Kicking Rhythm

I think I'm finally starting to figure out how to really kick the hell out of the bag.

I've had a lot of trouble with properly torquing my leg over on the rear Thai kick. My toes would end up pointing at about 10:30, when they should have been all the way over at 9 o'clock.

On Tuesday night, I was feeling rough. I hadn't eaten well, and I was dehydrated. However, I got into this rhythm when we were doing our bag drills that I hadn't felt before. I was rolling my toes all the way over, pointing them at the wall, and consistently hitting the same spot over and over.

The most satisfying dent began to appear in the bag, as I kicked it again and again.

Granted, I chose to walk away from the squats at the back of the 3-man drill, as I thought I might pass out, but it felt great to know, if only for that day, that I'd managed to do one thing consistently well.

A lot of new students have started recently, and while I may not be an expert, I am learning how to help my partner make subtle improvements to his or her technique. I may still make the same mistakes in the heat of the moment, but I'm starting to understand my mistakes, and that's the only way to truly move beyond them.

And yes, I'm still getting better at jumping rope. No, I will not be joining an inner-city double dutch team any time soon, but I don't hit my feet as often, and my stamina seems to increase every time we start class.

You Pay For Excuses

As many of you may know, my life's been a little...rough lately. Woman trouble. Living arrangement trouble. Other assorted types of trouble.

These various things have kept me away from practice for nearly 3 weeks. No more.

Tuesday was my first day back at Inferno. The place was packed with new faces, and what seemed to be twice as many jump ropes. We've gone from three-person bag drills to four. You can hardly shrimp across the floor without bumping into someone on the way.

It's awesome.

My absence has weighed heavily, and I've missed the overall benefits that training brings. I'm more anxious, I've gained back some weight, though my scale is still packed from the move, so I can't say how much.

Even with my time away, I could tell that I'm getting better at jumping rope. A small thing, to be sure, I'm trying to find the positive in my life right now. I credit the near constant cleaning and moving from one home to another for my only partial loss of stamina.

I'm not back in my groove yet, and I've gotten sloppy. I was already sloppy, as a beginner, but you really see the difference a few weeks makes on your muscle memory and instincts.

I'm going to really enjoy class tonight. My bottle is full, and I want to leave that gym empty.

Consistency

I've taken a rather long break from posting and MMA classes, partly due to personal junk, partly due to sickness.

I've learned that you'll get some distance and perspective from personal stuff if you go to class, and as long as you're not contagious, you'll usually forget about the pain from whatever's bothering you after a few minutes on the mat.

Now, I'm unprepared for testing, and I have no idea where I'm at as far as my weight and health goals are concerned. Part of the personal stuff was an unexpected move, and I left my scale at my old apartment.

Class was good this week, though I'm starting to realize how much work I'm going to have to do to really pull this off. I'm pretty good with the Thai pads, but I've got a ways to go in terms of precision, and grappling continues to confound me.

I did get a good workout this weekend. I consolidated several piles of wood from the ice storm onto a large pallet over about 5 hours. I wore a tank top and no sunscreen, and my skin is now weeping an interesting yellow fluid at random intervals.

My grandma did say I looked smaller today at the family Easter lunch, while gesturing toward my gut. She did a little hand gesture, like a modified version of what you might use to visual approximate an hour-glass figure with your hands, but perhaps with more a pear or teardrop shaped design.

Starting Weight: 395lbs
Current Weight: ?

Notches & Zippers

I've decided that while it is important to catalog my weight, it won't always be consistent. So far, I can confidently say I've lost 10 lbs. in my first two weeks at Inferno. That's 2.5% of my starting weight of 395 lbs, and while I could get discouraged, having lost 15 lbs in a week before, I know that gradual weight loss, from diet and exercise, is the healthiest and most dependable plan.

I've stuck to my diet, limiting my carb intake, upping my veggies, protein and fiber, and I can feel the results in ways that my scale might not show. I've gone from using the second notch on my belt (the first on a bad day) to comfortably using the fourth. Two more notches, and I"m going to need a whole new belt. A jacket that fit snugly around my gut just two weeks ago now has a few more inches of literal breathing room.

The last time I experienced this kind of weight loss, I was going through a rough time. I started swimming nearly every day, as distraction from my life, and the pounds came off, but when life returned to normal, I stopped pushing myself. This time, I'm starting from stability, both in my personal life, and in the choice to train at Inferno MMA. Certainly, it's nice to get away for a few days a week, but (not to sound to much like a fortune cookie) I'm now running toward a goal instead of away from a problem.

Some things I learned this week:

1. Inattention/Fatigue + Left Hook + Sloppy Thai pad posture = Getting bopped in the nose.
2. I need to work on torquing my rear Thai kicks all the way over, pointing my toes at the wall instead of the ceiling.
3. Don't rush through or skip side mount. I need to work on that one.

For anyone who can make it, Inferno's own Nathan Murdock will be taking on Team Mob's Kevin Frasier this Saturday at Kay Rodgers Park in Fort Smith. Get your tickets today at ProbattleMMA.com. I won't be be able to make it, but want to wish Nate good luck as he represents Inferno in the ring.

Starting Weight: 395 lbs.
Current Weight: 385 lbs.

Game On

Forget all that stuff about a break. My progress will continue uninterrupted.

Three posts in one day. You'd think it was a slow day, but I'm just a quick typist.

Good News, Bad News

I finally got a call from the medical supply company about my CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine. I'd gone in for a sleep study several weeks ago, and they confirmed a) I am fat, b) I do snore, and c) I snore because I'm fat.

My poor fiancee has been after me to get this wrapped up so she can get a good night's sleep again. I'm just happy that I'll be able to sleep on my back or side without her yelling at me to lay on my stomach. This should also make me more alert, help lower my blood pressure, and give me an extra bit of energy so I can focus on getting in shape.

The only downside to this is the timing. I'm going to postpone officially joining Inferno MMA for a few weeks, until I've paid for both my CPAP and my initial joining fee.

I hated to tell the guys I'd be taking a little break between my trial and joining, but they were very cool about everything. They know that my work at Inferno is part of a larger plan to become a better, healthier me. I'm looking forward to making some real progress after I've had a few weeks of quality sleep.

Don't think that I'm going to forget about joining. I've got April 14th already booked on my calendar, the first Tuesday after my next paycheck. In the meantime, I'm going to keep busy on my own, swimming, maybe jogging. I may not be able to grapple or work the Thai Pads on my own, but where there's a floor, there's a place to shrimp.

Keep reading, because I'm going to keep writing, even during this break.

Starting Weight: 395 lbs
Current Weight: 380 lbs

Feeling Great & Water Weight

Last night's classes at Inferno MMA were great. It seems every week, a few new faces come in for a trial, and that is encouraging to me. Both the students and instructors are all patient and accommodating of new people, even big lugs like me, but there's an additional confidence that comes from knowing your not the only one starting out from scratch.

I got to practice grappling with several partners, notably a guy on the Inferno Fight Team named Chris, who is nearest my height and weight among the students I've met. After practicing passing the guard, we learned some new moves, and then took turns free-rolling with different partners.

Today, I am happy to report that not only did I feel better while jumping rope, my calves feel amazing today. The only soreness I feel comes not from working out, but from lugging around camera gear at work. I'm feeling bold enough to consider taking a swim, rest day be damned.

In an unexpected development, I seemingly dropped 10 lbs overnight. By my personal scale at home, I weighed 390 lbs before bed, and 380 lbs this morning. I know it's all water weight, but I'll take any encouragement I can.

Starting Weight: 395 lbs
Current Weight: 380 lbs

Soup Diets and Such

Over the weekend, my fiancee, Rachel, and I went to Wal-mart to get supplies for a soup diet. She had the nutritionist at her work check it out, so I knew we wouldn't die from it.

We made two versions, mine omitting the nearly two pounds of carrots for which the recipe called (so it would be kosher for my low-carb/low sugar diet).

Even without the carrots, it made a lot of soup: an entire bunch of celery, two green peppers, probably 8 green onions, a bag of frozen green beans, a large box/can of low sodium beef broth, 2 cans of stewed tomatoes, and a pack of Lipton's onion soup mix. We added a bit of garlic and pepper. Done.

There's a whole list of foods you're supposed to eat on certain days, and Rachel's going to stick to it. I'm going to use it as a good snack, and maybe for lunch. I usually have luck if I stick to an Atkins-type diet, but that's the hard part-sticking to it. I grew up in a house that relied on the cheap, filling nature of breads, pastas, and other carb-heavy foods to satisfy our cravings. Ice cream is how we celebrate victories and drown sorrows in the Lankford family.

I'm not going to lie. Although I prepared for a diet, I did not stick to a diet over the weekend. Part of me is holding back on committing to any one regimen, as I'm hoping to get some direction from Kaleb and Sparks at Inferno. I have no idea what I should or shouldn't eat to both lose weight and have the needed fuel to function at class.

For now, I'm going to just cut out breads, sweets, starchy vegetables, and such. As my doctor told me when I first got diagnosed with diabetes, I won't eat anything white, or foods that start with the letter "P". Popcorn, pasta, pizza, pancakes, potatoes...That's all I can think of right now, but that's enough to make me cringe.

Starting Weight: 395 lbs.
Current Weight: 392 lbs.

Accountability, Not Only To Yourself, But To Your Partner

Today, I only attended the kickboxing fundamentals session at Inferno MMA, but by the time I got home, I really wished I'd stayed around for grappling. I made sure to eat a light dinner well before class began, and drank plenty of water. I was a little stiff, as I'd had the bright idea to swim laps at the Jones Center for 45 minutes. "It's low impact cardio, you'll be fine," I told myself.

That would have been true, if I'd not spent the day before tearing muscle fiber on a microscopic level throughout my entire body. My boss, Greg, has run in several marathons, including Boston. He may run 20 miles in a single training day, but he always takes a rest day. Now I know why.

Jumping rope was a little easier today, and when one of my fellow students noticed that his rope seemed a little longer than mine, he offered to swap. My knees were already on fire by that point, but sometimes the generosity of small gestures can mean a lot.

I paired up with Patrick again for Thai pad work. Am I the only one who hears Thai pad, then thinks Pad Thai and gets hungry for some noodles? I bet that's the oldest joke in the history of MMA, and if it's not it should be. Even on my second kickboxing session, I'm starting to grasp a few key things. Keeping my hands up is a big one that I get, but I'm not quite there yet.

I've started to become conscious of the partner dynamic. If I let my mind wander, or stop to adjust my pants, I'm taking away from the time my partner has to work on his technique, but I'm also robbing myself of valuable exercise.

I've done halfhearted curls on my own for years, but there is nothing like the burning sensation I got from holding those pads up, providing good targets for your partner. I can walk away from a workout machine or set down a pair of dumbbells, but I don't want to let my partner down. He's paid good money for these sessions, and I realized quickly that to show my partner respect, I had to step up my efforts.

By the end of the session, I was moving a little faster with the pads, and I felt much more confident with my punches and kicks, and the pain and stiffness I'd started with was replaced with flexibility and mild euphoria.

I can feel progress already, and I can't wait for my next session.

Starting Weight: 395lbs
Current Weight: 395lbs (we'll see what the old scale says tomorrow morning, though)

The journey of a thousand miles...

...begins with a sore leg. It's been two days since my first session at Inferno MMA in Bentonville, AR.

I'd met the owners through my work, as a video producer. After shooting footage of both his adult and child students, I was intrigued. As I put up my gear, I decided I was going to give Mixed Martial Arts a try.

I am not a healthy man, as the title of this blog makes perfectly clear. I've always had a weight problem, but over the past few years, I've developed chronic illnesses. Type 2 diabetes runs in my family, but it seems to crop up earlier and earlier in each generation, my grandfather in his sixties, my parents in their forties, and me at around age 25.

I've dieted, I've exercised on my own, but I've never felt comfortable enough in a "meat-market" gym, so I never had the benefit of professional instruction.

When I came to shoot that commercial, I saw men, women and children of all shapes and sizes, getting healthy, learning discipline, and gaining confidence and camaraderie with their fellow students. Competition and even confrontation are certainly key elements to MMA, but at Inferno, starting with the kids on up to adults, respect and teamwork are heavily emphasized.

I went in for my first session, wearing an awkward combination of athletic shorts and a muscle shirt (Wal-mart didn't have any plain t-shirts with sleeves). I jumped right into the warm up exercises, first laying on my back in an exercise called "shrimping" (or was it "squidding"?). Whatever the name, it set the tone for the day's exercise. When the height of your normal exercise routine is to walk on a treadmill for half an hour every week or so, you forget about the "work" in "workout." I won't forget for a while.

Kaleb Plank, the owner and chief instructor at Inferno, paired me with a student named Patrick, who helped me learn some basic grappling moves. I soon wished I'd invested in some 80's style sweatbands, as I was essentially raining on the poor guy. I must have sweat off ten pounds by the end of the night.

Once grappling was over, and my adrenaline wore off, I soon realized why athletic pros eat power bars instead of Taco Bell. I cooled off and talked to some of the students while watching the progressive grappling class.

Then it was time for Kickboxing Fundamentals.

One of the many disadvantage of being 6'3" is getting a jump rope of proper length. For most of the warm up, I was hitting myself in the shins or back of the head, but I kept jumping, because everybody else was. I tried jumping higher, but couldn't keep the pace up. Thankfully, bag drills were next.

We took turns, in teams of three, working the bag, holding the bag, or doing squats. When we adding kicking, the squats changed to pushups. I weigh nearly 400 lbs. Too put it mildly, I hate push ups, but I did what I could, butt in the air at first, then slowly wilting into granny-style on my knees.

I was paired up with Patrick again for work on the Thai bags, kind of mock sparring where you work on your technique. I felt sorry for Patrick, who had to spend most of his time showing me how to hold the bags properly, instead of getting the benefit of working on his techniques, but he was patient and helped me learn a great deal in a short time.

We finished out the night in lines, practicing footwork. It was bit like going to the club, and being the only one who doesn't know the moves to new dance, but the only way to learn is to try. After a brief bit of theory about how centripetal motion is the key a proper kick, we paid our respects, and the class was over.

I don't know if it was some sort of inner peace, or perhaps I was on the verge of stroke, but my mind was completely unclouded by work, money, and even how much my body was going to hurt (and hurt it does).

If this is what MMA can do in one trial session, I can't wait to see what it does after a few months or a year.

This is going to be a log of my journey toward fitness. Wish me luck.

Starting Weight 395 lbs.