No Brampton Cup For 'The Brick'

ENTRY 294

Odd and Creepy Coincidence

Okay my loyal readers, tell me if this isn't an odd (interesting), but somewhat creepy coincidence?

In my last entry, I made a rather sad attempt at making a music reference.
For those who still have not clued in. "Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night" are lyrics from the song "Blinded By the Light" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
That entry was posted at 11:00 PM on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, at 7:00 PM, radio station Boom 97.3 posted this on Facebook:

I am also not surprised that it won, since it is an awesome piece of music. From back in a time when music was music, and not whatever it is now.


No Brampton Cup For 'The Brick'

In other news, and a huge turn of events: Richard did not register me for the Brampton Cup.

So, all of that additional training was for nothing.
I hate it when he does things like that.
He told me today, to lose more weight, and try for the Bronze Gloves.

My issue is, what if he pulls that same stunt again? Just keep saying 'no' for every tournament at the last minute?

There we go.
Should I really be surprised?
Needless to say, I was fairly calm this week, and now this has pushed my stress right up to Orange Alert.

At this point, I really am not sure what to do.
This will definately take a lot of thinking.


Progress Reports For Coaches Are Cancelled

There will be no more progress reports for coaches.

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WITH A LITTLE EFFORT AND A LOT OF DETERMINATION, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

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"The Brick" is an amateur boxer certified by:

www.boxingontario.com

"The Brick" is a member of the Stockyards Boxing Team, and trains 5 times a week at:

215 Ryding Ave. Toronto

stockyardsboxingfitness.com

"The Brick"

Revved Up Like A Deuce...

ENTRY 293

...Another Runner In the Night

Well, I was a bit stressed on the weekend.
I sparred on Monday and Tuesday, and that helped to decrease the stress.
Although, I don't spar just for stress, it does help. Just like any intense exercise, it will reduce stress among other health benefits.
Boxing is good for you.

As I mentioned in my special entry, I was over-worked, but I have to say that it may have been partly my fault. I have really been training my butt off for this tournament. I mean, I can't help but to think back at the catastrophic fail from back in October. For that to happen again, I don't know if I could handle it.
Plus, I still have the Silver Gloves coming up.
However, I don't think I will have to do any crazy-ass training. I will slow down for a couple of weeks, then rev up again about a month before the next tournament.
I have also signed up for the Fight To End Cancer charity event happening in June at the Old Mill.
I received an email from them yesterday to thank me for registering, and that I was on stand-by as they match opponents.
That will be fun. I like charity boxing, and this is for a very good cause.

One of the things that coaches have noticed is that I need to work a lot on conditioning. Even though my rounds will only be 1.5 minutes, that is still of 4.5 minutes in the ring of intense activity.
Running is a great way to improve conditioning...and, yes, I run daily nightly.
Yes, I run at night.
I do that because being winter, I don't have much choice with the shorter days. Also, there are fewer people to smash into.

Seven more days of training until the Brampton Cup, and only two more with Coach Will.
The guys going to the Cup will likely not train next Thursday. That means Wednesday to Friday this week, and Sunday to Wednesday next week.
Friday is the preliminaries at the Brampton Soccer Centre.

Wow. Now that I am thinking about it, it is giving me butterflies.

All I can do is keep working, stay ready, and not get Blinded By the Light.

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WITH A LITTLE EFFORT AND A LOT OF DETERMINATION, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

======================================================

"The Brick" is an amateur boxer certified by:

www.boxingontario.com

REGISTRATION IN PROGRESS

"The Brick" is a member of the Stockyards Boxing Team, and trains 5 times a week at:

215 Ryding Ave. Toronto

stockyardsboxingfitness.com

"The Brick"

SPECIAL REPORT: How Stress Affects Athletes

SPECIAL EDITION

                                                                  

I had to issue a special report today.

I feel that I have to share something with you that is very important.
This is something that can relate to any athlete. It is about the stress of training.

When you are practising for a sport, and you are training daily, sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming. This is especially true if you are an amateur athlete getting ready for a major event,
For professionals, it is not so bad, since they are being paid for their sport, they have time to concentrate on said sport, and not so much on other things.

This is all very easy when you are a teenager, for example. You have fewer responsibilities.
However, as an adult, you have to consider work, domestic, and financial responsibilities on top of training for your sport.
This can all add up, and cause a great deal of anxiety for the athlete.
This is exactly what happened to me on Sunday.

I don't remember much except for storming out and thinking about a line from the film "Fight Club". Do you remember when Narrator said, "Fuck you, fuck Marla, fuck Fight Club"? 
That is exactly how I felt after training on Sunday, "Fuck you, fuck the Brampton Cup and Fuck boxing". 
Although, I am not sure if I really said that. I was definitely thinking it.

It was all because both Coach Will and trainer Jackie were pushing me 'way too hard.
I was already stressed from work. Sunday is a very compressed day for me. I go to the gym right after work, then go home and get maybe four hours sleep, and then right back to work again. A big reason why I hate training on Sundays. I only do it when I have a bout coming up. 
After the Brampton Cup, I will have about three weeks when I won't have to train so hard, and then I will have to start preparing for the Silver Gloves.

Some people don't understand what athletes have to go through, and why winning is so important, and also why losing is so devastating.

Especially in a sport like boxing, which in itself is very complicated, and has a very strict training model.
One of many reasons why I get so upset when people who know nothing about being an athlete make stupid dumb-ass comments about how easy they think it is.

Ultimately, I work very hard, and I train six days a week.
On Sunday, I was at the gym from 10:30 until almost 2:00. If you calculate that, it is three and a half hours.
In addition, I had a chest congestion, and was having problems breathing, which certainly didn't help.  Of course, I won't tell the coaches when I am sick. I am not going to let being sick get in the way of my training.
When I ask for a couple of rounds rest, it is not that I am being lazy. It is because I really need it. 
I understand why coaches and trainers need to push athletes, but there has to be a line somewhere. 
On Sunday, we all found the line, and it was not good for anyone.

Would it not be a good thing if we each had an alert system to let others know our mood?
A light bar with each colour representing a particular mood?

That is a good idea, actually.
I could market these. A person could wear this on their belt, for example, and as someone is pissing you off, just keep changing the colour so the person knows when to shut the fuck up.

These are not yet reality, but this blog is. Therefore, for those who have to deal with me on a daily basis, will now be able to see my stress level (mood) right here.
On the left of this entry, I introduce to you the Stress Level Alert System.

With this, anyone can quickly see where I am on the stress scale, which will be updated daily, or more often if needed.

The scale works like this:

GREEN ALERT  Calm.

BLUE ALERT  Getting 'testy', approach with caution.

YELLOW ALERT  Tired of your shit.

ORANGE ALERT  Stopped giving a fuck.

RED ALERT  DANGER! MAY EXPLODE WITHOUT NOTICE!

I very strongly suggest you to check this regularly. It could save your life.


Today's weigh-in:

Not bad.

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WITH A LITTLE EFFORT AND A LOT OF DETERMINATION, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

======================================================

"The Brick" is an amateur boxer certified by:

www.boxingontario.com

REGISTRATION IN PROGRESS

"The Brick" is a member of the Stockyards Boxing Team, and trains 5 times a week at:

215 Ryding Ave. Toronto

stockyardsboxingfitness.com

"The Brick"

Almost Made the Weight

ENTRY 292

TWO WEEKS TO GO...

We are now getting down to the wire, with just two weeks to the Brampton Cup. Coach Will, Coach Richard, and the rest of the team are working hard together. We are going to 'bring it' to Brampton on February 5.

Here is this week's training log:

Wednesday

Training with Coach Richard: 15 mins. of stretching and warm-up,  5 rounds of shadow boxing, 200 squats, 30 push-ups, 50 dips, 2 rounds of sparring  w/ focus on offense,10 mins. abdominal conditioning, 1 round of shadow boxing with weights, 5 rounds on heavy bag, stretching and cool-down. 
Weigh-in @ 185/84. Total time at gym: 1 hr. 30 mins.

Thursday

Training with Coach Will: 15 mins. of stretching and warm-up, 4 rounds of shadowboxing, 30 push-ups, 100 squats, 30 dips, 6 rounds of sparring w/ focus on defence and counter. 15 mins. abdominal conditioning, 5 rounds on heavy bag, stretching and cool-down.

Weigh-in @ 185/84. Total time at gym: 2 hrs.  

Friday

Training with no coach:  1 hour on treadmill. 30 mins. weight training 

Weigh-in @ 184/83. Total time at gym: 1 hr. 30 mins. 

Next training session with Coach Will on Sunday.

ALMOST MADE THE WEIGHT

I have to say I am very happy. 

I have dropped a lot in the last month, after peaking at 191 pounds just before the holidays, and challenged by both coaches to drop to 170.

I didn't make 170, and I honestly didn't think I would.

After my session at Bloor on Friday, I weighed in at 184.

However, I just stepped off the scale before writing this, and I was 182.6.

The question is, can I get to 180 by the Brampoton Cup?

Yes.

Will I make it to 180 by the Brampton Cup?

Yes.

Will I eventually make it to 170?

Yes.

That will be my goal for the summer.

TAKING THE BUS ?

With all this talk about weight loss, training and exersise, you would think I do a lot of walking.

Well, I do. Most of the time.

However, on Thursday I was tired and sore from Will's killer training session. 

I was leaving the Stockyards Walmart, and I saw a very rare sight. A bus. 

There was a 79B just up the street, and I thought, 'Screw it, I'm not walking to Jane Street today'.

I took the 79B for two blocks to Jane Street, and then a 35 three blocks to my apartment building.

Yes, I know. It is crazy to take a bus for just a few blocks. Especially for someone like myself. 

You know, I usually do walk, but that time I didn't feel like it...so, shut up!

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WITH A LITTLE EFFORT AND A LOT OF DETERMINATION, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

======================================================

"The Brick" is an amateur boxer certified by:

www.boxingontario.com

REGISTRATION IN PROGRESS

"The Brick" is a member of the Stockyards Boxing Team, and trains 5 times a week at:

215 Ryding Ave. Toronto

stockyardsboxingfitness.com

"The Brick"

Not the Oldest...Any More...

ENTRY 291

TRAINING....TRAINING....TRAINING....AND MORE TRAINING

Sunday

First time doing this drill where another boxer slams a medicine ball into your ribs. I have seen it done in movies and TV, but I never realized it was something that was actually done.

...and, yes, it is almost as fun as it sounds.
The reality is, you can punch a boxer in the face 10 times, and it will likely not have any effect. However, all it takes is a couple of good shots to the body, and you can bring a guy down.
The purpose of the medicine ball is to get boxers used to being hit to the body.

Training with Coach Will: 15 mins. of stretching and warm-up, 4 rounds of shadowboxing, 40 push-ups, 50 dips, 6 rounds of sparring w/ focus on defence and counter. 20 mins. abdominal conditioning, 5 rounds on heavy bag, conditioning training with heavy ropes, stretching and cool-down.

Weigh-in @ 185/84. Total time at gym: 2 hr. 30 mins. 

Monday

Training with Coach Richard: 15 mins. of stretching and warm-up,  5 rounds of shadow boxing, 250 squats, 50 push-ups, 30 dips, 3 rounds of sparring  w/ focus on defence and counter,10 mins. abdominal conditioning, 1 round of shadow boxing with weights, 5 rounds on heavy bag, stretching and cool-down. 
Weigh-in @ 185/84. Total time at gym: 1 hr. 30 mins.

Tuesday

Training with Coach Richard: 15 mins. of stretching and warm-up,  4 rounds of shadow boxing, 150 squats, 40 push-ups, 80 dips, 2 rounds of sparring  w/ focus on offence,10 mins. abdominal conditioning, 5 rounds on heavy bag, stretching and cool-down. 
Weigh-in @ 185/84. Total time at gym: 1 hr. 30 mins.

NOT THE OLDEST IN BRAMPTON (ANY MORE)

Oliver's dad wants to register for the Brampton Cup.
For the longest time, I thought I was going to be the oldest competitor in that tournament. Now, I won't be.
That is great news. All the best to him. I hope he kicks some butt.

So far, to the best of my knowledge,  Stockyards has five boxers confirmed to be going to Brampton next month. Each of us in a different division. That means that we can each bring back a gold.
What am I saying?
We will be bringing back the gold. Stockyards has the best boxers. We just have to prove it,
We are all ready for it. We just have to stay ready.


COACH RICHARD ON VACA

Richard will be away on vacation for a week, but will be back in time for the Brampton Cup.
He is going somewhere warm.
Nice.
I hope he thinks about us freezing back here in Toronto. (Yeah, I'm sure that will be the first thing on his mind.)

Wednesday, I guess I will be training on my own, but I hope I can get a couple of rounds of sparring. Thursday, Will be be coaching. Friday, I will be doing some conditioning exercises at Bloor. Saturday is my day off from training, and then back with Will on Sunday.

Then it will be just two weeks to the Cup.

Stay ready.
Stay ready.
Stay ready.

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WITH A LITTLE EFFORT AND A LOT OF DETERMINATION, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

======================================================

"The Brick" is an amateur boxer certified by:

www.boxingontario.com

REGISTRATION IN PROGRESS

"The Brick" is a member of the Stockyards Boxing Team, and trains 5 times a week at:

215 Ryding Ave. Toronto

stockyardsboxingfitness.com

"The Brick"