Aikido, translated as the way of harmonious spirit, is a modern Japanese martial art which was developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Ueshiba’s goal was to create and disseminate a martial art through which a practitioner could achieve the ability to defend himself without injuring his attacker.

Aikido emphasizes blending with an attack and redirecting the attacker’s energy, as opposed to meeting force with force, and consists primarily of body throws and joint-locking techniques. In addition to physical fitness and techniques, mental training, controlled relaxation, and development of “spirit” are emphasized throughout aikido training.

In aikido, as in virtually all Japanese martial arts, there are both physical and mental aspects of training, which are often interdependent and interrelated. The physical training in aikido is diverse, covering both general physical fitness and conditioning, as well as specific techniques. Because a substantial portion of any aikido curriculum consists of throws, the first thing most students learn is how to safely fall or roll.

The specific techniques for attack include both strikes and grabs; the techniques for defense consist of throws and pins. After basic techniques are learned, students study freestyle defense against multiple opponents, and in certain styles, techniques with weapons.

In order to play squash, one needs to be fit BEFORE engaging in the sport. Thirty minutes on the squash court provides an impressive cardiorespiratory workout. Extended rallies and almost constant running builds muscular strength and endurance in the lower body. At the same time, with all the lunges, twists and turns flexibility is increased in the back and abdomen.

For people just getting into the game, it’s almost too much to sustain, but once you get there, squash is tremendous and a great stress relief.

The abdominals are responsible for permitting our bodies to bend forward and back as well as to the side. Their main function is keeping our posture but they also aid in keeping our body stable when participating in different activities and of course in both upper body and lower body lifts while bodybuilding. By fully understanding the functions of our abdominals we can then implement effective ways of training them.

As you read earlier, our abdominals allow us to bend forward. The best way to effectively train them is to replicate this movement while in the gym. The reason most bodybuilders train their abs is definitely to increase the overall definition of the abs. There are a number of ways to go about obtaining this.

One way is to get rid of the fat that covers the abs. This can be done through both dieting and cardiovascular activity. Another way to help define your abs is to do abdominal exercises intensely with very high repetitions. The reason for this is that you don’t want to add any unwanted mass to your abs. Cardiovascular conditioning is easily the most important aspect used to help a bodybuilder achieve defined abdominals.

Bodybuilders use cardio as a tool to help shed unwanted fat. The most misunderstood and underutilised tool for bodybuilders looking to obtain shredded abs is dieting. Some would argue that dieting alone is responsible for over 80% of a bodybuilder’s overall physique. As stated before, your body needs to have 4-6 small meals that are high in protein, spaced out over a 2-3 hour span to keep your metabolism high and prevent fat storage.