Winning Workout
Winning WorkoutMichael stars as Chad Lee on Saban's Power Ranger's Lightspeed Rescue
airing on the Fox network Saturday mornings. Also a three time World and five time North American Forms and Weapons Champion.
Full biography with photos
Training Philosophy
Martial Arts Training
Conditioning & Strength Training
Flexibility
Nutrition
Tournament Preparation
Motivation
Advice
I approach training like a science. Everything I do must have a purpose, or an application to enhance my skills as an athlete. Everything from martial arts and cross training, to my diet and nutrition. Amazed by what dancers, gymnasts, acrobats, and other athletes can do with their bodies, I am constantly searching for new ways to push mine to its limits. I look to the best athletes in the world to learn skills such as lifting, rotating, jumping, spinning, and twisting, to add to my training regimen. In studying all these disciplines, I feel there is no substitute for hard work, lots of repetition, and smart training. It is not the quantity of time spent training, but the quality that is key. You must have the know how, and understand the mechanics of movement to properly develop and fine-tune your body to meet these physical demands.
All of this training is our preparation as we challenge ourselves to take our performance to the next level. We strive for "the zone", or being in the moment. It can be described as a feeling of euphoria or invincibility. We must know our craft so well, that we enter into a state of "no thought" and let our bodies take over. This is achieved by doing countless repetitions in training, until the movements become second nature to us. Once you no longer have to think about the mechanics behind the movements, then the feeling and emotions will begin to flow. This is when martial arts movements become an art form.
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Martial Arts training is a way of life for me. It encompasses all aspects of my day to day routine. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by working out gives me the energy, freshness, and motivation to get through the day.
In taking the martial arts to a new level, I have blended many different styles together with dance, gymnastics and acrobatics to make it more dynamic and entertaining for people to watch. When you think of the most amazing martial artists in the world, the Shaolin Monks and the Beijing Wushu team come to mind. Why? Because of their impeccable technique, blazing speed, amazing jumping ability, power, and skill level. How do they, or any world champion or Olympic athlete reach this level? It's simple. There are no short cuts, and there is no easy way to the top. They train hard, all day, 6 -7 days a week. It is their way of life. In striving for this elite level in athletics, I pattern my workouts after the sports that have researched and practiced proven training methods.
My daily routine consists of Basics training. When I'm not traveling, I train twice a day, five days a week with a 4-day on, 2 day off schedule. Like Wushu and gymnastics, I first concentrate on my basics by breaking each punching and kicking combination into individual movements. By drilling each movement separately, you can strengthen the parts faster. The kick or combination as a whole will be stronger when you put it all together.
My Basics consist of all the techniques from front, round, side, hook, ax, crescent, reverse crescent kick, to all jumping and spinning kicks, and acrobatic maneuvers. For example, first I start with a front kick and skip front kick to work on the basic movement. Then I drill the jump straight up into the air, concentrating on using my arms for the initial lift, then tight body positioning and extension for maximum height. Next I skip into the jump (not kicking, but pretending to throw the skip front kick) and execute the jump up and forward, concentrating on using my momentum for maximum height and distance. Then I add the skip front kick and jump with the knee tucked, prepared to kick, again focusing on height, distance, and body positioning in the air. Then I add the jump front kick. Finally, I integrate the kicking combination into a forms combination by starting with a chop punch, skip front kick, jump front kick, spin chop punch.
Breaking down all hand and kick combinations maintains my basics and is essential for strengthening the body for more difficult skills. Starting with 20 reps of each basic kick, I then do 10-12 reps of each movement for every jump kicking combination. Intensity it key! It is best to do these repetitions down the length of a floor, in a row, without rest. This not only conditions your body, but also helps to develop precision, and fluidity of movement. In order to perform dynamic multiple jump kicking combinations, you must first develop the ability to use your energy and momentum to flow out of one jump kick, right into another one with smooth transitions (this is where plyometric training is key!). It should take no longer than 30-45 minutes to complete all your basics if you consistently increase the intensity, and decrease the rest time during your workout. The more skills you know, the longer it will take and vice versa. When I am traveling doing seminars and shows for two months straight, and can only afford an hour every couple of days to train, doing these Basics keeps me in shape and maintains my skills.
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Conditioning and strength training is extremely important for any athlete. Whether you do forms or fighting, it always comes down to who's in the best shape, who's better conditioned? It is the competitor that can go the distance in a tiebreaker, or a sudden death match that comes out ahead. Increased strength and conditioning translates into increased speed, more powerful punches and kicks, and higher jumps which equals a more dynamic and explosive form and weapons form. In the mornings I run, do plyometrics, and weight train for about 2 ½ hours. I start with 15-20 minutes of stretching, then a 1 mile run to warm up, then I run the stairs at the UCLA Track/ Stadium (approx. 35 sets of stairs: 75-100 stairs per set). I sprint the stairs like each set is one section of my form. Then I do plyometrics. I choose 4-5 different exercises, do 4-5 sets for each, with 12-15 reps in each set. Sometimes I sprint 30-40 yards immediately after the last rep in each set. Or I'll end with plyometric jumps on the stairs. With a two-foot jump, I go up and down each flight of stairs: single stair, double stairs, then triple stairs. Then I repeat on one leg at a time, sometimes, two feet sideways or jumping side to side. Single stair all the way up and down, then double, then triple.
For Strength training, I alternate between weight lifting and natural body weight exercises. For weight lifting I train 1-2 body parts per day, excluding legs. I choose 2-4 different exercises per body part, 4 sets per exercise, 12-15 reps per sets. For example,
Day 1: Chest. Flat bench, Incline Bench, Cable Cross Overs. Triceps: Triceps extension, dips. Day 2: Back: Pull-Ups - wide grip, reverse grip, and side grip. Arms: Biceps: Straight Bar Curl, Dumb Bell Curls
Or
I just do pushups, pull-ups, dips, and stomach. I do about 300-400 stomach exercises every training day. Quantity is not as important as quality when you are trying to build strength, especially for moves like a 540, 720, and butterfly twist. I do 15-20 reps, 3-5 sets of each exercise, hanging from a bar. Keeping the body tight, I do sets of the following exercises: bringing the knees to the chest, knees to the shoulders, raising the toes to the bar (legs straight), toes to bar then bring legs down to the left and then up and over to the right like a windshield wiper motion.
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Flexibility is another essential element in my training regimen. Flexibility is vital in preventing muscular pulls and tears and helps to enhance all your martial arts moves. The more flexible you are, the easier it will be to execute techniques through their full range of motion. This helps to create straight lines and body extension to make the movements more beautiful. I always stretch 10-15 minutes prior to exercise making sure I hit each key muscle group utilized when punching, kicking, and jumping. I stretch another 10 minutes after I warm-up, and also throughout my workout. At the end, my muscles are nice and hot, so I spend an additional 15-20 minutes stretching.
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Training and nutrition go hand in hand. Food is fuel for the body. If you don't feed your body the right foods, it is not going to function properly. When training, you tear down your muscle fibers, then when you rest, your body uses the proteins and nutrients you get from food, to build those fibers back up stronger. If you don't eat enough protein, your body will cannibalize, meaning it will eat away at your existing muscles for the protein it needs. Hence, your muscle fibers won't build up stronger. Many people take one step forward when they train, but two steps backwards because hey don't eat the right foods.
More importantly, for those training at high intensity levels, studies show that it is impossible to get the proper nutrients from normal food consumption. Especially since the soils these days have been depleted of the nutrients they once harbored. I stick to a high protein and vegetable, low carbohydrate diet, and supplement with Musashi Amino Acids' Products. I eat oatmeal in the morning, lots of fish and tuna, fruits and vegetables, and small amounts rice, pasta, and noodles. Broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumbers, and oranges, apples, and grapefruit are my favorites. I eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day, drinking a protein shake, or protein and oatmeal mixture when I'm on the go and don't have time to sit and eat. I try to stay away from fast food and junk food. Because my workouts are so intense, I use Ching in my water, which is an electrolyte drink that helps to hydrate the muscles and restore nutrients and electrolytes lost through sweat during my workout. It is like drinking Power Aide without all the sugar, artificial coloring and additives. I trust Musashi's products because they give you the amino acids and nutrients your body needs, in specific ratios, without the sugar and energy stimulants other products do.
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Preparing for tournaments is two fold: I believe 75% is mental and 25% is physical. I have given some of the best performances of my life after not training in over a month because I was mentally prepared. On the other hand, I have been in excellent shape and performed very poorly because of my mental state. I dedicate just as much time to preparing and training my mind as I do my body. I have learned to always think positively and to use visualization. They say that your mind doesn't know the difference between reality and fantasy. Like when you visualize biting into a lemon, your mouth can actually start to water if done right. Visualizing my form causes the brain to stimulate the muscles and senses used when moving the body as if I am actually doing the movements. So I close my eyes and involve as many senses as I can. I can feel the floor beneath me. I can smell air. I actually see myself competing and visualize myself sticking every move. I hear the crowd roaring. Then I picture myself winning. I do this over and over and over, so my mind and my body knows nothing but winning.
My physical preparation consists of 1 - 1 ½ hours of forms conditioning in addition to my Basics, and strength / conditioning workouts. I alternate, one day Basics and forms conditioning, the next Basics then back to Basics and forms conditioning. Specifically for forms and weapons conditioning, I have created a program that many of the top junior and adult competitors on the NASKA circuit are currently using.
Patterned after the Beijing Wushu athletes, I run my form 3-5 times, the first time 60% speed and power, then 80% speed and power, then 100% all out - like I am competing in a tie breaker, taking 2 minute breaks in between. Then I break my form into 3 sections, and run each section 5 times at 100% intensity taking 45 second breaks in between. If you have a training partner I would recommend going back and forth, one right after another until each section is complete, then rest for 2-3 minutes. Also, overlapping sections will help smooth transitions between sections. For example, start section 2 with the last two or three moves from section 1 then start section 3 with the last few moves from section 2. Rest for five minutes then repeat all of this with your weapons form. When I am finished with my weapons form and sections, then I do halves. I break both my form and weapons form into halves and do each half twice for a total of 4 halves for each form form. Finally to end, I pretend like I am performing a third encore performance for 20,000 spectators in France and do both forms one last time!
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My parents, dear friends Sensei Sharkey and Alan Chinowsky, and my wonderful wife McKenzie, have definitely been the driving force behind all the successes in life. My mom's strong will and indomitable spirit has definitely rubbed off on me through the years and my father has always played the Anthony Robbins motivator role in my life. Always giving me motivational literature and tapes to listen to for my birthday, Christmas, or whenever he found something new, I was able to tap into the power of the mind at an early age. Time and time again, I knew that if I set my mind to something, I could do it. After all, that's what my parents said, and in Chinese culture, you listen to and respect you're parents. They are always right, even when they are wrong. And with McKenzie, a Tiger by Chinese Astrology, I have attacked challenges and overcome obstacles and continue to live my life with enthusiasm, because of her positive energy and creative spirit.
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My parents always told me that I could be anything, do anything, and go anywhere I wanted when I grow up. The sky's the limit! They always reminded me to never let anyone tell me otherwise, and to not let other people steal my dreams. I definitely have big dreams and big goals and a lot I am going to accomplish this life. Don't ever let anyone steal your dreams. That's all you have. If you are dedicated, motivated, and willing to persevere through any challenges that come your way, there is nothing you can't do. There is nothing you can't achieve. The closing words to a poem my father gave me years ago which still hangs above my desk reads,
"Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man; but soon or late the man who wins is the man who thinks he can. . .Your potential is unlimited! It depends on you. How far do you want to go?"
© 1997-2000 Michael Chaturantabut
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