Tuesday, June 3, 2008

First and Foremost

I've decided to keep a blog outlining my quest to accomplish a few of the goals i've set for myself for this summer.

So far the goals that I have set for myself include:

a. Joining an MMA gym
b. Reaching my weight goal of 200lbs
c. Recording my first EP

For a little more explanation:

A. Joining an MMA gym

It wasn't until 2005 that I really started paying attention to Mixed Martial Arts. I am not a tough guy, in the sense that I walk around like some bad ass thinking I could fight anyone. I do however love to watch MMA. The sheer athleticism of these guys is a major inspiration to a guy like me who wants to get in shape, but has never really had a serious reason to. I watch these guys who are ordinary people with ordinary jobs who decided one day they wanted more, and now some of them are the most entertaining fighters in the world to watch. Forrest Griffin, a police officer. Tim Sylvia, a contractor. Hell, Jeff Monson was a school counselor. A guy I really like to watch Joe Lauzon, is a IT guy just like me.

I played close to ten years of both baseball and soccer. I've skateboarded for the past 7 years. But I have never, EVER, enjoyed exercising outside of that. I don't know why, I just hated gym in high school, and the only sport i actually enjoyed then was swimming. That said, I managed to lose close to 20 pounds last spring/summer while skating on pretty much a daily basis. I still ate ALOT, but i was skating for 5-6 hours at a time, and when I did, I sweat my ass off. Mixing this with a heavy intake of water every day and the weight just started coming off. However, fall and winter rolled around and with it came the rain and the holidays which helped me put back on about 10 of those pounds i lost.

Two of my friends joined http://www.ringsportsunited.com in February and they really enjoyed it. I can also see the difference as the months have passed. I think they've both lost about 20 pounds and look MUCH healthier. I signed up last month and have only been there for a little under a month, but i feel great and i'm already shedding. I'm going to classes on Monday and Wednesday now but as soon as my recording is done i'll be going there Mon/Wed/Fri and possibly even the weekends. I am eager to get in shape as quick as possible, learn as much as fast as possible, and become a disciplined, conditioned fighter.

Right now my main focus is getting in shape, and learning the fundamentals. I figure this will take me about 3 months. After that I will start my Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing/Muy Thai training which will help me to become a better all around fighter. I know this isn't an expected direction for me, but neither was hip hop music and I've pretty much got that on point. What I do know is that I have a no-quit attitude, a very thick chin, and a very VERY heavy hand. But unless I learn the discipline and fundamentals required to be a good fighter, none of that means a damn thing.

B. Reaching my goal weight of 200lbs

Since i was 18, i have weighed between 225-245. I have a pretty big frame, alot of muscle, and i've always been comfortable with my body. But, I am not naive to the idea that if I lost some of that extra weight, i'd be a sexy beast. I also want to lose the right weight, burning fat not muscle. So far i'm doing great, i've lost around 7 pounds and feel better. I'm still working on my portioning (it would be easier if i wasn't still kind of broke, i'd buy more groceries), and I need to get in the habit of sleeping more. But for now i'm making good headway. I really like the Wii Fit. In fact, I want one. I could really get into that thing, and the yoga and exercises are awesome. I really like the running simulator where you run in place in front of the tv and the game takes you on lake runs and forest jogs and such. It's a pretty cool concept that I think would get alot of people in shape doing something fun.

As of right now, according to Wii Fit, I weigh 229 have a BMI of 31 and am in great shape.

Kind of ironic haha.

C. Record my first EP

I've already kicked into gear on this one. I'm recording up in Marysville on the weekends this month, and I'm hoping to have the thing finished by the end of the summer. I really like the direction we're headed, it has a real fresh feel. I don't really know how to describe the sound. I think thats a pretty good thing. I want to do live shows eventually, and I want to have a band backing me on stage. I think hip hop needs a revival, and I feel like I could do that :)



I will post pictures from my workouts, recording, and any other random things I may feel like putting up here. I'll definitely be posting some good fights as well.

Cheers.