variable speed training

This is an idea that i stole from Chuck Norris back in the day, when he still did push ups, not planet pushaways. It works for empty hand, or weapons. Right now, I am using it on my sidesword technique. I do a set number of reps, usually 5, at each speed. Start out super slow, as slow as you can move, so slow Tai Chi players are screaming speed up dude. Then move to slow speed, then to medium speed, then to as fast as you can go with perfect form,, then go fast enough that form slips just a bit (hint, if you have just sliced your leg off, slow down just a tad). Go back to super slow, repeat until ....hell, I don`t know, just do enough, whatever that is for you, on this day.

Varied speed practice

This is an idea that i stole from Chuck Norris back in the day, when he still did push ups, not planet pushaways. It works for empty hand, or weapons. Right now, I am using it on my sidesword technique. I do a set number of reps, usually 5, at each speed. Start out super slow, as slow as you can move, so slow Tai Chi players are screaming speed up dude. Then move to slow speed, then to medium speed, then to as fast as you can go with perfect form,, then go fast enough that form slips just a bit (hint, if you have just sliced your leg off, slow down just a tad). Go back to super slow, repeat until ....hell, I don`t know, just do enough, whatever that is for you, on this day.

Hills for leg power...rewrite.

Just finished a short,  nasty uphill hike, including a section called cardiac.  If you want stronger stances, more explosive footwork, hills are your friend, your training buddy.  If you are young, you can run them, but for older folks, like me, a steep uphill hike is best. They are also best for  anyone who wants more extended endurance/power, the ability to sustain .  You can also do lunges up the hill...., oh, you're tired, sure stop, lay down, put your face on the ground, and then push yourself up. ...repeat until you don't notice if your legs are tired, then stand up and hike.....carry some tubing and do rows the next time you're tired., or look,   a tree branch, lets hang at arms length and stretch out, and then pull up, put your chin on the branch, rest, there isn't that nice, now repeat until you're legs quit complaining, then hike, or lunge some more....and when you need a real rest, lie down,with your head down hill, to let the blood drain out of your poor tired legs, then situp, now lie down, repeat...you do this Tony Blauer style, twisting and throwing elbows, hook punches... legs stopped complaining, get up and hike. Say is that a piece of dead tree, lets get it off the trail, say howabout a little over head lift, just to get the kinks out the arms and shoulders, or maybe just put it  on a shoulder, and lunge for lungs.....  Get out there and enjoy the colours of fall...before you are condemmed to the gym for winter.  Got to go...did I mention that at the University, we have a pub just moments from the end of cardiac ?

workout

Todays workout was to target the anearobic system, specific to weapon use. Used the classic 30 secs on 30 off interval.  Warmed up with 10 mins of sword, then into the workout.  Started out with 10 sets of  2 hand swings with the 45 lb clubell 21 reps per set up to chest high.  Working the whole body, learning to swing an implement from the ground up, using the whole body. Hands, legs, lungs back were fried. One minute rest, then on to atomic pushups. This is a push up whereI have my feet in the TRX stirrups. When I raise into the pushup,I tuck my knees to my chest, when I  lower, I extend the legs.  With no TRX, you can put your feet on a towel on the floor, and slide them in as you go up, or you can do an explosive push up, and bring the feet in quickly, almost like the bottom of a burpee.  5 sets. This one really hurts.  Then 5 sets of barbarian squats with a light clubbell (15 lbs). At the top of the squat, the club is straight over head, as i come down explosively, i drive the butt of the club down almost to arms length (leave some give in the elbows) On the way up, i thrust the tip of the bell towards the ceiling. Again, you are learning to drive an implement with the whole body..  Done. 30 mins workout, 20 mins huff and puff.  Then I did some Tai Chi and yoga to finish.  Short and nasty....just like me.

Meditation....

Have really been enjoying having Datu Shishir in town. He is the man who started my journey in FMA, and is still guiding it. He is also my Spiritual Advisor. We have been working on flow, and on mediatation. They are connected. Flow in martial arts requires us to be in the moment, to be dealing with the attack that is really happening, not the attack that we want to be happening. Sometimes an attack and parry looks the same, but the texture, the energy is different, our parry is not strong enough, and we need to move around the attack, to ride it out and move in behind it, or maybe boom, we are strong, and early, we catch it early, and jam it before it can extend, then we are already inside, and different opportunities present themselves. Or maybe we neither win nor lose the crossing, so, now, we need to create an opportunity. What is true in FMA is true in sidesword and shield, just the names are different. I encourage all Martial Artists to explore some form of meditation, being in the moment will improve your art, and your life.

set and unset work

There are a lot of "set" drills in FMA....hubud, cadenas dos manos , sombrada, the modules of Bram Frank, etc. I do them with my students...a lot. Both sides have set roles and movements. We also do the kind of drilling we did last night, which is unset, or partially set.  I.e., working at 50 % pressure, one person opens with an attack, it is blocked, he traps, and continues until he lands a significant blow. The defender can parry as he pleases, but can not counter.  This lets the attacker focus on flowing until he lands a hit, but since the parries are not predetermined, this forces him to stay in the moment.  Now put an implement, knife, cell phone, travel wrench, cane, in the mix (use protective gear, and practice weapons).  Suddenly trapping makes more sense...why hit with the rear hand when the lead has a force multiplier.  We do the same with Tony Blauer material, ie flinch to spear to ?????with a cell phone sub in hand...I think that the set drills are a good way to acquire skills, and practice them, but you also need to step outside them, and unset drills are a good bridge to totally free work.

stay off the ground in a self-defense situation.

I just posted this in response to an Acadamie Duello video of a street fight. Literally. 2 guys rolling around on the freaking street.  Guy number one gets on top and is enjoying handing out a few recreational elbows from the mount.  Guy number 2 is not enjoying anything. Suddenly a woman bystander (G2's mother?) steps in, kicks G1 to the head. He goes from on top to out cold. No clue, no chance. This is my comment

stay off the ground, stay off the road (cars deliver a terrific knockout), stay alert. Here's a fun drill for 3 people. 1 person is the learner., get in the standard ground positions, mount, guard, 1/2 guard, side mount, sit out...work your techniques, Your partner (person number 2) resists. Person number 3 at some point calls out in, 1, 2, 3...you have 3 seconds to disengage, and be ready to engage person number 3. Person number 2 will hold on as much as possible. Good luck
Here's another variation, instead of calling in, person number 3 drops a practice knife, or a piece of foam that simulates a rock, or broken bottle near, or on the grapplers. Finally, just have person number 2 conceal a practice knife in a pocket, or in a boot, and try to access it while person number one is hitting, or trying to get a submission. Person number one...notice where the hands are going....if you are hitting someone, why would they take a hand away from the protective position....? Learn to feel the movements of someone accessing a weapon (other places of concealment that have i seen are kidney conceal ( clipped in the back, dominant hand side, roughly over the kidney), neck carry, front or back, hilt down up the sleeve of the non dominant arm.

back to swimming....whee

Back to swimming, 1800m, and water martial arts....there is something so reviving about the water, and doing martial arts in water allows you to work power without the jarring of bagwork....now that i am swimming and doing DMA (Drowning Man Arnis), i am also back to more focused strength work. Today I did 25 minutes of one arm long cycle, 12 kbell, switching every 4 reps. I got 250 reps, with a bit of a sprint at the end...so 10 rpm. I plan to work up to 1 hour in five minute increments. I would like to do one of  the long cycle charity events. That is the plan, subject, as my dad used to say, to change. You need to have a plan, but you also need to be able to reassess it...is it too challenging, not challenging enough, too time consuming (my time will change when i retire that is why one hour long cycle is possible)

power, technique, endurance.

today's morning workout was designed to combine power, technique, and endurance. I warmed up with 10 mins. of sword and gladius. Then I did 10 minutes of power, tech, endurance. I set my timer to go off every min. I would then do either 3 reps of resisted pushups (power pushup by lifeline, but you can use a backpack with wts), or 3 reps of weighted chins (8lbs), using the explode up, lower slower method.. These  were alternated for 10 mins. For the remainder of the minute I did 1/empty hand 2/ gladius and shield 3/ stick patterns / 4 /knife flow 5/ ground mobility. repeat. The short rest break, with movement, allows me to maintain heart rate, whilst getting some recovery, however by the last sets, I am struggling to maintain reps in the power, and technique and pace in the rest of the minute. This is what is intended.  Ideally I would have a heavy bag, and or pell, but I need my space open on other nights. However I do work in front of the mirror, so that I can check technique, and aim at myself (so far, I have missed). Next week, I will increase  reps to 4.  Before my hip operation I did this workout with dumbbell clean and jerk. It all works....some caveats...do not use new techniques for either the power exercise, or the martial arts exercise, you need well grooved movements, or the slop will be evil, and you will be practising poor technique.

changes...and a good workout.

I am retiring from my job, effective Nov. 07/11.  Which will cause changes in how/when/where I train.  More germane to my current life, the pool at the university is closed.  Since my pool workout incorporates martial arts movements as well as swimming, I need to replace those movements in my weekly routine.  My answer is too incorporate the arts back into my resistance training. My workout this morning was 1 min each (amap As Many As Possible), 1/ 20k kbell swings, 2/ gladius and shield,3/ kbell, 2 bell jerks, 16k bells, 4/empy hand work  5/bob and weave squats, 6/ foot work drills,  last set with sidesword,  7/ self row on trx 8/ stick.  9/ medicine ball abs  10/ knife, or cell phone flow (i teach people, if you are going to pack a damn cell phone, learn to use it for something other than annoying people on transit.) I went through that 3 times. 30 minutes I get some strength, endurance, and weapon specific training in a fatigued condition.  Now i need something to hit besides my students... took down my heavy bag after my hip operation, and now i need the room to teach....

Swimming and martial arts

just went for a swim at lunch, 1200m.  I feel stretched out, worked out, yet refreshed.  In my experience, swimming is very easy to recover from, relative of course, to intensity. It does not leave me as drained as an equivalent run. Swimming also requires a relaxed full body extertion, and of course, a focus on breathing.  This makes it an excellent adjunct to FMA and other martial arts, and it is joint friendly.  And swimming in the ocean can be so refreshing, yet so humbling...an infinitely larger, uncaring opponent, that you must work with, not against. I am not saying that swimming is the only, or the best crosstraining for FMA, just that it has, as every activity does, some distinct strengths...and weaknesses (doesn't work the legs as much as running, and it can soften your hands for a few hours, leading to some unexpected blisters if you pick up a stick, or sword, or knife.)

Jockin it

Well-rounded weekend...I am still, at heart, a jock. Someone who likes to do a lot of activities, and accepts that she/he will never be the best at anything. That said, my primary activity is FMA, and everything else feeds off, or into that. Saturday, I did KBells with Trish Dong at Code 5 fitness. Comraderie, challenge, strength. Did 5mins of snatch, 12k, one switch at 2:30. 53 reps left, 52 right. Then Turkish get-ups. I looked best in the silk belly dancer outfit, but preferred the Janassarie costume (just kidding TGU is a great exercise where you go from flat on your back to upright. Very good for core, legs, balance, body awareness....you name it.) I think the benefits to FMA are apparent, but GS kbeller's will be chortling at my numbers. Sunday, did a strong uphill hike with my wife, dogs, and friends. Uphill hiking challenges the legs and the will. Again, by the standard of a hard core hiker, slow, and not far enough...for them, plenty far for me. Then did 3 minutes, 30 seconds off, rounds of carrenza, or shadow workd, with empty hand, sword, sword and shield, sticks, knife, gladius, wrestling, anyos/jurus. 18 rounds total. Sunday, went down to Kits beach, and did 37 mins. of open water swimming (I hear the triathletes that i used to hang with saying "nice warm up, dude"). I will never be the best at any of these things, including my beloved FMA, but, frankly, even if i concentrated on one, I still wouldn't be the best. And I wouldn't be having as much fun.

Do not fear the new...

Sometimes you start an activity for one thing, and find side benefits. Case in point, I (let's talk about me, shall we) joined Acadamie Duello to learn the basics of Western style sword and shield work. I wanted to learn the essentials of a combat method that dates back even further than I do.  I am learning (and loving) that art  under the tutelage of Devon Boorman (truly a gifted teacher). I am also getting a wicked core workout, as a result of being encouraged to initiate the movement of a large steel implement by rotating my not rockhard middle age midsection. As I sit here, my tender tummy is aware that it has worked, but I am quite happy to be sitting...because the emphasis on long strong forward weighted footwork can cause calf calamity, and quad quivering. I am noticing that my FMA stick, knife and empty head, I mean hand techniques are more powerful, and kettlebell movements have more snap, and stability. Not to mention I look and feel a lot better. So don't be afraid to try new activities...you may get more than you bargain for.

Efficient workouts for older martial artists

Time is one of the primary concerns of the non-professional martial artists.  With limited free time, how do we fit in art specific technique training, endurance training, and strength training?  Also, as we age we need more recovery time from each training session., so we need to do fewer sessions per week.  The answer, for me, and possibly for you, is to combine all three.  Many fitness centres have express workouts, that alternate strength training with an aerobic activity, i.e. skipping, stair stepping, cycling etc.  This has two major benefits, 1/you get cardio and strength in the time that you normally train for just one 2 / the empty rest time between weight sets is gone 3/ the heavy exertion of the weights makes the aerobic exercise more intense.  I used to work out at such a centre, and it was great to have taken care of two training needs in one session. However, as I entered a lifelong relationship, and we decided to wean ourselves off of automobiles, it became difficult to get to the fitness centre.  I then recreated the express workout at home, but I still needed to find the time and energy for my martial arts workout.  Then I had the Eureka moment…. Replace the generic aerobic activity with a high intensity martial arts activity. For example warm up by going through your anyos, or katas,  some stick patterns (my background is FMA,  but other ideas are blocking patterns, etc.).  When you are warmed up, set a timer to go off every minute.  Then do this circuit, one minute per exercise

1/ pushups 2/ shadow boxing, or hand techniques on a heavy bag. 3/ lunges 4/ shadow kicks, or kicks on a heavy bag. 5/ rows with tubing 6/ shadow work with sticks, 7/  ab exercise 8/ shadow  combo, i.e. punches, kicks, and sticks. 9/ kneel, and then lift alternate legs up towards ceiling, bent knee is easier, work up to straight leg, and only lift until the knee (if bent) or the foot, if straight, is level with your butt (do not hyperextend) 10/ footwork.  If you repeat this circuit twice, you will have a 20 cardio session, 3 times is a 30 minute session, plus strength, and you will have worked your technique. Do some stretching, yoga, or soft work, i.e. Tai Chi, Ba Qua for a cool-down.  This is an economical well rounded workout that requires minimal room or equipment. You can do it in the park, using a tree branch for chins, instead of rowing (can’t chin for a minute…take breaks, or select a low branch, so that you can help with your legs). Feel free to switch the order, i.e., put either the abs, or the lower back kneeling exercise in the middle of the circuit.  If you have exercises that you prefer, then sub them in, but remember, you want one pushing exercise, one pulling exercise, one leg exercise, one ab exercise, one low back exercise. If you don’t have rubber tubing, but you do have a sturdy door, your pulling exercise can be done facing the edge of the open door, grasping the handles, bending your legs, and pulling yourself toward the door. (experiment with how changing the distance from feet to door effects the difficulty).   You can also substitute different aerobic activities, i.e. shadow knife work…just keep the tempo up.  If you have weights, use them…but no isolation exercises, such as curls….you want to use the body as a unit…more bang for your buck, and also, that is how we want to move as martial artists, so do presses, rows, deadlifts, etc.Work smart, work tough… enjoy.

Road trip workouts...

Had a blast on our 2 week road trip with dogs. We went through BC and Alberta. I got to kayak, do HIT training in new gyms, swim in circles in tiny pools (more fun that it seems and more tiring, since i didn't allow myself to touch the walls, so no kick off), had the tip sucked off my walking stick going up a steep, muddy runoff in Horse thief canyon,   got my picture taking training sword and shield in Canmore, and found kettlebells, in Canmore, and Jasper. Did snatches, and jerks with 20 lb bells (yes pounds, not kg, or poids.) Enjoyed being able to do a lot more reps, it got me back into GS training, and made me appreciate lighter (for me) bells. Now I have 12k bells on my wish list. All in all had a blast, and enjoyed the challenge of reengineering my workouts.  And lost 3 lbs (hopefully I won't find them waiting for me here at home). Now I just need my gladius to arrive. 

Road trip training = opportunity.

Will be starting a road trip across British Columbia into Alberta, up through the Drumheller badlands to Banff, Jasper, across to Prince George and home. I will be taking my sword and shield, as don't want to lose what proficiency I have obtained.  The rest of my training is ...opportunity. The chance to be thrown into strange environments, without my clubbells, kbells, trx, sticks, practice knives. I could take some of this along, but i want to create a chance to train in hotel gyms, or to get back to pushups, lunges, chins.  To have to pick up a branch, or a broom, , or a frying pan, and go through the Arnis flow with it.  The chance to  challenge myself to adapt.  A major purpose of training, for me, is to allow me to rise to challenges, to seize opportunity, to have the strength, endurance and confidence to able to try new things.  At Acadamie Duello they say "Gioco Largo : Making Space, Creating opportunities"...I am making space in my life, and creating the opportunity for a new look at familiar things. As I say to my students, samerent, same, yet different.

Don't just workout..work on something.

No matter what you are working on, have a specific focus. IE., today i was working on carrenza, or shadow work, with knife, stick, staff, empty hand and sword and shield...but my focus with each weapon was the same.  Enter, or move in with an attack, ie, thrust with sword or knife, fire one solid blow or attack, one follow up or limb disabler, and then a straight thrust to cover as I moved out of range. (This is all heavily influenced by Joe Lewis' teachings in Karate) .  Then I went back with each weapon, and worked on moving fluidly from defense to counter, whilst maintaining good cover.  Again, different tools, sometimes different movements with the same tool, but always the same focus.  Third time through, I began to combine the drills, ie. parry, then move in with a quick threatening thrust to occupy space, and my "opponents" mind, then a hard blow to the head, a wrist cut , and angular retreat with a thrust to cover.  If you are doing kettlebell snatches, the same thing applies...be focused on an aspect for each minute...ie, wrist position at top, or making sure to take a full backswing, etc.

Today's workouts.

Did a basic martial arts workout this morning....3 minute rds, with 30 seconds rest. 2 rounds of footwork, for both FMA and sidesword, 2 round empty hand, emphasis on bareknuckle tools, ie, palm strikes, hammer fist, fore arms. 6 rds sidesword and shield, 1 rd stick, 1 round knife, 1 round anyos, or forms. 12 rounds = 42 mins. Rationale : my sidesword still gets sideways, so that is where i put a lot of my work.

noon: swam 1600m free, then 100k with big fins. Then drowning man arnis (practicing my empty movements and kicks in deep water).  Rationale : I swim because it is good cardio, good recovery....and I LIKE IT. Got to do things you like, or you just quit doing.  Fins are for my hip, DMA is because i got no bag to hit.

Interesting day

Did a private lesson with Devon at Acadamie Duello on side sword and shield...my shield work is improving, but needs to improve more.  There is a real difference between  using a sidesword and shield, and doing daga espada in FMA.  Everything is bigger, especially the strokes, momentum is not reversed, but is ridden on, recircled, and whipped out again. A two pound sword coming at your head is a very different beast from a stick, and most be dealt with firmly, and with perfect form, or it will smack you.  A shield, ill used, is a hinderance only to you not to your opponent.  If you think it protects everything, then in all likelihood, it is protecting nothing.   That being said, some things are similar.... the shield is used to check, like a daga, or an alive hand, stepping to angles...trying to get to someone`s back.  I think in the long run, the sword and shield work will vastly improve my stick and knife work, but right now, I am enjoying the differences, and the delight of so much new material, and new precision.  And that was also the case with my kettlebell class later at Code 5. I am concentrating more on GS style, and less on hard style. And while the newness, in both cases,  is frustrating, it is also liberating, more opportunity to learn, less expectation of knowing. Life is good, and it is good to stay open to new things.

this morning's workout.

11 mins. sword and shield work, to warm up, and to work my technique.  Doing better at keeping shield on line, and linking footwork to my sword movments.  I try to do sword and shield work most days, as it is my newest, and weakest area. 1 min rest.
Then 10 x 30 sec on, 30 off, clubbell swipes with the 15's. Held 9 -10 rpm. This movement works all the muscles for sword strokes in a full body movement without trying to mimic the strokes, which, IMHO, would be a major mistake. 1 min rest.  Then I did 40 atomic pushups with as little rest as possible. Again, a full body movement, this one working the core, and the horizontal push. By this point, i am deep into fatigue. Then 4 kneeling lunges with 6k kettlebell, terminated the set at 4 as the wobbling was getting dangerous to my hip. 26 mins total of fun.

Welcome to keyboard guro

Welcome to keyboard guro. This site is dedicated to all FMA practitioners, but especially to those who are challenged by age, or injury, or both.  My goal is to provide useful training ideas, and combative concepts, and also to provide an example of how someone can carry on with injuries. I have had a total hip replacement on my left hip (will put article on site),  but am currently strength training, and doing solo FMA training, with the guidance of my physio.  Can I do what I used to do…no.  But I can still maintain my health, and the roots of my art.

My main Martial Arts influence is Modern Arnis, specifically Datu Shishir Inocalla’s Arnis Maharlika.  I have also had the honour of training with Guro Louis Lindo, and Guro Loki Jorgensen.  I recommend any of these gentlemen as instructors of talent and skill.  As well, I have been able to attend seminars with Datu Kelly Worden of Natural Spirit… I recommend both Datu and his dvd materials highly.  Steve Grody has been very influential via tapes and email correspondence in rationalizing my art, and preventing me from getting caught up in the superfluous and the fancy.  His art is very complete, and his instructional material is very well organized and thought out. I have also done JKD concepts with Gary Hermann, and catch wrestling with Derek Kinnocan, and Jason Crawford.  I can recommend all of these men as fine instructors, and human beings. I would also like to thank my longtime training partner, Elliot Wiltshire, who helped me develop my own art of Bango (theory is good, but you need to test it, so put on the gear and bang, thus Bango. Bango also means sweet smelling in Tagalog…I hope my art is both sweet and powerful) I want to thank all my instructors for their aid, instruction, and patience.  Any misunderstandings, or misapplications are mine….in the end each of us will find our own art, or it will find us, and like us will evolve over time.

As for physical training, I grew up in a small town and ran track, and played rugby in High School.  There was little instruction given on how to prepare yourself for competition, and strength training was frowned upon. However as a small (5 foot 5 and ½ inches) and slight athlete, I hungered for the strength to bolster my speed and quickness.  I perused every book on or by athletes in the local library, I ordered a set of weights, and used the York training protocols that came with it.  I learned that weight training should be simple, full body, and progressive.  That is still true today, for any training.  If you do just a little bit more, and just a little bit better, every session, you can achieve your dreams. At Simon Fraser University, I practiced football….and that phrasing is deliberate, and true. I seldom played, but I always practiced, and looked for ways to improve myself. This was the early and mid 70’s and offseason training, and strength training was required, but not supervised.  I learned the Bill Starr method of training 5 x 5 on major lifts, bench press, power clean, leg press (we had no squat rack), and eventually bench pressed 305 lbs two reps, at a body weight of 149 lbs. After my brief, and injury riddled football career (two knee operations, broken ribs, dislocated jaw),  I became interested in Tai Chi Chuan, and HIT training with weights…why not hit both ends of the spectrum?.  Then I met Datu Shishir, at his first seminar, and then his first training facility in Vancouver. I fell in love with the flow and the sticks of Arnis, and his balanced approach to Martial Arts and life…we practiced Wholistic Martial Arts, a blend of hard style, soft style, FMA, meditation and yoga.  Since then Datu’s art has had different names, and different outward manifestations, but it has always balanced soft and hard, internal and external, and I have tried to maintain that balance. Thank you Datu. I have also competed in Triathlons, and went from non swimmer to the front 1/3 of the pack…. And swimming and cycling have remained part of my training, and I highly recommend them for all people, but especially for the older person seeking gentle but full exertion.  I have also studied tape material from Matt Furey (Combat Conditioning) and Scott Sonnon. (CST) My current number 1 fitness instructor is Trish Dong of Code5Fitness in Vancouver. Trish teaches kettlebell, body weight conditioning and other modalities.  She has a talent for teaching and leading people to the edge of their physical abilities.  If you have a chance to train with Trish…GRAB IT.

In the Martial Arts and in Physical Training in general, my approach has always been to try many things, or instructors.  Even if you find yourself disagreeing with every thing you are shown, you learn what doesn’t work for you, which is very important.  Also remember, just because you can’t make it work, doesn’t it mean it doesn’t work. Stay humble. Remember, no matter how different someone’s art, or training may be, we are all in this together. 

Hello.

Welcome to keyboard guro. I said I will start this blog by the end of May, and here it is.  I will be adding some material tonite (an introduction,  and some notes. ) I will try to add something every week, except when I am on holidays.)

Today's note is simply my workout today...the workout of a pretty ordinary guy, who juggles several interests, and a life.

Todays workout, warm up - 2x 6min sword and shield work.
6 mins of snatch  with the 20 k.(8rpm), switching hands every 4 reps, 1 min rest, 6 x 4 double jerks with the 16ks.  Start a new set every min. 
Rationale for workout :  Warm up is to allow me to move a moderate wt (2 lb sword, shield ) in a variety of movements, while getting extra practice in with those weapons.  The snatch work out allows me to get more reps in than if I did GS style (which would allow only 1 switch).  The jerks let me get reps in without burning out. Eventually i will move to GS sets as I get stronger.  Will do a short hike at lunch to get ready for trip to Banff.  I will probably not reach my full potential at sword, or GS, or hiking on this program, but I will enjoy myself, and get better at all of them.