Crossing the red line

Redline

DAREBEE Team
DAREBEE Team
Ninja from Marseille, France
Posts: 82
A few words of introduction, for those of you who aren't familiar with me (and that's great, since new members are always welcome!) :happy:

I discovered Darebee in 2015, as I was trying to find a way to shake up my workouts a little and go back to training on a regular basis. I had also started practising martial arts seriously more or less at the same time and programs like the Fighter's Codex definitely looked appealing back then (and no, I still haven't forgotten Day 15 :tired:) .

I became a Team Member a few years ago after being an active member of the Darebee Community for a while. I don't design programs or workouts but rather act as a moderator and occasional Challenge Master... and I'll be happy to help if you need anything as far as the forum is concerned. ;)

My workout routine
I normally train every day and usually favour strength and conditioning, with a little cardio thrown into the mix. These days I mostly use an EMOM structure which allows me to track my progress easily (I either add reps or minutes to make my workouts harder as I get better). It also allows me to know exactly how long my workouts are going to be, which is nice when you're a busy person with a full-time job, a couple of paid gigs on the side, and two children to take care of on your own every other week.

As a volunteer, I also run a Darebee workshop aimed at (mostly) elderly ladies trying to stay as active as possible. We usually do level 1 or 2 workouts once a week.

My martial art practice
I do something called Musho, which evolved from Ninpo, itself an avatar of Ninjutsu. Hence my choice of class. But I don't run on rooftops with a katana slung across my back and only call myself a Ninja for laughs, honest. :smirk:
What I like about what I do is an open-minded approach that includes strikes, throws, joint locks and wrestling / grappling, along with weapon practice. The perfect combination for a big martial art nerd like me. :LOL:
I go to the dojo on a weekly basis and sometimes teach classes, something I should do even more often this year since I got my black belt a few months ago.

My diet
I stopped eating meat maybe 4 years ago, mostly for ethical and ecological reasons, and never looked back. I still eat eggs and dairy. I also eat fish and seafood even though it's something I try to keep occasional, for the same reasons as I stopped eating meat.


Lately, it's been harder for me to be as active within the community as I used to be, simply because there aren't enough hours in the day and you have to make choices. But Darebee is still an awesome resource I'm happy to support as much as I can, and the community around it is simply wonderful. Which isn't a word I use lightly. ;)
 
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Redline

DAREBEE Team
DAREBEE Team
Ninja from Marseille, France
Posts: 82
Thanks, @Laura Rainbow Dragon !
Getting it felt... odd, underwhelming and funny at the same time. Basically, I just showed up to practice one day, warmed up, tied up my blue belt, then joined the circle for the customary group salute we always start with. Then my teacher handed me a black belt with a smile and said I could untie the one I'd just put on. :shoked:

To me, getting a black belt had always felt like that faraway, almost unreachable goal, something you strived for for years of gruelling training... and I nearly got one dropped at my feet when I didn't expect it.

Then again, I've been training regularly for 8 years. I must have actually learned a couple of things in the process. And with me, there are only 3 black belts in the whole dojo, teacher included. He doesn't just hand them out like candy on Halloween. So I guess I can trust him if he thinks I deserve it. It's just a belt, anyway. ;)

In other news, I resumed my weekly Darebee workshop today, but only had 3 attendants (I usually have 7 or 8). Turns out most of those ladies are still on holiday. :chilling: The ones who actually came had their own personalised assessment instead of the workout I'd originally planned (I used the opportunity to test their posture, balance and mobility). And since I didn't train myself, I went to @lpf for inspiration and did this later today:




I used a 20kg kettlebell for the first 2 exercises; a couple of those for the calf raises; then a pair of 12kg dumbbells for the lunges and side lunges. 30 seconds between sets and exercises.

Let the DOMS come. I am not afraid. :LOL:
 

lpf

Well-known member
Rogue Posts: 285
"“I am, and always will be, the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes, and the dreamer of improbable dreams.” (Eleventh Doctor)"
Thanks, @Laura Rainbow Dragon !
Getting it felt... odd, underwhelming and funny at the same time. Basically, I just showed up to practice one day, warmed up, tied up my blue belt, then joined the circle for the customary group salute we always start with. Then my teacher handed me a black belt with a smile and said I could untie the one I'd just put on. :shoked:

To me, getting a black belt had always felt like that faraway, almost unreachable goal, something you strived for for years of gruelling training... and I nearly got one dropped at my feet when I didn't expect it.

Then again, I've been training regularly for 8 years. I must have actually learned a couple of things in the process. And with me, there are only 3 black belts in the whole dojo, teacher included. He doesn't just hand them out like candy on Halloween. So I guess I can trust him if he thinks I deserve it. It's just a belt, anyway. ;)

In other news, I resumed my weekly Darebee workshop today, but only had 3 attendants (I usually have 7 or 8). Turns out most of those ladies are still on holiday. :chilling: The ones who actually came had their own personalised assessment instead of the workout I'd originally planned (I used the opportunity to test their posture, balance and mobility). And since I didn't train myself, I went to @lpf for inspiration and did this later today:




I used a 20kg kettlebell for the first 2 exercises; a couple of those for the calf raises; then a pair of 12kg dumbbells for the lunges and side lunges. 30 seconds between sets and exercises.

Let the DOMS come. I am not afraid. :LOL:
Oh yes, the DOMS kicked in today in the afternoon... :LOL:
 

Laura Rainbow Dragon

Well-known member
Bard from Canada
Posts: 1,730
"Striving to be the change."
Thanks, @Laura Rainbow Dragon !
Getting it felt... odd, underwhelming and funny at the same time. Basically, I just showed up to practice one day, warmed up, tied up my blue belt, then joined the circle for the customary group salute we always start with. Then my teacher handed me a black belt with a smile and said I could untie the one I'd just put on. :shoked:

Heh!

I only studied martial arts formally for a few months and only achieved one graded level, but it was a big deal in my group. The testing date was set weeks in advance, and we had to learn a kata for it and break a board! I still have my broken board somewhere, although I lost the belt. (It was stolen!)
 

Damer

Administrator
DAREBEE Team
Warrior Monk from Terra
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 559
@Redline
China Man GIF by BabylonBee
 
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Redline

DAREBEE Team
DAREBEE Team
Ninja from Marseille, France
Posts: 82
Thank you so much, guys. Really, it's just a belt. It doesn't make me a better fighter. And I'm still learning. But of course, it's nice to see your efforts and progress have been recognized. :D

Today's custom workout: Upper body strength

- Bodyweight dips (I use chairs instead of parallel bars), 8 reps EMOM for 11 minutes (total: 88 reps)
- 3 sets of pull-ups to failure, the first one shortly after the dips, the other two after long rest times: 12 / 12 / 10 reps

=> Short and to the point. I thought I would do a little better with the pull-ups, but that's still an acceptable performance, especially after the dips.


Take care, everyone! :vibes:
 
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