thegirlsclub

[Cunian]

[Slaine]

I suspect I have mommy thumb.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703350104575653223648778294.html
It is intermittent so I've not seen a doctor about it yet. So much for doing power cleans with the kid. (She was finally gaining weight too.)

[Jesmond]

You might try a 2 handed kettlebell swing. Your left hand can compensate which picking it up and putting it down, and with the swing, you don't really have to use your thumb at all.
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[Ariadne]

[Tibbie Croser]

[quote="Cunian
I think where you would place these might be in the baby steps category. Doing something - even something not so impressive - toward one's goals daily is a great way to change habits and maintain mindfulness of what one is doing. In time one can do bigger and better things. [/quote]

I agree strongly. As a relatively inexperienced rapier fighter, I've found it mentally as well as physically helpful to practice lunges and footwork for 10 minutes a day *every* day. It helps me improve my form. If I improve my form, I'll feel more comfortable, less awkward, and more confident in tournaments. The more consistently I drill, the more muscle memory I develop. Doing something toward my goal helps me give myself permission to feel confident, to believe that I'm making an effort and therefore will deserve any success I attain.

[Isabella E]

I think with weight lifting if you have an injury you just need to be smart about it and not try to do too much to fast. Overall though I think weight training is incredibly important for overall fitness, not only for fighting but just in general. For women particularly it helps us keep bone mass through and past middle age. One thing I noticed after I started lifting is how fast I was in comparison to before I started. With my shoulder injury it also really helped to stabilize the joint and I had a lot less pain on a daily basis. Not having worked out at all since November I am really noticing how broken I'm starting to feel again.

Today I start running again with a new running partner and hopefully I will be able to pay up my gym membership this week so I can start doing weight training again and other stuff.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
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[Jesmond]

[Ariadne]

[Sir Vitus]

Anyone who puts on armour and fights has a level of fitness that is high enough to train like a combat athlete. Training for SCA combat should be like a combo of football (full-body gear) and MMA. If you don't train under a load that is greater than the one you carry, you are only training to TOLERATE that competition load, not supercede it.

The traditional way to accomplish this has been to just keep dropping armour until you were basically naked and therefore in alot of danger of being in a continual state of limpitude.

Let's examine how you can superblast your cardio and strength. This will require you to push your heart rate and breathing to your absolute max for up to a minute at a time. Remember, you have to train at an intensity that is greater than the one you experience while fighting or you aren't actually training ANYTHING AT ALL.

There are various ways to do this-

1. VO2 Max "Viking Conditioning" with a kettlebell. Kettlebell snatches- 15 seconds of reps and 15 seconds rest. Then switch hands and keep going.

This will make you into Satan because not only are you probably getting your heart-rate higher than when you fight, you are training with a weight in your hand. You need this because your weapons and your shield keep your hands weighted down all the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpdIdVio97Q

2. Beating the tire. This accomplishes the same thing. You need to have something in your hands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psZ-U7smHM4

3. Heavyhand sprints in mail shirt or weighted vest.

Put on a mail shirt or a weighted vest. Pick up a three pound dumbbell in each hand. Find a hil. Sprint up the hill and walk back down. Wait a few secs more then sprint back up the hill.

4. The barbell power clean.

Doing the power clean for reps will train cardio and full-body explosiveness like no other exercise. The power clean burpee is the DEVIL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_t8abjR4j8

Find somebody to teach you how to do a power clean properly.

Those who do not train this way will NOT improve significantly at a fast rate. Those who train this way will find themselves much more ready to tackle mental aspects of SCA combat because they will not be so tired during practice that they cannot think.

Train this way and you will get to the next level, no matter what level you are currently at.

[Isabella E]

The kettleball thing looks cool but I think it would f**k up my shoulders even worse than they are now.

We do the sledgehammer vs tire thing at work though. You see it at a lot of fire academies and firefighter training because it's hard work and we do it on the job.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
http://windyvalleybanners.blogspot.com/

[rauokinn]

Thanks vitus -- I'm gonna incorporate some of that stuff asap

[Cunian]

[Slaine]

The stuff I do may not be quite up to Vitus level but I'm not getting tired at practice. When I used a center grip shield for the first time in ages I was pleasantly surprised how well it went. Carrying a 20 lb kid around was my conditioning. An elipical may not be a good as running up hill but I spend as least half the time going backwards. It's something they had me do in PT for my knee and it has helped me on the field.

Most of the hand exercises I'm doing were recommend in a class I took last November. This was taught by Sir Valdemar in Calontir.

There's a couple of other things I do that might sound silly but I think is helping with physical mindfulness. If I'm doing something like vacuuming I try to be very aware of how my feet are moving and that I'm switching hands as I go. Also, when I push my kids on a swing I'll stand too close and have to lean back to keep out of the way. They think this is hilarious and it's not a move that's convenient to practice elsewhere.

[Sir Vitus]

Isabella-
Stretch your scaline muscles.

[Isabella E]

I saw you post that a while back on facebook I think. I'll check it out.
_________________
It's not the most powerful animal that survives. It's the most efficient. -Georges St-Pierre
http://windyvalleybanners.blogspot.com/