Jujutsu

Yoga
My usual workout schedule was interrupted for a few days and I actually did a pretty intense hiking, rock climbing, etc. level of activity. I noticed that my recovery time has been consistently excellent. Yoga felt great when I got back and I really credit it with my overall recovery ability.

Lifting
I managed to increase my bench press and hack squats during this time frame. I was also happy that after climbing the wall I was able to do a couple of pull-ups at the top.

Jujutsu
I only attended the kids' class during this time frame and did not manage to work on my notebook or read GUTT, so no progress in this arena.

Posted by Jason at 08:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yoga
I did an extra workshop on Thai massage with the wife this weekend. It really opened up my hips. I also spent a lot of time thinking about and applying breathing in my usual 10 sun salutations (see why below).

Lifting
I had an excellent "pull" day today. I was able to push the weight up in a few categories. I did my dumbbell curls seated and that seemed to hit the muscles a bit differently. I finished off with 15 pull-ups, which is more than I generally have been able to do after a full bicep workout.

Jujutsu
Friday's class was interesting. I was able to do the Goshin list, all Yawara and Nage with super speed / empty mind sort of feeling, the pressure point kata, random / practical Yawara, and Oku. We also had a discussion about breathing and how the breath separates a martial artist from someone who merely practices martial arts. Deep breathing from the stomach area and initiation and connection of all movement to that core should be the goal of a martial artist. We also discussed Zanshin (broad awareness) versus Mushin (empty mind). It was a very interesting discussion. Finally, I read more of GUTT today.

Posted by Jason at 01:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yoga and Lifting
Again last night I noticed that my shoulder and leg flexibility are a huge advantage in jujutsu. However, my hips need work and I will be incorporating something into my daily yoga to account for that. Lifting was good today (push=chest triceps shoulders). I used alternate exercises to hit muscles differently and will be doing that every other cycle with each muscle group from now on.

Jujutsu
I had an excellent practice last night. I did all of Goshin, Nage, and the pressure point kata. I also did the first 10 Oku and about 15 minutes of ground work. Some of my Oku is getting solid. I need to make sure I get in some Shime this week, too. Just the second half of the list, at least.

Posted by Jason at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lifting and Yoga
Great leg workout. Also a great biceps and back (pulling) workout. Yoga was solid.

Jujutsu
Read a few more pages of GUTT and am digesting the ideas...

Posted by Jason at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lifting and Yoga
I took off a couple of days due to a snowstorm, but was back at it this morning. I increased weight and decreased reps and may do more to change my routine now that I have completed the first twelve weeks of lifting.

Jujutsu
The storm did not impact my jujutsu schedule. I did some work on throws, the pressure point kata, and Oku on Friday night. Saturday's kids' class was also excellent and the girls tested for their first rank successfully. The kids threw each other tomoe nage for the first time, into a crash mat. Very fun!

Posted by Jason at 02:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lifting and Yoga
Completed a cycle in three days and had excellent workouts. Although today I was a bit low on energy from Jujutsu last night...

Jujutsu
Excellent practice last night. I got through Yawara and Goshin, then worked on Nage including some work on combining a second throw with a countered throw. Finally, we did throws into ground work and then full speed ground work.

Posted by Jason at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lifting and Yoga
I've been really working hard on my breathing in Yoga and I think it is paying dividends in better stretch and also making me mindful about breathing while doing other physical activity. Lifting has been going very well. I added another 10 pounds in bench, reverse flies, flies today.

Jujutsu
Excellent class Friday. I got through all of Oku and the second half of Shime in addition to Nage and Yawara. Oku is actually starting to smooth out for me. Saturday's kids' class was a blast. The girls are really getting into it.

Posted by Jason at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yoga and Lifting
Doing the same 10 sun salutations every day would seem to get old after a while... but surprisingly has not. I am improving them every time and build up a good sweat and warm up and stretch very well each time. I did a leg workout and also a triceps, chest and shoulder workout. I've noticed the strength conditioning has really been an asset during ground work training.

Jujutsu
Good workout last night. I found that my timing is off on Katamune Tori. I need to strike harder and then get the katate tori grip solidly prior to stepping back into the take-down. My groundwork is feeling better as I get re-acclimated to it. I nearly ended class on a sour note as I was demonstrating Sankaku with my Sensai for a couple of other students. He reminded me not to lose the choke as I rolled him over. I was pre-occupied with re-setting the choke and was slow to react as he tapped out and he said I was quite close to choking him out. That would have been an unfortunate opportunity to show the students our revival seikatsu...

Posted by Jason at 04:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yoga and Lifting
I changed things up a little today and did preacher curls for my biceps routine. Yesterday I had done kick-backs for the triceps and it shook things up for me and I was sore today. Good workout overall, though I did have a hard time getting up today. Yoga felt good too.

Jujutsu
The girls have been doing Jujutsu when we horse around, I think without even realizing it. We'll be practicing tonight for their potential rank tests on Saturday.

Posted by Jason at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)