Of prey and predators

Today was the day. I shifted my weight and was called mid-bluff and tried to graciously set my cards down and walk away, but the cantankerous element form that part of the saloon was loathe to give me room enough to bow out unnoticed. As all deputized men do when humbled by another student of the code, I bowed. The "Workout of the Day" brought to you by Crossfit Philly saw an output of a crummy 370 reps before I waved the white skivvy drawers in a moment of personal weakness. Those final 30 (out of a goal of 100 reps) kettlebell swings were not within my reach. And I chose to place the swings at the end of the session. "Swings will be a dream to finish up with!" I said, feeling just as lame when I bailed out as I sounded when I spout out such horse pucky. You got me. You really got me now.

100 Snatches, 100 front squats, 100 cleans, 100 jerks, 100 swings.

That is what it said, courtesy of Mike Stehle, on the Party line. I opted to merge the C with the J and mine went like this:

24KG
100 Snatches S&M set* in 4:40, rest 1:30
100 Front Squats [4 sets of 25] rest 1:00 between, total time=13:50
100 Clean and Jerks x 15L 15R 15L 15R rest 1:00 10L 10R 10L 10R rest 1:40, total time 25:25
70/100 Swings x 30 rest :45 x 30 rest LONG, knew my SI joint was registering pain. It was a warning I had to follow. I busted another 5 reps and that was it. I surrendered on video. My body bowed to a Crossfit workout today. Time at termination 31:18.

*The Steve Maxwell 100 snatch set is 20l, 20r, 15l, 15r, 10l, 10r, 5l, 5r in one horrifically memorable set. Your bell does not rerenter the ground's atmosphere until you have three digits up, a pair of goose eggs makes it real. Many hard asses can unload these in less than 4:00. Today I slid into overdrive after my S&M set, thank you.

Mike Stehle RKC Team Leader clocked out of work at 38:18 with a tasty 32 kilograms of girya.

The O and the D

Victorious were they who reverted to training under stress. We watched, I with the hungry eye of a student, as UFC 81 played out on the huge TV in Justin's living room. This was the night where worlds collided. A sports entertainment juggernaut and a fighter who most have written off since a career jarring 2004 motorcycle accident went to the mattresses in front of countless pairs of eyes, all looking forward to the imminent crossover of many athletes from other arenas into the octagon. Soon ex-Footballers and basketballers and all types will step into the 8 sided beast and get reckoned with. Yes gilrs, The UFC has just established itself as Home Base for mixed martial arts and revenue generating events both live and Pay Per View. Aside from the dollar signs climbing over each other like refugees, viewers were assaulted with testaments to the value of a background in Brazilan Jiu-Jitsu. Both fights occupying the headline featured sound and clinic-worthy Jits practiced by big slabs of beef. 255 lb. Frank Mir's first round win by submission over WWF?E? competitor(?) Brock Lesnar, a top heavy but graceful 265 and 244 pound bully Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's public undressing of the motor skill deficient Tim Sylvia are two fights that will undoubtedly serve the future of fighting better as textbook aids than highlight reels. Don't mistake my degradation of the value of the fight for replay purposes for dissatisfaction with the matchplay-I thought the two heavyweight bouts were excellent selections for my research. To see a two-hunned-forty plus pounds 'Minotauro' climb around a floored opponent with cucumberesque temperature and then bend the guy into crying uncle is a sight. And the 'return' as some have dubbed this, of Frank Mir also gave us a look into what happens when two hulking mammals, both skilled on the ground, are told to battle for dinner: the fluid, patient jiu-jitsu defense of Mir, reminiscent of those impenetrable, trapping defenses the New Jersey Devils employed en route to multiple Stanley Cups, served to drop and tap the mobile beast Lesnar. And only moments after the former NCAA wrestling champ was atop Frank Mir's guard, pounding points away from himself in what looked to be a Tango Kilo Oscar. But as Lesnar was reset by the ref and the fight again went to the ground, apparently on the terms of both athletes, it was a veteran moment of poised hesitance by Mir that fed him a vulnerable leg from Lesnar that was pulled into submission. An excellent end to a career friendly fight from both blokes. Minotauro Nogueira, at work on Tim Sylvia at the end of that fight, has me beyond stoked to begin Brazilain Jiu Jitsu in a formal manner. He went up one side of that dude, and came down the other. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's mastery of BJJ was on display as much as that unclaimed title was up for grabs. Minotauro floated over Sylvia while he lay on his back, pinned by Nogueira's strength and outfoxed by his slippery attack. It was a right bloody demonstration of offensive jiu-jitsu.

The Consumate Professional fight protocol

Protocol for 3 x 5 minute rounds used as energy production/fight simulator training:

Referred to as 3/5. In honor of the great 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion of the Fifth Marine Regiment. Any variation within the 3 x 5 subtitled accordingly. We have the Darkhorse, Operation Phantom Fury. All of that gear. The following three sets of guidelines are to be applied as we would assume the trainee(s) has/have learned the minimum of the kettlebell curriculum as well as no more than two simple and sinister drills.

Version One: DARKHORSE [The minimum approach to an injury-proof massacre]

Round 1st :30 STRIKING
Tabata KB Swing [4:00]
:30 STRIKING

Round 2nd Party Minimum Get Ups
Switching hands every rep for 5:00

Round 3rd 1:00 Squat Thrusts/Sprawls
1:00 Deck Squat + Push Ups (no stand up)
1:00 Striking
2:00 of :30 Swing/:30 Hot Potato



Version 2: HAVE SOME [:30 ballistic KB drill or strike/:30 of a grind or BW drill]

Round 1st :30 strike :30 1 leg deck squat
:30 swing :30 push ups
:30 strike :30 pull ups
:30 swing :30 KB squat
:30 hot potato : 1 leg deck squat

Round 2nd :30 strike/:30 table top/:30 swing
Repeat for 5 minutes.

Round 3rd :30 Hot Potato/:30 strike/:30 deck squat
Repeat for 5 minutes.

Version 3.0: THE OLD BREED [free movement/clinch/ground phase]

Round ALL, each applied in varying order
:45 swing
:30 strike
1:00 Non Dynamic Deck Squat + high knees
:30 Hot Potato
2 Turkish ½ ups left + right


V 4.0 ODSAC* [Pull Up bar required]

Round 1st 1:00 Alternating Pull Up and Hanging Knee Raise
:30 Strike :30 Pistol L
:30 Pistol R :30 Strike
1:00 ½ ups L
1:00 ½ ups R
1:00 Swing

2nd 1:30 Single Leg Deck Squat + Pull Up
:30 Hot Potato
1:00 Rotational Towel Swing L+R
1:00 Mitten Towel Swings
1:00 Pull Up + Push Up

3rd :30 Rotational towel swing/:30 choke hold towel swings/:30 strike
Repeat for 5:00
*Offensive and defensive strength and conditioning