7 Effective Boxing Speed Drills

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

Fast punches not only land first, but they hit the hardest. Boxers train to improve their punching speed and agility for that reason. There are a variety of boxing speed drills available for boxers who are in training. Below are some of the most effective types.

Sparring
Sparring is one of the great boxing speed drills that test your skills, while helping you learn those weaknesses. It is a mock combat exercise that requires another trained boxer. This speed drill helps fighters enhance their skills, when under pressure.

It is important for a boxer to take part in frequent sparring exercises, as it will increase their comfort level in a ring. A comfortable fighter will quickly become a relaxed one. This will result in faster punches, as loose muscles move quicker than tense muscles.

Speed Bag
Using a speed bag is one of the more obvious boxing speed drills, but it is also one of the most effective. The speed bag is a small punching bag attached to a swivelling hinge. The occasional miss can cause a boxer to hit their knuckles on the hinge. Avoid hitting your knuckles by punching the bag in a rhythm, similar to its swing.

An effective exercise for this tool is working the bag for approximately 1 to 3 minute intervals. This will build a fighter’s hand speed, by requiring them to punch quickly. It also improves their ability to apply speed during a fight.

Resistance Training
Resistance training increases speed for a fighter because it strengthens their muscles. Strong muscles accelerate faster, than if they were weak. Using resistance training to strengthen the muscles responsible for accelerating a punch is important.

Biceps, chest, lats and triceps contribute to increasing the speed of a punch. Use a variety of resistant training equipment to effectively strengthen these muscles. Calisthenics, resistance bands and weights are all fantastic examples. If resistance equipment is unavailable, just be sure to do exercises that create a form of resistance.

Combination Drills
Boxers rarely practice single punches. Training the muscles with combination punches, will help cut out any unnecessary decisions while in the ring. One-two boxing or complex ken karate techniques are two common examples of combination boxing speed drills.

This method embeds a variety of strike combinations into a fighter’s muscle memory. It also makes their follow-up punches faster. These are important skills boxers need to win in the ring.

Water DrillsExercising in the water is an effective way to increase a fighter’s speed. Find a swimming pool that is luke warm, because cold water is not good for this exercise. Throwing punches under water is one of the easier ways.

The tensions of the water provide resistance to the muscles, causing them to work harder. Immersing yourself into water up to your neck and practicing martial arts exercises, is another way to increase both speed and muscles. Remember stronger muscles, are responsible for faster punches.

Floor-to-ceiling Bag
The floor-to-ceiling bag is a little larger than the speed bag, as it is approximately the size of a basketball. Bungee cords secure the bag at the floor and ceiling. Hitting the bag once causes it to swing quickly, mimicking a fast-moving target.

This drill increases the speed as it forces a fighter to punch fast enough to catch the ball. Doing so increases their ability to hit the target quickly. This is a key skill in making punches fast and effective.

Heavy Glove Punching
For this exercise, the fighter uses sixteen-ounce gloves and not the average six to ten ounce ones. The key to this exercise is to hit the heavy bag, with a solid jab. Be sure to use proper form while taking part in this speed drill.

Throw punches as hard and fast as possible. Using three-minute rounds will simulate the endurance a boxer needs for when fighting in the ring. Complete this exercise with 3 rounds followed by one round without gloves.

Boxing is as much a mental sports, while it is physical. Relaxation is the most important tool to increase a boxer’s speed. Unfortunately it is a lesson that takes time to learn. Fighters turn to boxing speed drills to quickly increase their workout intensity, speed and overall skills.

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Fight Scene

Posted on February 21, 2012 by admin

The final fight scene of Terry malloy (marlon brando) and Johnny Friendly (Lee J Cobbs) On the waterfront stands out on many counts. It’s a good old, seemingly plain, fist fight on the waterfront docks between a longshoreman Terry and his Union Boss Johnny.

The seemingly simple fight is actually multi dimensional dealing with complex emotional and moral conflicts on many levels that eventually leads Terry to this fight. It is brilliantly played out by both protaganists with Johnny succumbing to Terry and thus creating a new leader who changes the complete moral values and the system.

The fight is also one where Terry is fighting against the entire corrupt moral system, signifying that sometimes it just takes that one man to bring about the change.

Leading up to the fight it is the Union Boss and his goons who call the shots. The attitude of the workers is “D and D” or deaf and dumb, which makes it easier for the union to operate. The movie starts with Charlie a member of the union syndicate getting Terry his brother into the syndicate. Things are progressing routinely until Terry refuses to play ball and the syndicate asks Charlie to kill Terry. This becomes too much for Charlie who abstains and is killed in the process by the goons. The local priest to gets beat up by the goons for refusing to adhere to the “D and D” code.

The conflicting morals and emotions leads Terry to challenge the union boss Johnny in a fist fight on the waterfront docks with the workers as audience. The fist fight of Terry against both the system and the union boss brings up the rage which is consuming him which is brilliantly portrayed by Brando.

A very emotional scene brilliantly handled by the director Elia Kazan makes it one of the best fights on screen.

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Meditation techniques

Posted on February 16, 2012 by admin

Meditation techniques are activity oriented. In general when it comes to meditation techniques, many think only about two major categories. These include the concentrative techniques and the non-concentrative techniques. In case of the concentrative technique of meditation the focus is primarily on any specific object. On the other hand the non-concentrative techniques involve a wider focus through collection of surrounding sounds or breathing exercises. The two techniques may often overlap each other. There are certain styles of meditation which involve both these techniques at the same time.

There are also different ways in which you can practice meditation that are activity oriented. The basic form of meditation involves clearing of your mind by sitting quietly in a comfortable place. This is not easy and you need practice and dedication. As a beginner you can definitely go for guided meditation. You can join meditation classes and learn the various techniques. Once you learn the process in the right way, you can practice it later at home. You can buy some books on meditation that will help you understand different styles and postures. In focused meditation the practitioners concentrate on something while not thinking about it. This can be a particular picture or even a burning candle. This will help you attain a state of improved awareness and give you a clear vision. It will also provide you with a better control over your mind.

The activity oriented techniques of meditation have been helpful to many people. In such meditation styles the individuals indulge in repetitive activities. There are many activity oriented techniques. They are as follows

  • Performing yoga, gardening and creative art. This can help you unleash your creativity and get more peace of mind.
  • Activity oriented techniques can help you stay in the current moment and not to think about the past or the future.
  • Concentration should be more on how your body feels during meditation. You need to focus on the specific parts of the body where you feel the sensations. You will experience them only as sensations and not judge them or ask any questions. You may begin by checking your breath. Later shift your attention to the feelings inside the body, your thought process and also your surrounding sights and sounds.

The key factor in the activity oriented meditation techniques is watching without analyzing or judging.

Concentrative or focused meditation is practiced by many people throughout the world. In the open monitoring technique of meditation there is no specific object of focus. This involves the intense consciousness of feelings, sound and light around you. The activity oriented meditation styles help in keeping your mind quiet and calm. Thus it can lower down the level of stress as well as anxiety. The meditation techniques which are activity oriented have proved highly effective in fighting stress. This is now one of the basic techniques that are practiced by many people. It can be useful tool for managing stress and stay confident. So, you can definitely start doing this type of meditation on a daily basis.     

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BALANCING THE VIOLENCE IN TRAINING

Posted on February 12, 2012 by admin

There is a disconnect in the training world. Some folks train as if they’re going to be attacked by a battalion of foreign special forces members on the way to the store, and others train as if balancing the harmony of the universe through their breath will solve all problems. The “middle path” isn’t the answer on this one either, but it’s important to decide on purpose when choosing training topics. Here are some considerations.
Is Your Training Too Violent?

If you train almost exclusively on “super knock-out” and “101 Submission Moves” and “20 ways to choke” … you won’t have any training to deal with a sad drunk guy leaning on you in line for the bathroom. (Just remember plenty of smart, aggressive attorneys blow off steam on the weekends, too).

This is “training yourself to jail” and you’ll be wasting your “self defense” efforts by putting yourself in unnecessary danger.

Is Your Training Not Violent Enough?

Probably 99% of all the fights I’ve stopped and arrests I’ve made have been with moderately compliant people. You calmly get in the right strategic spot, announce that you’ll call the police if they keep it up, etc. Even when getting physical, typically a firm relaxed grip turning them away with a clear instruction to “walk it off … it’s not worth it” etc is enough.

If you train almost exclusively on the skills needed to deal with the 99% of the problems you face, you will be more likely to freeze and enter decision-making-mode in the face of greater violence.

That’s a problem. In the face of greater violence, you need to be taking action, not deciding what action to take. Waiting and planning is dangerous when you’re already under attack, taking damage.

If you prepare your mind for extreme violence AND you prepare your skills for the most common problems, then you will handle BOTH better:

If you can handle vicious lethal violence, then you can calmly and easily handle a low level attack.
And The bigger bonus is that if you can handle incredible violence calmly, your presence (lowest level of force) and your voice (second level of force) will be MUCH better for reducing the likelihood for physical aggression at all. You’ll take the ego out of the fight, and that’s the core reason the “Monkey Dance” turns into an actual act of physical violence.

By staying calm, you’re not following the script. In social violence, the other guy wants to feel threatened enough to “defend his honor” by pushing, poking, and punching.
When constructing your training regimen, and deciding what to include, perhaps you can (or should) consider the balance of what you’re most likely to face, what you’d like to be able to face, and how much preparation you’ll need to get BOTH of them up to speed as soon as possible.

Bio: For more information on the Los Angeles chapter of the Guardian Angels, please go to: http://laguardianangels.org/

For video training on Arrest & Control, please go to: http://GuardianAngelTraining.com

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How to Acquire a Concealed Weapon Permit

Posted on February 9, 2012 by admin

Although rules and regulations for getting a concealed weapon permit vary from state to state, there are basic steps that need to be taken regardless of where you live. There are two categories that your state may fall into. If your state will issue a permit to anyone who meets the requirements they are referred to as a & ldquo; shall issue state.& rdquo; States that require you to meet all the standards and display a need for the permit are called a & ldquo;may issue state.& rdquo; In addition to adhering to the following steps, it is important that you research the laws specific to your state.

Make sure you meet the requirements.

All states require the same three rules for those wishing to get a concealed weapon permit. First, you must have a valid state ID, drivers license, or military ID. Also, you must be at least 21 years old. Lastly, you can not have a criminal background. A criminal background does not include traffic tickets. There is no use in lying about your background on the application, as you will be fingerprinted and have a background check done before they will issue a permit.

Find your states issuing authority

This is the agency that you will submit your application for a concealed carry permit. The authority responsible for issuing the concealed weapon permit differ depending on where you are located. The issuing authority for your state is listed on the state’s government website.

Gather the needed documents

Before going any farther, make sure that you have your social security card, birth certificate, and state or military ID. If you do not have one of these it can take weeks to obtain one, so you should not proceed with the process until you have all of them at hand. Also, make sure that you will be able to pay for the permit if you are offered one. The price varies, but usually is between forty to one hundred dollars.

Attend a gun safety class

The majority of states require that you attend a class on gun safety. Even if your state does not mandate it, you should still take one to ensure proper gun use. A concealed weapon permit is a big responsibility and should not be taken lightly. A gun safety class will provide you with the right information on the safe handling and discharging of firearms.

Turn in your application

When you have completed the above steps you can finally turn in your application for a concealed weapon permit. You will need to provide your documentation and pay any fees due when you submit the application.

Wait

The hardest part of getting a concealed weapon permit is the waiting after submitting your application. The wait will vary from state to state, but expect to be waiting at least a few weeks, and in some states up to one year!

Commonly Asked Questions

How long do concealed weapon permits last? Your concealed weapon permit will be good for five years. After five years your state may require you to retake a gun safety class.

What kind of weapon can I carry? Any weapon that is legal in your state and small enough to be concealed can be used with your concealed weapon permit. This includes guns, knifes, tasers, and brass knuckles. Please check your state laws to make sure the weapon you have is allowed.

How many concealed weapons am I allowed to carry? Your permit allows you to carry as many weapons as you can comfortable conceal. There is no limit on the number of concealed one person is allowed to have.

Does my permit allow me to carry a concealed weapon anywhere? The short answer is no. Most government buildings, schools, bars, and churches do not allow concealed weapons. Also, businesses have to right to make their own rules when it comes to concealed weapons. It is important that you check with a business before entering with a concealed weapon.

Can my concealed weapon permit be used in other states? Some states will recognize permits issued in other areas, while some will not. Please check your states rules regarding this issue.

Please Remember

Having a concealed weapon permit does not authorize you to discharge your weapon in public. You can also never threaten anyone with any weapon you are carrying. Having a permit to carry a concealed weapon is a privilege that can be revoked. If you get into any kind of trouble while issued a permit it will be revoked and you will not be able to reapply.

It is your duty as a responsible permit owner to stay informed on the laws of your state. The laws regarding concealed weapons change often. If you are going to be carrying a gun it is a great idea to join a local gun club in your area. Often times, the local gun clubs will spend time researching laws and include this information in a newsletter that is sent out to members.

Make sure that you know how to properly work your weapon. Take time to get accustomed to using the safety features and learn how to load and unload any gun you plan to carry. Also, when concealing your weapon, keep it in a comfortable place that prevents accidental discharge. Make sure your weapon is concealed well enough to diminish the chances of others seeing it.

If you carry a concealed gun it is a good idea to re-take your gun safety class annually, even if it is not required by your state. This will refresh your memory on gun safety and update you on new regulations for gun owners.

Following the above steps will ensure ease when you start the process of obtaining a concealed weapon permit. Remember it is your duty as a permit owner to educate yourself on the rules and regulations of your state. Take the time to learn how to properly handle and discharge your weapon. The safety of yourself and others should be your top priority.

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Weighted Boxing Gloves | Advantages And Importance | Benefits Of Weighted Boxing Gloves

Posted on February 6, 2012 by admin

There are various types of boxing gloves available in the market which claim to provide wide range of physical benefits to us. Weighted boxing gloves are one of them and popular due to its lots of benefits. If you use weighted gloves in your training sessions, your body has to handle extra addition of weight in your hands. Our hands and shoulders have to work more to handle these weighted boxeing gloves. If you prepare your body to handle these extra weighted gloves regularly, then you will feel your regular boxing gloves are lighter, whether you are punching on pads, heavy bags and even when you step into boxing ring in real life. You will not feel the weight of your regular gloves. Here are following benefits of using weighted boxing gloves.

Increase Stamina:-

Weighted gloves improve your stamina in your muscles and joints. Regular practice boosts your stamina in the ring and help to stay longer in the ring without any fatigue. Your body becomes habitual of these gloves and you will get stamina and endurance while fighting in the ring.

Boost Your Speed:-

Boosting your speed in the ring is the primary advantage of weighted gloves. In the boxing ring you need fast speed and attack on opponent swiftly. Your body will become accustomed of using heavy gloves in practice session. When you come to the ring with lighter gloves, you can move your arms, rists and shoulders quickely and easily, because you practiced with heavy gloves and now your are fighting with lighter gloves.

Extra Strength:-

Physical strength and fitness is the important and vital issue in sports. Weighted boxing gloves are helpful in building more strength from your fist to shoulders. Repeated boxing moves with weighted gloves produce prolonged strength and endurance in your muscels. As a result, weighted boxing gloves increase strength in your body and helpful in fighting without any physical interruption in the ring.

Select Desired Weight :-

You can select weighted gloves of your own choice. It depends upto you, consult your physical trainer for selecting weighted gloves. So that weighted gloves should not have any side effects on your body. Extra weighted gloves may injure your rists and fists.

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Different Types Of Meditation Techniques

Posted on February 2, 2012 by admin

Most convenient way to relax and attain state of peace is meditation. Meditation is beneficial to everyone to relieve stress and anxiety. It is a good technique to calm your mind and give rest. There are different types of meditation techniques which can be incorporated in our daily schedule to achieve peaceful mind. They also spiritually refresh us by connecting our body and soul. They are helpful in treating many diseases like anxiety, stress and trauma. Today’s world is extremely fast paced and busy which tires our body and mind. Meditation provides both physical and mental rest and enhances our emotional state.

Various techniques of meditation are known worldwide. Most of them are easy to follow and practice.

  • Buddhist meditations are very well-known techniques. Vipassana meditation is most common type practiced.  In simple words it means mindfulness meditation. It stops your mind from wandering and enables it to concentrate on body processes. It takes you to the state where you are at ultimate peace. It purifies your mind and body.
  • Transcendental meditation is easiest to practice and extremely beneficial. This is advised to people who have hectic schedule. It is a simple form of meditation but requires learning. 15-20 minutes twice daily is generally recommended schedule. This does require specific location and therefore can be easily adapted.
  • Zen meditation is one of the popular meditation techniques. In this type, you sit in various prescribed positions so as to close all the thoughts in your mind. Slowly all your body processes are controlled. Heart beat slows down, breathing becomes shallow and meditative state is achieved.  It allows discovering nature of self being.
  • Walking meditation is an example of motion meditation form. One needs to focus on the body processes while walking like the movement of the feet. It is effective way of transforming from active state to deeply healing and nourishing state of mind.
  • Mantra meditation is another important type. Also known as japa meditation. Mantras are sounds produced though different combinations of words. They are not ordinary sounds. They have the power to reach state of calmness and peace. Mantras if repeatedly said produce vibration which are useful to attain quietness.
  • Taoist meditation is more or less similar to Buddhist meditation. It works with natural flow of breathing to attain one-pointed awareness.
  • Music meditation is a technique where you listen to music and try to concentrate your mind completely into the music.

Many of the above techniques seem very easy but they still might require some guidance. Guided meditation is provided by certified teachers. Once trained, one can effortlessly practice any of these techniques independently.

Choice of meditation techniques should not be very difficult because each technique would allow attaining state of relaxation, calmness and rumination and choice would therefore depend only on the fact that, which is easy for you to practice and comfortably be part of your regular activities. If followed regularly and effectively, these techniques have proven thoroughly beneficial in combating many types of stress and anxiety. Prevention is better than cure. So start soon to avoid many unwanted diseases.

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More about Judo

Posted on January 19, 2012 by admin

I haven’t put much about Judo on my site. Funny since this is a martial art that I took up. So, I went online in search for some Judo workouts videos. I found this guy promoting a e-book about Judo workouts. It come complete with pictures and can be put on I-phones and kindles. For those of you interested in the e-book, here is the link: Judo ebook

For those who don’t want to buy the e-book,I put some free videos on this page. Enjoy.

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Weaponry of the Ninjas

Posted on January 14, 2012 by admin

The truth about ninjas is often blended seamlessly with legends and mythology, which makes it hard to decipher fact from fiction. Many tales about ninjas, which were covert mercenaries of Japan, claim that they could turn invisible, shapeshift and even fly. While these mystical powers are undoubtedly tall tales, the weaponry of ninja lore is just as far-fetched, but almost completely true. Here is more information on the weapons of ninjas.

Swords

While modern movies portray ninjas carrying Ninjatos, which are supposedly short straight-edged swords, the katana was usually the weapon of choice. The katana, also known as a samurai sword, is a long curved sword that was commonly affixed to a ninja’s back with a scabbard. Since the katana is so long, it is ineffective in close-quarter combats, which is why ninjas also carried a smaller blade like a tanto or wakizashi.

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Shurikens

The weapon most commonly associated with ninjas is the notorious ninja star. Along with stars, ninjas were actually skilled at throwing a variety of lethal objects, like darts and knives. All of these throwing weapons are collectively known as shurikens.

Bows

Engaging in espionage at night seems like a difficult task without having to carry a bunch of weapons and a bow just seems unwieldy. Many ninjas opted for smaller bows, so they could maintain a low profile in any situation. While ninjas were definitely skilled in most areas of combat, they also had specialties.

Explosives

It sounds hard to believe, but some ninjas actually carried handheld explosive devices to employ at opportune times. This definitely added to the mystique of the ninja because seeing a bright explosion probably made people associate ninjas more with superhumans.

Unconventional weapons

Even though we think of ninjas as the most stealthy and elegant fighters out there, they were actually pretty dirty fighters. An unconventional weapon of the ninja was pepper and dirt. They would sometimes stuff their scabbard with pepper and dirt, so when they engaged in battle and took out their sword, the stuff would go flying into an enemy’s eyes, temporarily blinding them.

Tim Martinez is a freelance blogger and writer. Aside from writing about ninja swords, he also blogs about a variety of topics like Boker knives and bird feeders.

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Swords of the Knights

Posted on January 11, 2012 by admin

It’s hard to define the essence of a knight simply because they have existed in so many forms for several centuries. They started out as a class of lower nobility, then they became the familiar chivalrous warrior and now a knight is simply an honorary title given to famous people like Paul McCartney. To keep things simple, this post is going to focus solely on the knights of the Middle Ages, which are the knights we’re familiar with from the movies. Here are a few types of the amazing swords knights used at the height of the Medieval Ages.

Arming Sword

This was the standard weapon of the medieval knight popular between the 11th and 16th centuries. These were much shorter, typically between 2 and 3 feet long, than later swords, but could be wielded with a single hand. This meant knights were able to fight with the arming sword in one hand and a shield for protection in the other.

Longsword

The longsword appeared in the latter part of the Middle Ages and is a classic example of a stately two-handed sword. These swords were large, so they had to be wielded with two hands. They were generally somewhere between 40 and 48 inches long with two sharpened sides.

Greatsword

With the propensity to keep outdoing themselves in size, the knights later adopted the greatsword as a key medieval weapon. These could get as long as 72 inches and could only be used with two hands. They usually had extended handles to afford better balance, but you can probably imagine just how difficult it would be to use this sword in combat. Typically, one of these massive swords could cut someone in half with a single swing.

Daggers

As swords grew in size, they also became less effective in close-quarters combat and quick one-on-one skirmishes. So, medieval knights also had to carry daggers as a secondary weapon. As armor became more effective against a sword’s slicing action, the thrust of a dagger became more efficient at killing enemies anyway.

Falchion Sword

This was a popular sword for knights that fought in the Crusades. It has a slightly curved blade that’s about 30 inches long with a single edge. These were mass-produced, so those knights that could afford better weaponry like greatswords always deemed falchion swords as cheap weapons.

Tim Martinez is a freelancer writer and blogger. When he’s not writing about swords and knives, he blogs about a variety of other topics, including hammocks and tents for camping.

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Top 6 Myths About Ninjas

Posted on January 8, 2012 by admin

I think we can all agree that ninjas are totally badass—at least the kind we see in movies and on TV. The pop-culture ninja is secretive, stealthy, deadly, and wears an all-black getup that every kid over the age of 3 wants to wear everywhere except the bath tub (and maybe there too). But many of the traits that we find cool about ninjas in entertainment today are almost totally divorced from actual ninjas who served as bodyguards, assassins, and spies to wealthy Japanese lords and emperors. In reality, Ninjas were not honorable and didn’t sneak around in black pajamas. In fact, here are 6 myths that may change your opinion about ninjas.

1. Ninjas wore all-black uniforms that covered their faces (except the eyes)

Ninjas didn’t have any type of universal uniform, and they certainly didn’t wear all-black all the time. For nighttime operations, they wore dark-blue clothing that served as better camouflage than all-black. Covering one’s face to conceal identity might be a good idea, but it was also very prohibitive for movement and environmental awareness. Not to mention the fact that covering your mouth makes it hard to breathe.

In general, ninjas were effective because they were able to blend into the environment effectively. In other words, if they were going to burn down a house, they would dress a servant in the household. If they were going to incite unrest in a neighboring Lord’s kingdom, they’d dress as a peasant and mingle with the farmers. In other words, they were effective because they could blend in socially, not because they only operated in the dark.

2. Ninjas used throwing stars

Nearly every movie or TV show featuring ninjas has them throwing small, pointy, star-shaped pieces of metal. Although star-shaped hand weapons certainly existed and were used in feudal Japan, they were most likely not thrown very often (if at all). More than likely these weapons were simply held in the hand and used as small blades for close combat. If they were thrown, it was more likely as a distraction for the enemy rather than for actual killing.

3. Ninjas were assassins

Although ninjas carried out assassinations, that was not their primary duty. In general, ninjas were used as all-purpose dirty-tricksters. A wealthy lord might hire a ninja to burn down the home of a rival, sabotage a supply shipment to an enemy, or simply as a spy among the peasants to find out who has been stealing grain from the Lord’s warehouse—in short, they served as terrorists for hire. They were dishonest, fought dirty, and incited riots. If you needed to get something done, and you weren’t concerned about how it got done, you hired a ninja.

4. Ninjas had mystical powers

I think we can all agree that ninjas were not shape shifters, could not disappear into thin air, and could not walk on water. They were men just like anyone else. Most likely, rumors of magical powers were spread by ninjas themselves as a way to increase fear and unease in those that they targeted.

5. Ninjas only operated at night

Like any effective military intelligence officer, ninjas could not limit their actions to the dead of night. The truth is that they operated all the time, daytime, nighttime, tea time—anytime they could effectively get the job done. In fact, much like the mystical powers rumor, ninjas may have also let everyone believe that they only operated at night in order to lull their enemies into a false sense of security during the daytime.

6. Ninjas were martial arts masters

Ninjas didn’t follow any single type of training or fighting style. The goal of ninjas was simply to get their job done and avoid being killed. As a result, they mostly avoided conflict unless absolutely necessary. They would rather burn down your house while you were sleeping or poison your food than come face to face with you in battle. Were they effective fighters? Yes, they had to be in order to survive if they ever were faced with hand-to-hand combat. But physical confrontation was more of a last resort than a primary strategy.

James Ged is a writer and kung-fu movie fan. By day he’s a marketer for cable tv, and by night he blog as TV Buzzer.

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The Fuel for Post-Workout Recovery: Protein

Posted on December 29, 2011 by admin

When exercising, the body burns metabolic fuels, such as fatty acids, amino acids and glucose. During this catabolic process, anabolic functions, which include protein synthesis, cannot occur. Essentially, the body consumes and does not create proteins during workouts.

Importance of Proteins

After a workout, the body must quickly switch from the catabolic processes it was carrying out to anabolic ones, so that proteins and other nutrients can be restored. This is done through hormones, and food consumed soon after exercising will affect these hormones. By replenishing the body’s supply of proteins after a workout, people can expedite the recovery process.

Providing amino acids, which are used to rebuild tissue that was damaged during exercise, proteins are essential to reignite the anabolic process. They also provide enzymes that perform vital cellular functions and transport molecules between cells. Without proteins, the body is unable to perform these actions, and therefore cannot recover effectively from a workout. Scientific studies have demonstrated that two weeks after beginning an exercise program, the protein levels in a body will be depleted, unless they are replenished with post-workout meals (Butterfield 1987).

When to Consume Protein

Proteins are used by muscle-specific messenger RNA (mRNA) to build muscles. Because this mRNA does not have a quality control system built into its coding, it has a short lifespan. It will only live for four to five hours, so that a malignant strand cannot cause any significant harm.
The body begins increasing the synthesis of mRNA immediately after a workout, and continues to do so for about 24 hours. Studies have demonstrated that mRNA levels are 50 percent higher than normal at four hours after a workout, and are at 109 percent of normal levels 24 hours after a resistance regiment (MacDougall et al 1995).

Therefore, people should begin increasing their protein intake immediately after a workout, and they out to continue consuming elevated levels of proteins for 24 hours after the session. This fits with the conventional wisdom of, “One day on, one day off.” Furthermore, the body cannot store the amino acids that proteins offer. They will only be useful for four to five hours after eating. Thus, athletes who exercise regularly should be eating a high-protein diet, because their bodies will almost always be recovering and building muscle mass.

How Much Protein

The official recommendations for protein consumption vary. Generally, they range from 1.6 g per kg to 1.8 g per kg, per day. However, it is not uncommon for athletes, especially those with a weight training focus, to eat 2 g per kg per day, without any adverse effects.

Ways to Consume Protein

Since protein should be eaten almost constantly throughout the day, people should have a variety of sources for it. Eggs and meats are good sources, but they can be high in fat and cholesterol. Of course, white is healthier: Egg whites and white meat are better options than yolks and red meat. Nuts are another source of protein that can be incorporated into almost any meal or snack. For a quick, convenient snack, many athletes turn to protein bars and shakes.

Author Bio: Jason S. writes for Iron Science Whey Protein, an exercise and nutritional supplement manufacturer that specializes in whey protein and creatine monohydrate.
Sources:
Butterfield GE, Whole-body protein utilization in humans. Med. Sci. Sports Exrc., Vol. 19, No. 5 (Supplement), pp. S157-S165, 1987.
MacDougall JD, Gibala MJ, Tarnopolsky MA, MacDonald JR, Interisano SA.

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