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Old 09-20-2009, 09:40 PM   #7
Michael Varin
Dojo: Aikido of Fresno
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 567
United_States
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Re: Aikido and Weight Lifting

I'm not sure why people have an aversion to weight training or suspect that it might be bad.

As long as you use good form and give the body time to recover, all the basic lifts and body weight exercises are extremely beneficial.

Many problems like lower back pain are due to muscular imbalances and lack of mobility. If you are lifting correctly, exercises like squats, deadlifts, and the plank should help this problem improve.

Adam said a lot of good things, like the following, however I disagree with his example.
Quote:
Adam Huss wrote:
Many aikido principles translate to safe lifting techniques as well (keeping feet flat and understanding that your heels are your center balance when doing weighted squats on a smith machine, for example).
You should never squat with a Smith machine, especially if you have back problems, and your balance will actually be into the bar. Besides, Smith machines don't necessarily protect you from the weight anyways.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m6vcyQqx_Q

Quote:
Drew Gardner wrote:
If you have already been weight training for awhile, great, otherwise expect a couple weeks to a month of muscle-range-restricting soreness.
There is no reason why you should have soreness that restricts your movements when you start lifting after a layoff. Just work your way into it. Start of with very light weighs and keep your reps low, then increase the intensity as you progress.

Quote:
David Skaggs wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATw-95oWaP0&feature=fvw
Wow. Doing 5th suburi with a suburito has nothing on that.

I had never seen any of those before. That short power rope looks interesting.

-Michael
"Through aiki we can feel the mind of the enemy who comes to attack and are thus able to respond immediately." - M. Mochizuki
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