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| Post nogi training. Representing the Senki brand throughout Brazil. www.senki.com.br |
Normally I write writing about
training and the BJJ lifestyle in Rio, but for the next few weeks I
will be writing from Rio Grande do Sul in the city of Gramado. I am
down here training with and helping coach the Oxygym Fight Team with
Andre Benkei and his other coaches. I am here to help guys work on
their wrestling for upcoming fights; along the way I am having some
great new experiences.
The City of Gramado
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| Checking out downtown Gramado. |
Gramado is about
125km from Porto Alegre and is located in Southern Brazil's more
mountainous region. The area was largely settled by Italian and
German immigrants in the late 1800's/early 1900's and the influence
can easily be seen. When I first came into the city this past
Thursday the first thing I noticed was that the city looks more like
a European Alpine city with some Brazilian flair added in. The
surrounding area is subtropical forests with tons of exotic pines and
hardwoods with the bamboo and palms mixed in. One of the first places
I was taken was a huge waterfall (several hundred feet high), which
cascaded down into a huge valley below.
Over the weekend
I had the chance to get out and explore more of the city. The down
town area is a huge collection of shops and restaurants,
micro-breweries and parks. We all spent a ton of time exploring the
city and I am looking forward to getting a chance to see more of what
it has to offer. The one thing I wished I would have brought is my
longboard; the streets are in great condition with gentley sloping
hills which would be perfect for cruising on my Bossa longboard. On
Thursday night we went out to a local churrascaria (all you can eat
Brazilian steak house). The waiters were dress in traditional guacho
(Brazilian cowboy) clothing on their belts they carried a large knife
to cut off slices of various meats table side. About halfway through
the meal I realized it was Thanksgiving back in the States. I may not
have had a turkey dinner, but I'll gladly take filet minon, ribs, and
other tender cuts of meat instead.
The Training
As
I said above while in Gramado I am training at Oxygym. Oxygym is a
large fitness center in a refurbished warehouse. The gym has a large
(and very modern) fitness area, with an assortment of treadmills,
ellipticals, bikes and weights. Seeing all the weights put a huge
smile on my face. Since being in Brazil I've only been able to use
barbell free weights once, so the idea of having access to a full gym
for two weeks sounded awesome. I quickly wrote up a simple lifting
program that I have used before during heavy training. While its
nothing special I have found this a good way to add strength without
exhausting my body:
Day
1:
Dumbell
Snatch 3 sets x 3 reps
Deadlift
3 sets x 5 reps 1 set x max technical reps
supersetted
with
Overhead
Press 3x5 1x max tech reps
Assistance
Work
Romainian
DL 4x6
Weighted
Pull-ups 4x6
Core
Work
Day
2:
Power
Cleans 3 sets x 3 reps
Squats
3 sets x 5 reps 1 set x max technical reps
Supersetted
with
Overhead
Press 3x5 1x max tech reps
Assistance
Work
Good
mornings 4x6
Bent-Over
Rows 4x6
Core
Work
In
addition to this I do two days of loaded carries, plate pushes/pulls,
or sprint work.
Within
the gym is Academia
Oxygym,
where the martial arts and combat sports training goes on. The area
has a large tatame area for striking or grappling, with another
smaller tatame area in a separate next door. The academy also has a
large cage which is perfect for MMA training. I have been to a lot of
gyms in Brazil and I have to say this is one of the larger and more
modern gyms I have worked out in.
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| Getting ready to box. |
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