My Eye!!!

This is not my eye but mine probably looked pretty much the same last week. More on that in a little bit.

The last 9 days of training have gone fairly well, the only bump in the road was getting some rust flakes in my eye during my boxing workout last Tuesday. It was very hot that day and initially I just thought that I got some sweat in my eye. As the day continued it started to hurt more and I thought maybe I'd gotten a scratch on my cornea (it's happened before and usually heals in a day). Wednesday it was worse and by the end of the day I knew I needed to get it looked at.

Thursday my wife was able to get me into an Ophthalmologist and he found the metal in my eye. To get the flakes out I had to face the fear of having a needle in my eye (and for 10 minutes). The rest of the day it hurt even more than before (after the numbing agent wore off). By Saturday it was 90% better.

O.K., now on to the work I did over the past 9 days:

Sunday 8/8/10
Rest – but lots of yardwork

Monday 8/9/10
EDT 10min. PR
OH Squat (65lb.): 5, 5, 5, 5, 3, 2
Push-ups: 15, 10, 10,10, 8, 7

Slip Line 2x3min/45sec
Maize Bag 2x3mn/45sec

Tuesday 8/10/10
Boxing
3x3min/1min for each of following: Speed bag, Top and Bottom Bag, Heavy Bag
Felt stinging in my right eye during workout but just thought it was sweat in my eye.

Wednesday 8/11/10
EDT 10min PR
Deadlift (185lb): 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 7, 7, 5
Pull-ups: 5, 5, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

Slip Line 2x3min/45sec
Maize Bag 2x3mn/45sec
Increase Deadlift to 205lbs next workout
Right eye much worse today – bad open or closed and very sensitive to light.

Thursday 8/12/10
Boxing
I planned to do 3x3min/1min for each of following: Speed bag, Top and Bottom Bag, Heavy Bag but had to take off due to eye (metal/rust flakes in right eye).

Friday 8/13/10
Eye is still very painful but getting better. Postponed workout until Sat.

Saturday 8/14/10
Eye is finally about 90% better. Planned on a 15 minute EDT workout of Cleans and Overhead Presses but due to a neck spasm did a 10 minute EDT workout of:
Pull-ups: 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 3
Push-ups: 14, 12, 10, 8, 8, 8, 5, 5, 10

Sunday 8/15/10
Rest

Monday 8/16/10
EDT 15min PR
Cleans (85lbs): 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 8, 8, 5
OH Presses (75lbs): 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 3, 5, 2, 4, 2
Increase cleans to 105lbs for next workout

Tuesday 8/17/10
3x3min/1min Top and Bottom Bag
3x3min/1min Heavy Bag

All in all going pretty well. I'll be doing measurements on this coming Sunday or Monday to see how I'm progressing toward my goals (I do know that I've lost about an inch on my waist (at belly button level).

Workout format

Yesterday I rested in anticipation of doing the Bootcamp this morning but since I never got a call from the trainer confirming the time I didn’t go.

I’m switching my workout format to a more organized one. For my resistance training I’m going to use the EDT format (Escalated Density Training) on Mon., Wed., Fri. along with boxing skill training on those days. Tues. and Thurs. will be my heavy boxing days (Sat. we’ll factor in later).

I’ve decided to use the EDT format because: 1.) I’ve never trained that way before, 2.) It looks like a good training format. My first 3 workouts with it will be 10 minute routines, then up to 15 minute routines for the next week. I’ll judge then whether to add a second PR Zone to each of those workouts.

For those of you unfamiliar with the EDT format I’ll give a super brief explanation:

Each workout consists, generally, of 2 PR Zones each is 15-20 minutes long and each consists of 2 exercises. The weight is generally your 10RM for that exercise. You begin by doing 5 reps of each of the 2 exercises followed by a short rest and repeat until time is up. The objective is to do as many repetitions of each exercise as possible in the time allotted (you need to keep a record so you know what to beat when you repeat the workout).

I did my first EDT workout this morning:

10min. PR Zone

• Cleans (75lb.): 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
• OH Press (65lb.): 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 5
  

Weights were a bit light so need to increase Clean to 95lb. OH Press to 75lb. for next Friday (when I repeat this workout but with 15 minutes).

Getting back in shape!!!

My training this year has been sporadic to say the least. I lost my last training partners in the fall and winter due to my injuries and their job changes. Now it’s time to get going again. I’m motivated and I’ve already started to get myself back into fighting shape.

Over the next 6 weeks I am working hard to:

• Cut the belly/body fat (back down to 15% from 20.8%)
• Get back into fighting shape:
• Cardio fit test from 32 down to 28
• Max Push-up from 29 to 40
• And the subjective measure of feeling comfortable with 4 full/heavy rounds on the heavy bag.

So far this week I’ve accomplished the following:

Monday 8/2/10

Superset 1 (5 sets)

Bench Press – flat, pause on chest, rep range 6-10, went up to 165lbs

Wide grip pull ups – min. 8 reps, last 3 sets with assistance

Superset 2 (3 sets)

DB Incline Press – 50lb dumbbells

Single arm bent Row – 60lb dumbbell

Tuesday 8/3/10

5 sets OH Squat working up to 125lb doubles

5 sets Snatch working up to 135lb singles

2 Supersets of 2 min rounds (no rest)

• Maize bag, Slip line, Speed bag (1 round each lead)

2 x 3min/1min heavy bag (1 round each lead mainly working jab and distance, last 30sec each round continuous punching)

Wednesday 8/4/10

High fatigue today, ended up making it a rest day

Thurday 8/5/10

Fitness Testing:

Nordic Track Treadmill Fit-Test: 32

Max sit-up in 60sec: 35

Max Push-up: 29

Deadlift working to 1RM: 5x135, 4x225, 5x245, 2x265, 1x275, 1x285

Boxing

3x3min/1min Top and Bottom Bag (last 30sec each round keeping very busy)

3x3min/1min Heavy Bag (last 30sec each round continuous punching)

(Roman Chair sit-ups between all rounds: 10, 10, 7, 5, 5, 5)

Back Again

It's been a busy summer but I'm still in action here, even though I haven’t posted in quite a while. First a little update on my 30 day challenge:

Below are my starting stats:

• Weight 165lbs
• Waist at belly button 36”
• Snatch test 55
• Pull-ups 9
• Push-ups 25

My ending stats were:

• Weight 163lbs
• Waist at belly buttom 34"
• Snatch test 65
• Pull-ups 12
• Push-ups 30

My next goal is the http://www.menshealthurbanathlon.com/

I have some new inspiration due to attending a seminar with the legendary Dan Inosanto last weekend, as usual it was a mental overload (in addition to it being a hard workouot, I'm still sore from it). He covered Indonesian Silat, Filipino stick and knife and JKD concepts. It's been probably 10 to 15 years since I've been to one of his seminars and I'm still amazed by how much knowledge one person can have. It's also amazing to see what a trained fighter/martial artist can do at 73 years of age - I also think of when I first met him and he was around my age now and his ability and conditioning then far surpasses mine now so now its time to knuckle down and get the work done.

This year has been a tough one for me and probably most of you reading this. I’ve had many friends lose their jobs or forced to take lower pay for the job that they are doing. At the start of the year my clinic was in trouble, I thought I even might be forced to close and go work for someone else to make ends meet.

Due to all this stress I’d virtually stopped working out. I’m always motivated by the people I work out with…but…they weren’t coming any more because of financial and time problems (the same problems most of us are all facing). I was “in a hole” and knew I had to “Get myself back in the Game”.

I hate feeling I’m out of shape and now I am so… so I’m doing a 30 day health/fitness challenge and I’m using it as an example of what you can do for yourself following this basic format. Its pretty bare bones but that’s the point. I want it to be simple so anyone can do it. Getting back in shape doesn’t need to require much time you just need to do something active that you like doing – and keep doing it.

Walking, jogging, playing tag with your kids (this can be pretty tough), Wii Fit (it may not get you outside but it gets you moving and it includes some objective measures so you can see your progress).

What you DON’T need:

• A gym membership
• A fancy home gym or full set of weights
• Spending hours a day busting your butt

If you have the time and money for these things then great but if you don’t then you needn’t worry. You can make great strides in a short time with minimal or no equipment.

What you DO need:

• A living breathing body (yours)
• A desire to feel better
• About 30 minutes a day to get up and do something

A Guide for the 30 day challenge:

• Find an activity you like doing AND DO IT 5-6 days a week (or you can mix up some different activities).
• DO IT for ½ hour a day. Some of you may need to work up to this, that’s not a problem, just start with what you can do and keep it up. If you’re unable to do 30 minutes start with 5 and work up week to week. You will actually make much more progress in 30 days than those who find 30 minutes of activity easy, and you’re measurements will prove it.
• Diet: focus on whole foods especially fruits and vegetables (at least a serving every meal). I’ll go into more detail week to week over the next 30 days with tips and tricks to help you reach your goals and be healthier.

To really make the most of this 30 day challenge you need to do 2 additional things (Set Goals and Measure them).

• Set some concrete goals (these need to be measurable like: how fast you can cover a set distance, max pushups or other exercise or even just fitting into a pair of pants that you want to wear).
• Make measurements, before and after so you can see how much progress you’ve made. Without some way to measure how far you’ve come it’s easy to get bored or discouraged

If you need some help with goals or how to measure them feel free to email me at meehantp@netzero.net just be sure to include “30 Day Challenge” in the Subject portion of your email.

I encourage all of you to post your goals, thoughts or comments under comments below.

My goals:

• Lower my body fat – I can’t find my calipers so I’m using abdominal girth measured around the waist at the belly button.
• Increased work capacity – I’m using the 5 minute Kettlebell snatch test for this and total snatches as my measure.

For the diehards – I’m not using an official snatch test, I’m using a 16kg kettlebell and switching hands every 10 snatches (the official test uses a 24kb kettlebell with only 1 hand switch). I have never done a 5 minute snatch test before and won’t be training specifically for it but it’s still a good measure.

• Max Pull-ups and Max Push-ups.

In addition I am taking pictures and body weight measurements (I won't show you the pictures until this whole thing is done. My non-measurable goals are to get to where I feel comfortable in the ring again.

I started back last week with kettlebell and boxing training and I want you to see what you can accomplish in just one month of training. On June 1st I took measurements filmed my efforts and took pictures of myself.

Below are my starting stats:

• Weight 165lbs
• Waist at belly button 36”
• Snatch test 55
• Pull-ups 9
• Push-ups 25

I’ll have video up soon, can’t find the charger for my camera so I can’t put up the video I have of my start until then.

Diet and new videos

One week into Precision Nutrition . So far I feel great. It has been an adjustment; I am more accustomed to a lower carbohydrate diet with more fat (generally ketogenic levels). In addition, I’m more accustomed to fewer meals (usually 4 plus some low carb snacks), as well as a lot less vegetables and fruits (which everyone needs to eat more of). Currently I am eating 5-6 meals a day with a serving of vegetables or fruit with every meal and focusing on whole food (minimally processed). I don’t like very many vegetables so I’ve kept it to broccoli, cauliflower and spinach (trying to stay away from starchy veggies). My first day or two was a little tough since the volume of food was a bit to high for me – I’ve lowered my meal sizes to make it a bit easier (now I don’t feel so full all the time).

Some things I have learned – get your first meal early (don’t put it off, at the very least you’ll be over hungry later and be tempted to snack on bad stuff), keep up prepping food (cook enough brown rice, quinoa, chicken breasts, etc), keep fresh fruit around (just in case you feel the need to snack – better to eat real food than crackers, processed food, etc).

My weight is stable, currently between 160-165. Weight loss is not a goal for me, fat loss, muscle/strength gain and better energy are my goals, so the scale doesn’t tell me that much.

So far Precision Nutrition seems to be a great fighters diet, plenty of complete protein to sustain your muscle, and lots of micronutrients from whole food. I am still using supplements – 3 a day multivitamin, vitamin C, magnesium, vitamin D (it is cold and flu season and sun exposure is minimal) as well as plenty of fish oil.

My current supplemental workouts are focused on Rippetoe and Kilgore’s Starting Strength routine because my limit strength is low right now (and I miss focusing on the basic barbell exercises). I am taking a short break from the Crossfit WOD (Workout of the Day) to work on my strength base before going back to the WOD’s.

I am working on a 4 part video series, to be posted on this blog, on using the Heavy Bag as a Training Partner – in other words using it to develop your offense and defensive skills. Pounding away on the bag is a great workout but for fight training you need more than that – you need to train with the bag like it’s a live opponent and not just hit it mindlessly. Most people just use the heavy bag to punch away thinking it’s just a conditioning tool but it can be used for so much more. Stay tuned!

Beta-Alanine

Quick update on my Beta-alanine experiment. Due to a few injuries that I experienced during my three week trial I was unable to complete the full trial (I couldn't train or go all out while injured). I will offer a few insights into taking Beta-alanine:

1. Its easier to take the full dose all at once (not divided throughout the day.
2. The tingling sensation can be very annoying and may interfere with training.

My first few days I followed the recommendation of taking multiple small doses throughout the day to minimize the tingling sensation - didn't work (pills I had were 800mg) and I had the tingling feeling all day which made me rather irratable. When I changed to taking the full dose all at once - the tingling level was the same but only lasted a few hours as opposed to all day long.

While the tingling sensation is harmless it is annoying and may take your focus away from training or possibly during a fight.

I will be trying this supplement again in the future to give it a fair trial.

Beta-alanine

Beta-alanine is a promising supplement for combat athletes, the research is encouraging but not a lot has been published so far. I am intrigued by beta-alanine and its potential for improving high intensity workouts, especially work capacity and that is the reason for this experiment. If it is able to significantly improve work capacity, by delaying fatique, it would certainly increase fighting capacity. As a result, I decided to be my own guinea pig. My experiment will run for 3 ½ weeks (limited by my supply of beta-alanine). To test whether it is effective at improving work capacity I’m using a benchmark workout from Crossfit –Fran which consists of back to back sets of Pull-ups and Thrusters at 21, 15, 9 reps per set and done for time. I did “Fran” this morning using 75 pounds for Thrusters and started supplements after the workout. After my 25 day trial I will perform Fran again and compare times. My diet and training will be no different than it is currently (low/reduced carb diet, and workouts of boxing, muay thai and Crossfit).

My supplements over the next 3 ½ weeks will be as follows:
Beta-alanine
4800mg/day, day’s 1-7
3200mg/day, day’s 8-25
Creatine
10g/day, day’s 1-7
5g/day, day’s 8-25

This is purely a “Case Study” since I’m the only subject and I’m not controlling for every conceivable factor (knowing I’m on the supplement I may push harder than usual and over train or just be more vigilant about my training and diet). It’ll be interesting to see the results.

Baseline “Fran” from this morning: 9:40 minutes
I’ll post final results on October 8th – after performing “Fran” again.

If you have any possitive or negative experience with beta-alanine and fight training share by posting to "Comments" below.

(Post comments, suggestions or questions to "Comments" below)

Staying Hydrated

If you want your workouts to be more enjoyable (easier) and perform at your best you will need to stay hydrated. A loss of just 5% of your body weight in sweat is enough to significantly decrease your performance (that works out to 7.5 lbs for a 150 pound person). Even a loss of 2% (3lbs for a 150 pound person) can result in a reduction in your performance, as well as placing greater stress on your heart. In addition, all of us remember the Gatorade advertisements stating that thirst is a poor guide for hydration.

Maintaining hydration is especially important when engaging in longer duration exercise in hot weather (greater than an hour) or even high intensity exercise for a shorter period of time. These are just guidelines – the harder you exercise the greater the sweat loss and the more you need to drink (water and electrolytes). Electrolyte replacement is especially important if you are a salty sweater (do you get white salt stains on your cloth’s? – then you need to replace more electrolytes, especially sodium).

The first step in staying hydrated during exercise is to stay hydrated during the rest of the day. As a minimum you should be drinking a half-gallon of water (or at least total fluid – not counting alcohol) over the course of the day. If needed, you can flavor water with sugar free drink mixes or mix juice half and half with water. Drinking flavored water has repeatedly been found to increase fluid intake (most of us can down a glass of juice or other beverage faster and with greater ease than the same volume of plain water). PowerBar now makes an electrolyte drink mix that is a good low carb alternative for the electrolytes that you loose in sweating (think Gatorade without the sugar). Chilling your drinks also helps increase consumption, especially on hot days.

It is actually better to drink small amounts over the whole day instead of drinking all your water in just a few sittings – this is because too much water at once just results in more of it being lost in urination.

I make it a practice to keep 32 and 16oz refillable bottles of water in my refrigerator at home and the office. Anything larger than that becomes warm before I can drink the whole thing (some people I know use just use 8 oz bottles).

Hydration during workouts:

Prior to your workout

• When to eat – any meal should be eaten at least 2 hours before your workout, to soon before your workout and you could end up with cramps, nausea or worse vomiting. What you eat is something you’ll have to experiment with, as a general rule eat something light and easy to digest. – you will want to experiment with what you can eat before your workouts to find out what you can tolerate.
• About 2 hours before your workout drink 17oz of water or sports drink.
• Weigh your self as soon before your workout as possible and record it!
  

During your workout

• Aim for about 8 ounces every 20 minutes. You may need to adjust this depending on weight lost during previous workouts as well as your opportunity to drink during your workout (between rounds have a bottle handy that you can drink from with your gloves on).
• On workouts longer than one hour you also need to pay attention to electrolytes and carbohydrate.

Sports drink guidelines:

• Max of 15g of carbohydrates per 8 ounces (any more and absorption slows down)
• 70mg Sodium per 8 ounces
• After your workout

Weigh yourself at the end of your workout and compare to pre workout weight.

If you have maintained hydration you should weigh the same, if you weigh less after a long workout you didn’t drink enough to keep up with fluid loss (you aren’t going to lose pounds of fat in one workout). To replace fluid loss you will need to drink 23 ounces of water for each pound lost (eat some salty snacks with the water or consume a sports drink that has sodium).

If you want more detailed information on hydration during exercise I encourage you to follow the links below:

American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: Exercise and Fluid Replacement
http://www.acsm-msse.org/pt/pt-core/template-journal/msse/media/0196.htm

National Athletic Trainers Position Statement: Fluid Replacement for Athletes
http://www.nata.org/statements/position/fluidreplacement.pdf

Gatorade Sports Science Institute
http://www.gssiweb.com/

(Please post comments, suggestions or questions to “Comments” below)