When it comes to the question of stretching, there are opinions all across the spectrum. Some experts contend that you should never stretch at all since it deforms the tissues, destabilizes the joints, and makes the body more prone to injury. Then, on the completely opposite side of the scale, is the other camp which swears that stretching is an absolute must prior to any activity (up to and possibly including sex) as it is a way to warm-up the muscles to prevent injury.
Today we are going to look at a workout for the fitness novices out there. If you are older, maybe a little out of shape, recovering from an injury, just getting started with your fitness program or simply looking for sustainable progress in your workouts, this post is for you. Continue reading →
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. Continue reading →
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?”
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…
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. Continue reading →
When it comes to the question of stretching, there are opinions all across the spectrum. Some experts contend that you should never stretch at all since it deforms the tissues, destabilizes the joints, and makes the body more prone to injury. Then, on the completely opposite side of the scale, is the other camp which swears that stretching is an absolute must prior to any activity (up to and possibly including sex) as it is a way to warm-up the muscles to prevent injury.
