Breathing 101
I was planning to title this post, “Breathing for Dummies” after the famous how-to guides, but I realized most dummies aren’t interested in bettering their health, fitness, and extending longevity in their sports, martial arts, or activities. Plus, I dislike the subtle insult of refering to my readers as “dummies”. Nor would I want dummies…
Basics Ain’t So Basic After All
As a teacher and student of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, I often hear the same question over and over again – how can I improve my skill? What should I practice to get better? Since I remember myself asking that question several times (probably several hundred times if you ask some people!) to my teacher and seniors in the…
How to Train for the Endurance of a Ninja
As promised, here is an example strength endurance workout to start you on the way to building ninja-like endurance. We will work the upper body, core, and lower body for a complete, whole body workout. The goal of this type of training is to improve the body’s general endurance capacity so as to increase our overall resistance…
Blueberry Almond Joy Protein Shake
Looking for a quick and easy meal that’s healthy too? Try this delicious recipe for a shake full of protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants!
So Ya Wanna Be a Ninja?
Masaaki Hatsumi, Grandmaster of the Bujinkan Dojo, once stated, “endurance is of primary importance for the ninja.” One definition of endurance is the ability to resist fatigue. Looking at the kanji (Chinese character) for Nin, there is the ideogram for “sword” over the ideogram for “heart” giving Nin a meaning of, “even though you hold a sword…
What’s Tabata You?
If you have been keeping up with the latest trends in conditioning research then you probably already know that interval training is the most efficient way to train. Interval training alternates periods of high intensity exercise with periods of rest to produce gains in both aerobic and anaerobic systems. Forget about those long slow distance runs to…
Bujinkan Seminar Announcement!
Jon will be teaching a Bujinkan martial arts seminar at Redemption Kettlebell Gym in East Windsor, NJ on Saturday, April 24, 2010. Please click on the flyer here for more details: Bujinkan Seminar Flyer The seminar is $50 at the door, or to pay in advance, please click here:
Top 5 Mistakes When Starting an Exercise Program
In my experience there are several things that can contribute to failure in an exercise program, or any other goal for that matter. In the past when I would fail to achieve a specific fitness goal or suffer a setback, minor or major, I’d chalk it up to fate and just try harder the next…
Fitness Requirements for Bujinkan Martial Arts Training – part 2
In part one of this series, here, we discussed why it makes sense for Bujinkan practitioners, and indeed all martial artists, to include a fitness regimen as part of their training. We also reviewed the basics of General Physical Preparedness (GPP), and why it is necessary. Today, I’d like to talk about some specific examples…
Makko-ho: Five Minutes Physical Fitness Book Review
Makkō-Hō is a system which through regular practice can produce a huge range of benefits for just about anybody at any age. This book gives a good clear breakdown of the four main exercises and also some detail on the science behind the purpose and results of the exercises.
Lost Empire Herbs
