Ended up not doing a full squat session on sunday, I got to the bottom of a 100kg squat in kit and felt my lower back go ‘ping’. Decided it best to stop the squatting there as I’ve made a lot of progress recently with my squat so missing a session wasn’t the end of the world. Did a bit of bench with the shirt on but nothing too trying.
MMA on tuesday felt like a bit of a turning point in my fighting career so far. We started the session with various useful drills, then towards the end of the session we worked on guard passing. We had a continuous roll with 3 people, two people fighting and one watching, in the fighting pair the person on the bottom tried to keep the other in guard while trying to get sweeps and submissions, while the person in guard tried to pass the guard. Whoever succeeded stayed on the mat, while the observer replaced the other.
During this I never managed to pass the guard, but for once I really held my own against the two boys I was rolling with. I resisted well and put up quite a fight and for the first time since starting MMA I felt a real fire in my bones, almost a rage, but a controlled rage, which really spurred me to keep fighting and not let the boys get a submission just so I could rest.
Hopefully I’ll be able to get that feeling again during other sessions and use it to my advantage. I felt so powerful!
Lifting yesterday was a productive session; worked in the shirt just doing various heavy singles. Managed to get up to 70kg again but my line still needs a lot of work. Finished the session with 5,4,3,2,1 raw, going 40, 45, 47.5, 50, and 52.5. Then managed to get a PB 55kg touch-and-go! When going from equipped to raw I expected not to get much out of the final sets, but I tried to keep the feeling of ‘stretching’ the bar and I think it really helped my form as the sets felt really easy considering the work I’d already done.
I took my contact lenses out on Sunday after a boozy barbecue and threw them away, thinking I had next month’s pair ready, but alas I did not. So the last few days I’ve had to wear my glasses which regrettably really has an effect on my day-to-day life. Feeling like I have a shield around my persona makes me quieter and more insecure somehow, and made for a slightly uncomfortable bench session.
Though saying this, when I went to Bikram yesterday morning I couldn’t wear my glasses for sweat-related reasons, and I think it really helped me to concentrate on my own body and movements. Not being able to see where other people are looking and their facial expressions almost subconsciously reassures you that they’re not looking at you. I’m sure they’re not anyway, but there is always that little bit of self-consciousness in a room full of half-naked sweaty people! So any visually-impaired Bikram yogis out there struggling to keep focus, try a session without glasses and see where it gets you!
Susie Butler 