Training Journal 4.14.08

Not much to report. Morning workout went fine – bodyweight dips, towel pull-ups, jump squats, some core work and some stretching. I’ve got to say, after getting used to training in gyms and weight rooms, it’s nice to be out in the sun. I might even get a little tan.

I think I’m getting a little too comfortable in turtle position, because I got choked from the back a lot more than I usually do. I’ll have to work on that – my most comfortable sweep from turtle hasn’t been catching people lately, and it’s kind of an oh-shit move anyway. On the plus side, my half guard feels a lot more safe than it did just two weeks ago.

Kuriyama, the other blue belt middleweight at our gym, called in with a case of chicken pox. However, since I didn’t know what “chicken pox” was in Japanese, I was worried. My instructor described it as something with bumps that you could only get once, so I was pretty sure, but…hell. I ROLLED with the guy just three days ago. I’d be pissed if I got chicken pox. Thankfully, I’ve already had it, so it looks like I’ve got nothing to worry about.

Upon hearing that I train at Alive, people in the know occasionally ask me what it’s like rolling with Daisuke “Amazon” Sugie, or Hatsu Hioki. While I imagine I’ll write more about that later, let me just say that the level of talent in the gym is pretty amazing in general, and I roll with plenty of white, blue, purple, and brown belts that manage to destroy me in all kinds of creative ways even though they’re not pro BJJ/MMA fighters.

Lastly, I thought I’d pass on this link I snagged from the RossTraining.com forums – it’s a basic guide to weightlifting, written with women in mind. The first section asks questions like “why lift weights?” – and talks a little bit about body image, women’s health, and so forth. Neat stuff! Hi scrunchy! I posted this for you!

pat m.

Gear – Purebred Long Sleeve Shirt

So I’ve been frequenting a particular used clothing store here in Nagoya, and about a week ago I decide to look through the t-shirts section because the weather’s been getting warmer lately and I’m not really in the market for jackets (my perennial used clothing store fetish – especially since shoes here don’t fit me) at the moment. The store, for anyone who’s curious, is the American Casual branch of Komehyo, a mega-store in the Osu area. Since it’s focused on American casual clothing, they’ve got plenty of recognizable brands in big-people-friendly sizes.

I was pleasantly surprised – among the nonsensical English shirts, the vintage anything t-shirt look, and wannabe hip-hop clothing, I found this shirt for $10. Nothing too special, but a nice shirt. Though I’m glad the “Yamato Damashii” isn’t very big, because I definitely don’t have a Japanese soul by any means.

So no, I’ve never trained at Purebred Tokyo, but I’ll rock the gear. Might not wear this one around the gym, though. At least not until I can cop an Alive Academy t-shirt or something.

pat m.