Exercise Tips
As a martial artist, it's important to keep yourself healthy, and condition your body for the intensity of the techniques you're learning. Even if you're not practicing martial arts, regular exercise and deliberate movement will greatly improve your quality of life. This page provides some examples of various exercises you can try, including instructional videos. These are not meant to be taken as a prescription for every person who reads this page, so be mindful of your situation, and consult your doctor before trying anything that might carry higher risks for you personally.
Rehab Exercises
These exercises are helpful if you need to rehabilitate from a past injury, or if you have certain areas of your body that need extra warmups before training. These are meant to be done gently, on a frequent and regular basis, such as daily, every other day, or before each workout.
Fitness Training
The following exercises are more intense and challenging, designed for body conditioning.
Lower Back: Yoga Poses
Lower back pain is often a result of general fatigue and weakness in the core. Here are some gentle yoga poses to help relieve pressure in the lower back. Take a couple minutes to perform these daily, just after you roll out of bed. You'll feel refreshed and ready to seize the day! (These images come from this article.)
Cat-Cow
Cobra Pose
Child's Pose
Downward Dog
Lower Back: Hip Airplanes & More
Here is another video containing 4 lower back exercises, with lots of scientific explanation about how they work. In particular, the "Hip Airplanes" movement works really well to strengthen the lower back and minor muscles around the hip joint. These can also be performed daily.
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Cat-Camel - This is the exact same thing as the cat-cow yoga pose, mentioned above. Rather than holding the poses or pushing/stretching into them, simply move your spine gently for 6 to 8 cycles.
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Psoas Stretch - For this one, they recommend 6 strides per side. You may want to brace yourself with the opposite arm, since this position requires a bit of balance as well.
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Hip Airplanes - Focus on proper form, move slowly and gently, and brace yourself with a hand on a nearby wall or piece of furniture. You will still get the full benefit of this exercise even if you aren't doing the "full airplane" (balancing with your arms extended). In the video, they recommend 3 sets of 3 repetitions on each side.
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Spine Hygiene - This is a very simple stretch to perform every 20-30 minutes during times of prolonged sitting, such as if you work on the computer all day. Perform just 10 seconds of this stretch with a couple deep breaths.
Hamstrings
When you're sitting in a chair, your knees are bent, which keeps your hamstrings in a contracted position. Sitting for long periods throughout the day can dramatically hinder your hamstring flexibility, leaving you vulnerable to pulled muscles, most particularly when practicing kicks.
Bending forward to reach for your toes is what people commonly think will solve this. However, without understanding the proper form for this movement, you could be doing more harm than good. Watch this video to learn a safer and more effective way to perform the forward hamstring stretch. (This video is from a larger article here.)
Tabata
Tabata is a method of high-intensity interval training, usually involving a timer and background music. A typical set involves up to 8 exercises, performed for 20 seconds each, with 10 second breaks. This lasts 4 minutes. It can be followed by a 1 minute rest before repeating. Depending on the chosen exercises, this can be extremely aggressive training for cardio, strength, and speed. Because of the short timespan, it's a great option for people with a busy schedule to stay in shape on the go. You can find many examples and variations of Tabata workouts by simply searching on YouTube. One example is provided here, to get you started.