Category: Products I Like

Training Martial Arts 5/10/2021: Supplements the Dirty Word

Daily Vitamin I take

Yup I am going to go there… This topic is very divisive. I have seen people tow the line for supplements, and I have seen people poo poo supplements. So I am going to talk about the supplements I take and why.

I am not affiliated with any supplement company and all views on supplements I take are just my honest views. I just think this might help someone out there navigate the multibillion dollar mess and quagmire you can get lost in when looking into taking supplements.

I have often noticed that the people who push the supplements the most have the most to gain from you following their lead. They are often affiliated with that supplement company.

I have read people dismissing all supplements and in some cases demonizing them. All you have to do is type in to google ‘why are supplements bad for you?’, and you will have a plethora of people telling you why they are bad and some will have horror stories about bad things that happen. I think it is important to read those too. Just understand what you are reading, and what their motivation is for writing.

I am not here to judge either extreme. I will say though that you should take everything you read and hear with a grain of salt. See if you can find a reason for person A disregarding a product (for instance, they may have had a bad reaction, or may have been ripped off). Alternately if a person B is promoting a product, why are they promoting it? Maybe it has helped them, and maybe they get a kick back from the company.

In any case read everything, study and learn what you can. You and your body are different and what works for me may not work for you.

Some Websites That Are Worth Reading On Supplements

https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/the-8-supplements-for-strength-athletes-and-bodybuilders.html

What Supplements Should I Take and Which Ones Should I Avoid?

Lets start with… What is a supplement?

In this case a Dietary Supplement is a just that a capsule, powder, gummy, tablet, energy drink, and energy bar. It is any one of those things you ingest to supplement your diet. They contain vitamins, minerals, and nutrients you normally get from food. Some popular supplements contain vitamin D, B12, minerals like calcium and iron, probiotics, stimulants like caffeine, herbs like garlic and tumeric, and collagen. Just to name some of them.

Some companies add more to their products, extra dyes, sugars, preservatives, etc.

Almost every person uses at least one supplement a day. (Daily vitamin, Caffeine in the form of your favorite beverage, etc)

Why use a supplement?

Supplements are used to add your diet and supplement your diet if you are not eating a full and nutritious diet.

Lets face it most of us are not eating like we should. We know we should eat a more nutritious meal on time, but our fast paced life gets in the way, and you may be shoving a granola bar into your mouth between meetings. Sometimes we don’t eat as nutritious and complete a meal because we have dietary restrictions like Lactose intolerance, allergies, or we are vegetarian.

Whether we have health restrictions or ones of our own making they still limit the nutrients that we can get in. This is a good time to supplement.

Doctors often prescribe supplements, like mind prescribed vitamin D for me.

What to be wary of?

If the supplement is promising anything… but mainly, weight loss, detox, and laxatives.

Supplements are not going to cure an sickness or ailment. If it promises to do that run far far away.

How do I know I am getting quality supplements?

That is a good question and you can verify that the supplement you are looking into has been tested and verified by these independent organizations:

  1. NSF international
  2. U.S. Farmacopia
  3. ConsumerLab.com

These independent organizations above test the products to makes sure that they, properly manufactured, are made with the ingredients printed on the label, that they contain the amounts printed on the label, and that they do not contain harmful levels of contaminants.

Ok… don’t just take my word for it, read for yourself, learn what you can and what the different supplements can do for you.

Here is what I use and why. It has changed over time and will continue to change as I learn more, and my activity changes.

Coffee/Tea every morning – I enjoy the act of sitting and waking up with a cup of coffee or tea, caffeine gives me a pick me up

Daily Vitamin I Take:

  1. Vitamin D – Doctor prescribed because I was dangerously low. I do try to get out in the sun daily thought to make it naturally
  2. Fish oil – Omega 3 fatty acids, helps reduce inflammation, heart health, eye health, and skin. (it helps more than that but those are the reasons I take it)
  3. Turmeric – Anti inflammatory, antioxidant
  4. Glucosamine and Chondroitin – for joint care – commonly found in cartilage, and I don’t chew the cartilage like my Japanese grandparents do. I find the mouth feel unpleasant.
  5. L- Lysine – this is an amino acid that the body cannot make, I use it for athletic performance

Performance Supplements: I take as needed, 3 to 4 days a week.

  1. BCAA – ON (Optimum Nutrition) Amino Energy – Also known as Branch Chain Amino Acids. Of the 9 essential amino acids your body needs for muscle building and proper function, 3 of them are BCAA’s. Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. You can get these from protein rich foods. I have a hard time eating enough protein. I was a vegetarian for a long time. So this helps me get them in.
    • Helps with muscle growth
    • Decreased muscle soreness
    • Reduce muscle fatigue
    • Prevent Muscle wasting (or when your body cannibalizes your muscles during a workout due to lack of energy.)
  2. ON Whey Protein Isolate/Concentrate Powder – I use it to supplement my protein intake. I don’t eat enough protein, I cannot sit down to a huge steak and sit and eat it. I am lactose intolerant and this is the only Whey that does not kill my stomach. Whey Protein Isolates have only up to 1 gram of lactose, so I can consume this with little to no negative effects.
  3. ON Collagen – major component of your tendons, joints and connective tissue. Again not really a meat eater, and hate chewing on connective tissue, so this helps me get that in.
    • helps with hair and nails
    • skin
    • joint mobility
  4. ON Creatine – You can get this from meat and animal protein. I use this cause I don’t eat a lot of meat and I am lactose intolerant so I don’t drink milk.
    • helps build lean muscle
    • increase high intensity exercise capacity
    • increase bone mass
    • increase muscle strength
    • helps speed recovery
    • has been proven to increase athletic performance.
  5. ON Beta Alanine – increases muscle performance by increasing exercise capacity and decreasing muscle fatigue.
    • exercise capacity
    • reduce muscle fatigue
    • anti aging
    • immune enhancing
    • antioxidant
  6. L – Carnatine – helps the body turn fat in to energy. I use this sparingly.

Do I use these performance supplements every day? Nope, I often use them on days where I have been active all day. Or I have a very heavy workout day ahead of me. For instance. I have 3 solid hours of working out I do on Saturday and Sunday, (Muay Thai, Kali, and weight lifting). On days like today I just ran and did my weight lifting workout. I only used the BCAA mix, for decrease muscle soreness, decrease muscle fatigue, and preventing muscle wasting. On days I don’t workout at all I don’t take these workout supplements.

Do I recommend that every person needs to use these? Oh heck no. When I was first working out only half an hour to an hour a day… nah I did not need it. I did not use supplements then.

If you are starting out (working out) and just getting going, chances are you are not going to need this. These are supplements, things to help you keep your performance at a level where you are progressing. Chances are if you are upping your workout program you will notice when your body needs help.

If you can eat all the protein, vegetables, and dairy you need, you won’t need as much supplementation.

Also talk to your doctor about supplements before taking any. Some can mess with your blood sugar levels and you just may not need them.

Did I decide to take every single one of these all at once? That would be a negative again, when I started to increase my workouts, I just used BCAA’s for a year. Then I realized after research that creatine was not the big scary supplement I thought it was. It was not going to make me look like some male body builder. So I added that. This year I added whey protein powder to try to help increase my protein intake.

What I am saying is my adaptation to supplements has grown organically. I notice a decrease in my ability, or I am healing slower due to an increase in muscle damage I am doing. I evaluate my nutrition, and supplement intake and I adjust.

This is an ever changing, adapting, sometimes increasing, sometimes removing a supplement part of my training.

Supplement is not the big bad word at all. We all take something, even if it is in the form of a multivitamin or you favorite cup of Java in the morning.

Maintenance Eating Week? I think 5th week.

OK so this week I will just say my protein intake has been terrible. I only averaged about half of what I needed to do this week every day. Sunday I got close to what I needed, and that was with me adding two protein shakes, and eating three extra eggs.

So goals for next week is to meet protein needs. I am doing well with carbs and fats… just need to keep pushing the protein. Especially with the way I have been weight training. Protein focus is what I need to do. I love veggies so much though.

MACRO AVERAGES
 Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Day 6Day 7AverageGoalDifference
Protein891108185113149154111.57142921098.42857143
Carbs324263233210127157255224.14285724520.85714286
Fat1138593869911210298.571428610910.42857143
           
Calories266922572093195418512232255422302801571

Training 5/10/2021: 1 hour – 1 mile run, Upper body Weight lifting

So back at it again. Today’s was upper body weight lifting day. Specifically back, shoulders, triceps, and abs.

I got my mile run in.

Woo this upper body workout was tough on my shoulders. But it was a good burn today. So one day I will be buff.

I am not good at chin ups, so I am doing them inclined so I am on my heels with a flat plank body while pull up.

Did my core stuff, it was a little twinge on my back but I made sure to stabilize my back during it.

Weight lifting: back, shoulders ,triceps, abs

1) inclined under hand chin ups- 8, 8, 7, 7

2) standing dumbbell tricep overhead extensions- 15, 15, 15, 15

3) standing dumbbell lateral raises – 10, 10, 10

4) leaning shoulder front raises – 10, 10, 10, 10

3 supersets below: do all exercises in a set before taking a break

Superset 1: do this set x4
1) standing dumbbell upright row- 12, 12, 12, 12
2) dumbbell back fly – 12, 12, 12, 12

Superset 2: do this set x3
1) seated tricep overhead extensions – 12, 12, 12
2) overhead resistance band tricep extensions – 12, 12, 12

Superset 3: do this set x3
1) crunch into side to side crunches – 20, 20, 20
2) sit ups into twists – 20, 20, 20
3) upper crunches – 20, 20, 20

Training 5/11/2021: 1 hour of Muay Thai

Today was a good day of training. It was good because it was a test of my endurance. I work a job where I am on my feet. I was at work till about an hour and a half before my Muay Thai class. I was up at 4:30 am, and did not get home till 3 pm.

Man I was pooped. But I did it…I worked on my form, and tried to remember to keep my hands up.

I also got a chance to talk to Professor Pedro Sauer. He is an amazingly sweet man and takes the time to speak to all of his students. He gave me pointers about training and I am so great full.

I am a lucky woman, I have been able to learn, bump elbows, and train with living legends in the martial arts world.

Thank you Khun Kru Krysta for a great class.

Training 5/15/2021 Workout: 2 hours and 45 minutes, Muay Thai, Kali, abs weight lifting lower body

Today was a great day of training. I ended up taking 3 days off of training. I did not realize how much I needed the rest.

Muay Thai:
1) jump rope warm up
2) jab, catch, jab drill
3) cross, parry, cross drill
4) hook, high elbow cover, hook drill

5) respond to the jab cross hook, return a hook, cross, lead kick
6) fed pads for H

7) respond to jab cross hook, high elbow cover and return a jab/strike, cross, hook, rear kick
8 ) fed pads for H

9) respond to jab cross hook, you bob and weave on the hook, return a hook to torso, cross, lead knee
10) fed pads for H

11) pop the leather where we responded to the jab cross hook
12) same as previous round

Kali:

We worked the Running Saint Rafael. Broke it down into three parts, abisadario 3, triple ordabise, umbrella 3

Weight lifting: Lower Body Quads and Glutes

1) dumbbell squats – reps – 20, 20, 20, 20
2) standing leg extensions- reps each side – 12, 12, 12

Superset: do each full set before taking a break
1) barbell hip thrust – reps – 12, 12, 12, 12
2) floor glute bridges with a plate – reps- 12, 12, 12, 12

Superset: do each full set before taking a rest
1) abductor with resistance band – reps- 15, 15, 15
2) dumbbell sumo squats – reps – 15, 15, 15

Training 5/16/2021 Workout: 2.5 hours – Muay Thai practice and lower body weight lifting

Today I found out one of the instructors I had the honor to learn from in seminars died. It is a great loss to the Muay Thai community and family. We are all so very saddened by this news.

He has touched so many of us, and his love for the art of Muay Thai transferred to all around him.

I can’t think of a better way to honor his memory in but to practice and work on the art he so loved and dedicated his life to.

Khun Kru Krysta also gave us a gift and demonstrated and taught us Ajarn Sangtiennoi’s Wai Kru. He taught her when she was in Thailand.

May his memory soar and continue in history. Those that love him will remember forever in their hearts.

In honor of Sangtiennoi Muay Thai training: 1.5 hours

Pad work and Sparring practice
1) I am working on bringing my hands back to my face.
2) tightening my high elbow cover
3) keeping my head moving
4) changing up my strategy in sparring, not aggress all the time, let them come to me. Range management, staying just outside of range and then getting in for strikes.

Weight lifting: glutes and hamstrings focus

Let me tell you getting kicked a lot makes this leg day hard to get through. Lol

1) barbell Romanian Dead Lifts – reps – 10, 10, 10, 10
2) barbell alternating reverse lunges- reps each side – 20, 20, 20, 20
3) dumbbell Bulgarian split squats – reps each side- 12, 12, 12, 12
4) kneeling resistance band pull through – reps – 15, 15, 15

Do you use supplements? Have you been afraid to use them? Are you going to try some in the future?

I sometimes eat these protein bars as well. Again to get the protein in I need to meet my macros.

Thank you all for reading, I hope it helped at least a little. Let me know what you think in comments, please like, and subscribe if you want to see more. I post more often on my instagram page @sharpcupcake

As always, Don’t Photo Edit, Just Go Get It!

Guess Who is an Official Yokkao Brand Ambassador?

I did not even know how to title this, so a simple title seems best. I am amazed, I have had several brands reach out to me. Some of the brands want me to review some of their items, some of them want me to be brand ambassadors.

Some of the companies truly want honest reviews, and some don’t or have allterior motives. I have rejected some offers and obviously accepted some offers. I recently did a product review of a company that sent me a product and asked me to do an honest review. So I was happy to accept. I am always happy to look at/try something new that is sent to me and give an honest review.

Then a brand I have used, and loved for almost 2 years now reached out to me and asked me to be a brand ambassador. As a matter of fact two people contacted me personally from Yokkao.

This is a long way of me saying yay, I am a Official Yokkao Ambassador. Do you see that picture? Me?!? Why me… why ask me was my question. I am the biggest goof ball. But ask me they did. I already use their carbon fit shorts. I love the fit and their styles.

I am going to keep using their shorts and products. I love Yokkao. I love their designs. I have a new pair of Thai Shorts on the way the Angry Bunny ones. I cannot wait to get them.

I mean look at these… so flipping cute! I love them already and I have not gotten them yet.

So the good stuff is:

I have a special code that I can share with you all that will give you 10% off on your purchase. Use this code: sharpcupcake10​ at yokkao.com

https://yokkao.com?ghref=2411:115460&discount=sharpcupcake10
direct link using my code

Cool beans right? I think it is really cool. When you love the brand already it is a much easier decision to work with them. At least that is the case for me.

Ohh and something really cool. A fighter I have been watching and loving for a while has just signed with Yokkao. “Our newly signed fighter Rodtang Jitmuangnon is fighting in 7 days.” If you can get a chance to watch one of his fights, please do so. He is amazing.

What would you do if a brand you loved reached out to you?

If you have what have you done? Did you end up working with them?

Let me know if you end up ordering something, and show me what you ordered so I can be excited with you.

Thank you for reading. If you liked this post please click the like button. If you want to keep up with my adventures subscribe to this blog. As always please feel free to comment and talk to me.

Find me @sharpcupcake on Instagram for day to day shenanigans.

As always, Don’t Photo Edit, Just Go Get It!

Shiny New Product Review: Elite Sports Duffle Bag First Impressions

As promised here is my initial impressions and review of the Elite Sports Warrior Series Blue Large Duffel MMA Gear Gym Bag & Backpack. Elite Sports are a sports equipment company that supplies equipment for BJJ, Boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, and Judo. I had seen their products around but had never bought any. I was surprised when they contacted me to do a honest product review of their products.

I am always happy to try a new product that will help me with my training and in this case help me lug my gear to and from the gym.

If you would like to see the gym bag in all its glory I made a video of me pulling out all of my gear that I stuffed into the bag. I carry around a lot of gear to help me train Muay Thai and Kali.

As I am typing this today I have used this bag for 3 days of training. However, I have packed and unpacked that bag a good 20 times. Why you might ask? Because I am a huge dork or nerd you name it, and I had to re-record that video many times.

First Impressions:

  1. Holding Capacity: I was happy to be able to get all of gear in the bag. I found that it was well made. I love the quality and thickness of the zippers. When I unboxed the bag, I was impressed with quality of the fabric. It is thick and I absolutely love the color.
  2. Durability: It seems very durable and we will see as I continue to use it how well it holds up. I love the structure in the bag. The other duffel bag I had, had absolutely no structure. So this bag standing up is wonderful.
  3. Many Pockets: I was impressed with the amount of pockets in the bag. It has 8 total! I love pockets. Maybe I am a little strange but I love to be able to organize my stuff and know exactly where it is.
  4. Comfort: This bag is comfortable to wear as a backpack or as a duffel.

A few things that could be reengineered for future versions of the bag:

  1. The plastic mesh and how durable that will be. If I accidentally leave the bag in the car will it melt to my gloves on a hot day?
  2. The side pockets on the bag zip from the bottom up. I would encourage the new versions to open from the top down. This would be especially helpful when opening if you are using the bag like a backpack and having it stand up. I found my items falling out onto the floor.
  3. It might be nice to have a pocket that is a thermal pocket. So that we can put cold water bottles or snacks in.

So there you go. I love the bag. I was happy to get a chance to test it out. If you are interested in getting a bag like this of your very own… I have some links you can use down below. Helpful right?

https://www.elitesports.com/
https://www.elitesports.com/collections/muay-thai-gear-gym-bagshttps://www.elitesports.com/products/elite-sports-warrior-series-blue-large-duffel-muay-thai-gear-gym-bag-and-backpackhttps://www.borntough.com/ (this is their other brand)

  • old bag and shiny new blue bag side by side
  • inner mesh pocket
  • really cool handle
  • I got all of this in that blue bag!

What would you look for in a bag?

Did I miss something that you would like to see in the review?

Thank you all for coming and reading. If you liked this post please let me know and hit the like button. If you want to see more please subscribe, and if you are feeling chatty please feel free to comment. Let me know what you think, what I might have missed. Stay tuned for more adventures.

Don’t forget, Don’t Photo Edit, Just Go Get It!

Training Martial Arts 01/11/2021: Training after care? How to take care of your body.

Unfortunately there is no easy replacements for your worn out body parts. We can’t go get new limbs, and parts when we wear out our current parts. So much like a vehicle you have to take care of your beautiful bio machine with a tune up.

Let me back up a bit. If you are just working out 1 to 2 times a week, you won’t need to invest in a lot of this. You probably can get away with just stretching, hydrating, showering, and getting a good snack in.

However, if you are working out 5 to 6 days week. Training on an intensive schedule, training for a competition, doing HIIT workouts, training in a striking martial art, and or just breaking your body down on the regular, then you will want to start some or all of these after care activities.

What is after care?
It is the care you take after your workouts to promote, improve, and help healing along. It is preventative measures, to help prevent bad injuries, and it helps reduce pain, help flexibility, and increase performance.

What should you do?
There are several articles out there that tell you to:
1) Hydrate – drink water, coffee, does not count – drink at least 3 liters of water a day. I try for a gallon a day.
2) Stretch – stretch, before and after workouts. Before just a little, after when you are warm go through the motions and just cool it down.
3) Fuel your body – snack after a workout so that you body has something to add to that furnace you started.
4) Sleep – One of the most elusive things for me admittedly. However, so important for your body to heal.

Yes those are all valid, and necessary. However, after a certain point in your training you will have to go further to keep your body running. These things are all the things I have had to integrate into my routines. Also know if you are just starting to work these in, you don’t have to do all at once. It can be daunting to have to add so many new things at once.

Here are the things you should add if you are training hard, training for a marathon, training for a fight, you name it. Here are the things I have added and have worked for me.

(all items below are pictured above and labled)

  1. Rolling With Foam Roller – Helps smooth out your fascia or the connective tissue that stretches through and over your muscles.
    • If you don’t roll, you can get adhesions of the facia to the muscle tissue. Injury, inactivity, or over use/repetitive movement, can cause these adhesions. Points of pain and inflammation, trigger points,, knots, and tightness.
    • When you do roll it can improve your performance. Reduces muscle soreness, tightness, and improves joint mobility
  2. Rolling out shins and muscles with Tiger Tail
    • Just like the foam roller above, it is used for massage of the muscles. This helps our performance.
    • For us in Martial Arts, particularly striking forms, we in Muay Thai use it to roll our shins. We kick bags, people, and dummies all the time. When we do we get bruises and bone bruises. These can make our shins feel like a key or bumpy. It can also making it painful when kicking. So we roll our shins with the tiger tail. It is not fun. It hurts a great deal, but the benefits out weight the negatives.
    • Benefits: Helps dissipate bruising faster. Helps flatting the calcium deposits in your shins that are accumulated to help heal the micro fractures. Helps with bone density, and eventually helps lessen the pain of kicking another persons shin. Note: I said lessen not make it go away entirely.
    • web sites to help you roll with your tiger tail
      https://tigertailusa.com/how-to-roll/
      https://www.performbetter.com/Tiger-Tail-Massager
  3. Hypervolt (this was a costly investment, but was a birthday gift, that both H and I now get benefits off of)
    • Hypervolt is like a massage therapist in your own hands.
    • It increases blood flow to your muscles. Which helps healing and increased mobility and joint movement.
    • It does not require a professional to use it.
    • It can get into hard to reach areas, and pin point knots and adhesions that are hard to reach with just a flat foam roller. It has different attachments that allows you to put pressure in areas you need it most.
    • Keep it off of joints and bones. You only want to use it in/on the muscle.
  4. Lacrosse Ball
  5. Heating Pad
  6. Ice Pack
    • Just like heating it can greatly reduce the D.O.M.S. More importantly it constricts blood vessels and can reduce inflammation.
    • Alternately if you can afford it a cryo chamber session will greatly reduce inflammation and aids in healing and recovery. But the Ice Pack is an alternative. Especially during this pandemic.
    • Often times athletes alternate heating and cooling for therapy.

Do I do these every day? Nope not even. I do try to roll once a day. I try to get hypervolted three times a week. It has really helped. I can see recovery times dropping to a day instead of two or three days.

It was recommended more urgently by my coaches and trainers, to me to do when I started training for Muay Thai camp. Because that was 6 days a week of intense training, and breaking down of your body.

Monday 01/11/2021: 1 mile Run, Weight lifting, #shefit30 challenge

Workout: 1 hour and 20 minutes – 1.5 mile run, weightlifting, and #Shefit30 Challenge done

I was interrupted in my workout and family needed my help. So I did not get my HIIT training in today.

Some days it’s better to just get in what you can.

My daughter also wanted to “help” me so when I was doing wall sits she decided to help and sit on my lap. Lol

The Shefit30 challenge word/s of the day are: F.L.E.X.M.Y.G.U.N.S. I did this set x3.

Workout/training for today
1.5 mile run

Weight lifting:
1) 1 min kettle bell swings x 3 sets
2) front raise to lateral raise x3 sets of 10
3) kneeling snow angels 3x sets of 10
4) 1 minute Kettle bell figure 8’s x3 sets

Shefit30 challenge: this set x3 wot 10 second rest between sets

F) 1 minute wall sit
L) 15 mule kicks
E) 15 push-ups
X) 20 double leg slaloms

M) 30 plank jacks
Y) 75 flutter kicks – head and shoulders off the ground, 25 small 1 foot of the ground, 50 large flutter kicks

G) 15 burpees
U) 30 bicycle crunches
N) 15 jump lunges
S) 30 second fast feet (I get about 75 to 8 toe taps)

Tuesday 01/12/2021: # 1 today. #shefit30 challenge

Words for today was W.H.I.T.E.W.H.I.T.E.G.O.

I did it only 1 time today. It was all I could squeeze in. I was up at 4 am to work, and I have to clean the house and teach the kiddos today before I train tonight in Muay Thai.

Shefit30 challenge:
W) 15 Superman’s + a push-up
H) 10 tricep dips
I) 25 standing oblique crunches
T) 25 hip dips
E) 15 push-ups

W) 15 Superman’s + a push-up
H) 10 tricep dips
I) 25 standing oblique crunches
T) 25 hip dips
E) 15 push-ups

G) 15 burpees
O) 30 sit-ups

Wednesday 01/13/2021: 45 minutes- 1 mile run and #shefit30 challenge

Word/s of the day is B.L.A.C.K.I.S.B.A.C.K. I did this set x2 after my mile run.

The day started off not the best. Had to put my foot down and let people in my orbit know I will not be disrespected and talked down to. Gotta teach the kids at an early age that what they say and how they say it matters.

I did my best to push through. I am glad I shaved 15 seconds off my run time today. I just ran at a steady state so I was surprised to see the time.

Shefit30 challenge– x2 with what I added

B ) 20 squat jumps
L) 15 mule kicks
A) 30 star jumps
C) 40 high knees
K) 20 Russian twists with kettle bell
I) 25 standing crunches each side
S) 30 seconds fast feet
B ) 20 squat jumps
A) 30 star jumps
C) 40 high knees
K) 20 Russian twists with kettle bell

Thursday 01/14/2021: 2 x training sessions

Workout: # 1 #shefit30 challenge took about 40 minutes

The word for day 11 of this challenge was H.A.V.E.V.A.L.O.R. I did this x3 sets.

Have you ever done an angry workout? Yeah I have too. I was able to work off some of my frustration and anger.

I was able to get through it without any interruptions as well. I love my kids and love being a mom. They know they messed up when I get home from work and they were bickering. I get up at 4 am to work. I separated them and told them the behavior I expect from them and told them I needed to be left alone, unless some one is broken, bleed, or something is burning, don’t bother me.

Hate star jumps still, and mule kicks are getting bigger yay!

Shefit challenge day 11: whole set x3 with my additions

H) 15 tricep dips
A) 30 star jumps
V) 20 donkey kicks each side
E) 15 push-ups- every two I did glute activation with tow straight leg kick backs
V) 20 donkey kicks each side
A) 30 star jumps
L) 15 mule kicks
O) 30 sits ups with 20 lb kettle bell press
R) 20 pike crunches, 20 frog crunches

Training: workout # 2-1 hour of Muay Thai Training

Today we were working on distance management, long guarding, shielding kicks. I am going to have to roll my shins tonight. But I was doing better keeping my shield tight on my off side South Paw.

He’s kicks were hurting him more than me this time! Progress!!! Yay!

The long guard is an art itself you have to protect your face, be able to peak through and keep your glove/fist in the opponents face! Then they can’t or won’t see what you do to them next!

I was tired on this workout. It’s the second one today. I did not get a nap today but I worked through it and it was not too bad. Aside from some upfront fatigue I leaned into my training. It was fun.

Thank you Khun Kru Krysta for a great class.

Training: double kick drills, jab body cross head cross flurries, and jumping jacks for active recovery between rounds

1) Lear teep , lead kick, rear teep, rear kick
2) held pads for H

3) Lead shield, lead teep, hop lead kick, cross, hook, rear knee, rear kick
4) held pads for H

5) rear shield, rear kick, hop rear kick, hook, cross, lead kick, long guard out
6) held pads for H

7) Lead cross shield, step into cross, body hook, head hook, cross, lead kick
8 ) held pads for H

9) Jab, lead elbow, lead upward knee, rear elbow, fence tie up, run 6 knees into opponent’s gut, push off and teep for good measure
10) held pads for H

Friday 01/15/2021: #shefit30 challenge day 12

Friday’s are my rest days so I did just one round of day 12’s words of the day. Still so sweaty after just one round.

Words were F.O.C.U.S.A.H.E.A.D. I did one round of this.

Shefit30 challenge: with things I added to it

F) 1 minute wall sit
O) 30 sit-up’s with weight kettlebell press at the top
C) 40 high knees
U) 60 bicycle crunches
S) 30 seconds fast feet
A) 30 star jumps
H) 15 tricep dips
E) 15 push-ups after every two I did a glute activation leg raise twice
A) 30 star jumps
D) 1 minute plank

Saturday 01/16/2021: 2 x training sessions

Training: workout # 1 – 2 hours of training Staff/Kali and Muay Thai

Woot today was a great day of training. I felt like I was actually making progress today or at least showing it. My work in South paw my off hand is showing. Yay! I added a video of my south paw cut step.

We worked in Kali/staff class, and my shoulders tired. Whew! I added a video of some of the forms we used when warming up.

Muay Thai: jumping jacks, elbow flurries, double kicks for active recovery

1) jab, cross, lead downward diagonal elbow, jab, cross, rear downward diagonal elbow
2) held pads for H

3) jab, lead horizontal elbow, lead knee, lead kick
4) held pads for H

5) fake the jab, cross, rear side in elbow, rear knee, rear kick
6) held pads for H

7)jab, cross, hook, chain horizontal elbow, rear spinning back elbow, lead spinning back elbow, lead downward diagonal elbow
8 ) held pads for H

9) Teep, lead kick, cross, hook, elbow, tie up, run knees
10) held pads for H

Extra curricular:
6 x 3 minute rounds of sparring

Workout: # 2 – #shefit30 challenge day 13 done

I had 2 + hours of martial arts training today Muay Thai and Kali today. I was pooped when I got home.

I did this days challenge x 1 set. The word of the day was, U.L.T.I.M.A.T.E.G.I.R.L.S.

Shefit30 challenge: and what I added to the workout

U) 60 bicycle crunches
L) 15 mule kicks
T) 30 hip dips each side
I) 25 standing crunches each side
M) 30 plank jacks
A) 30 star jumps
T) 30 hip dips each side
E) 15 push-ups with glute activation leg raises after every two push ups
G) 15 burpees
I) 25 standing crunches each side
R) 30 fast pike crunches
L)15 mule kicks
S) 30 seconds fast feet

What do you do for recovery? What are you going to add to your routine? Remember you don’t have to do all of them at once or at all. See what works for you. But recovery is an important part of training. Arguably it is one of the most important parts of training.

Now I need to go and roll… I skipped it right after my workout to work on this post. =) There are always excuses, just make sure you do what is right for you.

Thank you all for reading. If you liked what you read please let me know and hit the like button. Subscribe if you want to see more of my adventures. If you want to drop a comment, or just say hi, please feel free.

Don’t photo edit, just go get it!…

NOTE: it occured to me that I should say this… I have not been paid to say anything about these products. This is just stuff I have bought with my own money and what I use for myself.

Workout/Martial Arts 04/20/2020: Started a challenge in the middle, but maybe I will win a free sports bra

Hello everyone. I started this blog to track my progress, document my journey, share some of my favorite healthy recipes, and share my love for not only my workouts but my main Martial Arts (Muay Thai, and Kali). I still use my blog for that. I also originally started the blog for just me. If other people read it that was fantastic, but really I wanted to have a place to put all my thoughts, and my journey.

However, with this pandemic, and being an essential worker has changed things, and the way I view this blog. While I have to leave the house to go to work, and to do supply runs. I feel isolated. (everything is quick, don’t linger, don’t touch what you aren’t getting, don’t socialize, and an air of anxiety) I think we all feel this when we are out getting essentials. So writing this blog has taken on a new role for me. I feel like I connect with some people around the world. I have readers from all over the world. I am amazed when I look at the statistics and see some from almost every continent, countries big and small, and even people in my own backyard.

So while you may be silent, or you may ask questions. I still feel like this world is connected. That being said if you want to just say hi even, please feel free to. I will respond as soon as I see it.

Anyway lets get back to my week of workouts. As my title states I started a challenge in the middle of the challenge. Lets see lets start from the beginning. The beginning of this week in workouts started out as a comedy of errors. Next I don’t use… wait (I have them set up)… I did not use a lot of different social medial applications. I used mainly FB, and have twitter attached to this blog (I almost never go into twitter). But other than that I just use FB and write up this blog. Well I also have a Instagram account, and it was brought to my attention (read, I actually looked at my Instagram account) that there was a challenge going on with my favorite sports bra company SheFit. The challenge is to do their workouts and if you post, #SheFit them you might be one of three winners a day that may win a bra, one of their pants or other accessories. You bet your bottom I am going to try and see if I get lucky.

If you are interested I have done a review of the SheFit bras on this blog. You can read it here. https://think.fitness.blog/2020/03/06/shefit-bra-review-are-the-ladies-locked-and-loaded/

So that is what I did for this week:

Monday 04/21/2020: 1 hour workout, and the comedy of errors that ensued

Workout: 1 hour I did the Workout Tony One of my trainers gave me. And three more exercises to round it out.

However, follow along with me as I tell you the tale of how everything was trying to get me to stop my workout or at least it felt like that.

Half way through my 10 minute jumping rope my jump rope broke. Yup. So I just held the broken end and kept going.

Then the speaker for my music ran out of battery. So I put my headphones on and kept going.

Finally as I am doing my Straight Arm Lat Pulldown with resistance band, my son noticed I was bleeding. I had blood on one hand but it was coming from the nailbed of my other hand. Bwahahah. I cleaned up and then finished my workout.

I will put my workout here:

Workout:
10 minutes of jumping rope

2 minutes for each exercise, 1 minute rest between, do 3 sets of each exercise.

Do the following continuously for 2 min
1) burpee, push-up, opposite knee to elbow, push-up, opposite knee to elbow, push-up, opposite knee to elbow, push-up, opposite knee to elbow, high jump, jumping jack

2) kettle bell high pull, burpee in kettle bell (I had to modify to burpee on floor my core not strong enough to do on bell), kettle bell swing

3) high jump touch ankles, high jump touch knees, high jump touch toes

#3 is still the hardest of them all for me. I have a lot to improve on with those.

———-

1) Banded squats x 30
2) Back Squats with Olympic barbell 95 lbs 3 sets of 10
3) Straight Arm Lat Pulldown with resistance band 3 sets of 20

Now to roll out my IT band cause it’s mad at me.

Not gonna stop for some stupid crap like blood. lol

Monday 04/23/2020: 40 minte workout, Shadow Boxing, My first Day but Day 18 of the SheFit30 workout

Workout: 40 minute

Missing my Muay Thai training so decided to do a SHEFIT workout. Part of their 30 day challenge. Today’s was A.M.B.I.T.I.ON.
3x the following:
A. 30 Star Jumps
M. 30 Plank Jacks
B. 20 Squats
I. 25 Knee Crunches
T. 20 Hip Dips
I. 25 Knee Crunches
O. 30 Sit Ups
N. 10 Jump Squats

It took about 27 minutes. I took a minute active rest (dancing) in between a full set (meaning all exercises done back to back).

Then I did 10 minutes of shadow boxing.

This was a great set! I love their bras they hold the girls and let me do all the jumping things without pain.
@SHEFIT #shefit30

Monday 04/24/2020: 35 minute workout, My second day but Day 19 of the SheFit30 workout

Workout: 35 minutes doing all exercises in a superset. I got this workout from #SHEFIT. It’s a 30 day Challenge. This is day 19, I wish I saw sooner. #SHEFIT30

I took 1 minute rest between each set.

Daily Exercise was: R.U.S.H M.E.G.O.

R. 30 Crunches
U. 30 Bicycle Crunches
S. 30 seconds Fast Feet
H. 10 Tricep Hips

M. 30 Plank Jacks
E. 15 Push Ups
G. 15 Burpees
O. 30 Sit Ups

Another fantastic workout. I normally don’t talk about the products I love. But I wanted to say I absolutely love SheFits sports bras. If you have problems with your girls during workouts this bra has been the best I have found. No more pain with my girls.

Monday 04/25/2020: 50 minute workout, My third day but Day 20 of the SheFit30 workout

50 minute workout:

#shefit30
Day #20 of the 30 day #shefit challenge.
I did both U.L.T.I.M.A.T.E. And J.O.U.R.N.E.Y. Workouts and they kicked my behind.

3x each set. I did them all in a superset. Then had 30 seconds break in between sets.

U. 30 bicycle crunches
L. 15 mule kicks
T. 20 hip dips
I. 25 knee crunches
M. 30 sec plank jacks
A. 30 star jumps
T. 20 hip dips
E. 15 push ups

J. 50 mountain climbers
O. 30 sit ups
U. 30 bicycle crunches
R. 30 crunches
N. 15 jump lunges
E. 15 push ups
Y. 25 flutter kicks

Whew what a great work out. Thank you for posting this challenge #shefit30

Today was day 21 for Shefit30 however, its a rest day. So that is it for this week. 4 days of workouts. I have 9 days left in this challenge, and I intend to follow through with it. I hope you are all staying safe, keeping sane at home, and socially distancing yourself. Look out for those whom you love and who can’t look out for themselves.

Incidentally I suppose if you want to see what I put on my Instagram my user name is @Sharpcupcake I don’t even know if that is the right way to point some one to your Instagram account. lol

Have a great day. Thank you for reading. Please stay safe, and if you want to feel free to comment, and or subscribe.
.

.

.

Oh and look what just came in today. Squee!!! We have a new heavy bag and stand. I just need to get sand bags. But I can work the bag now, when my partner does not want to feed for me. More Muay Thai training. Woot!

SHEFIT Bra Review: Are the Ladies Locked and Loaded?

This is not a sponsored review. This is just a review of a bra I tried, and hoped would finally be the answer. I bought both of these bras.

Here is a link to the website. SheFit Apparently you get a coupon for $10.00 off. That is nice.

Here is the short answer. I tried both the High Impact bra and the Medium Impact bra. I LOVE THEM!

If you don’t know, I lead an active lifestyle, I practice Muay Thai, and other martial arts, I run, I weight lift and am always doing something. I needed a good bra to keep the girls locked and loaded.

Now if you want to hear the why love them, please keep reading.

What was I looking for?

I was looking for a bra that was supportive. Yes but what does supportive mean to me? When I exercised I did not have to wear 2 to 3 at a time. I did not have pain when jumping or plyometrics. I wanted one that would fit my cup size and my band measurements. Believe it or not we women are not all made the same, and sometimes we are even half sizes, in band measurement and cup size. So this was an ongoing search for me. I assume an ongoing search for most women.

Did this bra meet the above criteria?

Yes! Yes, yes, yes… it really did.

Ok so the fabric and the manufacturing is such that it holds you tight and does not move once you are cinched in. Now this may sound band but it is not. Because of he manufacturing and the fabric I don’t feel the need for multiple bra’s.

The bra adjust in the shoulder bands, and around the under bust, or chest band. So you can adjust it to your body. It works for half sizes, quarter sizes and everything in between.

A picture of the directions on how to adjust the bra to your dimensions

For lack of better terms the mass of your breasts move with your body, not counter to your body movements.

What did I buy?

1 high impact bra, and 1 medium impact bra

For reference I am a 38 D. I chose the 1 Luxe size for both the high impact and the medium impact.

  • front high impact
  • back high impact
  • zipper covers
This is the high impact bra, in black. The girls are locked and loaded.

If you look closely the high impact bra has extra darts across the breast. This is added structure and form to keep everything locked down. There is a zipper cover for both the top and bottom of the bra. Great addition to the bra. Normally I see only one zipper cover on the bottom of other sports bra brands.

The high impact bra is the most supportive sports bra I have used. This bra is fantastic for running, HIIT, and any other high impact sports. This bra holds you in tight. Does not have a lot of give.

  • front medium impact
  • back medium impact
This is the medium impact bra, in black. The girls are still locked and loaded.

The medium impact bra does not have the extra darts/fabric across the breast. It has the same zipper covers. The support for their medium impact bra is what the competition say is the high impact.

This bra is great for running, and HIIT. The medium impact bra is great for martial arts. It has a little more give, so I feel I can move around better.

My Notes

Both:

  1. Come with their own garment washing bag. Very quick turn around. 2 business days.
  2. Packaged well.
  3. Use the same adjustment and cinching/sizing
  4. They both come with a mesh washing bag so that you can wash your bra properly in the machine without it getting damaged. The mesh bags were each different from the last one. I only bought two but both were different. So out of my sample size 100 out of 100% different.
  5. Fit true to size chart on website.
  6. Both came to me in about 2 business days, so super fast shipping.
  7. Both came with a tape measure if you have any problems with your sizing so that you can measure and send back your bra to get the correct size. If you don’t need it you can gift it to a friend to use and it has coupon for them to get some money off their first bra.
  8. Both came with a hair tie that had positive affirmations on it.

Medium Impact:

  1. The medium impact is as controlling as a high impact bra from other manufacturers like Champion.
  2. The medium impact is great for every day wear.
  3. Smoother silhouette.
  4. Buttery feel on skin.
  5. More range of movement

High Impact:

  1. High impact is fantastically built.
  2. Can be stiff at the beginning but it conforms to your body after a workout.
  3. Great for HIIT workout, for running, for high impact sports.
  4. Felt more confining which is what you need in an high impact bra, so less range of movement.

The Verdict

Would I buy this bra again? The answer is yes. A million times yes. It does everything I need it to do. Your girls will be locked and loaded, front and center. No more pain when jumping, no more errant breast flesh flying. It does what you need it to do. Nothing can hold you back from being the warrior women you are, and want to be.

Let me know if you liked this review or if you have any questions. Thank you for reading, and keep working to be the best you that you can be.

Below are some more pictures of the packing.

  • two mesh bags they came in
  • first order
  • inspirational hair band
  • inspirational hair band
  • tape measure
  • shipping packaging
  • other side of tape measure

Conditioning Day 17… 16 rounds, Savage Vag, get in and get out

  • so sweaty… but I did good
  • this is my actual leg, no models were abused in the taking of this picture

4 hours of conditioning training. I did not run today. It was 96 degrees Fahrenheit or 35.56 degrees Celsius outside I was not going to run in that. It would have just sapped my energy and I would have not gotten the training rounds in that I wanted to. I don’t like running and that would have been miserable. I run as a cardio component to my workouts, but not for funsies. I tell people I am a water mammal. I used to be a competitive swimmer, and would only run for cross training.

Muay Thai camp is just around the corner. I leave on Tuesday, and it is 4 x 10 hour days of training with the best. I hope I can keep up. =) I hope my form is not crap, I know it breaks down the more tired I get. So I just have to work on making it awesome. Kru Krysta has said my knees are so much better in just a few weeks.

Per Kru Krysta I am taking tomorrow off, hitting it hard on Saturday, and then taking Sunday, and Monday off. Tuesday I will be flying.

Monday I have an appointment with my Chiropractor. One last adjustment before I go put my body through hell. I am both excited and have trepidation.

Mostly I just want to honor my instructors and make them proud. I also want to learn everything. I want to improve on my technique and I want to experience this.

Anyway enough babbling here was what I did:

  1. 1 x 3 minute round of jump rope warm up ( I did not count this in on my rounds)
  2. 1 x 3 minute round of shadow boxing ( I did not count this in on my rounds)

16 rounds of hell/heck/poopy, I am fine no really I am.

  1. 1 x 3 minute round of mixed kicking. Kicks for speed, and kicks for power. My partner and pad holder would call out 1 kick, that was for power, then he would call out 3 kicks left side, and I had to do those for speed. Taking the power out but putting speed and flow into it.
  2. 30 second rest
  3. 1 x 3 minute round of mixed kicking. Kicks for speed, and kicks for power.
  4. 30 second rest
  5. 1 x 3 minute round of mixed kicking. Kicks for speed, and kicks for power.
  6. 30 second rest
  7. 1 x 3 minute round of mixed kicking. Kicks for speed, and kicks for power.
  8. 30 second rest (Note: at this point I am gassed, that is a lot of kicks)
  1. 1 x 3 minute round of mixed kicking (speed and power), and spearing knees or knees to push back
  2. 30 seconds rest
  3. 1 x 3 minute round of mixed kicking (speed and power), and spearing knees or knees to push back
  4. 30 seconds rest
  5. 1 x 3 minute round of mixed kicking (speed and power), and spearing knees or knees to push back
  6. 30 seconds rest
  7. 1 x 3 minute round of mixed kicking (speed and power), and spearing knees or knees to push back
  8. 30 seconds rest (this is the point where you want to die, or be ded, but no sitting or laying down, must just walk it off.)
  1. 1 x 3 minute round of kicking (speed and power), Knees (spearing, push back), and tie ups with #2 knees
  2. 30 seconds rest
  3. 1 x 3 minute round of kicking (speed and power), Knees (spearing, push back), and tie ups with #2 knees
  4. 30 seconds rest
  5. 1 x 3 minute round of kicking (speed and power), Knees (spearing, push back), and tie ups with #2 knees
  6. 30 seconds rest
  7. 1 x 3 minute round of kicking (speed and power), Knees (spearing, push back), and tie ups with #2 knees
  8. 30 seconds rest (dead, just dead, but keep trying)
  1. 1 x 3 minute round of punching and elbows,( jab, cross, elbow), (jab, cross, body shot) indicated by if the focus mitt was in the air, or if he patted the belly pad.
  2. 30 second rest
  3. 1 x 3 minute round of punching and elbows,( jab, cross, elbow), (jab, cross, body shot) indicated by if the focus mitt was in the air, or if he patted the belly pad.
  4. 30 second rest
  5. 1 x 3 minute round on the heavy bag, 30 second burn out of knees and two kicks.
  6. 15 second rest
  7. 1 x 3 minute round on the heavy bag, 30 second burn out of knees and two kicks.
  8. 15 second rest (fin… for now… I stopped there, cause I had class in 20 minutes)

Thai Class – Get in and get out

Thai class we worked on more clenching, defending an elbow attack with a pillar block, then returning a punch combo, like jab to hook, or cross, jab. The deciding factor is where the elbow is coming from, and what opening you have.

Then the upper ranking armband students were split off and we did clench sparring. Whew boy, I was tired. But I got some good pointers on how to deal with taller people. And at 5 foot nothing everyone is taller than I am.

Also Kru Kristen mentioned again, our motto, get in and get out, or often said you go all the way in or all the way out. If you are being aggressive say, then you may want to go all the way in. If you are defending or don’t want to get hit, you are all the way out. Don’t hang around in the middle and get hit.

Kali we worked on espada y daga, and gunting:

In Kali Kru Krysta shows us double stick, espada y daga, and just single knife. Gunting drill 1 – 5. I love kali, but at this point my brain is saying nope, you need to feed me and we need to sleep. So my partner and I just went slowly and worked the drills.

We also did 1 – 12 strikes. With the 1 – 5 gunting response added into it. So for instance your partner swings a one, you defend it, then you gunting, and finish with the 1 – 5 for every strike. This is just to get us to think along the lines of, lets just not get hit, and lets return shots.

Savage Vag

I have bought all of my Grrrl clothing I have. I am not sponsored in any way, but I love the company. For girls from strong girls, to lift us all up sot that we can all be stronger. So I saw these leggings and I loved them. They say Savage with the word VAG in bright red letters. They crack me up. They are great quality, and support this great woman run company.

The quality is great. They pass the squat test. The compression is spot on. They have awesome patterns, and I just love them. Oh also they fit a thicc booty like mine.

This is the website, and if you use this link you get 20% off your first order. I get credit for your first purchase. I have not had anyone buy anything yet, but one day I hope some one will, and that money will go right back into Grrrl and I will get new tights. That is how much I love them. I have bought 5 of their tights to date.

https://www.grrrl.com/ref/652/?campaign=Thinks.Spinks

Ok that is all for me. At the risk of sounding like a commercial I just like to let you all know when there is a great product.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have had a great day. Keep being awesome and working to be the best you that you can be.

Tuesday Muay Thai and Kali…Shield and Kick, Kiwian, Stick as Stick vs Stick as Sword

2 hours of Muay Thai and Kali training. I am bushed. Also D.O.M.s set in from yesterdays workout. So when we warmed up for Muay Thai with jumping rope, 25 push ups, jumping rope and 25 squats I was feeling it. Today was a good day, we worked on shielding a kick to a 4 count, and we learned a new Kali move called Kawian.

Muay Thai – Shield in Kick

So some things that have been said and taught recently that sometimes I forget to put in my blog posts. Why you ask? Because when I am tired after a 2 hour training session I forget things. So before I forget.

Muay Thai, or more importantly is parent Muay Boran (a.k.a. ancient boxing) is over 1000 years old. This ancient art has so much to learn from and I am so happy to have a chance to learn.

When you are kicking with Muay Thai, it may sound good, but may not be great. You don’t have to have a fantastic sounding kick for it to be a good kick. You are supposed to be kicking through your opponent. The kick you should feel in your bones when you are feeding pads, and the kicker should be trying to kick through the person to the next person behind them.

You always want to enter on pain. When you land a solid kick, and startle your opponent. Then enter in, complete a Thai 4 count, keep attacking till they stop. If you don’t land the kick, or the blow that startles or shocks your opponent, get out of the pocket and wait till you do.

Most people will not expect you to shield a kick, then return a kick with same side you shielded. This is why we practiced it. You can see the drill on bullet number 3 below.

Anyway enough talking… here is what we were working on.

Training:

  1. Warm up, Jump rope, 25 push ups, Jump rope, 25 air squats.
  2. Shield right incoming kick with rear leg, then return a Thai 4 count right to left.
    • Thai 4 count right to left – right kick, hook, cross, left kick
  3. Pyramid kicks 1 to 5 then back down again to 1 right side
  4. Shield right incoming kick with front leg, then return a Thai 4 count with left to right.
    • Thai 4 count left to right – left kick, cross, hook, right kick
  5. Pyramid kicks 1 to 5 then back down again to 1 left side
  6. Catch kick, bleed off power, control opponents shoulder, either dump them or switch arms to deliver a spinning back elbow.

I made a video of me practicing the left shield, to left stutter step or a real short range hop kick. I am also practicing bleeding off the torso kick, and then executing the spinning back elbow.

Kali – Kiwian and Stick as Stick, vs Stick as Sword

Kali was cool and interesting. We learned a new move, and we discussed using a stick as a stick or blunt instrument, or using a stick as a sword or a sharp instrument. When using a stick as a blunt instrument you are trying to bash things, as opposed to trying to cut and cut major arteries.

So today we focused on blunt instruments. Wanting to use the stick to bash your opponent. There is a difference in intent, and how the stick is used.

Kru Kristen says, we need to know how to move and avoid getting hit by, slide stepping out, not just off the line, but back away from opponent, and then slide stepping in to return attack. This was a main theme for today and our training.

Training:

  1. High figure 8, low back hand, high back hand
  2. Low figure 8, low back hand, high backhand
  3. Advanced student drills: (we were to switch from all of these drills seamlessly)
    • Equise, low back hand high back hand
    • High Figure 8, low back hand, high back hand
    • Low figure 8, low back hand, high back hand
  4. Kiwian – is a drill where you do a vertical redondo, to downward diagonal backhand, to upward diagonal back hand, to redondo again. This move was meant to smash the head and keep doing damage
  5. Drills to push away/slide step away from incoming strike, and slide step in to return strikes.

I made a video below of me working on the Kiwian drill. I can never seem to make

I got this new rash guard, and I love it. I love octopodes and this was a must have. Its so pretty. I bought it with my own money, the company is called Break Point. I just wore it this once and the quality on it is great. I have gotten compliments so far, and I like it. https://www.breakpointfc.com/ I am not affiliated with them, they don’t even know me or that I am talking about them.

These arts are not with out their peril. I caught a stick to the face tonight. It was my own stick, which makes one feel like… well stupid, however, it was a rebound from a strike, my wrist was not tight enough and it rebounded right into my face. I have a small lump under my eyebrow. I may or may not bruise. It is sore to the touch, but over all seems ok. We shall see. I will keep an eye on it. =)

Well thanks for reading. Let me know if you have questions or comments. What do you like to read about? I know some of you are here for the recipes. I do have one coming. Keep being awesome and be the best you you can be.

Saturday Bo Staff, and Striking/JKD… Redondo Like a Helicopter, ABD/Atacking By Defense

2.5 hours of training Bo Staff, and Striking/JKD. Brace yourselves this ended up being long. =) Maybe grab a tea, or coffee, what ever libation you prefer, and hunker down for a read. I even drew pictures of where I was striking on a stick figure.

Today we worked on Bo Staff, and I was finally able to try out my new polypropylene bo. That sucker is heavy but great for an arm workout, and are almost indestructible.

This is the polypropylene staff that I have and use now as a training staff. Picture credit (Cold Steel)

You can get this staff at this website. https://www.coldsteel.com/training-staff.html I bought this with my own money. I was not paid to review this, and as far as I know they don’t know I am even talking about their products.

I also bought the Baliki Sticks for my Kali stick training. These are also made of the polypropylene. Again they are indestructible, and some what heavy, but great for training.

I mention indestructible because, my rattan sticks I had for one year, had started to shred and fall apart. The only thing that was keeping it together was the duct tape. So yeah having tools/weapons that will not get destroyed for a billion years is so awesome.

This is the Balicki Stick. Picture credit to Cold Steel.

Ok so again I am not being paid for this review. As far as I know they don’t even know who I am, except that I have thrown money their way for their products. So I paid for this with my own money and I am happy with them. They are very sturdy and they are heavy. You can buy them here. https://www.coldsteel.com/balicki-stick.html

Over all I love them. The only thing that is a little weird is they sell them in singles instead of in pairs. So if you do double stick in Kali/Escrima you will have to buy two like I did. They only alteration I did was add some bat tape to end of the stick, where I hold it. Because when I use them bare handed I find that the tape helps me hold onto the stick when my hand gets sweaty.

I have been using these for two weeks. They had been in my living room waiting for me to use them and stop being sick. =) I borrowed my husbands before and found I liked them so I ordered them.

My criteria for equipment, is:

  1. Good quality for the cost. I don’t mind paying more for something that will last.
  2. If functions as intended.
  3. It is not stupid expensive.
  4. Durability ( I don’t want to have to buy it over and over again just cause it breaks/wears out quickly)

Anyway enough gabbing about the equipment I use. If it is helpful to you, and you are looking for training equipment please take a look at these things. =)

Bo Staff Training – Redondo like a helicopter

Today was a fun clear beautiful day. It was not to hot, and we got to work outside with our Bo Staves. We worked on 4 drills that worked the figure 8 with a low strike and high strike at the end. Then we did a redondo that looks like a helicopter.

Training:

  1. Warm up using single stick, heaven figure 8 with low strike and high strike.
  2. Upward figure 8, with low back hand strike and high back hand strike.
  3. Downward figure 8, with low back hand strike and high back hand strike.
  4. Lop sided figure 8 with low back hand strike and high back hand strike.
  5. Redondo high, low, high, with a low back hand strike and high back hand strike.

I tried to scribble out what the figure 8 strikes looked like. Its okay to laugh at my drawings. I do.

In these two figures, you can see the upward figure 8 and the downward figure 8. Husband asked why they were smiling, I said cause they were happy to help me practice. Anyway, on the upward figure 8, you aiming for the knees or inner thighs. So you are targeting 12 strike point, and a 11 strike point in an upward swing. For the downward figure 8 you are targeting a 1 strike point, and a 2 strike point in an downward. See dummy below for strikes points.

In this last figure you see the lop sided figure 8. You are targeting the 1 strike point, and the 4 strike point. These figure 8 were fun, and hard at the same time. Hefting the staff and trying to follow through in the strike is hard, when it meets a resistance and wants to just bounce back.

This is the upward figure 8, with low back hand and high back hand
This is the lop sided figure 8, with low back hand and high back hand
Redondo high, low, high, with a low back hand and high back hand

This last video is the redondo/helicopter looking swing. Swing where we go around our head hit a high point/head, then hit a low point torso, then high again head area, then low back hand and high back hand.

That is what we did in Kali, and that was just Kali. Now to the Striking class.

Striking class – ABD – Attacking by Defense

So today we worked on how to defend and react to a Jab, Cross combination. We worked on JKD or Jeet Kun Do, the martial arts created by Bruce Lee. Kru Krysta said if you get into a fight or fight in the ring, that Jab, Cross combo is going to come up, so knowing how address it, parry, block, catch and return an attack is very important. She told us her instructor called it ABD – or Attacking By Defense.

For instance if a person throws a jab at you, you can catch the punch or you can destroy their jab/hand by directing it into your elbow.

We worked on how to address, respond, and return attack when you are fighting a person who knows how to box/punch. For instance when they throw a tight Cross.

Then we worked on how to address, respond, and return an attack when you are fighting a person who is a little less knowledgeable in boxing. When they end up doing a wide cross, think John Wayne type cross you can see coming from a mile away.

Striking/JKD training we worked on Jab, Cross Defense

  1. Feeder throws a Jab
  2. You parry
  3. Feeder throws a tight cross
  4. You lean back make your shoulder tight to your face for protection and then Nao Tek their inner thigh with your lead foot, then return an cross, hook, cross, Nao Tek.
  5. Alternately you could Inside Parry, with a punch to the face, or bare handed a eye gauge, then return cross, hook, cross, Nao Tek
  6. The other alternate reaction you could is split the jab, hit simultaneously, then return a hook, cross, Nao Tek
  1. Feeder throws a Jab
  2. You parry
  3. Feeder throws a wide cross
  4. You inside wedge/post on their shoulder, return a knee to quad, step in and you are in south paw stance. Finish with an upper cut, cross, hook, and cross.

Striking was fun today. We worked on JKD, instead of Muay Thai. However, it is good to cross train. Things that are done in JKD translate to Muay Thai and vice versa.

I am not certain how much help this is to any of you, however, having this written down helps me to remember what we did, and I have a reference for the future if when I am struggling, and or when I want to remember something.

As always thank you for reading. I hope you have a great day, and hope your weekend is fantastic.

Is Fabletics Fab or a Flop… Thicc girl review

(note: This is a non sponsored review, I paid for all of my clothes.)

I gave in and tried that 2 for 24$ deal I have been seeing around. Because who can pass up a two pairs of leggings for 24 dollars. Certainly not I. I basically live in my workout clothes. I work out 6 days a week. So I need to be able to cycle through the clothes. My workout clothes criteria are:

  1. It has to have great compression.
  2. It has to fit well. There is nothing more irritating than trying to complete a workout when your clothes are uncomfortable. For some people its a deal breaker, because they don’t want to be in the gym in the first place.
  3. I have to feel cute in it, or at least it has to fit and look good on me.
  4. I like interesting designs
  5. It has to pass the squat test (meaning squatting does not pull the fabric so thin that it shows the world your assets, or the cute writing on your panties.)

This is what I got and this is what I paid for it. I took advantage of the 2 leggings for 24 dollars, and they had an extra deal they were doing at the time, that applied to my order. $30 dollars I believe extra credit applied to my purchase. Which made my order for 3 things $33.90.

Order Summary
Subtotal$154.85
Shipping$4.95
Tax$0.00
Order Total$33.90

Items Ordered

Sarah Sculptknit L/S Top - L
Name:Sarah Sculptknit L/S Top – L
Size:L
Color:black
Price:$39.95
Salar Statement PowerHold® 7/8 - L
Name:Salar Statement PowerHold® 7/8 – L
Size:L
Color:bayberry/burgundy
Price:$49.95
Salar Statement UltraCool Legging - L / Short | 25
Name:Salar Statement UltraCool Legging – L / Short | 25
Size:L / Short | 25
Color:black/black shine
Price:$64.95

Let me start with the Pros:

  1. The compression on the material is great.
  2. I love the feel of the fabric on all the items.
  3. I love the fit and feel of the Sarah Sculpt knit top. Best piece out of the lot.
  4. It passes the squat test. There is a tiny bit of panty showing, so not 100% opaque more like 98%, but it is not that much that I am concerned.
  5. Cuteness? Yes they are cute, with a better fit it would be cuter
  6. It is comfortable, I was able to do my MA workouts and Weight lifting/running workouts no problem.

Cons:

  1. I would not pay, $50, and $65 dollars for the pants. I can get better from other companies like Grrrl.
  2. The leggings fit over all was accurate… however, for me it was slightly bigger, but not to be a problem. I would go down a size when if I order again.
  3. Salar Statement PowerHold® 7/8 pants were a little disappointing. I was not expecting the sides of the mesh panel not be tacked down. Because they were not sewn to the mesh they buckled at the knee, and down on the leg lower toward my ankle. They buckle in weird awkward ways, making my silhouette weird. The picture they show in on a more leggy model, but I still think that was a mistake not to sew down the sides of the mesh. You can see what I am talking about in the picture below.

So now would I buy again, for $33.90? Heck yes… that is a steal. Would I be happy paying full price? Meh no. I think there is potential in some of these outfits, leggings, shirts, etc. However, you have to be willing to try out the different fabrics and styles to see if you like them.

I was most disappointed in the way the burgundy leggings embellishment that buckled. I had high hopes for those. They are so pretty in the pictures online, but my body is not long and lean like the models they have on there.

Maybe they could use different kinds of models so that women of all types can see what the clothes will look like on them. (note: I was just perusing their website, and they do have other models. Yay! I was mistaken, and I am happy to see that they have other body types on there. )

How does Fabletics work?

Well think of it like a subscription to workout clothes. They will charge your credit card each month unless you click the skip button, or cancel before the 5th of the month. Here is the information you can get right off of their web site.

“

FABLETICS MEMBERSHIP
Fabletics provides a monthly membership program that grants you access to style experts and the latest athleticwear trends. To get started, simply take our Style Personality Quiz. Next, you must register and create a member account through this Site (“Account”). After you have successfully created an Account, you will have the option to select your favorite item(s) from the ‘My Outfits’ section of your Account (“Outfits”). There is no registration fee and no obligation to purchase. Our Fabletics style experts will continue to determine which athleticwear Outfits best match your workouts and style.

VIP MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM
To become a Fabletics VIP Member, simply purchase any Fabletics item on this Site and keep the VIP Membership box checked on the checkout page to enroll (including the monthly, automatic purchase feature). As a Fabletics VIP Member, our experts will send you a customized selection of Fabletics items on the 1st day of every month. You will also receive emails, newsletters, special offers and other updates to maximize your shopping experience.

HOW VIP MEMBERSHIP WORKS
As a Fabletics VIP Member, you will be required to take action by the 5th day of every month by selecting one of the Monthly Options described below. These options can be selected through your online account or by calling customer service at 1-844-Fabletics (1-844-322-5384). You may also cancel your Fabletics VIP Membership at any time. 

If you do not select the ‘Skip This Month’ option, select an item for purchase or cancel your membership by the 5th day of the month, your credit card will be billed $49.95 for that month and you will receive a Fabletics credit that can be redeemed toward the purchase of any Fabletics item in any future month.

All items come with a 30-day return/exchange policy.

VIP MEMBER PERKS – VIP PRICING
As a Fabletics VIP Member, you will be able to purchase Fabletics Outfits starting at $49.95, including, but not limited to a pre-determined combination of, tops, sports bras, pants, shorts, athleticwear accessories and other items. The site also offers a range of products, including, but not limited to, tops, sports bras, shorts and more for less than $49.95. In order to bring you this fabulous pricing, we must charge a $4.95 shipping fee for all orders under $49.95, after applicable discounts. For all orders $49.95 or over, shipping is always free.

In addition, the site will occasionally collaborate with premier trendsetting partners to offer specialty items at exclusive members-only prices. In order to bring you the most fabulous fashion trends which are not offered anywhere else, these exclusive specialty items may be offered at prices above $49.95.

You will also receive emails, newsletters, special offers and other updates to maximize your shopping experience.

“

The website has cool looking clothes. I have not decided if I am going to continue my membership or cancel yet. However, my biggest concern was that this workout clothing was just going to be Atheliesure clothes and not something that would hold up to my sports, MA activities. I went with PowerHold fabric which is their most compression fabric, and the Ultra Cool which is mid to high compression. So for me this time it was a hit and miss type thing. Still I got a great deal for $33 dollars and I was able to sate my curiosity.

I hope this helps you decide to take the plunge or just keep ignoring those Fabletics adds we see all over the place. Fabletics was not all Fab for me, but it was not a total Flop. So I am right in the middle. Thanks for reading and have a great day.