State of my … Test Prep
It is now 4 weeks until my 3rd dan test. Last week I was mulling over what I should change up in my routine to get the most ready for my test.
Well, last Sunday I went through the P90X Plyometric routine — and boy, is that a killer. I forgot exactly how tough that routine is, since I had only done it once before. I resolved at the time to do that once a week — though I’m now out of whack with that, as I will relate henceforth.
Last week was as follows: Sunday: P90X Plyo; Monday: Black Belt TKD; Tuesday: P90X Chest, Shoulders, Triceps (lifting), plus Beginner TKD teaching; Wednesday: Hapkido, Intermediate TKD teaching, Advanced TKD; Thursday: rest; Friday: Hapkido; Saturday: Intermediate/Advanced TKD.
The item missing from that list is lifting on Friday. I just wasn’t up to it that day. That was just as well, since the Hapkido class involved a number of hip throws. The class that night was 4 students, and I was the 2nd lightest of that group. So I got the easier duty of throwing the female black belt in attendance. The only tricky thing about throwing her is that I need to squat lower to get my center below hers. Still easier than throwing the 220- and 250- pound gentlemen.
Today, I opted not to do the Plyo routine. I felt like lifting, since I hadn’t done that for 5 days. Today was the Back and Biceps routine. My biceps are pretty darn fatigued now (mission accomplished). Usually at the end of the lifting routines, I’ll do the 15 minute abs/core routine. Didn’t feel like doing that, either, so my guilt-ridden conscience prompted me to go for a short run, somewhere between a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half.
My weight is currently in the 195-ish range (194.6 this morning). Dropping another couple of pounds would be nice, though I’m running a little low on time to do that barring a concerted dieting attempt. This week is the weekend of Labor Day, and I’ll be taking a 4-day weekend (from work and training) and eating a lot of unhealthy food. Then there will be two weeks of regular training, followed by the week of the test. During that week, I won’t be doing any extra exercise, just TKD classes on Monday and Wednesday.
And I’m sure I’ll be ready to go.