Fight Diary

On Hold

2006-10-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've decided to put this project on hold for the time being. My training at the moment is pretty repetitive and makes for a boring read. However, look for it to be back in a little while because it looks like I might be moving to Hamilton to train Boxing, jiu jitsu, submission wrestling, and MMA full time... and moving out on my own. That will make for some writing with more variation!

Thank you for anyone who has read so far.

Update

2006-09-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

Well I'm pretty much over whatever it is that I had. Had I just been feeling sick I could have continued training. However this greatly affected my ability to breathe well and that is something I'm not willing to mess around with. I will continue training again tomorrow no matter what.

As for the my update, I decided not to post it because it would have been a waste. I was making some noticeable progress, but my lack of appetite and activity killed any progress that I made.

Sicker

2006-09-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

Looks like all of that green tea, vitamin C, and chicken noodle soup did next to nothing for me. I'm more sick today than I was yesterday. My chest is all congested and I have a fever. I decided it would be unwise to try to train today since breathing is definitely necessary in safe exercise. This sucks. I had some good momentum there and I was looking forward to a great 2 week analysis entry. This illness is definitely going to have a negative effect on the next analysis entry which is Monday.

Be back at it asap.

Sick.

2006-09-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Title says it all... woke up sick and had a long day at school to boot. I guess this is my punishment for letting my body get used to not being in close proximity with a bunch of people. I am almost positive this is a result to being exposed to so many germs at Jiu Jitsu. I'll probably get a little sick like this a couple of times, and then I should be good to go.

I took the day off to get organized for school, rest, drink green tea, eat chicken noodle soup, and load up on vitamin C. Tomorrow unless I am throwing up all over the place, I will at the very least do a light session of Yoga... maybe sweat some of this sickness away. Best case scenario is that I feel great and can get to Jiu Jitsu tomorrow evening.

Wish me luck.

Day 6 - Boxing. Jiu Jitsu.

2006-09-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day of doing back to back training sessions. I did an hour and a half of boxing, walked across the hall, changed and did an hour and forty five minutes of Jiu Jitsu. Surprisingly I got through it pretty well. My conditioning is already improving.

The routine at boxing hadn't changed since the last time I was there months ago. In fact it has been the same for as long as I can remember. This is leading to the possibility of having to make a tough decision. The people there are great, my trainer is also great and very knowledgable. However, the fire and enthusiasm that used to be present there isn't. It seems to be going stale. In these types of sports, that fire is what pushes you past your limits. It's what encourages progress.

The boxing class was broken down as such...

The first half hour was free time. This is time to warm up, stretch, hit the back, shadow box etc. I spent this time skipping, doing some light bag work to warm up, and stretching.

The next half hour is spent doing drills infront of the mirror. We start out with footwork, and then we work in various combinations of punches focussing on technique, not speed or power. We did a short conditioning session consisting of pushups, vertical jumps, and running in the same spot with high knees while punching.

We then went to the heavybags for some work. We did all out 1 minute drills utilizing all of the punches in various combinations.

The last hour of class is once again free time. Generally this time is used for further conditioning, practicing technique, or sparring. I continued my heavybag work and finished with skipping.

Then it was off to the changerooms because Jiu Jitsu was to start in 5 minutes.

Conditioning/Stretching: The first half hour or so was spent doing various conditioning exercises (pushups, situps, squats, lunges). Then we practiced various rolls and techniques to safely get up to our feet in a fight or MMA match. And we finished this first section off with a full body stretch to prepare for the techniques and sparring that follows.

Techniques: During the technique portion of the class, emphasis was on sprawls (blocking the take down), shooting (going for the take down), and various escapes that can be used when stuck under someone after they have sprawled on you. I am definitely catching on to the techniques faster now.

End Class Drills: We finished the class by having the higher ranking students lay on their backs, and we got to choose a starting postion, our goal being to maintain the starting position or another dominant position. This went on for about 25 minutes without a break.

Summary: I am thinking about how I am going to train. Will I stop boxing and just take my Jiu Jitsu even more seriously? Will I box elsewhere? Will I take Jiu Jitsu to the next level and just keep my boxing skills in decent shape by working on them alone? Should I box elsewhere (not sure where else to go around here). An idea that I am considering is quiting boxing and taking up Muay Thai instead which incorporates kicks, punches, elbows and knees from the free moving phase and the clinch. There either is or was Muay Thai right next to Jiu Jitsu at some point.

Well we'll see where I go from here.

Feel free to post any questions, comments, or suggestions on where I should go.

Take care

Day 5 - Jiu Jitsu.

2006-09-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

I appologize for the short entry. My day has been extremely busy trying to get ready for school. This entry will just be a brief summary.

I had Jiu Jitsu for 2 hours this evening. A lot of what I had learned before the injury is starting to come back to me. My conditioning also held up pretty well.

I didn't do Yoga today again because I have been very busy getting things organized for school which starts Monday.

Tomorrow morning I work which is a workout in itself. Sunday I rest. Monday I will be doing boxing and jiu jitsu back to back which will really test my physical fitness!

See you Monday!

Day 4 - Rest and Relaxation.

2006-09-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

I began my day with a 45 minute back and shoulder massage. When training this hard, massage becomes an almost essential component. Following massage it is generally best to refrain from any intense activity and just let the muscles remain relaxed until the following day.

So, relax is what I will do. My body woke up screaming relax anyways. There is a time to say no to another intense day of exercise, where it has nothing to do with being lazy and skipping out. The body must have time to repair muscle tissue and relax. This being week one, it would be very unwise to push through the pain that I am in today. It's important to note that even though I am not training today, eating properly is still essential. It may be even more important to eat properly on rest days because I am not burning as many calories.

Tomorrow's Plan: My first session will be Intermediate Yoga. This should leave me feeling limber and energized for the more intense second session which will be Jiu Jitsu.

Good luck to anyone else out there who is working hard. Feel free to post any questions, concerns, comments etc.

Day 3 - Jiu Jitsu.

2006-09-06T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day back to Jiu Jitsu. I basically spent an hour and forty-five minutes being thrown around like a rag doll, or tapping. When put up against people my own size I held my own fairly well. An upper level white belt would probably have their way with me at this point. Jiu Jitsu is definitely my weakest link because I have only been doing it for a matter of months.

The class was broken down as such...

Warm ups: We begin by getting the body warm by jogging around the gym forwards, backwards, and side stepping with each leg being forward for a period of time. We then crab walk and bear walk (walk on all fours with buttocks high in the air). Next, we streth the entire body starting with the neck, and ending at the ankles. This is essential to avoid unnecessary injury. We follow this by doing various pushup, situp, and squat drills.

Submission/Escape Drills: Follow these conditioning drills we move into drills done with a partner. We are given various submission and escape moves to try. Our partner is providing some resistance but not full, and the one applying the move is not executing with full intensity either. The point of these drills is to simply go through the movement correctly, quickly, and many times.

Self Defense: This evening we had a short section on self defense scenarios. How to escape, submit, or pound one's way out of some common street scenarios such as various head locks, or being on the ground while your attacker is standing. Not too much emphasis is put on this because it was mostly directed to beginners who would not be composed enough, and do not know enough brazilian jiu jitsu well enough to perform it in a heated, uncontrolled street scenario. Most of our jiu jitsu instruction is to help us improve in tournaments, and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events.

Submission Moves Introduction: To finish class we were introducd to a few submissions to practice on a fully resistant partner. This consisted of a sweep, arm lock, and a choke. I cannot describe these moves in writing unfortunately.

Usually we would make sure to have 20-30 minutes to just spar (fight) one another. However, today we had an unusual amount of first timers who do not have their full uniforms as of yet. I'm sure sparring (or rolling) will take place on Friday.

At the end of class I spoke to my instructor and we spoke about my goals, available time etc. I'm glad that he sees my drive. As a result he has invited me out to participate in extra invite only classes when they occur. This will help a lot.

Side Note: I got a bonus workout after Jiu Jitsu when my boxing instructor pulled up outside with 3 vans following him. He's moving back to the same building that my Jiu Jitsu is in. So... we had to carry up heavy bags, weights, chains, the boxing ring etc. to his space.

The good news is, it will be convenient to train in both boxing and jiu jitsu. I can go straight from boxing to jiu jitsu on most mondays and wednesdays!

Eating Habits: I stuck to my game plan. I ate oatmeal, fruit, veggies, eggs, a little bit of peanut butter, turkey, tons of water, and some juice as well. I also got both of my protein/glutamine shakes in, along with my multi-vitamin.

Great day, and I am definitely gaining momentum!

Day 2 - Body Weight Exercises.

2006-09-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

Training Session 2: This evening I did body weight exercises. I did pushups, sit ups, leg raises, and squats. Each exercise was broken down like this...

Pushups: I did 4 variations of pushups. Hands shoulder width apart and fingertips facing inward, hands shoulder width apart, hand together making a diamond shape, and hands wide apart. I did two sets of 25 for each variation for a total of 200 pushups.

Sit ups: Again I did 4 variations of sit ups. Regular sit ups, sit ups with legs to either side, and twisting sit ups. I did a total of 100 sit ups.

Leg raises: I did 100 leg raises. Each set of leg raises followed the set of sit ups with no rest in between.

Squats: I did a set of 50 regular squats (feet shoulder width apart), followed by two sets of 25 lunges switching the front foot after each set for a total of 100 squats.

I completed this workout in an intense 25 minute session.

Tomorrow's Plan: I will only have one training session tomorrow and it will be in the evening. Tomorrow I will be attending my first Jiu Jitsu class in a while. I am definitely going to need all the energy I can salvage to make it through class in one piece!

Day 2 - Yoga

2006-09-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Training Session 1: Today my first training session was from 1pm-2pm. I did intermediate yoga which includes standing, laying down, and sitting up poses/stretches. I found the poses that focused on my core and lower back flexibility went fairly well. However, the lack of flexibility in my hamstrings and and hips were exposed. Naturally I suffer in flexibility so my progress generally comes slowly and with much effort. But flexibility is key, especially in ground fighting (brazilian jiu jitsu and wrestling), as well as in injury prevention.

I am considering the idea of going to a Yoga studio downtown to get some special attention because I don't feel that I can achieve my best, or even a satisfactory level of flexibility myself. They can also watch me and make sure that I breathe properly, and that my body is properly alligned through each pose.

Regardless of my troubles with Yoga, I must say that I come out of each session feeling energized, loose, and positive. Yoga definitely has its place in any workout routine.

Training Session 2: This entry will come this evening. I will do a variety of pushups, situps, leg raises, burpies, and squats.

Eating Habits: So far my eating habits have been good today. I started my day with oatmeal and fruit. I then had a protein shake, multi-vitamin, and glutamine. I will post more about these nutritional products in a separate entry. My lunch was scrambled eggs with chopped up assorted vegetables, stuffed in multigrain pitas. Throughout the day I am drinking water.

Day 1 - Hill Sprints. Boxing.

2006-09-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day back in training. I was able to see just how much I have lost over the past 4 months that I have been out of serious training. I felt my time off the most while doing hill sprints. I only managed to sprint up and down the large hill (picture coming soon) five times. This is absolutely pathetic compared to where I was at before my injury. But I have to start somewhere.

Training Session One: At 3:00pm this afternoon I jogged to Mt. Trashmore, an old garbage dump, to do hill sprints. The jog was approximately 1 mile long. I only managed to sprint up and down Mt. Trashmore five times before I began to see dotted vision, and vommitting was not far away. When in good shape I would continue to push through this. However, this being day one, it was important that I wake up tomorrow able to participate in day two. The hill beat me today.

Training Session Two: At 7:30pm this evening I did explosive heavy bag work, followed by shadow boxing. My conditioning held up okay considering my time off and this being day one. My boxing skills have definitely suffered from my lay off but they will come back. I often caught my elbows away from my rib cage, and I noticed a lot of the snap on my straight punches have deteriorated. This will come back with repetition and increase in intensity.

Explosive heavy bag work is done in one minute intervals instead of full length rounds. During this one minute the emphasis is on quantity of punches, and power put behind each punch. Every punch is thrown with bad intentions, and there are no breaks to move around, slip, duck etc. It is a conditioning drill, not a skill drill. I did 8 of these rounds.

I followed that with some shadow boxing. I did one long seven minute round with my emphasis on quantity of punches and proper form. When focusing on my form I found that I was able to correct many of the flaws I showed while doing the heavy bag. My defensive movements were stiff though.

Today's Eating Habits: Better than they have been of recent times. I didn't have the foods I would ideally have in the house because I haven't gone groceries yet. I also plan to see a nutritionist soon so that I can know exactly what I should eat and how much.

Tomorrow's Plan: My first session will be one hour of Yoga. My second session will be body weight exercises ie. pushups, sit ups, burpies, leg raises.

Week One - Statistics and Analysis

2006-09-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

This is my first 'Statistics and Analysis' entry. On a bi-weekly schedule I will take a picture like the one above to show the changes of my body. I will also document my weight, my eating habits, and how I feel about my overall conditioning.

Age: 21
Height: 5'9
Weight: 140lbs

Eating Habits: I would consider my eating habits over the last four months that I have been out of training to be mediocre. Better than the average person who is not involved in athletics. Compared to an elite athlete, or how I used to eat, my eating habits have been poor. Now that I am back in training, this all changes.

Overall Conditioning: My cardio is probably the only part of me that has remained somewhat in tact. I could still complete a 5 mile run. My breathing remains fairly controlled when sprinting.

My muscular strenth when doing weights or sprinting exercises have definitely degenerated.

My muscular endurance for prolonged exercises such as 2-5 minute punching drills is not what it used to be, but I did not lose this aspect of my conditioning to the extent that I have lost my muscular strength.

My flexibility is my weakest point. I find this aspect of my conditioning to be the most difficult to improve and maintain. I begin Yoga again tomorrow.

Skills: I have only tested my boxing skills recently. I can definitely feel the rust. My main problems include letting my elbows stray from my sides leaving my rib cage open for blows, and I have lost some of the snap in my punches, particularly my straight punches (jab and straight right).

Summary: It is very difficult to find myself in this kind of shape after working so hard to be in excellent condition. I find workouts both motivating and discouraging. Motivating because I am getting closer to being in excellent condition, discouraging because I find myself struggling with exercises I would once find fairly easy. It will be a long road back, but I am ready.

Introduction

2006-09-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by introducing myself. My name is Josh. I'm 21 years old and go to the University of Waterloo for a joint honours degree in Political Science, World History, and a specialization in Global Governance, and International Politics. But this blog is no academic blog. Because beyond academics I have a burning passion for fighting. I truly love it.

To me fighting is the ultimate sport. It challenges everything that makes a competitive sport like no other sport does. When you step on the mat, or between the ropes, you find out who you really are. It tests your courage, your determination, your intellect, physical conditioning, skill and grit. It challenges and reveals your entire character. Two humans putting their bodies on the line in a fight is the most honest form of sport. In a world where honesty is so hard to come by, I am drawn to the ring.

I box and do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (or Gracie Jiu Jitsu). Well I did anyway. Last February I tore a tendon in my foot which took a long time to heal. I have spent a fair amount of time in physio doing mundane exercises. I am not in great shape right now. Which brings me to what this blog is about.

I plan to keep a diary complete with pictures of my victories and losses, my day to day training, my eating habits, my physical and emotional struggles and anything else I feel will help my readers understand this sport... this way of life. I hope to inspire others through this blog. Whether it inspires you to chase your dream of entering the ring, or it makes you get up off the couch to get yourself into good shape mentally and physically... or if it just plain old inspires you to chase a dream, any dream.