Dumbbells (5 x 12 of Kung Fu Curls, Swing-thrus, Lat Raises, Squats); Knife Flow Drill (4 x 3:00/1:00 with dull training blade. Shadowboxing all-in, stab, slash, kick, punch for 3:00, then slash and stab your pre-marked heavy bag for 1:00, making sure to attack no mark twice in a row. Change hands/grips each round.)
Dumbbell exercises illustrated in video below.
Bike (if you don’t have a bike, run instead): Set timer for rounds of 2:00/1:00. Ride at relaxed pace for 6 rounds. Turn around and head back, riding AFAYC for 2:00, pacing for 1:00 breaks. Make it home before end of 9th round.
Wrap up with 10 minutes of meditation on the nature of quality. What makes one thing better than another? What is the meaning of the word “quality?”
PTDICE + CHAIN (Drape #20 chain over shoulders. 4 sets to failure of Prison Push-ups, Zombie Squats, Sit-ups, Full Stop Push-ups, Rear Lunges); Lead Leg Kicking Drill (Side kick heavy bag 1x, then 2x, then 3x, etc. up to 6x, all as fast you can. Repeat w/ Roundhouse. Complete 5 sets — that’s 210 kicks in total).
Want a set of PTDICE to call your own? Get a set here for $16.99.
PTDICE: 4 x 25 of Walking Push-ups, Crunches legs elevated, Prisoner Squats.
Quick’n’Dirty Brunswick Stew
* 1 baked chicken, skin removed and shredded
* 1 can pork bbq
* 1 can beef bbq
* 2 cans stewed tomatoes
* 1 LG bag frozen succotash (or 1 can each corn and limas with liquid)
* 1 large diced potato (or 1 can diced potatoes)
Place all ingredients in crock pot. If too thick, add chicken broth to desired consistency. Cook 8 to 10 hours. Eat, enjoy, get full, belch, repeat.
After last night’s workout I was so sore that all I could do this morning was a bike ride and some stretching. If you want to get sore too, here’s what we did:
Wrestling: 8 x 2:00/1:00 of free play followed by this Constitutional: Russian Squats (50), Get-ups (25), Mountain Climbers (50), Neck Bridge (90 secs), Staggered Push-ups (25), Side Lunges (25/side), Pikes (25)
And now a short video of my guys wrestling last night:
Warm up with some either traditional forms practice or the equivalent, such as shadowboxing or the like, followed by a few low-key, warm-up rounds on the heavy bag.
Strike Count Power Drill: Set timer to beep every 30 seconds and start. Hit the heavy bag with as many full power shots as you can for 30 seconds, then rest for thirty. Count number of blows on the 4th set. Break for 2 mins (4 x :30) and start again. Count hits on 4th set once more. If count is less on the second go-around, complete 100 Squats.
(1) TIRE HALF PYRAMID to 12 of Tire Slams, Tire Squats, Tire V-ups for a total of 78 each (Exercise explanations here).
(2) CONSTITUTIONAL: 25 Log Push-ups, 50 Wall Push-ups, 100 Squats, 50 Sit-ups, 25 Get-ups, 25 Barrel Roll a.k.a. Sit-out Push-ups, 100 Side Lunges (50 each way).
(3) 5×2:00/1:00 Kickboxing combos with plenty of pops, rolls, slips, checks and weaves
BIKE POWER: Set timer for 15 min intervals. Ride at relaxed pace, without touching the highest front gear, until timer beeps. Then turn around, shift to biggest front gear, and head back home AFAYC shifting only on rear gear. Complete 250 Push-ups less 50 for every minute left on the clock (in other words, if you make it back in 10 mins you don’t have to do any).
And for no reason whatsoever, here’s one of the songs I listened to on the way to work this morning.
Sandbag Combo workout: Put your sandbag (15% of your bodyweight, min.) in a backpack and hike/bike to a nearby park or recreational area. 3 sets to failure of Push-ups (on fists, gripping bag), Sit-ups (hugging bag), Squat-Presses, Crunches legs up (hugging bag), and Half Squats (bag on shoulder). Get home as fast as you can.
WEAPON COMMAND AND MASTERY DRILL: Choose your practice weapon (I used a wooden knife). Complete a full pyramid to 10 of Walking Push-ups (on knuckles w/ weapon hand), Jackknifes (2 hits/cuts/strikes at top of each), and Side Lunges (2 hits/cuts/strikes at bottom of each). If applicable, switch grip for 2nd half of pyramid. Count errors (number of times you drop the weapon and/or the live end of practice weapon touches your body or the floor). When pyramid is complete, do 25 Squats (2 hits/cuts/strikes at bottom of each) for every error.
Click here to download my eBooks from Smashwords.com in multiple formats, or visit these links to get them at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Books2Read.com
I teach free of charge through Heritage Arts , a 501(c)(3) educational charity offering free or donation-only classes related to martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development. Distance learning programs available. Visit the Heritage Arts website to find out more, or click here to join the Heritage Self-Defense group on Facebook.
What is Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble? It’s mind-body-spirit form of American Rough ‘n’ Tumble, which began as a manner of no-holds-barred fighting in the Southern Virginia backcountry during the Colonial Era and has since grown, evolved, and adapted to the realities of modern self-defense. An amalgam of the varying techniques brought to America by colonists from all over the world, blended with the fighting methods of the over 900 distinct indigenous tribes, American Rough ‘n’ Tumble is perhaps the world’s most fearsome martial art.
Make a tax deductible donation
Robert Mitchell Jr. 