94 Days until GQ
Nothing new in the way of training yesterday - Deadlift, assistant exercises, then collapse in a heap when I get home. I enjoy the looks at the gym when I perform the various "odd" exercises-they look at me like I'm weird and I look at them like I know something that they don't. I can feel myself getting stronger, losing weight, and gaining confidence. The event is 3 months away but I already think about it on a daily basis and feel like I am geting focused. I am excited that I am going to do something that 99% of the world claims they will do but never does-fight not out of fear, but to test myself. It's easy to go into a bar and and pick a fight with a drunk - but when you get into a controlled environment with someone who knows what they are doing its a whole other thing entirely.
All that tough guy stuff aside- My 6 year old daughter is coming over this weekend which makes me incredibly happy. I am convinced that she is the coolest kid ever - She is a self proclaimed Randy Couture & Mark Coleman fan and knows the difference between an armbar and a clothesline. She refuses to watch WWE because it is fake and was just as upset as I was when Rampage lost to Forrest Griffin. She even woke me up one Saturday morning and asked me to put on Rocky 4 and forward it to the training scene. Needless to say, no paternity test would ever be needed - she is all me.
So no training for me this weekend...unless you count inpromptu grappling matches between her and I.
Yesterday:
Dead Lift: 5 x 10 @ 125 lbs.
Saxon Side Bends: 4 x 20 @ 25 lbs. per side
Front Arm Raises: 4 x 10 @ 25 lbs. per side
Friday, February 6, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, Monday, Monday...
97 days 'til GQ
Monday is the one day a week where I debate whether this is all worth it.
I don't really mind the squats- While they do suck, I take much pride standing next to a guy that is ripped and watching him struggle with the weight that I warm up with. I don't understand how someone can be 6' 3, 225 lbs and strain to squat 145. I understand that "Teh ladeez luv teh gunz00rz" but isn't balance an important part of the fitness equation?
Back on topic:
I have taken off some of the weight I have been lifting. Not because I am a pansy (well, part of it anyway) but because have began to follow the teachings of Ross Enamait. Ross is seen as a hero in the combat sports world; While the rest of America is trying to sell you a pill, an ab-lounger, or a DVD on losing weight, he preaches one thing: Hard work.
I managed to get ahold of his book "Infinite Intensity" and feel like he is the workout savant I have been looking to emulate for years. His theory is that less weight + more reps + unconventional exercises = stronger warriors.
Anyways, I do my squats, move on to lunges then end my workout with corework. I call it "Core Work" because in the combat sports world if you try and refer to it as "Abs" you may get punched in your baby maker. In this arena, there is no such thing as being "cut" or "having great abs". Biceps size doesn't matter and bodybuilders step on to the mat and get smoked if their ego isn't in check. Also, if you don't feel like throwing up and/or dying after your workout then you obviously haven't worked hard enough.
So, today I am sore. I'm walking like I have been riding a horse for hours but am proud to say that I have lost 8 pounds in the last 3 weeks.
So with 97 days to go:
-8 lbs = 30 more to go.
Squats: 4 sets of 175 lbs.
Lunges: 4 sets of 150 lbs
Front Squats: 4 sets of 75 lbs
Monday is the one day a week where I debate whether this is all worth it.
I don't really mind the squats- While they do suck, I take much pride standing next to a guy that is ripped and watching him struggle with the weight that I warm up with. I don't understand how someone can be 6' 3, 225 lbs and strain to squat 145. I understand that "Teh ladeez luv teh gunz00rz" but isn't balance an important part of the fitness equation?
Back on topic:
I have taken off some of the weight I have been lifting. Not because I am a pansy (well, part of it anyway) but because have began to follow the teachings of Ross Enamait. Ross is seen as a hero in the combat sports world; While the rest of America is trying to sell you a pill, an ab-lounger, or a DVD on losing weight, he preaches one thing: Hard work.
I managed to get ahold of his book "Infinite Intensity" and feel like he is the workout savant I have been looking to emulate for years. His theory is that less weight + more reps + unconventional exercises = stronger warriors.
Anyways, I do my squats, move on to lunges then end my workout with corework. I call it "Core Work" because in the combat sports world if you try and refer to it as "Abs" you may get punched in your baby maker. In this arena, there is no such thing as being "cut" or "having great abs". Biceps size doesn't matter and bodybuilders step on to the mat and get smoked if their ego isn't in check. Also, if you don't feel like throwing up and/or dying after your workout then you obviously haven't worked hard enough.
So, today I am sore. I'm walking like I have been riding a horse for hours but am proud to say that I have lost 8 pounds in the last 3 weeks.
So with 97 days to go:
-8 lbs = 30 more to go.
Squats: 4 sets of 175 lbs.
Lunges: 4 sets of 150 lbs
Front Squats: 4 sets of 75 lbs
Monday, February 2, 2009
Monday Redux
98 days til GQ....
I woke up on Saturday with the best of intentions- I was going to clean up, mow the lawn, then hit the gym for some light bag work. As it turned out, I sat around playing Xbox and eating hotlinks.... Saturday night was even worse. We watched GSP destroy BJ Penn then drank, ate Doritos and played Rock Band in a drunken stupor. Scientists agree that "Eye of the Tiger" is the most beautiful song ever made but when it is sang by an inebriated man it is 127% better (I'm rounding up). Sunday morning sucked. I had the type of hangover where you aren't sure if it is a hangover until you have been in the restroom 7 times before 8 am.
And I am in the minority-the Superbowl was boring until the last 5 minutes. Even then, the shitty officiating left a bad taste in my mouth....thank god Boxing or MMA doesn't have THOSE problems
/end sarcasm.
So while it was a great weekend, now I must pay for my transgressions with a grueling day of squat work. Today, I won't go as heavy so that I don't walk the rest of the week like someone stuck their fist in my ass. I'm sorry for the visual.
I woke up on Saturday with the best of intentions- I was going to clean up, mow the lawn, then hit the gym for some light bag work. As it turned out, I sat around playing Xbox and eating hotlinks.... Saturday night was even worse. We watched GSP destroy BJ Penn then drank, ate Doritos and played Rock Band in a drunken stupor. Scientists agree that "Eye of the Tiger" is the most beautiful song ever made but when it is sang by an inebriated man it is 127% better (I'm rounding up). Sunday morning sucked. I had the type of hangover where you aren't sure if it is a hangover until you have been in the restroom 7 times before 8 am.
And I am in the minority-the Superbowl was boring until the last 5 minutes. Even then, the shitty officiating left a bad taste in my mouth....thank god Boxing or MMA doesn't have THOSE problems
/end sarcasm.
So while it was a great weekend, now I must pay for my transgressions with a grueling day of squat work. Today, I won't go as heavy so that I don't walk the rest of the week like someone stuck their fist in my ass. I'm sorry for the visual.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
10th Planet JJ
107 days til GQ..
So after much hooting & hollering a friend and I decided to show up at the new 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu location in Riverside. If you do not know about this branch of BJJ it has a pretty damn interesting story: Eddie Bravo, a pothead yet grappling visionary enters the Abu Dhabi grappling tournament and beats the legendary Royler Gracie-as a brown belt. He starts his own branch of jiu jitsu and advocates throwing out the gi and being more aggressive. He has developed his own series of moves with names like "Mission Control", "Crackhead Control" & "The Rubber Guard. He may be the most polarizing figure in BJJ due to his cult-like devotion from his followers and satanic-like hate from his detractors.
Anyways, we check it out. From outside, I see this muscular asian woman kicking like "Tong-Po" in Kickboxer (awesome Van Damme movie-check it out) and already I know this place is legit. Since it's so new, there are only 6 people in the class. 6. That is awesome. It's like you are getting a 1 on 1 seminar from the instructor, Jeremy. We do some basic stretches and begin to roll...which is a change. Most places I have gone to start with some cardio before we go into whatever it is we are working on.
We start on the lockdown:
See how the guy on the bottom is relaxed yet confident? I was neither and paid the price. The guy I rolled with literally beat the hell out of me for 30 minutes. Eventually we moved on from that and began to spar. I sparred with the same gentleman, who took great pride in choking me, then guess who I drew: "Tong-Po Girl".
I eyeballed her and figured that there was no way she could weigh more than 130 lbs. Not only did she weigh more, but she was bigger, stronger, faster and meaner than me. She twisted me up like a pretzel and ate me alive. She took great pride in emasculating me in front of my girl and my friend. She would let me get so far then crush me like a little cocktease. The worst part? Her breath smelled like milk. I hate milk. I eat beef only because cows make milk and must be punished for it. After we were done, she patted me on the ass like I was a 2 dollar hooker and sent me on my way.
It was a great place, but not for me. It had nothing to do with anyone or any grappling animal that raped me. I just miss the old place I went to- the Gi, the smell, the bowing and gamesmanship at the end of class. See ya on the mat at Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu in Norco!
1 hour of Jiu Jitsu
So after much hooting & hollering a friend and I decided to show up at the new 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu location in Riverside. If you do not know about this branch of BJJ it has a pretty damn interesting story: Eddie Bravo, a pothead yet grappling visionary enters the Abu Dhabi grappling tournament and beats the legendary Royler Gracie-as a brown belt. He starts his own branch of jiu jitsu and advocates throwing out the gi and being more aggressive. He has developed his own series of moves with names like "Mission Control", "Crackhead Control" & "The Rubber Guard. He may be the most polarizing figure in BJJ due to his cult-like devotion from his followers and satanic-like hate from his detractors.
Anyways, we check it out. From outside, I see this muscular asian woman kicking like "Tong-Po" in Kickboxer (awesome Van Damme movie-check it out) and already I know this place is legit. Since it's so new, there are only 6 people in the class. 6. That is awesome. It's like you are getting a 1 on 1 seminar from the instructor, Jeremy. We do some basic stretches and begin to roll...which is a change. Most places I have gone to start with some cardio before we go into whatever it is we are working on.
We start on the lockdown:
See how the guy on the bottom is relaxed yet confident? I was neither and paid the price. The guy I rolled with literally beat the hell out of me for 30 minutes. Eventually we moved on from that and began to spar. I sparred with the same gentleman, who took great pride in choking me, then guess who I drew: "Tong-Po Girl".
I eyeballed her and figured that there was no way she could weigh more than 130 lbs. Not only did she weigh more, but she was bigger, stronger, faster and meaner than me. She twisted me up like a pretzel and ate me alive. She took great pride in emasculating me in front of my girl and my friend. She would let me get so far then crush me like a little cocktease. The worst part? Her breath smelled like milk. I hate milk. I eat beef only because cows make milk and must be punished for it. After we were done, she patted me on the ass like I was a 2 dollar hooker and sent me on my way.
It was a great place, but not for me. It had nothing to do with anyone or any grappling animal that raped me. I just miss the old place I went to- the Gi, the smell, the bowing and gamesmanship at the end of class. See ya on the mat at Pinnacle Jiu Jitsu in Norco!
1 hour of Jiu Jitsu
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Born to Run...
108 days until GQ.
After a hard day of making sure everyone in the continental U.S has access to Monster Energy Drink, I decided to take my happy ass to the gym for a little cardio. Since I squatted the day before and my thighs felt like jelly, I figured it would be in my best interests to do 35 minutes on the elliptical machine. I am still at odds with this device- will it help my cardio? Or will I just look like one of the guys with too-short shorts on those Saturday morning Tony Little infomercials? Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Rocky Marciano where all proponents of running on asphalt in construction boots, but seeing as I have neither construction boots nor the desire to run in such conditions I will continue as I have. At the 34.5 minute mark I was beginning to wind down when the "Rocky 4" soundtrack came on the ol' Ipod and let me tell ya, nothing inspires more than thought of fighting a roided up Russian while getting chased by the KGB (A movie the Oscars refused to acknowledge as one of the great cinematic masterpieces of all time). I continued my jaunt to the 45 minute mark and went home with one thought in my head:
"I may not be as talented, good looking, or athletic as the rest, but I will out cardio those f*ckers."
45 Minutes on the Elliptical Machine, High Intensity Interval Training-1 minute 100%, 30 seconds 75%.
After a hard day of making sure everyone in the continental U.S has access to Monster Energy Drink, I decided to take my happy ass to the gym for a little cardio. Since I squatted the day before and my thighs felt like jelly, I figured it would be in my best interests to do 35 minutes on the elliptical machine. I am still at odds with this device- will it help my cardio? Or will I just look like one of the guys with too-short shorts on those Saturday morning Tony Little infomercials? Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Rocky Marciano where all proponents of running on asphalt in construction boots, but seeing as I have neither construction boots nor the desire to run in such conditions I will continue as I have. At the 34.5 minute mark I was beginning to wind down when the "Rocky 4" soundtrack came on the ol' Ipod and let me tell ya, nothing inspires more than thought of fighting a roided up Russian while getting chased by the KGB (A movie the Oscars refused to acknowledge as one of the great cinematic masterpieces of all time). I continued my jaunt to the 45 minute mark and went home with one thought in my head:
"I may not be as talented, good looking, or athletic as the rest, but I will out cardio those f*ckers."
45 Minutes on the Elliptical Machine, High Intensity Interval Training-1 minute 100%, 30 seconds 75%.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Reset
110 Days from GQ-
Squat day at the gym sucks. While it is a great total body exercise, I also need the power rack. Unfortunately, the power rack is located in front of the mirror-therein lies the problem. For some reason the majority of males in my gym MUST do a set of curls with a 50% range of motion, drop the weight, grunt, then look at their tricep muscle. This isn't isolated-this is every single one of these jerk-offs.
Anyways - These are my stats:
Squat - 5 x 5, 225 Lbs.
- Why so few reps? Heavy Weight + Low Reps + More Sets = Bigger, Stronger, Faster.
Lunges - 5 x 5, 125 Lbs.
- Same as above. Lunges help with speed on a shot.
Cardio - 30 min. Elliptical Machine.
- Yes the elliptical machine? Does it even work? I don't know. I just know I look like a bad ass up there. It makes feel like a big shot.
Weigh in - 191.
- 5 down, 30-35 to go.
Squat day at the gym sucks. While it is a great total body exercise, I also need the power rack. Unfortunately, the power rack is located in front of the mirror-therein lies the problem. For some reason the majority of males in my gym MUST do a set of curls with a 50% range of motion, drop the weight, grunt, then look at their tricep muscle. This isn't isolated-this is every single one of these jerk-offs.
Anyways - These are my stats:
Squat - 5 x 5, 225 Lbs.
- Why so few reps? Heavy Weight + Low Reps + More Sets = Bigger, Stronger, Faster.
Lunges - 5 x 5, 125 Lbs.
- Same as above. Lunges help with speed on a shot.
Cardio - 30 min. Elliptical Machine.
- Yes the elliptical machine? Does it even work? I don't know. I just know I look like a bad ass up there. It makes feel like a big shot.
Weigh in - 191.
- 5 down, 30-35 to go.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Off Hiatus, back to the gym
First off, I must apologize for being away for so long. With all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I was unable to put anything together. Truth be told, I wasn't much into these holidays at all - Since my mother passed away in May I haven't been one for celebrations. But lo and behold, my body was putting together the grandest gift of all...and on 12-22, I gave birth to a strapping & healthy Kidney Stone. When I tell you that you don't ever want to pass one of these crazy bastards, I tell no lies. Do you remember that part on "Jurassic Park" where they hear something coming from behind but don't truly believe it until the glass of water begins to shake? Well, thats kinda what it was like. It started with a small pain in my lower back, which moved to my lower abdomen, then BAM...excrutiating pain. This was no ordinary pain. It felt like someone put a rusty nail on the tip of ______ and proceeded to slam it on over a course of a few hours. The pain was slow at first-kinda like getting kicked un the junk by a midget. By the time I was pissing blood it felt like I was passing a midget-sized kidney stone. I decided it was time to hit up my friends in the ER. I received a CT scan, then was congratulated for passing the stone. Then I was told I would be admitted for Diverticulitis. What is this you ask? It's a condition where something you eat causes a microperforation of the intestine thereby anytime you use the area it feels like you have been stabbed. Earlier, I had tried to fart and noticed that it hurt going out just as bad as it smelled and figured I should just lay off of the burritos. But now I was told I had a condition that was reserved for old men & competitive hot dog eaters and would be admitted to the hospital. So from the 22nd to the 25th, I shared a room with a guy with terrible sleep apnea.
As a New Year's Resolution, I resolve to update this blog more and with more relevant fare - for instance, later this week I am going to go check out an Eddie Bravo 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu affiliate here in Riverside. I know a little bit about the Rubber Guard, but any weapon I could add to my vast arsenal of kicking, biting and hair pulling would definitely help.
See ya next time!
As a New Year's Resolution, I resolve to update this blog more and with more relevant fare - for instance, later this week I am going to go check out an Eddie Bravo 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu affiliate here in Riverside. I know a little bit about the Rubber Guard, but any weapon I could add to my vast arsenal of kicking, biting and hair pulling would definitely help.
See ya next time!
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