A little background info: I've always been kind of a wannabe mma fighter in the sense that I watch every UFC event and am a huge fan of combative sports, I always wanted to train but my high school didn't have a wrestling team and there are no mma gyms in my town. I like contact sports, I started playing rugby in HS and have been looking for new challenges ever since. In the last year I walked on to my University wrestling team and joined the only thai gym in my area, and it's been amazing. I finished the University season with a 2-5 record and won some medals at local tournaments in my town. I'm a hard worker and I love muay thai and wrestling, so I thought i'd document my training and try to stick to this log.
Today I went to open training at my thai gym. I'm currently writing exams so this is the first time I had been to thai in a few days, I felt really fresh and energetic. I did:
-one 20-minute bag round, throwing different combos and getting the body warmed up
Then I did some pad work, 3 minute rounds of:
-cross, hook, kick
-jab, hook, kick
-jab, hook, skip left kick
-jab, cross, lead elbow, skip knee
-lead push, superman punch, rear push, kick
Then I finished up with 50 kicks and 50 skip kicks on the bag, my left kicks are **** so I make a point to throw as many as possible whenever I get a chance to hit the bag. They feel stronger now than before.
It was so warm on the drive home that I decided to go for a jog, i've been meaning to work some low intensity cardio into my training so I just went on a 15 minute jog. Was really easy but my heels hurt like a bitch from the impact, i'm gonna do the same thing on tuesday and thursday and then ramp up the intensity next week.
Today I had an exam the same time as muay thai, had about half an hour when I wasn't studying to go to the gym. Did some supersets and stuff just to get a short workout in, was pretty exhausting and the gym was like 100 degrees.
Snatch: 95x3, 115x3, 115x3
Supersetted with pull-ups, BWx5x3
Push Jerk: 135x5x3
SS with more pull-ups, BWx5x3
Snatch-grip deadlift: 135x5x3
SS with bent rows: 135x5x3
It was more endurance than strength training, but it was good. I feel pretty good about my form with snatches and they felt pretty fast, decided that i'm going to do an oly-based program with some more upper body stuff mixed in to prepare for rugby over the summer.
Back to muay thai again today and had an awesome workout. Focused on just hands the whole session and threw a ****load of punches. 5 minutes each of:
jab, cross to body, body hook, head hook
jab, cross, jab, slip, cross
double jab, cross, hook
jab, uppercut, hook, cross
jab, cross, hook, overhand
jab, cross, weave under head hook, head hook
Felt good, then we had some brutal cardio to wrap up that included 75 tuck jumps with different mixes of burpees, push ups and squat jumps thrown in. Had my second run today as well, felt pretty much the same as the other day, i feel like it's doing some good.
Stepped in on the beginner level class at my gym tonight, it focuses a lot more on offensive drills so i'm just working on throwing combos and staying on my toes/trying to say covered and out of bad positions when being offensive.
Started with 4 bag rounds, 2 minutes each. Just worked a lot on 2-3 punch combos as speedy as possible finishing off with thai kicks. Lots of jab, cross, hook, kick and inside leg kick to overhand (always think Hendo and Bisping).
Just trying to stay efficient and be conscious of how much energy i'm expending.. Cardio feels better, did 15 minutes of pylometric stuff that normally would have killed me. Also f*cked up my wrist a little bit being over-zealous on the bag, need to work more on pacing myself and being realistic on what combos are actually going to happen in sparring.
Watched this video of Kevin Ross a few times lately, he has very clean hands for a thai guy.
No training today because I pulled an all-nighter studying for my last exam. Off for the next 4 months now so I should be able to get some good training in.
The last clean was pretty horrendous, I broke form pretty bad because I was unsure if I could do it or not. 225 (my previous PR) went up like butter though, happy with my cleans lately. After that I didn't feel like doing much, did light bench and BW pull-ups.
Later I went to a conditioning class at my MT gym, did lots of medicine ball throwing stuff and the usual complexes paired with bagwork and skipping. It was a full hour of solid activity, really well planned HIIT.
Fitness on jogs is getting better, i'll extend the length next week. Today I went to thai for 2 hours, did my usual 50 lefts and 50 right kicks, 20 mins of continuous bag work and 3 ten minute rounds of pad work with a partner calling out combos as they go. Dying to spar, just need to get the money for insurance.
I'd like to say that anybody who regularly does HIIT should look into adding some aerobic training to their programs. A big problem I had in wrestling this year was exploding out of the gate in the first round and expending so much energy that i'd be pretty defensive in the second. It's hard to win a 2nd round against more experienced guys just running on fumes. I could go 0-60 in 3 seconds, but the energy output wasn't sustainable, the body needs to be equipped to go for the full round, not 30 seconds on and 10 seconds off. Basically everything I do in my training is fast-twitch, oly lifts and HIIT, and although I feel in good shape when doing HIIT, I can't keep that same level in rugby games or wrestling matches. Hopefully my new plan will have me able to go forever at a moderate pace while still having the ability to explode when necessary.
Tonight's class was boxing centered; lead uppercuts felt pretty good, something i've wanted to drill lately because they're a weird punch to throw. Other than that it was pretty standard.
Went straight to the gym after,
Front Squat:
135x5
155x5
185x5
200x5
OHP
95x5
95x5
115x5x2
Incline DB Press
50x10
55x5
65x6
65x8
Pretty weak strength session, just my first time front squatting in a while, need to increase the strength so I can start working on getting deeper doing full cleans, usually i'll catch them pretty high so it doesn't really matter what I squat. I will have DOMS tomorrow, started getting muscle cramps before my last set.
Also, bday is coming up this week, I think my gf got me a pair of twins 16ozers, unsure of what color but pretty pumped to get those. Better equipped for clinch work than the Top Kings I have now.
Today I went for my usual jog, it's feeling pretty natural now, they'll be kept on. Also went to thai class, a lot of emphasis on combos to inside leg kicks and checking kicks then following up with rib kicks. Killer cardio at the end with a ton of push ups. I was going to hit the gym tonight but I guess i'll wait til tomorrow morning just so I can get the most out of it. Took 2 contrast showers today, those things are amazing for soreness, I feel pretty fresh right now.
Also, saw a version of this speech on elitefts last night, usually I think motivational speeches/videos are gay as fu*k, but this one is pretty damn good and has helped me push the last couple of days.
Just a thought, fear of overtraining is what drives mediocrity in modern program planning. If you're so afraid of training too hard you'll never push yourself hard enough to improve. A lot of times you need to push through to improve, otherwise you'll stay at that same level. Weight training sessions and cardio only have to be separated day to day if that's what you continue to believe is your limit, people need to realize that they're capable of more volume, they just need to adapt.
"If I am not pleased with myself, but should wish to be other than I am, why should I think highly of the influences which have made me what I am?" ~John Lancaster Spalding
I screwed around jerking the first couple of weights but my shoulders were pretty burnt out from pressing the other day/thai.
Oly Squat
135x5
185x5
205x5
225x5
245x5
Felt good to do legit back squats again, had more in the tank but i'll ease into them.
Bent Rows
135x5x3
155x5x2
Overall a pretty good session even though I was tired.
Later I went to muay thai;
Bag Work
3x3 minute rounds of full muay thai, I did a lot of elbows and body shots w/ knees on the end.
Pad Work
1)Lead elbow cross, rear downslash
2)Clinching for 4 skip knees, emphasizing manipulation of their weight and getting a good pull from the clinch
Then we closed by return
3x3 minute rounds of full muay thai on the bag, more elbows, simple hand combos and a few repeat kicks, floor was slippery as fu*k
Finished off with cardio
50 ring ups
25 ring push ups
20 burpees w/ tuck jumps
2 minutes Up downs (3 tuck jumps up, 3 push ups down)
Leg holds to finish
Not the best workout for somebody who just squatted and cleaned the same day, basically 100+ ground contacts, hopefully this improves my work rate.
Today I ran again, these jogs are becoming helpful active recovery sessions, I wake up and i'm sore, I run a little bit and I take a cold shower after and the soreness is gone.
Today at muay thai the class was mostly based on conditioning with not a whole lot of drills. Skipped, did forms, jumping jacks and push ups and then some pad work:
-Jab, Cross, Jab, Cross
-thai kick, lead hook
-cross, inside leg kick
-jab, lead push
Cardio:
30 tuck jumps
push up holds
15 burpees
40 tuck jumps
dig ins for 60 seconds
mountain climbers for 60 seconds
The amount of volume given to the lower body in these sessions is getting a little inconvenient. I actually had a pretty easy time today nonetheless, breathing is the key, just like when throwing heavy punches. The high point of the class was definitely the kick to lead hook, when you lay the kick down it sets up somewhat of a skip rear hook that you can really torque into, felt good.
Was basically crossfit, atleast my FS was stronger than last session. Started training at a local gym with bumper plates and lots of good oly equipment, weights from there will always be recorded in kgs.
5x5's rear kicks
wall sits 2 minutes
5x5's lead kicks
100 push ups
check, lead push, superman
tire footwork stuff paired with push-ups
spinning back fists
leg holds for 4 mins total
Was a good class for cardio but I really wanted to do some solid technique, i'll go to open training tomorrow and drill more weaknesses.
After MT came gym:
Snatches
95x1x12
115x1x8
Clean and Jerk
135x1x10
Squatz
135x3
185x3
205x3
225x3
245x3
265x3
275x1
It was a good workout all things considered, backing off on loads for the classical lifts and squatting heavy to make technique more precise.
Definitely tired today, but a worthwhile endeavor to lift on consecutive days, the technique is getting better and suffering through squats will help with strength.
Still struggling through getting acclimated to the Bulgarian philosophy, I feel tired but the mind is getting stronger.
Weights:
Snatch
95x3x2
115x1x10
135x1x5
Clean and Jerk
135x1x12
Squat
135x5
185x5
225x5
245x5
Good session, tons of volume on classicals, good technique drilling. Squats are meh but they will start to fly up. Money problems are causing quite a dilemma, I owe 50 for my gym, 125 for thai, 150 for rugby and an additional 50 for sparring insurance. I have to pay off thai and the gym as a first priority, but I need to get a job so I can go back to rugby and spar asap.
and drilled some more checks and returning off checks plus reducing kicks and throwing inside leg kicks. I have reduced/checked many a kick in the last few weeks but it's never a bad thing to beat fundamentals into your head. Cardio included lots of ring ups, burpees and ring push ups.
Weights
Snatch
95x1x5
115x1x2
135x1x5
Clean and Jerk
135x1x2
155x1x2
175x1
155x5 (Cleans only)
Squats
135x3
185x3
225x3
255x3
275x3
255x5
Decent volume on squats today, shoulders are getting fatigued and my jerks/snatches are suffering pretty bad. Right off the bat I know that my jerks are ridiculously weaker, which is another good thing that backing off has helped with. The biggest thing for me now is relaxation, keeping my arms loose and having the willingness to drop under the bar. If I psych myself up I stay too tight and do a ****ty power variation of the lift. The more I go light the more little things I find that are wrong with my lifts, I need to completely finish the pull and stand tall to properly extend, I haven't been doing it on the snatches and I suspect that's why they feel so awkward.
It was mostly just to stress staying in the tiger walk as you move around the ring striking. I was surprised at my ability to remember it tbh. I didn't lift today even though I wanted to, sometimes it's hard to get to the gym, it's about 20 mins away.
Today at the gym I did my usual light snatches and cleaned up to 195lbs. The most significant volume came from power jerking and front squatting, feel like i'm getting the hang of it.
Jerk
135x5
145x5
155x5
175x1
Front Squat
135x2
185x2
205x2
225x2
255x2 (New PR, I think)
It wasn't a whole lot of activity but i'm happy with the FS, I struggled with 255 for a single last week. I'll chalk it up to more stability and stricter form.
Trained a few things
-Flurrying until your partner covers in and then grabbing the clinch. This was cool, gave a lot of opportunities to slip/parry the first few shots before covering.
-More clinch knees
-Swing knees from the clinch
-Blocking their knees by pushing your instep across their waist and throwing swing knees from the break
-double jab, cross, spinning back elbow drill
-lead hook, elbow spear
Pads:
-Jab, cross, lead upper, cross
-continuous clinch knees for 2 minutes
-5x5's
-skip 5x5's
Looking over your log and not seeing the scheme of your lifting, if there is one. Do you have a specific progression layed out, or are you just going by feel?
Also, are we still on kilograms or back to pounds?
"If I am not pleased with myself, but should wish to be other than I am, why should I think highly of the influences which have made me what I am?" ~John Lancaster Spalding
Looking over your log and not seeing the scheme of your lifting, if there is one. Do you have a specific progression layed out, or are you just going by feel?
Also, are we still on kilograms or back to pounds?
Yeah, it's more or less just trying to do slightly better week by week on squats until they get strong enough to really progress on classical lifts. On days where I feel good i'll try to better my previous max with heavy singles or doubles while days where I don't feel like I can best my previous i'll work a little more volume. The olympic lifts are going to remain relatively light for this period as I need to hammer out solid technique and efficiency, i've rushed my way through olys before and created bad habits, now I must break them. And i'm back to pounds, renewed my membership at the campus gym.
Felt real easy, still need to drop into the hole more to increase poundage, but these were very fast and caught really high, I feel like I know what i'm doing in terms of extension now, just need more comfort squatting with the bar overhead.
Had muay thai in 15 mins so had to rush, i also did a triple with cleans @ 135 that also felt pretty smooth.
Front Squats
135x3
185x2
225x2
260x1
245x1
260 was pretty fast, jumped right into 245 like 30 seconds later hoping for a double but I got overzealous. Still happy with sort of PRs on the snatch and front squat.
Drove over to beginner thai and was 10 mins late. It was a boxing based class and my partner couldn't hold pads worth a damn, still decent cardio though.
Discounts & Deals - Sign Up!
Bookmarks