Immediately thought of this…
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haha! I need to brush up on Simpsons (and Family Guy/Southpark), I got behind 6-7 years ago and never caught up.
Thursday
- I think I did chest
Friday
- Company party. Didn’t work, but was gone all day with family
Saturday
- Med ball carries down driveway and back (approx. 60’)
- 10 sets with 100 and 150lb med balls, with 10 squats at bottom of driveway
- I turned this into a fun game. My kids all grabbed 25-50% of the BW in implements (25lb plate, 45lb DB, 10lb plate) and did it with me. I sprinted up the driveway on each set. Absolutely brutal.
- 2 sets of lunges up the driveway with 25lbs in each arm
- 3x15 leg ext
Sunday
- Five 120 yard hill sprints
- One 120 yard backwards hill sprint (yes, running backwards)
- One 120 yard high knees hill sprint
- Two sets of max pull-ups, with 30 second hang
General Notes
- Both Sat/Sun workouts absolutely killed me. Think I’ve pushed myself right up to that limit. My legs/hips are sore and kinda 50/50 on bjj tomorrow.
- Running up the hill for 120 sucks ass. Running up the hill 120 yards backwards is a whole other level. Running up the hill doing high knees is absolute death
- Sprinting up my driveway with a 150lb med ball nearly made me puke. You have to squeeze it to not let go, but squeezing it pushes against your stomach. No winning, just grinding. I was really impressed with how fast I was moving (equal to lvl 5-6 on treadmill)
EDIT: forgot to mention.. Saturday night I did an arm workout. 7x10-12 curls and triceps rope pulldowns. I’ve also religiously cold plunged and sauna’d every night.
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Monday
Midday BJJ Class
- First day of back module. Started with basic hand fighting, then moved into escapes, focusing on hands. We move into using legs next week and different leg positions (body triangle, short hooks, cross body, butterfly, etc.)
- A few good rounds. I’m not getting subbed by folks much anymore. I’m figuring out guard a bit better and working passing
- I don’t really try to sub people, I’m focusing more on control and maintaining connections as I pass
- Hit a pretty sweet butterfly sweep, which felt good as mechanics are slightly different without grips. It was the type of sweep where someone immediately flips on their back and break falls hard, vs. the slow controlled tipping over
Evening
I did some light shoulders work. Lateral raises and KB presses. Not a full workout, just a nice pump
10 Round Tuesday
- Big group today
- I gave blood around 230, so was trying hard to get sugar and water back into system before class
- I only got 8 rounds in, as had to take a few off due to cramping in calves, hamstrings and hip
- Only subbed by one person, who’s a good brown belt. I did tap to a straight ankle lock, but simply because my opponent didn’t tuck is foot in ashi, instead he push it into my manhood. I’m not trying to be a eunuch, so tapped the second his foot pushed
- Spent a lot of time dominating rolls, looking to maintain passing, shelf the arm in side control, flow between mount, technical mount, quarter guard, knee on belly, etc. as my opponent flails
- Also let a few folks take side control, so I could feel the way they pressure and look for escapes. Hit a few rolls out of side control, by flaring my legs. I caught an opponents leg one time and ended up in a sweet leg entanglement, where I held the heel but let it go when they didn’t even do basic escape attempts
Overall really good. Won’t be able to train today (Wednesday) at midday class. I have to cover for someone at work.
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I really don’t remember much last few days.
Sunday
Pullups
5x12
Cable Row
4x12
KB Crossbody Row
4x10x85lb
Med Ball Holds
2x180seconds w/150lb ball
- I head to Maine on Saturday for Origin Camp. Trying my best to stay loose and not overdo it with lifting or training. Spending time on recovery and working on flexibility.
- I have a redeye up to BOS, going to see a friend, catch a game at Fenway on Sunday, then drive up. Just need to get through this work week.
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10 Round Tuesday
- I finished my last round feeling run down and frustrated. Not terribly happy with my game or BJJ in general
- The guy who’s about my size asked me afterwards if I did anything cool. I shrugged that I did a few sweeps, but more or less no
- Got home and thought about it and realized, I did hit a few butterfly sweeps, including kicking out posted legs when they tried to defend. I also did a much better job of holding their arm and upper body when I come over to land it top mount vs. losing control of arm and neck and giving them my foot for SX or creating a scramble
- I hit a hip bump sweep from knee shield
- Didn’t get subbed against anyone lower than brown
- Hit a few subs: technical mount Americana, arm bar x2, RNC
- Most of my frustrations likely stem from fact that there are 8-15 people at 10 round Tuesday and 8+ of them are brown belts who have been training for 10-18 years. They all share the same coach, who never promotes to black belt (former UFC belt holder who doesn’t like sport BJJ). My coach falls into this camp as well (3-4 year brown belts).
- There are also no dad bod type folks here. Everyone lifts and everyone has visible abs except maybe 3, but they are all solid fit heavy weights
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Back from Origin camp, and damn, what a blast.
Saturday: I flew out on Saturday afternoon via redeye to Boston.
Sunday: Landed early morning. Drove around for 3 hours, before getting breakfast with one my best friends from MS-HS who I haven’t seen since my wedding. Then said our goodbyes and I went to Fenway to see the park. I bought a ticket and got in when gates opened to walk around and soak it all in. Had to head out, sadly, before game started to head to Maine and pick up buddy from airport. Got in around 6pm, had a quick dinner, signed in for camp and went to first session at 730pm.
Monday: I ended up hurting my knee pretty good while drilling a knee cut pass, where you dig your leg into opponent’s thigh. I was doing too good of a job and my buddy moved his leg and I dive bombed it into the mat bruising my knee cap and MCL. I didn’t train at afternoon or evening session, as I could barely walk.
Tuesday: Just watched morning session. By Afternoon session, I had pushed through and was good for rest of camp.
Wed-Fri - Just damn good sessions. Folks from Legion showed up as special guests (Sloan, Paige and Miha). I picked up some really good techniques on back control, locking in arm bars and leg attacks. Miha is an absolute freak. I watched him submit a Masters 1 multi-pans winner and former collegiate wrestler like he was nothing. First sub came 15 seconds in, after deadly judo takedown and guard pass.
General Notes
- Was able to bunk with all my friends from TX. We had a blast. Made a bunch of new friends
- My hands hurt horribly from using a gi again.
- I didn’t even bother wearing a belt to most sessions and it paid off. During open mat times, it’s hard for me to get rounds, despite 100 people on mats, because I’m 6’4” 245lbs and a blue belt. Most don’t want to take the risk I’m a spaz, unless they watched me do a round. I always get feedback that I play a 5’4” person game and am super gentle, yet brutal
- In general, I do not take rounds with people I don’t know that are White/Blue belts at camp. Given my size, it’s like hunting season for egos of people who want to prove they’re the best at that belt level. That said, I went against a Wander Braga 17yo blue belt approached me one night. He is my height and probably 200lbs soaking wet. He went full retard on me. Acted like it was Worlds championship match. I swept him, he went to SX, I sat and he went for a heel hook (fucking chump, we were wearing a gi), but a black belt yelled at him to stop that. I wasn’t worried tho, because my knee was mostly free. He then went for a toe hold. At that point, I flipped his leg over, rolled him into knee shield and then took my front leg and slammed the fuck out of his rib cage, while holding his lapel. We end up finish round in a stale mate, he shakes my hand and walks away. I then get 2 more rounds in and he comes right back over for round 2. Round 2 was even more wild. Lots of movement, sub attempts, guard passes, inversions, etc. He got mount on me, I pushed him up to high mount, then held him up and wrapped my legs around his waist and slammed in back. Two times I had straight ankles that were locked in and I was ripping. I went 80% on them and let them go, because I don’t need to tear a 17y/o’s knee. Ended as a stale mate.
- I didn’t get subbed by on brown/black belt the whole camp. Felt like my stuff just really worked. A black belt who rolled over me last year got caught by a choi. I couldn’t finish it, but turned it into a back take that he rolled out of and into my closed guard, before I arm dragged and took his back again. He was fighting through a bow and arrow when time expired
- All around good times. Good food, great lessons. No complaints. Signed up again for next year. I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts later.
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Here’s a cool inversion out of quarter guard.
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After recent weeks/months all no-gi, it would have been different for sure getting back in the gi I bet. Nice writeup, hope the knee’s all ok!
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It sure was! There were a quite a few times where I was like, oh, I can just use your lapel. One other time, my guard was being passed and I remembered I could untuck opponents gi, wrap it around their arm and kick my leg into it to push them off.. I turned that into backside 50/50 and proceeded to not heel hook them lmao
Tuesday
Low incline Bench
20x135
20x155
10x185
3x2x225
15x135
Tricep Pull downs
50
Thursday Morning
Pull Ups
3x5 - Elbow pain in left elbow.. which actually reminds me. My left elbow felt like I had pitched a nine inning game every night at camp. Almost like it’s a candidate for Tommy John.
Cable Rows
3x15
KB Rows
3x18x60lbs
- It’s been harder to be consistent for a few reasons. last week before school starts. My 2 yo is going to better later. Working at night. Getting to office before 7, instead of working out in morning. Hoping next week reshuffles deck back to normal.
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Friday
OHP
3x5x135
KB Press
2x20x60lb
Cable Press
3x15
Lateral raises and plate raises
50 each
- triceps kind of hurt after each set
- Still going easy after camp. Last year my back and hips were super tight and had to take nearly a month off
- Should be much better after yesterday. Keeping liquid high, stretching a lot and moving to prevent stiffness
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Never a big fan of this kind of thing.
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I thought you weren’t a fan of belts.
Ya, this part seems lame. There’s no reason to hold them back. None of them compete in promotions that are belt based (ADCC and super fights). My coach has had his own school for over 3 years, brown belt the whole time.
Ya, I’m not. I really don’t need it or think about it. There’s a few camps, ime, those who chase belts, those who need the recognition for motivation and those who don’t care. I don’t care, as BJJ is a therapeutic outlet and artistic expression (in a way) for me. Artistic in, I like to do 70% flow rolls, where movement is constant, moves are technical and exploring entries. Therapeutic in the sense that I bottle up all my frustration, stress, anger, etc. and can let it all out in a way lifting and conventional sports never gave me.
When at Origin, my buddies joked with me that they’ll all (likely) be brown/black belts in 2-4 years, while I’ll still be chilling on blue belt mats.
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Monday
Cable Flies - 3x10
- Just a little chest warmup before benching
High incline wide grip bench
10x135, 10x155, 10x175, 3x5x185, 9x185 (normal grip)
- Benching on a yoke allows me to take a super wide grip
- Felt fairly strong here
Rope Tricep Pulldown - 50 reps
General:
- First day of school for kids tomorrow. 3-4 will be in school for first time. Will give me a lot more flexibility to hit gym mid day
- Weight is down to 233 last few mornings. Have 13 to go in next few weeks for tournament. Although no one has registered in my weight/age/belt. I may just join an open absolute >180lbs for the exp.
- Knee is good, but a bit pain when shifting weight to inside. Going to go to 10 round Tuesday tomorrow, which will be first time on mats since Origin
- Apparently, today is my 15 year (with this account) T nation Bday
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The beauty of grappling is that reality is always just a ten-minute roll away. That said, I’ve seen more than one instance of a long time brown belt suddenly “deserving” their black belt because they just won a big MMA fight or because they are about to move away. The latter really gets me: I understand it from a certain perspective. But there’s something a little sad about it, too.
Coming from traditional martial arts, I have an appreciation for the idea behind the belt system. I still think it is visually cool to see someone in a white gi with a white belt put on a blue belt for the first time. I always say: everyone who shows up (no small feat) gets a white belt; the blue belt is the first one you earn.
Great to read your write-up about the camp. It’s one heck of an endorsement!
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I’ve seen this twice. One was a blue belt and the other was a black belt. I agree, kind of sad. Particularly for the black belt, as they had spent a lot of time coaching and doing the right things to only get it after he made decision to leave. For the other, I’m pretty sure he manipulated his way to it.
Mats never lie. As is said “After I’m dead I’d rather have people ask why I have no monument than why I have one.”
On another note.. what have you done about cauliflower ear? I don’t mind it, but my left ear is starting to get it on the inside, which is making earbuds start to be uncomfortable. There’s got to be a way to force it to grow around the earbuds, right?
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Tuesday Morning
530 wakeup - Cold Plunge and 30 Pullups
10 Round Tuesday
- Warm up round with new guy who has been training for 4-5 years. Solid player. We warmed up by 2 minutes of guard retention. I took it as he would try and pass my guard and I would try to retain. He took it as, I’m going to play guard and sweep you. I went first playing guard and he passed 2 times. Then I went to pass and he went 100% going to sweeps and leg entries. Ha, ok.
- First real round was with one of the women who is 6’ and roughly 170lbs. I just went light and worked guard, got leg entry sweeps and submitted her with a technical mount Americana. It’s something I”ve been working on lately.
- Second round was against big 17 year brown belt. I had two really good entries, First was as he tried to pass, I let him move to N/S. I had my right knee against his chest, grabbed his left arm and inverted up to a belly down choi bar. I rolled him on his back, then he did brown belt magic to end up on top of me, while I held his arm. I tried to wrist lock as hard as I could, but he escaped. Later in round I got SX, turned my outside leg in to reap, which turn him away. I pinned his heel to his butt and sat up in ham sandwich. He later told me he was super close to tapping on it as I went to try and take his back. In hindsight, I just wasn’t quite tight enough to get the sub or fully take his back as he rolled out of it.
- Rest of rounds were good. I hit two Peruvian neckties (thanks to Origin camp purple belt who showed me) and hit a straight ankle from saddle’ish position. My second leg was extended and opponent was trying to get a straight ankle, that angle is really bad and there wasn’t any pressure, meanwhile, I had the cross body straight ankle on my opponent and hit it hard and fast (thanks Dean Lister).
- My knee was fairly weak from a pummeling stand point. Need some BPC 157 and more band work.
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Wednesday
Morning cold plunge and .2mile farmer carry up street with 60lb KB in each hand.
Thursday
Midday gym session
Pull-ups
2x10
Chest Supported Row
5x10
Free Weight Machine Lat Pulldown
4x10
Cable Row
3x12
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Friday late night
Pull-ups - 3x8
Seated OHP - 3x10x135
Lateral raises - 3x18
- finished up in sauna for 15 minutes
- Started around 930, but wanted to get something in
Saturday morning
Ice bath for 5 minutes
Pull-ups - 3x10
Seated OHP
10x135
8x155
3x1x175
Lateral raises - 3x15
Farmers carries
2x3xdown driveway and back with 60lbs in each hand
- Roughly 30 yards each way. So 180 yards each set
- Pull-ups feel great. I’m going to start adding weight
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Sunday Night
Quad Extensions
25, 30, 50, 50, 50, 50
- Long ass sets, pushing through for quad pump and knee movement
- My knee is much better, but don’t want to overload it on squats quite yet. It’s still a bit unstable to the inside (MCL).
Pullups
1x5 +25 lbs
2x3 + 25lbs
- Weighted pull-ups felt really good. I was surprised I could get 5 the first set
Monday Morning
5 minute cold plunge a 37F
KB Swings
3x25x85lb
Pull Ups
3x3 +25 lbs
- Considering I weigh between 233-243, +25lb pull-ups feel really good. I struggled to get 5 my first set and 3 on subsequent sets with just body weight earlier this year.
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