Crunches are a waste of time?

Yesterday I was going through the different e-mail newsletters I usually get every day (I get about 15 different ones) and there's this one fitness expert that I won't mention but you would recognize the name right away, that has a disliking for Ab Crunches and Sit-Ups.

Claiming most people hate doing them and that there's no real benefit to doing high reps Crunches and Sit-Up work. Saying stuff like:

"Every smart trainer knows that if you can do a resistance exercise 50 times in a row, like you can with crunches, that there is little benefit to body composition."

or

"Crunches are a huge waste of your time. Such a small movement does little in terms of burning belly fat or sculpting your abs."

So if you can do a resistance exercise like, say... Rowing Squats 50 times in a row, it's worthless?

What if you can do 100 to 250 reps of that exercise?

I don't know about you but when I do High Reps bodyweight squats, or push-ups, or Abs, I feel the benefit to body composition.

High Rep Crunches and Sit-Ups do more than sculpt your abs, it makes them punch proof.

I guess it depends what your going for, just showing off your abs so they look good or if you're a martial artist like me, you want them (Abs) to save you when someone's landing powerful body shots to your mid-section during your sparring drills.

We just need to find who has the most experience when it comes to crunches and sit-ups. Someone who's been there, in the trenches and tested if what this expert has been saying makes any sense. Where could we go to get real world experience?

Boxing.

George Chuvalo

Boxing has been around for a long time, all boxers do High reps crunches and abs to create a well conditioned, un-breakable shell. None of them would settle for 50 reps of any ab exercise. They do them like we do them, in the thousand rep ranges, just like George Chuvalo used to do them on an old training video I found of him.

If you want to find out more about our Ab Workout Program covering functional Crunches and Sit-Ups for the martial artist handbook, it will be available very shortly.

Until next time,

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin

Going back to basics

Just completed another Firewalking course this weekend.

Let me tell you, I enjoy them so much because I learn just as much as the participants do.

I strongly believe that almost all of us already know what we have to do to be successful.

We suffer from one condition.

Short term memory.

You and I need to be reminded on a constant basis of what we already know.

Sad but True.

Take Martial Arts.

Your growth, skill-wise, is in direct relation to how much care went into harvesting strong basics.

Keeping your Guard up.

Breathing and staying loose.

Staying on the balls of your feet.

Lowering your center of gravity.

Spending 80% of your time on conditioning. Etc...

Re-read old books you've read, your personal journal from a couple years ago, and your past goal lists to be reminded of what you know, your memory banks are filled with untapped ideas, motivation, and applicable knowledge that got lost in the shuffle.

Get back to basics,

Sibok Martin

P.S. Here's a book you should review on a constant basis.

Happy Anniversary Sijo & Linda

Today marks my parent's 34 years together.

Sijo and Linda Patenaude

When most couples these days call it quits because of some little argument or the inability to reconcile small differences, seeing my parents happy, in love and sharing the same vision of sharing the benefits of martial arts training they've had since they've met, turning to each other for support during challenges in life and in business.

Raising 4 kids, hitch-hiking to Ottawa with nothing but a gym bag, and proving to themselves and their students that everything is possible if you have a dream and stick to it no matter what.

They have my admiration.

"It's easier to aim when someone did the missing for you."

And for that, I am very thankful.

Sibok Martin

How to instantly accelerate your progress

If you're serious about getting results, today's tip will serve you well.

Let's face it we're all motivated by progress. We want it sooner, better, faster.

Some things need time, like Power and Endurance.

If you stay consistent and gradually increase the demands you put on yourself during your strength training you will see results over time.

That's just the way it is.

But in the areas of skill, flexibility and speed that's a whole different story.

Progress can be accelerated in those areas if you find someone better than you.

Skill wise, one round of sparring with someone better than you will yield faster results in 3 minutes than maybe 1 year of training.

Same thing with speed. Working speed drills with a high caliber training partner will set your reaction time into high gear.

Flexibility is no different. There is a science behind stretching, if you apply the proper exercises with the right knowledge you can make substantial gains in 30 minutes or less.

Someone's better than you for a reason, find out what they're doing and copy it exactly.

Follow this advice in all areas of your life. Everyone you meet is superior to you in one way or the other.

Aim Higher,

Sibok Martin

It's Louse Time! Too much, too soon

If you're new to my list of focused, motivated, self- starters, Welcome.

(if you're not (new) jump right away to today's lesson
below)

Every day I communicate to you the best ways to train and the kind of mindset it takes to get results either in your physical fitness or martial art training.

Friday is always what I call: "Louse Time". Modeled after Bruce Lee's strategy in Enter the Dragon.

You know that part where he's having tea with the government agent but he's disturbed by one of his students and Bruce Lee tells the agent: It's Louse Time! The agent replies with his british accent: "yes of course".

Since I'm 6 years old that scene has always stuck with me and I'll be using that same strategy with YOU every week.

Friday is where I share with you Life Lessons and Direction given to me by my dad (and Sifu) every Friday.

Today's lesson is: Too much, too soon.

That phrase can be traced back to Paul Newman's 1977 Slap Shot movie when there's this general fight on the ice within a few minutes of the first period and the radio announcer hutters these words into the mic.

If we could all live by this simple rule, many problems could be avoided.

Everything you do has to be in balance.

As I mentioned to you in the past you should be training a maximum of 3 times a week.

I keep very meticulous stats and my numbers are best when I allow the most time for recovery.

Sometimes taking an entire week off of doing a certain exercise I'm struggling with will work wonders.

The "Off time" won't just make you stronger but will also allow you to absorb it better. By that I mean, you will perform the exercise with less effort, you'll have better technique, you'll feel like you own the movement, it will be imprinted in your muscle memory.

Let nature take its course,

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

Stay on track, the end of year is near

It's coming.

You know.

Back to school.

Back to work.

Summer is slowly coming to a close, are you ready to tackle the fall, give a final push to get everything done on your resolution/action list you filled out in January?

Do you still have that list? I know it's easy to get distracted but you should seriously review it and reclaim that same determination you were feeling on January 1 st of this year.

Maybe you wanted to quit smoking or stick to your training program. Acquiring a certain level of skill and rank if you're in the martial arts.

Changing jobs, starting a business, going back to school. Spending more quality time with your family.

Making investments or going on a trip.

Did you follow through on what you wrote?

If you slacked off (no need to feel bad, many have) we want to give you a chance to redeem yourself and still finish the year strong by arming you with an experience you will never forget.

An experience that will give you the drive to knock off those last few items on your list.

You're invited to join us at the Pagoda, this Sunday Aug. 24 th at 6:00 pm for what will possibly be our last public firewalk of the year.

You can register here.

Aim higher,

Sifu Martin

The lost art of speed training

Ever wonder why some people are slow and predictable while some are fast and accurate?

If you could double your speed right now what difference would that make in your martial art training?

There is one method for increasing speed that I especially like: Hitting Paper.

Most martial artists either don't spend enough time training speed or don't train speed period.

This method for training speed has been around for a long time but made popular by Bruce Lee himself.

At first glance most people seeing someone doing this type of speed training might cringe and discard it. You would be wise not to. If it was good enough for Bruce Lee it's good enough for me.

What is Bruce Lee most recognized for?

You guessed it.

Lightning Speed.

In many areas Bruce Lee was ahead of his time when it came to his training methodology, training equipment, and combat philosophy.

Even being the first martial artist to use reaction timers to time one's reaction speed to an outside stimulus. It is rumored that Bruce had a 0.07 second reaction time. Although timers are faster today compared to the ones used in those days it is still an impressive feat.

We've kept many of his speed drills alive in our own training system. You can pick up our speed training system right here.

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin