Beginner - Need some advice :)

[mukashimantis]

You can do some core exercises like planks, do pull/chin ups. Rolling/tumbling and crawling are also good. Tree climbing if you have a tree around. If stuck inside, crawling over and under furniture helps keep you flexible. Squeezing a tennis ball is good for finger strength. Running through woods or on beach if possible. If you look around the house/yard, you can find things to incorporate into your workout. Doing pushups with your hans and/or feet balancing on top of books, or bricks etc. Hope this gives you a good starting point. Good luck and let us know what else you come up with.

 

[Indagator]

Rolling/tumbling

Man, I had Statesboro Blues stuck in my head until I read that... Now - Rollin And Tumbling of course

to the OP: when I have periods that I cannot attend training in class I solo train and focus on the basics and just going over and over the stuff I have been learning - essentially just trying to carry on building a strong foundation in the basics.
If you feel that the short time you spent in training prior to departure has not given you anything to really go over yet as it is all still too new (which is natural, don't worry ) then my advice would be to work on flexibility and cardio. Some of this is going to depend on the curriculum of your particular dojo - some dojo will have you doing (or working towards doing) handsprings and cartwheels as part of your taihenjutsu (as per the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku No Maki) and others will be happy to simply roll and breakfall.
You can roll with a belly - I did.

Perhaps I might suggest not to worry too much just yet as to preparing to train, sounds like studying with books &c. on some of the background and history is a good idea, but aside from that you can just try to let things flow naturally and relax - there's no hurry. If the general attitude is that you train until you die, then you've got a whole lifetime of training ahead of you. Let it work at its own pace and enjoy the journey you are readying yourself for.

Gambatte kudasai!

 

[onyros]

Thanks all for your advice
I'll focus on cardio, stretching and do some lifting and maybe focus on my Zen meditation until June

 

[Tez3]

Where are you, on the moon?

But yeah, at your age, it should be no problem. I got into the best shape of my life in 13 weeks when I was 18 years old (and you're not that much older). It was called Marine Corps Boot Camp. I went in weighing 175 and came out weighing 145. I'm 5' 10" tall. Of course, I now weight quite a bit more than that...but I forgive myself, I'm 50.

Mt daughter and I went to watch the Russian State Ballet of Siberia the other night ( they were brilliant), afterwards we stood shivering waiting for my husband to pick us up we saw the dancers come out to have a cigarette while they waited for their bus, they were wearing clothes we would wear in summer, they seemed as if it were a balmy summers night to them lol!

 

[Chris Parker]

Let me get this straight, you're a doctor and you're asking a bunch of strangers on a forum what exercise you should do? With almost no training behind you, just work on general fitness, and you should have more than enough information about that yourself due to your career, honestly. If you've trained for a month in a Bujinkan school, I would assume you've been shown Sanshin, Kihon Happo, maybe one or two more things. If you can remember them, try to go through them semi-regularly, other than that, just basic exercise. I'd recommend walking, but you say it's a little cold where(ever) you are, maybe a treadmill if you have the room? But walking is better than running from our perspective.

 

[Chris Parker]

Oh, and additionally, have you been taught Zen meditation? Not that it's in any way a preparation, or really an effect on the physical side of training, I'm just curious.

 

[Cyriacus]

Let me get this straight, you're a doctor and you're asking a bunch of strangers on a forum what exercise you should do? With almost no training behind you, just work on general fitness, and you should have more than enough information about that yourself due to your career, honestly. If you've trained for a month in a Bujinkan school, I would assume you've been shown Sanshin, Kihon Happo, maybe one or two more things. If you can remember them, try to go through them semi-regularly, other than that, just basic exercise. I'd recommend walking, but you say it's a little cold where(ever) you are, maybe a treadmill if you have the room? But walking is better than running from our perspective.

Failing a Treadmill, if You have a decent size living room, Jog from one end to the other. Turn Left, then Left, then Right, then Right, and repeat. It works interestingly well if You cant comfortably go outside to do it, and dont want to invest in a Treadmill.

 

[Chris Parker]

Not jog. Walk. That's why I specifically said "walking is better than running from our perspective". I'm speaking from the perspective of our art, beyond general fitness.

 

[Cyriacus]

Not jog. Walk. That's why I specifically said "walking is better than running from our perspective". I'm speaking from the perspective of our art, beyond general fitness.

Yeah, but this is a matter of limited space. Walking doesnt tend to work as well, I find, if youre turning about every 5 seconds. A continual walk, however, id absolutely agree on.

 

[Chris Parker]

Which is why I suggested a treadmill. But really, running/jogging is not preferred for us, regardless of the room constraints.

 

[Cyriacus]

Which is why I suggested a treadmill. But really, running/jogging is not preferred for us, regardless of the room constraints.

Fair enough - I see benefits in both, depending on what youre trying to achieve, but I see no reason to go into this further. Im sure we both know the Pros of each, and wouldnt gain much from discussing them.

Personally, I tend to use Jogging as a Warmup, simply because its faster. But favor Walking for Exercise.

 

[Chris Parker]

Due to jogging and running keeping you more on the balls of your feet, that keeps a constant tension in your calf, as it pulls your heel up. Continued for long periods can lead to the shortening of the calf muscle, which is the exact opposite of what is required for Taijutsu movement and kamae. By shortening the calf muscles, it is harder to get the deeper kamae, and longer steps that form our system. Walking gives the same fitness benefit of running when done for twice the time (run for half an hour, walk for an hour etc), without the negative side-effects. Being less impactful, it also is better for your ankle and knee joints.

So, for us, walk. For TKD, where bouncing on your toes is favoured in some forms, jogging and running are good, as it conditions the calf for such tension.

 

[Cyriacus]

Due to jogging and running keeping you more on the balls of your feet, that keeps a constant tension in your calf, as it pulls your heel up. Continued for long periods can lead to the shortening of the calf muscle, which is the exact opposite of what is required for Taijutsu movement and kamae. By shortening the calf muscles, it is harder to get the deeper kamae, and longer steps that form our system. Walking gives the same fitness benefit of running when done for twice the time (run for half an hour, walk for an hour etc), without the negative side-effects. Being less impactful, it also is better for your ankle and knee joints.

So, for us, walk. For TKD, where bouncing on your toes is favoured in some forms, jogging and running are good, as it conditions the calf for such tension.

This probably explains why the one and only time I tried the whole bouncing thing when I used to do ITF, I wound up with sore calves. Thats actually rather interesting.

 

[oaktree]

Walking does not give you the same endurance as running.
Try walking an hour one day then try a 10 minute sprint
Another day you will be able to feel the difference.

I walk everywhere some times over an hour and
Its no where near the endurance level of sprints and running
Why because you are using more oxygen.

If you are having trouble sinking deeper in your
Stances its not cause of running it's cause
You are not sinking deep enough I know plenty
Of people who run and can get low in stances
And have good root and structure. Chen taijiquan
Has very low stances so the whole you can't get in low
Stances cause you run is B.S.

 

[onyros]

Let me get this straight, you're a doctor and you're asking a bunch of strangers on a forum what exercise you should do? With almost no training behind you, just work on general fitness, and you should have more than enough information about that yourself due to your career, honestly. If you've trained for a month in a Bujinkan school, I would assume you've been shown Sanshin, Kihon Happo, maybe one or two more things. If you can remember them, try to go through them semi-regularly, other than that, just basic exercise. I'd recommend walking, but you say it's a little cold where(ever) you are, maybe a treadmill if you have the room? But walking is better than running from our perspective.

Yeap I am a doctor and I'm situated in a mountain village in Bohemia (Central Europe) with approx 50 people living here and we're looking at crazy low temperatures right now

You know I studied for 6 years but none of my knowledge is useful for stretching or exercising, we don't really do those things as subjects. I'm not a physiotherapist or something So why not ask a "bunch of strangers online" in something they did/do way more than me ?

It's just a January-June thing I volunteered for until my graduation ceremony (happens only in July + October and due to my study plans I wasn't elligible for either).

A family is hosting me in a 50 square meter loft...

It's lovely outside to run, jog and so on but winter hit us hard since mid November (At least people said to me) and it's not getting better... I'm afraid...

Imagine Rocky the movie where he was in Russia and ran in the snow and you have a picture in what I'm facing right now


I don't think you get taught Zen, you just practise it... I showed a lot of interest in it and then stopped so maybe I should focus on that for now + fitness

 

[Chris Parker]

Oh, believe me, you get taught Zen. Otherwise, you're not doing Zen, really. Same with any martial art, if you're not being taught it, you're not doing it.

 

[onyros]

Well I'd love to be taught Zen but that's not an option

Best is to do something than nothing right?

 

[Cyriacus]

Well I'd love to be taught Zen but that's not an option

Best is to do something than nothing right?

Eh... No.
Doing something incorrectly can be incredibly counterproductive.
But to each their own, its Your call in the end.
And Zen might not be too terribly hard to learn I guess.

**So has spoken someone who barely actually knows what Zen is beyond it being a Meditative Spritual thingy that seems very Asian**

 

[Tez3]

Yeap I am a doctor and I'm situated in a mountain village in Bohemia (Central Europe) with approx 50 people living here and we're looking at crazy low temperatures right now

You know I studied for 6 years but none of my knowledge is useful for stretching or exercising, we don't really do those things as subjects. I'm not a physiotherapist or something So why not ask a "bunch of strangers online" in something they did/do way more than me ?

It's just a January-June thing I volunteered for until my graduation ceremony (happens only in July + October and due to my study plans I wasn't elligible for either).

A family is hosting me in a 50 square meter loft...

It's lovely outside to run, jog and so on but winter hit us hard since mid November (At least people said to me) and it's not getting better... I'm afraid...

Imagine Rocky the movie where he was in Russia and ran in the snow and you have a picture in what I'm facing right now


I don't think you get taught Zen, you just practise it... I showed a lot of interest in it and then stopped so maybe I should focus on that for now + fitness

That's a nice place to be stuck in, perhaps summer would have been better though! Doctors are good at a lot of things but not the fitness stuff, we have a couple of army doctors who train with us, they have no idea of what exercises to do etc other than what they've learned in the army as opposed to medical school, I have to say they aren't very good at first aid either lol as they don't usually get the patient until after that bit is done.

 

[onyros]

Zen doesn't require anything physical its purely spiritual. So you may waste your time, but that's all...Then again, if you read Zen teachings, even wasting your time in zazen is actually Zen

Anyways yeah I'm useless in gymnastics or what exercises to do but I know all the muscles, nerves, vessels, mechanism of function on a gross and histological level.

Knowing how the body works and where everything is located doesn't necessarily mean you know how to train it, strengthen it and overall improve it That's not my area of expertise!