JM/Wrestiling/Rowing/Shadow

An all around day. Spent time with Eric Duce, Frank and Josh at the gym. Duce is an outstanding wrestler/judo guy whom works with Frank and the guys on techniques and I got to watch and play some. More learning through observation.

Did 25 minutes of mobility.

Did 1 minute of rowing combined with 1 minute of shadow for 12 minutes.

Tomorrow will be more Duce and techniques which I will take a greater role as a participate. We will follow this with sprints.

PS My glutes and Hams are really sore from the leg day :-)

Legs

Hit the legs hard today with an emphasis on single leg

Pistols (35 pound plate)
3x3

Jump Switch Pistol
5x2 (each leg)

Imagine at the bottom of the pistol and jumping and switching landing in the bottom position (never fully extended always in the bottom position)

Single Leg Deadlift
25# (2 dbs)/5/5x1
40#(1 db cross load) 5/5x1
60# (1 db crossload) 5/5x2

Around the world lunge
45#plate with 5 steps/leg for 3 rounds x2

Added in dyna disc for two steps/leg for 2 rounds x2


Breathe up (deck sqaut) with bosu

120 straight

Rocks

Yes, rocks as in rock climbing. Today we went to the indoor rock climbing gym. Since we are not certified we had to boulder.

Let me just say this, the rating starts at V0 and goes to V12. Supposed V0 is equal to a 5.10 climb. Ok, basically this means long arms, long legs and light bodies are going to do much better and if you know me I have none of those traits :-)

I have to say I at least was able to accomplish V1 but it took numerous failed attempts. Remember, use your legs because it is not long before the fingers, forearms and arms fatigue and if you are not using the legs then it is a fall to the mat since there is no ropes in the bouldering portion.

We did this for an hour and half before fatigue was to overwhelming but this is great for grip, core, balance, and skeletal strength.

I will now rest and recover


20 minutes of joint mobility

Split Day 2

Started the day with a big Joint Mobility session, 20 minutes followed by about 15 minutes of wrestling with Frank.

Then this evening I met up with My friend Mike for a KB workout

Military Press
32/5/5x5

Double Snatch
16/5x5

Then went and met frank and Clint at the gym for workout three which included a major core section, some free weights, phys ball and med ball stuff. To many to explain and some I cannot explain as I was being creative.

I am super pleased with my strength and conditioning levels. I realize I have all the physical abllity to blow most these guys away the only skills I lack are the fighting skills and those are pretty major, lol. Nice to work with Pros and especially an athlete of Franks caliber

Another day tomorrow

Gymnastics, Workout 2

Rolling, piking, handstands, etc. we did a number of gymnastic exercises tonight which required, strength, balance, agility, rhythm, coordination and partner work. Clint joined in which made it even more fun. He is a very talented young fighter and I am glad to see he is stepping up.

We are fortunate to have some really talented young fighters that train and fight under the Shamrock name. The sky is the limit for these young men and hanging around with us will only benefit them.

Good day, two fun training sessions and another double tomorrow

I did a bunch of mobility, foam rolling and stretch work and feed my body well...now it is nighty night.

Training like a fighter

Christmas is over and the ramp is going up. Over the past 4 days I have done 500 push-ups and 100 pull-ups just something with all the family stuff.

However, today I went back to work with Frank and we hit the cardio conditioning hard. We combined shadow, sprints, rowing (machine with back emphasis), bodyweight deck squats to burpees all in varying circuits. We even shadowed with each other....lol and my goal was to try and hit him in the head :-P. Trust me, this was a heck of a conditioning session.

Headed back tonight for some more work and back on the bells tomorrow.

Hope you all have had a wonderful holidays

Sorry for the vague aspects of the training but I do not want to get to specific out of respect to Frank. Believe me when I say there is pain and suffering...lol

Treadmill?

Ok, this is a first in a long time for me. I met Frank at Club One and he was doing some cardio so I decide to join in. Enter the Treadmill and sprint intervals. Lets just say I decided to push myself and in the process challenge Frank, funny yes but I love good competition. So we went at it for 20 minutes doing various sprint intervals ranging from 1 minute to 1.5 minutes up to 10 miles/hr (max speed). I have not done straight running like that for a bit so I felt awesome

We followed that up with more physio, med ball work...sit and kneeling tosses, bosu ball stuff, etc. Strong workout and another day of fun. Looking forward to tomorrow... :-)

Plus I did 100 pushups ( 2 sets of 50) and 24 pull-ups yesterday and a strong JM sessions)

Today I did 10 parallel chins and 20 dips just wasting a minute.

Yoga is Youthfulness

Did a wonderful 1.5 hour long strong vinyasa class. I felt pretty darn strong and flexible.

What I observed

I have trouble with some of the forward bends and the tightness comes from erectors.

I am doing well with the Twists and Back Bends

My Hamstrings have various levels of flexiblity, depending on the position.

My Hip Flexors/Quads are tight especially in certain hip extension positions.

I have good balance and strength.

I have good static strength in my body, especially the legs and core

I enjoy Yoga and all classes, instructors bring about different challenges

more craziness

Hooked up with Frank today and back at Club One, and this means play time. Again we went at with the physio ball, bosu, dyna disc, reebox core board, med ball, gymnastics, yoga, mobility, balance, coordination, propioception, hand/eye work, foot work, etc.

Just take my word that frank is a freak and that means I get an opp to work on my mutant (lol) qualitites

I did handstands and pistols on the bosu, core board, and discs.
I did yoga hand balances using these same implements, etc

Point is I was impressed by my strength and balance doing some of these crazy unique moves. When we train together we get really creative. He loves gymnastics and I have to admit so do I, plus that explains Rifs awesome strength and athleticism.

In the evening I hooked up with my buddy Mike and did some light bell work

Warm-up Superset
Windmills and Overhead Squats
24/5/5 and 3/3 x2

Clean and Press (1 Kb)
32/5/5x5

2 hand Swing
32/20x5

I am done and beat. I am doing a lot physically and I am enjoying it. I was SUPER sore from Saturday and it felt good but I know I was not the only one....lol

More to come, this is just the beginning. I have to say more core strength and balance is pretty damn good. Especially after todays various fun and games.

Frank and I at it again

Well, well it is time to train for Frank with his up and coming fight on Feb 10th against Renzo Gracie in Mississippi. Cool thing is we will be on Showtime that evening.

http://www.elitexc.com

So safe to say it is time to get serious. We started to train yesterday with an intensive mobility and stability program. Today we took it up a notch and I joined in

We did
Physioball
Med Ball
Bosu
Dyna Disc

all this was our warm-up which lasted about 45 minutes, nice warm-up. Of course he did most of the work since it is about him and not me but I did my fair share. I even did the old Bosu Pistols (both sides up). We came up with a bunch of cool stuff just playing around with various combos of these tools. Safe to say this time around we are using a variety of tools and the bells will soon be incorporated.

Then we finished off with a cool combo ladder of Pull-ups and Dips, here is how it went down
10 pull-ups Frank, 10 me, 10 dips Frank, 10 me all the way to 1 and 1 of each, nonstop he go, I go. This was brutally fun and nice since we could truly push and challenge one another.

We did one last icing on the cake boxing combo using the free motion.

Great workout and more to come. I will do some training throughout this prep time with Frank just depending on what he wants from me.

Thursday, Light Bells

Did a short, quick workout Thursday with my bud Mike

Windmill
24/5/5x3

2 Hand Swing
32/20x5

Short and sweet and not bad for the 4th in a row

Put on the Cleats

Could not get out to the track since after 2 till 6 it is closed for Stanford team training so we went to the park and did some grass work.

Warm up with Dynamics

Cone Drills
Lateral and forward hops (quick feet and long jumps)
triple Jumps
Figure Eights hops, 1 leg
Slalom forward and sideways

Striders
6x100

Light day and effective

100 push-ups
25 pull-ups

Yoga Strength

Yikes, todays class was tough, this particular instructor is tough. Mara, places a large emphasis on strength moves (planks, side bridges, 1 leg balances, lunges, etc) with a yoga spin. So, you get strength and flexiblity and one heck of a sweaty mat so much so that I slip on certain poses lol.

Nonetheless, I like her approach and she is interested in learning about the KBs so extra cool. Great class, great strength, great flexibility, great sweat and great workout. I felt really in tune with my breath which really enhances all the moves, so progress and contentment.

Another great workout. No running today due to the rain

Body, Mind, Spirit, Soul feel great

Meditation

Sunday I had an amazing experience, something I have never felt, a place I have never been before. When I say feel you must understand that there truly was nothing, no feel, no thought, just complete freedom and stillness.

Sunday I was lead through a body work process, no touch just talk. As I sat there listening to the gentleman lead me through a process I begun to feel a lightened feeling in my body, a freeing of thought of my ego, of my mind and as the process, the journey continued it got deeper and deeper and before I knew it I was it a true meditative trance.

Through the process I heard the sounds of cars which became the sounds of waves gently rolling on the sand and then I felt like a stream gently flowing amidst a state of serenity in a serene nature environment and then it was all gone, emptiness, freedom and I was.

After a period of time, how long I do not know I woke myself out of this state and I had an overwhelming and wonderful feeling of peace, of freedom.

I have in the past felt the power of concentration, of focus but never this state. To truly describe what I felt, etc is almost to do it a disservice but at the same time I wanted to share this powerful moment in time and the fact that I feel peaceful and free in my heart and soul.

I am and have been planning to do this meditation course and now I am even more excited to do so.

2 Please

Oh boy have I forgot what 2, 32kg kbs feels like in hands and how quickly I remember.

Clean and Press (2kb)
Warm-up
16/5x1
24/5x1

Work
32/5x5

Wow these are awesome and truly the weight I should be training. My friend Mike brought his 32 over and we put it to good use. I felt strong, especially as the sets went on. Although I am still tender from Saturday in the forearms and arms (especially rt bicep) I feel good about my performance.

Mike is an animal. for a man with little experience using the bells he hung strong and with good technique.

Guard Press
32/8x4

Not too bad, totally new and diffferent move with the 32 but once got used to it they moved well.

Short workout, Mike had to run home early tonight but great and it served its purpose.

The Link to the Picture site

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/motivator.php

A cool picture

This pic was created by Dave Shoulders Macmillan. This is of me doing the Snatch test at the April 2005 RKC. There is a site where you can create these type of images, once I get it I will post the site. I just love the concept

A Reflection on Life

Christmas is a season a special season. This is time of year for family, friends, and giving. As life continues to evolve we must take time to present our loved ones, our friends, our clients, etc. the gift of love, the gift of thanks.

We never know what life is going to bring on a daily, weekly, yearly basis. So, I encourage people to take time and tell the people you love just how thankful, how grateful, how much you love and appreciate them. Do your best not to miss out on these opportunities because one day they may not be there.

Life truly is short and life truly is dynamic and ever changing even when things seem to be great, tough, constant, etc. in an instant life can take a turn and lead one down a new or different path and those whom you love may not be there to receive your gifts of love.

Do not live in regret, but live in gratitude and be present in the now. Love is a crazy fun roller coaster ride and love is a blessing. So, today, everyday look that special person or those special people in the eye with love in your heart and just tell them you are thankful and you love them

Love to all of you and a special thanks to all of you who take time to read my blog, etc. May this be a happy holidays for you and your loved ones.

Hang On

The Grip, that was the motto for todays training or at least it seems to feel that way. After a warm-up with the Indian Clubs and moving to the Clubbells the real grip training began. Today I had the great pleasure of introducing my good friend Mike to Ken Black and two other impressive men in Pete Diaz and Corey, the Iron Punk as well as some real heavy training with many odd instruments

We used the Indian/Clubbells, the rolling thunder (for serious grip and a lesson in just how much stronger one side is than the other), the blobs for more grip work, The Big Tire for some flipping and serious core, hip and hamstring drive, the 150 med ball which we pressed with all our might overhead, the 200 pound odd ball of sand the we shoulder, the Fat Bar deadlifts, grippers (#2), the rope climbs, the muscle ups, and some gymnastics on the rings ( a blast). I may have missed something in here but I think that about covers the variety of tools we used and just how taxed we were (speaking for Mike and I) after wards. Totally different feeling, all the fatigue in the grip, forearms.

What a great day we had, and since I cannot remember all the weights you can check out Ken or Petes Blog for their descriptions of this very cool day of fun lifting with a few good men. All this work was something I had little to no experience with and it made it all the worthwhile. I truly enjoyed the clubbells, tire flips and of course all the bodyweight stuff (climbs and rings). The Med ball presented its own unique challenges and I really enjoyed feeling strong. I have to say I was definitely motivated being around these men and just seeing everyone step up to the challenge and give it their best.

I love feeling strong.

Thanks to all the men for a wonderful day of training

Track work

Good day of track work with my buddy Carl

No ladder today but did an immense amount of dynamics and followed that up with line drills (forward, lateral, bounding) of all kinds. Tough on the CNS but really good work.

Finished with Tempo Runs
10x100

Good workout, solid and nice to run

keep moving

That is a good motto for me right now, and keep moving forward, progression. So today, sore, tired, low energy/hormone I hooked up with my pal Mike to do some KBs.

TGU lunge style
16/5/5x1
24/5/5x2

Snatch
32/5/5x5

Bend the knees and use the quads in addition to the hips to decelorate the bell and minimize load on back.

Military Press
32/5/5x5

Pull-ups
5x4

This Morning did 10 minutes of shadow boxing

Just felt good to do something and do some heavier work. My energy levels are way off and I am far from at the top of my game but I am pushing and doing something

This weeks training

Monday:
Not much but I did hook up for a quick workout with my Friend Mike

Kettlebells
Windmills
24/5/5x5

Clean and Press
32/5/5x5


Tuesday
Big Day, I did both yoga and Kettlebells

Yoga Vinyasa style for 1 hour at Yoga Source. This was very challenging, felt more like strength training but was a welcome meditation.

kettlebells with Mike
Swings
2hand
24/20x1
32/20x4

1 hand
24/10/10x5

DARC
32/20x3

This was awesome because I have not done a big swing session in some time. Feel the hammies today :-)

Today, Wed
Bodyweight conditioning for 30 minutes plus Joint mobility with Frank and the Team

All sorts of stuff but it was really good. I was tired but I pushed through worked up a great sweat and just fun playing around with Frank

So that is all for this week at this point. Tomorrow Track work and hope to do a yoga class or a meditation class.

Bodyweight Training

I have been ready an excellent book, The Warrior Elite, The forging of Class 228 all about Navy Seals in particular the BUDS portion. A motivating book for an aspiring athlete or just people in general. Just when you thought you were tough, particularly mentally read this book and see if your willing to go to this extreme and extreme it is. The funny thing is that I have a friend who made it through Wed of Hell Week before having to leave due to a major infection. He told me that it gets even more intense after the BUDS program as a true SEAL.

Nonetheless I just thought the body weight training would be a fun addition. So, I did my basics

Push-ups
20x5

Pull-ups
5x5

Super set style with minimal rest. In addition, earlier in the day I did a set of 5 and 8 pull-ups as I passed my pull-up bar.

Nothing hard but just a nice balance to the bells and everything. I did not want to do too much since I have had 4 straight days of training and thought this would be a nice little workout and that it was.

Your body is an amazing tool, practice using it with no weights andif interested take a look on line at some of the different SEAL type workouts and the requirements.

On the track to the court

meet up with my friend Carl and we are starting on the track again. This was our second workout this week, and a good one

Warm-up with Dynamics focus on opening the hips, ankles and getting rhythm and coordination. Takes about 10 to 15 minutes

Ladder Drills (approx 15+)
Started with hops, shuffles, high knee, quick feet, etc.

This is really challenging on the CNS. I could tell that about the 3rd rung from the finish I would start to lose it on some of the drills. I really have to focus but in the same breathe I can tell how some of the moves feel more natural and I am moving much quicker and with more ease.

Tempo Runs
100meters x8

Also, I talked with the throws coach about seeing if I can do some work with the Teams at Stanford. I would love to learn more and this is a great institution in some many ways and many sports (except Football..lol). He gave me a contact name


Later I met up with my friend Tully and we played some tennis. I love being on the court. I really love the movements, the speed, agility, hand-eye coordination. I love putting it all together into a sport.

I have been doing a lot of thinking and looking to identify what I am as an athlete. I realize that I just love to play and enjoy being able to do many things well. I wish I had the love of a particular sport, etc that I could focus my energy and efforts toward to achieve greatness, but for the most part those days have past. All the sports I love to play I am past my prime to be what I want and or couldhave been. If I only knew then what I know now about dedication towards excellence but I did not focus and I missed my opportunities (rugby or baseball).

So, know I realize I just enjoy playing, having fun and being able to do many things well. It is fun to be an athlete, to develop my basic athleticism.

Maybe I will change my mind, time will tell. But my body feels good, feels healthy, feels strong, and feels young. Those are things that are invaluable. I am fortunate to not have any injuries or things that hold me back and I am grateful to have my health and mobility.

The New IFL Fights for 2007...Shamrock vs Shamrock

The IFL has made the announcement official. We will fight Ken Shamrocks team Jan 19th in Oakland at the Arena. Additionally we have fights in March on the 17th at the Staples Center in LA and May 19th in Chicago from there is the semi and finals

checkout www.ifl.tv for more info

Nice to train with someone

My buddy Mike came over to train again, he is really enjoying the bells, especially the snatch

Tonight I decided to introduce the TGU and a view of its variations (he stuck with the classic lunge style)

Lunge TGU
24/5/5x1

Overhead Squat TGU (this is a first for me with the 32kg)
32/3/3x1

This was tough but a heck of a challenge and one I will continue to work on. I could not believe I had the strength to do this overhead squat style. This was my first time doing the overhead squats with this weight and then to make it get-up style was awesome

2kb TGU
16kg/2/2x1

Wow, this is just an amazingly challenging exercise. Just the shoulder strength, flexibility and of course stability are incredibly strenous.

Snatch
24/5/5x1 warm-up

32/5/5x5

Nice strength work. Feels good and considering I am not on top ofmy game I felt really pleased with these. They were explosive and smooth.

Military Press
40/2/2x2
40/1/1x1

Lost the strength at the end. The second set was by far my best, as my friend Mike said the bell went up easy. The key was position, keeping the bell close to the body, elbow underneath the bell while pressing, wrist straight. Simple physics, think of a pilar and remember that it has a strong base of support (feet, legs, hips), no kinks in the structure (stay link), tension dispersed throughout (complete body tension).

So, this was a good workout, I know I am not at the top of my game, but this was a very nice workout and I feel my strength coming back and energy.

Update

So, I have had some trouble updating the blog so here is today and last nights workouts

Last Night (after Yoga)
Hooked up with my buddy Mike again and decided I would show him some different stuff, just so he could see some of the variety the bells offer in addition to the main exercises

Windmill
24/5/5x1
32/5/5x2

Clean Squat Press
24/5/5x1

32/5/5x2

Clean and Press
32/5/5x2

Guard Press 2KB
24/12/12x3

Renegade Row
24/5/5x3

Deck Squat
24/5x3

Nothing terribly difficult but a good workout nonetheless. Always fun to show a friend the bells....PS he is a strong man

Today; Tuesday
workout 1 8:15-8:30 a.m.
Pull-ups
5x4

Push-ups
20x4

workout 2 9:30-9:45 am
shadow box
15 minutes

workout 3 1:30-2:30
Track Work
joint mobilty
dynamic warm-ups
ladder drills (10)


this was a great day of a variety of training and definite intuitive training. I feel better after today and look forward to tomorrow.

Yoga

took myself to a new studio today and took an excellent Vinyasa class. Class was about 1:15 and the instructor was really good at explaining how to get into poses and how to get the most out of the poses. Did a lot of standing balance poses, good back bends to open the low back and a lot of shoulder work, even did a nice head standing which she helped me with.

Overall it was a great practice today. I really enjoyed the meditation aspect as right now I am practicing the art of Patience a buddhist approach philosophically speaking. I read a great article on this site

http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/articles/patience.html

The concepts make sense and truly strengthen the spirit self, soul self. I am on a conitnual quest to evolve body, mind, and spirit and todays practice, and my daily life practice is geared towards achieving the best I can possibly be at an given moment.

Step in the right direction

A true Success Story

This is the story of Dave MacMillan, a champion in training. Dave is a professional mixed martial art fighter. He is one of a kind, talented and skilled, with the heart and dedication to be the best. rarely does a professional such as myself get to work with not only one athlete who is on a level of the champion (Frank Shamrock) but 2, the second in coming Dave. He is so kind in his words but one must understand that Dave is self motivated and together we have been able to accomplish amazing things with his physical conditioning. His blog is linked on the site, read and see for yourself. Enjoy Daves Story, we will be hearing about him for some time to come

My Name is Dave MacMillan and I moved to California to train at
Shamrock
Martial Arts Academy.
I first met Joe Sarti In july 2006 when he was training the Frank
Shamrock
submission fight team every wednesday. I enlisted in Joe's expertise as
a
conditioning on a Sunday when I decided to become the most conditioned
athlete in my field.

Joe's knowledge and training methods allowed me to reach my goals and
get
into the best shape ever. He completed this task in 2 months by just
seeing
him 2 to 3 times a week. He got me ready for my fights in California
and
has helped in making me a very exciting fighter to watch.

Since training with Joe I am able to keep in competition shape all year
round and injury free. He helpe me reach a whole new level of physical
and
mental conditioning that I never thought possible. and if you don't
believe
me, just look at my pics.

Joe is a master of physical, mental, and spiritual conditioning. But
most of
all he is a true friend who truly cares about his clients goals and
performance. I still keep in contact with Joe via email and telephone
even
while I'm here in Canada. He still helps me with my conditioning even
while
I'm here.

I reccomend Joe's services to anyone. If your goal is to excel in your
performance, or just to get in better shape or feel healthy, Joe will
understand your goal and train you accordingly. He doesn't just train,
he
teaches you so you understand what your doing so you will increase your
fitness knowledge.

Playing in the Rain

Got out today with my buddy Tully and played some tennis. Just nice to be out playing a sport, learning a new game. I am an avid sports guy. I love to play and have fun, I enjoy the competition and becoming better. Now, at the current rate of how I approach sports, I will probably not becoming number 1 in the world at any particular sport but I will be smiling, playing, having fun and always be in great physical condition.

I realize I could still achieve great things if I was to focus on a particular sport, etc. but I just enjoy being, and doing whatever especially when it comes to sports and activities.

This week I will continue with my lifting program which I am pleased with and practice my Yoga more intensely. I find the yoga is good for my spirit and really connects my mind and body in a way that I feel makes me a better person.

So, another nice day playing a cool sport with my friend. Stay tuned for a what could be a wild week of varying activities.

The 2 constants are kettlebells (resistance training movements) and stretching (foam roller, joint mobility, yoga, etc.) . The other stuff just happens and falls the way it is supposed too

Bulldog Time

Worked out with a buddy of mine, Mike who is new to KBs. Played D1 football as a middle linebacker so he is a big man, strong man. When I first showed him the bells he liked them so I invited him to join me in a workout

I thought I would teach him some of the basic moves

Snatch
24/10/10x5

not a high volume but I am not feeling quite up to par so this just felt good to do.

Cleans
2kb
24/8/8x3

1kb
40/5/5x3

I loved using the 40 for this exercise and would like another 32 for doubles

Presses
40/2/2x3

I was surprised. It must have been the company because I felt really strong on this exercise considering I have not pressed the bulldog or even really touched it for well over a month.

That is it.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who take time to read my blog. I give thanks to you for participating, learning and making me a stronger, better person. I will continue to bring it too you. All the best to you and yours. With love and gratitude. Now the last 2 days workouts ;-)

Wednesday workout

Windmill
24/5/5x1
32/5/5x2

Clean,Squat Press
24/10/10 x3

2 hand Swing
32/20x3

A little tired and sore from the last 2 days but this felt good


Thursday
Mountain Bike
1.5 hours

Good climbing. Lungs/cardio felt great but the lactic acidin the legs definitely a hinderance. What do I expect, I have not been doing this typee of training for a looooooong time, but still feel great

Pulling my weight

First deadlift since the end of my last cycle, Oct 31st when I got 495. So today went with 65% and triples for 5 sets

Deadlift
135/3x1
225/3x1
275/2x1

325/3x5

What can I say but this felt good. Got my groove on the third set and found my optimal position. Really had to focus on wedginf into the ground and that really helped get the bar up easy.

Pull-ups
5x5

Wow, cannot remember the last time I got some pull-up volume in but it sure felt awesome

Tempo Runs
10x100

Some training principles

These are just some general principles that came to my mind. As with anything, there is more and I am sure if I or any of us were to look at the great blogs on the right you would and will find more. Recently a client of mine asked me if I could give her some principles to train by and these were just a few i have learned through the years

Training Principles

• Quality over quantity
• Rest and recovery (includes nutrition and sleep) are essential to progress
• Do the things that make you better
• Avoid training to failure (it is better to under train and go at it again rather than over do it and either hurt yourself or have to rest for a few days).
• Listen to your body
• Technique, not reps, sets, and/or weight is the key.
• If you train/move poorly you will develop bad habits and be in poor condition.
• Strength is a skill, learned skill
• Progression is key. Do not be afraid to rest if that is what your body is telling you
• Clarify your intentions

If you have any to add please do so. I will repost the updated thoughts

Peace and Tranquility mixed with some power

Feeling much better physically, mentally and emotionally so I hit the workout trail today. Now that we are settled into our new nest in Menlo, I have time to start some projects, etc that I have been wanting to do for some time. Today was the first of those projects, Yoga.

Yoga

I have said this before and will say it again, everytime I do yoga, I know why I do yoga. I just feel a sense of peace and tranquilty and a true sense of calm comes over me. Yes, this for me is a form of mediation, a way to connect my mind, body and spirit and let all else go. And to top it off I become stronger, fitter, looser and free. What a sensation. There are many benefits to yoga and I am aware of what yoga gives me and I am glad to be back practicing.

Kettlebells

I am doing my deadlifts tomorrow and since I did my Yoga today I wanted to get some basic work in and just practice my technique and increase my comfort with the 32 kg for all my basic strength stuff.

Clean and Press
32/5/5x3

Snatch
32/5/5x3

Nothing majorin terms ofvolume and intensity but anytime you pick up 70lbs of weight and throw it around it counts, especially when you weigh only 172. Good workout and nice to feel the bell in my hands.

A little bells and some tennis

So the plan was to run but my training partner had to prepare for his trip and thus cancelled the workout. Instead, I decided to do some light bells and continue with my plans to play tennis with my other friend.

Bells
Snatch
24/15/15x1
24/30/30x1
24/20/20x1

I really wanted to test my ability to do the 30/arm for the snatch test and recert process. I passed and only had some general forearm/grip fatigue but I could have gone on. I like doing a few high rep sets. Good mental training

Pistols
24/2/2x3

Nothing special just some practice.

At this point I knew best to stop, I am not 100% and I should have just quit all together but instead I play 2 hours of Tennis. Pretty good pace but this is really only my third time where I had some skill/technique to apply and did not solely rely on athletic prowess. Although I love using my speed to track down balls that other do not think I will get to and then making it back into position to continue the rally. All and all a fun way to spend some time with a good friend

More Bells tomorrow. I will get my 32 and other 24 back for some good work.

Sometimes it is just fun to get out and play!

I love being an athlete and athletic...float like a butterfly and sting like bee

Some thoughts/ideas

This whole travel deal, lack of sleep, etc. really wrecked me and I just decided that I need to lay up a couple of days. So, no workouts to report but I am on it tomorrow. I have a track session and a Tennis match scheduled. I will hit the bells hard friday and I am stoked to get back on it. If I am up to it in the morning I plan to do my deadlifts and pull-ups.


JOGA

In the meantime I have come up with a very cool combination of exercises. I call it Joga. I have taken all pre-existing exercises, methods and combined them into my own version of the Naked Warrior, or RIFGA. The core moves focus on mobility, yoga, bodyweight strength moves, and martial art moves. This is a fun workout and a nice compliment to the bells, especially for my clients and the MMA boys.

My Chicago Seminar

This was a resounding success. The students gave me such wonderful feedback about my ability to teach, handle a diverse group in a rare and unique situation where people were coming in and out throughout the day, a wide variety of levels of fitness, kettlebell experience and age range. This family and there friends were superb students who were open and willing to learn, asked questions and really demonstrated their competence. I was told they were considering hiring a number of people, well qualified and they choose me and they were pleased with the choice. Money was not really an object so that gives you the idea they had some really talented folks in mind and just to be considered in the same breathe with these people, whom I know and to get the opppotunity humbles me but at the same time I know I am talented and qualified and I look forward to more opps such as this.

I have another seminar/bootcamp for Cisco in Aptos for 4 days in Feb and I am keeping my fingers crossed that Microsoft hires me for the big meeting in Feb as well at the Hotel Del Cornado where I would hope that I could see my friends Franz and Yoanna as well as Steve Cotter. More to come with Microsoft in the coming weeks. In addition, the IFL gig looks good for the upcoming year and I hope the team performs well so we get more opps to travel and compete.

That is it. Back to the Fun in Life

Back at it

So, today I am tired, fatigued and feeling jet-lagged. A lot of travel over the past 11 days, and the last few I have not eaten very well or slept very well at all. However, I felt after I had a nice nap today that a good workout would get me back on my regular schedule.

No track today just KBs, it is quite wet out and plus the level of focus when doing sprints and the CNS demands I did not feel that it would be good for me

Windmill
24/5/5x1
32/5/5x2

TGU
24/5/5x3

Cleans
32/5/5x3

2 hand Swing
32/15 x4

Good workout and a nice sweat. Definitely felt better afterward but no agood nights sleep is needed. Plan to get out and do my deadlifts and some light running tomorrow

That is all for now.

A new Max

Today I went after a new max. Now, I was sore in the upper hams, glutes and quads from yesterday but figured I would see how far I could go and if I was not up for I would abort the max and work some heavier singles

Deadlift
135/2x1
225/2x1
315/2x1 (feeling good at this point)
365/1x1
415/1x1

Here it is. Now I do believe that if I had some extra motivation (people who know/understand what it is to lift heavy).
1st Attempt at 495.

this was really tough, I had to work and truly grind, fighting to get to the finish. I had no problem getting it off the ground just those last few inches were really hard!

I DID IT which is all that matters and I would call this my true max.

I did attempt a second lift and fell just short, hips and legs locked just needed to finish the back.

There it is for now, 495 is my new max for the next cycle.

Pull-ups
8x4

Beat, done

class workouts

Lately I have been using time as a training barometer within my classes. I have the same basic crews so I know what these folks bring and there levels of fitness. Of course, there are a variety of ways to adjust for newer folks as well.

My favorite time combos
30/30 work and rest for 5 to 10 minutes usually with 2 kb clean, squat and press or snatch
20/10 work to rest for 5 minutes done with Snatch, swings, swing squats, deck squats and for the fighters anything goes

Then I like to add in combos that include rack lunges, renegade rows, guard press, farmers walks of various kinds, and bear crawls. This portion of the class moves a little slower usually rep based with a set rest time (30 seconds).

I like the clients to get and feel the true cardio effect of the bells. Total work time is about 30 minutes (including rest). In between there is a joint mobility warm-up, instruction and stretching. For 45 minutes this seems to really be working.

A fun combo, and very tough.

Short week

Headed out of town for 10 days so trying to get in some good work this week. In addition, my track partner is out today so I wanted to do some Kbs since I will have no access and running/bodyweight stuff will be easy to accomplish. However, I do plan to do some 400 repeats today.

Here is how it went

Cleans
24/10/10 x5 sets (1 minute per set including work and rest)

Squat Thruster
24/8/8x5 (same 1 minute work/rest period)

12 minutes to complete with a 1.5 minute rest between exercises

Superset Guard Press and Renegade Row
24/12/12
&
24/5/5

for 3 sets. Neither of these exercises do I incorporate. However, today I thought it would be a nice mix since tomorrow I plan to do a big/heavy deadlift session plus my 40kg press and pull-ups.

That is it.

Day 3 of the track sessions

Started my morning with some pull-ups and pistols. I had about 5 or so minutes before my clients showed and thought what the heck

Pull-ups
8x3

total of 24 reps

Pistols (2kb in rack position)
12kg/1/1x3

These went well. The 3rd set was by far the best due to the fact the I was more focused at that point. Left side a little more a struggle but overall I was pleased.

TRACK (afternoon)
Dynamic warm-up
Marching and Skipping A's: 10mx2 sets each
Heel walks: 10m x 2
Arm Swings: 20/arm
Leg Cycle: 10/leg x2 sets
Leg Swings; 10/leg x 2
Zombies: 10m x 2
Walk Lunge stretch: 10/leg
Butt Kickers: 10m x2

Deck Squat to a Burpee with a Push-up (bodyweight)
10, 8, 6, 4, 2 = 30 total reps

I like this combo a lot. Great for general bodyweight conditioning and hits the whole body. If I had a pull-up bar I would have added a pull-up coming out of the burpee (jump to the bar).

400 Meter Repeats
4 reps
Time breakdown
1:21min
1:40min
1:40min
1:30min

I came out way to hard and felt the lactic acid buildup. Plus I am a little tight from the Snatch workout yesterday (hams, glutes and their tie-in). This had an adverse effect on the subsequent sets. So, I need to learn a better pace. 1:45 is about right with a 1 to 1 work to rest ratio.

KBs tomorrow

Snatch progression

Today warmed up with windmills

Windmill 24kg/10/10 x1

Snatch goal was 90 reps using a particular scheme 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5
10 left, 10 right and so all the way through to 5

90 reps in 4 minutes time. Now, time was not my objective, form and 90 reps were and this area I succeeded. No low back stuff and that is a victory in its own right. One I think my strength and endurance of my erectors is up by two I have begun to use more of my legs and made sure the down stroke stayed really close to the body, no swing out. Now, the technique was not perfrect but it sure was effective. I will continue to practice this and my goal for next week is to add the 4 = 98 reps (I will try 100) .

More to come, but right not this was my objective today

Wednesday: Head for the hills run Day

Passed on the track and hit the hills. Did the drills on the levee

Drills
March A: 20meters x2
Butt Kickers: 20 meters x2
High Knees: 20 meters x2
Fast Feet: 20 Meters x1
Inside and Outside Cresent Kicks for Mobility 10 eachx2
Toe Touchers, kickbox stylefor mobility/flexiblity: 10x2
Lateral Shuffle: 20 meters x2
Caroica: 20 Meters x2

40 yard Runs x4

Hill Sprints: 40 yards x4, 2 sets

Good workout, I am very pleased and my strength of the hip flexors, etc is increasing

Got them in

Finished the presses, not the 40kg but did the 32kg

did while folding laundry before a busy night

32/5/5x3

90%

Big deadlift day.

Deads
135/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1
315/2x1
365/1x1

420/1x4 at 90% of the 465. I wanted to get 2 more reps but ran out of time before my client

Pull-ups
5x5

Presses (yet to come at this point, we will see if I can get them in today).

Off I go

Back on 'Track'

Linear Day

Dynamic Warmups

Linear Ladder Drills
Fast feet, high knee, Ickeys, etc.

50 meter runs
2x1

10 Meter runs, focus on starts and staying low
5x1

These felt good but the coordination is still lacking. However, I feel the accelartion and I can tell that all the training is coming together

Tempo Runs
100meters x8 reps

Deck Squat to Burpee with a push-up (for conditioning)
10x2

Popped out but feel good after a weekend of partying in New Mexico at a friends wedding

Snatch PR

Decided to do test myself to see what I could do,non stop with the 24kg

24kg/10. 10. 10. 10, 10, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5 = 80 total reps with no rest

this just about kicked my ass.

followed it up with another set

24kg/10, 10, 10, 10 for 40 more

DONE...smoked but felt good.

Earlier in the day I did an exhibition at the Oracle Health Fair and did all the basics and more non stop for about 15 minutes. Only used the 16 but no resting got the ole heart rate up

Having some challenges adjusting to the temporary setting, so much unfamiliar especially in regards to the new bed (small) and the animals having to adjust makes things challenging. Sleep about 3 good hours last night with anothe 2 sporadic. So I am very pleased with my effort and no I can get 100 straight. Not bad for not training for this for some time, but I can see the benefits of the rest and of the track work.

Soon things will settle and I can get in a better routine of sorts. I feel good about today's number and my overall strength and conditioning. The deads are going veryand the track stuff is coming along nicely.

Track Day

This is the only day we could get in so Carl and I decided to do a blend of exercises on the ladder and sprint wise.

Warm-up with or Dynamic Drills to get the body focused on the task ahead

Ladder Drills
Linear first, followed by lateral and then hops. A variety of drills which took about 20+ minutes. Again I can see it all coming together and I moving faster and much more coordinated, this does not meanit is any easier I am just stronger.

Cone Drills
30 yards total separated in 5 yard increments
Linear run: 0 to 30, 0 to 25...0 to 5 with a sprint out.
Great Conditioning exercise

Lateral Shuffle. Same idea

Tempo
500 yards

We both burnt out quick but still a great workout. Wish I would have known this stuff when I was competing in athletics

Split workout

With the move life has been hectic and I have had no focus/concentration to really focus on exercise so I have held off until today. 12 hours of moving Sunday followed by 5 hours yesterday just wore me out.

First workout today (split due to time)
Deadlifts
135/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1
315//2x1

350/2x5

This was 75% of the 465 I had previously. I decided to keep up with the volume and lower percentage to add more submax strength and practice technique. The belt really helps me increase my pressurization and makes lifting much easier.

More to come....including a Big Press and Snatch with the 24kg to grease that groove/conditioning

Hop and Jump

Day 3 of the track program

Todays focus was hops on the ladder and plyo drills.

Warm-ups include dynamics of various kinds

Ladders
hopping of various kinds, 1 and 2 legs

Plyos
Single Leg High Steps (knee drive)
15sec work, 15 sec rest x3

Double Leg High Steps
15 and 15 x3

Alternating Fast feet low step
10 and 15x3

Double Fast feet low step
10 and 15 x3

Double leg Double step jumps
10 and 15 x3

Tempo Runs
75 yards x6 continous

Done!

Missed my kb wokrout yesterday, just too much happening. Move tomorrow to Redwood City so a lot of packing, finding our place, etc. Have stress which is not normal so that has wiped me out. Plan to get back on track once the dust settles.

Principles of Life and Exercise

Yesterday I spent some time with a new client of mine and we were discussing exercise, in particular the kettlebells and how they work. I described them as requiring an effortless effort. Create the motion using the a strong root of the feet coordinated with the center of the body (the core) and then flow with the bell guiding it into proper position.

I took the concept and applied it to life. Too me in life one must stay grounded (rooted) and must stay within their center, speaking their truth with confidence, humility and humbleness.

It is important to keep in mind the life always has other components outside of you, be it people, jobs, etc. that provide opportunities, challenges or in the case of exercise equipment like kettlebells a form of resistance. Therefore one must keep the principles of being grounded, being centered in mind and learn to flow with the resistance (or challenges, opportunities).

The key is learning how to work with life and the things that our thrown our way everyday. And through this process stay grounded, stay centered and lead yourself (guide) down the path you seek.

The bells, the physioball, martial arts, sports in general offer an opportunity to explore and apply these principles. Just think how important it is to use your feet to push off, explode forward, stop, start, shift, move and think how important it is to be balance, have center of gravity, center of mass, and how much easier it is to move, to flow when you are in proper position. When you are in the proper position (rooted, centered) you enhance your opportunities to succeed. Add in technical knowledge, practice of the skills required and of course internal drive, desire and anything is possible.

I have begun to see exercise and human movement in such a different light, thanks in large part to my exposure to the kettlebells, the wonderful people I have meet and worked with through the bells and now my experience working with the Mixed Martial Arts world. Rif taught me so much about technique, skill, planning and progression, fundmental movement principles that have been further enhanced through my practice and exposure to some extremely gifted strength coaches (you know who you are). Then add in my time with Frank, who has further enhanced the concepts Rif taught me and added in the concepts of flow, fluidity, constant movement motion, awareness of position, move with rather than against resistance.

Exercise and life are fundamental and principle in basis and yet they are so fluid an beautiful and in constant motion, constant evolution and constant challenge and opportunity.

Enjoy the moment, enjoy the process and stay grounded and centered with confidence, humbleness and humility. After all if you cannot laugh at yourself then you may be left out of the party.

Shuffle Time

Lateral Drill day

having a bunch of fun and improving fast ;-)

Dynamic Warmups
Ankles
Hips
Hamstrings

Lateral Ladder Drills
1 and 2 foot sequenced including carioca, ickey shuffle, etc

Lateral Cones
Shuffle and touch x 4 sets

Volume

Time to build strength in my deadlift through volume

Deadlift
135/1x1
185/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1

work sets
325/1x15 (30 seconds rest between sets).

No issues, felt great and necessary. I could have stopped at 12 but went for 15 because it felt so good

Pull-ups
5,4,3,2,1x1
5x1

Client came so had to stop workout. Plan to do Presses this evening

Day 1 of a strong track program

So meet with Carl and we focused on the linear part of the program

Dynamics
Ladders (this is just awesome and so tough at the same time but I am definitely improving)

Sprints
Resisted
Overspeed
30 meter sprints

Great day and I can feel the progress and just the better coordination

fridays track day

So Friday we plan to use the ladder for hopping drills, plyo oriented work and do some hill runs. We did an intro and played around with some stuff this past friday and here is what we came up with

Dynamic warm-ups
again various drills to open the hips, create better coordination between muscles and limbs, tighten the body up to minimize ineffiecient movement..i.e loose knees, ankles, arm swing

ladder work
hops, 1 and 2 legged forward and lateral hops of various kinds. i am still learning all the names so bare with on that.

one observation is just how much focus and concentration it takes. i always improve the second set which is good and i can tell i am progressing well in general.

plyos
standing broad jump, load and explode; 4 reps x 2 sets
bounding (50 yards) x 2sets
striders (50 yards) x 2 sets

we could not get into stanfords new stadium so no hills or stairs this week

30/30

Snatch time reps and Heavy Press day

Warm-up
Windmill
24/10/10x2

Felt good to do these again. I really enjoyed the stretch.

Snatch 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest for 10 minutes
12 reps/ side was the number, this felt strong and sustainable for the time period. I could have got another rep with good form and 2 or 3 if I worked more speed.

24/12 for 5 sets per arm and 10 minutes

Wind was good but not what it should be. Back felt good just a little tightness on the top of the right hip (posterior). Could be Quadratus.

Military Press
40/1/1x1
40/3/3x2

this was heavy. I havenot picked up the bulldog in some time and need to be more consistent for sure. I did the first rep on each set as a press and then used a little push press motion for the additional 2 reps. However, with the more reps I did I found more of a groove and remember all the little things that make it much easier for me to press this weight. I have some work to do,

Swings
40/15x3

Just wanted to finish and train my cooridnation with this move.

Hill Sprints...Wednesday

Decided to skip the track and head for the hills. Carl could not meet up so I was on my own and wehad planned on doing hills or stairs so I took it upon myself to hit the mountain

Warm-up
Half Mile Jog

Hill Sprints
40 yards/4 reps x1

walk to bottom of hill turn and repeat

30 yards/4 reps x1

same recovery process.

Focused on the form (especially arm drive, and hip drive). Noticed on the 4th rep of each set that fatigue was building up

Walk recovery followed by a Yoga/stretching session. No soreness today or residual fatigue

Peak of Cycle

Deadlifts week 3 of 2nd cycle

135/2x1
185/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1
315/2x1
365/1x1
415/1x1
435/1x3

Good and strong and a good number. Not much to say other than I must keep focused and train

Run Forrest Run

More dynamics and running today at Stanford. This was a good day. No Carl but meet up with my friend Bill. Therefore I lead todays sessions

the focus of the drills was on knee drive, heels to butt, toe lift, and arm movement
Did a few sets of high knees, A's, butt kickers, toes walks, pawing motions.

Then we did 100's trying to build strength/speed endurance.
100 meters/3 reps x 2 sets

walk back to recover at about 80%.

These felt good, found a good pace and form and worked on connecting the dots.

Lift tomorrow

Playing in the Rain

Went with the pup to the lake to play ball with her and do some bells. Before long a light rain set in and how magical it was. Small point, the wetness on the bell really works the grip...lol

Clean and Press
32/5/5x5

Nice and easy

Snatch
32/5/5x5

Again nice and easy except for the wet handle.

that is all, a good workout

Speed and Conditioning Drills

This is my natural love, being fast, moving fast, being agile and quick and light on my feet. Therefore the addition of this into my program has been absolutely awesome. I love being on the track or an a field

Dynamic Warm-up drills
A variety for about 10+ minutes

We are still determining the order and program design for this aspect of the training. I am combining with a friend carl and we are putting all our info, training, etc together. We have some ideas and hope to have a plan in place by next week

Ladder Drills
Linear and Lateral

These are awesome. I am getting much better and can feel the neuro connection growing.

Tempo 70%
100 meters x10

NIce cool down/conditioning. I am working on good form/technique and applying the drills to the running.


My other focus will be the deads, snatch, pull-ups, CP and pistols

My Snatch Plan for the next four weeks including this week is as such
tabata for 5 minutes
30/30 for 10 minutes
tabata for 5 minutes
30/30 for 10 minutes

The deads
Drop to 405 this week
Week 2: 425 to 430
Week 3: 450
Week 4: Speed Week (70%)

More to come but this is what I am thinking about these 2 exercises and the Speed/conditioning plan for the next 4 weeks

tabata snatch

Wanted to get some snatch reps in with a short bout of work followed by a short bout of rest. Orginally planned to do 30/30 for 10 minutes but instead went with the tabata protocol for 5 minutes (20 second work/10 sec rest)

Snatch 20/10
24/8x10 (40/side)

This was a good test and good measure for me to see where I am at. this was not a max effort but a concerted effort to work hard/instense and accomplish as much as possible with good form. This I achieved. My low back hung in well but I know I put to much pressure on the lower erectors. My goal is to do 120 in 5 minutes and I should be able to do this within the next 2 to 3 month period. I established a baseline for the 5 minute effort.

Right now I am capable of doing a 480 deadlift, 100 snatches and 15 pull-ups. I will definitely drop in weight and this will help with my pull-up numbers and will not hurt anything else.

Pistols
24/3/3x3

This was the first time I have done these as a pure exercise in some time. They got better with each set as I was able to enhance my skill/techniques.

Lat Shrugs (superset) hang knee raise
5 and 5 x3

Wanted to work on technique of contracting through scapula retraction and wanted to work the reverse of the extension of the lower lumbar from the snatch with the flexion exercise of hanging knee raise


Great workout and focused. I have to admit and I know many of you can relate that training with partners is so much better. For if anything, partners push you and encourage you to push yourself beyond that limit. However, without them you have to focus on the mental toughness and challenge yourself. I think I have been successful with this lately and in the process have begun to appreciate the great people I have trained with even more in hindsight...lol

Be Well, Be Strong, Be Your Best

Improvise, Adapt & Overcome...A reflection

Improvise, Adapt and Overcome

Recently a Marine and retired Police Officer/Fireman, Glenn Fortin told of the Marine mantra of Improvise, Adapt and Overcome. Since our conversation I reflected on how I can and do use this in my everyday life.

For example, I normally do my deadlift workout on Tuesdays however with all the events happening that day it was impossible for me do so. So I improvised and moved my training day to Thursday and I was able to adapt to my situation and overcome the fact that I missed my Tuesday workout. The fact is I kept my focus on my goal and did the best I could in the present situation and still accomplished my workout. Was it ideal, no but did I follow through, yes.

I believe in having a plan and attempting to execute the plan accordingly. However, I think back to The Art of War by Sun Tzu and how in war as in everyday life things happen that you cannot foresee and force one to improvise, adapt and overcome.

The key as a coach of mine has put it is to keep your eye on the prize. The prize to me is the purpose, the intent behind the plan. Lifting the weights, doing the deadlift is extremely important as it is a key part of the plan necessary to achieve the prize. But more important to me is the purpose, the intent behind the reason I have chosen to direct my efforts to a certain prize. There is the little picture and then there is the big picture.

For me I am training myself daily at the art of flow, the art of being the best I can be, the art of leadership. By doing so I hope to lead by example and pave the way for others to be the best they can be.

I do indeed have selfish desires, goals but I always think of what and how this is going to help me with the bigger aspect of my being and those whom I touch. I love having a plan but I love having opportunities and making the most out of them.

So, have a goal, make a plan and be prepared to improvise, adapt and overcome. In doing so you will learn what it takes to execute a plan and accomplish your goal given certain situations. Your ability to improvise, adapt and overcome will help you in all areas of your life because everyday a situation will present itself where this mantra will get you through the situation.

See to other people it is not about you but about them, so if you cannot adjust you may fail to get the desired. Everyday I have a goal to make it to the top of the mountain and each day a number of paths exist and sometimes I start on one and end on another and then there are those days in which I do not make it and then those days in which I take one path all the way up. You never know what you are going to get so improvise, adapt and overcome to accomplish. This is the essence of flow.

Heavy Day

Time to take it up a notch, so today hit 90% of 465 for the DL, here is how it went

135/2x1
185/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1
315/2x1
385/1x1
420/1x3

420 was the magic number and I smoked them today. I felt super strong and tight. The weight seemed to move fluid!

Pull-ups
5x5

Just a nice easy day to get some work in on technique and basic strength. I planned on doing presses but my day is not over so I think I will pass today and hit it later, maybe tomorrow

Run & Stretch

Today did my dynamics, ladder, run drills with Carl

A variety of dynamic warm-up drills
Ladder drills (these are becoming better, the more I practice the skill and technique the more I improve. We are focusing on the basics and this is working. I am also moving faster in the drills.)

Runs
100 meter 2x1 (Falling start)
100 meter backward striders 2x1
100 meter 2x1 (track start)

These were very good. Focused on breathing and technique, specifically the stuff from the dynamics

Followed this up with 1 hour of Vinyasa
again focused on my space and place with my breath. felt good and did not push the boundaries just enough to break the comfort zone and feel the move and how I relate to it.

Deadlifts and more tomorrow

The Fights and more

What an eventful week/weekend. Between all the press and production, all the smoozing, networking, and training we were nonstop on the move. I am beat tired and we still have yet to get on a plane and travel home.

This experience was second to none. As a professional you only wish to have the opportunity to work with great people and great athletes. I have succeeded in this department this weekend. Between the coaches, Frank and Tony, our team, and all the other teams and people with the IFL these are wonderful folks. The respect shown was incredible and the treatment of the athletes and coaches was first class.

This league is unique. It is one of a kind in the sport of MMA and combines great athletes and coaches into a team format. You win and lose as a team, you compete as a team and the success of team is tied together. I believe this league with its format, head coaches, management, financial aspects, and the great fights/shows it puts on is going somewhere and only more is to come.

I had the great pleasure of shadow boxing and learning so much from Frank this past weekend. We did gymnastics, weights, yoga, boxing and even some ground work. He is bar none one of the great athletes and the greatest I have ever met. The reasons are vast and you just have to see him in action, listen to him speak and you will understand. We had a blast moving around, flowing with the body.

In addition I had the opportunity to work with one of the great boxing coaches in Tony DeMaria. He taught me the basic steps, how to position myself, how to move, the theory and application of jab, punch and hook. Wow, what a beautiful sport especially when you learn for a great coach ( I have had this opportunity before with Mark Reifkind and what he taught me is more than he even knows) and I appreciate that coaching and approach.

As for the fights, they were awesome. We won 2 and lost 4 but I tell you by the look of the other team you would have thought we went 6 and 0. There were some great punches, great kicks, knees, ground, etc.

Our first fight pitted Jeff Quinlan against Travis Hallman. This was Jeffs debut and Hallmans 60th or so fight. They were the alternates and competed at 185. Jeff beat Hallman but Hallman was able to get Jeff on the ground and keep him there the first 2 rounds for the majority of the time. Never the less, Jeff defended well and even slipped and punched and kicked Hallman who is known as a real excellent SUbmission fighter. In the 3rd Jeff took it to Hallman, pounding him on the ground with Punches but in the end it was a decision in Hallmans favor and believe me the crowd booed loudly in displeasure.

The second fight was 155s with our boy Josh Odom. This tough, technically pretty strong, and really scrappy kid beat the piss out of his opponent finally scoring a 3rd round K.O. and won the knockout of the night

The third fight was Ray Steinbeiss our 170 guy. Well he did not fair well and got himself caught and tapped out in the first round. This is disappointing for all of us especially Ray who recently fought Nick Diaz to a decision. Just an unfortunate incident but I expect Ray to come back big

The fourth fight involved Brian Foster at 185. This man has big brass balls. He is 7 and 9 and fought Joe Doerksen ? on spelling who is 35 and 9. Brian nailed Joe numerous times and had him down but failed to finish and this allowed Joe to come back and get the victory. Brian fought incredibly well and should have won but Joe has an incredible IRON jaw. Joe looked like he lost but in the end Brian who came out with less than a weeks notice to join the team (replacing Brian Ebersole) ended up on the short end. Note to self, If I see Brian Foster on the street avoid his right hand

The next fight involved Rafeal Davis our 205 guy. Rafael fought ill and hadthe fight won but ended up in a decision and came up on the short end of the stick. Both he and his opponent should tremendous heart as their conditioning sucked and they were gased. If Rafael would have been 100% he would have knocked the guy out but he could not finish. He does have heart and he is a trooper.

The last fight involved another late addition in Travis W, our heavyweight at 235. He wailed on his guy for 3 straight rounds pummeling him into the ground and eventually the hospital. Travis is a tough man and has skills but needs work as he is still raw but one heck of a fighter.

So we failed to advance but all things considered there is a lot of potential with these guys. Some time with Frank, Tony and myself we can teach and condition them to be champs but they have to show up in the ring. Heart does not lack, confidence is there but skills need work. Unfortunately only one of the guys lives in San Jose, the rest our throughout the country. We will get everyone together and work on becoming the strongest team

Look for the IFL to grow large as its basis is completely different than UFC and this will draw fighters, big name coaches, and of course the mostimportant aspect, an audience.

You can view the fights Octobr 9th on Fox Sports Net. Look for the Razorclaws. And find out who won the match between Pat Millietech and Renzo Gracie.

Looks like January sometime for the next fight

PS: Technique, skill, and conditioning are the keys. Learn and practice them and with experience and most important confidence anda little luck never hurts you can accomplish extraordinary things within this league.

The IFL

We arrived last night after a longday of travel. The travel time offered me the chance to get to hang with Frank and just chat about many things, get to know Tony, our boxing coach who is just an amazing person/coach, and a few of our fighters, Ray,Rapheal and Jeff.

Once we set foot on the tarmac it all began. We chatted, mingled, registered, checked-in, etc. I met a ton of people including Renzo Gracie, Bas Rutten whom I sat and had dinner with and talked Kettlebells, Carlos Newton and more. I am humbled to be around so many ownderful people, athletes, professionals and looking forward to so many opportunities.

Today we had pictures, video, etc and Frank and I went and trained together. This was cool becuase it was just us in Pat Milletichs gym lifting and playing around. We did a some DLs, BP, Pull-ups, Pistols, and a variety of handstands, arm stands,etc. While there I met jermey Horn and Pat, very nice man that Pat, very respectful.

There is so much happening, so much going on and Iam pretty beat that I cannot write it all down. I will summarize more at the end of the weekend.

Put it this way,this is a real production, the real deal league. It has the money and brand names to succeed and it is cool being a part of this. Humbled, honored, grateful and ready to kick butt ;-)

moving forward

today i did my deadlifts. my approach was to do 85% of my max in the last cycle (465) which is 395

135/2x1
185/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1
315/2x1
365/1x1

395/1x3 (planned on 5 sets but ran out of time due to my client showing up. nevertheless, these were very strong with no issues. i felt very connected and flowed well.

chin-ups
5x3

dips
10x3

hang knee raise
5x3

all done in a circuit after my client. a good small workload and just right for today.

leave for the fights tomorrow so i hope to get in a workout and if anything do something in illinois

moving forward

today i did my deadlifts. my approach was to do 85% of my max in the last cycle (465) which is 395

135/2x1
185/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1
315/2x1
365/1x1

395/1x3 (planned on 5 sets but ran out of time due to my client showing up. nevertheless, these were very strong with no issues. i felt very connected and flowed well.

chin-ups
5x3

dips
10x3

hang knee raise
5x3

all done in a circuit after my client. a good small workload and just right for today.

leave for the fights tomorrow so i hope to get in a workout and if anything do something in illinois

More Dynamics/Agility

back at it today again over at Stanford.

Warm-up with Dynamics
Heel Walks
Ankle Flips
Knee Grabs
HIgh Knees
Butt Kickers
A's ( march and skips)
Fall forward and Sprint out

Ladder Drills
Forward and Lateral Drills

Hard to get that coordination. Start slow and progressively increase speed but not at expense of form

Cone Drills
T-Drill
Sprint , Shuffle, Sprint x2

Box Drill
Sprint, Carioca, Backward Sprint, Carioca, run it out x2

Shuttle Drills (lines)
10, 20, 30, 40 , 50 yards touch and return x1
50, 40, 30, 20, 10 yards touch and return x1

Cool down

Great work, great condtioning, great sweat! I really enjoy applying all the strength power to movement athletics

ABC's

Today I took a step, in fact many steps in a whole different direction.

First, Dynamic Warm-ups
Heel Walks
Ankle flips
Lunge strides
High Knees
Butt Kickers
Carioca

Second: ladder drills on the ABC ladder
These are awesome. I cannot tell you all that I did since I am only learning the names/moves but I can say they required an enormous amount of concentration, focus and neurological coordination. They taxed my body, got my heart racing and challenged me on a whole new/different level. I love them.

Last
400 repeats
2 reps
1st @ 1:40
rested equal amount
2nd@ 1:38

done, just fried but in a great way. Now I am energized and look forward to evolving this program

Tomorrow, Bells again and maybe some light tempo runs

3500#

Deadlift time today. Schedule on Tuesday did not allow me to get it done so moved to today

Warm-up
135/2
185/2
225/2
275/2
315/2

Worksets
350/1x10 (Rest 30 seconds between reps and did indeed you a belt)

Awesome. Usually takes a couple reps to find my groove but these felt great as usual.

Pull-ups
10, 8, 6

First time in a while but felt really strong. Need to do more and increase the volume. I should be hitting 15 reps/set and will be ;-)

Finished the day with 18 holes with my pops. Great day

Finally

Ok there is no real excuse, but one thing is for sure I have not quit training...lol

A lot has been happening since Thursday and I just had to do some things that took priority over my training regimen. Yes, I stretched, did my mobility and those things but no real training. I did some work on Monday taking an ample amount of photos but nothing I felt I should call an official workout. So today I went and did some training

Warm-up
KB Joint Mobility with the 16kg
Up and Over
Halo
Wood Chop
Ribbon
Hot Potato
Sling Shot
Figure 8
tactical lunge

20 total reps of each x1 set

TGU
60# Sandbag/5/5x3
1 set lunge
2 set squat

Snatch
24/5/5 to the 16/5/5 x5

Tempo Runs
100 yards/4 x2

Named Assistant Coach for Frank Shamrock

Frank Shamrock has named me as an Assistant Coach for his new IFL fight team (International Fight League) known as the San Jose Razor Claws. Our first fight is September23rd in Moline Ill so be on the lookout for myself and the Team on Fox Sports sometime thereafter.

I am excited and honored to be a part of this great team and to contribute to their success. I will be doing the strength and conditioning for this team and the rest of Team Shamrock (those who live and train in San Jose, CA).

I can say this much, we have a lot of talented MMA athletes.

Stay tuned, there is more coming out of this corner...videos and much more

Ken Black and I back at it again

Ken and I got together yesterday for a meeting of the minds, a whole lot ofexercising and spending some time with Mark Reifkind. A complete day to say the least

I did exercises with the Kbs and Sandbags. I cannot list all of the exercises but trust me when I say it was a heck of a workout. I am nice and sore today. I even picked up a 125# stone at Rifs (a first).

I am excited to put these exercises to use for the MMA guys and athletes in general

More to come, keep your eyes open

Big Press

Workout 2

Picked up the 40kg again...it has been a while

Military Press
40/3/3x3

Strong, right side needed a little help from the legs, left was fine. This was real hard work but went well with the other strength moves.

Pistols
Legs and body just to fatigued for any adequate work. So passed on these

Also did some stretching and joint mobility (with and without the kettlebells). And did handstands which I was able to hold for 5 seconds or so and had a personal best of about 10 seconds.

Dynamics tomorrow and KBs on Thursday

70 Percent

Per Coach Rif I dropped my deads to 70% today and worked 1 rep for 15 sets with 45 seconds recovery

135/2x1
185/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1

70% of last weeks load
325/1x15

Smooth, tight, and good workload. Felt as if I could have done 20. Feels good to do some work and build strength, and technique improvements.

Barbell Bent Rows (overhand)
135/5x1
185/5x2

Again following Rifs coaching implemented these. Was not sure what I could do but these were nice and were relatively easy. Could have done 225

Next up this afternoon
Presses and Pistols

A load full

Well alot has been going on the past few days. Just got back from another great trip to Mt Shasta area. We hiked up at 10000 feet on some beautiful trails, we hiked along the McCloud and Sac Rivers to some beautiful waterfalls, we rock climbed up a nice steep bank on Mt Shasta (freestyle), we fished and let me tell you how peaceful this was and just how gorgeous the setting.

Prior to leaving I played 18 holes and did a nice Joint Mobility workout Thursday and followed that up with a deep tissue massage from a Chiro in Los Gatos who focuses on the musculoskeletal system and not so much the adjustment phase.

So I gave me body a rest from the hard stuff and stepped back the last few days and will do so through this week. My down week is in session and will continue through the middle part of the week when I will ramp up again!

Body feels great, mentally feel refreshed and ready to hit the ground running this week!

Dynamics and Tempos

Meet with my friend Carl again and had him take me through one of his dynamics. Lots of different Track stuff...high knees, bruce lees, walking zombies, ankle flips,butt kickers, marching a's, etc.

Finished with Tempos
10x100meters

I worked on high knees and arm drive from the elbows. Ran a little fast but more a result of the extra drive of the knees andelbows. Will slow the pace down but it felt good to move fast.

Have to remember that this is more of active recovery and not tax myself. Plus, I want to train this smart and strengthen the body to be able to handle the stress from this type of training. Slow and easy but feels great!

Press and Pull

Workout 2. Feel a little taxed from a big day yesterday and a heavy pull today. So, finished my workout with some Military Press and Pull-ups

Superset
32kg/5/5 and 5 pull-ups x5 sets

Felt good, really strong with the moves, technically proficient. I am now done for the day, probably will hit the foam roller and a light stretch.

Getting heavy

Ok, today for the first time I realized what I was lifting. Not to say the other deadlift days were anything to sneeze at but for some reason it dawned on me today. What also dawned on me was how important self motivation is too my success. Cisco and the gym there does not inspire one to lift big weights.

Deadlifts
135/2x1
185/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1
315/1x1
365/1x1

Added Belt
405/1x1
430/1x1..getting heavier
465/1x2...This was tough, especially the 2nd rep which I barely made (98%). Time to step back next week and work lighter/speed and then start too build again.

Stretch and Move

Today I started my day with a 15 minute joint mobility/dynamic flexibility session with my client. I then followed it up with another 10 minute session with another client, adding in some varation.

I was motivated by reading the prior post by a friend and trainer whom I have immense respect for.

I then followed this with an hour long Vinyasa Yoga session which was a tough one. Lots of warrior and balance poses and some real deep stretches. I am pretty pleased with my flexibility even if it is not of the yogi level ;-)

Great day finished with a little hike with the boyz from Shamrocks Team.

A lesson worth sharing

This is the true story of a friend and well respected trainer Franz Snideman (his link is listed to the right). We can all learn something, many things from this, his story. I hope this benefits you like it has me.

Healing....and feeling better!!! by Franz
Well, I'm finally off the narcotics and have swtiched to 2400mg of Ibuprofin (that stuff works - big time.) The cortisone shot the Doc gave me kicked in and I am feeling so much better. Now it's time to let the healting begin and to take a more "conservative" approach to training. As much I love lifting heavy loads on the deadlifts, playing around with the bulldog and Beast, it's time for me to put things in persepctive! I cannot affort to takes weeks off for healing. The reaility of the situation is that I am not a professional athlete and I have nothing to prove. Trying to stroke my ego by being a big shot is a potentially lethal mistake. Here are some of the things I have learned about myself and life during the past two weeks:

1) Find the Sweet spot in training. In other words find the optimal loading Zone of tissues. Tissue breakdown occurs as a result of either insufficient or excessive load. In my case it is from excessive load. Seeing 8 to 10 clients a day, doing bodywork on alot of them, stretching them, running sprints with them at the track. I was doing way TOO MUCH. That is my probelm, I do too much and my body eventually gives up. As much fun as pusing your body is, there is always a pay off. You must and will always "pay the piper" for everything you do. Do too litlle in training, and you waste your time. Do too much and you risk injury and total burnout.

2) Listen to your body. The older you get and more training experience you have, the stress of repetitive movements accumulates and they do take their toll. Become a master at listening to subtle signals your body gives you. If something feels off and your body is telling you not to push it, don't push it. This is where Ihave failed. My bonehead attitude of pushing through pain has only left me injured, frustrated and on my back with an ice pack. I think I finally learned that this type of attitude has done nothing for my long term orthopedic health and mental state.

3) Think Long Term. How do you want your joints and spine to be in 10 years? 20 years? 40 years? Ken Black has turned me on to the concept of finding ways to make lighter weights feels heavy through unconventional means such as grip changes, angle modification and most importantly, creativity. After seeing my MRI I now know have a much deeper appreciation for taking care of my spine. My disc at the L-4 level is pancaked and highly degenerative. In fact I am a great spinal fusion surgery canditate in the future. I do not want to get spinal surgery, therefore I must think long term.

4) Be Humble and appreciate good health! It is amazing how much I appreciate normal body function and health once it is taken away. When you can barely walk and have unbearable pain, your outlook on life changes quickly. All that matters is your health at the moment. Enjoy life and thank your CREATOR every day for the grace and blessings He showers upon you. Life is gift, and having the free will to choose and make good decisions that lead you to a better life is amazing. My injury was my fault and I must take accountability and responsibility for my injury and spine.

Slowly I will start introduce some Phase One exercises (little to no loads at all) and get my training back on track. That's it for now. It is so nice to have less pain and to be able to walk again.

Another day at school

In an attempt to learn more and see what other have to offer today I revisited an old school of mine, called Dynamic Warm-up. I used this in track, football, rugby, and baseball. Some of the moves apply to all the sports others to specific sports.

The exercises included
High Knees, Skipping A's, Carioca, Walking Zombie (toe touches), butt kickers, etc.

One forgets just how effective such exercises are for strength, flexibility, joint mobility and conditioning. I do remember how boring these were back in the day when all I wanted to do was compete and not train the little things. However, today I see the importance of these exercises both for myself and clients as an effective warm-up, dynamic flexiblity and joint mobility program.

Add this with the bells and some tempo runs and you have a great workout!

Tomorrow is bell day, Snatch with the 24kg

A light mix

Just a little something, something good nonetheless

TGU
24/5/5x1 Lunge Style
24/5/5x1 Overhead Squat style

done with no break and took 3 minutes 52 seconds

Guard Press, Bear Crawl, Clean Squats
GP: 24/12/12x3
RR: 24/10/10x3
CS: 24/5/5x3

DARC
24/100

A nice little conditioning day!

32kg day

Feeling good this week. Just playing smart having the big load from yesterday

Workout Today
Clean and Press
24/5/5x1
32/5/5x3

Nice and easy. Solid work load

Snatch
32/5/5x5

These were explosive. I used the downward swing motion instead of the shoulder which made the move fluid and explosive.
Good hip drive and helped practicing with the high pull before the snatch set. Ready to implement the 40kg on a low level.

Pull-ups
5x3 Explosive pulls


Tempo Runs
10x100

Need to loosen the body. Felt good to stride out and promote solid blood flow.

Moving on Up

Workout #1

Deadlift
Warm-up
135/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1
315/2x1
365/1x1
405/1x1
425/1x1....getting heavier
455/1x2 sets

No belt and a mixed grip from 315 to 455

455: Felt strong. I noticed the weight though. For the first timemy body felt like it had a significant weight. Moved right up, no struggle just a lot of respect for the bar and weight. Looking forward to next week, should be an interesting day to say the least....maybe 475 to 485

Yoga, my practice

So, did a workout Friday but had no time to write it

Guard Press
Renegade Rows
Thrusters
Racked Lunge
Bob and weave

3 sets total,
set 1: 16kg/5reps/exercise
sets 2 and 3: 24kg/5 reps/exercise...this was a tough workout, especially in a circuit

Sandbag
Shoulder TGU with a slam (5/side)
Deck Squat to zercher to a throw 8 reps
Slams (10 reps)


TODAY:
Yoga, 1 hour of Vinyasa. Reminds me of a flowing version of joint mobility. There are some definite holds, but there is a lot of flowing movement done with breathe. Today I focused on my practice an moving with my breath.

Saturday
18 hole Golf Tourney.
HIt my first 300 yard drive and am starting to put my athletic skill together with the techniques of the golf swing

Tomorrow. Deads, Pull-ups, and Snatches

An day of learning and sharing

Met up with Ken Black again yesterday and we spent the whole day sharing ideas, thoughts, and so much more. We did Kettlebells, Sandbags, and Med ball

Sandbag stuff I didS
SHouldering
Slams
Shouldering TGU with Slams
Deck Squat
Deck Squat, Zercher, Throw
Over the SHoulder Throw
Plyo Floor PRess

Kettlebells
2 sets of 5 reps
Guard Press
Thrusters
Bob and Weave
Racked Lunge
Renegade Rows

1 set of the following
Swing Squat
Seated Military Press
Deck Squat (basic, doulbes and doubles overhead)
Russian Twist (seated)
Slams
Seated Hot Potato
Swing Flip Squat
Swings


Safe to say covered a lot and tried other stuff as well. Another great day and what a heck of way to learn. Together we can and do achieve more! A simple human philosophy!

Supplements in my Diet

Multi Vitamin Packs from Metagenics: Wellness Essentials for men
BioPure Protein from Metagenics (8 grams/scoop).
Omega Man: Barleans Organic Oils (5 gram of Omega 3's in one serving)
Noni Juice :Tahitian Original
Perfect Food (Super Green Formula) by Garden of Life
Emergency C packs (mixed with water)

These are part of my daily regimen. I mix them in various concoctions and I have to admit they are tasty.

Article on Olympic Lifts...a good read

In the latest issue of Mens Health Magazine there is a excellent article on Training using Olympic Lifting movements. Specifically the article focuses on the use of barbell Olympic lifts as the ultimate strength and conditioning exercises.

The article makes reference to the specific exercises (snatch, clean and jerk, and push press), the specific muscles trained, the type of results one can expect, the sheer amount of work it takes, body fat percentages, carryover to athletic performance, and just how technically challenging they are to learn

From my point of view the one thing they fail to mention is the kettlebells and how they are the ultimate tool for performing these Olympic movements. They produce all the same benefits with a lessesr learning curve (technically speaking for safe and effective performance/usage). Plus, you do not need a ton of weight…a few Kettlebells will do the trick.

So, if you were ever wondering how to maximize your training results and time, pick up the article and then invest in some kettlebells!

Pulls

Deadlift
135/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1
315/1x1
365/1x1
385/1x1
405/1x1
425/1x3

Feeling good. Had to use a the mixed grip from 315 on up but no belt. Focused on tension...I read a good tip and used it as a visualization (go to the park and grab a bar that is bolted down and tense up trying to lift it as you would do a deadlift). This strategy worked as the bar went up easy.

Pull-up
10, 8, 6

simple but effective. Overhand grip full pull and hang!

Improving

Well my shoulder has been the subject of discomfort for the past few weeks. The hard day of get-up sit-up with the 32kg and no use of other arms/legs stressed my right shoulder. So I have been working through it but with this past weeks festivities...my sister was married on Saturday....and all the obligations around it I had a few days to rest the shoulder and layoff the bells, pull-ups,etc.

So, today I was feeling the need to hold some weight in my hand and train.

Snatch
32/5/5x5

These felt great. I did not do the traditional dwon swing, instead I brought the bell to shoulder which really helped minimize the stress. They were easy up and my shoulder was strong

Clean and PRess
32/5/5x3

This is a little more challenging than the snatch. Overall the bell moved easy and I felt no pain/discomfort. The key is tomorrow.

Hike 3 miles up some nice terrain!

I have to deadlift tomorrow and do pull-ups and Pistols.

Trail Run/KBs

Great day...2 workouts

Workout 1

Trail Run: 53 minutes...mainly running but did hike some of the hills to keep my HR under control and not burn out. I wanted to be out for an hour at most and I felt strong at the finish as well as during the whole run. I love the trails, they cleanse the mind, the body. The scents, sights, sounds, and the feel of being out alone on a single track trail under a canopy of trees with small creeks running through, bridges to cross, rocks to traverse, and great views to boot!

Workout 2
Monica and I and the Kettlebells

Windmill
24/5/5x4

Nice and easy, great stretch and warm-up

Double Clean Squat Press
24/5/5x5

Again nice and easy, a good sweat and felt good on the shoulder. The right is still tender and feels a little strain, but feeling strong.

DARC Swings
24/30x4

Again nice and easy, a great contraction for the glutes, hams, quads. The body felt strong on each rep and the heart rate never went above 145.

Also (earlier in the day)....
Pull-ups
5x5

Again strong and easy.

All in this was a great day. feel fresh and ready to go attack tomorrow

Odd lifts and Tempo Runs
Sandbag drill
Sled Pull
Rope Waves
KB exercise of choice (Deck Squat, Snatch, or bob and weave).

10x100 for Tempos

Another great day. My strength feels great, my conditioning is up, body fat decreasing and love of training with precision technique is present

Everyday I understand more and more training and what it is!
Another lesson awaits me tomorrow!

A weekend in the Mountains of Mt Shasta, CA

Took a weekend get-away trip with my pops. We went to our vacation home in McCloud CA, at the base of Mt.Shasta. What a majestic place. Mt Shasta stands tall and is impressive at 14,062 feet, the second tallest Mountain in California behind Mt Whitney and the second to last mountain in the Cascade Range. Both my grandfather and father have climbed to the top and I will add myself to that list.

McCloud is a small logging town or at least used to be. Much has changed since the 1970s or so. In fact, the old mills that were once thriving and big employers, to many Italian immigrants (my dads family included) are no longer running. Still the little town remains and now is seeing a little rebirth with Pepsi Cola company bottling water in the area and employing many locals. Plus, for outdoor enthusiast there is plenty to do (Fish, Hunt, Golf, Hike, Ski, Backpack, Waterski, Kayak, Mountain and Road Biking, Running, etc.) and the area has not lost its natural beauty that has existed since I can remember.

This past weekend was about Golfing with pops and some of our family in a tourney in McCloud. Just a great excuse to spend time with the family in a beautiful part of the world. We played 2 rounds of 18 (in which I seemed to forget all I knew about how to swing a club).

In addition, I went for a beautiful trail run out in the woods just behind our house are a number of old logging roads that lead to everywhere but nowhere at the same time. I saw beer tracks, mountain lion tracks, deer tracks, a tree in which a beer had sharpened his or her claws, hawks, blue jays, even some deer (on the course).

Of course, I took time to stretch and do joint mobility with the family and the overwhelming response was just how amazing and helpful this stuff is "at reducing pain" and "increasing range of motion". Now they are spoiled and I have to teach them more...lol

The stuff we do is so simple in many ways but people just do not make the time to incorporate these basic concepts. Sad but true. I am glad to be out there educating and opening people to new ways, new ideas (at least to them), and helping them feel better. What a job, what a profession I have. I think this weekend I have 2 new people who are committed to make mobility and flexibility part of their lives and that is a success.

Article on muscles and weight loss

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/gabbyguide/311/metabolism-its-just-science

Ken Black, MMA, KBs and Odd Lifts

What an amazing day. I had the great pleasure of spending a good majority of my day with a top notch strength coach, Ken Black. Together we discussed a variety of training topics, traded a number of exercises, performed a number of exercises ( I am tired..lol), and then put the good ole MMA boyz through a tough workout.

Ken is an innovator and excellent coach, plus one heck of a strong man. Then there is those MMA fellas, these guys are crazy, motivated, hungry, and true competitors. They have no quit in them and they have a burning desire to be their best. And, I have and had the great fortune of spending time working together with these men for a common purpose, achievement, further our knowledge, ability, increasing our likelihood of success, surrounding ourselves with others who desire greatness, and so, so much more.

So some of the things we did today

Sled pulls
Sled bear crawls
Rope waves (100 ft rope)
Med Ball Shot puts
KB Shot Puts
Bob and Weave
Sandbag shouldering
KB Joint Mobility ( a program Ken has developed and something I found challenging and enjoyable)
Farmers Walks

All and all I did a large variety of things, not much of anything specific just a little here and there

Ken did more than I for sure since I was coaching the boyz and he helped on this end, picking exercises, demonstrations, set-up and coaching and even joined in

The boyz did all this (except the KB joint mobility) and some more...just amazing

Then I came home and Monica and I did a workout
My workout went like this
Double Cleans
24/10x3

supersetted with

Renegade Rows
24/8x3

Finished with Bob and weave
24/8x3

Did not have much in me but still felt all over the board and wanted to do some specific stuff...goal accomplished.

A great day spent with great people all whom are inspirational in there on way.

A Rifstonian Deadlift Day

I believe Rif refers to this as a speed lift day. A down week in terms of weight but a heck of a workout and I feel strong

Warm-up
135/2x1
185/2x1
225/2x1
275/2x1

Work Sets
315/1x12 with 30 seconds rest between

I have to say this felt easy, smooth and strong. I planned on doing 10 sets and did 12 and could have done 15 but decided to stop short and strong.

Pull-ups
8, 7, 6, 5


Running this evening...Trail run

Crawl to your exercise

So, Monica wanted to do our workout tomorrow, Sunday...this being the Snatch workout. Well I really wanted to do soemthing so I went to the park for a light day workout

Here is how it went

Crawl, Row, Clean, Squat, Press and repeat

Crawl 10 steps, Row lt, Row rt, Clean, Squat, Press
24kg/5 reps x 3 sets

Light, yes in terms of total work, load, etc. but not easy. Good strong workout, tough but nice!

Then followed with 9 hole short course!

TRIKE Part Due

Friday late afternoon decided to do a run along the way, after about a 1/2 mile warm-up I foud this great hill, gradual and looong. Inspired I decided to take the hill and it was reallllly loong and I mixed run/hike. At the top and along the way the views were spectacular, I could see the whole Bay Area. The road ended but the trail continued. SO I ran, hiked, crawled, etc my through the bushes, trees, steep hillsides, up and down. I felt like I was on an adventure and just had a blast a great workout to boot.

Just fun, playing around like a kid hiking, running, moving, sliding, hands dirty, ankles dirty with spurs, thistle etc in my shoes.

unexpected workout and some revelations

So, planned on doing Snatches today but will wait till tomorrow.

A buddy and I hooked up randomly today and he wanted to do some sled work and sandbags. So we went at for only 20 minutes or so but intense.

100+ yard pulls x2

I do not what I hit on the grass but there were at least a couple occassions both ways where the grass bascially stopped me in my tracks and I had to dig hard. the legs were burning (especially the hammies)

I supersetted with
Sandbag deck squats 5 reps x 1 ( at this point I realized I was a little tired from the pulls...lol)

Set 2
Overhead TGU with the Sandbag 4 reps

This is a humbling exercise but one where you can feel the strength necessary to keep the bell pressed up, shoulders stable, core tense, and legs driving deep off the floor....what a fantastic exercise. I was pleased.

Set 3
Overhead Deck Squat

I made 1 out of 5 reps clean. the others I missed, actually standing, yet stumbling on 2. Still the first time I have EVER achieved an overhead deck squat and to do it with an odd load, tired and a substantial weight I am really pleased. this is one of the hardest exercises I have ever done.

Also, attempted and completed 1 pistol, with the sandbag on my right leg. WOW, holy smokes is this rough. I am really pleased with my strength

I realize, and at the same time am not surprised by this that there is a huge carryover in strength with the Kettlebell in general. Much of this is due to the concepts and principles that lie behind what "strength" truly is and then there is the kettlebell what the heck effect. Scientifically this may be hard to argue, that the KB does indeed have a what the heck effect but if you were to ask me, and I believe I have decent knowledge and strength I am a believer.

Only if I practiced the same routine for a long period. I do the same exercises but with varying loads, set, reps, time, rest, and methods. I am making progress and truly beginning to understand what true strength and conditioning is.