ABOUT


THE BEGINNINGS

One fateful evening, the friskiness was brought out in Big Jim, and Vindy had nowhere to run. The mood was set; moonlight shimmer off the hairs of Jim’s beer belly, sloshing of the water bed, and the powerful chant of the semi’s whipping down the highway just outside the bedroom window.

Finally, after 9 months of waiting around in embiotic fluids, sloshing around in the dark, I was torn from seclusion on January 10, 1986. The legend began!

I have 2 passions in my life – fighting and coaching. I’m a professional Mixed Martial Artist with 8 pro bouts, and a Personal Trainer with 3+ years of experience.

When it comes to fighting, my main tools are wrestling and boxing. I believe that they are the best styles for me, and I fell that with them, I can face any opponent possible with confidence.

Starting my journey towards fighter stardom began with the highschool wrestling team. Coming in with little athletic background, I didn’t fair so well, winning only 2 matches all season. My determination to succeed brought about a very life-changing summer. In only 2 months I transformed myself from a 185lbs chubby weakling, into a 155lbs mean, lean wrestling machine. The following season I was able to place 6th in the city, and also started to train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Unfortunately, time went by without getting any chance to prove myself within the sport I dreamt about almost every night. This was due to the lack of interest of the coach at the club I first started at. Finally, a friend was able to get us our first amateur MMA fights. Making a 9 hour drive to Lakemoor, Illinois, and making the drive back with a nice big W on my record, things were started to look up.

After only 3 amateur bouts, and finding a new place to train, with a more passionate coach, and great training partners, I turned pro. Winning my first fight as a professional via Rear Naked Choke in the 1st.

More time has past, training continues to grow as do I, and I have continued to add more W’s to the record. Not being unblemished, my record has a few losses on it as well. Being the true fighter that I am, I always learn from my mistakes, and never let them repeat themselves.

With personal training I use a model taught to me in grade 3 – KISS: keep it simple stupid! Building a foundation of strength using only 4-5 basic compound lifts – Squat, Deadlift, Bench, Press, and Clean. And furthering your level of fitness through physically and mentally intense metabolic conditioning work.

I first became interested in fitness after being completely dominated in my first year of wrestling. Having only one book and one movie as my guide, I got started where most people do… bodybuilding – the book was Arnold’s Encyclopedia, and the movie was Pumping Iron.

Luckily, I had wrestling and grappling to help me build proper functional strength, as I had yet to figure out bodybuilding was not fitness.

My first job as a trainer came by way of a local Globo-Gym. Sometime never seemed right about taking people’s money just to show them how to use a bicep curl machine or a leg press, but it was all I knew.

Finally, I was saved!

I left the Globo-Gym and came to a smaller private club, a club that also owned a Crossfit facility. There I met Adam Morden, a man who changed my way of working out forever. He introduced me to Powerlifting and Crossfit, and I have never been the same since.

Producing ridiculous gains in strength and power, reducing body fat while simultaneously increasing muscle mass, and creating a gas tank that has yet to get tired in the cage. I found a new love, no longer was personal training just a job, this had become as much a part of me as the blood that courses through my veins.

Both with fighting and coaching, I am never content with where I am, or what I know. I constantly seek out new coaches, partners, seminars, certifications, books and DVDs, anything that will help me become more. This is a never ending journey, and I’m always exciting to see what’s around the next corner!


EDUCATION BACKGROUND


Crossfit Level One Instructor – Crossfit Inc
Crossfit Gymnastics Instructor – Crossfit Inc
Fitness and Nutrition Diploma – International Career School Canada
Personal Training Specialist – Can-Fit-Pro
Core Conditioning Specialist – National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association
Functional Training Specialist – National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association
Level One Movement Training Specialist


BENCHMARK WORKOUTS

WOD Angie Barbara Chelsea Cindy Diane
Details 100 pull ups

100 push ups

100 sit ups

100 squats

 20 pull ups

30 push ups

20 sit ups

50 squats

5 rounds

 5 pull ups

10 push ups

15 squats

Each min on the min for 30 min

 5 pull ups

10 push ups

15 squats

AMRAP 20 min

 Deadlift @ 225

Handstand PU

21-15-9
Date Jan 20 2010 n/a n/a Sept 19 2009 n/a
Result 18.50 n/a n/a 22 n/a

WOD Elizabeth Fran Grace Helen Isabel
Details Clean @ 135

Ring Dips

21-15-9

 Thrusters @ 95

Pull ups

21-15-9

 Clean + Jerk @ 135

30 reps

 400 m run

1.5 pood KB swing x 21

Pull ups x 12

3 rounds

 Snatch @ 135

30 reps
Date n/a n/a n/a Nov 3 2009 n/a
Result n/a n/a n/a 11:04 n/a

WOD Jackie Karen Linda Mary Nancy
Details 1000 m row

Thrusters @ 45 x 50

Pull ups x 30

 Wall ball shots @ 20

150 reps

 Deadlift 1 ½ BW

Bench BW

Clean ¾ BW

10/9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/1

 Handstand PU x 5

Pistol Squats x 10

Pull ups x 15

AMRAP 20 min

 400 m run

Overhead Squat @ 95 x 15

5 rounds
Date n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Result n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

WOD Annie Eva Kelly Lynne Nicole
Details Double Unders

Sit ups

50-40-30-20-10

 800 m run

2 pood KB swing x 30

Pull ups x 30

5 rounds

 400 m run

Box jumps @ 24” x 30

Wall ball @ 20 x 30

5 rounds

 Bench BW

Pull ups

5 rounds for max reps

 400 m run

Pull ups max reps

AMRAP 20 min

Note # of pull ups each round
Date Sept 21 2009 n/a n/a n/a n/a
Result 8:45 n/a n/a n/a n/a


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