The things this kid can do with a bokken… amazing. Via Aesopian’s facebook page.

They say the best technique to have is cardio. Conversely, your worst technique is to lack cardio. Well, the good news is that AdapTx Labs has put out the first and only supplement designed to improve it.

The company was started by David Nader, M.S., MBA in 2007. Their medical advisor is Dr. J.P. Saleeby, and his expertise in what they call adaptogens seems to be the key behind how CardioFactor works. Adaptogens are natural substances that cause the body to better resist stress and fatigue. Despite its scientific-sounding name, adaptogens are more the domain of herbalists than scientists but Dr. Saleeby has done extensive modern study on them. The herbs have been in use for centuries in other countries as qi tonics or restoratives.

To be honest, I was very skeptical about this at first. There are a lot of scary products in the wild west of sports supplements. I began digging into their site and looking into the science behind the product. By comparison, AdapTx Labs’ technical documentation and background is miles beyond most other supplement companies – even big companies like Cytosport. So I decided to give it a whirl for a couple of weeks.

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Touted to have similar nutritional components as real blood, Blood Energy Potion would be ideal for the bloodthirsty UFC lightweight champ BJ Penn. Because when you train as hard as he does, you need a hard energy drink. Do I smell a sponsorship opportunity?

As I’m transitioning to full time BJJ to a little bit of MMA, I’m realizing that my instinct to flop onto my back is now a liability especially when going against wrestlers. When striking is in the picture, the guard game is risky. Good wrestlers can make you feel like this:

A mental note has been made to aggressively try to maintain top control and try and reprogram myself not to pull guard. This realization has also made me think about what I would do in a street situation. Would I automatically play guard if someone tried to go for a takedown? I’d rather not find out.