Usually my favorite place for the kids to exercise is outside.  There’s nothing like running around, climbing on the jungle gym at the local playground, or just enjoying a walk on a beautiful day in the  fresh air and sunshine to fulfill your children’s daily recommended allowance of exercise.  But how about those dull, rainy days when the kids are cooped up indoors?  For some reason, indoor activities always seem to lend themselves to sedentary type things, like: video games, watching tv, surfing the Internet, playing cards or boardgames, and reading (although my kids …

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 art, I always take time to give a thoughtful and honest answer.  And, my answer to these sincere seekers is always the same  – practice the basics. 
Basic Does NOT Equal Simple 
I think maybe the term “basic” …

As promised in my previous post, So Ya Wanna Be a Ninja, 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 to fatigue.  This will enable you to train longer, harder, and more frequently, as well as improving your ability to recover between training sessions …

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!

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 improve aerobic fitness!
The Body’s 3 Energy Systems
To briefly summarize, the body has three energy systems, 2 anaerobic, or non-oxidative, and 1 aerobic, that serve to create ATP (adenosine triphosphate).  ATP is utilized by every cell in …

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:

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 time.  As I grew older, and smarter, I began to see a pattern emerge.  These things didn’t just happen, there were particular sets of circumstances, most often at the outset of an exercise program, that combined to …

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.

As a 20 plus year veteran of Bujinkan martial arts training, as well as being the owner/founder of Warrior Fitness, one of the things I pride myself on is my ability to access the fitness needs of my fellow martial artists, particularly those who train in the Bujinkan.  A common misconception that you’ll hear bandied about from dojo to dojo all across the world is that strength, and by association overall, general fitness, is not required.  I think this has to do with a fundamental misunderstanding of how we train.  In …

Let’s change it up a little bit this week and spend some time focusing on our core.  Since all movement originates from the core of the body, it makes good sense to target it specifically and ensure our cores are strong, mobile, and integrated with the rest of our body.  Instead of wasting time doing endless crunches, or spending crazy amounts of money on relatively useless tummy flattening gimmicks (as sold on late night TV), try this functional core workout instead! 

10 V-ups 

Lie flat on your back with arms stretched out over your …