Yesterday’s Workout, 12.28.10

Lead a small group training session. Started with 12-min of yoga. Followed with a 15/15 workout, alternating between Hindu push-ups and squats, for 10-min. Rested a bit, then another 15/15 session, this time kettlebell Clean & Presses, again for 10-min. Finished with a 30/30 session of kettlebell swings, alternating between 1-arm and 2-arm swings, for 10-min. I used a 35# KB for all exercises.

 

Yesterday’s Workout, 12.26.10

Met up with my friend Travis for training yesterday. Warmed-up by swinging the Kali sticks freestyle before moving on to some double-stick forms aka Sinawali. Followed with a 15/15 workout, alternating between Hindu push-ups and squats, for 10-min. Rested a bit, then another 15/15 session, this time kettlebell Clean & Presses, again for 10-min. I used a 44# KB, Travis used the 35#. Finished with a 30/30 session of kettlebell swings for 10-min. We switched KBs, so now I was using the 35# and Travis was using the 44#. Both of us alternated between 1-arm and 2-arm swings. Cooled down with 12-min of yoga before heading off to Kahala Mall for smoothies.

Today’s Workout, 12.24.10

Started with 12-min of yoga. Followed up by 5 sets of 10 Hindu push-ups and 20 Hindu squats. Then grabbed my 44# kettlebell and headed outside for some 2-handed swings, 30/30, for 8-min.

Yesterday’s Workout, 12.22.10

Trained with my friend Travis on Wednesday. Started out with 12-min of yoga, followed by Long cycle kettlebell Clean & Jerks for 10-min, switching hands every 5 reps. I used a 35# KB. Then we goofed around on the Jungle Gym, doing chins, body rows, and dips for a few minutes. Wrapped up with swings, 30/30 for 10-min. Usually I stick to 2-handed swings, but this time I mixed things up, alternating between 1- and 2-handed swings every so often.

Today’s Workout, 12.20.10

Thanks to rains of near-Biblical proportions, training outside was not an option today, so I stayed indoors and worked on bodyweight stuff. Twelve minutes of yoga. Tri-set of 3 neutral grip chins, 10 Hindu push-ups, and 20 Hindu squats; 10 sets, with about a 1-min break between sets. Finished with side planks and other core work.

Earning a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blue Belt

In March 2009, my training partner Jerry Chang and I earned Blue Belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from our instructor, Burton Richardson. And I’m not exaggerating when I say “earned.” We prepared for several months by drilling, rolling, and going over techniques. The test itself consisted of several hard rounds of groundfighting. Jerry and I were very proud to have passed and to receive our Blue Belts from Burton. I was particularly happy, as when I first started training back in 2002, I really wasn’t very comfortable on the ground. It took me around two years to feel even semi-competent grappling. But eventually things started to come together, and, with lots of hard work and dedication, my ground game began to improve. I look forward to my future Jiu-Jitsu training, and to constantly improving.

(Pictured: Jerry Chang, Burton Richardson, and Yours Truly)

Today’s Workout: 12.15.10

Started off with 12-min of yoga and 5 sets of Hindu push-ups and squats. Then headed outside with my 44# kettlebell. Long cycle KB Clean & Jerks for 3-min, switching hands every 5 reps. Two sets of 5 military presses. Swings, 30/30 for 8-min. Ended with planks and core work.

Martial Arts Training, 12.14.10

Kali: Spent a great deal of time working knife disarms and empty hand-vs-knife sparring. JKD/MMA/BJJ: Lots of sparring using only the lead leg and lead hand. Worked on takedowns from the clinch, which I like quite a bit and want to do more of. Ended with plenty of good, old-fashioned BJJ rolling.

Today’s Workout, 12.13.10

Tens sets of 3 chins on the Jungle Gym. Two sets each of Turkish get-ups with a 35# kettlebell, Hindu push-ups and squats, and wall-supported handstand push-ups. Also did some coaching today, which meant I ended up doing two 12-min yoga sessions as well as many kettlebell swings and cleans.

Blasting Your Legs with Hindu Squats

Many people think to work their legs they have to go to a gym, hit the power rack, and do a bunch of barbell squats. Or they feel the need to use leg press machines or something similar. While weighted squats are great muscle builders, you can really work the legs with body weight squats, especially Hindu squats, which add a conditioning component. Here’s a short video by Steve Maxwell:

On Sunday morning, I cranked out about seven sets of 20 Hindu squats. I was still feeling it Tuesday night. Trust me, this old school exercise works!