Balancing school, lifting, BJJ, and life.

After a 7 year stretch of being a working stiff I decided it was high time to get my ass back in the class room to finish my degree.  Since I’ve been bogged down with homework, reading, quizzes, and exams.  Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has been put on the backburner, as has some of my other favorite things to do like watching fuckloads of T.V. and relaxing.  I’m serious about my relaxation time.  That’s one thing I give my all.

One thing I will not allow the pursuit of higher education to interfere with is getting fucking huge.  No siree.  I have to be competitive in someway or else I get really bored with life and generally cranky.  Lifting is a way for me to compete, not with others, but with myself.  That sort of sounds dirty.  Anyway, I’m also very weak and skinny.  I could probably drop a day of lifting and do BJJ instead but seriously if I ever get in a fight on the street I’m much more likely to lose by being overwhelmed by my opponent’s strength and speed, not by being technically or strategically outmatched.  I’m not sure if anyone agrees but being big and strong is a form of self defense.  Hell, if you look mean most times things won’t even escalate that far.

So my schedule is as follows:

M-F I work from 9-6PM

Monday -  Study.

Tuesday – Night class from 6:55-9:35PM

Wednesday – Lift weights; Study.

Thursday – BJJ (if I have a manageable level of homework); Study.

Friday – Lift weights;

Saturday – Class from 10-12:40PM; Study.

Sunday – Lift weights; Study.

 

New Years Resolutions take 2

Fitness

- Body fat below 10%/visible abs.  I’m currently at 11.5-12.5%.

- Squat 270 lbs (Current is 200)

- Dead lift 400 lbs (Current is unknown but a few years ago I did 315 lbs.  I can’t imagine I’m much stronger.)

- Bench 240 lbs (Current is unknown but I’d guess it’s around 185 lbs.)

Academics

- Straight A’s

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

- Attend class 2-4 times weekly

- Compete twice

General

- Continue Paleo eating

- Attend one float trip and/or camp during the summer

- Go on vacation

 

Blue Belt!

Well, after 33 months of training (had to take 8 months off due to a shoulder injury) I’m finally a blue belt.  I haven’t had a chance to don my new belt because I’ve been resting up from the “test” but next week I’ll be back in the gym ready to go.

I’ve been training under Rodrigo Vaghi in St. Louis, Missouri the last 33 months but I actually began my grappling training in October of 2004 under Rick Brumby who ran an MMA and Kenpo Karate school.  There I learned the very basics but when Rick’s school was demolished by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005 I began training no-gi with Alan Belcher and a bunch of other really tough guys at Remix MMA.

In terms of straight grappling Rodrigo has been the best trainer I’ve ever worked with.  He’s detail oriented and pushes to get the most out of us.  I really appreciate all the training partners I’ve had over the years, though.  I can say with absolute certainty I’ve learned something from everyone that has taken an interest in me.

Starting Monday I’m going to take a focused approach to my training, working something new I’ve learned rather than aimlessly rolling.  Off the top of my head I know my wrestling needs the most work.  I’d really like to add something to my half guard, too.  Having great technique is only a part of the puzzle though.  I’m also making strides to improve my strength and conditioning and diet.

Here’s to a new era in my training!

4 classes this week!

This was the first week I have made 4 classes in about a year.  It feels great to set a goal and actually meet it for once.  Monday was technique, followed by three sparring classes on Tuesday, Thursday, and today (Saturday).  I’ve also been dieting, so I’m down 3-5 pounds this week.

Training well, working hard.

The beginning of the month started off rocky between a minor elbow injury and pure laziness, but I’ve finally hit a groove in m training.  My new personal training schedule is one technique day, 2-3 sparring days a week.  Making the change from two technique days and 1 sparring day a week has revitalized my fervor for BJJ.  Since I don’t get off work until 6PM and always getting to class with only a few minutes of the warm-up left I never get a good cardio work-out, but that will all change with the shift to more sparring days, which don’t conflict at all with my work schedule.

Unlike the other Jiu Jiteros with New Years Resolutions I’m not working on anything specific.  Right now I’m trying to perfect my diet and make as many classes as I can with the hopes of attending the Arnolds this year.  That’s not to say I’m aimlessly rolling, though.  I’ve recently re-thought my philosophy on BJJ which is discussed in an earlier post.  From the guard I’m mostly looking to sweep and fight from side mount or mount.  I’m also trying to work more chokes in my game.  To paraphrase a great BJJ player whose name I cannot remember thus prompting the question: what makes him so great?  Tough people can fight through arm locks and heel hooks.  No one can fight out of a tight choke without eventually succumbing.  Actually, I’m pretty sure no great BJJers have ever said that.  I think I just made that up right now on the spot.

Oh yeah, and thanks to all these strong motherfuckers at the gym ripping all my gi pants I’m going to show up to class wearing no-gi shorts and a kimono.  I’m not even sure why I’m including that in this post.

Back to training on Monday.

The holidays have done very little to help my BJJ game.  Right around Thanksgiving I lost 5 pounds, but have since quit dieting and taken a short hiatus from training all-together.  I’ve purposely avoided a scale.

Monday kicks off what should be an exciting 4-5 months of BJJ training.  First, I’ve completely changed the way I look at submission grappling.  As of this post I am primarily a guard player, meaning I fight from my back a lot.  After re-thinking about why I started Jiu Jitsu in the first place (MMA and self-defense) I’m going to refocus my training to take downs and attacks and transitions from the top.  Guard work will consist of 80% sweeps, 20% submissions.  This will be tough, but also very fun, since most of this is brand new to me – especially the take downs.

I plan on doing 3-4 days of BJJ and 1-2 cardio/strength days a week.  This should sufficiently prepare me for the Arnold’s which I believe is in March.  It will be my first major tournament and hopefully one where I can perform to my potential.

To switch things up every once in a while I might take a few boxing lessons.  I’ve been wanting to get back into stand-up for about two years, but have been waiting for the recession to end before taking on more bills.  A few boxing lessons a month won’t break our pocket book, though, and should keep my routine from becoming stale.