Category: Fitness

Last night was my weekly Run Club. Every Thursday we gather to run a 5K (3.1 miles) or 4 mile distance, depending on the group. Last night the turnout was light with just three of us showing, but the two others came fresh off participating in the Lake Placid IRONMAN event this past Sunday. Running is crucial to boxing training but witnessing the willpower of these two running [nearly] immediately after completing that huge event was the big takeaway. Continue reading “The welcomed influence of the IRONMAN mindset”

My boxing journey continued early this morning back at UFC Farmingdale along with, once again, James Talamini (“JT”) and fellow LI Fight For Charity boxer Brian Weiner. Building upon last week’s lessons, Brian and I we were introduced to the art of the clinch, or tie-up. Continue reading “The pugilist’s art of the clinch”

This morning my training did a “bob and weave,” if you will, as we switched from boxing conditioning to a focus on fighting technique (with some conditioning, too—of course).  Today’s adventure took place at East End Fitness, one of the gyms coach James Talamini (“JT”) calls home. Continue reading “Sunday Fun Day… Punch Day”

Today was a unique experience in my boxing training regime. The session was based on partner workouts featuring none other than my wife. Each exercise was designed to play off the other partner’s movements—whether in-sync or complimentary. Continue reading “Double the fun, training in pairs”

I am jumping rope. A lot of jumping rope. Considering its simplicity and relative low cost, it’s almost ironic how important—no, vital—this exercise is to boxing training. Continue reading “A lot of jumping rope”

I had an epiphany this afternoon… or, perhaps, this is nothing more than a heat- and dehydration-driven hallucination. Nevertheless, I’ll share and you can decide. Continue reading “Running like chess… and Formula 1”

Following the morning run (and a full day of work), I challenged myself by ending the day with another workout. This time I started off with 20+ minutes of core followed by half an hour on the bike. I have to admit; it’s not easy to incorporate two proper workout sessions in a single day but I do hope I can make this my new normal.

I don’t normally run in the mornings. Actually, historically, it hasn’t been something I have enjoyed very much. If “my conditions” weren’t ideal—proper sleep, minimal stiffness, errands, etc.—I wouldn’t entertain the idea. Now that I’m training for something and not simply exercising, I feel a stronger sense of motivation to push myself. Continue reading “A beautiful morning run”

Conditioning is key to success in the ring. Yes, technique and muscle memory are vital, but stamina in particular gets you from the start of the fight through to the end. My good friend Laurette Holst is my coach for this portion of my training and we’re working out of her UFC gym in Farmingdale. Having participated in the Fight For Charity back in 2015, she is able to add a certain perspective to my training that few can. Following an enjoyable extended weekend away, today it’s back to the grind. Flipping truck tires; jumping rope; doing “pad work” with the boxing gloves and mitts; plus much more.

Sometimes you just don’t have enough time to make it down to the hotel gym. Case in point: we had some early morning (well, early for a vacation) educational seminars to attend on the topic of collector automobiles and this didn’t leave much time to get down to the gym. Given where the gym is located, elevator guest congestion and whatnot, it was most efficient to stay in the room and put together a workout that was quick and efficient. Continue reading “Mohegan Sun hotel room workout”