Whenever I do PD, I try to do it away from the computer… for one - the computer is distracting and I can easily find myself losing focus while reading the latest ramblings on CagePotato or watching old fight vids…

It takes me at least a few hours to create a customized program for someone… After the assessment, I like to read over the results the day of, jot some more notes down, then just let it ‘brew’ in my brain for a couple of days like a good cup of green tea…

I was creating a program where we have 14 weeks until the fight… So I plan backwards from fight day, and fill in each week in reverse order based on the needs of the fighter…

[BTW - all people who train seriously should be following programs, which are designed for some end goal and are at least 8 weeks in length, as opposed to winging it or making up workouts the same day - the difference in results is HUGE]

Anyway, I want to share the stretch that I did that has really helped me loosen up a tight area for mixed martial artists and anyone who sits down for the better part of the day…

The best thing about this stretch is that you can pretty much do it anywhere, and you can individually target the psoas and rec fem by changing positions slightly - 2 problem muscles in many people, not just fighters.

So add this bad boy into your daily routine to keep your hips loose, limber, and healthy.

What are your favourite stretches? Leave them in the comments below!

The men’s hockey team won gold in a nail-biter of a game that ended in overtime over a tough US squad…

After the win, people were spilling out on the streets (I was one of them) to yell and act like a fool… Good times!

But when all is said and done, there’s one story that I’ll remember forever…

It’s not the figure skater who pulled off a bronze when her mother passed away the day she arrived in Vancouver, although I won’t forget that one either…

If you fight, or especially if you are going to have a first fight, you must pay attention to this story…

After a race where a Canadian medal hopeful wound up taking 5th as opposed to Gold or Silver, she was broken.

She was crying, looked downright depressed, and felt like she let the whole country down.

She even apologized for not getting a medal…

Imagine that - you trained for 4 years as your full-time job, your hopes, dreams, and the expectations of an entire country are weighing on your shoulders…

It came down to one short race, where medalists are separated from non-medalists by 1/10th of a second…

1/10th of a second!!!

When the margin between victory and defeat is so small, there are so many ’shoulda’ and ‘woulda’s’ that will run through your head…

But here’s the thing…

She surrounded herself with the best coaches, trainers, and training partners…

She moved to live near the training centre…

She trained full-time for 4 years and gave it her best…

When it comes down to it, 5th in the world is pretty damn good…

In time she’ll be able to hold her head high and she’ll grow and get stronger from the experience…

So Eric… When it’s your chance to show what you’re made of…

Regardless of the result…

Are you going to be able to say, "I did everything I could’ve done, and gave it my all"??

Because if you’re not, you’ll regret it.

So make sure you’re doing everything you can, NOW.

Don’t leave anything to chance.

Surround yourself with the best coaches, trainers, and training partners.

Give it your all in training, every opportunity you get.

And you’ll be able to let your talent and skill shine through…

Then, under those bright lights in the centre of the cage, you too will be able to hold your head up high…

And maybe the ref will be holding your hand high too…

Don’t leave your strength and conditioning to chance…

Find a quality coach in your area, or if you can’t, let me be in your corner:

=> http://www.UltimateMMAStrength.com

Train smart my friend,

Eric

So today’s topic is one that’s very important - hydration.

I’ve chosen this topic because I was woken up this morning by the mailman with a package that contained my new water filter. You’ll learn more about this later.

I know staying hydrated isn’t the sexiest or most bad-ass topic I could talk about, but it deserves a piece, so I figured I’d get it done then talk about how to choose the juiciest and ripest melons next time. :O

BUT, if you stick around, I promise you’ll learn a thing or two that will improve your performance, health, and even help you lean out.

Not All Water is Created Equal

This is an important concept as not all the water you drink is the same.

First of all, depending on where you live, tap water may not be ideal for your health. Most water has been treated with chlorine and flouride to get rid of bacteria, viruses, etc.

That’s a good thing, but unfortunately, chlorine and flouride are 2 very potent free radicals.

You’ve surely heard all the talk about anti-oxidants, right? Well, anti-oxidants are good because they fight free radicals. So that means free radicals are bad.

Next, because chlorine kills bacteria, if you drink a lot of tap water that has a lot of chlorine, say bye-bye to some of the good bacteria in your gut. Probiotic supplements are also big sellers because good bacteria do lots of nice things for us, such as digest food, keep bad bacteria like e.coli in check, and other things they don’t get paid for.

So, what water do you drink?

To start, you could go the filtered route.

A Brita filter removes some chlorine and other crap. I used ot do this.

But I’ve actually chosen to go 1 step further and get a 2-stage filter by a company called Aquasana. It was super simple to setup - I just plugged it into my fauce and voila - filtered water with 99% of chlorine and other junk I don’t want gone, such as PCBs, other chemicals that give men breasts/shrink our testicles, remnants of prescription drugs, etc.

Yup - that’s right - water supplies have been shown to contain prescription drugs. That’s just yummy!

But my new filter gets rid of it all, according to the good state of California that certified it. Come on, you can’t NOT trust Ah-nold Schwarzanegger!

Anyway, filtration is one possibility, and I chose it because it’s cheaper than bottled water, and more convenient than having to lug those big jugs around.

Not to mention the fact that many companies simply bottle tap water; having the filter in my own home makes me feel a lot better and not like a schmuck.

PLUS, plastic water bottles are not only bad for the environment, they can also leak chemicals into the water you drink, especially if the bottle is in direct sunlight.

So if you do drink out of plastic water bottles, at the very least keep it out of the sun!

I drink out of a glass bottle myself. Stainless adds a taste to the water I just don’t want to get used to.

How Much Should I Drink?

Here’s a general guideline for a good amount:

Drink half of your bodyweight in ounces…

If you’re 200 lbs, that’s 100 oz, or about 3 liters for all metric (and logical) people.

150 lbs, that’s 75 oz, or about 2.5 liters.

If you’re training, drink more, obviously.

And another super-ninja-advanced tip - hammer 500 mL of water first thing in the morning to help you flush your system. If you’ve got problems being ‘backed up’, this can help.

Water 2.0

The next thing to do is to add some more minerals to your water. All the Vitamin water crap they’re trying to sell you nowadays is worthless - it’s just tap water with food colour and synthetic vitamins.

I’m going to get my vitamins from fruits and veggies, thank you very much.

But with our water, we can make it even better by adding a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt, or other quality, unrefined, coloured sea salt to it.

[INTERESTING FACT: Did you know that the Earth is about 70% covered with water, and the human body is about 75% water? And, the amount of salt in our blood is approximately the same as the ocean? KEWL!]

To every liter of water, add a pinch of quality sea salt. Just a pinch is all you need.

Quality sea salts are coloured because they contain minerals (electrolytes) like magnesium and/or potassium, which are lost when you sweat…

What about Gatorade you ask?

Gatorade = High fructose corn syrup + Tap water + Food colouring

I’ll pass on the G, thank you very much. Even if GSP is in your commercial.

If I need carbs because I’ll be training for an extended period of time, then I’ll just mix 100% fruit juice and water at a 50/50 ratio.

Even though the vitamins and minerals have been ANNIHILATED due to pasteurization, I’m just after the carbs, and I’d rather not eat food colour or high fructose corn syrup!!

But if your training is an hour or less or pure strength based, carbs aren’t necessary for a good workout.

I give other guidelines on pre, during, and post-workout drinks in my Nutrition-itsu guide, but those are more advanced for guys who need to build muscle, lean out, or maintain weight during hard training going into a fight. (If this is what you’re after, you get Nutrition-itsu with my Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning Program)

For general fitness and to be in good shape, follow everything I’ve outlined here and you’ll be the most hydrated and healthy dude in the dojo.

Feedback, comments, or other water recipes? Leave them below please!

Also, if you care about your family and friends, share this post with them using one of the fancy buttons below, or just copy and paste the link into an email. They’ll thank you for it!

The key is to PUSH yourself to your limits… that’s why it’s such a short workout - because you can’t push yourself hard during long workouts - you’ll inevitably pace yourself because you know you’ve got to get through it.

Check out the video then read the details after the jump:

This is an awesome workout to do with a partner, that way you push each other and rest only as long as the partner takes to complete the circuit…

3 x Chinups
6-8 Broad Jumps (distance of gym)
3 x Clap Pushups
Sprint Back

Do it again, that equals ONE interval.

Do a total of 4-8 intervals…

Build your way up, that way you’ll be able to build up your form and speed endurance as opposed to just slogging through 8 sloppy intervals right away.

Let me know what you think - leave a comment below!

Here’s the final video in the 3 video series of brand new bodyweight exercises I learned from the TACFIT Commando guys…

If you’re still doing standard pushups and you find them easy, upgrade your training and add these variations in there… I guarantee you can’t do as many of either of these variations as you can normal pushups.

ALSO - don’t forget to take advantage of the 50% off launch promo for the TACFIT Commando Program…

=> Click Here to Get 50% Off the TACFIT Commando Program (until Friday, Feb 12 at Midnight)

You’re not only going to save loot, you’ll also get a copy of my 10×10 MMA Bodyweight Circuit - the workout that kept me in fighting shape while I was on vacation in Costa Rica…

=> Click Here to Get 50% Off the TACFIT Commando Program (until Friday, Feb 12 at Midnight)

The program is full of unique bodyweight exercises that will improve your mobility, co-ordination, and core stability… I highly recommend you check the program out when it launches…

You’ll be the most mobile fighter in the gym!

Anyway, without further adieu - here’s the vid: 

The TACFIT Commando program is now live - and the guys are offering at 50% off and with a few special bonuses until Friday at midnight - if you’re looking for the top bodyweight program available, check it out:

=> TACFIT Commando Program

As always - I’ll field your questions, or if you just want to leave a comment with your thoughts on the exercises, I’d love to hear those too!

It keeps me motivated to keep putting out good content when I hear positive feedback.

These posts will be quick words and phrases that I post for your enjoyment…

They are meant to stimulate conversation - so if they stimulate any questions or thoughts, share them by leaving a comment below.

Quick Wit 1 is fitting as I’m Asian and there’s no coincidence it rhymes with Equation çuz I got the sickest slick lyric for a brotha named eric…

Let’s go!

Your Choices = Your Results

Your Choices = Under Your Control

therefore

Your Results = Under Your Control

 Share your thoughts - LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!

Also, the TACFIT Commando program is now live, go check it out while they’re still offering the 50% off sale and including a few special bonuses…

=> TACFIT Commando Program

Plus, you’ll get my 10×10 MMA Bodyweight Circuit Workout too, but only until Friday at midnight!

We did a lot of fun stuff that’s in some pics below, but there were 2 highlights of the trip…

The runner-up was all the surfing I got to do… Didn’t get any awesome first person vids, because it’s tough to paddle to catch a wave while holding a camera, but Helen did grab one of me from a distance… nothing spectacular but tons of fun:

[See post to watch Flash video]

In my emails I mentioned I had some big news and that it had nothing to do with MMA or training.

Well this was the #1 highlight of the trip for me…

After 3 and a half years, I’ve finally asked my girlfriend Helen to marry me, and luckily, she didn’t make me look like an idiot and said yes!

Feels great, and I’m looking forward to more great times with her…

I know a bunch of you smarty pants already guessed what it was going to be.

Anyway, I’m dead tired from all the travel and getting in so late, so I’ll be posting the workout vids I shot for you in a day or two, stay tuned for those.

But in the mean time - check out some pics from my travels in and around Tamarindo, Costa Rica…

Pura vida!

Here they are - vote for ONE only, or alternatively, post your suggestion in the comment section below.

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