A day off! This one is well earned in my opinion. The last two weeks have pushed me past a point I have never been before. It's rather strange because I am enjoying every second of it. When I decided to prep for this show, it was a very last minute decision. In the past everything I have ever done has been calculated and planned out in advance. This time, however, I decided to jump into the fire head first and not look back. This is turning out to be the best decision I have made in a long time. I hired someone to help me with my nutrition and I have a training partner who is on a seek and destroy mission to be the best he's ever been at perhaps the biggest national level show of the year...the USA's.
My body is starting to get to a point where energy wise there just isn't much left after a certain point in the afternoon. I'm craving foods I have never eaten in my life and my sleeping patterns are bizzare to say the least. It is getting worse but it's all for the better. I'm loving every single second of this. The suffering just adds fuel to the fire. At some point you have to make a decision. It's either you or them. It's that simple. I look to Dan Gable all the time for motivation along with other people I see on a daily basis. Dan was the one who said that it's simply about "out working your opponent". I agree 300%. Pick your goals, battles, and see them through with everything you have and win, lose, or draw you have nothing to regret. I walked into the gym this morning in a haze and left with an overwhelming desire to be my best. This happens every single time I train now.
Everything else is going well too. PT is fun but I struggle to keep my eyes open observing. If it were not for Lizzy, the owners dog, I'd be sleeping in the corner. That dog always seems to know when to come over and bark at me to play with her when I'm getting tired. I'm learning so much at FROGS and I can't thank Andy Clary enough for giving me the opportunity to come in and do what I have to do.
Stay focused, stay strong, and stay the course. It was my plan from the very beginning.
Until next time...
JD
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Give me the wrench
It's late and I'm beyond tired. The thing is I'm also suffering from a bit of insomnia at the moment. I just wanted to type this while it was on my mind. Today we torched legs. I mean absolutely killed them. They are already starting to get sore about eight hours post training. My training partner said something to me today that's very true. As we had gone through an already tough training session, we started on hack squats....almost last. Not to mention very heavy. There is a part of the movie Goodwill Hunting were Matt Damon talks about getting beating when he was a kid and Robin Williams replies by saying his dad did the same thing. He would come home drunk and Robin Williams would provoke him so he wouldn't beat his mom. He says something like "He would lay down a belt, a switch, and a wrench and tell me to choose. I chose the wrench. Why? Screw him, that's why.
When stuff gets hard, don't dodge it. You have to push yourself. It's the only way you are ever going to figure out what youre made of. We chose the wrench this afternoon. Leave it all on the table and don't hold back. The other guy isn't choosing the wrench. I don't blame him. However, I also won't blame him for getting second either. Sometimes you have to go to a place where you were never supposed to go and I have to tell you, I'm glad I did. I'm out. Cardio is calling in less than six hours.
Until next time...
JD
When stuff gets hard, don't dodge it. You have to push yourself. It's the only way you are ever going to figure out what youre made of. We chose the wrench this afternoon. Leave it all on the table and don't hold back. The other guy isn't choosing the wrench. I don't blame him. However, I also won't blame him for getting second either. Sometimes you have to go to a place where you were never supposed to go and I have to tell you, I'm glad I did. I'm out. Cardio is calling in less than six hours.
Until next time...
JD
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Mars Volta, Hot Sauce, and Vampires!
Yes I know, the title to this blog is a bit strange. Those are just random things that have inspired me to type this entry. I've been listening to The Mars Volta big time as of late. It's a mix of band members from At The Drive In as well as some others. It makes cardio pretty easy. Speaking of which, prep is coming along great. I'm starting to change on a daily basis now and that's very motivating. I'm also motivated by the fact that my training partner informed me that we will be taking a trip in a couple of weeks to San Diego to train and shoot video. I'm amped on the idea!
Okay, with that out of the way, where does hot sauce come into all of this. Not to mention what's the deal with vampires? I'm eating a ton of fish on a weekly basis. 9lbs a week to be exact. I've stopped using pepper and garlic and just went straight for the jugular and drown my fish in hot sauce. Since sodium isn't an issue right now I can use it as I see fit. I figure if I scorch the crap out of my mouth, I won't be able to taste foods that I don't want to eat. To be honest though, right now I'm so darn hungry after I eat, I'd eat just about anything with no regard to how it tastes.
Today was an off day so I did cardio, abs, and calves this morning. I watched Elf for an hour instead of listening to my MP3 player. It made the time go by much faster. Last night I watched the UFC fights and watched Machida get knocked the F out!!!! Rua is no joke. I would have never in a million years thought that it would have ended the way it did. Josh Koshchek pretty much owned Paul Daley who acted like a complete idiot at the end of the fight. Way to go Paul! That dude flushed his entire career down the drain with that cheap shot and got fired from the UFC. He got what he deserved.
All in all, everything is coming together nicely. These next couple of months are going to seem like a blur. Diet, school, work, traveling a little bit, and trying to relax is going to make the time coming up really fun. In the past the may-lay of a hectic schedule was something that seemed to make everything "un-fun" now it seems to enrich it. I'm glad to be where I'm at right now. With that comes a Mars Volta Video/Song. Also I'm including a video of Dylan Elise. He is a young drummer from New Zealand. I played the drums for many years and one of these days will have a set again to play around on. This kid, who is only 16, has amazing stick control and hand speed. So does the drummer of the Mars Volta which is what I always am amazed at. Enjoy.
Until next time....
JD
Okay, with that out of the way, where does hot sauce come into all of this. Not to mention what's the deal with vampires? I'm eating a ton of fish on a weekly basis. 9lbs a week to be exact. I've stopped using pepper and garlic and just went straight for the jugular and drown my fish in hot sauce. Since sodium isn't an issue right now I can use it as I see fit. I figure if I scorch the crap out of my mouth, I won't be able to taste foods that I don't want to eat. To be honest though, right now I'm so darn hungry after I eat, I'd eat just about anything with no regard to how it tastes.
Today was an off day so I did cardio, abs, and calves this morning. I watched Elf for an hour instead of listening to my MP3 player. It made the time go by much faster. Last night I watched the UFC fights and watched Machida get knocked the F out!!!! Rua is no joke. I would have never in a million years thought that it would have ended the way it did. Josh Koshchek pretty much owned Paul Daley who acted like a complete idiot at the end of the fight. Way to go Paul! That dude flushed his entire career down the drain with that cheap shot and got fired from the UFC. He got what he deserved.
All in all, everything is coming together nicely. These next couple of months are going to seem like a blur. Diet, school, work, traveling a little bit, and trying to relax is going to make the time coming up really fun. In the past the may-lay of a hectic schedule was something that seemed to make everything "un-fun" now it seems to enrich it. I'm glad to be where I'm at right now. With that comes a Mars Volta Video/Song. Also I'm including a video of Dylan Elise. He is a young drummer from New Zealand. I played the drums for many years and one of these days will have a set again to play around on. This kid, who is only 16, has amazing stick control and hand speed. So does the drummer of the Mars Volta which is what I always am amazed at. Enjoy.
Until next time....
JD
Sunday, May 2, 2010
No Bad Days!
I'm really sticking to my goal of keeping this blog updated. Good for me....or something....durrr. Seriously though, I am glad that I am able to update this thing because I find writing to be therapeutic. It clears your mind and you are able to convey your thoughts more clearly. Not to mention that you have a time line to come back and reflect on certain parts of your life.
Thank goodness for days off! I think I worked something like nine or 10 days in a row due to the new hires at work. It wasn't that bad really but it is nice to have some time off to just kick back and decompress. I went to a buddies house last night and watched the fights and just hung out and relaxed. I thought Shane Mosely was going to win after seeing him in the first couple of rounds and then his age kicked in. It sucks he lost but what can you do? I always get hyped up watching contact sports. It's in my blood. Eventually I will get back to my roots and start grappling here locally but for now I've got work to do! My training partner and I torched legs today. It got me coining the title of my blog for today. As we were training, it just came me to say out loud "No bad days". This is pretty darn true. What really allows you to have a bad day? Everything you do is in your control. How you react to a situation determines how you think. You can control that, and with that comes that term. It's going to be my mantra for the time being. I've got so much going on these days and so much coming up that it's very inspiring to say the least. It was a really great day all around. My parents are in town and I met them this morning and we went to church followed by just visiting with them which is something I always feel I need to do more of. I'll be going down in a week to see them again which is always fun!
The diet is going well although I'm kicking it up another notch. I fared well through the toughest part of the week. Each day I look at what I have to do and then go after it. For some reason where I'm at right now is beyond motivating.
Brussel sprouts should come with a warning. Well, maybe they have a secret contract with Glade or something. I mean I love those darn things but they are not kind to digestive track. They are part of my favorite meal of the day which is 8oz buffalo or grass fed beef and a cup and a half of sprouts! So tasty!
I'm starting to realize how blessed I am as of late. Everything seems to be falling into place. School, PT stuff, my friends, training, work, and my family. One thing I always try to do is tell people around me that I am thankful for what they have done or help me do. I think once you start to focus on what you have instead of what you don't have, everything becomes very clear.
School is over! Two tests and then I'm done for a while. Yippity skippity!
Video of Dan Gable. I actually have this tape. It's very motivational. I just love the way he can't get over the fact that his athlete didn't want to beat his opponent. When I was in Iowa training, I'll never forget the way coach Gable yelled at us. It wasn't yelling out of anger or resentment, but rather a tone of "WORK!!!!!" he never wanted to see anyone let up even for the last second. Heaven forbid he caught you looking at the clock to see how much time was left, you'd be running stairs in Carver Hawkeye Arena for days. Being Gable trained meant you went just as hard from the first whistle to the last and you don't stop until you are stopped. That's an intensity that I still marvel at to this day.
Thank goodness for days off! I think I worked something like nine or 10 days in a row due to the new hires at work. It wasn't that bad really but it is nice to have some time off to just kick back and decompress. I went to a buddies house last night and watched the fights and just hung out and relaxed. I thought Shane Mosely was going to win after seeing him in the first couple of rounds and then his age kicked in. It sucks he lost but what can you do? I always get hyped up watching contact sports. It's in my blood. Eventually I will get back to my roots and start grappling here locally but for now I've got work to do! My training partner and I torched legs today. It got me coining the title of my blog for today. As we were training, it just came me to say out loud "No bad days". This is pretty darn true. What really allows you to have a bad day? Everything you do is in your control. How you react to a situation determines how you think. You can control that, and with that comes that term. It's going to be my mantra for the time being. I've got so much going on these days and so much coming up that it's very inspiring to say the least. It was a really great day all around. My parents are in town and I met them this morning and we went to church followed by just visiting with them which is something I always feel I need to do more of. I'll be going down in a week to see them again which is always fun!
The diet is going well although I'm kicking it up another notch. I fared well through the toughest part of the week. Each day I look at what I have to do and then go after it. For some reason where I'm at right now is beyond motivating.
Brussel sprouts should come with a warning. Well, maybe they have a secret contract with Glade or something. I mean I love those darn things but they are not kind to digestive track. They are part of my favorite meal of the day which is 8oz buffalo or grass fed beef and a cup and a half of sprouts! So tasty!
I'm starting to realize how blessed I am as of late. Everything seems to be falling into place. School, PT stuff, my friends, training, work, and my family. One thing I always try to do is tell people around me that I am thankful for what they have done or help me do. I think once you start to focus on what you have instead of what you don't have, everything becomes very clear.
School is over! Two tests and then I'm done for a while. Yippity skippity!
Video of Dan Gable. I actually have this tape. It's very motivational. I just love the way he can't get over the fact that his athlete didn't want to beat his opponent. When I was in Iowa training, I'll never forget the way coach Gable yelled at us. It wasn't yelling out of anger or resentment, but rather a tone of "WORK!!!!!" he never wanted to see anyone let up even for the last second. Heaven forbid he caught you looking at the clock to see how much time was left, you'd be running stairs in Carver Hawkeye Arena for days. Being Gable trained meant you went just as hard from the first whistle to the last and you don't stop until you are stopped. That's an intensity that I still marvel at to this day.
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