Jason's Short Learning Cycle

[JasonE]

Prior to jumping up to 15# CBs, I'm taking a couple of weeks to build my basic skills with some exercises I haven't mastered yet. When I finish this, I plan to start a more challenging program, possibly a Mill Density cycle. :)

The following program was suggested by Coach Sonnon:

Focus on Week 1 - (2 Sessions Grind / 2 Sessions Ballistic - Alternating):

Grind Session:
Inward/Outward Pendulums - 5 repetitions in either direction to warm-up
Shield Cast - Ratchet style
Shoulder Cast - Ratchet style

Ballistic Session:
Inward/Outward Pendulums - 5 repetitions in either direction to warm-up
Parry Cast - Ratchet style
Reverse Parry Cast - Ratchet style

Focus on Week 2 - Combination Routines (alternating):

Grind Combo Session:
Inward/Outward Pendulums - 5 repetitions in either direction to warm-up
Bullwhip - Ratchet style

Ballistic Combo Session:
Inward/Outward Pendulums - 5 repetitions in either direction to warm-up
Hammer Swing - Ratchet style


April 26, 2004 - Day off for Recovery

April 27, 2004 - 1st real day of work
AM - Grind Session - Overall RPE 6
I/O Pendulums - 5 reps in either direction to warm-up - RT 8
Shield Cast - 5x10, RT 9
Shoulder Cast - 5x10, RT 6

The I/O Pendulums were pretty easy, and I don't think it will be long before I have them down cold. The Shield Cast has been a favorite of mine for a while, and it was great to work them again! The Shoulder Cast is one I've hardly messed with, and it was much more difficult to control the CB at extension than I expected.

In my next Grind session, I will try doing the Shoulder Casts before the Shield Casts so I am fresher on the less familiar movement. I am tempted to double up, doing 2 sessions per day, so I can progress further with my ratchets. Whatever I do, I'll post it here. :wink:

Mid-Day - Warrior Wellness at work. Lots of tightness in neck and right pectoralis minor. Managed to free them up a lot, but still a little tweaked.

PM - MMA & Escrima - 7 to 11 pm
Technique Class - Reviewed attacks, defenses, escapes, reversals, and transitions from a variety of positions for part of class. Spent remainder of class working attacks and reversals from bottom guard. RPE 4

Open Class - Worked new move from Technique class, then started grappling classmates. Took a breather and worked with beginners, then went back to grappling. Overall I felt good, though I didn't move or react as well as I did the last few classes. Best thing about my grappling was that I didn't run out of gas. RPE 8

Escrima - Challenging warmup for shoulders that were fatigued, but then we worked Kadena de Mano for ages, and the flow was easy. Chained left and right, and occasionally we would flow into gunting, arm locks, and other strikes that took us out of the pattern. Worked lots of limb destructions from straight punches and from within Hubad drill. Finished night with interesting punch counter that turned into a takedown via offbalancing opponent and headbutting the side of their head. RPE 5

[JasonE]

April 28, 2004
Mid-Day - Warrior Wellness at work, on breaks and while standing at desk. Got funny looks while doing 4CBD while standing and typing. :lol:

PM - MMA training - 7-9 pm
Technique class - Drilled 2 throws from rear clinch, then spent last 10 minutes reviewing a variety of other throws. Tons of fun!

Open class - Grappled hard for about 20 minutes, then stopped due to sensation of generalized soreness building up. Did a little technical work with another student, then took rest of the time to work through Warrior Wellness. Planned to take it easy for the rest of the night.

Late PM - Still up, so figured what the hell and grabbed CBs -
CST with 10# CBs - Ballistic Session - Overall RPE 4
I/O Pendulums - 5/5 L/R - RT 8
Parry Cast - 5x10 L/R - RT 8.5
Reverse Parry Cast - 5x10 L/R - RT 8.5

So much for being worried about overtraining. :oops: Everything felt very good and groovy, and I think this actually loosened me up a bit from my grappling. I think working Hammer Throws will be fun next week!

April 29, 2004
AM - CST with 10# CBs - Grind Session - Overall RPE 5
I/O Pendulums - 7/7 L/R - RT 8.5
Shoulder Cast - 5x11 L/R - RT 7
Shield Cast - 5x11 L/R - RT 9

Still a bit sore in the morning, especially my legs! My hips, hams, and quads are all stiff. This CST workout helped somewhat, and I finally felt my core, traps, and glutes integrating more smoothly with both of the casts. Another session or two and I'll be ready for more challenges.

Mid-Day - Warrior Wellness at work

PM - Swing Dancing with G/F - even my night off turns into a workout! :D

[JasonE]

April 30, 2004
AM - Warrior Wellness Intermediate followed by:

CST with 10# Clubbells® - Ballistic Session - Overall RPE 4.5
I/O Pendulums - 10/10 L/R - RT 8.5
Parry Cast - 5x11 L/R - RT 9
Reverse Parry Cast - 5x11 L/R - RT 9

I love doing Warrior Wellness before a session, when I can! I had some stiffness and mild soreness in a few spots when I got up, but the Warrior Wellness Intermediate wiped out most of it. The movements are getting more fluid, and I can feel my ROM opening up a bit. There is still some issues with tight hamstrings, but I'm working on it.

With my body already warmed up, I felt okay adding on more I/O Pendulums so I could practice them a bit more. Some days I do them with the side steps, but today I did them standing still. It's a very different feeling, especially in my elbows. I am experimenting with the rotation of my forearms to see how that affects control and comfort.

:idea: While doing Parry and Reverse Parry Casts, I realized that the trick to never brushing the CB against the opposite shoulder while bringing it around my body. I just need to keep my elbow high (practically vertical) and simply rotate the shoulder while keeping my forearm perpendicular to the CB. The length of my forearm and sufficient rotation of the shoulder eliminate the need to extend my wrist to create a wider arc for the CB to swing through. I will remember this!

[JasonE]

May 1, 2004 - Day off!

May 2, 2004 -
AM - Warrior Wellness Intermediate followed by:

CST with 10# Clubbells® - Grind Session - Overall RPE 6
I/O Pendulums - 10/10 L/R - RT 8
Shoulder Cast - 5x12 L/R - RT 8
Shield Cast - 5x12 L/R - RT 9

Good session! Finally feel like WWI movements are falling into place... a few are still difficult to coordinate properly, but it's coming along.

Integration of my body with the casts was much better again this session. Since the sets are longer, I gave myself a little more recovery time, and all was well. I could feel an old elbow injury threatening to act up now and then, but it's fine now. Will monitor to see if it's in danger or if it's just working out scar tissue or what.

PM - MMA Training 7-9 pm
Technique Class - Worked positioning and footwork to prevent takedowns and throws, then worked takedown drills against resisting opponents. Then worked 3 basic options for when opponent is in your guard, and drilled with resistance.

Open Class - Grappled head instructor several times, and received lessons in patience and in humility. Overall did better than expected, and got some excellent tips to improve passing the guard, escaping knee-on-body, and controlling aggressive instincts. Followed with Warrior Wellness Intermediate, and demonstrated some basic and combination Clubbell movements with simple explanation of training protocols.

[JasonE]

May 3, 2004
AM - CST with 10# Clubbells® - Ballistic Session - Overall RPE 7
I/O Pendulums - 10/10 L/R - RT 9
Parry Cast - 1x13, 4x12 L/R - RT 9
Reverse Parry Cast - 5x12 L/R - RT 9

followed by Warrior Wellness Intermediate

Not sure why it seemed so much harder today, but I actually got a bit sweaty with this session. :? Did practicing CST before Warrior Wellness have that much of an impact, or is it residual tiredness from last night's MMA, or both? I definitely felt recharged after WW.

Noticed slight "clicking", not quite a "popping" in my wrists and forearms during the Pendulums. I was keeping a somewhat firm grasp on the handle and letting my arm swing very relaxed through the movement. By keeping a firmer grip and rotating my forearms with the swing, I pretty much eliminated this. However, I am not sure if this is correct.

It felt good, but the CST book and video aren't clear to me on this point. For now I will keep feeling my way through the movement. It's possible that the clicking was just old tissue resistance from past elbow hyperextensions, and by engaging more supporting muscle it was able to handle the weight without me having to bend the elbow.

[Scott Sonnon]

Warrior Wellness is part of CST, firstly. Secondly, there are too many factors involved to determine why it was harder. The best test is to try Warrior Wellness first (on a day after MMA) and compare.

[JasonE]

May 4, 2004 - Starting Week 2
AM - CST with 10# Clubbells - Grind Session - Overall RPE 5
I/O Pendulums - 10/10 L/R - RT 9
Bullwhips - 5x10 L/R - RT 7.5

I/O Pendulums feeling much better overall. Focusing on the forearm rotation seems to be the thing I needed to eliminate the weird popping feelings in my wrists and elbows. Am practicing without the side-steps in preparation to working Mills.

Bullwhips felt okay, but I took them slow and worked in front of a large mirror to make sure my elbow was straight up and that the CB was casting straight forward over the shoulder. Took a little fiddling about, but was pretty consistent by the 3rd set, and it was feeling good by the time I finished. A few more sessions ought to smooth out the rough spots. :)

PM - Escrima Class with Sparring - 9pm - 12am
Felt good throughout warmups, but have an endurance issue with "spider climbs", where I use my fingers to walk the stick upwards from tip to tip.

Spent technical portion of class working blocking drills and cutting counters, and used my turns at "feeding" to practice proper hitting and footwork. Spent most of night working weak hand, then switched to dominant side, then switched back and forth so both flowed smoothly.

Sparring was a blast, and had 3 matches. First match was against less-experienced guy... took it easy and worked defense for a while, then started working combinations once I opened his defenses with probing shots. Second match was my first against guro, and I had to remind myself he was just another guy with a stick. Feeling relaxed, I went head-to-head and did just fine, even landing some combinations. Was able to keep read his range and timing well enough to avoid and counterhit some of his shots, but ate a few good ones. Messed him up briefly when I switched stick hands and landed a few more. :twisted: Third match was against first guy, and we both fought more aggressively. Got careless and ate a few good shots, then switched hands, got control, and started working in tight, where he didn't know what to do. Landed lots of combinations this way.

While I was breathing fast right at the end of my matches, I was breathing normally within a minute or two of rest. Everyone else except guro was actually winded for a while after each match. I give credit to the burst-recover-burst nature of my CST sessions. It's just awesome to be able to keep coming back for more, when everyone else is getting fatigued. It makes each succeeding match easier. Even with wearing heavy headgear, I never felt impeded or at a disadvantage when my opponents were carrying less weight. 8)

[JasonE]

May 5, 2004 - busy day! No workouts.

May 6, 2004
AM - CST with 10# Clubbells - Ballistic Session - Overall RPE 3.5
Hammer Throws - 5x10 L/R - RT 7
I/O Pendulums - 10/10 L/R - RT 9

Messed up and did Hammer Throws first, but they seemed fine. Hard to tell exactly how my form matched that of the CST video, but saw enough in a mirror to feel pretty good about it.

[JasonE]

May 7, 2004 - Warrior Wellness throughout the day at work.

May 8, 2004 -
Mid-Day - MMA
Technique Class - Good hard warmup, followed by takedown drills, followed by 2-minute takedown matches, 1 minute of rest, and another match, repeat 6 times. Could feel my endurance kicking in, but still found my explosiveness drop off precipitously, and wasn't doing as well as I'd expected.

Open Class - Took about 20 minutes to work basic guard sweeps with a very large white belt, which turned into a great little technical session for both of us. Spent the next 25 minutes grappling someone better but a little smaller, then someone worse but a little bigger. Endurance was better again, but still not great.

Finished with Warrior Wellness for 15 minutes... felt great!

May 9, 2004 - Day off, visited friends and worked on web site.

May 10, 2004 -
Mid-Day - Did some Warrior Wellness here and there.

PM - Went over to friend's house and spent about 20 minutes teaching him how to take groin kicks so he can do it for his TKD "Master's Test" (4th dan) this weekend. Completely impractical stunt, but looks great to the rubes. :wink: :roll: Made him promise not to incorporate it into his classes or demos as any kind of exceptional ability, on pain of an ass-kicking. :lol: Great guy, but needs a little guidance now and then. :twisted:

May 11, 2004 -
AM - Warrior Wellness Intermediate followed by
CST with 10# Clubbells® - Grind Session - Overall RPE 4
I/O Pendulums - 10/10 L/R - RT 9
Bullwhips - 5x12 L/R - RT 8

Good session, everything felt better than expected! Felt a little guilty slacking off the last few days, so it was good to get working. Will use this week to work Bullwhips and Hammer Throws, and to start working Mills prior to Density cycle.

[JasonE]

May 12, 2004
AM - Warrior Wellness Intermediate followed by...
CST with 10# Clubbells® - Ballistic Session - Overall RPE 4
Hammer Throws - 5x12 L/R - RT 8
I/O Pendulums - 10/10 L/R - RT 9

I could feel the Hammer Throws starting to really groove. Haven't worked them a lot, but the motion feels good. 4CBD is difficult yet, have less stability on left foot compared to balancing on right foot. Not sure why, but it feels like a huge difference. I don't think this is new; I think it's simply more obvious with the more challenging version of the 4CBD.

May 13, 2004
AM - Warrior Wellness Intermediate
CST with 10# Clubbells® - Grind Session - Overall RPE 5
I/O Pendulums - 10/10 L/R - RT 9
Bullwhips - 5x14 L/R - RT 8

Noticing difference in stability during 4CBD again today. Balancing on left foot much more challenging than balancing on right foot. Not sure if it's the foot, the ankle, the knee, the hip, or something else. Am trying to track down the source of the issue, and had a minor impovement today vs yesterday. Bullwhips felt very good!

[JasonE]

Looking forward to the Death March! :twisted:

[JasonE]

May 14, 2004
AM - Warrior Wellness Intermediate followed by...
CST with 10# Clubbells - Mixed Session - Overall RPE 6
I/O Pendulums - 10/10 L/R - RT 9
Shield Cast - 1x10 L/R - RT 9
Mills - 3x5 L/R - RT 5
Hammer Throws - 5x14 L/R - RT 8.5

Overall balance during the 4CBD was much improved today, possibly because I skipped the leg circles prior. My feet were less fatigued compared to last time.

It felt odd to mix in the Shield Casts and Mills, but I had the time and wanted to work them a little today. Not as smooth as expected, but it'll come with practice.

Some crepitus in my shoulder girdle and lower neck came out to play during the Hammer Throws. I also noticed some muscle tension behind the left shoulder as that arm rolled forward during the Hammer Throws. There was some slight tension popping in my right wrist and shoulder as that side rolled forward too. Basically, I was still carrying and feeling more muscle tension than expected, but nothing uncomfortable or particularly limiting.

[JasonE]

May 15, 2004
AM - Warrior Wellness™ Intermediate followed by...
CST with 10# Clubbells® - Mixed Session - Overall RPE 6
I/O Pendulums - 1x10 L/R - RT 9
Shield Cast - 4x5 L/R - RT 9
Mills - 3x5 L/R - RT 6
Bullwhips - 5x13 L/R - RT 8.5
Abdominal Work - 15 minutes

Nice workout done in the backyard under the sun this morning. :) Everything felt good, though balancing on one leg for Warrior Wellness was still difficult.

Adding in more Shield Casts before working Mills definitely helped develop my form today. In one or two more sessions, I will be ready for a Mill Density cycle. I want to have my Mill RT at a 7 or higher before I start going for volume.

[JasonE]

May 16, 2004
AM - Warrior Wellness™ Intermediate followed by...
CST with 10# Clubbells - Mixed Session - Overall RPE 6
I/O Pendulums - 1x10 L/R - RT 9
Shield Cast - 2x5 L/R - RT 9
Mills - 5x5 L/R - RT 7
Hammer Throws - 5x13 L/R - RT 9

Mid-Day - Pilates - 20 minutes - RPE 4

Everything felt good in the AM session... balance was good in 4CBD, and ROM was excellent.

Mills are improving every session, so I'm not worried about starting the Density Cycle this week. :) Still getting lots of muscle tightness in shoulders and lower neck as I go through the Hammer Throws. Less tightness and popping in the shoulder girdle than I had a few days ago, but still very noticeable. No pain as of yet, so will monitor to see if it goes away.

NEW MEASUREMENTS:
Ht: 5'10"
Wt: 198 lbs
Neck: 17"
Shoulders: 47.5"
Chest: 42"
Waist: 41.25"
Biceps: L 14.5" R 13.75"
Forearms: L 12" R 11.75"
Thighs: L 23.5" R 23.75"
Calf: L 14.25" R 14.25"

This is 24 pounds than 5 months ago, and most of my measurements have decreased. In the case of my waist, it has shrunk at least 3". The size disparity between my left and right limbs has decreased from 1" to 0.25-0.75". For the first time in a year my chest measurement is greater than my waist measurement, and I am wearing my old pants now as the newest ones are all falling off. 8) :D

[JasonE]

May 17, 2004
Mid-Day - Did some Warrior Wellness throughout the day.

May 18, 2004
PM - Escrima - 9-11 pm
Reviewing material for rank testing. Spent time on Largo Mano, Kadena de Mano, and Sinawali. I feel very ready for this test.

May 19, 2004
Mid-Day - MMA - 12-2 pm
Technique Class - Warmups helped me realize that now I can do things I had decided were beyond me a year ago. This rediscovered ability is great! :!: We spent most of our time working top and bottom strategies in a half-guard situation.
Open Class - Spent extra time working technique with a newbie, then with another guy. After that, I grappled a couple of times, working at different levels of skill and taking only what they gave me. Overall effect was somewhat relaxing, instead of stressful. Finished up with some Warrior Wellness.

[JasonE]

May 20, 2004
PM - Escrima - 9-11 pm
Reviewing material for rank testing. Spent time on Largo Mano, Kadena de Mano, and Sinawali.

May 21, 2004
AM - Warrior Wellness Intermediate and Be Breathed
PM - Swing Dancing

May 22, 2004
PM - Swing Dancing

May 23, 2004
Mid-Day - Warrior Wellness Intermediate
PM - MMA - 7-9 pm
Technique Class - Worked sweeps and various submissions from the Guard. Excellent review for me, with a few new fine points.

Open Class - Grappled against a couple of smaller guys that are in better shape and more skilled. Went a long time with each one and played better than expected. 8) Finished the night with Warrior Wellness Intermediate.

[JasonE]

That's It! This cycle is done! I have started a new program log.