Cross-training Resources

[Charles Lockhar]

if your knees and back are in good condition, jumprope is pretty good.

I've read that jumping rope is supposed to help footwork in boxing. Basically training you for having faster feet. Anybody have any experience with this?

-Charles Lockhart

[Charles Lockhar]

Deadlifts done safely are a great lift. I think they're pretty close to being the kind of the compound exercises. Almost everything I've read has indicated that they are a "whole body exercise", and one of the best for boosting testosterone levels, which increase how fast you can gain muscle ( I did find a reference once to a study that questioned the compound exercise/testosterone connection, but have read a number of other studies that supported the connection).

I usually do both squats and deadlifts the same day. I do squats first. If I get tired doing deadlifts I can drop the weight, with squats, there's the falling, the smashing, the noise, the blood, better to do those when you're still feeling all fresh and perky.

AFAIK, the biggest risk to deadlifts (and I think this relates to squats as well) is to the lower back. I also do Good Mornings after squats and deadlifts specifically to strengthen my lower back for when I deadlift heavier weights.

-Charles Lockhart, believer in the power of the deadlift.

[Bokushingu]

I've read that jumping rope is supposed to help footwork in boxing. Basically training you for having faster feet. Anybody have any experience with this?

-Charles Lockhart

Yep, 4 to 5 year US Ameatur boxing. use to do 30 mins of JR after 30 rounds of bag work each day. doing it with thermal suit on also helped shred water weight to make 156pd weigh in

Old man now. gonna start doing JR again for 10 to 15 mins a day, only.

[Charles Lockhar]

Yep, 4 to 5 year US Ameatur boxing. use to do 30 mins of JR after 30 rounds of bag work each day. doing it with thermal suit on also helped shred water weight to make 156pd weigh in

Old man now. gonna start doing JR again for 10 to 15 mins a day, only.

Can you list what benefits you achieved from the jump rope training? And do you feel that the same jump rope training would have the same benefits for kendo?

-Charles

[Charlie]

I use the rope for warming up and just suck at it. Here's my impersonation of me jumping rope.

fwp! fwp! fwp! fwp! STUMBLE *curses, starts over* fwp! fwp! fwp! fwp! STUMBLE (repeat)



Charles, what's a Good Morning? Also, can anyone give more advice on the deadlift technique? I think I'm putting too much pressure on my lower back. Squats I have down, I love 'em and even do 'em at work or at home with no weight.

[Kuma]

A sempai recently told me that jumping rope is the closest exercise to ji geiko that he can do at home. He recommended it for endurance training and footwork. I guess that I'll head over to Toys 'R' Us and by myself some exercise equipment.

[Bokushingu]

I use the rope for warming up and just suck at it. Here's my impersonation of me jumping rope.

fwp! fwp! fwp! fwp! STUMBLE *curses, starts over* fwp! fwp! fwp! fwp! STUMBLE (repeat)

-- lmao thats was me a month ago after restarting JR.

A sempai recently told me that jumping rope is the closest exercise to ji geiko that he can do at home. He recommended it for endurance training and footwork. I guess that I'll head over to Toys 'R' Us and by myself some exercise equipment.

yep kuma, it helps all that. plus its a mega body toner. Buy the JR with the small weighted handle(not too much weight). Get a small mp3 player, strap it to you & jump away.

[michaelm]

A sempai recently told me that jumping rope is the closest exercise to ji geiko that he can do at home. He recommended it for endurance training and footwork. I guess that I'll head over to Toys 'R' Us and by myself some exercise equipment.

Make sure you get the one with tassles on the handle and multi-colored plastic cylinders threaded by a 2 1/2 foot piece of plastic dental floss.

Seriously, good bearings and a leather rope is worth it.

[Kuma]

So do sporting goods stores carry jump ropes? If not, is there a specialty store where I should get one?

[Charles Lockhar]

So do sporting goods stores carry jump ropes? If not, is there a specialty store where I should get one?

Sports Authority, Wal-mart, Amazon...

Lots of different types of jump ropes, ranging in price from about 6 bucks up to about 40. You can buy a fairly decent speed rope for 6 or 7 bucks. I like the vinyl/pvc rope better than the leather, but that's because I live in an area with high humidity.

-Charles

[Kuma]

Thanks for the advice, folks. I'm gonna go get me one for when it gets a bit nicer outside. Unfortunately, I have no room to do so inside.

[Charlie]

So, a running update.

Neil, you're gonna kick me for being soft, but when the cold snap hit Michigan I pretty much stopped running and couldn't get to the indoor track. Well, it's warming up and I went for my first run over the weekend. Man, after not running for, like, eight weeks this thing kicked my ass! I also had some minor back pain but I have been speaking to other runners about it who have given me some advice (a lot of jarring up and down and running on wet muddy grass) but I gotta tell you, it's days later and I am still sore and tired. Last night at kendo practice I was wiped. Used that as an opportunity to push myself and do "tired kendo." Dude, one's jogging stamina really goes away without regular sustenance, doesn't it?

[Kuma]

Oh, no. I've gotten lazy myself. Oh, well. I'll join you soon in the tired kendoka category, Charlie. I'm heading home right now to start liftin' weights again.

Interesting timing with the post, though. You posted right after I checked back here to look at what people had to say about JR again. I got one yesterday with a leather rope, one pound handles and nice ball bearings. Only 7 bucks on sale, too. Now I just have to learn how to jump rope. :blush:

[mark]

Oh, no. I've gotten lazy myself. Oh, well. I'll join you soon in the tired kendoka category, Charlie. I'm heading home right now to start liftin' weights again.

Interesting timing with the post, though. You posted right after I checked back here to look at what people had to say about JR again. I got one yesterday with a leather rope, one pound handles and nice ball bearings. Only 7 bucks on sale, too. Now I just have to learn how to jump rope. :blush:

Decided to start skipping rope to help my footwork (lead feet) and have been trying to find something like that for a while. The one I ended up buying (10$) at a sports shop and wouldn't mind replacing is made by ATF and has a screw instead of bearrings. Where did you find yours?

[Kuma]

Decided to start skipping rope to help my footwork (lead feet) and have been trying to find something like that for a while. The one I ended up buying (10$) at a sports shop and wouldn't mind replacing is made by ATF and has a screw instead of bearrings. Where did you find yours?

Just at Dunhams, a cut-rate sporting goods store. Just about everything they had was on sale. Kinda run down in a dying strip mall, y'know? But I can't imagine that they would run much more expensive at any decent sporting good store. Dunhams even had a wide selection of brands and a nice variety of materials, weights, etc.