READ THIS BEFORE YOU START THE ONE-PUNCH MAN TRAINING PROGRAM!

The One-Punch Man Training Program is simple, but difficult. It's not so much that the individual days are difficult (which they can be if you don't like running), but that the piling on of fatigue day after day can lead you easily into injury, especially if you're starting from nothing. So, there are somethings we need to cover before you begin on such an endeavor. The OPM Training Program is first, and foremost, an endurance program and will take a significant amount of your time to perform each day. If you do not foresee yourself having 2-3 hours per day on average to train, then you should not start the program. Obviously, as you become a faster runner or more in shape, certain days will be much shorter than others. (It also helps to support us on Patreon!)

But it's still gonna suck.

Preparation

If you're new to exercise, start with the Preparation for the One-Punch Man Training Program, and start your climb from there so you aren't just starting with three years of murdering yourself with the OPM Training Program. (Video)

Gotta start somewhere.

Warm-up and Stretching

The warm-up for the One-Punch Man Training Program will consist of loosening up your joints and muscles and putting your through a slight stretch.  This should be done every day before your training. The warm-up and the stretching will extend your training time, but they are VERY important. If you are not consistent with the warm-up and stretching, it will be much harder for you to continue the daily grind of the OPM Training Program.

These stretches and movements will help balance out the movements that you will be repeating during the program. There are, of course, some variations of the push-ups, sit-ups, and squats that are designed to do just that, but this is going to really make sure you don't end up with a muscular imbalance.

Warm-up before training

1. 5 Minutes Walking (Exaggerated arm swings)
2. #10-20 of Real Anime Training Warm-up
3. 50 Band Pull-Aparts 
4. Foam Rolling from "Luffy, the Rubber Man"
5. #10-20 of Real Anime Training Warm-up
6. 1 Minute Each General Stretching from "Luffy, the Rubber Man"

Stretching after training

1. 5 Minutes Walking (Focus on slow, deep breaths)
2. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine
3. #1-3 of General Stretching from "Luffy, the Rubber Man"

Nutrition

The first thing we need to do for this program is remind everyone here that THIS IS NOT A WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM!  Do NOT eat to lose weight during this training.  Eat to perform. Eat to get stronger and faster. If you eat to lose weight, I guarantee that you're going to end up injured and hating yourself.

Next, we need to get your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). This is the amount of energy you would expend if you literally laid in bed all day and did nothing. You can get that number here.

Once we've got that number, we're going to need to find out how many calories we will need on a daily basis. We're going to be erring on the side of caution, so if you have a relatively sedentary or moderately active job, then multiply that number by 1.725 (Example: 2,000 Calorie BMR x 1.725 = 3,450 Calories per day).  However, if you have a very physical job, multiply the number by 1.9. (Example: 2,000 Calorie BMR x 1.9 = 3,800 Calories)

We want to try to eat a wide variety of foods:

• Lean meats (chicken, fish, pork, beef, etc), vegetables (carrots, broccoli, kale, spinach, radishes, etc) 
• Whole grains (wheat, oats, quinoa, barley, amaranth, etc) 
• Fruits (apples, bananas, berries, watermelon, etc)
• Nuts, seeds, legumes
• A lot of water.  With as much activity as you are doing, you need to make sure you're drinking a sufficient amount of fluids. If you're not used to drinking much water, try to stay above 64 ounces of liquid a day, although you can drink 128 to 172 ounces of water to help stay hydrated. Make sure that you're adding a sufficient amount of sodium to your diet, as well, considering how much you'll be sweating and drinking. Hyponatremia is a nasty thing. 

Macros

Let's start with carbohydrates.  You're going to need fuel for this training program, so we want to have sufficient energy to get through these workouts. A good rule is about 40-60% of your calories coming from carbohydrates during endurance training, but it might be a little easier to use your weight as a guide, in which you would eat 5 to 10 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of weight. A kilogram is 2.2 pounds, so it would be about 2.2 to 4.5 grams of carbs per pound that you weigh. (Source)

Whichever you decide to do, make sure that you keep track of the number of calories and the foods that you eat in a journal AND how you felt at the end of each day. You may find that your body likes or dislikes certain carb sources more than others. 

Before training, you want to try to use more complex carbs, such as grains. However, after training, using simpler sugars such as fruit is a good way to replenish your glycogen reserves. 

Up next is protein. We're going to need this protein to build muscles over time.  There's a lot of debate about this one, with as little as .5 grams per pound being used or as much as 2 grams per pound of weight (or 30%, if we're talking percentages).The answer is probably somewhere in the middle, so as long as you're in that range somewhere, you're probably fine. Make sure, once again, that you are recording everything. You may find that you feel better, are stronger, and recover faster if you up your protein intake. You may not.

Fats are a good thing!  They should round out the other 30% of your calories or whatever remains of your listed caloric needs for the day after you've calculated your protein and carb needs. They should come from good sources like fish, seeds, nuts, avocados, and (in lesser amounts) beef and other red meat. 

Food is good. It might not grow your hair back, but it'll definitely help make you stronger.

Recovery

There are a lot of good things you can do to facilitate your recovery. Here are the basics:

• Get enough sleep!! (GET THEM 8 HOURS!)
• Eat well and stray hydrated (See above Nutrition section)
• Warm-up and Stretch (See above section)

-For some further thing you can do, you can consider occasionally seeing a massage therapist who specializes in sports massage or even a physical therapist if you have a particularly nagging ache. In lieu of either of those, you could pretty much live on your foam roller or spend more time working on flexibility and mobility. 

-Try BCAA's.  Having free amino acids available for use during and after activity has been shown to speed recovery and performance, so give them a try if you feel like you're having trouble recovering.

-Pay attention to the programming when it tells you to go at an easy pace or go light that day. Those days are designed to help you recover while you train. Don't ignore them!

-Try temperature therapy. Some people swear by Cold Water Therapy and some people swear by using heat. I think that the research points more in the direction of heat (such as warm baths and heating pads), but some people advocate ice baths and cold packs.  Typically, ice baths and cold packs are great for alleviating pain directly after trauma, but not as good for facilitating recovery. If you'd like to learn more about ice baths, JaxBlade has lots more info on it.


Training Gear

You will need some training gear to get through this program. At the beginning, it will be sort of minimal and most of it will be geared toward running. Later, you will need access to gym equipment such as barbells, dumbbells, and a place to do pull-ups.

1. Running shoes- Although it's probably better if you go get a custom fitting.
2. Here's a handy tool to help decide what else to wear, depending on a variety of factors.
3. Compression socks-- Will help with fatigue during runs.
4. Weighted Vest - As an example. You want a vest that will fit well and not shift too much during running, as that will lead to chaffing.
5. Wrist and Ankle Weights
6. Bands/Therabands
7. Half BOSU Ball
8. Hand wraps- We're going to avoid traditional wraps for time's sake.
9. Dit Da Jow- Use on hands and feet after impact of running or bag work
10. Tiger Balm/Icy Hot/Biofreeze- Muscle and tendon soreness

There may be more things you need to buy, so if you have any questions, please comment and let me know or send me an email at realanimetraining@gmail.com.

Strengthen yourself day by day, staying focused on the goal ahead. Take your training and your recovery seriously and you will eventually become strong and acquire amazing endurance. With this program, you're not going to lift the most weight in the world and you won't win a marathon, but you will have a LOT more endurance than a strength athlete and a LOT more strength than an endurance athlete. You can do it. Prepare yourself . Take your time. Follow the Program.  Support the cause!

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

(This post contains affiliate links.)

Preparation For the One-Punch Man Training Program

The One-Punch Man Program is very simple. It uses the basic formula of Saitama's Training of 100 Push-ups, 100 Sit-ups, 100 Squats, and 10 km of running every day and brings in variation to keep you healthy and growing stronger.  (Support us on Patreon!)

Simple. Effective. Mind-numbing.
The perfect way to break your Limiter.

However, just because it's simple doesn't mean it won't be difficult or that you should just jump into it without any prior training. This post will outline a way for those who are new to fitness or are just getting back into the swing of things to be able to handle the volume of the OPM Training Program. The hardest portion of the training is really getting used to that daily grind of training, so it will be important to start off easy and work your way in. Under each week, the workout should be done every day that week.  Think of this as Saitama going job hunting for several weeks before he fights Crablante and decides to start training.

You've got to do something to go from slouch to Superhero!

Let's get to it!

Preparation for the OPM Training Program

Week 1

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up
2. 30 Minutes Walking
3. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 2

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up
2. 40 Minutes Walking
3. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 3

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up
2. 20 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 50 Minutes Walking
4. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 4

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up
2. 30 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 60 Minutes Walking
4. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 5

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 2
2. 35 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 5 Minutes Running
4. 60 Minutes Walking
5. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 6

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 2
2. 40 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 5 Minutes Running
4. 30 Minutes Walking
5. 5 Minutes Running
6. 20 Minutes Walking
7. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 7

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 2
2. 45 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 5 Minutes Running
4. 15 Minutes Walking
5. 5 Minutes Running
6. 15 Minutes Walking
7. 5 Minutes Running
8. 15 Minutes Walking
9. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 8

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 2
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 6 Minutes Running
4. 14 Minutes Walking
5. 6 Minutes Running
6. 14 Minutes Walking
7. 6 Minutes Running
8. 14 Minutes Walking
9. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 9

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 3
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 8 Minutes Running
4. 12 Minutes Walking
5. 8 Minutes Running
6. 12 Minutes Walking
7. 8 Minutes Running
8. 12 Minutes Walking
9. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 10

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 3
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 10 Minutes Running
4. 10 Minutes Walking
5. 10 Minutes Running
6. 10 Minutes Walking
7. 10 Minutes Running
8. 10 Minutes Walking
9. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 11

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 3
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 12 Minutes Running
4. 8 Minutes Walking
5. 12 Minutes Running
6. 8 Minutes Walking
7. 12 Minutes Running
8. 8 Minutes Walking
9. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 12

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 3
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 14 Minutes Running
4. 6 Minutes Walking
5. 14 Minutes Running
6. 6 Minutes Walking
7. 14 Minutes Running
8. 6 Minutes Walking
9. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 13

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 4
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 15 Minutes Running
4. 5 Minutes Walking
5. 15 Minutes Running
6. 5 Minutes Walking
7. 15 Minutes Running
8. 5 Minutes Walking
9. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 14

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 4
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 20 Minutes Running
4. 5 Minutes Walking
5. 20 Minutes Running
6. 5 Minutes Walking
7. 10 Minutes Running
8. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 15

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 4
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 25 Minutes Running
4. 5 Minutes Walking
5. 25 Minutes Running
6. 5 Minutes Walking
7. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 16

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 4
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 30 Minutes Running
4. 5 Minutes Walking
5. 20 Minutes Running
6. 5 Minutes Walking
7. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 17

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 4
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 40 Minutes Running
4. 5 Minutes Walking
5. 10 Minutes Running
6. 5 Minutes Walking
7. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 18

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 4
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 5 Minutes Walking
4. 50 Minutes Running
5. 5 Minutes Walking
6. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 19

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 4
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 60 Minutes Running
4. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

Week 20

1. The Real Anime Training Warm-up x 5
2. 50 Band Pull-Aparts
3. 60 Minutes Running
4. The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

This is a VERY SLOW build up, but that's necessary because you are training every single day. After you complete the final week, you can start on Week 1 of the OPM Training Program!

"The King's Mobility"- Mobility for Professional Wrestling

Being a professional wrestler is hard on the body, both in training and in practice. And this is especially so for one that also is a real fighter. In order to make sure that an athlete stays healthy in the sport, it is essential that they learn to take care of themselves and stay loose to prevent injury. It's very easy to become so focused on getting stronger and faster that you forget to work on your mobility and end up with an injury that sidelines you for weeks. Let's prevent that.

LOOK HOW MOBILE I AM!!!

This workout is designed to make sure that you can maintain good movement, flexibility, and general mobility. It should take you about an hour to complete this workout. 

Mobility for Professional Wrestling

1. 10 Minutes Cardio of Choice (Break a Sweat!) 
2. Cossack Squat- 10 Reps (Supported if needed) 
3. Joint Rotations- 10 Reps per joint
4. Hold Bottom Position of Squat- 1 Minute 
5. External Hip Rotation Stretch- 1 Minute/Side 
6. Deep Lunge Stretch (Runner’s Stretch)- 1 Minute/Side 
7. Seated Split Stretch- 1 Minute 
8. Deadman Hang- 1 Minute 
9. Band Pull-Aparts OR Light Cable Rear Delt Flyes- 50 Reps 
10. Glute Bridge- 50 Reps
11. YTW- 5 Sets, 15 Second Hold Per Position 
12. High Front Kick- 15 Reps/Side 
13. High Round Kick- 15 Reps/Side 
14. Repeat 2-13 

Notes:

• The cardio can be any kind you like. You can jog, jump rope, shadowbox lightly, ride a bike, use an elliptical, or even play Dance, Dance Revolution. Keep it fun!
• Cossack Squats start from the bottom of the squat. Lean your weight all onto one foot and straighten your other leg out to the side with the toes pointed up toward the ceiling. Transition your weight back to the other foot, shifting it into the squat position and the other one pointing up to the ceiling. 1 on each side is 1 Rep. You may need to use a bench in front of you to support yourself. Keep your heels on the ground and don't roll to your toes at any point during the movement.
• For the rest of the movements, use the search function if you have questions about them. We'll be adding more and more movements in video form to make it easier for reference.

One-Punch Man Training Program- Week 56

Week 55 is here!

Day 386

1. 100 Clap Push-ups
2. 100 V-ups
3. 50 Back and Forth Jump Squats (Jump forward into a squat, explode up, jumping back to your starting position into a squat. 50 Forward Jump Squats, 50 Back Jump Squats)
4. 10 km Running on Hilly Terrain

--Complete in as few sets as possible

<<HERO EVENT- A boulder is loose and about to fall on a small mountain village. Climb up and get rid of it!

1. Climb a total of 1000 feet of Rope, Rocks, and/or Trees.
2. 1 Full Power Punch per Side to Heavy Bag>>

Day 387

1. 100 Shoulder Tap Push-ups (50 Per Side. Perform a push-up and, as you reach the plank position, pick up one hand and touch the opposite shoulder. Perform another push-up and touch the other side.)
2. 100 Sit-ups to Gymnastic Bridge (Sit-up, lay back, then press yourself into a gymnastic bridge position.)
3. 100 Squats to Side Leg Raise (50 Per Side)
4. 10 km Running 

--Complete in as few sets as possible

Day 388

1. 15 Push-ups
2. 15 Sit-ups
3. 15 Squats
4. 10 Push-ups at + 5# from Last Week
5. 10 Sit-ups at + 5# from Last Week
6. 10 Squats at + 5# from Last Week
7. 5 Push-ups at + 5# from Last Week
8. 5 Sit-ups at + 5# from Last Week
9. 5 Squats at + 5# from Last Week
10. 3 Push-ups at + 5# from Last Week
11. 3 Sit-ups at + 5# from Last Week
12. 3 Squats at + 5# from Last Week
13. 1 Push-up at + 5# from Last Week
14. 1 Sit-up at + 5# from Last Week
15. 1 Squat at + 5# from Last Week
16. 10 Push-ups @ 50% Heaviest Weight Lifted Today
17. 10 Sit-ups @ 50% Heaviest Weight Lifted Today
18. 10 Squats @ 50% Heaviest Weight Lifted Today
19. 56 Push-ups
20. 56 Sit-ups
21. 56 Squats

--Complete in as few sets as possible, then

1. 400 Meter Jog
2. 400 Meter Sprint
3. 100 Meter Side Shuffle Left
4. 100 Meter Side Shuffle Right

--10 Rounds

Day 389

1. 100 Knuckle Push-ups
2. 100 Straight Leg Sit-ups to 2 Second Hamstring Stretch (Lean forward at the top of the sit-up and lean forward with a straight back, stretching your hamstrings for 2 seconds)
3. 100 Squats w/3 Punches at the Top
4. 10 km Running, Full Sprint Every 5 Minutes

--Complete in as few sets as possible

Day 390

1. 10 Push-ups w/105#
2. 10 Sit-ups w/105#
3. 10 Squats w/105#
4. 1000 Meter Run w/45# Vest

--10 Rounds

Day 391

1. 10 Renegade Push-ups w/30#
2. 10 Decline Sit-ups w/30#
3. 10 DB Thrusters w/30# per side
4. 1000 Meter Run

--10 Rounds

Day 392

Same as Day 336 on Week 48.

Issei's Beginner "Devil's Pawn" Training (Highschool DxD)

Highschool DxD is a mix of supernatural/religious lore thrown right along side a generous helping of fan-service. The main character, Issei, is blessed with a special ability that makes him very valuable, but he's extremely physically weak and, therefore, not particularly useful.  At first he decides that he's going to train himself to get stronger, but quickly gives up on that, before his training is taken up by Rias, the heiress to a high-ranking devil family.

This workout is based on the things we see both Issei and Rias program for training.

He looks pretty badass here.
Don't expect a lot at the beginning. 

Issei's Beginner "Devil's Pawn" Training

1. Pull-ups to Failure
2. Deadman Hang to Failure
3. Run 1 Mile, as fast as possible
4. Seated Split Stretch- 5 Minutes
5. Push-ups to Failure
6. Plank to Failure

Note:

• This is a very beginner-level workout. 
• Do as many pull-ups as you can, then hang from the bar until your grip gives out (Deadman Hang)
• If you cannot perform any pull-ups at all, just hang from the bar as long as you can until you fall. Do this twice. Once for the set of pull-ups and once for the set of Deadman Hang.
• If you have to walk during the run, that's fine. Just do your best to get the mile done in as fast a time as possible.
• On the Seated Split Stretch, slowly try to push your legs out wider and lean forward as much as you can during the 5 minutes. Do not hurt yourself, but try to push your flexibility. 
• Finally, do as many push-ups as possible, before finally holding the top of the push-up position as long as possible. 

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

Earthbending Strength and Conditioning

Earthbending is based on Hung Gar kung fu (except for Toph, which is Praying Mantis based, apparently).  Hung Gar trains in low stances and has large powerful movements. Practitioners build tough bodies for combat through years and years of training. 

Earthbenders are tough and powerful.  They can launch stones at high speed or move slabs of earth with just a few movements.  And it's not just rocks and dirt-- there are earthbenders who can manipulate sand and even metal.  Their training forces them to be sturdy and unbending against oncoming forces. They move the earth and so, they become like it.

If you like the workout, support us on Patreon!

Behold! A rock!

Warm-up and Stretch (Follow Stretches in Order)

1. 1 Mile Easy Jog
2. Neck Turning- 15 Reps Each Way
3. Forward Bend and Stretch- 1 Minute
4. Palms-up Overhead Reach- 1 Minute
5. Palms-in Arms Behind Reach- 1 Minute 
6. Waist Twisting- 15 Reps Each Way
7. Side Bends- 15 Reps Each Way
8. Standing Back Bend to Forward Bend and Stretch- 15 Reps
9. Wide-Leg Back Bend to Forward Bend and Stretch- 15 Reps
10. Wide-Leg Standing Hamstring Stretch- 1 Minute Each Side
11. Side-Lunge Groin Stretch- 1 Minute Each Side
12. Forward Lunge/Runner's Stretch- 1 Minute Each Side
13. Low Lunge Stretch- 1 Minute Each Side
14. Standing Side Split Stretch- 1 Minute
15. Seated Side Split Stretch- 1 Minute
16. Butterfly Stretch- 1 Minute
17. One-Leg Seated Hamstring Stretch- 1 Minute Each Side
18. Seated Turn and Stretch- 1 Minute Each Side
19. Lying Knee-Pull- 1 Minute Each Side
20. Front Splits Stretch- 1 Minute Each Side
21. Standing Quad Stretch- 1 Minute Each Side
22. High Foot Hold- 1 Minute Each Side

Then Choose 1 of the Following (see notes for exception)

1. Stance Training    (Rest 30 seconds between each stance)

1. Horse Stance- MAX Time
2. Long Stance- MAX Time Each Side
3. Scissor Stance- MAX Time Each Side
4. Cat Stance- MAX Time Each Side
5. Crane Stance- MAX Time Each Side

2.  Combat Training

1. Taming the Tiger Fist- 3 Sets
2. Tiger Crane Double Style Fist- 3 Sets
3. Five Animals/Five Elements Fist- 3 Sets
4. Iron Wire Fist- 3 Sets
5. Heavy Bagwork- 20 Minutes
6. Sparring- 10 Minutes

3. Physical Conditioning and Iron Body (Choose 3)

1. Horse Stance w/Gripping Jars to Side- 10 Minutes
2. Horse Stance w/Gripping Jars to Front- 10 Minutes
3. Three Star Training- 10 Minutes
4. Turn and Punch (Slow) w/Kettlebells- 100 Each Side
5. Front-Overhead-Lateral Circles with Kettlebells- 100 Each Way
6. Spearhand into beans/sand/steel shot- 100 Each Side (notes)
7. Forms Practice with Iron Rings- 20 Minutes
8. Iron Palm Practice- 20 Minutes
9. 100 Push-ups/One-Arm Push-ups
10. 100 Squats/One-Leg Squats
11. 50 Pull-ups
12. Heavy Stone Lifting- 50 Lifts
13. Barbell Ground-to-Overhead- 50 Lifts

Notes:

• I have provided links to the stretching, stances and forms for your convenience.
• There is quite a lot of stretching, but it will be necessary to build the supple body necessary to handle all of the stances. 
• After the warm-up and stretching, beginners should pick one of the three workouts below to train for the day. The progression and inclusion of other workouts will follow the same progression as the Firebending Strength and Conditioning.
• The heavy bagwork can be broken up into rounds or you can push straight through. Work a single technique or combination or work your conditioning through High Intensity Intervals. 
• As always, wear gear during your sparring and try not to strike vital areas. 
• Your gripping jars will be held at shoulder height either in front or out to the side. If you cannot hold it for the whole 10 minutes, hold it for as long as you can during the 10 minute time period, resting when needed. After you can complete the whole time without stopping, add a cup of sand to the jars. Do this every time you can hold the position for 10 minutes. 
• Three star training can be done with a partner or a pole. Please start light and work your way up to hitting harder. The first hit is on the inner arm low, the second is on the inner arm high, as if performing an outside middle block, and the last is outer arm low, as if performing a low block. This training can be done standing or in a horse stance.
• The Turn and Punch with the kettlebells starts with a kettlebell in each hand, with a vertical fist so that the handle is vertical. You arms start at your waist and then, as you shift your weight to one leg and move into a bow stance, slowly punch out with the same vertical fist with the opposite arm of whichever leg has weight on it. Your punch will go in the same direction you were facing in horse stance, even though you have shifted to a forward bow stance facing another direction. Repeat on the other side without returning to horse stance. Start with a very light weight and only raise the weight when you can complete all 100 punches/side without stopping.
• Front-Overhead-Lateral Circles are performed with a kettlebell in each hand. Perform a front delt raise until the kettlebells are overhead, then lower them as if performing a side-lateral raise. When the kettlebells return to the bottom, reverse the motion, beginning with a side-lateral raise up, until the weights are overhead and then lowering them in the fashion of a front delt raise until they are in front of you. That is one rep. Only raise the weight when you can perform all 100 reps in each direction without stopping.
• The spearhands into beans/sand/steel shot can be done while standing or in a horse stance. Using a five-gallon bucket or large drum, fill it with the appropriate material and make sure that you cannot reach the bottom of the container with a strike. You will start with dry beans, thrusting your fingers into the container over and over until the reps are completed. You will not advance to the sand until you have performed this training at least 50 separate times. At this point, you will have two containers. One with beans and one with sand. You will do 100 reps on each hand in both of the materials from this point forward. You may not advance to steel shot until you have performed this training at least 50 separate times. At this point, you will have three containers. You will do 100 reps on each hand in all three of the materials from this point forward. 
• The Iron Rings for your forms practice can be found here. The rings are worn on your forearms. You should start slow and gradually add weight over time. 
• Here's an article I previously wrote on Iron Palm training.
• For the Push-ups and Squats, the idea is to do as many one-arm push-ups and one-leg squats as you can and then finish up the workout with normal push-ups and squats. This way you can work strength first and then work endurance after. 
• I recommend using many different hand positions for pull-ups throughout your training.
• The heavy stone lifting is very open. Find as heavy a stone as you can and attempt to lift it. If you can lift it even just a little bit, that's great!  Spend as much time as you need on the training session and lift it 50 times. Rest as often as needed. If it's a little bit lighter of a stone and you can lift it to chest height or over your head, that's fine, too. The idea is to find a heavy stone and lift it as high as possible 50 times. Once you can lift it over your head, though, you might want to find a heavier stone. I recommend that you find a smooth stone or make an atlas stone or you can wear long sleeves if you can't find a smooth stone. 
• Ground-to-overhead means you can use whatever technique you need to get a weight overhead. You can deadlift it, then curl it, then press it. You could even do that with just one arm.  You can clean and press/push press/jerk the weight. You can snatch it with both hands or just one. If the weight is lighter, you can use more muscle. If the weight is heavier, you may need to employ more technical lifts like the clean and jerk or snatch. Do this in however many sets with however much rest you need to get through it. Do yourself a favor and try to lift the weight in many different ways, so you can understand how the same weight can feel different in a very similar movement (i.e.- Ground-to-Overhead).

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

Firebending Strength and Conditioning

In the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra, firebenders are fast, explosive, and hot-headed (see what I did there?).  Their style of combat is based on Northern Shaolin, which relies on flexibility, power, and speed in combat.  It is very beautiful, but it can also be very brutal.

If you like the training, support us on Patreon!

That's fire.
Coming out of his foot.

And a brutal style of combat needs an equally brutal level of training. This training is based on the training a young martial artist at the Shaolin temple would receive in order to master his or her kung fu properly.


Warm-up and Stretch

1. 1 Mile Easy Jog
2. Stretch Kicking- 15 Each Side
3. Forward Bend and Stretch- 1 Minute
4. Side Splits Stretch- 1 Minute
5. Front Splits Stretch- 1 Minute/side
6. Big Arm Circles- 15 Each Way
7. Arms Overhead Side Bends- 15 Each Side
8. Trunk Rotations- 15 Each Way
9. Choice of Stretching- 5 Minutes (see notes)
10. Run Up Stairs and Bear Crawl Down- 10 Minutes

Then, Choose 1 of the Following (see notes for exception)

1. Stance Training (Rest 30 seconds in between each stance)

1. Horse Stance- MAX Time
2. Bow Stance- MAX Time Each Side
3. Sliding Stance- MAX Time Each Side
4. Cat Stance- MAX Time Each Side
5. Twisting Stance-MAX Time Each Side

2. Combat Training

1. Forms Practice/Shadowboxing- 30 Minutes
2. Heavy Bagwork- 10 Minutes
3. Two Person Forms/No Contact Sparring- 10 Minutes
4. Sparring- 10 Minutes
5. Body Conditioning- 20 Minutes

3. Physical Power and Conditioning (Choose 3)

1. 100 Push-ups w/Feet and Hands on Blocks
2. 50 Lengths Wrist Roller w/20# while in Horse Stance
3. 25 Clap Push-ups/15 Pullups x 3
4. 50 Pull-ups
5. 300 Sit-ups
6. 100 Sit-ups, 100 Side Bends, 100 Back Extensions
7. 100 Strict Toes-to-Bar
8. 50 Pistol Squats/side
9. 200 Jump Squats
10. 200 Squats w/partner
11. Handstand Hold Practice- 15 Minutes Total
12. 5 x 100 Meter Walk w/Gripping Jars

Notes:

• If you are a beginner, please do the warm-up and stretch portion and only 1 of the three workouts.  If you want to do the other workouts, you may do so on another day. I recommend a beginner train three days a week for the first couple of months. After that, you can move to four for a couple of months and then five days a week.  You can even move to six days a week if you feel up to it, but that may be too much for you.  You will not want to do the same workout back to back in the beginning. #1 on Monday, #2 on Wednesday, and #3 on Friday, for example. This will allow you to practice each of the disciplines and advance in them without beating yourself to death or injuring yourself right off the bat. 
• If you have been training for several months, you can do two of the workouts together, if you like. 
• After a year or more of training, if you have grown comfortable to doing two of the workouts in one day, you may try all three in one day. 
• I have linked a description of all the stances for the first workout, in case you are not familiar with them. 
• If you are just beginning with the stances and cannot hold them for very long, put 5 minutes on the clock for each stance and hold each stance for as long as possible during that time limit. Once you can hold each stance for five minutes without stopping, you can revert to doing one set for maximum time.
• In the second workout, if you don't know any Northern Shaolin forms, you can just shadowbox. You can also look up forms from that style on Youtube and practice them as best you can.
• I recommend that you at least wrap your hands for the bag work to keep your skin from ripping.
• Once again, if you don't have any knowledge of two person forms, you can just do no-contact sparring with a partner. This means that you will practice your techniques without making any contact with your partner and keeping an appropriate distance not to accidentally make contact. 
• For sparring, it can be light to heavy, but try to wear gear to keep yourself and your partner from getting hurt.
• Your body conditioning can be a variety of things from hitting and getting hit by your partner, to lightly hitting stones or wooden posts, doing knuckle push-ups, or anything that puts hard force on your body. Please start light and both volume and intensity over a long period of time. If you rush, you will hurt yourself.
• The calisthenics do not need to be done in a single set. Just complete the total number in as few sets as possible before moving on to the next exercise.
• It is good to vary your hand position on the push-ups and pull-ups.
• The push-ups on blocks will increase the range of motion of the movement for you.
• The wrist roller will be held out in front of you at shoulder height as you move the weight up and down. Make sure your horse stance is tops of thighs parallel.
• Your side bends should have your fingers interlaced and raised above your head, palms facing up. 1 rep is bending in each direction.
• Don't swing your body on the toes-to-bar. Raise your legs slowly until they touch the bar and then lower them slowly to the starting position. If you cannot touch the bar, raise them as high as possible.
• Do assisted pistol squats at the beginning if you have to. You could also do very high step ups.
• Make sure you are squatting as low as possible on all of these squats.
• Be very careful with the jump squats and the weighted squats. If your form is not good on your squat, you could easily hurt yourself, so please stop short of the listed number of squats as a beginner.
• For your handstand hold practice, put time on the clock and try to hold the handstand for as long as possible. It doesn't matter how many times you fall, just keep practicing. If you can get to the point of holding the position for the whole time, then try holding the handstand on your fists or fingertips sometimes just to change it up. 
• The gripping jars should start with no more than about 20# in each jar and weight should be added slowly over time in the form of sand or steel shot. 

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

Baki's "Animal Power" Workout

Baki uses his imagination a lot, he's very athletic, and has a soft spot for animals.  In fact, he used his imagination to help him create gong fu based on dinosaurs! (I mean, T-Rex kung fu?!! That's freakin' awesome!)

Warm-up

1. Cat-Camel- 15 Reps
2. Bird Dog- 5 Deep Breaths (each side)
3. Downward Dog- 5 Deep Breaths
4. Cobra- 5 Deep Breaths
5. Downward Dog- 5 Deep Breaths
6. Upward Dog- 5 Deep Breaths
7. Downward Dog- 5 Deep Breaths
8. Bird Dog- 5 Deep Breaths (each side)
9. Cat-Camel- 15 Reps

Workout

1. 20 Tiger Push-ups
2. 20 Stork See-Saws (Each Side)
3. 20 Sloth Rows
4. 20 Dolphin Push-ups
5. Bear Crawl- 20 Yards
6. Scorpion Walk- 20 Yards (Each Side)
7. Crab Walk- 20 Yards (Forward and Back)
8. Spider Walk- 20 Yards
9. Inch Worm- 20 Yards
10. Dragon Crawl- 20 Yards
11. Frog Hop- 20 Yards
12. Frog Leap- 20 Yards
13. Frog Jump- 20 Yards
14. Bunny Hop- 20 Yards
15. Alligator Crawl- 20 Yards
16. Gorilla Walk- 20 Yards
17. Gorilla Crawl- 20 Yards
18. Monkey Bars- 50 Rungs
19. No-Legs Rope Climb- 20 Feet
20. Sideways Travelling Primate- 20 Yards (Each Side)
21. Duck Walk- 20 Yards
22. Chicken Walk- 20 Yards
23. Kangaroo Jumps- 20 Yards
24. Shrimping- 20 Yards
25. Chimpanzee Walk- 20 Yards
26. Leopard Crawl- 20 Yards
27. Seal Crawl- 20 Yards
28. Cricket Hop- 20 Yards
29. "Animal Play"- 100 Yards
30. Swim- 400 Yards

Notes:

• This workout is once through, but if you get to the end of it and feel like doing some more, you're welcome to play around with the movements further.
• The general idea of this workout is mobility, balance, and strength in awkward positions.
• You may have to stop in the middle of this workout, because it is an awful lot of stuff. The distances aren't too bad, but the variety of the movements is very high and may be taxing as a whole.
•  "Animal Play" is just flowing through whatever animal movements you like for the listed distance. It gives you the opportunity to be creative and to see what movements flow easily together and which don't. 
• I recommend that you do the majority of this inside, like on a basketball court or a grappling mat, as it will be easier to do things like shrimp and seal crawl.
• 
  

Batman: The Complete Program

Tomoko's End Song Training (Sora no Otoshimono)

Running
Yoga
Stretching
Diamond Push-ups
Sit-ups
Jump Rope
Posing Practice
Running Stairs

Mail Bag #2: Wrist Stretches and Knuckle Push-ups

Luffy, the Rubber Man

This is a general workout for Luffy to emulate his flexibility and mobility. It's not necessarily anything he would have done, but more of a workout to help you attain a greater level of stretchy-powers. You can do this workout by itself or even before/after another workout as a supplement to your mobility.

He's really, really stretchy.

Luffy, the Rubber Man

Foam Rolling

1. Length of Spine- 30 seconds
2. Glutes/Lower Back- 30 Seconds
3. Glutes/Hip Abductors- 30 Seconds Each Side
4. Hamstrings/Hip Adductors- 30 Seconds Each Side
5. Quads/Hip Abductors- 30 Seconds Each Side
6. Calves- 30 Seconds Each Side
7. Outside of Lower Leg- 30 Seconds Each Side
8. Chest- 30 Seconds
9. Lateral Delts- 30 Seconds Each Side
10. Upper Spine/Shoulders- 30 Seconds

General Stretching (1-2 Minutes/stretch)

1. Anterior Hip Stretch
2. Posterior Capsule Stretch
3. External Rotation Hip Stretch
4. Squat Stretch- Squat down, driving your knees out, sitting as low as you can.
5. Straight-Leg Kicking- Put one leg back, keeping it straight. Swing that leg up in front of you as high as you can, but don't hurt yourself. Ease yourself into the movement. 
6. Side-to-side Leg Swinging- Brace yourself against something, with one leg forward and one leg back. With the forward leg, swing the leg to the left and right of your body, allowing it to open up your hip. 
7. Seated Turn Stretch- With one leg extended, place the opposite foot on the outside of the knee of the extended leg. Then place your opposite elbow against that knee, brace your other hand against the ground, and turn as far as you can.

Range of Motion Exercises

1. 10 Pass-Throughs
2. 10 Squats w/3 Second Pause at the Bottom
3. 10 Wall Walks
4. 10 Reverse Push-ups
5. 10 Hindu Push-ups
6. 10 Dowel Twists
7. 10 Front-to-Back Arm Swings

Notes:

• If you are really looking to increase your flexibility and mobility, start this workout with the Real Anime Training Warm-up and end it with the Real Anime Training Stretching Routine. 
• Pass-Throughs are when you hold a wooden dowel or PVC pipe in your hands, with a wide grip, and reach overhead and then behind you as far as you can. As you get more mobile, you can move your hands in closer on the stick or pipe.
• Make sure that when you squat, that your are keeping tension in your abdominals and driving your knees out to the side. This should help you get deeper in the squat and you should feel a stretch in your groin. 
• Dowel Twists bring back the dowel from the pass-throughs. You'll hold it on your back, like you would for a back squat and then twist at the waist in both directions. If you need to, make sure that you twist easily at first. 
• All the rest of the exercises have been previously shown. Use the search function if you need an explanation. 

Retsu Kaioh's Training- Part 12

It's been a while, so I thought I'd get back into the 72 Arts for you guys!

#32: Exercise "Soft Bones" (Rou Gu Gong)- This training is relatively simple and is centered around flexibility. The first stage of the training utilizes a dynamic kicking motion. The kicking leg is kept straight and swung up in front of your body as high as it will comfortably go. Don't push yourself to the point of injury. You should do 100 kicks on each leg in the morning and evening. You can do them in a row on each leg or alternate legs in a kind of walking motion. After a year of training, the first stage of training will be complete.

The second stage is working on splits. The exercise is called "Bench Facing the Sky." Your supporting leg will be straight and you will lift your other leg as high as you can in front of you. After you cannot raise it anymore, pull your leg up with your arms as high as you can. At the end of the movement, you should be standing up straight, your raised leg flat against your chest and the sole of your foot facing the sky and near your ear. Train both of your legs in this fashion. The author doesn't give a time limit or number of sets for the training, so I suggest holding the position for no more than 2 minutes at a time and alternate your legs in this training. I would spend anywhere from 15-30 minutes on this training, depending on your soreness from other training. The author says that after several months, you should be able to start training for a split.

For a front split and a side split, you will spread your feet out as far as they will go on either the front or the side and the lower yourself as far as possible, keeping your upper body vertical all the while. When you are able to completely lower yourself into both positions, you'll focus on staying in the position for up to 30 minutes at a time. After you are able to hold these positions for these extended periods with your body vertical, you'll focus on lowering yourself into a bridge position from standing. You'll bend backwards and place both palms on the ground and stay in this position for a while. You'll also begin bending your body at the waist from side to side, in order to increase the flexibility of your upper body. The author says you'll be able to "roll yourself up into a ball in a lying position." You can also warm up your body with a hot cloth or a warm bath before training.


#33: Exercise "Frog" (Hama Gong)


The author calls this "Lifting a Stone Block." It's actually not described very well, in my opinion, and that might be due to the author or the translator. Either way, this one is a little vague. I'm going to try my best to give you my understanding of it. It appears that you will try to lift a stone block, in between your hands, off the ground for many repetitions. Like, a cinder block for instance or even an atlas stone. You'll start with 30 or 40lbs and work your way up once you can lift that weight, as the author says, "without appreciable effort." You can lift it like a Deadlift or Squat Clean or Clean and Press. I'm giving some leeway in that. He says when you can lift 100-110lbs "without appreciable effort",  you can move to the next stage of the exercise, which does not include any apparatus. I would be hesitant to completely eliminate your previous training, so I would still utilize the 100-110lbs for your lifting.

The next stage of the training, starts with the hands, wrists, and forearms. You will clench your fists together and squeeze the muscles in those three areas with maximal effort and then release a short while later. You will then clench your fists with the backs of your fists facing the ground and tighten your arms and the neck and head muscles. Next is your shoulders. Then pull your shoulders back and tighten your chest. You should train in this order until you gain the ability to fully contract all the muscles of your arms, shoulders, neck, and chest with maximal effort on command numerous times (I wish the author was a little more specific sometimes).

The next stage is training your midsection by contracting your core muscles on every side with maximal effort. I imagine that the core training is in addition to the the upper body training. The last stage of the training is merely staying in the horse riding stance for extended periods of time, while practicing "concentrating force" in various parts of your body, which is squeezing the muscles as previously indicated. The author says that this ability will make you capable of repelling blows by "concentrating force" into areas of your body upon impact.

#34: Exercise "Piercing the Curtain" (Chuan Lian Gong)


This training is about acrobatics and leaping. The first stage of this training involves leaping from about 20ft over a long pit filled with about 4 feet of sand. There is a stake driven in each corner of the pit, with a net of thick cords draped about 2 feet above the sand. It appears as though you will squat down and leap with your hands out in front of you, almost like Superman in flight, over the pit and land in the net. This is kind of crazy to me, so if you get wild enough to try it, be very careful and make sure you have safety equipment. I wouldn't really recommend this one, myself.

The next stage is placing a plank (like a 2 x 4) at about 40 inches high in between two poles. This should be placed in front of the pit from the previous stage. You'll start about 20-30 feet away from the plank, start running and leap over the plank in a completely horizontal fashion, like in the previous training. After you are able to leap over the plank with relative ease, you should replace the plank with a board about 2-3 feet wide, so you have more to clear in your horizontal leap. After you are able to do this, you should encircle the board with a circular frame so that you have to jump straight through, instead of just jumping high. You'll be "piercing" through the center (thus the name) and you'll add additional frames as you get better at flying through the section until you get to 6 or 7 frames. The author also mentions something about adding knives to the inside of the frames but DO NOT DO THAT! No, seriously, that's like the least intelligent thing I've seen this guy say. If you screw up once, you're done for good!

In general this skill would be good for an acrobatic feat of leaping through a small hole as straight as possible or through a window without breaking the glass or hurting yourself. However, it's kind of a dangerous training.

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

Batman's Training- A Snapshot

At the request of a reader, I'm going to be posting some of Batman's training. The training schedule below is a week's worth of Batman's workouts. It contains a general outline of the exercises completed by Bruce Wayne and doesn't necessarily mean that this is all that he does. I'll do my best to start from the basics and build up to the level presented in this schedule, which is at a level that (in my opinion) absolutely above world class. Batman pushes all aspects of fitness to their absolute maximum. His strength, speed, balance, flexibility, accuracy, power, endurance, and skills have been honed through hours of constant, deliberate training and a defined goal of having a body capable of defending the streets of Gotham. 

Here's the snapshot. Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting the stages leading up to this starting from a base level of fitness and athleticism. You've heard of going from "fat to fit," now see how you go from "fit to Bat." (Corny? Yes. Awesome? Absolutely.)

Ponder this one for a while, why don't you? Until next time, good luck and train hard!

Street Fighter- Fei Long Add-on #1

This add-on is meant to be done with one of the three main Fei Long workouts. It is not necessary that you use an one of these add-ons, but it just to throw in some variety and to make things more challenging when you need them to be. So, here's the first one!

Street Fighter- Fei Long Add-on #1

1. 500 Punches
2. Sit-ups- 6 Sets
3. Side Bend- 6 Sets
4. Leg Raises- 6 Sets
5. Flag- 2 Sets
6. Twist- 6 Sets
7. Back Bend- 2 Sets
8. Splits Stretch- 2 Minutes
9. Front Kick Stretch- 1 Minute each side
10. Side Kick Stretch- 1 Minute each side
11. Splits Stretch- 1 Minute

Notes:

• For the punches, they can be done in the air, a heavy bag, into sand, or whatever your level of conditioning will allow. The can also be any type of punch that you like, but stick with one type for each workout. And it's 500 reps total, not on each side.
• Sit-ups can be done on the ground, on a decline bench, or hanging depending on your fitness or your current level of fatigue/soreness. You could also hold a weight if you like. If you are going to do less reps, you should generally use weight or a decline bench to increase the difficulty. Otherwise, you can stick with just bodyweight.
• The side bends can be done with weight or without. If you are going to do them with weight, you can either hold a dumbbell in one hand for a number of reps and then switch, or you can have a barbell (just the bar) across your back and alternate left and right sides.
• Bruce Lee's Flag
• Twists can be done with just your arms swinging or a stick across your shoulders. If you are going to use weight, you can hold a weight in your hands in front of your body, remembering to just twist at the waist and not swing your arms around too much. 
• For back bends, you put your hands on your hips, just above your glutes and bend back as far as you can without falling over.
• You'll notice that there are no set reps or weights for any of these. This is primarily so that you can modify it to fit your needs for that particular day.

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

Street Fighter- Fei Long's Circuit Training

The next workout in the Fei Long series is based on a circuit training routine used by Bruce Lee during his life. This particular routine is supposed to simultaneously tax your muscles and cardiovascular system, much in the same way that real-world activities may do. There are four versions, but I collapsed them into two.

Fei Long's Circuit Training

Version A:

1. Rope Jumping- 1 Minute
2. Forward Bend and Stretch- 1 Minute
3. Hindu Push-ups- 1 Minute
4. Jumping Jacks- 1 Minute
5. Hindu Squats- 1 Minute
6. High Kick Leg Swing - 1 Minute (each side)
7. Waist Twisting- 1 Minute
8. Barbell Wrist Curls- 1 Minute
9. Roman Chair Sit-ups- 1 Minute
10. Knee Drawing- 1 Minute
11. Dumbbell Side Bends- 1 Minute
12. Barbell Reverse Wrist Curls- 1 Minute

Version B:

1. Butterfly Groin Stretch- 1 Minute
2. Side Leg Raise- 1 Minute
3. Jumping Squat- 1 Minute
4. Shoulder Circles- 1 Minute
5. Alternating Splits- 1 Minute
6. Leg Stretch- 2 Minutes
7. Leg Raise- 1 Minute
8. Barbell Reverse Curl- 1 Minute
9. Sit-up Twist- 1 Minute
10. Leverage Bar Twist- 1 Minute
11. Alternate Leg Raise- 1 Minute
12. Wrist Roller- 1 Minute

Notes:

• We've previously covered a lot of the exercises in this routine, so I'll just cover the new ones. If you have any questions about how to do the ones that I am not covering, just use the search function on the side bar to look up how to do them. 
• For High Kick Leg Swing, you will lock your leg and swing it up in front of you as high as you can. Your other leg can have a slight bend to it, if you need it. Careful at first, if you aren't used to this movement. You don't want to end up pulling a muscle. 
• For the Waist Twist, you'll hold a stick on your shoulders when you twist your body from side to side.
• For Roman Chair Sit-ups all that is required is that your body go beyond normal range of motion for a "on-the-ground" sit-up. You can use a decline bench or an actual Roman Chair, if you have one. 
• For Knee Drawing, you will lay on your back, with your hands under your buttocks, your feet a few inches off the ground. Bending at the knees, pull your legs up to your stomach and them extend them back out with your feet still a few inches off the ground.
• For the Side Leg Raise, you will lift your leg as high as you can to the side, like you were trying to throw a side kick, and hold it for 30 seconds on each side.
• For Alternating Splits, you start with one leg forward and one leg back. Simultaneously, you shift the rear leg to the front and front leg to the rear. Do this repeatedly for the time allotted, in as fast a manner as possible. 
• For the Leg Stretch, you place your foot on something like a chair or higher and then bend forward for the stretch for 30 seconds. Then, you shift to a side kick position raised up and lean over to stretch for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
• For Leg Raises, lay on your back with your legs straight and knees locked about 3-4 inches from the ground. Raise your legs until they are 90 degrees with your torso and then lower them back to about 3-4 inches off the ground.
• In the Sit-up Twist, you complete a normal sit-up motion, but you alternate touching your opposite knee and elbow together on each rep. 
• For the Leverage Bar Twist, use a dumbbell with the weights taken off one side and grasp on to the empty side. Place your arm on a bench or across your knee and move the weight in a windshield wiper motion for 30 seconds on each side.
• Alternate Leg Raises are also called "Butterfly Kicks" sometimes. Essentially, you are flat on your back, hands under your buttocks, with both feet 3-4 inches off the ground. Raise one leg to about 12 inches and then alternate moving the two legs from starting position to the 12 inch height. 
• A wrist roller is just a thick-handled bar with a rope or cord attached to it with a weight on the other end. You hold your arm out at shoulder height and roll it up and then back down and then reverse directions. You should be able to roll and unroll it 2 times either way in 1 minute. If you can't do it, lower the weight. If you are doing more than that, increase the weight. Don't bend your elbows while doing this exercise. 

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

Karate Shoukoushi Kohinata Minoru- Basic Karate Training

This is a pretty cool manga. There is not a lot of training in it, but there are a few workouts I can pull from it. A couple of you guys have actually suggested this manga to be reviewed here, so who am I to disappoint? The story follows Kohinata Minoru, a student at Reinan University (a school where academics take a back seat to sports and physical clubs). After getting kicked out of the gymnastics club, he finds a place at the University's Second Karate Club.  Overall, there's some good fighting and decent humor in the manga, so it's definitely worth a read.

Karate Shoukoushi Kohinata Minoru- Basic Karate Training


1. 50 Knuckle Push-ups
2. 50 Squats
3. 10 Jump Squats
4. 50 Sit-ups
5. 50 Back Arches
6. 100 Horse Stance Punches (each side)
7. Splits Stretch- 3 sets of 1 minute
8. Full Contact Karate Sparring- 3 Minutes

Notes:

• There are a bunch of things that could've been included in this workout, but weren't because it's supposed to be for someone who has never practice Karate before, but is kind of used to physical activity, much like Minoru.
• Back arches are essentially like a sit-up, just lying on your stomach and arching your back, instead of lying on your back and rolling up into the sit-up position. It is a good exercise for your back, especially if you've never done any back exercises.
• For the Karate Sparring, I recommend that you wear a mouthpiece and a cup. Remember, no strikes to the face with your fists. However, if we are using the style of Karate in this manga, strikes with fists to the face are fine, as are elbow strikes... but just start with a Kyokushin style of sparring first and then maybe you can build up to something a little more rough.

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

Valkyrie's Training (Kisara)

This workout is for Nanjo Kisara, AKA Valkyrie, from History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi. Her style is Tae Kwon Do, one of the world's most popular martial arts, so the workout will be more geared in that direction. I have very limited experience in Tae Kwon Do, so the majority of the exercises listed here are either used by people who practice the art or are useful to the martial art, given what it is: kicking--- lots and lots of kicking. 

To be fair, I know that TKD has punching, elbows, and locks, but all Kisara really every does is kick. Kisara trained her martial art so that she wouldn't lose to a man. Being "good for a woman" was not really her style, so she made sure that she was tough enough to dish out some damage to whoever she was fighting. This workout is in that spirit and should bring her up to the end of the anime (but not the manga).

Valkyrie's Training

LEVEL ONE

1. Run 1 Mile on Hilly Terrain
2. 50 Squats
3. 50 Horse Stance Punches
4. 25 Knuckle Push-ups
5. 20 Walking Lunges up Steps (Each Side)
6. 10 Minutes Air Kicking Practice
7. 10 Minutes Heavy Bag Kicking Practice
8. 5 Minutes Balance Practice
9. 5 Minutes Leg Stretching

LEVEL TWO

1. Run 2 Miles on Hilly Terrain
2. 20 Jump Squats
3. 75 Squats
4. 100 Horse Stance Punches
5. 50 Knuckle Push-ups
6. 30 Walking Lunges up Steps (Each Side)
7. 10 Minutes Air Kicking Practice
8. 10 Minutes Heavy Bag Kicking Practice
9. 5 Minutes Heavy Bag Fighting
10. 5 Minutes Balance Practice
11. 5 Minutes Leg Stretching

LEVEL THREE

1. Run 3.5 Miles on Hilly Terrain
2. 5 Deep One Legged Squats (Each Side)
3. 40 Jump Squats
4. 100 Squats
5. 150 Horse Stance Punches
6. 75 Knuckle Push-ups
7. 40 Walking Lunges up Steps (Each Side)
8. 10 Minutes Air Kicking Practice
9. 10 Minutes Heavy Bag Kicking Practice
10. 5 Minutes Heavy Bag Fighting
11. 5 Minutes Target Kicking Practice
12. 5 Minutes Balance Practice
13. 5 Minutes Leg Stretching

LEVEL FOUR

1. Run 5 Miles on Hilly Terrain
2. 10 Deep One Legged Squats (Each Side)
3. 50 Jump Squats
4. 200 Squats
5. 200 Horse Stance Punches
6. 100 Knuckle Push-ups
7. 50 Walking Lunges up Steps
8. 10 Minutes Air Kicking Practice
9. 10 Minutes Heavy Bag Kicking Practice
10. 10 Minute Heavy Bag Fighting
11. 5 Minutes Target Kicking Practice
12. 5 Minutes Balance Practice
13. 5 Minutes Leg Stretching

Notes:

• You should not advance in Level until you can complete the whole workout in its entirety on three separate occasions.
• This workout is very leg-intensive and for good reason. The purpose is to develop powerful legs for kicking and balance.
• It's best if you have a very hilly area to do your run on, like the mountain or something like that. If not, make do with what you have.
• For Deep One Legged Squats, it should almost be like you are trying to sit down on the floor. Your front leg and arms will be out in front of you and you will squat down like you are trying to sit, you'll go all the way down, and then come up. It's very rough, so please have patience.
• For Walking Lunges up Steps, it's probably good if you had some bleachers to walk up, so you don't have to keep walking down to start over. Alternate legs until you reach your alloted reps. In general, you should be clearing two to three stairs with every step, depending on how they are laid out.
• For Air Kicking, just practice kicking techniques in the air. For Bag Kicking, practice kicking on the bag. Preferably, you should be practicing TKD kicks, but you may do other kicks if you like.
• Heavy Bag Fighting is just bag work, but preferably with TKD techniques.
• Target Kicking can be a variety of things. A partner can hold an object or pad for you to kick for accuracy. They can throw it in the air and have you kick it. You can kick a balloon and keep it in the air. You can hang a tennis ball from the ceiling and kick it. Just work on your kicking accuracy. Use a variety of kicks, if you can.
• Balance Practice is very simple. You can stand on one leg, you can stand or kneel on a balance ball, you can squat on a balance ball, practice kicking slowly, practice kicking slowly on a half-balance ball, walk a tightrope for all I care. You just need to work on your balance.
• The 5 Minutes of Leg Stretching is just extra stretching for your workout. Pick any leg stretches. You can do them for 20-30 seconds and do a bunch of them, or you can do them for a minute and do less. Up to you. You should still do the Real Anime Training Stretching Routine after your workout, though.
• For more references, Kwonkicker on Youtube (we've had a video up here before) is a great source for TKD kicks.

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

Hermit's Training (History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi)

Hermit, Tanimoto Natsu, is one of Kenichi's rivals, former enemies, and uncertain friends. His style is kung fu, although he specifically uses Piquazhang, a style utilizing broad and sweeping movements and is more long range in nature. It is likely that he also knows Bajiquan since he's familiar with Kenichi's use of it during their second encounter and since he's practiced Iron Palm skills. Bajiquan is ultimately a close-quarters combat system that is linear and very forceful. The two arts are complementary toward one another and are referenced as being quite unstoppable when added together.

Although my knowledge of these two arts is cursory at best, I will attempt to relay, through the anime and what research I have done, a decent workout based on the arts and their principles. This workout is based on Piquazhang and Bajiquan. So... here we go.

Hermit's Training

LEVEL ONE

1. Small Arm Circles- 25 Each Direction
2. Arm Swinging (Shoulder Height)- 25 Reps
3. Arm Swinging (High-Low)- 25 Reps
4. Arm Swinging (Low-High)- 25 Reps
5. Large Arm Circles- 25 Each Direction
6. Bajiquan Horse Stance- 2 Minutes
7. Alternating Low Stance- 25 Reps
8. Pushing- 25 Reps
9. False-Grip Monkey Bar Walk- 25 "Steps"
10. Iron Palm Training (Slap, Back Slap, Knife Hand, Ridge Hand)- 30 Minutes
11. Sweeping Three Star Training- 10 Minutes

LEVEL TWO

1. Small Arm Circles- 50 Each Direction
2. Arm Swinging (Shoulder Height)- 50 Reps
3. Arm Swinging (High-Low)- 50 Reps
4. Arm Swinging (Low-High)- 50 Reps
5. Large Arm Circles- 50 Each Direction
6. Bajiquan Horse Stance- 2 Minutes, Holding 5lbs in each hand
7. Alternating Low Stance- 50 Reps
8. Pushing- 50 Reps
9. False-Grip Monkey Bar Walk- 50 "Steps"
10. Iron Palm Training (Slap, Back Slap, Knife Hand, Ridge Hand)- 30 Minutes
11. Sweeping Three Star Training- 10 Minutes

LEVEL THREE

1. Small Arm Circles- 100 Each Direction
2. Arm Swinging (Shoulder Height)- 100 Reps
3. Arm Swinging (High-Low)- 100 Reps 
4. Arm Swinging (Low-High)- 100 Reps
5. Large Arm Circles- 100 Each Direction
6. Bajiquan Horse Stance- 2 Minutes, Holding 10lbs in each hand
7. Alternating Low Stance- 100 Reps
8. Pushing- 100 Reps 
9. False-Grip Monkey Bar Walk- 50 "Steps" w/25lbs on body or ankles
10. Iron Palm Training (Slap, Back Slap, Knife Hand, Ridge Hand)- 30 Minutes
11. Sweeping Three Star Training- 10 Minutes

LEVEL FOUR

1. Small Arm Circles- 100 Each Direction, w/2lbs each hand
2. Arm Swinging (Shoulder Height)- 100 Reps, w/2lbs each hand
3. Arm Swinging (High-Low)- 100 Reps, w/2lbs each hand
4. Arm Swinging (Low-High)- 100 Reps, w/2lbs each hand
5. Large Arm Circles- 100 Each Direction, w/2lbs each hand
6. Bajiquan Horse Stance- 2 Minutes, Holding 15lbs in each hand
7. Alternating Low Stance- 150 Reps
8. Pushing- 150 Reps
9. False-Grip Monkey Bar Walk- 50 "Steps" w/50lbs on body or ankles
10. Iron Palm Training (Slap, Back Slap, Knife Hand, Ridge Hand)- 30 Minutes
11. Sweeping Three Star Training- 10 Minutes  

Notes:

• The Small and Large Arm Circles are the same type of Arm Circles found in the Real Anime Training Warm-up.
• Shoulder Height Arm Swinging means that your arms are at shoulder height at the sides of your body, palms up. You should feel relatively stretched out across your ribcage. Then, you'll swing your arms to the inside of your body, having them cross very tightly in front of your chest. They will be slightly bent at this point, but then you will swing them back out to the sides of your body.
• High-Low Arm Swinging is done in a kind of forward stance. Your lead hand will be high, palm facing toward your center line and your rear hand will be low, palm facing your center line. You will swing your arms in front in a similar manner to the Arm Swinging mentioned prior and then back to High-Low. 
• Low-High just means do the opposite side.
• Will post a site with a picture of the bajiquan horse stance. There will be other reference pictures as well.
• For alternating low stances, your feet will be about two shoulder widths apart. You will squat down to one side, raising an outward turned palm to the side of your face with the elbow pointed up on the side being squatted on and an open hand along the same path as the straightened leg. This will make more sense when you see the picture. It's on the first page I'm going to post. One on each side is one rep.
• Pushing starts with your feet together, hands at your hips. You will jump out to a horse stance, thrust your hands out straight, the fingers rotating to face one another while your palms face away from you. It's like you're trying to push someone away. The rhythm is kind of like jumping jacks and is kind of cardio in nature. Think of the move Kenichi used to defeat Hermit in their second fight.
• The False Grip Monkey Bar Walk is taken straight from the anime. You'll go across the monkey bars utilizing a variation of the False Grip. Essentially, you are going to hold yourself up using the bottom part of your palm and the strength of your wrist. Truthfully, it's turned a little bit, with the palm facing inward, so you are pretty much using the side of the hand as well. You can find an example of this in History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi, Chapter 133. If you have monkey bars, go on every other bar. If you don't have monkey bars, you can use a pull-up bar, just alternate your hands on the bar.  If this ever gets easy, you can add weight through a weighted vest or ankle weights.
• For your Iron Palm Training, if you are not already trained in this skill, please go easy and start only using sand. If you want to make any real progress you have to do it on a daily basis. I'm not saying destroy your hands every day, but you need to train them in some form or fashion every day. I'll make a post outlining some daily hand conditioning I would recommend. It doesn't always have to be the same thing, but I'll get into that for that post.
• We've covered Three Star Training before, but do it with a much more sweeping motion, like you'd see Hermit do.
• http://www.wutangcenter.com/wt/bajipigua.htm
• http://www.wutangcenter.com/wt/bajipigua2.htm

I know this workout is a little different, but it seems like all the kung fu workouts I've done have been that way. But, this should be good for a change of pace and to make your body move in new ways. Really use those two pages I posted, because they will give you a better understanding of bajiquan and piquazhang (I've found a few different ways to spell that, so I'm not sure if that's right).

Hope you have fun. Until next time, good luck and train hard!

Real Anime Training Stretching Routine

There may be some of you out there, when I say "Stretch and Warm-up" you have no idea what to do. So, I made the Real Anime Training Warm-up for you guys and, to follow suit, here is the Stretching Routine. I recommend doing this after your workout to help your body loosen up from the strain of the training.



The Real Anime Training Stretching Routine
(Note: 30 Seconds per Stretch)

1. Seated Hamstring Stretch- Single Leg (Both Sides)
2. Seated Hamstring Stretch- Both Legs Together
3. Butterfly Stretch
4. Split Stretch- Middle
5. Split Stretch- Right
6. Split Stretch- Left
7. Split Stretch- Middle
8. Seated Turn Stretch (Both Sides)
9. Seated/Lying Quadriceps Stretch
10. Cobra Stretch
11. Downward Facing Dog
12. Lunge Stretch- (Both Sides)
13. Standing Hamstring Stretch- Hands to Floor
14. Standing Hamstring Stretch- Grab Ankles, Head to Knees
15. Standing Quadriceps Stretch- (Both Sides)
16. Calf Stretch- (Both Sides)
17. Pectoral Stretch
18. Arm Crossover Stretch
19. Overhead Triceps Stretch
20. Forearm Stretch
21. First Wrist Stretch- 10 Reps
22. Second Wrist Stretch- 10 Reps
23. Third Wrist Stretch- 10 Reps
24. Side to Side Neck Stretch- 10 Reps
25. Turning Neck Stretch-10 Reps
26. Nodding Neck Stretch- 10 Reps

Notes:

• Seated Hamstring Stretch, Single Leg- Sit with one leg extended and the other bent, outside of the leg on the ground, with the foot against the extended leg. Keep your back straight and reach out to your toes as far as you can.
• Seated Hamstring Stretch, Both Legs- Sit with both legs together, keep your back straight, and reach out to your toes as far as you can.
• Butterfly Stretch- Sit with the bottoms of your feet touching, pulling them as close to your groin as possible, while keeping your back straight. Then, attempt to put the outsides of your legs onto the ground, keeping your feet together.
• Split Stretch- The Split Stretch is broken down into four parts. First, spread your legs as far as you can while seated. Then, using your hands, push yourself just a little farther. Keep your back straight, then reach out to the center for 30 seconds. Then to your right leg for 30 seconds. Then to your left leg for 30 seconds. Then, try to push into the strectch a little deeper with your hands and go back to the center for 30 seconds.
• Seated Turn Stretch- With one leg extended, place the opposite foot on the outside of the extended knee. Then, place the opposite elbow on your bent knee (the same side as the leg you have extended) and bracing yourself on the ground with your other hand, turn as far as you can. Do both sides.
• Seated/Lying Quadriceps Stretch- Sit on your knees and lean back as far as you can. If you can lay all the way back, good for you.
• Cobra Stretch- While on your knees, place your hands out in front of you, and sweep your nose and your chest along the ground, then look up. Your hips should be touching the ground when you are fully extended.
• Downward Facing Dog- Pretty much, from the Cobra Stretch, get on the balls of your feet and then push back until your arms are straight and in-line with your back. Your legs should be slightly bent and your feet flat on the ground.
• Lunge Stretch- From Downward Facing Dog, lunge forward with your right leg until your foot is in between your hands. Keep your back leg straight and try to push your hips forward. Keep your back straight. Switch legs.
• Calf Stretch- Place your hands against a wall, put one leg forward and one leg straight back with the heel on the floor. If you can't feel a stretch in the calf yet, move your rear leg further back. Switch sides.
• Pectoral Stretch- Brace your wrist, with your arm straight,f against a door frame or a tree or something and step forward with the same leg. You should feel it in your chest. Switch sides.
• Arm Crossover Stretch- Cross one arm over your body and place the opposing arm on the elbow of your other arm and pull it toward your body. Switch sides.
• Overhead Triceps Stretch- Reach one arm above your head, bend it behind your head, and pull on the elbow with your other hand. Switch sides.
• Forearm Stretch- Point the inside of your forearm out in front of you, with your hand straightened. Place the other hand on top of it. Straighten your arm and pull up on your downward facing palm. Your fingers will be pointing toward you. Switch sides.
• First Wrist Stretch- Bend your arm in front of your chest. Turn your palm to the outside of your body. Place the thumb of the opposite hand on the pinky knuckle of the turned hand and wrap the fingers around the hand into the palm. That's the starting position. Pull down the center line of your body until you can't. That's one rep. Do 10 on both sides.
• Second Wrist Stretch- Raise your arm to shoulder height. Bend your arm at the elbow so that your hand come toward your chin, with your palm facing away from you. Bend your wrist. Place the opposite hand's thumb on the thumb of the first hand and wrap the fingers around the palm. That's the starting position. Keep the two hands stationary and push out on your elbow. That's one rep. Do 10 on both sides.
• Third Wrist Stretch- Bend your arm slightly with your palm turned to the outside of your body. Place the opposite thumb on the first thumb and wrap the fingers around the palm. That's the starting position. Twist the palm as you push the hand out. That's one rep. Do 10 on each side.
• Side to Side Neck Stretch- For this movement, try to touch the top your head to your shoulder, without moving your shoulder. That's one rep. Do 10 on each side.
• Turning Neck Stretch- Look as far as you can to one side, then to the other. Do 10 reps.
• Nodding Neck Stretch- Look up as far as you can and then down to where your chin touches your chest. Do 10 reps.
• Stretching should never hurt. If it hurts, STOP.

Hopefully, this will give you some options in your stretching. Thanks guys. Until next time, good luck and train hard.