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Warrior Fitness Workout of the Week #2

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Commando Pull-Ups

This week’s conditioning workout will push your anaerobic threshold to the max.  Endurance is defined as the ability to resist fatigue – how resistant are you?

  • 10 Commando Pull-ups (switch grip every 5)
  • 10 Burpees
  • 10 Lateral Jumps (jump over medicine ball or other small obstacle)
  • 10 Fudo-ken (fist) Push-ups
 Complete 5 rounds as fast as possible with good form. Rest 1 minute between rounds.

 How Do I Do a Burpee?

 

Burpees are a great, whole-body conditioning exercise that will really challenge your cardiovascular fitness.

Begin in a standing position.     Drop down to a squat on the balls of your feet.  Place your hands down in front of you and jump your legs back to the lowered portion of a push-up.  Jump your legs back to the ball of foot squat, then leap into the air as high as possible.  Repeat rapidly!

Burpees -Squat down from standing

Burpees - Jump back to push-up

Burpees - Leap as high as possible!

Modifying Your Workout

 

Conditioning workouts are supposed to suck.  No doubt about it!  They push your body to its limits and increase mental toughness.  However, they should be approached incrementally, especially if you are not used to them.  In this particular workout, I’d recommend that beginners cut the volume of repetitions in half.  If you still find you are struggling, increase the rest period between rounds up to 2-3 minutes rather than the prescribed 60 seconds.  Additionally, you may perform 3 rounds to start instead of 5.  As you gain confidence and begin getting stronger, you can increase the number of repetitions and rounds, and decrease the rest periods.  Change one variable at a time so you are not forcing your body to adjust too rapidly.  Remember, injury is not the goal!

For more information on the Warrior Fitness Workouts of the Week, please see our User Guide here.

Want to know more?  Check out Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts!

User Guide to the Workouts of the Week

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I received several emails this morning after yesterday’s post on Warrior Fitness Workout of the Week #1 from people who wanted more information on how to implement and program the workouts of the week.  So here it is!

The Workout of the Week section is designed to give you insight into the Warrior Fitness training method.  We will cover topics such as joint mobility, high intensity interval training (HIIT) and the Tabata Protocol for conditioning, strength endurance, explosive strength, core work, yoga, and martial arts. 

1.  How often should I do the Workout of the Week (WOW)? 

This depends on the intensity level of the prescribed workout.  For example, if the WOW is an illustration of a yoga compensatory routine, you can do it daily, but if it’s a high intensity conditioning workout, you may only be able to perform it 2-3 times a week, depending on your recovery levels.   These workouts are short; usually, under 30 minutes.   You should have plenty of time to squeeze them into a busy schedule!

2.  Should I change my workout every week to correspond to the WOW? 

Not necessarily, no.  The workouts change weekly in order to showcase various aspects of our training methodology, but that doesn’t mean you need to change it up on a weekly basis.  Workout programs should be designed with specific goals in mind and crafted to meet individual needs.  Your body needs time to adapt to your exercise selection for it to elicit the planned response, usually about 4 to 6 weeks.  If you find a something that you like, stick with it.  If you have a more detailed question about how to program a specific workout, or even a series of workouts, let me know.  I can help you.  That’s why I’m here.

3.  What if I already have a workout program?  How can incorporate the WOWs? 

 If you currently have a training regimen that you are happy with, but want to give one of our workouts a try, you can definitely do that.  Simply replace one of your conditioning days with one of our conditioning workouts.  Or, add in our joint mobility exercises as a warm-up.  Remember, you receive a sample chapter on joint mobility  from the book, Warrior Fitness, when you sign up for our mailing list.

4.  I am just starting to exercise, can I still use the WOWs? 

Absolutely!  Start slowly.  Begin by doing our joint mobility exercises on a daily basis to prime your body and help you regain lost range of motion.  Each of our workouts contains instructions on modifying the workout to scale it for any level of conditioning.  Also, if you have further questions about modifying workouts, or programming workouts, contact me.  I’ll be glad to help you.

5.  Will I lose weight with these workouts? 

 Yes!  Our conditioning workouts are designed to turn on your body’s metabolic furnace and torch unwanted fat, while building lean muscle. 

6.  How can I find out more?

My ebook, Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts, is available for direct download.  It contains the background, philosophy, and methodology behind Warrior Fitness, as well as an ample exercise selection and a chapter on program design.

Want to know more?  Just ask!

 I hope this has been a helpful introduction to the Warrior Fitness Workouts of the Week.  What other questions do you have?

Warrior Fitness Workout of the Week #1

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For 15 minutes, perform the following:

Chin Up

 

  • Chin-ups
  • Hindu Push-ups
  • Jumping Jacks
  •  Ichimonji Jump Squats (can be replaced with non-jumping squats as fatigue levels rise)

 

Hindu Push-up

 

Ichimonji Jump Squat

Do them in any order for any number of reps at a time as long as you continuously move for the full 15 minutes.    

Modifying Your Workout

Not quite ready to jump into the full 15 minutes yet?  This workout can be modified depending on your current level of conditioning.

For example, you may break up the 15 minutes into 5 rounds of 3 minutes each and include a rest period of 1 to 2 minutes between rounds.  As your conditioning levels increase, begin increasing the length of the rounds and decreasing the rest period.  Remember, the goal is to exercise for 15 minutes straight.    

Additionally, if you do not have a chin-up bar, you can try  towel pulls instead.  Wrap a towel around a pole in your basement, or around both door knobs of an open door, sit all the way back until your arms are straight and pull yourself forward.  You can make this exercise more difficult by grasping the towel with one hand which also provides a great grip workout to boot!

Enjoy!    

Notes: Make sure you warm-up with brief joint mobility session prior to the workout.  Remember that when you sign up for our mailing list you receive a free sample chapter on Joint Mobility from my Warrior Fitness book!

For further information on the Workouts of the Week, please see our User Guide here.