Laser Focus

[shesprints]

Sunday, WAHOO! You got this.

"Preworkout potato" sounds hilarious, should be a band name.

Hey watch out, in the far future when I become a BJJ black belt (ha) I will tell everyone the gospel of the preworkout potato and they will want to be like me.

Nice, a 7 oz piece of steak. Does a body good and it does go directly into muscle like a lightning bolt, it's science

Food today was a little more liberal than I've been eating, but basically the same.

Breakfast 8:30am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
9.35 oz asparagus
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
3.8 oz pineapple
4.27 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 x multi
2 x fish oil

Preworkout snack 11:00am
2.9 oz shrimp
6.5 oz potato

Postworkout meal/lunch 3:30pm
2 cups vegetable soup
13 oz mashed cauliflower with ICBINB and buttermilk
6 oz sea bass
1 tsp each soy sauce and maple syrup
5.5 oz apple

Snack 6:30pm
15g cashews

Dinner 7:30pm
10 oz cucumber
13 oz cauliflower rice
5 oz cod
3.5 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium

1980 cal, 234C/165P/53F



I did go in to train today, just for an hour, and I'm glad I did. I didn't really want to take two full days off and the coach I talked to, from whom I've been taking private lessons, also said I could if I trained easy. I did my very best with that and trained, well, easier than usual. I paired up with a couple of blue belt women a bit smaller than myself and also a larger black belt guy who flow rolled with me.

One of the blue belt women got a bit snippy when my hand got stuck in her hair. She has very "big" hair and it was piled on top of her head; she basically accused me of hair pulling, which I absolutely would never do. I suppose she just wanted me to be aware of potential fouls in my competition. Or she was upset that I was passing her guard. IDK.

BJJ--1 hour
Advanced 1 gi
Side control to wing choke to bow and arrow choke
Grab near side lapel and fake arm bar then feed lapel to far side hand.
Try to get arm through and grab own sleeve
Or if their chin is in get leg over to s mount then drag back into bow and arrow keeping leg over their midsection.

5 x 7 min rounds
Had some good rolls with blues who used to beat me. Took the back a lot. Rolled with a black belt who said I did very well transitioning from one submission to another and was "very good for a white belt!" Yay. I threatened arm bar, the class choke, RNC, triangle, and omoplata so that was a good amount.

Nice ego boost to get that respect from a black belt. He was looking at me with this cool like "oh hey, a live one" expression that made me happy. I think we're friends now.

Now I'm off to see the gf and decompress with some alone time and a movie. Whewwwww. I'll check in again tomorrow with notes on my precomp nutrition.

[thehobbes]

Hey watch out, in the far future when I become a BJJ black belt (ha) I will tell everyone the gospel of the preworkout potato and they will want to be like me.

LMFAO!!

One of the blue belt women got a bit snippy when my hand got stuck in her hair. She has very "big" hair and it was piled on top of her head; she basically accused me of hair pulling, which I absolutely would never do. I suppose she just wanted me to be aware of potential fouls in my competition. Or she was upset that I was passing her guard. IDK.

I'm picturing you rolling with Marge Simpson. Long/big hair would be an issue with a lot of female fighters I never realized. I have somewhat long hair and every now and then I get choked out by my foam roller lulz. I guess you either cut it so it's manageable or tie it up the best you can? Pretty sure I'd look like a serial killer with short hair but I envy people who can just jump out of the shower, towel off their head, and they're ready to go.

[shesprints]

LMFAO!!

I'm picturing you rolling with Marge Simpson. Long/big hair would be an issue with a lot of female fighters I never realized. I have somewhat long hair and every now and then I get choked out by my foam roller lulz. I guess you either cut it so it's manageable or tie it up the best you can? Pretty sure I'd look like a serial killer with short hair but I envy people who can just jump out of the shower, towel off their head, and they're ready to go.

Yeah, I've been cutting my hair shorter and shorter as I've been doing BJJ. Not sure where it'll end up but a lot of the women have short hair or undercuts.

Went to spectate today, competing tomorrow. Freaking out a little over everything, including the potential for weighing in over weight. I'll weigh myself tomorrow morning before I eat anything and assess breakfast from there I guess. Food today was pretty much the usual.

Breakfast 8:30am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
3.6 oz onion
4.37 oz asparagus
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
6 oz pineapple
2.79 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 x multi
2 x fish oil


Lunch brought to comp 12:15am
9.8 oz cucumber
19 g mixed nuts
4 oz cottage cheese
9.66 oz potato

Late lunch/snack? 4:15pm
4.25 oz sea bass
1 tsp each soy sauce and maple syrup
8 oz mashed cauliflower
2 cups vegetable soup

Dinner 7:10pm
8 oz mashed cauliflower, 7 oz riced cauliflower
4 oz avocado
5 oz cod
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium

1965 cal, 245C/141P/58F


Not much to add. Hope carbs weren't too high, hope I can sleep OK (I'm VERY TIRED and will likely head to bed super early) hope my weight's OK when I wake up and check, hope I don't lose my first match.... I'm a mess you guys.

[Fiction2Fitness]

I'm hoping for you on the weigh-in too. I know once in you'll do great. I like that the meets I've competed in thus far have all had day before weigh-ins instead of the morning of since get a day to eat back some of the temp loss and not worry the morning of actually competing but I know some do it that way too.

Good luck!

[phoenix4444]

Kill it woman!

[shesprints]

I'm hoping for you on the weigh-in too. I know once in you'll do great. I like that the meets I've competed in thus far have all had day before weigh-ins instead of the morning of since get a day to eat back some of the temp loss and not worry the morning of actually competing but I know some do it that way too.

Good luck!

Yeah we compete immediately after weighing in so no leeway. Otherwise I could likely drop down to the next lowest division.

Anyway, I got up and weighed myself in the middle of the night because I'm an anxious nut, and I'm 157 on the dot when wearing my pajamas and holding the gi (which weighs 5 pounds). The weight class I am in is 163.5 and under. So, I am 6.5 pounds under. That is assuming my home scale is accurate--the batteries are low but it read 157 consistently when I stepped on. Given this I'm going to eat a careful breakfast and drink a little coffee when I get up for real.

Still anxious. Seriously not fun to wake up panicking at 3 am. My gf even came by last night to snuggle with me so I could sleep! And I did get into bed at 10 pm, just... Couldn't stay there.

I'm going to go watch some BJJ matches on Flograppling. Maybe play some Zelda. Then try to get a bit more sleep.

[shesprints]

You guys are going to laugh. After all that worrying I weighed in on the official scales at 156 in the gi--7.5 pounds under the limit.

Getting food out of the way first...

Breakfast 9:10am precompetition
1 egg, 3 egg whites
4.3 oz asparagus
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
3.95 oz pineapple
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Lunch postcompetition 3:45 pm (was too keyed up to eat earlier, totally lost my appetite)
2 cups vegetable soup
6 oz cod
3.5 oz avocado
2 x wasa crackers
8 oz apple

Dinner out w friends 8:00pm
1 small cup vegetable soup in broth
salad with about 4 oz chicken and about 1/2 oz walnuts (few pieces)
+
when I got home @ 9:15
8 oz cottage cheese
7.8 oz potato
400mg magnesium

1840 cal, 223C/150P/48F

The tournament went well. I do have video of it but it's not yet uploaded--my girlfriend took it and she's dead tired as well, long day. So I'll likely have it Tuesday or so and show you guys!

My first match started off well. My plan going in had been to get the single leg takedown, and that's exactly what I did: some grip fighting, shot a double that turned into a single, finished it and landed in top half guard (as far as I recall). From there, I pretty much overwhelmed the girl, who was not as strong as I am, and went side control to knee on belly to mount, back to side and back to mount. I racked up 15 points and 5 advantages and tried a choke but didn't quite have the patience to lock it down. The match ended with her fighting her way back up inside my guard, and final points were 15-0.

At that point I knew that I was at least guaranteed a silver, but I had a feeling I wouldn't win the next one: the girl had been training longer and had already competed in eight tournaments, and when I saw her match with the other girl I could see she was vicious. So I went in with a little bit of a defeatist attitude and gave up the underhooks too easily. From there she took me down and got mount. I fought hard, however, and managed to bump her up into my single and then double leg x, and then came up from the double leg x and ran her down to get points for the sweep. I fought hard, but I was trapped under her for too long and she wound up winning with 13 points to my 4 (for two sweeps). Afterwards, Marcelo came up to me and said that he hoped I didn't feel bad, because I didn't give up at any point but kept fighting to the end, and that's what he likes to see. I was very overwhelmed by hearing that and it just about made my day.

Also, even though the second girl was more aggressive (!) and moved quickly to fight grips, she wasn't as strong as I am and if I'd come in confident I likely would've been able to win the fight for the underhooks. Live and learn.

Here I am on the podium with the other girls (I'm on the left with my silver medal):

[Fiction2Fitness]

Congrats! I say you did awesome and that silver is a sweet prize. Well done.

[phoenix4444]

I knew you would do well! That photo is too cool and I can't to see the video.

Super duper congratulations wonder woman.

[Plateauplower]

Awesome! Congrats and can’t wait to see the vid. Mental attitude plays a big part in winning in one on one contact sports (that’s why most successful fighters are a little “cocky” they know they are going to win, if you psych yourself out it’s tuff to come in and perform your best. Still a great finish for the day and a great experience to get you into your first comp. over time you won’t get as nervous etc, but i always found it hard to sleep before big wrestling tournaments or matches.

[LunaLifts]

So behind in here, but saw your FB post and had to say congrats here too! I'm sure I'm correct in assuming no one here thought you'd do any less than fantastic!

[shesprints]

Congrats! I say you did awesome and that silver is a sweet prize. Well done.

Yeah, you know, I probably COULD have beaten the second girl (you guys can take a look at the video and tell me) but I wasn't psychologically prepared enough. Next time I will work on that more, plus my standup game with grips.

I knew you would do well! That photo is too cool and I can't to see the video.

Super duper congratulations wonder woman.

Video right below! THANK YOU SO MUCH. Hehe I do have a Wonder Woman rash guard. I also have a Captain America stealth suit one now.

Awesome! Congrats and can’t wait to see the vid. Mental attitude plays a big part in winning in one on one contact sports (that’s why most successful fighters are a little “cocky” they know they are going to win, if you psych yourself out it’s tuff to come in and perform your best. Still a great finish for the day and a great experience to get you into your first comp. over time you won’t get as nervous etc, but i always found it hard to sleep before big wrestling tournaments or matches.

Thanks man, and yeah I think you're exactly right. I would really value your opinion on my matches given your range of experience.

So behind in here, but saw your FB post and had to say congrats here too! I'm sure I'm correct in assuming no one here thought you'd do any less than fantastic!

Thanks lady! Don't worry about being behind--I post here way too much. :P Yeah, I think expectations were high, which kind of led to more pressure! but it's fine. And I loved competing. I want to do it more.

Here are the videos...







I hit the gym again today. My friend's 11-year-old daughter is a BJJ fanatic who's really gifted, and so my friend's husband talked to Marcelo and she got to come to class today! I drilled with her and then she went and rolled with some of our smaller folks plus a couple really nice brown belts. She also got to meet Marcelo and Demian Maia, who had stopped by the gym. She was absolutely thrilled. So, yeah, I got slightly less of a workout than usual due to "babysitting," but it was worth it. We bonded.

BJJ--2 hours
Level 2 nogi
Guard opening (use both hands on their KNEE to lever it down)
If they trap your arm, turn thumb down and circle hand under their arm to break grip

Positional drills 8 x 2:30
I gave a couple of big, strong guys a really hard time opening my guard, which I'm happy about. And I had a good time calibrating my pressure with my friend's daughter in the round we did. I felt like I learned a lot about how to be a better partner!

Advanced 1 gi
grip fighting and dragging
Marcelo gave a talk that was probably partly directed at me about not letting yourself get pushed around by grips but to maintain proper connection and get the chance to come in and hip throw them or w/e even if they have the grips.

Regular training 5 x 5 min
Guard passed and smashed a visiting white belt boy, pretty much like in my first tournament match. Also rolled with a big purple belt guy who only swept me once and passed his guard to side control with the help of heavy crossface pressure. I'm getting better and better at mount retention. I also rolled with some blue belts and had a good time, this one tiny blue belt guy from our gym just smashes me, it's amazing. The little guys have this speed and super-flexible guards.

Food is back to the norm

Breakfast 8:45am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
4.3 oz green beans
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
5 oz pineapple
3 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 x multi
2 x fish oil

Intra/postworkout snack 12:30 + 2:15pm
12 oz potato w/ salt

Lunch 2:50pm
2 cups vegetable soup
6 oz t-bone steak

Dinner 8:00pm
6 oz cod
15.6 oz cauliflower
4 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium

1860 cal, 216C/151P/52F

So yeah! I welcome any thoughts on the videos. I know what I think I need to improve, but I welcome perspective.

[thehobbes]

Wow, congrats on placing and dominating that first match! Good job hanging tough in the next match! Pretty soon you will be that fighter with all the experience compared to everyone else. Oh yes, use your strength to your advantage. I'm guessing a lot of women in this sport don't also weight train on top of that? That will give you a great edge. That's awesome to already be placing in these, think of how much more skill and practice you'll have a year from now.

Oooo you crushed that first one! And yeah I'd say the second was closer than you gave yourself credit for, that girl came in fast and aggressive right away, damn!

[phoenix4444]

You looked so damned strong and agile. It must feel great to participate in a sport that is so physical and powerful.

[Plateauplower]

Great vids. From what I saw (between the ref and random people getting in the way of the vid , the first match you pretty much dominated. When you had the high single an easy finish is to simply pivot back and to the same side you have the single leg and just dump them down, it’s pretty much indefensible. Your head was hanging out a little occasionally when starting off standing, just a bit from what I could see, try to keep your head back just a little. When you had her on her back and were working moves whenever possible try to keep as much of your bodyweight on her as you can at all times to make her work harder and wear herself out.

The second match I think you would have won if you were working as hard as you were in the last 1/3 or so of the match. She came out really agressive from the start and had you on defense, it looked like you were a little thrown off by that and it’s something to remember. In my wrestling days I would always just come at people hard and fast from the start, you want them thinking “oh fuk, this person is going to tear me apart” so they start to second guess themselves and beat themselves mentally. You want to be controlled but very aggressive from the start, I’d work on 4-5 of your favorite moves from standing neutral position so you can use any or string them together in succession for starting off. Then you can get them backing up and nervous, everything else is easier from there. Your balance looked good when on top in the second match, I think you could have circled toward her head when you had her on her back in the headlock and she might have tapped, that makes it really tight. When she had you on your back you had good defense, you were able to get her off balance with your bridges but she was able to correct herself, need to get your hands on her hips and pop her up just a little and work on quickly change directions, rolling one way which will make her lean the other way to keep her balance then scissor your hips and go the other way before she can correct her balance. If the second match started around your first position reversal I think you would have won, you were starting to get more agressive and being on offense rather than defense.

Both matches you looked great in though, if you would have matched or exceeded the second girls aggressiveness from the start you would have beat her. She didn’t have any advantage in technique, she was just more agressive in the first 1/2 and had you playing defense instead of attacking.

[shesprints]

Wow, congrats on placing and dominating that first match! Good job hanging tough in the next match! Pretty soon you will be that fighter with all the experience compared to everyone else. Oh yes, use your strength to your advantage. I'm guessing a lot of women in this sport don't also weight train on top of that? That will give you a great edge. That's awesome to already be placing in these, think of how much more skill and practice you'll have a year from now.

Oooo you crushed that first one! And yeah I'd say the second was closer than you gave yourself credit for, that girl came in fast and aggressive right away, damn!

I think I could've taken it if I'd won the darn fight for the underhooks. SIGH. UNDERHOOKS ARE EVERYTHING. MUST REMEMBER. But yeah, you're right--a lot of people have told me if the match was longer I'd've had her on superior technical skill + physical strength.

You looked so damned strong and agile. It must feel great to participate in a sport that is so physical and powerful.

It's the most fun I've ever had in my life tbh. That's why I train so much. It's f*cking fun.

Great vids. From what I saw (between the ref and random people getting in the way of the vid , the first match you pretty much dominated. When you had the high single an easy finish is to simply pivot back and to the same side you have the single leg and just dump them down, it’s pretty much indefensible. Your head was hanging out a little occasionally when starting off standing, just a bit from what I could see, try to keep your head back just a little. When you had her on her back and were working moves whenever possible try to keep as much of your bodyweight on her as you can at all times to make her work harder and wear herself out.

Yeah, you're totally right about keeping my head up. I have to remember that. I mean, she did get me in a (fairly loose) guillotine when I shot the single so that was my bad. And yeah, I think I got used to not putting all my weight on women since many at my gym are smaller, but in a match, obviously, they're my size and all bets are off.

The second match I think you would have won if you were working as hard as you were in the last 1/3 or so of the match. She came out really agressive from the start and had you on defense, it looked like you were a little thrown off by that and it’s something to remember. In my wrestling days I would always just come at people hard and fast from the start, you want them thinking “oh fuk, this person is going to tear me apart” so they start to second guess themselves and beat themselves mentally. You want to be controlled but very aggressive from the start, I’d work on 4-5 of your favorite moves from standing neutral position so you can use any or string them together in succession for starting off. Then you can get them backing up and nervous, everything else is easier from there. Your balance looked good when on top in the second match, I think you could have circled toward her head when you had her on her back in the headlock and she might have tapped, that makes it really tight. When she had you on your back you had good defense, you were able to get her off balance with your bridges but she was able to correct herself, need to get your hands on her hips and pop her up just a little and work on quickly change directions, rolling one way which will make her lean the other way to keep her balance then scissor your hips and go the other way before she can correct her balance. If the second match started around your first position reversal I think you would have won, you were starting to get more agressive and being on offense rather than defense.

Both matches you looked great in though, if you would have matched or exceeded the second girls aggressiveness from the start you would have beat her. She didn’t have any advantage in technique, she was just more agressive in the first 1/2 and had you playing defense instead of attacking.

The bolded is such good advice. I'm going to drill the chit out of mount escapes and try to make it work. Thanks for the tip, man. And thanks for the points about aggressiveness. I had that convo with someone again today, how the person to "impose their will" tends to win. Crazy. Even my former Rutgers wrestler friend who now does BJJ was telling me he has to be more aggressive.


Today was lift in the morning, wrestling in the evening.

I was getting ready for wrestling and ran into a purple belt friend. Told her about the tournament. "What belt are you? Blue?" "Haha no white." "Oh, you're gonna be soon." And then I was remarking that people always said competition felt so different from training, but apart from the standup it really didn't for me--I've had training matches that intense. She said, "Well, it makes sense, because you are psychotically competitive. No wonder you like tournaments."

LMAO.

Then I helped her out with a bunch of the moves in wrestling class because I've taken it so much I am actually more familiar with them than many people who don't train this particular style. It's neat. I did stuff like correct the collar tie hand (it should not be the same hand as your forward leg, because you need to protect that leg against attacks). So, I felt good today.

Morning was weights and man I was glad to get back to it.

Weights--1 hour
6 min jog progressing to 6:00 pace
stick overpass, alter overpass, frog stretch, upside down bosu overhead squat
Barbell complex warm up power clean hand clean ohp from bottom 3 x 3
Power clean pull from blocks up to 75
Full clean to 85 3 x 2
Front squat 115 3 x 5
OHP 35 x 10, 55 x 6, 65 x 2, 55 x 4
Bench 65 x 10, 85 x 6, 95 x 4
A skips 20m x 3
Prowler 20m x 3
Med ball tosses/overhead tosses from bosu w feet up 10lb 15 x 3
Headstand 45 seconds


And in the evening...

Wrestling 1 hour
Front headlock entries
From collar tie (note--collar tie with hand of back foot!) threaten other leg so they withdraw it. Grab their chin and spike their head down while sprawling backwards. Pull hard and several times.
From one underhook: pressure them with elbow and threaten the near leg. Keep your near leg posted and circle the other leg away to drag them towards you then snap down.
Or, don't snap them down but instead pull them so they're facing you while spinning and then let go the underhook while clubbing their neck with your other forearm and turning your shoulders ("shuck"). This drives them to their knees so you can take their back.
If you have two on one (get two on one from their collar tie) make a large pot stir motion pushing them away then pulling them in. You can also use head pressure on the same side you have the arm. Optionally combine this with dropping to a knee and picking the opposite ankle.
From over-under: pummel head in on the overhook side and let the underhook go while circling away (step underhook foot back). Threaten their near leg as usual and then drag them down. Use head pressure! Will wind up w head in almost perfect place for anaconda choke.

I'm going to need to drill some of that, especially the two-on-one. But I love snapdowns and I found the shuck surprisingly easy to accomplish.


Food...

Breakfast 10:10am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
6.6 oz green beans
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
6 oz pineapple
3 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 x multi
2 x fish oil

Lunch/postworkout 2:05pm
1.5 cups vegetable soup
5.5 oz steak
2 oz almond milk
+
"dessert" 3:30pm
9 oz apple

Preworkout/postworkout 5:15/7:15
12 oz potato

Dinner 8:20pm
15 oz cauliflower
4.5 oz avocado
6 oz cod
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium

1970 cal, 250C/146P/53F

[shesprints]

WHEW. Long day today. Thanksgiving prep, visit from a college friend, and of course jiu jitsu training.

Training was weird. I arm barred a brown belt in the first class and she got really snippy with me afterwards, tapped and then told me to slow down and said I was moving too quickly and making a "classic white belt mistake." Excuse me, arm barring a brown belt (who was going pretty hard!) is not a mistake. And I did not come near injuring her. I checked in after with some guys there who assured me that I was not rolling too hard or being a spaz, and she was probably just miffed that a white belt caught her. Whatever. I don't think I'm perceived as a spaz in the gym anymore--according to the vast majority of my regular training partners I am a quality rolling partner, though I do know that I'm prone to rolling hard. I guess I was also going hard today because I realized how intense competition is and wanted to be able to bring that intensity more.

I did, in fact, manage good intensity with control with other partners. I rolled with a visiting heavyweight brown belt lady (not the one I arm barred) and took her back a number of times and nearly finished a few chokes, flattened her out on the floor, etc. I'm pretty sure that's in part because she was out of shape. Except that then I also rolled with this purple belt I've gone with before and who has routinely whupped my butt (in a nice way) and I caught her too, went to deep half when she tried to pass and came out under her to flip us and take side control. I also got her in triangle twice but didn't complete the sub. I don't think she let me have those--I felt her using full strength--and I checked that I wasn't being "too intense," whatever that means. She did at one point ask to the stop the roll because she couldn't breathe, but I asked if I hurt her and she emphatically said no, that it was just due to the weather change. I think partly I might've gassed her out, but I did not injure her or anything like that.

I think in part I'm just permitting myself to use more strength now that I've seen how necessary it is in competition, and I truly am stronger than most of the women at the gym, including those I rolled with today (which seems crazy because on this site I don't feel particularly strong.... like look at hammy, SHE is strong). And now I can use my strength more effectively because I have built up the technique and experience.

I want to call it a good day because I smashed a purple and a brown belt in front of Marcelo, but that first brown belt in the prior class left a sour taste in my mouth. Meh.

BJJ--2 hours
Advanced 1 gi
Re-kimura from top half
If they get the kimura you can grab your thigh like a quizzed and settle in and push hip w other hand the lock hands and posture up to use their kimura on them
Or you can simply lock hand on thigh and swivel around to far side arm bar
Final option is to throw your body away from them while keeping hand on their hip to come down past where they're trying to finish kimura. Then lean forward over them w shoulders once your kimura grip arm is in front of your body again.

5 x 5 min rounds
Took the back on a brown belt woman a lot. Arm barred another brown belt woman.

Advanced 1 nogi
Leg lace counters
Hand posted on their shoulder and keep twisting to either side. Don't let them stack your hips to one side! Then when they come up grab underhooks and butterfly sweep. Did 8 x 30 second hard rounds of this as drill.

Shark tank rounds--groups of 3 circled up fighting 2 x 2 min rounds each then switching out.
Was paired with female purple and brown belts about my size. Got good positions on them both and reversed a tough attempted guard pass by the purple belt by going to deep half, coming up on the leg, and dumping. Took the back on the brown belt. Almost finished RNC on brown belt and 2 triangles on the purple.

Food...

Breakfast 8:15am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
6.78 oz romanesco cauliflower
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
6 oz pineapple
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Pre/postworkout 11:15 + 2:15
12 oz potato

Lunch 2:55pm
2 cups vegetable soup
5.5 oz cod
22g mixed nuts

Dinner 7:30pm
12 oz broc****
5.25 oz scallops
1.5 tsp olive oil
9 oz polenta (cooked weight)
15g parmesan
9.5 oz apple
400mg magnesium

1910 cal, 269C/131P/43F

High carb day. Needed it.

Kept waking up last night with cramps in my forearms from all the grips, along with the grips in weightlifting. I don't mind, but prob will take a painkiller tonight.


Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am thankful for the huge support on this site--you guys are the best.

[Cardioconvert]

Been following along now for quite some time, very pleased with how your competition went! Great work!

I don't have any sport specific comments like some of the other posters with comparable experience but think you look very comfortable in the space and I am sure with time you will be even more so!

Silver, woot woot!👊👊

[shesprints]

Been following along now for quite some time, very pleased with how your competition went! Great work!

I don't have any sport specific comments like some of the other posters with comparable experience but think you look very comfortable in the space and I am sure with time you will be even more so!

Silver, woot woot!������������

Thanks lady! I think I felt comfortable because of SO much support from my team. I'd also gone to spectate two competitions prior to that so I was familiar with the venue, and that reduced my nerves a lot. Plus, of course, I've competed so many times in running that the pre-competition nerves aren't wholly unfamiliar, though the sport is.

Oh--just followed you on IG. <3

But yeah, I think there's plenty of room for improvement and we'll see what happens going forward!

Food today...

Breakfast 7:50am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
8 oz romanesco
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
4 oz fat free Greek yogurt
6 oz pineapple
3 oz almond milk
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Snack 12:45pm
2 cups vegetable soup
10 g cheese

Thanksgiving meal 2:00pm
Salad w/ about 1 T homemade oil and vinegar dressing
mushrooms and onions
steamed green beans and cauliflower
about 4 oz white meat turkey
about 3 oz arctic char
about 6 oz acorn squash
about 3 oz almond milk in decaf coffee

Dinner 8:00pm
5 oz arctic char
9.84 oz asparagus
9 oz polenta


1960 cal, 212C/165P/57F

A bit high on protein and calories I suppose, and the measurements for Thanksgiving aren't exact, but I continued to eat whole foods and didn't have any dessert or anything. Probably the easiest time I've had eating healthily on Thanksgiving because it's in accordance with my weight cut goal for next big competition.

I'm really antsy not training BJJ for TWO WHOLE DAYS (the gym is closed tomorrow too). So I'm going to lift tomorrow, and I plan to hit it hard. Then I'm going to see if I feel like doing 3 hours of jits on Saturday and Sunday. Why not, right? My new intraworkout potato method is working so well it will probably be fine. And I see Rachel on Saturday. I can't wait. Thanksgiving was pretty rough this year. My dad and uncle started bullying my cousin, forcing her into a political discussion, and I blew up at them and am still quite mad at my dad.

It's OK, I'll get over it. Just meh.

[Fiction2Fitness]

Happy Thanksgiving.

The food sounds good. Oh so healthy yet oh so good. Sounds nice though a bit rough on the family situation as it seems someone didn't get the no politics at thanksgiving dinner/lunch table memo.

Crazy talk, not having BJJ for 2 whole days. Yay for lifting and of course, good you get to see the GF this weekend too. Hopefully you have a great time.

[shesprints]

Happy Thanksgiving.

The food sounds good. Oh so healthy yet oh so good. Sounds nice though a bit rough on the family situation as it seems someone didn't get the no politics at thanksgiving dinner/lunch table memo.

Crazy talk, not having BJJ for 2 whole days. Yay for lifting and of course, good you get to see the GF this weekend too. Hopefully you have a great time.

Yeah, my dad and I are still at odds over this. He's now said he won't talk politics at any more social gatherings, so I've begrudgingly agreed to go to the party he's having next week.

I'm in withdrawal from both BJJ and the girlfriend, lmao. Luckily I get to train AND see her tomorrow so that's gonna rock. Today I lifted so that was cool. I'm extra motivated to lift now that I can see how useful my strength is in a competition setting. It helps me focus on proper form and getting out all the reps.

I also got a lot of compliments in the gym on my weight loss since I was wearing a rash guard instead of my usual loose shirt. :P so that was nice.

Weights--1 hour 15
Warmup:
5 min jog (down to 5:27 pace)
Stick overpass, alter overpass, frog stretch, overhead squat on upside down bosu x 10

DB Bench 22.5, 27.5, 30, 35 x 12 each
Pulldown (supinated) 60, 70, 85, 100 x 12 each

Push press 55, 65, 75, 85, 95 x 2 each
Snatch high pull 45, 55, 65, 80 x 6 each

DB curl 22.5 10, 10, 9, 8
Dips -40 4 x 10

Prehab:
1-leg calf raises 3 x 10
IYT 3 x 10
TKE 3 x 20

Abs:
Toe touch 3 x 22
Reverse crunch 3 x 20
Plank 3 x 45

Headstand 45 seconds

Stretch


Food...

Breakfast 9:20am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
6 oz green beans
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
6 oz pineapple
4 oz unsweetened almond milk
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Lunch/postworkout meal 1:30pm
2 cups vegetable soup
1 T teriyaki
6 oz arctic char
6 oz polenta

Dinner 8:00pm
18.5 oz cauliflower rice
6 oz cod
4 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium

1760 cal, 196C/142P/52F


Wasn't really hungry for more, I suppose due to eating more than usual on Thanksgiving and not training BJJ.

Also went to see Creed 2. It was good, surprisingly so! Lots of suspense and heart. The pacing could've used work, but a lot of parallel narratives came together at the end with, well, a bit of forcing, but it worked. Got me in the mood to fight hard at tomorrow's open mat, as well--not that I need the encouragement.

[thehobbes]

1960 cal, 212C/165P/57F

A bit high on protein and calories I suppose, and the measurements for Thanksgiving aren't exact, but I continued to eat whole foods and didn't have any dessert or anything. Probably the easiest time I've had eating healthily on Thanksgiving because it's in accordance with my weight cut goal for next big competition.

Mirin' protein count!

I'm really antsy not training BJJ for TWO WHOLE DAYS (the gym is closed tomorrow too). So I'm going to lift tomorrow, and I plan to hit it hard. Then I'm going to see if I feel like doing 3 hours of jits on Saturday and Sunday. Why not, right? My new intraworkout potato method is working so well it will probably be fine. And I see Rachel on Saturday. I can't wait. Thanksgiving was pretty rough this year. My dad and uncle started bullying my cousin, forcing her into a political discussion, and I blew up at them and am still quite mad at my dad.

It's OK, I'll get over it. Just meh.

What... you are chomping on a baked potato between bench press sets? It's genius! Jeez I don't know why family has to bring up sensitive subjects like politics at Thanksgiving dinner. That happened with my weirdo family last Christmas. Tempers flared, feelings were hurt, I was afraid the pumpkin pie would go airborne.

[shesprints]

Mirin' protein count!

What... you are chomping on a baked potato between bench press sets? It's genius! Jeez I don't know why family has to bring up sensitive subjects like politics at Thanksgiving dinner. That happened with my weirdo family last Christmas. Tempers flared, feelings were hurt, I was afraid the pumpkin pie would go airborne.

You think I'm joking, but basically yes. I eat plain baked potato with a bit of salt directly before and sometimes between jiu jitsu classes, especially when I train for 2 or 3 hours in a row. I don't have trouble digesting them and they give me good energy. I also don't feel good when I ingest sugar or sugary drinks, even in the middle of a workout--they make me feel immediately tired. So, potatoes it is.

Training today was rough. I don't know why--I felt pretty weak and drained for some reason, maybe poor sleep last night (I should have eaten more because hunger kept waking me up, lame). Then I caught a really gnarly arm bar from a blue belt girl who's very strong and tough and she did not hear me tap. I've never been so terrified in my life. I had to shout before she finally heard me and it was THISCLOSE to a serious injury. I'm okay--iced it and am fine now, just a bit sore--but jesus I was so scared. I suppose that's a lesson to me for my impetuous arm bar on that brown belt woman. I'm going to be so careful after this and I'll need some time to recover psychologically from it. :/ blah.

BJJ--3 hours
Level 1 gi
Escape underhooks with forearm across neck and pummel in
Then immediately hip throw
To arm bar by sitting across sideways and swinging other leg over
Mount swim inside their arms to s mount to take back
Very good to work on underhook escapes since that was exactly what happened to me in my second tournament match!

Open mat
8 x 5 min rounds
RNC on a guy I rarely RNC, arm triangle and absolute domination on a white belt guy, etc.
Got badly arm barred and she didn't hear tap that was scary but I'm ok.... but I sat out a round or two after that.

Advanced 1 gi
Bottom half to John Wayne sweep
If that doesn't work hip escape and get one hook in
They don't go down put other foot on hip and move to almost omoplata position with other foot on near hip and reverse direction arm bar
Or if they tuck arm over reach around and move to take back. That's also a sub if arm still caught

4 x 5 min rounds
got mount a lot, no subs though


Food so far...

Breakfast 7:50am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
3.4 oz onion
6 oz green beans
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
5 oz pineapple
4 oz unsweetened almond milk
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Pre- and postworkout 10:30 and 2:15pm
12 oz potato, salted (ate some before and some after BJJ)

Lunch 3:00pm
2 cups vegetable soup
2.5 oz artic char with a touch of maple syrup/teriyaki
3.5 oz cod
2 oz avocado

Going to go out to the museum with the gf. I'm pretty tired and don't feel great but hope I'll perk up.
Weighed in this morning in my PJ's at 147 which was cool I suppose. Likely it's due to the decreased carbs yesterday. Not sure. Either way, I only need to be under 155 for my tournament next week so that's fine. And I'll definitely be middleweight by the one on January 18 at this rate. That's only just under 152.5 in the gi.

[Cardioconvert]

Ah, family and politics, potentially a bad scenario. I know my dad and I have really gotten into heated debates over Turkey......well, not about Turkey, over it

The potato thing is cool hard to picture but cool. My gym would likely kick me out, they are lame about **** like that

Cc

[shesprints]

Ah, family and politics, potentially a bad scenario. I know my dad and I have really gotten into heated debates over Turkey......well, not about Turkey, over it

The potato thing is cool hard to picture but cool. My gym would likely kick me out, they are lame about **** like that

Cc

Well, I don't eat out on the mats. I eat in the locker room--so do a lot of other women who train there. Yeah, sadly, politics have just become more and more divisive. I don't know what to do about it really.

Just stopping in to log rest of today's food. Got carbs back to up to help with energy.

Dinner 9:00pm
9 oz acorn squash
13.4 oz cauliflower
5.78 oz cod
3 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium

1960 cal, 268C/140P/47F

Lower in fat higher in carbs today due to high training load today and tomorrow. Carbs help so much... and training is more importan tto me right now than losing weight super fast, especially since I'm losing anyhow. We'll see.

[shesprints]

Busy day, had to go straight to work from BJJ so lunch was kind of just two snacks.


Breakfast 8:50am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
3.1 oz onion
7.87 oz broc****
4 oz pineapple
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
4 oz almond milk
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Postworkout 2:15pm
12 oz potatoes
8 oz 2% cottage cheese

Snack 4:40pm
8.1 oz cucumber
37g unsalted mixed nuts

Dinner 8:00pm
2 cups vegetable soup
6.5 oz steak
10 oz apple
400mg magnesium

1930 cal, 232C/137P/61F

Fat's better today.

Training was also good. Got a private lesson to prep for the sub-only tournament. Very helpful. I also got my mojo back after some good rolls.

BJJ--2 hours
Advanced 1 gi
Knee shield and grab their arm across your body (with same arm as shielding knee) and grab pants knee w other hand
Extend them overhead and sweep overhead while doing a back roll to go to side or mount

5 x 5 min rounds hard
Got some good guard passes to side control and generally felt satisfied with performance today. Went for spiral breakdown also and prevented getting swept overhead.

Private lesson
Back take to bow and arrow choke
"Chair sit" from s mount away from their head and over their body
Use legs! Far leg over their shoulder and near leg either cross over it or hook at hip
Keep shoulder up tight against their head
If they start to escape go to s mount or arm triangle or if they roll away w space under shoot leg down to lock their bottom leg like needle and thread. Do this fast.
To finish RNC lock arms first but them pull shoulderblades back and down to sink it with sternum pressure.

Low single
Circle clockwise so they step their left foot forward
Distract them up top then shoot
Sternum over knee! Post left hand for balance. Right hand to heel and lock elbow down tight to ground and over their foot if poss. Head pressure on inside of knee and keep spine straight. Turkey looking up. Shoulders up and elbows tucked for stance and head up.


That low single is going to come in handy. I'm drilling it tomorrow. Whee.

Here are my "ideal scenario" plans for the sub-only tournament:

Plan A is attempt a low single, pass guard, s mount, and try to take the back (for RNC, bow-and-arrow, Ezequiel from back) or arm triangle if they start escaping.

Plan B is to engage standing and try to snap down to front headlock –> guillotine, anaconda choke, or back take.

I liked having a plan before--I actually basically executed it in the first match of the tournament--so I'll do some of that silliness like visualization as well as drilling this week. :P

[Fiction2Fitness]

Nice day, so it seems. I had a snack type of lunch too, though for different reasons. Sounds like you have a good plan going forward for this next very soon meet. You can do it!


I tend to avoid politic talk with family too for various reasons... like how they mostly live in wyoming and utah. Granted they are fairly open minded considering factors but still they tend more towards conservative and I'm well, not. Better to keep to safer topics like hearing when am I going to find someone and have kids. Ah family time.

[shesprints]

Nice day, so it seems. I had a snack type of lunch too, though for different reasons. Sounds like you have a good plan going forward for this next very soon meet. You can do it!

I tend to avoid politic talk with family too for various reasons... like how they mostly live in wyoming and utah. Granted they are fairly open minded considering factors but still they tend more towards conservative and I'm well, not. Better to keep to safer topics like hearing when am I going to find someone and have kids. Ah family time.

Yeah, I got the lecture on kids too... I guess it's family stuff.
I see the comp this weekend as more of a practice for some bigger stuff, something new as it's sub-only, and just for fun. So I'm MUCH more relaxed than I was the week before the IBJJF one. Partly, the whole gym was there that time, and this time it's just me and a buddy or two. Much less pressure. I'm also not concerned about making weight.

Speaking of which, ate a bit more today (1990) to compensate for increased training load; I kept waking up for the past two nights due to hunger and it's left me feeling quite worn down. Poor sleep is usually down to low carbs, as I did try higher fat yesterday to no avail. So, I raised carbs today. I have after all done 7.5 hours of BJJ in the past 3 days. That's a lot.

Training today was pretty good. The lessons in our classes were simple or repeat lessons, which I appreciated, and I got to stay after and drill my takedowns with some friends.

BJJ--2.5 hours
Level 2 nogi
Two on one to sit and take leg
Come up on single or kick overhead

4 x 3 min positional 5 min regular training

Advanced 1 gi
From half guard with their underhook on bottom, shift upper body quickly and peel down their sleeve, make frame against their face or neck and pummel for underhook
20 x 30 seconds drill of that move

4 x 7 min regular training
Did pretty ok but no subs alas. Almost got bow-and-arrow and arm bar on this blue belt girl and TRIED to dig out an arm triangle but she had long very messy hair and it was impossible. Hope that doesn't happen in tournament.

Takedown drills 30 min
Low singles, single leg defense
Note: go lower on low singles and use collarbone against their shin on top of your hand for extra pressure.


Food...

Breakfast 8:50am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
3.2 oz onion
5.96 oz broc****
4.5 oz pineapple
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
4 oz almond milk
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Intra/postworkout 10:30am-2:30pm
14.7 oz potato

Lunch 4:10pm
2 cups vegetable soup
6 oz sea bass
1 tsp each soy sauce and maple syrup
7.2 oz polenta

Dinner 9:55pm
16.5 oz cauliflower
5.7 oz sea bass
2.5 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium

1990 cal, 271C/150P/41F

Too low on fat but it is what it is, I sacrificed it for some intraworkout carbs that I badly needed, and I feel fine and not too hungry. Interesting how well I seem to do on high-starch when training intensely. I do need to get that fat up a bit tomorrow.

[shesprints]

Decent training day. Lifted in the morning, wrestling in the evening.

If you guys want to see some of my Oly lifts, they're on my instagram.

Snatch day
Run .65 mi pace down to 5:27/mile
Stick overpass, alter overpass, frog, upside down bosu squats x 10
4 x snatch complex (power, over head squat, overhead press x 3)
6 x snatch complex 2 (full/knees/hips)
Snatch up to 55 or 60
Bottoms up overhead squat 5 x 3 up to 60
Snatch grip dead w pause at knee x 4 w 4 second pause 4 x 95 1 x 105
Box jumps 3 x 3 from sitting 4 x 3 regular height 30"ish (went up w plates stacked on box progressively)
Stretch


Wrestling class was great. I was in a trio with two guys close to my height, and at first I feared they'd try to mansplain things to me, but it quickly became clear that I knew way more about wrestling than they did (I have been attending these classes for 7 or 8 months now!) so they wound up actually deferring to me for key details of the moves. I had to tell them to underhook on the lead leg side but collar tie with the rear leg side, explained how to pop off a collar tie with cupped hand to then get the underhook, how to shoot a double leg, etc. When I think back to how tentative I felt just starting that class, I'm very pleased I've absorbed so much. Now to apply it in my next competition....

The big concept behind today's wrestling class was "layers of offense." Our instructor says that he thinks BJJ doesn't have enough layers of offense and fakeouts on the feet so he wants us to try more fake shoots etc.

Wrestling--1 hour
Overtie to fake shoot on near leg then far then near to high crotch double (grab with inside hand then switch hands and take big step to take down).
Or shoot the single by faking that first.
Arm drag (from wrist grab or collar tie or underhook) to step and threaten high crotch double on near leg. KEEP the arm drag, step back foot front foot around their far leg like a single leg and press head against shoulder of arm drag arm to finish the trip.

Food...

Breakfast 8:50am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
6 oz green beans
3.5 oz starfruit
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
3.8 oz pineapple
4 oz almond milk
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Lunch/postworkout 1:55pm
2 cups vegetable soup
2 oz avocado
5.3 oz 99% turkey
2 x wasa crackers

Snack/preworkout 4:55pm
4 oz 2% cottage cheese
8 oz potato

Dinner/postworkout 8:55pm
8.6 oz green beans
3.5 oz tomato
5 oz turkey breast
4 oz avocado
3.2 oz whole wheat sourdough bread
400 mg magnesium

1980 cal, 244C/153P/53F

Decided on a sandwich for dinner as I have trouble digesting a big plate of vegetables after nighttime wrestling class.

[shesprints]

Fun fact: the girl who beat me in the tournament final just got her blue belt today. I think I was her last match at white. That's pretty cool.

Also, in class today I rolled with a blue belt who told me that I'd used a move he "definitely did not know at white belt" and after the roll said he was sure I'd wreck them in my comp, which IDK, they might combine brackets so I'd be up against a blue and a purple as well as other white belts... we'll see? Anyway, point is, training today was AMAZING and I'm feeling encouraged and good. I also got a buddy to work with on takedowns for 15 min after regular class.

BJJ--2 hours 15
Advanced 1 gi
Stack pass
From DLR turn knee out to get rid of hooking leg and push hip leg to the floor. Then push that hip down.
Lean mid chest weight on them and tuck elbow in at their waist or hold gi. Grab their pant knee and pass. Or put knee over folded leg side and push legs down w foot to take mount.

2 x 3 min specific training
4 x 5 min regular
Worked on closed guard. Think I got omoplata but forget. Worked on passing.

Advanced 1 nogi
Leg throw drills
Seatbelt hold drills
5 x 7 min live
Got a re-kimura on a blue belt guy and finished it when he tried to roll.
Came close to finishing north south and arm triangle
Swept from full x
got side control a lot from bad positions
Very good training
Ended with 45 seconds eaxh of tuck jumps then sprawls then bear walk swings then pushup position hold

15 min takedown drill freestyle
Got several low singles, doubles from either side, snapdowns, and treetops to outside trip.

Food....

Breakfast 8:50am
1 egg, 3 egg whites
3.6 oz onion
7 oz broc****
3.8 oz pineapple
1/4 c oats, 1/4 c pumpkin, 1/2 T cocoa
3 oz fat free Greek yogurt
3.74 oz almond milk
2 x fish oil
1 x multi

Intra/postworkout 11:30am-2:30pm
12 oz potato

Lunch 3:15pm
2 cups vegetable soup
6.5 oz steak

Dinner 7:30pm
16.1 oz cauliflower
5.3 oz 99% lean turkey
4 oz avocado
1/4 c bulgur
400mg magnesium


1950 cal, 227C/159P/55F

off for date night with the GF, but man I'm really really tired, so it'll probably be low-key. Training today was INTENSE with a lot of conditioning.