One Month into the Centurion Method

Something I really like about this program is that I feel more "solid." It's not the same kind of feeling from lifting weights or body weight exercises, exactly. While I do feel stronger in some ways, there is an element of toughness involved in the training. That never-say-die attitude that drives you forward in the workouts becomes evident in your body within a month's time. I'm not sure what else is ahead, but I'm looking forward to seeing what it will be like.

On a side note, I am mindful of overtraining and the possibility of injury, for a few of the participants in the January release of the program have experienced some injuries to date. I am not entirely certain if this is due to the Centurion Method and repetitive use injuries or if it is merely something that is unrelated.

I've also determined some anime/manga that would be good pairings with the Centurion Method. I'll be making a post about that soon.

Thanks for reading!

Batman: Bane's Solitary Confinement Workout

Bane grew up in a prison (comic book Bane, not the one from the movies). His father had been a revolutionary on a small island in the Caribbean. When the coup against the government failed and Bane's father died, Bane's still-pregnant mother was tossed into a prison with all of the other revolutionaries. Upon Bane's birth, he was forced to carry out the sentence given to his father.

Well, that sucks.

When Bane turns six years old, his mother dies and the guards toss her lifeless body into shark-infested waters. The young child has to face prison alone and it more than hardens him to reality. He begins to grow strong through the trials and other prisoners pledge to follow him. Eventually, the warden throws him into solitary confinement for ten years in order to break the young boy. Solitary confinement, however, only serves as a tool for Bane to sculpt his mind and body into a weapon suitable for war and he emerges a full grown man, ready to take vengeance on those who have done him wrong.

The training that Bane subjects himself to is pretty severe, but very simple. You have to remember, Bane grew up in prison. His teachers were other prisoners, good or bad. You can find the page from the comic at the bottom of the post. He did 1,000 push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups every day and meditated for four hours a night instead of sleeping. This is, of course, a work of fiction, so please do not forsake sleep or do this workout every day. However, you know it has to be extreme in order to rival the Batman! (This training gave him the mental and physical strength to withstand the Venom serum.) In any case, I have added a little bit to make the workout slightly more well-rounded.


Bane's Solitary Confinement Workout

1. 1,000 Push-ups (any hand position)
2. 1,000 Sit-ups 
3. 1,000 Pull-ups (any hand position)
4. 1,000 Burpees w/jump

Notes:

• These reps can be done in any number of reps and sets. You can also do any hand position for the push-ups (wide, close, diamond, Hindu, Dive Bomber, fingertip) and the pull-ups (pronated, supinated, close grip, wide grip). The only rule is that you have to do 1,000 reps of each exercise in a day. For instance, you could do 100 reps of each every hour for ten hours. 
• If you are new to this type of thing, try to drop all of the reps to 100 and then gradually build yourself up. Just to remind you, you only have to complete the prescribed number during the course of a day. 
• This is a pretty tough workout, but your saving grace is that you aren't doing it every day. 

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

First Week on the Centurion Method

I've just started a new exercise program for a friend of mine in the U.K.  He designed it in the spirit of the ancient warrior, built on an enduring spirit and pure strength.

Gotta love that.

Anyway, in my first week, I'm pleased to say that I'm not doing too bad at it and it has some similarities to some of our workouts here at Real Anime Training and it has just a touch of a Crossfit feel to it. Eager to get into the program and see what changes my body makes and I'm looking forward to updating you guys on that.

So far, my only concern is that there might be some issues with repetitive-use injuries depending on how the workouts fall, but it might not be too much of an issue. Haven't been too sore, but I'm told if that if you are walking away from the workouts still functioning, you really need to do it over again. At least at the level I'm at.

I'll be posting more about the Centurion Method, along with normal Real Anime Training workouts and articles throughout the next six months or so!

Thanks for reading and happy 2013!

Live Action Hajime no Ippo

This is freaking awesome.



Seriously, I would watch a live action Hajime no Ippo series in a heartbeat.

Batman's Training Program- Phase 5

Batman's Training Program- Phase 5

This is a continuation from Batman's Training Program- Phase 4. Once again if you cannot do the prescribed training, scale it down until you are able to complete it. Please advance through the previous stages before attempting this one. 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 (225#) OR Squat Clean- 8 x 3 Reps (225#)
• 5 Sets Metabolic Conditioning (1/4 Mile Run, 21 One 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)
• 36" 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- 5 x 5 Reps (510#)
• "Light" Deadlift- 30 Reps (255#)
• 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- 9 x 5 Reps (465#)
• 50 Minutes Bouldering
• 30 Minutes Flexibility 
• 5 x 50 Crunches
• 30 Minutes Target Practice
• 30 Minutes Heavy Bag

Friday:

Morning-

• 30 Minute Jog
• 30 Minutes Meditation

Evening-

• Clean and Jerk- 8 x 3 Reps (225#) OR Squat Clean- 8 x 3 Reps (225#)
• 5 Sets of Metabolic Conditioning or Prescribed Crossfit WOD
• 30 Minutes Flexibility 
• 30 Minutes Sparring

Saturday:

Morning-

• 30 Minute Jog
• 30 Minutes Yoga

Evening-

• 5 x 50 Crunches
• Squats 8 x 5 Reps (405#)
• Push-ups- 5 x 50 Reps
• 30 Minutes Monkey Bars
• 30 Minutes Pommel Horse
• 30 Minutes Heavy Bag
• 1/4 Mile Swim

Notes:

• There is going to only be one more phase after this. 
• I want to re-iterate (again) how much volume this is an how much time it's going to take to get to it. After I post all the phases, I'm going to post how you will realistically start and move from one phase to the next, as well as rest periods for periodization. 
• The weights are only there as a reference to building toward how Bruce Wayne actually trained. If you are training in this fashion, please take the time to build up to these weights. Try to focus on the sets and reps and use your own strength as a general reference.
• Make sure you're taking adequate rest in between sets of lifting. For heavy sets, try to take at least one minute of rest, but up to five minutes, if necessary. The point is to focus on strength for your lifting. You can focus on conditioning with the metabolic conditioning, running, and martial arts. 
• If you'll notice, I am including some options for the lifts and other exercises at this point. 
• It's unlikely that any human could actually complete this routine for any real length of time without developing Overtraining Syndrome, so please take that into account and use your own judgment. If anything, use this for inspiration.
• You are probably not a billionaire with access to top tier supplementation, massage therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, doctors, and copious amounts of steroids (seriously, Bruce wouldn't have gotten as strong as he did without steroids given the sheer amount of work that he does). Since you are not a billionaire with access to all of these things, please do not act like one. This overall process will be extremely slow (i.e.- take years and years) and you will have to build your training volume slowly, not necessarily in line with these phases, either. If you have to omit days, omit days until you get used to the workload. If you have to drop the weight on something, drop the weight. If you have to do less reps or just decide that you need a break, take a break. Your body will give out if you do too much too fast.

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

OnePunch-Man: Superhero Registry Exam Workout

Saitama learns that he is not as famous as he would like to be since he is not listed in the National Superhero Registry, so he and Genos go to take the test head-on. There is a written portion and a physical capability portion. Genos scores perfect scores on both, but Saitama barely passes because of his written test. However, he crushes the physical portion, breaking every record the organization has. This workout is based on the Exam.


OnePunch-Man: Superhero Registry Exam Workout

1. Side-to-Side Jumps- 30 Secs
2. 1500 Meter Run
3. Clean and Press- 1 Rep Max, 3 Attempts
4. Squat High-Jumps- 50 Reps

Notes:

• This workout is more for testing than for training, but that doesn't mean you can't use it to train. 
• Go all out on the 1500 Meter Run. If you are not used to running, take your time and just get used to the distance. 
• If you aren't used to the clean and press, or if you've never done a 1 Rep Max, I would recommend using a very light weight and focusing on technique for 12-15 reps.
• On the squat high-jumps, you'll focus on jumping as high as you possibly can for each of the repetitions. Squat down, jump high into the air, and land immediately back into another squat and repeat. You should not be standing back up in between reps. 

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

One-Punch Man: Saitama's Training

This manga is great. It's just started, so there's not much to it, but it's very funny and I love the art style. The basic plot is that a guy became a super hero and ends up beating all of his enemies in a single punch, which leaves him feeling a little empty inside, because he just wants a good fight.

That's all his enemies. Even the ones as big as entire cities. This guy is ridiculous. At any rate, he reveals his super secret training regimen to his would-be disciple and one of his enemies.  It's pretty basic and there's really no way you could get anywhere near this guy's level of strength doing this type of training, but it's an alright program regardless. I'm waiting to see if the author reveals some other reason for his massive power up, perhaps that is really unknown to him, even. The main character did this training every day, without a day of rest, for three straight years.  I do not recommend this, as the point of training is to tear down the muscles and then rebuild them and if you do the same training every single day, you don't let that happen and can end up overtrained or with an overuse injury, especially since you'll end up with some muscle imbalances just doing these exercises.

Here's the workout (and video):


OnePunch-Man- Saitama's Training

1. 100 Push-ups
2. 100 Sit-ups
3. 100 Squats
4. Run 10k (6.2 Miles)

Notes:

• It doesn't explicitly say that he did all of this back to back or even if he did all of the reps of the exercises in one set each, so use that to your advantage. I'll list some options below.
• 10 Sets of 10 Reps or 5 Sets of 20 Reps for each body weight exercise. 
• Run 5k in the morning and 5k in the evening.
• Do everything back to back, non-stop.
• Put all the body weight exercises in your run. For instance, every kilometer, you do ten reps of each exercise. 
• Or you could just do them as you feel like doing them. It doesn't really matter as long as you get them done in the course of the day.
• If you're looking for some accessory exercises to balance out the muscle groups, try ring rows, pull-ups, rear delt flys, back extensions, supermans, good mornings and lots of foam rolling!
• Here's the video again!

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