I have been interested in martial arts ever since I was a kid. In grade school I studied Praying Mantis Kung Fu and got pretty good at it. I gave up when I was in high school but got involved in martial arts when I graduated college. This time it was Wing Chun that caught my interest. I was sure that Wing Chun was the “best” martial art out there and that it was all I needed to know. While Wing Chun is brutally effective for self-defense, it may not be the best competitive martial art. In martial arts discussion boards, some people find the need to boast about their martial art and why it’s the best. But as you learn more, you realize that all martial arts are good. In fact, most self-defense styles are equally effective at keeping you safe from a random attacker, but they aren’t all meant to be used in a grueling cage-style mixed martial arts fight where the goal is to pummel your professionally trained opponent into submission. All martial arts “work”, so it’s not right to ask if a certain martial art works, you need to ask what are you seeking to achieve. A lot of people wonder if isometric exercises (or dynamic strength exercises) really work. The truth is that most any fitness program, whether it is for cardiovascular health, strength training, muscle endurance, combat conditioning, or weight loss is effective if you stick to it. There’s no such thing as a workout routine that doesn’t work, it’s a matter of whether or not you work the workout routine. So yes, thousands of athletes, martial artists, and body builders around the world use isometric exercises to build strength. And the same goes for plyometric exercises. Here are a few testimonials of people that have tried isometric exercises and plyometric exercises and the results they have achieved so far. Testimonials:

“Anybody who’s ever used weights knows the biggest problem; they cost MONEY. Gym memberships are ridiculously expensive, free weights are relatively cheap but take up a lot of room. Also, weights may build muscle, but it’s easy to hurt yourself and the gains are hard to measure. You can’t tell if you’ve done any work; you hurt too much, even if you’ve done it right. This book is completely diffferent! I’ve been doing the program for one and a half months, and I notice a definite difference. I haven’t added much muscle mass yet, but my body feels much lighter and defter, not to mention looser and more relaxed. Also, it’s much easier to tell when it’s working; it feels like your body is doing it of its own accord. That feeling alone is incredible. I don’t do any form of martial arts, but this work-out is incredible and furthermore much easier to do and stick with. I recommend it to everyone, not just martial artists.”

One thing to keep in mind about isometric exercises… “Slow controlled movement while tensing, (not only the muscles that are causing the movement, but also the opposing muscles, which has a braking effect), is an effective way to exercise. It is similar to the static tension of isometrics, but avoids the pitfall of only working a specific angle. It is limited: Unless you are supremely motivated you will need to include a weight workout every few sessions. The only tool to measure your effort in this system is your own sense of how hard you are working, and that simply can’t be trusted every time. Weights will monitor your progress with an inarguable constant; iron doesn’t lie. If you do these workouts to avoid the difficulty of lifting weights, you will also miss the benefits. Not only must you work just as hard as with any other style, but you have only yourself to judge the effort, which actually makes a proper workout even more difficult.”

Technorati Tags: isometric exercises, plyometric exercises, plyometrics, strength training, strength training exercises

Technorati Tags: isometric exercises, plyometric exercises, plyometrics, strength training, strength training exercises

Gymnastics Strength Moves

Front Lever

The front lever is a strength move that is performed on the still rings. It can also be practiced at home on a pull-up bar. Begin from an inverted hang (you hang upside down with a straight body with your hips by your hands). Make a very tight grip, tuck your pelvis to assume the hollow position, squeeze your abs and glutes, tighten your legs, and point your toes. Begin to slowly lower your body maintaining the hollow position and keeping your arms straight throughout. Consciously tense your armpits and isometrically (without any actual movement) pull downwards (towards the bar or rings) and inwards (towards the front of your body) with your hands (activating your lats and your chest). Your upper body will naturally shift backwards to establish your center of gravity. Begin with a small range of motion and work towards holding a horizontal position.

Planche

A planche is a strength movement where you assume a push-up position with your feet off the floor (feet parallel to the ground or higher). The gymnast holds his body in this position. This movement can be performed on rings, the floor, or parallel bars. I would suggest doing this on rings or bars because of the strength enhancing effects of gripping the apparatus and it is not as hard on your wrists. It will also allow you to hold the planche in lower positions as you are working up to parallel or higher. Begin by holding yourself up on rings or bars. Squeeze the rings or bars and lean forward. Assume a slight arch position by lifting your heels, tensing your glutes and your lower back muscles. This will help raise your lower body to the proper position. Lean as far forward as you can without falling. While lowering yourself isometrically push your hands upward (as if you are trying to raise your straight arms over your head) and outwards (away from your body) tensing your shoulders, upper back, and chest.

Methods of working up to the Planche

1. Initially perform in tuck position with your knees pulled to your chest. Straighten your legs a little when you are able to hold the position for 10 to 15 seconds. The progressions can be: tight tuck, partial tuck, straddled legs, and legs together.
2. Begin in push-up position with your feet supported by a chair, step, etc. that is the same height or higher than your shoulder. Lean forward employing all of the tension techniques. You will begin to feel the pressure of your feet on the supporting object decrease. The goal is to lift and hold the feet completely off the object.

Iron Cross If you do not have a set of rings, you can perform crosses on chairs. Find two chairs whose seats are the same heights. You will need to tuck or hold your straight legs out in front of your body. Place the chairs so that they are facing the same direction. Start with the chairs close together (just wide enough for you to fit your upper body between them). Place your upper arms on the chairs and lift your feet. Gradually increase the difficulty of the exercise by moving the chairs further away from each other. All of these will be done in the final position of the cross.

Technorati Tags: isometric exercises, isometrics, plyometric exercises, plyometrics, strength training

Athletes are defined not only by their strength, but their ability to use their strength. So merely lifting heavy objects is not defined as athleticism. Again, the ability to use your strength dynamically and variably defines a great athlete. Muhammad Ali was not only incredibly strong, but he was quick, nimble, and agile. Martial artists and athletes looking to harness their strength usually train in plyometric exercises because they build power. Here’s the basic formula for power:

Power is the ability to generate strength in the shortest amount of time. Explosive use of strength is power. Fighters, martial artists, football players, basketball players, ice skaters, and baseball players all need to be able to quickly release their strength.

The Force-Velocity Relationship

Traditional strength training is concerned with force, but does not typically consider speed. Power training tries to apply the same amount of strength in a much shorter amount of time. Technically, it’s not difficult to find someone who is very strong, but not very powerful. For athletes like martial artists and gymnasts, the explosive use of their strength is a crucial component of their athletic ability. For example, Bruce Lee wasn’t bulky, but he was very powerful.

The way to increase power is to shorten the time it takes to produce force. Plyometrics are the best way to do this. This site is full of both lower and upper body examples.The goal of plyometrics is that the time spent on the ground should be reduced while the time and distance away from the ground is increased. This trains your body to absorb shock, stabilize it self, and rapidly change direction. It’s perfect for combat situations where with unpredictable variables like number of attackers, the angle of attack, speed, etc.

Technorati Tags: plyometric exercises, plyometrics, strength training, strength training exercise

Technorati Tags: plyometrics, strenght exercises, strength exercise, strength exercises, strength training, strength training exercise

1. Squats
2. Lunge Jumps
3. Knee Tuck Jumps
4. Lace Jumps
5. Duck Jumps
6. Frog Leaps
7. Rocky 3-Steps
8. Double Hop Jumps

**Important note Plyometrics are really effective, just do NOT do them on concrete, it will kill your joints. Do them on a grass, hardwood floors, or a track, but never on concrete!

There’s also a series of videos on plyometric pushups and plyometrics for combat conditioning for upper body strength. And check out these posts to learn how to overhaul your “regular” strength training routine with isometric exercises.

Technorati Tags: plyometric exercises, plyometrics, strength training, strenth training exercise

And if you’re still up to it, check out this video on plyometrics for combat conditioning, and for all you ninja’s out there, here’s a fun lower body plyometrics workout for ninja training. And check out these posts to learn how to overhaul your “regular” strength training routine with isometric exercises.

Isometric exercises have been used for rehab for a while. In fact, Rutgers University’s CareCure Forum has posts about isometrics and rehabilitation. For anyone interested in how isometric exercises work, I read about an experiment on the BodyWeight Exercise Blog that took place in 1920. Scientists at Springfield College in Springfield Massachusetts ran an experiment where they took a number of frogs and tied up one of their legs, completely immobilizing it. The frog could only move one leg free, and couldn’t move the other one at all. They wanted to see the effects of atrophy on the boung leg.

Surprisingly, after two weeks, the bound legs had grown stronger and larger.  So much so that the frogs now actually jumped in a lopsided fashion. The researchers had actually made an incredible discovery concerning isometric training, but they simply didn’t realize it. Apparently, by binding the leg, the frogs had to use all of their muscles right down to their deepest fibers to try to move their leg. In contrast, it only took a small percentage of the frog’s muscle fibers to move the free leg.

Although isometric exercises don’t typically have a large range of motion, when the muscle is exerted continuously and vigorously, it will grow stronger and larger than doing a fluid, repetitive motion that relies on momentum (imagine a bicep curl done while swinging the dumbbell up and down). Strength and mass is achieved by working the muscles intensely and deeply.

Now that you know why isometrics are so effective, check out these posts to learn how to overhaul your “regular” strength training routine with isometric exercises and plyometrics.

Technorati Tags: isometric exercises, isotonic contraction, strength training exercise, strength training exercises

“Don’t get me wrong, isometrics can be very effective in building tremendous strength, like in gymnastics… say a full body planche, or a cross, v-sit etc. (assisted of course) I’m not sure how isolation isometrics like here is really effective, especially when done without any measurable resistance”

But I can attest from personal experience, if you really focus, you’ll get an incredible strength training exercise workout.

And check out these posts to learn how to overhaul your “regular” strength training routine with isometric exercises and plyometrics.

Technorati Tags: isometric exercises, isotonic contraction, strength training exercise, strength training exercises

“A recent study showed that playing the didgeridoo to train the upper airway muscles “significantly ameliorated OSA syndrome severity and associated symptoms,”

With this in mind, the researchers chose a set of isometric and isotonic exercises for the tongue and soft palate area (oropharyngeal area) derived from speech therapy training that involved suction, swallowing, chewing, breathing and speech.

At the end of 3 months, the average apnea-hypopnea index, the sum of apneas plus hypopneas (episodes of shallow breathing) per hour of sleep, had decreased significantly from 22.4 to 13.7 events per hour in the exercise group. In addition, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality score improved from 10.2 to 6.9 points, snoring intensity was reduced from “very loud” to “similar to breathing,” and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores dropped from 14 to 8.”

Pretty cool huh?

Click the link to read the entire article on using isometric exercises for sleep apnea

Technorati Tags: isometric exercises, strength training exercise, strength training exercises