The Armour Archive

All write I have been off the feild for about 3yrs due to family reasons. I am fat and out of shape. I need to get back into shap any recomendations? Also I dont want to here anything about rule changes My Marshals can fill me in there.

from Knoch

knoch wrote:All write I have been off the feild for about 3yrs due to family reasons. I am fat and out of shape. I need to get back into shap any recomendations? Also I dont want to here anything about rule changes My Marshals can fill me in there.

from Knoch

Yeah, I have a LOT of suggestions.

How much time can you put in?

How committed are you?

f

You get rid of fat by changing what you eat first and foremost, that is how you put it on by eating. Eat whole foods, fruits and vegetables, avoid eating things that come from a factory or have a sauce, batter or are fried. Eat lean protein (some beefs, chicken, turkey, fish) in small amounts. Drink lots of water everyday.

For exercise focus on resistance work to build muscle and burn fat. For cardiovascular fitness focus on high intensity interval training rather than long (over 30 minutes) boring aerobic exercise. That is unless you enjoy such type of exercise.

Remember to stretch and don't rush your program to avoid injuries.

I use the program from www.turbulencetraining.com (yes there is a cost but it is worth it).

2 to 3 nights a week for works outs each night about 1 to 3 hr. Also I know practise here in the Knoxville area is only on sunday. I tried a few Yrs ago to try and anotehr practise started but no takers it still sounds about the same today.

from Knoch

rice and potatoes become treats, buckwheat, oatmeal, and barley become staples

check
http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=56133
for a discussion on how to set up a filling meal that uses cerial grains

good luck

Welcome back Knoch. If you can get the gym time in you are actually ahead of most fighters actively fighting.

One bit of warning about returning after a long break is Useda-could.

I useda land that.... I could throw a mean... I never fell for that....

Your fighting brain will return much faster than the muscle memory, reaction time and targeting. Spend some time at a pell.

Alvar

When at the gym, don't work opposing muscle groups in the same day (biceps and triceps for instance)

Don't work the same muscle group two days in a row (except abs, those can usually handle the abuse)

Stretching while your muscles are cold can actually be damaging for you. So don't sit down and stretch your calves right before running at the start of your workout. Better to do some sort of warmup(jumping jacks, squat thrusts), before stretching, and don't do ballistic stretching!
As a warning, squat thrusts can be pretty damaging on certain body parts, especially for heavy guys.

MAKE IT A HABIT TO GO!! Set up a self rule: No dinner until I've worked out, or whatever it takes to get you motivated.

Start a light workout and work up: Your light workout should go for 2 or 3 weeks until your body is used to it. Then you can start upping the reps and weights. If you start adding on too soon, you'll be too sore to go to the gym.

Always go to the gym. If you're really too hurt to work out, go anyway, don't work muscles that are injured. Just sit on an exercise bike or something.

Don't make excuses to NOT go to the gym.

*******************************************
That is most of what a friend told me, when I wanted to start working out for strength increase (stronger, not more defined). I've omitted a few things that weren't applicable to your case, because well, I was 135 pounds and 6ft when he sent me that info.
My own workout at the time was a 3 day cycle. Worked my abs and half the muscle groups on the 'A' day. Worked my abs and other half of the muscle groups on the 'B' day. Had a day off, then back to 'A' day.
Also drank a protein shake with whole milk in it after I got back home.
All this was more than a year ago, and it worked until I went on vacation, at which point I couldn't get motivated to go when I got back.

I'll wholeheartedly second what Alvar said. After almost four years off I started back up again in December. What I have found is that my body is not convinced it can still do the things my brain tels it it used to do. Its rough and I think I may have to change and relearn q lot of my fundamentals if I want to be competitive again.
Good luck to you
Peace
Drefan

thank you all for your great info. One of the things I have allways strugled with is Stamana. Any recomendations for this. I have allways thought that when I step in for an attack or flurry of blows I would forget to breath. any recomendations. Especialy if I hit the gym? One of the things I am most worried about is my wrist. I have noticed when I pick up my old sword I realy can feel the tip weight. I dont remeber this in my younger days. My sword has not changed Same Pomel same counter weight.

Alvar or should I say Sir Alvar, good to hear from you again. I have allreay thought about what you advise also and very much agree with you. I think I wont mention my past and just start anew. Wow a 40 yr old Newbie. I still have my complete Harnes Including the the Brian thornbird helm I bought off your old Knight. Still love it But just sits there on the Mantle looking a little sad not being used. I think it looks forward to being used agan.


From Knoch

how much time to you have?

How much effort/energy can you spare for it?

f

I am shooting for a Tourney in oct her in the knoxville are called silver hammer. There are few Famly things that I will have to scheduale around in June and july.


From Knoch

Knoch, I don't have any good advice, but just want to say that merely seeing your name brings back memories. Glad to hear you are coming back, good luck, and just remember that putting armor on is the hard part.. once you get past that, things are easy! So work on putting armor on. As often as you can.

knoch wrote: I have allways thought that when I step in for an attack or flurry of blows I would forget to breath. any recomendations. Especialy if I hit the gym? One of the things I am most worried about is my wrist. I have noticed when I pick up my old sword I realy can feel the tip weight. I dont remeber this in my younger days. My sword has not changed Same Pomel same counter weight.
From Knoch

Intervals are good for what we do in the SCA as you have to breath well during the intense part of the intervals. In my experience forgetting to breath is more fight specific. I tense up and stop breathing. I have heard of tricks such as chewing gum. What I did in the end was just practiced breathing when I fought (sometimes at the expense of another skill) until I would not tense up and stop breathing.

For the wrist and other joint muscles performing body weight and dumb bell exercises forces many of the small muscles to become engaged and grow. Using barbells less so and machines do even less to built the stabilizer muscles. Good luck. I suggest you get a personal trainer if you can afford it even if just for a few sessions to learn a routine.

knoch wrote:One of the things I am most worried about is my wrist. I have noticed when I pick up my old sword I realy can feel the tip weight. I dont remeber this in my younger days. My sword has not changed Same Pomel same counter weight.
From Knoch

Maybe some of the exercises that rehab trainers make people do?
In your off time, just bend your hand forward at the wrist, then back, then side to side (but not too far, or you'll just make it hurt without any gain)?
They'll make you sore for a while, but once that stops, you can try doing so while holding a soda can. Hell, an empty beer bottle.
Later, raise the weight, but not for a long time.

I'm doing those for wrist strain right now. Haven't been able to fight in a month, but after a week and a half of those, I think I can hold a stick again without hurting.

herrhauptmann wrote:

knoch wrote:One of the things I am most worried about is my wrist. I have noticed when I pick up my old sword I realy can feel the tip weight. I dont remeber this in my younger days. My sword has not changed Same Pomel same counter weight.
From Knoch

Maybe some of the exercises that rehab trainers make people do?
In your off time, just bend your hand forward at the wrist, then back, then side to side (but not too far, or you'll just make it hurt without any gain)?
They'll make you sore for a while, but once that stops, you can try doing so while holding a soda can. Hell, an empty beer bottle.
Later, raise the weight, but not for a long time.

I'm doing those for wrist strain right now. Haven't been able to fight in a month, but after a week and a half of those, I think I can hold a stick again without hurting.

Is the bottle supposed to start out empty

If you "cup" your hand and run a couple of rubber banks around your fingertips just above the knuckle, just below the nail bed it will add to that evercise
- place the bands, open against the tension roll your wrist clockwise
close
-open against the tension, roll your wrist counterclockwise
close
just do a few the first time you try it, it feels easy but the next day the outside of your forearm can be in knots if you overdo it.

As a nice added benefit this builds the muscle that lives just on the outside of your elbow which functions as a shock absorber for the joint

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Body-Life-Mental-Physical-Strength/dp/0060193395/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238765850&sr=8-1">Read this book.</a> Ignore anything he tries to sell you, and just follow the program.

Slow and steady. Worst thing to do is push to hard, stop and get frustrated.

Yoga - really!

Wii Fit. If you have a Wii, Wii fit is a surprising workout. The Strength training is VERY core oriented - not a bad thing. The yoga and balance programs are good (and actually entertaining), and will help your fighting. The aerobic might seem lame, but you might be surprised. Not a bad little home workout.



.

Knoch,

I went away for a bit more than 3 years and came back, so I feel for ya. I can't offer much advice on physical fitness, since I was a fat boy even when I was hot, and worse now.

I will agree with Alvar on the "useda-could" problem. When I left I was fighting pretty well (not quite well enough to have a white belt to show for it, but a toe or two across the line into that territory). When I came back, I sucked. Seeing guys I started with or even guys I had taught now outrank me stung for a bit, but getting over personal envy wasn't that much of a problem. The problem I still wrestle with is comparing myself now to myself then. This is both an ego and motivation problem (i.e., "I'm not as good as I used to be, I'll probably never be that good again, why don't I just give up...") and also a technical issue, when I have to decide between developing something new vs trying to relearn something I used to do. These are the things I'd say to look out for.

There are plenty of fat and out of shape people on the field already, why would one more be noticeable?

Just do it.

Remember to laugh no matter how frustated you get. I'm about ready to put the armour back on after a year and looking at the same problems (only 10 years older then you).

Baron Alcyoneus wrote:There are plenty of fat and out of shape people on the field already, why would one more be noticeable?

Just do it.

My point precisely. Fighting while oveweight is proven to not be a great hindrance, though I shan't pretend you wouldn't be better off without it.