I think I'm about to burst.

My festive indulgences later, but first a reminder to all my festive readers that we’re back in the gym on Monday 29th from 7 -8(BJJ) and 8-9.30 (MMA), and then on Tuesday 30th from 7-8(BJJ) and 8-9.30 (thai). After that, there’s another wee break to get over the new years celebrations and then back in the gym on Monday 5th as normal. The all new timetable for 2009 begins on January 12th.

I have eaten too much, I have drank more than a reasonable amount, I am full of sugar. But I have a New Year’s resolution to enact. As of Thursday, January 1st, not a drop of alcohol shall pass my lips until the evening of March 28th*. Now it’s not that I drink much, I don’t, in fact I drink about once a week and at that it’s a maximum of about 3 bottles of beer or a glass or two of plonk. Also, no pizza, chinese or Indian take away food shall I have, but for once per month on a predesignated weekend. You see I’ve been really busy over the last few months and I haven’t had time to look after myself as per usual. I quite fancy meself as a cook, so on any given night, time allowing, you’ll find me in the kitchen, cooking up something, or in the butchers, looking for the best steak or chops, or in the veggie shop near my house, asking the guy what the fuck zuchinni is. (it’s just a courgette) So I haven’t had time to cook for myself or my little guy lately so he’s had to make do with frozen veg and waffles while I’ve had to make do with reaching for the phone to order my meals. All change in January. Back on the cooking buzz, going to be in magnificent shape by March. already feeling better.

I have about 90% of the new timetable done and dusted, and it’s looking good. I can reveal that there will be 3 new classes, and one extra day on the timetable, coupled with an entirely new programme for total beginners. I have never actually put in a 101 programme that took in BJJ, MMA and Thai before but now that there’s a new coach coming on board (you heard it here first) this can happen.

I’ve actually been really busy in between eating leftover ham designing the new programme. There’s lots in it fo the beginners as I’ve said but also for the guys who are more experienced. One of the biggest things that will be in for the guys who are interested in fighting will be the strength standards. Will has come up with a difficult but attainable list of strength standards for those who want to compete in MMA. They’re about bodyweight management, or rather bodyweight plus 100% management (you may have to see them in the gym to understand that!) and while there’s nothing to say that not reaching them will deny you the opportunity to compete, they should be everyone’s goal. They’ll be on the wall from the beginning of January onwards. In fact I may put them up in the fashion of the poem ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling. “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing their’s and blaming it on you, if you can do 50+ push ups in 1 minute and 40 plus inverted rows…” and so on. Maybe not.

Anyway, I will have no more entries in this blog until 2009. So I think I’d like to wish my reader(s?, nah, a bit hopeful that) the very best for the new year. May you get fitter, faster, stronger and more dangerous. I know I intend to.

Later.

*I will take an evening out of this for the UFC on January 17th. I will be out with my three best and oldest friends that night which means that if I fail to drink, then I will be the voice of reason that night. This has never happened with these three before, and may set an awkward precedent, or disrupt the universe in some way. I can’t take that chance