bag talk

see da bag?

see da bag shakin, cryin?

oh yeah.

da bag knows who's here. knows who's about to smash those 150 lbs. of sand over and over again, till it's swingin back n forth like it's in a friggin hurricane.

                                                                   oh yeah.
                                                            i'd be weepin too.
                                                              cuz here i come.        

   but seriously folks.  am i doing something wrong? am i NOT supposed to be hitting this bag so hard that it swings out at an angle of at least 45 degrees for the whole 3 minutes we're doing a hitting sequence?  i don't get it.  everyone else's bag is barely jiggling.  am i supposed to be, like, conserving my energy instead of letting it all out at this thing like i've got a mega-ton of road rage that i've just got to let out on this poor thing?  i dunno.  that's why i ask.  all i know is hitting that thing while constantly moving around it, keeping up the heart rate, mind in the fight, imagining i'm the beastliest of the beasts, oh it's fun.  sooo fun.  feels great.  puts me in the mindset of ronda rousey when she says, "Some people like to call me cocky or arrogant, but I just think, How dare you assume I should think less of myself?"  i just love that.

quick review, boxing class.  led by the dude that just recently won a fight someplace around here.  he's also about my age, which is encouraging.  there's still hope for me..

so it's a "leg day" today, lots of squats and lunges.  crazy planks, too.  would've been fine, would've stayed in my mental "zone" all peachy if not for this grunter-groaner next to me yelling like a wildebeast.  (do wildebeasts yell?) and i know i'm spelling wildebeast wrong, oh well.  but the worst thing is, this grunter, groaner isn't a man, it's a  woman!!  girl is a kind of scary looking, hefty, tattooed, not in great shape, but bully-ish, i hate that type, and sports a "support your local fire dept." t-shirt, looks like she could be the anchor of a fire hose belay team.  or sumthin.  how do you concentrate on your planks and cat stretches when you've got that kind of noise bellowing in your ear?  ugh.

good class otherwise.  simple, fast-hitting punch sequences.  he gave me some pointers on my "3,4"'s, (hooks), to keep it closed in more, rotate in the core, less arm movement, more pivot. makes sense.  only one more complaint....on the last let-it-all-out sequence of 5,6's (upper cuts) at the end, he poured out a sermon on us, preaching to us about the evils of non-organic foods, plastic water bottles, and sugar.  aw come on, man, i've seen you come into starbucks for the super-sugary, non-organic cinnamon coffee cake, mm-hmmmmm, yeah i see you..

oh well. great class anyway.  now 2 days off till it's body combat class at the other gym.  adios!!

BODYCOMBAT 62 Sizzler

G'day, mates! (sorry, i'm being influenced by these Body Combat head honchos down under in Auckland!!)

You wanna know what makes me reeeeeaaally exhausted, tired, out of breath, aching in every muscle and molecule of this ol' body?  Sitting here in this comfy chair, sipping my Casi Cielo dark roast, curled up in fuzzy slippers and blanky....watching THIS:

It's a 3-minute "sizzler" or trailer for the Body Combat 62, the new release that we just did in class yesterday.  What's so amazing to me, watching these, is how people all over the world, starting from these guys in New Zealand, are doing these exact same moves to the same tracks, with the same teaching tips, exact choreography.  this is worldwide!  worldwide aches and pains and nicely rounded buns, too, i might add, for those that have been doing it as long as they have!  I just watch these 3 minutes of action and i have nothing left to say in this blog to review the pain and torture, yet glorifyingly amazing energy and spiritual fervor that goes on in each of these classes.  Yesterday was a perfect example. We really had the room sizzling with energy, music pounding, Rob's encouragement to pull out all the stops, give it all we've got, and there was no lack of enthusiasm in the resounding cheer of Rob's: "MAD CARY MOMS!!!" and our response, "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!!!" over and over again.  Powerful.  Wonderful.  Loved it.  till i hated it, with a passion, hours later, as the muscles broke down and the mild headache from lack of sufficient oxygen or water seeped in, and i had to go to bed super early to recover.  

So to recap...this video reminded me...

Importance of FORM:  these guys are the pros.  Rob's great, but watching these guys is really impressive, the sharpness, the accuracy of their kicks.  the fury of their punches.  no flabby, flailing arms like the car-washing chick or the hammy the squirrel characters i sometimes see in my class.

Their description of the roundhouse kick, spot-on.  just like Rob's, so i'm glad about that. 

I remember those new "guard" moves that i'm still trying to figure out.  Doing karate moves when i've never actually donned the white bathrobe thingy can throw me off sometimes. feels foreign but that's ok. i like it.

combine those guards with the side kicks, smacking out both opponents: POW!!

new boxing combo, mixin it up, fast, "maintain rotation for the hook". 

Dark Horse remix.  liked it. but ouch, 56 continuous strikes: first knees, then side, front and back kicks. never ending. 

 grab some water if there's time.  or at least try to breathe between tracks.

Then the killer Capoeira, lower-body work-out.  ouch ouch ouch.  standing on one leg for 2 whole minutes, doing killer S-L-O-WWWW kicks and lunges till the fire in your legs is about to erupt and explode you.   Rob's comment, "you can do anything for 2 minutes. God knows i have..."  (translation cue,  Rob in 3 words: gay. 2 kids.  biological. ok moving on..)

Muay Thai. perfect mix of all my favorites, including the brawler blow, ascending and descending elbow strikes mixed with jab-crosses, every beat, nonstop, no rest for the weary. "arms above the head" keeps the heart rate up, up, up.  Recovery time? a short stint of running in place, Keep those knees up!!!

Finished with some new ab work, things called Quarter Crunches.  

Cool-down and goodbye.

For someone else's review of Body Combat 62, check out this link:

https://nzglen.wordpress.com/2014/08/09/bodycombat-62-filming/

This has been exhausting. just thinking about it makes me tired.  Need to keep it up, stay in better fighting shape.  Fitness goal: (i know, i keep trying to stay on track and keep renewing my vows to 

fitness, but here goes again:)  Body Combat once a week, Boxing once a week, run a few times in-between.  i'm getting there...

till next time...keep your guard up, mates!!

WCF?

Feeling a good burn from my boxing class today, ready to jump in a hot bath with epsom salts...i'll be feeling this tomorrow.  But first just a few words..

Almost didn't go today when i found out who was instructing.  he may be a nationally top ranked kick boxer, but as a teacher? no thanks.  Teachers need to really teach, give clear instructions, several times for some of us newbies or non-regulars at the gym.  This guy just tells us once, whether it's 3 minutes of lunges with weights or a combo of 10 upper cuts and then 3 burpies, or a sequence of "5,6, 1,4" or "1,2,2,3"... which is not much guidance if we've forgotten which numbers are right jab, or left hook, or upper cut or whatever.  he lacks the charisma of the other instructors, too, but oh well.  i still got a good work-out.

He gave us a very creative bunch of push-ups, i can say that much.. Variations included: frog-legs, swing one leg thru like a hip escape, oblique mountain-climbers, crawl to the left or right, tap the bag and down, shoulder taps, and more.  He also gave us a long, long, long round of ab exercises, which I might not have finished if not for a sudden glimpse of entertainment from the other side of the room that kept me going...

by the way, is this wcw? aw shucks, it's Friday, but this woman crush was on this young boxer chick who was with her trainer over by the boxing ring, beating the crap out of this bag with such amazing technique and form...i was very impressed, and yes, jealous.   After class i snuck in a couple vines of this fighting and training action i was observing, first of the 2 guys in the ring, (one of them an instructor who also fights at least semi-professionally) and then of the girl.  

My observations of her technique:  i know i don't know much yet about the sport, but i could tell she did a few very important things: she kept her guard up really well, she totally used her core muscles in slamming that bag around, she was super FAST at it, she made funny little noises with each strike, and then she'd suddenly back away, like she was ducking from her opponent.  She also spent a few minutes just practicing her footwork off to the side.  girl be nimble!   wow. 

so i'll upload those vines here.  enjoy!

More boxing (wcf)

Check out jennifer nelson's post on Vine! https://vine.co/v/OjbEdXmWVq2

Boxing gym action

Check out jennifer nelson's post on Vine! https://vine.co/v/OjbEnA9O0QK

Women's Kickboxing

 I WANT TO DO THIS!!!

This video really inspires me.  makes me wanna jump out of this chair and get to the gym and pour my energy, my sweat, my blood, my emotions, into getting into the toughest shape i can possibly obtain and to fight towards the goal of becoming a blackbelt...in something.  I didn't know there was a such thing as a blackbelt in kickboxing in general, but i will look into this more.  I may not have a lot of time to train for this now,  but a fire has been kindling inside me, growing slowly but steadily, that i want to achieve some level of greatness in this area of fitness and fighting.  There's just something very metaphorical about becoming great in the sport of fighting.  more than winning a trophy or a belt or a silver cup or a gold ring.  It's about mastering your own physical capabilities, empowering yourself and defeating another person, eye to eye, blow by blow.   i may be a bit emotional and hyped about this at the moment, while my reality says i need to balance it with a lot of other things that are going on in my life, and that's true.  but i will not let this fire go out.  i want to be this girl.  i may be much older, and frailer, but i'm inspired.  enjoy the video.  i'll be watching more like it.  see ya!!

First Fight of 2015

Happy New Year!!

Time to get back to the gym, fight the herds of New Year Resolutionists, fight for  my spot among the other Mad Cary Moms in Body Combat class, with just the right view of the instructor in one direction, and the front and side mirrors in the other directions.  time to Fight!!  I'm coming up to two years of attending this class, so instead of boring you with too many details of the play-by-play action, I thought I'd write you a little poem instead.  here goes...

(remember, this is a class choreographed to music, so be sure to keep a steady beat while reading this poem, like the beat just dropped in the pounding rock music-filled room)

Body Combat, here we go
get in place now don't be slow
guard up, fighter's stance
imaginary opponents don't stand a chance

warm-up track, boxing beat
a little stretch, move those feet
jab-cross-jab, i'm getting warm,
off with layers, work on form

Spit Fire's the name of the next little ditty
Thighs on fire, it ain't pretty
Capoeira cobra,  ginga, esquiva,
them lunges make me wanna heave-uh!!



Taekwondo next, What's Love Got to Do With it?
Decoy-switch, strike, and a fast back kick
Feelin my ninja  rising within
Dare ya to fight me, i'll kick your shin!



(i know, i know, my rhythm's off, my poetry sounds like it comes from a sloth!!)

my other favorite, Muay Thai
relentless knee strikes, hands go high
grab that opponent around the neck
smash his head to the knee like heck!

  

then elbow strikes, descending first
close that gap, make that poor guy hurt!
ascending strikes, whip him good
elbows piercing like a fighter should

boxing again, tighten fists
helps me strengthen these creaky wrists
helps me when i play guitar
music or madness, these fists go far.



push-ups, ab-work, then cool-down song:
There Goes a Fighter. can't go wrong.
here's the lyrics of that great combat ender,
and that only rhymes with fender bender.

here goes:  There Goes a Fighter (by Gym Class Heroes)

Just wakin up in the morning
And to be well,
Quite honest with ya,
I ain't really sleep well
Ya ever feel like your train a thoughts been derailed?
That's when you press on- Lee nails
Half the population's just waitin to see me fail
Yeah right, you're better off tryina freeze hell
Some of us do it for the females
And others do it for the retails
But I do it for the kids, life threw the towel in on
Everytime you fall its only making your chin strong
And I'll be in your corner like Mick baby, til the end
Or when you hear the song from that big lady
Pre-chorus:
Until the referee rings the bell
Until both your eyes start to swell
Until the crowd goes home
What we gonna do ya'll?
Chorus (Ryan Tedder):
Give em hell, turn their heads
Gonna live-life-til-we're-dead.
Give me scars, give me pain
Then they'll say to me, say to me, say to me
There goes a fighter, there goes a fighter
Here comes a fighter
That's what they'll say to me, say to me
Say to me, this one's a fighter
Verse 2:
And if I can last thirty rounds
There's no reason you should ever have your head down
Six foot five, two hundred and twenty pounds
Hailing from rock bottom, loserville, nothing town
Text book version of the kid going nowhere fast
And now im yelling kiss my ass,
it's gonna take a couple right hooks a few left jabs
for you to recognize that you really aint got it bad
Pre-chorus:
Until the referee rings the bell
Until both your eyes start to swell
Until the crowd goes home
What we gonna do ya'll?
Chorus (Ryan Tedder):
Give em hell, turn their heads
Gonna live- life- til- we're- dead.
Give me scars, give me pain
Then they'll say to me, say to me, say to me
There goes a fighter, there goes a fighter
Here comes a fighter
That's what they'll say to me, say to me
Say to me, this one's a fighter

Bridge:
Everybody put yo hands up
What we gonna do? (x7) ya'll
If you fall pick yourself up off the floor (get up)
And when your bones can't take no more (c'mon)
Just remember what you're here for
Cuz I know imma damn sure
Chorus:
Give em hell, turn their heads
Gonna live- life- til- we're- dead.
Give me scars, give me pain
Then they'll say to me, say to me, say to me
There goes a fighter, there goes a fighter
Here comes a fighter
That's what they'll say to me, say to me
Say to me, this one's a fighter
Till the referee rings the bell
Till both ya eyes start to swell
Till the crowd goes home,
What we gonna do kid?

(Songwriters
MCCOY, TRAVIS / LUMUMBA-KASONGO, DISASHI / MCGINLEY, MATTHEW / ROBERTS, ERIC / TEDDER, RYAN / ZANCANELLA, NOEL)

 

ok, so i guess you had to be there...lyrics always sound best in the music, not on the page.
but anyway...

I summarize by saying that was a great first Body Combat work-out of 2015.  My only regret, my only unsatisfied desire, that slight hunger, a gnawing for more...is that i wish i could've been smashing some heavy bags for part of it.  yeah, i guess i'll need to hit up my boxing gym soon to satisfy that urge.  they do good interval training workouts, and i like mixing things up like that, keep the body guessing.  But for us crazy musical lunatics who just THRIVE on having music in my brain and ears constantly...i came up with an idea.  i'm sure it's already been done out there on youtube someplace, but.... i need to make my own body combat video, though i'd call it something else, of course, where i incorporate both choreographed mixed martial arts moves with NO equipment or gloves, interspersed with tracks of hitting the bags with boxing gloves, also choreographed to music.  Only problem is, when i hit the bags, i hit them so hard that they swing a lot (not bragging here, just sayin) and that makes it hard to hit them to a constant beat, so i'm always having to work my way around the bag, hitting the opposite side, hitting real hard and fast and then stopping to retrieve the bag or hold it still again. ok i'm thinking out loud here, i'll also need to buy a serious bag and find a place to hang it in the house for filming .. and i'll call it...i'll call it...ummm, i'll figure out something.  

till next time, find the sport that fuels your fury and make this your best year of fitness ever!!!