Just Me, Myself, and I

I got my schedule changed around for the next two weeks of work and I am going to miss a lot of regular classes. No classes at all tomorrow or Monday due to the fact that I have to do two overnight shifts. NO MMA!!!! Monday is an open class they are offering and I will be missing it! Oh well, guess that means I get to work out on my own, not a new thing for me.

I have made the decision that I will be doing bag work, solo, during KB1 classes. I will get more out of it and I won’t need to depend on other people to keep the workouts intense. Sifu also said that working the bag will be good to get my rhythm down and to see which way combinations should flow because the bag will move with me.

Working on kick catches and throws yesterday was very helpful. I like the double leg almost as much as the hip toss. Something about seeing a person go up and over then slam to the ground, that is very satisfying. “Don’t let them hit you more than twice without an answer of some kind.” Sparring is going to be very different on Saturday, I promise!

MMA today started a little late but I got the 300 workout done in my fastest overall time yet. I felt like shit at the beginning but awesome at the end. I need to remember that no matter how bad I feel before the gym I always, ALWAYS, feel better after. We worked on another warm-up routine and then drilled take-downs. I need to remember to use my opponent’s momentum against them. I wish I had someone to drill with outside of class. Maybe I can just go out there and mix it up with some randoms.

Still no fight date yet.

Improvements:

Take Downs, Shooting in faster & earlier

Positives:

Learned double leg, faster 300 overall time, weight after MMA today = 171.6.

Off Week, not in a good way.

This is what my life has been reduced to, going to work and then training. Planning my meals and sleeping are the most fun things I do. I could not be happier!!!

I realized this week that although I am physically fit (best shape of my life) my mental fitness needs some work. I had three "breakdowns" this week in terms of meals. I prepared as best I could for the tempting cookies and candy that work presents but I folded Monday and Wednesday. My body is not used to eating so much sugar and it reacted, unfavorably. I felt like SHIT during the following days. That is especially bad because Tuesday and Thursday are my hardest workout days. The one thing which saves me is that I have not really gained any weight as a result. I have maintained. I still have enough time to make the weight I need to. I, admittedly, fantasize about what I will be eating the days/week following my fight. First stop. . . Beer Garden, win or lose.

I would also like to answer the numerous questions of my family and friends about the information. Apparently, many people are interested in seeing me fight. Not sure if they want to see me hit someone or get hit (as neither have happened).

I have been lucky my entire life in one crucial aspect. My parents. Both Kathy and my dad have been hands down my biggest fans while playing soccer, football or running track. They would come to every game and meet that they could. This is the first thing I have undertaken in my life where I do not have their support. It feels odd. I know that Kathy won't be at any of my fights, ever. She just can't stand to watch them. And my dad used to pick my brain about everything track related and listen intently as I droned on and on about meaningless small details of sprinting. Now, he just closes up and has a disapproving look on his face whenever the topic of fighting comes up. I think the lack of support comes from not understanding. I hope that IF they do make it to a fight they will see it is not as barbaric as they think it is now.

While on the topic of fight day. I cannot wait. I am amped beyond amped. I feel like I have turned a corner in my training and I want to "test my metal" against a real opponent. Time to get the conditioning up so I can go all out for the three rounds. RUNNING HERE I COME!! I need to press Sifu about when my fight date is so that way I can request off of work. I would be miserable if I had to pull out at the last minute because I have to work 3 hours on a Saturday/Fight Day.

Work (out) Week

This week was eventful, so let's break it down in list form day by day.

Monday:
John showed up late to class so Les, myself and Alison rolled. Les called me out first and I was more than happy to oblige. We grappled for about 6 minutes until he got me in a arm triangle and I tapped. I was EXHAUSTED after just 6 minutes. John showed up and we learned how to do a flow drill. It works in this manner. Person 1 takes Person 2 to the ground and attempts a submission. Person 2 lets the take down happen but explodes out of the submission attempt, which Person 1 allows. Person 2 then takes on the role of Person 1 and Person 3 takes on the role of Person 2. It was fun, I just need to learn more submissions. My favorites would have to be the Guillotine, Kimura (above), and Rear Naked Choke. Nothing fancy but they are VERY effective.

Tuesday:
Got to class late and stared with Warrior Fit. Went right into boxing which was good because Titus came back today after rehabbing his broken toe. Sparring for Kickboxing was after. Frans, a competitive karate student, sparred with me. I got some good throws in. Realizing being taken down drives the wind and heart out of a person I followed up the throws with kicks and punches. I ended our round with a stiff cross to Frans' chin. We hugged it out at the end and nursed our egos til it was time to work again.

Wednesday:
Went to do the 300 workout during a long lunch break. Finished in about 26 minutes. Need to work on my form during push ups. After the 300 we did 3 minute grappling rounds. The rules here are much like sparring. You try and get your opponent to the ground and submit him. Take downs are 1 point while a submission is 3. First to three points is the winner and continues. I need to learn how to do more submissions from the top or at least set them up from the throws I like to use so much.

Thursday:
Boxing led into Warrior Fit (which I ran due to staff obligations) and then into Kickboxing with Mike. It was a good day all in all. I noticed that even though my hip hurts it does not prevent me from participating in any drills, as it did in the past. Gillian let me know they were awarding me a free personal training session for winning the Workout Challenge a few weeks ago. I split it up into two stretch sessions (30 mins).

Friday:
Stretch session 1 with Sifu. Afterward I felt the best I had in weeks. My hip was pain free walking around the city and I just felt relaxed all over. He suggested I bring a notebook to classes and jot down what hurts and how I hurt it so that he can figure out how to stretch it during our sessions. It is well worth the money it costs and I will definitely do it at least once a month, more as fight day approaches.

News:
Upon talking to Gerry and Pat this weekend about my nutrition plan I am going to post excerpts here for people to review. It will be a multi-part series in which I break down what I have learned and give insight into eating in a more healthy manner.

Positives:
Throws from clinch in sparring, hip pain is dissipating and not preventing workouts

Improvements:
Hands up during kickboxing (Ahmed kicked me in the throat, not fun), notebook at class or near by, keep stretching on my own

Better Late Than Never

My computer crashed so that's what took so long with the update. Since the last post it has been business as usual. Losing weight is not as challenging as I thought. I saw sub-180 for the first time since High School this past Saturday after sparring and running. This past week was spent training for a few days but I did manage to run 3 days. My word schedule has finally changed which means I can do MMA on Monday and Wednesday (awesome). I need to concentrate on my defense for July because Sifu said he is going to be getting me a "San-Da" kickboxing match. That means there will be kickboxing as well as throws and grappling. The clinch is awesome and I am in love. I personally like using my knees and then ending with a throw.

I sparred with Luch and Xavier on Saturday. I know why they have weight classes. Luch weighs around 250 and Xavier weighs about 220. They threw me pretty easily while I had a hard time throwing them (maybe got X down once). Luch said aside from the take downs I would have won the round with striking due to my kicks. That made me feel good. Also Sifu asked him to attack me with wrestling so that I could work on my takedown defense. I think my sprawl is pretty good but we shall see.

Nothing has changed on the running front. I still love doing it and even got in some sprints before my football game on Sunday. This will definitely help with shedding the pounds. I am consistently below 183 pounds and I hope by this Saturday (4/17) to be consistently below 180.

My weight goals are as follows:
May 1: 175
May 8: 172
May 15: 170
May 22: 168
May 29: 165
June 5- Fight day: 165 +Lifting

Positives:
Running started, dropping weight, not hungry, hip hurts less

Improvements:
Throw Defense, Kicking with good form and power to avoid kick-catches, constant head movement (UFC 112 Frankie Edgar!!!), regular running regimen leading to HIIT

How soon is too soon?

This week I was given off due to the student being away. That can only mean one thing: TRAIN EVERY DAY!!!

Monday was MMA. The class was small because it is still getting a following. It runs along side the kickboxing and boxing class. We use the ring and they are outside doing bag and partner work. I hope all of the people who watch us roll sign up for the class. It is hands down the best workout available in the gym for one class. We practiced throws, take downs, locks and chokes.

Tuesday was a good day for two reasons. The first being that my hip didn't hurt until KB2. Granted I was in a severe amount of pain at the end while working with Sifu and had to bow out at the end. He helped me with some stretches to increase the flexibility. He mentioned that it was a good thing because my body is doing things it has never done before. It will not hold me back from training. I will just have to be smarter and allow more time to stretch and do more work on my own.

The second thing that happened: Sifu said he is looking for a Kickboxing fight for me . . . soon! The news was broken while Fredrik and I were doing partner work for boxing. Sifu found Fred a fight for the beginning of May. He then, while walking around the corner away from us, mentioned that he had "not forgotten about me" and was looking for a fight for me too. I asked him when and he replied, "Soon." Guess I will have to be more diligent with weight monitoring and running. No way I am fighting at 185. 170 here I come. As can be expected I did not sleep very well that night, just in anticipation for what an amateur kickboxing match would be like.

Wednesday was a great day. MMA was beneficial because I was all alone. I got to work One-on-One with John. We worked on single leg sweep take downs and conditioning our body to take kicks in different places. Then we went through the entire 300 workout. It is 10 different exercises done for 30 reps each. It took me about a half hour. The core focused exercises were the easiest but the ones dealing with my shoulders were the hardest. I will be working on this more than once a week. The drills incorporate legitimate techniques and it is essential to fine tune the movements while doing the drills. After class was finished I purchased my ticket to John's M-1 show in AC for this Saturday. I am pumped. Right now it is Myself, Luciano, and Fredrik headed down to see the match.

Sparring was good. I went two rounds with Fredrik because I was so shot from MMA and the 300. I was not happy with some things but Saturday I will work on them.

Positives:
Hip pain delayed, 300 completed, better round kicks, stretching regimen made on PowerPoint

Improvements:
Technique for 300 exercises, head movement, running

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