2024 Training Log Part 16

On the stereo today- Neil Young- Harvest

I was in such a hurry last week that I forgot to log my last session of last week. I did 12 rounds of NoGi on Saturday previous. First NoGi rounds of the year! True story.

Okay sooo…. something embarrassing to share first.

Monday

Morning- Upper Body session. Look I lifted some weights, it was grand, but something happened afterwards.

I’ve been doing some bag work for cardio, so here I am hitting the bag, and there’s one of those free-standing speed balls there, and it’s got a rotating stick/pad that spins when you hit it. Oh cool, says I, never used one of those. So I tap it a few times, and then smack it one, it spins around and cracks me on the nose, opening a good 1 inch cut on the bridge. A week later it’s still not healed fully, and my nose is good and swolen.

In all the years I fought, I’ve never had a broken nose. Had a deviated septum, and my snout has been given a good working over by a lot of guys, but, well, look it’s kind of rubbery. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s a family nose, seems to be pretty difficult to get through the layers of flash to get to the bone. But this stick might have done it. The bone is a bit out of shape. An inanimate object propelled by my own hand. I am ashamed.

Wednesday

Got on the mat after that humiliation with a good dressing on the nose that lasted most of the rounds. a good session with about 8 good rounds.

Thursday

Hip openers in the gym. You could call it a lower body strength session but I focused on single leg work that would open and challenge the mobility. Surprisingly by the end of the session I was side-lunging into a good deep stretch. My back felt great after.

Friday

Show and Go session.

If you follow me on instagram you’ll know what I’m on about. This session is all about intensity. I use it as a half Hypertrophy, half Performance session. Lots of superset work, station to station, low rest times, almost running between sets.

Except…

There’s a younger crowd in the gym for the summer. That’s grand, except they just sit on their phones between sets. You’re using a machine, and then you go back for your next set and they’re standing beside it staring at their phone. At one stage, there were 7 of us in the weight room and I was the only one not sitting staring at my phone. I’ll have to gauge when these fuckers aren’t there. I can’t train in a room like that.

Saturday

But I can definitely train in a room like Kyuzo. I did 11 out of the 12 rounds on the clock on Saturday. All NoGi for the summer, and you know what, my grips were fried by the third round. Who saw that one coming? Not me. You’d think the gi training would have your grips in great nick, but actually the squeeze gripping in NoGi was intense after such a long break.

Training Thoughts of the Day

Look, I’ll come back to the phone thing. Is that not mental? Sitting there with no intensity, no focus? You can’t tell me that there’s anything on your screen more important than what you’re doing right now. I wanted to shout at them, but then I realised I’d just be a typical oul lad.

You can’t be tethered to your phone and get results.

Non-Training Thoughts of the Day

I was asked about someone who is having a dig at something I do online, essentially I was asked if I was worried about it. I’ll tell you something I’ve discovered in 20+ years of coaching, business, training, whatever.

You never need to worry about people who try to run you down. Anything they create will be born of bitterness and negativity. Nothing born of that lasts. To create something good you need positivity and energy. Bitterness and negativity are the polar opposites of that. The old Irish saying of “Hurling from the ditch” comes to mind. Ignore and move on is a hard thing to do at first, but once you do, the only regret you’ll have is that you didn’t do it sooner.

Anyway, see you on the mat!

Barry