# Spice up your exercise routine!



## Lisa (Feb 13, 2006)

Ever get tired of the same old exercises over and over again?  Ya just don't wanna do them anymore?  Need something to spice up your conditioning routine.

What exercises that are out of the ordinary do you use to help alleviate the dull boring exercise routine?  Does your sensei/instructor have any really fun (fun for them to watch you doing, lol) exercises that you do in class?

I figure we could post them here and get a thread going so that when we are in a funk and need something different, we can refer to this thread and maybe get ourselves pumped up again.

Post an explanation of your exercises and some pics too, if you got 'em!


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## TigerWoman (Feb 13, 2006)

No, I never get bored except maybe when we do 5000 front kicks to a stationary bag and no music!  We do bag workout-kicking and punching, or just punching numbers on the bag, or everyone in a line doing  techniques on the bags in a row, or doing speed drills on the paddle, or doing flexibility on the bags or paddle or doing alot of spinning on the bags or spin heels to the paddles. 

Or using focus pads, blastmaster and kicking hard, or doing 360° and kicking harder.  Or doing pair focus paddle line work, the long way of the dojang, doing alot of jumping and spinning.  Or doing air exercises the short way of the gym working on transitioning quickly from one technique to another. Or having an imaginary opponent and doing sparring technique, offensive or defensive.  Or running and jumping flying sidekick to bags or paddles, or the pad on the wall.  Or running around obstacles, jumping over cones, foam fences, kicking.  Or practicing kicking to a suspended ball, either for flying side, high sidekick, spin heel, flexibility practice or slow motion kicks.  Or using the bungee cords for resistance kicking & punching up and down the line.  Or using the foam sticks and sparring partners. Or just doing my kickboxing workout on the bags or without them in more a routine.  Or we just do kids workout and become one with the floor.  Or we do breaking practicing for tournaments or testing. Doing 21 forms full power is really a complete workout.  Or we do self-defense with partners.  Sparring either technique work one steps type or full sparring.  Or we hit balls tossed up in the air to do either round kick for newbies or spin heel or multiple balls spin heel-where I am at but not easy. Some days, very rare, we just warm up and do forms to warm up then stretching. The opposite of stretching is to do double front kick in the air-both feet coming up same time to paddles, the whole session. Makes you very sore and stiff. Sometimes in the summer we go to the duck park, as we call it and run and play in the grass. In bare feet, it can be very hazardous with the duck gak. So I guess we have alot of variety.  TW


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## Gary Crawford (Feb 13, 2006)

Getting bored,unfortunatly is someting I think most of us deal with from time to time. I have found it very inspiring to just go visit a school that I have never been to before to get ideas. Most of the time I don't find anything new,but get reminded of something that I haven't done in a long time. Sometimes just having a philsophical discussion with an instructor I have never met before will give me new inspiration. It seems the older I get,the more open minded I am about training ideas.


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## Shirt Ripper (Feb 13, 2006)

Thinking outside the dojo (dojang, whatever...)...

Handstand work.  Static, walking push-ups.  Most will _not_ find these movements in any way natural and therefore will be challenged.  Will do wonders for your upper body strength.

Start on a wall.


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## terryl965 (Feb 13, 2006)

Good foot and eye cordination we do TKD baseball, use a little ball under hand pitch and use the backleg roundhouse for the bat, or use the backkick works well inside the dojang we use shields for bases and they can throw the ball at the runner for an out and the runner can jump, duck to avoid the ball for the out. Breaks up the old routine sometimes.
terry


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## Lisa (Feb 14, 2006)

This is one of my favorites to do to work the hamstrings:Lie on the floor and place heels on the ball.  Squeeze glutes         and lift hips until your body is in a straight line.  Contracting         the hamstrings, press the heels into the ball and roll it towards you         while keeping the glutes and abs tight (don't sink in the middle!).  It is really hard to do!  Try doing it with only one leg!


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## shesulsa (Feb 14, 2006)

Lisa said:
			
		

> This is one of my favorites to do to work the hamstrings:Lie on the floor and place heels on the ball.  Squeeze glutes         and lift hips until your body is in a straight line.  Contracting         the hamstrings, press the heels into the ball and roll it towards you         while keeping the glutes and abs tight (don't sink in the middle!).  It is really hard to do!  Try doing it with only one leg!


my legs hurt just thinking about this ...


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## Eternal Beginner (Feb 14, 2006)

Lisa said:
			
		

> Does your sensei/instructor have any really fun (fun for them to watch you doing, lol) exercises that you do in class?


A game we play to get everyone really working hard and also has side benefit of everyone going for submissions is "street brawl".  Usually get two teams of six or more guys paired up and when instructor gives the signal you grab your partner and try to submit them as quick as you can.

Once you have submitted your partner they are 'out' and you can go help a teammate submit their opponent.  Very goofy, very fun and very amusing as one team get the upperhand and starts to get two or three guys trying to submit one poor slob.

We also play soccer, but we have to stay on all fours.  

And if things start to get really stale, we have been known to escape the gym and play real soccer in a field nearby, go paintballing, or skiing as a club.  Great exercise, clears out the cobwebs and builds team spirit.


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## Lisa (Feb 14, 2006)

Shirt Ripper said:
			
		

> Thinking outside the dojo (dojang, whatever...)...
> 
> Handstand work.  Static, walking push-ups.  Most will _not_ find these movements in any way natural and therefore will be challenged.  Will do wonders for your upper body strength.
> 
> Start on a wall.



Those sound...err... fun 

I also like doing push ups with my feet on an exercise ball as well.  Trying to keep your balance while doing them is a trick in itself. 

Part of what I really enjoyed was circuit type of training.  Having people stand at the two bags we had in our school.  One kick, one punch, someone else doing sit ups, another stretching, another push ups and circuiting around, staying at each station for a few minutes.  That really was a lot of fun.


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## Shirt Ripper (Feb 14, 2006)

Wrestlers might appreciate this one:

Instead of barbells and the like one can use a partner as resistance.  Draped over you shoulders or sitting on your shoulders, held out front in cradle position or simply dragged.  Try walking around with a partner on your shoulders.  Take it up hill and it's doubley fun.  You can work squatting, lunges, presses (depending on the size of your partner) and static work.  Great for the trunk of the body.


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## luigi_m_ (Feb 15, 2006)

In terms of weight lifting, I have just added a new exercise to my routine; the Barbell Push.

Imagine you are doing a barbell chest press, but standing up. You may need to start with a very light B/B, but standing and pushing the bar away from you at chest height will build strength rather than muscle, on the mid-back, triceps, chest, delts, traps, abs, obliques and core.

Also, if you don't already, start swimming. I lifeguard so I get a lot of swimming in, and aparantly Bruce Lee used to do a lot of it, if that's anything to go on...


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## Shirt Ripper (Feb 15, 2006)

Luigi, so are you pushing the bar forward still, as in a "standing bench press" where the bar moves parallel to the ground?  

Should help with shoulder girdle stability.


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## luigi_m_ (Feb 16, 2006)

Yeah, pushing the bar straight out so that it stays horizontal the whole time. This is excellent for the core as it uses all of your stabilising muscles down the spine, and also on the obliques. It may not sound hard, but you will need to start with a low weight first, and just work up as you would any exercise.


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## Shirt Ripper (Feb 16, 2006)

Yeah, I figured that's what you meant...just wanted to be sure.

Another tip:

I've mentioned this idea before but doing things with one limb is a great way to challenge the body.  Pressing, squatting, etc.  Single arm overhead stone presses are one of my favorite exercises.


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