* this round. Dead tired already, now I’ve got to churn out four fast, strong uppercuts to finish off the sequence. Arms are tired, legs are tired, but inevitably some thrashing violent song comes on the iPod and I just go nuts.
When you’re done? Collapse. Job well done.
NO! Finish it off with FORTY knuckle push-ups, this ain’t summer camp, you lazy-ass chimpanzee!
Now you’re done … for a few minutes.
At this point, I’ve done 8 two-minute rounds, 300 knuckle push-ups, and completed the entire set in about 30 minutes. Take off the gloves, unwrap the hands, and get ready for more …
Huh? Yeah. I do more.
Just about any form of Karate has something called a “form”. It’s a sequence of moves/stances/strikes that put together helps you practice fundamentals. Some of them take all of a minute to go through, some slightly more. All of them are done with power and technique in mind. After my bag workout, I’ll go through about 10 of my forms, and drop and do about 20 (palm-flat) push-ups in between each one. This basically keeps the cardio going, and helps me practice in order to eventually advance in rank and eventually earn that black belt.
In all, my workout here takes about an hour. When I’m done, my heart rate has been going strong for a long time, I’m exhausted, stinky, and I’ve completed a total of 500 push-ups to boot.
Am I sore today? Yeah. That’s good. Today is a light work-out day for me (Karate class later). Sunday or Monday I’ll bang this one out again, and then I’ll do it again mid-week. I’ll change it up from time to time, do some ab workouts in between, but I never target a muscle (ie: curls, squats, etc.), any exercise I do targets a group of muscles, incorporates flexibility, and involves an additional group of muscles. For instance, instead of standard squats, do them while holding a cinder block above your head, turning from side to side.
What? Sounds too tough? What are you training for, a beach body, or insurance in a crisis situation, hmmmm?
In Part 3, I’ll wrap this whole shebang up.