February 14, 2010

February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day.  My husband is mad at me and it is my fault.  Oh the joy of the imperfection.

I have not posted much this week due to a combination of sore hands and early bed times.  Tuesday morning I went to BJJ, then Bikram in the afternoon.  A good day of training.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night I went to BJJ.  Wednesday deserves special mention because I went in early to catch one hour of rolling with the kid's class.  I rolled a couple of rounds with this young man who is 15, but extremely quick and very talented in the art.  Then I stayed for the two hour adult class, which means I rolled for THREE hours.  Wednesday was a good night, as I rolled hard and pushed myself to be attacking aggressively during each match.  My wind capacity is usually top notch, but I quickly discovered a hole in my fitness, that I tend to slow down my attack throughout a match.  This situation is being remedied.

Thursday I did a short KB/CB workout before BJJ.  Two sets of 15 swings to order with the CB, two sets of 5 Turkish get-ups with the KB, and two sets of 10 overhead rows with the KB on the exercise ball.  I wanted to do more, but I felt like I was positively dragging through the workout, which made a realize that I probably needed some magnesium.

Friday night's class was "no-gi," meaning we wore board shorts and t-shirts, instead of the gi.  No-gi is fast and dynamic and great fun.  A good break from the routine, and an intense work out.  Saturday I went to Bikram and flushed my system of lactic acid and muscle soreness.

So, for those women who train with a many large men, I have some valuable advice: get thee to a kid's class, or start bribing some women to roll with you.  Find a way to roll with someone your own size.  Rolling with large men forces you to develop a wonderful, rock solid defense, but you will leave your offense in the cold.  My first couple of years practicing BJJ there were not many women in my school, and the majority of my sparring partners were men who outweighed me by 50 pounds.  The result is that I am little behind the power curve with my offensive technique.

One of the things I have noticed in BJJ is that the women feel different than men.  They are quicker, just as strong, and are more difficult to hold.  Rolling with women ( and men) your own size forces you to develop a strong offense.  If there is shortage of women in your school (I am lucky to now have at least 4 other women to spar with), try rolling with young men who are at least an orange belt.  Their speed and efficiency will force you to move quicker and step up your game to something beyond escape escape and escape again.

I mention this today because I rolled more than usual this week with my female and young male cohorts, and I ended my week feeling pretty ripped up.  I worked my speed this week more than ever, it was exhilarating and challenging.   Speed and offense combine to form a beautiful poem that I will one day write with flawless precision.

Another important note this week, and this is especially for my fellow 40 and up crew, PLEASE eat some broccoli.  As I mentioned before, Thursday afternoon I was having a sluggish moment, which made me realize I was probably a little low on magnesium.  Thursday night I put some broccoli into a tomato sauce with ground beef for dinner.  Friday morning, the "sluggish" feeling was gone, along with some nagging pains in my hands and all over muscle fatigue.  I am not a fan of the taste of broccoli, so I always put it into a soup or some concoction so I can get my vitamins in peace.  Broccoli has long been one of my magic bullets for low energy and/or muscle fatigue.  It is extremely high in magnesium, which is important for women who have an intense fitness regime.  And doubly important if you are taking an oral contraceptive (I am), which may deplete your magnesium levels.  Friday night I ate more broccoli.

I was plagued this week with some tendon issues in my hands and a right side intercostal muscle that was sniveling more than usual.  These are not emergency injuries, but they are annoying.  After my two-day broccoli intensive (I took it to work for lunch), my overall muscle fatigue is significantly reduced.  Now, I am not a nutritionist or MD, but I have been paying careful attention to my diet for many years, and ladies, the absolute best of the best training diet advice is not found in any expensive book, it is found in your mother's wisdom.  Eat your vegetables.  Eat them frequently.  Turn them into soup.  Stir-fry them.  Be their friend.  They will love your body back with vitality, bright skin, and health.  Also, you will look really good naked.
 

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