yours,
Lawrence

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz-BdfP2is4

www.youtube.com/watch?v=48sPSjlP2tM

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PmWKHZTJVo

I GOT MANNY BY 7TH ROUND TKO. You???

It just goes to show that boxing can take you to a better path in life. He worked hard, got criticized for his poor performance against Marcos Maidana and look at him now… Focus won it for him… a sign of better things to come!

GREAT FIGHT AND THIS IS WHY I LOVE BOXING!

1. FEAR— Gary Mack says it right and I agree” Fear is a psychological threat to self- esteem and ego. It can paralyze you.” I heard that a lot of people get intimidated by the intensity of my workouts. This fear of the unknown prevents them from trying even though it has worked for a lot of people already. I believe that experience is the best teacher. I am a fan of fancy plyometric push- ups. A lot of my clients hesitate to do it at first because of the fear of hurting themselves. But as soon as they accomplish the number that I let them do, the fear is gone— these things seem easy! My favorite philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche strongly suggested: Live Dangerously!

2. ANGER— Anger is born out of frustration and expectations. A few of “already fit” people get disappointed when they start a boxing program. They felt so confident about their fitness level but as soon as they try boxing, they just “crumble”. Their expectations are not met. A lot of people are humbled by this first day experience and they move on trying to learn new things every session. A few people just walk away “angry” because their ego was tested. Obviously, those people who were humbled and have continued have reached a whole new level.

3. ANXIETY— This is a generalized feeling of uncertainty or dread— a sense that that something bad is going to happen. According to Gary Mack, a person plagued by this gremlin gets anxious about being anxious. Come on, there is always an element of surprise every session. Relax, it’s not brain surgery! Just think that you can do it and you’ll be fine.

4. SELF- CONSCIOUSNESS— “Looking pretty” in boxing is a good thing but if you focus too much on this and not the task at hand, you’re in for a knockout baby. Work on your weaknesses and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Take it as a learning experience— it’s all for the best. You can’t just be working on the things you’re good at already. Do not be scared of embarrassing yourself. Make boxing training a character- building experience.

5. PERFECTIONISM— With this gremlin, we are pointing our fingers toward negative perfectionists— the ones who have the fear of failure. We learn a lesson from failure. It teaches us how to bounce back and move on. It is rare to have a trainee who does not commit a single mistake in a mitt work drill. One mistake means doing it again and doing some adjustments. The ones who do this learn and perfect something new. Who’s perfect now?

6. STUBBORNNESS— Gary Mack states: “Some people are stubborn, unwilling to learn. They’re not open to change.” I remember watching Oprah’s episode about a personal trainer telling everybody to do interval training instead of countless minutes on the treadmill. A lot of people think that the more cardio you do the more weight you lose. This is partly true however; a lot of people don’t understand plateaus. Boxing Training does not allow that. In a context of a fight, the opponent changes up the complexion of the fight depending on what round the fight is in. That fact is simulated in training. Boxing is interval training. Don’t be stubborn, change it up.

7. LACK OF MOTIVATION— Motivation is something you can’t buy and can’t obtain from someone else. It should come from within— out of your own free will. When you come to training, you must have the constant drive to do your best. I believe that everybody has room for improvement. You don’t have to a fighter to experience the motivation of boxing. Just focus on getting better and you’ll be alright!

8. COMPETITIVENESS— Competition brings out the best in us. Those who have been discouraged by negative experiences do not have a sense of trying again. When somebody or something is pushing you to do your best, it brings out the best in you. You have to be proactive in reaching your goals. One obstacle is surpassing yourself— that’s competitiveness! Your drive to finish boxing rounds and drills successfully brings out the best in you. Go hard or go home!

9. DISTRACTIONS— You don’t just throw positive things into waste. Once you have worked hard to achieve your fitness goal, there is no slacking. Bad habits can hamper ones athletic development. You cannot be cheating yourself by allowing distractions such as drugs, bad food, alcohol abuse or smoking to mix up with your boxing. Successful boxers live clean outside the ring. It’s either you sacrifice, or you don’t sacrifice. There is nothing in between.

10. PERSISTENCE— Remaining optimistic during difficult times is not easy. Every trainee is different. I have accepted the fact that people are different— not everybody can box like the greats, or even close to that. I am a fan of people who work hard though—the ones who are persistent and want to improve and learn new things no matter how difficult it is for them. The great Puerto Rican boxer, Felix “Tito” Trinidad once said: “A great champion who remains undefeated is amazing. A great champion who rises up after a fall is ADMIRABLE”. I like the latter one better— and one of them was Tito.

committed to your success,

Lawrence Ragos

p.s.

TRAINLIKEABOXER DVD up for grabs!! Get it TODAY! www.trainlikeaboxer.com

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayTicGSREXU

Will this be a stinker because of the clash of styles? It could be. But Sergio Martinez is an all action fighter if you decide to slug it out. Do not be deceived by his good looks, the guy can hit like a mule.

In the end he will be too strong, too fast and too crafty for the undefeated but smaller Dzinziruk.

I got Martinez by a wide Unanimous decision. He will box him all day and there will be blood. I predict some good highlights but it wouldn’t match in terms of excitement to the Cotto-Mayorga bout happening on the same night.

yours,

TRAINLIKEABOXER

PREDICTIONS BELOW PLEASE!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UNMb_LbViA

How will Miguel Cotto respond to Mayorga’s relentless assault? The way he backed off against Antonio Margarito or Manny Pacquiao?

How can Mayorga match up with Cotto’s superb boxing skills?

Both have been down in the past, who would last longer?

These are just the questions one would ask before this Saturday’s bout. I’m gonna give it to Cotto, really skillful, too much power and so smart. Mayorga has seen better days but he sure does make pre-fight hype so entertaining.

Saturday, trash-talking ends and fists will fly. Miguel Cotto by 9th round TKO! VIVA PUERTO RICO!!!!

Yours,

Lawrence Ragos

p.s.

Post your predictions in my blog page below!!

Clients come to me for different reasons. Most of them have different fitness- related goals, and some just want to learn some new technique. As the sessions go by, that’s the time they experience Boxing’s stress- relieving benefits.

Most of my morning clients are “The” moms. The moms do have a full- time job, that of a mother. Motherhood, as I understand is a full time job, with lots of overtime, without benefits, so physical, mental and emotional. Man! When they throw punches, you’ll be surprised to feel the power in their hands. Every punch they throw can blast somebody’s face. You can also see it in their facial expressions— you’ll see focus, determination and stress coming out (don’t ask me how I can gauge this but I can tell).

I feel capable of taking on the world and have all of the daily worries at the back of my mind. My sessions give me the satisfaction of feeling I have really challenged myself in a healthy way. -Pat K.

The night people are usually the working class. After a day’s work, they hit the gym and work out for themselves. Work sucks most of the time for these boxers.. You have a boss you don’t like or a project that you’re working on. So when these individuals hit the pads, I experience the same power that the moms in the morning let me feel.

I travel a good deal and have a very hectic schedule that is not very conducive to a healthy lifestyle. The work is very intense and my stress levels can be high causing me to be very “tightly wound”.
Our time together in the gym helps me stay much more focused, balanced, energized and “de-compressed” from the rigors of travel and the pressure of balancing work and home. – Dave R.

Here are some tips incorporating the psych- edge in relieving stress thru boxing:

1. Punch- out drill: Basically, this drill is just throwing a barrage of jabs and straights or uppercuts like there’s no tomorrow. By doing so, you get into a mindset of just throwing punches with utmost speed. I am sure that you won’t be thinking of anything at this instance. You can do this drill with punch mitts, heavy bag or even shadow boxing.

2. No strategy: Trust in your trainer is important. Let him dictate the pace in mitt work. Allow him to lead you to a state of “no strategy”. In this drill, let him lead you to different moves and combinations as you GET INTO THE ZONE! You’ll never realize the fatigue that your body experiences at that moment because you have set your mind into “just boxing”. It’s all mental! You may want to substitute your trainer’s face with the person’s face you’re stressed about.

3. Power at the end: I often end a boxing mitt work round to let my boxers hit the pads with their strongest straights. In this drill, the boxer should VISUALIZE their stressor before throwing each punch. It may be your salon appointment being cancelled, your kids thrashing the house, the cat pooping on your bed or your next door neighbor spreading rumors about you. You may think of a particular situation. Grunting while punching will be a big help in releasing the tension. This helps, based on my personal experience. You’ll realize that you can knock stress out focusing on the target.

I had one client who approached me after a disagreement with her better- half. She looked so pissed and I figured that she would not have a good mood for strategy. I decided to let her hit the mitts like crazy— like there’s no tomorrow. It turned out that the mitt work was all she needed. That was her release. She left the building with a more upbeat, positive attitude. I have not heard about her problem again, and of course that’s none of my business.

Every punch that you throw should feel like that of a champion. A Champion achieves insurmountable things and I am very confident that each and every one of my clients (both past, present and future) will surpass themselves and their daily stress with it.

Now, if you are getting tired of squeezing that stress ball, try to do boxing and see how it works for you. After each session, you will feel “refreshingly invigorated”. You will have a different outlook when you encounter stress—- that of a C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N! Train like one!

committed to your success,

Lawrence Ragos

p.s.

How May I Help You? TRAINLIKEABOXER Today, visit www.trainlikeaboxer.com and grab my FREE EBOOK!

In this article, I would like to focus on the 2 adjectives that describe this exercise: QUICK and EFFECTIVE.

Sometimes, we find ourselves running late on something. 24 hours is just not enough. We find ourselves missing our full workout. Most of us are used to working out for at least 1 hour. Not having that hour can be a bummer since we don’t feel that we pushed ourselves hard enough.

So if you have that limited time, this exercise is the way to go. It is in itself a COMPLETE WORKOUT— very intense, quick and effective. Most of my clients HATE performing this exercise because of its difficulty. But for those who know and truly want to get a workout, you gotta LOVE IT!

Burpee drills you can do on your own with the corresponding limited times:

15 minutes max (4 rounds)

Time per set: 2 minutes

Interval: 30 seconds fast burpees, then 30 seconds power shadow boxing, then repeat.

Rest time: 1 minute in between rounds

Cool down: Standing still, light stretches, deep breathing.

10 minutes max (2 rounds)

Time per set: 3 minutes

Interval: 1 minute fast burpees, 1 minute power shadow boxing, 30 seconds fast burpees, 30 seconds punch- out drill.

Rest time: 1 minute in between rounds

Cool down: 3 minute freestyle shadow boxing. Light stretches.

5 minutes max (2 rounds)

Time per set: 2 minutes

Interval: 30 second fast burpees, then 30 seconds power shadow boxing, then repeat.

Rest time: 30 seconds in between rounds

Cool down: Standing still, Light stretches, deep breathing.

Note: You may use a medicine ball when performing the burpees. Think of it as an extension of your arms. The ball will add to its intensity!

BENEFITS: Burpee conditioning is an effective workout in itself. It involves strength in both the lower and upper body. It covers full body conditioning and cardio by developing stamina. Core work is also done while in the top of the push- up position. Burpees challenge both your aerobic and anaerobic systems.

In boxing terms, burpees improve the power of punches. The reason why power shadow boxing is done after doing fast burpees is because in the context of a fight, power usually diminishes at the end. In order to maintain power, conditioning is important and practicing of power when fatigued is the solution. Burpees also improve footwork with all the leg springing. Our legs feel like jello in the process of performing the exercise. This exercise is 3 times more intense than your elliptical, treadmill or any cardio equipment. It is so fast that you’ll never think it’s boring, you’ll just love to hate it! It will make your heart pump to the 90th power!

BURPEES FOR PSYCH EDGE:

1. Mental Toughness: Burpees are physically tough. However, when you apply the mind over matter aspect, you’ll be able to nail this exercise down. When you set your mind into something, everything is attainable. Just focus on the task and surpass yourself!

2. Need versus want: Think of burpees as a need. Exercise is a necessity, period. You need it, primarily. You want it, secondly. When you need something, you will do everything. Do some self- talk— you can repeatedly say: I NEED THIS!

3. Get it over with: When you lack the time, don’t just “quit”. Doing something is better than nothing. Due to time constraints, you are faced with a dilemma, to do or not to do. I suggest: just get it done and move on to your next task. 5- 10- 15 minutes will go by fast.

To end this, allow me to remind all of you of a famous quote: “In every difficulty, there is opportunity”. Getting this dreaded jump done requires a lot of mental and physical strength. Boxing gives you the chance to surpass yourself. Being on top of your game is a good feeling. Give your best, train hard and as the Nike slogan goes, just do it!

committed to your success,

Lawrence Ragos

MORE KICK-ASS WORKOUTS INVOLVING THE DREADED JUMPS ARE THE IN TRAINLIKEABOXER DVD —>>> www.trainlikeaboxer.com/dvd. GET IT TODAY! GREAT INVESTMENT!!!

To experience everything that a boxer goes through, you definitely need a trainer— a certified one to have the best instruction possible. Here are the Top Ten Reasons Why to Hire a Certified Boxing Trainer:

1. Mitt work requires a trainer

Ok, let’s say that you figured out that you want to give boxing a shot. Will you just let a random guy teach you stuff? He might be the toughest guy in the planet but that doesn’t mean a thing. Boxing is a game of skill. I assure you, give a pair of mitts to your husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend and they will never be able to teach you the boxing skills learned and developed in mitt work.

2. Boxing trainers love you, unconditionally

Boxing is one of the few sports that make your coach your towel boy, water boy, motivator, teacher, massage therapist, cook etc… Who would wipe you face when you can’t possibly do it because you have your gloves on? Need water break? Your trainer puts water in your mouth. That’s love!

3. He/She works out with you

Boxing Trainers don’t just give you our minds, we sweat it out too. We don’t just let you follow us and let you do things you can do on your own. We get into the game! Heck we’re kind of underpaid for the effort we give in training. But we don’t care because we value commitment. Boxing is like a foreign language, you don’t learn it overnight.

4. He/She sees every little detail

Boxing is a game of detail. Every little aspect of the game should be sharpened in training. Boxing Trainers have a great peripheral vision. He sees the little stuff that goes on in mitt work, shadow boxing or sparring. Not to mention, boxing trainers have cat- quick reflexes. One mistake you make, it is very likely that you will miss your trainer’s face.

5. Boxing trainers’ health is always at risk

Although working out with our clients is great cardio, you can’t ignore the fact that our wrists and fingers are getting pounded multiple times. When body punches are taught, we take stomach and rib shots that can sting. When you miss the punches, it could go straight to our faces. WE TAKE ALL THAT RISK FOR YOU TO LEARN. WE TAKE THIS SACRIFICE TO GIVE YOU ALL THE BEST.

6. Boxing Trainers take you to a whole new level

There’s a difference in being in shape, and in being in boxing- shape. Boxing is the most demanding sport out there: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills Taking you to that level takes a lot of sacrifice. Through our mitt work expertise, you are able to reach the conditioning that you thought you will never reach. We know how to do it, and we do it well.

7. Our training is specialized

Knowing how to box is different from teaching how to box. Doing mitt work on boxers requires a different set of training. It is different from boxing itself. Being a good boxer does not mean you’ll be able to teach it effectively. Oscar De la Hoya, no matter how hot he is will not be able to give you the “top dogg” training that you deserve.

8. Most trainers run their mouths, but we don’t

Training people in boxing requires brains as well. Most trainers just talk the talk, but can’t walk the walk. Whatever we let you do in training is for your own good. Ask us the million dollar question and we’ll give you the answer. We appreciate questions and criticism and can easily send you to another trainer if our personalities and styles don’t match. We can back it up!

9. We know the ultimate change- up plan

In a context of a fight, every round is different from one another. There’s a round when you slug, box, go slow or use your footwork. The Boxing trainers know and understand that. We don’t do the same things twice and that will keep you away from getting bored. We change it up all the time to make your every session unique from all the rest. With boxing’s progressive (rounds get tougher as you go along) nature, trainers understand that changing it up constantly is the solution.

10. We believe in YOU!

We will not be even starting to train if we don’t have the positive vibe between each other. Boxing trainers don’t train quitters and they believe that every fighter is unique. We will stick with you thru thick and thin. We make warriors out of ordinary people. Trainers develop your physical and mental toughness while teaching you a very valuable skill. BOXING TRAINERS WILL TAKE A BULLET FOR YOU. A TEACHER LOVES HIS STUDENTS.

So if you are from Metro Detroit and want to take it to a whole new level, train with me and it starts by going to www.trainlikeaboxer.com

sincerely,

Lawrence Ragos