Holyland- Kamishiro Yuu's Basic Training

Holyland is a pretty cool manga. It's about a kid who tries to find a place in the world for himself by roaming the streets at night. However, in order to do so, he has to be strong enough to defend himself from thugs and gangsters. His determination leads him to inadvertently become the "Thug Hunter," as he uses the basic skill he acquired through reading a boxing book and countless hours of practice, to make sure he can stay in his "Holyland."

There's a lot of levels in the workout... it's a slow process of mastery, but it has been said, if you can master just the basics of combat, you can be a great fighter.

Kamishiro Yuu's Basic Training

(Note: Day Workout- These workouts are meant to be done over the course of a whole day.)

(Note 2: Do not advance to next level until you complete your current level 3 times without failing.)

Level 1

-1000 Jabs (500 each side)

Level 2

-30 Push-ups

-2000 Jabs (1,000 each side)

Level 3:

-2 x 30 Push-ups 2 Minutes rest in between sets

-3000 Jabs (1,500 each side)

Level 4:

-3 x 30 Push-ups 2 Minutes rest in between sets

-4000 Jabs (2,000 each side)

Level 5:

-3 x 30 Push-ups 2 Minutes rest in between sets

-5000 Jabs (2,500 each side)

Level 6:

-3 x 30 Push-ups 2 Minutes rest in between sets

-4000 Jabs (2000 each side)

-1000 Jab-Cross (500 each side= 2,000 total punches)

Level 7:

-3 x 30 Push-ups 2 Minutes rest in between sets

-3000 Jabs (1500 each side)

-2000 Jab-Cross (1,000 each side= 4,000 total punches)

Level 8:

-3 x 30 Push-ups 2 Minutes rest in between sets

-2000 Jabs (1000 each side)

-3000 Jab-Cross (1,500 each side= 6,000 total punches)

Level 9:

-3 x 30 Push-ups 2 Minutes rest in between sets

-1000 Jabs (500 each side)

-4000 Jab-Cross (2,000 each side= 8,000 total punches)

Level 10:

-3 x 30 Push-ups 2 Minutes rest in between sets

-5000 Jab-Cross (2,500 each side= 10,000 total punches)

Notes:

• Alternatively, you can do the Jab-Cross combination from the beginning, so you don't get in the habit of just throwing a single punch. It's still only 1,000 punches per level, so count appropriately.
• Essentially, on each level, you do a 1,000 punches per level. That may seem like a lot, and it is, but remember that you have all day and the you are starting at level 1. You can do them in sets of 20, 50, 100, or whatever. As long as you get them done, it doesn't matter. You won't be doing this workout every day, it should be interspersed throughout your schedule in between the other workouts.
• You may be able to complete Levels 1 and 2 in this first three attempts, but after that, you may have some difficulty with the higher number of reps. Also, you shouldn't start your punches until after you've completed your push-ups for the day. This workout may seem a little boring, but once you get into a rhythm, you'll find it's very meditative.

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

Hanayama's Workout

This is a character workout for Hanayama Kaoru from Grappler Baki. It is a powerlifting/strongman workout. Please note that 5x5 means 5 sets of 5 reps.


Hanayama's Workout A


1. Squats 5 x 5 Reps
2. Bench Press 5 x 5 Reps
3. Pull-ups 5 x 5 Reps
4. Biceps Curls 5 x 5 Reps
5. Sit-ups 5 x 5 Reps
6. Grip Work
-Wrist Curls 2 x 15 Reps
-Reverse Wrist Curls 2 x 15 Reps
-Hand Grippers (if available) to failure
-2 Sets of Grip Hang to Failure




Hanayama's Workout B


1. Deadlift 5 x 5 Reps
2. Overhead Press 5 x 5 Reps
3. Farmer's Walk 5 Sets of 50 Yards
4. Front Carry 5 Sets of 50 Yards
5. Sled Pull 5 Sets of 25 Yards
6. Grip Work
-Wrist Curls 3 x 8 Reps
-Reverse Wrist Curls 3 x 8 Reps
-Hand Grippers (if available) to failure
-2 Sets of Grip Hang to Failure




This workout is about power and grip strength. We've covered the squat, deadlift, and bench earlier in the Dragonball Training Manual, as well as the Front Carry and Farmer's Walk. Some notes:

• Make sure you get full depth on your squats-- that means the top your thighs should be parallel with the ground at the bottom of the squat.
• Use a controlled motion on all the lifts, especially the bench press. I've seen too many people bounce the weight off their chests to get the rep out at high speed. Not only is that not doing any good for your strength, it definitely isn't any good for your sternum.
• Your pull-ups should have a full range of motion, from a split-second hang at the bottom to your chin coming over the bar (or touching your chest to the bar). Any grip is acceptable. Add weight to this exercise with a weightlifting belt, or (if you want it be more difficult) hold a plate in between your knees as you do the pull-up.
• For the curls, you can use straightbar curls, alternating biceps curls, or (my personal favorite) bands. There are lots of places to get bands, but here's the kind I have. LifelineUSA has a lot of really awesome stuff, so check them out if you get the chance.
• Hold a plate on your chest or behind your head for the sit-ups. If possible, do them on a decline bench.
• Make sure that on the deadlift, you have a complete relaxation at the bottom. It's a "dead" lift for a reason.
• On the overhead press, you can use a barbell or dumbbell, it's up to you.
• You can use dumbbells or 5 gallon buckets for the Farmer's Walk.
• For the front carry, I would recommend using some type of sandbag (going to have a post on making your own sandbag soon) or, if you have a bunch of smaller weights (like the old concrete-type weights) you can use a bunch of duct tape to make a makeshift atlas stone.
• The sled pull is obviously done with a weight sled, but if you don't have one, pulling a tree stump or a tire with weights on it is acceptable also. You won't be going fast on this one, you should really, really have to dig in a pull hard for this exercise, so adjust the weight accordingly. If you're zipping along with the sled on you (good luck with that), you don't have enough weight on it.
• The grip work is a given for Hanayama's workout. Not only will all these heavy lifts and strongman exercises tax your grip, we've added a little extra at the end of each workout. A quick note on the rest of the exercises: you should not be using any sort of hand wraps (chalk is fine) for these lifts. If you cannot pick up a weight without hand wraps, you shouldn't be lifting with it. You don't have hand wraps in the real world (or weight belts for that matter), so why should you use them in the gym? I understand using a weight belt every now and again for single rep maxes, but anyone you see wearing hand wraps, knee wraps, a belt, and weight lifting gloves all the time isn't going to see much in the way of improvement.
• On to the grip work (For real, this time)!! The wrist curls should be done with a barbell or a dumbbell, with the rest of your forearm resting on a bench for support. You're really trying to isolate the forearm muscles to strengthen the grip.
• The grip hang is obvious. Grab onto a pull-up bar and hang there until you can't anymore.
• Grippers are a must for hand training. I've heard that the best grippers on the market are the Captains of Crush.
• Control all your lifts.
• Lift with a partner! You NEED a spotter for this heavy stuff. You wanna die?! Huh?! (Ok, I'm calm now...)
• The last reps of the last set of 5 should be one that you really have to dig for. If 250lbs is your 5 rep max on squat, put that as your last set and adjust your first sets accordingly. For instance, it could look like. 5 x 135lbs; 5 x 165lbs; 5 x 195; 5 x 225; and 5 x 250. Lift smart. Ask questions in the gym if you can't remember what to do, and research like hell if you're a newbie (or pay for a couple of sessions with a trainer, if you don't have a knowledgeable person to show you proper lifting form).

That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed the new workout. Until next time, good luck and train hard.

New Workouts Coming

Working on a lot of new workouts for you guys. I realize that a lot of the workouts I've been putting out there have been running-heavy or full of high reps. Believe me, that's not all we're going to be doing here. Don't get me wrong, endurance and high-rep exercises are great and all, but we're going to need to change it up with higher intensity and less volume, which there is in some of the workout later in some of the series.

So, in order to break the monotony, I'm trying to get those workouts finished up and posted. Most of them will probably be a little further ahead than we are in each of the series' we're following, but they need to be out there. Thanks a lot, and I really hope you are enjoying the workout and seeing some real results.

Thanks guys!

Full Contact Workout

I ran across this manga called "Full Contact." It's pretty cool. It's about a guy who gets sent to live as an in-house disciple for his high school days. I haven't found a whole lot of chapters, but in the small amount that there is, I managed to grab a workout. Here it is.

"Full Contact" Basic Training

LEVEL ONE- PREP

1. Run 3 Miles

2. Rest 10 Minutes, stretch

3 Run 3 Miles

3. 3 Sets of MAX Push-ups

4. 3 Sets of MAX Squats

LEVEL TWO- EASY

1. Run 6 Miles

2. 100 Push-ups

3. 100 Squats

4. Set of MAX Push-ups

5. Set of MAX Squats

LEVEL THREE- NORMAL

1. Run 6 Miles with sand in pants (5lbs/leg)

2. 100 Push-ups on stools

3. Rest 5 Minutes

4. 50 One Legged Squats on stools (each side)

LEVEL FOUR- INTERMEDIATE

1. Run 6 Miles with sand in pants (10lbs/leg)

2. 100 Push-ups on stools

3. Rest 5 Minutes

4. 100 Push-ups on stools

5. Rest 5 Minutes

6. 100 One Legged Squats on stools (each side)

LEVEL FIVE- ADVANCED

1. Run 6 Miles with sand in pants (10lbs/leg)

2. 100 Push-ups on stools

3. Rest 5 Minutes

4. 100 Push-ups on stools

5. Rest 5 Minutes

6. 100 Push-ups on stools

7. Rest 5 Minutes

8. 150 One Legged Squats on stools (each side)

OK, even though this is a "basic training" workout... it's really not. It's hard and it'll kill you if you are out of shape and don't respect the difficulty. That's why the prep level exists and that's why I always tell you, if you can't complete an exercise, then make it easier until you can complete it. Walk or jog, instead of run, do girly push-ups instead of push-ups, or a half squat instead of a full squat. You get it and I've said it before.

Rules before moving on-

• For this workout, you shouldn't move on until the workout becomes "Do-able." That doesn't mean it's easy, but that means you get through the run being tired, but not dead.
• The first level has 3 sets of max push-ups and squats. You shouldn't move forward until the combined sets for each exercise equals over 100 reps.
• For the second level, you should do the push-ups and squats until you reach 100 reps, but you should not move on to the next level until you can do the 100 push-ups and 100 squats without stopping. You'll probably be on this level for a while. The last two sets are there to give you a little extra work.
• In the third level, here's how you run with sand in your pants. First, tie a shoestring or a rope tightly to the bottom of each pant leg (but not enough to cut circulation), and then pour the proper amount of sand down each leg. If you can, wear either a tight-fitting pair of long-leg briefs or compression shorts (probably the better choice). For the push-ups on stools, place both feet close together on on box or stool and each one of your hands on the edge of a stool. The position of your hands should be your normal push-up width and the boxes should be space far enough to allow your body to pass between them. Make sure your shoulders go below the level of the boxes on each rep. On the one-legged squats, use a 24 inch stool or box, and put the leg that is not pushing out on the floor in front of you. You shouldn't be using your other leg to jump up, but only using the leg on the stool or box to push.
• The other levels are just repeats of the third level. It will be very, very, very, etc. hard to get to the final level of this workout. As with everything, think about the long term.

That's all for this workout! Till next time, good luck and train hard!

Hajime no Ippo- Part V

Rather than give a play-by-play of every fight that happens in Ippo (because you can just watch it for yourself), I'll merely be discussing highlights and themes within the matches. Ippo and Miyata are about to spar after three months of training. Three months can make a world of difference if someone trains hard enough, is taught the proper skills, and gets adequate rest. 12 weeks may not seem like a lot of time, but amazing transformations can happen in this short amount of time. Miyata bears witness to this miracle of training as he meets Ippo in the sparring ring once more.

The young outboxer is pushed hard in the match; so hard, in fact, that he has to resort to clinching in the second round to recover his strength from Ippo's monstrous punch in the first. Clinching is useful for a boxer looking to stall for time or seeking to seal an opponent's punching power. However, the ref usually breaks the clinch shortly after it is made. Clinching takes different roles in other martial arts. Resting in the Muay Thai boxing clinch is just asking to take a knee or an elbow and using it as a means of rest against a grappler will get you tossed or taken down.

This match is a textbook fight between an infighter and an outboxer. The outboxer's main concern is to use his footwork to move in and out and around his opponent, landing as many punches as he can, while evading the power of the infighter. In Miyata's case, he also looking to provoke the infighter into committing to a full power strike, so he can use his counterpunching abilities. The infighter, in contrast, is attempting to get inside the outboxer's range and deliver close blows, hoping to coax the outboxer into a brawl or just to push him into a corner to eliminate the ability to use his footwork. In the end, Ippo pulls an motionless short uppercut out, which barely grazes Miyata's chin, leaving him unable to get up during the 10-count.

A motionless short upper, is essentially a close-range uppercut that is initially thrown as a straight, but turns into an uppercut mid-punch. It is important to throw the punch directly from the guard, so the opponent sees a straight punch coming, but is not-so-pleasantly surprised to recieve a shot from below.

That's all for Ippo, today!

I'm thinking that from now on, the summary-type posts will be less of a synopsis of each episode and more of a breakdown of the main ideas of the episode and the explanations of exercises and techniques. I figure you guys don't need me to spoonfeed you the plot when you can just watch the shows yourself.

Till next time, good luck and train hard!

Real Anime Training and Your Martial Arts Training

If you are doing the Real Anime Training workouts, that's awesome. I recommend, though, that you find a martial arts class to attend. It can be whatever style you want: Tae Kwon Do, Submission Wrestling, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Boxing, a Kung Fu Style, or whatever. You don't have to go every single day, two or three times a week is great. I recommend this because Real Anime Training does claim to replace any martial art.

Should you lack the funds to attend a martial arts class (some local clubs are relatively inexpensive), you should still attempt to train on your own. You can do this through rounds of shadowboxing, above and beyond the Real Anime Training workouts, or you can practice any techniques or kata you have learned from martial arts classes you've attended. Plus, there's sparring, which is always a good choice.

Personally, I use shadowboxing as a way to train my martial arts skills when I can't attend class. I use 5 x 5 Minute Rounds and it works great for me, but you pursue whichever path you like.

I should have an Hajime no Ippo post up for you later tonight and maybe another workout. Till then, good luck and train hard!

Rants and a Workout

1st Rant: The Good

I'm not much for reality television, but one of the only show I actually watch premiered tonight: Season 8 of The Biggest Loser. Apart from all the drama involved in the show, the cool thing is we get to see a lot of different training methods and get to bear witness to the hell that is Jillian and Bob working together. The pain and the anguish on these people's faces as they train raises a strange combination of masochism and appreciation in me. On the one hand, I love to see people getting the crap kicked out of them in the gym, but on the other hand, it's nice for me to be able to witness the mental change that is occuring for these people.

2nd Rant: The Bad

Also, I'm tired of hearing about Kanye and Taylor Swift! Is it any wonder I spend so much time watching anime and working out?! Since that is out of the way, on to the stuff you guys really came here for. :D

The Workout: The Ugly (Cause it's a nasty one)

We're gonna jump ahead just a little bit for an Ippo workout, because most of the next couple episodes is Ippo vs. Miyata. We're going to take a look at Takamura's pre-fight training menu. I'm sure this isn't what he does the entire time, but it's how his training looks right before his fight, when he's cutting weight.

Takamura's Pre-Fight Blitz

1. Run 3 Miles

• 5 Sprints throughout the run. Keep it up during each sprint, sprint until you physically can't sprint any longer and then return to the run, but before that--
• Shadowbox hard for 15 seconds before you start back on your run. You can bob, weave, punch, and even kick (if you want to add it in there). Just make sure it's a hard pace.

2. Rounds

• 3 x 3 Minute Rounds of Heavy Bag work. (Sub. shadowboxing if you don't have a heavy bag.)
• 3 x 3 Minute Rounds of Speed Bag work. (Sub. practicing your one-two combo)
• 50 Hindu Squats
• 3x3 Minute Rounds of Shadowboxing
• 50 Hindu Squats
• 3x3 Minute Rounds of Jumping Rope (Sub. shadowboxing if you don't have a jump rope)

3. Run 1 Mile- Go as hard as you possibly can! Sprint the last 100 yards!

4. Cooldown-

• 3 Minutes of light shadowboxing (use it to loosen up)

This workout is murder. You've got 13 rounds total of three minutes each, 100 Hindu Squats, and 4 miles to run with sprints and shadowboxing included. This workout is all about your ability to endure, not just physically, but mentally. You probably won't be able to complete it on your first time through, if you don't have previous training, because it's just so demanding on your cardio. It goes without saying that you should go hard on everything, unless it says not to.

If you feel like you are going to die or your heart is going to jump out of your chest-- STOP! You should feel the exertion and this workout should be very hard, but if you are done with the run and have absolutely nothing left, just skip straight to the cooldown.

Hey, just be glad I didn't ask you to do this thing for a week straight.

One more thing before we go. There may be some of you out there reading this blog that are in very bad shape or are pretty overweight and may feel a little overwhelmed with the things I am posting. Listen, I don't care what you have to modify to be able to get the workout in, just get it in! If you have to walk instead of run, powerwalk instead of sprint, do girly push-ups, crunches instead of sit-ups, then you do it!! You do whatever it takes for you to get in shape. Don't make excuses about the workout being too difficult, because it's not set in stone. That's the whole reason this blog exists: to make sure that people (who may not even like exercise) are able to draw the inspiration to train from anime characters.

It's nerdy, but-- damn it, it sure is fun.

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