I really enjoy this site so finally joined. Very cool forums because it has good info on the 2 things I really enjoy, lifting and martial arts.
I posted this here as I am really more into martial arts now that I am older (41). Lifting has now become a tool to for me to augment my martial arts training along with creative ways to improve cardio. However, that has not always been the case. I used to be a pretty serious powerlifter when I was younger.
I guess a little martial arts background on me. I started boxing when I was about 10 in Louisiana only because my uncle ran a boxing gym and that was free day care for my folks after school got out. I boxed around football and being a normal teenager till I was about 20 and then gave it up due to boxing injuries (broken nose/cracked rib/eye issue) and being in college. I was going to be a Marine officer after graduation of school but I ended up having to have surgery on the eye before graduation and I could not get my eyesight to meet their reqs post-op, so I got into the oilfield down in Houston, TX instead. I also got back into boxing through a trainer down in Galena Park, TX that was a family friend of my uncles. I would also box at my lifting gym because they had a heavy bag which is how I got into submission grappling. Met a dude that saw me on the bag and wanted to know stand-up stuff and in return he would share take-downs, wrestling, and submissions. I did no-gi stuff until my dumb arse finally watched enough UFC to wonder how I could get this mysterious black belt. So, I found an instructor and my world in a gi started about 6 years ago. Bounced around with just about every instructor in North Houston until I found my current coach who is a BJJ Black Belt under Royler Gracie (Gracie Humaita) and a Sambo black belt under Gokor. I am now a 4 stripe Blue in BJJ and about to get my Purple. We have had multiple fighters through our school and although I have trained with them and picked up some Muay Thai along the way, I have not stepped foot in a cage to compete. Tempted but haven’t given in. I do however do BJJ tournaments. My goal is to stay fit (currently 5’11" 220) and get my black belt in BJJ along the way.
Lurked for a while and it seems that there are some pretty salty dudes who know their stuff here. I hope I can contribute where I can.