Warrior Fitness » warrior fitness

Preparing Ninja for a Mission

Jon — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:09:44 +0000

My name is Ichiro Watanabe. I am a chunin, a middle level ninja of the Togakure clan. Our small village is secluded deep in the mountains near Mt. Togakushi, otherwise known as Togakure Mountain. I could tell you exactly where, but I’d have to kill you. No joke, it’s a matter of survival for my family and clan. You see the year is 1601, one year after the famous Battle of Sekigahara which brought Ieyasu Tokugawa to power uniting Japan. There is still much to do, however, and the need for the services of our ninja clan is still very great.

In the past I was one of the top operatives for my clan successfully completing dozens of missions all over Japan. I went by many names, played many roles, and brought great favor to our clan. My exploits are “legen- wait for it -dary” among ninja warriors. Today have retired from active duty and assumed a position where I am in charge of the physical preparation training of our up and coming ninja recruits.

Based on my background and experience, one of my goals as an operative turned trainer is to completely revamp our ninja fitness training program. My main concern is – What Does a Ninja Need?. What I’ve done is put together a sample training program for you to get a glimpse into my world and see how I am training the new recruits. Remember, this is just a snippet of the complete training package, based on my decades of operation and training experience that I have put together for the ninja in training. There is much, much more….

So, how does one prepare ninja physically for a mission?

Pulling and grip strength are an absolute must for scaling castle fortifications,
Anaerobic and aerobic endurance,
Burst-recover-burst ability for escape and evasion,
Not to mention power- a unique blend of strength and speed to enhance technical ability and fighting prowess should a ninja come face to face with a samurai intent on doing him harm.
Jumping ability
Agility
Core strength/activation since power is generated from core out to the extremeties

If you decide to attempt this sample workout, make sure you begin with a good warm-up.

I’ll tell you about the super-secret dynamic warm-up that we do here in a future installment. Keep an eye out for it!

Ninja Warrior Physical Prep Workout

5 Towel pull-ups

10 Rock-up Deck Squat and Leap

10 Fingertip Pushups

10 Hanging Leg Raises

Repeat as many times as possible (AMTAP) in 20 minutes (rest as needed).

Finisher – Heavy DB farmer walk or heavy sandbag carry x 3

There you go, an officaly ninja warrior workout direct from the 16th century! How well do you stack up?

Motivate Thyself!

Jon — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:51:45 +0000

Last night, about 8:30 PM or so, as I was driving home from dropping my daughter off at my parent’s house for a sleepover, I had the following conversation with myself (in my head, mind you!)…

ME: “I’ll workout when I get home no matter what time it is.”

ME: “Awesome idea!”

ME: “What if I don’t quite feel like it though? Seems like a good idea now, but it’ll be late when I get home and I’m starting to feel a little tired… (hear the voice of Mr. Resistance creeping in there?)”

ME: “True. Plus you’re getting over that cold too. You might just want to skip it and go to bed instead. (Mr. Resistance is insidious!)”

ME: “Whoah… hang on there! You already made up your mind to workout when you get home. You WILL workout. Don’t let that negative crap in your head. Whassamada with you?”

So what happened when I got home? Well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be writing this blog post if I went straight to bed!

You are the only one with the power to motivate yourself. You are the last line of defense against Mr. Resistance. Yes, of course outside influences matter – who you read, who you speak to, what you watch, what you listen to, etc, etc, these things all have an effect on your thinking process and motivation. But when you are all alone with only yourself to guide you, you make the final decision to do or do not.

Each time you successfully defeat Mr. Resistance you create a stronger pattern. Your ability to impose your will becomes greater. You increase your mental and spiritual strength. You create a habit of winning out against resistance. The converse is also true, however. Each time you give in to that small voice of Mr. Resistance and stay on that couch in front of the TV or sleep in late instead of waking early to go to the gym, you create a stronger pattern. Yet this time the pattern is harmful. It works against you. It makes you weaker.

At the end of the day, who is making the decision to get you off the couch, out the door and into the gym? Who sets the alarm clock earlier to get up and go do the work? Push Mr. Resistance back in his place. Kick his ass. Motivate Thyself!

No related posts.

Ninja Stars and Strength Training

Jon — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:16:11 +0000

Yesterday I decided to do something a little bit different in my workout. As an experiment, I wanted to look at the effect lactic acid build up in the muscles had on my ability to throw rubber shuriken (ninja stars) and hit a target. The theory being that as fatigue in the muscles increased, throwing accuracy would decrease. Seems like a solid hypothosis, right? Well, here’s what happened…

The Dynamic Warm-up

mobility work,
jogging forward and backward,
side shuffles,
high knees,
butt kickers,
bear crawls,
crab walks,
walking lunges,
bodyweight squats,
push-ups,
and leg raises

Strength in Motion Workout

The main body of the training was a fun study of strength throughout a 3 dimensional range of motion.

1) Suspension Trainer Push-ups: 5-7 reps

2) 15# Clubbell Mills: 10 reps each arm

3) 15# Clubbell Reverse Mills: 10 reps each arm

1-2 minutes active recovery between rounds:

Light jog / vibration drills
Throw rubber shuriken for target practice (hey, it’s a ninja thing!) – 9 throws each arm

Repeat 5 rounds

Both the Clubbell Mill and Reverse Mill work on rotational and angular strength at an extreme range of motion while the Suspension Training Push-ups work the hell out of the stabilizer muscles. The combined synergistic effect of these 2 exercises creates an awesome workout for strength in motion!

But what happened to the shuriken thows? As predicted, the lactic acid build up in my arms had an adverse effect on my ability to hit the target during my shuriken throws as the rounds increased.

However, the more I was able to shake out the residual tension and relax, the better my throw. But when I failed to do so my accuracy was horrible! This is a very important idea for all you shuriken throwing ninja out there!

The ability to control the balance of tension and relaxation in the body is essential for performance. Learn more about how to do it with these resources HERE!

Holiday Belly-Busting Met Con

Jon — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:37:38 +0000

If you’re like many people perhaps you’ve over indulged a little bit this holiday season. Too many great meals and even greater desserts maybe? Well here’s a quick metabolic conditioning workout to help you out. The great thing about metabolic conditioning workouts is that, unlike traditional aerobics, they stoke the fat burning furnace and keep it burning for hours after your workout is completed.

Today’s holiday belly-busting met con workout consists of the following:

5 KB Snatches each arm
10 KB Swings
10 KB Goblet Squats

If you don’t have access to a kettllebell, feel free to substitute a dumbbell.

Perform 5 rounds. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between rounds depending on your level of conditioning. If you want an even greater challenge, set the timer for 10 minutes and perform as many rounds as possible, nonstop.

Drop me a comment below and let me know how you did!

Get A New Body in 2012

Jon — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:28:45 +0000

Every year millions of people worldwide make firm, committed New Year’s resolutions.

“I’m going to get in shape this year.”

I’m going to lose x number of pounds this year.”

“This will be the year I reclaim my health and fitness.”

“I’m going to join a gym this year.”

“I’m going to cut my carbs this year.”

Sound familiar? But what happens to all those firm, committed resolutions? They fade. They wear off. Life happens and before we know it, we are back in the same old ruts, routines, and habits that caused us to make the resolutions in the first place.

What if this year was different? What if this year something changed? What if this year you stuck to those resolutions, achieved your goals and more?

Make that change happen at Warrior Fitness Gym.

Warrior Fitness Gym is NOT what your typical gym. We are a coaching facility. Who do we coach?

You.

You who want to make a change in your life so bad you can taste it.

You who are sick of the typical fitness industry BS.

You who are looking for something different in a fitness program rather than the same old tired “solution” that never seems to work.

You who want to be challenged.

You who want to be great.

You who want to release the warrior within.

So what’s so damn different about this place anyway?

No machines. Nary a treadmill or elliptical in sight. How will you get “cardio” you ask? You’ll see…
Small Group Training with motivated, like-minded individuals.
Highly experienced, hands-on instruction.
Professional program design and exercise selection. No more guesswork in your training. The workouts can be made as challenging or as incremental as needed to support your goals.
You will learn to OWN your body. Real world, functional strength and conditioning. Fitness that actually translates to your life.
Results oriented training. Our only goal is for you to succeed.

Free your mind,

Awaken your spirit,

Make fierce the body.

Don’t leave your resolutions to chance this time. Make change happen at Warrior Fitness Gym.

Classes start Wednesday January 4^th, 2012.

Call (609) 556-8712 or Contact Us to set up a Free Trial.

Warrior Fitness Gym Open House!

Jon — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:58:46 +0000

Please join us on Saturday, January 7, 2012 for an open house

Warrior Fitness Gym
Hainesport Business Park
4004 Sylon Blvd.
Hainesport, NJ 08036

Free Trial Classes!
Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu Demonstration!
Grand Opening Special Sign-up Savings!
Refreshments!

Schedule of Events

*Time*	*Session*
10:00 AM	Warrior Fitness Group Class
10:30 AM	Bujinkan Martial Arts Demo
11:00 AM	Little Warriors Class
11:30 AM	Bujinkan Adult Martial Arts
12:00 PM	Warrior Fitness Group Class
12:30 PM	Bujinkan Martial Arts Demo
1:00 PM	Little Warriors Class
1:30 PM	Bujinkan Adult Martial Arts

For more information about the gym including class descriptions, times, and membership options, please check our Warrior Fitness Gym page HERE.

A Word on Recovery

Jon — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:03:27 +0000

Training harder demands training smarter.

We all know people who think they can continue to grow and continue to make gains indefinitely by simply pushing harder and harder in their training day in and day out. But what always happens to them? Injury, burn out, sickness, stagnation. Then what? Well, once they get back on their feet they start the same cycle all over again. Why? Because maybe, just maybe they weren’t pushing hard enough or using enough brute force last time to succeed and this time will be different. Riiigghhht…

How about this instead?

Train Smarter AND Harder.

Bring the intensity every workout, yes. Push the limits, hell yes. Keep moving forward, always. But not always in a straight line. What do I mean? Training smarter involves the usage of planned back-off workouts and deload weeks which, in effect, allow the body to take a step back in order to spring forward again with greater energy and intensity.

Additionally, it is of paramount importance to have a properly structured strategy in place for recovery and restoration. Continued progression and development demands it. Without a recovery strategy, the gains in fitness slow, plateaus are hit and NOT overcome, injuries occur, and as we said earlier, progress sputters to a screechinghalt.

And, no, a proper recovery strategy does not mean simply doing a few half-hearted static stretches at the end of your workout!

So then what does a proper recovery strategy entail?

Here are the 9 essentials I think are necessary to ensure rapid recovery and continued progress:

Daily Joint Mobility – this is requirement number one as it acts as a tune-up for your entire body opening range of motion (ROM), increasing flow of synovial fluid to lubricate the joints and keep them healthy while washing away toxins.
Supplemental Joint Mobility to target specific problem areas
Breathing Exercises – see my post on Breathing 101.
Yoga Asana as compensatory movement – the goal here is not to “do” yoga (although there’s nothing wrong with it and I do highly recommend yoga as a practice), but to use a few big bang for your buck postures to bring your body back into balance and help remove residual muscle tension.
Vibration Exercises – see my post on What’s Hindering Your Performance
Contrast Showers – at the end of your shower, make the water as hot as you can stand it for 30 seconds, then turn it as cold as you can stand it for 30 seconds. Repeat 3-4 times making sure to end on cold.
Foam Rollers for soft tissue work
Nutrition - it’s long been said, you are what you eat. If you eat like crap, well, nuff said.
Sleep – this is one of the most important aspects of recovery that often gets overlooked. Most experts recommend getting 8 hours of sleep a night. Yes, I know it’s hard, but turn off the latest episode of NCIS and get some sleep!

Check out Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts for a more in-depth look at mobility, breathing exercises, and a complete workout program!

What recovery strategies do you use in your training? Drop me comment below or on Facebook, let me know!

10 Minutes and a Chair

Jon — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:35:53 +0000

So here is the challenge, you have only 10 minutes to train and the only piece of equipment available is a dining room chair.

Are you prepared?

Can you rock a great minimalist workout with this limited time and equipment? Or, should you just use the chair for a short snooze?

Here’s one answer:

10 minutes nonstop get as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) of

5 Chair Dips
5 Feet Elevated Push-ups
5 Chair Step Ups (each leg)
5 Chair Jumps

Ready? Set? GO!!

What’s your 10 minute chair workout?

Why Can’t You?

Jon — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:34:43 +0000

One of my favorite motivational quotes of all time comes from Antony Hopkins in the movie, “The Edge”. They are stranded in the woods and he is tyring to psyche up Alex Baldwin’s character to help him kill a bear. Killing a bear seems like such an impossible task. It’s fraught with danger. It’s incredibly risky. Unbelievable hard. But they must do it.

Hopkins tells him – “What one man can do, another can do!”

Now, most of us will probably never be in a situation where we must kill a bear for survival. But look at it as a metaphor. The bear is any seemingly insurmountable task in your life. Any goal that you long to achieve, yet seems unconquerable. Doesn’t make a difference what it is – what one man can do (or woman, we’re equal opportunity here!), another can do!

It bugs to no end when students place highly skilled martial artists like Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido, or Masaaki Hatsumi, head of the Bujinkan Dojo, or even Bruce Lee, founder of Jeet Kune Do on pedestals and hold them up as unreachable and impassible icons. Are they great? Yes, of course. Are they worthy of our respect and admiration for their skill and achievement? Hell yeah! But are they an enigma? Are they once in a generation geniuses that the rest of us mere mortals cannot hope to reach? No. Not at all. They are men. Human beings like you and me. They put in ungodly amounts of hard work, study, and practice to reach the peak of their craft, but what one man can do, another can do.

Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before he successfully created the light bulb. No, that’s not a typo. Thousands. What if he gave up after the first failure, or the hundredth, or even after the thousandth failure? Where would we be? In the freakin’ dark, people, that’s where!

Do you want the martial skill of a Hatsumi?

The legacy of a Steve Jobs?

The money of a Bill Gates?

The body and fitness levels of an elite athlete?

The strength of a world champion strongman?

Go out and get it. What one man can do, another can do. Why can’t you?

With It or On It

Jon — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:32:24 +0000

The ancient Spartan maxim, “with it or on it” is a very stark reminder that we must be fully committed to whatever battle we are waging. The full meaning of this phrase that Spartan mothers used to say to their sons before heading off to war is, to either come back with your shield – as a returning hero – or come back upon it.

There is no middle ground.

No room for wavering or debating.

No having your cake and eating it too.

When moving towards a goal, there must be no hesitation in your actions.

In the Bujinkan martial arts that I study, there is a similar saying, “Hell gapes beneath the upraised sword, step in to heaven.” This may seem like crazy advice, after all who in their right mind would step forward when faced with an opponent armed with a 3 foot razor blade?! But in training, through experience, one comes to understand and realize that the safest place when facing an upraised sword, paradoxically, is to move forward and step closer, thus finding “heaven”.

Again and again throughout warrior cultures, from ancient Greeks to Japanese Ninja and Samurai, we see this idea of complete and utter commitment, 100% determination in moving forwards towards our goals, no matter what they are.

So how about you? How committed are you? How much do you talk about taking action rather than actually taking action? Do you step forward into heaven and achieve your goals when confronted with difficulty and adversity? Do you walk the razor’s edge in life, or just in your mind?

It’s time to step forward. Take action. With it or on it.

Click HERE to take action on your health and fitness goals today!