RJ's super awesome log (Lifting,Thai boxing,Conditioning)

[Ron Powell Jr]

This awesome workout log will chronicle my fat loss, Muay Thai training, lifting and conditioning.

Background info
I’ve been training Muay Thai for about a year on and off, I’ve only started taking it seriously and coming every day for the past 3 months or so. I discovered the art at the age of 19, looked high and low for some good schools, tried a couple for a bit (kickboxing schools), didn’t like them. Eventually found a good gym that I now call home.

I’m a resident of Hawaii, 20 years of age turning 21 in november. A full-time computer geek so I work an office job, it makes me fat. I am also a full-time (barely) student pursuing a degree in Information technology. I’m a pretty simple, low-key, practical guy with occasional flashes of impracticality and craziness. Umm…..my ethnic background is black and Filipino just in case I get any of those types of questions along with the videos & pics I’ll be posting….Yup.

Some physical stats(as of aug 31,2009):
I stand at a mighty 5'7" and i'm 200lbs, 40 or 50 of those pounds being adipose tissue, yes I am fat. Medium-large frame, kinda short neck, broad shoulders (if I do say so myself ), limbs of proportional length, sorta wimpy arms/forearms, large and sturdy legs/calves, thick belly, flapjack boobs, I would bear very healthy babies I think.. I’ve never been on a weightlifting program in my life.

My first ever workout plan

Muay Thai(all week, varying intensity) My most important workouts of the week. 3x a week I'll be heading out to Thai boxing gym. I'll also do training sessions at home on opposite days. These will be the most detailed parts of the log. All my workouts will revolve around my Thai training. The gym is open 5x a week mon-fri, but i got school on tue/thu. I wouldn't wanna go 5 days straight anyway, simply put, my coach is a hardass when it comes to training. Best to have rest days in between gym sessions.

Roadwork(3x a week, before Muay Thai) I’m actually pretty new to roadwork for the most part. So I guess i'll start with brief 20-minute sessions, keep the same time/intensity going throughout the week, then change things around weekly. These runs will serve as the warmup for my home Muay Thai workouts, so they can't be too taxing. If anything they should be enjoyable. After i've got a good aerobic base (maybe 45-mins at a good pace, no more than an hour) i'll replace a long-distance run or two with sprints/hills/intervals and the like.

Combat conditioning(3x a week, after Muay Thai) Even though Matt Furey has proven himself time and time again to be a douchy scam artist, he does promote what seems like a very good basic conditioning/endurance program with his royal court (Hindu squats, Hindu Pushups, Wrestler's bridge). This will be a good way for me to work my strength endurance and breathing. These will be the finishers to my home Muay Thai workouts. Later (much later) i'll move on to harder stuff like Ross Enamait's collection of torture methods.

Strength training(2x a week) *updated sep. 02 Training "sets across". Picking a good weight for an exercise and keeping it throughout the workout, saving the weight increase for the next session. Always prioritizing proper technique over weight. Never training to failure, i don't wanna fatigue down my nervous system to the point where i can't do Muay Thai. Keeping each workout short and intense. I'm sure this program will be good for a few months, especially to someone who has never seriously lifted in his life (that's me).

Two day split:

Day one:
Deadlift 5x5
Overhead press 3x5
Weighted chins 3x6-8
abs & neck

Day two:
Squat 5x5
Power cleans 5x3
Weighted dips 3x6-8
abs & neck

...Followed by extra cardio...

Extra Cardio(2 or 3x a week, after strength training) For the record, i'm only doing this cause i'm fat...Probably not a great idea for a big fella like me to go running everyday, I’m not a 110lb Thai. After my strength workouts, i'll be churning away at the various cardio machines in the gym 2x a week just to keep things fresh and new, i hear boredom and stagnation are the prime killers of a workout program and variety is the spice of life. If i have some free time i'll throw in a third stand-alone session on the weekend.

Diet:
My custom targets for my diet software:

Calories: 2600Kcal/day (based on 12x my bodyweight for starters)
Protein: 30%
Carbs: 40%
Fat:30%
I'm projecting a loss of -2lbs per week, i'll monitor it over the weeks, if i'm losing too much i'll up the calories, and if i'm losing too little i'll play with the percentages and/or calories.

Notes:Yes, the diet percentages are similar to "The Zone". I'm not following that diet, I just like the ratios because it allows for more fat and a little less carbs than the common 30/50/20 deal. Weight loss will happen as long as you have a calorie deficit in place. One will preserve muscle and lose fat as long as protein is kept high (30+%). After that, carb and fat %'s are more of a personal preference. I prefer higher fat, with carbs cut down a little, i enjoy my beef and eggs i guess. If i wasn't doing such glycogen taxing things like Muay Thai (silly me), i'd have my carbs even lower.

If i meet the above targets i get an A+ grade for the day, if i don't i'll get a B, C, D, F, depending on how badly i did.

Other diet notes:
-Include some veggies/fruits with the majority of my meals, for general health and to balance out the sodium i'm eating with some potassium.
-Include lean protein with every meal, moderate amounts of fat
-Saving most of my starchy carbs for post-workout
-Prioritizing whole foods over protein supplements
-Keeping it simple (ie. eating only when i'm hungry or have exercised, being conscious of my portions, drinking lots of water etc)

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Other stuff
Grip strength training- Not right now because i'm pretty sure the basic lifting program will indirectly give me this. I'll let the deadlift and chins test my weak ass hands for now.

BJJ- I did it for a bit, stopped for a while. I like the art from a recreational and self-defense standpoint, it's a beautiful sport, but it just doesn't grip me the way Muay Thai does. It doesn't bring out my passionate, competitive side, but it does bring out my playful side, it's really fun. Throughout this log, you'll see me making periodic visits to my BJJ school every week or so just to keep the lines of communication open, i don't wanna burn my bridges, those guys are good people, my BJJ familia.

Weekly schedule(updated:Sep. 12, 2009)

Monday
Strength+Cardio(5:00am)
+
Muay Thai class(≈5:00-8:00pm)

Tuesday
Roadwork-Muay Thai-Conditioning(9:00pm)

Wednesday
Muay Thai class(≈5:00-8:00pm)

Thursday
Roadwork-Muay Thai-Conditioning(9:00pm)

Friday
Strength+Cardio(5:00am)
+
Muay Thai class(≈5:00-8:00pm)

Saturday
Roadwork(3:00am)
+
OPTIONAL:Cardio(after work) -OR- Brazilian Jiu jitsu (1:00-2:30pm)
Light Muay Thai-Conditioning(later in the day,night)


....Rest up until Monday, hardcore restin', like loafin around watching my recorded shows

[KazenoYojimbo]

Hey RJ, cool to see another Hawaii resident here. Congratulations on starting a log and we'll be watching you.

[Ron Powell Jr]

Thanks man! Oahu is a small island so i might know you, or not haha.

[KazenoYojimbo]

Well, I'm on the big island, so I doubt it

[Ron Powell Jr]

Aug. 31, 2009- Muay Thai

ahh..good to be back in the gym

10 minute jump rope, 5 minutes on tire bounce.

Did about 30 push kicks each leg against the wall

1 round bagwork, hands-only, wrecking ball bag

2 rounds kicks on sandbag, push kicks, round kicks, some knees.

Pad drills

Check with one leg, kick with other, 40 each side, hard.
-I sorta half-assed these due to fatigue, but the power was decent.

..Did more assorted bagwork for a while…

4 rounds Clinch & Knees
1 round knee sparring with my instructor
1 round knee sparring with Babaganush (yes, it's his nickname)
1 round with Andagi (yup, another nickname, It's a type of donut)
1 round with Nate

Fight strategy
We practiced some leg catching/sweeping drills, as well as defensive strategies against getting your leg caught. In Muay Thai your opponent can hold onto your kicking leg as long as he likes and chop down your support leg with low kicks to his heart's content. Scary thought, I need to remember to bring back my leg faster after every kick from now on. We learned this nifty knee/shin shove that you can use when your kick gets caught.

Also, if you find yourself on the ground in a Muay Thai match you are free game to be soccer kicked at least once if you aren’t on all fours or laying down. Class ended here, it was a pretty good night....I hurt my elbow via stupidity....fell on the tip of it...no biggie, feels like a bruise, my arm is still 100% mobile so that's good. Ahh, being too reckless!

[Ron Powell Jr]

Sep. 01, 2009- Roadwork(MT)

I was going to start my lifting routine right away, but I think I’ll order a copy of Starting strength first, and just slowly work my way into my program, no need to rush for that.

20 minutes of roadwork….It was a mild struggle, i kept a steady pace and got through without a whole lot of trouble. My conditioning is definitely lacking, but it’s ok, we can rebuild him.

Mini Muay Thai workout(30 minutes) Sore legs from yesterday, so i decided to focus on my hands.

5 rounds shadowboxing
1 round shadowboxing
1 round working the jab & footwork (jab,move,jab,move etc)
worked my defense in between rounds (shielding, parry, checking etc)
1 a round Jab-cross
1 round jab-cross (focusing on quickness, not telegraphing, conservation of motion and footwork)
worked more defense and footwork
1 round jab, jab-cross, footwork (putting it all together)

I worked just straight punches this session because they are the most important punches, especially in Muay Thai. I only have so many chances to punch, and if i cant land straight punches effectively and efficiently, there's no way in hell i'll land and upper or hook line punches. Basics are best.

I finished the workout with more moving around, did some kicks and knees in the air, checked my technique closely. Did some light bag work to practice my distancing, ended with a brief stretch. Decent workout tonight.

[Ron Powell Jr]

Sep. 02, 2009- Muay Thai

10 minute jump rope, 10 minutes shadowboxing.

Coach rounds us up…

Sprints
I don't know the distance, but the strip of ground we were sprinting on starts with a little hill (this was on purpose of course) then leads to level ground, pretty annoying and tough to get the sprint started that way.

We sprinted and ran back about 15 times it seemed like....i was ready to die right there, but predictably I didn’t. We then proceeded to skip really high around the building with 4 foot long sticks in our hands. We'd pump the sticks in the air with every jump, hard to explain. We did that for several laps around the training area.

The whole thing was short and intense, which was good because I felt great a few minutes right after and was ready to put in some training.

about 12 rounds light sparring
-I need to stop looking so hard to land perfectly on the bare midsection for middle kicks, sometimes my opponents' guard will be really tight so kicking his arms would be just as good a tactic. In a real fight you would kick the shit out of that arm eventually rendering it useless and opening the guy up to the rest of your weapons.
-I also need to work on my balance, staying on my toes, being lighter on my feet, and bringing my kicks back faster. I missed like 7 low kicks against my coach, left me off balance and really open, i need to know my distance, bring my leg back faster and set up my kicks.

Later that night, we got a surprise(well only coach knew I guess) visit from this guy:
YouTube - docthailand's Channel

He’s an older guy, over 40. He lives in Thailand and records videos of his training, fights and visits to different gyms around the country. He has been to scores of Thai camps with along with his wife, it was a nice surprise to see someone like him here at our humble little gym.

We ended the night with a few rounds of light clinching and knees, they were a good warm down because I had to go after that. A few of the guys got to clinch with docthailand, i heard some positive reviews. I had to go though, i'm sure more opportunities will come my way.

Pretty hard night, but I am very happy with what I have learned..

[Ron Powell Jr]

Sep. 03, 2009- Roadwork

20 minute run again. Legs (especially hamstrings) were a little sore from the hell sprints and stick skipping from the night before. Hell it's just a low impact run though, why pass it up. It was a nice night with a cool breeze, the moon was bright and full. When i got back from the run, I did a bit of stretching, worked some teep kicks, as well as other little things, nothing worth going into honestly. Good shit. Felt refreshed afterwards.

[Ron Powell Jr]

Sep. 04, 2009- Muay Thai

Coach is out to New York for a fight, and to visit his kids....so his wife Naomi is keeping the gym open, fun times will ensue. Tonight was a real technical night with good conversation, which is a welcome break from coaches' old-fashioned philosophy of work, work, work. Oh you're injured, bleeding internally? It's ok just work it off...lol.

"Coach, this is the third day in a row we are doing this particular conditioning exercise! My [insert body part] needs rest!"

"You had 18 hours of rest yesterday, what do you want from me???” LOL

10 minute jump rope, 10 minutes shadowboxing

Partner drills

3 rounds attack & defend.
-Back and forth boxing combinations ending with a kick, focusing on defense and accuracy.
-If I wanna set up my hard rear leg, i need to pop my punches more instead of just flicking them out there, they need to be respectable and worthy of defending for me to get that kick in there.
-Some other stuff: staying on my toes, keeping balance when I shift my weight from side to side.. Keeping my a tight guard and strong stance while on defense..

I'm glad I get to work with so many southpaws in my gym. It's good because I can work on a type of low kick that targets both legs. I can also work circling to my left and kicking. The rear low kick to inside thigh/body works pretty well against southpaws too, or stepping to the outside and smashing the back of the outside leg, right on that sciatic nerve, ouch.

3 rounds catch & counter.
-Back and forth catching each other's kicks and countering (or sweeping).This isn’t my strongest point, I think it's just a lack of experience.
-I came from a Karate background with some self-taught boxing, so the punching was a given and the Thai style kicks came naturally after a month of practice.... Just a matter of experience and time I think.

3 rounds knee sparring
-Dan has really good control in the clinch, he could've battered me if he wanted to...He taught me a lot though, like from a neutral grapple when i try to get my arms in for double-insides, he hooks my inner bicep and pulls me into a side knee or a sweep. He is really quick with that particular technique.

Some time that night we recorded some footage of each other kicking the sandbag for future reference, I didn't look too bad…. I’ll try to get that vid on here soon. One thing I’d need to work on though would be umm…not being a fat guy, oh and my conditioning.

-Warmed down with a few rounds of assorted bag work and some chit-chat, it was a good night.

[Ron Powell Jr]

Sep. 07,2009- Muay Thai

Coach is still away, I heard he won his fight in New York by decision, well done. It’s labor day and none of the advanced students came in. I'm all on my lonesome today, no training partners…dammit...God I can't wait to go to Thailand in a few years, i'd never have this problem over there, and they will be10x better than me and half my age. Sounds like the perfect slice of humble pie.

10 minute jump rope

4 rounds shadowboxing
2 rounds push kicks on sandbag, 2 rounds hands-only on wrecking ball bag.

..There were a lot of beginners and teenagers today. No wonder we have to move to a bigger gym. I was feeling a little left out and had no place to train alone so I decided to jump in with the beginners and kids. The class was a welcome review of the basics.

Group technique drills
We’d all be learning how to punch. Naomi would come around to hold pads and critique.
3 rounds worth of each technique:
Jab, Cross, Jab/cross, Lead hook, Rear hook, Two hooks

Group heavy bag circuit-1 Cycle
Rounds: 1.Jab/cross 2.Hooks 3.Jab/cross 4.Hooks 5.Mitt work with trainer

End of class. Not too bad, but I'm smelly, it’s this shitty new deodorant I’m using. Kind of a strange night for me, I feel like an awkward platypus.

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EDIT:
Starting strength-
Got my copy of starting strength by Mark Rippetoe a couple days ago. The book is extremely detailed, and it's an almost exhausting read. Good stuff.

He has definitely convinced me that squats, deadlifts, presses, and power cleans are some of the best lifts you can do. I’m still not sold on the bench though, it just seems like such a silly exercise, haha.

I’m not planning on being a power lifting competitor so I think I can live without it for now (the bench press that is), I’m not completely discounting the exercise though. Looks like I’m almost ready to get started on my lifting program, can't wait.

Only thing that's really perplexing me is the power cleans, it's a real technical movement with a steep learning curve, I may need break it up somehow.

Oh yeah, lost 2lbs this week, so it looks like i'm on the right track with the diet.