In the 2 montha I have been training slowly, surely and carefully. I train about 3-4 times a week which is less than before, when I had my injury. I attend classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, the odd Thursday and train at home when I don’t go to class.
Home Training
Mondays and Thursdays (or Sundays) I train at home with my brother who has designed a training programme for me to build up my physical strength, flexibility, co-ordination, posture, muscle fibres and much more. He is a Chek certified exercise specialist and works in corrective exercises and has done years in all sorts of training for strength, rehabilitation, injuries, posture etc. In that sense I am very lucky
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I have been training pull ups, dips, press ups, crunches, stretching, swiss ball, medicine ball work outs, kettle bell exercises, squats, dumbell exercises. All the exercises are done with strict form, full range of motion, mind muscle connection and multi-joint with an emphasis on functionality and translation into a martial movement (as close and as good as possible to what I train and the way I move (so a lot of core area building and overall body). So it looks like this but changes slightly from week to week:
stretches on hamstrings and hips (very tight here), neck, shoulders, sides, legs - all over basically
medecine ball squats for warm ups
jumping jacks
jumping lunges
pull ups, close grip, under hand grip, over hand
stretches
dips
stretches
press ups
stretches
dumbell squats type 1
dumbell squats type 2
dumbell dead lift
stretch
crunches (swiss ball, dumbell assisted)
stretch
medicine ball exercises
stretch / warm down.
I am feeling a lot stronger but my left side (arm, shoulder, neck) is still not 100% but it is definitely getting there. The arm gives up and shakes under a lot of pressure or when it is tired but I do my best. I can now do sets of press ups slowly (which is better than not even being able to hold myself up or complete more than 2-3) and slowly building up on the dips, pull ups and other exercises (which are actually really hard to do properly – sometimes keeping good form is harder than doing the exercises!).
Mantis Class training
My neck, lat, left arm and surrounding muscles are still a bit tight and all the training and stretching is helping greatly. When I train all the forms, 2 man drills, chy sau, gungs, home training I can feel its getting stronger but it still feels “unbalanced” in the power and movement. Its doesn’t feel right but at the same time it feels better. Being out of training for 3-4 months was harsh and frustratingly you cant just jump back in and train like you used to. I am training smart and pushing myself as much as I can to get back there.
When I’m on the left side I try to keep to good form and use mind, intent and focus on getting the energy down there. I have the exercises, gungs and training from mantis and kalari to strengthen, stretch and build me up and I can feel it coming back again. I have tried sparring, grappling…..not just there yet but getting there. I cant wait to get back into it. Right now its build it back up, get 100% to avoid further worse injury. But all the training, treatment has increased my recovery rate so much more.
What am I doing in?
In no particular order:-
Saam Bo Gin and Jee Lik every morning
Hao Gung (3 versions)
Kum Dit Bo Gung (iron step)
Iron Back / Stomach Gung (its what I feel is being built as well as the arms and whole body)
Mor Jow clawing chi gung
18 dark internal power hands (use of waist is very apparent moving in and out)
Clamping Palm static exercises(with weight and usual form - use of waist again and the closing whilst swalling the saliva to the dan tien…the energy circular pattern.)
Chy sau (different versions)
Doy chong (single double, diu sau)
Bo Sim Sau – sections, form, techniques, applications
Pad work with combinations
Conditioning
Sparring (not so much but a little carefully)
2 man drills/chongs with more emphasis on close in and making contact (some we use gloves to aim for head and body)
Hoot Sar Jeurng (blood sand palm chi gung form and training)
Leg gung (very similar to when you see the shoaling monks move their palms up and down their legs before they do demonstration)
Forms (9 hands, bic sarn, fighting form, saam bo gin, kau dau sau, mo ying sau etc)
Learned a new two man sitting chi gung form
Poon Lung Kerk (use of, applications)
Grappling (working more of technique and drilling over – im taking it carefully)
Muay Thai – techniques and apps
Kalari (learning some new sword techniques and stick work)
Lots really, just a few new things that I haven’t listed before. Im really concentrating on building up and healing at the moment – so gungs, chi gung forms, two man strengthening and the home training exercises.
Also on another note Holland and Barrats have a sale and I purchased a lot of things on sale (glucosamine, ginko bilboa, chondrotin, cod liver oil, vitamins, milk thistle liquid). Bought in bulk to save £ and take these everyday to help with my joints / ligaments! If you are around pop in and see what you can get.
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