Tested out the original work out. it sucked mightily. since then i've been trying to find the most efficient way to gain the strength i need in order to get stronger in kendo. i did a home work out thing, it didn't work out that well, i did gain strength, but my body fat percentage went up. since then, i lost my job. so now i apply to places and what not during the day. it's not so bad though, because now i can train for hours and hours.
nationals are in one year, approximately, and i signed up for the northwest team. my sensei told me flat out that if i kept progressing at the rate i was at, i wouldn't have a chance. that's why i have now ramped up my training to a higher degree. this week is the first week of my ramped up regimen and, counting sunday, i've clocked in about 16 and 1/2 hours of strength training so far. that means subburi, running, kata, weighted subburi, and weight training. a big issue with my kendo before i started this training was my focus. i had a hard time concentrating on the moment and so i got my ass handed to me by lower ranked people at times simply because of my lack of focus. last practice i was able to go against people ranked higher than me, and have been doing kendo longer, and come out fine and maybe gotten the better of them in the process. so the focus is better, although there's still a lot more i can do.
i would have done more but it seems as though my body is starting to protest. the wrists and forearms are aching earlier and earlier into the work out, these sort of things.
there's still a lot of things i have to work on. my cardio sucks hairy shit nipples, my battle experience is beyond shitty, and my body fat % needs to go down. i don't need excess weight. NEED TO BE LESS SQUISHY, lol. oh yeah, and i still need to be stronger and my stamina needs to increase. most of these are problems that can be fixed passively as i work on bigger issues. does that sentence make sense? doesn't matter.
i signed up for the team and so i need to prove that i am fit to be on the team. at the first team meeting, there were about 20 people going for the men's team like i was. out of all of them, i'm probably in the lower 10(more honestly i'm probably the 4th weakest, give or take 2), in regards to skill or strength. it means i have to work harder than everyone there if i want to go but it also means, if i can become equal with the strongest people who volunteered, it'll show that i've grown the most and therefore i am the most valuable asset amongst the fighters there. this is my goal.
also, i realize no one is reading this and i know why. no one cares and this blog is dry as sin. this is just me putting my thoughts into a solid form and putting it out into the universe.
oh! oh! the weighted subburi i mentioned! subburi is sword swinging practice. i basically made up weighted subburi on my own. i ducktaped a 5lb leg weight to the monouchi(top third of the blade) of my bokutou so now it's wicked heavy when swung and stopping the momentum of the swing is goddamn killer. i also swing it with one hand every once in a while, very slowly, so i can get stronger that way too. i'll add a picture. oh, also, in order to keep proper posture during the swing i have to flex my stomach really hard, so it leaves my stomach and sides aching a little bit after using it for an hour or so.
not really a good picture, but it was from my phone. and what more can you expect from a poor bastard?
nationals are in one year, approximately, and i signed up for the northwest team. my sensei told me flat out that if i kept progressing at the rate i was at, i wouldn't have a chance. that's why i have now ramped up my training to a higher degree. this week is the first week of my ramped up regimen and, counting sunday, i've clocked in about 16 and 1/2 hours of strength training so far. that means subburi, running, kata, weighted subburi, and weight training. a big issue with my kendo before i started this training was my focus. i had a hard time concentrating on the moment and so i got my ass handed to me by lower ranked people at times simply because of my lack of focus. last practice i was able to go against people ranked higher than me, and have been doing kendo longer, and come out fine and maybe gotten the better of them in the process. so the focus is better, although there's still a lot more i can do.
i would have done more but it seems as though my body is starting to protest. the wrists and forearms are aching earlier and earlier into the work out, these sort of things.
there's still a lot of things i have to work on. my cardio sucks hairy shit nipples, my battle experience is beyond shitty, and my body fat % needs to go down. i don't need excess weight. NEED TO BE LESS SQUISHY, lol. oh yeah, and i still need to be stronger and my stamina needs to increase. most of these are problems that can be fixed passively as i work on bigger issues. does that sentence make sense? doesn't matter.
i signed up for the team and so i need to prove that i am fit to be on the team. at the first team meeting, there were about 20 people going for the men's team like i was. out of all of them, i'm probably in the lower 10(more honestly i'm probably the 4th weakest, give or take 2), in regards to skill or strength. it means i have to work harder than everyone there if i want to go but it also means, if i can become equal with the strongest people who volunteered, it'll show that i've grown the most and therefore i am the most valuable asset amongst the fighters there. this is my goal.
also, i realize no one is reading this and i know why. no one cares and this blog is dry as sin. this is just me putting my thoughts into a solid form and putting it out into the universe.
oh! oh! the weighted subburi i mentioned! subburi is sword swinging practice. i basically made up weighted subburi on my own. i ducktaped a 5lb leg weight to the monouchi(top third of the blade) of my bokutou so now it's wicked heavy when swung and stopping the momentum of the swing is goddamn killer. i also swing it with one hand every once in a while, very slowly, so i can get stronger that way too. i'll add a picture. oh, also, in order to keep proper posture during the swing i have to flex my stomach really hard, so it leaves my stomach and sides aching a little bit after using it for an hour or so.
![](https://dz3ixmv6nok8z.cloudfront.net/static/img/ph-508.604ed20cffa9.gif)
not really a good picture, but it was from my phone. and what more can you expect from a poor bastard?