I’m really looking forward to today’s class and workout. We are really going to blast our abs!

I hope to see some new faces as well…

Feel free to check it out anytime: http://www.advancedbkj.com/ultimate-cardio-conditioning-class

After class I have a quick BJJ private to teach and then I hope to have some people over for the fights tonight. I hope you guys can make it!

See you soon,
Butch Hiles
www.advancedbkj.com

What a class!

This class is going to be a lot of fun and is really going to help people get in good shape, manage their weight, and get some extra cardio in.

I workout all the time and rarely get sore, but I was feeling it the next day for sure.  We had a great total body workout with a great core workout as well.

Here is a quote from one of our members:

Originally posted by Cable:
hell of a class…anyone who wants to compete in anything needs this class plan and simple

Join us every Saturday at 2pm

Butch Hiles

As most of you know, I severely injured my knee awhile back (maybe a month ago or more?) and I suffered a torn MCL and LCL. I took off a week or two from all activity because I was in a full leg brace, but I couldn’t take the lack of cardio so I got rid of the brace and started my own form of rehab.

I started off on the exercise bikes for a couple of weeks and then moved to the elliptical machine. Eventually, I started doing light Jiu-Jitsu and even some light jogging. Everything hurt but I worked around the pain and slowly gained range of motion back in my knee.

I actually have a low grade pain in my knee every day, but I can function at 80% or so and it seems to be getting better little by little. So, I won’t be having surgery and no one needs to worry about me, while we are at the gym. I am still careful with my knee and I think I will be OK.

Because of the things I did on my own, I truly feel I got better faster. Of course, torn ligaments don’t heal. I am aware of this, but right now I can do all exercises without pain except for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and even that is getting better little by little.

See you guys on the mats!
Butch Hiles
www.advancedbkj.com

This is something that is overlooked as both a cardio and strength training method, all to often.

Saturday I broke out an old training routine that I have used for my fighters and classes for many years.  It’s a basic high rep, total body, workout that only includes bodyweight workouts, but it will absolutely kick your butt.

I anticipated being a little sore a couple of days later but how I feel today is something I could have never imagined.  I literally feel like I got ran over by a truck!  I must say that it’s a good truck, though, because this is a pain I don’t mind feeling even though I can barely walk today.

What makes this even more impressive is that I actually workout every single day.  I do either weights and/or cardio, so I am in shape and my body and muscles are used to being worked hard.  To get this sore is very impressive and it means that the bodyweight exercises were very successful in stimulating muscles that aren’t usually getting targeted.

I strongly encourage everyone to add some bodyweight exercises to their workouts.  It’s perfect if you want to mix up your normal routine or if you don’t have access to weights and nice equipment.

There are plenty of combat athletes who have DVDs for sale that involve only bodyweight exercises and, of course, the military is famous for making their soldiers do things like this on a routine basis.

If interested, do a quick google search on bodyweight exercise routines.  As a test, I searched and found this one with one click:

http://www.buildingbodies.ca/bodyweight/index.shtml

Good luck with your workouts!

Butch Hiles

www.advancedbkj.com

One of the best ways to change your workout routine up and get extra motivation in your cardio workouts is to set weekly cardio goals for yourself. For example, my weekly cardio goal is to get 3-4 hours of cardio in per week (an average of 30 minutes a day). With my schedule, this is quite a challenge but without setting this goal I know I wouldn’t even come close.

So, how is this different then just doing cardio during the week?

In most cases, people get their cardio in either pre or post workout, or if they are really dedicated whenever they have free time. This is all fine but there is no sense of urgency and without a sense of urgency a workout like this is likely to be dropped if the day gets busy or if you are feeling a little tired and unmotivated. You are also never held accountable for not doing your cardio because you never made the actual decision to try and accomplish any real goal.

By setting a weekly goal, you have something to shoot for. Many times, I am unable to workout on certain days due to various appointments or responsibilities. When this happens I know that I have a little extra work to do the next day, or throughout the week, to make sure that I still meet my goals. This gives me that extra motivation and push that I wold not normally have if I had just missed a regularly scheduled cardio session.

How do you know what to set your goal at?

This is totally up to the individual. Personally, I wouldn’t shoot for anything less then 2 and 1/2 hours, but most studies say you should do at least 30 minutes a day. Thirty minutes a day equates to 3 and 1/2 hours a week. I think this is a good number for optimum health and, depending on the intensity of your cardio workouts, good weight loss. I have friends who are at the 13-14 hour mark per week, but their overall goals are quite different then most. For more weight loss, you can always play with your overall number.

Should I do cardio every day?

This definitely makes it easier, but most people really do have a hard time finding the time to do this. Especially, if they are doing weight training or any other kind of activity outside their normal work day and life. As mentioned, I know my cardio goals average out to 30 minutes a day but sometimes I miss a day or two in a row. When this happens, I can do multiple cardio exercises for 45 minutes or an hour and try to catch up. I may also split them into 30 minute sessions throughout the day, because studies have shown that an optimum fat loss workout is around 30 minutes and two 30 minute sessions split throughout the day is much better then one long hour session.

Conclusion

I highly suggest trying this method of training for your cardio workouts. It will give you that extra edge that you need to get you going throughout the week, even when you don’t feel like moving. It has definitely helped bring me to new heights and help me feel more accomplished after a long week of work and training.

Please let us know what your results are.

Butch Hiles
www.advancedbkj.com

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Check them out.  They are sure to have something to fit your needs!

1. Do not eat poor quality carbohydrates before bed. Poor quality carbohydrates are those that contain sugar or are highly processed. These would include most breakfast cereals, breads, snack foods, candies, and even fruits and juices. Eating these foods immediately prior to bedtime will likely result in increased fat deposit and will prevent your body from maintaining a successful fat-burning mode.

2. Increase your muscle mass. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn even at rest. Muscle is extremely active metabolically. Do some resistance training, add some muscle, and crank up that metabolism.

3. Never let yourself get too hungry, or too stuffed. It really is all about moderation. Time your meals so that you eat before you are starving . . . doing this one simple thing will cause you to almost always eat less. When you do eat, stop when your satisfied not when you are so stuffed you cannot even get down another bite.

4. Double up on your cardio training. From time to time it may be beneficial to the fat-burning process for you to split your cardio training into two short sessions rather than one longer one. Studies suggest that people who do 30 minutes of morning cardio and then 30 minutes of evening cardio lose more fat than those doing just one 60 minute session.

5. Eat more high fiber foods. Most of us do not get enough fiber in our daily diets, and that’s just a shame. Fiber not only promotes overall general health, but also can significantly aid in your fat-burning efforts. Leafy greens and salads are ideal sources of fiber

Positive Reinforcement goes a long way….

Recently, I suffered a bad knee injury that may or may not require surgery.  So, in my off time, I have been working out a lot on my upper body.  Sometimes the work is tedious, tiring, and there are days I don’t really want to do it.  However, after getting postive reinforcement and really nice comments from the members of my gym, as well as my teammates, it really makes it all worth it.

I am lucky to be in such a positive environment and the guys at Butch Hiles Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA, LLC really seem to go out on a limb to help and encourage each other.  I am truly thankful for that.  Without them, I don’t think I would have been able to accomplish any of the results that I have.  So, if you ever get a chance and you notice something someone has been doing to improve them-self, let them know what you see and encourage them.  It really goes a long way and they will really appreciate it.  You may also be the person who makes a difference in their life when they are at that point of quitting or staying on track.

Butch Hiles

www.advancedbkj.com

This is a phenomenon to me, although it shouldn’t be….

I originally started training just to learn a valuable skill and hopefully have fun while doing so.  I never really thought about the health benefits until I got older, and I guess that’s why I am quite amazed by it now.  I can go through countless weight loss and health benefit stories, and I am sure I will over time, but I just want to reflect on my own personal gains for a moment and the reason this popped into my head a few moments ago.

This weekend I really ate unhealthy.  My instructor, Marcello Monteiro, was in and he likes to eat at buffets and, even though I hate them, I took him as often as he wanted to go (as any good host should).  This basically resulted in me eating terrible each and every time, which is 100% my fault and not a very wise thing to do….but I think we have all been there before.  Pizza and cookies called my name and they just could not be ignored.

So, after the weekend, I awoke Monday and had gained 9 whole pounds and felt terrible!!!  This all was compounded by the fact that I have not been able to do much cardio because of a knee injury that I had previously suffered and I was really depressed about it all.  So, I decided to rush my healing process and try and get back on the mat that night, which may or may not have been a real wise decision.

Luckily, I was able to train to a certain degree and avoided further injury.  The intensity of the workout, even though it was limited, was still greater than any cardio (bike, treadmill, etc) that I could do and I felt absolutely awesome after it was done.  However, the icing on the cake was that I had lost 5lbs after just one practice.  That was really exciting.  So, I geared up to do it once again just two days later.

I had another great 45 minute BJJ session and felt great.  I again weighed myself and in just 3 days I had lost all 9lbs and was close to actually losing more weight then I had gained over the weeked.  With training days still left in the week, I am sure I will do even better.

I am fully aware of the cirumstances that caused the weight gain… I also understand that some of the weight lost is water weight… I am not clueless to the things that happened before or after, but I am amazed at how fast a good workout can correct some mistakes that otherwise could have started some bad habbits and made some other things much more difficult to deal with.

I guess the whole point of this little blog is to say that there are some amazing health benefits that come with the training we do.  We may all come to BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, etc with different goals but in the end we all come out with some great surprises.  I am truly appreciative that I can take part in a sport that benefits me physically and mentally like no other.  I am also truly appreciate that I can take part in some amazing transformations in the members of our gym.  I have seen people lose up to 100lbs and many more people achieve goals that they were unable to until they came to our gym…. but I guess those stories will be for another time

Butch Hiles