Uglok's Regime of Pain.

Thought i'd give it an interesting name to catch some eyes... :p

My current routine is this:

Monday - [Punch bag flat out strength/speed punches for 1min, change stance, 1min. 1 min rest. 1 min skipping (jump rope). 1min rest. {8x sprints 15m as fast as possible from stop OR 60x clapping pushups with 10sec rest after 30}. 1min rest] - this cycle I repeated for an hour. This emphasises the speed and explosiveness required. Optional 30min on bike as extra cardio.

Tuesday - Using Kung Fu as my only workout, will likely do some tuck jumps (x40-50 in sets of 10 with 1min rest in between sets) afterwards.

Wednesday - Again, have Kung Fu; but as well as this will do jumping lunges x100 in sets of 20 with 1min rest in between each set. For anyone who hasn't done a jumping lunge before, do NOT do more than 40 in one session otherwise your backside will be very sore for the next few days! May also spend 20min in gym doing plyometric squats (~30% weight, start from a deep squat and jump explosively) and plyometric bench (~30% weight again, almost literally throwing the bar up and away from you) - both of these sets of about 20 and 1min rest.

Thursday - Same as Monday (minus the cycling), plus interval sprints over 20-30min (30sec sprint, 30 sec slow jog) as a separate session in the evening.

Friday - Depth jumps, single leg tuck jumps, single leg hops. All in sets of max reps until almost but not quite failure, then 1min rest, move onto next exercise - cycled for 40min. 20min powerclean with light weight, sets of 20 with 1min rest in between (for me ~20kg). This one will be killer.

Saturday - Kung Fu, bench pushups (pushups with 1 hand on a bench, pressing hard enough and sideways slightly such that your body moves to the other side and the other hand is on the bench - needs to be done with something very low, so a couple of thick books will do so long as they do not slide!) This is NOT an exercise for those who have not already got a strong developed chest/arms otherwise you'll hit your head on the bench!

Sunday - rest.

I will use this routine for two weeks, then I will be changing to my 'endurance' cycle.

Yesterday I was aching in odd places from Tuesday's kung fu and as Wed's is an advanced class I decided to skip the plyo training and do it today instead (if I ever get home from work!) - not doing the punchbag/jump rope part as my knuckles have been skinned a bit and i'll be even longer out if I don't let them heal a bit...

We were doing strength/balance training yesterday, so I can feel some supporter muscles in odd places around the hips/upper thighs today. Good feeling though. Will take it easy with the sprints tonight as my shin splints have been threatening to come back this last week (really bad idea stopping the tibialis anterior exercises! - started these up daily again).

And that's all for now.

I've done 33hrs work in less than 72hrs, so I may not have time to do all I want today!

Stupid plan... and this much plyometrics takes years of building up to, and knowing when to call it a day (well before total muscle fatigue), so be careful with it!

<patiently waiting for pictures>

Today I felt lazy, so I did the 8minute abs routine twice over with ~20 min break in between. Surprisingly painful, but I managed to just finish both sets with good form.

8 Minute Abs

By the end of the first one I was in pain. My abs really hurt; but none of it was really that slow/overloading the muscle, so after a brief rest I felt ready to take it on again. This morning my abs aren't aching because they're used to working out a decent amount daily/every other day - but I still feel it was a decent workout, so i'll carry on doing it every now and again. Short too at 8-16min!


It's my specific cycle, come next monday it will be mostly endurance maybe 1-2 plyo/week but still the martial arts before hitting the weights properly again (already my muscles are itching to do heavy lifts but i've only had the 1 out of 4 weeks off, so grrrrr!). And thanks

Very nice routine,Ug.Props!

Today went well; usual walk in to and back from work etc. Kung Fu/plyometrics was tiring but worth it. Got home this evening and decided to strengthen something which very few people ever consider; my arches!

This involved choosing something good to watch on tv, then repeatedly picking up a pen off the floor using my toes, taking it out with my hand, putting it in the toes of my other foot; putting it on the floor and moving that foot away; picking it up with the same foot; putting it in the toes of my other foot with my hand etc. cycled for about 15minutes, with a few isometric holds towards the end. Now my arches ache slightly; this should help with my shin splints, kung fu and general ankle strength. Well worth it, if unconventional!

Also told my girlfriend that i'll be needing her help taking photos of me semi-naked because I was being nagged by a 30-something woman from the other side of the globe. She took it well all things considered.

Next cycle after this week will now be one week's endurance; partly because of the shin splints and my preference for running, partly because it works out better in the long run before my gym membership runs out. I thought up a provisional plan today and will get it up here over the next couple of days. All in all, a good day; pleasantly tired and feeling a very slight lack of energy in the thighs telling me it's time to sleep!

Flat-footedness will put an end to your running as surely as shin splints will (although much less common); fortunately i've never neared being flat footed, but it's good to remember the ankles need some exercise too, especially if they'll be carrying around 220-240lbs of muscle some day!!