NUTRITION & FITNESS

Basic Weight Training
Weight training is a very important part of your fitness routine! Some martial artists try to say that weight training is not good and it will slow you down! This is far from being true! The truth of the matter is, the more developed your muscles are, the more potential they have for speed! Usually, those who say that weight training is not good for you are just too lazy to work out themselves! It is easier to not do something and make up an excuse than it is to just DO IT!

Although later you might want to get into a more advanced routine, here is a routine that is good to start off with. All you will need is a bench and a barbell/dumbell set and a positive mental attitude toward accomplishing your goals.

Here are the exercises:
· Barbell Bench Press (Chest)
· One Arm Dumbell Row (Back)
· Standing Barbell Press (Shoulders)
· Standing One Arm Dumbell Tricep Curl (Triceps)
· Standing Alternate Dumbell Curl (Biceps)
· Standing Alternate Reverse Grip Dumbell Curl (Forearms)
· Bench Squats (Upper Legs)
· Standing Calf Raise w/Barbell On Shoulders (Calves)

These exercises are to be done in the order listed. It is always good to go through some general warmup motions before beginning your workout. You will workout three days per week, allowing one day in between each workout for recovery (M, W & F or T, Th & S). To start off with, do only one set of each exercise. Each set should consist of 8 to 12 repetitions. Start with a weight that you can only do about 8 reps with. When it gets to where you can do 12 reps with that same weight, add weight and drop back to 8 reps. Do this for two weeks. During the third and fourth week, you will do two sets of each exercise. During the fifth and sixth week, you will do three sets of each exercise. At this point, you will have developed a good base to work from and you will want to look into changing your routine a little and looking into some more advanced exercise movements.
There are many great books out there on how to train with weights. I highly recommend Volume Four, The Art of Expressing The Human Body. It has everything you need to develop an incredible fighting physique! See the link to Health For Life on the Links page of this website. They have some awesome fitness courses! Also, the Power Factor Specialization books by John Little and Peter Sisco are excellent. There are so many good books out on physical training these days that you can find anything you want to help accomplish your goals!

Forearm Specialization
Strong, powerful forearms are essential to Jeet Kune Do training. The wrists and hands have to be strong for punching, trapping and grappling applications. Also for repeated slamming into and bridging off the mook jong arms! There are many excellent forearm exercises, and also several special pieces of equipment designed to work the forearms and strengthen the grip. The Health for Life website mentioned above features many great pieces of equipment for forearm development.

I have always believed in working my forearms, and many comments have come my way over the years because of my forearm development. Below are some of the exercises that I have found to be most beneficial to my forearm development.
· Reverse Close Grip Barbell Curl
· Standing Alternate Reverse Dumbell Curl
· Seated Barbell Wrist Curl
· Behind The Back Wrist Curls
· Standing Dumbell Wrist Torques
· Kneeling Vertical Grip Dumbell Curl (Forearm Across Bench)
· Olympic Barbell Plate Finger Tip Curls
· Upward Pressure on Isometric Bar/Power Rack
· Wrist Roller
· Hand Gripper
· Marcy Wedge

When working the forearms, each set should be performed to failure! I have found that since we use the forearms so much in our daily lives, you almost have to overwork them to achieve the desired results! Some trainers might disagree, but I say work the forearms every day! This is what has yielded the best results for me! Experiment and see what works for you!

Abdominal Training Tips
Strong abdominal muscles are extremely important to the Jeet Kune Do practitioner! Most people tend to complain about the amount of time it takes to work the abdominals! It is much easier to make excuses for not doing it than it is to get busy and get it done! What follows is a simple, yet effective, abdominal routine that doesn't take long and anyone can benefit from! Try it! It works!

Before beginning, I would suggest doing some standing waist twisting movements and some side to side bending movements to warm up the mid-section and the lower back. Especially in colder temperatures!

Here's the routine:
· Seated Knee Raise - 3 sets, 20 - 25 reps
· Angular Seated Twist - 3 sets, 50 reps (25 to each side)
· Super Crunches - 3 sets, 20 - 25 reps

The idea behind this routine is to work the lower abs first, the obliques second and the upper abs last! Since the lower abs are used in all abdominal movements, you should work them first so that you don't pre-exhaust them while working the obliques or the upper abs. This assures that the lower abs get some specialization too!

To do the seated knee raise, you will need a sturdy chair or a weight bench. Sit down with your butt barely on the seating surface. Extend your legs out in front of you, keeping your upper body erect. Use your arms to steady the position if necessary. Now, without moving your upper body, pull your knees in toward your chest, bringing your heels toward your buttocks. Hold this contracted position for a few seconds, then slowly lower the legs back to the extended position. Exhale forcefully as you raise the knees, inhale as you lower them. That concludes one repetition. Work up to three sets of twenty-five repetitions.

To do the angular seated twist, you will need a weight bench and a staff or long wooden dowel. Sit straddling the bench, using one end of the bench to anchor your feet. Keeping your knees slightly bent, place the staff across your shoulders with the center of it right behind your neck and extend your arms down the length of the staff until they are fully extended. Now lean your upper body back until it is at approximately a forty-five degree angle to the bench and twist from side to side. It helps to pick a spot on the ceiling and keep your eyes focused on that spot throughout the movement. As you get adjusted to the movement, with each twist try to visualize the end of the staff reaching the spot on the ceiling each time you twist. This movement takes some getting used so, so you may have to adjust your angle so that you are more erect in the beginning. As you get used to the movement and your oblique muscles become stronger, you can lean back further. Make sure that all of the twisting movement comes from the waist. This assures that you do not cheat and that you get maximum benefit from the exercise. You can either count each twist a one rep and do 50 reps or count each right and left twist as one rep and do 25 reps. Work up to three sets. WARNING! - If you have a bad back, be very careful with this exercise!

To do the super crunch, you will need something to prop your lower legs on, like a weight bench, chair or sofa. Lie on your back on the floor with your lower legs (calves, ankles and feet) on the seating surface of the bench, chair or sofa. Scoot your buttocks up to the point where the bend at your knees is approximately ninety degrees and the bend at your hips is approximately ninety degrees. Based on the level of difficulty that you wish to experience, you can either place your hands at your sides (easiest), on your abdomen (still easy), cross your arms at your chest (harder) or place your hands on either side of your head (hardest). Do not, I repeat, do not place your hands behind your head and pull with them during this movement! This lessens the effect on the abs, and can cause neck or spinal damage! Your lower back (the smallest part) should remain on the floor at all times during this exercise. Now, to do this movement, you have to do two things at once! One of these is to raise the upper back off the floor, curling your trunk toward your knees. The other is to thrust you hips upward, raising your buttocks off the floor. Hold this position for a few seconds, then return to the buttocks and back on the floor position. Exhale as you raise and hold the flexed position, inhale as you return to starting position. This should really work you abs hard! Work up to three sets of 25 reps.

Try this routine for a few weeks and you just may decide to keep on doing it! It doesn't take much time, and it really works!

Basic Nutritional Supplementation
Although I will be discussing things in greater detail and going into many different areas as this website section develops, I feel that it is important to point out a few basic nutritional supplementation needs! It is really impossible to get everything that your body needs just from meals these days. I personally take Universal Nutrition’s Animal Pak once a day. I find that it contains many excellent ingredients for martial artists! I feel that the following nutritional supplements are absolutely necessary no matter what:
· Multi-Vitamin Tablets
· Multi-Mineral Tablets
· Vitamin B-Complex
· 1,000 mg. Vitamin C
· 1,000 IU Vitamin E
· Potassium
· Zinc
· Royal Jelly
· St. John's Wort
· Ginkgo Biloba

The Importance of a Good Diet
As martial artists, it is very important that we maintain a healthy diet and a bodyweight that is considered optimal for our personal physical performance. I have found that a bodyweight of 200 pounds seems to work best for me. I have weighed as much as 235, and although I was very strong at that weight, I felt sluggish and was easily winded when doing any type of aerobic movement.
To maintain a body weight of 200 pounds and feel good all the time, I have custom designed a diet for me that might also work for you if you are interested in losing a few pounds or maintaining a healthy bodyweight. I was able to lose thirty-five pounds following this diet, and now I am maintaining a bodyweight of 200 pounds without a problem, while still staying on the diet.

The number one rule of this diet is SUGAR IS THE ENEMY! No refined sugar whatsoever is allowed to be taken in while on the diet. You must also avoid foods that are quickly converted to sugar by the body such as white bread, pasta, rice, corn, carrots, etc. I also avoid foods that are fried or high in fat content while on the diet, as I feel those foods are counter productive to a healthy lifestyle anyway!
So, if these are things you do not eat, what do you eat? Well, lots of protein and complex carbohydrates, as well as fruit. Yes, I allowed myself to eat fruit. I drink lots of water, and with meals I will have either unsweetened tea or a diet drink such as Diet Coke. Anything that I want to sweeten is sweetened with either Nutrasweet or Splenda.

So, for an average meal I might have two grilled chicken breasts, some green beans, sliced strawberries and a Diet Coke. Another example of a meal would be a t-bone steak, baked sweet potato, salad and unsweetened tea to drink. See, the diet is not bad at all! Give it a try and see what you think. I think you will like it! Drop me an email letting me know your results!

Here is a photo of me at 47 years of age, weighing in at an even 200 pounds! Not bad for an old guy huh? :-)