Jiu Jitsu Training 8/1/20

Yesterday's training was at the Gracie Barra Diamond Bar gym. We continued on breaking the full guard and passing. We worked on the guard break that works on using the pants to hold the hips down and using the lower back to push back to break the guard and the other was to use the cross collar sleeve grip and use a two on one to stand up and push the leg down to break the guard. After the guard break, the pass was from the seated staggered position to weak side pass while blocking the leg and using the cross face to get to side control. Next, I got to work on positional training from close guard from both the top and bottom positions.

Powerlifting Training 8/2/20

Today's training was at the Crunch Fitness gym in Diamond Bar, CA. Luckily, I waited for just a couple of minutes before starting my training. I did the core lift at the gym and did the rest at home, since the equipment that I wanted to use were taken and I didn't want to waste time on waiting.

Barbell Squats - 155lbs - 10 reps, 275lbs - 5 reps, 385lbs, 475lbs, 535lbs, and 590lbs - 1 rep, 570lbs - 3 reps, and 565lbs - 5 reps
Kettlebell Swings - 3 sets - 100lbs - 12 reps
Superset (Bridge Isometrics and Body Hollow Isometrics) - 4 sets - 40 seconds hold for each exercise
Corrective Stretching - 5 minutes

Tonight, I got to walk around the park with the family for about 30 minutes. I did some more stretching there as well to work on my flexibility. It was a good cool down for the day, since the weather was cool and the walk was refreshing being next to the pond and seeing the different kinds of birds at the park while hanging out.

Jiu Jitsu Training

Today's training was at home. I was working on the grappling dummy. I worked on from various positions from full guard, full mount, and back mount. From full guard, I was work on the arm bar, triangle, and kimura. Then from full mount, I worked on a couple of cross collar chokes, shoulder locks, and arm triangles. From back mount, I was working on collar chokes, bow and arrows, RNC, and arm bars. I was efficient with my time and I got to work on from both my strong side and weak side.

Powerlifting Training

Several hours later, I worked on my bench at home and did some upper back work with grip training.

Bench Press - 135lbs and 225lbs - 10 reps, 280lbs, 320lbs, 350lbs, 375lbs, and 4 sets - 350lbs - 1 rep
Bench Press with 1/2 Board - 4 sets - 315lbs - 6 reps
Close Grip Bench Press - 2 sets - 295lbs - 8 reps
Fat Man Pull Ups with Fat Gripz (Pronated Grip) - 4 sets - 10 reps 
Fat Man Pull Ups with Fat Gripz (Supinated Grip)  - 4 sets - 10 reps (Last Set - Held for an extra 10 seconds at the top part of the lift.)

It's been over a year since I late made a post. Since then, I was working on my second Master's degree, getting another IT certification, competing in both Jiu Jitsu and Powerlifting, training my kids for competition and helping them out with their homework. The pandemic practically ruined everything from working out at the gym, training Jiu Jitsu, helping out with my kids on their school work (homeschooling), and more. No more lunch Jiu Jitsu, so I switch Jiu Jitsu gyms and I trained mostly at home for strength and conditioning. I've been studying a lot more for both work and on stock investing.

Anyhow, I'm at the Gracie Barra Diamond Bar gym. I've trained with the owner, Professor Jaime Dietz-Velez, when I was a blue belt and purple belt during training camps, and that I have visited his gym several times. I'm new to the area and I'm glad that his gym is open and is close to home. He's a really good instructor and his students are great as well with the training environment that is definitely suited for me.

I'm definitely a lot stronger now, since I'm significantly heavier. I'm still constantly trying to find that balance in training. Luckily, I have a Jiu Jitsu dummy at home and I work with the kids. I don't think I'll be competing this year in Jiu Jitsu, but in Powerlifting, I'm looking to compete in November at the USPA Drug Tested North American Championships. I want to break some more state and national records.

Jiu Jitsu Training

Today's training was on breaking the full guard and passing. The first guard break was holding on to the hips by using the pants and using the lower back to push back to break the guard. Another guard break was to use the cross collar sleeve grip and use a two on one to stand up and push the leg down to break the guard. Next, using the opposite collar to bring over to threaten the choke to have the opponent open their guard. Finally, after the guard break, the pass was from the seated staggered position to weak side pass while blocking the leg and using the cross face to get to side control.

Next, we did positional training from the full guard for 6 minutes from both the top and bottom position. Then, I got to roll for one round. While Professor was going over each move, I was stretching out and taking advantage of the time to work on my flexibility in the meantime.

Powerlifting Training

Afterwards, I went straight to the Crunch Fitness gym in Diamond Bar, CA to work on the deadlifts. Luckily, I waited for just a couple of minutes before starting my training. I spent less than 20 minutes since I had errands to do afterwards and I needed to see on where I was at on the deadlifts. I made some big jumps between each set since I was already warmed up from the Jiu Jitsu training.

Deadlifts - 225lbs - 6 reps, 355lbs - 5 reps, 445lbs, 515lbs, and 575lbs - 1 rep, and 625lbs - 2 reps
Corework - 5 minutes (3 sets - Planks - 35 seconds for each set, 3 sets - Bridge Isometrics - 30 seconds, and 3 sets - Body Hollow Isometrics - 30 seconds)
​Corrective Stretching - 5 minutes

Jiu Jitsu Training

Lunch Jiu Jitsu training was at the Rodrigo Freitas BJJ gym in Hawthorne, CA. I was late to class, so I missed the warm ups and the first lesson for the day. I got to do a back take to a rear naked choke while trapping one arm. The key for today's RNC was to squeeze the elbows in before using the arms to finish the RNC. I got to do live drills for two rounds and then I got to do two rounds of sparring.

Powerlifting Training - Squats

Tonight, I was training at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA. My wife suggested that we worked out tonight, so I decided to hit the squats while I was there. I had a short workout, since it's a school night, so I did the plyometric squats at home. I had a hard time on the squats, since the bar was bent and off balance, so I made use on whatever I had tonight. I'll use a better bar on the next workout.

Barbell Squats.- 135lbs, 245lbs, 335lbs, and 425lbs - 6 reps, 515lbs, 585lbs, and 625lbs - 1 rep
Jump Squats - 4 sets - 10 reps

Squats - 4/22/19

I was training at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA. I had a short workout, so it was just the squats on the menu for training that night. It was a school night and I had to make sure that my kids did their homework. I started to gas out on the my final set, so I just did a pause rep.

Barbell Squats - 135lbs, 245lbs, and 335lbs - 6 reps, 425lbs - 5 reps, 505lbs - 1 rep, 585lbs - 6 reps, 585lbs - 4 reps, and 495lbs - 1 rep (Pause Rep)

Deadlifts - 4/24/19

At night, I was training at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA. This was another short training session. My top set on the deadlifts was a grinder, so I dropped the weight and worked on my weakness from the floor.

Deficit Deadlifts - 135lbs, 245lbs, and 335lbs - 6 reps, 425lbs - 2 reps, 515lbs and 585lbs - 1 rep
Pause Deficit Deadlifts - 4 sets - 515lbs - 1 rep

Bench Press and Squats - 4/26/19

I had a two a day training. My first workout was on the bench press and accessories. I was training at the 24 Hour Fitness Sport gym in the City of Industry, CA after I dropped off my kids from school. Training went well and I got a lot of volume in. 

Mini Band Chess Press + Mini Band Pull Aparts Superset - 3 sets - 20 reps + 20 reps
Barbell Bench Press - 45lbs, 135lbs, and 225lbs - 10 reps, 275lbs - 5 reps, 3 sets - 305lbs - 6 reps, and 2 sets - 275lbs - 8 reps
Cybex Weighted Dip Machine - 450lbs, 470lbs, and 2 sets - 500lbs - 10 reps
Hoist Row Machine (Neutral Grip) - 270lbs, 360lbs, and 3 sets - 410lbs - 10 reps
Hoist Row Machine (Supinated Grip) - 4 sets - 360lbs - 8 reps
Hoist Pulldown Machine (Pronated Grip) - 270lbs, 320lbs, and 2 sets - 360lbs - 10 reps
Reverse Fly Machine - 3 sets - 175lbs - 15 reps
Cables Triceps Pushdowns (Pronated Grip) - 3 sets - 195lbs - 15 reps

My 2nd workout was at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA. I missed Jiu Jitsu training, so I put in extra work. The squats and accessory work went really well and I feel confident that I can go heavier with the same amount of reps for the next training session.

Barbell Squats - 135lbs, 245lbs, 335lbs, and 425lbs - 6 reps, 515lbs and 565lbs - 1 rep, 605lbs - 3 reps
Pause Squats (5 second pause at bottom) - 4 sets - 515lbs - 1 rep
Leg Press - 540lbs, 900lbs, 1080lbs, and 1170lbs - 12 reps
Tank Sled Push - 4 sets - 90lbs - 50 feet

Jiu Jitsu Training - 4/27/19

Saturday morning Jiu Jitsu was at the Untamed Jiu Jitsu gym in West Covina, CA. I did some stretching, forward rolls, backward rolls, and hip escapes for the warm ups. After class, I did two more rounds of hip escapes.

The main thing that I got to work on yesterday morning was on the tai otoshi and sacrifice takedowns. Also, a hip bump sweep from full guard/close guard. Then, I got to roll for three rounds of sparring.

Deadlifts - 4/27/19

After Jiu Jitsu training, I went across the street at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA. I went to work on deadlifts only, since I did everything else the day before. More pauses were on the menu for training. I paused from 1 inch from the floor and from right before the knees. Since I was already warmed up from Jiu Jitsu training, I started to jump weights to get to my working sets.

Deficit Deadlifts - 185lbs, 315lbs, and 405lbs - 5 reps, 495lbs - 1 rep
Deficit Double Pause Deadlifts - 3 sets - 545lbs - 1 rep
Speed Deadlifts - 3 sets - 405lbs - 5 reps

Bench Press - 4/18/19

This morning, I was training at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA. Today, I was focusing more on the triceps, since my lockouts are the weakest point on the lift for the bench. I got a lot of volume in and I think I did well with just 3 hours of sleep, since I worked the graveyard shift for a go-live at work.

Barbell Bench Press - 45lbs, 135lbs, and 225lbs, 10 reps, 275lbs - 5 reps
1/2 Board Press - 315lbs - 2 reps, 335lbs and 355lbs - 1 rep, and 315lbs - 3 reps
Barbell Bench Press - 2 sets- 280lbs - 8 reps
Cybex Chest Press Machine - 4 sets - 257lbs - 6 reps
Cable Pulldown Machine (Pronated Grip) - 4 sets - 220lbs - 10 reps
Reverse Fly Machine - 3 sets - 175lbs - 10 reps
Rope Cable Pushdowns - 3 sets - 195lbs - 10 reps

Powerlifting Training 4/19/19 - Bench

I was training at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA. I was not feeling well the day before, so I took that day off from training and I felt better on Friday, so I decided to get the training in. Training went well and it was under an hour, which included warming up.

Super Set - Mini-Band Chest Press + Mini-Band Pull Aparts - 2 sets - 20 reps + 20 reps
Barbell Bench Press - 135lbs and 225lbs - 10 reps, 275lbs - 5 reps, 3 sets - 295lbs - 6 reps and 295lbs - 3 reps
Dumbbell Bench Press - 4 sets - 240lbs - 8 reps
Hoist Dip Machine - 4 sets - 345lbs - 10 reps
Hoist Pulldown Machine (Pronated Grip) - 4 sets - 345lbs - 10 reps
Body Hollow Isometrics - 3 sets - 35 seconds
Planks - 3 sets - 60 seconds

Jiu Jitsu Training 4/20/19 - Leg Locks

Saturday morning Jiu Jitsu training was at the Untamed Jiu Jitsu gym in West Covina, CA. I got there early enough to do some of the warm ups which consisted some core work, stretching, neck exercises, and basic Jiu Jitsu movements like hip escapes, bridges, and break falls. We worked on several knee bars starting from the standing position and then we worked on a transition to a heel hook as well. One of the knee bar moves that we worked on was a rolling knee bar. Also, we work on a cross collar choke from full mount and full guard. After that, I got to roll for a couple of rounds of sparring.

Powerlifting Training 4/20/19 - Deadlifts

I was training after Jiu Jitsu so the warm ups were kept light. I was training at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA, since it was across the street from the Jiu Jitsu gym. I was spent after the deadlifts, so I'm just glad that I got those out of the way and I was dialing in my technique. Once I got to my last set, then I started to rep it out and get comfortable on the lift. The workout was for about 40 minutes since I had to take my kid to his next activity. 

We went to the park later that day, so I spent time walking around and do some other light exercises there along with some stretching. I took today off, since I'm sore and I need the break.I'm going at it tomorrow.

Deficit Deadlifts - 45lbs - 10 reps, 135lbs, 225lbs, and 315lbs, 6 reps, 405lbs - 2 reps, 495lbs, and 2 sets - 565lbs - 1 rep, and 565lbs - 5 reps
T-Bar Rows - 135lbs - 10 reps and 3 sets - 225lbs - 8 reps

Tonight's training was at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA. I was working on some heavy squats. During the session, I was distracted because I was missing my car and home keys. Luckily, I was able to find them and get back into rhythm .

I've been pretty busy this week and traffic has been horrible. I had to take out my frustrations, since I didn't even go to Jiu Jitsu training this week so far. I have a lot of things on my mind and I want to make sure that I used that energy for tonight's session. I was amped up on listening to this Mongolian music by The HU.

I was able to get some foam rolling in before and after the training session, since my IT band has been bothering me. Also, I did some corrective stretching due to sitting all day for the past 4 days.

Barbell Squats - 135lbs - 10 reps, 245lbs, 335lbs, and 425lbs - 6 reps, 515lbs and 585lbs - 1 rep, 625lbs - 3 reps, and 565lbs - 6 reps
Jump Squats - 5 sets - 8 reps
Planks - 3 sets - 60 seconds
Body Hollow Rocks - 3 sets - 35 seconds

Powerlifting Training 4/12/19 - Squats

I was training at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA. I was planning on doing a two a day training for morning and night, but my night training got cancelled. That's the reason why this training looked pretty short, but I got some heavy weight in. I took small jumps on the heavy sets and my technique started to dial in on the last set.

Barbell Squats - 135lbs - 10 reps, 245lbs and 335lbs - 6 reps, 425lbs, 505lbs, 575lbs, 595lbs, and 2 sets - 615lbs - 1 rep, and 545lbs - 7 reps
Front Box Squats - 225lbs, 315lbs, 365lbs, and 405lbs - 1 rep

Jiu Jitsu Training 4/13/19 - Takedowns

I was training at the Untamed Jiu Jitsu gym in West Covina, CA. I did all of the warm ups, including forward rolls, backward rolls, hip escapes, and walk outs with push ups. We worked on two variations of the single leg takedown. Then, we did live drill from the full guard position from both the top and bottom position. After that, I got to roll for two rounds and then two rounds of hip escapes.

Powerlifting Training 4/13/19 - Bench

This was my 2nd training session for the day. I was a little tired from Jiu Jitsu, so I went lighter on this workout and made sure to work on my technique. Everything felt great and got a lot of volume in.

Barbell Bench Press - 135lbs and 225lbs - 10 reps, and 5 sets - 275lbs - 8 reps
Hoist Dip Machine - 4 sets - 345lbs - 12 reps
Cybex Shoulder Press Machine - 187lbs - 10 reps and 3 sets - 257lbs - 6 reps
Cybex Pulldown Machine (Supinated Grip) - 180lbs - 10 reps and 4 sets - 270lbs - 10 reps
Reverse Fly Machine - 3 sets - 170lbs - 15 reps

Powerlifting Training 4/14/19 - Deadlifts

I was training early in the morning at the 24 Hour Fitness Sport gym in the City of Industry, CA. I had a short workout, since I had family activities and errands all day. I wanted to make sure that I got some training in, since it's my on-call rotation this week for work. 

Paused Deficit Deadlifts - 45lbs - 10 reps, 135lbs, 225lbs, and 315lbs - 6 reps, 405lbs, 495lbs, and 3 sets - 545lbs - 1 rep
Double Kettlebell Swings - 4 sets - 40kgs - 15 reps
Hoist Row Machine (Neutral Grip) - 180lbs - 10 reps and 4 sets - 360lbs - 8 reps

​Today's lunch Jiu Jitsu training was at the Rodrigo Freitas BJJ gym in Hawthorne, CA. I was able to get in time to do some of the warm ups. They were mostly dynamic stretching. I did some corrective stretching while watching the moves being done for today. 

The lesson for today was on setting up submissions from side control. The first lesson was setting up a fake knee on belly transition from side control to a triangle. The next move was setting up when the opponent goes for the single leg reversal and trap their far side arm to go for the kimura. This move, I was able to work on from both sides. After that, I was able to roll for 2 rounds of sparring.

Before and after training, I was stretching out at my desk, since my sciatica was acting up. I feel that my flexibility has been improving, since I have been spending more time stretching and/or using the massage stick everyday. Also, my posture is improving as well.

Tonight's training was at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA. I was planning to do 315lbs for 3 reps on the bench, but it looks like that I didn't get enough rest, so I dropped down to do speed sets. That felt great. I'll see if I can go heavy again on Thursday.

Barbell Bench Press - 45lbs, 135lbs, and 225lbs - 10 reps, 275lbs - 5 reps, and 2 sets - 315lbs - 2 reps
Speed Bench - 5 sets - 245lbs - 5 reps - 30 seconds rest between each set
Plyometric Push Ups - 4 sets - 10 reps - 1 minute rest between each set
Cybex Pulldown Machine - 4 sets - 345lbs - 12 reps - 1 minute rest between each set
Mini Band Pull Apart - 3 sets - 20 reps - 30 seconds rest between each set
50 Jack Knife Crunches