8 Weeks To Embrace The Grind Part 2
So it’s been 4 weeks since I have last put finger to key board about my journey and time has gone by in sections like it was four days and at other points like it was four months. Such is fight prep time. Starting this week I am dead on 79.9 Kilo which is a little further off what I am used to this close to a fight but I believe in the system, my training and my coaches. I know I’ll make weight and do it healthy. On a positive note I am extremely fit and have dropped a lot of body fat so I’m maintaining muscle and getting stronger.
So Monday morning has come around, it’s day one of the new week and I wake up after a rather restful sleep. I have introduced taking Trilogy Nutrition magnesium at night and they are helping with muscle soreness and sleep.
Food today is-Breakfast 250grams or kangaroo
My juice the usual
BCAA before training as usual
Post training is 300grams pumpkin, cup of broccoli and 200grams of smoked salmon
3 home made tuna patties made with carrot, corn and beans
150grams of Greek yogurt with a scoop of protein powder
My weights program has changed this week to prime me up with 3 reps of a strength exercise straight into 6 reps of a body weight power exercise so that I keep strength but I have speed and power come fight night.
MMA training tonight consists of worst case scenarios of being on my back and scrambling back to my feet.
Dinner-250grams chicken breast, 4 cooked mushrooms and a cup of baby spinach
10.30pm and I’m feeling the new program and the high intensity of training. Sleep evades me tonight and can’t stay a sleep for more the about 1 hour at a time. The more times I wake up the more I think about it and the harder it becomes to sleep!
Day 2 Tuesday-7.30am I wake up and feel like a small bus has hit me. I’m tired and perhaps a little grumpy (so my co workers tell me!).
Food for today-Breakfast 3 eggs and a long black (too grumpy and tried to cook anything else)
Juice is the normal
Lunch tuna salad
Pre work out meal small rare beef pho (I love pho and eat it all the time outside of weight cuts but I can only eat it at certain times currently)
Dinner 2 gluten free organic turkey patties and a mixed plate of green vegetables with beans, peas and broccoli.
8.30am-6pm Work between working on the desk and training my clients (my clients don’t tell me I am grump so surely my co workers are pulling my leg!).
Today’s training is kick boxing in our Warrior group and Dion has us doing a good warm up to get our eye in. Then power rounds followed by conditioning rounds on the bag. The intensity is high but it takes my mind off being tired.
10pm and I am exhausted and pass out watching TV. I didn’t even have time to think tonight.
Day 3 Wednesday-Wake up still feeling tired and definitely aware that it’s the middle of the week. I need to perk myself up as I have a big day ahead of me. The time is drawing near and I need to make sure I do every little thing possible to get myself to where I need to be.
Breakfast I need a hit of energy and dopamine so I go for a 200gram kangaroo steak and a long black
Juice as normal
Lunch is chicken, pumpkin and beans
Dinner is Greek yogurt and protein powder
Work from 9am-3pm and 4pm-5pm
3pm I have my one on one training with Dion which is a big day.Starting from breaking down how we will start the fight and drilling over and over again my movement, counter strikes and punishing attacks. It is 45 minutes of solid work rate.
6pm-7.30pm MMA at SABJJ with sparring 5 x 5 minute rounds with a different person every minute and it’s a success with no cut unlike last time I blogged my week! Exhausting as that was it is very reassuring knowing you took the best of 5 guys giving 1 minute efforts and your fitness and skills held up. It’s a great confidence boost.
7.30pm-9pm No Gi BJJ with Michael Toyama. Open rolling session tonight with a mixture of 6 and 8 minute rounds. I don’t skip a round and work with all different guys getting to practice my attacks and defense.
Heading on the drive home I feel absolutely cooked but also very rewarded with one of those days that you get out what you put in and I put in today.
11.30pm time to sleep. It’s a little hard due to being so sore but after a bit of relaxation I am able to rest.
Day 4 Thursday-8am wake up. I could stay in bed all day but have to get up and get today under way.
Breakfast is 4 kanga banga’s and my coffee with a shot of honey.
I train first thing in the morning following my weights plan. It’s hard after such a hectic session with a few exercises leaving me thinking I can’t. I just want to curl in a ball in bed for a day!
Work from 10am-7pm
Food for the day
Juice the norm
Chicken and vegetable soup home made
Chicken breast, sweet potato and broccoli
Dinner is tuna and mixed salad
In bed thinking of the next few days as they are important ones and I’m running everything I have been drilling through my head. Fighting is consuming mentally and physically.
10pm bed time and I’m sleeping hard tonight.
Day 5 Friday
6.45am wake up and jump out of bed ignoring the early morning. If I pretend it’s not early surely I’ll trick my body!
8am-1pm work
Have a juice
Eat chicken and vegetable soup
Go home meal prep for the next few days after doing all my shopping.
Head to the Physio for my weekly tune up to make sure I am able to get through the hard training in the best possible way.
Off to Trinity MMA to teach and work in with our advanced striking class.
Dinner is Greek yogurt and protein powder.
Friday night and I’m home playing play station again while friends are out eating or drinking or eating and drinking! Sometimes you wish you could join them and be out having the fun times but it’s for a greater good… and not long to go now.
11.30pm and it is sleep time as I have to be up ready to spar and work hard in the morning.
Day 6 Saturday-9am wake up to a 3 egg omlette and a long black
Driving to training with visualization of what I need to execute in the cage today.
I do my 3 by 5 minute rounds today it’s just a different partner for each round so I get a chance to execute skills rather then just being pushed. This was a good session. Everything except for my weight is coming together as it was still too high but I will make it happen.
Luckily one of my sparring partner’s is also our chiro David Deconte and he is able to give me a back and neck treatment right after training (what a champion). This helps me recover so I can continue to back it up.
Food for the day after training
4 kanga snags and pumpkin
Chicken breast with mixed salad
Dinner is my turkey mince meal that I make regularly
Tonight I am so thankful there are no social events on and nowhere I need to be, nobody I need to let down! I can just relax watch some TV like Entourage one of my favorite’s.
Sitting in alone also provides a large amount of reflection time of where I have come from in the past 4 weeks and also years. From starting at Viva Fitness almost 8 years ago, being a chubby 92.7 kilos and having some unhealthy habits. I remember the first time telling Dion I wanted to fight MMA and I swear he looked at me with a yeah right I hear that all the time but do you know what you are in for look. Knowing I am preparing for my 5th professional fight and the biggest of my career it is nice to reflect.
Day 7 Sunday-8am wake up and head out with the family to the local café for breakfast of 3 eggs, mushrooms and some spinach.
2 hours later it’s time to do some active recovery training.
I head to Viva for 25 minutes of boxing footwork and shadow boxing.
After this I head to the sauna for some relaxing as well as to get the body used to it (worst case scenario is I need to use it to cut a little weight by weigh in).
After being in there for 30 minutes I am extra motivated to not have to do this when I am already hungry and thirsty (probably a good reminder the diet is worth it).
Time for some protein powder and Greek yogurt
Chicken, pumpkin and carrot
Raw tuna and a small amount of brown rice
My turkey mince to finish the day off (white meat at night to aid in serotonin release for good sleep)
10pm bed time and another week down and I am feeling positive and confident. I am in a position where my skills will win me this fight now and I have a few weeks to sharpen the sword too. I will touch base again come fight week. Until then wish me luck!
