In this chapter we will cover conditioning exercises that will help the practitioner become a better Karate-Ka.

There are many exercises that with work will condition different parts of the body, however the most important thing is that they all help condition your mind.

Use the conditioning drills as a form of  hard work for your mind, it is the most  important factor in a fight or self-defense situation.

Train yourself with determination and a relentless attitude of perfection and you will build a mind that is ready to drive the body to do anything.

Seiken Push Ups

Body weight exercises!!!

Push Ups

Push ups exercise the pectoral muscles, triceps, and anterior deltoids, with ancillary benefits to the rest of the deltoids, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis and the midsection as a whole.

They can be done during class or by your self, the great thing is that you do not need any equipment for the most part unless you are doing specialize push ups. Get creative and come up with different ones as the variations are endless

Note: Inhale going down exhale going up!

Seiken Push Ups

Instead of the hands been flat on the ground this push up is done with the hands in a seiken position with all the weight on the first two knuckles only. Performed on the toes or knees according to your fitness level. Make sure that you keep your core muscles tight when performing push ups, try to lower your chest to within an inch of the ground.

Regular push ups

 Performed on the toes or knees according to your fitness level. Make sure that you keep your core muscles tight when performing push ups, try to lower your chest to within an inch of the ground.

One Hand Push Ups

Performed on the toes or knees according to your fitness level. Shift your weight to one hand and stabilize you posture and perform the push up and then switch hands and work the other side.

Make sure that you keep your core muscles tight when performing push ups, try to lower your chest to within an inch of the ground.

Finger Push Ups

Performed on the toes or knees according to your fitness level. Shift your weight to one or as many fingers as you will like to work and stabilize you posture and  perform the push up.

Make sure that you keep your core muscles tight when performing push ups, try to lower your chest to within an inch of the ground.

Narrow Push Ups

Placing your hands less than shoulders width apart puts more focus on your shoulders and triceps.

Keep your elbows tucked in close to your body and your hands around six inches apart.

Wide-Arm Push Ups

Using a wider than shoulder-width hand placement puts more emphasis on your chest muscles.

Place your hands around 12 inches wider than your shoulders to maximize the effect on your pecks.

Clapping Push Ups

Clapping push ups will develop your upper-body power. Lower your body to within an inch of the floor before  explosively extending your arms and   driving your body clear of the floor.

While in mid-air, clap your hands before returning your hands to the floor and    immediately descending into another rep.

Weighted Push Ups

Wearing a weighted vest or backpack will make push ups more challenging. Start by adding weight gradually and increase the weight of your vest/pack as your strength increases.

Weighted Push Ups

Wearing a weighted vest or backpack will make push ups more challenging. Start by adding weight gradually and increase the weight of your vest/pack as your strength increases.

Incline Push Ups

Placing your feet on an elevated surface puts a greater load through your arms and increases the difficulty of the  exercise.

You can perform narrow, wide or clapping push ups with your feet       elevated. Initially raise your feet by 12 inches and increase this distance gradually over time.

Partner Assisted Incline Push Ups

Having a partner hold your feet elevated puts a greater load through your arms and increases the difficulty of the exercise.

You can perform narrow, wide or clapping push ups with your feet elevated. Initially you partner can hold your feet at the length of his arms lowered by the side of his body also he can hold your feet at a raise position by his shoulders.

Medicine Ball Push Ups

Either place both hands on one ball, or use two balls and place a hand on each when you perform medicine ball push ups.

Both of these variations are more  challenging than regular push ups, and will force you to use your core and    shoulder stabilizing muscles.

Plyometric Medicine Ball Push Ups

Place one hand on the ball, go down as you come up switch your hands position from having the ball on the left hand to the right hand.

This variation works your fast twitch muscles and builds you core strength and coordination.

Parallel Bar Push Ups

Parallel bars sometimes called push up bars raise your hands by around six to eight inches off of the floor, and by performing your push ups using these bars, you will be increase the range of           movement performed by your shoulders and therefore the difficulty of the exercise.

Dive Bomber Push Ups

Dive bomber push ups mobilize the spine, stretch your hips and abs, and condition the muscles of the upper body. To perform dive bombers, adopt a regular push up position.

Lift your hips and push back with your shoulders while keeping your arms straight–when viewed from the side, your body should look like an inverted “V.”

From this position bend your arms and lower your chest towards the floor. As your chest nears the floor, drop your hips and “dive” under an imaginary bar.

Keeping your hips low, extend your arms so that they are straight and your hips are almost touching the floor.

Return to the starring position by either reversing the movement, ducking back under the imaginary bar, or just pushing back with your shoulders and lifting your hips back into the downward dog pose.