When I was younger, the time off between fights would really get to me mentally. Uptightness would overtake me. I’d feel rudderless - without a real purpose.   Now that I’m more seasoned, I welcome the time off between fights. Downtime is a good thing, allowing my body time to heal and rest. I mix up my life now with heavy training days, light training days, and some days when I do nothing.  Mentally I have to shift gears, or I’d have burned out long ago. There are some days when I take my mind off training completely. I welcome being able to spend some hours at an amusement park or wilderness area – something.  Ideally I like to fight about 3 times a year. This spaces out visits to the octagon every four months. This allows me a few weeks off, a month of training light, and 2 months of very serious fight preparation.  If fights are closer I don’t get any downtime, and if they’re further apart I get a bit antsy.

		Explosive Workouts      I continue to train, even when I am not actively preparing for a fight. During these less-focused phases, I like to concentrate on explosive movements. An example is sprinting while pulling weighted sleds. My short sprints focus on my being able to quickly fire off the line – and then making a full recovery back to a relaxed state.  Recovery is essential in order to create maximum explosion for each rep or set. Because recovery is so important, these workouts are more relaxed than the endurance ones.  Strength Workouts  Strength workouts use heavier weight – usually with lower reps. But, as always, recovery is important towards the goal of maximizing output.  The focus in not explosiveness, but weight.  Endurance Workouts  As I get closer to the fight, lifting phases shift towards endurance workouts. I may use heavy weights at times, but the workout is much faster paced. It is impossible to maximize strength or explosion in these workouts, and often times I use lighter weights.  My goal is to feel as strong at minute 15 of the fight as I do at minute 1.

		I need to give my body a break during periods when no fight is on the horizon. During these phases I cut back on supplemental exercising, such as running or swimming.   There are 2 reasons for this. When I train in phases I can cut back on the amount of abuse I put on my body. But I can do this while also focusing on improving my fighting techniques.  Although this is my downtime, I still engage in some amount of sparring and grappling. This helps me to keep my timing on track while enabling me to test new fighting techniques.  There is a delicate balance we all have to achieve. We don’t want to punish our bodies to the point of abuse, yet we can’t let our fitness deteriorate. Because I try hard to maintain that balance, I only need 8 weeks to prepare for a specific opponent.

I recently returned from another rewarding USO experience in the Middle East, visiting our military. Like my other trips to our fighting men and women, this exposure to their world was as informative as it was emotional. 

Many Americans think a lot about those who are serving us during this war. But the members of our Navy usually do not come first to mind. Their presence in the Persian Gulf helps to keep us from the unthinkable prospect of defeat by our enemies.

The first thing I realized when I stepped onto each ship is that they are designed for function, not comfort. Even the officers sleep 4 to a room, in a space smaller than my bedroom. And the younger sailors, they sleep in rooms which house up to 80 men! Everything is small – hallways, stairwells, fitness facilities, and chow halls. It’s an existence in miniature - human sardines packed into tiny metal containers while working and living.

I know it would be difficult for me to cope with this constant “in your face” world, if I lived in it for months. I marvel at the ability of America’s sailors to accept their circumstances. Everywhere you go on a ship, respect for others in not just a social nicety, it’s absolutely necessary. As a result, everyone lives together and is able to perform their vital duties. And so we here at home can go about our daily lives without having to worry about our nation’s security.

Military food was never intended to be 5 star, but I actually found some of it to be delicious. I’m on a strict same-thing-every-day diet, so it actually was difficult for me to eat food items that are not part of my nutrition regimen. For these guys, though, 3 meals a day and no more is not uncommon on some ships. If they wake up at midnight and are desperate for a meal, they are left to rely on snacks from an on-board store.

Military ships would be the perfect place to film a reality show. There are always simmering tensions that must be dealt with smartly, or emotional explosions would take place every hour. The coping skills of sailors allow ship life to go on, so that those on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan are protected.

The most unnerving experiences for me on this trip were those spent out on the oil platforms. These could drive any civilian to madness, and I certainly came close. I would walk out of my tiny room and see nothing but…ocean. And more ocean. It’s a scene out of the movie Waterworld. And I could feel the danger. Lots of vulnerable lives are on these platforms; all of them are dependent on each person doing his job with utmost precision.

The heat – it’s so intense that within minutes it buckles you. The temperatures often run in the Fahrenheit mid-130s! One step outside and, from your scalp all the way down your face, sweat forms into rivulets; at first dripping, then pouring.

Where are you going to go? These oil platforms are, like the ships, clearly not concerned with your comfort. There is very little walking space when you’re captive in this watery universe. It was a strange environment to find myself, and I was left wondering how these people can function under these harsh conditions.

America, rest assured - we are in very good hands. Our sailors have taken on the awesome responsibility of protecting their people back home. They are smart, tough, dedicated and determined.

These sailors must know they don’t get the attention they deserve. But they’re out there - on floating cities that never sleep.

They’ve got our backs, and because of that our nation will always have a future.

Hi Rich…My name is Dave Manning from the Republic of Ireland. Just got the news you are fighting in January ‘09 over here. Can’t wait and hope to get good tickets…All the best! Sent by Dave Manning

		People still talk about the 1999 cult classic, Fight Club, starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. This drama is about two young guys who start an underground venue for brawlers to engage in bare-fisted combat. The movie continues to appeal to some, it still generates buzz. (It also offers us the memorable line, “This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time.”)   Do fight clubs really exist? I’ve been asked and I say I really don’t know. Likely, if there’s money to be minted, they must exist somewhere.  If I ever happen upon one I’ll bolt in the opposite direction – of that I’m sure. Even bars have more illegal violence than I care to be around. I don’t need to have my career in jeopardy at a crazy fight club with no rules, referees or law enforcement. That’s not sport.  If fight clubs really are around, the fighters and spectators must know what they’re getting into. Hollywood cannot be fairly blamed for causing any raw violence, because people know right from wrong. Responsibility flows out of that awareness – and most everyone accepts this. A teaspoon of sense is all it takes