Batman's Training Program- Final Phase

This is a continuation from Batman's Training Program- Phase 5. Continue to scale the workouts as necessary. This is pretty much the same program that was initially posted here, however, I am going to post some variances in the workout, so that you don't always end up doing the same thing. Please reference previous posts if you have any questions.


Sunday:
Morning-

• 30 Minute Jog
• 30 Minutes Meditation

Evening-

• Clean and Jerk- 8 x 3 Reps (262#) OR Squat Clean- 8 x 3 Reps (262#)
• 5 Sets Metabolic Conditioning (1/4 Mile Run, 21 Two Pood KB Swings, 12 Pull-ups)
• 30 Minutes Flexibility
• 30 Minutes Sparring

Monday:

Morning-

• 30 Minute Jog
• 30 Minutes Martial Arts- Forms or Shadowboxing

Evening-

• 5 Sets 20ft Rope Climb
• 30 Minutes Gymnastic Rings (Pick Two: Pull-ups, Iron Cross, Muscle-up, L-Sit, Dips, Levering)
• 40+" Box Jumps- 8 x 12 Reps
• 5 x 50 Crunches
• 30 Minutes Heavy Bag
• 30 Minutes Flexibility
• 30 Minutes Target Practice (Mitt Work, Knife/Dart/Shuriken/etc Throwing, Hitting Moving Targets)

Tuesday:

Morning-

• 30 Minute Jog
• 30 Minutes Yoga

Evening-

• 1/2 Mile Swim
• "Heavy" Deadlift- 7 x 5 Reps (620#)
• "Light" Deadlift- 30 Reps (310#)
• 30 Minutes Sparring

Wednesday (Off Day):

Morning-

• 20 Mile Run

Evening-

• 30 Minutes Target Practice
• 30 Minutes Flexibility
• 30 Minutes Hand Techniques
• 30 Minutes Leg Techniques
• 30 Minutes Observation (Watch Fights, Instructional Videos, Observe Natural Movement of People, Animals, and Objects in Motion.)
• 30 Minutes Meditation
• 30 Minutes Grappling Techniques

Thursday:

Morning-

• 30 Minute Jog
• 30 Minutes Martial Arts- Forms or Shadowboxing

Evening-

• Squats- 10 x 5 Reps (525#)
• 1 Hour Bouldering
• 30 Minutes Flexibility
• Crunches- 5 x 50 Reps
• 30 Minutes Target Practice 
• 30 Minutes Heavy Bag

Friday:

Morning-

• 30 Minute Jog
• 30 Minutes Meditation

Evening-

• Clean and Jerk- 8 x 3 Reps (262#) OR Squat Clean- 8 x 3 Reps (262#)
• 5 Sets Metabolic Conditioning or Prescribed Crossfit WOD
• 30 Minutes Flexibility 
• 30 Minutes Sparring

Saturday:

Morning-

• 30 Minute Jog
• 30 Minutes Yoga

Evening-

• Crunches- 5 x 50 Reps
• Squats- 10 x 5 Reps (525#)
• Push-ups- 5 x 50 Reps
• 30 Minutes Monkey Bars
• 30 Minutes Pommel Horse
• 30 Minutes Heavy Bag
• 1/4 Mile Swim

Notes:

• We've come full circle. Now all that's left to do is to make the commentary on how to successfully navigate and implement this program.
• Any one of these days is not necessarily a problem to a hardcore athlete, but the biggest thing is that there aren't any real rest days and that is where the tricky implementation comes in. 
• Remember, the only reasons that Bruce Wayne would even remotely be able to keep this up for any length of time are because he worked up to it slowly, he probably has access to top tier supplementation, massage therapists, chiropractors, and doctors, and Bats is probably juicing just as hard as any professional body builder ever.

That's all for today! Until next time, good luck and train hard!

He didn't get this jacked going Vegan and doing Zumba, that's for sure!

"Vinland Saga" and "Berserk" Training

I've wanted to do workouts for these two series for quite a while; however, I've been fortunate enough to be a part of the initial release of the Centurion Method and if anything matches the spirit of these manga, its CM. The workouts for the program are primarily done outside, mostly with rocks, logs, and sledgehammers. Of course, you can do them with barbells/dumbbells/kettlebells/medicine balls, but nothing beats the hardcore feel of a big-ass rock and log. There are workouts for pure strength, more cardio-based ones, and some really just ridiculous beat-yourself-to-death workouts, as well as a "Primal" section that focuses on the movement of the human body.

Throughout both "Vinland Saga" and "Berserk," we are forced to look the brutality of the human condition dead in the face. It is unrelenting, unforgiving, and unapologetic. The body count racked up in these series- man, woman, and child- is mind-numbing. But there is a message present throughout each story.

Only the strong survive.

Survival favors those who can outlift, outrun, outfight, and just generally outlast others. There will always be people who will seek to pillage, plunder, and destroy. Man vs. Man or Man vs Nature are the everlasting themes of human history and they are themes that leave our history riddled with the corpses of those consumed by them. The Centurion Method embraces this concept, becoming a weapon to strike out against those who would oppose you and a chisel to carve the marble of your being into a fleshy god. (Don't you love how over-the-top it is?) Below are a couple of workouts from the Centurion Method, as an example. If they strike your fancy, head on over and pick up a copy.


Vinland Saga: "Concentration Camp"

1. 1.5 Mile Run w/25+# vest/backpack
2. 25 Backpack/Vest Deadlifts
3. 50 Lunge Walks with Backpack/Vest over Shoulders
4. 50 Bear Crawl Push/Pull with Backpack/Vest

Berserk: "The Dance of Battle"

1. 20 Dodge Lunge Walks
2. 20 Hammer Lunge Walks
3. 25 Sledgehammer Swings (swap sides each round)
4. 20 Dynamic Side Lunge
--8 Rounds

Notes:

• Bear Crawl Push/Pulls are when you have a weight underneath you while in a bear crawl position, you push or pull the weight ahead of you as far as you can reach, then crawl over top of it and do it again. Each time you pull or push the weight, that is one rep. 
• Dodge Lunge Walks- Do a normal lunge and, as you stand up, dodge explosively to the opposite side. One on each side is one rep. 
• Hammer Lunge Walks- Do a normal lunge with the hammer over your shoulder and as you stand up, swing the hammer and repeat on the opposite side for one rep. 
• Dynamic Side Lunge-  Lunge to one side and explode back to standing and then lunge to the opposite side for one rep. 
• The Centurion Method workouts can beat you down, so it is perfectly okay to stop in the middle of a workout if you cannot complete it. 

Hopefully you guys enjoy these workouts and I hope you'll check out the Centurion Method Training Manual. Until next time, good luck and train hard!

Baki's Technique Workout- "50 Reps"

One of my very good friends and occasional training partners, James Whelan, (you can find his blog in the "Stuff I'm Reading" side panel) does this workout every now and again and I thought it was applicable to Baki, considering the type of fighter that he is and the various kinds of training that he does. This workout is solely dependent upon how many martial arts techniques you know, so it could be very short or it could be very, very long. 

This is a very important technique.

Baki's Technique Workout- "50 Reps"

1. Do 50 Reps of every martial arts technique you know on each side of your body. 
2. 50 Push-ups
3. 50 Pull-ups

Notes:

• 50 reps of every martial arts technique you know is a very tall order for some. It's also hard to define what is a "technique." A seiken or a jab or a front kick are obviously techniques, but some people would list combinations like the jab-cross or self defense techniques like "Thundering Hammers" from American Kenpo as techniques. If you have a partner, that adds another dimension and can allow for grappling and submission techniques. It's entirely up to you how in depth you want to make this workout, so choose wisely!
• It would be smart to make a list of all the techniques you know before you begin the workout, because you will not remember them all in the midst of the workout, especially when your brain is telling you to quit out of boredom or fatigue. 
• 50 push-ups and pull-ups at the end of the workout may also be difficult due to fatigue. 
• My friend says that this workout takes him around 4 hours to complete so keep water and a carb source, like a sports drink or gel with you to keep yourself going. 

That's all for today! Until next time, good luck and train hard!

Nishi's Weight Loss Training (Ashita no Joe)

In Ashita no Joe, Nishi is Joe's training partner and the only other member of Danpei's gym. He starts out as an overweight boxer with a mediocre record and a penchant for midnight snacking. However, over time, he gets into the grind and really pushes himself, dropping weight and getting into a much better weight class, where he is able to shine. This workout is based on the training that we see Nishi do to drop weight.

"You mean I can't eat two bowls of udon at midnight and lose weight?!"

Nishi's Weight Loss Training

Do all three exercises in any order:

1. Jump Rope- 30 Minutes
2. Running- 30 Minutes
3. Shadowboxing- 30 Minutes

Notes:

• This is a very simple workout, but it will really push your endurance. 
• The good thing about this workout is that you can change it around to work yourself differently. Shadowboxing is a different experience after jumping rope and running, the same as pushing your run after the rope jumping and shadowboxing.
• If you are out of shape, you can walk or do walk/jog intervals during the run and take short breaks in the jump rope and shadowboxing sessions. 

That's all for today! Until next time, good luck and train hard!

Battle Club: Wrestling Club Training Camp

Battle Club is a crazy, over-the-top manga about high school amateur wrestling. It's not for kids, considering there is some nudity and sexual themes, but it's got some pretty good moves in it (some realistic and some not). Early on, the characters go to a beach training camp where they ended up doing some hard training and one of the girls on the team suplexes a shark.

A shark.

Just let that sink in for a second. In any case, here's the workout!

Battle Club: Wrestling Club Training Camp

LEVEL ONE

1. Swim 500 Meters w/10# swim weights
2. Rest and stretch 10 Minutes
3. Swim 500 Meters w/10# swim weights

If you fail to swim either of the 500 Meters without stopping, you must do 100 Push-ups.

LEVEL TWO

1. Swim 1000 Meters w/10# swim weights
2. Rest and stretch 10 minutes
3. Swim 1000 Meters w/10# swim weights

If you fail to swim either of the 1000 Meters without stopping, you must do 500 Push-ups.

LEVEL THREE

1. Swim 5000 Meters w/10# swim weights
2. Rest and stretch 10 Minutes
3. Swim 5000 Meters w/10# swim weights

If you fail to swim either of the 5000 Meters without stopping, you must do 1000 Push-ups

LEVEL FOUR

1. Swim 10,000 Meters w/10# swim weights
2. Rest and stretch 10 Minutes
3. Swim 10,000 Meters w/10# swim weights

If you fail to swim either of the 10,000 Meters without stopping, you must do 5000 Push-ups

Notes:

• This is a very difficult and insane workout. You might be able to do the first level, but the second level will probably get you if you aren't a competitive swimmer. 
• You may use any stroke you like to swim the distance, so the positive part is you can do the backstroke when you get tired. 
• You can do any hand position for the push-ups. 
• This is a serious endurance workout, so take your time with it and be patient. 

That's all for today! Until next time, good luck and train hard!

Sun-ken Rock: Ken's Morning Routine

After the Chirisan training, Ken gets in the habit of waking up at 6 AM every morning, without an alarm clock, and he decides to use that extra time to train. This workout is his morning training.

Ken's Morning Routine

LEVEL ONE

1. Light Stretching- 5 Minutes
2. 100 Sit-ups
3. 100 Push-ups
4. Light Stretching- 5 Minutes

LEVEL TWO

1. Light Stretching- 5 Minutes
2. 100 Decline Sit-ups (45 Degrees)
3. 200 Push-ups
4. Light Stretching- 5 Minutes

LEVEL THREE

1. Light Stretching- 5 Minutes
2. 100 Decline Sit-ups (65 Degrees)
3. 100 Assisted One Arm Push-ups (each side)
4. Light Stretching- 5 Minutes

LEVEL FOUR

1. Light Stretching- 5 Minutes
2. 100 Hanging Sit-ups
3. 100 One Arm Push-ups (each side)
4. Light Stretching- 5 Minutes

Notes:

• On the stretching, be very easy since you are just waking up and are not warmed up. Treat it more like yoga, if you are familiar with it. Also, try to stretch your whole body during each set of 5 minutes. 
• Assisted one arm push-ups are pretty simple. You start in a push-up position, hands just below your shoulders. Then, keeping one hand in the same place, you move one hand out a few inches. You still need to keep the stationary hand underneath your shoulder. You are not shifting your entire center of gravity. The only thing that is moving is your other hand away from your body. On each rep, you should move the other hand just a little further away, until you can't do the rep and then start over. Keep counting your reps up to 100 and then switch sides. 
• There are many different ways to do hanging sit-ups. For descriptions, check the search function for "hanging sit-ups."
• Ken also did these push-ups on his knuckles, so that is an option, as well. 

That's all for today! I know this is a very simple workout, but Ken does this same workout every morning. I would not recommend doing this every day in order to let your muscles recover and to make sure you are not creating a muscular imbalance.

Until next time, good luck and train hard!

Sun-ken Rock: Chirisan Mountain Training

Sun-ken Rock is a bit of an odd story. A Japanese youth follows a girl to Korea and ends up becoming the boss of a very small Korean gang. Through a lot of hilarious hardship and some very hard-to-bear scenes, the gang slowly accumulates new members and begins to take down other gangs in the area. There is a very intense training sequence under the care of a few monks up in one of the highest mountains in Korea for 10 month that we will now turn into a workout. 

I had previously started reading this manga a while ago and somehow got sidetracked. In any case, here's the workout!

Sun-Ken Rock: Chirisan Mountain Training

Morning

1. Run 1 Mile
2. Climb 50 Feet (Rope, Rock, or Tree)
3. Army Crawl 100 Yards

--5 Rounds

5-6 Hours Later

1. 1000 Weapon Strikes on Tree
2. 1000 Punches on Tree
3. Practice Handstands- 10 Minutes

Notes:

• The running should ideally be done on mountainous terrain. You're looking for hills, uneven ground, and even streams to run through. 
• Be careful with the climbing. If you do not have a rock wall or proper equipment, try to only climb about 10 feet at a time. Climb up a tree or a rope or a small rock face and then climb back down for the total distance. 
• Remember to stay low on the army crawl. 
• Ken's gang used knives against the logs/trees for their weapon training, but you can use whatever you like. Whatever you end up using, make sure that you are being safe. If at all possible, I recommend that you use practice weapons like wooden swords. You can use nunchaku, knives, swords, an ax or whatever you like. 
• You do NOT have to do these punches on a tree. You can use a heavy bag or a makiwara or a hanging Iron Palm Bag. Whatever the case, you need to start slow, remember to punch with proper form, and stop when you need to. If your hands are done hitting at 100 reps, then you should stop. Also, if you are new to hitting things or are hitting a new material, you need to hit the material softly at first!!!  Building bone density and hardness are not done over night and can take years to properly develop, so please take your time. 
• On handstands, start the clock and just practice for ten minutes straight. Rest when you need to, but you need to push yourself during this ten minutes. Hold the handstand for as long as you can. When you get better at the handstand, you can try supporting yourself on all of your fingers and gradually removing one finger at a time. Just like hand conditioning, this will take a very long time and you should be patient!

That's all for today! Until next time, good luck and train hard!

Two Months into the Centurion Method

After two months of the Centurion Method, I've noticed that there are some movements that get over-utilized. However, upon inquiring of the author concerning this issue, I was informed that when a movement like "Pull-ups" is listed, that doesn't necessarily mean that the pull-up has to be in a supinated grip and, in fact, grips can be alternated between sets. I imagine this same thing applies to push-ups and hand positions, as well as foot position on squats.

I have had to take the last week off from the CM in order to rest, because, due to the high-intensity and high volume nature of the program, combined with my active job of personal training and instructing fitness classes, I felt as though I was right on the edge of Overtraining Syndrome. I'm feeling much better after this recovery week and am looking forward to seeing what my strength and endurance look like jumping back into the Centurion Method workouts.

On another note, I'm also going to start including my martial arts training back into my program. I feel like I should never have left it out, but I wanted to give the Centurion Method a fair shot in the beginning, so I could better understand the wear and tear it would put on my body.

Proud to say that I am a Berzerker of the Centurion Method, but I'll be looking forward to getting back to my Real Anime Training workouts. (I guess to be fair, though, I'll be including the Centurion Method in Real Anime Training for you guys soon.)