Week

On Monday, I woke up at 430, skipped rope, did pull ups, and then did a mildly heavy kettlebell circuit with the 53kg. I worked my grip throughout the day using a Captains of Crush gripper #1
Tuesday, I did Muay thai and the conditioning that goes along with that.
Wednesday, I skipped rope, did my pull ups, and did a light (35kg) but intense kettlebell conditioning routine and BJJ in the evening.
Thursday, Muay Thai with pretty brutal conditioning in the morning and BJJ in the evening. I worked my grip throughout the day using a #2 gripper which was pretty difficult.

Today, I am going to take it easy and just do some pull-ups, jumping rope and some skill work. Probably some foot work and strike and move drills. I am still just standing around and taking straight punches. I is smart. I didn't go to work because I have to deal with my doctor concerning my ADD meds. It never ends. As long as it doesn't screw with my heart, I'm bueno.

On a separate note, my weight is down to 189. Four more pounds to go! I was advised to stop dieting and focus on building muscle for the next three weeks but I seriously question how much muscle I can put on in such a short period of time. Make no mistake, I understand that strength is important in MMA, but I think conditioning is going to win the day. I will keep training with kettlebells in an effort to keep my strength up but realistically I don't think I'm going to be any more powerful out there than I am now. So I think the focus should be to keep the muscle I have while still losing weight.

My plan right now is to keep conditioning with heavy to medium weight kettlebells and bodyweight for the next three weeks while still trying to drop weight. At the end of that three weeks, I am going to Hawaii and will just do some light bodyweight training. I am thinking I will put on some bad weight while there. When I get back, I will kick into overdrive with an emphasis on conditioning and sparring. I am planning to put myself into a state of overtraining. At the two or three week out mark, I will scale back a little and keep the weights light to maximize recovery. The week before I will keep it really light and do nothing but skill work three days before.

I don't think I am going to agree to fight again for awhile. I think my next goal will be to get down to a scarily thin 175 and then try and bulk up to 185, putting on as much lean muscle as possible. I think five to eight pounds of lean muscle and two pounds of fat is realistic but what the hell do I know? It's such a fine balance and I'm really not very body smart (Actually, I'm just not smart period, hence why I have a uber intelligent wife!). I've read alot about the subject but the actual application eludes me. Oh well.