Workout #36

Today the trainer had to go, so I was in an open gym time. I had the whole gym to myself. While some people can break a sweat and work out really hard by themselves, that's much harder for me to do. I need others around me. This was the lightest workout I've had since I've started boxing.

Rounds: 12

1. Jump rope 2
2. Shadow boxing 2
3. Shadow footwork 2
4. Heavy bag 1
5. Speed 5

Without mitts or sparring, I realize that it's hard to break a full sweat especially now that it's winter. Again, some others can push themselves really hard in the gym even if they are alone, but I can't do that. I guess that's why I like sparring so much. 

Workout #35

For the last 2 months since I started boxing, the majority of the weeks I have been home I've gone 5x/week. The last few weeks I've gone a lot less, and this week I've gone 2x. My shoulder pain has been increasing, and so I've decided to go less. Maybe 2-3x/week depending on how my shoulders feel. The other times, I'm trying to work on my conditioning for my match.

Total rounds: 13

1. Jump rope - 1

2. Shadow boxing - 3.5

3. Sparring - 2

• This is my 2nd time sparring GerryC. He has no interest in entering any matches or even sparring much. 
• He has a really strong right and a powerful left hook. I remember last time when he got me with a straight right pretty hard, so this time I tried to reign jabs on him. I tried varying single, double, feints, side, moving around, etc. Of course my conditioning still prevented me from doing all that I wanted to do. 
• The first round was kind of light, but as I was able to get him with my jab he started coming inside more. He's very quick to the body, but again like most of us beginners he keeps his head down too long so I pretty much simultaneously hit his head with my jab or uppercut when he went to the body. That's probably a good trade-off for a short 3 round fight vs. a 15 round fight when the body will eventually wear you down. 
• The 2nd round, I was really tired. GerryC is in great shape, and so he kept on coming. The last minute or so, he swung really hard a few times and I was able to surprisingly move away from most of them. I've been practicing the jab, lean back, jab move and so once I started incorporating it I just ended up leaning back even though I didn't see his right. This rhythm is important. 
• Right before the bell, he came inside and hit me at least 5 times with the body a few times to the head, and I probably hit him 8-10 times in the head. I did jabs, uppercuts, hooks, and just went left-right-left-right-left-right, and after a while he felt his head bouncing around a lot so he kind of backed off a bit. Of course we were only going about 50% with full face headgear, but he felt it more than I did mostly b/c I had leverage. The more I hit him in the head his body shots were getting weaker so I couldn't feel them much. Still, it's the most I've ever hit anyone and the most I've ever been hit. 
• The head trainer says although it's a good tradeoff, after I hit him a bunch of times I may want to get out of there by back stepping or spinning around since he could always get me with a wild strike if I stay inside too long since my back was to the corner ropes. 

4. Mitts - 2

5. Speed bag - 3.5

6. Shadow footwork - 1

Workout #34

Today was my toughest workout in 34 workouts. I've been riding my bike for 2hours total throughout the day commuting, so I was pretty tired before going to the gym. See below:

Total rounds: 10

1. Jump Rope - 1
2. Shadow Boxing - 2.5
3. Light Sparring - 2

• The trainer told me to spar before I do mitts so he can see again what I need to work on. He told me only do jabs or jan-rights, and told me not to do any uppercuts until I can learn how to slip better. 
• Mostly it's my conditioning. SugarRayL is in fantastic shape. We only touched so didn't hit very hard, and he tapped me multiple times to the body, to the head, even though I was taller than him. I did get him a few times with my jabs and rights, but overall he got me multiple times and would have one for sure if we were in a real match. 
• He's so fast and moves so quickly, that by the 2nd round I was so darn tired and it showed. I quit moving my feet and I quit keeping my guard up. 
• The reason the tough trainer is telling me not to use uppercuts is that he said that for uppercuts one has to slip so one's head is to the side, not only to generate power but it's much easier to block and harder to hit. He said my uppercuts are such that my head doesn't move at all. He said I could get hit very easily. I then asked him what I should do in terms of the uppercut, and he said forget it I'm not at that stage. He said if I want to do well in the match, just focus on my jabs which are my strength, and then when I get the opportunity really hammer hard with my right. He said the variety of doing 1-2, or 1-1-2, can easily win me my match in my beginner division. 
• I'm not sure I agree with him. He's making it seem as if I'll be boxing a really advanced guy. I still feel like my uppercuts, especially my long range ones can keep someone at bay. If someone comes inside, he's telling me to back up and use my conditioning to go outside. Of course my conditioning is poor so that's hard to do. I have to really think about this. I've had good success with my uppercuts since I'm mostly boxing beginners. I may wait until the 3rd round to use the uppercut since my guy will be tired and his counters won't be as strong. 

3. Mitts - 2.5

• He really worked me on the mitts today. He made me hit, then move around the ring, and then came at me and told me to dance/do footwork/and run. He said when your body is tired, even though running is tiring, it's the only way not to get punched. He said to jab, then just dance out there backwards like Ali. 
• I almost collapsed on the 3rd (or 2.5th round) round it was so difficult. My arms were so heavy and so tired. 

4. Shadow footwork - 2

• He then had me chased me around the area and told me to evade him by using footwork only. He's a little guy, about 5'6 and 125 lbs, but incredibly fast. He told me to keep my jab out, not a powerful one, but keep my arm extended as I jab, but don't let it touch my opponent. He said the arm will let me know when he's in hitting range, so long as my arm is out and it's not touching him I won't be in hitting range. (Of course my opponent may be taller/have longer arms, but it's a good general rule.) 
• He said be like Ali. When one is tired, one can't punch, so rather than trading punches and getting hurt, he said dancing (using footwork like Ali moving backwards) with one's feet can really tired the other guy out more too chasing you. He said then I can gain energy and look for an opening to be in hitting range again or wait for the round. 
• He chased me so fast and most of the time I couldn't escape him at all. 
• My calves were burning, my arms were hurting, and my heart race was racing so high. This is why I enjoy boxing! If I did this kind of workout just 3x/week I'd be totally prepared for my match. The problem is that it's hard to do this by yourself. This trainer pushes me, but he only comes once/week on Tuesdays and I have to leave early so I don't have much time with him an hour max total and I have to warm up, and the like. 
• It was so conditioning focused, that my shoulders didn't hurt very much. Though, that's b/c we did more footwork than punching it felt like. 

Anyways, it gives me a blueprint for what to do next time. Work harder, and work smarter. It looks like he wants my strategy for the fight to be 1) jab, every variety, step back/step forward, lean back/forward, and the like. 2) use my right hand in a 1-2 combination when there is an opening. 3) use more footwork rather than stay within striking range. This tough trainer doesn't want me to fight inside but rather move around more, keep the fight a much more defensive fight. I'm not sure that's my best strategy, I've had better success going inside - but I get hit too so it is risky. He thinks my best chances are stay outside, utilize my jabs, and just dance around more/move more. Tough proposition when I'm still not in great shape, but I am getting better. Today's workout would have been impossible 2 months ago, and in 2 months I've seen a lot of progress. 

Workout #33

My shoulder was hurting still, and so I wasn't going to go in but decided I should have a light workout.

Total rounds: 6

1. Jump rope - 1
2. Shadow boxing - 2
3. Speed - 1
4. Shadow sparring - 2

This was probably the lowest numbers of rounds I've done. I still think it's fruitful. I want to have at least one light workout per week with no mitts and not sparring unless it's shadow sparring where we don't really touch. (Maybe not quite as light as today, wish I could have done more speed bag and shadow boxing at least.) My brother told me of a famous quote by former Mr. Olympia Lee Haney: stimulate, don't annihilate. Really wise words in boxing as well, esp. for a 40+ year old beginner.

I want to train hard, but I'm going to try and do more cardio. Ride my bike as much as possible when I need to get anywhere, ride it to the gym as much as possible, and the like. I'm still not sure I'll make weight for the match on Nov. 30.

Side note: I've been wondering if cross training would benefit a middle aged athlete more than a younger guy. For example, my shoulders only feel better if I give it at least 2-3 days rest or better yet 1-2 days of rest and a really light workout at home or in the gym. Would it be more fruitful to do boxing+ cardio for a week, or do boxing + another sport but just not as intensely as boxing? For example, boxing + a day of nothing but swimming, or a day of martial arts, or a day of kick boxing, or something like that. The idea is that as you get older, your body just doesn't recover as quickly and so your muscles (for beginners like myself) get annihilated, but by cross training/doing something else one ends up stimulating just a little bit. So this is a bit like being a jack of more trades (not all trades) vs. mastering just one. In the end, it may end up being better. I'm not sure how my body responds, but I can no longer workout hard 5x/week. Even working out hard in boxing 4x/week is too taxing on my body. I either have to find another sport, or find some other form of cardio to do. 

Workout #32

Today I had to go to the gym around noon, which is different from my normal schedule. I rode my bike there, and though it would take only about 20 minutes by distance, it often takes me 40-45 minutes b/c there are so many lights/so many people/so many cars, etc. So I don't go very fast. I wanted a better workout, so I put it on the highest gear of my 21-speed bike. Going from stopping on the highest gear is fairly slow, but gives you a great workout. My legs were pretty tired by the time I arrived in the gym.

Total rounds: 10

1. Jump rope - 1
2. Shadow boxing - 3
3. Mitts - 2
4. Speed bag - 3
5. Heavy bag - 1

Today I didn't have as much time. 10 rounds is only 30 minutes of actual work. If I just did another round of mitts, but there were a few people waiting so the trainer could only give me 2 rounds. I was pretty tired afterwards, but I like pushing myself hard on that 3rd round. On non-sparring days, it's much harder to get a real intense workout so I have to push myself.

While I was there I saw a sparring match. They were light, maybe around 5'8 and 130 pounds each. Both were fairly skilled. Towards the middle of the 1st 3 minute round, they started to trade a lot of punches. By the last 30 seconds, one of the guys could barely move and the other guy tapped him multiple times. (They were probably going only at 50% or so.) Clearly one of the guys was better conditioned than the other, even though they looked the same. Afterwards, I saw the less conditioned guy hit the heavy bag. He was excellent, with great form, was really quick, moved very well on his feet. Yet, his conditioning wasn't up to par with the other guy. Interesting really how great he looked on the bag, but in the ring couldn't really stand up to par with the other guy. A reminder to get much better conditioned. 

Workout #31

Total rounds: 11

1. Jump rope - 2
2. Shadow boxing - 3
3. Mitts - 3
4. Speed - 1
5. Sparring - 2

• I was about to leave around 12:15, and another person showed up. He was only about 5'6 and 135 pounds or so. The trainer said he's really skilled, so told me to watch out. 
• He was a very nice guy with a smile on his face the whole time. I have never seen a guy move that fast thus far, the fastest guy I've sparred with so far. His hands were like a blaze. He was like a little gnat in the ring, I couldn't do anything the 1st round really as I was trying to jab him. 
• The 2nd round however, I changed up my style and worked hard to cut off the ring so he had nowhere to go. He also came in a bit more inside, got me a few times in the head (not easy since I'm so much taller) and several times in the body. B/c of my height however, I was able to get him in the face/head the same time. My nearly 90 pound weight advantage showed, one hit from me and his whole body rocked back. I guess size does matter, if you do get hit. 
• He still came in to hit me, but once I got in a rhythm I was able to block or counter with a jab. Normally, I've hit almost everyone I've sparred with my jab - even MikeT who is an excellent boxer and even SugarRayL who is also an excellent boxer with great conditioning - but this guy was on another level. I didn't hit him once with my jab, and had to be counter puncher. He was so fast, he got me with a straight right, went for a hook which I blocked, and I saw it coming (rare for me) and so I blocked and fired off what I thought was a really fast jab and he slipped it so quickly. 
• It was a good experience for me, and probably for him too. He never really got cornered or tried anything inside, he'd get hit pretty hard by me if he was trapped. Just one time I got him trapped in the corner, and he blocked a few times and I was about to him him with a right hook, and he slipped and just stepped away. It was kind like trying to fight a mongoose. 
• Afterwards, he thanked me with a big smile. I bet I could have learned a lot from him, totally different styles and the size difference was too big, but wow it was great sparring with someone so skilled. 
• Not many take-aways, b/c our sizes were so different and he didn't come inside at all/I was too slow to hit him and his punches didn't hurt even when they hit b/c he was too light. Cutting off the ring would be something I could work on. I doubt even Mike Tyson at his fastest wasn't as fast as this guy, how could he be when he only weighed 135 lbs. 

I went in at 11am today, which is unusual for me. There was nobody there except the head trainer. I rode my bike about 35 minutes one way, so I was pretty warmed up by the time I got there. I asked my trainer some advice, and he told me that I have to fit my style. He said as he's watched me spar, my style is a standup style. It's a style that relies on jabs, uppercuts, but doesn't bend much (at the waist) and doesn't turn much. So he said I need to learn to move more forwards and backwards, rather than try to slip. So he showed me a bunch of really helpful techniques like:

- Jabbing, and then stepping back, and forward. Two forward, one back, etc.
- Doing combinations both forward and back, both stepping and just leaning.
- He also said to spin around more, since I'm a straight up boxer I don't want to be in the way.

One reason I'm a standup fighter is well, I'm old and not in boxing shape for sure. Another reason is that my best punch is my jab, so I want to counter with my straight right which means 80-90% of my punches will be jabs. My style is almost identical to Wladmir Kitschko, who never slips punches really. He stands straight up and jabs jabs jabs, and then 1-2, or 1-2-3. Of course I'm only 6ft and Klitschko is 6'6 with really long arms, so it's different. I have slow feet, which means I need to be well conditioned to have busy feet. (Kind like in basketball there are excellent defenders who are not very athletic or quick hands/feet, but they stick to their man like glue and are in great shape so they run as hard in the 1st quarter as the 4th quarter. I'm nowhere near this, but I can get there.)

It's good to know I have a style, and I already guessed at it, but having an amazing former undefeated pro tell me that after watching me confirms this is the style I need to work on more. 

Workout #30

I have two more months until the match. I'm still a good 20 lbs from my goal. If I can get to 210 or so, I can drop weight the last week by cutting out salt, most carbs, and just eating a diet of protein, green veggies, and oil. Hopefully I can lost 15 this month and 10 next month, so I won't have to resort to unhealthy tactics. I tried taking a few more days off b/c of my shoulder. My right shoulder feels better, but my left one is still a bit sore. I'm going to go lighter tomorrow. I'm going to think about going harder vs. going lighter. The toughest thing is sparring, but the toughest thing on my shoulder is actually mitts. I've been going 3 rounds lately, so I hit those mitts pretty hard. I can feel my shoulders are getting more muscular and stronger.

Total rounds: 13

1. Jumpe rope - 2
2. Shadow - 4
3. Speed bag - 3
4. Double - 2
5. Sparring - 2

• DavidT and I have no sparred a few times, so we know what the other is like. I can jab him, and he can hit me with a lot of hooks and counter easily. 
• So today, I decided to do maybe 90% jabs. Just to try and learn. 
• The tough trainer told me during the fight I need to jab even more, and that just when he gets used to the jab/blocking it, I need to come in with a 1-2-3, or a 1-2-1 since that's even faster. I've never done a 1-2-1 in sparring, so I'll have to work on that. 
• He said, that I need to use my height more. (He told DavidT, he needs to go inside more and hit me with more bodyshots rather than going for my head.) 
• DavidT is a much more skilled fighter than I am. However, I'm 3-4 inches taller and 40 lbs heavier, so he's got a real disadvantage against me. His shots are still a lot more powerful than mine. Just like last time, we started off light but then he came in, I hit him hard, he hit me hard, and we were probably going 80% or so by the time the sparring session was over. 
• DavidT seems to like going either 5% or 90% it seems like, either really light barely touching one another or going really hard. I noticed he's more accurate, can bait me, moves quickly, and has a wicked counter hook and the like. 
• The tough trainer told me to quit my uppercuts, and use jabs and an overhead right from up top since I'm taller. So when he comes in, he said to block and come with an overhand right since DavidT will most likely be fighting on the inside. 
• My neck hurts, he got me with a left hook real hard. He almost does no jabs, but just waits to set up his other punches. This is probably another reason I can jab him to death. He's quick, but not super quick and so once I start coming in I can tag him with my jab, but that still leaves me open to his counter shots. The tough trainer said again, I need more stamina to be able to last 3 rounds! 
• We do two 3 minute rounds in sparring sessions, but the match will be 3 two minute rounds. Plus I won't have a full faceguard, which means I have to be even more careful about counters.