I’m about Fitness, Health, and Motivation!

Taking Supplements Made Easy

2011-12-22T22:22:00.000-08:00

This post is a simple time saver of mine in taking supplements. Ok, so I take my health and nutrition seriously. However, I still hate taking supplements and eating on time. I am just too “lazy” perhaps you could say :) But laziness w/ things like eating on time or taking my supplements, never stops me from doing what I need to do. So... I find other ways and time saving tricks to get the job done more efficiently for my busy schedule!

I’ll share my super low budget, “highly non-fancy” protocol that I follow for taking my supplements.

If you look at the pic below, you’ll notice my non-refigerated supplement stash. To the bottom left of the pic you can see my supply of pre-seperated pills. =the pink cases are my Wife’s, don’t hate:)!=

I chose these types of containers versus a “pill box compartment”, because pill-box compartments are difficult to find “large enough” to contain how many “sups” I take each morning ;P. Also, if I’m running out of the house in the A.M. It’s easy to grab a container and take them down the road to save time.

I spend 2 minutes, once a week filling up these containers for my wife and I. Each morning I wake, I have no excuse when in a hurry, to skip taking any of these!

This is a short tip that’s helped me out tremendously w/ consistent supplement intake. I hope it helps anyone that’s struggled w/ the 3 minutes each morning “un-screwing” the plethora of bottles each morning, we health minded folks possess. Ha!

(read personal supplement dosage info before storing a taking supplements together)

Torrance personal trainer breaks the world record for the highest standing jump (VIDEO + PICTURES))

2011-12-22T21:41:00.000-08:00

A repost of an article on me from the Easy Reader. Original article by Chelsea Sektan, Redondo Beach reporter from the Easy Reader.

Devon Redmon, a personal trainer in Redondo Beach, broke a world record for the highest standing jump of 56.9 inches at Workout World in Torrance. The previous record was set by a man in Denmark earlier this year with a jump of 56.7 inches. “Although I broke the record, I am already excited to try and go for 57.25 or so, very soon,” said Redmon. For more information, visit Redmon’s blog at http://devonunity.blogspot.com.

Photos by Craig Ishii

Supplements, my list

2011-12-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

As I hovered over my Arrowhead Distilled Spring Water Dispenser a few moments ago, I glanced at my “Stockpile” of Supplements, which has grown over the years. I couldn’t help at this moment but recall what little I knew about “Micronutrients”, and how I was confused why it even mattered.

Ok, so I have accumulated a lot of knowledge over the years about supplements, nutrition, doses, benefits, and what type of people need extra supplementation, etc. However, in this post, my goal is not to give complete medical, and scientific research on each supplement from A to Z. I will however try my best to provide the “skinny” as how I see it. First I will show a quick list of the supplements that I take regularly. Second, I will provide some detail as to the "what’s and why’s".

My Daily Supplements

Multi-Vitamin (natural, raw, cold processed), - (I take “Alive” by Natures Way)

Vitamin D3 2000 IU

Fish-Oil (High Omega 3, Cod Liver - Ultra Concentrated - Liquid Form)

B-Complex 50 mg

CoQ10 100mg

Alpha-Lipoic Acid 300 mg

Resveratrol

Bee Pollen (Organic, granulated, eaten or sprinkled over yogurt)

Digestive Enzymes (“Life Extension” Super Digestive Enzymes)

Glucosamine Chondroitin & MSM

Pro-Biotics "Natren’s Health Trinity”

Nitric Oxide Boost (L-Argininge, L-Citrulline & Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Huma-Pro Amino Acids

If you’re bored enough to read on, please know that I’m not in any way a Dr. nor am I a licensed nutritionist of any kind. This entire post is not to suggest medical advice for anyone. I will however share some of my thoughts on particular supplements that I take.

Multi-Vitamin - Most of our natural micronutrient rich sources are not providing us the quality that nature intended. Vegetables in general, are typically meant to be "picked to eat”. When I go to the store to buy my vegetables, they’ve been carted around, stored, shipped, stocked, and in my fridge for an additional week before I eat them. Due date? Perhaps 2-3 weeks of a “dead” plant. Many Digestive enzymes and micronutrients my body needs lose potency. Also, Being that I cook all of my vegetables, the heating process itself destroys most of the “vitamins” that I was eating the darn things in the first place for :) I recommend taking a natural brand, one that’s raw and cold processed. A lot of the Multi-Vitmains on the market are processed w/ heat. Being that the nutrients contained in these vitamins are “heat sensitive”, a lot, if not most of the nutrients can be lost in such heating process. The *FDA doesn’t require the testing of such potency after production, to be on the safe side, pick a brand that has high standards and integrity in their product.

Vitamin D3 2000 IU - Vitamin D3 is one of the most common nutrients that we, as Americans, do not get enough of. It’s ironic actually, that the foods most rich in Vitamin D3, egg yolks, sardines, fortified whole milk, mackerel and beef liver are unpopular or demonized by popular diet plans. Vitamin D3 is fat soluble, which means, if you have very little fat in your diet, you will have problems absorbing any Vitamin D3 (no matter how much you take). Supports Bone, Join, Heart, Colon, Breast and Immune Health

Fish-Oil (High Omega 3, Cod Liver - Ultra Concentrated - Liquid Form) - I recommend you choose only a brand high in omega 3, and cold processed (fish oil is light and heat sensitive). The Omega Complex, and American “imbalance” of Omega’s is a whole different subject. Feel free to research “Omega 3 Deficiency”.. It’s suggested to be the 6th Largest Cause of Death in our Country (linking many illnesses to Poor Omega Diets”. Because of this new information on the average diet consisting on a poor balance of Omega 3 - Omega 6 ratio... taking Omega 3 supplementation, is a pretty important choice for most nearly all Americans.

B-Complex 50 mg - Supports Energy, Stress, and Cardiovascular Health

CoQ10 100mg - Supports Heart Health, and Cellular Energy

Alpha-Lipoic Acid 300 mg - A powerful Antioxidant that helps fight off free radicals. ---> Free Radicals running freely, means “No Bueno” :)

Resveratrol - Loaded w/ Grape Seed Extract, Grape Skin Extract, Knotweed Extract, and more. --> Helps maintain the structural integrity of capillaries and connective tissue. Poor structural integrity could mean plaque and heart attacks. You don’t want heart attacks :) In the past, I’m sure you heard about drinking a glass of wine a day is good for you? How about taking this supplement, it’s more powerful, effective, and you don’t have to get drunk :)

Bee Pollen (Organic, granulated, eaten or sprinkled over yogurt) - Said to be the world’s most complete food. It’s the world’s only “pre-digested” supplement. Think about it, the bee has done all the work for you :) lol. I refer to it as “God Particles”. It’s a granulated, colorful, flowery tasting supplement, but since I have been taking it, I have noticed huge strides and changes in my strength and athletic progression. It’s loaded w/ carotenoids, digestive enzymes, amino acids, micronutrients, minerals, and believe it or not, there is even gold found in 2 parts per million in the stuff, crazy.

Digestive Enzymes (“Life Extension” Super Digestive Enzymes) - I recommend eating a wide variety of Vegetables (some I don’t - different subject) The problem is that most of the vegetables we eat, if not for most of us, all of the vegetables we eat, are low in enzymes necessary to break these “plants” down in our stomach. This is due to the fact that when we buy our vegetables from the store, they are essentially dead. They’ve been “dead” or “picked”, typically, weeks beforehand. Most vegetables were intended to be eaten as picked. A lot of the enzymes are lost in this process. Another huge loss is from cooking. Cooking vegetables destroys a large portion of Enzymes and “micronutrients”. If you’ve ever eaten a lot of Broccoli, w/o taking Enzymes, chances are you’ve had “gas” like I have in the past, lol.

Glucosamine Chondroitin & MSM - I always begin taking this supplement when I’m beginning an intense, “high-impact” workout routine. It helps support my joint health. Glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate are actually components of normal cartilage. MSM has shown benefits for a range of health problems including arthritis, muscle and joint pain. MSM has shown promise in the inhibition of pain impulses along nerve fibers, (analgesia), lessening of inflammation, increasing blood supply, reducing muscle spasms, and softening of scar tissue. http://www.biosynergy.com/GCMSM.htm

Pro-Biotics "Natren’s Health Trinity” Pro-Biotics help keep intestinal linings healthy and assist in breaking down food. This, pro-biotic, is supposed to be the #1 product on the market. Natren is a company with upmost integrity towards their products. Being that Pro-Biotic cultures are fragile little “beasts”, knowing that Natren hand delivers there products to stores in a “Freezer Box”, gives some peace of mind. "Natren’s Healthy Trinity” is a pro-biotic like no other on the market. It’s comes from an actual “human-strain”. Natren’s pro-biotic contains 30 Billion Cultures. They are the best, hands down, they are however, very expensive. I gladly pay it. Check their website out http://store.natren.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=N

Nitric Oxide Boost (L-Argininge, L-Citrulline & Alpha-Lipoic Acid) - I’m a huge fan of L-Arginine, and this Nitric Oxide supplement. L-Arginine, is completely natural, in fact, our own body produces it. It’s a great vasodilator, and not only gives me incredible stamina, but an awesome pump.

Huma-Pro Amino Acids - This product is great. This is an “Amino Acid” supplement, in there free form. I take this in place of a protein shake. In a protein-shake, I can never find a good brand - nearly all brands are loaded w/ fillers and “crap”. Taking this is the same, and my opinion, better.

Indeed I do not know everything about nutrition in general, but I’ve learned a lot (the hard way) over the years. Hopefully a reader will gain some knowledge or insight from some of my points mentioned.

Stay Motivated!

World Record 56.88” Highest Standing Jump!

2011-12-18T21:22:00.000-08:00

I’m trying to get the story out there the best way I can. If you are one of the many great supporting friends I have, that have been keeping me motivated through my goals, even if silently sending positivity my way, please click this link below and watch the video on Storify in hopes for getting the media coverage I need for my next record attempt, where I’ll be going for 57.1 - 57.25 inches!

Please feel free to share or repost this if you desire!
**I think you have to tweet, google plus, and or Facebook like the article once you click on the link, (only if you support it and want to!) Thx

Thank you guys for all your support!

Read my @Storify story: "New World Record, Highest Standing Box Jump 56.88 Inches" http://sfy.co/S2Q

Set a new WR today!

2011-12-18T02:09:00.000-08:00

http://yfrog.com/page/addthis?server=876&filename=i1qkw.jpg&yfrog_url=http://yfrog.com/oci1qkwj&is_photo=true&screen_name=RobynBalliet

2011-12-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

http://yfrog.com/page/addthis?server=876&filename=i1qkw.jpg&yfrog_url=http://yfrog.com/oci1qkwj&is_photo=true&screen_name=RobynBalliet

Adaptive programs promote fitness for people with physical disabilities – Daily Breeze | Fitness News

2011-12-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

Adaptive programs promote fitness for people with physical disabilities – Daily Breeze | Fitness News

Body Fat Percentage, RHR, and overall health.

2011-03-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and on-lookers, fellow athletes and google stumblers. It has been a few weeks since I have had time to write a blog. Everyday I have wanted to write about something, so many things have been on my mind. As I write this blog, I am eating some sliced apples in a sitting position, using my neck stretching device - strapped to my door frame. This is thank's to Nick Curson from Unity JJ for letting me borrow this lifesaver. As most of my friends know, I herniated 2 disks in my neck very severely a while back. This incident did not discount me from fitness or Martial Arts. Nothing could do that... Instead, it has taught me how to cope with it and make adjustments in my routines so it can be given time to heal itself. The neck stretcher is doing wonders... Thank you Nick!

I have been very busy with my training, studying and working as well. Just last week my friend and trainer Roger Blackshear, started another bootcamp out here in the South Bay area (Redondo Beach). I have been co training and learning how to run bootcamps. In the past few months I have trained with Roger more and more and he has been running me throuhg some different workout routines. All body-weight or very light weight dumbells or medicine ball workout's, a lot of sprinting, plyo-metric, athletic drills, and balance drills. Most everything we have been doing includes going from one body part to the other, back to back for anywhere from 3-6 minutes of constant exercise. Since then I have dropped from 185 lbs, (19 percent body fat and still health) to 168 pounds of solid muscle @ 6 percent body fat. I am faster, my heart rate recovery time is now around 30 seconds after complete exhaustion, and I feel more energetic and healthy each day.
Just the other day I checked my heart rate at a rest, it was 43 or 45 beats per minute.I believe the average for an athlete is 55-60, and many average Americans are 70-80 beats per minute. I feel really good about my heart and body fat condition.

The heart is a muscle, the most important muscle in your body. All your heart does is pump in and pump out, over and over again from birth to death... As you could guess, an unhealthy lifestyle could result in long term stress on your heart, leading to heart problems at earlier ages in life. With a healthy heart, and a lower more effecient heart rate, one could lower the daily beats down by as much as 90,000 beats per day. Multiply that times 365 days and you get the picture.

The bottom line is, and my message for today, make sure you are working out your heart constantly. It should be #1 right next to your body and health, and physical appearance. Be mindful of what workouts you are doing, and try to work all areas including the hearts and lungs. I will tell you from experience, a healthy heart, make everything feel and work great! Yes, everything, haha. No but really, I feel so energetic, with each pump my heart sends 2 times as much oxygen to my muscles, tissue, and brain, as it did before, when I was living "unhealthy".

To all of you out there with a healthy heart, give me "amen", to those out there that think they should be living a little healthier, start with some aerobic workouts that really get that heart pumping. Get creative! There are 1000's of workouts that you can do that don't include running at all!

I'll leave you guys with a little video giving some examples of fun workouts that can be pieced together in a circuit to get your whole body working.

Today I have a Jiu-Jitsu tournament, so wish me luck! See you next time.

,Devon

Trans Fat - In case you didn't know how bad they really are.

2011-02-21T22:33:00.000-08:00

Trans Fat's - aka partially and full hydrogenated oils are man made, synthetic oils. They are in nearly every processed food we buy at the store, or in nearly every fast food chain and most restaurants serve a large variety of foods with these fats as well. Because the FDA does not directly have regulations instated that required the companies that use these products to conduct in-depth controlled experiments on these fats, it can be difficulty to find the correct information about this matter.

Hydrogenated Oils or "Trans Fats" are made from taking natural oils and giving them a high temperature "hydrogen bath. This process combines the hydrogen molecules to the structure of the fat cells, therefore, creating partially of fully hydrogenated oils.

What is so bad about a hydrogenated fat molecule? It's tough for scientists to say exactly what happens when these synthetic fats attach to your body, however, there is some disturbing information about these fats. When consuming natural fats, you body takes 18 days to metabolize half of them, however, when you consume trans fats, your body takes 51 days to metabolize half of them. So in a nutshell, if you have a bucket of french fries from an average fast food joint nearly 1 1/2 months ago, odds are this contained trans fats. That would mean that half of the trans fat from those fries is still buried inside your fat storage. Half???
That's pretty disturbing if you ask me.

Now I know some people may think that since they don't eat fast food, they are A-OK. Just to go a little further in-depth on this subject, I will mention a few things about what Scientists have been finding about Trans Fats, what the FDA's regulations are, etc.

First of all, Nearly every bag of chips, processed cookies, candy bars, many cereals, any non stir peanut butter(including some stir brands as well) donut's, processed goods, etc. uses some type of Trans Fat. There are two reasons why any product would have this ingredient. #1 Trans Fat's taste good & #2 Trans Fats improve the shelf life on most products for even years longer than normal fats in some cases, in-turn, more profit for the companies selling them.

Before I knew this much about trans fats, I use to look on the package for the nutritional facts. On the back I would see, 'Trans Fat" 0 grams. It wasn't until recently that I learned that the FDA does not require a distributor to label it has any amount of trans fat, as long as it is not greater than .5 grams per serving. That means that any company can get away with putting .49 grams of this deadly poison in our food without a peep. The only way you would truly know if your food has trans fat or not in it is by thoroughly reading the ingredients and knowing what you're looking for when you read them.

For anyone reading this, if you are confused about the problem with .49 grams of trans fat, I will try and lighten it up for you. The average american make consume many products a day "unknowingly" with nearly .5 grams of this stuff per serving. A larger serving, more trans fat... Researchers have found that the "average american" consumes 6 grams of trans fat per day, or 5-10 lbs. or trans fat per year. Researchers have also found that no amount of trans fat is un-harmful to your body, and americans should eat no trans fat at all, or at bare minimum, no more than 2 grams per day. 5-10 lbs. of trans fat that per year that takes 51 days to metabolize sounds pretty scary to me..

Trans Fat's, by nature, completely disrupt the natural fat storing process within our bodies. The definition of a Poison is just that, a substance that we take that disrupts our bodies natural function. Why are we allowed to ingest poison? No need to ask why (money of course). It is better to educate yourself so you can make better decisions and live a longer healthier life.

Keep in mind there are other bad products, hfcs, msg, large quantities of sugar etc. It's important for each individual to do whatever the can to educate themselves.

"High-Fructose Corn Syrup" is worse than "Sugar"

2011-01-21T07:35:00.000-08:00

I'm an All-American, born and raised. One thing about being raised in America, for me, is that I have been told what is nutritious to eat and what to make sure you include in your diet so you remain "healthy". Now recently, more than ever before, I grow more and more skeptical about what the FDA and USDA and what they claim to be true or false about the foods we eat. These departments all have special interests with the gain of the largest controlling food distributors in the United States. When you look at these interests, and think about how these entities are supposed to keep us "safe" it can cause mixed feelings to a skeptic (like myself).

A few months ago, when I was back in the U.S. I began seeing these commercials on T.V. (ironically paid for by the Department of Agriculture) that had some field of dreams plot and an actor that resembled Kevin Kostner, smiling as he said that corn sugar is the same as sugar, "Your body can't tell the difference, "Sugar is Sugar" he said. And that was the end of the commercial..... Unfortunately, I don't believe the science behind high-fructose corn syrup is that simple... Now I haven't always been a skeptic, in fact only in the past year have I began to question these issues. But it wasn't until I left to vacation in Peru, where I currently am, that I noticed there are hardly any obese people here. How odd for a country that eats french fries, greasy sausage, fried meat, rice w/ butter and bread, nearly every meal. How weird that with every meal most Peruvian's consume beverages high in sugar, inca cola & coca-cola included, and for the most part, I have seen people either really skinny or carrying an extra 20-30 lbs tops.

If you live in America, you have probably seen, like myself, a large number or "morbidly obese" 300+ pounders walking around. You see it every day, all the time, in plain sight, and that's just above average "fat" for me eyes. I have seen 500 pound women and men walking around, or using electric wheel chairs through the mall because their knees are shot.

The first thing I did after arriving in Peru, and noticing the vast difference of weight averages here, is walked into the local super market, and started looking at ingredients.

In America, 95% of the food in stores are heavily processed with one of dozens of corn additives and bi-products (chemically altered corn products) believe it.... You will always find a very tiny section of the wall in a huge store that says, "organic". Of course the food is priced 2-3 times higher.

Back to Peru....
After examining everything from ice cream, to cookies, packaged donuts, cereal, Peruvian candy bars, chocolate milk, frozen waffles, soda (coca cola), and anything else I could think of that would be highly processed in the states, I was hard-pressed to find foods that were heavily processed or processed at all. Even Coca-Cola had 100% pure sugar in it's soda. Most of the sugar in Peru comes from Brazil, the world's largest sugar exporter @ 20% of the world's supply. It is more than likely cheaper for companies to use natural products in there foods in a 3rd world country than it would be to import bi-products.

Now to the research I found:

According to Scientist's at Nutrition research centers, High-fructose Corn Syrup is worse for you us than real sugar. According to these scientist's research, high-fructose corn syrup is passed directly to the liver that release enzymes instructing our bodies to store these sugars as fat. Research also indicates that this "fake sugar" does not stimulate insulin production (which creates a sense of being full) which people may intern eat more than they normally would w/ real sugar. Last but not least, vital chromium levels are lowered by corn sugar, which is likely to contribute to type 2 diabetes. Becoming obese in general can cause type 2 diabetes as well.

Unfortunately, the pyramid is a sham, the government lies to us, and the largest food distributors in America, will do anything possible to save 1 penny per product, even if it sacrifices the health of those who eat it.

I suggest that if you struggle with being overweight, you should cut corn additives out of your diet completely, and see if this helps.

I hope this was helpful, it's a topic I take pretty seriously.

Devon

OSSSSSSSS

2011-01-19T17:19:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Christian Grimaldo from Sniper Gym Miraflores, Peru and google translate for the translation of his spanish.

The definition of OSS:

Oss word of Japanese origin the word has become best known in the martial arts world, understood and used among practitioners of different nationalities, the term not only used to greet all l. .. ... You ... days, but instead of terms such as "Thank You", "Nice," "Goodbye", "Understood" and "understand."

Should be pronounced in the lower abdomen with a bow properly executed a sign of respect, sympathy and trust the other person.

Oss word is a phonetic transcription, in fact it is written with two Chinese characters. The first character means "pushing", symbolizing the spirit of struggle, the importance of effort all the obstacles facing them away with a positive attitude and unchanged.

The second character means "Suffering", expresses the value and spirit of perseverance in pain, resisting depression with patience and without giving up, always keeping in high spirits.

The youth has such physical and moral qualities, which allow any face any situation, that define youth, but will be maintained and developed only with persistent effort daily.

How then is that "Talent is nothing without effort", the key word (key) Oss is used to remember this saying to young people, encouraging them to make a resolution, passed on from one another and motivate each other.

The word "OSS" should not be used lightly.

Henceforth reexamine your attitude, position, state of mind, speech and harmony, the torso is bent and the torso straight and the jaw is retracted when you pronounce the word. The movement, breathing and pronunciation then executed contribute to the infilling of the lower abdomen (tanden) with KI and power.

If we refer to when they express the principles of "OSS", breathing and sound is IN. Even a form or a breathing method that takes one, be in harmony with the universe, means (heaven and earth) (Yin and Yang) (Inyo), are in the opposite (negative and positive elements) that make up our universe.

Downtown Lima, Peru - San Fransisco Cathedral, Catacombs & President's House

2011-01-17T18:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Carla and I went with the family to go and explore the tour at the San Francisco Cathedral in Downtown Lima, located right next to the President's House.

The Cathedral was a very nice experience. Outside of the entrance were 1000's of pigeons flocking around the courtyard, much like you see an any movie placed in Rome, showcasing their cathedrals. I was caught in a moment of time as the pigeon's all flocked in a circle over head and one by one found a place to sit on top of the cathedral. Then we entered..

The Price is normally 5-7 soles, but today was Lima Day, so it was 1 sol apparently. Lucky us... The tour was amazing, the art in the cathedral was mostly from 1600-1700 era, they had many original church pews, grand piano's from 1600's, The first peruvian dictionary, huge books dated from 1600's and before. The works.. I was amazed at how close they let us get to some of these things.

My favorite part of this tour was the stop at the catacombs, located inside of the cathedral. This underground burial ground wasn't discovered until the 1950's and is the home to nearly 70,000 deceased. Most of these bodies were church members. It was simply cheaper to dowse the deceased in limestone and reduce them to bones quickly, then stack their skeletons on top of each other. Just to let you know, there was an opportunity for me to touch a 400 yr. old leg bone, and yes, I touched it! haha...(this wasn't allowed, I was simply in the back of the tour, so no one could see me do it)

The President's Estate is heavily guarded with heavy machine gun equipped tanks and convoys, and men all around the perimeter armed to the gil with AK47's and flak jackets.

We were lucky enough to get to the cross walk seconds before the President's arrival into his estate. The gaurd's forced us to stay on the sidewalk as 2 cars sped into the gated estate at speeds of 80 miles an hour(obviously to prevent an assassination). As the gates were quickly closed behind them, you could catch a glimpse of Peru's heavy-set President getting out of his car. What an awesome property..

Anyhow, Carla and I got some arroz con leche w/ some dulche de leche to snack on. It was just so so. After that all 8 of us hopped in a 4 seater taxi and took a 20 minute ride back to the house for a couple bucks...Peruvian Style... haha

Nice day at the beach in Miraflores

2011-01-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday before class I was playing around with Christian's bull terrier at the Sniper BJJ Academy. He is such a cool dog. We tied a rope to a toy tire and he put the death grip on it. He was so playful!

Jitz class was great, just a few guys including Raul, and Christian was teaching the class. We learned some terrific defenses on the bottom for half-gaurd passes and then followed it up with some very good training.

After rolling with one of the purple belt's, Raul, there I noticed how good his back attacks are and his sweeps!

After training, Christian invited Carla and I to the beach with him and Raul. We took the route on foot and make it to the sandless, rock filled beach. The water was amazing, the air was hot. This day was amazing. My dream is to train at a gym right on the water line so I could train like I did yesterday everyday... Train, surf, eat... heaven...

Breakfast, training at Sniper - then walking to the beach with Carla!

2011-01-14T05:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a tough training day at the academy. It also marked my 3rd day training there. For some reason the air felt so thick, probably the humidity differences in south america than the states!

We went over some great techniques! I did 2 classes and both classes we went over a lot of half guard passes. The top control techniques the instructors teach are awesome! Everyone in the gym, even a couple of the white belts, all half dominating top games, excellent passes, and devastating side and north south control. I found out quickly that if they pass your guard they will cross face you if you let them, and they will not let you turn into them! There is something to be said about two of the white belts I have rolled with and how dominating there top game is. I could not close my guard on them - and I know my guard can be a pain in the ass also, so I was very impressed to say the least!

After training I said thank you to all of the guys I trained with, them Carla and I hopped on a Peruvian bus back home. It only took about an hour to get home (which wasn't that bad). If you don't know anything about Peruvian buses, I should blog another day about them. Their 10 seater minivans that really seat 25 people, and they don't stop at the curb. You have to get off and on the bus while it's moving pretty much, haha.

I'm excited that the level of even the lower belts is high at the gym. What an opportunity to train against this level of competition!

Today I am a little tired, sore in some places, and not 100%. However, I will train light anyways knowing that this weekend I will be relaxing on both days!

The owner of the gym is so nice (Christian). Carla and I asked him where the good places were to surf and where not to go. He told me that after class this afternoon he will take us to the beach with him on foot, and show us the good spots. Only in south america can you meet people like that after only 3 days of knowing them.

Tomorrow I will write about the Combi (pervuian bus) !

Training at The SNIPER GYM in Miraflores, Peru

2011-01-12T09:56:00.000-08:00

After a long week consisting of 3 dental appointments, food poisoning, a huge party for the in-laws, and 100's of heirnes. All I had time for fitness wise, was about 15 miles of running, 1 work-out in the pool, and I trained a free class at the Gold's Gym's Peruvian Fighting Center, or PFC. Not to say anything bad about that school, but it definitely was not for me.

Atlas! I made it to Miraflores and enrolled myself into the Sniper Gym. This gym is most undoubtedly the best jiu-jitsu gym in Peru. There are many black belt instructors, all belted from high level, respectable black belts, nice brown belts, and many many purple belts.

Before you read ahead, please don't assume until I finish.

As I walked through the door, I could smell the sweat, and the heat. It wasn't the cleanist gym I had ever seen, the pads on the floor were used and abused, the punching bags were a mixture of new and used with tape to hold them together, the purple belt's gi's were tethered and had been through battle, the walls were covered from end to end with posters of cage fights and tournaments, medals were hanging from the wall, and every single person inside the gym had that distinct look of strong, determind, yet humble and ready to learn. My first thought was that this gym was going to be fully legit!

We began class with a mixture of fast push-ups and jumping jacks, with 150 ab repitions, did some stretching. Not exactly what I'm used to doing in the U.S. , but never the less, I am now training at another gym during my stay in Peru, I will respect the black belts here at all costs, after all, they are also legitamate black belts!

We went over a very useful technique and repped it out for about 10 minutes. After that we trained! Everyone there was determined to win, but also polite and respectful.

Before I started the class my wife and I explained to the instructor that i had a bad herniated disk in my neck, along with another one that wasn't too extreme. I could train at 60% but to be mindful of my problem so that I could be quick to tap if I was about to be put in a vulnerable position. Life's not always fair but everyone there was respectful of that.

I took a picture at the end of the class with the group I trained with, and shook everyone's hand, I thanked them all graciously for allowing me to train there for a free class, shortly after I enrolled into the school.

Although Enlgish is the only language I speak, and many people there only speak Spanish, we all got along fine because we all speak Jiu-Jitsu!

I will be hitting the pool shortly and then again, going to Miraflores for a great night of training tonight as well!

See you later!

Training in a 3rd world country

2011-01-11T05:34:00.000-08:00

This Morning marks my first 8 days in Peru. So far I have had dental work done, obtained a stomach illness, feared for my life in a couple taxis and a Peruvian bus, eaten food from a sketchy restaurant, negotiated the price of ice cream, learned how to have a small conversation in Spanish, and learned how to cross the street, south america style.

So anyways, the other day was my first day training. It was umm, a little, different than the norm in America. I remained humble even tough everything the teacher was instructing was incorrect...

Here's how the session started off:

After the instructor had us do 100 continuous push ups, he made us run on one foot, 10 times around the gym and then switch. This puts so much strain on the meta carpels that when you place your other foot on the ground you immediately gets that sensation that you jumped 20 ft. barefooted into the sand... but I was there to be a student, not a teacher, so I did as he instructed, haha. I just had to laugh a little bit while I was doing it.

The "brown belt" teacher, then went onto to teach arm drags from the gaurd, dare I say in a way that would never work! haha Anyhow, it was nice that they let me have a free class to try it out, so I never lost any money in this experience.

Now, I was the only student there that did not speak spanish. It was a weird happening as I first entered the room. It was almost as if everyone was looking at me with envy, disgust, and jealousy. I guess since I was American, the students and the teachers alike wanted to see my fail or something. This did not happen of course, and I wasn't there to destroy anyone at Jiu-Jitsu anyways.. haha

All I could do was be as nice and humble as possible, to try and relax the vibe in the air I was getting. Call me crazy? Apparently not, after I grappled the teacher, he put me against the muay thai teacher who is a cage fighter. He must have really wanted to beat me or thought he was in a fight for the chamionship belt. Within 3 seconds my lip was split open and I was swallowing a lot of blood, haha! I laughed and cleaned in up until in kind of stopped. We went again and he just balled up like a turtle so I couldn't submit him. After 5 minutes of that I just tapped from bordem haha, it was kind of annoying that he was not even attacking or anything, he was just tucking his arms in and making it impossible to submit him no-gi from the gaurd.

My overall experience? Kind of disappointed that anyone can open a jiu-jitsu gym out here. According to the academy, the teacher was a brazilian brown belt world champion. I don't see how that was ever possible. Maybe he entered as a white belt and won, but hey, I'm just saying.

Today I am training at the sniper academy in Mira Flores. Hopefully the speak Jiu-Jitsu there!

This is a picture of us before getting of the airplane after our 9 hour flight

Athletics While I Sleep

2010-12-27T09:36:00.000-08:00

The more I read into different theories on athletics, the more I can become confused. Fitness has been a process for me. I'm a pretty hard-headed person, and use to be pretty narrow minded. I'm still pretty thick headed, but I believe I am now narrow-minded on the right track, rather than maintaining a system that doesn't work.

To my point...

I watched a documentary on dreams and R.E.M. sleep. I began to learn about the importance of dreaming, and the science behind it. In this documentary I learned that dreaming about one thing in particular, can improve your confidence and performance with whatever you dreamed about. Much like students that dream after studying perform better on the test the next day.

Before going to sleep I have been circulating thoughts about jiu-jitsu, sprinting, foot speed. More often than not I have ended up having vivid dreams about those very things. Consequently my performance increases the following day when I awake. I feel my nervous system responding quicker, my muscles firing more loose and in sequence. This is just one thing I have been adding to my daily routine.

Much like making a car faster. You don't just keep upgrading the vehicle and driving it to increase speed. Occasionally you have to grease the nuts and bolts and fix the inner-workings. If your only interest is in driving the car as fast as possible all of the time, the engine will eventually fail or start performing worse.

I've been learning how important it is to take a systematic approach to fitness. I must train my body to be explosive in everything I do, all of the time. If I workout on a day that I am at 40%, my muscles are exhausted, I'm much slower, etc.. Then I will be neurologically training my muscles to be slower whether I like it or not. When training for speed and power, it is better to do fewer reps at maximum output, stopping at your peak, then it is to grind it out to complete exhaustion.

Finding the strength to keep pushing through the "Slow Season"

2010-12-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

Towards the middle of fall, nearing the end of October, I have always felt the "calm" roll in, like thick clouds before the storm. It has always been difficult for me to stay on track with great nutrition, proper sleep cycles, consistent training, and motivation. If you are reading this and you have ever worked out consistently before, than this probably isn't news to you. You can blame it on the shorter days, the dramatic temperature drop, etc. The truth is, for me, it's extremely important to not become stagnant.

I have known this to be an obstacle for me for as long as I could remember. I vividly remember year after year, I would begin my intense cardio, or weight training workouts in mid April in hopes to get that "Beach Body" by Mid June when Summer Began. As soon as summer would end, I would gradually pack on another 20+ lbs. and repeat the process. Looking back on this cycle, I see how this is just one of the many things wrong I have done that not only limited my results but created very bad habits. In addition it may also be hard on your body to lose and gain weight year after year, going from one extreme to the other.

My experience in training and athletics up until these past 6 months, have been a roller coaster ride from one extreme to the other. Almost like someone with a disorder! I would cycle between resting injuries and pain, to pushing my body to the absolute limit day after day. I would repeat this cycle and never truly feel like I was getting the results that I sought after. And I'm not talking about packing on muscle or lifting weights. I'm talking about true athletics! I'm talking about increasing speed, cardio, raw explosive power, strength, stretch reflex, all in the same.... The sad truth is I'm not alone in this area. Most athletes, including paid professionals have struggled or currently struggle with bad patterns and bad habits.

This year I seem to have found the strength to keep pushing through this slow season. I have been learning the meaning of periodization from my coach Nick Curson from Unity Jiu-Jitsu, and allowing myself to relearn all new methods of fitness from him. It's now Mid-December, I have never felt more explosive, more motivated, or as athletic as I feel today. What's changed, other than everything? I no longer push my body to the absolute extreme, I'm resting more, I changed my sleeping habits, and I'm complying 100% towards a proven system. No "half-steppin" here! By continuing gradual, one day at a time, constant growth; I hope to make 2011 better than any year before.

What's your story?