“Haruuu. The sun isn’t even out yet.”
“That’s what makes this the best time to start. Now we will start your training in both mysticism and the discipline Kitsune no Ken or Fox Fist for the uncultured.”
Lila felt insulted by that comment and didn’t understand why.
“While you are under my guidance, I will drill in a workout routine for you to follow religiously. After morning workout, I will teach you one of three disciplines of Kitsune no Ken. After each week we will swap to a different discipline since I only have a month to teach you. Don’t worry you will still have time to eat. At noon we will do round two of workouts and then switch to your mysticism lessons. Hold questions about that when we reach that stage in the day.”
With that comment, Lila lowered the arm she had raised halfway. She really didn’t feel like being called out by him.
“Afterwards it will be the end-of-day summary of your martial arts practice. Then the day is yours. Perfect timing.”
A servant brought breakfast to them and Haruaki explained the workout in better detail while she ate. Since kitsune specialized in agility and magic the morning workout was dedicated to cardio and agility.
Specifically, a warm-up of six hand walks, twenty front-to-back leg swings for each leg, and ended with a ten-minute jog. Once the lovely warm-up was done, she would be tortured by the cardio workout, or as Haruaki explained it with the gaze of someone who like torturing disciples, thirty minutes of HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training).
5 minutes: Sprinting (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off)
5 minutes: Burpees (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off)
5 minutes: High knees (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off)
5 minutes: Mountain climbers (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off)
5 minutes: Jumping jacks (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off)
5 minutes: Cool down with light jogging
Without getting comfy Lila would switch to twenty minutes of agility drills. Things such as cone drills, ladder drills, and quick feet drills.
Since Lila isn’t used to working out she would feel like she is dying and would power through the rest if Haruaki wouldn’t give her a break before switching to martial arts training.
At noon she would get a new warm-up. Haruaki explained that once she leaves it would be a warm-up for her as her body would have cooled off as she went about her mornings. Said warm-up would alternate daily. Some days it would be light jogging and others it would be various dynamic stretching. Either way, it would last for ten minutes of her bitching and moaning the entire time she would be in the Spirit Realm.
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As she would still need to do strength training to a certain degree, she would next do forty minutes of said strength training following a specific routine.
Upper Body
- Push-ups (3 sets of 15 reps)
- Pull-ups (3 sets of 10 reps)
- Dumbbell shoulder press (3 sets of 12 reps)
- Bicep curls (3 sets of 15 reps)
Core
- Planks (3 sets of 1 minute)
- Russian twists (3 sets of 20 reps)
- Leg raises (3 sets of 15 reps)
- Bicycle crunches (3 sets of 20 reps)
Lower Body
- Squats (3 sets of 20 reps)
- Lunges (3 sets of 15 reps per leg)
- Calf raises (3 sets of 20 reps)
- Deadlifts (3 sets of 12 reps)
This would also inspire Lila to get creative with her insults towards Haruaki. Said insults would then devolve into simple cursing as she was forced to go through twenty minutes of flexibility training. Things such as static stretching for the entire body, yoga poses (she was not flexible at all), and form rolling for muscle memory. She thought she would have enjoyed the last one if she wasn’t so sore. It didn’t help that Haruaki laughed as she did more face-plants than rolling.
She would find learning mysticism to be the real break of the day and was thankful for it.
For the evening workout it would be, you guessed it, a ten-minute warm-up of either light jogging or dynamic stretching. The plan would be forty minutes of technique drills as she can’t practice martial arts all day every day once she leaves his direct lessons. She would have to find a partner for drills and sparring. She would finally get to cool down for the day with some gentle stretches and light jogging.
Technique Drills
- Shadowboxing (10 minutes)
- Drill Specific Techniques (15 minutes)
- Practice Defensive maneuvers and counters (15 minutes)
Parter/Sparring Drills
- Partner drills to practice timing, distance, and technique (15 minutes)
- Light sparring to apply said techniques in a controlled environment (15 minutes)
“Now that I’ve explained your workout routine we should get started.” He said nudging Lila away from the food in a forceful manner.
“I think I already hate you.”
“Everyone does, little princess. Everyone does.”
“But what does the workout have to do with martial arts?”
When hearing this question Haruaki just sighed as he resisted the urge to beat her over the head with his tessen.
“Listen. These workouts are the most efficient way to get your body into the best possible condition for Kitsune no Ken.”
“I think I will stick with fox fist.”
He smacked her on the head for that comment, leaving a welt that would stay there until the day was over.
“Seriously, little princess. This martial art has been refined for generations. All of it is based on human martial arts. Think what you may but humans perfected the art of training themselves into weapons. Whereas the rest of us had to learn from them.
Genetically humans have always been the weakest species. They have no claws or fangs so they mastered how to punch and kick. They lack strength so they learned to redirect the enemy’s flow. Martial arts are just the most practical art of human expression. Especially since it’s built on the one thing humans are good at. Enduring. The more humans endure the stronger they become, so long as they don’t break first.”
As he explained this Lila could hear the respect he has for humanity, even if he normally talks about them with such contempt. It made her swell with pride at her origins and more eager to learn fox fist.