I am not a morning person. My wife can certainly attest to that as well as my kids, parents, brothers and any close friends. I have mentioned in prior blogs that I have always been a night owl which doesn’t lend itself to being pleasant at 6am. My Grandmother always tells the story that at 6 years old I would sit at the top of the stairs, listen to The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and I never wanted to go to bed. As I became a teenager, my father would often try and wake me up by pulling the covers off and signing “rise, shine and give God your glory, glory”! Even at sleep-overs I couldn’t escape the early morning wake up calls. My long-time friends, Joe and Chuck’s father Mr. Burgy would wail away in the early morning hours declaring, “get up, get out of bed”! Mornings have always been my enemy and a vicious opponent, but mostly because I came into the fight unprepared.
As the first quarter of my year-long training has come to a close I have decided to prepare for and embrace the mornings. Coach McDonough came to me and asked if I wanted to switch up my training times to mornings. Now in order to get to work on time Wednesdays I need to get up at 5am to be there by 6am. This whole process has been about getting out of my comfort zone, so I agreed this would be our new time. We are about 3 weeks into the schedule change and it’s had its up and downs but has forced me to get to bed earlier, stay focused, and be discipline with my schedule. So no more Tonight Show, Get up Get out of bed, and Rise, Shine, and give God your glory, glory children of the world!
Boxing Training:
In the past month the workouts have certainly gotten more difficult as my cardio and energy levels have improved. My progress is slow, yet moving in the right direction. It is frustrating. There are workouts, from the moment the bell rings, my shoulders or legs are heavy and I know I’m in trouble. The peaks and valleys of learning something new.
I increased my rounds on the heavy bag from 6 to 8 incorporating different combinations of punches each round. With the weather getting warmer, I moved my cardio outdoors. When my son Anthony goes to swim practice at Shepaug High School, I get down to their track and do interval runs. I am up to 3 miles at this point. Obviously at my weight, running is about as comfortable as taking my shirt off in the pool. As I get leaner, I am adding more volume and recovering quicker.
Coach McDonough has pushed me more working with the mitts. Watching my drill work, I can see my hand drop in certain situations. Coach has made it a point to press me with some swipes to the head to make sure I keep my hands up. If Mike Tyson said his defense is impregnable, mine is in its third trimester. I even asked Anthony to help me with my defense. He uses the boxing paddles to smack me around a little when he sees openings. He was apprehensive at first, but about 10 minutes in he was really enjoying it. Some controlled sparring is on the horizon as Coach feels more comfortable with my defensive progression.
Nutrition/Sleep:
I weighed in at 289 as of May 12th , 26 pounds lost so far. I have been consistent with my meals both at work and on my days off. The biggest key for me is not over eating. I am having 1 helping of food, eating small meals often, and minimal snacking. If I do have a couple pieces of pizza or some dessert I don’t let that be the trigger to say “well, I am off my diet forget it”. I move on to the next meal and make that one solid. I am still staying away from drive thru’s and I have on more than one occasion put back a food item I don’t need to be eating. I even went on vacation for a week and didn’t gain a pound, which I will take as one for the win column. More importantly during that vacation time I got in the gym every day, hiked, and did some basic strength training. It was a nice vacation but not a week off, which I don’t need. This past week I started an all-natural detox drink made locally by Alicia White. It’s a good effective product so far that other fighters at the gym also have utilized. I have been drinking it 30 minutes before meals twice a day and have definitely felt the difference in my energy and digestion.
As mentioned in the intro, changing the schedule has forced me to get to bed earlier. Five o’clock in the morning hits quick and in order to get the most out of training getting into bed at 10:30 pm is vital for my energy levels. I have experimented with chamomile tea before bed with lemon and it seems to be working I feel more relax at bed time. A lot of time my mind can race at night when you start to think about the day ahead. The tea and the deep breathing techniques before bed have certainly helped. These slight adjustments have made a big difference.
Strength training:
I progressed from the instructional phase of my strength training to more of a routine. I have two leg days a week and one upper body day. The lower body day consists of front squats, overhead squats, cleans, and clean & jerks. My focus has been on explosive movement with both my legs and shoulders to help improve not only my strength but also my quickness and reaction times.
On upper body days I work on chest, back, arms, and core. Last Saturday, I took Anthony to the gym for the first time with me. It was a nice bonding time for the two of us, lifting and spending time together away from the chaotic schedules during the week. With training being time consuming, anything to include my family in this process is high priority.
Mental:
I am in a good place right now. I have begun to plan my trainings in terms of weeks instead of specific days. If I am working overtime, on vacation, or an unforeseen event occurs I can adjust with this type of thinking. I want to get in 3 days of boxing training, 3 days of cardio, 3 days of strength training, and Marciano Mondays. I have Sunday to Saturday to complete this and anything else is a bonus.
I have had great conversations after boxing with Coach McDonough about how I am doing, different coaching philosophies, sports, and of course boxing. Coach has talked about the insecurities of fighters. You can see these guys talking trash, mean mugging the camera, and look like they have all the bravado in the world but there is a battle inside, wondering if they measure up. Individuals in team sports can have the same thoughts, but are lifted up by teammate’s performances. In boxing you are out there on your own, and in your own head. The managers have to be part trainer, but mostly amateur psychiatrist.
Danbury Champs had a huge month. Two up and coming amateurs had great showings. Ali Feliz finished 2nd in the 201+ youth male division and Fernley Feliz finished 1st in the 201+ elite male divisions. Champs also had 3 pros pick up victories: Vinnie Carita (New ABF USA Cruiserweight champ), Omar Bordoy (unanimous decision victory to improve to 11-1), and Mike Marshall (remained USA New England Heavyweight Champ with a TKO). It was fun and inspiring to watch these guys work their craft.
I have not worked this hard since high school at any athletic endeavor. At times I would lift, or train for a 5k, but it’s been twenty years since I’ve pushed myself at this rate. Most of the time I would never let myself get out of my comfort zone. I would never let myself be really sore. I would do just enough to feel like I did something. Listening to the radio one Saturday morning on my way to the Iron Factory I heard a great quote “Always go the extra mile, it won’t be crowded when you get there”. I guess I better start getting comfortable being uncomfortable.
