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

I was training at the 24 Hour Fitness Sport gym in the City of Industry this morning. I had a short workout since I dropped of my kid to his activity and I had an hour to go back to pick him up. The workout went by quickly, but I got the work in and I did the jump squats and core work at home. I used the foam rolling as a warm up and I did the corrective stretching between the 1st four sets on the deficit deadlifts.

Foam Rolling - 5 minutes (Upper Back, Quads, IT Band, and Piriformis)
Corrective Stretching - 5 minutes (Hip Flexors, Chest, and Calves)
Deficit Deadlifts - 135lbs, 225lbs and 315lbs - 6 reps, 405lbs - 2 reps, 495lbs and 545lbs - 1 rep, and 585lbs - 4 reps
Close Grip Cable Rows - 3 sets - 220lbs - 12 reps - 45 seconds rest between each set
Jump Squats - 5 sets - 5 reps - 10 seconds rest between each set
Hollow Rocks - 3 sets - 30 seconds
Planks - 3 sets - 30 seconds

Today's Saturday morning Jiu Jitsu training was at the Untamed Jiu Jitsu gym in West Covina, CA. I did the warm ups along with forward rolls, back rolls, and hip escapes. The moves of the day were on two variations on the bow and arrow from side control and transitioning from the bow and arrow to the arm bar. After that, I got to roll for two rounds.

When I was working on the techniques for today, I was able to do them with a little variation for myself due to my size and my partners size and weight, but I made sure to keep everything tight as possible. My goal was to work smoothly.

​Yesterday, I signed up my son for the Rodrigo Freitas BJJ Kids In-House Tournament for 5/25/19. This will be his first tournament. We are both pretty excited. I just hope that he has fun competing. It's more for a learning experience. Check it out if you can make it and if you have a kid that trains Jiu Jitsu, this will be a good tournament to make it out to.

Powerlifting Training - Bench

This morning I was training at the 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport gym in Walnut, CA. I had a short workout, since this was right after dropping off my kids to school and before I started my shift. Since my schedule this weekend is off due to family activities, I made sure to get the work in.

I've been pretty busy with family activities for the past couple of weeks due to Spring Break, birthday parties, kids' homework, and more. Trying to find the balance between that, work, studying, and training is a bit rough, which is why I haven't competed in anything yet. I'm still trying to find that consistency and timing.

Even though, I train all year round, I want to make sure that I dial in properly. Work is getting harder since we are short staff and I will be taking on tougher tasks and the certifications that I am studying for are getting tougher as well. I am definitely trying to secure my future, take more risks, and go outside my comfort zone. I've been reading more books, listening more audiobooks, and listening to more podcasts that are educational for me than ever before. I'm also spending more time with my kids in their school work and in their activities.

At the same time, I will be cutting down on my weight, since I'm at 293lbs and the weight class is at 275lbs. I learned a lot from my last weight cut, but I don't want to make it too challenging like last time and just hit my first attempts at the meet. I can't rely on breaking records and winning at these powerlifting meets on just my openers.

This is a big show for me and the last time that I did a meet a FitExpo was my first time doing a full meet at the 2006 LA FitExpo. The great thing about that meet was that I was in a trailer for the powerlifting documentary called Powerlifting Unlimited.

Barbell Bench Press - 135lbs and 225lbs - 10 reps, 275lbs - 5 reps, and 3 sets - 320lbs - 2 reps (Paused), and 2 sets - 280lbs - 8 reps
Cybex Chess Press Machine - 4 sets - 257lbs - 8 reps
Rope Cable Pushdowns with Fat Grips - 3 sets - 195lbs - 12 reps
Reverse Fly Machine - 3 sets - 175lbs - 15 reps

Jiu Jitsu Training - Open Mat

I was training at the Lion Heart Jiu Jitsu gym in Pasadena, CA during lunch time. I was able to get 3 rolls in with some of the big boys. Then, we went over some technique and strategies.

Powerlifting Training - Squats

This evening, I was finishing up the day with squats, since I had some gas left in the tank and I'm just trying to put in all the work that I can get in. My philosophy is that something is better than nothing. I've been stretching all day and I had took in extra electrolytes and calories to make sure that I had the energy to finish strong. My technique was great and I felt strong on each rep.

Barbell Squats - 45lbs and 155lbs - 10 reps, 245lbs and 335lbs - 6 reps, 425lbs - 2 reps, 505lbs - 1 rep, 545lbs - 7 reps and 2 sets - 6 reps
50 Stability Ball Crunches