Victory is Mine!

I won a “live round” the other night — I think perhaps it is only the 3rd time I have submitted someone since I began training.  I caught the guy with a very beginner-level move (one you learn on your first or second day).  It’s very effective.  It’s called a keylock, and it’s an armcrank that yanks at the shoulders and forces you to tap really quickly.  The thing is that it’s really easy to defend, so it almost never works.

What happened in my case is that I got into a position I frequently get into called “side control”.  This is an offensive position, but I never do anything in this position because my mind freezes up.  I always end up simply waiting for the other guy to escape, and then I fight him off.  This time, my mind did not freeze up.  I saw an opening, and I took it.  He wasn’t expecting me to do it – or anything – and so I caught him off-guard. (he said so afterwards)  It was a good learning lesson in grabbing opportunities, and it was a bit of a confidence builder because everyone was impressed — there’s always at least a few people watching when we roll a live round.

So, that’s cool, and stuff. . .

Go Google

I have a long list of topics for the next week, but I thought I might send this short one from my new Google phone because I need all the practice I can get with a touch screen. So just a quick note to say hello and say I am sore as heck from this week’s workouts.

So until next time …

EDIT (from computer):  Well, not bad.  A bit slow to type it, and I forgot to add a category.  But the WordPress app in Android makes this very easy.  I am sure I will use it again.

Tired of Being Tired

Just a quick report on tonight’s workout at Ye Olde American Grappling Academy.  I worked hard, and it made me tired.  I did mostly cardio tonight, shadowboxing and hitting mitts with a partner and a bit of heavy bag.  My heart was pounding and my breath was weezing.  LOL  Also got to do a little work with an advanced student, where we rolled a bit.  Then I analyzed what I did wrong in a few spots.  It’s a long, long learning process.  I am going to up it to 4 nights a week on-going if I can hack it.  (I think I can, sore though I will be.)

It occurs to me that some of you non-readers of this blog might not realize what it is we do at grappling class.  Well, here’s a clip for our teacher’s youtube channel (You go, Me — I am the one who got him to set one up, and he now has 24 clips on it!).  Anyway, we usually will work cardio and/or technique for about an hour.  Then we will do “Live rounds”, which basically means competing against each other to practice what we’ve been learning.  Here’s an example of some guys from class doing some rounds:

This aspect you’re seeing is the jujitsu part, also called “submission wrestling” because the objective is not to pin your opponent (like in greco-roman wrestling); instead, you want to make him submit.  Usually, you’ll do it by choking him or by locking one of his joints (especially the elbow).  If we were working “stand-up” or Mixed Martial Arts, we’d be including kicks and punches in with the grappling.  We do that sometimes, too, but the main focus is on groundwork.

I am easily the least-skilled in the class (and the oldest student, which doesn’t help in my physical abilities – I will very often practice technique with 17-20 year olds), unless it’s someone’s first week (and then I often get to work with them on fundamentals, which is cool).  I know a lot more in my head, but the muscle-memory, flexibility, etc is very slow going even after all these months.  But I have come a long way, and it’s great fun.  One day I might even go to a grappling tournament and compete.

This was meant to be a quick update, but there you have it.  Nearly 400 words later, I am through. . .

This Fun-time Used to be My Playground

I am expanding this blog to encompass other issues of self-improvement besides just the exercise aspect. There’s no one reading it anyway, so I can say what I want.  Haha.

So last night, I went to see two bands from Texas.  Nothing I had ever heard of, but it was a cheap opportunity to go see some live country music, something I have not done in a long time (and certainly not since moving to Colorado, unless you count that guy at Pahgre’s Italian Restaurant who sang some country songs with his amps turned to 11).  Anyway, the bands were a lot of fun.  They played about 2.5 hours between them and then got on stage and just goofed around playing old country songs by Merle Haggard, George Jones, etc.  I had a great time.  But something occurred to me, and I thought I might raise the question here because it ties into the whole quality of life issue that goes along with being “reborn”.

When did I stop being able to enjoy things for themselves? All last night, even while I was tapping my toes and bobbing my head, I found myself analyzing the music.  Was the guitar player rock or country?  Did the girl sound like Emmylou Harris or Mary Chapin-Carpenter?  Was this roadhouse blues or country boogie or gospel-influenced rock or honkey-tonk or neo-traditional?  And so on and on.  I had to break it down in my head as if I were writing a review, which was distracting.

I blame Rasslin.  Yup, what you don’t know is that grown up fans of pro wrestling take it very very seriously.  They analyze every move and play it out against the rest of the show and the quality of the worker and the history of the promotion and whether they like Vinnie Mac and so forth.  And when I rather inexplicably became a fan in 2006, it wasn’t long before I discovered the thriving IWC (“Internet Wrestling Community”) and learned to take this stuff deadly seriously.  And now, I treat everything that way.  Movies.  Music.  Whatever.  It’s not a bad thing, as such.  But it can be a distraction and can even cause burnout towards the thing you love so much.

I need to unlearn what I have learned and sometimes just sit back and have a good time.  Maybe it means less time on internet forums and blogs.  (hehe – ironic that I am writing this on a blog)  I don’t know.  I am just kicking the idea around — which of course means I am analyzing it.  Dang it. . .

Back in Black (and Red)!

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Originally uploaded by Nussentially Reborn

Wow, has it really been so long? I posted some new photos I took a little bit ago, starting a new Photos Page (the other one was getting long).

You know, when you start something like this project, you know it’s going to take years. but you don’t really think about what that statement really means. This has been almost two years, and I am nowhere NEAR finished. This is tough for me. I have never been a big one for finishing things. That’s one of my strong weaknesses. (see what I did there? LOL)

Anyway, enjoy the new photos. I am working on some new postings and will set up a schedule of some kind to get back to posting a few times a week, at least. . .

These Boots Ain’t Made for Walkin’

I mentioned before that I got a bike and was riding it to work.  Then, I got an old Nissan Pathfinder and started mixing it in with my day (usually parking my bike at work and biking the two miles to and from the office to grappling class).  Being careful, I made it a whole month on one tank of gas.  But now the truck looks like it needs an alternator, so it’s waiting patiently in my driveway until the end of the month and another paycheck.

Which means I am back to biking and walking for another week and a half (and most of this month).  It’s been good, though my legs do seem to get tired.  I am guessing it has to do more with my bike being too small than anything.  I do know that I can ride it on harder gears now, and I focus on keeping it “tough” as long as I can when I hit the hills.

I have discovered a bunch of new podcasts, one of which is called “Motivation to Move”.  It’s a show with a husband and wife who talk about diet, exercise, attitude, etc — they’re very fun and very energetic.  Podcasts like these help the long bike rides and walks pass the time in a productive (and non-boring) manner.  It’s kind of like back in the day, when I commuted 45 min each way to work and could listen to audiobooks or interesting talk radio.  No real commutes in a town like Montrose, where the trip to work by car is 10 min if it’s a slow day.  [about 25 min by bike and about an hour on foot, incidentally]

Proud to be a Thinning American. . .

So, in the previous post, I reappeared out of the cyberspace ether to announce that I was down 120 pounds.  I am ridiculously pleased, even though it’s been slow going.  In fact, I am planning to start back with a trainer once a week at the local gym in August so I can get going again on some new exercises and some focused weight training.  And my diet needs a major revamp, but that has more to do with still learning to budget on one paycheck a month — the end of the month always seems to end up rice and oatmeal and such.  Not bad, but it ain’t exactly fresh green veggies, whole wheat pita bread, and turkey breasts.  So all I mean is that I am hoping to see another plateau busted through in the next few months.  I shall endeavor to keep everyone updated.

Along with that drop of 120 pounds is two more sizes down in jeans.  [pics coming soon]  That’s right:  I bought a pair of size 44 jeans a couple of weeks ago!  They are a smidgeon tight, yes, but so were the 48′s I was so proud of some months back.  And those can’t even dream of staying up on me now.  New jeans, new belt, new underwear — good times.  I even bought two 2X buttondown shirts that were on sale, but those are not ready yet.  I have a size 2X tshirt I wear to grappling, but the buttondowns are too narrowly cut.  Give it a couple of months.  This process is a slow one, but it’s a good one.

I’m Still Herrrrrreeeee!

Updated my weight today.   This week, I rang in at 315 — which makes it an even 120 pounds lost so far!  You are allowed to show your approval.*

*Thanks, Colin Firth, for the allusion from SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE.

I Made it All the Way Home!

That’s kind of a weird title, isn’t it? I should explain, since we haven’t talked in awhile. About a month ago, I got a bike to ride to work and to the grappling gym. Now, I haven’t ridden a bike in years. Seriously, we’re talking middle school maybe — back in the 80′s! But it’s true what they say about how you never forget. (Thank goodness!)

It’s about 3 miles to work, another mile and a half to the grappling school, and about 4.5 miles home. Uphill most of the way home. I wanted to die that first week. And the second. And the third. My legs hurt. My tailbone hurt. I couldn’t breathe. And I had to stop and walk a lot. Felt pretty silly walking my bicycle up the bike trail, I promise you. But it had to be done. I’ll tell lots more about my experiences on the bike because there’s fun stuff to share.

But tonight, I just wanted to check in and say — I have now ridden all the way home from work (3 miles) without stopping to walk — TWICE! And tonight, I made it about 75% of the way home from the grappling gym (4.5 miles) before having to walk; and the walk was only a short way. Mind you, I tried a new way home tonight that took me a bit out of the way when I made a wrong turn, too. So next time, I will probably make it further.

I am pretty flipping excited, I tell you what. . .

Nothing to Say, really

I am thinking the belt I bought with my 48 jeans is too big. The jeans may or may not be baggy, too. In a few weeks, I am going back to try on the 46′s again.

That’s it. Just didn’t want to stay away for so long. . .