NOTE: Introduction and bio provided by Ben Thapa. Review provided by Matthew Roth.

When is an instructional book for a highly physical activity worth your money? Pretty pictures and legendary names are nice, but we need to know that there is tons of actual content to sink our mental teeth into before cracking open our wallets for that hard-earned money. Rest assured that Marcelo Garcia, one of the most dominant figures in Brazilian jiu jitsu since the early 2000s, has delivered a massive dose of grappling brain candy in his most recent book, Advanced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Techniques.

Marcelo is a five time Mundials champion, four time ADCC gold medalist and perhaps one of the three or four most dominant figures ever in elite submission grappling competition. Many highlight clips show Marcelo's preferred strategy of constant offense, single leg takedowns, slick guillotines and tight back control. His 2010 and 2011 competition seasons ended with zero defeats and his opponents rarely scoring any points on him.

To get good at submission grappling requires an enormous bit of time on the mats in both drilling and live sparring situations. Drilling moves over and over under the watchful eyes of an instructor allows the grappler to embed the movements and timing into the lizard brain and and to get accustomed to doing this in that situation. Sparring gives us the opportunity to encounter live situations in which we progress through a series of actions and reactions until time is called. Often the live rolls end in submission or with one person having been in a dominant position for longer.

The body can be trained through hours and hours of mat time, instruction and physical training outside of the gym. However, it is the mind that is more important than the body. We need to see and recognize situations and tell our bodies to act accordingly. That is where videos, DVDs and books claim to help us improve. Ideally, a grappler wants to attack in a way that opens up a ton of options.

A couple of photos for evaluation:

This book is 320+ pages long, which is slightly smaller than the classic Jiu Jitsu University, which is 360+ pages in size. The biggest Advanced Techniques sections are on arm drags, back control, breaking guard and submissions. Back control, one of the highlights of his game, is covered in 68 pages. Breaking guard, perhaps the skill most in demand on the competition circuit, is covered in 63 pages. The 67 page long submissions section skips the usual armbars, triangles and leglocks. A separate 26 page section is devoted entirely to submissions from back control. Arm drags, one of Marcelo's staples, get 44 pages at the beginning of the book.

The breakdown of techniques follows the same exact format that Victory belt uses for all instructional manuals. There are multiple camera angles so the reader can get a feel for the body's placement instead of making an assumption. The book does focus on the gi but many of the techniques can easily translate to no-gi grappling scenarios.

Possibly the best thing about this book is that they understand that grappling matches begin standing. The 44 pages at the front of the book devoted to arm drags and single legs is a step away from the norm with Victory Belt. Other books they've published have just illustrated ground techniques without any discussion on how to get the fight there. It's a great change that hopefully continues in future books.

As far as the title, personal perspective is that nothing about this book really screams "advanced" in that everything showcased can be used by a competitor of any level. While some are more difficult than others, Garcia's grappling style is simple enough that there isn't a need to have certain physical traits such as when using the rubber guard.

PROS

- The biggest pro for myself and Ben is that the book really does cover everything. There's no wasted space and no matter what kind of jiu jitsu player you are, you'll find something in this that will help elevate your game.

- The multiple camera angles help with illustrating the different sequences.

- The amount of techniques actually discussed. As previously stated, the fact that the book shows different arm drags is a HUGE plus. The sheer volume of pages dedicated to certain aspects of Garcia's game make this book a grappler's bible.

CONS

- The biggest con for me is that the gi often blocks the camera from showing how the arms and hands are placed on an opponent. I understand that Garcia is a fantastic gi player but I just don't think the gi translates well for photographs.

- Adding to that, sometimes the sequences are too understated which sometimes means various steps often look the same.

I'd recommend this book, especially if you are serious about getting serious in jiu jitsu. There's something in it for everyone and it will help round out your jiu jitsu game.

PRICE: $34.99

Matthew Roth received a free review copy. It did not change his perspective. Ben Thapa paid for his copy. That did not change his perspective either.

Ahead of the M-1 Global Fedor Emelianenko vs Jeff Monson fight Sunday morning at The Olympic Sports Complex in Moscow, Russia, what better way to whet our appetites than a DVD instructional review that features some of the techniques and strategies we may get to witness when the two heavyweights collide.

Fedor Emelianenko is a multiple World Combat Sambo champion with a storied MMA career, while Jeff Monson is an MMA veteran himself who has found championship success in the world of Submission Grappling with 2 ADCC championships and 1 CBJJ No Gi Worlds open weight championship. While not strictly Catch Wrestling based per se, Monson has shown a wrestling base benefit him in his fights and matches and has on occasion employed neck cranks for victories including a step-over neck crank from the stockade position - the hold Brock Lesnar successfully employed against Frank Mir in their second fight that allowed him to Ground and Pound Mir for much of the first round. Monson is also well known for his North-South choke which in some circles can be called the Monson choke because of his success with it.

The seminar was shot in the summer of 2009 and spans 3 discs.

The first disc covers Catch Wrestling with International Submission Wrestling Alliance (ISWA) founder Kris Iatskevich who is based near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Iatskevich learned his craft from the late Edouard Carpentier, a professional wrestler and gymnast from France who had been in the ring with the likes of Karl Gotch and Lou Thesz, and was inducted into the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Iatskevich starts us off with a warm up featuring Hindu Squats, Hindu Pushups, Neck Bridges and sit-out drills which are the norm for catch wrestlers that take their cue from the classical wrestling styles of India and Persia. We then learn about working from All-4's or Turtle position both offensively and defensively, before going onto the Catch Wrestling take on bent armlocks such as the Double Wrist Lock (Kimura), Top Wrist Lock (Americana) and the true Key Lock (a turning compression or squeeze lock). There's also many options off of a Short Arm Scissors which is another type of compression lock on the arm using your legs as an assist. Iatskevich also covers some leg rides such as the Single Leg Ride and Ball & Chain Ride, Catch Wrestling's method of fighting from your back and the approach to defending your neck and back when an opponent is trying to get both hooks in.

The second disc covers Sambo from American Sambo Association (ASA) president Stephen Koepfer who runs New York Combat Sambo and is a key member of the NY MMA Now Coalition, and producer of the documentary 'NY MMA'. Koepfer was taught the art of Combat Sambo by Grand Master Alexander Barakov while living in the United States who later returned to Russia and currently teaches Combat Sambo in St Petersburg. Koepfer was awarded the Master of Sports of Russia in Combat Sambo in 2009.

Koepfer's warm up consists of jogging to begin with, and then the important aspect of rolling as this is a key component in both attacks such as leglocks, and defense such as dissipating the energy of a throw. Everyone is wearing a Kurtka - a Sambo style of canvas jacket similar to a Jiu Jitsu Gi top but with slight design differences for the consideration of gripping for throwing. Koepfer goes over the principles of gripping for throwing and tripping including the over the back grip which I believe originates from Georgian Folk Wrestling. Fundamentals of sacrifice throws are also covered, which is a type of throw where you drop yourself to the mat so your bodyweight and momentum pulls the opponent over you. Also of note is the more iconic Sambo sweeps and throws such as the back Scissor Sweep, Victor Roll and how these can directly lead into leglock attacks such as kneebars, ankle locks and heel hooks and tips and tricks to finishing these holds efficiently. Koepfer concludes his portion of the seminar with attacking from various positions on the ground including attacking the Turtle in order to setup and snag a leglock.

The final disc is a great look at how Catch Wrestling and Sambo would approach the same situation in grappling or even MMA and sheds light on the similarities and differences between the two arts. For example Iatskevich might show one way to attack the guard or half-guard, and Koepfer would show a different approach or a variation, or how a Rear Naked Choke can be countered with and without a Gi jacket involved.

The whole set is shot well in Iatskevich's gym in Canada even considering the environment was for a training camp more than a studio production. At times you can hear the air conditioner but this is always switched off when either coach starts teaching meaning audio quality isn't compromised and it's easy enough to ignore when there's just footage of drilling.

For anyone with an interest in the grappling aspect of MMA or who takes part in grappling competitively but is only used to what Jiu Jitsu has to offer, this is an insightful look into a couple of grappling arts that often get overlooked, by two coaches striving to promote the arts they're passionate about. And for around $45 it's an absolute steal compared to a lot of other instructionals out there by more well known practitioners from BJJ, some of whom don't offer as much information or go as in depth as Iatskevich and Koepfer. Highly recommended.

After the jump, trailer video for the set, table of contents and links to the coaches' websites.

Thanks to Coach Kris Iatskevich for the complimentary DVD set.

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In my time on BJJ mats and Muay Thai rings, there has been one product that I have yearned for, almost obsessively. It wasn't a fantastic pair of gloves or a great rash guard. It wasn't even a piece of headgear that could fit over my massive dome. No, that product is the Jaco Convertable Equipment Bag. I was getting tired of having to use my backpack for my gi while using an old Umbro soccer training bag for my gloves and other essentials. The Jaco bag changes everything.

The first thing I noticed is that the bag is absolutely massive. As a backpack it was able to hold not just my gi, but also my boxing gloves, MMA gloves, shin guards, headgear, change of clothes, towel, and cup in the main compartment. There are two side compartments as well. One is insulated to keep your water or sports drink cold while the other is meant to hold your mouthguard and valuables. There is also a top velour-lined pocket to hold sunglasses and other products that you don't want scratched.

I brought this bag to first day back at the gym which was BJJ. Afterwards my Gi was absolutely soaked, as was the rash guard I wore underneath. The bottom of the bag unzips and expands to a wet bag. The compartment is mesh-netted so that the gear can dry faster and while clothing in the other part remains dry. 

What makes this product so great? It's probably the sheer size. I travel quite a bit from Texas to New Jersey as well as go to the gym. This bag is large enough to replace my travel bag for most trips. For the gym it's an absolute necessity to have something this big. It can hold all the equipment and allows me to keep a change of clothing if I wanted to go out to dinner afterwards.

Pros

• It's gigantic. Which means you can use it for everything instead of having multiple bags for multiple classes.
• Different compartments make this an "all-in-one" product. 
• Wet bag area is possibly the best feature. Mesh-netting allows gear to air dry.
• Can either be worn as a backpack or carried as an equipment bag.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free for review. This doesn't change my opinion of the product. 

I wanted to get a woman's perspective on the RushFit program. After all, women pretty much invented the at home fitness program and many of the men taking up the challenge will do so with their scowling lady friends either at their side or making cutting comments about their back fat. Maybe I'm projecting too much?

Anyway, long time readers of this site know it's a complete sausage fest. We have no female staffers and both of our female readers are actually 45 year old men from Hackensack, New Jersey, a place I've never been to but picked as the worst sounding real life locale imaginable. This is a round about way of introducing my lovely wife, who will give you the skinny on RushFit from a woman's point of view:

Since reading Jonathan's interview with Rushfit creator, Erik Owings, I have begun to think of it as my own personalized fitness program. After all, he did say he had me in mind when he created it, a new mom trying to lose that last bit of baby weight. Actually, I am a new mom twice over with the extra weight and extra responsibilities that go with that. When I started looking for a program to help me lose weight and shape up, I needed something that could be done at home, in minimal time, at any time of day or night and with little to no preparation. You can't have a workout schedule with two little ones. You need total flexibility, and Rushfit is completely flexible. The workouts require no preparation beyond pulling out my mat and dumbells, they are only 45 minutes long which is about the longest stretch of uninterrupted time I can count on, and I can do them right in my living room.

I really enjoy the Strength and Conditioning workout. I started with 2 lb weights and I am now up to 5 lb weights and getting ready to move to 8 pounds for some exercises. At the beginning, I had to do a lot of modified exercises, but by the third run through, I was able to skip the modifications. I love this tangible proof that my physical fitness is improved. I am stronger and I have greater stamina. I have also come to enjoy the Fight Conditioning workout. It took me a couple times through to find a rhythm but once I did I was able to turn up the intensity and get a really fantastic cardio workout from it. Now I'm not going to lie, the Ab workout is still grueling for me. But as GSP himself says, you're not going to be happy while you're doing the workouts, only after. No one is happier than I am when that Ab workout is over.

I have just a few minor criticisms. I love the content of the warm-up. It is very effective, but it's the same on every disc which means you are seeing it several times a week. It gets to be a little mind-numbing to hear all the same dialogue to start every single workout. I suggest you either do what we do and make a game out of it, saying all of GSP's lines before he does, or turn down the volume and crank up some music while you watch. Same with the cool down. At this point, Jonathan and I have modified our cool down so much we really only have the DVD still playing to see GSP's smiling and/or grimacing face.

Now onto the numbers. My goals going into the program were much more modest than Jonathan's. I only have 12 pounds to lose to get to my pre-baby weight and 14 to get my ideal weight (or as Jonathan puts it the lowest I can weigh without losing boob weight.) But I believe my battle is tougher than Jonathan's. Baby weight is extremely stubborn. It took nearly a year finding places to hide and it is entrenched. Because this battle isn't new to me, I set very long term goals, five months to lose the first 10 pounds and three more months to lose the rest. At the end of the eight months, we have a week long beach trip planned so I have constant motivation.

My progress so far has been slow but steady. I have dropped 4 pounds and one jeans size. That actually puts me back in my pre-baby jeans which puts a huge smile on my face. I have not been perfect on this plan, by any means. My diet could be better and we have taken two vacations since starting, but I was especially pleased to find that the weight didn't come right back the second I fell from grace. I will finish up this Beginners plan, shift to another plan for six weeks or so, and then come back to tackle the Rushfit Intermediate plan. I am actually starting to visualize myself on the beach in my swimsuit without being covered up by a giant t-shirt.

Previous RushFit entries:
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five

I apologize for the lack of updates in my RushFit series. I am still doing the program, in theory at least, but have been struck down by a rash of illnesses. I don't blame Georges St. Pierre for this; it's the curse of having two young kids in school and play groups and all those other germ factories. If it happens again, though, I have lawyers on retainer.

Today we'll take a look at the brains behind the program, trainer Erik Owings. It's fairly obvious from watching the DVD's that Georges, while endorsing RushFit, isn't the originator.  Part of his gift is finding the right man for the right job and Owings was the person in his life best suited to help him take down the champion in the at home exercise field - P90X. So, who is Erik Owings? We're about to find out.

Mushin Martial Arts founder Erik Owings is not a man who believes in doing things halfway. When he got interested in training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu he went all in - two years in Brazil with some of the best grapplers in the world. At the famed Gracie Barra Academy, Owings got his brown belt before moving back to New York and finishing his tutelage under the incomparable Renzo Gracie and John Danaher.

It was in New York that Owings developed much of the knowledge he would later turn into the RushFit series of exercise DVDs. Working as a personal trainer to fund his own fighting career (Owings competed succesfully in the International Fight League before concentrating on training full time) he learned quickly how to work around space and other constraints.

"I would go to people's homes to train them. I became very good at training people with just bodyweight and light dumbbells. That's all people had room for in their spaces," Owings said in an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow. "So when Shari Spencer came to me and said 'Hey, Georges brought your name up as somebody he thinks could design a program for him' I could say 'Actually I do have a program designed.' They say luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I just took what I was already working on and modified it, tweaked it to put more intensity in it."

Preparing the program wasn't easy. It was one thing to tailor a program for a world class athlete like St. Pierre or Gracie. Designing a fitness regiment for a new mother looking to shed baby weight was something else entirely. The challenge was bringing those worlds together. Could you develop a program for everyone and anyone all at once?

"I had to think about somebody like Georges and how to give him a hard workout while also allowing my mother, who's 57 years old and in terrible shape to do the workout. Could they both do the same workout? Most people would say no," Owings said. "But I can tell you straight up that you can. I do it every day here in my gym. It's all based on progressions. All you have to do is give somebody the same exercise but adjust the variables, whether it is more repetitions, more weight, if it's box jumps more height on the box jump. Full range of motion versus partial range of motion. Our program is designed so that everyone can do it, unless they have a serious health issue, but with varying degrees of modification. For everyone that scoffs at RushFit as a commercialized gimmick to make money, I challenge you to try it. If you really give it 100 percent, I guarantee you'll be just as tired as Georges was when he attempted it. I believe Georges is super fit. But he struggled at those exercises. I think anyone would. If you're actually giving it your maximum intensity, you're body is going to wear out. And this goes for any exercise program, not just mine.  It's the principle that Cross Fit was built on. Taking basic exercises and putting maximum intensity into them."

In the course of filming the DVD collection, former GSP manager Shari Spencer says St. Pierre was exhausted by the intensity of the workouts. Owings was glad to see it. The two had been friends for years, and the trainer often found himself challenging the fighter with exercises and techniques that were new to him.

"Georges and I have been training together for a long time. We've been friends since the first B.J. Penn fight. We like to goof around and we train jiu jitsu together with John Danaher who is both of our coaches. We play around together and since I am at the gym all the time, I'm always coming up with physical fitness challenges and showing them to him," Owings said. "One of the things we included in the video is an exercise when you start in a yoga pose, put your hands on the ground, kick your legs through, do a pushup, then kick your legs back through. There's a variation of that where I would go into a handstand. And he would always be so frustrated when he couldn't do things like that. Part of what makes Georges such a great fighter is that when he tries something and can't do it, he'll keep going until he succeeds at it."

More on RushFit and GSP's controversial comments about strength and conditioning after the break

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This week I'm turning over the floor to the readers to answer their questions about RushFit. I've been exercising for almost a month. Surely that's enough time for me to be the world's foremost leader in exercise science? The world lost Jack LaLanne and I'm reaping all the benefits.

Jay:

I am a big fan of your reports on your progress through the RushFit program and it's almost inspired me as a fellow overweight, out of shape guy to try it out as well. 

The only thing that is holding me back from starting the program is the fact that I live in a small bachelor apartment in downtown Vancouver (though, it's not as depressing a situation as it seems when I read that sentence).  How much room is really necessary to complete the exercises correctly?  I am hoping that I'll have enough room to do it in the comfort of my one room palace, but wanted to double check.

The only other snag I would worry about running into is if there were lots of jumping exercises.  Somehow I doubt that my downstairs neighbour would enjoy the sound of me jumping up and down regardless of whether there was weight loss or GSP involved.

I'll admit, I hadn't considered this issue until your question came in. We live in a giant old house with a porch and a picket fence and all that homey crap, but it wasn't long ago I was living in a small place in DC trying not to get shot on my way home from work.

I do it in the living room. If you move furniture around against the wall, you should probably be OK. The neighbors are a trickier issue. There is jumping in some of the exercises, a burpee, if you are familiar with the hideous torture imposed by many football coaches, and some MMA style sprawling. It does get quite active. That's really part of the fun, especially in the Fight Conditioning DVD. The sequences where you are throwing punches, kicks, sprawling and then popping up to do it again actual make me smile. You know, when they aren't about to make me throw up.

Look, the workouts are about 45 minutes a pop. If your neighbors can't live with that screw them. Unless they look like Tank Abbott or our own Luke Thomas. If that's the case, pony up and join a gym.

Rampager:

Do you do this stuff in the morning or after work or what? I'm worried about fitting this in my schedule.

I started out doing them after I got home from work which was apparently a huge mistake. Experts, by which I mean random internet schmoes, say you are supposed to work out in the morning because it keys your body up to burn calories all day. I suppose exercise is better than no exercise no matter when you do it. But I reached out to the people at RushFit to get their advice:

• The earlier you workout the more your body metabolizes during the day...so your body gets a chance to burn more longer through the day
  
• Stoke the furnace early with exercise not fried eggs (though egg whites are an excellent choice)
• Working out early (before breakfast) this is a real stimulant to your body's metabolism
• Working out early helps you burn off Breakfast, lunch and dinner...
• Stick to the nutrition...it alone will account for your major gains.

Michael:

Hang in there...I'm on day 12...lost 7 pounds 1st week,hoping for 3 more next weigh-in (Mon) Proper diet is the toughest part for me (especially weekends) best of luck to you.

Really it's the diet that is driving me slightly batty. Believe me, that was a short, slow drive. But there are desperate moments when I dream of cheese. I always knew I was both lazy and glutenous. Who knew gluttony would win out in the end?

A million readers:

How does RushFit compare to P90X?

I wish I had a better answer to this question. If you read the earlier installment you know I haven't the slightest clue what P90X is all about. My friend Chris is doing it and claimed he was on p86X and so far had "nothing to show for it except pain." He's kind of a pussy though, so factor that into your mental equation.

Some things I can tell you after a brief internet search: Georges St. Pierre is significantly less creepy than Tony Horton from P90X. Georges St. Pierre doesn't require any gesturing, crotch chops, or gang signs. Georges St. Pierre's program costs less than P90X. Georges St. Pierre could kick the crap out of the P90X crew. That exhausts my knowledge on the subject.

aarodane:

My main question: Is it worth the $?

This is a tricky question. As you may have noted, I received a promotional version of this program for free. So, for me, it most certainly was worth the money. But, as most readers aren't nearly as famous or good looking as I am, I will consider things for a moment from your own perspective. Would I pay $69.99 to feel as good as I do right now and to have lost more than 10 pounds in under a month with more dropping off daily? Would I have paid $69.99 to drop a jean size? You bet your a#$ I would.

retroagehippy:

Weren't you a soldier? This program should be nothing for you, no?

You'd think so. Unfortunately, those soldiering days were five years ago. And you want to know a secret? Even when I was in the Army I was kind of a worthless maggot. I spent more time on the injured reserve than Yao Ming. Of course, after the Army I started running three to five miles a day and got in pretty good shape. That was a kid and three states ago. Here's the thing: getting back into shape sucks for everyone. It was horrible for me, it will be horrible for you. But the results will be worth it.

After the break, reader Johnny shares his RushFit story.

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"This is me swallowing my pride, standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night."

Taylor Swift

The siren song was sweet and oh so tempting. I didn't make it far into South Carolina before answering the call. Exit one to be precise. As far as I'm concerned, you can't travel any further into the Palmetto State without stopping at Maurice's Gourmet Barbeque. And so it began, my weekend of shame.

Traveling is always hard on exercise plans like this. The videos were portable and absolutely not a problem. I ripped them onto the IPad and we were all set to watch them as we visited family and friends. It's the diet where things went to hell. Maurice's was the first slip. My mother-in-law's pot roast the next. When she pulled homemade chocolate chip cookies out of the oven I was like a fat kid at Willie Wonka's place. Things, they escalated quickly.

I felt bad, not because I let myself down, but because I felt like I was letting the readers down, Erik Owings down, letting down the champ himself. Thousands of people are reading each installment of this, a glorified Live Journal. It's humbling and I owe you more than a couple or ten chocolate chip cookies. So let's not speak of this again except to say this: diet is as key as exercise here.

We are at war, not just with sloth and complacency. This is a battle against high fructose corn syrup, saturated fats, and anything fried. It's the combination of diet and exercise that will make all the difference. That's important to remember.

The workouts continue. Some of them are really fun. The Fight Conditioning video is like Tae Bo, or what Tae Bo might have been if Billy Blanks had ever actually been in a fight. The mantra still rings in my head: "jab, hook, front kick, level change." The strength and conditioning workout makes me feel alive.

Others are less great. There are segments of the ab workout that will take significant work to master. I find myself cursing trainer Erik Owings for not demonstrating the fallback exercise quickly enough. But I am satisfied. Despite my slip I am still down six pounds after three weeks. Not only that, people are starting to ask if I've lost weight. I may not be down 10 pounds yet, but I've noticed a change in my body composition. This thing is actually working. I just have to make sure I am.

Next week: your questions and comments. I know some of you have started your own RUSHFIT journey. If you'd like to share your story, please send me an email at sbnationsnowden@gmail.com.

Week One

Week Two

The people at RUSHFIT provided this program to me free of cost. It is a blessing and a curse. Thank you. RUSHFIT is an advertiser on Bloody Elbow.

If you can judge a man by his demeanor during the filming of a fitness video (and what better way is there to judge anyone), Georges St. Pierre is a heck of a good guy. Don't get me wrong, I hate your standard workout diva. Male or female, they are all the same. While I'm considering my best suicide options, focused solely on how much my body hurts, they sit there with that smile plastered on their botoxed face. That smile. Unusually white teeth shining, they are just rubbing it in the customer's face. You, the fat loser who can't even touch his toes, may feel like Gary Busey on one of his bad days. But me? Me the exercise professional? I'm here yucking it up. I don't even feel a tingle yet, let alone a burn.

There's none of that with Georges St. Pierre. Georges grimaces throughout the RUSHFIT videos. Like everyone at home he cheats now and again. He's not good at some of the exercises. Sometimes the trainer will yell at him to work a little harder. It's very comforting. When trainer Eric Owings asks him how he feels, Georges is open and honest. "I feel hooorreeeble," the world champion will say in his accented English. I feel a camaraderie with Georges St. Pierre now. I too have been put to the RUSHFIT test. I have felt Georges's pain.

Starting the second week, things were going well. I felt great, energized and healthy. There was a slight problem though. I don't know how to put it delicately, so I won't even try. It felt like my a**hole hurt. The top of the crack? Yeah, excruciating. My wife assured me that, in the immortal words of LL Cool J, "my lower back is killing me" not my butt. Taking her word for it, I applied some heat and by the next day I was up and moving. I never missed a workout because that's how champions roll.

The effects of the workout and diet are already being seen. I've lost five pounds and my arms are, if not hard as rocks, at least as hard as an unripe peach. At the end of week two, RUSHFIT is doing exactly what it promised. I'm a quarter of the way through the first eight weeks and I haven't quit yet. Ask any of my employers - that's an amazing thing. I'm sold that it's working, it's fun, and I'm in it for the long haul. Or at least until next week. Check in next Friday for my third installment.

The people at RUSHFIT provided this program to me free of cost. It is a blessing and a curse. Thank you. RUSHFIT is an advertiser on Bloody Elbow.