Just a little checking in...

So hi! Long time since I've updated this little blog. Just wanted to poke my head in and say hi.

Which is what I've done. SO... Uh... Seems I'm done here.



WAIT! No, I've got something else. I wanted to let you know what I've been up to and whatnot. Soooo... I've not been doing much in the way of specific football-related training, but I have been working out and training quite hard since December. On the advice of the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Force, I began a workout routine which focuses a bit less on long distance cardio and raw burst strength and instead began working interval training and higher rep, higher set count routines.

The results so far:

December 24, 2007:



March 11, 2008:



This picture absolutely blew my mind.

I look at myself in the mirror every morning when I shave my face and get dressed. I know on a fact-based level that I've had to cut three brand new notches in my belt and have gone down from a 44 to a 40 in pants (probably a 38, but I just don't have it in my wallet to go buy yet more new pants). But I don't know... It wasn't until one of the trainers at my gym snapped this photo and sent it to me that it hit me just how much work has been done.

He told me that often times, people don't realize what they've done until they see a picture. I guess the mirror doesn't hold in it the connotation that others can see the same image and pass judgment, whereas pictures have the distinct purpose of doing just that. So I guess there's something in the brain that triggers when one sees a picture of themselves... Who knows. I'm just a doofus with a blog and the desire to play some football.

Anyway, there's the update so far. I'll probably be hitting this space with more over the next few months, as things happen. I've also contemplated putting together a small video series on "the absolute beginner's guide to the gym" or something - I've received a good bit of feedback on my "about" section describing the exercises, so who knows... I've not really seen much out there that shows someone who's never done the bench press before how exactly they should do it.

Any opinion?

That's it for now

Whelp, that's it for this year. I've heard from folks on both teams, and both were very kind to contact me. The bottom line for both teams - I came out, I showed them something. They want me to continue working as hard as I have and come out in 2008 - they both said great things about my physical ability to perform, and both said I have a lot of rust in the gears when it comes to the actual football-playing techniques. I need to study, practice on specific read and position techniques, and just keep up the workout regemen.

I didn't feel like I was getting "thanks, but no thanks." Instead, I feel like they both took the time to tell me what I needed to work on because they honestly want to see me try again. After all, these are professional teams with professional staffs who don't have time to dilly-dally.

So, that's it for football tryouts for this year. But there's something else in the works as I speak (what, you thought I was just going to stop?). More on that when it launches, and I'll make sure to provide links from this blog to the new one.

And yes, I'll continue to update this blog when I train for football next year.

Some followup...

Well, it's been two weeks, and I've heard from two AF2 (Arena Football League 2) teams, the Florida Firecats and the South Georga Wildcats. I've heard from three AIFA (American Indoor Football Association) teams, the Columbus Lions, The Augusta Spartans, and the Florida Stingrays.

Still nothing from the Storm or the Force.

I don't know what this means in regards to the AFL teams... Except not much of anything. As far as the AF2 and the AIFA teams, all 5 of them said that I showed great field awareness, athleticism, and knowledge of my position, and that they'd like me to come try out for their teams at a closed tryout. The problem...

All five are greater than 100 miles from my home, and the AF2 pays 200 dollars a week... The AIFL, even less.

I can't leave my home and go play for a team for $2400 a year. I mean... I love football. And if they were here in my city (or even close to me), I'd do it just to play. But I can't really afford to make a commitment that takes me away from my home for less than it costs to feed my cats and dogs each year (and take them to the vet... Our cats are fat, but not $2400.00 of Purina Cat Chow fat).

I heard from a few guys I met during the tryouts (there were 2 guys who were with me at both Tampa and Georgia, and we've kept in touch) that neither the Storm nor the Force have yet to contact them - and all three of us heard directly from the Offensive Coordinator of the Force that we'd hear back from them.

So for now, I'm just waiting. And I know that all three of the people reading this are waiting (hi mom and dad... And whoever you are, LostinAlbuquerque837...), so I thought I'd just check in with you and let you know how it's going (or more correctly, how it's not).

Day 53 - The Georgia Force Tryout

I'll cut to the chase - I feel like I did very well. But I won't know anything for a few days.

The Force ran their tryouts differently than Tampa did theirs. First, they split out the "fast guys" and the "big guys" into two separate sessions, ours starting at 10:15 AM and ending at noon. Second, they didn't do any cuts today at all - instead, they videotaped the entire field during the entire tryout from four cameras, one on either stands' pressbox and one at each endzone. They will evaluate the tapes and get back to us for a 2nd workout if they want to see more.

There was a huge difference in today's tryout and the one I did in Tampa, and that came down to just pure confidence. In Tampa, I knew I'd worked hard but had NO IDEA what to expect at all - from how things would run to who I'd run against, to what the heck the coaches were looking for. Today, though, I had at least a rough idea of what they'd be looking for and how I needed to perform to stay viable.

So having said all of that - I cut nearly a full second off my time in the Short Shuttle today, I ran a 5.7 forty yard dash, and I kept my head up, my butt low and my hands right in the chest of every guy I went against. I hustled everywhere I was asked to go, volunteered and stepped up for every single drill, and overall just made sure they knew I wasn't there to waste time (or 80 bucks).

After the tryout, I went up to the offensive line coach and thanked him for the day, and he said "Hey, great job from you today - you had the best hands I saw all day (meaning I got my non-snapping hand out and locked my guy every single time... Oh yeah, if I didn't mention it before, I play Center). We'll be in touch."

I have no idea if that meant "hey, we're going to call you about the 2nd workout" or if that meant "bye, take care, we'll call you if we're interested!" But I'm hoping the first :)

So what now?

Well... I'm not going to stop working out. I'm not going to stop training. I'm going to treat this like I didn't get anything whatsoever from Tampa or Georgia, and that the real deal is in December. I'm going to keep updating this journal with my workouts and possibly make another video or two.

I'll probably find other things athletically that pique my interest, and if nothing comes from the pro team guys now or in December, I'll just jump on something new and make the best out of it. It's been, oh, 8 years since my last Judo tournament - maybe that'll be next?

Who knows. Overall... I'm just glad I didn't go out and look like a 30-year-old moron with Sunday Dreams and a lot of talk.

Day 52

Well...

Tomorrow's the day. 53 days from the day I first strapped on my brand new cleats and ran around a field with a parachute.

I think I'm ready.

I realize there's probably another tryout coming in December, and I realize that if I don't get a call after the one I'm doing tomorrow, I can just do that one... So this isn't actually "the end" or whatever. But it is the day before the milestone - the purpose behind this whole journal. So, I feel it appropriate to thank you for reading all of this... For following the journey and sending your support.

I actually didn't realize I was going to get any readers of this thing. I've been keeping the log mostly for historical purposes, so when I finally write about the experience, I have a log to point back to and provide a day-by-day look at how I was feeling and what I went through. I put tiny links to it on my existing sites simply to establish it in Google, and to get a small glimpse at who pays attention to the tiny little northern parts of my webpages.

But I have to tell you, hearing from everyone who's been reading this thus far has been fantastic. And I really appreciate the support.

I'll let you know how tomorrow goes... Tomorrow :)

Day 50

Today's Notes:

The power class felt really good tonight - I think it's finally 'broken' and I'm used to it - instead of being fatigued and feeling sore the next day, I feel appropriately tired, and tight the next day, but not like I damaged myself. And it's done HUGE things for my normal workouts - there's so much endurance built in to that class, I don't ever feel winded or tired while doing my circuits and stacked lifts.

Crazy... Something that works as advertised. What a rarity these days.

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The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)


Evening Session (weights + aerobic stuff)

Insane Power class:
Squats - 30 @ 175lbs slow burn (2 / 3 secs down, 2/3 secs up)
Lunges - 25 each leg @ 150 lbs slow
Lateral Shoulder Raise - 30 @ 140 lbs
Military Press - 40 @ 140 lbs
Bent-over Rows - 30 @ 140 lbs
Chest Press - 30 @ 180 lbs
Tricep curl - 30 @ 70 lbs
Bicep curl - 30 @ 70 lbs (slow)
Abwork - Planks, crunches, situps, more planks, hip lifts... I STILL hate this part of the class.


HOW I FEEL:

Really good. I honestly feel like I'm as ready as I can be for Saturday - I didn't slack, and I trained hard. I know that with another few months, I'd stand an actual chance of making a real show at the tryout, but where I stand now and how I feel, I think I'm going to do as well as I can.

Day 49

Today's Notes:

I don't really have too much to say, except that I'm really just ready for Saturday to get here. It's supposed to be 68 and sunny - perfect weather. Signups begin at 8:30 and go until 10:30, which is when testing begins. From what I can determine and what I've heard from some folks, the Force do tryouts differently than Tampa does - they don't just group everyone together and run everyone through the same drills, then break out. They actually break out at sign-up and test everyone by position.

Anyway.

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The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)


Evening Session (weights):

Monday: Chest + Tricep day - heavy day

Bench Press - 4 sets: 1 set x 20 reps @ 135lbs, 3 sets x 10 reps @ 285lbs

Incline Bench Press - 3 sets x 12 reps @235 lbs
SUPERSET with: Tricep Extension (cable) - 3 sets x 15 reps @ 95 lbs

Decline Bench Press - 3 sets x 10 reps @ 285 lbs
SUPERSET with: Reverse Overhead Tricep Curl (cable) - 3 sets x 15 reps @ 87.5 lbs

Dumbbell Flys - 3 sets x 15 reps @ 50 lbs (per hand)
SUPERSET with: Skullcrushers - 3 sets x 15 reps @ 80 lbs (bar)

4 mile run (treadmill)

5 ULTRA super mega ultra stair sprint + 40 (YES FORTY) yard dash + touch and go (AKA OUCHES)

HOW I FEEL:

Not too shabby. It felt great to go up even more on the weight.

5 more days.