If Only

If only I knew then what I know now.

I would have shown up to every class.

I would have practiced everyday.

I would have analyzed the basic fundamentals and mastering would have been so easy.

Every morsel of information would be savoured and written down.

Arrogance and Ego would never have entered the equation.

If only I knew then what I know now.

I seem to love torturing myself this way. I think to myself, if I could go back in time and start my white belt all over again, boy would I approach it differently!

Silly statement but its fun to imagine.

I find myself in an internal battle these days. Muscle strength versus skeletal technique.For a long time now I have relied on my muscle mass to deliver the power. So much so, that I have incorporated some bad habits that are incredibly hard to break.

What I thought was a wicked left punch (naturally left handed and nailing the heavy bag into next week!) will never meet its target. I telegraph too much, too much shoulder not enough hip and foot work.

Drats!! They see me coming a mile away.

Funny thing, I am not frustrated. For every 20 crappy punches I threw, I had one with proper technique. It went something like this.

Muscle mass + proper skeletal alignment = Shazam!

If only I knew then what I know now.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

Tempo

I was reading an article about tempo while weight or strength training. Essentially the point the author was trying to get across , "tempo is important to increase your strength and ensure you focus on your muscle groups." This part of strength exercising is overlooked by the majority of people in the gym. Everyone knows to lift with control but what about tempo.

An example of tempo while doing a pushup could be a 4120 tempo.

(Tempo should be counted, one one-thousand, two one-thousand, etc.)

Lower yourself 4 seconds; pause 1 second at the bottom; take 2 seconds to raise yourself with no pause at the top. Continue until you cannot maintain the tempo count then rest and start another set.

This method takes the momentum and bounce out of the exercise and it forces the muscles to truly do the work.

We can carry over the concept of Tempo when we run. Our strides and breathing should fall in a close pattern to maintain a long endurance run.

Tempo is in our techniques.

Stop and analyze how you would execute a combination of punches and kicks. Is it a ... 1, 1-2 or a 1-2-3? What feels right for your body, what is the softening technique, are you using momentum for the next strike, is there abrupt change in direction or orbital motion, etc.

When doing our forms, Tempo is important for both grouping techniques in a logical sense but also for keeping our breathing in check. If your running out of gas while completing a long form, check your Tempo, check when you are inhaling and exhaling.

Its food for thought, I have been working out differently and its made me look at all of the curriculum with a new sense of application.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

Fitness in a Bottle

Supplements.
Everything you could dream imaginable is out there regarding supplements. Walking into a health store or fitness shop, you could find yourself staring at walls and shelves of everything you ever wanted to add to your nutritional needs or your physical performance needs. All without a prescription. Sometimes a little scary.

I remember leaving a local health/holistic store feeling like I had to spend $250.00 a month just to fix, enhance and prevent a plethora of issues the owner was convinced I had.

I have pretty much dropped all of my supplement usage. I used to religiously consume Protein supplements and sport drinks(the expensive ones) and about 10 years ago I was also loading up on Creatine. All the supplements I used to purchase were for the purpose of increasing strength within the muscle groups. Fitness supplements, if you will.

Just a little story, about Creatine, I won't go into the chemistry, you can Wikipedia that for more detail. In a nutshell Creatine is produced in the body naturally and provides that instant energy for explosive power such as power lifting or short sprints. The idea with Creatine supplementing is it gives you that extra5 or 10 seconds more to push yourself over a threshold or plateau and then build on that to increase your strength.

Increase your Strength , that is what it is marketed as and further, you are told its safe since the body produces it anyways, oh yeah and all the athletes are using it (keep in mind this was about 10 years or more ago).

What a person needs to realize when considering supplement usage is the producers of these supplements do not fall under strict regulations and you really don't know what your getting in that container. Some producers have filler and contaminant allowances in their products and further with something like Creatine they give you a suggested loading criteria based on your weight, gender body fat etc.
Too many variables for my liking.

When I was taking Creatine , it was only for a month. I had to take 3 doses a day, what they called the loading phase and then tapper off according to their charts. I started to have a little stomach cramping but the circle of people I worked out with stated"that was normal"??!

My point is, if you are looking for physical performance enhancement, beware. These products are synthesised and poorly regulated. Do your research.

I believe, nothing beats homegrown natural foods, sleep and old fashion physical training to get you where you want to be.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

Whats in Your Tool Box?

Part of developing your physical skills and fitness should include some way of measuring where you are and where you want to be. Not always an easy thing and definitely easier said then done.

I have come to realize I need tools and resources to get me where I want to be. Those tools can be anything from journaling to video taping and everything in between.

I have been using the Physout site quite diligently since it was first opened and I have to say it has become quite a useful tool for me. Last year I paper logged everything, this sometimes was a hassle or just tedious.

The Physout allows me to set any time line I want and more important, it keeps me accountable. A quick review of my goals lays out my workout routine for the week by simply looking at what I might be falling behind in.

If you have access to the Internet you can update your numbers and goals anywhere, anytime.

Too Easy.

Its been a great motivator for me.

This has definitely become one of my more useful tools to try and shake the plateau I have felt I have been in for a while.

I would encourage everyone to utilize the site while the opportunity is there...it is a great resource.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

The Bad Little Voice

You would think after this many years of working out and training it would just be automatic. No discipline required.

I found myself really struggling to get up this morning and go to the gym. I was actually late getting there because of the conversation I was having with myself....

"an extra hour of sleep would do you good...you really trained hard this week, why not take a break or be careful your not over training, you might induce an injury"

Actually, my favorite one is " I 'll take the day off and workout extra hard tomorrow!"

As I get to know myself, I recognize the bad little voice inside my head that can come up with 20 good reasons to not stick to my routine.

Instead of arguing with myself, whether to train or get some other things done, I simply have to Ignore.

The toughest part, is just getting to your place of training. It could be at a gym, your basement or the floor beside the bed. For the amount of time it takes to convince yourself to slack off is probably the amount of time it takes to get off your butt and get to your place of training and start working out!

As some unnamed large corporation says...Just Do It!

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

Whats in a Question

A student surprised me with an apology last night. After he explained further, he apparently felt bad about questioning a piece of a form.

Its funny, how differently people can perceive a situation.

I thought his question to be valid and took no offence, he on the other hand was concerned about challenging the Sifu.

Here is how I see it.

There are no bad questions. Its not what you ask but how you ask.

Before a question is asked, I think to myself, take the potential conflict or challenge out of the question and put in respect.

Some questions may need to be asked privately and some questions need to be asked publicly to benefit all. Judgement and discretion have to come into play.

This is not just proper conduct for the Kwoon but in everyday relationships.

So, to the individual, I say, no apology required, however, you bring up a good point regarding etiquette within the school.

Everyone we share our time with, students and Sifus alike are valuable training partners and mentors, we do not want to alienate ourselves with disrespectful tone of voice or asking questions in a challenging manner.
All questions are valid and quite frankly questions shake the complacency that can set in.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta , Canada

Wheel of Pain!!

Last Christmas I received the ab roller or wheel(not sure what the official product name is ). I have to give this inexpensive but very effective little device two thumbs up.

It seems to take alot of crunches and leg raises to feel the abs working for me but when I use the wheel, as little as 60 reps, and I 'm sore the next day. (The good kind of sore).
I googled " ab wheel/roller" and found 20 different ways to torture and challenge yourself!

If you use proper form and deliberate slow movement you can definitely feel the core muscles working with this one.

Just thought I'd share.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada