Hey brothers and sisters! How is your training going?

I was going to release my training update today (It’s done, finally!), however Sifu Larry asked me to wait till Sun. to release it. So I am going to have to keep you waiting just a bit more. 🙁

In my post you will see Sifu Larry showing me no mercy and also me doing a split in the air. LOL, I struggle with Sifu Larry’s version of pushups, but jump and do a split in the air?! Yeah, I got that! Ha!

This week I’ve trained mainly on creating more arcs in my movements and learning how to integrate how I feel energy in dancing, healing and other things to Kung Fu. It’s insane, but it is no different in our fighting. It’s been hard for me to integrate that as the other things are more peace, love and happiness and well fighting is not so much.

However, while the scenario is not the same, the energy is. So I’m working on breaking that disconnect I have so it won’t slow down my progression anymore. I wish Sifu Larry would have let me film that lesson as it was a really great lesson. I am going to see if I can get him to do another demonstration of this, because I believe it will help you out too.

This past week I’ve learned I’ve come a lot further in my fitness than I realized. It’s so important to test ourselves on a regular basis not only so we can make gains, but to also realize how far we have come.

This past weekend I went to the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Despite the name, it actually takes place outside of Philly in a mountain area called Upper Salford Township. I have photos, but I will have to get them to you next week! So more on that soon.

The really neat thing was I got to compare my fitness level from the previous year. Last year was my first year attending and the area is very hilly where the camp sites and stage are. Meaning there are a lot of steep inclines and declines, which means you are working out all day long.

While I was exercising and training about the same amount I did last year, I’ve been training longer consistently since then. It was interesting to see that my fitness level has significantly increased. Hill climbing all day long barely effected my legs and my lungs where way less effected too.

Sifu Larry tends to get on me about not realizing how far I come a lot. I must admit I am way harder on myself than I am to others. It was neat to see what he meant and how far I’ve come in a years time.

I have to remind myself to celebrate the small victories along the way.
The day after I got back Larry challenged me to start running on the treadmill at least 6 times a week. I loathe the treadmill. I’d rather be outside. But since I don’t have the most stellar running shoes, Sifu Larry warned me about shin splits… So to the treadmill I went.

He also set parameters on my running, he wanted me to run for 15 minutes straight, test my heart rate and then run another 15. I was like, “Dude, the most I ran before on occasion was more like interval running, walk a few minutes, run 4 minutes and repeat…” And that would be for a max of 25 minutes total, usually only 20.

I honestly did not think I would be able to do what he asked, but I did it anyway. And that’s when I realized my cardio has significantly increased not just in the past year but also in the past 6 months. I ran the whole time, I didn’t stop and I didn’t take walk breaks either.

I am not going to lie, three days in and each time is still a struggle. The running isn’t, it’s the length of time plus being stuck on a treadmill the whole time.

And it doesn’t matter whether I am jamming out to my favorite tunes or listening to a motivational talk… My ADD wants to take over so bad and rebel so badly! I think that’s why I always stuck to interval training, because it appeases my ADD a little bit. LOL!

Then today I got another increase in skill. I got to increase my weights on the bench. I went from 80 to 95 bench pressing. It was yet another thing I didn’t think I could do (hello, I was struggling with that 80 just a week and a half ago), but since Sifu Larry was sooo sure I could, well I had to try. 😉 And like the running, it worked!

The point is, right now you are probably a lot further than you were a month ago, 6 months ago, a year ago and so on. And maybe like me, you have no clue how far you have come. Maybe you too are harder on you than other people.

I challenge you to test yourself, do things that you think you can’t or couldn’t do before. See how much you have increased your strength, stamina, etc.

Have you noticed any increases in your strength and stamina since being a part of Enter Shaolin? Please share them in the comments at the end of this post. 🙂

Now on to your training…

Here’s Your New Enter Shaolin Training:

C.O.R.E. Training