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The Push-up: Why Is This So Hard?

11.14.11 By 1 Comment

Check out this great article from Greg Everett at Catalyst Athletics:

The Push-up: Why Is This So Hard?

These push-ups are not so hard

These push-ups are not so hard


A lot of that should sound familiar from previous posts and my harping in class…

Why should you care about doing a perfect push-up? This is self-defense training after all, not competitive fitness. The push-up is a fundamental exercise used in our training. If done correctly, it trains not only “arm strength” (which will benefit your combatives), but the ability to maintain a rigid core (which benefits everything you do in and outside of class). If knowing that an improper push-up can cause more harm than good doesn’t drive you to improve your form, maybe this will:

Ugly push-ups offend me deeply :cry:

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Bas on Cartoon Network – The Complete Set

07.28.11 By 1 Comment

Someone was kind enough to splice together all Bas Rutten’s Cartoon Network segments:

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Summer Break Workout 07.06.11

07.06.11 By 1 Comment
  • Experiment with some of these warm-up ideas.

  • Three 5-minute rounds consisting of the following circuit:

    1:00 rest between rounds.

  • Skills Work: Side Kick static holds, 5 reps each leg. Use support if necessary.
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Five Essential Exercises

08.16.10 By 2 Comments

One of the blogs I follow, Mark Sisson’s Mark’s Daily Apple, has been posting exercise progression videos in conjunction with the roll-out of a new fitness program called Primal Blueprint Fitness. This ties perfectly (and coincidentally) into the strength and conditioning post from two weeks ago, so I’ve included the videos and the links to the how-to articles below. They show really good progressions for developing what Mark dubs the Five Essential Exercises: the push-up, pull-up, squat, overhead press, and plank. These exercises have obvious functional carryover in day-to-day life and our Krav Maga training.

If you’re curious, Primal Blueprint Fitness is one component of the overall primal lifestyle approach. You can read an overview here. I’ve been a paleo/primal eater for a little over a year now and have been exceedingly happy with the changes. (Don’t worry, those funny shoes in the videos aren’t requisite to the program!)

Push-up

Pull-up/Chin-up

Squat

Overhead Press

Plank

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Filed Under: General Info, Krav Maga News, Krav Maga Technique Library, Strength & Conditioning, Training Tagged With: , , ,

Triskaidekaphobia: The 813 Workout

08.14.10 By Leave a Comment

The 813 Workout
Because friggatriskaidekaphobia / paraskevidekatriaphobia just don’t have the same ring…

To help perpetuate the fear of Friday the 13th, we did workout last night that made Jason’s torturous acts pale in comparison. The following was completed in pairs, partners counting each other’s reps. The exercises could be reordered and partitioned as desired. Eight hundred thirteen reps were performed once the list was completed.

• Burpees 100
• Push-Ups 100
• Squats 150
• Sit-ups 200
• 4-punch burst 50
• Front Kicks 50
• Knees across the room (trips) 13
TOTAL REPS 813
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Summer Break Workout #4: Wednesday 07.07.10

07.06.10 By Leave a Comment
  • 5 min of jump rope or light jog
  • Do the following five sequences in order as fast as possible:
    1. 50 Push-ups + 50 Squats + 50 Sit-Ups + 50 Jumping Jacks
    2. 40 Push-ups + 40 Squats + 40 Sit-Ups + 40 Jumping Jacks
    3. 30 Push-ups + 30 Squats + 30 Sit-Ups + 30 Jumping Jacks
    4. 20 Push-ups + 20 Squats + 20 Sit-Ups + 20 Jumping Jacks
    5. 10 Push-ups + 10 Squats + 10 Sit-Ups + 10 Jumping Jacks
  • Skills Work: Front Kick from the Ground (Back Position). Focus on getting your hips as high as possible to create the straight line from the knee of your base leg to your shoulder. DO NOT snap out the kick! Work the full range of motion very slowly.
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Summer Break Workout #3: Tuesday 07.06.10

07.05.10 By 1 Comment
  • For two 3-minute rounds: Jump rope or do any combination of jumping jacks, high knees, heels up, etc.
  • Do each of the following using the Tabata protocol (8 rounds of 20 sec work, 10 sec rest), no additional rest between exercises. So, you’ll do each exercise for 4 min, totaling 16 min for the workout.
    • Burpees
    • V-Ups or Toe Touches
    • Bas Rutten combo #4 (jab, cross, left hook, cross) as fast as possible with the good form and full extension you practiced yesterday, no pause between repetitions. If you have a heavy bag and can put gloves on in the 10 sec before this exercise begins, go for it.
    • Backward Fall Break and Get Up repeatedly as fast as possible. Find a soft, rock-less patch of grass!
  • Skills Work: Practice bursting forward from a neutral position delivering a simultaneous defense and counter, i.e. 360° Defense. Train both sides and use a mirror if you can.

Here’s an online Tabata timer. There are also mp3 downloads.

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Summer Break Workout #2: Monday 07.05.10

07.04.10 By 1 Comment
  • Experiment with some of these warm-up ideas.

  • Go out to your local high school track, Victory Field (map below), or “measure out” a 400m route on the street.
    Three rounds of the following circuit for time:

    No rest between rounds.

  • Skills Work: Shadow box in front of a mirror. Go slowly; watch your technique. Here are a few things to look for:
    • Are you twisting your body and getting full extension on your punches?
    • Is your back foot staying on the ground while you punch?
    • Are your elbows in tight to your sides and pointed down?
    • Is your chin down?
    • Are your hands come back to your face?

Here are directions from the Academy.

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Summer Break Workout #1: Saturday 07.03.10

07.02.10 By Leave a Comment
  • Experiment with some of these warm-up ideas.

  • Three 5-minute rounds consisting of the following circuit:

    1:00 rest between rounds.

  • Skills Work: Side Kick static holds, 5 reps each leg. Use support if necessary.
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The Repetitive Nature of Training Is *Not* Killing Me

04.23.10 By 1 Comment

fractal

Subtitle: Krav Homework Sucks a Lot Less Than Trigonometry

There’s a very important but sometimes neglected concept in learning self-defense. Really, it applies to developing any new skill, be it Krav Maga, playing piano, or knitting. It’s practice, or as we like to refer to it to make it sound more intense: training.

Krav Maga as a system is designed to quickly build proficiency in students and provide them with tools that remain effective under stress and/or from a position of disadvantage that will neutralize a threat and keep them safe.

[Read more...]

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