Monday, August 22, 2011

Training Blog- 08/22 ESP-XC

Well last week was not a good week for me.  The week started fine, but I finished with a popped rib.  This is my third one this year!  I don't know how or why I have been targeted for this rib popping but I'm done with this injury!  This first 2 ribs this year I was out 2 and 1 weeks respectively.  What can I say I have a high tolerance for pain, but this one was more painful than the last 2 it actually took my breath away!  So I don't know how long I will be out.  Since you use your core muscles for almost everything in BJJ, I'm gonna play it by ear.  Same with the ESP-XC workouts.  I can't do the Core stuff, I can't move too fast right now, so pretty much all exercises have been shelved for the time being!  This happens to me everytime I am working towards something.  I get to the point where I'm feeling great, training great in all aspects and boom I get injured.  I'm sick of it.  This weekend I was really down in the dumps... I haven't touched a beer in a while, but this weekend I made an exception.  I watched some football, drank some cold beers and ate some bad food to make me feel better LOL!  I know its just another bump in the road that I will have to overcome, I just need some time to recover fully again.  Once I've healed I will jump back on to that horse again, but until then there will not be a training blog!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Product Review- USP Labs Prime


For those of you that know me, know that I'm far from a body builder.  I workout and train BJJ, but a body builder is something that I will never be mistaken for.  With that being said I wanted to try something in conjunction with all the workouts that I have been doing from my training blog.  As most of you know all supplements work differently for everybody.   If you are like me and love taking supplements properly to help you achieve your goals, then you are already aware that USPLabs puts out great products, but of course   there really isn't that LEGAL magical pill out there that will help you get stronger, gain muscle mass, and stay lean.  Or is there???  I just finished taking PRIME from USP Labs, and let me tell you this supplement is as close to magic as they come.  When I first started taking them with in the first 2 or 3 weeks I noticed something different within my workouts.  Workouts that used to leave me on the brink of death, I somehow began to run through them and want more.  Weights that I would struggle getting the last 2 reps out of, I would finish the set easily and add more weight or reps to the next set.  When I first started using these pills I weighed 211 lbs, after one bottle of Prime I am at 216 right now.  Now you would think that my diet is horrible, but I will tell you that my diet is clean about 90% of time. It would be impossible for me to gain weight without gaining fat, right?  Here is the kicker to the whole thing, I gained this weight all while getting leaner!  I look leaner, my clothes fit more baggy, people have been asking me if I am losing weight, but really I'm not my numbers on the scale have increased, but my fat has not.

For you BJJ guys out there let me tell you how this helped me out on the mat.  Along with a proper diet and workout, Prime has given me on the mat:

1. Muscular Endurance beyond belief
2. Fantastic Recovery ability, in between sets, in between rolls with little rest, and very importantly in between those mad scrambles that you tend to have during the course of a rolling session.
3. Strength, now regardless what you may think, you use strength in BJJ.  You have to have strong grips, you have to be able to explode in certain occasions, if you are competing against some one with a similar skill level and weight as you, the person with the better strength and conditioning more than likely will come out victorious. 

So if you are like me and really want to excel on the mat, you put in extra work in the gym, and eat right.  This product maybe for you.  Combined with proper diet and workout regimen this may help you get to where you want to be.  I think this product is great for anyone not cutting weight, because of the size gains, but leaning up, gaining that needed extra strength and endurance, and recovery I give it a 10!  In the past 3 months I feel like my BJJ training has grown in leaps and bounds, not just from this pill, but putting in the work on and off the mats as well.  If you want to learn more about this product and all the other fine products USPLabs offers check them out here USPLABS Direct Product Page Now that I am out of the product I need to get some on order very soon!

Training Blog- 08/16 ESP-XC

Week 2 of the power phase has ended. Everything is still going strong. I have 2 more weeks in the current program and when that is done I plan on continuing down this same path. Maybe I do the power phase again or start over and do the strength phase again just to keep the workouts going. My time is very limited so I will have to see what and when I can do this again. The power phase is definitely not for the weak of heart. Its a good test for your physical conditioning. Tonight I will train BJJ for the first time since Thursday, our gym has moved locations so as an employee of the gym I was in the mix this weekend helping getting the new spot all set up. With this I had trouble getting all the workouts done in the correct order last week but I still got them done. So hopefully tonight I will hit the upper body workout and go from there.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Training Blog- 08/8 ESP-XC

Still going strong... I finished up week one of the Power phase over the weekend with the cardio combo workout.  Last night was the beginning of week 2 and it started with the upper body workout.  Yesterday I trained in the MMA class and did some live training in the BJJ class.  I hadn't done an MMA class in probably about 2 years, since then I have been just sticking with BJJ.  I was surprised with the amount of the endurance I had while training in the MMA class, since it was something that I had been away from for a while.  I went through rounds of takedowns off the cage, rounds of getting back up while being up against the cage on my butt, a few rounds of side control drills,  and a couple rounds of no gi rolling.  It was kind of a accident that I did train because it was a small class and some of the bigger guys were going to be too tired to finish it so the instructor requested that I train with them to keep from dying.   So I did.  After that I did 3 rounds of Gi BJJ and my wind felt great.  After I left the academy I had to hit the garage for my upper body workout.  I did get very tired during this workout.  My heart rate was elevated throughout, but I was able to push through and finish every exercise including the finale which is 100 weighted punches.  The weighted punches were Left and right punch equals one rep.  By the end of the workout I was drenched with sweat!!!! 
Tonight I will train just BJJ and take a day off from the ESP-XC workout.  Today I am a little worn down and sore, I guess its from the MMA training since I haven't done it in a while.  Regardless my body just doesn't recover like used to and today was hell getting out of bed.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better morning.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Training Blog- 08/03 ESP-XC

Second workout of the power phase was completed last night. It was an upperbody workout what had some full body exercises thrown in there. There was db snatch, chest clap push ups, db deadlift to pull and jump, and many more. It was a great workout, another one that had my heart rate pounding. I felt great afterwards, didn't get that same "I'm gonna die" feeling that I had the night after legs, but I definitely felt tired afterwards. This phase has you working out 4 days a week, so tonight I will be taking off and training BJJ.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Training Blog- 08/1 ESP-XC

Well I have completed the first two phases!  This past weekend I finished the final workouts and Monday I started the last phase which is the Power phase.  People from the gym who haven't seen me in a while always give me same reaction "damn man you are losing weight!"  I don't think I'm losing weight per say numbers wise but I feel like I am losing fat and leaning up quite a bit. 

As for the first power workout last night, it was legs!  All I can really say is "WHOA!!"  No exaggeration here whatsoever, I really thought I was going to die!  My heart was racing, my legs were like jello, and in the Texas heat in my garage I thought I was training in Hell!  The torture that I went through was a variation of many different plyometric type exercises that included but not limited to Jumping Romanian Deadlifts, split squat leaps, prisoner squat jumps, and many more.  It was a great workout!!  Nothing against the other two phases because I did like some of workouts there as well, but this was the type of stuff that I expected.  I totally get the fact that the other 2 phases were used to help you build up to this power phase, it makes total sense.  This phase I completely look forward to and at the same time will dread almost dying on a nightly basis.  I think this blog has just gotten a little better!  Stay Tuned