4:59 AM, Friday, December 25th.
The night hadn't even ended when Theo woke up that Friday morning.
With the arrival of the winter season, the daylight would only appear after 8 AM.
Which meant that the citizens of Elffire City would start their day with the night sky and not with the rising sun.
And with the arrival of a new snowstorm, it was predicted that even when daylight appeared, the sky would be filled with dark clouds.
But that did not Theo from waking up early that morning.
The night before he had fallen asleep as soon as he came back from the restaurant.
Theo slept like a baby on his comfy bed, so when he woke up that morning, he wasn't feeling any fatigue.
Theo slowly stood up from his bed and walked toward his bathroom.
He did his morning routine he did every day.
He brushed his teeth and took a shower before dressing up in his workout clothes.
Soon after, he exited his bedroom and met Aurora leaving her bedroom too.
The siblings talked with enthusiasm as they descended the stairs and walked to the backyard.
It was time for their morning run.
Even with the terribly cold weather, the two of them did not waver in running through the snowy landscape.
Theo and Aurora ran through the lane around the frozen lake.
A while later, the girls arrived at the house.Ayia, Shizuka, June, Sam, and Sayuri joined Theo and Aurora on their run.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe girls got used to arriving earlier so they would be able to run with Theo and Aurora.
That was how the scene of 7 people running through the wintry landscape happened.
Even though they dreaded the cold, after running for a while, the cold weather was not as bad.
The exercise was capable to warm their bodies to resist the cold.
It was perfect to start their workout.
That's why Theo didn't let go of the idea of running before the martial arts training.
A while later, Theo and the girls entered the house directly into the Martial Arts Dojo.
They did some stretching exercises before Theo instructed them in some martial arts exercises.
Sayuri, June, and Sam worked on improving their basics while Aurora, Ayia, and Shizuka worked on some advanced exercises.
Theo instructed them with patience as they performed the exercises.
Theo was a great teacher, so the girls didn't have any problems understanding his instructions.
To become a great martial artist, martial arts students need to add martial arts conditioning exercises to their workouts to build overall endurance and stamina. The most powerful martial arts kick and fastest punch will not help them if they were out of breath late in a match and are unable to move. Moreover, martial arts conditioning exercises are often combined with strength training to maximize an athlete's performance.
Before any strength and conditioning training, martial artists should stretch and warm up. All stretches and exercises should be supervised by a trained martial arts instructor in order to prevent injuries and to ensure the proper technique is utilized.
That's why Theo supervised closely their training.
It was very easy to get injured in such high-intensity training.
During the past 3 weeks, the girls had been doing all types of conditioning exercises.
Theo focused on the following exercises:
Bicycling – Bicycling builds your martial arts endurance, and leg strength and is easier on the knees than running. So go join that spin class if you can't get outside to bike.
Bear Crawl – This odd-looking exercise is great for building sports strength and conditioning.
Burpees – This is a solid all-around martial arts conditioning exercise. It is similar to a squat thrust.
Elliptical Trainer – The elliptical trainer works your upper and lower body with less strain on your joints.
Fartlek – Fartlek training is a conditioning exercise that combines interval training with fast and slow running.
Heaving Punching Bag Drills – Use a heavy punching bag to improve your conditioning and punching skills.
Heavy Ropes or Battle Ropes – Heavy rope training (or battle rope training) works out your core and upper body.
Indian Exercise Clubs – Indian exercise clubs are a strength and sports conditioning exercise tool. Best for upper body workouts, especially forearms, biceps, and shoulders.
Jumping Jacks – Jumping jacks are good warm-up exercises.
Jumping Oblique Twists – Jumping oblique twists provide a core workout as well as conditioning.
Jumping Rope – Jumping rope is a great way to build their martial arts & sports stamina.
Kettlebell Workouts – Kettlebells are another great upper body workout.
Kicking Bag Drills – Kicking bag drills are another great to increase your martial arts endurance as well as work on your kicking technique and power.
Lateral Suicides – Lateral shuffles to cones or lines at progressively further distances.
Medicine Ball Workouts – Medicine ball workouts are a traditional martial arts conditioning routine. We often see these routines used in Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts.
Mountain Climbers – Mountain climbers are a great cardio exercise.
Parkour – Parkour helps their conditioning, agility, strength, etc.
Plank Jacks – Plank jacks work on their core strength as well as improve your overall conditioning.
Plyometrics
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmProne Walkouts – This dynamic exercise works out their upper body & core.
Rowing – Rowing improves your martial arts endurance, upper body strength, and lower body strength. It is a good all-around sports exercise.
Running – Don't just go for distance, they also need to get their heart pounding. Therefore, they needed to mix in a variety of sprinting drills and long-distance runs.
Running Backwards – Add some variety to their conditioning routine.
Suicide Drills – Sprints to cones or lines at progressively further distances.
Speed Bag Drills – Use a speed bag to improve their conditioning and punching skills.
Squat Thrusts – Squat thrusts were one of the favorite Marine Corps "martial" exercises! Great all-around martial arts & sports conditioning exercise.
Stadium Stair Workouts – Stadium stair workouts are great for martial arts leg strength and stamina.
Strength Training – The stronger you are, the more you can endure. However, train to maximize repetitions versus a single lift at maximum weight.
Suicide Drills – Suicide sprints & drills are a great way to build up your cardiovascular sports endurance. These types of drills are used by many professional and college sports coaches.
Swimming – A good cardio exercise, especially if you want to take it easy on your joints.
Tabata Training – High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that lasts about 4 minutes.
Wheelbarrow Race – Wheelbarrow races are a fun strength and conditioning exercise to use with younger students or to add some variety to a regular exercise routine.
Just by the description of these exercises, we can understand the amount of work that the girl had put into the training.
Especially Aurora, Ayia, and Shizuka because of their higher experience, Theo made them do the toughest exercises.
He wanted to train them right, so he had to pressure them.
And he had obtained results.
Theo observed that their strength, speed, and techniques advanced by leaps and bounds in the last month.
Sam, Sayuri, and June didn't participate in this tough training, but after they mastered the basics, Theo wanted them to accompany Aurora, Shizuka, and Ayia.
Only by pressuring them, Theo would be able to make them transform into full-fledged fighters.
Theo was looking forward to seeing these girls beating up someone.