Training Martial Arts 01/11/2021: Training after care? How to take care of your body.

Unfortunately there is no easy replacements for your worn out body parts. We can’t go get new limbs, and parts when we wear out our current parts. So much like a vehicle you have to take care of your beautiful bio machine with a tune up.

Let me back up a bit. If you are just working out 1 to 2 times a week, you won’t need to invest in a lot of this. You probably can get away with just stretching, hydrating, showering, and getting a good snack in.

However, if you are working out 5 to 6 days week. Training on an intensive schedule, training for a competition, doing HIIT workouts, training in a striking martial art, and or just breaking your body down on the regular, then you will want to start some or all of these after care activities.

What is after care?
It is the care you take after your workouts to promote, improve, and help healing along. It is preventative measures, to help prevent bad injuries, and it helps reduce pain, help flexibility, and increase performance.

What should you do?
There are several articles out there that tell you to:
1) Hydrate – drink water, coffee, does not count – drink at least 3 liters of water a day. I try for a gallon a day.
2) Stretch – stretch, before and after workouts. Before just a little, after when you are warm go through the motions and just cool it down.
3) Fuel your body – snack after a workout so that you body has something to add to that furnace you started.
4) Sleep – One of the most elusive things for me admittedly. However, so important for your body to heal.

Yes those are all valid, and necessary. However, after a certain point in your training you will have to go further to keep your body running. These things are all the things I have had to integrate into my routines. Also know if you are just starting to work these in, you don’t have to do all at once. It can be daunting to have to add so many new things at once.

Here are the things you should add if you are training hard, training for a marathon, training for a fight, you name it. Here are the things I have added and have worked for me.

(all items below are pictured above and labled)

  1. Rolling With Foam Roller – Helps smooth out your fascia or the connective tissue that stretches through and over your muscles.
    • If you don’t roll, you can get adhesions of the facia to the muscle tissue. Injury, inactivity, or over use/repetitive movement, can cause these adhesions. Points of pain and inflammation, trigger points,, knots, and tightness.
    • When you do roll it can improve your performance. Reduces muscle soreness, tightness, and improves joint mobility
  2. Rolling out shins and muscles with Tiger Tail
    • Just like the foam roller above, it is used for massage of the muscles. This helps our performance.
    • For us in Martial Arts, particularly striking forms, we in Muay Thai use it to roll our shins. We kick bags, people, and dummies all the time. When we do we get bruises and bone bruises. These can make our shins feel like a key or bumpy. It can also making it painful when kicking. So we roll our shins with the tiger tail. It is not fun. It hurts a great deal, but the benefits out weight the negatives.
    • Benefits: Helps dissipate bruising faster. Helps flatting the calcium deposits in your shins that are accumulated to help heal the micro fractures. Helps with bone density, and eventually helps lessen the pain of kicking another persons shin. Note: I said lessen not make it go away entirely.
    • web sites to help you roll with your tiger tail
      https://tigertailusa.com/how-to-roll/
      https://www.performbetter.com/Tiger-Tail-Massager
  3. Hypervolt (this was a costly investment, but was a birthday gift, that both H and I now get benefits off of)
    • Hypervolt is like a massage therapist in your own hands.
    • It increases blood flow to your muscles. Which helps healing and increased mobility and joint movement.
    • It does not require a professional to use it.
    • It can get into hard to reach areas, and pin point knots and adhesions that are hard to reach with just a flat foam roller. It has different attachments that allows you to put pressure in areas you need it most.
    • Keep it off of joints and bones. You only want to use it in/on the muscle.
  4. Lacrosse Ball
  5. Heating Pad
  6. Ice Pack
    • Just like heating it can greatly reduce the D.O.M.S. More importantly it constricts blood vessels and can reduce inflammation.
    • Alternately if you can afford it a cryo chamber session will greatly reduce inflammation and aids in healing and recovery. But the Ice Pack is an alternative. Especially during this pandemic.
    • Often times athletes alternate heating and cooling for therapy.

Do I do these every day? Nope not even. I do try to roll once a day. I try to get hypervolted three times a week. It has really helped. I can see recovery times dropping to a day instead of two or three days.

It was recommended more urgently by my coaches and trainers, to me to do when I started training for Muay Thai camp. Because that was 6 days a week of intense training, and breaking down of your body.

Monday 01/11/2021: 1 mile Run, Weight lifting, #shefit30 challenge

Workout: 1 hour and 20 minutes – 1.5 mile run, weightlifting, and #Shefit30 Challenge done

I was interrupted in my workout and family needed my help. So I did not get my HIIT training in today.

Some days it’s better to just get in what you can.

My daughter also wanted to “help” me so when I was doing wall sits she decided to help and sit on my lap. Lol

The Shefit30 challenge word/s of the day are: F.L.E.X.M.Y.G.U.N.S. I did this set x3.

Workout/training for today
1.5 mile run

Weight lifting:
1) 1 min kettle bell swings x 3 sets
2) front raise to lateral raise x3 sets of 10
3) kneeling snow angels 3x sets of 10
4) 1 minute Kettle bell figure 8’s x3 sets

Shefit30 challenge: this set x3 wot 10 second rest between sets

F) 1 minute wall sit
L) 15 mule kicks
E) 15 push-ups
X) 20 double leg slaloms

M) 30 plank jacks
Y) 75 flutter kicks – head and shoulders off the ground, 25 small 1 foot of the ground, 50 large flutter kicks

G) 15 burpees
U) 30 bicycle crunches
N) 15 jump lunges
S) 30 second fast feet (I get about 75 to 8 toe taps)

Tuesday 01/12/2021: # 1 today. #shefit30 challenge

Words for today was W.H.I.T.E.W.H.I.T.E.G.O.

I did it only 1 time today. It was all I could squeeze in. I was up at 4 am to work, and I have to clean the house and teach the kiddos today before I train tonight in Muay Thai.

Shefit30 challenge:
W) 15 Superman’s + a push-up
H) 10 tricep dips
I) 25 standing oblique crunches
T) 25 hip dips
E) 15 push-ups

W) 15 Superman’s + a push-up
H) 10 tricep dips
I) 25 standing oblique crunches
T) 25 hip dips
E) 15 push-ups

G) 15 burpees
O) 30 sit-ups

Wednesday 01/13/2021: 45 minutes- 1 mile run and #shefit30 challenge

Word/s of the day is B.L.A.C.K.I.S.B.A.C.K. I did this set x2 after my mile run.

The day started off not the best. Had to put my foot down and let people in my orbit know I will not be disrespected and talked down to. Gotta teach the kids at an early age that what they say and how they say it matters.

I did my best to push through. I am glad I shaved 15 seconds off my run time today. I just ran at a steady state so I was surprised to see the time.

Shefit30 challenge– x2 with what I added

B ) 20 squat jumps
L) 15 mule kicks
A) 30 star jumps
C) 40 high knees
K) 20 Russian twists with kettle bell
I) 25 standing crunches each side
S) 30 seconds fast feet
B ) 20 squat jumps
A) 30 star jumps
C) 40 high knees
K) 20 Russian twists with kettle bell

Thursday 01/14/2021: 2 x training sessions

Workout: # 1 #shefit30 challenge took about 40 minutes

The word for day 11 of this challenge was H.A.V.E.V.A.L.O.R. I did this x3 sets.

Have you ever done an angry workout? Yeah I have too. I was able to work off some of my frustration and anger.

I was able to get through it without any interruptions as well. I love my kids and love being a mom. They know they messed up when I get home from work and they were bickering. I get up at 4 am to work. I separated them and told them the behavior I expect from them and told them I needed to be left alone, unless some one is broken, bleed, or something is burning, don’t bother me.

Hate star jumps still, and mule kicks are getting bigger yay!

Shefit challenge day 11: whole set x3 with my additions

H) 15 tricep dips
A) 30 star jumps
V) 20 donkey kicks each side
E) 15 push-ups- every two I did glute activation with tow straight leg kick backs
V) 20 donkey kicks each side
A) 30 star jumps
L) 15 mule kicks
O) 30 sits ups with 20 lb kettle bell press
R) 20 pike crunches, 20 frog crunches

Training: workout # 2-1 hour of Muay Thai Training

Today we were working on distance management, long guarding, shielding kicks. I am going to have to roll my shins tonight. But I was doing better keeping my shield tight on my off side South Paw.

He’s kicks were hurting him more than me this time! Progress!!! Yay!

The long guard is an art itself you have to protect your face, be able to peak through and keep your glove/fist in the opponents face! Then they can’t or won’t see what you do to them next!

I was tired on this workout. It’s the second one today. I did not get a nap today but I worked through it and it was not too bad. Aside from some upfront fatigue I leaned into my training. It was fun.

Thank you Khun Kru Krysta for a great class.

Training: double kick drills, jab body cross head cross flurries, and jumping jacks for active recovery between rounds

1) Lear teep , lead kick, rear teep, rear kick
2) held pads for H

3) Lead shield, lead teep, hop lead kick, cross, hook, rear knee, rear kick
4) held pads for H

5) rear shield, rear kick, hop rear kick, hook, cross, lead kick, long guard out
6) held pads for H

7) Lead cross shield, step into cross, body hook, head hook, cross, lead kick
8 ) held pads for H

9) Jab, lead elbow, lead upward knee, rear elbow, fence tie up, run 6 knees into opponent’s gut, push off and teep for good measure
10) held pads for H

Friday 01/15/2021: #shefit30 challenge day 12

Friday’s are my rest days so I did just one round of day 12’s words of the day. Still so sweaty after just one round.

Words were F.O.C.U.S.A.H.E.A.D. I did one round of this.

Shefit30 challenge: with things I added to it

F) 1 minute wall sit
O) 30 sit-up’s with weight kettlebell press at the top
C) 40 high knees
U) 60 bicycle crunches
S) 30 seconds fast feet
A) 30 star jumps
H) 15 tricep dips
E) 15 push-ups after every two I did a glute activation leg raise twice
A) 30 star jumps
D) 1 minute plank

Saturday 01/16/2021: 2 x training sessions

Training: workout # 1 – 2 hours of training Staff/Kali and Muay Thai

Woot today was a great day of training. I felt like I was actually making progress today or at least showing it. My work in South paw my off hand is showing. Yay! I added a video of my south paw cut step.

We worked in Kali/staff class, and my shoulders tired. Whew! I added a video of some of the forms we used when warming up.

Muay Thai: jumping jacks, elbow flurries, double kicks for active recovery

1) jab, cross, lead downward diagonal elbow, jab, cross, rear downward diagonal elbow
2) held pads for H

3) jab, lead horizontal elbow, lead knee, lead kick
4) held pads for H

5) fake the jab, cross, rear side in elbow, rear knee, rear kick
6) held pads for H

7)jab, cross, hook, chain horizontal elbow, rear spinning back elbow, lead spinning back elbow, lead downward diagonal elbow
8 ) held pads for H

9) Teep, lead kick, cross, hook, elbow, tie up, run knees
10) held pads for H

Extra curricular:
6 x 3 minute rounds of sparring

Workout: # 2 – #shefit30 challenge day 13 done

I had 2 + hours of martial arts training today Muay Thai and Kali today. I was pooped when I got home.

I did this days challenge x 1 set. The word of the day was, U.L.T.I.M.A.T.E.G.I.R.L.S.

Shefit30 challenge: and what I added to the workout

U) 60 bicycle crunches
L) 15 mule kicks
T) 30 hip dips each side
I) 25 standing crunches each side
M) 30 plank jacks
A) 30 star jumps
T) 30 hip dips each side
E) 15 push-ups with glute activation leg raises after every two push ups
G) 15 burpees
I) 25 standing crunches each side
R) 30 fast pike crunches
L)15 mule kicks
S) 30 seconds fast feet

What do you do for recovery? What are you going to add to your routine? Remember you don’t have to do all of them at once or at all. See what works for you. But recovery is an important part of training. Arguably it is one of the most important parts of training.

Now I need to go and roll… I skipped it right after my workout to work on this post. =) There are always excuses, just make sure you do what is right for you.

Thank you all for reading. If you liked what you read please let me know and hit the like button. Subscribe if you want to see more of my adventures. If you want to drop a comment, or just say hi, please feel free.

Don’t photo edit, just go get it!…

NOTE: it occured to me that I should say this… I have not been paid to say anything about these products. This is just stuff I have bought with my own money and what I use for myself.

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