Tight Mondays

Today I ate less for breakfast which seemed to be good. After drinking a little over a gallon of water all day, I was 160.2 when I got to the gym at 5:45 and 156.4 by the time I left. I've been unable to cut below 156 since camp started so headed to LA Fitness and sat in the sauna in a hoodie and running leggings to melt for 20 minutes. I only cut to 154.2 but that's below my weigh-in requirement so I immediately drank 2 quarts of water and headed to the grocery store.

The worst part of the gym was from the first time I threw a cross and Malik told me my elbow was out. I couldn't loosen it up. Then on the double-ender bag Coach was trying to get me to roll my shoulders and stay long. I knew what he meant but my shoulder wouldn't co-operate. It's too tight and the muscles won't release my arm to go straight- it has me doing this stupid thing where my elbow goes out and makes my punch weak. It is incredibly frustrating and exhausting. I've teared up several times this camp because of my shoulder being fucked. It gets in the way and makes improvement in that area nearly impossible because on a basic functional, physical level I'm not able to throw a punch correctly. It's painful sometimes, but not like it used to be. It's the physical incapacitation that makes my eyes go all watery.

Another issue is my breathing. I've gotten decent at controlling my heart rate through breathing but since I'm still fighting a cold, my nose clogs just enough where I can't get a deep breath.

There's really not a lot I can do to fix either of these things before the fight. Sleep more. Sleep on my back. No sugar. Go to the chiropractor. Get a massage. Sauna/hot tub. It all helps, but my shoulder seems to be pretty bad. If I lay on my back and place my right arm behind it, the scapula bone protrudes so much it lifts my entire upper back off the ground to sit on the bone.

This camp a steep learning curve.


P.S. If you're wondering, "Does drinking that much water make you have to pee a lot?" The answer is, yes. Yes it does.