Earlier this week, our instructor told three of us that the forth guy was going to go through his blue belt test on Wednesday. It was going to be a surprise for the guy, so I was pretty excited.

He has been working really hard for about a year now…coming to all the classes and then some. He’s a pretty tough fella and he knows his stuff. Our instructor wanted us to keep the occasion quiet because there is sort of a routine or tradition that you follow when someone achieves the next belt level.

When we got to class on Wednesday night, there was a buzz in the air. The soon-to-be blue belt didn’t know what was going on, but the rest of us did. We were all happy for him and were thrilled to be part of the process. The class was a bit more formal than it usually is.

It’s hard to explain, but I’ll give it a shot. Basically, we all warmed up by rolling for three minute rounds. I am guessing there were about five or six of them. Then, the guy who was going through the test rolled with each of us for about a half hour’s worth of two minute rounds. I am not sure about exactly how long it was, but it was long enough to really wear him out. I felt bad, because he was so whooped for most of the matches, but I knew that he would be a better man for it. He did a great job and was rewarded his blue belt. We all congratulated him. It was a great night of exercise and learning for all of us.

But wait…not only did one of our guys get his blue belt, the three of us also got a blue stripe. Now, one guy has his blue belt, one guy has a white belt with two blue stripes and two of us have our white belt with one blue stripe.

Jiu Jitsu white belt with one blue stripe

I am pretty proud of myself for getting that blue stripe because I have been putting a lot of time and effort into learning this martial art. I haven’t missed a class and have been pretty much going for an extra session each week. A lot of times, it’s those extra sessions that really help.

What’s really cool is what our instructor told us after the physical part of classes was over. He made it very clear that each of us was making good progress and that we each had our own style of doing what we do. It’s like anything else in the world; you learn how something is done and then you tweak it so it works best for you. That’s probably why I like this stuff so much…it’s not rigid like other martial arts. This is something that is more internal to each person and is something that can be adjusted to fit just right. There is a certain feel to it.

Another thing that I really appreciated that our instructor said was that we were working out in “our” club. It’s a small club and one that work’s well because of that. We all get along really well and learn from each other. It’s a good feeling.

Just one thing I want to add here…if you have ever had any interest in learning this terribly satisfying exercise and self defense skill, please let me know and I would be happy to bring you along to a class. You might just get hooked like I did. It’s cardio, flexibility and strength training all wrapped up in one. I’m sure I can make a long list of its benefits, but what fun would that be? You will just have to see for yourself.

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Remember that post a while back where I said that I had found a nice “exercise” class up in Glastonbury (or I was looking for one anyway)? Well, that exercise class is actually Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. If you aren’t familiar with what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is, you can do a quick read-up over here on Wikipedia.

Also, if you forgot what got me all motivated about this in the first place, you can re-read my “How To Develop Stamina” post. That will refresh your memory with how frustrated I get with myself.

Anyway, as I mentioned in that earlier post, I have this never ending quest to get in shape. One of the major problems with this quest is that I am getting older and my body is slowly falling apart. Don’t laugh, you are in the same boat. Ha. The rule book my parents gave me when I was born didn’t mention anything about how I was going to have to work harder and harder at getting fit as I get older and older. I am thinking they decided to keep that one to themselves and are now getting a little chuckle out of it.

Now, let me tell you that by no means am I out of shape. I am actually feeling pretty good. I just want to be able to run a marathon tomorrow and not feel it. Yeah right. Laura keeps reminding me that people actually train for that kind of stuff. Either way, continuing to think that I am out of shape keeps me motivated.

At the time I was writing that “Stamina” post, I was actually looking for a martial arts class to join in on. I had always wanted to learn martial arts and even gave it a try when I was a kid. I think I’ll save that story for another post, because I took my one free class with three of my friends and things didn’t turn out too well. That’s what happens when you put four giggly idiots in a class with a bunch of guys who could damage us. It was actually really funny…to us. Anyway…

I first sat in on a Taekwondo class here in town. It looked really good, but I just didn’t get the vibe I was looking for in it. One of the main factors that dissuaded me was the fact that there were kids in the class. I was looking for something more mature. It looked like everyone in the class was learning a lot, but I just didn’t think I would fit in.

Next, I went up to visit a Karate school in Glastonbury. I had watched a bunch of videos from this school on the internet and was pretty excited. When I got to the school, no one was there. I actually stood in the lobby and called the place on my cell phone. I heard the office phone ringing and I hung up. I took a quick look around and noticed that this school also really targeted kids. I guess this martial arts thing is really popular with the youngsters. Oh well. I left.

To make a long story short, I started looking into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and started liking what I was learning about it. If you look at the Wikipedia page I linked to above and have watched any of the videos that I have posted, I think you’ll know why. To me, it’s challenging, smart, fun, great exercise and a very handy tool to have in your back pocket.

I found a nice school that teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu up in Glastonbury. I called the owner and was invited up to sit in on a class. Now, mind you I have never really been to a Jiu-Jitsu class before, so I didn’t know what to expect. He mentioned that I could wear sweats or something to move around in, but I opted to wear jeans because I didn’t even know if I was going to be interested in what they offered. I just sat on the side and observed.

The night I sat in on the class, I learned that this was actually something I was really eager to get involved with. If you took a really quick glace at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), you might think it looks like high school wrestling. The difference between BJJ and wrestling is that in wrestling, you try to pin your opponent and in BJJ, you go for a submission, such as an arm bar, leg lock or a choke. Also, BJJ has a more practical side and can be used as self defense.

After a month and a half of pretty fast paced training, I would say that I have been bitten by the bug. My instructor actually was laughing about that this morning. As I was laying on the mat sweating, I reminded him that I didn’t even know what BJJ was two months ago.

The school I train at offers three classes a week. I haven’t missed any yet. My instructor and another guy also like to train one to two extra days per week. I go with them any time they ask me. I usually end up going in four times a week and sometimes five, like I did last week. It’s really, really good exercise, but I will admit, my body gets tired. I just need to get used to it.

For the first two weeks, I gotta tell you, I was kind of in pain. I had a few back spasms and my muscles wanted to strangle me for what I was doing to them. I thought I was down and out for a few classes when I had the spasms, but I still went in and worked it out. Believe it or not, practicing BJJ is sort of like going to the chiropractor. You go in with a back problem and come out cured. It’s amazing what someone stacking you will do for your back muscles.

Since then, things have been going rather smoothly. I purchased a new gi, a mouth guard and some knee pads. These things have come in really handy, especially the knee pads and mouth guard. I was watching a video a few weeks ago and the trainer was attempting to express how important mouth guards are. He then pulled out his front teeth to let the point sink in. He told the class that he lost all of his front teeth the very first time he went to train. I bought the mouth guard after I saw that video.

During the month and a half that I have been learning Jiu Jitsu, I have noticed some pretty nice changes. Firstly, I look a bit better muscle-wise. Things look more toned. Also, I can see my abs again. I never thought that would happen. I’m not sure if my stomach muscles have been built up more or if I lost weight. Either way, my good ol’ college six-pack is starting to show again. I think the real secret lies behind the creatine and soy protein though. Those supplements helped a lot in college and continue to help tremendously now.

I really wish you could see me spar with the guys in the class. You would probably get a kick out of it. It’s amazing how much I have learned in just a month and a half, but it definitely shows how much I have to learn. But, like anything else I get myself into, it’s pretty much a life long trip.

I had considered writing all about the different moves I learn here on this blog, but then thought better of it. I can well imagine that most of my readers really don’t know or care what a “Scissor Sweep” is. Well, if you do care what it is, check out this video for a demonstration.

You know, now that I put that video up, I am realizing how I can actually post a video for every move I learn. If I put a video up with some text, you guys won’t get bored and I will be learning something too. Hmmm.

Okay, I am outty. I just thought I would share the reason I haven’t been writing all that much lately. I have been so busy with this and work. Till next time.

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Check out the beginning of this video. There is an interesting interview. Of course you should watch the rest of it too.

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Theorizing the finer points of training in Brazilian JiuJitsu. A great read for all BJJ practicioners. (This page probably sums it up. Great insight.)

Aesopian – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

A really good Jiu-jitsu website.

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Check it out.

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On our way to the restaurant, we passed a little sign that said something like “State Park Campgrounds.” My parents have a long history of camping, so they really wanted to pull in to see what was going on. I was driving down a kind of busy road, so when we saw the next sign that said, “Mashamoquet Brook State Park Entrance,” they were only too happy to pull in there. I am glad we did, because we discovered a neat new state park with an awesome trail system. There are rivers and lakes and trails all over the place. We have to add this park on our growing list of great Connecticut state parks to hike in.

I took some photos for you to browse through.

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Just to start things off, I want to tell you that I did find a school where I could get more exercise. It’s three times a week and it’s really, really cool. I’ll talk more about that later.

So basically I am doing just a combination of things to keep me entertained. I do the workout DVDs, I use the Bowflex, I play tennis, I now go to the exercise school and I ride my bike. Oh yeah, I also jump rope. Believe it or not, I actually got up to 150 jumped ropes today and could have gone for more. I assume at some point, I will stop counting and just keep going. That’s going to be a rush.

I wanted to tell you about this really awesome workout DVD I got called “The Pit Workout.” It’s serious business for serious people and that’s what I am…serious. It’s a mixed martial arts full body workout taught by trainer John Hackleman (Chuck Liddell’s trainer). I did it for about 15 minutes yesterday when I realized that I had to get some sort of rug for downstairs. My feet were absolutely killing me from the burpies. Tile isn’t any good for the toes. I had to stop and hop on the Bowflex instead.

Here is a video of how to do burpies…

and here is a video of the Pit workout…

I do feel good because my stomach muscles have been hurting for two days. That means I gotta be doing something.

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Back to the bike ride. Since one of the areas I really have to work on is my legs, I thought a bike ride would fit in nicely. The legs have some large muscles in them that, if toned, can really help with overall fitness. I absolutely hate working on legs and pretty much avoid it if possible. Doing that doesn’t do me any favors though, so I try to at least do something that I don’t hate too much. That’s bike riding.

The ride I took covered about five miles. There were a good amount of uphills and downhills. Remarkably, I plowed right through all of them. The first big hill is usually the one I have to stop and walk a little on, but this time I just rode right up it. I wasn’t even that tired. I think it might have something to do with the weather though. It’s a heck of a lot easier to breath in cool weather than it is in hot, humid weather…and that was the type of weather I had to put up with the last time I tried to climb this hill.

Today’s ride was really good. I actually focused on my breathing, which helped. One of the things I always get yelled at during a tennis lesson is to “BREATH!!!” Umm, yeah, I guess oxygen would help.

The first 4 7/8 miles were on pavement and the last 1/8 of a mile was through the woods. I had to be a little careful while riding through the woods because there are those round rocks hidden under the leaves. If you go too fast, whoops.

Overall, the ride felt great. I am probably going to mix riding in with all the other cardio activities I have thought of over the past week. By the way, if you want to learn a little more about why cardio exercise is important, just click here.

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I woke up today with every intention of playing a tennis match this afternoon. My buddy canceled, so I needed to find another exercise for the day. I played tennis yesterday, so I didn’t feel too bad about it. Although, I didn’t go to the tennis clinic this morning because of the afternoon plans. Whatever.

To make up for the loss, I decided to do a little jump rope outside. I now do this activity after dark, so I don’t look like an idiot to people who may be passing by. I’ll give it a few weeks to jump rope in the daylight again. I thought that some jump rope and a little Bowflex would be just fine.

I went outside to the driveway and got started. Now, if you remember back, the last time I tried jump roping, I did it about 100 times and was totally exhausted. This time, I did it in five sets of 25. I thought that little breaks in between sets would be better. I’ll tell you, it was slightly better, but I still had to walk up and down the driveway with my heart pumping out of my chest. I really don’t understand what the problem is here.

I suppose I am doing better than a year ago when I did absolutely nothing at all. I guess we walked, but that doesn’t raise the heart rate (for us, anyway). It basically doesn’t do all that much. I thought it did, but now that I’m trying to do real things, it has become apparent that we don’t put enough pep in our steps when we walk. That’s going to have to change.

I am aware that this whole thing is going to take some time, but as I said above, I’m getting frustrated. Here, take a look at what’s causing it. I ask: How in the world do these people do it? I just have to keep going. It’s just that it seems so effortless for them.

I will say this; for the past few days that I have been exercising more than I normally do, I have a lot of energy. I’m not sure if it’s from the exercise or the mean cranberry cocktail that I have been drinking.

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Attention Boomers! If you are not physically fit, stop with excuses and start exercising! This article provides great tips for those over 50 and reasons why is it important to stay active! Read on the learn more.

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