Duke De Laet's Journal

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229

Weighed in at 229 this morning. 1 more lb to go. w00t!

See more progress on: lose 20 lbs

How to drop 15 pounds

"Way too slow. "

How I did it: 1.Broke up with my girlfriend

2.Had nobody to take out to eat, so I eat at home.

3.I was too lazy to make complicated stuff, so I ate the same thing all the time: Frozen veggies and sandwiches.

4.Ate a lot of protein shakes

5.Stopped drinking heavily

6.Did 30 minutes a day of cardio, no matter what

7.Danced like a friggin' rockstar at the clubs

Lessons & tips: 1. It's thermodynamics. It's not complicated. Don't eat too much. Move a lot, more that you'd expect.

2. It's emotional. Get right in the head, or find other coping behaviors.

Resources: Rhadi Ferguson's Email newsletter.

Steve Pavlina's Blog

It took me 3 months.

It made me skinnier

See more progress on: drop 15 pounds

Aw, dang.

Went to bed at 2, up at 7. Back to square one.

See more progress on: get at least 6 hours of sleep a night

Day 1

Just barely made it. Went to bed at 10:30 and woke up at 5. We’ll see what’s up tonight. I get off work at 3, and that should give me plenty of time to get all my stuff done without having to stress the bedtime. Need to be up at 530am tomorrow, so that puts me asleep by 1130. I’m pretty sure I can make it.

See more progress on: get at least 6 hours of sleep a night

Not a great grade, but factored in with the extra credit essays and given I do well on the Final, I should still be able to pull an ‘A’ in the class. Dropping my chem class helped alot. I’ll be able to focus on my english class and excel in it, rather than failing chem anyway and then doing mediocre in the rest of my classes.

See more progress on: Pass my political science midterm

235

Do Cardio. It adds up.

See more progress on: drop 15 pounds

How to visit Italy

"life-changing"

How I did it: Got a passport
Got Tickets
Got on a Plane
Kept an open mind
Had my life altered forever

Visited Milan, Torino, Como, and Parma in a week. So amazing. So darn awesome.

Lessons & tips: If you go to Torino, get the ChocoPass. Spend the day. Oh god yes. If you go to Como, feed the ducks. If you get on the train, don't sit next to the guy that smells like pee.

It took me 29 years.

It made me nearly orgasmic

See more progress on: Visit Italy

Totally on the phone with the passport office right now.

The lady from the post office said (when I turned in my application) that I’d need to call them today and if they hadn’t shipped it yet, to tell them I would come pick it up.

See more progress on: get a passport

Rejected

SDSU rejected me, so I can’t go there. I’m probably going to get my A.S. in Ex.Phys. and then go to Point Loma or San Marcos. This goal should be done by the end of next fall.

See more progress on: Get a degree in Kinesiology

1 week

I’m going to get 6 hours of sleep for 1 week straight to see how it affects me. I expect that my stress levels will normalize and I’ll be able to get more productive work out of myself during the day.

See more progress on: get at least 6 hours of sleep a night

I sliced my finger open on a bathroom door.

At Moorpark college. The School nurse told me to get a tetanus booster. I went to my GP today and got one. My arm’s sore. I’m skipping wrestling practice.

See more progress on: get a tetanus shot

53 days out

Holy crap. I’m knocked down to humility because I’ve barely known what it takes to scratch the surface of ‘hardcore’ until now. Training with the Moorpark College wrestling team has shown me a new level of badass where I’m unfotunately at the bottom of the totem pole. JiuJitsu takedown training has nothing on this wrestling stuff. I hit harder, tie up harder, commit further, and land harder than any JiuJitsu class. I stopped counting the times I landed on my neck after 5. And another thing… I thought I had a good sprawl. An absolute No on that one. I thought I was doing enough, what it takes to win. I was so wrong.

I work out twice a day, six days per week. Strength and Conditioning on MWF mornings, Krav and Boxing sparring on MWF Nights. BJJ on TR Mornings, Wrestling and powerlifting on TR nights, Krav and Bag conditioning on Saturdays, Rest on Sunday. I need to work harder, to do more. From now until Pankration, I’m keeping a food journal. Sunday after chemistry, I have to setup the gym system in my room. Like Cara says, what most people think is extra work is actually necessary. It’s not good enough to do way more than the average person… it’s to to way more than my competition.

See more progress on: Make the Pankration U.S. World team

56 Days out

I was reading Steve Pavlina’s blog on goals today, and he was asking What daily discipline(s) would make this goal a done deal?
So I came up with some.

- JiuJitsu Training in a technique-oriented kaizen fashion.
I really need to develop my ‘A’ game, as Christian would put it. This morning I put a new position into my toolbox, the Jeff Glover ‘Deep Half-guard’. After D’Arcy Dan tried to explain it to me, I was pretty iffy on picking up a whole new halfguard mentality. After doing it a couple of times, I just became a bona-fide convert. Sign me ~~the fuck~~ up. It’s exactly that kind of thing that needs to keep happening. All components need to progress at a steady rate, without leaving some behind.

- Eat enough healthy stuff to avoid debilitating fatigue and injury
I need to be eating in a way that provides energy and doesn’t put any weight on. I’ve been good at this for exactly; 1 day. My nutrition plan is solid, and the routine is too. Now if I could just see results faster. Brad is a total inspiration in this regard.

- Strength Train
Weight divisions for SoCal Pankration are different, as well as the skill division. 206-225 will be what I fall into, so I’ve got to weigh in heavy with some strength on my side. I was planning on cutting below 210 to make weight but there’s no point now that they set the division at 225. Now it’s all about putting on a crapload of muscle. I’m going to accellerate the stabilization phase and work on Hypertrophy for the next 4 weeks and see where that gets me. I’ll finally get to see what the stuff I’m certified for actually does.

- Flexibility Training
It’s getting to the point where my BJJ game is totally hindered by my flexibility. I’m never gonna be BJ Penn, but between that and the postural problems causing injuries, this is an area that I haven’t given enough attention to. I just need to get it handled. I started SMR with Ulises in our S&C sessions, and I’m focusing on posture and stretching in my chair at work.

- Conditioning and Endurance Training
Joining with Moorpark College wrestling helped a bit, but still; I’ve got to up my game with this stuff. I’ve got Ross Enimait’s conditioning book and it looks like my S&C partner, Ulises, is gonna hate me. It’s time for all this stuff ot kick into high gear. The Brackets are 16-man brackets on a single elimination, which means there’s 5 matches between me and gold medal in a BIG man’s division. My only real choice is to outgas my entire division.

- Mental Focus
I just went over the Gold Mettle Plan stuff again, I keep getting reminded how amazing Rhadi’s insights are. If you’re competing. Buy his stuff. I also am watching film over and over and over. I’ve got 2 of Mark Laimon’s competition BJJ subs dvd’s and they’re really helping with the visualization. Between that and the Inner Realm on Video and Audio, my head’s in the game. HA! looking at the website for the GMP, there’s a testimonial from me on there. Haha!

- Hard Sparring
I just don’t do this enough. On Saturday, I’ll make Krav Level 2, which will allow me to hit the Fight classes with full gear. Also, Martin just opened up sparring classes at the T.O. Boxing, and that’s the ticket. I may just have to put classic Krav on a hiatus just to get some real mat time in.

Looking back, I’ve finally created a lifestyle that is conducive to winning, rather than one that’s conducive to talking a big game. It’ taken a long time to get the pieces to fit in with the rest of my life, but I’m confident that I’m actually doing what it takes to win, and not praying for a miracle when I step on the mat in April.

See more progress on: Make the Pankration U.S. World team

Will be disposed of
Totally efficient.

Good Vibrations, 62 Days out

“I just get up early, eat my egg whites, and hit the gym hard. I JUST GET IT DONE…”, Says Mark Wahlberg, or at that time, he was Marky Mark. Marky Mark the Calvin Clein model, pop star and sex symbol with big nuts (so big, he had to hold them in his pictures) and even bigger arms. Back in the day he was an idol, he had everything. And how did he get there? He did what he was supposed to be doing. I’ve been pondering this concept, not only in working out, but in self-confidence and spirituality as well. I’ve seen numerous benefits and byproducts of making things happen simply by refusing to quit.

I’ve got a little under 2 months until make-or-break day, and I’m centered. I finally am reining in the loose ends and puting all the little pieces in place that will solidify the next 8 weeks of training. I spent most of last night after Krav Maga class setting up a gym with mats and a bag in Ulises’ garage. Now Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 530am I’ll be putting to use all the stuff I learned in my NASM class, as well as kicking the shit out of each other with reckless abandon.

Two weeks ago, three days before Gracie Nationals, I pulled a muscle in my lower back and couldn’t walk straight for 2 days. I saw a Chiropractor and he gave me some information on NSAIDS that made me choose to avoid them for the time being. As much as it sucked to stop training, I had to. I slept longer, stretched more and gave up trying to push the limits of what my lower back was capable of. I rested for a full 2 weeks, because it was what I was supposed to do. Now I’m back. This morning I hit jiujitsu with full intention and put my mind into freak learning mode. The gameplan for this fight is a lot of high-pressure rides and a whole lot of punching and this morning was well suited for that. We spent well over a half an hour trying to maintain Knee-On-Belly position, working on the little nuances and tweaks that make a solid top ride. The 7am time change makes me feel better with more energy and less stiffness in the morning. Good call, sensei. Doing what it takes is much easier when when I’m awake.
The closer I come to resolve, the more in tune I feel with the universe. For the first time in awhile, I’ve awakened something that makes me feel truly alive, an organically primal force that pushes past the weak bullshit of my excuses. I’ve been staring pain in the face for a long time, but this time I push it so hard that it pushes back. I finally feel like I belong here, like I’m growing into the man I’m supposed to be becoming. The plan may be simple or complex, but it is there.

All I need to do is to follow the plan. Throwing off every bullshit excuse, or even acknowledging them… I won’t let them dictate my behavior. Because, In the end, I just have to get it done. Maturity has shown itself to be the ability to realize something won’t be fun…. but doing it anyway because I know I’m supposed to. There’s kind of a sick high I get off doing shit no one else is willing to do, and it’s going to be even sicker when I’m at the top of a podium in Lithuania. People will ask me what my strategy was, coming into international competition, and I’ll tell them I just woke up every morning, ate my egg whites… and got it done.

See more progress on: Make the Pankration U.S. World team

Good Vibrations, 62 Days out

The closer I come to resolve, the more in tune I feel with the universe. For the first time in awhile, I've awakened something that makes me feel truly alive, an organically primal force that pushes past the weak bullshit of my excuses. I've been staring pain in the face for a long time, but this time I push it so hard that it pushes back. I finally feel like I belong here, like I'm growing into the man I'm supposed to be becoming.

The plan may be simple or complex, but it is there. All I need to do is to follow the plan. Throwing off every bullshit excuse, or even acknowledging them... I won't let them dictate my behavior. Because, In the end, I just have to get it done. Maturity has shown itself to be the ability to realize something won't be fun.... but doing it anyway because I know I'm supposed to. There's kind of a sick high I get off doing shit no one else is willing to do, and it's going to be even sicker when I'm at the top of a podium in Lithuania. People will ask me what my strategy was, coming into international competition, and I'll tell them I just woke up every morning, ate my egg whites... and got it done.

See more progress on: Make the Pankration U.S. World team

74 Days out

Saturday was a crazy time. I had planned to do 3 hours straight, including a 3 mi run in the middle. My ankles are killing me, so I ended up on the elliptical for half an hour in the middle instead. I hurt all sunday. The massacre’s gonna suck bad. Today is Krav L1, Where I’ll work on punching power and Balance drills whilst fight conditioning.
The Gracie Nationals are this weekend, and I think I’m down for the Gi competition, NoGi is for the birds this time around. The Javier Vasquez rules are friggin’ wierd, but hey… You do what you gotta do. It’ll be good to get some competition jitters back into my system.

See more progress on: Make the Pankration U.S. World team

77 days out

Yesterday was no bueno. Between school and me not listening to my alarm, I didn’t get to any class, or do anything physical but some pushups and squats. I’m dropping about a gallon of water per day, and I’m 8 pounds down to 240 from 2 weeks ago. If I can hit 238 by Saturday, I’ll feel better. With enough mental dedication, I can keep the torch going at 4 lbs per week, putting me at 224 by the date of the Massacre. I should be able to weigh in under 210 at the Disney qualifiers, and itt’l put me in the correct weight bracket for Pankration.

Went to Krav today to do some conditioning. I swear that that class is the most combat-appliable class I can take. By the way… @#$% non-stop sprawling. I’m really having a hard time off-angling to my right, on the dead side of a jab. We did a bunch of counter drills from behind using Tai Sabaki. JudoInfo has some great thoughts about this here.

The massacre on Feb. 14 looks to be harder than my Bluebelt test, So to prepare for it, I think I’m gonna slot out 3 hours on Saturdays to go through a conditioning death sentance. I have the 17th, (the 24th I’m probably fighting at Gracie Nationals), the 31st, and the 7th. That’s only 4 weeks of training left, and it’s gotta be mental. Schedule as follows;
1.17 – 9am – Krav L1 Review class | 10am – 3mi Run | 11am – Krav Bag Class |
1.24 – 7am – 3mi Run
1.31 – 8am – Ross’ 52 pickup | 9am – Krav L1 Review class | 10am – 3mi Run | 11am – Krav Bag Class
2.7 – 9am – Krav L1 Review class | 10am – 3mi Run | 11am – Krav Bag Class

During the week, I’m setting other 43things goals to handle conditioning tests, like mtn climber times, consecutive sprawl sets, lunge sets, jump rope turns, and short sprints. At the end of the day, the new program is going to be a minimal cross between Hatmaker’s gladiator routine and the old MMA SAID program from IHP.

Another thing I just found out… There’s two other Qualifier tournaments for the Team trials. One on March 1, in Wasau, WI, and one at the Arnold’s Classic in Clevelend on March 6. It’s a slim chance I’ll be able to afford one of these trips, but it gives me options, if God or the universe or serendipity wants to open a new route.

See more progress on: Make the Pankration U.S. World team

79 days out

Sparred hard in BJJ class today. Hard painful lessons from today; Side control to dorsal transition with the overclasped arm, Baiting the turnover by chaining it in with a normal knee-in shimp, not getting the arm trapped when transitioning to lockdown position, feeling the rolling kneebar from getting halfguard passed marcelo style, Using the knee tuck to keep from getting flattened out when they have your back, angling up to the head in order to stop the turnover, and not getting the arm trapped when executing an inside single. Man, you learn something new every day.

I’m Working on the gameplan, I’ll have to make cute little charts like Christian does. The parts that really work and flow for me are from bottom positions, b/c that’s where I spent all my time in practice in the last year. Flexibility is a problem, though… while I’m getting better on the conditioning and I’m not gassing out like I was before, I still can’t get my knee placed where I know it should go. It makes me want to sit at my desk with my knee to my chest all day. In other news, I weighed in at 245 solid this morning. That feels right, but I think the key (looking back on past journals) is curbing the sodium intake.

See more progress on: Make the Pankration U.S. World team