Michael Matthews - Effective Martial Arts Training with No Equipment or Partner vol. 1: Functional strength, Balance and Explosive power

Functional Strength, Balance and Explosive Power ( B0079ZNPOW ).

Ageless Flexibility, Mobility and Breathing ( ASIN ).

Meaningful Combat Psychology and Motivation for Training ( ASIN ).

Stamina, Quickness and Endurance in Excess ( ASIN ).

How to Put It All Together ( ASIN ).

SAVE BIG: The Master Collection ( ASIN ): Get All 5 for the Price of 3! Limited Time Offer!

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Are you looking forward to having a well-built body and feeling good about yourself? Have you started on some exercise regime and yet find no visible results? Do you find the exercise regime too difficult to persevere?

Cast away your worries and find your solutions here! This book offers you all you need to know on the most effective way to exercise, not to mention that they will also be fun, easy and creative. The catch is: Dont do the normal stuff; do the most effective stuff! This book also includes plenty of pictures that will guide you towards feeling better and more confident about yourself through effective exercises. The exercises recommended in this book are also cost-effective. So dont worry about splurging a huge amount of money. A little time is all you need for a well-built, healthy body.

In order to have an effective round of exercise, it is important to group these exercises together into circuits. Pick, for instance 4-6 types of exercises and then perform them in succession. After that, do them again with fewer reps and then go through the entire circuit 3-4 times. Ensure there is a balance in the parts of the body that you are training. If your body is expected to perform at a high level, you have to make sure that things are even and balanced. The great thing about bodyweight exercises is that they usually dont train one muscle group at a time. This is the same in fighting. That being said, a sit-up works the abs more than a pushup, even though a correctly performed pushup is regarded as a compound exercises. The descriptions provided in this book should be able to help you feel your own body and know just exactly which part of your body is being worked on. There is another important point to note for an effective exercise. That is to know your weaknesses. Work more on the part where you know are weak. Where do you get especially sore? Make sure to include an exercise especially for that area.

Therefore, when you select a circuit, pick perhaps, a pushup, sit-up, back exercise, a squat, an explosive exercise and an isometric. Perform maybe 20 of each, and then 15, 10, so on and so forth.

When you administer your break, please keep in mind to what are you training for. Are you training for some sort of competition or belt-test? If you are going to be fighting a round of 2-3 minutes and then a break, incorporate this structure into your training. If you are training for a belt-test where you have to fight a number of people in succession with no break, then do all the exercises without a break. You may not be able to do them as fast as the guy with the break, but thats okay. Just keep in mind as to what you are training for.

Also remember to vary the exercises you are doing in your circuit and pay attention to the order of it. It helps your motivation and your body wont adapt to it so easily. Therefore, youll get more out of your training.

If you find that you cant perform with good form, stop. When you are training on your own, you dont have anyone to correct your mistakes but yourself. So be wary of that. It is recommended that you do these exercises outside or at the dojo. Dont do these at home. Youll definitely slack. The ideal thing would be to do them at a public place. Human performs better when other people are watching.

The material in this book is for informational purposes only. You should use proper discretion, in consultation with a health care practitioner, before undertaking the exercises and techniques described in this book. The author and publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects that may result from the use or application of the information contained in this book.

Squats: Bend through your knees until your thighs become parallel. Once that happens you move upwards to standing position. Dont go further down. Always keep your chest up. Keep your head in line with your torso and look forward. Heels should be shoulder-width apart. In order to avoid knee injuries, your toes must always be aligned to your knees. Keep your hands up and do NOT let your heels come off the floor. Dont worry if you cant get all the way down to parallel, you will get there in time.

Squats with front-kick: When you come up from the squat, do a front-kick with one leg. The front-kick is also called a push-kick. Use the other leg when you come up the next time. Make sure you do an even number so both legs get the same amount for training. Also make sure that when you are squatting down, go straight down and not to bend to one side because you are anticipating the front-kick. Dont worry if you cant perform the front-kick perfectly. Just work on your flexibility and technique. Flexibility will be extensively covered in another volume of this series.

With a log or some sort of a bar: If you cant find a log or some sort of a bar, dont worry about it. This is only a type of variation. Just do more of the other variations of squat exercises. But if you manage to find one, put the bar on the top of your shoulder-blades and on your back muscles - NOT on your spine. Your back supports the weight, not your hands. Keep your wrists in line with your forearm, never bend them.

Single leg: Do the single leg version as a variation and emphasize on balance.

Push-ups: Done properly, it is a compound exercise that uses muscles in the chest, shoulders, triceps, back, abs and even the legs. Get on the floor and position your hands shoulder-width. If possible, perform the exercise on your knuckles with a tightly closed fist. Make sure it is the two front knuckles that is in contact with the surface. This increases the distance you can cover with the push-up movement and therefore gives you an opportunity to increase the difficulty of the exercise. It also strengthens your knuckles and wrist. Furthermore, youre elevated further off the floor, so you can go down further and get a deep stretch in your chest and shoulders. It also makes the going back up more difficult. Dont worry if it hurts in the beginning and you cant do it. It gets easier with time.

Rise up onto your toes so that you are balanced on your hands and toes. Keep your body in a straight line from head to toe without sagging in the middle or arching your back. Your feet can be close together or a bit wider depending on what is most comfortable for you. Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows. Exhale as you begin pushing back up to the start position.