A weekly update!

INSANITY!

3 weeks until I leave for NYC, and with 5 days lost in Chicago for a work-related trip, time is flying by! I’ve only made 2-3 classes/week these past few weeks. Because I’ll be away for almost 2 weeks from May – June, I’ve picked up lots of overtime at work which subsequently leaves less time to train. On the other hand, R has concocted some stupidly crazy cardio workouts to push me through. I don’t usually quote him, but here’s his idea of a ‘fun’ workout.

A deck of 52 cards… the goal is to work up to the point where we can complete the deck of cards at the end of the workout as the final cardio “push”. For example: After a good hour of technique, dri…lling, sprints etc. we would break out the deck of cards. Hearts would be burpees, diamonds would be burpees, clubs would be crunches, spades would be triangles. Final goal to work up to – the entire deck completed without rest between sets.Shuffle the deck thoroughly – if you get an ace you would do 11 of that exercise, J/K/Q you would do 10 and then just follow the numbers from 10 – 2.For example; if the following 4 cards came up: Ace of Hearts, Jack of Diamonds, 3 of clubs, King of spades – that would be 21 burpees, 3 triangles and 10 crunches.

If we were to make it through the whole deck of cards that would be a total of 190 burpees, 95 triangles and 95 crunches – all completed without rest.

This is a slightly modified version of a routine I stole from an old boxing coach. Mine is better (or more evil) depending on your point of view.

I don’t think we’d make it through the whole deck on the first go of course, but it would be a cool thing to work towards. I figure if we’re able to sail through that at the end of the main part of the workout we’re in pretty good shape.

Did I mention I love burpees?…

Our big grapple party is this weekend as well! I’m spending the day cleaning the loft and giving the mats a good cleaning before our friends come over! It’s looking like it’ll be a great mix of friends from both gyms!

My new Fenom Gi also arrived a few days ago! I’ve already washed and sent the Kimono through the dryer once to shrink it slightly. The Fenom A1 gi is a little larger than my Red Star A1, but a more detailed review will be coming once I’ve run it through a few classes! On my first attempt at trying it on, it’s incredibly soft weave was definitely noticeable!

Cutting weight, the girly way.

With 5 weeks and 8lbs to go, this will be the first time I’m going to experiment with ‘cutting weight.’

Now, first off most of you may think that this isn’t very much, but given that my measurements are currently 33-28-36, (bust, waist, hips) I don’t have very many areas to lose weight. Ever since I started training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu four months ago (January 2011), I’ve actually gained a few pounds and lost approximately an inch everywhere. Even though my measurements are smaller, it’s the last push to find myself in the under 130lbs weight category. I’m travelling to NYC for a grappling match, and even though there’s no official weigh-in, I’m pushing myself to see how well I can stick to a strict diet/training regiment and make weight.

There won’t be any aggressive measure like saunas, sweat suits or dehydration. I’m going to stick to just plain old good habits and the basic theory of eating less calories than you burn. It’s the sane and safe way of cutting weight.

In additional to training BJJ 6 times/week at the gym, I’m sticking to 3 cardio sessions per week. If I’m not training at home with R, I’m planning on heading to the pool to swim intervals. I’m cutting the alcohol completely out of my diet (except for on my actual birthday this month which I may or may not drink my face off.) and meal proportions/sizes are strictly regulated along with lots of green tea, fresh vegetables and lean protein.

May is going to be an important month when it comes to training. I’m almost hitting my half-year mark and it feels great to have found a rhythm of  going to the gym, eating healthy and feeling great! There’s likely going to be a few big changes coming up in the summer, so building my good habits ahead of time are going to serve me well when the patio/park/beach season hits. Summers in Toronto are always jam-packed with stuff to do!

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Addendum:

Ugh, I almost dropped 2 lbs in the last 24 hours due to a quick onset of food poisoning. I threw up 3 times in 4 hours and once the nausea finally passed I think I was able to hold some water down. This was not how I was planning on making weight. I wouldn’t have traded the aggressive vomiting for those two measly pounds.