Combat Core Review
August 8, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
combat core review
Combat Core is basically an e-book & DVD series that demonstrates all kinds of crazy, yet innovative exercises designed to improve the strength of your core. Most of the exercises are designed to improve rotary strength, which is important for basically all of the movements you perform in a fight. Throwing a punch, a Thai style kick, a Judo throw – the effectiveness of these fight-related movements are dependant on core strength.
Who Wrote “Combat Core”?
The book is written buy a guy named Jim Smith, who is the co-founder of Diesel Crew. The Diesel Crew guys are known for coming up with all sorts of wacky, yet effective exercises that are very specific to fighting. Jim Smith holds the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) designation which is perhaps the most sought after and respected certifications in the personal training industry.
Who Endorses “Combat Core”?
If you check out the combat core pitch-page, you’ll see testimonials from some of the industries most respected “guru’s”. Alwyn Cosgrove and Ross Enamait are a couple of the standouts. While both of these guys have solid reputations in the industry, there’s always the possibility that they just give a testimonial without reading the book so they could get some exposure for their own sites (unlikely but a definite possibility).
My Personal Opinion of “Combat Core”
I actually got the combat core book and looked it over. You’ll see some of the exercises and think to yourself “wow, as if I didn’t think of that” and there’s some exercises that you’ll see and think to yourself “damn, how did he ever think of that?”. Overall, it’s pretty solid.
Is “Combat Core” Worth The Money?
Honestly, I think it depends. Whether combat core is worth the money or not all depends on whether or not you actually implement the exercises into your workouts. If you just order the book, look it over, think to yourself “ya, that’s sort of cool” and never actually try the movements, the combat core book will be a complete waste of money.
On the other hand, if you read combat core and actually perform the exercises on a regular basis, then absolutely, you’ll get a good bang for your buck. It all depends on how dedicated you are.
Recommendation – YES, but only if you’ll actually DO the exercises.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT A PROMOTION THAT’S CURRENTLY RUNNING FOR COMBAT CORE
How I’m Livin’: Pattaya CRIBS
August 6, 2008 by admin · 18 Comments
Alright, so the display photo for this post isn’t actually my room – it’s sort of a common area for the residence. Anyone staying here can use the room to chill. I’m actually sitting in that room right now as I’m typing this. Ooh… there we go – one of the gogo girls just walked by. She wants to play pool but “maybe later” I said, “have to work”. Yeah, life is rough 
Anyway, it seems that the most common questions I’m getting about living and training in Thailand are regarding the expenses. I figured I’d do a post strictly about what sort of monthly expenses you can expect and of course, how to cut costs. Believe it or not, I’m on a pretty tight budget myself.
I’ll start off by saying that the average Thai person in this area works full time and earns around $200-300 a month (sometimes not even that). The people in other regions of Thailand earn a lot less but this is somewhat of a touristy area so there’s more opportunity. I should note that just because a Thai person can get by on $300 a month, it doesn’t mean you can. As a foreigner, you pay a premium to visit this country.
When you go shopping here, very rarely will you see a set price on the items. The Thai’s pay one price, the foreigners pay another. It’s possible for us “falangs” (foreigners) to get the Thai price, but you have to be able to speak a little bit of Thai and convince them that you actually live here.
Accommodation Costs
Like anywhere else in the world, accommodation costs vary depending on how nice your residence is. The Thai people will often find a room that costs 4000-6000baht a month and 2..3..sometimes 4 of them will share, and split the cost of the room. For 4000 baht a month, you can find a basic, yet decent fan-room that’s liveable. Add about 2000 baht to that upping it to 6000 and you can find something with an air conditioner and a TV.
Now, as a foreigner, it’s tough to find such deals. They’re out there though if you look hard enough and negotiate a long term rent (especially during “low season”). Low season months are humid & rainy and high season months are sunny and clear. The weather is at it’s best here when it’s at it’s worse in the western cities that experience the cold winters (for me, it’s Canada).
When paying such low rents (4000-6000baht), you’ll need to keep in mind that your electric and water costs are not included. What a lot of places do (especially to foreigners), is advertise the low monthly rent to get you to sign, then charge you inflated electricity costs. I was checking out this one apartment here in Pattaya (R-Conn Residence) and they advertised a monthly rent of 10,900 baht per month, but they billed the electric costs at 8baht per unit. The real cost for electric is more around 5 baht per unit so you have to be careful with that. It’s a scam!
Right now I’m paying 12,000 baht per month (all inclusive) for a great place with everything I need and more. Everything is brand new and my room has a comfortable bed, TV, DVD player, hot water, safe and most importantly, WIFI internet so I can keep these logs up to date. Here’s a video tour I took for you guys to see..
As I mentioned in another post, the selling point for me wasn’t JUST the room. The fact that there’s about 20-30 hot coyote dancers around here every night didn’t hurt my decision. Here’s a quick clip I took of lower level of the building. Disregard the girl with the big ass that’s dancing like a duck though.. haha. Oh, and the girl on the far left (the one that’s giving me the look of death at the start), she’s the “stage 5 clinger” I was talking about in my last post.
Food Costs
Another thing I love about Thailand is the food (as if the beautiful women, nice weather, great training and friendly people weren’t enough). Here, if you want “western food”, you’re going to pay western prices. It’s Thailand, so I stick to the Thai food. “When in Rome” .. right?
Finding cheap meals in Thailand is an easy task. There’s roadside stalls set up pretty much everywhere selling everything from BBQ chicken skewers to .. well .. bugs! They eat some unusual things here but I suppose it’s the norm to them.
The skewers sell for 10 baht each (which is about 33 cents) and you have a choice of chicken, beef, pork and even hot dogs.
Cost of Training
This is pretty straight forward. Different gyms charge different rates. Just check the gyms website to see how much they charge. The average is between 6000-8000 baht per month. Anything less than 6000 baht is cheap and anything over 8000 is pretty expensive. Keep in mind though, this will usually get you two-a-days and included in every session is personal pad-time with your trainer. Just think of how much that would cost back at home? It’s worth it, trust me.
Cost of Entertainment
You just came for the training (sure you did). Even if that’s so, this is Thailand. There’s a lot of temptation to go out and party. I say, train hard during the week, party hard during the weekend. Even the Thai’s take Sunday off, so you can go out and have a good time on Saturday nights. It’s part of the experience of living in a different country. And I have to say, the experience of having hundreds of hot Thai girls screaming “sexy man”, “handsome man” at you from all angles is pretty cool (even if they’re just after your money).
A night out can be done cheaply here with ease. They sell alcohol everywhere in Thailand and it’s legal to explore the streets with a beer in your hand. I just hit 7-11 and grab a San Miguel light for about a dollar. Or, if I’m out early enough, you can just hit happy hour and get dollar drinks at one of the bars. The local stuff is cheap (Singha, Tiger, Sangsom).
What’ll get you though is when an unbelievably hot Thai girl comes to sit with you and requests a “lady drink”. Think of it like buying a girl a drink at the club in your home country only the cost of “lady drinks” here are jacked up so the girls can earn a commission off them. If you only go out once a week or two (like I do), then whatever, buy the damn lady-drinks and support the economy.. they’re still only around 4-5 dollars (about the same or even less than you’d pay back at home).
Cost of Transportation
The longer you stay here, the less you’ll end up paying for transportation. By western standards, the transport in Thailand is unbelievably cheap so you’ll overpay and still be amazed at what a good deal you think you’re getting. If you’re staying in Phuket, you’ll want to avoid the “Tuk Tuk’s” because a) they’re overpriced and b) the drivers are Thai mafia. That was the first piece of advise that was offered to me during my first visit to Thailand “be nice to the Tuk Tuk drivers” because yes, they can make you “disappear”.
I find that the best (but not the safest) mode of transport is motorbike taxi. You can get pretty much anywhere you want for less than 100 baht. I pay 100 baht to get to Sityodtong from where I am and it’s a LONG way out. Here in Pattaya, they also have what I like to call “baht busses”.
These busses just drive all over (usually at random) and when you see one, you just wave it down and hop on the back. When you get to where you’re going, you just ring the bell, hop off and pass the driver 10 baht. The only downside to these “baht busses” are that the stops aren’t announced so you really have to know the area (which I don’t .. yet).
Cost of Relaxation
I have to mention the massages because they’re one of my favourite things about coming to Thailand. After a hard day of training, your muscles ache and you feel like you’re about to die. Well, after a nice foot or oil massage, you’ll feel as good as new. There’s more massage parlours around here than convenience stores so you’ll be able to find one of every block. The average cost of a 1 hour foot massage is about 200 baht and for an oil massage, about 300 baht. Don’t worry, that’s only about 7-10 dollars. I got a foot massage the other day and she even went so far as to cut my toe-nails. They really take care of you here. And if you opt for the oil massage (which I highly recommend), you may just get an offer for an “additional service” which of course, like everything else in Thailand, is “up to you”.
If there’s anything I left out, just leave a comment below and let me know.
THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?
I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!
MMA Workout: 3 Exercises for Explosive Power
Aleksander Emelianenko performing sledgehammer tire hits in the park.
If an MMA fighter shows up to the fight in less than top condition, the consequences can be pretty severe. They’ll likely end up getting knocked out or submitted via choke or a joint lock. Not to mention the humiliation and ego-blow that accompany defeat.
MMA workouts should be carefully thought out and designed specifically around the demands of the sport. A well designed MMA workout doesn’t consist of lateral raises or glute kickbacks. It’s not about “toning” and it’s not about “getting jacked”. An MMA workout is about increasing speed, power, lactate threshold and training the muscles of the body to function together as a kinetic chain.
The following 3 exercises develop what’s known as “functional strength” as it carries over to MMA performance.
Plyometric Push Ups: This exercise works on hand-speed and explosive power. All you need to perform this exercise is 2 steps from the aerobics room at your gym. For a video and step by step instructions on how to perform this exercise, click here.
Tire Flips: Unfortunately, not everyone has access to a giant tractor tire, but if you do (many training centers have them), this exercise is a must for your MMA workout program. When you analyze the muscle mechanics of a takedown (hit low, drive upwards), you’ll notice that the tire flip exercise closely resembles this movement.
Hammer Hits: This exercise is done using a sledge hammer and the tire used for the tire flip exercise. You’ll see this exercise being performed in about 80% of the MMA training highlights. Reason being; it works. It develops rotary strength within the core.
Speaking of core strength, the development of your core should be a primary focus in all your MMA workout programs. You’re only as strong as your weakest link and your core is the “strength center” so to speak as it’s involved in pretty much every MMA-related movement you.
For a comprehensive listing of core strengthening exercises that you can immediately implement into your MMA workout program, you can check out the “combat core strength” MMA workout resource by clicking here!
