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Breaking into M.M.A. Training Log

154K views 2K replies 38 participants last post by  KevinD 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello all, I've been mostly lurking these forums for awhile now. A little introduction: I'm 20 years old, just wrapping up doing a little world travel. While I was in Thailand I got involved with a Muay Thai training camp called Tiger Muay Thai, and trained pretty hard for a month and loved it. I decided to see where this passion can take me, and have decided to aim to fight in my first M.M.A. fight at a local amateur venue in my town called Valley Fight this coming December. This means I have a lot of work to do.

I will be training at a local M.M.A. gym called Revolution Chilliwack, as well as training with my friend who also wants to fight within the year.

I'm 20 years old, Southpaw, 6'4 about 195lbs, muscular build from years of weightlifting (I've got an enormous journal on a bodybuilding website but alas, there's no point talking M.M.A. on a bodybuilding forum, so here I am) but relatively weak cardio, other weaknesses include an occassional occurence of shin splints and contact lenses. I've only trained Muay Thai for a month and that's basically all my training besides a bit of self taught boxing.

I'm wrapping up my travels now, sitting in Bangkok for a few more days. I checked out a nearby Muay Thai gym but it was a hole in the ground with some mats and wasn't cheap, so **** it. I'm doing bodyweight exercises and shadowboxing in my room to help maintain what I can.

I go home soon so training resumes on August 1st as I enroll in the MMA gym back home and in addition begin my own training with a partner to keep the total training time to about 3.5 hours a day, 5 days a week.

Training is 4 weeks on followed by 1 week rest, each week is 5 days training, alternating between 2 days set out like this:

Day 1 - Technique
Stretch
Shadowboxing
Hit Pads
Standup Sparring
Rolling
Stretch
Go to class

Day 2 - Conditioning
Stretch
Skipping
Weight Training (Divided into Push/Pull/Leg days focusing on functional strength, explosive power, and endurance.)
Heavy Bag
Speed Bag
Stretch
Go to class

Classes are as follows:
Mon - Beginner Jiu-Jitsu
Tue - M.M.A.
Wed - Beginner Jiu-Jitsu
Thur - Boxing + Muay Thai
Fri - Boxing + Muay Thai + M.M.A
Sat - Rest
Sun - Rest

Going to ease myself into it and build momentum; first week just go to the classes, second week go to the classes and do training every second day, then by the third I'm doing the full routine. Also going to start light on my weights and build momentum over the weeks as powerlifters do.

I've also wrote up a flexible diet that I believe I can maintain pretty easily. I'll add the details once I've gone through with it for awhile in case any changes need to be made. What's important is the 6000 mostly healthy calories to exceed my maintenance level for a gradual weight gain.

Supplements are Protein/Creatine Monohydrate/Multivitamin/Fish Oil, considering a pre-workout supp like N.O. Xplode but don't really need the extra hit to the wallet or a caffeine dependency, so we'll see on that one.

I picked up all my gear to train out here in Thailand for nice and cheap. Got 16oz gloves, shin guards, wraps, mouth guard, and headgear. My friend has bought all of these things as well as some Thai kicking pads and a round timer, so we're all equipped and ready to go.

I'm aiming for December for my premier amateur M.M.A. bout. Wish me luck and feel free to pass on advice. I'm gonna tear a hole into this guy. :thumb02:

Some relevant links
Tiger Muay Thai, Phuket, Thailand:http://www.tigermuaythai.com
Revolution Chilliwack, Chilliwack, Canada:http://www.revolutionfightteam.com
Valley Fight, Chilliwack, Canada:http://www.valleyfight.com
 
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#413 ·
Dude, congrats on the victory! It's really awesome that you finally got a fight and even more awesome on how great you did. It's been good watching you train hard and stay focused, keep it up. :thumbsup:
 
#414 ·
Thank you!

Today was a bad day. My muscles are all still sore as hell. My right ankle started hurting again, which is bad news for getting back into training. On top of that I'm getting sick. Have been getting a cough today and in training I had no energy and felt like fainting. I don't want to jump the gun here but I'm worried I might have H1N1. Hopefully it's not that.
 
#418 ·
Squat 6,6,6 @ 235lbs
Deadlift 6,6,6 @ 235lbs
DB Bench Press 6,6,6 @ 75lbs
Chin Up 6,6,6 @ b/w + 15lbs

Lifted, upped all the weights, ready for more weight.

Went to BJJ today, was great to be back but the cardio has declined... I got h1n1 virus so I've been out of commission the past while. It really wasn't that bad but one of the effects is shortness of breath...I can still feel that in training which is not cool, I keep almost fainting. Hopefully that's just the last legs of the sickness and that's not what I'm working with from now on.
 
#419 ·
Did BJJ again. Once again feeling really gassed, only did the first class. I triangled a guy in guard passes which was fun. Don't know what's going on, it feels like I can't breath deeply. On top of that my mind just isn't in the right place for training right now. Scrapping the tournament this weekend.
 
#420 ·
Went to MMA. Pretty mediocre class, didn't have anyone adequate to roll with so just taught some kids a few things.

Burpees (5x3 minute rounds, 1 min rest)
1 - 33
2 - 25
3 - 21
4 - 22
5 - 21
Total - 122

First burpees in like a month. A big drop in numbers that I blame partially on getting sick, partially on the hiatus, and partially on a weaker diet. I'll get those inches back. I get my car back on the road in a week or two which will clear some obstacles to training. I had to walk an hour each way to get to the gym today.
 
#421 ·
Went in to help training partner do some last minute preparation for the tournament this past weekend. I sprained my ring finger in a takedown and it's swollen to the size of my thumb. Luckily today I just regained the ability to bend it enough to make a fist. As for the tournament, I was pretty confident my training partner would do very well in his first tournament. Unfortunately, he was matched with one of our professional fighters (in a beginners division), same guy on both gi and no gi days. So he basically got smothered by a very mean looking, mesomorphic specimen of a man. Bummer. I looked at the division I would have been in, it was the same guy from my gym that I had to roll two days in a row, and one of our fighters Darwin. I'm not paying 90$ to roll the same ******* guys I roll 2-3 times a week in the gym. Poor turnout I guess.

Went in for more burpees

Burpees (5x3 minute rounds, 1 min rest)
1 - 31
2 - 27
3 - 25
4 - 24
5 - 22
Total - 129

7 Up from last weeks, now we're getting somewhere. I lost my girlfriend this weekend so we should be seeing a more dedicated and spiteful me for the next little while. Also get my car back this week. Then Vegas in less than two weeks. BJJ tonight.
 
#424 ·
BJJ

Warm up exercises, drilled a guard break, hook and sickle, recovering half guard from the bottom of knee on belly, couple other things. Did guard passes, my training partner has totally revamped his guard while I've been slacking and tapped me with a loop collar choke and an armbar. Good boy. I had nothing for him in my guard either...he knows my tricks so it's time for some new ones.

Advanced class was more hook and sickle, attacking the turtle, some other stuff.

In rolling I got to go with a new guy that is by far the strongest person I've ever rolled, he was my size but thicker, he's a powerlifter and has been kickboxing for like 10 years and wants to fight. Felt like rolling an oak tree. I felt like a little guy for once but trapped an arm and caught him in a triangle. Then later I got his back and flattened him but couldn't get past his oak tree arms to submit before the time ran out. That guy's gonna be scary in a few weeks... no, he's already scary. As we were wrestling in the beginning he pushed me and I popped something on my hamstring/ass. Lotta pain and it's stiffening up now.

Also got in with a blue belt that usually beats me. He pulled guard, I stood up to pass, he swept me and came up to mount, I got half guard and guard like instantly. Started tying him up and keeping his posture broken, then started hipping to the side to steal his back. Ended up in a weird half-guard-on-his-back type situation. Was looking for a triangle, or a mount, but ended up getting ahold of an arm and landed the first legit armbar ever.

Then I rolled a brown belt. Alot of positional changes and scrambling. I somehow got his back with hooks, but couldn't finish. He reached down to push on of my legs off, why didn't I tap him there? I don't know. That would have been my highest level tap ever. Oh well. He eventually got out and into side control and got some mean collar choke or something right before the round ended.

Then Dave, who has been asking me to do no gi with him for like a month now asked to roll. My cardio is still weaker but definitely feeling better and I was sick of turning a chance like that down. I figured it would make for a nice night of rolls, white belt -> blue belt -> brown belt -> black belt.

So I shoot for a single leg, struggle to trap it and he keeps his leg on the outside. He immediately starts looking for a kimura on my arm to throw me with(he did this like 11 times the first time we rolled). But I kept my elbows tight and gripped that leg like my shoulder depended on it. We fall down somehow, I think into my side control or maybe half guard. Then I focus on trying to delay his advances/reguard. I didn't reguard. I think he mounted and arm triangled, I rolled out of it into his guard and got armbarred instantly. After that it went pretty similarily, half guard -> side control -> he got mount again and started digging his hips into my stomach and smothering me but not trying to finish me, I eventually had a moment of mental weakness and tapped out of exhaustion/claustrophobia. That was about 5 minutes and he wanted a 10 minute round. Next time I guess. =) Was fun though, if I roll him once or twice a week, I'll be very happy for that extra push, and that seems to be what he wants. See what my popped hamstring feels like doing tomorrow. SLEEP PLEASE.
 
#425 · (Edited)
So I didn't die or get fat, or anything. My computer gave out and I only recently replaced it. Training has been slackened a bit though, I won't lie. I got sick again shortly after and was out for a week or two on some strepped throat. Then I went and saw family over the holidays as well. However, I'm not THAT far off from where I was, give it 2 weeks.

Looking ahead, I'm doing a BJJ tournament at the beginning of february that my gym is hosting. My second tournament and first in the blue belt division. Not expecting to do great, but I think I'll hold my own and am just feeling a hunger to compete. I told Kajan I want to fight in March. Hopefully something works out there. I gotta show that I want it and start training at the Langley location to step my game up more in the bigger pond.

Gym just opened today after the holidays. GOOD TO BE BACK. I felt a bit more tired than usual but truthfully it wasn't that bad.

Technique was all from knee on belly. First the 180 armbar and Dave emphasized that you really shouldn't 180, but cut it off short and armbar diagonally to make it faster and isolate his arm more. We got an interesting new one but to be honest I wouldn't know how to explain it. I don't think it'll be popping up in rolling anytime soon.

I've been reading alot of Jiu Jitsu University by Saulo as well as re-watching some of his dvds, so I had a few new things I was looking for...today I wanted darces, ezekiels, and a choke/armbar combo from mount.

In rolling I did average. I caught a darce on a guy that was turtled and nearly got it on another guy. Just a versatile move that I've never really looked into. I'll keep putting in an extra effort on these. Also caught a collar choke from mount and he tapped so I didn't get to armbar him. Ezekiels however didn't pay off today. Tried twice from mount, one time he was able to protect and the other guy rolled me, which was odd because I very rarely get rolled while grapevining. He is like 300lbs though. Got a kimura or two, got a triangle then rolled to mount and armbarred him....I think that's it. I guess it was a pretty good day of rolling I didn't get tapped today but one blue belt was positionally dominate...was caught in side control early, got half guard, recovered guard, and that was the round.
 
#427 ·
Did BJJ wednesday, decent class overall but nothing too exciting to report. Missed thursday. Did MMA on friday which after warmup was mostly sparring. Went pretty hard but stopped after getting kicked in the dick (I lost my cup....gotta do something about that NOW). I got a tattoo on saturday so I'll be doing mostly lifting/cardio for the next couple days.
 
#428 ·
Lifting
Squats 6,6,6 @ 225lbs
Deadlifts 6,6,6 @ 185lbs
DB Bench 6,4,4 @ 80lbs
Weighted Chin Ups 6,6,4 @ b/w+15lbs

AB Complex

Weighted Twist Crunch 20@45lbs
Reverse Crunch 15@20lbs
Cable Crunch 20@65kgs
AB Plank 1:00

First lift day in too long. Strength is temporarily down with some early failure today. Ran through the ab complex once as a test run...going to be doing this 1x a week so I can trade that gym membership in for a punch card to ease the finances. I'll start doing burpees and any other solo training at the MMA gym before/during a class.
 
#429 ·
Back. So I took a little more time off because my tattoo was still scabbing and I didn't want to push it.

BJJ yesterday. had a great class, I was dominant in the guard pass, had lots of great rolls and my arsenal is growing. I felt a bit lightheaded at parts of the class but I think that's more getting used to the intensity than it is weak cardio, if that makes sense. Got my first stripe for my blue. Tournament is in about 2 weeks!

Striking/MMA. Skipping, shadowboxing, simple boxing combos/blocks/counters with a partner. Boxing sparring, did well. MMA shadowboxing, technique was ground and pound. Crucifix and another one that I'll run through. From side control facing towards the guy, arm on his hip and other arm is punching. As he reaches up to stop the punch, swing top leg over his head, with your foot flat on the ground behind his head. It's a tight neck crank, you can reach over and punch him, and there's an easy armbar as well. Sexy move. Thn MMA sparring. Did 3 rounds, all of which I took down almost immediately, and spent most of the time in side control and mount. Successfully used the crucifix but the other one almost got me bumped over so I stopped. I keep having a reccuring moment with this one guy, I mount him and he goes deeper into the mount then brings his tree trunk legs to grab my body/neck and pull me out of it. I forot to ask Kajan for some help on that. It's not even like I'm leaning far back, I lean forwards to avoid it and he still gets me. Oh well. Great session. Jiu Jits tomorrow.
 
#430 ·
1) A&D ointment and unscented lotion like Lubriderm. I imagine that's not news to you.

2) Is there any video that you know of, of the sexy move?

3) Kevin Randleman had treetrunk legs and Shogun got him in a kneebar, so you never know.

4) We want to see pictures of the ink. What did you get?
 
#432 ·
1. All over it.

2. I looked, but I couldn't find it. I'll try to get it in my next fight :p

3. True

4. I don't have a functioning camera. I got the words "This too shall pass" in gothic type lettering starting at the front of my shoulder and running halfway across my chest. I love it :).
 
#431 ·
Thanks.

BJJ

5 minute warm up. Technique was a standing guard pass, grip their sleeve with same side arm, your other hand grips their lapel at the chest and clamps down over your first hand for a strong grip. Swing to the sides as you get up to a squat and then stand up, keeping the grip on the sleeve while the other hand pushes their knee as your body twists. Once it opens, come down, knee slides over and shin staples their leg to the mat. Also did a few attacks from side control. Instead of attacking the opposite arm we learned a few attacking the nearest arm. The one I liked and will look for is starting in scarf hold, attack their neck with forearm to get them to reach up, push the hand forwards toward the mat as if to americana, except its your nearest leg that hooks around their forearm, other leg triangles on it, raise hips to finish. Pretty much an americana from side control except with your legs and attacking the adjacent side arm. Also interested in playing around with the floating armbar. Scarf hold and gripping tricep securely, post with free hand and top leg, sliding bottom leg across their chest and hooking foot under their armpit, kind of like a knee on belly but it's knee on chest and their arm is trapped tight. Leg comes over for armbar. These techniques are getting harder to go over.

For rolling today I got sharktanked like 10 minutes. I flew through alot of people but it was lots of white belts and chicks. Lots of scissor sweeps, hip bump sweeps, a kimura, 3 triangles, and an omoplata sweep. I didn't stick around for open mats because by the end I was exhausted and my right elbow was aching. Muay Thai with Kultar tomorrow.
 
#434 ·
Thursday - Muay Thai
Skipping with squats/pushups/situps between rounds. Shadowing combos on command 1 through 12. Various combos on the pad working off counters. Me and my partner drilled ******* hard and were yelping battlecrys by the end of every round. Kultar said we did good, but not fast/powerful enough. I don't think it's ever fast or powerful enough. Had a great class considering I was running on 4 hours of sleep.

Friday - MMA
Warm up with various acrobatics, Kajan had us do more combos off of counters. Then sparring. I was dominant but nothing too great. I wasn't feeling too awesome today, I've been very underslept all week. I'm on day 8 of completely quitting caffeine and it feels like I'm in withdrawals...either that or its outside stress keeping me up. Either way I get a good sleep tonight and I'm confident if I stay off the caffeine and have a regular sleeping schedule, it'll balance out soon. Major elbow soreness on the right side, old pains coming back already.

Kajan gave me a date for my fight. April 23rd in coquitlam. I googled it and there's a couple sites mentioning it as the finals of tournament, with the possiblity of more than one fight in a night (wtf?). There's also mention of there being only 30 seconds on the ground, as well as it being televised. Kajan didn't tell me any of this so it could be something else, we'll find out as we go.

Lifting and BJJ tomorrow.
 
#435 ·
Lifting
Squats 6,6,6 @ 230lbs
Deadlifts 6,6,5 @ 225lbs
DB Bench 6,6,6 @ 80lbs
Weighted Chin Ups 6,6,6 @ b/w+15lbs

AB Complex
Weighted Twist Crunch 20,20@45lbs
Reverse Crunch 15,15@20lbs
Cable Crunch 20,20@65kgs
AB Plank 1:05, 1:05

Felt stronger today. 5lbs to squats, 40lbs to deadlifts...failed on the very last deadlift due to grip failure. Finished all other sets and went through the ab circuit twice. Trained all 6 days this week. Same thing next week except I gotta squeeze burpees in somewhere.
 
#436 ·
BJJ

Warm up drills, instead of guard passes it was side control escapes. Did decent. In advanced we sat around and went over alot of the rules and the scoring system for the upcoming tournament. Then the competitors got shark tanked from side control and guard. Then we rolled. I got an arm triangle on a big blue. I'm having trouble finishing collar chokes, can't seem to find the neck. I usually just go for collar chokes to fake and get access to their arm, but they don't buy it and just dig their chin in instead. A couple other back and forth rolls, nothing definitive. Good class, muay thai + mma tomorrow.
 
#437 ·
Muay Thai
Skipping, shadowboxing, boxing combos, boxing sparring. I did alright, though one guy bullied me for most of the round.

MMA
Guard pass drills, BJJ preperation for the upcoming tournament. Rolling from a stand. I was dominant and controlled everyone.

I'm stressed the **** out again from the same ******* girl. Unbeleivable. I guess it paid dividends in training, but not nearly worth the ******* mess my head contains.
 
#438 ·
I don't ever, ever, ever let my significant other mess with my training. I'm nowhere near your level or caliber, either way I know you'll put that drama in its proper perspective soon.

Just look at your ink "This too shall pass."

I'm curious about your jump rope intervals. My instructor went abruptly from 2-3 min intervals to 9-10m and I am having to ice my left achilles tendon a lot as a result. It's a small thing but it interferes with my running, which bugs the shit out of me.
 
#439 ·
I love training when the outside world is a mess, it's therapy. However, I seem to have delicate sleep patterns right now and the current issues have taken their toll. It's not only difficult to train after sleeping 2-3 hours and working an 8 hour day, it can be counterproductive doing strenuous training without proper rest. But you're absolutely right, this too shall pass.

I don't know what to say about your achilles tendon. My leg issues with skipping were always shin splints, which with time I was able to work through and now they seem to have strengthened to a manageable degree. It's also strange that it would just be your left foot, maybe the way you skip is putting more stress on your left side than your right? Other than that I'd look into finding a more relaxed method of skipping if you haven't already.
 
#441 ·
BJJ

Warm up, drilled armbars from guard, armbars from mount, kimuras, kimura sweeps, countering kimura sweeps. Advanced class was an hour of rolling. I got through it all without sitting out a round and felt pretty good. I'm starting to hit that submission I learned a week or two where it's basically an americana except with your legs and in side control. Got it 2 or 3 times. Also got an americana, a triangle, and 2 armbars. I got triangled twice by a very good purple belt, he did a real good job of tying me up into them. I fought them for a long time and it was hell but he eventually finished it, then did it again. Great class. My training partner is going to Thailand in a week or so to train at Tiger Muay Thai for a month or two and this was my last BJJ class with him. Guess I gotta start being more social around the gym. Good class, right shoulder and right elbow are still hurting. Muay Thai/MMA tomorrow.
 
#443 ·
Hey, illmatic.

I read all your training log in 1 day and it really reminded me of training and motivated me. I just had to say that you're doing great, keep up the work - it is really interesting for me to read your log. Only one question - how are you doing so many classes and not getting tired? I used to do only boxing, in a good gym and the training was 3.5 hours. I couldn't even do anything after it, so how can you do 2 classes and still be moving?

Cheers.
 
#444 · (Edited)
Hey man, thanks alot for registering and showing support! My classes are smaller. The downside of training everything at once is that you're spread very thin and can't really give one specific area the attention that someone only doing that sport would be able to. My jiu jitsu classes are about 2.5 hours, my striking and MMA classes are only 1 - 1.5 hours each, so in reality I'm not training more than your boxing. The downside is I'm a jack of all trades but not particularily good at any one of them.
 
#445 · (Edited)
Ack. Tournament did not go well. I got taken down and spent alot of time in the bottom of side control/half guard. Eventually turtled and pulled him into my side control but got swept. I need more tournament experience, I was not relaxed and able to impose my game. This guy was good though, he trains at our pro gym, went on to win the division and the blue belt open weight, oh and he had Bibiano Fernandes coaching him. Still, I honestly felt like I could have won this match. Not only that, but in the takedown my foot dug into the mat and my knee overextended big time. It hurt like ****, I thought I ruined my knee. It looks painful in the video but I don't think I'll get a chance to post it because my friends leaving with the camera to thailand for a few months in like 2 days. I can't compete today and think I'm out of training for a week or so. It's nothing serious, I can walk on it, however it's sore as shit and giving me a limp. Sucks but it happens.
 
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