Mon 3/29/10

"My mind is a garden. My thoughts are the seeds. My harvest will be either flowers or weeds." - Mel Weldon

Warm up:

10 100lb bag pick ups and slams
10 100lb bag shoots

Stretch

MMA workout:

Do each exercise for 30 secs, no rest between each, 1 min rest between rounds

Rd 1
Turkish get ups -
Monkey climbs -
Reverse row with feet on ball -
Squat press -
Dumbbell swings -
Medicine ball slams -
Alternate dumbbell punch rows -
Heavy Bag -

Rd 2
Bungee shoots -
Bungee knees on swiss ball -
Bungee bear crawls -
Bungee burpees -
Bungee jump lunges -
Bungee focus mitts -
Bungee shoots -
Heavy bag -

Rd 3
Treadmill -
Shoots with partner lift -
Treadmill -
Technical stand ups -
Treadmill -
Clinch fight -
Treadmill -
Heavy bag -

3 min clinch to take down drill -
3 min counter kicks with punches and take downs -
3 min Spar -
3 min pass guard drill -
3 min get up drill -

Stretch - protein shake - shower

Have a safe journey.

Sun 3/28/10

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

Getting close to April 3rd fight, so this is what we did:

MMA workout:

Do each exercise for 30 secs, no rest between each, 1 min rest between rounds

Rd 1
Turkish get ups -
Monkey climbs -
Reverse row with feet on ball -
Squat press -
Dumbbell swings -
Medicine ball slams -
Alternate dumbbell punch rows -
Heavy Bag -

Rd 2
Bungee shoots -
Bungee knees on swiss ball -
Bungee bear crawls -
Bungee burpees -
Bungee jump lunges -
Bungee focus mitts -
Bungee shoots -
Heavy bag -

Rd 3
Treadmill -
Shoots with partner lift -
Treadmill -
Technical stand ups -
Treadmill -
Clinch fight -
Treadmill -
Heavy bag -

15 min Roll with strikes

Pull ups - 4 sets weighted & 4 set regular

Shrugs - 5 sets

Stretch - protein shake - shower

Have a safe journey.

Tues & Wed 3/23/10 & 3/24/10

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.” - Conrad Hilton




Tues

Warm up - 3 mins jump rope - stretch

Chest - 5 sets of bench press x 5 reps -

Multi joint - 3 sets of clean & press x 5 reps

Back/shoulders - 3 super sets of weighted pull ups x 5 reps & Dumbbell press x 5 reps

Traps - 4 sets of bar shrugs x 5 reps

Legs - 3 sets of walking lunges X 32'

Bis - 4 sets of bar curls x 5 reps

Stretch - shake - shower

Wed

I swam 15 laps at lunch and at night I did:

Warm up:

3 mins agility ladder feet - stretch

Grip: - 3 sets of hanging gi holds for time

2 sets of Plate rolls x 2 reps up and down

2 round circuit for time of the following:

Push up - 10 reps
Static jumps - 10 reps
Mountain climbers with hands on stability ball - 10 reps
Sprawls - 10 reps
Medicine ball slams - 10 reps
Jump squats - 10 reps
Dumbbell swings - 10 reps
Jump pull ups - 10 reps
Repeat

3 min focus mitts

3 min spar

3 min escaping side control

3 min defending back

Stretch - protein shake - shower

Have a safe journey.









"

Lucky Man

I have heard this song in the past but it really hit home with me when I heard it again the other day. Things could always be worse, so I need to be grateful for what I have in my life.


Lucky Man by Montgomery Gentry

"I have days where I hate my job
This little town and the whole world too
Last Sunday when my Bengals lost
Lord, it put me in a bad mood

I have moments when I curse the rain
Then complain when the sun`s too hot
I look around at what everyone has
And I forget about all I`ve got

But I know I`m a lucky man
God`s given me a pretty fair hand
Got a house and a piece of land
A few dollars and a coffee can
My old truck`s still runnin` good
My ticker`s ticking like they say it should
I got supper in the oven, a good woman`s lovin`
And one more day to be my little kid`s dad
Lord knows I`m a lucky man

Got some friends who would be here fast
I could call em any time of day
Got a brother who`s got my back
Got a mama who I swear`s a saint
Got a brand new rod and reel
Got a full week off this year
Dad had a close call last spring
It`s a miracle he`s still here

But lord knows I`m a lucky man
God`s given me a pretty fair hand
Got a house and a piece of land
A few dollars in a coffee can
My old truck`s still running good
My ticker`s tickin` like they say it should
I got supper in the oven,a good woman`s loving
And one more day to be my little kid`s dad
Lord knows I`m a lucky man

My old truck`s still running good
My ticker`s ticking like they say it should
I got supper in the oven, a good woman`s loving
And even my bad days ain`t that bad
Yeah, I`m a lucky man
I`m a lucky lucky man"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpGkaPZinms

Mon 3/22/10

"I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.” - Dalai Lama

Warm up:

3 min jump rope -
Duck walks - 10 laps X 32' - stretch

MMA workout:

Do each exercise for 30 secs, no rest between each, 1 min rest between rounds

Rd 1
Turkish get ups -
Monkey climbs -
Reverse row with feet on ball -
Squat press -
Dumbbell swings -
Medicine ball slams -
Shoots -
Heavy Bag -

Rd 2
Bungee shoots -
Bungee knees on swiss ball -
Bungee bear crawls -
Bungee burpees -
Bungee jump lunges -
Bungee focus mitts -
Bungee shoots -
Heavy bag -

Rd 3
Treadmill -
Shoots with partner lift -
Treadmill -
Technical stand ups -
Treadmill -
Clinch fight -
Treadmill -
Heavy bag -

Parrying/slipping drills - 3 mins

Slipping/bobbing/weaving punches to clinch & take down - 3 mins

Counter kicks with punches on focus mitts (either 3-2 or 2-3 depending on kick) - 3 mins

Counter leg kicks with shoots - 3 mins

Counter leg kicks with either punches or shoots - 3 mins

Take downs - 3 mins

Stretch - protein shake - shower

Have a safe journey.

Fri 3/19/10

“The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within me.” - Mahatma Gandhi

I swam 10 laps today at lunch and then we did this workout at night:

Warm up: 3 mins jump rope - 3 min agility ladder feet -Stretch

I Did 3 sets of the following exercises in a circuit without letting go of the bar with a min rest between sets:

Bent rows X8
Upright rows X 8
Over head shoulder press X 8
Curls X 8
Squat push press X 8
Dead lift X 8

MMA workout:

Two 3 min sets of alternating partner take downs

3 min on focus mitts

3 mins on heavy bag

3 min counter punch drills

3 min shadow boxing with 3lb dumbbells

6 min sparring

No Gi roll

Stretch - Protein shake - Shower

Have a safe journey.

Life is like Traffic

Earlier this week I was feeling tired from the hour change and sitting
in Atlanta area traffic as usual. I started to think how traffic is a
lot like life. When it is moving smoothly and light with no issues, I
get to work/home at a decent time and I am happy. On other days
however, it can be so hectic that it really beats me down. For instance,
the other day traffic was pretty heavy and it seemed that no matter
which lane I was in, the other lanes were moving faster. I would try to
switch lanes, but it would take me so long because no one would let me
in. When I finally get over, the lane I am in stops moving and the lane
I was just in starts moving quickly. It happened every time no matter
which lane I was in. I have felt like that before, no matter what I
did, it didn't go well. I would try different things, things that
others were doing, but had no luck. I know that everyone has days like
this and feels this way at times and I normally try to keep my head up,
but at times it is hard. Life can be cruel and kick you when you are
down, but maybe there is a reason. The other day it was raining, so the
Atlanta metro area goes into panic mode and the roads become parking
lots. I was tired and frustrated, so I wanted to switch lanes early,
sometimes it's all about the timing. As I was about to switch, the car
in front of me cut me off and almost caused an accident. After showing
him how proficient I am in sign language, I decided to just go with the
flow and take my time. I put on some Smokey Robinson (very good for
easing driving frustration) and sang along. All of a sudden a tractor
trailer started to move over and hit the car that had cut me off. I
started to think that had I been the car to get that spot instead of the
car that cut me off, I could have been the car to get hit. It made me
think about past things in my life that I had not been happy with, like
why I took this job so many years ago or why I dated that crazy girl and
it all seemed to lead me to my family and where I am not. Had I not
dated that girl I would not have taken the job, and if I didn't work at
this job (back in NJ) I would never have met my wife and not have the
great kids that I have. I would have never moved to San Antonio, TX and
made the great friends that I did or learn the BJJ/MMA that I did or
moved to GA where my wife started College. I was able to piece together
a lot of things that seemed bad at the time, but had reason. So my life
is kind of like traffic. So I have decided to go with the flow, good or
bad; and take it as it comes. Getting up a little earlier doesn't hurt either! ;)

Have a safe journey.

Wed 3/17/10

“Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable.” - William Pollard







Warm up:

3 mins jump rope - stretch

Back: - 3 sets of pull ups x 10 reps

Grip: - 2 sets forearm rolls x 2 reps up and down

3 sets plate pinch holds for time

2 round circuit of the following:

Push up - 10 reps
Static jumps - 10 reps
Mountain climbers with hands on stability ball - 10 reps
Sprawls - 10 reps
Medicine ball slams - 10 reps
Jump squats - 10 reps
Dumbbell swings - 10 reps
Jump pull ups - 10 reps
Repeat

3 min sparring

Stretch - Protein Shake

Have a safe journey.

Mon 3/15/10

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion." - Muhammad Ali

Warm up - 3 mins jump rope - stretch

Chest - 5 sets of bench press x 5 reps -

Legs - 3 sets of squats x 5 reps

Back/shoulders - 3 super sets of inverted bar rows x 5 reps & one armed t-bar shoulder press x 5 reps

Traps - 4 sets of bar shrugs x 5 reps

Tris - 3 sets of Tri press down with Gi x 5 reps

Stretch - shake - shower

Have a safe journey.

Triangle Choke

Something to think about:

Sun 3/14/10

"If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed." - David Viscott




MMA workout:

Do each exercise for 30, no rest between each, 1 min rest between rounds

Rd 1
Turkish get ups -
Monkey climbs -
Reverse row with feet on ball -
Squat press -
Dumbbell swings -
Medicine ball slams -
Heavy Bag -

Rd 2
Bungee shoots -
Bungee knees on swiss ball -
Bungee bear crawls -
Bungee burbees -
Bungee jump lunges -
Bungee focus mitts -
Heavy bag -

Rd 3
Treadmill -
Shoots with partner lift -
Treadmill -
Technical stand ups -
Treadmill -
Clinch fight -
Heavy bag -

Roll

Have a safe journey.

Wed 3/10/10

"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey











I swam 14 laps at lunch and then at night I did the following:

Warm up:

Wheel barrels - stretch

Back - 4 sets (1 set using gi) of pull ups x 6 reps

Grip - 2 sets forearm rolls x 2 reps up and down
3 sets hex dumbbell holds for time

3 round circuit of the following:

Static jumps - 10 reps
Mountain climbers with hands on stability ball - 10 reps
Sprawls - 10 reps
Medicine ball slams - 10 reps
Jump squats - 10 reps
Dumbbell swings - 10 reps
Jump pull ups - 10 reps
Repeat
Repeat

Boxing:

2 rounds focus mitts
3 rounds counter punching

Stretch - Shake - Shower


Have a safe journey.

Tues 3/9/10

"Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof." - Kahlil Gibran





Warm up - 3 mins jump rope - stretch

Chest - 5 sets of bench press x 5 reps -

Legs - 3 sets of squats x 5 reps

Back/shoulders - 3 super sets of inverted bar rows x 5 reps & one armed t-bar shoulder press x 5 reps

Traps - 4 sets of bar shrugs x 5 reps

Tris - 3 sets of Tri press down with Gi x 5 reps

Stretch - shake - shower

Have a safe journey.

Mon 3/8/10

"Arrogance diminishes wisdom” - Arabian Proverb

I love Martial Arts for many reasons, but here is an example of two just from tonight.

Tonight we did some MMA starting with Thai kicks, take downs, grappling drills, and then boxing.

I am not sure if it was because I was a minority in a rough urban city, came from a broken home, or because of Bi-Polar issues, but I was very insecure as a kid. I was tall, skinny, white, and goofy, so I got picked on a lot. I was not good at sports because I was a klutz, I wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, and believe it or not, I wasn't always a hit with the ladies. A girl once told me I was ugly and smelled, and I didn't even have any hard boiled eggs that day.

Martial Arts changed a lot of these things for me. Now I am not saying I am the best in the world, not even on my block, but I have some skill. I learned how to use my long arms & legs for reach in stand up and control & submissions on the ground. Being thin gave me a certain flexibility on the ground, I am able to think and use strategy, and I can even distract my opponents with my goofiness sometimes.

Tonight for instance, while boxing, I was having trouble with my sparring partner. He was covering and ducking while throwing. That made it difficult for me to hit him without getting hit myself. I figured out by throwing certain combos how he moved and was able to time him and set him up for some shots while not getting hit. I also did well on the ground against a very tough college wrestler. See, Martial Arts gave me confidence, it showed me that with a little hard work, no one if hopeless.

The second reason came a little while after I started doing well in boxing and feeling pretty confident. Earlier I showed my partner how to duck under a lead hook and follow up with a right hand. Wouldn't you know it that late in the last round, I throw a lead hook against the same guy, he ducks, momentum spins me, and he lands a really good right hand square on my goofy face.

Even though I need confidence, I also need to stay humble. In an odd way, this makes me feel even better about working out, there is so much more to learn. How boring would it be if you beat everyone up, never getting hit or submitted. I have room to get better as a Martial Artist and a person.

Have a safe journey.

2 rounds of Thai kicks each leg on bag, 1 rd only kicks, 1 rd 2-3 punch combo then kick -

3 min drills

Alternating take downs -
Shoots/sprawls -
Pass guard -
Side control/get guard -
Roll -
Roll -
1 punch, partner counters with 1 punch -
2 punches, partner counters with 2 punches -
Spar -
Spar -

Thurs 3/4/10

"A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory." - Arthur Golden


You hear a lot of people say that fighting/MMA/BJJ is 90% mental but I hardly hear it spoken about when training.

There are times when in training that people/me psych themselves out. My close friend James had blogged a while ago about having this issue when rolling with higher belts. I had this issue in the past in sports.

As a young kid, I hated gym class because whenever we played a sport where I had to catch, I would always drop the ball. I would try to hide as far out in the outfield as possible, hoping the ball would never come to me and when it did, I dropped it. I was so worried about dropping the ball and letting my team down that I never gave myself a chance. I eventually stopped worrying about it and got better at sports, mainly basketball. I would still have issues when playing someone I thought was good or better than me. I would let people psych me out without even trying. When I didn't care or worry about anyone being better, I did well.

I had a similar issue a few years ago in BJJ. I started out just wanting to learn and found that I had some skill. Soon, I was the best in my school, but my instructors also taught at another school longer then they taught at mine. Eventually we had an in house tournament with both schools and I won my divison despite being dehydrated. You would think this was a good thing, but it wasn't. Guys from the other school started to train at my school and it always seemed like they wanted to roll with me, and roll hard. Besides that, whenever a new student came in, I was always required to roll with them and they too had something to prove against the highest ranked student. It didn't take long for me to feel pressured to do well for my school, my team, and my instructor. It wasn't about learning any more, it was about me proving myself by winning. Unfortunately this led me to lose sight of making my technique better or learning new techniques. Soon I was rolling to not lose. I was nervous about rolling with certain people and actually stopped getting better. I was training less and really felt bad about myself. Injury lent a hand in make feel even worse and I came in 3rd place in a tournament that I was favored to win.

It took me a while, but I figured this out and stopped worrying about losing and just started doing what I enjoyed and got better.

Like my friend James, I still psych myself out when rolling with someone I think is better.

Lloyd Irvin Jr, BJJ Black Belt; said "It is very easy to be overwhelmed mentally when facing an opponent who is supposed to beat you. They're good, you know they're good and they may even be better than you. This can lead to self doubt, fear and nervousness which can be crippling to your ability to function properly in a match. You will be indecisive, tentative and will likely give too much respect to your opponent. Grappling is an extremely cerebral sport and having 100% faith in your game plan and your ability to win if properly executed does wonders for your state of mind. It doesn't matter if the person you are fighting is "better" than you or has a more well-rounded game overall. If you force them to play in the field you set, you have the advantage."

I agree with him, develop your game plan, stick to it, and you will do well, but there is more. Even with an air tight game plan you may still lose, but is that bad? If you think in terms of someone tapping you as a lose or a negative, there will always be that doubt. Training is just that, training. Develop your game plan and work it on a higher belt not worrying about the win or the lose. Forget the tap, just work your BJJ. My instructor "Marra" told me once "Brotha, trust in your Jiu Jitsu, no worries." If you lose you have something to learn from and get better. It is not always easy to do this as the ego is a powerful force, but I am getting better.

I didn't swim today but here is my workout:

Warm up:
Pyramid circuit - Push ups, pull ups, body weight squats - reps 1,2,3,4,5,5,4,3,2,1 no rest between

Chest - 3 sets of bar floor press x 6 reps

Grip - 3 sets forearm rolls? x 3 reps up and down

3 round circuit of the following:

Sprawls - 10 reps
Mountain climbers with hands on stability ball - 10 reps
Medicine ball slams - 10 reps
Jump squats - 10 reps
Dumbbell swings - 10 reps
Jump pull ups - 10 reps
Repeat
Repeat

1 min rest in between rounds.

Have a safe journey.

My daughter's poem

"A day is all it takes to break some ones heart, a day is all it takes to become very smart, A day is all it takes to build your dreams, A day may be only 24 hours, A day can be filled with sour things or sweet smelling flowers, A day can change your life so make the right choices." - By Kayla Peters

Tues 3/2/10

"Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.” - Hebbel


I did not swim today, but I am glad to be lifting weights again. I didn't have the best workout, a little sluggish, but still happy.

Warm up - 3 mins agility ladder hands - 3 mins jump rope - stretch

Chest - 5 sets of bench press x 5 reps - my weight went down a little because my right shoulder was a little sore.

Legs - 3 sets of squats x 5 reps

Back/shoulders - 3 super set of pull ups x 5 reps & smith machine shoulder press x 5 reps

Traps - 4 sets of bar shrugs x 6 reps

Bis - 3 sets of bar curls x 5 reps

Stretch - shake - shower

Have a safe journey.

Mon 3/1/10

“Focus on your potential instead of your limitations” - Alan Loy McGinnis


I swam 12 laps at lunch today, which I am not that happy about because I wanted to do 15. I was feeling a little tired and sore, so 12 is pretty good.

Tonight was kind of funny, I went to train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at a Tae Kwon Do school that had a big
Karate sign out front, with a bunch of guys that mainly wrestled with me...

I helped them with basics, but the best part was when I got caught in a reverse triangle choke while rolling with one of the blue belts. The feeling was weird because I got caught off guard, then started to feel the choke set in, and then thought "wow, this weird move is actually choking me!". I stayed calm, defended, and got out, but was more happy for the guy who did it. He asked me what he did wrong and I had no idea as I have never really used that move, so I had to do it to him. First I got the choke, then I told him how I defended it , and then I found a way to adjust my body to get a better angle on the choke and also had a set up for a sweep.

It is always great to be able to learn something new even though you are instructing or assisting.

I'm hoping to swim again (15 laps!) and looking forward to lifting weights at night.

Have a safe journey.