Hey Guys,

This workout is deceptively tough.  None of the exercises are that difficult, but by virtue of the higher rep range you find a deeper burn and fatigue when all is said and done.  This is a great way, not only to really burn out your lower body, but to develop stronger kicking techniques. 

Try as best you can to complete the workout without resting.  It altnernates between lower body and upper body exercises to both give a complete total body workout as well as give various muscle groups a rest.  Here’s the run down of the workout.

50 repetitions of each kick, front kick, roundhouse, side kick, and back kick

following each kick (performed 50 times on each leg) before moving on to the next one, perform this small circuit:

• 10 to 16 one legged pushups
• 10 to 15 shoulder pushups
• 1 minute plank
• 30 second side plank on each side

If you guys have questions on how to perform any of these kicks, hit up the basic kicking techniques tutorials.

More Fitness Kicking Workouts.

Hey Guys,

This workout will hit just about every muscle group of the lower body, with of course a splash of core work.  Again we’re focusing on the 4 basic kicking techniques, but we’re mixing them up a bit with basic bodyweight exercises like lunges and squats for greater emphasis.  I’ve added a new exercise in here, which may look a little strange.  It’s a static hold with your legs triple shoulder width apart.  Because most of our kicking techniques focus on muscles on the outer portion of the body, this adductor hold will isolate the inner thighs and balance out all of the kicking techniques we’re working. 

Here’s the run down:

Repeat the circuit 4 times total.  Rest 10 seconds between exercises, and up to 1 minute between sets.

1. Squat – Front Kick x 20
2. Back Lunge – Roundhouse Kick x 20
3. Side Kick x 20 each leg
4. Static adductor hold x 45 seconds
5. Alternating back kicks x 40 total (20 each leg)
6. Leg scissors x 30 seconds
7. Horizontal leg scissors x 30 seconds

Hey all,

This is about as short and sweet as a workout gets, and the great news is it is very targeted.  You’ll want to push through this with as few rests as possible to get the most out of it.  But you’ll definately know you’ve worked your outer thighs, glutes, and abdominals.  What makes this really difficult is that once you begin to fatigue, you’ll start to sacrifice form.  Try to be as strict as possible, even if it means fewer repetitions.  You can always work to complete the whole workout with perfect form at a later day if your form just can’t be maintained for the full number of reps this time around.

The workout is very simple:

• 20 side kicks with each leg
• 20 v-sits (advanced), or 20 1 leg v-sits (intermediate)

Repeat a total of 5 times.

When performing the side kick, feel free to use a chair or a wall for balance.  As you get stronger you can work to stabilize yourself without using a support, but until then, believe me, you’ll get what you need out of this exercise regardless.  Keep your body upright, and chambering knee should remain high at all times.  This is the key to building strength and great tone in the thighs.  And yes, it’ll burn like hell.

Have fun!

More fitness kicking workouts.

Hi Guys,

This workout is really going to target the outer thighs and the glutes, while putting a good burn into the abs.  This is a very basic workout that can be done just about anywhere, and if you’re still refining your basic kicking techniques, this will help you develop the strength you need to progress rapidly.

Any time you’re working with basic kicks, here is a general rule: work slow for improved strength, tone, and control, work quickly for improved functional strength and cardiovascular fitness.  Even though I’ve been using these kicks for 20 years, I’ll still perform them slowly in basic drills and workouts like this. 

If you’re new to the site or to fitness kicking, we have kicking tutorials for all of the basic kicking techniques.

More Fitness Kicking Workouts.

Hey guys,

The tornado double crescent kick is a fun kick.  One may call it a triple crescent kick if they want to be more precise, though the initial kick is really optional.  In fact, the more advanced you get, removing the initial out-to-in crescent kick and performing the double tornado kick without that wind-up becomes even more challenging.

This kick is not terriblly difficult once you have a firm grasp of the fundamental kicks that comprise it, namely the:

• Tornado Kick (crescent kick version)
• Basic and Spinning Crescent Kicks

There is a significant difference however between the single and double tornado kick, and that is the degree to which your center line moves.  When performing the regular tornado kick, your center should remain fixed, and the kick should pass around it in circular fashion.  But when performing the double tornado kick, your center line should float in the side direction following the spinning crescent kick.  This opens up your hips and makes room for a smooth, fast, and powerful finishing out-to-in crescent kick. 

When starting to work into this kick, don’t rush the jump.  Focus more on the speed and form of each crescent kick, and once the transitions becomes smooth, it actually becomes quite natural to leave the ground because it eliminates resistance.  The biggest mistake to look out for is leaning away from the kick.  You’ll want to maintain erect posture the entire time, with eyes fixed on a stationary target.

More Kicking Tutorials.

In this video we’re looking at the mighty 540 kick.  There’s a bit of debate as to what this technique ought to be called.  In WTF Taekwondo the 540 kick is actually a hook kick with another 180 degrees of rotation than the one shown here.  That technique is what martial arts trickers call a 720 hook kick.  The kick in this video is a Tricking 540, and I personally think its a more reasonable name for it. 

We have already looked at the Tornado kick, and that technique is designed to kick a target after the kicking leg has rotated 360 degrees from its origin.  This technique has the same initial movement, but rather than landing on the non kicking leg, you rotate an extra 180 degrees and land on the kicking leg itself, hence the 540…degrees.

Regardless of the name, this technique is a lot of fun to practice, and a great challenge for intermediate kickers.  Kicks like this offer great benefits in terms of analyzing your basic techniques for inefficiencies and balance.  Attempting more complex movements forces you to make sure the basics are sound.  It also offers you a greater artistic outlet, while working on your strength and agility.

Keys for the 540 Roundhouse Kick, as iterated in the video:

• Initiate a Tornado roundhouse kick, with or without an initial wind up step.
• Throw your non kicking leg up high for greater lift.
• At the peak, whip your roundhouse kick across while simultaneously tucking in the non kicking leg hard.  This last step, the tucking in of the non kicking leg, is really the key to this technique.
• Land on the kicking foot, and continue your rotation.

In the video I demonstrate 2 training methods for this technique.  Breaking it down into two pieces, the jump first, and the landing on the kicking leg second; the smartest way to get comfortable with the body mechanics, as well as gaining the confidence to land on the kicking leg.

More Martial Arts Kicking Tutorials.

Hey Guys,

This kick is well worth learning.  It is a lot of fun, and gives a great workout.  Plus, it works very well in combination with a lot of other techniques.  This technique isn’t terribly difficult, but there are a few common mistakes that are worth mentioning.

The biggest mistake people make when learning this kick is standing upright during the spin and picking the leg up in front of the body.  This turns the kick into a spinning crescent kick.  Ideally you’ll keep the shoulders low and in alignment with the kick.  You’ll also want to keep the hips closed when releasing the kick, hip of the kicking leg facing 180 degrees from the direction of the kick itself.

More Martial Arts Kicking Tutorials.

The tornado kick has a few variations.  The ones I’m working with here focus on making contact with the shin or instep of the foot, rather than using a crescent kicking application.  In these versions the hip rotates over the bottom leg to generate more speed and power.

A lot of people perform this kick by first throwing a roundhouse kick, and then following it with this technique.  I’ve used that combination successfully in competition, but find it ineffective against skilled opponents.  It is good fitness though.  If you train to throw this kick in isolation however, from a basic fighting stance, it becomes much more versatile in fighting, and it also becomes a more effective fitness tool, requiring more energy and balance. 

The key to perform this kick well is naturally to have a well practiced roundhouse/turning kick.  One can learn to incorporate the spin by throwing a roundhouse kick, setting the foot down in front, spinning behind yourself, stepping forward, and then doing the same thing again starting with the roundhouse kick in a straight line across the floor.  Once this is smooth and you can maintain your line, combine the spin and the step into a spinning hop and you’ll have your tornado kick. 

To sum up the Tornado Kick pointers in the video:

• Spin the head quickly and spot your target
• Don’t kick too early, but spin all the way through to your center line before lifting the kicking leg
• In the power version, throw the non-kicking leg up high as you spin, and tuck it during the kick itself

More Martial Arts Kicking Tutorials.

Hey Guys,

This is perhaps my favorite all time kick.  I still love to practice it, and back in the day it served me well in fighting.  It is one of the most beautiful and powerful kicks out there.  But what most people don’t realize is just how versatile it can be when fighting.  For those new to the spinning hook kick (also known as the spinning heel kick, or reverse hook kick), it is broken down simply as a spin kick that offers knock out power at full extension.  But for the advanced student, this kick offers one the ability to actually wrap the kick around the opponents body or guard, to move over and around obstacles, and to strike targets that are inaccessible with other techniques.  And it can accomplish this without being seen by the opponent.  Beautiful.

In terms of fitness, this kick packs a tremendous punch.  It requires a good deal of flexibility, balance, and muscular development, and it is extremely taxing to perform on a kick by kick basis.  This translates to intense cardio in a short period of time. 

The keys to performing the spinning hook kick well:

• Learn the lead leg hook kick, and rear leg hook kick well!
• Don’t swing the kick wide, but shoot your back/side kick to within 6 inches of the target, before snapping it back.
• Maintain focus on a fixed target, and get your eyes back on that target as quickly as possible for speed and balance.  This is the key to the kick.  Your body and balance will follow your eyes.
• Chamber the kick well after snapping it, and complete a full circle rotation.
• Kick horizontally across a flat plan, rather than angling up or down (at least initially).
• Exhale through the kick, and remain relaxed.  Tension will kill this kick.

More Martial Arts Kicking Tutorials.

Hey Guys,

Mindfulness meditation is perhaps one of the most rewarding exercises out there for mental and physical health.  And despite this fact, as mentioned in the video, mindfulness meditation is not something that should be undertaken with the consequences or results in mind.  It is an act of reuniting with the present, and living fully in the here and now. 

Most of our day to day thoughts and actions are not in harmony with the present.  We constantly make comparisons and judgments, constantly strive for more and regret mistakes.  All of these thoughts are ego driven and result in stress, frustration, and potentially depression.  And fundamentally, they are not really real. 

We carry our past with us in the form of memories.  We create an identity over the course of a lifetime that is the construct of experience and thoughts for the sake of socialization.  Our identities, choices and preferences prevent us from having pure and innocent experiences of reality.  Mindfulness meditation is non judgmental awareness of the present. 

By relaxing and observing things as simple as the feeling of the chair underneath you, vibrant outdoor colors (or dull ones), the sound of birds chirping or even traffic humming, and doing so without attaching a value to it like ‘noisy’, ‘beautiful’, ‘delicious’, ‘frustrating’, etc., your mind is free from conditioned thought, and you’re capable of really living. 

This is in principle very easy, but in truth requires a great effort.  It is difficult to sit without the ‘you’ stepping in after a moment of boredom to think, judge, or decide.  In cases where your mind wanders, there is no need to force it to stop.  Remaining aware of your thoughts, even as they wander is the key to self awareness and peace.  Don’t judge your thoughts, simply observe and discover your mind as it is. 

There is no dogma or set posture in mindfulness meditation.  But there are a few helpful pointers in starting out.  Sitting or lying in a way that allows you to relax, but not fall asleep.  Sit with good posture, while allowing the shoulders to relax.  It may help to close your eyes in the beginning, to eliminate certain distractions, though with time this pointer can be tossed out.  And it may help to observe the breath, and use this as the window to reuniting with the present.

More Meditation Videos.