Week 10 - An Unexpected Pleasure

100 grams.  The sum total of a week's effort.  To be honest I was surprised that I lost any weight at all.  I'm not sure why, but, nothing good was happening on the scales all week.  Speaking of the week that was, it may be time to move to include, if not entirely rely on my weekly average weight as my guide, rather than that of a single point in time (ie Thursday mornings after my biggest training day of the week).  Interestingly, the two figures have run in parallel every week, separated by roughly a kilo each time.  My weekly average weight has consistently been just over that of the specified weigh in morning.  Perhaps I will just report both or highlight where there have been inconsistencies   I know that I feel like a bit of a cheat when I report my lowest figure of the week under the condition that it manifests.  Still, if I am doing things the same each week, there is at least some consistency in that.

I took chest, waist and hip measurements again this week.  Somewhat surprisingly, my chest would appear to have increased in size, whereas my waist and hips have lost 1 and 2 centimetres over the past 2 weeks respectively.  The approach to exercise that I am taking does have strength elements to it and I know that I have made improvements in strength in some areas.  For example about 3 months ago, I could only manage 22 push ups.  Whereas in the most recent StrengthFit test I took, I did 35.  So I guess the work that results in weight loss meaning I have less to lift in a bodyweight exercise like that could also account for increased muscle mass as well and in doing so the maintenance of some measurements.  That's the theory I am going with anyway.  The fact that I am into a smaller size of pants is not a bad outcome though.

The Synergy crew with Brandon Vera

On the more interesting side of news for this week, last Sunday, I was fortunate enough to take part in a martial arts workshop at the UFC gym in Sydney.  The 3 hour session was run by Brandon Vera who is a current and long time UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships) fighter.  It was a great experience and Brandon was generous with both his time and knowledge, very approachable and was open to answering any and all questions from everyone who participated.

As per my post a couple of weeks ago (The Hero Within), there are many people around the place that I admire.  Most are those that I interact with frequently.  Some however, are those that I have never met and only admired from afar.  Brandon Vera is one such person.  I remember watching his early fights and being so impressed with his skills and ability.  His last UFC fight was somewhat of a turning point for him, at least as I understood it.  After a period of what would be considered less than outstanding performances by his standards and by those set at the highest level of competition (ie the UFC), he faced more or less a do or die fight for his contract against Maurício Rua, who himself is a legend of the sport.  Whilst Brandon lost the fight, he gained an enormous amount of respect for his courage and abilities in what was an amazing fight.  So to have the surprise opportunity to meet, learn and train with Brandon was a pleasure and a privilege.  What made it even better was that I was able to do it with some of the Synergy people with whom I normally train.

I took two main things away from the day by way of learning.  Firstly, in terms of my own health and weight loss journey, I learned that what I am trying to do is achievable.  Brandon is about a centimetre or two shorter than me and walks around about the weight that I am now, if not a couple of kilos heavier.  Brandon said that he is about 108 kg at the moment, I am 106 kg.  He competes at light heavyweight (93kg).  He told me he trains intensely for 8 weeks prior to each fight and drops the weight required by training 6 hours a day in that period.  Obviously he is training to sharpen his skills at the same time, but, to compete, he has to make that weight.  It encouraged me greatly that I can do the same thing.  I may not have the same capacity to train as much each day, but, I also have longer than 8 weeks.  The point being that I know it is possible.

The second thing I took away from the workshop, other than sore legs from eating leg kicks, was an insight into just how big the gap is between the everyday amateur/enthusiast like me and a top professional competitor.  Not only were Brandon's movements precise and consistent each time, the techniques that he taught us showed me just how far I have to go in my martial arts development.  The concepts were not so complicated, but, the skill required to execute them struck me as considerably more than I have now and may ever hope to.  That's the great thing about MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), it's the mixed aspect.  It's about taking what works from a variety of sources and using it because it is effective for you.  What works for you may not work for me and vice versa.

Over and above that though, seeing what can be done at the top level was also fascinating.  Once again I was taken back to thinking about my Rugby days where years of training drills had the execution of certain skills automatic in given situations on the field.  Thinking about what Brandon taught us and the skills involved made me think of all the hours of practice it would take to be not only proficient in them, but, to have them so natural that they just happened automatically.  The thing about those thoughts that brings a smile to my face even now as I type this, is that those hours don't present as a chore when I think about them.  Rather, I dwell on them with excitement.  Even if I know that with the time that I have left where I will be physically able to train and the diminishing athleticism and reflexes that are already very noticeable, I will never reach the same level as a Brandon Vera, assuming that was ever even possible.  The exciting part is in the simple joy of improving and genuinely striving to be the best me I can be.