Train like an MMA pro: Day 3 – Sore muscles and choke holds

After three hard-working days at the gym and on the mat I can safely say that I have contracted Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (Doms). Don’t worry it is not a rare debilitating disease but rather a symptom of my body’s general unfitness.

Doms occurs after a day of intense training where one’s body is not used to vigorous activity. Muscles stretch and muscle fibres break which creates a sore and stiff feeling.

It becomes worse on the second day as the lactic acid build-up in your muscles reaches its highest point. The muscle soreness should decrease in the next few days as one’s body gets used to the exercise.

At this moment I just need to live with it and roll with the punches.

My day started bright and breezy with a treadmill workout that had me running like the wind. It felt like a mini marathon of constant running. The treadmill was like a wide stretch of open road and I needed to run – the problem was that it kept moving.

The workout focused on five sets of one minute 30 seconds, one minute, 30-second and 15-second intervals. The same rest time also applies with each set.

One would think that it gets easier when you get to 30-second intervals but that is definitely not the case. It becomes more difficult as you are already tired at this stage. I was out of breath and my legs felt like two huge wobbling pieces of jelly. The satisfaction of completing this session was immense.

In the evening session it was down to some technical Brazilian jiu-jitsu training with Craig McFadyen, who is an experienced grappler. Craig took me through some of the basic moves and through assistance I got used to the techniques and moves that I could use in certain positions. The guillotine choke is one of them which draws the opponent’s head onto the mat with your arms and hip being used to put pressure on the neck. A vice-like grip locks the head until oxygen intake becomes a major problem.

“You have to push on the arteries, because then your opponent has to tap or be knocked out. It is really devastating when applied correctly.

It is also important to remember to use your legs when lying on your back to strengthen the holds and grip on your opponent. That also minimises the chance for your opponent to escape,” said Craig, as I listened attentively.

It was a lot of fun as I learnt an incredible amount in a short space of time. In theory it takes months to get the basics right and needs to be executed with precision.

“Some guys give up because it takes a long time to get your head around all the techniques and moves. Its complexity takes patience and hard work, but is much more rewarding at the end of the day,” he said.

So far, so good as I head into the fourth day of training. Thus far I have learnt a massive appreciation for MMA and respect is one word that comes to mind.

Be sure to read the next part of this adventure as I get off my chair and down to the mat for another session of rolling with the guys at Rio.