Workouts

These are just basic workouts to get you moving. These are not complex and are simple just so you can maintain some strength and flexibilty. Functionalpatterns.com have more knowledge than me on integrated functional excercises, my plans are just standard moves.

 PRISON CELL WORKOUT

This is also a good work out for kids as no equipment is needed.

1.   Warm UP , Star Jumps, Mountain Climbers

2.   Push ups, Supine Push Ups

3.   Plank, Glute Bridge, bicycle crunches

4. Squats (heels on floor), lunges and calve raises, shin raises

5.   Burpees and star jumps

6.  Stretch or foam roll or massage gun

WORKOUT 2: MINIMAL EQUIPMENT  WORKOUT

Equipment needed, Foam roller, tall parallette bars from Argos, skipping rope.

Workout pattern, S equals strength days, C Equals Cardio Day.

Strength day – warm up with 5 mins jogging on the spot then Foam roll, the adductors, calves, hamstrings and quads.

All exercises one set until failure. (one set to failure is enough to damage and breakdown the muscles to promote regeneration)

Push ups, glute bridges (contract glutes at start), plank, inverted chin ups on parallettes, inverted pull up on parallettes, squats (heels on floor and contract glutes on way up), bicycle crunches, shin raises, calf raises double, calf raises single leg. Balance on one leg for 1 minute and work way up to 3 mins eventually on each leg.

Cool down light jog on the spot for 5 mins, and stretch.

Cardio day – 30 min jog, then after foam roll and stretch. Or 1 hour power walk, or 20 minutes skipping both with foam roll and stretch after.

Monday - S

Tuesday - Rest

Wednesday - Cardio

Thursday - Rest

Friday - S

Saturday - Cardio

Sunday - Massage

WORKOUT 3:  DUMBBELL WORKOUT 

Pointers:

Dumbbell exercises are mainly unilateral movements, which can help iron out imbalances between the left and right side of the body (unlike machines & Barbells which are bilateral movements). I recommend doing this workout at least once a week.

Use standing compound movements; this is done to strengthen functional movement patterns. This way you train the prime movers, stabilisers, fixators, core and synergists to work in sync and coordinate together. This makes you more athletic and strengthens the kinetic chain for functional use. With Machines you sit and don’t really work functional movement patterns. When you sit  you take a lot of muscles out of the equation.

Don’t use extremely heavy weights form is more important and try to do more reps to get a bit of endurance work done too. Only use weights on leg exercises when you have good form on bodyweight. 

Order to do exercises

Do one or 2 set until failure. Warm up first and foam roll body, make sure to cool down and stretch the body after to release the tension and tightness and return muscles to normal length/tension relationships.

Standing Bicep curls, standing over head tricep extensions, standing shoulder aka military press, standing back rows, floor or bench chest press, single leg glute bridges, lunges, farmers walk, and squat with shoulder press and Shin excercise, single calve raises, bicycle crinches.

A good exercise for the shins 

 Martial arts training, extracts from Van Zant (Mr High Kick)

This is his view other trainers may do things different and in different orders, everyone has their own knowledge and methods. 

There are three types of flexibility you should be concerned with, which are defined by the action of the agonist muscle (the one that does all the work during a movement) and whether or not there is an external force acting to hold or increase the range of motion. These are Dynamic, Active Static, and passive static (Including PNF aka Isometric).

"Why bother with static-passive flexibility if the techniques in my martial art are dynamic?" The answer: Dynamic and static-passive flexibility share a unique relationship and each has an indirect effect on the other. You can consider yourself sufficiently flexible when your maximal range of motion exceeds the requirements of your sport by at least 20%. The difference between your flexibility and the requirements of your sport is called the flexibility reserve. The range of motion in your dynamic stretching depends upon, and is affected by, the range of motion in your static-passive stretches, and vice versa. Static-active stretching does not feature in this relationship.

How do I arrange my stretches in a workout?

Dynamic stretching first (during the warm-up), isometric stretching after the main part, followed by relaxed stretching. It's that simple. So many people get this wrong and still wonder why they are sore after every workout and see little or zero progress after years of training. Here is a more detailed explanation:

 1. General warm-up. Start with rotations to loosen up the joints, then follow this with light cardiovascular exercises. Marching, jogging on the spot and skipping rope are great examples. Don't do strength exercises here. Lay off the press-ups, sit-ups, squats, burpees and other callisthenic exercises until the strength portion of your workout.

2. Specific warm-up. Now is the time to do your dynamic stretches. Follow these with milder versions of the skill you will be attempting in the main part. If you're throwing high kicks in the main part, your specific warm-up should consist of dynamic stretches followed by low- and medium-height kicks.

3. Main part. Do technique before speed. Do speed before strength. Do strength before endurance.

4. Cool-down. Do isometric stretches followed by relaxed stretches. Did isometric stretches yesterday? Lay off them today and do only relaxed stretches. Isometric stretches are a strength exercise and should be treated as such. Leave at least 24 hours between applications.

The least you need to know:

- Dynamic and static-passive stretching are essential if you want to be great at kicking and other skills.

- Dynamic stretching, static-active stretching, isometric stretching and relaxed stretching, in that order.

- Don't do isometric or relaxed stretches before your main workout.

- Your genes will not prevent you from doing the splits.

- Strength training is essential for flexibility.

How long will it take me to achieve the splits?

That depends on your initial levels of strength and flexibility. It can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months, but it definitely takes less than one year to display full splits. If it takes longer than this, then your method of stretching is wrong.

What books or DVDs do you recommend?

Stretching scientifically (book) or Secrets of Stretching by Thomas Kurz. That's where I got all my information from. You really will not find a more qualified authority or extensive resource on the science of stretching.

Should I use partners in stretching?

No. Partners do not know when you have gone too far in a stretch. By the time they respond and ease off on the stretch, it might be too late. Anything you can do with a partner or machine you can do just as well (sometimes better) with a nice, solid floor.