Physical Practice Blog #2 - Strength

"Yes, run! Yes, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice." - Yoda (the first green celebrity trainer)

Strength. After much consideration, I believe physical strength should be a Jedi's first priority. Not just strength in the sense of being physically strong but also endurance. Strength and endurance can mean the same thing, but they can also mean different things. You can have strength without endurance, like a power lifter! You know, those huge, mostly overweight guys that dead lift the weight of a car over their head for a few seconds (before their knees give out). Of course that is a stereotype and an overstatement. You can also have the endurance of a marathon runner, with out the strength to do a pull up!
Strength and endurance must be balanced in the body of a Jedi. This means taking a balanced approach to one's exercise routine. If you run, you might also want to weight train. If you do martial arts, you might also benefit from Yoga. Mix and match different contrasting routines for the best results. I find it useful to fill each day of the week with a different type of exercise. I feel my body benefits from putting different demands on it. I also believe core training is essential to a more balanced exercise! Core strength is REAL strength! It is deep strength and endurance.
Now, couple your strength and endurance with flexibility. Stretch! I find it hard to believe that one's body can be a vessel for the force when it is tight and muscle bound. The force, being like a flowing river, cannot flow through stagnation. When your own body's blood cannot flow properly through your vascular tissues, how can you expect the living force to?
But wait!!! We're forgetting something. We are Jedi, after all! (Up until now I've felt like the douchie TOTJO personal trainer).
Since a Jedi's strength flows from the force. I say, whatever your exercise of choice. Practice it with mindfulness! Turn off the music, and TV! Put down the book you brought to read while sitting on the stationary bike! They are distractions from your mind/body/force connection. Master Yoda was on to something. Training in the living force makes it easier to be present in the living force in all situations. Training with mindfulness will increase your body's sensory awareness of itself.
So instead of doing everything you can to distract yourself from the fact you're exercising. Run, lift, stretch, breathe, and hydrate in the presence of the force!

I enjoy strength training but my body needs a lot of food to grow any muscle :pinch:

Here's my current routine;

day 1. - overhead press (bb), side lateral (cable)

day 2. - flat lying press (bb), standing row (bb)

day 3. - curl (bb)

This leaves out a lot, notably back and legs but I have trouble eating enough so I have to focus on smaller groups and work them hard, and use maintenance movements on the rest of the body. After making some more progress on these focus areas I will change the routine completely to train other areas and only do maintenance training to keep any gains or limit muslce loss.

As you've pointed out we all have weak areas and it's these which might need to be focused on but not at the expense of the whole body. A lot of the training material talks about how successful muscle building is in the mind during the exercise - how it is vital to connect your mind to the muscle to ensure your effort is exerted where your trying to train. Since the body is so interconnected its common for various muscle groups to share the work but bodybuilders use specific exercises to train specific muscles to get a finished body shape. For the average person this might not seem as relevant but whether its the single muscle, or the muscle set being trained, mindfulness should increase the exercise outcomes and decrease the chance of injuries.

I enjoy strength training but my body needs a lot of food to grow any muscle

Here's my current routine;

day 1. - overhead press (bb), side lateral (cable)

day 2. - flat lying press (bb), standing row (bb)

day 3. - curl (bb)

This leaves out a lot, notably back and legs but I have trouble eating enough so I have to focus on smaller groups and work them hard, and use maintenance movements on the rest of the body. After making some more progress on these focus areas I will change the routine completely to train other areas and only do maintenance training to keep any gains or limit muslce loss.

As you've pointed out we all have weak areas and it's these which might need to be focused on but not at the expense of the whole body. A lot of the training material talks about how successful muscle building is in the mind during the exercise - how it is vital to connect your mind to the muscle to ensure your effort is exerted where your trying to train. Since the body is so interconnected its common for various muscle groups to share the work but bodybuilders use specific exercises to train specific muscles to get a finished body shape. For the average person this might not seem as relevant but whether its the single muscle, or the muscle set being trained, mindfulness should increase the exercise outcomes and decrease the chance of injuries.

Nice! Thank you, Adder, for adding to the blog

I guess since you shared your exercise routine, I'll share mine

Mind you, I don't follow this schedule everyday. I really only exercise when I can, but I have a schedule of exercise so I can have something to do when my schedule permits. That way I don't think about what I need to do, I just do it. I do favor more of a total body workout, though. I do gain muscle pretty easily, but also fat lol. No gym membership!

Mon - Tone Workout - 3 sets of 25 squats, 3 sets of 4 count curls (15-20) with 15 pound dumbbells. Deltoid flies 3 sets of 15 with 15 pound dumbbells, Ab Crunches on the yoga ball 4 sets of 25. I tend to alternate the curls and deltoid workouts between standing and sitting on the yoga ball to confuse the muscle tissues.

I also like to to combine focus meditation with my home workout. I'll have a candle burning where I can see it. If my mind begins to wander or I want to check my phone or facebook, I just remember to look at the candle..

Tues - Running in the sand on the beach with barefoot shoes (Vibram 5-fingers). I like running in the sand because uneven surfaces help with muscle endurance and I only run a mile but my body ran two! Saves time and it's really a full body workout! When my endurance is up, I even warm-up before hand around the Volleyball courts. Moving side to to side, post to post, jumping forward in the sand from post to post, and some squats.

Wed - Yoga - This is either done at home or at the local Sivananda Vedanta Center... depends on whether I can make it to the class or not. I find, more than any other workout, Yoga is essential to my motivation for the other days. If I do no other workout, I need to make sure I do my yoga.

Thurs - Bulk routine - Very similar to the tone workout except I use more weight with less reps. Substitute 35 pound dumbbells. I combine squats with Deltoid flies (3 sets of 10), curls (3 sets of 10.. I also like to alternate the position of my hand with each rep, holding the dumbbell vertically and horizontally for 5 reps each alternating.) I also do pushups with my feet on the yoga ball. I'll do crunches on the yoga ball with a 15 pound dumbbell behind my head.

Fri - Running

Sat - Yoga

Sun - REST!!! Always very important to rest! I now use this day to contemplate the TOTJO sermon and explore the meditative state