Back to basics

Today's blog comes to you from the comfy surrounds of my sofa. I'm here for a reason, I'm sore and not really enthusiastic about moving. The cause, a thorough back workout.

We did a complete back workout yesterday, but that's a bit of a misnomer. The exercises used are really over all body workouts but mainly hit the large muscle groups of the back.

We started with chin ups, three sets of twelve. My last set had to be assisted, me being tall and long I find chins difficult. My training buddy, Denny, is small and blocky, he eases through the chins. This morning the latimus dorsi muscles are well worked all the way down to the hip. It's a great feeling.

Moving from the chins, we went straight into deadlifting. Deads' are a super compound exercise. It looks ridiculously simply, you pick a weight up and stand up straight. However, it is much more than that. Form is everything for deadlifting, if your form is off you run the risk of seriously injuring yourself.

My heaviest deadlift recorded was 160kg's, this day we went as far as 100. We were aiming for more reps, and we achieved three sets of ten. Denny struggled with this, I was surprised, he usually leaves me behind in every other exercise. I like deadlifting though. After three sets, the buzz kicked in and the second wind arrived, good timing.

To finish the back workout, we used 30kg's for dumbell rows, again high reps. These were tough as we reached the end.

To add insult to injury, we did a bit of body sparring for 3x3 minute rounds. Denny has no technique so it was all about movement, high work rate, standing toe to toe at a light fast pace. He was knackered. I was ok funnily enough, I felt good though. Maybe it's just Denny stepped out of his comfort zone for some exercises he doest normally do.

Today I feel well and truly worked. I think it'll be a day off. Going to get some veg for juicing later on today, I live for veg, it's alive inside you know!

I've changed my protein also, instead of my usual whey isolate, I've changed to egg albumin. No reason for the change other than I've always wanted to try it, not that you notice any immediate difference. Egg protein does however have a higher BV, which means it's digested quicker and put to use sooner.

In the news, our finance minister has pancreatic cancer. Lenihan is at the other end of the political spectrum for me, politics aside, he's a human being and I hopes he beats this horrible disease, once he recovers he can set about abolishing the banks, scrapping NAMA and putting that 90 billion into local government so they can directly employ workers of all nationalities to get about developing our infrastructure, they could start with constructing a proper school for Gael scoil Barra!

Happy crossfit

Well we're nearly there, another few days and this barmy time of year will be over. We'll be back to normal, what ever normal is.
It has been freezing all week, the hall I'm training in is like an ice box, the local butcher asked me the other day if he could rent out a bit of space as he wanted to hang some beef in it!

I've been pairing up with a buddy of mine for training over the xmas. He's a crossfit fanatic and trains with the big lads in the Hercs' gym. Your man said Crossfit is easy, sure it looks easy when you look at it on youtube, your man is wrong!

I've had two sessions this week, and it's ego bashing. The last one included push/presses and ab roles, I felt sick at the end, but what a rush. It's really great stuff. We'll be back again tomorrow morning for some dead lifting sets and a few other killer sets, I'll see what he has planned.

I love training over the xmas period, I get frustrated if I don't. Although there is too much grazing on rubbish, every where you look, rubbish. Chocolate sweets, chocolate biscuits, chocolate crisps, well nearly.

I thought I'd go for a run today, but instead I decided I'd go for a cycle. The canal was frozen over, my two buddies had to be content with standing on the water, jebus like, instead of swimming around. They looked peeved!

The best news this xmas was Rage Against The Machine keeping the X factor kid off the number 1 spot. It's just a point of principle. I'm a fan of Rage, they speak the truth.

Fuair mo chara nuacht olc seacthaine sa chaite. Nuacht go hainnis maidir a athair agus a dreartháir. Tá suil agam go mbeidh sé ceart go lear amach anseo, is duine ar fheabhas é.

Tá an bhliain nua ag teacht!

Swanning around

I hit the road again today for a run. The thing with running is that it takes a couple of trips for the muscles to adapt. Already today I felt more of a spring in my step even though the quads were still a bit achy from the other day.

Off I set down the canal again, and there were my two new fans, pictured here!

If only they had the internet, I'd probably have 8 followers instead of a whole 6.

On my way back up the canal I decided to do a few knuckle push ups, I like doing them on the concrete for that extra impact. However the path on the canal is not concrete, it's made of thousands of little sharp bits, laid into the tarmac. Jebus, I lasted a full four push ups, these little yokes were painful! Ah ha a new challenge! If I can muster twenty towards the end of January parana pine won't be a problem. I hope!

It's nearly the xmas break. The last class will be on Friday. I look forward to the break, although I will be training over the xmas, I don't understand the need to gorge food over these two weeks. Families go out and buy food as if we're heading into a nuclear Holocaust. It is indeed a strange time of the year!

Bah! Humbug.

Road wars!

Let the battles begin! I took to the road this morning I upped my running input for this grading training. I hate running, but that's probably because I run on a tread mill in the gym. Nothing passes you buy on a tread mill, only time.

Running on the road is so much more interesting. I set out down the canal this morning, the air was sharp as it cleared my head and all inhibitions about running passed and the heart woke up.

I was met on the first quarter by two huge swans, these guys were incredible to see and not a bother on them as chuffed passed. They looked at me with passive interest as if to say - "another dumb humanoid". It's times like this I wish I had my camera. But onward I slogged.

Down as far as Campbells bridge and into Cabra. Hard to believe it's 2009, nearly 2010 and we still have 19th century level crossings. Of course the country is broke so there'll be no investment here. Maybe if we call the level crossing AIB Bank the government will throw money at it. Who knows.

On into Cabra and around the estates. This is what makes running on the road more interesting than the boring tread mill. Passing known faces, friends and past students. How big some of these guys are now! They were in the club as kiddies, now it looks like they're giants. Good to see them.

Back around by Broombridge and an upward challenge, time to sprint up that hill and back down onto the canal. The canal is great. Plenty of wildlife and water. I have fond memories of fishing that canal as a young lad with my brother. I never caught much, he caught everything. He was a master fisherman, he could pull fish from a puddle. Everything went back into the water. He was a real angler, and I guess these early days on the canal cultivated a love of wildlife in me. I've always said I'll go back and do a bit of fishing some day. Nothing like it.

The last stretch back up the canal was tough, it's all up hill so I picked up the pace. The brisk air was now stinging the back of my nose. It's fresh though and clean. The heart is well up and the sweat is starting to flow. Your man kept telling me to stop, you've done enough. Your man got told where to go, it's so easy to give in, I was finishing this stretch, and I did.

My inspiration for running is Wayne McCullough. If you keep up to speed with him on his website http://www.pocketrocketbox.com/ you'll see he makes running sound old school, rockyesque!

Anytime you head out for a run you can't help but hum the Rocky tune as you head off, as you finish your humming is more like gasping, and the tune is incomprehensible!

Anyway the road wars have begun and I'm happy.

Living history

As you will know, my thesis for my 4th dan test will be on the history of Taekwon-Do in Ireland. This subject has been covered before by many gone before me. This thesis will be different. I intend to interview as many as the original pioneers of Irish Taekwon-Do as possible.

I started my thesis this week, and there was no better start had than to conduct an interview with the very first ITF Taekwon-Do black belt, Senior Master Robert J Howard 8th degree.

This blog made contact with the RITA's Master Robert Howard junior, the son of Senior Master Howard, a number of weeks back. Master Howard junior is the youngest ITF Master in Europe. I was delighted to hear that Senior Master Howard would allow me the time to interview him.

I landed into the Cabra parkside sports centre on Tuesday last and waited patiently for this great man to arrive. I was nervous I have to say. I mingled with other RITA members telling them of my interview and then in he arrives, with a very proud walk and bundles of presence, he made his way down the corridor of the sports hall. I bowed and greeted SNR Master Howard, and he cheerfully said "hello Jon!" - The first thing you notice about SNR Master Howard are his hands. He has hands like shovels. Real Taekwon-Do hands, which have been responsible for the death of several hundred bricks, blocks and tiles over the years.

We headed upstairs to the cafe where SNR Master Howard brought me through a unique and highly interesting Taekwon-Do history, from 1967 to present day. I was delighted with the content, he remembered everything with clarity, from being with General Choi in Winnipeg, the first Taekwon-Do world championships and the very early days with GM Rhee Ki Ha.

We spent close to two hours chatting, and like anything that you're enjoying the time runs out on you. I hope to come back to SNR Master Howard again at some point. I FORGOT TO GET A PHOTO!!! "Blast it" I said as I drove away, but I hope he'll allow me the opportunity again soon.

I intend using this new found knowledge of Irish Taekwon-Do as the foundation of my thesis.

In conclusion here, SNR Master Howard is an absolute gent, he has a super sense of humour and carries all the traits of serious martial artist. I am very grateful for the opportunity, both to SNR Master Howard and to JNR Master Howard also.

My next stop will be Mr Aidan Walsh, then hopefully as suggested to me SNR Master's Phelan and Barrett. I have another few people to track down after that and then I should be ready to put pen to paper.

Brushing up

This week has been very busy. I managed to get a patterns session in on Sunday. In the cold near Baltic conditions of our dojang in Cabra, but like Ernest Shackleton I ploughed on through the icy conditions!

I have to say, I'm always impressed at how patterns, while looking easy, have the ability to knock the wind out of you when done with full power. I began with Chon Ji, and worked up through the kup patterns. By the time I got to Won Hyo I was feeling warm. I do have problems keeping my hip muscles warm, but so far so good.

I came across a small problem in Toi Gye where I felt myself speeding up through the 'w' shape blocks, maybe it's because they're stamping motion that I felt I was going beyond the normal pace of the pattern. After Choong Moo, I moved on into the dan patterns, if it was Shackleton, he would now have the South Pole in sight! Only Juche and Eui Am stood in the way as awkward patterns, akin to a dodgy ice crevice in the Antarctic!

Unlike Shackleton, I didn't lose the endurance and made it through to Yoo Sin. I had to re-do Choi Yong though as one of the turns had me finishing the wrong direction. A quick glance through the encyclopedia and I was back on track. I did three versions of Yoo Sin. I taped the last one for you criticism.

Please feel free to let me know what you think, now bear in mind, I am feeling tired and I do realise I made the wrong step turn from the middle punch to the reverse knife hand middle block, your man says the back leg moves first. I tend to agree with your man.

But here you go, warts, wobbles and tiredness included.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXbZqC4q6B4&feature=email

My next installment will be soon. I met with Senior Master Howard of the RITA. Ireland's first ITF black belt. An incredible source of Taekwon-Do history and a gentleman at that. Stay tuned!