The theme for this month seems to be low-cost exercise routines that focus on martial arts stamina. So I thought it fitting to feature these as I return to my bi-monthly videos! The nice thing about the videos I’m featuring is that you don’t have to be a martial artist to benefit from most of them! I’ll be featuring these videos in my sidebar stream for the next couple of months so you can peruse at your leisure.
First, the main players:
- Ross Training (blog here and YouTube page here). Ross is famous for creating something out of nothing! In fact, you can buy a book at his site titled Never Gymless that shows you how to create exercise equipment. The book also boasts exercise routines so as soon as I order it and read it expect a review!
- MiserySaw’s YouTube page. I don’t know who this guy is but he’s collected some very good videos!
- Honorable mention to Dojot Rat. Most of his videos focus on a specific technique. In fact, the one I feature does but it fits well with a video from Ross Training so I posted it.
Since I’m rediscovering burpees why don’t we start there? I’ve posted this one before which I found at MiserySaw’s YouTube page. If you watch it you can see that you could get a lot of milleage out of it (especially you grapplers). In addition all of the moves enhance striking as well! I also found a weighted vest burpee drill on his page.
As much as I liked the 100 burpree challenge (I did 50 very sad burpees before my cardiac arrest) I think I’ll like the vest version more. My only concern with that burpee drill in the above paragraph is getting hurt. With the vest I think I can probably control things a little better, still get the heart rate up and build stamina and strength. So I’ll be shopping around for a cheap vest that I can stick weights in!
Next are a series of videos from MiserySaw and Ross Training. All three illustrate how you can take everyday items and locations and turn them into your own personal gym. After watching these there can be no excuse for not exercising!
My favorite exercises from these videos are the cinder block swings, the cinder block windings (something we do in chin na but not with cinder blocks!), push-up speed training on a cinder block, and the single leg body weight squats.
I’m going to close with punching because it’s still my favorite thing to do! The drill I feature is from Ross Training. If you read the note at his video he’s quick to caution that the purpose of this drill is to build stamina, strength, and speed. To do that he lets his form slip. So before you watch the Ross video take a look at some boxing 101 from Dojo rat and his boxing coach. (Pay particular attention to the footwork and hip rotation.)
Now lets close with what I tried last night in Dojang Garage:
Ross does this with a hanging medicine ball but a base mounted bag works just as well. Last night I mixed these in with my knee strike drill. I did my usual three sets of five minutes with push-ups between sets. However this time I started the first set of push-ups with that cinder block push-up drill that’s at the beginning of the Ross Compilation video (see above). Let’s put it this way: I did not look like Ross!
Then I closed with a punching routine that shaped up like this:
- Keeping DJR’s technique video in mind, 10 jabs, 10 crosses, and 10 hooks for technique (both sides). Then 10 of his combos for technique (both sides again). This also served as a good punching warm-up.
- Power bombs: I worked a jab/cross combo for power like in the Ross video. Then I worked the body hook for power. 10 of each from both sides again.
- Then I tried to close with two sets of punching endurance training from the Ross video (one set from a right lead and one from a left lead). I thought 1 minute would be a reasonable goal. Well the first time I croaked at about 50 seconds and the second time at about 30!
In taekwondo sparring they purposely made us gas out with our legs. It sucks but it also helps build endurance when sparring. Well last night was the first time in about 15 years that I made myself gas out with punching. It was a good feeling and about an hour after the workout I could feel myself getting sore. This morning I AM sore!
Here’s another new exercise I’m adding into the mix. The Oct. 08 issue of Men’s Fitnness has Forrest Griffin’s exercise routine for MMA. Well one of the things they showed him doing is sprawling and crawling across a floor with dumbells while mimicking ground-n-pound. Since I did not want to tear up my concrete garage floor I did mine stationary on a couple of foam mats. (sorry about the poor lighting but you can still get the idea)
First, I’m a far cry from Forrest Griffin! Second, I need to work on my sprawl (Griffin does them from what looks like a spread eagle sprawl). Regardless these guys really worked my upper back and I’m already getting sore. I can see where they’d help and MMA person pull their arm out of someone’s grip so they can strike. I can also see them benifiting arts that grab an arm and pull into a punch. So I’ll be adding these to my weekly mix as well!
Taekwondo was a little one-sided in that the conditioning was geared for the legs. I can tell through my recent experiments that my conditioning is out of balance. So in the next few months my goal is to balance my workout and get my total body better conditioned.
Anyhow, enjoy the videos and give some of the exercises a try. The longer I exercise I’ve come to discover that it’s important to shake things up to keep yourself motivated!
~BCP
