Laser Focus

[Fiction2Fitness]

I know right??? I gave it to her and she loved it, she's actually going to wear it to the lab. Then, if someone asks her about the shirt she can say "my GIRLFRIEND got it for me." And everyone will know I'm a good girlfriend! Aha!

I also got myself a shirt from there with the Triforce on it, because Breath of the Wild rekindled my deep love of Zelda. Come to think of it, I'm going to spend some of my day off (today) playing that game. If you can call it a day off... I've been fielding parent emergencies a lot lately. >< so stressful. But I also know I'm more stressed because of being a bit exhausted/overtrained from pushing it on the BJJ post-infection. Good for me for taking a day off. Really should've been yesterday or the day before but there you go.

Right. And sweet on the Zelda shirt. I am not the most familiar with Zelda but do have a little familiarity. There was a boy in one of my painting classes back in college who did a really neat Zelda inspired painting. He had the hair himself so could have pulled off the look (and if I'm remembering corrected he dressed up like that at some point but it was years ago so maybe mis-remembering or just wishful thinking). Stress doesn't take a day off it seems. Hope you get to enjoy the game or something calming or that takes your mind away.

[shesprints]

Right. And sweet on the Zelda shirt. I am not the most familiar with Zelda but do have a little familiarity. There was a boy in one of my painting classes back in college who did a really neat Zelda inspired painting. He had the hair himself so could have pulled off the look (and if I'm remembering corrected he dressed up like that at some point but it was years ago so maybe mis-remembering or just wishful thinking). Stress doesn't take a day off it seems. Hope you get to enjoy the game or something calming or that takes your mind away.

There is definitely some sick Zelda art out there! And yeah, I chilled by watching Brooklyn 99 for awhile it was great.

I have to go to a party for some of my friends in just a sec but quickly--had a decent training day today barring a tweaked right shoulder (probably the trap attachment, the same issue I have on the left side... it's weird, like right behind my shoulder blade pain that radiates down my arm, indicating nerve involvement). But YEAH that aside I got a LOT of submissions especially on "younger" (less training time) white belts--took the back a lot which is something I've been working on; got to try the moves I had been drilling; and also submitted one guy twice with the same choke, which was funny.

BJJ--

Drill 40 min--
Granby roll out of guard pass
De la Riva to x guard focusing on gettjng their weight forward so I can get under the leg. Remember to reverse grip on the leg and pass it. Note: do I pass it overhead? Need to check. Note: really stretch them out w far leg!

Open mat 1 hr--
8 x 5 min rounds
Got a bunch of taps mostly on wing choke and took the back a lot more but overall felt sluggish. Must be the humidity + PMS. Only noticed shoulder tweak afterwards, weird!

[shesprints]

YAY MY SHOULDER FEELS BETTER!

Jess is still here visiting so I'm going out to lunch in a moment.

BJJ went well today and I didn't get submitted more than once (and that once was halfway so that's good). I am still working on taking the back more, and I finally executed a butterfly sweep, albeit on a smaller woman. My petty side is pleased that I'm so much better than her since she got two stripes at the last belt promotion and I got one. But she took some time off training so that stands to reason, I guess. Still--I can clean up against most white belts of any stripe these days, unless they are a lot bigger and male.

BJJ--1 hour
Advanced 1
Drill double guard pull and come up on top
7 x 3-5 min rounds
One with a woman who had wrestled and man was her top pressure good! I want to play her game. Again avoided getting triangled and even managed a butterfly sweep. Got single leg x sweeps and came up well several times. Got either one submission or two--can't remember. Good day. Ended 1 round early like a sane person.

[thehobbes]

Wahoo, shoulder improvement!

Eh it's not petty, it's your competitive nature and that's a good thing. My ego would be ridiculous if I was in any sport where I got to fight, srs.

[shesprints]

Wahoo, shoulder improvement!

Eh it's not petty, it's your competitive nature and that's a good thing. My ego would be ridiculous if I was in any sport where I got to fight, srs.

I actually think a lot of martial arts are very humbling and it's better to approach them with your ego set aside. At least during the actual fight it works best to just think of the moves you're doing.

Blah training today. Energy is crazy up and down these past few days; I was hyper last night but felt weird in training, maybe from PMS. I also drank way too much coffee to get through work before BJJ.


Escape from front headlock to north south
Either pass or jump across so body is opposite head
Or if arm in guillotine windmill arms with chest toward ceiling then turn back and turn toward North South
Or if they do Marcelotine then grab their triceps and roll onto back to "scrape" them off.

5 x 6 min rounds
Tough day lot of higher belts
Got one Marcelotine and one arm bar (which was really given to me)

Sadly also ended my not-getting-triangled streak. I'll get back there. Thursday training also has a yoga class first and I may do that since I want to work on my flexibility.

[thehobbes]

Sadly also ended my not-getting-triangled streak. I'll get back there. Thursday training also has a yoga class first and I may do that since I want to work on my flexibility.

Could be worse... at least you didn't get rectangled. Keep kicking ass OP.

[LunaLifts]

YAY MY SHOULDER FEELS BETTER!

I'm jealous, lol. Mine just keeps on sucking, I tried to lay on it yesterday, and it was less than a minute before it was painful.

I actually think a lot of martial arts are very humbling and it's better to approach them with your ego set aside.

This could work for me, I have little go to speak of, lol.

[shesprints]

Could be worse... at least you didn't get rectangled. Keep kicking ass OP.

Yes well the rectangle submission only works for those who have two knees per leg, so it's pretty rare.

I'm jealous, lol. Mine just keeps on sucking, I tried to lay on it yesterday, and it was less than a minute before it was painful.

This could work for me, I have little go to speak of, lol.

Oh noooo what's wrong with your shoulder? And yeah--some shy quiet people turn really aggressive on the mat and it helps them a lot with stuff. If you tried it you might be surprised!

BJJ--1 hour
Advanced 1 gi
De la Riva with lapel grip; break grip to make your own and step back from foot on hip. Yank them upright with your own grip on their sleeve then pass to back.

6 x 6 min live rounds
Got several x guard sweeps yay
Honestly tapped a couple times just because I was being suffocated by my own gi.

It was super hot. And super humid. I was going to stay for a second class but yeah lol no. Instead I had lunch with a work colleague who also happens to train at Marcelo's! It was great--he also writes and we had a nice discussion about stress and the value of freeform journaling (I wonder if this counts?) and I got to vent some of my existential angst. Tonight is date night with Rachel, finally. I missed her while she was away at her family thing and I had my friend visiting.

Which--by the way--omg. The other night my friends put on this crazy hilarious live performance/reading of the famously awful fanfic My Immortal and... yeah if you know what I'm talking about you'll understand how epically funny it was.

[LunaLifts]

Re: my shoulder, I have no idea. It's just iffy with me, and doesn't like most pressing movements (the only thing I haven't had trouble with is BP, but it could have just been good those days). I'm sure a lot of it is the combo of sleeping on it, and bad bed. I try to do some p/rehab stuff to keep it in check, as there's nothing I can do unless I can see a PT 2-4x a month, and I can't manage that right now.

Ew to hot and humid. It's been humid for like a month straight, and I'm dying. Gonna look up that fanfic, sounds dreadful.

EDIT: Omg, I can't even. I read some cringy fanfic as a teen, I wrote some cringy fanfic as a teen, but this is just awful. The author's notes, the spelling, the dialogue, the MC, the MC's fluffing name the use of "fangz" as "thanks" (at least that's what I think is going on, it took me a minute to figure it out).

[shesprints]

Re: my shoulder, I have no idea. It's just iffy with me, and doesn't like most pressing movements (the only thing I haven't had trouble with is BP, but it could have just been good those days). I'm sure a lot of it is the combo of sleeping on it, and bad bed. I try to do some p/rehab stuff to keep it in check, as there's nothing I can do unless I can see a PT 2-4x a month, and I can't manage that right now.

Ew to hot and humid. It's been humid for like a month straight, and I'm dying. Gonna look up that fanfic, sounds dreadful.

EDIT: Omg, I can't even. I read some cringy fanfic as a teen, I wrote some cringy fanfic as a teen, but this is just awful. The author's notes, the spelling, the dialogue, the MC, the MC's fluffing name the use of "fangz" as "thanks" (at least that's what I think is going on, it took me a minute to figure it out).

The meta-story of My Immortal is even better. No one knows who wrote it. No one knows if it's a masterful satire of fic trends of the time or if it was written in complete seriousness. It's a mystery--like the Bigfoot of fanfic. Recently, someone came forward claiming to have written it, but her story seems to have been proven false. Like I said. Bigfoot.



So guys. Kinda big news! Last night Rachel and I said "I love you" for the first time. She had gone to a family reunion last weekend so we caught up on that. She was telling me about her older brother, whom she says has gone down an unfortunate personal-styling path: he's grown a neckbeard. She was lamenting his choice and then I asked if he looked like her, and she grimaced and said, "Yeah, he actually does look like me... with a neckbeard. Please don't imagine that." Not thinking about it, I said, "Oh, I'd love you even if you had a neckbeard." Then I realized what I had said and buried my face in my hands and said "oh no oh no oh no" and she was like "that's okay! I love you too!" and I kept saying "oh no oh no" for awhile and "that's not how I expected that to go" but then I arrived at "hey maybe it's appropriate" and we moved on.

It would have made a great sitcom moment. We then spent some time considering making a sitcom about our relationship, after considering that we couldn't really make it as a romantic comedy movie or, really, a regular romance (too silly).

Also, she's coming up to the Berkshires for a weekend with me and my parents (going to Canyon Ranch, so not just... staying awkwardly with my parents; we'll be doing different activities). So that's all cool.

BJJ is going OK. I had a moment of frustration today even though overall I did fine. It's just that I think I've been going up against mostly higher belts, which makes it so hard for me to feel like I can finish any moves, and I get submitted a lot. I don't mind getting submitted by a higher belt but I DO mind feeling like I'm not giving them a good fight. I get frustrated when I get stuck for a long time in one position and I can FEEL they're waiting for me to try to do... something I don't know how to do. But! I'm working hard and the instructor stayed after class to help me with this one warmup movement I hadn't been able to nail and that was just so nice.

BJJ--2 hours

Level 2 gi
Knee cut pass and they roll out to turtle then KEEP ROLLING so grab seatbelt and jump to the other side. Ideally land on knees and get hook in then fall sideways not back to finish.
If you can't land on knees, get near hook in and push up like a tripod with the other leg to smash them into the mat. When they push back use hook to pull them into seatbelt the other way.

4 x 5 min live start with guard pull from standing

Advanced 1 nogi
3 x 2 min each drilling takedown (double, single, and head drag), then pass (knee cut), then sweep (butterfly sweep)

4 x 5 min live

Decent rolls all with higher belts. Did some cool guard passing by jumping over sides. Worked on Granby roll after class. Key is keeping head down.

Also, bright side: I did not have any trouble with the move we learned or with the drills. I used to struggle even to get the lesson of the day right! Now I'm just struggling to apply it to live rolls. That's a step forward. Man, this log really helps me to stay positive about things.

[anandagirl]

Awwwwwww!!!!!!

Oh and try not to feel so much pressure in BJJ, I'm sure you're doing amazing!

[thehobbes]

So guys. Kinda big news! Last night Rachel and I said "I love you" for the first time. She had gone to a family reunion last weekend so we caught up on that. She was telling me about her older brother, whom she says has gone down an unfortunate personal-styling path: he's grown a neckbeard. She was lamenting his choice and then I asked if he looked like her, and she grimaced and said, "Yeah, he actually does look like me... with a neckbeard. Please don't imagine that." Not thinking about it, I said, "Oh, I'd love you even if you had a neckbeard." Then I realized what I had said and buried my face in my hands and said "oh no oh no oh no" and she was like "that's okay! I love you too!" and I kept saying "oh no oh no" for awhile and "that's not how I expected that to go" but then I arrived at "hey maybe it's appropriate" and we moved on.

LMAO, ok OP we now need pics of gf with photo-shopped neckbeard. Also, AWWWWW!

[phoenix4444]

That story you told about your gf made me smile.

[LunaLifts]

The meta-story of My Immortal is even better. No one knows who wrote it. No one knows if it's a masterful satire of fic trends of the time or if it was written in complete seriousness. It's a mystery--like the Bigfoot of fanfic. Recently, someone came forward claiming to have written it, but her story seems to have been proven false. Like I said. Bigfoot.

Yeah when I was reading it, I was wondering if it was just a really good troll. On one hand, why go for so long, on the other it just can't be that bad for real.

So guys. Kinda big news! Last night Rachel and I said "I love you" for the first time. She had gone to a family reunion last weekend so we caught up on that. She was telling me about her older brother, whom she says has gone down an unfortunate personal-styling path: he's grown a neckbeard. She was lamenting his choice and then I asked if he looked like her, and she grimaced and said, "Yeah, he actually does look like me... with a neckbeard. Please don't imagine that." Not thinking about it, I said, "Oh, I'd love you even if you had a neckbeard." Then I realized what I had said and buried my face in my hands and said "oh no oh no oh no" and she was like "that's okay! I love you too!" and I kept saying "oh no oh no" for awhile and "that's not how I expected that to go" but then I arrived at "hey maybe it's appropriate" and we moved on.

It would have made a great sitcom moment. We then spent some time considering making a sitcom about our relationship, after considering that we couldn't really make it as a romantic comedy movie or, really, a regular romance (too silly).

Awww, that's so cute! I know the first "I love you" is a huge deal, but I think that's just a sweet way for that moment to happen. Sitcom worthy indeed.

BJJ is going OK. I had a moment of frustration today even though overall I did fine. It's just that I think I've been going up against mostly higher belts, which makes it so hard for me to feel like I can finish any moves, and I get submitted a lot. I don't mind getting submitted by a higher belt but I DO mind feeling like I'm not giving them a good fight. I get frustrated when I get stuck for a long time in one position and I can FEEL they're waiting for me to try to do... something I don't know how to do. But! I'm working hard and the instructor stayed after class to help me with this one warmup movement I hadn't been able to nail and that was just so nice.

It may be frustrating, but it's a good thing. You've been learning so fast, and the best way to keep challenging yourself, and get better is to have some experience with the people who are higher. It takes longer to level up on the little guys than it does with the ones with higher stats, even if the battles are harder.

[shesprints]

Awwwwwww!!!!!!

Oh and try not to feel so much pressure in BJJ, I'm sure you're doing amazing!

OKAY BRO. Thank u. I think part of my anguish was just wicked bad PMS... I need to make an appt. with a gyno about that, because it's been worse lately??? IDK what's up with it. I get so run-down-feeling and my mood and energy get so weird. It has not always been like this.

LMAO, ok OP we now need pics of gf with photo-shopped neckbeard. Also, AWWWWW!

You guys don't know her, so I can't do that, but funnily enough V02maxima expressed the same sentiment when I told her the story on messenger.

That story you told about your gf made me smile.

OH GOODY. It's so funny how I don't--or didn't--see myself as a romantic person for many years, but that was probably because I was so uninterested in the men I felt force to view romantically that I was just like 'I hate this, I hate this all.' Now that I have the proper feelings that one is supposed to feel with romantic things it's all kinda clicked, I guess.

It may be frustrating, but it's a good thing. You've been learning so fast, and the best way to keep challenging yourself, and get better is to have some experience with the people who are higher. It takes longer to level up on the little guys than it does with the ones with higher stats, even if the battles are harder.

You always make me feel better about things, Luna. So sweet. And yeah, what a great point about how to grind for BJj skills. SO TRUE. To level up I need to fight boss fights! You know, I'm always scared of those in the games as well?



SO. I went to BJJ Saturday so I'll log that now, belated--I took a break due to not feeling that well the past few days, plus I took Sunday/Monday off as well.

Saturday:

BJJ--2 hours
Level 1 gi
Hip throw to arm bar
Knee on belly sweep if they're trying to get mount
Or knee in belly to half guard to butterfly sweep from half

Open mat
7 x 4-5 min rounds
FELT HORRIBLE OMFG it was just too hot and I was dying


Today (Tuesday):

Wrestling class
3 entries to inside single
1. If you have collar tie and they have overtie, grab their wrist and limp arm out of collar the then drop to single.
2. If they have collar tie, cup block their hand up with your opposite hand WHILE you drop for the single leg.
3. If they push on your head, outside grab wrist and push it down then shoot.

With legs, first twist to dump them onto their hands then let them recover. Now you have a lower hold on their leg--at ankle not knee. Now you can take a big step with left leg and club with left hand while blocking them with right leg so they fall. Think circle.

Lastly we did a variation of this where we fed their leg through ours and then put our outside hand through their legs to grab the inside of their far thigh. Then take little steps backward so they fall and take their back.


Today was so much better. I was paired up with a new woman who's been training 1 year at a different gym. She was really good, strong and athletic with good balance, which makes it soooo much easier to do the drills, you guys have no idea. She also said I was, quote, awesome the instructor also said "very good job" a few times as well! I really naile the moves today and I'm so happy. I think taking a couple days off did help my body recover.

I also took those days off because I was afraid I had the staph again. A very small spot on my skin got irritated again and to be safe I went to the dermatologist, who gave me a more comprehensive antibiotic to be 100% safe, and also took a culture so I'll know for sure what was up. Whew. BUT I feel a lot better now and he said it was also safe to train as long as I put a band-aid on the spot (it's really small, like the size of a mosquito bite, and is also under my shirt) so WHEW.

Romantic update was that Rachel watched the Kasai Pro 3 with me on Saturday night. Two of the guys I know from our gym were in some of the biggest events and so it was really cool to watch. Rachel's reactions were also hilarious: "they're just slap-fighting," for example. I'll tell you guys more about it tomorrow. I will say that one of the reasons we worked on how to counter stalling in today's wrestling class was that Vagner Rocha stalled the HECK out of his match with our guy, Matheus Lutes. Like, they didn't even take it down to the mat at any point, it was crazy. Hence wanting to work on our takedown entries against a very defensive opponent.

[thehobbes]

I also took those days off because I was afraid I had the staph again. A very small spot on my skin got irritated again and to be safe I went to the dermatologist, who gave me a more comprehensive antibiotic to be 100% safe, and also took a culture so I'll know for sure what was up. Whew. BUT I feel a lot better now and he said it was also safe to train as long as I put a band-aid on the spot (it's really small, like the size of a mosquito bite, and is also under my shirt) so WHEW.

Close call! You scare me, every time I so much as get a paper cut I think of you and worry I'm going to get flesh eating bacteria (or turn into a zombie.)

[LunaLifts]

You always make me feel better about things, Luna. So sweet. And yeah, what a great point about how to grind for BJj skills. SO TRUE. To level up I need to fight boss fights! You know, I'm always scared of those in the games as well?

Aww, thank you, that means a lot. I like to try to be helpful if I can.

I get freaked out by boss battles too (in games, I get freaked out by every battle in real life lol), unless I've played them before, and know to level up a ton!

I also took those days off because I was afraid I had the staph again. A very small spot on my skin got irritated again and to be safe I went to the dermatologist, who gave me a more comprehensive antibiotic to be 100% safe, and also took a culture so I'll know for sure what was up. Whew. BUT I feel a lot better now and he said it was also safe to train as long as I put a band-aid on the spot (it's really small, like the size of a mosquito bite, and is also under my shirt) so WHEW.

Romantic update was that Rachel watched the Kasai Pro 3 with me on Saturday night. Two of the guys I know from our gym were in some of the biggest events and so it was really cool to watch. Rachel's reactions were also hilarious: "they're just slap-fighting," for example. I'll tell you guys more about it tomorrow. I will say that one of the reasons we worked on how to counter stalling in today's wrestling class was that Vagner Rocha stalled the HECK out of his match with our guy, Matheus Lutes. Like, they didn't even take it down to the mat at any point, it was crazy. Hence wanting to work on our takedown entries against a very defensive opponent.

Yay for a good partner, and more compliments! You're quite impressive, you know that?
I hope the irritation isn't more staph! O.O

Sounds like a cute date, I imagine the comments from someone who doesn't do it themselves would be pretty funny.

Is your new picture tiny you?! Adorable!

[thehobbes]

Is your new picture tiny you?! Adorable!

^^^Is it?! Mind=blown OP, you as a little kid looks so similar to me as a little kid. We could be long lost sisters!!

[shesprints]

Aww, thank you, that means a lot. I like to try to be helpful if I can.

I get freaked out by boss battles too (in games, I get freaked out by every battle in real life lol), unless I've played them before, and know to level up a ton!



Yay for a good partner, and more compliments! You're quite impressive, you know that?
I hope the irritation isn't more staph! O.O

Sounds like a cute date, I imagine the comments from someone who doesn't do it themselves would be pretty funny.

Is your new picture tiny you?! Adorable!

Yeah, luckily, I don't think it's staph; either way I'll know as soon as the doctor's office gets the culture back so that's good.
And yeah... comments on BJJ from non-BJJers are usually along the lines of "har har looks like they're having sex" but Rachel knows a little bit from what I've told her and also for obvious reasons is not prone to nervous homophobic laughter at two men in close personal contact.

^^^Is it?! Mind=blown OP, you as a little kid looks so similar to me as a little kid. We could be long lost sisters!!

YES IT ME! I found this old pic of me doing karate and I was like heyyy now that I'm back in a martial art I should show off my history with it. I liked karate. I always did the knuckle pushups. My brother would cry instead and just lie on the floor, lmao. Hammy, did you have big floofy hair too?? I highly doubt we looked THAT alike, though... my nose was pretty large even then, you just can't see it from the angle of the picture.


Today was another good training day.

BJJ--2 hours
Drill class
Knee on belly counters
1. Block far leg and spin around under them to get leg around their leg (really twist both legs around theirs) and spin through their legs to sweep them into 50/50
2. Catch their foot cup grip. Push knee down and hook their ankle between yours like mini x. Then hip escape out while extending foot out with your feet and pushing hands. Get half guard (underhook and block arm) then sweep of choice (I went to deep half).
3. Let them get mount. Block hips and hip escape out to get x guard.


Level 2 gi
Guard pass by stacking knees
Start with them in de la Riva with ankle and collar grip
Twist knee out to get rid of their hook
Pass the other leg through your legs
Break their grips
Sprawl onto them and grip back and collae of gi so elbows block their hips and their knees
Your knees should be out like a frog
Weight on your belly
Then hook their feet with far leg to keep their legs from blocking as you jump over them starting with other leg and pull them onto their back to take side control.

2 x 3 min positional drill
3 x 5 min regular training
Got one bow and arrow choke and almost got another! Tried some class drills with limited success. Did get 1 butterfly sweep.


The drill class was a challenge as my partner was also a bit lost. I like her, but she's a bit uncoordinated and also trying to do competitive oly lifting balanced with BJJ so her attention's divided. SO I kind of had to be in charge of figuring out how to do the drills. We got it in the end, though. I told the instructor my analogy for learning new series of moves--it's like reading a book in a foreign language when you don't quite know all the words. You can understand it anyway if you can follow the main thread. He agreed that was a good analogy.

[phoenix4444]

Adorable little shesprints avi, kicking arse even as a kid.

[shesprints]

Adorable little shesprints avi, kicking arse even as a kid.

Yeah for real I was a VERY aggressive child. I used to chase my brother down and wrestle him to the ground, then sit on him until he gave up. I would also beat up all the yellow belt boys in my karate class. I guess you could say I have changed VERY LITTLE over the course of my life.


Today was interesting because I did BJJ from 5-7pm last night and then from 12:30-1:30pm today so, uh, that was dumb? but also the only thing possible with my schedule. I am VERY TIRED and drained. It doesn't help that I had the most difficult menstrual period of my life this week. PMS was incredibly bad in terms of low energy and like, mind fog? kept forgetting things. Cramps have never been to bad, but I did feel general discomfort and bloating and just, ugh. THEN I had a reall heavy period for 2 days it made BJJ hard. I was glad for the gi yesterday, for real. Hey, it's the Female Bodybuilding section so I can say this stuff to all of you.

I did make a gyno appointment to make sure nothing is wrong, though. It's been seemingly getting worse and worse so want to make sure it isn't anything medical.

So. Class today--


BJJ--1 hour
Advanced 1
Escape from side control
Knee up to block them and bridge to get both hands in on far side of their head. Then bridge again while using knee to tilt them up. Get in bottom knee then quickly top knee also then hip escape out.
If they switch so legs go past your head you can either:
1. Use their momentum and swing your legs to tip them over and take side control or
2. Hip escape out.

5 x 5 min rounds

All higher belts except one girl who's quite small. With her I went REALLY light on pressure and worked techniques. With the others I basically tried to survive and pressure pass, which was, uh, not a success. At least I didn't tap out one single time, though I did let someone take my back. One of my partners was this WICKED athletic dude who was built like a football player but moved like a gymnast--totally nuts. He BACKFLIPPED over me and I just had to stop and say "whoa" and then keep going. Some dudes do that--take the chance to showboat a bit when they have a smaller opponent. I don't mind, I think it's super cool. Someday I will do that.

[phoenix4444]

Yeah for real I was a VERY aggressive child. I used to chase my brother down and wrestle him to the ground, then sit on him until he gave up. I would also beat up all the yellow belt boys in my karate class. I guess you could say I have changed VERY LITTLE over the course of my life.

Haha, I was the same as a child. My sister spent too much time locked in the bathroom until mom came home in fear that I would kill her if she came out. Also scrappy with fighting with the boys at school. And I do consider myself the alpha of my house though my man would disagree

Today was interesting because I did BJJ from 5-7pm last night and then from 12:30-1:30pm today so, uh, that was dumb? but also the only thing possible with my schedule. I am VERY TIRED and drained. It doesn't help that I had the most difficult menstrual period of my life this week. PMS was incredibly bad in terms of low energy and like, mind fog? kept forgetting things. Cramps have never been to bad, but I did feel general discomfort and bloating and just, ugh. THEN I had a reall heavy period for 2 days it made BJJ hard. I was glad for the gi yesterday, for real. Hey, it's the Female Bodybuilding section so I can say this stuff to all of you.

I did make a gyno appointment to make sure nothing is wrong, though. It's been seemingly getting worse and worse so want to make sure it isn't anything medical.

Good to get any change checked out. Could be just a normal shift but never can be to careful.

[LunaLifts]

The drill class was a challenge as my partner was also a bit lost. I like her, but she's a bit uncoordinated and also trying to do competitive oly lifting balanced with BJJ so her attention's divided. SO I kind of had to be in charge of figuring out how to do the drills. We got it in the end, though. I told the instructor my analogy for learning new series of moves--it's like reading a book in a foreign language when you don't quite know all the words. You can understand it anyway if you can follow the main thread. He agreed that was a good analogy.

Good analogy. I'm hoping that applies when I get around to reading actual foreign books. >.<

Yeah for real I was a VERY aggressive child. I used to chase my brother down and wrestle him to the ground, then sit on him until he gave up. I would also beat up all the yellow belt boys in my karate class. I guess you could say I have changed VERY LITTLE over the course of my life.

Also in the "used to beat up my brother" crew. Lol

Today was interesting because I did BJJ from 5-7pm last night and then from 12:30-1:30pm today so, uh, that was dumb? but also the only thing possible with my schedule. I am VERY TIRED and drained. It doesn't help that I had the most difficult menstrual period of my life this week. PMS was incredibly bad in terms of low energy and like, mind fog? kept forgetting things. Cramps have never been to bad, but I did feel general discomfort and bloating and just, ugh. THEN I had a reall heavy period for 2 days it made BJJ hard. I was glad for the gi yesterday, for real. Hey, it's the Female Bodybuilding section so I can say this stuff to all of you.

That's a lot of BJJ in a short time, especially when you top it with a bad period. I can relate to the low energy feels, my period makes me tired, and sort of "bleh" too.

[shesprints]

Haha, I was the same as a child. My sister spent too much time locked in the bathroom until mom came home in fear that I would kill her if she came out. Also scrappy with fighting with the boys at school. And I do consider myself the alpha of my house though my man would disagree



Good to get any change checked out. Could be just a normal shift but never can be to careful.

You're definitely the alpha. I can tell these things. <3

Good analogy. I'm hoping that applies when I get around to reading actual foreign books. >.<

Also in the "used to beat up my brother" crew. Lol


That's a lot of BJJ in a short time, especially when you top it with a bad period. I can relate to the low energy feels, my period makes me tired, and sort of "bleh" too.

Ayyy "used to beat up my brother" crew. Always happy to be a member of a new crew. And yeah--I just feel so thrown off because I'm not used to getting pushed around by my own hormones. OH WELL.

I felt a lot better today. Drills went well, I got a thumbs-up from the scary teacher, and when I was rolling a BJJ friend of mine said that I seemed a LOT better than last week energy-wise and said "you were sick, weren't you" and I was like "yeah" because I guess I kind of was? Whatever, just glad today went well.

BJJ--2 hours
Level 1 gi
Sprawl to counter shot
Front headlock to take back
Rear naked choke step by step:
1. Catch far hand and feed under foot with toes UP not pointed
2. Push other hand down and grab wrist with choking hand
3. Push their forehead back with forearm and squeeze with legs then go to choke.

Open mat
9 x 4-5 min rounds
Got a couple of wing chokes from s mount and took the back twice. Also got some sweeps and escaped from 2 or 3 tough triangle attempts.

OH, and I didn't get submitted a single time! I went up against a pretty fierce two-stripe white belt guy who did NOT seem to be holding back and he almost got me, but I escaped in the end

Now off to the zoo with Rachel. We're going to see them feed the sea lions! I've loved that since I was a baby. True story: when I was about 10 months old, my dad and grandfather took me to the zoo to see the sea lions but didn't tell me where we were going. When I saw where we were I stared at my dad and then gave him a kiss. <3

[thehobbes]

Have fun at the zoo! I love the zoo, my favorite is the penguins. Waddle waddle waddle And damnnnn tell your pesky uterus to chill the fark out!

Yeah for real I was a VERY aggressive child. I used to chase my brother down and wrestle him to the ground, then sit on him until he gave up. I would also beat up all the yellow belt boys in my karate class. I guess you could say I have changed VERY LITTLE over the course of my life.

And then do the spin move to reposition yourself and fart right in his face until he cried! Bwah ha ha!

[Fiction2Fitness]

Cute with the zoo trip and childhood element too. Sounds like you're doing well.

I like so many animals but have to go with hobbes on penguins. One of the most awesome photo jobs I had to do involved babysitting the printing machine for a customers order that had over 1000 pictures. He had gone to an area that included penguins in their natural habitat. No zoo. They had very little experience with humans and would go right up to them. So many pictures of penguins I nearly squealed in delight a couple of times. hehehe

[shesprints]

Have fun at the zoo! I love the zoo, my favorite is the penguins. Waddle waddle waddle And damnnnn tell your pesky uterus to chill the fark out!


And then do the spin move to reposition yourself and fart right in his face until he cried! Bwah ha ha!

LOL my brother was the one who farted but sure, why not. The penguins ARE very cool. I love how they keep their little wings out to balance while they walk, very sensible. And then they FLUTTERFLUTTERFLUTTER and then are chill again.

Cute with the zoo trip and childhood element too. Sounds like you're doing well.

I like so many animals but have to go with hobbes on penguins. One of the most awesome photo jobs I had to do involved babysitting the printing machine for a customers order that had over 1000 pictures. He had gone to an area that included penguins in their natural habitat. No zoo. They had very little experience with humans and would go right up to them. So many pictures of penguins I nearly squealed in delight a couple of times. hehehe

Yeah! Penguins and puffins are both like that in some places. I have a dentist who photographs wildlife and he has a whole bunch of puffins from one trip he took. He's the most fun dentist I've ever had, tell you that.


SO! Catching up. Yesterday and today I got in 2 hours of BJJ each I'm really improving and I can see it. That's heartening. Today midway through a roll a guy asked me if I was a blue or a white belt bc he wanted to try a submission that's illegal against white belts. I was like 'white but go ahead' and he was like 'yeah you seem game' so it was fine. (It was a footlock). That was cool.


Yesterday--

BJJ 2 hours
Level 1 gi
Drill stack pass
Escape from seatbelt
1. Worm out shoulders and get half guard
2. If they grab collar grip elbow and triceps and twist out (get elbow to floor first!) before twisting to land inside their full guard.

Advanced 1 gi
Escapes from RNC again but on bad side (side with arm)
One where you twist through and block hips to take side control
One where you do that but jump over, blocking hips
And one where you fake escaping and then when they take back roll to better side and escape the easier way

5 x 5 min live rounds
Wound up stuck in top half a lot. Need better transitions from there.


Today--
BJJ 2 hours
Level 2 nogi
Butterfly hooks on back with them kneeling and blocking hips with elbows
Yank their arms forward and overhook
Extend them w feet
Front headlock with arm in
Then sweep them over by kicking their knee
Or do it without the headlock.

6 x 2:30 positional start
5 min live

Advanced 1 gi
Single leg x and come up on top by grabbing and pushing their go

6 x 4-5 min live rounds
*note not to grab ankle in rubber guard. Instead grab around knee to avoid torquing and injuring knee.
I also avoided getting submitted by a tough purple belt, and I will count that in itself as a win.

Feeling a lot better, thank goodness, though still not 100%. I was so weak before that I really feel the contrast now.

[thehobbes]

SO! Catching up. Yesterday and today I got in 2 hours of BJJ each I'm really improving and I can see it. That's heartening. Today midway through a roll a guy asked me if I was a blue or a white belt bc he wanted to try a submission that's illegal against white belts. I was like 'white but go ahead' and he was like 'yeah you seem game' so it was fine. (It was a footlock). That was cool.

Hell yeah! Keep kicking ass with your bad self.

LOL my brother was the one who farted but sure, why not. The penguins ARE very cool. I love how they keep their little wings out to balance while they walk, very sensible. And then they FLUTTERFLUTTERFLUTTER and then are chill again.

LMAO, story of my life, penguins are 100% my spirit animal.

[shesprints]

Hell yeah! Keep kicking ass with your bad self.


LMAO, story of my life, penguins are 100% my spirit animal.

In running, a "penguin" is someone who runs for fun and doesn't care about time, so maybe you count as one there too! Of course, I haven't heard anything about penguins' bench press skills so idk.


Today! Today I had a free session with a trainer at my gym who's really good at working with athletes and coaches Olympic lifts. I asked him what to do that can supplement BJJ since I've been having a hard time figuring it out. He made some recommendations, including doing some Olympic lifting again [I did used to do it but it was before I broke my leg and I never took it back up again] as specifically useful for BJJ/wrestling. I tried that out this morning and I'm going to meet with him again to brush up on the Olympic lifts. I mean I don't need to become competitive with them, but I DEFINITELY see the connection. Today we just did some overhead squats, deadlift with pause at knees, high pulls, and power cleans. I'll see from there.

... and yes, coincidence, because tonight in wrestling we did some crazy throws! They LOOKED basically like body slams (you pick up your partner and DUMP THEM ON THEIR HEAD) but they don't FEEL that intense--basically you're tipping your partner over the fulcrum of your hip. The class was fast-paced and a little hard to get in enough reps, so my partner said she would drill with me again on Friday, because she struggled with it too. And she's a purple belt MMA fighter, so if she thought it was hard I can't be that bad. And again, I did basically get the moves, just didn't feel confident with them, especially given how simple they looked.

Weights in the morning (just a little bit)
TRX row 2 x 10 slow tempo
Bosu plank 2 x 1 minute
Overhead squat 15lb x 10, 45lb 2 x 10
Snatch drop x 6
Slow tempo deadlift to knees w pause 105lb x 5
Power cleans 65lb x 5

BJJ--1 hour
Wrestling for BJJ
Mat returns (one regular over hip throw, one with arm up across neck and other arm deep under near leg. To get there switch to mirror stance and "comb hair" while dropping to knee and back up again to come around back).
Slide by "look at wristwatch" or
Inside collar tie and look toward own arm offering their head a spot on your neck. Then pull their elbow and deep step in to spin them over your hip and snap them down.


So yeah like I said an interesting day. I'm going to try to get in regular gym training 2 x a week and cut BJJ back SLIGHTLY as the school year begins, partly just to accommodate my work schedule.

[LunaLifts]

In running, a "penguin" is someone who runs for fun and doesn't care about time, so maybe you count as one there too! Of course, I haven't heard anything about penguins' bench press skills so idk.

I kinda want to be a penguin now... the challenge is trying to run for fun, lol.

Today! Today I had a free session with a trainer at my gym who's really good at working with athletes and coaches Olympic lifts. I asked him what to do that can supplement BJJ since I've been having a hard time figuring it out. He made some recommendations, including doing some Olympic lifting again [I did used to do it but it was before I broke my leg and I never took it back up again] as specifically useful for BJJ/wrestling. I tried that out this morning and I'm going to meet with him again to brush up on the Olympic lifts. I mean I don't need to become competitive with them, but I DEFINITELY see the connection. Today we just did some overhead squats, deadlift with pause at knees, high pulls, and power cleans. I'll see from there.

Cool! I'm sure it'll complement your BJJ training well, it's a lot of explosive moments. Hope it goes well!

... and yes, coincidence, because tonight in wrestling we did some crazy throws! They LOOKED basically like body slams (you pick up your partner and DUMP THEM ON THEIR HEAD)

That sounds fluffin' AWESOME!