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Repeat Until Strong.

Today's practice:

S&S

- prying goblet squat, 3x5, 24 kg
- one-arm swings, 10x10 with 28, 32, 32, 28, 28. Dropped one weight, third set wasn't that explosive, even after longer rest.
- get-ups, 5x1 with 24 kg. Tired - not physically, but lots of work today, lots of. Easier practice better than none, I feel refreshed.

The one and only Czech UFC fighter Viktor Pesta has his 3rd UFC fight at UFC 192 in Houston Texas, Saturday, October 3rd.

Viktor is my student (not MMA student, S&C) - his strength & conditioning is 100% powered by StrongFirst. He has trained last few months in Sweeden and USA, so I could not supervise his program, but we have planned the work, and he has worked the plan.

I switched him from kettlebells (get-up, swing, push press) to barbell (deadlift, bench press, full contact twist) because in abroad he could not find heavier bell than 36-40. Remember, he is a strong heavy weight.

Viktor fights in the UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims. Watch the fight, and please wish Viktor good luck!

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a) S&S
- prying goblet squat, 3x5, 24 kg
- one-arm swings, 10x10 with 28, 32 , 32, 28, 28.
- get-ups, 5x1 with 32 kg. 3rd "set" was not so good, so I have slown down, and so much better.

b) Combat training
- MMA 1,5 hours
- Practical Hung Kyun 1,5 hours

Note: My combative training is heavily influenced by StrongFirst principles - few things, but better, waviness of the load, continuity of training process, etc.

Example from our MMA lessons: Most of the time we work on the same drills in a "same, but different" way - jab, cross, hook, uppercut, overhand, low kick; Thai clinch, wrestling clinch; takedown from the distance and from the clinch; positional drills on the ground (mount, back mount, side mount, guard), ground and pound, and few very reliable submissions (rear naked choke, armbar, guillotine, Americana, Kimura, triangle choke). That is about it.

I used to do all the crazy stuff, but found out that less, but better, is well... better. Thought of the day cannot be nothing else than:

"It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential." - Bruce Lee
 
a) S&S
- prying goblet squat, 3x5, 24 kg
- one-arm swings, 10x10 with 28, 32 , 32, 32, 28.
- get-ups, 5x1 with 32 kg.

b) Combat training
- special weapons training - 1 hour
- MMA+Practical Hung Kyun 1,5 hours

We just "signed up" another top Czech MMA fighter for your strength and conditioning program: Magdalena Sormova, currently undefeated Czech female athlete (professional record 3:0). The message is spreading - StrongFirst based S&C works.

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S&S
- prying goblet squat, 3x5, 24 kg
- one-arm swings, 10x10 with 28, 32 , 32, 32, 28.
- get-ups, 5x1 with 32 kg.

Note: Victor (n.): mid-14c., from Anglo-French, Old French victor "conqueror," and directly from Latin victorem (nominative victor) "a conqueror," agent noun from past participle stem of vincere "to conquer, overcome, defeat," from PIE root *weik- (5) "to fight, conquer" (cognates: Lithuanian apveikiu "to subdue, overcome," Old Church Slavonic veku "strength, power, age," Old Norse vigr "able in battle," Old English wigan "fight," Welsh gwych "brave, energetic," Old Irish fichim "I fight," second element in Celtic Ordovices "those who fight with hammers").

Coincidence? I don't think so.

The opponent is dangerous, and heavier, but - I talked to Viktor today, he is calm and confident! Iiiiiit's TIME!

viktor.jpg
 
First round was all Viktor (takedowns, ground control), vast majority of the second round, too - Lewis was just defending, Viktor was pushing him hard. 30 seconds before the end of the round Lewis unleashed the hammers. Viktor didn't recover enough from the bombs that Lewis landed, and lost to TKO in the beginning of the third round.

Viktor fought as a lion, I am very proud of him. Respect to the winner - here is the video of the fight.
 
Today's practice:

- off-day.

Not enough sleep (watching the fights), so just easy mobility stuff, stretching, couple of Practical Hung Kyun sets ("Taming the Tiger, Tiger & Crane, Arrow Palm... ), good tea, and writting some articles.

I have found a cool pic of a dumbbell get-up, here it is. I am digging through the old strength manuals, and will prepare some article/short ebook for all interested.

StrongFirst is a school of strength with a lineage - Cyr, Sandow, Hackenschmidt, Inch, Saxon, Klein, Goerner, Jowett, ...

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Thank you sir!

Viktor wrote:

I hate to say that, but I got knocked out in the third round. Big thanks for your support. We're fighters - sometimes we win, sometimes we loose, but we always do our best. I am ok, my ego was hurt way more than my body. I will be back. Love you all guys.
 
S&S:

- prying goblet squat, 3x5, 24 kg
- one-arm swings, 10x10 with 28, 32 , 32, 32, 32. Felt solid, but hell, it is just 32.
- get-ups, 5x1 with 32 kg. Time to move the weight and insert 36.

--------

Digging though an old martial arts manual (from around 1911), loosely translated by late Robert W. Smith in his book Secrets of Shaolin Temple Boxing and have found this interesting part called something like "Five must follow commandments":

Jim Jeun 漸進: Gradual advancement
Hang San 恆心: Perseverance
Jit Yuk 節欲: Restraint and asceticism
Ngoi Gwok 愛國: Love of the country
Sau Gaai 守戒: [I am not sure exactly, but probably something like] "be alert, bun't don't show off, and don't get involved in a fight for no reason".

SFG Code of the Shaolin monks - different era, different activity, different people - same, but different.
 
S&S:

- prying goblet squat, 3x5, 24 kg
- one-arm swings, 10x10 with 32. Felt like 16 - both me and the weight. Well, it is almost half of my bodyweight, but well, it is only 32.
- get-ups, 5x1 with 32 kg.

Note: If you rush the get-ups, you can't "steer" the weight. Take your time, do every single transition with patience, stop at every stage.
 
S&S:

- prying goblet squat, 3x5, 24 kg
- one-arm swings, 10x10 with 32.
- get-ups, 5x1 with 32 kg.

Simple.

Note: One of the keys in the swing is timing. Both on the way down (wait for the bell in the vertical plank) and up (hip extension first, and the bell follows).
 
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S&S:

- prying goblet squat, 3x5, 24 kg
- one-arm swings, 10x10 - 32, 36, 32, 32, 32.
- get-ups, 5x1 - 32, 36, 32, 32, 32.

Note: Advantage of "owning" the bell size before moving to a heavier one: when you insert a new heavier one, it is challenging, but - it doesnt' feel so heavy. And the old one feels light.

All the strong ladies of StrongFirst, enjoy the vintage photo of human get-up below.

The Braselly Sisters were a pair of strongwomen who specialized in graceful and artistic strength stunts. They were also sisters of the even more famous female athlete, Sandwina.

turkish-getup-braselly-sisters.jpg
 
Today's practice: 3 hours of stand-up fighting, clinching, takedowns and ground-fighting for the street - seminar for my friend's school in Hannover.

Oh, and here is my performance at yesterday's 5th Anniversary of my friend's Frank Bolte's School. Warning - it is boring to watch, but the first (longest, and btw. not completely show part) is our "internal strength" training, sharing many principles with HardStyle (corkscrew, pelvic tilt, breathing, grip, lats, glutes...). Think "one of the ancestors of Sanchin kata".

 
Yesterday: Traveling whole day, so just few easy stretches.

Today - S&S:

- prying goblet squat, 3x5, 24 kg
- one-arm swings, 10x10 32
- get-ups, 5x1 - 32

Sitting half off the day in a train is not fun, back to 36 in next days.
 
S&S:

- prying goblet squat, 3x5, 24 kg
- one-arm swings, 10x10 32, 36, 32, 32, 32 - explosive. Good.
- get-ups, 5x1 - 32 - not the level of control I like it to be, so same weight tomorrow.

Quote for today: "Training is efficient if this result is achieved with a minimal expenditure of time and energy."

- Thomas Kurz in: Science of Sports Training: How to Plan an Control Training for Peak Performance.
 
S&S:

- prying goblet squat, 3x5, 24 kg
- one-arm swings, 10x10 32, 36, 36, 32, 32
- get-ups, 5x1 - 32


MMA & Practical Hung Kyun - 1,5 hours.

Quote for today: “There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy.”

- Friedrich Nietzsche, Also Sprach Zarathustra. Born 171 years ago.
 
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