Back in the saddle

I'm getting back in the saddle, making training more consistent.  As you can tell from the infrequency of the posts, time has been in very short supply so training has been pretty minimalistic making training efficiency essential.

Strength training has been sticking with Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 template, training twice a week.  Following my back spasm I had to take the numbers right down and work back up.  In most lifts I've regressed a year in terms of the numbers!  Most recently:

Swiss bar press 65kg x 5
Deadlift 114kg x 10
Swiss bar bench 72kg x 10
Trapbar deadlift 133kg x 10

Everything's progressing and, hey, it's not a sprint right?  The assistance exercise choices have been power clean (5 x 82kg), dumbbell bench (10 x 32kg each hand), dumbbell row (20 x 32kg each side), trapbar RDL (8 x 65kg), leg raises, ab wheel & landmine twists.

Conditioning-wise, my mainstays have been fight inspired circuits, typically 30 seconds each followed by 10 seconds change over, e.g.

Heavy bag punching
Sprawls
Sandbag shoulder
Sit throughs
Dummy G 'n' P.
Dummy suplex lift
Plank
Band resisted shots
Sandbag bear hug
Heavy bag punching.

This gives a really good mixed workout that staves off boredom.  Anyway,going to try to keep this updated a bit more.  Gotta go....

It's been a long time....

A lot has happened since the last update.  Just over a month ago, whilst working on my car, my back went in to spasm, OWWW!  After a week off work and mostly whacked out on muscle relaxants and codeine I started to gently train again - bad move.  Another spasm, this time whilst driving, convinced me to take things even easier.
The first thing that went was strength training of any sort, my 5/3/1 strength programme was right out the window.  No striking against resistance (no heavy bag, no maize bag), no kicking of any sort.  This left me with the question of what I could do.  First up, walk. Yes, really.  Walking a couple of miles at a reasonable pace with the dog was a way of feeling more confident doing anything that made me break sweat.  After this I moved to carrying our Bas Rutten's boxing workout with no resistance, then the thai boxing workout and finally the all round workout.  Before anything I was warming up properly and carrying out DeFranco's Agile 8 and scarecrows religiously. This has made a big difference.  I've also put goodmornings in to my training in order to build the lower back.
The injury really focused me on conditioning, something that I should do more anyway, and hopefully has begun to instil the habit in me.  I've certainly enjoyed doing more circuits, more boxing and more bodyweight exercises.  I have started strength training again but I've reduced my numbers in a big way.  I've also been hitting the bag with regularity again.
Hopefully I'll stay injury free and be able to update more often.

FIGHT UK AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2

Once again Leicester Shootfighters smashed it at a Fight UK event.  Check out the crisp striking from heavyweight Chris Miles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sByBdwcMqeg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Training at Fighting Fit Martial Arts

Whilst on holiday a couple of years ago I came across Fighting Fit Martial Arts in Cromer, Norfolk. At the time I had no gumshield or box so even though I wanted to train I didn't feel that I could.

However... heading back to Cromer this year I made sure to pack box, mouth guard, gloves & anklets. I dropped in to the gym one evening and had a quick chat with John Mezzetti the owner and head coach. He seemed very friendly and I decided to train the following night.

John hasn't got a massive space at the gym but he makes great use of it. Most is matted with a cage wall. There're also bags plus a cardio area and a weights room.

We started with a warm-up that included sprawls before moving on to a drill/game in which you had to tap your partner's foot with your own and then knee-taps. This led in to an arm drag drill, similar to the drag that Marcello Garcia teaches first in his DVD series. It had been a long time since I last grappled and it really showed in a lack of co-ordination. I think perhaps John & his students expected more of me as they knew I'd trained at Leicester Shoot.

We moved on to some punching and punching to takedown drills which progressed nicely to sit-throughs. The final 15-20 mins were spent in groundwork sparring. This was great and even though I got tapped to a triangle I should never've got in to in the first place, I really enjoyed myself .

So what did I learn?

That John is a great teacher and a genuine bloke. Very friendly and really knows his stuff. John's guys are also friendly and a real credit to his teaching.

That my conditioning is f**ked and I need to prioritise it in a biiiig way.

That tapping to a rear naked choke isn't always a forgone conclusion.

A new Kimura escape (cheers John!)

That I really want to get back to regular training at Leicester Shoot.

If you're in the Cromer area of Norfolk on holiday drop in and see FFMA, I'll be training down there on my next visit for sure.

Free Ebook at Elite FTS!

There's something special that sets Elite FTS apart from other equipment suppliers.  It's not the quality of their merchandise, though be in no doubt that by buying from them you'll be buying nice, not twice.  It's not that their website is cool, although there's a whole lot more on there than just a very comprehensive catalogue.

No, it's all about the attitude, not a bad ass "we lift more than you so you suck", but a willingness to share experience and learning, to motivate and educate, to drag you along and help the aspiring athlete to be the best they can. And to do it for free.

Nothing has summed up this desire and drive to share knowledge better than the recent release of 'The Vault' a FREE ebook downloadable after signing up to the Strength Club.  There really is so much in this book that it's impossible to list it all here. Suffice it to say that it contains specific lifting advice/coaching, motivational texts and guiding principles.  Did I mention that it's also FREE - why would you not get it.

Dave Tate has outdone himself with The Vault, many, many websites would try and sell you this for a princely sum ... and it'd be worth it!  So thanks a lot Dave, it's your sharing attitude that keeps us coming back to Elitefts, long may you prosper.

Go to Elitefts.com and look for "The Vault" to get yours.

Holiday, celebrate...

Just a quick update.

I'm on holiday with my family at the moment so training has taken a bit of a backseat.  I've brought resistance bands with me and there's some awesome hills and stairs to run/climb. Also, there's a gym here that runs MMA training sessions that I might go and try. If I do, I'll post a review.

Injuries, injuries.....

Although it's not fun to admit, as a thirty-eight year old it takes longer and more effort to recover from strenuous training than it did when I was twenty-five or even thirty.

This was brought home to me in a serious way last weekend when twenty-four hours after a session of power-cleans and deadlifts I was struggling with fatigue, so much so that I decided to read up on it in order to prevent feeling so shitty again.

For about 36 – 48 hours after the lifting session I was experiencing all the hallmarks of central nervous system fatigue – tired, low mood, low motivation, low foolishness tolerance, reduced motor skills. It ruined a perfectly good weekend for me and made me difficult to be around for the family.

So how to prevent it?

1. Be aware of volume and intensity of training. I personally cannot train optimally if I'm lifting heavy and intensely three times a week.

2. Nutrition: Ensure that food and hydration are sorted. Last weekend I missed my whey shake post training and didn't eat well prior to training. Branch Chain Amino Acids are crucial for preventing fatigue.

3. Rest: I did not get to bed early enough or for long enough last week.

On to the physical plane..

Now, more than any other time in my life, warming up, stretching and foam rolling is a key part of not getting injured and not feeling like crap the day after training.

Before every session I warm up with shadow thai boxing, stretch (especially hip flexors, shoulders and hamstrings) and foam/hockey ball roll. Foam and ball rolling have been a revelation, helping with back tightness, shoulder pain and even sciatica. I strongly recommend checking out Joe De Franco's 'Agile 8' and 'Scarecrow' routines.

Another idea that I'm very keen on and feel to be important is active shoulder health. The bench press is well documented as leading to shoulder problems, particularly with the rotator cuff, and Jo DeFranco recently came out against the military/overhead press as an exercise that is in direct opposition to the structure of most trainees' shoulders. With this in mind I do ALL my main pressing movements with a swiss bar. This requires some adjustment and experimentation but I feel that it's worth it – since doing so I've had no shoulder problems. Add in to this full range dumbbell work and band work and I'm feeling good!

Here's to staying healthy.

Update

It's been a while since the last update....

Things are going well in terms of training, strength is increasing (weight lifted is going up) and condition seems to be getting better. How do I know? Training in terms of conditioning is getting easier whether it's sled dragging, Bas Rutten workouts, complexes or circuits. I've upped the work in terms of the Bas Rutten workouts doing thai boxing 3 min rounds instead of 2 mins, and doing the all round fighting 2 minute rounds. Throwing sprawls & sit-throughs in to the mix on top of the knees, kicks and punches really tests the heart and lungs.

Some notable numbers from the lifts:

Deadlift, 10 x 131kg

Bench, 11 x 77kg

Trapbar, 5 x 171kg

Nothing huge but it's all still heading in the right direction and feeling remarkably comfortable.

The next post will be about something essential to the older athlete – recovery. Also, I'm working on a compilation video.....

That was the week that was....

This has been a hectic week with what little training I have managed sandwiched between work, family-life, meetings, etc. On the good side I have 'created' a bit of time on occasion by getting up earlier to pull the sled – Hopefully this is the positive start of a way forward. So training this week has consisted of:

Sled dragging:

'Pushing' using a Blast Strap-type arrangement, holding the handles out in front and pulling the sled behind. Really felt this the next day in my lats. Also pulling the sled behind by holding the strap handles behind me. Both of these are way tougher than using a harness. Also, pulling forwards and backwards. The grass in the meadow where I drag the sled is getting long now and pulling through some sections of grass three feet high ain't fun but wonderful when it ends.

5/3/1 weights:

This is a '3' week which has seen me augment the standard press, bench, deadlift & trapbar lift (substitute for squatting) with DB bench, DB row, hanging leg raises, swiss bar rows and power cleans. Numbers are looking ok and strength seems to be hanging in there.

As I say, I've had very little time and skill training has been limited to one session of heavy bag work, though this went well with power in the kicks especially good.

Looking forward to a good weekend of conditioning work.

Check out the videos of the recent FightUK event in Leicester. Leicester Shoot put on their usual good performance and of particular interest to me due to their weight category was the fight between Chris Miles and Adam Corbett. It's a good fight too.

It's the economy stupid!

Part of the point of this blog is to try and record how I try to get as much out of the little time I have for training. I know that there are loads of guys out there with more going on in their lives than me, guys who get up at 5.30am just to get their training in.

Maybe I just don't want it bad enough, but I find it difficult to get up at 6.45 which gives me just about enough time to eat, shower, dress, feed kids and drive (1 hour) to work. It's something I need to work on, I know....

Jim Wendler talks quite a bit about training economy, and recently Uber Fighter Georges St Pierre said something like 'why should I run and jump rope when I can shadow box'. The point here is do the training that gives most bang for your buck.

This is why for me, when I want to get some conditioning, given the choice I'm pretty much always going to go for a heavy bag workout. Punching, kicking, kneeing, clinching & sprawling for 10 x 3 min rounds will give me conditioning and some skill work, especially if I pitch the intensity right. If not bag work then maybe a fight-specific circuit featuring sprawls, boxing, dummy lifts, G'n'P, core work. Again, it's specific to what I'm trying to achieve.

Anyhow, training is going well, the lifts are increasing and I can feel my level of conditioning going up. Time for a weigh in......?

Sleddy Hell!

Last weekend I indulged in one of my favourite forms of conditioning work - sled pulling. I like to do my sled pulling early in the morning out in a meadow a short distance from my house. There is a playing field/park closer than the meadow but I don't like the idea of being surrounded by other people and their dogs when I'm having a coronary whilst harnessed to a 70lb sled.

So, on a Saturday morning, Toffee the Staffy (my No.1 training partner) and I are out in the meadow getting in some much needed (me not the dog) conditioning work. I have to carry the sled and weight about 1/3 of a mile to the meadow before the real work can begin. If you check out the photo above this post you can see how I've rigged the sled to a backpack that contains the weights. This way all I've got to do is drop the pack off my back, connect the harness and pull! No messing about loading with weight plates or having to carry an awkward load of gear to the field.

This Saturday the workout consisted of a straight forward harness pull forward for the length of the meadow, sprinting the first hundred yards and then pulling at a brisk walk/slow jog. The meadow is somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 a mile long. Once I got to the far end I turned round and pulled the sled backwards for about 150 yards before completing the meadow length pulling the sled forwards holding the harness behind me. Knackering but awesome.

Then all I have to do is get the whole thing on my back and carry it home (whilst keeping Toffee out of trouble).

I find that although the work itself is very tiring, the recovery is fantastic - no aches or pains or muscle soreness - I think that this is because sled training is general concentric only training. Also, pulling on grass, especially a bumpy, horse trodden track as I do, is way more difficult than pulling on asphalt, concrete or artificial turf.

By way of a coincidence T-Nation published this article on Monday, a fantastic everything you need to start pulling a sled, even how to build one!

What are you waiting for, get pulling.

Hey McGlovin'!

Not really about training this one, but hopefully it'll be of some interest...

My original training was in kickboxing, starting out with the PKA (I'm not posting a link for them, they make enough money without any help from me) back in the late 1990s and as such I've been through quite a few pairs of boxing gloves over the years. With this in mind I thought I'd share some of my experiences of gloves.

Back in the day with the PKA, you had to buy equipment sanctioned and provided by them. This was a great way for instructors to make money and, you would hope, a way for the student to benefit from economies of scale that the PKA were able to tap in to. Not sure if this was ever the case as gloves, pads, etc. always seemed expensive compared to other brands that you could buy. Anyhow, this is how I, and countless others, ended up with T-Sport artificial leather 10oz gloves. In fairness we were training in 'Light-Continuous' kickboxing and maybe these gloves were up to the job. However, I wouldn't use them for anything else and training two-to-three times a week, plus bagwork, they soon gave up the ghost. I ended up getting mitts to use for bag and pad work, had to be T-Sport again of course, and soon moved on from these as the padding was woefully inadequate.

When I began training at Leicester Shoot Fighters the club gloves were all Blitz. Even though the gloves were used communally and took a hell of a pounding they lasted well and remained comfortable for hitting and being hit. It was based on this experience that I got myself a pair of the Blitz 14oz leather gloves. These are great gloves. The foam is solid but with plenty of give for sparring partners. The fit is fairly snug but feels supportive and secure rather than constrictive. I have quite wide hands but could still wrap my hands and get them on – wouldn't get a knuckle pad in as well though. They wear in nicely and without needing too long and also last well. My first pair were with me for about two years bag and pad work 3 – 4 times a week. I liked them so much I bought a second pair.

After the Blitz gloves I felt that it was time to invest in some proper muay thai gloves and dived in for a pair of Twins. Without doubt these are my favourite pair of gloves of all those that I've used. They are a little more expensive than generic/store brands but the quality is excellent – leather, stitching, padding, velcro all good quality giving the gloves great longevity even after plenty of abuse on the heavy bag and large maize ball. The fit for the Twins is good for wide hands like mine. As a heavy chap who hits fairly hard I like to use a gel knuckle pad under my wraps and the 14oz Twins accommodate this with no problems. Again I bought two pairs and still use a pair now.

The final pair I'll mention are my Fairtex 16oz leather. These are a different shape to the Twins but of a similar quality. If anything these are wider that the Twins and as such accommodate my hands + wraps + pads nicely. At present I've only used them for bagwork and they've stood up well to this. When I need new gloves it'll be a toss up between Fairtex and Twins.

I think with boxing gloves the old adage of 'you get what you pay for' runs true, buy nice or buy twice.

This week's training

This week's training has gone pretty well, this is just a quick post to outline it.

Sunday

Swiss Bar military press & Deadlift. Both of these are done in the 5/3/1 programme, this is '3' week so that means 3 x 70% of working max, 3 x 80%, max reps x 90%. Got 5 for the military press & 10 for the deadlifts.

Also did some romanian deadlifts.

Monday

Ten rounds of thai boxing on the heavy bag + core work of ab wheel rollouts and standing landmines.

Tuesday

Swissbar benchpress '3' week. 10 x 90%. Also inverted rows.

Wednesday

Barbell complexes for conditioning:
6 reps of each of stiff-leg deads, shrugs, squats, cleans, snatches, floor presses, bent over rows, military presses, curls.

Did 4 sets of these, not much time to train today.

Thursday

Rest

Friday

Trapbar lifts '3' week. Very tough, only got 4 on the last set. Did some power-cleans and hanging leg raises.

Gonna do some conditioning over the weekend - sled dragging, circuits, bag work.

Strong(er)

In terms of combat sports I'm a believer in the idea espoused by Straight Blast Gym and Rodney King (I heard it from Nathan Leverton at LSF) that training and competing should not be attribute driven. That is, the way in which you train and fight should not be based on your ability to move with lightning speed, deadlift 2000lbs or catch a fly with chop sticks. Rather, you should use techniques and skills that work no matter how fast, strong or flexible you are. For one thing, when you come across someone faster, etc. your weapons are largely negated.

Now, I'm also a realist and I know that physical attributes are going to determine a great deal of someone's fighting style. As a short man I'm not going to try and develop a game that involves maintaining distance with jabs and kicks – it'd only keep me within range of a taller fighter (everyone at my weight!).

With all this in mind I know that I'm pretty strong and that I've got a good strength base on which to build. So, I am working on maintaining and improving strength as it's always been a key part in the way I train and fight. That's not to say that I'm not working on improving conditioning, in fact this is the priority, just that strength isn't going out the window.

After really indulging in confused and semi-productive training for most of last year, I decided to embark on Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 course. Here's why:

1. It's proven to build strength.

2. It involves big, basic compound exercises.

3. It programmes your workouts so there's no 'what shall I do today?' when you get in to the weightroom.

4. You can be in and out of the gym in 30 – 45 mins.

5. You can train twice a week and get stronger.

6. Conditioning and flexibility are given importance.

7. It's proven to build strength (this bears repeating).

I started back in November last year and haven't looked back. I feel stronger and this is backed up by the numbers. For example, my deadlift has gone from 1 x 300lbs to 10 x 264lbs (haven't tested 1 rep max, don't feel the need). My trapbar deadlift has gone from 1 x 400lbs to 10 x 360lbs.

I'm enjoying my training and looking forward to them again, not getting in to the gym and thinking, 'don't feel like snatches, I'll just do some clean and presses at, er, um, 30kgs?'. I know where I'm going which is the whole point of my training at the moment: I have a goal.

If you're interested in 5/3/1 check it out here and buy it here. If you want to get strong you won't regret it.

How's it going?

This week's training has gone pretty well. At present I'm splitting the sessions between conditioning and strength training. I've set myself the goal of getting down from 240 to 205lbs to compete, heavy enough for someone who's 5'6".

I'm also not planning to return to Leicester Shoot until I've dropped 20lbs.

How am I doing this? Less food, more conditioning, good supplements.

No.1 Just eating less crap - biscuits, crisps, bread, desserts. Eating more fruit, drinking more water, etc.

No.2 At least three conditioning sessions a week. This week these have been sled dragging, SAID circuits and Bas Rutten thai boxing workouts. I also do sprints & barbell complexes.

No.3 Lots of fish oil, Zinc, Magnesium, a good multi vit and Gugglesterones (more about this later...)

The strength side of things is comprised of Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 programme. I'm on my sixth cycle of this and loving it. I'll write up some more on this another time, I gotta get some food and get to bed.

On my way to the cage...

Last year I got an idea that I wanted to have another amateur MMA fight before it was too late. It seemed to me that my last fight, a loss in the now defunct KSBO organisation, should not be the end for me.

Previously I had trained on and off at Leicester Shootfighters, from the time they were at DeMontfort University up until just before they moved to their own gym. Prior to this I had trained in kickboxing and Jiu Jitsu.

Although I hadn't trained at LSF for a while I had kept up some kickboxing and strength and conditioning work at home. But my training wasn't going anywhere. It was disordered, had few goals and was more and more about 'having a workout' rather than 'training'.

I love Mixed Martial Arts, have done for years, but I don't want to be just a fan. No disrespect to fans of the sport but I want to take part, I want to know what it's like to compete, even in my own little way.

So that's what I'm trying to do. Trying to compete a little, maybe with others, maybe with myself, maybe with the clock.

I want to prove that I can do it. I want to prove that other thirty and forty-something guys can find time amongst family, work, relationships and injury to be able to compete. Even if they don't actually get in the cage or the ring or on to the competitive mat.

So this blog is going to be about my journey. Maybe I'll make it, maybe I won't but it won't be through lack of trying.