Intermediate: Pyramid Training for Kendo

To put it simply, if you’re in this stage, you have it the roughest. You have only two ways to go. Up or down. Our advice: Hold true to your convictions. You should be seeing improvement in your physical appearance as well as your kendo practice. Don’t give up.

At this point, your body should be used to hard practices and a rigid at home exercise schedule.

Your exercise routine should last around an hour with 30 minutes of weightlifting and 30 minutes of cardio. It is suggested that you read the Beginner’s suggestions and merely up the ante. Instead of one to two sets, do three to four. Mix up the exercises a little and most importantly, have fun!

Areas to concentrate on:

Biceps (curls or pull-ups)

Triceps (triceps-curls or dips)

Chest (machine or pushups)

Back (machine or wide-arm pull-ups)

Legs (Squats or lunges)

Calves (machine or jump-rope*)

Abs (crunches and situps for uppers and six-inches for lower abs)

Three to four sets of each. Keep a clear goal in mind. Remember, if your goal is to get stronger and better at kendo, you must train for both strength and endurance. In kendo, strength is useless without endurance and vice-versa.

A technique many kendoists use when cross training is called pyramid training:

Start off with light weights and do plenty of repetitions, 20-25 should be enough. For the next set go a bit heavier and do around 15-20 reps. Complete another set with an even heavier weight doing 12-15 reps. Do another even heavier set 10-12 times. Then max out at a weight you can lift 5-6 times. Make sure to rest at least 30 seconds between each set especially on the heavier weights or you will get injured.

Pyramid training without weights (calisthenics) is possible as well. Just go slower. On a pull-up for example, instead of the usual up for one second, down for one second, spend more time up and down on the later sets. For example, from the up position, move to the down position, hold for five seconds, then go back up and hold for another five seconds.

In this stage of your training, you should get around 30-35 minutes of cardiovascular training in (excluding kendo practice).