Warming-Up Before Practice Starts

Post by: S Lee

You bow in, enter the dojo, bow to the shrine, and see that you have a good ten minutes before practice starts. Now what? Lately we have been going over some good ways to warm-up on your own when you get to the dojo a little bit early.

Range of motion exercises are a good way to start, but they shouldn't be done for more than a couple minutes. Muscles are like taffy, when they are warm they are stretchy and flexible. However, when they are cold they are susceptible to injury. Therefore, it is best to start warming up those muscles before you start stretching or doing strenuous activity like punching and kicking the bags. Here are some ideas:

-Knees to chest
-Jumping jacks
-Light jog, incorporating upper body movement
-Light shadow boxing
-Jump rope
-Kata
-Tai Sabaki

After a few minutes of warming up with one of these activities, your muscles should start feeling warm and loose. Depending on how warmed up you are, you may feel like stretching at this point. Another option is to start practicing techniques. Bag work, push-ups, sit-ups, weapons kata, rolls, and other techniques can be practiced for the last few minutes before class starts.

There are some things you should NOT be doing:

-Talking about non-martial arts stuff
-Sitting down to stretch
-Staring into oblivion

It is important to get the most out of every class you attend. This is true for everyone, but even more so for people looking to test. One of the things black belts look for in potential testers is their readiness and enthusiasm. This is also your chance to work that new part of your kata or to go over your offensive sparring combinations without a Sensei scrutinizing your techniques.

Keep these things in mind when arriving to practice early. Have any other ideas for warm-ups? Add them in the comments!

Photo By: Ken Smith

Eating the Good Fight

Post By: Kris Green 

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always make the best food or drink choices. Dr. Pepper is a particular weakness – nutritionally, though, it counts as a big negative, adding sugar and calories without any benefits except flavor and caffeine.

But I want to eat better so that nutrition doesn’t work against my training. A lot of things can interfere with our training, and they’re hard enough to work around without also getting tired or losing focus because I didn’t eat right that day.

Starting at the top, this means getting a decent mix of the three macronutrients: fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Without protein, your muscles break down. Without carbs, you have no energy to burn. Without a little fat, the entire engine stalls before it starts. What’s the right mix? That’s a little harder. Some experts say to go with 30% of your calories from fat, 30% from protein, 40% from carbs. Other experts have different mixes. Bottom line, though, is that each meal should have all three in decent proportions.

I also try to get the right kinds of proteins and carbs and fat. Lean protein, like chicken or fish or tofu, is much better than fatty stuff, like beef. Slow-burning carbs from whole grains are better than fast, simple carbs like sugar. And yes, honey counts as sugar, so I’m trying to stop adding honey to every mug of tea I drink. But a plate of pork ribs covered in barbeque sauce gives my willpower a black eye every time. Tasty, but it’s all the wrong stuff since the pork is high in fat and the sauce has a ton of salt and sugar.

Another factor I try to keep in mind is varying the sources of each of these nutrients. Sure, tofu is good for you, but it shouldn’t be the ONLY source of protein in your diet. All foods have micronutrients as well, like the omega-3 acids, iron, and potassium. Only by varying the source of the food you eat can you get a reasonable mix of these. And at all costs, I try to minimize the condiments on my food. A salad of fresh veggies is about as healthy for you as it can be – especially with some nuts for protein and fat thrown in – but after you add a typical salad dressing, you’ve done yourself more harm than good. (Fact: Some salads and dressing combinations at McDonald’s have more 30% more fat than the Big Mac!) So what can you do to punch up a salad? Add balsamic vinegar instead of dressing, or sprinkle unsalted sunflower kernels on it.

Finally, I find it helps a lot to spread my calories out through the day. Three balanced meals of 650-700 calories with some small 150-200 calories snacks helps keep my energy level more consistent throughout the day and avoids overeating at one meal. This also avoids spikes and slumps in blood sugar. Then your workouts are building your body up rather than tearing it down.

Photo by: YaiSirichai