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.