Workout of the week.
Monday night post kickboxing workout, explosive legs and shoulders. It’s basically the same sort of format with supersets. This workout is designed for maximizing your shoulder’s push potential and adding an explosive leg dynamic.
Warm up: 5 minute round jump rope. A few failed attempts at criss-crossing your arms is acceptable.
1. Snatches. 65 lb kettle bell for 6 reps each arm for the initial set. For the next 4 sets barbell snatches at 135lbs. 3-4 reps each set. Squat wide with overhand grip and explode throwing the weight over your head and catching it with arms strait up.
Superset 1. Squat to high jump. 6 reps for the initial set at a moderate height. Next 4 sets alternate between 3 reps maximum high jump and 6-8 reps of squat jumps for distance down a large open space.
Now, complete superset 5 times at minimal rest before moving to next exercise.
2. Hanging cleans. 135 lb barbell for the initial set at 5 reps. Next 4 sets increase weight to allow you to do no more than 3 full out reps. In my case it was no more than 5lbs per side. Hanging at your waist, with overhand grip thrust hips forward catching weight in clean position, explosively press the weight overhead.
Superset 2. Machine upright rows. 15 reps at decent weight, I don’t understand those damn machine settings.
Superset 2b. Jumping lunges. 10 reps. Final set blast out 20 or more.
Complete superset 5 times yadda yadda.
3. Shoulder shrugs. Heavy dumbells or load up one of those shrug levers with plates. 12-15 reps all sets.
Superset 3. Swiss ball hamstring curls. Lying on your back with swiss ball under heels and ass in air. Pull the ball in as you explode onto your shoulders from the mat. 15 reps each set.
Superset total is 5.
Finish off on the bosu ball alternate lateral jumps while passing a medicine ball for 3 sets of 10.
Stretch out and the next day, which for me is today, shoulders and legs are destroyed, 3 classes of MMA tonight were rough to get through, but that’s how it goes.
It is now 2 days since this workout, traps and quads are still a wreck.
Okay this meal is a sautéed BBQ salmon filet (6-8 oz.) with roasted garlic and red onions. Served with a salad of 1 cup steamed broccoli, 1 cup of cut steamed green beans and low fat mozzarella cheese. 55 grams of protein with 16 carbs and 7 grams of fibre.
Salmon sexuality
I guess I should reflect on this past weekend with it being such an important one for me professionally. Wrestlemania weekend in Atlanta, GA, Ring of Honor held two of their biggest events on iPPV with “ROH takes center stage.” Adam Cole and I wrestled Jay and Mark Briscoe on night one in an awesome encounter which saw the Briscoes finish off Cole with the Doomsday device. Night 2 (or day 2 I should say) would pit Adam and I against Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli in another top notch performance, however I would fall victim to Claudio’s pop up European/a double boot to the face. Adam and I are really proud of the fact that we could both stand ourselves up in honor after each bout and walk ourselves to the back despite the loss.
On Sunday Tony and I got an early start to our 10 hour drive back to St. Louis. Tony always has these adventurous routes that he likes to take, so we ventured through the scenic highway through Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. “See a little piece of Heaven you might not get to see otherwise” Tony matter-of-factly puts it. That’s also his excuse when he gets lost, so take it as it is.
I was extremely glad we took this route because we stopped in Memphis, TN at the Lorraine Motel. The motel is the famous site of where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed on April 4, 1968. It has since been turned into a civil rights museum. Very surreal to be at a site of such an American historical significance. It being the day before the anniversary also added to the moment. We then ventured to Sun Studios of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash fame. Only to be completed by Tony taking a wrong turn on a 1 way street, and he couldn’t give a sweet Christ who he offended. “Well I’ll be damned.”
Alabama-man
Mrs. Ippy
Tony Kozina and Kyle O'Reilly in honour of Martin Luther King Jr.
"I have a dream"
Tone at Sun Studios
"Ehhh yo"
"HAHA, I don't give a SHIT, these guys don't know nothin'" -Tony "What guys?!" -Kyle
This weekend is another pack one which starts on Friday as I wrestle Davey Vega at the St. Louis Anarchy show. Saturday I’ll fly to Philly for WXW’s United States tour for the highly anticipated re-re-match of Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole vs Zack Sabre Jr. and Marty Scrull. We tore it up in England and Germany, so we’re stoked to bring it to the US. Later that night I’ll compete in CZW’s Best of the Best tournament and my opening round contest will be myself vs Johnny Gargano AND Adam Cole in a 3 way dance. Versus Adam Cole you say? Interesting to see how this will play out.
On Sunday in New Jersey it’s another afternoon show with CZW versus Sami Callihan who is a tremendous fighter. And that night WXW to face Marty Scrull in an anticipated singles match.
Should be a wicked weekend of wrestling fun. I’ll have earned my cheat meal come Sunday night. I’ll post it if there’s some mad destruction, don’t judge me! Also, a massage will be in need come Monday, 5-7 matches in 3 days!
Filed under: training
I’m trying to get back in the habit of keeping a training journal of my various workout regimens like I once did with my “workout of the day” posts. I guess I take the style of training we do for granted and I guess I didn’t realize how different from the traditional styles of training we fray. I had yet to realize it fully until the other day someone came up to me in the gym and asked what I was training for and our workouts looked “insane”. Training with Davey Richards and Tony Kozina sets up a unique foundation for being creative when we weight lift. Being professional wrestlers, the key to injury prevention when every weekend is a strain on your body is functional, sport specific weight lifting. Our main training focus is MMA anyways so weight lifting is limited to a maximum of thrice per week. For example:
Monday, kickboxing class, weight lifting
Tuesday, MMA, muay thai, jiu-jitsu
Wednesday, kickboxing, weight lifting, sparring
Thursday, MMA, muay thai, jiu-jitsu
Friday, wrestle
Saturday, weight lifting, wrestle
Sunday, cardio
This split is a perfect fit for my goals and lifestyle. Avoid this style of training is you don’t want increased flexibility, increased power, explosiveness and strength or exceptional endurance. Maybe you really should avoid this workout if you’re looking to body build, but I can’t recommend it enough if you’re an athlete trying to push yourself to the top level of competition.
So on Saturday the session was mainly consistent with work on agility and pulling exercises, incorporating both strength and explosiveness. Previously endurance sets were placed in the workout but with heightened MMA our endurance exercise mainly comes from that form of body conditioning.
Warm up:
5 strait minutes of jump rope at a moderate pace.
An aerobics room with set up agility stations would help at this point but I’ll try to explain and visualize until I can post pictures up.
-3 hurdles at 4.5’ lined in a row. (The base of grounded punching bags with jump rope tied across)
-An agility ladder.
-Swiss ball
In a continuous circle complete a high jump over each hurdle, have a training partner hold the swiss ball and resist as you drive into the ball to the end of the gym and back. Complete 4 rotations of agilities on the ladder eg. High knees, butt kicks, lateral quickstep, single foot jumps, etc.
Complete this rotation 4 times through and then take a couple sets of just jumping the hurdles, bear crawling through, then jumping through and sprawling.
You have successfully warmed up.
The weighted portion of this workout 2 major explosive exercises and 1 strength exercise super-setted with 3 other exercises.
1. Drop-down rows. 225lb barbell on ground with an overhand grip, sprawl out and then back to your feet completing a bent over barbell row. 6 reps of maximum explosion.
Super set 1. Bicep hammer curls. 20 reps each arm total at about 25-30 lbs.
Complete 4 super sets before next exercise.
2. Sumo high-pulls. 135lb barbell on ground with overhand grip and in a sumo-squat stance. Explode up from the squat into a standing upright row as high as you can thrusting your hips forward and onto your toes. 6 reps.
Super set 2. Shoulder shrugs dumbbell or machine, max weight you can handle for 25 reps.
Complete 4 super sets before next exercise.
3. Romanian dead lift. Standing on a support box holding a 155 lb barbell, bending over flexing your hamstrings with 12 slow contracting reps.
Super set 3. Ab roller, or a swiss ball ab exercise for 25 reps.
Complete 4 super sets before wrapping up with 30 minutes of stair-master steady state cardio.
My hamstrings were/are fried for about 2-3 days after this so make sure you stretch your legs and back out really well after this workout.
Post workout meal
Ideally after a tough training sessions such as this, your post workout meal should consist of a fast acting protein source and a fast digesting carbohydrate. A banana and a whey protein/glutamine shake is perfect immediately following this.
I consider myself a bit of a connossieur in healthy and delicious cooking. I usually make at least one exciting, new dish a week to keep my cooking skills fresh and my creative ideas fresher.
This is my grilled steak kabob with roast garlic, orange bell peppers and red onion. Served with a spinach and cucumber salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Accompanied with a steamy side of fresh broccoli. About 40-50 grams of protein and about 12-15 grams of carbs.
So go out and try this workout and this tasty meal as your delicious reward. Let me know how you all like it!
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” – Andre Gide
Greenroofing is the latest craze that’s swiffering the nation. It’s an architectural concept of growing vegetation and plant life on the roof of a building for a number of various reasons. With the entire “green” mentality that’s taking over the world, greenroofs are a concept that allows corporations and companies an opportunity to minimize the carbon footprint they leave behind. Although I don’t completely agree with this reasoning, it’s kind of like BP planting a bunch of trees to make up for the gulf oil spill. The word “green” is thrown around a lot these days, often politically charged, wholeheartedly embraced and often received with resent (“damn tree hugging hippies”). Besides building a positive public image through greenroofs, these buildings also can sustain various wildlife and provide a more natural landscape. There are countless ecological benefits to greenroofing, they can naturally filter airborne toxins as well as provide a substantial storm water management capacity. Greenroofs mainly consist of several layers of a root restricting material and a water-retaining layer that as it evaporates, keeps plants alive during long periods of drought.
Intensive
Extensive greenroofs are classified from the amount of grow median used and the weight and type of plants used during the landscaping process. In this case, our extensive greenroof provided soil around 4 inches thick with 14,000 seedums planted spanning the 7000 sq. ft. area.
Extensive. Similar to the one we did.
An intensive greenroof contains 12-15 inches of soil maxing out at 15 feet of soil and can contain trees and other substantially larger plants. With benefits to the building it houses as well, such as reduced cooling bills in the summer and less impact on heating during the winter, greenroofs actually aid the environment in a less direct way as well. With a positive impact on LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) it is a sustainable way to reduce energy costs. I’m still in the researching process of this fascinating field (pun intended) but I’ve grown a soft spot for landscaping and re-forestation. A possible post-wrestling, pre-firefighting career choice may be in the works, as the concept and name is only going to become more widespread as the years go on and our planet becomes more destroyed. Ladder experience is always an asset. So yeah, that’s where I’ve been the last week. Building a greenroof in Port Alberni which just happens to be a short drive from… Tofino!
Tofino.
The water is cold and wet. Well of course it’s wet, it’s water. The taste of salt marinates my lips as I paddle into oncoming crashing breaks of white off the Vancouver Island coast. My surfboard awkwardly balances unevenly under my fatiguing upper body. Another wave crashes onto me, followed by another. The tide is coming in with a relentless force, I tumble, ass-over-tea-kettle amongst the roaring surf. What would a sport be if it didn’t break your spirit, topple you over and make you hop right back on? I now love surfing. It is an insane workout and fun activity that will constantly create an everlasting room for improvement. I struggle, to catch my bearings. Am I upside down, or right side up? I guess that question would be answered determined on where the surface of the Ocean is. I gasp for air and swallow some sea water as I reach the oxygen infused atmosphere. A seagull “gawks” at me. Fuck you seagull. I climb back on my board and get back in line for another sweet series of rad waves. Catching one, and another I am encouraged by the rewarding feeling of helplessness that the energy of breaking ocean charges into your board with a force that can manage humans to stand on an object and play water-walking Christ. The concept and thought of how surfing developed must be an interesting history lesson.
What I’m getting at is that active living during the summer months is just as effective as frequent gym hitting. Vancouver is a perfect spot for outdoor activities that will challenge your mental and physical limits quickly. I went Kayaking today in False Creek and surrounded by the lively atmosphere of Granville Island, one can’t help but get an overwhelming good feeling. Kayaking will wear out your core pretty quickly as balance is a big part of maintaining your dryness. Chest and back muscles come into play as you paddle and after short all out speed bursts, one is quickly reminded that kayaking is indeed a hardcore Olympic sport. It’ll wear you out, and you’ll be so stoked at the end of it all.
The Grouse grind is another obstacle that I’ve been making an effort at toppling as much as possible this summer. The north shore is such a haven for endless outdoor opportunities including hiking and kayaking alike. All around us is a playground unlike any other place on planet earth. Where else can you go snowboarding or snowshoeing only to paddle through the inlet of a major metropolitan city in the same afternoon? Running/biking/rollerblading the seawall is a great way to absorb some sun, breathe some fresh nautical air and get a glimpse at Stanley’s lungs of Vancouver. There’s so much opportunity to do adventurous things around us all that you will get a rush from. Rock climbing, wind surfing, bungee jumping, beach volleyball, golf, we’re subject to the World’s best backyard so take advantage of it, and never take mother nature for granted. Even tree climbing, portaging, carving totem poles, clotheslining homeless people as you run down Hastings, wrestling grizzlies, eating flapjacks, digging senseless holes and beating up jabronis are other great activities suited best for BC’s landscape. Toss a football around for chrissakes.
Workout of the Day
Heavy bag, Skipping rope, Boxing gloves and a timer.
2 minutes skipping.
3 minutes kickboxing combos. I mixed it up for each round. At first I did a 4 combo (jab, cross, hook, cross) for all 3 minutes. Then I would do three 3 combos (jab, cross, hook) and 3 kicks right, 3 kicks left, 3 alternating knees and drop down for 3 pushups for all 3 minutes. Just mix it up as much as you can. Maybe do an all kicking round and with 30 seconds left a jab/cross burnout. Your chance to be the trainer and be creative but don’t let your client slack, it’s you.
Do each 5 minute round six times. Maybe 1-2 minutes rest in between rounds. But if you can try to use your 2 minutes skipping as a way to reach steady state before the next warrior round of kickboxing combos, do it. That way you continue constantly for 30-35 minutes. Pretty rad workout, I usually get pretty gassed from it. I try to do a light warm up shadowboxing round before the vigorous stuff. And after cool down with a light jog or if you feel insane some wind sprints. Insanity is a virtue.
To quote the 2 most inspirational fitness gurus of a generation. “Keep fit and have fun” –Hal Johnson and Joanne Mcleod (Team Bodybreak)
I’ve struck gold. A precious commodity is upon us that men will kill for and turn to madness in constant search for more. I am talking of course about PowerFlax cookies. Made by Red square (www.rsquare.com) they are a delicious, healthy and dare a say sexual meal replacement for those times during work or play when you need a hefty dose of yum. 24 grams of fat, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 13 grams of fiber and 23 grams of protein per delicious cookie. I highly recommend, and they come in other varieties with less protein or less carbs. At $8.49 per package of 8 they are well worth the trip to the grocery paradise. Go Now! Enjoy!
Don't Judge me!
Powerflax cookies not to be confused by Powersauce bars.
Workout of the day.
Back day.
I started with a solid warm up of agility drills and dive bomber (hindu) pushups. I wasted no time, put my ipod up to 11 and loaded up the Olympic bar to do some zombie pulls. (dead lifts). There’s going to be a lot of bracketed info in this blog (there probably won’t be). Anyways, stop fucking around. This workout starts with a strength exercise such as deads with decent amounts of rest in between, focusing on the lift. After strength is complete we’ll dive right into a circuit of 4 exercises with a cardio burst in between, zero rest.
Dead Lifts
Set 1 warm up. 135 lbs 8 reps.
Set 2: 225 lbs. 8 reps.
Set 3: 315 lbs. 6 reps.
Set 4: 405 lbs. 4 reps.
Set 5: 425 lbs. 4 reps. I had to use straps for these last two sets and am less of a man for doing so.
About 1-2 minutes of rest between each set. Fuck I love deadlifts for the sheer endorphins that one gets, I may wake up under a bridge one day, naked beside crack junkies and a set of barbells which will be a true testament to my addiction.
Circuit time!
- Drop down barbell rows. (Davey’s invented exercise that I absolutely cannot get enough of. 185lbs on a barbell, over hand grip, do a drop down and explode onto your feet doing a bent over barbell row. Go for explosiveness here and get your rhomboids all hot and bothered. 6-8 reps.
- Lat pull downs. (use this exercise to catch your breath after the last one. Slow controlled movement and contraction, isolating your lats and squeezing until you cannot squeeze any harder… that sounded kinda gay.) 8-10 reps
- Renegade rows (In pushup position holding two 40 lb dumbells, do an alternating row while maintaining a steady core. You may need to widen the stance in your feet for better balance.) 20 reps or 10 per arm
- Towlie pulles (on a squat rack have a barbell suspended and hang two towels from the middle. Grip them and hang doing a pull up row using only your body weight. Do add difficulty suspend your feet from a bench.) 12-15 reps
- Cardio (hope onto a piece of cardio equipment preferably a treadmill or a stair master and for 90 seconds go as fast as you can)
Rest for 2-3 minutes between each of these supersets. You should be sweatin’ pretty good by after the first set but muscle on through for another 3 rounds going through the entire routine 4 times. It’s great for fat burning, endurance, explosiveness and don’t forget the dead lifts for strength.
Life as of Late
I’ve been busy working 2 jobs and living back in Vancouver. Things are slow on the wrestling front as of late for obvious reasons. I have been a part of some notable local indy shows such as ECCW’s Pacific cup which I am always excited to be a part of and perform to the best of my ability. I had a rad time last night wrestling Tony Baroni in Vancouver which was a war. Tony is becoming a threat on the pacific northwest scene and has heaps of potential.
I‘m excited to get back to the US and keep the momentum rolling on throughout the fall. Chikara’s Young Lions cup should be cool and I’m super stoked on my first overseas wrestling venture to England on October 9th! I rocked the grouse grind this morning for the first time this year and it was awesome! For those that don’t know the grind is a 3 km steep incline hike up to the top of Grouse Mountain. It’s a gasser and has some beautiful scenery to back it up. Sweatin’ to the oldies on tape. New weekly tradition for sure, make sure you eat a hearty breakfast before tackling this beast, this includes coffesta! I’m also working a short screenplay about Zombies for an indie filmmaker and putting together ideas for my first novel! Well that’s it for now, keep training hard it always pays off!
Top of Grouse Mountain!
Vs Billy Suede 2010 Pacific Cup
Vs Tony Baroni Van City
PS I was told my blogs are uninteresting without pictures (how ignorant right?). So yeah some pics and more frequent blogs are a promise from my end.
Filed under: training
Chop some wood. I mean chop the shit out of some stumps. Get an axe, a sledgehammer and find a massive pile of oak stumps and chop the shit out of them until they are mobile and able to build a small log cabin out of. Or a teepee if that’s your style, unless you’re like me and you build a teepee inside of a log cabin to create a roaring fire not unlike the breath of a dragon that’s pissed at some mystical villagers.
8 hours. For 8 hours, split the wood. You’re aloud to take a break when needed and stay hydrated and well fed. Drink water, god never said it had to be cold, it just has to be wet. My first meal was a turkey sandwich with whole wheat bread, turkey slices, cucumber, avocado and mustard. About every 2.5 hours I had a small meal. To be followed by chicken and broccoli. I would highly recommend raw steak as well, to add to the lumberjack mentality make a sandwich, raw steak between two flapjacks. 3 energy drinks were consumed in the battle that waged in my own self doubt about the task at hand. Too hot for coffesta (I hate myself for saying that). Wear sunscreen for the sun is unforgiving. The shitty thing about wet, oak stumps is that they are stubborn and unrelenting, unwilling to split with ease. Start with an axe, once you hit the sweet spot a small crack might begin to emerge. Strike the stump laden axe with your sledgehammer and the sweet satisfying sound of grains of wood being ripped at the seams will nourish your ears. Now I know how Moses felt when he parted the red sea, that sea ‘aint shit, stumps, yeah. Highfive Moses.
“Swing low, sweet chariot.” Only when your hands bleed from your palms do you know it’s nearing the end of your workout. Abs, shoulders, back, arms and legs should be beat into submission and at that point continue for another hour. Chopping the shit out of wood is no easy task, yet is satisfying in its own right. Flannel plaid shirts and earflap touques are not a necessity despite common belief. On a bonus you’ll earn about 1000 ‘man points’ which are redeemable for $0.00 Canadian, but are exchangeable for a cold post workout beer, or in my case a protein shake and some BCAA supplements, and an immediate nap where you dream of… chopping more wood. Don’t wake up with slumber lumber, you might be a bit trigger happy.
Above all, Choppin’ wood should be fun. Laugh about it and question your own sanity. Take a look in the mirror and slap yourself for doing so. Why aren’t you out chopping more wood, winter’s coming.
PS. Keep a wide stance when chopping, one little slip is all you need to make a nasty mess, we’re making wood splints here, not shin splints, pun intended.
Filed under: training
The recent workout regimen has been consisting of plyometric and explosive workouts to strength and endurance. Today’s workout is a strength and endurance workout catered to legs and shoulders. Alternate each week from plyo to strength and conditioning.
7 am: Breakfast.
Today I had my sexual oatmeal again but tweaked it a little. ¾ cup of oats, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder, a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter and ½ cup of Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt has twice the amount of protein as regular yogurt with 1 cup having 24 grams! It’s a little bland but I sprinkled cinnamon on it and was lovin’ the lord. Of course this meal goes hand in hand with 2 cups of coffesta, and in case you forgot that’s 2 parts coffee 1 part fiesta. 240 mg caffeine, 36 grams carbohydrates, and 37 grams protein.
Warm up
Agility drills on the agility ladder.
30 seconds jump rope with high knees right into 30 seconds high knees with 6 lb dumbells alternating shoulder press. High intensity for 3 sets. Zero rest in between sets.
Barbell squats
Add powerlifting chains to the inside of the barbell before adding the plates. The chains add resistance as you lower yourself and rise again more chain comes up off the ground making the up phase that much more difficult. I’m not sure how much each set of chains weighs, I’d guess between 30 and 40 lbs.
Set 1. 225 lbs, 6 reps. (not including chains)
Set 2. 275 lbs, 5 reps.
Set 3. 315 lbs, 4 reps.
Set 4. 335 lbs, 3 reps.
Set 5. 345 lbs, 1 rep.
*For the record Davey squatted 405 lbs, that’s 4 plates per side not including chains!
Barbell shoulder press
Move the upright seat into position in the squat rack and keep the chains on for a set of heavy shoulder press. Do 2 sets heavy for 4-6 reps. Then lighten the load and do 2 sets for 12-16 reps.
Super set 1
Plie squats
Plie squats or sumo squats require a wider stance with your feet pointed outwards. Still lower yourself to 90 degrees on the downphase and breathing out on the up. Do 100 reps and switch right into…
Front/Lateral raise
With manageable dumbells alternate with each rep from a lateral raise to a front deltoid raise. 40 reps total.
Do each super set 3 times with zero/minimal rest. Total 300 squats and 120 front/lateral raises.
Super set 2
Hamstring curls. 30 reps.
Upright rows. 30 reps
Calf raises. 30 reps
Do each super set 3 times. Minimal rest.
Super set 3
Swiss ball bridge hamstring curl. 12 reps
Swiss ball hip bridges. 20 reps
Shoulder shrugs. 20 reps
Do each super set twice. Zero rest.
Post workout snack of a banana and a scoop of protein. Complete with stretching and a nap shortly thereafter. Fun!
Filed under: training
Workout of the day episode III.
Push day. After wrestling a solid thirty minute main event match on Saturday night what reason would I have to take the next day off from training? Possibly that I’m sore, or worn out, or that I’m lazy and a relaxing Sunday morning sounds too tempting. Fortunately this is not the case, Sunday workouts are the best! Davey worked the ROH show the previous night in Philly, and if he didn’t have an excuse to not be at the gym at 10am in St. Louis, what excuse did I have? The fact is that rising above and beyond, completing a training regimen that one is committed too is what separates the elite from the not so… We are all athletes in professional wrestling, I don’t care what anyone says, pro-wrestling is a sport. By no means am I encouraging overtraining or foolish persistence to train through injury. Everybody needs off days and time for their body to recover, rest is a virtue. I’m just trying to express my love for the Sunday morning training sesh and to encourage those to not be lazy once committed to something. I’m sure most workers can relate to the question of “Why do you do it?” Simply, because this is our job, and we take our job seriously.
8:30 am Breakfast. (Sunday does constitute a relative sleep-in)
¾ cup of oatmeal with a scoop of chocolate or vanilla protein powder. Both are acceptable. Add ½ cup of frozen blueberries, a healthy tablespoon of peanut butter and feel free to add a sprinkle of cinnamon. It is required that one enjoys 2 cups of black splenda-sweetened coffesta to complete the breakfast party. 240 mg caffeine, 27 grams protein, 54 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams fiber. A hearty start to the day and is remarkably delicious.
Warm up.
Agility drills on the ladder. Pivot on inside heals, weave throughs, butt kicks, high knees, hops etc. finish off with 4 sets of high knees while alternating shoulder pressing 15 lb. dumbells.
Medicine ball pushup pass: Find the heaviest medicine ball you can find and using a workout partner do a dropdown pushup and explode to your feet and pass the medicine ball to your partner while they do the same. For extra contraction hold a chest flex in between throws.
10 reps. 3 sets. 30 seconds rest (If you are training solo, you can place a bosu ball against a wall and pass the ball into the edge of the bosu, it’ll fly back at you)
One arm kettlebell bottom up clean and press: A slight difference in technique as the clean motion is more of a squat and swing through the legs. The bottom up press means that using your stabilizing strength in your wrists hold the handle with the bottom of the kettlebell upwards. This is a fairly advanced technique so be careful.
25 lbs. 10 reps per arm. 1 set.
Double Kettlebell squat military press: 52.7 lb Kettlebells. 6 reps. 4 sets. 30 seconds rest.
Barbell clean and press:
Set 1. 115 lbs. 6 reps
Set 2. 125 lbs. 5 reps
Set 3. 135 lbs. 5 reps
Set 4 145 lbs. 5 reps
Set 5 145 lbs. 5 reps
1-2 minutes rest.
Smith machine bench press throws: Using the smith squat/row/bench machine, do an explosive press and throw the weight as high as you can catching it into the down phase. Stay around 145 lbs, and around 6 reps. The key is explosiveness not strength, but you should be getting fatigued so strength is still a huge asset here.
6 reps, 4 sets. 1-2 minutes rest.
Plyo Pushups: Feet elevated on a bench and a step up platform underneath your chest, do a pushup and throw yourself up so that your hands are now on the platform, another pushup and continue.
10 reps, 3 sets.
Weighted dips. Feet and hands on opposing bench styles. Rest 2 plates on your lap. 3 sets of 20 reps.
Do some abs, it’s too hard to explain the exercise we did here without showing you firsthand. If you’re curious and see me in person, ask me to elaborate.
Finish off with some outdoor sprints.
5 sets of uphill wind sprints, 35 yard burts. 15 seconds rest.
4 sets of 50 yard flat sprints, backpeddle jog on the return. Zero rest.
These sprints should put the fear of god in you. With the humid slap of the Missouri sun in your face you should be sweating up a storm. The Vancouver rain is also a wonderful sprint setting. The good news now is that if you’ve been strict on your diet throughout the week, since it’s Sunday, you’ve earned a cheat meal! Try to have something somewhat healthy with a decent source of protein at the very least. I had a pad Thai with double chicken post workout… and a bison burger with yam fries for dinner… YUM! Party on Garth.
Filed under: training
When it comes to professional wrestling and other combat related sports, the style of training should be practical and relatable to one’s sport. In pro-wrestling for instance picture yourself in a “rest hold” or during the “heat” and going from little and controlled movement to an all out explosive burst during the next “spot”. Or grappling in Jiu-Jitsu, you explode to take someone down, and then calculate your next move whilst grappling on the mat with little wasted movement, only to explode again with a burst for a submission attempt.
When it comes to weight training most people get caught up in a bodybuilders mentality. I cannot emphasize enough how dangerous this style of training can be for those involved in combat sports. Your tendons and ligaments are often left neglected and you’re likely susceptible to injury. This is strictly my opinion however and while I agree, nothing beats a good pump on arms day, a series of explosive workouts 1 week out of the month can prepare your body for the stress of competitive sport.
Also, these quick and intense series of strength related, explosive workouts resemble the style of combat sports, specifically pro-wrestling. I can guarantee you won’t get blown up in the ring again with the simple alteration of your traditional workout regimen. You’ll stay mobile, flexible, strong able to perform to the best of your potential. I’d bank that most 155 lb fighters would beat the sweet holy Moses out of most 265 lb body builders.
7am, Breakfast. Oatmeal-egg white omelet. Blend a ½ cup of oatmeal with a cup of egg whites, begin cooking and add sliced turkey, spinach, avacado, tomato and onion. Serve with 2 cups of delicious coffesta. 240 mg caffeine, 340 calories, 36 grams protein, 32 grams carbohydrates and 6 grams of fiber. Cholula hot sauce on your eggs is most sexual, and they also make Splenda with fiber now! Hurrah!
Barbell Snatches
Explode for strength and power. Load up the Olympic barbell and using legs, hips and shoulders, snatch the weight over head and hold for a beat.
Set 1. 95 lbs. 6 reps.
Set 2. 115 lbs. 5 reps.
Set 3. 125 lbs. 5 reps.
Set 4. 130 lbs. 5 reps.
Set 5. 130 lbs. 5 reps. ( I only got 4 reps)
An excellent, practical, all around explosive exercise, 1-2 minutes rest between each set. A heart pumpin’, sweatin’ to-the-oldies good time.
Dropdown Rows
Using an Olympic barbell, this exercise has become one of my favorites. Gripping the barbell with an overhand grip, feet shoulder width apart, do a dropdown or sprawl, arching your lower back doing a “Hindu pushup”. Quickly hop back to your feet and do a bent over row. Keeping good form this exercise is again for strength and explosiveness and should be pounded out with speed.
Set 1. 185 lbs. 6 reps.
Set 2. 205 lbs. 6 reps.
Set 3. 235 lbs. 5 reps.
Set 4. 245 lbs. 5 reps.
Set 5. 255 lbs. 4 reps.
Utilizing grip strength this exercise has 3 main components. The drop down/Hindu pushup, which engages your erector spinae (lower back) and pectorals. The hop back into position using your quads and glutes, and the bent over row, which obviously hits most of your back (Lats, Rhomboids, rear delts, teres major, biceps etc.) 1-2 minutes rest between setty poo’s.
Super set #1
TRX Band Rows. (Hang TRX Bands from a pull-up bar, or you can use a lowered barbell on a squat rack and grip hanging towels.) With your feet suspended on a bench or with a workout partner holding your feet, do a hanging row pulling your body up keeping your elbows in tight. 10 reps.
High-pulls. (Olympic bar with a 35 lb. plate per side, overhand wide grip, stationary position) Sumo squat with feet turned outwards, explode up pulling the bar above nipple level like an upright row. 6-8 reps.
Complete super set 4 times. 45-60 seconds rest.
Super set #2
Back extensions. Arms in front of you contracting your back on the up phase. 12-15 reps.
Swiss ball hip bridges. Upper back on swiss ball, thrust your hips and arch your back swinging your arms to either side per rep, as in a bridging suplex motion. 10 reps per side.
Complete super set 4 times. No rest.
Well there’s a good explosive pulling emphasized back/shoulders workout. Make sure you get your stretch on now and cool off. And you should probably warm up before you start too, but that goes without saying. Keep reps and weight limited to what you can handle with your own discretion. Have fun!
Filed under: training
Things have been slow on the blog front as of late. A gig writing articles for an online content website has taken a lot of my time and has shortened my patience with the written word. Lots to report on however, Ring of Honor in Dayton/Chicago, EVOLVE 3 in Rahway, NJ and Dragon Gate USA in Ontario to be brief. Details to follow eventually, but because I’m bored here’s the workout Wes and I did this morning at 7am. After two cups of Coffesta’ (Obvs) and a bowl of Kashi go lean cereal with a scoop of protein. 240 grams caffeine, 320 calories, 37 grams protein, 45 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams of fiber and some good laughs, all of which is good for poopin’.
Super set #1
2 minutes of agility drills on an agility ladder. (various weaves, high knees, jumps, pivots etc.)
1 minute high intensity jump rope (high knees.)
10 reps medicine ball bounces. (Raise medicine ball over head and slam it down explosively.)
Complete Super set 3 times, no rest.
Super set #2
Depth Box Jumps. (Set up 4 boxes ranging in height smallest to largest. Jump from box to ground to box, 3 times down the line)
Dropdown medicine ball squat jumps. (Drop down and sprawl with a handled medicine ball exploding to your feet, squat and jump pressing the ball over your head) 8 reps.
Complete super set 5 times, 45 seconds rest between each.
Super set #3
Smith machine leg press throws. (2 plates per side press and launch the platform catching it back into the squat) 15 reps
Kettlebell two armed long cycle press. (Swinging 65 lb kettle bell between legs with slight squat, popping your hips, explode the kettle bell over head, slight bend in elbows.) 8 reps
Complete super set 4 times, 45 seconds rest between sets.
Super set #4
Stationary Distance jumps. (Roughly 5 ft. continuous jumps for distance.) 12 reps
Suicides. (Line touch sprints. Use your own discretion on distance but it should be an all out burst of speed from each line that you touch back and forth.)
Complete super set 3 times. 1-2 minute rest between sets.
Finish off with 6 sets of 10 ab rollers with your knees on a bosu ball. You can use a swiss ball to roll but an ab roller is preferred. If with a partner have the other hold an ab plank while the other completes the reps and vise versa. No rest.
At this point you should be pretty drenched with sweat and seeing Jesus Christ when you close your eyes. This is a good plyometric workout, which focuses on fat burning, agility and leg explosiveness/endurance. Have fun!
Filed under: training
I excitedly and nervously lace the pair of wrestling shoes I borrowed from Dan. I had yet to have my own wrestling shoes yet, my gear is shiny and unworn. Sitting, reflecting on what this had all been built up to, I had always wanted to be a wrestler, this is where it begins. We’re all excited, it had been a strenuous and painful 6 months since first stepping foot into the slam academy. Our trainer and mentor sits us down and gives us some final words of wisdom before our big debut. Halloween Hell, October 25, 2005. My fellow professional wrestling trainees and myself are about to have our first match. Some of my best friends are here to watch me, some of my best friends I’m battling in the ring. At this moment it all feels like such a climatic and significant event in my life, my career. I realize now in the grand scheme of things, that it is not but a drop of sweat into the bucket that is filling drastically.
My outlook on professional wrestling has changed a lot in the now 4 years since I had my first match. My hopes and aspirations for instance. The ways I train my self, and the way I perform. I’ve had the privilege to be work both face and heel throughout my career, and have really been finding myself lately in ‘heel Kyle O’reilly’. It’s so much easier being a bad guy I find, for instance of comparison. Walk up to a random girl in a bar, it’s a lot easier to get slapped in the face then it is to take her home to bed. But I’ve never liked taking the easy route anyways; this entire journey has been about sacrifice, blood and sweat. Not to be confused with Jesus.
Training:
Professional wrestling is a sport, plain and simple. I don’t care what anyone says, but if you work hard, sweat and risk potential injury you’re pretty much in a professional sports mentality. When I was being trained, my mentor Aaron Idol repeated to us a quote that his trainer told him and his trainer before him etc. Originating back to the Hart family dungeon. “99% of wrestlers are just pretending to be wrestlers.” That quote will stick with me forever, or at least as long as I’m remaining in that other 1% of the wrestling population. What sets the other percentage apart is legitimacy. When you walk into the locker room and see ‘Back Alley goddamn Sally’ wearing ripped jean shorts, a ridiculous gut hidden by a mustard stained wife beater, clearly has no athletic background. Are people supposed to believe that this guy is going to kick my ass? Wrestling is all about perception and aura, but insulting the intelligence of the fans paying money is just in bad taste. Now don’t get me wrong I will always work my hardest regardless of the situation and do whatever the promoter wants, I’m just trying to get a point across.
To increase legitimacy one must be in peak physical condition and educated through combat. Now don’t get me wrong, some of the greatest professional wrestlers that ever lived, were nothing more than professional wrestlers. However, more of the greatest professional wrestlers were legitimate ass kickers. How can one expect to be a professional without first being an amateur? Lou Thesz, who many consider the greatest wrestler of all time, trained World War II soldiers for hand-to-hand combat. Karl Gotch, was known as “God of Pro Wrestling” due to his influence in shaping the Japanese professional wrestling style. He developed the most rigorous workout regimen world over known as ‘Combat conditioning’ and invented the German Suplex. He was also a Holocaust survivor. Stu Hart, the father of Bret Hart and Owen Hart, wrestled a tiger and a grizzly bear, shoot. Guys like Thesz, Gotch and Stu are the reasons pro wrestling came to be, because they were legit and believable. I guess the revolution of pro wrestling in the 21st century is to bring back that mentality.
With my pilgrimage into the MMA world I am simply bringing an aura to my character. The more of an actual threat I am, the more believable of a professional wrestler I am. If I am going to throw kicks, well then I sure as hell better be trained in kicking. You see so many guys these days with their taped up kick pads over running shoes trying to kick somebody without any precision or forethought for that matter. If I am going to be grappling with somebody fighting for position, then I had better be trained in amateur wrestling, or submissions and Jiu-jitsu etc. So my 4 nights a week at Absolute martial arts have been paying off. Still a tad reluctant with my elbow (which has healed well) so the second anyone gets close to an arm bar/shoulder lock /kimura on it I tap immediately. Not wanting to risk another two weeks of agony, however I find the need for me to tap a rarity. I’ve attacked with 2 crucifixes this past week! Getting better every day, although I’m nowhere near ready to take on a grizzly.
My style of weight training has also been drastically altered through my moving to St. Louis. Previously I had been stuck in this mindset of bodybuilding. Getting bigger muscles, 3 sets of 12, different muscle group daily, program changeup every 3 weeks. I am obviously not a body builder, what justifies training like one? I’m thoroughly confident the reason I tore my MCL in May was because I had been training like a body builder. Muscle hypertrophy without proper plyometric and endurance training leaves tendons and ligaments weakened. It’s just not practical to what I am doing in the ring, as an athlete. What we have been doing here is an advanced circuit, altering from a heavy strength set, to an explosive set, to an endurance set, continuous circuit in a split muscle group routine. Every week this will change to 2-3 full body circuit workouts. This style of training is so much more practical to wrestling in the sense that we’re constantly moving, exerting ridiculous strength maxing out one’s bodies potential. When someone’s life is in my hands in the ring I don’t want have to take a ‘rest before the next set’ I want to be able to fight through fatigue and keep on moving. For example:
Chest and back day:
Warm up jumping robe for three rounds of 5 minutes.
Heavy set dead lift. Warm up 4-6 reps of 135 lbs. (save your strength)
Heavy set flat barbell bench press. Warm up 4-6 reps of 135 lbs.
The next sets are to be done back-to-back, minimal rest.
Dead lift NFL bench press test (225 lbs.)
1. 225 lbs. 8 reps 1. Maximum reps. 10
2. 315 lbs. 6 reps 2. Maximum reps. 7 (getting tired)
3. 415 lbs. 2 reps 3. Maximum reps. 5 (lord help me)
4. 485 lbs. 1 rep 4. Maximum reps. 5 (ouch)
Okay time for explosiveness.
Medicine ball throwing pushups: with a partner or a wall, toss a medicine ball using your chest, then catch it, do a dropdown, pushup and up again and throw. 25 reps. Last 5 reps should be barely attainable whichever the rep range you decide to follow.
Right away into a dive-bomber barbell bent over back row. So basically a 135 lb Olympic barbell is set up, do a drop down with hands on the barbell, do almost a ‘dive bomber’ or ‘Hindu’ pushup with an exaggeration on arching your back contracting your erector spinae. Pop back up to your feet and do an explosive bent over barbell row, then back down and do it again. 8 reps. Do these exercises back to back for a total of 3 sets each.
If you are not completely drenched in sweat, and seeing the lord by this point then you are clearly a robot sent back through time to kill John Connor.
Endurance sets.
Wide grip lat pull downs and chest dips. On the pull downs start as heavy as you can muster and gradually decrease the weight as you need to, but make sure you do whatever it takes to get 50 reps. Same for dips, bodyweight only, take breaks when needed, but get to 50 reps.
Phew, great workout! So this would continue through out the week another 2 days with a 1-day break. Legs and arms day. And a shoulders day. Of course alternating exercises as the weeks progress, but the same formula. You’ll get tired as hell, but when it comes down to working in the ring, you wont be blown up. Full body workouts are quite ridiculous as well. I will be posting a leg workout and a full body workout in the near future.
There should be no shortcuts in the way one trains themselves for a sport. If you are a wrestler and you truly believe this is what you want and what you are, you should strongly believe that Pro wrestling is a sport. You should be making sure you are not a hazard and liable to seriously injure somebody. Feel passionate about what you are and what you want to become, take your training seriously and love every second of it.
As far as my personal life has been going since my departure, things on the job front are successful. I got in contact with a local landlord through my kickboxing class. Apparently being a landlord warrants a lot of stress that one needs to burn off through demolishing a kicking shield. I explained my background in construction and basic handymanism… It’s a word, look it up. So I have been renovating apartments for the last 3 weeks and enjoying myself greatly. Lunch breaks consist of going to the kickboxing gym for Muay Thai class. Working as a personal trainer is all fine and dandy pretending to be friendly and courteous and “Oh you just don’t like the taste of diet sody pops” alright then.. “What are you, 10?” Demolishing a kitchen and rebuilding it, working with tools and my bloody, dust-covered hands has no equal in manliness. I’m also learning a lot, as far as plumbing and electrical goes. Growing up with a father who is a literal ‘Rick of all trades has benefited me greatly. All through out my life, my dad was working on various projects from renovating our kitchen a record 4 times to building a canoe and 2 kayaks. He built the house I slept in as a baby, and the bed I slept in as a kid. I’ve always been so grateful for my Dad being the ultimate perfectionist handyman. I didn’t know any other kids on my block that made there own toys out of scrap wood and nails. Worst racing car ever, but still the point remains. Like battered and worn leather, Dad’s calloused hands pat me on the back as he proudly watches his son take an interest into his life’s work. Christmas, he designs a banana rack to make for my mom, or a shelf for holding our cookbooks. He helps me every step of the way building my confidence around the roaring blades of destruction that is carpentry machinery. Helping me nervously build a present for a previous girlfriend, or sending me in the right direction for building a wine box for Jessica’s graphic design project. Endless hours he spends in that garage, designing, working, getting covered with oil, or sawdust or metal shavings. I remember the first time, but certainly not the last time, a saw cut me. I must have been no older than 7, making a new toy. I was using his orange handled handsaw with a piece of wood shoved unsteadily into his familiar gray vise. I slipped and sliced my left pointer finger. Blood went everywhere, and I had never seen so much of it. I freaked out and began crying, Dad grabs me over his shoulder runs me upstairs and hands me off to mom, the nurse awaiting with a towel for pressure. Dad goes back downstairs and continues what he was working on, no time for incompetent kids. I still have the scar; I’d have my revenge.
A ONE ACT PLAY
Scene is at the Greenwood family garage, door is open. Kyle (7 I think) shoots a hockey ball against the cement barrier. Rick is working on a table saw, working on another masterpiece.
KYLE: Dad, I’m hungry!
RICK: okey kidd, just gimme another minute here.
Kyle now anxiously jumping around unaware of surroundings.
KYLE: Dad, I’m hungry! Fooooood, food food food food.
RICK: Yumpin Yiminee’s kidd, yeah yeah. AH!! Fuck!
Rick cutting off the tip of his pinky applying pressure to his disfigured digit and runs inside. Dialogue comes from offstage, as Kyle remains stage left, confused. Grandpa’s voice is thick Scottish accent.
RICK: Tommy! Tommy! You gotta take me to the clinic eh.
GRANDPA: Whaat did ee do then, Rrrick. Oh Jesus, Oh Christ.
Rick and Grandpa with cigarette in mouth, run back onstage, outside towards Grandpa’s car, Blue Mazda 626. Rick clutching at his hand with paper towels.
GRANDPA: Juss hang teet wee Kylie, Yer Dad’s cut he’s finga.
Car peels out leaving Kyle, for the first time in his life, home alone.
END OF ACT 1.
Dad still blames me to this day for ruining his pinky, says I was hungry. I love my Dad. His ability to always show calmness and reserve as always gained my admiration.
So I found the time to finally write a new blog with coming down with a sickness. I guess overtraining mixed with working in the rain is a leading factor. A few days rest combined with obscene amounts of Vitamin D-3 and vitamin C has helped me regain composure to think clearly. With the upcoming flu season I strongly advise anyone to purchase some vitamin D-3, in excessive amounts ranging from 4000 – 8000 iu’s a day, leaves little room for a virus to survive in your body. Also hydrating adequately and getting lots of rest is important as well. I’ve also found that gargling salt water has helped clean my throat and prevented the multiplication of germs. Anyways it’s somewhat depressing to be stuck inside on a beautiful day, Halloween to boot. Looking forward to feeling better tomorrow and be back to my determined self. For this week I’m heading to Philadelphia on Wednesday night for the Ring of Honor national TV tapings for HDnet. And on Saturday, Edison, New Jersey for a ROH house show. Looking forward to being on the road again. Don’t eat any tainted candy anybody. And remember, hard work needs to be rewarded, laziness needs to be punished.
K
