Training and UFC 79
So, I’m a middle-aged guy who is trying to get back in shape enough to resume training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and potentially some other martial arts. My short term goals are to:
- Lose 25 pounds
- Be able to run 2 miles straight
- Be able to roll with my son for 15 minutes none-stop
- Rehab my shoulder
Pretty basic goals, but at 43 this is where I’m at. For now I’m staying away from weight lifting. I’ve always read in magazines that you burn many more calories when you lift, but I’ve learned over time that it is very hard for me to lose weight when I’m lifting. So for now it’s just cut back on my eating and cardio, cardio, cardio. That’s my weakest point anyway. My strength level is fine, but my conditioning is horrid. When I did Jiu-Jitsu in the past I could only roll for a few minutes before I would be gassed and have to stop.
Last night before the fights I went to the Y and did my 3 mile combo on the treadmill.
- Walk 1 mile
- Jog 1 mile
- Walk .5 mile
- Walk on steep incline for .5 mile
Again, this is really basic stuff I know, but we’ve all got to start somewhere.
When I was finished I got in the whirlpool (or old-man soup as I call it). This feels so good on my lower back and shoulder that I just can’t pass it up. Sitting in the pool I always wonder at what point (age or weight wise) do men just not care anymore about what they look like and walk around buck-naked in the locker room all the time. It seems that the older and heavier they are, the more likely they are to put a foot up on the whirlpool rail and have their junk not 3 feet from me. Good lord people – use a towel! This isn’t good for anybody!
Anyway, when I was done I ran home and ordered UFC 79. My oldest son had his girlfriend over and another of his friends. She had never seen MMA before and I thought she would freak at seeing all the blood. But there wasn’t really a lot of blood in most of the fights, so no big deal.
79 had the long awaited Chuck Lidell/Wanderlai Silva fight. I really thought Silva would eat Lidell alive, but it sure didn’t turn out that way. Silva didn’t seem to have the intensity that I remember from his old Pride days and he threw very few kicks. I’m not a Lidell fan so I was disappointed in the result. But I still think Rampage will own Lidell when they meet again.
The other big fight was Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes. There was never a doubt in my mind about how this fight would go. My only concern was where GSPs head would be. I would have liked to see the Hughes/Serra fight, but the title really belongs to GSP so I was happy to see him get the win. Now, if he can control his nerves he should get the title back and retain it for a long, long time.
One of the fights on the undercard I was excited to see was Manny Gamburyan. When he was on TUF Dana White was always predicting that he would lose every fight, but he never took into account Manny’s skill and heart. It was a great win for Manny. Many of the best fighters are in the Lightweight class. Now get Manny in there with them and let them all go at it. I would be happy seeing a fight card with nothing but lightweights. UFC 83 – Lightweight Redemption!!!
That’s all for now. We’re getting ready to drive south to have a late Christmas with my side of the family.
Since June, when my youngest daughter got her driver’s license, and I started working out again seriously, this is generally what I’ve been doing:
An hour of either the treadmill (walking at 4 mph) or lifting.
A half hour of Taiji warm up exercises, then a half hour of the taiji form.
One day a week, a three hour taiji class.
Plus regular yardwork, doing stuff around the house.
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