TMD - Stage 2

[meguro]

Glad that you're back in action. Did you notice any body composition changes?

[tmd]

Yup! I'm tubby lol! Have gone up to 74+kg which i notice really quickly as I only seem to carry weight around my waist.

A few people commented on my speed and combo's being better and thought I'd been doing bag work but truth is I just wasn't being held back or hampered by injuries.

Looking to get back to and stick around 72kg, I've also managed to stop drinking for the last few weeks except for on our anniversary - its hard as I also can't drink carbonated soft drinks but worth it for sure and will make weight control easier.

[tmd]

Had a good week of training and sparing last week - bit banged up but all just general bruising - shin one is a pain as I can't kick or block with it so needs resting.

Want to get back to lifting stuff but still got the knee and elbow pain plus the issue with my shoulder that makes me nervous of the weights at present.

Enjoying getting out on the bike, want to buy a trip comp for it as I just love to measure stuff

[MMX]

Sounds good TMD. Just ease back into it and it will come back sooner than you think. Osu!

[tmd]

Jul 30, 2013 10:48:32 GMT -5 MMX said:

Sounds good TMD. Just ease back into it and it will come back sooner than you think. Osu!

Yes coz we martial artists do moderation in training and patients in recovery soooooo well don't we nah you're right fella and I am learning, honest.

Its nice when I spar with someone I think trains like a pro and is about to do his first full open and his feedback is all positive and honest about where my strengths and weakness lay and where he struggles to match me - I know where I struggle to match him is mostly in his fitness and athleticism but grit and determination gets me through (or OSU and I call it )

[senshido]

at this rate you will be ready to fight in Scotland!!

[tmd]

Or sooner......lol would hope to be fighting in Scotland for sure. I am not looking to break any records here just find that the sort of training I currently enjoy is Tournament focused so, as before target one is as injury free as possible, two is the weight to be around 71-72kG then be happy with my conditioning and sparing.... things is at the moment it's upside down, I can spar and my conditioning is ok its the weight and the 'niggles' that would stop me competing.

[tmd]

Went to the gym last night for the first time since March.

Plan was just to get the feel of it again and suss out where some of the injuries are in terms of recovery...

Bench Press

3 sets of 20 reps bar only, 3 sets of 10x 40kG, 2 sets of 1 0x 60kG

Assisted pull ups

5 sets of 10 reps assisted by around (new bit of kit so unsure) 20kG, tried wide grip wasn't comfortable so stuck to Military grip.

Seated Leg Press

Again another new bit of kit, thought I'd try it as I know squats are a no, no for my knee and it saves having to rack plates was ok but no contraction at the top and you start from the loaded position which is my pet hate on machines.

1 warm up set then 5 sets of 10 I think 220lbs - do think it was kG but not marked up - not important really.

Seated dumbbell press

5 sets of 10kG a side for 10 reps, this is never a strong exersize for me but my favourite for shoulders - I used to peak at around 20-22.5kG a side so thought 50% was a good place to start. Really did them slow and deliberate, seeking out the lowest point I can comfortably go with my shoulder, I was going to add some poundage but decided to stay with the 10's and just get used to the movement again.

Same as above for curls, looking for the pinch point in my elbow - basically I always try and do curls with good form and touch the shoulder - if I stop about 2" away the muscle is still fully contracted but it seems to ease the pain in the elbow so all good.

Close grip B/P for my Triceps 5 sets of 20 reps at 30kG, wanted to keep it light and steady with enough reps to feel it, think I can go heaver for less reps next time but it's the racking and setting that strains my shoulder as the only way to get settled is from a rack behind you so the limitation could be the shoulder but I'll set the reps to suit the weight.

So first one back and no additional injuries, core felt nice and tight after too (probably from sucking my gut in for an hour while there will look to go again Friday, over the next few weeks I just want to get used to moving weights again and work out a routine I can do wither 2 or 3 times a week depending on availability. I could do a spit routine but to be honest this could get complicated if I miss one and I don't feel like I want to push it too much at the moment so an all over chest, legs, shoulders, back then arms routine suits me fine.

Going to keep the weight lighter than last time and stick the reps to around 10 but I welcome the input of others on the reps vs poundage's debate.... at the end of it all I want to be stronger not bigger hence going to the 5 reps before.

[MMX]

Here is an idea from Pavel on the 5x5

www.strongfirst.com/strongfirst-on-5x5/

[tmd]

I am a lover of the 5x5 series - and I like this explanation of load vs RM's bud so cheers, gonna stick to the basics for a month then start looking at getting back to some 'proper' lifting.

[tmd]

Great session last night although pushing cars and accidentally setting the round timer for 4:30 (280 seconds) instead of 3:00 (180 seconds) for the knockdown sparing straight after it was a killer! A combination of typically Kyokushin spirit/ stupid training ideas lol! All good fun though

[tmd]

Wow, can't believe it's been a year since I posted here! Life does move at a frenetic pace doesn't it?


So, what happened last year? well to start with training was going great then I tore a ligament in my left knee, sparing accident - you know the drill - the only way to prepare for a tough match is to spar hard for at least a few weeks and test everything under pressure, well I caught a kick to my knee which strained/tore out the inside ligament and stopped me fulfilling a life time goal of competing in the British Open.

Never mind, onwards and upwards; focused on coaching my mate and getting him ready. he did really well and only lost on boards, something he'd never had to face before. we went conservatively for 3 and his opponent broke 4 - the only LW to do so so a real luck of the draw thing really.

Waited for the knee to be at least as good as my right one so about 75% then started back to training, all ok except not being able to squat makes me feel like my kicks will be weaker, once I got back to full sparing I found this was the case, they're not as damaging as before for sure.

In Scotland I faced a choice, be as mobile as possible but risk that if either of my knees took a direct hit that would be that or strap them up, loose mobility and stay in close. I went with the second option, I know this would have made for a less interesting and more frustrating fight to watch but had I given the guys who were half my age the openings they'd have creamed me for sure.

Made it to the final in good shape, the preparations we had done as a team paid off big time, my daughter Starbuck made it to the final of her first and probably last ever knockdown tournament. She has a lot of over mobility issues which makes it hard for her to build strength in key areas and while she trained as hard as she could every time she pushed on something would break, I guess you can see the genetic link with me, I have the same issues just to a much lower extent.

Troy won the MW and Jack and I made it to the final of the LW Open. It was a bit trippy I have to say, I take nothing away form Jack and make no excuses but I will confess that a number of times during the fight I did loose focus and go into coach mode, picking up on him dropping his hands etc... when I should have been taking advantage! better man won, he stayed focused and this super powerful little tank of a man couldn't stop me which I was very pleased about.

For a good while after February I slacked off and tried to rest injuries but it was never quite enough rest, I visited a number of specialists and physio's to discus my injuries and the over riding conclusion was I had pushed an old body too hard over the last 6+ years, working full out till it broke, resting inadequately and training on. It was now either surgery or quit.

This left me torn. I still want to compete but what is the point if I'm only 75% as good as I could be? Well because that is still a mental and personal challenge, fighting Open categories in my 40's was always going to saddle me with a disadvantage but compounding that with mobility issues does mean the chances of winning are reduced and the risk of injury significantly increased so I had to weigh it up. Is now the time to retire form fighting?

While still pondering this I was offered the opportunity to relocate to the Middle East. it was a great opportunity and while there seemed to be Kyokushin in the area one flippant comment form a mate of mine changed the course of the last 4 months.

"So how you going to do your 3rd Dan next year if you're not in the country?" he asked.
"We'll I'll just come back for the grading?"
"What if the guys out there are more focused on knockdown or their kata's are slightly different? Wouldn't you be better off getting it done now?"

"Ahhh!!!" Was all I could think at the time. He as right but it left me little time to prepare and spoilt my grand plan. My Youngest does his 1st Dan next year, my older 2 are both over due their 2nd Dans and Mrs TMD and I are both over due our 3rd Dans so I wanted to do them as one.

But here I was 2 months before a very challenging grading, resting due to injury and trying to work out how the hell I could prepare for such an event.

I spoke to my instructor and our Chief Instructor and they were keen to see me take up the challenge as they both felt another year of competing and my knees could be so bad I'd never be able to complete the grading.

So my focus changed to daily kata and kihon training along side endurance work and rounds and rounds on the heavy bag.

Grading came and went very well, all the kihon, kata, exercises etc went well (Ki-agi's ruined me!)and the 40 fights were exactly what they should have been, challenging without anyone thinking they could take the mick.... to be fair after the last few years of sparing with Jack n Troy and others week in week out this was always going to be the part of the grading I could relax and just fight, walked away with plenty of bruises and a sense of achievement that will never leave me.

I have accomplished something I have doubted would ever happen many times, either through laziness or injury and after 25+ years of training and 8+ years of teaching I am finally a Sensei.


So where am I today? Well, My knees did not like all the stance work I had to do during all those hours of kata and kihon. I had a number of people comment that me struggling proved tournament fighting is bad for you but the bag work and sparing didn't hurt anything like spending hours drilling Kiba Datchi, Zenkutsu Datchi etc... It's just part of who I am and what my joints etc are like.

OS I have taken a 4 week break, I need a steroid injection in my leg to try and cure a condition in my thigh that leaves it constantly numb and over sensitive which cant be done for 3 weeks, I then have a weeks holiday to take and will see after all that R&R where I stand in terms of what feels well rested and what feels no different.

Sorry for the MASSIVE post but it is a years worth, will try and be a more regular contributor from now on.

OSU!

[Ros]

I am in two minds reading your post; on the one hand, big congrats on getting your 3rd dan. On the other, it sounds as though you have pushed your body to breaking point and beyond. Again, on one hand I can see why you'd want to prove mentally and physically you could achieve it, but on the other, is it worth if at the expense of your health?

I honestly feel you need to put your health first (for once), 4 weeks R&R doesn't sound like very long. REST IT PROPERLY.

[tmd]

Cheers Ros, the 4 weeks is a starting point, after that I will review where I am, the grading and preparation was rough but I am no 'worse' now than I was before it.

The issue is all the physio's are telling me there's nothing they can do for my knees so I felt the correct coarse at this stage was to rest for the 4 weeks, measure any improvements and see if more rest would help or it's surgery or it's just always going to be that way.

[meguro]

Quite an eventful year! Congrats on the promotion! It was well deserved, I 'm sure. Hope you take some time off to mend.