february adventures and frustrations

Well, I did get a bit behind on my blogging.  February has a way of mucking things up.  I could spend multiple posts just bitching about winter, but I'll contain myself and give a little catch-up report here instead.  (There's bound to be some bitching about winter though...)

Early in the month I made a very nice little overnight trip to Philadelphia.  It had been a couple years since I visited Philly for sessions, and, honestly, I remembered it as not such a lively wrestling town as D.C., Chicago, Detroit -- places I try to visit often.  But this was a terrific trip, very busy and, as it turned out, too short.  Also, some of the sessions were more competitive than I expected, which was a nice, invigorating surprise.  I was even sore after one of them, which doesn't usually happen, so I can just imagine how the guy felt the next day ;)  (Actually, he wrote me a very nice follow-up email to let me know exactly how sore he was...)

And as an added bonus, on the way out of town I discovered a really terrific Irish pub serving Doppleschwarz...yeah, I know that's mixing nationalities a bit, but it was delicious enough to be worth it.  I'll have to go back.  So it looks like I may need to add Philly to my developing East Coast Tour roster in August and get back soon.

In other news, my hypertrophy program efforts have been continuing.  It is just as hard as I expected to add mass while also keeping up with BJJ and Muay Thai.  It takes quite a lot of good quality eating -- something that's not easy with an active, hectic schedule.  If I manage to add a pound or two, it seems one heavy training day knocks them right off again.  So I've been holding pretty steady at 129 for a while now.  I'm pretty excited that last week I did record my bicep measurement making it up to 12.5 inches -- yay!!! -- but still wishing for more significant, steady progress.  So I'm getting pumped up for one more big push in these last two weeks of February, before I'm scheduled to start cutting down again in March.  I want enough progress to still have a little something to show for it after the lean-out!

Progress pics (I've definitely been owing some of these).
Weight:  129  Biceps:  12.5 inches:

 

 

 


And the final news item -- Very frustrating!  In this past week we've had big and exciting video shoots cancelled for winter-related reasons.  (I did say there'd be bitching.)  On Tuesday, one of the wrestlers got sick, delaying plans for a 2-vs-1 bondage match between Niki Lee Young, Chloe Faye, and me.  And just today, an ominous weather forecast is going to keep Keri from making the trip to join us for the planned Valentine's Day couples bondage match.  Grrrrrr.

But we will not be kept down!  On Tuesday, we still managed to film a terrific prostyle domination match with ShaSha and me.  ShaSha's bendier than she looks, and she thought the prostyle (even when getting beaten up) was a ton of fun.  We filmed ShaSha's first competitive match too -- well, I took it a little easy on her for her first time, but SHE didn't know that and came at me full force!

ShaSha ProStyle:

ShaSha Competitive Scissors & Pins:

And today, Howl and I are still going to meet up for a one-on-one bondage match -- kind of funny that we haven't done this before, so we figured it was high time to seize the opportunity.  Plus, I'm making casting calls and recruitment another big project for today...maybe some new faces showing up in new matches soon?

AAAANNNND, finally next week is looking pretty full:

1). Keri and I have rescheduled our shoot from today to Wednesday.  We won't have the same combo of couples available for the multi-way Valentine's bondage, but we will be another video that was planned for today -- a very cool superheroines prostyle match with costume changes, special effects, and gratuitous thong leotard action ;)  Also, possibly a re-vamped couple's bondage concept -- Keri & me vs. Danger Dude & Frankie -- if we can "rope" the guys into it at the right time ;)

2). That same day, I'm excited to be shooting tickle bondage and a straight bondage wrestling match with Robin, who's in NYC for a visit.   First time I'll get to shoot with Robin on "my" coast, though it's always been great to shoot for her on my LA visits :)

3). Next Saturday, Miss Dakkota is also lined up for a bondage match.

And 4).  Shauna Ryanne is visiting as well next weekend.  Very interested to hear suggestions or custom requests for her, as we'd love to set up a shoot.

Phew, and that's it for now!  Now off to this shoot with Howl!

all kinds of training updates

So today I got some great news!  :)

The thing that really gives me hell all the time is trying to fit all the training that I want to and should do into a day with everything else that has to happen.  I am constantly making ambitious and intricate training plans, but they break down when it's time to move them off paper and into practice.  What with BJJ, Muay Thai, and weight lifting, it's a colossal challenge.  I love the early morning classes at my academy -- great for waking me up and kicking off the day -- but the morning MT, BJJ, and no-gi classes all overlap.  I end up needing to go back to the midday classes; my day is chopped up; I feel like I get nothing else done; and, especially now, since I'm so excited about my 2015 Mass Gain Resolution, I get very frustrated if I feel like time is being taken away from my lifting.

So this is actually a very small thing, but I have high hopes for it:  the academy's a.m. BJJ class is being extended.  If it runs longer, I can go to it immediately *after* Muay Thai.  This may *possibly* solve all my scheduling woes.  I do have a tendency to make those ambitious plans, but here's hoping...

Now, speaking of the mass gain resolution, here's a little update on that.

Weight: 126.8 pounds
Biceps:  12.25 inches
Thigh:  21 inches

I knew as soon as the holidays ended and I got back to forms of training other than the gym, it would get much harder to put on any weight.  And, definitely, it did.  My weight stuck at 125 for about two weeks despite quite a high calorie intake; finally getting past that was exciting.  Much more exciting was seeing an increase in my bicep measurement!  Better and sooner than I'd hoped!  I'm very pleased.  And I forgot to take a starting thigh measurement at the beginning of the month, but I'l keep track of it from here on out.  Hopefully, I'll get some photos for an update tomorrow since there's a video shoot scheduled in the afternoon...

I could go on and on about recent and upcoming video projects, but I did that last week.  And, indeed, there are always countless video projects in the works.  I'm sure I can talk about them next week too, if I feel like it.  So for now, a couple other quick announcements.

DM training sessions are starting up again!  It's been a while since we offered regular training sessions, though there were some pretty good by-appointment bondage wrestling tutorials during the past year.  But starting Tuesday, the goals will be to bring more people together for practice at once and hopefully to see some new faces too.  Should be neat, and it'll definitely be worth blogging about how the launch goes.

And finally, my first session trip of the year is scheduled!  This is a little overnight trip to Philly on Feb. 5 & 6, and I'm very quickly seeing that I should probably have planned a longer stay.  This little visit is filling up quickly.  Oh, well, it'll be a whirl!

And that's the news 'til next week!

  

2015 Resolutions!

Happy 2015, Everyone!

Here I am, making a gradual comeback from my holiday vacation.  I'll admit I've been taking it pretty easy over a pretty extended Christmas break this past week, but 2014 was such a non-stop, breakneck year, that this has been long overdue.  I won't be back to full-speed until the BJJ Academy reopens on Monday, but here's a little check-in meanwhile.

I've got some resolutions to declare here at the start of the year (how predictable!)  One is to whip this blog back into shape; I've let it sit for far too long!  I'm resolving to update weekly with a past week's recap and upcoming events preview.  I'm saying it "out loud" right now so everyone can hold me to it!

Resolution number two is to finally add a little more muscle mass to my physique.  I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished with my lifting, martial arts, and fitness training so far, but if there aren't new goals and challenges, a bit of the fun goes out it.  I feel I've been maintaining pretty much the same look and size for years now, and it's time to shake things up.  Plus, it does get old being smaller than pretty much everyone!

Now, realistically, I'm aware I don't have the genetic make-up to get huge, and I am absolutely determined to do this naturally, with no more supplementing than protein shakes.  Therefore, I'm not setting any absolute numerical goals like "+5 lbs. of muscle" or "+10 lbs. of muscle" or "+1 inch to bicep circumference."

My resolution is simply to follow the very best hypertrophy program I can for the next two months and see what I can do.  I'll be posting progress reports, photos, and measurements along the way. Now for some starting stats from today.  After a little bit of holiday relaxation and indulgence and a little head start to my hypertrophy program (started Dec. 27):

Weight: 125.2 lbs.
Biceps: 12 inches.

I was silly and didn't get a starting point photo today!  One will be coming soon.

And, of course, part two of resolution two (Res.2pt.2) is to cycle into a good cutting phase come March and end up in my best, most muscular bikini shape yet by summer.  Pictures and progress reports of that expected too.

And finally, this last one's not quite a resolution; it's more of a wish Diablo and I have been discussing while we've been laying plans for Doom Maidens and future video projects of 2015.  We're hoping to add to wrestling, bondage wrestling, pro-style, and other various video styles we love to produce more fantasy costume and storyline videos.  I think this would just be wildly fun. It's all very much in the planning/brainstorming stages right now, and as ever in New York City, the greatest hurdle we're running into is finding good-looking, available locations for more fantastical videos.  But I mention this in case anyone has ideas they'd like to contribute to this project, and so no one's surprised if I happen to turn up later this year in elf or alien or vampire garb!  ;)

And now back to the remainder of my vacation.  I've got a games night with friends and a bottle of Malbec all lined up for tonight :)

EDIT:  Adding the "Starting Point" photos I promised.  Here they are: