Building a new training routine.

[Matadon]

First, the long introduction:

I've been a Bullshido lurker for quite some time, and have had an interest in the martial arts, as well as combat-in-general, since I was a kid -- but, then again, what red-blooded male hasn't? In my early teens, I spent a few years studying what I thought was useful at a local McDojo, although I don't harbor any ill-will towards them. To the credit of the McDojo I studied at, they had fair prices, did have a lot of in-class light-contact sparring, the instructor was fairly dynamic (he was an old Judoka), and we had a couple of solid BJJ blue-belts who had a separate BJJ class two nights a week.

Fast forward to now. I'm no longer a little, weak, nerdy kid who can't even run a mile. I've tried my hand at a number of sports, and have been lifting, running, climbing, and cycling for about four years now. I've recently decided to start getting back into the martial arts, if only because I like the idea of getting in a workout that is both useful (in terms of self defense) and fun.

So, I'm currently looking for a JJ school where I can train for a year or two, and spend about three days a week working on what I'd call slightly-modified boxing. I'm about 5'8", and have pretty short legs, so I don't do much kicking, other than the basic roundhouse and the knees, but have a semi-decent boxing foundation, and spar (medium- to full-contact) once a week. My primary sparring partner is a buff-as-hell rock climber who outweighs me by 40lbs, can bench about 325lbs, has about 4" on me, and can outrun me, so he gives me a pretty decent workout, as well as a sore ribcage.

Oh, I am 5'8", weigh in at 175lbs, and have a 32" waist, so I'm not that chubby. *grin*

Now, for the topical bit:

I'm trying to get set into a decent training routine that incorporates lifting and running (because I do enjoy both), as well as some time in the climbing gym, because climbing is a fun sport. Here's what I've come up with so far, and I'd like the opinion of some of the more experienced Bullshido members as to what I might change:

Monday/Wednesday/Friday:

Run (alternate every week between 100mx10rep sprints with a 2min rest, and a five-mile timed run in 35 minutes).

Bagwork (30 minutes on my 100lb heavy bag; this varies, depending on the running. I do rounds (only a minute) on my long-distance days, and just basic punching work on my sprinting days. My form is decent, and the bag spends more time folding in the middle than swinging around, so I'm convinced that, should I ever be assaulted by a punching bag, I shall emerge victorious.

Tuesday:

Jump rope for about 10 minutes; I'm still working on not tripping over the bloody thing every two or three minutes, though.

Upper body. 3x6 reps each for Bench Press (190lbs), Weighted Pull-Up (+15lbs), Bent-Over Rows (125lbs), and some exercises using the Universal (Tricep Pull-Down, Cable Curl). Plus incline sit-ups (3x21) and Bicycles (3x20), and some time with the roller (3 in, 3 out, 20lbs). Takes about an hour.

Thursday:

Boulder (V2-V4) for about an hour, with a few laps on the traversal wall.

Lower Body. 3x6 Full Squat (225lbs; ass-to-grass), Deadlift (not sure; but since I can clean-and-jerk about 200, I'll guess 300 is a good number), Calf Raise (300lbs), same core (abdominal) training as Tuesday, and arches (bending over backwards and manipulating your body weight with your head and neck). I'm also going to make a sling which I can tie some weights on to, so that I can strenghten my neck.

Saturday:

Jump rope, climb for about two or three hours, plus four sets of clap pushups (25 per set) and some shadow boxing (just to keep flexible).

Sunday:

Nothing; you've got to rest somtime, after all.

Can anyone suggest any changes? So far, this seems to be working out for me (pardon the pun), but I have a bad habit of overtraining, and I'm trying to avoid that. Once every three months, I'm planning on just taking a week off and riding my bike around or something along those lines, just to aid in recovery.

[PizDoff]

My tired brain says that looks pretty good.

You do too much running for my tastes though, can you switch your cardio to swimming, biking?
Try overhand grips on things like deads for grip strength.
Eat a lot.


Are you doing any martial arts right now, or still searching?
I threw my old routine out and decided to 'wing-it' depending on how my body felt after a MA session.

[Matadon]

My tired brain says that looks pretty good.

You do too much running for my tastes though, can you switch your cardio to swimming, biking?

I'll be doing more swimming and biking after this semester (when I've got access to a pool, and it's not so bloody cold), and I've been thinking of dropping the longer runs in favor of a 20-mile bike-ride, or just adding the bike ride into my cardio rotation.

Try overhand grips on things like deads for grip strength.

You mean, there's another way to grip the bar? *grin* I've never done anything but overhands, and you need a hell of a lot of grip for rock climbing. The roller bar is also pretty useful, and I only do fingertip pull-ups.

Eat a lot.

Sir, yes, sir!

Are you doing any martial arts right now, or still searching?
I threw my old routine out and decided to 'wing-it' depending on how my body felt after a MA session.

Still searching, haven't found a good school in Sacramento that is convenient for me. We've got a decent MT school (Nivaroni's), or at least it was decent two years ago, but it's on the wrong side of town. I've heard of a good BJJ school in town, run by a guy named Casio, but it's murderously expensive, and the classes are badly timed for me.

My school has a 'Martial Arts' club run by a pretty skilled Wu-Shu guy, but having seen their 'workouts'[1], and the overall quality of their students, well...let's just say I'd get more of a workout picking fights in a nursing home -- which is fine, because they're sport-oriented and all, but I'd like something with more fire-in-the-belly. I'm looking into setting up my own MMA/grappling club, but while I have interested students, I have nobody who can teach.

So, yeah, I'm still looking, and training on my own as best I can.

[1] I've got friends in the club, and like the instructor, but most of these people can't even do a 100-meter sprint without dropping dead, or do 25 push-ups.

[VikingPower]

Looks damn good to me, way better than what a lot of people do. You may have to cut back on the running some weeks, probably every 12-16th week just do your other cardio routines instead so you don't burn yourself out, because you do a large amount of cardio (more than I do :) I usually stick to rope-skipping, sprints, and walks) and to do it continously for months will be hard on you. Everything else seems to work out just fine to me, no complaints.

[Nid]

As tempting as it may be, do resist the idea that you'll be able to make long term sustainable progress with a set-in-stone schedule.

By that I mean.....what's so damn special about a week of rest? <----Rhetorical. Nobody answer.

Takes about an hour.

For just your upper body? You're slacking in the intensity department if you can be so redundant.

plus four sets of clap pushups (25 per set)

Don't bother. Really, what's the point? It does nothing for punching, if that's the idea.

Squatting and deadlifting on the same day? No. The wankers who say they do both clearly have no concept of intensity...or the value and efficiency thereof.

Seems like a pretty intuitive schedule. Just ask yourself exactly why you're doing anything given thing. The answer which you spontaneously generate is probably wrong.

Having said that, I've seen worse. :)

[Matadon]

For just your upper body? You're slacking in the intensity department if you can be so redundant.

I don't think an hour of heavy upper-body lifting, plus climbing two other days a week, and bagwork classifies as 'slacking'. Keep in mind that I give myself timed two-minute recovery breaks between sets of compond lifts, and one-minute break between sets of focal-lifts, so it's not like I'm sitting down or chatting up the girls. I'm also exhausted after the workout, suck down my protein shake, and have that 'good sore feeling' the next day.

In addition, each lift works a different muscle group, so how am I being redundant? Press for the pectorals (and a little on the biceps/triceps), pull-ups for the shoulders (and a little on the biceps/triceps), focals to really hit the bicep and tricep hard, raises for the rotators, and rollers for grip strength.

How do you think I could make things 'more intense'?

Don't bother. Really, what's the point? It does nothing for punching, if that's the idea.

Actually, that was -- other than punching (which I do a lot of during my bag sessions), what would you suggest? This is really a key area for me.

Squatting and deadlifting on the same day? No. The wankers who say they do both clearly have no concept of intensity...or the value and efficiency thereof.

Squats work the quadriceps; deadlifts work the hamstrings, and both do some work on the stabilizers (hip flexors, etc), and calves are just thrown in because I feel bad about ignoring them. Since I'm working two opposing muscles to exhaustion, how am I slacking on the intensity?

Keep in mind I'm talking about a standing straight-leg deadlift, not a bent-leg deadlift or a clean-and-jerk. Personally, I'd rather do clean-and-jerks, but don't have access to the facilities at a convenient time.

Seems like a pretty intuitive schedule. Just ask yourself exactly why you're doing anything given thing. The answer which you spontaneously generate is probably wrong.

I would spread my lifting out more, but it interferes with climbing, and I can't lift very well after I climb, because my hands are usually too sore to pick up as much as a hot cup of coffee. I can do lower-body lifts (hence, Thursdays), but pull-ups are all but impossible.

Having said that, I've seen worse. :)

*grin* Hey, at least my schedule isn't "Bench...crunchies...bench...crunchies...admir e self in mirror..."