So what's this all about?

I turn forty at the end of the year. Before I get there I want to have another amateur MMA fight. This blog is a record of how, and if, I manage to achieve this.

Friday, May 27, 2011

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.

Friday, May 20, 2011

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.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

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.

Monday, May 9, 2011

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.