Can it really be...spring?

April 21

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Kettlebell Swings: 5 x 10 left/5 x 10 right with 40 kg bell
Double KB Complex: (Clean, Squat, Press x5/Clean, Squat, Press x 3/Clean, Squat, Press x 2) x 5 with 18 kg bells
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:
Bagwork: :30 work, :30 shadowbox for recovery

My son has been honing his photo skills on Forest. He's pretty good at catching expressions and action; today he caught Forest mid-sneeze:)

April 22

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
TGU: 5 left, 5 right with 24 kg kettlebell
Bodyweight Ladders: 5,4,3,2,1 of OneArm OneLeg PushUp (left and right), Pull Ups and Pistols (left and right)
Ab Work: Hanging Leg Raise, 1 x10; Windshield Wipers, 1 x 10; Front Levers, 1 x 5

Skill Training:

Bagwork: 30 minutes no rest
Sparring: 8 x 4 minute rounds

Forest got a new toy today. I don't usually buy I'm stuffed toys, as he wrecks them pretty quickly. But I subscribed to Bark Box -- they send a variety of toys and treats each month and part of the money goes to the animal-related charity of your choice. I supported the  The Wolf Center in Westchester NY -- one of our long-time students works with them as a handler/educator. Anyway, Forest got an owl -- and made short work of it. About 2 minutes worth:)

April 23

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Kettlebell Swings: 5 x 10 left/5 x 10 right with 40 kg bell
Double KB Complex: (Clean, Squat x 5, Press/Clean, Squat x 3, Press/Clean, Squat x 2, Press) x 5 with 20 kg bells
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Bagwork: 30 minutes, 1 minute of all techniques alternating with 1 minute of repeating individual technique.

April 24

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
TGU: 5 left, 5 right with 24 kg kettlebell
Bodyweight : 3 x 5 of OneArm OneLeg PushUp (left and right), Pull Ups and Pistols (left and right)
Ab Work: Hanging Leg Raise, 1 x10; Windshield Wipers, 1 x 10; Front Levers, 1 x 5

Skill Training:

Skip Rope: 10 minutes
Bagwork: 20 minutes of knee strike variations

Craving extra green lately now that's it finally spring: lots of kale, basil and guacamole in my dishes. Pretty damn tasty!

April 25

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Kettlebell Swings: 5 x 10 left/5 x 10 right with 40 kg bell
Double KB Complex: (Clean x 5, Squat, Press/Clean x 3, Squat, Press/Clean x 2, Squat, Press) x 5 with 22 kg bells
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Partner Pad Drills: 4 x 4 minute rounds
Partner bag Drills: 6 x 4 minute rounds
Sparring: 6 x 4 minute rounds

April 26

Strength Training:

Kettlebell Complex: Snatch and Bent Press (20 l/r with 18 kg bell; 15 l/r with 20 kg bell; 10 l/r with 24 kg bell; 5 l/r with 28 kg bell)
Ab Work: decline sit ups with alternating elbow strike x 50

Skill Training:

Bagwork: partner drills for 30 minutes

A beautiful day...and classes are packed:) And one of my students who I've been training for almost 15 years is 37 weeks pregnant with her second child -- and STILL made it to class.

April 27

An unbelievably beautiful morning, and the sun was actually up when Forest and I went to the park.

Felt really good this morning, so when I got back from the woods with Forest I did 30 minutes of alternating rope skipping and indian clubs. Perfect way to move a bit to aid in recovery, as opposed to working myself more.

Then my son and I did a backyard project, refinishing a pair of old cast-iron park benches. A very good day.

Winter just won't quit

April 14

Strength Training:

Strong First Mobility Drills
Single Kettlebell Swings: 5 x 10 left and 5 x 10 right with 40 kg bell
Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean, Squat, Press x 5/Clean, Squat, Press x 3/Clean, Squat, Press x 2) x 5 with 18 kg bells
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Sprint WarmUp
Bag Work: :30 work, :30 shadow recovery for 30 minutes


April 15

And it's winter again. Seriously, this is a little late in the season for snow and ice.

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
BodyWork Circuit: OneArm One Leg Push Up (assisted with Plyo Band) x 5 l/r; Pistol x 5 l/r; Pull Up x 5. Ladder down: 4, 3, 2, 1.
Ab Work: Hanging Leg Raise x 10; Windshield Wipers x 10; Front Levers x 5
 Skipping: 15 minutes

Skill Training:

Sprint Warm Up
Sparring: 8 rounds
Shadowbox: 2 rounds

April 16

Strength Training:

Strong First Mobility Drills
Single Kettlebell Swings: 5 x 10 left and 5 x 10 right with 40 kg bell
Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean, Squat x 5, Press /Clean, Squat x 3, Press /Clean, Squat x 2, Press) x 5 with 20 kg bells
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Sprint WarmUp
Pad Work: 4 x 4 minutes rounds, :30 rest

April 17

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Bodywork Sets: One Arm One Leg Push with Plyo band Assist, 3 x 5 left and right; Pistols, 3 x 5 left and right; L-Sit Pulls Ups, 3 x 10
Ab Work: Decline Sit Ups with Alternating Elbow x 50


Skill Training:

Sprint WarmUp
Bagwork: partner drills

April 18

Strength Training:

Strong First Mobility Drills
Single Kettlebell Swings: 5 x 10 left and 5 x 10 right with 40 kg bell
Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean x 5, Squat, Press /Clean x 3, Squat, Press /Clean x 2, Squa, Press) x 5 with 22 kg bells
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Easy Run Warm Up: My son and Forest are with me at work today, so 15 minutes on treadmill with Forest. People love to see the dog running on the treadmill:)
Bagwork, Thai Style: 30 minutes no break, concentrating on particular technique each 1 minute interval

The boy and the dog aren't used to this early rising, so after running around like lunatics for a bit, they were both ready for a nap while I worked.

I realized that I have really only been writing about training, with some son and dog thrown in. Not too much about diet. I've been very consistent since ending the juice fast. I'm primarily eating raw vegan, with some occasional cooked food (rice, occasional soup or sautéed vegetable dish on a cold day). It's really making me feel very healthy, energetic and strong. Most mornings breakfast after training is a smoothie. A typical choice would be spinach, kale or watercress; beet or carrot; ginger; banana; chia seeds and/or maca; often some pineapple; and Sun Warrior Raw Vegan Protein Powder. Lunch and dinner are usually lots of greens with hommos, avocado or guacamole; olives or olive pate. It's pretty damn tasty.

April 19

Not just muay thai training happened at Five Points today; some high-level dog aggression training going on, too. They did great, with some serious distractions!

Strength Training:

Easy run with Forest to WarmUp
Kettlebell Complex: Snatch/Windmill x 20 left/right with 18 kg bell; x 15 left/right with 20 kg bell; x 10 left/right with 24 kg bell; x 5 left/right with 28 kg bell
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Bagwork: :30 work/:30 shadowbox for 30 minutes

Had two visitors in class today from Kyokushin Israel Organization. I've taught several seminars for them in Tel Aviv and the students are all great people. Several of them have made a point to come by and train when they are in New York; today it was Offer and Doron.

I'll be back in Tel Aviv this July for another seminar -- I really enjoy working with this group. The head of the organization, Ronen Katz, has become a great friend and his family treats me like, well, family.

The afternoon was awesome, as my son and I headed to Forest Park so he could complete an assignment for science class. Fun school-work and a great day for riding, too.

April 20

Sunday, and Forest was ready for some running time after two days of being very good at Five Points. He's a very agile guy, and clearly enjoys leaping and running through, around, over and under obstacles in the woods. Nothing like a pit bull smile to brighten the day!

The New York International Auto Show is in town. We've gone every year since my son was 4 or 5, and this year was no different. That boy loves cars. And all the free swag and brochures the manufacturers give away.

Can't believe the difference in temp in just 5 days. The week started with snow and ice and ended with sun and green popping up all over the neighborhood and in the park. Crazy.

and it's allergy season

Just managed to appreciate that spring had finally arrived for about two minutes before the pollen hit me. Change of seasons is always a rough few days for me: stuffy, tired, headache. But it passes, and I know what's on the other side.

April 7

Strength Training:

Strong First Mobility Drills
Kettlebell Swings: 5 x 10 left/5 x 10 right with 36 kg bell
Double Kettlebell Complex:(Clean, Swing, Press x 5/Clean, Swing, Press x 3/Clean, Swing, Press x 2) x 5
Ab Work: AB Wheel, 2 x 10

No muay Thai training today. My head was pounding and just holding pads for everyone made me nauseous. No way I could have handled hitting anything:(

April 8

Crazy rain this morning. I think the forest will be very green by the weekend!

Strength Training:


Turkish Get Ups: 5 x 1 left and right with 24 kg bell
Bodyweight Ladders:
One Arm One Leg PushUps: 5,4,3,2,1 left and right
Pistols: 5,4,3,2,1 left and right
Assisted One handed PullUp (grip wrist with on-working hand): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 left and right
Ab Work: Hanging Leg Raises, 1 x 10; Windshield Wipers, 1 x 10; Front Levers, 1 x 5

Skill Training:

Sprints:
Bagwork, 15 minutes, shadow box 15 minutes, no rest

April 9

Strength Training:

Swings: 5 x 10, left and right, with 36 kg kb
Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean, Squat x 5, Press/Clean, Squat x 3, Press/Clean, Squat x 2, Press) x 5 with 20 kg kbs
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Sprint warm-up
Padwork: 5 x 4 min rounds with :30 rest

April 10 

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Turkish Get Ups: 5 left, 5 right with 24 kg bell
Bodyweight:  (PullUps x 5, Assisted One Arm One Leg PushUps x 5 left/right, Pistols x 5 left/right) x 3
Ab Work: Hanging Leg Raise x 10; Windshield Wipers x 10; Front Levers x 5

Skill Training:

Sprint Warm Up
Partner Bag Drills, 30 minutes

April 11

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Two Handed Swings: 10 x 10 with 44 kg kb

Skill Training:

Bag Work: :30 work, :30 shadow for 30 minutes
Pad Work: 15 minutes, no break

3 fighters fought in PA this evening on an all-female card. A long night and a long drive, but a new USKA Title for Gianna Smith, who defeated a tough Canadian fighter for the belt.

A slightly infuriating evening, as our fighter Brandice (co-main event) lost a decision in her title bout to another Canadian fighter. No disrespect to the opponent, but it was an absurd decision. Brandice demonstrated better, cleaner skills, landed better and harder shots. The only thing her opponent brought was a style that had both fighters on the ground repeatedly throughout the fight; not a scoring approach in muay thai and should have actually been fouls. But, so it goes sometimes in events that are judged. Onward and upward. Brandice is young, strong, motivated, disciplined and trains hard. This will only make her work even harder.

April 12

Tired after the long night coaching and then driving back from PA. But up to train.

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Single Kettlebell Complex: Snatch and Windmill (20 left/20 right with 18 kg bell; 15 left/15 right with 20 kg bell; 10 left/10 right with 22 kg bell; 5 left/5 right with 24 kg bell)


Skill Training:

Partner Bag Drills

More fights tonight. Our fighter Youyung Cho fought at a long-running promotion in the Bonx, Muay Thai Challenge. The venue is horrific -- a very small boxing gym. No heat in the winter, no air in the summer. one toilet in the men's room, one in the ladies. But the promoter consistently makes some of the best matches of any show on the East Coast, mixed in with a healthy dose of green fighters form local gyms (got to sell tickets). Youyung fought a very good fighter out of a very good camp: Suresh Tamag, Seapeenong Gym in Virginia. It was simply a fantastic fight. Two young, talented, technical, experienced fighters going at it all out. Youyung lost the decision but no complaints. It was extremely close and an outstanding and entertaining fight.

April 13 

Sunday! So tired and would love to sleep in, but Forest knows it's trail run day:) And it's a great day for it -- sunny and spring-like. Awesome.

Did some playing with my son, a lot of napping, and way too much eating. All good stuff, though (kimchee, avocado, some almond butter with banana, dried figs and dates, several fruit smoothies....) and I needed it after the last few days.

Spring, finally

It's still a little chilly in the morning, but sunny and much warmer in the afternoon.

March 31

Stepped up the training this morning, a sensible increase in weight for the complex.

Strength Training:

Strong First Mobility Drills
Kettlebell Swings: 5 x 10 left and right with 36 kb bell
Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean, Squat, Press x 5/Clean, Squat, Press x 3/Clean, Squat, Press x 2) x 5 with 18 kg bells.
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Bag Work: :30/:30, work and shadowbox recovery

A great surprise today, as my student (and chef) Marc Meyer brought me some awesome stuff for dinner before evening classes: sautéed swiss chard, hummus, beets, and a very refreshing cabbage slaw. Aswesome!

April 1:

Stepping up the bodyweight intensity, as well.

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Pull Ups: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, on 4 count with 1 min skipping between sets
One Arm one Leg Push Up: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 on 4 count (left and right) with 1 min skipping between sets and small plyo band assist.
Pistols: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (left and right) with 1 minute skipping between sets
Ab Work: Hanging Leg Raise, 1 x 10; Windshield Wipers, 1 x 10; Pikes, 1 x 5

Skill Training:

Bagwork, Thai Style: 30 minutes non-stop

April 2:

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Kettlebell Swing: 10 x 10 (5 left/5 right) with 36 kg kettlebell
Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean, Squat x 5, Press/Clean, Squat x 3, Press/Clean, Squat x 2, Press) x 5 with 20 kg kettlebells
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Bag Work:, 30 minutes of :30 bag/:30 shadow

Just so we're clear, that's my training. My non-training work day looks like this:

And this:

And this:

No wonder I feel so old!


April 3:

Thursdays are always the hardest morning of the week for me -- not sure why. But I definitely feel more tired on this day than any other day of the week. I still feel much better after, though:)

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Bodyweight:
One Arm One Leg Push: with plyo band assist, 3 x 5 left and right, skipping rope 1 minute between sets
Air Lunges: 3 x 5 left and right with 1 minute skipping rope betweens sets
Pull Ups: 3 x 5 on 4 count up and down with 1 minute skipping rope between sets
Ab Work: decline sit up with alternating elbow strike at the top x 50

Skill Work:
Partner bag drills and shadow boxing: 30 minutes

April 4:

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Two Hand Kettlebell Swings: 10 x 10 with 44 kg bell
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Light Sparring, 8 rounds of 4 minutes with :30 rest

April 5:

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Snatch/Windmill Kettlebell Complex: 20 left/20 right with 20 kg bell; 15 left/15 right with 22 kg bell; 10 left/10 right, 5 left/5 right with 24 kg bell

Skill Training:

Partner bag drills, 30 minutes



Spring is definitely arrived, and everyone was perked up and training hard today.

Winter is back :(

After a few days that really seems as if spring had arrived, it's back to freezing weather, wind advisories and snow in the forecast. It's getting old.

March 24

Strength Training:
Kettlebell Swings: 100 (5 x 10 left and right) with 36 kg bell
Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean, Squat, Press x 2/Clean, Squat, Press x 3/Clean, Squat, Press x 5) x 5 with 16 kg kettle bells
Ab Work: AB Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:
Bag Work: :30/:30 work and shadow for 30 minutes

March 25

Strength Training:

Turkish Get Ups: 5 left, 5 right with 24 kg kettlebell
One Arm One leg Push Up: 5, 4, 3, 2 ,1 left and right
Pistol: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 left and right
Pull Up: 5, 4, 3, 2 ,1 on 4 count up and down
Ab Work: Decline sut up with alternating elbow at the top x 50

Skill Training:

Bag Work: :30/:30 work and shadow box, 30 minutes
Light Sparring: 15 minutes
Primal Move: 15 minutes

Home by 6:00 pm, time for a quick walk with Forest. It's coat weather again.

March 26, 2014

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Kettlebell Swings: 5 x 10 left, 5 x 10 right with 36 kg bell
Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean, Squat x 2, Press/Clean, Squat x 3, Press/Clean, Squat x 5, Press) x 5 with 18 kg bells
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Pad Work: 4 rounds of 4 minutes with 30 sec rest
Bag Work: 4 rounds of 4 minutes with 30 sec rest

March 27

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
BodyWeight Superset: (One Arm One Leg Push Ups, 5 left/5 right with medium plyo band assist; Pull Ups on 4 count x 5; Pistols, 5 left/5 right) x 3
Ab Work: Hanging Leg Raise, 1 x 10; Windshield Wipers, 1 x 10; Front Levers, 1 x 5

Skill Work:

shadowboxing, 15 minutes

I'm very busy these days training the fight team, as there are LOTS of fights coming in April and May, including another title bout (she's already claimed two belts) for one of our excellent young fighters. Brandice is fighting at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem PA; if you're nearby, definitely check out the show -- it'll be a good one.

March 28

It's warmer today! Not warm, but warmer, and a little damp...almost like spring.

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Kettlebell Swings: 5 x 10 left and right with 36 kg bell
Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean x 2, Squat, Press/Clean x 3, Squat Press/Clean x 5, Squat, Press) x 5 with 20 kg bells

Skill Training:

Padwork, 15 minutes no break
Skip rope, 10 minutes



March 29

Spring! Warm and wet, with rain coming all weekend. The rain is a drag as it makes it rough to get Forest to the park. And my son and I are jonesing to ride our bikes. But spring is good:)

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Kettlebell Complex Ladder: Snatch/Windmill x 10 left / 10 right with  18 kg,  20 kg, 22 kg, 24 kg bell.
Finisher: Snatch 28 kg bell, 10 left / 10 right
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

BagWork: :30 work/ :30 shadow for 30 minutes

Home early and took Forest to the playground. The slides and towers there are great agility fun for him:)

New Strength Program

March 17, 2014

Continued to feel better. I definitely seem to be over whatever flu-like horror had me down last week, just blowing all the remains out of my nose endlessly.

New strength program started today. I'll be assisting at a combined StrongFirst SFG 1/ SFG 2 Certification in Chicago next month and will have to retest all my basic kettlebell lifts before the cert. So this program will revisit and fine-tune the StrongFirst lifts and tighten up my technique in anticipation of the testing.

Training:

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills

Kettlebell Swings: 5 x 10 left and right with 36 kg kettlebell

Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean, Squat, Press x 2/Clean, Squat, Press x 3/Clean, Squat, Press x 5) x 5 with 16 kg kettlebells

Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Partner Bag Drills: work :30/ shadow box :30 x 30 minutes

Lots of classes Monday, and fighters preparing for upcoming fights, so I worked pretty hard, too.

Had a great food treat today: a piece of a birthday Raw Banana Cream Pie from Rawsome Treats. It was unbelievably good.

Meanwhile, Forest is getting down with his own raw diet. His is carnivorous, of course: chicken gizzard, beef liver, salmon belly and skin, lamb shanks, beef marrow bones, and his all-time favorite, beef kidney:

March 18, 2014 

Tuesday is a bodyweight day in the new program, but with an eye toward programming as if it is loaded. In other words, it's no longer a feel-good, semi-recovery day, but another day with progressions.

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Turkish Get Ups: 2 x 5 left and right with 24 kg kettlebell
Pull Ups: to chest on 4 count up and down -- 5,4,3,2,1
alternating with:
Pistols: 5,4,3,2,1 left and right
then:
One Arm One Leg Push Ups: 5,4,3,2,1 left and right
alternating with:
Handstand kick ups: 5,4,3,2,1
Ab Work: 50 sit ups with alternating elbow strike on the decline bench

Skill Training:

Bag Work: 5 rounds
Shadow: 5 rounds

March 19, 2014

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Kettlebell Swing: 10 x 10 with 36 kg bell, switching hands on each set.
Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean, 2 x Squat, Press/Clean, 3 x Squat, Press/Clean, 5 x Squat, Press) x 5 with 18 kg bells
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

Skill Training:

Light Sparring: 6 rounds (4 min round, 30 sec break)
Bag Work: 3 rounds

After several classes and clients I left in the afternoon so I could attend the Science Fair at my son's school, where he was a finalist. He did a great job on his project and was very excited to be selected so I definitely wanted to be there. And he took home 3rd place in his grade:)

March 20, 2014:

Strength Training:

Turkish Get Ups: 5 left and 5 right with a 24 kg kettlebell
Pull Ups: 3 x 5
Pistols: 3 x 5 left and right
One Arm One Leg Push Ups: 3 x 5 left and right

Skill Training:

Bag Work: :30/:30 work and shadowbox for 30 minutes
Clinch Work: 3 rounds

Tried to do a home-version of the raw veg lasagna from Pure/One Lucky Duck. It turned out really well! Even my son agreed. Instead of sun-dried tomatoes I used tomato sauce with a binder filling from crushed walnuts and black beans in place of the nut cheese they use (haven't tried to make any of those yet). The rest was pretty similar. Overall, a very tasty 1st try.

March 21, 2014:

Strength Training:
StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Swing: two handed, 10 x 10 with 40 kg kettlebell
Double Kettlebell Complex: (Clean x 2, Squat, Press/Clean x 3, Squat, Press/Clean x 5, Squat, Press) x 5 with 20 kg bells


Skill Training:
Pad Work: 5 rounds
Light Sparring: 45 minutes

Felt like spring out, which is awesome. Did some clean up outside the house: sweeping, turning on the hoses from inside so I could wash the walkways of winter grit and grime. Another nice walk for Forest, and we picked the boy up at the bus stop after school.

More kitchen adventures: made cauliflower "rice." It's easy to do and while it doesn't really taste like rice, it has a similar texture and is quite tasty. I mixed it with kimchi, scallions and peppers for "fried rice." Pretty good!

March 22, 2014:

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Kettllebell Complex Ladder: Snatch/Windmill, 10x10 left and right with16 kg, 18 kg, 20 kg, 22 kg and 24 kg bell. Total of 100 Snatches/Windmills.
Ab Work: Hanging Leg Raise, 1 x 10; Windshield Wiper, 1 x 10; Front lever, 1 x 10

Skill Training:
Bag Work: :30/:30 work and shadowbox, for 30 minutes
Skip Rope: 10 minutes

March 23, 2014

Trail run!

Lots of reading and napping, and doing pull ups and push ups with my son. A very nice Sunday:)

Time to Back Off a Bit

March 10, 2014

So I'm coming to the end of my current strength training cycle and decided to go for a deadlift PR today. It did not go as planned; in fact, I had trouble pulling the weight I've been working with for even a single -- a clear indicator that I've overdone it and not had adequate recovery. So, time for a little deloading microcycle and then try it again.

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills
Swing: 10 x 10 single arm swings with 36 kg bell
Deadift: 1 x 1 with 135 lbs; 1 x 1 with 225 lbs; 1 x 1 with 275 lbs (my normal 2 x 5 weight, and it was HARD); attempt with 315 lbs at 150 lbs body weight. Fail. Did consolation set of 1 x 5 with 225 lbs
Double Kettlebell Bench Press: 2 x 5 with 28 kg bells
Ab Work: 2 x 10 with vAb Wheel

Skill Training:

partner drills, 5 rounds
clinch and knee work, 4 rounds

Food today was outstanding.  A banana, pineapple, spinach, kale, strawberry, Sun Warrior Raw Protein smoothie for breakfast. Homemade rice roll wraps with kimchi, scallions and sprouted quinoa inside, with a spicy ginger dipping sauce for lunch. And an amazing spinach, quinoa, acorn squash, hazelnut and cranberry salad from Brinkley's on Broome. Topped it all off with the sweetest Bosc pear.

Classes were extremely well-attended again. Spring is definitely in the air, and everyone has that drive back:)

March 11, 2014

By the time I got home last night (almost 10 pm) I realized why I was so weak on  my lifts yesterday: I'm sick. A drag, but on the other hand, makes me feel better about failing on the max lift attempt. I'm still going to dial it back for a week -- especially as I'm under the weather  and a bit weak and shaky, anyway.

Training:

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills

Turkish Get Up: 5 left, 5 right, alternating each time. I dropped the weight back to the 24 kg kettlebell.

Zercher Squats: 2 x 5 with 135 lb barbell (dropped it 10 pounds)

Double Kettlebell Rows: 2 x 5 with 36 kg kettle bells.

Ab Work: 1 x 10, Hanging leg Raise; 1 x 10, Windshield Wipers; 1 x 5, Front Levers

Skill Training:

skip rope, 10 minutes

shadowboxing, 10 minutes

partner technique drills, 15 minutes

light sparring, 15 minutes

Taught students pretty much straight through the morning and afternoon. Really feeling beat so went to bed immediately after getting home and having two bowls of miso soup. Slept straight through, a solid 8 hours. I don't get that very often, and it helped a lot.

March 12, 2014

Woke up feeling much better. Throat is still a wreck, but no fever and feel much stronger. Still stayed on the light side with training intensity today. It was also an early day, as I had to leave before my evening classes  to see my son sing at a choral concert.

Training:

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills

Kettlebell Complex: Snatch and Windmill, with Swing on hand change. 100, switching as needed, dropped weight to 20 kg kettlebell.

Ab Work: inverted (with gravity boots) pikes, 1 x 10 and crunches, 1 x 10

Skill Work:

ShadowBoxing: 2 rounds

Partner Bag intervals: :30/:30 for 10 rounds

Music by Black Sabbath, Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica.

I took one of our classes today, too. If I had the time in my schedule I'd take a class at Five Points daily. First off, because our instructors are all excellent and the classes are, as well. Secondly, because it let's me see if any of them have something I might want to use in one of my classes, or if one of them could use a suggestion as to how to deliver the material better. Anyway, I had time for the 8 am class today, taught by Emily Bearden, one of the fighters/coaches who has been with us the longest and also happens to be a 2x World Champion. The class was outstanding: very clear directions, a focussed technique and hard work. Plus I got to work with another one of our fighters, John Kraljevich. A good morning of pad work for me (4 x 4 min round/ :30 sec rest), along with shadowboxing and calisthenics.

Finished with my private students today and taught the noon muay this class...then off early to take my son to his choral concert. Singing is something he just started doing this year -- an instrument or chorus is required at his middle school. He really seems to enjoy it and it's much more academic than I would have expected. The kids learn the scales of course, but also to read and write music, different musical styles, some history, etc. And the concert was great, even if it's not really the sort of thing I'd expect to enjoy.

getting ready to sing

March 13, 2014

Slept poorly and woke up still under the weather. Stuffy nose and sneezing, but no fever and felt relatively strong. Still took it easy, though.

Training:

Strength Training:

StrongFirst Mobility Drills

Swings: 5 x 10 left/ 5 x 10 right with 36 kg kettlebell

Deadlift: 2 x 5 with 255 barbell

Kettlebell Floor Press: 2 x 5 left and right with 28 kg kettlebell

Skill Training:

Skip rope, 10 minutes

Bag Work: 15 minutes, moderate intensity, no rest

Home in the afternoon on Thursdays and had a great time putting a book case together with my son to accommodate his expanding library:)

Didn't do much other than that, as this annoying cold refuses to move on. Lots of reading and sleeping, which seems to be what I need.

March 14, 2014

Sweat through multiple shirts/sheets last night. My body is really trying to kick this bug. Today I finally smartened up and got serious about cooperating in that endeavor. Started the day with the perfect smoothie to fight a cold: pineapple, beet, celery, ginger, jalapeño pepper with a scoop of Sun Warrior Ormus Greens for good measure. I could practically feel it burning the mucus out of my chest:)

Training:

Took it VERY easy today with both load and volume. Pretty much just practicing.

Strength Training:

Strong First Mobility Drills
Turkish Get Ups: 1 x 5 left and right with 24 kg kettlebell
Zercher Squats: 2 x 5 with 155 lb barbell
Double Kettlebell Rows: 2 x 5 with 32 kg kettle bells
Ab Work: Ab Wheel, 2 x 10

That's it. No bag work, no shadow, no skipping, no sparring, no pad work. No fun. But I've got a long weekend ahead -- fighters on a card in southern New Jersey -- and I've got to get over being ill.

Trained my early morning clients then cleared the rest of the day to head home and sleep. Stopped by Juice Press on the way and loaded up on ammunition. All selections with ginger, turmeric, oil of oregano. Time to get over this bug, already.

I was in bed by 1 pm!

March 15, 2014

Slept through from yesterday until 5 am this morning. Woke up still stuffy but feeling much better. In to Five Points early to open and train before classes begin.

Training:

Strength Training:

One Arm One Leg Push Up: 3 x 5, left and right with small plyo band to assist
Pistols: 3 x 5 , left and right
Pull Ups: 3 x 5, 4 count up and down, pulling to chest
Ab Work: Hanging Leg Raise, 1 x 10; Windshield Wipers, 1 x 10; Front Levers, 1 x 5

Skill Training:

Bag Work: :30 second drills for 30 minutes

Good classes, then off to Voohees NJ for Strikers Cup 11. The Five Points Fight Team had two fighters on the card, and I worked the corner. Good showing by both guys. Lots of last-minute changes on the line-up, but the Five Points team stayed focussed and on-point.

James Peay v. Angel Rodrigues (TSMMA)

James debut was against a bigger, more experienced opponent but he showed consummate skill and great poise. While Rodrigues concentrated on only throwing boxing bombs, James landed a full arsenal of muay thai techniques, especially landing hard low kicks and punishing knees. The judges saw it as Rodrigues by decision, but we are definitely looking forward to many more exciting performances from James Peay.

Carl Gaeta v. Danny Ramirez (TSMMA)

Carl made his debut on a Strikers’ Cup against a bigger, hard punching opponent from TSMMA and returned to this show in the same situation — but as the main event. Carl negated his opponent’s boxing style by patiently walking him down and setting up punch/kick combinations, leading in to devastating knee strikes. At the bell, it was Carl by unanimous decision.

Then the two hour drive back home to NYC and sleep!

March 16, 2014:

Woke up feeling surprisingly good, especially considering the little sleep I managed to grab. Guess I finally kicked the illness I'd had, thanks to some solid sleep on Friday night and Juice Press juices packed with ginger, oil of oregano and peppers!

Forest woke me early -- before the sun was up. Not sure how he keeps track of the days, but he always seems to know when it's Sunday. So it was off the woods for an early morning trail run:)

Took it pretty easy the rest of the day. I had no desire to relapse. So a lot of reading and lounging around. The high point of the day was when my son made pizza for his lunch. The dough is a whole-grain mix from Trader Joe's. He ladled on some tomato sauce and he added some provolone cheese to top it off. Good fun for him,  and easy to do and even had an extra for school lunch today.

Cosmos with Neil DeGrasse Tyson to close an awesome and relaxing day.