Get Back on Track!!

Well, after my stomach punched my wife in her face this morning, it’s official: I’ve been eating waaaay too much this holiday season! Yet, this is what I do every year at New Year’s and Christmas- I continue to train hard but eat what I please at any meal I choose to. For instance, yesterday at lunch I had a big hand full of rolos. (I can’t remember the last time I had those, but they were calling my name in Target as I was grocery shopping.) And last night after dinner I think I ate a ½ pound of the peppermint bark that Mary made! So, since my vacation 3 weeks ago I’ve been over indulging like crazy and now it’s really taking it’s toll.

And my cardio workouts? Ugh! Last night I needed to get a workout in with the Level 3 training session because my schedule is so busy and boy was I feeling the food I’ve been eating! I was slow, wore out quickly and was belching like fat pregnant yak the whole time! Weight training is OK for now as many times the extra calories can help but on size and aid a little in the strength area as well.

The part that I look forward to the most is also the part that is the hardest for me to obtain- getting back on track for the New Year! 6 meals per day. 250-300 grams of protein. FightZone training 3 days per week in the AM and 6 nights lifting weights with Mary- it’s stuff I love! I love it because I love the physical results of the way my body looks and how easily I can move when training. But I what I love even more is the feelings both mentally and emotionally I receive from living that type of disciplined lifestyle. I feel more in control, more focused and more accomplished.

So, if you’re game, I invite you to join me next year in the FightZone Training Program to reach a new level with training in both Boxing and Kickboxing, learn a new approach to food, enter an entire new realm of training methodology and be held accountable for all of it! I promise, if you join this program and give it 100%, you’ll be amazed at the results!!

To learn more about the FightZone Training Program, click here.

FightZone

What is it?

I’ll tell you soon, but first you need to understand the mental framework that went into this program – the why and the how behind it all.


I’ve been training as a martial artist/fighter for 30 years now and as a coach for 22- that’s a long time. And the great part about that length of time is that I’ve learned some many things from so many people. From my Instructors, to my training partners and even from many of my own students. I’ve learned what works and how certain criteria can truly help others reach new levels in life and I’ve also learned what does NOT work and how damaging those things can be. And of course I've learned that not everyone is the same! Everyone's body is different and therefore their nutritional needs as well as what exercises are helpful or harmful to them vary accordingly.

4 years ago I asked myself what I needed to take myself to another level- FightZone was my answer. I needed something new! Something inspiring, interesting, motivation, emotionally and physically engaging, innovative, up-to-date, fresh and most importantly ….. EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. I know that I can only enjoy a training session when it is hard because that’s when I’m fully engaged in the process. I love the challenge that muscle failure brings. I love the test that a difficult session of cardio (REAL cardio) throws at me.



(Note: before some sessions I’m sometimes exhausted as I do many training sessions after 9pm, and many times it’s also due to the fact that I know how damn hard the training is going to be! But once I get moving I’m fine. I’ll sometimes tell my wife Mary how a certain body part hurts and she’ll call me a wimp and to suck it. Of course I do and then get on with the session. I say this because YOU will have days when you’re exhausted too and you’ll simply have to deal with it and press on.)

I asked myself some simple questions: what are some of the hardest exercises to do? What are some of the most beneficial exercise to do? What will make me faster, stronger, go longer and make me a better fighter? What will make me look better, feel better? What will be the most fun? What will put on muscle, take off fat yet make sure it doesn’t slow me down?







The answers came after considerable time and money spent on my part to learn more and master more.

You’ll eat different. You’ll train different. You’ll set goals differently. Why? Because if you want something different you’ll have to DO something different.

FightZone is different.

And the best part? I’ll be holding YOU accountable for your results.

Keep your eyes and ears open …… Be ready.

info will out next week!!



STOP The Knee Pain!! (Q & A)

Hey Mr. Kyle, i was curious, when you power lift with legs, how do you prevent injury or moastly soar/ stiff knees when you practice karate? I ask because my knees have been hurting lately when I kick.

Hi Bailey, sorry to hear your knees are giving you a hard time. This is all how starts by the way! LOL!! 

If you love to kick as much as me and train with various martial arts kicks a few times each week, then be sure to only train legs with weights once per week and maybe even every other week if your knees simply cannot handle the volume of training you’re currently putting them through.

Like most joints, the knees can be delicate, so take the mindset of "Prevention vs. Therapy"- you're NOT getting any younger! So, here are the things that I do to help keep my knees in tip-top shape for hardcore training:

1. Thoroughly warm up (i.e.- break a sweat)- this can be with a stationary bike, brisk walk, light jog. You’ll also want to use a leg extension machine for a few light sets (you can come back and go heavy with extensions if you want after you squat routine).

2. Ascend up in the amount of weight each set, don't go heavy right away. Meaning, start with just squats with just the bar for 20 or so reps. Then with a 25lb plate on each side, then a 45 on each side, then add a 25 lb plate to each side, then take off the 25 and add a 45 each side and so on until you reach the weight you want to use for 3-5 hard working sets. The either move on to another exercise or drop back down in weight for a few ore sets before moving on.

3. Wrap your knees for heavy squats, leg presses or hack squats. There are 2 schools of thought with knee wraps. One is that the wraps causes the knee cap to grind on the rest of theknee, the other is that the wrap is more helpful and adds support. My experience is the latter. When I train heavy, I ALWAYS make I’m safe! I use knee wraps as well as a belt as well when I go heavy and get great results. Many more studies are coming out saying w wrapping the knees is OK. But, like always, you’ll need to find what works for you.

4. Train legs but once per week. For people like us who kick A LOT, we’re looking for methods to improve our martial arts abilities, NOT hamper them. You may find that the right amount for you is to train legs with weights only once every 2 weeks- you’ll have to find that out over time.

5. Be sure to alternate "heavy" week with "light week". If your knees are hurting a young age, then it's obvious that they cannot handle the demand you're currently placing on them. Allow them the time to develop and strengthen. Meaning, your muscles are ready to go, but the tendons and ligaments are not at this time. They will if you’re smart and patient

6. Sometimes use jump squats and various forms of lunges for leg day instead of weights. This is a great way to give the joints a break, but still work the muscles.

7. Take ibuprofen 1 hour before heavy leg day. Hell take it when your knees are sore as well. By keeping the inflammation down, the blood and get in there and deliver the healing nutrients as well as help flush out lactic acid. (I take ibuprofen almost every day now!! LOL! Getting old!!)

8. Ice them down afterwards of need be. Again, it helps keep the inflammation down and gets them healed faster.

9. Cycle your training schedule so that you get at least one week off every 8 weeks or so. Even if you’re only training the legs once per week, your entire body needs a break too. Remember that recovery is a HUGE key to over growth!

10. Stretch. Before your training, perform a light stretch with your warm-up to help prevent any injury that could occur like a pulled groin or hamstring pull and/or tear. After the training, be sure to stretch hard. This way you’ll developing flexibility which you already know helps with strength, speed and recovery as well.

11. Most importantly, listen to what your body is saying to you. if you need a week off, take it. If you need to use light weight, then do so. If you find that the exercises you're doing are causing more harm than good, stop. Find something else. Not everyone is designed to squat. For example, my wife doesn’t squat because it feels uncomfortable and a little painful. For me, I cannot perform leg presses as they hurt my knees big time. So, Mary does presses and I squat- simple.

Well, that’s all I got Bailey-hope it helps!!

What got you here will NOT get you THERE!!!!

Question:


Coach, I’ve been training for over 4 months at the gym and seem to have hit a plateau we in regards to my weight loss. I attend training 2 and sometimes 3 times per week and have cleaned up my diet, kinda. It’s better than before is what I mean. So, what can I do to lose more weight, like 10-15 pounds?

Thanks, G.

Answer:

Well G., I have many, many people ask me this every same question nearly each week and here is what I tell them (and you) “what got you here will NOT get you THERE.” You body has reached a certain level of fitness and has developed a tolerance to the level of stress you’re placing on it each week. Basically you’re doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result- which is the definition of insanity by the way. To achieve something different, you’ll need to DO something different. So, to reach the next level here is what you’ll need to do:

1. Attend more training sessions. Coming twice a week will not cut it!! What happens if something unexpected comes up and you have to work late, give someone a ride home who’s car broke down, or whatever- you get the idea. Then you’ll only be at one training session per week. And just FYI: that sucks. Pick up your training session to at least 4 times per week and 5 if possible. Yes G, that is the number one thing you’ll have to do. You have to train more to burn more calories- bottom line. (Get it?? “bottom” line??) Whatever you have to do to rearrange your weekly schedule to get in 5 times each week, do it!

2. DO NOT diet! When people go on a “diet”, it implies a temporary way of eating. So what happens when you’ve finished your 4 weeks of dieting? That’s right, you go back to eating the same way you’ve always eaten and you’ll get the same results that you’ve always gotten. (Which you need to remember that you do not want.) The best thing to do is create a way of eating for the rest of your life. Here’s what I do: I eat clean Sunday through Friday and then on Saturday I allow myself to eat what I want. I enjoy pizza and ice cream the most. Then I get back to it on Sunday- for the most part. Every so often I’ll have another bad meal on Sunday, like when the Redskins are playing. Along with that, I eat 5-6 clean meals each day making sure I get 150-200 grams of protein. I pack my meals each day and bring them to work making it easier to control what goes into my body and when. So again G, I implore you- DO NOT diet!! Create a healthy way to eat for the rest of your life because once you get used to it after just a few short months, you’ll have many, many years of health in front of you!

3. DON’T “lose weight”! Everyone wants to “lose weight”, but they really don’t understand what that means. I have people who train with me and gain weight! BUT, their clothes fit completely differently and many have to go shopping to get a whole new wardrobe! The shirts are tighter in the chest and arms and looser at the bottom. The pants fit snug in the thighs yet are much looser in the butt and waist. They have gained 5, 10 and sometimes even up to 20 pounds of muscle and have burned off 5, 10 and sometimes even 40 pounds or more of body fat. On the scale that translates to 10 pounds of weight loss sometimes. So my question to you is this: “is how much you weigh as important as how much fat you burn and how much lean, functional and sexy muscle you put on?” Think about it, then get off you damn scale for at least one year!

G, one more thing I want to leave you with: it’s not how bad you want it, it’s what you actually DO that will make the difference. Everyone “wants” to achieve something, but the people who actually accomplish their goals are the ones who DO something about it.

How to Achieve Physical Success

How do you define the word "success"? Most people will use money as the means of defining success. Well I happen to know many people who have a ton of money, but are 50 pounds or more over weight, cannot stay off drugs or alcohol, or they simply cannot maintain a loving, healthy relationship with another person. None of those people feel like a success.

To change that, here is one simple method- Achieve Physical Success!!
(Printed version is below if you don't want to listen to a crazy 6th Degree Black Belt, Certified Coach babble on and on and on and on...)



1. Physical Success: I truly believe that THE most important are of life that every single person needs to reach success in is Physical Fitness. When you make exercise and eating right your lifestyle, then the principles of both self-discipline and self-confidence are cultivated and will strengthen and grow over time. The positive results of developing these two characteristics is that your self-discipline will carry over into your work place, allowing you to accomplish more on a daily basis and reach your goals faster. By increasing your self-confidence, you’ll also be more inclined to take calculated risks to help you further your achievements both personally and professionally.


In order to achieve and maintain Physical Success, make sure that you set up a workout schedule that will challenge you physically and mentally, otherwise, if it’s too easy, you’ll be left unmotivated and achieve nothing. Set up a weekly training schedule that has you training 5 or 6 times for at least 45 minutes each day. This way, you’ll make physical fitness so much a part of your life that if you miss a day or two, you’ll feel lazy, lethargic and even guilty. And when you feel that way, you’ll be much more inclined to get back into the gym and work even harder to reach your Physical Success!

Have a question for Coach John? Contact him here: john@blackbeltliving.com

Help!! I need motivation- FAST!!

Question:


Hi,

I loved your article on How To Get Motivated-Fast. I need some advice.

I used to love getting in the ring to box, I used to love training hard every day, but after a few years, my motivation started going away. I tried to fight it, but all I could think of is how it feels to get hit and how tiring training is. I've been fighting this lack of motivation for years hoping that it would eventually end, but it never did. I forced myself to get in the ring even when I hated it. I felt good afterwards for the achievement, but did not enjoy the process.

Is there any chance that I would get that motivation back? The drive to get in the ring and trade punches? The drive to get better every day and display my boxing skills?

Thank you in advance for your help,

Anca

Answer:

Hi Anca!

Being in that place sucks! I know cause I’ve been there before myself! Perhaps you’re looking at it from the wrong viewpoint?? Rather than going into the gym and forcing yourself to fight/spar, just train. Shadow box, hit the bag, lift weights, run, mitts, jump rope, etc. Focus on having a good time simply training for the sake of loving to train. And stay out of the ring for a while.

Being around this industry for so many years I see the same thing over and over again- burnout. You were forcing yourself to do something you didn’t really enjoy doing- that’s crazy! Why? Who says you have to? Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you have to do it!! Just train.

We have about 3% of our membership here that spars/fights. Everyone else simply trains to get and stay in shape AND because we make it fun here as well. (See the video below!!) If you live in the area, come join us, but even if you don’t you need to get back into training even at the base level of simple conditioning. If you need to take a break for a while- then do that. A week, a month, whatever. You’ll know when the time is right to get back into training.

Here’s the secret: by just enjoying process of sweating in training, the motivation comes back.

Good luck!

Social Media at it's BEST!!

Lately I’ve been making videos of the training here at Clearwater Boxing Center- and with good reason. The one thing that truly sets us apart from any other gym or martial arts facility in the area is the cohesiveness in the people here. You train together, develop skills together, sweat and bleed together and ultimately grow and become “more” of what you’re striving for - together. So I’ve done two types of videos; one is with all of the people in the videos together demonstrating what we do here in classes and the other is the video testimonial.


When people see themselves working together in a group setting it only serves to solidify the dedication and desire they have towards each other and their progress as a whole. When someone sees themselves in the testimonial video, it helps to amplify their desire to reach their goals and their commitment to training here at this gym. Both videos cultivate and validate the fact that Clearwater Boxing Center is far, far, from any other place that someone could train at!

Enjoy the videos!!!
(The fisrt is a video testimonial of Cherry Putulin, a Level 3 member.)


 
(This is a group video of our Level 2 members.)

 

Coach John's Irish Workout

Training:


On Wednesday August 3rd, I recorded some of one of my cardio workouts. I try to explain to people what I do, how I do it and why, but sometimes letting people watch is the best way they’ll understand what I’m talking about.

First, this is considered a “cardio” workout and NOT a weight lifting workout even though I use weights. When I do a “weight training” workout, it is much more in the sense of body building. The way I use weights here is back-to-back, full-body exercises at a fast pace that tax not only my muscles, but my lungs as well. I also make sure that I have done a lot of cardio/heavy bag work, before I get to the weights as well. That way my lungs are already behind the eight ball.

I don’t believe in staying only old school in regards to training. Think that people need to get outside of their comfort zone and look for new ways to increase their abilities. Lifting weights is one of them- but it is all about HOW you use them in your training.

I did 5 rounds on the tear drop heavy bag also a regular heavy bag, then did 5 more rounds on a tai bag and the 2 rounds of basic kicking drills. The rounds were 3 minutes each with only a 30 second rest in between. Then the weights and then shadow sparring to force my muscles to be quick and fluid in their movements. This is a sense, cross training to confuse, but also condition my muscles to be ready to either be powerful, fast or both.

Have any questions- let me know. john@blackbeltliving.com

1 Way to UP Your Intensity in Training

Here's a simple and quick way to UP your intensity level so that you'll reach your goals THAT MUCH faster!!

Q & A "Know you can defend yourself"

Question: Coach John, I want to feel as if I can take care of myself outside in the street if something happens. How can I best do this?


R.G.

Answer: R.G., for a lady, you hit hard as hell! But simply telling you that time and again seems to makes no difference what-so-ever in your level of confidence in regards to self defense. If it were that easy, everyone would walk around with more confidence in their skills! So here are a few answers for you to think about:

1. Take My Self Defense Course. About once per year I run a seminar designed for self defense NOT a workout. The basis of this seminar is about conditioning yourself to deal with the adrenaline rush that hits your body in a real fight. It’s called “Adrenaline Stress Conditioning”. When adrenaline hits your system it is not always your friend. Adrenaline is what causes the fight-or-flight reaction in humans, and if your inclination is to run and you cannot, then what happens is that you “freeze-up” and cannot move. Adrenaline can also be your friend as is gives you added strength and speed, but that is not always the case for people who have no experience in dealing with street fights.

What this training allows you to do is act and think quickly when your adrenaline is pumping and fear is taking over. You’ll learn how to prevent a situation from ever becoming a physical confrontation. You’ll also be able to use your peripheral vision to see if any other attackers are coming at you from the side. Ultimately you’ll learn how to be able to “turn on” the adrenaline when YOU want to and not the other way around. So keep eyes open for the next seminar that will be coming up in a few months.

2. Start Sparring. Most people want to know that they can take care of themselves and hit someone- they just don’t want to get hit back! Obviously this will never happen and is completely unrealistic as well. So the best solution here is to start sparring with the Fight Team from time to time. No- YOU’LL NOT GET BEAT UP! What you’ll learn is the actual skill of Boxing, which will include learning how to take a punch. Yeah, it can scary at first, but you’ll quickly see how it’s not as bad as you’ve made it out to be in your head. You’ll have a big padded headgear on you and your partner will have big pillows on his/her hands.

Learning to get hit and going through the process of discovering that it is not a big deal will only help further your confidence should something happen in real life. You’ll have the experience of knowing that no matter how big the opponent is, you’ll be able to duck, slip, block or move out of the way. You’ll know how to counterstrike the person as well as look for openings not only to strike, but to run as well if you need to. The people who have had experience in sparring always do better in Adrenaline Stress Seminars. So think about it.

3. Get into a fight. Go ahead, get drunk at a bar and pick a fight with a big guy. You’ll find out pretty quick if you can handle yourself. OK, I’m kidding of course, but do you see what you said to yourself? You probably said “I’d never do that!”, and that’s the point. Since you never really put yourself in that type of a situation, the chances of you having to defend yourself drop exponentially. Further, if you walk with confidence and hold your head high and “look the world in the eyes” attackers will be MUCH less likely to view you as a target. They look for people who seem weak – but most importantly they look for people who lack confidence. So even if you feel that you may not be able to defense yourself properly, fake it till you make it!

Have a question for Coach John? send it here:
john@blackbeltliving.com
www.ClearwaterBoxingCenter.com

Q & A: Where do you get the energy??

Question: Coach, how do you do it? You’re 40 years old and you still train like a mad man! I’ve watched you on the bag and shadow sparring and your skill is awesome, but where do you find the energy? And where can I get some of it!?
From David P.

Answer: LOL! I have NO idea what you’re talking about David! I feel exhausted most of the time! But thank you for the compliments none the less. If you knew me 15 or 20 years ago, I believe you wouldn’t be asking that question, you’d be asking “what happened to you coach?” LOL!! I feel a big difference in my recovery and performance over the last 20 years. I still train hard, VERY hard, but my body doesn’t recover as quickly as it did and my knees cannot handle all of the aerial kicking that I used to do for hours on end. But so what? I still gotta train right?

To answer your question “where do I get the energy?” here are my answers:

1. Make specific goals with dead lines:

By setting goals, you’ll be much more likely to train on the days you really don’t want to so that you’ll not fall behind. Some days, something is better than nothing. I HATE the feeling I get when I fail to accomplish what I’ve set out to do!!! Set your goals TODAY!!

2. Rest: I remember staying up for 2 or 3 days partying with friends and then going into the Dojo and training- crazy! I would end up in a coma if I tried that today! I simply don’t recover as quickly as I used to between workouts now, so I make sure that I try to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night and nap once or twice a week. Every study has shown how beneficial sleep and getting extra naps in can be or athletes- and I agree 100%!! BUT, there are days when I simply need to rest and NOT workout. Last night was one of them. So I did a half a workout and went home and ate a good meal. It happens.

3. Nutrition: I cheat on Saturday night with pizza, ice cream, candy, etc. The other days my food is simply fuel for the next workout. If I eat like shit- I perform like shit. Most people I coach will get the physical side to this down, but disregard the other side which is nutrition. If you really want to make progress and have energy not only for training, but for the whole day, eat healthy foods! (Your Mother was right all along!)

4. Motivation from others: By opening the gym, I have been able to surround myself with people who have a similar mindset to me. They push themselves in each training session to their fullest and still strive to do better! That alone can give me motivation to be my best! But I also train with my wife-to-be Mary (this Saturday!!!) who is a constant source of motivation for me in the gym AND at home. We encourage each other to eat better, think better and DO better. We complement each other when one of us is down and set the other one straight when they get off course. (OK, that’s really Mary setting ME straight!! LOL!!)

4.5 Coffee- it truly is the nectar of the Gods! Starbucks is my second home…..

Q & A: Where does your motivation come from?

Question: Coach John, you always give us a good motivational talk at the end of each training session, and I love it. In fact I look forward to it. My question is: where do you get YOUR motivation from?

Signed, R.C.




Answer: Thanks R.C.! That always means a lot to me when I get feedback from members of the gym-most of the time I never really know if get through or not! So where does my motivation come from? A few different places really:




1. Mentors: I believe in having mentors, people who are further down the road than me in life, business, health, etc. They become valuable resources in tough times when I need some direction, and also in good times, when I’m not sure how to make the success continue. The pick me up when I’m down and give me that swift kick in the ass when I need that too! But most of all, they represent what I can become in the future if I keep doing what they do- and THAT excites me!

2. You: when I see people who enroll into my program and get the results they’re looking for, I get excited! I watch people like you come in consistently, train hard, focus, push themselves, sweat, punch, sweat, kick, sweat, do push-ups and sweat some more and I love it! Because when people can begin to change physically, they will quickly change mentally.




3. Desire: I have my own personal missions in life and one of them is become more than I was the year before; a better athlete, writer, speaker, businessman, fiancé (soon to be husband!), son, brother, friend, etc. I learned a long time ago that perfection is the direction NOT the destination- no matter how hard I try, I’ll always fail. Yet, the paradox is that success is ALWAYS built on failure. And if I’m failing, that means I’m trying, and if I’m trying that means I’ll get there soon. (I hope! LOL!!)




4. Motors: I place people into 2 groups in life- anchors and motors. Anchors hold me down and motors push me forward. I try to spend little to no time with people who are negative or have no ambitions in life and attempt to maximize the amount of time I spend with people who inspire me, educate me, push me and challenge me. Look at who I'll be married to in a few weeks!! Mary is always training her butt off and eating right, and when I hang around someone who is so focused and driven I can't help but to get caught-up in her slip stream as she surges through life with passion, desire and drive!

Q & A with Coach John

Question: Coach John, I’m trying to develop my kicks for my kickboxing. I want them to be faster and have more power. You’ve said that if I do the technique correctly and with speed, then I’ll have power, but I still don’t feel it! I want my kicks like yours, so…what do I do? David S.

Answer: Great question David and I have to say that if you’re doing the technique correctly and with speed, then you’re on the right track at least to developing powerful kicks. With that said, I tell you what I do, as well as why I do it, to develop the power and speed that I have.

First, here’s my leg workout I did last week:
200 Jumping Jacks
100 Squats
50 Squat Jumps
3 Rounds Shadow Sparring
Stretch
Run ½ Mile
10 Sprints
3 Rotations of: (all done with 100% speed and power on each kick.)
30 Shuffle Step Round (10 leg, 10 rib cage, 10 head)
30 Back Leg Round (Same)
10 Shuffle Round –drop-round
10 Back Leg round-drop-round
10 Shuffle Step Triple Drop Round
10 Back Leg Triple Drop Round
20 Front leg Round-drop-round
20 Back Leg Round-drop-round
2 Rotations of:
20 Slide Front Kick, jab, cross
20 Back Front Kick, cross, hook
20 Slide Side Kicks, jab cross
20 Jump Reverse Side Kick

Then I do Plyometrics:
100 Jump Switch Lunges
100 Squat Jumps
30 Single Leg High Step Jumps (each leg)
50 Jump Tucks



Of course my legs are fried by this time, so I just stretch out and call it a day…then vomit. In order to have better kicks, I have to kick… a lot. I have to make sure that they are explosive as well as technically correct, but what really get my kicks faster, stronger and more explosive is doing all of the plyometrics afterwards. They hit every fast-twitch muscle fiber used for kicking. Of course I do squat with heavy, moderate and light weight as well from time to time, but I will always mix in plyometrics to my training because I’m training to develop fighter’s muscle: fast, powerful and, well…simply harmful to others.

Q& A with Coach John

Question:
When will I know I’m ready to move up to Level 2 or 3? JJ

Answer:
Well JJ, that is a question that nearly everyone asks!! And the answer may seem too simple, but here it is: when you feel you’re ready, or when we tell you that you should move up, well….move up!

While the majority of members here simply want to get into shape and are not getting ready for a fight, or to earn a rank in martial arts, there is still a certain amount of skill and technical knowledge one must possess before moving up to the next level. The main reason for this is safety; it makes no sense to put someone in danger of pulling a muscle or tearing a ligament to get a workout when they don’t have the proper muscular development, body control or technical knowledge to do the moves- THIS IS NOT TAE BO PEOPLE!! Safety is essential in a sport such as this because the movements are very explosive, extremely powerful and can be jarring to the body even though our heavy bags are soft.

The second reason a person would want to take some time and develop the basics of this type of training is that they can get very frustrated when they get lost on many of the advanced moved such as footwork, head movement and multiple angle combinations. I’ve seen time and again when someone gets lost in class, they feel as if either they aren’t good enough, or that the classes are just too hard- and they quite. However, when someone gets even 4-6 weeks of basic training, they have a blast at the upper levels and reach their goals quicker than if they simple wing-it!

This is when you need to stay at Level One:

So, when do you know you’re ready?: when you’ve spent at least 4-6 weeks at Level One and find that the techniques are no longer difficult to perform, and/or you can perform them with unlimited speed and power. Also, you know you’re ready when we tell you to move up to level two and that’s because we see the progress you’re making and want you to make even more!


BUT: Please don’t feel as if you have to move up in the Levels, if you simple want the 30-35 minute workout that Level One provides, by all means, stay there! But if you want longer training sessions, more technical skill and knowledge, then please, feel free to join us at the advanced level classes!

SEE YOU IN CLASS!!

Change the Food!

After a great workout with Mary yesterday, we sat down and talked about my food intake which has been off a bit for a while now. Even though I have won the Hawaiian State Ultimate Fitness Championships twice, competed in numerous kickboxing bouts, as well as coach hundreds of people each year, I, like everyone else, fall into habits. I haven’t really fallen into bad habits, just more like a routine that offers no flexibility to add what I really need- vegetables!

As a kid, I always ate my greens first, and then moved onto the rest. Not really sure why, just worked out that way. Now, I just seem to skip the greens all together every day, and every week! Here’s what I normally eat:

Meal One: two cups cheerios, 60 gram protein shake.
Meal Two: ½ pound roast beef, 2 slices whole grain bread, 2 slices Swiss cheese, teaspoon low fat mayo
Meal Three: 2 cups Jasmine Rice, 2 pieces Tilapia
Meal Four: 2 cups Chobani Yogurt
Meal Five: 70 gram protein shake
Meal Six: 2 cups rice, 2 pieces Tilapia

Here are meal changes Mary is helping me make:

Meal 2: add one or two cups broccoli
Meal 3: add one or two cups mixed vegetables
Meal 6: add one or two cups green beans

That was it! For me, my food intake is OK, I just needed to add a SUPER important ingredient to the plan! Simple, huh? This way, I’ll have added vegetables to 3 meals. The good thing about veggies is that it takes just as many calories to burn them off as they supply. Meaning that vegetables are a “wash” on your daily calorie intake and really only provide you with needed vitamins and minerals to keep your body healthy.

However, most people need a complete overhaul when it comes to their diet and nutritional needs - and if that’s the case, then give Mary a call or shoot her an e-mail today!! Right Now!! Because the sooner you start to accomplish your goals, the sooner you’ll reach them!!

727-260-2352 Mary's cell#
MaryMuscles@gmail.com

How to Celebrate a Milestone!!

OK, so I’m 40 now. A monumental occasion for sure, but I’m no different than I was yesterday really. However, I have always viewed birthdays as a chance to celebrate life as well as my purpose for living. What exactly is that purpose and how do I do celebrate that? Well, here are 3.5 ways I recently accomplished just that:

1. Training: On the morning I turned 40 I trained with my fiancé Mary at the gym and we did delts (shoulders). And at 40 I am stronger than ever! I was able to perform 4 sets of seated dumbbell presses with 90 pound dumbbells for 9 reps each set. (In December I could knock out 10-11 reps, but I hurt my back recently and haven’t been able to train properly.) I couldn’t even move that much weight when I was 20, 30 or 35 years of age. That wasn’t all of course, I did a total of 6 supersets of seated dumbbell presses and side lateral raises (90 x 9 reps and 40 x 12reps ), 4 sets of standing military presses (185 x 11 reps), 4 supersets of seated Arnold presses with standing upright rows (65 pound dumbbells x 12 reps and 100 pound barbell x 15 reps) I ended up doing 24 sets of exercises over all. (Hell, I was just trying to keep up with Mary!!) I celebrate by training my body to be strong!

2. Coaching: I have loved teaching since I first tried it back in 1988 as an assistant instructor under Master Chuck Bittle in Rockville, MD, but I knew even before that, that I wanted to own my own martial arts school. In 1986 I was 16 years old and sitting around with my buddies and we were discussing how the school would operate! So, each year since 1988, I celebrate my birthday by doing what I feel I was born to do- directly helping others acheive their potential!

3. Fund Raiser: I’ve been very fortunate in my life; I’m healthy, I have good friends, I make enough to eat and go on a vacation every so often and have been blessed to have stayed sober for over 16 years. But there are people out there who are less fortunate than me, and like most folks in this world could use a bit of help here and there. This year I focused my efforts on people who may not get the chance to enjoy life as I have, so I focused on the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central Florida. We raised over $5500 on the day of the event and still more money is coming in! I celebrate by helping others I may never meet!

3.5 Medieval Times: That’s right…”John Kyle, you just turned 40! How are you going to celebrate?” I’m going to Medieval Times!! Mary was kind enough to get us tickets, so we drove out to Orlando and had a blast! I celebrate by still being a kid!!

Question: what can you do to celebrate the fact that you’re on this earth???

The Other Side Of Pain!

My fiance Mary and me were having a conversation the other day about the difference between ourselves and other people we see training at gyms. We all want results as bad as the next person does, yet we've found there is a major difference between our approach and most other people's who train- and that would be the amount of pain we're willing to put ourselves through.

For instance, here was my last cardio workout: (unless you train on a heavy bag regularly and try to get over 200 quality strikes, you'll not really understand just how hard it is to reach these numbers)

Round 1- Shadow Sparring (180)
Round 2- Shadow Sparring (200)
Round 3- Heavy Bag emphasis on Speed with hands. (approx 180 strikes)
Round 4- Heavy Bag emphasis on Power with hands (approx 190 strikes)
Round 5- Heavy Bag emphasis high volume hands with speed kicks (190)
Round 6- Heavy Bag emphasis high volume hands with high volume kicks (200)
Round 7, 8, 9 &10-Heavy Bag same (180-200)
Round 11- Shadow Sparring (230)
Round 12- Walking Lunges (100)
Round 13- Squat Jumps (70)
Round 14- Burpees (50)
Round 15- Jump Rope (with 50 Double-Unders)

I did the Heavy Bag rounds first this time because I was mostly focused of developing my skill and simply did the exercises at the end for conditioning.

Here's an example of Mary's Shoulder routine:Mary is available for Personal Training sessions as well. She is an active amateur body builder with over 10 years of weight training experience. You can contact her at mmonoc@hotmail.com

Rotation One: (performed 3 times)
Standing Lateral raise
Standing Unilateral Side Raises
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Seated single arm side lateral raise
Standing alternating front lateral raise
Standing side lateral raise
Standing Dumbbell Press

Rotation Two: (performed 3 times)
Seated Arnold Press
Seated Side Lateral Raise
Standing alternating Front lateral raise
Standing Alternating Dumbbell Press
Around the world side lateral raise
Around the world front lateral raise
Seated Dumbbell Press

Rotation Three: (Performed 3 times)
Upright Rows
Barbell Shrugs
Dumbbell Shrugs

The key, we’ve found for ourselves, is to push the pace with whatever it is we're doing and try to keep it up as high as possible for the duration of the workout and NOT slow down. This way, when it feels as if I can’t breath on the heavy bag, or Mary's muscles are burning and crying for her to stop, we push through. By doing this often we found we can push harder over time which of course is where the results are: on the other side of pain.

Sleep to WAKE UP!!

If you’re anything like me and my fiancée Mary, then you train you ass off nearly every day of each week. You know what you’re eating days ahead of time to be sure you’ll have enough fuel for that training and to get the desired results you’re looking for physically, AND, if you’re anything like Mary and I, then you get tired and need some freakin’ sleep!! In regards to sleep, everyone is different in their needs. Most articles you read state how we need 7-8 hours of sleep each night for optimal health. Well, some people need more (that would be me) and some folks need less (that would be Mary), but everyone does needs sleep and almost everyone falls short of getting what they need at some point in time.

A Stanford University study* showed that tennis players who increased the amount of nightly sleep and made up for accumulated sleep deprivation** showed improvements in sprint drills, service accuracy and hitting depth. Athletes improved by as much as 30 percent in some tests. The athletes attempted to sleep 10 hours per night. This test demonstrates just how critical sleep is for maximizing physical performance as well as the ability to focus mentally during a physical performance.

But the benefits of sleep go far beyond sports training if course. Getting enough sleep improves your mood, heightens your awareness and focus, increase your ability to concentrate on long term tasks, develops your ability to learn and your memory, improves your mood, helps with cardiovascular health, repairs damaged tissue and can even help with your metabolism and weight.

Sleep tight…don’t let the bed bugs bite!

*American Academy of Sleep Annual Meeting June 8, 2009
**It has been shown that one cannot stock-up on sleep, but can make up for lack of sleep.

2 Steps To Stay On Point

Have you ever had to take time off of training due to an injury? I sure have- plenty of times! As an athlete, you’ll find that you’ll incur more injuries than your neighbor who enjoys TV far too much- but you’ll also keep diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease away as well! (THOSE are more dangerous than a pulled muscle or strained ligament!) During the more than two weeks I could not train, I did two very important things: 1-I stayed focused on the goals I had set and didn’t let this set back affect me in a negative way mentally, and 2-I stuck to my food intake as well.

1. Over the years I have not been the best of patients when I’ve had an injury as I used to get incredibly frustrated and irritable about the situation, but having to deal with this type of situation every so often allows you to get better at it and make it work for you. Rather than getting angry, you’ve got to learn to simply stayed focused on getting better because the sooner you heal, the sooner you can begin training again. Also, develop the skill of staying focused on what you want to achieve and allow yourself to get excited about reaching the goal, instead of feeling that you’ve fallen too far back and “what’s the use anyhow?” By being patient in healing and getting mentally focused and excited on your goals, you’ll be better able to enjoy the process when you do finally get back to training!

2. The other aspect of dealing with an injury is dealing with “Down-Time-Munchies”. Since you won’t be training you’ll have more time in front of the TV and that is a typical time to get a craving for chips, etc. Hopefully you don’t have chips in the house, so that will be a saving grace, but throughout the day you’ve got to stay on point with your food intake because that was the one place I know people will have the most trouble! The training will come, but if you stray away too far on the food, you’ll find that it can take a longer than expected time getting back to where you want to be.


Is That All?: No, there are so many MORE things you'll need to do in regards to dealing with injuries, like ice, heat, massage and better yet- go see your doctor if you think it's bad!! These are just two simple steps you can get increasingly better at to help you mentally and emotionally through a rough patch.

See you next training session!

Failure Leads to Success!!

I have yet to meet someone who enjoys losing a contest or challenge they face, yet I do know people who are very comfortable with “failing” on a consistent basis. You’re thinking ‘how can someone be comfortable or enjoy failing at ANY point in their lives?!?!’ The answer is simple really- IF you know the correct way to apply the principle of “Failure Leads To Success.”

Let’s start with a simple demonstration of this principle in regards to physical fitness. By taking each set you perform, let’s say for seated shoulder presses, to failure, you’ll develop microfiber tears in the muscles. You know you’ve reached “failure” when you cannot push the weight above your head anymore and will need rest before you attempt another set. This is referred to as “reaching failure” in weight training and exercise.

The benefit of this training style is that once you eat healthy protein and carbs immediately after a training session and all day long, the protein will then help to rebuild the muscle fiber to come back stronger (or faster, or flexible, or whatever demands you place upon it) and it will also increase in size as well as increase endurance. If you were to simply stop at the 7th rep of the shoulder press, instead of taking it to rep number 12 or 15 where your muscles failed, you’ll see almost little to no improvements of what you’re striving for. To get the best results from training, you’ve got to take the muscles to “Failure”.

Another area I’ve found that this principle works wonders is in business. (Sounds crazy I know.) In order to find programs, marketing or systems that work, you have to try several various ways that DO NOT work first which means that they have failed, which will ultimately lead to success if you simply stick with it. Here’s an example: Since 1988 I have taught certain Martial Arts styles that I had to teach because I was working for someone else. These folks also wanted me to pass it off as self defense! Not only were the styles useless in a street situation (I knew as I had grown up hanging out with the tough crowd) but it was incredibly boring! Over time, people would simply quite because of it. IT DID NOT WORK as a long term business venture! As I opened up my first gym in Hawaii 15 years ago and now my second gym here in Florida 2 years ago, I knew what would bring us to failure financially and what 2 things would bring us success: an amazing and fun workout, and a practical skill set that could help them defend themselves. Now the gym is going gangbusters and the clients are happy and bringing in all of their friends!

Remember this: if you’re failing from time to time, then you’re simply not trying hard enough. After all Thomas Edison “failed” 5000 times before succeeding in making the light bulb

Questions for Coach

QUESTION:
Dear Coach John,
I feel drained some days in training, but it seems to be more than just from the training itself. I mean, I always get tired from your classes, but I feel good afterwards. But other days, every so ofetn, it seems more than just physical exhaustion. For instance, my ability to focus towards the end of a class gets harder as does my desire to make a 100% effort as well. Like I said, this doesn’t happen all the time of course, but once every 2 or 3 weeks it does. Any ideas what may be the cause?
Thanks,
GH
ANSWER:
What a great question GH! And sorry to hear that you’ve incurred a stumbling block in your training, but you’re not alone with this type of challenge! I’ve had many-a-student of the years have this happen, as well as have it happen to me as well!

For me, I have 3 things that affect my training in a negative light: lack of sleep, poor food intake and over training. Lack of sleep is by far the biggest killer of my workouts! When I don’t get enough sleep I don’t have enough energy physically or mentally, my speed is diminished and my power is that of a 8 year old child. Over the years, there have been hundreds of studies conducted of the effects of lack of sleep and not one has shown anything positive from it! In fact, every area of life is negatively affected; even the length of one’s entire life span is shortened, simply from lack of sleep! The standard amount of sleep is 6-8 hours, perhaps you need more? Look into getting extra naps a few times; I know it has helped me in the past.

The second killer to my training sessions is poor food intake. If I either do not eat enough, or eat too much junk food, my performance slows down quickly. For instance, the past few weeks I have cut my carb intake by almost 50% and I can feel the effects in my workouts. I have the strength and power, but my stamina is diminished. So be sure that you are consuming healthy food daily to help FUEL your training sessions. 95% of what you consume should be as fuel, the other 5%... well, have fun.

The last thing that severally affects my training is - training too much! I love to train, but over the years I’ve learned to listen to my body about when to rest and when to push it. When I did over train, not only would I get gassed-out early, but so would my strength, power, focus and desire to keep going. Over training has been shown to be a leading cause of injuries for athletes of various sports and all ages as well. So be sure to take breaks from training, or create a training schedule that allows your body to recover for 24 to 48 hours between sessions. As you continue to train, you’ll know what will work best for your body.

There are a few other things that you want to look at as well with this challenge you’re facing: I’ve found some people go out and party all night, then work all day and come in for a workout. That will kill your training session fast. Some folks have extremely stressful jobs and demand a lot of mental focus through the day- which has just recently been shown to have a dramatic effect of one’s workout.

BUT YOU MAY WANT TO SEE A DOCTOR!! Listen, fatigue, lack of energy, lack of focus and desire can all be symptoms of larger and more problematic issues. Since you’re over 35, I would strongly suggest seeing your primary care physician for any under lying causes/issues. This way, if there is nothing big to worry about, then check out your sleep, food or training schedule.

Good luck-
Coach John

Questions For Coach John

QUESTION:


Dear Coach John,
What should Boxers eat?
KB



ANSWER:
KB, that’s a great question and my immediate answer would be food…but let’s dig a little deeper shall we? I think the best answer would be “FUEL”. As an athlete, more specifically a fighter (Boxer, Kickboxer, MMA or Wrestler) you will need fuel for your training and competitions as well. By using the term “FUEL”, it literally gets you in the mindset that what you put into your body makes a HUGE difference in your performance and skill development. Image eating ice cream for breakfast lunch and dinner and then try to train in my classes! Also imagine eating nothing but salad and then trying to train! It would still be catastrophic because there is simply not enough FUEL (nutritional value) in salads for what a fighter needs!


Now, my question would be: do you need to lose weight, gain weight or maintain your body weight for your next fight? Knowing the answer to that question will also help you decide what fuel/food you should be consuming and what amount as well. If you need to lose weight then you need to figure out how many calories you’ll need to drop out of your daily FUEL intake and at what times? (Don’t skip meals, just eat smaller amounts.) If you need to gain then be sure it is in the form of muscle and not fat, so at that point you’ll have to figure out how many more grams of protein you’ll need to consume on a daily basis -as well as what exercises will help you build strong functional muscle. If you need to simply maintain, then get your daily FUEL intake down to a science NOW so that in the future, should you need to drop or gain weight, you’ll know exactly where to add or subtract extra calories.


Keep this in mind: if you train as a fighter does, then you’ll burn anywhere from 800 to 1200 calories in a session. Knowing that will help you figure out much more quickly what your FUEL intake needs are on a daily and weekly basis. Another thing- your off-training days should not have as much calories as your training days. One more: the 2 most important meals of the day are your breakfast and your after workout meals, NEVER skip those.

Here's an example of what I ate yesterday:
meal 1: 1 cup cheerioes with fat free milk, 46 gram protein shake with water
Meal 2: 1/2 pound lean ground beef, slice of 12 grain bread, slice of cheese
Meal 3: 1/2 pound of roast beef, two slices cheese
Meal 4: 48 grams protein (Chobani Yogurt)
Meal 5: 70 gram protein shake with water
Meal 6: 1 packet uncle bens rice, one can tuna, teaspoon soy sauce

Here are good sources of Protein: Chicken, fish, lean beef, canned tuna, tofu, eggs, protein shakes

Here are good sources of carbs: Potatoes (sweet and regular), rice (brown and white), whole grain bread, pasta, oatmeal





WARNING!!!: Across the nation I see fat coaches who attempt to give nutritional advice to fighters about how to get into shape. Never ask a fat man how to get into shape.