Training to enter M.M.A.

[illmatic 24]

*******UPDATE: NO LONGER TRAINING TO FIGHT, JUST TRAINING CASUALLY. 2009-2011 HAS BUILD UP TO FIGHTS *******



Hey guys, I figured I'd transfer my journal over to Sherdog for a larger audience to give feedback. I'll get us caught up to today.

Introduction: I'm 20 years old, 6'4 about 195lbs, left handed, lanky but muscular build from years of weightlifting, but relatively weak cardio. Other weaknesses include occassional shin splints and contact lenses. I trained Muay Thai pretty hardcore for a month while I was in Thailand, and since returning I've done about 2 weeks at my local MMA gym (this journal starts at the begginning of those 2 weeks) other than that, pretty much starting from scratch.

I go to all the classes at the local MMA gym, and in addition will begin my own training with a partner when I can.

Classes are as follows:
Mon - Beginner Jiu-Jitsu
Tue - M.M.A.
Wed - Beginner Jiu-Jitsu
Thur - Boxing + Muay Thai
Fri - Boxing + Muay Thai + M.M.A
Sat - Rest
Sun - Rest

Going to ease myself into it at first and build momentum as my body adjusts. Also going to start light on my weights and build momentum over the weeks as powerlifters do.


Fights:
I'm aiming for December for my premier amateur M.M.A. bout. I'd like to participate in Jiu-Jitsu tournaments as well as take some boxing/muay thai fights to increase my skillset, but M.M.A. is my overall direction. Wish me luck and feel free to pass on advice. I'm gonna tear a hole into this guy.

Some Relevant Links:
Tiger Muay Thai, Phuket, Thailand:Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp, Phuket, Thailand - Thai-Boxing, BJJ, Submission Grappling, Mixed Martial Arts Instruction, Nutrition, Weight-lifting, Running, Weight-loss, Fitness and Yoga Programs.
Revolution Chilliwack, Chilliwack, Canada:Revolution Martial Arts | MMA | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu | Muay Thai Kickboxing | Boxing | Judo
Valley Fight, Chilliwack, Canada:VALLEY FIGHT

 

[sharpcelery]

6:30 am Wake Up
custom protein shake
7:15 am Beginning Work
muesli + a few fruits (varies) + cottage cheese
10:30 am Lunch Break
steak OR chicken breast OR salmon fillet
roast potatoes OR rice OR farkey noodles
steamed vegetables OR greek salad
4:00 pm Finish Work/Pre Workout
2x tuna OR turkey sandwiches on whole grains
7-8:30 pm (Varies alot) Post Workout/Dinner
custom protein shake
A completely random dinner, my only true freedom through the day. Can't be overly bad like a bag of Doritos, but the Chicken Caesar sub from Quiznos I had today, for example, is fine.
10:30 pm Before Bed
custom protein shake

About 6 litres of water throughout a day.

illmatic's Custom Protein Shake
2/3 to a litre 2% milk
1 cup microwaved oatmeal
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 scoop vanilla whey protein

Approximate nutritional values:
Calories 6000
Carbs 550
Protein 450
Fat 200

How is it that you are consuming 6000 calories on that diet? I also question the 450 grams of protein, how positive are you about these values? If you are very sure about them, what are the portions like?

 

[illmatic 24]

August 5th:
Been home for a week, just settling back in and getting back on my feet to get my goals in gear. Me and my training partner have had 3 1 hour sessions practicing standup on the thai pads and his shield and we've had a blast.

Tomorrow I sign up for the M.M.A. Gym and do my first class. It's an M.M.A. class tomorrow. Ready to rock.

August 8th:
Well my start got postponed due to some illness and then a wedding. Not a good way to kick it off but it's going now regardless.

Yesterday was my first class. Beforehand 2 of my friends wanted to hit pads for awhile so I met up with them and we practiced our muay thai on eachother for at least an hour. Afterwards I got something to eat then headed to class.

Class was pretty easy, and I daresay our trainer isn't very thorough. I sat down and start stretching before class, but the trainer didn't take us through any warm up. Instead we started with learning a bit of clinch work, wrestling for the clinch, a few moves from the clinch, etc. Then we did a pretty thorough circuit training that I managed without too much trouble. After that he essentially said, we can do whatever we want - shadowbox, hit the bag, pads, etc. as long as we were doing something. I alternated between hitting the bag since I haven't been on a bag in awhile, and shadowboxing while using a line on the mats to practice moving forwards, backwards, and sideways in a straight line while throwing combos. That's the class.

During class the trainer took an interest in me and asked me how long I'd been training for. We talked a bit about Thailand and he mentioned that there's a Muay Thai event coming up in two months. He seemed like a pretty nice guy.

August 9th:
Double class today

First was boxing/muay thai. Skipping, shadowboxing, a ton of heavy bag rounds, one round hitting mitts, 1 hour and we're done.

Then was MMA. Today was called 'rear naked day' we learned everything to do with the rear naked choke and practiced it extensively. After that we rolled for half an hour alternating between partners. I used my strength to help even out my inexperience, but when paired with someone similar to me I was pretty helpless. I got submitted maybe 4 times and managed to submit twice with a triangle and an arm bar. Another 1.5 hours and I'm done for the day.

I got scratched up on my lips while rolling which is kind of annoying but something I'll be getting used to now. Definitely going to roll with a mouthguard and probably a cup by next class. The trainer was a different one today, I know him from when I took a few classes a year ago and he remembers me as a hard hitter . He's much more thorough and exhausting to train under than the previous guy. I have to work during class tomorrow so it's a rest day unless my friend wants to do some pad drills. I'm ******* sore already and I know the morning after is going to be uncomfortable.

August 11th:
Man was I sore for two days. Luckily they were the rest days. This week started today with my first Jiu-Jitsu class. I bought my Gi and started to feel pretty ninja like by this time despite my completely blank white belt. Did a quick stretch, warm up run, and some quick neck/ab conditioning. Then one of the teachers took us aside to talk to us about JJ and the workings of the class. Then we did some practice getting out of full mount, and learned a scissor choke using the Gi. The one hou class went by very quickly. There is an advanced class following right after but I need to do beginners for around 2 months before I can step up. I'll shutup, listen, and try to do it sooner than that.

August 15th:
My sleepings been fucked up lately because of working in the morning and then somehow not being able to sleep at night. This led me to being too tired and miserable so I bitched out on a BJJ class. I also missed an MMA class because my tire popped on the way there and by the time I had a (flat) spare on I was in a shitty mood and too late for class. Oh well.

Today was Kickboxing. Man this trainer doesn't do much with us at all. Half the class hit bags while the other half shadowboxed and then we switched and so on. After that we practiced jabbing with a partner while parrying and dodging. Then he said just do whatever for the rest of the class. Took my partner and we practiced hitting pads and very light boxing sparring. Class over double class with a more active trainer tomorrow.

August 16th:
Missed first class because it was the only time I could get new tires. Did do the 1.5 hour MMA class though. Warmed up with a bit of gymnastics that I was not comfortable with at all. Learned and practiced a few submissions from guard. Then rolled for half an hour. I did alright, there was only one guy in there who dominated me and he had been training quite awhile, other than that I didn't get submitted from the other two guys.

Sticking to my diet pretty well these past few days. I'm tending to miss a few things until my ****bolism gets back into overdrive and I'm fuel hungry. I slept a full night last night, and am avoiding going out tonight to try to hold a pattern.

August 18th:
Went to the gym this afternoon. First time with weights in maybe 3 months now. I want everyone to take note of this because this is the weakest, most pathetic weights I've lifted in probably 4 years or more, and it'll all be uphill from here until I break old barriers.

I did a full body routine to adjust my body to weightlifting and to see how much damage travelling has done to my strength. It'll shift to the 3 day split and I'll add more combat oriented exercises in the near future.

Squats 8,8 @ 135lbs
Deadlift 8,8 @ 135lbs
Bench Press 8,8 @ 135lbs
Military Press 6,5 @ 95lbs
Wide Grip Pullup 6,4 @ bodyweight
Dips 6,6 @ bodyweight

The scary thing is how challenging all these weights are for me. Yikes.

2nd Gi Jiu-Jitsu class was today. Struggling to keep up and absorb as much as I can. Trying to get past the awkwardness and get good at seeing something and then recreating it yourself without missing steps. Had a decent time when we drilled trying to pass guard but I was mostly dominated.



That catches us up to today. MMA class comin up.

 

[sharpcelery]

Answer me

 

[illmatic 24]

How is it that you are consuming 6000 calories on that diet? I also question the 450 grams of protein, how positive are you about these values? If you are very sure about them, what are the portions like?

It's all according to fitday. Here's a breakdown of the calories per meal. The secret's in the shake.

Meal 1 600 calories (shake)
Meal 2 650 calories
Meal 3 1650 calories
Meal 4 650 calories
Meal 5 600 calories (shake) + random dinner
Meal 6 600 calories (shake)

Total of 4750 calories without counting dinner. My dinner is usually large, similar to the lunch, so it generally breaks 1000 calories pretty easy.

Portion size is large. The protein shakes have about a quart of 2% milk and a ton of oatmeal. The lunch is generally large portions as well, full chicken breast (2 half breasts) or a big salmon steak, six small potatos, and 2 cups or so of veggies/salad.

If anything else looks questionable let me know and I'll go into more detail in that specific area.

 

[illmatic 24]

MMA Class

Started with the various running warmups, then did a bit of gymnastics again; rolls, back rolls, cartwheels, and diving front rolls. Still awkward but everything's getting better and I'm not as disoriented as last time we did them. Today we worked from side control. Submitting from it (don't know what it was called but had to do with locking the wrist then lifting at the shoulder joint), getting into full mount, and getting out of it. Still struggling to memorize all the steps and then repeat but I got the techniques down eventually. Then we spent time practicing starting from side mount and trying to get full mount while the other guy trys to submit or get to half guard. I did alright here against a guy much heavier than me who said he'd been coming for a year on and off.

Then we rolled where I did alot better. I didn't get submitted, and I managed a guillotine, and 2 triangles. These are the only 2 submissions I seem to get on people when we're rolling because I'm comfortable with them, so whenever I get mount or side control I just simulate pounding on them. I'd like to master a few more submissions so that I can finish it from other positions than in guard.

I noticed I do alot better in no Gi. This may just be a noob observation, but I think that you can get away with shittier technique by making it up with strenth more so in no Gi. I feel pretty helpless rolling in a Gi because technique is a vague concept in my mind. Regardless I'll keep at Gi until it becomes comfortable, and I'm sure I'll pick up skills for both disciplines.

 

[sharpcelery]

Americana


Also, if it's not too much trouble, could you post a protein breakdown of your diet? Sorry to bother you, but I'm really looking to tweak the diet before I get back to school.

 

[illmatic 24]

Americana


Also, if it's not too much trouble, could you post a protein breakdown of your diet? Sorry to bother you, but I'm really looking to tweak the diet before I get back to school.

Sorry, Americana?

That's no problem. I reccomend checking out fitday.com if you haven't already. I don't use it on a daily basis, just to build diets, until it sets into a pattern.

6:30 am Wake Up
custom protein shake whey powder 50g+milk (3 cup) 24g+peanut butter (tbsp) 4g+oatmeal (cup) 6g = 84g protein
7:15 am Beginning Work
muesli + a few fruits (varies) + cottage cheesemuesli (cup) 8g+fruit (2 pcs) 2g+cottage cheese (half cup) 16g = 26g protein
10:30 am Lunch Break
steak OR chicken breast OR salmon fillet 60-70g
roast potatoes OR rice OR farkey noodles 5-15g
steamed vegetables OR greek salad 0-8g =65-93g protein
4:00 pm Finish Work/Pre Workout
2x tuna OR turkey sandwiches on whole grains multigrain bread (4 slice) 16g+ turkey ham (6 slice) 40g=56g protein
7-8:30 pm (Varies alot) Post Workout/Dinner
custom protein shake 84g protein
A completely random dinner, my only true freedom through the day. Can't be overly bad like a bag of Doritos, but the Chicken Caesar sub from Quiznos I had today, for example, is fine.
10:30 pm Before Bed
custom protein shake 84g protein

In total thats 399-427g before factoring in a dinner, depending on what you chose for lunch. That leaves dinner to make up the difference of 23-51 g protein. Easily done. Hope that makes sense, kinda chaotic.

 

[sharpcelery]

The submission you didn't recall the name for, it's most likely an americana. It's a key lock.

 

[illmatic 24]

The submission you didn't recall the name for, it's most likely an americana. It's a key lock.

Ahh yes, I do remember him calling it a key lock too. Thanks!

 

[mschatz]

Nice log. Looking forward to following your progress.

 

[illmatic 24]

Thanks mschatz. Feel free to offer any critiscm or advice. I think I've got the jist of what I'm doing and am going to keep a solid pace. But if anything stands out to you that sounds wrong, feel free to say something.


Man am I fucking sore right now. It's the first day back in the gym that's killed me these past few days. It'll get better from here, but for the moment it's hurting my ability to do the classes. I'll definitely finish the weeks classes, but I doubt I'll do any training beforehand until the end of the week.

Today was beginner jiu-jitsu again. We did a sweet warm up today, the class is divided in half then everyones on their knees, set up goal posts and then basically play some chaotic hockey, using your hand to slap the ball. Also aloud to grapple with guys around the ball. Pretty funny and very Canadian of us. :icon_chee

Today we did side control like in M.M.A., it's different teachers so I don't know if they're coordinating or it was just chance. The drills were more basic, essentially just practicing coming in on a guy out of his guard, sliding, the knee over, or pushing the knees to the side then coming around for side control. No submissions. Then we practiced from guard trying to get to side control while they try to sweep or submit. Did okay, still get roughed around pretty easily in the Gi. Ah well, it'll come.

 

[illmatic 24]

Kickboxing today was better than last week because the trainer took us through a few more things. First was just shadowboxing, then practicing headkicks on a partner followed by light sparring using jabs to set up kicks. After that I pounded on the bags and taught a new guy to hold the pads for me and took turns doing that. I'm finding myself a bit more awkward on my feet than I used to be, it'll definitely come back once I get more training going outside of class. I've still got plenty of snap in my kicks at least.

 

[illmatic 24]

Good double class today to wrap up the week of classes. First off was Muay Thai, we had another guy leading classes today, another local up and comer. We practiced alot of fighting for clinches, breaking, knees, other striking, etc. Also checked lots of round kicks. I ate a knee squarely in the balls from a guy on his first day. It was my fault for not keeping my forearms down there and for not wearing a cup, but damn was I nervous after that. Note to self: Buy a cup tomorrow.

MMA class was also really good. More guard passing as well as triangle practice and I learned an arm bar. Still a bit awkward on the arm bar but it'll come in time. As we were rolling I got pounded on today, need to quit giving up my neck.. My neck got wrenched quite a bit, and my jaw popped and I felt this crazy hot rush of blood in my cheek like blood was spilling out of a vein or something. Probably just a pop and something I'll get used to. Also learned a chimera (not sure on spelling) from a friend, I feel pretty comfortable with that one now and think I'll slip it in on someone in the near future.

Tomorrow is suppossed to be rest but I may hit the gym again, probably do another light full body routine to continue easing in the extra training outside of class. Also definitely going to hit the hottub for a fair amount of time.


I've got a question for any knowledgable viewers as well: I have a severe underbite, and what this means is I can't shape a mouthguard to fit into my bottom and top teeth, because there's too much of a gap between. What I did with mine is I brought my jaw forwards so that my teeth are lined up as if my bite was regular. Now the problem is, when my chin gets put under pressure, my teeth tend to slip out of the mouth guard and get pushed back to where they naturally go, this fucks me up because I can't clench my teeth when this happens because my mouthguards in the way. Thoughts?

 

[illmatic 24]

Another Jiu-Jitsu class feeling like a noob. Did alright, learned a scissor sweep and practiced getting out of mount for most of the class.

Looks like we have a new guest trainer named Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons. He's a seasoned veteran I beleive primarily a stiker with a pretty impressive resume including a KO over Hughes, a TKO over Militech, and a decision loss to Liddell. I don't know if he's only teaching one class, or maybe (hopefully) he'll run a Muay Thai class. I beleive there's something posted it on the wall but forgot to read it. Definitely going to be around to learn from this guy.

I want to go the gym tonight but feel some pain in my groin from class, so I'll take it easy and maybe hit it before class tomorrow.

 

[mschatz]

Also learned a chimera (not sure on spelling)

Kimura.

 

[garyleeman2000]

If I were you I would try to get a meal in between 10:30 and 4pm. Thats a long time to go without food.

But other than that it looks good to me.

Just out of curiosity, how old are you?

 

[illmatic 24]

If I were you I would try to get a meal in between 10:30 and 4pm. Thats a long time to go without food.

But other than that it looks good to me.

Just out of curiosity, how old are you?

Yeah, it's just pretty tough because I'm busy at work for most of this time. Really I'm just making excuses though because I can sneak away whenever people go for smoke breaks. Probably be a good idea to at least have something to munch on during this time if not a full meal.

I'm 20.

 

[illmatic 24]

Did another full body routine. Upped the weights on the 3 core exercises successfully. Improved the reps on everything else except for wide grip pullups.

Squats 8,8 @ 155lbs
Deadlifts 8,8 @ 155lbs
Bench Press 8,8 @ 145lbs
Military Press 6,6 @ 95lbs
Pullup 6,4 @ bodyweight
Dips 8,6 @ bodyweight

I weighed in at 195lbs on August 8th, now on the 26th I weigh 202lbs for a gain of 7lbs in 2.5 weeks.

Groin still sore today but felt fine working out, it only hurts when my leg moves sideways. Still gonna go to MMA class today and hope she holds up.

 

[illmatic 24]

Today was a great MMA class, but I got my ass kicked worse than I ever have. I'm sure it'll get worse before it gets better too.

Warmed up and stretched out, started with practicing takedowns. Step in grab behind knees, pivot around to the side, step forward and throw legs. We shadowed this for awhile, then teamed up and tried it on partners.

I noticed takedowns get a bit confusing when doing southpaw vs. orthodox. I think maybe stepping forward with the back leg instead of the lead leg first helps close the gap better.

Anyways, after that we learned to defend it by pushing their face off, getting a whizzer through to our leg, pivoting the back leg out of reach, leaning in to use their support as a second leg, then jerking out the lead like you're kickstarting a motorcycle. Seems like a good time to bring that leg back in the form of a knee onto your opponents face.

Practiced having a partner hold our leg while leading us around the gym hopping on our free leg for a few minutes, fuck that was exhausting but I pushed through.

Then we sparred takedowns/take down defense. Exhausting. I suck at wrestling, which should be a given because this is my first real experience at it. I find myself too long and lanky to get in tight and be explosive.

After this we rolled starting from standing. I got fucking annihilated. I don't know if it was just the difficulty of the class or because I hit the gym today (well obviously it was both), but instead of gassed I was fully burnt out in everyway possible. The talent has definitely gone up as well in the class, we've got alot more experienced guys that are as heavy as me and shaped like thick wrestlers, these guys were on me as I got tossed and pounded for round upon round. Finished it off with being paired up with a guy whos had a few pro fights who needless to say raped me on the mat. I think it was something like 4 submissions in 5 minutes, starting from a stand. At that point I figured if anything I'd see how much heart I had as I got up right away to get going. I felt like a big clusmy oaf too exhausted to do anything but resist; I felt like Forrest Griffin.

I've been reading some submissions on www.lockflow.com as a supplement to my slow progress in BJJ. It's good to brush up on the finer points of things I'm getting used to. Once I get a partner, I'll be practicing more new stuff. I went into class today with the goal of landing a Kimura or an Armbar on someone to get comfortable with a new submission, almost landed a Kimura twice but they reached over with their other arm and got free. I'll carry this goal over to the next class.

Fuck I'm sore. Determination has only gone up though.