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So, I'm actually competing in a local No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu tournament this Sunday. I don't feel that I took the steps to fully prepare for it. I want to make a change and after this tournament really focus on improvement of myself. Here are my goals: Physical Goals I'm planning on competing in the World Master IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship. For those not familiar with Sport Jiu-Jitsu, this just means you're over 30. There are also weight classes and right now, I'm in the super fatty weight class that has no limit. I plan to compete at Heavyweight which has a limit of 208 pounds. So the way I'm thinking is if I'm able to lose 10-12 pounds I would be able to reach my goal. While I'm considered very agile for my size (250 lbs) I believe that I am lacking strength-wise in my current division. So this goal will address that. The Plan 1. For Whom the Bell Tolls During a podcast interview, Eddie Bravo black belt, Denny Prokopos discussed the benefits of implementing kettlebell training. He mentions that after numerous injuries, his knees just couldn't handle the impact from running. He has since replaced running with kettlebells which he swears by as it gives him both strength and cardio training. The benefits of gaining some strength would be great and since I hate running anyway, I'll be able to hit that too. 2. The Key to Better Jiu Jitsu is More Jiu Jitsu. I often feel that I could train more. So my training schedule will go as follows: M/W- 6AM Gi Jiu Jitsu T/Th - 6AM No Gi Jiu Jitsu F - 6AM Gi Jiu Jitsu / 6PM No Gi Jiu Jitsu The weekends I'll check out some open mats. If I can, I'll try to come in late for one of the 6PM classes, but seeing how I get off work at 6PM except Fridays where I get off an hour earlier. Then I have a half hour commute, it gets difficult. 3. The Element That Brings Life Really, I thought I knew stuff about nutrition, but things have changed so much. I'm interested in the Ketogenic diet, but at this point I'm not familiar enough to even attempt to implement that as my diet. For now, I will focus on proper hydration. For the duration of the challenge, the only beverages I'll consume will be water, coffee, and if I make myself a protein shake out of protein powder and water. I have one of those vacuum insulated water bottles that holds 40 oz. I'll drink one of those before lunch. One after Lunch. and another after work. Mental Goal - Read More I haven't actually read a book in a few years. I sometimes listen to audio books on my way to work, but there's something meditative when it comes to actually reading a book. I did just pick up a copy of American Gods, so I think I'll start reading that. I plan to read for an hour before I go to bed every night. Lifestyle - There's Something About a Clean House, a Clean Room. Dishes keep piling up in our sink. Both my wife and I hate doing the dishes, but it just gets ridiculous sometimes. I think both my wife and I would appreciate it if the dishes were done. So, I plan to do the dishes every night. I'll make sure that the dishwasher is loaded up by the end of the night. It runs overnight. Then put away the dishes in the morning. Hopefully this will become a habit and I can keep the whole house clean because right now it's a huge mess.

This will be my first challenge. The time frame is actually close to perfect. I'm traveling to Europe for the first time on the 19th of May. I guess I'll start two days early and end two days early. I am 5'10" (177.8 cm) and weigh 260 lbs. (117.934 kg.). I am overweight and I feel that my health is greatly suffering. My goal weight is probably to be somewhere around 180-190 lbs. I plan to accomplish this goal over time and definitely not by the end of this challenge. I plan to lift weighs, run, do some Jiu-Jitsu, and eat right. There's a Jiu-Jitsu tournament in August, and I plan to compete. I'm also currently unemployed and as a Life Goal, I'd like to gain some employment, because you kind of need money to pay for things like food, gas, and a house. So I'll be job hunting, trying to get some certifications, stuff like that as a long-term deal. For the purpose of this 4-week challenge, here are my goals: tl;dr Lose ~ 80 lbs. Get ready for a tournament in August Find a job Diet and Fitness 1. Go to five Jiu-Jitsu classes a week. It's often said that if you want to improve your Jiu-Jitsu, do more Jiu-Jitsu. So I plan to go to five Jiu-Jitsu classes each week. This shouldn't be too much of an issue schedule-wise. The gym where I train offers three classes Monday - Friday at 6AM, Noon, and 6PM. For the purpose of this challenge, I'll count an open mat as a class as well and I have multiple options of open mats on the weekends. I'm going to try to focus on my Half-Guard/Deep Half game. Criteria: C: The Bee attended 5 Classes B: The Bee attended 7 Classes C: The Bee attended 10 Classes 2. Do 400 Push Ups a week. I don't really lift or run or anything. I'm definitely planning to lift and run during this challenge as well but for what I want to track is 400 push ups in a week. I think this is achievable. If I split up 400 push ups in a week, I'm doing less than 60 a day. If I split it into morning and evening sessions, I'm doing 30 each sessions. This of course is a bottom line and the bare minimum. Criteria: C: 400 Push Ups B: 500 Push Ups A: 600 Push Ups 3. Limit eating out to twice a week. I'm a foodie. I love food and I got a body that shows it. I'm not huge on meal prepping all my meals a week ahead of time especially grilled chicken because I find it tends to be on the dry side. Since I am, unemployed and have more free time than most people. I'll try something out. Every Sunday and Thursday will be my prep day. I will prep all my food, but cook it the day of. So, my proteins will be marinated. My veggies will be chopped. Then the morning of, I'll cook up some rice (because if Filipinos don't have rice, we die) then cook up my meals for the day. I'm thinking the food will taste better as it's more fresh an I would be more likely to eat it and not just decide to order a pizza or go out for burgers. I'll also meal plan for the week on Sundays and check out the recipes threads to keep from getting bored. This should also help me out financially from not eating out so often. Criteria: C: Went out to eat twice. B: Went out to eat once. A: Didn't go out to eat. I want to try to keep my goals relatively small as I'm kind of just starting out. The push ups are also supplemental. I plan to re-evaluate the criteria for these goals at the end of each week to see if I maybe need to adjust the criteria if I'm not being challenged enough. I will only make the criteria more difficult with the exceptions of illness or injury. Lifestyle Goal: Study 10 Hours a week So for my lifestyle goal, I'm going to look into getting certifications or short classes to increase the different types of jobs I can get. I'm currently studying for an A+ Certification Test, which consists of two exams. I passed the first one and I take the second one on Saturday. I bought a few classes on UDEMY and I plan to take some MOOCs as well. So to make this measurable, I'll devote hours throughout the week to study something. I'll go for a minimum of 10 hours a week. That's two hours Monday - Friday which still gives me time to pursue my other goals and still enjoy the freedom of being unemployed. Criteria: C: Study 10 Hours/Week B: Study 15 Hours/Week A: Study 20 Hours/Week So yeah, there are my goals for the next four weeks. Any feedback would is welcomed and appreciated.

Here is a short video on the origin of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a Brazilian martial art that can trace its roots back to Japanese Judo. It is predominantly a grappling martial art. Supposedly self-defense Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu includes striking and disarms, but I've only practiced what would be considered sport bjj. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was popularized by the Gracie family and most people often think of all BJJ practitioners to tracing their lineage back to the Gracies, but this is untrue. Another influential line would be the Luiz Franca line, whose standout student was Oswaldo Fadda. BJJ reached world wide recognition when Royce Gracie won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship defeating larger opponents. It has since become pretty much a pre-requisite for those looking to compete in Mixed Martial Arts.