Entry #344
I'm going to be doing the latter half of Workout #1 off of trainforstrength.com for lower~body training, until my back is more capable.
Today's bodyweight session, however, suffered no dearth of intensity. I couldn't walk afterwards.
Endurance training is a foreign method for me. It sets my strength gains back about two years, to the point of them feeling negligible. I would be lying if I said that it discourages me, though. I'd like to work on this, not that I have much of a choice at this point.
Stretching is essential in these circumstances. My back was so stiff that touching my toes posed difficulty. I'll just have to keep this up.
Diet consistency is second~nature. I haven't wavered under six meals in months. However, portion sizing remains to be perfect.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Friday, November 17, 2006
Entry #343
End hiatus.
Today's session was productive, but discreet.
Incline bench was the choice for the RE lift, and I greatly overestimated my ability (which is a feat in and of itself). 135 lbs. posed difficulty for six reps. To be fair, I've done 215 lbs. with no issues for the same amount, with three minutes of recuperation between each set. The sixty second rest here makes a significant difference.
Disappointing, but that's the point of training in it.
I otherwise felt capable. I seem to be able to do no wrong with dumbbell lifts.
I started loading on creatine today. Water intake is through the roof.
End hiatus.
Today's session was productive, but discreet.
Incline bench was the choice for the RE lift, and I greatly overestimated my ability (which is a feat in and of itself). 135 lbs. posed difficulty for six reps. To be fair, I've done 215 lbs. with no issues for the same amount, with three minutes of recuperation between each set. The sixty second rest here makes a significant difference.
Disappointing, but that's the point of training in it.
I otherwise felt capable. I seem to be able to do no wrong with dumbbell lifts.
I started loading on creatine today. Water intake is through the roof.
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Friday, October 27, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Entry #338
DE Lower~body
My back was feeling stiff to the point that it hindered training. Luckily, this is a flexible program, so there was no shortage of substitutes to utilize.
> Box~jumps replaced box~squats.
> Leg~curls replaced Romanian deadlifts.
> Weighted crunches were done on an exercise ball, rather than a decline bench.
The exercise ball was actually more intuitive than I expected; my back actually felt much better on it. I still believe that the nature of it provides momentum, defeating intents at an adequately controlled ROM, but I've deemed it invaluable under these circumstances.
I set another precedent with designated grip training, through plate pinches. Those proved deceptively difficult.
Prior to the gym session, my weight read at 202 lbs., meaning I've maintained for the past few~weeks. It's the heaviest I've been while cycled off of creatine, which I haven't taken in two months.
Stretches were a relief in the evening. These will be daily procedure.
DE Lower~body
My back was feeling stiff to the point that it hindered training. Luckily, this is a flexible program, so there was no shortage of substitutes to utilize.
> Box~jumps replaced box~squats.
> Leg~curls replaced Romanian deadlifts.
> Weighted crunches were done on an exercise ball, rather than a decline bench.
The exercise ball was actually more intuitive than I expected; my back actually felt much better on it. I still believe that the nature of it provides momentum, defeating intents at an adequately controlled ROM, but I've deemed it invaluable under these circumstances.
I set another precedent with designated grip training, through plate pinches. Those proved deceptively difficult.
Prior to the gym session, my weight read at 202 lbs., meaning I've maintained for the past few~weeks. It's the heaviest I've been while cycled off of creatine, which I haven't taken in two months.
Stretches were a relief in the evening. These will be daily procedure.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Entry #337
Have settled on a slight alteration of previous program, in order to avoid training with ORM's.
Day 1~Max effort Upperbody
A. MAX-EFFORT LIFT (ME)~ Work up to a max set of 3-5 reps.
Pick any and use for 1~3 weeks:
Bench Press, CG Bench, 2 Board Bench, Floor Press, Incline
B. SUPPLEMENTAL LIFT~Perform 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
DB Bench, CG DB Bench, DB Incline, DB Military
C. HORIZONTAL ROW~Perform 5 sets of 10-15 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Bent-over barbell rows, DB Rows, Rev Grip Bent-over rows
D. REAR DELT/UPPER BACK~Perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps.
Pick any:
Bent-over dumbbell rear delt flyes, seated DB "Cleans"
E. ABDOMINAL CIRCUIT TRAINING~Perform 2-3 Sets.
Just pick a variety of ab exercises and perform them in circuit fashion with no rest between exercises.
Day 2~Dynamic Lower Body
A.
DYNAMIC EFFORT LIFT ~Several Sets of Low Reps, with Low Weight. These
lifts should be done with as great of speed as possible. This will help
build explosiveness. Use wave loading for weights on lifts for 3 week
minicycles (week 1~50% 1rm, week 2~55% 1rm, week 3~60% 1rm).
Perform 6~10 sets of 2-3 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Box Squat, Speed Squat, Speed Pulls, Power Clean, Snatch, Box Jumps (no weight)
B. HAMSTRING / POSTERIOR CHAIN MOVEMENT~Perform 4~5 sets of 6~10 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Romanian deadlifts, GHR, Ball Leg Curl, Reverse Hyper, Good Morning, Pull through, DB Swings
C. WEIGHTED ABDOMINAL EXERCISE~5 sets of 8~15 reps.
Not really too much you can do with this one. Just do some weighted crunches. If you can hang from a bar, do hanging leg raises.
D. GRIP TRAINING~Perform 3 sets of timed sets of 30 seconds
Plate pinching, Hex DB Holds
Day 3~Repitition/Dynamic upper body
A1.
REPETITION EFFORT LIFT (RE)~Work up to 3 sets of max reps, rest 60
seconds between sets. use 50% 1RM for lifts and record total reps, and
try to break record every week.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Bench Press, Incline, Regular push-ups (no weight), bar push-ups or suspended chain push-ups (no weight), Dips
A2.
DYNAMIC EFFORT LIFT (DE)~Alternate RE and DE lifting in 3 week cycles.
These lifts should be done with as great of speed as possible. This
will help build explosiveness. Use a constant wave loading for 3 week
mini cycles (week 1,2,3~50% 1rm).
Perform 6~8 sets of 3 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Speed Bench, Push Press
B. SUPPLEMENTAL LIFT (triceps)~Perform 4~5 sets of 5~10 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Dips, Dumbbell triceps extensions (flat, incline or decline bench), barbell tricep extension
C. VERTICAL PULLING~Perform 5 sets of 8~12 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Chin~ups, Pull~ups, Lat Pulldown, CG Pulldown
D. DELT or TRAP EXERCISE~Perform 3 sets of 10~15 reps.
Pick any:
Barbell or dumbbell shrugs, Front or Side Raises
Day 4~Max effort lower body
A. MAX~EFFORT LIFT~Work up to a max set of 5 reps.
Pick
any and use for 1~3 weeks: Straight bar deadlifts (conventional, sumo,
snatch grip, standing on blocks/weight plates, weights off of weight
plates), Box Squat, Front Squat, Squat
B. UNILATERAL MOVEMENT~Perform 3 sets of 8~15 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Walking lunges, DB SL Squat BFE, DB SL Split squat, step ups
C. HAMSTRING / POSTERIOR CHAIN MOVEMENT~Perform 3 sets of 6~10 reps.
Romanian deadlifts, GHR, Ball Leg Curl, Reverse Hyper, Good Morning, Pull through, DB Swings
D. WEIGHTED ABDOMINAL EXERCISE~5 sets of 8~15 reps.
Not really too much you can do with this one. Just do some weighted crunches. If you can hang from a bar, do hanging leg raises.
First day went in accordance. Bench press has dropped by 20 lbs., however; I was able to manage 235 lbs. for three reps. I don't expect this to be much of a platueau, if any.
Came across Jeff working at the front desk, with whom I had had plans set~up for a fight. He expressed interest in regular training sessions. I'll have to check the Academy for possible open~gym periods.
Lower~back feels extremely stiff, so I'm setting aside ample time for extensive static initiatives for it.
Have settled on a slight alteration of previous program, in order to avoid training with ORM's.
Day 1~Max effort Upperbody
A. MAX-EFFORT LIFT (ME)~ Work up to a max set of 3-5 reps.
Pick any and use for 1~3 weeks:
Bench Press, CG Bench, 2 Board Bench, Floor Press, Incline
B. SUPPLEMENTAL LIFT~Perform 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
DB Bench, CG DB Bench, DB Incline, DB Military
C. HORIZONTAL ROW~Perform 5 sets of 10-15 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Bent-over barbell rows, DB Rows, Rev Grip Bent-over rows
D. REAR DELT/UPPER BACK~Perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps.
Pick any:
Bent-over dumbbell rear delt flyes, seated DB "Cleans"
E. ABDOMINAL CIRCUIT TRAINING~Perform 2-3 Sets.
Just pick a variety of ab exercises and perform them in circuit fashion with no rest between exercises.
Day 2~Dynamic Lower Body
A.
DYNAMIC EFFORT LIFT ~Several Sets of Low Reps, with Low Weight. These
lifts should be done with as great of speed as possible. This will help
build explosiveness. Use wave loading for weights on lifts for 3 week
minicycles (week 1~50% 1rm, week 2~55% 1rm, week 3~60% 1rm).
Perform 6~10 sets of 2-3 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Box Squat, Speed Squat, Speed Pulls, Power Clean, Snatch, Box Jumps (no weight)
B. HAMSTRING / POSTERIOR CHAIN MOVEMENT~Perform 4~5 sets of 6~10 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Romanian deadlifts, GHR, Ball Leg Curl, Reverse Hyper, Good Morning, Pull through, DB Swings
C. WEIGHTED ABDOMINAL EXERCISE~5 sets of 8~15 reps.
Not really too much you can do with this one. Just do some weighted crunches. If you can hang from a bar, do hanging leg raises.
D. GRIP TRAINING~Perform 3 sets of timed sets of 30 seconds
Plate pinching, Hex DB Holds
Day 3~Repitition/Dynamic upper body
A1.
REPETITION EFFORT LIFT (RE)~Work up to 3 sets of max reps, rest 60
seconds between sets. use 50% 1RM for lifts and record total reps, and
try to break record every week.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Bench Press, Incline, Regular push-ups (no weight), bar push-ups or suspended chain push-ups (no weight), Dips
A2.
DYNAMIC EFFORT LIFT (DE)~Alternate RE and DE lifting in 3 week cycles.
These lifts should be done with as great of speed as possible. This
will help build explosiveness. Use a constant wave loading for 3 week
mini cycles (week 1,2,3~50% 1rm).
Perform 6~8 sets of 3 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Speed Bench, Push Press
B. SUPPLEMENTAL LIFT (triceps)~Perform 4~5 sets of 5~10 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Dips, Dumbbell triceps extensions (flat, incline or decline bench), barbell tricep extension
C. VERTICAL PULLING~Perform 5 sets of 8~12 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Chin~ups, Pull~ups, Lat Pulldown, CG Pulldown
D. DELT or TRAP EXERCISE~Perform 3 sets of 10~15 reps.
Pick any:
Barbell or dumbbell shrugs, Front or Side Raises
Day 4~Max effort lower body
A. MAX~EFFORT LIFT~Work up to a max set of 5 reps.
Pick
any and use for 1~3 weeks: Straight bar deadlifts (conventional, sumo,
snatch grip, standing on blocks/weight plates, weights off of weight
plates), Box Squat, Front Squat, Squat
B. UNILATERAL MOVEMENT~Perform 3 sets of 8~15 reps.
Pick any and use for 3 weeks:
Walking lunges, DB SL Squat BFE, DB SL Split squat, step ups
C. HAMSTRING / POSTERIOR CHAIN MOVEMENT~Perform 3 sets of 6~10 reps.
Romanian deadlifts, GHR, Ball Leg Curl, Reverse Hyper, Good Morning, Pull through, DB Swings
D. WEIGHTED ABDOMINAL EXERCISE~5 sets of 8~15 reps.
Not really too much you can do with this one. Just do some weighted crunches. If you can hang from a bar, do hanging leg raises.
First day went in accordance. Bench press has dropped by 20 lbs., however; I was able to manage 235 lbs. for three reps. I don't expect this to be much of a platueau, if any.
Came across Jeff working at the front desk, with whom I had had plans set~up for a fight. He expressed interest in regular training sessions. I'll have to check the Academy for possible open~gym periods.
Lower~back feels extremely stiff, so I'm setting aside ample time for extensive static initiatives for it.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
Entry #335
The last few days have largely consisted of conditioning work. Once I recieve the necessary supplements in the mail, I'll resume my original powerlifting routine, but with the order altered so that the two max~effort days aren't back to back.
Also recieved hand wraps in the mail, which I'll be using from now on for bag work.
The last few days have largely consisted of conditioning work. Once I recieve the necessary supplements in the mail, I'll resume my original powerlifting routine, but with the order altered so that the two max~effort days aren't back to back.
Also recieved hand wraps in the mail, which I'll be using from now on for bag work.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Monday, October 9, 2006
Entry #332
Shadow~boxing and bag work. No organized structure. Tremendous gains on form on all~fronts; it feels like I have progressed more in the last few months than I have in the prior two years combined (since I first recieved a heavy~bag).
I'm currently in the process of getting a potential fight happening. I want to test what I've been working on.
Shadow~boxing and bag work. No organized structure. Tremendous gains on form on all~fronts; it feels like I have progressed more in the last few months than I have in the prior two years combined (since I first recieved a heavy~bag).
I'm currently in the process of getting a potential fight happening. I want to test what I've been working on.
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Entry #331
Bag work:
I've become a lot more comfortable standing and hitting with the left side leading. The exception would be any type of kick; those remain precarious. But the left jab feels like a piston firing. Interestingly enough, I'm more comfortable with left hooks. Straight on the right from southpaw is stronger than the left counterpart, however. I'm all over the place, but I don't see that as a negative aspect.
Worked the peek~a~boo stance, and I really need to get some wraps for my wrists. All those hooks are taking their toll.
Went for a brief run in the rain later at night.
Bag work:
I've become a lot more comfortable standing and hitting with the left side leading. The exception would be any type of kick; those remain precarious. But the left jab feels like a piston firing. Interestingly enough, I'm more comfortable with left hooks. Straight on the right from southpaw is stronger than the left counterpart, however. I'm all over the place, but I don't see that as a negative aspect.
Worked the peek~a~boo stance, and I really need to get some wraps for my wrists. All those hooks are taking their toll.
Went for a brief run in the rain later at night.
Sunday, October 1, 2006
Entry #330
Relatively easy week. More or less a resting a period, with some shadow boxing here and there.
Need to get way more sleep. Only reason I ever stay up late is to eat, so consequently, I need to learn to eat faster. Breakfast takes well over an hour (mostly because I hate eggs, though). Really need to practice this.
Relatively easy week. More or less a resting a period, with some shadow boxing here and there.
Need to get way more sleep. Only reason I ever stay up late is to eat, so consequently, I need to learn to eat faster. Breakfast takes well over an hour (mostly because I hate eggs, though). Really need to practice this.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Entry #329
Bodybuilding day. Seemed to have drastically dropped gains in bench press, but I was running on little sleep, not to mention a shorter resting period. Only managed 225 lbs four times (no spotter). This situation will be established next week; I'll be resuming powerlifting. This bodybuilding attempt has been constantly interrupted by injury after injury and I can't afford to wait any longer. Perhaps I'm to blame. This was supposed to be a sort of rehabilitation period coming off of the extreme loads, but I ended up training even harder than before. Speaking of injuries, I hurt my shoulder today. At least it's not the rotator cuff again.
Ran to the track at night to jump~rope, but there was a game going on.
Diet was one thing that went well. I ate until puking point. Must keep the nutrition coming; I can't fall further behind on injuries.
Breakfast:
10 egg whites
2 whole eggs
6 small tomatoes
8 slices of salami
2 waffles with butter and syrup
2 slices of wheat toast
1 cup of milk
1 multi-vitamin
I think I'll continue eating like that, and save the weightgainer (which I have chosen not to use thus far) for another part of the day.
Bodybuilding day. Seemed to have drastically dropped gains in bench press, but I was running on little sleep, not to mention a shorter resting period. Only managed 225 lbs four times (no spotter). This situation will be established next week; I'll be resuming powerlifting. This bodybuilding attempt has been constantly interrupted by injury after injury and I can't afford to wait any longer. Perhaps I'm to blame. This was supposed to be a sort of rehabilitation period coming off of the extreme loads, but I ended up training even harder than before. Speaking of injuries, I hurt my shoulder today. At least it's not the rotator cuff again.
Ran to the track at night to jump~rope, but there was a game going on.
Diet was one thing that went well. I ate until puking point. Must keep the nutrition coming; I can't fall further behind on injuries.
Breakfast:
10 egg whites
2 whole eggs
6 small tomatoes
8 slices of salami
2 waffles with butter and syrup
2 slices of wheat toast
1 cup of milk
1 multi-vitamin
I think I'll continue eating like that, and save the weightgainer (which I have chosen not to use thus far) for another part of the day.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Entry #328
Completed a bodyweight session for quads and hammies. The focus here was muscle endurance, with thirty second rests in between sets. Was strong on hindu squats, but my legs gave out on bootstrappers. Still completed it with just a slight decrease in repetition quantity.
Bag training:
Experimented with peek~a~boo stance. Projected great power like this. Upon leaving, there was a large indentation left in the bag. It just feels more natural to have my hands in even space. I don't think this is something I'd want to start with, however.
Completed a bodyweight session for quads and hammies. The focus here was muscle endurance, with thirty second rests in between sets. Was strong on hindu squats, but my legs gave out on bootstrappers. Still completed it with just a slight decrease in repetition quantity.
Bag training:
Experimented with peek~a~boo stance. Projected great power like this. Upon leaving, there was a large indentation left in the bag. It just feels more natural to have my hands in even space. I don't think this is something I'd want to start with, however.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Entry #327
The sparring match is off. He said his leg's bad, and today he left for L.A.
Ran to the track at night and mixed shadow~boxing with jumping rope. I stayed from southpaw stance. My left has improved substantially. Jabs with this arm were snappy and coordinated. At this point, I'm about equally comfortable with conventional and southpaw.
Really need to work more with the jump~rope.
The sparring match is off. He said his leg's bad, and today he left for L.A.
Ran to the track at night and mixed shadow~boxing with jumping rope. I stayed from southpaw stance. My left has improved substantially. Jabs with this arm were snappy and coordinated. At this point, I'm about equally comfortable with conventional and southpaw.
Really need to work more with the jump~rope.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Entry #326
Year two of this training journal. I'm not going to post and compare my lifting progress annually anymore as it's redundant, since I make note of gains to the day.
One attribute worthy of mention is how I've come to train with preperation of an actual opponent in mind. Before, I would simply do cardio to raise my stamina, lift heavier weight to get stronger, and hit the bag to get practice on form. Everything was simple and seen in a black and white view; if I lost at something, it meant I didn't spend enough time on it. It was a matter of quantity and not quality, but now there's much more to training; I actually take into consideration a particular style of how I go about this. For example, I've never utilized uppercuts in fighting with George. Today, I practiced a strategy of playing the distance game with jabs and front kicks, and then rushing inside with something that he's not expecting while he's comfortably fighting in the area that he's used to. He can't backpedal faster than I can go forward. Of course, if the opponent had the same thing in mind and planned on also coming in to confuse me, it'd be fine because what I trained for was just the means to get to this position anyways and I was obviously already prepared for it.
Basically, it just shows how more thought goes into this compared to before, when a plan against someone would be to the extent of, "I'll run more so I don't get tired." This is what happened when I boxed Marty (10/15/04, see entry #11).
Speaking of boxing, I've been breathing it the last few days. Today I spent all of my leisure time analyzing old Marciano videos.
Year two of this training journal. I'm not going to post and compare my lifting progress annually anymore as it's redundant, since I make note of gains to the day.
One attribute worthy of mention is how I've come to train with preperation of an actual opponent in mind. Before, I would simply do cardio to raise my stamina, lift heavier weight to get stronger, and hit the bag to get practice on form. Everything was simple and seen in a black and white view; if I lost at something, it meant I didn't spend enough time on it. It was a matter of quantity and not quality, but now there's much more to training; I actually take into consideration a particular style of how I go about this. For example, I've never utilized uppercuts in fighting with George. Today, I practiced a strategy of playing the distance game with jabs and front kicks, and then rushing inside with something that he's not expecting while he's comfortably fighting in the area that he's used to. He can't backpedal faster than I can go forward. Of course, if the opponent had the same thing in mind and planned on also coming in to confuse me, it'd be fine because what I trained for was just the means to get to this position anyways and I was obviously already prepared for it.
Basically, it just shows how more thought goes into this compared to before, when a plan against someone would be to the extent of, "I'll run more so I don't get tired." This is what happened when I boxed Marty (10/15/04, see entry #11).
Speaking of boxing, I've been breathing it the last few days. Today I spent all of my leisure time analyzing old Marciano videos.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Entry #325
May have sustained more damage from Friday that I thought. Shins felt sore during jump~roping.
That preceded shadow fighting. As mentioned before, I need to warm~up smarter. In practicing this I focused on snapping and pulling back whatever attack I threw. Didn't throw anything big; instead I worked on tools to chisel away and pick at an opponent, like jabs and fronts. This is specifically for my final match with George before he leaves for L.A. I'm already well~off while inside; now, I need to be able to fight from a distance if rushing in isn't an option.
Also opting out of resistance training for the first half of this week in order to be up to par.
May have sustained more damage from Friday that I thought. Shins felt sore during jump~roping.
That preceded shadow fighting. As mentioned before, I need to warm~up smarter. In practicing this I focused on snapping and pulling back whatever attack I threw. Didn't throw anything big; instead I worked on tools to chisel away and pick at an opponent, like jabs and fronts. This is specifically for my final match with George before he leaves for L.A. I'm already well~off while inside; now, I need to be able to fight from a distance if rushing in isn't an option.
Also opting out of resistance training for the first half of this week in order to be up to par.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Entry #324
Sparring:
Took place at Fisher. Concrete ground. Sparring gear was rather uneven. 4 oz. gloves on both of us, but he got the shinguards and mouthpiece.
Injured back (reason for the hiatus) was feeling better by approximately 95%, more or less. Just some small discomfort during warm~up stretches.
Contemplated on an orthodox stance, but ultimately went with comfort and fought south~paw. First round went great, technique~wise. Agreed to go at 50%. I intended to start off more aggressive rather than waiting to counter, but he telegraphed his first kick so early that I took that instead. Grabbed it and got him in right in the chin. Kept him at bay with muay thai front kicks. I was excellent in utilizing these. The bagwork has payed off.
Second round was hard~contact. I gained the upper~hand on pure power alone. The exception were the front~kicks again. These were being pulled off nearly as proficiently as my jab. He anticipated my boxing and kept his hands glued high, which left numerous opportunities for body kicks. Also made use of knees. These worked well in both getting his hands to drop and in blocking, although the advantage I'd normally have in my knee hitting his shin was moot with his shinguards. Still proved effective because he'd be trying to gauge his distance with a kick, and I'd negate whatever he was doing by charging in with a knee. If he pulled one off I'd usually manage to grab it and nail him in the head. I don't know why I stopped making a conscious effort to do this the last few years, but it works. This eventually backfired because I got in the habit of dropping my hands to grab him when he kicked, and if I missed I'd be rendered completely open, which he was more than happy to capitalize on. Got me in the eye this way, which I shook off but felt foolish for falling for. What I should have done was knee the low ones instead of reaching out. Guard must never drop like that.
Killed myself in the third~round. At this point we seemed to unconsciously shy back to what we knew best: he kicked, and I boxed. I was at a severe reach advantage here; I spent most of the time chasing after him (at no expense to his integrity; it worked on his part). I'd rush forward, see him back off, stop myself, and wait for him to return. Again, this was to my disadvantage because of the reach (if this was a ring, I'd have cornered him, but this was open ground). In one kick, I made a grab for it and then stopped myself at the last moment to keep my guard up and knee. This essentially left my open hands a free target for him to hit in my moment of relapse, and my fingers took the full punishment. Didn't even feel it during the round so I continued with no second thought. I did realize how predictable I was getting, however, so instead of stopping in exasperation and waiting for him, I ran forward and caught him with a straight in the jaw. Didn't follow up with anything, though. This holds true in general. I have a bad habit of letting the other guy fall back and gather himself before moving in, in some unfortunate form of chivalry (and despite all of my work in coherent combinations).
In overview, I'm my own worst adversary. My sloppy technique seems to get more and more glaringly apparent the stronger I get. Didn't get hit by any big shots, but I've got more than one sore appendage at the expense of poor form (i.e., accidentally blocking with my fingers, stubbing my toe). I can safely come to this conclusion in seeing him with a bloody mouth (with a mouthguard), but my fingers and toes gnarled like an old man's. My method has a lot of catching up to do with my power.
Also note: eat earlier before a spar. Was struggling not to puke by the end.
Sparring:
Took place at Fisher. Concrete ground. Sparring gear was rather uneven. 4 oz. gloves on both of us, but he got the shinguards and mouthpiece.
Injured back (reason for the hiatus) was feeling better by approximately 95%, more or less. Just some small discomfort during warm~up stretches.
Contemplated on an orthodox stance, but ultimately went with comfort and fought south~paw. First round went great, technique~wise. Agreed to go at 50%. I intended to start off more aggressive rather than waiting to counter, but he telegraphed his first kick so early that I took that instead. Grabbed it and got him in right in the chin. Kept him at bay with muay thai front kicks. I was excellent in utilizing these. The bagwork has payed off.
Second round was hard~contact. I gained the upper~hand on pure power alone. The exception were the front~kicks again. These were being pulled off nearly as proficiently as my jab. He anticipated my boxing and kept his hands glued high, which left numerous opportunities for body kicks. Also made use of knees. These worked well in both getting his hands to drop and in blocking, although the advantage I'd normally have in my knee hitting his shin was moot with his shinguards. Still proved effective because he'd be trying to gauge his distance with a kick, and I'd negate whatever he was doing by charging in with a knee. If he pulled one off I'd usually manage to grab it and nail him in the head. I don't know why I stopped making a conscious effort to do this the last few years, but it works. This eventually backfired because I got in the habit of dropping my hands to grab him when he kicked, and if I missed I'd be rendered completely open, which he was more than happy to capitalize on. Got me in the eye this way, which I shook off but felt foolish for falling for. What I should have done was knee the low ones instead of reaching out. Guard must never drop like that.
Killed myself in the third~round. At this point we seemed to unconsciously shy back to what we knew best: he kicked, and I boxed. I was at a severe reach advantage here; I spent most of the time chasing after him (at no expense to his integrity; it worked on his part). I'd rush forward, see him back off, stop myself, and wait for him to return. Again, this was to my disadvantage because of the reach (if this was a ring, I'd have cornered him, but this was open ground). In one kick, I made a grab for it and then stopped myself at the last moment to keep my guard up and knee. This essentially left my open hands a free target for him to hit in my moment of relapse, and my fingers took the full punishment. Didn't even feel it during the round so I continued with no second thought. I did realize how predictable I was getting, however, so instead of stopping in exasperation and waiting for him, I ran forward and caught him with a straight in the jaw. Didn't follow up with anything, though. This holds true in general. I have a bad habit of letting the other guy fall back and gather himself before moving in, in some unfortunate form of chivalry (and despite all of my work in coherent combinations).
In overview, I'm my own worst adversary. My sloppy technique seems to get more and more glaringly apparent the stronger I get. Didn't get hit by any big shots, but I've got more than one sore appendage at the expense of poor form (i.e., accidentally blocking with my fingers, stubbing my toe). I can safely come to this conclusion in seeing him with a bloody mouth (with a mouthguard), but my fingers and toes gnarled like an old man's. My method has a lot of catching up to do with my power.
Also note: eat earlier before a spar. Was struggling not to puke by the end.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Entry #323
Replaced resistance day for lower body with bodyweight drills due to lingering throe in my back. Barbell squats require too much stability from the back for comfort in this condition. Felt extremely light on my toes with shootfighters, though legs felt shaky after a few sets from the unfamiliar rep range.
At this point I'm most comfortable with the brief, burst movement that powerlifting entails. I wonder how much of an influence this has on my style of fighting. My guess would be little. My contention with muscle endurance seems to be specific enough to not be much of an issue; I feel like I can go all day in sparring and bag training, just not these exercises. Food for thought.
Attempt for the following set of boot~strappers resulted in increased back pain, so I cut it short. I'm stretching in the evening to relieve this.
Shadowboxing and bag~work are currently on hold.
Replaced resistance day for lower body with bodyweight drills due to lingering throe in my back. Barbell squats require too much stability from the back for comfort in this condition. Felt extremely light on my toes with shootfighters, though legs felt shaky after a few sets from the unfamiliar rep range.
At this point I'm most comfortable with the brief, burst movement that powerlifting entails. I wonder how much of an influence this has on my style of fighting. My guess would be little. My contention with muscle endurance seems to be specific enough to not be much of an issue; I feel like I can go all day in sparring and bag training, just not these exercises. Food for thought.
Attempt for the following set of boot~strappers resulted in increased back pain, so I cut it short. I'm stretching in the evening to relieve this.
Shadowboxing and bag~work are currently on hold.
Saturday, September 9, 2006
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Entry #321
Bare~knuckled the heavy bag. Made huge progress on maintaining form. My
wrists didn't bend at all in the later rounds. Ironically enough, safe
form means I'm punching harder so I drew a lot of blood. Stayed with
the familiar stance today.
I've also just realized that I'm a right~handed southpaw.
Bare~knuckled the heavy bag. Made huge progress on maintaining form. My
wrists didn't bend at all in the later rounds. Ironically enough, safe
form means I'm punching harder so I drew a lot of blood. Stayed with
the familiar stance today.
I've also just realized that I'm a right~handed southpaw.
Saturday, September 2, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Entry #319
Performed Workout #1 from www.trainforstrength.com
Completed it with little difficulty. Last time I was unable to complete the push~ups pyramid.
I'm reaping the benefits of endurance training. I might have this replace the bodybuilding routine for the following week. Most likely I'll just alternate from one to the other before going back to powerlifting.
Did some experimenting in shadowboxing today with a peek~a~boo stance. I'm not going to attempt to practice with it until I can officially get coached, but just from trying it feels so much more natural to me than what I've already learned. The tight guard feels awesome. Must check out the gym this weekend. I'll have struck gold if I can run to it.
Performed Workout #1 from www.trainforstrength.com
Completed it with little difficulty. Last time I was unable to complete the push~ups pyramid.
I'm reaping the benefits of endurance training. I might have this replace the bodybuilding routine for the following week. Most likely I'll just alternate from one to the other before going back to powerlifting.
Did some experimenting in shadowboxing today with a peek~a~boo stance. I'm not going to attempt to practice with it until I can officially get coached, but just from trying it feels so much more natural to me than what I've already learned. The tight guard feels awesome. Must check out the gym this weekend. I'll have struck gold if I can run to it.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Entry #316
Have been steadily increasing calorie intake. I'm going to manage by without weightgainer for another week or two.
New split is 100% bodybuilding. It'll be on the menu for just a few weeks, however. Entirely custom~made.
Monday: Quads/Glutes/Calves
Tuesday: Chest/Lats/Traps/Forearms
Wednesday: Delts/Calves/Abs
Thursday: Lower back/Hamstrings
Friday: Triceps/Biceps/Forearms
Saturday: Delts/Traps/Calves/Abs
Sunday: Rest
High volume stuff, but I've been resting for this. There's also no pre~set routine. I'll be relying on experience and intuition. This encourages the variety and shock that bodybuilding entails. Squats, deadlifts, and bench are all in still.
Will continue bag~work as normal. I'm trying to look up the aforementioned MMA guy for AKA.
Have been steadily increasing calorie intake. I'm going to manage by without weightgainer for another week or two.
New split is 100% bodybuilding. It'll be on the menu for just a few weeks, however. Entirely custom~made.
Monday: Quads/Glutes/Calves
Tuesday: Chest/Lats/Traps/Forearms
Wednesday: Delts/Calves/Abs
Thursday: Lower back/Hamstrings
Friday: Triceps/Biceps/Forearms
Saturday: Delts/Traps/Calves/Abs
Sunday: Rest
High volume stuff, but I've been resting for this. There's also no pre~set routine. I'll be relying on experience and intuition. This encourages the variety and shock that bodybuilding entails. Squats, deadlifts, and bench are all in still.
Will continue bag~work as normal. I'm trying to look up the aforementioned MMA guy for AKA.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Entry #315
Taking a few days off while I devise a new routine. It's going to be bodybuilding~oriented in order to give my system a break from maxing out multiple times a week. Last time I tried this I made tremendous gains (January '06, ECO training).
Shoulder is feeling better so I can probably resume boxing~work with no problems.
Taking a few days off while I devise a new routine. It's going to be bodybuilding~oriented in order to give my system a break from maxing out multiple times a week. Last time I tried this I made tremendous gains (January '06, ECO training).
Shoulder is feeling better so I can probably resume boxing~work with no problems.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Entry #313
ME lower~body
Was extremely careful coming in. Had an extensive warm~up with the exercise bike.
Felt a small pain in left leg joint going down on third set of squat. I repeated the same weight for another and the problem remained. I took no chances; reracked the bar from there. Still, it was much better than last time. Should have no problems next week at this rate, and with the extra DE training days.
Instead switched over to heavy lunges with 105's for dumbbells, and had no problems. Made gains on this.
ME lower~body
Was extremely careful coming in. Had an extensive warm~up with the exercise bike.
Felt a small pain in left leg joint going down on third set of squat. I repeated the same weight for another and the problem remained. I took no chances; reracked the bar from there. Still, it was much better than last time. Should have no problems next week at this rate, and with the extra DE training days.
Instead switched over to heavy lunges with 105's for dumbbells, and had no problems. Made gains on this.
Sunday, August 6, 2006
Entry #311
Internet was down; unable to record yesterday.
Saturday, August 5, 2006
DE upperbody
I've lost 12 lbs and am down to 195.
Also began reloading phase on creatine mono.
Speedbag for warm~up. Three rounds of it mixed in between the initial sets of the first lift for endurance purposes.
Continued on with ten sets of speedbench. 185 felt oddly heavy, but I was rather sore. Made a point of bringing the bar down lower; instinctively it comes down to my chest. Blame bodybuilding.
Went heavy on everything else. No drop in gains here.
Found a new recruit for the AKA. I knew the guy working at Taco Bell when I walked there later at night. He asked me about training and made mention of how he wants to join there. He said he's excited because he just got his new car, too. Still, it'll only work if it's offered to me; I'm not going to impose myself on his convenience by getting a ride from him everytime. Same goes for George and the other dude (who never got back to me). If I can somehow organize all of this to work, though, I'll have some awesome training partners.
Internet was down; unable to record yesterday.
Saturday, August 5, 2006
DE upperbody
I've lost 12 lbs and am down to 195.
Also began reloading phase on creatine mono.
Speedbag for warm~up. Three rounds of it mixed in between the initial sets of the first lift for endurance purposes.
Continued on with ten sets of speedbench. 185 felt oddly heavy, but I was rather sore. Made a point of bringing the bar down lower; instinctively it comes down to my chest. Blame bodybuilding.
Went heavy on everything else. No drop in gains here.
Found a new recruit for the AKA. I knew the guy working at Taco Bell when I walked there later at night. He asked me about training and made mention of how he wants to join there. He said he's excited because he just got his new car, too. Still, it'll only work if it's offered to me; I'm not going to impose myself on his convenience by getting a ride from him everytime. Same goes for George and the other dude (who never got back to me). If I can somehow organize all of this to work, though, I'll have some awesome training partners.
Friday, August 4, 2006
Entry #310
DE lowerbody
Making a point of not missing out on these. Box squats work, in regards to both assisting heavy lifts and as AR. Started out stiff, but felt strong by the end.
Did Romanians for back work with 225. The form is tricky; should practice on a clear bar at home. It's worth the trouble because they're better than extensions for building hammies.
As with box squats, shrugs were tough to get into. Probably harder than before because of the DL's, but by the end I was repping 'till I saw red. Loaded the bar with 365 lbs. Great carryover for grip.
Worked on some easy knees and combinations at home, more for the sake of stretching out than anything else.
DE lowerbody
Making a point of not missing out on these. Box squats work, in regards to both assisting heavy lifts and as AR. Started out stiff, but felt strong by the end.
Did Romanians for back work with 225. The form is tricky; should practice on a clear bar at home. It's worth the trouble because they're better than extensions for building hammies.
As with box squats, shrugs were tough to get into. Probably harder than before because of the DL's, but by the end I was repping 'till I saw red. Loaded the bar with 365 lbs. Great carryover for grip.
Worked on some easy knees and combinations at home, more for the sake of stretching out than anything else.
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Entry #309
ME lowerbody
Cut short in a matter of sets. I pulled a muscle on squats. I was having trouble with 285 (!), and on rep one of set two I felt a sharp pain in my thigh. Reracked it and had a long, thoughtful walk home.
There's literally some new obstacle or injury every week now. This is fucking war.
ME lowerbody
Cut short in a matter of sets. I pulled a muscle on squats. I was having trouble with 285 (!), and on rep one of set two I felt a sharp pain in my thigh. Reracked it and had a long, thoughtful walk home.
There's literally some new obstacle or injury every week now. This is fucking war.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Entry #308
Took a week off due to my back. Never do half~assed deadlifts.
In a state of comtemplation. I'm considering switching over to bodybuilding routines for a few weeks for the sake of refreshment. The most significant strength gains I've experienced occurred the last time I tried this.
Rose early today for cardio and conditioning continues to improve. Ran to the highschool, did laps around the track (doing HIIT on the final), and ran home with little fatigue and only short rests between.
Took a week off due to my back. Never do half~assed deadlifts.
In a state of comtemplation. I'm considering switching over to bodybuilding routines for a few weeks for the sake of refreshment. The most significant strength gains I've experienced occurred the last time I tried this.
Rose early today for cardio and conditioning continues to improve. Ran to the highschool, did laps around the track (doing HIIT on the final), and ran home with little fatigue and only short rests between.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Entry #304
ME upper~body
Continued on with floor presses. The movement still feels awkward. 275 lbs didn't feel like much. Probably could have gone for more than just singles with that weight. Hopefully this carries over.
Pullups were much easier, probably due in part to losing weight. Widened the grip to compensate. I should start to look towards adding resistance on them.
Went hiking on a trail with George. Killed my legs. I was still sore from yesterday.
ME upper~body
Continued on with floor presses. The movement still feels awkward. 275 lbs didn't feel like much. Probably could have gone for more than just singles with that weight. Hopefully this carries over.
Pullups were much easier, probably due in part to losing weight. Widened the grip to compensate. I should start to look towards adding resistance on them.
Went hiking on a trail with George. Killed my legs. I was still sore from yesterday.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Entry #303
Beginning reloading phase of creatine mono.
ME lower~body:
Made gains despite losing weight. Deadlifted 365 lbs for triples and 395 lbs for multiple sets of singles. Grip was tighter than previous efforts and there was no failure because of it. Shrugs pay off.
Also started bringing protein concoction to the gym and mixing it immediately after. I really don't need to use the blender.
Beginning reloading phase of creatine mono.
ME lower~body:
Made gains despite losing weight. Deadlifted 365 lbs for triples and 395 lbs for multiple sets of singles. Grip was tighter than previous efforts and there was no failure because of it. Shrugs pay off.
Also started bringing protein concoction to the gym and mixing it immediately after. I really don't need to use the blender.
Sunday, July 9, 2006
Entry #302
Jogged to the track and did four laps of moderate interval training. Couldn't help but notice how much faster my default jogging speed is than everyone else on the track. Legs held out fine. Jogged home afterwards.
Evening, ran from George's house and commenced with jump-rope circuit at home.
Conditioning is at an excellent level.
Jogged to the track and did four laps of moderate interval training. Couldn't help but notice how much faster my default jogging speed is than everyone else on the track. Legs held out fine. Jogged home afterwards.
Evening, ran from George's house and commenced with jump-rope circuit at home.
Conditioning is at an excellent level.
Saturday, July 8, 2006
Entry #301
DE upper-body
Down to an even 200 lbs.
Began with a speed~bag warm~up. Reduced the rests in between sets of speed bench and continued to integrate bag work alongside. I figure it's a good opportunity to train for muscle endurance, in stark contrast to ME days. Increased the weight on several sets even, despite the weight loss.
Jumprope circuit later at night. Kept tripping up over it, for some reason.
DE upper-body
Down to an even 200 lbs.
Began with a speed~bag warm~up. Reduced the rests in between sets of speed bench and continued to integrate bag work alongside. I figure it's a good opportunity to train for muscle endurance, in stark contrast to ME days. Increased the weight on several sets even, despite the weight loss.
Jumprope circuit later at night. Kept tripping up over it, for some reason.
Saturday, July 1, 2006
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Entry #298
Sparred in the park.
Started off with heavy-contact. Shoulders were sore from lifting on the previous day, but I did an extremely consistant job of keeping the hands up. Felt like I could throw jabs all day. Did excellent in working them into combinations.
Kicks were abysmal. The power is there, but a moving opponent throws me off, admittedly. More than once I connected with my toes to an undesired location. At least I have the mechanics of it improved, but I'm looking forward to more work on them with actual humans. I need to anticipate and aim, not just recollect bag drills. Oddly enough, this isn't as significant an issue in regards to handwork.
Also did an exceptional job of bobbing and weaving. No idea where I picked this up. I've always just parried, but the smaller glove size made that and covering~up more difficult. George noticed this as well; consequently, he wanted to focus on that. We did a drill of me going for his head and him defending. I didn't want stay with this for too long because it didn't allow him a chance to defend via any sort of counter.
Calves cramped out before long. I brushed it off as nothing, we reset the timer, I attempted initiation with a roundhouse, and instead fell down before even getting halfway, unable to move my left leg. I encouraged George to keep coming, but he wouldn't have it. I fucking hate being weak.
Notes:
> Stay loose. Don't flex while fighting.
> Don't shift weight onto back leg so much.
> Don't telegraph kicks by changing stance. Just use whatever the situation calls for.
> Use more hooks. Got too comfortable with jab~jab~straight.
Sparred in the park.
Started off with heavy-contact. Shoulders were sore from lifting on the previous day, but I did an extremely consistant job of keeping the hands up. Felt like I could throw jabs all day. Did excellent in working them into combinations.
Kicks were abysmal. The power is there, but a moving opponent throws me off, admittedly. More than once I connected with my toes to an undesired location. At least I have the mechanics of it improved, but I'm looking forward to more work on them with actual humans. I need to anticipate and aim, not just recollect bag drills. Oddly enough, this isn't as significant an issue in regards to handwork.
Also did an exceptional job of bobbing and weaving. No idea where I picked this up. I've always just parried, but the smaller glove size made that and covering~up more difficult. George noticed this as well; consequently, he wanted to focus on that. We did a drill of me going for his head and him defending. I didn't want stay with this for too long because it didn't allow him a chance to defend via any sort of counter.
Calves cramped out before long. I brushed it off as nothing, we reset the timer, I attempted initiation with a roundhouse, and instead fell down before even getting halfway, unable to move my left leg. I encouraged George to keep coming, but he wouldn't have it. I fucking hate being weak.
Notes:
> Stay loose. Don't flex while fighting.
> Don't shift weight onto back leg so much.
> Don't telegraph kicks by changing stance. Just use whatever the situation calls for.
> Use more hooks. Got too comfortable with jab~jab~straight.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Entry #297
ME upper-body
Started floor-presses. The weight is basically what I bench. I need to get used to the coordination of it; had difficulty keeping shoulder blades pinched without having my legs extended to stretch my body out, as it would on bench press.
Have been using the speed-bag and the standing-bag for warm-up as of late. Knuckles are raw and cut from going bareknuckle so often, but the bag is soft compared to what I've got at home, so it's just skin breaking. .
Found a possible sparring partner. He's a competitive MMA'er with primarily BJJ in his arsenal, in stark contrast to my situation. We'd go hand in hand. I'm also lending him the AKA address, so if he's close I can maybe get a ride with him to the center, but I don't want to impose myself.
Jump-roping in the evening. Didn't aggravate my shin.
ME upper-body
Started floor-presses. The weight is basically what I bench. I need to get used to the coordination of it; had difficulty keeping shoulder blades pinched without having my legs extended to stretch my body out, as it would on bench press.
Have been using the speed-bag and the standing-bag for warm-up as of late. Knuckles are raw and cut from going bareknuckle so often, but the bag is soft compared to what I've got at home, so it's just skin breaking. .
Found a possible sparring partner. He's a competitive MMA'er with primarily BJJ in his arsenal, in stark contrast to my situation. We'd go hand in hand. I'm also lending him the AKA address, so if he's close I can maybe get a ride with him to the center, but I don't want to impose myself.
Jump-roping in the evening. Didn't aggravate my shin.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Entry #296
DE upper-body
Mixed in standing bag rounds with speed bench today. Momentum mechanics stayed consistant; endurance seems to be improving. It's getting easier and easier to go through fatigue and to keep my hands up throughout training. Shin is still in a bad state, but the soft wimpy gym bag allowed me to mix in kicks.
Also went to George's TKD black-belt testing, second degree. Regardless of my thoughts on the 4-on-1 sparring, the conditioning involved was impressive.
DE upper-body
Mixed in standing bag rounds with speed bench today. Momentum mechanics stayed consistant; endurance seems to be improving. It's getting easier and easier to go through fatigue and to keep my hands up throughout training. Shin is still in a bad state, but the soft wimpy gym bag allowed me to mix in kicks.
Also went to George's TKD black-belt testing, second degree. Regardless of my thoughts on the 4-on-1 sparring, the conditioning involved was impressive.
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