Running vs. Muay Thai vs. CrossFit for Fitness

Hey guys this is Johnny. It's been a long time since I posted and that I've been training, but a comment I got today from a reader wanted me to share his success with Muay Thai for fitness. He started a runner, but as 100% of runners do, he got an injury and had to do something else to keep in shape. Like me he put on 10KG (22lbs) of fat as soon as we stopped working out. Luckily for him, instead of buying new clothes and just accepting it, he found Muay Thai.  Here's what he said:

I used to be superfit .. competing in 10k's and half marathon's .. at 5 ft 10 I had a 12% bf @ 77kg. Weight hovered from 77kg to 80kg also cuz I'm a massive foodie. Also used to hit the gym to maintain muscle mass so had a good proportionate chest size. All the running caused me a bad left knee .. loose ligament. Physio advised me to stop running altogether and stop sports .. either that or go under the knife. In a year of inactivity, I put on 10kg's so I became a proud owner of a fat tummy. I lost my shape and my zest. My old clothes didn't fit no more and I never ever thought that the weight would affect me but it had. Badly. Morale took a nosedive. Not exercising intensively, I wasn't the same person.

Muay Thai fighters going for a warm up run

I bumped into an article about Muay Thai online. Chanced upon it. I love martial arts but only ever done Tae-Kwan-do as a kid. Decided what the heck, quit my job and travelled to Phuket (Soi Tai-Ied) to give it a crack. YOLO moment. As a matter of self-discovery, Muay Thai did not affect my knee condition one bit. Also, I opted for skipping rope instead of running for warm up. It worked a treat.

The 1st 2 weeks of Muay Thai were hell .. pleasure in pain type of hell where I felt sore and pain in areas of the body I never knew I could feel sore in. I enjoyed the intensity and after having been a year out of fitness I usually got nervous before pad work wondering if I'd have the stamina required.

How to jump rope for Muay Thai warmups

Now, after 2 months of Muay Thai (average 5 times a week as during the first 3 weeks I needed rest days in between to let the body heal) with absolutely NO other activity like crossfit or weights I've lost 12 kg's. However, my body now feels and looks different to when I was superfit thru running at more or less the same weight. I feel leaner now, but point to note is I'm 14% bf (2% higher than previous fit life), my body feels tighter, the whole body feels rock solid - not in a heavy way but in a feathery springy sort of way. I lost my slightly buffed chest but I kinda like the way it is now ... Diet wise I wasn't eating a 100% clean (I would say 70% -ish) but I've only ever touched beer twice in the last 2 months.

Not sure how to say it but I feel reborn and I thank Muay Thai... turns out I happen to love this martial art. I'm going to continue Muay Thai even after I leave Thailand for as long as my body is able to. It is fantastic. It's a top art of self-defence and fitness coupled with respect and camaraderie. And I'm not training to fight either.


-My Fight Camp Reader

Read The Original Article where this comment was posted: Muay Thai vs. CrossFit for fitness.

If you haven't already, read the book 12 Weeks in Thailand and get money saving tips on doing your first Muay Thai fitness camp in Thailand!



Warm Regards,

Johnny

Packing for Thailand: What to bring with you.

When I came for my first long trip to Thailand, I was planning to do a mixture of Scuba Diving, Muay Thai and MMA.  I was planning on staying at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket and travel around the southern islands.

Here is my original video of what I brought with me back in 2010, followed by my most recent trip now in 2014.



Things have changed a lot, especially since my iPhone and Macbook now replace a lot of the old electronics I used to have to bring with me.

Also even though I still do a bit of Muay Thai and BJJ for fun, I'm not living and training full time at the gyms anymore.  My schedule is

1x Week Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
1x Week CrossFit
1x Week Sprints
1x Week Muay Thai or Rock climbing

Here is my most recent packing video:

If you want to know more about what the costs of living, daily life and gyms are like in Thailand. Make sure you read my book 12 Weeks in Thailand, it covers all of the details of my many 3-12 month trips and is a must read if you are planning your own trip.

Warm Regards,

Johnny
www.facebook.com/myfightcamp

Doing BJJ and Muay Thai Back to Back - Sky Rocket Cardio.

As some of you long time readers may know, I took a few months off of anything Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu and MMA related after my last fight.  I had a few injuries, and took some damage to my shins.  I didn't want to completely stop working out, as it would take months to get back into shape, so instead, I started doing CrossFit, mainly for Rehab and to keep in shape.

Five months without kicking, punching or rolling later, I stepped back into the gym yesterday.  The results were incredible.  Something really amazing happened, as well as something negative that I didn't factor in and wish I knew about it earlier.

I decided to go to the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class with a friend who is a purple belt.  We got there a bit late and didn't warm up and got straight into rolling.  I was wearing a Gi, and he was just in a rash guard and MMA shorts.  Surprisingly, I was able to hang.  I've rolled with him in the past and he would always end up catching me and having me tap.  But this time, he exhausted after the 5 minute round and we decided on a stalemate.  Immediately after, I rolled with another guy, a Judo brown belt who has been doing No-Gi BJJ for a short while.  

To my surprise, I had all of the cardio fuel in the world.  I was able to spin around, take his back, spin back around the other direction and go for another position in rapid fire.  I haven't been able to do that since I used to wrestle in high school.  I realized then and there that one big factor that has held me back in my jiu-jitsu process has been my cardio, and wanting to rest instead of attacking.

After the Jiu-Jitsu class, I decided to stick around for the Muay Thai class since I wasn't tired at all yet.  It started the same as any other Muay Thai class with a bit of stretching, warm up, then technique and ended up with some light sparring.

My technique was a bit rusty and my timing was off from having taken so much time off. But to my surprise, I was even more powerful than before.  My punches and kicks were straighter and I was able to do three and four punch/kick combinations in rapid fire over and over.  Having better cardio, stamina and endurance has helped me tremendously with being able to do the moves I wanted to do in my head, but have always held back on in order to save energy.  

I was on top of the world and wanted to come back for the night session as well to spar more.  I've never been able to do Jiu-Jitsu back to back with Muay Thai without being exhausted half way through and this time, even after months of not training, I felt great....until I got home.  Then it hit me, I had used so many small muscles that I normally don't train, even though I have been doing a lot of body weight exercises such as burpees, pushups and pushups, nothing is a substitute for doing Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu.  For the next three hours, I laid in bed, barely able to move, I almost had to skip dinner my body was so sore.   Luckily, this morning after a good night sleep, I'm functional, but now I remember very clearly what my first few days training at Tiger Muay Thai was like when I was just starting out.  

Getting choked out by Royce Gracie at Tiger Muay Thai, Phuket 2010

Lessons Learned:

CrossFit is AMAZING for cardio and functional strength for Muay Thai, MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, especially for rehab purposes.  

Eating Paleo / Bulletproof diet has given me a ton more energy, lowered my body's inflammation which allows me to recover faster the next day, and has shed off 20lbs of body fat, making me faster, lighter and more efficient. 

There is no substitute for training the unique muscles only used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  You have to grapple and roll regularly to build up those muscles.  No amount of functional or body weight exercise with target them.

Muay Thai six days a week is terrible for building strength, muscle, or long term fitness.  But it is amazing for developing toughness, discipline, timing, technique and skill.  

At one of my fights in Chiang Mai

My ideal plan for my specific goals would be as followed:  

Yours may be different based on what your goals are.  But mine is to get in the best shape of my life, for the long run, be healthy, have energy, and develop my skills for both Muay Thai and MMA.  

Diet - Eat 100% Paleo and follow the high fat Bulletproof Diet with sweet potatoes a few times a week.  

Muay Thai - 3 sessions per week for technique, timing and sparring.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or MMA - 2 -3 times a week for technique, rolling experience and to develop the small muscles only used in rolling.

CrossFit - 1 - 2 times a week for strength, cardio conditioning, the social aspect, and being able to push yourself to 110% without having to pace yourself.  I would also do CrossFit in the weeks after fights when my shins are bruised and you are burnt out from over training. 

Rest and Recovery - I would rest 2 days per week with nothing but walking.  I would also sleep 8 hours a night, eat buffets 1-2 times a week to re-feed.  Take a tablespoon of pink Himalayan sea salt per day to rehydrate and combat adrenal fatigue.  

I hope some of this info helped you guys out there planning to train intensely for a 3 month fight camp or just to get in fight shape.  Keep in touch on facebook with me and let me know how your progress goes.

Warm Regards,

Johnny FD

Author of the Ultimate Guide Book to Thailand, Muay Thai and Travel on the Cheap.

The Best Supplements and Gear for Muay Thai and MMA - My Wish List

I'm really proud to announce My Fight Camp's first official sponsor Onnit Labs.  The reason why I chose Onnit and never allowed any other sponsors or advertising on my site is because I genuinely believe in everything they sell and would recommend it to my friends and my family. You could literally just go to their site and browse though everything they sell and think to yourself:

"That's cool, I've never seen that before, I want that, that would be perfect, add that to my wish list, I'm buying this."

Even if you don't buy anything from Onnit, do yourself a favor and browse though just for ideas of cool shit that you might want anyways.   It's every guy's ultimate wish list, so if you're looking for a birthday or Christmas gift to give the ultimate guy, especially if he trains Muay Thai and MMA, check out my list below for ideas.


Here is a list of my favorite things, My Wish List:

Sick ass Alpha Primate t-shirt - I want one of these!

Primal Kettle Bells - The most bad ass Kettle bells on the planet.

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt - Best tasting salt in the world., and so good for you too
and is better than gatorade for  rehydradtion and fixes adrenal depletion.

Blendtec Blender - It'll blend anything.  - Perfect for making your Kale shakes.

Bulletproof Coffee - The best coffee in the world, mold free. and wont' cause jitters or crash.

Raw Killer Bee Honey - Raw Honey made from Killer bees, it has to be good for you.

MCT Oil - Like Coconut Oil but better. - The cure for Alzheimer's disease.

Alpha Brain - The Pill from the movie "Limitless"

I first heard about Onnit Labs when I watched the movie "Limitless" and thought:

"Wow fucking cool, I wonder if there's really a pill like that."  

I did some searching around and turns out that Alpha Brain is the real life version of it.  However, it comes with a price.  First, it's not cheap, and second, it comes with it's consequences.  My cousin started taking it for his track days when he would race motorcycles.  He said it increased his focus, almost slowing everything down to a point where he could see what was coming next.  His track times increased and he started beating people in 1,000CC bikes whien he was on a 600RR.  

He kept pushing his limits until one day, he crashed.  Luckily, he recovered from the injuries and is okay, but he stopped taking Alpha Brain.  It worked, but a little bit too well.  I suggest that if you take it, be careful.  

I tried it as well after hearing about it on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast.  I hear his raving about it and saying how good it was so I gave it a shot and it worked.  Just a fair warning, don't mix it with any other stimulants or drugs.  

I first heard about Bullet Proof Coffee through Dave Asprey, who is the founder of the Bullet Proof Paleo diet.  It's good stuff.  I would drink it first thing in the morning before a 12 mile bike ride then Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and have energy for hours without eating.  It's a great way to stay in fasted ketosis and lose weight while still having energy to train.

I also recommend the rest of the supplements they have for sale especially the Fish Oil for balancing your Omega 3's and 6's, T+ which is a natural and legal Testosterone Booster, ShroomTech Sport which combats fatigue, NewMood which is 5-HTP and Serotonin for those days you are a bit depressed, StronBone for your joints and bones, and literally everything else they have listed on there from Vitamin C to Spirulina. 

I won't be promoting Onnit Labs or their products too much on my site as I like to keep it 99% free information without advertising.  But I honestly and genuinely believe in everything that Onnit sells, so do yourself a favor and check them out.

As far as actual Muay Thai Gear is concerned, my favorite brand is Fairtex for everything they make.  Unfortunately Onnit doesn't carry muay thai stuff yet.

Warm Regards

Johnny

www.facebook.com/MyFightCamp

Got kicked in the face during sparring. Oops.

So the good news is my cardio is pretty good for this next fight.  Started today's class with a good run, did four rounds of padwork and started sparring.  I lost count of the number of rounds, but it was something insane like 7.  I sparred the first five with Michael, one of the Thai trainers who is a pro boxer, we only hit around 40% power but we would go at it and trade shots back and forth non-stop.  It was exhausting but I loved it.  I also sparred with a new guy from somewhere in Europe.  He had great technique, reach and kicks but since he just got back into training after a year off, he would gas out in the middle of the round.

I thought it was all over...but then Chon, the head trainer said, okay one last round.  And this time it was with  him.  I've sparred with Chon a few times before and was always surprised how good his technique is and how difficult of a time I have hitting him even though he's 6 inches shorter than me and literally half my weight.  I'd like to blame it on being exhausted from seven rounds of sparring previous, but more than anything, I was frustrated on not being able to really get in on him.  His kicks are amazing, especially his front kick.  He'd also come out of no where with superman punches and catch me in the jaw.  Then out of no where, BOOM!  I never saw the head kick coming.  They say that it's the kicks that you don't see that knock you out.  It was completely my fault.  I should have had my hands up, but I didn't.  Unfortunately, I caught his toe in my left eye and for the first 30 seconds or so, I was afraid that I had went blind.

Everything went black, I shut my eyes afraid of opening them, and I dropped down to me knees.  If it had been a real fight, I don't think I'd be able to recover from an eight count, and would have been knocked out. I asked for some ice, reaching out blind with my hands.  Poured some cold water over my eye and minutes went by with me thinking, "Fuck" this is bad.  Luckily, after a bit of ice and time, my eye is fine.  I'm going to keep icing it tonight so it doesn't swell shut as that'll be terrible for my upcoming fight in three days.  But maybe it was a good reminder for me to keep my fucking hands up no matter how exhausted I am.

I'm grateful for the injury no being worse than it was.  I'm grateful for great sparring practice and my health.  Time to rest up, as today will be my last hard training day before my fight on Tuesday.  Wish me luck.

P.S. Thank to to my good buddy Nic for reminding me how important it is to show gratitude.  He keeps a gratitude journal and writes down everything he is grateful for and I started doing the same.


Warm Regards,

Johnny
www.facebook.com/MyFightCamp
www.12WeeksinThailand.com 

Fighting again next week! March 19th. Foot healed.

So good news is my foot is no longer broken.  It wasn't that bad to begin with, just some fractures in the small foot bones, but good news is i'm 100% healthy and injury free.  I'm going to Koh Phangan from March 23rd - 28th for the Full Moon Party so I wanted to get another fight out of the way before I start drinking again.  In past five months since October 2012 I haven't drank any alcohol aside from immediately after my last fight.  It's been great for my budget, my cardio and my health.

It's official, I'm fighting again on Tuesday, March 19th at Thaepae Gate Stadium in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  It'll be my sixth Muay Thai fight and supposedly I'm fighting a big Thai guy that just got out of the army and only has around five fights.  He was the guy promised to me last time but the switched opponents on me last minute like they often do it Thailand.  Knowing that, I don't think too much about who I'm going to fight.  The only thing I can do is be as prepared physically and mentally as possible and just try to beat whoever they put in front of me.

My last fight was exactly two months ago on January 21st and honestly, it was really hard.  I don't know how many people reading this will truly understand unless you've been in a fight recently but it's both physically and mentally painful and exhausting.  Before this last bout I hadn't fought in 18 months and totally forgot how difficult it really is.  After the fight I had a lot of doubts, listened to a lot of criticism and finally realized that only the opinion of those I love and care for actually matter.  Everyone else, especially guys who have never stepped in the ring themselves, really shouldn't be giving anyone criticism.   I know I'm not perfect, I know my flaws and what I need to improve on.  It's the hard thing about having a public website and blog.

I love being able to share my experiences, both positive and negative with other people wanting to come to Thailand and train, and I get tons of positive comments telling me that if it wasn't for my blog and book  they wouldn't feel as confident to move to Thailand for their own fight camp.  But along with the positive people there are also the trolls and harpies that are miserable in their own lives and feel the need to drag other people down as well.  The reason why I try to stay away from online forums is because people can post anonymously and most people on there aren't training or fighting, they're just sitting behind their computer all day in their miserable lives trying to pull others down with them.

My life is public, and I'm far from being a perfect person.  But overall, I know I have a good heart, am loyal to my friends and I've done what I can to inspire others to follow their passions and their dreams.  If you're in Chiang Mai, feel free to come down and watch my next bout on Tuesday, it'll be great to have the support.

Warm Regards,

Johnny
www.facebook.com/MyFightCamp
www.12WeeksinThailand.com - Read more about my crazy life.

Wear a mouth guard while sparring, dammit!

So today during Muay Thai sparring, I kicked my partner in the head, his teeth bit down hard, he was dazed and rocked and he felt like he had lost a tooth.  Luckily, I was wearing large shin pads, and I kicked him lightly so he didn't actually loose any teeth.  Unlucky for him, he chipped one of his K9 teeth and got a good reminder to wear his mouth guard.  I apologized but he said it wasn't my fault, as he knew he should have been wearing a gum shield and also he shouldn't have dropped his hands when he walked forward.  But this is a very common case.  Tons of guys don't wear mouth guards while sparring and it's stupid.

First it's unfair to your sparring partner as he'll feel bad punching your in the face and focus on the body, making it unrealistic practice.  Second, if he does catch you, he'll feel bad that he hurt you.  But more importantly, it's dangerous for you, your teeth, and it's easier to get hurt or even knocked out by not having one in.  Wear a fucking mouth guard whenever you spar please.

Tips on Mouth Guards for Muay Thai

There are two main types of mouth guards, or gum shields as they call them in the UK.  One is the cheap boil in hot water, and second are the more expensive dentist fitted ones.  Any mouth guard is better than none, so start with a cheap one. Drop it in boiling hot water for a few minutes to soften the plastic, then bite down on it and use your fingers to mold it around your teeth.  Practice wearing it around the house as you'll most likely want to throw up whenever it's in your mouth.  It takes a bit of getting used to.

For me I would wear it at home while on the computer and watching TV, and I would even sleep with it in for the first few weeks to get used to it.  If you can't over come the gag reflex, you can take some scissors and snip off a bit of each end to make it more comfortable.

The benefits of an expensive custom mouth guard

I used a cheap mouth guard for years and it was always good enough.  But then I met a guy who had a custom one and I was surprised when he was able to talk with it in between sparring rounds.  That sold me right there.  The other benefits are that they are more comfortable, make you want to gag less, and they fit snugly which allows you to open your mouth and take big breaths without it falling out.  I ended up buying one from Custom Kombat Mouth Guards in Phuket for around 3,000 baht ($100US) and although at first I didn't want to spend the money on it, it turns out to have been the best investment I've ever made.  In my last fight in Phuket, I got elbowed in the teeth a few times, really hard.  My teeth were knocked loose and didn't reset for almost 6 months.  Luckily, and because of my custom mouth guard, I didn't loose any teeth.  That alone was well worth a hundred bucks.  I also benefit from it everyday during sparring, i'm able to talk between rounds, breath through my mouth if I get a bloody nose, and just not have to worry about it as much.  If you're going to do Muay Thai seriously, get one made either at home or in Phuket when you arrive.

Also wear 16oz gloves while sparring:

I still can't believe how many guys spar with 12oz gloves.  It's both dangerous and unfair to your partner.  Even if you think you are in control of your strength and don't hit hard, there's a good chance you'll lose control of your ego or emotions without you knowing it and start punching hard. Don't be an asshole. Wear 16oz gloves while sparring, always.

Tips for Beginners and those new to Sparring:

One of the best things I did when I started out, to get over my fear of getting hit, and also to keep my eyes open was the practice covering up.  Basically, I bit down on my mouth guard, wore 16oz gloves, made sure my partner did the same, and let him wail on me for an entire round. Without punching back, I just focused on covering up, keeping my chin down, and keeping my eyes open and on him.  I circled a little bit, but even allowed myself to get into a corner so he could really open up on me.  That was the single best thing I've ever done for my sparring and I recommend it to anyone starting out.

Happy sparring and training,

Johnny
www.facebook.com/myfightcamp - add me
www.12weeksinThailand.com - Read the book!

Really really good training session today.

I almost took the day off, I ate something dodgy over the weekend so during yesterday's session I stuck around for padwork and left practice early, my first time ever leaving practice early.  It felt strange, but I didn't want to push myself too much and get sick.  Today I felt much better but was debating whether or not to train. Luckily, my buddy Michael White, the photographer told me he wanted to come down and take some photos.  Instant motivation.

For those who don't know him, his facebook page is Muay Thai Photography  and he's the one that helped me take those amazing, capture the moment shots of my last fight.

Because I knew he was taking photos, I made sure that my form was good during padwork.  I got on my tip toes for kicks and really stretched out and opened my hip.  I made sure my hands were always up and I had a really good pad session overall.  Then it was time for sparring, I ended up doing 5 rounds of Muay Thai sparring today, but since I knew he was taking photos, I didn't want to gas out, so I paced myself well, and made it a point to keep my guard up.  

The funny thing is, I ended up having one of the best training sessions ever even though I wasn't feeling 100% coming into it.  Accountability, and having someone watching and especially taking photos or video make you preform better. I'm going to try to take some of these lessons and continue to watch my form and technique even when no one's actually watching, I'm just going to pretend that someone is.

I wish I started Muay Thai when I was that young.  Look at the excitement in the kid that won, contrasted to the look of worry, surprise and disbelief on the kid in blue.  Although I didn't start Muay Thai or fighting sports until I was 28 and the chances of me making it to K-1 or UFC is almost none, I still want to do as well as I personally can. I love pushing my body, my fitness, cardio and forcing myself to dig deep when I know I'm exhausted.  Finding Muay Thai has been one of the best things that ever happened to me.  I hope you all get the same opportunities to do as you love as well.

Warm Regards,

Johnny
www.facebook.com/myfightcamp - follow me
www.12weeksinThailand.com - Read the Book!

Exhausted from eight rounds of sparring. + Video of Chun (Head Trainer at KC Muay Thai)

Today started out with a normal warm up jog followed by three rounds of pad work.  I requested Beebe today, the newest pad holder at KC Muay Thai.  He doesn't look like much but supposedly,

"Before he discovered Dunkin' Doughnuts he was a great fighter."

Either way, he's fantastic on the pads.  He is very present, doesn't mess around during sessions and has me throw unique combinations I've never seen elsewhere.  He also flows very well with my energy level and adjusts.

After pad work I went straight to sparring, three rounds with a guy from Denmark, Muay Thai rules.  It was a good session, but I wanted more.  So instead of hitting the bags, I stayed in the ring and sparred a bit more.  I had no idea I would end up in there for five more rounds.  I was exhausted and wanted to throw up.   But it was really good practice for both my technique but also cardio management, pacing and defense.  I sparred with Chun, the head trainer at KC Muay Thai for the 6th and 8th round.  It's crazy that at around 5 inches shorter than me and literally half my weight, he kicks my ass.  Known as Mahachon Kiat Busaba, Chun was the Northern Thailand Champion and two time Thai National Champion when he was younger.  Here's a video of his fights showing some of his amazing technique.

After today's session I was so exhausted I had to cancel on my friend for dinner. Despite eating immediately after at the gym and having a Whey Protein Shake made with half water and half Coconut Milk for healthy fat I could hardly move and opted instead to lay around in bed and watch old UFC Fights.

I'm going to try to do a session of either Muay Thai or Grappling tomorrow but I'll play it by ear and see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow.  Thank god that Übermorgen (the day after tomorrow) is Sunday and is rest day.  My body is beat up from getting back into training but I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world.

Hope all is well in your personal adventures and training,

Johnny
www.facebook.com/MyFightCamp - Add me
www.12weeksinThailand.com - Download a free preview of the book today.

Back to Training, Foot still broken.

It was really nice to get back into training after 9 days in China.  The first day back I decided to catch up on some rest and get a thai massage instead of training, which turned out to be a great idea.  I highly recommend getting a massage after every long flight or bus ride.  I was still a bit exhausted from a messed up sleeping schedule and my nose is stuffed up from the smoke and pollution of China along with possibly getting a slight cold from the freezing nights and travel, but I was excited to get back into Muay Thai regardless.

The run was surprisingly easy and enjoyable.  The fresh air and the aerobic activity opened up my lungs as well as my nasal passages.  I felt like a million baht.  With running I think a lot of it has to do with my muscles no longer being sore and beat up and my glycogen storage being full from all the carbs I ate in China.  Skipping rope was easy and we went straight into 5 rounds of Muay Thai sparring.  It was a bit intense as I went straight into it after a few weeks off, but luckily I had some really cool and respectful sparring partners that didn't go too crazy.  There are a bunch of new guys at the gym which is nice.  I think KC functions best when there is around 10 students in any given class, and up to 15 maximum which is what Chun the head trainer decided to max it out on.  Any less than 6 students and it gets a bit boring with no sparring partners and since it's a small gym anymore than 15 and it'll be too crazy to handle.

In yesterday's class there were 12 students, not including the Thai trainers and fighters which made for a perfect sized group.  I got to switch around with 4 different sparring partners and learned something from each of them.  Then we went into 3 rounds of padwork which totally drained me.  Then straight into 5 rounds of clinching!  It was an intense first day back and by the end of it I was exhausted.  My neck, back and body was sore and I couldn't wait to lay down and take an ibuprofen.  But I loved it, and I missed it so much. Something about training hard and depleting yourself just feels so damn good.

I do miss grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu though.  The two bad things about being at a Muay Thai only gym is first there's no Jiu-Jitsu and second, the guys that train only Muay Thai usually aren't big fans of the UFC which is my pride and joy.  I'm going to continue training Muay Thai at KC but have thought about dropping into Team Quest Chiang Mai's grappling class to check it out.  My friend Wayne is going to start training there next week so it'll be a good reason to check it out since Team Quest is less than a 10 minute drive from KC Muay Thai.  I'll let you guys know how it goes.  And expect an update on Tiger Muay Thai Chiang Mai next week as well as my buddy Will Elliott the general manager of TMT invited me to their soft opening this weekend.

Edit: Oh crap I totally forgot to mention that the little bones in my foot are still broken from my last fight 4 weeks ago.  It's really not that big of a deal as it doesn't affect my running and I shouldn't get kicking with my foot as this isn't karate but it kind of sucks that it hasn't healed by now.  If anything I'll take it as a reminder to kick with my shin and not my foot as I'm supposed to do in Muay Thai anyways.  Ironically, if this happened in the U.S. or back home, I would have skipped training for months until it healed.  But in Thailand, you're always training at 80% health, you'll always have bruises, and small injuries, you just push through it.  It's just more hardcore like that when you're at a fight camp and doing it full time.


Warm Regards and happy training,


Johnny

www.facebook.com/myfightcamp
www.12WeeksinThailand.com

Getting back into training after 2 weeks + Getting a China Visa in Chiang Mai

So yesterday was my first full Muay Thai class since my fight two weeks ago.  Even though I had planned to get straight back to training and even take another fight straight away, my body and mind were depleted and it literally took 14 days to recover and replenish.  Even Mirkko and Piers who had relatively short fights with no injuries ended up taking a week just to recover from the mental stress of it all.  But since my ankle was swollen to the size of a tennis ball and my shins felt like they had taken a beating with a wooden baseball bat, I avoided running and kicking until now.

But I didn't want to sit on my ass and not work out, so I went to the gym every other day and did a crossfit type circuit workout.  Usually I'd start by jumping rope, careful to put most of my weight on my uninjured foot, followed by bear crawls and other animal drills which are an awesome body weight workout both for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training but also just general strength.




After that I would do pull ups or chin ups, usually three sets of ten or less.  The biggest problem with the gym at KC Muay Thai is the only pull up bar is 8ft high (2.5meters) so you have to stand on a tire and jump up to it.  That combined with the bar being extremely thick, makes it hard to do pull ups as you're always trying to use strength to keep your grip, and you're afraid of falling and twisting your ankle on the way down. After the pullups, I'd do a burpee pyramid, which is when you start with 10 full burpees including a pushup, shadowbox while resting, do 9, shadow box, 8,and repeat until you're done.

After burpees I'd either do two handed kettle bell swings, giant tire flips, or a shoulder workout with weights.  It sounds like a pretty tough workout, and it is, but nothing prepares you for an actual muay thai class besides doing muay thai.

So yesterday, after not running for almost 3 weeks I struggled to finish the lap around the block which before my fight I had been doing with ease.  It didn't help that it was fiercely hot and sunny yesterday, but I could tell that my running cardio had been zapped.  After a warm up of 200 knees on the bag and shadowboxing we went straight into four rounds of boxing sparring.  It did fine in sparring but as soon as we got into four rounds of padwork, I realized how much cardio I've lost.  My kicks were slow and my legs felt heavy, and I just didn't have the confidence and power I had before.  A lot of trainers talk about building up their fighter's confidence before a fight, and now I absolutely know what they mean.  It's always a good idea to go into a fight with 100% confidence that you're going to win, but win or lose, you become very humble as soon as the fight is over.  That's why even the cockiest fighters show respect and humility after a fight.  Especially as a beginner, I realized very quickly what my strengths and weaknesses are and everything that I need to continue to improve upon.

 I was originally going to take another if fight next week, on February 16th but as luck would have it, I'll actually be going to Shanghai to spend Chinese News Years and won't be back until afterwards.  But it'll be a good thing as I need a few more weeks to get back into fight shape again anyway.  I'm continuing to lose weight and hopefully by the end of this fight camp I'll walk around at closer to 93kg (205lbs) which is my immediate goal so I can eventually fight at 85kg.


How to get a China Visa in Chiang Mai:

Go to the Chinese Consulate here in Chiang Mai at the south side of the moat (outside the city) opposite Saen Prung Gate which is on Thipanet Road.


View Larger Map

It's a big building surrounded by cream colored walls and is to the left of the Kawasaki Motorcycle dealership, Bike Cafe and the trophy shop.

Show up between 9am-9:30am if you can and bring along a printed copy of your plane ticket (to and return) and a printed copy of your hotel reservations, the address and phone number.  If you are staying with a friend you have to get a letter from your friend inviting you to China, their address, and a copy of their passport.  It's kind of a strict pain in the ass but I didn't expect anything less.  You also need a passport photo, and if you can bring a photocopy of your passport as well.  For Americans the price is 5,760 baht ($192US) for the same day rush visa, and about 1,000 baht cheaper if you want to wait 5 business days.  They won't give you a multiple entry visa, but you can get a double entry for the same price as a single.  You can get the form and fill it out there.  I went yesterday and today and there was never more than a 10 minute wait in line.

After dropping it all off, you come back at 3pm the same day.  You must buy your plane ticket and book your hotel before getting a China Visa.  If you just need a random hotel reservation, use hostelbookers.com to reserve a random hostel somewhere and forfeit the 10% deposit if you don't' end up using it. It'll only cost you around $10US.

Warm Regards,

Johnny@ MyFightCamp.com
www.facebook.com/myfightcamp

You know you're ready to fight when you become a bit of an asshole.

It's not on purpose, I swear!  But in the last week or so I started becoming really anti-social at the gym, especially while training.  I've started becoming kind of an asshole.  Normally I say hello to everyone and exchange pleasantries during training but now it's just focus focus focus.  I've seen this  happen to other guys that are getting ready for a fight as well.

I remember GSP saying on the Ultimate Fighter Reality Show once,

"You can tell he's ready to fight, he's quite, doesn't laugh and is focused."

Social time should be reserved for after class anyway, but I noticed myself getting pissed off whenever someone would try to joke around or even ask me about my weekend during the session.  I can't wait to get this fight over with already so I can go back to being a happy, social guy.  Tonight, a bunch of us had dinner together after training and it was nice.  As always whenever there are seven guys around, the topic of sex came up.  Two of the guys joked around about going into town tonight to try to hook up....one of them wasn't joking but didn't want to go alone.  

I talk about it quite a bit in my upcoming book actually, about hooking up and also long term relationships while you're in Thailand.  I just got out of a fucked up relationship with a crazy Swedish girl and am pretty happy to stay single for a while.  It's refreshing to just focus on Muay Thai for a bit and not have any girls in my life.  Although, I may or may not have hooked up on New Years Eve, but let's not get into that here on the blog.  

Anyways, here's the warm up run we do every day before class a month ago, I was running a 12 - 14 minute mile pace and now i'm consistently down to the 10:12-10:58 minutes per mile range which I'm quite happy about, especially since I started actually enjoying the runs and not dreading them.  I'm sure I could run them a bit faster, but since it's just a warm up before a long Muay Thai session and it's under the hot sun I don't want to wear myself out.  But one day, I'm going to push myself to see how fast I can actually do it.

As tempting as it is to set a new personal best, start running a 7-8 minute miles and signing up for a 10k or a half marathon, I know it's not the healthiest thing for my joints, knees and back.  It's also not my goal, this GPS watch is almost kind of a curse.  It helps me because I can see my improvement, but at the same time, if you give a guy metrics, he will measure them and attempt to break them.

I think at least for a while, I'll be happy jogging a 10 minute pace, hopefully it'll be sub-10 minute soon but either way, I have more important things to focus on than how fast I can run around the block.  Like training for the Estonian wife carry race!  Just kidding.

Oh by the way, today we did 5 rounds of pad work and I got paired up with the new trainer.  He doesn't speak much English but he has really good technique.  Judging from his worn out shorts, I'm pretty sure he used to compete in the Toyota Muay Thai Tournaments   He looks like he might still be an active fighter as he's definitely in shape for it.

The pad work was great, I was a bit tired from the 110 Burpees yesterday but I pushed myself though.  It's always a bit different having a new pad holder, getting used to his style, but it's nice to mix things up.  Some guys like to use the same trainer everyday, which has it's benefits, they get to know you and your style.  But personally, I love having a different trainer everyday and mixing things up.  

After pads we did a long clinch session.  We rotated and I must have clinched with at least 5 different people for around 10-15 minutes.  I was tiring as hell and I know my traps and neck are going to be sore tomorrow, as I can already feel it.  But I'm really glad we did it today as it's been a while and I really needed it.  To be honest, I actually hate clinching.  I'm decently good at it since I pummeled at lot in high school when I used to wrestle, but I hate the idea of exchanging knees with my opponent.  It's also really draining on you stamina.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to continue avoiding the clinch in my fights. Anyway, off to bed!  I'll try to be less of a knobhead tomorrow!

Update:  Good news, I just broke the sub 10 minute pace.  I followed the Thai guys on their run and although it was a bit hard to keep up.  Average pace time: 9:12 mi.  Yeah!

Warm Regards,

Johnny @ MyFightCamp.com

I'm fighting next week!

It's been exactly two months and two days since I've been in Thailand and I finally feel like i'm in fight shape. My cardio wasn't very good when I first arrived, it was actually pretty good for American standards, but it was pretty crap for fighting in Thailand.  In the U.S. before I came, I would bike 12 miles (19km) almost everyday, and do Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu 5x a week.  My diet was relatively healthy, and I had stopped drinking all together a month before I came.  But training in Thailand takes you up to another level.  First it's hot as hell and running in the sun can be draining, and second, instead of just going for a 4km run which would be my normal workout, in Thailand, it's simply your warm up for an instead 2 hour class.

So today was the day, I wanted to test my cardio to see if I was ready to fight.  I started off with my 2.4mile (3.8 km) warm up run and set a personal best.  After the usual shadow boxing and bag work, I went three intense full on rounds with the best guy at our gym, Mirkko, who also happens to be one of the best K-1 fighters in Estonia.  He has amazing boxing, cardio, speed, power, technique, and experience so I'm quite fortunate to have him here at the gym.  He's also a very funny guy and has become a good friend.

We've sparred together before, mainly boxing only and he's always gotten the best of me, but every time we spar, I learn something and more importantly, I improve.  Today was the first real time we had the chance to spar Muay Thai and it was intense.  For three 3.5 minute rounds he comes at me super aggressive, hitting me with combos. I got caught a few times which reminded me to keep my hands up, especially while backing away.  It was exhausting, for both of us.  I fired back and caught him with a few good body kicks and punches.  But what really made me feel good about myself was not backing down, losing heart, and being able to keep up with his intense cardio.  He's had over 45 pro fights, so I knew what I was getting into and never expected to best him, but what I got out of it was so much more.  We were both physically exhausted after the three rounds, and it was good to know that he was just as tired as I was.

But class didn't end there.  After hitting the bags I did three intense rounds of padwork with the head trainer Chon. He had seen me give it 110% with Mirkko but pushed me hard regardless which I appreciated, I was physically exhausted afterwards, but I wanted more. So I asked Piers, another guy that's currently training for a fight to spar with me.  We did two more rounds of good Muay Thai sparring.  It was after all that, and a lot of thinking for the past few days that I finally decided to ask Chon for a fight.

I tried approaching him after class, but I could tell he was busy so I waited until after dinner.  I was worried to be honest.  I was worried that he would tell me that I'm not ready yet, or that I need to train twice a day for the next three weeks if I want to fight.  Honestly, I don't know what I would have done if he had given me that ultimatum.  I know that my unorthodox training schedule may seem lax, but I do it so my body, muscles, joints, and bones can properly recover and avoid injury.  If I was 22 and 20 kilos lighter, I might consider training twice a day, but being 31 years old and close to 99 kilos (217lbs) I know what my body can and cannot do.  All I know is ever since I've been training this way, I've lost 4 kilos (8lbs), retained all my strength and muscle, lost 1.5 inches (3.8cm) off my waist, and my cardio has improved through the roof. So I'm going to continue to do exactly what I'm doing regardless of what anyone else says.

Originally I wanted to get down to 93kg before starting to fight, but I decided, fuck it, I'm itching to fight, feel ready, feel good, and I would ideally like to win this fight without any injuries and ask for another fight straight away.

So I asked Chon, who was sitting at the dinner table with all of the Thai trainers, and told him I was ready to fight.  He asked me how soon and I said next week.  I was extremely happy, thrilled even when he didn't hesitate, ask me to train more, or anything, he knew I was ready and agreed to set it up asap.  So nothing's official yet, but it's in the works and I should be fighting very soon.

Wish me luck!  And if you haven't already, add me on facebook.


Warm Regards,

Johnny @ My Fight Camp

Losing my temper during boxing sparring today.

Today in class, straight after two rounds of shadow boxing we got into rotation for sparring, boxing only.  The problem I've noticed with doing sparring first before pad work is people have too much energy and really go at it.  The two rounds I was paired up against two Australian guys, had a good sparring session and worked on a lot of speed, footwork and technique.

Then I got paired up with a tall Italian guy again, the one from the previous post  Today was boxing only sparring and he was really good at using his reach to his favor.  He used footwork to circle away and attack without me being able to hit back.  Everything was going fine, until he decided randomly to start going hard, rocking me with a right hook.  This time I know it wasn't my fault because I never even hit him due to his reach.  So I lost my tempter and yelled out though my mouth guard,

"Okay, you want to go hard, let's go hard!"

He stepped up to me face to face and said okay, let's go hard.  And then it began.  To be honest, I was a bit worried what I had just gotten myself into.  I hadn't even been able to hit the guy the entire round and now he has permission to really push it.  I was already a bit gassed from the two previous rounds of sparring the other guys, but I was determined to give it my all.  He caught me a few more times at full power as I was trying to close the distance but once I was inside I was able to hit him, and I hit him hard.  You could instantly see his eyes change, I hit him again and gained his respect.  At one point, we got a bit too close and got into the clinch.  For a second I thought one of us, in the heat of the moment was going to throw a knee or an elbow, but I'm glad that both of us were respectful to the sport enough to keep to the sparring rules even in the heat of the moment.  We pushed away and continued.

The only unfair part was I'm pretty sure he was wearing 14oz gloves and I had on my pillow like 16oz Fairtex ones that I only use for sparring.  You may not think it's that big of a difference but it really is.  Having 14oz gloves on make you hit much faster and harder, and since they are lighter it's much easier to punch through my guard and defend faster without getting tired.  But even though he was quite a bit taller and had a good 4 inches of reach on me, I'm quite a bit heavier, evening out the playing field.

The good news is, as soon as the round was over, we gave each other respect with no hard feelings or ill will.  I'm starting to think that Italians and Europeans in general just spar hard as the norm and it's nothing personal.

It was actually really good experience and practice as it's closer to what I would have to do in a real fight.  I also learned that when sparring a taller opponent with long reach, I really have to bully my way in close if I want any chance to hit the guy.  I was also able to push my cardio even when I was tired and finish the round strong, never lowering my guard.  It's been 7 weeks since I first arrived in Thailand and started training, and I'm finally feeling like cardio is getting up to par and I'm getting close to fight shape.  Hopefully within 4 weeks I'll feel ready to step back in the ring.  And I have my sparring partners to thank for that, they are the ones pushing me beyond my comfort zone and getting me ready.

After sparring, instead of pad work we ended up doing 5 rounds of technique drills.  I know some of you when looking for a gym always ask how is the technique of the trainers.  Personally, I much prefer doing pad work and don't like technique drills at all.  At this point I feel like I would benefit a lot more getting the basics down and building a strong foundation than adding tools to my tool belt.  I did however, learn a few things that I had no idea how to do before, so even though I don't like doing technique, I can see why it's important and why they teach it.

Today we learned how to properly catch a front kick (teep) and how to pull them in after catching it to get them off balance and attack.  I really liked this technique as I normally just absorb front kicks as I find them more annoying than painful.  I know i'm going to regret saying that the day someone knocks the wind out of me with a teep but at least now I know how to properly defend against it.  We also learned a few other ways to catch and return kicks that I'm planning on trying out next time we do Muay Thai sparring.

We ended the practice with three people on a heavy bag, with one guy holding it while the other two did 50 kicks.  I started with my right kick, we switched positions, and did my left kick and then held the bag for the other two guys.  I was quite happy that I was able to kick with good technique, speed and power today.  At one point, Chon, the head trainer who was standing behind us watching, smacked me in the ear, reminding me to keep my guard up while kicking.  A few weeks ago he sat me down and explained to me that he doesn't hit us for fun, he does it as a reminder to keep our guard up.  I told him that I understand and appreciate him doing it.

Today was a good day overall.  I just finished my chocolate protein and coconut milk shake and it's time to relax.  Hope everyone has a fantastic New Years Eve.  Happy training and keep in touch, I love receiving comments, even just ones that say hello.

-Johnny @ MyFightCamp.com

A bit of Christmas Muay Thai Sparring on Boxing Day.

In the UK and Australia Boxing day has nothing to do with actual boxing, however, here in Thailand we training went on as usual with a bit of Thai Boxing.  A nice thing about KC Muay Thai is they don't close for holidays like most gyms do, especially in Phuket.  Granted no one actually showed up for morning training the day after Christmas but we all trained in the afternoon and on the day itself.

We did a tough 5 rounds of boxing sparring today, and I switched off between 4 different partners.  The  most intense was sparring with one of the Thai fighters, a guy in his mid twenties with a voice as deep as a subwoofer, I forget his name.  I used to be scared to spar him quite honestly, he's fast and always spars at 90%.  But after getting used to him a bit more, I look forward to it now.  I know he's not trying to kill me, he just likes sparring hard.  So today, instead of wasting energy dancing around, I stood my ground in front of him, kept my guard tight and traded blows with him.  I think I finally gained his respect after taking and giving some hard shots.

Another Thai guy, Chai, the 19 year old with 200 fights is fun to spar because he never hits hard, which lets me work on my footwork and speed.  I try to dance around like Manny Pacquiao or at least the best I can with my 200lb+ frame.

Chai and I last night at KC Muay Thai's Christmas BBQ Dinner

I also sparred a tall Dutch guy that had really good footwork and a totally different style than I'm used to.  He'd circle a lot and it wasn't until I was able to bully him into the corner that I was able to be effective.  He stayed after class along with a new English guy to do Kettle bells with me.

My last sparring partner today was Jen, a girl from Canada with a few fights under her belt.  I got to work on my head movement a lot and got caught a few times by her right hook which I need to watch out for.  After sparring she said to me, "Johnny I like that you are flowy" which I didn't really know what she meant until she elaborated.  

"I like that you can spar and hit fast and fluid with me but pull back at the last second so it doesn't actually hurt.  A lot of other people can't control how hard they hit." 

I just nodded, as I had a mouth piece in but I'd like to think that's one of my traits that I've worked on and am proud of.  I think it's because I'm often bigger than my sparring partners I'm really conscious about pulling back my punches at the last second so it doesn't hurt.  This is the exact reason why I get so pissed when other people start hitting me really hard and then blame me for escalating,  I know when i'm hitting hard, and I'm never the first one to start.  But I do finish it.

 Anyways, Merry Christmas everyone, and for those wondering, Christmas is a great time to come to Thailand and train.  I know a lot of people want to stay home and spend it with their family, and as much as I miss mine, I also dread the cold.  So I make it a point to see my entire family and spend time with them during the summer and spend my winters in Thailand where it's 28C/82F everyday.

Warm Regards and Best wishes in 2013,

Johnny @ MyFightCamp.com

Should I have skipped training today?

My original plan was to train once a day, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday taking Thursday and Sundays off for rest days.  I figured that would let me go into each class with good energy even after the warm up run and it would give my body a break every 3 days on average.

But I felt really good at yesterday's training, in fact I stayed after class a bit longer to do some light weights to build my shoulders and a bunch of chin ups for my back and biceps.  I knew I was a bit tired today but figured I would just push through the week and train today and tomorrow, maybe resting Saturday which is often circuit training day, which I think is important but I enjoy pad work and sparring a lot more.

Anyway, I decided to train and started with a 2 mile run, which is close to the 2.3 miles I normally run, but instead of doing the block, I decided to try out an S-Shaped Snake pattern instead to avoid the hot sun.  I was great during the run, jogged the whole distance without walking.  But as soon as it was time for pad work...I knew I was beat.  After the run, we all got into the ring to do 5 minutes of knees.  It very well could have been the knees that zapped my energy, but either way, I was terrible on the pads today.  But I did learn something really valuable that I otherwise wouldn't have.  I knew I was out of energy, so instead of just half-assing the workout, I imagined I was in a fight and figured out what my priorities would be.  Even though my punches and kicks were weak, my number one priority was to keep my hands up and to check kicks.  My second priority was to keep good form and bring my hands straight back after each punch.

On the third and final round of pads, I decided to leave it all in the ring.  I summoned what little strength I had in me and tried to KO the pads.  I figured if it was a real fight and I ran out of cardio, I would just swing for the fences and go for the knockout.  So for the last few minutes of padwork, I somewhat sloppily threw huge elbows and knock out punches.  My kicks didn't have much juice to them, but my knees could do some damage.  I was training completely on heart at this point.  You always hear UFC commentators say how much heart a fighter has, but I never really knew you could train it until today.  Maybe it was a good idea for me to come to class, even if it was for just that lesson on how to leave it all in the ring. 

I was exhausted after the three rounds of padwork and ended up resting during the three rounds on the bags.  Then I heard my five favorite words, "Put on your shin guards."

I learned another valuable lesson today, even during breaks, defend yourself at all times.  I was sparring a tall skinny Italian guy today and almost hurt my back.  We were going at it the entire round, neither of us were hitting each other too hard, but we were definitely putting the pressure on each other and landing some shots.  Maybe I was being a dick, maybe his ego got bruised from being hit, or maybe it was just the heat of the moment, but I stopped a kick half way after hearing the trainer yell Break! then found myself getting slammed, ultra hard on my back.  The entire gym turned their head to look as it was loud.  Luckily, from wrestling I know how to fall properly, but even then, I felt it on my lower back because I wasn't expecting it. I clearly heard Chun, the head trainer yell break, maybe he didn't.  But here's the thing, he's actually a nice guy.  

I used to think people that were dicks in sparring were bad people.  But now I'm starting to think, maybe that's just the way people respond to being hit.  I get outclassed all the time but when I do, I never get frustrated or angry, it just makes me want to improve.  Often I'll ask the person outclassing me to help me get better, just like I did with Mirkko the other day when he whopped my ass in boxing sparring.  But maybe some people's egos are built different.  Either way, I've decided that the only thing I can personally do is keep my guard up at all times even when I think we're going to go easy, and for those few seconds after a round finishes.  

Here's a picture of Mirkko holding mitts for me and showing me how to be better with my hands.  Anyway, I just got back from the most epic first fight I've ever seen and I'm excited to start editing it right away.  

So what do you think, going to training today and learning those lessons and getting to spar was worth it, but maybe it would have been a good idea to have rested up today and trained hard tomorrow instead?  What are you thoughts?

-Johnny @ My Fight Camp