The truth about HIIT.

I was driving to the track to do yesterday afternoon's workout. I started to get that little 'nervey' feeling in my stomach. I realized something; the real truth about HIIT(High Intensity Interval Training)and it's going to be difficult for some folks to internalize.
The truth is that most people don't work hard enough to qualify. Your interval workout should be so hard that you get butterflies on your way to the gym. You should feel apprehensive before you start. You should get about 60% of the way and want to start bargaining out of the last 20% (don't do it, but you should want to). I'm not saying you have to throw-up every time, and you should set yourself up to be able to get to the rest periods, but it should hurt.. a lot.
Take a look at yourself, if you're casually going to the gym and busting out your 'intervals' and leaving the gym with a spring in your step either you're a stone cold killer, or you're not working hard enough.
If you get to the gym/track/whatever with a little tingle in your belly, if you have to give yourself an "ok, let's do this" before you start, if you have to convince yourself "I'll quit after the next one, but not yet." and do that for 4 intervals till you finish your prescribed workout, then you're doing HIIT.
I have heard a lot of folks in the 'HIIT doesn't work camp' but I have a hard time believing them. I always wonder if they really are getting there, into the deep water. So look at yourself, look at your training, and work a little harder.

Training:
Tuesday:
deads: 4x2 at 405 building back up.
presses: 3x5 at 135
Abs: some

Wednesday:
Day: BJJ basic mount escapes. 1 hard roll.
Night: 1 mile of walk the curves, build to the 50m, sprint 50-75, decelerate to the 100.
the last time I did this I was sore for 4 days.. this time just a little sore.

Today:
cleans: lots, various light weights working on technique.
chins: some
ab wheel: 3x some. Have to watch my back on these tendency is to cheat and hyper-flex the lumbar spine, which is less than ideal.

Mahalo.

Value..

Do you value what you have? First you have to know what you have.

Patience..

Good things in my training/jiu-jitsu/life. Sometimes I forget that I have taken a long road to get here, and not to get greedy to jump to the next level.
Training: hip mobility is coming around. Feeling strong in pull-ups. Clean technique coming around. I'm trying to keep pushing these more technical lifts while dropping some body-fat, and round out my relative strength. I have to keep the reigns on load, and volume. Can't risk injury, or burn out. I'm training to supplement my BJJ, not the other way around.
Jiu-jitsu: guard work has improved a ton. Feeling more confidant which leads to better flow. Better mobility/flexibility has lead to better base. Shape is a little dull, but that'll come around. Generally speaking I'm just feeling good physically which is a direct result of time off. Can't lose site of what I'm doing well, I need to stay relaxed and flow.
Life: Emotionally it becomes very easy to put all of your parental baggage away when you become someones parent. I can't read minds and the kid can't talk. It's going to be frustrating at times, and it's ok to be frustrated.. even angry at the kid. It's going to be a long road.

Hopefully my luck will hold up.

Training update:
Friday:
3 minutes partner towel pull-ups (you do 1 I do 1 repeat for 3)
30 seconds airdyne 30 seconds; kb rack hold (62 and 44lb kb) x3
30 seconds sandbag shoulder, and reverse lunge; 30 seconds hex dumbbell end grip x3
rest
15 seconds on 30 off airdyne x3
15 seconds on 30 off prowler x3

Saturday:
BJJ. Couple decent rolls. Working on attacking more in positions where I have the advantage, but not control.

Sunday: off.

Today:
some light bw and kettlebell work. Some very light front squats to work on mobility, then BJJ class at night.

Patience


Mahalo.

Clock puncher..

Two punch the clock workouts.

Yesterday:
BJJ simple sweep and arm bar.
two rolls one with a newer guy, and one with a guy who has done some limited training at an "MMA school." He surprised me with a couple of more advanced techniques, and his total lack of fundamentals. After we rolled I showed him 'good posture' in guard, mount and half-guard. He seemed eager to learn, which is good.

Today:
Front squats:
4x5 at 185 abs totally pooped out. I'm getting better at these, but still suck something aweful.

chins:
A few sets.

Clocked in.


Mahalo.

Pay up sucker..

I owe you guys some content.. it's been a couple of weeks since I wrote anything worth learning but quite frankly I'm not up to it yet.. the good news is Lyle McDonald wrote an expansive 8 post tome on overtraining that is spot on.
I deal a lot with rowers, and married one, the hardest lesson I have to teach them is:
More is not better, better is better.
Especially in a power-endurance sport like rowing. He covers that.

A lot of the BJJ athletes I deal with get their training from wrestling. Lots of wrestling training comes from the former Soviet Union, there are many pitfalls to following "the super secret training methods of the (insert Eastern European country) wrestlers/weightlifters/whatever".. he covers those as well..
It's a great series, if you train you should read it.. starts here.

Yesterday's training:
deadlifts:
worked up to two singles at 455.
I'm playing with my technique a bit. I used to follow more of a Westside techinique where my shoulders were behind the bar. That has worked well for me, but I'm playing more with a shoulders over the bar stance like Mark Rippetoe recommends. I'm not sold either way. Both have merits.

OHP:
5 at 135
2x5 at 145

Abs:
some.

I-Y-T:
1 giant set (do some till form break, rest a few seconds, do some more.. repeat till you can't complete a full rep)

Cable curl/ press down:
Right arm only
(still noticeably smaller and weaker than left 5 years after surgery trying to correct that)
1 Giant set

Mahalo.