My weight training

I train at a gym, a kickboxing gym, that it is fair to say, is pretty old school.

Weights...sure we have weights. There are a couple dumbbells, some rusty kettle bells and a few dirty medicine balls. There are two simple cast iron pull up bars bolted into the walls and there are about 4 sit up benches.

Weight lifting is just not something that is big in my gym.

One thing I have noticed however is that, the strongest, most consistent fighters I have met, in my gym and out, all of them use some kind of regular strength training routine that incorporates moving around heavy objects.

I am not big on weight lifting.
Years ago, in the military I was doing it regularly and although I was strong, I was always paying for it. Shoulder pain, knee pain, lower back pain especially was chronic.
Since I got involved seriously in prize fighting however, all this has been going away. I have traded that chronic weight training pain for sour hands, painful wrists and the occasional broken nose.

I do however notice the difference in power when I life and when I dont. so I did some research. I read some books. I tried some things. I decided not to beleive that bench press and squats are the best way to develop dynamic, explosive power.

So what do I do? High reps.
Thats right...I do high reps. I come from a strength training background in which if you got caught doing high reps, you got bitch slapped. So this transition was not so smooth.

I has been however very beneficial. I have alot of power in my punches and I can feel a tightness in my torso movements when I slip, roll or even when I get hit, kicked or kneed that I like.

The routine Im using is simple, straight forward and it works.

Get a couple dumbells, Im doing this with 4o lbs deals.
I do this whole routine in quick succession, about 1 minute between sets and I do it twice, usually before my training in the afternoons Monday and Wednesday.

DBell press flat. X 5o reps.

DBell rows standing X 5o reps

Lateral raise X 2o reps -4os are pushing it for lat raises.

Lunges X 5o reps -this is fun-

Hammer curls X 4o-5o reps first unilaterally then going to bilateral for burn out

Over head Tri ext X 5o reps

Shrugs X 1oo reps

Thats it. Two sets only takes about ten minutes but I feel it something good.

Keep in mind I do lots of pushups and pullups and abs and sprints and cycling and all sorts of other crap in addition to kickboxing wrestling. I have found this workout gets the job done without exposing you to the kind of joint pain that often precedes a training injury.

Good luck with it.

Muay Thai Master, Shin Nopadetsorn

Shin Nopadetsorn

Born:1979, January, 29th.

Nationality: Thai

134 fights, 108 wins, 25 Kos.

Weapon of choice: Right leg rounds house, Knees




I first met "Nop" at the very end of 2003 at Ihara dojo in Tokyo, Japan. I was in Tokyo on a training vacation checking out various kickboxing and MMA clubs and was going to catch the new years eve PRIDE FC show at Saitama super arena. Originally my focus had been on the "Takada Dojo" home of the legendary Kazushi Sakuraba as I was doing MMA in California.
As it turned out, Takada dojo was not too impressive and I told a Japanese friend this after training. I think she took this as an attack on the integrity of Japan as a nation state or something, because through a friend she arranged for me to have some serious training at Ihara dojo the next day. This was when I met NOP.

At that time, Fuji Chalmsak was also a coach/trainer at Ihara dojo and although I didnt know much about kickboxing at the time, it was clear to me that both of these guys knew their shit big time.
Below is a photo of me on my first day at Ihara dojo, Nop is to my left in the photo, Yuk, or Fuji Chalmsak is to my right.


Training with Nop is amazing yet horrid. He is SO good, his technique is SO sublime, tha at times it can crushing when you re-alize "I am never ever going to be able to do that." This as particularly true in regards to his kicks and knees. with very little run way he could generate an amazing amount of force with his knee strikes. His balance is superb, allowing him the ability to kick, punch and knee at any time with maximum power.

Generally Nop didnt care about KO's. He said "A win is a Win." Trying to Knock people out leaves you open to get knocked out alot of the time so he kept it all inside and tight. His kicks are devastating and would soften people up for knees inside.

I once saw him break a guys arm in the 2nd round with a round kick because he said "My cell phone bill is fucking crazy this month, I need the KO bonus badly." Jesus....

The other most impressive things about NOP are that he remains largely unknown despite an amazing record and wins over great opponents and multiple champion belts in Thailand and abroad. Also, he is the most relaxed, laid back and low key guy you will ever meet. One would be more likely to take him for a dancer of some sort with his soft voice and upright posture than for a wrecking machine.

The point of all this- if ever you have a chance to train with this man or see him in action, which wont happen many more times as he is getting older and has been at it for far too long, you should take advantage and do it. You will be impressed.

Rapid weight loss, log 3

Today is....august 24th.

Im not doing to hot.
Sitting solid at 102 kilos.

The worst part is that its my fault. Well...me and the beer.
But good news is that I feel great. Lots of energy and my power is sky high.
I was at the beach saturday and got some comments, I mean good ones, not insults, about my build etc.
Dont get me wrong, Im still just a big hairy man the crawled out of a cave in the mountains but shedding that 7 kilos made a difference I think.

Got to drive on now!
Have a goal to reach.

Ouch... proper hook technique

I can tell you this much....

Do not punch with your thumb.

Tuesday I got into the ring to work mitts with my coach NOI.
No kicks, just punches and movement.
Easy enough right?
Wrong.

Although its been said that my boxing is my strong suit, I'm not so sure now.
I was half way through the 4 minute round, feeling good, loving the satisfying "CRACK CRACK CRACK" the mitts make when my punches connect, sounds alot like a 22 rifle being fired.
Im big, Im moving faster than a big man should, rifle-esque report echoing around the basement gym which is Ihara gym, all eyes on me and then Noi held for my left hook, my best punch and my mind is on alot of things other than what Im doing so at full speed I manage to connect with the pad with my thumb. My thumb nail to be more precise.

Ouch.

I damn near ripped it off but I finished the round strong and remembering to stay focused or dont bother.

So today the area under my thumb nail is a not so attractive dark purple.

This prompted me to think about my hook, which prompted me to write this blog entry.

The hook in boxing and the hook in Thai kickboxing is different...in fact...Ive worked with about 10 different coaches over the years in boxing and kickboxing and I have seen 10 different variations on how to throw a hook.

The hook is a sneaky little bastard. It can come out of nowhere and its a very dangerous weapon, its also very strong, not unlike a right straight but its closer to the target so its readily more accessible than a right straight.
Freddy Roach (world famous boxing super coach) has said "Only suckers get hit with the right hand." He is a big advocate of the jab and the left hook.

One of the principle differences I have noticed in the boxing hook compared to the kickboxing one the tendencey to wind up used by thai fighters and alot of kickboxers.
The left shoulder is brought back just before the left foot steps in hence providing the hook with more run way if you will and more power in total. Most boxing coaches Ive worked with dont like that, its a tell, a signal to the keen observer that your going to hook. I however, load up all my punches.

Heavy weights are expected to hit hard.

The lead foot pivoting with the punch in order to involve the legs is another widely used technique, one not taught by my coach....I am not sure why but I think it has to do with the rythum he likes. Big punches followed by big kicks, always from the furthest distance possible to stay clear of the elbows (elbows in muay thai are like knives, and allowed in the matches) so the pivot doesnt really fit in. Most of the power is coming from the shoulders, back and just sitting down on the punches.

The hand position seems to be another bone of contention when discussing hooks.
Should the palm be facing the person throwing the punch or should it be facing the floor? Ive heard arguments for both. palm down connects harder and has more torque, palm facing you is anatomically more correct hence a harder punch.

Whatever. I punch palm facing me because it feels more comfortable.

The big point here is to make sure you are throwing the hook and connecting the your knuckles and NOT your fingers. I was wearing a glove Im not used to when I hurt my thumb so perhaps that had something to do with it, but its more likely that I just wasn't paying attention and I connected at an odd angle, nearly ripping my thumbnail off.

From my perspective the following points should be observed when using the hook:

From your guard position...

1. Pull your guard in tight but keep your chest high, chin down.
2. Draw your lead shoulder back a bit while keeping your guard high and tight.
3. Step straight into your target with your lead leg.
4. As your step, keeping your legs slightly bent, maintaining general balance, bring your lead shoulder forward and around.
5. As your shoulder rotates forward, let the momentum carry your hooking lead hand in a decent ark, not too wide or too tight, like a rainbow (lovely analogy).
6. Make sure your fist is CLOSED on impact and your knuckles land squarly.
7. You should being trying to punch THROUGH the target, imagine ripping the persons head completely off.
8. Whether you hit or miss, keep your balance and return quickly to a good guard position.

This is a very thai style hook, its how my coach teaches it and how I punch now. Its also the most efficient for generating knock out power that I have experienced.

Remember....10 coaches, 10 different hooks.

Motivation, Staying Motivated

10 years ago I was standing at attention and a deep, gruff voice full of malice came from a man who walked back and forth in front of me, pacing, stalking. Every step he took and every gesture he made seemed full of pain and punishment. I remember very clearly what he said then.

"Intensity. When you are INTENSE you will not feel pain. When you are INTENSE you will not feel hunger. When you are INTENSE you will not feel tired or sleepy. INTENSITY is the key. You WILL have it. You WILL harness it. I will instill you with INTENSITY. I will MOTIVATE you."

This was said by one of my Drill Instructors at Paris Island South Carolina during Marine Corps Boot Camp. I have found that it is true.

Boot Camp honestly, is not difficult. It sucks because untill that point the majority of the recruits present have never had anyone get in their face in such a big way. That and the fact that its 3 months. Its the longest basic training in the armed services. Oh....and the sand flees. They are no fun.

Other than that it isnt too bad. Most of it goes in one ear and out the other, but what My drill Instructor said about Intensity and Motivation I have never forgotten.

FINDING YOUR MOTIVATION

First you need something to get motivated about.
This means finding your GOAL. Finding it, defining it.
Its tough to get pumped up and really go for it, whatever it is, without first having some clue about what it is you really want.
So what is your goal?
Get a piece of paper, or a notebook, and write down first what it is that you want in your life.
Then, look at the list and find out of all that, what is most immdiate, I mean what can you start working on right now, with minimum preparation and hassle?
This is important I think. Often people dont get very far with a project just because its too daunting. In the beginning, its a good idea to Motivate yourself by SUCCEEDING. So start with a small goal, once you complete it, you can move up a level.

JUST DO IT

Once the Goal is defined, get started. Dont wait. Dont make excuses, the next day you should be doing it. The first day you identify what you want to do....for example "Lose 10 pounds" then you spend that evening prepping. Go to the Market. Throw out the junk food. Get the broccoli and tuna and leafy greens. Mentally prepare yourself. The next morning its ON!
If your goal is to workout more, then same thing, get your workout gear organized so the next day you dont have to mess around, you just trow it on and go.
Whatever it is, just get on with it already.

KEEP TRYING

Ok so you diet for a couple days then suddenly you find yourself at an all you can eat pizzaria.
Yep....you fucked up.
So what? The next morning you should be dieting again. Everyone fails. Everyone. period. Get over it and dont feel sorry for yourself. Just get back on the Horse and keep going. People say "Yo-Yo" dieting is horrid etc etc. Its better than not trying at all. If you are consistent with your efforts always going for it again, you will still lose weight.
This can be applied to working out, writing a book, starting a blog, learning a foreign language...whatever.

THE ENDS JUSTIFY....

I am a firm beleiver in the following "I dont care how you do it, just get it done"...you could say this is the story of my life. Alot of people disagree but I think that no matter what, just dont fail. Even if at times you think you have lost it, people doubt you, things seem pretty murky and generally horrible...just keep putting one foot in front of the other, you will get through it. Keep slugging it out and dont worry if its pretty. When you SUCCEED all the nay sayers will be chanting your name and applauding.

STAY INTENSE and STAY MOTIVATED

Tell yourself every day, every hour how awesome your going to feel when your friends say "Hey, have you lost weight?" or when you call your parents and tell them, by the way I got that promotion I mentioned or "I actually am moving to France" or whatever. Tell yourself over and over daily that you are number 1. You can do. You can do things normal people cant. review the areas in your life where you have been succesful, I promise you have some even if they dont seem apparent. Focus on those points and tell yourself the pain and discomfort is worth it just so you can rub all their noses in it at the end.

When I went out for Scout Snipers in 2000 when I was in the Marines, alot of people both in the Sniper platoon and in my Infantry unit told me "Barnes your too big and your just not cut out for Snipers man, sorry." I went to the Indoctrination anyway. 45 people showed up to try out and take the 3 day indoc test. 7 people finished, I was one of them. People told me the same thing when I said I was going to move to Japan "Youll spend all your money and be pennyless and back home in a month", yet here I am. Got it again when I told people I was going to kickbox professionally, but I did that too. Happened again when I told people I was going to write professionally but guess what? FUCK EVERYONE ELSE.
You can do whatever you want to do, just stay INTENSE and KEEP GOING no matter what.

Rapid weight loss, log 2

Today is....the 15th and I am 104.5 kilos.
And I feel it.
Now its getting a bit more tough not to eat, particularly on the weekend. I have gone back into the gym after my summer break of 10 days. It didnt do much good, my right wrist is still beat up. Its always the same as well. After a lay off, when I go back in my power and flexiblity is up but its the timing thats begun to rot away and the timing is so critical to everything, even bag work.

I think in order to maintain my weight loss at a decent pace, I will have to change things up and bit and take more drastic measures. getting to 104 is fairly easy. Now dropping to 100 is the next step. Fun fun fun.

Up to this point, all I have done nutritionally is eat very little. That works.
I can attest to it. But to continue to weight loss I will move to a primarily protein dense diet. very low carbs and lots and lots of water.

Let you know soon.

Of...change my hair a bit. Mixed reactions from the crowd. I like it though.

Rapid weight loss, log 1

Today is August 12th.

For the un-initiated I decided to start dropping weight two days ago.
My primary motivation is...well....two fold. I need to drop out of the Heavy weight bracket for kickboxing, and I just am tired of feeling heavy and lugging all this around on long runs and just normal day to day activities.

So the update.

The morning of the 10th I weighed in at 109 kilos.
That's about 240 lbs.
gross. Its hard hitting but I don't need it.
That afternoon I went cycling, 1:49:00. total 28 miles.
I kept my intake very low all day.

The morning of the 11th I weighed in at 106.4 kilos. 234.5 lbs.
I did my PT (body weight strength training routine) in the AM and had a brisk 3 mile run in the afternoon. 21:10 pace.
I kept my intake low but drank alot of fluids. water and sport drink and I had a large salad in the evening.

Today I weigh 106.2 kilos. 234.1 lbs.
I will be cycling at lunch. I also plan to run in the evening.

I feel fine. In fact I feel good. I like waking up with an empty stomach. Its refreshing.
More updates in the near future.

Rapid weight loss, extreme diet

It is time for me to lose weight.
I no longer desire to be a heavy weight fighter anymore (light heavy looks real good lately) and that in conjunction with my rising interest in endurance sports has all culminated in me deciding that yes, it is time for a diet.

I have received lots of questions from friends and even emails and inquiries from people I dont know via this blog and my website regarding weight loss. Particularly rapid weight loss.
I have about 15 years of experience in the health and fitness industry in various positions and I think that my own "Yo-Yo" Roller coaster metabolic condition makes me someone uniquely qualified to
1: Put forth some diet and exercise principles (I say principles because I dislike the word "tips", it makes it seem like its easy or cheap or cheating and none of that works when real weight loss is concerned)
2: Address some of the problems and difficulties of maintaining a somewhat strict regimen for rapid weight loss by performing the regimen myself and
3: Help identify the reasons why some of us are over weight or down right FAT and how does one get motivated to change. Also, How do you lose weight yet maintain your motivation for intense exercise?

OK, that having been said I will outline the plan so to speak.

First, I wont be eating a whole lot.

I don't believe in counting calories. Not in the long term anyway. In the beginning it might make sense if you find that you have absolutely no handle on how much energy whatever your consuming is giving you. One good example I have seen is and aquintance of mine I will call "Laurie". I meet Laurie socially from time to time because we have some of the same friends. Although we are not close and do not talk for more than 10 minutes at a stetch, I have had her bring up her weight issues (She is big. "Plump" by American standards, clearly obese by japanese standards) something like 20 times in the 3 years Ive known her. Often enough, she is moaning and groaning on and on about it while she nurses a TGI Fridays Grande Margarita.
(Im guessing about 350-400 kcal a pop in those bad boys and she drinks 2). Read a great article about liquid calories and there role in obesety here: BEER AND SODA MAKES ME FAT?!?!



I have watched her food choices and liquid choices and in a sitting she probably consumes about 1000-1500 calories on a friday evening at TGI. Lets be generous and say she only had a light breakfast and sparse lunch totally only 800 calories. Maybe a...mocha frappucino after lunch for 210 calories and than after TGI, at the next bar she drinks a couple beers for 400 additional calories.

So thats what? about 3,700 calories consumed in one day by a woman that leads a very sedentary lifestyle and she cant figure out how to lose some weight.

Its a mystery.

Its an enigma.

Its a mystery shrowded in an enigma.

Its wait....got it I got it....Its DNA!!!

No. All of these answers are wrong. They are all excuses.
Its poor nutritional choices coupled with an unnatural, unhealthy lifestyle.

I really am a big believer in the idea that human beings were designed to walk/run 40 miles a day and stalk live game in the jungle or forest. Our bodies have not evolved or changed enough for us to just sit around punching on keyboards while stuffing our faces with whatever we can get our hands on. Our physical shells malfunction and mentally we go hay wire. So this leads me to the second big secret in my plan, I WILL BE TRAINING LIKE A MADMAN.

I have been walking around as a Heavy weight for quite some time and I am beginning to feel the side effects of it. Time to change up.

So I will be posting daily updates (for the most part) about my diet, my weight and my activity levels for the next month while I drop 44 pounds.

Ultimate pull-up routine : "Rambo Lats"

I am a big boy.
At 6'2" and 220 pounds, I have alot of mass to move around and yes, you can find me shopping at the big and tall outlets. I have been lighter than I am now, my lightest weight as an adult was about 204 lbs. This was just at the end of my first deployment overseas (okinawa) in 2000. My heaviest weight was about 260, and it was a nasty nasty 260 at that. That was about 2 and a half years ok.
At both these opposite ends of the spectrum my physical abilities tend to shift. At one time I'm quite the runner and swimmer then on the other end I am squatting just at 500lbs but unable to scratch my back or gracefully get out of a recliner. Despite any other factor though, at any weight I have always been able to do one thing : PULLUPS.

I mean full on, clean, Marine Corps dead hang pullups.
Right now I have 18 really solid, clean dead hang pullups, without jerking, flailing, grunting or kipping.
A good DEAD HANG PULL-UP is your hands on the bar a little more than shoulder width apart and the palms facing away from you. You hang with your arms FULLY extended then you use your body to pull your chin up and over the bar and then in a CONTROLED manner lower yourself back to the starting position.
Thats one.
Obviously if you kip or move fast, getting more reps is easy. So, if you can perform 15 very clean dead hang pullups, you can probably get between 20-25 at speed more if you know how to Kip, I do about 28 kipping.

The Marine Corps puts a high premium on pullups. Much more than other services do. And being an infantry Marine means even more pullups and being a Scout Sniper....anyway one has to do alot of pullups.

Now I have seen alot of pull-up workouts and different ideas and concepts about how to improve your pull ups, but the absolutely most effective and tortorous plan I ever encountered, I learned from my Lt. in Scout/Snipers and he called it "Rambo Lats", and lemme tell ya, he had em. We had just done a PFT (physical fitness test) and although I remember smoking both my LT. and my Staff Sergeant on the 3 mile run (I was running a 1930 3 mile back then) I only managed 9 pull ups. So Lt. being Lt. bestowed some Rambo wisdom on me.

The workout is as follows...

Start with the basic pull up grip. slightly wider than your shoulders.
Perform two sets of 7 reps.

Next, widen your grip out to about double your shoulder width.
Perform two sets of 7 reps.

Next, bring your grip in very close, the sides of your hands touching, palms still facing away.
Perform two ssets of 7 reps.

Next reverse your grip so your palms face you.
Perform two sets of 7 reps.

Next your palms should oppose one another, one facing you, one facing away and you pull up with your chest coming up to meet the bar, your head moving to either side.
Perform two sets of 7 reps.

Notes-
- Do DEAD HANG PULLUPS. Dont Kip, that is another exercise all together.
- If you cant do all the reps than do what you can. The other reps will come over a month or two.
- Do this routine 3 times a week. You can do sets of pushups in between the pull up sets of you are getting bored.
- Every so often, once every couple months, skip the workout and just do a PT test, max pullups in 2 minutes so you know your actually improving.
- Little athletic tape on the bar helps your grip on rainy days, cold days etc.
- I recommend doing this along with your other PT before your runs in the morning. I wouldnt mix it with weight training but you know your body better than I do....I hope.


In my experience you will notice your back and biceps toning up and getting tight and defined in just a couple weeks. This also translates into strength integrated body movement in sports, particularly boxing, wrestling, football, Judo and swimming.

PUMPED

Last night was Magnum 20 at Korakuen hall. I attended with friends to support some fellas from my gym, Ihara Dojo.
The event was a success and sold out to boot. Kitamura Mokoto won his fight again through supreme fitness and an almost non-stop assault. I heard several people comment that it was the fight of the night.
The last fight of the night however was Ikeda, and he won the Title via judges decision.
Although these warriors are not associated with Plan-B, they are doing what needs to be done and that gets me pumped.

So I had these events on my mind when I got on my bike and cycled to the park for my thrice weekly AM highend cardio pain festival. It was sunny and hot this morning but the humidity wasnt so bad. finally...the rainy season seems to be going away.
Although my legs were heavy today and I was clearly missing the spring in my step I had Saturday I powered through the steps, the plyos, the pushups, the suicides....more plyos and then cooled down with 15 minutes of shadow boxing.

After ward I took a moment and looked around the park...I was covered in sweat, hot, and was jugging my post workout Carbo pro when I had to stop and take notice of the trees, the sun and just the relaxed feeling. Its rare to get a slow moment in a city like Tokyo but with my body battered and bike ride home waiting for me I really felt again that only after really thrashing myself physically does anything seem to be worth a shit at all.


Im addicted not only to exercise but to just being out THERE. I cant find myself sitting inside or just going to an office. Looking at the numbers in a bank account or shopping for electronics doesnt tell me anything about who ERIC BARNES is. So thats how I have to live my life. Outside doing it.

Having such an amazing place to train doesnt hurt either....



Now its 1730. My legs are wore out and my knees are stiff but I have to wrap this up because my coach will be looking for me at the gym in 30 minutes. At least mentally, Im Pumped.

Stairs and pain

The Dash and sprint workout that I follow when I need to turn on the heat and get my heart rate up in the stratosphere is something I learned a few years ago.

I first experienced this special brand of HURT courtesy of Gosuke Kikkuchi the former Shin Nihon kickboxing champion. Thats a picture of him below....

The workout he taught me is done at NakaMeguro Park at the steps and hills in the back. I come back to this training occasionally when I am turning up the heat and recently thats exactly what Im doing so I felt I had no choice....back to the steps....back to Kikkuchis lessons in pain and sweat.

The steps Im talking about total only 96. 3 flights lead to the "first tier" you can see below.
That is 41 steps.
The next group of steps leading up to the main park area totals 55.
There is also a winding path that does switch backs 3 times total leading in a round about way up to the main park area...see that below...



The workout is as follows.

WARM UP
-skipping high leg and hands up to the 1st tier via the path, walk down stairs X2
-lateral runing and cross cross foot work to the 1st tier via the path, walk down stairs X2

STAIRS
sprint up to the 1st tier hitting every step then run back down THEN bound up in doubles to the top covering all 96 steps. Then run back down. Thats 1 repetition. X10

• This takes about 17:00 (for me anyway, Im a heavy weight, Kikkuchi and Ishihara did it MUCH faster. Like trying to do sprints with Carl Lewis.)
• The point is toal fatigue and a MAX HEART RATE. I Check mine after rep 5 and 10. I get it up around 186 when I push it.

PUSH UPS
I do about 5 sets. I start flat and push for a max. burn out.
The second set I elevate my feet on one step and burn out.
3rd set I use the second step, and so on for 5 sets.

(Take this oppurtunity to water up at the -thank god- public water fountain.)

SUICIDE HILL SPRINTS
This next piece of hurt magic is done on the street just behind the steps. I dont have any idea what the grade of the hill is but as you near the top it gets steeper.
-Suicides with 4 stop points totally about 100 meters at the furthest point. X3
-Flat out long sprint to the top of the hill. X2

(At this point ones legs are fried. Burnt. Crispy.)

STAIRS LUNGES With single leg depth drops
-We take the stairs in 3s. Slow lunges with a focus on the lead leg and a stretch in the back leg. Do this alternating legs up to the first tier. X2
-Instead of walking down the path Kikkuchi must have thought that doing bounding depth drops onto alternating legs would be fun....and he was right. So much fun. I cant really explain this other than to say you look like a speed skater when you leap onto the supporting leg and pause for a second before bounding onto the opposite leg.. X2

(Might want to water up again.)

DOULBE LEG HOPS
-This is Kukkuchis finale here. It sounds straight forward enough....just use both legs and hop up the meandering path to the top and the park. No problem right? Wrong.

At the end of this workout in the summer here in Tokyo, its fair to say you have had your ass spanked. I feel like that every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday when I do this in the morning. In the evening I am in the gym and I jog afterwards.

Define fun.
Kikkuchi thinks its funny:



I have done the "1000 steps" at Laguna beach California, the workout that was on the NEXT GENERATION FIGHT TEAM website several times years ago when I was back in california and although that was no joke, particularly with the time limit they proposed, I have to say this is a much more hell on wheels type of thing all together.

In addition, since I cycle the 36 minutes from my place to the park I added shadow boxing there instead of at the gym, which is near by...so I cool down with 20 minutes of shadow boxing before I cycle home.
All I can say is that

1. This workout blows.
2. It hurts.
3. After 4 or 5 weeks you don't get winded even doing tough pad work.
4. You can feel this translate into gains on the bike almost overnight.
5. Bring a sports drink and something to eat for right after the workout, especially if you think your gonna train again later that evening.
   
6. stretch out decent AFTER the workout and if you don't cycle to the point of impact then jog a little to get a sweat started before jumping into the fire.
7. expect to be sore after your first go around, but if your an athlete, one time should be enough tobreak you in and after that its all gravy and ....pain.
8. PUSH IT HARD. don't JOG this workout or your missing the point. 100%. Max it out. HEART RATE. If your a big guy, do it with smaller lighter fighters or fit runners etc. Eating shame pills always motivates me because losing makes me feel ill.

LASTLY- The only easy day was YESTERDAY. Cowboy up.

July and whats coming

Any day now...any day now the "rainy season" here in Japan will be finishing up and the sun will be coming out to play. Its not so much the running and cycling in the rain that irritates and annoys so much as its the constant soggyness of everything. My shoes are always wet. My clothes wont dry out totally. My gloves are a little heavy still from the workout the night before and even in my room there is a bit of a dampness that generally sucks. That is June in Tokyo. July however brings a weather change and with it alot of good opportunities to be outside putting myself through painful endeavors of all sorts. So although there are no events planned for july, the training goals are all very real. I will probably (if they find someone for me) have a fight in august, in Tokyo. So this means what? I have to work on my combinations and my head kick with my coach Noi. I need to drop a few more kilos and I have to keep on keeping on with the high intensity cardio (the stairs). September however is the Kyoto 100 K so I also need to put some serious mileage down in prep for that little tea party. It should be something like this.... Weekly average on the road - about 60 miles. Mornings flying up and down stairs per week- 3 days in the gym practicing to bring the pain per week- 5 cross training per week- basically everyday cycling or swimming 2 or 3 times a week. I will also be heading to Mount Fuji once again with Keith for a quick up and down, its a decent quad workout. July should be good. Good meaning painful.

Hip pocket class: Gut Check

If one Googles the term "Gut Check" the definition that comes up is as follows:

Main Entry:	gut check
Part of Speech:	n
Definition:	a test of one's nerve, courage, or determination
Example:	It is gut-check time for corporate America.
Usage:	gut-check adj

While I find this Example of the term ridiculous, the definition seems ok. I think another way to explain what a GUT CHECK is might be to say its undertaking any task, event or mission that you very well might NOT be able to succeed at, but you are going to die trying. Its an honest to goodness test of ones mental fortitude and your ability to keep going forward no matter what happens.

Its Discomfort.

Its Pain.

Its the Moment of truth.

"Do I quit or do I keep going?" "Do I deal with this pain and drive on or do I sit down and feel sorry for myself?" Thats a GUT CHECK.

If you still feel a bit fuzzy allow me to give some examples.
-The Iron Man= Gut check
-BUD/S= Gut Check
-Fast Roping into a potentially hot LZ= Gut check
-Ranger School= Gut Check
-Badwater 135= Gut Check
-RAAM= Gut Check
-Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane hoping your parachute deploys= Gut Check
-Climbing into a ring or steel cage to knuckle up with someone intent on hurting you= Gut Check
-ANYTHING where you put yourself or a piece of you out in the spotlight and you say "Bring it"
-USMC West Coast Sniper School= Gut Check

The list goes on and on. For different people it can be different things. Its facing ones fears, looking IT, whatever IT is for you, right in the eye and saying "Quit? Fuck that."

If you have never tried this, I recommend you do. Its a great feeling when you do something, complete something that you thought was impossible. Push yourself and test your limits, the limits of your HEART and SOUL.

Thats Gut Check, thats all it is.