Las Vegas Shape

Shape...

During my jiu jitsu, when I start to reach the point where the warm up becomes fairly easy and I can roll back to back to back with no need to sit out in a crumpled mess on the side, I know I am in "shape". I do NOT mean six-pack-of-abs-one-handed-push-up-run-a-four-minute-mile shape, cause that isn't me (That job is filled by Sensei Mike :)

Right now, I just got back from Las Vegas and I am decidedly out of jiu jitsu shape. The City of Sin has kicked my ass once again. All-you-can-eat buffets full of salty, fatty foods have destroyed my once beautiful endurance.  Boozy nights on the strip distracted me away from training. Crippling hangovers each morning made even getting out of bed difficult. Las Vegas is the place you go if you want Gluttoney, Greed, and Lust. The Strip always offers you the easy way out. If there are stairs, there will be escalators nearby. Free shuttles reduce walking to a minimum, and even the pool has jets to push you around it. Forget swiming with your arms... thats for losers!.

Before going down, I had all of these great notions of waking up early to get some high level training in at some famous schools around the LV area. Fast forward to the plane ride home, where I sat in the airport dreading the next nights jiu jitsu class, knowing very well I hadn't got a lick of exercise (let alone training) in all week. By contrast, some of my fellow practitioners took time out of their schedules to head to Dallas TX, for the 2011 Machado BJJ camp. They came back strong and full of renewed interest. I was (and still am) extremely jealous.

Monday nights jiu jitsu class was a (expected) travesty. I have not felt the painful sting of gassing out during the warm up in a while. Sweat leaking off of me, gi soaked, huffing, puffing. Who would have though you could do that much damage to your endurance in a week?

Tonights class, (I am hoping) will be a greater showing of my endurance, as I have begun a flushing of my system to get rid of all the crap my body has had to process. You are what you eat, I need to remember that

Mike