Punching, punching, punching, followed by some punching.

“Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character” T. Alan Armstrong


Another week almost gone, and another session done.
Tonight was as non stop as ever, with everyone really starting to focus now and find that extra bit of energy to push themselves further each and every session that comes.


Tonights session was all down to volume and we certainly can't say we didn't get a chance to throw some punches.
Straight off we were into 4 x 3 minute rounds, with 1 minute rests, of bag work or pad work with one of the trainers, with everyone getting more personal tips as the pairings for the night start to become more apparent.
All the coaching team are now showing us they are more than just taskmasters, showing each and every guy, tips and techniques to either improve their weak points or to help beat their opponenet.


Next was 6 x 2 minute rounds, with 30 seconds rest.
Then 6 x 1 minute rounds, relentless work, but we all know its whats going to get us through the actual fight.


Allan also took me through to the ring to do some pad work, focusing on my movement and some combination work too, I think he may of regretted this though, because as soon as he gave me more than 3 punches in a combination I had forgot the first thing ! I have noticed I am pretty much useless at remembering combinations, but luckily enough I won't have someone shouting combinations at me on the night !


Will get more practise in though as it is very frustrating when doing pad work, both for myself and the trainer.


Back in the gym, we finished with 4 x 1 minute rounds, 1st and 3rd round was 4 punches and move, 2nd and 4th round was 4 punches and 2 squats thrusts, 4 punches and 4 squat thrusts, building this up to 10 squat thrusts and then back down, we were definitely very glad there was nothing more to do, again we were all wiped.


During the training sessions, we have had a few visits from local photographer Ben Linnell, who is covering the whole experience.
Below are some of the examples of his work and a chance to see the guys in training.

Second last Sunday Funday next, can't wait !!




Craig :-)

Maybe Ben should've stayed in Vegas, one more night !

Into the last three weeks now and starting to get a sense of the night speeding towards me.

Funny how other things have started to take a bigger part in my white collar experience, such things as collecting ticket money, who's sitting next to who, who wants what to eat what, its like a mini wedding !!

But even more important are these vital parts of the run up and the night - PANTS !! Boxers, shorts, Calvins, white, coloured, funny, trendy, clean obviously, yes my mind has been filled at certain points with PANTS, and the big question, what do I wear when I'm at the weigh-in, the night before the actual fight ?
Not a great problem, you would think, but on the two previous years,  there has been roughly 200 people at the weigh in, so I would like to look as good as I can, standing there in my pants, boxers, briefs, thong (no, that would be wrong) boxers, football shorts, I have thought of them all and still not decided !?!?

Next up is my entrance music, think I have narrowed it down to about 20 tunes, do I go gangsta rap, hip hop, heavy rock, disco ?? You think these things would be easy and trust me, everyone has a suggestion for you, I bet you've even thought of one, just as you read this ?

Next up, but one, I do have sorted (kind of, nearly, well almost) is my shorts for the actual fight, I will not give too much away, but I have had to bring in an expert seamstress to help.

Back to tonights training and the return of Ben from his Vegas stag trip, I have to say he was looking remarkably fresh, although I'm sure he wasn't feeling it.

Now I don't know who or how they did it, but someone must've been treating him badly, as he came back and took it out on us.

First up was 6 x 2 minute rounds on the bags, not bad start, this was followed, by some shadow boxing, 2 x 2 minute rounds with exercises in between x 2.
Then came the fun part, the stairs, Ben obviously didn't know we'd had our weekly quota of stair fun on Sunday.
So 5,6 not even sure how many, but more than enough, sets of stairs with 10 squat jumps at the top, seemed to get a bit of a sweat on !! (Thanks Ben)

Back into the gym and gloves back on, for what was meant to be 6 x 1 minute rounds on the bags, I think Tony added at least one extra (Thanks Tony)

And that was us well and truly done for the night.

Will definitely be hitting bed early tonight, just hope I don't dream about mens underwear !!!

Craig :-)

Are you sure that was only 2 minutes ?

Sunday Funday, was back again and only 3 weeks to go now.

It was a very hot morning today and I woke up early and went for walk on beach about 7.30am, one of the bonuses of early night and obviously no hangover.

By the time 10am came though, I wasn't really feeling up for work out, was more in mood for lying in the sunshine. So was definitely hoping I was starting with sparring,a s I think I may of got knocked out before I had realised we had started.
Luckily for once, my fears were unrealised, as I had a run to do first, and luckily enough, thats two !! I only had one boxing boot on before I learned this, with Alan saying that at least I could only complain about having one boot on in my blog, so there it was.

After going for a 15 minute run, which ended with going up the fort stairs, where we were greeted by Alan 's youthful, cheery face !!  (Seriously Ben, when are you coming back ?!?!)
After a rest of 10 press ups, we were swiftly sent back down the stairs and told to come back up, hands on heads and two steps at a time, this was done 3 times, with a 5 press up rest in between, Alan is kind and very generous with these rests.
Once this was complete, it was a simple 2 more sets of stairs, this time fast arms and one step at a time. Did i mention it was very hot today, Alan must've been looking to top up his tan as he was perched at the top of the stairs for the duration of these exercises.

Back into the gym and straight onto bag work, I got about 3 x 2 minute rounds in, before being summoned up for sparring, again with Miles, was feeling a bit more energetic, now that we had 'warmed up'
As usual it was 3 x 2minute rounds, with Gerry and Alan in the corners giving us advice at the breaks. Think both Miles and myself have learned from last weeks sparring, as we were both boxing with better pace this week, although by the time we were into the last minute of the last round, I think all my new found energy, had decided to go to the beach before me, I was absolutely wiped out. (sure these rounds are way longer than 2 minutes)
But still tried to keep my technique up, even when Alan shouted 20 seconds left, I tried not to just go mental and start throwing punches, just for the sake of a 'BIG' finish, cause more than likely I would end up taking a punch.

After the fight, Alan, Miles and myself had a chat about the fight and what to expect/ do on the night.

Back through in the gym, a couple of guys asked me how it went, I said I felt I was moving better every week, which is good, but would be even better if Miles wasn't getting better every week too !

The guys were in the middle of some circuit work, so we did some more bag work, till that was done, then unexpectedly and very happily that was it done, Sunday Funday over for another week and the only things I had left to do today, was write a blog and sunbathe, so I guess that only leaves one thing now !!

See you all Tuesday


Craig :-)

Tom McAlister is a .......

As Ben is currently in Las Vegas, probably handcuffed to an Elvis Presley impersonating Oompah Loompah, he, for reasons known only to himself left Alan to 'take care' of us, which usually means a full on hour of non stop work.
Alan then, as he was overseeing sparring, for reasons known only to himself, left Tony and Gerry to run the sessions tonight.

Now Ben is a taskmaster, without question, none of us really like him during sessions, Alan is the master whom we think, Ben inherited his evil streak from.

But when you put Tony and Gerry in charge for an hour, you need to be in top survival mode, this was brutal.

As soon as we walked through the door, we were getting a verbal battering, shifting us, to get boots, wraps and gloves on.
Straight off we were into 4 x 2 minute rounds, with some pad work thrown in too, this time  there were no hiding places, it was full on, with Tom, Gerry and Sam constantly moving around the gym, pushing us to keep moving our feet, our heads and constant punching.

Next up, was 4 x 2minute rounds of shadow boxing, with 8 of us grouped in a small space, moving around each other, without bumping into, or punching anyone, its astonishing how hard shadow boxing is, considering your not hitting or being hit by anyone, there were a few tired guys after this.

With the coaches, kindly giving us 30 nano seconds to grab some water and our gumshields, it was Blocking and Jabbing next.
I paired up with Justin,  think he likes hitting me ?,  this was 4 x 2 minute rounds, and a really good drill, although we are only allowed to throw jabs, both myself and Justin, were almost throwing crosses as well, but holding them back.
This was good for both of us, as it let you know, that you were starting to see opportunities to throw punches, while it also let you know when your guard was down, without being hit.

By the time we got to the last 30 seconds of the last round, the pace, which had been really consistent and no mad moments, had dramatically slowed down, on both sides.

This session was really starting to kick in, can't be long left, I stupidly thought to myself.

We then moved straight onto 4 x 1 minute fast punches and fast feet bag work, with 30 seconds rest, again with the 3 coaches never far away, pushing our very weary bodies on and on.

I was dead on my feet by this time, last exercise I heard Tony say, Thank ...., I heard myself think.

Last up, we had 4 sets of sprints and bag work, in pairs one person sprints, when they get back, you swap round.
The last thing my legs needed was sprints and the last thing my arms needed was bag work, perfect I thought !!

When we started this I and a few others were sure Tony said 3 sets, which was far too many anyway in my opinion, so at the end of the 3 round, when he shouted to go again, my whole body sunk, but I, and the other guys pushed through it, again everyone giving everything they had.

Session done !

I think this may of been the toughest session we have done, at the time I would've stopped at anytime and been happy not to continue, but as soon as you've recovered a bit, these sessions are always the ones you look back on and appreciate how much effort you used to get through them and how much your fitness and technique has improved over the last 6 1/2 weeks.

Who knows what Sunday Funday will have in store for us, but with Alan, Tony and Gerry running it, its gonna be 'fun' !!


Craig :-)

Round after round after round

As always, this session came round a lot quicker than the two days since the last one seems.

Guessed I would be sparring free tonight as I had sparred on Sunday and we don't have as much time in the ring as we do on the Sunday.

I guessed wrong !

After warming up and 3 x 2minute rounds skipping, we moved onto bag work with 6 x 2 minute rounds, with some individual pad work, thrown in as well, it was about the third round when Tony pulled me out for pads.
Pad work with Tony, actually made me wish I was doing sparring as he is relentless, it's a constant 2 minutes of throwing combinations, while trying to avoid Tony giving you a quick whack, just to remind you, your guard is down, or up, or open !

I should be careful what I wish for !

After returning to my bag a very tired man, I thought "I'll go easy this round, get my breath back and then step it up, next round"
Just as I was having this thought I heard Alan's lovely tones saying" Craig, go next door and put your headguard, groin protector and gloves on, your sparring"

So through I went, wondering who I would be up against, strangely the next person to walk through the door was Jason, who is well over six foot and built like a brick s...house !!!
Luckily enough, the other Craig walked in behind him.

I have sparred before with Craig, but it was about four weeks ago, so had no idea how he had progressed.
Once we were ready, it was 3 x 2 minute rounds, the same as Sunday, with some advice from Alan and Mick in between rounds.
Craig is slightly bigger than me, which made me a bit wary, but realise, the more people I spar against of different shapes, styles and sizes the better.


The fight itself. was pretty evenly matched, with both of us going off like rockets in the first 30 seconds, but we soon got into a more reasonable pace.
By the time we got to the third round, we we're both moving, punching and blocking a lot better, but it still amazes me how exhausting, 3 x 2 minutes sparring is, we were both wiped out at the end.
Was actually glad to get another sparring session under my belt, the more I do the better I will feel on the night.

Back through to the gym to finish the session, which comprised of the following
we joined in the middle of 10 x 2 minute Bag and pad work session, this was followed by 4 x 2 minute shadow  boxing, where we were all confined in a smallish space, moving round one another, without getting or hitting anyone else, Ben commented that this would of been a disaster in the first few weeks, but now everyone is starting to move a lot better.
We then finished off with 4 x 1 minute bag work, with 30 seconds rest.

I have really noticed how totally wiped I am after these sessions now, not because I'm not getting fitter, if anything because I'm getting more boxing fit, so putting more into each punch, getting more punches in and moving around more, which is all good.

Very sure Thursday will be here before I know and no Ben for a week as he is away to Las Vegas for his stag week (hopefully he'll make it back in one piece)
So Alan and the team will be taking these sessions, I am expecting a lot of guys(myself included) are going to be very very tired in the next week.

Craig :-)

Hijacked by Ben Murray

As we're just a little over half way in our training session, I thought it would be good fro Ben Murray, the man behind the whole Jersey White Collar Boxing idea, to let you know how he thinks its going so far, gives me a break from writing too !


So I pass you over to Ben

Well, we're 6 weeks into this years 10 week white collar training camp and I can honestly say I don't know where time has gone. We have had our ups and downs, blood, sweat and tears but most of all we have had 110% commitment from all the boxers involved.

As you have seen from Craig's fantastic blog ( best blog I've read (thanks Ben)) the boxers have really been put through their paces and pushed to the limit.

 Myself and my team are aiming to get the fitness levels through the roof and also give them enough information and ring knowledge (without baffling them too much) to perform well on the night.

 Everyone has been doing great during the training and the group morale and togetherness is amazing, they are all supporting each other every step of the way. 

Although the guys will end up competing against another person in the group, the friendships made during this event will be forever.

The feedback I am getting from the lads is really positive and they are really enjoying the training. However, not everyone is keen on the sparring side of it. 

This is only to be expected as it is not everyday that you climb into a boxing ring and get punched or punch someone else. 

I take my hat off to anyone who climbs between the ropes of a boxing ring but someone who has only been training as a boxer for 6 weeks and gets in the ring deserves massive respect!!! 

Its a funny thing because all the guys are beating themselves up after they spar because they feel they are being hit too much, not blocking correctly,  the footwork is not correct or their not moving the head enough. They are all setting themselves such high standards and expecting to box like a professional after 6 weeks! They are all doing amazing and its only going to get better over the next four weeks.

We are now into the stage of training were it really starts to get interesting and we start to give all boxers lots of pointers and tactics on how to approach their bout. 

As I am the matchmaker i have a good idea of who will be fighting who, and its my job to give each boxer advice to ensure it is a fair and competitive bout. 

It looks like there is going to be some great bouts on the night and everyone who is lucky enough to be going is going to be in for a great night of boxing.


This year the two charities we will be using again are teenage cancer trust and Le tournoi, two fantastic local charities. This is our third event to date, and we have donated over £45,000 to charity from our two previous shows. We intend to raise lots again this year. 
The boxers are putting in so much time and effort so please get behind this guys and support them.

Ben Murray - Director
Jersey White Collar Boxing Ltd
M: (+44) 07797 774 049
W: www.jerseywhitecollarboxing.co.uk

Sparrings Back !!

Once again, and quicker than a week should feel like, Sunday Funday was upon us.

This time we were back in the gym, the first time in two weeks on a Sunday.
After a quick warm up, Ben talked us through a run, he was sending us out on. "Great, I thought, I've just put my boxing boots on !" Took them off, put my trainers back on, only to hear Ben say "Miles and Craig, your not going for the run, you'll be sparring"  took my trainers off, put my boots back on, was getting tired already.

Ben told myself and Miles to do some bagwork, while another two of the guys did their sparring and he'd give us a shout, when we had to go through.
While doing our bagwork, Alan took both of us to the side and explained what to expect, 3 x 2minute rounds with a minutes rest, but also gave us a few pointers of what to and what not to do, during the sparring, mostly not to get too carried away and turn it into a brawl, with both of us throwing wild stupid shots.

I have sparred with Miles before, but only for a minute at a time and not for about three weeks, he was a handful for me then, so knew he would be more skillful this time.

Once we had all our protective gear on, headguard and groin protector, and had our faces and gloves smeared with Vaseline, we were ready to go.
It was set up exactly like it would be on the night, minus the 600 people, with Ben and Alan as our corner men, alternating between us at the end of each round, telling us what was good and not so good during the round and what we should be doing to get the better of each other.

Round 1, even though we both said we wouldn't let ourselves get carried away, after about thirty seconds, we were both throwing way too many pointless shots, which was tiring both of us out, with no real purpose.
I obviously don't know what Miles was told during break, but this was one of the things Ben told me.

Round 2 was a little slower, but equally tiring, it did seem as though Miles hit me more than I hit him, but I also know, that you remember and feel being hit a lot more than you do hitting someone else. I did at one point, do 360 spin, which isn't allowed in boxing and I'm not really sure how it happened, think I moved out of the way of Miles punch and the momentum, just carried me all the way round, that not only disorientated me, but thoroughly p...ed me off, with myself.
Alan gave me a few pointers, before going into the last round.

Round 3, again started at a better pace, both of us trying to pick our punches, rather than throwing random wild shots, Miles keeps pushing forward at me, which is something I'm still not used to, but the more sparring I do the better this will become. By the end of the round its fair to say both of us were wiped out, but think we both took a lot from it. Amazing how hard 3 x 2 minutes, with 2 breaks can be !!
Again, both Alan and Ben talked us through the fight, both the good points and the things we could work on.
Its funny how, although we have only been doing this 5 weeks, both myself and Miles felt disappointed with our showing, but looking back now, I reckon we both did very well for 5 weeks training.
We are always going to make mistakes, even if we trained for a year, before getting our fight, we would still make silly mistakes, you just need to try and not let it affect you during the fight.

Back through to the main gym to finish the workout, the guys were back from their run, so apart from the next guys up for sparring, we all started on bag work and 10, yes 10, 2 minute round, with 30 seconds rest, this was followed by 10 x 1 minute rounds, which was followed by 10 x 30 second rounds, this was followed, (yes seriously) bag work mixed with one lap of the gym, working in pairs, one on bag work while one sprints, then changing over, we did this 3 times, before moving onto rest period of plank and press ups, this was followed by (it is Sunday Funday after all) the same concept, except this time sprinting twice round the gym (thanks Tony, was his idea !!) then once round the gym, our rest period this time consisted of plank, press ups, V sit ups, burpees, sit ups, plank, burpees, plank, sit ups, squat thrusts, plank, burpees, was well rested after this, Thanks Ben !

So to the funniest part of the week, the weigh in, after everyone, congratulating themselves on a good workout and feeling pleased with their progress, the whole mood can change the second they step on those scales, its like a weight watchers meeting ha ha.
I by the way, much to my own disappointment and surprise have lost nothing this week, but it will come, I have absolutely no doubt about that, I feel a lot lighter, and have noticed a change in my body shape, so not too concerned about the 'weight' thing.

So that was Sunday Funday again, took more from this session than any so far I think, as it is now getting more and more like fight night conditions, as a few of the guys have been saying, sparring isn't fun, but its what we need to do and the best thing to get our strengths and weakness's highlighted, so we can keep doing the good things and improve on the bad.


Again I have to say, the spirit amongst everyone is brilliant, especially noticeable, when we all combine to give Ben abuse about how much work he is giving us, which usually results in harder 'rest' periods, which Ben assures us we will thank him on the night for !!

Yeah thanks Ben !


Craig :-)

Its all getting closer !

Another session done, they don't seem to be slowing down, only 4 weeks on Saturday till fight night, unbelievable, not sure where all the time has gone.

Tonight's session, was all about work capacity, pushing us through round after round, moving from 4 x 2minute rounds shadow boxing, onto 6 x 2 minute rounds bag work, changing what punches or techniques we had to work on in different rounds, we had some toe tapping on tyres as our 'rest' period.

Ben's kindness it seems is never ending !

Again Ben was always on hand to help us tweak and improve our technique and movement.
You can certainly tell, just by the noise in the gym now,  by the grunts, groans and the actual noise coming from punches landing on the bags.

The intensity level, that everyone is now pushing themselves to, is amazing, when I first started this I half expected people to drop out, due to the high demands of the training.
But not one person has failed to raise there game,  every time Ben and his team push us, we rise to the challenge, its an absolutely brilliant environment to be training in, as everyone is going to limit, there are no passengers.

After all the bag work, we got to recover with a nice finishing set of 2 rounds of a circuit, 30 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, again if it wasn't for the group atmosphere there is no way I would work as hard as I did.

Next up Sunday Funday (already) and I think this will include a lot of sparring, as this is what we need to be doing most now, its getting nearer fight night.

Friday tomorrow, so two training sessions, 6am and 2.30pm, then its resting until Sunday.
I did have a planned out week training wise, but I am now training, only when I feel I will gain from  the session, if I have something planned but my body is tired I don't train, simple as that.

This is a thing people tend not to do, they train or overtrain shall I say, no matter how tired they feel, no one really listens to their body anymore, which is strange because if you don't look after it, where else are you going to live ?
So have a look at your training, is it the same thing on the same days week in, week out ?
Do you do the same classes or same body parts every Monday or Wednesday, whatever day, but don't get anywhere ?
If so change it, either give your body more rest, it will love you for it and come back stronger faster, leaner than before and you will see results quicker.

Doesn't take much, sometimes small changes make big differences !

Just something to have a think about.


Craig :-)

The gloves are back on

Back in the the gym tonight, the first time since last Tuesday, it was strange being away for the week, but think we all enjoyed the break and now all systems go for the next four and a half weeks till Fight Night.

Tonights session was as always, pretty much non stop.
Starting with 4 x 3 minute round on bag work, with some pad work thrown in as well, this was followed by 4 x 2 minute rounds.

Next up we had some shadow boxing and pad work, getting coaching points on various points of everyones individual technique.
A small rest and then it was into pairs for some blocking and jabbing drills, which again has improved massively, not just with myself, but you can see all the guys moving, blocking, punching loads better, than even a few weeks ago.

A fast and furious 4 x 30 secs (10 secs rest) x 4 bag work finished us off.

With the promise of sparring and extra sparring to come over the next few weeks, you can tell its all getting closer and closer to Fight Night.

Speaking of which, loads of people have been asking me if I know who I'm fighting yet, or have I been trying to suss it out.

And to be honest I have tried not to think about it.
My outlook on the whole thing is, just worry about my own training, get myself as good as I can fitness and technique wise and let the other person worry about me.

I don't mean that in a 'I'm brilliant ' kind of way, but its hard enough focusing on my own technique, without focusing on someone else and I also know Ben is not going to put me against someone I can't beat or equally they could beat me, so a bit of a waste of time worrying myself about it.

Also I have no idea how I will be on the night, hopefully nerves won't affect me too much and I'll remember most of what I have learned, we shall wait and see.

Another pat of this special night is the fundraising we do for Teenage Cancer Trust, with this I have set up a donation page
 http://www.justgiving.com/CraigLowe

If you can please spare anything you have and if you can forward or post this page on your facebook page, work Intranet or anywhere else you know, that would be a brilliant help


Craig :-)

The best laid plans !

Sunday Funday is here again and this was going to be the BIG one, it was sand dunes day !!

I had decided a few days ago, that I would cycle there, about 30 minutes at a leisurely pace, enjoy the coast road and the sunshine and it would be a good cool down on the way back.

A very good plan I thought, until I woke up this morning to what was easily the worst weather we have had in Jersey for a few months, non stop rain and very windy.
Nonetheless, I had it in my head that I was cycling and I was going to get soaked there anyway.
A quick phone call to Ben, to make sure it was going ahead and off I went, the weather was a little bit worse than it had seemed from the cosiness of my house, but made it in one piece, only to be informed Ben had decided to change it to an indoor session, on a local five a side astroturf park.

 RESULT !!

Well at least we all thought so, until Ben put us through a seemingly non stop session, which included shadow boxing, sprints in teams, wheelbarrow races, piggy back races, press ups, plank (as always) partner drills, plank, finishing off with an ab circuit, which included the plank.

Not really sure which was worse this or the sand dunes ??

But Ben being the very thoughtful, kind soul that he is, decided, he would (at no extra cost to us) put on an extra session on the sand dunes, this Friday evening (what else would we be doing on a Friday evening) just so we wouldn't miss out on anything.

A very hard into the wind all the way, or at least thats how it seemed, and Sunday Funday was over.

Back into the gym and boxing work on Tuesday and Thursday, sand dunes on Friday (preparing my rain dance now) and then we'll be back to Sunday Funday again.

Looks like its going to be  a good week.


Craig :-)

A change is as good as a rest !

So no White collar boxing sessions this week apart from Tuesday, which as I mentioned before was pretty tough and following the last Sunday Funday session, b y Wednesday I was definitely in need of a rest day, which I gladly took.

Thursday, with no session at night, I had the chance to train twice, once in morning and once in afternoon and leave the evening free, to relax.

Thursday mornings session comprised of a running route I discovered a while back and is one of my favourite runs, very hard but very satisfying, especially when this week I broke my personal best time for it, the days rest definitely helped this.

The run consists of four hills and one set of very steep stairs, which by fortune the way they are situated together, the route sees me go up one hill come down and another and so on till I have went up and down every hill and once up the set of stairs. Not sure how far it is, but it took me just under 40 minutes on Wednesday, usually takes me 42 !

For those from Jersey or know Jersey(especially Ben Murray, as I know he wants to know this !! ha ha), here is the route - Start at Fitness First, along the front to the Grand, turn right, up New St Johns road, down Old St Johns road, up Westmount, down Tower hill, up Tower hill, halfway down Westmount, up stairs, down Westmount, Up Old St Johns road, down New St Johns road and back to Fitness First.

Followed this with some foam rolling on my legs, to help ease them for the afternoon session.

In the afternoon, I had a padwork session, with Craig, one of the Personal Trainers in the gym, who used to box, he took me through a punishing session, which was really useful, getting another point of view and picking up different skills from what I have been doing during white collar sessions.

Thursday evening, was another needed rest evening.

Today started as all Fridays do, with my spin class, which I was well up for and pushed everyone a little bit more than usual, again this is down to rest and also my nutrition and supplement protocols, getting better each week.
In the afternoon, I again did some pad work, this time with Colin, another Personal Trainer in the gym, but this time we also did some light sparring, which was really good as Colin has a much longer reach than me, so that had me working with something I hadn't faced before, again a really good learning curve and Colin gave me some tips that I hadn't learned or worked on before.

No more training now, until Sunday Funday, which is meant to be a sand dune session, but weather is a bit unpredictable just now, so an alternative maybe needed, as much as I know it will be the toughest session yet, I still hope it goes ahead, as I'm sure we'll appreciate it after its done and the fitness gained, will only help us on fight night.

If I'm able to type on Sunday I'll let you know how it goes.

Craig :-)

All the gear still very little idea !!

Tuesday again and my calf muscles have still not recovered from Sunday Funday,  even some foam rolling and massage yesterday didn't help them, and having spoke to some of the other guys I was not alone.

I did still mange to make up and put myself through a Tabata style workout yesterday
For those that don't know, here is an explanation of Tabata workouts, which was named after a Japanese professor  (Professor Tabata)
Tabata workouts are basically doing 1 exercise, completing as many repetitions as you can, using the work to rest ratio of 20seconds/10 seconds for 8 rounds, so 4 minutes in total. Sounds easy eh ! Believe me it is anything  but easy if done correctly, and due to the fast workrate and short rest, I am expecting these workouts to help my fitness, especially for my actual fight.
Here is a good article on it
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_tabata_method

I chose 7 exercises, which with a minutes rest in between each exercise, took all of 35 minutes, but i looked like i had been training for over an hour, I crawled out the gym.

As I mentioned before my calf's have been stiff since Sunday, which made this mornings spin class, 'interesting' shall we say, but I got through it, then plenty rest and good nutritious food today before tonight's boxing session.

Was looking forward to tonight's session, as my new boxing boots arrived yesterday and was looking forward to see what, if any, difference I would notice.
As Ben commented, 'if nothing else I look as though I know what I'm doing'
I was worried as they were boots, I would feel a bit restricted in them, but as they are so light, I didn't even feel them, and I'm sure being so light, made a difference to my endurance, keeping me lighter on my feet for longer.

Tonights session was, as always not easy, some of the guys got a chance to do some more sparring, while the rest of us did the following session.

4 x 2 minute shadow boxing
6 x 1 minute (in pairs) doing pads work with one of the trainers or bag work, swapping every minute, this was incredible tough, as the trainers do not give you a second rest, which is what we need, but makes its tough going.
A minutes rest and then
We changed trainers and done the 6 x 1minute rounds again, how I was still throwing anything that vaguely looked like a punch at the end of these rounds, I'm not really sure.
After a short rest, we had 4 X 2 minute rounds of bag work, working on all our techniques, while getting constant coaching from the trainers as they walk round.

Next up, we moved back into pairs and did a blocking and jabbing drill, which we haven't done for a few weeks and there was huge improvements from those sessions, I was paired up with Justin for this, and straight away I noticed how much more he was moving around, making him a harder target to hit and how much faster his jabbing was, which is obviously excellent and shows how good a job the trainers are doing and how hard the guys are working on every aspect of there technique and fitness.

Finished off with 2 minutes fast and furious bag work and that was us done.

Funnily enough once we were done and had recovered a little, I thought to myself, that we had got off lightly, but then I remembered the state I was in halfway through the pad work rounds, and realised I couldn't of done anymore that night.

We get a break this Thursday, due to gym being closed and its good to just give our bodies a rest, before we step it back up on the final stretch towards fight night.

Sunday Funday, may be the best (worst) yet this week as we are heading to the beach fro some sand dune work !!
I will be doing some other training this week, so expect a post on this too.


Craig :-)

Bring back sparring, all is forgiven !

Sunday Funday, was back with avengance today!

This may possibly of been the toughest session we have done yet.
It looked a bit like this -
4 X 2 minute rounds skipping, varying the speed and adding numerous and more intensive exercises in between as we went.
6 X 1 minute on bag work, again (very kindly!!) with exercises added during the 30 second' rest' in between rounds. These rounds included were changed every round to focus on different techniques, body shots, jabs, crosses, footwork etc.
2 rounds of 3 sets of partner work, one person on the bag, while the other sprinted round gym, which if you asked the guys doing measured anywhere between 80 and 150 metres, I reckon 80 - 100 is about right, after 3 sets it felt nearer the 200 metre mark !
4 X 2 minute rounds, toe taps on either a tyre or bench, with hands in various positions, above our head, in guard position etc.
Then Ben kindly took us outside for some fresh air, we were allowed as much fresh air as we could take in, while doing 4 sets of the Fort steps (oh how we've missed the Fort steps).
Staggered back to the gym for a 'fun' partner based circuit, which included press ups (in various forms), ab work tricep dips, to name a few.

Session DONE !

Now this may not look a lot and its probably not any longer than we have been doing, but myself and the other guys are definitely more wiped after sessions than before, (Aren't you meant to be getting fitter I hear you ask !)
The difference now, is that we are getting fitter, stronger and our technique is improving, so we are naturally putting more into each punch, getting more punches in, running faster, working harder in all parts, basically pushing ourselves a lot harder and further than before, so getting more out of these sessions than before.

There is still a very strong 'we're in it together atmosphere in the group' as soon as you start to slow down or look a bit tired, someone will always give you a bit of motivation.

The session was being enjoyed that much, we even managed to make up a song about how much we thought of Ben and his kindness to us, and as there may be children reading this, I shall refrain from typing the actual words of this song.

So thats us halfway through the ten weeks, not exactly sure where it has gone, and amazed at how much we have learned and improved since day one, a lot of this is down to Ben and his team, setting a good pace for learning, giving the group and individuals excellent advice at the right time.

But also so much credit has to go to the guys themselves, a few of whom have never in their lives trained with this intensity, but they are still there, still pushing their own limits, their own expectations.
Massive respect from myself to them, as I came into this, with a decent level of fitness and have found it tough, not sure how I would've coped coming in, never having done anything like this.

We have Tuesday session as always this week, then a rest day Thursday, before Sunday Funday next week, which is going to be a sand dune based session (Oh good !!)

From a nutritional point of few my tweaked nutrition plan I started this week, is definitely working as my energy and recovery is really high, I also expect my bodyfat % to start dropping really fast now, as we move into second half, my body should now be better adapted to the change, my eating will be spot on so expect massive changes, will keep you posted.

Craig :-)

How to avoid Punches, glad I didn't miss this session !!

Feeling really good this week, my tweaked nutrition, seems to be working, my energy levels are high and my workouts are getting better, harder and managing to push myself further each day, so all good.

Was looking forward (sort of) to tonights session as Ben had told me (warned me more like) that I would be doing some sparring with him tonight.
Although I knew this was going to hard, I was actually looking forward to it, as sparring with a much higher level boxer is only going to improve my skill level.

So as soon as I had warmed up, I was called through to the ring, for 3 x 2 minute rounds, with 30 seconds rest, which is 30 seconds less than I'll get on the night.
Felt a lot more relaxed tonight, and didn't seem to be over thinking everything, although never got much chance to think about anything apart from where Ben's head was, or more importantly his fists.
The first round whizzed past, with Ben talking me through it, while he allowed me to hit him a few times, while very kindly hitting me back as soon as my guard dropped or I never moved away quickly enough, which was a brilliant learning curve as Ben is extremely quick, so made me move a lot quicker too.
By the end of the first round, I realised I wasn't out of breath as much as I had been, even though I was working harder, this I put down to my new gumshield, which I don't really notice is in, when I'm boxing now, compared to being out of breath after about 30 seconds with the previous one. I even used it for the rest of the session. The more I wear it during training the better, even when I know I'm not going to get hit with anything or anyone.

The second and third rounds felt good too, although I was completely wiped by the end of the third round. Which was mainly down to Ben making me work hard constantly, getting me moving, punching and blocking.
The one thing I do actually still find hard is, when Ben told me to hit him a few times, I still struggle to throw my hardest punches, at someone just standing there, although its not a problem during sparring, so shouldn't be a problem on the night.

Even Ben wearing his Glasgow Celtic gumshield didn't make it any easier to hit him.

Took a lot from these three rounds, the only problem now, was I still had to finish the rest of the hour.

When I went back through to the main gym, I was just in time to start 4 x 3 minute rounds of bagwork, which was surprisingly tiring, which i think was partly down to the sparring and the fact I put more into my punches and movement, all good signs.

Next up we went through some drills, getting our movement better, ducking and sweeping, moving ourselves out of the way of punches (which could be handy on the night,  so I paid attention to this part), not just moving out the way, but the best way to avoid a punch, while putting yourself in a good position, to avoid another punch and be able to throw your own.

We did this working in pairs, starting off slowly then, speeding it up, as we got more comfortable and confident with the movement.

This was followed by a couple of rounds of shadow boxing in front of the mirror, practising the moves we had just learned. Its amazing to see the difference in all the  guys now, no one is standing still punching now, there is a whole lot of good movement going on and everyone is definitely heading in the right direction.

We finished off with some 30 second rounds on the bags, getting as many punches in as we could, with various exercises during our 'rest' period.

Thursday done ! Was really wiped after tonight, got my post workout drink in straight away before i left the gym, home showered and some fish and vegetables for dinner, think it'll be early night tonight.

Next up, Sunday Funday again.


Craig :-)

Some outdoor training videos

Thought you might like to see some videos of todays workout, using my multi yoke, that I have mentioned before.
Find these sessions cover a lot of the things that will help with my boxing fitness, namely, speed, strength, intensity and cardio, using my whole body, no isolation exercise today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMh3QtEzA00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zizd2cs6pl8

More to come

Craig :-)