Deborah's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & Arnis-Eskrima Training

I played hooky in Algebra class the other day, and skipped my hill repeats.  My sister, brother-in-law, and devilish 3-year old nephew were in town for the day so I did the family bit. I ran yesterday instead of Bikram to mix things up.  I find the occasional short run (3.5 miles) is a soothing diversion.  Also, on a more vain note, running keeps my butt in good shape. No Open Mat tonight due to a 5-hour overtime situation at work this morning.  I did not get home until noon so sleep was a priority today.  Graveyard is my favorite shift, but it's a double edged sword. I may have written about this before, but the subject is a worthy discussion.  Working these hours is like attaching an open sieve to your energy level and watching helplessly as you accrue sleep debt with 30% interest.  The sleep you get during daytime hours is less effective than nighttime sleep.  So, even though you think you are getting enough rest, your body is slipping ...

I attended a Bikram class yesterday morning taught by a guest instructor, named Lisa, who is from Texas.  She blew us away!  Bikram classes follow a set series of movements, and even some of the language follows a loose script, but the tone of class is entirely up to instructor. Lisa was part ultra-girl, dressed in a gorgeous striped two-piece yoga outfit with a flower in her hair, part cheerleader, and part hard-core drill instructor.  Her appearance was so,  tiny-delicate , but once class started, her voice resonated off the walls, drawing everyone into her palm with a magnetic force.  She had a very keen eye for movements that posed a challenge to most of the class; and before a difficult pose, she would explain in detail what she wanted us to do, and then stated, as if it were law, that we were going to do that.   She was like the Terminator inside the body of a young Hollywood starlet.  The class moved with accelerated vivacity. I felt so...

Ladies and Gentlemen- Take a moment to view these Bolivian women in my other August 26th post.   Dag

Hill repeats on Saturday were filled with solid misery, which I consider a good thing.  I have discovered that true cardio improvement only comes when one accepts and learns to enjoy misery.  I try to imagine a coach yelling at me, as I ache to rest one more minute to catch my breath, the inner voice says, "No."  THIS is the moment you push past the "strain" and strive for more excellence.  So, as I was commiserating with misery, I was joyful and exalted the moment with each reach up the hill.  I threw in one extra set of 10 push-ups at the end, for a total of 100 push ups. Sunday night I did a basic, but strengthening KB and CB work out.  4 sets of: 20 swings with the 16 KG KB, then 10 "orders" with the CB.  I mixed in a few circular shoulder swings with the CB, and sit-ups on the exercise ball, whilst holding a 10 pound medicine ball over my head.   Last night I went to open mat.  Pretty mellow session.  I rolled with Louis, a wicked...

It's a warm day.  I overslept this afternoon (I am working a graveyard shift right now) and thus missed Bikram yoga, though given the 100 degree afternoon, this is not a great tragedy.  Not to worry, kettle bells and club bells will be pinch hitting for death defying heat this afternoon. Not much to report and my coffee is not kicking in yet.  yawn.

Ah Saturday!  Hill repeat day!  Almost as much fun as Algebra II.  Hill repeats are great for building explosive strength and a solid cardiovascular base.  My work out starts with two repeats as a warm-up, not fast, just a light jaunt to open up the lungs.     I do 3 repeats at 3/4 strength, with one set of push-ups in between starting with 10, then I ladder down to to 8.   One minute rest.    Three more repeats at full speed; paying careful attention to giving a strong burst at the beginning, and slow relaxed breathing.  I also perform sets of push-ups, in between these laddering down to 5.   One minute rest, okay, maybe two. Two more repeats at 3/4 strength.  Push-up ladder back UP, starting with 5. Three more repeats at full speed.  Push-up ladder to 9.  Again, the key here is explosion, speed, and relaxation. Rest. One last set of 10 push-ups, the two repeats at an easy pace.   crawl down the street ...

Hello. I have not posted since March.  I'll keep my explanation short: (Well, I'll try): The Worlds.  My training commitment was substandard,which resulted in (shock!) a substandard performance.  Followed by a few, okay, MANY moments of banging my head against a wall.  The sucker in the dirt routine.  The small glimmer of light in that otherwise dark couple of days, was the (now required) dinner at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in Long Beach with my wonderful husband, my training partner, her husband, my sister, and my nephew.  Good food and camaraderie fuel the soul.  I also met Jen Whitcomb at the Worlds, who was rippingly cool and gave me a flyer for a women's grappling camp. Family.  My grandmother has had three strokes in the past year.  She is 90.  Elderly family issues are a new life experience for me, and I am completely ill-equipped for the task.  Each trip to the hospital this year (and there have been many) was fol...