the kinda day for a 40

this was the day of the bulldog. today, I felt like a bulldog alright.

First up

Snatch
40/3/3x1
40/4/4x1
40/5/5x3

Military Press
40/3/3x1
40/4/4x4

Pistol
40/1/1x5

Solid across the board

Pull-ups
40/1x5

Another solid performance but 4 and 5 were a struggle.

I felt solid, strong and confident with the bulldog and truly like having it in for a big day!

Down shift

Today I took a down shift! I did a great yoga workout but this one was less of a workout and more a strong meditative, focused based yoga. Normally I love the fast moving hard vinyasa flows, power or ashtanga type classes. 1.5 hours and nice to allow my body/mind a different stimulus.

PS: I love the warrior diet!

Tomorrow I am hitting the 40kg. Pressing, swinging or snatching and maybe some pull-ups with this or bodyweight.

A good week so far!

Deadlifts

Today I had a goal to complete 5 doubles with 405 (85%) of my last workout. However after my first double I knew this was gone to be difficult without the right equipment, like a good bar and chalk. So, instead I did 7 singles.

405/2x1
405/1x7

Snatch test: goal 50 reps in 5 minutes
5/5 for 1 minute

round 1 24 seconds
round 2 20
round 3 20
round 4 19
round 5 20

I rest the rest of the minute round so all in all it took 4:20 of work. I know I could hit 65 right now. Awesome!!!!

A couple days worth of workouts

Monday:
Pull-ups
25#/10
25#/5x2


Tuesday

Mountain Bike Ride 1.5 hours
The first ride of the season. What a blast. Covered about 6 to 7 miles of varied terrain. A lot of good climbing with some fun and fast downhills. I had some consistent long climbs of 15 minutes and I found a good solid pace and maintained a good heart rate and a fast recovery. Although, I could tell that I had not been under the circumstances in some time with the leg burn but the recovery made me feel good. Cannot wait to do it again!


Workout 2: Kettlebells
Double Snatch
32/3/3x3

this is a first! Wow, what an amazing accomplishment. I am super stoked! They were not as clean as I would have liked but they did improve with each set and that in its own right is the most important.

Double Clean, Squat and Press
32/5/5x5

Good stuff, but I can tell the fatigue from the day, but I am proud

Saturday at the gym

Not normal for me to go to a gym and workout but I did and enjoyed myself.

the warm-up consisted of a general play in the aerobics room, capoiera, handstands, the crow to a handstand (yoga style) and even did this move off a bosu, walking on the hands (just because I could not hold my handstand...lol) but I am getting much better, joint mobility.

Then went to the gym floor

Pull-ups
45#/3x3
25#/5x3

I have to start to build the strength with the additional weight. My body weight is about 172 and I plan to get to 165 and maintain at 8% which seems right on the money for me.

The combo of the warrior diet (really following at about 90%) my weight/bodyfat is dropping and my strength is climbing. This was the case before and I just know that this system works Excellent for my body.

Dips
15x1
12x4

Did them in a controlled pace and they felt great, love this move.

Bosu Deck Squats
50x1
45x1 (the last 20 I did 10/10 pistol style)

these are so cool and really target the core. I did not even feel the legs.

Yet another great day of movement and I truly feel that I took a step forward in regards to the TSC with the weighted pull-ups and did a great service to my shoulders working the handstands and a strong ab workout with Bosu Deck Squat.

Cannot wait till Monday!!!!

Working it out

So, I decided if I am going to do a TSC I need to enter the elite division, therefore I must train for that.

Last night I finished my workouts with 20 minutes of Capoiera, 100 push-ups (2 sets 0f 50) and 30 pull-ups

Today I did a 3 mile trail run which felt great.

Tonight I did

Snatch
32/5/5x1
7/7x1
9/9x1
11/11x1
13/13x1...this is a PR and felt incredibly strong including whipping the last 6 lighting fast!

total of 90

Squat Press
32/5/5x

Deadlifts

Talk about feeling it. I was in the zone today, ready to roar and kick some serious ass! My goal was to do 405 since I have not done deads in a month or so. However, today I had an extra boost after I read a post from Rif in regards to the TSC.

Being involved with high level athletes and competition has lead to me to do a lot of research on the competitive mindset. This research has really helped me to understand on a deeper level what competition is really about and how to enter and prepare oneself for competition. What I realize for myself is that I am not concerned about winning but truly preparing myself to perform the best I can on that particular day in that particular moment.

This being said I am not going to go crazy and only train for the event, because truth be told it is not about winning, that will not define my success. It is truly about challenging myself to accomplish and perform in that given moment. So, I found time and a way to get the Deads back on the program. Plus, I am going to enter the Elite if I do compete. Why not? If I am truly about doing my best and performing my best then I should go out and do so at the highest level possible.

Deadlifts
135/2x1
225/1x1
315/1x1
365/1x1
405/1x1....goal accomplished but lets just see what else I can do since I feel it today!
455/1x1....I am I done, heck no, I walk straight to the rack grab two 10# plates and stack them on the bar.
475/1x1....DONE! and this shit went up with confidence. What the heck, 600 is mine if I keep it up. I love feeling strong, but I think I may have to find a way to meet up with Rif and do some deads. He truly inspires and coaches me unlike any other.

I will do pull-ups later today and Snatches but for now I am done.

This is my day! i can accomplish anything I want and darn well please and so can you

Remember my glass is half full and is bottomless so it can keep flowing!

Rock Climbing

Today I spent time at Planet granite indoor rock climbing gym. This gym has a wide array of excellent walls and climbs. I met up with my friend Toby, his wife and a large group of their friends.

So, after climbing in the real world I have much less fear of the indoor climbing. Now, this is not too say I am cured of my fear but I have a healthy understanding of the fear and respect.

The climbs
5.8 for start
5.9, two different climbs each which required different techniques/strengths.
5.10b: the first such climb for me. This one I unsuccessfully climbed twice. The second time due to fatigue in the forearms/grip and the first I stopped because there was a hold/challenging position I was unfamilar with so I went down to discuss solutions but just was to fatigued as I climbed back up.

I really did improve my technique and use of technique but I still have a tendancy to rely on my strength which really does help 'getting to the top'.

Always nice to spend time with good friends and get a strong workout in while having fun.

Some semblance of normalcy

Started the day off with some joint mobility, approximately a good 10 minutes and a good 5 minute yoga vinyasa.

Spent another hour learning a couple of boxing techniques and followed that up with a couple submission wrestling drills. So my mind was very active learning new styles of movements. Good to feel the flow of the moves and essence behind the flow.

then I did 20 minutes or so of Capoiera which I personally am fascinated with. It seems to wet my appetite and I have other reasons than movement that interest me in learning this art. So, felt really good to play with it today and I can tell from the first time to this time I definitely learned.

Then tonight did some KBs
Clean and Press
32/5/5x5

Snatch
32/5/5x5

Pull-ups
8x3

Pistols
32/1/1x3

Great day of movement, filled with variety and flow. All open the body, strengthen the body, condition the body and improve me, which alone is a great thing.

Not much more to add at this point, still thinking through this past weekend and planning ahead

0 and 5, a complete sweep by the Anacondas over our team plus we lost the alternate bout.
1 tap out, first round to a choke
1 guilatine (chock out), first round
2 decisions unanimous and no questions in my mind that these were correct
2 split decisions (which we lost). This however was crap and we are not the only people to think so. Our alternate controlled the fight and left the other guy with a bloody and bruised eye and face. And, Brian Ebersole took a tough decision. I know he is not well liked by the CA commission, etc so I am not surprised that he lost.

So, all and all this was the worst outcome possible and completely unexpected by all. We are all disappointed and highly motivated to turn our season around. I have learned a lot more about the sport, the game and the politics. One thing for sure it is never easy working with one of the more 'hated' coaches in Frank, which truth be told is a lot of envy/jealousy on the parts of others.

Back to the drawing board. We have a good team we just have some things to do. One thing is become more attacking/aggressive and less defensive. We have to set the pace, control the game and this sets up more opps as the fight progresses. And, it will take other guys out of their game plan. this is a sport where aggression with smart choices, picking of spots is highly rewarded, especially in the case of decisions.

the IFL as a league and organization is first class. They are young in terms of a business but they have strong leadership, a good direction, a good business model and financial backing to allow them time to build a presence. I am honored to be in this league as top to bottom this is a wonderful organization to be associated with and has quality fighters and coaches to boot. I look for great things with the IFL and our team

PS: have been doing workouts, mainly conditioning/bodyweight but will be back on the bells tomorrow

The IFL

A big week of preparation for the event this weekend has left me less time to write. So, I wanted to put out a quick update that the guyz look really good and I am excited about our team. We are well prepared for battle and I feel that the preparation behind this event is going to build real steam moving forward. In fact our big man is planning on spending 6 weeks out here to do some serious training with myself and the team. And, our 170 is going to come spend 2 weeks out as well. Things for him are a little more challenging since he is a father of 3 but he really is putting his best foot forward and it is impressive.

We are building something strong here at Shamrocks House and I have full confidence that these men will showcase their skills and abilities as well as their preparation. It is impressive being part of such a wonderful team and group of pro athletes. We have a great time over the last 10 days and the culmination is tomorrow evening against the Anacondas.

Look forward to getting back to a more normalized personal workout routine next week.. However, I really must start to learn more about the sport from the standpoint of I must start to train in the sport. So, starting next week I am going to add these skills to my training. I have already been doing so lightly here and there put I am going to spend more time now!

Happy St. Patricks, and be safe

Run Conditioning

Took the guyz out for some basic conditioning today. Wanted to 'blow' out the lungs.

Started with 4, 100 yard runs to get some blood flow.

Liner
Goal to Goal, Goal to opposite 10, Goal to opp 20, etc. We did 1 round and it took about 5 minutes. This got the lungs burning and respiratory system going. 1 minute rest

800 meter run x1

We paced (on purpose) to finish at 4 minutes. I wanted the guyz to understand how to pace themselves through a round and not gas out. Rested 1 minute

Bodyweight conditioning, 4 minutes
Deck squat to a burpee to a push-up continious for 4 minutes.

100 yard carry
We carried 1 teammate for 100 yards and did 2 reps. I took the big man carrying him on my back, all 270 of him 1 round and our lightweight the other 100 also onmy shoulders. I found that this way really challenged my core and balance


Great conditioning session

Loosen Up

The guyz and I were all tight so we did a 30 minute mobility/flexibility session and everyone appreciated it. Plus, we worked up a good sweat which prepped the body for their sparring session. I did another 25 chins and 50 dips and 100 push-ups just light stuff. I have noticed my immune system feels shot and I am just not 100%.

The sparring session was awesome and the guyz look great!

Choices

Well, being around all these strong athletes and mixed with my love of the martial arts and desire to learn a art I have decided that I am going to learn more of the MMA game. What does this entail? For me I want to learn more of the Shamrock Submission Fighting System in particular the positions, submissions and escapes. I am going to learn the wrestling side as well. the reason I have choosen to focus on these two aspects is I well suited for a good ground game and truth be told I do not need to take a lot of hits to the head. Of course I will learn the stand-up side side as well.

So yesterday I got on the ground and wrestled some. Now I did not 'learn' any techniques but I did feel the movements and actions of wrestling flow. The guy I wrestled is about 5'8 220lbs so I had a real chance to work with weight as well. Now, we did not go 110% but we rolled hard and had a good flow. I realize I do have good flow however my flow puts me in bad positions at this point only because of my lack of knowledge. What helps though is that I have a good understanding of movement and position in genreal and therefore I continue moving which makes it much more difficult to submit a person. Also, this shit is a heck of a cardio workout. Man, I could feel my wind


In the evening I hit some bells with a few of the guys, just basics
Clean and Press
32/5/5x5

Snatch
32/5/5x5

Rif has had some great posts discussing the physics of the bells and the concepts of power, strength, etc. What I realized last night was just how much of a power bell the 32kg is for me with the Snatch. I felt extremely explosive and my time of travel was rapid. Now, I did not time it but I think I am educated enough to know the difference. And, since I have worked with RIf personally for along time I am sure he would agree ;-). I could not believe just how awesome I felt throwing the 32 around.

Today is sparring (which means I will observe ) but I will work on the side with a couple of the guys on different techniques

Training Camp

Well we are deep into training camp and the team is coming on strong. The additions of Donnie Liles at 170 and Dan Christison as our heavy are going to pay off. These men bring a whole new element to our team and I am excited to see them go to battle. This is by far the best team we have fielded, no disrespect to the others who have fought for us but this team just feels right.

The training has been intense as has the other demands (on me) that go with helping to manage/coach a team. I very proud of these men and the other men in our gym who aspire to reach a level of fighting such as the IFL which is coming on strong as a league.

I have no doubt we will and are in great position to come out with a team victory against Bas Rutten's Anacondas next Saturday the 17th in LA. Given more time to work together things for our team are only going to get stronger. A couple more hard days, then a day or rest before a few more strong workouts and then fight night. The fight will be shown in a couple weeks after on Fox Sports Net. In the meantime my network TV is carrying a weekly show about the IFL every Monday so you can learn more about our guys.

Stay tuned!

Out of the Ordinary

Things are crazy this week so training is off, at least my portion. Have the IFL team in town and that means training changes and the focus becomes the guys, plus I am going from 5 am till at least 9 at night with everything. That being said, I finally got out today and did something unique and something I love and did for 7 years, trail running

Went on a 4 mile trail run with some nice hill climbs, some short and steep and some long and steady. Overall I felt strong. However, I did gas a bit on the first climb which was a consistent out of the block start of 1.3 miles up hill, long and steady. I caught my breathe and finished strong which felt good but my lungs were burning. Now I know why I love those trail runs. They offer a unique feel and too add to the whole deal they really make you appreciate and view life different. There is something awe inspiring about being in a quiet nature setting, high above the valley of noise listening to your breathe as you feel the oxygen hit your lungs.

On top of that did 150 push-ups and 100 bodyweight squats fooling around.

Just nice to be out in nature and I needed it since I have had some changes that have happened in my life and therefore altered my direction on a personal level. My girlfriend and I have officially split after a 3 month break and it feels good to know where we stand but at the same time there is a loss and void. But, life is full of lessons and opportunities and I take this opportunity to reflect and be grateful for all I have become because of the time we spent together. Now, I am out on the road flying solo and ready to roar ahead full steam with an excited outlook. Here I come...lol

To another wonderful day, and so many more! Just remember to be grateful for all you have in life because at any moment, ANY thing can change. I am grateful for all you who take time to read my blog. I rarely post such personal information such as this but I think it is important. I have written much about life since this change and read and done some serious soul searching, etc. all to enlighten myself and strengthen my spirit, my soul, my being to be able to bring my best to the table each day. I am living life and that is the key and I am doing so with a smile on my face and in my soul and laughter bellowing deep inside as I enjoy each moment of each day!

thank you and I wish you all nothing but your best

Flippin, draggin, and baggin

Took the guyz out today for a fun day of odds. Had them do tire flips, tire drags, shoot and lift, sprawl, get-ups and I was the odd man out so I did

Flippin 3 rounds
1 min
45 sec
30 sec

Draggin
1 min
45 sec
30 sec

TGU Sandbag
1 min
45 sec
30 sec

Work to rest was equal and done in a circuit fashion. I was facilitating the workouts since 3 of the guyz were new. Awesome workout.

nothing to exciting to report. the guyz have been pushing hard so i stepped back today and did a 45 minute mobility and flexibility session

I feel great, nice and loose