Rodja's training with the panzer bjorn log

[Rodja]

I imagine you're asking yourself, "WTF is a panzer bjorn?" The answer is it is the alter-ego of my roommate (panzer bjorn is armored bear in German). I am floating around 185 lbs right now and he is about 285 currently. I have never had a training partner before because I tend to train at a different level than most, but I think I have finally met my match. There is no set split; we are going to train instinctively.

11/3-Chest/Biceps
HS Incline Press-100x12, 115x10 (PR)
Dips-BW+70x10, BW+7x8
Incline Flys-50x12, 2x55x12 (PR)
Decline Flys-3x50x12 (PR)
HS Preacher Curls-100x12, 2x115x10 (PR)
DB Curls-40x12, 2x45x12
Cable Curls/Overhead Rope Curls-3x120x12/2x75x10

This was by far one of the best chest sessions I have ever had. Multiple PR's, great M-M connection, and an amazing pump. Crazy sore from this and, despite the solid numbers, I look weak next to him (he does incline flys with 90s for 10). Still drives me to train harder and to push myself.

11/5-Back
BB Rows-275x12, 295x12, 315x12 (PR)
Wide Lat Pulls-3x200x12 (PR)
DB Rows-110x10, 115x10, 120x10 (PR)
Underhand Pulls-3x160x12 (PR)
Hypers/Hanging Leg Raises-3x15/3x15

This was by far the most physically draining session I have had in ages. Huge pump, painful contractions, and great strength. I can actually hang with him on BB Rows (I am really strong on these for some reason), but, again, was dwarfed in the numbers dept. I kept a furious pace throughout, which forced him to take less rest than normal (it pays to be in great cardio shape).

 

[Rodja]

11/7-Triceps/Delts
Smith Military Press-165x10, 185x6 (PR)
Seated Side Laterals-30x15, 2x35x12
Rear Delt Machine-100x15, 110x15, 120x15
Smith Shrugs-225x15, 315x15, 405x10 (PR)
Close-Grip-185x8, 195x6
Overhead Ex w/ Cambered Bar-105x12, 115x10, 125x7 (PR)
Pressdowns w/ Rope Pressdowns-3x180x10/3x120x10

I hit this session after I was done with my labs for the day. Was somewhat fatigued before the session began because of an early start to the day and the beginnings of a URI/Tonsilitis. Still, managed to hit some great numbers throughout, but I was insanely drained by the end of the session. Pump was solid and I trained my traps directly for the first time in months. Needless to say, I am quite sore from this session and am hoping that this intense training will help me to break through the 190 barrier.

 

[suncloud]

wow rodja. you're pulling very nice numbers. 195 on CG bench is very respectable. are you doing this naturally, or assisted? either way, you're in good shape.

 

[Rodja]

wow rodja. you're pulling very nice numbers. 195 on CG bench is very respectable. are you doing this naturally, or assisted? either way, you're in good shape.

Natty...for the time being at least.

 

[suncloud]

damn. i can't wait to do my body weight in CG bench.

if triceps are a huge percentage of your punching power (especially when you're unstable and can't use your core), you're definitely someone i would not pick a fight with.

 

[Rodja]

Well, I officially have strep throat, but I am not going to take time off from the gym. Just gotta put my nose to the grindstone for the next week or so and burn this thing out.

 

[Rodja]

11/10-Chest/Biceps
HS Incline Press-100x12, 125x8
Flat DB Press-60x12, 65x12, 70x10
Incline Flys-50x12, 2x60x10 (PR)
Pec Deck-120x12, 130x12, 140x12
DB Curls-3x45x12
HS Uni Preacher Curl-3x45x10
High Cable Curls-3x50x12
Cable Curls-150x12, drop, 75x12

Painful pump to the point where I was cramping. Great M-M connection and set another PR. My left shoulder was a little cranky, but it didn't happer me, luckily. Energy level has been low due to the strep, but I took a 2 hour nap before we went to lift and it was enough for me to push through the session. Honestly, had I not been forced to go today, I probably would have just taken the day off. However, skipping today was not an option for my roomie/training partner.

 

[Rodja]

I may have exacerbated my strep because I am extremely drained today, but that may be from the lack of quality kcals since it hurts to eat almost anything. Outside of rice and protein shakes, everything has a nice degree of pain. I have back tomorrow, but I am going to try to load up tomorrow before I go to war again.

 

[Rodja]

ADDENDUM

This log is now going to be an MMA prep log. I have a fight set-up for January 24th at 160 lbs (it's a scratch weight), which means I am actually going to diet for this fight. More details as I continue with the prep. This will be similar to the log I ran in late June/July for my last fight. I can't believe that it will have been 6 months since my last fight by the time I get in there again.

 

[thesinner]

Ein Panzer is an army tank
Ein Panzerfaust is a bazooka (literally means armored fist)

Mein deutsch ist ein bischen rostig, aber als sah ich deine thread, musste ich etwas sagen. Panzer is probably one of my favorite words auf deutsch.

Just droppin' in to see how you are doing, bro. Hope all is going well.

 

[Rodja]

11/12-Striking Drills
I practiced combinations to get to rust off of my striking. I could feel my timing was really off and my combinations (particularly my 2,3, LHK and my 1,2 RLK) were not as crisp as they once were. However, I could feel them tightening up from just 30 minutes of practice, so I should be very tight by fight time. One important note is that my shot is still smooth and quick.

11/13-Back
BB Rows-275x12, 315x12, 335x8 (PR)
Lat Pulls-180x12, 195x10, 210x10 (PR)
HS Underhand High Rows-135x10, 160x8, 180x8 (PR)
Neutral-Grip Pulls-3x180x10
Hypers-BWx15, 2xBW+25x15

I was fried by the end of this session and I was running on just guile on the last few sets. Finished this session in slightly over an hour and had a good pump. If I lose 1.5 lbs/week, then I will be at the perfect weight to begin the cut. However, the last 5-6 lbs are going to be a tad difficult without sacrificing too much LBM and/or strength. I am not going to train my legs or do deadlifts during this cut because a good chunk of my mass is below my waist. Sprints, hills, and plyos will help me keep my strength and flexibility.

 

[Rodja]

11/12-Delts, Traps, Triceps
HS Shoulder Press-100x8, 110x6
Uni Side Laterals-35x15, 2x40x12
Rear Delt Machine-100x15, 2x130x12 (PR)
Smith Shrugs-315x15, 365x12, 385x10
Lying Extensions-95x12, 105x8
Pressdowns-3x180x15 (PR)
Leaning Rope Ex ss Reverse Pressdowns-3x150x12/3x120x15

I was not mentally here for this session. I took a nap for too long and was very groggy throughout and could not find a nice rhythm at any point. Good pump in my triceps and I was incredibly sore in my traps, but I still cannot seem to get any DOMS in my delts. I did some heavy bag drills/conditioning on Sunday night to try to shake off some of the rust off my striking. It's coming along, but I won't really have a true sense until I get in some live sparring this evening.

 

[Rodja]

11/17-Chest, Biceps/MMA
Dips-3xBW+90x6
Incline DB/DB Curls-3x65x8/3x45x10
Flat Flys/BB Curls-3x50x12/3x95x10
Concentrations Curls-30x10

Judo-20 minutes (shoulder throw, hip throw, inside trip)
Sparring-20 minutes (just boxing)
BJJ-30 minutes

This was a rough first day back. Despite my best efforts to stay somewhat sharp, I am so rusty with my timing that its kinda scary. I couldn't really time any of my combinations and my left hand (my power hand) just would not land consistently. I think one of the major elements to my struggle today was because I was not able to throw kicks. My thighs/core is my strongest attribute and I am a relentless leg/body striker. Plus, all of my focus on enhancing my Thai kicks has really honed them, but I will have to wait until a later time to really see.

I am altering my weight training (obviously) for more of a strength goal as opposed to hypertrophy. I am going to going to return to my earlier training and ease myself into cardio the next 2-3 weeks. I am genetically built for cardio, so I return back to form much more quickly than most. My main concern at this point is to not overexert myself while I am re-acclimating to the rigors of training.

 

[Rodja]

11/19-Back

BB Rows-275x12, 296x12, 315x10
Reverse-Grip Pull-Ups-2xBWx8
DB Rows-3x110x10
Pullovers-60x12, 70x12
Hypers/Hanging Leg Raises-3xBWx15/3xBWx15

Good strength during this session, but did not have a great pump. Lot of BS floating through my head, so I had a hard time staying really focused on the session. My right shoulder started to really hurt during the pull-ups and the pullovers put me in a lot of pain. I have done 3 running sessions that are ~3 miles long and I finish them in 19-21 minutes depending on my energy/breathing. Still battling some congestion/phlegm, which has hindered my training and disrupted my sleep.

 

[RobInKuwait]

Rodja, do you work legs?

BTW, you're strong as ****.

 

[Rodja]

Rodja, do you work legs?

BTW, you're strong as ****.

No, I genetically carry a lot of my muscle in my lower body, so I have to scrap direct weight training to make my weight class. I still work them with BW exercises, plyos, sprints, and hills, but no weights. I haven't trained my legs much in the past 2.5 years, but they are still in the 26-27" range; not huge by BBing standards, but considering my weight, they are large. When I was training primarily for hypertrophy, they were up in the 30" range and I still wore size 30-31 jeans.

 

[RobInKuwait]

No, I genetically carry a lot of my muscle in my lower body, so I have to scrap direct weight training to make my weight class. I still work them with BW exercises, plyos, sprints, and hills, but no weights. I haven't trained my legs much in the past 2.5 years, but they are still in the 26-27" range; not huge by BBing standards, but considering my weight, they are large. When I was training primarily for hypertrophy, they were up in the 30" range and I still wore size 30-31 jeans.

Thats cool. What weight class do you have to get down to?

 

[Rodja]

Thats cool. What weight class do you have to get down to?

155; all of my previous fights have been at 170. I walk around at about 185, so my plan is to let the training slash the first 5 lbs in the first 2 weeks, then tighten the diet and let the remaining 10 slowly fall off. I can comfortably cut 15-16 lbs, but I would rather have to cut only 12-13 for my first cut at this weight.

 

[RobInKuwait]

155; all of my previous fights have been at 170. I walk around at about 185, so my plan is to let the training slash the first 5 lbs in the first 2 weeks, then tighten the diet and let the remaining 10 slowly fall off. I can comfortably cut 15-16 lbs, but I would rather have to cut only 12-13 for my first cut at this weight.

Man, thats a lot of weight to cut. I was always a heavy weight in high school wrestling and never had to worry about cutting. I got to watch all the lighter weight classes suffer and run around in bag sweats. Losing that much weight can't be fun. Good luck Rodja!

 

[Rodja]

Man, thats a lot of weight to cut. I was always a heavy weight in high school wrestling and never had to worry about cutting. I got to watch all the lighter weight classes suffer and run around in bag sweats. Losing that much weight can't be fun. Good luck Rodja!

It gets easier everytime. My first cut was only 6 lbs, but my last cut was 16 lbs and, with all of my precautions and prep, I only spent 40 minutes in the sauna with no exercise. I have learned that there is a great art to weight cutting and it is a very important skill and, like all skills, takes time to develop.

 

[Rodja]

I am going to take the rest of the week off from serious training to let the inflammation in my knee lessen. F'ing weather has done a number on it. I am still going to do mitt and bag work, but nothing too intense.

 

[Rodja]

The past few days have been just running days. I am mainly doing this to start to get my weight under control and to re-establish my cardio. It gets a little easier everytime and I find that I decrease my time by anywhere from 2-3 minutes per session.

11/29
Today was a long grappling session. I rolled for a little over 2 hours and my cardio was much better than I expected. Instead of focusing on just the submission, I concentrated on my positioning/transitions during each match. I have a bad habit of giving up underhooks when I get to half-guard or side-mount. It has plagued me since I started training, but I have finally started to control it or counter it. My flow and technique has somehow gotten better as I am now looking for different methods and am trying new ideas while in practice.

After I was done rolling, I worked mitts for about 15 minutes mainly focusing on left straight, right uppercut, and liver kick combo. My spring in my kicks has improved to where it is now full Thai style and have really learned how to get all of my weight behind my kicks.

 

[Rodja]

12/1-Triceps/Delts/Traps, MMA
Close-Grip-195x8 (PR)
Overhead Press-135x8
Cambered Overhead Ex-95x10, 105x8
Side Laterals-35x12, 40x12
Rear Flys-2x40x12
Leaning Rope Ex-2x120x10
DB Shrugs-110x12

30 minutes clinch takedowns
5 rounds boxing
3 round MMA sparring

Pretty sure that my nose is broken from the past couple of training session, but it's no biggie; not the first time and doubt it'll be the last either. This was my first real balls-out 2-a-day training session in many months and I had much more in the gas tank than I expected. My hands are slowly returning and I am really getting down the Thai style of kicking. The leg kicks are such an underrated strike in MMA, but I have made them a very important part of my game. Since I fight southy, it is extremely important to slow down the speed/burst on their lead leg because it takes away most of the power from their right straight. Plus, it sets up almost all of my other KO strikes (left straight, LHK, right hook) and my shot.

 

[Rodja]

12/2-Back
BB Rows-275x12, 315x12
Lat Pulldowns-180x10, 190x10
HS Underhand Rows-2x115x10
DB Rows-115x10, 120x10
Hypers-BWx15, BW+35x12, BW+35x12-drop-BWx10

Solid numbers, but nothing too spectacular. Cutting back on volume and focusing all of my efforts on strength and not hypertrophy. My body is quite sore from training yesterday and I am starting to go into a mild caloric deficit to start getting down to my weight class.

 

[VolcomX311]

Curious, why do you sometimes perform 2 sets and sometimes perform 3? I assume the 2 for maximal strength purposes and the 3 when you feel you're able to increase. In my own assumptions of your methods it makes sense. I'm never strongest by my third set, usually my second, "usually." But I'm only speculating.

 

[Rodja]

I do 3 sets when going for hypertrophy and only 2 when training for strength. I am going for more a maintenance style of training right now as I attempt to lower my weight.

 

[Rodja]

My entire posterior side of my upper body is fried. I was already slightly sore from grappling on Saturday, but it didn't really effect my numbers too badly yesterday. My major advantage had always been my pulling strength and this will only be amplified as I move to a lower weight class. I am really surprised how quickly my cardio is returning and we got a 450 lb tire that I am going to use 1-2x/wk during my conditioning sessions to take my power and cardio to a new level. My greatest fear, as it was last time I dropped, is a loss of strength and just an overall "weak" feeling. I have been feeling much more aggressive than I normally do and I hope this lasts throughout this training camp.

 

[RobInKuwait]

My entire posterior side of my upper body is fried. I was already slightly sore from grappling on Saturday, but it didn't really effect my numbers too badly yesterday. My major advantage had always been my pulling strength and this will only be amplified as I move to a lower weight class. I am really surprised how quickly my cardio is returning and we got a 450 lb tire that I am going to use 1-2x/wk during my conditioning sessions to take my power and cardio to a new level. My greatest fear, as it was last time I dropped, is a loss of strength and just an overall "weak" feeling. I have been feeling much more aggressive than I normally do and I hope this lasts throughout this training camp.

How are the knees doing? Still sore?

 

[Rodja]

How are the knees doing? Still sore?

Tendinitis has subsided. Monday night, I took an inside kick right on the knee, but it is just a surface contusion. I bought some new running shoes and a patella strap to take some of the force off of it.

 

[Rodja]

12/4-Chest, Biceps
Dips-BW+90x6
Incline Flies-45x12, 50x12, 55x12
HS Flat Press-90x8-drop-45x10
Low Pulley Crossovers-2x50x8
DB Curls-40x12, 45x12
Hammer Curls-2x50x10
DB Preacher-25x12, 35x10
Dips-BWx20

DC Stretches

Had a hell of a pump fom this session with some decent strength numbers. If I can maintain 90% of my strength, then I will consider this cut to be a success. One very bad thing is that I may have re-fractured my right hand on the 4th metacarpal. Going to the doc tomorrow to get an xray to get a definitive answer.

 

[Rodja]

Murphy has struck again. My hand is going to keep me out of commission for a few weeks. It is not a bad injury, but I am approaching it with caution since I have broken this metacarpal 2x before.

 

[RobInKuwait]

Murphy has struck again. My hand is going to keep me out of commission for a few weeks. It is not a bad injury, but I am approaching it with caution since I have broken this metacarpal 2x before.

Ouch, sorry to hear that. Hope it heals well.

What are you going to do with training in the mean time? Just cardio and kicking? Are you going to go through with the original fight?

 

[Rodja]

Ouch, sorry to hear that. Hope it heals well.

What are you going to do with training in the mean time? Just cardio and kicking? Are you going to go through with the original fight?

I am still going to take the fight because I should be ready to resume full-contact in 3 weeks. In the meantime, I am going to work on my conditioning and can still lift, it's just striking that puts my hand at greater risk for another break. I can still work mitts, but just avoid contact with my right hand while I focus on my footwork for my punches, kicks, and my shot.

 

[Rodja]

Today comes the test for my hand. Swelling is completely gone and I can clinch my fist pretty tightly without any pain. I am going to keep a tight wrap on it while I am lifting and during practice as a precaution.

 

[Rodja]

12/22-Triceps/Delts, BJJ
Smith Close-Grip-225x10, 245x8, 255x5
Standing Military Press-125x12, 135x10
Lying Extensions/Seated Laterals-85x10, 95x10/35x15, 40x10
Pressdowns/Face-Pulls-180x12, 190x12, 200x10/3x140x15
Leaning Overhead Rope Ex-60x10

DC Stretches

Strength was much, much higher than I expected. I hit a PR on close-grip and had a solid M-M connection and pump. I really felt good throughout the entire session and my hand didn't have any trouble with grip and zero pain.

BJJ

I decided not to go into striking immediately and continue to work on my BJJ. I basically worked positions and sweeps instead of going for submissions. There were several places within each roll that I saw a sub, but I went with a catch and release method. The only submission I focused on applying was a triangle, which has always been a weak point in my game (damn thighs). I was able to land a couple of them, but I had to abandon a few and transition to an armbar. I wore handwraps and MMA sparring gloves while I was grappling and there is no pain as of this moment.