Guys,

I cannot be happier with this weekends workouts! Today, I am hobbling around at work but it’s the good kind of soreness. It’s the kind that lets you know you blasted your muscles and you are going to get great benefits from it when it’s all said and done.

Our Ultimate Cardio and Conditioning Class is amazing. It’s great to get an intense full body workout at the end of the week and my cardio is getting even better and better.

Sunday, I was able to roll with some really good blues and purples and they took it to me, but the amazing thing was I never got tired. We rolled for just about two hours straight (10 minutes on the mat and 5 minutes off) and I don’t think I ever really breathed that hard. I had just as much energy at the end of two hours as I did at the beginning. That’s really amazing for someone my size (over 200lbs).

I am truly thankful to have such a great group of guys to train with and great classes to take part in. Without every individual in our gym, we could not make this happen. So, I want to really thank all of my instructors and members from the bottom of my heart for making our gym such a great place to be at.

Thanks for great classes and training and I hope to see more of you there very soon!

Butch Hiles
www.advancedbkj.com

Butch Hiles November 2009

In July, I set out to get in the best shape that I could possibly get in.  At 32 years of age I had tried quite a few workouts and had my fighters and gym members take part in quite a few workouts and diet plans.  So, I had a basic idea of what worked and what didn’t work but I also knew that I needed to maximize the effort I was putting into to get the maximum output that I wanted, especially at my age.

So, in July I had a DEXA scan in order to keep accurate track of my body fat percentage, lean muscle gained, and fat lost.  A DEXA scan is really the gold standard for this kind of testing, and it is the best way to stay motivated and give myself honest feedback.  Otherwise, it would be easy to just coast on through workouts and maybe make assumptions about weight gain, progress, etc.  This scan keeps me honest and doesn’t allow me to cheat myself, which is very important for the current set of goals I am trying to accomplish.

My first DEXA scan put me at 19% body fat (overall) and I was a softer 210lbs.   I took these numbers, along with the others on the scan, and set out to improve every single thing on there.  I used a very good weight routine, combined with increased cardio and a much healthier diet, to tackle my goals.  After only four months, and a lot of hard work, I am seeing the results that I was hoping for.  In fact, the results are quite amazing thus far.

My last DEXA scan was yesterday (November) and I am already down to 11.5% bodyfat, I have lost 14.5lbs of fat, and gained 17.6lbs of muscle.  These results are amazing, considering the short time that has past and I am very happy about them.   Without the DEXA scan, however, I would have never known how good I was doing, so I am very thankful that I was able to get these tests done.  In fact, I am more motivated then ever and I look forward to some more amazing numbers in a few more months.

I am also very thankful that I am gaining some very useful knowledge to help fellow members of my gym, Butch Hiles Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA, LLC.  Hopefully, I can help some people accomplish similar goals.  We have some really motivated people at our gym and it’s a great group to be part of.  Each and every day people are working to be the best they can be, and it’s amazing to be part of such a great group of people.

If anyone needs anything or has any questions, just email me from the website.

Talk to you soon and train hard,

Butch Hiles

www.advancedbkj.com

From Marcello Monteiro Seminar

This last month or two, I feel like I have really improved my game by leaps and bounds.  However, each and every day I am still trying to learn and get better.

Many people think that once you get to be a black belt that the journey is over and there is no more to learn.  In fact, when I first started BJJ I thought the same thing.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.

In September, my instructor came in and taught a seminar and I have used at least 3-4 of the things that he taught, that day, in my game every time I train now.  I have also just added a hybrid form of some arm drags that were taught to me by Tim Lajcik and Marcello Monteiro at different times.

The odd thing is, I also find myself performing moves that were taught to me years ago but at that time I was unable to do them or fit them into my game.  Maybe I didn’t understand them at the time or my game wasn’t involved as much, but in any event it is nice to keep adding things new and old.

That is really why i have a love for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  There is no match to the mental challenge you get from learning a sport where you can actually never stop learning the sport.  Each and every day I can learn something new, if I keep my mind open and come into training with the right outlook and mindset.

I hope that you guys will continute to try and learn every day, and I also hope you have just as much fun doing it as I do!

Butch Hiles

www.advancedbkj.com

Our Ultimate Cardio & Conditioning Class is going great, and right now I couldn’t be more pleased:

http://www.advancedbkj.com/ultimate-cardio-conditioning-class

Last Saturday, we blasted our core and did a ton of reps with our abs. That was just the warm-up though because we then completed our normal routine.

Two days later I still have that nice tight feeling in my abs and a great feeling of accomplishment.

I also burned close to 600 calories in just 30 minutes. That’s amazing and for comparisons sake a good hard 30 minute run (3 miles or so) usually only burns about 350 calories for me. So, I am getting twice the output and I definitely enjoy the Ultimate Cardio & Conditioning Class a lot more because I am around other motivated people and we have fun working with each other. It’s also easy for my mind to lose focus on the run and want to quit. I never get that feeling in the cardio & conditioning class, and if I did someone would be right there yelling and encouraging me to keep up.

I look for great things out of this class and really hope to continue to see more of you each and every Saturday!

Butch Hiles
www.advancedbkj.com

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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