How to think like a champion, and train like one.
tough, exercise, perseverance
|
Ever since I have been interested in fitness, I have always been interested in the mental side of it, as well as the physical journey involved.
I read on an interesting article online on mental conditioning that one of the 10 mental tougheners was regular, hard exercise. When I first read this, I was a little skeptical. I had the attitude that everyone knew how to exercise, they just needed to get off their asses and do it. However, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me.
If exercise is physical conditioning, why can't it also be mental conditioning?
You see all the greatest athletes in the world, the champions, the gold medalists, not only are they great physical specimens, they are strong willed, ultimately disciplined people. They train very hard, grinding day by day, pushing themselves out of their comfort zones, always with their number one goal in mind, to be the best. When was the last time you saw an athlete who was a weak minded pansy? I certainly have never seen one, and if anyone has let me know because I will be very interested. They are not born with the "give up" brain mechanism, quitting is not a word that they understand.
The toughest athletes in the world are usually involved in the most demanding sports e.g. Mixed Martial Arts, Amateur Wrestling, Boxing, Football. The one exception to this is Tiger Woods. The one thing that the champions of these sports have in common is that they all train ridiculously hard, exerting themselves physically for up to 6 days a week, minimum 6 hours a day, cardio, strength training, endurance training, power training, mental conditioning etc. In the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, which I believe has the best example of strong willed athletes, there is a training camp, run by a man named Greg Jackson. He trains alot of top level UFC fighters and has a strong reputation as one of the bes... read entire entry
|
|
|
on 6/25/2008
|
|
0 |
8.2
|
|
Weight lifting plan
weights, fitness
|
Okay guys, im going to write down my weight training pattern just to make it known.
Monday: Chest Back Forearms
Superset
Incline Dumbell Bench Press 3x12
Bent over barbell rows 3x10
Superset
Assisted chin ups 3x5
Assisted dips 3x10
Superset
Dumbell flyes 3x10
Seated cable rows 3x12
Barbell behind the back wrist curl 3x30
Wed/Thurs: Legs and Shoulders
Legs:
Barbell squats - 8-12 reps x 3 sets
Deadlifts - 8-12 reps x 3 sets
Lunges - 8-12 reps x 3 sets
Standing calf raises - 8-12 reps x 3 sets
Shoulder Triset:
Shoulder press - 6-12 reps x 3 sets
Upright rows - 6-12 reps x 3 sets
Bent over lateral raises - 6-12 reps x 3 sets
Saturday: Biceps Triceps, Abs Lower Back
Arms Superset:
Superset 1
Close grip bench press - 6-12 reps x 3 sets
Close grip barbell curls - 6-12 reps x 3 sets
Superset 2:
Tricep variation dips - 6-12 reps x 3 sets
Hammer curls - 6-12 reps x 3 sets
Superset 3:
Skull crushers - 6-12 reps x 3 sets
Incline inner biceps curl - 6-12 reps x 3 sets
Abdominal Triset:
Weighted decline crunches - 8-12 reps x 3 sets
Leg raises - 8-12 reps x 3 sets
Dumbbell side bends - 8-12 reps x 3 sets
Lower Back:
Back extensions - 8-12 reps x 3 sets
Good mornings - 8-12 reps x 3 sets
That is my weight training program for now, Im thinking about changing it up soon, to something that is more circuit training base with functional strength exercises. Because this will accomodate my grappling and kickboxing much better.
|
|
|
on 6/4/2008
|
|
0 |
6.6
|
|
I have alot to learn....
grappling, jiu jitsu, food, health, fitness
|
Okay, I attended jiu jitsu class today, heres a quick recap:
Today we started off drilling elbow-knee escapes, turning to your knees when side mounted, and correct sitting up from guard technique. We did 20 repetitions of each drill, and that was our warm-up. Then we got into pairs and drilled 3 side mount to full mount transitions. The first technique was very basic, just sliding your knee over their belly from side mount to achieve full mount. The second technique involved switching my base to a reverse scarf hold, then sliding my knee over the belly into full mount. The third technique was basically the same except if the person on the bottom put their foot on their opposite knee bucks their hips up, there is no space to slide the knee through, so you grab your own foot, and squeeze it through the other side to achieve full mount. We then were instructed to do all 3 of these techniques in rapid succession, which we did with no problems. The remaining 15 minutes of class consisted of free training, and I was paired up with my instructor. He was going at about 20% and he was still kicking my ass in any way he saw fit. A technique that he did that I really liked involved him having a deep collar grip on my gi, I went for the double under hook guard pass, and he instantly put a collar choke on me. Also he used the X-Guard on me which basically made me feel helpless. It’s great to be learning from him, as he is light years ahead of my old instructor. I didn’t get to practice my arm bars like I was hoping for, but you always learn something new when you wrestle with someone who is so good. I want to learn how to pass the X-Guard and I still would like to learn how to pass the butterfly guard. The main thing I learned from this session was to always watch out for collar chokes when attempting the double under hook guard pass.
Our head instructor Ben Hall, is a black belt in BJJ under the legendary late Carlson Gracie, and has won many internati... read entire entry
|
|
|
on 6/4/2008
|
|
0 |
6.8
|
|
To all the MMA fans out there.....
mma, martial arts, wec, elite xc
|
OK, this is part 2 of my rants for tonight then I'm going to bed.
I watched 2 big MMA events this weekend (online) and me being a big fan of Mixed Martial Arts, its been a hell of a weekend.
First up, to all newcomers, here is a crash course in Mixed Martial Arts....
MMA is the newest most exciting combat sport around today. Two competitors of similair weight fight each other in a cage with 4 ounce gloves, and are allowed to use any martial arts they see fit. However it is not a street fight in a cage, as there is extensive rules and regulations for the athletes safety, and the athletes have to undergo extensive drug testing and medical clearances before being allowed to fight. It has been labeled 'barbaric' by the media even though there has only been one death in MMA in its many years of existence. One company dominates the MMA market called the UFC, and to most people, UFC (or ultimate fighting) is synonymous with MMA. There are many strategies used in an MMA fight but I will highlight the main ones below:
Sprawl-and-brawl: An athlete with a kickboxing and amateur wrestling background will use his wrestling skills to prevent the other fight taking him to the ground, and he will try and stand and knock the other fighter out. Arguably the most exciting style in MMA.
Ground-and-pound: A person of an amateur wrestling background will use his wrestling skills to take the other fighter to the ground, hold him down and finish him with punches, elbows and knees. A style invented by "The Godfather of Ground and Pound", Mark Coleman.
Submission-fighting: A fighter who is very skilled in submission (joint locks and chokes) will get the fight to the ground by any means possible (even if they wind up on their backs) and will submit their opponent. This style was most effective in the UFCs first events, but people adapted to it, a... read entire entry
|
|
|
on 6/3/2008
|
|
0 |
9.5
|
|
jointlocks, chokes, sweat, and other fun things
jiu jitsu, martial arts, grappling, fitness
|
OK, this is my first blog, so try not to be overly critical, as alot of people on the internet seem to be.
I made this blog to keep track of my health and fitness and use it as a motivation tool, so please comment heaps guys!
I am also going to be detailing my martial arts classes and giving my various perspectives on martial arts, grappling, MMA and fitness.
OK, here goes.
I had a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class tonight which was really intense, and resulted in alot of sweat soaked, air gasping individiuals at the end of it. For those who do not know what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is, in a nutshell it is a martial art which focuses on grappling and ground fighting, or taking your opponent to the ground and making him submit with a joint lock or choke. Id have to say it is the best form of anaerobic exercise that I have done, because of the competition factor involved when you wrestle with someone else, it takes your mind off how tired you are. Anyway, here is a brief recap of my class:
This was our first class instructed by the Hawaiian blue belt. At the start of the session we drilled hip escapes, and getting to the knees when side mounted. I then showed a beginner side mount 101. We then drilled some guard passing, and then had a free train. With the guard passing, the beginner actually managed to pass my guard, but he was a strong lad (weighed about 100 kilos as well), but no excuses, it was a genuine mistake on my part. Nevertheless I swept him many times and caught him in a couple of submissions. At free training, I practiced my omoplatas on him, and caught him in about 2 or 3, and he caught me in a guillotine which I did not expect. I also wrestled with another guy who was stronger than me, I almost had him in an omoplata, and he escaped, and it was time. He was quite aggressive and managed to get past my guard a few times, but each time I either hip escaped or got to my knees. My lack of conditi... read entire entry
|
|
|
on 6/3/2008
|
|
0 |
3.9
|
|