Start the Countdown - Glasgow 2014 #1YTG

There is only 1 year to go until XX Commonwealth Games - Glasgow 2014

Last week there was officially only one year to go until the start of the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. To me that meant two things... The first being excitement. It's an exciting prospect getting to the games and potentially competing for your country in the second biggest multi sport stage in the world. I keep on imagining how amazing it will be to walk around during the opening ceremony and watching the spectacle that Glasgow 2014 is going to be. It's going to be an incredible atmosphere. I was in the volunteer centre the other day and you got a snapshot of what its going to be like.

The second thing was as you would expect is nerves...they have their part to play, I still need to get there and qualify and that's going to be no mean feat as i've said before. I have started to use a bit of positive imagery - next year winning a match to secure qualification to the games, that is a phenomenal thought. It seems very far away and still very surreal. I've been sitting out injured for 7 - 8 weeks already. I'm on the mend though, that's for sure, the ribs are still sore at times (sneezing is probably the worst). I was out in the garden over the weekend trying to shift some rubble was doing a bit of digging, that gave me a twinge just on the rotation but apart from that i'm not too bad. 

Training with the SRU regional U18 squad

That said I have been back on the mat a few times, more recently to help Coach Cavanagh with a session for the Scottish Rugby Union U18 Regional squad, some good lads in there. They picked it up quite well and were working hard 95% of their maximum heart rate so felt the benefit. It was good. Before that the first couple of times I got back onto the mat was just training, nothing too intense no live wrestling and this week i've been back into full training. Just doing the basics and trying to build up my fitness. It was OK, but psychologically i'm not quite back to my best. The second time on the mat was a complete disaster. I was wrestling with Danny from the club, we were just going over stuff that we had done before and when we got to parterre (on the ground) I couldn't remember very much, i'm not sure if it was because I was feeling drained or whether it was just me struggling because I had been out for so long but it was pretty disappointing. Does that happen to anyone else? use it or lose it!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to taking to the mat again and really getting back into some sort of competitive wrestling this month. I might not be able to do much but I'm hoping I will be able to get myself into decent nick for the Tryst Lions Open at the end of September. The key is to not go back to soon after these sorts of injuries and I'm seriously hoping it heals before too long. I am not the biggest fan of resting and never have been but it is unbelievably important to rest . I mentioned above its more the psychological side of things that's holding me back at the moment. Not in a bad way but at training every time I land on the mat or try to rotate there is always that niggling feeling that you just don't want to go through that pain again, it's more than that even, it's a feeling that I can't afford another injury there isn't enough time and the only way to stop that is to get fitter, stronger and more flexible. I say that they you'll read that I ate that monster below, protein? 

Men vs. Food! 

Where am I now! Well... I've completed 3 weeks of pre-hab, that involved some body weight exercises increasing the reps each week and including some interval training. I felt pretty good about all that and decided I would take it upon myself to start increasing the weight. After 7 weeks out I managed to do 3 x 170kg deadlifts and 5 x 120kg squats ,  the deadlifts without straps or chalk which was pretty decent, squats, I could have done more but was very tired. I was happy enough with that but really need to get to work on my strength which is where I'm heading over the next 6 weeks, I really want those numbers to increase over the next few weeks. I actually managed to persuade an old friend of mine to get out to the gym last week as well, you may remember from my earlier posts, a fella called the bear - he has't been out to the gym at [EN]GAGE in ages and to wrestling in even longer so I dragged him out for a pre weekend shoulder session. It was pretty good we both enjoyed ourselves before heading out with Wife and Sister in law in tow to a restaurant called Shebeen - possibly my new favourite restaurant for a couple of reasons which I've highlighted in the pictures this week. Yep, Bear and I shared a 1.2kg burger patty. The bad boy was huge but we

taming the monster!

smashed it, you have to remember that Bear and I have a combined eight of 240kg so to much 600g each, its doable, the meat was incredible an it was delicious, although I don't think I will eat another burger in the near future!

I saved myself all day for it and next time I go i'm demolishing a Lion sized steak! I've heard good reports! It was an outrageous feast followed by a hilarious night. 
Speaking of hilarious nights, I'm headed down south to Bristol for my good friend Simmos 30th Birthday in a couple of weeks and which will be my penultimate consumption of alcohol up till my birthday next year at the earliest. I'm not a big drinker any more, but am not shy of a night out. My good friend Benfoolio is arriving from Australia at the end of the month meaning that I have to tend to tradition and introduce him to the Whisky experience and a few of Scotland's finest drinking establishments, we have a thing about super brews and they are going to be out in force for the few days he is spending with me. That's the social agenda for the next little while but more importantly...

I'm back to training this week with the Scotland Coaches and Team which i'm really excited about, I've got my training buddy Dave Simm with me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate him coming to the Emirates with me as a training partner. This next little while is going to be a big transition for me, another challenge to add to the list. If i'm going to do this, I need to get bump training up a  notch, sort the diet out and get myself fitter, faster and stronger than I have ever been in my life and i'm actually looking forward to it, i've enjoyed lifting the last few weeks and its a great feeling. Back into the groove!

The final thing to report on this week is that i've had my Glasgow 2014 Volunteer interview, if unsuccessful on the competitor qualification, and pending selection for volunteering, I will be at the games in the wrestling arena helping out. That's a bonus. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to compete in a home games but its also a once in a lifetime opportunity to volunteer at a home games So i've got my fingers crossed that i'll be at the very least involved in Glasgow 2014 in some capacity. 

In case you were wondering, tickets for the Commonwealth Games go on sale this month, if i'm successful in the Qualification then i'll be competing on July 29 at the SECC - Now that's a date for the diary!


Thanks for taking time out to read.

All the Best!

@shocksjr

Who knew Brian May was a Wrestler?

Wrestling has had to take a bit of a back seat over the last couple of weeks. It has given me an opportunity for my other persona's to come out... I've been a Pirate through to Brian May from Queen. Keep reading and you'll see.

Alex and I having a cuddle...I mean wrestle

In fact training full stop has been slower and less often than normal. That's not to say I haven't done anything, I have but its been less intense. Following my rib injury I tried to get back into the swing of things with a strength session that included squats, I warmed up and got on with it. Only with 60kg on the bar, the aim was to gradually ease into it but I was still having problems with the rib and couldn't comfortably squat (Do you even lift bro?). That was disappointing but I have developed some new Wrestling specific training with Gerry at work using bands, really good for developing my head snap and neck stabilisation, look like a bit of a knob doing it but its all good! I had an episode with my lower back last week as well, basically the rotational movements and over compensation  because of the rib pain meant that my lumber was killing me, I could barely walk, so called in the big guns and kindly got Laura to do some Kinetic Chain Release, really helped! 

The Gym! I studied Sports and Exercise and It's funny  I've been noticing myself going through the stages of exercise behaviour. If you have ever trained for anything you will know what I mean, you go through the stages of pre contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. Action is the Honeymoon period, you grow to want to spend as much time as you can and its maintenance that is the tricky part and sticking with it. I'm currently in a mix, because I haven't trained I'm gagging to get into the gym  to do some weights, I'm in maintenance / contemplation at the moment if that makes sense. I don't think I'm strong enough or powerful enough yet and I know that so I need to be training. Sometimes its a massive chore and other times I'm really up for it, I guess that comes with the territory with these things.

The last month has been really tough with Cameron and Emma both being sick, its been difficult, lots of waking up in the night and lots of early mornings. For example last night, I went to be just before 11:00pm, was woken up by crying Cameron at 12:00pm, he had puked everywhere, curdled milk mixed with baked beans - disgusting! Emma can't deal with sick and was about as useful as tits on a bull. Anyway 2 hours later we were all back to bed, puke was cleaned, Cameron was bathed and there was a massive pile of stuff for the wash in the morning. Now, as a parent this comes with the territory and It wouldn't be a problem but come 4:00pm - 5:00pm and training time I really just want to get home to rest up. Trying to train properly it is a problem but its a psychological problem and i'm past that as well and ready to get back to work! Although I do need to get more rest.

Iain Feenan (Beast) photo courtesy of www. billykinnear.co.uk 

I have kept up my wrestling at [EN]GAGE, I haven't gotten through to Glasgow as often as I would like, whether its meetings or lack of time, exhaustion or money, I think i've hit all of those "excuses" over the last month. I had a good session with the French boys who can through with Steven Cote and I got a good Wrestle with Danny and Steve. I felt pretty comfortable and it was good fun. Steve keeps on going for the big 3 point throw and I keep on ending up on top of him. Think a change of tactics is needed there, I effectively weigh about a pig heading to slaughter more than Steve.Having said that there are just under 500 days till Glasgow 2014 and I still need to up my game. I need to train and get my skill level to where it needs to be. I got schooled by Gav Clark, former British Judo lad two weeks ago, he is smaller, quicker and more experienced (fighting) than me and ended up royally kicking my ass. It was like I had completely switched off and couldn't get anything to stick. It happens... its  probably happen next week when I will have to take on this brute in the picture above fresh off a win in his MMA career and a Silver medal in the English Judo Championships.
Iain Feenan is again a Judo lad at 81kg and studying at Edinburgh Napier, he is making an appearance at Wrestling for the first time with Rory Monks so you'll get an update on that one in a couple of week. It will be an experience training with them and even more so in the live wrestle at the end of the session. I've been friends with a lot of of the Judo guys for a while now, funding is tight in Judo and all the boys worked the doors down at the 3 sisters and faith, that meant a minimum of 4.5 hours of talking crap and I used to enjoy hearing about how the competitions went and where in the world they were off to next. Hopefully the boys will make up a decent proportion of the JudoScotland team at the Commonwealth Games, they definitely deserve to just a case of qualification.

Obviously, with the lack of training you would think that I have nothing really to write about but I like to think of blog as a diary of activities not just wrestling related, so let me fill you in with what's been happening off the mat...briefly

Freddie and Brian rocking out

Fancy Dress parties have been on the weekends! which has been fun, went to titch's 30th as Brian May supporting Callum as Freddie Mercury and Ross's birthday as a pirate. I've always been a big fan of fancy dress having been on many a night out. 

You may have noticed facebook was littered with Mothers day chat on Sunday, people wishing their mothers a happy day, half of them probably aren't even on facebook I still haven't figured out what that chat is about. What's wrong with a card and a phone call? Anyway, I spent a bit of time up in Pittenweem last weekend. Trying to get the parents house more manageable for my mum who has Multiple Sclerosis and uses a wheelchair. My brother Paul and I decided it was time for us to step up and help out our dad and get the house sorted. It's a big place and pretty tough to manoeuvre  We went up to help and mum made us get in the wheelchair and try to negotiate around. Man it was tough and it gave me a different insight into how mum copes. She is a trooper! My old man does a fantastic job looking after her and I don't think i've supported them enough over the last few years, which I do regret and am going to change. 

Another good thing over the last week is that my brother Adam in the USAF is now a major, that's pretty cool and congratulations to him. I'm really proud of him as well for that, he has done really well for himself after 10 years in the air force. Nathan his son calls me "muppet mike" after my brother taught him. Don't think that will ever change but at least he knows who I am and once Cameron is more coherent I'll get my revenge!

Back into the full swing of things next week with the exception that from tonight i'm going off the radar, a spot of annual leave it's my wedding anniversary this weekend so we are off to the highlands. 1 year of married life is the paper anniversary, nice of them to keep it cheap!

Thanks for taking time out to read

@shocksjr