SteveB
04-29-2004, 12:54 PM
Monday's Bruiser workout was supposed to be 10 sets of 10 cleans to order. I was feeling strong, though, so took it up to 12, and then 13...and then 14, for eight sets of 14. Great. I got WHAMMED later in the day with a savage energy crash, and felt sore, stiff, and a little sick. Needed a long nap, and felt like I was being dragged down into a bog, the fatigue was so deep. Hmmm. Clearly, too much. So I took a look at my meals: I use a modified Warrior Diet, and clearly, this level of hammering demands both protein and complex carbs within that crucial 1-hour window after abusing your body in such a fashion. So I modified my morning smoothie to include about 30 grams of high-quality protein, and cut back on my GTG the next day (tuesday). I also went a little deeper into my WW monday night, and added a set of 50 Be Breathed before hand. Slept pretty well, felt good tuesday, and on Wednesday did 8 sets of 13 cleans to order with the bruiser, followed by about 15 minutes of light kali-style stickwork to keep the blood flowing and the toxins moving. Felt good. Protein shake. Felt good. Fruit Smoothie with "Ultimate Meal" powder. Felt good. GTG with Body-Flow combos during the day--nothing heavy. 50 Be Breathed, and WW at night. Slept like a baby. Woke up this morning--felt fine. Just Body-Flow this morning, and GTG with Gama Casts--don't have the strength and form to do them perfectly, but rest the Bruiser on my body at the sticking point (reaching back over the shoulder, my leverage is still insufficient to keep it away from my body, so I gently slide it over my traps) and work on focus, breathing and alignment. Felt very very good.
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I'm noticing something about the Bruiser that I suspected would happen. Working it as a BME, watching every bit of its motion as an EMC, working with the Bruiser seems to be almost exactly equivilent to an actual martial arts training session, as long as I release the tension afterwards. The emotional and physical stress are damned similar. When I first discovered the double KB Clean and Jerk, I thought that this was heaven, a cardio-strength-balance exercise that had more transferrance to MA training than anything I'd seen. The Bruiser surpasses it, hands down. Less muscle-binding, more potential for sophisticated motion, and that ineffable "something"--something primal--that comes from swinging a club, even the baby-step motions I'm currently able to do.
Tomorrow? Back to 8 sets of 14 reps. MAYBE 15. My body and mind are telling me to "go for it." I'm learning to listen. This is just incredible fun, guys!
Steve
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I'm noticing something about the Bruiser that I suspected would happen. Working it as a BME, watching every bit of its motion as an EMC, working with the Bruiser seems to be almost exactly equivilent to an actual martial arts training session, as long as I release the tension afterwards. The emotional and physical stress are damned similar. When I first discovered the double KB Clean and Jerk, I thought that this was heaven, a cardio-strength-balance exercise that had more transferrance to MA training than anything I'd seen. The Bruiser surpasses it, hands down. Less muscle-binding, more potential for sophisticated motion, and that ineffable "something"--something primal--that comes from swinging a club, even the baby-step motions I'm currently able to do.
Tomorrow? Back to 8 sets of 14 reps. MAYBE 15. My body and mind are telling me to "go for it." I'm learning to listen. This is just incredible fun, guys!
Steve