Thursday, September 27, 2007

New MMA Weekly Article

In case you didn't see it, my new article "Working Smart or Working Hard" is up at MMA Weekly. Check it out.

LINK

Wiggy

PS - Don't forget the deal I'm running - get Working Class Fitness - The Programs for ONLY $10! Just go to www.paypal.com and send $10 (USD) to sales@workingclassfitness.com

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Ok, I'll Just Post It...$10

If you get my Working Class Fitness Newsletter (the link to subscribe is over on the right side of the page), you know about the deal I've been offering on Working Class Fitness - The Programs. You can get it for $10. Yep - that's right. TEN BUCKS. That's almost 75% off.

The response via the Newsletter has been AMAZING so far. I want to tell even more folks about it, so I figured "What the hell - I'll just post the deal on the blog."

So here is what I sent out in the newsletter...

**********************

Well, let's get into the deal I have for you. Trust me when I say this is probably the best deal I've ever offered.

You know how above, I was talking about Instinctive Training, and how sometimes you have to go with that "gut feeling?" There might not be a rhyme or reason to it, but you just know that you're supposed to do something?

Well, for the past few days, I've had a gut feeling about a few things - and doing this is one of them. I'm not sure why I'm supposed to do this, but I just am - so, I'm going to.

I've been extremely fortunate in areas of my life as of late, and I want to "spread the wealth" (for lack of a better term). So, that's why I'm offering up my best-selling "Working Class Fitness - The Programs" at a HUGE discount.

Normally, "Working Class Fitness - The Programs" goes for $39 - and it sells like hot-cakes...as it should - that's a helluva deal. But I won't get into all that - you can read my ad copy on www.workingclassfitness.com for that.

Here is what I'm going to do - I'm not going to offer it for 25% off. Not for 30%. Not even for 50% off. How about ALMOST 75% OFF!!!!

Yeah, you read it right - ALMOST 75% OFF!!

For a limited time (and I don't know how limited) you can get "Working Class Fitness - The Programs" for $10.

Yeah, you read that right, too - only TEN BUCKS.

Like I said, though - the offer is going to be limited. I'm not sure how limited, though. It could only be a day, it could be until this weekend, it could be a week - I just don't know. So you'd better jump on this one RIGHT NOW!!

Why am I doing this? Again, because something in my gut is telling me to. I want EVERYBODY to be able to get into great shape. My programs can help them. And at $10, there's no reason not to. If you say you can't afford the $10, then it's *you* who is choosing not to do it.

As great of a deal as this is, you *do* have to do a little work for it. I don't have any sort of fancy order page, or specialized form for this deal. If you want the deal of a lifetime, all you have to do is go to www.paypal.com, and send $10 (USD) to sales@workingclassfitness.com

This is for Working Class Fitness Newsletter subscribers only though, so when you make the payment, make sure you put "Newsletter Special" in the little comments section.

This deal is only available through PayPal - if you don't have a PayPal account, or don't want to use PayPal, then I'm sorry. I guess you're outta luck. But for the PHENOMENAL DEAL you're getting, isn't it worth getting over yourself just for a few minutes?

Like I say, go to www.paypal.com, and send $10 to sales@workingclassfitness.com

You'll spend more than $10 on a lot less usefull things - and probably today. Why not get something that will help you get into the best shape of your life?


**********************

So that's the deal. PayPal $10 to sales@workingclassfitness.com and you'll get Working Class Fitness - The Programs.

But don't mess around - I probably ain't gonna be doing this much longer...

Wiggy

Last Night's Workout - "Get Stupid"

Every now and then I decide to just have a real kick-ass workout, and just get kinda crazy. These workouts usually just kick my tail up, down, left, right, and everywhere in between. When I do these workouts, I calling them "getting stupid."

Well, last night, I decided to "get stupid." :-)

I wanted to do some bodyweight/circuit type stuff before some conditioning, so here is what I did.

-Burpees Plus* x 50 (not sure how many sets - 6 total, I think - rest was no more than 30-40 secs between sets)

*What I'm calling "Burpees Plus" are probably called other names around the internet. Each rep started standing holding a pair of 35 lb. DBs. Squat down, put DBs on floor, and kick feet back into wide stance. Do a pushup holding onto DBs. Then Renegade Row each DB once. Kick feet back forward to outside of DBs. Thrusting with the hips, clean both DBs to shoulders. Lower DBs to waist. This all = 1 rep.

After resting a couple minutes, I some conditioning:

-MFD on elliptical trainer x 20 mins

I'm not sure how fast I was going in terms of MPH or anything along those lines. I just put the resistance level on "4" (not overly hard, but not easy either - kinda like running in sand a couple inches deep) and kept RPM at 75+.

By the end I was beat, but felt great. Today I'm not sore, but have that kinda "tingly" feeling all over - I know I worked every muscle last night. :-)

Tonight it'll be strength work followed some more conditioning.

Wiggy

PS - I'm thinking of switching up my workouts a little to a slightly modified version of Program #6 from Working Class Fitness - The Programs. What's Working Class Fitness - The Programs? Just the most kick-ass workout programs you're ever gonna find. Want to master your bodyweight? This is the way. Go to www.workingclassfitness.com to find out more.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

New Edition of "Working Class Fitness Newsletter"

I just sent out the new edition of the "Working Class Fitness Newsletter." In this issue, I discuss Instinctive Training, why Sunflower Seeds can be a great diet snack, and how to get almost 75% OFF of Working Class Fitness - The Programs.

Yeah, I said almost 75% off. No catch. It's just what I "had to do." Better hurry, though, if you want to take advantage.

Not a subscriber? Sign up link is just to the right. I'll make sure you get a copy ASAP.

Wiggy

Is Strength Overrated?

About a week or so ago, there was a thread over at the mma.tv S&C forum where somebody asked what a good strength-training program would be for wrestlers.

Another forum member then posted the following:

I've recently been told that "limit strength", aka the amount one can lift for 1-3 reps, is vastly overrated for grappling/fighting. From what these guys say, Metcon workouts, i.e., Javorek complexes, kettlebell workouts, and Crossfit-type workouts are more beneficial for developing the energy sytems and strength used in wrestling/grapppling/fighting.

Here was my response:

"I've recently been told that "limit strength", aka the amount one can lift for 1-3 reps, is vastly overrated for grappling/fighting."

I'm SOOOOOOO tired of hearing this.

Yes, conditioning (as is overall conditioning - cardiovascular/cardiorespiratory, muscular, strenth/power-endurance, etc) is more beneficial than limit strength.

HOWEVER, if your limit strength levels are way under par - i.e. you simply aren't strong enough to compete, then you'd better do some strength work. I'm not saying it's all you should do, but the trend/tendency I'm seeing is to shy away from limit strength work altogether - which is just as foolish as doing nothing but limit strength work.


Two different forum members later posted:

Wiggy, I'm just as tired about people talking about how much they bench. The vast majority of guys ignore the conditioning part of S&C, that's why there is so much talk about how limit strength is overrated.
[Edit: I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just venting]


and

A nice article, and it applies just as well to MMA. The skill portion trumps all. Both strength and cardio are only necessary at the minimum levels. There's no point in spending ,ore time on conditioning and strength than you absolutely need, when your skills are so critical. Just look at Rich Franklin vs Anderson Silva....
http://www.higher-faster-sports.com/speedtraining.html

Now the rest of this article might seem to contradict what I'm about to say but I'm gonna say it anyway. I know a lot of people reading this are gonna be football players who want to get faster and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm gonna talk about getting fast. Yet before I begin, I want to say that I believe a lot of people would be better off paying more attention to their game instead of obsessing so much about their "40 times" and all these other "measures" of athletic ability. If you want to be a football player then be a football player. Learn the ins and outs of the game of football and learn to play your position with technique. There are 2 speeds in the game of football. Fast enough and too slow. Either you're fast enough to play or you aren't. Same goes for size and height. Either you're big and tall enough to play at a certain level or you're not. At each level the minimum requirements increase. Yet as long as you meet the minimums for speed, height, and weight, the rest is about football.

There are damn good running backs in the NFL like Priest Holmes who ran 4.75 over 40 yards and other guys that ran 4.2s. That's a pretty wide range. There are "smallish" all pro cornerbacks running "slow" 4.65s. Any improvements you can make in your football playing technique and knowledge will improve your game speed just as much if not more then improving your straight ahead sprinters speed will.

Double post, but basically you only realy need to depend on strength training if you're being overpowered. Basic lifts work just fine. In Rippletoe's programming book, he makes the point that very few athletes need super specialized programs. After all, most of them don't focus on strength training year round.

Super specialized kettlebell/olympic specialization/reverse wave cycling periodization/whatever super advanced technique mainly returns the most to the professional athlete who gets paid enough that the investment is worth it financially...


To which I replied:

Todd,

I agree with you, but it just seems to be one extreme or the other. People go from "how much can you bench?" to "you don't need to do strength work." It's neither one - you actually *need* to do both.

I guess it kinda goes back to an article I had published not too long ago at MMA Weekly about "fanboys" - I'm tired of people jumping on a bandwagon, and thinking that all they have to do is "this" or "that" or they never have to do "this" or "that." It just kinda grinds my gears...

manfromyard,

I agree with what you're saying, but unfortunately, football ability isn't the only factor(s) considered when getting into the NFL, or these days, a good college/university scholarship. Guys can go to the combine, score really well on test that really don't have much (if any) bearing on how they play the game of football, and it can (in the case of the pros) make them millions of dollars. That is why there is so much emphasis on many of these things as it relates to football - not b/c it can make you a better player, but it can make you money (either pro or in the form of a scholarship).

You do bring up a good point though - many coaches discuss speed (I see this with a few EliteFTS coaches) as the ability to run fast. That, IMO, is only one component of speed. Take a boxer - you can't sprint/run fast, as there isn't anywhere to run to! But you can be quick to avoid getting hit, and hitting your opponent. Now, I realize that a lot of this might be reaction time (as opposed to power induced speed), but if you can't move your body, you can see something coming all day long - you still won't get out of the way.

*shrug*


To boil it all down - you can't depend on just strength, just endurance, just cardiovascular conditioning, or "just" anything else. You need to be complete in order to compete.

Wiggy

PS - If you wanna be "complete" then be sure to check out the workout programs that will help you master bodyweight like you never thought you could...

Last Night's Workout + Thoughts on Program Design

Had a KICK-ASS workout last night:

Strength Work:

-Weighted Dips x 25 reps (as many sets as needed - in this case 3)
-Bent Rows x 25 reps (2 sets - REALLY strong tonight)
-DB Snatch x 15 reps (2 sets)
-Tuck Jumps over a bench x 10 reps (1 set)
-DB Curls x 20 reps (3 sets)

Conditioning:

-MFD on Elliptical x 20 mins

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These simple, yet hard workouts are going great. I'm currently using a 2-day split. Day 1 is Strength + Conditioning, as in the above. Day 2 is Circuits/Complexes + Conditioning in the form either MFD again or intervals.

I'm using the 2-day split basically b/c work is so hectic and erratic. I never know when I might have to work OT, and seeing as how I'm working 12 hours (don't leave the office until 7:30-8:00 pm EVERYDAY) as it is, OT = late. And if we get IDF in the middle of the night and have to go to the bunker, well, that means little sleep.

A 2-day split is good b/c I just keep going until I need a day off. And if I can't get to the gym or a day or three, then I'm never getting "behind." Rather, if I was working on let's say a 4-day rotation, I might be constantly getting behind, doing workouts when they're not scheduled, etc.

For example, if you take a look at the Sprinting Program in Working Class Fitness - The Programs, the lower-body strength work was designed to be done so many days after the sprint work. This is for maximum recovery for both.

Well, in my case, I can't always stick to a certain program like that. So, the 2-day split I have put together lets me never really get "behind." There are more effective ways to train, but this is going great for me in the circumstances I'm in.

And as far as choosing how to put the program together, I sort of merged principles of Programs #5 and #6.

Wiggy

PS - If you want Workout Programs that make what I'm doing look like crap, then be sure to hit up my site and see what Working Class Fitness - The Programs is all about, and why people all over the WORLD are mastering their bodyweight like they never thougth possible!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Last Night's Workout

Didn't really feel like working out last night (haven't been sleeping well as of late), but knew I had to get *some* work in, so I went in to just do some easy conditioning. After I got started/warmed up, I ended up feeling pretty good. Just goes to show that you have to really pay attention to yourself - there is a big difference between needing a day off, and just being lazy. Had I really needed the day off (which I knew I didn't), I've been training enough to know that soon after getting started, my body would've told me "Nope - this is a no-no. Take it easy today." And it didn't tell me that.

Conditioning on Treadmill

-5 min easy warmup

-Intervals: 40 secs sprint, 20 secs rest
*Repeat 10x

-5 min cool down

Then I did 3 rounds of a workout called "The Magic 50" from Ross Enamait:

-Burpees x 10
-DB Snatch x 5 (each side)
-DB Swing x 5 (each side)
*Repeat 3x

Ended up having a great workout!

Wiggy

Sunday, September 09, 2007

New Article at MMA Weekly...

My new article, "Russian Mumbo Jumbo?" is up at MMA Weekly. Check it Out.

LINK

Wiggy

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Life Imitates Art? + Last Night's Workout

You know how when a movie is made, and then something in real-life happens that is very similar, they say that "life is imitating art?" Well, that sorta happened to me yesterday.

You know how I'm always saying that for us "regular folk," you never know when physical challenges might arise, and you have to be in shape to meet them? Well, I like to not to only be able to meet them, but crust them like an ant, but that's another story... ;-)

Well, yesterday (and I won't bore you with the long story as to why/how), I ended up on "sandbag detail" here in Iraq. Basically, we're hauling and stacking sandbags for Force Protection reasons. Now, these sandbags aren't heavy (probably between 10-15 and 35-40 lbs. each, depending on how much sand was put into a bag.

The way it worked was simple, there would be a pallet of sandbags, and we'd line up, handing them from one person to another assembly-line style, until it got to the end of the line, who did the stacking. The work wasn't "hard", but it was hot out, and it was fairly consistent. Keep the bags moving, keep the bags moving...

If you weren't in shape (and there were a few guys out there who weren't!), you'd get winded pretty quick, and tire easily. Not me though - I felt great. I look at this sort of stuff as a workout - and always try to outwork everybody there. In fact, I started "talking trash" to the other guys to see who could keep up!

We only ended up being out there for an hour, but some of the guys were toast. I've seen one or two today, and they're tired and sore. Not me though - I felt great and was "itching" for more! In fact, it seemed to tune me up for the night's workout!

A couple hours later, here is what I did:

Strength Work:
-Weighted Dips x 25 reps (as many sets as needed - 3 sets)
-DB Snatches x 25 reps each side (4 sets)
-DB Curls x 20 reps each side (4 sets)

Conditioning:

-MFD on Elliptical Trainer x 25 min

Prehab:

-Band Cuban Presses: 2 sets x 12 reps

Got done, took a shower, and felt AWESOME! I'll be back out there loading sandbags today - can't wait! ;-)

Wiggy

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Personlized Programs

I'm thinking of taking a couple of online personal training clients.

If you'd be interested in having my personally designing your fitness program, let me know. Send me an email - wiggy [at] workingclassfitness.com

Price and how many clients I'll take on is TBD, depending on how much interest there is.

Wiggy

Last Two Workouts

Here's my last two workouts:

Monday - 03-Sept-07

Strength Work:

-Weighted Dips x 25 reps (as many sets as needed - in this case 4 sets)
-DB Rows x 25 reps each side (4 sets)
-Snatch Grip DL x 25 reps (5 sets)

Complex (a DB version of John Davies' Bear Complex):
-1 DB Snatch/Front Squat: 3 x 1/2 (each side)
-1 DB Snatch/Front Squat: 3 x 2/1 (each side)
-2 DB Front Squat/PushPress: 3 x 1/2
-2 DB Front Squat/PushPress: 3 x 2/1
-1 DB Snatch/PushPress: 3 x 1/2 (each side)
-1 DB Snatch/PushPress: 3 x 1/2 (each side)

Conditioning Finisher:

-Elliptical x 10 min @ *easy* pace

Tuesday - 04-Sept-07

Conditioning on Elliptical Trainer:

-5 min warmup

-1 min VERY hard pace
-4 min medium pace
* Repeat 5x

-5 min cooldown

This will be the type of workout program I'll be on the for the next few months - probably until I come home for R&R just before Christmas. Basing it on my Program #1 from "Working Class Fitness - The Programs", I like the 2-day split, as it gets a lot done quick, is easy to focus on, and if I have to skip a day here or there for whatever reason (you can never totally depend on any schedule out here), then I'm not "behind" or out of order - I just pick up where I left off.

Like I said in my last post, I'll be doing some traveling soon, and am not sure of whether or not I'll be able to hit the gym while doing so, so I'll be hitting this hard until I leave.

Wiggy

Updates

Man, what a week or so. First I was supposed to travel for some short-term work to another site. After roughly 36 hours of last-minute plans, changes, updates, and hurrying, I was right back at my desk at my current site - gone nowhwere and got nothing done. ;-) My trip has actually been re-schuduled, so I'll be traveling soon to work a few days at another site.

Then I tweaked the @#$% out of my lower back, and had a hard time even walking for about 4 days. I'm not sure what I even did - I just woke up one day and I was twisted up like a pretzel. I'm not much on taking medicine if I don't have to, but I gotta say, I was eating motrin like peanuts, lol!

Well, now I'm better, and got back to working out a couple days ago. Check my next entry (which will actually be above this one) for my last couple workouts. As I probably won't be able to workout while I'm traveling (at least I won't be able to hit the gym, I'll crank out some basic squats, pushups, and such in I have some space in wherever living quarter they set me up in), I'll be hitting the workouts really hard the next few days.

I was sorry to hear that Arthur Jones recently passed away. I don't necessarily agree with everything that Jones espoused, but I give the guy credit for the guts to buck the status quo, and drive forward with what he believed in. And the guy made a bunch of coin in the process.

106 more days before I'm back in the States for R&R. It's still a little way off, but the end is in sight... ;-)

Wiggy