Hello everyone,
I just wanted to ask a few questions on weight training in the martial arts. I've lifted weights for a lot longer than I've practiced martial arts, but I'm curious how I can taylor my training to help my karate.
I've been told that I'm often somewhat resistive in the movements of my kata, and my guess is that this is the reflection of my weight lifting habits. Is it possible to focus on speed development with regular weight training?
Also, I'm usually pretty timid with my legs as far as weights go (my knees have been creaking since the first year that I've been in MA). Does anyone have any suggestions of leg exercises that won't eventually damage one's joints?
Thanks,
Mike
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Moderator: Available
Weight Training for Martial Artists
I'm no expert on weight-training, but the general rule I've heard from multiple sources is that the speed-training to weight-training ratio should be 2-to-1; i.e. for every hour you do weight training you should do two hours of speed training. The general thought behind this equation is that weight-training can slow you down, so you need to do extra speed training to counteract that. Others could comment on the accuracy of this.
As for knees/legs, the best exercise I know is one that is used by physical therapists to strengthen knees that have been injured/damaged. It involves "sitting" as if you were in a chair, but without the chair. Your back is pressed against a wall (with your back straight and touching the wall from the lower back/butt to the upper back/shoulders). Your legs form a 90 degree angle at the knees, with your knees only 1-2 fist distance apart. Start with your feet flat on the floor. Basically hold this posture for a few seconds, gradually increasing over a period of weeks/months until you can hold it for a couple of minutes. Keep breathing normally throughout, do not hold your breath. This will also work toward strengthening the legs, particularly the upper legs.
For variation you can do one rep (say for a minute after your comfortable with that time length) with your feet flat, one rep with the back of your feet raised, and one rep with the front of your feet raised. Take a 30 second or so break between the reps to stnad up and walk around, to relax the legs and knees. This variation isolates and works different leg muscles.
Doing this against the wall is a great exercise, as long as you start gradually, that can be done anywhere, but another variation that adds a new dynamic is to make it a back-to-back exercise with a partner. You and your partner just need to make sure you both keep your backs straight and that your backs are pushing against each other all the way from the lower back to the upper back. Do not try to overpower each other with this though! You are each merely providing a more dynamic support for each other than the wall does. When time is up both should continue pushing against each other while standing up, otherwise if one simply stands up on his own his partner could fall backwards. If one person cannot hold it as long as the other, that person should "tap out" (tap a leg loudly) before he collapses taking his partner with him, and both can then stand up. Don't give up too soon, but remember that this should be built up gradually.
After a while of doing this you will notice both your legs and your knees getting stronger and that you are having less problems with your knees. This exercise definitely helps my knees, which use to have problems after too much incorrect kicking (locking the knee) in my youth.
------------------
Glenn
[This message has been edited by Glenn (edited April 23, 2002).]
As for knees/legs, the best exercise I know is one that is used by physical therapists to strengthen knees that have been injured/damaged. It involves "sitting" as if you were in a chair, but without the chair. Your back is pressed against a wall (with your back straight and touching the wall from the lower back/butt to the upper back/shoulders). Your legs form a 90 degree angle at the knees, with your knees only 1-2 fist distance apart. Start with your feet flat on the floor. Basically hold this posture for a few seconds, gradually increasing over a period of weeks/months until you can hold it for a couple of minutes. Keep breathing normally throughout, do not hold your breath. This will also work toward strengthening the legs, particularly the upper legs.
For variation you can do one rep (say for a minute after your comfortable with that time length) with your feet flat, one rep with the back of your feet raised, and one rep with the front of your feet raised. Take a 30 second or so break between the reps to stnad up and walk around, to relax the legs and knees. This variation isolates and works different leg muscles.
Doing this against the wall is a great exercise, as long as you start gradually, that can be done anywhere, but another variation that adds a new dynamic is to make it a back-to-back exercise with a partner. You and your partner just need to make sure you both keep your backs straight and that your backs are pushing against each other all the way from the lower back to the upper back. Do not try to overpower each other with this though! You are each merely providing a more dynamic support for each other than the wall does. When time is up both should continue pushing against each other while standing up, otherwise if one simply stands up on his own his partner could fall backwards. If one person cannot hold it as long as the other, that person should "tap out" (tap a leg loudly) before he collapses taking his partner with him, and both can then stand up. Don't give up too soon, but remember that this should be built up gradually.
After a while of doing this you will notice both your legs and your knees getting stronger and that you are having less problems with your knees. This exercise definitely helps my knees, which use to have problems after too much incorrect kicking (locking the knee) in my youth.
------------------
Glenn
[This message has been edited by Glenn (edited April 23, 2002).]
-
Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Mike
Funny you should ask. I've been doing a lot of research on this and giving this a lot of thought lately. It's almost as if I solicited the question.
So I'll share where I am on this now. I have a different approach, so you can take this for what it's worth.
Believe it or not, weight training is the best thing you can do for creaky knees, especially considering your young age, Mike. The goal is to make the muscles that support the joint as strong as possible and with the right proportion of strength wrt each other so the stress is taken off the joint. This is very similar to strengthening someone's stomach muscles, back muscles, and oblique muscles to take the stress off of the lumbar joints in the spine.
One should always start with multiple muscle group exercises for several reasons. First, it stresses the body in the most physiologically realistic manner, particularly if you stay away from the machines and do free weights. The "essential synergy" you develop from doing a freeweight bench press or squat transfers well to the athletic arena. The second reason for doing multiple muscle group exercises first is to start with a fresh body and tax it to the max. The beneficial hormone release you get from a training regimen tends to be directly proportional to the intensity of your effort. Thus for legs you want to start with freeweight squats, and expect to work hard. But doing it with STRICT FORM is absolutely a must. Again, part of the benefit comes from increased coordination (the essential synergy thing). Now for the knees, you want to follow that with leg extensions and leg curls. You want to make sure that the strength of quadriceps to hamstrings remains at a 3 to 2 ratio. This you can tell by the amount of weight you dial up on the machines. Follow that up with lower back work, and the lower legs (calves, ankle flexion, toes). Do the upper body on a separate day.
Now, how to train for speed? Well there are several extremely important elements.
1) What is the development of fast twitch to slow twitch muscles? Slow twitch gives you your strength and endurance foundation, but fast twitch gives you speed and power.
2) How much are you using your neuromuscular reflexes? Much of the "jing" thing that the chi-sters talk about and the whipping motion that Nakamatsu and Van Canna teach have a lot to do with the use of neuromuscular as opposed to strictly muscular resources. It's learning how to develop and take advantage of the stretch reflex across a multitude of joints in the body.
3) What is your internal resistance to motion? It's fine if you have a strong quadriceps and a great plyometric response, but if your are literally and figuratively hamstrung (tight hamstring muscles), then you are going to be slowed down.
4) How coordinated are you? A lot of speed and power comes from selective tension and total relaxation of various muscle groups at the right time and in the right sequence.
So...here's the deal.
1) Train in twelve week cycles. For your major muscle group exercises, start with 3-5 sets of 10 reps in the first few weeks, and gravitate to fewer reps of much more weight as you get to the end of the cycle. The fast twitch muscles give out after rep 5 or six, so you are mostly working on strength and endurance in the beginning of the cycle. When you do as much weight as possible for 3 to 5 reps, you are involving the fast twitch fibers much more. But you only want to do this when you have the strength and conditioning base. It's all important, and it's all good. Balance is key. After the twelth week, engage in active rest. Do 2 to no more than 3 training cycles like this a year, and make sure you have other times in the year when you are focusing on other things like doing your karate or competing or practicing for upcoming events. You can still lift light during these periods.
2) Consider supplementing your diet with creatine. Creatine phosphate keeps the ATP loaded, and this is what you use in speed and explosive power movements. Being properly loaded with fuel supply in your speed and power workouts means you will have intense speed and power workouts.
3) Do plyometric exercises to develop the neuromuscular reflexes. There are books on this, so I won't go into too much detail. But this involves activities like jumping (bunny hopping or maybe jumping off of and back on to platforms), explosive movements, catching and throwing medicine balls, clapping pushups, and even kata activity (the "TC" thing).
4) Spend some time doing kata as fast as possible. Mix this in with good, careful technique work so you don't create a mess.
5) Stretch during and after each and every weight routine, and also during and after your karate workouts. Never stretch cold; always warm up first. Never do extreme stretching in the beginning of a workout. You can get your best results at the end when your muscles are warm and happily fatigued (your reflexes aren't fighting the stretch). And learn how to do PNF stretching and other advanced methods (like CRAC).
6) Remember that exercise is one step back, and the rest periods inbetween are the two steps forward. You cannot improve without rest, so DON'T OVERTRAIN!!!
Hope this helps.
- Bill
Funny you should ask. I've been doing a lot of research on this and giving this a lot of thought lately. It's almost as if I solicited the question.
So I'll share where I am on this now. I have a different approach, so you can take this for what it's worth.Believe it or not, weight training is the best thing you can do for creaky knees, especially considering your young age, Mike. The goal is to make the muscles that support the joint as strong as possible and with the right proportion of strength wrt each other so the stress is taken off the joint. This is very similar to strengthening someone's stomach muscles, back muscles, and oblique muscles to take the stress off of the lumbar joints in the spine.
One should always start with multiple muscle group exercises for several reasons. First, it stresses the body in the most physiologically realistic manner, particularly if you stay away from the machines and do free weights. The "essential synergy" you develop from doing a freeweight bench press or squat transfers well to the athletic arena. The second reason for doing multiple muscle group exercises first is to start with a fresh body and tax it to the max. The beneficial hormone release you get from a training regimen tends to be directly proportional to the intensity of your effort. Thus for legs you want to start with freeweight squats, and expect to work hard. But doing it with STRICT FORM is absolutely a must. Again, part of the benefit comes from increased coordination (the essential synergy thing). Now for the knees, you want to follow that with leg extensions and leg curls. You want to make sure that the strength of quadriceps to hamstrings remains at a 3 to 2 ratio. This you can tell by the amount of weight you dial up on the machines. Follow that up with lower back work, and the lower legs (calves, ankle flexion, toes). Do the upper body on a separate day.
Now, how to train for speed? Well there are several extremely important elements.
1) What is the development of fast twitch to slow twitch muscles? Slow twitch gives you your strength and endurance foundation, but fast twitch gives you speed and power.
2) How much are you using your neuromuscular reflexes? Much of the "jing" thing that the chi-sters talk about and the whipping motion that Nakamatsu and Van Canna teach have a lot to do with the use of neuromuscular as opposed to strictly muscular resources. It's learning how to develop and take advantage of the stretch reflex across a multitude of joints in the body.
3) What is your internal resistance to motion? It's fine if you have a strong quadriceps and a great plyometric response, but if your are literally and figuratively hamstrung (tight hamstring muscles), then you are going to be slowed down.
4) How coordinated are you? A lot of speed and power comes from selective tension and total relaxation of various muscle groups at the right time and in the right sequence.
So...here's the deal.
1) Train in twelve week cycles. For your major muscle group exercises, start with 3-5 sets of 10 reps in the first few weeks, and gravitate to fewer reps of much more weight as you get to the end of the cycle. The fast twitch muscles give out after rep 5 or six, so you are mostly working on strength and endurance in the beginning of the cycle. When you do as much weight as possible for 3 to 5 reps, you are involving the fast twitch fibers much more. But you only want to do this when you have the strength and conditioning base. It's all important, and it's all good. Balance is key. After the twelth week, engage in active rest. Do 2 to no more than 3 training cycles like this a year, and make sure you have other times in the year when you are focusing on other things like doing your karate or competing or practicing for upcoming events. You can still lift light during these periods.
2) Consider supplementing your diet with creatine. Creatine phosphate keeps the ATP loaded, and this is what you use in speed and explosive power movements. Being properly loaded with fuel supply in your speed and power workouts means you will have intense speed and power workouts.
3) Do plyometric exercises to develop the neuromuscular reflexes. There are books on this, so I won't go into too much detail. But this involves activities like jumping (bunny hopping or maybe jumping off of and back on to platforms), explosive movements, catching and throwing medicine balls, clapping pushups, and even kata activity (the "TC" thing).
4) Spend some time doing kata as fast as possible. Mix this in with good, careful technique work so you don't create a mess.
5) Stretch during and after each and every weight routine, and also during and after your karate workouts. Never stretch cold; always warm up first. Never do extreme stretching in the beginning of a workout. You can get your best results at the end when your muscles are warm and happily fatigued (your reflexes aren't fighting the stretch). And learn how to do PNF stretching and other advanced methods (like CRAC).
6) Remember that exercise is one step back, and the rest periods inbetween are the two steps forward. You cannot improve without rest, so DON'T OVERTRAIN!!!
Hope this helps.
- Bill
Weight Training for Martial Artists
M Keller
Great topic that is of particular interst to me because I have trained with weights for most of my life. I am also the fitness director at the high school I teach at and instruct both athletes and non-athletes in fitness routines that include weight training.
Here are some of my thoughts on the use of weight training as it relates to a martial artist.
* Don't substitute time on the dojo floor or the mat for weight training, that would be counterproductive.
* If your using weight training to enhance your martial skills tailor your routine to fit your goals. Lift heavier if you want to gain strength, do more repititions if you are looking for muscular endurance. If you are lifting to enhance your chances in a competition use explosive movements that develop power.
* Use a well rounded routine. Don't leave out bodyparts or stress certain bodyparts. I can't think of any muscle group that a martial artist uses that would not benifit from resistance training.
* Dont worry about the loss of speed or flexibility, weight training will only enhance these qualities.
Most of all use weight training as a tool to be healthy and fit, if you train in this way the benifits to your martial arts training will be automatic.
------------------
J Deluca
Great topic that is of particular interst to me because I have trained with weights for most of my life. I am also the fitness director at the high school I teach at and instruct both athletes and non-athletes in fitness routines that include weight training.
Here are some of my thoughts on the use of weight training as it relates to a martial artist.
* Don't substitute time on the dojo floor or the mat for weight training, that would be counterproductive.
* If your using weight training to enhance your martial skills tailor your routine to fit your goals. Lift heavier if you want to gain strength, do more repititions if you are looking for muscular endurance. If you are lifting to enhance your chances in a competition use explosive movements that develop power.
* Use a well rounded routine. Don't leave out bodyparts or stress certain bodyparts. I can't think of any muscle group that a martial artist uses that would not benifit from resistance training.
* Dont worry about the loss of speed or flexibility, weight training will only enhance these qualities.
Most of all use weight training as a tool to be healthy and fit, if you train in this way the benifits to your martial arts training will be automatic.
------------------
J Deluca
-
f.Channell
- Posts: 3541
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Valhalla
Weight Training for Martial Artists
J.
Which method do you find most important in grappling, the strength or the endurance? I find running is best for endurance as far as wind goes. But what about long matches on the mat.
f.
Nice class sunday by the way.
Which method do you find most important in grappling, the strength or the endurance? I find running is best for endurance as far as wind goes. But what about long matches on the mat.
f.
Nice class sunday by the way.
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Fred C
I feel that grappling, boxing, and sparring of any kind is ALL about endurance. Stength is nice and is of help but without that aerobic base it gets sapped pretty quickly.
Running for me is the best way to prepare for freefighting while off the dojo floor. In the summers I do a lot of swimming and I find that to be very beneficial as well . I do lift regularly but thats just for SHOW not for GO.
Fred It was great having with us last Sunday hope to see you again soon. I here Joe P has an open mat on Saturdays I hope to make it down there soon to have Joe grind me into the mat for an hour or two.
------------------
J Deluca
I feel that grappling, boxing, and sparring of any kind is ALL about endurance. Stength is nice and is of help but without that aerobic base it gets sapped pretty quickly.
Running for me is the best way to prepare for freefighting while off the dojo floor. In the summers I do a lot of swimming and I find that to be very beneficial as well . I do lift regularly but thats just for SHOW not for GO.
Fred It was great having with us last Sunday hope to see you again soon. I here Joe P has an open mat on Saturdays I hope to make it down there soon to have Joe grind me into the mat for an hour or two.
------------------
J Deluca
-
Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Very nice posts, J Deluca! I agree with most of your propositions.
I do challenge the "show vs. go" part. You may not realize how much your weight training had contributed. Any decent competitive athlete trains with weights these days. And to truly be show vs. go means you intentionally create mass for mass's sake, and that tends not to be functional like you would have if also doing a sport activity. Virtually no bodybuilder looks like a competitive athlete, and vice versa. They are two entirely different activities with very different ends. On the other hand, any highly-trained athlete is certainly going to score more points on the beach than your average couch potato. Nothing wrong with that.
I'd also like to re-emphasize the periodization concept I wrote above. In addition to giving you the spectrum of abilities from strength/endurance to speed/power, it's also useful for avoiding gain plateaus and classic overtraining syndromes. The body needs variety for many reasons, both in the physical and the psychological domains.
- Bill
I do challenge the "show vs. go" part. You may not realize how much your weight training had contributed. Any decent competitive athlete trains with weights these days. And to truly be show vs. go means you intentionally create mass for mass's sake, and that tends not to be functional like you would have if also doing a sport activity. Virtually no bodybuilder looks like a competitive athlete, and vice versa. They are two entirely different activities with very different ends. On the other hand, any highly-trained athlete is certainly going to score more points on the beach than your average couch potato. Nothing wrong with that.
I'd also like to re-emphasize the periodization concept I wrote above. In addition to giving you the spectrum of abilities from strength/endurance to speed/power, it's also useful for avoiding gain plateaus and classic overtraining syndromes. The body needs variety for many reasons, both in the physical and the psychological domains.
- Bill
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Hello again,
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Bill-sensei, I'll definitely try the cyclic lifting over the summer.
In response to the latter posts: I defintely agree that running is the most valuable endurance builder for me when I'm sparring or grappling. However, running always accentuates every minor problem that I have with my hips and knees, so I'm starting to favor swimming over running to avoid long-term damage.
Best,
Mike
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Bill-sensei, I'll definitely try the cyclic lifting over the summer.
In response to the latter posts: I defintely agree that running is the most valuable endurance builder for me when I'm sparring or grappling. However, running always accentuates every minor problem that I have with my hips and knees, so I'm starting to favor swimming over running to avoid long-term damage.
Best,
Mike
-
Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Mike
Running is one of the best exercises for cardiovascular endurance, but it isn't for everyone and can add further insult to already-inflamed joints. If you run, shell out bucks for a good set of shoes, and replace them often. If Dr. Dan Kulund is still in town, you might check out his runner's clinic and see if he can make you some orthotics to address your specific anatomical needs. Stay off the streets and sidewalks. Running on sand is great. Otherwise the swimming is good. For variety you can add in work on one of those eliptical trainers that does no impact motion on the lower body and a cross-country-skiing-like push/pull on the upper body. And speaking of which, you folks in the Great White North can cross country ski for variety. Biking can also add to the training package.
- Bill
Running is one of the best exercises for cardiovascular endurance, but it isn't for everyone and can add further insult to already-inflamed joints. If you run, shell out bucks for a good set of shoes, and replace them often. If Dr. Dan Kulund is still in town, you might check out his runner's clinic and see if he can make you some orthotics to address your specific anatomical needs. Stay off the streets and sidewalks. Running on sand is great. Otherwise the swimming is good. For variety you can add in work on one of those eliptical trainers that does no impact motion on the lower body and a cross-country-skiing-like push/pull on the upper body. And speaking of which, you folks in the Great White North can cross country ski for variety. Biking can also add to the training package.
- Bill
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Bill
The Show/Go comment was tongue and cheek. I guess I better learn how to use the smile icons!!
What I was trying to say was that I don't lift weights to improve myself as a martial artist, that part of my fitness training is so that I look and feel good. I do however realize that even though it is not my intention I am still benifiting as a martial artist from that training. As I originally posted the benifits of lifting weights on your martial art training will be automatic.
My personal reasoning to my approach on training has been influenced by training with some truly amazing grappling athletes that seldom use weights but have such great leverage and skill it seems that they have the strength of Hercules. Judo's Jimmy Pedro, BBJJs Florian Brothers, multitalented John Frankel are just some of the fighters in this category. At this point in my training my physique can be the SHOW but I want my technique to be the GO.
PS Certainly nothing wrong with scoring points on the beach!!! If you come up the Hampton Beach NH this summer look me up at the lifeguard headquarters.
------------------
J Deluca
The Show/Go comment was tongue and cheek. I guess I better learn how to use the smile icons!!
What I was trying to say was that I don't lift weights to improve myself as a martial artist, that part of my fitness training is so that I look and feel good. I do however realize that even though it is not my intention I am still benifiting as a martial artist from that training. As I originally posted the benifits of lifting weights on your martial art training will be automatic.
My personal reasoning to my approach on training has been influenced by training with some truly amazing grappling athletes that seldom use weights but have such great leverage and skill it seems that they have the strength of Hercules. Judo's Jimmy Pedro, BBJJs Florian Brothers, multitalented John Frankel are just some of the fighters in this category. At this point in my training my physique can be the SHOW but I want my technique to be the GO.
PS Certainly nothing wrong with scoring points on the beach!!! If you come up the Hampton Beach NH this summer look me up at the lifeguard headquarters.
------------------
J Deluca
Weight Training for Martial Artists
I glad to see people are talking about this. 
I weight train 4 days a week. The twelve week cycle works best for me. You'll be amazed by how much progress can be made in 12 weeks.
For speed, in addition to working on flexibility, there are a few simple exercises that you can do. Before weight training, warm up with a jump rope. Start slow, then add some different types of foot work. This will help with the hand/eye coordination as well as increase footspeed. For the hands, practice the Martial Arts as softly as possible. Focus on the soft techniques. These are the fast techniques. Remember, soft=fast.
And always focus on your "Core" body strength. The core is what ties your upper body with your lower body. This means you need to lower back and abdominal exercises. Don't skimp on these. They are probably the most important.
Good luck on those knees!
Peace
I weight train 4 days a week. The twelve week cycle works best for me. You'll be amazed by how much progress can be made in 12 weeks.
For speed, in addition to working on flexibility, there are a few simple exercises that you can do. Before weight training, warm up with a jump rope. Start slow, then add some different types of foot work. This will help with the hand/eye coordination as well as increase footspeed. For the hands, practice the Martial Arts as softly as possible. Focus on the soft techniques. These are the fast techniques. Remember, soft=fast.
And always focus on your "Core" body strength. The core is what ties your upper body with your lower body. This means you need to lower back and abdominal exercises. Don't skimp on these. They are probably the most important.
Good luck on those knees!
Peace
-
Sleepmed.md
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2002 6:01 am
- Location: Lynn, MA
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Have you tried squatting and leg lunges? Many people say that squatting is bad for the joints but I don't think thats true. Start off with a light weight and do 20 reps with each leg. Once you are able to do 20 reps per set with no problem, increase the weight 5 pounds. Don't forget to keep your back straight throughout the exercise. Proper form is important. Your kicks will get better as your legs get stronger.
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Mr. Glasheen,
You said, "You want to make sure that the strength of quadriceps to hamstrings remains at a 3 to 2 ratio."
I don't don't have machines; either dumbbells or no weight and do things like lunges and squats. Are these working my hamstrings (I assume not enough), and if not, how can I without a weight bench? Thanks.
You said, "You want to make sure that the strength of quadriceps to hamstrings remains at a 3 to 2 ratio."
I don't don't have machines; either dumbbells or no weight and do things like lunges and squats. Are these working my hamstrings (I assume not enough), and if not, how can I without a weight bench? Thanks.
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Mike, glad to hear the sunday classes are still up and running and going well. Quick (I hope) question for you... can you ask the 'puter people how to get me back my telnetting capabilities? Used to be able to telnet from home and edit the UVA webpage, but not anymore, Tim is working on it (a little) with no success. We have to get you patched in so you can edit things, note upcoming events and schedules and the like, as well.
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Hi Ian,
I'll call ITC as soon as possible and ask them for access to the page, and I'll also see if there's any caviats to accessing the server from home.
By the way, thanks to you and Tim for the help with the seminar finances. The event was a blast.
Best,
Mike
I'll call ITC as soon as possible and ask them for access to the page, and I'll also see if there's any caviats to accessing the server from home.
By the way, thanks to you and Tim for the help with the seminar finances. The event was a blast.
Best,
Mike
